"Tanya Huff - Victoria Nelson - 03 - Blood Lines" - читать интересную книгу автора (Huff Tanya)
In the silence that followed, the soft whir of the video camera sounded intrusively loud.
Dr. Rax was not completely unaware of his subordinates' shocked glances, both at each other and at him.
He spread his hands and managed a smile. "Will any of us sleep tonight if we don't?"
Will any of us sleep tonight if we do? Dr. Shane found herself thinking, and wondered where the
thought came from. "It's late. We've all been working hard and now we've got a whole weekend ahead of
us; why don't we start fresh on Monday."
"We'll only lift the lid." He was using the voice he used to get funds out of the museum board,
guaranteed to charm. Dr. Shane didn't appreciate it being used on her. "And I think all that hard work
deserves a look inside."
"What about X-rays?"
"Later." He pulled on a clean pair of gloves as he spoke, the action serving to hide the trembling of his
hands. "As the handles that were used to lower the lid into place appear to have been removed, I will
take the head. Ray," he motioned to the largest of the researchers, "you will take the feet."
It could have stopped there, but when it came down to it, they were all anxious to see what the artifact
held. As the assistant curator offered no further objections, Ray shrugged, pulled on a pair of gloves, and
went to his place.
file:///C|/Documents%20and%20Settings/harry%20kruiswijk/Mijn%20d...%20Huff%20-%20Victoria%20Nelson%20-%2003%20-%20Blood%20Lines.txt
"On three. One, two, three!"
The lid lifted cleanly, heavier than it looked.
"Ahhh." The sound came involuntarily from half a dozen throats. Placing the lid carefully on another
padded trestle, Dr. Rax, heart slamming painfully against his ribs, turned to see what might lie revealed.
The mummy lay thickly swathed in ancient linen and the smell of cedar was almost overpowering-the
inside of the casket had been lined with the aromatic wood. Someone sneezed although no one noticed
who. A long strip of fabric, closely covered in scarlet hieroglyphs was wrapped around the body
following the path the serpent had taken around the coffin. The mummy wore no death mask, but
features were visible in relief through the cloth.
The dry air of Egypt was good to the dead, preserving them for the future to study by leeching all the
moisture from even protected tissue. Embalming was only the first step and, as sites that predated the
pharaohs proved, not even the most necessary one.
Desiccated was the only word to describe the face beneath the linen, although other, more flattering
words might have been used once, for the cheekbones were high and sharp, the chin determined, and the
overall impression one of strength.
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