Sheba. Part 24

Muller sighed. 'In the first place, Skiros is not exactly sympathetic to my work and refuses his permission. In any case, they are all incurably superst.i.tious. They believe these caves to be haunted by evil spirits.'

Before Kane could reply, a voice interrupted from behind. 'If you care to examine the roof, you'll find a much more cogent reason for their reluctance to work in here. The whole d.a.m.ned lot is ready to fall as soon as anyone coughs.'

The man who emerged from the pa.s.sage was of medium height and wiry, stripped to the waist, and like Jamal, coated with dust from head to foot.

Muller ignored the remark. 'How are things progressing today, Cunningham?'

'No better than yesterday or the day before,' Cunningham replied. 'As far as I'm concerned, we're getting nowhere fast. You'll need a squad of labourers and pneumatic drills if you want to get anywhere with this lot.'

'I agree with you, my friend, but what can I do?' Muller said. 'However, I've brought you a new recruit. Kane here has had a great deal of experience at this sort of thing. I'm sure you'll be able to work something out between you.'

'I'd like to point out that I haven't eaten for some considerable time now,' Kane said.

Til have some food sent up later this afternoon,' Muller told him. 'In return, I shall naturally expect to see some results.' He went outside, leaving them alone.

Cunningham leaned against the wall and ran a hand wearily over his face. 'And who the h.e.l.l might you be? Are you anything to do with the big fellow they dumped in here this morning? I haven't been able to get a word out of him.'

'That isn't surprising,' Kane said. 'He hasn't got a tongue, but there's nothing wrong with his hearing as long as you can speak either Somali or Arabic.'

Cunningham laughed. 'Well, my Arabic isn't too bad. I'll have to bow out on the Somali question.'

Kane held out his hand. 'My name is Kane,' he said. 'Your wife hired me to find you when she received the letter you'd left with the British Consul in Aden.'

Cunningham straightened and his voice was strained with excitement. 'Ruth sent you? Have you seen her recently?'

'Only a couple of hours ago,' Kane told him. 'She's up above with a friend of mine called Marie Ferret. I'm afraid Muller and Skiros grabbed the lot of us.'

'How is she?' Cunningham demanded. 'Is she all right?'

'She was in good spirits when I last saw her, but very worried about you.'

Cunningham sat down on the pile of rubbish. 'I think you'd better bring me up to date, old man.'

Kane spoke quickly, telling him everything that had happened since his first meeting with Ruth Cunningham on the jetty at Bahrein including what Skiros had just told him.

When he had finished, Cunningham said, 'It's quite a story.'

Kane nodded. 'I suppose it is, but what happened to you?'

Cunningham laughed bitterly. 'I was a d.a.m.ned fool, I can see that now. For various reasons, it was important to me that the discovery of this place should be my own unaided work. When I arrived at Bir el Madani, I realized I couldn't hope to penetrate the desert on my own. I managed to find a Rashid Bedouin brave enough - or stupid enough - to accompany me.'

'Presumably you charted a course across the Empty Quarter from Shabwa to Marib and hoped for the best?'

Cunningham nodded. 'It was surprisingly easy. We had a spare camel and carried plenty of water. On the second day we found that pillar.'

'The one where we discovered the aluminium water-bottle?'

Cunningham nodded. 'We camped there for the night. It was empty and I was cutting down on weight. Frankly, I never expected to find any of the pillars left standing.'

'That was the only one we saw,' Kane told him.

'I did find another one,' Cunningham said. 'It was lying on its side, half-buried.'

'What happened when you got here?'

'It was a bad business. As we entered the gorge, they swarmed all over us. My Rashid was a brave man. He tried to put up a fight, but they shot him down. They put me into cold storage at the bottom of a disused well until Skiros arrived the following day. On two occasions since I've been here, the Catalina you mention has landed on the flat plain outside the gorge. I think Skiros intended to kill me, but then Muller arrived and suggested he might have a. use for me on this job. Skiros let him have his way.'

'I'm afraid you've only postponed the evil day,' Kane told him.

Cunningham shrugged wearily. 'I don't give a d.a.m.n about myself- it's Ruth I'm worried about.'

Kane nodded. 'I know how you feel, but we're not through yet. We'll think of something. Where do they put you at night?'

Cunningham laughed shortly. 'Until a week ago I slept in one of the tents under guard. I tried to make a run for it one night, but I'm afraid I didn't get very far. Since then, I've been back in the well.'

'Sounds lousy,' Kane said.

Cunningham shrugged. 'At least it's dry. I shouldn't imagine there's been any water in the d.a.m.ned thing for a thousand years or more.' He got to his feet and stretched. 'We'd better get started. Muller can be surpris- ingly nasty if he doesn't think enough work's been done.'

He picked up the spot-lamp and led the way into the pa.s.sage. It was perhaps sixty or seventy feet long and sloped downwards. At the far end, Jamal was filling a basket, the blade of his shovel flashing in the lamplight. There was barely enough room for two men to work side-by-side. Jamal turned at the sound of the approach, Kane slapped him on the shoulder and the Somali went back to his digging.

'As you can see, conditions aren't too good,' Cunningham said.

Kane examined the walls closely with one of the lamps and frowned. 'I've excavated rock tombs in the mountains around Shabwa, but I've never come across one with an entrance like this.'

Cunningham nodded. 'I think Muller is barking up the wrong tree. He doesn't even know for certain that the temple was constructed by Balquis, Queen of Sheba. I do.'

'That's the one comforting thing I've heard today,' Kane told him. 'But I must say I'd like to know where this d.a.m.ned tunnel leads myself

'There's only one way to find out,' Cunningham said, handing him a shovel.

Kane paused only to strip to the waist and then he moved in beside the Somali and started to dig.

In Berlin at Turpitz Ufer, Canaris was working at his desk when Ritter came in. 'I've just heard from Skiros,' Ritter said.

The Admiral sat back. 'Everything on schedule?'

'Absolutely.'

'What happens to Romero and his friends after they leave the Catalina?'

'They'll be picked up by a member of our Egyptian bureau and driven straight to Italian territory.'

'Excellent.' Canaris smiled. 'Not long now, Hans.'

'No, Herr Admiral.'

'Carry on,' Canaris said and Ritter went out.