The Face of Isis by Cyril G Read online

  scene of human activity. He looked across the

  found the first sistrum. They had been in the

  miles of desert to the horizon where the

  bowels of the Djibel el Sheetan for over five

  Atlantic shone in the westering sun like a sea

  hours!

  of blood, and pictured the Egyptians, the

  forgotten forerunners of Leif Ericsson and

  Columbus, setting sail for their great

  CHAPTER IV

  adventure.

  The Secret of the Casket

  His reverie was broken by the sound of

  hurrying steps. The Professor came

  scrambling up the tiers of seats waving aloft

  THE Professor’s first care was to translate the some sheets of paper. He sank down beside

  hieroglyphics on the golden casket. For two

  Courtland and struggled to regain the breath

  days he shut himself in his tent and refused to he had expended in his ascent of the long,

  be disturbed except at meal times; even then

  spiral stairway. He gasped, he puffed, he

  he turned a deaf ear to Courtland’s enquiries.

  wheezed, he tried in vain to speak. It was plain

  “Wait until I have finished,” was all he

  that he was under the stress of tremendous

  would say.

  excitement. He had some unprecedented

  Courtland spent the idle hours while

  discovery to reveal, but his vocal chords

  the Professor was closeted with the precious

  refused to obey the dictates of his will. His

  casket, in exploring the interior of the great

  eyes seemed about to fly from his head.

  pinnacle. It seemed strange to be able to go

  At last he thrust the sheets of paper

  and come at his pleasure to the aerial temple

  into Courtland’s hands.

  which it had almost cost him his life to reach

  “Read!” he exploded, and then

  the first time. He found other subterranean

  subsided into another fit of wheezing.

  chambers, some of which were evidently the

  So Courtland read the words which

  living quarters of the priests who had served

  had been carved on that golden casket by the

  in the temple above, but nowhere did he find

  hand of the man whose bones lay before the

  any sign of human occupancy.

  altar.

  Gradually the feeling grew upon him

  that this ancient structure had been used for

  “Kut-Anten-Pash, the mighty Pharoah,

  only a short period and then vacated. What

  King of Kings, Lord of the Upper and Lower

  could have caused the builders suddenly to

  Lands, wearer of the Double Crown, Prince of desert the place of worship which it had cost

  Ethiopia, Emperor of Syria and Persia, at

  The Face of Isis

  15

  whose tread the Evil Ones tremble, at whose when he had finished perusing this remarkable

  smile the Doers of Good are rewarded, by the document. “Don’t see that it adds much to

  hand of his servant Osrah, Chief Astrologer what we had already guessed.”

  and Magician, High Priest of Isis, the divine

  “My dear boy,” panted the Professor,

  Mother of Horus.

  “that is exactly what I thought when I first

  “The all-powerful Pharoah, who translated it, but I have changed my mind. We consorteth with Ra in his courses and setteth came here looking for traces of an Egyptian

  his foot upon the face of Isis, having departed exodus to Mexico and quite by accident we

  from the sight of his servant, to establish a have made the most extraordinary discovery

  new kingdom, therefore I, Osrah, am left in the history of mankind!”

  desolate and being desirous of waiting upon

  “Don’t quite get you, Professor,” said

  my Lord, purpose to offer myself a great Courtland.

  sacrifice to the divine mother, Isis, who has

  “Evidently not!” chuckled the old man.

  taken the Great One into her all-embracing

  “Before I explain my meaning, I want you to

  arms.

  tell me your interpretation of this paper.”

  “Now in the time past, by virtue of my

  “It seems to me quite simple,” said

  skill in magic, I found in the mountains of Courtland. “This old codger, the high priest,

  Ethiopia, a certain strange mineral, whereof discovered a mineral, and put a sample in the

  the remnant is within this casket, and by box. This mineral was useful for something whose power the Mighty One has been connected with ship building. Kut some-thing-enabled to go hence. When I revealed unto the or-other, the Pharoah, used the mineral for

  Pharoah the marvelous thing which I had

  building his fleet and when he sailed for

  discovered, he would fain make trial of its Mexico, he left old thingummy behind. After

  power in his own person. My dissuasions were waiting for a few years for the king to come

  in vain, neither would he permit me to back, the old priest gets fed up and kills accompany him, but commanded that I should

  himself in the temple.”

  use my skill in astrology to bring his desires to

  “That, in slightly more formal

  fruition.

  language, was what I thought at first,” said the

  “With a sad heart, therefore, I came to

  Professor, “and then I began to notice certain

  this place, whereof I already knew, and, with curious phrases which did not seem to fit in

  many slaves, carved out this temple in honor with this simple explanation. For example,

  of the divine Mother, that all things might be

  ‘who consorteth with Ra in his courses.’ Ra

  done in due order. When all things were was the Sun God. ‘Who setteth his foot upon ready, the Mighty One came hither and the face of Isis.’ Not a very respectful thing to departed hence to his kingdom.

  do to the great Goddess Mother of the

  “Now whether the Great One hath Universe!”

  reached that kingdom or whether the dog-

  “It’s all Greek to me still,” said

  faced Seth hath utterly destroyed Him, I know Courtland.

  not, but being far on in years and weary with

  “Nonsense! Nonsense, my dear boy,”

  waiting for my King to return, I go hence to cried the Professor impatiently. “It’s as clear join him.

  as crystal. Isis was the divine mother. In other

  “Let him who would follow, read words, Nature. Her symbol was the moon. Just within.”

  as the Romans used the name Diana

  indifferently for the goddess and for the moon

  “FUNNY mix up!” commented Courtland, which was her symbol, so the Egyptians spoke

  Amazing Stories

  16

  of the moon as Isis. ‘Who setteth foot upon

  an expedition to the west coast of what we

  the face of Isis.’ Now, do you understand ?”

  now know as Morocco and carved out this

  Courtland stared at him stupefied.

  temple, probably to propitiate the goddess,

  “Well—but—Good Heavens! Surely whose symbol the Pharoah was intending to you don’t mean—this old Egyptian king——

  violate. When everything was ready, Pharoah

  —”

  came here and departed for the moon. I fear it

  “Exactly!” cried the Professor, is exceedingly unlikely he ever arrived!”

  triumphantly. “He used this
metallic powder

  Courtland was silent. He was at a loss

  and went to the moon! No wonder he for any reply to the Professor’s fantastic wouldn’t take the high priest along. There

  theory. The whole thing was so ridiculously

  wasn’t room.”

  impossible. That an Egyptian King who had

  Courtland was dumfounded. Faint lived and died nearly thirty centuries ago, suspicions entered his mind that the strain of

  could have actually solved the problem of

  the last three days had been too much for the

  interplanetary flight was too wild an idea to be Professor’s brain. Or perhaps that little red fez entertained, and yet he could find no

  was not sufficient protection from the heat of

  arguments with which to refute the Professor’s

  a tropical sun. His face must have revealed his line of reasoning.

  thoughts, for the Professor burst out laughing.

  “After all,” he said at last, hesitatingly,

  “No, my dear Courtland, I am not “we don’t know that your interpretation of the crazy. Now listen, and I will tell you my idea

  inscription is the correct one. Perhaps it has

  of what took place. The high priest quite a different meaning; a much simpler accidentally discovered a deposit of some meaning. The ancients were rather given to mineral substance which, under certain flowery language, you know. All this stuff conditions,” had the power of becoming about the ‘Face of Isis’ and ‘Ra in his courses’

  opaque to gravity.”

  may be just for rhetorical effect.”

  “Like

  cavorite

  in Wells’ book,”

  “I thought you might say something

  interjected Courtland.

  like that, my boy,” said the Professor, “and if I

  “I have not had the pleasure of reading

  had nothing but this inscription upon which to

  the work you mention,” said the Professor.

  base my theory, I might agree with you, but I

  “However, the priest told his master of the

  have other evidence which will convince even

  discovery and perhaps suggested to him that it

  the most skeptical. First, have you thought of

  might be the solution of aerial flight. The

  the possible connection between my theory

  ancient Egyptians were no fools in scientific

  and the great shaft?”

  matters and the Pharoah became ambitious to

  “Why, no. I can’t say I have,” replied

  experiment with this mysterious substance. He

  Courtland.

  decided to attempt to reach the moon. The

  “Poo! Where’s your imagination, boy?

  ancients had a marvelous knowledge of That shaft is just what you jokingly suggested astronomy but had no conception of the it might be; a cannon! Only instead of a bullet distance separating the heavenly bodies. there was a hollow cage and in place of Pharoah probably thought the moon was about

  explosive, they used this anti-gravitational

  twenty miles away and that he could go there

  powder. The Pharoah probably waited until

  and back in a few hours.”

  the moon was visible through the shaft and

  “Be that as it may, he ordered the high

  then started. Just as one would point a gun.

  priest to find some secluded spot and prepare

  That’s why the shaft is polished so highly. The for his flight into space. The priest organized slightest friction would have been fatal.”

  The Face of Isis

  17

  “You have an answer to everything,”

  made the greatest discovery in the history of

  said Court-land, “but—somehow I can’t seem

  mankind?”

  to see the thing as you do. It all seems so

  “For the future I’m ready to believe

  outlandishly impossible. And another thing: If

  anything!” Courtland replied. “But what about

  this metallic powder is antigravitational, why

  this design he speaks of?”

  doesn’t it fly off into space of its own

  “There is a drawing,” explained the

  accord?”

  Professor, “incised in the bottom of the casket.

  “Do you see the last words of the It represents a cylindrical cage of metal strips, inscription?” asked the Professor. “‘Let him

  with a circular wooden floor. Of course the

  who would follow, read within.’ I have read

  Egyptian astronomers knew nothing about the

  within.”

  cold of space, or the absence of any air, so

  “Do you mean that there’s another they simply built a lattice cage. I am afraid inscription inside the casket?” cried that Kut-Amen-Pash was dead within ten Courtland.

  seconds of leaving the earth.”

  “Precisely!” exclaimed the Professor,

  “The usual fate of the pioneer!”

  producing a second sheet of paper. “Read

  philosophized Courtland. “But what about this

  this,” he said triumphantly.

  fleshburner he refers to?”

  Courtland

  read

  aloud:

  “AT first that puzzled me too,” replied the

  “Let him who would follow the flight

  Professor. “Then I realized that since the

  of the omnipotent Pharoah, make for himself a powder has no gravity screening properties in

  chariot of brass like unto the design upon the its normal state, it must be necessary to submit bottom of the casket. And the floor thereof it to the action of some reagent. As the result shall be of cedar. And it shall be placed in the of the chemical transformation which takes

  pit that is beneath the floor of the temple.

  place, a compound is produced which has the

  “And when the Divine Mother property of being opaque to gravity. That is no unveileth her face at the full, let him fast and more surprising than the familiar phenomenon

  purify his heart and offer sacrifice at the altar.

  of two transparent liquids which, when

  Let him do these things from the going down mingled, produce an opaque precipitate.”

  of Ra to the sixth hour thereafter. Then let him

  “Then you think the ‘fleshburner’ is

  enter into the brazen chariot and strew upon some kind of chemical?”

  the floor thereof, the powder that is within this

  “I have no doubt of it. Furthermore,

  casket.

  there is one class of compounds notable for

  “And when the face of the Divine their power of burning flesh; the acids. It is Mother looketh down upon him through the

  probable that sulphuric acid, one of the most

  roof of the temple, let him take the fleshburner active substances of which we have any

  and pour it upon the powder which is upon the knowledge, is the reagent that was used.”

  floor of the chariot. Then shall he be gathered For a few seconds Courtland sat

  unto the Divine Mother, Isis; even unto the silently considering the Professor’s revelation.

  mighty King, Kut-Amen-Pash, who hath gone

  Suddenly he sprang to his feet and began to

  before.”

  execute a wild dance, in dangerous proximity

  to the edge of the cliff. The Professor watched

  “Well, are you satisfied, my boy?” said

  his antics in amazement.

  the Professor, when Courtland had finished

  “My dear boy, do be careful!” he

  reading. “Do you wonder that I said we had

  exclaimed. “Whatever is the matter?�
�

  Amazing Stories

  18

  “Why, don’t you see?” cried “Hurrah

  for

  Isis!”

  Courtland, slapping the Professor on the back,

  “if old what’s-his-name could go to the moon,

  so can we! We can build an air-tight chariot,

  CHAPTER V

  stock it with food, sprinkle the powder on the

  The Chariot of Isis

  floor and we’re off! Hurrah for Wadsworth

  and Courtland, Interplanetary Explorers,

  Limited!”

  TEN days later, the two adventurers were

  It was the Professor’s turn to be aboard a steamer, en route from Liverpool to amazed. To him the discovery of the golden

  New York. Their excitement at the prospect of

  casket and the astonishing revelation of the

  their insane adventure had increased, rather

  hieroglyphics had meant nothing more than

  than diminished, with the flight of time. They

  that he, Professor Myron Wadsworth, had discussed it endlessly from every conceivable taken his place with the greatest viewpoint.

  archaeologists of all time. That there was any

  In London, Courtland had bought

  material value in this mysterious powder, every available book of fiction dealing with anything that could conceivably affect his imaginary flights to other planets. On board he personal life, had never entered his mind.

  read them aloud to the slightly contemptuous

  And yet, why not? If this thing were

  Professor.

  indeed so; if this powder really did what the

  “It won’t do any harm to get other