Germinal by Émile Zola Page B

the changing-room Maheu was crouched in front of his locker taking off his clogs and his thick woollen stockings. When Étienne arrived, everything was quickly settled: thirty sous a day, it was tiring work but he’d soon get the hang of it. Maheu advised him to keep his shoes on, and he lent him an oldleather skullcap designed to protect the top of the head, a precaution which both father and children nevertheless scorned to adopt. They took their tools from the locker, which also contained Fleurance’s shovel. Then, after Maheu had locked away their clogs and stockings, as well as Étienne’s bundle, he grew suddenly impatient:
    â€˜But where the hell’s that animal Chaval got to now? Screwing some girl on a pile of spoil somewhere, I’ll bet…We’re half an hour late today.’
    Zacharie and Levaque were quietly toasting their backs. Eventually the former said:
    â€˜You’re not waiting for Chaval, are you?…He got here before we did and went straight down.’
    â€˜What? You knew and didn’t say anything?…Come on, come on, let’s get going then.’
    Catherine, who was warming her hands, was obliged to follow the group. Étienne let her pass and then climbed the steps behind her. Once more he found himself wandering in a labyrinth of dark stairs and corridors, where the tramp of bare feet sounded like the slap of old slippers. But the lamp-room was still blazing away behind its glass partition. It was full of shelves stacked with row upon row of Davy lamps, hundreds of them, which had been inspected and cleaned the night before and now burned like candles in a memorial chapel. As they passed the counter, each miner would take his lamp, which had his number stamped on it, examine it, and then close it himself; while the lamp-clerk, seated at a table, would record the time of descent in a register.
    Maheu had to request a lamp for his new putter. Then came one last safety measure: the miners were required to file past a man who checked that all the lamps were securely closed.
    â€˜Blimey! It’s not very warm in here,’ Catherine muttered, shivering.
    Ã‰tienne simply shook his head. He was standing in front of the pit-shaft, in the middle of the huge, draughty hall. He considered himself as brave as the next man, but he was unnerved by the rumble of the tubs, the dull thud of the signals, the muffled bellowing of the loudhailer, and the sight of the constantly whirring cables as they were wound and unwound atfull steam by the spools of the winding-engine. Up and down the cages went, like stealthy beasts of the night, swallowing men by the mouthful as they disappeared down the black throat of the mine. It was his turn now. He was very cold and said nothing as he waited anxiously, which made Zacharie and Levaque snigger; for they both disapproved of the stranger being taken on like this, Levaque especially, who felt hurt at not being consulted. So Catherine was pleased to hear her father explaining things to the young man.
    â€˜Can you see, up there, above the cage? There’s a safety brake, iron hooks that dig into the guides if the cable breaks. It works. Well, most of the time anyway…The shaft itself is divided vertically into three sections by wooden planks. In the middle are the cages, on the left is the emergency shaft where there are ladders – ’
    He broke off to complain, though without raising his voice too loudly:
    â€˜What’s the hold-up, for God’s sake! It’s bloody freezing in here!’
    Richomme, the deputy, was waiting to go down also, with his open lamp fixed on to a stud in his leather cap, and he heard Maheu complaining.
    â€˜Careful! Walls have ears!’ he muttered paternally with the voice of one who used to be a coal-getter and whose sympathies still lay with his comrades. ‘All in good time…Anyway, here we go. In you get with the rest of your team.’
    The cage was indeed now