Evening star., 1923-02-18

rejected Dy nervous laughs, half nm
ished and uneasy shuffiing of feet
Der was SO confined, reverberated
'boomingly to the outer air.
IT was Just on the hour of o'clock
when like signal gun striking a
most fateful hour. there came the me-
tallic click of sharp instrument
striking the seal-marked concrete
covering the outer side of what was
believed to be the mortuary chamber.
This was the scene in the ante
chamber of the tomb; down twenty
perhaps ten yards long, on into an
oblong antechamber about seven
yards long by five yards wide. by four
high walls of solid rock painted "A
light pink and glowing with a roseate
hue in the strong CLEAN of several
200 candle power electric lights; In
one corner stands two sentry boxes
containing life-siZe statues of the
king, which for 3,400 years had been
the keepers of the portal of the death
chamber, and in this narrow space
twenty people sit.
Faces White in Excitement.
Their faces are already white in
fetid atmosphere and the artihcial
light accentuateS their unnatural
paleness. Sometimes they make Jerky
remarks but no one listens. no one
W -.
and intense.
At the southern end of the ante
chamber a great oblong slab OF sreat
white masonry breaks the pink wall.
That is the objective Of the immedlHt te
attack Mr.. Carter picks up chlsel
and hammer. He turns and attempts
to relieve the strain by remark
ing that the concert will commence.
He hesitates and orders the light
brought nearer so that the Bieam
concentrates on the masonry con-
fronting him. The light advances till
it plays on the seals on the door
like a spotlight on the stage, while
the rest of the chamber grows dim
mer and more eerie.
Suddenly with determined blow he
strikes and pick. pick, pick. and
clink, clink. clink, floats upward in
a not unmusical cadence. The echo
rebounds from wall to wall in the
dim antechamber. and fancy paints
picture of the dead pharaoh inside
walking from his long sleep and
listening with stratled look as he
hears the sounds of the intruders
breaking on his royal privacy.
No Other Sound Is Heard.
No sound other than that of the
frontal attack on the door breaks the
stiffness. which is so thick that it can
almost be felt. Perspiration rolls
down the faces of the little group and
the dust rises in particles in the
translucent glare of the electric
lights. Every movement of Mr.. Car
ter is watched with hypnotic intent
ness.
Mr. Carter seems to have forgotten
clever artisan penetrating concrete.
The sharp crack of his instrument is
exaggerated in the cavern to the
crack of a pistol. piece of masonry
comes away and the first breach is
made in the pharaohs last wall of
defense.
1t is a huge hunk Of concrete as
solid today as when laid 3.400 years
ago. Mr.. Carter's chief assistant lifts
il with an effort and passes 1t to a
bearer, who staggers upstairs. IL is
an incident. and il breaks the awful
tensity of the strain, both in the dim
ness of the sepulchre and the dazzling
white sunlight outside.
Handk erchiefs are brought to play
wiping CHASTITY white faces staring
at the wall where Mr.. Carter has the
center Of the stage-faces all the
more ghostly because pail of dust
has powdered them thickly. The
mutters Of conversation roll upward,
light laughs re-echo. and then again
the silence is broken only by the
clink of the metal on the masonry
Tension Almost Unbearabie.
An hour passes. but il seems SO
long TO the overwrought fancies OF
those in the group in and about the
tomb. that they feel that they have
been there since the long ages ago
when the mournful procession march
ed majeStically through those ancient
tawny hills and bore the world s
treasure and the mummy of the pow
erful Pharaoh to his sepulchre. The
tension is becoming unbearable. Uut
h n ha 1iyl al
Lord Carnarvon. cannot stand IL
any longer, he moves ceaSelesSly dur
ing the whole operation, he mutters
something, and passes from the ante
chamber to the stairway, and thence
to the pure air above, where, still
agitated, he hastily lights the rem
nant of a cigarette and takes u few
nervous puffS. He throws it away
and hastens underground again.
Another fifteen minutes drag by end
lessly. and then another great slab
of masonry comes away and the
group sees before il heap of stones
which seem to be the curtain of the
centuries.
Poison Air Rushes Out.
At 2:45 O'Clock Mr.. Carter detaches
one of the stones, and immedi lately
pours out rush of poisonous air
air which had been entombed for
3.400 years. The whole antechamber
reeks with it. but so vile had been
the atmosphere previously in the
crowded dim room that further dis
comfort falls on deadened nerves.
Still, there is that strained rigidity,
although the Pharaoh's double, or
IA, If 1t can see from its mortuary
chamber, must be shrinking back be-
fore wonders of such light as the
Pharaoh himself never saw or imae-
ined. excepting during the period
when. as Worshipper of the SUM- he
sought to raise his eyes to his god.
But it is impossible to see from the
ness inside.
Another stone. and then another
came out. and Mr.. Carter stops. ST.
lently the assistants hand him three
torches. He takes one and presses a
lever and looks but an instant and
eXclaims in tones which tell more
than could whole libraries, "ah."
1t tells he whole story.
What" exclaims Lord Carnarvon.
"What?' asks his daughter, Lady
Evelyn and the silent watchers be-
hind hold their breath lest they miss
the response.
But Mr. Carter does not answer. He
hands the torch to Lord Carnarvon
who looks while his daughter seeks
to peep past him. Lord Carnaryon
draws in his breath slowly and turns
with a dawning smile. which spreads
and tells what all wanted to know for
that eternal house-the Sarcophagus
is inside.
Sighs of Thankfulness Heard.
Signs of unutterable thank fulness
sound in the weird half light and the
watchers submerged in the glamour
of the moment surge forward There
is a warning note. but the strain
breaks like the severnce of a cord,
and there is a wild paroxysm of en-
thusiasm as hands are shaken and con-
gratulations are whispered. Dantesque
contortions in dantesque setting.
Hearts previously bursting with rest
less throbs gave way to the riot of
the moment. One cannot lift people