The Leopard Hunts In Darkness Part 82

When they were in position, Peter glanced back at the Russian and nodded. Bukharin moved up silently beside him, and they went forward together, weapons held ready, quickly and warily.

The faint track led them to the base of the Cliff, and then disappeared into a narrow vertical cleft in the rock.

Peter and Bukharin darted forward and flattened themselves against the cliff on each side of the opening.

"The burrow of the Matabele fox," Peter gloated quietly.

"I have him now!" he Shana are here!" The scream came from the entrance of the cavern, muted by the fold of the rock and the screening brush. "The Shana have come for you! Run! The Shana-" a woman's voice cut off suddenly.

Sarah sprang up from the fire, overturning the three legged iron cooking-pot, and she fled across the cavern, s.n.a.t.c.hing up the lantern as she went, racing into the maze of pa.s.sages.

From the head of the steep natural staircase into the grand gallery she screamed her warning down towards the pool, "The Shana are here, my lord! They have discovered usP And the echoes magnified the terror and urgency of her voice.

"I am coming to yaup Tungata boomed back up the gallery, and he came bounding up the shaft into the light of her lantern. He climbed the stone staircase, swinging himself up on the rope, and placed an arm around her shoulders.

"Where are they?"

"At the entrance there was a voice, one of our women calling a warning I could hear the fear in her and then it was cut off. I think she has been killed."

"Go down to the pool. Help Pendula to bring Pupho up."

"My lord, there is no escape for us, is there?"

"We will fight," he said. "And in fighting we may find a Hill way. Go now, Pupho will tell you what to do." Carrying the AK 47 at the trail, Turigata disappeared into the pa.s.sage leading upwards towards the main cavern.

Sarah scrambled down the rock ramp way in her haste failing the last few feet, barking her knees.

"Pendula!" she called, desperate for the comfort of human contact.

"Here, Sarah. Help me." When she reached the slab at the bottom of the gallery, Sally-Anne was waist-deep at the edge of the pool, straining on the rope.

"Help me, it's stuck!" Sarah jumped down beside her, and grabbed the tail of the rope.

"The Shana have found us." She heaved on the rope.

"Yes. We heard you."

"What shall we do, Pendula?"

"Let's get Craig out of here first. He will think of something." Suddenly the rope gave, as forty feet below Craig managed to force himself through the narrow opening in the wall) and the two girls hauled him upwards hand over hand.

Oxygen bubbles burst in a seething rash on the surface of the pool, and they saw Craig coming up through the gin-clear water, the masking transforming him into some grotesque sea monster. He reached the surface and ripped the mask off his head, snorting and coughing at the fresh air.

"What is it?" he choked as he splashed to the edge of the rock slab.

"The Shana are here." Both girls together, in English and Sindebele.

"Oh GaR Craig collapsed weakly onto the slab. "Oh GaR "What shall we do, Craig?" They were both staring at him piteously, and the cold and the pain in his head seemed to paralyse him.

Abruptly the air around their heads reverberated as d-lough they were within the sounding body of a kettledrum beaten at a furious tempo.

"Gunfire!" Craig whispered, covering his ears to protect them. "Sam has made contact."

"How long can he hold them

"Depends if they use grenades, or gas-" he left it hanging and straightened up, s.h.i.+vering violently. He stared back at them. They seemed to sense his despair, and looked away.

"Where is the pistol?" Sarah asked fearfully, glancing up at the twist of goat-skin in the crack of the rock wall.

"No," Craig snapped. "Not that." He reached out and caught her arm. He pulled hi mse If together, shaking off despair as he shook the water from his hair.

"Have you ever used an aqualung?" he demanded of Sally-Anne. She shook her head.

"Well, now is as good a time-"

"I couldn't go in the reP Fearfully Sally' Anne stared into the pool.

"You can do anything you have to do," he snarled at her.

"Listen, I have found another branch of the shaft that comes up above surface. It will take three or four minutes-"

No, "Sally-Anne cringed away from him.

"I'll take you through first," he said. "Then I will come back for Sarah."

"I would rather die here, Pupho," the black girl whispered.

"Then you'll get your wish." Craig was already changing the oxygen bottle, s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g on one of the fresh cylinders, and he turned his attention back to Sally-Anne.

"You put your arms around me and breathe slowly and easily. Hold each breath as long as you can, then let it out carefully. The hole in the wall is narrow, but you are smaller than I am, you'll make it easily." He lifted the oxygen set over her head and lowered it onto her shoulders. "I will go through first, and pull you behind me. Once we are through it is straight up. As we go up just remember to exhale as the oxygen in your lungs expands again or you will pop likea paper bag. Come on.

"Craig, I'm afraid."

"Never thought I'd hear you say that." Waist-deep in the pool he fitted the mask over the lower half of her face.

"Don't fight it," he told her. "Keep your eyes closed and relax. I will tow you. Don't struggle, for G.o.d's sake, don't struggle." She nodded at him, gagged by the mask, and again the gallery echoed to the deafening roar of automatic rifle-fire from above.

"Closer, Craig muttered. "Sam is being driven back." Then he called to Sarah on the slab above them.

"Give me my leg!" Sarah handed it down to him. He strapped it to his belt. "While I'm away, pack all the food you can find into the canvas bags. The spare lamps and batteries also I'll be back for you inside ten minutes." He began to hyperventilate, holding to his chest the boulder that would weigh them down. He gestured to Sally-Anne and she waded up behind him and put her arms around him under his armpits.

"Take a good breath and play dead," he ordered, and filled his own lungs for the last time. He fell forward with ally-Anne clinging to his back and they dropped together down towards the tomb entrance.

Halfway down Craig heard the click of the valves in her mask, and felt Sally-Anne's chest subside and swell as she breathed, and he tensed for her coughing fit. There wasn't one.

They reached the entrance and he dropped the stone and drew her up to the wall. Gently he disentangled her hands, trying to make his movements calm and unhurried.

He backed into the aperture, holding both her hands, and pulled her in after him. Unenc.u.mbered by the oxygen gear he slid through easily.