opened with a key and ordered Curdie to enter.
The place was as dark as night. While he was feel-
ing his way with his feet some one gave him a rough
push. He fell and rolled over once or twice, unable
to help himself because his hands were tied behind
him. They clapped the door to and locked him in.

The reason they shut him up in this prison was
because the chief magistrate did not want to do any-
thing more with him just then. It was the hour of
the magistrate's second and more important break-
fast. Until he had had that, he never wanted to
attend to anything else. This was why Curdie was
just locked up and had time to collect his thoughts.

He had very few to collect, for all he had to do, so
far as he could see, was to wait for what came next.
In a few minutes he found, to his great relief, that his
fall had loosened the ropes which bound him to his
pickaxe. With a little pull he got one hand free, and
then the other. He got to his feet, his pickaxe in his
hand, and was once more ready for action.

-63-