head, I proposed to the consul, to make another trip into Upper Egypt
and Nubia, to open the temple at Ybsambul. Nothing could be more
pleasing to me than to find, that my proposal was accepted; as I thought
I might have an opportunity of accomplishing the wishes I had formed,
which, to a certain extent, were with particular views; though, as the
consul has proved, no interested motives governed my mind. The only
stipulation I made was, that, if I were successful, he should give me an
official letter of introduction to the Society of Antiquaries, when I
should return to England; with which he promised to comply. Thinking,
however, I might be indulging hopes that would not be realized, he
cautioned me against any expectations from that quarter. I told him, I
was not rich; but as I had no other view than to serve the nation at
large, I intended to make certain proposals to the members of that
honourable society. On this he again promised me the letter requested,
and in a few days we all set off for Cairo. There the worthy Burckhardt
would insist, that I should receive a present, half of which he obtained
from the consul, as an acknowledgment for my success with regard to the
colossus; of the general expenses attending which he paid a moiety.
It was at this period that Captain Cabillia had ventured into the well
of the first pyramid of Gaza. His enterprise was hazardous and bold, and
nothing but an enthusiasm for discovery could induce a man to take such
a step. The consul, with Mr. Briggs, Mr. Beechey, and myself, went to
see the operations that were going on. Captain Cabillia’s circumstances
were much better than mine; but he had no superfluous wealth at command,
to continue what he had begun, which required a supply beyond his means.
Mr. Briggs was the first who generously offered to furnish money for
this purpose; and, after a consultation with Mr. Salt, they agreed to
support the work to any extent that might be required. This gentleman
not only encouraged the undertaking at the pyramid, but has exerted his
influence with Mahomed Ali for the general advantage of the commerce of
Europe, as I shall have occasion to mention hereafter. The enterprise of
Captain Cabillia is worthy the attention of every one interested in
antiquities, as he has solved a question, by which the learned world has
been puzzled for many centuries. The famous well, which has given rise
to so much conjecture, turns out to be a communication with a lower
passage leading into an inferior chamber, discovered and opened by
himself. He first descended the well to the depth of thirty-eight feet,
where his progress was stopped by four large stones. Three of these
being removed, there was space enough for a man to pass through; but the
fourth he could not stir, though he had the help of Mr. Kabitsch, a
young man in the employment of Mr. Baghos, who bore a share of the
expense with the captain. Twenty-one feet below this place they found a
grotto, seventeen feet long and four high; and seven feet below this, a
platform, from which the well descended two hundred feet lower. The
captain went down, and at the bottom found earth and sand: but from the
hollow sound under his feet, he judged, that the passage must
communicate with some other apartment below. He then set some Arabs at
work, to remove the sand; but the heat was so great, and the candles so
incapable of burning, for want of oxygen, that they were compelled to
desist. The captain then turned his researches to another quarter, and
began to enlarge the entrance into the first passage of the pyramid. For
this operation he was well rewarded; for by it he found, that the
passage continued downward; and having employed several men, and taken
out a great deal of earth and rubbish, at last, after a long and arduous
toil, he came in contact with the bottom of the well, where he found the
baskets and rope which had been left there. The same day that this
occurred was that on which we had agreed to visit the pyramids, and I
had the pleasure to be an eye-witness of the arduous task of Captain
Cabillia. Proceeding in his laborious researches, he found, that the
passage led into a chamber cut out of the rock, under the centre of the
pyramid.
Captain C. made several researches round the pyramids also, but none
exceeded his toil in uncovering the front of the great sphinx. He found
a small temple between the two paws, and a large tablet of granite on
its breast. The tablet is adorned with several figures and
hieroglyphics, and two representations of sphinxes are sculptured on it.
Before the entrance into the small temple was a lion, placed as if to
guard the approach. Farther on from this front of the sphinx is a
staircase of thirty-two steps, at the bottom of which is an altar, with
a Greek inscription, of the time of the Ptolemies. At each side of the
altar was a sphinx of calcareous stone, much mutilated. From the base of
the temple to the summit of the head is sixty-five feet: the legs of the
sphinx are fifty-seven feet long from the breast to the extremity of the
paws, which are eight feet high. Forty-five feet from the first altar,
he found another, with an inscription, alluding to the emperor Septimius
Severus; and near to the first step was a stone, with another Greek
inscription, alluding to Antoninus. Notwithstanding his own occupation
about the sphinx, Captain Cabillia employed other people to carry on
other researches. He opened some of the mausoleums which were choked up
with sand, and found several small chambers, with hieroglyphics and
figures, some of them pretty well executed, and in good preservation. In
one of the pits he found some mummies, in their linen envelopes, and
various fragments of Egyptian antiquity. He also opened some of the
smaller pyramids, and from the suggestion of Mr. Briggs to follow a
certain direction, he succeeded in finding the entrance into one of
them: but it appears, that it was so decayed in the interior, he could
advance only a few feet in it. No doubt this led into some chamber, or
apartment, containing, perhaps, a sarcophagus, &c.
I was then merely a spectator of the works of Captain Cabillia. The
consul, Mr. Salt, proposed to me, to enter into the researches in
concert with the captain; but as I thought it would not be right to
attempt to share the credit of one, who had already exerted himself to
the utmost of his power, I declined. Besides, it would have been a poor
victory on my part to enter into the field after the battle had been
fought, and conquest gained by another. I contented myself, therefore,
with hoping for a better opportunity to try my skill, independent of any
one. Having got all things ready for my departure, the consul proposed
that I should take Mr. Beechey with me up the Nile. Nothing could suit
me better than to have a companion in a young gentleman, with the
prospect of whose society, from what I had seen of him, I had much
reason to be pleased. I was fully satisfied that, after having weaned
himself from those indulgences to which he was accustomed, he would make
a good traveller; though it is not easy, to one who is not accustomed to
an arduous life, to pass on a sudden from the accommodation of a
comfortable house to that of a rough uneasy boat, and much less to a
life that is so irregular. However, Mr. Beechey soon accustomed himself
to the change, and in a few months became quite indifferent to the many
inconveniences he had to undergo. As to Mrs. Belzoni, I left her at
Cairo, in the family of Mr. Cochini, the British chancellor; and when
all was ready, we took leave of the consul and Mr. Burckhardt. Alas! I
little thought it was the last time I should see my friend; but so it
was ordained.
END OF THE FIRST JOURNEY.
RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS
IN
EGYPT, NUBIA, &c.
SECOND JOURNEY.
Having thus finished the account of my first journey up the Nile, I
shall proceed to the narrative of my second. We set off from Boolak on
the 20th of February, 1817. Mr. Beechey had the stern of the boat well
covered with mats, and close lined all round, with a curtain to the door
from which we had light, which was occasionally shut up, to prevent the
dust or wind from penetrating from any quarter; beside, another cover
over all, rendering it entirely secure, not only from the wind and dust,
but also from the rain, if any should happen to fall. We had on board a
Greek servant, a Janizary from the Bashaw, and a cook; all persons who
never saw any necessity for economy in the article of provision, and who
would make as much waste at Deir in Nubia as they would in Cairo. The
result was, our provision, which was to last six months, began to fail
at the end of one; consequently, with all the caution we took, we were
obliged to live on what the country afforded. Indeed, while we were at
Thebes we had no reason to complain; for there is a good supply to be
had of meat, fowls, and pigeons: and, after the inundation, some greens,
such as bamies, malokies, beans, &c.
Our Reis and crew were Barabras, engaged to go and stop where we
pleased. They were hired by the month, and had to find themselves in
provisions. As to the Janizary from the Bashaw, we found him of so
little use (as he did scarcely any thing except treat the Christian dogs
with insolence), that we sent him back after a few days trial.
Our departure from Boolak was attended with a contrary wind, which very
seldom happens in going up the Nile, as the north winds prevail there at
least nine months in the year. We passed the island of Roda, old Cairo,
and all the pyramids; but such was the slowness of our progress, that in
four days we only reached Tabeen, a village on the eastern bank,
opposite Dajior. We stopped at this place pretty early, as the wind
would not permit us to proceed; and it happened to be a situation so
elevated, that it commanded a distant view of Cairo, the pyramids of
Ghizeh, Saccara, and Dajior. I took this opportunity to make a sketch,
which I humbly present to the reader (See Plate 22). One day more
brought us near Lafachie, where we went to see a Bedoween camp. Hearing
we were only travellers in search of antiquities, the Bedoweens were
quite civil to us, as far as these people can be. Our business was
immediately known to them from our servants and the crew; for no secrecy
can be kept in that country, owing to these persons. The Bedoweens told
us, that at Boorumbol, the next village, there was a statue half buried
in the sand, which they had seen themselves. Next day we came to this
village; and as we could not proceed, owing to a calm, we landed, and
went in quest of the said statue. On our arrival we were shown a piece
of rock, which had not the form of any thing. The Fellahs told us it was
once a camel; that God turned it into a stone; and that the smaller ones
which lay round it were water-melons, with which it was loaded, and
which were metamorphosed into stones also. Perfectly satisfied with the
story, we returned to our bark.
In the evening we arrived at Meimond; and, hearing the tambourine, went
to see an Arabic feast in the village (See Plate 30.) We were introduced
in front of the spectators. The performers consisted of about thirty
men, all in a row, clapping their hands in concert, so as to form a kind
of accompaniment to their song, which consisted of three or four words;
and with one foot before the other keeping a sort of perpetual motion,
but without changing their positions. Before the men were two women with
daggers in their hands, also in continual action, running toward the men
and then returning from them with an extraordinary motion, brandishing
their daggers, and waving their garments. In this they persevered for
such a length of time, that I wondered how they could support the
exertion. This is a sort of Bedoween dance, and is the most decent of
all that I ever saw in Egypt;—but no sooner was it ended, than, in order
I suppose to please us, they immediately began another, in the fashion
of the country, which fully compensated for the extraordinary modesty of
the first; but we returned to our boat more disgusted than pleased with
it.
For three days we had a strong southerly wind, so that we advanced but a
few miles, and did not arrive at Minieh till the 5th of March. It was
necessary for us to land there, to see Hamet Bey, who has the command
over all the boats on the river. He styles himself admiral of the Nile,
and thinks himself as great as any British admiral on the sea. One day
at a christian party in Cairo, the discourse happened to fall upon Sir
Sydney Smith; “Ah!” said Hamet Bey, “Sir Sydney is a very clever man,
and holds the same rank as myself.” From this great commander we had to
obtain a protection for our Reis, to secure him from having his boat
pressed while we employed it. We found him sitting on a wooden bench,
attended by two or three of his sailors. He complied with our request,
and gave a hint for a bottle of rum. We sent him two, and he made a
feast in high glee with them. We went to the house of Doctor Valsomaky,
who distils aqua vita, and sells medicines wholesale and retail. He also
collects antiquities from the Fellahs round the country, and disposes of
them to any one, who chooses to buy them; and it was in hope of
purchasing something of this sort, that we visited him. There we saw two
Copts dressed like Franks, as they had been in France with the army.
They were employed by Mr. Drouetti, the ex-French consul in Alexandria,
who sent them up the Nile in search of antiquities.
As we did not wish to interfere with these men, we set off from Minieh
immediately, and on the evening of the next day arrived at Raramoun near
Eshmounein, the ancient Hermopolis, where we went to see Mr. Brine, an
Englishman, who had introduced sugar-baking into the country. After
encountering many obstacles, he had succeeded in purifying and refining
the sugar to great perfection. His chief difficulties were to surmount
the tricks played off against him by the Arab sugar dealers in that
country, and to free the sugar from a particular smell occasioned by the
soil, which, though not disagreeable, might retard its introduction into
Europe. At his house we learned, that the two agents of Mr. Drouetti
were making a forced march to Thebes, of their motives for which I was
aware. They wished to arrive there before us, and purchase all that had
been accumulated by the Arabs in the preceding season; so that we should
have had no chance of buying any thing on our arrival. It was not on
this account however I was uneasy, but because the spot, where I had
been digging and found the sphinxes and statues, was so evidently
pregnant with objects worthy the risk of excavation, that I had no
doubt, if they reached Thebes before us, they would take possession of
that ground, and we should have no longer a right to explore it.
The mode of travelling on asses or horses is much more speedy than the
progress of our boat could be, so that we should certainly have no
chance of regaining my old spot of ground where I found the statues. I
was not long therefore in considering the matter, and resolved to set
off immediately, and by travelling day and night was in hopes to reach
the place before them. Accordingly a horse and an ass were got ready,
and taking with me the Greek servant, I left Mr. Beechey to come up in
the boat at his leisure. By this time it was midnight, yet we set off
immediately, and forced marches brought us on the next evening to
Manfalout. From this place we hastened without delay, and arrived at
Siout before daylight. At sunrise we mounted again, and arrived at dark
at Tahta. Here we rested in the convent for four hours, started afresh
by the light of the moon, and arrived at Girgeh in the night. “We
resumed our journey at one o’clock in the morning, reached Farshiout at
noon, and after a delay of four hours, in consequence of not finding
beasts immediately, arrived at night at a village three leagues above
Badjoura. Here we rested two hours, set off by moonlight, and arrived at
Gheneh at three. Having dined, we proceeded onward, rested a couple of
hours at Benut at night, and arrived at Luxor the following noon.
The whole of our journey occupied five days and a half, during which I
slept eleven hours, and all the rest of the time we were hastening on
with asses, horses, or camels, as we could procure them on the road. The
principal places we passed in this journey were Manfalout, Siout,
Aboutij, Tahta, Menshieh, Girgeh, Farshiout, Badjoura, Gheneh, Copt, and
Ghous. Any one who has been in the country may form some idea of the
inconveniences a person must undergo, travelling through a tract
entirely destitute of the necessaries of life. The fathers of the
convents of Propaganda at Tahta, Girgeh, and Farshiout, afforded great
accommodation to me on this forced march. They provided me with beasts
and provisions for the road immediately on my arrival, for which I felt
myself deeply indebted to them. The Arabs make every stranger welcome
when they are at their meals; and I generally took advantage of the
custom, whenever opportunity served; but on this occasion it would have
caused the loss of that time I was so eager to gain. In places where
there was no convent I went to the house of the Sheik el balet, where
travellers of all sorts assemble at night. I was so fatigued and stiff,
that any place of rest was acceptable to me. The bare earth generally
afforded me a bed, and when I could procure a mat it was a luxury. I was
refreshed one night with a few pieces of sugar-cane, which, after
passing the torch where the juice has been extracted, becomes pretty
soft, and affords a tolerable bed. I was also regaled with sugar-canes
as a dessert after a repast of bread and onions. The sugar-cane is
pleasant at the first taste, but on pressing it to extract the juice, it
gives an acid that is not agreeable, and the flavour is rather insipid.
The people of the country eat of it continually, and are very fond of
it. It is sold in the markets as fruit when in season.
On the road between Siout and Tahta I met a body of Bedoween horsemen. I
never had an opportunity of viewing these people to more advantage than
at this time; and I must observe, that I never saw a finer set of men in
my life. The horses were very strong, though not in full flesh. The
riders were clothed only with a kind of mantle, made of white woollen,
of their own manufacturing, which covered the head, and part of the
body. They had very small saddles, contrary to the custom of this
country; were armed with guns, pistols, and swords; and were going to
Cairo to enter into the service of the Bashaw, who could find no other
expedient for suppressing this body of freebooters than offering to give
them good pay, horses, and arms, and to send them to Mecca. This
proposal has had its due effect; for all the young men have embraced it,
and left the old men and women in the deserts. In this manner the Bashaw
entertains hopes of getting rid of the greater part, if not all, of
these people, who are detested in the country, and, in case of any
insurrection, always avail themselves of it to plunder. I passed through
their camp, at the time of their convention with the Bashaw, so that I
escaped unmolested, and perhaps unnoticed, as I was covered with a large
burnoose of their own fashion, and my beard was pretty long. Their tents
consist of four sticks set in the ground, about a yard in height, to
which is fastened one of their shawls as a cover, with another behind,
so as to form a kind of shelter from the sun, wind, or dew. They
generally pitch their camps near a fertile spot, but always at the foot
of the desert, so that in case of surprise they are soon in their native
country: like the crocodile, which enjoys the land, but when disturbed,
or at the approach of any person, immediately plunges into the river, as
a place of safety. The women were all uncovered, and the children
entirely naked. They are very frugal in their diet, and never drink any
strong liquor. They are Arabs but no more like the Arabs of Egypt than a
freeman is like a slave. The Egyptian Arabs are accustomed to obey, but
will not do any thing unless compelled by force. They are humbled,
because they are continually under the rod; and indolent, because they
have no interest in any thing. But the wild Arabs, on the contrary, are
constantly in motion, and labour to procure provision for their beasts
and themselves; and being in perpetual war with each other, their
thoughts are incessantly employed in improving their arts of defence, or
in obtaining plunder.