The young engineer nodded an affirmative reply.
“Black mould—gravel—sand and clay—black sand by itself—and then quartz reef,” replied Seth, laconically, repeating the words as if he were saying a lesson he had learnt from a book.
“And what have you got to now?” continued Ernest Wilton, pursuing his inquiry.
“Water,” said Seth Allport in the same laconic way.
Ernest Wilton’s face fell, albeit he had previously felt inclined to smile at the ex-mate’s queer manner and abrupt speech.
Water! It was the cruellest, most persistent enemy with whom the miner has to deal. Foul air and gas can be got rid of, but water, proceeding from invisible springs, ever welling up, and the more the quantity pumped up the greater the yield from the inexhaustible fountains of the earth, was an opponent that could not be conquered, an enemy of the most potent powers for ill indeed—a very vampire that sucked the blood of energy.
Delving down, day after day, with superhuman exertions, through the various strata, they had met with no sight as yet of that rich vein of gold which they confidently hoped to encounter, although there were occasional traces of an auriferous deposit here and there to encourage them on, their hopes and hearts had never failed them until now. No wonder that Ernest Wilton’s arrival was hailed as an omen of good luck; and that he was regarded by all as having arrived “just in the nick of time” to extricate them from their difficulty!
“How long is it since you met with water?” asked the young engineer, before he descended the shaft in order to inspect the works personally below.
Mr Rawlings answered this time, while Seth Allport and Noah Webster confirmed his statements by their looks, which were expressive enough!
“That is a question that none of us can reply to satisfactorily.”