The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1874-06-24
The PyrAmlas.
IB.y.rd Taylor in th.N. 7. Tribune ]

We engaged an open carriage at
twenty francs for the day, provided
ourselves with lunch, and set out at
nine o'clock Just above Boulak the
Nile is now spanDed BY a splendid
iron bridge, beyond which q broad
highway has been built, leading TO
the very base Of the great pyramid
This is certainly better than the for
mer approach BY ferryboat and dom
key path, for it redu ces the practical
distance from three to four hours to
one and halt.
The way WAS crowded with cam
els and country people, the former
bearing huge but not very heavy bur-
denssof freshly cut clover. Women
and donkeys bore loads Of vegetables
and the boys ran yelling after them.
Our dark footmsn, in his white cap
and shirt, ran in advance of the car
riage, parting the multitude right and
left with his long stick and crying
out: Take care there take care of
you- legs! the strangers are COM
ing!n Thus We passed over the
bridge, entered the avenue Of acacias,
leading to Gizeh, and saw the pyra-
nnids flushed with . faint rose color
against the grey sky. The west bank
Of the Nile, Geezereh, was formerly
an island, as lis name indicates, and
and win soon be one again. The
shallow channel having been allowed
90 FIJI up, or purposely damned, the
river became so much stronger in its
current that the Bealak shore is par
tally eaten sway and the island must
needs be restored. We presently
reached the track of the railway to
Upper Egypt, which nov starts from
Embabed, on the western bank, but
viii soon be run in connection with
an early train for Alexandra, $50 that
travellers can leave The Mediterranean
in the morning AID almost reach
Stout the capital Of Upper Egypt in
the evening. Looking southwark
over the wheat fields, the immense
fronts of two unfinished palaces meet
the eve: ! should take each Of them
to be as large as Buckingham palace,
London, The Khedive is building
them for his two sous. And taxes
are high in Egypt, and money is
scarce, and half Of Mariette's inesti-
nlsble collection Of antiquities is stor-
ed away in dark magazines, for want !
of room to show them
The carriage Fosd is raised about
twelve feet above the level of the
soil in order to be dry during the |
season Of inundatiou. The acaciss
with which it is planted seem to grow
with difficulty, and just now many Of /
them are being removed and being
replaced by trunks q foot or two IN
diameter They need extensive wat
ering, however, until the roots are
Iong enough to reach the permanent
moisture. Of the lower soil Even the
hinge old trees On the war to Shoobra,
seem to require an occasional drink
u dry seasons.
Nothingscsald be Iovelier than the
Intensely green wheat lands, stretch
ng away to the Lybian desert, bound
ID on the south with the thick frinQes
IF palm. The wind blowing over
hem came to us sweet with the odor
# white clover, sparkling pools, and
,ere and there young boy sang
brill, monetoaeus Arab song In
be east, the eitsdel mosque stretched
Is two minarets Ike taper fingers I
Iverting the evl eye; and ID front oft
IS the pyramids seemed to mock all
be later power Of the world Not
orty, bat sixty centuries lock down
Ipon as from these changeless peaks. /
they antedste ell other human re-
erds, except those ofthe dynasty i'm
aediateIy proceeding that which
'ui!s them. Hebrew Ssnerits and
chinese history seem half modern ,
Then one stands ct the feot Of piles ,
Which were almost as old as the coli
cum is now when Abraham was
,orn-
We crossed the track of the railway,
Rove beside it for mile or two iurth-
r and then struck directly across the
evel lands towards the rocky terrace
# the Lybian desert which ser
-es as . base for the pyrs- II
nids. Children ran beside the ear I
iage ciamoring for money, and one
{ two boys, hboring under the sing
tar delusion that they were contrib
ting to our pleasure, played the
eed hute sitter most weary and dis u
ressing fashion. But there was less
annoyance nom these causes than {
On generally meet In italy or even
cme parts Of Switzerland 7
Eeai er the desert there were belts !
I driffed sand across the road, and Z