The bearers of the two litters were evidently anxious not to cause their passengers any further inconvenience, for the two men in front held the poles in their hands with the arms drooping to the full extent. The men behind raised their ends of the poles upon their shoulders, so that the litters were kept in practically a horizontal position.
During the passage of the tunnel the same silence on the part of the warriors was observed, the only sounds being the pattering of hundreds of bare feet upon the smooth rock and the hiss of the flaring torches.
The subterranean march occupied about five minutes, then into the blazing sunlight the long procession emerged.
Colin was frankly interested. He felt that as the threatened danger had passed away, thanks to the amulet, there was little possibility of its recurrence, especially as the lads' captors were now treating them with consideration. True, Sinclair no longer had the swastika in his possession, but whether that would influence further proceedings remained a matter for speculation.
It was a strange sight that greeted Colin's gaze as the litter came to a standstill on the Makoh'lenga terrace. Although this was by no means the summit of the mountain it was several miles in length and about one and a half in breadth.
On the side nearer the mountain were hundreds of stone and plaster-built houses with thatched roofs. Each house had large glazeless windows shaded by wide porches, while every door was open.
Subsequently Sinclair discovered that the doorways were open for the simple reason that there were no outside doors. It was a custom of the Makoh'lenga to keep "open house," the natives being so scrupulously honest that there was no necessity for anyone to bolt and bar his household goods and chattels.
Each house was surrounded by a small, highly-cultivated garden, while outside the village were common fields, both under cultivation and for grazing purposes, the grass being particularly rich and capable of supporting large herds of domestic cattle and flocks of sheep and goats, the latter bearing a strong resemblance to the Angoras.
At some distance from the houses were buildings given over to the manufacture of metal, woodwork, pottery, and cotton and worsted goods, the Makoh'lenga being skilled artisans. There were several ingenious machines used in connection with the various industries, many of these being driven by water-power.
Gold, copper, and iron were worked into manufactured goods to a large extent, but the Makoh'lenga seemed ignorant of how to produce steel or even cast-iron.