The Moa Cave Read online

  He signalled for them to sit. The searcher moved to let them in. ‘Okay, let’s hear it.’

  Mandy looked at Auntie, who gave her an encouraging smile. ‘Go on, dear. He won’t eat you. Not while I’m here, he won’t.’ Jonno gave a little smile.

  ‘On that morning, when they first went missing,’ began Mandy, ‘I went looking for them. I know I’ve told you this before, but I missed something out because I’d forgotten about it.’ She paused, waiting for some friendly reaction from the policeman. He gave a little nod. ‘After I found the magnifier, I tried to walk along the edge of the stream by the cliff. I’d been along there before but this time the sand was all soft and gooey. I even thought it might be quicksand.’

  Jonno put up his hand. ‘Hold it a moment. I think Bill should hear this.’

  After Bill joined them, Mandy went through the story again. ‘…anyway, as I was deciding what to do, some of the sand fell into a hole. There was this…’ She searched for the right word.

  ‘Depression?’ suggested the searcher.

  ‘Yeah, depression, like the sand had fallen into a cave or something. I didn’t go any nearer as it looked dangerous. I came back here and forgot about it.’ She turned to Auntie. ‘That was until I was talking to Auntie. She said I should tell you.’

  The men were silent for a while. Then Jonno asked, ‘Where was this? Can you show me on the map?’

  She had to turn the map around a couple of times before she had it right. ‘There!’

  Jonno looked at Bill. ‘What do you think?’

  ‘Mmm. The sand’s always moving around in that part of the stream. It’s different after every storm.’ He paused to scratch his head. ‘But come to think of it, I did see the sand had washed away. There could have been some opening. I never went close enough to get a decent look. But there’s lots of sand back there now. It’s more like it is normally.’

  Jonno nodded at the searcher. ‘Trevor here is a geologist. He was just telling me that he thought that bit of cliff was the most likely place for a cave. Go on, Trevor, tell them what you told me about the ice age.’

  Trevor spoke as if he enjoyed sharing his knowledge. ‘During the last glaciation the sea level was a lot lower than it is now. In many places that meant the shoreline was further out to sea. However around here the cliffs are so steep that the shoreline would be much the same as it is now but lower down the cliffs. It’s possible that sea caves were formed with entrances that are now below sea level or, in this case, below the sand. From what Mandy’s just told us, I would say it is very likely there is some sort of cavity where that sand slumped.’

  Bill asked, ‘Do you want me to get the front-end loader?’

  In reply Jonno stood and moved to the window. He stood staring out for several minutes, rocking backwards and forwards with his hands behind his back. When he returned he said, ‘No.’ Mandy started to say something and Auntie looked puzzled. ‘Hold on. Hear me out. A front-end loader is not the right machine. It can only dig holes. It can’t dig under things or behind rocks. We need a full digger. It would take at least an hour before we could get one here. By then it’ll be dark. I know nobody wants them trapped for another night but they’re not in any danger; Hine made that quite clear. The best time to do it is in the morning. If we start poking around in the dark we could start having accidents or do something that makes their situation worse. So, tomorrow it will be.’

  Nobody argued. His reasoning was logical even if it didn’t satisfy what their hearts wanted.

  He turned to Mandy. ‘I suppose you want to stay until the morning?’

  ‘Yes please,’ she replied softly.

  ‘Okay. That’s if Mrs Smith is prepared to look after you.’

  Auntie put her arm around the girl. ‘Yes, I’ll look after her.’

  When the men had left the table Auntie said, ‘Would you like to take me for a walk to this place?’ Mandy nodded. ‘Good. I’d like to be close to my girl for a while. I feel she might need me.’

  Chapter 25

  Grunty led the way, with Tyler behind, then Hine and Shifty in the rear. Grunty was by far the biggest, yet he moved quickly through the opening into the small chamber. He had to be incredibly strong to pull his huge bulk through so fast.

  They paused for a moment in the chamber. Tyler turned on his torch. ‘Give me that,’ grunted Grunty, snatching it before Tyler had a chance to react.

  Moving through the next bit was more difficult for Grunty. The others bunched up behind him. At one stage Hine yelled out, ‘Don’t you touch my leg, you animal.’

  ‘It was an accident,’ responded Shifty. ‘Don’t worry, you’re not my type.’

  ‘I suppose a gorilla would be more your type,’ replied Hine. Tyler chuckled to himself.

  When they got to the penguin cave, Tyler quickly ushered them through to the passage leading up to the bones. He didn’t want them to see either the penguins or Ata.

  Grunty easily pulled himself up the steep rock face and into the moa cave. When Tyler joined him, he saw the man staring with a look of disbelief. This was just what he’d hoped for. Nobody could view that scene without being amazed.

  He waited for the others to join them. Shifty’s reaction was the same as his partner’s. They both stood and gawked, forgetting the two youngsters behind them.

  This was Tyler’s chance. He crept over to the ledge where the thigh bone was hidden, signalling Hine to be ready. But the bone wasn’t there. He felt around with his hand. It had to be there. Who could have taken it?

  Shifty turned and looked at him. Tyler froze. The man was about to say something when Grunty broke in: ‘Look at that egg, will you. What do you think that’s worth?’ Shifty turned back to the moa skeletons.

  Tyler knew he had to find the bone quickly. There would be only one chance. If he messed that up then…He turned so that he could see onto the ledge. The light was not good but it looked like there was something at the back. He stretched in with his hand, groping until his fingers touched something. Yes! It was the end of a bone. He grabbed it, pulled it out and stepped forward towards the men. Grunty was starting to turn. Tyler waited no longer. He slashed down at the arm carrying the torch. There was a cry of pain and the torch flew onto the floor, near to where Hine was standing. She dived on it and instantly the room was black.

  The cries from Grunty soon changed to anger. Shifty let loose with a string of swearing. Tyler didn’t stay around to listen. He scrambled towards the opening. It was empty. Hine must have already gone. Something touched his foot and pulled. He jerked it forward leaving his shoe behind. Then he was through. He fell head first down the rocks into the fissure. The torch came on. Hine was there pulling him up. ‘Hurry,’ she cried.

  They rushed through the cave towards the next passage. ‘Bye, Hopi and Mopsie,’ said Hine. ‘Peck their eyes out if they come near.’

  ‘Bye, Ata,’ added Tyler.

  They crawled through the remaining tunnels in darkness. The only hint of the pursuers was foul language coming from the penguin cave. With any luck they might not find the way to the cove.

  Hine was already on the beach when Tyler got out. They sprinted to the boat. The tide had risen since they’d left, but not enough to float it.

  ‘Grab the bow and swing it round,’ Hine yelled as she pushed from the other side.

  It wouldn’t budge. ‘More,’ she yelled. Tyler grabbed the anchor rope and heaved. It moved. Once it started it was easy. Soon the bow was floating.

  Tyler looked up at the cliff. Grunty was hauling himself out of the opening.

  ‘Push from behind,’ shouted Hine jumping into the boat. Slowly the boat moved forward until it was floating. ‘Keep pushing for as long as you can.’ He did. When he was just about to go under he gave a mighty push and pulled himself onboard.

  Hine was up front fiddling with the controls. ‘Let the motor down.’ This took a while as he’d never been on a boat like this. When it was done he looked back to the beach. Already Grunty wa
s in the water wading after them. Shifty was on the beach picking something up.

  Then the motor turned over. Nothing happened. She tried again. Still nothing.

  ‘Hurry, Hine.’

  ‘I’m trying.’ Again and again the motor turned.

  Grunty had stopped. He was up to his neck in water. All he had to do was swim and they were in trouble. Yet he didn’t. Then it dawned on Tyler. The tough man couldn’t swim.

  However maybe Shifty could. He was now in the water carrying something. When he lifted it, Tyler saw it was the spear gun. A moment later the spear crashed into the motor narrowly missing the rubber float. That’s what he’s after, thought Tyler. If that bursts we’re doomed.

  Shifty was reeling the spear back by its cord, getting ready for another shot. ‘What’s the problem?’ Tyler yelled.

  ‘It just won’t start!’

  ‘Is the petrol on?’

  Hine grunted, and scrambled to the tank, then back to the controls for another try. After a couple of turns the motor roared into life. She shoved it in gear and the boat shot forward. Shifty fired only to see the spear jerk to a stop before it reached them. They were out of range. Hine pulled the throttle back to stop just short of the gushing waves. Even then the boat was heaving around dangerously close to the rocks.

  ‘Now comes the tricky part,’ said Hine. ‘I’ve never done anything like this before.’

  Tyler looked at her. She was standing at the wheel with her legs apart, her hair swept back by the wind blowing through the gap, her face aglow with excitement.

  ‘Wow,’ he said to himself. ‘What a girl. Eat ya heart out, Lara Croft.’

  She watched the waves for a few minutes, trying to judge the timing. Tyler saw that Grunty and Shifty had retreated to the beach to watch, no doubt hoping they’d mess it up.

  ‘Okay,’ said Hine. ‘We’ve got about twenty seconds. Hold tight.’ She gunned the boat forward into the waves, swinging the wheel so they were facing the gap.

  Straight away Tyler could see it was all wrong. There was no twenty seconds at all: the next wave was moving into the hole right behind the previous one. There was no turning back; they were already in the opening.

  ‘Duck,’ yelled Hine as the wave reached them. The boat shot to the top of the tunnel shattering the windscreen against the roof. There was a horrible screech as the motor scraped along the rock. Tyler threw himself between the seats. The air-filled floats bulged into the boat alongside him, squashed down by the jagged surface above. Pain seared his back as something sliced across it. He pulled his head down and hoped.

  Seconds later the boat shuddered down the backside of the wave and they were out of the tunnel. But they were still not safe. Waves were swelling over a reef in front of them—the only way out.

  There was no waiting for the right time. Hine kept the power on and they piled into the first one. Without a windscreen the water hit her full force, knocking her back. Still, she hung on with one arm. Then came the next—it was worse. The boat was now heavy and sluggish with water and almost uncontrollable.

  It took all Tyler’s strength to stay in the boat. Hine had both hands back on the wheel. Somehow, the boat seemed to be responding. It stayed face on. If they’d gone sideways, they would’ve been doomed. More waves washed over the boat, each smaller than the one before and finally they were free.

  Hine pulled the throttle back to let the boat settle in the water. She turned to Tyler. ‘Was that a boss?’

  ‘Yes!’ he answered. ‘And a tough one too. The toughest I’ve seen.’

  ‘And I beat it.’ She punched the air with her fist. ‘Yeah! Yeah!’

  Tyler moved forward and gave her a high five. ‘You were fantastic.’

  Hine’s eyes shone with pleasure. ‘Yes, I was, wasn’t I?’

  Slowly they calmed and reviewed their situation—it was not good.

  Water was everywhere. The only thing keeping them up were the rubber floats and they were bulging badly where the rubber had been scraped by the rocks. They couldn’t take much more pounding.

  Tyler opened the lockers under the seats. ‘What are you looking for?’ asked Hine.

  ‘Life jackets.’

  ‘Ha! You won’t find any. Apes like them don’t carry life jackets. Is there even a bailer?’

  There was no bailer nor any jackets. Tyler tried scooping out water with his hands, but soon realised it was futile.

  He looked at Hine. ‘What next?’

  She pointed back over his head. ‘We’re going ashore.’

  He turned to look. It was Woolshed Bay. He was surprised how close it was. Their enclosed world of the last few days had seemed miles away from anywhere.

  ‘It doesn’t look good,’ he said. Lines of rollers were piling into the beach looking whiter than usual in the fading light.

  ‘It’s just another boss,’ she said, smiling. ‘We can beat it.’ She turned the wheel and coaxed the craft towards the shore. ‘I’ve gone in through surf before.’

  ‘Not with the boat half sinking,’ said Tyler doubtfully.

  She shrugged. ‘It’s either that or stay out here all night. What do you want to do?’

  There really was no choice. ‘Go in,’ he said quietly.

  A while later they caught the first swell. Hine cruised slowly forward letting it pass. ‘The trick is to get the right one, then it’s easy.’

  She let three pass before yelling out, ‘Here we go. Hold on to your bits.’ The boat leapt forward in front of the bulging water. It looked like she’d got it just right.

  At first they ran in front of it with ease, but as the swell increased in size the boat moved deeper into the water; it was too heavy. Hine was struggling to keep it straight. Then the wave began to curl. Tyler looked up to a wall of water behind them. He watched as it curled over the boat before crashing down on top of them. There was a mighty explosion as the port-side float burst. Immediately the boat slewed sideways. For a moment they were in the pipeline. Then the boat rolled. Over and over it went, tumbling like a lost surfboard.

  Tyler hung on to the ropes covering the tattered float. He hoped Hine was near. They would be all right if they clung to the boat. If they let go, it would probably crash on top of them. He wanted to touch the pendant to get more strength but it was too risky—he had to hold on.

  He lost sense of direction and even whether he was tumbling or not. It seemed like it would never end. Yet, eventually it did. The boat gave one last, slow roll before settling to the bottom, upside down. Tyler was underneath, trapped with his back pushed down into sand.

  The boat was completely submerged. Tyler tried to move, hoping to find an air pocket so that he could at least breathe. But it was impossible—there was no air. The only way was to move the boat. He pushed up with his hands and it lifted a little before settling back, heavier than before. He tried again. Nothing this time. He was running out of air. He had to breathe soon or…

  He tried one last time. It was hopeless. There was nothing more he could do. He moved his hand to the pendant and gripped it tightly. A feeling of calm flowed into his body. Now it would be all right. Now he could face it. He sensed his body beginning to float. All the pressure had gone. He was drifting. There was a bright light…

  He opened his eyes only to quickly shut them again—it was too bright. Then it dimmed. Hands grabbed him and he was being pulled. He opened his eyes again. Mandy’s face was above his; they were her hands. And a giant was holding up the side of the boat.

  ‘Hurry up, Mandy, I’m losing grip,’ said the giant—it was a woman’s voice.

  ‘He’s free,’ yelled Mandy. Tyler felt the whoosh of air as the boat slammed back into the water.

  ‘How is he?’ It was Hine’s voice. Somehow, she must have been thrown clear. Then she came into view holding the torch.

  ‘I’m okay,’ he said.

  ‘Then come here,’ said the giant leaning over him. He was lifted from the water and surrounded by her huge arms. His face was pulled be
tween two massive breasts until he could hardly breathe. Slowly the pressure was released so she could see his face. ‘Hi, Tyler, I’m Auntie. I hope you’ve been looking after my girl.’

  Tyler turned to Hine. ‘She can look after herself, you know.’

  Auntie reached out and pulled Hine into the hug as well. ‘Yeah,’ she said. ‘Can’t she just? You were lucky to have her with you.’

  ‘Yes,’ he said softly. ‘I sure was.’

  The journey up the road was slow with the sharp stones cutting into Tyler’s bare foot. His clothes were wet and cold; his whole body seemed to ache from bashes and cuts.

  Hine was beside him with Mandy next to her. Auntie was a few metres in front. Mandy kept asking questions, which Hine gave brief answers to. It was plain she didn’t want to talk about it yet but Mandy wouldn’t give up. When Hine failed to answer she maintained the conversation by herself.

  ‘What was it like at night? I bet it was scary. Though I s’pose there wouldn’t be any difference between night and day, would there? How many nights did you have? Mmm, the first one was the dare, then last night. Was that all? Just two. It seemed longer than that.’ Then she paused for a while. ‘You know what?’

  ‘What?’ said Hine.

  ‘Because you were out for two nights you lost the dare.’

  Hine stopped and turned to her. Tyler had barely been listening. ‘What did she say?’

  ‘She said we lost the dare because we were out for two nights.’

  ‘How do you work that out, Mandy?’ he asked.

  ‘Your dare was, and I quote, “Wouldn’t that be a great dare? Spending a night in a cave with skeletons and things.” Well, you didn’t spend a night. You spent some nights. So you didn’t do the dare. You both lose a life, which makes me the winner. I always knew I would win.’

  Tyler stared at her. She waited expectantly, daring him to react. Then slowly, his mouth broadened into a grin. ‘Yeah Mandy. Whatever!’

  ‘Was that agreement?’

  ‘No! You know what it was.’

  She returned the grin. ‘Oh well, it was worth a try, anyway.’