Part 82 (1/2)

When they were in position, Peter glanced back at the Russian and nodded. Bukharin moved up silently beside him, and they went forward together, weapons held ready, quickly and warily.

The faint track led them to the base of the Cliff, and then disappeared into a narrow vertical cleft in the rock.

Peter and Bukharin darted forward and flattened themselves against the cliff on each side of the opening.

”The burrow of the Matabele fox,” Peter gloated quietly.

”I have him now!” he Shana are here!” The scream came from the entrance of the cavern, muted by the fold of the rock and the screening brush. ”The Shana have come for you! Run! The Shana-” a woman's voice cut off suddenly.

Sarah sprang up from the fire, overturning the three legged iron cooking-pot, and she fled across the cavern, s.n.a.t.c.hing up the lantern as she went, racing into the maze of pa.s.sages.

From the head of the steep natural staircase into the grand gallery she screamed her warning down towards the pool, ”The Shana are here, my lord! They have discovered usP And the echoes magnified the terror and urgency of her voice.

”I am coming to yaup Tungata boomed back up the gallery, and he came bounding up the shaft into the light of her lantern. He climbed the stone staircase, swinging himself up on the rope, and placed an arm around her shoulders.

”Where are they?”

”At the entrance there was a voice, one of our women calling a warning I could hear the fear in her and then it was cut off. I think she has been killed.”

”Go down to the pool. Help Pendula to bring Pupho up.”

”My lord, there is no escape for us, is there?”

”We will fight,” he said. ”And in fighting we may find a Hill way. Go now, Pupho will tell you what to do.” Carrying the AK 47 at the trail, Turigata disappeared into the pa.s.sage leading upwards towards the main cavern.

Sarah scrambled down the rock ramp way in her haste failing the last few feet, barking her knees.

”Pendula!” she called, desperate for the comfort of human contact.

”Here, Sarah. Help me.” When she reached the slab at the bottom of the gallery, Sally-Anne was waist-deep at the edge of the pool, straining on the rope.

”Help me, it's stuck!” Sarah jumped down beside her, and grabbed the tail of the rope.

”The Shana have found us.” She heaved on the rope.

”Yes. We heard you.”

”What shall we do, Pendula?”

”Let's get Craig out of here first. He will think of something.” Suddenly the rope gave, as forty feet below Craig managed to force himself through the narrow opening in the wall) and the two girls hauled him upwards hand over hand.

Oxygen bubbles burst in a seething rash on the surface of the pool, and they saw Craig coming up through the gin-clear water, the masking transforming him into some grotesque sea monster. He reached the surface and ripped the mask off his head, snorting and coughing at the fresh air.

”What is it?” he choked as he splashed to the edge of the rock slab.

”The Shana are here.” Both girls together, in English and Sindebele.

”Oh GaR Craig collapsed weakly onto the slab. ”Oh GaR ”What shall we do, Craig?” They were both staring at him piteously, and the cold and the pain in his head seemed to paralyse him.

Abruptly the air around their heads reverberated as d-lough they were within the sounding body of a kettledrum beaten at a furious tempo.