“We’ve got to watch out that we don’t get lost,” Ted cautioned. “Don’t go off down any alleyways, Randy. We won’t either.”
“We ought to set a time when we both meet back here,” Randy said.
“I’ve got it,” Ted said. “We’ll count off ten minutes and then start heading back whether we’ve found anything or not. If neither of us has found anything, we’ll try the other streets the same way.”
Ted and Jill took their leave of Randy and set off down the thorofare. They had to hurry because of their dwindling time, and yet they dared not go so fast that they were breathing heavily. The way they followed carried them quite a distance down the deserted street, on both sides of which were crumbling buildings of plaster set close together. By the time the ten minutes was up, Ted and Jill had come to a dead end against a stone wall.
“This way certainly can’t help us,” Ted muttered. “Let’s go back to Randy.”
When they got back and Randy had not returned, Ted became worried. Time was fleeting steadily, and they still were no better off than they had been before. Finally Ted heard a scuffling along the street and saw Randy hurrying his way.
“No luck!” he gasped. “I got sidetracked on the way back. Then I had to run to get here in time.”
“You shouldn’t have done that,” Ted told him. “Now you’ve got less air than we have. What does your gauge show?”
“Fifty-six minutes,” Randy answered, after checking.
Ted examined his own and asked Jill about hers. “We’ve got an hour and five,” Ted said.