Part 20 (1/2)

”Then I'm much obliged to him for taking the measures; but let's try for ourselves. You would like to see the depth tried, Jollivet.”

”I? No, certainly not. Why should I?” cried the Major, testily.

”Because I presume you will take some interest in seeing me succeed if I go on with the venture.”

”Oh! Well, yes, of course. Going to try now?”

”I am,” replied the Colonel. ”Will you boys let down the leaden sinker?

Be careful, mind. Will you hold the reel, Joe? and then Gwyn can count the knots as the line runs down.”

”All right, sir,” cried Joe; and the Major took his place by the wall to look on while, after stationing themselves, Gwyn counted three knots, so as to get a little loose line, then took tight hold and pitched the lead from him, letting the stout cord run between his finger and thumb, and counting aloud as it went down, stopping at thirty by tightening his grasp on the line.

”He's wrong, father; thirty fathoms, and there's no water yet.”

”Try a little lower, boy.”

The line began to run again, and there was a faint plash before half of another fathom had been reeled off.

”Not so very far out,” said the Major, as Gwyn went on counting and the reel turned steadily on, Joe turning one finger into a brake, and checking the spool so that it would not give out the line too fast.

On went the counting, the words coming mechanically from Gwyn's lips as he thought all the while about his terrible fall, and wondered how deep down he had gone beneath the black water.

”Forty-seven--forty-eight--forty-nine--fifty,” counted Gwyn.

”Bottom?” cried the Colonel.

”No, father; he must have let it catch on some ledge or piece that stuck out. Look, the lead's going steadily on. He said forty-nine: I've counted fifty, and there it goes--fifty-one--fifty-two,” and to the surprise of all, the line ran out till another twenty fathoms had pa.s.sed off the reel.

”Seventy fathoms, father. That's bottom,” said Gwyn, hauling up and letting the line run again with the same result.

”Hah, yes,” said the Colonel; ”and that means so many thousand gallons more water to be pumped out. But try again. Jerk the lead, and let it shoot down. Perhaps you have not quite sounded the bottom yet.”

Gwyn obeyed, and the result was again the same.

”Seventy fathoms. Well, that is not deep compared to some of the mines; but it proves that there must have been profitable work going on for the people, whoever they were, to have gone on cutting through the hard stone. A tremendous task, Jollivet.”

”Hang it, yes, I suppose so. Well, there is nothing more to be done or seen, is there?”

”Not at present. Only to reel up the line our visitor has been so obliging as to lend us.”

”Wind away, Joe,” cried Gwyn; ”and I'll let the string pa.s.s through my fingers, so as to wring off some of the water.”

The boys began to gather in the sounding-cord, and the Major stood peering down over the wall into the black depths and poking at a loose stone on the top of the wall with his cane.

”Seems rather childish,” he said suddenly; ”but should you mind, Pendarve, if I dislodged this stone and let it fall down the shaft?”

”Mind? Certainly not. Go on. Here, shall I do it?”

”No. I should prefer doing it myself,” said the Major; and standing his cane against the wall, he took hold of the stone and stood it upon the edge.