“Well, well,” he said. “This is mountain climbing indeed! If I had much of this to do I'd be a smaller and a better man.”
He made me carry his medicine case so he could use both hands, and I went first. Then Jake came and then the doctor, and then Swatty and then Bony. When we got to the door of the cave I stopped and Jake looked in.
“Where's the mare?” he said. “I don't see no mare.”
He turned to look back and the doctor was just behind him, panting pretty hard.
“What?” the doctor asked, and he stepped up. I started to say it was the back cave the mare was in, but just then the doctor bumped against me and went sort of down on his knees. It was as dark as pitch. Swatty had slammed the door shut against the doctor and jolted him into the cave, and me and Jake with him. I heard Swatty fastening the cave door, and there we were—me and the doctor and Jake. We were locked in the cave.
I was the first one to know what Swatty had done, and I pounded on the door and hollered for them to let us out, but they didn't do it. Jake was just standing and saying:
“I'll be dumed! I'll be dumed!”
“What does this mean?” Doctor Miller asked.
I didn't know what to say, I was so scared. But I didn't have to say anything. Jake said it.
“I know mighty well what this means, Doc,” he said. “This is some of Tom Foley's work, this is. He's been trying to get me out of the foremanship of Fearless Hose No. 2 for the last three years, and we've got the annual election to-night. He knows mighty well if I ain't there to-night he can put it over on me, and this is his game. I'm mighty sorry you got drug into it, Doc; but I'll make him suffer for this when I get out!”