The four men were now tied together, and many sturdy hands grabbing the strong rope, they were lowered over the side of the hole. Slowly they descended, each moment nearing the passage. Suddenly, without any warning, they were swung in, and the line giving way, they landed on the floor of the cavern. They scrambled to their feet in the dark, for they had not lit the torches in descending, and by keeping breast to back and throwing themselves well against the wind by leaning as far back as possible, they were enabled to keep their feet and advance. The angle was reached and they turned; now the wind caught them full force again, and it was hard to keep an upright position. They were in hopes of reaching another passage though, through which the wind did not rush with such force, and where they could keep their torches lit. If they could not find such a one, they might as well return, for they could explore or learn nothing in this Egyptian darkness.
“Grinning at them with open mouths and sightless eyes.”—Page [209].
Slowly they proceeded, feeling their way every step, and keeping tight against the right wall. Mr. Bruce, who was in the lead, suddenly felt an opening on the right, and telling his companions to follow him, turned into this new avenue. They were now comparatively out of the wind and, stopping, they lit a torch. Looking about them they saw, grinning at them with open mouths and sightless eyes, thousands of human faces.
CHAPTER XXVIII.
PRISONERS IN THE CAVERN OF THE DEAD.
Mr. Bruce, who held the torch, dropped it to the floor at the ghastly sight which met his gaze. From all sides these horrible visages were looking at them. There seemed to be thousands of them; in fact, the number seemed unlimited and as the torch flickered away on the floor, casting long shadows over these sombre surroundings, the scene was enough to curdle the blood of the strongest. Mr. Bruce stooped and picked up the torch again, he having recovered from the shock which the scene first gave him.
The hall was about fifty feet wide and ten feet high; the depth could not be ascertained because it went beyond the vision. They had entered the hall by a door about seven feet high from the corridor of winds. This hall or chamber was like the corridor hewn out of the solid rock, the ceiling, sides and floor being perfectly smooth. The party now began to examine the bodies which were arranged in groups about the walls and piled in heaps all over the chamber. These figures were small, being on an average about five feet in length; but the bodies had been well-proportioned in life more than likely, but now the skin was drawn tightly over the bones; the lips having dried and drawn away from the teeth, leaving the grinning, ghastly expression, which first struck such horror to the hearts of the explorers. The bodies were nude, having no covering whatever, but around each, just below the arms, was a band of copper. There were no signs of embalming cloths at all about the chamber and their bodies had seemingly been preserved by a process of injection of some powerful fluid, whilst there was a natural means of some kind in these underground passages which preserved them. The skin was almost black and rather thin, having that dull color which death or age gives to the skin; it shone like ebony.
Mr. Bruce took hold of several of the bodies and removing them, found their limbs and arms as pliable as in life. This, too, was against all natural and scientific principles and could not be explained.
“What do you think of all this?” asked Mr. Bruce of Mr. Graham.
“I should say that these bodies had been here for some time, but how long it would be impossible to say,” answered Mr. Graham.