Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1866-07-02
An Ad,e.,.re L. the Gree, Pyramid.
BY FRANCES POWER coBBB.

nv "SAS SodSio0LuS 6clt iouSheou - =
reached the Pyramid. and after declining
their cordial offers to share il, / asked one
Of the ladies. Had she visited the iute-
rior Of Cheop's chamber > mo" Some
of the ladies and gentlemen had done so.
The Arabs were a wild set Of men, and
she did not like to put herself in their
power. Deeming the lady's caution must
be ove~r-developed, and tho intensely inter-
ested to make very serious reflections on
wha, l was doing. I engaged the Sheik at
the door Of the Pyramid to provide me
with proper guides so soon As the English
party had ridden away.
Five strong Fellah-Arabs volunteered
for the service. in spite Of my remark that
three were enough, and we were soon
plunged into the darkness Of the first en-
trance passage. All the world knows
how the Pyramid is constructed ; q solid
mass OF huge stones all so perfectly fitted
that scarcely a pen-knife might be intro
duced in any place between them. Ihe
passages, at the widest, scarcely permit OF
two persons going abreast. and are for
long distances so low as to compel the
visitor to s;oop almost double. The an
gle a, which these passages slope upwards
Is also one which, on the slippery, well.
worn Aoor. renders progress difficult as on
the ice of an Alpine mountain. But oh !!
how different from the keen. pure air. the
wide horizon. the glittering sunlight Of
the Alps. this dark. sutfocating cavern,
where the dust. and lights, and breath OF
heated men. make anasmosphere scarcely
70 be brea,hed, and where the sentiments
of awe and horror almost paralyze the
pulse. Perhaps my special fancy made
me then. as ever since, find q cave, sub.
terranean passage. or tunnel. unreasona-
bly, trying TO the nerve but SO it was
the W Of the place well nigh overpow-
cred the.
The Arab guides helped me easily in
their we'll. known way. One or " car
RED the candles. and all joined in a sort
of song a, which l could not help laugh
ing. in spite Of both awe and lack OF
breath. II seemed to be a chant OF min
gled Arabic and English e language they
all spoke after a fashion.0 the English
words being apparently a continual repe-
tition:
Vera goot lady, baekshish, backshish;
Vera goo, lady, give US backshish !;
and so on, da cGpo. Twice we had to
rest on our way from sheer exhaustion,
and on one occasion. where there is q
break in the continuity Of the passage,
there was an ascent into a hole high up
in the wall by no means easy to accom-
plish.
A. last. after what seemed IN hour, and
I suppose was about fifteen minutes, since
We left the sunshine, we stood in Cheops'
burial vault, the center chamber oil the
great Pyramid. As my readers know, It
is a small oblong chamber, OF course.
wholly without light or ventilation, with
plain stone-hoor. walls and roof, and with
the huge stone sarcophasus (Which once
held the mummy Of Cheops, but is now
perfectly empty standing at one end.
The interes, Of the spot would alone have
repaid a Journey from England /; but l was
LEI, small time TO enjoy it. Suddenly l
was startled TO observe tina, my guides
had stopped their song and changed their
voices. and were all 1--WE stand
ing bolt upright against the walls OF the
IL, is the CUSTOM" said one Of them.
=. for whoever comes here to give US back
I reflected in q moment that they had
seen me foolishly transfer my purse from
the poke, Of my riding-skirs to the walk
ins-dress l wore under il, and which l
had alone retained on entering the Pyra-
mid.
We'll" I said, as coolly as I was able.
I intend, Of course, TO give You back
,hish'' for you trouble, and if you choose
10 be paid here instead Of al the door. it is
all the same 10 me. I shall give three
,hillings English "a ~favorite coin in Cairo).
as / said I only wanted three men,"
Three sh,llings are not enough. We
want backshish,"
There they are. They are quite
enough"
NO, enough! We want backshish!"
must here confess that things looked
rather black. The Fellahs stood like so
many statues Of Osiris (even at the mo-
men, I could not help thinking Of it). with
their backs against the wall and their
rms crossed on their breasts, as il they
held the Fasellrn and cruz on,atd. Their
leader spoke in a calm, dogged sort OF
to which they all responded like
echoes.
Well" I said. 'as there are Eve Of you,
and / am rather heavy, 1 will give you
one shilling more. There it is Now
you will get no more. Saying this | gave
the man the fourth shilling, and then re-
turned my purse to my pocket.
This won't do. We want backshish."
II, mus, do. You will get no more
b~ackshish."
1T won't do. We want backshish :"
Each moment the mems voices grew
resolute, and / must svow that horror
seized me at the thought that they had
nothing TO do but merely TO go out and
leave me there in the solitude and dark
ness, and I should go mad from terror.
No, a creature in Cairo even knew where
I was gone. I should not be missed or
sought for for days, and there / was. un-
armed. and alone. with these FIVE savages,
whose caprice or resentment might make
them rush Of in a moment. leaving me TO
despair. Luckily I knew well it would
be fatal TO betray any alarm. so l spoke as
lightly as I could. and laughed a little,
but uncomfor,ably.
"Come. come. You will have no more
bscksish, you know very well; and if you
bully me. you will have stick from the
English Consul. Come, I've seen enough.
Let US go out"
I'VE want backshish!" said all FIVE Of
the villains in one loud voice.
II was q crisis. and l believe il / had
wavered a moment I might never have got
away but the extremity. of course, aided
ones resolution. and I suddenly spoke
out, angrily and peremptorily: OH have
no more Of this. You fellow there, take
the light, and 60 out. You give me your
hand. Come along. all Of you"
It was q miracle; to my own compre-
hension. at all events. They n and all
suddenly skunk down like SO many seolded
dogs. and without another syllable did as
I ordered than. The slave habit Of mind
doubtless resumed its usual sway with
them the moment that. n OF free race
asserted a claim Of command. Any way.
it was a simple fact that five Arabs yielded
TO q single Anglo Saxon woman. who wat
herself quite as much surprised as they
could be at the phenomenon.
D, how I rejoiced when the square OF
azure sky appeared at the end Of the last
. .nd vhep 7 nj Last emerged