our men went up. He was frightened half out of his life, I believe, and
never ventured to come again. But we put the blame of that upon you. And
I see that we were wrong, John.' Here he looked at me with keen eyes,
though weak.

'You were altogether wrong,' I answered. 'Am I mean enough to spy upon
any one dwelling with us? And more than that, Uncle Reuben, it was mean
of you to suppose it.'

'All ideas are different,' replied the old man to my heat, like a little
worn-out rill running down a smithy; 'you with your strength and youth,
and all that, are inclined to be romantic. I take things as I have known
them, going on for seventy years. Now will you come and meet the wizard,
or does your courage fail you?'

'My courage must be none,' said I, 'if I would not go where you go,
sir.'

He said no more, but signed to me to lift a heavy wooden corb with an
iron loop across it, and sunk in a little pit of earth, a yard or so
from the mouth of the shaft. I raised it, and by his direction dropped
it into the throat of the shaft, where it hung and shook from a great
cross-beam laid at the level of the earth. A very stout thick rope was
fastened to the handle of the corb, and ran across a pulley hanging from
the centre of the beam, and thence out of sight in the nether places.

'I will first descend,' he said; 'your weight is too great for safety.
When the bucket comes up again, follow me, if your heart is good.'

Then he whistled down, with a quick sharp noise, and a whistle from
below replied; and he clomb into the vehicle, and the rope ran through
the pulley, and Uncle Ben went merrily down, and was out of sight,
before I had time to think of him.

Now being left on the bank like that, and in full sight of the goodly
heaven, I wrestled hard with my flesh and blood, about going down
into the pit-hole. And but for the pale shame of the thing, that a
white-headed man should adventure so, and green youth doubt about
it, never could I have made up my mind; for I do love air and heaven.
However, at last up came the bucket; and with a short sad prayer I went
into whatever might happen.

My teeth would chatter, do all I could; but the strength of my arms was
with me; and by them I held on the grimy rope, and so eased the foot
of the corb, which threatened to go away fathoms under me. Of course I
should still have been safe enough, being like an egg in an egg-cup, too
big to care for the bottom; still I wished that all should