Lot No. 249

Lot no. 249 (published in 1892) is a short story written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The story tells of an Oxford college student who, through the use of Egyptian magic, manages to reanimate an ancient Egyptian mummy (named "Lot no. 249" following its purchase in an auction sale), which he then sends to attack all the people against whom he holds a grudge. Written in the wake of the late 19th century fascination with Egyptology, "Lot no. 249" was the first story to depict a reanimated mummy as a sinister, predatory figure, and had a profound influence on the horror movie genre throughout the 20th century.

Plot Summary

Abercrombie Smith, a medical student at Old College, Oxford, is called to the rooms of his neighbour and fellow student Edward Bellingham, a fanatical Egyptology student, who has suffered a faint which seems to have resulted from a severe shock. As Smith uses his medical skills to bring Bellingham round, Bellingham's friend William Monkhouse Lee (to whose sister Bellingham is engaged) explains that Bellingham has a worrying obsession with the study of an Egyptian mummy, purchased from an auction sale, which he keeps in his room. Smith manages to bring Bellingham back to consciousness, but over the next few weeks is frequently disturbed by the sound of mumbling and muttering from Bellingham's room. The building's caretaker, Thomas Styles, later confides in Smith that he has heard something walking around Bellingham's room while Bellingham is out. Shortly afterwards, a student called Long Norton, against whom Bellingham bears a long-standing grudge, is violently attacked by a mysterious and seemingly inhuman figure. Suspecting Bellingham is connected with the assault, Smith vows to avoid his neighbour entirely.

Not long afterwards, Monkhouse Lee issues a warning to Smith against Bellingham, explaining he has called off his sister's engagement to Bellingham, after Bellingham confided in him a terrible secret of which he has sworn to keep silent. Later, when passing Bellingham's room, Smith witnesses the mummy seemingly vanish and inexplicably reappear in its sarcophagus within a mere few moments. After discovering that Lee has been attacked in a similar manner to Norton, Smith concludes that Bellingham has brought the mummy to life and is sending it after all the people whom he dislikes. Smith confronts Bellingham angrily about the attack on Lee, but Bellingham denies any involvement. The following evening, as Smith sets out on a stroll, he finds himself being pursued by the mummy along a dark country path. Fleeing in terror, he narrowly manages to escape the creature, but realizes that his own life is now in danger and he must take action to stop Bellingham's evil. The next day Smith enters Bellingham's room and forces Bellingham, at gunpoint, to burn the mummy and all items associated with the spell. Once everything has been destroyed Smith vows to pay Bellingham another visit if he returns to his evils. Bellingham quits the university immediately afterwards and flees to the Sudan.

External links

* [http://gaslight.mtroyal.ca/lotno249.htm] - an online text of the story.