"But," he urged, "where a man would run but little risk, a woman would run much. Besides, the care of you would impede our movements."
"I care not; I mean to go with you. Come, we are wasting time."
He saw she was immovable, and he sighed.
"Be it so," he said, and, without further words, they started.
On their way to the entrance of the subterranean passage, they had to pass the lake. To their surprise, they found that more than half of it had disappeared. The shallower portion of what had been the lake, consisted now of dried up mud, intersected with deep fissures, with here and there a shallow pool. Only at the end nearest the high rocks, beneath which lay the buried city, was the water deep, and black as night.
While St. Just was gazing at it, Mahmoud came up behind him and touched him on the arm.
"Look, master; look what I have found," he said, when St. Just turned round; and he handed him a little slab about one inch square and a quarter of an inch in thickness. In color it was of a dull reddish yellow, and on one side of it could be discerned the indistinct figure of a cat. St. Just carefully examined it, and weighed it in his hand. Then he took out his dagger and scratched the surface. It was soft; it was pure gold!
"Where did you find this?" he inquired.
Meanwhile, some of the others had come up and were gazing enviously at what was in his hand.
"In the grass, close to this hole," replied the boy, his brown face wreathed in smiles, though he had not the least notion of the value of his find; but he saw, by his master's face, that St. Just was pleased.