For a full half hour he sat there holding them close to the light, then far away; tipping them to one angle then another, mirroring them on the retina of his eye until nothing could efface them. Then, having rerolled and rewrapped them, he hid them away among his deer skins and turning over, fell asleep.
He was awake again by sunrise, and without pausing for breakfast went directly to the entrance of Mine No. 1. Having entered without a light, he made his way to the back of the cavity. There he paused to listen. The earth shudder seemed to fairly shake the rocks loose about him. One pebble did rattle to the floor. The next instant there came the clang of rocks on metal. A light flashed. It was in Pant’s hand. In the gleaming circle of light from his electric torch, a brightly polished disk of metal appeared. It was eating its way through the frozen wall of sand and rock. One second the light flashed, the next second Pant was hurrying from the mine as if his life depended upon it.
Dashing down the hill, he broke into the mess-room where the men were assembled for hot-cakes and coffee.
“Arms! arms!” he panted. “Rifles, automatics, anything. A pick, two picks. C’mon.”
The men, believing that he had gone mad, stood staring in speechless astonishment.
“C’mon, can’t you?” he pleaded. “It’s the yellow men, the dirty little yellow men. They’ve got an infernal machine for cutting out the pay dirt in blocks. They’ve looted Mine No. 1 while we slept. That was the earth-tremble. C’mon, can’t you? Bring rifles! Anything. We’ll get them yet!”
Catching a glimmer of his meaning, the men dashed to the bunkroom and clubroom, to appear a moment later armed with such weapons as they could find.
Arriving at the entrance of Mine No. 1, Pant held up a finger for silence.
“Arms ready,” he whispered, “your left hand on the shoulder of the man ahead of you. I’ll lead.”
Without a light, he entered the mine and beckoned the men to come on. With soft and shuffling tread they followed, like a chain gang entering a dungeon. They took fifty paces, then they halted. A light flashed. Instantly every man gripped his weapon.