Later, in the guest house at Mur, Higgs told us his story. After hisbetrayal by Shadrach, which, it appeared, was meant to include us all,for the Professor overheard the hurried talk between him and a Fungcaptain, he was seized and imprisoned in the body of the great sphinx,where many chambers and dungeons had been hollowed out by the primaevalrace that fashioned it. Here Barung the Sultan visited him and informedhim of his meeting with the rest of us, to whom apparently he had takena great liking, and also that we had refused to purchase a chance of hisrelease at the price of being false to our trust.
"You know," said Higgs, "that when first I heard this I was very angrywith you, and thought you a set of beasts. But on considering thingsI saw the other side of it, and that you were right, although I nevercould come to fancy the idea of being sacrificed to a sphinx by beingchucked like a piece of horse-flesh to a lot of holy lions. However,Barung, an excellent fellow in his way, assured me that there was noroad out of the matter without giving grave offence to the priests, whoare very powerful among the Fung, and bringing a fearful curse on thenation.
"Meanwhile, he made me as comfortable as he could. For instance, Iwas allowed to walk upon the back of the idol, to associate with thepriests, a suspicious and most exclusive set, and to study their entirereligious system, from which I have no doubt that of Egypt was derived.Indeed, I have made a great discovery which, if ever we get out of this,will carry my name down to all generations. The forefathers ofthese Fung were undoubtedly also the forefathers of the pre-dynasticEgyptians, as is shown by the similarity of their customs and spiritualtheories. Further, intercourse was kept up between the Fung, who thenhad their headquarters here in Mur, and the Egyptians in the time ofthe ancient empire, till the Twentieth Dynasty, indeed, if not later.My friends, in the dungeons in which I was confined there is aninscription, or, rather, a _graffite_, made by a prisoner extradited toMur by Rameses II., after twenty years' residence in Egypt, which waswritten by him on the night before he was thrown to the sacred lions,that even in those days were an established institution. And I have gota copy of that inscription in my pocket-book. I tell you," he added ina scream of triumph, "I've got a certified copy of that inscription,thanks to Shadrach, on whose dirty head be blessings!"
I congratulated him heartily upon this triumph, and before he proceededto give us further archaeological details, asked him for some informationabout my boy.
"Oh," said Higgs, "he is a very nice young man and extremely goodlooking. Indeed, I am quite proud to have such a godson. He was muchinterested to hear that you were hunting for him after so many years,quite touched indeed. He still talks English, though with a Fung accent,and, of course, would like to escape. Meanwhile, he is having a verygood time, being chief singer to the god, for his voice is reallybeautiful, an office which carries with it all sorts of privileges. Itold you, didn't I, that he is to be married to Barung's only legitimatedaughter on the night of the next full moon but one. The ceremony isto take place in Harmac City, and will be the greatest of its sort forgenerations, a feast of the entire people in short. I should very muchlike to be present at it, but being an intelligent young man he haspromised to keep notes of everything, which I hope may become availablein due course."
"And is he attached to this savage lady?" I asked dismayed.
"Attached? Oh, dear no, I think he said he had never seen her, and onlyknew that she was rather plain and reported to possess a haughty temper.He is a philosophical young man, however, as might be expected from onewho has undergone so many vicissitudes, and, therefore, takes thingsas they come, thanking heaven that they are no worse. You see, asthe husband of the Sultan's daughter, unless the pair quarrel veryviolently, he will be safe from the lions, and he could never quite sayas much before. But we didn't go into these domestic matters very deeplyas there were so many more important things to interest us both. Hewanted to know all about you and our plans, and naturally I wanted toknow all about the Fung and the ritual and traditions connected with theworship of Harmac, so that we were never dull for a single moment.In fact, I wish that we could have had longer together, for we becameexcellent friends. But whatever happens, I think that I have collectedthe cream of his information," and he tapped a fat note-book in hishands, adding:
"What an awful thing it would have been if a lion had eaten this. Formyself it did not matter; there may be many better Egyptologists, but Idoubt if any one of them will again have such opportunities of originalresearch. However, I took every possible precaution to save my notesby leaving a copy of the most important of them written with nativeink upon sheepskin in charge of your son. Indeed, I meant to leave theoriginals also, but fortunately forgot in the excitement of my veryhurried departure."
I agreed with him that his chances had been unique and that he was amost lucky archaeologist, and presently he went on puffing at his pipe.
"Of course, when Oliver turned up in that unexpected fashion on the backof the idol, remembering your wishes and natural desire to recoveryour son, I did my best to rescue him also. But he wasn't in the roombeneath, where I thought I should find him. The priests were thereinstead, and they had heard us talking above, and you know the rest.Well, as it happens, it didn't matter, though that descent into theden of lions--there were two or three hundred feet of it, and the ropeseemed worn uncommonly thin with use--was a trying business to thenerves."
"What did you think about all the time?" asked Oliver curiously.
"Think about? I didn't think much, was in too great a fright. I justwondered whether St. Paul had the same sensations when he was let downin a basket; wondered what the early Christian martyrs felt like inthe arena; wondered whether Barung, with whom my parting was quiteaffectionate, would come in the morning and look for me as Darius didfor Daniel and how much he would find if he did; hoped that my specswould give one of those brutes appendicitis, and so forth. My word! itwas sickening, especially that kind of school-treat swing and bump atthe end. I never could bear swinging. Still, it was all for the best, asI shouldn't have gone a yard along that sphinx's tail without tumblingoff, tight-rope walking not being in my line; and I'll tell you what,you are just the best three fellows in the whole world. Don't you thinkI forget that because I haven't said much. And now let's have your yarn,for I want to hear how things stand, which I never expected to do thisside of Judgment-day."
So we told him all, while he listened open-mouthed. When we came to thedescription of the Tomb of the Kings his excitement could scarcely berestrained.
"You haven't touched them," he almost screamed; "don't say you have beenvandals enough to touch them, for every article must be catalogued _insitu_ and drawings must be made. If possible, specimen groups with theirsurrounding offerings should be moved so that they can be set up againin museums. Why, there's six months' work before me, at least. And tothink that if it hadn't been for you, by now I should be in process ofdigestion by a lion, a stinking, mangy, sacred lion!"
Next morning I was awakened by Higgs limping into my room in some weirdsleeping-suit that he had contrived with the help of Quick.
"I say, old fellow," he said, "tell me some more about that girl, WaldaNagasta. What a sweet face she's got, and what pluck! Of course, suchthings ain't in my line, never looked at a woman these twenty yearspast, hard enough to remember her next morning, but, by Jingo! the eyesof that one made me feel quite queer here," and he hit the sleeping-suitsomewhere in the middle, "though perhaps it was only because she wassuch a contrast to the lions."
"Ptolemy," I answered in a solemn voice, "let me tell you that she ismore dangerous to meddle with than any lion, and what's more, if youdon't want to further complicate matters with a flaming row, you hadbetter keep to your old habits and leave her eyes alone. I mean thatOliver is in love with her."
"Of course he is. I never expected anything else, but what's that got todo with it? Why shouldn't I be in love with her too? Though I admit,"he added sadly, contemplating his rotund form, "the chances are in hisfavour, especially as he's got the start
."
"They are, Ptolemy, for she's in love with him," and I told him what wehad seen in the Tomb of Kings.
First he roared with laughter, then on second thoughts grew exceedinglyindignant.
"I call it scandalous of Oliver, compromising us all in this way--thelucky dog! These selfish, amorous adventures will let us in for no endof trouble. It is even probably, Adams, that you and I may come to amiserable end, solely because of this young man's erotic tendencies.Just fancy neglecting business in order to run after a pretty,round-faced Jewess, that is if she _is_ a Jewess, which I doubt, as theblood must have got considerably mixed by now, and the first Queen ofSheba, if she ever existed, was an Ethiopian. As a friend almost oldenough to be his father, I shall speak to him very seriously."
"All right," I called after him as he hobbled off to take his bath,"only if you are wise, you won't speak to Maqueda, for she mightmisinterpret your motives if you go on staring at her as you didyesterday."
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