The Mummy Case - Elizabeth Peters [122]
“Pray don’t interrupt the boy, Peabody,” Emerson said. “His narrative may yet contain information of practical interest to us in our present situation. Skip over your struggles with your conscience, Ramses, if you please; you may take it that for now there will be no recriminations.”
“T’ank you, Papa. I was not far away, in concealment, when de men struck you and captured Mama. I could not go for help at dat time since it was expedient dat I discover where dey were taking you. Nor could I abandon you after you were dragged into de substructure of de pyramid, for I feared dey might dispatch you fort’wit’. Dere was only time for me to snatch up a coil of rope from de equipment dey had brought wit’ dem, and scribble a brief message, before I followed.”
“The message, Ramses,” I said between my teeth. “Where did you leave the message?”
“I tied it to de collar of de cat Bastet.”
“To de collar of de—”
“She had accompanied me, of course. I could hardly leave it lying on de ground, Mama,” Ramses added in an injured tone—my comment, though brief, had admittedly held a note of criticism. “Even if it was not found by de villains, its chances of being discovered by someone would have been slight in de extreme.”
“Do you mean,” Emerson demanded, “that you have been inside the pyramid all this time? How did you elude the criminals when they returned?”
“And why did it take you so long to reach this place?” I added.
Ramses settled himself more comfortably. “Bot’ questions will be answered if you will allow me to proceed wit’ de narrative in an orderly fashion. I heard splashes, and surmised dat dey had t’rown you into de burial chamber. I also heard Papa cry out, which relieved my anxiety as to his survival. When de man came back I had to hide in one of de side passages. Dese passages are not all in good condition, as you may perhaps have observed. De route used by de criminals has been shored up by timbers, but some of de side passages are less secure. De one I selected, faute de mieux, I might add, collapsed. I was some time extricating myself.”
“Good heavens,” Emerson gasped. “My dear child—”
“You have not heard de worst, Papa. Upon reaching de main passage again I decided to return to de outside world and summon assistance. You may imagine my consternation when I discovered dat de way was blocked—deliberately, I believe, by the removal of the timbers that had supported de stones lining de passage. Dere was not’ing for it but return to you, but it took some little time owing to de state of perturbation dat afflicted me and de fact dat, because of dis emotional disability, I had forgotten dat, in emulation of Mama’s admirable custom, I always carry wit’ me a box of matches and a candle, among odder useful equipment. But I fear I lost dem when I fell into de water.”
For once Ramses had succeeded in finishing a statement without being interrupted. It was less diffuse than usual, though it might certainly have profited by judicious editing. However, my silence was the result of considerable emotion. It appeared we were doomed, unless the message tied to the cat’s collar was found before she chewed it off or lost it. Among other emotions—I confess it without shame—was maternal pride. Ramses had displayed the qualities I might have expected from a descendant of the Emersons and the Peabodys. I might even have told him so had not Emerson begun showering him with profuse compliments. Ramses’ smug look as he sat there swinging his legs convinced me he had quite enough commendation.
“You have done well, Ramses, but it is necessary to do better,” I said. “We must get out of this chamber.”
“Why?” Emerson inquired. “If the passage is blocked, we can’t get out of the pyramid.”
“For one thing, it is very damp here. Without a flannel belt, which you refuse to wear, there is the danger of catarrh.”
“The danger of having one of the passageways fall in on us strikes me as more life-threatening, Peabody. We will be safer here, while we await rescue.”
“We may wait a long time, Emerson. The cat Bastet will eventually return to the house, no