After a journey of half an hour he found himself in the treasure room, whence by pushing aside a slab in the pavement he reached a hall in the lower story. The hall was spacious and its ceiling rested on a number of short thick columns.
Samentu put down his basket and, lighting two torches, began by the light of them to read inscriptions on the walls.
"Despite my wretched figure," declared one inscription, "I am a real son of the gods, for my auger is terrible.
"In the open air I turn to a column of fire, and I am lightning.
Confined I am thunder and destruction, and no building can resist me.
"Nothing can weaken me but sacred water which takes my force away. But my anger is roused as well by the smallest spark as by a flame.
"In my presence everything is twisted and broken. I am like Typhon, who overturns the highest trees and lifts rocks from their places."
"In one word, every temple has its secret which others do not know," thought Samentu.
He opened one column and took a large pot from it. The pot had a' cover sealed with wax, also an opening through which passed a long slender cord; it was unknown where this cord ended inside the column. Samentu cut off a piece, touched the torch with it and saw that the cord gave out a hiss and burned quickly. Then with a knife be removed the cover very carefully and saw inside the pot as it were sand and pebbles of an ashen color. He took out a couple of the pebbles and going aside touched them with the torch. In one moment a flame burst forth and the pebbles vanished leaving thick smoke behind and a disagreeable odor. Samentu took some of the ash-colored sand, poured it on the pavement, put in the middle of it a piece of the cord which he had found at the pot, covered all with a heavy stone. Then he touched the cord with his torch, the cord burned and after a while the stone sprang up in a flame.
"I have that son of the gods now!" said Samentu smiling. "The treasure will not be lost."
He went from column to column to open slabs and take out hidden pots.
In each pot was a cord which Samentu cut, the pots he left at one side.