'Know she's deep, don't yer?
There's three hundred feet o' shaft below you there.

That's the short road to hell.

Now look here.' He flashed the bright blade of a large knife before the eyes of his prisoner; then, seating himself on a broken truck near the shaft he began deliberately to sharpen the knife on his boot.

The operation was not in the least hurried--the man was desirous of making a deep impression.
'There,' he said at length, 'that's beautiful.

Feel!' He cut the skin of Dick's nose with a touch of the keen edge.