The Plug at the Bottom of the Sea (10 page)

‘Because you're always supervising and never doing anything,' said Cindy. ‘What's wrong with tying the ends like Mrs Mermaid?'

‘It's just messy, that's all. Muddy, dirty.' The penguin waddled over and poked the captain in the stomach. They all laughed for he was all covered with mud from the rope and the cliff.

‘Faster!' Moses called a few minutes later, for he had cut the rope in many places and was hurrying to another spot. He chopped all the way up and around a small rock so that he did not see something the others saw.

In a small stream, the long black arms of an octopus were sliding and slithering over the rocks. The stream went over the rocks and then down into the hole.

‘Look in that stream,' pointed Craig. ‘It's the octopus! He's going down the stream and into the hole.'

‘Yes, but he's only the baby octopus you climbed over before,' Cindy said.

‘Nonsense. He's the biggest octopus I've ever seen,' said the captain, shivering. ‘Why, in all my years on the sea …'

‘Ever since I climbed over him and he didn't hurt me, I've been sure that he's a friendly octopus,' said Cindy.

‘Octopuses are never friendly,' whispered Captain Tiny. ‘Never.'

They all began to work much faster and dragged the piles of rope, now tied together, over the mud the plug had smoothed. One end of their rope was tied to the plug, but the other end lay in an enormous pile of coils taller even than Moses. ‘Now, all together,' he grunted, as they put their shoulders to the pile. The coils rolled over themselves down the hill slowly at first, then faster, till they fell into the dark hole.

The hole was more than three hundred yards across and the mud sloped down gradually until there was a straight drop, like the inside of a funnel. The small stream went down the rocks in a crack and fell into the hole next to the rope.

‘Now, come on,' called Moses as he helped to drag the sleds to the edge of the hole, while carrying Mrs Mermaid. Then he set Mrs Mermaid down and took a large metal pulley out of his pocket. He attached the pulley to the big rope. Then he took a smaller rope from his sack, threaded it through the pulley, and tied each end to a sled.

‘What are those for?' asked Captain Tiny.

‘For letting down the sleds and the penguin. But we don't have enough rope to let them down the whole way so …'

‘Do you mean, Captain Moses, we don't have enough rope to get to the bottom?'

Moses scratched his beard. ‘Well, the map says a thousand fathoms so we should have enough.'

‘Should?'

‘Now, Captain, we have all the rope in the pulley too so we must have enough.'

‘Must?'

‘Now, let's go,' he said, looking up at the sun.

‘There are three ropes you have to keep separate,' announced Moses to everyone. First, this big rope we made from pieces, on which we will all climb down right to the bottom. Second, this little rope tied round each of your waists is the safety rope, and I hold on to the end as the anchor man just in case someone slips off the main rope. Third, there's this pulley rope with these two ends hanging down. Don't anyone pull on these ends because we are lowering all our supplies down on my sled, which is tied to one end with the penguin, and Captain Tiny's trunk is tied to the other end. I'll guide them down.'

‘We don't need the pulley rope,' complained Captain Tiny. ‘Just tie my trunk and your things on the end of the main rope and lower away. That way we'll know how deep that hole is.'

‘We may need supplies along the way down,' objected Moses, ‘and the hole may have water in it which would ruin our food and supplies and make it impossible to hear or feel when they reach the bottom. Also this pulley rope can be used to pull us back up if we have an emergency.' And that settled that.

Moses began to let the two ends of the pulley rope out and the trunk, sled, and penguin began to slide down the slippery mud towards the opening of the incredibly large hole, far wider across than even the plug.

The pulley rope became taut on the complicated bright metal pulley tied fast to the main rope attached to the giant plug.

‘Now we're all tied together like Christmas strings for safety. You go first, Captain Tiny, then Craig, Cindy, Mrs Mermaid, then me. Don't anyone untie this safety rope till we reach the bottom.'

‘Do we have to take the penguin?' whined Captain Tiny.

‘No,' answered Moses, preparing to climb down. ‘But do we have to take your trunk? The penguin and sled almost balance your trunk.'

‘So that's the set up,' fumed Captain Tiny, and there the discussion of things to leave behind ended. Captain Tiny pulled his moustache out as far as it would stretch, and it sprang like curls when he let go.

Cindy laughed and whispered to Craig, ‘I wonder whether his moustache could be used for wings?' They both laughed.

‘It's about the right size.' They chuckled again.

‘Is this some sort of private joke?' snapped Captain Tiny.

‘We just wondered whether you could fly with your moustache?' answer Cindy laughing.

Captain Tiny spluttered. And Cindy and Craig felt less afraid of their slide as they moved carefully down to the edge of the great hole.

The last thing Cindy saw, as she climbed over the edge down into the black, was Moses trying the small safety rope tied round his waist with two sharp yanks.

‘Now, everybody stop when they reach the first knot and we'll have the right distance between us.' Soon everyone had stopped and the rope was still. The small stream of water looked beautiful and peaceful falling over the ledge from above.

‘Isn't that clear stream lovely?' called Mrs Mermaid. ‘The spray makes a rainbow.' But just as they were all looking up at the tiny stream, they saw the same sight.

‘Oh no,' cried Cindy, for sliding along the edge, splashing water from the stream far out into the darkness, were the black arms of the octopus. ‘He's sliding onto the rope,' cried
Cindy. And there, at the top of the hole the black arms twisted round and caught hold of the old rope.

‘He may fall off,' said Moses, ‘If he crawls over you, just freeze and don't breathe. He won't hurt you.'

‘Maybe there's another one at the other end,' suggested Captain Tiny, shivering, and everyone imagined another octopus in the dark at the bottom, waiting for them.

‘Don't worry,' called out Moses. ‘He's only a baby octopus so he doesn't have the strength to hurt you.' Everyone was going faster and Moses could feel the rope around his waist pulling with the people sliding below him. ‘And going faster won't help. He can go three times as fast as us.'

The distance across the hole was over three hundred yards, and, as they lowered themselves down, they saw the rocks on the other side grow dim. Soon they were in complete darkness, except for the light from the opening of the hole high above them. They could not see the other side of the hole, but could hear the water dripping down the rocks.

Every once in a while, Cindy was sure she was alone, even though she could hear the noises and kicking and she could feel the rope swing. But she kept feeling alone and so she would call out, ‘Is anyone there?'

‘Don't worry,' Craig called to her. ‘We're all here. No one lost in the dark.' After what seemed a century they could no longer see the top of the hole. They were in complete darkness. Sometimes they could feel the moss and seaweed on the walls. It felt sticky and smelled old and wet. Once Craig felt a long stringy vine and shivered, sure that the octopus was crawling over him.

But the vine didn't move and, on feeling it, Craig found it had balloon-like leaves and berries. Craig tried to laugh at himself for being so worried, but he had to admit he was shivering with fright.

After another half an hour, Captain Tiny found himself standing. ‘Now what's this, then?' He felt around with his boots. ‘By Jove, I've reached the bottom.'

‘Couldn't be this soon,' called Moses, high above in the dark. But Captain Tiny had already untied the safety rope end from his waist, and he was untying Penguin and Moses' sled.

‘But it is. It's the bottom all right.' The captain stamped his feet several times to prove it. One of his stamps went straight into the air. ‘Oh!' cried the captain, ‘Ohooooooo,' wildly trying to reach for the main rope in the dark, as he slipped from the ledge.

Now the tiny captain, in reaching for the rope, had caught the pulley rope instead. But even holding on for dear life, he kept falling very fast. ‘Help!' he screamed as he fell. It just so happened that his trunk was still on the other end of the pulley rope and it was almost exactly the same weight as Captain Tiny.

But the trunk was a little bit heavier and the captain after falling and screaming a long way, felt his fall getting slower. ‘What's this?' he said to himself in the middle of a scream, feeling foolish to keep screaming when he seemed to be out of danger. Then he stopped moving.

He only stopped for a second, but long enough to know that when he started moving again, he was going
up.
He moved slowly at first and then faster. ‘Oh no.' He was twice as afraid now, for going down is very common, but zooming up in the air is not. So he was sure he was going to fly out of the mouth of the hole and land high up on the cliffs, like Cindy in the net, or perhaps fall right back down into the hole like a yo-yo. He might lose hold of the rope, he thought, and he gripped it tightly as he screamed, ‘Help! Oh please,
hellllllllp
!'

Craig was the only one to realize that Captain Tiny must be on the pulley rope with his own trunk on a sled tied to the other end. Craig was sure of this when he heard the captain's voice get softer and then louder coming up again shouting, ‘Please help me.
Ohooooooooooooooo.
'

Oh no, thought Craig, he's untied from our safety rope, he'll be killed if he falls. Even the selfish little Captain Tiny shouldn't die without someone trying to help him, Craig decided, wish
ing there was a way he could stop the pulley rope. And just then he thought of a way.

‘You're on the pulley rope, Captain Tiny,' Craig shouted. ‘Hold on tight because we're going to catch you.'

‘You're right, Craig,' said Moses, ‘he is on that pulley rope. I never thought of that. But catching him, that's dangerous, very dangerous in the dark.'

‘Moses,' Craig called, ‘please hold tight to the safety rope. I'm going to try looping him with the end of it.' Craig tied a loop in the end of the long safety rope and extended it out over the edge like a lassoo, waiting to stretch it wide open just when Captain Tiny zoomed up past them.

‘All right. I'll hold tight, but you be careful,' warned Moses.

‘I will,' agreed Craig. ‘Nothing daredevil, but we have to try something.'

‘Someone please, please helllllllp me!' screamed the tiny captain.

Just as Captain Tiny came flying up through the darkness, Craig opened the loop in the end of the safety rope. The rope caught around Captain Tiny's leg. The loop slid closed and it yanked Craig up in the air like a shot. ‘
Hellllllllllllllp
…' wailed the captain.

‘Hold on tight, everyone. I have him,' shouted Craig.

The captain was now screaming so loudly that Craig could hardly hear himself when he shouted, ‘You're on the pulley rope, Captain.'

Now the captain had been so noisy he hadn't heard anything Craig had been saying, nor did he understand anything that was happening. Captain Tiny, in fact, suspected that the octopus was playing with the ropes and was pulling off his leg, and would drop him any minute now. But finally he heard what Craig was still shouting and he screamed out, ‘Pulley.' This came out sounding more like ‘Police,' which might have actually been what he said.

‘Reach out for the main rope or the other end of the pulley rope. Either one will stop us.' And just as he said this, Craig got
hold of the other pulley rope with the trunk and they both stopped short with a jerk. ‘Quick, find the main rope and reach out for this ledge I'm holding.' But the ledge Craig thought he was holding was actually the penguin, who began pecking at Craig's hands.

‘No, Penguin,' Craig cried, ‘don't peck. We're not going to hurt you.' But Craig had been forced to let go of the other pulley rope and they began to fall slowly again.

‘Find the other rope quick.' They were beginning to move faster. Seaweed whipped against their faces.

‘Damn weeds,' shouted the captain.

‘Ah,' cried Craig, ‘thought I had it. If you see that …'

‘See? Stupid boy, I can't even see me.
Hellllllllllp
.'

‘Captain Tiny,' called Craig, ‘keep calm, and quiet, and keep reaching out for the main rope or the other end of the pulley rope where your trunk is tied. Because then we'll stop.'

‘Oh, you stupid boy, what makes you so … Ooofff' grunted the captain, for his trunk had hit his behind with a thump.

They both almost lost hold, for they stopped so suddenly.

‘And here's the main rope,' cried Craig. ‘Quick get onto it, but keep hold of the pulley rope.' They did, and climbed back onto the ledge, where the others were.

‘Craig,' announced Moses happy and proud, ‘that was a good quick brain wave you had. And, I mean it, that was brave.'

Moses didn't say any more, but Craig felt all excited and warm inside. His idea had worked. Even Cindy felt Craig had done something special. And, as his sister, that made her special too.

But Captain Tiny was cross. He had been thrown about and he was trying to make sure his trunk was safe from now on. ‘Trunk shouldn't be on a pulley …' Captain Tiny was mumbling. ‘That's what I told him all along. I'll tie my trunk to the safety rope, so it goes where I go. It's too valuable to lose in the dark.' In fact he had untied his trunk altogether and by mistake had tied the other sled onto the safety rope.