第8章

"Verywell，"hesaid；"letustryit。"

WhilewewerespeakingIwascuttingBastin’sbonds。"Thankyou，"hesaid。"Itisagreatrelieftostretchone’sarmsaftertheyhavebeencompressedwithcords。Butatthesametime，IdonotknowthatIamreallygrateful。Themartyr’scrownwashangingaboveme，sotospeak，andnowithasvanishedintothepit，likethatmanwhomBickleymurdered。"

"Lookhere，"exclaimedtheexasperatedBickley，"ifyousaymuchmore，Bastin，I’llchuckyouintothepittoo，tolookforyourmartyr’scrown，forIthinkyouhavedoneenoughmischiefforonemorning。"

"Ifyouaretryingtoshifttheresponsibilityforthatunfortunateman’sdestructionontome——"

"Oh！shutitandtrot，"brokeinBickley。"Thoseinfernalsavagesarecomingwithyourblessedconvertsleadingthevan。"

Sowe"trotted"atnomeanpace。Aswepassedit，BastinstoopeddownandpickeduptheheadoftheimageofOro，muchasAtalantainAcademypicturesisrepresentedasdoingtotheapples，andboreitawayintriumph。

"Iknowitisscorched，"heejaculatedatintervals，"buttheymighttrimitupandstickitontoanewbodyastheoriginalfalsegod。Nowtheycan’t，forthere’snothingleft。"

Asamatteroffact，wewereneverinanyrealdanger，forourpursuitwasveryhalf—heartedindeed。Tobeginwith，nowthattheirfirstragewasover，theOrofenanswhowerefondofushadnoparticularwishtodoustodeath，whiletheardouroftheirsorcerers，whowishedthisverymuch，hadbeengreatlycooledbythemysteriousannihilationoftheiridolandtheviolentdeathsoftwooftheircompanions，whichtheythoughtmightbereduplicatedintheirownpersons。Soitcameaboutthatthechase，ifnoisy，wasneitherclosenoreager。

Wereachedtheedgeofthelakewherewastheboat—houseofwhichIhavespokenalready，travellingatlittlemorethanawalk。HerewemadeBastinunfastenthebetterofthetwocanoesthatbygoodluckwasalmostfilledwithofferings，whichdoubtless，accordingtocustom，mustbemadeuponthedayofthisfeasttoOro，whilewewatchedagainstsurpriseattheboat—housedoor。Whenhewasreadyweslippedinandtookourseats，Tommyjumpinginafterus，andpushedthecanoe，nowveryheavilyladen，outintothelake。

Here，atadistanceofaboutfortypaces，whichwejudgedtobebeyondwoodenspear—throw，weresteduponourpaddlestoseewhatwouldhappen。Allthecrowdofislandershadrushedtothelakeedgewheretheystoodstaringatusstupidly。Bastin，thinkingtheoccasionopportune，liftedthehideousheadoftheidolwhichhehadcarefullywashed，andbegantopreachonthedownfallof"thegodoftheGrove。"

Thisactionofhisappearedtoawakememoriesorforebodingsinthemindsofhiscongregation。Perhapssomeancientprophecywasconcerned——Idonotknow。Atanyrate，oneofthepriestsshoutedsomething，whereoneverybodybegantotalkatonce。Then，stoopingdown，theythrewwaterfromthelakeoverthemselvesandrubbeditssandandmudintotheirhair，allthewhilemakinggenuflexionstowardthemountaininthemiddle，afterwhichtheyturnedanddeparted。

"Don’tyouthinkwehadbettergoback？"askedBastin。

"EvidentlymywordshavetouchedthemandtheirmindsaremeltingbeneaththelightofTruth。"

"Oh！byallmeans，"repliedBickleywithsarcasm；"forthentheirspearswilltouchus，andourbodieswillsoonbemeltingabovethefiresofthatpit。"

"Perhapsyouareright，"saidBastin；"atleast，IadmitthatyouhavemademattersverydifficultbyyourunjustifiablehomicideofthatpriestwhoIdonotthinkmeanttoinjureyouseriously，andreallywasnotatallabadfellow，thoughopinionatedinsomeways。Also，Idonotsupposethatanybodyisexpected，asitwere，torunhisheadintothemartyr’scrown。

Whenitsettlesthereofitselfitisanothermatter。"

"Likeabutterfly！"exclaimedtheenragedBickley。

"Yes，ifyouliketoputitthatway，thoughthesimileseemsaverypoorone；likeasunbeamwouldbebetter。"

HereBickleygavewaywithhispaddlesovigorouslythatthecanoewasasnearlyaspossibleupsetintothelake。

InduecoursewereachedtheflatRockofOfferings，whichprovedtobequiteaswideasadoublecroquetlawnandmuchlonger。

"Whatarethose？"Iasked，pointingtocertainknobsontheedgeoftherockataspotwhereacurvedprojectingpointmadealittleharbour。

Bickleyexaminedthem，andanswered：

"Ishouldsaythattheyaretheremainsofstonemooring—postsworndownbymanythousandsofyearsofweather。Yes，look，thereisthecutofthecablesuponthebaseofthatone，andverybigcablestheymusthavebeen。"

Westaredatoneanother——thatis，BickleyandIdid，forBastinwasstillengagedincontemplatingtheblackenedheadofthegodwhichhehadoverthrown。

ChapterIX

TheIslandintheLakeWemadethecanoefastandlandedonthegreatrock，toperceivethatitwasreallyapeninsula。Thatistosay，itwasjoinedtothemainlandofthelakeislandbyabroadroadwayquitefiftyyardsacross，whichappearedtoendinthemouthofthecave。Onthiscausewaywenotedaveryremarkablething，namely，twogroovesseparatedbyanexactdistanceofninefeetwhichranintothemouthofthecaveandvanishedthere。

"Explain！"saidBickley。

"Paths，"Isaid，"wornbycountlessfeetwalkingonthemforthousandsofyears。"

"Youshouldcultivatetheartofobservation，Arbuthnot。Whatdoyousay，Bastin？"

Hestaredatthegroovesthroughhisspectacles，andreplied：

"Idon’tsayanything，exceptthatIcan’tseeanybodytomakepathshere。Indeed，theplaceseemsquiteunpopulated，andalltheOrofenanstoldmethattheyneverlandedonitbecauseiftheydidtheywoulddie。Itisapartoftheirsuperstitiousnonsense。Ifyouhaveanyideainyourheadyouhadbettertellusquicklybeforewebreakfast。Iamveryhungry。"

"Youalwaysare，"remarkedBickley；"evenwhenmostpeople’sappetitesmighthavebeenaffected。Well，Ithinkthatthisgreatplateauwasoncealanding—placeforflyingmachines，andthatthereistheair—shedorgarage。"

Bastinstaredathim。

"Don’tyouthinkwehadbetterbreakfast？"hesaid。"Therearetworoastpigsinthatcanoe，andlotsofotherfood，enoughtolastusaweek，Ishouldsay。Ofcourse，Iunderstandthatthebloodyouhaveshedhasthrownyouoffyourbalance。Ibelieveithasthateffect，exceptonthemosthardened。FlyingmachineswereonlyinventedafewyearsagobythebrothersWrightinAmerica。"

"Bastin，"saidBickley，"IbegintoregretthatIdidnotleaveyoutotakepartinanotherbreakfastyonder——Imeanastheprincipaldish。"

"ItwasProvidence，notyou，whopreventedit，Bickley，doubtlessbecauseIamunworthyofsuchagloriousend。"

"ThenitisluckythatProvidenceisagoodshotwithapistol。

Stoptalkingnonsenseandlisten。Ifthosewerepathswornbyfeettheywouldruntotheedgeoftherock。Theydonot。Theybeginthereinthatgentledepressionandslopeupwardssomewhatsteeply。Theairmachines，whichwereevidentlylarge，litinthedepression，possiblyasabirddoes，andthenranonwheelsorsledgeskidsalongthegroovestotheair—shedinthemountain。

Cometothecaveandyouwillsee。"

"Nottillwehavebreakfast，"saidBastin。"Iwillgetoutapig。Asamatteroffact，Ihadnosupperlastnight，asIwastakingaclassofnativeboysandmakingsomearrangementsofmyown。"

Asforme，Ionlywhistled。Itallseemedveryfeasible。Andyethowcouldsuchthingsbe？

Weunloadedthecanoeandate。Bastin’sappetitewassplendid。

Indeed，IhadtoaskhimtorememberthatwhenthissupplywasdoneIdidnotknowwhereweshouldfindanymore。

"Takenothoughtforthemorrow，"hereplied。"Ihavenodoubtitwillcomefromsomewhere，"andhehelpedhimselftoanotherchop。

NeverhadIadmiredhimsomuch。Notacoupleofhoursbeforehewasabouttobecruellymurderedandeaten。Butthisdidnotseemtoaffecthimintheleast。BastinwastheonlymanIhaveeverknownwithareallyperfectfaith。Itisaqualityworthhavingandonethatmakesforhappiness。Whatagreatthingnottocarewhetheryouarebreakfastedon，orbreakfast！

"Iseethatthereislotsofdriftwoodabouthere，"heremarked，"butunfortunatelywehavenotea，sointhisclimateitisoflittleuse，unlessindeedwecancatchsomefishandcookthem。"

"Stoptalkingabouteatingandhelpustohaulupthecanoe，"

saidBickley。

Betweenthethreeofuswedraggedandcarriedthecanoealongwayfromthelake，fearinglestthenativesshouldcomeandbearitoffwithourprovisions。Then，havinggivenTommyhisbreakfastoffthescraps，wewalkedtothecave。Iglancedatmycompanions。Bickley’sfacewasalightwithscientificeagerness。

Herearenotdreamsorspeculations，butfactstobelearned，itseemedtosay，andIwilllearnthem。Thepastisgoingtoshowmesomeofitssecrets，totellmehowmenoflongagolivedanddiedandhowfartheyhadadvancedtothatpointontheroadofcivilisationatwhichIstandinmylittlehourofexistence。

ThatofBastinwasmildlyinterested，nomore。Obviously，withhalfhismindhewasthinkingofsomethingelse，probablyofhisconvertsonthemainislandandoftheschoolclassfixedforthishourwhichcircumstancespreventedhimfromattending。

Indeed，likeLot’swifehewascastingglancesbehindhimtowardsthewickedplacefromwhichhehadbeenforcedtoflee。

NeitherthepastnorthefuturehadmuchrealinterestforBastin；anymorethantheyhadforBickley，thoughfordifferentreasons。Theformerwasdonewith；thelatterhewasquitecontenttoleaveinotherhands。Ifhehadanyclearideathereof，probablythatundiscoveredlandappearedtohimasabig，pleasantplacewherearenounbelieversorerroneousdoctrines，andallsinnerswillbesternlyrepressed，inwhich，cladinawhitesurplicewithallproperecclesiasticaltrappings，hewouldargueeternallywiththeEarlyFathersandinduecourseutterlyannihilateBickley，thatisinamoralsense。

PersonallyandasamanhewasextremelyattachedtoBickleyasanecessaryandwrong—headednuisancetowhichhehadbecomeaccustomed。

AndI！WhatdidIfeel？Idonotknow；Icannotdescribe。Anextraordinaryattraction，asemi—spiritualexaltation，Ithink。

Thatcavemouthmighthavebeenamagnetdrawingmysoul。WithmybodyIshouldhavebeenafraid，asIdaresayIwas，forourcircumstancesweresufficientlydesperate。Herewewere，castawaysuponanisland，probablyuncharted，oneofthousandsintherecessesofavastocean，fromwhichwehadlittlechanceofescape。More，havingoffendedthereligiousinstinctsoftheprimevalinhabitantsofthatisland，wehadbeenforcedtofleetoarockymountaininthecentreofalake，where，afterthefoodwehadbroughtwithusbyaccidentwasconsumed，weshouldnodoubtbeforcedtochoosebetweendeathbystarvation，or，ifweattemptedtoretreat，atthehandsofjustlyinfuriatedsavages。Yetthesefactsdidnotoppressme，forIwasbeingdrawn，drawntoIknewnotwhat，andifitweretodoom——well，nomatter。

Therefore，noneofuscared：Bastinbecausehisfaithwasequaltoanyemergencyandtherewasalwaysthatwhite—robedheavenwaitingforhimbeyondwhichhisimaginationdidnotgo（IoftenwonderedwhetherhepicturedMrs。Bastinasalsowaiting；ifso，heneversaidanythingabouther）；BickleybecauseasachildofthePresentandaservantofknowledgehefearednofuture，believingittobeforhimnon—existent，andwascarelessastowhenhisstrenuoushouroflifeshouldend；andIbecauseIfeltthatyonderlaymytruefuture；yes，andmytruepast，eventhoughtodiscoverthemImustpassthroughthatportalwhichweknowasDeath。

Wereachedthemouthofthecave。Itwasavastplace；perhapsthearchofitwasahundredfeethigh，andIcouldseethatonceallthisarchhadbeenadornedwithsculptures。Protectedasthesewerebytheoverhangingrock，forthesculpturedmouthofthecavewascutdeepintothemountainface，theywerestillsowornthatitwasimpossibletodiscerntheirdetails。Timehadeatenthemawaylikeanacid。Butwhatlengthoftime？Icouldnotguess，butitmusthavebeenstupendoustohaveworkedthusuponthathardandshelteredrock。

Thiscamehometomewithaddedforcewhen，fromsubsequentexamination，welearnedthattheentiremouthofthiscavehadbeensealedupforunnumberedages。ItwillberememberedthatMaramatoldmethemountaininthelakehadrisenmuchduringthefrightfulcycloneinwhichwewerewreckedandwithitthecavemouthwhichpreviouslyhadbeeninvisible。Fromthemarkingsonthemountainsideitwasobviousthatsomethingofthesorthadhappenedveryrecently，atanyrateonthiseasternface。Thatis，eithertheflatrockhadsunkorthevolcanohadbeenthrownupwards。

Onceinthefarpastthecavehadbeenasitwaswhenwefoundit。Thenithadgonedowninsuchawaythatthetable—rockentirelysealedtheentrance。Nowthisentrancewasoncemoreopen，andalthoughofcoursetherewasabreakinthem，thegroovesofwhichIhavespokenranonintothecaveatonlyaslightlydifferentlevelfromthatatwhichtheylayupontheflatrock。Andyet，althoughtheyhadbeenthusshelteredbyagreatstonecurtaininfrontofthem，stillthesesculptureswerewornawaybythetoothofTime。Ofcourse，however，thismayhavehappenedtothembeforetheywereburiedinsomeancientcataclysm，tobethusresurrectedatthehourofourarrivalupontheisland。

Withoutpausingtomakeanycloserexaminationofthesecrumbledcarvings，weenteredtheyawningmouthofthatgreatplace，followingandindeedwalkinginthedeepgroovesthatI

havementioned。Presentlyitseemedtoopenoutasacourtyardmightattheendofapassage；yes，toopenontosomevastplacewhereofinthatgloomwecouldnotseetherooforthelimits。

Allweknewwasthatitmustbeenormous——theechoesofourvoicesandfootstepstoldusasmuch，fortheseseemedtocomebacktousfromhigh，highaboveandfromfar，faraway。BickleyandIsaidnothing；weweretooovercome。ButBastinremarked：

"DidyouevergotoOlympia？Ididoncetoseeakindofplaywherethepeoplesaidnothing，onlyranaboutdressedup。Theytoldmeitwasreligious，thesortofthingaclergymanshouldstudy。Ididn’tthinkitreligiousatall。Itwasallaboutanunwhohadababy。"

"Well，whatofit？"snappedBickley。

"Nothingparticular，exceptthatnunsdon’thavebabies，oriftheydothefactshouldnotbeadvertised。ButIwasn’tthinkingofthat。IwasthinkingthatthisplaceislikeanundergroundOlympia。"

"Oh，bequiet！"Isaid，forthoughBastin’sdescriptionwasnotbad，hismonotonous，drawlingvoicejarredonmeinthatsolemnity。

"Becarefulwhereyouwalk，"whisperedBickley，forevenheseemedawed，"theremaybepitsinthisfloor。"

"Iwishwehadalight，"Isaid，halting。

"Ifcandlesareofanyuse，"brokeinBastin，"asithappensI

haveapacketinmypocket。Itookthemwithmethismorningforacertainpurpose。"

"Notunconnectedwiththeparaffinandtheburningoftheidol，Isuppose？"saidBickley。"Handthemover。"

"Yes；ifIhadbeenallowedalittlemoretimeIintended——"

"Nevermindwhatyouintended；weknowwhatyoudidandthat’senough，"saidBickleyashesnatchedthepacketfromBastin’shandandproceededtoundoit，adding，"Byheaven！Ihavenomatches，norhaveyou，Arbuthnot！"

"Ihaveadozenboxesofwaxvestasinmyotherpocket，"saidBastin。"Yousee，theyburnsowellwhenyouwanttogetupafireonadampidol。Asyoumayhavenoticed，thedewisveryheavyhere。"

Induecoursethesetoowereproduced。ItookpossessionofthemastheyweretoovaluabletobeleftinthechargeofBastin，and，extractingaboxfromthepacket，littwoofthecandleswhichwereoftheshortthickvariety，likethoseusedincarriage—lamps。

Presentlytheyburnedup，makingtwofaintstarsoflightwhich，however，werenotstrongenoughtoshowuseithertherooforthesidesofthatvastplace。Bytheiraidwepursuedourpath，stillfollowingthegroovestillsuddenlythesecametoanend。Nowallarounduswasaflatfloorofrockwhich，asweperceivedclearlywhenwepushedasidethedustthathadgatheredthicklyonitinthecourseofages，doubtlessfromthegradualdisintegrationofthestonywalls，hadoncebeenpolishedtillitresembledblackmarble。Indeed，certaincracksinthefloorappearedtohavebeenfilledinwithsomedark—colouredcement。I

stoodlookingatthemwhileBickleywanderedofftotherightandalittleforward，andpresentlycalledtome。Iwalkedtohim，BastinstickingclosetomeasIhadtheothercandle，asdidthelittledog，Tommy，whodidnotlikethesenewsurroundingsandwouldnotleavemyheels。

"Look，"saidBickley，holdinguphiscandle，"andtellme——

what’sthat？"

Beforeme，faintlyshown，wassomecuriousstructureofgleamingrodsmadeofyellowishmetal，whichrodsappearedtobeconnectedbywires。Thestructuremighthavebeenfortyfeethighandperhapsahundredlong。Itsbottompartwasburiedindust。

"Whatisthat？"askedBickleyagain。

Imadenoanswer，forIwasthinking。Bastin，however，replied：

"It’sdifficulttobesureinthislight，butIshouldthinkthatitmaybetheremainsofacageinwhichsomepeoplewholivedherekeptmonkeys，orperhapsitwasanaviary。Lookatthoselittleladdersforthemonkeystoclimbby，orpossiblyforthebirdstositon。"

"Areyousureitwasn’ttameangels？"askedBickley。

"Whataridiculousremark！Howcanyoukeepanangelinacage？

I——"

"Aeroplane！"IalmostwhisperedtoBickley。

"You’vegotit！"heanswered。"Theframeworkofanaeroplaneandajollylargeone，too。Onlywhyhasn’titoxidised？"

"Someindestructiblemetal，"Isuggested。"Gold，forinstance，doesnotoxidise。"

Henoddedandsaid：

"Weshallhavetodigitout。Thedustisfeetthickaboutit；

wecandonothingwithoutspades。Comeon。"

Wewentroundtotheendofthestructure，whateveritmightbe，andpresentlycametoanother。Againwewentonandcametoanother，allofthembeingberthedexactlyinline。

"WhatdidItellyou？"saidBickleyinavoiceoftriumph。"A

wholegaragefull，aregularfleetofaeroplanes！"

"Thatmustbenonsense，"saidBastin，"forIamquitesurethattheseOrofenanscannotmakesuchthings。Indeedtheyhavenometal，andevencutthethroatsofpigswithwoodenknives。"

NowIbegantowalkforward，bearingtotheleftsoastoregainourformerline。Wecoulddonothingwiththesemetalskeletons，andIfeltthattheremustbemoretofindbeyond。

PresentlyIsawsomethingloomingaheadofmeandquickenedmypace，onlytorecoil。Forthere，notthirtyfeetawayandperhapsthreehundredyardsfromthemouthofthecave，suddenlyappearedwhatlookedlikeagiganticman。Tommysawitalsoandbarkedasdogsdowhentheyarefrightened，andthesoundofhisyapsechoedendlesslyfromeveryquarter，whichscaredhimtosilence。

RecoveringmyselfIwentforward，fornowIguessedthetruth。Itwasnotamanbutastatue。

Thethingstooduponahugebasewhichlessenedbysuccessivesteps，eightofthem，Ithink，toitssummit。Thefootofthisbasemayhavebeenasquareoffiftyfeetorrathermore；therealsupportorpedestalofthestatue，however，wasonlyasquareofaboutsixfeet。Thefigureitselfwaslittleabovelife—size，oratanyrateaboveourlife—size，saysevenfeetinheight。Itwasverypeculiarinsundryways。

Tobeginwith，nothingofthebodywasvisible，foritwasswathedlikeacorpse。Fromthesewrappingsprojectedonearm，theright，inthehandofwhichwasthelikenessofalightedtorch。Theheadwasnotveiled。Itwasthatofaman，long—nosed，thin—lipped，stern—visaged；thecountenancepervadedbyanawfulandunutterablecalm，asdeepasthatofBuddhaonlylessbenign。

Onthebrowwasawreathedhead—dress，notunlikeanEasternturban，fromwhichsprangtwolittlewingsresemblinginsomedegreethoseonthefamousGreekheadofHypnos，lordofSleep。

Betweenthefoldsofthewrappingsonthebacksprangtwootherwings，enormouswingsbentlikethoseofabirdabouttotakeflight。Indeedthewholeattitudeofthefiguresuggestedthatitwasspringingfromearthtoair。Itwasexecutedinblackbasaltorsomestoneofthesort，andveryhighlyfinished。Forinstance，onthebarefeetandthearmwhichheldthetorchcouldbefelteverymuscleandevensomeoftheveins。Inthesamewaythedetailsoftheskullwereperfectlyperceptibletothetouch，althoughatfirstsightnotvisibleonthemarblesurface。Thiswasascertainedbyclimbingonthepedestalandfeelingthefacewithourhands。

HereImaysaythatitsmodellingaswellasthatofthefeetandthearmfilledBickley，who，ofcourse，wasahighlytrainedanatomist，withabsoluteamazement。Hesaidthathewouldneverhavethoughtitpossiblethatsuchaccuracycouldhavebeenreachedbyanartistworkinginsohardamaterial。

Whentheothershadarrivedwestudiedthisrelicascloselyasourtwocandleswouldallow，andinturnexpressedouropinionsofitssignificance。Bastinthoughtthatifthosethingsdowntherewerereallytheremainsofaeroplanes，whichhedidnotbelieve，thestatuehadsomethingtodowithflying，aswasshownbythefactthatithadwingsonitsheadandshoulders。Also，headded，afterexaminingtheface，theheadwasuncommonlylikethatoftheidolthathehadblownup。Ithadthesamelongnoseandsevereshutmouth。Ifhewasright，thiswasprobablyanothereffigyofOrowhichweshoulddowelltodestroyatoncebeforetheislanderscametoworshipit。

Bickleygroundhisteethashelistenedtohim。

"Destroythat！"hegasped。"Destroy！Oh！you，you——earlyChristian。"

HereImaystatethatBastinwasquiteright，asweprovedsubsequentlywhenwecomparedtheheadofthefetish，which，asitwillberemembered，hehadbroughtawaywithhim，withthatofthestatue。Allowingforanenormousdebasementofart，theywereessentiallyidenticalinthefacialcharacteristics。Thiswouldsuggestthedescentofatraditionthroughcountlessgenerations。

Orofcourseitmayhavebeenaccidental。IamsureIdonotknow，butIthinkitpossiblethatforunknowncenturiesotheroldstatuesmayhaveexistedinOrofenafromwhichtheidolwascopied。Orsomedaringandimpiousspiritmayhavefoundhiswaytothecaveinpastagesandfashionedthelocalgoduponthisancientmodel。

Bickleywasstruckatonce，asIhadbeen，withtheresemblanceofthefiguretothatoftheEgyptianOsiris。Ofcoursethereweredifferences。Forinstance，insteadofthecrookandthescourge，thisdivinityheldatorch。Again，inplaceofthecrownofEgyptitworeawingedhead—dress，thoughitistruethiswasnotveryfarremovedfromthewingeddiscofthatcountry。Thewingsthatsprangfromitsshoulders，however，suggestedBabyloniaratherthanEgypt，ortheAssyrianbullsthataresimilarlyadorned。Allofthesesymbolicalideasmighthavebeentakenfromthatfigure。Butwhatwasit？Whatwasit？

Inaflashtheanswercametome。ArepresentationofthespiritofDeath！Neithermorenorless。Therewastheshroud；

therethecold，inscrutablecountenancesuggestingmysteriesthatithid。Butthetorchandthewings？Well，thetorchwasthatwhichlightedsoulstotheotherworld，andonthewingstheyflewthither。Whoeverfashionedthatstatuehopedforanotherlife，orsoIwasconvinced。

Iexplainedmyideas。Bastinthoughtthemfancifulandpreferredhisnotionofaflyingman，sincebyconstitutionhewasunabletodiscoveranythingspiritualinanyreligionexcepthisown。Bickleyagreedthatitwasprobablyanallegoricalrepresentationofdeathbutsniffedatmyinterpretationofthewingsandthetorch，sincebyconstitutionhecouldnotbelievethatthefollyofabeliefinimmortalitycouldhavedevelopedsoearlyintheworld，thatis，amongahighlycivilisedpeoplesuchasmusthaveproducedthisstatue。

Whatwecouldnoneofusunderstandwaswhythisominousimagewithitsdead，coldfaceshouldhavebeenplacedinanaerodrome，norinfactdidweeverdiscover。Possiblyitwastherelongbeforethecavewasputtothisuse。Atfirsttheplacemayhavebeenatempleandhavesoremaineduntilcircumstancesforcedtheworshipperstochangetheirhabits，oreventheirFaith。

Weexaminedthiswondrousworkandthepedestalonwhichitstoodascloselyaswewereablebythedimlightofourcandles。