The Moon Metal

that Dr. Max Sy

rew Hall, who had charge of the operations of one of the mini

d President Boon, who was the pr

e is no free metal in this mountai

imself from his mine,"

mine, his foremen are forbidden to talk, and his workmen are speci

scattered over the mountain? And, beside, what object could Dr. Syx

is object, I confess I am entirely in the dark; but, for all that, I am

Syx himself admit that he found no free artemisium until his tunnel had reach

le a thoughtful look crossed his clear-cut brow, "but since you desire it, of course

bore in whatever direction you t

community of tastes in many things had made me intimately acq

, unless I am a dreamer, something remarkable will happen w

ntensely excited, but, knowing his peculiarities, I did not press him for an explanatio

sterday I paid off the men and dismissed them with the announcement, which, I am confident, President Boon will sanction after he hears my report of this morning's work, that

ng a hand-drill capable of making a hole not more than an eighth of an inch in diameter, cautiously began boring in the centre of the larger cavity. He had

; I'm going to pu

de I could detect his movements. He pulled out the drill, and for ha

mmediately the faint grating of a sharp tool cutt

aid, "I think that wi

t the hole and was gazing with breathless

, pushing me into the proper posi

ceived that I was gazing into a narrow tunnel which met ours directly end to end. Glancing along the axis of t

o change direction and then abandoned the work, and in this elbow I could just see the outlines of two or three flat cars loa

u are looking at?" a

ied, "that you have accident

ccident wouldn't have happened," replied

you were changing the direction of your tunnel.

y opinion and saving the company's funds. An electric indicator, of my invention, enabled me to locate the Syx tunnel when I got near it, and I have met it end on, and opened this peep-hole in order to observe the doctor's operations. I feel that such spying is entirely justified in the circumstances. Although I cannot ye

that you have exposed anything ye

clearly after a whi

his lips. He remained staring through the hole for several minutes without uttering a word. Presently I notic

five minutes. Not a sound was audible to me, but, by an occasional pressure of the hand, Hall signi

t seen and overheard was of a nature to admit of no interruption. He is still talki

is

for yo

eet of the wall of rock behind which we crouched stood Dr. Syx, his dark profile looking almost satanic in the sharp contrast of light and shadow. He was t

ey for their experience, and I rather think we shall not be

art was in my mouth, for at first I believed from his expression that he had detected the gleam of my eyeball. But if so, he probably mistook it for a bit of mica i

, "they will never gu

k, and strode away towards the entrance. The foreman paused long e

Hall, "what ha

him eve

that he was led to talk as he did to the foreman on account of the latter's having informed him of the sudden discharge of my men this morning. Their presence within ear-shot of our hiding-place during their conversation was, of cour

fully plugging up the hole in the rock. When it was close

e asked, "that there

do you

h of a smaller tunnel entering the main one be

of a dark hole there, but I paid no attention

more than a glance. As a subject of thought I find it eve

ued, a little piqued by his manner, "being a branch of the main tu

ilroad track was there plain enough. And, whether you think it remarkable or not, I should like to

, "I shall not presume to match my stupidity against

ing, and, slapping me good-natur

back at a fellow like that, I shall be