them in halting, broken English AL
how the roof of the gallery had collapsed, and how he, Hansith, had
found the true entrance under the ruins.
Nahoot stopped every few paces to examine and exclaim over the scraps of
painted plaster that had survived the fall of the roof. 'These must have
been magnificent.
Classical work of the highest order-'
'There is more to show you. Much more,' Hansith promised them, and von
Schiller snarled at Nahoot.
'Leave these damaged sections now. Time is running out on us. We must
hurry on directly to the burial hamber.'
Hansith led them up the hidden staircase into the maze of the bao, and
then through the twists and turns to the lowest level.
'How did Harper and the woman ever find their way through this?' von
Schiller marvelled. 'It's a rabbit warren.'
'Another concealed staircase!' Nahoot was amazed, and stuttered with
excitement as they descended into the gas trap where the ranks of
amphorae had stood undisturbed for thousands of years, and thn climbed
the last flight of stairs to the beginning of the funeral arcade.
Now both of them were stunned by the splendour of the murals and the
majesty of the great god images that guarded the length of the arcade.
They stood side by side unable to move, frozen with awe as they gazed
about them.' $ 'I never expected anything like this,' von Schiller
whispered. 'This exceeds anything that I ever hoped for.'
'The rooms on each side are filled with treasures.' Hansith pointed down
the arcade. 'There are such things as you have never dreamed. Harper was
able to take very little with him - a few small boxes. He has left piles
of goods, stacks of chests.'
'Where is the coffin? Where is the body that was in the tomb?' von
Schiller demanded.
'Harper has given the body, in its golden coffin, to the abbot. They
have taken it away to the monastery.
'Nogo will soon fetch it back for us, You need not worry about that,
Herr von Schiller,' Nahoot assured him.
s though the spell that held them was shattered by this promise, they
started forward together, slowly at first, and then both of them began
to run. Von Schiller tottered into the nearest store room on his old,
stiff legs, and giggled like a child on Christmas morning as he gazed
upon the piled treasures. 'Incredible!'
He dragged down one of the cedarwood chests from the nearest stack, and
ripped off the lid with trembling fingers. When he saw the contents he
was struck speechless.
He knelt over the chest and began to weep softly with emotion too
overwhelming to express in words.
/4, Nicholas was banking on the fact that Nogo's men would be driving
along the Cliff tops to reach Taita's pool, and that he would have a
free run up the course of the diverted stream to the dam site. He took
no precautions against running into them, other than to pause every few
minutes to listen and peer ahead. He knew that he had little time left
