TAA i.2.2.21

{29 November 1923, continued}

gesso gold combination was originally. Now the wood

is almost as good as ever it was, but owing to

shrinkage the gesso has parted company, & has to stand

on its own for the most part without a <firm> backing.

Visitors trying all sorts of combinations schemes to

get into tomb. One party offered Bethell a bribe

of 25 piastres to let them in. A French journalist

tried to force his way into laboratory, and had

to be ejected almost by main force.

Dec. 30^th

Helped Carter take off the pall. The sides

& top edges of the outer shrine had been strengthened to

carry the weight. Two strong planks were placed across

and on these we knelt, moving them forward alternately.

Starting at one end we first picked off the rosettes - of

bronze covered with gold foil ./<-> S/<E>ach of these had been sewn

to the pall with in four places. Some came off readily

enough, but with others the threads were still so strong

that they had to be cut with scissors. This was

necessary, both to reduce the weight, and to avoid

tearing the fabric when it was rolled.

A long roller has been prepared, to rest on the edges

of the shrine,. and The end of the pall was placed

carefully over this, and then rolled gradually up over

the roller, the rosettes being taken off from one section

over another.

The pall was supported on uprights at the

four corners, with additional ones in the centre of

the two sides. At the top there was a rail into

which the supports [ 𓂀  ] fitted into staples. In

front of the door there were two additional bars, running

two thirds of the way down, joined to the j[?]/<s>ide support,

by nails. These bars were bolted like doors, but in

their present position they could not have been used

as doors, the bolts being merely a former survival of an

earlier use.