until the head of the column of water shot from the drive, frothing solid, carrying with it a plug of debris and human remains.
Bursting into the T-junction of the main 66 level haulage, the strength of the flood was reduced, yet still it swept down towards the tilt station in a waist-deep wall.
This way!' Big King was the first to move. He leapt for the steel emergency ladder that led up to the level above.
The rest of his gang were not fast enough, the water picked them up and crushed them against the steel-mesh barrier that guarded the shaft. The crest of the wave burst around Big King's legs, sucking at him, but he tore himself from its grip and climbed to safety.
Beneath him the water poured into the shaft like bath water into a plug hole, forming a spinning whirlpool about the collar as it roared down to flood the workings below 66 level.
Leaving Terry at the airfield to solicit transport from Hank, the mechanic, Rod drove directly to the head of No. 1 shaft of the Sander Ditch. He jumped from the Volkswagen into the clamouring crowd clustered above the shaft head.
Dimitri was wide- eyed and distracted, beside him Big King towered like a black colossus.
'What happened?' Rod demanded.
'Tell him,' Dimitri instructed Big King.
'I was at the shaft with my gang. A river leaped from the mouth of the drive, a great river of water running faster than the Zambesi in flood; roaring like a lion the water ate all the men with me. I alone climbed above it.'
'We've hit a big one, Rod,' Dimitri interrupted. 'It's pouring in fast. We calculate it will flood the entire workings up to 66 level in four hours from now.'
'Have you cleared the mine? 'Rod demanded.
'All the men are out except Delange and his gang. They were in the drive. They've been chopped, I'm afraid Dimitri answered.
'Have you warned the other mines we could have a burst through into their workings?'
'Yes, they are pulling all their shifts out.' 'Right.' Rod set off for the blast control room with Dimitri trotting to keep up with him.
'Give me your keys, and find the foreman electrician.' Within minutes the three of them were crowded into the tiny concrete control room.
'Check in the special circuit,' Rod instructed. 'I'm going to shoot the drop-blast matt and seal off the drive.' The foreman electrician worked quickly at the control panel. He looked up at Rod.
'Ready!' he said.
'Check her in,' Rod nodded.
The foreman threw the switch. The three of them caught their breath together.
Dimitri said it for them: 'Red!' On the conntrol panel of the special circuit the red bulb glared balefully at them, the Cyclops eye of the god of despair.
'Christ!' swore the foreman. 'The circuit is shot. The water must have torn the wires out.'
'It may be a fault in the board.'
'No.' The foreman shook his head with certainty.
'We've had it,' whispered Dimitri. 'Goodbye the Sander Ditchr Rod burst out of the control room into the expectant crowd outside.
'Johnson!' He singled out one of his mine captains. 'Go down to the Yacht Club at the dam, get me the rubber rescue dinghy. Quick as you can, man.' The man scurried away, and Rod turned on the electrician foreman as he emerged from the control room.
'Get me a battery hand-operated blaster, a reel of wire, pliers, two coils of nylon 'rope. Hurry!' The foreman went!
'Rod.' Dimitri caught his arm. 'What are you going to do?'
'I'm going down there. I'm going to find the break in the circuit and I'm going to blast her by hand.'
'Jesus!' Dimitri gasped. 'You are crazy, Rod. You'll kill yourself for sure!' Rod completely ignored his protest.
want one man with me. A strong man. The strongest there is, we will have to drag the dinghy against the flood.' Rod looked about him. Big King was standing by the banks man office. The two of them were tall enough to face each other over the heads of the men between them.
'Will you come with me, Big King? 'Rod asked.
'Yes,' said Big King.
In less than twenty minutes they were ready. Rod and Big King were stripped down to sing lets and bathing-trunks. They wore canvas tennis shoes to protect their feet, and the hard helmets on their heads were incongruous against the rest of their attire.
The rubber dinghy was ex-naval disposal. A nine-foot air-filled mattress, so light that a man could lift it with one hand. Into it was packed the equipment they would need for the task ahead. A water-proof bag contained the battery blaster, the reel of insulated wire, the pliers and a spare lantern. Lashed to the eyelets along the sides of the dinghy were two coils of light nylon rope, a small crowbar, an axe and a razor-sharp machete in a leather sheath. To the bows of the dinghy were fastened a pair of looped nylon towing lines.
'What else will you need, Rod?' Dimitri asked.
Rod shook his head thoughtfully. 'That's it, Dimitri.
That should do it.'
'Right!' Dimitri beckoned and four men came forward and carried the dinghy into the waiting cage.
'Let's go,' said Dimitri and followed the dinghy into the cage. Big King went next and Rod paused a second to look up at the sky. It was very blue and bright.
Before the on setter could close the shutter door, a Silver Cloud Rolls-Royce came gliding onto the bank. From the rear door emerged first Hurry Hirschfeld and then Terry Steyner.
'Ironsides!' roared Hurry. 'What the hell is going on?'
'We've hit water,' Rod answered him from the cage.
'Water? Where did it come from?'
'Beyond the Big Dipper.'
'You drove through the Big Dipper?'
'Yes.'
'You bastard, you've drowned the Sander Ditch,' roared Hurry, advancing on the cage.
'Not yet, I haven't,' Rod contradicted.
'Rod.' Terry was white-faced beside her grandfather. 'You can't go down there.' She started forward.
Rod pushed the on setter aside and pulled down the steel shutter door of the cage. Terry threw herself against the steel mesh of the guard barrier, but the cage was gone into the earth.
'Rod,' she whispered, and Hurry Hirschfeld put his arm around her shoulders and led her to the Rolls-Royce.
From the back seat of the Rolls, Hurry Hirschfeld was conducting a Kangaroo Court Trial of Rodney Ironsides.
One by one he called for the line managers of the Sander Ditch and questioned them. Even those who were loyal to Rod could say little in his defence, and there were others who took the opportunity to level old scores with Rodney Ironsides.
Sitting beside her grandfather, Terry heard such a condemnation of the man she loved as to chill her to the depths of her soul. There was no doubt that Rodney Ironsides, without Head Office sanction, had instituted a new development so risky and contrary to company policy as to be criminal in concept.
'Why did he do it?' muttered Hurry Hirschfeld. He seemed bewildered.
'What could he possibly achieve by driving through the Big Dipper? It looks like a deliberate attempt to sabotage the Sander Ditch.' Hurry's anger began to seethe within him. 'The bastard! He has drowned the Sander Ditch and killed dozens of men.' He punched his fist into the palm of his hand. 'I'll make him pay for this.
I'll break him, so help me God, I'll smash him! I'll bring criminal charges against him. Malicious damage to property.
Manslaughter. Culpable homicide! By Jesus, I'll have his guts for this!' Listening to Hurry ranting and threatening, Terry could keep silent no longer.
'It wasn't his fault, Pops. Truly it wasn't. He was forced to do it.'
'Ha! snorted Hurry. 'I heard you at the pit head a few minutes ago.
just what is this man to you, Missy, that you spring to his defence so nobly?'
'Pops, please believe me.' Her eyes were enormous in her pale face.
'Why should I believe you? The two of you are obviously up to mischief together. Naturally you will try and protect him.'
'Listen to me at least,' she pleaded, and Hurry checked the run of his tongue and breathing heavily he turned to face her.
'This better be good, young lady,' he warned her.
In her agitation she told it badly, and halfway through.
she realized that she wasn't even convincing herself. Hurry's expression became more and more bleak, until he interrupted her impatiently.
'Good God, Theresa, this isn't like you. To try and put the blame for this onto your own husband! That's despicable! To try and switch the blame for this..
'It's true! As God is my witness.' Terry was almost in tears, she was tugging at Hurry's
