"None know this road but I!" exclaimed the priest.
"None need to!" said the Risaldar. "Pass on, snake, into thy hole.
We follow."
"Steps!" said the priest, and began descending.
"Curses!" said the Risaldar, stumbling and falling down on top of him.
"Have a care, Suliman! The stone is wet and slippery."
Down, down they climbed, one behind the other, Suliman grunting beneath
his burden and the Risaldar keeping up a running fire of oaths. Each
time that he slipped, and that was often, he cursed the priest and
cautioned Suliman. But the priest only laughed, and apparently Suliman
was sure-footed, for he never stumbled once. They seemed to be diving
down into the bowels of the earth. They were in pitch-black darkness,
for the stone had swung to behind them of its own accord. The wall
on either side of them was wet with slime and the stink of decaying
ages rose and almost stifled them. But the priest kept on descending,
so fast that the other two had trouble to keep up with him, and he
hummed to himself as though he knew the road and liked it.
Pages:
229
230
231
232
233
234
235
236
237
238
239
240
241
242
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253