"Yes, what is it? Who's there?"
"Oh, Gwyn, my boy, my boy!" came piteously; and two soft arms raised him
from his pillow to hold him to a throbbing breast, while passionate lips
pressed warm kisses on his face.
"Mother! You! What's the matter? Ah, I remember. You there, father?
Where's Joe? Where's poor old Sam Hardock?"
"Joe Jollivet's in the next room, sleeping soundly; Sam Hardock's at
Harry Vores' cottage getting right fast."
"And Tom Dinass? Where is he?" cried Gwyn.
"Dinass? Great heavens! Is he somewhere in the mine?"
"No," said Gwyn, frowning. "I only want to know where he is."
"Never mind about him," said the Colonel.
Gwyn nodded his head and became very thoughtful.
"There, you had better lie in bed to-day, and the effects of your
terrible experience will pass off. We have suffered agonies since the
alarm was given."
"Did the lads all escape?"
"Every man," said the Colonel; "but some of the last up were nearly
drowned, for the water had risen to their necks at the foot of the shaft
when they reached the man-engine."
"Grip came and told you where we were?" said Gwyn, after a pause.
"Yes, and led us to the opening up which he had come."
"Where was it, father?"
"In the face of the cliff--a mile away."
"What, overlooking the sea?"
"Yes, my boy, and the air was rushing out of it with tremendous force.
It was a mere crack, and took a long time to open sufficiently for a man
to pass in. But there, don't talk about it. We have passed through as
terrible an experience as you, and it has nearly killed the Major."
Gwyn passed the greater part of the next twenty-four hours in sleep, and
then woke up, and was very little the worse. He rose and went to Joe,
who snatched at his hand, and then nearly broke down; but, mastering his
emotion, he too insisted upon getting up; and soon after the two lads
went on to the Major's, where the old officer was lying back in an
easy-chair.
"Hah!" he cried, as he grasped the boys' hands; "now I shall be able to
get better. This has nearly killed me, Joe, my boy; but I've been
coming round ever since they found you."
"Tell us how it all was, father," said Joe, as he sat holding the
Major's hand in his. "Colonel Pendarve always put me off when I asked
him, and told me to wait."
"I'm ready to do the same, my boy, for it has been very horrible. But,
thank heaven, only one life has been lost!"
"Has one man been drowned?" cried Gwyn, excitedly. "I thought everyone
was saved."
"One man is missing, Gwyn--that man Dinass. They say he was hanging
about the mine that day, and he has not been seen since, and I'm afraid
he went down unnoticed. Oh, dear; I wish we had not engaged in this
wild scheme; but it is too late to repent, and the poor fellow will
never be found."
"Not when the mine is pumped out again, father?" said Joe.
"Pumped out? That will never be, my boy. The water must have broken
into one of the workings which ran beneath the sea, and unless the
breach could be found and stopped it would be impossible."
"Don't leave me for very long," said the Major, after they had sat with
him some time; "but go for a bit--it will do you good."
The two lads went straight away to the mine, where the engineer was busy
cleaning portions of the machinery, but ready enough to leave off and
talk to them.
"Want to get my engines in good order, sir, so that they'll sell well,
for they'll never be wanted again. Nay, sir, that mine'll never be
pumped out any more. Sea's broke in somewhere beyond low-water mark.
It's all over now."
"Do you think Tom Dinass was below?" said Gwyn.
"Yes, poor fellow. He's a man I never liked; but there, he never liked
me. No one saw him go down, but he's never been seen since."
They left the silent mine--only so short a time back a complete hive of
industry--and went on to Harry Vores' cottage, where the owner was busy
gardening, and Sam Hardock was seated in the doorway sunning himself,
but ready to try and rise on seeing the two lads, though he sank back
with a groan.
"How are you, gen'lemen? How are you?" he cried cheerily. "Very glad
to see you both about; I can't manage it yet. Water's got in my legs;
but the sun's drying it out, and as soon as I can walk I'm going to see
about that bit of business. You know."
"There drop it, Sam, old man," said Vores, who had left his gardening to
come up and shake hands. "Glad to see you gentlemen. Been down by the
mine? Looks sad, don't it, not to have the smoke rising and the stamps
rattling?"
"Don't you interrupt," said Hardock. "I want to talk to the young
masters about him. Have you told the guv'nors what I said about Tom
Dinass?"
"'Course they haven't," said Vores. "He's got a crotchet in his head,
gentlemen, that poor Tom Dinass made a hole, and let in the sea-water."
"Crotchet? Ah, I know, and so do they. I say he did it out o' spite."
"How?" said Vores, with a grim smile at the visitors.
"I don't say how," replied Hardock; "but if we knew we should find he
sunk dinnymite somehow and fired it over one of the old workings."
"Struck a match and held it under water, eh?"
"Don't you talk about what you don't understand," said Hardock, sternly.
"You ask the young gentlemen here if shots can't be fired under water
with 'lectric shocks, or pulling a wire that will break bottles of acid
and some kinds of salts."
"Well, if Tom Dinass did that," said Vores, sharply, "I hope he blew
himself up as well; but it's all a crank of yours, old man. Tom Dinass
never did that. Let the poor fellow alone where he lies, somewhere at
the bottom of the mine."
"Ah, you'll see," said Hardock--"You give my dooty to your fathers,
young gentlemen, and tell them I'd be glad to see them if they'd look in
on me. I'd come up to them, as in dooty bound, but my legs won't go. I
s'pose it's rheumatiz. I want to hear what they'll say."
"Do you think the mine can be pumped dry again, Sam?" said Gwyn,
suddenly, "so as to get to work once more?"
"Do I think I could dive down among the breakers with a ginger-beer cork
and a bit o' wire, and stop up the hole? No, I don't, sir. That mine--
the richest nearly in all Cornwall--is dead, and killed by one man out
o' spite."
Vores caught Gwyn's eye, gave him a peculiar look, and tapped his
forehead; but Hardock caught the movement.
"Oh no, I arn't, Harry Vores. I'm no more cracked than you are; but I
won't quarrel, for you and your wife have been very good to me, and you
did a brave thing when you come down that hole and got us out."
"Yah!" cried Vores, "such stuff. Why, anyone would have done it. You
would for me. There, I don't mean you're mad--only that you've got that
crook in your mind about Tom Dinass. Well, it's a blessing the poor
fellow had neither wife nor child to break their hearts about him."