Escape from the Dark Page #3

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- Oh? Why?

- They can't work while cable's laid.

- Alice, what are you doing here?

- I wanted to ask you something.

Not now, dear. I'm

busy. Come on, Carter.

Show me exactly where they've stopped.

- Now they're laying the cable here.

- That's right, sir.

And there's the lower drift heading.

Yes, I see.

Send the men home then, shall I?

Oh, yes, vey well.

Run along home. I've got a lot to do.

- Please, Father.

- All right, what is it?

It's about the pit ponies.

What will happen to them?

- Alice, I haven't got time...

- Please, Father, I want to know.

We can't turn them loose on the moors.

Not used to fending for themselves.

Isn't there a field somewhere where

they can live happily and run about?

- Who pays for their feed?

- The colliey owner.

- They work.

- Out of the question.

You can't pay for animals that

do nothing, anymore then men.

Then what will become of them?

They won't... be sent to the

slaughterhouse, will they?

Father...

Alice, you run along home. Why

aren't you with your governess?

I've got enough on my mind without

being bothered about a lot of ponies!

What is it, Alice? What's the matter?

The ponies.

He's going to kill the ponies.

There's only one thing to do.

We'll have to steal them.

Steal them?

You mean, get them out of

the mine and keep them safe?

Oh, yes!

How'll we do it?

I dunno.

- Bert would help us.

- No.

- You're not to mention it to Bert.

- But you said...

I was wrong. He might tell Luke.

- Luke likes the ponies.

- He'd be afraid of losing his place.

Couldn't we come along

at night and wind them up?

No. Somebody would hear us.

Besides, there are always people

about doing maintenance and that.

Then how can we get to them?

There must be another way in.

There'd be some old workings.

Might be a way of

getting in through them.

How do we know where they are?

Oh, they always keep

plans of all the workings.

Where?

In your father's office.

Carter. What's going on, Carter?

You'd better come over, unless you

want the whole pit standing idle.

- What's going on?

- He says I can't take this stuff down.

I've warned you time and time

again, no naked flames down there.

- Mr. Sandman!

- Well, that's enough.

- Should be somewhere here.

- Yes, but where?

Let's look up here.

Look, I've found it!

Come on.

Watch yourself!

That could've been you.

That should be the old

engine house there. Let's see.

Aye, it's a winding engine.

You know, for winding

the cage up and down.

And if we can get it working,

we could bring the ponies up!

Father, how does a winding engine work?

Alice, dear, that's hardly a

suitable subject for a young lady.

Miss Coutts, I want my

daughter to be a young lady.

And to learn French and

sewing and watercolors.

But I also want her to take an

interest in the things about her.

So, Alice, if you'd

like to come to my study,

I'll show you how a

winding engine works.

Thank you, Father.

- This should go in there.

- No, it shouldn't.

- You're doing it all wrong.

- No, I'm not.

What do girls know about machiney?

You can't put this in there.

- Any fool can see that.

- Ty lifting it up and putting it in.

Now all it needs is some grease.

Hello, Tommy. What do you want?

It's a big engine, ain't it, Hary?

Aye, it's a big engine.

And it's got a lot to do.

- Hary?

- ye

- What does it have to do?

- You know what it does.

It winds the cage up and

down and pumps the water out.

Where does the water come from?

I don't know where the water

comes from. Eveywhere, I suppose.

If you didn't pump the pit out

evey day, it would soon be flooded.

- Hary!

- ye

Goodbye, Hary.

Hey, we'd best not get too mucky

or they'll wonder where we've been.

Dave.

Come and look. I think

I've put enough on.

It must work. It must.

That valve, turn it the other way.

I've tried it. It doesn't help.

What's going on here then?

Tying to get the old

engine to go, are you?

- Well...

- What are you gonna do with it?

We're going to get the ponies up.

- Oh, Tommy!

- Up out of the pits, are you?

- And how do you think you'll do that?

- Through the old workings.

You're gonna get the

ponies up out of the pit?

You and Tommy and the little miss?

If only we could get the engine to work.

It shouldn't be too hard. It's

not so long since it was running.

First, clear the shaft-head.

Get it up.

- Right, Bert!

- Here you are, then.

Hooray!

- We did it!

I should run it up and down a

few times to work the grease in.

But not for too long.

Someone'll hear it.

Well, I must be off to the stables.

- You'll not tell Luke, will you?

- Me? I'll not tell anyone.

Now, mind, I've never seen you here

and I don't know what you're doing.

I'll go down tomorrow and find a

way through to the present workings.

- And the stables.

- ye.

If you go down to old workings

by yourself, you'll get lost.

- No, I won't.

- Yes, you will.

- Oh, give over.

- You will get lost.

Miss Coutts, I think I would

like to learn to crochet.

Really, dear?

I think I have a spare

ball ofthread here.

Ta.

- All right.

- Good luck, Dave.

Aye, good luck.

All right, Tommy.

- My dad died down in the pit.

- Was it an explosion?

I've heard my father

talk about firedamp.

That's sort of gas, isn't it?

Aye. It builds up and then

you get a spark and it goes up.

You never know when it'll happen.

Come on, Flash. Come on, lad.

Come on, Flash. What's

the matter with you?

Go on, lad. That's it.

How far will he have to go to get

through to the present workings?

Hard to say. Them levels run for miles.

- Most likely, he'll get lost.

- Tommy!

His candle will burn out and

he'll wander about in the darkness

until he falls exhausted and

lies until he's clemmed to death.

Nothing left but a skeleton.

Alice. Alice.

- Miss Coutts, where's Alice?

- Well, she...

I'm afraid Alice has been given

too much libem, Mrs. Sandman.

But I thought she was in here with you.

Yes, well, uh...

I went for my little nap

after lunch, as usual,

leaving her here with her crocheting.

Clara tells me she went out for a walk.

But where is she now?

- Tommy?

- ye

I'm...

- I'm going down.

- You mustn't!

I'm going to. I'm sure he's lost.

You haven't got a candle.

You'll get lost as well.

- It's him!

Go!

I knew you could do it!

Dave, did you get

through? What did you find?

- Did you get lost, Dave?

- Course not.

We can get right through to the

coalface where they're working now.

- I saw Flash.

- Hooray!

- We can bring 'em here.

- Don't people work here?

Only a shepherd in

winter with his sheep.

The lead miners used to work here,

but their pit's been closed for years.

Yes, this'll be the best

place to keep the ponies.

No one will ever see in.

Now then, there's some fodder

in the barn behind the pithead.

We can get it up here, and then...

Then we can keep the

ponies safe forever.

ye.

I'll shut the door.

- Dave?

- Uh?

I'm sory about your father.

Bert says the pit belongs to him

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