Chapter Twenty Seven.
In the Palace of the Dead.
The labour of hewing this immense underground chamber from the solid rock must have been prodigious, unless originally the excavators had found natural caverns here.
But this was not what astonished our heroes, so much as the artistic ingenuity and care which had been expended here.
In the hall above, the severely plain walls had been frescoed by the painter’s art. Here the sculptor had displayed his mystic and religious skill with bold as well as intricate designs.
From floor to ceiling, all along, the walls were carved. There were also outstanding rose-tinted and white granite massive pillars of colossean and upright figures, with elaborate ornamental capitals on their heads, representing head-dresses of flowers, fruit, and grain, or coiled snakes. At the feet of these huge figures were other symbols to serve as bases. As these pillars were carved in almost full relief, they formed deep niches between each, which were shelved up from floor to ceiling with thick ledges, also cut from the rock.
The edges of these shelves were most intricate in their symbolic sculptures. The ceiling, likewise, was closely covered with designs of a sacred character in bold relief, while even the floor was a mass of smooth and polished carving.
The effect of all this subtle and bold work was extraordinarily rich in the subdued light that filtered in from the one side, making deep and rich shadows.
Never had our heroes looked upon anything so profusely beautiful and mysterious.