Page:Doughty--Mirrikh or A woman from Mars.djvu/189

 Flashing his light upward at the wheel, Padma, having first made the rope fast to a hook, climbed into the car and  began a careful examination.

The Doctor was very uneasy.

“George, it’s my opinion the old guy means to go down and save himself,” he whispered. “Let’s grab him and you and I go. He told me just how to manage the machine and it’s as easy as rolling off a log.”

“No, no! There are other lives to be saved besides our own.”

“To the dogs with the others! What are we to do?”

“But how about Maurice?”

“Maurice is dead. We have ourselves to think of. We can’t be sacrificed for a corpse.”

“Unless Maurice’s body leaves this place I remain and take my chances,” I said coldly.

“But this is madness! A man’s life is all he has in this world, and”

“And I am beginning to believe in the existence of another where for our deeds, good or evil, we shall be held  in strict account.

“Bah! Leave preaching to me; it’s my business, not yours! We can easily overcome the old fellow and take our chances in the car. I tell you the lamasery is doomed! There is no earthly show for us unless we do it. Have common sense and listen to me. If you don’t want to attack Padma now, we can hang around here and do it  later on.”

“Neither sooner or later, without Maurice.”

“But we cannot take the body. There is barely room for you and me to crowd into the car.”

Here we were interrupted by Padma, who stepped out of the car and began speaking again. His face had assumed its wonted expression of calmness, yet when the Doctor  came to translate I found that the situation was fully as  critical as he had feared.

He declared that there was very little chance of the rope taking the car safely even one trip down into the cavern,  but he calmly assured the Doctor that this need not matter,  for there still existed another means of escape.

At this point the Doctor turned to listen again. For some moments Padma spoke earnestly and then left us,  ascending the stairs. Not until the sound of his footsteps