Torn between his better judgment and his concern for his brother, David conceded the point and agreed to start immediately. To Laura's surprise, Zafir said, "I'll go, too."
She was touched that he volunteered when he obviously hated the idea. Caves were a source of superstitious terror, the abode of evil forces. Since the native lancers had never met Ian, she doubted any of them would have gone in even if ordered.
Kuram was nearby, squatting on his haunches. "Anything a snake of a Mohmand can do, an Afridi can do better," he said after Zafir volunteered. "I will also go."
"You're both sure?" David asked. "This could be dangerous." After they affirmed their willingness, he said, "Very well. Each of us must carry two spare candles as well as one that's lit, matches wrapped in waterproof canvas, food, water, and rope."
Laura gave silent thanks for his experience; she would not have been as careful. Preparations took only a few minutes since David had already ordered that the necessary supplies be brought from the mouth of the pass, where the lancers had pitched camp for the night. After putting his young subaltern in charge of the troops, David crouched down and entered the small cave mouth, Laura right behind him.
Inside was a chamber large enough to stand in. As she raised her candle and studied her surroundings, David said, "Don't expect a miracle, Laura. The chance that this will produce results is very remote."
She gave David a crooked smile as she lighted the way for the two Pathans, who were following. "On the contrary, I won't settle for anything less."
* * *
The tunnel seemed endless. In several locations it was so tight that Ian could barely squeeze through. As it angled downward, the moisture was becoming heavier, seeping from the walls until it formed a noticeable trickle along the bottom of the tunnel.
Eventually the space opened up so that he could go from wriggling on his belly to crawling on all fours. The improved conditions made him less cautious, with near disastrous results when his right hand came down on empty space.
He pitched forward and would have gone headfirst into nothingness if he hadn't caught a crack in the stone with his left hand. Even so, he teetered for a moment with his upper body hanging over the edge of the shaft that had opened up.
After pulling himself back onto solid ground, he crouched, head on his arms, until the pounding of his heart slowed. Christ, he hated the dark! But he was no longer terrified by it.
When he was in command of himself again, he patted across the tunnel floor with his palms. The opening went from wall to wall. Finding some loose gravel, he scooped up a handful and dropped a piece into the hole. Seconds passed before he heard a tiny, distant rattle. Obviously the hole was plenty deep enough to kill him.
Could he climb down the side? He felt the face of the shaft and learned that it was very smooth and offered no footholds. Climbing down would be impossible, and if it turned out to be a blind shaft, he would be trapped at the bottom. Next he tossed a pebble forward. It clattered on stone opposite him. How far?
For the next several minutes he tossed pebbles with varying degrees of force, trying to roughly map the space ahead of him. His best guess put the hole at eight or ten feet wide, and the tunnel seemed to continue on the opposite side, with the ceiling fairly high. He could jump ten feet, but into absolute blackness, with no idea what he would be landing on? Leading an assault against a fortified position would be easier.
But he didn't have a lot of choices. And if he wanted a quick death, falling to the bottom of the shaft would provide it. It was definitely better than being buried alive.
There was just enough space to stand and back up several steps to build momentum. After drawing several deep breaths, he wiped his damp palms on his coat. Then he sprinted forward and hurled himself into the unknown.
* * *
Laura's cavern opened with a chamber about the size of a bedroom, then rapidly narrowed down to a throat hardly large enough to crawl through. As the four cavers studied the dark opening, she said, "I'm smallest, so I'll go first."
Though David didn't like the idea, he had too much sense to dispute her logic. "Very well, but tie a rope around your waist. If you get into trouble, tug on it or yell and we'll get you out."
She lay on her stomach and wriggled forward, holding her candle ahead of her. Shadows flickered wildly along the walls as the flame wavered. A nuisance, but at least she had light. What would the cave be like for Ian, who was terrified by the dark?
She wouldn't think of it.
After several slow minutes of crawling that bruised her elbows and knees, she emerged into another chamber. Though she stood cautiously, she bumped her head, which caused her to drop her candle. It extinguished when it hit the floor.