ained the fate of their leader, they
were content to drag themselves out from the gangway without pursuing
any further the search in which they had been engaged. Fortunately for
them the quantity of gas exploded had been small, else they might have
been instantly killed, or the gangway so shattered as to completely bar
their way of escape, and hold them buried alive between its black walls.
As it was, it brought down a great mass of debris on top of that already
fallen, and so choked the passage beyond where Job Taskar's body lay
that it was effectually closed.

Although Derrick and the mine boss were far in advance of their
pursuers, and had already passed most of the obstacles to their rapid
progress, they were very sensible of the shock of the explosion when it
occurred. The rush of air that immediately followed was strong enough to
extinguish their safety-lamps, and cause them to stagger, but it did
them no injury.

When these two had so suddenly stepped from the presence of the Mollies,
and slammed the door in their faces, they had instantly extinguished
their lamps, and started on a run back through the gangway by which they
had come. Of course, in the utter darkness, they could not run fast nor
far, but they were well beyond the circle of light from Job Taskar's
lamp when he sprang out after them, and that was all they wanted. When
they saw the little cluster of flickering lights borne by the Mollies
disappear in the opposite direction from that they were taking, they
felt greatly relieved, and a few minutes later ventured to relight their
own lamps and continue their retreat.

"Looks as if we'd got to go out the way we came in, after all, doesn't
it, sir?" said Derrick, who was the first to speak.

"It does rather look that way," answered the mine boss, "but I'd rather
risk it, under the circumstances, than face those fellows just now. They
have had a chance to recover from their surprise at our appearance, and
some of them are as mad as hornets to think they let us go. A moment's
hesitation when we opened that door and found ourselves among them would
probably have cost us our lives. Our very boldness was all that saved
us. A danger boldly faced is robbed of half its terrors.

"By-the-way, Derrick, our coming on those fellows as we did was a most
remarkable thing. I thought your tracing was leading us to the top of
the air-shaft instead of to the chamber at its bottom. We must be on a
lower level than we t