Having lighted the wick and spread it with his fingers until it flamed up brightly, Kāra turned his back to the arch and carefully examined the rear wall of the room. The house, as has been explained, was built against a shallow cave of the mountains; but, owing to the irregularity of the hollow, part of the rear wall was of solid masonry2, while the other part was formed by the cliff itself. Kāra had never before paid much attention to that fact, but now it struck him as very evident that the masonry had been constructed to shut off an orifice too deep or too irregular to be utilized3 as part of the dwelling4. Otherwise, the continuation of the cliff would have rendered a wall unnecessary. The stones were of large size and were built up and cemented as far as the overhanging rock that formed the greater portion of the roof.
The Egyptian’s eyes rested upon the third layer of these stones, and he counted from the corner to the{53} seventh stone. In appearance this was not different from the others; but Hatatcha’s directions had been exact, and she knew.
He walked to the spot and pressed hard against the right edge of the stone. It moved, and gradually swung inward, the left edge being supported by solid pivots5 of bronze at the top and bottom.
The opening disclosed was about four feet long by three feet in height, and Kāra at once crept through it, holding his lamp extended before him. Yes; his surmise6 had been correct—a low, but deep and irregular cavern7 was behind the wall.
His first care was to close up the entrance by pressing the block of stone back to its former position. There was a bronze handle on the inner side that would permit him to open it again easily.
The cavern felt damp and cool, and when he raised his lamp he saw some deep fissures9 leading far under the mountain. He selected the second from the left of these rifts10 and cautiously made his way along the rough floor. At first it seemed that he had made a mistake, for this way was less promising12 than several of the others; but when he stopped and thought upon Hatatcha’s directions, he knew that he was right.
The rift11 made a sudden turn and sank downward; but the rocks under his feet were now more even and the way became easier to traverse. A hundred paces farther, the passage ended abruptly13 in a sharp point where the rock had originally split.{54}
The young Egyptian walked to the extreme end and then carefully measured three paces back again. Raising his lamp, he examined the right wall of the tunnel closely. It contained many irregular cracks and hollows, but one indentation seemed, on observation, to be surrounded by a tiny circle of black, or a color darker than the other portions of the rock.
Kāra uttered an ejaculation of pleasure. He had feared he might not find this spot, in spite of his grandmother’s assurances that it was plain to keen eyes.
Drawing a short, pointed14 dagger15 from the folds of his burnous—a weapon he had found in the crypt beside the arch of the living-room—the Egyptian thrust it into the orifice of the rock and pushed until it had sunk in to the very hilt. Then he turned the handle, and a sharp “click” was audible.
Kāra stepped back a pace, and a part of the rock, circular in shape, swung slowly out into the passage, revealing another tunnel running at right angles with the first. Unlike the other, this was no natural fissure8 of the rock, but an excavation16 cleverly made by the hands of man. The roof was arched and the floor level and smooth.
The man slipped through the opening and proceeded along the arched passage. He did not close this door behind him, for Hatatcha had warned him not to do so. The floor had a gradual slope and he knew that he was going still farther beneath the mountain at every step. The atmosphere now became hot and stifling17 and he{55} found it difficult to breathe; but he continued steadily18 walking for a matter of five minutes—which seemed an hour—holding the lamp before him, until finally he noticed the blaze of the wick flicker19, as if a breath of fresher air had reached it.
By this time his breast had seemed ready to burst, and his breathing was fitful and gasping20; but he hurried forward and now found the air cooler and fresher and drew it into his lungs gratefully.
The path was no longer downward, and before him he presently discovered a huge pillar of rock, which at first sight seemed to block the tunnel. Rude hieroglyphics21 were graven upon it. Passing around this at the left, he found himself in a high, vaulted23 chamber24, and stopped with a sigh of satisfaction.
The chamber was circular in shape, and not more than sixteen feet in diameter. An air-shaft in the dome25 evidently led to some part of the summit of the mountain, for Kāra found himself breathing naturally again.
“This,” said he, “must be the library that Hatatcha mentioned.”
All around the walls of the vault22 were niches27, cut in regular rows and containing box-like receptacles covered with inscriptions28 and pictures in gaudy29 colors. In the center of the room stood a large round slab30 of granite31, finely polished upon its upper surface.
Kāra drew a box from its niche26 and set it upon the granite slab beside his lamp. Then he took from it a roll of papyrus32, which he examined with interest.{56}
Yes; he had read it before. It was one of those so often mysteriously produced by his grandmother to assist in his education. He examined another roll, and a third, leisurely33 and with care. These also he knew well. There were two hundred and eighteen rolls of papyrus in this ancient library, and the knowledge they contained had all been absorbed by the young Egyptian years before. He read them easily, and knew at once from their context the different meanings of many signs that are yet puzzling less-favored students of the hieroglyphics.
The manuscripts dated from the fourth dynasty down to the days of the Ptolemies, and, in a large cavity below the rolls of papyrus, were ranged the earlier works of Herodotus, Diodorus Siculus, Manetho, Horapello, Strabo and others, as well as the volumes on modern Egyptian and European history that old Hatatcha had purchased in Cairo within the last few years. Several historical stel? of the earlier kings of Egypt also leaned against the walls, arranged in chronological35 order, and this library, founded by Ahtka-Rā, which had been preserved and added to for so many centuries, was a veritable storehouse of the records of his remarkable36 country.
Kāra smiled queerly as he glanced around the room.
“Others argue concerning ancient Egypt,” he muttered; “but I alone know the truth.”
A pile of papyrus rolls in another cavity seemed of less importance than those so carefully arranged in{57} boxes. Kāra brought an armful of them to the central slab, dusted them with his rope, and selected fifteen of their number after a cursory37 glance at their contents. The others he restored to their place. This being accomplished38, he took up his lamp and returned to the passage, this time circling the pillar of rock to the right.
It led into an immense oblong chamber, so vast that the light of Kāra’s bronze lamp seemed to penetrate39 the blackness but a few feet in advance. But other lamps were suspended from huge bronze brackets, and several of these the Egyptian proceeded to light, finding them nearly all supplied with oil.
Then, stepping backward, he gazed about him with an irrepressible sensation of awe40. The huge chamber was filled with mummy-cases, arranged upon solid slabs41 of Aswan granite. Nearest to the entrance were a dozen or so slabs that were unoccupied. Then appeared a splendid case of solid ebony, elaborately carved upon every inch of its surfaces. This had been made for Hatatcha in London, during her residence in that city, and secretly transported to this place by devices only known to her. The inscriptions were all in the sign language except the one word, “Hatatcha,” which appeared in Roman letters upon the cover. It was empty, of course, and Kāra proceeded to the next slab. Upon it lay the mummy of his great-grandmother, Thi-Aten, the one so naturally embalmed42 by the dwarf43 Sebbet. Her limbs were bandaged separately and{58} the contour of her face might be clearly seen through the thin and tightly-drawn44 linen45 that covered it. Kāra sighed and made a profound obeisance46 to the mummy before proceeding47 up the chamber.
As he advanced, the mummies increased in age and also in the magnificence of their cases and the importance of their inscriptions. Some of the slabs were covered thickly with hieroglyphics relating the life history of their occupants, while on them were crowded curious ushabtiu figures, amulets48 and scarabs. Finally Kāra reached the end of the chamber and paused beside the mummy of the great Ahtka-Rā, who, while not king in name, had nevertheless ruled Egypt during his lifetime through the weak Rameses II, whom men ignorantly call “the Great.”
Long the Egyptian knelt before the remains49 of his great ancestor. Rameses himself, and Seti his father, and many other kings of Egypt were lying in the museum at Cairo, to be impudently50 stared at by crowds of curious modern tourists; but this famous one had wisely provided for his own seclusion51 and that of his posterity52. It was Ahtka-Rā who had constructed this hidden tomb during his lifetime, and he kept the secret so well that no painted or graven record of it existed to guide a meddling53 foreign race to its discovery in the years that were to come.
Kāra’s eyes fairly gloated upon the mummy case of his wonderful ancestor. It was studded thick with precious stones, any of which might be deemed a{59} fortune to one who, like himself, had existed so long in a lowly condition. But he did not disturb these gems55. Instead, he touched a spring in the slab, a portion of which slid forward and revealed an opening.
Kāra took his lamp and crept into the aperture56. There were seventeen steps leading downward; then came a short passage, and he entered another large chamber hewn from the solid rock.
Here was the treasure house of Ahtka-Rā, its contents doubtless primarily rifled from the treasure cities of Pithom and Raamses, which after his death were found to have been despoiled57.
The entire room was faced with polished granite, and around the walls were granite tables to hold the treasure, as well as immense wide-mouthed vases of porphyry, malachite, lapis lazuli, carnelian and bronze. Upon the tables were heaps of chains, bracelets58, ornaments59 and utensils60 of pure gold. In the center of the room stood twelve alabaster61 pedestals, two rows of six each, and each pedestal supported a splendid vase containing gems of various sorts. On the floor were numerous other vases and receptacles for jewels and golden ornaments, and one of these Kāra noticed was yet more than half filled with the precious coins of Darius Hystaspes, some of which his grandmother had used to provide herself with necessities because they were of a comparatively modern date and would arouse no suspicion that the source of their supply was the ancient tomb of Ahtka-Rā.{60}
Indeed, it was easy to be seen that many of Ahtka-Rā’s successors had added to this treasure house instead of pilfering62 from it. The original store, contained in the twelve great malachite vases, was practically untouched, although Hatatcha must have drawn upon it at one time. All the treasure littering the tables and floor had been added since Ahtka-Rā had lain in his tomb.
Kāra’s face was unmoved, but his eyes glistened63 brightly. He thrust his hand into a jar and drew it out filled with rubies64. They were of all sizes and shades of coloring and were polished in flat surfaces instead of being cut into rose facets65 according to modern methods. Some of the stones had small characters graven upon them, but usually they were smoothly66 polished.
The Egyptian now turned to the wall tables. Here were also rubies, diamonds, amethysts67 and emeralds, set in golden ornaments of many designs. Some of the stones were of so great a size as to be extremely valuable. A casket of dark wood inlaid with silver hieroglyphics attracted Kāra’s attention. He threw back the lid and took from it a massive chain of gold, which he threw over his head. Each link was finely engraved68 with characters relating the name of some king and a deed he had accomplished. Kāra read some of the inscriptions and was amazed. The chain had originally been made in twelve links by Bā-en-n?ter, the twelfth king dating from Mēnēs, during{61} whose reign54 the Nile flowed honey for eleven days. His successor, U?tch-nēs, took the chain and added another link, and so the chain had grown through succeeding ages down to the time of Ahtka-Rā. No wonder it was long and heavy!
Kāra did not like to replace this marvelous chain. He dropped its links inside his burnous and left it hanging around his neck.
After an hour or more devoted69 to the inspection70 of these treasures, which the young man naturally regarded as his own, forgetting that Hatatcha had warned him he but held them in trust, Kāra reluctantly prepared to leave the chamber. First, however, he selected twenty-three great diamonds from a jar and concealed71 them in the folds of his turban. The turban is called the Egyptian’s pocket, because a burnous seldom has pockets, and many things can be secreted72 in the voluminous cloth of a turban.
“Here is one diamond for every year I have lived,” said Kāra. “Surely I am entitled to that many.”
But it did not satisfy him. He thrust his hand into the jar of rubies again and took all that his fingers could clutch. He loved the color of the rubies. They appealed to him.
Then he crept up the stairs, re?ntered the mummy chamber, and closed the secret slide in the malachite slab upon which lay the mighty73 Ahtka-Rā.
Who, not initiated74, would ever suspect the enormous wealth lying so close at hand? Kāra sighed deeply{62} and held himself proudly erect75. He was just beginning to realize his own importance.
Extinguishing the lights of the lamps he had kindled76 in this chamber, he retraced77 his steps to the library, where he gathered up the fifteen rolls of papyrus, carrying them in the front breadth of his burnous while he held fast to the hem34. In this way he returned along the arched passage until he came to the rock door which he had left ajar. He climbed through the opening and thrust the rock back into place, listening while the heavy bolt fastened itself with a sharp click.
He was now in the natural fissure of the mountain cavern, and it did not take him long to reach the stone wall which alone separated him from Hatatcha’s dwelling.
He paused a moment, with his ear to the wall; but hearing no sound, he extinguished his light and then caught the handle imbedded in the stone and swung the block upon its pivots. In a moment he was in the living-room, and the wall through which he had passed seemed solid and immovable.
He must have been absent for several hours during his exploring expedition into the mountain, and the night was now far advanced.
Kāra flung the papyri into a corner, covered them with loose rushes from his grandmother’s couch, and then threw himself upon his own bed to sleep. He had been awake the better part of two nights, and his eyelids78 were as heavy as if weighted with lead.
Image unavailble: He thrust his hand into the jar of rubies again, and took all that his fingers could clutch
He thrust his hand into the jar of rubies again, and took all that his fingers could clutch
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1
quaint
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| adj.古雅的，离奇有趣的，奇怪的 | |
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2
masonry
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| n.砖土建筑；砖石 | |
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3
utilized
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| v.利用，使用( utilize的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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dwelling
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| n.住宅，住所，寓所 | |
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pivots
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| n.枢( pivot的名词复数 )；最重要的人（或事物）；中心；核心v.（似）在枢轴上转动( pivot的第三人称单数 )；把…放在枢轴上；以…为核心，围绕（主旨）展开 | |
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6
surmise
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| v./n.猜想，推测 | |
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cavern
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| n.洞穴，大山洞 | |
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8
fissure
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| n.裂缝；裂伤 | |
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fissures
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| n.狭长裂缝或裂隙( fissure的名词复数 )；裂伤；分歧；分裂v.裂开( fissure的第三人称单数 ) | |
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10
rifts
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| n.裂缝( rift的名词复数 )；裂隙；分裂；不和 | |
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rift
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| n.裂口，隙缝，切口；v.裂开，割开，渗入 | |
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12
promising
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| adj.有希望的，有前途的 | |
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13
abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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14
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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15
dagger
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| n.匕首，短剑，剑号 | |
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16
excavation
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| n.挖掘，发掘；被挖掘之地 | |
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17
stifling
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| a.令人窒息的 | |
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18
steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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flicker
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| vi./n.闪烁，摇曳，闪现 | |
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20
gasping
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| adj. 气喘的, 痉挛的 动词gasp的现在分词 | |
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hieroglyphics
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| n.pl.象形文字 | |
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22
vault
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| n.拱形圆顶，地窖，地下室 | |
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vaulted
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| adj.拱状的 | |
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24
chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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dome
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| n.圆屋顶，拱顶 | |
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niche
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| n.壁龛；合适的职务(环境、位置等) | |
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niches
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| 壁龛( niche的名词复数 )； 合适的位置[工作等]； （产品的）商机； 生态位（一个生物所占据的生境的最小单位） | |
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28
inscriptions
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| （作者）题词( inscription的名词复数 )； 献词； 碑文； 证劵持有人的登记 | |
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29
gaudy
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| adj.华而不实的；俗丽的 | |
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30
slab
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| n.平板，厚的切片；v.切成厚板，以平板盖上 | |
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granite
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| adj.花岗岩，花岗石 | |
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32
papyrus
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| n.古以纸草制成之纸 | |
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leisurely
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| adj.悠闲的；从容的，慢慢的 | |
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34
hem
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| n.贴边，镶边；vt.缝贴边；(in)包围，限制 | |
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35
chronological
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| adj.按年月顺序排列的，年代学的 | |
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36
remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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cursory
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| adj.粗略的；草率的；匆促的 | |
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38
accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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39
penetrate
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| v.透(渗)入；刺入，刺穿；洞察，了解 | |
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40
awe
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| n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧 | |
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41
slabs
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| n.厚板，平板，厚片( slab的名词复数 )；厚胶片 | |
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42
embalmed
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| adj.用防腐药物保存（尸体）的v.保存（尸体）不腐( embalm的过去式和过去分词 )；使不被遗忘；使充满香气 | |
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43
dwarf
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| n.矮子，侏儒，矮小的动植物；vt.使…矮小 | |
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44
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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45
linen
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| n.亚麻布，亚麻线，亚麻制品；adj.亚麻布制的，亚麻的 | |
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46
obeisance
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| n.鞠躬，敬礼 | |
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47
proceeding
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| n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报 | |
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48
amulets
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| n.护身符( amulet的名词复数 ) | |
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49
remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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50
impudently
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51
seclusion
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| n.隐遁，隔离 | |
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52
posterity
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| n.后裔，子孙，后代 | |
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53
meddling
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| v.干涉，干预（他人事务）( meddle的现在分词 ) | |
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54
reign
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| n.统治时期，统治，支配，盛行；v.占优势 | |
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55
gems
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| growth； economy； management； and customer satisfaction 增长 | |
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56
aperture
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| n.孔，隙，窄的缺口 | |
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57
despoiled
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| v.掠夺，抢劫( despoil的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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58
bracelets
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| n.手镯，臂镯( bracelet的名词复数 ) | |
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59
ornaments
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| n.装饰( ornament的名词复数 )；点缀；装饰品；首饰v.装饰，点缀，美化( ornament的第三人称单数 ) | |
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60
utensils
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| 器具，用具，器皿( utensil的名词复数 )； 器物 | |
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61
alabaster
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| adj.雪白的；n.雪花石膏；条纹大理石 | |
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62
pilfering
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| v.偷窃（小东西），小偷( pilfer的现在分词 )；偷窃（一般指小偷小摸） | |
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63
glistened
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| v.湿物闪耀，闪亮( glisten的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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64
rubies
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| 红宝石( ruby的名词复数 )； 红宝石色，深红色 | |
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65
facets
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| n.（宝石或首饰的）小平面( facet的名词复数 )；（事物的）面；方面 | |
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66
smoothly
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| adv.平滑地，顺利地，流利地，流畅地 | |
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67
amethysts
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| n.紫蓝色宝石( amethyst的名词复数 )；紫晶；紫水晶；紫色 | |
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68
engraved
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| v.在（硬物）上雕刻（字，画等）( engrave的过去式和过去分词 )；将某事物深深印在（记忆或头脑中） | |
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69
devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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inspection
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| n.检查，审查，检阅 | |
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concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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72
secreted
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| v.（尤指动物或植物器官）分泌( secrete的过去式和过去分词 )；隐匿，隐藏 | |
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mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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initiated
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| n. 创始人 adj. 新加入的 vt. 开始，创始，启蒙，介绍加入 | |
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erect
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| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
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kindled
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| （使某物）燃烧，着火( kindle的过去式和过去分词 )； 激起（感情等）； 发亮，放光 | |
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retraced
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| v.折回( retrace的过去式和过去分词 )；回忆；回顾；追溯 | |
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78
eyelids
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| n.眼睑( eyelid的名词复数 )；眼睛也不眨一下；不露声色；面不改色 | |
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