by Overton, Max
"If it wasn't severe, why did you stop?"
Bashir sighed. "I know you hold me in low regard, Dr Rhys-Williams, but I'm mindful of the importance of our discovery here. All precautions will be taken to ensure there is no damage."
"No damage?"
"No further damage."
"I gather the sonic spectroscope also works by sending sound waves into the surrounding rock like the Bosing equipment," Dani said after a moment. "Are you sure it won't harm the inscriptions?"
"Quite sure," Bashir replied. "I'm assured that the spectroscope sends high intensity waves into the rock and the linear displacement of the rock surface when the waves are reflected back can be measured back in nanometres. The plaster will not even notice it."
"Nanometres?" Daffyd looked puzzled.
"Millionths of a metre," Dani explained. "Or thousandths of a millimetre. Can I see the readout?"
"Of course, but I doubt you can make sense of it. To me it's no more than a series of jagged lines." Bashir led Dani and Daffyd over to a table where three men were crowded round a drum of paper slowly unfurling as four pens traced uneven lines onto it.
Dani thought it looked similar to the machines seen in hospitals where heart rate and brain waves were measured. "How do you interpret it?" she asked.
One of the technicians looked up when she spoke, and after getting a nod from the Minister, pointed to the graph. "It takes much practice, miss. We send sound waves into the rock at between five and two thousand hertz. Typically, we try for two levels, shallow and deep, by angling the directional microphones. This line here records the input. This line..." he pointed to the one just below the input, "...is the shallow return and the next one the deep return. As you can see, they are fairly similar. This means that the rock density is uniform and there are no hidden cavities."
"And the fourth line?" Daffyd asked. "It's just flat."
"The fourth line is our control. It is sent out perpendicular to the rock face and will not return unless it strikes a reflecting surface or open air. Until then, it shows nothing."
"And what have you seen?"
The technician gestured at the wall. "Just here, nothing at all, but a few metres back..." He pulled the moving paper tape out of a bin at the end of the table and flicked through it quickly. "Here it is. See the difference between the second and third lines? That happened..." He marched back along the wall, measuring his paces, "...right here." The technician slapped the plaster wall with one hand. Daffyd winced at the technician's cavalier treatment of the priceless inscription.
"So there's a chamber there?"
"Unlikely. Do you see how there is such a small offset between the peaks of the first and second lines? That shows it is probably just a crack or fissure in the rock a few centimetres wide. There was no reflection at all on the fourth line."
"And there should be?"
"If there is a chamber, yes. Of course, it would be hard to distinguish between a man-made chamber and a natural cavity of any great size."
"Hmm, well, I'd better let you get on with it." Dani stood back with Daffyd and Bashir and watched as the technicians slowly moved the apparatus around the room.
"This will take some time," Bashir said. "Shall we adjourn to the camp for a cup of coffee while we wait?"
"No thanks. It's cold and wet out there and I'd rather just look at the murals again." Dani walked over to the back wall and stared up at the huge picture of two young men fighting before the walled city of Thebes. Cartouches identified them as the kings Smenkhkare and Tutankhamen and the figures standing in support of the fighters as the woman called Scarab and the old Vizier, or Tjaty, Ay.
Under Minister Bashir joined her and contemplated the scene for several minutes before speaking. "It's magnificent. I had not appreciated the artistry until I looked at a few books with the normal tomb paintings of the time. This is almost photographic by comparison."
"You can see some value to this enterprise beyond mere money then?" Daffyd sneered. "I thought you were just after the king's treasury."
"I'm not a complete Philistine, Dr Rhys-Williams. The treasure is tempting, if only because it may represent the only other undisturbed tomb of an Egyptian pharaoh besides King Tut's. However, I'm not blind to the enormous archaeological value of this find."
"So what will you do if we find out where Smenkhkare's tomb is?" Dani asked. "Will you notify the proper Egyptian authorities?"
"My dear, Syria and Egypt are joint members of the United Arab Republic. Rest assured the proper authorities will be informed."
Daffyd snorted but refrained from other comment.
Bashir was silent for another few minutes before asking, "Are those cliffs in the background real, Dr Hanser?"
"You mean do they actually exist or are they just background filler?" Dani studied the uneven line behind the city. "I'd say real. We know the Valley of the Kings lies on the western bank of the Nile, which would put it about there..." She pointed at a gap in the painted cliffs. "Why do you ask? Is it important?"
"I remember the description of where Smenkhkare's tomb is supposed to be," Bashir said quietly. "A notch in the cliffs and a line of vegetation running from the river to the foot of the cliffs."
"So?" Daffyd busied himself rolling another cigarette. "It's a pretty vague description and a lot can change in three thousand years."
Bashir pointed. "There, south of the city. A notch in the cliff line and a streak of green below it. Could it be that the artist has included the site in his painting?"
"Why would he do that?" Daffyd asked. "Do you think he wants it found? It's much more likely you're reading something into a few marks because you want it to be there."
"Possibly, Dr Rhys-Williams, but there was also a description in the text. If the writer and painter did not want it found, why did they describe it?"
"If this is a tomb, the inscriptions are not meant for us," Dani said quietly. "The only ones that would read this are the owner of the tomb, presumably Scarab or her ka, and the gods."
"And perhaps it is misleading, just in case tomb robbers broke in," Daffyd added.
"Another problem with that being the site is that this picture is accurate in every other regard but Scarab's description of the burial site was a few days south of Thebes, not within sight of its walls."
Bashir frowned. "Then we are forced to wait on the discovery of a more detailed description." He wheeled and snapped at the technicians, "What is taking so long? It must be here, the inscription is incomplete."
"Yes, Minister. We have completed a circuit of the chamber...there is nothing here."
"There must be. You've made a mistake. Do it again."
"We have not made a mistake," the head technician said stiffly. "You are welcome to examine the readouts yourself...sir."
Bashir swore colourfully and turned away, but Daffyd moved to examine the scroll of paper. "I don't pretend to understand this," he said with a smile, "But I can see a lot of lines on this section. What do they mean?"
"That's behind the picture of the fighting men, sir. It looks like a zone of shattered rock. It extends from just a few centimetres behind the plaster to as deep as we can see. There's more on that side too, but not as extensive." The technician indicated one of the side walls.
"This may sound like a silly question," Daffyd went on, "But you are sure the equipment is working properly?"
"Yes sir. See here..." The technician pulled more of the scroll out of the bin and tapped a section where the difference between the second and third lines was quite pronounced. "This is the wall where we came through. What you're seeing is the first chamber."
Daffyd nodded. "And the last side?"
"The fourth line shows a discontinuity about twenty to thirty metres away."
"Discontinuity?" Dani asked.
"I imagine it's the cliff face, miss. It's in that direction."
"So that's that. No chamber?"
"Sorry miss. Not here. I'd bet on it."
Bash
ir glowered from the far side of the chamber. "We're left with the vague description of the tomb and a painting that may or may not be accurate. I suppose it will have to do. I shall go down there and continue this investigation."
"You'll notify the authorities in Egypt?" Dani asked.
"Of course."
"And we'll be coming with you?"
"I think not. You've been most useful, Dr Hanser, but I have a full translation now and you won't be needed further."
"Are we to remain here at the dig or will you send us home?"
Bashir hesitated as if thinking through the possibilities. "You will be detained in Damascus until I return. We'll discuss your future then."
"You've given up already then, boyo?" Daffyd said with a grin. "Just when I've found the next chamber."
"What?" Bashir stared at the small Welshman. "Are you mad? How can you have found it?"
Daffyd gestured at the paper scroll. "This tells me exactly where it is."
The technician frowned. "That's impossible. I know how to interpret the data and there's definitely no chamber shown."
Daffyd's grin grew broader. "That only shows me where it is not. I know where it is--below us."
Dani rapidly crossed the chamber floor and confronted Daffyd, her back to Bashir. "What the hell are you doing?" she said in a fierce whisper. "You're giving him the third chamber."
"It's there isn't it, Dani? You know, don't you?"
"What are you saying?" Bashir asked sharply. "Speak up."
"I don't know what...yes, it's there," Dani whispered. "But why are you telling him? He wants to plunder it."
"I'm saving our lives, lass," Daffyd replied quietly.
Bashir walked toward them, scowling.
"It's alright, Minister," Daffyd said affably. "I was just checking my idea with Dr Hanser before I committed myself."
"What were you saying? You know where the next chamber is?"
"I believe so. It's beneath us."
Bashir stared at the floor and stamped his foot tentatively. "Beneath us? Are you sure?"
"As sure as I can be without looking. Think about tombs in Egypt, they all trend downward into the ground. The only exceptions are cliff tombs. Now you could think of this as being a cliff tomb, but there is a difference. Look at what the sonic spectroscope has found--crushed and shattered rock ahead and to our left, the cliff face to our right and the first chamber behind us. Where else could the builders go?"
"What about up?" the head technician suggested. "There is a hundred metres of rock above us."
"That would run counter to every other tomb excavation. Besides, it's far easier to dig down."
"What do you say, Dr Hanser?" Bashir asked. "Do you agree with Dr Rhys-Williams?"
"I...yes, I suppose I do."
"I'm told you have a knack for finding things. Where would you look?"
Dani looked uncomfortable but pointed to the back of the chamber, just short of the wall mural.
"Thank you, Dr Hanser." He turned to the head technician. "Mahmoud, sound out the floor in that area. Find me the entrance."
Dani cleared her throat. "What's going to happen to us, Minister?"
Bashir smiled. "You're going to help me excavate this tomb and translate the inscriptions. After that, we'll see. One thing at a time." He walked across to join the technicians at the table.
As the technicians positioned the sonic spectroscope for the first scan, Dani drew Daffyd aside. "You think he means us harm?" she whispered.
"Use your head Dani. Bashir knows of the whereabouts of millions of pounds worth of gold, but it belongs to the Egyptian government, not him. We're the only people aware of his intended larceny. What would you do in his place?"
"But kill us? Someone would find out. The university knows where we are."
"We disappear into a Damascus jail on spying charges. If we survive, it'll be years before we get out--if we don't face a firing squad. Or easier still, they shove us into the back of the cave and dynamite the entrance. 'So sorry, the cliff collapsed on the whole British expedition and wiped them out.' Who'd know the truth?"
"Jesus, Daffyd. What do we do?"
"Smile, do what he wants, control the hotheads on our team--Marc and Al--and hope that something turns up. At the moment, all that's keeping us alive is Bashir's hope that Scarab describes where Smenkhkare's tomb is in more detail, or hints at her own treasury."
"We have it, Minister," Mahmoud called out. "It's where she said." As they gathered round the paper scrolling beneath the pens, he excitedly pointed out the results. "This is a shaft, roughly square in section."
"Are you sure?" Bashir asked. "It looks like the results you got for the shattered rock."
"Indeed it does, Minister, but it is limited to a square only two metres across. I would guess the shaft is filled with rubble."
"Can you tell how deep it is?"
"Not exactly," Mahmoud said cautiously. "Between ten and twenty metres."
"Excellent work Mahmoud. Pinpoint the edges of the shaft as closely as you can. We shall start the excavations immediately."
Bashir waited until a team of labourers under the direction of Mahmoud started to lift the first bucket-loads of rubble from the shaft and carry it back toward the cave entrance. Dani was shocked at the thought that the rubble was being dumped unceremoniously and persuaded Bashir to at least order it to be laid out on tarpaulins within the cave for later inspection.
"If this tomb was sealed and later broken into, the broken seals may have been thrown into the shaft. There could be anything in there--artefacts even. We have to examine it carefully."
The Under Minister agreed and decided this would be something useful the rest of the team could be doing while Dani was deciphering the hieroglyphs sure to be present in the new chamber.
The excavation continued through into the evening and Dani turned in early, knowing that she would be extremely busy for days or weeks to come. She woke the next morning to find that the rain had stopped in the night and a weak sun was struggling out from behind the clouds. She dressed and walked across to the community tent for coffee and a bite to eat. The air inside was tense and several people looked around as she walked in.
"Thank God. I thought we were going to have to rouse you by banging saucepans outside your tent."
"Thanks for the sweet thought, Marc." Dani grinned and moved toward the table with the coffee pot. "Good morning to the rest of you too. I hope you slept well."
"Bugger all," Al growled. "Not after they reached the bottom of the shaft."
"Yes," Doris, a mousy-haired young woman, agreed. "I've been too excited to sleep. Haven't I, Ang?"
Angela, the well-developed blonde sipping a cup of coffee beside Doris, nodded her head but said nothing.
Dani stopped abruptly and turned, her eyes wide. "They reached the bottom? What did they find?"
"A sealed door," Bob said.
"And a chamber behind it," Will added.
A look of anguish crossed Dani's face. "They didn't just smash through it, did they? Why didn't somebody wake me? That's a disaster. Who knows what damage...?"
"Easy, lass," Daffyd said. "Nobody's done anything...yet."
"Yeah. Our beloved Minister wanted to bash through but we persuaded him to wait for you."
"So where is he? Why are we delaying? For God's sake, he could be breaking it down as we speak."
"Easy, Dani," Marc said. "He was here a few minutes ago and he said he'd be back soon."
"As indeed I am." Bashir spoke from the tent entrance. He held up a camera. "I wanted a couple of pictures of the historic moment."
"You haven't tampered with the seals at all?" Dani asked.
"Not at all, Dr Hanser. I give you my word you'll be the first one through that door. Now, shall we all go and see what is waiting for us?"
"All of us?" Al asked. "What's changed that you want us all there instead of the usual one or two?"
Bashir smiled faintly. "I just thought you might all
like to see what we have found. You're all part of the team, after all. If you'd rather just wait here until we return..."
"No way." Al leapt to his feet and pushed past Bashir.
The others followed more sedately, but within twenty minutes the whole team had assembled in the second chamber. Bashir sent all the guards away but allowed his secretary Nazim and the head technician Mahmoud to remain. The shaft sunk into the rock floor of the chamber was brilliantly lit from below, throwing a beam upward in the dust-filled air. A securely bolted wooden ladder poked above the lip of the shaft.
Angela looked over the lip and shuddered. "That's a long way down."
"Seventeen metres, to be precise," Mahmoud remarked, regarding Angela with interest. "I would be happy to assist you in making the descent."
"That won't be necessary," Doris cut in. "I'll be helping her."
"The space at the bottom of the shaft is limited," Minister Bashir said. "Until the chamber is open we will limit it to Dr Hanser, Dr Rhys-Williams, Dr Marc Andrews, Nazim, and myself."
"Why Nazim, for God's sake?" Will asked.
"Because there are inscriptions down that that will need to be translated and Nazim is my secretary. Also, because I say so. If you aren't happy with my dispositions you're at liberty to return to the camp." Bashir turned away without waiting for a response and lowered himself over the edge of the shaft.
Ten minutes later, the five of them were at the bottom, looking at a bricked-up doorway.
Dani took over immediately. She ran her fingers gently over a series of plaster seals. "These are odd. They aren't the usual seals you'd expect of a high priest or the warden of tombs. They seem to be just the names of gods--Atum, Geb, Auset..."
"The Nine of Iunu. Scarab's gods," Marc commented.
Dani nodded and knelt to look at the lower ones. "Yes, they're all here...hello, what's this? This is different."
"What is it?"
"It's a regular priestly seal--Amun--but there is some more writing...there's a cartouche."
"Royal then," Daffyd mused. "Is it Scarab's own cartouche, Dani?"