ssay when suddenly there was a
loud knock on the outside door, accompanied by a series of low growls
from Ben's dog. The door was unceremoniously thrown open and a very much
excited man stepped in. He made no apologies, but went directly to the
point. He spoke between great breaths, and had evidently come from some
distance at a good speed. He was completely exhausted, and as he spoke
his eyes wandered aimlessly about the room.

"We've a devil of a mess," he panted. "I don't know how many hurt, but
some of 'em are broken all to pieces. Come right away and bring what
bandages you have. O, it's a devil of a mess."

Old Ben looked at the stranger bewilderedly. Tad jumped to his feet,
alert in a second. "Devil of a mess where, man? What's wrong? Who's
hurt?" The stranger's voice failed him, and all he could do was to point
his finger in the direction of the canyon and make signs for them to
hurry. Ben pushed him into a chair by the fire, and in a little while
they had his story:

The new tunnel on the old Iron Dyke had caved in without a moment's
notice. There were seven men locked in by a wall of fallen rock. Whether
they had been crushed or not was hard to tell. The stranger had not been
in the tunnel at the time of the accident, but had gone to the stream for
water. Upon returning, he discovered the cave-in. He had come at once
for help, realizing that a single man would be useless at the mine.

In a short time the three had the old horse packed and were on the trail.
The snow was deep and progress slow. As they walked up the trail the
stranger described the appearance of the fallen rock as best he could. He
told them that they had been working the tunnel as fast as possible and
that they had not been as careful as they should have been about propping
the ceiling. He said they had struck considerable water, and that the
black rock seemed to have been previously loosened by some great force,
for it was cracked in every direction. They had been spending the day
putting in temporary props, and the boss had been there superintending
the job. He had been urging the men on harder every day, as he seemed so
anxious to get the tunnel in to a certain point with the least possible
delay. The boss had in mind something very definite, however, for he
often referred to a certain sketch which he always carried in his pocket
book. The miner declared he had seen the boss make calculations many
times, after he had measured the depth o