while the pilot pointed down.
"What is it?" von Schiller followed his gesture. "What do you see?"
"The dam," Helm answered. Quenton-Flarper's dam.
He did a load of work down there."
The wide body of trapped water gleamed grey and sullen under the rain
clouds, tainted with the run-off from the highlands. The water diverted
into the side canal boiled white and angrily down into the long valley.
"Deserted!" Helm commented. "All Harper's men have pulled out."
"What is that yellow object on the bank?" von Schiller wanted to know.
"That's the earth-moving machine. You remember? My informer told us
about it."
"Don't waste any more time," von Schiller ordered.
"Nothing more to see here. Let's get on!'
Helm tapped the pilot's shoulder, and gestured downstream.
apper was waiting for them to catch up at the junction of the trail,
where the diverted river was roaring down the valley in a torrent and
had washed out a long section of the original track. The porters, strung
out in a long line down the valley, each with an ammunition crate
balanced on his head, were picking their way along the higher ground
above the water.
Tessay's litter was near the rear of the column, with Royan and Nicholas
trotting on each side of it and steadying it over the rough and uneven
sections of the path.
"Where is Hansith?" Nicholas shouted at SappeT, shading his eyes to
check the men ahead of him, and trying to pick out the big monk's
distinctive form from amongst the others in the caravan.
thought he was with you," Sapper shouted back. "I haven)
t seen him since we left the chasm., Nicholas turned and stared back the
way they had come, along the footpath through the Thorn forest.
"Damn the man," he grunted. "We can't go back to look for him. He will
have to make his own way down to the monastery."
At that moment they heard the faint but familiar flutter of rotors in
the hot, humid air below the lowering cloud masses.
"The Pegasus chopper! Sounds as though von Schiller is heading directly
for Taita's pool. He must have known all along exactly where we were
working," said Nicholas bitterly. "Not wasting any time. Like a vulture
coming in to a fresh carcass."
Royan was also looking up at the sound, trying to pick out the shape of
the aircraft against the dark clouds. Her OEM NOOF AL
, the tendrils of sweat-damp face was flushed from the ru hair dangled
down her cheeks. "If those swine are allowed to enter our tomb it will
be a dreadful desecration of a sacred place," she said angrily.
Nicholas reached-across the litter and took Suddenly determined. "You
are her arm. His expression'was stem an right. Go on down to the
monastery with Tessay. I will follow you later." Before she could
protest or question him, he strode across to Sapper.
"I am putting the two women in your care, Sapper.
Look after them."
"Where are you going, Nicky?" Royan had come up behind him, and
overheard his orders to Sapper. "What are you going to do?"
"One little chore. Won't take me long."
"You aren't going back there?" She was horrified. "You will get yourself
killed or worse. You saw what Helm did to Tessay-'
"Don't fuss yourself, my love," he laughed, and before she realized what
he intended he kissed her full on the lips.
While she was still flustered and confused by this display in front of
so many men, he pushed her gently away.
"Take care of Tessay. I will meet you at the boats." Before she could
protest further, he turned and struck out up the valley at a long-legged
lope which carried him over the rough terrain so swiftly that she had no
further chance to prevent him.
"Nicky!" she screamed after him despairingly, but he pretended not to
hear and kept going, following the diverted river upstream, back towards
the dam.
he jet Ranger followed the convoluted course of the river below the dam.
At moments they could look directly down into the narrow gap between the
high cliffs, into the shaded depths of the chasm, almost dry now, with
only the occasional gleam of the shrunken and still pools.
"There they are!" Helm pointed dead ahead. There was a small cluster of
men on the brink of the chasm.
"Make sure they aren't shufta!" There was fear in von Schiller's voice.
"No!" Helm reassured him loudly. "I recognize Nogo, and that tall one
beside him in the white shamnia is the monk Hansith Sherif, our
informer." He shouted above the engine beat at the pilot, "You can go in
and land. There!
Nogo is waving you in!'
The moment the skids of the helicopter touched the ground, both Nogo and
Hansith ran forward Between them they helped von Schiller down from the
passenger cabin and hustled him clear of the spinning rotors.
"My men have secured the area," Nogo assured him.
"We have driven the shufta down the valley towards the river. This man
is Hansith Sherif, who has been working beside Harper in the tomb. He
knows every inch of the tunnels."
"Does he speak English?" Von Schiller looked up at the tall monk
eagerly.
"A little bit," Hansith answered for himself.
"Good! Good!" Von Schiller beamed at him. "Show me the way. I will
follow You. Come on, Guddabi, it's about time you did some work for the
money I am paying you., Hansith led them quickly to the head of the
scaffolding, where von Schiller paused and looked down nervously into
the gloomy depths of the chasm, The bamboo framework seemed flimsy and
rickety, the drop deep and terrifying. Von Schiller was on the point Of
Protesting when Nahoot Guddabi whimpered behind him.
"He does not expect us to climb down there, does he?" His terror
bolstered von Schiller immediately, and he turned on Nahoot with relish.
"It is the only access to the tomb. Follow the man down. I will be close
behind you., 1VjU,)t "Putul- YY(, When Nahoot still hesitated, Helm put
a calloused hand in the small of his back and shoved him forward.
"Get on with it. You are wasting time."
MD
Reluctantly Nahoot started down the affording after SC the monk, and von
Schiller followed him. The framework of bamboo shook and swayed under
their combined weight and the drop to the rocks below sucked at them,
but at last they reached the ledge beside Taita's pool. There they stood
in a small group, staring about them in awe and wonder. .
"Where is the tunnel?" von Schiller demanded as soon as he had regained
his breath, and Hansith beckoned to him to follow him to the wall of the
small coffer dam.
Here von Schiller paused and looked around at Helm and Nogo. "I want you
to remain on guard here. I will enter the tomb with Guddabi and this
monk. I will send for you when you are needed."
"I would feet happier to be with you, to protect you, Herr von
Schiller-' Helm began, but the old man frowned at him.
"Do as I tell you!" And with Hansith steadying him he climbed stiffly
down the wall of the coffer dam into the mouth of the tunnel. Nahoot
Guddabi followed him closely.
"The lights? Where does the power come from?" von to know.
Schiller wanted
"There is a machine," Hansith explained, and at that moment they heard
the soft burble of the generator ahead one of them spoke again as they
moved down of them. the entrance tunnel after Hansith, until they
reached the bridge over the dark waters of the sinkholes
"This is very rough construction," Nahoot muttered, his uneasiness at
last giving way to professional interest. "It tomb I have does not
remind me of any other Egyptian ever inspected. I think we may have been