Part 42 (2/2)

TO THOSE WHO ENTER THE SERPENT-LORD'S PIT, I OFFER NO ADVICE BUT THIS:.

ABANDON ALL HOPE,.

FOR THERE IS NO ESCAPE FROM IT.

So it was also certain death to enter the Pit.

Certain death v certain death.

Some choice.

'Screw it,' West said. 'Grab the rungs ...Go!'

And out they swung, over the deep quicksand pit, just as just as a billowing blast of dust exploded out from the collapsing tunnel behind them. a billowing blast of dust exploded out from the collapsing tunnel behind them.

The eighth handrung broke in West's grasp ...and he fell.

Pooh Bear avoided it-but the tenth one got him, and he also dropped, down into the quicksand, joining West in the Pit from which there was no escape.

West and Pooh Bear landed in the quicksand with twin goopy splashes.

West made to lie on his back, to spread his body-weight and thus avoid sinking ...when abruptly, four feet below the surface of the quicksand, his feet struck the bottom.

They could stand in here...

So he and Pooh Bear stood, chest-deep in the deep pit.

The walls around them were slick and sheer, made of diorite.

'This isn't so bad...' Pooh Bear said. 'I don't see why Imhotep said this was escape-proof-'

It was precisely then that the ceiling ceiling of the pit-the flat section of stone containing the handrungs-began to of the pit-the flat section of stone containing the handrungs-began to lower lower. Its great square bulk fitted the pit's four walls perfectly.

The intention was clear: the lowering ceiling-itself a two-ton slab of stone-pushed you down into into the quicksand, drowning you. the quicksand, drowning you.

It was only a lightning-quick swoop from Horus that saved her from the descending ceiling. As the trap sprang into action, she darted like a rocket for the exit tunnel and zoomed into it just as the lowering ceiling rumbled past the tunnel, closing it off.

From her position here, she could see the ceiling's operating mechanism on the top top side of the descending slab-the ceiling was suspended from a pair of thick chains which themselves hung out from a wide shaft in the roof. They clanked loudly as they lowered the deadly ceiling. side of the descending slab-the ceiling was suspended from a pair of thick chains which themselves hung out from a wide shaft in the roof. They clanked loudly as they lowered the deadly ceiling.

Just then in the Pit, Pooh Bear spotted movement.

Saw the spotted body of an outrageously enormous python come slithering out of a wall-hole and dive into the quicksand pool!

'Huntsman!'

'I know, there are three more on this side!' He called up at the ceiling: 'Horus! Reset the bucket! Reset the bucket!'

There were three more wall-holes arrayed around the Pit ...and they too were spewing forth the long speckled bodies of pythons.

'Ningizzida...' West said, staring at the snakes. 'The a.s.syrian serpent-G.o.d, also known as the G.o.d of the Tree of Life: Christianity basically stole him and placed him in the Garden of Eden as the snake who tempts Eve to eat the apple from the tree.'

The ceiling was halfway down and closing fast.

The snakes slithered across the surface of the quicksand pool, moving with intent.

One wrapped itself around West's right leg and reared up around him, jaws bared wide. West, since he had no gun to shoot it with, just jammed an X-bar into its wide-open mouth. The snake froze in confusion, its mouth now held bizarrely open, hyper-extended, with no way of dislodging the X-bar in it. It slithered off West's body, shaking its head violently, disappearing into the sand.

'Horus!' West yelled. 'What are you doing up there?'

Horus zoomed up the chain-shaft, following the ceiling's mighty chains as they stretched upward, bent over a large bronze pulley, and then descended descended back down another wider shaft. back down another wider shaft.

Folding over the pulley, the chains shot down this new shaft, where at their other end they upheld ...a gigantic clay bucket. It was easily ten feet wide: the world's biggest bucket. And next to it flowed a healthy little waterfall, pouring out of a man-made drain.

Right now, the bucket hung askew, at right-angles, tipped over on some hinges, its open top facing sideways. If it had been sitting in the upright position, it would have received received the flowing water from the waterfall ...and filled up ...and hence via the chains, the flowing water from the waterfall ...and filled up ...and hence via the chains, hauled up hauled up the movable ceiling in Ningizzida's Pit. the movable ceiling in Ningizzida's Pit.

Known as a 'water-based mechanism', this was the standard operating system behind all Egyptian moving-wall traps.

It was an ingenious system devised by the first Imhotep, and was remarkable for its simplicity. All it needed to work were three things: gravity, water ...and a pulley.

When West had grabbed the wrong handrung, he had triggered a catch which had tipped the (full) bucket.

Now, when filled filled with water, the great bucket perfectly counterbalanced the ceiling slab. But when upturned, the bucket emptied, and thus the ceiling-now outweighing it-lowered. with water, the great bucket perfectly counterbalanced the ceiling slab. But when upturned, the bucket emptied, and thus the ceiling-now outweighing it-lowered.

There was a second trigger stone on the floor of the Pit-the 'reset' switch-which, when eventually hit by the lowering ceiling stone, would right the giant bucket, and allow it to fill again, thus raising the ceiling back to its resting position, ready to strike once again.

As such, there truly was no escape from Ningizzida's Pit. It offered no tricks, no riddles, no secret exits. Once you were in it, you did not leave.

Unless you had a companion like Horus.

Flying fast, Horus swooped up the chain-shaft, past the pulley, and down toward the big clay bucket.

There she landed and hopping around, searched for the reset catch that righted the giant tub.

In the Pit, the ceiling was still lowering fast. It was only seven feet above the surface now and closing quickly.

The pythons circled, moving in on West and Pooh Bear.

Without warning, one dived under the surface-and reappeared slithering up Pooh's body with frightening speed! It constricted violently, trying to crack his spine-just as Pooh Bear swiped hard with his K-Bar knife and the python froze in mid-action. Then its head fell from its body.

<script>