The greatest pains were devoted to the maintenance of the water supply.  The rainfall from the roofs of the temples and houses was conducted to the reservoirs, and these stores were never drawn upon on ordinary occasions, the town being supplied with water brought by aqueducts from long distances among the hills.  Here and there openings were cut in the rock which formed the roof of the reservoirs, for the admission of air, and at a few points steps from the surface led down to the water.  Iron gates guarded the entrance to these.

Nessus and his friends had the evening before unfastened one of these gates.  The lock was old and little used, as the gate was placed rather to prevent children and others going down to the water than for any other purpose, and the Arabs had found little difficulty in picking the rough lock.

Malchus followed Nessus down the steps until he reached the edge of the water, some fifty feet below the surface.  Here stood two Arabs bearing torches.  At the foot of the steps floated the raft, formed, as Nessus had said, of four inflated sheepskins connected by a framework of planks.  Across these a bullock’s hide had been stretched, forming a platform.  On this were some rugs, a skin of wine, and a pile of flat cakes and fruit, together with half a dozen torches.

“Thanks, my friends!” Malchus said to the Arabs.  “Some day I may be able to prove that I am grateful to you.”

“The friends of Nessus are our friends,” one of the Arabs replied simply; “his lord is our master.”

“Here is a paddle, my lord,” Nessus said.  “I propose that you should paddle straight away as far as you can see a torch burning here; then that you should fasten the raft to a pillar.  Every other night I will come with provisions here and show a light.  If you see the light burn steadily it is safe for you to approach, and I come only to bring food or news; if you see the torch wave to and fro, it is a warning that they intend to search the reservoirs.  I do not think it likely they will do so; still it is best to be prepared, and in that case you must paddle far away in the recesses.  They might search for a long time before they find you.  I trust that your imprisonment here will not be long, but that we may hit upon some plan of getting you out of the citadel.  I would gladly go with you to share your solitude, but I must remain outside to plan some way of escape.”

With a short farewell to his faithful follower Malchus took his place on the raft, having lit a torch and fastened it upright upon it.  Then he paddled slowly away, keeping between the lines of heavy columns.  His rate of progress was slow, and for half an hour he kept the torch in sight.  By this time he felt sure that he must be approaching the boundary of the reservoir.  He therefore moored his raft against a pillar and waved his torch backwards and forwards.  The signal was answered by a similar movement of the distant light, which then disappeared.  Malchus now extinguished his own torch, placed the means of relighting it with which Nessus had furnished him close to his hand, and then, wrapping himself in a rug, lay down to sleep.