t, for he heard a
gang of putters coming along, when a loud, deafening roar sounded in his
ears. The door was shaken violently, but resisted the shock, though he
felt the hot air coming through the crevices. Loud cries arose on every
side from the neighbouring passages. The putters rushed on, leaving
their wagons, and forced open the trap. David, seizing his lamp, rushed
out with them. His first impulse was to cover up his head with his
coat, then to draw his comforter over his mouth and nose, for he already
smelt the too-well-known stench of the choke-damp. Some of his
companions, in their fright, turned the wrong way. He and others pushed
on towards the shaft. They had not gone far when they came upon several
men, some had fallen, overcome by the choke-damp; others were sitting
down, pointing, with looks of terror, at a mass of brick-work which had
fallen in, stopping their advance; while through it came a stream of
gas, which it was clear would soon fill the passage. The stench was
every moment growing stronger and stronger. "We must go back, we must
go back," was the cry from those still able to move.

There was another way to the shaft, through the passage at which David
had been placed. Some of the stronger men led the way, the putters went
next, and David was last. Before they could reach the passage, for
which they were aiming, the main way was filling rapidly with
choke-damp. Now one of the men leading fell, now another, and the rest
had to pass over their bodies. To stop to try and help them would have
been to give up their own lives without doing any good. David saw
several of the putters, strong, hearty lads, drop down by his side,
while he was able to keep on from having his mouth covered up, and from
attempting to breathe only where the air seemed purest.

The survivors, a small party only, now reached the end of the passage,
and ran on, driven on by the air, which was rushing along it. There was
hope for them in that direction if no fresh explosion should take place.
But the danger was still very fearful. The fire-damp might any moment
find the broken lamp of a dying man, and explode, causing further
destruction on every side. On the men sped; now one, now another
dropped. The remainder still pressed on. There were a hundred yards or
more between them and the foot of the shaft. It seemed a vast distance
to go over, when any moment the whole mine might be a sea of fire. Even
there sa