“Yes — then the next thing marked is ‘Goddess,’ said Philip. “Can’t think what that means!”
“Something on the way from ‘Two-Finger Rock’ to here, perhaps,” said Jack. “We could go and see. Then look — there comes ‘Tomb.’ I suppose that’s where someone was buried.”
“Yes — in a stone cell, I should think,” said Bill. “And then we come to ‘Bird,’ which seems rather strange.”
“Then to ‘Bell,’ said Jack triumphantly. “And that’s where we are, I bet!”
“Yes — but not where the treasure is,” said Bill. “Look — you go on to here — marked ‘Labyrinth.’ Not so good that.”
“What’s a labyrinth exactly?” asked Lucy-Ann.
“A maze — a place where it’s so winding and muddling that you can easily get lost,” said Dinah. Lucy-Ann didn’t like the sound of that at all!
“Labyrinth,” she said. “Well, what’s next?”
” ‘Catacomb,’ ” said Bill. “And that, apparently, is where the treasure was put! What a way to bring it!”
“Let’s go and find it!” said Jack cheerfully. He folded up the map and put it into his pocket. “Come on — we’ve got nothing else to do. I must say it’s nice and cool down here after the heat up above in the sun!”
“The thing is — which way do we go?” said Bill. “One way goes to the ‘Labyrinth,’ the other to the ‘Tomb.’ But although the points of the compass are marked on the map to make things easy, we’re not able to see the sun, so we have no idea of direction. Anyone got a compass?”
Nobody had. “Well — we’ll have to guess,” said Bill. “There’s only two ways to go, apparently — to the right — or to the left. Let’s go right.”
So they set off to the right of the vault, Bill with his torch, the two girls holding hands and each boy carrying a lantern. The shadows were weird, and the hollow echo of their feet strange and rather alarming. Kiki and Micky didn’t like it at all, and each sat silent on the boys’ shoulders.
They went for some way and then came to a wide passage that led downwards in a smooth slope. It went for a good way, and then stopped short at what appeared to be a door. It was a wooden door and had once been immensely stout and strong. Even now it was still good, but one of the hinges had given way and as the children first pushed and then pulled it, the other hinges gave way too, and the door fell inwards, almost on top of Bill. He just leapt away in time.
He shone his torch on it. Carved right across the door was an enormous bird. “There you are — ‘Bird,’ ” said Jack, pleased. “That was one of the clues, wasn’t it, Bill? It’s an eagle — beautifully carved too.”
“Now we know which way we’re going — the wrong way!” said Bill. “Still, we’ll go on now — this is amazing!”
Leaving the fallen Bird-door behind, they went through the opening. Looking back they saw that the passage they were now following forked into two by the door — evidently there were two ways to go there — and the right one was the Bird-door — hence the clue called “Bird.”
They went down a very narrow passage indeed. It ran downwards, as the other had done, until it opened out into a narrow chamber. There was a smooth stone ledge at one side. At each end were wooden slabs, carved with intricate symbols. The little company stopped to look at them.
“This must have been a tomb,” said Bill. “Possibly where a priest was buried. There are many old burying-places like this.”
“The sailors who carried the treasure must have had to carry it through this tomb,” said Philip. “Perhaps they knew this way because they robbed tombs.”
There was no door to the tomb, but the doorway was cut out smooth and level. Possibly there had once been a door. Beyond it the passage began again, sloping downwards more steeply still.
“Now for ‘Goddess,’ said Jack. “I say — it’s a pretty good guide, this map, isn’t it, Bill?” If we had been able to make our way through ‘Two-Finger Rock’ — where the hole was, you know — we could have used the map as an absolutely accurate guide.”
“Look out — there are steps here now,” said Bill. “Cut in the rock. It gets pretty steep here.”
They went carefully down the steps. At the bottom was a beautiful archway. It was made of some kind of marble, set into the natural archway of the rock. Beyond the arch was a marble floor, still smooth and shining, for there was no dust underground.
The walls were carved too, the solid rock itself chipped out into figures and symbols. Eagles, doves, foxes, wolves — curious designs and patterns decorated the whole of the strange little cave.
“This must be ‘Goddess,’ ” said Bill. “A place to worship some little-known goddess, I imagine — hidden under the ground, only to be visited in secret.”
“Yes — that must be it,” said Philip. “Isn’t it strange? I suppose those carvings are hundreds of years old!”
“And now for the last clue — or first whichever you like to call it,” said Bill. ” ‘Two-Fingers!’ We know what that is, anyway. But we shall come up against the other side of the stone door, I’ve no doubt. Here we go. My word, it’s steep now, isn’t it? No steps either. Be careful, you girls!”
They made their way, stumbling, down a very steep passage — and, just as Bill had said, they came up against the other side of the walled-up doorway they had seen when they had gone into ‘Two-Finger’ hole. They stopped and considered.
“Yes — we’ve found the treasure-route all right,” said Bill. “Now — we’ll start from here again — ‘Two-Fingers’ — and we’ll work our way back — past ‘Goddess’ and ‘Tomb’ and ‘Bird’ till we come to ‘Bell’ — the temple vault.”
“And then we’ll go on!” said Jack, almost trembling with excitement. “On to ‘Labyrinth’ and ‘Catacomb’ — and ‘TREASURE’!”
Chapter 21
KIKI IS VERY TIRESOME
BACK went the little company, through the curious little cell that must once have been a marble temple underground, dedicated to some strange goddess — through the old tomb, and over the fallen door carved with the bird — and soon they were back in the temple vault.
“Now we start off the other way — to the left,” said Bill, who was now almost as excited as the four children. “Come along — down this passage here. Hold up your lantern, Philip. My torch isn’t very strong.”
“Does this passage lead into the labyrinth — the maze where people get lost?” asked Lucy-Ann, a little fearfully. “Shall we get lost?”
“No. We’ll find some way of keeping safe,” said Bill. He and Jack looked closely at the map. “Although this part is marked ‘Labyrinth,’ it shows only one route or passage — but every now and again the letter ‘R’ turns up — for Right, I suppose. We seem to have to turn to the right six times. Well, if we come to a fork, we shall know what to do — right every time! Come along! Put the map back in your pocket, Jack.”
They went down the low-roofed, winding passage for a little way, and then Jack called out to the others. “I say — anyone got Kiki?”
They all stopped. “I haven’t,” yelled back Lucy-Ann. “Nor has Dinah.” Bill said he certainly hadn’t, and as for Philip, he only had Micky on his shoulder.
“She flew off my shoulder when we got into the vault,” said Jack, remembering. “Kiki! KIKI! Where are you?”
There was no squawk or screech in reply. “Blow!” said Jack. “I’ll have to go back and get her. I’ll catch you up.”
He ran back. The others went on. Jack had a lantern and could easily catch them up.
They soon came to a fork. “We take the right-hand one,” said Bill. “This way!” The passage twisted and turned extraordinarily often, and it was impossible to know if they were going forwards, or by so much turning and twisting, were going in the opposite direction.
“One right turn — two — and this is the third,” said Philip. “Three more right turns and we’ll be at the catacomb!”
“Ooooh,” said Lucy-Ann. “I hope it won’t be long! I’m tired of these dark passages. This one is stony — I keep hitting my toes against some stone or other.”
“I wish Jack would catch us up,” said Philip, who was last. “I keep thinking I hear him behind me — and when I turn, he isn’t there. Ought we to wait for him, Bill?”
“Yes — perhaps we ought,” said Bill, and they stopped. But no Jack came. Gracious, what could he be doing? Lucy-Ann began to feel worried.