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.Nulli Secundus -
'Second to None'
by Terence Cardwell
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Chapter Two - Will it ever
go away?
The black void was overwhelming, with not the slightest
trace of light. Only the sound of picks striking coal
and the occasional rattle of a coal wagon gave it any
reality.
 Joseph
sat on the small wooden box waiting for the signal. He
was terrified of his surroundings and wanted to run
away, but he had nowhere to go. So he sat and shivered.
He jumped as he saw a glimmer of light and heard the
sound of steel on stone and the rattle of chains. The
light got slowly brighter and he watched until it
appeared around the bend in the tunnel. A horse was
slowly pulling a small wagon piled with coal, led by an
old miner bent over from age and many years of working
in the mine.
It was old George, who was too weak to swing a pick and
shovel. However, he could still lead the horses,
although that tested his old legs by the end of the
shift. He should have retired long ago, but he had no
money to live on and no one to care for him.
The image was ethereal in the light of the candle lamp
as George walked past.
‘Hello, Mr. Thatcher,’ Joseph said. The voice seemed to
echo.
‘’Lo, Joseph,’ George replied as he shuffled slowly down
the tunnel. The light faded until Joseph was in pitch
darkness again.
He sat waiting, then heard a knock. It was his mother’s
signal to open the door to their small coal tunnel.
Joseph opened the door and saw his mother kneeling, a
candle lamp in her hand. Her arms and chest were bare,
covered in sweat and coal dust. Joseph could see her
eyes reflected in the light of the candle she was
carrying. Behind her was a box with lumps of coal in it.
She pulled it forward and they both tipped it into a
coal skip nearby.
He watched as she disappeared back into their tunnel,
wearing only pants and a cloth around her head. Then she
was gone; and he returned to the darkness that tested
the will of the strongest man.
He felt something brush against his leg and began to
shake. It was a mine rat, hungry for anything it could
chew on. Then another one rubbed against him, making him
cringe even more.
One crawled up on his lap searching for the warm flesh
it knew could be found there. The other ran up his arm
and sniffed at his neck. They were huge, big as cats,
and to Joseph they were the monsters from hell.
He wanted to run but couldn’t move, petrified with fear.
The first rat had found his clenched hands and was
sniffing them; the second rat’s whiskers tickled him as
it sniffed his neck searching for soft flesh. Suddenly
it bit into the back of his neck. The first rat followed
suit, biting into his fingers. He felt the needle sharp
teeth sink in, trying to tear a piece of flesh from his
hand. The pain was excruciating. Joseph tried to scream
but nothing came out. He tried to move but was frozen in
fear. ‘Move, jump up, wave your arms, shake them off.’
His body would not respond to his terrified mind.
Suddenly he found an inner strength and jumped up,
screaming and waving his arms, trying to remove the
biting rats. His screams echoed in the mine shaft,
giving the horror an even more surreal effect. The rats
were not to be deterred easily and hung on, biting
deeper, pulling at his flesh.
Joseph screamed louder and tried to pull the rats off,
but they wouldn’t let go. ‘Get them off, get them off,’
he screamed desperately.
‘Joe, Joe. It’s all right. It’s all right,’ a voice was
calling.
‘ Mummy, get them off, Mummy,’ he screamed.
‘Joe. Joe. I’m here, it’s Alathea.’
The vision faded and Joseph opened his eyes to find he
was lying in bed. Alathea was leaning over him, shaking
him.
‘It’s gone now, Joe. You’ve had another nightmare,’ she
said, hugging him and stroking his face.
Joseph slowly sat up. He was covered in perspiration and
was shaking. ‘Oh thank God for that— will it never go
away?’
Alathea had explained to her children why their father
had nightmares. ‘It was terrible in the old days. Women
and children had to work underground and push the wagons
themselves. There were rats as big as cats, and it was
hot as hell, and you had to get your quota or you got
little money.’ She shook her head in dismay.
‘In 1858 the government carried out an investigation of
coal mine owners and the working conditions in these
mines. And would you believe, they didn’t know what the
damn mine owners were doing? They couldn’t believe that
women were working almost naked on hands and knees and
children as young as four working underground in coal
mines and being attacked by rats.
‘So they made a law banning the employment of women and
children under the age of twelve underground.’ Alathea
clapped her hands. “Your Granddad and Grandma were
thrilled that she didn’t have to go underground
anymore.’
‘What about the quota? They wouldn’t be able to reach
it,’ Jack asked.
‘Well, most of the mine owners were very upset and said
they couldn’t make a profit if the government insisted
on enforcing the law. But the government told them to go
to hell. So they had to set new quotas.’
‘I heard that they are making huge profits, and that
there Lord Lisle or whatever his name is, even built a
castle in Cardiff and lined the roof in solid gold,’
Grace, the eldest daughter said, with venom in her
voice.
‘Yes, built at the expense of the misery and suffering
of us coal miners,’ Alathea replied.
‘Can’t we get out of here and go somewhere else? Start
again?’ Jack asked.
‘Oh, would that we could,’ Alathea sighed. ‘But we’re
trapped like the rest of ’em. We’ve got no money to get
away. We’re trapped just as firmly as them there Negro
slaves to those plantation owners in America.’
‘Well, we’re not staying. Are we Jack?’ Thomas said,
putting his arm over Jack’s shoulders. ‘As soon as we’re
old enough we’re joining the army. Jack’s going in the
Coldstream and I’m joining the Grenadiers,’ he announced
proudly.
Why didn’t Dad join up?’ Jack asked.
Joseph, who sat smoking his pipe and listening, said, ‘I
would have, lad but I would be in London or sent
overseas and you lot would be here. I can’t do that.
That’s why I took up boxing to earn a few bob extra. You
get pretty fit in yon mine, so that helps.’
Alathea looked at him, admiring his physique and
fitness, one of his greatest assets. He stood five foot
eleven inches tall, and weighed fifteen stone five
pounds without an ounce of fat on his body. Mining with
a pick had built his shoulders and chest to admirable
proportions, and at the age of forty-two years he was in
his prime.
‘Well now, you kids know what’s what. But stay away from
that bloody gambling— it’s broke many a poor miner,’
Joseph growled. ‘They’ve nearly all lost their money.’
‘Unless you’re the bookie,’ Grace added with a small
grin.
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