Page:Ayesha, the return of She (IA cu31924013476175).pdf/310

298 stretcher between them an ingot of iron ore that seemed to be as much as they could lift.

Now, she said, how wilt thou that I mark this mass which as thou must admit is only iron? With the sign of Life? Good, and at her bidding the priests took cold-chisels and hammers and roughly cut upon its surface the symbol of the looped cross—the crux ansata.

It is not enough, she said when they had finished. Holly, lend me that knife of thine, to-morrow I will return it to thee, and of more value.

So I drew my hunting knife, an Indian-made thing, that had a handle of plated iron, and gave it her.

Thou knowest the marks on it, and she pointed to various dents and to the maker's name upon the blade; for though the hilt was Indian work the steel was of Sheffield manufacture.

I nodded. Then she bade the priests put on the ray-proof armour that we had discarded, and told us to go without the chamber and lie in the darkness of the passage with our faces against the floor.

This we did, and remained so until, a few minutes later, she called us again. We rose and returned into the chamber to find the priests, who had removed the protecting garments, gasping and rubbing the salve upon their eyes; to find also that the lump of iron ore and my knife were gone. Next she commanded them to place the block of gold-coloured metal upon their stretcher and to bring it with them. They obeyed, and we noted that, although those priests were both of them strong men they groaned beneath its weight.

How came it, said Leo, that thou, a woman, couldst carry what these men find so heavy?

It is one of the properties of that force which thou callest fire, she answered sweetly, to make what has been exposed to it, if for a little while only, as light as thistle-down. Else, how could I, who am so frail, have borne yonder block of gold?