Mexico weekly ledger., 1890-01-02

which the white locks, stained yellow by
the spices, fell in long, straight wisps.
Not the cold stamp of death, and not the
slow flight Of three thousand years, had
found power to mar the dignity of those
shrunken features. We gazed thereon, and
then, made bold with fear, stripped the
covering from the body. There at last it
lay before US, stiff, yellow and dread to
see; and on the left side, above the thigh,
was the cut through which the ernbalmers
had done their work, but it was sewn up so
deftly that scarce could we find the mark
''The gems are within," I whispered, for
I felt that the body wasVery heavy. snow,
if thy heart fail thee not, must thou
make an entry to this poor house of clay
that once was Pharaoh" and gave her the
dagger-the same dagger which had drunk
the life of Paulus.
sit Is too late to ponder" she answered,
lifting her white and beauteous face and
fixing her blue eyes, all big with terror,
upon mine own. She took the dagger, and
with set teeth the Queen Of this day plunged
It into the dead breast Of the Pharaoh OF
three thousand years ago. And even as she
did 30, from the opening Of the shaft
where we had left the eunuch there came
groaning sound! We leaped to our feet
but heard no more, and through the open;
ing the lamp-Hght still streamed down.
at is naught," said. LET us make ar
end.n
Then with much toll we hacked and rent
the hard flesh open, and even as we did SC
heard the knife point CRATE upon the gems
within.
Cleopatra plunged her hand into the dead
breast and drew forth somewhat. She held
lt to the light, and gave little cry, for
frrr, ha n If haa artf no
flashed into light and life the most beau
teous emerald that ever man beheld. Per.
feet it was in color, very large, without a
flaw, and fashioned to a scarabaus form,
and on the under side was the oval, in.
scribed with the divine name of Menka-ra
Son Of the Sun.
Again, again, and yet again she plunged ir
her hand and drew from Pharaoh's breast
great emeralds bedded there in spices.
Come were fashioned and some were not;
but all were perfect in color, without
flaw, and in value priceless. Again and
again she plunged her white hand into tha,
dread breast, till at length all were found
and there were one hundred and forty and
eight of such gems as are not known in
the world. And the last time that she
searched she brought forth not emeralds,
indeed, but two great pearls, wrapped in
linen, such as never have been seen And
Of these pearls more hereafter.
So 1T was done, and all the mighty treas
ure lay giittering in a heap before Us. There
It lay, and there, too, lay the regalis OF gold.
! the spiced and sicAly scented wratpings,
and the torn body of white-h haired Pharaoh
Menka-ra, the osirian, the everything In
Amenti.
We rose, and a great awe fell upon us,
now that the deed was done and our hearts
| were no more upborne by the rage Of eager
sesrch-so great an awe, indeed, that we
could not speak / made sign to Cleo
patra She grasped the head of Pharaoh
aud / grasped his feet, and together we
lifted him, climbed the sphinx, and placed
nfm once more within his coffin. On him
piled the torn mummy cloths, and On them
sAad the lid Of the coffin.