"He's no' climbit it," said Billy. "He's gone up an' around it. The
lad knew eneuch aboot the mines for that."
They passed up into the chambers, but the floor was too dry to take
the impress of footsteps, and they found no trace of the boy.
When they reached the upper limit of the fall, Billy said:--
"We mus' turn sharp to the left here, or we'll no' get back. It's a
tarrible windin' headin'."
But Conway had discovered tracks, faintly discernible, leading across
into a passage used by men and mules to shorten the distance to the
inner workings.
"He's a-goin' stret back," said Billy, sorrowfully, as they slowly
followed these traces, "he's a-goin' stret back to whaur he cam'
through."
Surely enough the prints of the child's feet soon led the tired
searchers back to the opening from Conway's chamber.
They looked at each other in silent disappointment, and sat down for a
few moments to rest and to try to think.
Bachelor Billy was the first to rise to his feet.
"Mike," he said, "the lad's i' this auld mine. Be it soon or late I
s'all find 'im. I s'all search the place fra slope to headin'-face. I
s'all no' gae oot till I gae wi' the boy or wi' 'is body; what say ye?
wull ye help?"
Conway grasped the man's hand with a pressure that meant more than
words, and they started immediately to follow their last track back.
They passed up and down all the chambers in the tier till they reached
the point, at the upper limit of the fall, where Ralph had turned into
the foot-way.
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