imagination. They had no inkling of the reason for this second descent
into the chasm, but the enthusiasm of the two ferengi was infectious.
As soon as it was light enough to see the path, Nicholas led them back
up into the hills. The men chatted cheerfully amongst themselves in
Amharic as they hurried through the thorn scrub, and they came out on
the rim rock just as the sun broke out over the eastern escarpment of
the valley. Nicholas had drilled the men the previous day, and he and
Royan had sat half the night going over the plans, so each of them knew
their part and they lost little time in setting themselves up for the
descent.
Nicholas had stripped to shorts and tennis shoes, but this time he had
brought along an old Barbarians rugby jersey for warmth. While he pulled
this over his head he pointed out to Royan the platform that had been
dug out from the solid rock.
She examined it carefully. 'It's very hard to be sure, but I think you
are right. This probably is man-made.'
'When you get further down you will have no doubts.
There is very little weathering of the face under the overhang, and the
niches are almost perfectly preserved until they reach the high-water
mark, that is,' he told her, as he took his seat in the sling and swung
out over the cliff.
Dangling from the end of the gantry he gave Aly the sign, and the men
lowered him down into the gorge. The rope ran smoothly through the
lubricated slot.
He saw at once that he had judged it correctly, and that he was
descending in line with the double row of -niches. He came level with
the enigmatic circle on the cliff face, but it was fifty feet from him,
and a growth of gaudy Coloured lichens had streaked and discotoured the
rock, partially obscuring the details, so that he still could not be
certain that. it was not a natural flaw. He passed it and went on down
as Aly and his team paid out the rope from above.
When he reached the surface of the water he slipped out of the sling and
dropped in. The water was very cold.
He trod water, gasping, until his body became acclimatized.
Then he gave Aly three tugs on the signal rope. While the canvas seat
was hauled up he swam to the side of the pool and held on to one of the
carved stone niches for support.
He had forgotten how gloomy and cold and lonely it was here in the
bottom of the chasm.
After a long delay he craned his head backwards and watched Royan come
into sight around the bulge of the overhang, dangling in the sling seat
and revolving slowly at the end of the nylon rope. She looked down and
waved at him cheerfully.
'Full marks to that girl,' he grinned. 'Not much puts the wind up her.'
He wanted to shout encouragement, but he knew it was futile because the
thunder of the falls smothered all other sound. So he contented himself
with returning her wave.
Halfway down he saw her tugging frantically on the signal rope. Aly had
been warned to expect this, and her i4 descent was hatted immediately..
