Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1888-04-20


gret to be obliged 10 cling 10 my resolution
not to copy guide books or any book. If
| should do so, my readers would send me
10 Jericho (where | am going) As it IS,
perhaps they wish me there already. Amen
To 20 about so, ! have donned my stove
pipe hat and my best "redingote.' If you
wish 10 be well received in the East be not
afraid Of ceremonial Put gloves on it
pays TO do So
While looking at one Of the voluminous
Korans exhibited under glass, Our Lady
asks Mr. Esmatt to show her how words
are separated in Arabic and translate for
her sentence lie reads Marry if you
please, one, two. three, four; if you are
afraid Of pain, marry only one Has the
book been opened at that page on purpose,
or i, it IL simple occurrence Mr.. Esmatt
does not seem to introduce any malice into
his voice The Professor grumbles within
himself, "lf you wish to avoid pain, do not
marry at all whatever joys you may miss,
you will ignore them Ignorance il bliss. -
But then, Mr.. Professor is old. "When the
"eNN gre" oIl' ne he'aUle heIihili nhl
an Arab proNerh. hermit is SAINT "h'
ahStaihs from the world, the hesh' ana
the rest.
March 81 We have been two months in
. Egypt and have not yet visited the great
. pyramids OF Cheups and Cheirem with the
sphinx 1t is high time We should touch
TINS wonder o' the world the hishest mon
uhent but one erected 10y man Every
thing fears tIme but time fears the ryra
mlds Rrote some 'oo years az" Abellati'
AN Arab physician traveller and writer
haillng from Bagdad Du haut de ce'
iyrainides Guarante sie'IeS V"us contem
plrni from these Pyramids forty centu
rirS watch you-said Bonaparte' later VA
poIeon IT, to his soldiers
After crossing the Nile, good road un
der shady trees takes Us IN an hour and d
! quarter to the very foot ol the Pyramid OF
Che"pS, the largest, lSo feet high lStras
burg cathedral AS Cologne e'l2l. The out
er coating "i polished stones Is gone; the
| pyramid Is slowly crumhlng away. Heap'
OF rubbish surround It's base. situated on
plateau or table land, with SIX miles OF
pIaln, Nat ns pancake, with range OF
hills near them ON the west ll.yhian hills
ana the Red Sea hills on the other side OF
the PLAIN the height OF the pyramids Is not
at all striking they are mounds OF stones
c"arsely put on each other and joined by
mortar. The immensity Of the scenery
swallows them up the works Of God dwarf
the works OF man. Compare the New York
Central Park obelisk how small it looks
where 1t Is. II placed on the plaza near the
f1fth avenue entrance, 1t would tower over
the whole neighborhood and appear twice
as high. The same remark applies to the
Liberty statue IN New York harbor
Iochmb the Cheops pyramid Is quite pos
sible ladies do 1t with the help OF two Il
| four Arabs have decided not to do IT,
SIMPLY because am too old and too stlt.
shall also not crawl lhto the dark halls and
chambers hence have no exploits 10 re
late, The pyramids are sal exhibition OF
human vanity, kind of tower Of Babel.
The Bedouins Of the neighboring Villages
claim proprietary right, and intiict them
selves on the visitors knowing this, ap
ply at once to the sheik for guide, and
receive one who calls himself Doctor
speaks English, and is great talker. Foul
more Join HIM. ! 'lmshee' them, but one
| rW remain, and Madame walks supported
| by two men, whom avoid as much as pos
| slblc. With my guide book, know more
than they; and did not come TO hear how
many wives and children they have, no"
many old fathers and old mothers 70 support
We inspect tombs entirely cut IN th'
original stone forming the plateau; they
are very remarkable. We reach the Sphinx
cut in the original stone 1t looks as If i
were composed OF layers much of an an
clent reddish paint exists yet. 1t looks to
ward the rising sun and is ON the very edg'
Of the desert, overlooking the great Nil
plain with pleasant, smiling face, in spit
Of its broken nose and eyes. Probably i
was an accidental formation Of the ston'
which gave the idea of carving it. Ih
ears are splendid. Later the lions fee
were built with large burnt bricks smal
temple was built between the paws marbl
steps led to 1t, etc ISee your encyclope
dlas. Baedeker has twenty eight pages o
fine PRINT on the whole')
One OF my friends asked me to consul
the Sphinx Shall we have peace or war II
Europe Shall We be swallowed by som
earthquake have sat IN the shade "i tn
SPinN and have tried to fill my soul wit
awe and mystery, to load myself with fort
centuries of mysteries; but how succee
with chattering Arabs, boy who ever
five minutes offers you drink OF water,
man who springs from some hole with coi
fee pot and cups and IN the plain below a
Arab wedding-a long file OF people, tn
bride ON camel under "A tent-canopy, he
mother and relatives ON two other camel,
all robcd in black, guns fired, the proces
sion making long black line towards TIA
sandy hills 3
My visit is failure could beat ther
all 1t is prosy and sad As usual II
amount of backshish satisfies the Bedouin'
l take high tone, raise my cane, and oI
der them to tell me thank you for wha
| have given-more than enough. The to
of the second pyramid, Chefrem's, has ye
some of its coating of polished stones
There is also n temple-tomb almost burie
in the sand, whose immense stones are