if we could open her up a little if we can shift
this timber here and use it as a lever," he said, pointing to one
projecting near the roof.

"May bring the whole mountain down, but it's our only chance," agreed
Bill. "Here she goes. Stand back. No use in both of us getting it."

He caught the end of the timber in his heavy hands, planted his feet
firmly on the floor and heaved. The big timber creaked, but did not
give. Again he planted himself and this time his great shoulders
seemed to twist and writhe until the muscles cracked and then, with a
crash, the barrier gave way. He sprang back with amazing quickness and
they ran back up the drift for twenty or thirty feet while the mass
again readjusted itself and settled slowly into position. A cloud of
dust bellowed toward them, half-choking them with its gritty fineness,
and then, in a minute, the air had cleared. They went cautiously
forward.

"Well, we got some farther, anyhow, unless she comes down while we're
working through. We've got a hole to crawl into, and that's
something," the big miner asserted.

Before he could say anything more Dick had crowded him to one side and
was entering the aperture. He had prevented his partner from taking
the first perilous chance. Painfully he made his way, while the man
behind listened with terrified apprehension; for none knew better
than he the risk of that progress.

"All right, but be careful," a voice came to him faintly from the
distance. "She's bad, but the air over here seems good. It's a close
shave."

The big miner dropped down and began crawling through beneath the tons
of balanced rock, which might give at any instant. Larger than his
younger companion, he found it more difficult for his great shoulders
persisted in brushing at all times, and now and then he was compelled
to squeeze himself through a narrow place that for a moment threatened
to be impossible. Once a timber above him gave a little and a rock
crowded down until only by exerting his whole force could he sustain
it while he scraped his hips through from under it. Then as it
descended between his legs he found one of them pinioned. He shut his
teeth desperately to avoid shouting, and twisted sidewise, and back,
to and fro, at the imminent danger of dislodging everything above him.
He heard an anxious voice calling outside and replied that he was
coming and was all right. He rested for an instant to regain breath,
then made a desperate forward effo