Chapter 1: All at sea
A "missing scene" from Cigars of the Pharaoh
Because it bothers me that Tintin's rescue wasn't in the book. (At least, not in the version that I read.)
Tintin was walking through the tomb of the pharaohs, looking for Snowy and their new acquaintance, Professor Sarcophagus. He didn't have a torch, but there was enough light from the floating, flaming cigars to light his way.
"Snowy! Snowy! Here boy!" Tintin called. He knew the terrier had to be around there somewhere. The hieroglyphics on the walls depicted a fox terrier headed godling accompanying the god of film, Rastapopulos. Snowy wouldn't have strayed far away from the bony delights of the Pharoah's cigars… or were they Cuban?
Then the earth began to shake.
"Snowy! Professor! Earthquake! We have to get out of here at once!"
The first thought Tintin had when he opened his eyes was that the earthquake had intruded on his dreams and that the walls were tumbling down.
Then he realized that the walls weren't tumbling, it was the ground under them… no, not ground… Water!
Wait, he wasn't still on the cruise ship, was he? He tried to remember if he had tried any of the wine or champagne that he'd been offered. After a few seconds, he realized that he was encased in some sort of crate. He felt around, feeling panicky. Where was he?
He located the hinged side by feel. He braced himself on the bottom and pushed against the opposite side with his feet. He finally managed to get the lid off. That's when he realized that he was in a makeshift boat made from a sarcophagus… a floating coffin.
Off in the distance, he could see Professor Sarcophagus, but he couldn't make out what the older man was saying. He looked around frantically. Where was Snowy? He vaguely remembered his dream, but his aching head could not bring to mind why he had been so certain that Snowy was nearby.
Then he saw a small coffin floating near his. He leaned over and grabbed at it, grateful that the heavy lid counter balanced his weight or his sudden lunge would have sent him overboard for sure.
"Snowy? Snowy! Are you all right?" Tintin cried.
There was a muffled sound that didn't sound like barking. It sounded more like crying. The lingering effects of the gas made Tintin think of the story of Moses and for a few minutes he imagined that he would find a human baby instead of his beloved fox terrier inside the child sized coffin.
Part of him grieved at the loss even as he shook the thought off and pulled the coffin in closer. He pried the lid off and Snowy's white head popped out. A few seconds later, the terrier's pink tongue popped out and washed over Tintin's face.
"Snowy! My dear, dear Snowy!" exulted Tintin. He picked the terrier up and cradled the dog in his arms.
The professor yelled something, but Tintin could not make out the words. Tintin tried yelling back, but there really wasn't anything he could say but "hold on!"
A wave broke over Tintin's coffin and the water nearly sucked them both out. Tintin hung on with grim determination to the edge of the coffin with one hand and kept his other arm wrapped firmly around Snowy's mid section.
When the water cleared away, he could see that the small coffin was gone. He couldn't see the professor; his coffin was no longer in sight. Tintin couldn't tell if the other man had been washed away or if they had just been swept apart.
He couldn't do anything about that now. He had to figure out some way to save himself and Snowy.
The only thing that came to mind was a rather odd plan. All the running around Egyptian tombs had made him think of Egyptian mythology. That, in turn, had led his thoughts to Moses in the rushes, and to Dana and Perseus, who had been locked in a chest and cast into the ocean. They had all survived, Tintin was determined that he and Snowy would also survive.
The open coffin would soon fulfill its function if it sank. However, a closed coffin might have a chance of staying afloat. Tintin wrapped his legs around Snowy and held him tight, in spite of the dog's protests.
*I say, Tintin! I'm not a horse! Release me!"* Snowy yelped. Tintin could barely hear him over the wind. He grabbed the edge of the cover with both hands and managed to haul the lid shut again.
*NO! We're in the dark now!* howled Snowy. *Tintin, I'm scared!*
"Hush, Snowy," Tintin said. "We might manage to float ashore if we can keep the water out of the coffin."
*I'll be lucky to keep the water inside of myself,* Snowy, the well house broken pooch whined. His bladder was already full from being asleep for so long and whatever had put them to sleep hadn't helped any.
The crashing and jolting of the waves didn't help Tintin's headache or his nausea. He managed to keep all his internal fluids inside and keep the lid on the coffin for what seemed like an eternity. Then he felt the coffin begin to climb and climb some more. It reminded him of the time he went on… what was it the Americans called the thing… oh, yes, a roller coaster.
However, the roller coaster had been carefully controlled, in spite of what they would have you believe. This wave tossed coffin was going to be the death of him.
"I'm sorry, Snowy," Tintin said. "I don't think we're going to get out of this alive!"
Snowy's mournful howl drowned out the wind for a moment. Then, the coffin pitched down the other side of the wave and Tintin pitched into darkness.