Part 12

The place where I found these statues must have been the interior of the pronaos; but there were many others in various places, and it is difficult to determine their original stations. In another temple in Gournou, which is yet unknown, and of which I shall speak in this work, I found several statues of the same sort, and by the pedestals it appears they were within the space from one column to another. The same may have been the case in this temple. The situation in which I found them was by no means their original place, and it was clearly to be seen by their irregular positions, that they had been brought thither in great hurry and confusion. Some brick walls had been built, as if to hide them from the destructive hands of an invader, and the white statue lay among the rest in an irregular manner.

During the time of this excavation I scrutinized the ruins of Carnak, and perceived a great number of spots that deserve digging. I saw the famous altar, with the six deities mentioned in the great French work, and the colossal arm, both of which I formed the project of removing even at that period. Fortunately on this side of the water the difficulty of obtaining people to work was less than I had found it on the other. The Cacheff was ready to do all he could for me, and every thing went on very smoothly. The only impediment here was that the Fellahs of Carnak would insist upon coming to work in greater numbers than those of Luxor; for they said the others had no right to come to labour on these grounds, and sometimes this dispute ended in blows. These people were quite the reverse of those in Gournou, who, having become opulent by the trade in antiquities, and tricking travellers, were not so anxious to gain thirty paras a day. During the same excavation I turned up a fine standing colossus without a head, part of which projects above the ground, and which had not been seen by any body. For my part I think it one of the most finished pieces of Egyptian sculpture I ever saw.

It would be too tedious to the reader, to mention all the particulars that occurred during my researches. Unfortunately I was again without money to proceed, and had to go to Esne, to borrow some from a Greek I happened to know in that place, who would supply me with any sum; but as I expected a remittance from the consul, I only took what was necessary to transport the lion-headed statues from Carnak to Luxor, ready for embarkation. On my return to Carnak, I found, that an order had come from the Cacheff of Gous to the Caimakan of Luxor, not to let me take any thing away: this being contrary to the order I had from Mahomet Ali Bashaw, I set off for Gous immediately; and finding, on my arrival, that the Cacheff was gone to Gheneh, I directed my course to that place. As the current was very strong, we went on pretty fast. About midnight we saw two cangias coming up. I inquired what party it was, and was told it was Calil Bey, my good friend, on his return from Cairo. I was pleased at this circumstance, as I meant to complain against the conduct of the Cacheff; but, on approaching the cangias, I found that the Cacheff was there also. Calil Bey was well pleased to see me returned from Nubia, and was anxious to inquire how they received me in that country. I told him, that they obeyed his firman, and that I had done all I wished to do in respect to the temple at Ybsambul; but not being able to finish my undertaking that year, I should return the next. He desired to know, whether the two brothers, Mahomet and Osseyn Cacheff, were friends again; a question to which I was unable to reply; but I told him the country was perfectly quiet at that time.

I returned to Gous with him, and the next morning took an opportunity to inquire of the Cacheff the reason of his sending the order to the Sheik not to let the English take away any thing that was found. He said, he knew nothing about it; although I had seen the order myself. However, he was ready to give me any order I pleased. No doubt this was in consequence of the Bey being there, otherwise I should not have found him so easy to deal with.

Calil Bey was an Albanian, who had married the sister of Mahomet Ali Bashaw of Egypt, and held the command of the provinces in Upper Egypt from Esne to Assouan; and for a Turk was much attached to European travellers. He was continually inquiring concerning things he did not know, and had a degree of sound judgment; a quality very scarce among Turks: but for all this he was a complete slave to superstition, and to the belief of magical powers. On our arrival at Gous, he took his seat in the garden of the Cacheff, under an arbour of vines, shaded all round by banana trees, which formed a very pleasing and cool recess. A large mat was spread on the ground, and on this a fine carpet, and cushions, as usual. The Cacheff was seated at his right, and a Turkish Sheik on his left. Two Hadgees sat by the Cacheff, and I was requested to take my seat near the Holy-man. Next to me was a Turkish merchant, and after him a fool or Santon quite naked. All the rest of the followers, soldiers, and attendants, stood in a crescent before us. Pipes were brought in for the Bey, the Cacheff, the Holy-man, and myself. Coffee was served all round to the persons who were seated, and the conversation turned on the harvest, that was to be the next season, according to the inundation of that year. It was then the beginning of November. They were wondering at the great quantity of corn the Bashaw was sending continually to be embarked at Alexandria, particularly at this season. Some supposed, that the Europeans were about to make war against the Porte, and that, previous to the declaration, they made provision of corn, as without a supply from Egypt they would be unable to maintain their troops. Others observed, if this were the case, Mahomet Ali would not send them corn, till he knew for what purpose it was wanted. One said, he thought the corn was sent into Russia, as he heard that the French had set all that country on fire; and he then inquired of me, whether it were not so. I told him, that I did not know what the French did in that country; but I knew that the corn was sent into Europe, in consequence of a scarcity in the harvest that year, through the whole of that quarter of the globe. The Bey agreed it must be so, and asked whether it would be the same the next season. I told him I hoped not, for, in general, after a scarcity came a plenty. Yes, says the Bey, but the Bashaw will sell the corn at a high price for three or four years to come, till your granaries are filled again. “But pray,” added he, smiling, “have you a scarcity of stones also in Europe, that you come here to fetch them away?” I answered, that we had plenty of stones, but we thought those of Egypt were of a better sort. “O ho!” replied he, “it is because you find some gold in them perhaps, thank God!” This is the first instance of my hearing the word “perhaps” employed; for they are so positive on this point, that they never make any doubt of it.

The dinner was brought in a large tray. It consisted, as usual, of very poor rice soup, which, after eating three spoonsful, was taken away, and a dish of roast mutton brought forward. No sooner had we begun to eat of that, than a man came in with his hand full of large green peppercorns, and let them fall on the tray, which, being of metal, sounded like a drum-head. After him came another, with half-a-dozen onions peeled, which he let fall in like manner, and they rolled about the tray like billiard balls; and a third followed with peeled garlic, &c. After eating the mutton, a dish of very small fried fish was served up. They were about half-a-dozen, and we were eight of us, so that we could not eat too much of this. It was soon removed, and a kind of tart was produced; but neither the Bey, the Cacheff, the Sheik, nor myself, could eat a single bit of it. The fruit consisted of a water melon, which having demolished, they finished their repast by washing their beards. It was rather too mean to set before the Bey, as I have seen the Cacheff take a better for himself at other times; but it is a general system among these people, both Turks and Arabs, always to make themselves appear poor in the presence of their superiors. As the Cacheff had furnished me with an order for the Caimakan of Luxor to let me carry away what stones I pleased, I took my leave of the Bey and set off.

On my arrival at Carnak, the work to be done consisted only in transporting the six sphinxes and the white statue to Luxor for embarkation, a distance of nearly a mile, without a road. In many parts the water had left a soft ground where the statues had to pass; and, as there was no mechanical power to assist, the Arabs had enough to do to carry them to the place of destination. With this all my labour at Carnak ended, in this voyage; and while thus waiting for the boat from Assouan, and the cash from Cairo, I paid a daily visit to the tombs in Gournou. These sepulchres are excavated in all directions in the rocks, but generally with the entrance facing the east, as the chain of these mountains runs from north to south. They are intermixed of all sizes; and some of them have porticoes hewn out of the rocks before the entrance; but, generally, they are within the outer door, which is most adorned with well-finished figures and hieroglyphics, and generally the watchful fox is represented at each side of the inner door leading to the grotto. Some of them are very extensive, and run down in various directions, something like winding stairs, having on each side, at regular distances of a few paces, small chambers to deposit the mummies. Some have deep shafts, or wells, with excavations on each side of the shaft to receive the mummies; and at the bottom of the wells are passages leading to smaller apartments, with endless winding recesses. It was here that I had first leisure to examine and find the means of ascertaining where the entrances were to many of the tombs, which had been hidden for centuries from the eye of mankind.

The extensive ruins of Medinet Aboo are, in my humble opinion, best worthy the attentive scrutiny of a traveller of any on the west of Thebes. The descriptions given by Messrs. Hamilton and Denon are sufficient to convey a correct idea of these edifices, which contain propylæa, temples, and dwelling-places. It seems that here was the residence of some of the sovereigns of Egypt; for in no other edifices of ancient Egypt have I seen the remains of habitations as they are in this place. There are two separate temples, of which the first that meets the view going from the Memnonium is of a less ancient date than the other. On the west side of the portal are stones with hieroglyphics upside down, evidently belonging to a former temple. The pronaos is surrounded by a portico of pilasters, at each side of which are two chambers: one on the right of the entrance has been used as a Christian chapel. The cella contains various apartments, quite dark; in one of which, on the right side, is a monolite temple of red granite, without hieroglyphics. It is wider than the door, and must have been placed there before the cella was erected. The hieroglyphics and figures of this edifice differ from those of the other temple in proportion as the two temples differ from each other. On the north side of this little temple was a small lake, or rather a tank for water, which is now filled up with earth and rubbish; and there must have been statues all round it, as I found part of one and fragments of others in an excavation I made in that place. Perhaps it might have been used for the same purposes as the small lakes near the temple of Carnak, which may be supposed to have been the public baths destined for the religious visitors to the temple. On the south of these ruins is a building something like a square tower, with a large gateway, which I opened and went through. It is nearly in a line with the gates leading into the great temple. Above the gateway is a chamber with two square windows, looking over it at each side. There are also two doors opposite each other on the sides. Above this chamber was another, with two windows like those below; but the fore part of the upper chamber is fallen in. There are recesses at the sides of the windows, no doubt to place the shutters. No hieroglyphics are to be seen within this building, though on the outside it is every where covered with them. The two lateral walls in front of this place form an avenue to the gateway.

Further on, about two hundred yards to the west, stands the great temple. There is a large propylæon, with the entrance into the inner yard. The walls are covered with hieroglyphics, deeply cut. The gateway, which is also adorned in like manner, leads into a large yard, with a wall opposite to the propylæon, and a gateway into another yard. At each side of this yard is a portico. On the right are seven pilasters, with colossal figures before them; and on the left eight columns, with capitals in the form of the lotus. Both of these porticoes are also adorned with hieroglyphics, deeply cut. The next yard has a gallery, or area, all round it, of pilasters and columns. The walls are beautifully embellished with battles, men on chariots, captives, and slaves; together with which are distinctly visible procession offerings, initiations, and sacrifices so well described by Mr. Denon. The excavation of these works shows, that they are of a very ancient period. The hieroglyphics are uncommonly deep, more so than any I have seen in other buildings in Egypt. In some parts the figures retain their colours pretty well, particularly in the ceiling on the capitals of the columns. This edifice has been used as a Christian church; and the rude columns, employed in a more modern building within this yard, show the wonderful difference between the arts of the two ages. Further on, through the last gate, was the entrance to the pronaos and cella: but now these are buried under the earth, and several Saracenic buildings have been raised on it. The exterior wall of these ruins is filled with historical subjects, such as land and sea fights, lion hunting, processions of captives, and various national emblems. Further to the south of the town is a small temple, which now serves for the shepherds to keep their cattle in at night. The whole town, in my opinion, appears to have been rebuilt twice or three times successively on the ruins of the former.

It was at this period, that I began to make some researches in the valley adjacent to that of Beban el Malook. I had seen all the tombs of the kings: as I did not go there, however, with any intention of making researches, my curiosity must have been greater than that of many who had been there before, as I went into every little recess of these valleys. It was in the western valley that one of the French savans discovered a large tomb, which he found open, but was quite unknown before his time. I went to visit this tomb, and found it very extensive, and in pretty good preservation. My curiosity did not end here. I went farther on in the valley; and in one of the most remote spots saw a heap of stones, which appeared to me detached from the mass. The vacancies between these stones were filled up with sand and rubbish. I happened to have a stick with me, and on thrusting it into the holes among the stones, I found it penetrate very deep. I returned immediately to Gournou, and procured a few men, to open these places. Unfortunately, both Mrs. Belzoni and myself had been much afflicted for some time with the ophthalmia, which was so severe on me at this time, that I could scarcely see any thing before me.

I took the men into the same valley the next morning; but in consequence of my eyes being so bad, it was some time before I could find the spot again. On removing a few stones, we perceived that the sand ran inwards; and, in fact, we were so near the entrance into a tomb, that in less than two hours all the stones were taken away. I had caused some candles to be brought, and I went in, followed by the Arabs. I cannot boast of having made a great discovery in this tomb, though it contains several curious and singular painted figures on the walls; and from its extent, and part of a sarcophagus remaining in the centre of a large chamber, have reason to suppose, that it was the burial-place of some person of distinction. The tomb consists of three chambers, two corridors, and a staircase; but the remote situation in which it was found renders it remarkable: and I declare, that I owe this discovery merely to fortune, not to any premeditated research, as I went into these mountains only to examine the various places, where the water descends from the desert into the valleys after rain. It is singular to observe, that though rain falls very seldom, perhaps not more than once or twice a year, yet such is the effect of the climate and the sun on the spots where the water passes, that they are as strongly marked, as if it were continually running over them, and much harder than the rest of the masses.

The higher part of the mountain on the west of Thebes extends in wide plains, which rise gradually towards the west; and when rain falls upon them, the water takes its course towards the Nile, descending into the valleys of Egypt. There are very few places in these mountains where water gathers in such quantities, as in the valley of Beban el Malook, and its adjoining branch on the west side. For some time the water forms a small torrent, that carries every thing before it. Mr. Salt superintended the making of a road from the tombs of the kings to the Nile, for the purpose of transporting a large sarcophagus, and one of these falls of water from the desert destroyed the whole road. For the present, however, I shall leave this valley, as I shall have to speak of it in another part of this work, on my second journey to Thebes and Nubia.

The time having elapsed, in which I expected to receive letters from Cairo, I was rather uneasy, and resolved to return to Kenneh. On my arrival at this place, I found the courier had just entered it. He brought me letters from Mr. Salt, with an order for money on the Seraf, or banker, of Kenneh. I quickly finished my business there, and speeded to Luxor, where I was pleased to find the boat returned from Assouan, to take the colossal bust on board: but I was soon informed by the proprietor, that it was loaded with dates, and that he was come himself from Esne, to return the money I had paid as earnest; for they could not think of taking that large stone into the boat, as it would crush it to pieces. All my persuasions were useless; and though I had a written agreement in my hands, they signified to me, that it was of no use, they never would take the stone on board. I had much to say to them, as may be imagined in such a case; for I was so circumstanced, that if the present opportunity of transporting the bust were lost, the water in the Nile would have become much too low, and the conveyance could not have been effected till the next season. At the same time I was informed by my Janizary, whom I sent to Assouan in the same boat with the two agents of Mr. D., that it was owing to them the owner would not take the stone on board: for they told him he would lose his boat, and never receive any recompense for it; and that the agreement I made with them was good for nothing when in Cairo. In fact, these gentlemen had so much warped the minds of the crew, that they were resolved not to perform their contract.

The twelve stones I had left in the island of Philoe, and which were to have been conveyed in the same boat, in like manner could not be embarked, as the Reis said there were no small boats to take them down the cataract: and I afterwards learned, that this also was owing to the same influence. The unfortunate history of these stones will not be read without exciting sentiments of detestation towards the parties concerned: they had been mutilated, and rendered useless; how, and by whom, I shall mention hereafter. My situation with regard to the boat was far from pleasant, and I had no resource, but to take the owner to Esne and lay the case before Khalil Bey, who by this time must have arrived at that place: but even then I did not know how far he would interfere in compelling these people to keep to their agreement, as he had himself observed, that he thought the stone would break the boat. This, however, was the only step I could take.

Fortune sometimes brings troubles on mankind merely that they may taste the fickleness of her nature and uncertainty of the favours she condescends to bestow on them. My vexation was great, thinking all my efforts and exertion in bringing the bust to the Nile were to no purpose, and that very probably it would never reach England, as the underhand machinations against it were so powerful. At that moment, however, a soldier arrived from Erments, acquainting me that the Cacheff was returned from Cairo; and he gave me at the same time a letter from him, with a present which he had sent of two small bottles of anchovies and two of olives. Strange as it may appear, it will be seen that the effects of a few salted little fish contributed the greatest share towards the removal of the colossus, which I had so much at heart, and which, in all probability, but for them, would not have been in the British Museum to this day. The letter contained a very gratifying invitation to a feast to be given by the Cacheff, and the present was in token of a friendly disposition towards me. I was not a little surprised at this change, but I soon discovered the reason. The soldier acquainted me, that the Cacheff was in a terrible rage with a certain correspondent and friend of his, a Frank, who for some time had raised his expectation of having some valuable presents sent him; but, instead of this, he received at last only a few bottles of insignificant fish, which may be had in plenty from the Nile, and a few olives, not worth a pipe of tobacco. I took care, that this should not be told to the owner of the boats; and, as it was arranged that we should go to Esne for the decision of the affair, I took them on board the little boat which I had hired, and we set off for that place, leaving the large one at Luxor. Knowing in what humour the Cacheff must be in from his disappointment, I thought to strike while his mind was hot.