Part 56 (2/2)
And had Yussuf gone and left him?”
There was a low dull hollow sound as the stone descended into its place, and a cry rose to the lad's lips, but it had no utterance, for Yussuf said softly from above:
”Now you may show the light, and we can see where we are.”
Lawrence drew a breath of relief as he took the light from his breast, and saw that he was standing upon a very rough flight of stone steps, with the rugged wall of rock on either side.
Yussuf took the lamp and held it up, showing a rough arch of great stones over their heads, and the square opening over a rough landing where they had descended, while on either side the rock looked as if at some time it had been split, and left a s.p.a.ce varying from four to six feet wide, the two sides being such that, if by some convulsion of nature they were closed, they would have fitted one into the other.
”Follow close behind me,” said Yussuf. ”This must lead into some vault or perhaps burial-place. You are not frightened?”
”Yes, I am,” said Lawrence in a low tone.
”Shall we go back?”
”No, but I cannot help being a little alarmed.”
Yussuf laughed softly.
”No wonder,” he said. ”I feel a little strange myself. But listen, Lawrence; what we have to fear is a hole or crack in the rock into which we might fall, so keep your eyes on the ground.”
But their path proved very easy, always a steep descent, sometimes cut into stairs, sometimes merely a rugged slope, and always arched over by big uncemented stones.
No vault came in sight, no pa.s.sage broke off to right or left; it was always the same steep descent--a way to some particular pine made by the ancients, who had utilised the crevice or split in the rock, and arched it over to make this rugged pa.s.sage.
”I think I understand,” said Yussuf, when they had gone on descending for quite three hundred yards.
”What is it?” said Lawrence; ”a tomb?”
”No.”
”A treasure chamber?”
”No.”
”What, then?”
”There must be a spring of good water somewhere down at the bottom, and this was of great value to the people who built this place on the rock.
Shall we go any farther?”
”Yes, I want to see the spring,” said Lawrence. ”I am not so frightened now.”
”There is quite a current of air here,” said Yussuf, when they had descended another hundred yards or so. ”The spring must be in the open air, and out by the mountain side.”
Lawrence was too intent upon his feet to answer, and they descended another fifty yards, when Yussuf stopped, for the way was impeded by a piled-up ma.s.s of fallen stones, and on looking up to see if they were from the roof they found that the arching had ceased, and that the roof was the natural rock of wedged-in ma.s.ses fallen from above.
”We can get no farther,” said Yussuf, holding the lamp above his head.
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