“Try another,” said the professor, and a fresh fragment was raised, to be found tenantless. Beneath this the head of the poisonous reptile was thrown, the stone dropped back in its place; and, sufficient time having been spent in the old amphitheatre, they returned to the Turk’s house to get their horses and ride off to see the ruins across the stream where the djins and evil spirits had their homes.
The horses were waiting when they got back, and the village seemed empty; for the people were away for the most part in their fields and gardens. Their host would have had them partake of coffee again, and a pipe, but the professor was anxious to get over to the ruins, what he had seen having whetted his appetite; so, after paying the man liberally for everything they had had, they mounted.
Quite a change had come over their unwilling host of the previous night, for as he held Mr Preston’s rein he whispered:
“Ask the great effendi with the yellow turban to forgive thy servant his treatment last night.”
“What does he say, Yussuf?” asked Mr Preston; and Yussuf, as interpreter, had to announce that if the effendis were that way again their host would be glad to entertain them, for his house was theirs and all he had whether they paid or no.
“And tell the effendis to beware,” he whispered; “there are djins and evil spirits among the old mosques, and houses, and tombs; and there are evil men—robbers, who slay and steal.”
“In amongst the ruins?” said Yussuf quickly.
“Everywhere,” said the Turk vaguely, as he spread out his hands; and then, with their saddle-bags and packages well filled with provisions for themselves, and as much barley as could be conveniently taken, they rode out of the village and turned down a track that led them through quite a deep grove of walnut-trees to the little river that ran rushing along in the bottom of the valley. This they crossed, and the road then followed the windings of the stream for about a mile before it struck upwards; and before long they were climbing a steep slope where masses of stone and marble, that had evidently once been carefully squared or even carved, lay thick, and five minutes later the professor uttered a cry of satisfaction, for he had only to turn his horse a dozen yards or so through the bushes and trees to stand beside what looked like a huge white chest of stone.
“Hallo, what have you found?” cried Mr Burne, rousing up, for he had been nodding upon his horse, the day being extremely hot.
“Found! A treasure,” cried the professor. “Pure white marble, too.”