RACING DRIVER

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 60, Issue 28, 13 November 1939, Page 7

RACING DRIVER

By ALEXANDER CAMPBELL

CHAPTER XXL THE RAIN ARRIVES. “Quite all right, my dear. They’re perfectly harmless. # But they certainly can jump.” “Phew!” Christine fanned herself. “And to think,” she said, “that if it hadn’t been for you .1. might have married that charming South African, Mr Forester, and come to live among all these ccreeping and crawling things!” The professor smiled. “You’d have got used to them. But I’m glad you chose otherwise my dear.”

Once they saw a snake crawling across the road ahead of them. Ellington gave it a wide berth. “More dangerous than your grasshopper. He’s a mamba. Some motorists are foolish enough to try to run over them and break their backs. But what generally happens is that the snake winds itself round an axle or gets into the car. Then some unfortunate garage attendant is bitten.” Christine glanced up. “Here comes the rain!”

The rain came abruptly, and from the first it was in solid sheets.

In Rupert’s car, Florence shivered. “Rupert, did you have many of these storms while you were working up in the mountains?” He nodded. “Quite a few. One gets used to them. Of course I couldn’t abandon the diggings so I had to camp out in them. It was a little uncomfortable. Once I was isolated for three days because the river burst its banks.” He spoke unconcernedly. Florence wondered why explorers should be regarded as romantic figures, scientists tlio reverse. Rupert had gone through as many hardships as any explorer, but he seemed to think nothing of it.

Dorothy in Frank’s ear, started out at the rain.

“I’ve never seen anything like it! At least it can’t last long.”

“Oh, can’t it!” he retorted. “You don’t know your Africa, my child. It can go on like this for days—but I hope that on this occasion it won’t !” . The road, which had seemed firm, was rapidly being churned into wet, sliding red clay by the lash, of the downpouring water. The dongas on either side of the road, ditches four feet deep, which had been bone-dry, were now threatening to overflow. The car, skidded on the wet, loose surface, and Frank had to exert all his strength and his driver’s skill to hold the machine straight on her course. - Then the lightning came.

It tore across the sky in great jagged flashes, and Dorothy huddled close to Frank.

Carter grunted. “Thank goodpess there are no ironstone koppies in this part of the country. Up north, in the Transvaal, I’m told that the only thing to do is to lie flat on the ground and hope hard until the storm goes over. Scores of people, mostly natives are killed by lightning every year.”

The car was now sliding and slithering on the muddy road. The wheels claimed out deep tracks in the red clay. The dongas were overflowing and water in great sheets splashed across the load as from a hose.

Dorothy peered through the rainswept windshield. “The other two cars have stopped,” she said. “Something’s wrong. The professor’s car had gone into a rut and slewed sideways, hopelessly bogged. While the women sat huddled in the cars the men waded ankle deep in the mud and strove to get Use car on to firmer ground.

Every time the engine was started the wheels thrashed helplessly, failing to get a grip. “No use,” said Ellington presently. He was plastered with mud from head to foot, and even his black moustache drooped. “We’ll have to abandon her temporarily. We simply must push on to the hotel. It would be decidedly unpleasant to be stranded here overnight.” Christine and he climbed into Rupert’s car. Frank, as the most experienced driver, elected to take the lead. “I MUST GO TO-NIGHT!” “Follow in my wheel tracks as closely as you can,” he. advised Rupert. “Then there’ll be less chance of you skidding.” Rupert nodded. “Right.”

They left the bogged car and struggled on. It was a very bedraggled party which, some hours later, staggered into the mountain hostel. The river which normally could he forded had been a raging torrent, and the ears had got through with difficulty. Bad news awaited them.

The man in charge of the hostel greeted Rupert with a worried look. He addressed a few hurried words to him, too low for the rest of the party to catch, and Florence saw Rupert start. “What is it?” she asked. “Nothing,” said Rupert nonchalantly. “But you’ll have to excuse me. I’ve one or two things in connection with the excavation work to attend to before wo set out for the place. Of course we can’t possibly go there tonight. We’ll be lucky if we can make it to-morrow.” He spoke jerkily. Florence was suspicious. She watched him go out of the room, and then took their host aside. “What did you tell Mr Featherstone?” i ' “The rains have got at the diggings,” lie replied. “The Basuto whom Mr Featherstone left to guard the place has just come in. He’s afraid the whole place will cave in. The excavations must have loosened the soil.” “What does that mean?” she demanded. “Won’t they be able to clear it again?” He shrugged. “It’s possible. But un-

:: ' (Copyright),

Auther of “Daughter of Exile, Etc. A car crash leads the motorist into a strange sequence of events,

less some sort of support is rigged up there now, without delay, there’s a chance that the traces of the cave-men will be simply washed away.” Florence’s fears were confirmed. Swiftly she told Professor ■ Ellington what she had learned. He frowned and tugged at his moustache.

“What rotten luck!” he mourned. “Two years’ work—and it may all go for nothing! Won’t that fellow Jackson crow! Of course we have the skull which Rupert brought with him, but lie tells me that there may be even more interesting relies bidden away in that cave.” “That’s isn’t all,” said Florence quickly. “I’ve an idea that Rupert has mode up his mind to go put there, tonight to see what can he done.” Ellington stared. “Impossible! It would be suicide to go up on the mountain alone!” “Rupert is , very obstinate,” she pointed out. “Don’t forget'that he has been living for this moment. He’ll do anything rather than see his work destroyed.” “Then we must stop him! Come on!” They raced out of the house into the driving rain, and made for the rondavel which Rupert had made his headquarters when not at the diggings. They were just in time. Rupert, in fisherman’s long rubber hoots, with a knapsack on his back and. a stick in his hand, was making his way towards the path which led to the mountain that towered over the hostel.

“No you don’t young man!” The professor caught him by the arm. Behind his spectacles, there was a fanatical gleam in Rupert’s eyes. “I’m not going to have a common storm wrecking all our work at the eleventh hour! I know what I’m doing. I’ve been out in these storms before J > “You’ll come back to the house,” said the professor grimly. “And then we’ll talk the thing over calmly and rationally and plan what has to be done—together!”

Rupert followed rather grudgingly. Florence gripped his arm and squeezed it encouragingly. s THREE MEN AND A ’MOUNTAIN. “Buck up, Rupert. The professor’s right. You couldn’t do anything on your own. Don’t worry, we’ll save your old bones somehow!” Ho turned to look at her. Then he felt for her hand. “Thanks, Florence! You’re a darling!” She felt a little thrill of happiness run through her. Back in the comfortable living room of the hostel, before a roaring fire, they hold, a council of war, while * hot supper was being prepared for them, i

“Now then!” said Ellington. As he often didj he had ceased to be the professor, and had reverted to his wartime role of company commander. He glanced round the circle of intent faces.

“Rupert knows all about the diggings, and what chances of their hold ing out are,” ho continued. “Rupert, will you please explain the position?” Rupert spoke with his usual precision.

“The position is this. The rain has. got at the foundations .of the old camping site. There is a chance that the cave where I have been carrying on my main work will collapse altogether. But I do not think that very probable.” '

. “Unfortunately there is a worse danger. There was a great deal of valuable stuff which I did not have time to remove. I left it covered up with sacking, and put a native on guard. “This torrential rain may flood the place out. If that happens, these relics will be washed away, and our chances of finding them again are exceedingly remote.”

“I see.” Professor Ellington brooded. “Then there is only one thing to do. We must wait until morning. If the storm hasn’t abated then, I shall go with you to the cave and r ” “Excuse me, sir,” Frank Carter leaned forward. “Why waft until morning? I agree that it would be madness for one man to go up on the mountain to-night. But if two went —Rupert and myself—we might he able to do something before it’s too late.” “Thank’s Frank.” Rupert’s face flushed with pleasure. “That’s jolly sporting of you.” “Olio!” roared the professor.'“And leavo me out of it? Dash it, Carter, you came to South Africa to race, I came to see these relics. You can’t leave me out of this!” The younger men glanced at each other. “Quite so, sir,” said Frank soothingly. “But Rupert and I could do all that’s necessary. There’s no need for you to -go out in the rain and ”

The professor glowered. “I hope you are not trying to insinuate,” he rumbled, “that I am too old to go out in the rain. Hang it, man, do you realise that I am shortly to be married! Bah, I’m as fit as either of you! No, the three of us will go. But we’ll have a good tuck-in first. We’ll probably need it.” Presently they sat down, to a feast of venison, paw paw and coflee —the men’s laced with brandy. Each of the women sat and watched her man. Outside, the rain lashed down monotonously, and the jagged flashes of lightning revealed the towering mass of the mountain, black and seeing angrily to brood. One thought was uppermost in each woman’s mind. Would her man come back safely? Finally the men dressed themselves in appropriate clothes, long rubber boots such as Rupert had been wearing, a turned down hat, and a mackintosh. Each carried a stout stick and a knapsack in which were provisions and some brandy. There was no real

rock-climbing to be clone, fortunately, but the path, especially in the storm, was winding and treacherous, easily lost in the darkness. Once off the path •and a man might wander for hours in danger of falling down a crevasse and injuring himself seriously, or worse. FLORENCE FOLLOWS. They went towards the door. Unconsciously in this moment of crisis, each forgetting the presence of the others, they split for a moment into couples. “Good-bye, my dear!” sftid the professor heartily, to Christine. “Nothing to worry about, you know. We’ll be back in a couple of hours.’’ “Look after yourself, old boy,” she murmured. “Or I’ll—l’ll sue you for breach of promise!” She kissed him.

“!So long, Rupert,” murmured Florence. “I—l’m sure it will be all right.”

“I nearly lost you once,” whispered Dorothy. “Don't take risks!” Frank smiled. “Is it likely—with you waiting here for me?”

Then they were gone. A flash of lightning showed them marching down the path, heads bent before the rain. The darkness swallowed them up.

The women returned slowly to the fire. They spoke little, and their eyes wandered constantly to the window, where the lightning revealed spasmodic glimpses of the mountain. Christine, as the oldest, decided that it was up to her to take a firm grip of the situation. She knew what thoughts were passing through the girls’ heads, because' similar thoughts were passing through her own. But they must not give way to fancies.

“Here we sit,” she remarked brightly, “remarkably like birds in the wilderness—while our men folks go hunting old bones! It’s rather an idiotic situation, really!” Subtly she guided the conversation into harmless channels that would keep their minds engaged. They had had a long and arduous day. So far the strain had been held at arm’s length by the excitement of the last few - hours, but now it began to tell. Christine, despite her anxiety, felt her head suddenly swim with weariness.

She moved briskly. “I think we’d better get some rest. We may be able to do our bit later, so we ought in fairness to rest now.” She urged the girls to lie down, and nobly set an example, though she knew that it was fantastic to think of sleep. The girls reluctantly agreed. But a few minutes later Florence found herself standing at the window, gazing up at the mountain. Rupert was out there. She had a sudden,* swift presentiment of danger. He was so eager to get to the scene of his great discovery, he might hurry on ahead of the others, go off the path in the darkness, perhaps fall. . . She had a sudden, horrible vision of Rupert lying in a crevasse, helpless, perhaps unable to call for aid, while the others searched for him blindly. Her mind was made up. She could not remain here while he was out there in the storm. She must go to him. She recalled how they had caught Ruper emerging from the rondavel, a little way from the chalet, when he had formed his desperate plan to climb the mountain alone. That was where he must keep his gear and his clothes. She remembered the heavy rubber boots he had been wearing. •Softly she slipped out of the house, taking care to disturb no one, and especially the other two women, and made her way across the grass to the rondavel. It had stopped raining, but the night was black as pitch.

The rondavel door was in two sections ,an upper and a lower. The - lower was locked, but the upper half swung inwards* at- her touch. She put down a hand in the darkness and grop'ed for the latch of the lower section. It lifted without difficulty, and she stepped into the rondavel. *

(To he Continued).