Part 52 (1/2)

On returning from giving the agreed signal to Jack and Mike, he heard Bull-dog's voice above him in the shaft, calling his name and shouting the warning.

”Come, my boy,” shouted Houston in return, ”we'll start for the tunnels.”

”Yes sir, I'm a comin', I know the way, but don't you wait fer me 'cause you may git catched.”

”I shall not leave you, Bull-dog, we'll go together,” Houston answered, waiting for the little figure gliding swiftly toward him in the darkness.

Suddenly the rocks by which they were surrounded began to quiver and vibrate; there was a deafening roar followed by a terrific crash, and an instant later, a ma.s.s of loosened rock was tearing its way through the shaft.

”Cling to the wall, Bull-dog,” shouted Houston, at the same time seizing a projecting ledge with a vise-like grip, and swinging himself upward, where he hung by his hands and wrists. It was a horrible position, but his powerful, athletic muscles bore the strain until the grinding, tearing ma.s.s had pa.s.sed, and he dropped, scratched and bruised, but otherwise unhurt, to the ground.

As he did so, he heard a faint moan, and hastening in the direction from whence it came, found Bull-dog, who, unable to spring high enough to escape the pa.s.sing rocks, had been swept along and partially buried under the debris that followed.

”My boy, are you hurt?” asked Houston, bending over him in the darkness, and removing as fast as possible the ma.s.s of crushed and broken rock under which he lay.

”Not much, I guess,” replied the little, familiar voice, in tones that tried to be brave and cheery, but which quivered with pain, ”I tried to hold on, Mister Houston, but that big rock was a little too much fer me.”

As Houston at last freed him, the little fellow tried to rise, but sank quickly back, with an involuntary cry:

”I guess I'm done fer--Mister Houston,” he gasped faintly, ”but I don't care--if you only--get out safe.”

The smoke and gases were now pouring down the shaft, and Houston realized that there was no time to be lost. Very tenderly he lifted the little form in his arms, and began, as rapidly as possible, the descent of the shaft, groping his way amid the rocks, toward the cut leading to the tunnels, through which he hoped to escape.

The motion roused Bull-dog who had fainted. ”Mister Houston,” he cried, ”don't mind me--I wanted to save you, and I guess you can make it yet, if you hurry and don't bother with me; I won't mind bein' left here, 'cause I'll know then that you're safe.”

”Don't you worry, my boy,” replied Houston, and his own voice trembled, ”we'll reach daylight all right, but we'll reach it together; I'll never leave you.”

There was no reply except a contented, confiding nestling of the little head against Houston's shoulder; then, as a second explosion thundered above them, jarring the foundations of the rocks once more, he murmured drowsily, ”There she goes again,” and sank into unconsciousness.

The smoke was now so stifling that Houston was obliged to go upon his hands and knees, carrying Bull-dog in one arm; his progress was necessarily slow, but to his great joy he succeeded in finding the cut leading to tunnel No. 3; then, to his horror, he discovered that the entrance was blocked by a ma.s.s of earth and loose rock which had caved in.

Laying Bull-dog carefully down, he examined the obstruction, and found there was a small opening at the top, and that the ma.s.s was of such a character that it could easily be removed with pick and shovel, but he had nothing. With desperate energy, he began tearing away the earth and rocks with his hands, then to his intense relief, after a few moments' work, he heard voices on the other side. Houston listened; it was Jack and Mike, who, having waited for him in the tunnel, expecting him to join them immediately, had become alarmed at his non-appearance, and were returning with their picks and shovels, which they had taken out with them, calling him and searching for him.

Houston shouted, and they hastened to the rescue, and the entrance was very quickly cleared sufficiently for Houston to crawl through. Before pa.s.sing through, himself, however, he lifted Bull-dog, and carefully handed the unconscious form to Jack.

”Who is this?” the latter asked in surprise.

”Bull-dog, the little hero who has saved our lives by sacrificing his own,” Houston replied.

”Is he still living?”

”Yes, but unconscious.”

Silently and tenderly Jack handed the little fellow to the tender-hearted Mike, who at once started toward the tunnel with his burden, while Jack turned to a.s.sist Houston.

At that instant, there came the third explosion, which was farther underground than either of those preceding. It was but a short distance from them, and an immense scale of overhanging rock quivered for an instant, then fell, throwing its fragments in every direction.

Mike, at the distance which he had already gained, escaped unhurt.

Jack and Houston sprang in opposite directions, but the pieces of flying rock overtook them, though they escaped being buried beneath the ma.s.s as it fell. They were both thrown to the ground; Houston staggered to his feet, badly bruised and cut and his left arm broken, but Jack remained motionless.