CHAPTER XIV
The Caves of Fear
Instantly all lights were directed at the back of the cave. Zircon rushed around the statue and stopped short as his light found only rock walls.
"He has to be here somewhere," the scientist bellowed. "Hunt for him!"
Rick stood for a moment estimating the direction from which the light had come. He walked to the part of the wall on which they had seen the shadow, and stood with his back to it. He flashed his light straight ahead, and it fell on the broad back of the Black Buddha.
The others had followed his line of thought and were watching.
"Look for a door," Scotty said. He hurried to the back of the statue and began examining it with his light. Rick joined him. Zircon got out a jackknife and began to probe into cracks. Chahda got down on hands and knees and felt along the base.
The back of the statue was seamed with cracks, but they ran helter-skelter without apparent order. The illumination against which the shadow was cast had been rectangular.
"There isn't a straight line in the bunch," Rick said, disappointed. "What now?"