Chesterton
succeeded in cutting a hole in the tent, but when we made our escape we
discovered our guard had been killed by bandits. Against my advice, Chesterton
decided to scrap our escape plans and warn Polo.
Chesterton,
Polo, Tegana and I armed ourselves with swords to defend against the bandits.
Knowing we were most likely outnumbered and needed an advantage, Chesterton
suggested we throw some bamboo on the fire in the hope that the ensuing
explosion would frighten the superstitious devils. It sounded a good plan, and
so we waited for the attack. I’m afraid I fell asleep, but they woke me at the
appropriate time. Whether it was the explosions that drove them off, or, as I
suspect, the death of their leader, we were successful in fending off the
attack.
In the
morning, we buried the dead and once again set off across the plain, Marco’s
prisoners once more. We soon encountered
a messenger from the Khan, who claimed to had ridden 300 miles in one day from
Shang-Tu. It’s a seemingly impossible task, most men can ride no more than 25.
His message
to Marco was such that the Khan wished him to come to Shang-Tu at once, and so
Polo planned to ride six hard days to Cheng-Ting and from there hire horses for
the final journey to Shang-Tu. We would need to leave all our possessions,
including the TARDIS behind in Cheng-Ting to follow by trade caravan.
I knew
Cheng-Ting was our last chance. I knew the idiot manager of this way-station
stored the TARDIS in the stable, my work on the circuit was complete, all I
needed now was my keys back from Marco, which as luck would have it Ping-Cho
stole so that Susan might someday return to her home.
Oh, if only
that were possible.
Still, we have more pressing matters. Plans were made and, undercover of night, Chesterton, Miss Wright and I stole
for the TARDIS, but Susan isn’t here. We must find her before it’s too late.
Based upon the teleplay by John
Lucarotti, first broadcast on BBC 21st March 1964
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