The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-04-27
PITS OF CROCODILES.
Realities Which Rival the Caverns of Kol
in Rider Haggard's "She."

Realities Which Rival tho Caverns of Kor
in Rider Haggard's "She."
T. The sudden demand for mummied cats
reminds mo of a visit paid many yeare ago
to the famous crocodile pits of Madden,
says writer in the st. James Gazette. It
may safely be assumed that those who
have visited Maabdeh are very few. 1t lies
some distance from the Nile, behind Man
faloot, where no one stopped in the good
old dabeeh days, and the modern steamers
only touch; moreover, the pits are in the
desert itself, some hours ride. Murray"
prudent as usual, does not encourage the
adventurous. The editor of the Egyptian
Handbook" admits that his brief remarks
are not based on personal knowledge, and
the errors therein show that they are not
based upon trustworty report. It ID no
unwarrantable presumption, therefore, to
fancy that these very curious antiquities
are rather discussed 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
Manfaloot, and the draRoman, badgered
by two young Britons to find them sport, I'M
willingly named the pits of Maabdeh. He
proposed simply to ride thither and return
But. as it oha;noed, the legend Of tie
pits had been familiar to me as long
as can recollect. In the beginning of this
century Mr.. Leigh. M. p, explored
them with most disastrous re-
suits. His narrative may be found in
Evenings" extracted doubtless from some
record which never came across. "Mur-
ray" gave no references to the story. Ny
recollection cannot be trusted to tell what
happened to Mr.. Leigh precisely, but
know that one of the followers died in the
cavern, another was lost, a third escaped
after awful sufferings, and finally they had
to run the gauntlet of an Infatuated popula-
ton to the river side, whence the pasta, or
somebody, sent them prisoners to Cairo. On
the whole 1T was very striking adventure,
q special favorite in our nursery. So when
dragoman suggested in this casual way a
visit to the crocodile pits of Maabdeh, it
seemed very strange and thrilling to my
mind-as thong b he had proposed trip to
fairyland by excursion train. OF course
his modest programme was derided; we
would follow the steps of the unfortunate
member of parliament to the bitter end.
Our dragoman became serious now. He
urged that it WAS much too late in the day
for starting. and we had to submit; doubt
less the good man hoped a wind would
spring up in the night. But he was disap-
we set out and in the afternoon we reached
the spot
The entrance of the pits is an oblong is
sure in the middle of small plateau among
the mountains-that is, no other entrance
was known in 1868. There are no facilities
for descent; one may let oneself fall sheer
matter of nine or ten feet and Chamber up
again with the help of donkeyboy's cum
berbund. do not recollect that the ugly
possibilities of this situation struck rs at
all, but perhaps some measuers had been
taken to make sure that the boys did not
desert. One of them, inpeed. headed the
advance; our draRoman had never been
down before. The Arab began by stripping
completely, and he advised us to do the
same. Then We lighted a candle each and
in single file dived into the bowels of the
rock. At few feet distance the passage
narrowed rapidly until there was only room
to crawl along on ones stomach. This first
gallery may be some fifty yards long: it
opens on a chamber spacious enough. bat
natural cavern. evidently. On the further
side runs another gallery as crampsd as the
last. heated like a furnace, reeking with
foul air, vile stencil of bats, and pungent
fumes of bitumen. Then we understood
Why the Arab had stripped. This frightful
passage may be l00yards long. or the double
Of that or more; one is unused to measuring
distances crawling like q snake on ones
stomach. At the end lies another chamber,
Of good height, apparently, if the eoor we're
cleared; but the whole area 10 blocked With
snosmOus masses Of Stone packed = Gloss