ent with you. We can dig holes, you see. Perhaps we might put
somebody in one and cover him up.--Now, you understand. Behave yourself
and you shall come to no harm; but play any tricks, and--Look here, my
lads; show our new labourer what you have in your pockets."

"Not now," they said, tapping their breasts. "He's going to work."

Mr Barclay, as he used to say afterwards, felt as if he was in a dream,
and without another word went down the ladder into the well, which was
about ten feet deep, and found himself facing the opening of a regular
egg-shaped drain, carefully bricked round, and seemingly securely though
roughly made.

"Way to Tom Tiddler's ground," said the man who had followed him. "Now,
then, take that light and this spade. I'll follow with a basket; and
you've got to clear out the bricks and earth that broke loose
yesterday."

Mr Barclay looked in at the drain-like passage, which was just high
enough for a man to crawl along easily, and saw that at one side a zinc
pipe was carried, being evidently formed in lengths of about four feet,
joined one to the other, but for what purpose, in his confused state, he
could not make out.

What followed seemed like a part of a dream, in which, after crawling a
long way, at first downwards, and then, with the passage sloping
upwards, he found his farther progress stopped by a quantity of loose
stones and crumbled down earth, upon which, by the direction of the man
who followed close behind, he set down a strong-smelling oil lamp,
filled the basket pushed to him, and realised for the first time in his
life what must be the life of a miner toiling in the bowels of the
earth.

At first it was intensely hot, and the lamp burned dimly; but soon after
he could hear a low hissing noise, and a pleasant cool stream of air
began to fill the place; the heat grew less, the light burned more
brightly, and he understood what was the meaning of the bellows and the
long zinc tube.

For a full hour he laboured on, wondering at times, but for the most
part feeling completely stunned by the novelty of his position. He
filled baskets with the clay and bricks, and by degrees cleared away the
heap before him, after which he had to give place to the man who had
been injured, but who now crept by both the occupants of the passage, a
feat only to be accomplished after they had both lain down upon their
faces.

Then the prisoner's task was changed to that of passing bricks and pa