on which the Shwe Dagon rests. In
the maze of buildings, and owing to the swiftly falling darkness, we
could not at once locate this temple; and most unfortunately for _me_,
with the stupid persistence which such a failure sometimes brings, both
Miss Greenlow and I were determined to find it out before leaving the
Golden Temple. At last a joyous exclamation warned me that my friend had
been successful in her quest.

The first time I had seen this joss-house I had run up the steps
heedlessly, but felt such an unpleasant influence on entering it that I
came away at once, and only regret not having been equally prudent a
second time.

Miss Greenlow was gazing at some grotesque carvings in one corner of the
temple, still dimly visible, and called out to me to come and look at
them also. Very reluctantly I joined her, and stood for a few minutes
waiting, till she was ready to leave.

There was something so gloomy, so uncanny, and depressing--I must even
say _malignant_--in the building at this twilight hour, that I could
stand the influence no longer, and as Miss Greenlow seemed inclined to
linger, I hurried down the stone steps, saying: "_I can't stay in that
place! I will wait for you at the top of the marble stairs._"

Now these steps, broken and dirty, and lined by small booths selling
every imaginable toy and bit of tinsel, including small models of the
various temples, led by steep flights up and down from the huge platform
of ground I have mentioned. Some small link-boys were crowding round as
Miss Greenlow rejoined me, clamouring to be allowed to light us down the
steps--a very necessary precaution, for the darkness was quickly
replacing the exquisite sunset colouring.

I am, as a rule, rather a remarkably sure-footed person, and the
lanterns of the boys threw ample light upon the steps, yet the first
moment of my descent I was considerably surprised to find myself at the
bottom of the first whole flight of hard marble steps! I had no
recollection of a slip even--one moment I was standing, carefully
prepared to descend; the next I was lying on my back at the bottom of a
long flight of steps, with the link-boys gaping in astonishment. They
could not have been more astonished than I was! The very swiftness of
the fall was probably my salvation; otherwise I think my spine _must_
have been injured. As it was, I was very much hurt, however; the pain
was intense for a time, and the muscles of my back were so swollen t