CHAPTER 13. WET AND DRY.

Indy gasped for air once more as he burst above the water surface in the small alcove chamber. Seconds later, Rene almost launched himself clear of the water as he arrived. The two of them scrambled for alcove shelves to stand on and regain their breath as they drew in deep lungfulls of air for what seemed to be an eternity.
"We....we....could.....couldn't.....there was nothing...." He gasped senselessly through heaving breath and tears. Marcus had been like a father to him in many ways over the years as well as his best friend and his words trailed off as he didn't know what to say.
Then a familiar voice said quietly, "Er, Indy..."
Indy's head snapped up instantly. "MARCUS?" He cried, diving into the water in the direction of the voice in the dark.
His hands found skin. Bare skin. A soft, round mound with a hard peak on top.
"WATCH IT BUSTER!" Marion's voice cried as his head broke the surface. His hand was instantly knocked aside and another hand caught him hard on the side of the head.
"OK, OK, I'm sorry! Marcus. Where are you? How....?"
Robert spoke up. "He arrived a few seconds after you and Rene went to find him."
"Yes, Sorry Indy." Marcus added, hauling his friend out of the water onto the ledge beside him. "I seemed to have lost my sense of direction in the water. When I reached the top of the stairwell, I turned left, up the remaining stairs and not right, down here. I knew I'd gone wrong when I reached the surface of the Library dig. I took a deep breath and came down here again." Indy didn't know whether to be furious or overjoyed. He hugged the embarrassed man closely, then suddenly pushed him back as he realised what it all meant.
"You went to the surface? Wasn't there anyone there? What about the guys with the gun? What about Sallah?"
"Like I said." Marcus answered. "There was no one there." Indy thought for a second, then said, "Right. We get out while we can."
"Just hang on, you guys!" Marion exclaimed. "Jones has just proved to me what he's exploring for! If you think I'm going up to the surface with only a pair of wet pants on, you're wrong!"
Indy grinned in the dark, remembering the warm mound that neatly filled his hand. "Jesus Marion, it was a mistake. I thought you were Marcus."
"DID IT FEEL LIKE MARCUS?!" She yelled.
"Well, now you mention it..." Indy said playfully. "JONES!" Marion stormed. "OK, OK, He conceded. I'm sorry. Look, None of us have got anything to cover you with. How about if we roll you in the sand when we get out?"
"INDY!!!!" Marion said through clenched teeth.
"Well, you'll be wet, and it would stick and..." He got no further as a handful of water covered his head and he choked on a mouthful of the dirty, salty liquid.
The others laughed and Rene added, "We will not look, Marion. I will see to that."
"Thank you, Rene." She replied. "At least there's ONE gentleman here." Indy shook his head in the dark and said, "If we're all through here, how about thinking about escape now?"
One by one, with Indy in the lead, they took deep breaths again and made their way to the surface. As promised, Rene made them all turn their backs before Marion climbed out of the water into the first faint pink light of dawn, the water running from her bare skin in brilliant coloured rivulets as she moved. No one looked and so could not appreciate the sight.
An empty workers tent stood nearby and Rene ripped it to a reasonable size before turning his head to one side and offering it to Marion.
"An old sheet?" She wailed. Rene, the charmer as ever, said, "You will still look lovely in it, my little dove." Indy looked skyward and groaned. "Jesus." He murmured.
Suddenly, voices came from one side over a dune.
"Move! Now! Sallah's place!" Indy hissed, and they disappeared silently into the half light as three Nazi soldiers and two Japanese officers approached the stairwell. There was another man with them. Tallish, fairly stout, English.
"Find the water inlet. It must be just below the surface at the river bank. Block it and pump out the Library. I want their bodies." It was Smith.
One of the Germans spoke. "What use are their corpses to you. Surely you don't think that even the great Indiana Jones can hold his breath that long?" The other soldiers laughed.
Smith waited patiently for them to fall silent.
"Do you know where the tomb is? No? Do you know who helped them find this place? No? Do you perhaps know where Ravenwood's notes and diaries are? Perhaps not." The soldiers shifted about uneasily.
"You fools will never win the war. You don't think." Smith tapped the side of his head with one finger to emphasise the point.
"Perhaps there is some clue on the bodies as to where they have been hiding these last few days. Maybe there is even a chance the notes or books are with them. Now go and find that water inlet."
The soldiers turned and made their way, grudgingly toward the river bank. Smith stared at the stairwell for a moment and was about to turn and leave when he noticed the wet patches and puddles on the stone near the entrance. He turned and scanned the horizon for a few moments then said quietly to himself, "Jones!"

"I'll check first." Indy said as they all pressed flat against the wall of Sallah's house. "If he's been captured, he may have been made to talk."
"Sallah? Never." Marcus whispered. Indy nodded in agreement but added, "We can't take that chance. Wait here." Quietly, he crept to the rear of the house and looked up. There was a faint light coming from an open window above. Carefully he tried the door handle but he knew the door would be locked even as he turned the knob. With a faint creak, the door opened. He tutted and smiled. Either everything was safe here, or it was a trap. Useless, he thought. A voice at his ear made him jump.
"Any luck?" It was Rene. Indy nodded his head. "Doors open." He whispered. Rene shrugged and said, "After you?" Quickly and in silence, they entered the house. A scanty survey told them the ground floor was clear and Indy moved over to their supplies and spare clothes. "Everything's still here." He hissed, drawing his revolver from his bag and checking it was loaded. He knew it should be, it always was. He nodded to himself in satisfaction. Rene collected his own gun and pointed to the ceiling with it, indicating upstairs. Indy nodded.
Silently save the odd creak of the stairs, they made their way to the upper floor. Along the landing they could see several doors, one of which had a thin ribbon of light framing it.
They crept, hearts pounding, toward the door and bending, with ears pressed to the wood they stood, only inches apart, facing each other and listening.
There was a faint sound, like an engine or generator running. They made puzzled expressions at each other, indicating that they had no idea what kind of machine it could be. The noise was accompanied by a kind of wheezing sound, like bellows, or some kind of air pump. Indy's face grew stern, as if in realisation and he quietly opened the door. The 'engine' or 'generator' was large, rounded and covered in sheets in bed! It heaved up and down in time with the sounds.
Indy strode over to the bed and yanked the covers back.
"Sallah!" He exclaimed as the large man sat up suddenly in bed, blinking and rubbing one eye.
"Indy!" The man said in surprise. Then a lump in the bed, the other side of Sallah moved and a quiet voice mumbled,
"What is it my little stallion?" It was Cilicia! She sat up, pulling the covers about her bare shoulders, surprised at the intrusion. "Doctor Jones? Is that you?"
Indy and Rene both stumbled backwards. "Ah, well, Sallah? I mean, Cilicia, Er, we,..." They got no further. Sallah leaped up and grabbed Indy's hand, pumping it furiously.
"You escaped, my friend. I knew you would." Then, realising he was standing naked before both Indy and Rene, he grabbed a dressing gown and covered himself.
Indy began to mumble. "Ah, We'll go downstairs and wait for you to get dressed. Er, goodnight, Ah, Mrs. Sallah, Ah, Celi...." Rene grabbed Indy by the arm and yanked him sideways out of the room, cutting him of in mid stutter. They both giggled like children as they went downstairs and ushered the others in.
"What the hell's so funny?" Marion asked as Indy lit an oil lamp and hung it on hook on a ceiling rafter.
He looked at Rene who was trying unsuccessfully to cover his mirth. It only made him worse. "No...no....nothing. Nothing at alllllll." He burst into peals of laughter and Rene joined in. Marcus, Robert and Marion stared at each other, shaking their heads. Just then, Sallah arrived and Indy and Rene looked at each other, and burst out laughing again.
"Sallah! You're all right!" Marcus said. "But tell us, what's wrong with those two?" He nodded at the two hysterical men.
He looked at Indy and Rene. Rene looked back and said, "Stall.....stallll....STALLION!" He collapsed to the floor, shrieking with hilarity, pulling on Indy's trousers as he went down, dragging Indy into an uncontrollable heap with him.
"I have absolutely no idea!" Sallah exclaimed stiffly, banging a kettle of water onto the cooker.

The following morning saw them all sitting at a table, staring at Abners note books. Indy had spotted where several pages relating to the translation of the sacred prayer of life had been removed.
"This could cause us a few problems." He said, as they began working out how to drain the library and get back inside. Sallah was acting strangely, Marion noted, and Indy and Rene still had the odd fit of the giggles but she let it pass. At least, whatever it was they found so funny, it distracted them from thoughts of her flight through the dark dressed only in a piece of tent, or Indy's supposed 'accident' with her in the dark chamber. She couldn't help smiling at that.
They were on the fourth or fifth idea as to how to distract the soldiers and empty the lower chambers when there came a knock at the door. Three short knocks, a space then two more. The tense moment passed as Sallah declared,
"It's all right." He opened the door to admit a young Arab worker. Indy still drew his gun, nevertheless.
Words were spoken quickly in Arabic and the young man left.
"The soldiers have drained the water and are preparing to go down to the inner chamber." Sallah spoke the words in a kind of triumph, as if he were pleased with himself. Then the others found out why.
"The soldiers used my men to drain the water and they have told them they will not go down the stairs until the water dries out, due to the poison in the library walls and floor. The water will have made it particularly virulent. Of course, the soldiers agreed at once."
Indy frowned. "I didn't know the place was poisoned." Then he looked up, surprised." Hey, wait a minute! We swam in there and swallowed...." He said no more, but gripped his throat. Sallah laughed, getting his own back on Indy.
"There is no poison! My men said that to keep the soldiers away for a while."
Indy stood and slammed his fist on the table.
"Now's our chance!" He growled.