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diff --git a/31598-h/31598-h.htm b/31598-h/31598-h.htm new file mode 100644 index 0000000..1962832 --- /dev/null +++ b/31598-h/31598-h.htm @@ -0,0 +1,5908 @@ +<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" + "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> +<!-- $Id: header.txt 236 2009-12-07 18:57:00Z vlsimpson $ --> + +<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> + <head> + <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=iso-8859-1" /> + <meta http-equiv="Content-Style-Type" content="text/css" /> + <title> + The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Egyptian Cat Mystery, by John Blaine. + </title> + <style type="text/css"> + +body { + margin-left: 10%; + margin-right: 10%; +} + + h1,h2,h3,h4,h5,h6 { + text-align: center; /* all headings centered */ + clear: both; +} + +p { + margin-top: .75em; + text-align: justify; + margin-bottom: .75em; +} + +hr { + width: 33%; + margin-top: 2em; + margin-bottom: 2em; + margin-left: auto; + margin-right: auto; + clear: both; +} + +table { + margin-left: auto; + margin-right: auto; +} + +.pagenum { /* uncomment the next line for invisible page numbers */ + /* visibility: hidden; */ + position: absolute; + left: 92%; + font-size: smaller; + text-align: right; +} /* page numbers */ + +.linenum { + position: absolute; + top: auto; + left: 4%; +} /* poetry number */ + +.blockquot { + margin-left: 5%; + margin-right: 10%; +} + +.sidenote { + width: 20%; + padding-bottom: .5em; + padding-top: .5em; + padding-left: .5em; + padding-right: .5em; + margin-left: 1em; + float: right; + clear: right; + margin-top: 1em; + font-size: smaller; + color: black; + background: #eeeeee; + border: dashed 1px; +} + +.bb {border-bottom: solid 2px;} + +.bl {border-left: solid 2px;} + +.bt {border-top: solid 2px;} + +.br {border-right: solid 2px;} + +.bbox {border: solid 2px;} + +.center {text-align: center;} + +.smcap {font-variant: small-caps;} + +.u {text-decoration: underline;} + +.caption {font-weight: bold;} + +/* Images */ +.figcenter { + margin: auto; + text-align: center; +} + +.figleft { + float: left; + clear: left; + margin-left: 0; + margin-bottom: 1em; + margin-top: 1em; + margin-right: 1em; + padding: 0; + text-align: center; +} + +.figright { + float: right; + clear: right; + margin-left: 1em; + margin-bottom: + 1em; + margin-top: 1em; + margin-right: 0; + padding: 0; + text-align: center; +} + +/* Footnotes */ +.footnotes {border: dashed 1px;} + +.footnote {margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%; font-size: 0.9em;} + +.footnote .label {position: absolute; right: 84%; text-align: right;} + +.fnanchor { + vertical-align: super; + font-size: .8em; + text-decoration: + none; +} + +/* Poetry */ +.poem { + margin-left:10%; + margin-right:10%; + text-align: left; +} + +.poem br {display: none;} + +.poem .stanza {margin: 1em 0em 1em 0em;} + +.poem span.i0 { + display: block; + margin-left: 0em; + padding-left: 3em; + text-indent: -3em; +} + +.poem span.i2 { + display: block; + margin-left: 2em; + padding-left: 3em; + text-indent: -3em; +} + +.poem span.i4 { + display: block; + margin-left: 4em; + padding-left: 3em; + text-indent: -3em; +} + + </style> + </head> +<body> + + +<pre> + +Project Gutenberg's The Egyptian Cat Mystery, by Harold Leland Goodwin + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: The Egyptian Cat Mystery + +Author: Harold Leland Goodwin + +Release Date: March 11, 2010 [EBook #31598] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE EGYPTIAN CAT MYSTERY *** + + + + +Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online +Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net + + + + + + +</pre> + + +<div class="figcenter"> +<img src="images/cover.jpg" alt=""/> +</div> +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> + +<h1>THE EGYPTIAN CAT MYSTERY</h1> + +<h3>A RICK BRANT SCIENCE-ADVENTURE STORY</h3> + +<h2>BY JOHN BLAINE</h2> + + +<h3>GROSSET & DUNLAP, INC., 1961<br /> +NEW YORK, N. Y.</h3> + +<h3>ALL RIGHTS RESERVED</h3> + +<h3><i>Printed in the United States of America</i></h3> + + +<h3>[Transcriber's Note: Extensive research did not discover a U.S. +copyright renewal.]</h3> + + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<div class="figcenter"> +<a name="illus1" id="illus1"></a> +<img src="images/illus1.jpg" alt=""/> +</div> + +<h3><i>The room had been searched inch by inch. Someone wanted the cat!</i></h3> +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> + + + +<h2>Contents</h2> + +<!-- Autogenerated TOC. Modify or delete as required. --> +<p> +<a href="#CHAPTER_I">CHAPTER I <span class="smcap">The Winston Plan</span></a><br /> +<a href="#CHAPTER_II">CHAPTER II <span class="smcap">The Egyptian Cat</span></a><br /> +<a href="#CHAPTER_III">CHAPTER III <span class="smcap">Cairo</span></a><br /> +<a href="#CHAPTER_IV">CHAPTER IV <span class="smcap">El Mouski</span></a><br /> +<a href="#CHAPTER_V">CHAPTER V <span class="smcap">Sahara Wells</span></a><br /> +<a href="#CHAPTER_VI">CHAPTER VI <span class="smcap">The Cat Has Kittens</span></a><br /> +<a href="#CHAPTER_VII">CHAPTER VII <span class="smcap">The Egyptian Museum</span></a><br /> +<a href="#CHAPTER_VIII">CHAPTER VIII <span class="smcap">The Midnight Call</span></a><br /> +<a href="#CHAPTER_IX">CHAPTER IX <span class="smcap">The Uninvited Visitor</span></a><br /> +<a href="#CHAPTER_X">CHAPTER X <span class="smcap">The Great Pyramid</span></a><br /> +<a href="#CHAPTER_XI">CHAPTER XI <span class="smcap">Third Brother Smiles</span></a><br /> +<a href="#CHAPTER_XII">CHAPTER XII <span class="smcap">Third Brother Stops Smiling</span></a><br /> +<a href="#CHAPTER_XIII">CHAPTER XIII <span class="smcap">The Space Mystery</span></a><br /> +<a href="#CHAPTER_XIV">CHAPTER XIV <span class="smcap">The Broad Sahara</span></a><br /> +<a href="#CHAPTER_XV">CHAPTER XV <span class="smcap">The Cat Comes Back</span></a><br /> +<a href="#CHAPTER_XVI">CHAPTER XVI <span class="smcap">The Howling Jackals</span></a><br /> +<a href="#CHAPTER_XVII">CHAPTER XVII <span class="smcap">Ismail ben Adhem</span></a><br /> +<a href="#CHAPTER_XVIII">CHAPTER XVIII <span class="smcap">The Fight at Sahara Wells</span></a><br /> +<a href="#CHAPTER_XIX">CHAPTER XIX <span class="smcap">The Cat's Secret</span></a><br /> +<a href="#CHAPTER_XX">CHAPTER XX <span class="smcap">The Signal Vanishes</span></a><br /><br /> +<a href="#The_Rick_Brant_Science-Adventure_Stories">The Rick Brant Science-Adventure Stories</a><br /> +</p> +<!-- End Autogenerated TOC. --> + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<h2>List of Illustrations</h2> + +<p><a href="#illus1"><i>The room had been searched inch by inch. Someone wanted the cat!</i></a></p> + +<p><a href="#illus2"><i>A snub-nosed revolver was pointed at Rick's midriff</i></a></p> + +<p><a href="#illus3"><i>Hands pulled Rick from the saddle</i></a></p> + + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<h2>THE EGYPTIAN CAT MYSTERY</h2> + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> + +<div class="figcenter"> +<img src="images/map.jpg" alt=""/> +</div> + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_I" id="CHAPTER_I"></a>CHAPTER I</h2> + +<h3>The Winston Plan</h3> + + +<p>The date was December twenty-third. The time along the Greenwich +meridian, from which all world times are measured, was 8:15 P.M. At +widely scattered points around the globe, four voices were raised +simultaneously.</p> + +<p>Even an experienced observer could not have found a connection between +the four voices and what they were saying, yet each voice started +actions that would soon be interwoven into a single pattern—a pattern +of danger, adventure, and mystery that would culminate in sudden +violence within sight of one of the seven wonders of the world.</p> + +<p>In Chicago, it was 2:15 in the afternoon. At the edge of the city a man +spoke into the telephone in the office of a small plastics factory. "The +cat is ready," he said.</p> + +<p>In Paris, a phone rang. The man who answered noted in the log that his +overseas call had gone through at exactly 9:15 p.m. He picked up the +phone and spoke crisply. "<i>Monsieur l'Inspecteur? ... Bien.</i> This is +Interpol. We have a relay for you from the United States. Monsieur, +this will please you—and it most certainly will amaze you. Message +begins..."</p> + +<p>In Cairo, the time was 10:15 P.M. A famous Egyptian astronomer walked +into his office and called to his associate. "Hakim! Good news. He can +come. Now we can find out what that accursed hydrogen-line impulse +means."</p> + +<p>On Spindrift Island, off the coast of New Jersey, it was 3:15 in the +afternoon. The island was quiet under a blanket of snow. The long, gray +laboratory buildings, where so many dramatic scientific developments had +taken place, were deserted. Only in the homes of the scientists was +there activity, and all of it was in preparation for Christmas.</p> + +<p>In the big main house on the seaward side of the island, Dr. Hartson +Brant, director of the world-famous Spindrift Scientific Foundation, +walked to the foot of the stairs and called to his son.</p> + +<p>"Rick, can you come to the library in five minutes? Bring Scotty with +you."</p> + +<p>Rick Brant, a tall boy with light-brown hair and eyes, paused in his +gift wrapping long enough to call an affirmative to his father, then he +made sure Don Scott, whose room was next door, had heard the summons.</p> + +<p>Scotty had. He came through the connecting door. "What's up?"</p> + +<p>"Don't know. Maybe Dad has some Christmas chores for us to do."</p> + +<p>Scotty, a big, husky boy with black hair and brown eyes, was an +ex-Marine who had originally joined the Spindrift group as a guard +during the adventure of <i>The Rocket's Shadow</i>. Since then, he and Rick +had become the closest of friends, and the Brants had accepted him as a +full-fledged member of the family.</p> + +<p>"I'm willing, whatever it is," Scotty told Rick. "I'm so full of Yuletide +spirit I may bust a seam from sheer joy."</p> + +<p>Rick grinned. He felt exactly the same way. He continued wrapping the +present for his sister Barbara, a pretty girl a year his junior. Barby +had a definite talent for sketching and painting and Rick had bought her +a complete artist's kit, hoping it would encourage her natural skill.</p> + +<p>"She'll be tickled pink," Scotty remarked. "Come on. Let's go down."</p> + +<p>"Go ahead. I'll be right with you." Rick finished taping on a spray of +evergreen, then he carefully put the present out of sight under his +workbench. Barby's lively curiosity was subdued at Christmas time, but +it was better not to take chances. He surveyed the bench to see if he +had left anything out. Usually it was cluttered with apparatus, tools, +and parts, because Rick was an inveterate experimenter, but it was clear +now, in preparation for the holiday.</p> + +<p>He walked down the corridor to the stairs, smiling to himself. Christmas +at Spindrift was fun. The entire scientific staff and their families +joined in, first in cutting their own trees from the stand of spruce at +the back side of the island, then in decorating the big tree in the +Brant library. On Christmas Eve there was a Yule log to be brought in +and presents to be exchanged, although the Brants waited until morning +to open their gifts to each other.</p> + +<p>Hartson Brant and Scotty were waiting in the library, standing before +the great fireplace in which logs crackled merrily. Seated in the +leather chair next to the Christmas tree was Parnell Winston, one of the +leading staff scientists.</p> + +<p>Winston was a big man, with jet-black curly hair and great bushy +eyebrows that hid merry blue eyes. He was an expert in cybernetics, the +science of electronic computer design, and his contributions to the +theory of computer operations, and to advanced electronic control +systems, were known to scientists around the world. Winston had +originally joined the staff to supervise the design and construction of +a "thinking machine," the Tractosaur.</p> + +<p>Hartson Brant, an older version of his son, greeted the boy. "Come in, +Rick. Parnell, the floor is yours."</p> + +<p>Winston motioned the boys to chairs. "Sit down. I called this meeting to +make a proposal. But first, how are your bank balances? Fat or thin?"</p> + +<p>Rick considered. Most of his income, including his small salary as a +laboratory assistant, went into his education fund. However, the salary +he had earned for working at the Nevada rocket base during <i>The Scarlet +Lake Mystery</i> had been put into his "ready" fund. "I'm in good shape," +he said, and Scotty echoed him.</p> + +<p>"Fine. Now, the Egyptian Astronomical Society has just finished +constructing a new radio telescope. It's a first-rate instrument from +which we expect great things. Your father and I were in at its birth, so +to speak. We consulted on the initial designs during a meeting of the +International Astronomical Union."</p> + +<p>Rick knew that was one of the many world-wide private scientific +organizations operating under the International Council of Scientific +Unions. He also knew of the growing importance of radio astronomy, but +he hadn't known the Egyptians were in on it.</p> + +<p>"Apparently some unusual trouble developed during the tuning of the +instrument," Winston went on. "Earlier this afternoon I had a phone call +from Cairo, and a request to help our Egyptian colleagues iron out the +bugs. I accepted."</p> + +<p>Rick sat upright in his chair. Winston going to Cairo? How did this +concern Scotty and him?</p> + +<p>"My proposal is this," Winston concluded. "The Egyptians are short of +technicians and we may need help. I'll leave the day after Christmas, +returning within ten days. If you two can pay half your expenses, and +help me half the time, I'll take you with me."</p> + +<p>Both boys jumped to their feet. Rick looked anxiously at his father.</p> + +<p>Hartson Brant smiled. "According to Parnell's schedule, you'll be back +just in time for school at the end of the holidays. <i>If</i> you want to go, +of course."</p> + +<p>Rick let out a wild yell of exuberance that brought his sister Barby +running to the library. She looked at the group with wide eyes. "Rick! +Was that you?"</p> + +<p>He grinned at her. "It wasn't a wounded buffalo, Sis. Guess what? We're +going to Egypt!"</p> + +<p>Barby's pert face lengthened. "I don't suppose I can go, too?"</p> + +<p>Parnell Winston walked over and ruffled her blond hair. "Not this time, +Barby. But I'll make you a promise. The next field expedition under my +supervision will include my wife, you, and Jan Miller."</p> + +<p>The prospect of an expedition that included Jan, daughter of one of the +staff physicists and her dearest friend, cheered Barby at once.</p> + +<p>"I don't suppose you could promise to leave Rick and Scotty at home?" +she asked.</p> + +<p>"Can't promise." Winston chuckled. "We might need them to carry your +luggage. Girls can't travel without a dozen suitcases each, I'm told."</p> + +<p>The scientist turned to the boys. "Start reading up on the country, and +I'll arrange for you to get some additional background by meeting some +Egyptians. It happens that an Egyptian physicist is arriving in New York +today for a lecture tour of American universities. There's a reception +for him tomorrow. We'll drive to New York. You can meet him and some of +his countrymen, and we'll go to the consulate to obtain visas. Are your +passports and health cards up to date?"</p> + +<p>Fortunately, all was in order because the boys had spent a part of the +summer in the Sulu Sea region, where they had helped to locate and +rescue two staff scientists.</p> + +<p>Barby asked wistfully, "Couldn't I meet some real Egyptians, too?"</p> + +<p>As Scotty had once said, if Barby ever got wistful while fishing, the +fish would knock themselves out trying to climb into the boat to cheer +her up. Winston replied quickly, "No reason why not. I'll check with my +host, but I'm sure it's all right, so you can plan to come with us."</p> + +<p>Rick's eyes met Scotty's. He shrugged. He was glad in one way that his +sister could go, because he always hated to have her unhappy about being +left behind. On the other hand, Barby was unpredictable. He couldn't be +sure of what she might do or say, but he could be certain her curiosity +and enthusiasm would stir up something.</p> + +<p>If Rick had been enough of a prophet to see all the events his pretty +sister's helpfulness at the reception would get him into, he would have +handcuffed her to the Christmas tree before ever allowing her off +Spindrift Island.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_II" id="CHAPTER_II"></a>CHAPTER II</h2> + +<h3>The Egyptian Cat</h3> + + +<p>The reception for Dr. Hayret Ahmed was at the home of an Egyptian +importer named Mohammed Bartouki. Barby, the boys, and Winston rang the +bell of a brownstone house on New York's Upper East Side promptly at +noon.</p> + +<p>Winston had checked with his host by phone, and his request that he be +allowed to bring his young associates to meet Bartouki had been met with +enthusiastic pleasure. Mohammed Bartouki had assured the scientist that +he would look forward to meeting the young people of Dr. Hartson Brant's +household.</p> + +<p>The door was opened by a figure right out of <i>The Arabian Nights</i>, or so +it seemed to the young people. The doorman was a huge Negro dressed in +flowing red trousers that tucked in at the ankles. His sandals turned up +in points at the front, Persian style. An embroidered vest set off a +loose white silk shirt, and on his head was a red fez, shaped like a +section of a cone, slightly less in diameter at the top than at the +bottom.</p> + +<p>"Please come in," he requested. His voice was accented. Rick saw that he +had two horizontal hairline scars on each cheek.</p> + +<p>The man took their coats, giving Barby a courtly bow. "Dr. Bartouki asks +if you will please join him in the salon. It is straight ahead."</p> + +<p>As they walked down the carpeted hall Barby gave Winston a smile of +sheer delight. "He's right out of a movie," she whispered. "Even to the +fez and the scars on his cheeks."</p> + +<p>Winston smiled back. "In Egypt a fez is called a <i>tarboosh</i>. The scars +mean he is a Sudanese, from the country south of Egypt. I agree he's a +very picturesque type. I suspect Bartouki dressed him up for effect. +It's a common practice."</p> + +<p>"What's Bartouki a doctor of?" Rick asked.</p> + +<p>"I don't know. Law or something similar, I imagine. He's not a scientist +or medical doctor."</p> + +<p>Mohammed Bartouki himself came to meet them. He was a round little man, +scarcely taller than Barby, with twinkling eyes behind horn-rimmed +glasses. He was dressed in an ordinary business suit.</p> + +<p>"My dear Dr. Winston, how nice of you to come. And these are your young +friends?"</p> + +<p>Winston introduced the young people. Rick found his hand captured in a +warm, firm grip.</p> + +<p>"Welcome, welcome," Bartouki said, beaming. "We will have an opportunity +to talk about your trip to my country as soon as these scientists turn +the conversation to some matter of science we do not understand." He +smiled at Winston. "You see, I know you professional people. The +nationality does not matter. Put two of you together and the +conversation at once turns to some development a poor merchant cannot +possibly comprehend. That is why I am glad you brought Miss Barbara, and +Rick and Scotty, as you called them, if I may be so familiar. At least I +can talk with them."</p> + +<p>Rick could see that Barby was charmed by the little merchant, and he +could understand why. Bartouki radiated warmth and enthusiasm.</p> + +<p>In a moment the four Spindrifters were being introduced to Dr. Hayret +Ahmed and a bewildering assortment of people. Evidently they were all +scientists of different nationalities, except for two officers of the +United Arab Republic consulate. Rick recognized a few of the names, and +found he knew one or two of the Americans.</p> + +<p>True to Bartouki's prediction, the talk turned to scientific subjects +within minutes. Rick followed the conversation, which was about a new +development in the capture and study of free radicals, but only for a +few minutes. The scientists were over his head in short order.</p> + +<p>Scotty chuckled. "I always thought a free radical was a political bomb +thrower out of jail."</p> + +<p>"It's a highly energetic chemical particle," Rick said.</p> + +<p>"That's nice," Barby said. "Only I'd rather talk with Dr. Bartouki than +discuss energetic chemicals."</p> + +<p>The merchant arranged things very smoothly. He announced that he would +not dream of allowing protocol to interfere with such a fascinating +conversation, and put the scientists together at one end of the table. +The officers from the consulate, evidently in deference to the +distinguished Egyptian scientist, continued to listen closely to the +talk, even though Rick was sure they didn't understand a word.</p> + +<p>The three young people found themselves free to talk with their host, +and the boys at once began firing questions.</p> + +<p>Bartouki described Cairo and promised that he would present them with +guidebooks to be read on the way over. He told them about things to do +in the ancient city, and listed places that were "musts" for tourists. +They included the step pyramid at Sakkarah, the Egyptian Museum, the +mosque of Sultan Hassan, and the mosque and college of El Azhar, founded +in the ninth century.</p> + +<p>"Of course you will see a great deal of the Sphinx and the pyramids at +Giza, since our new radio telescope is nearby. But most of all, you must +see El Mouski."</p> + +<p>"What is that?" Rick asked.</p> + +<p>"It is the Cairo bazaar. There are several sections, known as <i>sooks</i>. +They have names like Khan El Khalili, Ghooriyeh, Sagha, Sook El +Nahassin, and so on, but the principal one is Mouski."</p> + +<p>"Spell it for me," Barby pleaded.</p> + +<p>Bartouki smiled. "What you ask is difficult. We use a different +alphabet, so there is no exact equivalent, only what is called +transliteration, which uses phonetics. So the bazaar can be Mouski, +Muski, Mosky, Mouskey, or anything else that sounds the same. Even for +Giza, where the pyramids are, there are many spellings."</p> + +<p>"I wish you'd tell my English teacher that." Barby sighed. "I think my +way of spelling is just as good as hers."</p> + +<p>Bartouki and the boys laughed sympathetically. The little merchant said, +"Whatever the spelling, El Mouski will fascinate you. Many things are +made there especially for tourists. Some of the workmanship is +excellent, and the prices are very low."</p> + +<p>"We haven't had much luck with bazaars that cater to tourists," Scotty +replied. "We prefer markets where local people buy, because the things +are more authentic."</p> + +<p>Bartouki chuckled. "That is wise, in most countries. But consider. The +attraction for tourists are things that are clearly Egyptian in origin, +no? Such things vanished from all but our museums some years ago. You +could not buy a genuine Egyptian tapestry, or a stone carving from a +tomb. Such things are beyond price. They are national treasures. But you +can buy very attractive and authentic reproductions."</p> + +<p>"The people of Cairo wouldn't want reproductions, would they?" Barby +asked. "So they have to be made just for tourists."</p> + +<p>"And for export," Bartouki added. "I import them myself for a few +American shops. After lunch I will show you samples and you will see."</p> + +<p>It seemed reasonable to Rick when he thought about it. Genuine Egyptian +things simply were not obtainable. "What else is made for tourists?" he +queried.</p> + +<p>"Many things, of gold, silver, and ivory. There are bags of camel +leather that Miss Barbara would enjoy having. There are brass goods of +all kinds, and copperware with a partial tin coating called washed tin."</p> + +<p>The conversation paused long enough for a few bites of lunch, then +Bartouki resumed. "We try to take good care of tourists in the United +Arab Republic, both in Egypt and in Syria. For example, we license our +guide-interpreters, who are called <i>dragomen</i>. There is also a special +police force with no job but aid to tourists. And we are always looking +for ways to improve our reproductions to make them more attractive and +authentic. I will show you a new design."</p> + +<p>By the time luncheon had ended, the talk among the scientists had +progressed to the basic theory of what physicists call "the solid +state." Even Rick, with his rapidly growing background of scientific +knowledge, could understand only fragments of conversation.</p> + +<p>"Let them talk over their coffee," Bartouki said. "They are enjoying it. +We will retire to my den and I will show you examples from El Mouski."</p> + +<p>The samples were everything Bartouki had promised. There were wall +hangings, beautifully made of tiny pieces of colored cloth appliqued on +a natural-color fabric, bags and pouches of leather, leather hassocks, +ivory carvings of ancient Egyptian gods, inlaid boxes and chests, and +dozens of both useful and ornamental utensils of brass, copper, washed +tin, and ceramics. Barby went into raptures. At every new item she urged +Rick to bring her one just like it.</p> + +<p>"I'll rent a jet just to carry my luggage," he said, grinning. "You've +already ordered a ton, and I get only sixty-six pounds."</p> + +<p>Bartouki came to his rescue. "Let me show you a new tourist attraction. +It just arrived by messenger this morning."</p> + +<p>He went to a cabinet, opened it, and produced a stone cat. It was about +ten inches high, in a sitting position with its tail curled around to +meet its feet. It was of sandy texture, reddish in color.</p> + +<p>"Sandstone?" Rick guessed.</p> + +<p>Bartouki smiled. "I hoped you would say that. Here. Examine it."</p> + +<p>Rick took the cat. He liked it very much. The design was clean and +elegant, stylized after the Egyptian manner. But it wasn't sandstone. It +was heavy, but not heavy enough to be sandstone, and the sheen was not +that of a mineral. Whatever the material, it had been fashioned in one +piece, probably cast in a mold.</p> + +<p>"I give up," he said. "What is it?"</p> + +<p>"Plastic," Bartouki replied, obviously pleased. "It did not come from +Egypt. It was made right here in America. In Chicago, to be exact. It is +what you call a prototype."</p> + +<p>"But it's Egyptian in design," Barby protested. She took the cat from +Rick and examined it.</p> + +<p>"Yes, it is clearly an Egyptian cat. The design came from Egypt, but the +cat from America. I have been working on this for months with a plastics +company. Now I have the model, and the method. We will reproduce these +in quantity in Cairo."</p> + +<p>"It's pretty heavy for plastic," Rick commented.</p> + +<p>"True. We put a piece of lead in the middle of the casting. You see, it +looks like stone, and the buyer will expect it to be heavy. So, for +psychological reasons, we give it weight—only not so much that it +becomes a problem to carry."</p> + +<p>"You certainly have it worked out," Scotty said admiringly. "But why a +cat? Why not a ... a camel?"</p> + +<p>"We have camels of camel leather, brass, and wood. But we do not have a +good cat. You see, the cat is important in Egyptian history. There was +even a cat goddess of the Upper Nile Kingdom, called Bubaste. In the +ancient tombs there are sometimes mummies of cats. Some cat lovers think +our land first developed the domestic strain of cat. So we believe +tourist cat lovers should have an authentic reproduction of one. This +particular cat is a faithful copy of an antique, which I am fortunate to +own."</p> + +<p>"What will you do with it now?" Barby asked.</p> + +<p>"Send it to my associate in Cairo, as soon as possible. I would like to +airmail it right away, but you Americans overload the mails at +Christmas, so it would be safer to wait. Next week I hope to send it +with full instructions, hoping to get production started in time for the +big tourist season. I wish it could go sooner. It is needed."</p> + +<p>Barby said impulsively, "Rick leaves the day after tomorrow. He could +take it for you. Couldn't you, Rick?"</p> + +<p>There was no reason to refuse. It was certainly a worthy project, and +Bartouki had been generous in answering their questions.</p> + +<p>"Be glad to," Rick said.</p> + +<p>The merchant's eyes lighted. "It would not be an imposition?"</p> + +<p>"Of course not. I can put it right in with my clothes. I have plenty of +room."</p> + +<p>"Believe me, I will be in your debt. And so will my associate, Ali +Moustafa. You will like him. He is a great, jolly man, three times my +size. If he had a beard, he would resemble your Santa Claus. And he will +insist that you accept some token of his appreciation. I will send the +instructions separately, so you need not bother with the technical +reports."</p> + +<p>"I couldn't accept a gift for such a little thing," Rick protested. He +looked at the cat, now in Scotty's hands. It was a handsome little +statue.</p> + +<p>"Ali Moustafa is a hard man to refuse," Bartouki said. "You should not +deprive him of the pleasure of making a gift. But I will not press you. +It will be between you and him. You are quite sure it will be no +trouble?"</p> + +<p>Rick's words would return to haunt him during the days ahead. He said +blithely, "No trouble at all."</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_III" id="CHAPTER_III"></a>CHAPTER III</h2> + +<h3>Cairo</h3> + + +<p>The jet descended smoothly over the desert on the approach to Cairo +International Airport. Rick leaned toward the window to watch for the +first sign of a runway. In the distance he could see the valley of the +Nile River, a great green swath which cut through the tan desert wastes.</p> + +<p>"Excited?" Scotty asked.</p> + +<p>Rick had to grin. "Excited? Why should I be excited? A trip to Egypt is +an everyday event for me. Stop asking silly questions and look at the +scenery."</p> + +<p>"I would," Scotty told him, "only somebody's head is in the way. I won't +exactly say it's a fathead, but it's too thick to see through."</p> + +<p>"Real subtle. I like the way you give delicate hints." Rick moved back +so Scotty could see, and watched as the great plane dropped toward the +desert, then touched down and sped along modern runways to the +administration building.</p> + +<p>Two Egyptians were waiting as Winston and the boys walked down the +stairway, and the scientist at once hurried to greet them. Obviously the +three were old friends.</p> + +<p>Winston introduced the two boys. The older of the two Egyptians was Dr. +Abdel Kerama. He was a tall, gray-haired man of distinguished +appearance. Rick thought that in traditional desert costume he would +look like the head sheik of all the desert tribes. The younger Egyptian +was Dr. Hakim Farid, a youthful, clean-cut man with an attractive smile.</p> + +<p>Rick knew from Winston's advance briefing that these were the two +leading radio astronomers of the United Arab Republic, and that both had +international reputations in the field.</p> + +<p>The Egyptian scientists made the boys feel at home right away. Dr. +Kerama took Scotty and Winston by the arms, and Dr. Farid fell in step +with Rick as the group walked toward the administration building.</p> + +<p>"We're glad you could come," Farid said in excellent English. "We'll try +to make your visit interesting."</p> + +<p>Rick thanked him. "I don't know whether we'll be of much use, but we're +willing to do anything we're told. All we ask is a little chance to see +your country."</p> + +<p>"You'll have every chance," Dr. Farid told him. "Before there is any +work for you, Parnell will have to do a pretty thorough analysis of data +we've collected. It's a problem that has us ... what's the American +expression? Buffaloed?"</p> + +<p>"That's it," Rick agreed. "What kind of problem is it?"</p> + +<p>"It's what you might call very strange behavior on the part of a +hydrogen-line impulse we picked up while calibrating our receiver. Are +you familiar with radio astronomy?"</p> + +<p>"Not very," Rick admitted. "I tried to read some of the current +literature when I found we were coming, but most of it is over my head."</p> + +<p>"Then I won't bore you with a technical discussion. Briefly, the noise +emitted by hydrogen gas in space is very important to us in our analysis +of the nature and distribution of matter. This radio noise is, of +course, random. Usually when we are examining a hydrogen source we get +pretty continuous and regular signals. If we could hear it, there would +be a sort of hissing noise. Do you follow me?"</p> + +<p>"So far."</p> + +<p>"Good. Our problem is that we are picking up impulses. You might even +call them signals. They are on the frequency of neutral hydrogen, but +it's hard to believe they're natural in origin. We've about concluded +that somehow our amplifier system is modulating the incoming hydrogen +signal from the antenna. The trouble is, we can't locate the cause."</p> + +<p>"Is that why you called Dr. Winston?" Rick asked.</p> + +<p>"Yes. He has a reputation for finding bugs in electronic circuits. If he +can find this one, we'll be tempted to reward him with a pyramid or +something appropriate."</p> + +<p>Rick saw the twinkle in Dr. Farid's eyes. "Better not make it a +pyramid," he said hastily. "His luggage is limited to sixty-six pounds. +They might not let him on the plane with it."</p> + +<p>"A happy thought," Dr. Farid said seriously. "You have saved us from +possible embarrassment. It would be useless to give him a pyramid when +his weight limit is thirty kilos, as we call sixty-six pounds."</p> + +<p>Rick chuckled. One reason he so enjoyed his association with scientists +was the dry sense of humor most of them seemed to share.</p> + +<p>They reached the administration building and started through the +formalities of customs and immigration. The Americans had filled out +customs forms and currency declarations on the plane, and in only a +short time the formalities were over and their admission into the United +Arab Republic was official. The customs inspectors hadn't even asked +them to open their luggage.</p> + +<p>The trip from the airport took over an hour. It led through Heliopolis, +City of the Sun, the first capital of a united Egypt. The land had been +governed for over a thousand years from Heliopolis. But that, as Dr. +Kerama explained, was over four thousand years ago.</p> + +<p>Rick was awed. Coming from a new land where a hundred years seemed a +very long time, the antiquity of Egypt stirred his imagination. But +there was little that seemed ancient in modern Heliopolis. There were +attractive, modern apartment houses, new public buildings, and rows of +trees carefully trimmed into perfect green cylinders.</p> + +<p>The entry into Cairo itself was through rows of tall wooden or brick +structures, along streets traveled by everything from the latest +European cars to plodding donkey carts. The people were dressed in a +variety of costumes, from suits and dresses that would have been +suitable in New York, to traditional Arab dress with flowing robes and +the cloth headdress that is held in place by a band or roll of fabric +around the head, just above the eyes.</p> + +<p>The car passed the railroad station and the great statue of Rameses the +Second, Pharaoh of Egypt. The Nile came into view, and Farid pointed out +the row of hotels on the other side. The Shepheard's and the Nile Hilton +flanked the older, Victorian bulk of the Semiramis, where they would +stay. They sped across a bridge, entered a plaza full of honking horns +and speeding cars, then moved to the comparative quiet of a street along +the Nile embankment to the hotel.</p> + +<p>Uniformed attendants came running for their bags. The group entered the +lobby, and Rick looked around with interest.</p> + +<p>The Semiramis was big, with lofty ceilings and chandeliers. The walls +were decorated with scrolls and tapestries. The rugs had once been red. +There was a kind of eighteenth-century grandeur about it, even though it +had turned a little shabby over the years.</p> + +<p>The formalities of registration were completed, then the Americans went +to the cashier and exchanged dollars for Egyptian pounds and coins in +units called piastres. They carefully put away their receipts for the +exchange, since currency control in the country was strict.</p> + +<p>"Go ahead," Winston told the boys. "Farid and Kerama will come with me. +I want to start talking over this interesting problem of theirs, and I +imagine you want to rest."</p> + +<p>Rick did not feel in the least like resting, but made no comment. He and +Scotty got into a tiny, ornate elevator cage with walls of gilded-iron +lattice. There wasn't room for the porters with their bags; they ran up +the stairs while the boys rode with the smiling elevator operator. It +wasn't a fast ride.</p> + +<p>"Climbing rate, one hundred feet per minute," Scotty said. Rick grinned.</p> + +<p>They were let off at the third floor, and weren't in the least surprised +to find the porters waiting for them. They followed the men into a room +that made them stop short with amazement.</p> + +<p>The entrance to the hotel and the lobby had been big, but the room was +enormous, spacious, and very tastefully furnished, European style.</p> + +<p>"As big as Grand Central Station!" Scotty exclaimed.</p> + +<p>Rick echoed, "We'll rattle around in here like a pair of pebbles in a +fifty-gallon tank."</p> + +<p>The bath was larger than most American hotel rooms, with a twenty-foot +ceiling, and the closet would easily have accommodated a king's +wardrobe. Rick thought that maybe it had, in times past.</p> + +<p>He tipped the porters and closed the door behind them, then motioned to +Scotty. "Go on down to the other end of the room and shout. I want to +see if I can hear you."</p> + +<p>Scotty started to oblige, grinning, then turned and called, "Come look +at this view!" He had discovered that the French doors at the front of +the room opened onto a tiny balcony that overlooked the Nile.</p> + +<p>The great river was only the width of a narrow street away. Sailing +gracefully along with brown sail set was a Nile boat. The bridge they +had crossed was directly ahead of the boat, and Rick looked for the +drawspan through which it would pass. There was none!</p> + +<p>"He'll crash right into the bridge!" Rick exclaimed. "Why doesn't he +correct his course?"</p> + +<p>"Rudder stuck, maybe," Scotty offered. "But why doesn't he drop the sail +and try to lose headway?"</p> + +<p>They watched helplessly as the boat, fully fifty feet in length, bore +down on the bridge. There were many people in sight, and a steady line +of cars crossing the bridge, but no one paid the slightest attention.</p> + +<p>Scotty grabbed Rick's arm. He started to laugh. "Look at that mast!"</p> + +<p>Fascinated, Rick watched as the huge mast dipped slowly backward, +triangular sail and all, until it lay nearly flat on the deck. The boat +slipped under the bridge with room to spare. On the other side, the mast +slowly went up to its normal rakish position again, the sail filled, and +wind and current bore the boat steadily down the Nile.</p> + +<p>"Not exactly the way we'd do it," Rick said with a grin, "but pretty +effective." It was a reminder that they were in a new land, where +customs were strange to them.</p> + +<p>"You learn something new every day," Scotty agreed. "Let's unpack, then +go visit the city."</p> + +<p>"Better wait and see what Winston has in mind for us," Rick cautioned. +He began to stow his clothing in one of the big dressers. He lifted a +shirt, and stared down at the Egyptian cat nestling among his T shirts. +"Tell you what, if Winston doesn't need us, let's deliver the cat. We +can see some of the city coming and going."</p> + +<p>When their clothes were stored, they washed away the grime of travel and +Rick called Winston's room.</p> + +<p>Hakim Farid answered. "Don't think we've forgotten you," the young radio +astronomer said. "But Parnell and Kerama wasted no time in getting down +to business. I doubt that you could interrupt long enough to get a +sensible answer. Do you have any plans?"</p> + +<p>"We have an errand at El Mouski," Rick replied. "Would it be all right +for us to go?"</p> + +<p>"No reason why not. You'll need a car. I would offer you mine, except +that you have no local license. You could take a taxi, but a licensed +dragoman would be better. Suppose I suggest one with a car?"</p> + +<p>Rick remembered that Bartouki had told them a dragoman was a +guide-interpreter. "That would be very good of you," he replied.</p> + +<p>"All right. I will send one I know, or a friend of his if he is not +available. Wait in your room and he will come for you."</p> + +<p>Rick thanked Farid and hung up. He reported the conversation to Scotty.</p> + +<p>"First time I've ever had a guide in a city," Scotty said. "Makes me +feel important, like visiting royalty or something. Couldn't we just get +a map instead?"</p> + +<p>"We'd still need a car. Might as well get one with a built-in talking +map. Besides, I like the idea. I want to be escorted like a visiting +prime minister."</p> + +<p>There was a paper laundry bag in the closet. Rick used it to wrap the +cat against possible scratches. Scotty took the few moments to get some +cards written, to which he signed both their names.</p> + +<p>There was a polite knock on the door, and Rick opened it. He gaped at +the sight of what was apparently their dragoman. He was a magnificent +figure in blue pantaloons and short red jacket. He had an engaging black +face marred by three straight hairline scars that ran in a diagonal +across his cheeks.</p> + +<p>"Have honor to present me," the figure announced formally. "Name of +Hassan. To serve you."</p> + +<p>"Come in, Hassan," Rick invited. "Are you the dragoman Dr. Farid sent?"</p> + +<p>"Is same, <i>ya sidi</i>. To serve you."</p> + +<p>Rick introduced himself and Scotty. He inspected the guide with +interest. Hassan was young, with a friendly white-toothed smile. The +scars identified him as Sudanese, but Rick didn't know enough about the +markings to tell what part of the Sudan he came from. A different part +from Bartouki's servant, though, because the scars were at a different +angle, and Hassan had three on each cheek.</p> + +<p>Rick's quick imagination could picture the Sudanese in a different +setting, with scimitar in hand, guarding the palace of a legendary +sultan. It was hard to imagine him in the prosaic role of a guide. Rick +resolved to take a picture for Barby's benefit. A blackamoor warrior +right out of the tales of Scheherazade! That was how she would see it.</p> + +<p>The boys shook hands with the dragoman, and Rick saw that he responded +to their obvious friendliness. The costume was an odd one, though. Rick +hadn't seen any like it on the street, and he wondered if Hassan wore it +for effect, since most of his customers probably were tourists. Later he +found that the guess was right.</p> + +<p>"Where you like to go?" Hassan asked.</p> + +<p>Scotty spoke up. "You know El Mouski?"</p> + +<p>Hassan's face split in a wide grin. "Who does not?"</p> + +<p>"That'll teach me to ask silly questions," Scotty said ruefully. "Like +asking a New Yorker if he ever heard of Central Park."</p> + +<p>The boys walked downstairs with Hassan, since it was faster than taking +the elevator, and went to the alley behind the hotel where he had parked +his car.</p> + +<p>The car was a small foreign sedan of a make neither boy had ever heard +of. Apparently Hassan also used it as a taxi, because the front +passenger seat was taken up mostly by a taxi meter.</p> + +<p>Rick showed Hassan the address in his notebook. The guide shook his +head. "Please, you read."</p> + +<p>Rick looked at him with astonishment. A guide who couldn't read? But +apparently it was so. "It is the store of Ali Moustafa," he explained.</p> + +<p>Hassan shrugged. "I do not know it. But it can be found. <i>Enshallah.</i>"</p> + +<p>Although the boys did not recognize it then, the word was a common +expression meaning "If God wills it."</p> + +<p>They would learn it, though, and with it other Arabic words, including +<i>zanb</i>, <i>dassissa</i>, and <i>khatar</i>—or, in English, crime, intrigue, and +danger!</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_IV" id="CHAPTER_IV"></a>CHAPTER IV</h2> + +<h3>El Mouski</h3> + + +<p>Hassan drove out of the hotel alley into a chaos of horns, pedestrians +who flirted with sudden death, wildly maneuvering cars, and donkey carts +that always seemed on the verge of being hit by an accelerating truck. +It was a normal day in Cairo traffic.</p> + +<p>The boys watched with mixed fear and amazement—fear that Hassan would +hit someone and amazement that he didn't. Time after time he bore down +on a slow-moving Egyptian and Rick's heart leaped into his throat until +collision was averted by some miracle or other, usually a wild, +record-breaking leap by the pedestrian.</p> + +<p>The trip from the airport had been along streets that formed a kind of +throughway, but in the city itself, the traffic was the kind that would +send an American traffic cop screaming for the riot squad. Here, no one +seemed to think anything of it.</p> + +<p>The boys relaxed a little as it became clear that Hassan knew what he +was doing. His driving was perhaps a shade more careful than that of +most drivers. Once, as he sped down a crowded, narrow street at forty +miles an hour, horns blasted behind them.</p> + +<p>Rick turned, but could see nothing wrong. He asked, "Why all the +honking, Hassan?"</p> + +<p>"They want we go faster," the dragoman said.</p> + +<p>Scotty laughed. "Might as well relax. This is the slow, sleepy pace of +the Middle East we used to read about."</p> + +<p>Rick laughed with him. He had seen hectic traffic before, but nothing to +compare with Cairo. This wasn't traffic. It was some kind of wild +contest with no rules and only survival as the winner's prize. "Any +number can play," he muttered.</p> + +<p>He tried to pay attention to signs, but they were in Arabic script. He +saw that modern Cairo was giving way to the older city. The buildings +were smaller, more closely spaced. Most were of wood, but a few were +obviously of ancient stone. In this part of the city, merchants +displayed their wares on the sidewalks in front of cubicle-sized stores.</p> + +<p>Then, with a suddenness that threw them forward, Hassan pulled into a +parking place, jammed on the brakes, and killed the motor. "We walk +now," he told them. "Street too small for car."</p> + +<p>Rick could see only narrow alleys. If they were the streets Hassan +meant, walking was the only possible means of transportation.</p> + +<p>In the square where Hassan had halted were dozens of merchants, some +with their wares in carts, others carrying them on their backs. A rug +merchant approached and Hassan waved him off. "Come. El Mouski over +there." He pointed to a narrow alleyway.</p> + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<div class="figcenter"> +<a name="illusx" id="illusx"></a> +<img src="images/illusx.jpg" alt=""/> +</div> + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> + +<p>The boys followed, eyes taking in the sights, smells, and noises. +Merchants hawked their wares with raucous cries, charcoal braziers +smoked under assorted foodstuffs, and the air was redolent with the +odors of food, people, and the accumulated living of many centuries.</p> + +<p>In the alley were shops, closely packed, some little more than a doorway +wide and others of quite respectable size. A few even had glass windows +with displays. There were textiles, foodstuffs, tinned copper, brass, +leather goods, inlaid work, rugs, shoes of strange designs, clothing, +and a variety of antiques.</p> + +<p>Hassan stopped before a cubicle crowded with interesting brassware and +spoke in Arabic to a dark man with tiny spectacles. Rick thought he +heard the name of Ali Moustafa. He waited while the merchant replied at +length, with much waving of the hands as he outlined the path to the +establishment.</p> + +<p>"I know now," Hassan informed them. "We go."</p> + +<p>Rick and Scotty fell in step with the guide. In many places the alleys +were under roofs or wooden awnings. In other places the buildings were +so close together that the three walked in single file. Rick could see +that daylight seldom reached the bottom of El Mouski. He moved aside to +make room for a donkey which carried huge jars.</p> + +<p>Merchants beckoned to the boys, promising low prices and goods of superb +quality, but Hassan waved them off. Occasionally a beggar approached, +but the boys were surprised by the small number of mendicants.</p> + +<p>The path passed from alley to alley, past dozens of shops. Rick saw a +few tourists, but the tourist season was still weeks ahead and most of +the people were Egyptian.</p> + +<p>A little Egyptian boy with a dirty face called, "Yonkees! 'Ello!" The +boys returned his cheerful grin.</p> + +<p>"This is a good-natured crowd," Rick commented. Many of the dark, +Semitic faces greeted them with cordial smiles and a half-salute of +welcome.</p> + +<p>"Friendly people," Scotty agreed. "How far, Hassan?"</p> + +<p>"Two streets. Soon."</p> + +<p>The dragoman turned a corner, led them straight ahead for a few hundred +steps, then turned a second corner. He pointed. Diagonally across the +alley was a large store with display windows. A sign over the door +carried the name ALI MOUSTAFA surrounded by Arabic script.</p> + +<p>"We'll get rid of the cat, then do some shopping," Rick said. "I'm +anxious for a closer look at some of these shops. How about you?"</p> + +<p>"Ali Moustafa's seems pretty good to me," Scotty replied. "Look at that +stuff." He pointed to leather goods displayed in one window. "It's +beautiful. Go on in and deliver kitty while I see what some of these +things are."</p> + +<p>"I tell you," Hassan offered. "Then I help bargain so prices be low. No +bargain, prices too high."</p> + +<p>Rick walked in through the open door, his eyes taking in the amazing +collection of stuff sold by Ali Moustafa. The store was a big one, +especially compared with most in the bazaar, and there were several +clerks. The walls were lined with shelves that held copperware, +brassware, silver, and inlaid boxes. He saw rolls of tapestries, +collections of brass camels and donkeys, and glassed-in cases of +jewelry. Crowding the floor space were huge vases of brass or pottery, +camel saddles, metal trays on low stands, and huge leather hassocks.</p> + +<p>The clerks eyed him with interest, then all eyes focused on the package +under his arm. For a moment Rick felt a current of tension run through +the store, but he dismissed it as imagination. He walked toward the rear +counter, trying to identify Ali Moustafa, but none of the clerks fitted +the description Bartouki had given.</p> + +<p>He addressed his question to the clerk behind the rearmost counter. "Is +Mr. Moustafa here?"</p> + +<p>The clerk's dark eyes flickered, and his face became expressionless. +"Please to be seated. I will get him."</p> + +<p>The clerk vanished through a curtained door at the rear of the store, +and Rick turned. He was sensitive to impressions, and he was again +conscious of the tension. As he turned he saw that all the clerks were +watching him, their faces impassive. His eyes went to the front of the +store. Scotty was with Hassan in the doorway, discussing some object in +the display window.</p> + +<p>A voice spoke from behind him. "You wish to see me?"</p> + +<p>Rick turned. The newcomer was a tall, well-built Egyptian with glossy +black hair and a military mustache. Unblinking black eyes met his gaze, +and there was no hint of welcome in them.</p> + +<p>"Are you Ali Moustafa?" Rick asked.</p> + +<p>The man bowed a quarter of an inch. "At your service," he said.</p> + +<p>Rick didn't know what to say. Bartouki had described a huge, jolly fat +man, like Santa Claus without a beard. This man was big, but not huge, +not fat, and definitely not jolly.</p> + +<p>For a moment Rick hesitated, then asked, "Is there another Ali Moustafa +in the bazaar?"</p> + +<p>The black eyes locked with his. "There is no other. I am the only Ali +Moustafa. And you? If you are Mr. Brant from America, I have been +expecting you. Bartouki said you would deliver a package. Is it the one +under your arm perhaps?"</p> + +<p>Rick didn't like this at all. Even if the description had been +exaggerated in some respects, this cold conversation was scarcely a +cordial welcome. Yet, the man knew about the cat, and about Bartouki. +Something was wrong. He wanted to deliver the cat as he had promised, +but he had no intention of turning it over to the wrong man.</p> + +<p>"I have a package," he returned evenly. "I'm sorry it can't be delivered +now. The man who receives it will have to identify himself without +question as the proper Ali Moustafa."</p> + +<p>The man shrugged. "You came to my shop. The sign tells you who I am. +There is no other Ali Moustafa. So, I will accept delivery of the cat, +if you please."</p> + +<p>Rick shook his head. "Sorry."</p> + +<p>The man spoke in Arabic and took a step forward. Sensing movement behind +him, Rick whirled.</p> + +<p>The clerks were moving to block his way!</p> + +<p>Rick reacted with lightning speed. He yelled, "Scotty!"</p> + +<p>Scotty sensed the urgency of the call and jumped into the doorway.</p> + +<p>Rick lifted the Egyptian cat and rifled a pass through the closing ranks +of clerks. Scotty snatched the cat out of the air. Rick followed through +with a battering charge that sent a clerk caroming into a stack of +copper jars. They went down with a clatter. Another clerk reached out +and Rick gave him a straight arm that cleared the way long enough for a +jump to the outside.</p> + +<p>"Run!" he yelled.</p> + +<p>Hassan had been standing with mouth open, astonished at the proceedings. +Now, as a clerk charged through the door, the dragoman flung himself +sideways in a beautiful body block that sent the clerk back into the +store with a crash. Then the three were rounding the corner at top +speed, pushing through the people in the street.</p> + +<p>From behind them came a shouted command in Arabic. A figure in a long, +dirty robe stepped into Scotty's path and grabbed for the cat. The boy +tossed a lateral pass to Rick, who tucked the package under his arm. +Scotty's hand lashed out and his open palm caught the Arab under the +chin. The man lifted inches into the air and his head thudded audibly +against a brick wall. He lost all interest in the proceedings.</p> + +<p>Hassan led the way like a charging lineman, with Rick in his wake. +Scotty fell back a few paces to prevent attack from behind. But in spite +of a few yells from the rear, no one else menaced them. The people of +the bazaar obviously were curious, but not involved.</p> + +<p>Rick had a fleeting thought that a pair of obvious foreigners running at +top speed through a department store at home would arouse some +curiosity, too. He grinned, in spite of his bewilderment. Then they were +at the car. Hassan wheeled the little sedan around in almost its own +length and charged through the crowded streets like a miniature +juggernaut, heading back to the hotel.</p> + +<hr style="width: 45%;" /> + +<p>A short time later over <i>café au lait</i>, part coffee and part hot milk, +the boys and Hassan held a half-angry, half-amused post mortem. There +had been no opportunity in the car for real conversation because of the +sheer adventure of rocketing through impossible traffic at equally +impossible speed. Rick had reported briefly to Scotty, and that was all.</p> + +<p>Scotty took a sip from his steaming cup and turned to Hassan. "You ever +play football?"</p> + +<p>Hassan stumbled over the word. "Footsball? What are footsball?"</p> + +<p>"Never mind." Scotty grinned. "The way you took that clerk out, I +thought you might have played blocking back for the Green Bay Packers."</p> + +<p>The dragoman's bewilderment deepened. Rick came to his rescue. "Football +is an American game, Hassan. It is rough. The Green Bay Packers is the +name of a famous professional football team."</p> + +<p>"One thing is for sure," Scotty offered. "The clerks didn't know +football. That flat pass you threw was good for plenty of yardage."</p> + +<p>"It made a touchdown," Rick pointed out. He changed the subject. "Look, +what went on in that store, anyway? I don't know who the big man was, +but he wasn't Ali Moustafa. At least he didn't come close to Bartouki's +description."</p> + +<p>"Why didn't you give him the cat, anyway?" Scotty asked with a grin. +"Afraid a brand-new mystery might end without you getting a piece of +it?"</p> + +<p>Rick grinned back. "Not a bad idea, now that you mention it. I didn't +think of it at the time. The only thing I knew for sure was that I +wasn't going to hand over any helpless little pussycat to a guy with +eyes like that. He'd mistreat it."</p> + +<p>"Uhuh. Only, now what do we do with the cat?"</p> + +<p>"Give it to the right Ali Moustafa," Rick said. "There must be a right +one somewhere."</p> + +<p>Scotty waved his arm in a gesture that took in all of Egypt, half of the +Sudan, and most of Libya. "Help yourself. I'll bet there are ten +thousand Ali Moustafas around. How do you find the right one?"</p> + +<p>Rick didn't try to answer. Instead, he asked Hassan, "Could there be +another Ali Moustafa in El Mouski?"</p> + +<p>The guide shook his head. "I ask my friend when we stop. He say there is +only one, and he tell me how we get there."</p> + +<p>Rick's brows furrowed. "Then that must be the shop Bartouki meant. Only +where was big, fat, jolly Ali Moustafa? Or could I be wrong about the +description?"</p> + +<p>Scotty was definite. "Not a chance. I remember the description the way +you do. Either Bartouki didn't know his own partner, or the man you saw +was not Ali Moustafa—unless he took off weight and shaved his beard. +And changed his disposition in the bargain."</p> + +<p>"Which brings us back to the question before the house. What do we do +with the Egyptian cat?"</p> + +<p>"Give it to Hassan," Scotty suggested with a smile.</p> + +<p>The dragoman's pleasant black face assumed an air of great sadness. +"Cat's nice," he said. "But no can take. Too much cost for food."</p> + +<p>Rick smiled at the joke, then suddenly he realized Hassan was not +joking. He was genuinely sad! He took the package from his lap and held +it up. "Hassan, what do you think is in here?"</p> + +<p>The dragoman shrugged. "You say cat. I believe."</p> + +<p>Scotty asked incredulously, "Didn't you think carrying a cat wrapped in +paper was pretty strange?"</p> + +<p>Hassan smiled apologetically. "Americans many time do thing I not +understand."</p> + +<p>Rick choked back laughter with a heroic effort and almost strangled. +Scotty found a handkerchief and blew his nose violently.</p> + +<p>"Pretty strong coffee," Rick managed finally.</p> + +<p>Scotty nodded, struggling to keep a straight face. Neither of them +wanted to risk hurting the guide's feelings.</p> + +<p>"Hassan," Rick said at last, "even American science couldn't keep a +live, wide-awake cat quiet in a paper parcel. This cat is a model, a +statue. You see?"</p> + +<p>For an instant Hassan stared, then he rocked back, his white teeth +flashed, and he shouted with laughter. The boys broke down, too, and in +a moment the entire patronage of the coffee shop was staring at the +three idiots who roared with unrestrained laughter in public. Such +behavior in Americans was to be deplored, perhaps, but understandable. +But a licensed dragoman ... incredible!</p> + +<p>When they had quieted down, Rick summed it up. "Well, Hassan knows +what's in the package now, but that's the only new bit of information +any of us has. We still don't know exactly what happened in the bazaar, +or why. And we don't know what to do with the cat."</p> + +<p>He felt the cat through the heavy paper, as though to reassure himself +it was there. Suddenly he didn't want to get rid of it quite so +urgently, and inwardly he laughed at himself. A mystery was one thing he +couldn't ignore.</p> + +<p>"I hope I'm wrong," he concluded thoughtfully, "but I have a hunch this +little plastic feline is going to be more trouble than the liveliest +real cat you ever saw!"</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_V" id="CHAPTER_V"></a>CHAPTER V</h2> + +<h3>Sahara Wells</h3> + + +<p>Hassan arrived during breakfast on the following morning. His colorful +costume had given way to European clothes, except for a tarboosh. He +wore a topcoat.</p> + +<p>At Rick's invitation he joined the boys on the balcony overlooking the +Nile, and accepted the offer of coffee. Rick went to the novel push-bell +system which had three buttons identified by pictures. One was a porter, +another the room maid, and the third a waiter. The little drawings were +for the benefit of strangers who knew neither Arabic nor English.</p> + +<p>Rick rang for the waiter and ordered more coffee and a cup for the +dragoman.</p> + +<p>Hassan shed his topcoat and grinned at the boys. "Cat catch mouse last +night?"</p> + +<p>"No mouse," Scotty replied. "The cat just caught some sleep. And so did +we."</p> + +<p>Hassan puzzled out the reply, then smiled his appreciation.</p> + +<p>Rick thought that the cat hadn't even caught any interest—at least from +the scientists. At dinner he and Scotty had described the incident at El +Mouski to Winston and the Egyptian scientists. The scientists had only +one suggestion, to the effect that perhaps the boys' imaginations had +run away with them.</p> + +<p>It was obvious that the scientists were far more interested in the +problem of the radio telescope than in listening to tales of wild +adventure in the bazaar, so the boys let the matter drop. They had +excused themselves immediately after dinner and turned in, tired from +the long plane trip and the day's excitement.</p> + +<p>Rick had gone over the events at the bazaar a dozen times. He had +compared notes with Scotty on what Bartouki had told them. Clearly, +something was pretty strange about the whole affair. It was simply +inconceivable that Bartouki would have given an inaccurate description +of Ali Moustafa, so the man in the store had not been Bartouki's +partner. Yet, he had known about the cat, and had called Rick by name. +Who was he? And where was the real Ali Moustafa? There were no answers, +at least for the present. But Rick didn't intend to give up.</p> + +<p>He motioned to Hassan's coat. "Is it cold out today?"</p> + +<p>"Yes. Good you wear coats when we go out. Later it will be warm, then +cool again when sun goes."</p> + +<p>The boys had decided to keep Hassan as a guide and driver during their +entire stay. The dragoman's services were not expensive, and besides, +both of them felt they had found a friend. The way Hassan had pitched in +at the bazaar, with no questions asked and their interests obviously at +heart, had been a fine example of professional loyalty coupled with a +quick mind and fast reflexes.</p> + +<p>After breakfast the boys went to the wardrobe and took out the coats +they had brought. Rick's was brand new, a Christmas present from his +father. It was a short, hip-length woolen coat that could double as a +hunting jacket. In addition to the big outer pockets, it had inner game +pockets lined with a leatherlike plastic. It was warm, but light. He was +thoroughly pleased with it.</p> + +<p>Scotty slipped into his own short coat, much like Rick's except for the +game pockets. Then the ex-Marine motioned to the Egyptian cat, unwrapped +and sitting in elegant repose on the writing desk. "What about Felix?" +he asked.</p> + +<p>Rick went over and picked up the cat. "We'd better take it along, I +guess. It might get lonesome. Or we might run over Ali Moustafa on the +way to the project." He slid the cat into an inner pocket. It fit with +room to spare.</p> + +<p>Scotty asked Hassan, with mock seriousness, "You know Sahara Wells?"</p> + +<p>Hassan answered with equal seriousness. "Know Sahara Wells well."</p> + +<p>The ride was an interesting one, up the Nile to a bridge different from +the one they had crossed en route from the airport, along roads with a +palm-shaded center strip, past mosques, stores, and airy, modern +apartment houses. There was less traffic than in downtown Cairo, and +Hassan went faster.</p> + +<p>Scotty muttered, "Fewer close calls today."</p> + +<p>Rick winced as the car almost scraped a woman with a basket of fruit +balanced on her head. "Fewer, but closer."</p> + +<p>The costumes on the street were mixed. There were many people, including +women, in Western dress, but there were also many women in cloaks, and +men in the traditional Arab <i>bornoss</i>, the enveloping robe called a +burnoose in English. For the first time, the boys saw several men in +blue gowns, and Rick asked Hassan what they were.</p> + +<p>"<i>Fellahin</i>," Hassan replied. "How you say? Farmers. From country. Man +tell me that is where your word 'fella' come from."</p> + +<p>Rick looked with new interest. He had heard of the <i>fellahin</i>, the +farmer-peasants of Egypt. Many of them lived and worked as their +ancestors had centuries ago, plowing with wooden plows, living in +mud-and-wattle houses. They represented the past of Egypt, as +installations like the atomic energy plant at En-Shass, or Inchass as it +was sometimes called, represented the future.</p> + +<p>There were soldiers along the route, too, dressed in British-style brown +uniforms. Some carried Sten guns, vicious little submachine guns +originally of English manufacture.</p> + +<p>"Why the soldiers?" Scotty asked.</p> + +<p>"Camp near," Hassan replied.</p> + +<p>And then, abruptly, the boys lost interest in people, because looming +ahead, like something from a travel movie, was a pyramid!</p> + +<p>Hassan rounded a corner and another pyramid came into view. They were +enormous, Rick thought. He hadn't expected anything so huge. "Are we at +Giza already?" he asked.</p> + +<p>"This Giza," Hassan agreed. He pronounced it more like <i>Gize'h</i>.</p> + +<p>"I always thought the pyramids were out in the desert," Scotty objected.</p> + +<p>"Is true," Hassan said. "You will see."</p> + +<p>They did, within minutes. The terrain changed from the green, fertile, +Nile Valley to the bleak Sahara as though cut by a giant knife. For the +first time, Rick understood the phrase "Egypt, gift of the Nile." Where +the yearly Nile overflow brought fertile silt and moisture, there was +lush green land. Where the overflow stopped, the desert began. No +intermediate ground lay between. Egypt consisted of the Nile Valley and +the desert, with nothing in between.</p> + +<p>The road crossed the dividing line and they were in the Sahara Desert. +Hassan drove between houses of faded red clay and tan stucco, unlike the +modern apartments a few hundred yards back. It was as though they had +driven into a different country. Children, goats, chickens, and Arab +adults scattered before the car. It was a typical desert-country scene, +and right at the edge of modern Cairo!</p> + +<p>Hassan turned a sharp corner and Giza lay before them, up a gradual, +rising slope.</p> + +<p>In the immediate foreground was the Sphinx. Rick's first impression was +that it was disappointingly small, as the great pyramids behind it were +truly enormous. He could see all three Giza pyramids now.</p> + +<p>Then he realized that his impressions had been gained entirely from +pictures—and to an extent, the pictures had been false. The Sphinx, +always shown in the foreground of pictures or taken from a low angle, +loomed large in the camera lenses, with the pyramids looking relatively +small in the distant background.</p> + +<p>Human vision set the image straight, abruptly. The Sphinx was small, but +only in comparison to the pyramids. Actually, it was a monument of +heroic proportions.</p> + +<p>"Please stop," Rick called, and Hassan did, with skidding wheels. The +boys got out and stood gazing, in mixed awe and delight. This was the +Egypt of antiquity, Rick thought. These were the monuments of a +civilization already ancient when the Old Testament was new, monuments +engineered with astounding precision when Rick's Anglo-Saxon forebears +were still building crude shelters of mud and reeds.</p> + +<p>Scotty's nudge aroused Rick from his reverie, and he turned for a +close-up of his first live camel, not counting circuses or zoos. The +camel was such a vision of homely awkwardness that Rick had to laugh.</p> + +<p>The cameleer led the beast to where a party of tourists, obviously +American, waited. The boys watched as the animal came to a halt. The +driver bowed to the party. Then, taking a thin stick, he tapped the +camel on bony knees that were wrapped in worn burlap. Instantly the +camel let out a heartrending groan. Its ungainly legs folded like a +poorly designed beach chair, and moaning in pure anguish, it knelt.</p> + +<p>A lady tourist, giggling self-consciously, climbed up on the +blanket-covered saddle. The camel let out a louder groan, one filled +with such phony pain and despair that the boys burst out laughing. A tap +of the driver's stick and the camel lurched to its feet, hind legs first +like a cow. The lady tourist squealed mightily, the camel wailed in +protest, the other tourists cheered, and the boys doubled with laughter.</p> + +<p>Rick asked, still chuckling, "Hassan, do camels always complain like +that?"</p> + +<p>"Is true. They nasty and plenty noisy. They hate work. Driver makes them +carry tourists and they holler plenty."</p> + +<p>The camel quieted down to a low-voiced grumble. He was letting the world +know that the arrangement was not pleasing and that he didn't intend to +suffer in silence. Cameras began to snap, recording for the folks back +home the undignified ride of the lady tourist on the ungainly camel +before the ancient, majestic pyramids and the changeless, unsmiling +Sphinx.</p> + +<p>The three got back into the little car and Hassan took a road that +curved gradually around a hill, past a hotel that he identified as the +Mena House, and up to the largest pyramid, once the tomb of Khufu and +still the greatest monument in all the world.</p> + +<p>On a line into the desert were the slightly smaller pyramids of Kefren +and Mankara. These, with the Sphinx, were among the Seven Wonders of the +Ancient World.</p> + +<p>Later, Rick promised Scotty, they would explore Giza and its wonders +inch by inch. But now they were due at Sahara Wells. Hassan sped around +the Khufu pyramid and pointed. There, on the horizon, was a strange +contrast to the monuments of the Pharaohs. The steel-and-aluminum shape +of the great, steerable dish antenna, designed for modern astronomy, was +silhouetted against the sky.</p> + +<p>Rick was excited. He enjoyed new sights and experiences more than most +people, and here, within sight of each other, were unique objects of +almost equal interest, but entirely different.</p> + +<p>The way led past a single large building surrounded by shabby tents, and +a sign in English and Arabic that proclaimed that this was Sahara Wells. +Then the blacktop road curved out into the desert to the great radio +telescope.</p> + +<p>Hassan drove into a parking lot before the main project building in the +shadow of the antenna and Dr. Hakim Farid came out to greet the boys.</p> + +<p>"Welcome to Sahara Wells," he said cordially. "How do you like our +baby?"</p> + +<p>Rick looked up at the huge dish. "It's a good mate for the pyramids," he +said.</p> + +<p>"Pretty impressive," Scotty added.</p> + +<p>"We hope its performance will be impressive, too, once we get this bug +ironed out. Come on in. Winston and Kerama are hard at work."</p> + +<p>The boys followed him into the building, while Hassan squatted in the +sun next to his car. The door opened directly into the main control +room, a bewildering confusion of panels, instruments, and controls. +There were several scientists and technicians clustered around Winston +and Kerama. The group was studying Sanborn tracings, continuous graphs +showing the lines traced by the incoming signals.</p> + +<p>Farid introduced the boys to the staff, then took them on a quick tour. +He showed them the controls for the great dish. They were fully +automatic. The operator needed only to set the co-ordinates for the part +of the sky to be examined, then clock mechanisms of remarkable precision +would keep the telescope on target until the target sank below the +horizon.</p> + +<p>The boys examined banks of amplifiers that would turn faint signals into +usable ones. The latest techniques had been used to ensure maximum +performance.</p> + +<p>Outside, Farid showed them the self-contained diesel-electric power +plant. They stood directly under the massive concrete mount for the +great dish and marveled at its size. The main bearings on which it moved +were bigger around than Scotty was tall, yet the whole affair was so +delicately balanced that a tiny electric motor could control it with +fantastic precision.</p> + +<p>Still under construction were offices and barracks. The latter would +allow the scientists to stay there for days at a time when working on +particular projects. The offices were nearly done, and plasterers were +at work, but the forms for the barracks floor were just being completed. +The pouring of concrete would start on the following day.</p> + +<p>Rick looked at the pyramids on the horizon and contrasted this scene of +construction with the one that had produced the great tombs. Then, it +was only men—thousands of them. Today, it was a handful of skilled +workers plus machinery.</p> + +<p>"Now," Farid said, "let's get back to the control room. Kerama is going +to review the situation for the staff. Some of them are new on the job."</p> + +<p>As Farid and the boys rejoined the others, Dr. Kerama was pointing to a +series of peaks on the Sanborn tracings. "You will note that these peaks +occur at intervals, with the spacing apparently random. The main +sequence of noise out of which the peaks rise is the 21-centimeter +hydrogen line. Notice also that the peaks have nearly identical +amplitudes. Obviously, the source is neutral hydrogen, which is to say +hydrogen in its normal form, not ionized as we find it in plasma in a +star's atmosphere. Our problem is simply to locate the source of the +peaks. Somewhere in the circuit there seems to be an effect that serves +to modulate the incoming signal. Our antenna will be useless unless we +eliminate this interference so that the signal can be pure once again."</p> + +<p>Rick had seen Sanborn tracings before. The system was a standard method +of recording. His first experience with it had been in making permanent +records of telemetered signals from rockets.</p> + +<p>A technician asked, "Sir, do these peaks occur no matter how the antenna +is pointing?"</p> + +<p>Kerama shook his head. "No. If you will examine the peaks in terms of +time and the co-ordinates, you will see that they began at a particular +point during a sweep of the sky. Our first thought was that we had +picked up some source emitting pulsed signals, but the source is +apparently moving. This is why we concluded the difficulty was in our +system, since no sky source moves with such angular velocity."</p> + +<p>The Egyptian scientist began giving assignments. Rick and Scotty were +given a test kit and put to work checking a part of the circuit one wire +at a time. It was slow, difficult work, requiring great care.</p> + +<p>It was warm in the control room. Rick hung up his coat, pausing to touch +the Egyptian cat in his pocket. He hadn't thought of the little beast +for some time. What was he to do with it? From a simple delivery job, as +a favor to an acquaintance, the cat had become a problem. Rick couldn't +resist a mystery, but this one had him stopped cold for the time being. +He didn't know what to do next. The only solution that had occurred to +him was to send a cable to Bartouki, to ask for further instructions.</p> + +<p>He shrugged and put the problem aside, and went back to helping Scotty.</p> + +<p>It was late before Kerama called a halt. The boys rode back to the hotel +with Hassan, grateful for the relief of concentrating on thousands of +tiny wires. They told the dragoman to go on home, then went into the +dining room for dinner before retiring for the night. Winston, who never +seemed to tire when working, had stayed with Kerama and Farid to +continue discussions of possible sources of trouble.</p> + +<p>After dinner Rick picked up their key at the hotel desk and they rode +the tiny elevator to their floor. They opened up and went in. Rick +locked the door while Scotty snapped on the lights.</p> + +<p>Scotty let out a sudden yell! Rick whirled and gasped. The room was a +shambles. Every drawer was open and their contents were dumped out on +the floor. Their suitcases had been left open. The bed-clothes were in a +heap in the middle of the room, and the mattresses were on the floor.</p> + +<p>Rick glanced at the key in his hand and realized that it was a very +ordinary type; master keys that would allow a thief access could be +bought in any hardware store. He followed Scotty to the closet and saw +that their clothes had been searched and dropped carelessly. Nothing was +left on the hangers.</p> + +<p>The room had been searched inch by inch, and by someone in a hurry.</p> + +<p>Rick's hand went to the Egyptian cat in his pocket.</p> + +<p>"They wanted the cat," he said slowly. "I can't see that anything is +missing. But why is the cat so important?"</p> + +<p>He drew it out of his pocket and stared at it. Then his eyes met +Scotty's. His pal shrugged. Neither of them had even the slightest clue.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VI" id="CHAPTER_VI"></a>CHAPTER VI</h2> + +<h3>The Cat Has Kittens</h3> + + +<p>The sun blazed down on Sahara Wells. In the distance the pyramids looked +hazy, and beyond them Cairo was a thin line of green and brown along the +Nile. It was fairly warm in the sun, but a cool wind blew across the +desert and coats were comfortable.</p> + +<p>Rick and Scotty sat on a box under the antenna while Hassan squatted and +watched them. For the moment there was nothing for them to do. The +scientists were occupied with calculations, and neither boy could make a +contribution to high mathematics of the kind used in radio astronomy.</p> + +<p>Rick was glad of the break. His mind hadn't been on the job, anyway—it +had been on the Egyptian cat. For perhaps the hundredth time he asked, +"Why is the cat valuable? Why would anyone want it enough to stage that +scene at El Mouski and then ransack our room?"</p> + +<p>Scotty had no answers, but he had some questions of his own. "What I +want to know is, did the hall porter just happen to step out at the +right moment for the thief? Or is he in the act somehow?"</p> + +<p>"It really doesn't make much difference," Rick pointed out. "He might +have been paid to take a walk, but that doesn't mean he knows anything."</p> + +<p>"Okay. Try this one. Where is the real Ali Moustafa?"</p> + +<p>"Good question. Now I'll ask one. What do we do next?"</p> + +<p>"You could cable Bartouki, or even phone him," Scotty replied. "You said +you had thought about it."</p> + +<p>Rick hesitated. He tried to put his reluctance into words. "I just don't +think getting in touch with Bartouki is the right thing to do. I don't +know why. Call it a hunch."</p> + +<p>Scotty had a deep respect for Rick's hunches. They had a way of turning +out to be right. He remembered a description of a hunch Rick had once +used and repeated it. "A hunch is only a conscious conclusion based on +subconscious data you don't know you have. Isn't that about it?"</p> + +<p>Rick looked at him. "What are you driving at?"</p> + +<p>"What data are buried in your subconscious that make you distrust +Bartouki?"</p> + +<p>"I didn't say I mistrusted him."</p> + +<p>Scotty shrugged. "No, but you must, if you don't think it's right to +call him."</p> + +<p>Rick had to admit Scotty was probably right. What basis did he have for +mistrusting the charming little Egyptian merchant? Certainly Bartouki +had been nice to them, so carrying the cat to Egypt had been only common +courtesy.</p> + +<p>Experience had shown Rick that very often he could get ideas from +reviewing conversations. He walked away from Hassan and Scotty and +stared at the construction details of the antenna. But he wasn't really +looking. Instead, he was trying to recall the entire scene leading up to +his acceptance of the cat.</p> + +<p>Bartouki had explained its importance. He had said it was needed. Now, +what had led Barby to offer Rick's services as a messenger? The merchant +had said that he was anxious to get it to Egypt, but that the Christmas +mails were crowded. The Christmas mails ... that didn't seem like much +of a reason for not sending it by air freight. Bartouki could have +delivered it personally to Idlewild Terminal, to avoid getting it mixed +up with the domestic mail....</p> + +<p>"I've got it!" he yelled. He hurried over and stood in front of Scotty +and Hassan. "Listen, who sends mail at Christmas time?"</p> + +<p>Scotty's brows wrinkled. "Everyone, I guess."</p> + +<p>"Not everyone." Rick warmed to his idea. "There are plenty of people who +wait until the last few days before Christmas, but where are they? In +America! Anyone overseas who sends a package home tries to get it in the +mail early. Wouldn't you say so?"</p> + +<p>"Maybe they should, but I suspect they don't. People are always waiting +until the last moment."</p> + +<p>"But is the overseas airmail so crowded you wouldn't trust a parcel to +the regular mail system?"</p> + +<p>Scotty shook his head. "I doubt it. What are you getting at?"</p> + +<p>But Rick had an even better argument to bolster the case he was +developing. "Christmas mail is to and from Christians, isn't it? Sure! +Egypt is a Moslem country. Moslems don't send Christmas cards or +presents, and they don't get them, either. The Christians in Egypt are +Coptic—anyway, they don't celebrate Christmas the same way. So why +would the airmail to Egypt be jammed?"</p> + +<p>Hassan spoke up. "It not so heavy. My brother is letter carrier, and he +no work very hard on <i>Nasrani</i> holiday. Nasrani is what we call +Christian."</p> + +<p>"I think you've got something," Scotty agreed. "Bartouki could have +mailed the cat, but for some reason he wanted a messenger ..."</p> + +<p>"... and we walked right into it," Rick finished. "Chances are that's +why he showed us the cat in the first place."</p> + +<p>"Barby had the bright idea," Scotty reminded. "Bartouki wasn't the one +who suggested it."</p> + +<p>"He didn't have to," Rick pointed out. "If she hadn't, I'll bet he would +have led around to it some other way."</p> + +<p>Scotty held up his hands in surrender. "I'll buy it. Bartouki needed a +messenger. Why?"</p> + +<p>Rick sat down on the box again. Why, indeed? He knew now why he +distrusted Bartouki, but he had no idea of the merchant's reasons. He +glared at his pal. "Kill-joy. So we get back to the basic question. What +does kitty have that people want?"</p> + +<p>He took the statue from his pocket and examined it closely, as he had +done several times before. The bright sunlight disclosed nothing but a +perfect bit of casting. He took out the pocket lens he carried for +examination of specimens that might be useful in his hobby of +microscopy, but magnification showed him nothing. It was a flawless job.</p> + +<p>"I'm stumped," he admitted. "Come on. Let's stretch our legs before we +get called back in to go to work."</p> + +<p>Scotty and Hassan joined him as he walked toward the barracks where +cement was being poured to form the floor. Scotty borrowed the cat for a +quick look, then handed it back. Rick stowed it in his pocket.</p> + +<p>"Whatever kitty's got, it's pretty interesting to some people," Scotty +commented. "Otherwise, why go to all the trouble of trying to get it in +the bazaar, then taking the risk of searching our room?"</p> + +<p>Rick said what had been on his mind. "I have another happy thought for +you. If they really want the cat, they'll try again."</p> + +<p>"Whoever 'they' are," Scotty agreed. "Let me add a cheery note of my own +while we're at it. They won't have to get the best detectives in the +world to figure out that you've got the creature, either. If it isn't in +the hotel room, it's on you."</p> + +<p>Rick mulled that one over as they watched the workmen smoothing the +poured concrete in the form. Would it be better if he disposed of the +cat? But how could he? He couldn't leave it at the project, even though +it was locked at night. The lock wouldn't stop professional thieves. He +couldn't give the cat to one of the scientists, because that would +expose them to the thieves, too. He could have it put in the hotel +vault, but what assurance had he that it would be safe there? It +occurred to him that he would have entrusted his valuables to the hotel +vault with no hesitation, but the cat was different, somehow. He just +didn't want it out of his hands until he knew more about it.</p> + +<p>Hassan said idly, "Cement color like cat."</p> + +<p>Rick's thoughts snapped back to the scene before him. The dragoman was +right. The concrete mix had been colored to imitate sandstone, +apparently a part of the plan to make the architecture as Egyptian as +possible. There was enough of the mix in the form to make a thousand +cats, and more was being mixed in a portable cement mixer.</p> + +<p>The Great Idea took shape in his mind, and suddenly he laughed outright. +"Kittens!" he exclaimed. "Wouldn't that throw them for a loop? I mean, +if several Egyptian cats showed up."</p> + +<p>Scotty laughed with him. "It definitely would. We'll show 'em that it +doesn't pay to confuse us. Only how do we do it?"</p> + +<p>Rick pointed to the office building where the plasterers were still at +work. "Make a plaster cast, then use the concrete mix for the models. +How about it?"</p> + +<p>"Could work," Scotty said quickly. "Come on."</p> + +<p>They rummaged around through the construction debris and found a pair of +small wooden boxes that had held instruments. With Hassan as +interpreter, Rick talked to the construction foreman and a plasterer was +detailed to help. If the form could be prepared right away, the low +desert humidity would harden it enough to use by the time they were +through work.</p> + +<p>The wooden boxes were filled with soft plaster while Rick coated the +Egyptian cat with oil used to lubricate the antenna bearings. The cat +was pushed into one box until only half of it showed. The plasterer +smoothed the surface around the cat.</p> + +<p>A sheet of scrap metal was used as a lid for the second box of plaster. +Working quickly, the plasterer turned it upside down and held it in +position while Scotty slipped the metal out of the way. The plasterer +pushed it down on the cat, losing only a little plaster in the process. +The little statue was now firmly embedded in plaster.</p> + +<p>By the time the boys were summoned to the control room again, the +plaster was firm enough so the plasterer could run a thin wire between +the two boxes to start the process of separation. When the plaster was a +little harder, he would use the wire and a long knife to separate the +two halves completely.</p> + +<p>The boys went to work, checking various elements under Winston's +direction. They kept at it until late afternoon. The sun was slanting +down behind the pyramids when they were told to knock off for the day.</p> + +<p>They hurried to the plaster mold at once. Hassan was already there, +waiting, with the plasterer. The Sudanese guide pointed to a batch of +concrete in a wooden tub. "We mix, more dry than for the floor, so +easier to make cats. Now we start?"</p> + +<p>"Any time," Rick said. "Thanks, Hassan." The resourceful dragoman had +realized the concrete mix being used for the floor was too liquid for +easy handling and had prepared a drier batch.</p> + +<p>The plasterer went to work at once. He worked rapidly but skillfully, +using the wire and knife to cut through the plaster until he reached the +cat. Rick worried that he might cut or scratch the original, but the +Egyptian was deft. In a few moments he lifted the upper box and the cat +came to light, still gleaming from its coating of oil. Rick lifted it +out of its plaster bed. The two boxes now contained perfect half +impressions.</p> + +<p>The boys, Hassan, and the workman shook hands all around. It was a job +well done. The rest was easy. Rick oiled the form while the plasterer +put the new concrete mix through a screen to remove lumps, then the two +halves were filled slightly overfull and put together. Pressure was +applied simply by standing on the upper box.</p> + +<p>The workman lifted the upper box off with great care, disclosing a +perfect half-cat in fresh concrete. The dry mixture kept its shape, but +made great care necessary. The Egyptian workman held out both hands and +Hassan turned the bottom box over. Working gently, the plasterer +released the casting from the mold. It dropped into his hands. The boys +watched eagerly as he used his knife to trim the flashing from the cat +replica, then he wet his fingers from a bucket and smoothed out a few +rough spots. The man grinned with pleasure, and the boys grinned back.</p> + +<p>"Perfect," Scotty said.</p> + +<p>Rick added, "If I didn't know its mother personally, I'd think this was +it."</p> + +<p>The first kitten was put gently aside to dry while others were cast. The +next two castings broke, but three perfect kittens resulted from six +tries.</p> + +<p>Rick was satisfied. "By tomorrow they'll be hard," he said with a grin. +"Then we'll work out a cat distribution program. I may go back to El +Mouski and hand one to the phony Ali Moustafa, just to see what +happens."</p> + +<p>"Not while I'm healthy enough to stop you," Scotty said positively. Then +he grinned, too. "But there's nothing more fun than kittens, and we'll +have plenty of laughs with these. You wait and see!"</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VII" id="CHAPTER_VII"></a>CHAPTER VII</h2> + +<h3>The Egyptian Museum</h3> + + +<p>Rick hung up the room phone and joined Scotty at the breakfast table. +The ex-Marine was munching on a Lebanese tangerine and watching the Nile +boats below.</p> + +<p>"Farid says to take the morning off," Rick reported. "The scientists are +about convinced that the signal isn't internal receiver noise, but that +leaves them up a tree. If part of the circuit isn't causing the trouble, +what is?"</p> + +<p>Scotty waved his hand at the scene across the Nile where a great +concrete tower rose into the sky. "It's this land. Look at it. There's a +tower for television. A couple of miles away are the pyramids. Down the +street is a new office building with aluminum walls, and it's right next +to a stone mosque that's nearly as old as the city. If you ask me, Horus +or Thoth or one of the old Egyptian gods is getting fed up and messing +with the signal just for the fun of it."</p> + +<p>Rick knew exactly how Scotty felt. The remarkable blend of the very old +and the ultramodern was visible everywhere in Cairo. But somehow the two +did not conflict, probably because the Egyptians had been wise in their +choice of architecture.</p> + +<p>"Maybe we'd better burn some incense and do a chant or two," Rick +suggested. "How's this? Oh, Osiris, son of Isis, please get the bugs out +of our antenna."</p> + +<p>"That's no fit chant," Scotty objected. "A chant should rhyme, shouldn't +it?"</p> + +<p>Rick searched his memory for incantations to Egyptian gods, but there +had been none in the books Bartouki had given them, although the gods +had been described. He improvised quickly. "Then how's this?"</p> + +<p>He took a pinch of sugar from the bowl and sprinkled it on Scotty's head +as an offering to the gods, then bowed like a high priest and chanted:</p> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span class="i0">"<i>Anubis, Horus, Amon-Ré,</i><br /></span> +<span class="i0"><i>Are you near or far away?</i><br /></span> +<span class="i0"><i>If you're tuned in close at hand,</i><br /></span> +<span class="i0"><i>Clean up the H-emission band.</i>"<br /></span> +</div></div> + +<p>The piece of hard Egyptian bread thrown by Scotty caught him just behind +the ear. Rick picked it up and threw it back, grinning.</p> + +<p>"The things I have to put up with," Scotty exclaimed hopelessly. "I'm +sorry I brought the whole thing up."</p> + +<p>"It didn't help," Rick admitted. "But it gave me an idea. How about +going to the Egyptian Museum this morning?"</p> + +<p>"With Hassan?"</p> + +<p>"It's right across the park. Hassan can take the morning off and come +back after lunch to drive us to the project."</p> + +<p>"I'm your boy," Scotty agreed. "If you keep your chants to yourself, +that is. Try one on those old statues at the museum and they'd fall on +you."</p> + +<p>"Oh, I don't know," Rick said loftily. "Maybe those old Egyptians had a +better ear for poetry than you have."</p> + +<p>"That's what I'm afraid of," Scotty returned. "If it sounds so terrible +to me, think what it would sound like to a poetry lover. Go on and make +your phone call."</p> + +<p>Rick did. He asked the desk to relay a message to Hassan, then asked +about the weather. The clerk spent a minute apologizing profusely. It +was chilly, he admitted reluctantly. Very unusual for Egypt. Hadn't +happened since 1898. Most regrettable. And so on.</p> + +<p>"He sounded like a Sunshine Tourist Service trouble shooter explaining +that the downpour was only a heavy mist," Rick said as he hung up. "The +weather is unusual, remarkable, etc. It's chilly."</p> + +<p>Scotty finished his coffee. "Okay. Let's go. Got the kitty?"</p> + +<p>Rick took the Egyptian cat from its nest under his mattress and put it +into the inner pocket of his coat. "Couldn't leave our pal, could we? +Bad man might get 'im."</p> + +<p>"We can't let that happen until we find out why the animal is so +appealing," Scotty agreed.</p> + +<p>"Spoken like a true Spindrifter. Do we walk, or take the elevator? +Walking's faster, but the elevator is more adventurous."</p> + +<p>"Walk," Scotty said. "You need the exercise."</p> + +<p>Outside, the air was pleasantly crisp, but the sun was shining. Rick +wondered if it ever rained in Cairo and made a mental note to look it +up. He had brought a guidebook with him, and the map showed them the +location of the museum.</p> + +<p>They started off at a brisk pace, past the Nile Hilton Hotel, then +across the heavy traffic of the bridge circle to the open park before +the museum. As Rick turned to look at a statue he caught a glimpse of a +figure dodging behind some shrubbery. His pulse speeded.</p> + +<p>"Could be that we have a buddy," he announced. "I saw someone dodge +behind a bush."</p> + +<p>Scotty took a quick look without seeming to. "Someone there all right. A +pal of our little cat?"</p> + +<p>"It's certainly no chum of ours, if it's anyone who's interested in us. +Let's hike and see how it goes."</p> + +<p>They strolled idly past the museum, crossed the street, and walked up +Kasr El Nil past the Modern Art Museum and the Automobile Club. Scotty +took a pair of sunglasses from his pocket. They were of the silvered +one-way mirror type that cuts down light transmission much as a +neutral-density filter does for a camera.</p> + +<p>Rick watched as he put them on, took them off again, and polished them +with a handkerchief, turning them from side to side as he watched for +spots.</p> + +<p>"I knew those things looked like headlights," Rick gibed. "I didn't know +they could also serve as rearview mirrors."</p> + +<p>"I may write an article on this for the Journal of the Optical Society," +Scotty said. "Works fine. Our buddy is a Sudanese, from the looks of +him. Also, he has a comrade. A big, sloppy type in a black coat and a +tarboosh. I'd hate to tangle with either of them."</p> + +<p>Rick thought of Scotty's comment that it wouldn't take much of a +detective to realize he had the cat on him.</p> + +<p>Scotty added, "Some distance behind are two other types, in tarbooshes. +They're striding along at the same pace we are, and keeping their +distance. I'm flattered. Looks as if 'they' figured it would take four +to handle us."</p> + +<p>"Maybe they sent one for us and three for the cat," Rick said hopefully. +"Cats are good scrappers. Any bright ideas, ol' chum?"</p> + +<p>"Yep. Let's go to the museum. They can't touch us in a public place. Got +the map?"</p> + +<p>They consulted it, letting the trailers see what was going on. The +street they were on formed one side of a triangle, with its apex at the +square in front of the museum. The next left turn, and another left a +block farther on, would bring them to the front of the museum through +Gami Sharkas and Shampelion streets.</p> + +<p>Rick wondered if the latter was the Arab-English equivalent of the name +of the man who had translated the hieroglyphics on the famous Rosetta +stone and is considered the father of Egyptology. He knew from his study +of cryptography that the first man to read the strange Egyptian written +language was Jean François Champollion. Or maybe the map maker had made +a mistake by misspelling the name. He looked for a street sign in +English when they reached the street, but he saw none.</p> + +<p>He had to grin to himself at the strange turns his mind sometimes took. +He should be concentrating on a plan of escape, not wondering about a +strange spelling of a Frenchman's name. "See anything?" he asked Scotty.</p> + +<p>"They're still with us. All four."</p> + +<p>"Probably the second pair is in case the first pair loses us," Rick +guessed. "Let's keep out of deserted alleys. They must be just waiting +for an opportunity to grab us."</p> + +<p>"I hear you talking," Scotty agreed. "And I believe every Brantish word +of it."</p> + +<p>They turned into the museum grounds, waving off guides who came running. +Normally, they might have hired a museum guide, but they were suspicious +now of all strangers.</p> + +<p>Rick produced some piastres and paid their entrance fee. He noticed a +sign at the window that said all parcels must be checked. He was glad +kitty was hidden in his pocket.</p> + +<p>Inside, they paused at the sudden spectacle of great stone figures and +huge stone sarcophagi. There was a great hall filled with giant statuary +straight ahead, and on each side, wide staircases led to the upper +floor.</p> + +<p>"Topside," Scotty said. "Then we can look down and see if any familiar +faces come through the door."</p> + +<p>They walked up the left-hand staircase, past rows of ancient wooden +mummy cases, and came to the upper landing. A few minutes were spent +inspecting the last resting place of a one-time Egyptian lord, with +frequent glances toward the entrance.</p> + +<p>"They don't need to follow us in," Rick pointed out finally. "Sooner or +later we'll have to go out, and they'll be waiting."</p> + +<p>"Sure. But it's wise to be careful. If one had followed us in here, we'd +have been forced to keep an eye on him. Me, I want to see this museum."</p> + +<p>They wandered through the countless rooms of the upper floor, each +filled with antique treasures that were impossible to identify. There +were few cards of explanation. One room was crowded with alabaster +carvings, any one of which would have rated a whole room to itself in a +modern American museum. The great building was literally jammed with +rare objects, many of them thousands of years old. Uniformed guards were +posted at every corner, obviously to protect the myriad treasures.</p> + +<p>"The police are keeping an eye on us," Rick muttered.</p> + +<p>"What else are they here for?" Scotty commented. "Don't try to carry off +one of those ten-ton statues and they won't bother you."</p> + +<p>Rick paused before a collection of brightly painted miniature clay +soldiers, created to serve as a phantom army for some forgotten +nobleman. "This stuff is priceless. I'll bet they really do need +guards."</p> + +<p>As the boys walked into a small room containing shelves of assorted clay +and stone dishes and utensils, Scotty exclaimed, "Look, on the third +shelf!"</p> + +<p>Rick searched until he saw what Scotty's quick eyes had spotted. It was +partly hidden behind a clay jug. An Egyptian cat!</p> + +<p>Closer inspection showed that it was not the mate to the one he carried. +The museum cat was darker, obviously older. It was more stylized and +slightly larger. There was no identifying card.</p> + +<p>The Egyptian cat returned his gaze with dark stone eyes. "Wonder if +they'd like to have you, too?" Rick said to himself. Four men wanted the +one in his pocket. He wished it was as safe as the antique before him. +Suddenly he let out a pleased chuckle. He had the solution.</p> + +<p>"Are you lonely, little cat?" he asked. "Would you like company?"</p> + +<p>Scotty got it instantly. He patted Rick on the shoulder. "That's the old +Brant brain, boy. I'll duck out and distract the guard."</p> + +<p>Rick moved on, inspecting jugs until he saw Scotty engage the guard in +conversation. His pal gradually turned as he talked, until the guard's +back was toward Rick. It was the work of only a moment to slip the cat +from his pocket and push it out of sight behind the jug that partially +screened the museum cat.</p> + +<p>He smiled to himself. From the looks of the museum, it was highly +unlikely that the cat ever would be noticed, even if it stood there +forever. If one of the Egyptologists ever did happen to see it, there +would be a new puzzle to solve. Which dynasty invented plastics?</p> + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<div class="figcenter"> +<a name="illusy" id="illusy"></a> +<img src="images/illusy.jpg" alt=""/> +</div> + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> + +<p>He walked to where Scotty was busy with the guard. The officer's +understanding of English was about zero, and Scotty's knowledge of +Arabic was slightly less, so they were getting nowhere.</p> + +<p>When he saw Rick, Scotty stopped trying. He grinned and put out his +hand. The guard grinned back and clasped Scotty's hand, with obvious +relief that the struggle to communicate was over. He waved cordially as +the boys went on their way.</p> + +<p>"It is a distinct privilege to make such an outstanding contribution to +Egyptian culture," Rick said. He was really relieved. Being unfamiliar +with Cairo, they were apt to walk into an unexpected situation that +might have resulted in loss of the cat. There would be no reason for +anyone to suspect the cat's hiding place now, because no one except +Scotty knew that he had carried it out of the hotel.</p> + +<p>There was much to see, and the boys took their time, spending over an +hour in the section devoted to the relics of Tut-Ankh-Amon, the boy +Pharaoh who had died at about the age of eighteen. His tomb had been +found intact, one of the few that had escaped the desert thieves. +Priceless objects had been found, including the King's death mask of +painted gold. It was one of the most beautiful objects of art the boys +had ever seen.</p> + +<p>Rick noted that at least one guard was always within easy reach of them, +and that several guards patrolled the area. The area itself could be +fenced off by steel grillwork. He agreed thoroughly with the +precautions. The sheer weight of gold would be worth a Pharaoh's ransom, +even if melted down. In their present form, Tut's treasures were beyond +price.</p> + +<p>The pangs of hunger finally drove them from the fascinating place, and +both agreed to return with someone who could explain what they were +seeing. They emerged into the brilliant Egyptian sunlight and stood +blinking.</p> + +<p>"We'd better head for the hotel on a beeline," Scotty suggested. "No +sense in taking a chance on getting roughed up for nothing."</p> + +<p>"That's sense, ol' buddy. Let's go."</p> + +<p>They walked down the steps and out a path to the street. An old man with +a pushcart was on the path, his cart laden with nuts of some kind. Rick +stepped behind Scotty to give the vendor room, but the old man turned +his cart suddenly and pushed it into them!</p> + +<p>The cart upset and nuts cascaded underfoot. The boys struggled for +balance. "Watch it!" Scotty yelled.</p> + +<p>Four men bore down on them at top speed, screaming imprecations in +Arabic. Rick saw the setup instantly. The four would simply be +retaliating for the treatment of an old man by two foreigners. He got to +his feet just as the four arrived, and saw that Scotty was crouched +beside him.</p> + +<p>The Sudanese and the big man in the tarboosh dove for the boys like a +well-rehearsed wrestling team!</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VIII" id="CHAPTER_VIII"></a>CHAPTER VIII</h2> + +<h3>The Midnight Call</h3> + + +<p>Rick and Scotty left the ground simultaneously in a dive for the legs +charging toward them. They connected, and the impact sent the attackers +to the ground. Rick recovered from the dive and tensed for a swing, but +he never made it. Arms locked around his chest, pinioning his own arms +to his side. He struggled violently, but the grip never yielded.</p> + +<p>From the corner of his eye he saw Scotty get in one driving punch that +sent the Sudanese down to one knee, then Scotty was pinioned from +behind, too.</p> + +<p>The big man and the Sudanese swung into action fast. Hands slapped +Rick's clothes in a fast but thorough search. Next to him Scotty was +getting the same treatment.</p> + +<p>The big man spoke sharply in Arabic and both boys were suddenly hurled +sideways, landing together in a heap. They jumped to their feet and saw +only four retreating backs. Even the peddler had scuttled away, leaving +the spilled nuts on the ground. It was senseless to pursue the men. The +boys looked at each other grimly, then suddenly Scotty smiled.</p> + +<p>"I don't know who they are," he stated, "but I'll tell you this. They're +real professionals. I haven't been taken like that in a long, long +time."</p> + +<p>Rick had to agree. The two-team operation had been swift and efficient. +Neither boy had been hurt, or even roughed up particularly. That wasn't +the purpose. "So they won't get us in a public place, huh? Well, if +they'd wanted to do damage, they could have." He added, "And we couldn't +have done a thing. But all they wanted was the cat."</p> + +<p>Scotty nodded agreement. He brushed dust off his trousers. "Might as +well go back to the hotel. I'm hungry. Anyway, they know now that you +don't have the cat on you—and that I don't, either. So what will they +think?"</p> + +<p>"Either that it's at the hotel or the project, or that we've put it +somewhere for safekeeping. They searched the hotel room. Suppose they'll +try the project?"</p> + +<p>"It's possible, I suppose. Anyway, if they want us they can get us. +Notice that no one saw the ruckus? The timing was perfect. A few feet +sooner and we'd have been within sight of the museum's ticket office. A +few feet later and we'd have been on the street. As it was, shrubs +shielded them. Pretty good operating, I'd say."</p> + +<p>Rick thought so, too, and it worried him. "I have an unhappy idea +buzzing around. If I were the big boss, and really determined to get the +cat, I'd pick us up and make us talk."</p> + +<p>"The language is a little mixed, but the thought is clear as air. We'd +better keep our guard up at all times."</p> + +<p>"Meanwhile, what do we know about anything? Nothing. If only we knew why +the cat is valuable!"</p> + +<p>"If it wasn't before, it is now," Scotty replied. "It's a genuine museum +piece. But if the cat is gone, we have three lovely kittens."</p> + +<p>Rick chuckled. "What's the problem everyone has with kittens? It's +finding a home for them. I wish we'd had one of the kittens a few +minutes ago. There would have been one less homeless orphan."</p> + +<p>"The kittens' turns will come. And it's our turn to eat. My stomach is +quivering in Morse code. 'Send food. Send food.'"</p> + +<p>Rick pointed to the hotel, just ahead. "Okay, chow hound. Lunch ahead. +And lay off that hot-pepper stuff or that stomach of yours will be +sending distress signals."</p> + +<p>"I hear you talking," Scotty said feelingly. One dish, served at dinner +the previous night, had required enough water to put out a three-alarm +fire before the burning sensation stopped.</p> + +<p>Hassan was waiting after lunch. He drove the boys to the project, where +they looked into the control room long enough to let the scientists know +they had arrived, then went at once to look at the kittens. Three +identical statues, almost perfect replicas of the original, were sitting +in the sunshine.</p> + +<p>"Except for being a little rougher, they're our own dear little +mysterious pet," Rick said. "Are they dry yet?"</p> + +<p>Hassan passed the question on in Arabic to the workmen who had helped +make the kittens. He reported, "They okay. You can take now."</p> + +<p>"Ask him if we can give him a present for helping us," Scotty requested.</p> + +<p>Hassan did so, then shook his head. He grinned, his teeth white in his +pleasant black face. "He say making statues fun, not work. He help you +yesterday, so he not have to fix plaster. All even."</p> + +<p>The boys laughed at the explanation and shook hands with the workman.</p> + +<p>"Now," Scotty asked, "what do we do with the children?"</p> + +<p>"One goes in my pocket," Rick replied. "I feel lost without a friendly +little feline weighing down one side of my coat. We can leave the others +here in a safe place, maybe inside one of the control cabinets."</p> + +<p>"Good idea. Going to tell Winston and the others about this morning?"</p> + +<p>"Sure. Only I don't think we'll mention where the mama cat is hiding +out. No use bogging them down with useless information. We'll tell +Winston."</p> + +<p>Scotty quirked an eyebrow. "Not suspicious of the others?"</p> + +<p>Rick wasn't, and said so flatly. "Only the more people who know +something, the more others are apt to find it out."</p> + +<p>The scientists, however, were not even remotely interested. Their whole +attention was given to the problem of getting the big radio telescope +working.</p> + +<p>Hakim Farid joined the boys long enough to say, "We've about decided the +strange signals are not originating within the system. Now we're looking +at the possibility that some local source is giving us interference. We +thought we'd eliminated all outside noise, but perhaps something new +came up after we finished checking."</p> + +<p>Rick pointed to Cairo, visible through the control-room window. "There +must be lots of stuff down there that puts out radio-frequency signals, +even electric shavers and heating pads. How can you eliminate all of +it?"</p> + +<p>"We can't, in the sense of really cutting it out. But the antenna +construction takes local interference into account. It's a tight beam +design that should prevent overriding of the main signal by any random +side effects. That's what Kerama and Winston are checking now. There's +not a great deal for you to do until they're through. In a half hour +we'll start to swing the antenna to see if we get an increase in the +signal by a change in direction. Until then, why not take it easy?"</p> + +<p>"We will." Rick took the opportunity to tell Farid of the incident at +the museum that morning. He described briefly how they had been +followed, then attacked on the museum path.</p> + +<p>Farid frowned. "I'm sorry to hear it. Cairo is pretty law-abiding, +compared to what it used to be. But we still have crime, just as you do +in your big cities. You didn't lose your wallets or anything valuable?"</p> + +<p>"Nothing. We think they were after the cat."</p> + +<p>"They didn't get it?"</p> + +<p>"No. I didn't have it on me."</p> + +<p>"That was fortunate." Farid frowned. "But why would anyone want the +cat?"</p> + +<p>Rick did not have an answer for that, and said so. The scientist smiled. +"A cat isn't exactly big game for thieves, is it? On the other hand, the +museum itself was robbed several weeks ago in spite of the guards. +Thieves got away with a necklace supposed to have belonged to Kefren, +who built the middle pyramid over there."</p> + +<p>"Was it valuable?" Scotty asked.</p> + +<p>"More than valuable. It is irreplaceable. In terms of cash, however, the +value is around a quarter of a million dollars."</p> + +<p>Rick whistled. "No wonder the guards watched us this morning."</p> + +<p>Dr. Kerama called, "Hakim, can you help with these tracings, please?"</p> + +<p>Farid joined the other scientists, leaving the boys to their own +devices. Rick hunted until he found a space under an amplifier that was +big enough for the two extra kittens. The space was covered by an access +door. The kittens would be safe there. It would be no real loss if they +were stolen, anyway.</p> + +<p>Later, the boys helped check circuits while the radio telescope swung +through a variety of arcs, with Farid at the controls. The strange +signal came while the telescope was pointing only in one direction.</p> + +<p>Rick asked Winston, "Could it really be coming from a single source in +outer space?"</p> + +<p>Winston shrugged. "We've thought of that. If the source remained fixed, +we'd accept it as the most logical explanation. But since Kerama and +Farid first noticed the signal it has shifted its apparent location by +many degrees. That's why we think it must have some local explanation."</p> + +<p>Rick understood. The sources in space studied by the radio telescopes +were fixed, in the same sense that the stars themselves were fixed. Of +course everything in the galaxy—even in the universe—was in motion, +but in spite of the enormous velocities, the change in location would +not be particularly apparent in a short time, or even in a lifetime.</p> + +<p>A short distance away was a wonderful example of this kind of motion. In +the great pyramid of Khufu, Rick had read, a channel had been left so +the light of the North Star could shine on the altar of Isis. The +channel was still there. But in over three thousand years the slight, +slow wobbling of the earth on its axis had caused a shift. What was then +the North Star was now Thuban, in the constellation of Draco the Dragon. +The present North Star, Polaris, which is not exactly at the celestial +north pole, did not shine on the altar. Nor would the next star to +become the northern marker—bright Vega. But if the pyramids were still +standing after twenty-seven thousand years had passed, the cycle of +movement would be complete, and Thuban would again shine through the +channel to the altar of a forgotten Egyptian goddess.</p> + +<p>It gave Rick a shiver to think about it. Even now, the pyramids were old +enough to have seen a change of north stars. They looked good for +another three thousand years or more. It would take a lot of time to +erode away that much massive stone.</p> + +<p>Then he stopped thinking about it, because the telescope was in motion +again, and there was work to be done.</p> + +<p>It was late night before the scientists were satisfied. The boys rode +back with Hassan, very thoughtful about the day's events. Now they had +both the little statue and the even greater mystery of the space signals +to think about.</p> + +<p>Clearly, the strange signal was not of local origin. The scientists +rejected the idea that it came from trouble in the circuit. But it was +no natural heavenly object. What was it?</p> + +<p>Tomorrow, Winston had said, they would decide on the next step. Right +now all hands were too tired to think clearly. The boys agreed that the +statement applied to them.</p> + +<p>"Shall we eat?" Rick asked as they approached the hotel.</p> + +<p>"Let's have a sandwich sent up," Scotty suggested. "I don't feel like +waiting in a dining room, even if one is open this late."</p> + +<p>"Good idea." Rick leaned forward and told Hassan, "Just drop us off, +then go on home and get some rest."</p> + +<p>"Not tired," Hassan said cheerfully. "You work, I rest."</p> + +<p>They certainly were not working Hassan very hard, Rick agreed. But he +was pleasant to have around. They bade him good night in front of the +hotel and went for their room key. The clerk handed Rick an envelope +along with it. It was addressed to Mr. R. Brant, care of the hotel, and +the return address was in Arabic.</p> + +<p>Rick waited until they were in their room to open it. A quick glance +showed that the room had not been searched, or if it had, with greater +care than the last time. He ripped open the envelope and took out a +sheet of paper, the letterhead printed in Arabic except for the name +Fuad Moustafa.</p> + +<p>"Fuad Moustafa," he said aloud. "Any relation to Ali, I wonder?"</p> + +<p>"Read it," Scotty urged.</p> + +<p>Rick did so. "'Dear Sir: You have brought to Cairo, I believe, a plastic +replica of a cat, which was given to you by Mr. Bartouki for delivery to +my brother, Ali. I deeply regret the inconvenience caused by your +failure to find my brother in his shop. Only today did I learn that his +chief clerk, an officious person, had attempted to take delivery of the +cat by pretending to be my brother. The clerk shall be discharged for +this offensive behavior.</p> + +<p>"'Since my brother is absent from the city, on business to Beirut, which +was the reason for his absence from the shop, I shall be delighted to +serve in his stead. If you will call me, I shall come at your +convenience. Or, if you will do me the honor of breaking bread at my +home, I shall be at your service. Since my home is also my office, any +time that is convenient for you will be my pleasure. Sincerely, Fuad +Moustafa.'"</p> + +<p>Rick jumped for the phone and called the desk, "See if Hassan is still +around, please. Tell him to wait, if he is."</p> + +<p>The clerk asked him to wait and Rick put his hand over the mouthpiece +and turned to Scotty. "The first sensible suggestion we've had. Let's go +call on Fuad Moustafa. If there are lights, we'll pay him a visit. If +not, we'll come back. I'm anxious to get this settled."</p> + +<p>"So am I," Scotty agreed, then added, "Only let's be sure this isn't a +trap."</p> + +<p>The clerk came back on the line. "Hassan is here. He will wait."</p> + +<p>"Thank you. Now, can you tell me anything about a Mr. Fuad Moustafa? Do +you know him?"</p> + +<p>"Indeed, sir. He is a lawyer, from a well-known family. He has two +brothers who are also well known. One is Ali, who has a shop in El +Mouski, and the other is Kemel, who is a textile importer."</p> + +<p>Rick thanked him and hung up. "It's our boy," he said. He repeated what +the clerk had told him.</p> + +<p>"Sounds like pay dirt," Scotty agreed. "Only we'll still be careful. +Let's go."</p> + +<p>Rick echoed him. "Let's go! If this is on the level, we can get the cat +in the morning and deliver it." At last, the secret of the Egyptian cat +might be unraveled!</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_IX" id="CHAPTER_IX"></a>CHAPTER IX</h2> + +<h3>The Uninvited Visitor</h3> + + +<p>As the boys hurried through the lobby the night clerk came to meet them.</p> + +<p>"I noticed that the name of Mr. Moustafa was on the message I gave you. +If you intend to visit him, you will have no trouble. His house is also +his office, and it is very well known. Just tell Hassan to take you to +Abd El Aziz Street."</p> + +<p>The boys thanked him, somewhat relieved that Fuad Moustafa apparently +was so well known. Outside, Hassan was waiting. "Not so tired?" he +greeted them.</p> + +<p>"Not too tired for a short trip," Rick said. "Can you take us to Abd El +Aziz Street?"</p> + +<p>"Not far. Near El Mouski."</p> + +<p>As Hassan drove off, at the usual high velocity, Rick asked, "Do you +know Fuad Moustafa?"</p> + +<p>"Hear name," Hassan said. "But not know. What number street he live?"</p> + +<p>Rick took the letter from his pocket, switched on the dome light, and +scanned it. There was no address given in English. He started to hand +the letter to Hassan, then remembered the dragoman could not read. He +puzzled over the Arabic in the letterhead, realizing the address must be +given there. If he could identify the numbers ... there, he recognized +one. Both boys had spent some time studying the telephone dial at the +project, on which the numbers were in Arabic. It was easy to identify +them, and Rick had spotted the five, a figure like a tiny heart, upside +down.</p> + +<p>"I think I have it," he said. "Let's see. Arabic reads from right to +left, instead of the way we write. That makes this number ... hmmmm ... +a heart, a dot, and two sevens backward with one squiggle in the upper +line. The heart is a five, the dot a zero, and backward sevens with one +squiggle are twos. So the number is 5022. Right?"</p> + +<p>"That's the way I remember it," Scotty said. "So that's the number. +<i>Enshallah.</i>"</p> + +<p>Hassan started laughing in the front seat. "Now you speak Arabic? You +must say <i>a'eraf shwayet 'arabi</i>."</p> + +<p>"What does that mean?" Scotty demanded.</p> + +<p>"It mean 'I know some Arabic'"</p> + +<p>The boys laughed with him. In a few moments Hassan swung the little car +to the curb and pointed to the nearest building. "There 5022."</p> + +<p>Rick started to get out, then he asked curiously, "How do you know, +Hassan? I thought you couldn't read."</p> + +<p>"No can read words. Read numbers plenty good. Could not take people to +places if could not read numbers."</p> + +<p>That made sense, Rick thought.</p> + +<p>Scotty let out a sudden exclamation. "Hey, this is a barbershop, and +it's closed for the night."</p> + +<p>Rick looked, then switched on the dome light. He compared the letterhead +number and the number on the door. Clearly, it was 5022, unless they had +mistaken threes for twos. The only difference between the two numbers +was an extra squiggle in the upper line of the three. He checked the +letter again. No, they were twos. He said so. "This is the number on the +letter."</p> + +<p>"You let me see, please?" Hassan asked.</p> + +<p>"Sure, Hassan."</p> + +<p>The dragoman took the letter and examined it. He chuckled. "<i>Samehni, ya +sidi.</i> That mean excuse, sir. Small mistake. You reading backward. +Number is 2205."</p> + +<p>"But how can that be?" Rick asked. "Arabic goes backward from English."</p> + +<p>"Maybe so with words," Hassan said. "But numbers not so. This number is +2205. You want to go?"</p> + +<p>Rick sighed. "I learn something new every day. Okay, Hassan. You're the +dragoman."</p> + +<p>The little car swung around and sped back the way they had come, into a +better part of the city. In a short time Hassan slowed and began +searching. At last he pulled to the curb, in front of a large house of +Victorian design. "Here is 2205," he announced.</p> + +<p>The boys got out and saw immediately that the house was in darkness. Not +a light shone anywhere.</p> + +<p>"No one home," Rick said, disappointed.</p> + +<p>Scotty surveyed the dark structure. "Funny. A house this size must have +servants. There should be a light somewhere. Maybe around back?"</p> + +<p>"I doubt it, but we can take a look."</p> + +<p>Hassan's voice stopped them. "Something wrong, I think."</p> + +<p>"What do you mean?" Rick asked quickly.</p> + +<p>Hassan gestured to where a small group of people had gathered on the +other side of the street. "Why they stop? Not so strange for car come to +house like this."</p> + +<p>That was true, Rick thought. The people stood quietly, watching, and in +a moment two others joined them. Their attitude was not simple +curiosity.</p> + +<p>"Can you ask them what's up?" Scotty asked.</p> + +<p>"Will try." Hassan took a step toward the group and called cheerfully in +Arabic. No one answered. He walked toward them, still talking +cheerfully, and the little group melted instantly into ordinary people +walking the street on their various errands by ones and twos.</p> + +<p>Rick needed no interpreter for their actions. Rather than answer a +courteous, cheerful question from Hassan they had hurried off, as though +afraid of something. But what?</p> + +<p>"Pretty strange, I think," Hassan said. "I just ask who can tell me +where to find Fuad Moustafa, and they go."</p> + +<p>Scotty had been staring at the house. He walked to the steps and stared +into the darkness, then went up them onto the porch. In a moment he came +down again.</p> + +<p>"Something's very wrong," he said. "I thought I saw the gleam of metal, +and I did. A brand-new padlock on the door! New hasp, too, put on in a +way no house owner would ever do it. It's as though someone was closing +a barn door and didn't care how it looked."</p> + +<p>A chill went down Rick's spine. Instead of a solution, they had found a +deeper mystery. He was sure of only one thing for the present. They +should not wait at the house of Fuad Moustafa.</p> + +<p>"Come on," he said. "Back to the hotel. If we can't have facts to feed +on, we can at least have that sandwich."</p> + +<p>But the sandwich was not to be had so easily. Back in their room, a call +to the waiter brought the porter, who announced that all hotel +facilities were closed and the waiters had gone home. He would be glad +to go to a restaurant he knew of and get them sandwiches, but it would +take a little time.</p> + +<p>The boys ordered, then got undressed. Scotty went in to wash up while +Rick wrote cards to the folks at home. A knock interrupted him. "Must be +the porter," he called to Scotty, and went to open the door.</p> + +<p>A stranger stood there, a big man in an immaculate gray linen suit. He +wore thick eyeglasses with stainless-steel rims. On his curly hair was a +tarboosh of red velvet. In his hand was a gleaming, snub-nosed +hammerless revolver, pointed at Rick's midriff.</p> + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<div class="figcenter"> +<a name="illus2" id="illus2"></a> +<img src="images/illus2.jpg" alt=""/> +</div> + +<h3><i>A snub-nosed revolver was pointed at Rick's midriff</i></h3> +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> + +<p>"I know it's late," the man said pleasantly, "but may I come in?"</p> + +<p>He walked through the door, and Rick backed away to make room.</p> + +<p>"Are you Fuad Moustafa?" he asked shakily.</p> + +<p>The man smiled. "I have not that honor. You have never seen a Moustafa, +or you would not ask. They are famous for the biggest noses and +mustaches in the Republic. I could have lied, but it is my pride that I +never lie. My identity is not important."</p> + +<p>"What do you want?" Rick asked. He kept backing away, because he wanted +desperately for the man to follow. That would give Scotty a chance to +move in from behind.</p> + +<p>"I think you know what I want. A small and unimportant piece of plastic, +in the shape of a cat."</p> + +<p>"Why is the cat so important?" Rick asked.</p> + +<p>"It is not important. You may believe this. However, for reasons I shall +not disclose, it has certain elements of value to a few people."</p> + +<p>"Sentimental value?" Rick asked. He was stalling.</p> + +<p>"It depends on what one is sentimental about. I have no sentimental +attachment to this object. I merely want it. Now, my time is short. I +was fortunate to find the porter gone, but he will doubtless return. The +cat, my young friend, and quickly!"</p> + +<p>Scotty moved from the bathroom on silent, bare feet, and even as his pal +moved, Rick saw the object in his hand. It was a nail file.</p> + +<p>Scotty stepped close and his hand moved. The stranger stiffened.</p> + +<p>"That's a knife in your back," Scotty said. "Drop the gun."</p> + +<p>The revolver muzzle never faltered. "An interesting stalemate," the man +said calmly. "You can thrust, but no matter how fast you are, I can +shoot. So, if I die, so does your friend. Now, since you created this +situation, how are you going to get out of it? Or did I create it, +through my careless eagerness? I was so pleased to find the hall empty +that I forgot there were two of you."</p> + +<p>"No matter," Scotty informed him. "We can stand like this until help +comes."</p> + +<p>"Then you expect someone. Make no mistake, I will not be taken. If +necessary, I will end the stalemate with a shot and take my chances with +the knife. It is even possible I will get both of you."</p> + +<p>Rick was watching the man's face closely. He was not bluffing. There was +no sign of sweat or nervousness. He knew the situation exactly, and was +prepared to deal with it. The boy reached a decision.</p> + +<p>"Drop it, Scotty," he commanded. "Pull back and come around so he can +see you. I'm going to give him the cat."</p> + +<p>"Don't!" Scotty exclaimed. "Don't, Rick!"</p> + +<p>"I'm going to give him the cat," Rick repeated. "It isn't worth +bloodshed. Now co-operate, will you?"</p> + +<p>Scotty drew back and walked around so the stranger could see him. With a +gesture of disgust he threw the nail file on one of the twin beds.</p> + +<p>The stranger smiled his appreciation. "A very good try. It would have +worked, no doubt, on a less experienced man. Now, Mr. Brant, where is +the cat?"</p> + +<p>"In my pocket, in the wardrobe."</p> + +<p>The gun muzzle waved Scotty to the window at the far end of the room. +"Out of reach, if you please. I will cover Mr. Brant just to be sure it +is not a weapon that he has in his pocket."</p> + +<p>Scotty obeyed, scowling. Rick led the way to the wardrobe. Moving slowly +and carefully, he got the concrete kitten and held it up.</p> + +<p>"Excellent. I see the hotel has provided you with a newspaper. Please +use it to wrap the cat."</p> + +<p>Rick did so, and handed it over.</p> + +<p>"Thank you. I appreciate your co-operation, since I am a man who detests +unnecessary violence. You have acted wisely." He backed to the door, +opened it, and closed it behind him.</p> + +<p>Rick's eyes met Scotty's across the room, and both grinned widely, but +they said nothing in case the stranger had lingered outside the door. +Not until a few moments had passed and Rick had checked the hallway did +he speak.</p> + +<p>"Well," he said happily, "one orphan kitten has found a happy home!"</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_X" id="CHAPTER_X"></a>CHAPTER X</h2> + +<h3>The Great Pyramid</h3> + + +<p>Parnell Winston faced the group of Egyptian scientists in the crowded +radio-telescope control room. Rick and Scotty waited impatiently for the +scientist to begin. They knew something important was coming up, from +remarks dropped by Winston earlier, but they didn't know what.</p> + +<p>"Gentlemen," Winston began, "I and my young associates came at Dr. +Kerama's request because of the assumption that internal or local +difficulties had caused the strange peaks in your Sanborn tracings of +the first tryouts of the new system. The assumption was a natural and +logical one. However, we have demonstrated that it isn't true. The +system is working so perfectly that I must congratulate you. It is +seldom that anything so complex functions as well in the early stages."</p> + +<p>Winston paused thoughtfully. "Of course Dr. Kerama realized that it +would be highly unusual to have internal circuit trouble cause such +signals. But what we have left, after eliminating the possibilities of +both internal and local interference, is something even more unusual. In +fact, it is fantastic."</p> + +<p>Rick moved forward a little. He didn't want to miss any of this, because +he knew Winston, and he had never before seen the scientist so excited.</p> + +<p>"What we have is a source of neutral hydrogen out in space, over five +thousand light years away from earth. This source is moving at such +incredible velocity that it is very close to the speed of light."</p> + +<p>There was a stunned silence in the room. Rick considered the +implications of Winston's statement. The scientist had spent hours with +Kerama and Farid going over the Sanborn tracings, checking the location +of the source as shown by the big telescope's position. The change in +the source's position, from the time of first discovery to yesterday's +checking of the system, had given enough data to calculate its velocity +with reasonable accuracy.</p> + +<p>The big unknown was the precise distance of the source. Readings from a +single position could not give distance with high accuracy, so the +scientists weren't sure of their figures—yet.</p> + +<p>Winston asked, "Dr. Kerama, do you want to explain what we have +decided?"</p> + +<p>The Egyptian scientist nodded. "Thank you, Dr. Winston. And thank you on +behalf of all of us for determining that our mystery does not come from +the receiver system itself, or from nearby."</p> + +<p>Kerama faced the group. "Last night I sent cables, giving detailed +information on times, locations, and our computations to the +radio-telescope stations at Manchester, England, and Green Bank and +Goldstone in the United States. I also, at Dr. Winston's suggestion, +sent similar information to the Mount Palomar Observatory.</p> + +<p>"If the other radio telescopes are able to participate, it will serve to +confirm or disprove our own information. If confirmed, we will then have +a precise fix on the source that has caused us so much concern. We will +also have the benefit of continuous consultation with our American and +English colleagues. At the same time, the two-hundred-inch telescope at +Palomar will attempt to see this strange object and to photograph it."</p> + +<p>Rick knew of the huge American radio telescope at Green Bank, West +Virginia, and the smaller one at Goldstone Lake, in California. Both had +tracked space probes to incredible distances. The Manchester telescope, +more generally known as Jodrell Bank, had also tracked probes. With a +team like that working along with Sahara Wells, results ought to be +coming fast.</p> + +<p>Dr. Kerama continued. "We have been so concerned with what we thought +was a problem that we have not accumulated all possible data on this +hydrogen source. We will start at once to do this. The first step, of +course, is to determine how long it is within view of our antenna, so +that we may set up a schedule. The next is to obtain as much material as +we can on the 21-centimeter wave length. After that we will shift to +other wave lengths to see if the source is emitting. Dr. Farid will make +assignments."</p> + +<p>Farid stood up. "A radio-teletype circuit will be installed at once. +Work is already in progress in the city, and we should have installation +crews here within an hour or two. That will enable us to keep in touch +with the other stations. For now, I would like Dr. Mandarawi and Dr. +Azrar to establish the time when the source will be within our horizon, +and set up the necessary data for the operator in charge of each shift. +The rest of us will check out the circuit and establish calibration to +be ready for recording this afternoon."</p> + +<p>The scientist gestured to Rick and Scotty. "We know that the source will +not come up over our horizon until about one o'clock. When it does, we +would appreciate your help in making audio recordings. Until then, +you're on your own."</p> + +<p>"What'll we do?" Scotty asked.</p> + +<p>Rick looked at his watch. It was shortly after nine. "Why not go over to +see the pyramids? Then we can have lunch at the Mena House and come back +in time to go to work."</p> + +<p>"Good idea. Better tell Winston, though, in case something comes up."</p> + +<p>Rick did so, and the boys went outside to where Hassan waited patiently. +They told him their plans and got into the little car for the short +drive to Giza.</p> + +<p>"I got some of that, but not all," Scotty said. "Give me a brief +rundown."</p> + +<p>"Okay. I'm no expert, but I think I got the drift. To start with, the +most common thing in space is hydrogen gas. It gives off energy that can +be detected on the 21-centimeter wave length. This is important to the +radio astronomers, because they can use their telescopes to figure out +how hydrogen is distributed throughout the universe."</p> + +<p>"I'm with you," Scotty said. "Now our boys have proved that the funny +signals in the hydrogen impulse they've been getting originate in space, +and hydrogen shouldn't act like that."</p> + +<p>"That's it. Also, a hydrogen source in space ought to stay fixed. But +this one is shooting off at high velocity. That would be strange enough, +but it's also giving off signals that don't seem natural."</p> + +<p>"So the scientists yell for help from their colleagues in America and +England, and perhaps someone can figure out what's causing this strange +behavior?"</p> + +<p>"On the button, ol' buddy."</p> + +<p>Scotty grinned. "It will probably turn out to be an Egyptian space cat +mewing for milk from the Milky Way."</p> + +<p>Rick patted the kitten in his pocket. He had replaced the one turned +over to the intruder the night before. Now, as he told Scotty, only two +orphan kittens needed homes. But placing the kittens didn't answer the +questions that puzzled him. Why was the Egyptian cat important? And who +were the people that wanted it?</p> + +<p>There were things about the mystery that didn't add up. For instance, +Fuad Moustafa had written a polite letter claiming the cat, but strictly +impolite and violent efforts had been made to get it. And where were the +brothers Moustafa?</p> + +<p>Hassan drew to a stop before the great pyramid of Khufu. "We here. Want +to go in?"</p> + +<p>"In a while," Rick answered. "We'll take a look around outside, first."</p> + +<p>The boys got out of the car and gazed upward at the incredible pile of +masonry. The blocks were huge, weathered by centuries of wind and sand. +Once the whole pyramid had been covered with a smooth facing of stone, +but much of it had been destroyed by thieves trying to find the entrance +to the Pharaoh's tomb.</p> + +<p>Rick saw that the top of the lowermost course of blocks was covered with +chips of the weathered stone. He picked up a couple and put them in his +pocket. His rock collection at home could use a genuine piece of +pyramid, and his sister Barby would like one for a paperweight.</p> + +<p>"This could be climbed," Scotty said, gazing upward.</p> + +<p>"Oh, yes," Hassan affirmed. "Some guides go up to top all the time. Can +show you best way. You want to go?"</p> + +<p>"Not now," Scotty said. "Let's look around first. But I'm going to climb +this before we leave."</p> + +<p>"And I'll be with you," Rick said.</p> + +<p>They reached the corner of the pyramid and Rick sighted along the edge.</p> + +<p>The thing that impressed him most was the size of the individual blocks. +Photographs were usually taken at sufficient distance to show the entire +pyramid. At that distance they looked pretty smooth. Close up, it was a +tremendous jigsaw puzzle of blocks that weighed tons.</p> + +<p>Rick had expected a considerable number of tourists and guides, but +apparently it was too early. Down by the Sphinx he saw a few Arabs, but +no foreigners were in sight. He was glad they could see at least a part +of Giza before the crowd arrived. "Take us inside, Hassan," he +requested.</p> + +<p>"Can do. You follow."</p> + +<p>Hassan led the way to the center of the side. High above their heads, he +pointed to a hole. "Up there."</p> + +<p>The three climbed through tumbled blocks to the opening and paused to +look around. This was not the opening the Pharaoh had intended. It had +been made by thieves, centuries ago. By boring downward at an angle, +they had intercepted the inner passageways that led to the buried king +and his treasure.</p> + +<p>Electric lights were strung along the corridor at intervals, but the +passage was far from bright. Hassan led the way, with Rick following and +Scotty bringing up the rear.</p> + +<p>Scotty's voice reverberated in the stone passageway. "I've been thinking +that you ought to be just about overcome with happiness. Two mysteries +on your hands, one detective type and one scientific type, and now +you're walking into the middle of a few million tons of rock. How full +can life get?"</p> + +<p>Rick grinned. "And you're not happy at all. Just came along for the +ride, I suppose?"</p> + +<p>"Oh, I'm happy. But I'm a simple soul. One mystery at a time and plenty +of chow is all I need."</p> + +<p>They left the tunnel cut by the thieves and found themselves in a broad +concourse with high ceiling and walls that still held the remnants of +ancient decorations. Rick's vivid imagination could picture the scene as +it must once have been, with torches lighting the route as the mighty +Khufu was carried by richly clad slaves along this route to the inner +crypt.</p> + +<p>Hassan pointed to where a side passage led upward. "Room there. Queen +buried, but nothing now. All gone. Thieves take."</p> + +<p>This was the story of Egypt. Few tombs had been found intact. That was +why finding Tut-Ankh-Amon had been of such importance. Most of the +burial places of the Pharaohs had been found and looted many centuries +ago. One such tomb would make a band of thieves and their descendants +rich. But while the thieves had grown fat, history had suffered. Each +rifled tomb meant quantities of historical materials lost forever.</p> + +<p>Scotty held up a hand. "Someone coming."</p> + +<p>"More tourist, maybe," Hassan offered.</p> + +<p>Rick looked around. In the echoing chamber it was hard to tell the +direction from which the footsteps were coming, and whether it was one +person or many. Hassan was probably right, he thought. It was late +enough in the day for tourists to be arriving.</p> + +<p>And on the heels of the thought, Arabs erupted from the entrance through +which they had come!</p> + +<p>There was less than a second of doubt. The men were after them! Rick saw +Scotty crouch as an Arab charged, saw the Arab go headlong through the +air as Scotty caught him in a judo throw. Then Rick and Hassan were +fighting for their lives!</p> + +<p>An Arab rushed at Rick, arms widespread, and the boy stepped between the +arms and threw a short punch that caught the attacker squarely on the +nose. Blood spurted and he let out an anguished yell, then Rick put a +foot in his stomach and heaved. The man flew backward, arms flailing, +and landed on top of one who was grappling with Hassan. The guide took +advantage of the break to grasp his second assailant around the middle +and dump him. The guide kicked expertly and the Arab lay still.</p> + +<p>Scotty was backing away from two of them when Rick charged to the +rescue. He hit one from behind, his shoulder taking the man at the +knees. The Arab slammed forward. Scotty jumped in and grabbed his second +attacker by the burnoose, then fell backward with him and flipped. The +Arab flew through the air like an ungainly bird and slammed into the +farther wall.</p> + +<p>Rick choked back a yell of despair as three more Arabs charged through +the passageway. They were hopelessly outnumbered now. He saw Hassan with +an Arab's throat between his hands, and he saw another attacker coming +up on the guide from behind, a knife in his hand.</p> + +<p>There wasn't time to reach Hassan. Rick had only one weapon. He plucked +the concrete kitten from his pocket and threw, his whole body giving the +flying statue speed and direction. It caught the knife wielder where his +headdress met his ear. He dropped as though hit with an ax. The kitten +fell to the stone floor and shattered.</p> + +<p>Three Arabs hit Scotty at the same time. Rick dove headlong into the +fray and got his hands around a stubble-covered face. He put a knee in +the man's back and wrenched, but the Arab turned like a cat and reached +for his throat.</p> + +<p>A voice yelled in Arabic. Miraculously, the Arabs fell back. As Rick and +Scotty got to their feet they saw the burnoosed figures raise hands +high.</p> + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<div class="figcenter"> +<a name="illusz" id="illusz"></a> +<img src="images/illusz.jpg" alt=""/> +</div> + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> + +<p>At the passage entrance was a man in Western dress, an Egyptian with a +bristling mustache and a tremendous nose. He was obviously a person of +authority, and the authority was made plain by the Luger automatic +pistol he held in his hand.</p> + +<p>The Arabs crowded together, hands high. Then, at another sharply spoken +Arabic phrase, they all lay face down on the floor, arms stretched out +before them.</p> + +<p>At that moment the newcomer's eyes caught sight of the broken kitten on +the stone floor. He stiffened, and he took a step toward it. Then he +reconsidered.</p> + +<p>"Mr. Brant, or Mr. Scott," he commanded. "One of you only. Bring me the +pieces of the cat!"</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XI" id="CHAPTER_XI"></a>CHAPTER XI</h2> + +<h3>Third Brother Smiles</h3> + + +<p>Rick was nearest to the broken kitten. He went over and picked up three +large pieces. There were a few smaller ones, but he didn't think they +would matter. He walked over and held the pieces out.</p> + +<p>The man with the pistol took one and examined it. Rick noted that it was +the biggest piece, actually over half the cat.</p> + +<p>Suddenly the man smiled. It was a fine, happy smile that showed white +teeth under his black mustache.</p> + +<p>"A fine specimen," he said. "Where did you get it?"</p> + +<p>"It just sort of came to us," Rick evaded.</p> + +<p>"Indeed? A pity it was broken. Do you want the pieces?"</p> + +<p>This surprised Rick. He stared into the smiling brown eyes. "No. Don't +you?"</p> + +<p>"I have a definite interest in cats, but not in this one. Come, shall we +go to the outside? I think you have probably had enough of Khufu's tomb +by this time, eh?"</p> + +<p>The pistol motioned to the outstretched Arabs. "This carrion will not +bother us. I told them the first man to step outside the pyramid before +an hour has elapsed would be shot."</p> + +<p>To Rick's astonishment the man tucked the pistol into a capacious jacket +pocket, then turned and walked toward the outer entrance. Rick, Scotty, +and Hassan followed.</p> + +<p>In a few moments they stood blinking in the sunlight. Their rescuer gave +them a polite bow. "You are probably wondering who I am, and how I +appeared so opportunely, eh? Allow me to introduce myself. I am Kemel +Moustafa."</p> + +<p>The brother of Ali and Fuad! Rick remembered the words of the hotel +intruder who had taken the first kitten: The Moustafas were known for +the largest mustaches and noses in the United Arab Republic. Well, the +description fitted.</p> + +<p>"I'm Rick Brant," he said. "This is Don Scott, and our guide, Hassan."</p> + +<p>Kemel Moustafa shook hands all around. "I am thirsty," he announced. "We +will exchange stories over coffee, eh? The Mena House is close by, and I +have a car."</p> + +<p>"So do we," Rick said. "We came in Hassan's car."</p> + +<p>"Then let us drive down in our separate cars and meet there. We have +much to talk over."</p> + +<p>That was an understatement, Rick thought. He wondered as Hassan drove +them to the hotel below the pyramids: had the business in the pyramid +been staged so Kemel could come to the rescue? If not, that meant two +different groups were interested in the cat.</p> + +<p>The way Kemel Moustafa had looked at the broken kitten was revealing, +too. One glance and he had rejected it. How had he known? He put the +question aloud to Scotty.</p> + +<p>"Maybe it didn't break like plastic," Scotty guessed. "Or, it's possible +the original is unbreakable."</p> + +<p>Rick didn't think either of those answers could be the right one. "Could +there be something inside the cat? Kernel would have seen right away +that the broken one was solid."</p> + +<p>"There's a hunk of lead in the cat, according to Bartouki. But suppose +you're right, and it isn't lead? What could be valuable enough to cause +all these wild goings-on?"</p> + +<p>"Diamonds. Rubies. Maybe a radium needle in a lead shield. The +possibilities are endless."</p> + +<p>"Uhuh. Only one thing bothers me a little. Why use a plastic cat as a +container to smuggle things into Egypt? There must be better ways."</p> + +<p>"This way hasn't been very successful," Rick agreed. "Anyway, here's the +hotel. Let's ask Kemel Moustafa."</p> + +<p>Over coffee, Rick asked the third Moustafa brother many questions, and +received answers to most of them—although the answers were not always +satisfactory.</p> + +<p>Moustafa anticipated some of the questions. As the waiter brought +coffee, he pulled out his wallet and showed the boys his identity card, +driver's license, and business card. Clearly, he was Kemel Moustafa.</p> + +<p>"I have been to Khartoum on business," he said. "Last night I returned +to the city and found that a family emergency had taken both of my +brothers out of town. Fuad left very suddenly, after he had written to +you. I apologize on his behalf. However, he must be excused, since a +call from Ali, in Beirut, sent him running to the airport to catch the +next flight. He simply had no time even to call you. His secretary tried +to call you today, without success."</p> + +<p>"We wondered," Rick said.</p> + +<p>"Of course. And you are also wondering how I came into the pyramid at +just the right time. A fortunate accident. You see, I came to Sahara +Wells hoping to see you, but you were sightseeing. Dr. Winston was kind +enough to tell me where you were. I simply went hunting for you. A quick +drive around the area told me you must be in one of the pyramids, and +the biggest one seemed the most logical place to look for you."</p> + +<p>Rick believed him. Moustafa wouldn't tell a tale that a moment's talk +with Winston would disprove.</p> + +<p>"Who was the man who pretended to be your brother Ali?" Scotty asked.</p> + +<p>"His chief clerk. He is an arrogant type who often shows poor judgment. +Instead of simply explaining to you that Ali was out of town, he +apparently told you he was Ali. This was the case?"</p> + +<p>Rick confirmed it.</p> + +<p>"He will be discharged at once. I suspected it when I questioned him +last night. He gave some lame excuse about your refusing to hand over +the cat to anyone except my brother Ali. He told Fuad the same thing, +according to his secretary."</p> + +<p>"It wasn't such a lame excuse, Mr. Moustafa," Rick corrected. "Mr. +Bartouki asked us to deliver the cat to Ali Moustafa. We have no +instructions to deliver it to anyone else."</p> + +<p>"I see. And I commend your discretion. But my brother Ali will not +return for many weeks, and you will not want to take the cat back to +America with you. So we will telephone Mohammed Bartouki, and you will +hear directly from him that I am a suitable substitute for my brother."</p> + +<p>Scotty asked bluntly, "Why is the cat so important?"</p> + +<p>Moustafa spread his hands wide. "Why not? The creature will open a new +industry in Cairo. It will employ a number of people. It will make a +profit for the Moustafa-Bartouki enterprises. It will please the +tourists. Obviously the cat is important."</p> + +<p>Rick tossed in his loaded question. "How did you know the cat in the +pyramid wasn't the cat we brought from America?"</p> + +<p>Kernel Moustafa's thick eyebrows went up. "It was obvious, was it not? +The broken cat was made of colored concrete. The cat Bartouki took such +pains to develop was of a plastic that does not have the graininess of +concrete. If you tell me the one in the pyramid was indeed the original, +I will be very disappointed. Such a model would not be suitable."</p> + +<p>"It wasn't," Rick said briefly.</p> + +<p>"Ah. And where is the original?"</p> + +<p>Rick's smile was every bit as warm and friendly as Kemel Moustafa's. +"Perhaps the answer to that had better wait until we have talked to +Bartouki."</p> + +<p>The Egyptian's smile broadened. "Discretion in one so young," he +proclaimed, "is a rare and precious thing." He put money on the table +for their coffee and rose.</p> + +<p>"You will excuse me? I have business in the city. But tonight at seven I +will come to your hotel and we will phone our friend in New York. It +will then be noon in New York, and we will find him reading the Koran at +home. This is his custom. Until then, <i>Assalamo alaikum</i>, which is to +say, 'Good day to you.'"</p> + +<p>As the boys walked to where Hassan waited, Scotty grinned at Rick. +"'Discretion in one so young,'" he quoted, "'is a rare and precious +thing.' He should know you as I do. Discretion has nothing to do with +it. You just don't want to part with that cat until you know everything +there is to know about it."</p> + +<p>Rick shrugged. "I haven't heard you volunteering to hand the poor +creature over. Besides, our pal Kemel is not all that he seems."</p> + +<p>"And how do you know?"</p> + +<p>"Easy. Did he ask us who jumped us in the pyramid, or why? Did he +explain why he carries a Luger? Nope, to both. He carries a Luger +because there's danger in this business. And he knows why those Arabs +jumped us. He may not know them by name, but he knows what they were +after, and he knows why."</p> + +<p>"Which is more than we know," Scotty concluded.</p> + +<p>"For now," Rick agreed. "But we'll find out before we're through, one +way or another!"</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XII" id="CHAPTER_XII"></a>CHAPTER XII</h2> + +<h3>Third Brother Stops Smiling</h3> + + +<p>Rick opened the door to a knock at precisely two minutes of seven, and +admitted Kernel Moustafa. The Egyptian shook hands politely. "It takes +some time to get a call through," he said, "so I placed our call an hour +ago. The operator assured me it would go through precisely at seven."</p> + +<p>Moustafa turned to Scotty and shook hands again. "According to my watch, +we have only a few seconds to wait. Mr. Brant, you will answer the +phone, if you please. Identify Bartouki to your own satisfaction, then +ask him about Kemel Moustafa. Then turn the phone over to me, and I will +talk with him. After that you take the phone back again, and he will +give you final instructions. This is acceptable?"</p> + +<p>"Absolutely," Rick said. He thought quickly. How could he establish +Bartouki's identity for certain? Then, as the phone rang, he knew.</p> + +<p>Rick answered. "Rick Brant speaking."</p> + +<p>"On your call to New York. Mr. Bartouki is on the line. Go ahead, +please."</p> + +<p>Rick raised his voice instinctively. After all, New York was a long +distance away! Then he realized that electronic facilities reduce the +need for shouting, and lowered it again. "Mr. Bartouki? This is Rick +Brant."</p> + +<p>"Good morning, Rick. Ah, but this is evening in Cairo, is it not?"</p> + +<p>Rick was sure he identified the little merchant's voice, but he went +ahead anyway. "Mr. Bartouki, please forgive me, but I must establish +your identity beyond any doubt. Can you tell me what color dress my +sister Barbara wore at your reception, and the color of her hair and +eyes?"</p> + +<p>"Of course. Her dress was a very attractive blue wool with a red leather +belt. She is very blond, with dark-blue eyes, and she is about my +height."</p> + +<p>Rick was satisfied. "Thank you, sir. The reason I had to be careful is +this. We went to Ali Moustafa's shop, and a man who did not answer your +description of Ali Moustafa pretended to be him. We refused to give up +the cat. Then our room was searched. We received a letter from Fuad +Moustafa, and when we went to his house it was padlocked. Last night a +man came to our room with a pistol and demanded the cat. We gave him a +copy we had made in concrete. I should add we also were attacked in +front of the Egyptian Museum by men who searched us. That was why we +made the copies in concrete. The real one is hidden. Then, this morning, +we were attacked again, inside the pyramid. We were rescued by Kemel +Moustafa. He is here with us now. If you approve, we will give him the +cat. If not, tell us what to do with it."</p> + +<p>Bartouki's voice sounded incredulous over the ocean miles. "This is +incredible! I must know the meaning of this. May I speak to Kemel?"</p> + +<p>Rick handed the phone to the third brother and listened. Kemel launched +immediately into a rapid flow of Arabic.</p> + +<p>Scotty interrupted, "Can you speak in English please?"</p> + +<p>Kemel stopped abruptly. "Of course. Forgive me." He spoke into the +phone. "Your young American friends want me to speak in English, +Mohammed. They are cautious, and they have reason. I did not know of +their room being searched, the man who came with a pistol, or the attack +in front of the museum. I arrived this morning because I had gone to the +radio telescope to look for them.... Yes ... yes, most certainly I will +try to find out who has caused them such trouble. Ali and Fuad are in +Beirut. It is because of our father. You know that he has been very ill? +Yes, by all means send a cable. It will be appreciated. And now, if you +will tell Mr. Brant ... yes ... <i>ma'e salamet Ellah</i>, Mohammed. Allah +protect you."</p> + +<p>Moustafa handed the phone to Rick. The boy said quickly, "Yes, sir?"</p> + +<p>"My dear boy, I am very upset by this affair." Bartouki sounded +agitated, even across the miles. "Kemel will try to find out what has +been going on. Meanwhile, please give him the model. And accept my +apologies for getting you into such a situation, and my thanks for your +loyalty to our model cat. I hope to show my appreciation when you +return, and I shall certainly want to hear all about this. But for now, +trust Kemel. He is my friend and associate."</p> + +<p>Rick promised to do so, said good-by, and hung up. He turned to Moustafa +and Scotty. "Mr. Bartouki agrees. We turn the cat over."</p> + +<p>Kemel stroked his mustache. "Yes. But first, I must know of these +attacks. Can you describe the men who attacked you at the Egyptian +Museum?"</p> + +<p>Scotty could, and did. He gave complete details of dress and appearance.</p> + +<p>The Egyptian shook his head. "I'm afraid the descriptions mean nothing. +They did not harm you?"</p> + +<p>"They could have," Rick stated. "But they only searched us. We didn't +have the cat with us, and it took only seconds for them to find out."</p> + +<p>Moustafa's brows creased. "I can make no sense of this. Why would anyone +want the cat?"</p> + +<p>Rick and Scotty laughed mirthlessly. "That's exactly the same question +we asked ourselves a thousand times," Rick said.</p> + +<p>"And you made copies of concrete? That was extremely clever of you. I +believe you gave one to a man who showed up here?"</p> + +<p>Rick described the encounter, and he gave a detailed description of the +man. Before he was through, Moustafa was nodding his head.</p> + +<p>"I recognize this man! From your description, it can only be one +Youssef. He is a well-known thief, and the leader of a gang. My brother +Fuad was once requested to defend him, and refused. Another lawyer with +less scruples took the case and got him off."</p> + +<p>"But why would a thief want the cat?" Scotty asked.</p> + +<p>Moustafa shook his head. "I do not know. Unless he intends to sell the +model to a manufacturer, or to produce cats for sale himself. Or, if he +knows how much time, money, and planning we have invested in this cat, +he may see it as a means of revenge on the Moustafas because Fuad would +not take his case."</p> + +<p>The answer was logical enough, but it didn't ring true to Rick. At least +the revenge part didn't. What had Youssef said? "<i>I have no sentimental +attachment to this object. I merely want it.</i>" A motive of revenge would +be emotional, even if not exactly sentimental.</p> + +<p>"Why do you carry a pistol?" Rick asked suddenly.</p> + +<p>It took Moustafa a moment to reply. "I have enemies," he explained. "I +will not bore you with an explanation of why this is, but the reasons +are not related to this cat."</p> + +<p>"How did you know the cat in the pyramid was not the right one?" Scotty +demanded.</p> + +<p>Moustafa studied the boy for a long moment before he replied. He +shrugged. "I have been a contractor. I know concrete. The cat you +brought is of plastic, which does not break. Or, if it does, it breaks +differently. From your questions, I see you still harbor suspicions. Was +not Bartouki's word enough?"</p> + +<p>"It was," Rick said. "Only we'd like to know about these attacks. Who +were the men, and why did they want the cat?"</p> + +<p>"Then my explanation does not seem sufficient. I am truly sorry, because +we are in your debt. But I cannot tell you more, because I know no more. +The only thing I can do is talk to some people I know who may have more +clues to Youssef's behavior."</p> + +<p>Moustafa's attitude changed subtly. "Now, where is the cat?"</p> + +<p>Rick was suddenly glad he didn't have it at hand. "It's in the Egyptian +Museum," he said.</p> + +<p>Moustafa exploded. "What!"</p> + +<p>"That's right," Scotty added coolly. "We saw the men trailing us, so +Rick hid the cat in the museum. If he hadn't, the thieves would have it +now."</p> + +<p>Moustafa sank down into a chair, a hand to his forehead. "But this is +terrible! We can never recover it! Surely by now the museum curator has +it."</p> + +<p>Rick shook his head. "I don't think so. And I'm sure we can recover it."</p> + +<p>"But how? Guards swarm everywhere. They are alert, because there was a +big robbery not long ago. Everyone is watched. Everyone! I don't +understand even how you could hide it without being seen."</p> + +<p>"We have our own methods," Rick assured him. "And we'll get the cat +back. If you will come here tomorrow night it will be waiting for you."</p> + +<p>Moustafa rose and walked to the door. He looked at the boys, and above +the luxuriant mustache, dark eyes blazed at them. "It had better be," he +said flatly. "If you are caught by the museum guards you had better say +it was a joke. As Americans, you may be believed. Do not connect me, or +my brothers, or Bartouki with this thing! But get that cat! I don't care +how. But get it!"</p> + +<p>He slammed the door behind him.</p> + +<p>Rick looked at Scotty. "Get it, or else?"</p> + +<p>"Or else," Scotty confirmed. "He didn't say it, but he meant it."</p> + +<p>Rick put his thoughts into words. "No one gets that excited over a +plastic model. The cat is important for some other reason. But what?"</p> + +<p>"I'll ask a different question for a change. Who would you rather have +on your trail, Moustafa or Youssef?"</p> + +<p>Rick stared at his pal for a long moment while he digested the +implications of the question. "I see what you mean," he said finally. +"There are two groups after the cat. Right? I've wondered about that +myself, since we were rescued by Kemel this morning. So we're caught +between a pair of tough characters, like eggs in the jaws of a vise."</p> + +<p>Scotty finished grimly, "And right now the jaws are closing. Fast."</p> + +<p>A thought struck Rick and he grinned. "How about scrambled eggs for New +Year's Eve dinner?"</p> + +<p>"What?"</p> + +<p>"It's New Year's Eve."</p> + +<p>Scotty reached in his pocket and found a pocket calendar. He consulted +it. "Hey, you're not kidding!"</p> + +<p>"Nope. So, as the year closes, where are we? Caught between Kemel and +Youssef."</p> + +<p>"Maybe next year will bring better things," Scotty said with a grin.</p> + +<p>"Uhuh. But for whom?"</p> + +<p>"That," Scotty said, "remains to be seen!"</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIII" id="CHAPTER_XIII"></a>CHAPTER XIII</h2> + +<h3>The Space Mystery</h3> + + +<p>There was an air of excitement at the project when the boys arrived +there the following morning. Everyone was busy on equipment, or studying +Sanborn tracings. Winston and Kerama were working a slide rule while +Farid read figures.</p> + +<p>The boys waited until Winston gave a number, which Kerama marked on the +pad he carried. Then the scientist looked up and gave the boys a big +grin.</p> + +<p>"Happy New Year both of you! Interesting news this morning. Take a look +at these."</p> + +<p>They were teletype sheets. Rick saw that a machine was now in one corner +of the control room, where technicians had finished installing it during +the night.</p> + +<p>He and Scotty read the messages. Translated from the cryptic notations +and abbreviations used by the astronomers, it added up to confirmation +of the Egyptian findings by both Jodrell Bank and Green Bank. Both +reported that they had also located a source of apparently modulated +hydrogen impulses. Both gave the same co-ordinates in space, in terms of +ascension and declination, the way astronomers locate the position of +heavenly bodies. Both stated that the finding was remarkable and +requested all available data from Sahara Wells, and both announced their +intention of concentrating on the object while it was in "view" of their +radio telescopes.</p> + +<p>Rick looked at Winston, his eyes shining. "Boy! We're on to something +big. What's the next step?"</p> + +<p>"Next is a precise fix and distance computations by all stations. At the +same time, we want two kinds of recordings. We'll continue making +Sanborn tapes, but we also want audio-tape recordings."</p> + +<p>"You want to actually hear this thing?" Scotty asked. This was unusual, +since the radio telescopes ordinarily recorded the incoming signals in +trace form on Sanborn strips.</p> + +<p>"We don't want to overlook any possibility," Dr. Kerama said. "This is +without precedent, and we are not sure how to proceed. Dr. Farid has set +up an amplifier on the output circuit, in parallel with the normal +system, and he has brought in a pair of tape recorders we borrowed from +the government radio station. It may be that listening to this signal +will give us clues that our eyes miss when we examine the tracings."</p> + +<p>Winston added, "That's your job. I intended to keep you here together, a +half day at a time. But this is too important for such considerations, +and we haven't a large enough Egyptian staff to handle everything. So +I'd like to work you in shifts."</p> + +<p>"That's okay," Rick assured him. "When do we start?"</p> + +<p>"The object comes up on our horizon shortly after one. Suppose you start +then. The first shift can work until five, and the second from five to +eleven. One of the Egyptian technicians will take over then until we +lose the source below the horizon again."</p> + +<p>Hakim Farid took the boys to the tape setup he had established and +explained it to them. It was simple enough. The output signal from the +receivers was fed into a regular tape-recording circuit. The tapes +themselves were on huge reels good for about four hours of recording. It +would only be necessary to watch the volume control and to see that all +was running smoothly. Changing tapes was only a matter of slapping a new +reel into place, dropping the tape into the recording head, and +threading it into the empty reel.</p> + +<p>"How will we work it?" Scotty asked, while they rechecked the setup and +tried out the tape motors.</p> + +<p>Rick frowned. "It kind of throws a monkey wrench into our plan, doesn't +it?" He and Scotty had worked out a way to recover the Egyptian cat, +again with Scotty distracting the guard.</p> + +<p>"One of us will have to get it alone," Scotty said.</p> + +<p>Rick watched the tape run through and searched his mind for a method. +There was only one way he could think of that would get the guard out of +the way. "Looks as if that third kitten is going to have a home," he +said finally. "I'll wrap it in an old newspaper, then pretend to find it +under something. I'll hand it to the guard. With luck, he'll get so +excited he'll run for his boss, thinking someone has tried to steal a +museum exhibit. Then I'll snaffle kitty off the shelf and hike out."</p> + +<p>Scotty rubbed his chin. "Could work," he said finally. "Unless the guard +insists that you go with him."</p> + +<p>"No speak Arabic," Rick said. "I won't understand. Let's hope the guard +speaks no English."</p> + +<p>"Well, if anything goes wrong, Moustafa will just have to wait. So I'll +take the first shift and you go get puss. That means I'll be waiting for +ol' Kemel alone tonight at the hotel."</p> + +<p>"Looks that way."</p> + +<p>There seemed to be no solution except to turn the cat over. Bartouki had +approved, and the cat was his. Much as the boys hated to let go of an +unsolved mystery, there wasn't any other way.</p> + +<p>Hassan drove Rick back into town, with the boy sitting in back. He would +have preferred to be in the front seat with the dragoman, but the taxi +meter took up too much room.</p> + +<p>The guide parked directly in front of the museum and asked, "I go with +you?"</p> + +<p>"Not this time, Hassan. I won't be long." If Rick's trick was to work, +no translator should be at hand.</p> + +<p>He paid his piastres at the entrance and walked into the huge entrance +hall, very conscious of the kitten in his pocket. It was wrapped in a +week-old copy of a newspaper recovered from the debris around the new +barracks.</p> + +<p>When he reached the second floor he acted like a casual museum visitor, +taking his time, and working from exhibit to exhibit. But his mind was +not on the wonders of ancient Egypt. It wasn't much use to think about +the cat, either. All the ground had been covered many times. Instead, he +spent the time speculating on the meaning of the mysterious signal from +space. Admittedly, he didn't have much knowledge of astrophysics or +radio astronomy. But he had never heard of any natural phenomenon in +space that emitted pulsed signals in random fashion. Some stars pulsed, +like the Cepheid variables, but in an orderly way.</p> + +<p>A half hour of speculation led him nowhere so far as the space mystery +was concerned, but it did bring him slowly to the museum area that +interested him. He nodded politely at the guard, and continued his +examination of exhibits, moving finally into the little room where the +cat was hidden. Soon he was close enough to see that the Egyptian cat +and its antique friend were still in place. He continued on around the +room until he came to a glassed-in case that held some rare alabaster +figures. Directly before the glass case was a stone jar. It was big +enough to hold the kitten.</p> + +<p>Rick got ready. His coat was unbuttoned. He put a hand in the outside +pocket, ready to swing the coat out so his other hand could remove the +kitten from the inside game pocket with one swoop. He watched the guard, +using the glass-case front as a mirror.</p> + +<p>The guard bent his head to light a cigarette, and Rick moved. By the +time the cigarette was going well, the kitten was in the jar and Rick +was looking at the figures in the case again. He waited patiently, and +tried identifying the figures so he would seem to be genuinely +interested.</p> + +<p>The figure with the stylized jackal head was Anubis, the god of death. +The hawk-headed one must be Horus. The female figure would be Isis. The +one with the solar disc over his head was probably Amon-Ré. The rest he +couldn't identify at all. He wondered if one of them was Bubaste, the +cat goddess. It would be appropriate.</p> + +<p>He drew back a little, first checking to see if the guard was watching, +then he bent down and looked into the jar. He put a hand in and brought +out the newspaper. He turned it over and hefted it. Then he started to +unwrap it.</p> + +<p>The guard was at his side in a flash, watching. The reddish form of the +cat came into view and the guard snatched it from his hands. Rick turned +to him with a look of bewilderment.</p> + +<p>The guard unwrapped the kitten completely and held it up, then he turned +swiftly and hurried out.</p> + +<p>Rick was across the room in two bounds. He grabbed the Egyptian cat and +tucked it into his inner pocket, then he closed his coat without +buttoning it and hurried after the guard.</p> + +<p>The guard hadn't gone far. Rick found him with another guard, +gesticulating and waving the cat. Apparently the other guard was an +officer, because he had tabs on his shoulder.</p> + +<p>The guard with the cat saw Rick and beckoned to him. He walked over, +trying to keep his expression interested but unconcerned.</p> + +<p>The officer spoke English, but not well. "He say you get this?"</p> + +<p>"I see in big jar. Vase. Stone. In newspaper. Someone leave?" Rick did +his best to make his reply simple enough for understanding. He +apparently succeeded.</p> + +<p>"Think someone try steal. Bad."</p> + +<p>"Very bad," Rick agreed, straight-faced. "Hope you find. Steal from +museum no good."</p> + +<p>"No good," the officer agreed.</p> + +<p>"Good-by," Rick said. He held his breath waiting for the reaction.</p> + +<p>Both guards gave him a half-salute, the courteous gesture he had seen +often in Cairo. He bowed and walked toward the stairs.</p> + +<p>Not until he was outside did he breathe freely. The cat was a comforting +weight in his pocket as he got into Hassan's car. He wondered what the +museum officials would think about the kitten. A moment's examination by +one of the archaeologists would show that it was of concrete, and new +concrete at that. Maybe it would just end up at the <i>Lost and Found</i> +desk, if they had one.</p> + +<p>"Let's go back to the project, Hassan," he directed. Scotty would want +to know if he had been successful. Then he could go to the Mena House +and have a late lunch while Scotty recorded signals.</p> + +<p>If only he didn't have to give the Egyptian cat to Moustafa—until the +mystery was solved. He grinned at his own thought. The cat was no good +to him, was it? His only interest was solving the mystery. Why did so +many people want it?</p> + +<p>He forced himself to think logically. It was old ground, but he went +over it again. The cat itself could have no real value. It was plastic, +and plastic is cheap. On the other hand, it was valuable as a model, as +Bartouki had explained, and Moustafa had confirmed again last night.</p> + +<p>Rick wasn't satisfied. A professional thief like Youssef wouldn't be +interested in a model. He would want only objects of high value.</p> + +<p>There was only one possibility, which Rick and Scotty had considered +before, that the cat contained something more than the piece of lead +Bartouki had described. But there was no seam in the cat, no sign that +it was anything but a solid casting. Still, Rick reasoned, if a piece of +lead could be cast into it, so could something of greater value.</p> + +<p>He had it! Somewhere in Cairo there must be a company that used X-ray or +gamma-ray photography to check large castings. It was a very common +method of industrial quality control. Farid or Kerama would know of one, +and he could arrange to have the cat X-rayed! It could be done +immediately.</p> + +<p>Pleased with the idea, he paid attention to his surroundings for the +first time since leaving the museum. Hassan was just rounding the corner +by Sahara Wells, turning into the new spur that led to the project.</p> + +<p>Ahead, across the road, was a caravan of camels. Rick watched, +interested. There were a dozen camels, and Arabs in burnooses. Some of +the camels seemed to be carrying loads. Like a movie, Rick thought.</p> + +<p>Hassan slowed, tooting his horn. The group on the road paid no +attention. They weren't going to get out of the way for any old gas +burner, Rick thought. Not these traditional ships of the desert.</p> + +<p>The car closed the gap, and one of the Arabs turned. Rick gasped. Under +the desert headdress a pair of eyes were looking at the car through +steel-rimmed glasses.</p> + +<p>Youssef!</p> + +<p>And Youssef wanted the cat!</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIV" id="CHAPTER_XIV"></a>CHAPTER XIV</h2> + +<h3>The Broad Sahara</h3> + + +<p>There was no way around the caravan without going into the desert, and +the car was too close to turn around. They were trapped!</p> + +<p>Rick hurriedly took the cat from his pocket and stuffed it down behind +the cushion of the car, pushing until it was well hidden. He knew he +would be searched; why else would Youssef come? He hoped a search was +all there was to worry about.</p> + +<p>Hassan leaned out of his window and shouted imprecations in Arabic, to +which the Arabs paid no attention. They closed around the car, and Rick +recognized two who had taken part in the attack at the museum—the +Sudanese and the big Egyptian who had worn a tarboosh. He also +recognized the one he had beaned with the kitten in the pyramid.</p> + +<p>He was not among friends, he thought grimly.</p> + +<p>Youssef opened the door. "Please get out," he requested. "It will be +easier if you co-operate."</p> + +<p>Rick looked at the odds and had to agree. He got out. Hassan was right +behind him, still shouting in Arabic.</p> + +<p>An Arab stepped up behind the guide and slugged him. Rick started to +yell a protest, then a burnoose was tossed over his head and wrapped +tightly around his chest, blocking out the light. He struggled, and was +pushed to the ground. In a moment he was rolled over and knew they were +wrapping him in a blanket or a rug.</p> + +<p>He felt pressure as ropes bound him tight, then he was lifted and placed +on something hard, stomach down, like a sack of meal on a chair. The +chair lifted and rocked, and he heard loud groans, as though of a soul +in mortal pain.</p> + +<p>He was on one of the camels, and the beast was protesting!</p> + +<p>Swaying motion began, and he knew his ungainly steed was underway.</p> + +<p>For a moment he seemed to see himself from a distance, wrapped like +Cleopatra in a rug, tossed on a camel like a bag of old clothes, and +carted unceremoniously away by a band of Arabs. The picture was so +ridiculous that he had to grin, in spite of the discomfort and the foul +air that reached him through the dirty burnoose.</p> + +<p>Then realization hit him. Youssef was in charge, and Youssef was a tough +professional thief who intended to get the cat. Where was the thief +taking him?</p> + +<p>Sudden fear ran through his thoughts.</p> + +<p>The camel swayed and jogged along for what seemed hours to Rick. Now and +then he could hear voices, but he made no sense out of the Arabic. The +camels complained constantly, and he felt like moaning with them. His +stomach hurt from the constant rubbing across the saddle and both legs +were asleep from the tight wrapping. His head dangled down, and now and +then his nose banged when the camel lurched. He couldn't remember ever +having been so uncomfortable for so long.</p> + +<p>It seemed forever before the camel stopped. Rick hung over the saddle +unprotestingly. There was nothing he could do but wait. Finally the +camel lurched forward and Rick thought he would be thrown off, then the +animal leveled again. The camel had knelt, still complaining.</p> + +<p>Hands pulled Rick from the saddle and he felt someone at work on his +bonds while the hands held him upright. Suddenly the burnoose was +whipped off, and the brilliant sunlight made his eyes water. He squinted +against the glare.</p> + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<div class="figcenter"> +<a name="illus3" id="illus3"></a> +<img src="images/illus3.jpg" alt=""/> +</div> + +<h3><i>Hands pulled Rick from the saddle</i>.</h3> +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> + +<p>An Arab finished unwrapping him and stood back. He would have fallen +except for the hands that still held him from behind. He looked over his +shoulder and the big Sudanese grinned at him. He didn't feel like +grinning back.</p> + +<p>When his eyes were adjusted to the sun, he looked around. There was +desert in all directions, no sign of civilization anywhere. Immediately +before him was an ancient stone structure, nearly buried by the sands.</p> + +<p>Youssef walked around one of the camels carrying a desert water bag. The +thief lifted it, and water poured into his mouth in a thin stream. Rick +licked his lips. "I'd like some of that," he said.</p> + +<p>Youssef recorked the bag. "Doubtless," he agreed. "Mr. Brant, I size you +up as what you Americans term a stubborn case. However, I am prepared to +drop this whole affair right now—if you will turn over the cat without +further trouble."</p> + +<p>"We gave you a cat," Rick reminded.</p> + +<p>"Yes. But not the right one."</p> + +<p>"How do you know it isn't the right one?" Rick demanded.</p> + +<p>Youssef smiled. "Shall we say that I had a cat expert examine it? Let it +go, Mr. Brant. We both know you still have the one I want."</p> + +<p>"But why do you want it?" Rick asked. He couldn't help asking, even +though this obviously was not the time for friendly banter.</p> + +<p>"I want it. That is enough. Will you give it to me?"</p> + +<p>"I can't," Rick explained. "It must be turned over to Moustafa." He +didn't say which Moustafa.</p> + +<p>The thief sighed. "Then I was right. You are stubborn. Well, +stubbornness is like starch. It does not last. In this case, we will let +the desert and thirst take the starch out of you. After a few days here +you will beg me to take the cat. But it is all so foolish, and so +unnecessary! Why not be reasonable?"</p> + +<p>Rick looked around at the endless, shimmering dunes of the Sahara, and +he wanted desperately to be reasonable. He couldn't. "Sorry," he said.</p> + +<p>"Very well. On your head be it." Youssef called in Arabic and two men +lifted down a huge bundle from one of the camels. They unwrapped it, and +Hassan swayed and blinked in the glaring sun.</p> + +<p>"You shall have company," Youssef stated. He gestured at the surrounding +wastes. "We leave you to do what you wish. You might even try to walk to +civilization. I will leave no guard. However, I do not recommend it, +because when I return it might not be possible to find you in time if +you should leave here. When I come back I will have writing materials +and you will send a note to your friend Scott, telling him to give me +the cat. When I have the cat, I will see that your friends are told how +to find you."</p> + +<p>The thief swung to a kneeling camel, and his men followed suit. A +command and the camels rose, mouthing their complaints. Youssef waved, +and the caravan raced away with long, smooth strides across the desert.</p> + +<p>Rick turned to Hassan. "Are you all right?" he asked anxiously.</p> + +<p>The dragoman put a hand to his head. "Hurts like fire, but I okay. You?"</p> + +<p>"I'm fine."</p> + +<p>"What we do now?"</p> + +<p>Rick saw the camels disappear behind a dune, then emerge again. It was a +pretty, romantic picture, but one he couldn't appreciate.</p> + +<p>"We wait," he told Hassan. "We wait, and I guess we hope. There's +nothing else we can do."</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XV" id="CHAPTER_XV"></a>CHAPTER XV</h2> + +<h3>The Cat Comes Back</h3> + + +<p>The hands of the control-room clock crept up to five. Scotty asked an +Egyptian technician to watch the tapes for a moment, then went to the +telephone and called the hotel.</p> + +<p>It wasn't like Rick to be late. Scotty thought his pal might have +decided to take a nap and had failed to wake up in time, but he had +little faith in the idea. Rick wasn't a nap taker. More likely, +something had happened at the museum.</p> + +<p>The hotel desk rang the room without success, and to Scotty's question, +the clerk answered that he had not seen Mr. Brant or Hassan since +morning.</p> + +<p>Scotty debated calling the museum, and decided against it. He went to +Parnell Winston, who was supervising the transfer of information from +the Sanborn tracings to graph paper.</p> + +<p>"Rick hasn't shown," Scotty said bluntly. "I'm worried. He's never +late."</p> + +<p>Winston glanced up. "Could Hassan's car have broken down?"</p> + +<p>"Could be, but I don't think so. Rick could have gotten a taxi anywhere +on the route. Besides, he was going to the museum to get the Egyptian +cat. Something might have happened."</p> + +<p>The scientist knew the two boys from long association, and they had kept +him informed of their various adventures. In spite of his preoccupation +with the project he had been interested in their cat mystery and had +been keeping an eye on them. Winston hadn't noticed that Rick was late, +but he was worried too, now that it was called to his attention.</p> + +<p>"Go find him, Scotty. Dr. Kerama's driver can take you. I'll have one of +the others watch the tapes. But get back as soon as you can."</p> + +<p>Scotty planned his search on the way into town. He had the car take him +to the museum as soon as they arrived in Cairo. The museum was closed, +but questioning of the guard disclosed that Rick had been there, and had +"found" an unusual statue wrapped in newspaper and left in an urn. It +was a new statue, the guard captain said, probably left by some visitor +who had disobeyed the sign about taking packages into the museum.</p> + +<p>So Rick had carried out the plan and had rescued the Egyptian cat. Now +the museum had the kitten.</p> + +<p>Scotty had the car take him to the hotel. There was no sign of either +Rick or Hassan, and no one had seen either of them. Scotty questioned +the clerk, the doorman, the hall porter, the room maid, and the dragomen +who waited for business in the narrow street between the Semiramis and +the Shepheard's hotels.</p> + +<p>Finally, he found a dragoman who knew nothing of their whereabouts, but +added, "Why you not wait in room? They not far. Hassan's car here."</p> + +<p>"Where?" Scotty demanded quickly.</p> + +<p>"Out back. In alley."</p> + +<p>Scotty ran. The dragoman was right! Hassan's car was parked in the usual +place. He looked around to see who might have been working in the area, +someone who might know when the car had arrived.</p> + +<p>A window in the hotel kitchen opened into the alley above the car and a +cook was looking out. Scotty found the door and hurried into the hotel. +He worked his way through rooms and corridors until he found the +kitchen. He saw that the cook was a salad maker who apparently worked at +a bench right next to the window, but to his questions the man shook his +head. He spoke no English.</p> + +<p>Additional searching produced the chief cook, whose English was good. He +relayed Scotty's questions and the cook's answers.</p> + +<p>"He say car come while he cleaning up after lunchtime. He see stranger +driving. So he lean out and ask where is Hassan. Stranger say he is the +cousin of Hassan and Hassan lend him car. That is all. Cousin lock up +car and go away."</p> + +<p>It was enough. But Scotty's elation over finding a clue was tempered by +the realization that a stranger driving Hassan's car could mean that +Rick and the dragoman were in real danger. He did not know whether or +not Hassan had any cousins, but he was certain the guide would not have +loaned the car while on a job.</p> + +<p>Scotty ran into the alley and tried all the doors. If Rick had managed +to leave a note or any clue in the car, Scotty wanted it. Locked doors +weren't going to stop him!</p> + +<p>He searched the alley until he found a piece of stiff wire. He bent one +end into a hook. Then, with his jackknife, he pried one of the no-draft +windows open just far enough to slip the wire in. He wedged the window +with a piece of wood and began fishing.</p> + +<p>It took long, patient minutes to hook a door handle, then more time to +maneuver the wire into position. By the time he was ready for the last +step, the cooks and some of the dragomen were watching. He paid no +attention. Holding his breath, he exerted pressure on the wire. The +inner handle turned, the latch clicked. The door was unlocked.</p> + +<p>Scotty started in the front seat and went over the car methodically. He +found nothing. Finally, only the cushions were left. He pulled the front +one away and examined the debris that seems to collect under car seats. +He put the cushion back and went to the rear one.</p> + +<p>He lifted the seat out—and disclosed the Egyptian cat, in back of the +cushion where Rick had stuffed it.</p> + +<p>Scotty examined it, his heart racing. He hurriedly set things to rights +in the car, closed the car door, and hurried into the hotel.</p> + +<p>He knew Rick, and he knew his pal wouldn't have parted with the cat +except for one reason: to protect it. That meant Rick had expected to be +searched.</p> + +<p>Scotty followed the thought forward, logically. Rick had hidden the cat, +then he and Hassan had been taken from the car. A "cousin" had brought +it back to the hotel. Why? Scotty didn't know the answer to that, unless +Rick and Hassan had been taken in some location where an abandoned car +would have attracted attention. That wouldn't be in the city, because +who would pay any attention to a car parked and locked at the curb?</p> + +<p>But if not in the city, where? Somewhere in the desert was Scotty's +guess. The desert was on both sides of the river, both north and south +of Cairo. He could assume that the two had headed for the project, or +that they had gone north for some reason he couldn't imagine.</p> + +<p>He dropped the line of thought; it was getting nowhere. One thing was +clear: whoever had taken Rick and Hassan hadn't suspected that Rick +actually had the cat with him.</p> + +<p>The cat had to be the reason. Someone who wanted it had decided on +direct action. Scotty opened the door of the room he shared with Rick +and looked about him unhappily, not really seeing anything. He knew +Rick's captors would not have an easy time making his pal talk. And even +when Rick did open up, he would spin some kind of yarn that would throw +them off the trail. Scotty thought that Rick would not be in any great +danger until he disclosed the cat's whereabouts. But he didn't like the +idea of what Rick would have to go through before then.</p> + +<p>The question was who had taken him?</p> + +<p>There were two possibilities: Moustafa and Youssef. So far as Third +Brother knew, the cat was to be delivered to him at the hotel that +night. On the other hand, Youssef's men had searched them in front of +the museum, and later Rick had handed Youssef a kitten. The thief must +have found out that the kitten was a fake.</p> + +<p>Scotty picked up the room telephone and called the project. In a moment +he had Winston on the line. "Rick's gone," he said tersely. "Hassan, +too. The car was brought to the hotel by a stranger. Rick left the cat +in the car, behind the rear cushion. He wouldn't do that unless he knew +he was going to be searched. My guess is that Youssef snatched them. I +think it's time we got the police in on this!"</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVI" id="CHAPTER_XVI"></a>CHAPTER XVI</h2> + +<h3>The Howling Jackals</h3> + + +<p>Tourists travel thousands of miles to see the full moon rise over the +Sahara Desert. It is a sight of lonely, majestic grandeur. The rolling +contours of sand and rock assume weird, lovely patterns, and even the +desert wind is hushed. It is at such times, men say, that the spirits of +the ancient Egyptian gods, Amon-Ré, Horus, Thoth, Isis, Osiris, Bubaste, +and the others again walk on earth.</p> + +<p>Rick Brant could appreciate the scene, but he was in no mood for it. He +clutched his coat around him more tightly to keep out the penetrating +desert chill. From behind a nearby dune he heard the rising, yapping +howl of a jackal, one of earth's loneliest sounds.</p> + +<p>Anubis, Egyptian god of death, had the head of a jackal, he recalled. He +tried to wet his lips. He was terribly thirsty.</p> + +<p>Hassan had been stretched out on the sand. He rose to a sitting position +and gestured toward the dune that shielded the jackal from sight. "He +noisy."</p> + +<p>Rick nodded. "Do jackals always bark at night?"</p> + +<p>"Always. It is their kismet."</p> + +<p>Their fate, Rick thought. Born to bark at the empty desert. He wondered +if the little doglike animals enjoyed it. "Do they always bark at +nothing?"</p> + +<p>"No. Sometimes they bark at people. Like now. He bark at us."</p> + +<p>Rick grinned feebly. "He doesn't like us using his desert. Well, I'd be +happy to give it back to him."</p> + +<p>The dragoman nodded. "Also. You know, when our people want to say time +go by ... how you say? ... life goes on and no man can stop time or make +much change in things, they speak of the jackal."</p> + +<p>Rick looked at the guide with interest. He had been glad all through the +long hours of Hassan's presence. The Sudanese had turned out to be an +entertaining and thought-provoking companion. "Is it a saying of some +kind?" he asked.</p> + +<p>Hassan nodded. "The little jackal barks—but the caravan passes."</p> + +<p>Rick repeated the expression thoughtfully. It said a great deal. "I'll +remember that, Hassan."</p> + +<p>There was something he had wanted to ask. "May I ask a personal +question?"</p> + +<p>The guide spread his hands expressively. "You hired a dragoman, but he +has become your friend. Ask what you will."</p> + +<p>"Thank you, Hassan. Scotty and I think of you as a friend, too. I wanted +to ask about your English. You've been speaking very good English to me +all day, but until we were captured, you spoke sort of broken English."</p> + +<p>Hassan chuckled softly. "It is part of show I put on. My clients talk +too simple English to me most of the time. They don't expect me to know +good English. So I do not speak as well as I can. Now, with you and +Scotty, it is different. My broken English is habit, so I continue to +speak it until today. But I knew it would be different with you when we +had coffee together, and when we laughed together. That was when I knew +I could leave my show clothes at home and dress in a suit."</p> + +<p>Rick laughed with him. "So that's why you wore fancy stuff only that +first day. But, Hassan, if you can't read or write, how did you learn +such good English?"</p> + +<p>"I am like a parrot," Hassan replied. "I hear, and I repeat. For four +years I was houseboy to an American family, from USIS, what you call the +United States Information Service."</p> + +<p>"They taught you English?" Rick prompted.</p> + +<p>"I knew some, but we helped each other. I teached them Arab talk, and +they correct me when I speak American."</p> + +<p>Hassan launched into a recital of his years with the Americans, who had +been transferred to India, but still wrote to him now and then. Rick +listened with only part of his mind. For the most, his thoughts went +back over ground he had covered before, since Youssef had dumped the two +of them next to an ancient crypt.</p> + +<p>The big question was, of course, what would happen to them?</p> + +<p>As though in answer, the little jackal appeared silhouetted on top of +the dune. He lifted his head to the full moon, and his voice rose in a +prolonged, yapping howl. Then, as suddenly, he was gone again.</p> + +<p>Rick gave an involuntary shiver. By the time Youssef returned, he would +be in bad shape from thirst. He wondered how long he could hold out, and +in the same instant wondered why he should. There was some real value +attached to the cat. It was not manufacturing rights or sales, and it +was not revenge. He was sure of that.</p> + +<p>Youssef had said that he had no sentimental attachment to the cat. He +had also said he disliked unnecessary violence. Rick wondered what the +thief considered "unnecessary."</p> + +<p>What else could he recall of Youssef's talk? He had said that the cat +was not important, that it had elements of value to some people, and +that he never lied. If one took his words at face value and believed +him, then the cat itself was not important. What did that leave? Rick +could see only one thing: that it was important only because it +<i>contained</i> something. Youssef's words simply reinforced the conclusion +he and Scotty already had reached.</p> + +<p>"Elements of value to a few people," Youssef had said. That might mean +only a few people knew what the cat contained. If you didn't know, it +was only a plastic cat. If you did know what it contained ... well, +Youssef knew, and he wanted the cat badly enough to risk a kidnaping.</p> + +<p>Rick wondered where the cat was now. He had no idea of what had happened +to Hassan's car. If it was left on the road and not searched, Scotty or +someone from the project would recognize it. Scotty would certainly +search the car, and he would find kitty. It was what Rick would do, and +he and Scotty thought alike on many things.</p> + +<p>Hassan finished his recital of a trip to the Valley of the Kings with +his American employers and Rick took advantage of the lull to borrow a +match. He lighted it and looked at his watch. It was nearly midnight.</p> + +<p>Had Scotty met Kemel Moustafa at seven? Rick thought he probably had, +and wondered what Third Brother's reaction to his mysterious +disappearance had been. If Scotty had the cat, had he delivered it? Rick +thought not. Scotty would keep the cat, for bargaining purposes.</p> + +<p>He found himself yawning. "Hassan, when do you think Youssef will come +back?"</p> + +<p>"If he wants us alive and able to talk, maybe day after tomorrow. If +not—<i>la samah Allah!</i>—maybe longer."</p> + +<p>"What's <i>la samah Allah</i>?" Rick stumbled over the pronunciation.</p> + +<p>"God forbid," Hassan said grimly.</p> + +<p>"Amen," Rick echoed.</p> + +<p>He shifted position. "We'd better get some sleep. Should we go into the +crypt or stay out here?"</p> + +<p>The crypt was only a cubic chamber of rough stone, partly filled with +drifting sand. Desert winds had been alternately covering and uncovering +it for centuries.</p> + +<p>"Stay out here until morning. Then we go in out of sun, like today. +Youssef good to us. With no shelter from the sun, we would not last +long."</p> + +<p>"He's a fine fellow," Rick said without heat. "Good night, Hassan."</p> + +<p>"<i>Leltak s'aeeda</i>, Rick. Good night to you."</p> + +<p>The boy curled up in a ball, knees tucked into stomach, head resting on +one arm. He covered up as much as possible with the short coat, squirmed +until he had a depression for his hip in the sand, and closed his eyes.</p> + +<p>On the nearby dune the little jackal peeked over the top at the two +prone figures and sang his vast displeasure to the moon. From faraway a +friend or relative joined in the serenade. It was the last thing Rick +heard.</p> + +<hr style="width: 45%;" /> + +<p>Hassan shook him. "Rick! Awaken, please! Camels coming."</p> + +<p>Rick came back to reality from a dream of emptiness and loneliness in a +darkened desert. The moon had set and false dawn was burning on the far +horizon. He shook his head blearily. "What? Who's coming?"</p> + +<p>"Not know. I woke and saw camels on the sky."</p> + +<p>"In the east?"</p> + +<p>"Yes. Against sky."</p> + +<p>Rick shivered in the biting chill of early morning. He doubted that any +legitimate travelers came this way. Youssef would not have left them +near a caravan route. He could only guess that the thief himself was +coming back, and he grew colder at the thought. Perhaps Youssef had +decided not to wait to soften Rick up. On the other hand, there was a +remote possibility he had the cat. If he was a thief with honor, he +might simply be coming to take them back.</p> + +<p>The idea seemed unlikely. Scotty wouldn't give up the cat, except in +exchange for the two of them. If Youssef had found it himself, it was +hours ago. He wouldn't have waited to search Hassan's car, if he had +ever intended to search it.</p> + +<p>An inner voice urged, "Tell him where the cat is. It's not your cat, and +there's no reason to believe that Kemel Moustafa has any more right to +what's inside of it than Youssef has."</p> + +<p>But there was a deep streak of stubbornness in the Brants, which Rick +had inherited. He knew he wouldn't give in until he absolutely had to. +When that time came he would tell Youssef the truth, that he had hidden +the cat in the Egyptian Museum. What he would not say was that the cat +had been recovered and that he had left it in Hassan's car.</p> + +<p>False dawn had faded. It was nearly black, except for myriad stars. +Hassan lay with his ear to the ground. Rick held perfectly still and +waited.</p> + +<p>Finally Hassan sat up. "Close now," he whispered.</p> + +<p>Rick wondered briefly if they shouldn't put up a fight, but he knew it +would be useless. Youssef had too many men.</p> + +<p>The camels appeared like wraiths from behind the dune, and Rick blinked +trying to see more clearly.</p> + +<p>There were three, and only one of them carried a rider. He waited +tensely for the rest of the band to appear.</p> + +<p>The camels arrived and Rick whispered urgently, "The rest must be +behind. Jump him and we'll grab the camels and make a run for it."</p> + +<p>Hassan tensed. "Yes. Be ready."</p> + +<p>The camel rider came close, and lifted a hand in greeting. "<i>Assalamo +alaikum. Fil khedma, ya sidi. Ana gay men sidi Moustafa.</i>"</p> + +<p>Rick was tensed to spring, to haul the man from his saddle, when Hassan +put a hand on his arm. "Wait. He say greeting, he is at your service, +and he come from Mr. Moustafa!"</p> + +<p>Rick watched in unbelieving amazement as the driver forced his groaning +camel to kneel, then immediately commanded the other two to kneel also. +When the camel's protests had ceased, Hassan spoke to him rapidly. The +man answered at length.</p> + +<p>"He was with Youssef," Hassan said. "But he is also in the pay of Kemel +Moustafa. Last night he went to Moustafa and told him about us. Moustafa +sent him to bring us back."</p> + +<p>Rick hesitated. Could they trust this man? But it was a silly question, +because he knew he had no choice. Anything was better than sitting in +the desert and waiting.</p> + +<p>"Ask if he has water, then we'll go with him."</p> + +<p>The man did, a full water bag. They drank sparingly, knowing the danger +of too much water after deprivation. Then the three mounted the camels. +Rick held onto the horn in front of him as the mount lurched +protestingly to its feet, then they were going across the sands to the +east at what seemed incredible speed. Ahead of them, the first flush of +real dawn was visible.</p> + +<hr style="width: 45%;" /> + +<p>The sun was high before they came within sight of the first man-made +objects in the desert. Rick saw pyramids, but not those of Giza. He +called to Hassan, who was riding his swaying mount like a veteran.</p> + +<p>"What pyramids are those, Hassan?"</p> + +<p>"Sakkarah," the dragoman replied. "We come back long way around."</p> + +<p>To the east, then the south, Rick thought. He was by no means sure of +what would be waiting, but at least he knew where he was. Sakkarah, a +"must" for tourists, Bartouki had said. Well, he was getting there, even +though he had taken the hard way.</p> + +<p>On the road near Sakkarah a car was waiting, and in it was Kemel +Moustafa. The cameleer made the mounts kneel. Rick and Hassan got off, +and the man with the camels hurried away without a word. The two walked +up to the car.</p> + +<p>"Thank you for rescuing us," Rick said politely.</p> + +<p>Moustafa had not spoken. Now he tugged at his mustache and nodded. +"Whether it was worth while remains to be seen. According to my man, +Youssef did not get the cat. This is correct?"</p> + +<p>"Yes. Did you see my friend last night?"</p> + +<p>"I did. Precisely at seven. He informed me that you were missing. Then, +sometime later, my man managed to leave Youssef's gang and report in. I +at once made plans for your rescue. Now tell me. Where is the cat?"</p> + +<p>Rick was very, very tired of the Egyptian cat. He thought grimly that +when he returned home he and his sister would have a long talk about +volunteering services for strangers.</p> + +<p>"The cat is under the back cushion of Hassan's car," he said tiredly. +"And the sooner you take it off my hands, the better."</p> + +<p>"Hassan's car is at the hotel," Moustafa said. "Come. We will go there +at once."</p> + +<p>Rick and Hassan climbed into the car and Moustafa raced the motor. He +meshed gears and spun his wheels as he got off to a fast start.</p> + +<p>He's certainly in a hurry to get that cat, Rick thought. Well, he was +the legitimate receiver. Only it was too bad to let the animal go +without ever knowing what it contained.</p> + +<p>No matter, Rick thought, as the desert road sped underneath. No matter +now. In a few minutes it will be finished.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVII" id="CHAPTER_XVII"></a>CHAPTER XVII</h2> + +<h3>Ismail ben Adhem</h3> + + +<p>Rick awoke with the setting sun in his eyes. He yawned luxuriously and +turned over to look at the clock, then sat upright in bed at the sight +of Scotty and a stranger.</p> + +<p>The stranger was young, with a friendly smile. He was relaxed as he sat +in a comfortable chair, but it was the same kind of relaxation one sees +in a panther or another of the great cats. Rick knew, without even +asking, that this lean, bronzed, good-looking Egyptian was a police +officer and that he probably was a very good one. He <i>looked</i> like a +hunter.</p> + +<p>"Thought you were going to sleep till tomorrow," Scotty said. "Rick, +this is Inspector Ismail ben Adhem of the Cairo Police."</p> + +<p>The inspector held out a brown hand. Rick sensed the strength in it, +although the handshake was normal. "I'm glad you're here," the boy said +frankly. "Between Youssef and Kemel Moustafa, we're sort of in a jam."</p> + +<p>The inspector smiled. "Well see if we can get you out of it. Suppose you +call me Ben, just to make things easy. Now, Scotty has given me a +detailed report of your activities up to the time you left the project +yesterday. Suppose we pick up from there?"</p> + +<p>"Okay. Can I order breakfast first?"</p> + +<p>"Of course. Forgive my impatience. We can talk at leisure over coffee."</p> + +<p>Rick placed the order, then launched into a recital of yesterday's +events, including his night in the desert and rescue by Kemel Moustafa. +He concluded, "We came back to the hotel. Hassan opened the car, and the +cat was gone. Of course I had no idea what had happened to it. Moustafa +turned black with rage. He said I had a clear choice of getting the cat +back and turning it over to him, or having something unpleasant happen. +He'll be back at seven. He wasn't joking."</p> + +<p>"No," Ben agreed. "I know this man, and he does not joke. What then?"</p> + +<p>"I sent Hassan home to get some rest, and I came up to the room and +called the project. Scotty answered. He told me Felix was safe, so I +knew he had the cat, and he told me the police had been called in. I +just fell into bed and went to sleep. That's it."</p> + +<p>"It's enough," the inspector said. "Of course neither of you had any way +of knowing what was going on. You had merely undertaken to do a favor +for an acquaintance. I just wish some kind wind had whispered to you the +idea of reporting to us after that first day in El Mouski."</p> + +<p>"I guess we were wrong," Rick admitted. "At first it didn't seem like a +matter for the police. Later, we just didn't think of it."</p> + +<p>"I understand. But it doesn't pay to be too independent in a strange +land, I assure you. Ask Steve Ames."</p> + +<p>The boys stared in amazement. Steve Ames was a close friend, and their +contact in JANIG, one of the top American government security +organizations.</p> + +<p>"How do you know Steve?" Rick asked in astonishment.</p> + +<p>"He and I went through the FBI Academy together. We keep in touch. Also, +the International Police Organization, which is called Interpol, keeps +us up to date on developments. I know that your scientific group works +closely with Steve."</p> + +<p>So Ismail ben Adhem was an FBI graduate! Rick looked at him with new +respect. "I guess we should have reported to you," he said. "We just +didn't know."</p> + +<p>"No matter. It will all work out, anyway. In fact, your delay in +contacting us may even make things simpler."</p> + +<p>"How?" Scotty asked.</p> + +<p>Ben shrugged. "We will see. This cat of yours has many interesting +possibilities."</p> + +<p>"Do you know why the cat is important?" Rick demanded.</p> + +<p>"I have an idea. But please do not press me for details. It is better +for everything to go on normally while I do a little useful work. So, I +suggest you two continue on as before, with only one difference. You +will use a different taxi to travel back and forth to Sahara Wells."</p> + +<p>"But Hassan is our dragoman," Rick protested. "What's more, he's a +friend. We can't switch now, after we engaged him for the duration of +our stay."</p> + +<p>Ben smiled warmly. "Your loyalty to Hassan does you credit. But don't +worry. He will be taken care of. You and I will trade transportation. I +will use Hassan, and you will use my taxi."</p> + +<p>"I don't get it," Scotty said.</p> + +<p>"It's simple. Both of you are able to testify to criminal actions on the +part of Youssef. Also, if this works out as I hope, you will have +testimony to give on the actions of Kemel Moustafa. Now, if you knew +there was evidence against you, and you were completely ruthless, what +would you do?"</p> + +<p>"Remove the evidence," Rick said slowly. His eyes met Scotty's.</p> + +<p>"Exactly. So, Hassan stays with me, and your taxi driver will be one of +my best officers. He will stay with you at all times. While you are in +the hotel, another of my men will be your hall porter."</p> + +<p>"Do you really think we're in any danger?" Scotty asked.</p> + +<p>"Don't ever doubt it, Scotty. Be on guard at all times."</p> + +<p>"It's because the cat is very important," Rick stated. "And the cat is +important because of something inside of it. You know what that +something is."</p> + +<p>"An excellent deduction," Ben agreed with a grin. "All but the last +statement. I do not know what it is. I merely suspect. My evidence is +circumstantial. I'll tell you this much, though. I know a great deal +about certain interests of the Moustafa brothers, and I was informed by +Interpol that there is an interesting gentleman of great wealth in San +Francisco who talks too much."</p> + +<p>Rick thought over the statement. It didn't help at all. He couldn't see +what a talkative man in California had to do with the Egyptian cat. +"That's not very informative," he objected.</p> + +<p>Ben laughed. "I'm sure it isn't. But I'll make you a promise. Before you +leave Egypt, we will perform a small operation on the cat and remove its +appendix—or whatever else it may have inside."</p> + +<p>"We'll hold you to that," Scotty told him.</p> + +<p>Rick's breakfast arrived, and over <i>café au lait</i> and Egyptian rolls +Ismail ben Adhem questioned Rick until he was sure he had extracted all +the information the two boys had.</p> + +<p>It suddenly occurred to Rick that he had asked no questions himself. +"Where's the cat?" he demanded.</p> + +<p>"At the project," Scotty replied. "I was going to turn it over to Ben, +but he said to leave it there."</p> + +<p>"It might be uncomfortable at the station," Ben added with a twinkle. +"After all, it's a well-cared-for pet."</p> + +<p>Rick grinned. "We've grown fond of it," he admitted. "Second question: +can't you just pick up Youssef on a kidnapping charge?"</p> + +<p>"We could, if we knew where to find him. But Youssef is a hard man to +locate when he goes underground. We've been trying to get something on +him for years, and we know him well. This time he's over-played his hand +and we've got him. It's only a question of time."</p> + +<p>"How about Moustafa?" Rick asked. "Is he guilty of anything?"</p> + +<p>The police officer finished his coffee and rose. "Not yet," he said. +"But he will be. Now, stay together at all times. Ride with the taxi +driver who will be waiting for you in the hall. Otherwise, go about your +business as usual, and have a good time."</p> + +<p>Scotty saw him to the door, then turned to Rick. "Moustafa isn't guilty +of anything yet, but he will be. That's interesting."</p> + +<p>Rick thought so, too. "Isn't it pretty careless, leaving the cat at the +project?"</p> + +<p>"Seems so," Scotty agreed. "But I think Ben knows what he's doing."</p> + +<p>"I guess you're right," Rick said soberly.</p> + +<p>After more coffee and a shower, he felt like himself again. There was +work to do at the project, so the two boys picked up the police driver, +who was keeping an eye on their door, and rode to the project.</p> + +<p>The scientists greeted Rick happily. "We were pretty worried for a +while," Winston said, and the Egyptians echoed him.</p> + +<p>"We don't usually treat tourists this way," Farid said jokingly, but +behind the smile Rick sensed that the Egyptian scientist was embarrassed +by what had happened to a guest.</p> + +<p>"I got myself into it," Rick pointed out. "If we had gone to the police +about the Egyptian cat that first day, there would have been no +trouble."</p> + +<p>Dr. Kerama put a hand on his shoulder. "It is very kind of you to try to +save our feelings. But we were so involved in this fascinating problem +that we simply didn't pay enough attention. Otherwise, we could have +advised you to see the police."</p> + +<p>"How is it going?" Rick asked.</p> + +<p>"Very well," Farid said. "We're exchanging reports constantly with the +other radio telescopes and it's clear that we have something +extraordinary. We're trying to agree on the precise location of this +space object. The next step will be to examine the signals more closely +to see if a pattern can be found or if they're simply random."</p> + +<p>"If you and Scotty feel up to it," Winston added, "we'd like you to +duplicate the audio tapes for us. We want to send a set right away to +Green Bank. They started audio recording, too, yesterday, but they don't +have the hours when the object was in sight of our telescope but not +theirs. They're duplicating the signals we didn't get after the object +dropped below our horizon. That way we'll both have a complete record +for analysis."</p> + +<p>"What is the space object?" Rick asked.</p> + +<p>Winston shook his head. "We don't know. It's too early even to speculate +much. Can you make the duplicates?"</p> + +<p>It was early evening. "We can get sandwiches at the Mena House and work +until we're finished," Rick replied. "That will get us home before +midnight. There can't be more than a few hours to record."</p> + +<p>"Fine. You'll be alone, but since the inspector put a police guard on +you, I'm sure it will be all right."</p> + +<p>Farid had arranged the technical setup, using another unit borrowed from +the government radio station for the purpose. All they would need to do +was feed tape into the machines and watch the recording level.</p> + +<p>One of the Egyptian technicians drove to the Mena House and brought back +sandwiches and cokes. The scientists departed, to have a quick dinner +and then resume work at a different location where a computer was +available to do the complicated mathematics required for analysis of the +data.</p> + +<p>Rick and Scotty started work right away. The police driver sat in a +chair and watched them. He spoke English, but wasn't much of a +conversationalist. After a while the boys forgot he was there.</p> + +<p>Listening to the space signal was strange. As the tape ran through, Rick +was certain his ear detected a kind of pattern in the sounds. There was +a continuous hiss; that was normal hydrogen on the 21-centimeter wave +length. Then there were sharper hisses, as though some strange creature +was trying to send a coded message through the noisy hydrogen +background.</p> + +<p>"It's a message of some kind," Rick stated. "I'll bet on it."</p> + +<p>"Who sends messages from space?" Scotty asked with a grin. "Ghouls, +ghosties, or long-legged beasties?"</p> + +<p>"Don't laugh," Rick said impatiently. "Didn't you ever hear of Project +Ozma?"</p> + +<p>Scotty hadn't. "The wizard of Ozma?"</p> + +<p>"The name comes from Princess Ozma of Oz, I guess, but it was the first +project to use the Green Bank telescope to try to locate intelligent +signals from space. Stuff exactly like this."</p> + +<p>"You're kidding!"</p> + +<p>"Nope. On the level."</p> + +<p>Scotty listened to the continuous signal, his face thoughtful. "Maybe +there is intelligence behind it. And maybe not. I don't get much of a +pattern out of the sounds."</p> + +<p>"Maybe the seven-eyed men of the planet Glup don't have rhythm," Rick +began. "Anyway ..."</p> + +<p>He never finished the sentence. The control-room door slammed open. +Arabs crashed through, bringing the police guard to his feet with a +bound. He snatched a pistol from a shoulder holster and got off two +shots before an answering shot caught him and spun him around with the +impact. The police guard slid slowly to the floor!</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVIII" id="CHAPTER_XVIII"></a>CHAPTER XVIII</h2> + +<h3>The Fight at Sahara Wells</h3> + + +<p>The pistol dropped from the police driver's nerveless hand and Scotty +leaped. Rick dropped to the floor as his pal picked up the pistol and +rolled, shooting as he turned. His second shot caught an Arab and +slammed him back into the others who were trying to crowd in.</p> + +<p>Rick looked frantically for a weapon. The only thing in sight was a +heavy ceramic ash tray that the guard's fall had knocked to the floor. +He grabbed it and threw, rising to one elbow. The ash tray caught an +Arab in the throat. Someone shot, and chips flew from the cement floor +next to Rick's head. He rolled away.</p> + +<p>Scotty aimed with care, as coolly as though he stood on the range back +home. He squeezed the trigger and was rewarded by a choked yell from +beyond the doorway. He fired again, and a burnoosed figure grabbed the +doorframe for support.</p> + +<p>The Arabs beyond the doorway had dived for cover, leaving the doorframe +clear except for the most recent victim of Scotty's shooting and the one +Rick had hit. He was lying on the floor with both hands clutched to his +throat, gagging and gasping for air.</p> + +<p>A headdress was thrust around the frame and Scotty squeezed off a quick +shot. The hammer clicked harmlessly. He was out of ammunition! He threw +the pistol and the head vanished.</p> + +<p>Both boys got to their feet and crouched to rush any newcomers. They +whirled at the tinkle of broken glass behind them.</p> + +<p>Youssef stood in the window, a Sten gun trained on them. Rick looked at +the deadly little submachine gun and gulped. He remembered what Ben had +said about removing the evidence.</p> + +<p>The thief said, "Put both hands on top of your heads."</p> + +<p>The boys did so, with no hesitation. In spite of Youssef's apparently +casual manner, both knew he would not hesitate to shoot. He raised his +voice and shouted in Arabic. The boys stiffened as footsteps sounded +behind them and gun muzzles were thrust into their backs. Youssef +vanished from the window and reappeared in a moment through the door.</p> + +<p>"You're a difficult young man," he told Rick. "But the time for being +difficult is over. I want the cat, now."</p> + +<p>"I left it in Hassan's car," Rick said, with pretended hopelessness.</p> + +<p>Youssef spoke in Arabic. The pressure of the gun muzzle left Rick's +back. He felt a cord being slipped around his forehead, a cord with hard +knots that fell across his temples.</p> + +<p>"What you feel is a strangler's cord," the thief said grimly. "Don't be +a fool. The cat means nothing to you; you were merely a messenger boy. +Give me the cat and you will be left alone."</p> + +<p>"Not until the evidence is destroyed," Rick thought. "Not until we're +dead."</p> + +<p>"It's in the car," he repeated.</p> + +<p>Youssef lost his composure. He snapped an order in Arabic and the cord +tightened. Rick gritted his teeth. Next to him, Scotty bent forward.</p> + +<p>"Don't try it," the thief grated. "I only need one of you." His black +eyes bored into Rick's. "One of my men watched you and Moustafa search +Hassan's car this morning. The cat was not there. Where is it?"</p> + +<p>Rick started to shout that he didn't know, when a burst of shooting +accompanied by wild yells broke out outside. Youssef spoke quickly in +Arabic, then turned to the boys. "Sit down in those chairs. Move, and +you die. I will deal with you when I have found out what this is all +about."</p> + +<p>The shooting gained in volume and the yells increased. The boys took the +seats and stared at the big Sudanese, who was covering them with the +Sten gun. The strangler's cord was draped carelessly about his neck.</p> + +<p>"That's a real gun fight outside," Scotty whispered.</p> + +<p>Rick nodded. He could detect several guns of different calibers, and the +chatter of Sten guns was distinctive. What was going on?</p> + +<p>The shooting lessened, then stopped altogether. The shouting increased. +The big Sudanese kept glancing over his shoulder at the doorway, as +though fearful of what he might see, but he always glanced back too +quickly for the boys to act.</p> + +<p>"Watch it," Scotty said from the corner of his mouth. Rick casually got +his feet under him and tensed.</p> + +<p>Scotty's eyes opened wide and he choked, "Inspector!"</p> + +<p>The Sudanese whirled, Sten gun ready, and the boys left their chairs in +a bound. Rick dove for the thief's knees while Scotty smashed straight +into him like a battering ram. The big man toppled over backward, his +blazing Sten gun chipping plaster from the ceiling.</p> + +<p>Rick let go of his grip on the knees and clawed for the man's throat. +Scotty concentrated on the Sten gun, grabbing the hot barrel and bending +backward.</p> + +<p>The big Sudanese heaved, and Rick felt as though he was a terrier +hanging to a wild bull. The man was incredibly strong. The boy grabbed +his throat in one hand and fended off crushing blows with the other.</p> + +<p>He was concentrating so hard on holding his grip that a newcomer who ran +into the control room had to yell. "Get up, I said. All of you!" A heavy +foot crashed down on the Sten gun and held it.</p> + +<p>Rick looked up, dazed with effort, into the cold face of Kemel Moustafa. +Third Brother had a Luger automatic, and he looked ready to use it.</p> + +<p>The boys rolled away and got to their feet. The Sudanese got to his +knees and started to get up. Moustafa struck with the Luger and the man +collapsed.</p> + +<p>The pistol muzzle pointed at Rick. "You double-crossed me," Moustafa +grated. "You were supposed to give me the cat an hour ago at the hotel. +Fortunately, I had one of my men follow Youssef, because I suspected he +would find the cat sooner or later. Give it to me."</p> + +<p>"Your men must have won the fight," Rick ventured.</p> + +<p>"They did. Conversation will not help. I have thought about this, and I +am certain Youssef did not get the cat. His presence here confirms it. +Also, I believe that you thought it was in the car until we searched. If +Youssef did not take it, your own friend did. You would not leave it in +the hotel, so it must be here. Either you give it to me freely, or I +will shoot you and take my chances on finding it."</p> + +<p>Rick hesitated.</p> + +<p>"Make up your mind!" Moustafa snapped. The pistol steadied on a line +with Rick's head.</p> + +<p>"Give it to him," Scotty said. "He means it."</p> + +<p>There were shots from outside again. Moustafa blazed, "Hurry! Youssef's +men must be loose. I count three and shoot! One, two...."</p> + +<p>"Hold it," Rick said hurriedly. "It's under the amplifier."</p> + +<p>He walked to the amplifier and bent, fumbling with the door latch. If he +could shield his motions, he could grab the cat, turn, and throw. He +might be lucky ...</p> + +<p>"Just hand him the cat," Scotty said quickly.</p> + +<p>Rick seethed inside, but he knew Scotty was right. The Egyptian cat +wasn't worth his life, no matter what it contained. He opened the door +and took the cat out. Then he turned slowly and held it out to Moustafa.</p> + +<p>"You're being wise," Moustafa said. His eyes gleamed. He reached for the +cat. Rick handed it to him.</p> + +<p>"Drop!" a voice yelled. Rick and Scotty dove to the floor on the +instant. Moustafa whirled, gun lifted to shoot, and saw no one.</p> + +<p>"The building is surrounded by police officers," the voice said. "Just +drop your gun." The voice came from outside the doorway, and it belonged +to Ismail ben Adhem.</p> + +<p>Moustafa yelled desperately, "Don't try anything, or I shoot the +Americans!" He faced the empty doorway, ready.</p> + +<p>Ben's voice said, "If you will turn slowly, you will see a shotgun +barrel pointed at you through the window. If you turn rapidly, it fires. +And, as you turn, another shotgun will come through the doorway to cover +you. You're all done, Kemel. Better drop it. I want you alive."</p> + +<p>Third Brother turned, slowly and carefully. Rick looked up and saw the +shotgun barrel, as Ben had promised. He saw Ben step through the +doorway, a riot gun in his hands.</p> + +<p>Moustafa's Luger dropped to the floor.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIX" id="CHAPTER_XIX"></a>CHAPTER XIX</h2> + +<h3>The Cat's Secret</h3> + + +<p>The tape machines ran unnoticed, except for an occasional glance from +Rick and Scotty. All through the fight the signals had continued, with +no one paying any attention. Rick hoped that if they came from +intelligent beings, they were of a kind that didn't get involved in gang +fights.</p> + +<p>Next to him, bandages around one thigh, Youssef sat, his hands +handcuffed together in his lap. Moustafa, unharmed but helpless, was +handcuffed in another chair. From outside, the wail of ambulances +announced that the wounded were being carried off, the police driver +among them. He had been knocked out by a chest shot, but Ben assured the +boys there were superb surgeons in Cairo who would take good care of +him.</p> + +<p>The inspector sat on a chair facing the others, the Egyptian cat in his +hand.</p> + +<p>"Now that things are quiet again," he said, "I think we might talk a +little. I promised our two American guests that they would find out the +secret of this little beast, and now is as good a time as any."</p> + +<p>"I can get a saw to open it with," Rick offered eagerly.</p> + +<p>Ben grinned. "Patience, Rick. First we must paint a background, so that +we may see the whole picture. Where shall we begin? With Moustafa?"</p> + +<p>Kemel Moustafa maintained a sullen silence.</p> + +<p>"No co-operation? Then I shall begin. Boys, I regret to inform you that +Mr. Kemel Moustafa is a member of a conspiracy to overthrow the United +Arab Republic government."</p> + +<p>Rick and Scotty turned to look at the mustached man. He sat impassively.</p> + +<p>"His brothers also are in this conspiracy. He told you they were in +Beirut, but he was not truthful. They are in jail, here in Cairo, +awaiting trial. We picked up Ali the day before you arrived. We did not +get Fuad until an hour before you visited him. The local people were +nervous over the arrest. Many in that neighborhood support the +Moustafas."</p> + +<p>Kemel Moustafa spoke. "I'm not in it. You can't prove that I am."</p> + +<p>Ben nodded. "Proof may be difficult. That is why you were allowed to +remain at large while we collected your brothers. But, meanwhile, we +have you on a charge of armed robbery, since you used a pistol to get +the cat from our American friends a few minutes ago." He turned to the +boys. "Talk of overthrowing a government probably sounds strange to you. +It has been many years since the American government was in any danger +of revolt."</p> + +<p>"We don't understand some of the foreign revolutions," Rick agreed. "But +I suppose when a group isn't satisfied, it's apt to plot a revolution if +there seems to be a chance of success."</p> + +<p>"That's right," Ben agreed. "Our country is much older than yours, +historically, but actually it's much younger. The Republic is pretty +new. Some of our dissatisfied citizens still think it's more efficient +to make changes with bullets instead of ballots."</p> + +<p>Scotty asked, "Why do they want to make changes? What kind of changes?"</p> + +<p>The inspector grinned. "Many kinds. We have groups that think the +monarchy ought to be restored. We have others who think our foreign +policy is too neutral, or that it isn't neutral enough. And we also have +people who don't like our currency controls because they prevent +tremendous profits from speculation. There are other groups, too. All +are minorities and the only way they can see to make rapid changes is to +overthrow the government and set up their own."</p> + +<p>"Then you have revolutionaries plotting all over the place!" Rick +exclaimed.</p> + +<p>"It's not quite that bad. Most groups have little support, and only one +or two have any funds. It takes money for revolution, you know."</p> + +<p>Rick could see that revolutions cost plenty, and he began to see the +importance of the Egyptian cat. In the little plastic statue, in some +form, were the finances of the revolt!</p> + +<p>"The money for the Moustafa revolution was to come from America," Ben +continued. "Bartouki needed a messenger, so he waited until one came +along. That was you."</p> + +<p>Rick protested, "But why should he trust his finances to a stranger? +There must have been better ways of getting the money here!"</p> + +<p>The officer shook his head. "It is not as easy as you think. We know who +these revolutionaries are. We keep an eye on their comings and goings. +They do not get past our borders without a thorough customs inspection. +Now, ask yourself—who can get past customs with no difficulty? +Officials of governments, scientific groups who come at our invitation, +and tourists."</p> + +<p>"Why didn't he use someone disguised as a tourist?" Scotty asked.</p> + +<p>"That probably would have been his method, except that you stumbled into +things and the chance was too good to miss. Also, you did not declare +the cat on your customs statement. We would have been interested in an +Egyptian cat coming the wrong way!"</p> + +<p>"I didn't know I was supposed to declare it," Rick said. "It just never +occurred to me."</p> + +<p>Ben glared. "Technically, you have broken our laws." He relented and +grinned. "But if you will promise to import no more Egyptian cats...."</p> + +<p>"I promise, swear, and affirm," Rick said hastily.</p> + +<p>"Good. To continue. We took Ali Moustafa into custody, but not before a +phone call reached him from New York. His chief clerk listened to this +call and sold the information to Youssef. The clerk also agreed, for a +share of the profits, to pretend to be Ali, and he enlisted the help of +the other clerks. We know this from the clerk. He talked freely, in the +hope of leniency."</p> + +<p>Ben turned to Youssef. "Do you know what is in the cat?"</p> + +<p>The thief shook his head. "Only that it is of great value. I bought the +clerk's information and help because I knew it was the Moustafas who +stole the necklace from the museum. I believe the necklace is in the +cat."</p> + +<p>Rick stared. The Kefren necklace, worth a quarter of a million! Great +ghostly pyramids! This was big business!</p> + +<p>"The necklace was smuggled out of the country," Ben agreed. "We are +certain of that. But I do not believe it is in the cat."</p> + +<p>"Open it," Rick begged.</p> + +<p>The inspector held up his hand. "Presently. Aren't you enjoying the +suspense?"</p> + +<p>"It's killing us," Scotty wailed.</p> + +<p>"Ah, the impatience of the young!" Ismail ben Adhem obviously was having +a good time. "Well, the pieces are nearly tied up."</p> + +<p>"Good," Rick applauded.</p> + +<p>Ben chuckled. "On the same day that Kerama invited you to come, I had a +call from the Interpol clearinghouse in Paris, a relay from the San +Francisco police. A wealthy collector of early Egyptian objects in San +Francisco had been bragging that he had just purchased a genuine +necklace that had belonged to one of the early Pharaohs. We requested +the Americans to investigate."</p> + +<p>That explained the Californian who talked too much, Rick thought. He had +known the purchase was illegal, but, like many collectors, could not +resist letting a few friends in on his secret—and the secret had leaked +to the police.</p> + +<p>"This collector had paid for the necklace with a certified check, which +was cashed by an American accomplice." Ben paused for effect. "The +amount was two hundred thousand dollars cash."</p> + +<p>He got his effect. All four of his listeners gasped in amazement.</p> + +<p>"Even Moustafa didn't know the exact amount," Rick thought.</p> + +<p>"The money was in thousand-dollar bills. I have the serial numbers."</p> + +<p>Rick spoke up. "But, Ben, numbered bills are like a flag! No one can +spend them without getting caught."</p> + +<p>"That is true, Rick, when something illegal is involved. Had the +collector kept his mouth shut, no one would have known any illegality +was involved in the transaction."</p> + +<p>"But you can't use American money in Cairo," Scotty objected. "It has to +be changed."</p> + +<p>"Right, Scotty. The problem was this: the revolutionaries could not +convert their dollars to Egyptian pounds in America. It would have +attracted too much attention, because only a few banks and finance +houses can handle such amounts, and then only in co-operation with the +government. Their best bet was to get the dollars into the Arab +countries. We can watch international traffic, but local traffic among +the Arab nations is hard to control. They would have sent the dollars to +another country to be changed."</p> + +<p>"An Arab country?" Rick asked.</p> + +<p>"Probably. The borders between the Republic and its neighbors are +desert, impossible to patrol. The dollars could have been sent, then +gradually converted into Egyptian currency. Dollars sell readily in this +part of the world, and sometimes not too many questions are asked."</p> + +<p>"I get the picture," Rick stated. "The Moustafas stole the necklace, and +smuggled it to America. Bartouki sold it to the collector, through an +American helper. Then he had the money sealed in the cat. He handed it +to me, because my sister gave him an opening and I fell into it. +Meanwhile, you put Ali in jail, then Fuad. Youssef got into the act +through the clerk. So then we had Kemel Moustafa and Youssef on our +trail. Why didn't you put Kemel in jail, too? And how about Bartouki?"</p> + +<p>"We had no evidence that would stand up in court against Kemel, although +we were convinced he was in the act with his brothers. That's why I +waited until he tried to take the cat by force."</p> + +<p>Rick exploded, "You used us and the cat for bait!"</p> + +<p>"It worked," Ben pointed out mildly. "We got both Youssef and Moustafa, +although the trap was only for Kemel. And you were never in any real +danger, except for a stray bullet. I've been in the unfinished barracks +with my men since noontime. The senior scientists knew it. That's why +they were willing to leave you alone. Two of my men mingled with +Youssef's gang as soon as they arrived, and weren't detected. Any sign +of real danger to you and they'd have bailed you out fast. But we were +holding off, because I had a radio message that Kemel was on his way +with a gang of his own."</p> + +<p>"You certainly had things taped," Scotty said admiringly. "I guess we +ought to be mad. But you'd have an equal right to get mad because we +tried to go it alone."</p> + +<p>"We'll call it square," Ben agreed. "About Bartouki. We needed the +evidence of the cat, and a statement from you that he had handed it to +you. That was the only sure way of tying him in. Tonight we'll send a +message via Interpol to the New York police."</p> + +<p>So far, everything had been circumstantial evidence. Rick wanted to see +if their guesses were correct. "Open the cat," he begged.</p> + +<p>"Get the saw," Ben said.</p> + +<p>Rick jumped to his feet. There was a toolbox in the closet. He brought +it to the inspector.</p> + +<p>Ben handed the cat to him. "Saw away."</p> + +<p>Scotty held the cat firmly on a chair while Rick wielded the saw. +Plastic sawdust flew from under the blade.</p> + +<p>Rick felt the blade hit metal and stopped. "Hit something!" he said +excitedly. "Metal, but soft. Like lead."</p> + +<p>Scotty groaned. "Do you suppose Bartouki was telling the truth?"</p> + +<p>"We'll soon know." Rick moved the saw blade to a different angle and +began cutting around the cat, changing angles each time he hit the +material on the inside. Before long, the Egyptian cat had a cut around +its middle and Rick put the saw away. There were a hammer and screw +driver in the toolbox. He inserted the tip of the screw driver into the +saw cut and tapped the handle with the hammer.</p> + +<p>The cat split open.</p> + +<p>Scotty let out a yell of triumph. In the bottom half was a square of +lead, and it was clearly a box, not a solid lump.</p> + +<p>"Hurry!" Rick pleaded.</p> + +<p>Scotty took the screw driver and pried. The lead box yielded +reluctantly.</p> + +<p>There wasn't a sound in the control room except for the impulses from +the tape recorder, which ran on unnoticed.</p> + +<p>Scotty pried gingerly, and the lead box came loose and dropped to the +floor.</p> + +<p>Rick scooped it up and turned it in his hands, looking for the opening. +He found only a thin seam of solder around one flat side.</p> + +<p>"Have to cut it open," Rick said. Using his jackknife, he scored the +bead of solder. It cut easily. He scored it again, deeper, and felt the +knife blade penetrate. He turned the box and did the same thing to both +ends.</p> + +<p>Face flushed with excitement, he took the screw driver, thrust it under +the lid, and bent it upward.</p> + +<p>The box opened.</p> + +<p>It contained a solid wad of bills. Rick touched the top one, still a +little unbelieving. The figure on it was 1000!</p> + +<p>He turned the box over and tapped it. The bills dropped out. He didn't +doubt there were two hundred of them.</p> + +<p>Two hundred thousand dollars!</p> + +<p>Rick looked at the expressions on the faces around him. Scotty was +standing with openmouthed excitement. Youssef was leaning forward, +feasting on the wealth with greedy eyes. Moustafa was slumped in +resignation. And Ismail ben Adhem had the look of the cat that swallowed +the cream.</p> + +<p>"Now," Rick said triumphantly, "now we know why the cat was important!"</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XX" id="CHAPTER_XX"></a>CHAPTER XX</h2> + +<h3>The Signal Vanishes</h3> + + +<p>Rick studied the Sanborn tracing. He could see where the pulsed signals +gradually disappeared into a much stronger, steady 21-centimeter signal.</p> + +<p>"We lost it at 4:02 yesterday," Winston said. "It hasn't reappeared. +Apparently the signal source moved into, or behind, a globular cluster."</p> + +<p>Rick's brows knit. "That's more evidence that it was moving contrary to +normal direction?"</p> + +<p>"It is," Dr. Kerama agreed. "What's more, the calculated velocity was +simply incredible. The only velocities we know of that approximate it +are those of galaxies at the very limit of our instruments."</p> + +<p>Rick said what was on his mind. "It was a spaceship. What else would +travel across normal star directions giving out signals?"</p> + +<p>He grinned sheepishly. It wasn't strictly proper to blurt out his own +theories.</p> + +<p>"The possibility has occurred to us," Kerama said slowly. "It is +certainly the most appealing explanation, and it is natural that it +should come to your mind, Rick. But it is not the only possible +solution."</p> + +<p>Winston agreed. "There are others that are difficult to explain, unless +you have a good background in astrophysics, Rick."</p> + +<p>Scotty said, "I'm sure you have lots of theories, but honestly—what do +you really think?"</p> + +<p>The scientist glanced at his Egyptian colleagues. Farid urged, "Tell him +what we talked about last night. It may not be subject to any real +proof, but I think the boys have a right to know what we've concluded."</p> + +<p>"All right," Winston nodded. "To put it as briefly as possible, we agree +that the most likely explanation is that we intercepted intelligent +signals, sent out for some reason by some beings we can't even imagine. +For one thing, the space object is so small that we can't even give it a +dimension. Neither can the other telescopes. Mount Palomar can see +nothing."</p> + +<p>"A spaceship," Rick said soberly. The implications of it were +tremendous!</p> + +<p>"It's as good a name as any. And now, boys, let's start folding up our +part of the operation. We have reservations on tomorrow's flight. That +will put us into New York just about suppertime."</p> + +<p>"We hate to leave," Scotty told the Egyptian scientists. "Unfortunately, +thanks to that Egyptian cat, we didn't get to see much of Cairo."</p> + +<p>"At least I saw a piece of the Sahara Desert," Rick said with a grin. +"Anyway, let's move. I have some shopping to do for my folks, and for +Jan Miller, and especially Barby."</p> + +<p>"Going to take her a bouquet of Egyptian poison ivy?" Winston asked with +a smile.</p> + +<p>"Nope. I'm going to buy her some nice things, but I'm also going to take +her the remains of the Egyptian cat. Just as a reminder."</p> + +<p>He turned to glance around the control room before leaving. The plaster +on the ceiling would need repairing where the Sten gun had chipped it +down to the concrete roof slab, but there was little real damage to show +the effect of last night's fight. Even the window broken by Youssef had +been repaired.</p> + +<p>How simple it all had been—once Ismail ben Adhem had taken over. Rick +knew why he and Scotty had failed to solve the mystery. There was too +much information they did not have, such as the disposal of the Kefren +necklace and knowing that the Moustafas were the prime movers in a +revolution.</p> + +<p>Farid and Kerama had not been surprised. "There are some who do not like +the controls on trade and exchange that our government had to impose," +Farid explained. "Mostly, they are people who had things pretty much +their own way before the Republic was formed. They used to get special +treatment from government officials who were in their pay, and they grew +rich. Now, that's impossible. So they plot revolution to bring the bad +old days back again—bad old days for most Egyptians, that is. The +Moustafas and Bartouki used to be pretty powerful. I suppose they wanted +that power back."</p> + +<p>Dr. Kerama added, "This is probably not the last try at revolution the +police will have to stop. But our country grows more stable all the +time, and the would-be revolutionaries grow older and perhaps wiser."</p> + +<p>"Time goes on," Rick agreed. "Things change." He thought of Kemel +Moustafa the revolutionary, the only one of the three brothers they had +met—and he thought of Hassan's saying. He added, "The little jackal +barks, but the caravan passes."</p> + +<p>Hakim Farid laughed outright. "We'll make a good Egyptian of you yet, +Rick."</p> + +<hr style="width: 45%;" /> + +<p>The time along the Greenwich meridian, from which all world times are +measured, was 9:30 P.M.</p> + +<p>At Spindrift Island, it was 4:30 in the late afternoon. Barby Brant sat +with her close friend, Jan Miller, before the roaring fire in the +library.</p> + +<p>"I'll bet Rick and Scotty are having a marvelous time," Barby said. +There was no envy in the statement. She always protested volubly at +being left behind, but that was more a matter of principle than anything +else. Once the boys had gone, she always simmered down enough to be glad +they could go, even if she could not.</p> + +<p>Jan, a slim, attractive dark-haired girl, said, "I'll bet they're glad +you suggested that Rick deliver the Egyptian cat, too. It was an +introduction to a real merchant, right in the bazaar."</p> + +<p>Barby smiled. "They probably made a lot of new friends from just that +one thing!"</p> + +<p>It was 5:30 in the afternoon on a tiny island off the coast of +Venezuela. Two elderly men looked up from their inspection of a hot +spring. The smaller of the two shrugged. He spoke in Spanish.</p> + +<p>"I will keep watch. If new signs develop, I know where to go for help. +It is the Spindrift Scientific Foundation. If anyone can help us, that +group can. If they can't—well, we are doomed."</p> + +<p>In Cairo, it was 11:30. Rick Brant hauled himself to the top of the +great pyramid of Khufu. Scotty and Hassan joined him.</p> + +<p>The view was magnificent. Cairo sparkled like a million jewels, and in +places they could see the silver ribbon of the Nile. Rick turned and +looked at the radio telescope at Sahara Wells, its great parabolic +reflector gleaming in the brilliant moonlight.</p> + +<p>He was content. As a last adventure, and with the permission of Winston, +the three had decided to climb the pyramid by moonlight. Now the +mysteries of the Egyptian cat and the strange signal from space were +behind them. In eleven hours they would be air-borne, and tomorrow night +they would sleep at home.</p> + +<p>Hassan spoke. "I sorry to see you go. You come back, maybe?"</p> + +<p>"Someday," Scotty said.</p> + +<p>Rick added, "When we show my sister that picture of you with the fancy +clothes and that scimitar you borrowed, we'll have to bring her to see +you in person. She won't believe her eyes."</p> + +<p>Hassan chuckled softly. "Tell her I will be her bodyguard, to protect +her from Youssef, if he ever gets free from jail. I will even protect +her from our so terrible Egyptian cats!"</p> + +<p>The three sat down on the rough stone at the top of the pyramid. Once +the great monument had risen to a sharply pointed capstone, but the +blocks had been removed and only a tall wooden pole showed how high the +pyramid had once reached.</p> + +<p>Rick looked up at the stars and traced the outlines of the familiar +constellations, Orion, the Twins, Taurus, the Big Dog, and the Little +Dog.</p> + +<p>Out there, far beyond those constellations, a spaceship had once passed, +sending unknown signals to an unknown destination, eventually to be +intercepted here, within sight of the pyramids.</p> + +<p>"I wonder what it was," he mused aloud.</p> + +<p>Scotty needed no explanation. "Does it matter, if it was some kind of +intelligence?"</p> + +<p>Rick shook his head. "Not really. It was nearly five thousand light +years away, so it took five thousand years to reach us. So when the +signals were first sent, this pyramid hadn't even been built. Egypt +hadn't been united."</p> + +<p>Scotty added, "And in the Upper Nile Kingdom, people were worshiping +Bubaste...."</p> + +<p>"... and Egyptian cats," Rick finished.</p> + +<p>The boy glanced up at the stars again and saw the tight cluster of the +Pleiades. Across the world, the constellation was just coming into view +of anyone standing on top of the mountain known as El Viejo, the Old +One.</p> + +<p>The slow stirring in the earth deep under El Viejo would take a few +months to grow, but already events taking form would plunge Rick, +Scotty, and the Spindrift scientists into the midst of mob violence, +armed revolt, and one of the most daring scientific feats of all time, a +story to be told in the adventure of THE FLAMING MOUNTAIN.</p> + + + +<hr style="width: 65%;" /> +<h2><a name="The_Rick_Brant_Science-Adventure_Stories" id="The_Rick_Brant_Science-Adventure_Stories"></a><i>The</i> <span class="smcap">Rick Brant Science-Adventure</span> <i>Stories</i></h2> + +<h3>BY JOHN BLAINE</h3> + +<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> +<span class="i0"><span class="smcap">The Rocket's Shadow</span><br /></span> +<span class="i0"><span class="smcap">The Lost City</span><br /></span> +<span class="i0"><span class="smcap">Sea Gold</span><br /></span> +<span class="i0"><span class="smcap">100 Fathoms Under</span><br /></span> +<span class="i0"><span class="smcap">The Whispering Box Mystery</span><br /></span> +<span class="i0"><span class="smcap">The Phantom Shark</span><br /></span> +<span class="i0"><span class="smcap">Smugglers' Reef</span><br /></span> +<span class="i0"><span class="smcap">The Caves of Fear</span><br /></span> +<span class="i0"><span class="smcap">Stairway to Danger</span><br /></span> +<span class="i0"><span class="smcap">The Golden Skull</span><br /></span> +<span class="i0"><span class="smcap">The Wailing Octopus</span><br /></span> +<span class="i0"><span class="smcap">The Electronic Mind Reader</span><br /></span> +<span class="i0"><span class="smcap">The Scarlet Lake Mystery</span><br /></span> +<span class="i0"><span class="smcap">The Pirates of Shan</span><br /></span> +<span class="i0"><span class="smcap">The Blue Ghost Mystery</span><br /></span> +<span class="i0"><span class="smcap">The Egyptian Cat Mystery</span><br /></span> +</div></div> + + + + + + + + + +<pre> + + + + + +End of Project Gutenberg's The Egyptian Cat Mystery, by Harold Leland Goodwin + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE EGYPTIAN CAT MYSTERY *** + +***** This file should be named 31598-h.htm or 31598-h.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + http://www.gutenberg.org/3/1/5/9/31598/ + +Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online +Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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