The Clue in the Papyrus Scroll

by Gertrude Chandler Warner

  When the camels were all in the stable and everything was put away, they all went into the lodge. Rania brought out a rolled piece of very thick paper from her uncle’s office. It had a string tied around it. She handed it to Jessie.

  Jessie untied and unrolled it. “It’s a scroll.”

  “Yes,” Rania said. “Tourists like to buy these scrolls as souvenirs. They are supposed to look like ancient Egyptian scrolls. They used to write on paper that was made from papyrus plants.”

  Everyone gathered around to look at the scroll.

  “There are little pictures on it,” Benny pointed to one. “That’s the Reddimus Society owl.”

  “The one underneath it looks like three pyramids.” Violet leaned in closer. “Then the next one is a lady digging, and the one below that is a bird with a worm in its mouth. The last one is a boy with a bow and arrow.

  “Yes,” Rania said. “They are similar to hieroglyphics, which were the old writing symbols the ancient Egyptians used, but these pictures aren’t real hieroglyphics. Look at the woman digging.”

  “I see what you mean,” Jessie said. “That woman doesn’t look like an ancient Egyptian. She’s got on pants and a shirt with buttons on it. And the boy with the bow and arrow is wearing a tee shirt.”

  “So it’s another puzzle,” Henry said. “We just have to figure out what it means.”

  “I know this kind of puzzle. It’s called a pictogram,” Tareq told them. “I used to have a puzzle book of pictograms when I was a little boy. You write out the words for the pictures, and that solves the puzzle. I think that woman is supposed to be an archaeologist. That would make sense with the picture of the pyramid.”

  Jessie asked for a piece of paper and a pencil. When Rania brought them to her, Jessie wrote out the words pyramids, archaeologist, bird, and bow and arrow.

  Henry looked over her list. “I don’t see how those words solve the puzzle. Pyramids and archaeologist go together, but bird and bow and arrow don’t.”

  “That’s not just any bird. That’s a wren,” Jessie said. “Look how its tail is pointed up. Are there wrens in Egypt?”

  “If there are, they aren’t common,” Tareq said. “I don’t remember seeing a bird like that.”

  “It does look like a wren!” Benny said. “Our housekeeper, Mrs. McGregor, put a wren house right outside the kitchen window,” he told Tareq and Rania. “She says they eat a lot of bad bugs so she likes them. There is a girl in my class named Wren too. Her parents like birds so they named her after one. She doesn’t eat bugs though.”

  Rania laughed. “I hope not.”

  “Could Wren be a name?” Violet asked.

  “You may be onto something,” Henry said. “But I don’t see how wren goes with the bow and arrow.”

  Jessie doodled on the paper, circling the picture of the person with the bow and arrow. “Instead of bow and arrow, the picture could stand for archer. That can be a name too. Maybe we need to find an archaeologist named Wren Archer.” She turned to Rania. “Do you have a computer we can use?”

  Rania got her laptop and gave it to Jessie. Jessie did a search and then looked up and smiled. “There is a website for an archaeologist named Wren Archer. It says when she is not teaching, she works near the Great Pyramid. So that’s who gets the artifact!”

  Everyone was very excited they had solved the puzzle. There were high fives all around.

  “Excellent,” Rania said. “It’s too late to try to reach her tonight, but we can do it tomorrow. There is a government office that oversees all the archaeologists working in Egypt. We can call there in the morning to see if Wren Archer is in Egypt now. If she is, I can take you to her site. I was planning on taking you back to Cairo anyway. Trudy contacted me about the plane coming to pick you up.”

  “At least we’ll be able to return one artifact before we go home,” Henry said. “Anna Argent won’t be able to get that one.”

  “Would you sleep in the lodge tonight?” Rania asked. “I doubt if the thief will come back, but you can move out of the tent if you want to. We have some guest rooms that aren’t being used.”

  The Aldens discussed it and came to a decision together. “No, we’d like to stay in the tent,” Jessie said.

  “We don’t get to sleep in a tent in the desert very often,” Violet added.

  “We’ve never slept in a tent in the desert,” Benny said.

  “I’ll put the duffel bag under my bed,” Henry said. “And we can pile up all our backpacks around it. If someone tried to sneak in to take the bag, they’d have to move everything first. We’d hear them.”

  “If you’re sure.” Rania sounded doubtful.

  “We’re sure,” Jessie said as everyone got up and headed off to bed.

  The next morning after breakfast, Jessie got on the phone. She reported what she had discovered. “Dr. Archer is in Egypt conducting excavations near the Great Pyramid. She has a base camp near a site of an ancient workers’ village. We can find her there.”

  They packed their things into Rania’s car and said good-bye to Tareq.

  “Come back soon,” he said. “We’ll do more camel riding.”

  Waving good-bye, everyone settled in the car for the drive back to Cairo. About halfway there, Jessie’s phone beeped. “I just got an email from someone named AnOwlFriend,” she said

  “It has to be someone with the Reddimus Society,” Henry said.

  “Trudy?” Violet asked.

  “The email address doesn’t match Trudy’s.” Jessie opened up the email and read it out loud: “Be careful who you trust. Many will try to trick you. Ask those who you approach if they are friends of the owls. If they answer ‘yes’ you know they can be trusted. That’s all it says. There isn’t any signature.”

  “It’s a funny email,” Benny said. ‘It’s like in books where you have to know the secret password. Friends of the owls is our secret password.”

  “That’s exactly what it is,” Henry said. “It’s odd though.”

  “Who would send us that? Do you think it’s Tricia?” Violet asked.

  “I don’t know,” Henry said. “Why wouldn’t she sign her name? The whole thing is a mystery.”

  Inside the Great Pyramid

  As Rania drove the Aldens into Cairo, the pyramids rose before them. When she parked the car next to a small trailer at the excavation site behind the pyramids, everyone jumped out to stare up at the huge monuments.

  “They are incredible,” Henry said. “You can’t tell how giant they are from the pictures.”

  “I didn’t know they were made up of such big blocks,” Violet said. “I thought the pyramids sides were all smooth, but you could climb up these.”

  Rania shook her head. “People aren’t allowed to climb up to the top any longer. Too many people went up and then were afraid to come down. You can only climb up to the entrance. That’s about fifty feet up.”

  Benny held out his arms. “Each block is as big as a refrigerator! I wouldn’t like to stack all those.”

  “I wouldn’t either,” Jessie agreed. “Just think, they didn’t have any trucks or modern equipment to build this.”

  Violet looked around. “There are a lot of people in white robes here. What if one of them is Anna Argent?”

  “Tareq said some of the people who give camel rides wear galabias. I’m sure Anna isn’t here,” Jessie assured her. “I didn’t see anyone following us. I was keeping a lookout in the car.”

  “I’ll keep a tight hold on the duffel bag,” Henry added. “I don’t think anyone would try to steal a bag from us here. Did you notice all the policemen patrolling on camels? The thief should know now that a camel can catch someone. Let’s find Dr. Archer.”

  “I need to make some phone calls,” Rania said. “I’ll stay with the car.”

  Henry walked over to what looked like a group of college students who stood outside the door of the trailer. Their clothes and boots were dusty, and most of them were drinking water from bottles as if they were
very thirsty.

  “We’re looking for Dr. Wren Archer,” Henry said. “Do you know her?”

  One of the young men pointed at an older woman with curly gray hair standing nearby holding a clipboard and a pencil. The woman’s hair stuck out every which way from under the blue scarf tied around her head. She was wearing a pair of glasses but also had two other pairs of glasses attached to strings she wore around her neck.

  The Aldens and Rania walked over to her. “Excuse me,” Jessie said. “Are you Dr. Archer?”

  “I am Dr. Archer.” The woman took off her glasses and stared at them, a puzzled expression on her face. “College students must be getting younger and shorter every year, or else I need new glasses.” She reached for a different pair and put them on. “You’re still looking very young,” she said to Rania.

  “We’re not college students,” Henry said. “We’re here to return something to you.”

  The archaeologist continued to stare at them until Jessie remembered the email. “If you are a friend of owls,” she added.

  Dr. Archer burst into laughter. “I never thought I’d actually hear someone say that. Tricia told me I would, but I didn’t believe her. That girl’s imagination knows no bounds.” She grew serious then. “Do you really have what I think you have? Wait, let’s go inside the trailer.”

  They followed her up the steps and into the trailer, which was packed with papers and computers and pieces of equipment. Henry set the duffel bag down on a table and then took out the box. When he pulled the case out of the box, Dr. Archer clasped her hands together. “I was afraid it was lost forever. Is it undamaged?”

  “I think so.” Henry punched in the code and opened the lid.

  Dr. Archer changed her glasses again. She looked in the case and gasped.

  Jessie was worried something was wrong. “It’s all right, isn’t it?” she asked.

  “It’s perfect,” Dr. Archer said. “I’m so thankful it’s been returned. I will make sure it gets put back in its proper place in the museum where everyone can see it.”

  It surprised Benny to see how happy Dr. Archer was about the return of the statue. “Can I ask a question?”

  “Of course, young man,” Dr. Archer replied.

  “My sister said the statue was special because it’s old,” Benny said. “So is everything old special?”

  “That is a very good question. Objects as old as this are special, but this one is extra special. We don’t know much of anything about Khufu. So much history has been lost. Words were written on things that don’t last, or some history was never written down at all. That’s why the art and the artifacts that remain are so important. That’s where we find the history. Does that make sense?”

  Benny nodded.

  “Good. I want to get this back to the museum right away, but I expect you would like to stay and look around. Is this your first time in Egypt?”

  “Yes,” Jessie said. “We’re very excited to be here.”

  “Wonderful. I’ll get one of my students to give you a tour.”

  Dr. Archer closed the case. Henry told her the code, and then Dr. Archer took them back outside and introduced them to the young man they had spoken to earlier.

  “This is Ken Kagawa. Ken, will you show our visitors around? It’s their first time in Egypt.”

  “Of course, if you don’t mind all the dust coming off me. The wind kicked up when we were working, and the dust coated us.” He smiled and ran his hand through his hair. “I usually have black hair, not gray.”

  “It comes with the profession,” Dr. Archer said. “Maybe all that dust is what made my hair gray. Ken, I’ll be back in a few hours. Thanks again, friends of the owls.” She laughed heartily at that as she walked away.

  “If you’re ready,” Ken said, “we can walk over to the base of the Great Pyramid and talk more there.”

  “We have a friend with us,” Jessie said. “Can we bring her too?”

  “Of course. I like having an audience who will listen when I talk about the pyramids.”

  Violet ran over and got Rania, and then they followed Ken as he moved through the crowds of people, horses, and camels. When they reached the base, Henry held out his hand and touched one of the giant blocks. “Amazing,” he said.

  “Most people don’t know that it took more than two million blocks of stone to build this.”

  “Two million is a lot of blocks,” Benny said. “I have blocks at home, but not that many.”

  “If you had that many, it would fill up the whole house,” Jessie said, laughing.

  “The pyramid is amazing now, but it was even more amazing back when it was first finished,” Ken told them. “Back then a final layer was placed on top of this layer. It was made of smaller polished white stones covering the whole pyramid. Just imagine how it looked. It would have gleamed and sparkled in the sun.”

  “Wow,” Violet said. “What happened to the stones?”

  “Over time, some fell off due to earthquakes,” Ken explained. “Some were carried off for other building projects. A few have been located in some other buildings in Cairo. They were used on some interiors in later construction. Now important historical sites like this are protected from changes, but in the past, people saw old structures as useful sources of building material. Would you like to go inside the pyramid?”

  They all said yes except for Rania. She shuddered. “I’ll stay outside. I’ve been in before. It’s very stuffy inside.”

  “Yes, it is,” Ken agreed. “Air is pumped in, but it’s hard to get enough to make it comfortable. It’s also hot, so be prepared,” he added. “We have to climb up about fifty feet to get inside. Some people call this the Thieves’ Entrance. Robbers cut through here to get inside and steal treasures. Even in ancient times, art and artifacts were lost. That’s why we have to protect what is still here.”

  “It’s not very crowded,” Violet said. “In fact, it’s a little spooky.”

  “I don’t know why there aren’t a few more people in here today,” Ken said, “though only a few hundred people are allowed each day. Scientists found even people’s breaths can cause damage over time. Hard to believe, but breathing gives off too much moisture, and that’s bad for the stone!”

  The passage was very narrow and steep. It was also not very tall. Ken and Henry had to really bend over to get through. Even Benny had to walk hunched down so his head wouldn’t hit the ceiling.

  “I can almost imagine people carrying torches through here a long time ago,” Jessie said.

  “Yes, you can begin to imagine how it was back then, except there wouldn’t be electric lights, so it would have been lit by torches.”

  The passage opened into a bigger space. “This is called the Grand Gallery,” Ken said, “though we don’t really know what it was used for. The pyramid still has many secrets. There may be new discoveries soon. Archaeologists are using new technology to see if there are hidden chambers still unopened.”

  “How could there still be hidden places after all this time?” Henry asked.

  “We haven’t had the technology until recently that allows us to look without damaging what’s here. We don’t just knock holes in pyramids anymore. Everyone wants to make sure we’re not harming something that we may not be able to see.”

  As Ken was talking, Violet noticed the lights dimmed a little. “What’s going on?” she said. Before anyone could answer, the lights went out. It was very, very dark.

  “Everybody stand still until they go back on,” Ken said. “This happens sometimes.”

  But the lights didn’t go back on. “Someone is walking up the passage,” Jessie said. “I hear their footsteps.”

  “Whoever you are, you should stand still,” Ken called. “It’s not safe to walk around without the lights. You might fall.”

  There was no answer. There was also no sound. “I don’t hear anyone now,” Jessie said.

  A tiny beam of light flashed around the room. Everyone jumped. “I knew I’d need my
flashlight!” Benny cried. He shone it around on all the startled faces.

  “Good job, Benny,” Henry said, relief in his voice. “My flashlight is in my backpack in Rania’s trunk.”

  “Mine too,” Violet and Jessie said at the same time.

  “I’ve had mine in my pocket just in case.” Benny shone the flashlight around the chamber again. The lights came back on.

  “Whew,” Violet said. “It’s no fun to be stuck in a dark pyramid.”

  Voices came from down the passageway. “Anyone in there?” a man’s voice called.

  “There are five of us here,” Ken yelled back. “We’re fine.”

  “Better come on out,” the man said. “Someone has damaged the power cable. We’ve got a temporary fix rigged, but we need to shut everything down so we can replace it.”

  “Let’s go,” Ken said. “I don’t know who would damage the cable. If someone thought it was a good prank, it was not.”

  “I hope it was just a prank,” Henry said. He tightened his hold on the duffel bag.

  When they came out of the entrance, Rania and one of the Egyptian policemen who had been patrolling on camels stood right outside. “Anyone else in there?” the policeman asked. They recognized his voice as the one who had been talking to them.

  “We don’t know,” Jessie said. “I thought I heard someone, but we didn’t see or hear anyone on the way out.”

  “Someone put up a sign that the inside was closed temporarily.” The man held up a piece of cardboard that someone had written on in marker. “I don’t know who did that, but it was unauthorized. It may be the same person who damaged the power cable.”

  “I don’t understand why someone would do that,” Rania said.

  “I don’t know either,” the policeman said. “It’s never happened before. Were you down below, Miss?” he asked Rania. “Did you see who put up the sign?”

  “No, I’m sorry. I wasn’t paying attention,” she said.

  “Very well. You can go now. I need to go in and see if anyone else is still in there,” he said. “Be careful on your way down.”