Electronic book host

Running at right angles to the great cave, at a distance of some twenty
feet from the entrance, was a smaller cave or wide gallery, that was
pierced into the rock both to the right and to the left of the main
cavern. In front of the gallery to our left stood two guards, from which
circumstance I argued that it was the entrance to the apartments of
_She_ herself. The mouth of the right-hand gallery was unguarded, and
along it the mute indicated that we were to go. Walking a few yards down
this passage, which was lighted with lamps, we came to the entrance of
a chamber having a curtain made of some grass material, not unlike a
Zanzibar mat in appearance, hung over the doorway. This the mute drew
back with another profound obeisance, and led the way into a good-sized
apartment, hewn, of course, out of the solid rock, but to my great
relief lighted by means of a shaft pierced in the face of the precipice.
In this room was a stone bedstead, pots full of water for washing, and
beautifully tanned leopard skins to serve as blankets.


Pages:
234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 257 258