Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1890-05-22
SET WITH HUMAN BODIES.
Tiles Of Mummies in the Cave of
Crocodiles.
A Reality Which Rivals Haggard's Won.
derful Caves of Kor-Priests Buried
with the Sacred Reptiles In
Their Charge.

reminds me of visit paid many years
ago to the famous crocodile pits of
Maabdeh. 1t may safely be assumed
that 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"
prudent as usual, does not encourage
the adventurous. The editor of the
Egyptian Handbook" admits that his
brief remarks are not based on personsl
knowledge, and the errors therein
show that they are not based
upon trustworthy report. 1t is
not unwarrantable presumption, there
fore, 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 1858
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 chanced, the legend of the
pits had been familiar to me as long as
/ can recollect. In the beginning of
this century certain Mr.. Leigh, M. 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 l 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 gauntlet of an infuriated
population to the river side whence the
Pasha, or somebody, sent them prison
ers to Cairo. On the whole, it was a
very striking adventure, a special fa-
yorite in our nursery. So, when the
dragoman suggested in this casual way
a visit to the crocodile pits of Maabdeh,
it seemed very strange and thrilling to
my mind-as though he had proposed a
trip to fairyland by excursion train.
OF course, his modest programme was
decided we would follow the steps Of
the unfortunate member of Parliament
to the bitter end. Our dragoman be-
came serious now. He urged that it
was much too late in the day for start
ing, and we had to submit; doubtless,
the good man hoped wind would
spring up in the night; but he was dis
appointed. Long before dawn on the
morrow we set out, and in the afternoon
we reached the spot
The entrance of the pits is an oblong
flssure 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 donkey boys cummerbund.
do not recollect that the ugly possible
ties of the situation struck us at all,
but perhaps some measures had been
taken TO make sure that the boys did not
desert. One of them, indeed, headed
the advance; our dragoman 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 in.
to 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
chamber spacious enough, but a
natural cavern evidently. On the fur
ther side runs another gallery as
cramped 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 pas
sage may be one hundred yards long, OIL
the double of that or more-one is un
used to measure distances crawling like
snake on ones stomach. At the end
lies another chamber, of good height
apparently, II the floor were cleared
but the whole area is blocked with
enormous masses of stone packed a:
close as they will stand, over which one
has to Chamber STOPPING. Here myriad;
of bats assail the explorer, blowing ou
his candle instantly, clinging to his hail
and beard in ropes. A moment more
and they vanish with soft rustic o.
countless wings, such as / have heard
in other climes when the sand grouse
fly overhead at dawn and evening. Or
the opposite side of this vault, the frs
trace of handiwork is observed-a square
doorway. [ myself would have beer
quite satisfied to drop the track of Mr.
Leigh's footsteps at this point But the
dragoman was interested now-taking
perhaps, professional pride in putting
the business through successfully. He
could speak with the guide also. Sc
we went on, still upon our stomachs
for an indefinite time, in an atmosphere
beyond ANALYSIS and heat beyond ex
ample in the upper air. 1t was here
probably, that Mr.. Leigh's party broke
down, for think they did not reach The
end. We did After some hundrs
yards, as it seemed. slowly the p
heightened one could get
ones knees; and then the hoS
changed from smooth granite t.
uneven compost lowered m