unless they Ali under these slabs to keep their interest another
discovery and expectations alight, he might wake up tomorrow to
all find that even the monks and the faithful Hansith were gone.
He had started lifting the slabs in the angle of the corner of the maze,
and they worked out from there in both directions down the arms Of the
tunnel. His heart sank as they broke up each paving slab with the
hammers only to find beneath it the solid stratum of the country rock
with no indication of any joint or opening.
'It doesn't look very hopeful,' he muttered to Royan as he took a short
break to drink from one of the water flasks.
She too was looking unhappy as she Poured water from the flask into his
cupped hands, so that he could wash the sweat and grime from his face.
'I may have got the symbols for the levels wrong,' she suggested. 'It is
just the kind of trick Taita would play, to work out combinations which
would both give a logical solution.' She hesitated before she appealed
to him for guidance. 'Do you think I should start working back the other
combination-'
Her question was interrupted by a bellow from Hansith. 'In the name of
the Blessed Virgin, effendi, come quickly!'
They spun around together. In 'her haste Royan dropped the flask, which
shattered at her feet. She did not seem to notice that it had drenched
her legs, but ran back to where Hansith was standing with the hammer
poised for another stroke.
What is it-' she broke off as they both saw that beneath the paving
slabs Hansith had uncovered another layer of dressed stone sills.
These were laid neatly across the floor of the tunnel from wall to wall,
recessed into the surrounding rock, with knife-edge joints between them.
Their sides were smooth and plain, without engravings or markings upon
them.
'What is it, icky?' Royan demanded.
'Either it's another layer of paving, or it)s a cover over fall an
opening in the floor,, he told her eagerly. 'We won't know until we lift
one of them.'
The stone sills were too thick and heavy to be cracked with the
primitive hammers, although Hansith tried his best. In the end they were
forced to dig around the first of lever it free. It took five men to
raise the end of them and it and lift it off its foundation.
'There is an opening under it.' Royan went down on the space that it had
left. 'Some her knees to peer into kind of open shaft!'
Once the first sill was removed it was easier to get a urchase on the
others that blocked the rectangular open I away, Nicholas shone ing.
When they had cleared them al the dark shaft that was revealed. It the
lamp down into stretched from wall to wall of the tunnel, and the head
stand up to his room was sufficient for even Nicholas full height on the
steps that led down at a forty-five degree angle.
'Surely this must be it.
'Another stairway he exulted exhausted all the false leads by now.'
Even Taita must have crowding up behind them, their The workmen were
very and the ting at this fresh disco sullen mood evapora certainty of
