THE KILLING OF THE GREY BEAR 183 



awesome in its grandeur. Nature had outdone the art 

 of any architect. 



The place was roughly cruciform, and piled blocks of 

 dark stone formed aisles and porches. Storm-beaten 

 columnar rocks gloomed through the shadows. Gothic 

 arches spanned the intersections of the accurately- 

 placed transepts, and between the overhanging gables 

 the wind sobbed a turbulent De Profundis. 



How I should have loved to see the silver glory of a 

 harvest moon strike through the roofless choir and 

 light the way across the mysterious sanctuary ! No 

 Tintern, or Furness, or Fountains Abbey could com- 

 pare with this careless monument, for the work was 

 Nature's own, and therefore flawless. 



I wondered if any other human beings had ever found 

 the stately wilderness or were we its first explorers. 

 It was completely terra incognita to our servant. 



Ali Ghirik intimated his intention of turning back 

 ere we met the High Priest of the strange cathedral. 

 All along the way he had been inviting the Prophet to 

 guide his steps, and now the eerie glamour was too 

 much for him, he lost faith in his Allah, and would 

 guide himself. 



" Go by all means, Ali, if you are afraid," said 

 Cecily scornfully. Voice intonations, however, mean 

 nothing to the uneducated. 



It was almost too late ! From a little eminence, 

 perhaps three feet higher than the stones on which we 

 stood, a stretched neck peered down at us, grotesque 

 in the shadows, a gargoyle to add the finishing 

 touch. 



