The Flaming Mountain: A Rick Brant Science-Adventure Story

by Harold L. Goodwin

  CHAPTER XI

  Earthquake!

  "Everything adds up," Rick Brant said grimly. "And it isn't a prettypicture."

  Hartson Brant agreed. "It certainly seems to add up, Rick. I suggest youput those crystals in a safe place until we can find out for certainwhether or not there is real value there."

  "Is there any doubt?" Scotty asked.

  David Riddle answered, "Yes, Scotty. There are many grades of diamonds.Until an expert takes a look at those Rick collected, we won't be surethat they're of gem quality. He may have industrial grade diamonds, ofthe type called bort."

  "Connel may already have had an expert take a look," Weiss pointed out.

  Rick examined the handful of crystals. It was hard to believe he hadsimply picked up diamonds like so many pebbles. What's more, he couldn'tbe sure whether he held a king's ransom in his hand or a few dollars'worth of industrial abrasives.

  "Why didn't Connel clean out all diamonds in the area?" he demanded.

  "How could he?" Hartson Brant retorted. "When has he had time for a realeffort? I suspect he has picked up quite a few, but you found those justby kicking around, which would indicate he hasn't sifted that looseground very thoroughly."

  David Riddle frowned. "It's odd that Rick found so many. Perhaps he waslucky enough to kick open a pocket that Connel missed. Diamonds justdon't occur with such frequency, even in Kimberley."

  "They were pretty close together," Rick remembered. "It may have been apocket, all right."

  "There is one other possibility," Riddle added, "and it's staggering tothink of it. These crystals may have come from a single large crystal.Perhaps the dynamite explosions shattered the big one into a number ofsmaller ones."

  Scotty gulped. "But the original crystal would have had to be nearly thesize of a grapefruit!"

  "True, Scotty. There have been crystals that big, or close to it.Usually the diamond that is cut from such a crystal is much smaller.There is considerable loss. But it's a possibility."

  Rick said abruptly, "I think we ought to sort of review the situation.To see where we stand."

  "A good idea," his father agreed. "Suppose you start?"

  Rick considered. "Well, Connel must have discovered the yellow groundthe very first thing, probably while he was kicking a hole to lay thecharge in. The reason I think so is because of Ruiz. That accident hasalways bothered me. Ruiz just wouldn't walk back to the charge whileConnel was ready to set it off. He just wouldn't."

  Julius Weiss asked, "Are you implying that Connel deliberately blew Ruizup?"

  "What else can we make of it?" Rick replied. "That kind of accident justdoesn't happen. Not to an expert. But if Connel found the yellow groundwhile setting the charge, and took time to dig a little and be surethere was blue ground under it, he would certainly have known that hewas standing on top of a volcanic pipe. He might even have picked up acrystal."

  "If word got out, he couldn't exploit the pipe," Scotty added. "So, Ruizhad to be eliminated. It would have been pretty easy. Connel had thewatch. He could have kept track of the time, then asked Ruiz to make afinal check and set the charge off while the poor guy was taking a lookat the connections."

  "It could have happened that way," Hartson Brant agreed. "But I hate tothink any human being could be so ruthless."

  "Connel had to keep others away, too," Rick went on. "Also, he had toslow things down so he could have time to set something up to exploithis find. So, he stole the tracings and the dynamite. That bought him alittle time, didn't it? Then he tried to get Scotty and me, because wewere following him and he was afraid we might find out what was goingon."

  "It seems reasonable," Hartson Brant agreed.

  "Connel couldn't develop a diamond field in a foreign place withouthelp, could he? He had to let someone in on it, locally. He sized upGuevara and figured the lieutenant governor could certainly help himout, so he brought Guevara in on it."

  "Pure speculation," Weiss said.

  "Yes, sir. But it fits. Guevara certainly wouldn't want people runningaround over there, so it's to his advantage to keep us from operating.If he thinks there's a fortune in the pipe, it's even to his advantageto kidnap the governor to make sure we can't follow our plans!"

  David Riddle shook his head. "A man would have to be insane to hold upan effort to save the island just to make himself rich."

  "He would if he believed the island was in danger," Scotty agreed. "Butsuppose he doesn't? I don't think Connel has the true picture. His timeestimate was much longer than yours, and he hasn't been in on many ofthe discussions."

  The three scientists looked at each other. "You know," Riddle said,"Scotty is right. Connel has shown little interest in the magma flux. Hemay not have a true understanding of the situation at all!"

  "It's possible." Hartson Brant nodded. "Quite possible. After all, weborrowed him only to have another experienced man to handle the shots.His training certainly doesn't qualify him to understand the physicsinvolved. He has concentrated on locating oil deposits, using standarddata. This kind of thing is new to him."

  "We didn't get him to handle data analysis," Weiss remarked. "There areenough of us who can do that."

  Rick picked up his argument again. "If Connel doesn't believe there areonly a couple of weeks, he would give the lieutenant governor his views,and he'd be believed, just because Guevara is so greedy he would believeanything that will make him rich. Of course I don't know for sure thatGuevara is like that, but he certainly brushed us off, didn't he? And hedidn't seem surprised when you told him about the danger."

  "The thing that bothers me," Scotty stated, "is why Connel and Guevarahaven't started to mine the diamonds."

  "It takes organization," Rick pointed out. "Also, it couldn't be donewhile the governor was around, could it? He'd be sure to get wind of it.Connel and Guevara have to keep this quiet, or there will be a rush thatwill make the Klondike look like a picnic."

  Scotty nodded. "That must be why they put a guard up there, too.Probably just one trusted man, who has to make the rounds alone. We werelucky he was on his rounds when we got there, or we'd never have had achance for a close look."

  "Well," Julius Weiss demanded, "what do we do now?"

  A sudden earth tremor made the group pause. It lasted only a fewseconds.

  "Whatever we do, we'd better do it fast," Hartson Brant stated.

  "Find the governor," Rick said. "That's the first thing. We can't moveunless we have official backing, and we certainly won't get it fromGuevara!"

  Esteben Balgos walked in, closely followed by Brad Connel. "We placedthe instruments without difficulty," Balgos began--and Connel's eyecaught sight of the kimberlite samples on the table. The geologistrealized instantly that his secret was known, and he knew, too, theconclusions that would be drawn. Among other things, he was guilty ofthe attempted murder of Ruiz.

  Connel bolted for the door.

  The geologist was fast, but Scotty was faster. The dark-haired boycharged across the room, then dove headlong. His extended arms caughtthe fleeting geologist around the thighs, then Scotty's shoulder smashedinto him. Connel went down like a tackled ball carrier. Before he couldrecover, Scotty had shifted his grip and the geologist was helpless in apunishing hold.

  The scientists and Rick arrived a split second later.

  "Let him up," Riddle ordered. "But keep a grip on him."

  Scotty did so, and the geologist glared at the group with angry eyes. Hedidn't try to bluff; he knew it was useless.

  Rick hurried to find the hotel manager, who directed them to a toolcloset on the outside of the hotel near the parking lot. It had nowindows, a single, small ventilating duct, and only one door. Connel waspushed inside, and the door locked. Hartson Brant pocketed the key.

  "He'll have to stay there until we find the governor and arrange fortrustworthy policemen," the scientist said. "I'm certain those who havebeen guarding the dynamite are all right, but we'd better have thegovernor's word for it."

  Rick agreed wit
h the precaution.

  While Esteben Balgos was being briefed on the day's happenings, Zirconand Williams arrived and had to be briefed, too. Twice, small earthtemblors interrupted the conference.

  "Something is happening below us," Balgos said. "I wish we knew exactlywhat!"

  The magma was pushing up relentlessly, melting its way into the channelsWilliams had marked on his sketch. In one of the channels was a largepocket in which water had collected over the centuries. Perhaps therewas enough water to fill a substantial pond, perhaps even a small lake.There was also room in the porous rock for expansion, because the pocketwas not entirely full. The magma neared the pocket, meeting smallquantities of water on its way. Each meeting resulted in a smallexplosion, and a temblor that was felt far above.

  Then--the magma's heat turned the pocket itself to steam. The steamexpanded in a mighty explosion that sent great shock waves smashingthrough the earth.

  Rick Brant's chair went over backward and he fell to a floor that wasshaking like soft mud under him. He heard the crashing of glassware andthe sounds of furniture falling. And he heard the ominous rumble of thebuilding itself, splitting, cracking, falling.

  "Out!" Hartson Brant yelled. "Get outside!"

  Rick scrambled to hands and knees and saw that Scotty was bending topick him up. He waved his pal away and got to his feet, fighting to keephis balance on the shaking floor. He was scared stiff, but far fromparalyzed. Nor did he lose his head. He made sure the scientists were ontheir way before he followed them through the nearest door.

  "Back!" Scotty yelled.

  The group paused as a section of building cornice crashed to the groundjust outside. Dust billowed. Scotty sprang through the opening andlooked up.

  "Okay," he called. "Come on!"

  The Spindrifters poured through the doorway out onto the parking lot.They were in time to see another section of cornice break loose and fallto the ground. Hotel employees were pouring out, too, gathering in theparking lot beyond the reach of the crumbling hotel.

  Rick saw a great gap appear in one wall and waited breathlessly for thewall to fall, but it held. The ground still shook under his feet, andhis insides were producing the queasy symptoms of motion sickness. Thenthe earth steadied again, leaving only a mild temblor that soonvanished.

  The group looked at each other, white-faced. The earthquake had been byfar the worst yet. There was even some doubt that the hotel was stillsafe. Rick, seeing the manager busy counting noses to make sure all hisemployees were out, gasped, "Connel!"

  Hartson Brant ran for the tool closet, the others behind him. Thescientist reached for the key, ready to let Connel out.

  The wall was tilted crazily. The door had sprung wide open.

  Connel was gone!