The Seventh Scroll - Smith Wilbur (бесплатные онлайн книги читаем полные .txt) 📗
he had never occupied, had ever discover ted close to the secret opening
but it must have been situa gh which Duraid Al Simma. had entered in the
rock thrOu ered there the scrolls of Taita the tomb of Lostris and
discover in their alabaster jars.
silent in the gathering dusk, the'
All four of them were firm friendship. They watched a cruise shared
silence the tourists clustered upon boat pass coming upriver wi her
decks, still agog after ten days of voyaging from Cairo on these
enigmatic waters, pointing out to each other the great pylons and
engraved walls of Ramesses temple, their ntial in the hush of th all and
inconseque excited voices sm desert evening slipped her arm through
Tessay's and Then Royan alked on ahead. They made a lovely pair, the two
women wand honey-skinned, their laughter gay slim and young ads ruffling
in the sultry Puffs Of and sweet, their dark he and Mek immur Saharan
air off the desert. Nichola followed them, each watching his own woman
fondly as they bantered.
"So now you are one of the fatcats, in Addis, you, the hard man, the
bush fighter, you are now a politician. I can hardly believe it, mek.,
"There is a time to fight and a time to make peace." Mek was serious for
a moment, but Nicholas mocked him " 11 lightly.
"I see that now that you are a politician you have to practise your
cliches and your platitudes." Nicholas punched his arm lightly. "But how
did you swing it, Mek?
>From dirty shufta bandit to Minister of Defence in one mighty bound."
"The money from the sale of the blue crown helped a little. It gave me
the clout I needed," Mek admitted, "but they knew they could never hold
a democratic election without me as a candidate. In the end they were
eager to have me on board."
"The only quibble I have with the deal is that you handed all that
lovely hard-won lolly over to them," Nicholas mourned. "Hell, Mek,
fifteen million iron men don't come along every day."
"I didn't hand it to them," Mek corrected him. "It was paid into the
state coffers, where I can keep an eye on what eventually happens to
it."
"Still, fifteen mill is a lot of bread," Nicholas sighed.
"Try as I might, I cannot approve of such extravagance, but I must admit
-Lat I do approve of your choice of running mate in your bid for the
Presidency in the coming elections."
They both looked at Tessay's slim back and bush of springing black curls
as she strode along ahead of them on shapely brown legs under the white
skirt.
"I may not approve of you as Minister of Defence, but I can see that she
makes a very charming Minister of Culture and Tourism in the interim
government."
"She will make an even more impressive Vice-President when we win next
August," Mek predicted easily, and at that moment Royan looked back over
her shoulder at them.
"We'll cross the road here," she called. Nicholas had been so engrossed
that he had not realized they had come up opposite to the new annexe to
the Luxor Museum of Antiquities. The two women waited for them to catch
up and then they separated and each of them took the arm of her own
husband.
As they crossed the wide boulevard, threading their way between the slow
clip-clopping horse-drawn gharries, Nicholas leaned down and brushed her
cheek with his lips. "You are really quite delectable, Lady Quenton
Harper."
"You make me blush, Sir Nicky," she giggled. "You know that I am still
not used to being called that."
They reached the other side of the thoroughfare and paused before the
entrance to the museum annexe. The sloping roof was supported by tall
hypostyle columns, miniature copies of those at the temple of Karnak.
The walls were made of massive blocks of yellow sandstone, and the lines
of the building were clean and simple. It was very impressive.
Royan led them to the entrance doors of the museum, which was not yet
open to the public. The President was flying up on Monday for the
official opening, and Mek and Tessay were to be the official
representatives of the Ethiopian government at the opening ceremony. The
guards at the door saluted Royan respectfully and hurried to open the
heavy brass-bound doors to let them pass.
The interior was hushed and cool, the air conditioning arefully
regulated to preserve the ancient exhibits.
The display cases were built into the sandstone walls, and the lighting
was subtle and artful. it showed off the wondrous treasures of the
Mamose funerary hoard to full advantage. The exhibits, arranged in
ascending order of beauty and archaeological importance, sparkled and
glowed in their nests of blue satin, the royal blue of the Pharaoh
Mamose.
The four visitors were quiet and reverential as they passed, their
voices soft and subdued as they asked questions of Royan. Wonder and
amazement held them enthralled. They paused at the entrance of the final
chamber, the one that housed the most extraordinary and valuable items
in this glittering collection.
"To think that this is only a small part of what treasure still remains
in Mamose's tomb, sealed by the waters of the Dandera river," whispered
Tessay. "It's so exciting that I can hardly wait for the adventure to
continue."
"I forgot to tell you!" Mek exclaimed, and it was clear from his
triumphant grin that he had not forgotten at all, but had been merely
waiting for the appropriate moment to impart his news. "The Smithsonian
have confirmed their grant to redarn the Dandera and reopen the tomb. It
will be a joint venture between the Institution and the governments of
our two countries, Egypt and Ethiopia."
"That is wonderful news," Royan exclaimed delightedly.
"The tomb itself will be one of the great archaeological sites of the
world, and a huge source of tourist revenue for Ethiopia-'
"Not so fast," Mek interrupted her. "There is one condition that they
stipulate."
Royan looked crestfallen. "What is their condition?"
"They insist that you, Royan, take'on the job of director of the
project."
She clapped her hands with delight, and then put on a mock-serious
expression. "However, I have my own condition before I accept," she
said.
"And what is that?" Mek demanded.
"That I am able to appoint my own assistant on the dig-' MW
Mek let out a roar of laughter. "We all know who that will be." And he
clapped Nicholas on the back. "Just make sure that none of the artefacts
cling to his sticky little fingers!" he warned.
Royan hugged Nicholas around the waist. "He has completely reformed, I
will now give you final proof of that." Still clinging to her husband,
she led them into the last chamber.
Mek and Tessay stopped in the entrance, silent with awe as they stared
at the contents of the free-standing display case of annoured glass in
the centre of the room, The red and white crown of the united kingdoms
of upper and lower Egypt stood side by side with the glistening golden
death-mask of Pharaoh Mamose in the brilliant light of the overhead
spotlights.
At last Mek Nimmur recovered from the shock.
Advancing slowly to the front panel of the display case, he stooped to
