“Let’s foot it as fast as we can for that hill ahead,” I said, pointing it out, “and having climbed to the other side, we can double back on our pursuers, and come pretty near the point from which we were driven.”
To my satisfaction there was no balking at this, and, starting with renewed vigor and speed, we had been going perhaps five minutes when I saw, with much concern, that Big Bill was handicapping us not a little. His upward of two hundred pounds of flesh and bone were retarding him mightily.
“Come, come, Bill!” I called back to him; “for goodness’ sake, run. We’ll never get clear of this gang.”
“I can’t, I’m tuckered,” he gasped; “you fellers had better go on, if you’re in a hurry.”
At that moment I spied what appeared to be a deserted coal mine, only a little distance from the road. Stopping, I pointed it out to my associates and suggested that it was our only chance, since Bill was unable to keep up the pace.
“We’ll get in that, wade or swim through the water, as it may be,” I explained, “and perhaps we can hide from the enemy till night comes; then we can go on again.”
Utley objected to this, in the meantime eying the pool of water, which looked more like liquid mud than anything else, with great concern. I vow it seemed to me that he was fearful of soiling his soft hands or ruffling his collar; and such a time it was, indeed, to have so great an admiration for himself!
“Very well,” I replied to his objections, “I’m going in that hole, and you and Bill can trot as you will.” And leave them I did without another word. They continued on up the ravine, while I picked my way to the opening in the mine. I found it, as I have said, full of water that had the appearance of clay. The light shone back through the opening for thirty feet. An ordinary sized man could not stand erect, reckoning from the surface of the water to the roof. I could see fully fifty feet in this hole as I grew more accustomed to the interior, and I believed I saw a rocky shelf, easily accessible above the water. Immediately beyond it all appeared to be darkness. As I regarded it, there seemed to be only one way to reach that sweet refuge before me, and that was by getting through the mudpool.