The Republican journal., 1876-11-30
Egypt's Buried Temples.

deposit of rich soil that is covered with
waving grass breast high as we plow
through it Oh our donkeys, and of the
most brilliant green. AS we threaded
palm groves and hailed each other over
the grain that was tossing in the wind
and rolling green hillows from end to
end across the broad fields. we were eau
| toned by our considerate donkey boys to
keep discreet silence, as this district is
infested by Bedoun brigands. Up one of
the lonely gorges Of the hills we actually
saw the black tents OF the tribe, but no one
sought to modest us.
The grOttoes Of Benz Hassan are, next
to the pyramids, the oldest known monu-
ments in Egypt The fact scarcely sug-
gests itself as you enter these chambers
hewn out Of the solid rock, plastered and
| elabOrately trescoed. The coiOrS are as
bright to day as they were when the ar
tiet-who, by the way has been mummi-
ned these fifty centuries-conciuded his
contract On IA background OF the most
delicate shades Of green are infinite null
ttudes OF figures portraying all the man
ners and customs OF that ancient life.
| Even then there must have been dwell
| llngS of pretentious architecture. For
they are intimated here Here stands
columns hewn out OF the living rock in
the earliest Egyptian style, Naturally
they are copies from natnre-the stalks OF
four water plants bound together and
crowned with lotus OF papyrus bnds. 1t
is hi "aculous that any part OF these tombs
IS left save the bare hollow. inasmuch as
the painting may be easily elaced, the
| plaster removed in slices and the rock it.
self cut with the blade of a penSnite
The majority OF the temples OF Egypt
stand so near the Nile shore that they are
| plainly visible from the deck OF our daka
| beeh. All morning on ut evening we see
:. superb monument in the dim distance
II the wind is fair we draw rapidly toward
| II, and in an hour or two find the NitetiS
running up to the nearest point from
which the temple may be visited Two
OF three OF the sailors leap ashore, drive
IN our portable stakes and make fast. Al
ter This feat they usually squat on the bank
III a row, light their cigarettes, chat sing
wander off into the fields to gather lentls
and eat them with a relish Ii is their
| play time. 1t is our task, for we Ut once
begin preparing for the explorations Of
the temples,
sually We take dOnkeys to carry us to
the site OF the ruins Too often these lit
Tie beasts are utterly unfit to carry any
| burden. Their backs are raw their stir
rupiess saddles are tied on with odd bits
OF cord. or perhaps are merely balanced
on the sharp backs Of the unhappy crta-
| lures, without any tastening5 Whatever
Over dusty roads, through broad fields Of
grain, under palm groves and under the
edges of mud villages, we crouch in the
heat OF the sun and reach at last, with
unleigned JOY, the propylon.
| 1t was not yet sunrise when we came to
the gates of Edioo one OF the best pre-
served temples OF the Nile The air was
| still fresh, for these nights are deliciouslv
cool. The great courts with their sculp-
tureu columns, the numerous chambers
sacred to the ancient rites OF the temple
worship, the massive wall that encloses
it; all these unmarried relies OF mighty
race impressed silence upon us, and we
passed reverently the immense hall, where
we appeared ridicuoualy small in compar-
ison. Oar torches brought out the color
that still enIivens the sculpture, though
much OF that color, and even some of the
scupturing, have been obliterated by the
| thick smoke Of the innumerabla torches
! that have been burned here for genera
E''-'
tai OF the eastern pylon the prospect was
! glorious - the temple court beneath US;
| Hooks Of doves larting to and fro among
the columns OF the court, showing Us their
pale blue backs; the green lawns soft as
velvet stretching to the amber Nile on
the one hand and the desert hills on the
other; the village with its open houses,
half Of them unrooted, or only partly
h.,1f n WI "a, .b,, an
close together under the high walls of
the temple When the sun rose this vii
| age came to life, and there was a chorus
of hacksheesh raised by a multitude of
baby Arabs, who danced boistrrpnsly and
cried to us incessantly.
The town OF keneh, with its fam
water Jars, lies opposite Denderah, u
temple perfect, like that at Edtoo, though
still So deep in the soil that you can touch
the capitals as you walk around the outer
wall, and TO enter the temple is like de
scending into an enormous cellar It Is
only at Denderah and Idtoo that have
been able to realize anything of the life
of these temples. They ara 50 utterly
dead, 50 cruelty ruined tnd their age is
50 lnconcelVable. that | find myself wan
uti lUS i'pDut tlltlll III IL Sl;ttt bI Nllcf ulS
belief
At Esneh a temple stands in the midst
OF Il squalid village and is buried to the
roof in earth One grows indifferent to
ruins that are not impressive in Il land
that has 50 great q store of the wonder
tul. Esneh, therefore, hall.covercd with
mud huts that hang upon it like wasp's
nests, was rather disappointing, and we
lounged through the village. The sun
was intensely hot. the air filled with dust
and the day a nervous one. Even the
ghawazer, who have given fame to the
village, fail now to attract. The bazaars
were family perumed with rose ottar;
naked children with ulStended stomachs,
followed us through the narrow, filthy
streets, begging, and when we turned on
them they fled in confusion. We paused
at an open door for Il moment. -Four wo-
men cr0uched in Il lonely room, waiting
for the dead All but one Of those mourn-
ers ceased us we approached and turned
fearful eyes upon us. Then they stretched
forth hand and murmured'- Black aheesh! !"
Their Jaws were dropped and they look
ed the picture of despair; but their in
stinct was too much for them, and they
whispered " Blacksheesh The fourth
woman was bowed down in the corner
with her forehead turned to the wall She
took not the slightest notice Of US. There
was surely some truth in her sorrow AZ
ter dark we driited away from Esneh
while its black profile was outlined against
the west, dotted with a few twinklinc
lights
Nelson and Benjamin West.
A curious anecdote is related BY Mr. Ticknor
in reference to Benjamin Vests picture of the
death OF Ne.son." just before Nelson went
to sea for the last time, West sat next to the
great captain at an entertainment given in his
hon .1aL fln1ao Ii.