We're not going anywhere near as fast as we were." I had not realized it, but our speed was slackening.

I looked back--hundreds of feet behind us fell the slide.

An unpleasant chill went through me--should the magnetic grip upon us relax, withdraw, nothing could stop us from falling back along that incline to be broken like eggs at its end; that our breaths would be snuffed out by the terrific descent long before we reached that end was scant comfort.
"There are other passages opening up along this shaft," Drake said.
"I'm not for trusting the Emperor too far--he has other things on his metallic mind, you know.

The next one we get to, let's try to slip into--if we can." I had noticed; there had been openings along the ascending shaft; corridors running apparently transversely to its angled way.
Slower and slower became our pace.

A hundred yards above I glimpsed one of the apertures.