The boys felt a sense of impending peril, as though some unseen but hostile presence were hovering over the place, menacing the unwary human who might presume to probe into the hidden secrets of the ancient pile. But the boys were not to be easily deterred by vague premonitions, and they were determined to explore the ruins.
“Come on, fellows,” exclaimed Phil, after a short period of astonished silence. “Let’s go in and see what this place looks like. There’s no telling what we may find inside.”
“We may find more than we bargain for,” muttered Tom, with an involuntary shudder, as the boys climbed over fallen pillars and entered the black doorway. A close, musty air filled the place, and for a few moments the boys had to stop and accustom their eyes to the gloom within. In places the roof had fallen in, but these openings were so overgrown by vegetation that they did little to dispel the gloom.
The beams from their flashlights seemed lost in the vast place, but as their eyes grew more accustomed to the darkness, they could make out a huge object looming at the further end of the temple. Stepping cautiously over the rough and broken floor, the boys approached this, and found it to be a big idol, skillfully carved from a single huge block of granite.
As Phil played his flashlight over the hideous countenance of the image, the boys gave a cry and started back, for two glowing red eyes seemed gazing balefully down at these presumptious invaders of age long quiet.
“What was that, Phil?” asked Tom, in a voice that shook a little in spite of himself.
“I think there must be two jewels set into the idol’s head as eyes,” said Phil, as he flashed his light once more on the face of the image, and the baleful eyes flamed and glowed. “They look rather scarey, don’t they? I don’t think that fellow is very glad to have us visit him.”
“But if those are real jewels, they must be worth a fortune,” said Dick, excitedly. “Why not take them back with us?”
“Gosh, leave them alone,” protested Tom. “Let’s look around first, anyway. I’ve got a hunch that no good would come from monkeying with that idol.”
“Well, I’m going to have a try at them on the way out, hunch or no hunch,” declared Dick. “But look, fellows. This must have been an altar, or something of the kind.”