"I came up out of the shaft," said he, "about half-past eleven o'clock; and went home to cook dinner for myself and my friend. I left him along with our other mate--the murderer--who is now below, at work, stowing away some of the pipe-clay that we had finished working with. I expected him to follow me to his dinner in about half-an-hour after. I waited for him till nearly one; and as he did not come, I ate my dinner alone, and then returned here to go on with the work. "When I came back, I could see no one. I called down the shaft, thinking both were below. "As there was no answer, I let myself down by the rope, intending to go to work by myself. I supposed that my mates had strayed off to some grog-shop--where they might spend a good part of the afternoon. They had done this once before; and I thought they might do it again. "After getting below, I lit the candle; and looked about to see what they had been doing, since I left them at eleven o'clock. "The first thing that met my eyes, was the toe of a boot sticking out of the pipe-clay--where we had been stowing it away, in the worked-out part of the shaft. What, thought I, is their object in burying the boot there? "I took hold of it--there was just enough of it protruding out of the pipe-clay to enable me to get a grasp of it. I felt that there was a foot in it. It was a boot belonging to my friend. I knew it-- notwithstanding its being plastered over with the clay. I drew out the boot; and along with it the body of the man to whom it belonged. He was dead! I think it is probable he was not quite dead, when covered up; and that in his death-spasm he had somehow moved his foot, causing it to protrude a little out of the clay. "I have no doubt," continued the young miner, "that my seeing that boot has saved my own life: for the man who has murdered my friend, would have served me in the same way, had we both been down below, and I ignorant of what he had already done. "Just as I was about climbing up the rope to get out, I saw the man who is now below here, preparing to let himself down. I called to him, in my natural tone of voice; and told him that I wanted to go above for a minute--to get a drink. This, no doubt, put him off his guard; and he helped me up. "I then asked him what had become of Bill--that was my friend's name. "`He did not come home to dinner,' said I, `and he is not below.' "`When we came up to go to dinner,' said he, `and were about starting away from here, I saw Bill meet a stranger, and shake hands with him. They went off together.' "I suggested that he might probably have strayed off upon a spree; and that we were not likely to get any more work out of him that day. I added, that, after I had had my drink, we could both go below, and work without him. This seemed to please my other partner--who at once desired to be let down into the shaft. "I lowered him at his request--telling him I should follow soon after.