On the ground around was no vegetation; nothing green met the eye, some few stunted bushes appeared here and there, nearly smothered by heaped-up mud, but they had about them none of the attractiveness of foliage.

The whole scene, though consisting of earth alone, was unearthly, and looked as though the devil had walked over the place with hot hoofs, and then raked it with a huge rake.
'I am afraid I am very late,' said Neverbend, getting out of his fly in all the haste he could muster, and looking at his watch the moment his foot touched the ground, 'very late indeed, gentlemen; I really must apologize, but it was the driver; I was punctual to the minute, I was indeed.

But come, gentlemen, we won't lose another moment,' and Mr.Neverbend stepped out as though he were ready at an instant's notice to plunge head foremost down the deepest shaft in all that region of mines.
'Oh, sir, there a'n't no cause of hurry whatsomever,' said one of the mining authorities; 'the day is long enough.' 'Oh, but there is cause of hurry, Mr.Undershot,' said Neverbend angrily 'great cause of hurry; we must do this work very thoroughly; and I positively have not time to get through all that I have before me.
'But-a'n't the other gen'leman a-coming ?' asked Mr.Undershot.
'Surely Mr.Tooder isn't a going to cry off ?' said the other.
'Why, he was so hot about it yesterday.' 'Mr.Tudor is not very well this morning,' said Mr.Neverbend.
'As his going down is not necessary for the inquiry, and is merely a matter of taste on his part, he has not joined me this morning.

Come, gentlemen, are we ready ?' It was then for the first time explained to Mr.Neverbend that he had to go through a rather complicated adjustment of his toilet before he would be considered fit to meet, the infernal gods.

He must, he was informed, envelop himself from head to foot in miner's habiliments, if he wished to save every stitch he had on him from dirt and destruction.