The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1910-06-09
DailYSbor1S1orY
THE MUMMY OF THoTH
By Harold Carter.

Prof. Cyrus Crump was the
life of the party on board the
tourist steamship. which was re-
turning with 800 Americans after
. winter cruise along the shores
of the Mediterranean At Alexan-
dria the professor had brought a
fine mummy aboard.
yep. gentlemen" he said, 1--WE
got old Thoth at last. Thoth, you
must know, was big guy in an
Gent Egypt. A kind of high priest
In the days of Moses. ''That'll be
q fine drawing card for the west
Idaho university wired to the
trustees. and they wired back, Get
him. l got him.
Now you must know that the
modern Egyptian fellah has a
curious superstitious feeling about
his mummies. Doesn't like them
removed. Thinks it prevents the
Nile from swelling, or some such
rubbish. They became quite
: cranky about it after I had dug
up half a dozen, and swore they'd
have my life If l took Thoth. They
held the old boy in peculiar rev.
erence: for everybody knew that
some big guy must be in the big
painted sepulcher at Ghizeh.
Well, it came to this: 1 took
Thoth by force. half dozen of
my guards, with rifles, keeping
back the frenzied mob of peas
ants.
Next morning received a dep
utation of one from the temple.
1t was the local priest. He told
me I'd better put Thoth back or
he wouldn't guarantee my life I'M
til reached America. / laugh
cd and showed him the door. And
then. when I unstripped the outer
papyrus. / saw the death sym
boil"
whats that?" one of us asked.
"The adder. 1t was painted on
ancient mummies to signify that
the person who violated the grave
would die by violence. But come
below, and I'll show him to you"
We went into the professors
cabin and inspected the mummy in
Its foldings of sweet spices, laid
carefully within the great case.
"Of course l have to take the
word of the scribe that this is
Thoth," said the professor. 81
haven't ventured to disturb the
body. Looks like a great baby
In basket, doesn't 1t? That
painted face you see is kind of
mask they placed over the dead.
The real face is, of course, under
meath it."
We went upstairs again and the
professor RECALLED us with stories
Of the vindictiveness of the fell
Iahin.
II tell you, fellows. / don't feel
safe from the vengeance of their
priests until l got safe to the
boat, he said.
We broke up that night late.
We were plunging in the trough
Of a heavy sea, not far from the
Banks. slept near the profess
scr, and remember sleeping UNI
easily, dreaming of Thoth, and his
desecrated grave, and the revenge
OF the priests. dreamed that
Thoth sat up in the coffin and
leaned over the sleeping profess
aor and plunged a knife into his
heart. And suddenly
A scream-one scream of hor-|
ror, followed by a still more ter,
rifygng silence. rang through the
ship. 1t came from the profess
sor's stateroom. In which he slept
among his Egyptian trophies. Wei
burst open the door, We called
IN vain. Somebody struck match
that flared; and then we remem-
bered the electric light and turn
I'd the button.
The professor was leaning for
ward upon the floor from the 1dgp
Of bis bunk. There was a vacant
smile upon his face, and be was
quite dead, for the edge of thel
half Of q long Egyptian knife was
Bunken level with his ribs.
Our eyes followed his gaze.
There. where the mummy had
,sen. heap OF spices ally. and
lmong them the body Of an Egyp-
ian peasant, already writhing in
be death agony induced BIZ the}
olson that he had paftaken Of