Sappers and Miners Part 19

Joe nodded, still too breathless to speak, and not feeling disposed to utter incoherent sounds again.

"Yes--father--Joe's got it."

"Ha! ha! ha!" laughed the Colonel. "It seems to me that you've both got it. Do you know that your nose is bleeding, sir?"

Gwyn gave that organ the aboriginal wipe, drawing the back of his hand across his face, looked at it and saw that it was covered with blood.

"No--didn't know, father," he said, taking out his handkerchief now.

"Yes, it does bleed."

"Bleed, yes! Why, you have had a regular fight, then?"

"Running fight, seemingly," said the Major, grimly. "Tut--tut--tut!

What a disreputable pair of young blackguards they look."

"Never mind," said the Colonel, suavely. "They did quite right to attack the enemy, even if he was in greater force. But I don't quite understand it, Gwyn. Did he say he was measuring the mine?"

"No, father; but we saw him doing it."

"But how could he know anything about it? The man was a stranger to me."

"I never saw him before, father?"

"Humph!" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed the Colonel, turning to the Major, "I'm glad I brought you out to have a look. Pretty good proof that someone believes the old mine to be valuable, eh?"

"Yes, or a trick to make it seem so."

"Pooh! Impossible! It might be if someone wanted to sell the mine; but it is not for sale, and not likely to be. So you found him measuring-- sounding, I suppose you mean?"

"Yes, sir," said Joe. "Here's the line, and it seems to have knots in it to show the depth."

For the boy was busily reeling up the loose cord, and walking back toward where the leaden weight had twined it round the piece of granite.

Joe set this free, and it proved to be a regular fis.h.i.+ng sinker.

"But what did the fellow say to give you an excuse for attacking him as you did?"

"Said he was fis.h.i.+ng, father," replied Gwyn; "but that was only his insolence."

"Might have been stupid enough to think he could fish there," said the Major.

"No; he meant to find out something about the place. It is being talked about the--"

"Yes, a good deal," said the Major, significantly. "Well, as you have brought me here to see it, you may as well show me the hole."

By this time the line was all wound up, and the Colonel led the way back to the mine, where, just as they reached the rough stone-wall, Gwyn ran forward and picked up a common memorandum book, which had fallen, to lie half-hidden amongst the heath.

A roughly pointed lead pencil was between the leaves, which opened to show that the owner had been making notes; but that he was not accustomed to the work was evident from the spelling, the first entry reading as follows:--

"_Dounter warter 30 fathom_."

The second,--

"_Dounter botm 49 fathom an narf_."

The third entry was,--

"_Lot warter in thole as mus be pumpt out_."

Then came a series of hieroglyphics which puzzled Gwyn; and, after a long trial, he handed the book to his father, who looked at it for some time, and then shook his head, as he pa.s.sed it to the Major.

"I'm not scholar enough for this, Jollivet," he said. "Will you have a try?"

"No; I haven't brought my gla.s.ses. Here, Joe, what does this say?"

Joe, who had been all eagerness to begin, caught at the book, and tried to decipher the roughly-written words, but got on no better than the rest.

"Let me try again," cried Gwyn.

"No, no; I haven't done yet," said Joe; "but it looks all rubbish. No one can make this out."

"Spell it over," said his father, and the boy began.

"H-o-r-s-i-m-s-p-o-o-t-e-t-y-de-b-i-t-h-e-t-o-p-e."

"What does that spell? It's all one word."

"Read it again," said Gwyn, excitedly; and Joe repeated the letters.

"I know. Can't you see?" cried Gwyn, laughing.

Joe shook his head, and the two old officers looked nonplussed.

"What is it, Gwyn?" said his father. "Speak out, if you know."

"Ore seems pretty tidy by the top."

"No; nonsense!" cried the Colonel.

"It is, father," said Gwyn. "You read it over again, Joe."

The letters were once more repeated, and the Major exclaimed,--

"That's it, sure enough."

"Then there must be something in it," cried Colonel Pendarve. "The place is being talked about, and this fellow, who is evidently experienced in such matters, has been sent on to act as a spy. But how does he know about the depth?"

"Line's all knotted in six-feet lengths, sir," said Joe.