for
snakes," and, holding them in one hand and his knife in the other,
he passed through the doorway, which was about four feet high.

Stanley followed him. The apartment was similar to the last, but
narrower; and was lighted by an opening not more than a foot
square.

"See, Meinik, there is a staircase, in the corner facing us."

The steps were very narrow, but in perfect preservation. Without
staying to examine the room, Meinik led the way up; examining every
step carefully, and holding the knife in readiness to strike. They
mounted some forty steps, and then entered a room about ten feet
square. Except a window, some eighteen inches by three feet, there
was no apparent exit from the chamber.

"I should think that there must be some way out of this place,
Meinik. Why should they have taken the trouble to cut that long
flight of steps through the rock, just to reach this miserable
little chamber?"

Meinik shook his head. The ways of these ancient builders were
beyond him.

"There must be an outlet somewhere, if we could but find it.
Besides, we have not found where the snake came in, yet."

"He could have come in at the door, master. A small snake could not
have climbed up, but that big fellow could rear his head up and
come in, quite easily. We have found no little snakes at all."

"Well, that may be so, but I still think that there must be some
way out from here. Why should men go to the labour of cutting this
long stair, and excavating this chamber here, without any reason
whatever? Let us look through the window, Meinik."

It was a passage, rather than a window; for the rock face had been
left four feet in thickness. Crawling out, Stanley saw that he was
fifty feet above the foot of the cliff. A yard below him was a
ledge of rock, some two feet wide. It was level, and had deep
grooves cut, at regular intervals, across it. He had no doubt that
the roof of the outside temple had started from this point; and
that the grooves were made for the ends of massive rafters, of teak
or stone. At that time the passage to the chamber that he had left
was, doubtless, used for an exit on to the flat roof.

Stepping on to the ledge, he called Meinik to him.

"Now, Meinik," he said, "we will follow this ledge. There may be
some way up from it."

Walking with a good deal of care, Stanley made his way along to a
point where the ledge stopped, abruptly. Looking down, he saw the
remains of a wall of solid masonry, and