you realize the danger?'
'How do you expect me to know the way-' Nahoot began furiously, and then
broke off as he noticed the chalk notations on the wall behind von
Schiller's shoulder, and for the first time realized their significance.
'That's it!' he exclaimed with relief. 'Harper or the Al Simma woman
have marked it out for us. Come on!' He started down the tunnel,
following the signposting. However, by the time they came out on the
central staircase almost an hour had passed since Hansith had left them.
As they hurried down the staircase into the long gallery the sound of
the river rose to a pervading hiss, like the breathing of a sleeping
dragon, Nahoot broke into a run and von Schiller staggered along behind
him, his aged legs weakening with fear.
'Wait!' he shouted after Nahoot, who ignored his plea and ducked out
through the opening in the plaster-sealed doorway. On the landing the
generator was still running smoothly, and Nahoot did not even glance at
it as he hurried down the inclined shaft in the bright dazzle of the
light bulbs along the roof.
He turned the corner still at a run, and stopped dead 41, as he realized
that the tunnel below him was flooded, right back up to the level of the
ancient high-water mark on the masonry blocks of the walls. There was no
sign of the sinkhole or the pontoon bridge. They were submerged under
fifty feet or more of water.
The Dandera river, guardian of the tomb down all the ages, had resumed
its duty. Dark and implacable, it sealed the entrance to the tomb as it
had done these four thousand years past.
'Allah!' whispered ahoot. 'Allah have mercy on us.' Von Schiller came
around the corner of the tunnel and stopped beside Nahoot. The two of
them stared in horror at the flooded shaft. Then slowly von Schiller
sagged against the side wall.
'We are trapped,' he whispered, and at those words Nahoot whimpered
softly and sank to his knees. He began to pray in a high, nasal
sing-song. The sound infuriated on Schiller.
'That will not help us. Stop it!' He swung the golden flail in his right
hand across Nahoot's bowed back. Nahoot cried out at the pain and
crawled away from von Schiller.
'We must find a way out of here.' Von Schiller's voice steadied. He was
accustomed to command, and now he took charge.
'There must be another way out of here,' he decided.
(We will search. If there is an opening to the outside then we should
feel a draught of air.' His voice became firmer and more confident.
'Yes! That's what we will do. Switch off that fan, and we will try to
detect any movement of air.'
Nahoot responded eagerly to his tone and authority, and hurried back to
switch off the electric fan.
'You have your cigarette lighter,' von Schiller told him. 'We will light
tapers from these.' He pointed at the papers and photographs that Royan
had left lying on the trestle table by the doorway. 'We will use the
smoke to detect any draught.'
For the next two hours they moved through all levels of the tomb,
holding aloft the burning tapers, watching the movement of the smoke. At
