am sure we will be able to work something out.'
She was suddenly aware of the niens eyes watching her and drew away from
him. 'What kind of gas? And how did it get there? Was it another of
Taita's tricks, do you think, Nicky?'
'One Of the gases of decay, most probably,' was his the lower part of
the opinion. . 'Because it is trapped in passage, it must be a
heavier-than-air type. I would guess that it is probably carbon dioxide,
although it could be something like methane. I think methane is heavier
than air, isn't it?'
'Did Taita do it deliberately?' The colour was returning to her cheeks,
and she was recovering swiftly.
I don't know, but those baskets and jars are suspicious.
er that question when we have had a I will be able to answ chance to
examine their contents.' He touched her cheek tenderly. 'How are you
feeling? How is your headacheT
'Better. What do we do now?'
he to
'Clear the gas from the chamber, Id her, 'and as soon as possible.'
He used a candle from his emergency pack to, test for-the gas level in
the shaft. With it burning in his right hand he went back down the
steps, holding it low'to the floor, descending a step at a time. The
candle flame burned brightly, dancing to the movement of air as he went
down. Then, abruptly on the sixth step above the floor level of the
chamber, the flame turned yellow and snuffed out.
wall in white chalk, and He marked the level on the shaft, 'Well, at
called up to Royan at the head of the still here. Must be carbon least
it's not methane. I am dioxide.'
'Pretty conclusive test,' she laughed. if it goes boom, it's methane.'
the blower fan,' Nicholas Hansith, bring down shouted to the big monk
Holding his breath as though he were snorkelling under water, Nicholas
carried the fan down the lower steps and set it up on the floor of the
chamber. He set the fan speed at 'High' and immediately retreated up the
shaft, drawing a huge breath as soon as he was above the chalk mark on
the wall.
'How long will it take to clear the gas?' asked anxiously, looking at
her wrist-watch. Royan
'I will test with the candle every fifteen minutes.
It was an hour before the gas had dispersed enough to enable him to
reach the floor of the chamber again, and breathe the air down there.
Then Nicholas ordered Hansith to bring down a bundle of firewood and
build a fire in the centre of the stone floor, to heat and circulate the
air more rapidly.
While he was doing this, Nicholas and Royan examined one of the baskets
that stood against the wall.
'The crafty old ruffian!' Nicholas Muttered half in exasperation and
half in admiration. 'It looks like a mixture of manure and grass and
dead leaves, the same as a compost heap.'
They crossed the chamber, turned one of the pottery jars on its side,
and studied the powder that spilled out of it. Nicholas took up a
handful and rubbed it between his fingers, then sniffed it warily.
