They were very soon below the surface of the ground, and traversing broadly cut steps that led them at a downward angle straight towards the face of the precipice overlooking the desert. They knew when they had reached within six feet from the rock front, from the turn they took, also by the increased light. This, with sufficient fresh air to keep the tunnel sweet, had been made by perforating loop-holes in the solid rocks. Ninety-eight steps they counted, as they went downward, of a foot and a half each in depth. Then suddenly the stairs terminated, while the passage widened out until it formed another great hall underground, of about two-thirds the size of the apartment over their heads. They stood and looked about them with increased astonishment. CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN. IN THE PALACE OF THE DEAD. The labour of hewing this immense underground chamber from the solid rock must have been prodigious, unless originally the excavators had found natural caverns here. But this was not what astonished our heroes, so much as the artistic ingenuity and care which had been expended here. In the hall above, the severely plain walls had been frescoed by the painter's art. Here the sculptor had displayed his mystic and religious skill with bold as well as intricate designs. From floor to ceiling, all along, the walls were carved. There were also outstanding rose-tinted and white granite massive pillars of colossean and upright figures, with elaborate ornamental capitals on their heads, representing head-dresses of flowers, fruit, and grain, or coiled snakes. At the feet of these huge figures were other symbols to serve as bases. As these pillars were carved in almost full relief, they formed deep niches between each, which were shelved up from floor to ceiling with thick ledges, also cut from the rock. The edges of these shelves were most intricate in their symbolic sculptures. The ceiling, likewise, was closely covered with designs of a sacred character in bold relief, while even the floor was a mass of smooth and polished carving. The effect of all this subtle and bold work was extraordinarily rich in the subdued light that filtered in from the one side, making deep and rich shadows. Never had our heroes looked upon anything so profusely beautiful and mysterious. Yet it was not the carving only that made them gasp with admiring wonder. All over the sculptures gleamed sparkles of gold, chased and burnished. These glittered in all parts, sometimes in broad veins and clusters, in other places in star-like specks or thready lines. Going over to one of these clusters, Ned discovered that they had not been inlaid, as he at first supposed, but were natural veins of virgin ore, utilised as they occurred, by the cunning artificers.