Facing Death; Or, The Hero of the Vaughan Pit: A Tale of the Coal Mines Read online

  CHAPTER VI.

  "THE OLD SHAFT."

  In the corner of a rough piece of ground near the "Vaughan" was situatedwhat was known as the old shaft. It had been made many years before,with a view to working coal there. The owners of the Vaughan, which atthe time was just commencing work, had, however, bought up the ground,and as it adjoined their own and could be worked in connection with it,they stopped the sinking here. This was so long ago that the rubbishwhich had formed a mound round the mouth of the shaft had been longcovered with vegetation, and a fence placed round the pit had falleninto decay.

  The shaft had been sunk some fifty fathoms, but was now full of water,to within forty feet of the surface. Some boards covered the top, andthe adventurous spirits among the boys would drop stones through theopenings between them, and listen to the splash as they struck the waterbelow, or would light pieces of paper and watch them falling into thedarkness, until they disappeared suddenly as they touched the water.

  The winch used in the process of excavation remained, and round it was aportion of the chain so old and rusty as to be worthless for any purposewhatever. Lengths had from time to time been broken off by boys, whowould unwind a portion, and then, three or four pull together until therust-eaten links gave way; and the boys came to the ground with a crash.It was a dirty game, however, dirty even for pit boys, for the yellowrust would stick to hands and clothes and be very difficult to remove.

  One Saturday afternoon a group of boys and girls of from ten to fourteenwere playing in the field. Presently it was proposed to play king of thecastle, or a game akin thereto, half a dozen holding the circular moundround the old pit, while the rest attacked them and endeavoured to stormthe position. For some time the game went on with much shouting on thepart of the boys and shrill shrieks from the girls, as they were pulledor pushed down the steep bank.

  "Let us make a charge a' together," said Jack Simpson, who although notthirteen was the leader of the attacking party.

  Then heading the rush he went at full speed at the castle. HarryShepherd, who was one of the defenders, was at the top, but Jack had somuch impetus that he gained his footing and thrust Harry violentlybackwards.

  The top of the bank was but three feet wide, and within sloped down tothe mouth of the old pit shaft, fifteen feet below. Harry tottered, andto avoid falling backwards turned and with great strides ran down thebank. He was unable to arrest his course, but went through the rottenfence and on to the boarding of the shaft. There was a crash, a wildcry, and Harry disappeared from the sight of his horror-strickencompanions. The rotten wood-work had given way and the boy had falleninto the old shaft.

  A panic seized the players, some rushed away at the top of their speedshouting, "Harry Shepherd has fallen down the old shaft!" others stoodparalysed on the top of the mound; girls screamed and cried. Two onlyappeared to have possession of their wits. The one was Jack Simpson, theother was a girl of about twelve, Nelly Hardy. Jack did not hesitate aninstant, but quickly ran down to the shaft, Nelly more quietly, but withan earnest set face, followed him. Jack threw himself down by the edgeand peered down the shaft.

  "Harry, Harry," he shouted, "bee'st killed?" A sort of low cry came up.

  "He be alive, he be drowning," Jack exclaimed, "quick, get off themboords."

  Nelly at once attempted to aid Jack to lift the boards aside.

  "Coom," Jack shouted to the boys on the top, "what bee'st feared of?Thou art shamed by this lass here. Coom along and help us."

  Several of the boys hurried down, stung by Jack's taunt, and half theboards were soon pulled off.

  "What bee'st goin' to do, Jack?"

  "Go down, to be sure," Jack said. "Catch hold o' th' windlass."

  "The chain woan't hold you, Jack."

  "It maun hold me," Jack said.

  "It woan't hold two, Jack."

  "Lower away and hold thee jaw," Jack said; "I am going to send him upfirst if he be alive; lower away, I say."

  Jack caught hold of the end of the rusty chain, and the boys loweredaway as rapidly as they could.

  Jack held on stoutly, and continued to shout, "Hold on, Harry, I bea-coming; another minute and I'll be with 'ee."

  The chain held firmly, and Jack swung downward safely.

  The shaft was of considerable size, and the openings in the planks hadenabled the air to circulate freely, consequently there was no bad air.As Jack reached the water he looked eagerly round, and then gave a cryof joy. Above the water he saw a hand grasping a projecting piece ofrock.

  Harry could not swim, but he had grasped the edge of a projecting stonenear which he had fallen, and when his strength had failed, and he hadsunk below the surface, his hand still retained its grasp.

  "Lower away," Jack shouted, and the chain was slackened.

  Jack could swim a little, just enough to cross the Stokebridge Canalwhere the water was only out of his depth for some fifteen feet in themiddle. First he took off his handkerchief from his neck, a strongcotton birdseye, and keeping hold of the chain before him swam to thespot where the hand was above water. He had a terrible fear of itsslipping and disappearing below the dark pool, and was careful to make afirm grasp at it. He was surprised to find the body was of no weight.Without a moment's delay he managed to bind the wrist fast to the chainwith his handkerchief.

  "Above there," he shouted.

  "Ay," came down.

  "Wind up very steadily, don't jerk it now." Slowly the winch revolvedand the body began to rise from the water.

  Jack clung to the stone which Harry had grasped and looked upwards. Hewondered vaguely whether it would ever reach the top; he wonderedwhether the arm would pull out of the socket, and the body plump downinto the water; he wondered how long he could hold on, and why hisclothes seemed so heavy. He wondered whether, if his strength wentbefore the chain came down again, his hand would hold on as Harry's haddone, or whether he should go down to the bottom of the shaft. Howfar was it! Fifty fathoms, three hundred feet; he was fifty below themouth, two hundred and fifty to sink; how long would his body be gettingto the bottom? What would his mother and Bill Haden say? Would they evertry to get his body up?

  IN THE OLD SHAFT--WILL HE BE SAVED?]

  He was growing very weak. As from another world he had heard the shoutfrom above when the body of Harry Shepherd reached the brink, andafterwards some vague murmurs. Presently his fingers slipped and he wentdown in the black pool. The chill of the water to his face, the suddenchoking sensation, brought his senses back for a moment and he struck tothe surface.

  There, touching the water, he saw the chain, and as he grasped it, heardthe shouts of his comrades above calling to him. He was himself againnow. The chain being some feet below the surface he managed to pass itround him, and to twist it in front. He was too exhausted to shout.

  He saw a great piece of paper on fire fluttering down, and heard a shoutas its light showed him on the end of the chain; then he felt a jar andfelt himself rising from the water; after that he knew nothing moreuntil he opened his eyes and found himself lying on the bank.

  Nelly Hardy was kneeling by him and his head was in her lap. He feltvarious hands rubbing him and slapping the palms of his hands; hisanimation was quickly restored. He had swallowed but little water, andit was the close air of the shaft which had overpowered him.

  "Hallo!" he said, shaking himself, "let me up, I be all right; how'sHarry?"

  Harry had not yet come round, though some of them, trying to restore himto consciousness, said that they had heard him breathe once. Jack asusual took the command, ordered all but two or three to stand back, toldNelly Hardy to lift Harry's head and undo his shirt, stripped him to thewaist, and then set the boys to work to rub vigorously on his chest.Whether the efforts would have been successful is doubtful, but at thismoment there was a sound of hurrying feet and of rapid wheels.

  Those who had started at the first alarm had reached the village andtold the news, and most fortunately had met the doctor as he drove infrom his rounds. A
man with a rope had leaped into the gig, and thedoctor as he drove off had shouted that hot blankets were to beprepared.

  When he reached the spot and heard that Harry had been brought to bank,he leapt out, climbed the mound, wrapped him in his coat, carried himdown to his gig, and then drove back at full speed to Stokebridge, wherewith the aid of hot blankets and stimulants the lad was brought back toconsciousness.

  Jack Simpson was the hero of the hour, and the pitmen, accustomed toface death as they were, yet marvelled at a boy trusting himself to achain which looked unfit to bear its own weight only, and into thedepth of a well where the air might have been unfit to breathe.

  Jack strenuously, and indeed angrily, disclaimed all credit whatever.

  "I didn't think nowt about the chain, nor the air, nor the waterneither. I thought only o' Harry. It was me as had pushed him down, andI'd got to bring him oop. If I hadn't a gone down Nelly Hardy would ha'gone, though she be a lass and doan't know how to swim or to hold on bya chain, or nowt; but she'd ha' gone, I tell e'e, if I hadn't; I saw itin her face. She didn't say nowt, but she was ready to go. If she hadn'tgone down to th' shaft none of them would ha gone. She's a rare plucked'un, she is, I tell e'e."

  But in spite of Jack's indignant repudiation of any credit, the braveaction was the talk of Stokebridge and of the neighbouring pit villagesfor some time. There are no men appreciate bravery more keenly thanpitmen, for they themselves are ever ready to risk their lives to savethose of others. Consequently a subscription, the limit of which wassixpence and the minimum a penny, was set on foot, and a fortnight laterJack was presented with a gold watch with an inscription.

  This was presented in the school-room, and Mr. Brook, who presided atthe meeting, added on his own account a chain to match. It needed almostforce on the part of Bill Haden to compel Jack to be present on thisoccasion. When he was led up, flushed with confusion, to Mr. Brook, amidthe cheers of the crowd of those in the room, he listened with head hungdown to the remarks of his employer.

  When that gentleman finished and held out the watch and chain, Jack drewback and held up his head.

  "I doan't loike it, sir; I pushed Harry in, and in course I went down topick him out; besides, Harry's my chum, he be; was it loikely I shouldstand by and he drowning? I tell 'ee, sir, that you ain't said a wordabout the lass Nelly Hardy; she had pluck, she had. The boys ran away orstood and stared, but she came down as quiet as may be. I tell 'ee, sir,her face was pale, but she was as steady and as still as a man could ha'been, and did as I told her wi'out stopping for a moment and wi'out asmuch as saying a word. She'd ha' gone down if I'd told her to. Where beye, Nelly Hardy? coom oot and let me show ye to Mr. Brook."

  But Nelly, who was indeed in the building, had shrunk away when Jackbegan to speak, and having gained the door, was on the point of flying,when she was seized and brought forward, looking shamefaced and sullen.

  "That be her, sir," Jack said triumphantly, "and I say this watch andchain ought to be hers, for she did much more for a lass than I did fora boy, and had no call to do't as I had."

  "I cannot give them to her, Jack," Mr. Brook said, "for the watch hasbeen subscribed for you; but as a token of my appreciation of thebravery and presence of mind she has shown, I will myself present herwith a silver watch and chain, with an inscription saying why it wasgiven to her, and this she will, I am sure, value all her life."

  Perhaps she would, but at present her only thought was to get away. Herhair was all rough, she had on a tattered dress, and had only slipped inwhen those in charge of the door were intent upon hearing Mr. Brook'saddress. Without a word of thanks, the instant the hands restraining herwere loosed she dived into the crowd and escaped like a bird from asnare. Satisfied that justice had been done, Jack now said a few wordsof thanks to his employer and the subscribers to his present, and themeeting then broke up, Jack returning with Bill Haden and his mother,both beaming with delight.

  "I be roight down glad, lad, I doan't know as I've been so glad sinceJuno's dam won the first prize for pure-bred bull-dogs at the Birminghamshow. It seems joost the same sort o' thing, doan't it, Jane?"