Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1916-10-13

compartment of the demand
for "backsheesh" by the ignorant. lying
Arabs. Thousands have written their
experiences of such sightseeing, says
writer in the New York Herald.
But l made the acquaintance Of an
American at the Mena house who had
been everywhere and who knew ev-
erybody. When 1 told him l would
like to learn something Of Cheops
without the usual nuisance Of guides
who knew nothing, telling you every
thing, he smiled the smile Of the man
who had been there and knew the
ropes. did you notice." he said, "a
small American flag f1uttering over
neat, white tent at the north of the
base of old Cheops? For many years
that has been the headquarters Of my
American friend, Mr.. Dow Covington.
He knows Cheops, inside and out, as
the mother knows the face Of her first
born. He could walk through it blind
folded and tell you its story backward.
| He's the only man who can help you,
If you can get him."
1 found Mr.. Covington located in a
large, comfortably furnished tent, act
ually pitched in the very shadow of
the Pyramid. Come to my tent at
eleven tonight" said Mr.. Covington
when, shortly after, called upon him
and made known my wish. "By that
time the Arab guides will have gone
and we will not be pestered by them.
By the way, wear your worst suit of
clothes and pair of heelless, cloth or
rubber-soled shoes, If you possess such
thing. The trip will test your nerve.
l see you can stand it, and it will do
you good; but don't count on keeping
tomorrow's engagements" he added
smilingly.
In the Pyramid at Midnight.
1t was nearly midnight when, with
lighted lanterns, we found ourselves at
the entrance of Khufu's mausoleum,
or, as it is more often called, owing to
the fact that HerodOtus, "the father
of history" translated Khufu's name
into Greek, the Pyramid of Cheops.
Opening an iron grill door, to which
only Nr. Covington is authorized to
slOping passage some four feet high
and three and half wide, cut for the
! most part through solid natural lime
stone. Down this we crawled and
} slid for more than 300 feet, finally ar
irving at the lowest cavern of the pyr
amid, just 100 feet below the center
J of it. 1t is probably the chamber OF
: which the Egyptian priests spoke tt
) Herodotus, the one which they tolt
him contained the mummy of Khufu
= but which the first historian never hat
t the pleasure of seeing. Near the cen
/. ter of the cavern, cut In solid rock
is a hole which resembles q dee]
> grave. One wonders why. On tn
4 southern side is long, narrow blint
e passage, also cut in the rock, an,
0 again one wonders why.
i A short distance from the cavern
j he lower end of an almost perpendiC
i, ular well, some three feet by two
: extending upward for 1872 feet to tn
: grand gallery. Through this deep we
t shaft Khufu's workmen made thei
egress after blocking with grant
S plugs the passage by which we e1
l. tered. Again the question enters one
r mind: Why this tremendous labor {
T. construct an entrance and an egres
n for a tomb receptacle that apparentl
s was never used?
s. Placing our feet and hands in tn
> holes constructed by those workme
l. of the remote past and pressing OF
e backs to the opposite wall of the ma
d row well, We slowly and laboriousl