But the one predominant feeling in their minds as they scrambled to their feet and looked at each other, in a consternation that would have been ludicrous under any other circumstances, was that now they could really see each other!
They were in the light, the blessed light; not brilliant, but mellowed and full of shadows. There was no visible source to which it could be traced, but it was light, and as they looked into each other’s eyes half the horror of their situation seemed to have vanished. It brought to each a reinforcement of hope and courage.
“Gee!” exclaimed Teddy, as he shook himself. “Talk about shooting the chutes! That has the big one at Coney Island beaten to a frazzle.”
“It sure does,” agreed Don, as he looked at the slope down which they had sped and marveled at its mirrorlike smoothness.
The boys looked about them to see what kind of a place it was into which they had been so abruptly ushered. They found themselves in a great spacious room, from which a series of doorways at intervals led into smaller ones. The roof was high and slightly arched. On the walls was an almost endless series of paintings that represented almost every possible scene and custom of ancient Egyptian life.
They recognized at once the similarity to the paintings they had seen on their first memorable visit to the tombs of Tut-ankh-Amen and the other monarchs in the Valley of the Kings.
“This must be a tomb,” said Don. “Or perhaps one of the antechambers to a tomb. But it’s on a vastly bigger scale than anything we’ve ever seen before.”
“I should say it was!” agreed Teddy, as his eyes took in its proportions. “The others are only also-rans as compared with this. The fellow this was built for must have been some big bug in his day.”
The lads wandered about the room, studying with interest the scenes depicted on the walls. They had all the stiffness that marks the work of the Egyptian artists, but apart from that, were surprisingly good and accurate.
“I’ve always thought the Egyptians were sad fellows,” remarked Teddy. “But if these paintings tell the truth, they were pretty gay old boys if you ask me.”