mines. Hence they were careful as soon as they saw any appearance of
water.
As the result of his reflections while the goblins were busy in their
old home, it seemed to Curdie that it would be best to build up the
whole of this gang, filling it with stone, and clay or lime, so that
there should be no smallest channel for the water to get into. There
was
not, however, any immediate danger, for the execution of the goblins'
plan was contingent upon the failure of that unknown design which
was to
take precedence of it; and he was most anxious to keep the door of
communication open, that he might if possible discover what that
former
plan was. At the same time they could not then resume their
intermitted
labors for the inundation without his finding it out; when by putting
all hands to the work, the one existing outlet might in a single night
be rendered impenetrable to any weight of water; for by filling the
gang
entirely up, their embankment would be buttressed by the sides of the
mountain itself.
As soon as he found that the goblins had again retired, he lighted his
Madhuri Noah
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