suggesting mysteries that it hid. But the torch
and the wings? Well, the torch was that which lighted souls to the other
world, and on the wings they flew thither. Whoever fashioned that statue
hoped for another life, or so I was convinced.

I explained my ideas. Bastin thought them fanciful and preferred his
notion of a flying man, since by constitution he was unable to discover
anything spiritual in any religion except his own. Bickley agreed that
it was probably an allegorical representation of death but sniffed at
my interpretation of the wings and the torch, since by constitution he
could not believe that the folly of a belief in immortality could have
developed so early in the world, that is, among a highly civilised
people such as must have produced this statue.

What we could none of us understand was why this ominous image with its
dead, cold face should have been placed in an aerodrome, nor in fact did
we ever discover. Possibly it was there long before the cave was put to
this use. At first the place may have been a temple and have so remained
until circumstances forced the worshippers to change their habits, or
even their Faith.

We examined this wondrous work and the pedestal on which it stood as
closely as we were able by the dim light of our candles. I was anxious
to go further and see what lay beyond it; indeed we did walk a few
paces, twenty perhaps, onward into the recesses of the cave.

Then Bickley discovered something that looked like the mouth of a well
down which he nearly tumbled, and Bastin began to complain that he was
hot and very thirsty; also to point out that he wished for no more caves
and idols at present.

"Look here, Arbuthnot," said Bickley, "these candles are burning low and
we don't want to use up more if we can prevent it, for we may need what
we have got very badly later on. Now, according to my pocket compass
the mouth of this cave points due east; probably at the beginning it was
orientated to the rising sun for purposes of astronomical observation or
of worship at certain periods of the year. From the position of the sun
when we landed on the rock this morning I imagine that just now it
rises almost exactly opposite to the mouth of the cave. If this is so,
to-morrow at dawn, for a time at least, the light should penetrate as
far as the statue, and perhaps further. What I suggest is that we should
wait till then to explore."

I agreed with him, especially as I was feeling