"Oh, yes. Luckily for us, they do."
"Will they have to dig far—is that pile between us and the railroad very thick?" stammered Ned.
"It looks so. Of course I am unable to say what has taken place on the other side of it. The entire main cross cut may have tumbled in for all I know."
"If it has, what then?" demanded Tad.
"It will take that much longer to get us out. That's all."
"How long?"
"Master Ned, I don't know. No one can answer that question. Perhaps hours—perhaps days," said Tom solemnly.
"But we'd starve in that time," protested Walter.
"One can go without food much longer than one would imagine. People have fasted for more than a month, as you probably are aware. No, boys, they will get us out in time. The only thing that troubles me now is the air," said the engineer.
"What about it?"