It was thickly ornamented with paintings,
      representing funeral scenes, and other mournful subjects—interspersed
      among which, in every variety of position, were certain series of
      hieroglyphical characters, intended, no doubt, for the name of the
      departed. By good luck, Mr. Gliddon formed one of our party; and he had no
      difficulty in translating the letters, which were simply phonetic, and
      represented the word _Allamistakeo_. We had some difficulty in getting this case open without injury; but
      having at length accomplished the task, we came to a second,
      coffin-shaped, and very considerably less in size than the exterior one,
      but resembling it precisely in every other respect. The interval between
      the two was filled with resin, which had, in some degree, defaced the
      colors of the interior box. Upon opening this latter (which we did quite easily), we arrived at a
      third case, also coffin-shaped, and varying from the second one in no
      particular, except in that of its material, which was cedar, and still
      emitted the peculiar and highly aromatic odor of that wood. Between the
      second and the third case there was no interval—the one fitting
      accurately within the other. Removing the third case, we discovered and took out the body itself. We
      had expected to find it, as usual, enveloped in frequent rolls, or
      bandages, of linen; but, in place of these, we found a sort of sheath,
      made of papyrus, and coated with a layer of plaster, thickly gilt and
      painted. The paintings represented subjects connected with the various
      supposed duties of the soul, and its presentation to different divinities,
      with numerous identical human figures, intended, very probably, as
      portraits of the persons embalmed. Extending from head to foot was a
      columnar, or perpendicular, inscription, in phonetic hieroglyphics, giving
      again his name and titles, and the names and titles of his relations. Around the neck thus ensheathed, was a collar of cylindrical glass beads,
      diverse in color, and so arranged as to form images of deities, of the
      scarabaeus, etc., with the winged globe. Around the small of the waist
      was a similar collar or belt. Stripping off the papyrus, we found the flesh in excellent preservation,
      with no perceptible odor. The color was reddish. The skin was hard,
      smooth, and glossy. The teeth and hair were in good condition. The eyes
      (it seemed) had been removed, and glass ones substituted, which were very
      beautiful and wonderfully life-like, with the exception of somewhat too
      determined a stare. The fingers and the nails were brilliantly gilded. Mr. Gliddon was of opinion, from the redness of the epidermis, that the
      embalmment had been effected altogether by asphaltum; but, on scraping the
      surface with a steel instrument, and throwing into the fire some of the
      powder thus obtained, the flavor of camphor and other sweet-scented gums
      became apparent. We searched the corpse very carefully for the usual openings through which
      the entrails are extracted, but, to our surprise, we could discover none. No member of the party was at that period aware that entire or unopened
      mummies are not infrequently met. The brain it was customary to withdraw
      through the nose; the intestines through an incision in the side; the body
      was then shaved, washed, and salted; then laid aside for several weeks,
      when the operation of embalming, properly so called, began. As no trace of an opening could be found, Doctor Ponnonner was preparing
      his instruments for dissection, when I observed that it was then past two
      o’clock. Hereupon it was agreed to postpone the internal examination until
      the next evening; and we were about to separate for the present, when some
      one suggested an experiment or two with the Voltaic pile. The application of electricity to a mummy three or four thousand years old
      at the least, was an idea, if not very sage, still sufficiently original,
      and we all caught it at once. About one-tenth in earnest and nine-tenths
      in jest, we arranged a battery in the Doctor’s study, and conveyed thither
      the Egyptian. It was only after much trouble that we succeeded in laying bare some
      portions of the temporal muscle which appeared of less stony rigidity than
      other parts of the frame, but which, as we had anticipated, of course,
      gave no indication of galvanic susceptibility when brought in contact with
      the wire. This, the first trial, indeed, seemed decisive, and, with a
      hearty laugh at our own absurdity, we were bidding each other good night,
      when my eyes, happening to fall upon those of the Mummy, were there
      immediately riveted in amazement. My brief glance, in fact, had sufficed
      to assure me that the orbs which we had all supposed to be glass, and
      which were originally noticeable for a certain wild stare, were now so far
      covered by the lids, that only a small portion of the _tunica albuginea_
      remained visible. With a shout I called attention to the fact, and it became immediately
      obvious to all. I cannot say that I was alarmed at the phenomenon, because “alarmed” is,
      in my case, not exactly the word. It is possible, however, that, but for
      the Brown Stout, I might have been a little nervous. As for the rest of
      the company, they really made no attempt at concealing the downright
      fright which possessed them. Doctor Ponnonner was a man to be pitied. Mr.
      Gliddon, by some peculiar process, rendered himself invisible. Mr. Silk
      Buckingham, I fancy, will scarcely be so bold as to deny that he made his
      way, upon all fours, under the table. After the first shock of astonishment, however, we resolved, as a matter
      of course, upon further experiment forthwith. Our operations were now
      directed against the great toe of the right foot. We made an incision over
      the outside of the exterior _os sesamoideum pollicis pedis_, and thus
      got at the root of the abductor muscle. Readjusting the battery, we now
      applied the fluid to the bisected nerves—when, with a movement of
      exceeding life-likeness, the Mummy first drew up its right knee so as to
      bring it nearly in contact with the abdomen, and then, straightening the
      limb with inconceivable force, bestowed a kick upon Doctor Ponnonner,
      which had the effect of discharging that gentleman, like an arrow from a
      catapult, through a window into the street below.