Frank wielded the bar and Barney the shovel.
For hours they kept at work in a lively manner.
A deep hole had been excavated.
They had made a distance of full fifteen feet into the solid earth.
Frank guessed from the hollow sounds that they were now not many feet from the inner mine.
His theory proved correct.
In less than twenty minutes later his bar went through the wall of earth and he lost it.
But, fortunately, with the shovel they were able to enlarge the aperture sufficiently to enable him to pass through.
Barney followed quickly.
They were now in the new mine.