as to know, I hardened my heart, and, stooping down,
entered the passage. When I say that it is less than four feet in
height, and of but little more than the same width, and that for the
first portion of the way the path slopes downward at an angle of
twenty-six degrees, some vague idea may be obtained of the unpleasant
place it is. But if I go on to add that the journey had to be undertaken
in total darkness, without any sort of knowledge of what lay before me,
or whether I should ever be able to find my way out again, the
foolhardiness of the undertaking will be even more apparent. Step by
step, and with a caution which I can scarcely exaggerate, I made my way
down the incline, trying every inch before I put my weight upon it and
feeling the walls carefully with either hand in order to make sure that
no other passages branched off to right or left. After I had been
advancing for what seemed an interminable period, but could not in
reality have been more than five minutes. I found myself brought to a
standstill by a solid wall of stone. For a moment I was at a loss how to
proceed. Then I found that there was a turn in the passage, and the
path, instead of continuing to descend, was beginning to work upward,
whereupon, still feeling my way as before, I continued my journey of
exploration. The heat was stifling, and more than once foul things, that
only could have been bats, flapped against my face and hands and sent a
cold shudder flying over me. Had I dared for a moment to think of the
immense quantity of stone that towered above me, or what my fate would
be had a stone fallen from its place and blocked the path behind me, I
believe I should have been lost for good and all. But, frightened as I
was, a greater terror was in store for me.

After I had been proceeding for some time along the passage, I found
that it was growing gradually higher. The air was cooler, and raising my
head cautiously in order not to bump it against the ceiling, I
discovered that I was able to stand upright. I lifted my hand, first a
few inches, and then to the full extent of my arm; but the roof was
still beyond my reach. I moved a little to my right in order to
ascertain if I could touch the wall, and then to the left. But once more
only air rewarded me. It was evident that I had left the passage and was
standing in some large apartment; but, since I knew nothing of the
interior of the Pyramid, I could not understand what it was or where it