"Well, old man; on the sick list?" began the Colonel, shaking hands
warmly with his friend. "What's the last bulletin?"
"Bad, bad," said the Major, sharply. "Just heard that a man I respected
is going to make a fool of himself."
"Eh? What?" said the Colonel, flushing. "Who's been chattering about--
ahem! Are you alluding to the mine on my property, Major Jollivet?"
"No, sir," said the Major, sitting up, "I was speaking about the hole by
the cliff that was dug by a pack of greedy noodles who were not
satisfied with their incomes, and I felt that I should not like to see
an old friend of mine go shovelling his money down into it, and breaking
his wife's heart."
"Then it was like your--ahem, ahem!" coughed the Colonel, checking
himself. "No, no; don't go away, boys," for Gwyn was stealing out,
followed by Joe.
"No, don't you boys go," cried the Major; "it will be a lesson for you
both."
"Father been very bad, Joe?" said the Colonel.
"Very bad, indeed, sir," said the boy.
"Silence, sir!" cried the Major. "Nothing of the sort. Don't
exaggerate, Joe."
"No, father."
"He doesn't, Dick. You've had a nasty touch this morning, or you
wouldn't have spoken to me like that."
"I couldn't help it, old man," said the Major, warmly. "But surely you
will never be so mad as to go pumping out that old place."
"H'm! I don't know about mad. Be useful to make a little money for the
sake of the boy."
"Very bad to lose a great deal for the sake of the boy."
"Nothing venture, nothing win, Dick. I'm beginning to think that it
would be worth while to put some money in the venture, and I came up
this morning to make you the first offer of joining in."
"And throwing away my bit of money, too. No, sir, not if I know it.
I'm not quite such an idiot as that."
"You mean as I am," said the Colonel, quietly.
"I did not say so," retorted the Major. "I should not dream of
insulting an old friend by using such language."
"No, but you would think it all the same," cried the Colonel. "Now,
look here, Jollivet; you and I have enough to live upon comfortably."
"Quite."
"But there's nothing left to start these two young dogs well in life;
now is there?"
"Well--er--rum--er--no; there is not much, Pendarve, certainly."
"That's what I have been thinking, and though the idle, reckless young
dogs do not deserve it--do you hear, you two? I say you don't deserve
it."
"Joe doesn't," said Gwyn, with a mischievous grin at his companion.
"No, not at all," said Joe. "I'm nearly as bad as Gwyn."
"Ah, you're a nice pair," said the Colonel. "But we, as fathers, must,
I suppose, give you both a good preparation for the army--eh, Jollivet?"
"Yes, of course that must be done," said the Major.
"Exactly! Well, I've been thinking a great deal about it this last day
or two, and I have quite come to the conclusion that I must do
something."
"Well, do something," said the Major, testily; "don't go and fling your
money down a mine."
"But there are mines and mines, Jollivet, old fellow. If I were asked
to join in some company to buy a mine or open a new one, I should of
course hesitate; but in this case I have one of my own, one that is
undoubtedly very ancient, and must have had a great deal of tin or
copper or both in it."
"No doubt, and it was all dug out and sold long enough ago. The old
people had the oyster, and you've got the shell."
"I don't know so much about that, sir," said the Colonel, earnestly. "I
brought home a piece of old ore that was dug out, and it's very rich in
tin. There's plenty of room down below for there to be an enormous
amount, and as the only outlay will be for machinery for pumping and
raising the ore, I have made up my mind to start a company of the owners
to work that mine."
"And lose all your money."
"I hope not. The mine is already sunk, and I believe when it is pumped
dry we shall find that there are drifts with plenty of ore in them,
waiting to be worked--plenty to pay well for the getting."
"And if there turns out to be none at all?"
"Well, that's the very worst way of looking at it. If it turns out as
bad as that, I shall have spent so many hundred pounds in new pumping
machinery, and have it to sell for what it will fetch to some fresh
company."
"But you would only get half the value."
"If I got half the value, I should be satisfied. Then the loss would
not be so very severe."
"Severe enough to make you repent it to the last day of your life," said
the Major, shortly.
"I hope not. Money is not worth so much repentance."
"But you talk as if you really meant to do this, Pendarve," said the
Major, warmly.
"I do. I have quite made up my mind."
Gwyn looked at his father, with his eyes flashing with excitement.
"My dear Pendarve, I implore you not to do so for that boy's sake,"
cried the Major.
"It is for his sake I am going to venture upon what seems to me a very
safe piece of business."
"No, no; a wild-goose chase, sir."
"Mining is not so reckless as that, if carried out on business
principles, my dear Jollivet."
"There, we shall never agree. But in the name of all that is sensible,
why did you come to me?"
"Partly because you are my oldest friend, and one in whom I should
confide any important business."
"And partly," cried the Major, warmly, "because you thought I should be
weak enough to join you."
"Quite right, all but the question of weakness," said the Colonel.
"Absurd! There, I am obliged to speak plainly; I could never dream of
such a thing."
"I don't want you to dream," said the Colonel, smiling; "I want you to
act--to join me; and upon this basis: I will find the mine, and half the
money for the machinery, if you will find the other half."
"It would be folly. Look at the money we know to have been lost on
mines."
"Yes, in companies, and over very doubtful affairs. In this case we
have the proof of mining having been carried on. We have the mine, and
we should not have to share profits with a number of shareholders."
"Nor losses neither," said the Major, testily.
"Nor the losses neither," assented the Colonel. "Then we live on the
spot and could oversee matters."
"Bah! What do we know about mines? I could manage a regiment, not a
hole underground."
"We could soon learn, my dear boy," said the Colonel; "and it would be
very interesting to have such an occupation. I have felt for years past
that you and I have been wasting time. No occupation whatever, nothing
to do but think about our ailments. It's rusting, Jollivet--it's
rusting out; and I'm sure that if we both worked hard, we should be
healthier and better men."
"Humph! Well, there is something in that. But, no, no, no, I'm not
going to be tempted to spend money that ought some day to come to Joe."
"Oh, I don't mind, father, if it's going to do you good," cried the boy,
eagerly. "I should like for you to have a mine."
"Shall I have any money some day, father?" said Gwyn.
"I suppose so, my boy, what I leave when I die," said the Colonel,
frowning.
"Oh, then, I'll give it to go into the mine, father," cried Gwyn; and
the stern look passed off the Colonel's face. He nodded, and looked
pleased.
"Think of the anxiety that such a venture would bring," said the Major.
"I have thought of it, and also of the anxieties and worries which come
to a man who has nothing to do. Look here, Jollivet, I firmly believe
in this adventure, and I should very much like it if you would join me,
for I feel that it would do you good, and that we should get on well
together."
"Oh, yes, I've no doubt about that," said the Major, "and if you really
do make up your mind to venture, I don't say that I will not lend you
some money if you need it."
"Thank you, I know that you would, Jollivet; but I don't want to take it
in that way. Think it over for a few days, and see how you feel about
it."
"No, I can give you my answer now without any hesitation. It is quite
out of the question, Pendarve. Even if it were a gold mine, I should
say--"
"Don't decide rashly, old fellow," said the Colonel. "A few days ago I
should have answered you in the same way, if you had come and proposed
the thing; but since I have thought it over, I have quite changed my
mind. Do the same, and let me hear how you have concluded to act at the
end of a week."
"But I tell you, my dear sir--"
"Yes; tell me at the end of a week," said the Colonel, smiling. "What
do you think of these fellows beginning to investigate the mine for
themselves? There, Gwyn, you need not stay for me if you want a run
with Joe: I'll walk home alone."
"Father is not well enough to be left," said Joe.
"Yes, yes, my boy," cried the Major; "I don't want to make a prisoner of
you. Go and have a run with Gwyn, by all means."
The boys required no second permission, but were off at once, their
fathers hearing the beat of their feet on the road directly after.
"Where have they gone?" said the Major, turning on his couch.
"Over to the mouth of the mine, for certain," said the Colonel.
He was quite right. There was no proposal made by either of the boys,
but as soon as they were outside the gate, they started off together at
a rapid trot, making straight for the Colonel's land, springing over the
stone-wall, and threading their way amongst stones and bushes, till they
were compelled by the rough ground to go more slowly.
"Makes one want to see more of what it's like," said Joe.
"Yes; I didn't know father was thinking about it so seriously. Why,
it'll be splendid, Joe. I say; you'll have to go down the mine first
this time."
"Yes, I suppose so, but not your way."
"Hist!" whispered Gwyn, as they drew near. "What does that mean?"
"What? I don't see anything."
Gwyn ducked down behind one of the great, grey weathered lumps of
granite, and signed to his companion to follow his example.
This was done on the instant, and then Joe looked inquiringly in his
face.
"Something wrong," whispered Gwyn. "Trespassers. Got to know that
father means to work the mine."
Gwyn raised his head slowly, so as to peer over the block of granite,
and plainly made out a hand and arm working about at the side of the low
protection wall of the old mine.
"Sam Hardock," whispered Joe, who had followed his example. "What's he
doing? Measuring the depth?"
"'Tisn't Sam," whispered Gwyn, "it's someone else--stranger, I think.
Then the mine must be valuable or he wouldn't be there. What shall we
do?"
"He has no business there. It's on your father's property, perhaps
it'll be ours, too," whispered Joe. "I say, Ydoll, we're not going to
stand that; let's go and collar him."
"Agreed!" said Gwyn, excitedly. "We've right on our side. Come on."