Egyptian Customs.--Belzoni goes up the Nile to Nubia.--Visits
the Island of Elephantis.--Arrives at Ybsambul.--Attempts to
open its magnificent Temple.--Obliged for want of time and
money to give up the project.--Visits the little island of
Mainarty.--Danger on the Cataract.--Returns to Thebes.--Removal
of Young Memnon to Cairo.--Belzoni resides for a short time at
Rosetta.
The Egyptian rises with the sun to enjoy the morning air; his favourite
pipe and beverage are brought him, and he reclines at ease on his
sofa. Slaves, with their arms crossed, remain silent at the far end
of the chamber, with their eyes fixed on him, seeking to anticipate
his smallest wants. His children, standing in his presence, unless he
permits them to be seated, preserve every appearance of tenderness and
respect: he gravely caresses them, gives them his blessing, and sends
them back to the harem. He only questions, and they reply with modesty;
they are not allowed that free intercourse with their parents which you
enjoy. But custom, you know, reconciles us to every thing. The little
natives of that country having never known the pleasures of social
enjoyment and tender intercourse with their parents, of course cannot
lament their loss.
OWEN.--I think, mamma, that the Egyptian father appears to be the
chief, the judge, and the pontiff of his family! But does he spend the
rest of the day reclining on his sofa?
MRS. A.--Breakfast ended, he transacts the business of his trade or
office. When visiters come, he receives them without many compliments,
but in an endearing manner. His equals are seated beside him, with
their legs crossed; his inferiors kneel, and sit upon their heels.
People of distinction are favoured with a place on a raised sofa,
whence they overlook the company. When every person is placed, the
slaves bring pipes and coffee, and set the perfume brazier in the
middle of the chamber the air of which is impregnated with its odours,
and afterwards present sweetmeats and sherbet.
When the visit is almost ended, a slave, bearing a silver plate, on
which precious essences are burning, goes round to the company; each,
in turn, perfumes the beard, and then sprinkles rose-water on the head
and hands. This being the last ceremony, the guests are permitted to
retire.
About noon the table is prepared, and the refreshments are brought in
a large tray of tinned copper, and, though not great variety, there is
great plenty. In the centre is generally a dish of rice cooked with
poultry, and highly flavoured with spice and saffron. Round this are
hashed meats, pigeons, stuffed cucumbers, and delicious melons and
fruits. The guests seat themselves on a carpet round the table: a slave
brings water in one hand, and a basin in the other, to wash. This is an
indispensable ceremony, where each person puts his hand into the dish,
and where the use of forks is unknown: it is repeated when the meal is
ended. After dinner they retire to the harem, where they slumber some
hours among their wives and children.... Such is the ordinary life of
the Egyptians.
This appears to be a monotonous way of spending their time; our
intellectual pleasures are unknown to them. The days appear to be
passed in repeating the same thing, in following the same customs,
without a wish or a thought beyond. But we must remember, that nine
months of the year the body is oppressed by heat; and that, as inaction
under a temperate climate is painful, so here repose is enjoyment.
Effeminate indolence is born with the Egyptian, grows as he grows,
and descends with him to the grave. It influences his inclinations and
governs his actions, and, far from daily wishing to obtain knowledge
and enlarge the mental powers he sighs only for calm tranquillity.
Now, we will go back to Belzoni; we left him at Esne, with Khalil Bey.
After smoking a few pipes, and drinking as many cups of coffee, he left
the Bey and returned to the boat. The following day they continued
their voyage, and arrived at Edfu, where a temple, which might be
compared with that of Tentyra, tempted our antiquary to land. Having
been highly gratified here, they proceeded to Ombos: the ruins that
are left at this place gave them a clear idea of what it has been. Our
party proceeded, and, before their arrival at Assouan, landed on the
western bank of the Nile. Here the country presented a more pleasing
aspect than any they had passed since the Chained Mountains. Palm-trees
in great abundance grow on each side of the river, and some cultivated
spots of ground extend from the Nile to the mountains. The old town of
Assouan stands on a hill, which overhangs the river; on its left is a
forest of palm-trees, which hides the modern town; and on its right is
the distant view of a granite mountain, that forms the first of the
celebrated cataracts. The island of Elephantine seems to interfere
with the barrenness of the western banks, and fills the ground with
picturesque groups of various trees. Our travellers landed at the
foot of a hill on the left of the Nile, and went to see the ruins of
a convent on a high rock where they observed many grottoes, which had
served as chapels for Christian worship. The convent is formed of
several small arched cells, distinct from each other, and commands a
view of the cataract and adjacent country, with the lower part of the
Nile.
When Belzoni returned to the boat, the sun was tinging the horizon with
its last beams, and the shades of the western mountains had reached
across the Nile and covered the town. He found the Aga (a person
employed by the Turkish Government) and all his retinue seated on a
mat, under a cluster of palm-trees, close to the water. Belzoni made
application to him for a boat to carry him to Nubia, and presented to
him some tobacco, soap, and coffee, which were gladly accepted: he was
a selfish sort of person, and asked a great price for the use of the
boat; engaging, however, that one should be ready in a day or two.
The next morning Belzoni went to see the isle of Elephantine; he
crossed the Nile in a wee-wee bark, made of the branches of palm-trees,
fastened together with small cords, and covered on the outside with a
mat, pitched all over. The principal object of attraction there was
a temple of great antiquity, built on rocks of blue granite: on the
western bank of the island are many trees of cassia and sycamore.
Having gratified his curiosity, Belzoni returned; and, as the Aga’s
boat was now in readiness, he determined to ascend the Nile to the
second cataract, during the interval required for the arrival of the
boat from Cairo, which was to convey the colossal bust. They therefore
embarked, and, on the following morning, long before the rising of the
sun, Belzoni stood at the stern, waiting for its first beams to unveil
the beautiful island of Philoe; and he had much gratification in taking
a hasty view of its ruins, without stopping to examine them minutely,
as he hoped to return that way; he, however, observed several blocks
of stones, and an obelisk, which he thought might be easily removed.
Philoe is in the middle of the Nile, somewhat south of Assouan.
As the wind was favourable, they again set sail, and arrived in the
course of a few days at Deir, which is the capital of Lower Nubia. This
town consists of several groups of houses built of earth intermixed
with stones, and covered with reeds. Their height is generally about
eight or ten feet: the height of the parlour we are in is between eight
and ten feet. At the foot of the sloping and rocky hill is a small
temple; but Belzoni could not go to see it, as he observed that they
were closely watched, the reason for which was soon apparent.
Belzoni went immediately to Hassan Cacheff, who received him with an
air of suspicion, and wanted to know his business. He told him he
ascended the Nile merely to seek for antiquities, and that he wished to
proceed as far as the Shellal, or second cataract. This, the Cacheff
said, was impossible; for the people in the upper country were at war
with each other. He then ordered his mat to be brought to him, seated
himself close before the door of his house, and invited Belzoni to sit
also. The first question he asked him was, whether he had any coffee.
Belzoni replied, that they had a little on board for their own use, but
that he should have half of it. He next asked for soap, and received
the same reply. Then he inquired if they had any tobacco: Belzoni said
that he had a few pipes, and they would smoke together. This pleased
Hassan Cacheff. The next question was, whether he had any powder; and
the answer he received was, that they had very little, and could not
spare any. At this, Hassan laughed, and putting his hands on Belzoni’s
shoulder, said, “You are English, and can make powder wherever you go.”
By this time, the tobacco was brought, and the operation of smoking
began. Hassan still persisted in it that Belzoni’s sailors would not
advance any farther; for they were afraid, he said, to go into the
upper country. Our friend, unwilling to give up his point, used every
means of entreaty; and at length frankly told him, that, if he would
allow him to pursue his journey, he would make him a very handsome
present of a fine looking-glass. Hassan replied, “We will talk of this
to-morrow;” and the indefatigable Belzoni returned to the boat.
A looking-glass was a novelty to the Cacheff; Belzoni, therefore went
again to him early in the morning, and told him that it was ready for
his acceptance, provided he would give him a letter of recommendation
to his brother at Ybsambul, which at last he did, for Hassan thought
his looking-glass a great treasure. The reason why Belzoni happened
to take such a thing with him, was, that, previous to his departure
from Cairo, he had taken care to obtain all the information possible
respecting the country of Nubia, from the natives who came to that city
with dates and charcoal; and from them he learned, that a looking-glass
and a few beads would be as valuable in their eyes as gold and diamonds
in ours.
The Cacheff’s looking-glass was about twelve inches square, and made
a great impression on the people there, who had never seen so large a
one before. The Cacheff was never tired of admiring his dark coloured
countenance, and all the attendants behind him strove to get a peep at
their own tawny beauty.
Belzoni, entering the boat again, proceeded down the Nile till he
arrived at Ybsambul, where two temples presented attractions. I must
describe them, because they were the objects of another voyage up the
Nile. In the front of the minor temple were six colossal figures thirty
feet high, and hewn out of the rock; as was also the large temple,
which had one figure of an enormous size, with the head and shoulders
only projecting out of the sand, and most beautifully executed. On
the upper part or frieze of the temple was a line of hieroglyphics,
which covered the whole front, and above this a range of figures,
in a sitting posture, as large as life. The sand on the north side,
accumulated behind on the rock above the temple, had gradually
descended towards its front, choked the entrance, and buried two-thirds
of it. When Belzoni approached this temple, the hope he had formed of
entering it vanished at once; for the heaps of sand were such as to
make it appear an impossibility ever to reach the door. He ascended
a hill of sand at the upper part of the temple, and there found the
head of a hawk projecting out of the sand only to its neck. From the
situation of this figure, he concluded that it was over the door; but
how to get to that door was the grand difficulty, for you know it was
necessary to remove the sand in such a direction, that it might fall
off from the front of the door, but in doing this, the sand from above
would continue to fall on the place whence that below was removed, and
thus render it an almost endless task. Besides, the natives were like
wild people, and knew nothing of working for money; indeed, they were
ignorant of money altogether.
All these difficulties seemed such insurmountable objects that
they almost deterred Belzoni from the thought of proceeding; yet
perseverance, stimulated by hope, suggested to him such means, that
at last, after much exertion, and two voyages thither, he had the
satisfaction of entering the great temple of Ybsambul.
By calculating, Belzoni supposed the door I mentioned to be
thirty-five feet below the sand; and having taken a proper measurement
of the front of the temple, he found that if he could persuade the
people to work with persevering steadiness, he might succeed in the
undertaking.
Wishing first to apply to the Cacheff of Ybsambul to obtain his good
will if possible, he did not examine the smaller temple that night, but
followed the road between the rocks of which it is hewn, and arrived
on the banks of the Nile, where they embarked, and soon landed at
the village. A group of people who were assembled under a grove of
palm-trees seemed somewhat surprised at the arrival of a stranger.
Belzoni desired to see Osseyn Cacheff, telling them that he had a
letter for him from his brother, the Cacheff of Deir.
He for some time received no answer, but at last was told that he who
sat there was Daoud his son. This was a man about fifty years of age,
clad in a light blue gown, with a white rag on his head as a turban,
seated upon an old mat on the ground, a long sword and a gun by his
side, with about twenty men surrounding him, who were well armed with
swords, spears and shields.
Daoud Cacheff begged to know what business had brought Belzoni there?
He replied that he had a letter from his uncle directed to his father,
and that he came into that country in search of ancient stones. Daoud
laughed, and said that a few months before he had seen another man who
came from Cairo in search of treasure, and took away a great deal of
gold in his boat, and that Belzoni came for the same purpose, not to
take stones. What could he have to do with stones, if it were not to
procure gold from them?
Belzoni told Daoud that the stones he wished to take away were broken
pieces belonging to the old Pharaoh people, and that his motive for
coming in search of them was to know whether our ancestors came from
that country. He then asked where he meant to go in search of these
stones. Belzoni said, that the place in the rock had a door, and that
by removing the sand they might enter the temple, and should perhaps
find many stones there, and accordingly proposed to have it opened.
After some difficulty, he managed to convince the people of the value
of money, for they had never heard of such a thing, having been
accustomed to exchange various articles, and Daoud at length consented
to find workmen, provided Belzoni would give them each two piastres a
day, which he consented to do.
Daoud was rather more reasonable than his uncle Hassan, who required so
many presents before he would allow Belzoni to continue his voyage. But
there now remained consent to be obtained from Osseyn Cacheff, Daoud’s
father. This was the greatest difficulty; he lived at Eshke, a mile and
a half up the Nile. To secure his favour (for favour in this land may
often be procured by bribes,) Belzoni sent forwards to him some rice,
sugar, and tobacco; and received on board in the evening some sour
milk and warm thin cake of dhourra bread.
Dhourra is the common grain of Egypt. The bread is baked on a flat
stone raised at each corner so as to admit a fire under it, the paste
which is soft being laid on it, spreads in a minute over the stone; as
soon as one cake is baked another is done in the same manner, and so
on, and this dhourra bread forms the general food of the country.
They went the next morning to the residence of the Cacheff at Eshke,
and were told that he was from home, but would return in a few days.
This occasioned some disappointment; but as Mr. and Mrs. Belzoni did
not wish to return to Ybsambul without having had an interview with
him, they went on towards the second Cataract, and about nine, two
mornings after they had left Eshke, they made for the shore as near as
possible to the last cultivated land on the left, at a place called
Wady Halfa.
A few of the natives came to look at the strangers, and at Belzoni’s
request they willingly brought asses for them to ride to the Cataract;
and now, Bernard, place yourself on your own little Smiler, and fancy
yourself one of the party. Proceed to the Cataract, and take several
views in different directions. Mount the rocks, and take a survey of
the wide sandy deserts. Observe the wild antelopes that are skipping
about on the crags of the few black cliffs which project here and
there, and having enjoyed the grand prospect afforded by this Cataract,
and as the sun again is sinking beneath the horizon, return to the
little bark. From thence, you may accompany Mr. and Mrs. Belzoni, who
immediately crossed for the isle of Mainarty, where they arrived at
dusk. They saw fires and people at a distance, but on landing could not
find any one. The huts were left with all they had, which consisted
only of dry dates, and a kind of paste made of the same, which they
kept in large vases of clay baked in the sun, and covered with baskets
made of palm-leaves; a baking stove, and a mat to sleep upon, comprised
the whole of their furniture. They little expected visiters at such
a time, you may suppose they were honest themselves, as they did not
suspect their neighbours.
MRS. A.--The whole of the island is about an eighth of a mile in length
and half as much in breadth. The whole settlement consisted of four men
and seven women, with two or three children. They have no communication
with the main land, except when the water is low, for at any other
time, the current, being just under the Cataract, is so rapid that it
is impossible to ford it, and boats never go to this island. They are
poor but happy, knowing nothing of the enticing luxuries of the world,
and resting content with what Providence supplies, as the reward of
their industry. They have a few sheep and goats, which supply them with
milk, and the few spots of land they have are all cultivated, producing
a little dhourra, which you know is the principal food they require.
The wool of their sheep they spin into yarn; they wind the thread
round little stones, and thus suspend them to a long stick fixed in a
horizontal position between two trees, to form a warp; and by passing
another thread alternately between these, fabricate a kind of coarse
cloth, with which they make their dress.
It was quite dark when Belzoni found this poor and truly happy people.
They had lighted a fire to make their bread, and the light of this
fire directed him to the spot where they were. I suppose they had been
terrified by having seen him at a distance, for they were all hid in a
hole, under some ruins of an old castle, which stands on the south side
of the island, and when he approached them, the women set up a loud
scream. A person who was with him, a native of Nubia, could talk their
language, and managed to pacify them, but could not entice more than
one man out of the hole.
[Illustration]
Their fear was owing to some depredations committed by the robbers of
Wady Halfa a few years before, who at low water forded over to the
island, and did all the injury that could be done to such people.
The strangers assured them that they were not like the robbers of
Wady Halfa, but only came to get some one to show them the way to the
Cataract. At this they were more alarmed than ever, and said that it
never happened that boats passed higher than Wady Halfa,--it being
impossible to proceed farther, owing to the quantity of rocky islands.
At last, however, they prevailed upon two of the men to accompany
them the following morning, and pilot them towards the Cataract as far
as the boat could go.
According to agreement, they went on board, and with a strong north
wind advanced in their little bark until they found themselves so
tossed about by the different currents and eddies, as to prevent a
farther progress; and at the same time so situated, that they could
not return back for fear of being driven against some of the rocks
which threatened them on each side. They were in a deplorable situation
again. Unable to go backwards or forwards--but no deceitful Arabs were
with them this time.
[Illustration]
They were confined to one spot for about an hour. Sometimes they had
a rapid start for a hundred yards, then, all at once, were stopped
and turned round in spite of all their efforts, and of the north wind
which blew very hard. At last they were caught on a sudden in one of
the eddies of water, and driven against a sharp rock concealed about
two feet below the surface. The shock was dreadful: it is impossible
to describe Belzoni’s emotions, for he thought at the moment that the
boat was split in two--and the object of his tenderest solicitude was
on board--for her, he saw no mode of escape--had he been alone, he
might have swam on shore.--However, his trust in the protecting care
of Providence did not forsake him--they found that no harm was done,
and that by crossing the rock they were on, they might reach the other
side of the river. They did so as quickly as possible, and landed,
rejoicing in the thought of the danger they had escaped. They were
obliged to pursue their route on foot; carrying with them provisions
and water, they proceeded on the rocks, over a plain of sand and
stones, until they arrived at one called Aspir, which is the highest in
the neighbourhood of the Cataract, and commands a complete view of the
falls.
And now our lovers of nature were well repaid by the prospect which
was before them. Belzoni says that it was a truly magnificent scene.
The several thousand islands, of various forms and sizes, with
as many different falls of water, running rapidly onward, whilst
counter-currents returned with equal velocity; the blackness of the
stones; the verdant foliage of the trees, scattered on the islets,
intermixed with the white bubbling froth of the numerous cascades,
formed a picture neither to be described nor delineated.
Having been thus compensated for their venturous excursion, our
travellers returned by a little rout to Ybsambul, where are the temples.
Belzoni went immediately to Osseyn Cacheff’s son Daoud, who presented
to him a letter from his father, and sent for the men who were
selected for the work. These people were complete savages, and wholly
unacquainted with any kind of labour. However, according to direction,
they began their undertaking in such a manner, that the sand would fall
off from the centre of the front of the temple, where the door was
supposed to be.
They had no spades to dig away the sand; but used a long stick with a
cross piece of wood at the end, at each extremity of which was a rope.
One man would draw the cross stick back, and another would pull it
forwards. They found it very useful in clearing away the sand, and as
it was the first day of their enterprise, they proceeded better than
Belzoni had expected; all their thoughts and talk were on the quantity
of gold, pearls and jewels they should find in the place: the hope of
which acted as a stimulus for them to proceed.
[Illustration]
Thus they went on for some days, but as they had not before known the
value of money, so now their wish to obtain it knew no bounds: they
continually wished to procure more than their employer allowed them;
the other people also began to desire it, and came in such numbers,
that had he wished it he would have found it difficult to supply them
all. Their desire to see the inside of the temple, and to plunder what
it might contain, increased, and they gave Belzoni to understand,
that all that was there was their own property, and that the treasure
should be for themselves. He in vain endeavoured to assure them, that
he expected to find nothing but stones, and wanted no treasure; they
still persisted, that if he took away the stones, the treasure was in
them, and that if he could make a drawing or likeness of them, he could
extract the treasure from _it_ also, without their perceiving it. They
certainly had great confidence in Belzoni’s ability, as well as an
uncommon degree of superstition.
Some proposed, that if any figure was discovered, it should be broken
before he carried it away, to examine the inside. Thus Belzoni had
no encouragement to proceed;--it was not of much use to take so much
pains, only in the end to gratify the selfish curiosity of those
savages,--and according to this he might not make drawings, much less
take away any statue or any thing else that might be found. I think,
under such circumstances, it will hardly lessen our ideas of his
perseverance and patience if he should give up opening this temple. It
would be spending so many days to no purpose.
From the slow progress, or rather from the immense quantity of sand
accumulated together, Belzoni perceived that his work would require
more time than he could spare at that period before its completion;
still he would have persevered had not another and a stronger motive
presented itself, which was the want of that very article which a
few days before was despised and unknown, and now he found that he
absolutely could not proceed without it.--It was money which, even
here, had shown its usual power among mankind of exciting avarice and a
selfish disposition.
OWEN.--And here the sentence I repeated in my Latin lesson this morning
is just _a propos_, mamma, “the love of money increases as the money
itself increases.”
MRS. A.--Before leaving it however, Belzoni wished to ascertain how
near they were to the door, and for the purpose he had some water
brought up from the Nile, and poured down close to where the door
should be. This would stop the sand from running until he had made
a hole deep enough to perceive whether they were near the door. He
supposed, in the first place, that the sand was about thirty-five
feet in thickness, and they had removed so much sand as to uncover
twenty feet of the temple, but from the hole that was made, Belzoni
perceived that it would require a longer time to reach the door than
he could stay, and more money than he could afford, although the
colossal statues above the door were by this time completely exposed.
He therefore obtained a promise from the Cacheff that no one should
touch the place till his return (which would be in a few months,) and
contenting himself with putting a mark where the sand was before his
operation had commenced, and taking a sketch of the exterior of the
temple, he quitted it, with a firm resolution of returning some time to
accomplish its opening.
EMILY.--Well, mother, he acted both prudently and judiciously; but I
should have been afraid lest the selfish people who had worked for him
should have opened it in the mean time. However, where did he go next,
and when did he return to Young Memnon, who had been staying this long
period at Thebes, banked up with earth and palm-leaf ropes?
MRS. A.--They set off in the boat, and descending the Nile rapidly,
arrived in a few days at Shellal, or the first Cataract. When they
reached the Isle of Philoe, Belzoni took particular notice of the small
obelisk which he hoped at some future time to bring to England, and he
sent for the Aga of Assouan.
Assouan is just on the opposite side of the Nile to that of the
Cataract--and you remember the selfish Aga, who asked such a sum for
the use of his boat: Belzoni sent for him to persuade him to use his
interest in having the obelisk taken down the Cataract: but this, for
want of a boat, could not be effected that season. I mentioned the
obelisk to you before: it was formed of a granite, twenty-two feet in
length and two in breadth, so that it would want a pretty large boat to
convey it.
Belzoni took possession of it, giving the Aga four dollars to pay a
guard for it till his return. The next day they proceeded to Assouan by
land. On their arrival they were informed there were no boats to take
them to Esne, so there they were obliged to wait.
What we cannot help, we must of course endure. Our enterprising friend
often found it so, and, though he no doubt was anxious to return to
Thebes, and to see his young Memnon once more, yet that the time might
not be lost, he amused himself during this period by taking another
tour in Elephantine.
When he returned to Assouan, no boat had yet made its appearance. The
delay was tedious; however, nothing could be done but to submit to it.
Belzoni was seated one evening under a grove of palm-trees, eating some
rice soup with the Aga, when an Arab came and whispered in the ear of
the latter, as if he had something of great importance to communicate.
The Aga rose, though his dinner was not finished, and went away with
the air of a man of great business. Half an hour after he returned,
accompanied by two other persons of distinction and an old man. They
all seated themselves around him, and after introducing the affair with
some caution, asked Belzoni whether he should like to purchase a large
piece of diamond. It is true he was no diamond merchant: however, he
told the Aga, that if the article were good, and they could agree, he
would buy it, but that it was necessary for him to see it first. The
Aga said that the piece had been found by one of the natives of that
place, and, as he was not in want of money, it had been preserved in
the family for many years. The original proprietor being now dead, his
successor wished to dispose of it.
Belzoni requested to see it, and therefore, retired with them to some
distance, out of the way of the people; when the old man, with great
solemnity took a small wooden box from a pocket in his leather belt. In
this was a paper which he unfolded: after that, two or three others,
till at last he opened his _sanctum sanctorum_. Belzoni took its
contents in his hands with no small degree of expectation, but alas!
how did he look, when he perceived that this great treasure, which had
been so long carefully stored, was only part of the stopple of a common
glass cruet, of the size of a hazel-nut, with two or three little
gilt flowers upon it! All his hopes vanished: and as the others were
attentively regarding his motions, they could not fail to observe the
disappointment marked in his countenance, and their hopes vanished too.
When they were told it was only a piece of glass, the words affected
their minds like the unhappy tidings of some great misfortune; they
walked off in solemn silence, not without giving him an inquiring look
to learn whether he was really in earnest. But he also shared their
disappointment, and the smile on his face could give them no hopes.
No boat was yet to be seen. Belzoni therefore proposed bespeaking two
camels, and travelling to Esne by land; when this resolution was known,
a boat was soon in readiness, and he discovered that the whole delay
was a fraud to detain him at Assouan, several little barks having been
concealed in different places. Our travellers had a rapid and agreeable
voyage down the Nile, and reached Luxor, just by Thebes, in safety.
The Cacheff had procured a boat to take Caphany to Cairo, and when
they arrived at Thebes, they found it fastened to the bank where the
colossal head was. Belzoni met with much opposition when he wished to
remove this great bust; some thought that it would overbalance the
boat, and consequently be lost in the Nile; others wished to retain
it, supposing it contained gold; and others alledged that it was
impossible to put it into the boat, as the bank was more than fifteen
feet above the level of the water, which had retired at least a hundred
feet from it. His vexation was great, in thinking that all his efforts
and exertion in bringing the head to the Nile were to no purpose, and
that it would never reach England, as the opposition was so powerful.
However, perseverance in laudable pursuits, as I have often told you,
will reward all your labour, and produce effects even beyond your
calculation.
With some trouble, Belzoni collected a hundred and thirty men, and,
under his superintendance, they began to make a causeway, by which to
convey the head down to the river-side. This was finished the next day,
and the bust brought to the edge of the slope ready to be embarked.
It required some thought to manage this, for it was no easy undertaking
to put a piece of granite, of such bulk and weight, on board a boat,
that if it received the weight on one side, would immediately upset.
The Egyptians could furnish no mechanical powers to render the
operation more practicable. It was to be done without the smallest help
of that kind, or even a single tackle, and with poles and ropes
only.
LAURA.--The people there know scarcely any thing of mechanics; their
utmost sagacity reaches only to pulling a rope, or sitting on the
extremity of a lever, as a counterpoise or balance.
BERNARD.--Will you tell me, dear Laura, what you mean by a lever?
LAURA.--A lever, my love, is the foundation of all the mechanical
powers. It is nothing more than a strait stick, or bar of wood or iron.
Did you never read, in “Sandford and Merton,” about the snowball which
rolled along with so much ease, by using two long sticks, which were
called levers? I will read it to you and explain all that you want to
know at some other time, but we will now hear how Belzoni contrived to
get the head down that steep bank.
MRS. A.--The causeway was made gradually sloping to the edge of the
water, close to the boat, and with the four poles a bridge was formed
from the bank into the centre of the boat, so that when the weight bore
on the bridge, it pressed only on the middle of the boat; and this
slender bridge rested partly on the causeway, partly on the side of the
boat, and partly on the centre of it.
On the opposite side of the boat, Belzoni put some mats well filled
with straw. A few Arabs were stationed in it, and some at each side,
with a lever of palm-wood, as there was nothing else. At the middle of
the bridge he placed a sack filled with sand, that in case the colossus
should run too fast into the boat, it might be stopped. He also took a
precaution to make it descend gradually.--You know if they had given
it a push, and it had gone _at once_, it would have overbalanced the
boat, and perhaps drowned the Arabs: so behind the colossus, Belzoni
had the trunk of a palm-tree firmly planted, round which a rope was
twisted, and then fastened to the car, so that it might descend gently.
He set a lever at work on each side, and at the same time that the men
in the boat were pulling, others were slackening the ropes, and others
moving the rollers as the colossus advanced.
[Illustration]
Thus it descended very, very slowly, from the mainland to the causeway,
when it sunk a good deal, as the causeway was made of fresh earth.
However, this was better than if it had run too fast towards the water.
Belzoni thought so too, for if it had fallen into the Nile, it would
have been not only a mortification to himself but a disappointment to
many antiquaries in England, who were longing for its arrival. However
it went safely on board.
The Arabs who were of opinion that it would go to the bottom of the
river, or crush the boat, were all attention, as if anxious to know the
result, as well as to learn how the operation was to be performed. When
the owner of the boat, who considered it as lost, witnessed Belzoni’s
success, and saw the huge piece of stone, as he called it, safely on
board, he came forward and heartily congratulated him. Belzoni was
rejoiced to see his long anticipated project thus crowned with success.
The party arrived at Cairo the following month. Thence they proceeded
to Rosetta, which is on the western branch of the Nile, and near its
mouth. The colossus was landed there, and as tackle was to be had,
of which Belzoni was destitute before, as well as proper workmen, it
was rendered quite an easy operation, and conveyed in safety to the
Bashaw’s magazine, there to await its embarkation for England.
Mr. Belzoni became acquainted with a gentleman at Rosetta, who
received him into his house in a most hospitable manner, and was much
interested in his affairs, feeling the pleasure of a true Englishman
in seeing one of the most finished articles of Egyptian art ready to
be embarked for his native country. And here we will for the present
take leave of our friend, wishing that the indefatigable zeal displayed
in all he undertakes may be rewarded with equal success: and you, my
dear children, whenever you want a stimulus to patient, persevering
industry, think of Belzoni!