At the bottom of his fear a spark
of naive hope was roused then. It seemed to him that since he did not
know the place himself no one else knew it, and that no man would meet
him in that labyrinth.

He was pacified somewhat and felt that his legs were bending under him;
so he sat down. But again he sprang up and looked around, as if to
learn whether danger was really threatening, and whence. From which of
those dark comers would it come out to rush at him?

Samentu was acquainted as no other man in Egypt with subterranean
places, with going astray, and with darkness. He had passed also
through many alarms in his life. But that which he experienced then was
something perfectly new and so terrible that the priest feared to give
its own name to it.

At last, with great effort, he collected his thoughts, and said,

"If indeed I have seen a light if indeed some one has closed the doors,
I am betrayed. In that case what?"

"Death!" whispered a voice hidden in the bottom of his soul somewhere.

"Death?"

Sweat came out on his face, his breath stopped-. All at once the
madness of fear mastered him. He ran through the chamber and struck his
fist against the wall, seeking an exit. He forgot where he was and how
he had got there; he lost his direction, and even the power of taking
bearings with the bead-string.

All at once he felt that in him were two persons, so to speak: one
really bewildered, the other wise and self-possessed. This wiseman
explained to himself that all might be imagination, that no one had
discovered him, that no one was searching, and that he could escape if
he would recover somewhat. But the first, the bewildered man, would not
listen to the voice of wisdom; on the contrary, he gained on his
internal antagonist every moment.

Oh, if he could only hide in some column! Let them seek then Though
surely no one would seek, and no one would find him, while self-command
would come again to him.

"What can happen to me here?" said he, shrugging his shoulders. "If I
calm myself they can chase me through the whole labyrinth. To cut off
all the roads there would have to be many thousand persons, and to
indicate what cell I am in a miracle would be needed! But let us
suppose that they seize me. Then what? I will take this little vial
here, put it to my lips, and in one moment I shall flee away so that no
one could catch me not even a divinity."

But in spite of reasoning, such terrible fear seized the man