The Private Diary of Elizabeth Quatermain, vol. II: The Egypt Chronicle
by Lady Norbert
30 September 1899
We arrived in Giza in the afternoon of the day before yesterday. Never in my life have I seen anything like what confronts us now. The Great Pyramid is massive, just as Tom described; I believe Notre Dame, which up to this point has been among the tallest buildings I have ever seen, would fit inside the pyramid with room to spare. According to the books Nemo has brought along, the Great Pyramid was commissioned by the pharaoh called Khufu, or Cheops as he is remembered today; it is the largest pyramid still standing and most probably is the largest one the Egyptians ever built. It's made entirely of blocks of limestone, but Nemo says that no one knows exactly how the ancient Egyptians accomplished this miracle of architecture.
We spent what remained of daylight on the day we arrived, all of yesterday and all day today exploring the ruins of Giza. We saw teams of archaeologists hard at work, trying to unlock the mysteries of these historic structures. Mostly they ignored us, and, not wishing to interfere with their work, we ignored them too. We slept on the boats last night, to avoid further run-ins with crocodiles, and today continued our tour. I have learned so much about Egyptian history, and I must write it all here so I shall never forget.
There is a kind of sad beauty about the Sphinx, which I understand the archaeologists have plans to try and restore. The shifting sands had buried it once so that it was almost impossible to find, but now it has reclaimed its place as a treasure of Egypt. The face is terribly damaged; the nose is missing completely, but one can still see the eyes, ageless, but not without emotion. Despite the eradication of the paint over time, they still seem quite proud. The Sphinx's head is adorned with a curious crown identical to those worn by the pharaohs in pictures I have seen, and they say it is quite probable that it too was commissioned by Cheops. But they do not know for certain; other pharaohs have burial places here in Giza -- Khafra's smaller pyramid is not too far from Cheops's, and beyond that is the even smaller pyramid of Menkauhor. There are also several smaller pyramids, which I understand are called mastabas. These are not made from limestone, like the three large ones, but of bricks formed from mud and straw; they date from earlier dynasties than the limestone pyramids.
The pyramids of Cheops, Khafra, and Menkauhor are connected to the Nile by stone passages, or causeways. When the pharaohs died, their bodies were mummified in the Egyptian tradition, then travelled by barge along the Nile until they reached Giza. The sarcophagi containing the bodies were then hauled up the causeways into the mortuary temples which are the entrance to the pyramids. The mummies were placed in special chambers within the structures, along with their jewels and clothes and other funerary supplies, and the pyramids were then sealed -- forever, or at least that was their intention.
Tonight we rest, and then tomorrow we are to sail to Central Egypt to visit Luxor (once called Thebes) and the Valley of the Kings. It's funny, but the section of the country where we are now is known as Lower Egypt, even though it is the most northern portion of the Nile. Nemo's book says that the designations of Lower and Upper Egypt refer to the flow of the Nile; Upper Egypt, which is the southernmost part of the river, is the part closest to the source of the Nile, Victoria Falls. One would think it would be quite the reverse -- that Lower Egypt would be the southern end, because it is lower on the map.
1 October 1899
We are pursuing our trek south along the Nile, and have passed into Central Egypt. Luxor should be reached by tomorrow; we are, of course, proceeding fairly slowly so as not to overwork Nemo's men.
There is little of which to write today. It is, of course, hot. I have nearly finished Father's book about Ayesha, She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed. Tom, Skinner, and Henry are playing endless games of cards, and I suspect they may actually be gambling but I can't say for sure; if they are, they are doing well in their attempts to conceal the fact. Nemo spends his time going over maps and charts of the region and consulting with the rowers to make sure they are not overtired. Mina, much like myself, is occupying her time with reading or watching the landscape. There is little else to do, in truth, until we reach our destination.
2 October 1899
Luxor is quite a different experience from Giza! We will stay here for at least three or four days, exploring, for we have found a companion in the form of one of the archaeologists. Dr. Howard Carter is here performing research in what is known as the Theban City of the Dead, a vast land filled with burial plots of the Egyptian royalty.
The City of the Dead (what a morbid name!) stretches between the Valley of the Kings, where only the pharaohs are buried, and the Valley of the Queens, where the wives and children of the Egyptian rulers were laid to rest. Dr. Carter is but twenty-five years old, and has already been a participant in a number of important explorations. He has been named Chief Inspector of Antiquities of Upper Egypt, and will be relocating there in a few days to begin his searching.
Dr. Carter is a rather delightful young man, and has been a charming host. (Upon meeting me, he said, "The name Quatermain is not unknown to us here." Even here in Egypt, the Englishmen have heard of my father and extend to me their condolences on his passing.) When he is not working, he dwells in a rest house on the West Bank of the Nile. The City of the Dead is quite some distance from the river, but he travels to and from the rest house by horse. He has a few horses here, and has invited us to accompany him tomorrow; he has promised to show us the most mysterious discovery he has yet made in the Valleys.
3 October 1899
When Dr. Carter told us that he would show us a most mysterious discovery, he did not exaggerate.
It seems that earlier this very year, our archaeologist friend was returning to his rest house when his horse took a fall. The mount was uninjured, luckily, and the fall was actually quite fortunate -- it exposed an unknown burial site! They have nicknamed the place "the Tomb of the Door of the Horse," to commemorate its true discoverer, but a real mystery lay within.
Inside this tomb were only two items. One was a coffin with no inscription which, even more curious, turned out to be empty. The other was a statue, bound in linen, resting beside the coffin. Dr. Carter took us into the small tomb and allowed us to examine it for ourselves, the contents having not yet been removed.
The statue is apparently meant to represent a pharaoh, though which one is unclear. It wears nothing but a short skirt and a crown, which Dr. Carter identifies as the red crown of the Delta. Most likely this means the statue is representative of a pharaoh from Lower Egypt.
Mina seemed disturbed by the coffin. I suppose this is only natural, given that the monster Dracula spent so much time sleeping inside of one -- it was an unpleasant reminder for her. She was trying very hard not to even look at it, a fact that escaped no one's notice, least of all Henry's. I heard him ask her, very quietly, if she was all right, but she brushed the question aside.
We could not remain long in the tomb, for it was not particularly large and, with so many people in so small a space, it grew quite unbearably stuffy and warm. We left and had our luncheon under a tent Nemo's men had pitched for us, then resumed our exploration of the City of the Dead. There are a number of temples to be seen as well as the dozens of tombs, such as those of Amenhotep and Ramesses II.
Dr. Carter intends to depart for Upper Egypt in a few days, and I for one shall be sorry to see him leave. It has been truly fascinating to view the wonders of Egypt in the company of one who is so knowledgeable -- indeed, one who has helped to uncover so many of them.
4 October 1899
I count myself fortunate to have slept on the boat last night, for Nemo's men have reported that they heard strange things happening on the mainland. It was too dark to see properly, but they thought they detected the sounds of a scuffle of some sort in or near Dr. Carter's rest house.
Mina continues to seem troubled, and this latest news has only increased her unease. I wish she would confide in me, or in someone, what worries her. I haven't time to contemplate the problem just now, however, as we are to return to the West Bank once again to resume our explorations of the City of the Dead.
later
Dr. Carter seems unwell. He strikes me as being rather tired, which perhaps can be attributed to the heat. He is also behaving somewhat oddly; he kept staring at different people in a most indiscreet manner.
Mina's anxiety continues to mount, and it makes her irritable. I saw her pull Nemo aside for a private conference; it may be that she has finally decided to discuss her difficulties, though the captain is a bit of an odd choice for a confidante. I would have expected her to go first to Henry or to Tom, as she remains closest to them.
It is close to sundown, and we are to return to the boat. Dr. Carter has invited us to stay at his rest house with him, and I can't think why we could not accept. But Nemo insists that we must go back to the boat before the sun sets fully. I tried to ask him why, but he asked me to have patience and promised that explanations would be forthcoming. I am quite thoroughly mystified by this, as it is unlike Nemo to be so clandestine.
later still
I cannot write just now. I am exhausted and bewildered by all that I have just been told. This much only will I impart to my diary for the moment, and will fill in details upon the morrow:
Mina Harker is not the only vampire in the City of the Dead.