Slowly at first, fearing to move much because he might bring down more debris on himself, Joe felt about.  He found that his arms and hands were comparatively free, though partly buried in earth.

“I say!” he called, and his voice sounded strange in that dark and broken tunnel, “is any one here but me?  Blake!  Charlie!  Are you alive?”

No one answered, and then, feeling his strength coming back, Joe ventured to move.  He found that he could manage to emerge from the pile of earth and stones that had fallen on him, fortunately none over his head.  When he ventured to stand upright he tried to pierce the darkness and find out what had become of his chums.

But he could see nothing until he thought of his pocket lamp and, taking it in his hand, flashed it about him.  The light revealed to him the figures of Blake and Charlie, lying not far away and covered with debris as he had been.

He set the little light on a rock, leaving the switch on, and by the intense but limited glow, he set to work to free his companions.  Blake’s head was bleeding from the cut of a sharp rock, but he, like Joe and Charlie, had fallen in such a way, or rather, the cave-in had taken place in such a manner, that their heads and faces were comparatively free from dirt, else they would have been smothered.

Joe worked feverishly to free his chums and at length succeeded in freeing his assistant, who, of the two, was less covered by the debris.  Charlie opened his eyes and looked about him, asking: 

“What happened?  Where am I?”

“Don’t stop to ask questions now,” directed Joe.  “Help me with Blake.  I’m afraid he’s hurt!”

The two together got their chum cleared of the debris finally, and then Joe, taking a flask of cold coffee from his pocket, gave his now half-unconscious chum some to drink.  This served further to rouse Blake, and it was soon found, aside from a painful cut on the head, that he was uninjured except for bruises, such as they all had.

“But what happened?” asked Charlie, as they sat down to rest on some rocks and took turns finishing Joe’s limited supply of coffee.

“The tunnel caved in on us after a big explosion of some kind,” Joe said.  “I guess we’re going to have trouble getting out, too.”

“Let’s have a look,” suggested Blake.  “We can’t stay in here much longer or more of the roof and sides may cave in.  Can we get out?”

“I haven’t looked,” answered Joe.  “I wanted to get the dirt off you fellows.  I’m afraid we’re caught, though.”

And they were.  An examination, made with the pocket lights, showed them that the way back was blocked by a mass of rock and earth and that no progress ahead could be made for the same reason.

“I guess we’ll have to dig our way out,” said Joe.

“What with?” asked Charlie.

“Some of the broken boards that held up the tunnel,” was the answer, and Joe pointed to pieces of timber that had been splintered and shattered by the cave-in.