g our retreat to a certain
distance, unwinding a wire as he came, presently he stopped and pressed
the button of a battery which he held in his hand. There was a muffled
explosion and a tremor of the soil like to that of an earthquake, while
from the mouth of the shaft stones leapt into the air.

It was over, and all that could be noted was a sinkage in the ground
where the ancient pit had been.

"I am sorry for them," said Oliver presently, "but it had to be done."

"Sorry for whom?" I asked.

"For those Fung priests or soldiers. The levels below are full of them,
dead or alive. They were pouring up at our heels. Well, no one will
travel that road again."

Later, in the guest house at Mur, Higgs told us his story. After his
betrayal by Shadrach, which, it appeared, was meant to include us all,
for the Professor overheard the hurried talk between him and a Fung
captain, he was seized and imprisoned in the body of the great sphinx,
where many chambers and dungeons had been hollowed out by the primaeval
race that fashioned it. Here Barung the Sultan visited him and informed
him of his meeting with the rest of us, to whom apparently he had taken
a great liking, and also that we had refused to purchase a chance of his
release at the price of being false to our trust.

"You know," said Higgs, "that when first I heard this I was very angry
with you, and thought you a set of beasts. But on considering things
I saw the other side of it, and that you were right, although I never
could come to fancy the idea of being sacrificed to a sphinx by being
chucked like a piece of horse-flesh to a lot of holy lions. However,
Barung, an excellent fellow in his way, assured me that there was no
road out of the matter without giving grave offence to the priests, who
are very powerful among the Fung, and bringing a fearful curse on the
nation.

"Meanwhile, he made me as comfortable as he could. For instance, I
was allowed to walk upon the back of the idol, to associate with the
priests, a suspicious and most exclusive set, and to study their entire
religious system, from which I have no doubt that of Egypt was derived.
Indeed, I have made a great discovery which, if ever we get out of this,
will carry my name down to all generations. The forefathers of
these Fung were undoubtedly also the forefathers of the pre-dynastic
Egyptians, as is shown by the similarity of their customs and spiritual
theories. Further, intercourse was kept