Копи царя Соломона
The Place of Death
"Andwhatonearthisthatthing?"saidSirHenry,pointingtothebrowncreatureseatedonthetable.
"Hee!hee!hee!"laughedGagool. "TothosewhoentertheHalloftheDead,evilcomes.Hee!hee!hee!ha!ha!"
"Come,Incubu,braveinbattle,comeandseehimthouslewest;" andtheoldcreaturecaughtCurtis’coatinherskinnyfingers,andledhimawaytowardsthetable. Wefollowed.
Presentlyshestoppedandpointedatthebrownobjectseatedonthetable. SirHenrylooked,andstartedbackwithanexclamation; andnowonder,forthere,quitenaked,theheadwhichCurtis’battle-axehadshornfromthebodyrestingonitsknees,wasthegauntcorpseofTwala,thelastkingoftheKukuanas. Yes,there,theheadperchedupontheknees,itsatinallitsugliness,thevertebræprojectingafullinchabovetheleveloftheshrunkenfleshoftheneck,foralltheworldlikeablackdoubleofHamiltonTighe. Overthesurfaceofthecorpsetherewasgatheredathinglassyfilm,thatmadeitsappearanceyetmoreappalling, forwhichwewere,atthemoment,quiteunabletoaccount,tillpresentlyweobservedthatfromtheroofofthechamberthewaterfellsteadily,drip!drop!drip! ontotheneckofthecorpse,whenceitrandownovertheentiresurface,andfinallyescapedintotherockthroughatinyholeinthetable. ThenIguessedwhatthefilmwas—Twala’sbodywasbeingtransformedintoastalactite.
Alookatthewhiteformsseatedonthestonebenchwhichranroundthatghastlyboardconfirmedthisview.
