It might have been long ago; or it might have been recently.

If, however, others had been to the tomb, it was probable that the lamps had been taken long ago.

Well! all the more difficult would be my search; for undertaken it must be! "That was nearly three years ago; and for all that time I have been like the man in the Arabian Nights, seeking old lamps, not for new, but for cash.

I dared not say what I was looking for, or attempt to give any description; for such would have defeated my purpose.

But I had in my own mind at the start a vague idea of what I must find.