day
or pound us with biblical rains.
He looked back at the tunnel they had just emerged from and back at the
ceiling. He thought about the half-sticks of dynamite in his pack. It might
be enough to take out the ceiling but what would it do to the structural
integrity of the tunnel where we’d have to seek cover? The cavern was
turning grey as the dimming sunlight was obscured by cloud cover, followed by a
low rumble of thunder. Nothing like the present to make a decision for you.
“If that thunderstorm above pummels the region, this
cave is going to turn into a frothing cauldron of quicksand. Our best bet is to
blow the ceiling and climb out.”
“Where do you propose we go to avoid getting crushed
by all the falling rocks?” said Jim.
“You’ll have to crawl back in the tunnel while I
plant the dynamite and blast the ceiling,” said Travis.
“I’m not going back in there to be trapped in this
mausoleum.”
“That’s fine; you can stay here with me. I need to
stand on someone’s shoulders to place the charges anyway and you’re just the
right height.”
Jim looked back at the tunnel. “Well actually…I’d
rather be in there with the others in case they need my help.”
Travis’s lower lip revealed a disgusted smirk.
“Pete, take the group about thirty feet back into the tunnel. If anything
happens to me and this route is impassable, you’ll have to guide the group out
to that other tunnel we saw. LB and Katy, you two stay with me. You’re going to
get in a back workout supporting my weight so I can reach the ceiling. Once the
explosives are set, you can join the others.”
Pete motioned the remaining band into the tunnel
while Travis pulled out the weathered dynamite sticks from his pack. These were
small sections about six inches long but they would serve to destabilize the
rock ceiling enough to cause collapse. He unwrapped the two sticks and placed
them in the side BDU pocket of his pants.
“This should take me about two minutes to secure the
sticks so you’ll have to keep me steady, alright?” Katy and LB nodded and
dropped to a squat. Travis pushed off of Katy’s leg with one boot and onto LB’s
shoulder with the other while anchoring his hand on a slab of rough rock in the
ceiling. Both bearers grimaced and shifted under his weight while struggling to
maintain their balance. He could hear the rain increasing in tempo atop the
cave and droplets began trickling down the open fissures.
With the two sticks of dynamite placed a foot apart,
he retraced his footsteps down the ladder of weary limbs. The chamber had
darkened considerably and more rain was starting to run in along the crevices. The
fuses were long enough for Travis to light them from where he stood. He removed
a lighter from his shirt pocket. “Head back into the tunnel. If this goes as
planned, we’ll be climbing outta here and start working on our tans again. When
you hear me say, ‘fire in the hole,’ cover your ears. These charges are
bad enough with ear-protection let alone in an echoing cave.”
As soon as Katy and Pete were tucked away, he lit
the two fuses then dove into the tunnel entrance. A few seconds later there was
a rolling drum-like sound as a wave of dust choked the narrow passage. Everyone
was coughing as flecks of dirt and debris glinted in the light of their
headlamps.
A few minutes later after the air settled, light
shone through the passageway. They retraced their steps back to the small cavern
which had a waist-high pile of rocks in the center below a four foot diameter
hole. Travis shook his head and wiped a flour-like coating of dirt off his
face. He grabbed a few stones off the ground and lobbed them up at the ceiling
to make sure there weren’t any loose sections.
A driving rain was pouring in, as lightning
illuminated the cavern like a wave of camera flashes. The limestone walls were
glistening as rivulets of water poured down them, filling the interior at their
feet.
“Let’s go. There
or pound us with biblical rains.
He looked back at the tunnel they had just emerged from and back at the
ceiling. He thought about the half-sticks of dynamite in his pack. It might
be enough to take out the ceiling but what would it do to the structural
integrity of the tunnel where we’d have to seek cover? The cavern was
turning grey as the dimming sunlight was obscured by cloud cover, followed by a
low rumble of thunder. Nothing like the present to make a decision for you.
“If that thunderstorm above pummels the region, this
cave is going to turn into a frothing cauldron of quicksand. Our best bet is to
blow the ceiling and climb out.”
“Where do you propose we go to avoid getting crushed
by all the falling rocks?” said Jim.
“You’ll have to crawl back in the tunnel while I
plant the dynamite and blast the ceiling,” said Travis.
“I’m not going back in there to be trapped in this
mausoleum.”
“That’s fine; you can stay here with me. I need to
stand on someone’s shoulders to place the charges anyway and you’re just the
right height.”
Jim looked back at the tunnel. “Well actually…I’d
rather be in there with the others in case they need my help.”
Travis’s lower lip revealed a disgusted smirk.
“Pete, take the group about thirty feet back into the tunnel. If anything
happens to me and this route is impassable, you’ll have to guide the group out
to that other tunnel we saw. LB and Katy, you two stay with me. You’re going to
get in a back workout supporting my weight so I can reach the ceiling. Once the
explosives are set, you can join the others.”
Pete motioned the remaining band into the tunnel
while Travis pulled out the weathered dynamite sticks from his pack. These were
small sections about six inches long but they would serve to destabilize the
rock ceiling enough to cause collapse. He unwrapped the two sticks and placed
them in the side BDU pocket of his pants.
“This should take me about two minutes to secure the
sticks so you’ll have to keep me steady, alright?” Katy and LB nodded and
dropped to a squat. Travis pushed off of Katy’s leg with one boot and onto LB’s
shoulder with the other while anchoring his hand on a slab of rough rock in the
ceiling. Both bearers grimaced and shifted under his weight while struggling to
maintain their balance. He could hear the rain increasing in tempo atop the
cave and droplets began trickling down the open fissures.
With the two sticks of dynamite placed a foot apart,
he retraced his footsteps down the ladder of weary limbs. The chamber had
darkened considerably and more rain was starting to run in along the crevices. The
fuses were long enough for Travis to light them from where he stood. He removed
a lighter from his shirt pocket. “Head back into the tunnel. If this goes as
planned, we’ll be climbing outta here and start working on our tans again. When
you hear me say, ‘fire in the hole,’ cover your ears. These charges are
bad enough with ear-protection let alone in an echoing cave.”
As soon as Katy and Pete were tucked away, he lit
the two fuses then dove into the tunnel entrance. A few seconds later there was
a rolling drum-like sound as a wave of dust choked the narrow passage. Everyone
was coughing as flecks of dirt and debris glinted in the light of their
headlamps.
A few minutes later after the air settled, light
shone through the passageway. They retraced their steps back to the small cavern
which had a waist-high pile of rocks in the center below a four foot diameter
hole. Travis shook his head and wiped a flour-like coating of dirt off his
face. He grabbed a few stones off the ground and lobbed them up at the ceiling
to make sure there weren’t any loose sections.
A driving rain was pouring in, as lightning
illuminated the cavern like a wave of camera flashes. The limestone walls were
glistening as rivulets of water poured down them, filling the interior at their
feet.
“Let’s go. There
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