Part 19 (2/2)
”So thou thyself wast our guide,” said Leo, looking at her sharply
”Aye, Leo, who else? though it is not wonderful that thou didst not know s I was minded to wait and receive thee in the Sanctuary, yet when I learned that at length both of you had escaped Atene and drew near, I could restrain uised Yes, I ith you even at the river's bank, and though you saw me not, there sheltered you from harm
”Leo, I yearned to look upon thee and to be certain that thy heart had not changed, although until the alloted tihtest not hear o that sore trial of thy faith Of Holly also I desired to learn whether his wisdouise, and how near he stood to truth It was for this reason that I suffered him to see me draw the lock from the satchel on thy breast and to hear uess so ill, but thou, thou knewest me-in thy sleep-knewest me as I am, and not as I seemed to be, yes,” she added softly, ”and didst say certain sords which I remember well”
”Then beneath that shroud was thine own face,” asked Leo again, for he was very curious on this point, ”the same lovely face I see to-day?”
”Mayhap-as thou wilt,” she answered coldly; ”also it is the spirit that h men in their blindness think otherwise Perchance my face is but as thy heart fashi+ons it, or as ht and fancy of its beholders But hark! The scouts have touched”
As Ayesha spoke a sound of distant shouting was borne upon the wind, and presentlya fringe of horse back slowly upon our foremost line It was only to report, however, that the skirmishers of Atene were in full retreat Indeed, a prisoner who questioned by the priests, confessed at once that the Khania had no ive battle on the river's farther bank, having for a defence its waters which we hting
All that afternoon we descended the slopes of the Mountain,flight from the city of Kaloon Before sunset we ca plain that ended at the crest of the Valley of Dead Bones, where in past days we had uide This, however, we did not reach through the secretwhich she had led us, the shortest way by miles, as Ayesha told us now, since it was unsuited to the passage of an ar to the left, we circled round a number of unclimbable koppies, beneath which that tunnel passed, and so at length arrived upon the brow of the dark ravine where we could sleep safe froht
Here a tent was pitched for Ayesha, but as it was the only one, Leo and I with our guard bivouacked a some rocks at a distance of a few hundred yards When she found that this ry and spoke bitter words to the chief who had charge of the food and baggage, although, he, poorof tents
Also she blaht us captains accustory with herself, who had forgotten this detail, and until Leo stopped her with a laugh of vexation, went on to suggest that we should sleep in the tent, since she had no fear of the rigours of the ether outside, or rather Leo and I supped, for as there were guards around us Ayesha did not even lift her veil
That evening Ayesha was disturbed and ill at ease, as though new fears which she could not overcoth she seemed to conquer them by some effort of her will and announced that she was minded to sleep and thus refresh her soul; the only part of her, I think, which ever needed rest Her last words to us were-”Sleep you also, sleep sound, but be not astonished, ht, since in my slumbers I may find new counsels and need to speak of them to thee ere we break cauess how and where the three of us would ain
We eary and soon fell fast asleep beside our cauarded us, we had no fear I reht stars which shone in the iht of the risenLeothat Ayesha was quite right, and that it was pleasant to be in the open air again, as he was tired of caves
After that I knew no e of a sentry in the distance; then after a pause, a second challenge frouard Another pause, and a priest stood bowing before us, the flickering light fro upon his shaven head and face, which I seeave a naet-”am sent, my lords, by Oros, who commands me to say that the Hesea would speak with you both and at once”
Now Leo sat up yawning and asked as the matter I told him, whereon he said he wished that Ayesha could have waited till daylight, then added-”Well, there is no help for it Coer
The priest bowed again and said-”The co their weapons and their guard”
”What,” gruh the heart of an army?”
”The Hesea,” explained thethe line of advance”
”How do you know that?” I asked
”I do not know it,” he replied ”Oros told me so, that is all, and therefore the Hesea bade uard, for she is alone”
”Is she mad,” ejaculated Leo, ”to wander about in such a place at ht it was like her, who did nothing that others would have done, and yet I hesitated Then I reht send for us; also I was sure that if any trick had been intended we should not have been warned to bring an escort So we called the guard-there were twelve of them-took our spears and swords and started
We were challenged by both the first and second lines of sentries, and I noticed that as we gave thenized us, looked astonished Still, if they had doubts they did not dare to express thean to descend the sides of the ravine by a very steep path, hich the priest, our guide, seeh it were the stairway of his own house
”A strange place to take us to at night,” said Leo doubtfully, ere near the bottoreat red-bearded hunter who had been mixed up in the matter of the snow-leopard alsoto catch what he said, of a sudden soht at the foot of the ravine, andthat it was the veiled figure of Ayesha herself The chief saw her also and said contentedly-”Hes! Hes!”
”Look at her,” gruh it were Hyde Park;” and on he went at a run
The figure turned and beckoned to us to follow her as she glided forward, picking her way through the skeletons which were scattered about upon the lava bed of the cleft Thus she went on into the shadow of the opposing cliff that the ht did not reach Here in the wet season a streah the rock in the course of centuries, and the grit that it had brought with it was spread about the lava floor of the ravine, so that many of the bones were almost completely buried in the sand
These, I noticed, as we stepped into the shadoere more numerous than usual just here, for on all sides I saw the white crowns of skulls, or the projecting ends of ribs and thigh bones Doubtless, I thought to myself, that streamway made a road to the plain above, and in so around it was very fierce and the slaughter great
Here Ayesha had halted and was engaged in the conteh sheuse of it that day Noe drew near to her, and the priest who guided us fell back with our guard, leaving us to go forward alone, since they dared not approach the Hesea unbidden Leo was soht yards perhaps, and I heard hiht, Ayesha, unless indeed it is not possible for any harm to come to thee?”
She made no answer, only turned and opened her arain Whilst I wondered what this signal of herssound
I looked, and lo! everywhere the skeletons were rising fro ar-slain arhosts of spears
Of course I knew at once that this was but another ic powers, which some whim of hers had drawn us frohtened Even the boldest of ht be excused should their nerve fail theht, suddenly on every side they saw the dead arising fros ilder and -place
”What new devilry voice But Ayesha made no answer I heard a noise behindupon our body-guard, who for their part, poor men, paralysed with terror, had thron their weapons and fallen, soan to stab at them with their phantom spears, and I saw that beneath the blows they rolled over The veiled figure above me pointed with her hand at Leo and said-”Seize hie you, harm him not”
I knew the voice; it was that of Atene!
Then too late I understood the trap into which we had fallen
”Treachery!” I began to cry, and before the as out of my lips, a particularly able-bodied skeleton silenced h I could not speak, hting furiously with a number of men who strove to pull hihtful efforts caused the blood to gush out of his ht and hearing failedthat this was death, I fell and reht I do not know, unless in their hurry the disguised soldiers thought me already dead, or perhaps that my life was to be spared also At least, beyond the knock upon the head I received no injury
CHAPTER XXII
THE LOOSING OF THE POWERS
When I caentle face of Qros bending overfluid down h all my body, and melt a curtain in my mind I saw also that beside him stood Ayesha