DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.4393#0084
G6 A THOUSAND MILES UP TUB NILE.
what order that vast and august procession of dynasties
swept across the stage of history.
For ourselves, as will presently be seen, it happened that
we could carry only a part of this programme into effect;
but that part, happily, was the most important. AVe never
ceased to congratulate ourselves on having made ac-
quaintance with the pyramids of Grhizeh and Sakkarah
before seeing the tombs of the kings at Thebes; and 1 feel
that it is impossible to overestimate the advantage of
studying the sculptures of the tomb of Ti before one's
taste is brought into contact with the debased style of
Denderah and Esneh. AVe began the great book, in short,
as it always should be begun—at its first page; thereby ac-
quiring just that necessary insight without which many an
after-chapter must have lost more than half its interest.
If I seem to insist upon this point it is because things
contrary to custom need a certain amount of insistance
and are sine to be met by opposition. No dragoman, for
example, could be made to understand the importance of
historical sequence in a matter of this kind; especially in
the case of a contract trip. To him, Khufu, Barneses and
the Ptolemies are one. As for the monuments, they are
all ancient Egyptian, and one is just as odd and unintel-
ligible as another, lie cannot quite understand why
travelers come so far and spend so much money to look at
them; but he sets it down to a habit of harmless curiosity—
by which he profits.
The truth is, however, that the mere sight-seeing of the
Nile demands some little reading and organizing, if only
to be enjoyed. AVe cannot all be profoundly learned; but
we can at least do our best to understand what we see—to
get rid of obstacles—to put the right thing in the right
place. For the land of Egypt is, as I have said, a great
book—not very easy reading, perhaps, under any circum-
stances; but at all events quite difficult enough already
without the added puzzlement of being read backward.
And now our next point along the river, as well as our next
link in the chain of early monuments, was Beni Hassan,
with its famous rock-cut tombs of the twelfth dynasty; and
Beni Hassan was still more than a hundred and forty-live
miles distant. AVe ought to have sjone on again directly—
to have weighed anchor and made a few miles that very
eveningon returning to the boats; but we insisted on a second
what order that vast and august procession of dynasties
swept across the stage of history.
For ourselves, as will presently be seen, it happened that
we could carry only a part of this programme into effect;
but that part, happily, was the most important. AVe never
ceased to congratulate ourselves on having made ac-
quaintance with the pyramids of Grhizeh and Sakkarah
before seeing the tombs of the kings at Thebes; and 1 feel
that it is impossible to overestimate the advantage of
studying the sculptures of the tomb of Ti before one's
taste is brought into contact with the debased style of
Denderah and Esneh. AVe began the great book, in short,
as it always should be begun—at its first page; thereby ac-
quiring just that necessary insight without which many an
after-chapter must have lost more than half its interest.
If I seem to insist upon this point it is because things
contrary to custom need a certain amount of insistance
and are sine to be met by opposition. No dragoman, for
example, could be made to understand the importance of
historical sequence in a matter of this kind; especially in
the case of a contract trip. To him, Khufu, Barneses and
the Ptolemies are one. As for the monuments, they are
all ancient Egyptian, and one is just as odd and unintel-
ligible as another, lie cannot quite understand why
travelers come so far and spend so much money to look at
them; but he sets it down to a habit of harmless curiosity—
by which he profits.
The truth is, however, that the mere sight-seeing of the
Nile demands some little reading and organizing, if only
to be enjoyed. AVe cannot all be profoundly learned; but
we can at least do our best to understand what we see—to
get rid of obstacles—to put the right thing in the right
place. For the land of Egypt is, as I have said, a great
book—not very easy reading, perhaps, under any circum-
stances; but at all events quite difficult enough already
without the added puzzlement of being read backward.
And now our next point along the river, as well as our next
link in the chain of early monuments, was Beni Hassan,
with its famous rock-cut tombs of the twelfth dynasty; and
Beni Hassan was still more than a hundred and forty-live
miles distant. AVe ought to have sjone on again directly—
to have weighed anchor and made a few miles that very
eveningon returning to the boats; but we insisted on a second