You've got to do it!"

"But what for?" persisted Burt. "What's the use? S'pose the lion comes?"

"If he comes you can throw some blazing oil at him just like Cap'n Mac.
That ought to scare him away. Soon's I get to the village I'll see if I
can't locate some o' that poison. The whole tribe'll be scared stiff
when they see the mummy, 'specially if he's kind of spoiled. You hide
out here till morning and then I'll come back with what weapons I can
get. I'll warn the dwarfs away from here first. That's the only way I
see of gettin' what we need. We can't make Mbopo understand very well."

"It wouldn't be a bad idea if you was going to stay here 'stead of me,"
assented Burt dubiously. "S'pose we kill the lion. How'll you account
for me coming back to life?"

"I'll tote the mummy in here and bury him," returned Critch promptly.
"Then maybe to-morrow night I'll have them bring the ankh to the
doorway. I'll go through a Latin verb and yell and you walk out. Why,
man, I'll be no end sacred! We'll own the whole blamed tribe!"

"It listens good enough," admitted Burt. "Tell you what you do. Send the
stuff on with Mbopo and build a fire right in front of the door before
you go. Leave me some sticks--these bones ought to burn too. Mebbe that
fire'll keep the lion out."

"Hurray!" exclaimed Critch enthusiastically. "Now let's get the old boy
unwrapped. It's been pretty damp for him here, I guess. He ought to be
pretty well preserved in spite of that. He isn't torn up except at the
neck. Off she comes!"

Critch set to work at the head and Burt at the foot of the case. It did
not take them long to get the gaudily-painted wooden case apart. Then a
heavy aromatic odor filled the hut. As Critch had said, the mummy was
unharmed except at the neck. Here the case had been splintered open but
when the lid was off the boys saw that only a few layers of the
wrappings had been torn away. The whole mummy was wrapped in cloths.

Burt and Critch lifted out the mass of wrappings to the mud floor of the
hut. As they did so something tinkled and fell against the case. Their
eyes fell on the remainder of the scarab necklace of which Montenay had
obtained a part. Evidently it had been placed around the neck after the
mummy was wrapped. Burt hurriedly stuffed it into his pocket.

"Got that anyhow," he remarked. "Hope Mbopo don't show up before we get
through. Here we go!"

With the help of the keen-edged axe the mummy was soon unwrapped and