A pilgrimage to the temples and tombs of Egypt, Nubia, and ...

292 THE ASSASSIEF.
into one of them upon my hands and knees, and
to effect my entry into another by lying down
upon myback, and being drawn in, head foremost.
The interiors of them consist of various cham-
bers and long galleries, excavated in the rock,
the walls and ceilings of which are covered with
paintings, and in some instances with sculptures.
At the furthermost extremity of the chambers in
each tomb, small apertures, closed up with a stone,
lead to the catacomb beneath it, where the
mummies were deposited, but where they no
longer remain, having nearly all been torn from
their dark resting-place to satisfy the curiosity
and cupidity of those, who, in the pursuit of
science or of gain, have not scrupled to violate
the sanctuary of the dead, and scatter their bones
to the winds. The paintings in these tombs are
very curious, as affording one a clear insight into
the every-day life of the wonderful people, whose
work they were In one of them I found the
perfect delineation of a hunting scene, the hounds
drawn with great spirit and vigour ; in another
Mohammed cleverly detached two pieces of the
wall for me, each fragment containing a painted
head, evidently that of a Jewish captive, from the
peculiar physiognomy and form of the beard.
But the stench of the bats at last fairly drove