From "The Pennants of Larkhall" by Tim Craire

They looked at the tunnel wall in the torchlight.  Five lines of words were written in some sort of black paint.  The letters were unsteady and suggested someone without much schooling:


HERE SIX DAYS LEFT BACK BY PARTY
OSVALD TANNER LEAVES HIS POST AS REAR GUARD
TO LOOK FOR QUEEN ORLANTHA WHO LED THE
EXP.N INTO THE VAULTS HE RETURNS WITH THE
QUEEN OR NOT AT ALL GOD SAVE LARKHALL


“He didn’t want to tackle the word ‘expedition,’ ” Harlan said.

“He wanted to leave behind an explanation for deserting his post,” Orovein observed. “He must have had orders to stay there for – for more than six days, apparently.”

“I wonder if he found her.”

“I don’t know of any record of anyone with that name, Osvald Tanner, coming back out during the time of her descent,” Orovein said.

“Of course she never came back either – maybe he found her.”