g companion lowered himself
rapidly down into the darkness, till he could see the water with the
light from above reflected upon it; and the next moment he was seized
and drawn aside, his feet resting on solid stone. "Stoop your head,
lad, mind."

He bent down, and Josh drew him into a gallery similar to that which
they had just left, only there was a little stream of water trickling
about their feet.

"Come along, lad. I'll go first," said Josh. "Never mind the ropes:
we'll go up and haul them to the top when we get out."

Then creeping cautiously forward in the total darkness, and with Will
following, Josh went slowly, feeling his way step by step for about
fifty yards, when a faint ray of light sent joy into their breasts; and
on pushing forward they found their way stopped by what seemed to be a
heap of fallen rock and earth, at whose feet the little stream that ran
from the mine trickled gently forth.

The light came through several interstices, which seemed to be overgrown
with ferns and rough seagrass and hanging brambles; but it needed no
great effort to force some of them aside, sufficient for Josh to creep
out, and the next minute they were standing in the broad sunshine, the
reason of the mouth of the adit being closed evident before them, the
earth and stones from the cliff above having gone on falling for perhaps
a century, and plants of various kinds common to the cliff covering the
debris, till all trace of the opening but that, where a spring seemed to
be trickling forth was gone.

Will drew a long breath and gazed with delight at the sail-dotted sea.
Then, without a word he led the way up the cliff, till, after an arduous
climb, they stood once more by the open shaft.

"I--say!" cried Josh, staring; and Will looked down with horror to see
that the iron bar had so given way that the rope had gradually been
dragged to the top, passed over, and probably both Josh and Will had
made their last descent depending upon the strength of the former's old
silk neck-tie.

"What an escape, Josh!" cried Will.

"Well," said Josh smiling, "I didn't think the old bit had it in her.
Well, she is a good un, any way."

Stooping down he undid the knots, handed the rope to Will to haul, while
he smilingly replaced his kerchief about his neck with a loose sailor's
knot, tucking the ends afterwards inside his blue jersey, and then
helped with the rope, taking hold of the old one, as it came up at last
dripping we