“Then I shan’t make the mistake of inviting you to tea,” Mann replied.
I stepped into Watson’s room, helping myself to his revolver. If the night went as I hoped, I would be able to hand it to him in person.
Billy called up to us that he had secured transport. Cautiously, with Kane back beneath his veil, we made our way down onto the street.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
I travelled with Kane in one cab while the rest followed on behind. I was unwilling to let him out of my sight and it gave the others a chance to converse more openly. In actuality this probably meant that they had to listen to Challenger talk at them. I wondered if I might be fortunate enough to discover that Johnson had been forced to throttle him before we reached our destination. It would certainly allow the rest of the evening to pass more peacefully. Sadly, this was not to be the case.
Once we arrived at King’s Cross, Kane led us behind the station and into the warren of backstreets that huddle around the railway tracks.
Shortly, we descended to the track itself, walking carefully beside the rails. Every few minutes a train would pass, pistons hammering in a percussive, chaotic row.
“Mind yourselves,” Kane said, as if we needed warning. “It gets darker along here where the cut deepens and the trains will rip you from your feet without their drivers even noticing. We are nothing but flies buzzing around an elephant’s ear.” He had a rather poetic turn of phrase when he turned his canine mind to it.
“I saw a man lose his arm once,” Johnson said. “Had too much to drink hadn’t ’e? Fell down next to the track, stuck his arms out to stop his face from hitting the ground. Boom!” He mimed a train sweeping past. “Bad timing and the 13.14 to Colchester had it off just below the shoulder. Didn’t even slow down, probably had no idea it had happened. The bloke in question was a bit slow on the uptake himself, mind you, only noticed a problem when he shook his fists at the driver and found himself one short.”
Wiggins laughed at that just as another train made its deafening way past.
After a few more minutes, Kane halted the party and pointed at a drainage cover in the ground.
“Our entrance,” he announced, pulling a short crowbar from a pocket inside his coat.
“Allow me,” said Challenger, taking the crowbar from him and flipping up the drain cover as if it weighed nothing. He handed the crowbar back to Kane, smiling. “It’s not just my brain that’s powerful,” he said.
“No,” Kane agreed. “Your personality is just as indomitable.”
“Now then,” said Wiggins, “let’s try and keep this as friendly as possible, shall we? No doubt there’s enough down there waiting to do us harm without our fighting amongst ourselves.”
Kane didn’t reply just gestured towards the uncovered hole. “After you.”
Wiggins looked to the hole, and the top of the ladder just visible within it, and sighed. He glanced at me, looking for the confirmation to go ahead. Naturally I gave it.
Mann followed Wiggins, then Johnson, then Challenger— somewhat irritated at having to wait his turn. Finally there was only Kane and I left on the surface.
“I think you should go next,” I said to Kane, “just so you can tell them which way we should be walking.”
“Still don’t trust me, eh?” Kane replied.
“Naturally not,” I replied. “I’m not an idiot after all.”
Kane offered that disturbing grin of his, a smile that spoke of animal hunger rather than humour. “We’ll see about that,” he replied, and began to climb down the ladder.
I descended after him.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
Descending into the tunnel we were hit by the oppressive air, not just the reek of the sewer water that rushed by but also the heavy sense of age and damp. The world from above rarely made itself felt in these long chambers. Fresh air, the cool, clean scent of a winter’s breeze, these were things that had never intruded down here. This was a world of waste and rot, Moreau’s world.
“I’ve been in some unpleasant places in my time,” said Challenger, “landscapes terrible and dangerous. I have choked on the sulphurous outpourings of an active volcano, the fetid aroma of freshly gutted buffalo, the assault on the nostrils that is Delhi at high summer. And yet this is undoubtedly the most foul smelling, and unappealing.”
“We are not here to act as tourists,” Kane said. “We are here for business.”
“And dark business at that,” agreed Wiggins.
“On the subject of which—” There was the scrape of a match and Johnson lifted up an illuminated lantern “- We’ll be needing a bit of extra light.”
“If you can’t manage without,” Kane hissed. “Though I would have preferred not to present such an obvious target. They will see us coming from some distance away.”
“Yeah, well, I can’t see for a foot in front of my face without it,” Johnson said. “So we’ll have to manage, wont we?”
I could see Kane’s point but thought it particularly ill-advised to stumble around in the dark. “We cannot manage without light for now,” I said, “so we might as well accept the fact and get moving.”
“Many expeditions are a matter of compromise,” Challenger said as we began to work our way along the tunnel. “I remember, during a particularly arduous trek along the banks of the Amazon, I was forced to …”
“Must he talk all the time?” said Kane. “You can hear his bellowing for miles, I’m sure.”
Of course, I agreed with Kane on this point, not that Challenger gave me time to admit as much.
“Right!” he shouted. “That’s it! I have been more than tolerant of your disgraceful behaviour, you blasted mongrel!” He raised his fists. “We will not go a step further until I have pounded a little of the insolence out of you.”
“Gentlemen!” I whispered. “Need I remind you that this is an occasion for stealth and discretion?”
“Discretion my sainted arse!” Challenger roared. “I want to box the ears of this dog-headed cur! This mangy upstart!”
Kane reached out and lashed at Challenger with one leather-mittened paw.
There was the click of a revolver being cocked and both Mann and Wiggins were pointing their guns at Kane.
“Calm down,” said Mann, “before you jeopardise everything.”
“That’s the spirit!” Challenger said. “We’ll show the arrogant pup where he stands.”
“I was talking to you,” Mann replied. “For a genius you’re not awfully clever. Now shut up and let’s get moving.”
Whether Challenger was simply shocked into compliance or actually saw the logic of Mann’s words was impossible to tell but, after a harrumph of indignation, he pushed past Kane and began to walk along the tunnel.
All of which served to prove to me why it is rarely worthwhile to work in company. Challenger was supposed to be a genius and yet, as far as I could see, his temper had replaced his brain to the point of rendering him a liability. How I wished for Watson and no other, at least with him by my side I knew I had someone on whom I could depend.
We had walked for only a few more minutes before Kane held up his hand for us to stop.
“Extinguish the lanterns,” he said.
“We can’t see without them,” Johnson insisted.
“You will have to manage. We are close now and father’s watchdogs will be on the prowl.”
Johnson looked to me and I could see no choice but to accede to Kane’s suggestion. I nodded and the lantern was extinguished.
The first few moments were severely disorientating as our other senses fought to compensate. The smell grew stronger, the sound of rushing water louder. Shuffling along that narrow footpath, it was an effort to keep moving, running my fingers along the brick wall to my right to keep a regular distance.
