d Job, in a rage. "Him and the
hunchback went up to the board together, and when the boss stepped away,
so they thought nobody wasn't looking, the pet slipped 'em into his
pocket. I saw it with my own eyes."

"An' I tell yer yer lie!" shouted Monk Tooley. "Here's de checks, an'
dey come outen yer own pocket, yer black-hearted old scoundrel!"

At these astounding words Job Taskar sprang towards Monk Tooley with
clinched fists, as though to strike him, and all present watched for the
encounter in breathless suspense.

Just then the door behind them was pushed open, and standing on its
threshold they saw the mine boss and Derrick Sterling.

CHAPTER XI

A FATAL EXPLOSION OF FIRE-DAMP

At this startling apparition of the last two persons in the world whom
they would have expected to see in that place, the assembled miners
remained for some moments motionless with astonishment. Having stationed
a trusty sentinel at the end of the gangway nearest the new workings,
who was to give them instant warning of the approach of any outsider,
they imagined themselves perfectly safe from interruption. They had not
considered the possibility of an approach from the rear through the
abandoned workings, for they were generally believed to be impassable
owing to deadly gases and the quantity of material that had fallen in
them. Thus the unannounced appearance of the very persons whose fate
they had just been discussing seemed almost supernatural, and a feeling
of dread pervaded the assembly.

On the other hand, Mr. Jones and his companion were equally, if not more
greatly, dismayed. Having approached the door during a momentary silence
among the miners, they had not been warned by any sound of what they
should find beyond it. Thinking that they were upon an upper level, and
separated from their enemies by many feet of solid rock, they suddenly
found themselves in their very midst.

At the first view of what was disclosed by the opening door, Derrick
uttered a little frightened cry, and involuntarily drew back as though
about to run away. It was only a momentary impulse. In an instant his
courage returned, the hot blood surged into his face, and stepping
boldly forward he stood beside the mine boss, determined to share
whatever fate was in store for him.

Among the Mollies the first to recover from his stupefaction was Job
Taskar, who crying "Here they are, lads! Now we've got 'em!" made a
spring at the mine boss, with clin