'Where is the tunnel?' von Schiller demanded as soon as he had regained
his breath, and Hansith beckoned to him to follow him to the wall of the
small coffer dam.
Here von Schiller paused and looked around at Helm and Nogo. 'I want you
to remain on guard here. I will enter the tomb with Guddabi and this
monk. I will send for you when you are needed.'
'I would feet happier to be with you, to protect you, Herr von
Schiller-' Helm began, but the old man frowned at him.
'Do as I tell you!' And with Hansith steadying him he climbed stiffly
down the wall of the coffer dam into the mouth of the tunnel. Nahoot
Guddabi followed him closely.
'The lights? Where does the power come from?' von to know.
Schiller wanted
'There is a machine,' Hansith explained, and at that moment they heard
the soft burble of the generator ahead one of them spoke again as they
moved down of them. the entrance tunnel after Hansith, until they
reached the bridge over the dark waters of the sinkholes
'This is very rough construction,' Nahoot muttered, his uneasiness at
last giving way to professional interest. 'It tomb I have does not
remind me of any other Egyptian ever inspected. I think we may have been
misted. It is bably some native Ethiopian workings.' pro
'You are making a premature judgement,' von Schiller admonished him.
'Wait until we have seen the rest of what this man has to show us.'
Von Schiller steadied himself with a hand on Hansith's shoulder as they
crossed the bobbing pontoons of baobab wood, and he scrambled ashore on
the far side with relief.
They started up the rising section of the tunnel and passed the
high-water mark.
As soon as the construction of the walls changed to packed and dressed
stone, Nahoot remarked on it. 'Ah! I was disappointed at first. I
thought we had been duped, but now one can see the Egyptian influence.'
They reached the landing outside the ruined gallery on which stood the
Honda generator. By -now both von Schiller and Nahoot were sweating with
exertion and trembling with excitement.
4Th is looks more and more promising. It may very well be a royal tomb,'
Nahoot exulted. Von Schiller pointed to the plaster seats stacked
against the -side wall where Nicholas and Royan had abandoned them.
Nahoot fell to his, knees beside them and examined them eagerly, his
voice trembling as he cried out.
The cartouche of Mamose, and the seal of the scribe Taita!' He looked up
at von Schiller with shining eyes, 'There can be no doubts now. I have
led you to the tomb as I promised you I would.'
For a moment von Schiller stared at him, speechless in the face of such
hare-faced arrogance. Then he snorted with disgust and stooped to peer
through the open doorway into the long gallery.
'This has been destroyed!' he cried in horror. 'The tomb has been
annihilated.'
'No, no!' Hansith assured him. 'Come this way. There is another tunnel
beyond.'
As they picked their way through the rubble and wreckage, Hansith told
