Daily Yellowstone journal., 1891-12-10

How the Tomb Of the Ancient Kings of
Egypt Was Discovered.

The most generally interesting among
the recent discoveries in Egypt was the
finding Of the Pharaohs, in 1881. The
story has been given to the world in
print, therefore it will be only outlined
here. But by far the most fortunate
way is 10 near it directly from the lips
of the keeper of the museum, Emil
Brugsch himself, his vivid, briefly d.
rect narration adding the last charm
to the striking facts. BY the museum
authorities it had been for several years
suspected that some one at Luxor
(Thebes) had discovered a hitherto I'm
opened tomb; for funeral statuettes
papyri and other oOiects, all of i'm
portance. were offered for sale there.
one by one, and bought by travellers,
who. upon their return to Cairo. dis
played the treasures without compre
bending their value.
Watch was kept, and suspicion finally
centered upon a family of brothers
these Arabs at last confessed. and one
of them led the way to a place not far
from the temple called peir-el- Bahari,
which all visitors TO Thebes will re.
member. Here, filled with sand. there
was a shaft not unlike "a well, which
the man had discovered by chance.
When the sand al removed the open
ing of a lateral tunnel was visible be-
low. and this tunnel led into the heart
Of the hin, where. in "A rude chamber
twenty feet high. were piled thirty OF
more mummy cases, most of then.
decorated with the royal asp.
The mummies proved 10 be those of
Sethi /, the runqueror who carried hi,
armies a, far into Asia as the OroutcS ;
and of Ramc>e> the Great .called Sc
sostri> by the Greeks the Pharaoh who
oppressed the I>raelitics; and of Seth
II. the Pharaoh of the Exodus. 10
Ccrher with other sovereigus and mem
beers of their families, princes. priu-
ceS~es and priests. At some uukuowa
period these mummics had been taken
from the magnificent rock tombs H.
that terrible Apocalyptic valley OF
the kings, not far distant. and hidden
in this rough chamber. No one know,
why this was done; a record Of il may
yet be discovered. But i'm time all
knowledge Of the hiding place was lost
and here the Pharaohs remained unit
that July day in ISL.
They were all TRANSPORTED across the
burning plain and down the Nile To
Cairo. Now at last they rcpose in state
g.. "a. a-au~rrr.r.# rrslr-1. Vr.f~f.~ 4-LII L..
called a throne room. You reach this
great crucifcrm hall by a handsome
double stairway. Upon entering, you
see the Pharaohs ranged in a majestic
circle. and careless though YOU may be,
unhistoricaL practical, you are i'm
pressed. The features are distinct.
Some of the dark faces have dignity;
Others show marked resolution and
power. CuriOusly enough. Il Of them
resembles NOltaire. This, however. is
probably due 10 the fact that Voltaire
closely resembled "A mummy while liv
ing. How would it seem, the thought
that beings who are 10 come into exist
ence \. ID. 5000 should be able. in the
land which we now call the United
States Of America what will it be called
thenJ to gaze upon the features Of
some Of u presidents-for instance,
George Washington and Abraham Lin
coin?
| am afraid that the fancy is not as
striking as il should be. for New World
ambition grasps without difficulty all
futures, even \. D. $4,000. II is only
when our eyes are turned toward the
past, where We have no importance
and represent nothing. that an emu
meration of centuries overpowers Us a
little. But in any case, after visiting
Egypt, we all learn 20 hate the art Of
the embalmer. Those who have been
up the Nile, and beheld the poor relics
Of mortality offered for sale on the
shores, become, as it were, by force
advocates of cremation Constance
Fenimore Woolson in Harper's.