Part 60 (2/2)
He caught the man's hand in his, and there was a dim look in his eyes which went straight to the miner's heart, and he said huskily--
”Well, s'pose it was, Master Gwyn, wouldn't you ha' been ready to jump at anything as a last sort o' chance, when there was two lads lost away down in a place like that? Why, I'd ha' done anything, let alone depending on a dog. It warn't as if I didn't want to go myself: I did go till I dropped and couldn't do no more, and begun to wish I'd never said a word about the gashly old mine.”
”Well, don't go on like that,” cried Gwyn, laughing, as he warmly shook the mine captain's hand, while Joe caught hold of the other and held on.
”Here, hi, don't you two go on like that,” cried the man; ”what's the good o' making such a fuss. It was the dog saved your lives, not me, my lads; and do leave off, please. You're making me feel like a fool.”
”No, we're not; we're trying to make you feel that we're grateful for what you did, Sam,” said Gwyn.
”Why, of course, I know that,” said the man, with his voice sounding husky and strange; ”but don't you see what you're doing, both of you?”
”Yes; shaking hands,” said Joe.
”Nay; pumping my arms up and down till you've made the water come. Look here, if, if my eyes aren't quite wet. Ah!”
Hardock gave himself a shake, as if to get rid of his feeling of weakness, and then indulged in one of his broadest smiles.
”There,” he said, ”it's all over now; but my word, me and Harry Vores-- ay, and every man-Jack of us--did feel bad. For, as I says to Harry, I says, it warn't as if it had been two rough chaps like us reg'lar mining lads. It was our trade; but for you two young gents, not yet growed up, to come to such an end was more than we could bear. But we did try, lot after lot of us. It warn't for want o' trying that we didn't find you.
Wonderful place, though, aren't it?”
”Horrible!” said Joe.
”Oh, I don't know, sir; not horrible,” said the man in a tone that was half-reproachful; ”it's wonderful, I call it, and ten times as big as I expected.”
”So big and dangerous that it will be no good,” said Joe.
”What!” cried Hardock, laughing. ”Did you look about you when you were down there?”
”As much as we could for the darkness.”
”And so did I, sir,” said the man, with a chuckle. ”Of course, most when I was wandering about with your fathers. No good because it's so big? Wait a bit, and you'll see. Why, I shall begin to make a regular map plan of that place below. It will take months and months perhaps, but we shall explore a bit at a time, and mark the roads and drifts with arrows, and we shall all get more and more used to it.”
”One could hardly get used to such a place as a tin mine, Sam,” said Gwyn.
”Oh, yes, we could, sir, and we shall. But I see you didn't make the use of your eyes that I did, or you'd have more to say.”
”What do you mean?” cried Gwyn.
”Didn't you see how rough all the mining had been?”
”Well, yes.”
”And don't you see what that means?”
”No.”
”Then I'll tell you, both of you--there's ore there enough to make your fathers the richest gentlemen in these parts; and there isn't a company in Cornwall as wouldn't do anything to get it. New-fas.h.i.+oned machinery will do what the old miners couldn't manage, and we won't have any more losing our way. There, I'm busy; so good-bye, and good luck to you both. Some day, when you grow to be men, you'll thank me for what I've done, for I've about made you both.”
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