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Leo bent over and
caught the massive lid in both his hands, and with an effort, for the
hinges had rusted, forced it back. Its removal revealed another case
covered with dust. This we extracted from the iron chest without any
difficulty, and removed the accumulated filth of years from it with a
clothes-brush.
It was, or appeared to be, of ebony, or some such close-grained black
wood, and was bound in every direction with flat bands of iron. Its
antiquity must have been extreme, for the dense heavy wood was in parts
actually commencing to crumble from age.
"Now for it," I said, inserting the second key.
Job and Leo bent forward in breathless silence. The key turned, and
I flung back the lid, and uttered an exclamation, and no wonder, for
inside the ebony case was a magnificent silver casket, about twelve
inches square by eight high. It appeared to be of Egyptian workmanship,
and the four legs were formed of Sphinxes, and the dome-shaped cover was
also surmounted by a Sphinx.


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