Draw Swords! Part 63

"It must lead somewhere or come to an end. Go on."

Stubbs trimmed his lamp a little and went on once more, very cautiously, for fear of pitfalls; but at the end of another ten minutes the pa.s.sage was precisely the same.

"Go on, sir?"

"Yes, go on. We must come to the end soon."

Stubbs sighed and examined the candle.

"Rather awk'ard, sir, if the light went out," he grumbled.

"Yes, that would be unpleasant," replied d.i.c.k. "Could you find out your way if it did?"

"No, sir, I'm sure I could not," replied the man: "and there's no end of places we haven't looked at yet. We mustn't be lost."

"Oh, we should find our way again," said d.i.c.k confidently. "Ah, look here; the path slopes upward. What does this mean?"

"Slopes up, sir, quite sudden," said Stubbs. "Look at the snakes."

"Where?" cried d.i.c.k, shrinking.

"Not live uns, sir--carved stone ones, all twisted together."

"This is very strange, Stubbs," said d.i.c.k; "the way slopes right up as if we should get out somewhere here."

"Then we ought to be out now, sir," replied the man, "for it ends quite sudden-like, and we ought to be well out of the place by now."

"It's just like the top of a well," said d.i.c.k.

"Just, sir; but I can't see how it goes next. Shall I try if I can feel the top?"

"Yes, of course."

"No trying wanted; here it is, sir," said the sergeant. "Can't stand up in it. I can't understand the place at all. Can you?"

"No," said d.i.c.k; and after a brief examination Stubbs turned sharply.

"Better look sharp, sir, or the lamp will give out."

"Back at once, then;" and they set off along the pa.s.sage as fast as they could, the oil lasting exactly till they reached the ledge, when, in the jar that the sergeant gave in setting it in its old place, the wick dropped down.

"Some one'll catch it for not having trimmed that lamp," said Stubbs with a chuckle. "Whoever takes hold of it will be puzzled at finding it burnt out, for I don't mean to tell them I have had it out of its place."

Stubbs whispered to his companion not to speak now, and led the way cautiously to the entrance, and then slowly out into the gloomy back of the temple, where, as they made their way towards the entrance, d.i.c.k kept on glancing back through the gloom, where it seemed as if dark figures were following them, and creeping softly from pillar to pillar, and in and out among the many idols, startling him more than once into speaking in a whisper to his companion.

"Oh, no, sir, there's no one following us. I was scared once in the same way by seeing people, as I thought, after me; but it's only the images in the queer light."

"I am not so sure of that," said d.i.c.k. "I could be certain that I saw some one dart behind one of the big figures."

"Yes, sir; but it's all imaginary and fancy. I tell you I've often thought some one was watching me when I've been creeping about here, and gone back to find that it was only one of the idols. My sight's more used to the place than yours is."

d.i.c.k looked at his companion doubtingly, but he said no more, and contented himself with another glance round. Soon after he left the sergeant to himself, with the understanding that he was to go again and help to investigate that pa.s.sage, for the young officer had an idea that he had hit upon a discovery which would make clear something that had caused him many an hour's vain thought.

CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE.

IN THE LABYRINTH.

The weird, strange labyrinths of the old temple impressed d.i.c.k deeply, and before many days he paid another visit to the place, choosing the hottest part of the day; but, to his great disappointment. Sergeant Stubbs was away.

"Do you know where he has gone?" he asked the sentry on duty by the temple gate.

"No, sir; he went out not long ago; but if you go to the guardroom, I dare say they can tell you there. Gone to the bazaar, I think."

The distance was short from his quarters at the Rajah's palace, but the heat was intense. In fact, d.i.c.k would not have come but for the knowledge that the walk through the old temple would be beautifully cool, and, in all probability, all the people in the place taking their siesta, so that they would be free from interruption.

"It's all my fault," he muttered, "for not making an appointment. Phew!

it's too hot to go back."

He went into the temple, and made his way to the part of the conventual building which had been set apart for the guards, who were idling about in the coolest form of costume which they could adopt; but those of them connected with the guard of the day sprang to their feet on seeing their young officer, and stood at attention.

But no one knew where the sergeant was, save that he had gone out an hour before and had not said when he would be back.

d.i.c.k turned away disappointed, and left the men's quarters, the weapons and uniforms thereof looking strangely out of place in connection with such a building.

"I may as well stop about till Stubbs comes back," he thought; and, turning in through one of the big doorways, he strolled slowly into the great building, drawing a breath of relief, for the air within was comparatively cool, and it was like escaping from a furnace to enter the shadowy gloom.

There was not a soul visible, for, as he had rightly conjectured, the priests and attendants were fast asleep till the heat of the day was past, and for some little time the young officer stood gazing at the bright, clear-cut silhouette the sentry formed against the dazzling light outside; but after some minutes had pa.s.sed he began to grow tired of waiting, and slowly strolled farther into the darkness, in and out among the numberless figures, and round by the back of the huge figure towering up towards the ceiling. Then, as it looked cooler and darker above, he went to the steps, and slowly ascended them to the great gallery which went round behind the figure.

From there he leaned against the carved stone bal.u.s.trade, cut onto grotesque monkeys, Brahmin bulls, and elephants, thinking of the enormous time and labour that must have been bestowed upon the place, and what wealth must have been gathered together by the Brahmin priesthood for the purpose.

But he could tell that hundreds upon hundreds of years must have elapsed since the place was first commenced, and the priesthood would always have been able to command the services of the people in their cause.

But still Stubbs did not come; and, knowing that his heavy military stride would echo over the pavement when he did return, d.i.c.k sauntered along behind the idol, noticed the strange openings therein, and, wondering to what purposes they were put, he went dreamily on to the other side and descended by another stone staircase, which brought him down in the darkest part behind the huge figure, with its heavy ears and twining trunk, and not far from the flat pillar, nearly hidden by the crowd of smaller images.

His nearness to the opening leading down to the lower regions set him thinking, but it was too hot to think standing up, and he sought for a convenient spot where he could sit down. However, there seemed to be nothing suitable but the floor, and that was not tempting.

All at once he remembered the seat made use of by the sergeant, and after a little search he found it, and sat down in the lap of the stone figure.

It was cool and restful there, and he sat listening for the sergeant's step; but it did not come, and as he rested there, musing over what he had seen during his last visit, he asked himself why he should wait-- why, as he was there, he should not go down by himself--for he felt sure that he could find his way in and out to where the lamp stood upon the stone ledge.

When he had reached as far as this his brain became more active, and in imagination he ran on down the steps, and on amongst the great dwarf pillars by the cell-like places, with their sliding doors of stone slabs; and then, after pausing for a time, shuddering at the horrors of a man being shut up in such a tomb-like place, possibly to be left to starve and die, he diverted his line of thought, and crossed to the great square doorway where the six-armed idol sat on guard over what must be the Rajah's treasure.

"I should like to see what he has there," thought d.i.c.k, "but it would be horribly mean to try and get in. I don't mind finding out where the treasure is kept, for there is common-sense in what Stubbs says about our knowing where the things are that we have to guard. Precious stones of all kinds, I'll be bound," he said to himself: "and I know what I'll do--I'll ask him to show me. He'll do anything I want. No, I'm not going to peep about like that, and I shouldn't care to be hanging about the great doorway--it would look so spy-like--but I must find out the meaning of that pa.s.sage, and I feel sure it is as I suspect. Hang that sergeant! Why can't he be here when he's wanted?"

He sat for quite another half-hour waiting and thinking, and then his mind was made up.

The long, strange labyrinth below was black as pitch, and weird, strange, and echoing; but he was not going to be afraid of the dark, however weird and strange it was. Pooh! a soldier, and shrink from going down alone into a place like that! It was absurd, and the thought put him on his mettle. He would go, and surprise Stubbs afterwards.