“Oh father, let’s you and I go down and look for him!” exclaimed Dick; “I feel quite strong and able for it.”
“Why I thought you’d be afraid of going down the pit again, boy,” remarked Joseph.
“No, father,” answered Dick, “I remember what that missionary gentleman said the other day, if we are doing our duty we shouldn’t fear, for God will take care of us; and I am sure that I should be doing my duty looking after David, who has been so kind to me.”
Joseph could say nothing against it; so as soon as he had had some supper, he, with Dick and Mrs Adams, set out to find the “doggy” of the pit, to learn if he knew for certain that David had come up, and if not, to get his and the “butty’s” leave to go down and search for him. (Note 1.) On their way three or four other men offered to go with them.
The doggy could not say that David had come up, and the whole party, therefore, were lowered down the pit, except Mrs Adams; she sat down near the mouth, waiting anxiously for their return.
While she sat there, a lad dressed as a sailor drew near. He stood still near the mouth of the pit, looking about him. The ground was high; and he could have seen a long way had it not been for the smoke from hundreds of tall chimneys which every now and then sent out thick wreaths, which hung like a black cloud over the scene.
In the far distance was the large town of Newcastle, also full of tall chimneys, with a cloud of smoke over it. Close to it flows the river Tyne. All around were tall engine-houses, out of which came all sorts of curious, dreadful sounds,—groans, and hissings, and whistlings, and clankings of iron;
while high up in the air, stretching out from them, were huge beams like the arms of great giants working up and down in all sorts of ways; some pumping water out of the mines from the underground streams which run into them, others lifting the baskets of coal out of the shafts, or bringing up or lowering down the miners and other men engaged in the works. The noises proceeded chiefly from the gins, and pulleys, and wheels, and railways; all busy in lifting the coal out of the pit and sending it off towards the river. The whole country looked black and covered with railway lines, each starting away from one of these great engine-houses which are close to the mouths of the pits. There were rows of small wagons or trucks on them, and as the huge arms lifted up a corve, or basket, it was emptied into the wagon till they were filled, and then away they started, some of them without engines, down an inclined plane towards the river. Away they went at a rapid rate, and it seemed as if they would be carried furiously over the cliff, or rather the end of a long, high stage into the river. On a sudden, however, they began to go slower; then they stopped, and one wagon went off by itself from the rest till it got to
