"How long have they been in there Abe?"
"Two days now."
"Show me where you climbed out."
Abe ran up the mountain side to the spot where he escaped the tunnel. After scaling the mountain, Tom bent over at the waist with his hands on knees, breathing hard. He then leaned into the hole and bellowed.
"ROY! ARE YOU THERE?"
Tom held his breath while listening, but heard no response. He yelled again and then listened. Nothing.
"I tossed a rock with a note tied to it before."
"Show me."
After getting another rock plus some paper out from one of Roy's books, Tom wrote out another simple note indicating he had men digging and then tossed it down the hole.
"Do they have water?"
"Yes sir, there's a spring down there and Roy had some canned food they can eat."
"Thank God. It's late, we're going back to town, but we will return just after daybreak. Let's go before it gets dark."
"I think I'll stay."
Tom stared at Abe. "You'll be better off with us. Besides, I want to know how all this happened and you can tell me all the details during the ride. My men are tired and hungry. I'd worry the bad guys coming back. It's not safe with you here all alone."
Reluctantly, Abe agreed to go with Tom.
Roy was sure he heard someone calling his name. But when he arrived at the opening in the ceiling, he could not see anyone. He yelled at the top of his lungs but never heard a response.
"Who was that Roy?"
"I'm not sure Sara. It wasn't Abe's voice, but I think I recognized it."
"It's late Roy, let's take a break."
"What's this?" Billy asked as he picked up a rock. Another note was tied to the stone.
After scanning the note, Roy looked up and smiled. "Tom has men digging from the cabin side trying to open the tunnel. It's late, so they'll be here early tomorrow to continue their work."
Sara hugged Roy's sweaty and dirty neck and then she kissed him. "I'm so happy, I'm not sure if I should laugh or cry."
"Depending on how much of the tunnel collapsed, it won't be long before they reach us. Thank you, Abe!" said Roy as he looked up at the hole in the ceiling.
Roy was tired and hungry. He sat down with Sara and Billy and they ate their last jar of food. After supper, they curled into a ball and fell asleep. Day two, Roy thought. It won't be long now.
When the morning sunlight brightened the tunnel, Roy went back to attacking the dirt blocking the entrance. Just the thought of being rescued invigorated Roy's efforts. He had difficulty moving the earth because there was no place to store it. He piled the dirt along the sides of the tunnel walls. As Roy moved more dirt from the cave-in, he was walking further away from his starting point to keep a center aisle open as a pathway.