In the mine, now empty of coal, escapes of light carburetted hydrogen

could not occur. As no explosion need be feared, there was no



necessity for interposing between the flame and the surrounding air

that metallicscreen which prevents the gas from catching fire.



The Davy lamp was of no use here. But if the danger did not exist,

it was because the cause of it had disappeared, and with this cause,



the combustible in which formerly consisted the riches of the Dochart pit.

Harry descended the first steps of the upper ladder.



Starr followed. They soon found themselves in a profound obscurity,

which was only relieved by the glimmer of the lamp.



The young man held it above his head, the better to light

his companion. A dozen ladders were descended by the engineer



and his guide, with the measured step habitual to the miner.

They were all still in good condition.



James Starr examined, as well as the insufficient light would permit,

the sides of the dark shaft, which were covered by a partly rotten



lining of wood.

Arrived at the fifteenth landing, that is to say, half way down,



they halted for a few minutes.

"Decidedly, I have not your legs, my lad," said the engineer, panting.



"You are very stout, Mr. Starr," replied Harry, "and it's something too,

you see, to live all one's life in the mine."



"Right, Harry. Formerly, when I was twenty, I could have gone

down all at a breath. Come, forward!"



But just as the two were about to leave the platform, a voice,

as yet far distant, was heard in the depths of the shaft.



It came up like a sonorous billow, swelling as it advanced,

and becoming more and more distinct.



"Halloo! who comes here?" asked the engineer, stopping Harry.

"I cannot say," answered the young miner.



"Is it not your father?"

"My father, Mr. Starr? no."



"Some neighbor, then?"

"We have no neighbors in the bottom of the pit,"



replied Harry. "We are alone, quite alone."

"Well, we must let this intruder pass," said James Starr. "Those who



are descending must yield the path to those who are ascending."

They waited. The voice broke out again with a magnificent burst,



as if it had been carried through a vast speaking trumpet;

and soon a few words of a Scotch song came clearly to the ears



of the young miner.

"The Hundred Pipers!" cried Harry. "Well, I shall be much surprised



if that comes from the lungs of any man but Jack Ryan."

"And who is this Jack Ryan?" asked James Starr.



"An old mining comrade," replied Harry. Then leaning from

the platform, "Halloo! Jack!" he shouted.



"Is that you, Harry?" was the reply. "Wait a bit, I'm coming."

And the song broke forth again.



In a few minutes, a tall fellow of five and twenty, with a

merry face, smiling eyes, a laughing mouth, and sandy hair,



appeared at the bottom of the luminous cone which was thrown from

his lantern, and set foot on the landing of the fifteenth ladder.



His first act was to vigorously wring the hand which Harry

extended to him.



"Delighted to meet you!" he exclaimed. "If I had only known

you were to be above ground to-day, I would have spared myself



going down the Yarrow shaft!"

"This is Mr. James Starr," said Harry, turning his lamp towards



the engineer, who was in the shadow.

"Mr. Starr!" cried Jack Ryan. "Ah, sir, I could not see.



Since I left the mine, my eyes have not been accustomed to see

in the dark, as they used to do."



"Ah, I remember a laddie who was always singing. That was ten years ago.

It was you, no doubt?"



"Ay, Mr. Starr, but in changing my trade, I haven't changed

my disposition. It's far better to laugh and sing than to



cry and whine!"

"You're right there, Jack Ryan. And what do you do now,



as you have left the mine?"

"I am working on the Melrose farm, forty miles from here.



Ah, it's not like our Aberfoyle mines! The pick comes better

to my hand than the spade or hoe. And then, in the old pit,



there were vaulted roofs, to merrily echo one's songs, while up

above ground!--But you are going to see old Simon, Mr. Starr?"



"Yes, Jack," answered the engineer.

"Don't let me keep you then."

• ignorant [´ignərənt] a.无知的，愚昧的 (初中英语单词)


• ignorance [´ignərəns] n.无知，愚昧 (初中英语单词)


• nevertheless [,nevəðə´les] conj.&ad.然而；不过 (初中英语单词)


• situated [´sitʃueitid] a.位于；处于….境地 (初中英语单词)


• agricultural [ægri´kʌltʃər(ə)l] a.农业的 (初中英语单词)


• industrial [in´dʌstriəl] a.工业的，产业的 (初中英语单词)


• contrast [´kɔntrɑ:st] n.对比 v.使对比(照) (初中英语单词)


• formerly [´fɔ:məli] ad.从前，以前 (初中英语单词)


• whatever [wɔt´evə] pron.&a.无论什么 (初中英语单词)


• constantly [´kɔnstəntli] ad.经常地；不断地 (初中英语单词)


• breath [breθ] n.呼吸；气息 (初中英语单词)


• horizon [hə´raizən] n.地平线；范围；视野 (初中英语单词)


• continuous [kən´tinjuəs] a.连续不断的；延长的 (初中英语单词)


• thunder [´θʌndə] n.雷 vi.打雷 vt.吼出 (初中英语单词)


• limestone [´laimstəun] n.石灰石 (初中英语单词)


• wretched [´retʃid] a.可怜的；倒霉的 (初中英语单词)


• hidden [´hid(ə)n] hide 的过去分词 (初中英语单词)


• mineral [´minərəl] n.矿物 a.矿物的 (初中英语单词)


• opening [´əupəniŋ] n.开放；开端 a.开始的 (初中英语单词)


• whistle [´wisəl] v.吹哨 n.口哨；汽笛 (初中英语单词)


• working [´wə:kiŋ] a.工人的；劳动的 (初中英语单词)


• wooden [´wudn] a.木制的；呆板的 (初中英语单词)


• descend [di´send] v.下来，下降 (初中英语单词)


• gallery [´gæləri] n.画廊；美术馆；长廊 (初中英语单词)


• communication [kə,mju:ni´keiʃən] n.通信；通讯联系 (初中英语单词)


• screen [skri:n] n.银幕 vt.遮蔽 (初中英语单词)


• riches [´ritʃiz] n.房地产；丰富 (初中英语单词)


• companion [kəm´pæniən] n.同伴；同事；伴侣 (初中英语单词)


• partly [´pɑ:tli] ad.部分地；不完全地 (初中英语单词)


• platform [´plætfɔ:m] n.(平)台；讲台；站台 (初中英语单词)


• magnificent [mæg´nifisənt] a.壮丽的；豪华的 (初中英语单词)


• disposition [,dispə´ziʃən] n.安排；性情；倾向 (初中英语单词)


• whilst [wailst] conj.当…时候；虽然 (高中英语单词)


• mining [´mainiŋ] n.采矿；矿业 (高中英语单词)


• consequently [´kɔnsikwəntli] ad.因此，所以 (高中英语单词)


• sphere [sfiə] n.圆体；天体；范围 (高中英语单词)


• principally [´prinsəpli] ad.主要地；大体上 (高中英语单词)


• indifferent [in´difrənt] a.不关心的；中立的 (高中英语单词)


• skeleton [´skelitən] n.骨骼；骷髅 (高中英语单词)


• access [´ækses] n.接近；通路；进入 (高中英语单词)


• ingenious [in´dʒi:niəs] a.富于创新的；巧妙的 (高中英语单词)


• automatic [,ɔ:tə´mætik] a.自动的 n.自动装置 (高中英语单词)


• species [´spi:ʃi:z] n.(生物的)种，类 (高中英语单词)


• precede [pri´si:d] v.领先；先于 (高中英语单词)


• explosion [ik´spləuʒən] n.爆炸；爆发；发作 (高中英语单词)


• surrounding [sə´raundiŋ] n.周围的事物 (高中英语单词)


• metallic [mi´tælik] a.金属(性)的 (高中英语单词)


• profound [prə´faund] a.深奥的；渊博的 (高中英语单词)


• scotch [skɔtʃ] vt.&n.刻痕(于)；划伤 (高中英语单词)


• lantern [´læntən] n.灯笼；提灯 (高中英语单词)


• merrily [´merili] ad.欢乐地；愉快地 (高中英语单词)


• glasgow [´glɑ:sgəu] n.格拉斯哥 (英语四级单词)


• stirring [´stə:riŋ] a.活跃的；热闹的 (英语四级单词)


• sandstone [´sændstəun] n.砂岩 (英语四级单词)


• statistics [stə´tistiks] n.统计学；统计 (英语四级单词)


• extinct [ik´stiŋkt] a.熄灭的；灭绝的 (英语四级单词)


• whence [wens] ad.从何处；从那里 (英语四级单词)


• glimmer [´glimə] n.&vi.闪光 (英语四级单词)


• billow [´biləu] n.巨浪 v.(使)翻腾 (英语四级单词)


• intruder [in´tru:də] n.闯入者；打扰者 (英语四级单词)


• luminous [´lu:minəs] a.发光的；明晰的 (英语四级单词)


• vigorously [´vigərəsli] ad.精力旺盛地；健壮地 (英语四级单词)


• incessantly [in´sesntli] ad.不断地，不停地 (英语六级单词)


• orifice [´ɔrifis] n.口；孔；通气口 (英语六级单词)


• habitual [hə´bitʃuəl] a.习惯的，通常的 (英语六级单词)


• insufficient [,insə´fiʃənt] a.不足的，无能的 (英语六级单词)


• landing [´lændiŋ] n.登陆；降落；楼梯平台 (英语六级单词)


• speaking [´spi:kiŋ] n.说话 a.发言的 (英语六级单词)