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.If therewas some secret way in and out of this particular pit, assuming it was the oneprepared by Marlenus, I did not see what it was and had no time to conduct athorough investigation.Looking about, I saw several of the caves dug into the walls of the pit,which, at least in most pits, house the inmates.In desperate, frustratedhaste, I examined several of them; some were shallow, little more than scoopedout depressions in the wall, but others were more extensive, containing two orthree chambers connected by passageways.Some contained worn sleeping mats ofcold, moldy straw, some contained a few rusted metal utensils, such as kettlesand pails, but most were completely empty, revealing no signs of life or useat all.After I emerged from one of these caves, I was surprised to see my tarn acrossthe pit, his head tilted to one side, as if puzzled.He then reached his beakout to an apparently blank wall and withdrew it, repeating this three or fourPage 93ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmltimes, and then began to walk back and forth, snapping his wings impatiently.I raced across the pit.I began to examine the wall with fierce closeness.Iscrutinized every file:///F|/rah/John%20Norman/Tarnsman%20of%20Gor.txt (87 of98) [1/20/03 3:36:22 AM]file:///F|/rah/John%20Norman/Tarnsman%20of%20Gor.txt inch and ran my handscarefully over every portion of its smooth surface.Nothing was revealed to myeyes or to my touch, but there was the almost imperceptible odor of tarnspoor.For several minutes I examined the blank wall, sure that it held the secret ofMarlenus's entrance into the city.Then, in frustration, I backed slowly away,hoping to see some lever or perhaps some suspicious crevice higher in theescarpment, something that might play its role in opening the passage I wassure lay hidden somewhere behind that seemingly solid mass of stone.Yet nolever, handle, or device of any kind revealed itself.I widened my search, wandering about the walls, but they seemed sheer,impenetrable.There seemed to be no place in which a lever or handle might beconcealed.Then, with a shout of anger at my stupidity, I ran to the shallowcistern in the center of the pit and fell on my stomach before the chill, foulwater.I thrust my hand into the slimy water, desperately examining thebottom.My hand clutched a valve, and I turned it fiercely as far as it would go.Atthe same time from the escarpment came a smooth, rolling sound as a greatweight was effortlessly balanced and lifted by hydraulic means.To myamazement, I saw that an immense opening had appeared in the wall.An enormousslab, perhaps fifty, feet square, had slid upward and backward, revealing agreat, dim, squarish tunnel beyond, a tunnel large enough for a flying tarn.Iseized the tam reins and drew the beast into the opening.Inside the door Isaw another valve, corresponding to the one hidden under the water of thecistern.Turning it, I closed the great gate behind` me, thinking it -wise toprotect the secret of the tunnel as long as possible.Inside, the tunnel, though dim, was not altogether dark, being lit bydomelike, wire-protected energy bulbs,., spaced in pairs every hundred yardsor so.These bulbs, invented more than a century ago by the Caste of Builders,produce a clear, soft light for years without replacement.I mounted the tarn,who was visibly uneasy in this strange environment.Without much success, by hand and voice, I tried to soothe the beast'sapprehensions.Perhaps Ispoke as much for my.own benefit as his.The first time I hauled on theone-strap, the bird would not move; the second time he lifted into flight,almost immediately scraping the ceiling of the tunnel with his wings,protesting shrilly.My helmet protected me as my head was roughly draggedagainst the granite of the ceiling.Then, to my pleasure, instead ofalighting, the tam dropped a few feet down from the ceiling and began tostreak through the tunnel, the energy bulbs flashing past me to form in mywake a gleaming chain of light.The end of the tunnel widened into a vast chamber, lit by hundreds of energybulbs.In this chamber, though empty of human beings, was a monstrous tam cot,in which some twenty gigantic, half-starved taros huddled separately on thetarn perches.As soon as they saw us, they lifted their heads, as if out oftheir shoulders, and regarded us with fierce attention.The floor of the tamcot was littered with the bones of perhaps two dozen tarns [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]