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Authors: Nigel Robinson
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carefully staged the demonstration to shock the priest into making a decision. If the Doctor could win the priest’s confidence and trust then he might at least have a chance of convincing the leader of Atlantis too.
‘Can you stop Zaroff?’ asked Ramo finally.
‘I am not the ruler of Atlantis,’ the Doctor said archly.
‘If I took you to our ruler, King Thous, could you convince him?’
‘I might..
‘Very well then,’ decided Ramo. ‘Come along. We must hurry.’
Ben and Sean had explored their tunnel without much success. After a few yards it had narrowed to a dead end.
Resigned, they retraced their steps back to the intersection of the two tunnels. They sat gloomily down on two large rocks while they waited for Jamie and Jacko to return from their search. Everywhere they heard the constant drip-drip-drip of water which echoed eerily around the small cave. This system of tunnels obviously ran very near to the sea wall which encircled Atlantis.
‘What beats me is why Atlantis hasn’t been discovered before,’ said Ben.
‘Maybe it has,’ guessed Sean. ‘But nobody got back to tell the tale. They were turned into Fish People or enslaved like us.’
‘Yeah, could be... but what I can’t understand is why these Atlanteans stay down here in the caves. Why don’t they go up and live on the island itself?’
‘They’ve got this crazy attachment to their old land.
They think it’s holy or something,’ said Sean. ‘They refuse to go up unless Atlantis goes up with them. Some of them were allowed to go to the surface from time to time to collect food, I believe; but even that’s been stopped now.’
Suddenly Jacko came running back out of the tunnel he and Jamie had been exploring. His face and clothes were covered with chalky-white dust.
‘What is it?’ asked Ben, suddenly concerned.
Jacko paused to catch his breath; he was clearly shaken.
‘There’s been an accident,’ he managed to say. Ben needed to hear no more and sprang to his feet, running off down the tunnel. Sean and Jacko followed him.
The tunnel Jamie and Jacko had been exploring had at first appeared to be a dead end; they found themselves facing a seemingly impenetrable wall of large rocks. They were about to give up and return to the others when Jamie had noticed a tiny gap in the wall. Even though it was so small Jamie had attempted to squeeze through it. All he had managed to do, however, was to get himself stuck. It had taken all of his pushing and Jacko’s pulling to get him out of the crack, but in doing so they had managed to disturb the delicately placed rocks. Jacko had managed to jump out of the way of the falling rocks, but Jamie bore the full force of them. He lay senseless on the floor, partly buried by the rock fall.
Ben, Sean and Jacko frantically lifted the large rocks off the young Highlander. Jamie was battered and bruised and a trickle of blood ran down the side of his head. Ben ripped off a strip of cloth from his shirt and mopped the wound.
Thankfully the cut was little more than a graze and Jamie was still breathing.
‘He’ll be all right in a minute,’ he told the others. ‘He’s just a bit shaken, that’s all.’
‘But look what he’s found,’ Sean said and pointed beyond the pile of rocks. The rockfall had uncovered a concealed pathway, the rocks which had fallen on Jamie had obviously been put there deliberately to seal off the passage from any escaping slaves.
Jamie recovered quickly and, helping him along, Ben, Sean and Jacko ventured onto the pathway. It was, in fact, a narrow ledge overlooking a deep abyss. The four men could hear down below them the sound of running water.
Atlantis seemed to be full of these strange subterranean streams and lakes. The ledge was damp and the slippery surface of the rock impeded their progress even more.
As they edged their way carefully along, their fingers probed for handholds in the wall, anything to help them keep their
‘Can you stop Zaroff?’ asked Ramo finally.
‘I am not the ruler of Atlantis,’ the Doctor said archly.
‘If I took you to our ruler, King Thous, could you convince him?’
‘I might..
‘Very well then,’ decided Ramo. ‘Come along. We must hurry.’
Ben and Sean had explored their tunnel without much success. After a few yards it had narrowed to a dead end.
Resigned, they retraced their steps back to the intersection of the two tunnels. They sat gloomily down on two large rocks while they waited for Jamie and Jacko to return from their search. Everywhere they heard the constant drip-drip-drip of water which echoed eerily around the small cave. This system of tunnels obviously ran very near to the sea wall which encircled Atlantis.
‘What beats me is why Atlantis hasn’t been discovered before,’ said Ben.
‘Maybe it has,’ guessed Sean. ‘But nobody got back to tell the tale. They were turned into Fish People or enslaved like us.’
‘Yeah, could be... but what I can’t understand is why these Atlanteans stay down here in the caves. Why don’t they go up and live on the island itself?’
‘They’ve got this crazy attachment to their old land.
They think it’s holy or something,’ said Sean. ‘They refuse to go up unless Atlantis goes up with them. Some of them were allowed to go to the surface from time to time to collect food, I believe; but even that’s been stopped now.’
Suddenly Jacko came running back out of the tunnel he and Jamie had been exploring. His face and clothes were covered with chalky-white dust.
‘What is it?’ asked Ben, suddenly concerned.
Jacko paused to catch his breath; he was clearly shaken.
‘There’s been an accident,’ he managed to say. Ben needed to hear no more and sprang to his feet, running off down the tunnel. Sean and Jacko followed him.
The tunnel Jamie and Jacko had been exploring had at first appeared to be a dead end; they found themselves facing a seemingly impenetrable wall of large rocks. They were about to give up and return to the others when Jamie had noticed a tiny gap in the wall. Even though it was so small Jamie had attempted to squeeze through it. All he had managed to do, however, was to get himself stuck. It had taken all of his pushing and Jacko’s pulling to get him out of the crack, but in doing so they had managed to disturb the delicately placed rocks. Jacko had managed to jump out of the way of the falling rocks, but Jamie bore the full force of them. He lay senseless on the floor, partly buried by the rock fall.
Ben, Sean and Jacko frantically lifted the large rocks off the young Highlander. Jamie was battered and bruised and a trickle of blood ran down the side of his head. Ben ripped off a strip of cloth from his shirt and mopped the wound.
Thankfully the cut was little more than a graze and Jamie was still breathing.
‘He’ll be all right in a minute,’ he told the others. ‘He’s just a bit shaken, that’s all.’
‘But look what he’s found,’ Sean said and pointed beyond the pile of rocks. The rockfall had uncovered a concealed pathway, the rocks which had fallen on Jamie had obviously been put there deliberately to seal off the passage from any escaping slaves.
Jamie recovered quickly and, helping him along, Ben, Sean and Jacko ventured onto the pathway. It was, in fact, a narrow ledge overlooking a deep abyss. The four men could hear down below them the sound of running water.
Atlantis seemed to be full of these strange subterranean streams and lakes. The ledge was damp and the slippery surface of the rock impeded their progress even more.
As they edged their way carefully along, their fingers probed for handholds in the wall, anything to help them keep their
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