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she-第21部分

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would certainly have given a kiss for her splendid 
behavior in saving my dear boy's life at the risk of 
her own。 But Ustane was not the sort of young person 
with whom one would care to take liberties unless one 
were perfectly certain that they would not be 
misunderstood; so I repressed my inclinations。 Then; 
bruised and battered; but with a sense of safety in my 
breast to which I had for some days been a stranger; I 
crept off to my own little sepulchre; not forgetting 
before I laid down in it to thank Providence from the 
bottom of my heart that it was not a sepulchre indeed; 
as; were it not for a merciful combination of events 
that I can only attribute to its protection; it would 
certainly have been for me that night。 Few men have 
been nearer their end and yet escaped it than we were 
on that dreadful day。

I am a bad sleeper at the best of times; and my dreams 
that night; when at last I got to rest; were not of 
the pleasantest。 The awful vision of poor Mahomed 
struggling to escape the red…hot pot would haunt them; 
and then in the background; as it were; a veiled form 
was always hovering; which; from time to time; seemed 
to draw the coverings from its body; revealing now the 
perfect shape of a lovely blooming woman; and now 
again the white bones of a grinning skeleton; and 
which; as it veiled and unveiled; uttered the 
mysterious and apparently meaningless sentence:

〃That which is alive hath known death; and that which 
is dead yet can never die; for in the Circle of the 
Spirit life is naught and death is naught。 Yea; all 
things live forever; though at times they sleep and 
are forgotten。〃

The morning came at last; but when it came I found 
that I was too stiff and sore to rise。 About seven Job 
arrived; limping terribly; and with his face the color 
of a rotten apple; and told me that Leo had slept 
fairly; but was very weak。 Two hours afterwards 
Billali (Job called him 〃Billy…goat;〃 to which indeed 
his white beard gave him some resemblance; or more 
familiarly 〃Billy〃) came too; bearing a lamp in his 
hand; his towering form reaching nearly to the roof of 
the little chamber。 I pretended to be asleep; and 
through the cracks of my eyelids watched his sardonic 
but handsome old face。 He fixed his hawk…like eyes 
upon me; and stroked his glorious white beard; which; 
by the way; would have been worth a hundred a year to 
any London barber as an advertisement。

〃Ah!〃 I heard him mutter (Billali had a habit of 
muttering to himself); 〃he is uglyugly as the other 
is beautifula very Baboon; it was a good name。 But I 
like the man。 Strange now; at my age; that I should 
like a man。 What says the proverb'Mistrust all men; 
and slay him whom thou mistrustest overmuch; and as 
for women; flee from them; for they are evil; and in 
the end will destroy thee。' It is a good proverb; 
especially the last part of it; I think it must have 
come down from the ancients。 Nevertheless I like this 
Baboon; and I wonder where they taught him his tricks; 
and I trust that _i_ She _i_ will not bewitch him。 
Poor Baboon! he must be wearied after that fight。 I 
will go; lest I should awake him。〃

I waited till he had turned and was nearly through the 
entrance; walking softly on tiptoe; and then I called 
after him。

〃My father;〃 I said; 〃is it thou?〃 

〃Yes; my son; it is I; but let me not disturb thee。 I 
did but come to see how thou didst fare; and to tell 
thee that those who; would have slain thee; my Baboon; 
are by now well on their road to _i_ She _i_ 。 _i_ She 
_i_ said that ye also were to come at once; but I fear 
ye cannot yet。〃

〃Nay;〃 I said; 〃not till we have recovered a little; 
but have me borne out into the daylight; I pray thee; 
my father。 I love not this place。〃

〃Ah; no;〃 he answered; 〃it hath a sad air。 I remember 
when I was a boy I found the body of a fair woman 
lying where thou liest now; yes; on that very bench。 
She was so beautiful that I was wont to creep in 
hither with a lamp and gaze upon her。 Had it not been 
for her cold hands; almost could I think that she 
slept and would one day awake; so fair and peaceful 
was she in her robes of white。 White was she; too; and 
her hair was yellow and lay down her almost to the 
feet。 There are many such still in the tombs at the 
place where _i_ She _i_ is for those who set them 
there had a way I know naught of; whereby to keep 
their beloved out of the crumbling hand of Decay; even 
when Death had slain them。 Ay; day by day I came 
hither; and gazed on her till at last; laugh not at 
me; stranger; for I was but a silly lad; I learned to 
love that dead form; that shell which once had held a 
life that no more is。 I would creep up to her and kiss 
her cold face; and wonder how many men had lived and 
died since she was; and who had loved her and embraced 
her in the days that long had passed away。 And; my 
Baboon; I think I learned wisdom from that dead one; 
for of a truth it taught me of the littleness of life; 
and the length of death; and how all things that are 
under the sun go down one path; and are forever 
forgotten。 And so I mused; and it seemed to me that 
wisdom flowed into me from the dead; till one day my 
mother; a watchful woman; but hasty minded; seeing I 
was changed; followed me; and saw the beautiful white 
one; and feared that I was bewitched; as; indeed; I 
was。 So half in dread; and half in anger; she took the 
lamp; and; standing the dead woman up against the wall 
there; set fire to her hair; and she burned fiercely; 
even down to the feet; for those who are thus kept 
burn excellently well。 

〃See; my son; there on the roof is yet the smoke of 
her burning。〃

I looked up doubtfully; and there; sure enough; on the 
roof of the sepulchre was a peculiarly unctuous and 
sooty mark; three feet or more across。 Doubtless it 
had in the course of years been rubbed off the sides 
of the little cave; but on the roof it remained; and 
there was no mistaking its appearance。 

〃She burned;〃 he went on in a meditative way; 〃even to 
the feet; but the feet I came back and saved; cutting 
the burned bone from them; and hid them under the 
stone bench there; wrapped up in a piece of linen。 
Surely; I remember it as though it were but yesterday。 
Perchance they are there if none have found them; even 
to this hour。 Of truth I have not entered this chamber 
from that time to this very day。 Stay; I will look; 
and; kneeling down; he groped about with his long arm 
in the recess under the。 stone bench。 Presently his 
face brightened; and with an exclamation he pulled 
something forth that was caked in dust; which he shook 
on to the floor。 It was covered with the remains of a 
rotting rag; which he undid; and revealed to my 
astonished gaze a beautifully shaped and almost white 
woman's foot; looking as fresh and firm as though it 
had but now been placed there。

〃Thou seest; my son; the Baboon;〃 he said; in a sad 
voice; 〃I spake the truth to thee; for here is yet one 
foot remaining。 Take it; my son; and gaze upon it。〃

I took this cold fragment of…mortality in my hand and 
looked at it in the light of the lamp with feelings 
which I cannot describe; so mixed up were they between 
astonishment; fear; and fascination。 It was light; 
much lighter I should say than it had been in the 
living state; and the flesh to all appearance was 
still flesh; though about it there clung a faintly 
aromatic odor。 For the rest it was not shrunk or 
shriveled; or even black and unsightly; like the flesh 
of Egyptian mummies; but plump and fair; and; except 
where it had been slightly burned; perfect as on the 
day of deatha very triumph of embalming。

Poor little foot! I set it down upon the stone bench 
where it had lain for so many thousand years; and 
wondered whose was the beauty that it had upborne 
through the pomp and pageantry of a forgotten 
civilizationfirst as a merry child's; then as a 
blushing maid's; and lastly as a perfect woman's。 
Through what halls of Life had its soft step echoed; 
and in the end; with what courage had it trodden down 
the dusty ways of Death! To whose side had it stolen 
in the hush of night when the black slave slept upon 
the marble floor; and who had listened for its 
stealing? Shapely little foot! Well might it have been 
set upon the proud neck of a conqueror bent at last to 
woman's beauty; and well might the lips of nobles and 
of kings have been pressed upon its jewelled 
whiteness。

I wrapped up this relic of the past in the remnants of 
the old linen rag which had evidently formed a portion 
of its owner's grave…clothes; for it was partially 
burned; and put it away in my Gladstone bag; which I 
had bought at the Army and Navy Storesa strange 
combination; I thought。 Then with Billali's help I 
staggered off to see Leo。 I found him dreadfully 
bruised; worse even than myself; perhaps owing to the 
excessive whiteness of his skin; and faint and weak 
with the loss of blood from the flesh wound in his 
side; but for all that cheerful as a cricket; and 
asking for some breakfast。 Job and Ustane got him on 
to the bottom; or rather the s
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