Page:Weird Tales Volume 09 Issue 02 (1927-02).djvu/77

  wrist—she began. Rhodes moved to her right side, I to her left.

Yes, there could be no mistaking that she had drawn the Tamahnowis Rocks. Then she drew a crevasse and two figures, plainly. Rhodes and myself, going down into it. That was clear as the day. Then sh. put those figures that were Rhodes and I into the tunnel, and presto, with a wave of the hand, she brought them down to that very spot where we were standing. Clear again, lovely Sibyl. What next? More figures, and more and more.; and were they too coming down the tunnel? Yes, at last it all was plain, at last we wise numskulls understood her.

Were we alone?

Rhodes made it clear to her that we were. But he did not stop there; he proceeded to make it clear to her that we only knew the secret. She was some time in understanding this; but when she did understand it, what a look was that which passed across her lovely Sibylline features!

"Great heaven," said I to myself, "lie's gone and done it now!"

The look was one of joy, the look of a soul triumphant. In a moment, however, it was gone; her features were only lovely, impassive.

But the thoughts and the feelings which that strange look of hers had aroused were not gone. I felt a shudder pass to my heart. Of a truth, this woman was dreadful.

I glanced at Rhodes; I thought that even he looked grave and troubled. Well, so I thought, might he be!

I said nothing, however, until the angel had rejoined her companions. Then: "There can be not the slightest doubt that they look with great fear upon the coming of people from that world above, a world as mysterious, I suppose, to them, as this subterranean world of theirs is to us. And, now that they know that they have the great secret also when they have you and me—well, Milton, old tillicum, I think it will indeed be strange if either of us ever again casts a shadow in the sun."

"It may be so, Bill," he said soberly. "I did pot think of that when I told her. Still, who knows? Certainly not I. It is possible, indeed probable, it seems to me, that We may do them, her, Bill, a harsh injustice."

"I sincerely hope so."

That grave look left his face, and he smiled at me,

"And, besides, Billy me lad, maybe we won 't ever want to return to that world we have left—that world so full of ignorance, and yet so full of knowledge and science too; that world so cruel, and yet sometimes so strangely kind; that world so full of hate and mad passion, and yet with ideals and aspirations so very noble and lofty. Yes, who knows, Bill? It is possible that we may not want to return."

Was it significant, or was it purely casual? I could not decide. But Rhodes' gaze was now on the angel. And, whilst I stood pondering, she turned and signed to us that they stood in readiness to proceed.

She raised a hand and pointed down the cavern, in some subtle manner making it clear that she was pointing to something far, very far away.

"Drome!" she said.

"Drome," nodded Milton Rhodes.

He turned to me.

"Ready, Bill?"

"Ready," I told him.

And so we started.