Погребённый с фараонами
Chapter 2
Trippingonanunexpecteddescendingstepatapointwheretheoffensivedraftbecamestrongenoughtoofferanactualphysicalresistance, Iwasprecipitatedheadlongdownablackflightofhugestonestairsintoagulfofhideousnessunrelieved.
ThatIeverbreathedagainisatributetotheinherentvitalityofthehealthyhumanorganism. OftenIlookbacktothatnightandfeelatouchofactualhumorinthoserepeatedlapsesofconsciousness; lapseswhosesuccessionremindedmeatthetimeofnothingmorethanthecrudecinemamelodramasofthatperiod. Ofcourse,itispossiblethattherepeatedlapsesneveroccurred;andthatallthefeaturesofthatundergroundnightmareweremerelythedreams ofonelongcomawhichbeganwiththeshockofmydescentintothatabyss andendedwiththehealingbalmoftheouterairandoftherisingsunwhichfoundmestretchedonthesandsofGizeh beforethesardonicanddawn-flushedfaceoftheGreatSphinx.
IprefertobelievethislatterexplanationasmuchasIcan, hencewasgladwhenthepolicetoldmethatthebarriertoKrephren’sgatewaytemplehadbeenfoundunfastened, andthatasizeablerifttothesurfacedidactuallyexistinonecornerofthestillburiedpart. Iwasglad,too,whenthedoctorspronouncedmywoundsonlythosetobeexpectedfrommyseizure,blindfolding,lowering,strugglingwithbonds,fallingsomedistance —perhapsintoadepressioninthetemple’sinnergallery—draggingmyselftotheouterbarrierandescapingfromit,andexperienceslikethat. .,averysoothingdiagnosis.
