The top terrace of the great temple-like place had been reached, and after a few words of congratulation upon their success the examination of the strange edifice began.
They were a good deal checked at first by the growth of ages and stones which had crumbled down; but they were not long making out that the construction of the place was upon the same plan as that put in practice over the openings to right and left; though the cells were much smaller, and suggested that they had been intended for occupation by one or at most two people. There were no traces of domestic implements to be found, and nothing but the dust of the crumbling stones and the nests of birds with which the openings of the cells were choked met the searchers’ eyes.
The investigation of this portion of the cliff city was, of course, made in the reverse way, terrace after terrace being explored by the adventurers descending; but the L-shaped shafts were far larger and more commodious, and, instead of holes being made for the feet, carefully-made steps had been cut out of the solid stone.
Feeling assured that if any interesting traces of the old dwellers were to be found they would in all probability be here, Sir Humphrey and his brother headed the search, and one by one every cell was entered and each terrace explored, till, as they looked over the front, they made out that only three more terraces remained, one of which was that below which the great wall of rock went sheer down to the river at the spot where they had cast the line to find bottom.
The party paused now for a few minutes’ rest and conversation before descending to these last three terraces.
“It is a wonderful place,” said Brace thoughtfully, “and the old people who cut out these cells and did all that carving must have been clever enough for anything. Look at the shaping of this curious-looking monster.”
“I admire the way they protected themselves and prepared for a siege as much as anything,” said Briscoe. “The manner in which they contrived the water supply is to my mind grand. We must have torches one of these days, and examine that tank, and get up to the top and find out how the spring is led in.”
“But it seems strange that there are no more remains left about. They did not possess anything apparently but a few earthen pots and the stone mills,” said Brace.
“People didn’t furnish much in early times,” said Briscoe, laughing. “A man provided himself with a knife, a bow and arrow, or a spear, and a place to lay his head in, and no doubt thought he was rich. He didn’t want a van when he was going to move to a fresh residence.”
“But these people must have been highly civilised to ornament this temple, or palace, or whatever it was, so grandly.”