The great pyramid passages and chambers

LETTER III.

Arab Village, near the Pyramids of Gizeh. Saturday, 5th June, 1909.

DEAR BRETHREN,—I went into Cairo to-day to obtain permission to erect tents in front of the north face of the Great Pyramid. The fact of my not having a place near the Pyramid where I can keep my measuring-rods, cameras, etc., has proved a great drawback. This is the chief reason why I have decided to have tents erected as close to it as possible; for although the house in the Arab village in which I lodge at night is not situated at a great distance from the Pyramid, it is nevertheless not so convenient as might be—Plate I]. For the past week and a half, Mr. Covington has very kindly let me have the use of his tent to store some of my apparatus, and to change my clothes, make tea for myself, etc.; but I feel I can hardly continue to use his tent all the time, nor keep all my implements there. This kindness of Mr. Covington has been of great help to me. I was accompanied by the Reis, Abraheem Faid, who has charge of all the excavating works from Cairo, up the Nile to Fayoum which lies about 70 or 80 miles distant. Through his kind assistance I received the permission without much difficulty. To-morrow my tent will be erected, and afterwards John’s, and the others as they are required. The Reis and his son Judah, who assists his father in his work of overseer, are very attentive and obliging; and indeed, all the Arabs here are very nice to me, and I am thankful to say that I have not so far had any of the trouble which Professor Ferguson and Mr. Covington thought I might have.

235 To-day I had nineteen men down with me in the Subterranean Chamber or Pit —Plate IX. I had them working at the west end of that chamber, clearing out some of the stones and sand which at that end reached nearly to the ceiling. We shall be down there again to-morrow to complete this part of the work. For the past week I have had men clearing out the stones and sand from the Descending Passage. About six or seven years ago, Mr. Covington cleared about thirty feet of the lower end of this passage, and also the lower end of the Well-shaft. But when he and I crept down the Descending Passage on my first visit to the interior of the Great Pyramid, we found that not only was nearly half the height of the passage blocked with sand and stones throughout the greater part of its length, but the lower third of the part which Mr. Covington had previously cleared was again filled with rubbish. Mr. Covington thinks that this was probably due to a great rain-storm which occurred about two months ago.

236 Mr. Covington and the Reis almost frightened me into doing nothing in the way of excavating. I should require, if I wished to do it properly, they said, to lay rails along the floor of the Descending Passage, and run the rubbish up to the Entrance in small waggons, and then it would be necessary for a large number of men, arranged in

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