Part 14

I was then merely a spectator of the works of Captain Cabillia. The consul, Mr. Salt, proposed to me, to enter into the researches in concert with the captain; but as I thought it would not be right to attempt to share the credit of one, who had already exerted himself to the utmost of his power, I declined. Besides, it would have been a poor victory on my part to enter into the field after the battle had been fought, and conquest gained by another. I contented myself, therefore, with hoping for a better opportunity to try my skill, independent of any one. Having got all things ready for my departure, the consul proposed that I should take Mr. Beechey with me up the Nile. Nothing could suit me better than to have a companion in a young gentleman, with the prospect of whose society, from what I had seen of him, I had much reason to be pleased. I was fully satisfied that, after having weaned himself from those indulgences to which he was accustomed, he would make a good traveller; though it is not easy, to one who is not accustomed to an arduous life, to pass on a sudden from the accommodation of a comfortable house to that of a rough uneasy boat, and much less to a life that is so irregular. However, Mr. Beechey soon accustomed himself to the change, and in a few months became quite indifferent to the many inconveniences he had to undergo. As to Mrs. Belzoni, I left her at Cairo, in the family of Mr. Cochini, the British chancellor; and when all was ready, we took leave of the consul and Mr. Burckhardt. Alas! I little thought it was the last time I should see my friend; but so it was ordained.

END OF THE FIRST JOURNEY.

RESEARCHES AND OPERATIONS

IN

EGYPT, NUBIA, &c.

SECOND JOURNEY.

Having thus finished the account of my first journey up the Nile, I shall proceed to the narrative of my second. We set off from Boolak on the 20th of February, 1817. Mr. Beechey had the stern of the boat well covered with mats, and close lined all round, with a curtain to the door from which we had light, which was occasionally shut up, to prevent the dust or wind from penetrating from any quarter; beside, another cover over all, rendering it entirely secure, not only from the wind and dust, but also from the rain, if any should happen to fall. We had on board a Greek servant, a Janizary from the Bashaw, and a cook; all persons who never saw any necessity for economy in the article of provision, and who would make as much waste at Deir in Nubia as they would in Cairo. The result was, our provision, which was to last six months, began to fail at the end of one; consequently, with all the caution we took, we were obliged to live on what the country afforded. Indeed, while we were at Thebes we had no reason to complain; for there is a good supply to be had of meat, fowls, and pigeons: and, after the inundation, some greens, such as bamies, malokies, beans, &c.

Our Reis and crew were Barabras, engaged to go and stop where we pleased. They were hired by the month, and had to find themselves in provisions. As to the Janizary from the Bashaw, we found him of so little use (as he did scarcely any thing except treat the Christian dogs with insolence), that we sent him back after a few days trial.

Our departure from Boolak was attended with a contrary wind, which very seldom happens in going up the Nile, as the north winds prevail there at least nine months in the year. We passed the island of Roda, old Cairo, and all the pyramids; but such was the slowness of our progress, that in four days we only reached Tabeen, a village on the eastern bank, opposite Dajior. We stopped at this place pretty early, as the wind would not permit us to proceed; and it happened to be a situation so elevated, that it commanded a distant view of Cairo, the pyramids of Ghizeh, Saccara, and Dajior. I took this opportunity to make a sketch, which I humbly present to the reader (See Plate 22). One day more brought us near Lafachie, where we went to see a Bedoween camp. Hearing we were only travellers in search of antiquities, the Bedoweens were quite civil to us, as far as these people can be. Our business was immediately known to them from our servants and the crew; for no secrecy can be kept in that country, owing to these persons. The Bedoweens told us, that at Boorumbol, the next village, there was a statue half buried in the sand, which they had seen themselves. Next day we came to this village; and as we could not proceed, owing to a calm, we landed, and went in quest of the said statue. On our arrival we were shown a piece of rock, which had not the form of any thing. The Fellahs told us it was once a camel; that God turned it into a stone; and that the smaller ones which lay round it were water-melons, with which it was loaded, and which were metamorphosed into stones also. Perfectly satisfied with the story, we returned to our bark.

In the evening we arrived at Meimond; and, hearing the tambourine, went to see an Arabic feast in the village (See Plate 30.) We were introduced in front of the spectators. The performers consisted of about thirty men, all in a row, clapping their hands in concert, so as to form a kind of accompaniment to their song, which consisted of three or four words; and with one foot before the other keeping a sort of perpetual motion, but without changing their positions. Before the men were two women with daggers in their hands, also in continual action, running toward the men and then returning from them with an extraordinary motion, brandishing their daggers, and waving their garments. In this they persevered for such a length of time, that I wondered how they could support the exertion. This is a sort of Bedoween dance, and is the most decent of all that I ever saw in Egypt;—but no sooner was it ended, than, in order I suppose to please us, they immediately began another, in the fashion of the country, which fully compensated for the extraordinary modesty of the first; but we returned to our boat more disgusted than pleased with it.

For three days we had a strong southerly wind, so that we advanced but a few miles, and did not arrive at Minieh till the 5th of March. It was necessary for us to land there, to see Hamet Bey, who has the command over all the boats on the river. He styles himself admiral of the Nile, and thinks himself as great as any British admiral on the sea. One day at a christian party in Cairo, the discourse happened to fall upon Sir Sydney Smith; “Ah!” said Hamet Bey, “Sir Sydney is a very clever man, and holds the same rank as myself.” From this great commander we had to obtain a protection for our Reis, to secure him from having his boat pressed while we employed it. We found him sitting on a wooden bench, attended by two or three of his sailors. He complied with our request, and gave a hint for a bottle of rum. We sent him two, and he made a feast in high glee with them. We went to the house of Doctor Valsomaky, who distils aqua vita, and sells medicines wholesale and retail. He also collects antiquities from the Fellahs round the country, and disposes of them to any one, who chooses to buy them; and it was in hope of purchasing something of this sort, that we visited him. There we saw two Copts dressed like Franks, as they had been in France with the army. They were employed by Mr. Drouetti, the ex-French consul in Alexandria, who sent them up the Nile in search of antiquities.

As we did not wish to interfere with these men, we set off from Minieh immediately, and on the evening of the next day arrived at Raramoun near Eshmounein, the ancient Hermopolis, where we went to see Mr. Brine, an Englishman, who had introduced sugar-baking into the country. After encountering many obstacles, he had succeeded in purifying and refining the sugar to great perfection. His chief difficulties were to surmount the tricks played off against him by the Arab sugar dealers in that country, and to free the sugar from a particular smell occasioned by the soil, which, though not disagreeable, might retard its introduction into Europe. At his house we learned, that the two agents of Mr. Drouetti were making a forced march to Thebes, of their motives for which I was aware. They wished to arrive there before us, and purchase all that had been accumulated by the Arabs in the preceding season; so that we should have had no chance of buying any thing on our arrival. It was not on this account however I was uneasy, but because the spot, where I had been digging and found the sphinxes and statues, was so evidently pregnant with objects worthy the risk of excavation, that I had no doubt, if they reached Thebes before us, they would take possession of that ground, and we should have no longer a right to explore it.

The mode of travelling on asses or horses is much more speedy than the progress of our boat could be, so that we should certainly have no chance of regaining my old spot of ground where I found the statues. I was not long therefore in considering the matter, and resolved to set off immediately, and by travelling day and night was in hopes to reach the place before them. Accordingly a horse and an ass were got ready, and taking with me the Greek servant, I left Mr. Beechey to come up in the boat at his leisure. By this time it was midnight, yet we set off immediately, and forced marches brought us on the next evening to Manfalout. From this place we hastened without delay, and arrived at Siout before daylight. At sunrise we mounted again, and arrived at dark at Tahta. Here we rested in the convent for four hours, started afresh by the light of the moon, and arrived at Girgeh in the night. “We resumed our journey at one o’clock in the morning, reached Farshiout at noon, and after a delay of four hours, in consequence of not finding beasts immediately, arrived at night at a village three leagues above Badjoura. Here we rested two hours, set off by moonlight, and arrived at Gheneh at three. Having dined, we proceeded onward, rested a couple of hours at Benut at night, and arrived at Luxor the following noon.

The whole of our journey occupied five days and a half, during which I slept eleven hours, and all the rest of the time we were hastening on with asses, horses, or camels, as we could procure them on the road. The principal places we passed in this journey were Manfalout, Siout, Aboutij, Tahta, Menshieh, Girgeh, Farshiout, Badjoura, Gheneh, Copt, and Ghous. Any one who has been in the country may form some idea of the inconveniences a person must undergo, travelling through a tract entirely destitute of the necessaries of life. The fathers of the convents of Propaganda at Tahta, Girgeh, and Farshiout, afforded great accommodation to me on this forced march. They provided me with beasts and provisions for the road immediately on my arrival, for which I felt myself deeply indebted to them. The Arabs make every stranger welcome when they are at their meals; and I generally took advantage of the custom, whenever opportunity served; but on this occasion it would have caused the loss of that time I was so eager to gain. In places where there was no convent I went to the house of the Sheik el balet, where travellers of all sorts assemble at night. I was so fatigued and stiff, that any place of rest was acceptable to me. The bare earth generally afforded me a bed, and when I could procure a mat it was a luxury. I was refreshed one night with a few pieces of sugar-cane, which, after passing the torch where the juice has been extracted, becomes pretty soft, and affords a tolerable bed. I was also regaled with sugar-canes as a dessert after a repast of bread and onions. The sugar-cane is pleasant at the first taste, but on pressing it to extract the juice, it gives an acid that is not agreeable, and the flavour is rather insipid. The people of the country eat of it continually, and are very fond of it. It is sold in the markets as fruit when in season.

On the road between Siout and Tahta I met a body of Bedoween horsemen. I never had an opportunity of viewing these people to more advantage than at this time; and I must observe, that I never saw a finer set of men in my life. The horses were very strong, though not in full flesh. The riders were clothed only with a kind of mantle, made of white woollen, of their own manufacturing, which covered the head, and part of the body. They had very small saddles, contrary to the custom of this country; were armed with guns, pistols, and swords; and were going to Cairo to enter into the service of the Bashaw, who could find no other expedient for suppressing this body of freebooters than offering to give them good pay, horses, and arms, and to send them to Mecca. This proposal has had its due effect; for all the young men have embraced it, and left the old men and women in the deserts. In this manner the Bashaw entertains hopes of getting rid of the greater part, if not all, of these people, who are detested in the country, and, in case of any insurrection, always avail themselves of it to plunder. I passed through their camp, at the time of their convention with the Bashaw, so that I escaped unmolested, and perhaps unnoticed, as I was covered with a large burnoose of their own fashion, and my beard was pretty long. Their tents consist of four sticks set in the ground, about a yard in height, to which is fastened one of their shawls as a cover, with another behind, so as to form a kind of shelter from the sun, wind, or dew. They generally pitch their camps near a fertile spot, but always at the foot of the desert, so that in case of surprise they are soon in their native country: like the crocodile, which enjoys the land, but when disturbed, or at the approach of any person, immediately plunges into the river, as a place of safety. The women were all uncovered, and the children entirely naked. They are very frugal in their diet, and never drink any strong liquor. They are Arabs but no more like the Arabs of Egypt than a freeman is like a slave. The Egyptian Arabs are accustomed to obey, but will not do any thing unless compelled by force. They are humbled, because they are continually under the rod; and indolent, because they have no interest in any thing. But the wild Arabs, on the contrary, are constantly in motion, and labour to procure provision for their beasts and themselves; and being in perpetual war with each other, their thoughts are incessantly employed in improving their arts of defence, or in obtaining plunder.

I must here mention a circumstance, which occasioned me so many unpleasant events, and so much loss of time, and unnecessary labour, that I would not undertake to go through the business again for the discovery of another tomb of Apis. This was merely in consequence of an interpreter’s not choosing to take the trouble of writing a few lines. It will be recollected, that, on my return from Thebes to Cairo, I stopped at Siout; and that the Defterdar Bey sent a letter on board our boat for the consul. Previous to my return into Upper Egypt, I urged to the consul the necessity of sending some presents to the Bey, and in particular an answer to his letter from Siout. The consul, naturally thinking that his interpreter, who had been many years settled in the country, should know the customs of it better than myself, consulted him; and this man, merely to save writing, told the consul there was no occasion for it. Relying on him, my remonstrances were of no avail. The Bey, whose pride was touched to the quick at not seeing any present, or receiving any letter, was exasperated at every thing belonging to our party. I do not mean to impute any neglect to the consul for not sending a present to the Bey, as I know he intended to make him one; but the avaricious mind of the Defterdar did not place any reliance on the future, particularly when he found no reply to his letter, which he certainly had a right to expect. On the other hand, our opponents took every advantage, and neglected no means of attracting the good will of the Bey, sending him continually something or other, so that he openly promoted their interest in every respect. Such, with what follows, is the real state of the case; and let the Count de Forbin invent some other story to disguise the truth, if he can. On my arrival at Luxor, I found the Defterdar Bey had just passed, and, after having inquired which was the ground where I discovered the sphinxes, ordered it to be excavated, and returned to Siout; leaving his physician, Doctor Moroki, a Piedmontese, and countryman of Mr. Drouetti, to superintend the work. I was not a little surprised, to see the advantage which had been taken of us by this intrigue; and the Doctor, who was in the plot, ashamed, I suppose, of his own mean conduct, told me, that what he found was for the Bey, who had taken it into his head to be an antiquary. Several sphinxes had been uncovered, and more were to be found, while I was obliged to be a mere spectator of the operation, made on the very ground I first opened. Yet the Count de Forbin had impudence enough to assert, that they were discovered by a gentleman, and covered up again, with other idle stories from his own school. Many sphinxes had been found in the Doctor’s excavation, but only four were worth taking out. Having finished his operation, he left a guard to the statues, and returned to Siout, as he was ordered by his master; but previous to his departure he went to the west side of Thebes, and forbade the Fellahs with threats to sell any thing to the English. On finding that I had already purchased some articles, which I did immediately on my arrival, he took such a spite against me, as he has not forgotten to this day. The conclusion of all this parade about the Bey, the Doctor, the statues, and the excavation, was, that though the statues were for the Bey, yet on the arrival of the agents of Mr. Drouetti (as will be seen hereafter), they took possession of them. Some time after the Doctor wrote me a letter, to inquire whether it were really true, that the agents of Mr. Drouetti had taken away the statues he had found in Carnak, and pretending to be quite shocked at their proceeding. I plainly saw that the Doctor did not wish to open my eyes, but, on the contrary, sent me the letter to blind me entirely, and make me believe, that he had no hand in the plot. But what could he say, when he as well as we saw Mr. Drouetti himself come to Luxor, and with great coolness take away these very statues or sphinxes, pretended to have been found for the Defterdar? I leave the farce to be explained by the veracious Count de Forbin, who may invent some other puff to cover a trick so openly executed.

During this time I was not idle. I set a few men to work on both sides of Thebes, and went to Erments to present to the Cacheff the letter I had from Cairo. On my arrival he received me with much politeness; and after the usual ceremonious protestation of friendship, I took the first opportunity of presenting to him the letter of the Bashaw. He was a little alarmed at first, and very anxious to know the contents; but was relieved when he heard, that I had made no complaint against him, as his good behaviour just before my departure retrieved in part the faults he had committed before. I then reminded him of the behaviour of the Caimakan of Gournou. He swore that he would punish him, and, if I pleased, would turn him out of his place. I said I did not desire him to do either on my account, but for the future wished to proceed in my business undisturbed, and we concluded, that the next morning he should come to Gournou, and settle the affair in a proper manner.

He afterwards introduced to me one of those wonderful saints, who work miracles by dozens, catching scorpions, serpents, &c. This fellow brought a serpent without teeth, and the Cacheff was much alarmed when he put it into his lap. I took it, and opened its mouth without uttering a word; but the wonder-worker understood me very well. We then went into a back room to see a miracle performed. He began with a long prayer, and after a few minutes stretched out his hand in a corner of the room, and to the great astonishment of the beholders produced a scorpion. I observed closely this wonder-working saint, and saw clearly what was passing. The scorpion was kept in the enormous large sleeve of his garment, and being produced in an instant, it appeared as if it came out of the wall. We were now taken to see the apartments all through the house, and he practised the same deception over again. In a particular lower room the son of this Santon pretended to find a small serpent, but not being so adroit as his father, he contented himself with protesting that it had no teeth, which made me ask how serpents could live in this country without teeth. The Cacheff, I perceived, was a man who would swallow the grossest impositions. He told me many stories truly ridiculous; among the rest, he said, that this caste of Santons were subjects to a king in the mountains of Cossara, and had such power, that if caught in a storm at sea, a calm was restored in a minute; and if a cannon-ball made a hole in the ship, a Santon could stop it; that the Venetian zechins are made by the magic of these Santons; and that one of them being with the Sultan at Constantinople, where the Persian Ambassador had been to announce war against the Porte, he said, that they would conquer the Persians, and that on his thrusting out his finger, the sovereign of Persia should become blind.