In the flickering
light of my lamp I caught sight of its long ears waving over me--I
don't believe I had seen three donkeys before in my life; there were
none where I came from--and heard that demoniac shriek, and I verily
believe I thought the evil one had come for me in person. I know that
I nearly fainted.
That donkey was a discerning animal. I think it knew when it first set
eyes on us that we were not going to overwork it; and we didn't. When,
toward evening, we quit work, after narrowly escaping being killed by a
large stone that fell from the roof in consequence of our neglect to
brace it up properly, our united efforts had resulted in barely filling
two of the little carts, and we had earned, if I recollect aright,
something like sixty cents each. The fall of the roof robbed us of all
desire to try mining again. It knocked the lamps from our hats, and,
in darkness that could almost be felt, we groped our way back to the
light along the track, getting more badly frightened as we went. The
last stretch of way we ran, holding each other's hands as though we
were not men and miners, but two frightened children in the dark. . . .
[A short time later he learned of the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian
War, and at once determined to enlist.
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