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

'D'you mind telling me why?' Mason found himself peering into the shadows beyond the firelight, his gaze
coming back to rest on the guide, a tiny shiver running up his spine.
'It is not for me to say.'



'You're frightened, aren't you? You're as superstitious as these natives. They won't camp near the tomb.
They've retreated almost half a mile into the desert. How do I know they, too, will not have fled by
dawn?'



'They might.' Suma smiled wryly. 'But they are poor. The money you are paying them may well
overcome their fear temporarily. On the other hand it may not. It is fortunate you have not given them any
money so far otherwise I fear that they would have been gone by now.'



'You're all frightened of bogies, spooks that don't exist except in your own mind.' There was a note of
reproach in the old vicar's tone. 'I am a Christian. I believe in God. He will not let anything harm me or
those who accompany me. I am not a thief; the items which I take from this tomb will be used in the
interests of archaeology, to benefit Mankind so that they may learn about an ancient cultured civilisation.
It is God's will that I am here.'



'We are all entitled to our own beliefs, Reverend, however mistaken they may be.' Suma yawned,
stretched himself, a touch of arrogance this time. 'Now I am going to turn in for I must leave early in the
morning.'



'Before we break through into the tomb, eh?' Mason leaned forward. 'You're up to something, my
friend. You've broken into a dozen or more tombs before this one and rumour has it that you have a
collection of relics that would grace the finest museum.'



There are many rumours along theNile.' Suma stood up, his ill-fitting khaki shorts falling well below his
knees, laughable in any other place except this ancient burial ground. 'I should not take too much notice
of what you hear, Reverend.'



'But you expect me to take note of your insinuations.'



'Yes,' the guide's eyes narrowed, his voice dropped to a whisper. 'Because I know. But as I told you,