He held on by both hands for a few moments, then by one, as he took fast hold of the rope with, his short deformed hand, and twisted one leg in the rope, pressing his foot against it to have an additional hold; and then, without the slightest hesitation he loosed his grasp of the iron bar, placed the free hand above the other, and began to slide slowly down. If Josh Helston felt nervous he did not show it, but slid gently down, his hands being too horny from constant handling of ropes to be injured by the friction; neither did the task on hand seem difficult, as he went down and down, swaying more and more as the length of rope between him and the iron bar increased, and gradually beginning to turn as the hard rope showed a disposition to unwind. "He said she were strong enough to bear anything," he muttered; "and I hope she be, for p'r'aps she'll have to carry two." How this was to happen did not seem very clear; but the idea was in Josh Helston's not over clear head that it might be so, and the fact was that it took all his powers of brain to originate the idea of going down to help his companion--he had not got so far as the question of how they were to get out. Even if he had thought of it, there was the rope, and he would have said, "If you can climb down you can climb up." Down lower and lower, with the water dripping upon him here, spurting out from between two blocks of granite there; but Josh's mind was fixed upon one thing only, and that was to reach the spot where Will was waiting to be helped. For some distance he descended in silence. Then he began to shout: "Coming down," he said. "Look out!" Will started and stared towards the mouth of the gallery, but he did not answer. He could not utter a word. "Coming down!" shouted Josh again at the end of a few seconds. "Where are you, lad?" There was no response for a few moments, and then, hoarse and strange from many feet below, came up the word: "Here!" "Right!" shouted back Josh quietly enough; "and that's where I'll be soon. I wish I had one o' the boat's lanterns here all the same." The rope slipped slowly through his hands, checked as it was by the twist round his right leg, and he dropped lower and lower, turning gently round the while. "Now, then! Where?" he shouted again. "Here!" was the answer from close below now; and Josh took one look upwards, to see that the square mouth of the shaft seemed very small. "I'm 'bout with you now, my lad," he said as he still glided down. "Now, where are you?" "Here!" came from below him: and he tightened his grasp, while the rope slowly turned till his face was opposite to the mouth of the shaft. "Right, lad!" he cried, striking his feet against the side of the shaft. "I can't see very well," he added as he swung to and fro more and more, "but I'm 'bout doing it, ain't I?" "Yes--I think so," faltered Will. "Take care."