The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1886-05-06
THE PYRAMIDS.
Trials and Tribulations Of q Trip from Cairo
to the Ancient Monuments.

the best he could over the ordinary
roads of the delta and always by
donkey. Now he can drive into their
very shadow with a fashionable car
riage, or if he prefers the donkey as
thing of tradition and quite es reglc.
he follows the same splendid road built
by Ismail Having expressed prefer
ence for the saddle, he has of course
previously made the acquaintance of
donkey whose gait and general anna
bility do not entail suffering after the
exercise. 1t is not hard to find On AMI
NAL of this description, for in spite of
those malign tourists TO whom seat in
a saddle is rs untenable az the horn of
the moon, they are in general patient
and long-suffering. Neither are the
donkey-boys more malicious, unless
scolded or otherwise maltreated. The
tourist will do wellnot to allow 4 drag
oman or donkey-boy to be imposed upon
him by his hotel. but try the animals
and their drivers as he meets them
about the city till he finds what suits
him. Having fixed day lie orders his
| donkey-bOy to be in waiting at an hour
early enough, if the time is summer,
to enable him to accomplish the eight
miles and reach his destination before
| the sun is far above the horizon. The
! boy and donkey wait adjacent to the
/ hotel all night, and at AN hour so pre-
mature that he is really quite suro that
/ it is the previous day he is aroused and
! finds himself mounted and winding
his way through dim and devil
ous streets toward the bridge FL
Khasr by which he is to GROSS
| the Nile, He traverses the quarter
Ismailia, whose paved and shaded
stteets, flanked by handsome houses,
/ which she enterprise of the wasteful
Ismail rendered possible, are still in
gloom, illumined by q few scattering
/ lamps. The signs of life are few.
Here and there is seen the furtive
shadow of an Arab policeman. An
| English sentinel mods near huge
building that may be soldiers bar
racks or camel Slouches along loaded
with bales of hay or huge panniers
containing vegetables or melons which
his master is bringing to the early
market. Having crossed the bridge
| the broad tree-bOrdered avenue turns
to the left, diverging gradually from
| the bank of the river. 1t is built high
above the level of the delta, and is
| hard and dry, though slightly neglect
! ed since the rebellion of Arab. BY
/ this time there are signs of daylight,
and as it reddens the domes and NINA
retS of Cairo stretch their fantastic
/ outlines along the eastern sky. The
pyramids appear in advance looking
disappointinglv small. CamelS with
hay or bursting panniers, ridden by
sayage-loOking BedOuins, pass in grim
! silence. The donkey does his duty
+ heroically, urged by his driver, who as
/ q luxury as well rs convenience has
mounted himself on a borrowed ami
NAL, whose hire will have to be added
to the days expenses.
| Occasionally Il BedOuin, one of those
who regularly bore travellers at the
/ pyramids, attaches himself to the
/ party, but not being able to maintain
the rate OF speed. finally gives up and
/ is lost to sight. Now ana then pre-
cocious youth, speaking a little of all
! modern tongues, appears from
neighboring village and attaches him
self to the escort. BY the time the
sun is above the horizon, signs of
/ life are seen about the villages
and scattering huts. Men going to
/ tho fields, women with jars of water on
( their heads. brought from stagnant
ditch or pool. looking like Bible pie
/ lures, and so on till, in the fall sun
( shine OF the early day, the task is
! achieved, and the traveller finds himself
I in the presence of the monuments of
which he has dreamed since childhood.
/ OF all the persons who had climbed the
pyramid the Bedouins seemed to re-
member only the Prince of Wales and
| Mark Twain. 1t was Mark Twain's
! fancy TO climb the second pyramid.
/ which is difficult, since it retains
portion of the old coating of concrete.
! When the Nile is high it comes to the
base of the pyramids. and the view is of
/ one vast sea AT other times there is
| the green delta on one side, with
Ghizah, Cairo, villages and groves,
and On the other the constantly en-
croaching desert The eye rests on one
point of modern interest, the village of
| Embabeh, half concealed by palms,
near which Napoleon fought his battle
with the Mamelukes, veritable garden
! spot, but which, to read the histories,
one would suppose to have been in the
heart of the desert. Not much time
was left for contemplation, for the Be-
! dOuins were anxious to exploit other
| travellers who were seen arriving. So
4 haSty descent, plunge into the heart
| of the pyramid, from which l made my
exit in dangerous state of heat and
exhaustion, hasty look at the exhumed
| temple and the sO-called benign though
really ugly face of the Sphinx, and l
willingly turned my face back along
the acacia-shaded causeway toward
Cairo.-COr. San FrancicO Chro sicIe.
1T would save 4 good deal of suffering II
the baseball championship could be set
| tied by arbitration this year.-BOSton Rec
ord.
AN Irishman has always an answer for
every thing. A Corkonian on being asked
at breakfast how he came by that black
eye" said he slept on his fist.-N Y. TT45-
Usse.
| IT is in better form now to say to mar
| who is boring you: "Oh, bring me a chair
than to remark bluntly You make me
/ tired."-Peck's Sun.
ONE firm in New York consumed ten
| tons of fruit in the manufacture of mince
meat After awhile we may be able to
/ buy concentrated nightmares by the can
I ". T. Graphic.
! AYoUxG lady. who said she had married
! a tanner, deceived her friends most shame
/ fully. He was only a schoolmaster.-N
I. Independent.