2 Rescue on the Nile

Chapter Two RESCUE ON THE NILE. "This is fantastic!" said Gustavo, leaping up. "I've always wanted to see an ancient civilization—and now I'm in ancient Egypt, on the River Nile!" Kiki clutched the side of the Beagle, which was wobbling around. "We'll be in the Nile if you don't sit down," she said. "But Gustavo, are you sure this is really ancient Egypt?"

Gustavo watched, spellbound, as two fishermen pulled a net full of splashing fish ashore. Nearby, a girl was washing her hair at the water's edge. People in tunics and sandals sat in the doorways of white flat-roofed houses, or in the shade of rustling palm trees. He grinned at Kiki. "I'm sure. We're in the time of the pharaohs—the rulers of ancient Egypt!" "Awesome!" Kiki said. "But how will being in ancient Egypt help us save the museum? It doesn't even exist yet." Gustavo sat down on a wooden bench.

"The Exploration Station must have sent us here for a reason. Let's go and find out what it is." A flapping noise made him look up. A square-shaped sail billowed open above them. "The Beagle wants to set off too," Gustavo said. "But I have no idea how to sail a boat!" "I'll figure it out!" Kiki twanged a rope attached to the sail. "Okay, the sail moves like that…" She shifted to where a large oar was fastened to the back of the boat. "And this is a sort of rudder, for steering…" Gustavo explored the Beagle, too. Tucked under the bench was what looked like a toolbox. Gustavo opened it up, and the Beagle gave a burst of excited electronic beeps.

They sounded very out of place on the ancient Nile. "Quiet," Gustavo said with a laugh. "We don't want anyone to realize we're from the future!" He saw that the lid of the box was a screen, with a microphone and a row of buttons. "It's a communications panel," he told Kiki. "Great!" Kiki said. "That means we can call the Exploration Station if we need help." "Even though they're thousands of years ahead of us," added Gustavo. "You're amazing, Beagle!" The Beagle gave a smug beep. Gustavo found a waterproof bag tucked by the communications panel. It contained tunics, belts, and sandals. "We'd better put these on before we meet any ancient

Egyptians," he said. "They might think our jeans and sneakers are little strange." After they had changed, Kiki held tightly to the ropes that controlled the sail while Gustavo took hold of the rudder. The wind filled the sail and the Beagle glided along the Nile. They both looked up in awe as they drew closer to the pyramids. They were so huge, the people dotted around them looked as tiny as ants. There were smaller buildings and walls around them, too. "I never knew the pyramids were white," said Kiki. "I always thought they were the color of sand."

"They're covered with polished limestone," said Gustavo. "By our time, the limestone will have gone, and pollution will have made the stone blocks underneath darker." Kiki pointed to a giant statue. It looked like a resting lion, but with a human head. "Hey, isn't that the Great Sphinx? I've seen pictures of it, but it didn't have a nose." "It broke off," Gustavo said. He was so excited to see the Sphinx with a complete face! "No one knows what happened to it. And there's an Anubis!"