Are you hit?" cried Mark anxiously.

"Ay, youngster, but on'y with the staff," growled Nick; and the order
for the lights to be brought back was given and obeyed.

"Another, Rugg," said Sir Edward laconically, and Dan, who had a bag
ready, primed with fuse, laid it on the stony floor, picked it up on the
point of a pike, and advanced to place it against the wall.

A couple of thrusts were made at it directly, but he lowered it, and the
enemy could not force their points down low enough to reach it. But as
Dan placed it against the bottom of the wall the pikes were aimed now at
his breast.

"Back!" roared Sir Edward, as Mark rushed at the man to drag him away.

"All right, Master Mark," said Dan coolly; "my arms and my pike are as
long as theirs. They can't reach me. They've got all the thickness of
the wall to push through as well;" and he coolly placed the powder-bag
and arranged the fuse ready for being lighted.

"I did not think of that, Dan," said Mark.

"Ay, but I did," said the old fellow, chuckling. "Now, Dummy, my boy,
son, bring a lighted torch."

Dummy trotted forward, and they heard a growl from beyond the wall, as
the miner thrust the point of his pike into the end of the torch, and
then reached out toward the fuse, but only succeeded in getting it
half-way before it was knocked off the point of his weapon.

"Ah, deal o' good that's done," growled Dan, trying to drive the point
of his pike into the torch again. "There," he shouted, "run for it; I
can reach to pitch it up to the bag."

The men on the other side did not grasp the fact that if Dan did this
his companions would fare worse than they, but scuffled off at once,
their steps being plainly heard.

"Fools!" growled Dan, and stepping forward, he picked up the torch, went
close up to the wall, and touched the end of the fuse, which began to
sparkle at once.

"Plenty o' time, Sir Edward," he said coolly, "if you'll now order us
back."

The order was given, and as it was obeyed, Sir Edward and his son
retiring last, they saw Nick Garth step close up to old Dan and pat him
on the shoulder.

"You're a cool one, mate," he said. "I never see one as cool as you."

Dan chuckled a little, and all went along the narrow passage and into
the chamber beyond, well out of reach of the blast, and waited.

It was a good two minutes before the explosion took place, and Mark had
made perfectly sure that the fuse had gone out, when there was a
sens