PAUL H. HAYNE.
THE DEVIL IN THE MINE.
For several years I was compelled to live in the interior of Russia, the establishment with which I was connected being one of those centres of industrial enterprise which, for their vastness in extent and in the number of persons employed, are perhaps unequalled in the whole world.
The labourers and work people—upwards of forty thousand—under my charge, were, if anything, slightly above the average of their compeers in intelligence; it need not, therefore, be supposed that this story, or rather incident, conveys any exaggerated idea of the Russian moujik, or common labourer.
While engaged in my office one afternoon in September, the youth in attendance announced that one of the miners from the works wished to see me most particularly. Now for a peasant to demand an interview with his native master, especially when the latter had just dined, was a proceeding of very rare occurrence, and showed that something very extraordinary must have taken place, as the relative positions of master and moujik in the social scale are very widely different.
I had, however, frequently found, that by occasionally listening to what the men had to say, and allowing myself apparently to sympathize with their little weaknesses, I gained the way to their hearts; discovering at the same time the fact that the moujik was not seldom a much better man than his master at the period I write of, which was before the emancipation of the serfs in Russia.
"Allow him to come in, Ivan," I said to the lad, and presently the miner entered. He first looked carefully round him, and then, equally cautiously, he peered underneath the tables and seats in the room—all the time nervously clutching the greasy cap which he held in his hand. He literally shook in his coarse bark shoes; his face was naturally pale, but it was all the paler by contrast with his dark eyes staring from under their heavy eyelids.
"Barrin" (master, in a superior sense), said he, whispering hoarsely from chattering lips, "I have seen the devil!"
"Indeed!" said I, greatly surprised, but of course pretending not to be alarmed in the slightest degree; "where have you been fortunate enough to meet with such good luck?"