if
of distant thunder. "It's only the kibbles," said Captain Jan.

Up came one and down went the other, passing each other with a dire
crash, not far from where we stood, and causing me to shrink into the
smallest possible space. "There's no danger," said the Captain
encouragingly, "if you only keep cool and hold on." Water was coursing
freely down the shaft and spirting over us in fine spray, so that, ere
long, we were as wet and dirty as any miner in Botallack. At last we
reached the 120 fathom level, 720 feet from "grass."

Here the Captain told me men were at work not far off and he wished to
visit them. "Would I wait where I was until he returned?"

"What!" said I, "wait in a draughty level with an extinguishable candle
close to the main shaft, with 30 or 40 miles of levels around, and no
end of winzes? No, no, Captain Jan, go on; I'll stick to you _now_
through thick and thin like your own shadow!"

With one of his benignant smiles the captain resumed his progress. In a
few minutes I heard the clink of hammers, and, soon after, came to a
singular cavern. It was a place where the lode had been very wide and
rich. Years before it had been all cut away from level to level,
leaving a void space so high and deep that the rays of our candles were
lost in obscurity. We walked through it in mid-air, as it were,
supported on cross beams with planks laid thereon. Beyond this we came
to a spot where a number of miners were at work in various places and
positions.

One, a big, broad-shouldered man named Dan, was seated on a wooden box
hammering at the rock with tremendous energy. With him Captain Jan
conversed a few minutes on the appearance of the lode, and then
whispered to me, "A good specimen of a man that, sir, and he's got an
uncommon large family,"--then, turning to the man--"I say, Dan, you've
got a biggish family, haven't you?"

"Iss, a'w iss, Cap'n Jan, I've a braave lot o' child'n."

"How many have you had altogether, Dan?"

"I've had seventeen, sur, but ten of 'em's gone dead--only seven left.
My brother Jim, though, he's had more than me."

After a few more words we left this man, and, in another place, found
this brother Jim, working in the roof of the level with several others.
They had cut so high up in a slanting direction that they appeared to be
in another chamber, which was brilliantly lighted with their candles.
Jim, stripped naked to the waist, stood on the end of a plank, hammering