The weird, strange labyrinths of the old temple impressed Dick deeply,
and before many days he paid another visit to the place, choosing the
hottest part of the day; but, to his great disappointment. Sergeant
Stubbs was away.
"Do you know where he has gone?" he asked the sentry on duty by the
temple gate.
"No, sir; he went out not long ago; but if you go to the guardroom, I
dare say they can tell you there. Gone to the bazaar, I think."
The distance was short from his quarters at the Rajah's palace, but the
heat was intense. In fact, Dick would not have come but for the
knowledge that the walk through the old temple would be beautifully
cool, and, in all probability, all the people in the place taking their
siesta, so that they would be free from interruption.
"It's all my fault," he muttered, "for not making an appointment. Phew!
it's too hot to go back."
He went into the temple, and made his way to the part of the conventual
building which had been set apart for the guards, who were idling about
in the coolest form of costume which they could adopt; but those of them
connected with the guard of the day sprang to their feet on seeing their
young officer, and stood at attention.
But no one knew where the sergeant was, save that he had gone out an
hour before and had not said when he would be back.
Dick turned away disappointed, and left the men's quarters, the weapons
and uniforms thereof looking strangely out of place in connection with
such a building.
"I may as well stop about till Stubbs comes back," he thought; and,
turning in through one of the big doorways, he strolled slowly into the
great building, drawing a breath of relief, for the air within was
comparatively cool, and it was like escaping from a furnace to enter the
shadowy gloom.
There was not a soul visible, for, as he had rightly conjectured, the
priests and attendants were fast asleep till the heat of the day was
past, and for some little time the young officer stood gazing at the
bright, clear-cut silhouette the sentry formed against the dazzling
light outside; but after some minutes had passed he began to grow tired
of waiting, and slowly strolled farther into the darkness, in and out
among the numberless figures, and round by the back of the huge figure
towering up towards the ceiling. Then, as it looked cooler and darker
above, he went to the steps, and slowly ascended them to the great
gallery which went round behind the figure.
From there he leaned against the carved stone balustrade, cut onto
grotesque monkeys, Brahmin bulls, and elephants, thinking of the
enormous time and labour that must have been bestowed upon the place,
and what wealth must have been gathered together by the Brahmin
priesthood for the purpose.
But he could tell that hundreds upon hundreds of years must have elapsed
since the place was first commenced, and the priesthood would always
have been able to command the services of the people in their cause.
But still Stubbs did not come; and, knowing that his heavy military
stride would echo over the pavement when he did return, Dick sauntered
along behind the idol, noticed the strange openings therein, and,
wondering to what purposes they were put, he went dreamily on to the
other side and descended by another stone staircase, which brought him
down in the darkest part behind the huge figure, with its heavy ears and
twining trunk, and not far from the flat pillar, nearly hidden by the
crowd of smaller images.
His nearness to the opening leading down to the lower regions set him
thinking, but it was too hot to think standing up, and he sought for a
convenient spot where he could sit down. However, there seemed to be
nothing suitable but the floor, and that was not tempting.
All at once he remembered the seat made use of by the sergeant, and
after a little search he found it, and sat down in the lap of the stone
figure.
It was cool and restful there, and he sat listening for the sergeant's
step; but it did not come, and as he rested there, musing over what he
had seen during his last visit, he asked himself why he should wait--
why, as he was there, he should not go down by himself--for he felt sure
that he could find his way in and out to where the lamp stood upon the
stone ledge.
When he had reached as far as this his brain became more active, and in
imagination he ran on down the steps, and on amongst the great dwarf
pillars by the cell-like places, with their sliding doors of stone
slabs; and then, after pausing for a time, shuddering at the horrors of
a man being shut up in such a tomb-like place, possibly to be left to
starve and die, he diverted his line of thought, and crossed to the
great square doorway where the six-armed idol sat on guard over what
must be the Rajah's treasure.
"I should like to see what he has there," thought Dick, "but it would be
horribly mean to try and get in. I don't mind finding out where the
treasure is kept, for there is common-sense in what Stubbs says about
our knowing where the things are that we have to guard. Precious stones
of all kinds, I'll be bound," he said to himself: "and I know what I'll
do--I'll ask him to show me. He'll do anything I want. No, I'm not
going to peep about like that, and I shouldn't care to be hanging about
the great doorway--it would look so spy-like--but I must find out the
meaning of that passage, and I feel sure it is as I suspect. Hang that
sergeant! Why can't he be here when he's wanted?"
He sat for quite another half-hour waiting and thinking, and then his
mind was made up.
The long, strange labyrinth below was black as pitch, and weird,
strange, and echoing; but he was not going to be afraid of the dark,
however weird and strange it was. Pooh! a soldier, and shrink from
going down alone into a place like that! It was absurd, and the thought
put him on his mettle. He would go, and surprise Stubbs afterwards.
The sergeant ought to have been there, and, as he was not. Dick
determined to go by himself, and rose at once to combat a slight
sensation of nervousness that began to attack him.
"It will be easy enough," he said. "I have a right to be here; the
Rajah considers the place as much in my charge as Wyatt's, and I will go
now."
Crossing the intervening space at once, he paused for a moment or two to
look back and listen, but nothing was visible from there but a faint
dawn of light, and there was not a sound to be heard.
Then slipping in behind the square pillar, he made his way along the
narrow passage in the darkness, feeling the side and guessing the
distance, growing more and more cautious as he proceeded, lest he should
step too far and go headlong down the stairs.
Ah, there was the lamp in its place; but suppose it had not been trimmed
since!
He raised it and shook it, to feel that it was ready and full of oil;
but he set it down in dismay, for it suddenly occurred to him that his
adventure was nipped in the bud--he had no flint, steel, match, or
tinder.
"How absurd!" he muttered at his folly; and he stood for a moment,
thinking that there was nothing left for him to do now but to go back to
see if the sergeant had returned, and if he had not, to give up the
project for the day.
The thought had hardly passed across his brain when he heard steps
outside--not the martial tread of the man he awaited, but a hurried pace
of one wearing the native shoes.
Whoever it was must be coming there, and if he stayed where he was, Dick
knew that he would be discovered.
There was no time for consideration; he must either face the fresh-comer
or retreat.
To face the fresh-comer in the dark meant startling one who might reply
with a knife-stroke, and, without hesitation now, Dick felt for the top
of the steps with one foot, and then descended silently to the place
below, where, guarding his face with outstretched hands, he cautiously
advanced till his fingers came in contact with one of the great, squat
pillars which supported the temple floor, and now stood ready to afford
him shelter and concealment.
He did not get behind it at once, but stood resting one hand against it,
as he turned back to peer through the darkness and listen for his
interrupter.
He was not left long in suspense.
At first there was a dead silence, and he was beginning to hope that he
had been mistaken, but not for long. All at once there was the rattle
of the metal lamp on the stone ledge, showing that the fresh-comer was
perfectly acquainted with the place; and then the clicking of a flint
and steel was heard, evidently being used in vain, for the user uttered
hasty ejaculations, full of annoyance, again and again before he
succeeded in getting a spark to alight upon the tinder, and began to
blow till the match was applied and a faint, fluttering sound was heard,
followed by the appearance of a pale, bluish light, and then this
brightened into the flame of a burning splint of wood.
This flashed out quite quickly, and Dick started, fully expecting that
he must have been seen, for the face and dress of the visitor stood out
quite clear in the darkness, and the young officer's hand flew to his
sword as he waited for the man's angry ejaculation. But to the lad's
intense relief, there was a fresh rustling sound as the lamp was taken
down from the ledge, and the visitor stood in profile to his watcher,
with his clearly-cut aquiline features standing out as he lit the lamp,
extinguished the match, and then turned to descend.
As he put his foot upon the first step with the confidence of one
evidently accustomed to descend, Dick now silently glided behind the
pillar, kept it between him and the light, and softly stepped farther
into the interior, making for the next pillar, so as to place that
between him and the new-comer, whose presence made him hold his scabbard
raised in his left hand, prepared to bring the hilt of his sword ready
for his right.
By this time the man had reached the floor of the great crypt, and, as
if startled by some sound, he stopped short, and, raising the lamp high
above his head, leaned forward, gazing straight in Dick's direction, the
lad as he peered round seeing the figure's hand, in the faint light cast
by the lamp, steal slowly towards his knife.
"He has seen me and means mischief," said Dick to himself. "Well, let
him come on; I have my sword."