u Cual-wurk at Biaujunc, near Liege. 247 



of persons working to save them, and which increased their hope 

 as they began to distinguish the different operations of kerving, 

 nicking, judding, boring, and blasting *. This, according to our 

 calculation, must have been on the Sunday night, when they 

 had been thirty-six hours in the pit, and, exhausted by the fa- 

 tigue they had in the seventh boai'd, and the labour of contend- 

 ing with the water at the time of its irruption, they again re- 

 fused to work, saying, " That they had as soon die one way as 

 another." In this extremity, the heroic Goffin treats them as 

 cowards, declaring that he will hasten his death, and take from 

 them all hopes of safety, by drowning himself and his son^ whom 

 he seized hold of. They all threw themselves down before 

 him, and again promised to obey him. But the air no longer 

 containing sufficient oxygen, the two candles which lighted the 

 workmen went out, and a third left in the head- way, in reserve, 

 and which to them was sacred fire, was overturned at the same 

 lime by accident. From that time profound darkness destroyed 

 the little courage b)'' which they had been animated, and they 

 again refused to work. Goffin became desperate. The first 

 man he could find he seized, and, though without arms, threat- 

 ened to stab him if he refused to work. Dark as it was, he 

 conducted them back to their post, and though his hands, un- 

 accustomed to use the pick, were covered with blood, he always 

 set the first example. The young hero his son, too, frequently 

 came to him, and clapped him on the back, saying, " Courage, 

 father, all goes well."" 



In this dreadful anxiety, some promised to make nine days' 

 vows, and others pilgrimages on naked feet. Two orphans, 

 12 or 14 years old, flattered themselves they should not perish, 

 because their father, who was gone to Heaven, prayed for them. 

 One of these offered his brother a piece of bread, which he re- 

 fused, and gave to another boy, who devoured it immediately. 

 The young Goffin wept not : he was occupied only with the 

 thoughts of his mother, sisters, and brothers : " Father," says 

 he, " you and I only earned money : how are they to live ? 

 Must they beg ? Dear father, I know that you have hid some 



" Haver to kirve, is cutting the coal from its bed; couper to nick, is hew- 

 ing tlie seam on each side in order to force down a jud or block of coal ; and 

 hotlle to jud, is forcing the jud from the roof with iron wedges. 



