The Ice Soldier
“Although it probably would have been safe to leave the coffin at our camp in the San Rafaele woods, we did not dare to after the visit from Mr. Pringle.
By fastening lengths of rope around our shoulders and through the carrying loops, we were able not only to drag the coffin forward but also to stop it from sliding too quickly downhill. For the sake of the already scarred runners, I hoped we wouldn’t have to drag the coffin around too much before we set out across the ice.
Now and then, as we m...oved along, we would hear a thump from inside the coffin, as Carton’s body slumped from one side to the other. The idea of him embalmed beneath the plates of zinc seemed too abstract to be horrifying or sad. The coffin wasn’t particularly heavy, which got me to thinking about the whole process of embalming. I seemed to recall something about Egyptian mummies having their insides removed, and their brains pulled out through their noses with the use of hooks. I wished I had asked Webb about it, but such questions had seemed too morbid at the time.MoreLess
By fastening lengths of rope around our shoulders and through the carrying loops, we were able not only to drag the coffin forward but also to stop it from sliding too quickly downhill. For the sake of the already scarred runners, I hoped we wouldn’t have to drag the coffin around too much before we set out across the ice.
Now and then, as we m...oved along, we would hear a thump from inside the coffin, as Carton’s body slumped from one side to the other. The idea of him embalmed beneath the plates of zinc seemed too abstract to be horrifying or sad. The coffin wasn’t particularly heavy, which got me to thinking about the whole process of embalming. I seemed to recall something about Egyptian mummies having their insides removed, and their brains pulled out through their noses with the use of hooks. I wished I had asked Webb about it, but such questions had seemed too morbid at the time.MoreLess
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