disappeared!

[Illustration]

* * * * *

Five minutes later the tunnel men of the Excelsior mine, a mile
below, taking their luncheon on the rude platform of _debris_ before
their tunnel, were suddenly driven to shelter in the tunnel from an
apparent rain of stones, and rocks, and pebbles, from the cliffs
above. Looking up, they were startled at seeing four round objects
revolving and bounding in the dust of the slide, which eventually
resolved themselves into three boys and a girl. For a moment the
good men held their breath in helpless terror. Twice, one of the
children, had struck the outer edge of the bank and displaced stones
that shot a thousand feet down into the dizzy depths of the valley!
and now, one of them, the girl, had actually rolled out of the slide
and was hanging over the chasm supported only by a clump of chimasal
to which she clung!

"Hang on by your eyelids, Sis! but don't stir for Heaven's sake!"
shouted one of the men, as two others started on a hopeless ascent
of the cliff above them.

[Illustration]

But a light childish laugh from the clinging little figure seemed to
mock them! Then two small heads appeared at the edge of the slide;
then a diminutive figure whose feet were apparently held by some
invisible companion, was shoved over the brink and stretched its
tiny arms towards the girl. But in vain, the distance was too great.
Another laugh of intense youthful enjoyment followed the failure,
and a new insecurity was added to the situation by the unsteady
hands and shoulders of the relieving party who were apparently
shaking with laughter. Then the extended figure was seen to detach
what looked like a small black rope from its shoulders and throw it
to the girl. There was another little giggle. The faces of the men
below paled in terror. Then Polly--for it was she--hanging to the
long pig-tail of Wan Lee, was drawn with fits of laughter back in
safety to the slide. Their childish treble of appreciation was
answered by a ringing cheer from below.

"Darned ef I ever want to cut off a Chinaman's pig-tail again,
boys," said one of the tunnel men as he went back to dinner.

Meantime the children had reached the goal and stood before the
opening of one of the tunnels. Then these four heroes who had looked
with cheerful levity on the deadly peril of their descent became
suddenly frightened at the mysterious darkness of the cavern and
turned pale at its thres