He gave a shout when the figures of the police were
revealed in the sudden illumination and vanished suddenly.
There was not a moment to be lost. Jennings, crying to his
men, dashed ahead. As he neared the end of the burrow, for it
was nothing else, a pistol shot rang out and he felt as though
his shoulder had been pierced with a red-hot iron. But the
wound did not stop him.
"Quick, men--quick! Some stop and guard the double way.
They will try and escape that way."
His orders were obeyed with precision, and two men stopped
behind, while the rest, with Twining at their head, pressed
forward. They ran against another door, but it also was open,
as the watching man had not had time to close it. Through
this the police poured, and found themselves in a large, dry
cellar, brilliantly lighted. On every hand were the evidences
of the pursuits of the gang. But no one had time to take in
details. The startled and infuriated coiners were fighting for
their liberty. In a moment the lights were out, but not
before Jennings saw Clancy and Hale at the far end of the
cellar, with white faces and levelled revolvers. There were
other men also. Shots rang out, but in the darkness everyone
fired at random. The coiners strove to force their way to the
door, evidently anxious to gain the forked passage, so that
they could escape by one of the two exits. Twining uncovered
his lantern and flashed the light round. It converted him
into a target and he fell, shot through the heart by Hale.
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