to Derrick the several places at which his services
would be required, the mine boss left him, and the boy found himself
fully launched on his new career.

He soon discovered that Harry Mule knew much more of the business than
he did, and by allowing him to have his own way, and go where he thought
best, Derrick got along with very few mistakes. Among the miners upon
whom he had to attend he found brawny Tom Evert, stripped to the waist,
lying on his side, and working above his head, but bringing down the
coal in glistening showers with each sturdy blow of his pick. When he
saw Derrick he paused in his work long enough to exchange a cheery
greeting with him and to dash the perspiration from his eyes with the
back of his grimy hand; then at it he went again with redoubled energy.

At the end of one of the headings Derrick found another acquaintance in
the person of Monk Tooley. He scowled when he saw the new driver, and
growled out that he'd better look sharp and see to it he was never kept
waiting for cars, or it would be the worse for him.

Twice Derrick started to leave this place, and each time the miner
called him back on some trivial pretext. The boy could not see, nor did
he suspect, what the man was doing, but as he turned away for the third
time, Monk Tooley sprang past him with a shout, and ran down the
heading. Derrick did not hear what he said, but turning to look behind
him, he saw a flash of fire, and had barely time to throw himself face
downward, behind his car, when he was stunned by a tremendous explosion.
Directly afterwards he was nearly buried beneath an avalanche of rock
and coal.

CHAPTER V

ATTACKED BY ENEMIES, AND LOST IN THE MINE

Although Derrick was terribly frightened by the explosion, and
considerably bruised by the shower of rocks and coal that followed it,
the car had so protected him that he was not seriously hurt. Had his
mule started forward the heavily loaded car must have run over and
killed him. Fortunately Harry was too experienced a miner to allow such
a trifling thing as a blast to disturb his equanimity, especially as the
two false starts already made had placed him at some little distance
from it. To be sure, he had shaken his head at the flying bits of coal,
and had even kicked out viciously at one large piece that fell near his
heels. The iron-shod hoof had shattered the big lump, and sent its
fragments flying over Derrick, but in the darkness and confusion the