she-第41章

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the　sculpture　of　Tisno；　King　of　Ko^r。　This　inscription　
she　proceeded　to　translate　to　me；　the　pigment　still　
being　quite　fresh　enough　to　show　the　form　of　the　
letters。　It　ran　as　follows：

〃'I；　Junis；　a　priest　of　the　Great　Temple　of　Ko^r；　
write　this　upon　the　rock　of　the　burying…place　in　the　
year　four　thousand　eight　hundred　and　three　from　the　
founding　of　Ko^r。　Ko^r　is　fallen！　No　more　shall　the　
mighty　feast　in　her　halls；　no　more　shall　she　rule　the　
world；　and　her　navies　go　out　to　commerce　with　the　
world。　Ko^r　is　fallen！　and　her　mighty　works　and　all　
the　cities　of　Ko^r；　and　all　the　harbors　that　she　built　
and　the　canals　that　she　made；　are　for　the　wolf　and　the　
owl　and　the　wild　swan；　and　the　barbarian　who　comes　
after。　Twenty　and　five　moons　ago　did　a　cloud　settle　
upon　Ko^r；　and　the　hundred　cities　of　Ko^r；　and　out　of　
the　cloud　came　a　pestilence　that　slew　people；　old　and　
young；　one　with　another。　One　with　another　turned　black　
and　diedthe　young　the　old；　the　rich　and　the　poor；　
the　the　woman；　the　prince　and　the　the　pestilence　slew　
and　slew；　and　not　by　day　or　by　night；　and　those　who　
escaped　from　the　pestilence　were　slain　of　the　famine。　
No　longer　could　the　bodies　of　the　children　of　Ko^r　be　
preserved　according　to　the　ancient　rites；　because　of　
the　number　of　the　dead；　therefore　were　they　hurled　
into　the　great　pit　beneath　the　cave　through　the　hole　
in　the　floor　of　the　cave。　Then　at　last；　a　remnant　of　
this　the　great　people；　the　light　of　the　whole　world；　
went　down　to　the　coast　and　took　ship　and　sailed　
northwards；　and　now　am　I；　the　Priest　Junis；　who　write　
this；　the　last　man　left　alive　of　this　great　city　of　
men；　but　whether　there　be　any　yet　left　in　the　other　
cities　I　know　not。　This　do　I　write　in　misery　of　heart　
before　I　die；　because　Ko^r　the　Imperial　is　no　more；　
and　because　there　are　none　to　worship　in　her　temple；　
and　all　her　palaces　are　empty；　and　her　princes　and　her　
captains　and　her　traders　and　her　fair　women　have　
passed　off　the　face　of　the　earth。〃

I　gave　a　sigh　of　astonishmentthe　utter　desolation　
depicted　in　this　rude　scrawl　was　so　overpowering。　It　
was　terrible　to　think　of　this　solitary　survivor　of　a　
mighty　people　recording　its　fate　before　he　too　went　
down　into　darkness。　What　must　the　old　man　have　felt　
as；　in　ghastly；　terrifying　solitude；　by　the　light　of　
one　lamp　feebly　illumining　a　little　space　of　gloom；　he　
in　a　few　brief　lines　daubed　the　history　of　his　
nation's　death　upon　the　cavern　wall？　What　a　subject　
for　the　moralist；　or　the　painter；　or　indeed　for　any　
one　who　can　think！

〃Doth　it　not　occur　to　thee；　O　Holly；〃　said　Ayesha；　
laying　her　hand　upon　my　shoulder；　〃that　those　men　who　
sailed　north　may　have　been　the　fathers　of　the　first　
Egyptians？〃

〃Nay；　I　know　not；〃　I　said；　〃it　seems　that　the　world　is　
very　old。〃

〃Old？　Yes；　it　is　old。　indeed。　Time　after　time　have　
nations；　ay；　and　rich　and　strong　nations；　learned　in　
the　arts；　been　and　passed　away　and　been　forgotten；　so　
that　no　memory　of　them　remains。　This　is　but　one　of　
several；　for　Time　eats　up　the　works　of　man；　unless；　
indeed；　he　digs　in　caves　like　the　people　of　Ko^r；　and　
then　mayhap　the　sea　swallows　them；　or　the　earthquake　
shakes　them　in。　Who　knows　what　hath　been　on　the　earth；　
or　what　shall　be？　There　is　no　new　thing　under　the　sun；　
as　the　wise　Hebrew　wrote　long　ago。　Yet　were　not　these　
people　utterly　destroyed；　as　I　think。　Some　few　
remained　in　the　other　cities；　for　their　cities　were　
many。　But　the　barbarians　from　the　south；　or　perchance　
my　people；　the　Arabs；　came　down　upon　them；　and　took　
their　women　to　wife；　and　the　race　of　the　Amahagger　
that　is　now　is　a　bastard　brood　of　the　mighty　sons　of　
Ko^r；　and　behold　it　dwelleth　in　the　tombs　with　its　
fathers'　bones。　But　I　know　not：　who　can　know？　My　arts　
cannot　pierce　so　far　into　the　blackness　of　Time's　
night。　A　great　people　were　they。　They　conquered　till　
none　were　left　to　conquer；　and　then　they　dwelt　at　ease　
within　their　rocky　mountain　walls；　with　their　
manservants　and　their　maid…servants；　their　minstrels；　
their　sculptors；　and　their　concubines；　and　traded　and　
quarrelled；　and　ate　and　hunted　and　slept　and　made　
merry　till　their　time　came。　But　come；　I　will　show　thee　
the　great　pit　beneath　the　cave　whereof　the　writing　
speaks。　Never　shall　thine　eyes　witness　such　another　
sight。〃

Accordingly　I　followed　her　to　a　side　passage　opening　
out　of　the　main　cave；　then　down　a　great　number　of　
steps；　and　along　an　underground　shaft　which　cannot　
have　been　less　than　sixty　feet　beneath　the　surface　of　
the　rock；　and　was　ventilated　by　curious　borings　that　
ran　upward；　I　do　not　know　where。　Suddenly　the　passage　
ended；　and　she　halted　and　bade　the　mutes　hold　up　the　
lamps；　and；　as　she　had　prophesied；　I　saw　a　scene　such　
as　I　was　not　likely　to　see　again。　We　were　standing　in　
an　enormous　pit；　or　rather　on　the　edge　of　it；　for　it　
went　down　deeperI　do　not　know　how　muchthan　the　
level　on　which　we　stood；　and　was　edged　in　with　a　low　
wall　of　rock。　So　far　as　I　could　judge；　this　pit　was　
about　the　size　of　the　space　beneath　the　dome　of　St。　
Paul's　in　London；　and　when　the　lamps　were　held　up　I　
saw　that　it　was　nothing　but　one　vast　charnelhouse；　
being　literally　full　of　thousands　of　human　skeletons；　
which　lay　piled　up　in　an　enormous　gleaming　pyramid；　
formed　by　the　slipping　down　of　the　bodies　at　the　apex　
as　fresh　ones　were　dropped　in　from　above。　Anything　
more　appalling　than　this　jumbled　mass　of　the　remains　
of　a　departed　race　I　cannot　imagine；　and　what　made　it　
even　more　dreadful　was　that　in　this　dry　air　a　
considerable　number　of　the　bodies　had　simply　become　
desiccated　with　the　skin　on　them；　and　now；　fixed　in　
every　conceivable　position；　stared　at　us　out　of　the　
mountain　of　white　bones；　grotesquely　horrible　
caricatures　of　humanity。　In　my　astonishment　I　uttered　
an　ejaculation；　and　the　echoes　of　my　voice　ringing　in　
the　vaulted　space　disturbed　a　skull　that　had　been　
accurately　balanced　for　many　thousands　of　years　near　
the　apex　of　the　pile。　Down　it　came　with　a　run；　
hounding　along　merrily　towards　us；　and　of　course　
bringing　an　avalanche　of　other　bones　after　it；　till　at　
last　the　whole　pit　rattled　with　their　movement；　even　
as　though　the　skeletons　were　getting　up　to　greet　us。

〃Come；〃　I　said；　〃I　have　seen　enough。　These　are　the　
bodies　of　those　who　died　of　the　great　sickness；　is　it　
not　so？〃　I　added；　as　we　turned　away。

〃Yes。　The　people　of　Ko^r　ever　embalmed　their　dead；　as　
did　the　Egyptians；　but　their　art　was　greater　than　the　
art　of　the　Egyptians；　for　whereas　the　Egyptians　
disembowelled　and　drew　the　brain；　the　people　of　Ko^r　
injected　fluid　into　the　veins；　and　thus　reached　every　
part。　But　stay；　thou　shalt　see；〃　and　she　halted　at　
haphazard　at　one　of　the　little　doorways　opening　out　of　
the　passage　along　which　we　were　walking；　and　motioned　
to　the　mutes　to　light　us　in。　We　entered　into　a　small　
chamber　similar　to　the　one　in　which　I　had　slept　at　our　
first　stopping…place；　only　instead　of　one　there　were　
two　stone　benches　or　beds　in　it。　On　the　benches　lay　
figures　covered　with　yellow　linen；　on　which　a　fine　and　
impalpable　dust　had　gathered　in　the　course　of　ages；　
but　nothing　like　to　the　extent　that　one　would　have　
anticipated；　for　in　these　deep…hewn　caves　there　is　no　
material　to　turn　to　dust。　About　the　bodies　on　the　
stone　shelves　and　floor　of　the　tomb　were　many　painted　
vases；　but　I　saw　very　few　ornaments　or　weapons　in　any　
of　the　vaults。

〃Uplift　the　cloths；　O　Holly；〃　said　Ayesha；　but　when　I　
put　out　my　hand　to　do　so　I　drew　it　back　again。　It　
seemed　like　sacrilege；　and　to　speak　the　truth　I　was　
awed　by　the　dread　solemnity　of　the　place；　and　of　the　
presences　before　us。　Then；　with　a　little　laugh　at　my　
fears；　she　drew　them　herself；　only　to　discover　other　
and　yet　finer　cloths　lying　over　the　forms　upon　the　
stone　bench。　These　also　she　withdrew；　and　then　for　the　
first　time　for　thousands　upon　thousands　of　years　of　
did　living　eyes　look　upon　the　face　of　that　chilly　
dead。　It　was　a　woman；　she　might　have　been　thirty…five　
years　of　age；　or　perhaps　a　little　less；　and　had　
certainly　been　beautiful。　Even　now　her　calm；　clear…cut　
features；　marked　out　with　delicate　eyebrows　and　long　
ey