DeSoto times. (Hernando, Miss.) 1879-1898, 1890-05-22

| w urop tne track OF Mr.
heiRh iootsteps at this point But the
aragoman was interested now-taking
perhaps, professional pride in putting
'he business through successfully. He
could speak with the guide also So
we went on, still upon our stomacbs.
ior an indefinite time, in an atmosphere
beyond analysis and heat beyond ex-
ample in the upper air. 1t was here.
propably, that Mr.. Leigh's party broke
down, for think they did not reach the
emu. We did. After some hundreds of
yards as it seemed, slowly the passage
heightened = one could get upon
ones knees; and then the flooring
changed from smooth granite to a soft,
uneven compost. lowered my candle
to observe. We were crounching along
over kneaded human forms!
A very strange spectacle, which
seemed to us an embodied nightmare
under the excitement of that awful
Journey think l was almost delirious
NO scene recurs to my memory now
more fresh and striking than that black
cave, with slender glow of candle.
light here and there, and the half.
naked figures glistening with perspira-
tlon stretched out above pavement of
heads and limbs. Many of the faces
had been gilt, and they shone flicker
ing here and there upon the dysky mass.
we could not get any explanation of
the extraordinary mangling. The Arab
said things had been so ever since he
could recollect. 1t must be supposed
that these were mummies of priests and
attendants buried with the sacred rep
tiles in their charge-great personagos,
some OF them, evidently. Their fami-
lies had been laid with them; for there
were as many women perhaps as men,
and great number of children. Every
one had been stripped and torn to
pieces-all of those on the surface at
least, for hurried examination
failed to show how deep the serried pile
of bodies lay. Mingled with them were
sheets and strips of cloth, fragments of
sarcophagi and quantities of women's
hair on sea- ps-wigs possibly. On the
other side of this vault lie the hinder
most battallions or the crocodile host
innumerable. Standing on the human
pavement there is just space enough |
above and in front to observe the man
ner of their disposal, for the topmost
layer or two has been pulled down. If
it were not certain for other reasons |
that the present entrance is not that |
used the arrangement of these |
crocodile mummies would prove it. |
They filled the space completely from
floor to arch and side to side until the |
upper ones were removed neatly |
aligned, tail to head, head to tail, with
palm leaves laid between and the inter-
5tices filled up with countless multi
tudes of young eggs, these latter tied
up in bundles and wrapped each one in
4 strip of cloth. Since every layer was
piled to the roof, it is manifest
that those who arranged them
must have worked backwards; and
since it would be as easy to
lrag an elephant through those pass
ages as to drag the superb specimens
lere-unequalled in my experience-of
.lligators and crocodiles-they must
needs have been brought from the other
side. The demonstration is complete,
or we had EXTREMIST difficulty in draw
ng behind us two heads chosen among
he smaller ones. Moreover, it is un-
likely that the bats used that long SUBJ
erranean outlet; they are probably
acquainted with better and nearer
quite. / fancy that the enormous blocks
If stone upon the floor of the second
had been put there after ex-
AVIATION, out of the way. No one can
orm an idea how far the caverns ex-
end. Removing the top layers as they
vent, and. crawling beneath the roof,
arabs, we were told, had explored a
ault beyond this and found more croc-
diles still on the further side. The
fountain, they said, was stuffed with
hem; and it is possible. Assuredly the
its are mine of nitrate; and this ex-
ortation of mummies for manure may
fleet one good thing at least by causing
hem to be emptied. Treasures may lie
eyond the vaults where those myriads
crocodiles are stored. James Ga
cite.