Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1856-03-06
THE PYRAMID OF CHEoPs.
BY ]. O. MOVES, M. d.

descent, which is by no means regular, il
passes through two or three chambers
The ascent to the summit of the pyramid
had SO completely exhausted me that ]
did not attempt to explore the WE'LL
The latter is between two and three feet
in diameter, and the explorer has to be
lowered down by means of long rope.
The Arabs themselves are afraid to de-
scend, on account of the genii supposed
to inhabit the mysterious chambers. DR..
King, of Athens, once related to me a
startling adventure of his friend and col
eague, Mr.. Fiske, in the well of the
Pyramid of Cheops.
Our distinguished countryman, whose
grave, on Mount Sion, visited when in
Jerusalem, was lowered down by several
Arabs standing at the mouth of the well.
Having descended a great distance, his
taper went out, leaving him in Egyptian
darkness. The Arabs, also, in conse-
quence of some mistake, suddenly checked
his descent and left him suspended, he
knew not how far from the bottom of the
well. They could not hear his shouts to
lower or draw in the 1ope. His terrific
situation, and the feelings he experienced
while suspended there between life and
death, can be more easily imagined than
described. Mr.. Fiske himself declared
that they were terrible beyond the power
of language. The walls were only three
feet apart, and, by firmly bracing his arms
against one side and his feet against the
other, he managed to descend slowly, yet
fearful every moment of plunging into
the abyss beneath. In this manner he
crept down carefully between six and
seven feet, and unexpectedly found him
self at the bottom of the well, which, in
deed, his feet had almost touched while
he was dangling at the end of the rope.
We were just leaving the well when l
heard the distant echo of voice shout
ing at the opening of the pyramid, He's
dying he's dying! Where is the doc
tor" Being the only physician in the
company, l ordered Ibrahim to precede
me with the taper, and we scrambled
hastily up the narrow passage on our
hands and knees.
A square piece of the blue heavens
soon became visible. Reeking with per-
spiration and dust, emerged into the
open air, and was hastily conducted by
the Arabs to the northwest corner of the
pyramid. There, stretched out on the
sand, at the distance of twenty-five feet
from the base of the pyramid, lay a naked
Arab boy, streams of blood spouting
from his mouth, nose, and several severe
flesh wounds. Though unable to speak.
he was not entirely insensible. The flow
of blood was soon staunched, the gaping
wounds soon closed by means of needle
and thread borrowed from an Arab, and
crowd of Bedouins looked on in mute
astonishment when / set his broken arm.
using for splints pieces of the date palm
baskets in which Ibrahim had brought
the provisions and claret, for our break
fast, from Cairo.
That finished, I first learned the cause
of the terrible accident to our Arab bow
While part of the company were explo-
ring the interior chambers with myself
those resting outside had contriyed to
amuse themselves in a different manner.
the consequences of which they cannot
soon forget. A small wager, but twenty
five cents, if remember correctly, was
offered to the Arab who would ascend to
the summit of the great pyramid and
descend again to the earth in the shortest
nme' -Four Arab boys stripped them
selves for the race, and skipped up the
rocky slopes with the agility of chamois. |
They all reached the summit at the same
moment, and turned to descend. At sucb
an immense height, they looked like pig
mics, but leaped down from stratum to
stratum, with a celebrity that was truly
marvellous. One of them gained a few
feet upon his companions. He had made
about one third of the descent, when his
loot slipped, and he came bounding down
that dizzy height, now rolled into a ball
then, with legs and arms extended. str;-
king upon the sharp, angular rocks, every
ten or fifteen feet, and at last stretched
out upon the sand, where 1 found him at
so considerable distance from the base
OF the pyramid. He must have fallen
more than four hundred feet, and nothing
but Bedouin toughness could have pre-
vented his being dashed into pieces
MIR. Maze, an Englishman, threw himself
down the Great Pyramid, several wears
ago. tor the purpose, it is supposed of
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