CHAPTER IV
STEVE SHOOTS THE CHUTES
Reaching the sub-level, as he supposed, Steve found it enshrouded ininky blackness. He was in a side drift, but he did not know it.
"I guess I am as badly off as I was before. I haven't the least ideawhere I am, so I guess there is not much danger of getting lost."
Removing the candle from his hat, the lad held it before him, lightingthe shadows sufficiently to enable him to see where he was stepping.After a time he came out into a larger tunnel, which, he decided, mustbe one of the main levels, for there was a narrow track extending alongit. Steve decided to follow this track and trust to luck. He had gonealong for perhaps fifteen minutes when he made a discovery.
"I've lost the track!" he exclaimed. "I wonder where it could have goneto?"
The lad retraced his steps, but search as he might he was unable to findthe steel rails again. For what seemed hours to him the youthful minerwandered here and there. The fact that he had neither seen nor heardanyone led him to where the work wasgoing on.
Steve was beginning to get disheartened. He was thankful that he had hisdinner pail with him, in case he failed to find his way out before theday's work was done.
At last, however, he reached a drift or level, he did not know which,where he could not stand upright. The rocks overhead had been shored upwith heavy timbers. It was a dangerous spot. Steve understood thatwithout being told, so he crawled quickly through. At the far end of thelow drift he encountered another ladder.
Deciding that it must lead to an upper level, the lad began climbing. Hehad gotten a little more than half way up when all at once his candleslipped from his hand, falling clear to the bottom, where it went out,leaving Steve in darkness.
"Oh, that's too bad. I must get it again before I dare go on anyfurther."
Steve hurried down and began searching about on the ground for the lostcandle. After a little he found it, but the candle was useless. Intramping about he had crushed it under his heavy boots, flattening thecandle out hopelessly.
"Only a grease spot," muttered Steve. "Well, I can't be much worse offthan I have been, so I am going back up the ladder. I surely must findsomeone if I keep on hunting about. There are more than five hundred menin this mine right now, and unless they are all hiding from me I ambound to run across some of them. I am afraid I am not much of a successas a miner. At least my first day below ground has been a sad failure sofar."
Steve was on his way up the ladder once more. It was a long climb, muchlonger, it seemed to him, than the other ladder had been. He began toclimb faster, when all at once he received a shock that wrenched hishands loose from the rungs of the ladder. Before the lad could regainhis balance he toppled over backwards and plunged downward.
Steve's head had come in contact with the rocks above, that left but asmall space for a man to crawl through to reach the upper level. He hadbumped his head with such force as to cause him to let go.
Grasping frantically for something to stay his flight, the lad wenttumbling down. He landed on the ground at the bottom, flat on his back,bruised and breathless.
For a moment Steve lay where he had fallen. But shortly he got up,rubbing his bruises gingerly and trying to collect his thoughts.
"Tumble number one," muttered Rush. "I'll try it again."
This time he met with better success, for he managed to get through themanhole above without striking his head against the rocks. But once onthe upper level the question arose as to what to do next. There was thesame dense blackness over all, the same deep silence that the lad hadfound below.
After considering a moment, he decided to feel his way along as best hecould. An investigation had told him that his dinner was still safe,though the tin pail had been battered all out of shape.
"I'll bet there is some scrambled egg in the bottom of the pail," saidSteve, with a short laugh.
Once more he took up his journey through the dark tunnels, feelingcautiously with feet and hands before he took a step forward. He hadgone along in this way for some time when he halted abruptly, leaningforward in a listening attitude.
"What's that?" he muttered. "I know! I know what it is; it's a drill. Iwould recognize that 'bang, bang, bang' anywhere. That means I am closeto some operations. The next thing is to find where the sound comesfrom. It must be ahead of me somewhere, for I can just hear it, whereasa few moments ago I could not."
Again he began cautiously working forward. After a while the sounds cameto him more clearly. Steve had swerved to the right and entered a newdrift, though he was not aware of the fact and whereas he had beenproceeding directly east, he was now headed south.
The bang, bang of the compressed air drill was getting louder and louderas the moments passed. After a time the boy halted again. The soundsseemed to come from directly beneath him.
"I believe that is on the level below this," he decided. "How am I tofind the way down to it? If I go back I shall be lost. I'll call and seeif I can attract attention from any of them."
The lad shouted at the top of his voice, but only his own echoes cameback to him in hollow tones.
Suddenly a twinkling light appeared far down the level. The ladrecognized it at once as being a candle on a miner's hat.
"Hello, there!" he called.
"What do you want?" came the answer.
"I am lost."
"Go find yourself, then. Don't bother me."
Steve did not propose to let it go at that. He ran forward to where theminer was about to descend a ladder to the lower level.
"Won't you please help me, sir. I am in a fix."
"Well, what do you want?" demanded the miner in a surly tone, pausing afew rungs down the ladder.
"I am looking for the Spooner contract. Will you please direct me toit?"
"Follow this level around to the left until you come to three drifts.Take the middle one to the end, and then go down the ladder you willfind there."
"Thank you. Can you spare me a candle?"
"No; I can't."
The man grasped the side pieces of the ladder, letting himself down in arapid slide. Steve Rush found himself once more left in darkness. Atleast he had his directions now, and he thought he could find his way tothe contract for which he was looking.
So the lad pressed on with more confidence than before. After proceedingsome distance he found by groping about that he had reached the placeindicated. He took the middle drift, as directed, and hurried alongthis. He had no idea what time it was, but Steve imagined that it mustbe near noon. It seemed as though a long time must have passed since heentered the mine with the day shift, whereas, in truth, not quite twohours had elapsed.
The lad was thinking over his misfortunes, smiling grimly tohimself--for Steve Rush was not a boy to whine, no matter how great hisadversity--when all at once the ground seemed to drop from under hisfeet.
On all levels there are "rises," small chutes which extend from onelevel to another. These are in addition to the regular ore chutes andconsiderably smaller. They are used for filling cars below, whennecessary, as ore is always dumped downward into a lower level, fromwhich it is hoisted to the surface, thus saving the labor of loading. Itwas one of these rises into which Steve had stepped. To do so he hadswerved from the tunnel through which he was passing, stepping into anopen pocket in the rocks, believing that he was following the wall, onwhich he had kept one hand constantly.
The lad uttered no cry, but he threw out both arms with quick instinct,hoping thereby to catch and hold himself. The force was too great,however, and Steve Rush shot down through the narrow opening, bound forthe lower level. He did not know this; he did not know where he wasgoing to land, but he fully expected that this last disaster would bethe end of him and he shut his teeth tightly together, bracing himselfto meet the shock that he knew must come within the next few seconds.