The great pyramid passages and chambers

ing of it. The masonry of the Horizontal Passage to the Queen’s Chamber is very different from that of the First Ascending Passage. The stones there are very regular in size and shape; but as we have not yet measured that passage, I cannot say more about it at present.

430 Before we could properly measure the First Ascending Passage, we required to get Judah to brush down the floor from top to bottom, for it was covered with stone chippings and dust as a result of our men’s work there, when cutting footholds. The fine dust which arose during Judah’s brushing was carried by the air-current up the passage to where we were measuring, and was very unpleasant; but poor Judah experienced the worst of it. His left eye became quite inflamed, so that he had to put on a bandage.

431 We had our five o'clock tea, served by our faithful waiter Sayd, about half-way up the passage. The floor at that particular part is very broken and uneven, and this enabled us to rest both ourselves and the kettle and tea-pot, etc., without fear of sliding down to the Granite Plug at the lower end. Judah had by this time finished his brushing, and enjoyed a cup along with us. The last place at which we had ‘tea’? when John was here, was at the bottom of the Well-shaft, where it enters the Descending Passage. John was sitting right in at the very bottom of the shaft, with a cool current of air coming down upon his head.

432 Iam now about to start on the drawing which is intended to show ata glance the peculiar masonry of the walls of the First Ascending Passage. It is not an easy task to record every measurement exactly according to scale.

Thursday night, Sth July. Jack and I have spent most of the day in the First Ascending Passage, measuring the west wall. This morning we called on Mr. Covington, who returned to his tent last night. He was pleased to see me again, and gave us some newspapers containing certain articles referring to his work of excavating the casing-stones of the Great Pyramid. Two of these papers made reference, also, to our own work at the Pyramid.

Friday, 9th July. We are going into the Great Pyramid presently, to measure the roof and floor of the First Ascending Passage. We hope that to-day will see the end of our operations in this part of the Pyramid, but are afraid it will not; it is so troublesome to measure. Judah's eye is not so bad to-day, although it is still a little inflamed.

435 A great number of strangers, mostly natives of the country, are about this morning. Most visitors pass by the Great Pyramid, and even of those who evince interest in it, few venture inside. In fact, all day yesterday, and the day before as well, we had the interior to ourselves.

1-40 p.m. We were in the Great Pyramid from 10 a.m. till 1 p.m., measuring the floor and roof of the First Ascending Passage. We were interrupted two or three times by some of those visitors whom we saw this morning. However, they did not take long to pass us, and we were not interfered with in any way. A number of them were Egyptian women, most of whom were accompanied by their guides only. I asked Sayd about this, as I always thought that the women of this country, and of the East generally, were kept very secluded. Sayd replied that no Arab women would be allowed to

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