地下墓穴（12）（在线收听）

Their footsteps sounded loud and crisp upon the rough stone paving of the disappointing road which is all that is left of the most famous highway of the world. A peasant or two going home from the wine-shop, and a few carts of country produce coming up to Rome, were the only things which they met. They swung along, with the huge tombs looming up through the darkness upon each side of them, until they had come as far as the Catacombs of St. Calistus, and saw against a rising moon the great circular bastion of Cecilia Metella in front of them. Then Burger stopped with his hand to his side.

“Your legs are longer than mine, and you are more accustomed to walking,” said he, laughing. “I think that the place where we turn off is somewhere here. Yes, this is it, round the corner of the trattoria. Now, it is a very narrow path, so perhaps I had better go in front and you can follow.”

He had lit his lantern, and by its light they were enabled to follow a narrow and devious track which wound across the marshes of the Campagna. The great Aqueduct of old Rome lay like a monstrous caterpillar across the moonlit landscape, and their road led them under one of its huge arches, and past the circle of crumbling bricks which marks the old arena. At last Burger stopped at a solitary wooden cow-house, and he drew a key from his pocket.

“Surely your catacomb is not inside a house!” cried Kennedy.

在这条世界最著名的街道，他们的脚步踏在粗糙的石板地上，发出清脆的响声，一两个农夫在酒馆喝完酒回家，几辆大车装满农作物向罗马驶去，这些就是他们所看见的全部了，两人大步往前走着，黑暗中，两旁隐约可见一些巨大的坟墓，他们一直走到圣卡里斯图斯墓地，在月光的映衬下，圆形的西西莉亚梅泰拉城堡出现在他们面前。伯格停下脚步。

“你的腿比我的长，而且你习惯步行，"他笑着说。“我觉得到这儿应该拐弯了。对，就是这儿，在饮食店旁边。这条小路很窄，最好我在前面走，你在后面跟着。”

他把油灯点燃，借着灯光可以看见沼泽地里一条狭窄、曲折的小路，古罗马时代的沟渠像一条怪异的大毛虫在月光下每。沿着小路走，他们经过一座巨大的拱门，又经过一个圆形的废墟，本来是古代的竟技场。最后，在一个孤零零的木头牛棚前，伯格停下了，从衣袋出一把钥匙。

“入口就在这儿。有牛棚做掩护，别人很难发现。”