mid, vanished in the sky, but,
returning, had followed us to its depths. There it hung upon the dead
man's chin slowly rocking itself to and fro, and we could see the fiery
eyes shining in its head.

Aghast, utterly aghast, we stood and stared at the hateful sight; till
presently the bat spread his huge wings and, losing his hold, sailed to
us. Now he hovered before Cleopatra's face, fanning her with his white
wings. Then with a scream, like a woman's shriek of fury, the accursed
Thing flittered on, seeking his violated tomb, and vanished down the
well into the sepulchre. I fell against the wall. But Cleopatra sank
in a heap upon the floor, and, covering her head with her arms, she
shrieked till the hollow passages rang with the echoes of her cries,
that seemed to grow and double and rush along the depths in volumes of
shrill sound.

"Rise!" I cried, "rise and let us hence before the Spirit shall return
to haunt us! If thou dost suffer thyself to be overwhelmed in this place
thou art lost for ever."

She staggered to her feet, and never may I forget the look upon her ashy
face or in her glowing eyes. Seizing lamps with a rush, we passed the
dead eunuch's horrid form, I holding her by the hand. We gained the
great chamber, where was the sarcophagus of the Queen of Menkau-ra, and
traversed its length. We fled along the passage. What if the Thing had
closed the three mighty doors? No; they were open, and we sped through
them; the last only did I stay to close. I touched the stone, as I knew
how, and the great door crashed down, shutting us off from the presence
of the dead eunuch and the Horror that had hung upon the eunuch's chin.
Now we were in the white chamber with the sculptured panels, and now
we faced the last steep ascent. Oh that last ascent! Twice Cleopatra
slipped and fell upon the polished floor. The second time--it was when
half the distance had been done--she let fall her lamp, and would,
indeed, have rolled down the slide had I not saved her. But in doing
thus I, too, let fall my lamp that bounded away into shadow beneath us,
and we were in utter darkness. And perchance about us, in the darkness,
hovered that awful Thing!

"Be brave!" I cried; "O love, be brave, and struggle on, or both are
lost! The way, though steep, is not far; and, though it be dark, we can
scarce come to harm in this straight shaft. If the gems weight thee,
cast them away!"

"Nay," she gasped, "that I will not; this shall not be e