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Updated: May 1, 2025
"I'm sure it does now, Master Mark, and what the thinks have made me see's this: if you and me had kept going on instead of sitting down, and eating and drinking till we went fas' asleep, we should have found ourselves in Ergles Hole, and if it hadn't been for the Purlrose gang, we might have worked back 'bove ground." "Why, Dummy! I don't know yes, if it's that way goes for miles.
But that night he lay in bed awake for some time, thinking about the visit to the cavernous mine, and how it honeycombed the mountainous place: then about Dummy's witches, and the fire and caldron, at the mouth of the hole by Ergles, a mighty limestone ridge about three miles away.
"I could get Dan Rugg, Dummy Rugg he's only a lad, but he's stronger than I am. Oh yes: and fourteen more at least." "That would not be fair. If you agreed to come and attack the men at Ergles, you would have to bring eight. But could you get swords and pikes for them?" "Oh yes for five times as many. How about yours?" "We've plenty of arms. They're old, but very sharp and good."
"Because we've got among the same sort of rock as you find at Ergles." "Good, lad!" burst out Dan Rugg. "That's minding your teachings. But are you right?" "Yes, father: look," said the boy, holding up his lantern toward the glittering roof of the hall in which they stood. "There it is: Blue John." Dan raised his lantern too, and drew his miner's pick from his belt. Chink, clash.
Then, as they were looking, all at once there was a ter'ble squirty noise, and a rush like wings; and there was no fire, and nothing to see. Glad I warn't there. Wouldn't go across the moor by Ergles for anything." "But you're not afraid to come along here in the dark." "'Fraid, Master Mark? No: why should I be? Nothing to hurt you here." "You're a queer fellow, Dummy," said Mark. "Yes, master.
They was coming back from Gatewell over the hills; and they see a light up by Ergles, where there aren't no lights, and they crep' up to see what it was, and looked down and see a fire, with a lot of old witches in long gowns leaning over it, and boiling something in a pot; and they think it's babies." "Why do they think that?" "I d'know, master. Because they thought so, I think.
"Why, that water in the mine where we went along, and was under us when we went to sleep that goes along under ground, right under the moorland, and it comes out again in Ergles Dale." "Do you think it goes in that direction?" Dummy nodded. "Well, but suppose it does, what then?"
"And in the sunshine it is as bright as the other hill," thought Mark, as he glanced at the left side of the dale; "not very bright, though. It's a desolate place at the best of times;" and once more he glanced up the steep slope on his right. "Wonder why they call it Ergles," he mused. "Let's see; it's up there where the cave with the hot spring is. Not a bit farther on."
Sir Edward met them as they ascended the slope, Mark having been taking mental notes all the way of the trend of the hills and the valley, seeing for certain that, in spite of its bulk and height, Ergles was a good deal lower than the range along the valley of the Gleame.
His tones chased away his master's feeling of uneasiness, and he went on: "That's a good boy; but what about your notion of this place leading into the cavern where those ruffians are? We must be far past Ergles, even if we are in the right direction." "No," said Dummy confidently, as his father, who now came up, lantern in hand, looked doubtful too. "Why do you say no, boy?" said Sir Edward.
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