Sime looked about the place excitedly.
"Fortunately for us!" answered Dr. Cairn.
He breathed rather heavily yet with his exertions1, and, moreover, the air of the chamber2 was disgusting. But otherwise he was perfectly3 calm, although his face was pale and bathed in perspiration4.
"Make as little noise as possible."
Sime, who, now that the place proved to be empty, began to cast off that dread5 which had possessed6 him in the passage-way, found something ominous7 in the words.
Dr. Cairn, stepping carefully over the rubbish of the floor, advanced to the east corner of the chamber, waving his companion to follow. Side by side they stood there.
Sime nodded.
"You are right. What does that mean?"
Dr. Cairn directed the ray of light down behind a little mound10 of rubbish into a corner of the wall.
"It means," he said, with a subdued11 expression of excitement, "that we have got to crawl in there!"
One of the blocks of the bottom tier was missing, a fact which he had not detected before by reason of the presence of the mound of rubbish before the opening.
"Silence again!" whispered Dr. Cairn.
He lay down flat, and, without hesitation14, crept into the gap. As his feet disappeared, Sime followed. Here it was possible to crawl upon hands and knees. The passage was formed of square stone blocks. It was
[135]
but three yards or so in length; then it suddenly turned upward at a tremendous angle of about one in four. Square foot-holds were cut in the lower face. The smell of incense was almost unbearable15.
"Not a word, now," he said. "No light—pistol ready!"
He began to mount. Sime, following, counted the steps. When they had mounted sixty he knew that they must have come close to the top of the original mastabah, and close to the first stage of the pyramid. Despite the shaft17 beneath, there was little danger of falling, for one could lean back against the wall while seeking for the foothold above.
Dr. Cairn mounted very slowly, fearful of striking his head upon some obstacle. Then on the seventieth step, he found that he could thrust his foot forward and that no obstruction18 met his knee. They had reached a horizontal passage.
Very softly he whispered back to Sime:
"Take my hand. I have reached the top."
They entered the passage. The heavy, sickly sweet odour almost overpowered them, but, grimly set upon their purpose, they, after one moment of hesitancy, crept on.
A fitful light rose and fell ahead of them. It gleamed upon the polished walls of the corridor in which they now found themselves—that inexplicable19 light burning in a place which had known no light since the dim ages of the early Pharaohs!
The events of that incredible night had afforded no such emotion as this. This was the crowning wonder, and, in its dreadful mystery, the crowning terror of Méydûm.
When first that lambent light played upon the walls of the passage both stopped, stricken motionless with fear and amazement20. Sime, who would have been prepared to swear that the Méydûm Pyramid contained no apartment other than the King's Chamber, now was past mere21 wonder, past conjecture22. But he could still fear. Dr. Cairn, although he had anticipated this,
[136]
temporarily also fell a victim to the supernatural character of the phenomenon.
They advanced.
They looked into a square chamber of about the same size as the King's Chamber. In fact, although they did not realise it until later, this second apartment, no doubt was situated23 directly above the first.
The only light was that of a fire burning in a tripod, and by means of this illumination, which rose and fell in a strange manner, it was possible to perceive the details of the place. But, indeed, at the moment they were not concerned with these; they had eyes only for the black-robed figure beside the tripod.
It was that of a man, who stood with his back towards them, and he chanted monotonously24 in a tongue unfamiliar25 to Sime. At certain points in his chant he would raise his arms in such a way that, clad in the black robe, he assumed the appearance of a gigantic bat. Each time that he acted thus the fire in the tripod, as if fanned into new life, would leap up, casting a hellish glare about the place. Then, as the chanter dropped his arms again, the flame would drop also.
A cloud of reddish vapour floated low in the apartment. There were a number of curiously-shaped vessels26 upon the floor, and against the farther wall, only rendered visible when the flames leapt high, was some motionless white object, apparently27 hung from the roof.
"We are too late!" he said strangely.
He spoke29 at a moment when his companion, peering through the ruddy gloom of the place, had been endeavouring more clearly to perceive that ominous shape which hung, horrible, in the shadow. He spoke, too, at a moment when the man in the black robe, raised his arms—when, as if obedient to his will, the flames leapt up fitfully.
Although Sime could not be sure of what he saw, the recollection came to him of words recently spoken by Dr. Cairn. He remembered the story of Julian the Apostate30, Julian the Emperor—the Necromancer31.
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He remembered what had been found in the Temple of the Moon after Julian's death. He remembered that Lady Lashmore—
And thereupon he experienced such a nausea32 that but for the fact that Dr. Cairn gripped him he must have fallen.
Tutored in a materialistic33 school, he could not even now admit that such monstrous34 things could be. With a necromantic35 operation taking place before his eyes; with the unholy perfume of the secret incense all but suffocating36 him; with the dreadful Oracle37 dully gleaming in the shadows of that temple of evil—his reason would not accept the evidences. Any man of the ancient world—of the middle ages—would have known that he looked upon a professed38 wizard, upon a magician, who, according to one of the most ancient formulæ known to mankind, was seeking to question the dead respecting the living.
But how many modern men are there capable of realising such a circumstance? How many who would accept the statement that such operations are still performed, not only in the East, but in Europe? How many who, witnessing this mass of Satan, would accept it for verity39, would not deny the evidence of their very senses?
He could not believe such an orgie of wickedness possible. A Pagan emperor might have been capable of these things, but to-day—wondrous is our faith in the virtue40 of "to-day!"
A thinly-veiled shape seemed to float out from that still form in the shadows; it assumed definite outlines; it became a woman, beautiful with a beauty that could only be described as awful.
She wore upon her brow the uraeus of Ancient Egyptian royalty42; her sole garment was a robe of finest gauze. Like a cloud, like a vision, she floated into the light cast by the tripod.
A voice—a voice which seemed to come from a vast distance, from somewhere outside the mighty43 granite44 walls of that unholy place—spoke. The language
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was unknown to Sime, but the fierce hand-grip upon his wrist grew fiercer. That dead tongue, that language unspoken since the dawn of Christianity, was known to the man who had been the companion of Sir Michael Ferrara.
In upon Sime swept a swift conviction—that one could not witness such a scene as this and live and move again amongst one's fellow-men! In a sort of frenzy45, then, he wrenched46 himself free from the detaining hand, and launched a retort of modern science against the challenge of ancient sorcery.
Raising his Browning pistol, he fired—shot after shot—at that bat-like shape which stood between himself and the tripod!
A thousand frightful47 echoes filled the chamber with a demon48 mockery, boomed along those subterranean49 passages beneath, and bore the conflict of sound into the hidden places of the pyramid which had known not sound for untold50 generations.
"My God—!"
Vaguely51 he became aware that Dr. Cairn was seeking to drag him away. Through a cloud of smoke he saw the black-robed figure turn; dream fashion, he saw the pallid52, glistening53 face of Antony Ferrara; the long, evil eyes, alight like the eyes of a serpent, were fixed54 upon him. He seemed to stand amid a chaos55, in a mad world beyond the borders of reason, beyond the dominions56 of God. But to his stupefied mind one astounding57 fact found access.
He had fired at least seven shots at the black-robed figure, and it was not humanly possible that all could have gone wide of their mark.
Yet Antony Ferrara lived!
Utter darkness blotted58 out the evil vision. Then there was a white light ahead; and feeling that he was struggling for sanity59, Sime managed to realise that Dr. Cairn, retreating along the passage, was crying to him, in a voice rising almost to a shriek60, to run—run for his life—for his salvation61!
"You should not have fired!" he seemed to hear.
Unconscious of any contact with the stones—although
[139]
afterwards he found his knees and shins to be bleeding—he was scrambling62 down that long, sloping shaft.
He had a vague impression that Dr. Cairn, descending63 beneath him, sometimes grasped his ankles and placed his feet into the footholes. A continuous roaring sound filled his ears, as if a great ocean were casting its storm waves against the structure around him. The place seemed to rock.
"Down flat!"
Some sense of reality was returning to him. Now he perceived that Dr. Cairn was urging him to crawl back along the short passage by which they had entered from the King's Chamber.
Heedless of hurt, he threw himself down and pressed on.
A blank, like the sleep of exhaustion64 which follows delirium65, came. Then Sime found himself standing66 in the King's Chamber, Dr. Cairn, who held an electric lamp in his hand, beside him, and half supporting him.
The realities suddenly reasserting themselves,
"I have dropped my pistol!" muttered Sime.
He threw off the supporting arm, and turned to that corner behind the heap of débris where was the opening through which they had entered the Satanic temple.
No opening was visible!
"He has closed it!" cried Dr. Cairn. "There are six stone doors between here and the place above! If he had succeeded in shutting one of them before we—?"
"My God!" whispered Sime. "Let us get out! I am nearly at the end of my tether!"
Fear lends wings, and it was with something like the lightness of a bird that Sime descended67 the shaft. At the bottom—
"On to my shoulders!" he cried, looking up.
Dr. Cairn lowered himself to the foot of the shaft. "You go first," he said.
He was gasping68, as if nearly suffocated69, but retained a wonderful self-control. Once over into the Borderland, and bravery assumes a new guise70; the courage
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which can face physical danger undaunted, melts in the fires of the unknown.
Sime, his breath whistling sibilantly between his clenched71 teeth, hauled himself through the low passage, with incredible speed. The two worked their way arduously72, up the long slope. They saw the blue sky above them....
"Something like a huge bat," said Robert Cairn, "crawled out upon the first stage. We both fired—"
"He had lighted the incense," he replied, "and was reciting the secret ritual. I cannot explain. But your shots were wasted. We came too late—"
"Lady Lashmore—"
"Until the Pyramid of Méydûm is pulled down, stone by stone, the world will never know her fate! Sime and I have looked in at the gate of hell! Only the hand of God plucked us back! Look!"
He pointed74 to Sime. He lay, pallid, with closed eyes—and his hair was abundantly streaked75 with white!
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1
exertions
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| n.努力( exertion的名词复数 )；费力；（能力、权力等的）运用；行使 | |
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chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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perspiration
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| n.汗水；出汗 | |
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dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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ominous
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| adj.不祥的，不吉的，预兆的，预示的 | |
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abominable
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| adj.可厌的，令人憎恶的 | |
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incense
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| v.激怒；n.香，焚香时的烟，香气 | |
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mound
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| n.土墩，堤，小山；v.筑堤，用土堆防卫 | |
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subdued
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| adj. 屈服的，柔和的，减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词 | |
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12
stifled
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| （使）窒息， （使）窒闷( stifle的过去式和过去分词 )； 镇压，遏制； 堵 | |
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13
exclamation
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| n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词 | |
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14
hesitation
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| n.犹豫，踌躇 | |
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15
unbearable
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| adj.不能容忍的；忍受不住的 | |
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16
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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17
shaft
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| n.(工具的)柄，杆状物 | |
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18
obstruction
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| n.阻塞，堵塞；障碍物 | |
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19
inexplicable
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| adj.无法解释的，难理解的 | |
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20
amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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21
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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22
conjecture
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| n./v.推测，猜测 | |
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23
situated
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| adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的 | |
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24
monotonously
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| adv.单调地，无变化地 | |
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25
unfamiliar
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| adj.陌生的，不熟悉的 | |
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26
vessels
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| n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人 | |
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27
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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28
hissing
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| n. 发嘶嘶声, 蔑视 动词hiss的现在分词形式 | |
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29
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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30
apostate
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| n.背叛者，变节者 | |
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31
necromancer
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| n. 巫师 | |
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32
nausea
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| n.作呕，恶心；极端的憎恶(或厌恶) | |
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33
materialistic
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| a.唯物主义的，物质享乐主义的 | |
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34
monstrous
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| adj.巨大的；恐怖的；可耻的，丢脸的 | |
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necromantic
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| 降神术的，妖术的 | |
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suffocating
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| a.使人窒息的 | |
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37
oracle
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| n.神谕，神谕处，预言 | |
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38
professed
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| 公开声称的，伪称的，已立誓信教的 | |
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verity
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| n.真实性 | |
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40
virtue
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| n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力 | |
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41
hoarsely
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| adv.嘶哑地 | |
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42
royalty
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| n.皇家，皇族 | |
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43
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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44
granite
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| adj.花岗岩，花岗石 | |
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45
frenzy
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| n.疯狂，狂热，极度的激动 | |
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46
wrenched
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| v.（猛力地）扭( wrench的过去式和过去分词 )；扭伤；使感到痛苦；使悲痛 | |
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47
frightful
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| adj.可怕的；讨厌的 | |
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48
demon
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| n.魔鬼，恶魔 | |
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49
subterranean
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| adj.地下的，地表下的 | |
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50
untold
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| adj.数不清的，无数的 | |
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51
vaguely
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| adv.含糊地，暖昧地 | |
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52
pallid
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| adj.苍白的，呆板的 | |
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53
glistening
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| adj.闪耀的，反光的v.湿物闪耀，闪亮( glisten的现在分词 ) | |
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54
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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55
chaos
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| n.混乱，无秩序 | |
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56
dominions
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| 统治权( dominion的名词复数 )； 领土； 疆土； 版图 | |
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57
astounding
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| adj.使人震惊的vt.使震惊，使大吃一惊astound的现在分词) | |
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58
blotted
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| 涂污( blot的过去式和过去分词 )； （用吸墨纸）吸干 | |
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59
sanity
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| n.心智健全，神智正常，判断正确 | |
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60
shriek
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| v./n.尖叫，叫喊 | |
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61
salvation
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| n.（尤指基督）救世，超度，拯救，解困 | |
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62
scrambling
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| v.快速爬行( scramble的现在分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞 | |
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63
descending
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| n. 下行 adj. 下降的 | |
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64
exhaustion
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| n.耗尽枯竭，疲惫，筋疲力尽，竭尽，详尽无遗的论述 | |
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65
delirium
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| n. 神智昏迷,说胡话;极度兴奋 | |
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66
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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67
descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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68
gasping
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| adj. 气喘的, 痉挛的 动词gasp的现在分词 | |
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69
suffocated
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| （使某人）窒息而死( suffocate的过去式和过去分词 )； （将某人）闷死； 让人感觉闷热； 憋气 | |
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70
guise
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| n.外表，伪装的姿态 | |
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71
clenched
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| v.紧握，抓紧，咬紧( clench的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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72
arduously
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| adv.费力地，严酷地 | |
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73
exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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74
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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75
streaked
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| adj.有条斑纹的，不安的v.快速移动( streak的过去式和过去分词 )；使布满条纹 | |
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