COPTIC CONVENT.

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in a small cleft in the rock, through which nothing but a serpent or a bat could pass. Again, therefore, we were forced back to the large chamber, where we sought in vain for any other hole or passage; so that, after continuing the scrutiny for an hour or more, we despaired of success, and returned to upper air. The Arabs, whom we found clustered about the mouth of the cave, seemed, I think, pleased at our disappointment; and by their subsequent refusal to show us the nearest path to the boats, which were moored near the mountains to the north of the plain of Maabdé, they gave us reason to suspect that they had purposely misled us, from motives known only to themselves. The poor man who descended into the cave, whose legs exhibited symptoms of incipient elephantiasis, still remained with our party; the others, without asking for a present, left us abruptly to find our way how we pleased, and made towards their village.

DXX. Following a small sheep-track, leading towards the edge of the cliffs, we discovered a break in the rocks, through which we descended to the plain. In the face of the mountain are several grottoes, once, perhaps, the abode of christian hermits; and in a very perilous situation beneath a projecting crag, stands a Coptic convent of sun-dried bricks, with many windows, now containing no monks; but on a certain day of the year, probably the anniversary of some Coptic saint, all the christians of the neighbourhood repair to this convent, where they pass the day in feasting and rejoicing. On reaching the kandjias,

166

RETURN TO MANFALOOT.

we paid our guide, and began to proceed down the river; but in less than half an hour, two Arabs were seen running along the shore, shouting loudly to us to stop. The boats being accordingly ordered near the shore, they were taken on board, and proved to be the guides to the crocodile mummy-pits, who hearing, on their return from Manfaloot, of our unsuccessful expedition, had followed us to offer their services. They professed to be perfectly acquainted with the place, and promised, if we would remain until next day, to conduct us where we should find the crocodiles; for it was now evening, and we had been toiling during at least ten hours in the sun. As they seemed to speak with complete confidence, we resolved to give them a trial; and putting about, hoisted sail, and returned up the river to Manfaloot. This was an extremely windy day; heavy clouds, towards evening, covered the whole atmosphere; and the sun set under a blood-red canopy.

Monday, Feb. 25. On the Nile.

DXXI. On descending to that part of the bank where our guides had engaged to attend us, we found them waiting; not two, however, but thirteen, all of whom had been attracted by the hope of a present. Upon inquiry we found it was the favourable report of the poor Arab who had accompanied us on the preceding day, whose infirmity rendered him an object of charity, that had sent all these guides in search of us. An old man, with a white beard, who seemed to be the Sheikh of the party, said he had

ENTER THE CROCODILE PITS.

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known the pits from his youth, and would bring us where we should find crocodile mummies of all sizes. We therefore desired them to proceed, being impatient to discover whether he would conduct us to the cavern we had visited on the preceding day; and, if so, in what way we could possibly enter. The point was soon settled. They took us to the same pit; and while we were undressing, and lighting our candles, those who were to enter betook themselves to prayer, as persons about to plunge into desperate peril. I again descended before the others, and as the smell seemed less disgusting than on the day before, did not in the least doubt being able to withstand the malaria, or mephitic vapour, whatever it might be. When the Arabs had prayed, and stripped themselves nearly naked, we took each a taper in our hands, and began to move forwards. The old man, his son, and two other Arabs, led the way; my servant and I followed; and Monro came close after me, with a guide who was to show the way back, if we should find it impossible to proceed. Having reached the large chamber, where we had wasted so much time on the preceding day, the old guide turned to the right, and crept forward through a small hole, the mouth of which was concealed by a projecting rock. We all followed in the order we had observed in entering, and after proceeding about twenty yards, arrived in the large natural chamber described by Legh and Henniker, the latter of whom advanced no further. Continuing to push forward, we entered a portion of the cavern resembling the mouth of hell;

168

DESCRIPTION OF THE CAVERN.

enormous rocks huddled together forming the floor, where chasms of unknown depth yawned between the dark masses, while prodigious black stalactites, with shining spars of crystal glittering between them, hung like dead snakes from the roof, and composed a kind of fretwork round the sides. Everything wore the fuliginous appearance of a place which had been the seat of some durable conflagration; black as night, covered with soot, oily, slippery, and exhaling a stench unutterably disgusting. Bats without number hung from the roof, or flew against our faces, from the countless holes and narrow diverging passages of the cavern; some striking against the rocks and falling senseless to the ground, where we trod or pressed upon them with our hands-for there was no time to be nice in picking our way. At length they began to cling about my neck, and bite my hands; and several times extinguished my taper; but this was merely disagreeable. By degrees, however, the passage grew low and narrow, so that it became necessary to creep forward on hands and knees, with our heads very low, that they might not strike against the rocks. This position I soon found extremely painful. The heat likewise appeared to be insufferable, and the perspiration streamed from our bodies like rain. My companions, according to the advice of the principal guide, had stripped nearly to the skin; but, trusting to my capacity for enduring heat, I had slighted his counsel, and now suffered the penalty of my imprudence. Still, however, I continued in the track of the guide; but having advanced about three or four

EFFECTS OF THE MALARIA.

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hundred yards, I felt the blood rush to my head, and experienced great sickness and faintness, accompanied by an extraordinary oppression of the lungs, greatly augmented by the odour of putrid corpses which issued from the extremities of the cave, and appeared to increase every moment. For this effect I never could fully account. In all the tombs, and caverns, and mummy-pits which we had hitherto entered, I had seemed to suffer less than any one; and could remain in them whole hours without inconvenience; but now the case was different. In a short time my head grew dizzy, and the cavern seemed to reel and swim round. Supposing I was about to faint, in which case recovery would have been next to impossible, I requested Monro, who seemed to experience nothing of the kind, to endeavour to pass me, which the narrowness of the passage rendered nearly impracticable, and ordered the Arab in the rear to lead the way back. Monro and Suleiman proceeded. When I had regained that part of the passage where it was possible to stand upright, the fulness and dizziness in the head abated; but my eyes seemed to have grown dim, and I fancied we had lost our way. The guide, who evidently shared my suspicion, paused and surveyed the various openings with terror, while his trembling hands could scarcely hold the taper. The cavern, in fact, appeared to have enlarged, the passages to have grown more numerous, and the stench and blackness more infernal. I crept along with the utmost difficulty, the bats flitting before, or striking against me; and looked with intense longing