Погребённый с фараонами
Chapter 1
Suchfascinatingthingswerewhisperedaboutlowerpyramidpassagesnotintheguidebooks; passageswhoseentranceshadbeenhastilyblockedupandconcealedbycertainuncommunicativearchaeologistswhohadfoundandbeguntoexplorethem.
Ofcourse,thiswhisperingwaslargelybaselessonthefaceofit; butitwascurioustoreflecthowpersistentlyvisitorswereforbiddentoenterthePyramidsatnight,ortovisitthelowestburrowsandcryptoftheGreatPyramid. Perhapsinthelattercaseitwasthepsychologicaleffectwhichwasfeared—theeffectonthevisitoroffeelinghimselfhuddleddownbeneathagiganticworldofsolidmasonry; joinedtothelifehehasknownbythemeresttube,inwhichhemayonlycrawl,andwhichanyaccidentorevildesignmightblock. Thewholesubjectseemedsoweirdandalluringthatweresolvedtopaythepyramidplateauanothervisitattheearliestpossibleopportunity. FormethisopportunitycamemuchearlierthanIexpected.
Thatevening,themembersofourpartyfeelingsomewhattiredafterthestrenuousprogramoftheday, IwentalonewithAbdulReisforawalkthroughthepicturesqueArabquarter. ThoughIhadseenitbyday,Iwishedtostudythealleysandbazaarsinthedusk, whenrichshadowsandmellowgleamsoflightwouldaddtotheirglamorandfantasticillusion. Thenativecrowdswerethinning,butwerestillverynoisy andnumerouswhenwecameuponaknotofrevelingBedouinsintheSuken–Nahhasin,orbazaarofthecoppersmiths.
