faces as fair as
the faces of women, and as they lounged, half-naked, carelessly in the
drift, their muscles stood out in knots, and in the dim light of the
candles, as they rose to return to work, their movements were supple and
elastic as those of caged lions. The one who answered to the name of
Browning was shorter than the other by an inch, but deeper-chested; the
candlelight showed that his eyes were blue, and his mustache and short
curly hair were of chestnut color. The other was a little taller, but not
so compactly built, and in the uncertain light his eyes, hair and
mustache seemed to be black; but really his eyes were gray and his hair
brown. Both were young, perhaps twenty-seven or twenty-eight years of
age, and both were perfect pictures of good health and good nature.

Their shift was from four in the afternoon to midnight; but when at
midnight they went back through the drift to the shaft to be hoisted to
the surface, the night foreman informed them that there was some trouble
with the cage; that while they could still hoist rock, it was not deemed
safe to trust men on the cage, and, accordingly, some blankets,
mattresses, and supper had been sent down, and they would have to spend
the night in a cross-cut running from the shaft.

The other miners growled. These two made no complaint, but ate their
suppers, then took their beds and spread them in the cross-cut. Sedgwick
and Browning went farthest into the cross-cut, made their beds together,
and lay down. When they knew by the breathing of the miners nearest them
that they were asleep, in low tones they began to talk.

Browning was the first to speak. "By Jove, Jim," he said, "that cage
story is too thin. It worked all right up to ten o'clock, for Mackay and
Fair both came down and spent a good quarter of an hour in the end of the
drift and kept tapping around with their hammers. I was mean enough to
watch them on the sly and saw them both taking samples. If you keep
awake, you will see John Mackay down here again by six o'clock in the
morning, and you may make up your mind not to see any more daylight for
three days or a week to come; that is, if the drift keeps on improving."

"I believe it, Jack," said Sedgwick; "did you notice that the last blast
left nearly the whole face of the drift in ore? Then, did you notice as
we met the car coming out, it had long drills in it, and the shift boss
was following it up close? No blasting will be done to-night,