The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-03-12

We have had Marco Polo and Sir
John Maundeville and Baron Mum
chausen and quite recently De Rouge
mont has been added to the list of
monumental liars, butts away back
when 1.-The world was so new and
ALL as Kipling sa there was an
Egyptian who, In the language Of
Beresford. could give them all two
stone and chimney sweep and then
beat them. He fourished matter of
forty-four centuries ago in the then
promising city of Thebes His strange
tale OF travel and adventure is writ
ten On papyrus in the collection of
MI Gorenischeff in st. Petersburg. The
name of the author Is not known. but
he lived probably early in the twelfth
dynasty, when Egypt was just be-
ginning to expand her frontiers and
acquire knowledge OF the outer world.
Pr1or to the time of the sixth dynasty,
sB. G. 5000, the, Egy ptiams kneWslittle of
the outer world To them the Nile had
its origin in a celestial river somewhere
between the islandssof Elephantine and
Philae. As they gradually pushed
their ships and extended their from
tiers up the river this mystic source
Still feceded, but the belief in its ex-
lstence was never lost. They only, as
Prof. Maspero remarks, placed it far
Their south and peopled it with stranger
marVels." Beyond the known was the
great unknown. species Of scientific
frontier between this world and the
rext. Here was the great central
ocean, sprinkled with groups of the
islands of the shades" peopled by
dwarfs, monsters or spirits, but chiefly
inhabited by the strange race of ''ser-
penis with human voices" He who
went forth into these regions and visit
ed these islands might return to his
home, as did our traveller, but he could
never revisit them. for they at once
dissolved into water and were for ever
lost. According to the Egyptian, the
language was unknown, and So no vo-
cabulary could betray the region. To
this strange region our voyager went
long centuries ago ia search of gold
and strange adventures befeli him.
The ostensible goal of the expedition
had been the gold mines of Nubia, but
the sturdy crew, whom the author de-
scribes "as fifty of the BEST sailors in
the land of Egypt, who had seen
heaven and earth, and whose hearts
were more resolute than lions" were
now ON more difficult task After con-
trary winds and calms, the great ocean
was reached, but as they approached
the island 'the wind blew freshly and
ldlSCo waves 6lSuI CuU1IS nlSn, anu
the vessel was wrecked. Then, says
the author, 81 chung to a beam, but
those on the vessel persisted, without
one escaping. A wave cast me on the
island, and, after having spent three
days alone, with no companion but my
heart, 1 had slept under bush and
set my legs in motion in quest of some
thing for my mouth He was, how
ever, more fortunate than many ship
Vyrn tell ND
duced refreshing fruits. AS a pious
Egyptian, for the work is rather of a
puritan type, the author, lighted a
| fire to offer sacrifice to the gods,'' and
| at once the marvellous nature of his
| place of safety is revealed 81 heard
says the writer, "a sound like that of
| thunder, which I first took to be the
! noise of the full sea (high tide), but the
! trees quivered, the earth trembled. l
uncovered my face and perceived that
| 1t was serpent (not a turtle) which
was approaching"
HERE'S A WHOPPER.
! This father of sea serpents was a
| fearful and terrible creature, and the
authors description does credit to the
Journalism of so remote an age. He
was thirty cubits in length and his
wattles exceeded, two. cubits; his body
| ,'oo OiiNi oSSOu Nith tS0lS4s azllU- COlCl dP-
| peared like that ofNreafSIapis lazuli.
| He raised himself befbrel ME and opened
/ his mouth. and prosfrated myself be-
| fore him." Great as he was, however,
this monster had kindly, and, indeed,
affectionate heart, for he speaks to
the terrified sailor saying: "Who hath
brought thee, little one? If thou dost
not tell me Immediately who brought
thee to this island 1 will cause thee to
know thy littleness; either thou shalt
faint like a woman or thou shalt tell
me something which I knew not before
| thee"
Here we have a very dogmatic as
| sertion of the wisdom of the serpent,
and throughout the story frequently re-
peated. Having tolh the serpent the
story of his shipwreck, the latter treat
ed him kindly, and explained TO him
that it was God who has spared thy
life; it is He who brought thee to the
Isle of the Double QSa), where nothing
is lacking and which is filled with the
| good things" He then informed the
author that the population consisted
| of "seventy-five serpents all of one
family; it also comprised young girl,
whom succession Of misfortunes had
cast on the island, and who was finally
killed by lightning" This unfortun-
T ate girl must have been the Yamba of
| this strange land. In return for the
MT L. l. L-a q