"We have just run down from the mine, sir; we heard the sound of firing here."
"Thank you, lads; it is all over now, but you may be of use," and he ran down and opened the door.
Six men were there all armed with guns.
"You see there has been a hard fight here, lads," he said, as an exclamation of surprise broke from the men at the scene in the hall. "Fortunately I had been warned just in time, and with the aid of this gentleman and his friends have, as you see, killed ten of them; only two got away. Now, I do not want any talk about it. Lend a hand, will you, to get the bodies outside; then I want a hole dug deep enough to hold them. Put it a hundred yards away from the house. It will be a heavy job, but I will put that right with you on Saturday."
"Shall we get the other five men up from below, sir?"
"No; I don't want the matter talked about, and the fewer that know of it the less chance there is of its getting about. I trust that you will all keep a silent tongue about the affair."
"You can trust us for that, sir. None of you are hurt, I hope?"
"Not in the slightest. There was not a shot fired on their side, we took them completely by surprise."
"I should say, sir, the best place to bury them would be to make a hole in the foot of one of the pit-heaps, then we can shovel the loose stuff down from above. It would be a much shorter job than digging a hole, and there is no chance of their ever being disturbed there."