Part 48 (2/2)

”Ay, to be sure, mate; but when a brother workman's in trouble it is one's business to help him. You're in trouble now. Like a man to run and get a doctor to see to that hole the dog made in your trousers?”

There was a roar of laughter.

”Don't grin, mates,” said Vores; ”they're nearly a new pair, and there's a hole made in the leg. He thinks it's in his skin.”

There was another roar of laughter which made Dina.s.s look viciously round, his eyes lighting sharply on the dog, which had gone close up to the opening where the skep would rise, and kept on whining anxiously.

”Smells his master,” said Vores; and the dog then uttered a sharp bark as the top of the skep appeared with the link and iron bands attached to the wire rope.

Then, to the surprise of all, Colonel Pendarve, the Major, and Sam Hardock stepped wearily out, their trousers wet, their mackintoshes and flannels discoloured, and their faces wet with perspiration.

”Here you are, then, gentlemen,” said Vores; ”we thought you were lost.

The young gents are waiting to come up, I s'pose.”

”Young gents?--waiting to come up?” cried the Colonel, who had just looked round with a disappointed air at not seeing his son waiting.

”What do you mean?”

”We all got tired o' waiting, and scared at your being so long, sir; and the young gents went down with Tom Dina.s.s to seek for you.”

”What? I don't understand you,” cried the Colonel, excitedly. ”Dina.s.s is here.”

”Yes, sir, he come up,” said Vores; ”but--the young gents are down still.”

”My son--my son--down that place!” cried the Colonel, while the Major uttered a groan.

”Yes, sir, and we were just going down to search for 'em when you come up.”

”Horrible!” groaned the Major.

”The place is a dreadful maze,” cried the Colonel; ”we were lost, and have had terrible work to find our way up. You're quite exhausted, Jollivet. Stay here. Now, my lads; volunteers: who'll come down?”

”All on us, sir,” said Vores, st.u.r.dily; ”they've got to be found.”

”Thank you,” cried the Colonel, excitedly; and the look of exhaustion died out of his face. ”But you, Dina.s.s--they say you went down with them. Why are you here?”

”'Cause they give me the slip, sir. For a lark, I suppose.”

”When they were in great anxiety about their fathers?” cried the Colonel, scornfully. ”Do you dare to tell me such a lie as that?

Explain yourself at once. Quickly, for I have no time to spare.”

It was the stern officer speaking now, with his eyes flas.h.i.+ng; and literally cowed by the Colonel's manner, and in dead silence, Dina.s.s blundered through his narrative again, but with the addition of a little invention about the way in which his young companions had behaved.

”Bah!” roared the Colonel at last; ”that will do. I see you turned poltroon and shrank back, to leave them to go on by themselves. Man, man! if you hadn't the honest British pluck in you to go, why didn't you stay up?”

”'Cause he funked it at fust, sir,” said Vores; ”but then, being second after Sam Hardock, we said it was his dooty, and made him go!”

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