The Coconino sun., 1925-05-29

the holy family remained in hiding
for one month during their flight to
Egypt from Jerusalem.
Other old ard well-known families,
including the Caliphs and Mamelukes,
have few tombs in this vicinity. |
did not have time to visit them, be-
cause, honestly, this tomb business
don't lend none to our dropping
spirits. 1t is alright to visit tombs,
mosques, temples, graves and monu-
ments, but one can't shed tears and
piasters day after day without feel
ing the physical and financial drain
on his resources. Some day these
places will get sufficient money to be
kept up as they should be-but my
guess is that time will come only when
the earth is rolled up as a scroll and
all precious jewels and metals are
thus poured down through a cornu-
copia into the Golfers Of that one de-
nomination.
Oh, well, it does not make much
difference what ones religion is so
long as he is serious about it.
Then we had our pictures taken out
under the sphinx, while astride camels,
which we used to hist ourselves up the
hill to the base of the pyramids. We
went out in an auto over a boulevard
some six miles long which Khedive
Ismail, the old skeezix, built at the
cost Of a few million on force ac-
count just so that Empress Eugene
could go out and look at the big Jumps
in comfort. Think Of our men folks
today Few of them would do such a
gallant thing for lady friend. | am
sure you would love the pyramids,
dear reader, for they are built of solid
rock, four square and run to peaks.
The Cheops stone pile is said to con
tain 100000 blocks of stone averag-
ing two and a half tons each. Hero
dotus, a local civil engineer, who lived
around here about the time it was
built, estimates that it took 100000
men 20 years to construct this modest
affair, which only half told what old
Cheops done his people for. History
relates that old Cheops intended to
keep on building but was cut short in
his endeavors to poke a star in the
eye with his memorial pyramid, by
a severe case of old age which re-
suited in his complete demise and
much against his will. He had in
intended to use up few hundred
thousand more men and another vo-
luptuous stone quarry IN dotting the
sandy landscape with his little tomb
stone.
He was entombed up in the center
of this symmetrical stone pile, which
according to surveyors is 746 feet
long on each side of the base, covers
over 13 acres Of ground and is 450
feet high. 1t used to be 481 feet high
until tourists along in 2 and 3 AID.
commenced to paw it down. However,
so far, old Cheops has been successful
in keeping vandals from finding any
of his treasure and jewels which he
had buried with him. They dug up
his carcass and have ruined some of
the interior of the crude death cham
Der, but he still keeps his valuables.
He undoubtedly felt that some one
would be shopping around in a few
years looking up his cash account
because of some new income tax law,
consequently took extra precautions
to put his trunkful of jewels away
where they would be reasonably safe.
That he was an expert at the game is
evidenced by the fact that he made his
will in 5000 BIC. and here it is 1925
A. D. without his private cache being
rooted out to be squandered among
the rude and ruthless populace.
The pyramids are located OH a
rocky formation, surrounded by a
desert of shifting sands with not an
oasis in sight except the Mena House
at the foot of the hill where one may
be refreshed according to desire, and
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