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Authors: Carole Wilkinson
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a tall shrine in one corner of the chamber. It had two doors covered with delicately patterned gold foil. Inside was a wooden statue of the goddess Hathor. Intef grabbed hold of one of the doors and ripped it from its hinges. Ramose winced at the destruction of such a beautiful thing. Intef handed that up to Ramose as well. Finally Intef came up himself with the lamp.
There were four sacks of treasure. Intef carried three and gave one to Ramose to carry. They retraced their steps. Laying the shrine door across the shaft, they crossed the dark space. Then they crawled through the tunnel, Intef hauling his three sacks behind him.
It seemed to take forever. Ramose just kept thinking of the air and the space outside. Every step he took, every finger-width he crawled, brought him closer to it. He followed the dim light and Intef’s grunts. The smell of the robber’s sweating body just in front of him made him retch, but he kept going. Eventually they reached the end of the tunnel and climbed down to the false burial chamber. As he walked up the final passage, Ramose saw a dark blue square ahead of them, tinged with pink. It was the entrance to the passage. It was almost daybreak.
Hori and Seth were waiting impatiently.
“What took you so long?” called Hori as Intef thrust the ladder out of the hole in the pyramid and climbed down it.
Intef didn’t say anything but threw down the four sacks of treasure. Ramose could hear the greedy sounds of the men gloating over their haul as he climbed down the rickety ladder. His legs were trembling. He was exhausted, parched and hungry. He collapsed on the ground.
“We had a visitor while you were away,” said Hori with a smirk.
Ramose realised there was another figure in the group. Someone with his hands and feet tied. It was Hapu.
9
THE TOMB OF THE PRINCESS
The tomb robbers took their treasure and their prisoners back to the hiding place in the abandoned tomb. While Hori and Seth were poring over the pharaoh’s treasure, Ramose sat with Hapu. Hori was so pleased with the haul that he’d given Ramose some dry bread and fish to eat. Ramose was still feeling sick, but he ate some of the food.
“I didn’t know what to think when I woke up and you were gone,” said Hapu. Now that they were back inside the temple, the tomb robbers had untied him.
“You thought I’d gone on to Memphis without you?”
“It did cross my mind, but when Karoya found that Mery was missing, she was convinced something was wrong.”
“I would never have left you without food.”
“That’s what Karoya said. And no boats would have passed during the night, so we knew you must have gone inland.”
“How did you find out where I was?”
“A boy minding pigs told us he’d heard the sound of men swearing during the night and Karoya found some footprints in the sand so we knew which direction you’d taken. Once we saw the pyramids, we guessed that’s where they’d be heading. I wanted to search the temples. Karoya thought they’d be more interested in the tombs.” Hapu looked guilty. “We had an argument. She went towards the pyramids and I started searching the temples. Hori saw me and captured me last night.”
“So Karoya doesn’t know where you are?”
“No.”
Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of eerie wailing coming from just outside the tomb door. Seth looked up from the treasure in fear.
“What was that?”
“Just some sort of wild animal,” said Hori.
“It sounds like a ghost to me, Seth,” said Ramose.
Hapu smiled grimly. “What are we going to do?” he whispered to Ramose.
Ramose sighed. They had to get away from the tomb robbers. He knew he had to come up with a plan, but his mind wasn’t working. He hadn’t slept for two nights and he couldn’t think straight.
“I have to get some sleep,” he said to Hapu. He wrapped his cloak around him and lay down.
When Ramose awoke, the tomb robbers were preparing for another robbery.
“There are
There were four sacks of treasure. Intef carried three and gave one to Ramose to carry. They retraced their steps. Laying the shrine door across the shaft, they crossed the dark space. Then they crawled through the tunnel, Intef hauling his three sacks behind him.
It seemed to take forever. Ramose just kept thinking of the air and the space outside. Every step he took, every finger-width he crawled, brought him closer to it. He followed the dim light and Intef’s grunts. The smell of the robber’s sweating body just in front of him made him retch, but he kept going. Eventually they reached the end of the tunnel and climbed down to the false burial chamber. As he walked up the final passage, Ramose saw a dark blue square ahead of them, tinged with pink. It was the entrance to the passage. It was almost daybreak.
Hori and Seth were waiting impatiently.
“What took you so long?” called Hori as Intef thrust the ladder out of the hole in the pyramid and climbed down it.
Intef didn’t say anything but threw down the four sacks of treasure. Ramose could hear the greedy sounds of the men gloating over their haul as he climbed down the rickety ladder. His legs were trembling. He was exhausted, parched and hungry. He collapsed on the ground.
“We had a visitor while you were away,” said Hori with a smirk.
Ramose realised there was another figure in the group. Someone with his hands and feet tied. It was Hapu.
9
THE TOMB OF THE PRINCESS
The tomb robbers took their treasure and their prisoners back to the hiding place in the abandoned tomb. While Hori and Seth were poring over the pharaoh’s treasure, Ramose sat with Hapu. Hori was so pleased with the haul that he’d given Ramose some dry bread and fish to eat. Ramose was still feeling sick, but he ate some of the food.
“I didn’t know what to think when I woke up and you were gone,” said Hapu. Now that they were back inside the temple, the tomb robbers had untied him.
“You thought I’d gone on to Memphis without you?”
“It did cross my mind, but when Karoya found that Mery was missing, she was convinced something was wrong.”
“I would never have left you without food.”
“That’s what Karoya said. And no boats would have passed during the night, so we knew you must have gone inland.”
“How did you find out where I was?”
“A boy minding pigs told us he’d heard the sound of men swearing during the night and Karoya found some footprints in the sand so we knew which direction you’d taken. Once we saw the pyramids, we guessed that’s where they’d be heading. I wanted to search the temples. Karoya thought they’d be more interested in the tombs.” Hapu looked guilty. “We had an argument. She went towards the pyramids and I started searching the temples. Hori saw me and captured me last night.”
“So Karoya doesn’t know where you are?”
“No.”
Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of eerie wailing coming from just outside the tomb door. Seth looked up from the treasure in fear.
“What was that?”
“Just some sort of wild animal,” said Hori.
“It sounds like a ghost to me, Seth,” said Ramose.
Hapu smiled grimly. “What are we going to do?” he whispered to Ramose.
Ramose sighed. They had to get away from the tomb robbers. He knew he had to come up with a plan, but his mind wasn’t working. He hadn’t slept for two nights and he couldn’t think straight.
“I have to get some sleep,” he said to Hapu. He wrapped his cloak around him and lay down.
When Ramose awoke, the tomb robbers were preparing for another robbery.
“There are
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