"Yes, it"s devilish funny, isn"t it?" he roared, sitting down again rather suddenly as the coal slid again beneath his feet.
"Funny isn"t the word. What"s our next move to be?"
"Climb out, of course. There must be some place where we can get a foothold."
"Why not shout for help?"
"No use. n.o.body could hear us down here. Go on, Griggs. Make your attempt. I"ve done my part."
"And you wish to see me repeat the performance? Thank you. No."
"But it"s the only way out."
"Then," I said, "I"m afraid we"re slated to spend the night here."
"Good Lord! We can"t do that!"
"I have a notion, Hawkins," I went on, "that we not only can, but shall.
You say we can"t attract any one"s attention, and I guess you"re right.
Hence, as there is no one to pull us out, and we can"t pull ourselves out, we shall remain here. That"s logic, isn"t it?"
"It"s awful!" exclaimed the inventor. "Why, we may not get out to-morrow----"
"Nor the next day, nor the one after that. Exactly. We shall have to wait until this wretched place is emptied, when they will find our bleaching skeletons--if skeletons can bleach in a coal bin."
Hawkins blinked his sable eyelids at me.
"Or we might go to work and pile all the coal on one side of the bin," I continued. "It wouldn"t take more than a week or so, throwing it over by handfuls; and when at last they found that your crano-engine wouldn"t bring up any more from this side----"
"Aha!" cried the inventor, with sudden animation. "That"s it! The Crano-Scale!"
"Yes, that"s it," I a.s.sented. "Away up near the roof. What about it?"
"Why, it solves the whole problem," said Hawkins. "Don"t you see, the next time they need nut-coal, they"ll set the engine going and the scoop----"
"Four--tons--nut, Bill!" said a faraway voice. "Yep! Four ton. Start up that blamed machine!"
"What? What did he say?" cried the inventor.
"Something about starting the engine."
"That"s what I thought. They"re going to use the Crano-Scale, Griggs!
We"re saved! We"re saved!"
"I fail to see it."
"Why, when the thing comes down, be ready. Ah--it"s coming now! Get ready, Griggs! Get ready! Be prepared to make a dash for it!"
"And then?"
"And then climb in, of course. There won"t be much room, for they"re going to take on four tons, and the thing will be full; but we can manage it. We can do it, Griggs, and be home in time for dinner."
"And you"re a fine looking object to go to dinner," I added.
Hawkins" countenance fell somewhat, but there was no time for a reply.
The coal-scuttle of the Crano-Scale was hovering above us, evidently selecting a spot for its operations.
"Here! We"re right under it!" Hawkins shouted. "This way, Griggs! Quick!
Lord! It"s coming down--it"ll hit you! Quick!"
And I dived toward Hawkins as he was struggling for a foothold, and then----
A line of asterisks is the only way of putting into print my state of mind--or absence of any state of mind--for the ensuing quarter of an hour.
My first idea was that some absent-minded person had built a three-story house upon my unhappy body; but I was joggling and bouncing up and down, so that that hypothesis was manifestly untenable.
The weight of the house was there, though, and all about was stifling blackness.
I tried to turn. It was useless. I couldn"t move.
The house had me pinned down hard and fast.
Then I wriggled frantically, and something near me wriggled frantically as well. Then one of my hands struck something that yielded, and there came a m.u.f.fled voice from somewhere in the neighborhood.
"Griggs!" it said.
"Yes?"
"W-w-w-where are we? This isn"t the coal bin. Are you hurt?"
"I give it up. Are you?"
"I think not. Why, Griggs, this must be one of the big coal carts!"
"I shouldn"t wonder," I a.s.sented vaguely.
"But--how----"
"Your miserable coal-scuttle must have stunned us, picked us up and dumped us in with the coal!" I exclaimed, suddenly enlightened.
"Do--you--think," came through the blackness. "Huh! It"s stopped!"
For a long, long time, as it seemed, there was silence. The weight of coal pressed down until I was near to madness. Hawkins was grunting painfully.
I was speculating as to whether he was actually succ.u.mbing--whether I could stand the strain myself for another minute--when everything began to slide. The coal slid, I slid, Hawkins slid--the world seemed to be sliding!