"Right here, yes. We shall go through some places that you would not want to stand through, I imagine."
"Are you ready?"
"Yes."
Tom Phipps climbed over into the car.
"All right, Jim," he called.
Immediately the car began to move and in a few moments had attained a high rate of speed.
"Now, boys, remember your heads," cautioned their guide.
Instinctively each crouched lower as their vehicle was all at once plunged into sudden darkness. Drops of water now and then spattered down on their bare heads. The noise of the car in the dark was deafening. The sound was as if many ore cars instead of one were crashing through the dark tunnel. The lads experienced a strange thrill when the realization came to them with its full force, that they were shooting through the earth, far beneath the surface at the speed of an express train.
"Why don't you have lights in here?" asked one of the passengers.
"Not necessary," said Mr. Phipps. "It is seldom that anyone has occasion to go through this tunnel—practically never unless something happens to a car in here. There are lights along that may be turned on if necessary, but it would be a needless expense to keep them going all the time—"