thought they were simply wasting time. 'Just dig!' he instructed them. 'You're practically through to the treasure chamber!'
Duncan looked up from the bones. 'We don't want to disturb the remains too much,' he said. 'This was a person, once, Nigel.'
'Well it's not a person now, is it? Leave it. Keep digging.'
'Look at him, though...' Ben indicated the exposed corpse. It was lying slightly on one side, legs pointing towards the end of the dig. There were some scraps of leather clinging to the feet, the remains of a pair of boots. The rest of his clothes were little more than pieces of material mixed with mud and stone, with the occasional bone sticking out whitely from the dirt. 'You can see that this is where he fell,' Ben continued, enthused by his amateur post-mortem. 'One leg is slightly bent and this arm – here – is outstretched...'
'Almost as if he was trying to get away from the treasure chamber,' said Duncan.
'Yeah – almost like he was crawling.'
'It's pretty sad, really,' Duncan remarked. 'He died down here all alone, probably terrified. Maybe there was a tunnel collapse and he suffocated to death.'
Ben looked up at the roof of the tunnel and swallowed. 'Doesn't bear thinking about, does it?'
'Exactly,' said Nigel. 'So let's get on with it.' He made a show of checking his watch. 'I estimate that we could have been rich beyond our wildest dreams almost fifteen minutes ago.'
Duncan got to his feet, wiping the mud from his jeans. 'All right, all right... We just wanted to give the poor fella a bit of respect, Nigel'
'OK, fine, respect given.' Nigel picked up the shovel and handed it to Duncan. 'Now dig.'
'Uh oh,' said Sadie. 'Look who's coming.
Martha and the Doctor looked up to see Henry Gaskin striding across the village green. This time his trousers were tucked into green Wellington boots and a lively looking Border Collie was trotting alongside him. Angela immediately bristled, standing upright and squaring her shoulders.
'I've been on to the local council,' stated Gaskin without preamble. 'They haven't sent anyone here today.'
Ah,' said the Doctor, 'that's because you asked the wrong council.'
'Wrong council? What are you blithering about, man?'
'We're from the Well Council.'
'Well Council?'
The Doctor smiled. 'All's well that ends well, that's our motto.'
'I've no time for impudence,' snapped Gaskin. 'You'd better leave before I call the police.'
'Hang on a minute,' said Martha, 'we're not doing any harm...'
'It's pointless arguing with him,' said Angela. 'He won't listen, he never does.'
'I'll listen if there's anything worth listening to,' Gaskin replied tartly. His dog was busily exploring the well, sniffing here and there at the equipment spread about. Gaskin's beady eyes alighted on the new windlass. 'What's that?'
'The new windlass,' said Sadie.
'You've no right.'
'Don't worry about it,' said the Doctor. All we need now is a new rope. Give us enough and we'll hang ourselves, no need for you to put yourself to any trouble.'
'The Doctor's going to go down the well,' Angela announced triumphantly. 'Spot inspection, on behalf of the Well Council.'
'Wishing Department,' smiled the Doctor genially.
'I absolutely forbid it,' Gaskin said. He gave the Doctor a very black look. 'I don't know what you're doing here, young man, but I'm calling a halt to it right now. I know the stories about this well – treasure and monsters and what have you. You lot are just trading on those stories for your own ends. There is no treasure and there are no monsters. Fact. Now I am asking you, once again, to stop what you are doing and leave.'
Angela stepped forward, hands dug deep into her camouflage jacket pockets. 'Now listen here, Henry. I've had just about enough of you trying to throw your weight around this village, and particularly this well. The truth is you have no business here, no authority, and there's nothing you can do to stop us. Sadie and I were voted onto the refurbishment committee
Duncan looked up from the bones. 'We don't want to disturb the remains too much,' he said. 'This was a person, once, Nigel.'
'Well it's not a person now, is it? Leave it. Keep digging.'
'Look at him, though...' Ben indicated the exposed corpse. It was lying slightly on one side, legs pointing towards the end of the dig. There were some scraps of leather clinging to the feet, the remains of a pair of boots. The rest of his clothes were little more than pieces of material mixed with mud and stone, with the occasional bone sticking out whitely from the dirt. 'You can see that this is where he fell,' Ben continued, enthused by his amateur post-mortem. 'One leg is slightly bent and this arm – here – is outstretched...'
'Almost as if he was trying to get away from the treasure chamber,' said Duncan.
'Yeah – almost like he was crawling.'
'It's pretty sad, really,' Duncan remarked. 'He died down here all alone, probably terrified. Maybe there was a tunnel collapse and he suffocated to death.'
Ben looked up at the roof of the tunnel and swallowed. 'Doesn't bear thinking about, does it?'
'Exactly,' said Nigel. 'So let's get on with it.' He made a show of checking his watch. 'I estimate that we could have been rich beyond our wildest dreams almost fifteen minutes ago.'
Duncan got to his feet, wiping the mud from his jeans. 'All right, all right... We just wanted to give the poor fella a bit of respect, Nigel'
'OK, fine, respect given.' Nigel picked up the shovel and handed it to Duncan. 'Now dig.'
'Uh oh,' said Sadie. 'Look who's coming.
Martha and the Doctor looked up to see Henry Gaskin striding across the village green. This time his trousers were tucked into green Wellington boots and a lively looking Border Collie was trotting alongside him. Angela immediately bristled, standing upright and squaring her shoulders.
'I've been on to the local council,' stated Gaskin without preamble. 'They haven't sent anyone here today.'
Ah,' said the Doctor, 'that's because you asked the wrong council.'
'Wrong council? What are you blithering about, man?'
'We're from the Well Council.'
'Well Council?'
The Doctor smiled. 'All's well that ends well, that's our motto.'
'I've no time for impudence,' snapped Gaskin. 'You'd better leave before I call the police.'
'Hang on a minute,' said Martha, 'we're not doing any harm...'
'It's pointless arguing with him,' said Angela. 'He won't listen, he never does.'
'I'll listen if there's anything worth listening to,' Gaskin replied tartly. His dog was busily exploring the well, sniffing here and there at the equipment spread about. Gaskin's beady eyes alighted on the new windlass. 'What's that?'
'The new windlass,' said Sadie.
'You've no right.'
'Don't worry about it,' said the Doctor. All we need now is a new rope. Give us enough and we'll hang ourselves, no need for you to put yourself to any trouble.'
'The Doctor's going to go down the well,' Angela announced triumphantly. 'Spot inspection, on behalf of the Well Council.'
'Wishing Department,' smiled the Doctor genially.
'I absolutely forbid it,' Gaskin said. He gave the Doctor a very black look. 'I don't know what you're doing here, young man, but I'm calling a halt to it right now. I know the stories about this well – treasure and monsters and what have you. You lot are just trading on those stories for your own ends. There is no treasure and there are no monsters. Fact. Now I am asking you, once again, to stop what you are doing and leave.'
Angela stepped forward, hands dug deep into her camouflage jacket pockets. 'Now listen here, Henry. I've had just about enough of you trying to throw your weight around this village, and particularly this well. The truth is you have no business here, no authority, and there's nothing you can do to stop us. Sadie and I were voted onto the refurbishment committee
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