Page:Weird Tales Volume 6 Number 4 (1925-10).djvu/43

Monty was standing a little in front of us, on the stone path, facing the pyramid. He was holding one hand before his eyes, the other was stretched outward, palm up. He looked immovable, and suddenly seemed to have acquired a new dignity. There was something about the whole attitude I did not like.

"Monty," I called sharply. He seemed to come out of a half-dream and turned obediently to me. His face was more animated than I had ever seen it before.

"Look," he pointed to the city, "I told you; and I have brought you." He beamed in a self-satisfied way. All traces of dignity were gone. I patted him on the back.

"I'm sorry I said I didn't believe you. You've done very well. I'll give you a gun, too."

He grinned, then ordered the bearers to follow him. They were as stolid as ever; the discovery of a new city was nothing to them. They led the way down the path. Dan and I followed. That path cut straight through the grasses as cleanly as if it had been laid the week before.

An archway in the wall introduced us to the city. It was the typical Mayan pointed arch; but executed with a new grace, a new poise. Then I saw why the city was not overgrown. It was paved; the whole city was paved with slabs cemented together. There was no possible foothold even for grass. It looked swept and garnished and uncannily bare. There were no streets as we know them, and the houses were placed irregularly. Twisting between them we made our way to the central square. It was almost an eighth of a mile on a side and empty except for the pyramid in the center. This stood to the four points of the compass and was at least four hundred feet high. It was flat on the top like those of Yucatan, but its base resembled the pyramids of Egypt, only the blocks were not so large and were highly carved. On the west side was a stairway mounting to the platform.

It was nearly sunset. I ordered Monty to occupy one of the temples on the west side of the square and prepare supper and sleeping quarters. The whole square was in gray shadow, but the top of the pyramid was golden when Dan and I finally climbed the 499 steps to the platform. It was square, about sixty by sixty. In the center was a temple. The walls were about twelve feet high and were made of huge stones carved in high relief. The one door was toward the west. Suddenly I wanted to go in that door more than I had ever wanted to do anything else. One part of my brain urged me in, another, a larger part, held me back.

"You get an awfully good view," said Dan, casually glancing over the city, "but I want to see what's inside."

So did I. I put my hand on his arm and we entered together. It was quite plain inside, no carving of any kind. Something urged me forward. We took a step. Then I looked down.

"Look out," I yelled and jumped back, dragging Dan. At our feet yawned a black hole. It was octagonal in shape and at least fifteen feet across. The floor sloped down a trifle and was worn very smooth.

"How funny!" Dan was interested but not alarmed. "Let's look down." He lay on his face and crawled forward. I held on to his feet and he put his face over the edge.

"Can't see a thing." His voice was muffled, then thrown back and forth from the sides of the well until it became a chorus of hoarse unintelligible boomings. "Pull me back!"

I jerked him away. He rose. His face was quite pale.