Part 52 (2/2)
”Yes, that's it, I suppose. Here, I know--we must strike a light from the rock with the backs of our knives.”
”What for?” said Gwyn, bitterly. ”Where are the tinder and matches?”
Joe uttered a sigh, and they both relapsed into silence once more.
”What are we to do?” said Joe, at last. ”It is horrible, horrible to be in this black darkness. Say something, Ydoll--we can't lie down here and die.”
”We can't go on in the black darkness,” said Gwyn, bitterly.
”We must feel our way.”
”And suppose we come to some hole and go down?”
Joe drew his breath sharply through his teeth as he winced at the horrible idea.
”Better lie down again and go to sleep,” said Gwyn, despondently. ”We can do no more.”
”Lie down till they come with lights and find us?”
”Yes,” said Gwyn, who gathered courage from these words of hope. ”It's of no use to give up. Father must have found his way out by this time.
Sam Hardock knows so much about mines; he is sure not to be lost for long.”
”But if they don't find us? I'm so faint and hungry now I don't know what to do.”
”Yes, I suppose what I feel is being hungry,” sighed Gwyn, ”but we mustn't think about it. I say, how far do you think we wandered about yesterday?”
”Miles and miles and miles,” said Joe, dismally; ”and for nothing at all but to lose ourselves. But I say, Ydoll, it wasn't yesterday. We couldn't have slept long.”
”I felt as if I slept all night.”
”But we couldn't; because we only slept as long as our candle burned.”
”Of course not. How stupid! But I'm so done up that my head doesn't seem as if it would go; let's lie down and go to sleep till they find us.”
”And perhaps that will be never. Someone will find our bones, perhaps.”
”Ha, ha!” cried Gwyn, bursting into a mocking laugh. ”We're a nice pair of miserable cowards! I did think you had more pluck in you, Joe.”
”That's what I thought about you, Ydoll.”
”So did I,” said Gwyn, frankly; ”and all the time I'm as great a coward as you are. I say, though, doesn't it show a fellow up when he gets into trouble? Can't show me up in the dark, though, can it?”
”Oh, I don't know; I only know I feel horribly miserable. Let's go to sleep and forget it all.”
”Sha'n't,” shouted Gwyn, making an effort over himself. ”I won't be such a jolly miserable coward, and you sha'n't neither. We'll do something.”
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