INFLUX OF TRAVELLERS--PROVISION STORES--THE PRESERVED “ROUND”--NEW
YEAR’S-DAY--MELANCHOLY OPENING OF NEW YEAR--VISIT TO THE PYRAMIDS--OLD
SELIM--A MOONLIGHT WALK--THE SPHYNX AND GERMAN SAVANS--ASCENT OF
CHEOPS--THE INTERIOR OF THE PYRAMIDS--UNCEREMONIOUS INTRUDERS--TRIAL
OF SKILL--A CRACK SHOT.
I reached Cairo the following morning, and thus ended my engagement
with Messrs. Waghorn and Co. On resigning my office, I was gratified
with a flattering testimonial from Mr. Raven, and an invitation to
consider the hotel as my home, so long as I might incline to remain
in Egypt. Being as yet quite undetermined what to do, I accepted his
very kind offer, occasionally resuming my accustomed seat in the little
office, and rendering what assistance I could, in expediting the mails
and passengers. There was a good deal of business also, consequent
upon the almost daily arrival of parties bound on a visit to Upper
Egypt; and not only were all our own boats put in requisition, but
many more were hired for the excursion from Boulac and other places.
These latter, we were always compelled to sink for some days before
they were fit for the reception of any civilized beings, to drive out
the cockroaches and other vermin, with which they were infested; and
as the temporary owners of these little craft, were naturally desirous
of showing off to advantage, in the eyes of such of their countrymen
as they would fall in with during their voyage, they sometimes went
to considerable expense in having them newly decorated with gaudy
arabesques, and quaint patterns, in the brightest colours.
Each boat sailed under a different flag, and a pattern card of such
flags as were already up the Nile, was hung in the long room of the
hotel, so that each succeeding adventurer might vary his device. For
some weeks, the inn appeared as if converted into a sort of wholesale
provision warehouse, such ransacking was there of stores and cellars,
in quest of the necessaries to furnish the travelling _cafass_ of each
party. Great was the draw upon the bottled-ale department, and Messrs.
Guiness and Bass, certainly owe a large debt of gratitude to old father
Nile, who has so wisely tempered his waters with a mild aperient
quality, as to place medicine-chests at a discount at the cataracts,
and force even the teetotal traveller to slake his thirst in beer.
Preserved provisions of all sorts were dragged from the cob-webbed
recesses under the stairs, where they had lain for many a long
year, and the entrance hall was strewed with hermetic legs of pork,
giblet-soups, and stewed breasts of veal, with every thing else in the
culinary calendar. Among the red tin pots which contained these hidden
delicacies, I found one of unusual size, of which the “_etiquette_”
proclaimed the presence of a “round of beef.” Now, it was seven months
at least, since I had taken a cut at anything, at all resembling a
genuine “round,” and as this pot was the only one of its species, and
certainly had no business among the lesser fry, I carried it to Raven.
He had not, as it happened, ordered our dinner for that day, and it
was therefore settled _nem con_, that we should dine off the round as
soon as it was cooked, Dr. A---- being invited to join us, and share
the delicacy. With hammer and chisel, I proceeded to make a breach in
the well-soldered top, and drew blood in the shape of a jet of savoury
juice, which saluted my face and shirt-front. “There, there,” said
Raven, “don’t waste the liquor; call the cook, and let him transfer all
to the stew-pan, a quarter of an hour’s simmering will do.” We sat down
to table, and smacking our lips, awaited the arrival of Nasr, who made
his appearance just as the doctor had finished whetting his knife.
Never shall I forget the look of bewildered surprise depicted upon the
countenances of my two companions, as Moosah set down and uncovered
the dish. There was the “round” certainly, but alas! “_quantum mutatus
ab illo_:” a thing like a Norfolk biffin greeted our astonished gaze,
floating in a sea of mouldy gravy. Nasr hardly knew whether to regard
it as a joke, or some species of foreign delicacy, with which he was
previously unacquainted. As for ourselves, we waited until the cook
had prepared us some dish not quite so _recherché_, whilst we all
agreed, that although the “round of beef” might have been _potted_, it
certainly had not been very well _preserved_!
[Illustration: THE “ROUND OF BEEF.”]
New Year’s-day came in due course, but although Raven, on hospitable
thoughts intent, had gathered all his English friends around him, our
enjoyment was very much saddened by the alarming illness of Mrs. H----,
an agreeable young countrywoman, in whom we were all much interested.
With death, as it were, at the door, it was scarcely possible that the
guests assembled in the long room should indulge in any feeling of
hilarity, and thus, although the cheer was ample and excellent, and
there was abundance of everything calculated to promote conviviality,
our New Year’s dinner passed off in gloom and silence. As for myself,
I was suffering so acutely from an attack of rheumatism, that I was
glad to retire long before the rest, Bell, who was also on the sick
list, bearing me company. The death of our poor friend, occurred early
in the morning, and more suddenly than any of us had anticipated. I
spent many hours in the house of mourning, to assist in performing the
last melancholy duties. The body was consigned to the grave the same
afternoon, in a Greek place of burial, near to Old Cairo, the mourners
following in two of our desert carriages, drawn by eight white horses
at a full trot. The Rev. R---- L---- read the burial service, and
before dusk, the whole of the mournful ceremony was over, and we had
returned to our homes. Poor H---- felt his bereavement so severely,
that he could never be persuaded to return to his own deserted hearth;
and his house, which formed a part of the Company’s premises, was
afterwards fitted up for the accommodation of such travellers as could
not obtain room at the hotel. As such, a portion of it fell to my lot,
and I remained there until the period of my quitting Cairo.
Being now, as it were, an idle man, I resolved upon making my
long-thought-of visit to the Pyramids, and had no sooner communicated
my intention to Furner, who was staying for a few days at the hotel,
than he volunteered to join me. Mr. Raven, for some reason or other
was unable to accompany us, but we had in his place an English
gentleman, who held a government appointment in Egypt.
Mounted on the best donkeys we could select, and followed by a train
of attendant Arabs, loaded with the necessary provender, we quitted
the hotel late in the afternoon, and rushing at a hand gallop through
the narrow streets, and quaint-looking gardens of the suburb, reached,
in less than half an-hour, the banks of the Nile, at Fostât, or Old
Cairo. Those bound to the Pyramids of Ghizeh, usually cross just above
the Island of Rhoda, where the current, owing to the great breadth
of the river, is not so strong as to render navigation difficult. A
flat-bottomed boat conveyed us to the opposite shore, landing us,
donkeys and all, at the little village of Ghizeh. Here we laid in a
stock of fruit, such as limes, dates and bananas, and swelled our
cortége by the addition of two or three ragged-looking fellows, who
persisted in following us, to help us over the various canals and dykes
with which our path was intersected by the late inundation of the Nile.
It was dark when we left the village, and gained the open
country beyond, and it required constant care on the part of our
self-constituted guides to prevent our donkeys from stumbling into
the wide cracks which stretched across our path. We had many dykes
to ford, our animals being easily persuaded to take to the water,
though we eventually came to a _bonâ fide_ canal, which at first sight
seemed to present an insurmountable obstacle to our further progress.
We all mechanically drew bridle on the high shelving bank, gazing
into the dark-looking stream below, with any thing but pleasurable
feelings, and here we made a forced halt, whilst a scout ran off to
ascertain if there was any other spot at which we could more easily
effect a crossing. Not finding any such, one of our guides stripped
himself and waded in, and it was some consolation to find, that at
the deepest part, the water barely covered his shoulders. Seeing that
there was no way of escaping a partial wetting, I divested myself of
my nether garments, which I rolled round my gun and carried in my
hand, and holding tight on by his top-knot, got safe across upon the
shoulders of the tallest Arab of our party, sending him back for my
companions. In this way we all reached the opposite bank with but
little inconvenience, the donkeys swimming over after us, but as our
saddles were soaked, and we ourselves somewhat chilled, we performed
the remainder of our journey on foot, reaching the tomb in the
neighbourhood of the Pyramids about ten o’clock, just as the moon was
rising.
Old Selim had already retired for the night, but a shot fired from one
of our guns gave him notice of our approach, and as we came to the
bottom of the steps which lead to his hermitage, he was lighting up
for our reception. The rock upon which the chief Pyramid appears to be
based, crops out of the sand in the form of a gigantic step,[13] and in
its face are several caverns, partly excavated, I believe by Colonel
Vyse, which serve in the present day for the dwelling of one or two
Arabs, and have been rudely fitted up as resting places for travellers.
Selecting the most commodious of these chambers, which, in addition to
a low stone divan round three of its sides, boasted also of a tortuous
hole in the roof by way of chimney, we got old Selim to light a fire of
dried sticks and charcoal, and spreading our mats upon the floor, were
quickly in enjoyment of an excellent supper, for which our nocturnal
ramble had secured us a hearty appetite. Cold fowls there were, and
pigeons galore, as well as piping hot potatoes, which we drew from out
the embers. Thanks to our fair purveyor at the hotel, our cafass was
abundantly furnished, and we found on inspection that there was no
need to be so chary of our stock of meat and brandy, as to refuse a
restorative to some of our dripping escort, who stood shivering at the
door of the cavern whilst we were taking our meal.
Hitherto, neither Furner nor myself had seen the Pyramids, having been
prevented by the extreme darkness of the night. Now, however, the moon
had illumined the far-off Nile and the desert beneath us with a flood
of brilliant light, which tempted us from our chimney corner, and
ascending accordingly the last broken flight of steps leading to the
summit of the rock, old Cheops and his two satellites burst upon our
view. The angle nearest to us presented a tapering line of fantastic
shadows, as the broken masses of stone caught the bright moonlight,
the northern face of the Pyramid appearing from the contrast to be
thrown into darkness, looking cold and gloomy, whilst the shadow cast
by the enormous mass, undulated over the uneven sand in the foreground,
and was lost far away in the desert. Beyond, as if guardian of the
gigantic wonders around him, lay the Sphynx, crouched like some monster
watch-dog, and turning his back most contemptuously upon a large party
of German savans, who had pitched their tents within the very sweep of
his tail. These gentlemen, in their inordinate thirst after knowledge,
have grubbed holes in all directions, and with the exception of the
three Pyramids, have turned nearly every thing topsy-turvy. Even the
Sphynx has been partially undermined in the hunt after hieroglyph, and
a splendid specimen has been exposed which is expected to throw some
light upon the unknown tongue. At the time of our nocturnal visit to
their bivouac, the literati had retired to rest, but hearing voices,
a sentinel protruded his head from the tent and challenged us in
_Hoch-Deutsch_, a language about as familiar to most of our party, as
the hidden one of the Pharaohs. Managing, however, to prove to his
satisfaction, that we were neither enemies nor thieves, the head was
withdrawn, and we returned to our own sleeping-place.
We were out before sunrise in the morning, and after the usual and
_now_ necessary cup of coffee, commenced the ascent of the Pyramid
of Cheops, the first and highest of the three, and the only one
whose summit is easily attainable. Yielding to a common error, I
resolutely resisted all offers of assistance on the part of the Arabs
who accompanied us, but I had not scaled more than half-a-dozen of
the lower steps, before I was glad to call three sturdy ruffians to
my aid, one at either hand, and the other pushing behind. In this
way we reached the half-way resting-place, which when viewed from the
ground, appears close to the top. Here we halted a minute or two to
take breath, and then again pushed upwards. The dexterity displayed
by my guides was really wonderful, and although, as I used but little
exertion myself, I must have taxed their assistance to the utmost,
they never made a false step, nor paused to deliberate where they
should plant their feet. Being early morning, the stones, which are
breast-high, were slippery with the dew, and many an awkward stumble
should I have made, but for the care of my faithful rear-guard, who
hoisted me from one course to another, and over the sharp angles of the
stones, with the greatest ease and good-will, putting out his knee or
back as a stepping-place, whenever a block of unusual size presented
itself.
Anon we reached the summit, an area of rather more than thirty feet
square, and we now discovered that our toil had been thrown away,
in-so-far as the enjoyment of an extended view was concerned. A thick
mist obscured the distance, and left little to attract the eye, save
the course of the Nile, and the tracts of land which were still under
the influence of the inundation. These formed a silvery network,
lighted up by the rising sun, and assisted the eye in embracing the
enormous expanse of country commanded by our elevated position. Cairo
lay as it were, close at hand, although obscured beyond the power of
recognition by the misty vapours which rose from the river. On the
south, the site of old Memphis and the adjacent Pyramids of Sakhara
were distinctly visible. Whilst immediately beneath us, the two lesser
Pyramids of Ghizeh towered upwards from the plain, from amid a confused
jumble of tombs and ruins.
The uneven surface of the summit is completely covered with names and
dates, each succeeding visitor deeming it necessary to leave some
record behind him. This custom, which obtains more among the vulgar of
our own nation, than with any other, is here adopted by travellers from
all corners of the earth, and the renowned _Mezzofanti_[14] himself,
would feel at a loss to identify some of the outlandish characters
which are cut in the crown of old Cheops.
As we rested ourselves, water was brought to us by Fellah children,
who for the uncertain chance of obtaining a few _paras_, will make
the toilsome ascent of the Pyramid, in the wake of a party, laden
with their dripping _goolahs_. We found their offering sufficiently
well-timed, for the sun was now high above the horizon, and blazed
upon us with such right good will, that we were glad enough to commence
our descent. This is not to be accomplished without much caution, as
one unlucky slip might prove fatal, and therefore, the aid of the Arabs
is again called into requisition. As we neared the bottom we turned off
to the left, and reaching the opening which conducts to the interior of
the Pyramid, we lit our candles, and consigned ourselves to the care of
the guides.
It is difficult, without reference to sectional views, to form any
clear idea of the construction of such of the interior as has been
explored, but there are few who have not studied with interest, and
must therefore remember, the description given by Belzoni, of his
remarkable discoveries. One after the other, and stooping down to avoid
the low roof, we threaded a passage of considerable extent, inclining
gradually downwards. This seemed as if cut out of the solid rock,
and presented a polished appearance, from the contact of innumerable
shoulders and elbows. The dust raised by our feet, and the heat and
smoke of the torches, annoyed us exceedingly, and nearly suffocated me,
who happened to be one of the hindermost. Before long, we reached a
more open space, where we could stand upright, and eventually gained
a chamber of large dimensions, which is supposed to be the very centre
of the Pyramid. It contains a huge uncovered sarcophagus, long since
rifled of its contents. The walls appeared perfectly black, coloured
probably by the accumulated smoke of torches. Over this are four other
chambers, access being only obtained to them by small steps of wood,
let in at one of the angles of the wall. As many of these appeared to
be wanting, whilst others were loose or broken, we retraced our steps
without venturing to explore these upper regions.
On emerging again into daylight, we presented a ridiculous appearance:
the heat had been so great, that the perspiration literally ran off
us, streaking the soot that had been deposited upon our faces. Our
clothes, too, were covered with dust, so that our _ensemble_ partook
both of the miller and the sweep. Our guides now informed us that we
had by no means seen all, and that a well, and sundry subterranean
passages had still to be explored. I was already so nearly choked with
the lack of air and the bad odours, that I declined their kind offer to
bury me a second time, and left the honour to my companion, awaiting
his reappearance on the shady side of the Pyramid. His torch, however,
dropped before he had proceeded two hundred yards, and he and his
guide were compelled to grope their way out again, as well as they
could, without having seen anything.
As we approached our resting-place of the preceding night, we became
aware, from the unwonted noise of many Arabs and donkeys, together with
an occasional hearty laugh, echoing from the cavern below, that some
arrival had taken place during our absence at the Pyramid. This proved
to be the case, and we found a party of our countrymen very coolly
commencing an attack upon the breakfast which had been prepared for
ourselves, by old Selim. Being in no mood to put up with any unwelcomed
interference, we ejected the new comers without ceremony, although
we afterwards relented in their favour, on discovering that by some
mistake, they had left Cairo almost unprovided. Hearing that two of
their party intended going on as far as the Pyramids of Sakhara, I
volunteered to bear them company, leaving my companions, to whom a two
nights’ absence would have been inconvenient, to return again to Cairo.
Our breakfast over, we set to work to clean our guns, in readiness
for any stray sport we might fall in with by the way. To a comparison
of our various arms, succeeded the usual boast of their excellent
qualities, each of course thinking his own gun the best. This led to a
trial of skill, and a beer-bottle having been placed in a conspicuous
position on a point of rock, we blazed away for a considerable time,
without any visible effect, for as the shot was a long one, the bottle
was only to be broken by being struck exactly in the centre. Old
Selim had been silently watching us at our sport, and thinking that
he might possibly like to take his turn with the rest, I offered him
my carbine, a choice _Wesley Richards_. Pushing it from him with the
greatest contempt, he dived into one of the caverns, and produced
a curious-looking implement, eight feet long, like an enormous
pea-shooter, the barrel being bound to the stock in a dozen or more
places, with brass wire, and having a flint lock of most primitive
workmanship. The appearance of both Selim and his weapon, was so very
_outrè_ and ridiculous, that we could not suppress our laughter, and as
none of us could believe that such a tool would stand the shock of a
charge of powder, we instinctively got away as far as possible, when we
saw it deliberately poised in the act of taking aim. After an interval
of profound silence, came the click of the old lock, and a slight
flash, then another interval, and a sharp report, the bottle, to all
appearance, remained untouched, and in spite of the quiet, “fi fi,”[15]
of the old man, we were about to indulge in a second laugh at his
expense, when one of the donkey-boys brought it down from the rock, and
we found two clean round holes in the very centre of the widest part
just under the neck. Old Selim’s dexterity was rewarded with a full
flask of good powder, one of the most acceptable offerings we could
have made him.
FOOTNOTES:
[13] One hundred and fifty feet above the level of the surrounding
desert.
[14] The learned Romish Cardinal, remarkable for his knowledge of
languages, speaking and writing no less than twenty-one.
[15] “It is, it is.”