He felt very near to the subterranean deities.
It was as the joy of one of the Kabiri; and the great luminous rays striking upon his face looked like the extremity of an invisible net linking him across the abysses with the centre of the world.
A thought came which made him shudder, and placing himself behind the idol he walked straight up to the wall.

Then among the tattooings on his arm he scrutinised a horizontal line with two other perpendicular ones which in Chanaanitish figures expressed the number thirteen.

Then he counted as far as the thirteenth of the brass plates and again raised his ample sleeve; and with his right hand stretched out he read other more complicated lines on his arm, at the same time moving his fingers daintily about like one playing on a lyre.

At last he struck seven blows with his thumb, and an entire section of the wall turned about in a single block.
It served to conceal a sort of cellar containing mysterious things which had no name and were of incalculable value.

Hamilcar went down the three steps, took up a llama's skin which was floating on a black liquid in a silver vat, and then re-ascended.
Abdalonim again began to walk before him.