The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-06-03

emphatic that I made the purchase;
The price was large, but felt justified
in paying it, for the native assured me
that I could sell it to the British Mu
scum at any time for twice as much
promised faithfully that 1 would never
mention his name in connection with
the deal, and this promise was easily
kept, because he had name that nc
one could have remembered for two
minutes
For obvious reasons / did not show
the document to my travelling compan;
ions. [ knew that if people heard OF
my discovery and got to talking about
it might not be permitted to take il
out Of the country.
!. i. +
When we arrived at Cairo I went to
Ralph Blanchard, an American who
is noted as an antiquarian, Egyptoloi
gist and mummy collector, and after a
that I had document in hieroglyphics
of which l desired translation. ]
begged him not to inquire where or how
I had obtained the papyrus. All ]
wanted him to do was to tell me what
the blamed thing meant.
Blanchard was startled as soon as he
looked at the document. / could see
that. He said he had deciphered a
good many acres of hieroglyphics, but
interesting that had ever come under
his observation. He spent two days
on the translation, SO as to be abso.
lutely accurate regarding every fine
point and get not only the cold words
but also the literary style and the real
spirit of the original communications.
g. q.
Let the translation speak for itself
I must confess that when it was handed
me I was overwhelmed. Not only had
food of lioht been let in upon most
important epoch, but there were also
surprising revelations as to the origin
of valued words and phrases. Here i!
the translation:
I RameseS Second is a Smooth Citizen
His Foxy Scheme is to bunko Posterity
His Soldiers go out and put up a hare
Scrap and do UP the enemy and he hire.
Il a Stonecutter to give an Account of it OF
: a Granite Rock and hand all the Bouquet
to Rameses. He is building man!
, Temples. The Architects draw the Plans
The Laborers do the Work. The Public
, foots the bill Rameses and the Local De
tiles are the only ones who butt into IN
o Inscriptions. He has the future doped on
: now, when Cooks Tourists see my Pic
t lures all over the Shops, they will con
n clude that I must have been the rea
e Works and they will call me Rameses tn
e Great. .-
e -L ...l-.a-. j. i. +
J. This revelation in regard to the sell
o advertising proclivities of the grea
$ monarch, coming, as it did, from on
! who had been intimately associated wit
= him, was so vastly important that M
t Blanchard thought it better to verif
: the translation. He took a copy of tn
o document to several eminent Egyptol
S gists, and they agreed with him Q
n every point. They said there was I
= getting away from "scraps' and "bu
d in - and "dope out and other chara
tiers which seemed to have somewh;
e of modern flavor.
E.. After a man has been universally r
n spected for nearly 1920 years it do
1 seem a low down trick to show him u
20 And, possibly, the anonymous writ
E. was preiudiced because he had failed
D. really come from the bosom of II
" mummy7 Who knows9 Sometimes
ID is the duty Of the traveller to recol
is facts as they come under his observ
IN ton and not to draw hasty conclusion
,e The documentary evidence is su
IF mitted herewith-frst copy of Il
,r original papyrus and then the transl
lg ton, word by word and phrase
phrase. The testimony should co
vince any who are disposed to be ske
r teal. Ny only hope is that it will n
le entirely blast the reputation of R
er meses.