第31章

"They weren't eaten at all.They had wandered off into the woods, and some natives found them and took care of them.Eventually, they got back home.But it was a long while before we could persuade the Indians to come back.Since then we haven't had any trouble, and I don't want Tim, with his superstitious fancies, to start any.""But the min are gone!" insisted the Irish foreman, who had listened to this story as he and the others walked along.

"We'll find them," declared Mr.Titus.

But though they looked all along the big shaft, and though the place was well lighted by extra lamps that were turned on when the investigation started, no trace could be found of the workmen, who had been left in the tunnel to finish tamping the blast charges.The party reached the rockyheading, in the face of which the powerful explosive had been placed, and not an Indian was in sight.Nor, as far as could be told, was there any side niche, or blind shaft, in which they could be hiding.

Sometimes, when small blasts were set off, the men would go behind a projecting shoulder of rock to wait until the charge had been fired, but now none was in such a refuge.

"It is queer," admitted Walter Titus."Where can the men have gone?" "That's what I want to know!" exclaimed Tim.

"Are you sure they didn't come out the mouth of the tunnel?" asked Job Titus.

"Positive," asserted Tom.I was there all the while, rigging up the fires.""We'll call the roll, and check up," decided Job Titus."Get Serato to help."The Indian foreman had not been in the tunnel with the last shift of men, having left them to Tim Sullivan to get out in time.The Indian foreman was called from his supper in the shack where he had his headquarters, and the roll of workmen was called.

Ten men were missing, and when this fact became known there were uneasy looks among the others.

"Well," said Mr.Titus, after a pause."The men are either in the tunnel or out of it.If they're in we don't dare set off the blast, and if they're out they'll show up, sooner or later, for supper.I never knew any of 'em to miss a meal.""If such a thing were possible," said Walter Titus, "I would say that our rivals had a hand in this, and had induced our men to bolt in order to cripple our force.But we haven't seen any of Blakeson & Grinder's emissaries about, and, if they were, how could they get the ten men out of the tunnel without our Seeing them? It's impossible!""Well, what did happen then?" asked Tom.

"I'm inclined to think that the men came out and neither you, nor any one else, saw them.They ran away for reasons of their own.We'll take another look in the morning, and then set off the blast."And this was done.There being no trace of the men in the tunnel itwas deemed safe to explode the charges.This was done, a great amount of rock being loosened.

The laborers hung back when the orders were given to go in and clean up.There were mutterings among them.

"What's the matter?" asked Job Titus.

"Them afraid," answered Serato."Them say devil in tunnel eat um up! No go in.""They won't go in, eh?" cried Tim Sullivan."Well, they will thot! If there's a divil inside there's a worse one outside, an' thot's me! Git in there now, ye black-livered spalapeens!" and catching up a big club the Irishman made a rush for the hesitating laborers.With a howl they rushed into the tunnel, and were soon loading rock into the dump cars.