CHAPTER 7
The Mines
Curdie went home whistling. He resolved to say nothing about theprincess for fear of getting the nurse into trouble, for while heenjoyed teasing her because of her absurdity, he was careful not to doher any harm. He saw no more of the goblins, and was soon fast asleepin his bed.
He woke in the middle of the night, and thought he heard curious noisesoutside. He sat up and listened; then got up, and, opening the doorvery quietly, went out. When he peeped round the corner, he saw, underhis own window, a group of stumpy creatures, whom he at once recognizedby their shape. Hardly, however, had he begun his 'One, two, three!'when they broke asunder, scurried away, and were out of sight. Hereturned laughing, got into bed again, and was fast asleep in a moment.
Reflecting a little over the matter in the morning, he came to theconclusion that, as nothing of the kind had ever happened before, theymust be annoyed with him for interfering to protect the princess. Bythe time he was dressed, however, he was thinking of something quitedifferent, for he did not value the enmity of the goblins in the least.As soon as they had had breakfast, he set off with his father for themine.
They entered the hill by a natural opening under a huge rock, where alittle stream rushed out. They followed its course for a few yards,when the passage took a turn, and sloped steeply into the heart of thehill. With many angles and windings and branchings-off, and sometimeswith steps where it came upon a natural gulf, it led them deep into thehill before they arrived at the place where they were at presentdigging out the precious ore. This was of various kinds, for themountain was very rich in the better sorts of metals. With flint andsteel, and tinder-box, they lighted their lamps, then fixed them ontheir heads, and were soon hard at work with their pickaxes and shovelsand hammers. Father and son were at work near each other, but not inthe same gang--the passages out of which the ore was dug, they calledgangs--for when the lode, or vein of ore, was small, one miner wouldhave to dig away alone in a passage no bigger than gave him just roomto work--sometimes in uncomfortable cramped positions. If they stoppedfor a moment they could hear everywhere around them, some nearer, somefarther off, the sounds of their companions burrowing away in alldirections in the inside of the great mountain--some boring holes inthe rock in order to blow it up with gunpowder, others shovelling thebroken ore into baskets to be carried to the mouth of the mine, othershitting away with their pickaxes. Sometimes, if the miner was in a verylonely part, he would hear only a tap-tapping, no louder than that of awoodpecker, for the sound would come from a great distance off throughthe solid mountain rock.
The work was hard at best, for it is very warm underground; but it wasnot particularly unpleasant, and some of the miners, when they wantedto earn a little more money for a particular purpose, would stop behindthe rest and work all night. But you could not tell night from daydown there, except from feeling tired and sleepy; for no light of thesun ever came into those gloomy regions. Some who had thus remainedbehind during the night, although certain there were none of theircompanions at work, would declare the next morning that they heard,every time they halted for a moment to take breath, a tap-tapping allabout them, as if the mountain were then more full of miners than everit was during the day; and some in consequence would never stayovernight, for all knew those were the sounds of the goblins. Theyworked only at night, for the miners' night was the goblins' day.Indeed, the greater number of the miners were afraid of the goblins;for there were strange stories well known amongst them of the treatmentsome had received whom the goblins had surprised at their work duringthe night. The more courageous of them, however, amongst them PeterPeterson and Curdie, who in this took after his father, had stayed inthe mine all night again and again, and although they had several timesencountered a few stray goblins, had never yet failed in driving themaway. As I have indicated already, the chief defence against them wasverse, for they hated verse of every kind, and some kinds they couldnot endure at all. I suspect they could not make any themselves, andthat was why they disliked it so much. At all events, those who weremost afraid of them were those who could neither make verses themselvesnor remember the verses that other people made for them; while thosewho were never afraid were those who could make verses for themselves;for although there were certain old rhymes which were very effectual,yet it was well known that a new rhyme, if of the right sort, was evenmore distasteful to them, and therefore more effectual in putting themto flight.
Perhaps my readers may be wondering what the goblins could be about,working all night long, seeing they never carried up the ore and soldit; but when I have informed them concerning what Curdie learned thevery next night, they will be able to understand.
For Curdie had determined, if his father would permit him, to remainthere alone this night--and that for two reasons: first, he wanted toget extra wages that he might buy a very warm red petticoat for hismother, who had begun to complain of the cold of the mountain airsooner than usual this autumn; and second, he had just a faint hope offinding out what the goblins were about under his window the nightbefore.
When he told his father, he made no objection, for he had greatconfidence in his boy's courage and resources.
'I'm sorry I can't stay with you,' said Peter; 'but I want to go andpay the parson a visit this evening, and besides I've had a bit of aheadache all day.'
'I'm sorry for that, father,' said Curdie.
'Oh, it's not much. You'll be sure to take care of yourself, won'tyou?'
'Yes, father; I will. I'll keep a sharp look-out, I promise you.'Curdie was the only one who remained in the mine. About six o'clockthe rest went away, everyone bidding him good night, and telling him totake care of himself; for he was a great favourite with them all.
'Don't forget your rhymes,' said one.
'No, no,'answered Curdie.
'It's no matter if he does,' said another, 'for he'll only have to makea new one.'
'Yes: but he mightn't be able to make it fast enough,' said another;'and while it was cooking in his head, they might take a mean advantageand set upon him.'
'I'll do my best,' said Curdie. 'I'm not afraid.' 'We all know that,'they returned, and left him.