Torrey's Narrative; or, The Life and Adventures of William Torrey

by William Torrey

"Under the lee of a bundle of straw," I replied.

"Well, all the Copts of Egypt have been searching for you," said he, "until at last we concluded that you had fallen a victim to the poisonous atmosphere of the Dead Sea, and gone off yourself in evaporation. We therefore have got the cargo ready without your assistance; but if you are still in a mortal state, and capable of hauling a rope, (as your refreshed appearance would indicate,) then bear a hand, for every thing is ready." We then went on board, where I found the cargo stowed; consisting of cotton, ivory, gums, &c., and all things in preparation to weigh the anchor.

I will in this place give my readers a brief description of some of the curiosities of Egypt; and some general characteristics of the inhabitants, which come under my observation, during my stay in that country. Of all the wonders of this truly wonderful country, the ruins and antiquities which it contains, are perhaps the greatest. The mechanical labors and monuments of the ancient Egyptians are beyond the imitation of modern times.

Among the many ruins of Alexandria, the most prominent are Pompey's Pillar, and Cleopatra's Needle. There are other magnificent remains, such as prostrate rows of marble columns, and mutilated capitals. Pompey's Pillar stands upon a pedestal twelve feet high. The shaft is round, and one hundred feet in height. The diameter is about nine feet. Cleopatra's Needle is sixty-four feet high, and eight feet square at the base. The shaft is granite, covered with hieroglyphics.

There are a great number of Pyramids scattered over the country, but the most remarkable are those of Djizeh, Sakhara, and Darhour. The size of these is so great, that they appear to the spectator to be near at hand, when he is many leagues distant from them. The account of Herodotus is, that ten years were consumed in preparing a road whereon to draw the immense blocks of stone; and the labors of 100,000 men employed, who were relieved once in three months.

The largest is ascribed to Cheops. It covers an area of eleven acres, and is four hundred and eighty feet high, one hundred and twenty-seven feet higher than the cross of St. Paul's, in London. The entrances to those pyramids which have been explored, descend at exactly the same angle, and at the same part of the fabric. Various passages and chambers have been discovered by great labor, and wells or shafts conducting from above to the lower apartments. The entrances are artfully concealed in the wall, thirty feet or less above the base. The passages were sometimes stopped with a solid block of granite, made, however, to slide upwards by the force of a lever.

Immense chambers have been found in them, hewn from the solid rock. Belzoni found one forty-eight feet in length, sixteen wide, and twenty-four high. The pyramids are composed of immense blocks of stone, laid upon each other in the receding manner of steps. The celebrated Sphynx, of which so much has been written, is now almost buried in sand. The head and neck only remain uncovered. The form is that of a woman's head and breast on the body of a lion. Since buried in the sand, it has once been excavated and measured. The length was found to be one hundred and thirty feet, the breast was thirty-three feet wide, and the head and neck twenty-seven feet high,—the whole, except the paws, which are of masonry, was cut from the solid rock.

Alexandria, the scene of many of these ruins, is situated upon the Mediterranean Sea, and has communication with the river Nile by means of a canal. This city was founded by Alexander the Great, and rose immediately to wealth and greatness; and for science and literature was second only to Rome. It once contained 600,000 inhabitants. After its capture by the Saracens, it began to decline, and the discovery of the passage to India destroyed its commercial importance. At present it consists of narrow, crooked, and dirty streets, and lofty buildings, and is surrounded by a high stone wall. The population at the present time cannot exceed 15,000. Egypt is inhabited by a number of distinct tribes, or classes. The most numerous are the Fellahs, or Arab cultivators; the descendants of the ancient conquerors; these are well formed, and active, though lean. They have fine teeth, and sunken, sparkling eyes. Upper Egypt is settled principally by the Copts, of whom I have before spoken. Besides these are Greeks, Jews, Syrians, Turks, &c., scattered over the country.

The people are so various, that the customs are therefore different in the different classes. The Arabs are cheerful, quiet, and have many good qualities. The Jews are filthy, and avaricious; they are generally merchants, and officers of the customs. The inhabitants of the cities are indolent and sensual; have but little employment, and their amusements are of a depraving kind. The women are vailed, and secluded, as in all oriental countries, but they have still much freedom. Beauty is esteemed by weight, as in many Mohammedan countries, and the Christian observes various trifling practices, totally at variance with those to which he has been accustomed. The beard is worn and the hair shaven. The men wear petticoats, and the women trowsers. Fingers supply the place of forks; a cushion is used instead of a chair, and a tray instead of a table is set upon the floor. Females hide their faces and display their bosoms. Many things seem to be adhered to because they are at variance with European usage. The inhabitants delight in exhibitions of wrestlers, rope dancers, &c. The exhibitions of the serpent charmers, are terrific—they handle the serpent with perfect familiarity, and are seldom bitten. There are numerous dancing women who perform in public, but their exhibitions conform to the state of moral sentiment, and are such as would not be tolerated in America. Marriages in Egypt are generally contracted by the intervention of friends, and frequently the parties do not see each other till the ceremony. The females are often married at fifteen, and sometimes at an earlier age. The climate is peculiar, during eight months in the year, from March to November; the heat is almost insupportable to a European, or American. During the whole of this season the air is inflamed, the sky sparkling, and the heat oppressive to all unaccustomed to it. The southerly winds which sometimes blow there are called by the natives poisonous winds, or the hot winds of the desert. They are of such extreme heat that no animated body exposed to them can withstand their pernicious influence. During the three days of the southern blast, the streets are deserted; and woe to the traveler whom this wind surprises remote from shelter; when it exceeds three days it is insupportable. Very frequently the inhabitants are almost blinded with drifts of sand, but these evils are in a great measure remedied by the rising and overflowing of the Nile. This occurs annually, and supplies the deficiency of rain, (very little falling in that country,) in producing the vast fertility for which Egypt is so famed.