Chapter 1

           Mysteryattractsmystery. Eversincethewideappearanceofmynameasaperformerofunexplainedfeats, Ihaveencounteredstrangenarrativesandevents whichmycallinghasledpeopletolinkwithmyinterestsandactivities. Someofthesehavebeentrivialandirrelevant, somedeeplydramaticandabsorbing, someproductiveofweirdandperilousexperiences andsomeinvolvingmeinextensivescientificandhistoricalresearch. ManyofthesemattersIhavetoldandshallcontinuetotellveryfreely; butthereisoneofwhichIspeakwithgreatreluctance, andwhichIamnowrelatingonlyafterasessionofgrillingpersuasionfromthepublishersofthismagazine, whohadheardvaguerumorsofitfromothermembersofmyfamily. 

           Thehithertoguardedsubjectpertainstomynon-professionalvisittoEgyptfourteenyearsago, andhasbeenavoidedbymeforseveralreasons. Foronething,Iamaversetoexploitingcertainunmistakablyactualfactsandconditions obviouslyunknowntothemyriadtouristswhothrongaboutthepyramidsandapparentlysecretedwithmuchdiligencebytheauthoritiesatCairo,whocannotbewhollyignorantofthem. Foranotherthing,Idisliketorecountanincidentinwhichmyownfantasticimaginationmusthaveplayedsogreatapart. WhatIsaw—orthoughtIsaw—certainlydidnottakeplace; butisrathertobeviewedasaresultofmythenrecentreadingsinEgyptology, andofthespeculationsanentthisthemewhichmyenvironmentnaturallyprompted.