The Canton advocate. [volume] (Canton, D.T. [S.D.]) 1877-1897, 1880-11-04
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HAS ARRIVED IN

Ivy -1IIdt l. SnOllu replace your pd-
] per-weight."
She gave me her hand, soft and cold
as an adder, and we started on our
journey.
Only moment and we saw nothing
save the sky and the ocean, Very
shortly obelisks began to appear; then
long flights of steps, with the Sphinx
on either side, and distinctly relieved
against the horizon. We had arrived
The Princess led me to mountain
of rosy granite, where we discovered a
very narrow opening.
Hermouthes lighted torch and led
the way before me, through corridors
cut in the solid rock, covered with
panels of hieroglyphics and allegorical
professions, the labor of thousands Of
hands for thousands Of years. These
corridors, which appeared intermina-
bic, opened into large square halls, in
the center of which we're wells, which we
descended by a special staircase; these
halls leading into other halls; these in
their turn leading into other corridors
likewise ornamented with motley col
lection of coiled serpents, sacred birds
and flowers and other mystic symbols
a prodigious work which no living eye
would ever see, interminable legends in
granite which the dead alone would
have the time to read through eterni-
ty.
Finally we emerged into hall so
vast, SO measureless, that its limits
were imperceptible AS far as eye
could reach stretched line after line Of
gigantic columns, between which
cleaned points of yellow light revealing
incalculable depths.
The Princess still held my hand
closely and gracefully, and easily rec
ognizing all the mummies of her ac-
quaintance. My eyes soon becoming
accustomed to the dim light, began to
distinguish different objects.
saw seated on thrones kings of the
subterranean races; old men of enor-
nous size, wrinkled dry as parchment,
black with bitumen and naphtha, Gov
cred with precious stones, there eyes
fixed like those Of the Sphinx, their
long boards white with their subjects,
standing in the stiff, constrained posi-
tons characteristic of Egyptian art,
keeping forever the attitude prescribed
by the hieratic pharmacopoeia, and be-
hind these the ibis beat their wings,
the cats squalled, and huge crocodiles
doomed up in the darkness, appearing
still more monstrous and gigantic from
being swathed in bandages.
All the Pharaohs were there, Cheops
Chephren, Psammetieus and Sesostris;
all the dusky sovereigns of the pyra
mids On dais little raised sat
King Chronos, and Xixanthros, who
were reigning at the time of the deluge,
and Tubal Cain, who was antediluvian.
The beard of King Xixanthros had
grown to such an INN ense length that
it was wound seven times around the
granite table, on which he leaned,
asleep and dreaming.
Farther on in the dusty atmosphere
I distinguished vaguely through the
mist of ages eighty-two preadamite
kings, together with their eighty-two
races, now extinct.
After permitting me for few mo-
ments the peaceful enjoyment of this
dizzy, bewildering spectacle, the Prin-
cess presented ME to Pharaoh, her
father who bowed to me with majestic
condescension.
II have found my foot! l have found
my footw cried the Princess, clapping
her little hands in an ecstacy of delight,
adding; ''and this is the gentleman to
whom am Indebted.
The races of K.erme and of Nahazi,
all the black, bronze and coppe colored