He reached over, grasped the man by his shoulders, and with superhuman effort drew him up to the shelf and across the body of the mule. Then, creeping into the opening, he pulled the helpless man through with him into the old mine, and dragged him up the chamber out of reach of the poisoned current. He loosened his collar and chafed his wrists and the better air in there did the rest.
Bachelor Billy soon returned to consciousness, and learned where he was.
"That was fulish in me," he said, "to weaken like that; but I'm no' used to that white damp. Gi' me a minute to catch ma breath an' I'll go wi' ye."
Conway went down and walled up the opening again. When he came back Bachelor Billy was on his feet, walking slowly down the chamber, throwing the light of his lamp into the entrances on the way.
"Did he go far fra the openin,' thenk ye?" he asked. "Would he no' most like stay near whaur he cam' through?"
Then he tried to lift up his voice and call to the boy; but he was too weak, he could hardly have been heard across the chamber.
"Call 'im yoursel', Mike," he said; "I ha' no power i' my throat, some way."
Conway called, loudly and repeatedly. There was no answer; the echoes came rattling back to their ears, and that was all that they heard.
"Mayhap he's gone to the headin'," said Billy, "an" tried to get oot by the auld slope."
"That's just what he's done," replied Conway, earnestly; "I told 'im where the old openin' was; he's tried to get to it."