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 damned 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 damn 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 damned 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 passage. 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 damned 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.