“But you said you went about all in the dark.”
“Yes, that was afterwards, and it soon burned out.”
“Soon burned out!” cried Vores, fiercely. “Look here, mates; this fellow’s a stranger here, and I don’t know why he should have been set over us, for he’s a liar, that’s what he is. He didn’t want to go down, and as soon as he could he hung back, and let those two poor boys go on all by themselves.”
“What!” cried Dinass, as a murmur arose; “it’s you that’s the liar;” and he rose scowling.
“Dessay I am,” said Vores as fiercely; “but I’m a honest sort of liar, if I am, and not a coward and a sneak, am I, lads?”
“Nay, that you aren’t, Harry Vores,” cried another miner. “We’ll all say that.”
“Ay! Shame, shame!” cried the miners.
“I’ll lay a halfpenny he’s been waiting at the bottom of the shaft all the time, and then come up.”
“Get out of the way,” roared Vores, “this is men’s work, not cowards’. Here, lads, come on, we must go and fetch those boys up at once.”
He gave Dinass a heavy thrust with his hand as he spoke, and the man staggered back against Grip, who retaliated by seizing him by the leg of the trousers and hanging on till he was kicked away.