DeSoto times. (Hernando, Miss.) 1879-1898, 1890-05-22
MT WITH HUMAN BODIES.
r.es of Munmies in the Gave of
Crocodiles.
Reality Which Rivals Haggard's Won
dsrful Caves of Kor-Priests Buried
with the Sacred Reptiles in
Their Charge.

with the Sacred Reptiles In
Their Charge.
The sudden demand for mummied cats
tsminds me OF visit paid many years
Ion to the famous crocodile pits OF
bIaabdeh. 1t may safely be assumed
hat those who have visited Maabdeh
are very few. 1t lies some distance
from the Nile, behind Manfaloot, where
nO one stopped in the good old dabeeh
days, and the modern steamers only
touch; moreover, the pits are in the des-
ert itself, some hours ride. Murray"
orudent as usual, does not encourage
the adventurous. The editor of the
Egyptian Handbook" admits that his
brief efremarks are not based on personal
knowledge, and the errors therein
show that they are not based
upon a trustworthy report. 1t is
not pnwarrantable presumption, there
fora, to fancy that these very
curious antiquities are rather dis
cussed than known. My own experience
was due to accident. Dropping down
the Nile very late in the spring of 1868
our dabeeh was becalmed off Mantolcot,
and the dragoman, badgered by two
young Britons to find them sport un-
willingly named the pits of Maabdeh.
He proposed simply to ride thither and
return-that, indeed, is days journey.
/ But, as it CHANGED, the legend of the
/ pits had been familiar to me as long as
! can recollect. In the beginning of
this century certain Mr., Leigh, NJ. p,
explored them with most disastrous re-
suits. His narrative may be found in
quaint old child's book called winter
Evenings" extracted, doubtless, from
some record which | never came across.
Murray gives no reference to the
story. My recollection can not be
trusted to tell what happened to Mr..
Leigh precisely; but | know that one
Of his followers died in the cavern,
another was lost, third escaped
after awful suffering; and finally they
had to run the gauntletof an infuriated
population to the river side, whence the
Pasha, or somebody, sent them prison
ers to Cairo. On the whole, it was
very striking adventure, a special IA
vorlte in our nursery. So, when the
dragoman suggested in this casual way
visit to the crocodile pits of Maabdeh,
1t seemed very strange and thrilling to
my mlnd-as though he had proposed
Trip to fairyland by excursion train.
VI course, his modest programme was
lecided we would follow the steps of
me unfortunate member of Parliament
70 the bitter end. Our dragoman be-
'ame serious now. He urged that it
vas much too late,i the day for start
ns' and we had to submit; doubtless,
ne good man hoped wind would
pring up in the night; but he was dis
ppointed. Long before dawn on the
morrow we set out, and in the afternoon
70 reached the spot.
Inc entrancesof the pits is an oblong
@ure In the middle of small plateau
mohg the mountains; that is, no other
atrance was known in 1868. There are
facilities for descent; one may let
neself fall sheer matter of nine or
N leet and Chamber up again with the
UP OF donkey boys cummerbund. l
) not recollect that the ugly possibili-
es OF the situation struck us at all,
u perhaps some measures had been
ken to make sure that the boys did not
'Sert' One of them, indeed, headed
10 advance; our dragoman had never
zen down before. The Arab began byI
ripping completely, and he advised us
40 the same. Then we lighted q
nale each, and in single file, dived in
the bowels Of the rock. At few feet
stance the passage narrowed rapidly
''ll there was only room to crawl along
ones stomach. This first gallery may
some fifty yards long; ittopens on
chamber spacious enough, but a
'urai cavern evidently. On the fur
er side runs another gallery as
'mped as the last, heated like q
mace, reeking with foul air, vile 6
'nch OF bats, and pungent fumes Of
'umen. Then we understood why the
40 mad stripped. This frightful pas +
y may be one hundred yards long, or G
double of that or more--one is un- ,
~ 70 measure distances crawling like l
make on ones stomach. At the end !
) another chamber, Of good height, d
'arently, If the floor were cleared;
the whole area is blocked with
'rmous masses of stone packed as !
Se as they will stand, over which one t
!, 70 Chamber STOPPING. Here myriads a
oats assail the explorer, blowing out e
candle instantly, clinging tc his hair B
oeard in ropes. A moment more, 9
they vanish with soft rustic of a
neiess wings, such as l have heard s
o'her climes when the sand grouse !
overhead at dawn and evening. On u
opposite side of this vault, the first n
'eof handiwork is observed--a square a
'"ay. myself would have been d