the plank, which, though tough, was very light, was given
to Job to carry, and also one of the lamps. I slung the other on to my
back, together with a spare jar of oil, while Leo loaded himself with
the provisions and some water in a kid's skin. When this was done _She_
bade Billali and the six bearer mutes to retreat behind a grove of
flowering magnolias about a hundred yards away, and remain there under
pain of death till we had vanished. They bowed humbly, and went, and,
as he departed, old Billali gave me a friendly shake of the hand, and
whispered that he had rather that it was I than he who was going on this
wonderful expedition with "_She-who-must-be-obeyed_," and upon my word
I felt inclined to agree with him. In another minute they were gone, and
then, having briefly asked us if we were ready, Ayesha turned, and gazed
up the towering cliff.

"Goodness me, Leo," I said, "surely we are not going to climb that
precipice!"

Leo shrugged his shoulders, being in a condition of half-fascinated,
half-expectant mystification, and as he did so, Ayesha with a sudden
move began to climb the cliff, and of course we had to follow her. It
was perfectly marvellous to see the ease and grace with which she sprang
from rock to rock, and swung herself along the ledges. The ascent was
not, however, so difficult as it seemed, although there were one or two
nasty places where it did not do to look behind you, the fact being that
the rock still sloped here, and was not absolutely precipitous as it was
higher up. In this way we, with no great labour, mounted to the height
of some fifty feet above our last standing-place, the only really
troublesome thing to manage being Job's board, and in doing so drew some
fifty or sixty paces to the left of our starting-point, for we went up
like a crab, sideways. Presently we reached a ledge, narrow enough at
first, but which widened as we followed it, and moreover sloped inwards
like the petal of a flower, so that as we followed it we gradually got
into a kind of rut or fold of rock, that grew deeper and deeper, till at
last it resembled a Devonshire lane in stone, and hid us perfectly from
the gaze of anybody on the slope below, if there had been anybody to
gaze. This lane (which appeared to be a natural formation) continued
for some fifty or sixty paces, and then suddenly ended in a cave, also
natural, running at right angles to it. I am sure it was a natural
cave, and not hollowed by the hand