Part 58 (2/2)

”You wretch! Come back!” he roared. ”Wait till I get out of this, and I'll give you such a licking as will make your coat rougher than ever.

Come back, will you!”

Grip made no sign of hearing, but swam on with all his might, and as he swam with one hand, Gwyn kept on lowering his feet to try for the bottom; but the dog's swimming was so energetic that the boy lost his balance again and again, and had a lesson in a man's helplessness in the water.

At last, and just when a feeling of dread was beginning to freeze his nerves, Gwyn, on lowering his legs, touched the rock, and giving an angry drag at the kerchiefs to check the dog, he regained his feet, and found the water little above his waist.

”It's all right,” he panted. ”Come on, Joe; the floor dips down there, and you're nearly in the deepest part, I think. I don't suppose you'll have to swim. I shouldn't if this wretch of a dog had not pulled me over.”

Joe waded on very slowly and cautiously, finding his companion's words quite correct, and that, after just keeping his mouth above water, the level sank during the next few paces to his chin, then to his chest, and soon after to his waist, after which he easily reached his dripping companion.

”Nice mess, isn't it?” said Gwyn. ”I wish old Sam Hardock was in it-- pretending that the mine was pumped out. Will you be quiet, Grip?

There, get on! It's all right if we're going in the proper direction;”

and then, after wading on about a couple of hundred yards with the water still falling, Grip was able to walk, and uttering a joyous bark, he splashed along for a little way, and then stopped short, and gave himself a regular canine water-distributing shake which made him seem as if about to throw off his skin.

”Look at that,” cried Gwyn now. ”Only just wet above one's shoes.”

Another fifty yards and they were upon the dry rocky floor, which they liberally bedewed with the water which trickled from their clothes as they were hurried on by the dog, who strained more than ever at his leash.

”It must be a good sign for him to tug like this,” said Gwyn.

”Yes; he seems to know the way. It's of no use to try and stop him, for we know that we were all wrong, and perhaps he's right.”

”Yes; look at him,” said Gwyn; ”there can't be a doubt about it. See how he tugs to get along.”

”Yes; and now I think of it,” said Joe, eagerly, ”we haven't come through that hall-like place with the pillars all about.”

”Haven't come to it yet, perhaps.”

Joe shook his head, and gave his companion a meaning look.

”It isn't that,” he said. ”We've come quite a different way.”

”Well, it doesn't matter,” said Gwyn, so long as we get to the foot of the shaft; ”and I shall be very glad, for, wet, tired, and hungry, it's very horrible being here.”

They went on, led by the dog like two blind beggars Gwyn said, as he tried to look cheerfully upon their position, when he received another mental check, for Joe cried suddenly, ”Stop a moment, for there's something wrong with this candle;” and a shudder worse than that which had attacked the boy when the water first rose to his breast ran through his nerves.

Joe opened the door of the lanthorn with a jerk, and the candle, which had fallen over on one side and was smoking the gla.s.s, dropped out on to the rocky floor; but Gwyn stooped quickly and saved it from becoming extinct, while the dog uttered an impatient bark and dragged at the leash again.

And it was always so as they proceeded, that the boys' strength, which had flickered up at the hope of rescue brought by the dog, rapidly burned down now like the candle, which quickly approached its end; while the dog seemed to be untiring and toiled and tugged away, as if trying to draw his master onward. They spoke less and less, and dragged their feet, and grew more helpless, till at the end of a couple of hours Joe suddenly said,--

”It's of no use, Ydoll; I can go no farther, and he's only taking us more into the mine. There isn't a bit of it we've pa.s.sed before.”

”Never mind; we must trust him now,” said Gwyn, sadly; ”we can't go back.”

”No, but we oughtn't to have trusted him at all. We ought to have felt that we knew better than a dog.”

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