t was not
till we stood together at the foot of the shaft that the thought
flashed across me that we might be in some sort of a trap; that someone
might descend the rope from the cliff, and by cutting the rope by which
we had lowered ourselves into the Pit, bury us there alive. The
thought was horrifying; but it was too late to do anything. I remained
silent. We both had torches, so that there was ample light as we
passed through the passage and entered the Chamber where the
sarcophagus had stood. The first thing noticeable was the emptiness of
the place. Despite all its magnificent adornment, the tomb was made a
desolation by the absence of the great sarcophagus, to hold which it
was hewn in the rock; of the chest with the alabaster jars; of the
tables which had held the implements and food for the use of the dead,
and the ushaptiu figures.

"It was made more infinitely desolate still by the shrouded figure of
the mummy of Queen Tera which lay on the floor where the great
sarcophagus had stood! Beside it lay, in the strange contorted
attitudes of violent death, three of the Arabs who had deserted from
our party. Their faces were black, and their hands and necks were
smeared with blood which had burst from mouth and nose and eyes.

"On the throat of each were the marks, now blackening, of a hand of
seven fingers.

"Trelawny and I drew close, and clutched each other in awe and fear as
we looked.

"For, most wonderful of all, across the breast of the mummied Queen lay
a hand of seven fingers, ivory white, the wrist only showing a scar
like a jagged red line, from which seemed to depend drops of blood."

Chapter XII

The Magic Coffer

"When we recovered our amazement, which seemed to last unduly long, we
did not lose any time carrying the mummy through the passage, and
hoisting it up the Pit shaft. I went first, to receive it at the top.
As I looked down, I saw Mr. Trelawny lift the severed hand and put it
in his breast, manifestly to save it from being injured or lost. We
left the dead Arabs where they lay. With our ropes we lowered our
precious burden to the ground; and then took it to the entrance of the
valley where our escort was to wait. To our astonishment we found them
on the move. When we remonstrated with the Sheik, he answered that he
had fulfilled his contract to the letter; he had waited the three days
as arranged. I thought that he was lying to cover up his base
intention of dese