Rensselaer Republican, Volume 23, Number 15, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 December 1890 — THE MASTER OF THE MINE. [ARTICLE]

THE MASTER OF THE MINE.

By Robert Buchanan.

CHAPTER V—Continued. * Everything was distinguishable from the sea, the low-laying flats stretching black ana desolate beneath the warm Bummer sky—the village, which from my present point of vantage seemed but a handful of houses thrown in a hollow, just beyond the cottage where destiny had placed me. I also perceived now that there were numerous other cottages scattered about the morass, artd finally, that there was one large turreted mansion rising up from a belt of greenwood. •■What house is that?” I asked. "That?” Oh, that is the master’s house.” "The master?” - - >— ~Ye S ; Mr. Redruth, the master of the mine. Besides that,” she added, "he’s the master o’ the whole place.” "Does he live there?” ••Yes; a good part of the year.” "Anybody else?” "The mistress.” ‘•That’s all?” "Yes; except at holiday times, when the young master comes home from ochool. He's home now.” Having a suspicion in my mind, I asked her what the young master was like, and she gave me an accurate description of the boy I had encountered a few hours before. I said nothing just then of my adventure; and, after this, we fell dreaming again. Annie looked down into the sea. while I watched the shore, past which we were lazily drifting. Suddenly my eye was attracted to a huge black mass, which rose like an ominous shadofc between me and the horizon. I asked Annie what it was; and she replied: "The mine!” To her the word had a world of meaning; to me it had none. It simply awakened in me a seer desire for knowledge, which I immediately wanted to gratify. "The mine!” I said. "I never thought about the mine before, or we might have gone to see it. We’ll pull in and go now; shall we?” To my amazement, she half rose from her seat, and put out her hands, as if to stop me. "No, no!” she cried, "we won’t go there—not to the mine!”

Her face was white, and she was trembling, though she was wrapt in the eun’srays as in a warm mantteof gold. “What’s the matter, Annie?’ I asked. “Are you afraid?”—--- - “Yes,” she said; “I am afraid of it, because I know it is cruel. It is like a great black mouth; it seems to ask you to come down, and then it crushes you and you dip. I have-seen strong men like my father go down into it happy and laughing, and then afterwards I have seen them brought up dead, all so black and changed and dreadful. Oh. don't talk about it; I can't bear it ?” She shivered again, and covered her eyes with her trembling hand, as if to shut out the sight. During this conversation, I had been pulling steadily Onward, so that the lx>at was now opposite the cliff surmounted by the . mine. I turned the beat's bow shoreward; then, after a stroke or two, I rested on my oars and lookedup. We were now right below the cliff, and the view from our point of vantage was strange indeed. On the very summit of the crags I saw the mining apparatus overhanging the sea. First, a chimney, s moping loftily at the top, then another, smoking less loftily half way down; then, lower down, almost close to the sea in fact, a third smoking chimney, connected with what appeared to me to be a small mining office. — On“none side of the cliff, tai? ladders were placed, to enable the miners to ascend from, and to descend to, the shore;and he must have a sure foot and a strong head who could comfortably tread those ladders, round by round, the sea

roaring under him and almost flinging its spray after him as he went higher and higher. Taking in the whole external apparatus in one view, chains and pulleys, chimneys and cottages, posts and winding machines, seemed to be scattered over the whole face of the cliff, like the spreading lines of an immense spider's web, while in some parts mules and their riders were trotting up and down a rocky track where the pedestrian visitor would scarcely have dare! to tread. I turned giddy, even at the sight of it. I rubbed my eyes and looked again at my cousin. Her trembling agitation had passed off; and she was looking at me. ••It was silly of me to talk like that.” she said: “tout I can't helpdtr Sometimes, when I think o’ them poor men that have been brought up, and remember that father is there, it a’ most makes me scream.” “But there’s no danger.” I said, •now!” ‘•‘There's always danger! ” she returned. “Tom Penruddock said so, and I told father, but he only laughed. Ah, but I’ve seen others laugh, too—them as is lying now in the church-

yard!” This conversation, sad as it was,had Its fascination for me. It made me want te knew more about the mystery of the mine. What I saw, indeed, was not the mine itself, but only its outer machinery. The main shaft, Annie told me, opened down into the solid earth from the body of the cliff, and was covered with a trapdoor, from which dizzy ladders led down into the subterranean darkne-s, CHAPTER VI. FIRST GLIMPSE OF THE MINE—UNDER THE SEAT It must not be supposed that my .unde and aunt, although they had

; adopted me, could afford to allow me to eat for very long the bread of idle* nets: Had it been necessary, they I would willingly have.shared with jne their slender means; but it was not necessary. I was fourteen years of age, I had received a good education, and I Was in every way fitted to earn .: my bread. But what could I do? My inclination was for the sea. T longed :to become a sailor; not because I had any particular love of 'ships, but because? T had some wild idea that it I might ultimately be the means of bringing me to Madeline. Besides. 1 must own that T was not exactly proud of my newly found relations and a home which was so different to Munster’s. Sometimes at night, when I sat furtively watching my uncle smoking his pipe in thq ingle, agd my aunt darning tne stpekings, I fell to wondering what the boys would say if they ~ Bay them, ana my cheeks burned with . shame. It was On one of these evenings that I ventured to express my wish to go to sea, My aunt threw up her hands in horror. . ! "Lawd love the lad!” she cried; "if he be’an-t like his father a’ready! You'd like to gaw to say, tvouictys?To“ wander over the face of the earth and die like yo ir father did. without a roof to cawver your head? A sailor? Lawd love ’ee, and why would you be a sailor?” ’Tstammered something about wishing to work for my living when my uncle cut my explanation short by patting me on the head and saying: ■•You’m.a good lad, I’m glad to hear 'ee talk saw; but there's no cause for ’ee to gaw to say. You’m a comin’ to wark wi’ me, Hugh!” ■•ln the mine?” I exclaimed in delight, for my-strong desire to go down" the shaft was growing; but my uncle shook his head.

"Naw, naw, lad; the mine be onh for big coarse men like me; a slip of a lad will be better whar you’m gawing —into the awfice. ” •The office?” I repeated, my ardoi being considerably damped. “Have ’ee fixed it all, Tawm?” asked my aunt. _ "Iss, mother, I fixed it wi’ the master this fawrenoon. Hugh can gaw o;u Monday and begin.” Thus it will be seen that my destine was mapped out for me. On tin Monday 1 began my duties as under clerk, with but little satisfaction to myself beyond the fact that I contributed six shillings a week towards the household expenditure. Thus my new line began, a life which promised to be uneventful enough. At first 1 chafed somewhat; but Time, that healer of all things, brought solace to me. As months rolled on, the memory o Munster’s began to grow dim; and when I thought of Madeline it was of some lovely vision seen in a dream. Monotonous as my days promised to be, I soon managed to infuse a littk

pleasure into them, principally with the aid of my friend and ally, hone-t John Rudd; for we soon became close chums. He conceived a great respect for me, partly on account of my superior education, and part y because 1 rendered him such valuable assistance in the transcription of his poems. He placed his boat entirely at my disposal also lent me his gun, a rusty old Joe Manton, which I kept in secret, and with which I used to .amuse myself in the evenings when my work was done. But the one great fascination for me was the mine. It was .be coming a sort of “Frankenstein,’’haunting me? by night and by day; j saw it before me as I sat writing in the office, and when I was asleep at night I saw it in my dreams, opening it: huge black jaws and preparing to crush away some hapless life. The more I heard of it, the stronger grew my wish to explore for myself those dark bowels of the earth. Again and again I had begged my uncle to take me down, but he refused. At last, however, one Sunday morning, he came to me and to my intense delight said: "You can gaw dawn the mine t-day, Hugh. Ibe gawn’ down. I’ll tak ’ee wi’ me. ” Excitement is welcome to all boys, and it was especially welcome to me. but there was one cloud on my sunshine, when I looked up and saw that my cousin Annie was as white as a sheet and trembling violently. “Don’t, father, don’t!” she said piteously.

My uncle laughed. “Lor a mussey, Annie, what a frawhtened little woman you’m gettin’!” he said. "Wha, you arn’t like a miner’s lass, Annie. We must mak' the lad a man, nawt a milksop. Naw then, Hugh, hurry up and get ready, we'm nawt got much time to lose!” The first thing to be done was to attire myself in one of my uncle’s mining suits of flannel, and possess mysell of one of his broad felt hats. This was soon done. I was now a man in a’i but years, and I managed to cut a tolerable figure in my uncle’s clothes, indeed, when I made raj* reappearance in the kitchen, he declared, with a nod of approval, that I looked every inch a miner. It was a proud moment for me: now, for the first time, I felt my manhood upon me, and I laughed with my uncle at Annie's pale cheeks and my aunt's sad eyes.

My uncle handed me half a dozen candles, which he told me to put into my pocket; then, with a merry nod to the women folks, we started. It was no easy matter to get to the entrance of the mine, not being able to go straight to the shafts as in the case of mines on level ground. First of all we had to make our way to the counting house, in which I sat aVmy daily toil. The way was long and ■ diffieult to travej, on my account of the ■accumulation of mining gear we had to pass; long chains stretched out over bell cranks, wooden platforms looking like battered remnants of wrecks, yet supporting large beams of timber and heavy' coils 'of rop«. Here there was a little creating

[shed, there a broken-down post or two. ! and there again we had to wind rourd Iby the rocky path amidst chains and cables and asceuding loads. I, having to travel this road every day of my rife, was well accustomed to’ it. and I accordingly followed <m my uncle's footsteps without much filing ofcuriosity or joy; but when we had q.a*sed the counting-house, ascended 7 the cliff, and gained the trap-door entrance to the mine, my heart began to beat with anticipation. Here we both paused. "Ydu’H keep a strawng head,” said my uncle, looking at me. t2Twill be bad business if you begin to tramble like our Annie. Are you sure you arn’t afraid lad?’ ‘ Not a bit” I returned, then, looking at the ladder which was set at the entrance of the mine, I asked, ‘Shall ; go firgt£ "Bide a bit. bide a bit, lad!” he returned. ‘Gi’s one o’ tham candles.’ I did so, whereupon he lit it and stuck it into my hat, -then he lit another for himself; after this he began to descend the first ladder, and I followed him. The first object I was conscious of was the huge beam of a steam-engine, which worked on my right, alternately bowing and rising, and heavily straining at ( the deluge of water which jt lifted. On the other side, through boards the chinks of \vkich admitted just light enough at the foot of one of the ladders to show the passage, I saw the loaded tubble. or bucket, rushing past its descending companion. Wfe were now between two shafts, descending from stage to stage; the tiuylight was completely gone, and we depended solely on our candles, which were almost perpendicular, we came to a platform, and made a halt. '“"Waal, lad?” said iny uncle; holding nis flickering candle above his head, md looking into my face.

I laughed, and hastened to assure him it was all right, though, in reality, I began to feel some of my cousin’s ! misgivings. We rested a second er two, the halt indeed'being made more for me than for my guide; then my uncle took another lighted candle, and stuck it into my hat, "Naw, lad,” said he, -come on wi' a will; lavhowld o’ the sides o’ the ladder, and ha’ a care.’ I promised to obey him. and we recommenced our descent, he going first nd I following. We went down first >ne ladder then another, till again we •ame to a platform and rested. "What’s below?” —I asked of my uncle, who was again regarding me curiously, trying to detect if possible :my sign of fear or shrin king in my ace.. "What’s belaw, lad?” he said. *Wha, Jie water drained from all the mine, the pumps at wark pumping it awt, and p’raps a cartload o’ ratting human D.iwns.’

VVe descended a couple more ladders md landed again, this time to traverse one of those side galleries in which he pit abounded. It was about seven feet high, but so 1 narrow that two persons, if thin, could just squeeze last one another. The inly light no v vas that afforded by our candle, winch lickered in the hot, sickly, . apour which floated about us. The fetid air of the place a* as beginning to tell upon me, ny breath became labored, the perspiration streamed down mj* face, while mud and tallow and iron drippings were visible on my clothes, ■ly uncle, who was similarly bespat tered to myself, but who was breathing more freely, recommended a rest. 1 sat down on the floor while he sot himself to replenish the candles,which had nearly flickered out. Sitting thus in the stillness, I became conscious of a strange moaning and soughing sound. After listening intently, I asked my uncle what it was. ••It’s the sae,” he returned: "it be rolling up thar above our heads.” [TO BE CONTINUED.]