Rustle, rustle, rustle, he went on, and every now and then there was a
loud panting such as some wild animal would make. Then I uttered a cry
of fear, for I felt a quantity of sand strike me and I bounded aside,
for it seemed that the top was coming down.
"What's matter?" cried Shock, stopping short.
"Nothing," I said as I realised the cause of my fright. "Some of the
sand hit me."
"What! some as I chucked behind me?"
"Yes."
The scratching and tearing went on again, and I felt the sand scattered
over me several times, but the fear did not attack me again.
All at once there was a soft rushing noise, and Shock uttered a yell
which seemed to make my heart leap.
"Shock!" I cried, "Shock!" but there was no answer, only a scuffling
noise. "Shock! where are you?"
The scuffling noise continued, and their there was a loud panting, a cry
of "Oh!" and my companion staggered by me.
"Shock!" I cried.
"Oh! I say," he groaned, "I've got it all in my eyes agen. A lot come
down and buried me. I sha'n't do it no more."
He uttered a series of strange gasps and cries, shaking himself,
spitting, and stamping on the ground.
"I swallowed lots o' sand, I think, and it come down on my back horrid.
You try now."
I hesitated, but felt that I must not be cowardly if I wished for us to
escape; and so I asked him to light a match again.
He did so, and by its feeble light I saw where to work, and also that,
the place seemed to be filling up with the sand, and that we had not
half so much room as we had at first.
Then out went the light, and with a desperate haste I went down on my
hands and knees and began to tear at and throw the sand behind me,
filling up our prison more and more, but doing nothing towards our
extrication, for as fast as I drew the sand away from the tunnel more
came; and at last, just as I began to think that I was making a little
progress, I heard a rustling, dribbling sound, some hard bits of
adhesive sand fell upon my head, and I instinctively started back, as
there was a rush that came over my knees, and I knew that if I had
remained where I was, tunnelling, I should have been buried.
"What, did you get it?" cried Shock, laughing.
I was so startled that I did not answer.
"Oh! he's buried!" cried Shock in a wild tone; and he threw himself by
me, and began to tear at the sand. "Mars Grant, Mars Grant," he cried
excitedly. "Don't leave me here alone."