saw in the reflection of the headlights that his expression was gentle
and sympathetic, completely at odds with his actions.
"Where are you taking me?" she asked softly, stifling her sobs. "What
have I done wrong?"
"I have been ordered to take you to Colonel Nogo, the district
commander, for questioning in connection with shufta activities in the
Gojam," he told her, as they jolted and bounced down the rough track.
They were both silent for a while, and then the officer said quietly in
English, "The driver speaks only Amharic, I wanted to tell you that I
knew your father, Alto Zemen.
He was a good man. I am sorry for what is happening here tonight, but I
am only a lieutenant. I have to follow my orders."
"I understand that it is not your choice, or your blame."
"My name is Hammed. If I can, I will help you. For Alto Zemen's sake.,
"Thank you, Lieutenant Hammed. I need friends now."
while they waited for the dust of the cavein to settle, and for any
loose hanging rock to fall or stabilize, Nicholas dressed the minor
injuries that Ryan had sustained. The cut over her temple was not deep,
barely more than a scratch.
Nicholas saw that it did not require a stitch. He disinfected it and
covered it with a Band Aid. However, her shoulder, which the falling
rock had struck, was badly bruised. He massaged it with arnica cream.
His own bruises he treated less ceremoniously. Within an hour of the
cave-in he was ready to go back up the tunnel. He ordered Royan and
Sapper to remain on the causeway over the sink-hole while he returned to
the landing at the top of the stairs alone. He carried a bamboo pole and
a hand lamp connected to the Honda generator.
Nicholas proceeded with the utmost caution, probing the roof of the
tunnel for weakness as he went. When he reached the landing he saw at
once that the rock fall had smashed down what remained of the wkite
plaster door that had originally sealed the entrance to the tomb. The
ammunition crates, eight of which contained the statues JVI from the
shrines, had been knocked about and scattered, and some of them were
partially buried under the fallen rubble. He retrieved them and opened
each of the packed crates in turn to check the contents. With immense
relief he discovered that the stout metal containers had withstood the
rough treatment and there was no damage to the precious statues they
held. One at a time he carried them back down the tunnel as far as the
causeway and handed them into Sapper's care.
When he returned to the landing outside the tomb, Royan insisted on
accompanying him. Even his lurid descriptions of the danger of a further
rock-fall could not dissuade her. Her dismay when she stood outside the
shattered gallery was overwhelming.
"It's totally destroyed," she whispered. "All those mar, vellous works
of art. I cannot believe that Taita wanted this to happen."
"No,'Nicholas agreed ruefully. "His plan was to give us a big send-off
along the road past the seven pylons to the happy hunting grounds. And
he damned nigh succeeded."
"It's going to take a lot of hard work to clear up this mess," she said.
"What on earth are you talking about?" He turned on her in genuine
alarm. "We have saved the statues, and that's all we can hope for. Now I
think it's time to cut our losses and get out of here."
"Get out of here? Are you crazy?" She rounded on him furiously. "Are you
out of your mind?"
"At least the statues will pay our costs," he explained, and there might
even be something left over to divvy up between us, in accordance with
our agreement."
"You aren't dreaming of giving up now, when we are so close?" Her voice
rose sharply with agitation.
"The gallery is destroyed-' he began in more reasonable tones, but she
stamped her foot with agitation and shouted him down.
"The tomb is still there. Dammit! Nicky, Taita would not have gone to
those lengths if it were not. We are getting too close now - that is why
he fired that warning shot across our bows. Don't you see? We have him
really worried now. We can't give up with the prize almost in sight."
"Royan, be reasonable."
"No! No! You be reasonable." She refused to listen.
"You have to start clearing the gallery right away. I know the entrance
is open now. All we have to do is clear this mess, and I am certain that
we will find the true entrance to the tomb behind the rubble that Taita
deliberately dropped on us."
I think that bang on your head has loosened a couple of nuts and bolts."
He threw up his hands in resignation.
"But what's the use arguing with a crazy woman? We will clear just
enough of the scree to prove to you that there is nothing more to
discover in there."
"The dust is going to be our big problem." Sapper eyed the blocked
gallery entrance when they told him what they intended. "As soon as we
touch that rubble there is going to be clouds of it - more than our
little blower fan can handle."
"Right," Nicholas agreed briskly. "We will have to wet it all down. Two
lines of men back down the tunnel to the sinkholes One chain passing up
water buckets, and the other chain passing back the rubble from the
cave-in."
"It's going to take a lot of work." Sapper sucked his bottom lip
lugubriously.
"You signed on to be tough,'Nicholas reminded him.
"No time to start whinging now."
The monks, still convinced that they were engaged on the Lord's work,
accepted this new task cheerfully. They sang as they passed the chunks
of broken plaster and -rock in one direction and the clay pots of water
from the sinkhole in the other. Nicholas worked at the rock-fall with
the gang of Buffaloes, led by Hansith. It was hard, messy and dangerous
work, for each piece of rubble had to be doused with water before it
could be levered out of the pack and passed down the chain. The
staircase was soon running with muddy water and the steps were
treacherous underfoot. The fallen rock was loose and unstable, and there
was always the danger of a secondary collapse.
So many men working in the confined spaces of the gallery and tunnel
taxed the ability of the little blower fan to recirculate the air, and
it was hot and oppressive. The men stripped to loincloths and their
bodies glistened with sweat. The rubble passed back down the tunnel was
dumped into the sinkholes Even that large volume of material made no
difference to the level of the black waters. It was simply swallowed up
into the depths without trace.
Nicholas found the crowded workings so humid and claustrophobic that at
the change of the first shift he had to escape into the open air, if
only for a few minutes. Even the dark and forbidding chasm of Taita's
pool was a relief after the close confines of the underground workings.
Mek Nimmur was waiting for him when he climbed out over the wall of the
coffer dam on to the ledge beside the pool.
"Nicholas!" Mek's handsome dark face was grave. "Has Tessay returned
from Debra Maryam yet? She should have been back yesterday."
"I have not seen her, Mek. I thought she'was with you." Mek shook his
head. "I wanted to make certain that she had not returned without my men