The Drustone

Chapter Three. Underground.

Chapter Three 

Underground 

The soft light of a hurricane lamp illuminated their final preparations in the outer cave. For once Henry was in charge, as he claimed to have read a story in which a group of explorers attempted to reach the centre of the earth by following a passage similar to the one they had discovered the previous day. 

"Do you really think we need to join ourselves together with a rope like this?" asked Rev. "Maybe we should leave a trail of bread crumbs too!"

Henry ignored these remarks as he secured the last knot in the chain. They were now ready. P.C., in the lead, held a long staff in his right hand and a lamp in his left. Rev, in the centre, carried a rucksack filled with the food and drink essential for a young boy's survival. Henry brought up the rear,  loaded down with the other lamps, extra fuel and his Boy Scout survival kit - just in case. 

"Wagons Ho!" shouted P.C., and with well-hidden trepidation the threesome began their descent in to the bowels of the moor.  

Just beyond the inner cave the first conundrum. Which way? For once they were in agreement. The nervous party decided to follow the easier, level path to their left, rather than the steps leading down into the depths. The tunnel soon narrowed and they had no choice but to travel in single file. This caused Henry some difficulty. He could quite clearly see P.C. and his immediate surroundings in the glow of the lamp, but his every step was into unknown darkness. 

Initially this didn't hamper progress, as the floor was remarkably smooth. For about five minutes advance was rapid but then the path started downwards. The slope wasn't precipitous but it became increasingly treacherous. Water was seeping down the walls forming a surface sheet on the floor. It was like walking on ice covered with a thin layer of snow. P.C. turned sideways, and using his staff as support, proceeded to take hesitant side steps. The others followed suit. 

"Thank goodness Mr. Dover told us to wear our hob-nailed boots. We never would have got down here in our wellies." 

"You might have spoken too early, Rev. Look here." 

P.C. raised the lamp revealing a scum-covered pool of stagnant water blocking their path. The passage continued upward on the far side of the pool. Careful probing of the pool with the staff showed it to be wadeable. This was the only option as a jump was impossible. 

"Do we go on?" queried Rev. 

"Of course," said P.C. in his customary brave tone. 

"But there might be blood sucking leeches or poisonous water snakes in there." 

"You and your imagination, Henry. Haven't you noticed that we haven't seen one living thing down here, not even a rat? Come on. Play out the rope a bit. I'll go over first. If anything happens, you and Rev can pull me out. Are you ready?" 

Such precautions were unnecessary. P.C. waded across the pool without being attacked by some monster of the deep, and suffered only slight discomfort as the icy water reached mid-calf. Relieved, Rev and Henry joined P.C. on the far side. 

The floor was now covered with rubble, which gave a foothold, and made climbing easier, despite the occasional toe stub. Their pace increased as the path levelled out but they ground to a halt before an impassable barrier of large boulders. 

"It looks like we've come to a dead end," said P.C. "There's been a rock slide or the tunnel has collapsed. Why didn't your Uncle Steve tell us about this, Henry?" 

"Maybe he didn't know, or wanted us to find out for ourselves." 

"No need to fuss about it. We'll just have to make our way back." 

With those words P.C. reversed direction, squeezed past Rev and Henry, and led them back to the pool, which they again crossed without difficulty. 

P.C. ran in to trouble on the slippery slope beyond the pool. In attempting to cross the steepest point, his hobnails failed, causing his rear supporting foot to slip. He crashed to the floor and started on a headlong slide to the pool. First he slammed into Rev, then he submarined Henry, and all three ended up in the murky, foul smelling pool. 

"We'd better get out of this stinky mess. Look what's following us," urged P.C. 

In the fall the glass globe of the hurricane lamp had shattered and the base containing the oil fractured. A river of viscous, lighted oil was wending its way down the slope towards them. The boys evacuated the pool and sat on the far side waiting until the last flickering blue flame was extinguished on the surface of the pool. 

During the ensuing lull each of the boys conducted a self- examination, to determine the extent of his injuries. All three were bruised, but their corduroys and flannel shirts had kept the scraping slight. P.C. was the worst for wear. He had slid the furthest and suffered the indignity of complete immersion in the pool. Blood was pouring from a cut at the base of his thumb. Rev and Henry were relatively unscathed. Their descent to the pool had been a little more controlled and ended in a more dignified sitting position. 

Luckily, the rucksack's contents were still dry, and the other two lamps were intact. Henry soon had one alight, and administered first aid to a pale faced P.C., using his kit. With remarkable expertise, garnered at weekly Cub Scout meetings, Henry removed a glass splinter, staunched the flow of blood, washed the wound in dirty water and ignoring the yells of a distraught P.C. applied an excessive amount of tincture of iodine. An elastoplast  completed the operation. 

P.C. soon regained his composure and was the first to suggest they resume their search. 

"Will you still be able to lead?" asked Rev. 

"Sure," he replied. So, off they went as before, P.C. in front, lamp swinging, but with his staff held a little more gingerly. Much to their surprise they now found the ascent far easier. The burning oil had dried much of the surface. In the slippier parts, they avoided the centre of the path, and were able to ascend by stepping diagonally from one side to the other, 

By the time they arrived back at their starting point the morning had gone. They were hungry, tired, smelly, and soaking wet. Rev had little difficulty in persuading them it was lunchtime. 

When they reached the outside cave a rare but welcome sight greeted their eyes. Sunlight was streaming through the entrance. For the first time since the start of the holidays there must be some blue in the sky. 

"Let's go outside and dry in the sun," suggested Rev, "and maybe we could start mapping the circle." 

"That's a good idea," said Henry, "Cos the other passage may lead nowhere too. I don't want to have to tell Uncle Steve that we've found nothing again." 

It was a great relief to escape the cloying confines of the cave and revel in the noonday sun. Disregarding Henry's warning, Rev and Pete chose separate stones and used them as tables. Henry refused to do this, and sat well away from the circle with his onion clearly visible. He was the only one still heeding Uncle Steve's advice.