Thin vapor that turned them dizzy met them as they floundered into the dark tunnel.

The lamp burned uncertainly, but they crept on by the feeble ray of light over masses of fallen rock, until they reached a spot where the adit was blocked with the debris.

Weston, dropping on hands and knees, tore out several smaller fragments, and held up one of them; but as he did it there was a faint, hoarse cry, and sudden darkness, as Devine fell forward upon the lamp.
"Get me out! Quick!" he gasped.
Weston felt for the lamp, and contrived to light it, though he wasted several matches in the attempt; but he felt greatly tempted to disregard the dictates of humanity when he hooked it in his hat.
"Well," he said reluctantly, "I suppose we'll have to take him out." They did it with some difficulty, and left him unceremoniously when they had deposited him, limp and almost helpless, in the open air; for miners who meet with unpleasantness of that kind recover, and one does not make a discovery that promises to put thousands of dollars into one's pockets very frequently.

They went back, and, though Weston felt faint and dizzy, he flung himself down among the smaller stones, and thrust one or two of them into Saunders' hands.
"Feel them--and look at the break!" he exclaimed.
Saunders poised one of the stones carefully, and then glanced at the rent where it had been torn from the rock.
"Yes," he said, "we've struck it this time, sure.

Guess we'll get out of this and make supper." "Make supper!" Weston gazed at him incredulously.