A Riddle and a Ride
The Aldens opened all the wooden boxes. Each had a different number of dots ranging from two to seven.
“The dots have to be there to tell us which order the items are to be delivered,” Jessie said.
“Why isn’t there a box with a one on it?” Benny asked.
“Because the clay turtle we took to Acoma Pueblo was item one,” Henry reminded him.
Jessie ran her finger over the keypad. “We know the order to open them, but that won’t do us much good until we know the codes.”
“There were seven items counting the turtle and the riddle says something about seven,” Violet said. “Maybe that means something.”
“Maybe,” Henry agreed. “I’m going to read the riddle again.”
I still stand,
The only one left of the seven.
Wonders we were.
Wonder still am I.
If you can find when I was finished,
Then you will be able to gaze
On he who commanded I be built.
From the smallest come the Great.
“We know one way to figure out riddles is to focus on the words that aren’t so common,” Jessie said. “Wonder isn’t such a common word.”
Henry repeated a couple of the lines: “Wonders we were. / Wonder still am I. The word wonder in this riddle means something amazing, not the wonder that means you are trying to figure something out,” he said. “What’s amazing in Egypt?”
“The pyramids!” Benny shouted.
“Pyramids are amazing, but the riddle says the wonder is only one of seven,” Violet said. “I think there are a lot more pyramids than that in Egypt.”
Henry put down the riddle and grinned. “There are more than seven, but I think the seven is something else. We learned in school there were seven wonders of the ancient world. Only the Great Pyramid is still standing of the seven. I still stand, / The only one left of the seven.”
“That’s it!” Jessie said. “Now we can solve more of the riddle. It says we need to figure out when the wonder was built.” Jessie got out her laptop and typed in Great Pyramid. She scanned the screen. “It was built in 2560 BC. Try 2560 as the code!”
Henry punched in the numbers. The lock made a slight click and then opened. He lifted the lid, and they all leaned in to see what was inside.
“It’s a tiny statue,” Benny exclaimed.
“I think it’s called a figurine,” Violet said.
Benny leaned in to get a closer look then sat back. “I don’t see why it’s so special. It’s a man wearing a hat who is sitting on a chair.”
“It looks very, very old,” Jessie said. “That’s probably what makes it special.”
“It has to be a pharaoh,” Henry said. “That’s not a hat, it’s a crown.”
“What’s a pharaoh?” Benny asked.
“Kings in ancient Egypt were called pharaohs,” Henry said.
“That’s the rest of the riddle then.” Jessie picked up the piece of paper again.
Then you will be able to gaze
On he who commanded I be built.
From the smallest come the Great.
“We just need to know who built the Great Pyramid!” Violet said, excited they were close to solving the riddle.
Jessie went back to her laptop. After a moment, she announced, “A pharaoh named Khufu, who was also called Cheops by some historians. Not much is known about him, but he is very famous because he ordered the Great Pyramid to be built.”
They gazed at the tiny figurine again. “Even though we know what it is, we still don’t know who to give it to,” Violet said.
“Couldn’t we just take it to a museum?” Jessie suggested. “I know there is a big museum in Cairo full of artifacts. I read about it on the way here. They could figure out where it goes.”
“Let’s call Trudy again,” Henry said. “She’ll want to know we solved the riddle.”
Trudy still looked glum when she answered the phone, but a big smile crossed her face after Henry told her they’d been able to open the case.
“I’m so impressed you figured that out!” she cried. “And that you identified the item.”
“Can we take it to the museum in Cairo?” Jessie asked.
Trudy shook her head. “Not unless you can figure out the name of the person Tricia worked with on this item. If that person worked in the museum, then you could return it. Otherwise, no. It’s a tricky situation with all these artifacts. The museums and other places where the items were stolen from are trying to keep the thefts quiet until they can figure out who stole them. They are afraid the items were stolen by someone who works in the museum, so if we return it to the wrong person,it might disappear again. Do you have any other clues you are still working on?”
“No,” Henry said. “That was the only clue.”
“We can’t do anything else then,” Trudy said. “The Reddimus plane will be back in Cairo tomorrow. I’ll call Rania and ask her to take you back to the airport. Bring the item and the rest of the artifacts back to us until we know what to do with them. I’ll see you soon.”
After Trudy hung up the phone, Henry said, “I really wish we could do more.”
“Me too. Let’s put the figurine away,” Jessie said. “I’ll feel better if it is locked up again and the cases are put back in the wooden boxes and wrapped up.”
“Why don’t we mark on the wrappings which box is which,” Violet suggested. “We can put little dots on the wrapping that match the ones inside the box.”
“Good idea,” Henry said.
They had just finished putting the artifacts back in the duffel bag when they heard a voice.
“Hello, Aldens! May I come in?”
An older teenage boy stood in the doorway, the one they had seen by the camels.
“Hello,” Henry said. “Come in.”
The boy was tall and lanky and had to duck his head to get in the doorway. His big brown eyes looked just like Rania’s. It was easy to tell they were related.
“I’m Tareq Galal,” the boy said. “My cousin sent me to see if you wanted to take a camel ride. She has to deal with some hotel business, so she won’t be able to see you until later.”
“That’s nice of you,” Jessie said, introducing everyone. “We’d like that. Can we leave our things here? The door to the tent doesn’t lock.” She was nervous about leaving the duffel bag in the tent.
“Don’t worry. Your things will be safe. We have security guards who watch the resort for us. They walk around and keep an eye on things.”
Jessie put the duffel bag in the corner and then placed her own backpack in front of it, still worried.
They followed Tareq to the smaller of the two white buildings, which turned out to be the camel stable. The camels all sat in front of the stable, their legs tucked beneath them. All different colors of pom-poms and tassels decorated their bridles. The blankets underneath and on top of the saddles were brightly patterned in shades of red and orange and blue.
“They look like they are all dressed up to go to a party!” Violet said. “What’s this tan one’s name? Can I pet her?”
“Her name is Al Rahila and yes, you can pet her,” Tareq said. “She’s very gentle and she likes attention. In fact, they all like attention, but some more than others.”
Violet knelt beside the camel. Jessie joined her. “She has such long eyelashes!” Jessie exclaimed.
“Their eyelashes help keep the sand out of their eyes,” Tareq explained as he adjusted a blanket on one of the saddles.
“They are really, really big.” Benny was a little frightened. Even sitting on the ground, the camels were almost as tall as him.
Tareq moved over to another camel that was a darker brown than the others and checked its saddle. “They’re big, but they won’t hurt you. Some people think camels are mean. They aren’t mean at all if people take care of them. But don’t be surprised if they make loud noises. Sometimes they make a growly bellow
ing noise. It sounds like they are angry. They really aren’t. It’s like a horse neighing. Don’t stand in front of them in case they sneeze on you. Sometimes I think Al Sharif here does it on purpose.” As if Al Sharif had understood him, the camel gave a big sneeze. Everyone laughed.
Tareq rolled his eyes at the camel. “Very funny, Al Sharif. Benny, you and Violet can ride together on Al Sharif. He is old and a little slow, but good with children. Jessie, you can ride on Al Rahila. Al Mataya, the other tan one, would be good for Henry.” Tareq patted the neck of a camel that was almost white. “And this is Al Shamlal, my camel. He is light and fast and I’m training him for camel races.”
“How fast can they go?” Henry asked.
“Fast, depending on the camel. Not quite as fast as a horse, except when they are running on sand. Their feet are better adapted to it. Our camels don’t do much running though, except for Al Shamlal.”
“How do we steer?” Benny asked.
“Do you know how to ride a horse?”
“Yes,” Benny said. “We all do.”
“Use the reins like you would on a horse, but you really don’t have to steer. They are used to following Al Shamlal. They will go where he goes.” Tareq explained that riders got on camels while the camels were sitting, and the camels then waited for a command to stand up. “Camels get up with their back legs first, so riders tip forward. You’ll need to lean back to help keep your balance and then lean forward when they get their front legs up.”
Once they were all seated, Tareq taught them the command to get the camels up.
“Whoa, we are really far off the ground,” Benny said as his and Violet’s camel lumbered up into a standing position. Benny was glad he was riding with Violet.
“A camel’s gait is not a smooth as the way a horse walks, so just hold on,” Tareq warned when all the camels were up. “They’re easy to ride, but it feels strange at first.”
Just like Tareq had said, the movements of the camels were very different from those of horses. There was much more swaying back and forth in the saddle than from riding a horse. They spent the next hour out in the desert. As they rode, Tareq told them all about camels and how they were adapted to live in such a dry climate. “Some people think camels store water in their humps, but that’s not true at all,” he said. “They are able to drink a lot of water at a time so they don’t have to drink often.”
They rode near a small village and then past it farther into the desert. When they turned back and came within sight of the lodge, Tareq asked, “Would you like to go a little faster?”
“Yes!” Jessie said. Henry agreed.
“How fast exactly?” Benny asked, tightening his hold on Violet.
“Not too fast,” Tareq assured him. “As fast as a horse trots, though the way a camel moves, it’s more comfortable to ride camels at that speed than it is a horse. It’s like they are jogging.”
The trip back to the stable didn’t take long with the camels moving faster. Jessie had a bad moment where she nearly fell off, but she soon got used to the motion. At the stable, Tareq told them to hold on while the camels lowered themselves to the ground so they could get off.
“You are now camel riders,” Tareq declared. “I’m going to feed the camels now, but if you are hungry, there is a buffet set up inside the lodge. Help yourself.”
“Yay!” Benny said. The pastries had been very good but not very filling.
“Thank you for taking us on a ride,” Jessie said. “Are you coming in to eat?”
“I’ll be in soon, but I’ll have to eat quickly. I’m taking some of our guests out for a nighttime ride to look at the stars.”
They filled up on grilled meat kabobs and bean dishes and a delicious Egyptian flatbread called aish baladi, all washed down with fruit juices. After that, many of the lodge’s guests went outside to sit around a fire pit while a man who worked at the lodge entertained them with music.
By the time they finished and headed back to their tent, Benny couldn’t stop yawning.
Violet noticed and said, “I’m sleepy too.”
Henry looked up at the sky. “I see why this place is named Desert Stars. Look at all of them up there. A camel ride at night to watch them would be fun.”
“It’s nice to be so far away from city lights,” Violet said. The only lights they could see were those from the resort and from the village they had seen on their camel ride.
They passed a resort worker who was walking the paths around the tents. He greeted them and then went on his way.
“That must be one of the guards,” Jessie said. She was relieved someone had been watching the tents.
Benny walked into the tent first. A motion in the corner caught his eye. It was a hand reaching through a cut in the canvas. The hand took hold of the duffel bag and dragged it through the cut.
“Someone is stealing our bag!” Benny yelled.
Chase through the Desert
Jessie ran in behind Benny. He pointed to the corner. Jessie dashed over and tried to grab the bag. Her fingers closed on one corner, but whoever had hold of it yanked it through the opening.
Henry, who had come in too, yelled, “Outside!” and ran out the door. The rest of the Aldens followed.
At first, it was so dark, no one could see anything, and then Violet shouted, “There!” and pointed at a white shape darting behind another tent. The thief was wearing a long white robe, but there was so little light it was difficult to follow him.
They chased after him anyway, catching glimpses of white as they ran down the paths that wound around the tents. The person veered off toward the back of the resort, heading into the desert. Henry followed and managed to keep up, but he couldn’t catch the thief.
Jessie had an idea. “I’m going to get Tareq!” she yelled at Henry. She turned and ran in the direction of the stable. Violet and Benny followed her.
Tareq was taking the saddle off a camel. He looked up, startled at their appearance.
“Tareq! Someone stole our bag!” Jessie yelled. “They ran out into the desert toward the village.”
She pointed toward the lights in the distance. They could just make out a figure in a long white robe. Henry was just a dark shape running behind the figure, but Jessie thought he might be gaining on the person.
“Stop, thief!” Tareq yelled, but the thief didn’t stop. “No one steals anything from the Galal resort! We’ll catch them!”
He jumped back on Al Shamlal.
“Jessie, take Al Rahila,” he ordered, pointing at the camel Jessie had ridden earlier. “Benny and Violet, watch the others for me. Come on!”
Jessie barely had time to get on her camel before the animal got up and began to follow Tareq. Tareq urged his camel to go faster, and once it did, Jessie’s camel sped up too. Jessie found herself clinging to the saddle so she wouldn’t fall off. The camel was moving much faster than the jog they had done earlier in the day.
The camels drew closer to the running figure. “I’m going to try to get in front of him,” Tareq called back over his shoulder. “He’ll have to turn back then.” Al Shamlal sped up even more, so Jessie’s camel did too.
The two camels raced toward the village until they were between the village and the thief. The person turned to run the other way, but he tripped and fell just as Henry caught up to him.
As he fell, he bumped into Henry and Henry fell too. Jessie could see Henry grabbing for the bag as the camels drew closer. Tareq and Jessie were only a few feet away when the thief got to his feet and then took off running again.
“Henry, are you all right?” Jessie yelled as the camels reached him.
“I’m fine.” Henry stood up and held up the bag so they could see it. “I’ve got the bag too.”
“Should we go after the thief?” Tareq asked.
They hadn’t noticed a four-wheel vehicle driving toward them from the village. The driver honked a horn. Jessie’s camel was so startled by the noise, it turned and took off jogging back toward the
resort. Jessie had just managed to slow the camel when Tareq caught up to her. Henry caught up a moment later, out of breath from running after them.
“The thief got away,” Henry said. “He got in the four-wheeler. But at least we have the bag.” Henry opened the bag and counted the boxes. “They are all here.”
“That’s a relief,” Jessie said.
“Rania told me Trudy Silverton was worried about the Argent family,” Tareq said. “But Rania thought they wouldn’t follow you here. We should go back and tell her.”
“Yes,” Jessie said, “and I am ready to be done with camel riding for the day.”
Rania was outside the stable with Benny and Violet as they rode back in. “What happened?” she cried. “I heard yelling and looked out the window to see you racing off into the desert.”
Henry explained about the stolen bag and how they’d retrieved it. “The Argents found us here after all.”
Tareq began to take the saddles off the camels. “Whoever it was wore Egyptian clothing: a galabia and a turban.”
“I know a turban is a hat,” Jessie said, “but what is a galabia? Is it the long white robe?”
“Yes, though these days it’s not very common, except with older men in smaller villages and with farmers,” Tareq explained. “And sometimes people who take tourists on rides and expeditions wear them because the tourists expect it. The person was tall, whoever it was.”
“Anna Argent is tall,” Benny said. When he had seen her inside the train to New Mexico, she had towered over Violet and him. Benny thought she might even be taller than Grandfather.
“Yes, maybe she wore the robe so no one could recognize her and so people would think she was Egyptian,” Henry suggested.
“I don’t know who it was, but I wish we knew where to take the artifacts,” Jessie said. “I didn’t think it would be so hard to keep them safe.”
Rania went over to Jessie’s camel and showed her how to take the saddle off. “I found something that might help,” Rania said. “Tricia left it here, but I didn’t know about it until tonight. She gave it to my uncle right as she was leaving. He put it in his office and forgot to tell me. If you come into the lodge with me when we are done, I’ll get it for you.”
The Clue in the Papyrus Scroll Page 3