Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1910-06-14

years ago, threw h1mSelf down and was
| dashed to pieces.
There is not much danger of others
suffering this fate now, though, because
the government will not allow any one
to climb the pyramid alone but only
when accompanied by two faithful and
ever watchful Arabs. And thus, pulled
pushed, hauled, jerked, stepping from
stone to stone, three or four feet high,
mounting higher and higher with each
step-the motto Of the pyramid climber
is necessarily EXCELSIOR climbed
the great pyramid. Every now and then
the Arabs, who could speak just a little
English, would tell me to sit down on
some convenient rock after a steady
climb of several minutes, which sugges-
ton 1 would always instantly and gladly
follow. painting for breath as I was. They
would then ask me very solicitously,
How do you feel? All fright ?"-they all
roll their RS. "All right" 1 would re-
ply. And we would start up again. After
/ climbing some time-a very long time it
| seemed to mel thought we were half
way up, but was surprised to learn that
we were only about one-fourth of the
way When half way, ! felt sure we
must be near the top. When about three
| fourths of the way the Arabs took me
to one side of the pyramid set me down
or rock, sat on each side Of me, one of
| them pulled what looked like two old
coins out Of his pocket and wanted me
to buy them. He asked so cents for them.
had to pay 90 cents to ascend the py-
| ramid. This, however, goes to the gov
eminent, as 1 understand. In addition,
expected to pay these Arabs back
sheesh" for carrying me up, as 1 did pay
them. 1 had no special use for the coins.
They may be very ancient and so very
HI fhnxy Ho if11ifG
tions, and so valueless intrinsically. But
what could do? The Arabs had me at
their mercy. There 1 was, about 800 feet
| high, on the edge of a precipice. They
could easily throw me down, and might
do 1t, If l refused to buy the coins-or
to cough up the so cents, to use a more
expressive phrase-or they might loosen
| their hold upon me, in the further ascent
| or in the doscent-for 1 could not for
| get that wanted to come down-and &C
cidentally let me drop. l felt little dizzy
anyhow, seated on the edge of that rock,
away up above the earth. The ground
looked mighty far away. 1 felt an al
most irresistible temptation to cast my
self down headlong anyhow, such as
! every one who has stood on the capitol
at Washington or at Nashville has felt
could understand the temptation which
came to our Savior to cast Himself down
| from the pinnacle of the temple. Here
was the devil in the shape of these Arabs.
not suggesting that throw myself down.
; but with a kind of sinister suggestion
! that If did not cough up they would
perform the operation for me. ''coughed
up," Of course. What else could l do
| under the circumstances? 1t was only
so cents anyhow. Besides who knows
! but that the coins are worth that and
more? At any rate, the experience was.
I was glad to get off so cheap. Really,
am surprised that the Arabs did not de-
mand more. I should say that l made
| show of resistance, though l paid them
in some English money which l had LETT
over. They hesitated about accepting one
niece of tia half shilllng-why, I do not
know. I got brave. / offered the coins
back. They examined the half shilling.
or six pence, again, and said 1t was "all
fright" And then we started up again.
| II took about 20 minutes to reach the
! top. But once there, 1 felt fully reward
ed for the climb, with all OF the exertlon
mostly by the Arabs-and all OF the eX-
pense-entirely to me-involved In IT, AS
! 7 have mentioned, the apex Of the pyra-
MID has been removed, leaving a fiat
snace on the top about IL yards square,
snficient to accommodate large number
of people.
THE VIEW.
| Tba view from the summit Is one
of the finest in the world. resembling
| somewhat, though, of course, in its de-
tails very different from the views
from Washington monument, Lookout
Mountain and Mt. Tamalpais, near San
| francisco. To the east lies Carlo,
throbbing with its 10000 population
| with its houses, its trees, its gardens
ITS grass, a picture of life; with the
river Nile winding like siIVery SER
| pent along the valley; ana with the
| fields spread out at your feet like
vast carpet variegated in color, but with
the Mohammedan green prevailing. To
| the west lies the Libyan desert stretch
ing out into seeming inflnity' oare'
bleak. sandy, arid, without covering OF
grass or grain or tree or shrub to re-
lieve it's barren nakedness, fit picture
of death. Looking northward and
| southwark you can easily see where the
| two come together, the extent to which
the waters of the Nile can be carried
| marking the line between the green and
the brown. Here on the top Of this
pyramid the old and the new, the past
and the present, life and death, fertility
and desolation all converge In one view.
Nowhere else in all the world can such
a view be obtained. 1 would not have
|
wanted me to begin the descent in a few
minutes after reaching to top. But I
had come too far and at too much ex-
] pense to see this view to be satisfied
| with a cursory look refused to go
| and remained for some time feasting
| upon the magnificent Kaleidoscope
views spread out before me, which in all
probability shall have the privilege of
seeing only once here, and nowhere else
| but here in all the world.
AN EXHIBITION OF AGILITY.
In the shadow of the great pyramid
are two other pyramids, said to have
been built by the sons Of Cheops. The
/ Second Pyramid, as it is called, is 447
feet high and 800 feet square at it's
| base The Third is much smaller, be-
ing only 24O feet high. The sphynx,
of which I shall speak presently, also
| lies at its feet.
While on the pyramid a young Arab
Raya a remarkable exhibition Of awili-