Bernard’s perseverance.--Belzoni’s second Voyage.--Rapid
Journey from Minieh to Thebes.--Superb Temple at Carnac.--Works
carried on both at Gournou and Carnac.--Mummy Caves.--Belzoni’s
object in entering them.--Manufactures of the ancient
Egyptians.--Their Idols.--Curious Habitations at Gournou.--He
visits Ybsambul.--Opens the Temple.--Returns highly gratified
to Thebes.
Laura was a botanist. She loved to ramble in search of wild flowers,
and she frequently did so before breakfast. A few mornings after the
preceding conversation, the sun arose with uncommon splendour; but the
glistening dewdrops moistened every blade of grass, and bespangled
every leaf. Laura, instead of wandering in her favourite fields,
proceeded through the little green gate of the shrubbery, and followed
a winding gravel path that brought her to the stable-yard, in which
were the children’s gardens. Here she found Bernard, busily employed
with his spade: carefully replacing flowers that were trampled down,
trimming them and cleaning them, and planting them anew; the border
which he had cultivated with so much delight, was all in confusion and
disorder; the cherry-tree, from which he had promised himself so much
pleasure, in presenting its first fruits to his mother, was pulled down
from the palisades against which it had been trained; his little crop
of wheat was levelled to the ground;--the young liburnums were eaten;
the rose-tree was broken; all was a scene of desolation and confusion!
Yet the persevering little Bernard did not complain; he smiled and
looked at Laura; Laura smiled also, for she guessed what thoughts were
passing in his mind.
Our young readers may wish to know what can have been the cause of all
this disturbance. The little gardens, as we have said, were in the
stable-yard. A door that led into the stable, had, unintentionally,
been left open; Smiler had taken the liberty of walking out, and had
been tempted by a pendant branch of Bernard’s cherry-tree to trample
upon that very spot where his little master had bestowed so much
pains, and in which he had passed many a happy hour, toiling in the
heat of his brow. Laura watched her brother. He smoothed the ground
with the little rake his papa had given him; he dug a hole, and placed
his rosebush afresh, only first cutting off the broken stalks; he then,
with the utmost patience, and without uttering one complaint, assisted
the gardener to train the poor cherry-tree in its former station,
holding the little tin tacks, and the shreds of list, as James held his
hand to receive them; and James, the gardener, and Bernard together,
after working for two hours, had the satisfaction of beholding the
garden restored to neatness and order.
Bernard came in to breakfast. His cheeks glowed with a brighter red
than usual; his countenance beamed cheerfulness and joy; he seemed in
perfect good humour with himself, and with every one around him, and
every one appeared in good humour with him; this was the effect of his
industry.
His mother, who had heard from Laura how the morning had been passed,
said,
“Well my love, you have proved the truth of my assertion, that
perseverance, exerted in laudable undertakings, will reward all our
labour, and produce effects beyond our fondest hopes!”
“Ah, mamma!” said Bernard, “it was Belzoni who first taught me to exert
it! You know I saw what _he_ gained by perseverance, so I thought I
would follow his example, and not give way to despair. You do not
regret having given me that account of Belzoni, do you mamma?”
“No, indeed, my dear boy!” replied the fond and affectionate mother;
“I am delighted in witnessing the first fruits of my story; and having
thus profited by the first account of our enterprising traveller, you
are well entitled to another.” A tear glistened in Bernard’s eyes as
his mother bestowed this well-merited praise.
He despatched his basin of milk: the breakfast things were soon
removed; the maps were once more laid on the table, and Mrs. A.
commenced her narrative of Belzoni’s second excursion up the Nile.
In 1817 a boat was prepared, well covered with mats, and closely lined
all round, with a curtain to the door, to prevent the dust or wind from
penetrating the cabin.
Belzoni and his little party embarked from Boolac.
Antiquities had touched a chord in Belzoni’s heart: they were the
chief objects of his researches. He now more particularly wished to
visit the temple of Ybsambul, and to make preparations for opening it;
when that was accomplished, he intended to return to the Valley of
Beban el Malook, and to endeavour to enter the tombs of the kings, and
afterwards to visit the Pyramids.
You recollect the temple I mention. Belzoni had just made a hole in
the sand, when he left it before, and had discovered that he had then
neither time nor money for exploring it. We may hope he will succeed
now, and that the men will behave better next time.
Their departure from Boolac was attended with a contrary wind, which
caused their progress up the Nile to be so slow, that in four days they
only reached Tabeen; a little village on the eastern bank opposite
Dajior, in reaching which they passed by Cairo, and by several pyramids.
It was at this village, Bernard, that Belzoni drew a view of the
distant Pyramids, from which sketch Laura was taking hers the other
evening, at the time you thought them so uninteresting.
BERNARD.--My opinion is changed now, mamma:--it is best not to form a
judgment too soon,--is it not? I quite love the name of that little
village: I do not call it insignificant, for Laura’s drawing led to my
knowledge of Belzoni. How long did he stop there, mother?
MRS. A.--When the sketch was taken, they proceeded to Meimond, where
their attention was attracted by the cheerful sound of a tambourine, by
which they concluded that there was an Arabic feast in the village, and
leaving their comfortable bark, they went on shore.
They were not much gratified by what they found, and therefore,
returning to their boat, went on to Minieh, which is about half way
between Cairo and Thebes.
It was necessary for them to land there, on account of seeing Hamet
Bey, who has command over all the boats on the river, and I dare say
thinks himself as great as any admiral on the sea!
Belzoni found this mighty commander sitting on a wooden bench, and
attended by two or three of his sailors; and here he also saw two
Copts, who had been sent by Mr. Drouetti up the Nile, in search of
antiquities.
EMILY.--In search of antiquities, mamma, like Belzoni! then I suppose
there will be some emulation between them, and I am glad of it; but I
should like to know who this Mr. Drouetti is; the Copts, we already
know, are descended from the first Egyptians who became Christians.
OWEN.--I think, Emily, it was very unfortunate for Belzoni that he did
meet with these men; how can you tell but they may go to Ybsambul and
finish removing the sand, and so spoil all the nice plans that I have
in my head.
MRS. A.--Mr. Drouetti was the Ex-French Consul in Alexandria, and Owen
is right in supposing Belzoni would rather have avoided these men;
especially as he learned that they wished to arrive at Thebes before
him, and to purchase all that the Arabs had found during the preceding
season. This they could do because their mode of travelling on asses
or horses was much more speedy than the progress of the boat could
possibly be, and thus Belzoni would have no chance of regaining the
spot of ground where you recollect he found the statues.
Upon the plain at Thebes, where, I told you, “the traveller finds
himself on every side among wonders.”
He was not long considering how to act, and resolved to set off
immediately by land, and, by travelling day and night, was in hopes of
reaching the place before them. Accordingly a horse and an ass were got
ready: and taking with him his Greek servant, he left Mr. Beechey (the
young gentleman who accompanied him on this journey) to come up the
Nile at his leisure.
Mrs. Belzoni was left at Cairo, with the British Chancellor. Now I will
tell you with what expedition this rapid journey was completed.
Our travellers set off at midnight, and forced marches brought them the
next morning to Manfatout. From this place they hastened without delay,
and arrived at Siout before daylight. At sunrise they mounted again,
and arrived before dark at Tahta. Here they rested in a convent for
four hours, started afresh by the light of the moon, and reached Girgeh
in the night.
Perhaps you think it must have been pleasant to ride upon a donkey by
moonlight, when the moon was just peeping from behind some dark clouds,
and all around was silent and still.
They resumed their journey at one o’clock in the morning, reached
Farshiout at noon, and, after a delay of four hours, in consequence of
not finding a fresh horse immediately, arrived at night at a village
near Badjoura. Here they rested two hours, and arrived at Geneh at
three. Having dined, they proceeded onward, rested a couple of hours at
Benut at night, and reached Luxor the following noon.
It is hardly possible to form an idea of the difficulties a person
must undergo, travelling through a tract entirely destitute of the
necessaries of life, and sleeping only for eleven hours during five
days!
The fathers of the convents at some of the towns through which he
passed afforded him great accommodation. They provided him with beasts
and provisions for the road immediately on his arrival; and, in places
where there was no convent, he went to the house of the Sheik el Balet,
where travellers of all sorts assemble at night: they are somewhat like
our inns, but without our accommodations. Indeed, he was so fatigued
and stiff, that any place of rest was acceptable to him. The bare earth
generally afforded him a bed, and when he could procure a mat, it was
a luxury. One night, he was refreshed with a few pieces of sugar-cane,
which, after passing the torch where the juice had been extracted,
were become pretty soft, and afforded a tolerable bed. Sugar-canes are
common there, and Belzoni was sometimes regaled with them as a dessert,
after a repast of bread and onions.
No time was to be lost: so he now began to be very busy. He applied
to the Cacheff, who gave orders for him to be furnished with men, who
should do whatever he pleased. Whilst the works at Carnac were going
on, Belzoni visited the superb ruins of the temple at that place. In
a distant view of them, nothing can be seen but the towering propylæ,
high portals and obelisks, which, projecting above the various groups
of lofty palm-trees, present a magnificent spectacle. But when he
entered the avenue of sphinxes, which leads to the great temple, he was
inspired with equal solemnity and awe.
EMILY.--I do not like to interrupt you, dear mother: but will you be
so good as to tell me what these sphinxes are, and why they filled
Belzoni’s mind with solemnity and awe? I thought that a sphinx was only
a sort of moth; and I do not believe that a moth would fill me with
astonishment! What is meant by an Avenue of sphinxes?
MRS. A.--The worship of the ancient Egyptians, my dear girl, was
remarkable for superstition. They worshipped idols of wood and stone;
and these sphinxes represent lions with heads of rams, the symbols
of strength and innocence, the power and purity of their gods. It
was their enormous size, and the idea of what they were intended to
represent, that struck Belzoni as he approached the avenue. He had
never before entered it alone, without being interrupted by the noise
of the Arabs, who seldom leave the traveller an instant; and the
colossal and other gigantic statues, obelisks, immense colonnades, the
pillars of which are some twenty and some thirty feet in circumference;
paintings, which still retain an incomparable brilliancy; granite and
marble lavished in the structure; stones of astonishing dimensions
forming the magnificent roofs; and thousands of prostrate columns which
literally strew the ground, made him remain a long time motionless
with rapture; and he more than once felt inclined to prostrate himself
before monuments, the erection of which seemed to surpass the genius
and the powers of man.
LAURA.--How much I should have enjoyed wandering with Belzoni in that
magnificent place! I have often thought so when I have been looking
at the view of it. I think, mamma, Rollin very justly observes, that
“Egypt seemed to place its chief glory in raising monuments for
posterity.”
BERNARD.--Will you show us the drawing, dear Laura?
The kind sister rose, and brought a large, very large folio volume from
the library table, and turned to a plate representing the extensive
ruins of the temple at Carnac.
MRS. A.--Belzoni was there early in the morning, when the sun was
rising, and the long shades from the various groups of columns extended
over the ruins, intermixed with the rays of light striking on the
masses in various directions, formed such delightful views as (he tells
us) baffle all description.
You remember that when Belzoni first saw the temple of Tentyra he
seated himself upon the ground lost in wonder and admiration. He
thought that edifice exceeded this in point of preservation, and in
the beauty of its workmanship and sculpture; but here he was lost in a
mass of colossal objects, every one of which, to use his own animated
language, was sufficient of itself alone to attract his whole attention.
EMILY.--These majestic objects gave Belzoni more delight than that
which he received on escaping from the mummy cave, or even than that he
experienced in seeing young Memnon safe in the magazine at Cairo.
MRS. A.--It was a superior pleasure, my love, and a pleasure which
superior minds only can enjoy. Association gave it one grand charm.
As Belzoni viewed the battles, processions, triumphs, feasts, and
offerings painted and sculptured on the walls, he did not doubt but
they related to the ancient history of a country universally admitted
to be
“The queen of nations, and the boast of times,
Mother of science and the house of gods.”
This idea would lead a contemplative mind to look back on the days and
deeds of other times--to the consideration that all human greatness is
transitory and fleeting--and that the time would come when even these
memorials of former magnificence should be levelled with the ground,
and known no longer. These reflections would be very natural; and such
feelings would be both melancholy and pleasing.
It was quite late when our friend left the ruins and returned to Luxor,
to the little hut of an Arab, who ceded to him part of his chamber and
a mat, which he tells us formed an excellent bed; much better than
the one of sugar-cane. But the change was great from those grand and
delightful ruins to a little hut. He was told that the two Copts had
arrived, and had begun their researches extensively.
This was rather annoying intelligence; but travellers must learn to
endure disappointments, and he was obliged to be contented.
Being unable to procure many men on the east side of the Nile, he
determined to try what could be done on the west, as he had the good
will of the Cacheffs there: but, unfortunately, the boat with Mr.
Beechey had not arrived, and he could not proceed for want of money:
having, from prudence, as he came by land, brought but little with him.
Accordingly he left his interpreter, and set off in a small boat to
meet his friend. He arrived at Ghenlh in a day or two, where they were
rejoiced to meet each other. It took them three days to reach Thebes,
when they moored their bark, and recommenced their operations with
what people they could obtain. The work at Gournou was continued, and
occupied as much of Belzoni’s attention as that at Carnac.
You recollect that Gournou is just on the other side of the Nile,
nearly opposite Carnac. The mummy cave is there, you know: the cave
into which Belzoni went with the Arabs. It is a tract of rocks, about
two miles in length, at the foot of the Libyan mountains, on the west
of Thebes: every part of these rocks is cut out by art, in the form of
large and small chambers, each of which has its separate entrance; and
though they are very close to each other, it is seldom that there is
any interior communication from one to another. They are celebrated, as
I mentioned before, for the quantity of mummies they contain.
It is impossible to give you any idea of those subterraneous abodes and
their inhabitants.
There are no sepulchres in any part of the world like those of Gournou,
nor any excavations or mines that can be compared to those astonishing
places. No exact description of their interior can be given, owing to
the difficulty of visiting them.
OWEN.--Surely Belzoni will not venture into one again, mamma! I shall
tremble for him, especially if he trust himself under the care of a
treacherous Arab.
MRS. A.--It is true that the people of Gournou are superior to any
other Arabs in cunning and deceit; but when Belzoni had resided some
little time at Thebes, and was known to them, they found it in vain to
attempt to delude him any more.
OWEN.--I do not wonder at that, mother: for I do not believe that a
very clever person could be easily deceived. Because I think we more
frequently see superstitious or cowardly persons imposed on, than those
who are not so: and thus one end of acquiring knowledge is, that it
prevents our being deceived by others, and enables us to avoid their
cunning.
MRS. A.--Knowledge is intrinsically valuable, my dear boy, as it
elevates the mind, and qualifies us for higher degrees of felicity,
both in the present and in a future life; and the acquisition
of useful knowledge exercises and invigorates the powers of the
understanding; its cultivation in youth promotes virtue: it is,
therefore, the true foundation of all our happiness.
In visiting these mummy caves a traveller is generally satisfied when
he has seen the large hall, the gallery, the staircase, and as far
as he can conveniently go. Besides, his attention is taken up by the
paintings he observes on the walls; so that, when he comes to a narrow
or difficult passage, or to have to descend to the bottom of a well or
cavity, he declines taking such trouble, naturally supposing that he
cannot see in these abysses any thing so magnificent as what he sees
above, and on that account deeming it useless to proceed any farther.
The air is very close and disagreeable. Many persons could not
withstand the suffocating effect it produces; and the enterprising
traveller is also annoyed with the immense quantity of fine dust, and
the effluvia arising from the mummies: the entry or passage where the
bodies are is roughly cut in the rocks, which are of granite; the
falling of the sand from the upper part causes the passage to be nearly
filled up, so that in some parts there is not more than the vacancy
of a foot or two left, which you must contrive to pass through in a
creeping posture, regardless of the keen and pointed stones with which
the path is strewed. After getting through these passages, some of them
two or three hundred yards long, a more commodious place is generally
found, perhaps high enough to seat yourselves. But what a place of
rest! surrounded by bodies, by heaps of mummies in all directions,
which, previous to being accustomed to the sight, would impress upon
the mind disgust and horror. The blackness of the wall, the faint light
given by the candles or torches for want of air, the different objects
that surround the venturous traveller, seeming to converse with each
other, and the Arabs, with torches in their hands, naked and covered
with dust, themselves resembling living mummies, form a scene that
cannot be described.
[Illustration]
In such a situation our enterprising Belzoni, whom no difficulties
could deter, frequently found himself. At first he generally returned
exhausted and fainting, but at length became so inured to the exertion,
that he could freely venture into these caves, indifferent to what he
suffered. Sometimes, he tells us, after the trouble of entering into
such a place, through a passage of fifty, a hundred, three hundred,
or six hundred yards, he would seek a resting-place and contrive to
sit; but when his weight bore on the body of some decayed Egyptian, it
crushed it immediately. He would then naturally have recourse to his
hands to sustain his weight, but they could find no better support, so
that he would sink altogether among the broken mummies, with a crash of
bones, rags, and wooden cases, which raised such a dust as sometimes
left him motionless a quarter of an hour, waiting till it subsided
again.
The air in the caves is almost unfit to sustain animal life. Belzoni
could not have borne it long at a time; and this same kind of air which
often proves fatal to the life of animals, will also extinguish the
flame of a torch or candle. When you are acquainted with the principles
of chemistry, I shall be better able to explain the cause of this
singular effect.
The people of Gournou live in the entrance of such caves as have
already been opened; and by making partitions with earthen walls, they
form habitations for themselves, as well as for their cows, camels,
buffaloes, sheep, goats, and dogs.
It is difficult to account for this choice, as they have plenty of
stone from the surrounding tombs, unless it be from their indolence, to
save the trouble of building houses, and in hopes of receiving money
from travellers.
Belzoni’s principal object in entering those caves was to rob the
Egyptians of their papyri, of which he found a few hidden in the
numerous folds of cloth that enveloped them. You have heard of the
papyries or paper rush, my love, which grew on the banks of the Nile,
and of which the ancients made clothes, sails, domestic utensils, and
writing paper.
BERNARD.--_I_ have heard of it, mamma; and I understand the process by
which they made their paper, perfectly well. They pressed the leaves
that surrounded the stem, flattening and smoothing them; I suppose the
leaves of the paper rush clung round each other, as those of the great
American aloe do in the conservatory. But what has all this to do with
Belzoni’s papyri?
MRS. A.--A great deal, my little friend: because by those papyri are
meant the scrolls or records that were usually placed with the mummies,
containing historical facts, which would prove very useful to the
antiquary were he able to decipher them. Such people as could afford
it would have a sycamore case to be buried in, on which the history of
their lives was painted: and those who could not afford a case, were
contented to have their lives written on papyri, rolled up and placed
above their knees. So you are now acquainted with the motive which
induced Belzoni to enter the dismal caves at Gournou.
The ancient Egyptians were evidently acquainted with linen
manufactures, and in perfection nearly equal to our own. Belzoni
observed some of the cloth of which their garments were made, quite as
fine as our muslin, of an even texture, and spun so curiously that the
threads were scarcely visible.
Their knowledge was not by any means confined to architecture and
sculpture. Belzoni was fortunate enough to find many specimens of
their manufactures, among which was gold leaf beaten nearly as thin
as ours. They had also the art of tanning leather, and of staining
it of different colours; and thus they were able to make shoes of
various shapes, and as good as those we wear. They fabricated a sort of
glass, of which they made beads and other ornaments; and they had also
manufactories of pottery ware. Thus you see the Egyptians possessed
diversity of talents; things of minor importance were not forgotten,
amidst objects both grand and sublime.
LAURA.--I like them the better for that, mother. What you have said
about combining great things with matters of comparatively small
consequence, reminds me of my favourite, Elizabeth Smith; who,
although possessing talents which would have been distinguished in an
University, thought it no degradation to make a currant tart!
MRS. A.--Those are in reality the greatest minds, which, possessing
profound and various learning, do not object to its being shaded by the
exertion of every domestic virtue.
Besides enamelling, the art of gilding was in high perfection among
the Egyptians, as Belzoni found several ornaments of that kind. They
knew how to cast copper, as well as how to form it into sheets; and
had a metallic composition not unlike our lead, but rather softer,
resembling the lead we see on paper, in the tea-chests from China, only
it was thicker. Carved works were very common and in great perfection,
particularly in the proportion of the figures, which were made to
preserve that sweet simplicity peculiar to themselves, and which is
always pleasing to the beholder. The art of varnishing, and baking the
varnish on clay, was carried on in so superior a style, that it would
be difficult to surpass it in the present day.
Painting however, was not in so much perfection among the Egyptians
as the other arts. They knew not how to soften from shade to shade,
until the last in “purest light was lost.” Neither could they spread
the glowing tinge across a sable landscape; nor yet pencil a delicate
flower unfolding its numerous petals. Their painting was extremely
simple, as they possessed no knowledge of shadowing to elevate their
figures. Great credit, however, is due to them for their taste in
disposing the colours, such as they had, which were only two sorts of
blue, red, green, yellow, and black. With these they adorned their
temples, tombs, or whatever they wished to have painted.
The Egyptians were a primitive nation: they had to form every thing
without a model before them to imitate: yet so fertile was their
inventive faculty, that, instead of confining themselves to five orders
of architecture, they had so many that new ones might be continually
extracted from their ruins. We have reason to believe that our Ionic
order originated in Egypt.
OWEN.--Oh, yes: and papa told me he had heard that the invention of the
ornament called the volute was derived from the circumstance of a girl
leaving a basket, covered with a tile, on a bed of celery; the plant
growing up, and being interrupted by the tile, having bent backwards,
and assumed the spiral form. I should like to know if this anecdote
be true. Any thing is more interesting when we can depend upon its
correctness.
Well, mamma, will you tell us in what other arts the Egyptians excelled?
MRS. A.--Their wonderful sculptures are admired for the boldness of
their execution. Geometry is universally believed to have been first
found out by them; and astronomy is also regarded as their invention.
Indeed, that they were early celebrated for their wisdom and literature
is sufficiently obvious, both from sacred and profane history; the
former assuring us that Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the
Egyptians, and that the wisdom of Solomon excelled all the wisdom of
Egypt; and the latter allowing this nation to have been the parent of
all philosophical knowledge.
During the time that the works at Gournou and Carnac were carried on,
Belzoni generally resided at Luxor; but when he had been busier than
usual, he took up his lodging at the entrance of some of the tombs;
and, far from being miserable, he was amused with the novelty of his
habitation. The dwellings are usually in the passages, between the
first and second entrance to a tomb; the walls and the roof are as
black as any chimney; the inner door is closed up with mud, except a
small aperture sufficient for a man to creep through. Within this place
sheep are kept at night. Over the door-way there are always some half
broken Egyptian figures, and the two foxes--
BERNARD.--Stop, mamma, if you please:--two foxes! What had foxes to do
there?
MRS. A.--The Egyptians attached great importance to animals, and
foxes were considered as guardians to their burial places. You know
I have frequently told you, that these people worshipped animals of
different kinds; and in their tombs Belzoni frequently found the
mummies of bulls, cows, monkeys, cats, fishes, birds, and crocodiles.
To the latter they attached great importance, regarding them with high
veneration. I think we ought to be very thankful that we live in better
times, and in a Christian land, for I dare say, if we had lived at
that time we should have been no wiser than our neighbours; but have
worshipped cats, and dogs, and crocodiles too.
A small lamp is placed in a niche in the wall, and a mat is spread on
the ground; and this formed the grand divan wherever Belzoni was. The
people used to assemble around him, and the conversation turned wholly
on antiquities. Such a one had found such a thing, and another had
discovered a tomb. Various articles were brought for him to purchase,
and he had sometimes reason to rejoice at having stayed there.
OWEN.--Then they had discovered that he was an antiquarian. For my
part, sooner than trust myself with the people of Gournou, in one of
their black dismal caves, I would live in one of the bamboo huts of
Peru, or in one of the little Laplanders’ dwellings, made of briars,
and bark, and reindeer skins: either would be much more agreeable,
would it not, mamma?
MRS. A.--Possibly it might; but it would not have answered Belzoni’s
purpose to have been transported across the Atlantic to the flowery
fields of Peru, nor yet to Lapland’s land of snow, for in both places
antiquities are unknown.
Every human being can be happy if he like, for happiness certainly
depends on ourselves.
It may not suit your views of happiness, to talk of it among people
who live in caves like wild beasts, or rather who live in tombs, among
the mummies and rags of an ancient nation, of which they know nothing.
But this is trifling, compared with their slave-like state; subject
to the caprice of a tyrannical power, who leaves them no chance of
receiving any remuneration for their labours, and no prospect of any
change except for the worse. Nevertheless they are happy, my love, for
custom reconciles all this. The labourer comes home in the evening,
seats himself near his cave, smokes his pipe with his companions, talks
of the last inundation of the Nile, its products, and what the ensuing
season is likely to be; his wife brings him the usual bowl of lentils
and bread, moistened with water and salt, and when she can add a little
butter, it is considered a feast. Knowing nothing beyond this, he is
happy.
The young man’s business is to accumulate the amazing sum of a hundred
piastres (two pounds and ten shillings) to buy himself a wife, and to
make a feast on the wedding-day.
EMILY.--To buy a wife! That is the drollest thing I ever heard of!
Cheap articles too, mamma! Two pound ten shillings!--I am sure I would
not be bought.
MRS. A.--You are not sure of any such thing, my dear. Were you a young
lady of Gournou, you would most probably resemble the young ladies
there. When a man wants to marry, he goes to the father of the intended
bride, and agrees with him what he is to pay for her. This important
affair being settled, so much money is to be spent on the wedding
feast. To set up house-keeping, nothing is requisite but two or three
earthen pots, a stone to grind meal, and a mat, which is the bed. The
lady has a gown and jewels of her own; and if the bridegroom presents
her with a pair of bracelets of silver, ivory, or glass, she is
fortunate and happy indeed. Thus these poor people, having never known
our luxuries and indulgencies, sigh not for the want of them.
There is no difficulty in the matter of rent or taxes at Gournou. If
one house do not please them, they walk out and enter another, as there
are several hundreds, or perhaps thousands at their command. At length
they fix upon one. No rain can pass through the roof, and a door is not
wanted, as there is nothing to lose. They make a kind of box, of clay
and straw, which after two or three days’ exposure to the sun becomes
quite hard. It is fixed on a stand; an aperture is left to put all
their precious things into it, and a piece of a mummy-case forms the
door.
Belzoni had by this time acquired antiquities enough to fill another
boat, and having secured all the valuable collection in one spot,
built a mud wall round it, and covered it with earth; they left an
Arab Scheik to guard it, and set off for Assouan, that old town where
Belzoni found the Aga, and all his retinue seated on a mat under a
cluster of palm-trees. As they were bound to Ybsambul, they did not
remain long at Assouan, but proceeded to Philoe. You have not forgotten
this name.
EMILY.--Oh no, mamma.
MRS. A.--You remember in my account of Belzoni’s last voyage, I told
you that he stood at the stern of the vessel, waiting for the first
beams of the sun to unveil that beautiful island; and he found an
obelisk there and gave the Aga four dollars to pay a guard for it till
his return. He is not going to remove that obelisk just at present, but
at some future time; his chief object now is to hasten to Ybsambul.
During their stay at Philoe, two captains arrived, who were going
up the Nile as far as the second Cataract; and as there was some
difficulty in obtaining two boats, it was agreed that Belzoni should
join them, and thus form one party. Accordingly they embarked; the two
captains, Mr. Beechey, three servants, and Belzoni himself. I have just
been thinking how much courage Mrs. Belzoni possessed, for she was
left in the island of Philoe till the return of the party. She very
much wished to accompany them, but as there was only one boat she was
obliged to her own mortification, to remain behind, notwithstanding
the great desire she had to witness the opening of the interesting
temple at Ybsambul. However, it was in vain to give way to useless
regret. Mrs. Belzoni took up her abode on the top of the temple of
Osiris, in that island, where, with the help of some mud walls, she
enclosed two comfortable rooms; and amused herself in observing the
customs and characters of the inhabitants, and exchanging little
articles with the Nubian women during Mr. Belzoni’s absence; and in
this she certainly displayed great courage, resolution, and patience.
The party arrived at Ybsambul in the course of a few days; they were
disappointed in finding that the Cacheffs were not there, but at Jomas,
opposite Deir. They sent an express, to inform them that they were come
with permission to open the temple, and in the meantime proceeded to
the second Cataracts. Previous to their arrival at Wady Halfa, they
followed the side of the Nile, as far as they could go with their
boat, and then landed and walked three or four miles to the rock Aspir
for the delightful views, which you remember Belzoni saw on his first
excursion, tempted him to wish to behold them once more, and to observe
the pleasure with which his companions would look upon them; but the
islands did not appear so numerous, nor did the water form those
foaming eddies, which had before so finely interspersed the views with
white and green. Notwithstanding, the whole was very grand, and Belzoni
was much gratified in seeing it again.
Having returned to the boat, they passed the night on the same side of
the river. The next morning they crossed the water, and entered into
an inlet of the Nile, where they moored their bark, near the village
of Wady Halfa, and returned in the evening to Ybsambul. However, they
did not find the Cacheffs there. But after exercising the patience of
our travellers by keeping them waiting a whole week, they appeared,
and took up their abode in some small huts made of rushes, on a sandy
bank of the river. Here Belzoni and his friends waited upon them, and
obtained permission to recommence the operation of opening the temple
the following morning, with the assistance of thirty men.
In the morning the men made their appearance, and the work was
recommenced with much enthusiasm and many sanguine hopes. You recollect
the immense mass of sand that obstructed the entrance. Belzoni
judged by calculations that it was not less than thirty-five feet
in thickness--thicker than our house is high! This sand was a mass,
accumulated by the winds for many centuries; and perhaps the phenomena
so common in Egypt had added to it. I mean the whirlwinds, which occur
all the year round, but especially at the time of the poisonous wind.
This wind generally blows from the south-west, and lasts several days;
so very strong, that it raises the sands to a great height, forming a
thick cloud in the air. The caravans cannot proceed in the Deserts;
the boats cannot continue their voyages: the whole is like a chaos.
Frequently a quantity of sand and small stones gradually ascend to a
great height, and form a column sixty or seventy feet in diameter,
and so thick, that, were it steady on one spot, it would appear a
solid mass. This not only revolves within its own circumference, but
runs in a circular direction over a great space of ground, sometimes
maintaining itself in motion for half an hour; and where it falls, it
accumulates a hill of sand. It is in this way only that I can account
for the prodigious quantity accumulated before the door of the temple.
It was Belzoni’s principal object to reach that door, as the most
speedy means of entering it. He divided the men into two parties,
and stationed one on each side of the colossus that stood over the
entrance. They worked pretty well, but were so few that the little
sand they removed could scarcely be perceived. Seeing that it would
be a very tedious business if carried on in this way, Belzoni made a
proposal to the Cacheff to pay three hundred piastres for opening the
temple, which was agreed to by both Cacheff and workmen.
OWEN.--Three hundred piastres, mother! is it possible? As much money as
would have bought three wives at Gournou!
MRS. A.--They continued their labour for three days with much ardour,
supposing they could finish it in that time; but on the evening of the
third day there was as little prospect of seeing the door as on the
first. They became tired at last, and, under some pretence, left the
temple, the sand, and the treasure, contenting themselves with keeping
the three hundred piastres, which had unfortunately been paid to them
beforehand.
Thus deserted, Belzoni and his friends took the resolution to work at
the sand themselves. They were only seven: but the crew offered their
services, and thus they became fourteen in all.
Finding that one of them did as much work as one to five of their
selfish workmen, they were well satisfied, and determined to continue.
They rose every morning at the dawn of day, and left off two hours
and a half after sun rise. After continuing their operation regularly
for some days, they perceived a rough projection from the wall, which
apparently indicated that the work was unfinished, and no door to be
found there.
The hopes of some of the party began to fail. Nevertheless, as you
did this morning, Bernard, they persevered in their exertions, and
completed their work: for, three days afterwards, they discovered a
broken cornice, the following day the torus, and of course the frieze
under, which made them almost sure of finding the door the next day.
Accordingly Belzoni erected a palisade to keep the sand up, and to
his great satisfaction, saw the upper part of the door as the evening
approached. They dug away enough sand to be able to enter that night;
but supposing the air in the cavity might be unpleasant, they deferred
this till the following day.
Early in the morning of the first of August they went to the temple,
in high spirits at the idea of entering a newly-discovered place. They
endeavoured to enlarge the entrance as much as they could, and, soon
making the passage wider, they entered the finest and most extensive
excavation in Nubia: one that can stand a competition with any in
Egypt, except the tomb more recently discovered in Beban el Malook.
From what they could perceive at the first view, it was evidently a
very large place: but their astonishment increased when they found it
to be one of the most magnificent of temples, enriched with statues,
paintings, and figures! They entered at first into a very long portico,
supported by two rows of enormous square pillars. Both these and the
walls were covered with beautiful hieroglyphics, which exhibited
battles, storming of castles, triumphs over Ethiopians, and various
sacrifices.
I will explain to you the meaning of _hieroglyphics_.
The Egyptians, before the invention of letters, from their observations
on the various properties of animals and plants, and from their
knowledge of the uses of different instruments also, had, with their
accustomed ingenuity, derived a variety of devices or emblems; and
by these, disposed in certain attitudes, they could make historical
records, which would be very intelligible to those who were
acquainted with their system; and such devices or emblems are called
_hieroglyphics_.
You may suppose if Belzoni had been able to decipher the hieroglyphics
which had been thus discovered, that he would have become acquainted
with the whole history of the country; but with all his knowledge he
was almost as much unacquainted as we are with the hieroglyphical
system. It is many hundred years since it was in general use; for
when those simple and easy characters, the letters, were found out,
emblematical signs were laid aside.
Letters are believed to be the invention of some wise Egyptian in the
reign of Cadmus, King of Thebes.
BERNARD.--Why do you say, _they are believed to be_, mother? Cannot you
be quite sure?
MRS. A.--I do not wish to be quite sure, my love. As I was not living
in the reign of Cadmus, I cannot pretend to prove the truth of the
assertion, though I see little reason to doubt it. Egypt is called the
_mother of science_, you know. It was an ingenious invention whoever
the inventor might be. For, by combining letters, every sound can be
represented: but when hieroglyphics were in use, of course there were
as many characters as ideas.
The characters now used for the signs of the zodiac and the planets are
specimens of hieroglyphics; and so is a circle, or snake with its tail
in its mouth, when used to signify eternity. Flames, which are ever
moving, represent light and life; the lion or bull, indicates strength;
the hawk, swiftness; and so on. I will tell you more about them another
time.
Let us now accompany Belzoni through his newly-discovered temple.
The second hall into which they entered was very extensive, containing
four large pillars. Beyond this was a shorter chamber, in which was the
entrance into the sanctuary: the sanctuary contained a pedestal in the
centre, and at the end were four colossal figures. On the right side of
the great hall, entering into the temple, were two doors, at a short
distance from each other, which led into two long separate rooms, and
other rooms and galleries opened out of them: so you may imagine what a
fund of amusement and astonishment Belzoni met with at last.
The outside of the temple was as magnificent as the interior. Only
fancy it three times the height of our house--the immense colossi--the
figure of Osiris twenty feet high, on the top of the door--the cornice
enriched with hieroglyphics, and the frieze beneath; and then think,
that this stupendous place was nearly two-thirds buried under the sand,
and you cannot fail to admire the labour and perseverance which must
have been exerted to obtain an entrance.
Belzoni now experienced the truth of my motto; “LABOR OMNIA VINCIT.”
He was well compensated for all his toil and anxiety; he no longer
regarded the selfishness of the workmen: he no longer regretted the
want of mechanical powers; he had attained his wish; he had entered
the famous temple of Ybsambul excavated in the solid rock; and in the
course of a few weeks he returned, completely satisfied, to the little
island of Philoe, where Mrs. Belzoni joined the party, and accompanied
them to Thebes.
EMILY.--And whilst there they intend to visit the valley of Beban el
Malook, and afterwards to explore the pyramids near Cairo.
Will you tell us something more, mother? I believe that the celebrated
tomb of which we hear so much, at the Egyptian Hall, in London, is the
representation of one that Belzoni discovered in the valley of Beban el
Malook. Will you tell us how he came to discover it?
MRS. A.--Not at present, my dear Emily. I must leave you now, but you
may go and amuse yourselves on the lawn, and tie up the little almond
tree, my love, that is almost blown down.