The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-07-24
TzvO Bachelor Maids
Go A-GlObe TYOttin3
Delightful Sensation of the Sea-Choppy Motion of Camel
Trip Is No Less Memorable Than the Gaze Of the God
Harmakoui-A Picture of Pleasing Confusion
in the Desert City of the Dead

having shown the white feather about
joining the Clark party. To be sure.
did not know what was letting myself
in for, so might have faltered.
Muhammed, with suave and dulcet
tones, conveyed something to my mind
about a fascinating trip In the desert
to the ancient tombs at the Metropolis
of Sakkarah and the gentle rocking of
certain camel which he had engaged for
me. I was to stop at the great pyra-
mids of Glaizeh in the fresh early morn
and then go across the desert to Sakka-
rah, visit the city of the dead, and after
taking picnic luncheon from my own
basket at the House of Marietta I was
to resume the soothing camel and return
along the fields of the Nile through the
villages and get back again to the Sphinx
and the pyramids to keep an engagement
with a sunset which would be of excep-
tional beauty, having-I was led to infer
been especially ordered for me by the
thoughtful and devoted slave of my
wishes who was mine to command-as
long as I paid for the privilege. 1t
sounded altogether charming, particular
lily the restful motion of the camel as de-
scribed by the majestic moving OF Mu-
hammeds flowing sleeves and gesturing
hands.
started out full of courage and en-
thusiasm at a wonderfully early hour
of the morning. Something told me the
day was destined to be a f1ercely hot
one, but / would harken to no misgiv-
ings and gave myself up to untempered
enthusiasm.
I must say that when perched on the
camel and rose by a series of alarming
lurches, forwards, backwards and up
wards I was tempted to change my
mind and decide to travel on the lowly
donkey, but finally, upon reaching the
full height sense of domination and
triumph elated me. The gentle rocking
was not quite so soothing as I had fam
cied 1t, but then, I assured myself that
I would soon get used to 1t. and every
thing was SO splendidly picturesque that
I pretended that the wrench through my
ribs and back was really very pleasant
sensation. Muhammed made me game,
too, by assuring me In persuasive ac-
cents that I was very clever for a
camel" which naturally made me con-
graduate myself that I had not selected
the donkey.
Inc air was warm, Dut IreSn ana cry,
and blowing, but the glare on the spark
ling sands was almost binding. BY the
time I got to the pyramids I had two
eyes shut tight. even though I had two
wells over my head; I peeped out under
them with many blinks at the pyramids
and elt. some satisfaction In finding
them just exactly as I had expected to
find them. There they were as familiar
as the face OF an old friend The pyra-
mids looked natural, but the camel and
III dwindled down to gnat-like proportions
on the instant that we approached the
great Cheops. I confess that the glare
was too great to lead me to linger and
lose myself in reverie as the conscientious
sight-seer should do, and then, besides,
my ribs kept getting In the way of SUBJ
lime flight. and insisted on reminding me
that the pyramids were not the only
thing to be considered; so concluding that
the sunset hour would be more propi-
tious for closer acquaintance, l allowed
Mahomet to hurry me on to the Sphinx.
and I must say she blazed upon me in
a wonderful way.
The racking gait of my sea-gong camel
and the hot glare made me rather in
different as came to the Sphinx so that
expecting to return to her again at
sunset did not trouble myself to lift
my wells to look at her, and the i'm
preston which flashed upon me in the
golden glare. softened by the filmy cur
tains through which I saw her, was one
of the real events of a lifetime
She was beautiful and RADIANT a
young creature, whose eyes seemed fired
with the glow of a supernatural life. The
roundness of her cheeks and features
her mouth was mobile and sensuous and
the whole figure seemed like a vision of
pale yellow flames lifting itself slowly
out of the hills of dazzling sand. 1t was
so shocking-so utterly different from
anything I had ever dreamed, that
wretched iconoclast that AMI impul-
sively pushed back my wells and--lost It,
There, through specks of palpitating
sunshine, was the time-worn resolute
image of stone broken and SCARED by
the centuries. Just as the pictures give
1t, only more so-majestic. inscrutab1e
and so full of wonder that you are over
whelmed and almost burdened with 1t.
scarcely know which of the Sphinxs
I love best to recall, the vision of SPLEEN
did youth or the real Sphinx of stone,
battered and disfgured, but not robbed
by time and trouble of her terrible calm,
her serene dignity. have seen her often
since, but never again would she turn
back all the centuries and look and smile
as she did when a more young thing.
Now 1 doubt not you are aching to tell
me that the Sphinx of the Egyptians was
never represented as woman, but al
ways as man, and that the one have
been raving about happens to be the i'm
age of the Cor Harmakorli, The. horns
In the brilliant sum- but keep your learn
ing for some one who will be impressed
with 1t. Personally. l feel that I have
known the Sphinx since she was a de-
butante, and am not to be fooled by
what the books and scholars say.
There were about eight miles of choppy
sea on the camers back before reaching
Sakkarah, and as I began to shake into
the swing of the motion and the sun
blazed away on the pillows OF sand, Ma
hommed, who was bobbing up and down
on a little donkey, and the camel man,
who was trudging through the desert
leading the animal I was mounted on,
beguiled the hours by some wonderful
chanting of Bedouin love songs, which
may be full of romance, but certainly
are not full of melody.
We passed caravan resting beside a
pond of water where there were palms
and green grass, and there my eyes got a
rest from the glare and my ribs rest
from the soothing camel.
Another break in the monotony of tho
desert was the sight of great group of
family morrners camping at their family
tombs, which Is one of Bedouin customs
of showing respect and grief for the
dead There were donkeys and cannels
and a large number of men and women;
the women draped in black and looking
like the impersonations of woe, were all
gathered together at some distance from