CHAPTER TWENTY NINE.
PLAYING MOLE.
Sir Edward met them as they ascended the slope, Mark having been takingmental notes all the way of the trend of the hills and the valley,seeing for certain that, in spite of its bulk and height, Ergles was agood deal lower than the range along the valley of the Gleame.
Their narrative of adventure below was listened to in silence, and SirEdward grew moment by moment more interested till the whole was told.
"I don't think there is a doubt of it," he said. "We are quite threehundred feet lower here, and in all probability it is the sameunderground stream as we have at the Tor; but whether it will bepossible to get right through into this cavern is more than we can judgetill we have tried."
"But you will try, father?"
"Of course, my boy," cried Sir Edward; "and at once. Here, we must haveDaniel Rugg, and hear what he says."
Dummy fetched his father, who listened in turn without a word.
"Sounds well, Rugg," said Sir Edward.
"Yes, Sir Edward; sounds well."
"But is the grotto likely to run so far?"
"Lots on 'em do. There's one yonder up in the Peak as goes for miles,and they've never yet found the end, nor where the water goes."
"Well," said Sir Edward, after a few minutes' thought; "I'm afraid to betoo sanguine. This may all end in disappointment; but it shall betried."
"Now, at once, I s'pose, Sir Edward?"
"Now, at once."
Ten men were chosen for the expedition, and Mark noted with satisfactionthat Dan Rugg put forward those who had been accustomed to work in themine.
"Better for getting along, Master Mark," said the miner, on seeing thatMark took notice of his action.
"But will ten be enough, Dan?"
"Why not, sir? Ten, and me and Dummy's twelve, and you and Sir Edwardfourteen. Well, perhaps it would be as well to have a couple more."
Garth and Jennings were selected without having the slightest notion ofwhere they were going, but they took their places without a word, onlytoo glad to have some change from the monotonous existence they had beenleading for many days.
No embargo was placed upon their way of marching, and they trampedeagerly on, till the occupants of the Castle were startled by theirsudden arrival, to share in the surprise of their fellows when orderswere given for rations to be supplied to each man, after a good meal hadbeen eaten.
Half-an-hour after, well provided with picks, hammers, big nails fordriving in the cracks, either for foot-hold or to bear ropes, the wholeparty were descending into the mine, with Dummy promoted, from hisknowledge, to the onerous post of guide, leading, and Mark by his sideor following next, according to the state of the way.
The men were in excellent spirits, for by this time the object of theexpedition had oozed out, and it gave them a feeling of confidence nowthat the attack was to be made through the mine, where they were allmuch at home.
There was the rumour, too, that they were to take the enemy by surprisewhere there would be no barricades or breastworks, and altogether themen moved on after their young guides in the highest of spirits, feelingas they did that at last the petty war was to be brought to aconclusion.
The ways through the old galleries and chambers of the mine weretraversed with the men talking and laughing, and reminding one anotherof this or that particular working where the lead ore was rich; andDummy strode in front, bearing his lantern well, and his importance ill.For he was to all intents and purposes the originator and head man ofthe little campaign, till suddenly casting his eyes sidewise he caughtsight of Mark looking at him in an amused way, which discharged all hisconceit upon the instant, as he flushed up and changed back to the oldDummy at once.
"You shouldn't laugh at a poor fellow, Master Mark," he remonstrated ina whisper.
"Then you shouldn't strut along like a game-cock just come in for hisspring feathers."
"I didn't," said Dummy angrily.
"You did. But go on. I will not laugh at you any more."
A complete change came over the boy, and he went on gravely enough afterthe reproof, till, to the surprise of all, they were led into thechamber hung with the veils of stalactite, where Dummy stopped andlooked round.
"Well, my lad, what does this mean?"
Dummy smiled in a rather imbecile way, and his father nudged him heavilywith his elbow.
"Don't you hear what Sir Edward says? What you come here for? Lostyour way?"
"No, I aren't lost my way, father."
"Then go back and show us. Where is it? Down by the old workings?"
"Nay, this is right," said the boy, in high glee at his father's puzzledlook; and giving Sir Edward a wave of the hand, he went on to the end,and passed behind the stony veil dropping from near the roof.
Sir Edward, uttered an ejaculation, and turned to his son.
"You have been by here, then?" he cried.
"Yes, father; this is the way," replied Mark. "Follow him."
"No, keep with him yourself," said Sir Edward. "You are the guides.But be silent now."
"There is no need yet," replied Mark; "we have a tremendously long wayto go yet."
"Let there be silence," said Sir Edward sternly. "For aught we know,these men, if the grottoes do communicate, may be exploring on their ownaccount, and sound runs curiously along these passages."
Mark accepted the rebuke, and joined Dummy at once, the rest of theparty followed, and at a word from Sir Edward, raised their pikes andadvanced steadily, as if expecting at any moment to meet the foe.
But many hours seemed to have elapsed, during which they had climbed,descended, squeezed through narrow upright cracks, and crawled, as thetwo lads had crawled before, ere they reached the limpid pool wheretheir guides had rested and gone to sleep.
Here, at a word from Mark, Sir Edward gave the word to halt forrefreshment, while, in company with the two lads, he made a fartheradvance, and planted two men at intervals along the route they took,following the flow of the underground stream, whose musical gurglinggrew very plain at times.
The second man was posted a good two hundred yards beyond the first, andmade no objection to being left in the dark, showing Dan Rugg's wisdomin selecting miners for the task in hand.
Then, silently and with great caution, Dummy led on along a wild chasmof the same nature as others they had passed, and formed, evidentlyduring some convulsion, the encrinite marble of which the walls werecomposed matching exactly, and merely requiring lateral pressure and thetrickling of lime-charged water to become solid once again.
About three hundred yards beyond the last sentinel the trio paused, andstood listening and gazing as far as they could across a rock chamberwhose sides glittered with double prismatic crystals.
But there was the water gurgling at the bottom of the deep crack alongwhich they passed--nothing more; and they returned toward the pool, SirEdward giving the men a word or two of caution, and then passing on tothe others who were whispering to each other as they ate their food.
It was too good an example not to be followed, and soon after, quiterefreshed, Sir Edward gave the order for a fresh start, the way beingdoubly interesting now that it was all fresh ground to the guides. Inaddition, it became more difficult, for the formation began now tochange, and instead of being a succession of narrow crack-likepassages--in almost every variety of inclination between the horizontaland perpendicular, and rock grotto-like chambers of varying extent--theroad began to fork and break up into vast halls, from which more thanonce they could hardly find an exit.
But Dummy was invaluable, and there was a kind of triumph in his facewhen he pointed out how easy it was to go on if you listened for thetrickling of the stream below.
At last, after passing through a long succession of scenes that were aswondrous as strange, Sir Edward called upon the boy to stop, and uponDummy coming back to his side, lantern in hand, "Do you think you canfind your way back?" he asked.
"Yes, with my eyes s
hut," said the boy, smiling.
His tones chased away his master's feeling of uneasiness, and he wenton:
"That's a good boy; but what about your notion of this place leadinginto the cavern where those ruffians are? We must be far past Ergles,even if we are in the right direction."
"No," said Dummy confidently, as his father, who now came up, lantern inhand, looked doubtful too.
"Why do you say no, boy?" said Sir Edward.
"Because we've got among the same sort of rock as you find at Ergles."
"Good, lad!" burst out Dan Rugg. "That's minding your teachings. Butare you right?"
"Yes, father: look," said the boy, holding up his lantern toward theglittering roof of the hall in which they stood. "There it is: BlueJohn."
Dan raised his lantern too, and drew his miner's pick from his belt.
_Chink_, _clash_.
There was a sharp blow from the pick, and Dan stooped to take up thepiece of rock he had struck off, and handed it to his lord.
"Boy's right, Sir Edward," he said. "Look at that."
"But what has Blue John, whoever he is--Oh, pish! I had forgotten thename of the blue spar. Is there any of it in Ergles?"
"Only place about here where there is any, Sir Edward, and that's apiece."
"Then we may be close to the cavern," said Sir Edward, lowering hisvoice.
"Or in it, perhaps," said Mark excitedly.
He started, for at that moment Dummy clapped a hand upon his lips, andpointed forward.
"Cover your lanterns," he whispered.
The word was passed along back, and the next moment they were standingin darkness, watching a faint gleam of light in the distance.
It was playing upon the glittering prismatic crystals which coveredwall, roof, and floor, and these flashed as the light played upon them,disappeared, and came into sight again from behind a Gothic pillar, wasagain eclipsed, and once more came into sight; and now, plainly seen,they made out that it was the light of a lantern, which shone upon aman's face as he went slowly along what seemed to be an opening, whichled him past where they stood watching.
Then the light seemed to go down toward the floor, lower and lower, asit went on till it passed out of sight, but left a faint glow.
"Let Dummy and me go," whispered Mark to his father.
"Yes. Cautiously. Don't be seen."
Dummy was panting to be off, and keeping his lantern hidden, he felt hisway onward toward the glow, keeping tightly hold of Mark's hand, till,as they came nearer, they saw that the man must have been descending asteep rift, and as the light came into sight again, they found that theywere standing on the very edge of this place, and that the light wasaway to their left, twenty feet or so lower, and gleaming upon thesurface of a smooth far-spreading pool.