Погребённый с фараонами
Chapter 1
Iknow,however,thatitcouldnothavebeenagreatdistance;sincemybearersatnopointhastenedbeyondawalk,yetkeptmealoftasurprisinglyshorttime. ItisthisperplexingbrevitywhichmakesmefeelalmostlikeshudderingwheneverIthinkofGizehanditsplateau —foroneisoppressedbyhintsoftheclosenesstoeverydaytouristroutesofwhatexistedthenandmustexiststill.
TheevilabnormalityIspeakofdidnotbecomemanifestatfirst. SettingmedownonasurfacewhichIrecognizedassandratherthanrock,mycaptorspassedaropearoundmychestanddraggedmeafewfeettoaraggedopeningintheground,intowhichtheypresentlyloweredmewithmuchroughhandling. ForapparenteonsIbumpedagainstthestonyirregularsidesofanarrowhewnwellwhichItooktobeoneofthenumerousburial-shafts oftheplateauuntiltheprodigious,almostincredibledepthofitrobbedmeofallbasesofconjecture.
Thehorroroftheexperiencedeepenedwitheverydraggingsecond. Thatanydescentthroughthesheersolidrockcouldbesovastwithoutreachingthecoreoftheplanetitself, orthatanyropemadebymancouldbesolongastodanglemeintheseunholyandseeminglyfathomlessprofunditiesofnetherearth, werebeliefsofsuchgrotesquenessthatitwaseasiertodoubtmyagitatedsensesthantoacceptthem. EvennowIamuncertain,forIknowhowdeceitfulthesenseoftimebecomeswhenoneisremovedordistorted.
