more sense than ours. I mean, look at ‘death.’ D-E-T-H would do just as well.”
“For spelling, maybe,” Neville said, “but I don’t much like our correspondent’s content. It’s rather hard to make out precisely what is meant without punctuation, but this is clearly a threat.”
“Or a warning,” Stephen said. “That last line isn’t particularly threatening. Now, I would punctuate the text this way.”
He took the pen and jotted a few marks.
THE GOD’S CURSE BIDES BY THE BURIED KING. DEPART NOT ENGLAND FOR DESERT WASTES. DEATH IS THERE. BEWARE THE GRINNING WOMAN SPHINX.
“Woman sphinx?” Jenny asked. “Aren’t they all women?”
“Not at all,” Stephen said. “The Egyptians apparently adored sphinxes. They depicted them with male, female, and even animal characteristics—hawks spring to mind; rams, too. So we apparently are being warned to be wary of a specific female sphinx.”
“If we take the ‘buried king’ to mean our Neferankhotep,” Neville said grimly, “that means someone knows our purpose for going to Egypt.”
“Not necessarily,” Stephen said breezily. “I mean, who else do archeologists want to dig up? Certainly not commoners. The occasional queen is nice, but kings are the prize.”
“Maybe so,” Neville said, but he was not convinced.
Jenny looked up from the message, her expression solemn. “Are you planning to cancel your trip, Uncle Neville?”
“No!” he replied a trifle sharply. Then he softened. “However, if you wish to remain here in England, it is not too late for me to speak with Lady Lindenmeade.”
“I’m going,” Jenny replied. “I’ve already started shopping. This is just going to make me expand my list—unless I can borrow your primers. We’ll have lots of travel time, and I think I’d like Stephen to start teaching me hieroglyphs.”
Neville forced a laugh. “You may have the books, Jenny, but I’m beginning to think you’d better buy spare ammunition for your guns.”
It was hard to say who looked more surprised, Jenny or Stephen. Jenny’s surprise rapidly changed to delight.
“I have a rifle, too, Uncle Neville, a new Winchester, custom-made. Can we get ammunition for that, too?”
“Of course.”
Stephen sputtered, “Guns? For a lady?”
“Jenny’s parents had rather peculiar ideas as to how best to raise a lady,” Neville said, “and since you have no doubt that Jenny is a lady . . .” He trailed off challengingly.
“Not a bit,” Stephen replied a trifle over-heartily, “and given I can’t even knock off the coconut at the village fair, it’s probably a good idea that Miss Benet can compensate for my deficiencies.”
“We should make certain you know the basics,” Neville said. “But that will need to wait. We leave in two days.”
“For the desert wastes,” Jenny said, looking down at the letter.
Where death awaits, Neville thought.
4
Unexpected Traveling Companions
Jenny thought the amount of fuss her English companions made about the journey to Egypt almost funny, given what they claimed to be ready to attempt once they were in Egypt. They were traveling through parts of the world civilized since the time of Julius Caesar—though Caesar certainly wouldn’t have said the Gauls were civilized—to one of the cradles of human culture.
The distance involved was tremendous, but they were traveling by train and steamship. Thanks to Uncle Neville’s wealth, they would travel first class all the way. Jenny was rather looking forward to the journey—especially when she compared it with some of those she’d taken with her parents. Those had involved buckboards, covered wagons, and in a few cases barely broken Indian ponies.
Sir Neville intended to arrive in Egypt around the ebb of the inundation of the Nile. Travel upriver would be easiest then, and the whole of the cooler winter season would remain for exploration. He admitted that he had no idea how long it would take for them to locate the
“For spelling, maybe,” Neville said, “but I don’t much like our correspondent’s content. It’s rather hard to make out precisely what is meant without punctuation, but this is clearly a threat.”
“Or a warning,” Stephen said. “That last line isn’t particularly threatening. Now, I would punctuate the text this way.”
He took the pen and jotted a few marks.
THE GOD’S CURSE BIDES BY THE BURIED KING. DEPART NOT ENGLAND FOR DESERT WASTES. DEATH IS THERE. BEWARE THE GRINNING WOMAN SPHINX.
“Woman sphinx?” Jenny asked. “Aren’t they all women?”
“Not at all,” Stephen said. “The Egyptians apparently adored sphinxes. They depicted them with male, female, and even animal characteristics—hawks spring to mind; rams, too. So we apparently are being warned to be wary of a specific female sphinx.”
“If we take the ‘buried king’ to mean our Neferankhotep,” Neville said grimly, “that means someone knows our purpose for going to Egypt.”
“Not necessarily,” Stephen said breezily. “I mean, who else do archeologists want to dig up? Certainly not commoners. The occasional queen is nice, but kings are the prize.”
“Maybe so,” Neville said, but he was not convinced.
Jenny looked up from the message, her expression solemn. “Are you planning to cancel your trip, Uncle Neville?”
“No!” he replied a trifle sharply. Then he softened. “However, if you wish to remain here in England, it is not too late for me to speak with Lady Lindenmeade.”
“I’m going,” Jenny replied. “I’ve already started shopping. This is just going to make me expand my list—unless I can borrow your primers. We’ll have lots of travel time, and I think I’d like Stephen to start teaching me hieroglyphs.”
Neville forced a laugh. “You may have the books, Jenny, but I’m beginning to think you’d better buy spare ammunition for your guns.”
It was hard to say who looked more surprised, Jenny or Stephen. Jenny’s surprise rapidly changed to delight.
“I have a rifle, too, Uncle Neville, a new Winchester, custom-made. Can we get ammunition for that, too?”
“Of course.”
Stephen sputtered, “Guns? For a lady?”
“Jenny’s parents had rather peculiar ideas as to how best to raise a lady,” Neville said, “and since you have no doubt that Jenny is a lady . . .” He trailed off challengingly.
“Not a bit,” Stephen replied a trifle over-heartily, “and given I can’t even knock off the coconut at the village fair, it’s probably a good idea that Miss Benet can compensate for my deficiencies.”
“We should make certain you know the basics,” Neville said. “But that will need to wait. We leave in two days.”
“For the desert wastes,” Jenny said, looking down at the letter.
Where death awaits, Neville thought.
4
Unexpected Traveling Companions
Jenny thought the amount of fuss her English companions made about the journey to Egypt almost funny, given what they claimed to be ready to attempt once they were in Egypt. They were traveling through parts of the world civilized since the time of Julius Caesar—though Caesar certainly wouldn’t have said the Gauls were civilized—to one of the cradles of human culture.
The distance involved was tremendous, but they were traveling by train and steamship. Thanks to Uncle Neville’s wealth, they would travel first class all the way. Jenny was rather looking forward to the journey—especially when she compared it with some of those she’d taken with her parents. Those had involved buckboards, covered wagons, and in a few cases barely broken Indian ponies.
Sir Neville intended to arrive in Egypt around the ebb of the inundation of the Nile. Travel upriver would be easiest then, and the whole of the cooler winter season would remain for exploration. He admitted that he had no idea how long it would take for them to locate the
Similar Books
