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Giordino was flying by feel now, head turned downward, one eye on the approaching ground, the other on the sheer side of the mountain not more than ten feet beyond the starboard wingtip. And then there was a slight bump as the tires struck the loose rock, and the tilt-rotor settled like a fat goose over her unhatched eggs. He let out a great sigh and pulled back on the throttles before shutting down the engines.
"We're home," he said thankfully.
Gu
"I've got the mountain on my side. What's on yours?"
During the landing, Gu
"It wasn't as expansive as I thought," he murmured sheepishly.
Giordino threw off his safety harness. "Do you have a route to the chamber figured out?"
Gu
"What direction is the ravine?"
"South. And to answer your next question, we're on the west side of the mountain. With a little luck, we won't have to hike more than three-quarters of a mile, provided we can stumble onto the ancient walkway the colonel mentioned."
"Thank God for small islands," Giordino murmured. "Can you detect the old road on your photo?"
"No, I can't see any sign of it."
They proceeded to untie the straps containing the survival gear and do
The threatening sky made the island seem all the more drab and desolate. Gu
They struggled across small ledges and narrow crevices, trying to walk upright without resorting to mountain-climbing gear, a skill in which neither was proficient. Giordino seemed impervious to fatigue. His thick, powerful body took the climb over the rocks in stride. Gu
About midway across the west side of the mountain, Giordino came to a halt. "If your reckoning is right, the stone walkway should be a short distance above or below us."
Gu
Giordino crouched, placed his hands on slightly bent knees, and stared down the slope. He seemed entranced for several moments before he turned back and looked Gu
"What do you mean?"
"Not thirty feet below where we sit is a narrow road paved with smooth rocks."
Gu
"It must be the road described by the British colonel," said Gu
"What's that weird stuff growing in it?" asked Giordino.
"Kerguelen cabbage. It produces a pungent oil and can be eaten as a cooked vegetable."
"Now you know why the road was indistinguishable on the photo. It was hidden by cabbages."
"Yes, I can see that now," said Gu
"How did it get established on such a godforsaken island?"
"Probably by its pollen that was carried across the water by the wind."
"Which direction do you want to follow the road?"
Gu
Stepping cautiously on the loose lava rock, they quickly reached the neatly laid stones and began ascending the road. The flat passage was a welcome relief, but landslides were another matter. They had to cross two of them, each nearly thirty or more yards wide. It was slow going. The lava rock was jagged and knifelike. One slip and their bodies would tumble down the slope, gathering momentum until they bounced over the cliffs far below into the sea.
After negotiating the last hurdle, they sat and rested. Giordino idly picked a cabbage and flipped it down the hill, watching it bounce and shred on its erratic journey. He lost sight of it and did not see the splash as it shot into the water like a ca
Gu
"We must be close," said Gu
Giordino stared at the massive boulder that protruded from the side of the slope. "The chamber better be on the other side," he grunted. "I'm not keen to be caught up here when it gets dark."
"Not to worry. We've got almost twelve hours of daylight left in this hemisphere."
"I just thought of something."
"What's that?" asked Gu
"We're the only two humans within two thousand miles."
"That's a cheery thought."
"What if we have an accident and injure ourselves and can't fly out of here? Even if we wanted to, I wouldn't dare take off in this wind."
"Sandecker will mount a rescue mission as soon as we notify him of our status." Gu
"In the meantime, we'd have to subsist on these stupid cabbages. No, thank you."
Gu