‘Well, something did. Come on. Let’s go.’
She looked a little fearfully into the darkness.
‘You don’t think they’ll come after us, do you, Vic?’
‘No. They won’t bother us. Come on.’
We started off down the tunnel. I used my torch. The light was feeble, but if this was going to be a long job, we’d need Paula’s torch later.
Half-way down we came to another tunnel that turned to the left. I remembered Dedrick had gone that way.
‘Round here,’ I said.
‘Why not straight on?’
‘Dedrick went this way.’
We turned left and went on for about a hundred yards. At end of the tunnel, another tunnel, intersecting it, went away into darkness both to the right and left.
‘Now which way?’
‘Toss for it. Your guess is as good as mine.’
‘Let’s go right.’
We went right. The ground was uneven and after walking some minutes, I realized we were going downhill.
‘Now, wait a minute. This goes down. We should be going up. We’d better go back and try the left-hand branch.’
‘You see what I mean?’ There was an edge to her voice I had never heard before. That’s what’s been happening to me. I’ve walked for hours.’
‘Come on.’
We went back to the intersection and started off down the fennel to the left. We walked for perhaps five minutes then suddenly we were confronted by solid rock.
‘I—I don’t think you’re going to be much better at this than me,’ Paula said breathlessly.
‘Take it easy.’ I was a little worried about her. She was usually so cool and unruffled. I had an idea she wasn’t far off hysteria at this moment. ‘Maybe that other way goes down and then up. We’ll try it.’
‘I was crazy to come down here alone!* She caught hold of my arm. ‘Why didn’t I get Mifflin? We’re lost, Vic. We could go on like this for weeks.’
‘Come on,’ I said sharply. ‘Don’t waste time talking a lot of mush. We’ll be out of this in ten minutes.’
She made an effort, and when she spoke again her voice was calmer.
‘Sorry, Vic, I’m rattled. I’m terrified of being underground like this. I feel shut in and buried.’
‘I know. Now, get hold of yourself. Once you start feeling sorry for yourself, you’re sunk. Come on, kid.’ I linked my arm in hers and we set off again.
The ground sloped steeply and we began to descend into what seemed a black pit.
Suddenly my torch went out.
Paula clung to my arm, stifling a scream.
‘It’s all right. Put yours on,’ I said. ‘Mine was due to fade. It’s a wonder it’s lasted so long.’
She gave me her torch.
‘We’d better hurry, Vic. This won’t last long.’
‘It’ll last all we want.’
Having someone to steady made it easier for me. But we increased our pace, both knowing we would be in a bad spot if the torch failed us before we could find a way out of the mine.
We kept going down, and the farther we went the more stifling the air became. Then to add to our troubles the roof of the tunnel became lower with every step we took.
Suddenly Paula stopped.
‘This isn’t the way!’ Her voice was high-pitched. ‘I know it isn’t! Let’s go back.’
‘It must be the way. Dedrick turned left at the end of the tunnel. I watched him. Come on, let’s look a little further.1
‘Vic; I’m scared.’
She backed away from me. I could hear her rapid breathing, and I flashed the light on her face. She was white and her eyes were wild looking.
‘I—I can’t stand any more of this! I’m going back! I can’t breathe!’
I was having trouble with my breathing too. There was a tight feeling around my chest and every lungful of air I took in had to be fought for.
‘Another hundred yards. If it doesn’t take us anywhere we’ll go back.’
I caught hold of her arm and pulled her along. Fifty yards farther on, there was another intersection. The air was very] bad now.
‘There you are,’ I said. ‘I told you we’d come to something. We’ll go right. If it goes down we’ll turn back and try the other way.’
She went with me.
Every new tunnel we came to was exactly like the others. We might just as well be walking up and down the same tunnel of all the progress we seemed to be making. And as we went on into the darkness, walking became more difficult. My legs felt heavy, and I had to make a continuous effort to move them. Paula was gasping for breath, and I had to help her along.
But at least the floor of the tunnel wasn’t going down. If anything, it was going up.
‘I’m sure we’re on the right road now,’ I gasped. ‘We’re climbing.’
She leaned more heavily on me.
‘The air’s awful. I – I can’t go much farther.’
I put my arm round her and helped her along. The roof of the tunnel was getting lower. We had to bend our heads. Another twenty yards and we were bent double.
We stopped, gasping for breath.
‘We must go back, Vic!’
She pushed away from me and began to stagger back the way we had come. I stumbled after her, jerked her round.
‘Don’t act the fool, Paula! Now, come on. You’re getting into a panic.’
‘I know,’ She clung to me. ‘I can’t help it. It’s this awful darkness.’
I could feel her trembling against me.
‘Let’s sit down for a moment. We’re going to get out of this; only, you’ve got to keep calm.’
We sat down, and immediately discovered the air was a lot better near the floor of the tunnel. I pushed her flat and lay beside her.
After a few minutes the tightness around my chest and the weights around my limbs went away.
‘This is better.’
‘Yes.’ She half sat up, pushing her hair off her face. ‘I’m behaving awfully badly. I’m sorry. I’ll try not to do it again.’
‘Forget it,’ I said and took her hand. ‘You’ve got a touch of claustrophobia. You’ll get over it. Feel like moving? We’ll crawl some of the way. Keep your nose close to the ground. I’ll go first.’
We crawled over the rough ground, bruising our hands and knees. After a while we had to stop again. I was sweating, and my breath rasped at the back of my throat. Paula flopped beside me: all in.
‘Do you really think we’ll get out?’ she asked in a small voice.
‘Yeah; we’ll get out,’ but my voice carried no conviction. ‘We’ll take it easy for a few minutes; then we’ll go on.’
I was beginning to realize that Dedrick couldn’t have come this way. It looked as if we had taken a wrong turning somewhere. The thought of being in this mine much longer was beginning to get on my nerves.
Suddenly she gripped my arm.
‘What’s that?’
I listened.
Somewhere in the mine, I had no idea how far away or how near, there came the sound like rain falling and the soft rustle of dry leaves.
‘What is it, Vic?’
‘I don’t know.’
‘It sounds like rain.’
‘Can’t be. Keep still!’
We sat motionless, listening.
The pattering sound was nearer now: a sound of a thousand little leathery feet running over pebbly ground. I knew what the rustling sound was. I’d heard it before: only it wasn’t one or four, but hundreds.
The rats were on the move!
V
I jumped to my feet.
‘Come on. Let’s see how fast you can run.’
‘What is it?’ Paula said, scrambling up.
I grabbed her hand.
‘Rats! Now, come on. Don’t be frightened. We’ll lose them.’
Bent double, we ran down the tunnel. The pattering sound behind us grew louder. We blundered on, stumbling over stones, banging against the rough
walls, but keeping up some sort of pace. The tunnel curved to the right; turning the corner, we found more head room. After a few yards it was possible to stand upright
‘Stretch your legs,’ I said, and increased my speed, dragging her along with me.
The going was easier now. We kept on, gasping for breath, running blindly into the darkness. The tunnel seemed endless. Suddenly Paula lurched and would have fallen if I hadn’t swung round and steadied her. She leaned against me, sobbing for breath.
‘I’m done!’ she gasped. ‘I can’t go any farther.’
‘You can, and you’re going to!’
I put my arm round her and forced her on, but we had gone only a few hundred yards when her knees buckled and she sprawled on the ground.
‘Give me a minute. I’ll be all right. Just give me a minute.’
I leaned limply against the wall, my ears cocked, while I struggled to control my laboured breathing. The pattering sound had died away, but I knew we wouldn’t have more than a moment’s respite.
‘We’ve got to keep moving.’
Away in the distance, the pattering sound began again. Paula staggered unsteadily to her feet.
‘Come on,’ I said and, supporting her, went forward at a staggering jog-trot.
After a while she got her second wind, and we began to run again. The sound behind us had become ominously close. Somehow, probably spurred on by the squeaking and pattering behind us, we managed to increase our speed. We came to another intersection and without pausing to think, I swung right, dragging Paula with me. We pelted down a long, high tunnel.
Ahead of us the tunnel began to narrow. I flashed the beam of the torch to see where we were going. Before us was an archway, no more than a hole in the wall.
‘In here,’ I panted, pushed her through the archway and staggered in after her.
We found ourselves in a big, lofty cave. As I swung the beam around, lighting up the walls, I saw a great pile of wooden boxes standing in the middle of the cave.
Paula cried, ‘There’s no way out, Vic!’
She was right. We had blundered into a cul-de-sac. There was no escape now. We couldn’t go back. The rats were already rushing down the outside tunnel.
‘Quick! Block the entrance with those boxes! It’s our only chance!’
We rushed to the pile of boxes, grabbed one apiece, staggered with them to the entrance, dumped them and jumped back for two more. We had the first row in place when we smelt the rats.
There was something blood-curdling and ghastly in the smell that drifted into the cave as the pattering feet came rushing down the long length of the tunnel.
‘As fast as you can.’
I grabbed hold of two boxes, dragged them across the floor, swung them into place. As Paula ran back for another box, I turned the beam of the torch into the outside tunnel. The sight that met my eyes sent a chill up my spine.
The whole of the narrow floor of the tunnel was carpeted by a heaving mass of brown, furry bodies. The sound of their shrill squeaking, the rustling tails and pattering feet made a nightmare sound of horror.
I snatched out the .25 and fired twice into the seething mass. The crash of gunfire rolled down the tunnel, deafening me, and setting up echo upon echo.
The awful brown carpet swerved, but there was no room for them to retreat. Swarms of rats, stretching the length of the tunnel, prevented those in front from getting away.
The two bullets had brought down three of the monsters, and the rest of them flew at the bodies, piling one on the other, their razor-like teeth slashing and hacking while the air was filled with their horrible, piercing squeals.
I grabbed a box from Paula and set it in place, rushed back and dragged two more across the floor and heaved them up.
As Paula lifted hers into position, a rat sprang through the gap and knocked her over.
Her frantic screams brought me rushing to her. She was flat on her back, hitting out at the rat with both hands, while it snapped viciously, trying to get past her beating hands to her throat
I smashed the gun butt down on its back, grabbed it and threw it over the wall of boxes in one movement.
There was no time to find out if she was hurt. I slung the box she had dropped into the gap and rushed back for more.
She was on her feet now, and came staggering over to help me. We had completed the second row, making a wall four feet high, but it wasn’t enough. The entrance to the cave would have to be entirely blocked if we were going to be safe. Even then, with their numbers and weight, the rats might push over our improvised wall.
‘Keep going,’ I panted. ‘A double row.’
We toiled on, dragging the boxes across the floor, slamming them into place, rushing back for others.
The noise outside was horrifying, and every so often the boxes swayed as the mass of struggling bodies thudded against them.
‘There’s another in!’ Paula screamed
She dropped her box and backed away, her hands protecting her throat.
I swung the beam of the torch, saw something streaking at me through the air, and threw up my arm.
The brute bit into my sleeve, just missing the flesh and hung, its feet scrabbling at my arm.
I dropped the torch, grabbed at its neck, missed, fumbled, and felt its teeth snap into my hand. As it snapped again, I got my grip and broke its back. I tossed it through the remaining gap in the wall and lifted the last box, pushed it into position, sealing the wall.
Paula picked up the torch and came over to me. We examined the wall of boxes. The rats were scrabbling at them, but they were holding.
‘Come on,’ I said. ‘One more row and we’ll be safe.’
‘You’re bleeding.’
‘Never mind. Let’s get one more row in place.’
We dragged more boxes across the floor and piled them into position. We were both practically out on our feet, but we kept on somehow until the third row was built up. Then we both flopped down on the floor, exhausted.
After a few moments, Paula made an effort and sat up.
‘Give me your handkerchief and let me fix your hand.’
She bound up the wound, and then flopped down beside me again.
‘What wouldn’t I give for a bottle of Scotch?’ I muttered, slid my arm round her and gave her a little hug. ‘Well, you can’t say we don’t get some excitement, can you?’
‘I’d rather not have it,’ Paula said, her voice shaky. ‘I’ve never been so scared in all my life. Do you think they’ll go away?’
To judge by the hideous uproar going on outside, they were set for weeks.
‘I don’t know. Not for some time, anyway. But don’t worry, they can’t get in.’
‘But, Vic, we can’t get out. And if they do go away, we still haven’t found how to get out of here, and the torch won’t last much longer.’
While she was speaking, I examined the walls of the cave with the beam of the torch. Finally the beam rested on the remaining boxes in the middle of the floor.
‘Let’s see what’s inside these boxes,’ I said, getting stiffly to my feet. ‘You take it easy while I look.’
I pulled down one of the boxes and found the lid nailed down. By dropping it on its corner I got it open. Inside, I found row upon row of neatly packed cigarettes.
‘Reefers!’ I exclaimed. ‘This must be Barratt’s storehouse. What a haul! There must be millions of them.’
Paula struggled to her feet and came over.
‘He couldn’t have carried all this stuff down that outside tunnel,’ I said excitedly. ‘Hunt around. There must be another way out of here.’
The walls were solid enough, so I turned my attention to the floor. It was Paula who found the cunningly concealed trap-door. By treading on one end, the other lifted sufficiently to get a purchase on it.
Together we lifted the trap. A blast of fresh air came surging into the cave.
‘This is it,’ I said, and flashed the torch into the darkness, below. Rough sto
ne steps led down into a passage. I went first. As we reached the bottom step, we could see sunlight coming into the far end of the tunnel.
We went forward down the passage until we reached the opening. The strong sunlight blinded us for a moment. Below us was a wilderness of scrub bushes and sand. We seemed to have come out on the side of a deep quarry. A zigzag path led from the opening of the tunnel down into the quarry.
I was standing in the sunlight, with Paula behind me, when I heard a distant shout
It was only then that I saw, far below me, two big trucks, half hidden in the scrub and half a dozen or so men staring up at me, and pointing. As I stepped hastily back into the darkness, they began to run towards us.
CHAPTER SEVEN
I
‘THEY’RE Barrett’s men!’ I said, pushing Paula back into the tunnel. They can’t have seen you. I’m going out there to draw them off. The moment you think they’re out of the way, make a dash for it. Grab one of their trucks if you can. Get to a telephone and call Mifflin. Bring him out here in a hurry. Okay?’
In an emergency, Paula never argued. She squeezed my arm, nodded to show she understood, and I left her, running out into the sunlight again.
Below me, the men were coming up the zigzag path. They were moving as fast as they could, but the angle of climb was steep, and they hadn’t made much progress. They yelled at me, as I looked hastily above me, getting the line of country.
The path continued past the opening of the tunnel and led a few yards farther on, to the top of the quarry. I ran up the path, now in full sight.
I reached the head of the quarry. Before me stretched sand dunes, scrub and rising ground of the desert which lies at the back of Monte Verde Mine. To my left lay the San Diego Highway: my way of escape, but Paula’s way of escape too. If I went that way, she would come up behind the pursuing men. I had to draw them away from her. If I was to help her, I had to go to the right: into the heart of the vast track of sand and waste-ground which afforded plenty of cover.
I ran easily over the loose sand, zigzagging a little to keep the various bushes between me and the men behind.
After I had covered a couple of hundred yards or so, I paused to look back over my shoulder. They hadn’t reached the top of the quarry yet, and for a moment I wondered if they had found Paula. But I could hear them shouting, and judged they’d appear in a minute or so. I ducked behind a thick bush and waited.
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