The Seventh Scroll

Here the coffin of Tanus, Lord Harrab, lay across a pair of trestles. A

white-coated radiologist hovered over her back-lit display board on

which the ,ray plates were clipped, Von Schiller went directly to the

display and peered at the shadowy pictures upon it. Within the outline

of the wooden coffin, the reclining human shape with hands crossed over

its chest was very clear. It reminded him of a carved effigy atop the

sarcophagus of an old knight in the precincts of a medieval cathedral.

"What can you tell me about this body?" he asked the radiologist without

looking at her.

"Male," she said crisply. "Late middle age. Over fifty and under

sixty-five at death. Short stature." All the listeners winced and

glanced at von Schiller. He seemed not to have noticed this solecism.

"Five teeth missing. One front upper, one eye too and three molars.

Wisdom teeth impacted. Extensive caries in most surviving teeth.

Evidence of chronic bilharzia infection. Possible poliomyelitis in

infancy, withering in left leg." She recited her findings for five

minutes, and then ended, "Probable cause of death was a puncture wound

in upper right thorax. Lance or arrow. Extrapolating from the entry

angle, the head of the lance or arrow would have transfixed the right

lung."

"Anything else?" von Schiller asked when she fell silent. The

radiologist hesitated, and then went on.

"Herr von Schiller, you will recall that I have examined several mummies

for you. In this instance, the incisions through which the viscera were

removed appear to have been made with more skill and finesse than those

of the other cadavers. The operator seems to have been a trained

physician."

"Thank you." Von Schiller turned from her to Nahoot.

"Do you have any comments, at this stage?"

"Only that these descriptions do not fit those given in the seventh

scroll for Tanus, Lord Harrah, at the time of his death."

"In what way?"

"Tanus was a tall man. Much younger. See the portraits on the coffin

lid."

"Go on,'von Schiller invited.

Nahoot stepped up to the display of -ray plates and pointed out several

solid dark objects, all of them with clean outlines, that adorned the

body.

"Jewellery," he said. "Amulets. Bracelets. Pectorals.

Several necklaces. Rings and earrings. But, most significant," Nahoot

touched the dark circle around the dead brow, "the uraeus crown. The

outline of the sacred serpent is quite unmistakable, beneath the

bandages."

"What does that indicate?" Von Schiller was puzzled.

"This was not the body of a commoner, or even of a noble. The extent of

ornamentation is too extensive. But most significant, the uraeus crown.

The sacred cobra. That was only worn by royalty, I believe that what we

have here is a royal mummy."

"Impossible," snapped von Schiller. "Look at the inscription on the

coffin. Those that were painted on the walls of the tomb. Clearly this

is the mummy of an Egyptian general."

"With respect, Herr von Schiller. There is a possible explanation. In

the book written by the Englishman, River God, there is an interesting

suggestion that the slave Taita swopped the two mummies, that of Pharaoh

Mamose and his good friend, Tanus."

"For what earthly reason would he do that?" Von Schiller looked

incredulous.

"Not for any earthly reason, but for a spiritual and supernat urat

reason. Taita wished his -friend to have the use and ownership of all

Pharaoh's treasure in the afterworld. It was his last gift to a friend."

"Do you believe that?"

"I do not disbelieve it. There is one other fact that tends to support

this theory. It is quite obvious from the Xrays that the coffin is too

large for the body within. TO me, it seems obvious that it was designed

to accommodate a larger man. Yes, Herr von Schiller, I do believe that

there is an excellent chance that this is a royal mummy."

Von Schiller had gone ashen pale as he listened. Sweat headed upon his

forehead, and his voice was hoarse and chesty as he asked, "A -royal

mummy?"

"It may very well be so."

Slowly von Schiller moved closer to the sealed coffin on its trestle,

until he was staring down at the portrait of the dead man upon its lid.

"The golden uraeus of Mamose. The personal jewellery of a pharaoh." His

hand was shaking as he laid it on the coffin lid. "If that is so, then

this find exceeds our most extravagant hopes."

Von Schiller drew a deep steadying breath. "Open the coffin. Unwrap the

mummy of the Pharaoh Mamose."

It was painstaking work. Nahoot had performed the same task many times

before, yet never on the earthly remains of such an illustrious

personage as an Egyptian pharaoh.

Nahoot first had to establish where the joint of the lid lay beneath the

paint. Once he had done this, he could whittle away at the ancient

varnish and glues that secured the lid in place. Great care had to be

taken to inflict as little damage as possible: the fragile coffin in

itself was a priceless treasure. This work took the greater part of two

days.

When the lid was free and ready to be lifted, Nahoot sent a message to

von Schiller, who was in an executive meeting with his sons and the

other '  directors of his company in the library upstairs. Von Schiller

had refused to go into the city for this meeting: he could not bear to

be separated from his latest treasure. Immediately he heard from Nahoot

he adjourned the meeting until the following Monday, and dismissed his

directors and his offspring unceremoniously, Then, without waiting to

see them into their waiting limousines, he hurried down to the vaults.

Nahoot and Reeper had rigged a light scaffold over the coffin, from

which hung two sets of block and tackle. As soon as von Schiller entered

the vault, Reeper sent away his assistants. Only the three of them would

be present to witness the opening of the coffin.

Reeper brought him the carpet-covered block for him to stand on

and'positioned it at the head of the coffin, so that von Schiller would

be able to see inside as they worked. From this eminence the old man

nodded to them to proceed. The ratchets of the two blocks clicked, one

pawl at a time, as both Reeper and Nahoot gently put pressure on the

tackle. There was a faint crackling and tearing sound, at which von

Schiller winced.

"It is only the last shreds of glue holding the lid," Nahoot reassured

him.

"Go on!" von Schiller ordered, and they lifted the lid er six inches

until it hung suspended over the body anoth of the coffin. The

scaffolding was on nylon castors which rolled smoothly over the tiled

floor. They wheeled away the entire structure, with the coffin lid still

suspended from it.

Von Schiller peered into the open coffin. His expression changed to one

of astonishment. He had expected to see the neatly swathed human form

lying serenely in the traditional funereal pose. Instead, the interior

of the coffin was stuffed untidily with loose linen bandages that

entirely hid the body from view.

"What on earth-' von Schiller exclaimed with astonishment. He reached

out to take a handful of the old discoloured wrappings, but Nahoot