their pieces ready while their
companions crowded round the narrow entrance, the pair stepped boldly
but cautiously into the opening.

They found themselves descending rugged stair after stair, encumbered
with dead branches of creeper which cracked and snapped under their feet
at every moment, till they were about five feet below the level of the
terrace, with some dozens of greeny-white darkness-grown creeper strands
swinging to and fro from above, and just in front of them they could
dimly see, standing with uplifted menacing arm, what seemed to be a
hideously grotesque half-human half-animal figure, apparently blocking
the way.

"How are you, old chap?" said Briscoe quietly, staring at the figure.
"Long time since you've had any visitors, eh?"

"Why, it is a temple," cried Brace, in tones of suppressed excitement,
"and I suppose this is the idol the old people used to worship."

"And very bad taste too. Come in, everybody," cried Briscoe, and his
voice sounded weirdly strange as it echoed all round.

"No: stop at the entrance," cried Brace. "Did you hear what I said,
Free?"

"Yes: that it was a temple with an idol," his brother answered.

"Yes; but we must have more light before we proceed any farther, in case
of there being any terrible holes or pitfalls."

"Yes: be as well," said Briscoe; "but I'm beginning to see fairly now.
Why, Brace, lad," he continued, as the captain set the men to work at
once hacking away the growth of many generations from entrance door and
window, "it's as I expected: the temple runs up as high as three or four
of the terraces, and look: you can see the light from the upper windows,
showing the walls. It's a hugely big place, but I wish it wasn't so
dark down here."

"I'm getting used to it too," said Brace, in a voice full of excitement;
"but I'm afraid to move, in case of losing my footing."

"That's right; so am I. Look: can you see over yonder?"

"Yes; quite plainly now. There's what looks like an altar, and I can
see several more figures standing about."

"So can I. I wish we had a good strong light. Hah! that's right;
they're letting in the sunshine. Oh, we shall soon see."

"Look here," said Brace: "the place is very lofty, and there are windows
upward to take off the smoke. Let's make a fire of the dead wood lying
about here."

"That's a good thought," said Sir Humphrey; and five minutes afterwards
a match was applied to the heap of perfectly dry wood und