Narrative of a Journey in Egypt and the Country Beyond the Cataracts |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
afterwards Alexandria Almès Amabdi amongst ancient antiquity appearance Arabs armed arrival Baalbek bank Barâbras Bedouin Blemmyes boat Cacheff camels capital Cataracts chamber Colonel Missett columns Constantinople Copts curiosity Dakki Damascus date trees datefield Dehr Denon Desert distance Dongola dragoman Egyptian eighteen feet English Essouan excavated feet high feet in length firman formed fragments Girgeh Gizeh Governor Grand Signior granite Greek Hamah Hassan hieroglyphics horses Ibrîm inhabitants island journey Kalaptshi landed latter Mamelukes Manfalout miles Miniet months morning mountains mummies natives nearly negro neighbourhood neighbouring niches Nile Nubia observed ornamented ourselves Pacha Pacha of Cairo Pacha of Egypt passed Philæ piastres plague present Pronaos Propylon Pyramid remains river Rosetta ruins sail sand sent Shekh Ibrahim Siout slaves soldiers temple Thebes tion town travellers troops Turkish Turks Upper Egypt village voyage Wahabees walls wind witnessed
Popular passages
Page 114 - Arab behind me seeing the torch of his companion extinguished, and conceiving he had stumbled, passed me, advanced to his assistance, and stooped. I observed him appear faint, totter, and fall in a moment, — he also was dead. The third Arab came forward, and made an effort to approach the bodies, but stopped short. We looked at each other in silent horror. The danger increased every instant ; our torches burnt faintly — our breathing became more difficult — our knees tottered under us, and...
Page 114 - ... and wide enough to require a good leap. The first Arab jumped the ditch, and we all followed him. The passage we entered was extremely small, and so low in some places, as to oblige us to crawl flat on the ground, and almost always on our hands and knees. The intricacies of its windings resembled a labyrinth, and it terminated at length in a chamber much smaller than that which we had left, but, like it, containing nothing to satisfy our curiosity.
Page 114 - We felt we had gone too far, and yet were almost deprived of the power of returning. At this moment the torch of the first Arab went out ; I was close to him, and saw him fall on his side ; he uttered a groan ; his legs were strongly convulsed, and I heard a rattling noise in his throat ; he was dead.
Page 112 - ... outside of the cavern. The Abyssinian merchant declined going any farther. The sailors remained also on the outside to take care of our clothes. We formed, therefore, a party of six ; each was to be preceded by a guide ; our torches were lighted ; one of the Arabs led the way ; and I followed him.
Page 39 - ... is to get at the real truth from the hearsay report of travellers. Mr. Legh, in speaking of the same operation, and the subsequent process of burying the victims in sand to stop the hemorrhage, observes that, according to calculation, ' one out of three only survives ;' and that the operation ' is performed at a moment of distress, that the risk of mortality might be incurred at a time when the -merchants could best spare their slaves.
Page 115 - In this dilemma, we were determined by the majority ; and, fortunately, were right. Exhausted with fatigue and terror, we reached the edge of the deep trench, which remained to be crossed before we got into the great chamber. Mustering all my strength, I leaped, and was followed by the American. Smelt stood on the brink, ready to drop with fatigue. He called to us, for God's sake to help him over the fosse, or at least to stop, if only for five minutes, to allow him time to recover his strength.
Page 94 - Tern pie of Guerfeh Hassan, and the ruins of Dakki, and Kalaptshi, appeared to us to rival some of the finest specimens of Egyptian architecture. " The same character of massive solidity is common to both, but, upon the whole, the stones which formed the walls of the Nubian temples did not appear to be so well wrought, nor so nicely joined together, as they are in those we had seen in Egypt. On the other hand, the style of execution in some of the hieroglyphics and other ornaments, indicates a degree...
Page 114 - The Arab whom I followed, and who led the way, now entered another gallery, and we all continued to move in the same manner as before, each preceded by a guide. We had not gone far before the -heat became excessive ; for my own part, I found my breathing extremely difficult,— my head began to ache most violently, and I had a most distressing sensation of fulness about the breast.
Page 116 - It was impossible : to stay was death, and we could not resist the desire to push on and reach the open air. We encouraged him to summon all his force, and he cleared the trench. When we reached the open air it was one o'clock, and the heat in the sun about 160°. Our sailors, who were waiting for us, had luckily a bardak full of water, which they sprinkled upon us ; but though a little refreshed, it was not possible to climb the sides of the pit ; they unfolded their turbans, and slinging them round...
Page 54 - disorder of the granite rocks, which present " every variety of grotesque shape, the absence of " all cultivation, the murmur of the water, and " the savage and desolate character of the whole " scene, form a picture which exceeds all power