Jasper had followed him; so closely indeed that the beast’s nose had often touched the boy’s shoulder as they walked.

Ralph’s lamp seemed to weigh heavily on his head, and he unfastened it from his cap and placed it on the bench beside him.

Then he fell to thinking again.  He thought how anxious Bachelor Billy would be about him, and how he would make every effort to accomplish his rescue.  He hoped that his Uncle Billy would be the first one to reach him when the way was opened; that would be very pleasant for them both.

Mrs. Burnham would be anxious about him too.  He knew that she would; she had been very kind to him of late, very kind indeed, and she came often to see him.

Then the memory of Robert Burnham came back to him.  He thought of the way he looked and talked, of his kind manner and his gentle words.  He remembered how, long ago, he had resolved to strive toward the perfect manhood exemplified in this man’s life.  He wondered if he had done the best he could.  The scenes and incidents of the day on which this good man died recurred to him.

Why, it was at this very door that the little rescuing party had turned off to go up into the easterly tier of chambers.  Ralph had not been up there since.  He had often thought to go over again the route taken on that day, but he had never found the time to do so.  He had time enough at his disposal now, however; why not make the trip up there? it would be better than sitting here in idleness to wait for some sign of rescue.

He arose and opened the door.

The mule made as if to follow him.

“You stay here, Jasper,” he said, “I won’t be gone long.”

He shut the door in the animal’s face and started off up the side-heading.  There had not been much travel on this road during the last year.  Most of the chambers in this part of the mine had been worked out and abandoned.

As the boy passed on he recalled the incidents of the former journey.  He came to a place where the explosion at that time had blown out the props and shaken down the roof until the passage was entirely blocked.

He remembered that they had turned there and had gone up into a chamber to try to get in through the entrances.  But they had found the entrances all blocked, and the men had set to work to make an opening through one of them.  Ralph recalled the scene very distinctly.  With what desperate energy those men worked, tearing away the stones and dirt with their hands in order to get in the sooner to their unfortunate comrades.

He remembered that while they were doing this Robert Burnham had seated himself on a fallen prop, had torn a leaf from his memorandum book and had asked Ralph to hold his lamp near by, so that he could see to write.  He filled one side of the leaf, half of the other side, folded it, addressed it, and placed it in the pocket of his vest.  Then he went up and directed the enlargement of the opening and crawled through with the rest.  Here was the entrance, and here was the opening, just as it had been left.  Ralph clambered through it and went down to the fall.  The piled-up rocks were before him, as he had seen them that day.  Nothing had been disturbed.