"Ay, lad; I've got un, a strong noo un as'll hold us both, a good thirty fathom!" "Make it fast to the iron bar, Josh!" cried Will, whose hands now felt hot with excitement. "Ay, I won't lose this gashly thing!" cried Josh, whose words came down the shaft-hole wonderfully distinctly, as if a giant were whispering near the lad's ear. Will listened, and fancied he could hear his companion knotting the end of the rope and fastening it round the iron bar; but he could not be sure, and he waited as patiently as he could, but with a curious sensation of dread coming over him. He had felt courageous enough when he came down, indifferent, or thoughtless perhaps, as to the danger; but this accident with the rope had, though he did not realise it, shaken his confidence in Josh; and in addition, the long waiting in that horrible hole had unnerved him more than he knew, full proof of which he had ere long. "There, she's fast enough now," came down the great granite speaking-tube. "I'm going to send the line down, lad. She's a gashly stiff un, but she was the best I could get. Make a good knot and hitch in her, and sit in it; I'll soon have you up." "All right!" shouted Will; but his voice sounded a little hoarse, and his hands grew moister than before. "Below there! down she comes!" said Josh; and, taking the ring of new hempen rope, freshly stained with cutch to tan it and make it water-resisting, he planted one foot upon the loop he had secured over the iron bar, and threw the coil down into the pit, so that the weight might tighten out the stiff hemp, uncoil the rings, and make it hang straight. The rope fell with a curious whistling crackling noise, tightening against the fisherman's foot; and the knot would have jumped off but for his precaution. Then it stopped with a jerk, and Josh shouted again: "There you are, lad! See her?" "Ye-es," came up faintly. "Well; lay hold and make her fast round you. Hold hard a minute till I've hauled up a fathom or two." He stooped down, keeping his foot on the bar the while, took hold of the rope, and hauled it up a little way. "There you are, my lad; and now look sharp. I want you out of this unked place." There was no answer, and Josh waited listening. "Haven't you got her?" he shouted. "No; I can't reach. I'm on the other side," came up. "Oh, I see!" said Josh; and stooping down so as to keep the rope tight to the iron bar, he crept round to the opposite side of the shaft-hole, and held the rope close to the edge. "There you are, lad," he said. "Got her?" No answer. "Have you got her?" "N-no! I can't reach." Josh Helston uttered a low whistle, and the skin of his forehead was full of wrinkles and puckers. "Look out, then!" he shouted; "I'll make her sway. Look out and catch her as she comes to you."