The great pyramid passages and chambers

of candles was now nearly exhausted. We had, therefore, to send Judah to the tents for a fresh supply, and, as might be expected, he was away for a long time. I remarked to John that it was rather risky to be left in the dark in sucha long dangerous shaft, especially as we had nothing to hold on to; for the rope which Judah had fastened to the end of the rope-ladder did not reach beyond the bottom of the second vertical part, and we had to work our way laboriously downward, placing our feet as best we could in the shallow footholds, and lying with our backs pressed against the angle of the east wall and floor. Not long after my remark, down came a shower of candles on our heads and backs! Judah had returned with a packet, and in his descent down the shaft it had slipped out of his shallow pocket and burst open, hence the unexpected but very welcome shower. Most of the candles were broken, but we did not mind.

567 I was now getting tired and a little nervous, the passage is so long and so steep, and the squaring, plumbing and measuring took so much time. I suggested to John that possibly we had taken enough of such special square and vertical measurements to get the general inclination of this portion of the shaft, which seemed to be constant throughout its length ; and he agreed that linear measurements along the roof and floor lines would now suffice. We noted, however, that at about the middle of its length there is a slight bend westward, and then back eastward to the same general line —Plate XVII.

568 I thought we should never reach that iron pin at the head of the final almost vertical part. Judah had previously unfastened the rope from the foot of the ropeladder, and was now behind us, carrying it with him. I called out to John, who was always some little distance further up with the other end-of the steel measuring-tape, that he and Judah might lower the rope to where I was, and hold on to it until I should reach my next stopping place. John did not seem to mind so much, but I felt safer with a life-line, as it were, to hold on to should I require it. I afterwards noted that the passage did not appear so dangerous when, later, Judah passed me and kept below holding a light. However, I believe John is more courageous than I. I confess I had a feeling of rest and comparative safety when at last I reached that lower iron pin, and had my feet set firmly against it. Lying on my right side on the steep floor, I waited until Judah passed with the rope to fasten it to the pin. He was not long in doing this, and then we began the descent of the final part of the shaft, but again firmly holding on to a rope.

569 In this last portion of the Well-shaft we had to resume our squaring horizontally from floor across to roof (if there can properly be said to be a floor and roof at this part), plumbing vertically from the roof to a lower part of the floor, and then measuring horizontally and vertically between the points thus ascertained, all the way down. This method of measuring gave us the general angle at which this part of the shaft tends southward. We also took linear measurements along both the floor and roof lines.

570 While measuring the long inclined part of the shaft, we had noted two fissures in the rock, a wide one about half-way down, and another at the top directly below the Grotto, as if it were in continuation of it. The relative positions of these two fissures above two others in the Descending Passage below, suggests the probability of their being continuous with those others, as is indicated in Plate IX. (This thought was first suggested by M. Caviglia.)

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