Indiana Jones and the Seven Veils Page 3

  "Very interesting," Bernard said, studying the thick wood beams and stone blocks over their heads. "You can see the workmanship is not as good on the outside pyramid. They used mud as mortar, instead of limestone. It goes to show you that some of the largest of the pyramids were built at the time when the Mayan decline was already underway."

  Indy saw the glazed look in Bernard's eyes. It was as if he were assuming his intellectual mantle as a way of escaping any thought of their predicament. "How are you feeling?"

  "Feeling? Fine. Fine. By the way, thanks for helping me out of the fix back there."

  Indy didn't answer. He was staring intently at the ceiling, following Esteban's gaze. "Thank God for the bats," he said, softly.

  "What are you talking about?" Bernard asked.

  Just above one of the beams was a crack in the stone ceiling through which sunlight filtered. "There's the bat entrance," Indy said, "and our way out."

  "We certainly can't get through that hole, even if we could get up there," Bernard said.

  "Don't think we have much choice," Indy said as he unhitched his whip. Before Bernard could respond, Indy snared the beam with the whip and swung out from the platform.

  "Jones, are you crazy?"

  Indy curled a leg over the beam, and pulled himself upright. "That was the easy stuff. The tricky part's going to be making the hole wide enough to get through. Once I'm out, I'll get help and a rope and we'll lift you out."

  "I hope you know what you're doing."

  Indy stood up and walked along the beam. It was plenty wide, and the ceiling was just over his head in case he needed to catch his balance. He'd taken only a couple of steps when he realized he had company. Something was nipping at his lower back. He stopped and wobbled, then grimaced as he reached under his shirt and felt a bat burrowing its teeth into his skin. Rocking unsteadily, he ripped it free, and flung it away.

  "Disgusting."

  As he reached the far side of the beam, he peered through the hole. From the reddish tinge of the light he knew that the sun was low in the sky. He reached up and felt along the narrow slit, a crack between two stone slabs. How the hell was he going to get through there? The stones were at least a foot thick and there was soil and vegetation around them. He'd need a sledgehammer, and even that might not help.

  "How does it look, Jones?" Bernard yelled.

  "Not good."

  "Call for help, for Christ's sake. They'll hear you down below."

  Indy wasn't so sure about that. The base of the pyramid was a couple of hundred feet away and chances were his voice would be absorbed by the thick jungle growth on the outside of the unexcavated pyramid.

  He cupped one hand over his mouth and yelled through the hole. He shouted until he was dizzy and his lungs were ready to give out. Catching his breath, he was about to try again when Esteban called out to him. "Dr. Jones! Behind you!"

  "Behind me?" he muttered. "Nothing is—"

  His yelling had attracted the bats, which were darting about just below the ceiling. One swooped past his ear. Another struck the back of his hat, knocking it forward over his eyes. "Creepy little bastards are driving me batty," he growled. He tottered a moment, caught his balance, then crouched down on the beam and wrapped his legs around it just as several more bats screeched past his ear.

  "Dr. Jones," Esteban called again. "Catch."

  Indy turned to see the Mayan standing on the edge of the stone platform, holding out the torch as more bats darted through the holes in the floor of the platform behind him.

  "Catch?"

  The torch flew through the air, flipping end over end toward him, but Esteban had underestimated the power of his throw, and all Indy could do was block it from striking him. The torch dropped onto the beam with the burning end landing on his foot.

  "AHH!" He snatched it up. "Thanks, Esteban. Thanks a lot."

  He brushed cinders off his boot, but he didn't have long to fuss about it. The bats were sweeping in a black mass toward him, and he jabbed the torch at them. One, then another and another were singed by the flames before the message rippled through the flying horde, and they swerved away, darting back down through the hole in the altar.

  "You okay, Jones?" Bernard called.

  "Yeah. I think I scared them off." Just then he heard a chorus of squeals and the bats were on him again. He swung the torch, but it slipped out of his hand. Cursing, he pressed down against the beam. He squeezed his eyes shut, and gripped his hat on either side of his head.

  When he didn't feel anything, he opened an eye. The bats, one after another, were soaring through the hole above his head and out of the pyramid. Indy looked up through the hole and realized it was dusk.

  Bat time.

  Before he had time to think what to do next he heard voices. "Dr. Jones, Dr. Bernard, where are you?"

  Indy raised himself up on the beam. The voice was faint and distant. He balanced on the beam, gripping the crack in the ceiling, and yelled as loud as he could. He didn't know if anyone could hear him; he just kept yelling.

  Finally, he stopped to catch his breath. He could hear responses. Louder, clearer now. He recognized John's voice, and wondered for a moment what had happened to Deirdre. Then he saw the flickering of a torchlight.

  "Where are you?" John called.

  He was close, so close Indy could see his legs through the crack. "Right under your feet."

  The light blazed above him. "Dr. Jones, are you all right?"

  "Just great. Be even better when you get us out of here."

  "We didn't know what happened to you and Dr. Bernard. The entrance is blocked."

  "Yeah. We know," Indy said patiently.

  "Then we heard you calling. Sorry we couldn't make it any faster. It's so steep and overgrown. It's like scaling a mountain in the dark."

  "How many are with you?"

  "All of us are here. We've got picks and shovels and rope."

  "Good. Let me talk to Deirdre."

  "We thought she was with you. No one's seen her since after lunch."

  Just what they needed. Trouble on top of trouble. "Get us out of here and we'll go look for her," he said evenly. "If you can loosen a couple of the blocks and pull them out, we should be able to squeeze out of here."

  "Gotcha."

  "Jones, what's going on?" Bernard called out from the platform. "Who's missing?"

  "Deirdre."

  "I'm holding you responsible if she isn't found. You sent her to the river unaccompanied."

  "We'll find her," Indy replied, but his voice was drowned out by the pounding which had begun on the stones above his head. He edged along the beam as dirt rained down on him.

  What a day, he thought. After nearly two weeks of monotonously hacking away at the jungle around the base of the pyramid and two days of digging out the tunnel, everything had happened at once. And all the bad stuff was going to be his fault. He could already tell. Suddenly, he was jarred from his reverie as a stone block crashed onto the beam, then struck the altar, barely missing Bernard and Esteban.

  Indy winced as another block ripped loose and tumbled to the altar. Indy was reminded of a similar experience a year ago in Scotland, when he and Deirdre had been trapped in Merlin's Cave and had escaped through an ancient blocked-up chimney. That time Deirdre had barely made it out alive. This time, he wished she were here with him now that they were escaping.

  Light from the torches streamed into the pyramid. It had taken the students less than fifteen minutes to open the new entrance. Indy heard more voices; they seemed to be arguing. But they were too far from the hole for him to tell what was being said. Then everyone was silent.

  "What the devil are they doing, Jones?" Bernard yelled.

  "I don't know."

  Just then an arm stretched down and a rope with a wide loop at the end was tossed to him. "Here, take it," John shouted.

  His voice sounded strained. He'd probably had an argument with one of other students about how to tie the knot, Indy thought. But he could put up with a petty annoyance. They were getting out. That was what mattered. He tossed the rope down to Esteban.

  "Give it me," Bernard said, taking the rope from the Mayan and looping the rope under his arms. "I'll get to the top and take charge."

  Indy shouted up through the hole when Bernard was ready. The professor swung past Indy, nearly striking the far wall, but the hands at the top pulled fast and Bernard quickly disappeared through the gap.

  If Carlos hadn't been killed and Deirdre weren't missing, they'd have cause to celebrate their rescue and the discovery of the treasures. But Indy sensed that it wasn't going to be that sort of a night.

  "Dr. Jones, I don't like it," Esteban called to him. "Something is wrong up there."

  >What else could be wrong? "I'll go up next." He walked along the beam until he was just below the hole. He looked up, but the light from the torches prevented him from seeing anything.

  "Here you go, Dr. Jones," John said as he dropped the rope down to him. Indy slipped it under his arms, but didn't bother waiting for the lift. He reached up through the hole, grabbed the edge of the stone, and chinned himself up. Hands grasped his shoulders and pulled him the rest of the way.

  "I've got some good news and bad news," John said.

  "What is it?"

  "Deirdre is okay, but..."

  Bernard stepped forward into the light and finished the sentence. "Look who brought her here, Jones. We've got serious trouble."

  Indy squinted as his eyes adjusted to the torchlight. The first thing he saw was the barrel of a rifle aimed at his head.

  3

  Huaqueros

  A one-eyed man grinned at Indy as he aimed his weapon at him. Two cartridge belts were strapped in an X from his shoulders to his belt. His compan
ions were armed with guns and machetes, and didn't look any friendlier than One Eye.

  "So you have found the way in for us, amigos," One Eye said.

  "Indy, I'm sorry," Deirdre blurted.

  "Are you all right?"

  "They didn't hurt me. They were watching us from across the river."

  "Si, the senorita is right," One Eye said. "We were here first. It is our treasure."

  "So you steal from the dead for a living," Indy sneered.

  "Just like you," One Eye snapped back. "No different."

  "There's a big difference." Deirdre's voice was vehement. "Archaeologists record and preserve and analyze. That's how we learn about the past."

  "Nicely put," Indy said. "Don't think he'll buy it, though."

  One Eye laughed. "But this treasure is ours."

  Indy grinned at the huaquero and tipped his hat. "Help yourself. There's nothing down there. We already looked."

  "I do not believe you." One Eye reached into a canvas satchel and held up the jade mask. It was no longer wrapped in Indy's shirt; One Eye was wearing the shirt. "You see the reason I doubt your word, amigo?"

  "They took it from me, Indy," Deirdre said, haplessly.

  "Don't worry about it." Indy turned to the huaquero. "That's all there was. Trust me."

  "That I will not do. Take that whip off. You are going with us, and if you are lying you will die."

  Indy slowly unhitched his whip, stalling for time. If they opened the crypt and Bernard was right about the treasure, Indy knew he was dead. He cursed himself for leaving his revolver back in the camp. Then he remembered that Esteban was still inside the pyramid, and that glimmer of hope set his mind churning. He dropped the whip to the ground.

  "Look, all I saw was a jade shield and a carved stone. It's not worth going in there. The place is cursed. One of our men died, and we were lucky to survive."

  "You lie, and I don't believe in curses, except my own, chigador." He cackled and his partners guffawed. Then One Eye picked two of his men to accompany him and Indy into the pyramid. The other three huaqueros set off to the camp with Deirdre, Bernard, and the others in tow.

  After two of the men were lowered through the hole and reached the stone altar, it was Indy's turn, then One Eye followed. They lowered themselves through the opening in the platform, then One Eye motioned for the man nearest him to remain on the steps. The other huaquero was carrying a torch, and led the way as they descended the stairs. All the while One Eye kept his rifle aimed at Indy's back.

  When they reached the floor, One Eye and his partner crunched over the skeletons as if they weren't there and headed directly to the sarcophagus. The huaquero chief examined it a moment and smiled. "It looks like no one has opened it yet. You think I would not know that there is a fortune underneath this stone? Maybe after we clean it out, we will leave you inside it."

  He looked at his companion, laughed, and slapped him on the back. The man, who had a mouthful of jagged teeth, grinned maniacally.

  "Some greedy gringos will find you some day. They will be so disappointed that one of their own kind was sleeping here and all the gold is gone."

  They laughed again. They seemed to be having a great time. Then One Eye turned to the crypt. "Let's have a look."

  He jabbed his rifle at Indy and told him to take one end of the stone cover. It was about twelve feet long and four feet wide and heavy as lead. Indy and Jagged Teeth lifted it with a refrain of grunts and slid it slowly to one side.

  "Be careful," Indy cautioned, but to no avail. The huaquero let his end of the carved sarcophagus crash onto the stone floor. The sarcophagus slipped from Indy's hands and broke into three pieces.

  "Nice going," Indy growled, but the two men were gaping at the contents of the crypt. What Indy glimpsed was worthy of detailed study and documentation. But he knew that wasn't going to happen. Surrounding the skeleton were jade necklaces, a gold incense burner with the heads of gods on the outside surface, a carved soapstone jar, formations of obsidian stones and quartz crystals, bone objects and teeth, a jade mosaic mask, and several gold figurines.

  One Eye rummaged through the crypt, carelessly examining the objects, stuffing the gold and jade pieces in his sack. Covering the top of the skull was a jeweled headdress. One Eye snatched it, and beneath it was a pile of gold discs. He greedily scooped them up. Then he pulled several jade rings off the skeleton and the finger bones snapped like pretzels.

  Indy couldn't take any more. "Filthy grave robbers," he yelled, and he barreled into the two men. He caught them off guard and knocked them to the ground. He kicked One Eye's rifle out of his grasp and punched Jagged Teeth in the jaw, then struggled for his weapon. But One Eye pulled a revolver from inside his shirt and jammed it at Indy's head. "It is all over, chigador." He cocked the trigger.

  Indy glimpsed movement beyond One Eye, and suddenly the third huaquero tumbled down the steps. His hands were bound behind his back and his mouth was gagged. Then a gun fired and One Eye screamed in pain as he buckled over grabbing his stomach. Jagged Teeth looked around, and when he couldn't find the source of the gunfire, he dashed for the hole in the wall.

  He disappeared into the next room, the one with the missing floor. An instant later, his cry echoed through the pyramid as he plummeted into the pit.

  Indy grabbed the bag of artifacts, and raced for the stairway. He was halfway up when One Eye yelled. Indy turned and saw the huaquero sitting up and aiming his rifle. He fired and the bullet struck a stair, missing Indy's head by an inch or two. Indy took two quick steps up, but slipped, and slid down several stairs as artifacts spilled from the canvas satchel.

  He looked back and saw One Eye taking aim at him. He heard a shot. The huaquero's body jerked, then keeled over. Indy looked up to see Esteban lowering his rifle. Quickly, but carefully, Indy scaled the steps. "Thanks. I was getting worried there. Let's get out of here."

  Esteban pointed to the spilled artifacts. "You want me to get them?"

  "We'll come back later. We've got to help the others."

  They climbed up to the altar, then crawled out of the pyramid along the rope, which had been tied to the trunk of a tree. They were about to head down the side of the mound when Esteban froze.

  "What's wrong?"

  "I think I'm standing on a snake, Dr. Jones. I can't see."

  Indy cautiously stepped forward, then smiled as he reached down and snatched up his whip.

  "Thanks. I may need it."

  Even though the night was warm and they were all sitting around a campfire, no one was roasting marshmallows, telling stories, or singing songs. The mood was apprehensive, and the faces flickering in the fire light were solemn and worried. Deirdre knew that her expression was drained of emotion. She, after all, had already experienced hours of terror.

  Indy had told her there might be huaqueros around, but the grave robbers were rarely violent and they stayed away when archaeologists were at a site. So he'd said.

  They'd caught her by the river and taken her to their encampment, where they'd tied her to a tree. The one with the bad teeth wanted to rape her, but the leader slapped him and said that they were going to stick to their business. When they had the treasures in the pyramid they could have all the women they wanted.

  Their plan was to hold her until morning, then take control of the dig. They already knew that the entrance had been found, and how many were in the camp. A short time later, Deirdre found out why they knew so much. Manuel, the Mayan cook from the camp, showed up and told them that the archaeologists were trapped in the pyramid, but that they'd found another way out and everyone was climbing to the top to dig them out.

  But now what was going on in the pyramid? The thought that the huaqueros might be about to murder Indy made her want to bolt for the pyramid and somehow snatch him from death. She, after all, was at least partially responsible for their troubles, and if Indy died she'd always feel at fault. She hadn't gone directly to the river as she'd said she would. Instead, she'd stopped in the camp and shown John the mask, and she'd flirted with him. She didn't have any feelings one way or another about John, but she'd wanted to make Indy jealous.

  Across from her, Dr. Bernard stared into the flames and looked as if he were in shock. Next to him was John, holding hands with Katherine. She was looking back at Deirdre now, and Deirdre knew by her expression that Katherine blamed her for everything.