University of South Carolina Libraries
A YlPTIAN ELIXIR By FRANK M. EASTMAN. (Copyright. 1S97, by the Author.] Thou couldst teli ti,. if thi:t leathern tongue Could tell what. t hose dim, sightlus oyes hanve sen, How the wuri'l looketl wiin it Vls fresh and young And the gre-i, dteluge still hnd left it groon. --Ilurneo Smitth. I had been exploring i aIrgo rock tonb in the vicinity of Karnak for i utier of weoe"ks in the summier of 18-. It 'was a 1coinpairatively old discovory, but owing to tho remaurkablo eharacter of the tom11b I itd thought it well worth my whilo to p:leant for such detail is migiit havo capetd the nuotico of earlier viSitorH. The opening to the sepulcher, ac)ci denta1ly discovered, consistcdl of a straight pass;l', barely perlitt.ing of tho entrance of a siuiglo inidividuttl lit at timlo upon his hands and kneces. Its sides Wcre of re"d granite, beatitifully'"tol ished, whic glittered dazzlingly in tho li.:ht of the e.xllorer's lorch. Th'lis evu trance ran Strai'ht back into the 1hill for a dis!'tnOe (;f -Ine 200 feet, whenl it suddnly opline"d 11po a11 largo vaulted rooni of cirenir forin, fron which thero brauebed ilnciou5 g:tli'(ri's of good proportions, le:tl!ing~ to other chambhers, in which hlt IltiIt found liany sur cophauti, minllit'. and( 11numin1y ('ases', one (If the satrc"(phLa: i lWin suppoused to be that of Thothines Ill, the Ilost glor"i ouls mlonarch of EgypVItianl history, wVho 'iectett the tlitl i"'k now in Cent ral park, thon"lh no tnulnlny had beent found within it. The \\all 1 tle p;;ssl!a2es and chamn bers W lt, lil:e tlot-e ( all If the pianl er 1 :iptian lIZ i , lO r i w'ithl n - n mei1( s( yn5 ; i" :I 1 iit:tn.s, the I'ii "htl colors oft" u W i b tIll :h1 n1o at-" f11r h aInd luti11 aiv tl' ihy had l in I I i t.it y'ste(1iny. It w s i till :i. m1. o-rituls l edt' f 1h h t 1:t 1 l lI itt :?fe ; (n g :ed, e<.1y l - u i p 1 isi1n:; i; 1tinl ta ing;s, (8areIl::, fort In-w pa(wge ts and re-ex uini;t he (! ( ;nes, it h it) en th ssitinhi h e"o?y m1) Irdentt Eg!yp toi t c1111 tl ehI :t 1 : . i had at ;th nit':irly finish e Iny inves'tigat''le , a, in i::t, the day of which 1. am It t) 'pW 1: a- to have tt I :y :i t in thl+ ' tmblt, thcrti t e nm'11iing hilt t+ne : i, ule to eoi y, un<t that. pon1 it w ?!i < 1 ' a 1 : lI- ; ,alh ry. Acccinilu;!y. at ;1 ut ntttnt I Illind of1 f I tr or l. ;r b, : r i <p.e"t tin p1alette inl h:u:Il. onondalit 1:y at t;roup1 of flH in iny < : !y, the ilickering light c:f wVhV.e tt+r;"b.s gav\"t t l.ir 5oml berl t"::+e a' it uilit i""ntly l.l tes<iue ex / 1w I iettri i wa: ce1 yit' was of a very ttn:l:;In typ-, n- l:nt <ntinig at train (1 l++: ;; h:::i t1t,i: \I"(. 'lini' twefore a kil:; v." m i I -"I to ilt Thothmelcs, but n., ti,& 1; l I . h'!its i nn* ctudH i t h the i " t' vI ry rbsurl) t" his wc1uh 1 1 I.: . i thn to h.termin . While lpaitn t vld i'y in :-triously, and so oi t lin t t I uu l :: eI t to 111 :ir int Iy1 att M 1t11 t. i t (,:1 : as brighlt its th lste) I ito o ,l I I it! iI d tila the paint h;:d Liic It'al yr p. !tuI onf at little juQt; t. lite o inlt fcl tiet king's no-:i. As 1 hu l0 w "i r I mtot i ted paint scaling ml c thor p'ti I1 otn up1 to ean 1111 o t iIt' t(fw . U lwic" of at plrjecting qlt, w aw it i eacht 1idl, foo, c theii paint e uw a w;:v (If I h niingos tthe gran i u:; iih 1 hil, 00'1t in a that11 With inetyi of c1 b:t i oe, ri 01dS andlie dep teJihIs I ilf aile ith o(t('r, feet and tilll)d the ciutline, of adri ors s i pm-u m wai I wit hei fdlle wl0i1t ttne. in21u dsee si whuich I fidis p fh:hIl to W'l5fi lty th te pointl bf a denktfei crauhl forlohavd beeni rock ofiIlthe g lery.e nieyson bnlentano IeA to on ier Ihow ftoiiinovf the pobtace i thd psagwy.Psue IitI ' t i'it tl founiid, hd o eit et upon, iJt,l ind ther reained( no way1 buit loo tla it I (ac corrdorngl et fordil) and1( sleges, and, son hadrwor i:nto tof follahya Orkii( sinking to whos on tahsidt of Byth tingb1 prdvantao of hl ai lmoost UOipergctl linteisty ies e ewsen he stnA n IiOllthe waIll the! work li wase nome whBpateaieertd 01' sveral hourbe' labor trepited iIitwo hoe oo eight inciht d ep.Thor hf pfie ithl powrt,rop eroy tamed th~et chrges,i insertedy futs,Ol~ li hmd le tird with All oin tit o.for thlg fmnes of the1( pOwde o dIiiit, ereune n foni h getsabhdbenhre inad4 hr tby,boe nosv xNervousiy pressamg'v -ft" ".ao... sage, which was crossed at intervals by others as lofty as itself, I came finally to an immense vaulted chamber of oo tagonal foriu, in the midst of which stood a hugo sarcophagus of highly pol. ished syenito. At its head there glit tered a hugo golden ibis, its long neck ourvOd in graceful folds and the elen dor, curved bill pointing downward to. ward the placo where the heart of the inclosed mummy would naturally have been. About the sides of the apartment stood eight other stone coffins, but smaller and of red granito instead of syenito. As the sight of these objects burst upon me by the flickering torchlight I felt myself trembling with excessive emotion. Horo was, it might be, the greatest Egyptological discovery since the finding of the Rosetta stone. No in truder before me had ever disturbed the silence of this mosb awful sepulcher. Nor CGambyses nor Alexander nor any of tho.long list of the conquerors of. Egypt had penetrated the sooret of this rock hewn abode of the dead. Since the deep and solemn chorus of the do parting priestsof Osiris. had died Away in hollow echops through the long cor ridors about them no sound had broken the silence of the ancient dead. What if they were to wake and ask me of the doings of the world sinco they had slumibered there? Not history's self could answer them. ''hese and similar thoughts flashed through my mind, mixed with a tri unpha feeling of exultation and self gratulation. But it was already late. I lid eaten nothing sinco morning and my fellals were tired and grumbling, 90 I was compelled to abandon my dis coveries uat-il the morrow, though sore ly against my will. So jealous was I of my findings that, after seeing all of my work men out, of the tomb, I had my tent pitehed before the outer entrance, in order that none might gain access to the new treasures which were within the inner chambers. After a restless night I was up with the dawn, and, eating a hasty break fast, hastened to the scene of my dis covery, but before repairing thithor 1 sent a messenger to Professor Batesi, who was then considered the greatest living Egyptologist, and who was su perintencding som10 excavations at a point about ten miles from my camp, aiannouncintg my discovery and begging him to como to me at once. This was an unselfIsh act on lily part, as I knew very well that the scientifio world would be apt to givo him entire credit for my discoveries if he were to arrive oil t hee see oo 0011 mlid should desire to appropriato my laurels, but my de light was so great that I felt the neces sity of a companiin to share it withi me. The first task I set for myself was the removal of the graad central sarcopha gus. I had pretty well made up my mind that this was the real cotlin of Thothmes Ill and that the one found in the outer tomh had been merely a blind. I sent to my camp for tackle and a small der rick so constructed as to be capable of being taket apart in small pieces and readily put together. While awaiting its arrival I examined the great golden ibis closely. It. was apparently of solid gold, ten feet high, and the finest speci men of tho goldsmith's art I had ever sr a. The modeling was perfect and the minuteness of the work remarkable. The t iniest feathers, the smallest scales en th~e long, slender legs, were repro dhured with iicrupulIous exactness. "There haus never been found anything to comuparo with it,'' I saidl exultantly to myself. In a short time the muen returnied with the apparatus, the derrick was rected and clamps were placed across the polished surface of the imassiv'o lid. At, lny c'oimmando the meni at the wind( lass be"gan to turn,. and the great slab rose slowl 13fro its place and was lowered carefully to the floor. L4eapin.g upon11 a coil of roe at hand, I looked dtwn in to the sarcophagus. As I did so teihtfrom iiy torch birilliantly re flected from at hiugo mummy (ens0 -of ap parently solid anld massy gold. As is usual with niummy cases, the head of the case was modeled into thei form of a face. These faces are supposed to be likenesses of the inclosed mummies as they looked in life. The.io face was that of a maan still young, of pleasing and yet 'ommlianiding prece(iC. Two crystals iiserted for eyes gave it a lifelike and abauost terrifyinag apipearanico. The case was carved wit.h mainy anid elaborate dlesignis and wats studdled with the bed ics of mnitiy scvarabs, wvhich were set deep) in thle goJld 'These details I observed1 at a glance, but an! object lying at the side of the caso and partly3 upon it now r tt.rac ted ay attentin. Thlis w~as a large vase or flas~k of thme purest rock crystal, elabo rately carved with mystical devices, which w'as filled with a limpid, color less fluid-perhaps four or five quarts which seemdli( to bo luminous. At least It reflectedt the torelhlighlt with an in teunsity that was ahniost blinding. It was wholly novel (discovery. Sar cophiagi andiu mumieis we're common enloughl, but never had I seen or heard of the finding of aniythinig like this. Had I found it in a Gcian or Ronian tomb, I mighxt have called it au Iach rymal vase, hut so far as I know nmo such utensil was used by the Egyptians. Reaching downx into thli great stone box, I umanaged to grasp the flask and1( take it up. As I held it aloft the fel laths 'set upl a territied shout as the light of their torches was reflected from it in streams of dazzling bril liancy. "Body of B3acchusl So you are nei ther crazy iior hoaxing."' It was the voice oif my friend, Dr. B3atesi, who (mtered She tomib at this liomenlit. D)r. Hatesi wais an Italian, seome 65 yrars of age, thougih yet vigorous and o)f an ext renmely nervous tempueramient. 1 his figure wa.'s tall, bunt thin and gaunt, and hiis me iager fa'e was (decora ted by a long and flowing wvhiite heard. IIis eyes were sia ill, bright and restless. Any one tvould have readily kinownm him as an enthiusiast ini whatever sItidy lie nmight he interested, lie always spioko ini a jerky, exci table mianiner, andl his usually a dlozen fold by thle strange nature of our surroundiings. "No, you're not crazy. But, great heavens I Whiat a discovery I" " 'Yes,"' I replied, striving hard to ap peair cool. "'I thlinkI thiis is soimethinig of a find. SAeo here. '" And I made way for him to standt( upon the coil of rope in order that hio might look down Into the starennhnunue Ab tbe' glittelng nammmy ca$e met his sight he began a series of ejacula tions in his native to gue, apparently unconscious of my presence. At length he somewhat "regained his composure, and the crystal flask in my hand at tracted his attention. "What is that?" he demanded. "I do not know. I found It inside the sarcophagus. Did you over see anything like it before?" He did not answer me, but, snatching the vase from ' my hand, began to ex amine it very closely, at the same time muttering excitedly to himself. His in spection lasted some time. Finally his face brightened and assumed an expres sion of decision. "It may be. It is possible," he said, still speaking to himself. "Why not? Do not the records of Manetho say so? It is not so improbable after all. Come, come, we shall soon know. " "Come," he said, turning to me, "we must see that mummy. Let us get the case out as soon as possible." I gave the necessary orders to my men, and the derrick was once more called 'into requisition to lift the heavy case from the sarcophagus. "Do you suppose this is Thothmes?" I inquired while the men were occupied with this task. "It is no more Thothmes, " he replied, "than it is Habakkuk. It is Nof-Rah, a high priest of Osiris, of the eighteenth dynasty," pointing at the same time to a hieroglyph carved on the massive case, which I had overlooked by reason of its size, extending from one end of the case nearly to the other. In a few moments the heavy case was on the stone floor and the massive golden cover was removed, revealing not the ordinary swathed and bandaged mummy, but a naked body floating in an oily substance which Omitted an aromatic smell. If I had expected re newed evidence of excitement from the doctor, I was disappointed. His fea tures assumedi a set expression, and he bont over the body without uttering a syllable. "This liquid," I exclaimed excitedly, "Honey," replied the doctor. Then he continued as if to himself: "As I ex pected. Come! The ancients were not all fools nor all liars. It is 1 o'clock a great day, a great day!" The body, as the mummy case had foretold, was that of a young man of pleasing appearance and majestio fig ure, the flesh still firm and plump, with no evidences of decay. The body appeared to have been unmutilatod by the hands of the embalmers. There was no incision on the flank to evidence the removal of the viscera, and the plump ness of the closed eyelids led to the pre sumption that the eyes were still in their sockets. There was positively no evidence of death about the body, un less it were a certain rigidity, but oth erwise it might have been mistaken for the person of some expert swimmer sleeping on the surface of his bath. "Send your men for some food, a half dozen bottles of wine and plenty of water and towels," said the doctor in an unnatural voice. I had overlooked the fact that it was past dinner time and hastened to give the necessary orders to my men, though what the doctor wanted of towels I could not imagine. The required arti cles were soon brought. /Now dismiss all your men," con tinued the doctor in the same strained tone cf voice. I obeyed as unquestioningly as the wedding guest obeyed the Ancient Miari ner, and the men, after depositing a number of lighted torches about the chamber, retired. After their footsteps had died away in the long corridors, the doctor began to pace slowly up and down the room. Finally he spoke: "'How many kinds of mummies have yen found in your discoveries?" ''Why,'' I replied, "'three kinds, if you mean the manner of their prepara tion." "And they wvero?" " Why, the first class have all the viscera and the braine removed, the cavities filled with resins and spices, and hmve been steeped in natron for a long time. The second have only the brains removed and the viscera injected with oil of cedar. These were also steeped in natron, as wve suppose. The third kind were apparently just salted down for a certain length of time. These are all the kinds I anm familiar with.'' "And have you found and seen ne other kind?'' "No." "'Well, there was a fourth kind. It is so written in the boo0k of Manetho. I have always' believed it to be a lie of the piriests. We are about to see whether it was such in fact or not. The priests glainmed to have a process by which they could arrest animation indefinite ly, and that they could, after the lapse of ages, restore life to a body in which existence had been suspended by the use of a certain liquor, if the body wore kept from external injury. The only thing that ha.:s seemed to substantiate this claim has been the fact that a few bodies have boen discovored at widely different times which bore none of the ordlinary marks of emibahning, frort which the viscera andic brain had not beeni removed and which woreoneverthe loss in a better stato of preservatior: than mummies v'hich had been care fully embalmed. I say such bodies hav' beent discoveredl. 1 should say, rather, that It is claimed that they have bee:i discovered, but as I never sawv one ci any one who had I have been incline<1 to doubt the fact. This body settles th( matter. I dou bt no more." "'I remenmber now that I have heart1 something to the same effect,"' I re. plied, ''but I do not see that this sub stantiates the claim of the priests to bc able to sus51pnd aimat ion and to ro store it after the lapse of ages."' "Trel0 are none so blind as thos< who will not see,'' he replied testily. ''Do you not perceive that the reasor that these bodies have never been re storedl to life is either that the knmowi. edge of their resting places has beer lost in thme lapse of ages or that th< recip)e by which t boy wore to be revived has beeni forgot ten?'' ''Well?'' I said stumpidlly. "'Well, is there anything more proba. ble than thait this is one of those bodici and that the contents of this vase is th( medicine by which it can be restored tc life?'' I stared at my companion in amaze. ment. Is wordsa soundled like nonsense, b)ut his manner was calm--unusually calm-and after all thu idea was nol wholly absurd. There are mnre tMnm * I fltng it far dowtn one of the unexplored corrtdors. in heaven and earth than our philoso phy 'dreams of. It might be as he said. "You see," continued the doctor, "that this man was wiso in his day and generation and very prudently directed the medicine that was to restore him to life to be entombed with him." "Do you suppose he began his long sleep, if it is one, voluntarily?" "Hardly. It may havt been a pun ishment for betraying some secret of the priesthood or a religious rite, tho subject of which was selected by lot. But that is mer y conjecture. " ".Does it not seem impossible to you as a medical man?" I queried. "My friend," was the reply, "it is only the student of mediino who ap preciates how little is known of the hu man body. It seems improbable, yes, wildly improbable; impossible, no." "Very well, then," I exclaimed, fill ed with a rising belief and enthusiasm, "let us try to resuscitat this sitizen of the primeval world. . 'To work i" ejaculated the doctor, turning to the body.e - We first lifted it from the caso and laid it upon a piece of canvas which was to hav been our tablecloth. In doing so we found it was not so stiff as we had supposed. It was, in fact, limp and yielding, like that of a person in some forms of rpilepsy. We then pro ceeded to wipo it dry with our towels. The flesh was firm and natural, though cold as the clods of th valley. "But how shall we use the liquid?" I inquired. "Why, there are but two ways of using it-externally and internally. I can probably tell from the odor whether it is dairgerous to give internally. There is enough of it, I should think, for both uses. " So saying, the doctor, after some dif ficulty, removed the stopper, which had been sealed with natron. As he did so a lie;ht, luminous vapor arosa from the flars, fillig the chamber with a deli cate perfume, like mingled ether and crushed applo seeds. For moment the scent madere giddy, but this soon passed away. "We will first rub it with the liquid. After that I will t to pry its mouth open and pour some down its throat." We began rubbing the body. For a lty, rm ovwed e stope,wc Ithad been work,ld the siatroAiion ws soong flwing theombei wthas deli catorfudmase, like mngle resuthwas and prsed plt. es o mmn h scentmafde idy, ut tIs saidoa passed "Idn'weaayynictono "Keepwl itp," siti the liquid.ern Afte that yo suppos tryt pny is easily opaened aftr aee f its thrat. lo tie wentinued inurilenke.ortsome time.d w,and hey ershaustion wna sonrlon from usoco inttraceams. A.tn parent. ! e red oitngt aI'pafraido t's noight" aido t lat I okedt se pany indication of "Kepitupsai the doctor srse pntern-o wiyh "o forc sups taenes esled awakenedatr sah remoeed his th0b byn So swe ctidnufedurg woor.o sm "Aime.ighas neda'.' exhaused wHe crTr he doctor aie t.ce y .t tsensain. nic ,i n hsidcto oooo trignhe:- ied, p'opledg wto axultaceion the rig t thi of our hxei Ientoked athe laicue indiated disov did ws ah dnc-t:r pr1esed upo theought ofithsoe porne. A alnes. res-.ltwed, follwed, ashto eoved h.Oie thu'b ab er slof tDe oQeurn. -ai color. s ir reementihev (. o v' Ih crit.h hhe trem e o , lithe's!'' h ntq it "o tfhe otie of A 1ia i.giedhm vItidl a ts iey re<all hi t ''esibeus ofssetsriofj the tt~ co oil." 'uho wnithe fiad ho naoI idom our mle.Th cryingt beforome~ had live at?l thought had thought and dramd had hordt~ and woned n eredlii? !1 beor ithe1~ d eof isoy whn the eathii was eope rhadnbemen forgotten Ion con ago,ImtI twohendou floo Iwas ai mate <pf yter dydthe u towr of abe i'~ an' xitinga wonder of the orld,iC a ye t I ndo bsag before my hades thed td ovie, aid fore adge, onefore teing tof hiory, when heahwis peoile. wihotrngeohspia raco wasy rnames had beene frtobelong oe go,th whlivnn the dea. was a epfrighter wndmaey oI sihe world ahorrtor,bu stallnantinu ae, omeacle beginnifg hio lims.ihnhsvis A t u t las io bomegun es which were accopned byc inasn elvidne no the ded.urnws ofihlton, th anoaly. Iopened ithl homres,sed hips limbts. spnnieeaiy re the teeth apart and poured several drops of the liquid downi the throat of the body. The effect of this was soon evi denced by a very slight but yet percep tible respiration. T1horo was no longer room for doubt, If Indeed there had beenm any before. The man lived. Tfho doctor was still silent, and in the whirl of miy thoughts I was incapable of speech. We rencwedl our rubbings withI thte liquor, anid tile respirations grew~ stronger and stronger. At last they were quite normal. The doctor poured a few drops of tho cordial down the throat. "'We nity rest now,'' he said. I threw mtysolf ont the floor and think I must hatvo fauinted from the exhaustive labor, tihe inmn19. of m.v tjmnnahta sand me neAt or the ochamber. At' Any rate I was unconscious for some time. When I regained consciousness, the Egyptian (for now that he was alive I suppose he should be properly so called) was breathing easily and naturally as though in a profound sleep. The doctor was seated on the floor, his back against a sarcophagus, looking intently at the crystal flask which he held in his hand. Its contents, about one-half of which had been exhausted, sparkled brightly in the torchlight. I arose and approached ny friend. As I did so I noticed something alarm ing in his appearance. 4 His features were set and drawn,. while his eyes glittered with a light that was fearful in the wild intensity of their glare. I hesitated to speak and stood looking ir resolutely at him' for some minutes. He seemed unconsbiouns of my presence. From time to time he would mutter in a hoarse and inarticulate voice. In the hope that ho might become more composed if left to himself, and in order to distract my own excited thoughts, I turned my attention to the Egyptian. His respirations had become somewhat shorter, and a slight twitch ing of his eyelids was apparent. Sitting down -beside him and taking his head in my lap, I knocked off the neck of the bottle of wine and poured some of its contents down his throat, at the same time pinching the epiglottis to make him swallow. The effect of the draft was soon evidenced by an increased color in the swarthy cheek, and in a few min utes, while I watched him closely, the eyelids trembled and with great effort slowly opened, and two great eyes of intense blackness stared solemnly into mine. There cc ild have been nothing more natural than for the man to have opened his eyes after having been restored to consciousness, yet this action, natural as it was, affected me more than the first discovered indications of life. A cold wave swept along my spino, and my heart paused until I thought it would never resume its pulsations. On what prehistoric scenes had those inscrutable eyes last gazed before they looked into mine? What awful events, forgotten ore yet a pyramid was found ed, what mystic rites, what mighty men of old long sunk into oblivion, had been mirrored in those hideously ancient orbs?. It was as though the sphinx had awakened from her granite sleep and looked upon me. Luckily for me I was not called upon to long endure that awesome gaze. The eyelids fell, and, as if exhausted by the effort of opening his eyes, the Egyptian's respiration soon evidenced that he was again sleeping. I laid his head unon a fold of the can vas and arose to my feet. As I did so a cry from the doctor attracted my atten tion. He had arisen and was pacing feverishly about the tomb. ''Oh, fools and madmen W" he cried. "Oh, blind and more than blindl Idiots and imbecilesl What have we done, asses that we are? What have we done?" I stared at my friend in terror and amazement. His words were those of a madman, and the glitter of his eye and the frenzy of his manner were in keep ing. While I still stared he continued his ejaculations in a half dozen lan guages, gesticulating wildly, throwing his hands aloft, tearing his hair and darting about the chamber. 'Do you know what this is?" at length lie cried in a terrible voice, ad vancing towardl me with the flask held aloft. "Of course niot, " I replied, striving to appear calm and self possessed. "Of course you do not," ho answered with a sneer. "Of course you do not. How should an imibecile like you know what it is? WVhat should it be? What is it b)ut the real elixir vitam, the elixir of life, the wine of youth, the medicine of immortality, so long. sought and .never found I That's what it is, and tjhat's what we have been wasting oni that miuddy carcass there insteaM of treasuring it for the preservation of our own lives througb countless ages. And why not," lie cried, his voice rising to a screain, as lie turned fiercely to me, 'why not for all eternity, for, in the long ages of existence that this will give us shall we not be able to discover the ingredients of which it is mado and the mnaniier in which it is concoct ed? Eternity! Eternity !" he screamed. "An eternity of life is ours!" A cold, icy herror seized me. There could be no doubt of my companion's insanity. He was a raving maniac. The exciting events of the last few hours had been too much for his highly wrought nervous system. I was alono with -him, far from human aidi, and where no sound or cry of mnino could reach the ear of mani. T1o what ex tremity miight not this insanity drive him? I was unarmed, and, though a stronger man than lie, yet I knew that insanity lends a strenigth alniost super human. There was nothing to do but to strive to appear. calm anud if possible quiet hiim' ",So you really think~ this miust he the elixir of lif'?'' I inquired calmily. ''Of course it is,, "lhe cried. ''Do you bdpposo it will restore life to that ear rionm there after 80 centuries or more and not. prolong the life of one already living? Yes, it is the true elixir, the true fountain of youth. "' Hero his rav inigs becamo incoherent and so contin uedl for sonic time. "Well, it may be as you say, doctor, " I said at length. "But let us first get this fellow fully resuscitated and get out of hero as scoon as we can. Heavens! Think what fanme will be ours when 'we introdulco to the world a liv'ing priest of the cigh teen th dyniasty I' ''Resuscitate that dog !' 'le sc'reamed. 'Waste oni hinm any mere of the pire ciouis fluid which nieans thousands of years of life to us! No, nto! Let himt sleep as lie has slept. All that a man hats will lie give for his life, antd here is life, life, life-thousands of years of it! "'Why should you have any of it''" lhe continlued, (eastinug a look of deep ma lignity upon mue. ' 'Why should you eni joy what vou did iiot discover? You would never' have susipected the true nature of the liquor. You would have. wasted it all on that eareass there. No, no, You have no right to it. It is aill mine. M illions of years of life, and all m inelI" "You are welcome to It all, doctor, if you wish it,'' I managed to say. "I1 am not enamored with life enough to desire to ptrolong it indeflnitely. I am satisfied with any allotted length of days. But now let us get out of hero If ment tirther." "Very well, then," he cried. "It is all mine. Eternity is mine. I must be gin upon it now, before I am a moment older. From this mofient I become as one of the gods. I drink," he said, lifting the flask to his lips, "to immor tality l" A bright green glaro shot from the vaso as he held it aloft. Forgetful of danger I sprang forward to intercept his draft, fully believing that a medicine so powerful as we had found this to be would be fatal to a liv ing man, and, determined to save my friend's lifo at whatover risk to my own, I leaped forward, snatched the flask from his hands and flung it far down one of the unexplored corridors. For an instant ho stood as if thunder struck. Then with incredible quickness and without uttering a word he drew a stiletto from his breast, plunged it into my bosom and darted down the corri dor. I fell fainting to the floor, but be fore I lost consciousness I heard a long, blood curdling scream, followed by a deathly silence, and I knew no more. I returned to consciousness in the humble hut of a fellah near the scene of my explorations, wheAior I had been conveyed by my nen, who had found me insensible in the thick darkness of the vaulted chamber. I had hovered for weeks between life and death, but the anxious care of a physician whom the Scientific society had sent me on hear ing of my wound finally restored me to consciousness and life. No tidings of Dr. 3atesi had been received. As soon as 1 was able I revisited the tomb. Of its former treasures not an atom remained. The wretched fellahs, who are not permitted to si'll any of the treasures of antiquity which they may discover, had taken all away to dis member them at their leisure, in order to sell the fragments surreptitiously to tourists. The body of the priest had disappeared with the other contents of the tomb. Feebly and disconsolately i crawled along one of the corridors which seemed to inc to be the one down which 1 had thrown the crystal vase. Suddenly my torchbearer, who was in advance, start ed back with a cry of horzor. Advanc itig cautiously, 1 found myself looking down into a wide pit which was sunk perpendicularly in the center of the passago. I threw a pebblo down it, but no sound of its fall returned to my cars from the thick blackness below. As I turned, weary and sick at heart, my foot. struck a soft object. It was'a light felt hat. I knew it and its own er's fate. The next day found io on my way to the dahabeah which was to take ino down the Nile. After my litter had been placed on board, looking up at the bank I chanced to see a tall, majestic figure, richly clad in garments of strange and ancient, fashion, gazing intently upon the boat, an(, as it seemed, at mie. Who is that man?" I asked my servant. "He is a stranger, excellency, a newcomer. They call him Neflar. He is very wise, they say, very wiso and very rich, but ie talks little. Some say lie has the evil eye, but I do not know. " The dabaheah east, off from the shore and with a favoring breeze shot swiftly down the streamn. As we swept down ward I kept my eyes on the grand, i posing figure of the stranger as his gazo followed the boat until a bend in the river shut him from viewv. "'Strange, '" 1 san- to the doctor at my side, "w~hat hallucinations sick men have. Now 1IalmIlost thought thalt" ''Yes, they are strange,'" ho replied. TIlE F.ND. -Secretary Wilson's estimate of $400O,(.00,000 se-nt, out of the United States annually for farm) p)rod(uts t,bat could be grown on Americar. farms may seem at first sight to be overdraw n, but the secretar-y has made a special study of the subject and hlas the ollicial igures to back up his cstimate. -Mr. J. P'. De-rham, chilef clerk in the comptroller general's elliee, ha been requested to resign, and the Columbia Record says that. Governor Ellerbe causedl thle reqjuest to he made', that he might atlppOtut Auditor Brad Iey, of Abheville, as his buccessor. -Ex-Governor Evans is to he marrier Dec. 15t.h, and with his bride he wvill retuIrn to Aiken about the 1st o1 January, just at the height of thi social seaIson when the town is t,hronger with Northern visitors. ---Tho annual conlvention of th, Daughters of the Con fede.acy in SoutJ Garolina will be held at Abbeville or Wedneesday, Dec. 14t, and tihe delegate wvill be enLttainedl by the members o thle local chiau)ter. -TIhe South Carolina P'enitentir. hast mlado a net profit of tenf tho(05uan lollars this ye-ar. . O ThereC Iis tryinig to dlodlge alny sort Of trouible arounid a tree. The only way is to colie squarelv Out andi( face thle (di ficulty iand) fight it \/ballf sick, the best course is not1 to nieg / et or igniore it, 01 pretend( thlat it djoesn't exist, but to -,. find the proper retn edy and( use it. A bilious, dyspep tic cond(itionl of the systein not onIly makes life llniserr'.ble, but it is sure to leadl to somIethling worse, uniless prompltly taken in hand and( corrected. It Is fool shi to attempuIt to (lodge such troubles by an~y mecre temlporary expedienlt. Trhe onIly sensib)le way is to get rId of tile)) for goodl and all by a thoroughly rationlal, scien) tific tnledicitte like D)r. Pierce's Golden Mcd Ical DIscovery. It cures all disordered, deb)ilitatedl conIdi tlins by its direct action upon the liver and digestive organs; it gives tile)) power to mnake fresh, hiealthy bl ood free from bilious itupurities; It drives all disease-grms otit of tile circulationi; it creates solid, mnuscular flesh andc const itut ional power. Lung anid throat affections, whlichl are ofteni situply the resullt of imipaired nutri tion, are reached and culredl by this wonder full 'Discovery " in eases where codl hivei oil emlulsions are useless, because tihe " Dis covery " is readily assimnilated b)y delicate atomlachls. It is far superior to nitalt ex tracts, because its beneficial effects are pernanenit. "IDr. P'ierce, I amlf one of youir most grateful p:ttenlts," writes Mrs. Ann))ie M. NorItnan,, of Eq utinlIk, wayne Co., P'a. " I have taken 'Golden Medicnl D)Iscovery,' also ' Favorite Pre Jaml, as maniy of my friends tell me, like thc (lend brought to life. The dloctors said I hiad conIsump rtion, and1 (denth was onl y a matter of time. Thlat was six years ago. le coneltIded to try your~ medC(icine. I conltinueld 111ntil I had( takeun nme1 biottles of * Discovery' and several bottlc of 'Pellets.' I gol, well anid have done a greal deal of hard worfr sin1c." When the liver and bowels don't work, the body and braini won't. Dr. Pierce's Pleasant Pellets are a sure, safe, speedy and pernianenlt cure for constipation, and a torpid liver. One " Pellet " Is a gentle -Cards are out for the lbarriage of Rev. Gilbert Iteid and Miss Sallio Btl1 Reynolds on Wednesday, Dec. 1, in Washington Street Church, Columbia. Miss Roynolds t a si'ter of Dr.S. M. Reynolds, and both she and Mr. teid are missionaries to China. -Senator Griflith, of Lexington County, has made twelve hundred oushele of corn this year on his farin near Summit, showing that ho knows how to farm as well as wake laws. -Mr. John P. Calhoun, of Cleuson College, a great nephew of John C. Calhoun, died on the 1i3th inst. at Fort 111, of hoart failure, aged t years. -lvery fartner in the middle and. uo er sections of South Carolina should at least plant enoug h wheat to supply his own c emautIl for flour. -Governo'' ;llorbo has appinted Thursday, Nov. .', as a day of thanks giving and prayer. -Gen. Wud llatnpton has returned to his hote in Columbia, and is in line health and spirits. _- ----.-0. N9M_ Needs No lxplanat(ion M A D!SON, N. C., Aug. 4, '9. Goose Grease Liniment Co., Grens bore, N. C. Dear Sirs-Pllease ship us8 at once one gross Goose Grease Liniment, We are entirely out. 1)on't fail to ship at once. I'l"aase give us jobbers' prices, It is the best thing we have eve"seen. Yours truily, W. C. JONES & Co. SOUTHERN RAILWAY. Condensed Sohedtalo in EQised JUIt4. 1807. STATIONS. r. .. .. ... . it STATIONS. " ~Teray....o....................1. idmont ................... s _."GAneed . . . . . 1 ... ..................... ..,....... Up A.reenlwoodl.......... ..... p a Ni nty-si....................... ~ T - Newberry> ....................... t'rn peritp,.... .. ........... a Ar. D nalu ,bi ,. ... ... -r - -- r . ron.. . 9 e . . . I . .ON S.. . . * , re nw o ........... ..r+hro . r p4f TO I NIoaf i t . . . . I ,p se - " 2) e r . l.t. . n.. . 2 p rs y. 6 ol mbi ........ w .. ... ." 12 14 . r. 9Da let Ar...... .artu ! n I,v 11 4" 110a S lida Lv.. . Bp etlifag A.... iS 6 7461 1pw r......Aeon... L" "Y. "Pp.mi. "A," a.m. Train 9 and 10 carry legant no .Im 81eopiag 0ar between O.Aninbla and Allovtii. enroUtt daily betwee22 J*asonvil and a sail. Trains leave 5pnrtanhnrg. A. & b. dlvidoa. 1orthbonnd ,87 a. n. n:47 .r.. rAt P. w., (VesUbulp L&rted). ; . on. As)huneve 1, n. "P," p. m. "A." a. m.,tV lb"1,,me) Trains leave rta+nvile, A. and Q. divties, irthibound, 6:45 a. in., 2 1 p m. and ;0p. m.. Veatibuled Limited t ,nt b tnd, 1 t. ,. :90 p. m.. 12:1k) p. n .4Vetibuled lImited) I Puinanm Service. IPullman palatce s'eping cara onTris6d S0, 157 and 88, on A. sand C. di visin. W, H. GREEIN, .1 6f VUWP Gen. Suporintendeont, Traillo M'g' Walahugton, D. 0. Was1kingto,D.O W. A. TURK, . . .S. B. HA RDW2 G ien. P'ass. A g't. ' i'oGn. Paa SOUTIIERN RAILWAT .EaM~ONY AIU E,XUNE laI,@ .E,ut ay. , 1..d.o - Two. NO.ISf he Nortbeen. NoM No A g.. P*g .A tlanta, iO.'. 7 50 aI1o 00 sa 3 * ~ororo.. .. 511 a.. . ,. 6 G - -- Jluford...1001 aj ... " Elainesville.. .t 10:Mal 'N5 3 i ! lia.... 1100 a 4M 60 a -"Oornaelia.... 22 a .... . 68 6 .. - ~v. Mt. Airy ..... 11 28 a . ... .640 v.Touooa....... }I Ma a'.. ... ..n " C ea .. 80$ 4 48 ,:.... ., . " G eevil ..2311 p 6 0 p.... * iIj.teanhurg. 8 47 p J 8y .-.- I' * Gaf'neys...4sp.. ... ....... tRn. Charlotte ... 8 40) pI p 1..... . Ar Dianville .. . 11 25 p 1 a. . Ar.Rihond . 600.e00 .. . . 4.Wahingtfon..: ... 004 a . . al* ' P RRip1.........0 a ..... Fet,MIt Vee,. I.nthbos.4. lNo 85 No. 37 rhIlelph,ia .~ i 50 a 6 56p. " ~ st,more . 621 2 " ating .on. 1116 a 10 481 . Ev. Rohmonmd ... 121s6 p 9 00 a 9 00 ... Sr. Oharlotte . . 10 OQ 9 96 a 11 Ii v.(Gaatonaa .1080 ... . 10 - " I .$ihurg 5is' N b "Gaffuey ... 11 41p - ... " Spartanburg.12'd all 84a 16 " reenville .... 1 20 al 19 4 26 " sntral. . 6. a 1 5 16 " neoa ....926 i p648 " otminstoay ..e.. * T12ooo..A. Ij'' b a " ft. Airy .... .. . .. . " rlnell...... "l Ganelvil......4..... 8 p88 *Jnford .... . -. "Nororoes ..g- g Ar t,lanta '. A b11 "A' a. an "P p. m. "M" noon. "N" siM Non,.7 Band 1N--Dailiy. Washington aonh western Yeatlionla Tiited. Throutgh rauns pleepin arn t ween New York an d N e loan,vaW Wasehing'on AOta ta and *.eat om ery. and alaso bet wen New ork and oM h viaWashingt4aa,Atlantaand rminghF elass. thoreughftare conalaes i,wee ae onand Atlanta. Dininag ears serve amea esroute. ~No,. 85 and aS6-Untied Stated K runasolia between Wasshingtoiaon Loarns, va Souther R ailway ,A &W. .U ea: and soaohe., rougih tr u oka saenijers of all elaea.oa. Puas ~opi ng ears bq%w,een Nose ew reans, via Alnaad o pespng etawil ra t.hrough bwenV~ te a a eSsio. wit out &Sg es.11 s an PliansleepS.gwus Sweeni Richmnond and &rlo- te via DpyIl Seuthbound No. 11 and *7, northboa e4X 3I The Air Line Bell . train, No.. 11 aAE.be - Sween Atl ante and Moeunt Airy, Ge., opW N, TUR,