Part 85 (1/2)
”Do you think Tom Dina.s.s was below?” said Gwyn.
”Yes, poor fellow. He's a man I never liked; but there, he never liked me. No one saw him go down, but he's never been seen since.”
They left the silent mine--only so short a time back a complete hive of industry--and went on to Harry Vores' cottage, where the owner was busy gardening, and Sam Hardock was seated in the doorway sunning himself, but ready to try and rise on seeing the two lads, though he sank back with a groan.
”How are you, gen'lemen? How are you?” he cried cheerily. ”Very glad to see you both about; I can't manage it yet. Water's got in my legs; but the sun's drying it out, and as soon as I can walk I'm going to see about that bit of business. You know.”
”There drop it, Sam, old man,” said Vores, who had left his gardening to come up and shake hands. ”Glad to see you gentlemen. Been down by the mine? Looks sad, don't it, not to have the smoke rising and the stamps rattling?”
”Don't you interrupt,” said Hardock. ”I want to talk to the young masters about him. Have you told the guv'nors what I said about Tom Dina.s.s?”
”'Course they haven't,” said Vores. ”He's got a crotchet in his head, gentlemen, that poor Tom Dina.s.s made a hole, and let in the sea-water.”
”Crotchet? Ah, I know, and so do they. I say he did it out o' spite.”
”How?” said Vores, with a grim smile at the visitors.
”I don't say how,” replied Hardock; ”but if we knew we should find he sunk dinnymite somehow and fired it over one of the old workings.”
”Struck a match and held it under water, eh?”
”Don't you talk about what you don't understand,” said Hardock, sternly.
”You ask the young gentlemen here if shots can't be fired under water with 'lectric shocks, or pulling a wire that will break bottles of acid and some kinds of salts.”
”Well, if Tom Dina.s.s did that,” said Vores, sharply, ”I hope he blew himself up as well; but it's all a crank of yours, old man. Tom Dina.s.s never did that. Let the poor fellow alone where he lies, somewhere at the bottom of the mine.”
”Ah, you'll see,” said Hardock--”You give my dooty to your fathers, young gentlemen, and tell them I'd be glad to see them if they'd look in on me. I'd come up to them, as in dooty bound, but my legs won't go. I s'pose it's rheumatiz. I want to hear what they'll say.”
”Do you think the mine can be pumped dry again, Sam?” said Gwyn, suddenly, ”so as to get to work once more?”
”Do I think I could dive down among the breakers with a ginger-beer cork and a bit o' wire, and stop up the hole? No, I don't, sir. That mine-- the richest nearly in all Cornwall--is dead, and killed by one man out o' spite.”
Vores caught Gwyn's eye, gave him a peculiar look, and tapped his forehead; but Hardock caught the movement.
”Oh no, I arn't, Harry Vores. I'm no more cracked than you are; but I won't quarrel, for you and your wife have been very good to me, and you did a brave thing when you come down that hole and got us out.”
”Yah!” cried Vores, ”such stuff. Why, anyone would have done it. You would for me. There, I don't mean you're mad--only that you've got that crook in your mind about Tom Dina.s.s. Well, it's a blessing the poor fellow had neither wife nor child to break their hearts about him.”
CHAPTER FIFTY TWO.
THE GENERAL WIND-UP.
The days wore on, and the Colonel and Major shook their heads at Sam Hardock when he made his accusation as to the cause of the catastrophe; while the captain went about afterward in an aggrieved way, for he could get no one to believe in his ideas. The Colonel and his partner took the advice of an expert, and in a short time it was announced that no effort would be made to pump the mine dry, a few hours' trial by way of test proving that the water could not be lowered an inch.
The work-people were all liberally paid off, and began to disperse, finding work at different mines; and after several consultations, the Colonel and his old brother officer being quite of the same mind, an interview was held with a well-known auctioneer, and the whole of the machinery was announced for sale.
Just about this period, without saying anything at home, Gwyn and Joe, who had pa.s.sed a good deal of time beneath the cliffs at low-water, to try and find out anything suggestive of an attempt being made to destroy the mine by an explosive--finding nothing, however, but a few places where the rocks had been chipped down by the point--determined to examine the spot from which they had escaped by the help of Vores.