Another time, after a big
rain, with the help of some friendly rocks who had rushed down to
his help, he had snapped his jaws tight shut, penning the devils
up inside, but a hundred others had wrenched them open, breaking
his teeth, shoring up his lips with iron beams, tearing out what
was left of his tongue. He could only sulk now, breathing hard and
grunting when the pain was unbearable. One thought comforted him,
and one only: Far back in his bulk he knew of a thin place in his
hide,--so thin, owing to a dip in the contour of the hill,--that
but a few yards of overlying rock and earth lay between it and the
free air.
Here his tormentors had stopped; why, he could not tell until he
began to keep tally of what had passed his mouth: The long trains
of cars had ceased; so had the snorting locomotives; so had the
steam drills. Curious-looking boxes and kegs were being passed in,
none of which ever came back; men with rolls of paper on which
were zigzag markings stumbled inside, stayed an hour and stumbled
out again; these men wore no lamps in their hats and were better
dressed than the others.
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