After considering a moment, he decided to feel his way along as best he could. An investigation had told him that his dinner was still safe, though the tin pail had been battered all out of shape. "I'll bet there is some scrambled egg in the bottom of the pail," said Steve, with a short laugh. Once more he took up his journey through the dark tunnels, feeling cautiously with feet and hands before he took a step forward. He had gone along in this way for some time when he halted abruptly, leaning forward in a listening attitude. "What's that?" he muttered. "I know! I know what it is; it's a drill. I would recognize that 'bang, bang, bang' anywhere. That means I am close to some operations. The next thing is to find where the sound comes from. It must be ahead of me somewhere, for I can just hear it, whereas a few moments ago I could not." Again he began cautiously working forward. After a while the sounds came to him more clearly. Steve had swerved to the right and entered a new drift, though he was not aware of the fact and whereas he had been proceeding directly east, he was now headed south. The bang, bang of the compressed air drill was getting louder and louder as the moments passed. After a time the boy halted again. The sounds seemed to come from directly beneath him. "I believe that is on the level below this," he decided. "How am I to find the way down to it? If I go back I shall be lost. I'll call and see if I can attract attention from any of them." The lad shouted at the top of his voice, but only his own echoes came back to him in hollow tones. Suddenly a twinkling light appeared far down the level. The lad recognized it at once as being a candle on a miner's hat. "Hello, there!" he called. "What do you want?" came the answer. "I am lost." "Go find yourself, then. Don't bother me." Steve did not propose to let it go at that. He ran forward to where the miner was about to descend a ladder to the lower level. "Won't you please help me, sir. I am in a fix." "Well, what do you want?" demanded the miner in a surly tone, pausing a few rungs down the ladder. "I am looking for the Spooner contract. Will you please direct me to it?" "Follow this level around to the left until you come to three drifts. Take the middle one to the end, and then go down the ladder you will find there." "Thank you. Can you spare me a candle?" "No; I can't." The man grasped the side pieces of the ladder, letting himself down in a rapid slide. Steve Rush found himself once more left in darkness. At least he had his directions now, and he thought he could find his way to the contract for which he was looking.