"That's it, sure enough."
"Then there must be something in it," cried Colonel Pendarve. "The
place is being talked about, and this fellow, who is evidently
experienced in such matters, has been sent on to act as a spy. But how
does he know about the depth?"
"Line's all knotted in six-feet lengths, sir," said Joe.
"Then I'm much obliged to him for taking the measures; but let's try for
ourselves. You would like to see the depth tried, Jollivet."
"I? No, certainly not. Why should I?" cried the Major, testily.
"Because I presume you will take some interest in seeing me succeed if I
go on with the venture."
"Oh! Well, yes, of course. Going to try now?"
"I am," replied the Colonel. "Will you boys let down the leaden sinker?
Be careful, mind. Will you hold the reel, Joe? and then Gwyn can count
the knots as the line runs down."
"All right, sir," cried Joe; and the Major took his place by the wall to
look on while, after stationing themselves, Gwyn counted three knots, so
as to get a little loose line, then took tight hold and pitched the lead
from him, letting the stout cord run between his finger and thumb, and
counting aloud as it went down, stopping at thirty by tightening his
grasp on the line.
"He's wrong, father; thirty fathoms, and there's no water yet."
"Try a little lower, boy."
The line began to run again, and there was a faint plash before half of
another fathom had been reeled off.
"Not so very far out," said the Major, as Gwyn went on counting and the
reel turned steadily on, Joe turning one finger into a brake, and
checking the spool so that it would not give out the line too fast.
On went the counting, the words coming mechanically from Gwyn's lips as
he thought all the while about his terrible fall, and wondered how deep
down he had gone beneath the black water.
"Forty-seven--forty-eight--forty-nine--fifty," counted Gwyn.
"Bottom?" cried the Colonel.
"No, father; he must have let it catch on some ledge or piece that stuck
out. Look, the lead's going steadily on. He said forty-nine: I've
counted fifty, and there it goes--fifty-one--fifty-two," and to the
surprise of all, the line ran out till another twenty fathoms had passed
off the reel.
"Seventy fathoms, father. That's bottom," said Gwyn, hauling up and
letting the line run again with the same result.
"Hah, yes," said the Colonel; "and that means so many thousand gallons
more water to be pumped out. But try again. Jerk the lead, and let it
shoot down. Perhaps you have not quite sounded the bottom yet."
Gwyn obeyed, and the result was again the same.
"Seventy fathoms. Well, that is not deep compared to some of the mines;
but it proves that there must have been profitable work going on for the
people, whoever they were, to have gone on cutting through the hard
stone. A tremendous task, Jollivet."
"Hang it, yes, I suppose so. Well, there is nothing more to be done or
seen, is there?"
"Not at present. Only to reel up the line our visitor has been so
obliging as to lend us."
"Wind away, Joe," cried Gwyn; "and I'll let the string pass through my
fingers, so as to wring off some of the water."
The boys began to gather in the sounding-cord, and the Major stood
peering down over the wall into the black depths and poking at a loose
stone on the top of the wall with his cane.
"Seems rather childish," he said suddenly; "but should you mind,
Pendarve, if I dislodged this stone and let it fall down the shaft?"
"Mind? Certainly not. Go on. Here, shall I do it?"
"No. I should prefer doing it myself," said the Major; and standing his
cane against the wall, he took hold of the stone and stood it upon the
edge.
"Stop!" cried the Colonel as he noted that the under part of the stone
glistened, as granite will.
"What's the matter?"
"That piece of stone," said the Colonel, excitedly. "Why, man, look; it
is rich in tin ore."
"That blackish-purple glittering stuff?"
"Yes; those are tin grains. But there, it does not matter. Throw it
in. We can have it sent up again when the mine is pumped out. In with
it."
The Major raised the stone with both hands face high and threw it from
him, while all watched him, and then stood waiting for the heavy
hollow-sounding splash which followed, with the lapping of the water
against the sides.
"It is strange," said the Major, "what a peculiar fascination a place
like this exercises over me, Pendarve. I feel just as if I could leap
down into--"
As he spoke, he leaned over the low wall as if drawn toward the place,
and his son turned ghastly white and uttered a faint cry.