Mike Dixon

minutes before blacking out but his eyes were causing him
agonies. He slumped down and tried to remove his contact
lenses.
Humphrey went to the rear. The wind had cleared the gas
from the cave and blown it down the passage the old Dutch-
man had used to make his escape with Anne. He shouted
down it and waited for a reply. None came and he returned
to David with the bad news.
„Do you think they were overcome by the gas?‟
„I don‟t know.‟ Humphrey shook his head. „There‟s no way
to tell. We can‟t get through that small gap.‟
„We can‟t go out through the front either,‟ David observed.
„We‟ll be blasted away if he‟s still there.‟
„Do you think he is?‟
„Don‟t know,‟ David shrugged. „One thing‟s for sure: I‟m
not going out there to find out.‟
„It looks a bit like stalemate.‟
„We could try sending the dog out.‟
„You mean … let it get blasted away?‟
„No. The wind‟s blowing towards us. If he‟s still there, the
dog will pick up his scent.‟ David placed his hands on the an-
imal‟s head and pointed it towards the cave entrance.
„Go find him, boy!‟
He imitated the old man‟s voice. The dog sniffed the air and
ventured forward but no amount of encouragement would
get it to leave the cave.
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