Chapter 10 Chapter 10 On the way back and forth

Hear Harry's voice, James.Starr, Mai Deqi and Simon.Ford drilled into the hole leading to the Dochart coal bunker where the new coal mine was discovered. So they came to the entrance of a rather large alley.One would really have thought that this passage had been hewn by hand, dug with pickaxes and pickaxes for the purpose of opening a new deposit.The prospectors could not help wondering if, by a curious accident, they had been led to an old coal mine whose existence the oldest miner in the county had never known existed. No!It is the geological strata of the Mesozoic stratum subsidence that deposited this alley.It may be that some torrent had once flowed here when the water on high was about to mix with the bogged-down vegetation, but it was now as dry as the hewn granite formations thousands of feet below it.At the same time, the free flow of air here suggests that there is a natural fan for the fire to ventilate it to the outside atmosphere.

The engineer's observation was correct, and in this new mine the ventilation is felt to be very good.As for the gas which had escaped not so long ago through the slate of the rock face, it seemed to have been contained in a simple pocket, and has now withdrawn, and there must be no gas left in the air of the alley.Out of caution, however, Harry carried only the safety light, which guaranteed him twelve hours of light. James.Starr and his companions felt a kind of utter happiness at this time, because their hopes were completely fulfilled.All around them was coal, and coal.Some kind of excitement made them all speechless.Simon.Ford also restrained himself, and his happiness came out not through long speeches, but through short interjections.

It might have been imprudent for them to go so deep into this dungeon.Hi!They didn't think much of going back.The alleys are smooth, with few twists and turns.There are no cracks to interrupt the passage, and no product to give off noxious fumes.So, there is no reason to stand still, James.Starr, Madge, Harry and Simon.For an hour Ford walked like this, without any signage to point them in the right direction through this strange tunnel. No doubt they would have gone farther, had they not come to the end of the road they had followed since they entered the lane. At the end of the alley is a huge cave. It is impossible to estimate how high and deep this hole is.At what height did the vault of the cave form a circle, and how far back did the rock wall corresponding to the vault retreat?The darkness in the cave prevented them from seeing clearly.But, by the lights, the prospectors could observe that beneath the vaults of the cavern lay a vast stretch of picturesque banks of stagnant ponds or lakes, undulating with tall rocks, submerged in In the dark.

stop!Simon.Ford cried, and stopped suddenly, one more step forward, and we might roll into some abyss! Let's rest then, friends, replied the engineer, and besides, it's time to think about going back to the cottage. Our lamp will light us for ten hours, Mr Starr, said Harry. Well, take a break, James.Starr said, I admit, my legs are going to rest!And you, Madge, don't you feel tired after walking the same long distance? Not very tired, Mr James, replied the sturdy Scotch woman, we are used to exploring the old mines of Aberfoyle all day long. Well!Simon.Ford added that Madge could go ten times that way if necessary!However, I still want to ask, Mr. James, is my intelligence worth your use?Say no, Mr. James, say no!

Hi!My old man, I haven't been this happy in a long time!The small portion of this excellent mine which we have explored, replied the engineer, seems to indicate a very considerable area, at least as regards its length. Same breadth and depth, Mr. James!Simon.Ford countered. This, we will know later. And me, I can vouch for it!Please trust my old miner instincts.My gut has never deceived me! I would like to believe you, Simon, the engineer replied with a smile, but in the end, all I can tell from this brief exploration is that we have mineable elements that we can mine for centuries!

Centuries!Simon.exclaimed Ford, I fully believe it, Mr. James!It will last a thousand years and more, until the last coal is drawn from our new mines! God is listening to you!James.As for the quality of the coal exposed on these rock faces, Stahl replied, Fabulous, Mr. James, Fabulous!Simon.Ford replied, see this for yourself! As he spoke, he picked up a black rock with a pickaxe. Lo and behold!Lo and behold!As he repeated, he held the coal under the lamp, and the surface of the coal shone brightly!We'll get fat coal here, bituminous coal!And they'll be split in chunks of coal [Note] with very little soot!ah!Mr. James, after twenty years, we finally have a mineral deposit that can compete effectively with Swan Sea and Cardiff!Well, those stokers will still compete for that, and if it doesn't cost much to mine, it won't be more expensive to sell outside!

【Note】miners called the medium type of coal. Indeed, Madge said, she had taken the coal, examined it expertly, and it was fine charcoal Take it away, Simon, to the cottage!I hope this first coal burns under our kettle! Well said, wife!The old foreman replied, You will see that I am not fooled. Mr Starr.Now, Harry asked, do you have any idea about the approximate bearing of this long drift we've been walking since entering the new coal mine? No, boy, replied the engineer, there is a compass, and I may be able to ascertain its general direction.But, without a compass, I am here like a sailor at sea, in a mist, unable to take my bearings without the sun.

There is no doubt that Mr. James, Simon.But, I beseech you, retorted Ford, don't compare our position with that of sailors, whose feet are always and everywhere filled with abysses, we are on solid ground, and here we never have to fear sinking! I will not cause you such displeasure, old Simon, James.Far from thinking, Starr replied, of underestimating the value of Aberfoyle's new coal mines by an incorrect comparison!I just want to say one thing, which is that we don't know where we are. We are underground in Stirlingshire, Mr James, Simon.replied Ford, I am as sure of that as if

listen!said Harry, interrupting the old foreman. All pricked up their ears like young miners.His auditory nerves were well trained, and suddenly he noticed a dull voice, as if it was a whisper from afar.James.Starr, Simon and Madge, they heard it soon.The sound came from the upper reaches of the rock group, a rumbling sound that could clearly be felt as a continuous crescendo and diminuendo, though lightly. The four of them listened for a few minutes with their ears pricked up, but none of them said a word. Then, suddenly, SimonFord exclaimed: Hi!I swear by Saint Mengo!Could it be that the dump truck is already on the track in the new Aberfoyle?

"Father," replied Harry, "I think it's more the sound of water rolling over a coastal strip." Then we are not under the sea!cried the old foreman. No, replied the engineer, but it's not impossible that we're under the bed of Lake Catlin. Then the vault in this place may not be thick, because the sound of water can be heard? Not thick, just like that, James.That's what makes the cave so huge, Starr replied. You may be right, Mr Starr, said Harry. Besides, it's such a bad weather outside, James.Starr went on to say that the lake may have swelled like the water in Worth Bay.

Hi!So what, after all, Simon.Ford replied that a carbonaceous bed stretched out at the bottom of a lake couldn't be worse!This wouldn't be the first time people have gone to the bottom of the ocean to find coal!What's the harm when we have to mine all the deepest and deepest parts of the North Canal? . Well said, Simon, cried the engineer, who couldn't help smiling at the excited foreman, as we pushed our trenches under the sea!Hollow the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean!Dig from the bottom of the ocean with a pickaxe and meet our American brethren!Dig all the way to the center of the earth, if necessary, and wring out of it its last coal! You think it's a joke, Mr. James?asked the old foreman, slightly mockingly. I am joking!old simon!No!But you are so excited that I can't help it!Listen, let's get back to reality, which is already beautiful.Let's leave our pick there, come get it another day, go back to the cottage! Nothing else to do right now.Some time later, the engineer, accompanied by a team of miners, with lights and the necessary tools, will explore New Aberfoyle again.But hurry back to the Dochart Coal Bunker.Besides, the road is easy to walk.The approach road runs almost straight through the rock formations to the opening where the dynamite blasts open.Therefore, there is no need to worry about getting lost. But when James.As Starr walked towards Ping Lane, Simon.Ford stopped him. Mr. James, he said to him, have you seen this great hole, the subterranean lake at the bottom, the water that soaks the sands of our feet?So.Here I am to move my family, here I am to build a new cottage, if a few brave fellows will follow my example, in less than a year, on the rocks of our old England, There is more than one township in the group! James.Starr applauded Simon with a smile.Ford's vision, shook his hand, and the three of them walked ahead of Madge into the depths of the alley to return to the Dochart coal bunker. During the first mile, nothing happened.Harry went ahead.Hold the lamp high above your head.He followed the main alley carefully, not once straying into the narrow tunnels that radiated left and right.When, therefore, it seemed that the way back should be as easy as the way back, a vexing complication suddenly arose; For, at one point, Harry held the lamp up with a violent gust of air, as if produced by the beating of invisible wings.The blown crooked lamp slipped from Harry's grasp.It fell on the rocky floor of the lane and broke. James.Starr and his companions were immediately plunged into pitch-black darkness.Since the oil in the lamp has been spilled, it can no longer be used. Well, Harry, Simon.cried Ford, you want us to break our necks and go back to the cottage? Harry didn't answer.He is thinking.Had he perhaps seen yet another hand of a mysterious figure behind this latest accident?Is there an enemy in such depths, whose inexplicable antagonism will someday create severe difficulties?Is there an intention to ban all attempts to mine new carbon-bearing deposits?In fact, this is absurd, but the facts speak for themselves, and each fact has turned mere doubt into affirmation. While waiting, the prospectors were in a bad place.They had to walk about five miles in pitch darkness along the alley that led to Dochart's coal bunker.Then they had to walk another hour before reaching the cottage. Keep going, Simon.Ford says we don't have a moment to waste.We shall grope our way like blind men.Impossible to get lost.The tunnels leading to our road were only real alleys like mole-holes, and following the main alley we were bound to reach the opening which opened the way for us.Second, this is an old coal mine.We're familiar with it, Harry or me, it's not the first time we've been in the dark here.Besides, there we can find the lamp we left behind.hit the road!Harry, you go ahead, Mr. James, you follow him, Madge, you go behind, and me, I'm in the rear.It is especially important that we do not separate, heel to foot, or arm to arm! You can only obey the guidance of the old foreman.As he said, it is not easy to get lost by groping.Just put your hands in place of your eyes and trust the instinct, which in the old foreman and his son became a second nature. Therefore, James.Starr and his companions walked forward in the specified order.They do not speak, but not for lack of thought.It was obvious that they had an opponent.But who is he, and how can he deal with an attack so mysteriously prepared?These extremely disturbing thoughts came to their minds.However, this is not the time to be discouraged. Harry walked forward with a firm step, arms outstretched.He kept walking from one rock wall to another in the alley.When encountering potholes and side entrances, he found out by groping with his hands that he could not enter.Even though the potholes were shallow and the opening was narrow, he kept walking on the right path. In the darkness where you can't reach your fingers, because it is extremely dark, this difficult return journey took about two hours.Through the calculation of time, considering that the forward speed cannot be fast, James.Starr figured he and his buddies might be at the exit soon. Indeed, almost immediately, Harry stopped. Have we finally reached the end of the alley?Simon.asked Ford. Yes, answered the young miner. So, you should have found the connection between New Aberfoyle and the Dochart Coal Bunker again? No, Harry replied, his curled hands touching only the full, solid surface of a rock face. The old foreman stepped forward to touch the slate himself. He uttered a call. Either the prospectors had lost their way on the way back, or the narrow opening in the rock wall where the dynamite had blown had been newly plugged! Either way, James.Starr and his friends are imprisoned in New Aberfoyle!