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Chapter 8
“Thomas Carter,” said Harriet. “Is, or perhaps I should say, was a renowned finder of Egyptian antiquities. His recent and most popular find was the legendary golden neckless of the Pharaoh Sneferu.”
Harriet got out of her chair and went to fetch a book from the lower shelf of her bookcase, returning to her chair. The book was full of etchings done by the Scottish artist David Gordon, compiled when he toured the ancient Egyptian temples.
Harriet soon found the page depicting the Egyptian temple wall art, and then showed it to Agatha. It was a black and white two-dimensional representation of the Pharaoh wearing the neckless.
“Since there was no other recorded account for this neckless in any of the other known Egyptian texts. It was considered by antiquities scholars at the British Museum to be some kind of myth. Some scholars even believed that Sneferu never really existed.”
Harriet continued. “They believed, the story about Sneferu and his golden jewel-encrusted neckless was created by other Pharaoh's to steer away any tomb robbers from other graves, including eventually their own, sending them on a wild-goose chase. It’s also believed that temple builders were even instructed to script the walls with false maps and directions. Like the one in this book.”
“So, what was it that changed Thomas’s mind to think the neckless was real?” Agatha asked.
“A chance finding of a broken hieroglyphic stone tablet in a Cape Town market.” Harriet answered.
“What was Thomas doing in South African?” Agatha asked, scribbling furiously away in her notebook.
“Prospecting for diamonds. The story goes, one afternoon he took a rest from mining and strolled around a street market in Cape Town. It was while looking over some local artefacts, that he discovered the broken hieroglyphic stone tablet. Intrigued as to why such a thing was so far south on the African continent, he decided to buy it.
Thomas then spent the next few months, after working the mine, learning how to interpret the hieroglyphics. Eventually, he could read what it said. It was part of a map giving directions to the tomb of Pharaoh Sneferu in Thebes!”
“Why did he believe this piece of evidence and not any of the other temple inscriptions?” Agatha asked.
“Because the inscription was hurried and badly spelt, like if it had been written by a less well-educated person. So far, all the other inscriptions had been scripted by highly-educated priests and scribes.”
“Hmm!” said Agatha, tapping the end of the pencil against her teeth. “Someone must have stumbled upon the tombs entrance and saw enough to persuade them that is was Sneferu tomb. Carry on.”
“Finally, Thomas had made his fortune in diamonds and on his way back to England, decided to stop off at Thebes. He spent three months there funding himself, much to his wife annoyance.”
“He had a wife?” Agatha looked up from her note taking.
“Yes, I’ll get around to her in a little while.” Harriet then continued.
“Thomas was about to give up his search, when one of his diggers found a step in the sand. After some more digging, Thomas and his team had uncovered a flight of steps going down in the sand to a sealed door. The cartouche sealing the door was verified as that of the fable Pharaoh, Sneferu!
Thomas soon sent word to the British Museum and the British Consulate in Cairo. Within days a battalion of Royal Engineers from Cairo were despatched and reporters from ‘The Times’ came a week later.”
“And the neckless?” asked Agatha.
“It was sitting proud around the neck of Sneferu sarcophagus, and it was more beautiful then how the hieroglyphics described it. A golden half-moon plate, decorated with inlaid golden ibis feathers. Then there were two large sculptured rubies in the shape of scarab beetles to the left and two large sculptured emeralds in the shape of scarab beetles to the right.”
Without looking up from her note taking Agatha asked, “And what was in the middle?”
“How did you know there was something in the middle?” Harriet asked, amazed at Agatha’s power of deduction.
Looking up Agatha smiled, “You purposely described those four jewels as being in a distinctive part on the golden plate. If there was nothing in the middle, you would have described the jewels as going from left to right in a continuous row.”
Harriet gave Agatha a smile and a little clap, like she had just been entertained by a music hall magician.
“Of course, you are correct, “Harriet said. “There is something missing from the centre. In the burial chamber Thomas found a canopic jar. Inside, instead of the shrived remains of one of Sneferu organs, he found a scroll telling the reader of the ‘Fifth Beetle’. A sapphire bigger than Pharaohs hand carved into a scarab beetle that when placed in the middle of the neckless would resurrect Sneferu.”
“And that was it?” enquired Agatha. “No map or tomb inscriptions giving a clue to its whereabouts?”
“None what so ever,” said Harriet.
Agatha left her chair and paced the basement. “Did Thomas find that fifth beetle?”
“Not that I’m aware of.” Harriet replied.
Agatha re-took her seat tapping the notebook with her pencil, “What would Poirot do?” she mumbled to herself. “Use your little grey cells,” she replied in a mocking Belgian accent.
Agatha then asked Harriet “How much is that neckless worth, without the fifth beetle?”
“Oh! I read its worth around £17,000.” confirmed Harriet.
“And I would think it worth a considerable amount more with that fifth beetle in place. Probably double”
“What are you thinking Agatha?” asked Harriet.
“I’m thinking that Thomas may have been near to finding that fifth beetle. We need to go back to the museum and take a look at that sarcophagus again. Can you ask Sarah to provide for us some of her clothes? It’s time we joined the cleaning staff to help clear up our mess.”
Harriet jumped out of her chair and rang the kitchen bell. “Not before we get a good breakfast inside us.”
“And while we eat, you can tell me about Thomas’s wife.” said Agatha.
To be continued...
© Alice White
Harriet got out of her chair and went to fetch a book from the lower shelf of her bookcase, returning to her chair. The book was full of etchings done by the Scottish artist David Gordon, compiled when he toured the ancient Egyptian temples.
Harriet soon found the page depicting the Egyptian temple wall art, and then showed it to Agatha. It was a black and white two-dimensional representation of the Pharaoh wearing the neckless.
“Since there was no other recorded account for this neckless in any of the other known Egyptian texts. It was considered by antiquities scholars at the British Museum to be some kind of myth. Some scholars even believed that Sneferu never really existed.”
Harriet continued. “They believed, the story about Sneferu and his golden jewel-encrusted neckless was created by other Pharaoh's to steer away any tomb robbers from other graves, including eventually their own, sending them on a wild-goose chase. It’s also believed that temple builders were even instructed to script the walls with false maps and directions. Like the one in this book.”
“So, what was it that changed Thomas’s mind to think the neckless was real?” Agatha asked.
“A chance finding of a broken hieroglyphic stone tablet in a Cape Town market.” Harriet answered.
“What was Thomas doing in South African?” Agatha asked, scribbling furiously away in her notebook.
“Prospecting for diamonds. The story goes, one afternoon he took a rest from mining and strolled around a street market in Cape Town. It was while looking over some local artefacts, that he discovered the broken hieroglyphic stone tablet. Intrigued as to why such a thing was so far south on the African continent, he decided to buy it.
Thomas then spent the next few months, after working the mine, learning how to interpret the hieroglyphics. Eventually, he could read what it said. It was part of a map giving directions to the tomb of Pharaoh Sneferu in Thebes!”
“Why did he believe this piece of evidence and not any of the other temple inscriptions?” Agatha asked.
“Because the inscription was hurried and badly spelt, like if it had been written by a less well-educated person. So far, all the other inscriptions had been scripted by highly-educated priests and scribes.”
“Hmm!” said Agatha, tapping the end of the pencil against her teeth. “Someone must have stumbled upon the tombs entrance and saw enough to persuade them that is was Sneferu tomb. Carry on.”
“Finally, Thomas had made his fortune in diamonds and on his way back to England, decided to stop off at Thebes. He spent three months there funding himself, much to his wife annoyance.”
“He had a wife?” Agatha looked up from her note taking.
“Yes, I’ll get around to her in a little while.” Harriet then continued.
“Thomas was about to give up his search, when one of his diggers found a step in the sand. After some more digging, Thomas and his team had uncovered a flight of steps going down in the sand to a sealed door. The cartouche sealing the door was verified as that of the fable Pharaoh, Sneferu!
Thomas soon sent word to the British Museum and the British Consulate in Cairo. Within days a battalion of Royal Engineers from Cairo were despatched and reporters from ‘The Times’ came a week later.”
“And the neckless?” asked Agatha.
“It was sitting proud around the neck of Sneferu sarcophagus, and it was more beautiful then how the hieroglyphics described it. A golden half-moon plate, decorated with inlaid golden ibis feathers. Then there were two large sculptured rubies in the shape of scarab beetles to the left and two large sculptured emeralds in the shape of scarab beetles to the right.”
Without looking up from her note taking Agatha asked, “And what was in the middle?”
“How did you know there was something in the middle?” Harriet asked, amazed at Agatha’s power of deduction.
Looking up Agatha smiled, “You purposely described those four jewels as being in a distinctive part on the golden plate. If there was nothing in the middle, you would have described the jewels as going from left to right in a continuous row.”
Harriet gave Agatha a smile and a little clap, like she had just been entertained by a music hall magician.
“Of course, you are correct, “Harriet said. “There is something missing from the centre. In the burial chamber Thomas found a canopic jar. Inside, instead of the shrived remains of one of Sneferu organs, he found a scroll telling the reader of the ‘Fifth Beetle’. A sapphire bigger than Pharaohs hand carved into a scarab beetle that when placed in the middle of the neckless would resurrect Sneferu.”
“And that was it?” enquired Agatha. “No map or tomb inscriptions giving a clue to its whereabouts?”
“None what so ever,” said Harriet.
Agatha left her chair and paced the basement. “Did Thomas find that fifth beetle?”
“Not that I’m aware of.” Harriet replied.
Agatha re-took her seat tapping the notebook with her pencil, “What would Poirot do?” she mumbled to herself. “Use your little grey cells,” she replied in a mocking Belgian accent.
Agatha then asked Harriet “How much is that neckless worth, without the fifth beetle?”
“Oh! I read its worth around £17,000.” confirmed Harriet.
“And I would think it worth a considerable amount more with that fifth beetle in place. Probably double”
“What are you thinking Agatha?” asked Harriet.
“I’m thinking that Thomas may have been near to finding that fifth beetle. We need to go back to the museum and take a look at that sarcophagus again. Can you ask Sarah to provide for us some of her clothes? It’s time we joined the cleaning staff to help clear up our mess.”
Harriet jumped out of her chair and rang the kitchen bell. “Not before we get a good breakfast inside us.”
“And while we eat, you can tell me about Thomas’s wife.” said Agatha.
To be continued...
© Alice White
