The Last Egyptian

n. He had visited the young man's house in the evening and found him absent and Hatatcha's body also gone. He came ag

direction Kāra returned, and having a fair share of oriental shrewdness, had stretched two threads across the n

The dragoman scratched his left ear in perplexity and shook his head. Kāra was doubtless clever, but his unusual actions led Tadros to be

{64} the dragoman a cake for his breakfast, silently placed it in his hand, and carried her ja

to some far-away tomb. Ah, that was the secret place, doubtless, from whence the coins and the jewel had come. Kāra must know of it, and therefore it would be well for Tadros to win his confidence. What was that heap of rushes in the corner, and why had they been

Here was a find, indeed! He knew of a dozen scholars who woul

much of a student, but he could read hieroglyphics a little and{65} was a judge of ancient picture-writing. Here was doubtless a scroll of great antiquity and value, relating incidents of the war o

en

e Tadros could rise, his assailant was kneeling upon his body and with lithe, delicate fingers clutching viciously at his throat. The dragoman struggled to free himself

ok of murderous determination. He released his hold of the dr

red blotches upon his neck; but that did not matter. From certain death he was coming back to life, and the tr

, and so cause him great annoyance at this critical juncture, when liberty of action and freedom from espionage was important. In the second place, his half-formed plans included the use of the dragoman for his o

from the shock of Kāra's ass

like a wild beast and trying to throttle

my house and prying into my private

the papyrus at his feet, and h

"Are there more of them? Is it a tomb or a

ian smile

they{67} came from a tomb or a temple I do not know. They are my inheritance from Hatatcha. W

used for

t all these years?" he as

f her bed. I dragged them all o

any more o

showed some

A

an drew a

Fifteen papyri of the ancient days!-t

" asked Kā

nce again at the writing, "I could sell in Cairo for five hundred pia

it for yoursel

os s

piastres already. You must pay a like sum to take the girl away with you, and afterward you must pay for her support. Very well; I wil

wned and l

l is mine!"

could buy two or three like Nephthys with it; but n

y and cast a longing

traffic in womankind," he

be recompensed for the girl's keep? But five hundred is too much for Nephthys. I would have to give her mother the other two hundred and

st in your conclusions? The bargain is made. No

long arms and yawning. "But it is a fine papyru

king his prize under his arm. "Come with{69} me at onc

nsteadily, because his throat

ietly f

and daughter were weavi

village to look after her. Besides, I must get back to Cairo to attend to my business, so I have sold the girl to my friend Kā

sed, but nodded he

ey to satisfy you, it is none of my business, I am sure. An alliance w

to retie it, she glanced from one to the oth

t may come to that. My plans are not formed for the future. But I have acquired the gi

ong, my Kāra, before you find a more desirable wife. Yet I am in no hurry to lose my daught

esponded Kā

t has become of your g

er into the deser

her questioning, he wen