Погребённый с фараонами
Chapter 2
WasitOsirisorIsis,HorusorAnubis, orsomevastunknownGodoftheDeadstillmorecentralandsupreme? ThereisalegendthatterriblealtarsandcolossiwererearedtoanUnknownOnebeforeevertheknowngodswereworshipped...
Andnow,asIsteeledmyselftowatchtheraptandsepulchraladorationsofthosenamelessthings,athoughtofescapeflasheduponme. Thehallwasdim,andthecolumnsheavywithshadow. Witheverycreatureofthatnightmarethrongabsorbedinshockingraptures,itmightbebarelypossibleformetocreeppasttothefar-awayendofoneofthestaircasesandascendunseen;trustingtoFateandskilltodelivermefromtheupperreaches. WhereIwas,Ineitherknewnorseriouslyreflectedupon—andforamomentitstruckmeasamusingtoplanaseriousescapefromthatwhichIknewtobeadream. WasIinsomehiddenandunsuspectedlowerrealmofKhephren’sgatewaytemple—thattemplewhichgenerationshavepersistentlycalledtheTempleoftheSphinx? Icouldnotconjecture,butIresolvedtoascendtolifeandconsciousnessifwitandmusclecouldcarryme.
Wrigglingflatonmystomach,Ibegantheanxiousjourneytowardthefootoftheleft-handstaircase,whichseemedthemoreaccessibleofthetwo. Icannotdescribetheincidentsandsensationsofthatcrawl,buttheymaybeguessedwhenonereflectsonwhatIhadtowatchsteadilyinthatmalign,wind-blowntorchlightinordertoavoiddetection.
