While we had been engaged in getting over our fright,and in examining the grisly wonders of the place,Gagool had been differently occupied.
Somehow or other -for she was marvellously active when she chose -she had scrambled on to the great table and made her way to where our departed friend Twala was placed under the drip,to see,suggested Good,how he was "pickling,"or for some dark purpose of her own.Then she came hobbling back,stopping now and again.to address a remark (the tenor of which Icould not catch)to one or other of the shrouded forms,just as you or I might greet an old acquaintance.Having gone through this mysterious and horrible ceremony,she squatted herself down on the table immediately under the white Death,and began,so far as I could make.out,to offer up prayers to it.The spectacle of this wicked old creature pouring out supplications (evil ones,no doubt)to the arch-enemy of mankind was so uncanny that it caused us to hasten our inspection.
"Now,Gagool,"said I,in a low voice -somehow one did not dare to speak above a whisper in that place -"lead us to the chamber."The old creature promptly scrambled down off the table.
"My lords are not afraid?"she said,leering up into my face.
"Lead on."
"Good,my lords;"and she hobbled great Death.
"Here is the chamber;let my lords light she placed the gourd full of oil upon the floor,and leaned herself against the side of the cave.I took out a match,of which we still had a few in a box,and lit the rush wick and then looked for the doorway,but there was nothing before us but the solid rock.
Gagool grinned."The way is there,my lords.""Do not jest with us,"I said,sternly.
"I jest not,my lords.See!"and she pointed at the rock.
As she did so,on holding up the lamp we perceived that a mass of stone was slowly rising from the floor and vanishing into the rock above,where doubtless there was a cavity prepared to receive it.The mass was of the width of a good-sized door,about ten feet'high and not less than five feet thick.It must have weighed at least twenty or thirty tons,and was clearly moved upon some ****** balance principle,probably the same as that upon which the opening and shutting of an ordinary modern window is arranged.How the principle was set in motion,of course none of us saw;Gagool was careful to avoid that;but I have little doubt that there was some very ****** lever,which was moved ever so.little by pressure on a secret spot,thereby throwing additional weight on to the hidden counterbalances,and causing the whole huge mass to be lifted from the ground.Very slowly and gently the great stone raised itself,till at last it had vanished altogether,and a dark hole presented itself to us in the place which it had filled.
Our excitement was so intense,as we saw the way to Solomon's treasure chamber at last thrown open,that I for one began to tremble and shake.Would it prove a hoax after all,I wondered,or was old Da Silvestra right?and were there vast hoards of wealth stored in that dark place,hoards which would make us the richest men in the whole world?We should know in a minute or two.
"Enter,white men from the stars,"said Gagool,advancing into the doorway;"but first hear your servant,Gagaoola the old.The bright stones that ye will see were dug out of the pit over which the Silent Ones are set,and stored here,I know not by whom.But once has this place been entered since the time that those who stored the stones departed in haste,leaving them behind.The report of the treasure went down among the people who lived in the country from age to age,but none knew where the chamber was,nor the secret of the door.But it happened that a white man reached this country from over the mountains,perchance he too came `from the stars,'
and was well received of the king of the day.He it is who sits yonder,and she pointed to the fifth king at the table of the dead.And it came to pass that he and a woman of the country who was with him came to this place,and that by chance the woman learned the secret of the door -a thousand years might ye search,but ye should never find it.Then the white man entered with the woman and found the stones,and filled with stones the skin of a small goat,which the woman had with her to hold food.And as he was going from the chamber he took up one more stone,a large one,and held it in his hand."Here she paused.
"Well,"I asked,breathless with interest,as we all were,"what happened to Da Silvestra?"The old hag started at the mention of the name.
"How knowest thou the dead man's name?"she asked,sharply;and then,without waiting for an answer,went on -"None knew what happened;but it came about that the white man was frightened,for he flung down the goatskin with the stones,and fled out with only the one stone in his hand,and that the king took,and it is the stone that thou,Macumazahn,didst take from Twala's brows.""Have none entered here since?"I asked,peering again down the dark passage.
"None,my lords.Only the secret of the door hath been kept,and every king hath opened it,though he hath not entered.There is a saying,that those who enter there will die within a moon,even as the white man died in the cave upon the mountain,where ye found him,Macumazahn.Ha!
ha!mine are true words."
Our eyes met as she said it,and I turned sick and cold.How did the old hag know all these things?
"Enter,my lords.If I speak truth the goat-skin with the stones will lie upon the floor;and if there is truth as to whether it is death to enter here,that will ye learn afterwards.Ha!ha!ha!"And she hobbled through the doorway,bearing the light with her;but I confess that once more I hesitated about following.
"Oh,confound it all!"said Good,"here goes.I am not going to be frightened by that old devil;"and,followed by Foulata,who,however,evidently did not at all like the job,for she was shivering with fear,he plunged into the passage after Gagool's example which we quickly followed.