Doctor Who and the Cave-Monsters by Malcolm Hulke Page B

closed in on him, ‘kill me now. I die for England and St George!’

11
The Doctor Makes a Visit
    The Doctor and the Brigadier stood looking at the flattened tall grass.
    ‘Something has lain down here,’ said the Brigadier. He looked across the moor. ‘They don’t have cows here, and the pattern is too big for a dog or a sheep.’
    The Doctor had already thought of all that. He was more interested in the track of flattened tall grass leading to a rough moor road. As he neared this road he could clearly see footprints, and pointed them out to the Brigadier.
    ‘Anything like that footprint you claim to have seen in the cave?’ asked the Brigadier.
    ‘No,’ said the Doctor. ‘Much smaller. You see, there are two sorts of creatures in those caves.’
    The Brigadier gave the Doctor an unbelieving look, but said nothing. They walked along a little further, studying the reptile man’s footprints. ‘He must have been prepared for a jolly long walk,’ said the Brigadier eyeing the road as it went off in a dead straight line across the moor.
    ‘Except that he didn’t walk very far,’ said the Doctor. ‘You see, the footprints end here.’
    The Brigadier looked. ‘By jove, so they do! Do you think these things can fly?’
    ‘Possibly,’ said the Doctor. He had noticed something else strange – the fresh prints of car-tyre treads. ‘Could I borrow a Jeep?’ he asked.
    ‘I thought you’d got Bessie,’ said the Brigadier.
    ‘She’s at the research centre,’ said the Doctor. ‘You’ve got two Jeeps standing over there. I only want one of them.’
    The Brigadier looked resigned. ‘Permission to use Jeep – granted.’
    ‘Thank you,’ said the Doctor, and hurried away to the waiting Jeeps.
    ‘Hey,’ called the Brigadier. ‘What do we do about these footprints?’
    ‘Take plaster-casts,’ the Doctor called back. ‘Send them to Scotland Yard and see if they belong to any known criminal. See you later.’
    The Doctor jumped into one of the Jeeps, turned on the engine and drove at high speed across the open moor. Within a minute the Brigadier and his soldiers were tiny figures receding into the distance. Once well out of sight of them, the Doctor swung round in the direction of Dr Quinn’s cottage.
    Dr Quinn’s car was parked at the back of the cottage. The Doctor parked the Jeep beside it, got out, produced a handkerchief and loudly blew his nose. Then he dropped the handkerchief, as close as he could to one of the wheels of Dr Quinn’s motor-car. As the Doctor knelt down to pick up his handkerchief he took a good look at the tread pattern of the car tyres. Then he straightened up, pocketed his handkerchief, and went round to the front door. On the second knock, Dr Quinn opened the door. He tried to look pleased to see the Doctor, but obviously wasn’t.
    ‘Hello, Doctor,’ he said, ‘this is an unexpected pleasure.’
    ‘I just happened to be passing,’ said the Doctor. ‘What a charming little cottage you have here! Mind if I see inside?’
    Dr Quinn automatically stepped back to let the Doctor enter. ‘Yes, if old houses interest you – by all means.’
    ‘They do,’ said the Doctor, enthusiastically, ‘they do. How old is this one – two hundred years?’
    By now the Doctor had wandered into the main living-room, Dr Quinn following him. ‘The estate agent thought it was older,’ said Dr Quinn.
    ‘So you’ve bought it?’ said the Doctor. ‘You’re not renting it?’
    ‘It was the only way to get a place,’ said Dr Quinn. ‘It cost rather a lot, but it was worth it. I got tired of living in those quarters they let us have at the research centre.’
    ‘Wise man,’ said the Doctor. He was looking about the place with great curiosity. ‘You’ve had quite a bit done, haven’t you?’
    ‘A few things,’ said Dr Quinn. Then he glanced at his watch and said, ‘Look, I’m awfully sorry, but I shall have to get on with some work.’
    The Doctor ignored this. ‘Did you have the