stunning impact. The icy river enclosed him, and he could not tell where the surface was. He struggled, suffocated, felt the swift current drag him against the chill slime of rocks, and then was borne bubbling to the surface. He coughed and shouted. He heard Jisbella answer, her voice faint and muffled by the roaring torrent. He swam with the current, trying to overtake her.
He shouted and heard her answering voice growing fainter and fainter. The roaring grew louder, and abruptly he was shot down the hissing sheet of a waterfall. He plunged to the bottom of a deep pool and struggled once more to the surface. The whirling current entangled him with a cold body bracing itself against a smooth rock wall.
`Jiz!'
'Gully! Thank God!' They clung together for a moment while the water tore at them.
`Gully. . ' Jisbella coughed. `It goes through here.'
`The river?'
`Yes.' He squirmed past her, bracing himself against the wall, and felt the mouth of an underwater tunnel. The current was sucking them into it.
`Hold on,' Foyle gasped. He explored to the left and the right. The walls of the pool were smooth, without handhold.
`We can't climb out. Have to go through.'
`There's no air, Gully. No surface.'
`Couldn't be for ever. We'll hold our breath.'
`It could be longer than we can hold our breath.'
`Have to gamble.'
`I can't do it.'
'You must. No other way. Pump your lungs. Hold on to me.' They supported each other in the water, gasping for breath, filling their lungs.
Foyle nudged Jisbella towards the underwater tunnel. `You go first. I'll be right behind . . . Help you if you get into trouble.'
`Trouble!' Jisbella cried in a shaking voice. She submerged and permitted the current to suck her into the tunnel mouth. Foyle followed. The fierce waters drew them down, down, down, caroming from side to side of a tunnel that had been worn glass-smooth. Foyle swam close behind Jisbella, feeling her thrashing legs beat his head and shoulders.
They shot through the tunnel until their lungs burst and their blind eyes started. Then there was a roaring again and a surface, and they could breathe. The glassy tunnel sides were replaced by jagged rocks. Foyle caught Jisbella's leg and seized a stone projection at the side of the river.
`Got to climb out here,' he shouted.
`Got to climb out. You hear that roaring up ahead? Cataracts. Rapids. Be torn to pieces. Out, Jiz.' She was too weak to climb out of the water. He thrust her body up on to the rocks and followed. They lay on the dripping stones, too exhausted to speak. At last Foyle got wearily to his feet.
`Have to keep on,' he said. `Follow the river. Ready?' She could not answer; she could not protest. He pulled her up and they went stumbling through the darkness, trying to follow the bank of the torrent. The boulders they traversed were gigantic, standing like dolmens, heaped, jumbled, scattered into a labyrinth. They staggered and twisted through them and lost the river. They could get nowhere.
`Lost. . .' Foyle grunted in disgust. `We're lost again. Really lost this time. What are we going to do?' Jisbella began to cry. She made helpless yet furious sounds.
Foyle lurched to a stop and sat down, drawing her down with him.
`Maybe you're right, girl,' he said wearily. `Maybe I am a damned fool. I got us trapped into this no-jaunte pam, and we're licked.' She didn't answer.
`So much for brain-work. Hell of an education you gave me.' He hesitated. `You think we ought to try back-tracking to the hospital?'
`We'll never make it.'
`Guess not. Was just practicing m'brain. Should we start a racket? Make a noise so they can track us by G-phone?'
`They'd never hear us . . . Never find us in time.'
`We could make enough noise. You could knock me around a little. Be a pleasure for both of us.'
`Shut up.'
`Murder! What a mess!' He sagged back, cushioning his head
He shouted and heard her answering voice growing fainter and fainter. The roaring grew louder, and abruptly he was shot down the hissing sheet of a waterfall. He plunged to the bottom of a deep pool and struggled once more to the surface. The whirling current entangled him with a cold body bracing itself against a smooth rock wall.
`Jiz!'
'Gully! Thank God!' They clung together for a moment while the water tore at them.
`Gully. . ' Jisbella coughed. `It goes through here.'
`The river?'
`Yes.' He squirmed past her, bracing himself against the wall, and felt the mouth of an underwater tunnel. The current was sucking them into it.
`Hold on,' Foyle gasped. He explored to the left and the right. The walls of the pool were smooth, without handhold.
`We can't climb out. Have to go through.'
`There's no air, Gully. No surface.'
`Couldn't be for ever. We'll hold our breath.'
`It could be longer than we can hold our breath.'
`Have to gamble.'
`I can't do it.'
'You must. No other way. Pump your lungs. Hold on to me.' They supported each other in the water, gasping for breath, filling their lungs.
Foyle nudged Jisbella towards the underwater tunnel. `You go first. I'll be right behind . . . Help you if you get into trouble.'
`Trouble!' Jisbella cried in a shaking voice. She submerged and permitted the current to suck her into the tunnel mouth. Foyle followed. The fierce waters drew them down, down, down, caroming from side to side of a tunnel that had been worn glass-smooth. Foyle swam close behind Jisbella, feeling her thrashing legs beat his head and shoulders.
They shot through the tunnel until their lungs burst and their blind eyes started. Then there was a roaring again and a surface, and they could breathe. The glassy tunnel sides were replaced by jagged rocks. Foyle caught Jisbella's leg and seized a stone projection at the side of the river.
`Got to climb out here,' he shouted.
`Got to climb out. You hear that roaring up ahead? Cataracts. Rapids. Be torn to pieces. Out, Jiz.' She was too weak to climb out of the water. He thrust her body up on to the rocks and followed. They lay on the dripping stones, too exhausted to speak. At last Foyle got wearily to his feet.
`Have to keep on,' he said. `Follow the river. Ready?' She could not answer; she could not protest. He pulled her up and they went stumbling through the darkness, trying to follow the bank of the torrent. The boulders they traversed were gigantic, standing like dolmens, heaped, jumbled, scattered into a labyrinth. They staggered and twisted through them and lost the river. They could get nowhere.
`Lost. . .' Foyle grunted in disgust. `We're lost again. Really lost this time. What are we going to do?' Jisbella began to cry. She made helpless yet furious sounds.
Foyle lurched to a stop and sat down, drawing her down with him.
`Maybe you're right, girl,' he said wearily. `Maybe I am a damned fool. I got us trapped into this no-jaunte pam, and we're licked.' She didn't answer.
`So much for brain-work. Hell of an education you gave me.' He hesitated. `You think we ought to try back-tracking to the hospital?'
`We'll never make it.'
`Guess not. Was just practicing m'brain. Should we start a racket? Make a noise so they can track us by G-phone?'
`They'd never hear us . . . Never find us in time.'
`We could make enough noise. You could knock me around a little. Be a pleasure for both of us.'
`Shut up.'
`Murder! What a mess!' He sagged back, cushioning his head
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