"Guy N. Smith - Accursed" - читать интересную книгу автора (Smith Guy N)

Accursed



Guy N. Smith




He shall not be shut in along with the souls which are fettered; he shall have power to deliver himself
wherever he may be; and the worms shall not devour him.



Chapter CLXIV. Book of the Dead
Prologue




'HAS it ever occurred to you, Reverend, that you are a thief?' The small sunburned man spoke
emotionlessly, his features impassive in the shadow cast by the scuffed and grubby sun-helmet which was
tilted over his forehead. A dead cheroot adhered to his thin lower lip and bobbed up and down.



His companion stared at him, squinted. Arrogance except for the tone of voice. A statement of fact as
Suma saw it.



'Then you, too, are a thief, Suma.' The Reverend Mason stroked his thick grey beard, his squat form
hunched over the remnants of the campfire. Tomorrow both of us will go in through that door below. If
you are not a robber then at the very least you are an accessory.'



'I'm just a guide.' Suma struck a match and attempted to relight his cheroot. 'I do what I'm paid to do
and nothing more. I neither enter tombs nor remove anything from them. All I do is show my clients
where they are. The natives do the digging.'



'So I have perceived.' The older man's tones were rich and gentle, a veiled remonstration such as he
might have delivered during the course of a sermon. 'But I do not steal. I do not seek to acquire wealth,
merely to take my finds to a place of safe keeping where they may delight an old man who attempts to
understand the ways of an ancient civilisation. Take theBritishMuseum, for example. The exhibits there
could hardly be referred to as stolen property.'