Was it absolutely intended that he should disappear in the same way?
Had he bound himself to go down that fiendish upright ladder?
And were he to go down it, what then?
Would it be possible that a man of his weight should ever come up again?
'Shall it be you or I next ?' said Alaric very civilly.

Neverbend could only pant and grunt, and Alaric, with a courteous nod, placed himself on the ladder, and went down, down, down, till of him also nothing was left but the faintest glimmer.

Mr.Neverbend remained above with one of the mining authorities; one attendant miner also remained with them.
'Now, Sir,' said the authority, 'if you are ready, the ladder is quite free.' Free! What would not Neverbend have given to be free also himself! He looked down the free ladder, and the very look made him sink.

It seemed to him as though nothing but a spider could creep down that perpendicular abyss.

And then a sound, slow, sharp, and continuous, as of drops falling through infinite space on to deep water, came upon his ear; and he saw that the sides of the abyss were covered with slime; and the damp air made him cough, and the cap had got over his spectacles and nearly blinded him; and he was perspiring with a cold, clammy sweat.
'Well, sir, shall we be going on ?' said the authority.