登陆注册
15475900000006

第6章 CHAPTER III(2)

The engineer bent over the opening. Formerly from this place could be heard the powerful whistle of the air inhaled by the ventilators.

It was now a silent abyss. It was like being at the mouth of some extinct volcano.

When the mine was being worked, ingenious machines were used in certain shafts of the Aberfoyle colliery, which in this respect was very well off; frames furnished with automatic lifts, working in wooden slides, oscillating ladders, called "man-engines," which, by a simple movement, permitted the miners to descend without danger.

But all these appliances had been carried away, after the cessation of the works. In the Yarrow shaft there remained only a long succession of ladders, separated at every fifty feet by narrow landings.

Thirty of these ladders placed thus end to end led the visitor down into the lower gallery, a depth of fifteen hundred feet.

This was the only way of communication which existed between the bottom of the Dochart pit and the open air. As to air, that came in by the Yarrow shaft, from whence galleries communicated with another shaft whose orifice opened at a higher level; the warm air naturally escaped by this species of inverted siphon.

"I will follow you, my lad," said the engineer, signing to the young man to precede him.

"As you please, Mr. Starr."

"Have you your lamp?"

"Yes, and I only wish it was still the safety lamp, which we formerly had to use!"

"Sure enough," returned James Starr, "there is no fear of fire-damp explosions now!"

Harry was provided with a simple oil lamp, the wick of which he lighted.

In the mine, now empty of coal, escapes of light carburetted hydrogen could not occur. As no explosion need be feared, there was no necessity for interposing between the flame and the surrounding air that metallic screen which prevents the gas from catching fire.

The Davy lamp was of no use here. But if the danger did not exist, it was because the cause of it had disappeared, and with this cause, the combustible in which formerly consisted the riches of the Dochart pit.

Harry descended the first steps of the upper ladder.

Starr followed. They soon found themselves in a profound obscurity, which was only relieved by the glimmer of the lamp.

The young man held it above his head, the better to light his companion. A dozen ladders were descended by the engineer and his guide, with the measured step habitual to the miner.

They were all still in good condition.

James Starr examined, as well as the insufficient light would permit, the sides of the dark shaft, which were covered by a partly rotten lining of wood.

Arrived at the fifteenth landing, that is to say, half way down, they halted for a few minutes.

"Decidedly, I have not your legs, my lad," said the engineer, panting.

"You are very stout, Mr. Starr," replied Harry, "and it's something too, you see, to live all one's life in the mine."

"Right, Harry. Formerly, when I was twenty, I could have gone down all at a breath. Come, forward!"

But just as the two were about to leave the platform, a voice, as yet far distant, was heard in the depths of the shaft.

It came up like a sonorous billow, swelling as it advanced, and becoming more and more distinct.

"Halloo! who comes here?" asked the engineer, stopping Harry.

"I cannot say," answered the young miner.

"Is it not your father?"

"My father, Mr. Starr? no."

"Some neighbor, then?"

"We have no neighbors in the bottom of the pit," replied Harry. "We are alone, quite alone."

"Well, we must let this intruder pass," said James Starr. "Those who are descending must yield the path to those who are ascending."

They waited. The voice broke out again with a magnificent burst, as if it had been carried through a vast speaking trumpet; and soon a few words of a Scotch song came clearly to the ears of the young miner.

"The Hundred Pipers!" cried Harry. "Well, I shall be much surprised if that comes from the lungs of any man but Jack Ryan."

"And who is this Jack Ryan?" asked James Starr.

"An old mining comrade," replied Harry. Then leaning from the platform, "Halloo! Jack!" he shouted.

"Is that you, Harry?" was the reply. "Wait a bit, I'm coming."

And the song broke forth again.

In a few minutes, a tall fellow of five and twenty, with a merry face, smiling eyes, a laughing mouth, and sandy hair, appeared at the bottom of the luminous cone which was thrown from his lantern, and set foot on the landing of the fifteenth ladder.

His first act was to vigorously wring the hand which Harry extended to him.

"Delighted to meet you!" he exclaimed. "If I had only known you were to be above ground to-day, I would have spared myself going down the Yarrow shaft!"

"This is Mr. James Starr," said Harry, turning his lamp towards the engineer, who was in the shadow.

"Mr. Starr!" cried Jack Ryan. "Ah, sir, I could not see.

同类推荐
  • 刍言

    刍言

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 摄大乘论抄

    摄大乘论抄

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 介庵进禅师语录

    介庵进禅师语录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 宣和奉使髙丽图

    宣和奉使髙丽图

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 明宪宗宝训

    明宪宗宝训

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
热门推荐
  • 都市小子修仙记

    都市小子修仙记

    一个奇怪的梦,一位美丽而神秘的女子。梦代表什么?而你又是谁?从小被梦境困惑的他,如何走上修真之路?万年谜团?谁在指使?灭仙,灭神,唯吾独尊!
  • 极道仙魔

    极道仙魔

    谁说仙魔不可以同体,谁说仙魔不可以同修。我晓天就偏偏要仙魔同修,我要同化仙魔走出一条无人走过的通天大道。
  • 神雕之神秘国都

    神雕之神秘国都

    神秘的五国时代,皇子的重生,隐藏的秘密,天降神秘书卷,神秘记忆,小龙女的出现,师傅传武,神雕剧情又胜于神雕,看重生皇子如何一统五国,看小龙女如何喊逍遥哥哥!想看么?想看就看啊,跟我说也没有用。
  • 奇妙的大自然:360°亲近大自然

    奇妙的大自然:360°亲近大自然

    本书介绍了人类受大自然的启示,特别是向动物、植物和其他生物学习后所产生的重要发明、发现。
  • 千堆雪与心头墨

    千堆雪与心头墨

    不知从何而来,更不知该去往何方。陪伴她,保护她。那是他所坚守的信念
  • 无价女人心

    无价女人心

    我们是同学,我们大学相恋了4年,毕业后在大家的祝福下走进了婚姻,原本是幸福的,原本是让人嫉妒的有情人终成眷属,然而,婚后不到一年就矛盾百发,我夜夜活在恐惧之中,我害怕黑夜,害怕有他的地方,我想逃却又不想逃,也不敢逃……难道就这样过一辈子?我该怎么办?
  • 福妻驾到

    福妻驾到

    现代饭店彪悍老板娘魂穿古代。不分是非的极品婆婆?三年未归生死不明的丈夫?心狠手辣的阴毒亲戚?贪婪而好色的地主老财?吃上顿没下顿的贫困宭境?不怕不怕,神仙相助,一技在手,天下我有!且看现代张悦娘,如何身带福气玩转古代,开面馆、收小弟、左纳财富,右傍美男,共绘幸福生活大好蓝图!!!!快本新书《天媒地聘》已经上架开始销售,只要3.99元即可将整本书抱回家,你还等什么哪,赶紧点击下面的直通车,享受乐乐精心为您准备的美食盛宴吧!)
  • 大唐玄情录

    大唐玄情录

    大唐贞观年间。贪狼星下凡为祸。李世民第三子李闲因此流落寺院成为一个和尚,改名玄闲而少女叶子安也因此不得不离开自己父母,与玄闲和尚踏上旅途两人携手同行一路成长。感情日增最后少女发现自己真是贪狼星下凡。而玄闲作为皇子必须负起他应该的责任。两人结局究竟如何?
  • 神之不灭体

    神之不灭体

    叶无间作为一个家族的幸存者却无法修炼,在修炼之地中被人嘲笑,身上又背负着大仇,在得到一块无字的墓碑之后他的命运才开始发生改变,百战不死,以不灭身弑神诛仙,君临天下,看他如何谱写传奇……
  • 贯通古今

    贯通古今

    诸天万界,位面交汇,群雄并起,百族林立,无尽岁月中诞生出诸多盖世强者,在这无尽世界,演绎着令人向往的传奇。万物神灵,先天神体,洪荒猛兽,撕天裂地,破碎虚空,打通位面之墙,无所不能。无上皇主,神威盖世,睥睨千古,震慑万界,锋芒所向,谁敢撄锋?世上谁能掌控命运?或许当属至强者,骄傲的以为自己已经掌控了命运,但不知不觉间,自己也同样陷入了命运的漩涡之中。造化弄人,看天之骄子,历练尘世,最终逐渐掀开那层命运的神秘面纱……