The boys, shouting wildly, swarmed
about the fallen rock; the girls ran round, imploring us to get Rufus
out. Rufus's sister Adriana, beside herself with terror, was screaming;
and we could hardly keep Newman Darnley from attacking Ben Murch, who,
he declared, should have brought Rufus out!
At first we were afraid that the explosion had killed Rufus; but almost
immediately we heard muffled cries for help from the cave. He was still
alive, but we had no way of knowing how badly he was hurt. Adriana
fairly flew from one to another, beseeching us to save him.
"He's dying! He's under the rocks!" she screamed. "Oh, why don't you get
him out?"
With grave faces Willis, Ben, Addison and Thomas peered round the fallen
rock and cast about for some means of moving it.
"We must pry it away!" Thomas exclaimed. "Let's get a big pry!"
"We can't move that rock!" Ben declared. "We shall have to drill it and
blast it."
But we had used all the powder and fuse, and it would take several hours
to get more. Ben insisted, however, on sending Alfred Batchelder for the
powder, and then, seizing the hammer and drill, he began to drill a hole
in the side of the rock.
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