地下墓穴（14）（在线收听）

“I had some very narrow escapes at first, but I have gradually learned to go about. There is a certain system to it, but it is one which a lost man, if he were in the dark, could not possibly find out. Even now I always spin out a ball of string behind me when I am going far into the catacomb. You can see for yourself that it is difficult, but every one of these passages divides and subdivides a dozen times before you go a hundred yards.”

They had descended some twenty feet from the level of the byre, and they were standing now in a square chamber cut out of the soft tufa. The lantern cast a flickering light, bright below and dim above, over the cracked brown walls. In every direction were the black openings of passages which radiated from this common centre.

“I want you to follow me closely, my friend,” said Burger. “Do not loiter to look at anything upon the way, for the place to which I will take you contains all that you can see, and more. It will save time for us to go there direct.”

He led the way down one of the corridors, and the Englishman followed closely at his heels. Every now and then the passage bifurcated, but Burger was evidently following some secret marks of his own, for he neither stopped nor hesitated. Everywhere along the walls, packed like the berths upon an emigrant ship, lay the Christians of old Rome. The yellow light flickered over the shrivelled features of the mummies, and gleamed upon rounded skulls and long, white armbones crossed over fleshless chests. And everywhere as he passed Kennedy looked with wistful eyes upon inscriptions, funeral vessels, pictures, vestments, utensils, all lying as pious hands had placed them so many centuries ago. It was apparent to him, even in those hurried, passing glances, that this was the earliest and finest of the catacombs, containing such a storehouse of Roman remains as had never before come at one time under the observation of the student.

“最初我差点没出来，慢慢摸索，才发现有某种规律，但是一个迷路的人如果在黑暗中，是不可能发现的。就是现在，我要到墓穴深处的话，也一定在入口拴一条线，拉着另一头往下走。你知道，这样做很麻烦，可是你往里走不到一百步就会发现，这些通道每一个都有许多岔道，岔道中又有许多小岔道，”

两人从牛棚里的洞口往地下走了大约二十英尺深，来到一个方形房间，这房间显然是在松软的石灰岩中凿出来的。油灯的光亮闪烁不定，照在褐色的墙壁上，下明上暗。

四面八方全是黑的通道入口一—这里就是中心了。

“我的朋友，你可要紧紧跟着我，"伯格说。“一路上不要停住脚步四处张望，因为我将带你去的地方有的是好东西，足够你看的。咱们尽快赶过去，”

他在前面带路，走下一个通道，英国人紧紧跟在后面。

不时地，通道出现分岔，而伯格丝毫没有犹豫和停顿，显然他已经做过某种秘密标记。两边墙壁上到处都放着古罗马基督徒的尸体，一个挨一个，就像轮船上的卧铺。摇曳的淡黄色灯光照在这些木乃伊的干枯的脸上，圆圆的头颅上，如柴的手臂交叉放在枯瘦的胸上。肯尼迪每到一处，都用贪婪的目光扫视着碑铭，随葬的器皿、画图、衣物、用具，许多许多年前，虔诚的手把它们放在那儿，此后再没有被人动过，尽管是在匆匆的行进中，他也能一眼看出这个墓穴属于最早期的、保存最好的一个，如此规模的古罗马遗物就连这位学者也是第一次见识。