"All these are the husbands of my spirit," said the priestess, waving
the lamp in front of the lowest row of them, "Munganas who were married
to the Asikas in the past. Look, here is he who said that he ought to
be king of that rich land where year after year the river overflows its
banks," and going to one of the first of the figures in the bottom row,
she drew out a fastening and suffered the gold mask to fall forward on a
hinge, exposing the face within.
Although it had evidently been treated with some preservative, this head
now was little more than a skull still covered with dark hair, but set
upon its brow appeared an object that Alan recognized at once, a simple
band of plain gold, and rising from it the head of an asp. Without doubt
it was the _uraeus_, that symbol which only the royalties of Old Egypt
dared to wear. Without doubt also either this man had brought it with
him from the Nile, or in memory of his rank and home he had fashioned it
of the gold that was so plentiful in the place of his captivity. So this
woman's story was true, an ancient Egyptian had once been husband to the
Asika of his day.
Meanwhile his guide had passed a long way down the line and halting in
front of another gold-wrapped figure, opened its mask.
Pages:
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
233
234
235
236
237
238
239
240
241
242
243
244
245