, 1896-07-09
CLIMBING UP CHEOPs.
AN AMERICAN DESCRIBES A VISIT TO
THE PYRAMIDS.

4 Feat That Requires . Good Nerve and
Cool Head-Three Natives Assiss Each
CIimber-Graphic Description Of = Noun
tain Ride ON . Camel.
The Troy IN. " Times prints a let
ter written at Cairo, Egypt, by Rev. DR..
l. M. S. Haynes, pastor Of the First
Baptist church Of that city, to H. D.
Sweet, q parishioner, in which he says:
"Our conductor called US to an early
breakfast ut $50. Our party of five
We're promptly on hand. Our carriage
was an ordinary American hack. We
soon reached the bridge over the Nile
and entered the avenue of acacia trees
skirting the elevated pike which the
government has built clear to the pyra-
mids, a distance of about eight miles.
The road was literally crowded with
farmers 'fellahec,' coming into market.
We passed hundreds Of camels and den
keys loaded down with every copceiya-
BILE thing, especially fresh white clover,
great quantities of which are sold in the
city. Each camel carries about 400
pounds. With all the animals there
were men, wcmen and children, most of
then. walking, but they will ride back.
The men and boys seemed to be having
\ good time; but, as usual, the women
and girls looked sad and miserable. The
donkeys were looking down to the
ground, but the camcls looked up in the
air, as they always do. They are very
high minded. Their backs are also high,
as l can testify, Tor l had my first camel
ride today. In about an hour we rode
up to the very base Of the great pile of
stone and alighted from our carriage in
tie sand, with the sun three hours high
and blazing hot. 1t was about 8 O'Clock.
We were Immediately surrounded by
the usual crowd of clamorous Arabs,
anxious to help is up the great climb.
But u conductor, Mr.. Solomon, and
our superb dragoman, Abraham, who
had been with Is up the Nile, cleared
them all away, and VIC selected three
men each, fine looking men in white.
eve went right away over n pile of
sand along the base and stood upon the
first tier Of stone. Then l formally
looked up for the first time. We had
seen the three pyramids. so familiar in
picture. for more than an hour, but they
did not seem to be SO very large. be-
cause there is nothing to compare them
with. But it is threc-fou1ths of "a mile
around Cheops, and 4S0 feet to the top.
The stones are about six feet square, and
project one beyond the other, Just like
going up many stairs. The place for
your feet is about four feet, a very good
standing if you reached the floor or
were not going up $50 feet right up in
the air nearly three times as high rs our
church steer!c.
"We walked easily along one course
Of stone on the west side. which were
worn smooth with passing feet, and
came to. the northwest corner, where
the ascent is made. Two men took me
by the hand, and pushed behind,
and l began going up stairs four feet at
. step. After about 200 steps l conclud-
ed to stop. We must have been about so
feet up ut that corner. l was not dizzy
nor very lame, but l felt very peculiar,
and l felt more peculiar every minute
aftcrward until l got back Oh to solid
and %capacious footing. But up we
went, hop. skip and jump, going all the
time and going up on the ragged corner
Of nothing. The stones were smooth,
irregular and sometimes broken, but
zone less than four feet. Heaven was
above you and both sides Of you, and
everlasting s%mashation beneath you if
you should fall. Just then one Of the
Arabs tumbled u little and gave ME a
shock like an electric battery.
Nov we come to the half way place
where they have thrown Off IL few rocks,
and where you can brace yourself
against the breast stones of ChcUps and
look of n little. We were 24O feet up
in the desert air, standing or leaning on
the ragged corner and trying to behave
and say it was fun. But it was not.
There was too much risk and danger.
Some people have to be blindfClded to
! get them down, and many faint, and
not long since III English soldier fell.
But on we goa little farther, and, think
ing the matter all over. l called u halt
and deliberately decided that was
enough. The view was something grand,
l suppose, and if l could have done the
climbing when l was 20 years old l
might have seen the grandeur. Going
down. as ! was not dizzy. was easier.
But any step might have been my last,
and Ibid not enjoy it rs much ms l did
my splendid reception, though that en-
barrassed me somewhat.
"Once at the bottom we mounted
camels to go to the sphinx. A very
large, white fellow fell to my lot. He
was flat on the ground as l mounted.
When he began to get up, l thought he
was going all to pieces. He rose in Sec
lions. with four distinct motions, and
as each section assumed the horizontal
| was jerlcd backward and forward.
Cut II foot log into four parts, joint them
together. get .s;tride and have that log
begin to assume the shape of II saw.
horse, with you on top, and you have
the idea. However, l held on, and away
we went. l estimated that from my
chin to the end Of the camcl's nose was