Part 39 (2/2)

We left the men to set up camp- no easy task on ground so littered with debris- and went on another hundred yards to where the royal wadi led northward A few minutes' walking brought us to the spot.

After a moment Cyrus spoke in a soft, contemplative voice. ”There is something about the place . . . What was he really like, that strange, enigmatic figure? What did he really believe?”

I knew by Emerson's expression that he was not unmoved, but when he replied his voice was harshly practical. ”More to the point are the mysteries of the tomb itself. Akhenaton was interred there, I would stake my reputation upon it. Fragments of his burial equipment, including the sarcophagus, have been found. That ma.s.sive, hard stone object was smashed to bits, few of the pieces are larger than five centimeters across. No tomb robber would expend such effort. The vandals must have been enemies of the king, driven by hatred and the desire for revenge. Did they also destroy his mummy, or had it been transferred to a safer place, along with the rest of his burial equipment, when the city was abandoned?

”The second of his daughters died young, before there was time to prepare a separate tomb for her. Fragments of another sarcophagus which must have been hers have also been found here. I don't doubt she was buried in the rooms which were decorated with the scenes of her parents mourning over her body.

”But what of Nefert.i.ti? There is only one sarcophagus emplacement in the burial chamber. The separate suite of rooms leading off from the entrance corridor may have been meant for her burial, but it was never completed and not a fragment of her funerary equipment has turned up in or near the tomb.”

”What about the jewelry Mond bought in 1883?” Cyrus asked. ”There was a ring with her name- ”

”That,” said Emerson dogmatically, ”was part- a very minute part- of her husband's rich equipment. Those bits and pieces were pocketed- I speak figuratively, of course- by one of those who transferred the mummy of Akhenaton to another tomb or by the vandals who destroyed the sarcophagus. The former hypothesis seems most likely The sarcophagus was too heavy to be moved, but the coffined body and the equipment buried with it-jars of oil and food clothing furniture, ornaments-were taken away. The jewelry acquired by Mond was purchased from local villagers. The ancient thief hid his loot somewhere in the wadi, meaning to come back for it later, but he never did The cache was undoubtedly discovered by modern thieves.”

”Then you believe her tomb- ” Cyrus began.

”May yet be found,” Emerson said. ”But the royal tomb should be our first enterprise. I want the place completely cleared out down to bare rock. The fill in the shaft will have to be removed and sifted Floors and ceilings and walls should be probed to make certain no hidden doorways exist Where the devil is -- h.e.l.l and d.a.m.nation, Abdullah, will you stop treading on my heels?”

”I follow to be ready when the Father of Curses commands” said Abdullah.

”I command you not to walk so close behind, then. Go fetch Ali and four- no, five- of the others I want only trained men to work here You know what to look for, Abdullah.”

”We start now?” Abdullah inquired, rolling his eyes heavenward High above, the cloudless sky s.h.i.+mmered with heat

”It is almost midday,” I said, before Emerson could reply ”And the trip has been long and arduous.

We will rest and eat before starting work, Abdullah.”

”As for you,” said Emerson, fixing me with a critical blue stare ”you can take your treasure-hunting friend Vandergelt back to the main wadi and start looking for other tombs.”

”We haven't the manpower,” Cyrus objected. ”There are tons of rock and sand to be s.h.i.+fted.”

”Get workers from the village.”

”for pity's sake, Emerson,” I exclaimed. ”Are you out of your mind?”

”You keep telling me,” Emerson replied mildly.

”We dare not admit strangers to our group,” I insisted ”Some of the men of Haggi Qandil were hiding in the cliffs when Mohammed attacked you, ready to carry you off if his plan succeeded Most of them are honest, I believe, but a few. . .”

”Hire the honest ones, then,” said Emerson impatiently ”Why the devil can t you use a little initiative instead of depending on my advice for everything?”

Naturally I paid no attention to Emerson's attempt to divide our forces. ”If you want to concentrate on the royal tomb, then let us concentrate,” I said firmly. ”In addition to the tasks you mentioned this morning, we ought to make a more accurate plan of the entire tomb and copy the remaining reliefs. Bouriant's copies are invaluable because they show sections that have now disappeared, but they are not entirely accurate, and- ”

”d.a.m.n it, woman, don't lecture me!” Emerson bellowed. He fumbled at his chin. Finding no beard on which to tug, he rubbed the member in question until it turned pink. ”I intended, of course, to do all the things you gratuitously suggested. Since you antic.i.p.ated me, you may have the pleasure of copying the reliefs.”

I felt certain I knew what had motivated this suggestion. He was getting even with me for the beard.

The inner chambers of the tomb were as hot as the pits of the infernal regions.

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