h--Let not the
sun go down upon your wrath."

The line contains good, sound advice; for quick-tempered men are often
the most sensitive, and when they let the sun go down on the aforesaid
wrath that quality is likely to get them down and worry them during the
night.

Tom started to go to the claim, but checked himself, and sat down
and tried to draw comfort from his pipe. He understood his brother
thoroughly, but his brother never understood him--that was where the
trouble was. Presently he got thinking how Jack would worry about the
quarrel and have no heart for his work. Perhaps he was fretting over it
now, all alone by himself, down at the end of the damp, dark drive. Tom
had a lot of the old woman about him, in spite of his unsociable ways
and brooding temper.

He had almost made up his mind to go below again, on some excuse, when
his mate shouted from the top of the shaft:

"Tom! Tom! For Christ's sake come here!"

Tom's heart gave a great thump, and he ran like a kangaroo to the shaft.
All the diggers within hearing were soon on the spot. They saw at a
glance what had happened. It was madness to sink without timber in such
treacherous ground. _The sides of the shaft were closing in_. Tom sprang
forward and shouted through the crevice:

"To the face, Jack! To the face, for your life!"

"The old Workings!" he cried, turning to the diggers. "Bring a fan and
tools. We'll dig him out."

A few minutes later a fan was rigged over a deserted shaft close by,
where fortunately the windlass had been left for bailing purposes,
and men were down in the old drive. Tom knew that he and his mates had
driven very close to the old workings.

He knelt in the damp clay before the face and worked like a madman; he
refused to take turn about, and only dropped the pick to seize a shovel
in his strong hands, and snatch back the loose clay from under his feet;
he reckoned that he had six or, perhaps, eight feet to drive, and he
knew that the air could not last long in the new drive--even if that
had not already fallen in and crushed his brother. Great drops of
perspiration stood out on Tom's forehead, and his breath began to come
in choking sobs, but he still struck strong, savage blows into the clay
before him, and the drive lengthened quickly. Once he paused a moment
to listen, and then distinctly heard a sound as of a tool or stone being
struck against the end of the new drive. Jack was safe!

Tom dug on until the clay sud