CHAPTER XIV
The Caves of Fear
Instantly all lights were directed at the back of the cave. Zirconrushed around the statue and stopped short as his light found only rockwalls.
"He has to be here somewhere," the scientist bellowed. "Hunt for him!"
Rick stood for a moment estimating the direction from which the lighthad come. He walked to the part of the wall on which they had seen theshadow, and stood with his back to it. He flashed his light straightahead, and it fell on the broad back of the Black Buddha.
The others had followed his line of thought and were watching.
"Look for a door," Scotty said. He hurried to the back of the statue andbegan examining it with his light. Rick joined him. Zircon got out ajackknife and began to probe into cracks. Chahda got down on hands andknees and felt along the base.
The back of the statue was seamed with cracks, but they ranhelter-skelter without apparent order. The illumination against whichthe shadow was cast had been rectangular.
"There isn't a straight line in the bunch," Rick said, disappointed."What now?"
"There must be a way to open the door, wherever it is," Zircon stated."That's what we must look for, I think. It may be on the statue itself,on the floor, or on a wall near by. Rick, you and Scotty take thestatue. Chahda and I will take the walls and floor."
"What are we hunting for?" Scotty asked.
"I don't know. Perhaps a knob, perhaps a keyhole. Look for anythingunusual."
Rick and Scotty began at opposite sides of the statue's back and startedworking toward each other, examining every inch of the black stoneminutely. Zircon and Chahda started side by side on the wall behind thestatue and worked away from each other. Rick used his jackknife to probeevery suspicious crack or chip, but without success. He and Scottycovered the back as high up as they could reach without finding a thing.Zircon and Chahda worked along the wall until they were thirty feetapart, then the scientist called a halt on the theory that the secretlock wouldn't be that far from the door. The door was either in thestatue's back or near its base.
While Zircon and Chahda started examining the floor, Rick and Scottystarted on the statue's sides. There was more decoration along thesides, so they had to go more slowly and carefully.
After a while, Chahda called, "Something here."
The others stopped what they were doing and hurried to him. The Hinduboy's light was on a tiny slot in the floor. It seemed shallow. Rickpointed out that the floor in the area was checkered, almost like a tilefloor.
"There must be a reason for that," Zircon said. He knelt by the slot andpeered into it. "Nothing in the slot, however. Rick, isn't yours a scoutknife?"
"Yes, sir." Rick handed it to him.
Zircon opened the screwdriver blade and pushed it into the slot. Nothinghappened. He moved it from side to side, with no effect.
"There must be some reason for that slot," Scotty said. "Try again,professor. Push harder."
Zircon shoved the blade down into the hole and pushed. "There must be aspecial key of some kind," he said finally. "That is, if the slot hasanything to do with the door. I suggest we continue the search untilwe're satisfied that this is the only possibility."
Rick nodded, disappointed. He turned back to the statue and took a stepforward into space!
A wild yell burst from him as he felt himself falling, then Scotty hadhim by the jacket and was hauling him back. Rick collapsed on the stonefloor, his heart pounding The others shot their flashlights into theplace where he had stepped.
A section of the floor had swung upward, right at the base of thestatue. It yawned open, and from its lip a flight of steps led downward.
"It worked," Chahda said. "But was so silent we never hear it!"
Scotty gripped his rifle and snapped off the safety catch, then holdingthe weapon in one hand like a pistol, he took his flashlight in theother hand and started down. Zircon was right behind him.
Rick got to his feet and felt for the dark-light camera. It hadn't beenjarred because his body had cushioned it. But he wanted to be sure thestrap was still secure on his shoulder. Satisfied that all was well, hestarted down the steps after Zircon. He didn't fancy going into theunderground part of the cave, but there was no choice. This was whatthey had come for.
There were ten broad stone steps carved from the rock. Rick shot hislight around and saw that a heavy beam ran from the underside of thetrap door down to the bottom of the stairs where it ended in a stoneblock. It was a counterbalance, the weight of the stone evidently justenough heavier than the door so that moving the latch would let it swingopen. The latch itself was a piece of metal, probably bronze, that slidin a channel carved in the underside of the door. Rick guessed that thesideways pressure of the blade in the slot had let the door open ratherthan the downward shove Zircon had given. A cord of leather ran from thelatch back along the corridor so that anyone entering the rock tunnelcould tug on it and open the door without climbing the stairs.
Rick joined Zircon and Scotty at the bottom of the steps. Chahda wasright behind him. The stairs ended in a long, low passage, just high andwide enough for a man to pass. It was perhaps fifty feet long, and itended in blackness that indicated a bigger passage, or another cave,beyond. Rick touched the walls and noted the marks of ancient chisels.The passage had been cut in the living rock.
"Have your rifles ready," Zircon directed. "Chahda, you have the biglight. Lead the way and we'll cover you."
Chahda switched on his big light and took the lead. The others, riflesready for instant use, followed close behind. Big Zircon held his weaponover Chahda's shoulder as the Hindu boy walked slowly down the passage.
In a moment they were at the entrance to the next passage or cave.Chahda peered in, turning his light from side to side. Zircon, lookingover his head, said, "A large cave beyond. Very large. Chahda, do yousee anything?"
Chahda shook his head. "Only rock. Nothing inside I can see."
"All right. Go ahead."
The Hindu boy stepped into the cave, the rest following. Rick saw thatZircon hadn't exaggerated. The cave was even larger than the one thatheld the Black Buddha. Chahda's big light picked out the opposite walldimly.
The scientist brought his own light into play, turning it on the wallsnearest them. "Odd," he muttered. "The character of the rock changescompletely. This is almost surely limestone."
Rick had to grin. Even chasing Long Shadow through an underground caverncouldn't quiet Zircon's scientific curiosity. "What do we do now,professor?" he asked.
Zircon looked up from his examination of the whitish rock. "Eh? Oh.Sorry, Rick. Why, I suppose we explore a bit more. I don't think we'dbetter go far, however. Now that we know that Long Shadow is here, wehad better return to camp and get extra food, batteries, and ammunition.However, I would like a look at the opposite side. There must be furtherpassages, because this cave obviously doesn't contain our friend."
"Suppose...." Scotty started to say.
Rick never found out what Scotty was going to say, for at that momentthe four whirled as something grated behind them. They were in time tosee metal rods slam home across the entrance through which they hadcome!
Rick and Scotty reached the entrance first. Each of the boys grabbed oneof the rods and tugged. They were rigid.
"We're locked in!" Rick's voice was harsh.
"Let me look," Zircon said quietly.
The boys stood back while he made a careful inspection. From floor totop of the passage entrance the metal bars blocked the way. They wereabout an inch thick, spaced only six inches apart. They had shot out ofholes in one side of the passage and lodged in corresponding holes onthe opposite side.
None of them had noticed the holes. They had been too curious about whatlay beyond the passage.
Zircon put his massive strength against one of the bars. It didn't move.He tried to slide it either way. There wasn't even a fraction of an inchof slack.
He turned, and at the expression on his face a shiver
slid down Rick'sspine. Long Shadow had caught them neatly.
They were trapped in the Caves of Fear!