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1865-1868. CALCUTTA—PORTSMOUTH
Ahmed oola Khan—Seeta
Khoond—Experimental sanatorium—Parisnath—India in Greece—Bhootan----Electric
telegraph—Sickly season—My illness—Ootacamund —Todas - Climatic notes -
Bangalore—Fort—Health unrestored—Benares - Temples—Sitala—Sarnath—Infants'
grave—Sanitary Commission ceased— Again on sick leave—Cinchona Inquiry—A
railway journey—Bank failure - Events—The Buffs arrive—Sanitary
works—Expedition to Abyssinia—The struggle for existence—The Jumna—The
Euphrates—Hurricane—Departure - Trincomalee - Aden - Suez - Docks
"created "- Egyptian troops - Grand Shaloof—Gardens—Freshwater
Canal—Ancient baths—Moses' Wells—Pyramids of Ghizeh—Sphynx—Temple—Desert
cold—Portsmouth.
VISITING Patna in the
course of duty, I was present in the court of the magistrate while Ahmed
oola Khan, the suspected originator of the Sittana rebellion, was
undergoing preliminary examination on a charge of sedition. For thirty
years he had been suspected; yet he held a high position under the
Indian Government, at one time as a member of the Board of Instruction,
then a member of the Municipal Commission, and lastly a Commissioner of
the Income Tax. During the Mutiny the Local Commissioner had reason to
doubt his fidelity, and reported to Government the grounds upon which
his suspicions were founded, the only result as stated at the time being
censure for having given expression to them.
An official visit to
Monghyr gave me the opportunity of driving to Seeta Khoond, in the near
vicinity of that place. The spring so named has a temperature of i800
F., and is one of several in this part of India; but chiefly interesting
in that the high priest of the temple connected therewith repeated to us
its legendary association with the story of Rama and Seeta, in terms
very similar to what a few days before I had read in a compressed
edition of the Rarnayana. Here then is the record transmitted
traditionally through many generations of a more or less mythical event,
the date of which considerably preceded that of Homer.
As an experiment,
barracks for a small number of British soldiers were erected on the
summit of Parisnath, in the hope that its elevation Of 4,530 feet above
sea level might exert a favourable influence on their health. A narrow
pathway had recently been cut through the forest' by which the hill is
covered. Ascending by it we traverse several precipitous ridges, between
which deep and thickly wooded valleys intervene. Voices of many birds
are heard as we proceed; among them the crow of jungle cock and scream
of the coel; black squirrels and lungoors dash rapidly from branch to
branch, downwards into the forest beneath us.
Parisnath is the Sinai of
the Jams. On its summit are twenty- two temples pertaining to that sect,
the largest consecrated to their chief deity, Parisnath, whence the name
of the hill. Numerous pilgrims visit the shrines, more especially in the
month of Foos, or November.
There are those who
believe—with what measure of authority I know not—that an immigrant
tribe from the vicinity of the hill in question having settled in
ancient Greece, transferred the name of their sacred mountain to
"Parnassus." The legend may be on a par with that in accordance with
which the name of Sevastopol is made to signify "The Place of Siva."
For some time past
unpleasantness had been breeding with regard to Bhootan; endeavours were
made to come to a peaceful understanding with the chiefs concerned, but
these having ended in failure, the dispatch thither of a military
expedition was resolved on. In the early part of the cold season a
combined force of British and native troops was equipped, and proceeded
on service to that territory, a chief reason for sending white troops
being a report that considerable misconduct on the part of sepoys at
Dewangiri had reached the authorities, the circumstance furnishing a
suggestive commentary on action recently taken to materially increase
the native army.
On March 4 an event
occurred which, in its importance to India, should be mentioned: the
first direct telegraphic message from Landon was delivered in Calcutta,
it having taken three days to reach its destination. As a painful
coincidence, Colonel Stewart, to whom the public are indebted for the
completion of that undertaking, died just as the work had been finished.
Hitherto the telegrams received came through several lines.
The hot season this year
set in unusually early; it was severe and protracted, sickness and death
making havoc among all classes of foreigners, more especially our
soldiers. Medical officers, like others, were prostrated in great
numbers, the result being that those who remained fit for duty had much
extra work thrown upon them. The establishment in India being so closely
kept down so as to meet only ordinary requirements, it is inadequate
when the demands become considerable, whether on account of epidemic or
field service.
In July duty took me to
Hazarabagh. The rains were on, the roads soft, and in many places
submerged. On my return journey, detention for several hours at night in
dense jungle was occasioned by the Siranee River being in flood, and
impassable. The result of that exposure was a severe attack of illness,
by which for two months I was prostrated and altogether incapacitated
for work. Having hitherto avoided making an application for privilege
leave, I now submitted such a request, but with the unlooked-for result
that it met with a refusal—the fact that it did so illustrating the
attitude of departmental seniors towards their juniors in those days.
With reluctance I felt under the necessity of applying for a medical
certificate, on which, as a matter of course, I obtained leave of
absence.
At the time referred to,
the Neilgherry hills were more get-at-able from Calcutta than were the
Himalayahs; our' means of transit, by steamer to Madras, train thence to
Coimbatore, bullock bandy or cart to Metapollium, hammock or pony to
Ootacamund. The ascent of the ghat presents a succession of strikingly
beautiful views, precipitous Cliffs, mountain ascents clothed by dense
forest, deep valley and shola thickly wooded, rushing streams and small
cascades. Arrived at Coonoor, 6,000 feet above sea level, the
temperature becomes mild; hedges chiefly composed of geraniums and
roses; fruit trees, orchards, and gardens, all in full bearing, meet the
eye. In front of us a succession of grass-covered "downs" appear, their
general aspect completely different from that presented by Himalayan
sanatoria. In due time "Ooty" is reached, but a severe attack of ague
while riding up the ghat rendered the latter part of the journey the
reverse of pleasant.
In the immediate vicinity
of this place, and scattered about among the higher points of the hills,
the aboriginal tribe of Todas have their settlements, consisting of
their peculiar-shaped huts, crowded together as if for mutual defence.
Of their original history, not a trace, not even tradition remains; but
other native hill races look upon them as the original owners of the
soil, and pay them in its produce, for the Todas neither cultivate nor
perform manual labour of any other kind, except that certain members of
each village community have the duties assigned to them of milking their
kine, and preparing their ghee, or clarified butter. They practice
polyandry.' Infanticide was frequent among them until suppressed under
the action of Government.
Very charming as a health
resort was "the Southern Sanatorium" found to be. Temperature moderate
in degree and range, relatively cooler than that of England in summer,
warmer in winter, it possesses greater advantages in these respects than
corresponding places in the Himalayan range. Thus, the mean shade
temperature is—in January, 53° F.; February, 56°; March, 62º; April,
63°; May, 62°; June, 60°; July, 58º; August, 58°; September, 56°;
October, 58º; November, 60°; December, 53º. Annual rainfall, 48 inches;
rainy days, 19 with occasional showers, 81; cloudy, 28; clear and fine,
238 = 365. In the month of January, with a shade temperature of 53° F.,
that in the sun was 118° F.
A visit to Bangalore
presented several items of interest. One was the peculiar method by
which native workmen split off flakes of the sienite rock that there
abounds; the process comprising the application of long-continued heat
to the surface, after which the use of chisel, hammer, and percussion so
applied as to produce the effect desired. A good deal of comment was the
outcome of a visit paid to a "condemned" barrack building, in which was
accommodated the band of an infantry regiment—the walls of the edifice
in so tumble-down a condition that practice was prohibited lest the
vibration caused by the musical instruments should shake the remainder
to pieces.
The old fort well repaid
a visit to it. In ivi it was captured by the forces under Lord
Cornwallis, the breaches then effected being still traceable by the soft
material with which they were filled up, while the broad deep ditch
around the fortress remains to a great extent in its original condition.
Among the dungeons in which Tippoo Sultan was wont to imprison his
captives that of Sir David Baird was indicated to us; as also the wheel
to which the captives were put for the double purpose of raising water
for palace use, and amusing thereby the ladies of the zenana.
With health unrestored,
but rather deteriorated, duty had to be resumed. An important item
connected therewith was the inspection of ships arriving with troops, or
engaged for the conveyance of others homewards, considerable exposure
and fatigue necessarily undergone in its performance. That risk to life
was run in persisting to remain at my post, instead of leaving India,
was sufficiently clear to myself; but circumstances determined me to run
that risk.
Early in 1866 duty' took
me to Benares. An excursion through the narrow streets and to the
shrines within that ancient city was interesting, as a similar visit had
been on a previous occasion. The aspect of those streets, the style of
dress of the people, their modes of buying and selling, their religious
observances, at the present day unchanged since a date six centuries
B.C., when, as history records, Kasi was a flourishing city. The temple
of Bisheshwar, "the poison god"— a personification of Siva, the special
deity of Benares, the object of pilgrimage to thousands of Hindoos—has
within it the shrine in the shape of a black stone, ever kept wet by
Ganges water, before which their special acts of devotion are performed.
The minarets and tapering summit of the temple still resplendent with
gold gilding, with which they were last decorated at the expense of
Runjeet Singh, of the Punjab. In close vicinity is the Gyan Kup, or
"Well of Knowledge," in which Siva is believed by her worshippers to
dwell, but from which arises offensive odours from decomposing floral
offerings. In the "golden temple" itself is a figure representing the
Kutwãl, or judicial officer of Bisheshwar, in his hand a club, at his
feet two dogs of stone—Orion and Canes venatici.
Numerous other temples
stand in the near vicinity of this the largest and most important of
all. Of these, one of small dimensions is sacred to Sanichar, otherwise
Saturn, the face of the deity being of a blue or leaden hue. A second is
dedicated to the goddess Anpoorna, of whom it is related that when
Benares was first established as a city, a famine having occurred she
supplied grain, Gunga, or the river Ganges, giving water, and so the
people were fed; the custom then established of giving a daily allowance
of grain and water being still continued, as witnesssed by ourselves. A
third temple visited was dedicated to the Sun. Within it is a painting
in which the great luminary is represented in a chariot drawn by seven
horses, clearly the prototype of Phcebus 'and his car. A fourth,
dedicated to Sukreshwar, or Venus, is much frequented by women ambitious
to become mothers of handsome sons. To the courtesy and kindness of Dr.
J. A. Dunbar, whose historical knowledge of these and other places
visited was great, I was indebted for a most pleasant and interesting
excursion.
Close to the river edge
stood a temple to Sitala, goddess of smallpox, the deity being a stone
much worn; before it three female devotees made poojah in hopes of
thereby obtaining immunity against or cure of the disease for themselves
and relations—a practice adopted also and in like manner by the Chinese.
Nangrah, or the temple of the seven planets, after which are named the
days of the week, was old and dilapidated, not having been "restored"
from the time of the Mahomedan conquest, A. D. 1017, when, like many
others, it was much injured. A small, square-shaped tank, the Nand Kunka,
is said to be the point of junction between the Ganges, Jumna, and
"sacred" Suruswattee; but inasmuch as a similar union is assigned to
Prague, i.e. Allahabad, tradition seems to be at fault somewhere.
Hindoos believe that those who bathe in that Pool of Siloam at Benares
attain immortality. An object of different kind visited by us was the
Man Mundee, or old observatory erected by Rajah Jey Singh, A.D. 1693, at
the same time as that at Delhi, and, like it, now ruined. On the way to
cantonments is the house in which dwelt Warren Hastings, 1773-1781; at a
little distance that in which, in 1799, Mr. Davis repelled single-handed
the attack by followers of Wazir Ali, after the latter had been deposed
from the throne of Oude by Sir John Shore, at that time Governor-
General.
At a distance of a few
miles, on a plain anciently known as the Deer Park, are the ruins of
Sarnath, a city said to date from the fourth century B. C., to have been
the place where Sakya Muni first publicly preached the doctrines of
Buddhism, and to have been destroyed by fire in the seventh century A.D.
On a mound formed by ruins stood a pillar like that of the Birs Nimroud.
A second pillar had on it carvings and scrolls peculiar to the
Buddhists, whose style of architecture was subsequently adopted by the
Hindoos, to be reproduced in their temples.
A sad and to me affecting
visit was to the grave of my dear infant. As I wrote at the time of his
deplored death, so now, many years thereafter, the impression of the
loved child comes vividly upon me.
The Sanitary Commission
already mentioned ceased to exist, and a Commissioner appointed to take
over the duties it had performed. Great were the expectation of benefits
to come, in respect to public health and decrease of mortality which
were to result from the labours of our Commission; great also the
individual confidence of members. in the realization of such hopes. In
the literary inquiries connected with my position on that Commission
material was gathered for a work on Army Hygiene, then published by me.
As the hot season
advanced, my health, already much impaired suffered more severely than
it had done while the heat of climate remained somewhat moderate.
Privilege leave was therefore applied,. and, after some delay, obtained.
I accordingly made my way, for the second time, to Madras and Ootacamund,
accompanied by my dear wife. Almost from the day of arrival my health
improved; a series of excursions, rides, and walks adding to beneficial
influence of the climate of that favourite place.
I had lately been
appointed member of a Committee to examine and report upon the relative
medicinal values of the various alkaloids. obtained from cinchona. My
attention thus drawn to the cultivation of the plant or tree, I visited
the extensive plantation which then existed in the neighbouring hills,
taking advantage to observe the various methods of cultivation adopted
with a view to increasing to the utmost the deposit of quinine. But
impressions were by no means. enthusiastic in regard to the probable
pecuniary success of this industry, or the permanent reliance of medical
men upon its special alkaloid, the use of which had already become
considerably less than it was a few years ago.
As the period of my leave
drew to its close, and I began my return journey, some of the
experiences attending upon Indian travelling in the hot season befell
me. In the midst of storm and heavy rain, at 2 a.m., I arrived at
Coimbatore, then the railway terminus, got into one of the carriages
drawn up at the platform and there made myself at home till 4.45 a.m.,
at which hour the train started. As the day advanced, so did the
strength of hot wind; the sky was lurid with dust, while I, suffering
severe pain, could neither recline nor sit with anything approaching
comfort. It was close upon midnight when I reached the hotel at Madras,
at which I had arranged to alight.
With next morning came
the newspapers of the day, containing the very unwelcome intelligence
that the Agra Bank had suspended payment. Like many others in India,
such small savings as I had been able to effect were deposited in that
concern; so now, my health impaired, the rainy season before me, my wife
left behind, my money store for the time being in a precarious position,
circumstances wore an aspect by no means bright.
Returning to duty at
Calcutta, the attention of public authorities was found to be occupied
by the condition of matters in India, and that existing elsewhere, the
latter having indirect relation to the country itself. From several
places on the coast line, more especially Orissa, came sad reports of
famine and of destructive pestilence, all of which in due time extended
to inland districts, even to the upper provinces of Hindostan. To
mitigate and relieve the suffering thus occasioned, Sir John Lawrence
initiated a variety of measures which were destined in subsequent years
to be systematized, and so meet the occurrence of similar occurrences
throughout the country. Beyond our frontier, Sheer Ali, whose accession
at Cabul had but lately been recognised, was strengthening his position.
Russia engaged in subjugating Bokhara. In America there was talk about a
Fenian invasion of Canada, almost immediately followed by the collapse
of such a plan, if indeed it ever assumed shape. In Europe the
unparalleled successes of "the seven days' war"; the surrender by
Austria of Venetia to Italy. Another event of importance was the laying
of the Atlantic Telegraph Cable, a scientific triumph in some respects
more important than the military occurrences just alluded to.
Early in the cold season,
the arrival of the Nile, having on board the Headquarters of the Buffs,
gave me an opportunity of seeing once again my first regiment with
which, twenty-one years ago, I sailed from the place where we now are
for England. In the interval one or more generations, in a regimental
sense, had come and gone; so that to "my first love" I was a stranger;
officers and men unknown to me, I unknown to them.
In pursuance of
suggestions by the late Sanitary Commission, a series of camp grounds
were selected, to which in times of cholera troops might conditionally
be sent. At military stations, barracks were to be erected in accordance
with plans drawn out by the same body. In these respects, impaired as
health was, inspection of stations, added to ordinary official routine,
became an arduous duty.
Arrangements had to be
made with reference to an expedition about to be dispatched against the
King of Abyssinia. In calculating the probable requirements for which
preparations had to be made, casualties by climate were looked upon as
likely to exceed those in battle; supplies on a large scale were
accordingly provided.
From bed to duty, from
duty to bed: such in brief was the manner in which were passed the three
last months in Calcutta. In one respect Fortune "smiled,"—namely, that
hospitality of a friend supplied all that need, or even luxury,
required. The presence, moreover, of my wife was a solace to me, though
the condition of illness to which I was reduced must have been the cause
of much anxiety to her.
The first of the new
transport ships to arrive was the Jumna. Being sighted from Saugor at
the end of September, a party of officials, of which I was one, was
speedily on board the river steamer Kola dyne, and away towards Diamond
Harbour. The "trooper" soon loomed high on the horizon, her general
shape unusual, and being painted white, her aspect differed from that of
ships familiar to us. Coming to anchor at the last-named place, the 7th
Dragoon Guards and 2nd Battalion Rifle Brigade were within a few days
thereafter conveyed on board, and away the ship steamed towards Suez.
At the end of October the
second of the Indian transports, the Euphrates, arrived at Calcutta,
having on board the 2nd Battalion 6oth Rifles, with which, six years
ago, I had come down the Peiho from Tientsin to Taku, when that
battalion and myself were homeward bound from China.
November was ushered in
by the occurrence of a hurricane of extreme violence, an example of the
most severe of those meteors tc which this part of India is at intervals
liable, the damage to shipping and on shore being a counterpart of what
has already been related regarding another cyclone. On this occasion the
Euphrates was forced ashore at Diamond Harbour, where, during several
hours, she remained in a perilous position, but fortunately without
damage, so that as the storm abated she was restored to her anchorage.
In due course the ship arrived off Prinsep's Ghat, the first of her kind
to come up the river so far. There the troops on board were landed, the
hull carefully examined by divers, and being declared to be uninjured,
preparations were made for the embarkation of the troops proceeding by
her to England.
The 27th, or Enniskillen
Regiment, having embarked, I went on board, together with my wife, on
November 13. On the following day enjoyed the often-talked-of,
long-hoped-for gratification of viewing Calcutta from over the stern of
a homeward-bound vessel, at the same time conscious of a protecting
Providence to whom, under a series of trying and otherwise unpleasant
circumstances, my life had been so far prolonged, and I enabled to meet
the necessities of those dependent upon me.
In due time we entered
the remarkably beautiful harbour of Trincomalee. Dotted with numerous
islands, all thickly covered with rich vegetation, the background filled
up with a series of low forest-clad hills, the general scene—tropical in
character—could scarcely be exceeded in loveliness. But the hot, damp
atmosphere, as we landed and drove through the town of the same name,
was such that we experienced no desire to prolong our stay.
Arrived at Aden, orders
awaited the Commander to proceed at once to Suez, which he accordingly
did; but the circumstance caused a good deal of excitement in the
gallant Enniskillings, among whom the wish was father to the belief that
they were sure to be landed and sent to Abyssinia.
Several vessels connected
with the Abyssinian expedition were anchored in the Gulf of Suez as the
Euj5lzrafes entered it. The canal across the isthmus had recently been
begun, the troops arriving at either end having still to be conveyed by
rail and then re-embarked. Here we speedily learned by telegraph that
our corresponding transport from Alexandria had met with a mishap so
serious in kind that delay of not less than three weeks was inevitable
before we could proceed.
Extensive docks were then
in progress near to our anchorage. They were formed from material raised
from the sea-bed by dredgers and other mechanical means; the masonry
supplied from the neighbouring Akaba range of hills. It was an
unpleasant sight, as it was suggestive, to see in the ooze so raised,
considerable numbers of human bones, confirming to some degree the evil
repute assigned to Suez boatmen, chiefly Greeks and Italians.
A considerable number of
Egyptian troops were encamped on the heights behind the city. The men,
strong and active in appearance, had, it was said, been slaves, captured
by the Bedouins in the Soudan and sold to agents of the Viceroy; they
were dressed a la Zouaves, and armed with swords and matchlocks.
A trip being organized
for the purpose, we proceeded by boat drawn by a couple of mules along
the Freshwater canal; at the end of about five miles arriving at Little
Shaloof, where arrangements were in progress so that by means of locks a
junction between the two waterways should take place. From there we
proceeded as before, some six miles more, to Grand Shaloof, where it was
said the works in progress could be best examined. At that place the
depth of the channel in course of excavation was 30 feet, the breadth
150. Crowds of workmen, including French, Italian, Maltese, and Greeks,
were employed as navvies, the soil being carried up the sides by small
rails, and deposited on either side to form embankments. In the
successive layers of gravel, sand, and clay in which the workmen were
engaged, organic remains existed in considerable abundance; among them
oyster shells, encrinites, bones assigned to mastodon, and gigantic
teeth of the carcharodon. The canal is in working order from Port Said
to Ismaliah, where, in Lake Timsah, it is joined by the ancient canal
from Bulak.
At Shaloof a considerable
village has sprung up in the midst of the desert; the houses consist of
wooden huts, the population being employs on the canal. Around some of
those huts little gardens had been made, peas, beans, greens, asparagus,
artichokes, Jerusalem artichokes, and spinach being among the vegetables
grown in them; the plants of larger growth within and surrounding them
in the form of incipient hedges included pairna Christi, Eschynomene (or
jait), thuja, and willow.
The Freshwater Canal, by
which we returned to Suez, had an average depth of 5 to 6 feet, a
breadth of 40 to 50. Its water, though originally no doubt sweet and
fresh, was now brackish, but on that account not unsuited to the
nourishment of particular kinds of plants, as along its sides grew in
abundance tamarisk, reed grass, rushes, and bulrushes. A good deal of
traffic was in progress along it; but otherwise the region on either
side was desert, destitute of man, house, or tree, the only living
things to be seen being a vulture in the distance, and in close vicinity
a drymoica or reed warbler of some kind. According to history the
portion of this canal which extends from Lake Timsah to Bulak was made
under Sesostris;' a continuation of it extended to Suez,—namely, that by
which we travelled. The original channel has several times fallen into
decay, and been again repaired, the last occasion on which it was so
being under Mehemet Ali.
The population of Suez
was said to comprise the scourings of all nations. The place itself is
not without points of historical interest. It is considered to occupy
the site, or very near the site, of Pihahiroth, or simply Hira, Kolsim,
and Arsinoe, the latter founded by Ptolemy Philadelphus. At a short
distance from its north-east gate is a mound on which stands a villa for
the use of the Viceroy; at the base of that mound is a thick layer of
asphalte, believed to indicate the site of ancient baths. The modern
town contains the house, now a telegraph office, in which Napoleon the
First once had his headquarters. Discretion induced us, when visiting
the town of evil repute, to go in sufficiently large party to hold our
own if necessary.
An excursion to Ayn Musa,
or Moses' Wells, occupied pleasantly an entire day. Proceeding by steam
launch to Quarantine Harbour, we there found mules and ponies, sent on
the previous day. So mounted, we scampered over the five or six miles of
desert that separated that place from the objects of our trip. As we
neared the wells, groves of date and other palms became more and more
distinct; the groves were seen to surround each of the twelve wells that
form the group, each moreover to be surrounded by walls, the garden so
enclosed well irrigated from its particular well, and yielding produce
abundantly. The largest well of the series is that to which tradition
assigns the halting-place of the Israelites on the third day of their
wandering in the wilderness of Etham after crossing "the Sea of Reeds,"
in the near vicinity of what is now Lake Timsah.' As then, so at the
present time, the water of Marah is "bitter," otherwise brackish and
undrinkable, though used for purposes of irrigation; that of the well in
question gushed from the earth abundantly, bubbling as it did so from
several apertures. From it we went on to examine the other springs that
make up the group, on our way noting the style of tree and under
vegetation, and searching, as we did unsuccessfully, for the "quails"
(P/erodes, or sand-grouse) mentioned with reference to the temporary
halt at this place made by the Israelites; three hours were so spent. On
returning to the spring whence we had started, we found it partly empty;
it thus told its own story—that it was tidal in character. The
surrounding gardens, amply irrigated as they were from this well,
yielded abundant crops of vegetables, including spinach, radishes,
chives, onions, and tomatoes. Among the trees within the same enclosure
were date, tamarisk, pomegranate, rose, fig, parkinsonia, cirrus,
lawsonia (the mendhee or hennah of India), myrtle, and mulberry. Along
the sides of the watercourses or irrigation channels a rich green carpet
of digitaria (or dhoop grass of India) grew. We saw no such tree as had
the property of rendering brackish water palatable to the taste; not
even the moringa aptera, the pods of which, when masticated, are
credited with that of rendering such water "sweet to the palate." On our
return on board, we referred to Josephus, and from his account have no
doubt that Moses recognised the wells which now bear his name as in
their nature tidal.
A very delightful
excursion was that to Cairo, performed by rail across the desert. From
that most oriental city we drove to the Nile, near to the island of
Rodda; crossed the river by boat, passing close to the Nilometer while
we were in transit; landed at Ghizeh; mounted donkeys; thence continued
our journey over seven miles of road, consisting of a dilapidated raised
pathway through alluvial fields and swamps dotted thickly with aquatic
birds. Thus did we reach the famous and very remarkable Pyramids of
Ghizeh. The largest of these, namely, that of Cheops—B.c. 2400 about—was
the special object of our excursion. In ascending one of its sides we
had the aid of powerful Arabs, whose demonstrative methods of assistance
were by no means appreciated by the ladies of our party. The massive
stones that formed the stair-like ascent of this most ancient monument
in the world had a thickness ranging from two to three feet; they
consisted of two kinds, the one set of nummulite, the other of chalky
clay, but the coating and outer layer that in ancient times completely
covered them has long ceased to exist. The summit is flat; the view from
it extensive : it includes Cairo, the Libyan hills, pyramids of Sakkara
and of Dashur, the position of "the Battle of the Pyramids," the two
smaller pyramids of Cephrenes and Mycerenes respectively, the Sphynx,
and numerous tombs. On our left were the pits in which it is believed
the mortar for the larger pyramid was mixed; the small mud pyramid,
supposed to be that of Cheops' daughter; then in the distance heaps
composed of materials raised from pillaged tombs.
The descent proved more
difficult than the ascent. After a short rest we proceeded to explore
the interior of the huge pile. From the entrance we descended, by a
narrow passage not more than four feet in height, a distance of 106
feet, then ascended by another passage, at an angle of 27°, to "the
Queen's Chamber." Returning to the point from which branches upward the
great gallery, we ascended by it to "the King's Chamber," passing in our
progress through the supposed position of four ancient portcullises.
Returning to, and glad to be in, the open air, we passed on to
Campbell's Tomb,' in which, at a depth of sixty feet from the surface,
lies exposed the sarcophagus of porphyry described in books of travel.
Thence to the Sphynx, now mutilated, yet whose intensely grave, placid
expression struck us with awe, as it has affected other travellers who
have visited it during the thousands of years included in its history.
Near the Sphynx is a
temple excavated in the solid rock. Huge blocks, some seventeen feet
long, of red granite are in it so arranged as to form passages and
doorways; others of alabaster, of scarcely smaller dimensions, being
interspersed among them. So far, information is wanting with regard to
the history of this temple; but to us it is no less wonderful in its way
than any of the other objects and buildings we visited.
At last the time came for
the troops on board the Euphrates to resume their homeward voyage. It
was with regret that we took leave of Captain Dunn and officers, and
proceeded to the train by which the transit across the desert was to be
made. It was now late in December; the sensation of cold experienced by
us during the night of our journey very severe, far beyond what readings
of the thermometer indicated.
By afternoon of 28th we
were on board the Crocodile, and away from Alexandria. On New Year's Day
anchored in the Grand Harbour of Malta, in which as companions our
transport had British ironclads, and vessels of all sorts belonging to
various nationalities. Resuming our voyage on the 3rd, we passed
Gibraltar on the 6th; thence homeward the passage was short but
boisterous. On the 12th we landed at Portsmouth, our leave-taking very
different in kind from that on quitting the Euphrates. |
