The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-09-20
The Tomb Hunters of Egypt
Searching for Rich Plumber in the Burial Places
of Ancient Monasteries.


from the tomb itself; and the top was
so broken that we could peer over into
what for centuries on centuries no eve
had seen, a confusion of dark forms
shining mysteriOusly here and there
with touch of gold or silver.
"Squeezing our way between the
wall and the rock ceiling, we were in
the midst of such a medley of tomb
furniture that, in the glare of our
lighted candles, the first effect was one
of bewilderment. Gradually, however,
one object after another detached it
self from the shimmering mass, shining
through the cool air, dnst-free and
golden. Against the wall to the left
stood a chair, and beyond it a gilded
coffin cover lay upside down. In it
was a conventional mask that cleaned
golden through the dark yelling, and
the mummy whose head this mask had
covered lay farther off. its body part
ly eneased in gilded open work. Against
the wall TO the right leaned two Osiris
beds, fiat surfaces on which seed had
been sown, which in sprouting had out
lined the figure of the god. Not far
of, along the hall, opposite the door,
stood a row of boxes like tiny closed
sentry boxes. each containing a stat
net; in front of these, shoulder high,
the oblong black mass of 'sledge.'
the Outermost case for mummy. To
the left stood bed. Nearer again
Law a silvered mummy case, and on
this, and on a second mummy beyond
it, shaft of bold blue light struck
down from the outer day.
Gin the bottom of a mummy case,
from which the thief had removed the
cover, he had left a cushion and a
graceful alabaster vase. In anothe,
mummy case he had neglected an ala
baster jar and the cover of an emf
broidery box, which he must have ear
ried across the chamber to a second
bed, on which it now lay beside a SUI
nerb giIded chair Nearby. where the
floor suddenly fell one deep step to a
lower level, he had thrown, among a
multitude of sealed jars, half of the
gilded open-work casing which had en-
circled one of the mummies. Near
these Jars, again, he had propped
coffin case against one corner of the
tomb. Here, too. he had left a third
bed, and one of the most important of
all one finds in tomb, a chariot. the
eurving front and wheel rims of which
shone through the darkness golden and
scarlet.
"After such long burial, alabaster is
at first curiously fragile. then firm
again and strong; and gold leaf is so
delicate that it may peel off at the
touch. Yet alabaster and gold-leaf-
cloth. too, and veiling-were almost
absolutely uniniured. The graceful
alahaster vase, three beds. the mummy
eases. came glowing and giittering into
the day. Near them we found box
containing 'canopic jars of alabaster
Jars in which the viscera of the dead
are preserved; also little sentry boxes,
each of them holding an uspapti figure,
or image of a servant for the dead.
Another box actually contained food
legs of mutton and other meats; and
there were no less than - sealed Jars
full of fruits. All these things. and
more. emerged from their long burial
as Justices as when the tomb had first
been closed. And as a certain alabas-
ter pitcher appeared, a wasp came buz-
zing up and slipped what we maintained
was still fluid honey poured into it
more than 5000 years ago TO satisfy
the human Immortality cravings of
Ioua and Tioua.'
Such was the discovery made when
the tomb of the father and mother of
one of Egypt : famous and most beau
tiful queens was opened. 1t is situated
in an American "dig'' where. as al
ready stated, excavations have been
made through the liberality of an
American gentleman who has become
an enthusiast among the omb-hunters.
This is Mr.. Theodore NJ. Davis, an emil
nent archaeologist from the United
States. who has been engaged for about
three years in burrowing beneath the
sand and rock which lie in what :
known as the Valley of the Kings in
the Thebes region. Only during the
heat of the summer does the work
cease, and at times the explorer has
had little army of nearly 200 men
engaged in the search. He it was who