‘Six or seven hundred yards.’
He whistled softly. ‘It must have taken some doing.’
‘There was a natural cave system. I think they just linked it up. Of course there wouldn’t be any water in it until they built the dam.’
‘Quite an achievement all the same.’
‘We can go through if you like.’
She pointed, and when Rogan turned he saw the boy moving out of the undergrowth at the side of the dam hauling on a length of rope, to which was attached a heavy, high-sided punt of the type used by wildfowlers. There was a couple of inches of water in the bottom.
Rogan grinned. ‘Are you sure it’s safe?’
Hannah dropped into it and sat on one of the narrow wooden seats. ‘You couldn’t get any wetter than you are.’
Rogan joined her in a world of cold, clammy darkness, of walls that oozed moisture where water constantly dripped so low that Rogan actually had to bend his head, and when he looked over his shoulder he saw that the boy was lying on his back and propelling the punt along by walking his feet along the roof.
They passed into a large echoing cavern with a vaulted roof, crossed it and entered the tunnel again. They passed through two similar caves and then moved into the final stretch, and the opening at the other end seemed to increase in size quite suddenly.
They drifted out into another similar dam and bumped against the side of a stone landing stage. Brendan scrambled up and fastened the line to a rusting iron ring. Rogan followed him and turned to give Hannah a hand up.
They walked through a grove of trees past several ruined buildings. One of them, a stable, had a corrugated
iron roof, and stout wooden doors of recent origin were secured with a padlock and chain. ‘What’s in here?’ Rogan asked.
Brendan ran forward, slipped his hand under a flat stone beside the door and produced a key. He quickly unlocked the padlock, pulled away die chain and swung back the door.
An old jeep was parked iitside. It had been fitted with a battered aluminium body in place of the old canvas tilt and the original olive green paintwork was chipped and scraped.
Rogau took off his knapsack and got behind the wheel. ‘A long time since I drove one of these. It must be all of twenty yeais old.’ He pulled out the choke and pressed the starter and the engine turned over at once. ‘Who owns it?’
‘Most of this valley is one big sheep ranch run by a syndicate,’ Hannah said. ‘That’s the way farming seem;, to be going these days. They always keep a jeep or a Land-Rover up here fuelled and ready for action. They’re particularly good in bad weather on the fellside. The shepherds use them as they used to use a horse or a pony in the old days.’
Rogan got out of the jeep and they moved back outside. Brendan locked the door and replaced the key under the stone. Below them in the rain, the valley dropped down towards a shining expanse of water. ‘What’s that?’ Rogan said.
‘Rydal Water. If you move down the slope a little further you’ll seethe beginning of Grasmere to the west of it.’
He took an Ordnance Survey Map of the area from the pocket of his jacket and opened it, dropping to one knee. ‘Let’s suppose something had gone wrong with my original plan and I wanted to get from here to Marsh-End, how would I set about it?’
She examined the map with a slight frown. ‘Thereis a back road. I found it by accident one day when Uncle
Paddy triedto follow me. I think I can show you if we move further down the slope.’
They went down the track for perhaps a hundred yards. From that point, it was possible to see not only Rydal Water, but most of Grasmere as well.
‘Can you see the stream linking the two lakes?’ Hannah asked. ‘There’s a gate and a small bridge and beyond it a track goes as far as Elterwater. From there, there’s a road, mainly unfenced, that takes you through Wrynose Pass between the mountains. About six miles from there, the road branches. If you take the one which follows the valley of the Duddon River through Seathwaite and Ulpha, you come to the Whicham road about ten miles further on.’