TAA iv.01.02

the upper part of the sealing thinking it was safest to work 

from the top downwards. A little way back was a barrier, and 

behind that chain/<r>s for the visitors as it was likely to be a 

long job. Inside the barrier were, Carter, Callender and myself. 

Carter made a little speech first and then Carnarvon said a few 

words and then the exciting moment arrived and Carter mounted the 

stage, stripped to trousers and vest and struck the fx[?]/<ir>st blow 

with hammer and chisel. He first located the wooden lintel over 

the door and then very carefully cleared below it; fortunately 

the stones at the top were small. After about a quarter of an 

hour he had made a hole big enough to put an electric torch in, 

and we could all see a huge wooden erection covered with gold 

leaf evidently the tabernacle which covered the sarcophagus.

          At this point he asked me to come up and help him, and 

the rest of the clearing we did together. It was an odd sensa-

tion standing on the stage and gradually widening the hole, you 

could feel the spectators behind the barrier just tingling with 

excitement. It was no light job. Many of the stones were very 

heavy and we could see that the wooden tabernacle was so close that 

a single stone falling inwards might do serious damage, so we had 

to go very carefully. I don’t seem to have shown much excite-

ment myself for I heard Lacan^sic {Lacau}, say to someone "Mr. Mace est toujours 

calme". The order of proceedings was this – Carter with chisel 

and crowbar eased the stones loose one by one; I held them as 

he did so to prevent their falling in and then lifted them out