king that they were made by the evil spirits or hobgoblins
of whom Bill Hagger had told him. Now, after a moment's thought, he
knew that they were caused by the wind passing through a trap either not
well closed or with a slit in it. He could not open his lamp to see how
much oil remained in it, and as he could only guess how long he had been
walking, he could not tell what moment he might find the light go out.

He hurried on; he thought that he was in the right way. He was getting
near a gate-road, when a moaning sound reached his ear. He stopped that
he might be sure whence it came. Then he walked on cautiously towards
the place, stopping every now and then to be sure that he was going in
the right way. Again he heard the moaning sound. It was like that
uttered by a person in pain. He followed it till he got to the mouth of
a narrow passage, which had been begun, but did not seem to run far.
Suddenly the idea came on him that these sounds were made by one of the
much-dreaded bogies. "If it is one of them creatures, he can't do me
any harm, for I'm doing what is right," he said to himself, and boldly
went in, holding his lamp before him. He had not gone far, when he saw
stretched out before him on the ground the form of his young friend. He
had his arms extended, as if he had fallen groping his way.

"O David, David, come to life: do now!" cried Dick, kneeling down by his
side.

David uttered a low groan; that was better than if he had been silent.
So, encouraged by this, Dick lifted him up, and poured a few drops of
beer down his throat. The liquid revived him; not from its strength,
however.

"Come out of this place, David, do now; the air is very bad and close,
you'll never get well while you stay here."

David at last came round enough to know what was said to him, and with
Dick's help was able to crawl into the gate-road, which was not far off.
Here the fresher air, for fresh it was not, brought him still more
round, and he sat up and eat some of the food which Dick had brought.
David kept staring at Dick all the time he was eating without saying a
word, as if he did not know what had happened.

"Come along now, David," said Dick, at last; "there is no time to lose,
for the lamp may be going out, and it won't do to have to find our way
to the shaft in the dark."

"Oh no, no. How did you find me, Dick?" asked David.

"Come to look for you," answered Dick.

"And how is poor mother? She must