There was a toehold for Biff’s left foot now. That really eased the
strain, for Mike’s body immediately moved up a bit, pulled by the boys
above. Chandra kept hacking, more steps, higher; Biff kept climbing the
new ones, leaving the old to Chandra, who promptly followed. Then
suddenly, Mike was up to safety and they were hauling Biff up, too, when
he gasped:
“Wait! I’m bringing Chandra, too!”
So Biff was, for by now Chandra was tiring. He clung to Biff’s leg with
one hand and kept chopping steps with the other, just enough to work
himself up. Then hands from above gripped Chandra, and he and Biff were
hauled up side by side.
Kamuka found a board from an old catwalk and used it to bridge the gap
across the missing steppingstone. One by one, the boys crossed the
frozen stream above the mammoth icefall. They found steps on the other
side and descended for nearly half a mile before they overtook the
party. Charles Keene, Barma Shah, Hurdu, and all the rest were waiting
on a great, wide lookout platform, viewing a stupendously breathtaking
scene.
There, set in a tremendous niche across the mile-deep gorge, was the
Lost City of Chonsi. There were small stone huts in the foreground.
These, if seen from straight above, would look like nothing more than
rock heaps. But the pride of Chonsi, the palace of the Grand Lama, rose
above a towering array of great stone steps and castellated walls
forming tier after tier of magnificent buildings to a height of nearly
five hundred feet, only to be dwarfed by the more tremendous mass of the
cliff that overhung it.
From the top of the great gorge it would be impossible even to glimpse
this hidden wonder of the Himalayas in the massive hollow that had been
hewn to contain it. Yet its relation to the gorge was such that sunlight
streamed down into this secret setting during a good proportion of the
day.
Barma Shah summed it up when he stated:
“There is an old saying: ‘As long as the Himalayas stand, so will
Chonsi.’ Now I understand its meaning. If that cliff should tumble, the
city would fall, too.”
Amazed at the sight of the stupendous citadel, Biff did not tell his
Uncle Charlie and Barma Shah about his near-plunge from the icefall.
Instead, he reminded them of his mission:
“The sooner we get over there, the quicker we will find my father.”
Both men agreed, but Barma Shah added, “You will have to see the Grand
Lama first.”
That was the part that worried Biff most, though he didn’t say so. Now
that he was practically at his goal, he felt shakier than ever, for the
Chonsi Lama now represented power on a vast scale, considering the size
of his secret stronghold.
The party continued down the granite trail, which zigzagged to the
bottom of the canyon and there crossed a deep but narrow stream on a
bridge of simple logs. At the other side, they came to a great wall,
where gates were being swung wide to receive them. They were ushered in
by lesser lamas and other dignitaries, all wearing robes and costumes of
an ancient day.
[Illustration: _There, across the mile-deep gorge, was the Lost City of
Chonsi_]
With Hurdu and the porters following, they were conducted up outer
steps, then deep beneath a portico and up more steps until they reached
a magnificently tiled inner courtyard, where they were bowed to rows of
benches. An elderly lama approached and gestured to Biff, as he said,
“You may come.”
Next, he addressed Charles Keene and Barma Shah. “You two may follow.”
Then, to the boys, “And you next.” Pausing, he looked toward the porters
and asked, “Any of these?”
Barma Shah decided to bring Hurdu and three others. So, in the order as
arranged, they entered another portico and climbed a short flight of
gilded steps into a reception room also decorated in gold. There, Biff
was told that he was to enter the throne-room of the Grand Lama alone,
while Charles Keene and Barma Shah were to be ready when summoned.
Golden doors were opening when Uncle Charlie whispered to Biff,
“Remember, you’re meeting one of the wisest men in the East, as I can
now believe. Pay close attention.” To that, Biff nodded. Then, as
trumpets blared, he was ushered through the doors, clutching the ruby
that he had carried all along as his final passport to the Grand Lama’s
presence.
Then Biff reached a throne where a figure in great golden robes and
peaked hat awaited him. On each side stood a solemn dignitary, each in
similar robes. One asked in a droning tone, “You have brought the Light
of the Lama?” Then as Biff solemnly replied, “Yes,” the other dignitary
ordered, “Give it to the Great One.”
No promises, no conditions, no mention of Biff’s father. Just hand over
the ruby and hope for the best. With a bow, Biff produced the
magnificent red gem, which was glowing more vividly than ever. He placed
it in the Chonsi Lama’s outstretched left hand. Then, hoping to ask the
obvious question, he looked up at the Great One.
Biff gasped despite himself. Instead of viewing the austere visage of a
man in his mid-fifties, he was looking into the smiling, friendly face
of a boy no older than himself. Still weighing the ruby in his left
hand, the Chonsi Lama extended his right in greeting, as he said:
“Thank you, Biff!”
XX
The Master Spy
Before Biff could recover from his astonishment, the Chonsi Lama nodded
to one of the men beside him. A moment later, a door opened in the side
of the room and Mr. Brewster entered, as brisk and smiling as when Biff
had last seen him. A glad meeting followed. Then, with his arm around
Biff’s shoulder, Mr. Brewster approached the throne, where the youthful
Lama handed him the ruby, saying, “I know you would like to see this,
after all you have done to bring it here.”
Biff suddenly felt very much at home with this boy who was so friendly
toward his father.
“The ruby is sparkling now,” said Biff, “but it changes sometimes and
turns dull. That worried Diwan Chand.”
“Due probably to the setting,” observed Mr. Brewster with a smile. “If
moisture gets beneath the gem, it detracts from the sparkle, but only
temporarily.”
“I am glad to hear that.” The Chonsi Lama smiled, as he took back the
ruby. “I notice that its glow has lessened, and I do not care for bad
omens.”
As he placed the ruby in his robe, the Chonsi Lama turned to Biff again.
“Your father told me much about you,” he said. “That was one reason why
I wanted you to bring the ruby, as it was a good way to meet you. But we
weren’t quite ready to tell the world that I am now the Chonsi Lama. At
last we can declare it.”
He turned to one of the robed dignitaries.
“Usher in the others,” he ordered. Then, as an afterthought, he added,
“Bring the boys in first.”
As Biff and his father stepped to one side, Mr. Brewster quietly
explained that the former Chonsi Lama had died a few years after his
visit to Leh, some twenty years before.
“He gave orders to keep his death a secret,” explained Biff’s father,
“until times became less troubled. So a boy who was born at the time the
old Lama died was chosen to succeed him. He grew up on the throne, and
there he is now. I was as much surprised as you when I met him.”
More surprises were due. As Biff’s friends were ushered in, they looked
as awed as Biff had been when he approached the throne. Awe turned to
amazement when the boy Lama greeted them each by name and gave them the
same winning smile that he had shown Biff.
“Bring in the others,” the Chonsi Lama ordered, referring to Charles
Keene and Barma Shah. He turned to Mr. Brewster. “I shall now officially
announce that your mission is complete,” he said. “The Light of the Lama
has been returned. Since it was restored by the present government of
India, I shall ally myself with that nation for our mutual advantage. As
for the trouble you encountered at the gold mines, it still has puzzling
factors—”
The Chonsi Lama broke off to greet the newcomers who were being ushered
in. To Charles Keene, he said cordially, “I know you must be Biff’s
uncle.” Then, turning to the other man, he added, “And you are Barma
Shah—”
Mr. Brewster was coming forward in quick interruption to confront the
bland man with the broad face and the wide ears. Biff, accustomed to his
father’s calm, was surprised to hear Mr. Brewster exclaim excitedly,
“Wait! This man is not Barma Shah. He is an impostor! I have never seen
him before!”
“No, I am not Barma Shah,” the impostor stated. “But are you sure we
haven’t met? Don’t you remember—”
He drew his hands over his ears, pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes
to thin slits as he leered mockingly at Biff’s father. His complete
change of appearance was startling.
“The spy we nearly trapped down at the mine!” Mr. Brewster exclaimed.
“You are Bela Kron, the man who was after the ruby!”
“Yes, I am Bela Kron,” the master spy answered, smiling. “And I took the
place of your friend Barma Shah after he was killed in a Calcutta riot
of a month ago. Now, I am taking over here!”
Kron, the pretended Barma Shah, was drawing a revolver from his pocket.
He had raised his voice and it must have carried beyond the golden
doors, for they suddenly burst open to admit Hurdu and the three men
with him. No longer were the Changpas carrying bows and arrows. Hurdu
had a revolver, and the others were similarly armed.
Efficiently, Kron motioned the robed dignitaries to one corner of the
throne room, Thomas Brewster and Charles Keene to another, Biff and the
boys to a third. That left the youthful Chonsi Lama still on his
throne—for how long was a question, though he took the situation calmly.
Pleased by the way he and his picked crew had taken over, Bela Kron
decided to enlarge upon it.
“I started the trouble at the mines,” he bragged. “I wanted to acquire
the Rajah’s ruby as a passport to bring me to this hidden citadel, so I
could either make my own terms with the Chonsi Lama, or else notify
certain foreign factions just where they could find him. Brewster beat
me here, but when I learned his son was bringing the ruby, I decided to
come along with him.”
With a mocking look toward Biff, Kron swept his hand around his head,
turban fashion, then downward from his chin to indicate a beard.
“Remember that Sikh in the bus?” he demanded. “The one with the false
beard? I was that Sikh. That’s how I picked up your trail. I saw Chandra
buy the tickets, and I purposely crossed your path later.
“For other reasons, I had helped stir the Kali cult into making trouble,
but I didn’t know they were hot after you. So from then on, I looked out
for you, knowing that as Barma Shah, your father’s friend and contact,
you would bring me here. I saved your life during the tiger hunt, and
again, when the bear was after you. I tried to get rid of your uncle on
the bridge, because I didn’t want him in the way. So I had Hurdu cut the
cable.”
Kron glanced at Hurdu, who shrugged apologetically.
“Hurdu was slow that time,” declared Kron, “but he did a good job faking
Yeti tracks to scare Tikse and his crew clear back to Leh, so we could
hire the Changpas, who were waiting in the valley where the trails met.”
It seemed that Bela Kron, the master spy, had called every possible
turn. But he had a still bigger trick to play.
“My men are stationed in the courtyard below,” he declared. “I shall
have Hurdu send two of his men down and bring the rest up.” He waved
toward the door, and Hurdu promptly started the two men on their way.
“Then we shall leave, taking you with us.” Kron approached the Chonsi
Lama as he spoke. “It will take all the wealth of this hidden city to
make the first payment on your ransom.”
Calmly, the youthful Lama studied Kron, then smiled as though ready to
accept whatever fate decreed. Kron responded with a glare, then swung to
view the others in the same ugly fashion.
“I’ll soon decide what to do with the rest of you,” Kron began. “In
fact—” he paused as a heavy rap sounded on the golden door—“I’ll decide
right now, because Hurdu’s men are back. Let them in, Hurdu.” Hurdu
turned and opened the door. As he did, he came flying back as though a
tornado had hit him. Hurdu’s gun scaled from his hand as he landed hard
and flat. The one man still with Hurdu was jumping in to help him, only
to be sprawled in the same efficient fashion.
Now, Biff saw the man with the double-barreled fists who had played the
part of a human whirlwind. Biff raised a shout that the other boys
echoed:
“Muscles!”
XXI
Secret of the Snows
Bela Kron, though standing ready with his gun, was caught flatfooted by
the speed and power that Muscles showed. Kron was a crack shot, but he
had to wait until Hurdu and the other husky guard were out of the way
before he could open fire. In his eagerness to concentrate on Muscles,
Kron forgot two others.
Those two were Thomas Brewster and Charles Keene. Knowing exactly how
far Muscles could carry his drive, Biff’s father and uncle acted
accordingly. At the crucial moment, they launched a double drive of
their own. Kron, coming to deliberate aim as Muscles hulked up as a
target, was suddenly overwhelmed before he could pull the trigger of his
gun.
Excitedly, Biff and the other boys were pointing to the outer room where
more figures were appearing, but Muscles motioned for them to be calm.
Then, through the doorway, came Tikse and half a dozen of his Ladakhi
crew. Amiably, Muscles waved them out, saying, “Never mind, boys, you
won’t be needed.”
The men from Leh realized suddenly that they were in the presence of the
Chonsi Lama, and that in itself accomplished results. Bowing low, they
backed out through the golden doors. Gravely, the Chonsi Lama returned
their bows until they were gone. Then he turned to Biff and said, “If
you introduce your friend Muscles, I will grant him an audience. Then he
can tell his story of how he turned the tables.”
Biff introduced Muscles, who responded characteristically.
“Everything’s under control,” he said, “so I can take time out to talk.
It seems like talking is getting to be the best thing I do. Those
Sherpas we landed among thought I was what they called a Yeti, but I
talked them out of it.
“Then they were so glad, they were ready to do anything I wanted, so I
talked them into coming over this way and catching up with the party
that was on its way here, just on the chance I might be needed.
“We tried to take a short cut and whom did we run into?” Muscles turned
to Biff. “Your whole crew of porters, heading back to Leh. When they
told me they’d been seeing Yeti tracks, I figured somebody had been
faking them.”
“Somebody was,” returned Biff. “Hurdu.”
The Chonsi Lama was becoming more and more intrigued. He expressed the
eagerness felt by all the boys when he suddenly urged, “Go on, Muscles,
tell us more!”
“Well, your honor,” Muscles resumed, suddenly impressed by the youthful
Lama’s robe, “I did some more talking to Tikse and his friends. I told
them that there weren’t any such things as Yetis, and that having been
mistaken for one, I was somebody who should know. So they turned right
around and came along with me.
“Then, to convince them further, I rigged myself up in an old yak hide
and wrapped old towels around my shoes, so I could scare Hurdu and his
tribe into thinking they were really looking at a Yeti and not just his
footprints.”
“So you were the thing we saw go bounding up the ledge!” exclaimed Biff.
“That’s right,” said Muscles. “I kept on going, too, clear up beyond a
big rock pile.”
Chandra turned to Biff. “You see? I was right.”
“It was dark when I started out,” continued Muscles, “so I brought a
rifle with me. I’d left it up behind the rock pile, and when I saw you
tangling with that big bear, I up and clipped him, first shot. There was
other shooting coming from down your way, so I had my chance to clear
out and did.”
“And you followed us from then on?” queried Biff.
“Sure did,” returned Muscles. “We saw you go into a woods and disappear,
so we did the same and found the steps that brought us down here. They
let us in when I said I was with you, Biff, so I guess you’re pretty
important around here.”
“Biff is important here,” declared the Chonsi Lama. “Very important.”
“I decided to take over,” Muscles went on, “when we found a lot of
Hurdu’s men down in the courtyard. We jumped them before they knew what
to expect. They knew, though, when they got it. I came on up and ran
into a couple of Hurdu’s men coming down. So I bagged them and turned
them over to my crew. Then I walked in here, and you saw the rest.”
It was time now for the Chonsi Lama to hold a conference with his
advisers, so he politely bowed his visitors and rescuers out. On the way
down from the throne room, Biff said to Muscles, “So you don’t believe
there are such things as Yetis?”
“I didn’t when I came here,” returned Muscles, “but after one look at
this place, I am ready to believe anything.”
They left Bela Kron, Hurdu, and a few of his men in the custody of the
palace guards, a dozen men in garish red-and-yellow uniforms whose chief
business was blowing trumpets, opening doors, and participating in
ceremonies generally. The guards were armed with brass muskets that
looked like models of ancient Chinese cannon and probably hadn’t been
fired since the day gunpowder was invented.
The guards were good custodians, however, for the massive buildings
forming the foundations of the slant-walled palace were honeycombed with
secret passages and hidden cells. Escape was impossible, even for Bela
Kron, the master spy, and his principal followers.
As for the rest, they were simply Changpa tribesmen who had been coaxed
in from remote Tibet by Hurdu, just as Muscles had brought in the
visiting Sherpas from Nepal. By now, Sherpas and Changpas were becoming
friends, rather than one group having the other in its charge. The
Ladakhi, too, were fraternizing with both groups and all were so
overwhelmed by the importance of the Chonsi Lama that they were ready to
follow his commands. So they were given the freedom of the fabulous city
until the time should come for them to return to their native climes.
Mr. Brewster sat in on the conferences held by the Chonsi Lama and his
advisers, with Charles Keene an occasional participant in the
deliberations. During breaks in the session, they chatted with Biff and
the other boys, who were lodged in special guest quarters with Muscles.
“When the previous Lama died,” Mr. Brewster stated, “he saw to it that
his successor would be educated in modern ways as well as those of
ancient days. Your friend, the young Lama, had an English tutor and is
versed in other modern languages as well. He is now just sixteen years
old and has two more years to go until he is of age.
“The two men you saw with him were the Acting Regent and the Prime
Minister, who have been keeping Chonsi as it was, until the new Grand
Lama takes full power. But now that the Rajah’s ruby has been returned
to become again the Light of the Lama, they have decided that this is
their day of decision. All agree that Chonsi no longer should be the
Lost City.”
That became official the next day. The natives of Chonsi were told that
they were free to visit the outer world without restriction. The Chonsi
Lama entrusted Mr. Brewster with state despatches to be taken to New
Delhi, so that the boundaries of tiny Chonsi could be defined and its
status determined through international negotiations. Bela Kron, Hurdu,
and a few others were to be turned over to the government of India, as
they were wanted for crimes committed within the jurisdiction of that
nation.
Biff and the boys had a last pleasant visit with the Chonsi Lama and
then were on their way. All Chonsi was out to wave farewell to the
departing visitors. From the distance came booming sounds like a parting
salute, but not from guns. Those were the reverberations from the
crashing masses of rock and ice that so frequently toppled from the
granite walls that flanked this narrow land, the Place of Living
Thunder.
All the porters and native tribesmen made the return climb from the
mile-deep chasm and back through the mountain passes beyond. There were
no serious incidents along the way, as the expedition no longer was
troubled with plotters such as Bela Kron and Hurdu. Instead of returning
to Leh with the Ladakhi, Biff and his father and the rest of the party
continued south to the ranges where the Sherpas lived.
There, Charles Keene and Muscles put the plane in flying order, and
after a few pleasant days in the fertile valley, the first group took
off for New Delhi. Charles Keene was at the controls. With him were Mr.
Brewster, Biff, Chandra, and Kamuka, all of whom could give first-hand
evidence concerning the double dealings of the notorious Bela Kron.
Charles Keene was then to fly back to the Sherpa valley and pick up
Muscles, Li, Chuba, and Mike Arista, to bring them on to New Delhi,
where all the boys would meet again. But as the plane climbed high above
the mountain pass, thoughts of a more immediate reunion flashed through
Biff’s mind and brought an anticipatory smile to his lips.
By the time they reached New Delhi, Biff’s mother would be there from
Darjeeling, with the twins. Eyes half closed, Biff could already picture
the eager faces of Ted and Monica as his brother and sister waited
breathlessly to hear the full story of his latest adventures!
[Illustration: Endpapers]