Golden Age, the Doctor mused. He had not revealed all that he knew about the planet Dido to the others, and now he was hoping to discover whether his suspicions about Vicki’s Mr Bennett were justified.
The Doctor ducked inside the dark tunnel and switched on his torch. He shone the beam along the ground and his gimlet eyes soon identified a faint trail of claw imprints leading up the broad beginning of the ledge which he and Ian had heroically followed along the side of the giant cavern.
‘I don’t think these were left behind by any of poor Sandy’s relations,’ he muttered, kneeling down to inspect the prints more closely. His eyes lit up with particular interest when he also noticed some other vague footprints in addition to the claw prints. ‘Peculiar shoes young Chesterton wears,’ he murmured, turning his foot on its side and studying the sole of his boot for a moment. Then he examined the scuffed patterns in the layer of sand again and soon identified his own and Ian’s prints in the form of a third trail overlapping with the others. ‘I wonder who the second lot of prints belongs to?’ the Doctor said thoughtfully as he got to his feet. ‘Odd that we did not spot the trails before...’
He edged his way cautiously up the sloping ledge which began to narrow as it climbed along the cavern wall. Soon the torch picked out the ornamented panel. Grunting with satisfaction, the Doctor stuck his spectacles on the end of his nose and studied the hieroglyphs, prodding and poking the ancient characters with his finger in different sequences.
‘Come along now, open Sesame...’ he whispered, his mouth drawing down at the sides and his high forehead creasing with concentration. After several false tries his patience was rewarded with a series of soft clicks inside the rock and the panel slowly swung open, squealing on its dry hinges.
Taking off his spectacles the Doctor paused on the threshold for a moment, letting his eyes accustom themselves to the strange milky light. Then he entered the long, high, barrel-shaped chamber beyond the portal, advancing with slow cautious steps and delving into the deep shadows with his penetrating gaze. He started as the door suddenly swung shut behind him with a shrill squeal which echoed horribly for several seconds in the vast arched vault overhead.
The roof was supported on massive tall columns which splayed out on the top like gigantic mushrooms. From the wide brims of the columns a subdued light radiated upwards bathing the vault with a pale opalescent glow; and from the rings of light, pastel-coloured vapours rose like the scent of exotic flowers, mingling to form a subtle rainbow effect of breathtaking beauty. As the Doctor walked slowly along the avenue of columns, he noticed that the carved rock surfaces of the chamber were veined with threads of iridescent crystals which reflected the variegated light like strings of countless miniature prisms.
In the centre of the chamber stood a massive, low structure resembling an altar. Octagonal in shape, it was made of huge slabs of polished stone carefully cut so that the angled facets reflected the milky light from above in a tangle of subtle beams. The Doctor walked respectfully round it and then moved into the shadowy spaces behind the columns where awesome carvings, masks and murals depicting ferocious beasts adorned the walls. Between the columns, there were enormous glass cabinets containing ceremonial robes, head-dresses and weapons belonging to some ancient civilisation of great richness and imagination. The whole chamber possessed a dramatic atmosphere of profound solemnity and ritual power.
As the Doctor wandered among the cabinets studying the artefacts on display, he tried to puzzle out what could have been the cause of the sudden change in the once peaceful character of the inhabitants of Dido. Something crunched under his boots. Glancing down he saw that he was walking on broken glass. The front panel of the next
The Doctor ducked inside the dark tunnel and switched on his torch. He shone the beam along the ground and his gimlet eyes soon identified a faint trail of claw imprints leading up the broad beginning of the ledge which he and Ian had heroically followed along the side of the giant cavern.
‘I don’t think these were left behind by any of poor Sandy’s relations,’ he muttered, kneeling down to inspect the prints more closely. His eyes lit up with particular interest when he also noticed some other vague footprints in addition to the claw prints. ‘Peculiar shoes young Chesterton wears,’ he murmured, turning his foot on its side and studying the sole of his boot for a moment. Then he examined the scuffed patterns in the layer of sand again and soon identified his own and Ian’s prints in the form of a third trail overlapping with the others. ‘I wonder who the second lot of prints belongs to?’ the Doctor said thoughtfully as he got to his feet. ‘Odd that we did not spot the trails before...’
He edged his way cautiously up the sloping ledge which began to narrow as it climbed along the cavern wall. Soon the torch picked out the ornamented panel. Grunting with satisfaction, the Doctor stuck his spectacles on the end of his nose and studied the hieroglyphs, prodding and poking the ancient characters with his finger in different sequences.
‘Come along now, open Sesame...’ he whispered, his mouth drawing down at the sides and his high forehead creasing with concentration. After several false tries his patience was rewarded with a series of soft clicks inside the rock and the panel slowly swung open, squealing on its dry hinges.
Taking off his spectacles the Doctor paused on the threshold for a moment, letting his eyes accustom themselves to the strange milky light. Then he entered the long, high, barrel-shaped chamber beyond the portal, advancing with slow cautious steps and delving into the deep shadows with his penetrating gaze. He started as the door suddenly swung shut behind him with a shrill squeal which echoed horribly for several seconds in the vast arched vault overhead.
The roof was supported on massive tall columns which splayed out on the top like gigantic mushrooms. From the wide brims of the columns a subdued light radiated upwards bathing the vault with a pale opalescent glow; and from the rings of light, pastel-coloured vapours rose like the scent of exotic flowers, mingling to form a subtle rainbow effect of breathtaking beauty. As the Doctor walked slowly along the avenue of columns, he noticed that the carved rock surfaces of the chamber were veined with threads of iridescent crystals which reflected the variegated light like strings of countless miniature prisms.
In the centre of the chamber stood a massive, low structure resembling an altar. Octagonal in shape, it was made of huge slabs of polished stone carefully cut so that the angled facets reflected the milky light from above in a tangle of subtle beams. The Doctor walked respectfully round it and then moved into the shadowy spaces behind the columns where awesome carvings, masks and murals depicting ferocious beasts adorned the walls. Between the columns, there were enormous glass cabinets containing ceremonial robes, head-dresses and weapons belonging to some ancient civilisation of great richness and imagination. The whole chamber possessed a dramatic atmosphere of profound solemnity and ritual power.
As the Doctor wandered among the cabinets studying the artefacts on display, he tried to puzzle out what could have been the cause of the sudden change in the once peaceful character of the inhabitants of Dido. Something crunched under his boots. Glancing down he saw that he was walking on broken glass. The front panel of the next
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