Page 121 of Atlas: The Story of Pa Salt

I met Ralph’s gaze. ‘I enjoy the work. I’d be doing it for less.’

He sighed. ‘Lord, there really is no cheering you up, is there? Frankly I’m worried about you. When we met over a year ago, I saw a man who was downhearted and broken. But the man I see before me today is... hardened. You have done a fine job here, Atlas. But you would do well to remember that life is meant to be lived above ground, not under it.’

I narrowed my eyes. ‘As I said, the lifestyle suits me.’

Ralph persisted. ‘Forgive me if this is a little crass, Atlas, but this is a heavily male environment. There are hardly any opportunities for fraternising with the opposite sex. There are plenty of eligible young ladies I know in Adelaide who would be ever so glad to meet you at Alicia Hall.’

I slowly turned to him. ‘Mr Mackenzie. Please never suggest such a thing again. I have no interest inthatwhatsoever.’

‘Very well.’

Ralph Mackenzie left, and within one month had purchased ten hectares of new land. For this reason, I increased the presence of men at the port in Adelaide, and very soon, the Mercer opal mining operation at Coober Pedy was the talk of the industry. The operation is all I think about. Each day, I wake up and concentrate on the task at hand. My brain is full of axes, and shovels, and timber and darkness. There is, therefore, no danger that my mind may stray into any other territory which I do not wish to enter.

I nearly died today.

This morning, as I was preparing export documents in my tin shack of an office, the foreman, Michael, came running in with a look of intense panic.

‘Sir! We’ve got a collapse! Three men under the rubble in shaft seven!’

Instinctively, I jumped to my feet. ‘Are they alive?’

‘Not for long, sir. I reckon the whole thing’s going to go.’

I made for the door. ‘Round up as many men as you can and bring them down to seven. Quickly!’

‘Yes, sir,’ replied Michael, and sprinted ahead of me. Then a sickening thought crossed my mind. I called out to him.

‘You say it will collapse?’

‘It’s making a terrible groaning sound, sir. I think the timber might have got the rot.’

I inhaled deeply. ‘Cancel the men, Michael. I’m not risking anyone’s life unnecessarily. I’ll go down by myself.’

‘With respect, sir, there’s no way you’ll be able to do anything on your own. They’re under a mountain of earth and wood.’

I accepted his assessment. ‘You may ask for volunteers. Explain the situation carefully. No orders. It must be their choice.’

‘Sir.’ Michael nodded, before continuing at a pace. I ran across the orange earth until I reached the entrance of shaft seven, which, as Michael had described, was producing an awful moaning sound. Without hesitation, I began to descend using the steel railings fixed to the rock. When I reached the pit, I was greeted by a storm of mud and dust. I could just make out the flashes from oil lamps, and I followed them into the dust cloud. With my hands spread out in front of me, I soon felt the presence of a miner.

‘Who’s that?’ he cried.

‘Atlas Tanit! And you?’

‘Ernie Price, sir!’

‘Show me where the men are buried.’

‘Right in front of us, sir!’ He grabbed my shoulder and directed me to the ground, where I became aware of five or six men scrabbling at a pile of earth. ‘There was an enormous cracking sound, so I ordered everyone out. But these three weren’t quick enough.’

‘The whole thing’s going to go!’ I cried. ‘You have to save yourselves!’ I pleaded.

‘This is my mine, sir, and they’re my men. I have to try!’

I became aware of a muffled screeching from beneath the earth. It focused me. ‘Stay if you want. But think of your family.’

‘You lot!’ Ernie cried, addressing the men trying to move the dirt. ‘Get out of here. Up the rails, now!’ They hesitated. ‘That’s a bloody order! Go! Now!’ They followed the instruction, dropping their pickaxes and shovels. Ernie stoically remained, and passed me a pickaxe. ‘Just keep digging, sir. It’s all we can do.’

The moaning and creaking intensified as we ferociously hit at the solid earth. ‘Hang on!’ I shouted. ‘We’re hitting timber, that’s why we’re not making any progress! The mud is piledon top of the wood! We have to dig from above, not below!’ Ernie nodded at me and followed my lead as I began to attack the pile from chest-height downwards. To my delight, the cries of the men became louder as we were able to clear more earth. ‘Keep going! We’re getting closer!’ After what seemed like hours, but in reality was probably no longer than two minutes of ferocious digging, I saw something move. ‘It’s a hand! Grab it and pull, Ernie!’ He followed my instructions as I continued to dig. Eventually, a face emerged from the rubble and spluttered. Ernie pulled the man clear, and he groaned.