and her monarch shall have great need of treasure wherewith to furnish armies to drive the barbarian back, have out of my wisdom done this thing.  For it having pleased the protecting Gods to give me wealth beyond any Pharaoh who has been since the days of Horus—­thousands of cattle and geese, thousands of calves and asses, thousands of measures of corn, and hundreds of measures of gold and gems; this wealth I have used sparingly, and that which remains I have bartered for precious stones—­even for emeralds, the most beautiful and largest that are in the world.  These stones, then, I have stored up against that day of the need of Khem.  But because as there have been, so there shall be, those who do wickedly on the earth, and who, in the lust of gain, might seize this wealth that I have stored, and put it to their uses; behold, thou Unborn One, who in the fulness of time shalt stand above me and read this that I have caused to be written, I have stored the treasure thus—­even among my bones.  Therefore, O thou Unborn One, sleeping in the womb of Nout, I say this to thee!  If thou indeed hast need of riches to save Khem from the foes of Khem, fear not and delay not, but tear me, the Osirian, from my tomb, loose my wrappings and rip the treasure from my breast, and all shall be well with thee; for this only I do command, that thou dost replace my bones within my hollow coffin.  But if the need be passing and not great, or if there be guile in thy heart, then the curse of Menkau-ra be on thee!  On thee be the curse that shall smite him who breaks in upon the dead!  On thee be the curse that follows the traitor!  On thee be the curse that smites him who outrages the Majesty of the Gods!  Unhappy shalt thou live, in blood and misery shalt thou die, and in misery shalt thou be tormented for ever and for ever!  For, Wicked One, there in Amenti we shall come face to face!

“And to the end of the keeping of this secret, I, Menkau-ra, have set up a Temple of my Worship, which I have built upon the eastern side of this my House of Death.  It shall be made known from time to time to the Hereditary High Priest of this my Temple.  And if any High Priest that shall be do reveal this secret to another than the Pharaoh, or Her who wears the Pharaoh’s crown and is seated upon the throne of Khem, accursed be he also.  Thus have I, Menkau-ra, the Osirian, written.  Now to thee, who, sleeping in the womb of Nout, yet shall upon a time stand over me and read, I say, judge thou! and if thou judgest evilly, on thee shall fall this the curse of Menkau-ra from which there is no escape.  Greeting and farewell.”

“Thou hast heard, O Cleopatra,” I said solemnly; “now search thy heart; judge thou, and for thine own sake judge justly.”

She bent her head in thought.

“I fear to do this thing,” she said presently.  “Let us hence.”

“It is well,” I said, with a lightening of the heart, and bent down to lift the wooden lid.  For I, too, feared.