old s?ra kept watch faithfully that day and the next at her post of observation on the hill, finding solace through the tedium of the hours in an occasional cigarette from her precious box.
soon after noon of the second day she hurried to tadros.
“he is coming,” she said.
the dragoman sprang up.
“from which direction?” he inquired.
“from down the river. he is in the steamboat, and in half an hour will be at the landing.”
“go back at once,” commanded tadros. “wait until he lands, and then come to me immediately. i will be in hatatcha’s house.”
s?ra obeyed, and, to the dragoman’s surprise, nephthys followed her mother to the hill. the girl had roused herself when the old woman returned, and seemed to comprehend, from the eager conversation and the dragoman’s orders, that kāra was coming. she said nothing, however, but hastened after her mother and took a position beside her on the height commanding the river.
tadros ran to the house of hatatcha, where consinor, having rebelled at the confinement in old nefert’s{267} hovel, had that morning installed himself. it was as safe a refuge as the other, for none of the villagers ventured to enter the grim archway, and so long as the viscount escaped observation tadros was content. there was little cheer in the gloomy room, however, and consinor had begun to believe that he could scarcely be recompensed for the miserable hours of waiting by the promised reward when, to his infinite relief, his fellow-conspirator entered to announce that the long-anticipated time for action had arrived.
“there is not a moment to be lost,” said tadros. “get under the rushes, quick!”
the viscount immediately burrowed beneath the dry rushes, and the dragoman placed him in such a position that his head was elevated slightly and rested against the stones of the wall, thus enabling him to observe every corner of the room through the loosely strewn covering.
having safely concealed him, tadros stood back and examined the rushes critically to satisfy himself that kāra would have no suspicion that they had been recently disturbed. the arrangement was admirable. he could not see consinor himself, even though he knew he was hidden there.
“are you comfortable?” he asked.
“not very.”
“i mean, can you remain quietly in that position for an hour or more?”
“yes,” answered consinor, through the rushes.{268}
“then i will go,” announced tadros. “be very careful in your actions. remember that a fortune for both of us hinges upon the events of the next hour, and we must make no mistake. i go to watch the street and the desert beyond. farewell, and may fortune attend you!”
he left the house, dropping the ragged mat over the inner arch and then crossing to nefert’s hut.
presently s?ra came running toward him.
“he has landed and is coming this way,” she reported.
“very well. go home.”
“the cigarettes are all gone.”
he tossed her another box, and soon she had disappeared within her own doorway. nephthys was not with her, but tadros had forgotten the girl just then.
he crept within nefert’s front room and hid himself in the shadows in such a way that he could see through the hole, which served as a window, the opposite archway of hatatcha’s dwelling.
kāra entered the narrow street and looked cautiously around him. it pleased him that no curious native was in sight. the sheik and his band were in possession of the dahabeah and the prisoners, and were awaiting kāra’s return with impatience. therefore, he must enter the secret tomb at once, without the cover of darkness to shield his movements; but the inhabitants of fedah were dull and apathetic—they were not likely to spy upon him.{269}
he glanced with pride at the ring he wore upon his finger. the talisman of ahtka-rā was indeed powerful, for it had enabled him to accomplish all that he desired, and was protecting him even now. should he take this occasion to restore it to the tomb of his ancestor—that ancient one who had entreated that it be left with his mummy for all time, and had threatened with dire misfortune anyone who dared to remove it? why should kāra leave the precious stone of fortune in that mountainous dungeon? why should he deprive himself of the powers it bestowed upon its possessor? it could not now benefit ahtka-rā, who was long since forgotten in the nether world; but it might be of service to kāra in many ways. yes; he would keep it, despite the pleading and curses of that dead one who so foolishly and selfishly wished it left with his mummy.
perhaps some day, years hence, he would restore the stone to the sarcophagus from whence he had taken it; but not now. again he looked at the strange jewel, which seemed of extraordinary brilliancy at that moment, shooting its tongues of flame in every direction. the curse? henf! why should he care for the curse of a mummy, when the greatest talisman of fortune in the world was his?
he slipped within the archway of his dwelling and drew the mat closely behind him. tadros had marked his every movement, and now breathed a sigh of relief. for the present, at all events, the adventure was in{270} consinor’s keeping rather than his own, and consinor must suffer the risk of detection.
the dragoman settled himself upon an earthen bench and kept his eyes on the archway. presently nephthys came stealing into view, treading with the caution of a cat and crouching low beneath the stone arch. she did not attempt to draw aside the mat, but squatted upon the ground just outside the barrier. tadros observed her curiously, and noticed that one of her hands was thrust within her bosom, as if clutching some weapon.
a dagger? perhaps. nephthys had been wronged, and might be excused for hating kāra. should the dragoman interfere to save him? to what end? before the girl could strike, the royal one’s secret would be in consinor’s possession, and then—why, nephthys would save them any annoyance their discovery might entail. clearly, it was not a case that merited interference.
meantime consinor had noted the entrance of kāra, as well as the care with which the matting had been fastened to keep out prying eyes. it shut out most of the light, also; but that bothered the egyptian more than it did the englishman, whose eyes had now grown accustomed to the dimness.
kāra had to feel his way along the wall to the secret crypt, but he knew the location of the place exactly, and soon found it. consinor saw him take from the recess a slender bronze dagger with a queerly shaped{271} blade, and an antique oil lamp. with these he approached the opposite wall of the room—that which was built against the mountain—and pushed vigorously against one of the stones.
it swung inward. the spy saw only blackness beyond; but his first consideration was to count the stones from the corner to the opening, and then to note that it was in the third tier or layer of masonry. by this time kāra had crept through and closed the orifice.
consinor was breathing heavily with excitement. the great discovery had been made with ease. all he need do was to wait until kāra came out and left the village, and then he would be able to visit the secret tomb and its treasure-chamber himself.
but as the moments slowly passed—moments whose length was exaggerated into seeming hours—consinor began to feel uneasy. he remembered that tadros had impressed upon him the necessity of following kāra wherever he went. the secret might not be all upon the surface.
fearful that he had wasted precious time in delay, he threw aside the covering of rushes and approached the wall. it was scarcely necessary to count the stones. he had stared at them so long that he knew the exact spot which kāra had touched.
responsive to his push, the great stone again swung backward and he crept through as the other had done and found himself confronted with blackness.{272}
the dragoman had foreseen such an event, and had thoughtfully provided his accomplice with a candle. consinor lit it, and, leaving the stone entrance somewhat ajar, so that he might have no trouble in escaping if he were compelled to return in haste, he began a cautious exploration of the various passages that led into the mountain.
he lost some time in pursuing false trails; but at length he came upon a burnt match, tossed carelessly aside when kāra had lighted his lamp, and it lay within the entrance of a rough and forbidding-looking gallery between the rocks.
however, consinor followed this trail, and after stumbling along blindly until it had nearly ended in a cul-de-sac, he came to a circular door in the cliff which stood wide open. beyond was a passage carefully built by man into the very heart of the mountain.
the viscount paused to examine the door carefully. it had been most cleverly constructed, and fitted its opening accurately. six huge bronze bolts, working upon springs, were ranged along its edge, and the single hinge was of enormous size and likewise composed of solid bronze. but he could see no keyhole nor lever by means of which the door had been opened. the outer surface was an irregular rock, harmonizing with the side of the passage, but the edges and the inner surface were carefully dressed with chisels. an examination of the casing showed bronze sockets for the bolts securely embedded in the cliff, and he could{273} understand that when the door was closed the bolts fastened themselves automatically. but how had it been opened? that was a mystery he could not penetrate; for kāra, after unlocking the door, had inadvertently withdrawn the dagger from the secret orifice and carried it with him into the tomb. it was a foolhardy proceeding, for if by chance he dropped the dagger inside the passage, he would forever afterward be powerless to enter the tomb again, since it was the only key to the treasure-chamber in existence. besides, the removal of the dagger from the orifice was useless; for, as hatatcha had once explained to kāra, the door could not be opened from the inside.
consinor felt convinced that the egyptian must have gone through this passage, so he cautiously entered the doorway. it was a long, straight way, slanting downward, and before he had proceeded far, the atmosphere became dense and stifling. still, he decided that where kāra had gone he also could go, and so persevered, holding the candle above his head and walking as swiftly as he dared.
meantime the egyptian had penetrated to the vast mummy chamber, where, because of his haste, he neglected to light any of the bronze lamps, depending alone upon the dim illumination which the flickering wick of his small lamp afforded. he passed the bodies of hatatcha and thi-aten, with scarcely a glance in their direction, and hastened between the rows of mummy cases toward the upper end of the room. here,{274} majestically imposing, stood the great sarcophagus of ahtka-rā, its thousand jewels glittering wierdly in the fitful glare of the floating wick, as kāra held the lamp close to its side to detect the secret spring in the malachite slab that opened the way to the treasure-chamber.
the stone slid back with a sound that seemed like a moan of protest, and the egyptian gave a nervous start as, for the first time, a realization of his dread surroundings flashed upon him.
but he controlled himself and muttered: “perhaps it is the ghost of my great ancestor, bewailing the loss of his talisman. if his spirit could creep back from the far nether world, it would doubtless demand of me the return of the stone of fortune.... not yet, ahtka-rā!” he called aloud, mockingly; “save your curse for a year longer, and it will not be required. just now i have more need of the talisman than you have!”
with these words he crawled into the aperture and descended the steps to the room below. he had brought with him two canvas sacks, one of which he proceeded to fill with the poorest and least valuable of the ornaments that littered the place. even then the tribute to sheik antar was far in excess of the value of his services, and kāra groaned at the necessity of bribing the crafty arab so heavily.
the other sack was to contain his own treasure, and that he might avoid frequent visits to this gloomy{275} place, which he began to dread, he selected the rarest of the great gems and the richest golden jewelry for himself, tumbling all together into the receptacle until it was full to overflowing and could only be tied at the neck by shaking down the contents.
the two sacks were heavy when he picked them up to carry them away. he suspended the bronze lamp in front of him by attaching its chain to a button of his gray coat. then, a burden under either arm, he ascended the stairs and stepped from the orifice into the chamber above.
as he did this, the weight of the treasure shifted, and he stumbled and fell heavily against the massive sarcophagus of ahtka-rā. the jar of the impact was enough to send the golden bust of isis toppling from its place. it struck kāra in the breast, upsetting the lamp and leaving him in total darkness. then it rebounded and caught his hand, crushing it against the marble side of the tomb. the sharp pain caused by this made him cry out and cling, faint and ill, to the stones of the sarcophagus. there, motionless, he stood in the dark and listened while the bust fell into the opening at his feet, and slowly rolled, step by step, into the treasure-chamber beneath, finally adding itself with a hollow crash to the rich hoard the ages had accumulated therein.
kāra shuddered. the awful incident, the blackness that enveloped him, the clamor of noise in that silent place and the quiet suspense succeeding it, all{276} conspired to unnerve him and fill his heart with consternation. the sacks had fallen from his grasp. he raised his injured hand, felt it, and gave a sudden cry of terror. the ring containing his ancestor’s precious stone of fortune had been broken by the blow and the talisman was gone.
gone! then the curse had fallen. it was upon him even now, and perhaps at his side stood the grim spirit of ahtka-rā, leering at him through the darkness and exulting in his discomfiture.
trembling in every limb, the egyptian fell upon his knees and began creeping here and there upon the clammy stones, his eyes staring into the gloom and his fingers clutching at every slight protuberance in the hope of finding again the wonderful stone that could alone protect him in his extremity. the curse was upon him, but he would resist its awful power. he must resist; for if he succumbed now, there would be no future escape from his fate. the stone—he must find the stone! somewhere in that vast chamber of death it lay, slyly waiting for him to reclaim it.
the cold indifference that was an integral part of kāra’s nature had completely deserted him. the superstitious fear inherited by him from the centuries had gripped his heart securely and made him its bond-man. he mumbled incoherently as, prone upon all fours, he shuffled hither and thither in his vain search. the words of warning contained in the tiny parchment, the solemn curse of his ancestor upon any who deprived{277} him of the talisman of fortune, seemed alone to occupy a mind suddenly rendered witless and unruly by the calamity of the moment.
the darkness was oppressive. there was no sound since the golden bust had bumped its way into the treasure-chamber. the atmosphere, although fed and restored from some hidden conduit, seemed stagnant and full of the bituminous stench of the mummies. kāra drew his quaking body about with an effort, feeling that the silence, the dead air and the blackness were conspiring to stifle him. he found the lamp presently, but the oil was spilled and the wick gone. it did not occur to him to strike a match.
“if the stone is here,” he thought, “i shall see its flaming tongues even through the darkness. it cannot escape me. i must seek until i find it.”
twice he crept around the colossal sarcophagus of ahtka-rā, feeling his way cautiously and glaring into the darkness with distended eyeballs; and then came his reward. a streak of fire darted before his eyes and vanished. another succeeded it. he paused and watched intently. a faint blue cloud appeared, whence the flames radiated. sometimes they were crimson; then a sulphurous yellow; then pure white in color. but they always darted fiercely from the central cloud, which gradually took form and outlined the irregular oblong of the wonderful stone.
the radiance positively grew; the tongues of flame darted swifter and more brilliantly; they lighted the{278} surrounding space and brought into relief the glistening end of ahtka-rā’s tomb.
kāra stared with an amazement akin to fear; for the talisman lay upon the floor just beneath the triple circlet of gold whence he had pried it with his dagger. it had not only escaped from its unlawful possessor, but had returned to where the ancient egyptian had originally placed it; and now it mocked him with its magical brilliance.
he could have reached out a hand and seized it in his grasp; but so great was his horror of the curse of ahtka-rā that his impulse was rather to shrink from the demoniacal gem.
how wonderful was its brilliance! it lighted the sarcophagus and the wall beyond. it lighted the floor with a broad streak of yellow light. it lighted even kāra himself, groveling before it on hands and knees. no ordinary gem could do this. it was sorcery, it was—
he uttered a scream that echoed horribly through the vault and sprang to his feet; for a glance over his shoulder had betrayed the secret of the strange illumination.
at the lower end of the room stood a man holding above his head a lighted candle. he was motionless, gazing curiously at the prone form of the egyptian wallowing before a tomb encrusted with precious stones.
but now he returned kāra’s scream with a startled cry, and turned involuntarily as if to fly, when the other sprang up and advanced rapidly toward him.{279}
down past the rows of silent mummies sped the egyptian, while consinor awaited him in a stupor of indecision. then, finally realizing his danger, he dashed the candle to the ground and ran up the passage as fast as he could go.
kāra, although once more plunged into darkness by this action, knew the way much better than the englishman, and did not for an instant hesitate to follow him. the curse of ahtka-rā was now forgotten—the talisman forgotten. kāra realized that another had discovered his secret, and the safety of the treasure demanded that the intruder should not be permitted to leave the tomb alive.
consinor, on his part, was slower to comprehend the situation; yet there was no doubt the egyptian meant mischief, and the only means of escape lay up the long, narrow passage. as he fled he collided with the huge pillar that divided the library from the mummy chamber and rebounded against the wall of the gallery, falling heavily to the ground.
in an instant kāra was upon him, his knee pressing the viscount’s breast, his slender, talon-like fingers twined around his enemy’s throat.
but when it came to wrestling, the englishman was no mean antagonist. as the native released one hand to search in his bosom for the bronze dagger, consinor suddenly grasped him around the middle and easily threw him over, reversing their positions, his body resting upon and weighing down that of the slighter{280} egyptian. failing to find the knife, kāra again gripped the other’s throat with his powerful fingers.
there was but one thing to do in this desperate emergency. consinor raised his enemy’s head and dashed it against the stone floor. the egyptian’s grasp relaxed; he lost consciousness, and, tearing himself from the fatal embrace, the viscount rose slowly to his feet, his brain reeling, his breath gradually returning to him in short gasps.
for a few moments he leaned against the wall for support; then, rousing himself to action, he tottered slowly along the passage, feeling his way by keeping one hand against the wall of rock.
he had not proceeded far, however, when a rustling sound warned him that kāra had returned to life. his ears, rendered sensitive by his fearful plight, told him that his enemy had arisen, and he heard the fall of footsteps pursuing him.
but consinor was already retreating as rapidly as possible, impelled to swiftness by the spur of fear. proceeding through the intense darkness, at times he struck the sides of the rocky gallery with a force that nearly knocked him off his feet; but in the main it was a smooth and straight way, and the egyptian did not seem to gain perceptibly upon him, being evidently as dazed by the blow upon his head as was the englishman by the throttling he had endured.
and so they pressed on, panting along through the stifling atmosphere, until suddenly consinor ran full{281} against the rocky end of the passage and fell half stunned upon the floor. he heard the pattering of kāra’s footsteps, the sound indicating that the egyptian was gradually drawing nearer, and, dazed as he was, realized that sudden death menaced him. with a final effort he sprang to his feet, tumbled through the circular opening, and slammed the door into place with all his remaining strength.
he heard the sharp click of the bolts as they shot into their sockets, and the muffled cry of terror from the imprisoned kāra.
thoroughly appalled at what he had done, he again arose to his feet and moved rapidly along toward the entrance to the outer corridor.
for a certain distance the floor of this natural passage was as smooth as that of the artificial one, and before he came to the rougher portion, consinor saw a dim light ahead that came from the opening in the wall of the room.
all semblance of composure had now deserted him. his cowardice fully manifested itself at his first discovery, and he was not sure, even now that the bronze bolts shut in his enemy, that he was safe from pursuit. with kāra’s despairing cry still ringing in his ears, he reached the wall, passed through the opening, drew the stone into place behind him as a further precaution, and then sped in a panic across the room.
nephthys heard him coming and thought it was kāra. as he tore down the matting and dashed through{282} the arch, the girl rose to her feet and viciously thrust out her hand.
consinor fell with a moan at her feet, drenching the hard ground with a stream of blood. by the time tadros had rushed to his assistance he was dead.
the dragoman, on ascertaining that the victim was his accomplice, was frantic with despair. he rushed into the dwelling and gazed around him anxiously. the room appeared to his eyes just as it had a hundred times before. kāra was nowhere to be seen, and the secret that tadros had plotted so artfully to discover was lost to him forever.
“confound you, nephthys!” he cried, returning to the archway, “you’ve killed the wrong man and eternally ruined my fortunes!”
but the girl had disappeared. in her mother’s hut she had quietly seated herself at the loom and resumed her work at the shuttle.
image unavailble: consinor fell with a moan at her feet, drenching the hard earth with a stream of blood
consinor fell with a moan at her feet, drenching the hard earth with a stream of blood