'His hands came hoverin' ower mine, for I could feel the wind o' them; in another second he touches us, an', grabbin' ahaud ov him by way o' reply, I shouts oot, "Ay, here's Annex-us, thoo b----!" 'The yell he let oot was fearfu', an', startin' back, he dragged his arm oot o' my grasp, an' then leaped forward iv a flash, ducked past us, an' awa off round the corner he fled, us efter him like the aad bitch[10] efter a started hare. 'He had dropped his lamp, an' it was darker nor Hell itself, but I could hear him dashin' along i' front ov us at wondrous speed. Mad keen I was, as I tore efter him ower bits o' balk an' stone lyin' aboot doon the rolley-way, bended double sae as ti avoid the roof-beams. Bang up against a door I comes, shakin' mysel' intiv a jelly by the shock, but when I had it opened an' was through I could still catch the sound ov his footfalls not far in front ov us. "He'll have come a big bat hissel' against the door," I thinks ti mysel' as I started off again, "ay, an' bein' before us he'll have aal the obstacles ti contend wi' first ov aal. Huzza, ho-way!" an' I tore efter him, a fair deevil for recklessness--makin' no doot he was for the main rolleyway, an' sae oot by the main drift by which we had entered the pit. 'There came the thud ov another door, an' I gans a bit mair cautious like, fendin' wi' my hands i' front ov us. Shortlies efter I notices that the footfalls sounded fainter-like; they seemed ti be comin' frae the left-hand side noo an' not i' front ov us. 'Aal ov a sudden I minds mysel' ov a return air-way that would lead oot by the main drift. "Gox!" I thinks, "thoo's hit the mark, but where the openin' is I cannot mind, for it isn't travelled biv any one barrin' the deputies. He passed the door i' front ov us, but bi the sound he's ti the left hand ov us noo;" sae I felt along the wall till I comes tiv an open way. "Ho-way," says I, mad ti think he might escape us efter aal, "ho-way, thoo'll get him yet!" 'On, on I went at a reckless speed, ti make up for my bad turn, an' iv another minute I gied tongue like a foxhound, for I heard him pat, pattin' on i' front ov us. "I's copped thoo!" I yelled through the darkness tiv him, ti tarr'fy him, for I heard him stumblin' amangst some loose props or gear o' some sort quite plainly, "I's copped the murderer!" 'Foot upon foot I gains on him; I hears him pantin' just a yard or two i' front ov us. I grasps oot wi' my hands an' touches his shoulder, an' he yells wi' terror, givin' a leap like a hare, an' slips frae under my hands. 'Doon, full length, doon I fell wiv a smash like a fall o' stone, half stunned, my head like a night o' stars. 'Suddenly there comes a yell o' horror--then a thud, a clump, clump, an' a c-clush, an' then stark silence, an' doon, right doon at the bottom ov a staple fifteen fathoms deep ten yards i' front ov us lay aal that was left o' the murderer copped, clean copped, by "the Heckler."' FOOTNOTES: