Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1917-06-02

The. GREAT Ps1Ri
" VEKYONE who goes to Egypt
- sees of the Pyramids more or
less-chiefly less-tO the ac-
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 | made the acquaintance of an
American at the Mena house who had
been everywhere and who knew ev-
erybody. When l told him | 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 fluttering over a
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."
/ 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
Al II
when, shortly after, l 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
a thing. The trip will test your nerve.
/ 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 1t is more often called, owing to
the fact that Herodotus, 1.-THE father
of history" translated Khufu's name
into Greek, the Pyramid of Cheops.
Opening an iron grill door, to which
only Mr.. Covington is authorized to
carry the key, we entered large,
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 800 feet, finally ar
irving at the lowest cavern of the pyr-
amid, just 100 feet below the center
of it. 1t is probably the chamber of
which the Egyptian priests spoke to
Herodotus, the one which they told
him contained the mummy of Khufu,
but which the first historian never had
the pleasure Of seeing. Near the CEN
ter of the cavern, cut in solid rock,
is hole which resembles a deep
grave. One wonders why. On the
southern side is long, narrow blind
passage, also cut in the rock, and
again one wonders why.
the lower end of an almost perpendic-
ular well, some three feet by two,
extending upward for 1872 feet to the
grand gallery. Through this deep we'll
shaft Khufus workmen made their
egress after blocking with granite
plugs the passage by which we en-
tered. Again the question enters ones
mind: Why this tremendous labor to
construct an entrance and an egress
for tomb receptacle that apparently
was never used?
Placing our feet and hands in the
holes constructed by those workmen
of the remote past and pressing our
backs to the opposite wall of the mar
row well, we slowly and laboriously
began the 192-foot ascent. In 1902
Mr.. Covington had removed some "a
feet of debris which clogged the lower
end of the well. 1t was like Jean VAL
jean getting out of the cul-de-sac-a
little like it. Using both hands and
feet back tightly pressed to the wall,
my camera tied around my neck with
handkerchief, holding in my teeth
the lantern, the heat of which, COM
bined with that caused by intense
physical exertion, made me feel as il
| were in the hot room of q Turkish
bath with all my clothes on, my pa
tent companion in the lead unavoida-
bly, kicking down rnnp nv haoJ tho