Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1890-02-06

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WAS LOWERED BODILY.
side OF the worthy Ali covered with bats
and perspiration, and with the skin rubbed
of my knees and knuckles. Then another
man came down, hand over hand, like a
sailor, and, as the rest were told to stop
above, we were ready to go on. Ali went
candle-leading the way down long
passage about five feet high. At length
the passage widened out, and we
were in the tomb chamber,
think the hottest and most silent
place ever entered. It was simply sitting.
This tomb chamber is square room cut in
the rock and totally devoid of paintings or
sculpture. / held up the candles and
looked around. About the place were
strewn the coffin lids and the mummied
remains If the two bodies that the Arabs
had previously violated. The paintings on
the former were, 1 noticed, Of great beauty,
though, having no knowledge Of hero
glyphics, I could not decipher them. Beads
and spicy wrappings lay around the re-
mains, which, saw, were those of a man
and woman. The head had been broken
off the body of the man. / took it up and
looked at it. It had been closely shaved
after death, should say, from the general
indications-and the features were dis
figured with gold leaf But, notwithstand-
ing this, and the shrinkage of the flesh, /
think the face was one of the most impos-
ing and beautiful that ever saw. 1t was
that of very old man, and his dead coun-
II =
deed SO awful a look, that I grew quite SUI
perstitious Though, as you know, I am
pretty well accustomed to dead people),
and put the head down in a hurry. There
were still some wrappings left upon the
face of the second body, and did not re-
move them; but she must have been q fine,
large woman IN her day.
'There is the other mummy" said Ali,
pointing to a large and solid case that had
the appearance of having been carelessly
thrown down in a corner, for it was lying on
its side.
L went up to it to examine it. 1t was well
made, but of perfectly plain cedar wood
not an inscription, not solitary god on it.
''Never see one like him before.'' said ALI.
"Bury great hurry, he no 'matish,' no
'fneesh.' Throw HIM down there On side"
I looked at the plain case till at last my
interest was thoroughly aroused. I had
been so shocked by the sight Of the scattered
dust of the departed that had made up my
mind not to touch the remaining coffin-but
now my curiosity overcame me, and we set
to work.
Ali had brought a mallet and cold chisel
with him. and having set the coffin straight he
began upon it with all the zeal of an expert
enced tomb-breaker. And then he pointed
out another thing. Most mummy cases are
fastened by four little tongues of wood two
<,;fl 10 ~
half, and passing into mortises cut to re-
ceive them in the thickness of the lower
half, are there held fast by pegs of hard
wood. But this mummy case had eight
such tongues. Evidently it had been
thought well to secure it firmly. At last,
with great difficulty, we raised the massive
lid, which was nearly three inches thick,
and there, covered over with a deep layer
of loose spices "a very unusual thing, was
the body.
Ali looked at it with open eyes-Gnd no
wonder. For this mummy was not as other
mummies are. Mummies in general lie
upon their backs, as stiff and calm as
though they were cut from wood; but this
mummy lay upon it's side, and, the wrap
pings Notwithstanding, it's knees were
slightly bent. More than that, indeed, the
gold mask, which, after the fashion of the
Ptolemaic period, had been set upon the
face, had worked down, and was literally
pounded up beneath the hooded head.
1t was impossible, seeing these things, to
avoid the conclusion that the mummy be-
fore us had moved with violence since it
was put in the coffin.
"Him very funny mummy. Him not
'mafsh' when him go in there" said Ali.
ssNonsenseI" / said. "Who ever heard
Of live mummy?"
We lifted the body out of the coffin,
nearly choking ourselves with mummy
dust in the process, and there beneath it,
half hidden among the spices, we made our
first find. It was roll of papyrus, care
lessly fastened and wrapped in q piece Of
mummy cloth, having, to all appearance,
been thrown into the coffin at the moment
of closing.
Ali eyed the papyrus greedily, but
seized it and put it in my pocket, for it was
agreed that was to have all that might be
discovered. Then we began to unwrap the
body. 1t was covered with very broad,
strong bandages, thiclzly wound and rough
ly tied, sometimes by means of simple
knots, the whole work bearing the appear
ance of having been executed in great haste
and with difficulty. Just over the head was
large lump. Presently the bandages COW
ering it were of, and there, on the face, lay
q second roll of papyrus. put down my
hand to lift it, but it would not come away.
1t appeared to be fixed to the stout, seam
less shroud which was drawn over the
whole body and tied beneath the feet, as
farmer ties sacks This shroud, which was
also thickly waxed, was in one piece, being
made to fit the form like q garment. took
a candle and examined the roll, and then
| saw why it was fast The spices had con-
gealed and glued it to the sack-like shroud.
It was impossible to get it away without
tearing the outer sheets Of papyrus.
At last, however, I wrenched it loose and
put it with the other In my pocket
Then in silence we went On with our
dreadful task. With much caro- we ripped
loose the sack-hke garment, and at last the
body of man lay before us Between his
knees was third roll Of papyrus. Sc
cured it, and then held down the lights and
looked at him. Being doctor, one glance
at his face was enough to tell me how he
had died.
This body was not much dried up. Evil
IDENTIFY it had not passed seventy days in
natron, and therefore the expression and
likeness were better preserved than is
usual Without entering into particulars,
will only say that I hope I shall never see
such another look as that which was frozen