There are some
arts we have lost completely--dyeing of this surprising beauty
is one. Humph!" mused the archaeologist, "I wonder why this
particular mummy is dyed green, or rather why it is wrapped in
green bandages. Yellow was the royal color of the ancient
Peruvian monarchs. Vicuna wool dyed yellow. What do you think,
Hope? It is strange."
Archie shrugged his shoulders.
"I can say nothing, because I know nothing," he said sharply.
"All I do know is that I wish this precious mummy had never been
brought here. It has caused trouble ever since its arrival."
"Well," said Braddock, surveying the dead with some disfavor, "I
must say that I shall be glad to see the last of it myself. I
know now all that I wanted to know! Humph! I wonder if Don
Pedro will allow me to strip the mummy? Of course! It is mine
not his. I shall unswathe it entirely," and Braddock was about
to lay sacrilegious hands on the dead, when Cockatoo entered
breathlessly. He had been so quick that he must have run to the
Fort and back again.
"I knock at door," said the Kanaka, delivering his message, "and
I hear no voice. I go in and find no one, so I put the letter on
the table. I come down and ask, and a soldier tells me, sir, his
master is coming back in half an hour.
Pages:
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
233
234
235
236
237
238
239
240
241
242
243
244
245
246
247