ideous representation
of the man in life.

"All these are the husbands of my spirit," said the priestess, waving
the lamp in front of the lowest row of them, "Munganas who were married
to the Asikas in the past. Look, here is he who said that he ought to
be king of that rich land where year after year the river overflows its
banks," and going to one of the first of the figures in the bottom row,
she drew out a fastening and suffered the gold mask to fall forward on a
hinge, exposing the face within.

Although it had evidently been treated with some preservative, this head
now was little more than a skull still covered with dark hair, but set
upon its brow appeared an object that Alan recognized at once, a simple
band of plain gold, and rising from it the head of an asp. Without doubt
it was the _uraeus_, that symbol which only the royalties of Old Egypt
dared to wear. Without doubt also either this man had brought it with
him from the Nile, or in memory of his rank and home he had fashioned it
of the gold that was so plentiful in the place of his captivity. So this
woman's story was true, an ancient Egyptian had once been husband to the
Asika of his day.

Meanwhile his guide had passed a long way down the line and halting in
front of another gold-wrapped figure, opened its mask.

"This is that man," she said, "who told us he came from a land called
Roma. Look, the helmet still rests upon his head, though time has eaten
into it, and that ring upon your hand was taken from his finger. I have
a head-dress made upon the model of that helmet which I wear sometimes
in memory of this man who, my soul remembers, was brave and pleasant and
a gallant lover."

"Indeed," answered Alan, looking at the sunken face above which a rim of
curls appeared beneath the rusting helmet. "Well, he doesn't look very
gallant now, does he?" Then he peered down between the body and its gold
casing and saw that in his body hand the man still held a short Roman
sword, lifted as though in salute. So she had not lied in this matter
either.

Meanwhile the Asika had glided on to the end of the hall behind the
heaps of treasure.

"There is one more white man," she said, "though we know little of him,
for he was fierce and barbarous and died without learning our tongue,
after killing a great number of the priests of that day because they
would not let him go; yes, died cutting them down with a battle-axe and
singing some wild song of his own count