He felt sure that he would be rescued; miners never did these things by halves, and he knew that, sooner or later, he should leave the mine alive.  The most that he dreaded now was the waiting, the loneliness, the darkness, the hunger perhaps, the suffering it might be, from smoke and foul air.

In the darkness back of him he heard a noise.  It sounded like heavy irregular stepping.  He was startled at first, but it soon occurred to him that the sounds were made by the mule which he had left there untied.

He was right.  In another moment Jasper appeared with his head stretched forward, sniffing the air curiously, and looking in a frightened way at Ralph.

“Hello, Jasper!”

The boy spoke cheerily, because he was relieved from sudden fright, and because he was glad to see in the mine a living being whom he knew, even though it was only a mule.

The beast came forward and pushed his nose against Ralph’s breast as if seeking sympathy, and the boy put up his hand and rubbed the animal’s face.

“We’re shut in, Jasper,” he said, “the breaker’s burned, an’ things afire have tumbled down the shaft an’ we can’t get out till they clean it up an’ come for us.”

The mule raised his head and looked around him, then he rested his nose against Ralph’s shoulder again.

“We’ll stay together, won’t we, old fellow?  We’ll keep each other company till they come for us.  I’m glad I found you, Jasper; I’m very glad.”

He patted the beast’s neck affectionately; then he removed the bridle from his head, unbuckled the harness and slipped it down to the ground, and tried to get the collar off; but it would not come.  He turned it and twisted it and pulled it, but he could not get it over the animal’s ears.  He gave up trying at last, and after laying the remainder of the harness up against the wheel-frame, he sat down on the bench again.

Except the occasional quick stamping of Jasper’s feet, there was no sound, and Ralph sat for a long time immersed in thought.

The mule had been gazing contemplatively down the plane into the darkness; finally he turned and faced toward the interior of the mine.  It was evident that he did not like the contaminated air that was creeping up the slope.  Ralph, too, soon felt the effect of it; it made his head light and dizzy, and the smoke with which it was laden brought back the choking sensation into his throat.  He knew that he must go farther in.  He rose and went slowly along the heading, over his accustomed route, until he reached a bench by a door that opened into the air-way.  Here he sat down again.  He was tired and was breathing heavily.  A little exertion seemed to exhaust him so.  He could not quite understand it.  He remembered when he had run all the way from the plane to the north chambers with only a quickening of the breath as the result.  He was not familiar with the action of vitiated air upon the system.