Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-08-23

with their slow and languorous movement
gave pleasure to our sight.
! Toward the end of the repast the Prin
cess Nabis, fixing searching look upor
my eyes, held lotus flower close to ny
face so that l must needs inhale its heavy
perfume little by little l felt my heae
growing dull and heavy, and that | wa'
slowly losing my senses.
| Then, all at once, as | sank down upor
| my cushion, she beckoned two of her Nasa
mon slaves, and cried to them: "Carry
him to the house of Thctmosis, the EN-,
balmerw What could these strange word:
signify? Did the Princess believe that
| was really dead? Was it some Jest on hel
part? Upon her lips / could see. or fan,
cied that l could a strange, ironical smile
Two slaves approached and lifted me
upon screen of reeds. could see,
could understand, and / could hear, and
yet could not make movement, speak q
word, or let them know that | was indeed
alive. A sort of numbness had seized
upon my will, and to all appearances was
dead. With my eyes wide open and fixed
my limbs stiff and cold, my heart pulse
| ter of the city called Memnonia.
We crossed through the heart of Mem
phis; on all sides was life and health and
strength; the children played about the
streets, the merchants cried their wares;
some laboring men, sweating with their
toll cast toward me looks of envy, doubt
less thinking OF the long sleep and rest
before me, but could see that their jeal-
ousy was only transitory and soon for
gotten in the mere satisfaction of living.
Some young girls, dressed as if for fete,
and full of life and coquetry, paused for a
moment in their laughing chatter and cast
upon me some flowers they carried in their
hands.
1t was with feeling of the deepest hor-
ror that / noted our arrival at Memnonia,
district almost wholly given up to those
whose business lay in the disposition of
the dead. On all sides rose thick red
dish vapor issuing from watts of boiling
nitre; the very air one breathed was
nauseous with its admixture of bitumen,
naphtha, palm-oil, gum and myrrh. In
every nook and corner were gloomy en-
blems of death, cases for mummies, sar-
cophages of basalt and granite, alabaster
urns to hold the vital parts, and wrappers
of cardboard covered with funeral pictures.
The quarters of Thelmosis, the royal
embalmer, were distinguished from all
others by their magniicence and ornate
decorations. Thanking the entrance were
two rows of mummy cases on which rich
paintings and golden heiroglyphics show
through thick coats of varnish; on either
side stood urns of precious perfumes.
The Nasamons laid me down upon a
granite table in a small chamber walled
with glazed tiles; then they departed and
in great uneasiness | awaited the coming
of the proprietor of this sinister establish
ment.
Before long approaching footsteps
warned me of his coming. From his
appearance one would have thought that
he was a mummy gifted by some unknown
power with life; his every movement was
jerky and automatic as if his limbs were
confined by some of his own grave clothes;
his wrinkled skin, yellow as papyrus,
seemed scarcely to conceal his bones, which
one could hear crackle at every step he
took.
The spectral embalmer advanced d.
rectly toward me, and / could feel his
long bony fingers examining every inch of
my body; it was as if were in the clutches
of some gigantic spider.
A young Nubian attendant stood close
by bearing the instruments which were to
be used upon me; long piece of iron bent
as hook, sharp and pointed blade Of
stone, and several vases filled with various
perfumes for my embalmment.
Thetmosis, taking in his hand an in
strument of bent iron, pushed it violently
up one of my nostrils until it seemed to
touch my brain. The pain was frightful.
/ lost all consciousness; was real death
coming to my aid?
When / regained my sense saw that l
was no longer in the chamber where the
Nasamons had carried me. Such daylight
as could struggle through a small circular
window showed me that / was in low
ceilinged cellar, and that my body, with
the exception of my head, had been
plunged into an oblong bath, filled to the
brim with nitre For how long had
been there? Would death have naught to
do with me, or was this Accomplishment
for the faults of all my life? Terrible
mystery Perhaps | was, indeed, dead.
Suddenly a voice broke upon my ears,
and l could hear the opening of door.
''Ha! hal By the divine Osiris, but he
makes a splendid mummy" chuckled
Thetmosis, as he examined me; "a fine
dry skin, muscles like cords-it is time to
think of the body cloths"
The bantering manner in which the old
embalmer spoke, exasperated me to sin
gular degree. From the hooking express
sions of his lips, suspected that he knew
well that was living and the victim of a
villainous trick on the part of the prin-
cess.
They laid me once more upon granite
table. ! had remained unconscious
throughout seventy days, for such | knew
was the length of time mummy is left to
soak in nitre. / was embalmed.
Thetmosis and his assistants wrapped
me carefully in long bands of fax coated
with gum, and soon ! was completely
shrouded in several thicknesses of linen
cloth. A strange thing then happened,
and one which was a serious departure
from the usual Egyptian custom. Instead
of enveloping my mummy in three dis
tinct coverings, Thetmosis laid me in an
open box; and simply covered my face
with mask of gold, with openings pierced
for eyes and nose and mouth.
Then the embalmer left me to the care
Of his slaves, giving them the one order
''Carry him to his Pyramid" Again
saw the noble streets of Memphis with
their crowds and animated hustle; then, by
degrees all signs of life were left behind
Soon / found myself in my last resting
place, close to the mummies of my ances
tors; the doors of bronze were closed and
was cut off from the living world.
Death would have been a blessing.
was mummy and yet alivel Was | t.
remain thus for all time corpse! or had
| in reality ceased to exist?
Through the dim light could lool
down corridors lined on both sides will
grinning parchment-skinned faces of mum
mies-all that was left of proud Pharaohs
builders of thepyramids, bold warriors ane
wise rulers