Whit have I done, whit course err'd that has led me to this evil place an' oor impossible task? I try tae write, but is it night or day, I dinnae ken… I canna think, my mind overcome by darkness an' the madness o' oor mission.

We had set off again at dawn, or close tae it, as the valley remained hidden in clouds. Each Knight bore a heavy pack on his back, mysel' included, though I didnae ken the contents, only enough no' tae ask. MacDonald seemed sullen, but determined, as we followed the eastern bank o' Loch Ness, movin' steadily south.

An hour later, we arrived at oor intended destination… or so I thought.

It wis a hillock o' rock, its location set back a bit frae the shoreline, at a place jist north o' where the waters doubled in breadth. MacDonald ordered six o' us tae roll one o' its boulders, revealin' a hole in the ground. It wis the entrance to a cave, its mooth only wide enough tae allow one man at a time tae descend intae its darkness.

Where it led tae? I wid soon find oot.

MacDonald assigned oor formation, keepin' me between himsel' an' Sir Iain Stewart. We secured oorselves in this single file by lengths o' rope, then lit oor torches an' lowered oorselves backwards, one by one, intae the darkness o' mother earth.

Havin' ne'er been in a cave, I wis quite excited, but quickly, the ground beneath my feet dropped away, becomin' a narrow crevice. Twis as if God had cut a jagged slice in the earth wi' his sword. Every treacherous step took us away frae the day until it finally disappeared, each o' us kent only by his tug an' the light o' his torch. I fell several times frae dizziness an' fatigue, but MacDonald an' Stewart were aye there tae catch me, assurin' me that as long as the torches remained lit, we'd be a'right.

I cannae say how long we journeyed, nor how deep, but quickly the ravine widened too far an' plunged at too harsh an angle for us tae walk, so that noo we had tae lower oorselves by rope, one by one, tae the next crags below. Fortunately, MacDonald had appointed two fine guides tae lead us, Reef Cook an' his younger brother, Alex, an' it wis obvious that baith o' them had followed oor intended route many a time.

We continued on like this for many hours, descendin' doon this jagged elope intae Hell, oor heavy satchels threatenin' tae cast us ower an unseen ledge intae oblivion.

Jist when it seemed my bloodied hands couldnae grapple any mair, we dropped doon tae a level plateau… at the bottom o' the gorge.

We rested, MacDonald pullin' me aside. "Listen noo, Adam Wallace, can ye hear it?"

I could hear a dull roar, like distant thunder, comin' frae the darkness tae my left. "Whit is it?"

"Loch Ness's belly."