Chapter 19 Chapter 19 The Last Threat

In New Aberfoyle, work was well under way that day.In the distance, there was the crackling sound of explosive cartridges exploding on carbonaceous ore veins.Here, the clang of picks and crowbars mining coal; there, the drill bit of a rock drill creaks a hole in a fault in sandstone or slate.The deep voice rang for a long time.The air drawn in by the machine diffuses in the ventilation lane.The wooden door was slammed shut again under this violent push.Tunnel theory in the lower level.A series of mechanically driven dump trucks passed by at a speed of 15 kilometers per hour, and an automatic bell notified the workers to hide in a safe place.The cages are pulled up and down continuously by the huge drums of the machines on the ground.Coal City is brightly illuminated by well-powered discs.

Mining is being directed most actively.The veins are scattered in dump trucks that come down the shafts of the mining shafts by the hundreds to empty the veins in grab buckets.When some of the miners rested from the night shift, the teams on the day shift worked without delay. Simon.Ford and Madge sat in the yard of the cottage after lunch.The old foreman was taking his lunch break as usual.He was smoking his pipe stuffed with the best French tobacco.The couple were talking, about Nell, their son, James.Starr and this tour on the ground.Where are they now?What are they doing now?Why don't you miss the coal mines and stay outside for so long?

At this moment, there was suddenly a terrible roar, which made people think that a heavy rainstorm was rushing into the coal mine. Simon.Ford and Madge suddenly stood up. The water in Malcolm Lake swelled almost immediately.A tall wave, surging like a raging tide, dipped the shore and came rushing up to smash against the cottage walls. Simon.Ford grabbed Madge and quickly pulled her to the second floor of the residence. At the same time, the entire Coal City shouted at the sudden threat of flooding.The inhabitants fled in search of shelter until they reached the high slates that formed the lagoon's edge.

terrible.Already several families scrambled in half-madness towards the tunnels to climb to the upper seams.They may have been worried about the flooding of seawater into the coal mines at the level all the way down to the bottom of the North Canal.No matter how big the dungeon is, it will be completely submerged.None of the residents of New Aberfoyle escaped death. However, when the first group of escapees arrived at the entrance of the tunnel, they faced Simon who had already left the cottage immediately.ford. Stop, stop, friends!The old foreman shouted to them, If our city will be flooded, the flood will run faster than you, and no one will escape!But the water doesn't rise any more!It seemed that all dangers were ruled out.

But what about our partners in underground engineering?cried some of the miners. Don't worry about them at all, Simon.Ford replied that the mining was done at the level above the lake bed! The facts will show that the old foreman was right.The water came in suddenly, but, distributed under the great coal mine, its effect was only to raise the level of Malcolm Lake a few feet.The Coal City was thus spared, and it may be hoped that the flood which entered the lowest part of the unworked coal mine did not cause any deaths. As for this flood, is it due to the seepage of water from the cracks in the lower layer of the rock mass, or a certain stream of water on the ground suddenly broke through the river bed and poured into the lowest layers of the mine, Simon.Ford and his cohorts can't tell yet.As for thinking it was just an accident, that happens in coal mines, and no one doubts it.

However, that night, everyone knew what was going on.The county newspapers reported in detail the strange phenomenon, and Lake Catlin was the stage for this bizarre phenomenon.Neil, Harry and James rushed back to the cottage.Starr and Jack.Ryan confirmed the news, not without relief to learn that New Aberfoyle suffered only some material damage. It was concluded that the lake bed of Lake Catlin collapsed abruptly.The water from the lake poured into the coal mine through a large fissure.All that is left to the Scottish novelist who has a soft spot for the loch is that the Lady of the Loch's beautiful feet are wet, at least all over the south of it.A pond of a few acres, limited because the bottom there was lower than the part that collapsed.

What a sensation this strange phenomenon caused!Undoubtedly, for the first time, a lake emptied deep underground in an instant.All that needs to be done now is to blot out the lake on the map of the United Kingdom until it is refilled with water through public donations after pre-plugging the cracks.Walter.Scotus will die of despair if he lives in this world! In short, this unexpected event is difficult to explain.In fact, between the deep cave and the lake bed, due to some special geological layout of the rock mass, the layer of the second formation has shrunk into a thin layer. However, whether this landslide seems to be caused by natural causes, James.Starr, Simon and Harry.Ford wondered if there was no need to classify this as malice.Suspicions arose all the more strongly in their hearts.Will the evil spirit really give up his attack on the mining of this rich coal mine?

A few days later, James.Stahl chatted with the old foreman and his son at the cottage. Simon, said he, it seems to me that although the matter itself is explained, I seem to have a presentiment that this is of the same kind as those for which we are looking for the cause! I think the same as you, James.Mr. Starr, Simon.Fudai replied, "However, if you can trust me, never spread the matter, and I will investigate myself. ah!cried the engineer, I already know the result of the investigation in advance! Hi!what result? We'll find evidence of that malice, but not the villain! But he exists!Simon.Where is he hiding, replied Ford?How could a solitary man, however evil he may be, have such vile thoughts as to collapse a lake?Seriously, I'm going to be with Jack.Like Ryan, eventually believed, it was some elf in the mine who hated us for trespassing on his domain!

Needless to say, Nell avoided these secret conversations as much as possible.Besides, she hoped that no one would suspect her of it.However, her demeanor suggests she shares her adoptive family's concerns.Her melancholy face expressed an inner struggle that disturbed her. Anyway, James.Starr, Simon and Harry.Ford decided to go back to the landslide and try to find out its cause.They told no one of their plans.For those who don't understand the whole incident that was the root cause of this landslide, James.The views of Starr and his friends may never be accepted. A few days later the three men boarded a small boat, steered by Harry, to examine the natural pillars that supported the hollow at the bottom of Lake Catlin.

This check proved them right.Those pillars have been blasted.The blackened marks are still visible because the water, reduced by penetration, can go all the way to the foundations of the subterranean structure.The collapse of this vault of the dome was planned and carried out by human hands. There is nothing to doubt, James.Starr said, if the landslide attracted water from a sea instead of this small lake, who knows what it would be like! Yes, cried the old foreman proudly, one sea will not suffice to drown our Aberfoyle!However, there is another question, no matter who it is, what good does it do him to destroy our mining?

This is incomprehensible, James.Starr replied that this wasn't about a bunch of gross thugs coming out of their caves to scatter around the place stealing and robbing!Something as bad as this should have happened three years ago.Nor does that matter, for I have thought several times on the subject that smugglers or counterfeiters, hiding their criminal trades in some unknown recess of this infinite cavern, think Get us out of here.No one is making counterfeit money or smuggling items for collection!But obviously, there is a mortal enemy who has sworn to destroy New Aberfoyle, driven by a certain interest, trying every possible way to vent his hatred against us!Too weak of strength to do it openly, no doubt, and his tricks were prepared in the dark, but the intelligence he displayed made him a formidable man.Friends, he holds more secrets in our realm than we do, for he has eluded us for so long!It's an expert, the cunning of cunning, sure, Simon.The way we found out about him is a testament to that.Let's think about it, have you ever had any personal enemies to suspect?Think about it.Some paranoid hatred cannot be diluted by time.Think back, if you must, to the earliest times in your life.All this is happening, it's the result of a kind of ruthless and patient madness that requires you to go back to your remotest things at this point. Simon.Ford didn't answer.It could be seen that the decent foreman was honestly reviewing all his past before making an explanation.Finally, he raised his head again: No, he said, before God neither Madge nor I have ever done anyone any harm.We don't believe we have an enemy, not even one! ah!cried the engineer, if Nell would speak! "Mr Starr, and you, my father," replied Harry, I beg you, let us keep our investigation a secret!Don't ask me poor Nell!I already felt that she was anxious and tormented.I'm sure how hard it is for her to keep a secret that's overwhelming her.If she does not speak, either because she has nothing to say, or because she thinks it is wrong to speak!We cannot doubt her affection for us, for all of us!In a little while, if she tells me things that she has kept silent until now, I will tell you right away. Well, Harry, replied the engineer, however, if Nell knows anything, the silence is inexplicable! Seeing Harry was about to scream again.Don't worry, the engineer added, we won't tell the man who will be your wife. And that doesn't have to wait any longer.If you will, my father! child, simon.Ford said, A month from now, on this very day, you will be married in place of Nell's father, Mr. James? Trust me, Simon, replied the engineer. James.Starr and his two companions returned to the cottage.Nothing was said about the results of their exploration, and the collapse of the vault was still regarded as a mere accident by the owners of the mine.There is one less lake in Scotland. Nell gradually returned to her daily work.This ground tour of the Upper County had left an indelible impression on her, and Harry had used it to educate her.But this enlightenment of life outside did not leave her any regrets.She loved the Dark Realm as much as she had before this expedition, and after she had dwelt here as a child and a maiden she would continue to live here as a wife. At that time, Harry.Ford and Nell's impending wedding is a sensation in New Aberfoyle.Words of praise flooded the cottage.Jack.Ryan wasn't the last to come to congratulate him.He was also caught in the distance preparing his best songs for the festival to which all of Coal City would attend. But in the month leading up to the wedding, New Aberfoyle suffered as it had never suffered.It could be said that the imminence of Nell and Harry's union invites disaster after disaster.Those accidents mainly occurred in underground engineering, but the real cause of these events was not known. Thus a fire engulfed the scaffolding of a level alley below, and the lamps which had been used by the arsonists were recognized.Harry and his mates had to risk their lives to put out the fire that threatened to destroy the mine, and they were only able to put it out after using fire extinguishers, which were filled with a kind of carbonated water, which was produced by coal mines. Prepared carefully. Another time, a landslide caused by a broken pillar in a mine, James.Stahl ascertained that the pillars had been sawn off beforehand.Harry, who was monitoring the project from this position, was buried under the rubble, only to be saved from death by a miracle. A few days later, on a mechanically towed tram, the dump truck Harry was traveling in slammed into an obstacle and flipped over.It was later identified that a beam had been laid across the road. In short, these incidents occurred so frequently that panic broke out among the miners.Their heads must be present in order to keep them on the project. But they are a whole lot, these rascals!Simon.Fudai said it over and over, and we failed to catch one! The search started again.The county police were on the lookout day and night, but found nothing.James.The animosity Starr absolutely forbade Harry to venture away from the heart of the project alone seemed directed at him more directly. The same was done with Nell, but, at Harry's urging, withheld from her all these sinful attempts to remind her of her past.Simon.Ford and Madge watched over her day and night with a certain severity, or rather a brutal concern.The poor boy noticed it, but made no complaints or complaints.Does she think in her heart that if others do this, it is for her own good?Yes, possible.Still, she seems to care about others in her own way, and she only seems reassured when everyone she loves gathers at the cottage.In the evening, when Harry returned, she could not contain a surge of ecstasy that didn't go well with her more reserved than shown nature.Once the night was over, she got up before everyone else.In the morning, when it was time to go underground, she felt uneasy again. Harry had thought that they would have a wedding just to reassure her.He felt that in the face of this irrevocable bond, the hostility would be tempered by being rendered meaningless, and that Nell would only feel relieved when she became his wife.In addition, James.Starr and Simon.Ford was as anxious as Madge.Everyone is counting the days. In fact, everyone is under the threat of the most foreboding forebodings.This hidden enemy, who knew neither where to get him nor how to fight him, it was whispered that nothing that concerned Nell would doubtless leave him indifferent.The grand event of Harry and the young girl's wedding may be used by him to create some new conspiracy to vent his anger. One morning, eight days before the date fixed for the ceremony, Nell, obviously moved by some sense of foreboding, was at last the first to leave the cottage, wishing to observe its surroundings. As she reached the door, she uttered a cry of indescribable terror. The call was heard throughout the residence, and in an instant drew Madge, Simon, and Harry to her side. Nell was pale as death, pale, with an indescribable horror on her face.She was speechless, her eyes fixed on the cottage door she had just opened.Her convulsed fingers pointed to these lines written in the night, which made her pale when she saw them: Simon.Ford, you stole the last vein of our old coal mine from me!Harry, your son, stole Nell from me!Misfortune is upon you!Misfortune to all!Misfortune to New Aberfoyle! sylfax Silfax!Simon.Ford and Madge shouted at the same time. Who is this man?asked Harry, looking alternately at his father and the young girl. Silfax!Nell repeated desperately, Sylfax! While muttering the name, her whole body trembled, and Madge controlled her, almost pulling her back to her room with force. James.Starr is here.After reading and rereading this menacing sentence: The hand that wrote these lines, he said, is the same hand that wrote me the letter that contradicted yours.Simon!This man's name is Silfax!I see from your trembling that you know him!Who is this Sylfax?