“If you will turn your back,” he said, “I will blindfold you and tie your hands behind you. The one is necessary to prevent your seeing where you are—the other to prevent your lifting the bandage. You will be freed as soon as you are inside.”
For a moment I had a wild impulse to spring on him and throttle him; for I felt the toils closing on me. But an instant’s reflection convinced me that such a move would be the worst kind of a mistake. There was probably plenty of help within call and we might be found any moment. The only thing was to submit and with as good a grace as possible.
I laughed and turned my back to him at once, putting my hands behind me.
“Go ahead,” I said.
Ivanovitch gave a dry chuckle, the first time I had heard him laugh at all, and tied my hands very swiftly. A moment later a silk handkerchief covered my eyes and was drawn tight. I was quite helpless.
I felt the car stop and heard some one open the door. “This way,” said Ivanovitch, and I stepped out. Judging by the freshness of the air we were well out into the country and somewhere quite close to the sea, for the tang of it was strong.
Some one took my arm on either side, and I stumbled forward for perhaps a hundred yards over what I took to be a dirt road. But in a little our footsteps began to echo and I knew that we were under cover. There was a strong smell of gasoline and oil now—so strong that I would have been willing to swear that we were in a garage. And, judging by the echo of our footsteps, the building was quite a large one. On the way I was conscious of swift and gentle hands touching me lightly here and there, and I smiled grimly, remembering Pride’s remark about carrying a gun.
My guides slowed up presently, and I stepped down a little. Then I was led to a seat. A moment later a door banged and we began to descend.
I felt exactly as though I were in a nightmare. I knew that I had come out of the car on to the level ground. We had got into what was obviously an elevator, and yet the thing was going down instead of up. Of that I was certain. Moreover, my guides were entirely silent, and it was an eerie sensation to know myself helpless in the hands of my enemies, and wait blind and tied for their first move.
The air grew damper and damper, with the queer moldy smell of vaults and tunnels below ground. But after perhaps two minutes of very gradual descent the elevator stopped and I was led out.