tical reckoning, they were cut in the exact
centre of the base of the idol, and about thirty feet below the actual
body of the crouching sphinx. As a matter of fact this reckoning was
wrong in several particulars, the charges having been set farther
toward the east or head of the sphinx and higher up in the base than
he supposed. When it is remembered that he had found no opportunity
of measuring the monument which practically we had only seen once from
behind under conditions not favourable to accuracy in such respects, or
of knowing its actual length and depth, these trifling errors were not
remarkable.

What was remarkable is that his general plan of operations, founded upon
a mere hypothetical estimate, should have proved as accurate as it did.

At length all was prepared, and the deadly cast-iron flasks had been
packed in sand, together with dynamite cartridges, the necessary
detonators, electric wires, and so forth, an anxious and indeed awful
task executed entirely in that stifling atmosphere by the hands of Orme
and Quick. Then began another labour, that of the filling in of the
tunnels. This, it seems, was necessary, or so I understood, lest the
expanding gases, following the line of least resistance, should blow
back, as it were, through the vent-hole. What made that task the more
difficult was the need of cutting a little channel in the rock to
contain the wires, and thereby lessen the risk of the fracture of these
wires in the course of the building-up process. Of course, if by any
accident this should happen, the circuit would be severed, and no
explosion would follow when the electric battery was set to work.

The arrangement was that the mine should be fired on the night of
that full moon on which we had been told, and spies confirmed the
information, the feast of the marriage of Barung's daughter to my son
would be celebrated in the city of Harmac. This date was fixed because
the Sultan had announced that so soon as that festivity, which coincided
with the conclusion of the harvest, was ended, he meant to deliver his
attack on Mur.

Also, we were anxious that it should be adhered to for another reason,
since we knew that on this day but a small number of priests and guards
would be left in charge of the idol, and my son could not be among them.
Now, whatever may have been the views of the Abati, we as Christians who
bore them no malice did not at all desire to destroy an enormous number
of innocent F