Thud. Thud. Thud.   The pickaxe slammed its pointed nose into the dark stone time and time again.   A flick of the wrist and the head drags through the loose stone, now scattered about, as tired eyes search not for traces of ore nor gem, but something more.   The tumbling of stones as the minerals are poured into a cart.   The squealing of the wheels as the cart is pushed down the long narrow tunnel with its new load.   Memories of a time when li