The Grave Robbers of Genghis Khan by P. B. Kerr Read Free Book Online

surprised,” said the professor. “I was in the shop this morning and didn’t see any rope.”
    “Me neither,” admitted Axel.
    “That’s quite all right, my dear chap,” said Nimrod, andchucked the rest of the rope down to John. “Easy to overlook a bit of old rope, eh?”
    Sixty feet below, John took hold of the new rope in his left hand and breathed a sigh of relief. Now the only problem was how he was going to get up the rope to the crater rim. Even with a newly improved strong grip in his right hand, it was going to take an awfully long time. Wrapping the new rope around his leg to secure himself, he wondered if he could attach his ascenders to the new rope and quickly realized that the only way that was ever going to happen was by using djinn power. Which — following an interval of several minutes when he made a show of fumbling around with his harness for the benefit of the two Icelanders who were watching him up on the crater rim, always supposing their eyesight was as keen as that of an eagle — is exactly what he did.
    “ABECEDARIAN!”
    And with the two ascenders properly attached to the new rope, John continued with his ascent.
    At last he reached the crater rim where Axel, who was as strong as he was handsome, grabbed hold of his harness and hauled him over the side.
    “
Ótrúlegt
,” he said. “Amazing. I didn’t think it was possible to attach a rappel harness to a rope when you were already on it.”
    “It was nothing,” said John.
    “
Frábœr
.” Axel shook his head. “And I thought I knew a lot about rock climbing.” He clapped John on the shoulder. “Hey, promise you’ll show me how to do that.”
    “Sure,” said John. “Why not?” He smiled sheepishly. “It’d be my pleasure.”
    “I’d like to see that myself, John,” observed Philippa. “It should be fascinating.”
    “I still don’t understand how you managed to get that close to the fissure, John,” said the professor. “The heat must have been
ákafur.
Intense. If you had stayed any longer, you’d have ended up looking like me, boy. And believe me, this is not a pretty sight.”
    “It was kind of hot,” admitted John.
    “That’s quite a nephew you have there, Nimrod,” said Axel.
    Still shaking his head, Axel went to the Matterhorn-shaped rock crest to untie the rope while Professor Sturloson emptied John’s asbestos bag and examined his lava samples.
    “My God, it’s true,” he said. “It really is gold. I couldn’t believe my own eyes when I saw the lava flow down there. I thought the heat or the CO 2 was getting to me.”
    “The CO 2 did get to me,” said John. “I almost passed out down there.”
    “I can’t believe this knot you tied, Nimrod,” confessed Axel.
    “Hmm. What’s that, dear boy?” Nimrod was preoccupied with his own examination of the golden lava samples.
    “I never before saw a knot like this one you tied, Nimrod. And I wouldn’t begin to know how to untie it.”
    Nimrod did not look up from the two golden lava samples that lay in the palms of his hands like two very special eggs.
    “That?” he said absently. “That’s a Dionysus knot. I’m afraid you’re not supposed to know how to untie it. You see, as well as being the most secure knot it’s humanly possible totie, it’s also a cipher. A sort of code. You had better cut it. Like your near namesake, Alexander the Great. Otherwise we’ll be here all day.”
    Axel unfolded his lock knife and began to saw at the rope.
    “Professor?” said Nimrod. “Do you have access to the research institute? Here on Vesuvius.”
    “I prefer to have a lab in the old observatory,” said Professor Sturloson. “Not in the new research institute. I don’t like the people working in the new institute to see me.”
    “It’s quite understandable that you should feel a bit self-conscious about your mask,” said Nimrod.
    “No, that’s not the reason,” said the professor. “My mask scares the Italians. Oh, I don’t mean