The Scroll of the Dead Read Online Free PDF

replaced his glasses and leaned back in his chair. ‘In 1871, two British archaeologists, Sir George Faversham and Sir Alistair Andrews, discovered a tomb in Upper Egypt containing forty mummies. They lay scattered and in varying states of decay. Some, which had been moved from other tombs, were hidden down a secret vertical passageway. One mummy, in a makeshift sarcophagus, was discovered in a cunning shaft running at right angles to this passageway. Protection against grave robbers, you understand. This, it was discovered, was the mummy of Queen Henntawy.
    ‘She was only twenty-one or two when she died. We know that she was the wife of Pinneedjem I, the first king of the Twenty-first Dynasty. He was served by the high priest Setaph, who dabbled in the Black Arts and was indeed said to be a reincarnation of Osiris, God of the Dead. The story goes that Pinneedjem was so distraught by the death of his young wife that he begged Setaph to work his magic and bring her back to life. You must realise that the Ancient Egyptians believed in theafterlife. Once death had overtaken them, they had to pass through the Underworld, a dark and dangerous region before they reached final bliss.’
    ‘In The Field of Reeds.’
    ‘Indeed, Mr Holmes, the equivalent of our heaven. The voyage to the afterlife was aided by the inclusion in the tomb of certain artefacts and necessities useful for the journey and for the “life” on the other side. Included with these items was the Scroll of the Dead, sheets of papyrus covered with magical texts and accompanying vignettes – spells, if you like – to help the dead pass through the dangers of the Underworld and reach The Field of Reeds safely.
    ‘Now, Pinneedjem did not want Henntawy to undertake that particular journey. He wanted her alive again: living and breathing, with him to enjoy the pleasures of this life. So he implored, and no doubt threatened, Setaph to create a new Scroll of the Dead containing spells that would, in effect, conquer death.’ Here Sir Toby paused and afforded himself a smile. ‘Not an easy task for any man. However, as I intimated previously, Setaph dabbled in the Black Arts and supposedly had Osiris on his side, so he was able to meet the demands made upon him. However, his Scroll of the Dead was never used, for when it was discovered by the Gods that he had learned the secret of everlasting life they forbade him to use it. He was commanded to destroy the Scroll, but instead he hid it, hoping no doubt to use it himself one day. Unfortunately for Setaph, death overtook him before he was able to avail himself of its powers. On his instructions, the temple priests buried him in a secret location with all his artefacts and papers, including the Scroll. Setaph was a cunning man and he fully believed that he had discovered the magic process that would transcend death. Although he had been forbidden by the Gods to use it, he was not going to let his fantastic secret die with him. So he left a remarkable trail for someone with the same ingenious imagination as himself to follow, to discover his own secrettomb which contains the Scroll of the Dead. He recorded details of its whereabouts on a papyrus secreted on the mummified body of his Queen, Henntawy.
    ‘Setaph’s Scroll of the Dead is one of the most sought after Egyptian relics of all. No one has seen it in modern times, but there is evidence from the ancient world that it exists.’
    ‘So this was not the document that was stolen?’ I asked.
    Sir Charles shook his head. ‘When Henntawy’s sarcophagus was opened, it was found that her mummy was in a remarkable state of preservation and, secreted amongst the folds of the bandages, there was a papyrus. It was this that the thieves made away with last week.’
    ‘What are the contents of the papyrus?’ asked Holmes, whose face had remained immobile during Sir Charles’ discourse.
    ‘It is a strange document written in a peculiar cipher – Setaph’s own code.