 CHAPTER XVI. On that day, in the colliery of New Aberfoil, work was going on in the usual regular way. During the distance could be heard the crash of great charges of dynamite, by which the carboniferous rocks were blasted. Here masses of coal were loosened by pickaxe and crowbar, there the perforating machines with their harsh grating bored through the masses of sandstone and schist. Hollow cavernous noises resounded on all sides. Drafts of air rushed along the ventilating galleries, and the wooden swing doors slammed beneath their violent gusts. In the lower tunnels, trains of trucks kept passing along at the rate of fifteen miles an hour, while at their approach electric bells warned the workmen to cower down in the refuge places. Lifts went incessantly up and down, worked by powerful engines on the surface of the soil. Coaltown was throughout, brilliantly lighted by the electric lamps at full power. Mining operations were being carried on with the greatest activity. Coal was being piled incessantly into the trucks, which went in hundreds to empty themselves into the corpse at the bottom of the shaft. While parties of miners who had labored during the night were taking needful rest, the others worked without wasting an hour. Old Simon Ford and Maj, having finished their dinner, were resting at the door of their cottage. Simon smoked a good pipe of tobacco, and from time to time the old couple spoke of Nell, of their boy, of Mr. Star, and wondered how they liked their trip to the surface of the earth. Where would they be now? What would they be doing? How could they stay so long away from the mine without feeling homesick? Just then a terrific roaring noise was heard. It was like the sound of a mighty cataract rushing down into the mine. The old people rose hastily. They perceived at once that the waters of Lake Malcolm were rising. A great wave, unfurling like a billow, swept up the bank and broke against the walls of the cottage. Simon caught his wife in his arms, and carried her to the upper part of their dwelling. At the same moment, cries arose from all parts of cold town, which was threatened by a sudden inundation. The inhabitants fled for safety to the top of the schist rocks bordering the lake. Terror spread in all directions. Whole families in frantic haste rushed towards the tunnel in order to reach the upper regions of the pit. It was feared that the sea had burst into the caldery, for its galleries and passages penetrated as far as the Caledonian canal. In that case the entire excavation, vast as it was, would be completely flooded. Not a single inhabitant of new Aberfoil would escape death. But when the foremost fugitives reached the entrance to the tunnel, they encountered Simon Ford, who had quitted his cottage. Stop, my friend, stop, shouted the old man. If our town is to be overwhelmed, the floods will rush faster than you can. No one can possibly escape. But see, the waters are rising no further. It appears to me the danger is over. And our comrades at the far end of the works? What about them? cried some of the miners. There is nothing to fear for them, replied Simon. They are working on a higher level than the bed of the lock. It was soon evident that the old man was in the right. The sudden influx of water had rushed to the very lowest bed of the vast mine, and its only ultimate effect was to raise the level of Lock Malcolm a few feet. Coal Town was uninjured, and it was reasonable to hope that no one had perished in the flood of water which had descended to the depths of the mine, never yet penetrated by the workmen. Simon and his men could not decide whether this inundation was owing to the overflow of a subterranean sheet of water penetrating fissures in the solid rock, or to some underground torrent breaking through its worn bed and precipitating itself to the lowest level of the mine. But that very same evening they knew what to think about it, for the local papers published an account of the marvellous phenomenon which Loch Catrine had exhibited. The surprising news was soon after confirmed by the four travellers, who, returning with all possible speed to the cottage, learned with extreme satisfaction that no serious damage was done in new Aberfoil. The bed of Loch Catrine had fairly given way. The waters had suddenly broken through by an enormous fissure into the mine beneath. Of Sir Walter Scott's favourite Loch there was not left enough to wet the pretty foot of the Lady of the Lake. All that remained was a pond of a few acres at the further extremity. This singular event made a profound sensation in the country. It was a thing unheard of that a lake should in the space of a few minutes empty itself and disappear into the bowels of the earth. There was nothing for it but to erase Loch Catrine from the map of Scotland until, by public subscription, it could be refilled, care being of course taken in the first place to stop the rent up tight. This catastrophe would have been the death of Sir Walter Scott had he still been in the world. The accident was explicable when it was ascertained that, between the bed of the lake and the vast cavity beneath, the geological strata had become reduced to a thin layer, incapable of longer sustaining the weight of water. Now, although to most people this event seemed plainly due to natural causes, yet to James Starr and his friends, Simon and Harry Ford, the question constantly recurred, was it not rather to be attributed to malevolence? Uneasy suspicions continually harassed their minds. Was their evil genius about to renew his persecution of those who ventured to work this rich mine? At the cottage some days later, James Starr thus discussed the matter with the old man and his son. Well, Simon, said he, to my thinking we must class this circumstance with the others for which we still seek elucidation, although it is no doubt possible to explain it by natural causes. I am quite of your mind, Mr. James, replied Simon, but take my advice and say nothing about it. Let us make all researches ourselves. Oh, I know the result of such research beforehand! cried the engineer. And what will it be then? We shall find proofs of malevolence, but not the malefactor. But he exists! He is there! Where can he lie concealed? Is it possible to conceive that the most depraved human being could, single-handed, carry out an idea so infernal as that of bursting through the bed of a lake? I believe I shall end by thinking, like Jack Ryan, that the evil demon of the mine revenges himself on us for having invaded his domain. Nell was allowed to hear as little as possible of these discussions. Indeed she showed no desire to enter into them, although it was very evident that she shared in the anxieties of her adopted parents. The melancholy in her countenance bore witness to much mental agitation. It was at length resolved that James Starr, together with Simon and Harry, should return to the scene of the disaster and endeavor to satisfy themselves as to the cause of it. They mentioned their project to no one. To those unacquainted with the group of facts on which it was based, the opinion of Starr and his friends could not fail to appear utterly inadmissible. A few days later the three friends proceeded in a small boat to examine the natural pillars on which had rested the solid earth, forming the basin of Loc Catrine. They discovered that they had been right in suspecting that the massive columns had been undermined by blasting. The blackened traces of explosion were to be seen, the waters having subsided below the level of these mysterious operations. Thus the fall of a portion of the vast vaulted dome was proved to have been premeditated by man, and by man's hand had it been affected. "'It is impossible to doubt it,' said James Starr, and who can say what might not have happened had the sea, instead of a little loch, been led in upon us?' "'You may well say that,' cried the old overman, with a feeling of pride in his beloved mind, for nothing less than a sea would have drowned our everfoil, but once more what possible interest could any human being have in the destruction of our works?' "'It is quite incomprehensible,' replied James Starr. "'This case is something perfectly unlike that of a band of common criminals who, concealing themselves in dens and caves, go forth to rob and pillage the surrounding country. The evil deeds of such men would certainly, in the course of three years, have betrayed their existence in lurking places. Neither can it be, as I sometimes used to think, that smugglers or coiners carried on their illegal practices in some distant and unknown corner of these prodigious caverns, and were consequently anxious to drive us out of them. But no one coins false money or obtains contraband goods, only to conceal them. Yet it is clear that an implacable enemy has sworn the ruin of new everfoil, and that some interest urges him to seek in every possible way to wreak his hatred upon us. He appears to be too weak to act openly, and lays his schemes in secret, but displays such intelligence as to render him a most formidable foe. My friends, he must understand better than we do the secrets of our domain, since he has all this time eluded our vigilance. He must be a man experienced in mining, skilled beyond the most skillful. That's certain, Simon. We have proof enough of that. Let me see. Have you never had a personal enemy to whom your suspicions might point? Think well. There is such a thing as hatred which time never softens. Go back to recollections of your earliest days. What befalls us appears the work of a stern and patient will, and to explain it demands every effort of thought and memory. Simon did not answer immediately. His mind evidently engaged in a close and candid survey of his past life. Presently raising his head. No, said he. No! Heaven be my witness! Neither Mag nor I have ever injured anybody. We cannot believe that we have a single enemy in the world. Ah! If Nell would only speak, cried the engineer. Mr. Starr, and you, Father, said Harry, I do beg of you to keep silence on this matter and not to question my poor Nell. I know she is very anxious and uneasy, and I feel positive that some great secret painfully oppresses her heart. Either she knows nothing it would be of any use for us to hear, or she considers it her duty to be silent. It is impossible to doubt her affection for us, for all of us. If at a future time she informs me of what she has hitherto concealed from us, you shall know about it immediately. So be it then, Harry, answered the engineer. And yet I must say Nell's silence, if she knows anything, seems to me perfectly inexplicable. Harry would have continued her defense, but the engineer stopped him saying, All right, Harry, we promise to say no more about it to your future wife. With my father's consent she shall be my wife without further delay. My boy, said old Simon, your marriage shall take place this very day-month. Mr. Starr, will you undertake the part of Nell's father? You may reckon upon me for that, Simon, answered the engineer. They then returned to the cottage, but said not a word of the result of their examinations in the mine, so that to the rest of its inhabitants, the bursting in of the vaulted roof of the caverns continued to be regarded as a mere accident. There was but a loch the less in Scotland. Nell gradually resumed her customary duties, and Harry made good use of her little visit to the upper air and the instructions he gave her. She enjoyed the recollections of life above ground, yet without regretting it. The sombre region she had loved as a child, and in which her wedded life would be spent, was as dear to her as ever. The approaching marriage created great excitement in New Aberfoil. Good wishes poured in on all sides, and foremost among them were Jack Ryan's. He was detected busily practicing his best songs in preparation for the great day, which was to be celebrated by the whole population of Coal Town. During the month preceding the wedding day, there were more accidents occurring in New Aberfoil than had ever been known in the place. One would have thought the approaching union of Harry and Nell actually provoked one catastrophe after another. These misfortunes happened chiefly at the further and lowest extremity of the works, and the cause of them was always in some way mysterious. Thus, for instance, the woodwork of a distant gallery was discovered to be in flames, which were extinguished by Harry and his companions at the risk of their lives by employing engines filled with water and carbonic acid, always kept ready in case of necessity. The lamp used by the incendiary was found, but no clue whatever as to who he could be. Another time an inundation took place and consequence of the stanchions of a water tank giving way, and Mr. Star ascertained beyond a doubt that these supports had first of all been partially sawn through. Harry, who had been overseeing the works near the place at the time, was buried in the falling rubbish and narrowly escaped death. A few days afterwards on the steam tramway, a train of trucks which Harry was passing along met with an obstacle on the rails and was overturned. It was then discovered that a beam had been laid across the line. In short, events of this description became so numerous that the miners were seized with a kind of panic, and it required all the influence of their chiefs to keep them on the works. You would think that there was a whole band of these ruffians, Simon kept saying, and we can't lay hands on a single one of them. Search was made in all directions. The county police were on the alert night and day yet discovered nothing. The evil intentions seeming specially designed to injure Harry. Star forbade him to venture alone beyond the ordinary limits of the works. They were equally careful of Nell, although at Harry's entreaty these malicious attempts to do harm were concealed from her, because they might remind her painfully of former times. Simon and Madge watched over her by day and by night with the sort of stern solicitude. The poor child yielded to their wishes without a remark or a complaint. Did she perceive that they acted with a view to her interest? Probably she did. And on her part she seemed to watch over others, and was never easy unless all whom she loved were together in the cottage. When Harry came home in the evening she could not restrain expressions of childlike joy, very unlike her usual manner which was rather reserved than demonstrative. As soon as day broke she was a stir before anyone else, and her constant uneasiness lasted all day until the hour of return home from work. Harry became very anxious that their marriage should take place. He thought that, when the irrevocable step was taken, malevolence would be disarmed, and that Nell would never feel safe until she was his wife. Some star, Simon and Madge were all of the same opinion, and everyone counted the intervening days, for everyone suffered from the most uncomfortable forebodings. It was perfectly evident that nothing relating to Nell was indifferent to this hidden foe, whom it was impossible to meet or to avoid. Therefore it seemed quite possible that the solemn act of her marriage with Harry might be the occasion of some new and dreadful outbreak of his hatred. One morning, a week before the day appointed for the ceremony, Nell, rising early, went out of the cottage before anyone else. No sooner had she crossed the threshold than a cry of indescribable anguish escaped her lips. Her voice was heard throughout the dwelling. In a moment Madge, Harry and Simon were at her side. Nell was pale as death, her countenance agitated, her features expressing the utmost horror. Unable to speak, her eyes were riveted on the door of the cottage, which she had just opened. With rigid fingers she pointed to the following words traced upon it during the night. Simon, forward, you have robbed me of the last vein in our old pit. Harry, your son, has robbed me of Nell. We'll be tied you. We'll be tied you all. We'll be tied new Abberfoil. Silphax. Silphax! exclaimed Simon and Madge together. Who is this man? demanded Harry, looking alternately at his father and at the maiden. Silphax! repeated Nell in tone to despair. Silphax! And murmuring this name, her whole frame shuddering with fear and agitation, she was borne away to her chamber by old Madge. James Starr hastening to the spot, read the threatening sentences again and again. The hand which traced these lines, he said at length, is the same which wrote me the letter contradicting yours, Simon, the man calls himself Silphax, I see by your troubled manner that you know him. Who is this Silphax? End of Chapter 16, Recording by Sean Michael Hogan, St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada. Chapter 17 of Child of the Cavern, this is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by Sean Michael Hogan. The Underground City by Jules Verne. Chapter 17 The Monk. This name revealed everything to the Old Overman. It was that of the last monk of the docker pit. In former days before the invention of the safety lamp, Simon had known this fierce man whose business it was to go daily at the risk of his life to produce partial explosions of fire-damp in the passages. He used to see this strange solitary being prowling about the mine, always accompanied by a monstrous owl which he called Harfang, who assisted him in his perilous occupation by soaring with a lighted match to place his Silphax was unable to reach. One day this old man disappeared, and at the same time also a little orphan girl born in the mine, who had no relation but himself, her great-grandfather. It was perfectly evident now that this child was Nell. During the fifteen years up to the time when she was saved by Harry, they must have lived in some secret abyss of the mine. The Old Overman, full of mingled compassion and anger, made known to the engineer and Harry all that the name of Silphax had revealed to him. It explained the whole mystery. Silphax was the mysterious being so long vainly sought for in the depths of new Aberfoil. So you knew him, Simon, to mention Mr. Starr. Yes, that I did, replied the Overman. The Harfang man we used to call him. Why, he was old then. He must be fifteen or twenty years older than I am. A wild, savage sort of fellow who held aloof from everyone and was known to fear nothing, neither fire nor water. It was his own fancy to follow the trade of monk which few would have liked. A constant danger of the business had unsettled his brain. He was prodigiously strong, and he knew the mine as no one else, at any rate as well as I did. He lived on a small allowance. In faith I believed him dead years ago. But resumed James Starr, what does he mean by those words you have robbed me of the last vein of our old mine? Ah, there it is, replied Simon, for a long time it had been a fancy of his, I told you his mind was deranged, that he had a right to the mine of Aberfoil, so he became more and more savage and temper the deeper the docker pit. His pit was worked out. It just seemed as if it was his own body that suffered from every blow of the pickaxe. You must remember that, Maj. I, that I do, Simon, replied she. I can recollect all this, resumed Simon, since I have seen the name of Silphax on the door. But I tell you, I thought the men was dead, and never imagined that the spiteful being we have so long sought for could be the old fireman of the docker pit. Well now then, said Starr, it is all quite plain. Chance made known to Silphax the new vein of Coal. With the egotism of madness he believed himself the owner of a treasure he must conceal and defend. Living in the mine and wandering about day and night, he perceived that you had discovered the secret, and had written in all haste to beg me to come. Hence the letter contradicting yours. Hence after my arrival all the accidents that occurred, such as the block of stone thrown at Harry, the broken ladder at the arrow-shaft, the obstruction of the openings into the wall of the new cutting, hence in short our imprisonment, and then our deliverance brought about by the kind assistance of Nell, who acted of course without the knowledge of this man, Silphax, and contrary to his intentions. You describe everything exactly as it must have happened, Mr. Starr, returned old Simon. The old monk is mad enough now at any rate. All the better, Quoth Maj. I don't know that, said Starr, shaking his head. It is a terrible sort of madness this. Ah, now I understand that the very thought of him must have terrified poor little Nell, and also I see that she could not bear to denounce her grandfather. What a miserable time she must have had of it with the old man. Miserable with a vengeance, replied Simon, between that savage and his owl, as savage as himself. Depend upon it that bird isn't dead. That was what put our lamp out, and also so nearly cut the rope by which Harry and Nell were suspended. And then, you see, said Maj, this news of the marriage of our son with his granddaughter added to his rancor and ill-will. To be sure, said Simon, to think that his Nell should marry one of the robbers of his own coal mine would just drive him wild altogether. He will have to make up his mind to it, however, cried Harry. Mad as he is, we shall manage to convince him that Nell is better off with us here than ever she was in the caverns of the pit. I am sure, Mr. Starr, if we could only catch him, we should be able to make him listen to reason. My poor Harry, there is no reasoning with a madman, replied the engineer. Of course it is better to know your enemy than not, but you must not fancy all is right because we have found out who he is. We must be on our guard, my friends, and to begin with, Harry, you positively must question Nell. She will perceive that her silence is no longer reasonable, even for her grandfather's own interest she ought to speak now. For his own sake, as well as for ours, these insane plots must be put a stop to. I feel sure, Mr. Starr, answered Harry, that Nell will of herself propose to tell you what she knows. You see, it was from a sense of duty that she has been silent hitherto. My mother was very right to take her to her room just now. She much needed time to recover her spirits, but now I will go for her. You need not do so, Harry, said the maiden in a clear and firm voice, as she entered at that moment the room in which they were. Nell was very pale. Traces of tears were in her eyes, but her whole manner showed that she had nerve herself to act as her loyal heart dictated as her duty. Nell cried Harry, springing towards her. The girl arrested her lover by a gesture and continued, your father and mother, and you, Harry, must now know all, and you too, Mr. Starr, must remain ignorant of nothing that concerns the child you have received, and whom Harry, unfortunately for him, alas, drew from the abyss. Oh, Nell, what are you saying? cried Harry. Allow her to speak, said James Starr, in a decided tone. I am the granddaughter of old Silphax, resumed Nell. I never knew a mother till the day I came here, at a chi looking at Maj. Blessed be that day, my daughter, said the old woman. I knew no father till I saw Simon Ford, continued Nell, nor friend till the day when Harry's hand touched mine. Alone with my grandfather I have lived during fifteen years in the remote and most solitary depths of the mine. I say with my grandfather, but I can scarcely use the expression, for I seldom saw him. When he disappeared from old Aberfoil he concealed himself in caverns known only to himself. In his way he was kind to me, dreadful as he was. He fed me with whatever he could procure from outside the mine, but I can dimly recollect that in my earliest years I had the nurseling of a goat, the death of which was a bitter grief to me. My grandfather, seeing my distress, brought me another animal, a dog, he said it was. But, unluckily, this dog was lively and barked. Grandfather did not like anything cheerful. He had a horror of noise, and had taught me to be silent. The dog he could not teach to be quiet, so the poor animal very soon disappeared. My grandfather's companion was a ferocious bird, Harfang, of which at first I had a perfect horror, but this creature, in spite of my dislike to it, took such a strong affection for me that I could not help returning it. It even obeyed me better than its master, which used to make me quite uneasy, for my grandfather was jealous. Harfang and I did not dare to let him see us much together. We both knew it would be dangerous. But I am talking too much about myself. The great thing is about you. No, my child, said James Starr. Tell us everything that comes to your mind. My grandfather, continued now, always regarded your abode in the mind with a very evil eye. Not that there was any lack of space. His chosen refuge was far, very far, from you. But he could not bear to feel that you were there. If I asked any questions about the people up above us, his face grew dark. He gave no answer, and continued quite silent for a long time afterwards. But when he perceived that, not content with the old domain, you seemed to think of encroaching upon his, then indeed his anger burst forth. He swore that were you to succeed in reaching the new mind you should assuredly perish. Notwithstanding his great age, his strength is astonishing, and his threats used to make me tremble. Go on, Nell, my child, said Simon to the girl, who paused as though to collect her thoughts. On the occasion of your first attempt, resumed Nell, as soon as my grandfather saw that you were fairly inside the gallery leading to New Aberfoil, he stopped up the opening, and turned it into a prison for you. I only knew you as shadows dimly seen in the gloom of the pit, but I could not endure the idea that you would die of hunger in these horrid places, and so at the risk of being detected I succeeded in obtaining bread and water for you during some days. I should have liked to help you to escape, but it was so difficult to avoid the vigilance of my grandfather. You were about to die, then arrived Jack Ryan and the others. By the providence of God I met with them, and instantly guided them to where you were. When my grandfather discovered what I had done, his rage against me was terrible. I expected death at his hands. After that my life became insupportable to me. My grandfather completely lost his senses. He proclaimed himself king of darkness and flame, and when he heard your tools at work on Colbez which he considered entirely his own, he became furious and beat me cruelly. I would have fled from him, but it was impossible so narrowly did he watch me. At last in a fit of ungovernable fury he threw me down into the abyss where you found me, and disappeared, vainly calling on Harfang which faithfully stayed by me to follow him. I know not how long I remained there, but I felt I was at the point of death when you, my Harry, came and saved me. But now you all see that the grandchild of old Silphax can never be the wife of Harry Ford, because it would be certain death to you all. Nell, cried Harry. No, continued the maiden, my resolution is taken. By one means only can your ruin be averted. I must return to my grandfather. He threatens to destroy the whole of new Aberfoil. His is a soul incapable of mercy or forgiveness, and no mortal can say to what horrid deed the spirit of revenge will lead him. My duty is clear. I should be the most despicable creature on earth did I hesitate to perform it. Farewell. I thank you all heartily. You only have taught me what happiness is. Whatever may befall, believe that my whole heart remains with you. At these words, Simon, Madge, and Harry started up in an agony of grief, exclaiming in tones of despair. What Nell, is it possible you would leave us? James Starr put them all aside with an air of authority, and going straight up to Nell he took both her hands in his, saying quietly, Very right, my child, you have said exactly what you ought to say, and now listen to what we have to say and reply. We shall not let you go away. If necessary we shall keep you by force. Do you think we could be so baseless to accept of your generous proposal? These threats of silphax are formidable, no doubt about it. But after all, a man is but a man, and we can take precautions. You will tell us, will you not, even for his own sake, all you can about his habits and his lurking places? All we want to do is put it out of his power to do harm, and perhaps bring him to reason. You want to do what is quite impossible, said Nell. My grandfather is everywhere and nowhere. I have never seen his retreats. I have never seen him sleep. If he meant to conceal himself, he used to leave me alone, and vanish. When I took my resolution, Mr. Starr, I was aware of everything you could say against it. Believe me there is but one way to render Silphax powerless, and that will be by my return to him. Until himself, he sees everything that goes on. Just think whether it is likely he could discover your very thoughts and intentions, from that time when the letter was written to Mr. Starr, up to now that my marriage with Harry has been arranged, if he did not possess the extraordinary faculty of knowing everything. As far as I am able to judge my grandfather in his very insanity is a man of most powerful mind. He formerly used to talk to me on very lofty subjects. He taught me the existence of God, and never deceived me but on one point, which was, that he made me believe that all men were base and perfidious, because he wished to inspire me with his own hatred of all the human race. When Harry brought me to the cottage, you thought I was simply ignorant of mankind, but far beyond that I was in mortal fear of you all. Ah, forgive me. I assure you for many days I believed myself in the power of wicked wretches, and I longed to escape. You, Maj, first led me to perceive the truth, not by anything you said, but by the sight of your daily life. Before I saw that your husband and son loved and respected you. Then all these good and happy workmen, who saw revere and trust Mr. Steyer, I used to think they were slaves. And when for the first time I saw the whole population of Abrafoil come to church, and kneel down and pray to God, and praise him for his infinite goodness, I said to myself, my grandfather has deceived me. But now, enlightened by all you have taught me, I am inclined to think he himself is deceived. I mean to return to the secret passages I formerly frequented with him. He is certain to be on the watch. I will call to him. He will hear me. And who knows but that by returning to him, I may be able to bring him to the knowledge of the truth. The maiden spoke without interruption, for all felt that it was good for her to open her whole heart to her friends. But when, exhausted by emotion and with eyes full of tears, she ceased speaking, Harry turned to old Maj and said, mother, what should you think of the man who could forsake the noble girl whose words you have been listening to? I should think he was a base coward, said Maj. And were he my son, I should renounce and curse him. Nell, do you hear what our mother says? Resumed Harry. Wherever you go, I will follow you. If you persist in leaving us, we will go away together. Harry, Harry, cried Nell. Overcome by her feelings, the girl's lips blanched, and she sank into the arms of Maj, who begged she might be left along with her. CHAPTER XVIII. NELL'S WEDDING. It was agreed that the inhabitants of the cottage must keep more on their guard than ever. The threats of old sylphax were too serious to be disregarded. It was only too possible that he possessed some terrible means by which the whole of abrafoil might be annihilated. Armed sentinels were posted at the various entrances to the mine, with orders to keep strict watch day and night. Any stranger entering the mine was brought before James Starr, that he might give an account of himself. There being no fear of treason among the inhabitants of Coaltown, the threatened danger to the subterranean colony was made known to them. Nell was informed of all the precautions taken, and became more tranquil, although she was not free from uneasiness. Harry's determination to follow her wherever she went compelled her to promise not to escape from her friends. During the week preceding the wedding, no accident whatever occurred in abrafoil. The system of watching was carefully maintained, but the miners began to recover from the panic, which had seriously interrupted the work of excavation. James Starr continued to look out for sylphax. The old man, having vindictively declared that Nell should never marry Simon's son, it was natural to suppose that he would not hesitate to commit any violent deed which would hinder their union. The examination of the mine was carried on minutely. Every passage and gallery was searched up to those higher ranges which opened out among the ruins of Dundonald Castle. It was rightly supposed that through this old building sylphax passed out to obtain what was needful for the support of his miserable existence, which he must have done either by purchasing or thieving. As to the firemaidens, James Starr began to think that appearance must have been produced by some jet of fire damp gas which, issuing from that part of the pit, could be lighted by sylphax. He was not far wrong. But all search for proof of this was fruitless, and the continued strain of anxiety in his perpetual effort to detect a malignant and invisible being rendered the engineer, outwardly calm, an unhappy man. As the wedding day approached, his dread of some catastrophe increased, and he could not but speak of it to the old overman, whose uneasiness soon more than equaled his own. At length the day came. Sylphax had given no token of existence. By daybreak the entire population of Coaltown was a stir. Work was suspended. Overseers and workmen alike desired to do honour to Simon Ford and his son. They all felt they owed a large debt of gratitude to these bold and persevering men, by whose means the mine had been restored to its former prosperity. The ceremony was to take place at eleven o'clock in St. Giles's Chapel, which stood on the shores of Loch Malcolm. At the appointed time Harry left the cottage, supporting his mother on his arm, while Simon led the bride. Following them came Starr, the engineer, composed in manner, but in reality, nerved to expect the worst, and Jack Ryan, stepping superb in full Highland Piper's costume. Then came the other mining engineers, the principal people of Coaltown, the friends and comrades of the old overman, every member of this great family of miners, forming the population of new Aberfoil. In the outer world the day was one of the hottest of the month of August, peculiarly oppressive in northern countries. The sultry air penetrated the depths of the coal mine and elevated the temperature. The air, which entered through the ventilating shafts, and the great tunnel of Loch Malcolm, was charged with electricity, and the barometer, it was afterwards remarked, had fallen in a remarkable manner. There was indeed every indication that a storm might burst forth beneath the rocky vault, which formed the roof of the enormous crypt of the very mine itself. But the inhabitants were not at that moment troubling themselves about the chances of atmospheric disturbance above ground. Everybody, as a matter of course, had put on his best clothes for the occasion. Maj was dressed in the fashion of days gone by, were in the toy, and the rocolet, or tartan plaid, of matrons of the olden time. Old Simon, or a coat of which Ballet Nicole Jarvie himself would have approved. Belle had resolved to show nothing of her mental agitation. She forbade her heart to beat. Or her inward terrors to betray themselves. And the brave girl appeared, before all, with a calm and collected aspect. She had declined every ornament of dress, and the very simplicity of her attire added to the charming elegance of her appearance. Her hair was bound with the snood, the usual hairdress of Scottish maidens. All proceeded towards St. Giles Chapel, which had been handsomely decorated for the occasion. The electric discs of light which illuminated cold town blazed like so many suns. Illuminous atmosphere pervaded new abrafoil. In the chapel, electric lamps shed a glow over the stained glass windows, which shone like fiery kaleidoscopes. At the porch of the chapel, the minister awaited the arrival of the wedding party. It approached, after having passed in stately procession, along the shore of Loch Malcolm. Then the tones of the organ were heard, and, preceded by the minister, the group advanced into the chapel. The divine blessing was first invoked on all present. Then Harry and Nell remained alone before the minister, who, holding the sacred book in his hand, proceeded to say, Harry, will you take Nell to be your wife, and will you promise to love her always? I promise, answered the young man in a firm and steady voice. And you, Nell, continued the minister, will you take Harry to be your husband, and, before he could finish the sentence, a proditious noise resounded from without. One of the enormous rocks, on which was formed the terrace overhanging the banks of Loch Malcolm, had suddenly given way and opened without explosion, disclosing a profound abyss into which the waters were now wildly plunging. In another instant among the shattered rocks and rushing waves appeared a canoe, which a vigorous arm propelled along the surface of the lake. In the canoe was seen the figure of an old man standing upright. He was clothed in a dark mantle. His hair was disheveled, a long white beard fell over his breast, and in his hand he bore a lighted, Davy safety lamp, the flame being protected by the metallic gauze of the apparatus. In a loud voice this old man shouted, The fire-damp is upon you. Whoa, whoa, betide ye all! At the same moment the slight smell peculiar to carbureted hydrogen was perceptibly diffused through the atmosphere. And in truth the fall of the rock had made a passage of escape for an enormous quantity of explosive gas accumulated in vast cavities, the openings to which had hitherto been blocked up. Jets and streams of fire-damp now rose upward in the vaulted dome. As well did the fierce old man know that the consequences of what he had done would be to render explosive the whole atmosphere of the mine. James Starr and several others, having hastily quitted the chapel and perceived the eminence of danger, now rushed back, crying out in the accents of the utmost alarm, fly from the mine, fly instantly from the mine. Now for the fire-damp here comes the fire-damp, yelled the old man urging his canoe further along the lake. Harry with his bride, his father and his mother, left the chapel in haste and in terror. Fly! Fly for your lives, repeated James Starr. Alas! It was too late to fly. Old Silphax stood there, prepared to fulfill his last dreadful threat, prepared to stop the marriage of Nell and Harry by overwhelming the entire population of the place beneath the ruins of the coal-mine. As he stood ready to accomplish this act of vengeance, his enormous owl, whose white plumage was marked with black spots, was seen hovering directly above his head. At that moment a man flung himself into the waters of the lake and swam vigorously toward the canoe. It was Jack Ryan, fully determined to reach the madman before he could do the dreadful deed of destruction. Silphax saw him coming. Instantly he smashed the glass of his lamp and snatching out the burning wick waved it in the air. Once like death fell upon the astounded multitude. James Starr, in the calmness of despair, marveled that the inevitable explosion was even for a moment delayed. Silphax, gazing upwards with wild and contracted features, appeared to become aware that the gas, lighter than the lower atmosphere, was accumulating far up under the dome. And at a sign from him, the owl, seizing in its claw the light it match, soared upwards to the vaulted roof, towards which the madman pointed without stretched arm. Another second a new aborfoil would be no more. Suddenly Nell sprang from Harry's arms, and with a bright look of inspiration she ran to the very brink of the waters of the lake. Harfang, harfang, cried she in a clear voice. Here come to me. The faithful bird, surprised, appeared to hesitate in its flight. Presently, recognizing Nell's voice, it dropped the burning match into the water, and, describing a wide circle, flew downwards, alighting at the maiden's feet. Then a terrible cry echoed through the vaulted roofs. It was the last sound uttered by old Silphax. Just as Jack Ryan laid his hand on the edge of the canoe, the old man, foiled in his purpose of revenge, cast himself headlong into the water of the lake. Save him or save him, shriek Nell, in a voice of agony. Immediately Harry plunged into the water, and, swimming towards Jack Ryan, he dived repeatedly. But his efforts were useless. The waters of Loch Malcolm yielded not their prey. They closed forever over Silphax. CHAPTER XIX OF THE UNDERGROUND CITY This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by Richard Kilmer THE UNDERGROUND CITY by Jules Verne CHAPTER XIX THE LEGEND OF OLD SILPHAX Six months after these events, the marriage, so strangely interrupted, was finally celebrated in St. Giles's Chapel, and the young couple, who still wore morning garments, returned to the cottage. James Starr and Simon Ford, henceforth free from the anxieties which had so long distressed them, joyously presided over the entertainment which followed the ceremony, and prolonged it to the following day. On this memorable occasion, Jack Ryan, in his favorite character of Piper, and in all the glory of full dress, blew up his chanter and astonished the company by the unheard achievement of playing, singing, and dancing all at once. It is needless to say that Harry and Nell were happy. These loving hearts, after the trials they had gone through, found in their union the happiness they deserved. As to Simon Ford, the ex-overman of New Aberphile, he began the talk of celebrating his golden wedding, after fifty years of marriage with good old Madge, who liked the idea immensely herself. And after that, why not golden wedding number two? He would like a couple of fifties, would you, Mr. Simon, said Jack Ryan? All right, my boy, replied the overman quietly. I see nothing against it, in this fine climate of ours, and living far from the luxury and intemperance of the outer world. Will the dwellers in Coal Town ever be called to witness this second ceremony? Time will show. Certainly the strange bird of old Silphax seemed destined to attain a wonderful longevity. The harfang continued to haunt the gloomy recesses of the cave. After the old man's death Nell had attempted to keep the owl, but in a very few days he flew away. He evidently disliked human society, as much as his master had done, and, besides that, he appeared to have a particular spite against Harry. The jealous bird seemed to remember and hate him for having carried off Nell from the deep abyss, notwithstanding all he could do to prevent him. Still at long intervals Nell would see the creature hovering above Locke Malcolm. Could he possibly be watching for his friend of your? Did he strive to pierce with keen eye the depth which had engulfed his master? The history of the harfang became legendary, and furnished Jack Ryan with many a tale and song. Thanks to him the story of old Silphax and his bird will long be preserved and handed down to future generations of the Scottish peasantry. End of CHAPTER XIX.