I don’t know if Dou Sprout’s words had an effect, but the camel team was safe until dawn. After packing up their things, the group continued deep into Alxa under the leadership of the guide.
As I walked further and further, I gradually found that the sand under my feet was getting thicker and thicker. At first it could only cover the soles of my shoes, but now it has covered the top of my feet when I stepped on it. Fortunately, after listening to Lao Zhang’s words, we wore
Those special boots.
The conditions were difficult, and Miss Zhao couldn't bear it anymore. She complained to Lao Zhang: "Hey, you have to walk the camels without riding them. I really don't understand how you arranged it."
Lao Zhang was not angry either. He shook his head and said: "We have just come in. The conditions are not difficult now. Let the camels rest first and wait until the next stage of the journey."
"That makes sense," said Tou, nodding his head in agreement, "Let's be obedient and just walk like this for now."
We walked on the sand for more than an hour and arrived at the first stop mentioned by Lao Zhang, Mold Tomb.
The geographical scene in front of us is very strange. There are many oval sand dunes on the endless desert. Looking from a distance, these small sand dunes are like small tombs. The difference is that there are no tombstones in front of these sand piles that look like tombs.
.
Lao Zhang pointed to these sandbags and said: "After the 20th of every month, strong winds often blow in Alxa. This was a mining area decades ago, and there were many trees at that time. A kind of high-quality agate is produced here called Alxa agate. That row
The sand piles lined up like tombs were actually mining sites in the past, some of which were very deep. After they were abandoned, they were buried by the sand, creating this wonderful scene."
Alxa agate? It turns out that this is how it is dug.
I know this kind of stone. At this time, the southern red agate in Liangshan and Baoshan, Sichuan has not yet been developed on a large scale. The most expensive agate gemstone on the market is Alxa agate. People call this kind of agate rootless.
It means that there are no mineral veins, just like the Tianhuang stones at the foot of Shoushan Mountain. They are scattered in the sand, some deep and some shallow. Some people are lucky, and they may be able to kick them out while walking.
A piece of Alxa agate rough stone.
In the early years, mining was illegal. After the control, these mold graves were simply covered up. Lao Zhang said that we should walk around these small sandbags because they may be empty. It is better if they are shallower. If they are deeper, it will be dangerous for people to fall.
It's over.
After listening to Lao Zhang's words, a group of us led the camels and walked carefully around the sandbags. Unexpectedly, just when everyone was about to leave the area, we suddenly heard a loud shout from Dou Sprout behind us.
"Fuck! Help!" Dou Sprout didn't know why, but he stepped on the air and fell down along with the camel!
"Ya Zai!" I let go of my reins and ran to save people.
The small sandbag collapsed to reveal a big hole, and Dou Sprout and his camel had fallen in!
"Ya Zai!" I shouted loudly while lying at the entrance of the cave.
The guide Lao Zhang's face changed and he said, "It's so dark. This is covered with a board. Someone must have tampered with it in the past two years!" What Lao Zhang meant was that in recent years, some people have used abandoned buildings for money.
New pits were dug on top of the old mines.
Qin Xingping said, "What are you still doing? Hurry up and find a way to save people!"
"You all need to step back. There is a layer of wooden planks around the entrance of the mine. It may not be able to support the weight of so many of us. How can we save people if we all fall in?"
At his suggestion, everyone dispersed and stood up. Zhao Xuanxuan suggested: "We have ropes with us. Can we put a rope down to rescue people? Let the bean sprouts below tie the rope around their waists and we can pull him up."
"No," I looked at Zhao Xuanxuan and said, "Didn't you hear how loud I shouted just now? Ya
If Tsai had heard what he said earlier, he would have fallen unconscious even if there was sand underneath at such a height."
"We are running out of time to save people, so we can only let them go now."
"You tie me up and I'll go down," I stood up and volunteered to go down to find someone.
"That would be too dangerous," the guide Lao Zhang advised: "These mold tombs are surrounded by wooden boards. In many places, wooden boards from decades ago are still used. They are more or less weathered and decayed. Once the wooden boards on both sides are supported,
If you can’t hold on any longer, the surrounding sand will fill up the deep pit within a few minutes. I suggest you call 119 for rescue. They have special reinforcement tools, which are safer.”
"No," before I could finish my words, I turned my head and rejected this method.
I can guess what I am worried about. Because we are not young geographers at all. We are all grave robbers. There are two camels loaded with grave robbery tools. When 119 comes, those cyclone shovels will not be able to hide it from them.
Then we will be completely wiped out.
He looked at me and said, "Just do what you said, Yunfeng. Be careful. If you notice something is wrong, give the signal and we will pull you up."
I nodded and made preparations before going down.
What we bring is the kind of climbing rope with an external net. People who work at high altitudes to paint exterior walls also use this kind of rope. It is friction-resistant and has a certain elasticity. A rope is about fifteen or six meters long.
Because I didn’t know how deep it was, I tied two climbing ropes together with a dead knot, and then tied a cross buckle around my waist.
Qin Xingping, Bao Tou, and Lao Zhang were all holding on to the other end of the rope. Zhao Xuanxuan was at the end. She was weak, so I didn't expect to rely on her. I just told Bao Tou and the others to pull the rope and start climbing down.
At first I was not used to the feeling of having my feet dangling in the air.
I couldn't control my body from swinging from side to side, and it took me almost ten minutes to get used to it before I could barely control my balance.
I descended a little, turned my head, and they loosened the rope a little. During the landing, sand continued to fall from the top of my head, which was enough to show that the structure here was very unstable.
The total length of the two climbing ropes was more than 30 meters. Just when the length of the ropes was about to run out, the heels of my feet touched the ground and I reached the bottom.
The entrance to the top is not big, and the space at the bottom of the cave is quite large. The sand walls are surrounded by wooden boards and wooden sticks to stare at. As soon as I came down, I saw Dou Sprout Zai's camel.
The camel had been knocked to death. The blood the camel shed was brown, a bit like soybean oil. It was bleeding everywhere on the ground.
Where are the bean sprouts? I turned on the flashlight and looked around, but I didn’t see the bean sprouts at all.
How is it possible that from such a height, someone fell down and disappeared?
I called twice, but no one answered me.
At this time, I heard the voice of the guide Lao Zhang shouting from above.
"How is he? Have you found him?"
I shouted back, "Uncle Zhang! There's no one down there!"
"What! Look carefully! How could such a big person be gone!"
I shouted "Okay", then stepped over the camel carcass and walked inside.
I soon discovered something was wrong. There was a pool of blood on the ground, with traces of being dragged. The color was bright red, and it was clearly left by human blood.
I followed the blood stain with my flashlight and found a small door.
This small door is less than 1.5 meters high, with iron wires tied to the four corners, and a simple door handle made of iron nails and wooden blocks.
"Didn't Lao Zhang say this is an abandoned agate mine? Why is there a door?"
Swallowing, I carefully opened the wooden door.
This chapter has been completed!