第72部分(第4/7 頁)

ncient　thief　broke　in　it　had　recently　been　flooded　by　a　rain…storm；　and　there　on　the　walls　were　the　marks　of　his　hand　printed　on　the　paint　which　then　was　wet。　Also　a　hermit　bee　had　built　its　nest　upon　the　roof　—　two　thousand　or　so　of　years　ago！　The　sarcophagus　had　been　broken　up　for　its　costly　granite；　which　doubtless　was　worked　into　statues　by　some　old…world　sculptor；　and　the　body　of　the　beautiful　favourite　queen　of　Rameses　destroyed。　Some　bones　lay　about　in　the　tomb…chamber；　probably　those　of　the　funeral　offerings；　and　among　them　ushapti　figures；　laid　there　to　serve　her　Majesty　in　the　other　world。

I　wrote　a　series　of　articles　for　the　Daily　Mail　about　these　Egyptian　experiences；　which　have　never　been　republished；　for　such　newspaper　matter　must　needs　be　very　scrappy。　In　one　of　these；　however；　I　dwelt　upon　the　wholesale　robbery　of　the　ancient　Egyptian　tombs　and　the　consequent　desecration　of　the　dead　who　lie　therein。　It　does　indeed　seem　wrong　that　people　with　whom　it　was　the　first　article　of　religion　that　their　mortal　remains　should　lie　undisturbed　until　the　Day　of　Resurrection　should　be　haled　forth；　stripped　and　broken　up；　or　sold　to　museums　and　tourists。　How　should　we　like　our　own　bodies　to　be　treated　in　such　a　fashion；　or　to　be　left　lying；　as　I　have　often　see　those　of　the　Egyptians；　naked　and　unsightly　on　the　sand　at　the　mouths　of　the　holy　sepulchres　which　with　toil　and　cost　they　had　prepared　for　themselves　in　their　life…days？　If　one　puts　the　question　to　those　engaged　in　excavation；　the　answer　is　a　shrug　of　the　shoulders　and　a　remark　to　the　effect　that　they　died　a　long　while　ago。　But　what　is　time　to　the　dead？　To　them；　waking　or　sleeping；　ten　thousand　years　and　a　nap　after　dinner　must　be　one　and　the　same　thing。　I　have　tried　to　emphasise　this　point　in　a　little　sto