OUR LAST MINE 329 



" What on earth is that ? " 



" Why, I do declare that it's an immense piece of the 

 gate-post, that has been blown right over our heads just 

 now. My word, if this had hit one of us it would have 

 made rather a mess ! " 



Such was our converse while running on to our last 

 mine, the one nearest home. This piece of post flying 

 so far was somewhat alarming, especially as I knew 

 that the fuse we had now to deal with was the shortest 

 of the three. 



"We must run like anything the instant I light this/' 

 said I, as in some apprehension I addressed myself to 

 the task and "Jack " stood anxiously by. 



It so happened that, in charging this post, we had 

 dropped a good deal of powder on the ground, and some 

 malicious sprite chose to direct a spark from the match 

 among it ; instantly it flared up in a most lurid manner. 



I was just about lighting the fuse, and the only thing 

 that occurred to both of us was that the fuse had some- 

 how gone wrong, burnt off all at once, and that the 

 explosion was taking place. Panic-stricken by this, we 

 fled wildly away ; but the sudden glare of powder had 

 left us for a moment or two quite blind and the result 

 was we both rushed headlong into a ditch, where we 

 lay for a brief period wetted and bemired. Presently 

 we ventured to look out, and all was still. Finally we 

 dared to approach the gate. 



There was everything as we had left it : the fuse 

 untouched and the explosion still a thing of the future. 



Somewhat foolish we felt, but neither could laugh at 

 the other, and no one had seen us, so business was 

 quietly resumed, and this time efficaciously. 



There was another brilliantly excruciating period as 



