I  waited  for  my  wife, who  was  to  come  after  me  with  my  lieutenant  and  a  servant. I  waited  a  long  while,  but  no  one  came.  Finally,  rather  disturbed, I  retraced  my  path  ;  when, lo !  half  way  along  my  road,  I heard  the  most  wretched  groaning. It  seemed  to  be  close  by ; and,  meanwhile,  I  could  not discover  any  signs  of  a  living creature.  I  dismounted,  and placed  my  ear  to  the  ground,  and I  soon  found  that  the  groans came  from  beneath  the  earth.  I recognised  the  voices  of  my  wife,  my  lieutenant,  and  the  servant. I  remembered,  on  the  moment,  that  they  were  not  far  off from  the  spot  where  I  had  opened  a  shaft  for  a  coal  mine ; and  I  had  no  doubt,  alas !  that  my  wife  and  her  companions had  been  swallowed  up  in  it.  From  the  nearest  village  I obtained  the  assistance  of  the  miners,  who,  with  the  most stupendous  exertions,  succeeded  in  rescuing  the  unfortunates from  the  pit,  which  was  not  less- than  ninety  feet  in  depth. They  brought  up  to  the  bank  the  servant  and  his  horse,  then the  lieutenant  and  his  horse ;  finally,  my  wife  and  her  little Barbary  horse.  The  most  extraordinary  part  of  the  affair  is,  that notwithstanding  this  frightful  accident,  no  one — either  horse  or person — was  wounded,  with  the  exception  of  some  insignificant bruises ;  but  they  were  awfully  frightened.

On  the  following  morning  I  had  to  leave  about  a  matter of  business,  and  I  was  detained  by  it  for  some  days.  Im- mediately on  my  return,  I  inquired  for  my  dog  Diana,  whom  I had  quite  forgotten  on  the  day  when  we  were  excited  with  our adventure.  No  information  could  be  obtained  from  my  servants, who  were  in  despair  of  ever  seeing  her  again.  A  brilliant  idea, however,  struck  me  ;  she  is  still  remaining  in  guard  over  the partridge.

I  started  off  at  once,  full  of  hope  and  joy,  and,  arrived  there, what  did  I  see?  My  bitch,  motionless,  in  the  selfsame  place where  I  had  left  her  fifteen  days  before.  "  Down  !  "  I  cried.  She dropped  her  point  at  once,  and  put  up  the  partridges,  of  which I  killed  twenty-five  at  a  single  shot.  But  the  poor  creature  was so  lean  and  famished,  that  she  had  scarce  strength  enough  to come  up  to  me.  Indeed,  I  should  never  have  got  her  home, had  I  not  taken  her  up  before  me  on  my  horse ;  you  can imagine,  however,  the  delight  with  which  I  resigned  myself  to this  inconvenience.  A  few  days  of  rest  and  care  made  her  as •  fresh  and  lively  as  ever ;  but  some  weeks  elapsed  before  I found  myself  in  a  position  to  solve  an  enigma  that,  without her  aid,  would,  doubtless,  have  remained  for  ever  incomprehensible to  me.

- Chapter 3