Bachelor Billy was thinking of the disappointment Ralph must have felt when he saw the face of the heading before him, and knew that his journey in had been in vain.
Already the two men had turned and were walking back.
At the point where they had entered the heading they found foot-prints leading out toward the slope. They had not noticed them at first.
They followed them hastily, and came, as Ralph had come, to the fall.
"He's no' climbit it," said Billy. "He's gone up an' around it. The lad knew eneuch aboot the mines for that."
They passed up into the chambers, but the floor was too dry to take the impress of footsteps, and they found no trace of the boy.
When they reached the upper limit of the fall, Billy said:—
"We mus' turn sharp to the left here, or we'll no' get back. It's a tarrible windin' headin'."
But Conway had discovered tracks, faintly discernible, leading across into a passage used by men and mules to shorten the distance to the inner workings.
"He's a-goin' stret back," said Billy, sorrowfully, as they slowly followed these traces, "he's a-goin' stret back to whaur he cam' through."