The opening is large
enough to admit a man's body. Hold your lights down here while I
examine this rubbish that has fallen through."
They did so, and Mr. Phipps dropping to his knees sorted over the
stones and dirt that had fallen from above.
At a muttered exclamation from him, the lads crowded closer.
"Queer, very queer," he mused.
"What's queer?" asked Ned.
"Why, this stuff. It appears to be surface material mixed with pieces
of rock of about the same quality as that of which the Ruby Mountain
is composed."
"I don't understand--"
"I mean that this material that has fallen in here did not all come
out of the solid rock."
"What does that mean?" asked Ned.
"Perhaps nothing so far as we are concerned. I was thinking that if
they could not blast through the drift, they might as a last resort,
drill down through the surface from above and pierce this chamber."
"How could they locate our position close enough to do that?" asked
Tad.
"That would not be difficult. From the maps of the mine Mr. Munson
could work out our position as closely as a captain does that of his
ship at sea."
It was a ray of hope which the boys grasped eagerly. They tried to
forget that they were practically entombed many feet underground, and
that days might elapse before they were rescued.
"I'll bet Chunky will hug himself with delight when he finds out
what's happened," suggested Walter.
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