Mexico weekly ledger., 1889-10-10

TTCHN THE recesses Of
NGElhsGNy the desolate Libyan
A>EASsSS&D Mountains that lie
J& %pNI9H8 behind the temple
SMSEz and city Of Abydos,
9 r supposed burying-
-6G M&$ place Of the Holy
WA IMUA Osiris, @ tomb was
WNN%SxSZZW recently discovered,
MA\N{SHH among the contents Of
uWNMyyT which were the papyrus
PNII{M rolls on which this history is
ipSG} written. The tomb itself Is
ECZl spacious, but otherwise remarkable
OIL only for the depth of the shaft,
~ which dcscends vertically from the
rock-hewn cave, that once served as o
mortuary chapel to the friends and rela-
tives of the departed, to the coffin chamber
beneath. TIL shaft is no less than eighty
nine feet in depth. The chamber at it's foot
was found to contain three collins only,
though it is large enough for many more.
Two Of these, which in all probability in
closed the bodies of the high priest, Am
enemhat, end Of his wife, father and
mother Of Harmachls, the hero Of this his
tory, the shameless Arabs who discovered
them there and then broke up.
The Arabs broke the bodies up. With
unhallowed hands they tore the Holy Amen
emhat, and the frame of her who had, as 1t
is written, been filed with the spirit Of the
Hathors-tore them limb from limb, search
ing for treasure amid their rbones-perhaps,
as is their custom, selling the very bones
for few piastres 10 the last ignorant tour
ist who came their way, seeking what be
might destroy. For in Egypt the unhappy,
tho living find their bread in the tombs Of
the great men who were before them.
But, as 1t CHANGED some little while after
ward, one WHO is known to this writer, and
. doctor by profession, passed up the Nile
to kbydos, and became acquainted with the
men who had done this thing. They re-
vealed to hin. the secret of the place, telling
him that one coffin yet remained entombed.
It seemed to be the coffin of a poor person,
they said, AMI therefore, being pressed for
time, they had left it unviolated. Moved by
curiosity to explore the recesses of tomb
as yet unprofaned by tourists, my friend
brGbed tho Arabs to reveal its secretto him.
What ensued ! will give in his own words,
exactly as he wrote 1t to me:
slept that night near the Temple Of Seti,
and started before daybreak on the follow
ing morning. With me were q cross-eyed
rascal called Allah Baba named him
the man from whom got the ring which
am sending you, and a small but choice as
sortment Of his feliow-thieves. Within an
hour after sunrise we reached the valley
where the tomb is. It is q desolate place,
into which the sun pours bis scorching heat
all the long day through, till the huge
brown powders which are strewn about be-
come 80 hot that one can scarcely bear to
touch them, and the sand scorches the feet.
We rode on donkeys, for it was already too
bot to walk some way up the valley-where
o vulture floating far in the blue overhead
WAS the only other visitor-till we came to
h enormous bowider polished by centuries
pf the action of sun and sand. Here Ali
halted, saying the tomb was under the
stone. Accordingly we dismounted, and,
leaving the donkeys in charge Of fellah
boy, went up to the rock. Beneath it was q
small hole, barely large enough for man
b creep through; it had been dug by jack
Ais, for the doorway and some part Of the
cave were entirely silted up, and it was by
means of this jackal hole that the tomb had
been discovered. Ali erept In on his hands
and knees, and ] followed to find myself
IN place cold after the hot outside air,
and, in contrast with the light, filed with a
dazzling darkness. We lit our candies, and,
che select body Of thieves having arrived, I
made an examination. We were in cave
the size Of q large room and followed by
hand, the further part of the cave beng al
most free from drift dust. On tho walls
are religious paintings Of the usual Ptole-
maic character, and among them one of q
majestic old man with long white beard,
who Is seated in o carved chair holding Q
wand in his hand Before him is passing q
procession Of priests bearing sacred i'm