The Deadly Curse Read Online Free PDF

the most valuable items had been placed within it .
    Despite the evident – and to my mind , all too real – threat implied in this powerful curse , I do believe that there is a way to remove the tomb objects in relative safety . It is my opinion that provided the relics are kept close to each other , then the priestly incantation will not take effect : that is , it is not removal from the tomb but separation of the objects from each other which might cause terrible danger .
    It is not my intention to reveal the meaning of the inscription to the other members of my expedition . Either they will laugh at the warning and disobey it , or they will believe it and refuse to offer me any further assistance . Instead I shall tell them that the tablet is merely a prayer for the dead , which I will invent accordingly . None of my fellow explorers are capable of translating the hieroglyphics without a good deal of study , and I will make sure that they have no opportunity to do so .
    Fortunately the generous legacy I have received from my American relative will allow me to charter a cargo vessel in which to return the grave goods to England together in one hold . I will put them on public display for a brief period – to do anything else would arouse too much suspicion – and then keep the items found within the quartz circle together at my country house in Dorset , where they will be accessible for scholarly study by myself and others .
    There is of course the possibility that the actions that I have planned will invoke the spell inscribed on the tablet and lead to my destruction . If that is the case , I trust that as the instigator of their removal I will be the only victim .
     
    When I had finished reading the page from the Egyptologist’s journal, I turned to his daughter. ‘Tell me, Miss Wilton, did your father keep an inventory of the tomb items which he kept securely in Dorset?’
    Sarah frowned. ‘Father did keep a record of all the items in the collection: they were listed in a small leather bound notebook, which he kept with him at all times. As you might imagine, I have made a thorough search, but it is nowhere to be found. I’ve come to the conclusion that before he left on his fatal expedition to the Nile Delta he must have given the notebook to Theodore Flinzer for safekeeping.’
    I placed my finger under a line of text in Sir Edward’s journal. ‘It seems clear from this document that your father took the inscription’s warning very seriously. He seems to refer to some personal experience of such matters.’
    Sarah nodded. ‘That is true. It is not something that we ever discussed, but I have heard that in his younger days one of his associates was involved in a terrifying and inexplicable episode inside the Pyramid of Khufu, and that the events made a great impression on my father. However, Mr Harker, now that you have read my father’s document, and seen for yourself the terrible fate of Mr Flinzer, how do you think we should proceed?’
    I thought carefully for a moment. ‘I believe that we should be frank with Inspector Delland, and tell him all we know about the khopesh and the inscription that Sir Edward Wilton discovered. After all, we cannot be sure that the knowledge of the curse was limited to Sir Edward and his daughter. It is just conceivable that a common – or, should I say, uncommon – criminal might seek to use that knowledge to divert attention from an all too human murder.’
     
    *
    My wife, Sarah and the Professor were in agreement with my proposal, and so, not long after Inspector Delland joined us, we had told him all we knew about the weapon used to decapitate Flinzer, and the inscription discovered by Sir Edward Wilton.
    After hearing our account in silence Delland took a sip of his tea and put down his cup. ‘Firstly, can I thank you for your most helpful identification of the, er, khopesh .’ He paused to scribble the word down in his notebook. ‘The unfortunate victim is