Dusky turned away from the trail like a hunted rabbit. Biggles followed blindly, not so much because he had any faith in his leadership-at least, in the present circ.u.mstances- as because he did not want to lose him. Presently he found himself splashing through mud, and saw the tall reeds that fringed the river just ahead. Dusky made for a tree on which the limbs grew low. Flinging aside his rifle, he went up it like a monkey. Biggles went after him, but kept his rifle, looping it over his shoulder by the sling to leave his hands free for climbing.
He thought Dusky would never stop going up, and for some absurd reason the memory of Jack and the Beanstalk flashed into his mind. The ground was about a hundred feet below when Dusky suddenly disappeared and Biggles, still following, found himself in a strange new world. They had arrived, so to speak, in a new jungle, a jungle with a fairly level floor from which sprang orchids and ferns, with great growths of moss and lichen.
Now Biggles had heard of these different "layers" of forest, raised one above the other, but this was the first time he had ever seen one, and he looked about with interest. It was easy to see how they were formed. Branches fell, but instead of falling to the ground, they were caught by the branches below them. Across these in turn fell other branches, twigs and leaves, to form eventually a substantial carpet. On this carpet seeds fell from the flowering tree-tops. Others were dropped by birds. These took root and flourished for a time; then, dying, the seedlings collapsed, to give extra thickness to the mat of rotting debris. Over a period of centuries this mat became as firm as the solid earth far beneath, and supported a flora and fauna of its own. Here among the green tree-tops dwelt birds, and rats, and other small creatures.
Biggles was recalled from his contemplation of this pleasant scene by Dusky, who whispered, "We hide here."
Biggles nodded. He was in no mood to argue. All the same, he began to regret that he had left the others. He wondered what they were doing. Could he have seen them he would have been a good deal more disturbed in his mind than he was.
DESPERATE DIVERSIONS.
IF Biggles supposed that Algy, Ginger and Eddie were sitting quietly in the underground chamber waiting for him to come back-and there was no reason why he should think otherwise-he would have been wrong. Very wrong. Things had happened. Several things.
They began soon after Algy"s discovery that, as a result of the explosion, the stone over the exit had jammed. At least, that is what they thought. As a matter of fact, a block of masonry had fallen on it. Masonry had fallen all over the place. Comparatively speaking, this particular piece was not heavy, but it was of sufficient weight to upset the finely adjusted mechanism of the pivot and so prevent the slab from being tilted open from the inside. Those below it did not know this. As Algy remarked, "The thing has stuck." They were not at first unduly perturbed, for they a.s.sumed that Biggles would return and do something about it. But when presently the sound of many footsteps could be heard overhead, Algy began to get worried. This was, of course, when the Tiger and his men gathered round the scene of the explosion.
Conversing in low tones, the comrades tried to visualise the scene outside, and as a result of their combined imaginations they arrived fairly near to the truth.
"They"ve either brought up a cannon and sh.e.l.led the place, or else blown it up with a stick of dynamite," declared Algy.
I only hope they didn"t get Biggles at the same time," muttered Ginger.
"He"d been gone a fair while," Algy pointed out. "He should have got clear."
"We shall have to wait until he comes back."
"We should have done that in any case," reminded Algy. Time pa.s.sed, a long time, and still Biggles did not return. There were no longer any sounds outside.
"Surely it"s time he was back?" murmured Ginger. "This is awful, sitting here doing nothing."
I"m afraid you"re right," agreed Algy. If everything had gone according to plan he should have been back by now. It begins to look as if something went wrong."
"What can we do about it?"
"Nothing. At least, I can"t think of anything. Have you any ideas, Eddie?"
Eddie answered that he had not. "I must have been nuts to set out on this jaunt with a pair of cheap crooks," he added disgustedly-which made it clear how he felt about the whole business.
"How about striking a match and having a look at the slab?" he suggested presently. "
Perhaps we shall be able to see what"s happened." They had of course been sitting in the dark.
"Yes, we might do that," agreed Algy. "But we shall have to go steady with the matches- there aren"t many left."
"Why is it n.o.body seems to have any matches when they are really needed?" remarked Eddie bitterly.
I"ll see it never happens to me again," declared Ginger.
"Before I set out on another trip I"m going to have a special belt made, one to go under my shirt. It will have little pockets all round it. In them I shall carry everything I"ve always wanted when I haven"t had them-a box of matches, and an electric torch, a penknife with all sorts of gadgets in it, chocolates, string A few bombs and a Tommy gun," sneered Algy. "Pity you didn"t think of it earlier. Stop romancing. Let"s get down to bra.s.s tacks. I"m going to strike a match, so get ready to have a look round."
As he spoke he struck the match. It flared up, dazzling them. As their eyes grew accustomed to the light they examined the slab eagerly, but there was nothing to indicate the cause of the trouble. Just as the flame was expiring a wild yell from Eddie nearly made Ginger fall off the step. The match went out.
"What"s wrong? What are you yelling about?" snapped Algy.
It"s gone!"
"Gone? Who"s gone? I mean, what"s gone?"
"The idol."
"You"re crazy! Where could it go?"
I tell you it"s gone," insisted Eddie. "I happened to glance that way. It"s no longer there."
"Strike another match, Algy," put in Ginger nervously. "I don"t like the idea of an image prowling about."
In his haste Algy dropped all the matches, and several seconds pa.s.sed-much to Ginger"s irritation-before they could be collected.
Tor the love of Mike get a move on," he growled.
Another match flared, and they all stared in the direction of the image. One glance was enough. Eddie was right. It was no longer there.
With one accord, prompted by mutual curiosity, they started walking towards the place where it had been, but before they were half-way the match went out. Still, they had seen enough to give them an idea of what had happened.
"Strike another match," urged Ginger.
"We can"t go on striking matches at this rate," protested Algy.
"Wait a minute. I"ll tear a strip off my shirt," offered Ginger. There came a noise of tearing material. "All right, go ahead," he resumed. "I hope the stuff will burn."
Another match blazed, and Ginger lighted the piece of material that he now held in his hands. "That"s better," he said, as it flared up.
It was now possible to see precisely what had happened. The explosion had evidently been more severe than they had supposed, for there were several cracks in the walls and ceiling. With these they were not concerned. Their attention was riveted on a more interesting development. At first they could not understand what had become of the idol, but as they drew near they saw that the shock of concussion had caused it to tilt forward, revealing a square aperture behind it, a hole into which the base of the idol had previously fitted.
In order to reach this opening Algy had to climb on the back of the idol, but as soon as he touched it it swung still lower in a manner that explained how it operated. The idol was, in fact, a door, hinged at the bottom by a balancing device similar to the one that worked the slab above. So perfectly poised was the idol that the slightest pressure was sufficient to move it, but what hidden spring actuated it could not be discovered. With such precision did the ponderous stone with the carved face fit into the recess behind it, that, had not the explosion exposed the secret, it would not have been suspected.
"This is getting interesting," murmured Algy.
"You bet it is," declared Ginger enthusiastically. "Go ahead. Let"s see what"s inside."
"You"ve got the light, go ahead yourself," invited Algy.
"Say, why argue? Let"s all go," put in Eddie. And in a moment they were all standing in the dark doorway, Ginger holding up the piece of burning stuff in order to throw a light as far as possible.
As a means of illumination the strip of shirt left much to be desired, but in its smoky yellow glow they saw three broad steps that led down into another chamber, a long, low room with what appeared to be heaps of debris piled at intervals on the floor. There was only one piece of furniture-a curiously carved chair.
"There doesn"t seem to be anything to get worked up about," observed Ginger in a disappointed voice, as they advanced slowly down the steps.
As Ginger trod on the bottom step it seemed to give under his weight, and he fell back with a cry of alarm. The light went out. Simultaneously, the chamber echoed to a dull, hollow boom.
Algy needed no invitation to relight the piece of rag. At first glance there appeared to be no change in the scene, and it was Eddie, who happened to glance behind him, who called attention to what had occurred. The entrance had disappeared. The idol had swung back into place.
"When I was a kid," announced Eddie sadly, "my Ma always swore that my inquisitiveness would be the death of me. I guess she was right. Unless we can find the gadget that tips old frosty-face, I reckon we"re here for keeps."
"Let"s have a look before we try to find it," suggested Algy. "You may not have noticed it, but that idol fits into its socket like a piston into a cylinder. So does the outside slab. In that case, how does it happen that the air in here is so fresh? Look at the light. You don"t suppose it would burn like that if the chamber wasn"t ventilated somehow?"
"You"re right," agreed Ginger, sinking into the chair.
In an instant he was on his back, for the chair had collapsed in a cloud of dust. It did not break; it just crumbled, like tinder. "That chair must have been standing there an awful long time," said Eddie slowly.
Ginger, sneezing, sat on a pile of debris. It sank a little under his weight, and gave a soft metallic clink. A curious expression came over his face as he picked up a handful of the stuff. He said no word, but turning an amazed face to the others, allowed the pieces to drop one by one from his hand. They fell with a dull clink.
Tor the love of Mike," breathed Eddie. "It"s metal."
Ginger laughed hysterically. "Feel the weight of it," he cried. It"s gold!"
In a moment they were all on their knees examining their find, and soon established that the objects were not coins, but an extraordinary collection of small carved objects, trinkets, flowers, ears of corn, and the like. Digging into the pile, Algy pulled out a drinking-mug made in the form of a potato.
It"s the treasure all right," he said in a strained voice, just as the light burnt out. "
Unfortunately, it"s no earthly use to us at the moment, but it"s nice to know it"s here. Rip another strip off your shirt," he ordered. "Let"s see about getting out of this trap."
Ginger obliged, and by mutual consent they returned to the steps, from where they made a close examination of the back of the idol. They tried coaxing it open, and failing in this, they tried force. But it was no use. They could see the cracks that marked the dimensions of the opening clearly enough, but nothing they could do would widen them.
"We"re wasting our time," said Eddie in a melancholy voice.
"Don"t you believe it," returned Ginger. "The old priests, or whoever made this dugout, wouldn"t fix the thing without making some way of opening it from the inside. There"s a trick in it. All we"ve got to do is to discover it."
If they were cute enough to make a trap like this you can bet your sweet life the trick won"t be easy to solve," said Eddie. "Only those in the secret could get in and out."
"What I should like to know," remarked Algy, "is where the fresh air is coming from. It can"t percolate through solid stone."
"You"re dead right," affirmed Eddie. "There must be a hole, or a feed-pipe somewhere.
And I"ll tell you something else. Even if there is a hole the air couldn"t get in if we were below the level of the ground."
"What are you talking about?" demanded Ginger. "Of course we"re below the level of the ground. We came downstairs."
unless the guys who built this hide-out installed a mechanical air-conditioning plant, which I"m not prepared to believe, then I say the air is coming in from some point below us," declared Eddie.
I think you"re right," agreed Algy thoughtfully. "If we can find the hole we shall know more about it."
Abandoning the sealed doorway, they set about exploring the chamber, starting with the walls; but everywhere the ma.s.sive stones of which the chamber was composed fitted so perfectly that the task seemed hopeless. Eddie turned his attention to the floor, dropping on his knees to examine it more closely.
"You"ve got to remember that the ancients were clever engineers, but even so, their work was limited to simple mechanics," he remarked. "They had a primitive idea of hydraulics and levers, so " The voice broke off abruptly. It was followed by a soft thud.
Algy looked round. So did Ginger. Then they stared at each other.
"Hi! Eddie!" shouted Ginger.
There was no answer.
Ginger turned wondering eyes to Algy. "He"s-he"s gone!" he gasped.
"D"you think I"m blind?" sneered Algy with bitter sarcasm, which revealed the state of his nerves. "Where was he when he disappeared?"
Ginger shook his head. "I don"t know. I was looking at the wall."
All right. Let"s not get excited. There"s dust on the floor. When we find the place where it has been disturbed we shall know where he was when he did the disappearing act."
I hope he isn"t hurt," muttered Ginger.
"He"s probably groping about on the wrong side of one of these slabs, trying to get back,"
a.s.serted Algy, taking the light from Ginger"s hand and starting to explore the flagstones which formed the floor. - "This is the place," he announced presently. "Apart from the dust, the cracks round this slab are wider than the others."
"Perhaps it tilts, like the one up top," suggested Ginger.
"That must be the answer, otherwise Eddie couldn"t very well have fallen through,"
replied Algy. "Yes, that"s it," he went on quickly. "The dust on this slab has disappeared. It probably fell into the hole, or whatever there is underneath, when Eddie went through.
We"re getting warm. I expect it"s a case of applying weight to one particular spot. The most likely place would be near the edge, just here- Hi!"
Ginger grabbed Algy by the legs as the stone tilted suddenly and he started to slide. He nearly went in head first, and probably would have done had not Ginger dragged him back. As they struggled clear the stone swung back into place.
"Why did you let the hole close up again?" asked Ginger in a disappointed voice.
"Don"t worry about that. We know the trick now," answered Algy breathlessly. "I don"t want to land on my skull. We"ll take this slowly; and as the trap closes automatically we"
d better jam it open with something, otherwise it may close behind us and prevent us from getting back."
Ginger went to one of the heaps of treasure and returned with what looked like a wand, or sceptre. "This ought to do," he said.
"Fine," agreed Algy. "Slip it in the crack when the stone moves. As soon as the crack is wide enough we"ll drop a match in to see how deep the hole is underneath-if there is a hole."
By the light of the match they ascertained that there was, a drop, but only of about six feet; and the first thing they saw was Eddie lying crumpled up at the bottom, evidently unconscious.
Algy dropped down to him. There was no other way. Originally there had been a wooden ladder, but it now lay mouldering in a heap of dust. While Algy was examining Eddie, Ginger observed that the newly discovered cavity bore no likeness to the room they were in. It was more like an artificial cave, with the sides left rough. He also remarked a definite draught of air, refreshingly cool.
"How is he?" he called from above.
"He"s got a nasty bruise on the forehead. He must have landed on his head; the blow knocked him out, but I don"t think it"s serious."
Is that a room or a tunnel you"re in?"
Algy held up the match and looked round. "It"s a tunnel," he said. "You"d better come down. Jam the flags open so that we can get back if necessary."
Ginger dropped into the cave. "I say! A disturbing thought has just occurred to me," he remarked.