Погребённый с фараонами
Chapter 2
AndyetIknowthattheremustbemorethanappearsonthesurface. Thatextremedescentistoovividamemorytobedismissed —anditisoddthatnoonehaseverbeenabletofindamanansweringthedescriptionofmyguide,AbdulReiselDrogman —thetomb-throatedguidewholookedandsmiledlikeKingKhephren.
Ihavedigressedfrommyconnectednarrative—perhapsinthevainhopeofevadingthetellingofthatfinalincident; thatincidentwhichofallismostcertainlyanhallucination. ButIpromisedtorelateit,andIdonotbreakpromises. WhenIrecovered—orseemedtorecover—mysensesafterthatfalldowntheblackstonestairs,Iwasquiteasaloneandindarknessasbefore. Thewindystench,badenoughbefore,wasnowfiendish;yetIhadacquiredenoughfamiliaritybythistimetobearitstoically. DazedlyIbegantocrawlawayfromtheplacewhencetheputridwindcame, andwithmybleedinghandsfeltthecolossalblocksofamightypavement. Oncemyheadstruckagainstahardobject, andwhenIfeltofitIlearnedthatitwasthebaseofacolumn—acolumnofunbelievableimmensity—whosesurfacewascoveredwithgiganticchiseledhieroglyphicsveryperceptibletomytouch.
Crawlingon,Iencounteredothertitancolumnsatincomprehensibledistancesapart; whensuddenlymyattentionwascapturedbytherealizationofsomethingwhichmusthavebeenimpingingonmysubconscioushearinglongbeforetheconscioussensewasawareofit.
