I have said--Let us
hence, that all things may be accomplished in their order;" and, taking
one of the lamps, she advanced towards the end of the chamber that was
roofed in by the swaying stone, where she halted.
We followed her, and perceived that in the wall of the cone there was a
stair, or, to be more accurate, that some projecting knobs of rock had
been so shaped as to form a good imitation of a stair. Down this Ayesha
began to climb, springing from step to step, like a chamois, and after
her we followed with less grace. When we had descended some fifteen
or sixteen steps we found that they ended in a tremendous rocky slope,
running first outwards and then inwards--like the slope of an inverted
cone, or tunnel. The slope was very steep, and often precipitous, but
it was nowhere impassable, and by the light of the lamps we went down it
with no great difficulty, though it was gloomy work enough travelling on
thus, no one of us knew whither, into the dead heart of a volcano.
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