"Look out! Look out for the hole in the floor. Have you ropes?"
"Then tie a few planks together. Make a raft and let it over the side. Work fast, for once in your lives! There are two men down there and they may be drowning."
They could hear Bob's voice calling to his companion. The voice sounded far away, for Bob had plunged ahead, beating his way courageously through the waters in the black darkness.
"I hear him. He's ahead of me," Jarvis shouted.
"Yes--_as long as there's water to float on_!" the answer came back faintly.
In the meantime the men were ripping up the planks. Several of these they lashed together and let carefully down over the edge of the platform, or what was left of it. They had made ropes fast at both ends, in order that the raft might make a landing platform.
"Now you men let me down," commanded the superintendent.
"You had better let me go, sir," advised the mine captain. "I am lighter than you."
"It's my place to go; do as I tell you. While I am down there rig a sling to pull us up on. Jim, you take charge of the operations at this end and see that there is no slip anywhere."
"I will, sir," answered the mine captain.
Superintendent Penton grasped the rope that had been made fast to a shore post on the sub-level and let himself down. He was a strong man, used to emergencies and well able to take care of himself anywhere in the mine. Shortly afterwards he was standing on the platform or raft below, steadying himself by holding to the rope and the side wall.
"If he happens to get into a drift, they're both lost. Pass down some candles from above, Jim."
Several were let down on a rope and these Mr. Penton stuck into the wall, lighting up the scene fairly well.
"I've got him." It was Jarvis' voice, and Mr. Penton breathed a sigh of relief.
After what seemed an endless wait, the watchers heard a great splashing far out on the water. It was Jarvis paddling toward the raft. He had found Steve, the latter unconscious. Just as Bob reached the plank on which the other boy was hanging Steve slipped off into the water.
Bob dived for his chum without an instant's hesitation and when he came up he was gripping the half-drowned Steve. The latter had relapsed into unconsciousness. By this time the plank had floated away several yards. Bob had a hard struggle to reach it, but at last he succeeded, and after great effort managed to place Rush partly on it, so the latter's head would be out of water.