Yet it was not the carving only that made them gasp with admiring wonder. All over the sculptures gleamed sparkles of gold, chased and burnished. These glittered in all parts, sometimes in broad veins and clusters, in other places in star-like specks or thready lines. Going over to one of these clusters, Ned discovered that they had not been inlaid, as he at first supposed, but were natural veins of virgin ore, utilised as they occurred, by the cunning artificers.
They were in the centre of what was probably the richest gold quartz mine in the world. The excavators, satisfied with the wealth which had been already extracted, had carved this monument on the still-teeming mine, thinking to consecrate it probably in this fashion from covetous hands.
There were hundreds of shelves, and the greater number of them were occupied by sarcophagi, also carved elaborately.
Whatever the upper chamber had been used for, the meaning of this place was at once apparent to our heroes. They had not only discovered a gold-mine, but also a hall of the dead.
In front of them, in the upper end of the apartment, were placed, or rather cut out, like the column, two great statues in a sitting posture, and between them a broad table of polished quartz. One of these had the body of a woman, with the head covered. In her right hand was held a pair of scales. The other was shaped like a man, with the head of a bird, which was turned in her direction.
“This beats all I ever saw,” said Ned, in an awestruck whisper. “We must come here again. Meantime, we must try to find our way down further.”
None of them suggested food, although it had been hours since last they dined. They were too greatly excited over this strange discovery.
Round the chamber they paced, seeking for an outlet without success. The only opening they could see was the one down which they had come.
At length Clarence saw, at one side of the table, and close to the feet of the woman statue, a large bronze ring that had been covered over with dust.
“Hallo, boys, here seems something made to lift! Bear a hand, and see if we can hoist this particular slab.”