All at once, as the boys went along near the cliff edge, they found that
Dinass had disappeared, and Joe expressed himself as being relieved.
"Went back beyond that ridge of rocks, I suppose," said Gwyn; "but I
certainly thought he wanted to cut us off for some reason. Well, it's a
good job he has gone."
But a little later they found that Dinass had not gone, for all the
while Grip had had an eye on his movements and had acted after the
manner of a dog.
For, after about five minutes, there was a sharp barking heard as the
boys trudged on.
"Why, where's Grip?" said Gwyn. "I thought he was here."
The barking was repeated, and the dog was seen close to the edge of the
cliff a hundred yards away, barking at something below him.
"What's he found?" said Joe.
"Oh, it's only at the gulls lower down. There's that shelf where it
looks as if the granite had slipped down a little way. Let's see what
he is about."
The dog kept up his barking, and the boys walked up, to find no gull
below, but Tom Dinass seated in a nook smoking his pipe, with a couple
of ominous-looking pieces of stone within reach of his hand, both
evidently intended for Grip's special benefit should he attack, which he
refrained from doing.
"Mornin', gentlemen," said the man. "Wish you'd keep that dawg chained
up when you come to the mine; you see he don't like me."
"He won't hurt you if you don't tease him," said Gwyn. "Come to heel,
Grip."
The dog uttered a remonstrant growl, but obeyed, and Dinass drew himself
back against the cliff.
"Safer down here," he said.
"Yes, you are safer there," said Gwyn. "Good-morning."
"One minute, sir, please. Don't go away yet; I want just a word with
you."
"Yes, what is it?" said Gwyn, shortly, while Joe gazed from the man to
the depths below, troubled the while by some confused notion that he
meant mischief.
"Only just a word or two, Mr Gwyn, sir," said the man in a humble
manner, which accorded badly with his fierce, truculent appearance; and
for the moment the lad addressed thought that he meant treachery, and
he, Joe, could not help glancing at the precipice so close at hand.
"You see, I'm an unlucky sort of fellow, and somehow make people think
wrong things about me. You and me got wrong first time you see me; but
I didn't mean no harm, and things got better till the other day over the
bit o' fuss about going down."
"When you behaved like a cur and left us to take our chance. Quiet,
Grip?"
"Look at that now!" cried Dinass, appealing to nobody--"even him turning
again' me. Why, I ought to say as you two young gents went and forsook
me down the old pit. Sure as goodness, I thought you both did it as a
lark. Why, it warn't in me to do such a thing; and if you'd only waited
a few minutes till I'd got my candle right, I'd perhaps ha' been able to
save you from being lost. Anyhow I would ha' tried."
"Do you expect us to believe that you did not sneak back and leave us?"
said Gwyn.
"Well, as young gents, I do hope you will, sir. Why, I'd sooner have
cut my head off than do such a thing. Forsake yer! Why I was half mad
when I found you'd gone on, and I run and shouted here and there till I
was hoarse as a crow; and when I found I was reg'lar lost there, I can't
tell you what I felt. That's a true word, sir; I never was so scared in
my life."
"Ah, well, perhaps we'd better say no more about it, Dinass."
"Tom Dinass, sir. Don't speak as if you was out with me, too."
"We both thought you had left us in the lurch; but if you say you did
not, why, we are, bound to believe you."
"_Bah_!" said Grip, in a growl full of disgust.
"Quiet, sir!"
"Ay, even that dawg don't take to me," said Dinass, in an ill-used tone.
"But there, I don't care now you young gents believe me."
"All right; good-morning," said Gwyn, shortly. "Come along, Joe."
"Nay, nay, don't go away like that, Mr Gwyn, you'll think better of me
soon, when you aren't so sore about it. For I put it to you, sir, as a
gentleman as knows what the mine is, and to you, too, Master Joe
Jollivet, you both know--Aren't it a place where a man can lose himself
quickly?"
"Well, yes, of course," said Gwyn.
"Exactly; well, I lost myself same as you did; and because I warn't with
you, everybody's again me--Sam Hardock and Harry Vores, and all the men,
even the engine tenter; and that aren't the worst of it."
"What is, then?" said Joe.
"Why this, sir," said the man, earnestly: "They've made a bad report of
me to the guv'nors just when I was getting on and settling down to a
good job in what seems like to be a rich mine with regular work, and I'm
under notice to leave."
"Serve you right for being such a sneak," said Joe, angrily.
"Oh, Master Joe, you are hard on a man; but you'll try and believe me,
sir. I did work hard to find you both."
"I daresay we're wrong, Joe," said Gwyn; and the dog uttered another
growl which sounded wonderfully like the word "_Bah_!"
"Yes, sir, wrong you are; and seeing how scarce work is, and so many
mines not going, you won't mind putting a word in for me to the Colonel
and the Major."
"What for? What about?" said Gwyn, sharply. "Your character?"
"Nay, sir, I don't want no character. Sam Hardock says the mine's rich,
and I want to stay on. You say the right word to the Colonel, and he'll
keep me on."
"I don't feel as if I could, Dinass," said Gwyn, thoughtfully.
"Not just this minute, sir," said the man, humbly; "but if you think
about it, and how hard it is for a man to lose his bread for a thing
like that, you'll feel different about it. Do try, sir, please. I'm a
useful man, and you'll want me; and I'll never forget it if you do."
"Well," said Gwyn, "I'll think about it; but if I do ask my father, he
may not listen to me."
"Oh, yes, he will, sir; he'd do anything you asked him; and so would
yours, Master Joe. Do, please, gentlemen, and very thankful I'll be."
"Come along, Joe," said Gwyn.
"And you will speak a word for me, sir--both of you?"
"I'll see," said Joe; and with Grip trotting softly behind them, the two
lads hurried off.
"You won't ask for him to stay, Ydoll?" said Joe, earnestly, as soon as
they were out of earshot.
"Why not? Perhaps we're misjudging him after all."
"But I never liked him," said Joe.
"Well I didn't, and I don't; but that's no reason why we should be
unfair. He isn't a pleasant fellow, and nobody seems to take to him; I
believe he is right about all the men being set against him."
"Well, then, it's right for him to go."
"Oh, I say, Jolly, don't be hard and unfair on a fellow. One ought to
stick up for the weaker side. Let's go and see if father's in the
office."
"And you are going to speak for him?"
"Yes; and so are you;" and Gwyn led the way to the new mine buildings
where the carpenters and masons were still busy, passing the shaft where
the pump was steadily at work, but going very slowly, for there was very
little water to keep down.
As the boys approached the doorway they saw Hardock come out and go on
to the mine, while on entering they found the Colonel and the Major
examining a rough statement drawn up by the captain who had just left.
"Well, boys," said Major Jollivet, "have you come in to hear about it?"
"No," said Gwyn, staring; "about what, sir?"
"The venture, my boy. Hardock reports that the mine is very rich in
ore, and that we have entered upon a very good speculation."
"Yes, that is so, Gwyn," said his father; "and we are going to begin
work in real earnest now--I mean, begin raising ore; and we must engage
more men. Well; you were going to say something."
"Yes, father," said Gwyn, rushing into his subject at once. "We have
just seen Dinass."
"Yes," said the Colonel, frowning; "he goes in about ten days, and we
want someone in his place. What about him?"
"He has been telling us about his trouble--that he is dismissed."
"He need not worry you about it, boy. He should have behaved better."
"Yes; rank cowardice," said Joe's father, shortly.
"No, Major; he has been explaining how it was to us, and he tells me it
was all accidental. He says we left him behind, and that he searched
for us for long enough afterwards, till he was quite lost. It is an
awkward place to miss your way in."
"Yes, you boys ought to know that," said the colonel. "Then this man
has been getting hold of you to petition to stay?"
"Yes, father; he asked us to speak for him."
"Well, and are you going to?" said the Major.
"Yes, sir; I should like you and my father to give him another trial."
"But you don't like the man, Gwyn," said the Colonel.
"No, father--not at all; but I don't like to be prejudiced."
"And you, Joe," said the Major, "don't you want to be prejudiced?"
"No, father; Ydoll here has put it so that I'm ready to back him up.
Dinass says he wants to get on, and doesn't like the idea of leaving a
good rich mine."
"Humph!" said the Colonel. "We don't want to dismiss men--we want to
engage them. What do you say, Jollivet; shall we give him another
trial?"
"I think so," said the Major. "He's a big, strong, well set up fellow.
Pity to drum a man out of the regiment who may be useful."
"Yes," said the Colonel, sharply. "Well, Gwyn, perhaps we have been too
hard on him. He is not popular with the other men, but he may turn out
all right, and we can't afford to dismiss a willing worker; so you may
tell him that, at the interposition of you two boys, we will cancel the
dismissal, and he can stay on."
"And tell him, boys," said the Major, "that he is to do your
recommendation credit."
"Yes, of course," came in duet, and the boys hurried out to look for
Dinass and tell him their news.
"Thank ye, my lads," he said, smiling grimly. "I'll stay, and won't
forget it."
That night Dinass wrote a letter to somebody he knew--an ill-spelt
letter in a clumsy, schoolboyish hand; but it contained the information
that the old mine was rich beyond belief, and that he was beginning to
see his way.
Gwyn did not know it then, but he had committed one of the great errors
of his life.