The Last Chamber by Ernest Dempsey

Hebrew we know of. It dates back to before
the time of the earliest Egyptian communities.”
    “What does it say?” Lindsey persisted.
    The Frenchman ran a finger along the engravings. His lips moved
silently as he translated the symbols. Finally, he reached the bottom and
removed his glasses. He kept his flashlight on the wall as he spoke.
    “It is a story about three brothers,” he began. “Their family had been
on an incredible journey and settled in a valley just outside of some mountains.
One day, the boys’ father drank too much wine and became drunk. The father
ripped off his clothes and was dancing around in his tent, naked. It seems one
of the sons discovered him and started laughing. The other two saw what was
going on and clothed their father. When the old man awoke, he knew what had
happened and cursed his youngest son’s child. In the curse, he said that his
grandson would be a servant to all his brothers forever. Then it goes on to
talk about the three treasure chests, a curse, and a reward.’
    Lindsey’s eyes were wide. “I know this story.”
    “You do?” DeGard was surprised.
    “Of course. It is from the Old Testament of the Bible. It is the story
of Noah and his three sons.”
    DeGard nodded in agreement. “But what is that story doing here, in
southern Egypt?”
    Lindsey turned his head and shone the flashlight onto the three
chests. “What did it say about these? You said it mentioned them and a reward.”
    “Oui,” he agreed in French. “It reads that the curse will be on the
other two brothers and that his son will be blessed with the wealth of the
father.”
    Lindsey was perplexed. All three chests looked the same. They each
contained similar treasures, and were crafted in an identical fashion. DeGard
slid past his employer and squatted down on one knee, shining his light on one
chest and then the next.
    “Do you see something?” Lindsey asked impatiently.
    “Perhaps,” DeGard cocked his head to the side in the briefest of
seconds. “There are some unusual markings on the front of each chest.”
    “Can you decipher them?”
    DeGard twisted his head around, “Of course, Monsieur, I already have.”
A shady grin crept onto the right side of his face. “They are the names of the
three brothers. It would appear that if we move the correct chest, we will find
an even greater treasure than this.”
    “You said the wealth of the father would be there for the cursed son.
Ham was the one who defiled his father’s presence. Noah cursed him. Which one
is Ham’s?”
    “There isn’t one,” DeGard informed in a matter-0f-fact tone.
    “What do you mean there isn’t one?” Lindsey spat. “There has to be.
One for each of the three brothers, the sons of Noah: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.”
    “Yes, I am aware of that. But we are not looking for the name of Ham.
We are looking for the name if his son, Canaan, which is the one on the end.”
He made his point with a jab of the finger.
    Lindsey looked over at the stone box filled with precious metal and
jewels. “Of course,” he gasped. “Noah didn’t curse Ham. He cursed Canaan, his
own grandson, to a life of servitude.” The older man knelt down before the
chest and ran his finger across the strange inscription on the front. “Ham
wouldn’t have it, though. He wouldn’t let his son be a servant to anyone.”
Lindsey cut himself off, wary he would say too much. DeGard didn’t seem to pay
any attention.
    “How are we going to move that thing?” he asked in a snooty tone that
suggested he wouldn’t be doing any lifting.
    “Not to worry,” Lindsey ignored the man’s lazy attitude. “We have
help.”
    Several minutes later, a few of the men they’d brought entered the
chamber carrying crowbars. Kaba was right behind them. “We need you to move
this chest away from the wall,” Lindsey said.
    Kaba gave the order in Arabic and the two dark-skinned men immediately
obeyed. They wedged their tools between the wall and the heavy