When Bull-dog's voice rang out above the storm, with its warning to
Lyle, Houston, standing near the entrance of the shaft, alert,
watchful for the first indication of danger, heard the words
distinctly and acted instantly.
Having given the usual danger signal, he shouted, "To the tunnels,
boys, for your lives! The mine has been fired, go to the tunnels!"
On returning from giving the agreed signal to Jack and Mike, he heard
Bull-dog's voice above him in the shaft, calling his name and shouting
the warning.
"Come, my boy," shouted Houston in return, "we'll start for the
tunnels."
"Yes sir, I'm a comin', I know the way, but don't you wait fer me
'cause you may git catched."
"I shall not leave you, Bull-dog, we'll go together," Houston
answered, waiting for the little figure gliding swiftly toward him in
the darkness.
Suddenly the rocks by which they were surrounded began to quiver and
vibrate; there was a deafening roar followed by a terrific crash, and
an instant later, a mass of loosened rock was tearing its way through
the shaft.
"Cling to the wall, Bull-dog," shouted Houston, at the same time
seizing a projecting ledge with a vise-like grip, and swinging himself
upward, where he hung by his hands and wrists. It was a horrible
position, but his powerful, athletic muscles bore the strain until the
grinding, tearing mass had passed, and he dropped, scratched and
bruised, but otherwise unhurt, to the ground.
As he did so, he heard a faint moan, and hastening in the direction
from whence it came, found Bull-dog, who, unable to spring high enough
to escape the passing rocks, had been swept along and partially buried
under the debris that followed.
"My boy, are you hurt?" asked Houston, bending over him in the
darkness, and removing as fast as possible the mass of crushed and
broken rock under which he lay.
"Not much, I guess," replied the little, familiar voice, in tones that
tried to be brave and cheery, but which quivered with pain, "I tried
to hold on, Mister Houston, but that big rock was a little too much
fer me."
As Houston at last freed him, the little fellow tried to rise, but
sank quickly back, with an involuntary cry:
"I guess I'm done fer--Mister Houston," he gasped faintly, "but I
don't care--if you only--get out safe."
The smoke and gases were now pouring down the shaft, and Houston
realized that there was no time to be lost. Very tenderly he lifted
the little form in his arms, and began, as rapidly as possible, the
descent of the shaft, groping his way amid the rocks, toward the cut
leading to the tunnels, through which he hoped to escape.
The motion roused Bull-dog who had fainted. "Mister Houston," he
cried, "don't mind me--I wanted to save you, and I guess you can make
it yet, if you hurry and don't bother with me; I won't mind bein' left
here, 'cause I'll know then that you're safe."
"Don't you worry, my boy," replied Houston, and his own voice
trembled, "we'll reach daylight all right, but we'll reach it
together; I'll never leave you."
There was no reply except a contented, confiding nestling of the
little head against Houston's shoulder; then, as a second explosion
thundered above them, jarring the foundations of the rocks once more,
he murmured drowsily, "There she goes again," and sank into
unconsciousness.
The smoke was now so stifling that Houston was obliged to go upon his
hands and knees, carrying Bull-dog in one arm; his progress was
necessarily slow, but to his great joy he succeeded in finding the cut
leading to tunnel No. 3; then, to his horror, he discovered that the
entrance was blocked by a mass of earth and loose rock which had caved
in.
Laying Bull-dog carefully down, he examined the obstruction, and
found there was a small opening at the top, and that the mass was of
such a character that it could easily be removed with pick and
shovel, but he had nothing. With desperate energy, he began
tearing away the earth and rocks with his hands, then to his intense
relief, after a few moments' work, he heard voices on the other
side. Houston listened; it was Jack and Mike, who, having waited for
him in the tunnel, expecting him to join them immediately, had
become alarmed at his non-appearance, and were returning with
their picks and shovels, which they had taken out with them, calling
him and searching for him.
Houston shouted, and they hastened to the rescue, and the entrance was
very quickly cleared sufficiently for Houston to crawl through. Before
passing through, himself, however, he lifted Bull-dog, and carefully
handed the unconscious form to Jack.
"Who is this?" the latter asked in surprise.
"Bull-dog, the little hero who has saved our lives by sacrificing his
own," Houston replied.
"Is he still living?"
"Yes, but unconscious."
Silently and tenderly Jack handed the little fellow to the tender-hearted
Mike, who at once started toward the tunnel with his burden, while
Jack turned to assist Houston.
At that instant, there came the third explosion, which was farther
underground than either of those preceding. It was but a short
distance from them, and an immense scale of overhanging rock quivered
for an instant, then fell, throwing its fragments in every direction.
Mike, at the distance which he had already gained, escaped unhurt.
Jack and Houston sprang in opposite directions, but the pieces of
flying rock overtook them, though they escaped being buried beneath
the mass as it fell. They were both thrown to the ground; Houston
staggered to his feet, badly bruised and cut and his left arm broken,
but Jack remained motionless.
Hearing Houston's call, Mike quickly returned, and he and Houston
found that Jack was still alive, though badly injured about the head.
The full extent of his injuries they realized they would be unable to
ascertain until they could reach the surface. Together they consulted
as to the best course to pursue. Mike wished to go back and get help
immediately, but Houston insisted that they must first remove Jack and
little Bull-dog as speedily as possible, as there was danger of other
explosions following now in rapid succession, and also danger from the
smoke and gases of the gradually approaching flames, which were
consuming the timbering of the various shafts, and would at length
communicate with the tunnels also.
Instructing Mike to lay Jack's head across his shoulder, Houston then
clasped his right arm closely about Jack's neck and shoulders. Mike,
carrying Bull-dog on one arm, with the other was to lift Jack
underneath the knees; and in this way they started for the tunnel.
Houston suffered excruciating pain from the arm hanging helpless
at his side, but he traveled forward without a murmur, scarcely
conscious of his own suffering in his anxiety for Jack. The cut was
comparatively short, but their progress was slow.
Nearly overcome by the suffocating gases and the smoke, and faint from
pain and loss of blood, Houston had just staggered into the tunnel,
when he heard the welcome sound of the voices of Lyle and of Morton
Rutherford, and knew that they were saved.