Down the Slope Part 29

"And Billings, too?"

"He went out twice for whisky an' some water."

"What have you been doing?"

"Billings made me dig an' shovel all day, an' most of the night."

"Trying to get into the lower level, eh?"

"Yes, an' when I got played out he pretty near pounded my head off."

"I reckon we heard you yelling. Where is Billings now?"

"He ran ahead of me when the earth began to cave in, an' that's the last I've seen of him. Say, it won't hurt you a bit to let me stay here, an'

I'll do the square thing if I ever get out of the sc.r.a.pe."

"You'd starve to death."

"I'd rather take the chances of that than go to jail, or let father get hold of me."

"But what good will it be to stay here?" Fred asked. "Hiding won't mend matters, and you'll have to come out some time."

"That may be; but I don't want to go now," and once more Skip fell on his knees in front of those whom he had wronged.

"What do you think about it, Fred?" Sam asked, in a whisper.

"I don't like to yank him out, no matter what he tried to do to me."

"Nor I."

"Then why not let him stay? He'll get punishment enough by hiding here alone in the darkness with nothing to eat."

"But we shall have to give him a little grub. We can't think he's hungry when we're got plenty."

"I'll agree to whatever you say."

Sam was silent for a moment, and then turning to the kneeling boy, he asked:

"Could you find your way out of here?"

"I might if I had a lamp; but the oil has all been burned in mine."

"How long do you count on staying?"

"Jest as many days as I can."

"Well, see here, we're going off, an' leave you to take the dose in your own way; but it's on the agreement that you try to be a decent fellow after gettin' out."

"I'll promise anything, an' won't so much as say the name regulators agin."

"If it's possible, Fred an' I'll bring you some grub; but you mustn't count on it."

"Don't take any risks," Skip replied, humbly. "I can live on wind a couple of days if that villain of a Billings don't come back."

"You needn't worry about that. If he went up the drift Bill an' Joe will most likely nab him. Come, Fred, we mustn't stay any longer, or they'll think something is wrong."

As the boys turned to go Skip tried to thank them for the mercy shown; but did not make a great success at it. He had been literally trembling with fear, and now his grat.i.tude rendered him almost incapable of speech.

"That's all right, Skip. We'll see whether you mean it or not after you get out."

"I'll be square as a brick if I ever get through with this sc.r.a.pe," he replied, and then as the boys turned the angle of the slope he was hidden from view in the darkness.

"I don't know as we're actin' very sensible," Sam said, slowly, when they were in the drift once more; "but it's better than draggin' the poor beggar off to be arrested."

"A good idea, Sam, and I'm sure Skip will be a decent fellow after this.

We must try to get back here to-night with food and oil."

"Unless Joe and Bill keep us at work we'll have plenty of time, for--h.e.l.lo! Here they come now!"

The two miners could be seen in the distance, or, rather, the light of their lamps was visible, and when they were within speaking distance, Fred asked:

"Did you find him?"

"No; we've followed up the drift as far as we dared, an' are now goin'

back to see if any of the day crew know these old works. Where did that slope lead to?"

"It ends about fifty yards from here."

"Didn't see anything of the villains, eh?"

"Billings isn't there, that's certain," Fred replied after a brief hesitation.

The men did not appear to notice the equivocal answer, and Bill suggested that they return to the workings without further delay.

"We'll have a guard set at the shaft, so he can't give us the slip in that way, an' if any of the boys know these drifts it won't be a long job to smoke him out."

"He may get off before we can reach the top of the slope," Fred suggested, hoping by this means to prevent the conversation from reverting to their long delay.

"Then so much the better, lad," Bill replied, in a tone of satisfaction.

"All we want is to be rid of such trash, an' if he leaves town that's enough."

If at this moment either of the party had turned it would not have been difficult to distinguish even in the gloom the form of Cale Billings, as he followed ready to work further mischief, or escape as might be most convenient.

Unsuspicious of the nearness of their enemy, the little party continued on to the hole through which Fred had fallen, and as they clambered up the joists the leader of the rioters muttered:

"Don't think you can smoke me out so easy. I'll leave my mark on this mine before bein' run down, or know the reason why."

Neither Sam nor Fred gave so much as a pa.s.sing thought to the man who was responsible for all the damage which had been done; they were so engrossed with the desire to aid Skip without being discovered by those who might call him to an account for his crime that all else seemed as trifles.