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Tales and Novels — Volume 01 by Maria Edgeworth
page 31 of 577 (05%)
the key unluckily slipped from his thumb, and fell to the bottom of the
vat: it was so deep, that the tinkling sound of the key, as it touched
the bottom, was scarcely heard. A young man who belonged to the brewery
immediately descended by a ladder into the vat, to get the key, but
scarcely had he reached the bottom, when he fell down senseless. Henry
Campbell was speaking to one of the clerks of the brewery when this
accident happened: a man came running to them with the news, "The vat has
not been cleaned; it's full of bad air." "Draw him up, let down a hook
and cords for him instantly, or he's a dead man," cried Henry, and he
instantly ran to the place. What was his terror, when he beheld Forester
descending the ladder! He called to him to stop; he assured him that the
man could be saved without his hazarding his life: but Forester
persisted; he had one end of a cord in his hand, which he said he could
fasten in an instant round the man's body. There was a skylight nearly
over the vat, so that the light fell directly upon the bottom.

Henry saw his friend reach the last step of the ladder. As Forester
stooped to put the rope round the shoulders of the man, who lay
insensible at the bottom of the vat, a sudden air of idiocy came over his
animated countenance; his limbs seemed no longer to obey his will; his
arms dropped, and he fell insensible.

The spectators, who were looking down from above, were so much terrified,
that they could not decide to do any thing; some cried, "It's all over
with him! Why would he go down?" Others ran to procure a hook--others
called to him to take up the rope again, if he possibly could: but
Forester could not hear or understand them, Henry Campbell was the only
person who, in this scene of danger and confusion, had sufficient
presence of mind to be of service.

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