None of them turned back,
but Harry and I could scarcely restrain a laugh at the sight of
those immediately in front of us treading on the toes of their
fellows to keep out of our way. With all their savage brutality I
believe they possessed little real bravery.
Five minutes more and we had reached the end of the tunnel and
found ourselves at the foot of the spiral stairway. The passage
was so blocked by those ahead that we were unable to approach it;
they flattened their squatty bodies against the wall and we were
forced to squeeze our way past them.
There we stood, barely able to make out their black forms against
the blacker wall, when the one who appeared to be the leader
approached and motioned to us to ascend. We hesitated, feeling
instinctively that this was our last chance to make a stand,
weighing our fate.
That was a dark moment, but though I did not know it, Providence
was with us. For, happening to glance downward, beneath the
spiral stair--for there was no ground immediately beneath it--I
saw a faint glimmer and a movement as though of a dim light in
the black, yawning space at my feet. (You must understand that we
were now inside the base of the column in the center of the great
cavern.
Pages:
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217