New Orleans daily crescent., 1866-09-28
- Adventure IN rhe great Pyramid.

The English party who had out ridden me, were t
concluding their luncAeon as 4 reached the pgTa- I
mid and after declining their cordial oherto share
IT, Iaskea Gne OF the ladies Ind she visited the in
terioF and the Gheopss chamher1 No Some of |
the ladias and gentlemen had done so, The Arabs |
are Y7i set of men, and she did not like to put
herself IN their power; Deeming the lady's eau |
ton must be over developed, and too interested to
make very serious reflection on what was doing,
1engaged q Scheik at the door Of the pyramid to
provide me with proper guides SO soon as the En-
gIish party had ridden away.
Five strong Feilah-Arabs volunteered for the
3 service, in spite of my remark that there were
enough, and we were soon plunged into the dark
ness Of the first entrance passage. All the world
knows how the pyramid is constructed; q solid
mass Of huge stones. all SO perfectly fitted that
scarcely q penknife might be introduced in any
place between them The passag ges at the widest
scarcely permit OF two persons going abreast and
are fof long distances SO low as to compel the
visitor to stoop almost double. The angle at
which these passages slope upward is also one
which, on the slippery, well-worn hoor, renders
progress difficult as on the ice Of an Alpine noun
Eain. But, oh how different from the keen, pure
air the wide horizon, the glittering sunlight Of the
Alps this dark sutocafing cabin, where the dust,
and lights, and breath OF heated men made an
atmosphere scarcely to be breathed, and where
the sentiments Of ave and horror almost para
1yze the pulse. Perhaps my special fancy made
me then, as ever since, find cave, subterranean
Eassags or tunnel, u1Teasonabiy trying to the
neryes-hut SO it was; the awe Of the place well
nigh overpoWered me.
known way. One or two carried tile candles, and
all Joined in sert Of song, at which could not
help laughing in spite Of both awe and lack Of
areaJh.s 1t seemed to be q chant of mingled
Arabic ana English language they all spoke
sitter a Fashionable English words being appar-
emily d continual repetition:
sra gest lady @ saekssish, u sasssRish II;
and SO On 1ld cdpo. Twice we had to rest on our
way from sheer exhaustion, and On one occasion,
where there ii a break In the continuity of the
passage, there was an ascent into d hole high up
IN the wall by no neaus easy to accomplish.
After what seemed an hour, and suppose was
aboutafteen minutes, since we LEFT the sunshine,
we stood in Cheops's burial vault, the center
chamber of the Great PyraEnid. As my readers
know, it is q small obiong chamber, of course
wholly without light or ventilation, with PLAIN +
stone floors, walls and roof, and the huge stone
sareophag gus-wllich once held the mummy of I
sCheopsi Bat i new perfectly mpty--standing at I
one end.
Tlie interest of the spot would alone have repaid
q journey from England bnt wasleft small time
to enjoy it, Suddenly I was startled to observe
thas my guides had stopped their song and changed
their snbseau0us voices, and were all ave standing
bolt upright against the wallis of the Vanlt.
"A 1t Il tie custom 2 said one Of them, g for who
ever GENES here to give as baekshish &
Irefected iii q moment that they had seen me T
foolishly transfer purse from the pocket Of my
Tfding- skirt to the Walking.dr wore under it.
and which had alone retained on entering the /
j Pyramid,
= +
tend, of course, to giye you backshish' for your
trouble, and # you choose to be paid here instead
of ut fhe door, it sail the same to me. shall
give three shillngs Ia favorite coin in Gairo) as
said only wanted three men"
Three shillings are not enough, We want
,backahish, I
& There they are. They are quite enough"
z Not enough. NE want baokshish =
must here confess that things looked rather
black. The Fellahs stood like SO many statues Of
Osiris feYen at that moment ! could not help
thinking OF it,l with their backs against the wall
and their arms crossed on their breasts, as if they
held the fdgel2ane and cruz dnsdta Their leader
spoke in a calm, dogged sort of way, to which |
they al responded like echoes.
g Well,n said, Gas there are five of you and
an rather heavy, will give yon one shilling more.
There it ID. Now you will get no more Saying
this gave the man the fourth shilling, and then
returned my purse to my pocket.
y This won't do. We want haekshish.h
& tt must do. You will get no more backshish. =
x e Il won't do. we want backshish J .
Each moment the mem voices grew more reso
lutte, ard must aYow that horror seized me at
tse thought that they had nothing to do butmerely
to 10 out and leave me there in the solitude and
darkness. and should go mad from terror. Not
3 d creature in Cairo even knew where J. was gone.
should not be missed or sought for for days, and
there was, unarmed and alone, with these ave
sayages. whose caprice or resentment might make
them rush Off insa moment leaving me to despair
Luckily / kne W well it would be fatal to hetray
any alarm; SO spoke as lightly as could and
laughed a little, but uncomfortahly.
Come. come. Eou will have no more back
shish you know very well; and If you bully me,
you will hhye stick trom5t the English consul; come,
f 1--WE seen enough (; letus go OUT
y We want tackshsh ~ said all of the FIVE viii
5ains In one loud voice.
1t was d crisis, and / beiieye If had wayered
snloment ] might never have got away; but the
extremity 81 course, aided one's resolution, and
suddenly spokeou angrily and peremptorily:
~ III haye no more Of this. 1ou fellow there,
lake the light and go out You give me your
hand. Come along, all of YOU. y
twas miraole--to my own comprehension at
alleYenfs. They one and all suddenly SUNK down
like SO many scolded dogs, and without another
syllable did aa Iordered them. The slave habit of
A6inl doubtless resumed its usual sway with them
moment that one of free race asserted claim
of comnana. Any way, it mas simple fact that
Eve Arabs yielded to single Angia-saYon wo-
man, who was herself quite as much surprised as
they could be at The phenomenon.
Oh, howl reioieed when the square Of azure sky
appeared at tie end of the lastof the passengers,
and when at last emerged safe and sane tout of
lie Great Pyramid Dante, ascending out OF the
Inferno, "a ryeder le stalle, could not have been
half 80 thankful Away Irode home to old Cairo
on my donkey, and could spare real laugh under
thessunshine, whenI found that the Eretched old
Arab Seheik, with whom Ihadleftmy riding skirt,
liad quietly devoufed my intended luncheon Of
dates, ana then carefully replaced the stones in
my pocket
H