Queen of Death

'I've told my men to shoot you in the legs,' said Salahadin. 'A space suit with holes in it will not protect you.'

'And my orders to my men are to drop the mummy if I am shot,' replied Strengel. 'We are coming down now.'

Strengel's men began to move. Strengel's men carefully lowered the mummy down over the large rock. Strengel came nearer to Salahadin.

'You'd better move,' advised Strengel.

Salahadin waited until Strengel was a few metres away. Then he raised his revolver.

'Stop where you are,' he said to Strengel. 'Stop or I shoot.'

'Shoot me and you'll die - and your policemen with you,' replied Strengel.

'You're all going to die anyway,' shouted Salahadin loudly. He wanted Strengel's men to hear him. 'Didn't Farrow tell you about the acid?'

Strengel stood still and his men stopped moving.

'What acid?' asked Strengel.

'There's a strong acid on the walls of the tomb and on the mummy,' replied Salahadin. 'The acid is slowly burning through your suits and through your gloves. When it has burnt through, the germs of the disease will follow it. Then you will all die like De Fries and Keesing.'

Strengel's men looked at one another carefully. Then they lowered the mummy down onto the ground below the rock. They looked at their gloves and at their space suits.

'He's bluffing,' shouted Strengel, turning back to face them. 'It isn't true. There isn't any acid that can last for thousands of years. It's a bluff.'

But his men did not move. They were not sure if Salahadin was speaking the truth.

'You'll soon feel the acid burning your hands,' Salahadin shouted up at them. 'Then it will be too late. The germs will be inside your suits.'

Suddenly one of Strengel's men began to tear off the gloves of his suit. He believed what Salahadin was saying. The sweat caused by the rubber gloves was making his hands itch.

'I can feel my hands burning!' he shouted. 'I'm getting out of this suit before the germs kill me.'

'You fool,' shouted Strengel. 'You're sure to die now. Your suit is covered with germs.'

Strengel was right. As the man was pulling the suit off from his legs, he gave a loud scream. He rolled forward and fell down the gully, turning and twisting. Salahadin jumped to one side. The man rolled past him and lay twisting in pain beside the dead body of Keesing.

Strengel suddenly ran towards Salahadin. He wanted to touch Salahadin with the outside of his suit. Salahadin would die too. But Strengel could not move quickly because of the suit. Salahadin shot Strengel in the leg. Immediately the germs got into his blood and in a few seconds he was dead.

Salahadin shouted to Musa and the policemen.

'Come out now,' he said. 'Watch these men.'

Then he looked up and spoke to Strengel's men.

'The acid will take some time to burn through,' he told them. 'Before it does, you have time to carry the mummy back into the tomb. Then we'll help you to take those suits off carefully.'

Strengel's men did not know what to do. The man lying beside Keesing gave a loud scream and died.

'You haven't got much time,' Salahadin shouted. 'Get that mummy back into the tomb quickly. It's your only hope of staying alive.'

The men carefully lifted up the mummy and began to move it back into the tomb. Inspector Musa climbed down towards them.

'Keep back - keep away from them, Musa,' shouted Salahadin.

Salahadin told one of the policemen to go back to the Range Rover, 'Bring me the box of dynamite,' he said. 'I am going to shut the Queen of Death in her tomb forever.'

Back in Cairo, Leila opened the front door of the house. Inspector Ahmed was waiting outside with the two policemen.

'Christine Farrow is locked in one bedroom,' said Leila quickly. 'The man's in another room - he's using a radio.'

'Let's get him first,' said Ahmed. 'Show me the way.'

Ahmed and the two policemen followed Leila. Leila pointed to a bedroom door.

'He's in there,' said Leila.

Ahmed walked quietly up to the bedroom door. He turned the handle, but the door was locked. Ahmed stood back with his revolver in his hand. One of the policemen crashed against the door with his shoulder. The door broke open and they ran into the room.

'Police - the police are here,' shouted Greer into the radio.

Ahmed pointed his revolver at Greer, 'You're under arrest,' he said. 'Give me the keys to the other bedroom.'

Suddenly a voice came from the radio. It was the voice of Dr Farrow.

'What's happening there?' asked Farrow. 'What did you say about the police?'

Ahmed went over to the radio. 'Who's calling?' he asked.

Farrow explained who he was and where he was calling from.

'What about Inspector Salahadin?' asked Ahmed.

'He's here,' said Farrow. 'What about my wife?'

'Your wife is all right,' said Ahmed. 'What's happening where you are?'

Farrow began to explain, but he was stopped by the voice of Salahadin.

'This is Inspector Salahadin El Nur. Who's that?'

'It's Inspector Ahmed speaking. Hello, Salahadin. Every-thing's all right here. Christine Farrow is safe and well. How are you?'

'We've got to move out of here quickly,' replied Salahadin. 'I've put dynamite under a rock at the top of a mountain. The dynamite is going to explode in a few minutes. Keep listening - you'll hear the noise.'

The policemen took Greer away. Ahmed sat down near the radio, and Leila brought Christine Farrow into the room. She was crying.

'You can stop worrying. Your husband is safe,' Inspector Ahmed told her. 'I've just spoken to him on the radio. Everything is all right.'

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

The Tomb is Sealed

The two lorries were driven back up the valley. Salahadin switched on the radio again and called Ahmed.

'Get ready for the noise of the explosion,' he told Ahmed. 'We're going to take shelter.'

Salahadin got out of the lorry and went with Musa and Dr Farrow behind some rocks.

The policemen and Strengel's men went behind rocks too.

A few seconds later, there was a loud explosion. The head of the man on top of the mountain began to break into pieces. The pieces fell down into the gully. Soon the gully was completely filled with enormous rocks.

Salahadin and the others came out from behind the rocks.

'We'll have to stay here until the sun comes up again,' Salahadin said to Musa. 'We must make sure that everything is completely covered over.'

Ahmed's voice came from the radio in the lorry.

'Salahadin, are you all right? Are you all right?'

Salahadin turned to Dr Farrow.

'You can answer that question,' he said to Farrow. 'And you can say hello to your wife.'

Farrow went towards the lorry. Musa shouted after him.

'Thanks for telling Salahadin about the acid,' he said. 'That saved all our lives.'

'Acid?' said Farrow. 'What acid - I don't know what you're talking about.'

Farrow hurried to the lorry. Musa turned to Salahadin who was laughing quietly.

'I tricked you too,' said Salahadin. 'Let's get some blankets. It's been a long day and I need some sleep.'

-The end-

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