"I order your men back to work. What do you mean by interfering with the work of this shift?"

"I already have told you what I mean, sir. I decline to risk the lives of the men in section twenty-four L until it has been made safe."

"Get back to work, every man of you, unless you want to be fired out of this mine!" commanded the captain.

Steve raised a warning hand.

"Men, I am your foreman. You will obey me. Mr. Mine Captain, you have no right to give these men orders over my head. I have asked you for protection for them. You refuse to give it. I am responsible for their safety, so all work will stop in this drift, so far as I am concerned, until you have made the drift safe."

"I'll report you; I'll put another crew to work. I'll----"

"And I'll report you if you do. I have no intention of being disrespectful, and I am willing to take the responsibility for my act."

With this Steve urged his men out of the drift. The captain fumed, but he knew full well that Steve was right in saying that he had no right to order the men back to work.

No sooner had the men of the regular shift withdrawn and gone up to the surface, than the mine captain gathered another crew and set them to work in section twenty-four L, Steve in the meantime having gone to another part of the works. The captain did not want the daily output to fall behind, for that would reflect on him. The captain set the new shift at work, then went away about his business, muttering his threats against the young foreman.

When Steve pa.s.sed that way again his attention was attracted by a light in the drift. Somewhat surprised, he turned into section twenty-four L to learn what was going on in there. He found a new crew at work.

"Who sent you in here?" he demanded.

"The captain did," was the answer.

"Very well; so long as he has done so it is not for me to order you out.

You do not belong to my crew. But let me warn you, men. This drift is not safe. Some or all of you are likely to get hurt. I should advise against your working here. I have sent my crew away and they will not come into the drift until something has been done to make it safe."

The miners laughed and went on with their work. The drill-men were boring in, making openings for the dynamite sticks, while the trammers were loading, taking their time at the work.

Steve turned away when he saw that the men did not take his warning seriously. He made his way to the telephone, where he called up Superintendent Penton, acquainting him with conditions in section twenty-four L.

The superintendent said he would be down as soon as he could get into his mine clothes. He directed Steve to leave matters as they were until he could look into the affair. At the same time Mr. Penton warned Steve that these disagreements between mine captain and foremen were very bad for the discipline of the mine.

"I am willing to a.s.sume the full responsibility for my act, sir," was the answer of the young foreman, as he hung up the receiver and started away, his lips shut tightly together, a look of stubborn determination on his face. Steve was ready to give or take.

Shortly after that Mr. Penton arrived. He looked up the mine captain first, and heard what the latter had to say. Then the two men sought out Steve Rush, whom they found directing the work of one of his crews.

"Rush, this is a bad piece of business. What have you to say for yourself?"

"There is nothing more to say, sir, so far as I am concerned. It is for you to decide whether I am in the right or the wrong."

"You say the drift is not safe for the men to work in?"

"I do."

"The mine captain disagrees with you, and you have had an argument with him before the men. Rush, I am surprised at you."

Steve's face flushed a dull red, but he held his head erect, looking the superintendent squarely in the eyes.

"I am willing to a.s.sume all the responsibility for my act. One of the first lessons I learned from you, sir, was to guard the lives of the men as I would my own. I do not think there was need for me to learn the lesson. I should have done it anyway. The drift is in a dangerous condition. No men under my charge shall work there in its present condition. If you say they are to do so I shall step down and out. I do not want to feel, after an accident has occurred, that I am responsible for the maiming of a lot of men, not to mention the possible loss of life."

"That's what comes from giving a kid authority," nodded the mine captain.

The superintendent raised a restraining hand.

"I will have a look at the drift. You may come with us, Rush."

The three started away, Steve walking on ahead, the superintendent and mine captain bringing up the rear. They had gone something more than half way through the cross-cut when they saw a miner approaching them on the run. Steve saw at once that something had gone wrong.

"What's the matter?" he cried before the man got up to him.

"Twenty-four L has caved in, burying the whole crew!" panted the messenger. "There's tons of red ore and rock on them. They're wiped clean off the slate!"

CHAPTER IV

MYSTERY IN THE AIR

"RUSH, I owe you an apology. Had we listened to you, the company would have saved several thousands of dollars in damages that they will now have to pay," said the superintendent.

This conversation took place on the day following the accident in section twenty-four L. It had been a serious affair. The entire dome of the drift had caved in, starting from a crack in the rocks which the Iron Boy had p.r.o.nounced dangerous. At the time of the cave-in, the drill-man had been operating the diamond drill. The vibration had loosened the rocks and the whole roof had collapsed. The drill-man and his a.s.sistant had been killed, and nearly every other man in the drift at the time had been injured.

The unfortunate miners were quickly dug out, Steve Rush working in the dangerous drift at the imminent risk of losing his own life, with rock and ore showering about him almost every second of the time. For a time it was feared that the whole length of the tunnel would cave in, but under the direction of the superintendent fresh pillars and lagging were quickly set in place, saving the mine from more serious disaster.

"I am afraid," continued Mr. Penton, "that the mine captain in the Red Rock will be reduced to the ranks, or dropped altogether as the result of this. It is a matter that the president will have to decide."

"I am sorry, sir, if I have been the cause of trouble for him."

"Cause? Why, if he had followed your advice the disaster would not have occurred. I have made a report of the entire matter, giving you full credit. I also want to ask if you have inspected the other drifts in your shift."

"Yes, sir."

"Do you consider them safe?"

"Yes, sir. Of course, a crack is likely to develop at any time."

"I know that. But you must keep close watch on them. I have had every foreman make a careful inspection and report on the condition of the various works. Each foreman, hereafter, is to be held personally responsible for the safety of his works, so far as man can guard against accidents."

"I am glad of that, sir."

"At the same time I wish to congratulate you on the increased production of your section. It is an object lesson for the rest of the mine. I don't imagine the other foremen are pleased with the pace you have set for them."

The end of the noon hour was at hand, so Rush hurried back and descended in the cage to the level where he was to work. Later in the afternoon he and Bob Jarvis met, their sections adjoining, thus enabling them to have frequent conversations during the day.

For a time they discussed the accident of the previous day, Steve giving his companion advice about watching the condition of the drifts.