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

'The treasures belong to the dead.' Suma stared into the fire, stretched out a sandalled foot and kicked
the charred faggots so that they showered sparks and burst into flame. 'They have need of them in
Sekhet-Aaru, the land of the dead. One day they will return for what is rightfully theirs and find that their
belongings have been stolen.'
 The clergyman refrained from an impulse to try and explain to Suma that in heaven one had no need of
material possessions. It would have been a waste of time. Out of the corner of his eye he studied the
other, a strange little man whom one might almost have taken for a sunburned European at first glance.
Part Egyptian certainly, part...? It was anybody's guess. A wanderer of the wastelands, a desert nomad.
They told you inCairothat Suma was the best guide available ... if you could acquire his services.
Sometimes he was not heard of for months at a time, then suddenly he would be back in the city looking
for work. It was all according to his mood how much he charged; some said there were times when he
did not charge at all. A hunter of tombs.



'I shall not come toEgyptagain.' Mason spoke sadly, philosophically. 'Not just because I am an old man
but because soon there will be nothing left to take. Surely the authorities must call a halt to it soon. So far
they have been too pre-occupied with the aftermath of war, but I fear that we are witnessing the end of
an era. This is surely my last expedition, Suma.'



'And maybe mine, too.' The little wiry man smiled whimsically. 'Methinks I should not have brought you
here. Reverend. Not to the tomb of Dalukah and Aba-aner.'



'Dalukah was Queen of Egypt. Apparently her tomb was overlooked by Carter and other leading
Egyptologists.'



'Not queen. A descendant, but by that time the royal bloodline had gone. I shouldn't have brought you
here, Reverend, but there is still time to leave. We have not broken into the tomb yet. Fortunately!'



'You've got cold feet, suddenly, Suma. Why? I'm not backing down now. Like I said, I shan't come to
Egyptagain. This is my last tomb and I'm going in there whether you like it or not.'



That is up to you, Reverend.' Suma glanced behind him as though he expected to see something lurking
in the shadows of the cave. 'As for me, my job is done. I have brought you to the tomb of Dalukah and
Aba-aner. I have watched you dig. The rest is up to you. You need me no longer. You have the natives
and a truck, enough to get you and whatever you ste-- . . . take back toCairo. I shall leave in the morning
at first light.'