He had something to do, and at the same time his spirit of mischief was aroused.
He never imagined that Girzilla would be frightened if she entered and saw a mummified Egyptian looking at her.
It would be fun to watch her countenance. And that was all that Max did it for.
He managed to get the first wrapper off very easily, but when he came to the second, he found that the ancient Egyptians knew how to make a strong bandage, for every fold had to be cut with his knife.
Under this he found spices, lotos leaves and ears of corn.
The latter interested him, for while the grains looked like wheat, the general appearance was that of barley, only there were seven ears on every stalk.
“I’ll pocket some of this, and if ever I get back to America I’ll plant it and see if embalmed wheat will grow.”
As this thought passed through the mind of the daring young desecrator of the dead, he began to whistle “Yankee Doodle.”
The echo kept pace with him, and the louder he whistled the more distinct was the echo.
Suddenly stopping, his patriotic soul was stirred to its depths as the thought crossed his mind that men who had been buried there thousands of years before America was known to civilization were, through the echo, joining in the chorus of “Yankee Doodle.”