Page:The Story of the Treasure Seekers.djvu/40

22 when you come out we can scrape out what you've done, with the spades. Come&mdash;be a man. You won't notice it being dark in the tunnel if you shut your eyes tight. We've all been in except Dora&mdash;and she doesn't like worms."

"I don't like worms neither." Albert-next-door said this; but we remembered how he had picked a fat red and black worm up in his fingers and thrown it at Dora only the day before.

So we put him in.

But he would not go in head first, the proper way, and dig with his hands as we had done, and though Oswald was angry at the time, for he hates snivellers, yet afterwards he owned that perhaps it was just as well. You should never be afraid to own that perhaps you were mistaken&mdash;but it is cowardly to do it unless you are quite sure you are in the wrong.

"Let me go in feet first," said Albert-next-door. "I'll dig with my boots&mdash;I will truly, honour bright."

So we let him get in feet first&mdash;and he did it very slowly and at last he was in, and only his head sticking out into the hole; and all the rest of him in the tunnel.