“Nonsense,” said Alan.
“You cannot kill it,” she wailed “It is the Guardian of the Tomb.”
“What, are we there, at the Tomb of Korah, already?” asked Alan in amazement.
“No! No! But we must cross its path if we would reach the Tomb. In my conceit I thought I was all powerful. I was over-confident, O Ar-lane! I heeded not the snake that is large enough to slay an enormous army and yet retain its power.”
The gleaming eyes grew nearer, and already they could see the writhing body as it moved along a rocky ledge.
“How big is it?” asked Desmond.
“I cannot see its length,” whispered Alan “but it seems as thick round as a man’s body. Let us get out of this cursed place. Which is the way, Jez-Riah?”
“Through that narrow opening yonder,” said she.
Flattening themselves against the wall they crept the way she directed, and were but a few steps from it when there came the sound of a terrible hissing, and a long evil-looking shape dropped in front of them, and hung pendulum-wise blocking up the opening.
“We can’t go that way now,” said Alan “I am afraid it’s too large to tackle. Why it must be thirty feet long at least. We shall have to go back.” Then came the most horrible experience the cousins had ever had. The most awful. The most terrifying.