“I know,” Sandy said. “But we’d be coasting downhill.”
There was a gleam of interest in Dr. Steele’s eyes. “That sounds logical. What do you say we have a look at it, Son? But keep down. We don’t want Kruger and the others to spot us against the snow.”
They slunk out of the shadow of the mine entrance, darting quickly behind the cover of the cable car. Dr. Steele climbed into the open cab and squinted up at the rigging. “Looks to me as if the only thing that’s restraining it is that safety lock,” he said.
Sandy disagreed. “What about the pulley cable? That must be anchored in the shed below. She won’t roll unless that’s free.”
Dr. Steele studied the arrangement of rollers and cables more closely. “You’re right,” he admitted. He pointed to the steel hook-eye at the back of the car where the pulley cable was attached. “The wire is pretty frayed back here. Possibly we could hack through it. I saw an old ax back in the cave.”
“It’s sure worth a try,” Sandy said. “How do you think that overhead cable will hold up when we start rolling downhill?”
“I’d say it’s in pretty good condition. They put a good coating of grease on all the machinery before they shut the mine down. They must have hoped to use it again, or possibly to sell it.”
Professor Crowell’s voice rang out urgently from the tunnel entrance. “Hurry up! Kruger and the others are starting back.”
Dr. Steele pulled Sandy down out of sight in the car. “We’ll stay here until they enter the shed.” He called over to Tagish Charley, “Charley, duck back into the mine and get a couple of those picks that are lying around.”
Peering over the rim of the cable car, Sandy watched the three men make their way on snowshoes back to the mine. As soon as they had disappeared into the shed, Dr. Steele shouted for the others. “Come on, we’ve got to work fast. Charley, over here with those picks, quickly!”