CHAPTER XV
The Labyrinth
Zircon led the three boys to the center of the big cave, then spoke in awhisper. "I see no need in advertising our plans to the enemy. Keep yourvoices down. Now, what are we to do?"
"Long Shadow must be watching us from somewhere," Scotty said uneasily."But from where?"
"The walls are uneven," Rick pointed out. "There could be peepholesanywhere. But what I'd like to find is the place with the controls forthat gate! It can't be far from the entrance."
"Is true," Chahda agreed. He turned the big light on the barredentrance, then played it back and forth across the walls on that side ofthe cave. There was no break anywhere.
"Turn it on the other side," Zircon ordered.
Chahda did so. Now that they were closer to the far wall, openings couldbe seen. There were two, both of them door size. Except for the entrancethrough which they had come, they were the only openings in the cave.
Rick spoke up, and he was surprised that there was no shakiness in hisvoice. "Look, gang. If we stay here waiting for Long Shadow to open up,we might stay forever. I'd rather push on, at least for a little way."
Zircon looked at Scotty. "You're the military expert. What chance havewe in a fight?"
Scotty shrugged. "In an open fight, we have a good chance. Our riflesare better than any I've seen around here, and we can fire a lot faster.But if they start potting at us from around corners and through holes inthe rock...." He didn't have to finish.
"Better we go ahead," Chahda said.
Zircon hesitated. "If this is the only entrance to the caverns, as seemsquite likely, Long Shadow has trapped himself as well as us. He'll haveto open up to get out."
Rick didn't think so. "There's no opening under the Black Buddha exceptthe one we came through. But we didn't look around the passage verythoroughly, so there might be a door of some kind."
"You're right," Zircon agreed. "Very well. Let's try going on. Rick, youbring up the rear, and keep looking back."
Rick objected. "Wouldn't it be better for me to go ahead and use theinfrared beam with the glasses? Then I could see perfectly."
The scientist considered. "It would be better if the caves ahead arelarge, yes. If they are not, our flashlights will do just as well. Ithink we'd better save the infrared battery as long as possible.Incidentally, do you have a spare?"
"At camp," Rick said. It had been planned as a brief trip ofexploration. He hadn't thought spare batteries would be necessary. Nowhe blamed himself for being so shortsighted. It was always best to beprepared for anything.
"Can't be helped now," Scotty said. "And speaking of batteries, we'dbetter use only two flashlights at a time, one in front and one inback."
"Excellent idea," Zircon approved. "I'll take the lead. Scotty next,then Chahda, with Rick as rear guard. Now, which of the entrances do wetry first? I vote for the one on the right."
The scientist strode toward the deeper darkness of the entrance and shothis light inside. The others took up the positions he had assigned. Rickkept his flashlight beam moving around the big cave, watching for anysign of an enemy.
"Another passage," Zircon said, and his voice echoed hollowly. "Coverour rear, Rick." They went into it single file, Rick walking sideways inorder to keep looking back for a possible enemy. Then, as the othersstopped suddenly, he fell over Chahda. He heard the scientist say, "Deadend. Nothing but a blank wall. Rick, lead the way out. We'll try theother."
The second passage gave better results. It wound through the limestonefor a short distance, then opened into a small cave filled withwonderful white rock formations.
"Stalactites and stalagmites," Zircon boomed. "I suspect we are gettinginto the deeper caverns, those hollowed out by water and not by man. Thequestion is, which way do we go now?"
Rick took his eyes from the way they had come long enough to lookaround. The cave was like a junction room, openings branching off in alldirections.
Scotty switched on his flashlight and began examining the cave floor."Look for signs," he directed. "If men have come this way, they musthave left some traces."
Chahda hurried to look, too. Rick stood where he was, light and eyesgoing from one opening to another. He didn't intend to be caught offguard.
Scotty gave a grunt of satisfaction and stood up. "Candle wax," heannounced. "And it leads through here." He pointed to a gap between twofluted columns, made by centuries of dripping water that had depositedcountless grains of limestone.
Zircon immediately walked to the gap and peered through. "Come on," hesaid. "There's another cave beyond."
The next cave was larger, and nowhere in it was there evidence that manhad occupied it. Rick looked around him, awed by the bizarre beauty ofthe place. From ceiling and floor limestone icicles strained toward eachother. They were the stalactites and stalagmites Zircon had mentioned,formed over the centuries by slow drops of water, each of which left itstiny trace of limestone to help build up the formation. On one wall ofthe cave the water deposits had carved a waterfall, so perfect that itmight have been frozen into white rock only moments before. And fromevery grain of stone their flashlight beams twinkled and reflected untilit seemed the walls were crusted with jewels.
"More wax," Chahda called. He had found it near an irregular low openingin the cave wall, a tiny drop left by someone carrying a tallow candle.
Zircon went through the opening an inch at a time, on hands and knees.The others followed, to find themselves in a cave almost identical tothe one they had left, except for the stone waterfall. This cave, too,had walls broken in a number of places.
Rick and Zircon flashed their lights around, seeking the next step. ThenRick caught a quick glimpse of something red that moved! Quick as aflash he shifted his hand on the stock of his rifle, pointed it like apistol, and fired. The red object vanished!
The thunderous echo of the shot reverberating through the cave drownedout his yell. He sprang through the entrance where he had seen the flashof red and found himself in still another cave. Scotty was right behindhim.
"What is it?" Scotty demanded.
"I think it was a man," Rick said quickly. "He was wearing somethingred. Come on, he can't be very far from here."
"Which way?"
There was no way of telling which way the man had gone. There were ahalf dozen openings in the cave walls. Rick pointed at the two biggest."You take that one and I'll take this." Rifle ready and flashlight heldin front of him, he ran through the break in the wall he had indicated.Scotty hurried to the other.
If only they could get their hands on even one man, Rick thought, theymight force him to serve as their guide! He passed through another cave,choosing the biggest entrance on the opposite wall. As he went throughit, he was certain he saw a movement, as though the quarry had justrounded a corner. He let out a yell and lengthened his stride. In asecond he reached the corner, rounded it, and found himself in an oddcave with countless pillars, formed when stalactites from the ceilingand stalagmites from the floor had joined together. It was a veritablelabyrinth. He started through it, got perhaps fifty feet, and stopped.The man he had chased surely knew his way around the caves. There was nohope of overtaking him now. Better rejoin the others, Rick thought. Itwas senseless to get too far away from his companions.
He turned and started back, then hesitated, not sure of the way he hadcome. The corridors formed by the limestone pillars led in alldirections.
"I must have come this way," he muttered, and started off. Then hestopped again, playing his light around. He couldn't be sure. Suddenlyworried, he ran forward and was brought to a halt by a solid wall. Heturned and hurried along it, seeking an opening. He found one, butsmaller than the one through which he had come. He plunged on, found abig opening, and went through it into an irregular cave unlike any hehad seen before. He turned to retrace his steps, and his eyes met a wallwhere the openings were separated only by glistening partitions oflimestone. He couldn't even be sure of the one through which he had justenter
ed.
He licked lips that were suddenly dry. "I can't lose my head," he toldhimself sternly. "I've got to stay calm."
But in spite of his warnings to himself, he felt panic rising withinhim.
He was completely, hopelessly lost!