"Here we are," said Macnooder at length. "Legs, you wait here,—see, that's where we're going to hoist him." He flashed the bull's-eye upward to the perforated circle directly above the rostrum, and added: "I'll get Hickey started and then I'll be right back."
"Are you going to take the lantern?" said Legs, whose courage began to fail him.
"Sure," said Hickey, indignantly. "Legs, you're getting scared."
"No, I'm not," protested Legs, faintly, "but I don't like to be left all alone with this thing in my arms!"
"Say, do you want my job?" said Hickey, scornfully, "crawling down thirty feet of air hole, with bugs, and spiders and mice? Do you? 'Cause if you do just say so."
"No-o-o," said Legs with a sigh, "no, I'll stay here."
"You don't believe in ghosts and that sort of thing, do you?" said Macnooder solicitously.
"Course, I don't!"
"All right then, 'cause if you do we won't leave you."