Emily and the Lost City of Urgup (8 page)

“Well hurrah for that!” cried out all of the passengers together. Even Professor Witherspoon smiled and a tear came to his eyes as he hugged Emily. “I guess we’ll just call that a little white lie,” he added.

CHAPTER ELEVEN:
Emily’s Falcons

NOW THAT SHE
had found the jewels, Emily thought she would return to the Lost City. But she was in for a different journey. “We are so close to Cairo,” said Professor Witherspoon, “let us continue on to visit its great Museum.” The professors and Emily secured the jewels with the driver and rode to Professor Dasam’s grand house. His children had left, but Emily found Apera there, explaining how to cook exotic dishes to the household staff.

Professor Dasam’s wife was pleased to see Emily and showed her several dresses she had directed a seamstress to make for Emily. Dresses are more practical for the hot and arid climate of Cairo. “Dresses,” exclaimed Emily, “why they are gowns, beautiful clothes nobody in my town would ever believe existed!” Using rare silks and the finest Egyptian cotton, embroidered with pearls and semi-precious stones, the dresses shimmered in the quiet light that shone inside the house. Emily tried on four separate dresses. They fit her perfectly. They hung down her lithe body several inches from her feet and as she twirled around the light cotton and silks flowed out and then rested back against her legs.

“When may I wear them?” Emily asked. “Any time at all,” answered the professor’s wife. “Anytime, even to go to the Museum?” Emily went on. “Why, of course, I would not want a guest of mine walking around Cairo looking like a street urchin.” If truth be told, the Professor’s wife had three sons and no daughters. She was more than delighted to have the opportunity to play mother and dress Emily.

The following day, Professor Dasam escorted Emily to the pride of Cairo, its great Museum, the finest collection of Egyptian history in the world. As Emily approached she saw a huge building with three arched windows on either side of an imposing entrance. Shadowed by palm trees was an extended doorway with an entrance several stories high. Inside she bought a guide book and began reading. “Emily,” said Professor Dasam, “ you would take years to see and understand what is in this Museum. We have just one week and I shall be your guide book.-

Emily learned that Egypt had once been two separate countries, Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt,. It was unified some 5,000 years ago. She saw the slate palette of King Narmer, the oldest in history. Rooms were filled with statues, chariots, jewelry, stone carvings of birds and animals. She was taken to the most impressive sight she had ever seen. The tomb of Tutankhamen, just recently discovered.

Four gilded shrines, one inside another. Inside the smallest was a sarcophagus with three coffins, the innermost made of 222 pounds of gold. The final resting place of Tutankhamen, an Egyptian pharaoh thirty-three hundred years ago.

In the days that followed, she saw mummy masks and statues of rulers and their retinue, the soldiers and scribes, the working people and writings from each period of history. Writings on parchment, on clay, on stone.

Her favorite statue was of Ramesses II as a child. “He became the ruler of Egypt for over thirty years,” said Professor Dasam. “During those years, the height of Egyptian power, he built many monuments including the famous sandstone temples at Abu Simbel. Many believe he was the pharaoh during the exodus of the Jewish people from Egypt,” he went on.

Ramesses II didn’t look like a child. Behind him stood an enormous falcon. “That is the god, Hurun,” said Professor Dasam. “He was a Canaanite god depicted here in the form of a falcon. The disc above the child is Ra, the sun. Mes stands for child as it is written here, stands for the plants he is holding in his hand.” Emily had heard of Canaan in her Bible, but she never thought of early gods being shown as animals or birds. Hurun looked very protective of Ramesses.

“Falconry is a very ancient tradition in Arabia,” Professor Dasam noted. “These birds are raptors, a type of hawk that is trained to obey his handler and fly at his command. Only the female falcon is used. She will soar above other smaller birds and animals to kill them for the food she needs for her family or for the handler’s family. It may seem cruel to you, Emily, but the falcon strikes so quickly there is no pain and the food is always put to good use.”

It was time to return to the Lost City. Kadar and Hadar reported to the Professors that the thieves had been freed from jail before they could intercept them. “They may try and return to the Lost City,” Hadar advised. “Then your job is to watch over Emily at all costs,” said Dasam. “You shall be my Hurun,” Emily added to the surprise of Hadar and Kadar and delight of Professor Dasam.

CHAPTER TWELVE:
We Have a Plan

IT HAD BEEN
several weeks since the thieves had lodged at the Old Oasis Inn at the outskirts of Cairo. The Innkeeper was demanding payment for the rooms. Smiley Wiley told his buddies, “we’ve got to get some money right away.” “How, boss?” asked Nutts. ““We’ll sell our jalopy and steal that big roadster the professor came in.” “But the driver is always there polishing the brass hub cap and lights,” added Rutts. “We’ll distract him,” said Smiley.

Smiley put on his best English cricket clothes; white trousers, white sneakers and a white shirt with the cuffs rolled up above the elbows just as he had seen the upper class public school boys wear them for this English sport. He approached the driver. ““I say old chap, could you spare a few minutes to help me?” he asked in his best attempt at an upper class diction, “I seem to have misplaced my engine crank.” The driver was very obliging. He took the crank from the roadster and followed Smiley beyond a building nearby. As he turned the corner of the building, Butts struck him a blow on the head with a large stone and he fell down unconscious. The thieves took the crank and his cap and sped back to the roadster and drove off to pay the Innkeeper.

“Why pay the innkeeper?” asked Butts.

“You may need a hiding place again, so never cheat another cheat,” answered Smiley. When they had paid their bill at the Inn, the four thieves took off for the Lost City in their new roadster. “What a breeze,” said Rutts. “Oh for the life of an English gent,” said Butts. “Can I sit up front with you?” asked Nutts to Smiley who was driving. “No, Nutthead, can’t you see I’m wearing the drivers cap so’s people will think you’re swells,” answered Smiley.

When the luggage for the professors, Emily and her guards was brought where the roadster had been parked, there was nothing there. Where was the roadster and where was the driver. They heard a low moan nearby and upon inspection they found the driver lying next to a nearby building. He slowly sat up and then lay down again. “Look,” said Emily, “there’s a big lump the size of an orange on the side of his head.”

“Easy, easy,” said Professor Witherspoon as they helped the driver to his feet. Hadar and Kadar carried him back to Professor Dasam’s house, where Apera made him tea. When he recovered he told them about the cricket player needing some help. “I’ll bet it was a thief in disguise,” said Emily. “If it was, I think we’ll find them driving to the Lost City, said Witherspoon. “Then we’ll catch them in my Rolls Royce, let’s go,” said Dasam. They put their luggage in the trunk, together with three extra Gerry cans of petrol as they called gasoline. Professor Dasam drove off, letting the driver recover in a back seat.

Halfway to the Lost City, the stolen roadster began sputtering and then stopped right in the middle of the road. “It’s empty, you fools,” said Smiley, “we should have checked the fuel gauge.” They climbed out of the roadster and pushed it to the side of the road.

Half an hour later a truck was seen approaching. “Nutts,” said Smiley, “flag him down.” Nutts stood in the middle of the road waving a soiled handkerchief. The truck seemed not to notice as it barreled down the road straight at Nutts, who stood his ground as he had been told. At the last second the truck lurched to the left side of the road and screeched to a stop. An angry Arab got down, screaming at Nutts. Smiley and Rutts and Butts tackled the Arab and tied him up to the roadster with cords from his own clothes. Then they got in the truck and drove off.

Hours later the professors, Emily, her guards and the driver came upon the roadster sitting at the side of the road. An Arab was squatting, tied up next to its front bumper. Dasam spoke to him and got a hasty description of the four thieves and the Arab’s truck. They untied him and put him in the Rolls Royce. The driver filled the roadster with gasoline from two of the Gerry cans and he and Witherspoon got in and followed the Rolls Royce towards the Lost City.

It was late at night when they arrived. The full moon shone on the gate posts and nearby they spotted an empty truck. “Allah, Allah,” cried the Arab who ran to his truck and began inspecting it inside and outside. He was agitated when he spoke to Professor Dasam. “The poor man has had all his belongings, his money and his tools stolen,” explained Dasam. “I shall reimburse him since it is really our concern that has caused all of this.” He gave the man a large sum of money which seemed to please the Arab who embraced Dasam and bowed several times before returning to his truck.

The Rolls Royce and roadster drove through the gates into the Lost City. Several workers were dispatched to keep a close eye on the two cars. Tents were set up but the travelers were too tired to eat. They all washed and went to bed for a well deserved sleep.

A bright sun awoke Emily early. She dressed quickly and went to inspect how much work had been done to unearth the palace. “Emily,” a stern voice called out, “have you already forgotten something?” She turned to see Professor Witherspoon outside of his tent still in his pajamas. “Where are Hadar and Kadar, your guards?” he asked. With that Emily spied the two men hastily arranging their garments while they were running towards her. “I’m very sorry, please excuse me,” Emily blurted out. “From, now on, if you wish to stay here, you must be sure Hadar and Kadar are nearby,” admonished the professor.

That day Emily turned around every few minutes to be sure the guards were nearby. It took away some of the excitement she felt. Kadar approached her with a very large smile. “Little one,” he said, “you needn’t look for us all the time. Just when you get up. Once you have seen us, we’ll stay close by without spoiling your day seeking us.” “Thank you, Kadar,” she answered.

Two thirds of the palace was now unearthed. It was not unlike others she had seen pictures of in the Museum in Cairo. The upper stories had friezes, stone pictures, of men and women in various activities, sewing, riding chariots, writing on tablets, standing guard, surrounding the palace’s walls. She turned to see the professors approaching. “I can’t wait to go inside the palace,” she said to them. “Nor can we,” they answered. “However, we have something else on our minds.”

“We have talked to Hadar and Kadar, and we all agree we are not just going to wait and react to whatever evil plans those thieves cook up. We are going to act, to catch them before they try something sinister. And we have a plan.”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN:
Five Years in the Boiler Room