noon
I was afraid too , but we came all the same . The proof of your courage is not whether you are afraid to do a thing or not , but whether or not you do it . '' So Derrick 's courage was tested , and withstood the test , which was indeed fortunate ; for , within a short time , he was to be placed in a position that would try the courage of the bravest man in the world . Upon reaching the surface that evening , Derrick and the mine boss found that the weather had greatly changed since noon and that a storm threatened . It set in that night , and the rain poured down in a steady , determined sort of way , as though it had made up its mind that this time , at least , the earth should be thoroughly watered . When Derrick joined the other miners at the mouth of the slope in the morning , it was still raining , and as they were lowered into the underground world , the men joked with each other about getting in out of the wet , and pitied the poor fellows who were obliged to work above-ground on such a day . Descending the second slope into the lowest level of the mine , Tom Evert and his party made an examination of the place in which they were to work .