Three to See the King

16

Steve was gradually quickening his pace.

At first I hardly noticed the difference and continued to match him stride for stride. Then I became aware that Alison was having to break into an occasional trot just to keep up with the pair of us. It struck me that he probably didn’t even know he was doing it, and I was pleased to discover that in spite of some odd new traits, his inherent lack of patience remained intact. The slick smile with which he’d first greeted me had long since disappeared, suggesting that the original Steve Treacle wasn’t far beneath the surface.

Eventually, though, the rate at which he was propelling us across the plain got too much for Alison.

‘Can’t we slow down a bit?’ she demanded.

‘Not really, no,’ replied Steve.

‘What’s the big hurry?’

‘I don’t want to miss out on anything.’

‘But the canyon’s going to be there for ever!’ she said. ‘I’m sure it’ll wait for you.’

Steve did his best to ease up a little, and we pressed on at a slightly slower speed than before. Ahead of us I could see that the first dozen or so volunteers had come to a halt, allowing those behind to catch up. For some reason, however, the leading bunch didn’t appear to grow in size as the others joined it, but continued to number only about a dozen. All the rest were simply vanishing from sight. For a while I couldn’t work out what was happening at all, and only when we drew closer did I realize that, having reached the edge of the canyon, they were now making their descent into it. Each individual would arrive at a certain point, pause for a moment, then drop out of view. The remaining group slowly dwindled, one by one, until all had followed.

Our small party still had a hundred yards to go, yet already I could see that the level of the plain had fallen away into nothingness. We carried on a bit further, and the far side of the canyon began to loom up into my line of vision. It was a sheer red wall, increasing in enormity as we got nearer. Finally we came to the precipice, where the sight that met us was truly unbelievable. I had never imagined it would be so deep and so wide, and I heard Alison gasp with astonishment. For several seconds I gazed down at the people, tiny as ants, moving around far below us. Then everything went hazy.

Next thing I knew I was sitting with my head between my legs.

‘He’ll be alright in a minute,’ I heard Steve saying. ‘He doesn’t like heights, that’s all.’

As I came to my senses again Alison put her arm round me.

‘Well, well,’ she remarked. ‘I didn’t think you’d be the type who fainted.’

‘I’m not normally,’ I said. ‘But I don’t think I can go down there.’

‘Why don’t you have another look and see if you feel better about it?’

She took me by the hand and led me back to the edge, where I took a deep breath before peering over. This time I managed to maintain some dignity by reminding myself that I was standing on firm ground.

‘Isn’t it amazing?’ said Alison.

‘Staggering, more like,’ I replied.

How on earth had Michael Hawkins managed this? The canyon was of stupendous proportions, and I just failed to see how it could have been created by human toil, no matter how many helpers there were. As far as I could tell from this distance, all they had to work with was shovels. The latest batch of volunteers was still descending into these depths, by means of a series of ladders and earth ramps that formed a route down. Positioned at various places were rope-and-pulley hoists, on which laden buckets were being hauled up, emptied, and lowered again. At the bottom of the canyon were hundreds of workers, the men amongst them stripped to the waist, all digging or manoeuvring barrows along planks. Beyond them I could see an encampment of tarpaulins spread over poles. There were fires here, and people tending cooking pots, while others appeared to be resting.

After a while Steve announced that we really ought to get a move on, but by now I’d made my mind up.

‘It’s no good,’ I said. ‘I’ll have to stay up here.’

‘Don’t you want to come down and help?’ he asked.

‘I do, yes, but I know I’ll get into difficulty on those ladders, so there’s no use even trying. Sorry and everything, but that’s just how it is.’

Fortunately, Steve didn’t press the issue. Instead he merely shrugged and said that I was missing out on a great opportunity. Alison seemed quite disappointed that I wasn’t going any further, but at the same time insisted that she fully understood my position.

‘Why don’t you stay here and admire the view for a bit,’ she suggested. ‘You might feel more inclined to come down later.’

Although this was fairly unlikely, I decided that I would indeed stay where I was for a while. I felt a little empty as they started their descent, especially when Alison turned at the very rim of the canyon to give me a smile and a wave. Next moment she and Steve were gone, and I was alone once more.

One of the remarkable things about this canyon was the very redness of the earth. There was a lot of cloud today and the light was accordingly dim, but even so it was almost impossible not to be struck by the vivid spectacle. The sight of those towering walls was mesmerizing, and I must have passed a good hour gazing across the void. Presently, I heard voices coming from somewhere below me, and then two women appeared. Judging by their tired, slightly grimy appearance I guessed that they were helpers heading for home. When they saw me they smiled and asked how I was, before continuing on their way. The same thing happened a quarter of an hour later when a group of six men clambered out of the canyon. They, too, set off homeward after enquiring about my well-being. Another ten minutes went by. Next up was a young woman travelling on her own. She looked thoroughly exhausted as she completed the climb, but the moment she saw me her face brightened.

‘Was it you who couldn’t get down?’ she asked.

‘Yes,’ I replied. ‘ ‘Fraid so.’

‘Oh, but you must try!’ she declared. ‘It would be most worthwhile if you could.’

‘Why’s that?’

‘It’s just wonderful there. Michael has organized everything perfectly, and the work is so rewarding!’

She had exactly the same kind of approach to life as Jane. Or possibly Sarah. Even her voice sounded similar to theirs. As she went on about how marvellous it was in the canyon, I couldn’t help noticing how weary and dishevelled she looked. Nonetheless, she kept up her spirited appraisal of the place for some time, and I was impressed by her sense of conviction.

When she’d finished enthusing, I said, ‘You’ll be going home for a well-earned rest now, will you?’

‘Yes,’ she smiled. ‘It’s always so nice to get back after a few days’ service.’

‘Is that what it’s called then?’ I asked. ‘Service?’

That’s Michael’s word for it, yes. Well, bye then.’

‘Bye,’ I said.

This mass exodus of spent workers from the canyon began to acquire a certain fascination for me. I sat at the top for a couple of hours as various groups and individuals came by, all uttering some nicety before returning across the plain towards the city of tin. It was obvious from their step that every one of them was looking forward to getting back to the comfort of their own houses after several days under the tarpaulins.

I was engaged watching a jaded-looking couple wander away, hand in hand, when a man emerged travelling alone. He stood for some moments gazing into the canyon, then turned to me.

‘Great view, isn’t it?’ he said.

‘Yes,’ I replied. ‘But to tell the truth it’s even more interesting watching the people go by.’

‘A fellow after my own heart,’ he announced. ‘Certainly, we’ve got some fine men and women here.’

‘I can believe that.’

‘By the way, have you had anything to eat?’

‘No, not for some hours,’ I said. ‘Expect I’ll be given something back at Simon Painter’s, though.’

They’re just making some supper in the camp, if you’re interested.’

Thanks, but the trouble is I can’t get down.’

‘Have you tried?’

‘Er … no, I haven’t, actually.’

‘Well, why don’t you?’ he said. ‘Who knows? You might succeed.’

I looked at this man and saw from the state of his clothes that he must have been working exceptionally hard. His hands were engrained with the red earth he’d had to shovel all day long, and he was probably keen to hasten home for a break. Yet despite all this he seemed most concerned that I should partake of the supper that was being cooked down below.

‘I’m not very keen on ladders,’ I explained.

‘Well, they’re all properly secured,’ he said. ‘I can assure you of that.’

‘Oh, are they?’

‘Yes, and the earth ramps are as safe as houses.’

There was something about the way he spoke that made me trust him unreservedly, as if I’d known him my whole life. All at once I felt that I might just be able to negotiate the route into the canyon, if someone came with me.

‘I don’t mind accompanying you,’ said the man. ‘If you’d like to have a go.’

‘Alright,’ I replied. ‘I will.’

The first part of the descent was a short, steep ramp of earth leading to a platform about twelve feet below. I got down this section quite easily, and then found myself at the top of a long ladder. The man hopped onto the upper rung and off again to demonstrate how secure it was.

‘Shall I go first, or you?’ he asked.

‘You lead and I’ll follow,’ I said.

Halfway down the ladder my hands were sticky and I was holding on much tighter than I needed to. All the same, with his reassuring voice encouraging my every step, I made it to the next level and began to feel a little better. Another ladder came next, followed by a huge, wide ramp that gradually evened out onto a second platform. In this manner we worked steadily downwards, pausing from time to time so that I could get some perspective on our progress, then continuing unhurriedly to the next stage. As we did so I marvelled at how well it had all been worked out. The ladders were fixed firmly in position and the ramps of earth packed hard so that they felt very solid underfoot. Consequently, none of the links in this stairway was daunting enough to make me want to turn back. At one point there was even a wooden bench for resting on, and when we reached it my guide suggested we stopped for a few minutes. Another good idea. So far I’d managed to avoid looking into the canyon itself, but when I finally did I discovered I was able to remain calm and composed. This was actually quite enjoyable! As we sat gazing across the wide expanse, I noticed that several of the people below were staring up at us. Presumably, they must have seen many others coming down this route in the past, and I wondered what they found so interesting about my partner and me.

Most of them, however, were concentrating fully on their task. All along the canyon, huge excavations were under way to make it broader, deeper and longer, the work being carried out by highly-organized groups of men and women. Everywhere there were ramps, ladders and hoists, as well as planks and footpaths connecting the various operations. The area around the encampment was apparently finished, because the earth here had been levelled completely flat. Even so, there was still plenty remaining to be done, and all of a sudden I felt a desire to take part in this tremendous undertaking.

‘Shall we go on?’ I said.

My neighbour had been sitting in silence, as if contemplating the upturned faces below. Now he rose to his feet, saying, ‘Yes, of course’, and led the way to the next stage.

Trudging up from the bottom was a straggler, a lone man on the first leg of his journey home. He was moving very slowly, carefully measuring his steps, as he negotiated a ramp, a ladder and then another ramp. He paused at the foot of the next ladder, seemingly unaware that we were waiting above him. My companion leaned over and called, ‘Do you want to come up first, John?’

The question had a marked effect on the man below us. He glanced up, saw who’d addressed him, and gave a cry of recognition.

‘Michael!’ he exclaimed. ‘Oh yes, thank you, I will!’