back in the cottage. The engineer supped with good appetite,



listening with satisfaction to all the plans unfolded by the old overman;

and had it not been for his excitement about the next day's work,



he would never have slept better than in the perfect stillness

of the cottage.



The following day, after a substantial breakfast,

James Starr, Simon Ford, Harry, and even Madge herself, took the road



already traversed the day before. All looked like regular miners.

They carried different tools, and some dynamite with which to blast



the rock. Harry, besides a large lantern, took a safety lamp,

which would burn for twelve hours. It was more than was necessary



for the journey there and back, including the time for the working--

supposing a working was possible.



"To work! to work!" shouted Ford, when the party reached the further

end of the passage; and he grasped a heavy crowbar and brandished it.



"Stop one instant," said Starr. "Let us see if any change has

taken place, and if the fire-damp still escapes through the crevices."



"You are right, Mr. Starr," said Harry. "Whoever stopped it up

yesterday may have done it again to-day!"



Madge, seated on a rock, carefully observed the excavation,

and the wall which was to be blasted.



It was found that everything was just as they left it. The crevices had

undergone no alteration; the carburetted hydrogen still filtered through,



though in a small stream, which was no doubt because it had had

a free passage since the day before. As the quantity was so small,



it could not have formed an explosivemixture with the air inside.

James Starr and his companions could therefore proceed in security.



Besides, the air grew purer by rising to the heights of the Dochart pit;

and the fire-damp, spreading through the atmosphere, would not be strong



enough to make any explosion.

"To work, then!" repeated Ford; and soon the rock flew in splinters



under his skillful blows. The break was chiefly composed

of pudding-stone, interspersed with sandstone and schist,



such as is most often met with between the coal

veins. James Starr picked up some of the pieces, and examined



them carefully, hoping to discover some trace of coal.

Starr having chosen the place where the holes were to be drilled,



they were rapidly bored by Harry. Some cartridges of dynamite

were put into them. As soon as the long, tarred safety



match was laid, it was lighted on a level with the ground.

James Starr and his companions then went off to some distance.



"Oh! Mr. Starr," said Simon Ford, a prey to agitation, which he did

not attempt to conceal, "never, no, never has my old heart beaten



so quick before! I am longing to get at the vein!"

"Patience, Simon!" responded the engineer. "You don't mean



to say that you think you are going to find a passage all ready

open behind that dyke?"



"Excuse me, sir," answered the old overman; "but of course I think so!

If there was good luck in the way Harry and I discovered this place,



why shouldn't the good luck go on?"

As he spoke, came the explosion. A sound as of thunder



rolled through the labyrinth of subterranean galleries.

Starr, Madge, Harry, and Simon Ford hastened towards the spot.



"Mr. Starr! Mr. Starr!" shouted the overman. "Look! the door

is broken open!"



Ford's comparison was justified by the appearance of

an excavation, the depth of which could not be calculated.



Harry was about to spring through the opening; but the engineer,

though excessively surprised to find this cavity, held him back.



"Allow time for the air in there to get pure," said he.

"Yes! beware of the foul air!" said Simon.



A quarter of an hour was passed in anxious waiting.

The lantern was then fastened to the end of a stick, and introduced



into the cave, where it continued to burn with unaltered brilliancy.

"Now then, Harry, go," said Starr, "and we will follow you."



The opening made by the dynamite was sufficiently large

to allow a man to pass through. Harry, lamp in hand,



entered unhesitatingly, and disappeared in the darkness.

His father, mother, and James Starr waited in silence.



A minute--which seemed to them much longer--passed. Harry did

not reappear, did not call. Gazing into the opening,



James Starr could not even see the light of his lamp, which ought

to have illuminated the dark cavern.



Had the ground suddenly given way under Harry's feet?

Had the young miner fallen into some crevice? Could his voice



no longer reach his companions?

The old overman, dead to their remonstrances, was about to enter

• stream [stri:m] n.河 vi.流出；飘扬 (初中英语单词)


• anxiety [æŋ´zaiəti] n.挂念；渴望；焦虑的事 (初中英语单词)


• absence [´æbsəns] n.不在，缺席；缺乏 (初中英语单词)


• movement [´mu:vmənt] n.活动；运动；动作 (初中英语单词)


• gesture [´dʒestʃə] n.手势 v.打手势 (初中英语单词)


• visible [´vizəbəl] a.可见的；明显的 (初中英语单词)


• mysterious [mi´stiəriəs] a.神秘的；难以理解的 (初中英语单词)


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


• energy [´enədʒi] n.活力，精力；能力 (初中英语单词)


• conviction [kən´vikʃən] n.定罪；确信，信服 (初中英语单词)


• instantly [´instəntli] ad.立即，立刻 (初中英语单词)


• instant [´instənt] a.立即的 n.紧迫；瞬间 (初中英语单词)


• outline [´autlain] n.外形 vt.画出…轮廓 (初中英语单词)


• unable [ʌn´eibəl] a.不能的；无能为力的 (初中英语单词)


• contain [kən´tein] v.包含；容纳；抑制 (初中英语单词)


• therefore [´ðeəfɔ:] ad.&conj.因此；所以 (初中英语单词)


• cottage [´kɔtidʒ] n.村舍；小屋；小别墅 (初中英语单词)


• series [´siəri:z] n.连续；系列；丛书 (初中英语单词)


• satisfaction [,sætis´fækʃən] n.满意；满足 (初中英语单词)


• succession [sək´seʃən] n.继任；继承(权) (初中英语单词)


• excitement [ik´saitmənt] n.兴奋；骚动；煽动 (初中英语单词)


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


• mixture [´mikstʃə] n.混合；混合比；混合物 (初中英语单词)


• atmosphere [´ætməsfiə] n.大气；空气；气氛 (初中英语单词)


• chiefly [´tʃi:fli] ad.主要地；尤其 (初中英语单词)


• conceal [kən´si:l] vt.藏；隐瞒 (初中英语单词)


• comparison [kəm´pærisən] n.比较；对照；比喻 (初中英语单词)


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


• anxious [´æŋkʃəs] a.担忧的；渴望的 (初中英语单词)


• sufficiently [sə´fiʃəntli] ad.充分地，足够地 (初中英语单词)


• cavern [´kævən] n.大山洞；大岩洞 (高中英语单词)


• decided [di´saidid] a.明显的；决定的 (高中英语单词)


• hydrogen [´haidrədʒən] n.氢 (高中英语单词)


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


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


• phenomenon [fi´nɔminən] n.现象；奇迹；珍品 (高中英语单词)


• characteristic [,kæriktə´ristik] a.特有的 n.特性 (高中英语单词)


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


• particle [´pɑ:tikl] n.微粒；极小量 (高中英语单词)


• mistaken [mis´teikən] mistake的过去分词 (高中英语单词)


• repeated [ri´pi:tid] a.反复的；重复的 (高中英语单词)


• hinder [´hində, ´haində] vt.阻止 a.后面的 (高中英语单词)


• commonly [´kɔmənli] ad.一般地；通常 (高中英语单词)


• bustle [´bʌsəl] v.(使)匆忙 n.匆忙 (高中英语单词)


• seeing [si:iŋ] see的现在分词 n.视觉 (高中英语单词)


• thoughtful [´θɔ:tfəl] a.深思的；体贴的 (高中英语单词)


• singular [´siŋgjulə] a.单一的；非凡的 (高中英语单词)


• substantial [səb´stænʃəl] a.实质的，真的 (高中英语单词)


• lantern [´læntən] n.灯笼；提灯 (高中英语单词)


• skillful [´skilfəl] a.有技巧的；熟练的 (高中英语单词)


• agitation [,ædʒi´teiʃən] n.鼓动；摇动；焦虑 (高中英语单词)


• longing [´lɔŋiŋ] n.&a.渴望(的) (高中英语单词)


• cavity [´kæviti] n.洞，窝；(人体)腔 (高中英语单词)


• beware [bi´weə] v.(用于祈使句)谨防 (高中英语单词)


• explosive [ik´spləusiv] a.易爆炸的 n.炸药 (英语四级单词)


• domain [də´mein,dəu-] n.领土；版图；范围 (英语四级单词)


• alteration [,ɔ:ltə´reiʃən] n.改变，变更 (英语四级单词)


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


• reappear [,ri:ə´piə] vi.再(出)现 (英语四级单词)


• crevice [´krevis] n.裂缝，罅隙 (英语四级单词)


• holding [´həuldiŋ] n.保持，固定，存储 (英语六级单词)


• fissure [´fiʃə] n.裂缝；分歧 (英语六级单词)


• dynamite [´dainəmait] n.&vt.(用)炸药(爆破) (英语六级单词)


• inexplicable [,inik´splikəbəl] a.难以理解的 (英语六级单词)


• labyrinth [´læbərinθ] 迷宫；错综复杂之事件 (英语六级单词)


• excavation [,ekskə´veiʃən] n.挖掘，洞，穴 (英语六级单词)