Chapter 5 Chapter 5 The Fords

Ten minutes later, James.Starr and Harry finally came out of the main lane. The young miner and his companions reached the bottom of a clearing, if that word can be used of a wide, dark cavern.But the cave is not completely dark.A few rays of light pass through the head of an abandoned well and come here through the strata above.The air circulation of the Dochart coal bunker is through this duct.The hot air inside is sucked into Yale Mine due to its low density. So a little air and light now and then pass through the thick vaults of schist to the glade. Right there, Simon.For ten years Ford and his family lived in an underground dwelling dug out of the schist rock where the powerful machines used to operate the traction equipment of the Dochart coal bunker.

The old foreman lived in what he was happy to call a cottage, and that was one such dwelling.Due to working for many years, Simon.Ford lived quite well, and he could have lived in any city in the kingdom under the sun and among the trees, but his family and he, with the same thoughts and interests, preferred to stay in the coal mines where they were happy.Yes!The cottage, hidden fifteen hundred feet below Scotland, delighted them.Among other benefits, there is no need to worry about the public servants of the tax authorities, those loud voices who are responsible for collecting taxes, will not come here to tangle with the homeowners here!

The former foreman of Dochart Coal Bunker Simon.Ford was sixty-five at the time, and he was a tough man.He had been regarded as one of the preeminent saws in the country because of his tall, strong, well-proportioned figure, which had supplied so many handsome men for the Highland regiments. 【Note】Saw is the nickname of the Scots, such as John Bull is the nickname of the English, rice is the nickname of the Irish. Simon.Ford comes from an old line of miners, whose family tree can be traced back to when the carbon-bearing veins in Scotland were first mined. We do not study the use of coal by the Greeks and Romans archaeologically, whether the Chinese used coal mines far earlier than the Christian era, and do not discuss whether the name of this combustible ore really comes from the horseshoe who lived in Belgium in the twelfth century Uyo, it is certain that the coalfields of Great Britain are the first and that their exploitation is regular.In the eleventh century, Guillum the Conqueror shared among his comrades the produce of the Newcastle coalfields.In the thirteenth century, Henry III granted a license to mine sea coal.Finally, towards the end of the century, he mentions the coal beds of Scotland and Wales.

Simon.It was around this time that Ford's ancestors entered the underground of Caledonia and remained there for generations.They are just ordinary workers.They work like convicts, extracting precious fuel.People even thought that the coal miners, like the salt workers of that era, were veritable slaves at that time.Indeed, the idea was so strong in eighteenth-century Scotland that during the War of the Pretenders it was feared whether the twenty thousand miners in Newcastle would revolt for freedom because they thought there was no freedom. Anyway, Simon.Ford was proud to belong to the family of Scottish coal miners.He works with his hands in the same places his ancestors wielded pickaxes, crowbars, slotting picks, and pickaxes.At the age of thirty he was foreman of the Dochart coal bunker, the most important of the coal mines at Aberfoyle.He is passionate about his profession.Over the long years he has diligently performed his duties.His only pain was seeing the time when the coal seams were becoming barren and feeling that the veins would be exhausted was not far off.

That's when he plunged into the coal bunkers of Aberfoyle in search of new veins that were connected beneath the ground.He was lucky enough to find several veins in the final stages of mining.His miner's intuition helped him a lot, engineer James.Starr thinks highly of him.It might even be said that he probed for veins in the depths of a coal mine, as a groundwater prospector probes for sources of water beneath the surface. But the moment has come when there is no longer any combustible material in the so-called coal mine.Probing again brought no results.The carbonaceous veins have apparently been exhausted.Mining stopped.The miners backed out.

What do people think?What most people feel is a kind of despair.This will not surprise anyone who understands that people like to suffer in the well.Without a doubt, Simon.Ford was hit the hardest.He is an outstanding example of a miner whose life has been inseparably linked with that of the mine.He had lived there since he was born, and he wanted to live there after the project was abandoned.So he stayed.His son Harry, who provided for the subterranean dwelling, hadn't been above ground ten times in ten years. go up there!what is the benefit?He has said repeatedly that he does not leave his dark domain.

Besides, in this very healthy place, the old foreman, accustomed to the ever-moderate temperature, knew neither the heat of summer nor the cold of winter.His family is in good health.What else did he ask for? Under the well, he was indeed very sad.He regretted the exuberance, the activity, the old life in the coal bunkers so industriously mined.However, he was sustained by a belief. No!No!The coal mine has not been exhausted!He said it over and over again. Doubts about whether old Aberfoyle could one day be resurrected in the dead mine made Simon.Ford was in pain.Therefore, he never gave up hope of discovering some new deposit and restoring the mine to its former glory.Yes, he would have been willing to take up the miner's pick again if necessary, and his old, still-strong arm would have struck the rock with might.So he walked through those dark alleys, sometimes alone, sometimes with his son, observing and searching, until he returned to the cottage every day exhausted, but never hopeless.

Madge is Simon.Ford's venerable companion, she was tall, strong, and, as the Scots say, a good wife, a good wife.Madge, like her husband, was reluctant to leave the Dochart coal bunker.She shares all his hopes and regrets at this point.She encouraged him, pushed him forward, she spoke to him with a certain gravity that warmed the old overman's heart again. Aberfoyle is only asleep, Simon, she said to him, and you are right, it is only a rest, it is not death! Ma Deqi can give up the outside world and is good at concentrating the happiness of the family of three in this dim cottage.

James.That's where Starr came to. I've been waiting for an engineer for a long time.Simon.Ford stood at the door of the house, a little further away, Harry's lamp announcing to him the arrival of his old audience, and he went to meet him. Welcome, Mr. James!he called to him, his voice echoing under the vaults of schist, Welcome to the old foreman's cottage!Fifteen hundred feet underground, the hospitality of the Ford family was not diminished! How are you, kind Simon?James.Starr asked, shaking the hand his master offered him. Excellent, Mr. Starr.You can avoid all kinds of bad weather here, what else can you say?Ladies of your family might as well spend a few months in the coal mines of Aberfoyle for their summer rest at Newport or Portobello!They would never catch a bad cold like they did in the damp streets of the old capital.

【Note】thalassotherapy resorts around Edinburgh. It's not that I contradict you, Simon, James.Glad to find out that the foreman is still the same, Starr replied!Wow, I'm wondering why I don't trade my house in Cannongate for some cottage near yours! At your service, Mr. Starr.I know one among your former miners who will be especially glad to be separated from you by only a dividing wall. How is Madge?asked the engineer. The old woman is in better shape than I am, if possible!Simon.Ford replied that she would be delighted to have you at her table.I think she's going above and beyond to entertain you.

Just wait and see, Simon, just wait and see!The engineer said that after a long journey the announcement of a good lunch could not have left him indifferent. Are you hungry, Mr. Stahl? Really hungry.Travel whets my appetite.I came in the wind and rain! ah!It's raining up there!Simon.replied Ford, with a very obvious look of pity. Yes, Simon, the waters of the River Worth are as rough as the waters of the sea today! Well, here, Mr. James, it never rains.But I don't need to describe to you benefits that you know as well as I do!You are now at the cottage, this is the main thing, I repeat to you, welcome! Simon.Ford, Harry followed him, took James.Starr invited him into the residence, and he came to the center of a spacious hall lit with several lamps, one of which hung from a painted beam on the ceiling. The dining table, spread with a brightly colored tablecloth, awaited the arrival of the guests, and four chairs stuffed with old leather had been placed there. Hello, Madge, said the engineer. "Good day, Mr. James," replied the good Scotchwoman, rising to greet her visitor. Nice to see you again, Madge. You are right, Mr. James, for it is a pleasure to see again a man who is always kind. The soup is ready, wife, Simon.Ford said now, there should be no soup, and Mr. James waits, he's as hungry as a miner, and he'll see our children make us want nothing at the cottage!By the way, Harry, the old foreman added, turning to his son, Jack.Ryan came to see you. I know, father!We met him at Yale Mine. This is a good and jolly fellow, Simon.Ford said, but he seemed to like the top!This is because there is no real miner's blood in the veins Please be seated, Mr. James, and let us have a hearty meal, as supper may be late. As the engineer and his hosts prepare to sit down: wait a minute.Simon, James.Starr said.Would you like me to eat with gusto? We couldn't be more honored than this, Mr. James, Simon.Ford replied. Well, in order to do that, there should be no suspense and I have two questions for you. Please, Mr. James. In your letter you mentioned to me a piece of information which might interest me instinctively? Indeed, it is very interesting. for you? To you as well to me, Mr. James, but I hope to report to you on the spot after dinner, and you may not necessarily believe me if I am not there. Simon, continued the engineer, please look here and into my eyes.An interesting tidbit?That's right!I won't ask you any more, he added, as if he read in the old foreman's eyes the answer he was hoping for. What about the second question?the latter asked him. Do you know, Simon, who might be writing this letter to me?The engineer answered while showing the anonymous letter he had received. Simon.Ford took the letter and read it very carefully. Then he showed the letter to his son. Do you recognize this handwriting?he asks. No, Father, Harry replied. Was this letter stamped at the post office in Aberfoyle?Simon.Ford asked the engineer. Yes, same as yours, James.Starr replied. What do you think of this, Harry?Simon.At one point, Ford said, the forehead was clouded. I think, father, replied Harry, that there are people, of whatever interest, who want to stop James.Mr. Stahl is here for your appointment. But who would it be?cried the old miner, who could penetrate so deeply into the secrets of my mind? Simon.Ford was deep in thought and fell into some kind of meditation, but Madge's voice quickly pulled him out of the meditation. Let's sit down, Mr Starr, she said, the soup is getting cold.For now, don't think about that letter! At the invitation of the old lady, everyone sat in their seats James.In order to show his respect, Starr sat facing Ma Deqi and his father sat opposite his son. This is a delicious Scottish meal.At first, a kind of chowder was eaten, in which the meat in the soup was soaked in a kind of boiling water. According to old Simon, his wife had no match for the skill of making chowder. And so was the leek chicken, a chowder cooked impeccably with leeks. All dishes were poured with a good pale ale from the best brewing vats in the Edinburgh factory. But the main course was a hakis, an ethnic pudding made of meat and barley flour.The famous dish that inspired the poet Burns to write one of his best little odes has the good fortune of being preserved as a good thing in the world: it goes down like a dream. [Note] (Scotland-specific) chopped lamb haggis, added oatmeal, and cooked food in the stomach of the sheep. Ma Deqi received sincere compliments from the guests. Lunch ended with a cheese and cake, a delicate oat cake, and a few shots of Saffron, a twenty-five-year-old fine grain whiskey. Shochu that happened to be Harry's age. The meal lasted for an hour.James.Starr and Simon.Ford not only ate with relish, but also talked with relish, mainly about the past of the old coal mine in Aberfoyle. Harry remained more silent.Twice, he left the dinner table and even the house.He had evidently felt some uneasiness since the incident with the stones, and he wanted to scout the surroundings of the cottage.The anonymous letter also disturbed him. At one point when he was out, the engineer spoke to Simon.Ford and Madge said: You have a righteous child, my friend! Yes, Mr. James, a good and loyal man, replied the old overman excitedly. Is he happy with you, in this cottage? He doesn't want to leave us. But have you thought about marrying him? Marry Harry!Simon.Ford exclaimed, marry whom?Marry a girl from above, like festivals, dances, and her clan more than our coal mines!Harry won't want it! Simon, replied Madge, but you can't ask our Harry never to marry a wife I ask for nothing, replied the old miner, but there is no hurry!Who knows if we can't find him at all Harry is back now, Simon.Ford fell silent. When Ma Deqi left the dining table, everyone also left the dining table and sat at the door of the cottage for a while. Well, Simon, said the engineer, I hear you. Mr. James, Simon.Ford replied, I don't need your ears, but I need your legs. Can you rest? Well rested and recovering well, Simon.I'm ready, I'll accompany you wherever you want to go. Harry, Simon.said Ford, turning to his son and turning on our security lights. You bring safety lights!James.Starr exclaimed, a little surprised, because in a bunker that had been absolutely emptied of coal, there was no need to worry about gas explosions. Yes, Mr. James, out of an abundance of caution. My honest Simon, would you still suggest that I don a miner's uniform again? Not yet, Mr. James, not yet!The old foreman replied, his eyes glowing oddly in their sunken sockets. Harry went back into the cottage, and came out almost immediately, bringing three safelights with him. Harry gave one to the engineer, another to his father, and he kept a third for himself, hanging from his left hand, while his right held a long stick for defense. hit the road!Simon.Ford said.Pick up a sturdy pickaxe placed by the cottage door. hit the road!The engineer should say goodbye, Madge! God bless you!The Scotch woman answered. Prepare a good dinner, wife, you hear me, Simon.cried Ford, we'll be hungry when we get back, and we'll salute the supper!