Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-08-11

upon / tried tho effect Of another thou
sand. md the business was done. Nasartas
was no longer u possession of the British
public
OF course decided TO start NJ once. but
first went 10 sec Llora once more, on the
plea that she might wish TO send o message
10 her father. I Aaw Miss Russell, but alas
not l.lora. She had caught bad cold and
was feyerish. The doctor was not alarmed,
though be could not yet say for certain II II
was only a nero cold. My memory reverted
70 those words in the postscript OF Mr..
Blake's letter. Please see her and make
sure that she il WELL Had Mr.. Blake
any reason for saying this? No. as
suregly not. How cOnld he know
that his daughter would catch cold nearly
q month after he wrote? IL was n mere
coincidence. and vet he had said plainly
enough that Ilora's life was IN danger be-
cause Yasartas was IN England. The con-
struction had put upon this was that per
hans some Arab. Ahmed Ben Amen himself
in all probability, bad vowed vengeance II
the mummy was not returned 10 It's right
ful possessors Llora's cold could not have
any connection with the matter. Never
thelcss, piled Miss Russell with my tctl-
tious aunt and cousins. and extracted from
her promise TO wire me tldlngs OF lIOTa
10 Gibraltar or Alexandra.
Next day I left England with Nasartas
for LlOra's sake. though for LlOra's sake l
would fam have remained in England.
At Gibraltar was terribly disappointed
10 iud no news awaiting me from Miss
Russell, though | tlattercd myself into tho
belief that no news was good news. w all
Of us, even pcssmlsts IN spite or them-
selves. believe what pIeasee rs most with
out these self-deceptions, indeed. life
would be unbearaole. Pandora's box Is the
common inheritance Of everybody. | told
myself there was no need for anxiety on
Iloras account. besides, II the presence OF
Nasartas had really any baneiul influence
on her that influence was at an end. linen
fell TO wandering what Mr.. Blake meant
TO dOwIth Vastrtas now that had brought
her back 10 him.
When the mails were brought on board
of Alexandra q telegram was handed 10
nc. Hastily / tore it open and read the
fatal words
" No hope Of Llora.'
! sank down on a deck chair and oil
power Of thought or action seemed 10 leave
me- / was like = man In dream. People
with whom had been on friendly terms
during the voyage went 10 and fro and al
dressed me, hut ! hoard not what they
said. The hurry and hustle OF getting
into the boats passed hy me unhecdcd.
How long might have rcmnined thus,
with senses dullcd to everything save the
reality OF LloTas danger. cannot tell had
not hand been Land on my shoulder and
a voice sad
MI. Moutague'
! looked up. Tho man who addressed
me was a Mr.. Frampton. who carried on
business as 4 solicitor and general legal
adviser to the English residents in Cairo
and Alexandria.
MIR. Montague" hercpcatcl, 81 had in
structions 20 deliver this into your hands
so soon as YOU landed. and as / was afraid
| might miss you on the quay, l came on
board
4" Nj Blake is not here :" ] quericd but
! did not notice that silence was his only
answer.
Thank Cod" Exclaimed, Il shall not
have 10 tell him vet
Mr.. Blake s-dcad," said Mr.. Frampton
quietly.
MIR. Blake dead? Impossible and
Llora dying /"
" He met his death in sad way" con-
tinued MIR. Frampton. ION the march IN
land with the expedition the party stopped
10 shoot some elephants. Nr. Blake was a
GOOD shot: I've been out with him. But
however IT was. he fred at a great bull
elephant from the open and missed, or
at any rate the shot only grazed the beast )
ear
ne lItAl NiedlA hu'l liANF'As Nfi@ ~ h''A "
he had time t. get to shelter the iniurl-
ated animal was on him, and he was lite
rally trampled TO death. They buried him
on the spot, poor fellow. and one OF the
party came back TO Caro- with the sad
news"
The horror Of the thing took from me all
power of expression, and the lawyer went
on: 49,.
III lvgtttr
me this pac kage from Mr.. Blake. ] think
the same messenger had a letter to you
also. Mr. Blake sent instructions that /
was TO deliver this into your hand 1mmedl-
ately on your return from England, IN
case, through delay or accident, lie might
not Ice in Alexandra to meet you himself.
How little he thought when he wrote TO
me that death would prevent the meet
ingln
took the packct and opened it mechani-
cally. First 1 came on letter TO myself IN
Blake's handwriting. Trembling, | tore 1t
open and read:
My Dear Harry,-As may not have re-
turned from the expedition when YOU ar
rive with Nasartas. | must tell you the ter
rible secret which has been revealed 20 me
by Ahmed Ben Amen the seer. had II con-
cerncd only myself II would be Of small &C
count, as all men must die, aud | have
nNt1 mo lullllt lllt. anu 1 tiidAh NNNl
my life has been q happy one there
fore If is not for me to murmur ut
what must bc. But II concerns also
my Llora. whom by this time You have
seen. She Is beautiful. she Il young-tOO
young 10 die-and for her sake ! lmplore
YOU t. carry out this trust If aught should
occur to prevent my meeting you wneu
Won come with Nasartas. You VIII see ia
the translation of the parchment. which,
with the original, | send You, that the
curse on nv children only lasts until Va
sartAs is laid once moro in the tomb. This
/ implOre YOU to do, first replacing. the
original parchment where L found 1t:
Then shall the curse pass from LlOrs, and
/ alone shall suffer for what | did, Heaven
knows unwittlngly.
." If IL should be that / may not see YOU
or Llora again. tell her that ! thought OF
her always, but keep secret from her the
story Of NaSartas. In after years watch
kindly over that Young life which l ask
Won now 10 save. We may meet again, but
cannot tell. for life now seems a ching
of the past TO your true friend.
"JoHx BLAZE"
Hastily withdrew the paper enclosing
the parchment, attached to which was the
translation in Mr.. Blake's writing. Al the
top Of the sheet on which IT was written
| read
AHMED BEN ANEN's TRANSLATION
Then came the terrible words:
"Vasartas of ten kings Of the Royal House
Of NamOth.
Cursed be the man that shall disturb the
tomb of me- NaSartas. To him shall death
come with violence and his bones shall
be scattered with the winds. Also his
children shall be cut Of from life until l.,
Nasartas, be laid TO rest and be no more
seen.
~ Vasartas Of mighty kings have spoken. ="
The curse had fallen on Blake. And
Llora? Was there vet time 10 save her or
was she by tins cut of from lifel The tele-
gram stated that she was dying. While
there is life there is hope, so explained 10
MIR Framptou the necessity for haste, and
he undertook to assist in the rcburial Of
Nasartas.
1t was night when we reached the site OF
the tomb underneath the wall of rock from
which Blake had removed the Sarcophagus
in such triumph only a few weeks before;
Unfortunately, a great pile Of sand had
collected where the hollow had been, and
il took q dozen men about an hour TO dig
down to the stone slab which closed the
ouening to the subterranean cavern. Once
more we removed il and let the sarco-
nhagus down by means Ot-rOpes. Scarcely
had we got il into position when one OF