by Overton, Max
"In that case, I would be most happy to hear your opinion of the text."
Zewali picked up the photograph and studied it. After a few minutes, he got up and moved over to his desk, where he sat down and switched on a desk lamp. In the pool of light, he examined the glossy photograph with a large magnifying glass. He copied down symbols on a pad and rearranged them, crossed some out and started again.
"Interesting," Zewali murmured.
"It is?"
"Where did you say this inscription came from?"
"I didn't. Is it necessary to know?"
"Only to judge its provenance, its authenticity. The penmanship is refined, written by someone familiar with the forms and combinations, yet without the shortcuts and omissions one might expect of a seasoned scribe. The style of some of the strokes are Eighteenth Dynasty, and reminiscent of the late Amarnan period."
"You can translate it?"
"Here..." Zewali tapped the photograph. "There are symbols for the Aten, horizon, greeting, green, arrow, mountain, desert, cliff, way--as in road or track, crown, scarab and crystal. Does any of that make sense?"
Nazim shook his head.
"What were you led to believe it said?"
Nazim consulted his notebook. "A streak of green leads to the track up the cliff where the lip is notched." He grimaced. "Nothing like it."
"Don't be hasty," Zewali said. "The elements are there. 'Streak of green' is present as 'arrow' and 'green', cliff is in both, track is there, and your notch could be the horizon through which the Aten rises."
"I wondered whether the notch could be a pylon."
"Quite possibly. It would make more sense than a mere cut in the cliff lip. A pylon built on top as a guide, a marker for what lies beyond in the desert, perhaps."
"Not in the cliff face?"
"The cliff is mentioned, but a number of other things present as symbols are not mentioned in your translation."
"We were misled then."
"Perhaps, though unless the translator was knowledgeable, it would be easy to miss the sense of it. You say this description was part of a larger text?"
"Yes," Nazim said, after a few moments.
"Would it be possible to view the whole thing? Or at least more around this part?" Zewali flicked the photograph with his fingernail.
"Not at the present time." Nazim saw Zewali's disappointment and asked, "Is it important?"
"Possibly. Putting a few words in context could alter the meaning from those same symbols seen alone."
"I will put it to the Minister," Nazim said. "But in the meantime, what would you say the passage means? Using your experience and knowledge?"
Zewali nodded. "Well, let's see..." He pondered his notes and the photograph again. "Aten and his horizon with an arrow, a road and a scarab, a greeting and a mountain of green...no, a green mountain, a crown of crystal, desert and cliff. Putting it together, I get the sense of the Aten's horizon arrow showing the road from the cliff through the desert to greet the green mountain crowned in crystal."
"That makes sense?"
Zewali allowed himself a broad smile. "Think about it, Mr. Manouk. Aten's arrow could be construed as the sun's rays shining through the horizon symbol--the notch or the pylon. This ray, perhaps the dawn ray, illuminates a path through the desert to a green mountain. The crystal crown puzzles me though. I've never come across such a thing. Kings had red and white crowns, war bonnets and headdresses that were styled as crowns, but never a crystal crown." He pondered for a moment. "Perhaps it is not 'crystal' but rather 'glass' or possibly even 'gleam' or 'shine'."
"Where is the green mountain?"
"Another puzzle," Zewali said. "You know, I'm rather enjoying this. It's like a detective story--working with the clues, but this time looking for the dead body instead of the murderer."
"I'm glad it amuses you," Nazim said, "But you must have some idea of the whereabouts of a green mountain. I'd think it would be hard to misplace such a thing."
"As I said, it's a puzzle. I know of a green mountain--Jebel Akhdar--in Oman, and I believe there's another in Libya, but I don't know of one in Egypt."
"And you know of a pylon on the cliff tops?"
"No."
"I thought we were starting to get somewhere."
"Then there's the scarab symbol. Khepri is one of the gods of the sun, like the Aten, so it may be no more than a reinforcement of the part the sun's rays play in identifying the place." Zewali frowned and appeared to be lost in thought for a few moments. "Do you know the significance of the symbol 'scarab', Mr Manouk?"
Nazim hesitated. "Only what you've told me."
"Nothing more? You're sure of that?"
Nazim shook his head.
Zewali looked hard at Nazim for several moments before saying softly, "I don't think you are being completely honest with me."
Nazim said nothing.
"Your employer, Minister Ahmed Bashir, made enquiries in Cairo concerning the tomb of King Smenkhkare, and also of a person called Scarab, seemingly the king's sister. I think this Scarab person may be the scarab symbol in the text, and if this is so, then your purpose here is not simply to follow up the description of the site as an intellectual exercise. Am I right, Mr Manouk?"
"I regret that I cannot confirm this without talking to Minister Bashir first."
"You don't need to. Minister Bashir has already indicated his intentions." Zewali got to his feet and handed the photograph back to Nazim. "I think our business is concluded."
Nazim took back the photograph and frowned. "I...I thought you enjoyed deciphering the puzzle. The solution is as yet incomplete..."
"And it will remain so, Mr Manouk, until such time as Minister Bashir reveals everything he knows about this business. I give you fair warning that while you have as yet contravened no Egyptian laws concerning antiquities, if you attempt to follow up these leads and interfere in any way with a site of archaeological interest, the Department will intervene. Please convey my words to the Minister. Good-day, Mr Manouk."
Nazim left the museum, mildly embarrassed by his rejection, but also elated by what he had found out. He took a taxi down to the wharves and immediately boarded the launch. Al-Din was waiting for him, and hurried to his side as he climbed aboard.
"Is everything all right? Minister Bashir was here only twenty minutes ago, furious that we hadn't left yet."
"Forget him. Are we ready to leave? Then let's do so before he returns."
Al-Din conveyed their readiness to the captain and within minutes they were forging upriver toward the place they had been the day before. Nazim took a bottle of soda from the basket and drank as he watched the riverbanks slide past. He wondered how much to tell Al-Din, and decided it might not be a good idea to reveal what he had learned at the museum just yet.
"We continue our search," he told the lieutenant. "But the western shore only."
* * *
Dr Karim Zewali sat at his desk and stared at the symbols he had copied down in his notebook. He made a few small alterations with a pencil, making the corrections while his memory of the photograph was fresh in his mind. Then he wrote out his translation of the symbols underneath--'the Aten's horizon arrow showing the road from the cliff through the desert to greet the green mountain crowned in crystal'.
Not quite right...I've left out the scarab. What else ?
He made a few notations, additions, drew an arrow or three, shifted symbols slightly, and wrote it out again--'the rays of the sun through the cliff top horizon show Scarab's green mountain with its glass crown...no, shining crown...in the desert'. Zewali studied the symbols again.
Very close. What am I missing? Something...ahh ...
"The sun's rays through the cliff top pylon illuminate the shining crown of Scarab's green mountain in the desert."
My goodness, I'd give anything to see the rest of that inscription. If it is as Bashir and Manouk suspect--an undiscovered tomb--it would be the most exciting discovery since Tutankhamen. And I ap
pear to share the key to its whereabouts .
Zewali placed the notebook in the top drawer of his desk and locked it, pocketing the key. He telephoned the museum switchboard operator, and asked to be connected to Mr Nicholas Evans.
"I'm not sure what hotel he's staying at. Put me through when you find him."
Ten minutes passed, with Zewali drumming the fingers of his hands on the armrests of his chair. His mind was in a turmoil of excitement, while trying to work out how to make the best use of his information.
I'll have to let Nasrallah know, but later, once I've got things moving .
The telephone rang and he picked up the handset. "Yes?"
"Nick Evans here, Dr Zewali. I didn't think I'd hear from you again."
"I'd like to see you."
"I'm on my way down to the train station. I'm catching the eleven o'clock to Cairo."
"Come and see me first."
There was silence on the other end of the line, then, "I've only got forty minutes before it leaves."
"Egyptian trains always run late, Mr Evans. You'll have time."
"What's it about?"
"Bashir's secretary paid me a visit and showed me the part of the inscription that shows where the tomb is located. I believe he and the Minister will attempt to find it and plunder it. I need your help again."
"You know where the tomb is?"
"Yes."
"Then I'm on my way. I'll be there in ten minutes or less."
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* * *
Chapter Twenty-Six
Ali Hafiz no longer had his radio set, having lost it in the crash, but he was resourceful and after an hour or so of telephoning, managed to track down Colonel Sarraj to a hotel in Luxor. Before he rang the number, he went over exactly how he would broach the news of his initial failure to the Colonel, but cast the best light on the future possibilities.
"Good evening, Colonel. It is I, Ali Hafiz."
"What are you doing telephoning me? You were supposed to keep in touch by radio."
"The radio was...ah, rendered inoperable."
"How? No, forget that, I'm not interested. What have you to report?"
"I succeeded in capturing the young Englishman and his Libyan helper. I interrogated them as to the whereabouts of the other two, particularly the woman. After initial resistance, they revealed they were in Edfu."
"That close? Tell me where in Edfu and I will send a squad of soldiers to pick them up."
"No need, Colonel. I met the woman and the older man in Edfu and persuaded them to accompany me to Esna, where we will all take the evening ferry to Luxor. If you meet us at the docks, they will be in your hands by midnight."
"You have done well, Ali Hafiz. Very well. Bring the two young men with you also."
Hafiz hesitated, holding his hand over the mouthpiece as he muttered a quick prayer. "I regret I will not be able to do so, Colonel. After my interrogation...well, the desert is a merciless place and in their weakened state..." It's likely. I might have died myself if a truck hadn't come along at dawn .
"A pity," Sarraj said. "I'd like to have interrogated the Libyan myself to establish his motives. Well, never mind, no great loss. You've done well, Ali Hafiz, and I won't forget your service."
The line went dead and Hafiz hung up the telephone, looking thoughtful. He composed his face and went to meet Dani and Daffyd at the park by the river. They had been back to their hotel to collect their meagre possessions and now sat in the shade of a large tamarind tree, watching the boats ply the wide waters of the river.
"My boss says I must go to Luxor tonight, so it looks as though I will enjoy your company a little longer," Hafiz told them.
"If you're sure?" Dani said. "We don't want to hold you up if you're in a hurry."
"I wouldn't dream of it, having given my word. We will drive up to Esna and catch the evening ferry to Luxor. It will be there by midnight."
"There's one thing we have to do before we go anywhere," Daffyd said. "We have to leave a message for Marc and Muammar."
"That's right. They won't know where we've gone otherwise."
"Marc and Muammar?" Hafiz asked.
"Our companions. We were separated, but they knew we were heading to Edfu, so they'll get here when they can..." Daffyd said.
"And if we go to Luxor, we'll have to leave a message to say we've gone," Dani finished.
"You were to meet at a specific place?" Hafiz asked. "You must leave this message there?"
"Not exactly. Our friend Muammar has a cousin in Edfu, called Mohammad ibn Sukrah. We could leave a message with him. When they reach Edfu, it's the only place we all know about."
"Then let us go to this Mohammad ibn Sukrah and leave the message," Hafiz said. "We must leave soon if we are to make the ferry sailing in Esna."
"Well, that's the problem," Daffyd said. "We don't know where he lives."
"So, perhaps you'd better go without us, Mr Hafiz. We can't leave without leaving a message for our friends, and we don't know how long that'll take."
Hafiz frowned. "How were you intending to find him?"
"I thought maybe one of the mosques," Daffyd said. "The imam may know him."
"Do you know enough Arabic to ask? Or to make yourself understood by ibn Sukrah if you find him? If not, perhaps I may be of service again."
"Thank you, Mr Hafiz," Dani said. "Once more we are in your debt."
Hafiz smiled apologetically. "There is one more aspect you might not have considered. As infidels...my apologies, as non-Muslims, you will not be allowed to enter a mosque."
"Really?" Daffyd queried. "I thought that non-Muslims were generally welcomed provided they acted respectfully."
"It is often so, Mr Rhys-Williams," Hafiz said. "However, there has recently been some trouble in Edfu, and many people would look askance at strangers entering their mosques. By Allah's good grace, though, I can act for you in this regard, and talk to both the imam and ibn Sukrah."
Daffyd looked at Dani, raising his eyebrows.
Dani shrugged delicately. "We have no choice," she murmured.
"Will you ask the imam if we can talk to him?" Daffyd asked.
"Of course. I would be happy to translate for you, but if he refuses, what would you like me to say?"
"Well, we only need to know how to find ibn Sukrah," Dani said. "When we find him, you can translate."
"What if he refuses to give me his address? Unless it is my own mosque he may be suspicious."
"Could we leave a note with the imam, to give to ibn Sukrah?"
"Then you have the translation problem again," Hafiz said. "You have said you cannot read Arabic. Can you write it? If not, perhaps I could write it for you if you tell me what to say."
"What if we wrote it in English, and addressed it to Muammar?" Daffyd asked. "Then all ibn Sukrah has to do is give it to his cousin when he shows up. The imam could explain that to him and give him the note without having to divulge his address."
Hafiz smiled. "That will work. Write the letter and I will start trying the mosques."
Dani got to work. She bought a single sheet of paper and an envelope from a small store, and used the pencil in her bag to sketch out a quick letter. 'Dear Muammar and Marc, I hope, if you are reading this, you have made it safely to Edfu. I remembered the name of your cousin, as you see. Now, Daffyd and I have gone to Luxor with a kind gentleman by the name of Hafiz, as it seems that Bashir's secretary, Nazim, has the golden scarab. I'm sorry not to wait for you, but money is running out, so we must make our move while we can. I dare say you two are skint as well, so I'm including twenty pounds. Come to Luxor as quickly as you can. Daffyd or I will be at the entrance of the Luxor museum at opening and closing each day. I can't think of any other way for us all to find each other. Take care, both of you.' She signed it 'from Dani and Daffyd' and sealed it, with twenty pounds from her now-slim money belt, in the envelope which she addressed to Muammar al-Hadi, care of Mohammad ibn Sukrah.
"Here we ar
e, Mr Hafiz. If they make it to Edfu, and to ibn Sukrah, this letter will explain everything."
Ali Hafiz briefly visited two small mosques before offering up the Dhuhr prayers in the third as midday had just passed. He was not an overly religious man, but he had decided that while he was here he might as well spend his time usefully. He was gone some time, raising the hopes of Dani and Daffyd that he had found the imam who knew of ibn Sukrah. In reality, Hafiz, after prayers, had found a quiet corner of the mosque and opened the letter entrusted to him. He slipped the money into his wallet and read the letter, smiling to himself.
Why leave a letter for dead men ? On his way out of the mosque, Hafiz crumpled letter and envelope, tossing them casually into a rubbish receptacle.
"Well?" Daffyd asked, as Hafiz got back in the car. "You were in there long enough."
"A measure of success, I feel. The imam knew ibn Sukrah, who is out of town for a day or two. He promised to deliver the letter into his hands the moment he returns."
"To hold for his cousin Muammar's return?" Dani asked. "Ibn Sukrah isn't to open it himself. You made that clear?"
"Indeed I did, Miss Hanser. You need not be concerned. Now, it is after noon, so I suggest we make all speed for the ferry at Esna."
* * *
The ferry pulled out from the docks to the south of Esna just after nine in the evening, running late like so many Egyptian services, its propeller frothing the water behind it as it eased northward in the current. The captain kept the pace slow as they cruised past the town, cautious because of the number of vessels in the water--everything from small fishing and pleasure craft to freighters and barges belching out black smoke and dribbling runnels of dirty liquid into the wide green Nile waters.
The evening was warm, and Dani and Daffyd made their way up onto the upper deck, finding a secluded seat away from the crowd of other travellers where they could watch the darkened landscape drifting by. They sat in companionable silence for some time, and when they did talk, it was of inconsequential matters, or general affairs, and in low tones, as if unwilling to disturb the quiet of the evening. Ali Hafiz wandered by a couple of times, as if checking up on them, but he would do no more than incline his head or smile, so they paid him no heed.