"What is it?" breathed Tad.
"It's a car going through the tunnel."
"Is--is it the red car?"
"I don't know. It's a gravity car--traveling along down grade by its
own weight, so it must be on track two."
"What can we do?" asked Ned.
"Not a thing, my boy, only keep cool. It will not help matters any to
get excited."
"We are not!" replied Ned firmly. Each of the other two boys
protested that they had never been less excited, which brought an
approving smile from their guide, who was filled with admiration for
the plucky lads. The fact is, his admiration had been steadily
growing since he had seen their achievements from the time Tad Butler
had first staggered into the Red Star mining camp a few days before.
"I guess the car is going through safely. I am glad--"
Tom Phipps did not finish the sentence. He was interrupted in a way
that shook all the speech out of him, as it did from the rest of the
party.
There occurred a sudden sharp tremor of the rocks about them; then the
stones beneath their feet seemed to heave up and down. Their little
universe was being turned topsy-turvy, it seemed to them.
At the first tremor, the Pony Rider Boys were thrown prone upon their
faces on the rocky floor, partially stunned by the sudden shock. A
distant boom, like the report of a cannon sounded in their ears, then
all at once a terrifying rending of the rocks about them, accompanied
by loud crashes.
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