The Hostages
A faint splashing warned Rick that the boats were approaching. In a few
moments they were opposite his position. He swung the infrared light
around toward them and snapped it on.
There were two men in the lead boat, one rowing and the other taking his
ease in the stern. Rick's heart leaped as he saw that the passenger was
of very slender build. Was it Long Shadow? He couldn't see his face
clearly. He looked at the second boat, and a sudden grin split his lips.
Worthington Ko!
The Chinese merchant was sitting at ease, and there was no mistaking his
portly figure. Besides, he twisted on the wooden seat, making himself
more comfortable, and for an instant his face was toward Rick.
"Good," Rick muttered to himself. If the slender man wasn't Long Shadow,
at least he would have Ko to deal with. The Chinese with the glass eye
could, he knew, speak English, although it was probable that Long Shadow
could, too.
He watched as the boats reached the barge. Ko and the slender man got
out. Rick studied the stranger, noting that he was taller than Ko, and
so thin that, compared with the portly merchant, he looked like an
animated bean pole.
"He surely must be Long Shadow," Rick told himself. As soon as the
excitement of their arrival had died down among the Tibetans, he
intended to get into his boat and start toward the camp.
Ko and the stranger talked together for a moment, then the latter
gestured toward the Tibetans. The Tibetans ran toward the tents while
the two newcomers waited.
Rick watched the Tibetans, his brow furrowed. Surely they weren't going
to strike camp! He revised his plans hastily. If they did start to take
down the tents, he would dump his prisoner back in the boat. Then he
would follow wherever they went.
The Tibetans vanished into the tents, and in a moment they came out
again.
And they were leading Scotty, Zircon, and Chahda!
Rick gasped.
His friends had been in the camp all the time, prisoners! He groaned
softly. If he had only known, he might have gotten to them while the
boats were gone and the number of guards was temporarily reduced. He got
to his knees, determined to start for them right away. Then he paused as
his three friends were led before the two strangers. They were all
erect, their hands tied behind them.
Anyway, prisoners or not, they were evidently none the worse for their
captivity. Again he started for the boat, and again he paused. What if
Long Shadow and Ko intended loading them in the boats? It might be wiser
to wait. He sank down to a sitting position, caressing the cold metal of
his rifle. The next few moments would tell the story.
Worthington Ko stepped forward, confronting Zircon. The Chinese nodded
his head, then deliberately slapped the scientist across the face.
Zircon couldn't strike back. But his legs were free. One massive leg
swung in a giant punt that caught the Chinese squarely in the stomach.
Worthington Ko flew backward like a rag doll and slid along the
limestone floor. Rick watched the tableau, spellbound.
The Tibetans ran forward.
Rick put the camera down, light pointing at the group across the way.
Then he raised his rifle and sighted in. He'd get some of them before
they could harm his friends. His finger tightened slowly on the trigger.
And then the Tibetans fell back as Long Shadow barked an order.
Worthington Ko got to his feet, bent over, both hands on his stomach. He
weaved a little. The breath had been knocked right out of him, Rick
thought.
The Tibetans and Long Shadow watched as Ko straightened up, very slowly.
He ran his hands gingerly over his big stomach. Then, walking
unsteadily, he moved back to within a few feet of Zircon. He called out
something and one of the Tibetans ran forward.
Rick's throat clogged as the torchlight reflected from a shiny blade. Ko
took the blade and swished it through the air. Then, drawing it back, he
stepped forward.
The Chinese was squarely in Rick's sights. He squeezed the trigger and
the rifle recoiled against his shoulder. The shot thundered through the
echoing cave.
Ko staggered. He dropped the blade, took a couple of hesitant steps
backward, and then sat down hard.
There was sudden chaos in the camp across the way. The Tibetans ran back
and forth aimlessly like sheep. Long Shadow bellowed orders. Then he ran
to a torch, pulled it out of the socket, and heaved it into the water.
The Tibetans got the idea. The torches flashed through the air and then
hissed out in the water.
Long Shadow felt his way toward the three Spindrifters, calling out
orders to the Tibetans. Rick suddenly realized that, of all in sight,
only he could see! Long Shadow and his men thought they were safe in the
darkness.
He watched, rifle at his shoulder, as Long Shadow collected the
Tibetans. Then he realized that the enemy intended herding Scotty,
Zircon, and Chahda into the caves. Probably they were certain that in
the caves they would be safe from whoever had fired from the darkness.
Ko was still sitting. He had one hand pressed to his side.
The Tibetans were groping for their prisoners. Rick grinned. He aimed at
the stone under their feet and fired. There was a chorus of yells. He
levered another cartridge into the chamber and fired again.
The Tibetans fled, charging blindly toward the cave openings beyond the
tents.
Long Shadow kept yelling orders, groping around in the blackness, but
the Tibetans paid no attention. They reached the back wall of the cave.
Two of them went headlong into openings. Others crashed into the walls,
fell, crawled sideways, scrambling until they found the openings they so
frantically sought.
Long Shadow's voice could be heard screaming in fury for his men to come
back.
He couldn't see, as Rick could, that they were all now in the caves
behind their leader.
Finally, giving up, Long Shadow started for safety himself.
It would never do to allow the thin man to get away, Rick thought. He
wanted Long Shadow. He and his companions had questions to ask him, and
they needed him to get them out of the Caves of Fear. He sighted
carefully at the long legs that were feeling their way toward the back
wall. He fired.
Long Shadow stumbled headlong, then he started to crawl. Rick stood up
and yelled. "Gang! Get Long Shadow!"
His words echoed eerily through the cave.
Zircon understood and bellowed. "Where is he?"
Rick thought quickly. The three were still standing in a line. He
shouted orders.
"Right face. Forward march!"
Like a well-trained machine, his friends obeyed. They marched forward
steadily. But they were slightly off. He remembered the correct command.
"Left oblique! March!"
Scotty swung a quarter left, bumped into Zircon. Chahda stood still, not
understanding. Neither had Zircon comprehended the command. Rick yelled,
"Scotty! Turn right just a fraction."
Scotty did so. "Now," Rick called. "He's about ten feet in front of
you."
Scotty moved forward, feeling his way a step at a time. When he was
almost on Long Shadow, Rick yelled, "You're there!"
Long Shadow turned over on his back and clawed in his pockets.
"Watch out!" Rick screamed. "He's got a gun!"
Scotty jumped, feet first. He missed Long Shadow by a fraction, landing
next to his chest.
"Fall to the left!" Rick yelled.
Scotty crashed down across the man, calling to Zircon and Chahda. Guided
by their friend's voice, the two reached his side quickly. Rick couldn't
hear what Scotty said, but the big scientist suddenly sat down, his back
to Long Shadow. A moment later he writhed away, and he had the pistol
between his bound hands.
Rick sighed his relief. "Wait!" he yelled. "I'll be right there!"
He didn't dare take his eyes off the scene long enough to pick up his
prisoner. Time enough for that later. He untied the boat and got in. He
knelt, placing the rifle on the seat in front of him next to the
infrared camera. Then, using the oar as a paddle once more, he started
straight across to the camp.
It wasn't a far journey. But as he reached the halfway mark, two of the
Tibetans looked cautiously out of their hiding place. Rick put the oar
across the gunwales, picked up his rifle, and sighted carefully.
Fortunately, there wasn't so much as a ripple on the water. The boat was
perfectly steady.
He squeezed the trigger, and the stalactite directly over their heads
shattered into a thousand pieces, showering them with limestone. They
didn't wait for a second shot. He could hear their yells even after they
had ducked back into the caves. They weren't used to sharpshooting in
total darkness.
Rick smiled as he resumed paddling. He could understand how they felt.
He wasn't used to it, either.
In a few moments he was at the barge. He tied the boat to one of the odd
derrick affairs and scrambled out. Then, picking up the camera and
rifle, he hurried to his friends.
Scotty and Chahda were using Long Shadow as a bench. Zircon sat a little
distance apart, trying to peer toward Rick through the darkness.
"Dark in here, isn't it?" Rick inquired pleasantly.
"Rick! You old muttonhead!" Scotty exclaimed.
"Thank God you're safe," Zircon said.
Chahda grinned the widest grin ever and said, "Also giving much thanks
that friend Rick has eyes like cat which see in dark!" The Hindu boy
didn't know about the infrared camera, unless the others had explained
it to him. There hadn't been time back at camp, and Rick hadn't thought
of it, anyway.
In a moment the three were untied, rubbing circulation back into their
wrists.
"Let's get a light!" Zircon said. "I think we had better see to the
wounded. I assume there are wounded? I know Ko was hit. And just as he
was about to carve my head from my shoulders, too."
"He's sitting over there," Rick said.
"Where's there?" Scotty asked.
He kept forgetting that only he could see. "Where he dropped. Long
Shadow is hit, too. I don't know how badly."
For the first time, they heard their enemy's voice. It was rather high,
but cultured and pleasant. "Not badly. Although I believe my ankle may
be broken. I have felt, and I don't believe I am bleeding much."
Rick knelt quickly and put the infrared light on the wound. Long Shadow
was right. It hadn't bled much, and Zircon, looking the wound over after
borrowing the glasses, told him, "I doubt that the ankle is broken. The
wound is clean."
"Stay where you are," Rick warned him. "We'll bandage you after we look
at Ko."
"I have no intention of going anywhere," Long Shadow said. "Not when
some magic I don't understand permits you to see in complete darkness."
Rick took the glasses from Zircon's hand. In the interval during which
the scientist was wearing them, he had understood how the others felt.
The darkness was absolute. He put the glasses on again and walked over
to Ko, talking so his friends could follow the sound of his voice.
"Well, Mr. Ko," he said, "you got a little surprise, didn't you?"
The Chinese with the glass eye groaned. "You have won," he complained
weakly. "Now have the kindness to let me go to my ancestors in peace."
"Better let me take a look at him," Zircon said.
Rick walked to the scientist's side and took one of his hands. Then he
took off the glasses and pressed them into the hand he was holding. That
done, he stood in the blackness and waited.
"Lie flat," presently Zircon said.
"Please go away," Ko groaned.
"Lie flat," Zircon ordered.
There was the sound of ripping cloth. Zircon grunted. "Hmmmm."
Ko moaned. "I wish to go to my ancestors alone."
"You're not going to your ancestors," Zircon replied scornfully. "I
doubt that they'd have you. In case you're interested, Rick's bullet
merely plowed a nice, round hole through some of the fat on your right
side. You haven't even lost enough blood to make the wound interesting."
Ko's voice was suddenly animated. "Are you sure?"
"Quite sure. No, don't try to get up. Stay where you are. If you try to
run I'll order our seeing-eye marksman to finish the job." Zircon
continued, "Rick, Scotty, Chahda. Stay where you are. I saw some torches
stacked in one of the tents. I'll get them and be right back."
The three boys assured him that they wouldn't move. Rick, for one, had
no intention of prowling about in the blackness.
While they waited, Scotty asked, "What happened to you, Rick?"
Rick hesitated. He couldn't give an adequate account of what he had
experienced during the recent hours. Or was it weeks? He summed it up.
"After we got separated, I couldn't find you again. I wandered around.
Then I sat down in a big cave and fell asleep. When I woke, there was a
Tibetan with a candle. I followed him to a boat landing, slugged him,
and rowed across the lake. He's waiting, tied up, across the lake at the
spot from where I fired. How about you?"
"We look for you," Chahda said. "We look a long time, and almost get
lost ourself."
"Finally we decided we'd better push on and find Long Shadow," Scotty
continued. "We tracked the drippings from the candles for hours. It was
slow work. Then, while we were resting, we got jumped from behind. They
didn't even have to bother about lights, because one of our flashlights
was on, and it was getting so weak we couldn't see more than ten feet.
They came out of the darkness with a rush and there we were. They made
us walk to the boat landing, called the boats from here, and brought us
over. We've been sitting in one of those tents for hours. You know the
rest."
How rapidly they could cover the tortured hours of travel in a few
words, Rick thought. But he said only, "I'm glad we're all together
again."
"How you see in dark?" Chahda asked.
Rick explained briefly. The Hindu boy chuckled. "Plenty mystery for one
who not know, you bet! I scared myself, like the men who ran."
Then Zircon came back. He brought out matches and in a moment torches
were blazing again. They bandaged the two enemies as best they could,
using clean handkerchiefs which Chahda and Scotty carried. And Rick got
his first good look at Long Shadow's face.
The man was incredibly thin. His skin was stretched over the bones of
his face like parchment, and it had a sallow ivory tinge even in the
ruddy torchlight. His eyes were black, with just the faintest hint of a
Mongoloid fold.
"Are you a Eurasian?" Rick asked bluntly.
"Yes." Long Shadow smiled. "I'm one quarter Burmese. The other
three-quarters doesn't matter."
"You know our names," Rick said. "I'm sure you do. But we don't know
yours."
Long Shadow laughed. "You could never pronounce my Burmese name and the
other name I use is of no importance."
Zircon and the others had been listening. Now the scientist said, "We'll
have plenty of chance to talk, Rick. At the moment I'm concerned with
getting out of here. After a bit of exploration of course. It's almost
certain that the heavy water comes from here. Although I don't know the
source."
Scotty motioned toward the Lake of Darkness. "Bradley said to bring a
Nansen bottle and a rubber boat. He must have known about this. Why
would he say to bring a Nansen bottle if not to take a sample from the
lake?"
Zircon flashed a look at Long Shadow. The Eurasian smiled gently.
"That's a good question Mr. Scott asked," he told them. "But don't look
to me for the answer."
"Search the tents," Zircon ordered. "Chahda, keep an eye on our two
friends."
The three Americans walked to the felt tents and began searching through
them. Zircon used the infrared camera. Rick and Scotty took torches.
Rick was feeling through a pile of furs when Zircon called, "Here are
the flashlights!"
Zircon's had run down, but Scotty's, and Chahda's big lights were still
useful. They made the search much easier. Rick went back to the pile of
skins and found that they were plastic-lined water bags, similar to the
ones they had found on the way to Korse Lenken. Then, stacked in a
corner of the tent, he found some Nansen bottles!
At the same moment, Scotty called from the next tent. "Look what I
found!"
He had located the ammunition supply. There was powder and ball for the
old muskets the Tibetans used, two boxes of machine pistol cartridges,
and a small case of grenades!
"Now we know where Ko got the one he tried to use on us," Rick said.
"But where did they come from in the first place?"
"The war," Scotty guessed. "There must be tons of ammo and ordnance of
all kinds floating around China. What makes me wonder is why the
Tibetans don't have modern rifles."
"I suspect the answer is their natural conservatism," Zircon suggested.
"They are slow to change. And such guns as they use are handed down from
father to son. I don't doubt that modern rifles were offered them and
that they refused."
Rick knew something of the Oriental mind, although not much, and he
realized that Zircon was probably right. In a land of ancestor worship,
change was resisted.
Scotty stuffed grenades in each pocket. "Just in case we get into a
fight on the way out," he explained.
Rick was glad to leave the deadly things to his friend. Scotty knew
about grenades from his tour of duty in the Marines; he had thrown more
than a few himself.
"Nansen bottles in the next tent, professor," Rick said. "There must be
something to this business of getting stuff out of the lake. But golly,
you don't get heavy water out of natural water, do you?"
"I don't know," Zircon said. "There is only one precedent I can think
of. Have you ever heard of Lake Baikal?"
Neither boy had.
"It's a very large lake in Siberia, just above Mongolia," the scientist
told them. "It is also very deep. A few years ago, before the Iron
Curtain closed down, word came out of Russia that some scientists had
succeeded in getting heavy water samples out of Baikal. That is the only
precedent that I know.
"It is true," he continued, "that heavy water has a tendency to sink.
Naturally enough, since it is heavier. But for enough to form on the
bottom of a body of water, there would have to be great depth and
complete calm. Any current would stir the water up and the heavy water
would merge with the normal once more."
"In other words, you need a lake like this one," Rick concluded.
"I must admit it fits the requirements," Zircon agreed. "And we've seen
no sign of an industrial plant. These caverns certainly would be no
place for one."
"We can soon tell," Scotty suggested. "Let's take a sample. When we get
out, you can test it."
"Quite right," Zircon said. "And let's be quick about it."
It didn't take long to discover the reason for the odd little derricks
on the barge. Each was equipped with a pulley and a reel of wire.
Obviously, it was from here that the Nansen bottles were lowered.
While Chahda and Scotty remained on shore, Zircon and Rick pushed the
barge out into the lake. Rick got a Nansen bottle ready.
The bottle was made of metal, each end equipped with a spring cap. The
bottle was lowered on a wire with the ends open, permitting water to
flow through it freely. When it reached the desired depth, a metal
weight called a "messenger" was attached to the wire and dropped. The
weight of the messenger released devices that closed the caps, thus
trapping the water sample inside. A brass spigot on the side permitted
the sample to be taken out easily when the bottle was hauled up again.
They had brought four bottles from Long Shadow's stores. The first one
was lowered to the very bottom, and it took a long time getting there.
The reel of wire with which the barge was equipped ran out and out until
a full seven hundred feet of it had disappeared into the dark depths of
the lake. Rick was glad the reel of wire had a geared handle. Pulling
that weight up would be no fun.
Once the slackening of the wire told them that bottom had been reached,
Zircon put the messenger on the wire and let it go. Seconds later, a tug
on the wire told them it had struck and Rick reeled in.
Other samples were taken at five, ten, and fifteen feet from the bottom.
Zircon marked the bottles, then they paddled back to shore.
Long Shadow spoke up. "Of course you have testing equipment?"
"At our camp near Korse Lenken," Zircon assured him.
"You'll find what you expect," the Eurasian said.
"Thank you. And now, we'll also thank you to lead us out of here."
"No," Long Shadow said.
"You're beaten," Zircon said reasonably. "Why not admit it and
co-operate? We've nothing against you even if there were law in Tibet.
See us to the outside and open the barred gate and you're at liberty to
go."
Rick started to protest, then he realized Zircon was right. Law in this
part of the world was the law of the rifle. There was nothing they could
do to Long Shadow or Ko.
Long Shadow considered. "I suppose you're right. My little business deal
is over, at least for the time being." He raised his voice and yelled in
Tibetan.
The boys grabbed up their rifles as Tibetan heads showed from the caves,
black eyes blinking in fear.
"They will carry me and Ko," Long Shadow said calmly. "Now let us be on
our way." He smiled. "I must admit I have a selfish interest in all this
worry about getting to the outside. This ankle is beginning to hurt, and
I won't mind having one of the lamas with medical skill take a look at
it."
"How about letting a Hong Kong police doctor take a look at it?" Rick
asked. Long Shadow's cheerfulness was getting on his nerves. The man
acted more like a guest than a prisoner.
"I don't think we need go that far," Long Shadow replied. "The lamas are
quite capable."
"I wasn't concerned about your ankle," Rick corrected. "I was thinking
that the Hong Kong police might like to get their hands on the kind of
citizen who goes around shooting up hotels with a Schmeisser machine
pistol."
Long Shadow stopped smiling abruptly. "You couldn't prove that," he said
swiftly.
"Why not?" Scotty asked, "We'll let the police see if the slugs from
your machine pistol don't match those in the hotel wall. By the way,
where is the Schmeisser? I haven't seen it around."
Long Shadow recovered his grin. "You'll never see it again. I took the
precaution of disposing of it, in case the police in the hotel area had
been alerted. Don't bother to ask me how I got rid of it."
"We won't," Zircon replied. "Obviously, you wouldn't tell us. However,
perhaps you will tell us how long it will take to get out of here?"
"About ten minutes."
At their evident surprise, Long Shadow added, "I should have said once
we cross the lake it will take about ten minutes. You came a very long
way around, you see. I realize you followed the candle droppings, but
I'm afraid those were left some time ago, when I first explored the
cave. The first entrance you tried was the correct one, even though you
didn't suspect the presence of a door. When you took the open way, you
approached by a very twisting path."
"Just to satisfy my curiosity," Scotty asked, "why did your men capture
us, then bundle us into the boats and bring us here? And where were you
all that time?"
Long Shadow shrugged. "I knew your guide and bearers were outside, at
Korse Lenken, of course. My men have kept an eye on you. I also felt
they probably would start a search after you failed to return. It was
almost certain they would find the entrance to the caverns behind the
Black Buddha, and, like you, they would probably follow the candle
drippings. The drippings would lead them nowhere. Unless they found the
secret door, there would be no chance of them finding you here in our
permanent camp. Hence, I had you brought here. Ko and I were waiting in
the cave I use for an office. When we thought time enough had elapsed
for my orders to be carried out, we came here. Meanwhile, we took a nap.
Are you satisfied?"
"You never intended that we should see daylight again," Rick stated. He
winked at his friends. "Suppose we tie a few stalactites to your feet,
and Ko's, and see how long it takes for you to get down to where the
heavy water is?" He looked meaningly at the lake.
Ko groaned, but Long Shadow only smiled. "If that's the way you want
it," he said, "it will at least be quick. Both of us are done for,
whether you know it or not. Your Mr. Bradley will see to that."
* * * * *
As Long Shadow had said, it was little more than ten minutes after
crossing the lake before the party reached the cave under the Black
Buddha. They had passed through the cave where Rick had found the
Tibetan. Again he realized how lucky he had been. Some good angel had
led him to the main route. Had he fallen asleep in some other cave, he
might still be wandering through the labyrinth.
The rifles taken from Scotty and Zircon by Long Shadow's men had been
found in one of the tents. With Rick's rifle, they were insurance
against treachery. But Long Shadow seemed resigned, for some reason Rick
couldn't fathom, and Ko did nothing but curse the bearers who carried
him.
Before reaching the great cave they stopped at a blank wall. At a signal
from Long Shadow, one of the Tibetans reached behind a stalagmite and
pulled a lever. A section of the wall swung open, disclosing the passage
they had thought stopped in a dead end.
In a few moments they were crossing the outer cave, and Rick saw at once
that the bars across the entrance passage were gone.
"When the inner door opens from the inside, the bars also open," Long
Shadow said. "There is another cave under this one where the mechanism
is located. No, I am not responsible. The ancient ones who made the
Black Buddha also made the doors and the mechanism."
Rick ran ahead through the passage. He found the leather thong that
controlled the door and pulled. The metal tongue came out of its slot
permitting the counterbalance to swing the trap door upward. The others
were behind him with their lights, and Rick saw his shadow loom large on
the wall behind the Black Buddha. In the same way, the Long Shadow had
been projected upward, probably by the light from a candle in the hands
of a Tibetan bearer. He experimented, backing down a few steps. His
shadow seemed to fold downward into the oblong box of light cast by the
flashlights. When he walked up the stairs again, the shadow grew out of
the bottom of the projected oblong of light.
As Rick reached floor level, he froze suddenly, his finger slipping the
hammer of his rifle to full cock. There were lights in the cave! As he
turned to call a warning, yellow-robed lamas, who had seen the reflected
light on the rear wall, poured around the statue with wild yells, their
torches held high.
"Something's up," Rick called to the others. "Watch it!"
Under the threat of Rick's rifle, then Scotty's and Zircon's, the lamas
fell back until the group stood alongside the Black Buddha, looking into
the cave. There were torches everywhere! And cooking fires. Rick's first
thought was that they had returned in the midst of a religious
celebration.
And then he saw Sing. The Chinese guide ran to them, his face split by a
wide grin.
"You came," he exclaimed happily. "We were about to tear the mountain
down, stone by stone! Where is the Indian boy?"
Chahda came from behind the statue, herding the Tibetans who carried
Long Shadow, Ko, and the Nansen bottles. Sing turned and yelled.
The lamas broke into cries of approval at the sight of Chahda. Several
of them ran to him and pressed his hand. He was a favorite, obviously.
"They came to help when I told them the Indian boy was in danger," Sing
explained. "We were ready to start digging holes to find the caverns,
because we couldn't find the door." He eyed Long Shadow curiously and
grinned at the sight of Ko. "Should I get my frying pan again?" he
asked.
"Might be a good idea," Rick said.
"My boss not come yet?" Chahda asked.
Sing clapped hands to his head in a gesture of self-annoyance. "I
forgot. A letter came. One of the consulate guards, a Chinese who knows
this part of the world, brought it from Chungking. It may be from Mr.
Bradley, because it came originally from Hong Kong."
Zircon took the envelope while Rick, Scotty, and Chahda looked over his
shoulder. The envelope was marked for delivery from Hong Kong to
Chungking via diplomatic pouch. It was addressed to Zircon, with the
note, "Urgent. Forward by messenger." Bradley's initials were signed to
it.
The scientist ripped the envelope open and, looking around to be sure
Long Shadow and Ko were out of earshot, he read:
"'Have all the answers except the source. When you find it, destroy it
if possible. If you get Long Shadow or Worthington Ko, don't bother
bringing them back to Hong Kong, if they're still alive. Leave them at
Korse Lenken. Cable me from Chungking when you return.'"
It was signed "Bradley."
"I like his confidence in us," Zircon remarked. "Not 'if,' but 'when.'"
"My boss does not know what it means to fail," Chahda said.
"I can see one failure," Zircon remarked. "How does one destroy a body
of water?"
Scotty's forehead wrinkled thoughtfully. "Couldn't we stir it up? The
heavy water is all at the bottom. If we could give it a stir, the heavy
stuff would mix with the rest."
"But would maybe settle right back," Chahda objected.
"Not for a few thousand years," Zircon said. "A good idea, Scotty. Do
you happen to have a spoon seven hundred feet long?"
Scotty grinned. "Yes. Mr. Ko supplied one." He reached into his pocket
and pulled out a grenade. "These will do the best job of stirring that
black cup of tea that you've ever seen."
"Capital!" Zircon exclaimed. "They'll do perfectly, Scotty." He looked
at the boys. "Who wants to go back?"
Sing spoke up. "I will go, and some of the lamas should, too. The
monastery should know all about these caves, in case something like this
ever happens again." He spoke to the lamas in Tibetan. They consulted
briefly, then nodded assent. Five of them stepped forward.
"And Scotty and I will go," Rick volunteered. "I want to see how this
spoon works." He looked at Long Shadow and Ko. "Maybe they ought to go
back and see the end of their racket, whatever it is."
"No need," Zircon said. "They know it's the end, and Bradley does too.
Which is more than we know, I must say. But we'll find out from Bradley
very soon."
Rick hefted his rifle. "Incidentally, there's one thing I want to do
before we go back."
"And that is?"
He grinned at the scientist. "I want to go hunting blue sheep."
"Me, too," Scotty chimed in.
Zircon chuckled. "Very well. One day for sheep before we hit the trail.
Since Bradley prohibits our taking revenge on the enemy, we'll take it
out on the local livestock. Now get going. And do a thorough job."