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VENOMOUS SPIDER.

year

ceedingly abundant among the ruins, and in the vicinity of Thebes. At certain seasons of the they may be found under almost every stone, particularly about the Memnonium, where the heat, concentrated among the rocks, is intense. They likewise find their way into the inhabited tombs, and take refuge in holes in the walls, through which, how often soever they may be stopped up, the patient reptiles again work a passage out, and appear in their old places, until they are caught and killed. There was a scorpion's hole at my bed's head, in Gournou; but its inhabitant never appeared during my stay. They are often caught under mats which are not daily taken up and shaken. A spider of very large size, reported to be exceedingly venomous, is also found here among the rocks and catacombs, where the superstitious natives may perhaps conceive it to derive its poison from feeding on the bodies of the dead. Several gentlemen, residing at Thebes, having heard of its noxious qualities, caught, during the preceding summer, a scorpion and one of these spiders, and confining them together under a glass, contrived by repeated irritation to provoke them to attack each other. The scorpion at first lay torpid, neither approaching nor shrinking from the spider; but being brought repeatedly in contact with his adversary, who was more active and irritable, he appeared to be roused, and eager to commence the combat. They were now once more brought together. The scorpion, conscious of his power of harming, constantly endeavoured to sting the spider; but the

THE CROCODILE AND THE WAHREN.

111

latter, catching the head of his enemy between his long feelers, appeared to inflict on him an invisible wound; for each time this happened the scorpion writhed with agony, and became evidently weaker. Whether or not, like the rattle-snake, in the horrible experiment made on this reptile in America, the scorpion stung himself during these paroxysms, I could not ascertain from those who witnessed the spectacle ; but at length he was again seized by the spider, which seemed, as it does in killing a fly, to delight in tormenting his foe; and while exerting its power of destruction, caused more sensible demonstrations of pain and suffering in the scorpion than we commonly suppose to be incidental to a physical organisation so inferior to our own. In a few minutes the spider had effected its purpose. The scorpion was killed.

CCCCLXXXIV. A similar fight took place between a small crocodile and a wahren, or gigantic lizard of the desert. In this case, neither of the animals seemed disposed to begin the attack; and it was with the utmost difficulty that they could be forced to exert upon each other the power intrusted to them by nature for their own defence, or to procure their proper food. Crocodiles are numerous in this part of the Nile. And among the Arabs of Karnak there are several who understand the method of destroying them; which they do merely for the purpose of stuffing, and selling their skins to travellers. The patience and phlegm they exhibit in this species of

112

SHOOTING THE CROCODILES.

sportsmanship are worthy of a Dutchman. On one of the numerous sandy islands intersecting the channel of the Nile they dig a deep pit, carefully distributing over the surface the sand thrown up from below. For several days after this operation, the crocodile, finding an alteration in the appearance of his old haunt, and dreading an ambush, remains in the water, or resorts to some other island; but growing accustomed by degrees to the physiognomy of the place, he returns, and basks there as usual in the sun. Observing this, the Arab, who has all the while been watching his movements, crosses over by night to the island, carrying with him provisions for two or three days, and lies down in the pit, with his musket loaded with iron ball. Here he watches for the emerging of the crocodile from the water; and aiming at the under part of the body, seldom fails to effect his purpose.

CCCCLXXXV. Travellers usually complain of the number and fierceness of the dogs which infest the cemeteries and uninhabited parts of Alexandria. But they are tame and gentle compared with those of Gournou, where night and day their bark is heard, following at your heels in troops when you leave the village, and angrily assailing you, at every winding of the road, and the entrance to every tomb, on your return. Were they contented with barking, however, the nuisance would be less intolerable; but, unless kept off by sticks or stones, and those neither light nor small ones, they would tear you like wild beasts.

FRAGMENTS OF HUMAN BODIES.

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The whole face of the hill, from the tombs to the cultivable land, having been broken up in search of mummies, is full of deep and dangerous pitfalls. Here, where the majority of the vulgar dead seem to have been buried, fragments of bodies, unbandaged, and torn open in search of papyri, legs, arms, bones, skulls, chips of coffins, painted linen, morsels of bitumen and resin, and other funereal paraphernalia, strew the ground in all directions. It does not appear that the Arabs, as some travellers have pretended, habitually make use of the dead bodies for fuel, though they would no doubt burn well, on account of their dryness, and the great quantity of combustible matter they contain; for, though wood and charcoal are extremely dear, and they have no substitute but the dry dung of animals, heaps of mummies are left to fall to dust upon the surface of the earth, in the neighbourhood of their dwellings. Yet, were all these remains collected, and consumed on one pile, or even burned piecemeal by the Arabs, it would be less offensive to the feelings than to behold them thus wantonly trampled under foot.

114

TEMPLE OF LUXOR.

CHAPTER IV.

TEMPLE OF LUXOR-DANCING-GIRLS WHO SPOKE FRENCH -GIGANTIC BLACK ALMÉ VAST PROPYLON AND OBELISKS- SPLENDID APPEARANCE OF THE GRAND ENTRANCE- THEORY OF BEAUTY — EGYPTIANS IGNORANT OF THE BEAUTIFUL GRAND PERISTYLE OTHER REMAINS OF THE TEMPLE- NOBLE VIEW OF THEBESLOFTY MOUNTAIN PLAIN OF KARNAK GRAND AVENUE OF SPHYNXES RUINS OF THE GREAT TEMPLE-MOTIVE OF THE ROYAL FOUNDERS MAGNIFICENCE OF THE REMAINS - GRAND HALL OF COLUMNS -SPARROWS -POLITICAL DEGRADATION OF THE EGYPTIANS -CASTES

IGNORANCE

INVENTION AND USE ASTRONOMICAL OBSERVA

ENORMOUS PROPYLON FOUNDATION OF THE EGYPTIAN

ARCHITECTURAL VISTA GODS OF THE TEMPLE

PAN AND VENUS THE TOMBS DEPARTURE FROM THEBESBEAUTY OF THE NIGHT-WILD SCENERY DESCEND THE RIVER TO GHENEH-DENDERA-SURVEY OF THE RED SEA-OCCUPATION OF ABYSSINIA — CHARACTER OF BRUCE — DIOSPOLIS PARVA.

CCCCLXXXVI. WHEN we had seen the principal remains of antiquity on the western bank of the Nile, which appears to have been the site of the original city, and to contain the most ancient monuments, we passed over to the eastern side, and commenced our observations with the temple of Luxor. Portions of this vast ruin are filled up by the dwellings and cowhouses of the Arabs; who, by converting some of the lower chambers into latrinæ, have rendered them absolutely unapproachable. unapproachable. The French employed