波波小说

第1部分（第1页）

…　手机访问　m。

………

¤╭⌒╮　╭⌒╮欢迎光临

╱◥██◣　╭╭　⌒

︱田︱田田｜　╰……

╬╬╬╬╬╬╬╬╬╬╬╬╬╬╬版　权　归　原　作　者

【功夫英雄qq】整理

附：【】内容版权归作者所有！

The　Underground　City

by　Jules　Verne

OR

The　Black　Indies

（Sometimes　Called　The　Child　of　the　Cavern）

CHAPTER　I　CONTRADICTORY　LETTERS

To　Mr。　F。　R。　Starr；　Engineer；　30　Canongate；　Edinburgh。

IF　Mr。　James　Starr　will　e　to…morrow　to　the　Aberfoyle　coal…mines；　Dochart　pit；　Yarrow　shaft；　a　munication　of　an　interesting　nature　will　be　made　to　him。

〃Mr。　James　Starr　will　be　awaited　for；　the　whole　day；　at　the　Callander　station；　by　Harry　Ford；　son　of　the　old　overman　Simon　Ford。〃

〃He　is　requested　to　keep　this　invitation　secret。〃

Such　was　the　letter　which　James　Starr　received　by　the　first　post；　on　the　3rd　December；　18……；　the　letter　bearing　the　Aberfoyle　postmark；　county　of　Stirling；　Scotland。

The　engineers　curiosity　was　excited　to　the　highest　pitch。　It　never　occurred　to　him　to　doubt　whether　this　letter　might　not　be　a　hoax。　　For　many　years　he　had　known　Simon　Ford；　one　of　the　former　foremen　of　the　Aberfoyle　mines；　of　which　he；　James　Starr；　had　for　twenty　years；　been　the　manager；　or；　as　he　would　be　termed　in　English　coal…mines；　the　viewer。　James　Starr　was　a　strongly…constituted　man；　on　whom　his　fifty…five　years　weighed　no　more　heavily　than　if　they　had　been　forty。　He　belonged　to　an　old　Edinburgh　family；　and　was　one　of　its　most　distinguished　members。　　His　labors　did　credit　to　the　body　of　engineers　who　are　gradually　devouring　the　carboniferous　subsoil　of　the　United　Kingdom；　as　much　at　Cardiff　and　Newcastle；　as　in　the　southern　counties　of　Scotland。　　However；　it　was　more　particularly　in　the　depths　of　the　mysterious　mines　of　Aberfoyle；　which　border　on　the　Alloa　mines　and　occupy　part　of　the　county　of　Stirling；　that　the　name　of　Starr　had　acquired　the　greatest　renown。　There；　the　greater　part　of　his　existence　had　been　passed。　Besides　this；　James　Starr　belonged　to　the　Scottish　Antiquarian　Society；　of　which　he　had　been　made　president。　　He　was　also　included　amongst　the　most　active　members　of　the　Royal　Institution；　and　the　Edinburgh　Review　frequently　published　clever　articles　signed　by　him。　He　was　in　fact　one　of　those　practical　men　to　whom　is　due　the　prosperity　of　England。　　He　held　a　high　rank　in　the　old　capital　of　Scotland；　which　not　only　from　a　physical　but　also　from　a　moral　point　of　view；　well　deserves　the　name　of　the　Northern　Athens。

We　know　that　the　English　have　given　to　their　vast　extent　of　coal…mines　a　very　significant　name。　　They　very　justly　call　them　the　〃Black　Indies；〃　and　these　Indies　have　contributed　perhaps　even　more　than　the　Eastern　Indies　to　swell　the　surprising　wealth　of　the　United　Kingdom。

At　this　period；　the　limit　of　time　assigned　by　professional　men　for　the　exhaustion　of　coal…mines　was　far　distant　and　there　was　no　dread　of　scarcity。　　There　were　still　extensive　mines　to　be　worked　in　the　two　Americas。　　The　manu…factories；　appropriated　to　so　many　different　uses；　lootives；　steamers；　gas　works；　&c。；　were　not　likely　to　fail　for　want　of　the　mineral　fuel；　but　the　consumption　had　so　increased　during　the　last　few　years；　that　certain　beds　had　been　exhausted　even　to　their　smallest　veins。　Now　deserted；　these　mines　perforated　the　ground　with　their　useless　shafts　and　forsaken　galleries。　　This　was　exactly　the　case　with　the　pits　of　Aberfoyle。

Ten　years　before；　the　last　butty　had　raised　the　last　ton　of　coal　from　this　colliery。　　The　underground　working　stock；　traction　engines；　trucks　which　run　on　rails　along　the　galleries；　subterranean　tramways；　frames　to　support　the　shaft；　pipes……in　short；　all　that　constituted　the　machinery　of　a　mine　had　been　brought　up　from　its　depths。　The　exhausted　mine　was　like　the　body　of　a　huge　fantastically…shaped　mastodon；　from　which　all　the　organs　of　life　have　been　taken；　and　only　the　skeleton　remains。

Nothing　was　left　but　long　wooden　ladders；　down　the　Yarrow　shaft……the　only　one　which　now　gave　access　to　the　lower　galleries　of　the　Dochart　pit。　Above　ground；　the　sheds；　formerly　sheltering　the　outside　works；　still　marked　the　spot　where　the　shaft　of　that　pit　had　been　sunk；　it　being　now　abandoned；　as　were　the　other　pits；　of　which　the　whole　constituted　the　mines　of　Aberfoyle。

It　was　a　sad　day；　when　for　the　last　time　the　ine；　in　which　they　had　lived　for　so　many　years。　　The　engineer；　James　Starr；　had　collected　the　hundreds　of

workmen　which　posed　the　active　and　courageous　population　of　the　mine。　Overmen；　brakemen；　putters；　wastemen；　barrowmen；　masons；　smiths；　carpenters；　outside　and　inside　laborers；　women；　children；　and　old　men；　all　were　collected　in　the　great　yard　of　the　Dochart　pit；　formerly　heaped　with　coal　from　the　mine。

Many　of　these　families　had　existed　for　generations　in　the　mine　of　old　Aberfoyle；　they　were　now　driven　to　seek　the　means　of　subsistence　elsewhere；　and　they　waited　sadly　to　bid　farewell　to　the　engineer。

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