Копи царя Соломона
Solomon’s Treasure Chamber
"Hee!hee!hee!"cackledoldGagoolbehindus,assheflittedaboutlikeavampirebat. "Therearethebrightstonesyelove,whitemen,asmanyasyewill; takethem,runthemthroughyourfingers,eatofthem,hee!hee!drinkofthem,ha!ha!"
Atthatmomenttherewassomethingsoridiculoustomymindattheideaofeatinganddrinkingdiamonds,thatIbegantolaughoutrageously,anexamplewhichtheothersfollowed,withoutknowingwhy. Therewestoodandshriekedwithlaughteroverthegemsthatwereours, whichhadbeenfoundforusthousandsofyearsagobythepatientdelversinthegreatholeyonder,andstoredforusbySolomon’slong-deadoverseer, whosename,perchance,waswritteninthecharactersstampedonthefadedwaxthatyetadheredtothelidsofthechest. Solomonnevergotthem,norDavid,orDaSilvestra,noranybodyelse. Wehadgotthem: therebeforeusweremillionsofpounds’worthofdiamonds,andthousandsofpounds’worthofgoldandivoryonlywaitingtobetakenaway.
Suddenlythefitpassedoff,andwestoppedlaughing.
"Opentheotherchests,whitemen,"croakedGagool,"therearesurelymoretherein.Takeyourfill,whitelords!Ha!ha!takeyourfill."
Thusadjured,wesettoworktopullupthestonelidsontheothertwo,first—notwithoutafeelingofsacrilege—breakingthesealsthatfastenedthem.
Hoorah!theywerefulltoo,fulltothebrim;atleast,thesecondonewas;nowretchedburglariousDaSilvestrahadbeenfillinggoat-skinsoutofthat.
