In a flash the answer came to me.  A representation of the spirit of Death!  Neither more nor less.  There was the shroud; there the cold, inscrutable countenance suggesting mysteries that it hid.  But the torch and the wings?  Well, the torch was that which lighted souls to the other world, and on the wings they flew thither.  Whoever fashioned that statue hoped for another life, or so I was convinced.

I explained my ideas.  Bastin thought them fanciful and preferred his notion of a flying man, since by constitution he was unable to discover anything spiritual in any religion except his own.  Bickley agreed that it was probably an allegorical representation of death but sniffed at my interpretation of the wings and the torch, since by constitution he could not believe that the folly of a belief in immortality could have developed so early in the world, that is, among a highly civilised people such as must have produced this statue.

What we could none of us understand was why this ominous image with its dead, cold face should have been placed in an aerodrome, nor in fact did we ever discover.  Possibly it was there long before the cave was put to this use.  At first the place may have been a temple and have so remained until circumstances forced the worshippers to change their habits, or even their Faith.

We examined this wondrous work and the pedestal on which it stood as closely as we were able by the dim light of our candles.  I was anxious to go further and see what lay beyond it; indeed we did walk a few paces, twenty perhaps, onward into the recesses of the cave.

Then Bickley discovered something that looked like the mouth of a well down which he nearly tumbled, and Bastin began to complain that he was hot and very thirsty; also to point out that he wished for no more caves and idols at present.

“Look here, Arbuthnot,” said Bickley, “these candles are burning low and we don’t want to use up more if we can prevent it, for we may need what we have got very badly later on.  Now, according to my pocket compass the mouth of this cave points due east; probably at the beginning it was orientated to the rising sun for purposes of astronomical observation or of worship at certain periods of the year.  From the position of the sun when we landed on the rock this morning I imagine that just now it rises almost exactly opposite to the mouth of the cave.  If this is so, to-morrow at dawn, for a time at least, the light should penetrate as far as the statue, and perhaps further.  What I suggest is that we should wait till then to explore.”

I agreed with him, especially as I was feeling tired, being exhausted by wonder, and wanted time to think.  So we turned back.  As we did so I missed Tommy and inquired anxiously where he was, being afraid lest he might have tumbled down the well-like hole.

“He’s all right,” said Bastin.  “I saw him sniffing at the base of that statue.  I expect there is a rat in there, or perhaps a snake.”