The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1897-12-18
!: A STORY OF EGYPT.
Copyright. 1871
TWAS an ill-chosen night for such
4 an experiment: I had forpoffen that

an experiment; had forgotten that
It was Halloween.
But it is easy to forget European
holidays in Cairo. They seem quite out
Of place in the land of the Pharaohs
md the city of the Arabian Nights-a
sheer anachronism. Yet subsequent
ly had reason to conclude that the
witchery of Halloween loses none of its
potency there. Why should it in the
home of magic and the haunt of num-
mics?
l had ridden my bicycle far up the
Muski. Bicycles are no longer novel
ty in the Egyptian metropolis, but they
rarely invade the native quarter; and
as slowly pedaled through the tur-
baned throng 1 found that 1 attracted
considerable attention. A vociferous
and meddlesome mob pushed after me;
twice was forced to dismount by DON
key boys who thrust their superfluous
animals across my track, and once /
almost fell under the feet of bag
gage camel whose bullying pack swept
the narrow way. AT last, vexed and
hot and thirsty, l stopped at small
cafe.
The place was brilliantly lighted and
crowded with Arabs. At one end, on a
raised platform, sat a story teller,
twanging on sort of one-stringed
guitar and reciting, 1 suppose, some
modern variant of the Thousand and
One Tales. Soon waiter approached.
! endeavored to order sherbet, but
could not make myself understood; at
length, however, he set before me a
wineglass trimming with sone trans
parent liquid. ] slipped at it gingerly;
the taste was sweetish and spicy. l
was in the experimental mood; and as
l began by saying, l had quite forgot
ten that it was Halloween. Its harm
less, anyhow" thought-"Here goes!"
and drank it down.
/ have no memory of remountipg INV
wheel, but I presently found myself
upon it. The streets were empty now
-singularly empty-and flew on with
elastic touch and effortless speed down
interminable lanes of darkness. / had
started homeward, but already was
lost in gloomy labyrinth of unknown
alleys. was becoming alarmed but
seemed unable to abate my speed.
At length issued from the city and
shot out under the open sky. Stars
glimmered above me; they glinted in
the black Nile as sped across the long
bridge; the pyramids lcomed in shadow
hey ond.
And now was whirling along the
ridge of the fringe of desert which
everywhere skirts the valley beneath
the cliffs. / noticed with uneasy curl
osity that the sand seemed unaccount-
ably disturbed in many places. just
before me discerned something strup-
Cling up out of the ground. AS passed
1t stood erect. 1t was mummy.
l fled on in choking horror. But the
plain was full of black figures; they
were exhuming themselves everywhere.
In the dim light / could see them strip
ping off their balsamed bandages; felt
that they were gathering in hosts be-
bind me. l flung all my strength upon
the pedals and cut the wind like
rifle ball.
Suddenly / saw in front of me an
inky opening. / knew at once that Il |
was the mouth Of tomb-Egypt is full |
of these rock-hewn tunnels-but
whether fled into it from mere excess |
OF terror, or was swept down its throat |
BY the mysterious force that appeared |
to animate my wheel, | cannot pretend |
to say 1 only know that in an instant
sky and plain and dusky ghosts had !
and was darting down |
steep incline through cavern darkness.
knew that in moment I should !
reach the end-a dead wall of solid
rock. Ny machine was brakeless; my !
feet were poweriess on the pedals. It |
came--a terrific shock, conclusion
hat seemed annihilation: and wheel |