Los Angeles herald., 1906-02-25

tom and yet the outer door swung rustily Of
Its pivot as though it had never been opened 70
| ages | paused a moment in fear before | ven
tured to try the stone; and then. urged on one
more by some insane impulse. | turned the mas
sve block with all my might to the left i
gave way slowly like its neighbour and finally
opened into the central hall
Never as long as live shall forget the costa
sy Of terror establishment, and blank dsmaS
which seized upon me when | stepped into that
seemingly enchanted chamber A blaze Of hight
first burst upon my eyes from Jets Of gas ar
ranged in regular rows tier above tier upon the
columns and walls of the vast apartment Huge
pillars, richly painted with red. yellow. blue and
green decorations. stretched in endless success
sion down the dazzling aises floor of pol
ished svenite reflected the splendor Of the lamps
and afforded a base for red granite sphinxes and
oark purple images in porphyry Of the cat.faced
goddess Pasht whose form l knew so well at
the Louvre and the British Museum. But had
no eyes for any of these lesser marvels. being
wholly absorbed in the greatest marvel Of ALI:
for there. in royal state and with initred head
living Egyptian king, surrounded by his Golf.
fured court was banquetng in the flesh upon
real throne, before table laden with Memphian
delicacies!
| stood transfxed with awe and amazement
my tongue and my feet alike forgetting their Of
flee, and my brain whirling round and round
as | remember it used to whirl when my health
broke down utterly at Cambridge after the Clas
steal Tripos. ] gazed fxedlv at the strange pic
ture before me- taking in all its details in a con
fused way, yet quite incapable of understanding
or realizing any part of its true import. l saw
the king in the centre Of the hall. raised on
throne of granite inlaid with gold and ivory;
his head crowned with the peaked cap of Ra.
meses, and his curled hair flowing down his
shoulders in a set and formal frizz. | saw
priests and warriors on either side, dressed i'll
the costumes which | had often carefully noted
in our great collections while bronze skinned
maids, with light garments round their waists,
and limbs displayed in graceful pcturesuueness.
waited upon them, half nude as in the wall
paintings which we had lately examined at Kar.
max and Syene. saw the ladies, clothed from
head to foot in dyed linen garments, sitting
apart in the background, banqueting by them,
selves at a separate table; while dancing girls
like older representatives of my yesternoon
friends, the Ghawaz tumbled before them in
strange attitudes to the music of four-strIngad
harps and long straight pipes. In short, | be
held as in a dream the whole drama of every.
day Egyptian royal life playing itself out anew
under my eyes, in its real original properties and
persons.
Gradually, as I looked, ! became aware that
my hosts no less surprised at the appear
ance of their anchronistic guest than was the
guest himself at the strange living panorama
which met his eyes In a moment musi: and
dancing ceased; the banquet paused in its course,
and the king and his mobiles stood up in unds-
= l.. IL.
-ruder.
Some minutes passed before any one moved |
Onward on either side At last young yirl of |
oval appearance, yet strangely resembling the
1hazyah of Abu Villa, and recalling in part the |
aughing maiden in the foreground of Mr.. Long
,reat canvas at the previous Academy, stepped |
,ut before the throng.
MAY L ask you," she said in Ancient Egyp
ian, ''who you are, and why you come hither
0 disturb us?'
l was never aware before that I spoke or i'm
Ierstood the language of the hieroglyphic.; yet |
found 1 had not the slightest difficulty in com
or answering her question. To say |
he truth, Ancient Egyptian, though an extreme
y tough tongue to decpher in its written form |
eccmes as easy as love-mal1ing when spoken by |
pair os lips like that Pharaonic Princess. Ii |
ounced in rapid and somewhat indefinite |
Whisper, and with all the novels left out.
81 beg ten thousand pardons for my ntru-
icn," ! answered apologetically; "but l lid Lot |
now that this Pyramid inhabited, o. I |
hould not have entered your residence rude
Y. AS for the points you wish to know, / am !
n English tourist and you will find my name
pom this card;" saying which handed her one !
rom the case which 1 had fortunately put into
ny pocket, with concatory politeness. The
rincess examined it closely, but evidently did |
OF understand its import.
"In return" l continued, "may ask you in |
hat august presence now find myself by acct |
ent?'
A court official stood forth from the throng |
nd answered in set heraldc tone: I'm the |
resence OF the illustrious monarch, Brother OF |
ne Sun, Thothmes the Twenty King of
mr. Eighteenth Dynasty"
Salute the Lord of the World" put in an
Their official in the same regulation drone
| bowed low to his Majesty, and stepped out
to the hall, Apparently my obesance did not
,me up 10 Egyptian standards of courtesy for
suppressed litter broke audibly from the ranks
{ bronze-skinned waiting-women. But the king
raciously smiled at my attempt, and turning to
re nearest nobleman, observed in voice of
reat sweetness and self-contained majesty:
This stranger, Ombos is certainly very Gu
GUS person. His appearance does not at all re-
emble that of an Ethiopian or other savage, nor
oes he look like the pale-faced sailors who
pine to us from the Achaian land beyond the
"a His features, to be sure, are not very differ
ut from theirs; but his extraordinary and singh
rly inurtistic dress shows him to belong TO
,me other barbaric race"
glanced down at my waistcoat, and saw that
was wearing my tourists check suit, of gray
nd mud color, with which Bond street tailor
ad supplied me just before leaving town, as the
test thing out in fancy tweeds Evidently