登陆注册
25538400000064

第64章 THE BURYING ALIVE OF NAIS(1)

There is no denying that the wishes of Phorenice were carried into quick effect in the city of Atlantis. Her modern theory was that the country and all therein existed only for the good of the Empress, and when she had a desire, no cost could possibly be too great in its carrying out.

She had given forth her edict concerning the burying alive of Nais, and though the words were that I was to build the throne of stone, it was an understood thing that the manual labour was to be done for me by others. Heralds made the proclamation in every ward of the city, and masons, labourers, stonecutters, sculptors, engineers, and architects took hands from whatever was occupying them for the moment, and hastened to the rendezvous. The architects chose a chief who gave directions, and the lesser architects and the engineers saw these carried into effect. Any material within the walls of the city on which they set their seal, was taken at once without payment or compensation; and as the blocks of stone they chose were the most monstrous that could be got, they were forced to demolish no few buildings to give them passage.

I have before spoken of the modern rage for erecting new palaces and pyramids, and even though at the moment an army of rebels was battering with war engines at the city walls, the building guilds were steadily at work, and their skill (with Phorenice's marvellous invention to aid them) was constantly on the increase. True, they could not move such massive blocks of stone as those which the early Gods planted for the sacred circle of our Lord the Sun, but they had got rams and trucks and cranes which could handle amazing bulks.

The throne was to be erected in the open square before the royal pyramid. Seven tiers of stone were there for a groundwork, each a knee-height deep, and each cut in the front with three steps. In the uppermost layer was a cavity made to hold the body of Nais, and above this was poised the vast block which formed the seat of the throne itself.

Throughout the night, to the light of torches, relay after relay of the stonecutters, and the masons, and the sweating labourers had toiled over bringing up the stone and dressing it into fit shape, and laying it in due position; and the engineers had built machines for lifting, and the architects had proved that each stone lay in its just and perfect place. Whips cracked, and men fainted with the labour, but so soon as one was incapable another pressed forward into his place. No delay was brooked when Phorenice had said her wish.

And finally, as the square began to fill with people come to gape at the pageant of to-day, the chippings and the scaffolding were cleared away, and with it the bodies of some half-score of workmen who had died from accidents or their exertions during the building, and there stood the throne, splendid in its carvings, and all ready for completion. The lower part stood more than two man-heights above the ground, and no stone of its courses weighed less than twenty men; the upper part was double the weight of any of these, and was carved so that the royal snake encircled the chair, and the great hooded head overshadowed it. But at present the upper part was not on its bed, being held up high by lifting rams, for what purposes all men knew.

It was to face this scene, then, that I came out from the royal pyramid at the summons of the chamberlains in the cool of next morning. Each great man who had come there before me had banner-bearers and trumpeters to proclaim his presence; the middle classes were in all their bravery of apparel; and even poor squalid creatures, with ribs of hunger showing through their dusty skins, had turbans and wisps of colour wrapped about their heads to mark the gaiety of the day.

The trumpets proclaimed my coming, and the people shouted welcome, and with the gorgeous chamberlains walking backwards in advance, I went across to a scarlet awning that had been prepared, and took my seat upon the cushions beneath it.

And then came Phorenice, my bride that was to be that day, fresh from sleep, and glorious in her splendid beauty. She was borne out from the pyramid in an open litter of gold and ivory by fantastic savages from Europe, her own refinement of feature being thrown up into all the higher relief by contrast with their brutish ugliness. One could hear the people draw a deep breath of delight as their eyes first fell upon her; and it is easy to believe there was not a man in that crowd which thronged the square who did not envy me her choice, nor was there a soul present (unless Ylga was there somewhere veiled) who could by any stretch imagine that I was not overjoyed in winning so lovely a wife.

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 硅谷禁书1

    硅谷禁书1

    《硅谷禁书》(THEMASTERKEYSYSTEM)是一本奇书,由作者在1912年创作出版,当时销售了20多万册,1933年起,它奇迹般的从市场上消失了,原因是很多成功的商人不愿意让更多的人看到此书,而担心更多人因此书而创富。这些商人联合起来,让美国教会查禁了这本书。这本书是硅谷最神奇的成功奇书,早年,这本书的手抄本甚至炒到3000多美金,几乎所有硅谷的亿万富翁都阅读过此书,世界首富比尔·盖茨在哈佛大学上学时,因为偶然的机会读到此书,立即决定弃学从商,从而创造了软件帝国的神话。美国成功学之父拿破仑?希尔因为得到本书的启示成为成功学大师。
  • 火影之绝对力量

    火影之绝对力量

    在被哥哥大筒木舍人击败并夺取力量之后,大筒木樱空流落原界之中。当他成长为一个能够独当一面的强者时,大筒木舍人企图前来毁灭人界。面对哥哥的绝对力量,他该作何选择?是对抗?还是臣服?新书《大王万岁》已上传,又名《火影之绝对力量2》
  • 跑男之轻松时刻

    跑男之轻松时刻

    是他们的轻松时刻,也是你们的轻松时刻,你笑了,就成功了...
  • 我曾站在你身旁

    我曾站在你身旁

    想写一本书的想法其实很早就有了。只是一直都在自我怀疑中,信心飘摇不定。在几年前,打算创业期间。我已经开始写一些关于高中初期的文章发表在了自己的空间博客中。如今想要完成这本书的时候,也是一之前写的那几篇做基础。但相比之下,如今我敢肯定自己要比几年的写的更好一些。至于好的程度如何,便不得而知了。想起来要写这书的时候。我犹豫了好久。因为书中会涉及到一些以前的同学或者恋人,老师。其中不乏一些比较隐私的事情。主要担心写着书会不会给那些人们在当前生活中带来一些困扰。如果是那样就得不偿失了。但后来想想我才智平庸,又缺乏想象能力。想要写出一本杜撰的小说,对于我这样不曾有基础的人来说,犹如登蜀道一般。
  • 穿越之红颜清梦

    穿越之红颜清梦

    前一世,她成全了心爱人的背叛,不料却被命运送到大清朝,康熙年间,她被送入宫中,一名小小宫女竟在这五尺红墙内玩的风生水起,太后妃嫔争相抢着赏她宝贝,就连皇上也毫不吝啬的写下大清第一才女的牌匾送她,皇子争相对她示好,奈何佳人早已心有所属。
  • 鸿鸣于渊

    鸿鸣于渊

    八方烟云聚此生,尘世众生尽萧鸣。草根担得英雄胆,天下无双当展鸿!他,没有韩山平无上的权利,功横四野。他,没有周星驰搞笑的天赋,笑翻天下。他,没有某些人雄厚的家境,纵横银屏。他,凭自己的努力,一步一脚印走上影坛巅峰。笑看主角如何从一个群众演员一步一步,最终成为演艺界传说中的存在……
  • 寻旅之程

    寻旅之程

    她是受宠的妃子,本以为皇上是爱她的,却被狠狠地欺骗,一朝跌下悬崖,成为回煞门的门主……复仇计划养成,本已经复仇了一部分,但怎奈敌人太强大,这时某位君主大人拍了拍衣服,“娘子,不够我来。”
  • 后悔,爱上你

    后悔,爱上你

    她,二十二岁,离过一次婚,带着孩子坚强的生活……他,十九岁,没有过任何的感情经历……本应没有交集的两个人,却因为网络,一步步的掉进这爱情的深渊。爱情,或许对于别人来说,很平凡,但在他们的身上……却有着层层的阻隔。年龄的差异,她离过婚的事实,观念,流言,父母的阻隔,朋友们的极力反对……一切的一切都成了这段爱情的围栏。最重要的,是他们生活在农村……但爱情这东西,就像是一场“大病”,“病”来如山倒,“病”去如抽丝,谁又能解释的清呢?重重阻碍,步步为艰,这份感情,又该如何继续?这里,没有总裁,没有异能,没有重生........只有最底层,最真实,最接近真实生活的爱情,最让你意外的结局
  • 九霄神界

    九霄神界

    一个炎黄时期医术高超的人才,因误食一枚不知名黑色果实,穿越到了神魔大陆,他猥琐冷静,扮猪吃老虎,各路美女通通揽入怀中,开创了属于他的世界
  • 产后养生宜忌

    产后养生宜忌

    我们都知道妇女在产后一般身体都比较虚弱,这个时候我们都建议妇女要多进补,但是同时我们也知道因为身体的虚弱所有也需要忌口。