Part 20 (2/2)

'Perhaps old Gomez, when he nabbled us, left a note, as it might be from you or me, saying don't worry, gone off with Mr Mully to pick up diamonds in the lake-bed. Or summat of the sort.'

'Surely Papa would not be so foolish as to believe such a story?'

But no other possible explanation occurred to them.

Most of the balloons came drifting over the shoulder of Mount Catelonde, the heat of which was sufficient to melt the wax on the fastenings and make them discharge their contents into the lake-bed. But a small number floated over the crater itself, through the reddish-black column of smoke that came coiling sluggishly from the volcano's open jaws. Then that particular load of water never reached the lake, but fell down into the heart of the volcano, like a teacupful of water dropped into a furnace. And as the furnace sizzles and spits when water is dropped into it, so Mount Catelonde rumbled and hissed and spat out jets of red-hot ash and lava each time this occurred.

'If enough water got spilt into the crater,' said Elen thoughtfully, 'I shouldn't wonder but what it might start a full-scale eruption.'

'What would happen then?'

'It would be like a saucepan boiling over. Only what comes out of a volcano is lava boiling rock, thick as mola.s.ses, rolling down the mountain. Of course it might just roll down into Lake Arianrod; but if it went down the other side of the mountain or if there were a big explosion and part of the mountain blew off it might be dangerous for the city of Bath. Oh, how I wonder if Gwydion has got there yet; if he has if he learns what has happened to us he will surely come to rescue us?'

'I wouldn't depend on that,' Dido said. 'Who'd tell him? If you ask me, it's no use expecting other people to help you. What's that thing down there, d'you you suppose?'

A flight of steps led down the steep hillside from the terrace on which they stood. Below, extending outwards from the hillside, rather like a diving-board, was a narrow natural tongue or spur of rock, perhaps ten feet long and three or four feet wide. Below it, the cliff fell sheer, more than a thousand feet, to the blue waters of Lake Arianrod.

Elen looked down and s.h.i.+vered.

'Can't you guess? That's the Tongue of Sul where we shall be thrown into the lake. I believe we aren't really thrown just pushed out along the rock and left to stand there until we fall off. I should think it would not take long you would soon become giddy on that narrow tip. Some people jump off, I've heard, so as to get it over sooner.'

Now it was Dido's turn to s.h.i.+ver.

'Brrr! What a spooky spot. Let's get away from here. I'm sorry I asked I wouldn't have come this-a-way if I'd known. Maybe it's dinnertime the sun's moved quite a bit since we've been here.'

But Elen, walking dejectedly after Dido, burst out, 'I don't know that I mind being thrown into the lake. Dido! I really love Cousin Gwydion. I always have. I can feel it here -' She thumped her chest. 'If I can't marry him, I might just as well be in that lake. Or or go back to England and teach mathematics! I'm certainly not going to stay in Lyonesse and marry one of those Ccapacs.'

'But, Elen,' said Dido, shocked, 'how can you marry him? He's married already. And anyway you've hardly met him how can you be sure?'

'You forget. I was partly brought up with him. I loved him then. Oh, if only he was just Cousin Gwydion.'

If only, thought Dido sadly, he was just Mr Holystone.

Trying to retrace their steps to the Temple of Sul, they became confused among a maze of narrow cobbled ways, and came out on a dry dusty shelf above a ravine which was quite narrow only about ten feet across -but unbelievably deep.

'Watch out, Elen,' Dido said anxiously. 'Don't go too near that gritty edge.'

A mountain hare, sunning itself among a tangle of wild fig and cactus on the far side of the gully, started up and bolted away across the mountainside. To the girls' utter amazement, Hapiypacha cleared the gully in one effortless bound, and shot off in pursuit of the hare, going so fast that he seemed to float over the ground; in twenty seconds he had caught it, and returned with it in his jaws, leaping back over the gully with the same unconcerned ease, before settling down in a patch of shade to demolish his prey in four bites.

'He's got hi's own way out, at all events,' Dido said. 'Guess the Guardian don't know that '

An idea seized her so suddenly that her jaw went stiff and she stammered in her excitement. 'Hey p-p-p-princess! He he likes you!'

'Who does? What do you mean?'

'Why, old Puss there ' as Hapiypacha, having finished his lunch, came to rub his head against Elen's arm. 'D'you reckon you could ride him? Get him to take you out of here?'

'You mean over there?' Elen's eyes went huge with fright. She looked down into the terrifying gully.

'Go on! You said just now you wouldn't mind being thrown into the lake. At least there'd be some point to this!'

'But but what about you?' Plainly, though, Elen had begun to consider the idea, instead of just dismissing it.

'Well,' Dido said reasonably, 'it'd be no use my trying to ride him. He don't like me above half. It's you he's took sich a fancy to. So it's a case of you or nothing, ennit? But he's a right fast goer, our Happy-p.u.s.s.y; if you could get across that gully on him, and ride him over the mountains to Wandesborough, maybe you could give the alarm in time to send somebody and stop old Stone-Eyes from dropping me in the lake. Or or if not it's better one should get away than both of us get polished off. And then and then you can tell your cousin Gwydion about Queen Ginevra's goings-on - She had to reiterate this argument a good many times before Elen could be brought to consider it. But presently after they had eaten their noon meal and Caradog was away feeding his beasts Elen did try riding the leopard. At first it was doubtful whether he would sanction the idea at all, he hissed and spat and started away when, nervously tucking up her skirts, she attempted to bestride him; but by the end of the day he was co-operating tolerably well, though he did not look pleased about it; his ears were set back flat against his head and he mewled angrily to himself all the time she was on his back.

'Still, we're a-getting somewhere!' exulted Dido. 'Who'd a thought, this morning, that he'd let you ride him so biddably? And it's still two days to the new moon. If you practise all day tomorrow '

'All day!' shuddered Elen. 'If you knew what it was like sitting on his back! There isn't any saddle-holllow nothing but bony spine all the way along. It's all very well for you '

She bit her lip and stopped suddenly.

'Don't you worry,' said Dido. 'Maybe the old boy will be so sore when he finds he's lost you and Hapiypa-cha that he'll be out a-hunting over the mountain, and I'll have a chance to get away too.'

Though what could I do? she wondered. Steal a ride back on the silver-train? Her private thoughts were not hopeful.

By the evening of the third day Elen was getting on much better with her wayward mount. She had learned that the usual taps or kick used to urge a horse to greater speed only put him in a bad temper, but he would respond very well to coaxing words if she leaned forward and whispered in his ear.

'I reckon now's as good a time as any,' said Dido, who had discreetly removed Hapiypacha's breakfast of dried guinea-pig when the Guardian's back was turned, so as to render the leopard extra-hungry by evening. 'Let's go up to that gully-spot and hope for another hare.'

At first they were afraid they were not going to be able to find the place again, as they wandered to and fro in a network of dusty, silver-cobbled alleys, with late swallows and mountain falcons wheeling overhead in the last of the sun.

But at last they came out on the edge of the gully, and, as luck would have it, there was another hare, drowsing in exactly the same spot on the other side.

'Quick, Elen before you've got time to get scared hop on him!' said Dido. Impulsively she gave the other girl a hug. 'Go on, now don't be frit! Give my best regards to Mr Holy if you find him -'

Elen scrambled herself on to Hapiypacha's bony withers. Leaning forward she took a firm grip of the thick fur on his neck with both hands, and whispered, 'Go on, now, Tomkin after him '

The leopard bounded, checked an instant, and then shot away, clearing the ravine with his usual carefree power, landing well over on the other side, despite the fact that he had a rider on his back.

'Grip with your knees!' shouted Dido as Hapiypacha raced after the hare. 'Good luck!'

And then she turned round to find herself staring straight into the indignant face of Caradog.

'You are a very, very wicked child!' he said wrath-fully.

'Oh, come on, mister!'

'My sister said you were a troublemaker! She was right!'

'Now listen here '

'I let you and your companion go free, instead of locking you up, as I should otherwise have done (it is true,' he added in parenthesis, 'that Sul prefers a healthy, willing sacrifice; or so I have always thought) and what happens? You act with outrageous deceitfulness and ingrat.i.tude you seize the first opportunity to escape!'

'Well,' Dido said reasonably, 'What would you have done? Just sat down and waited to be chucked over the cliff?'

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