has been drilled into us by the tales of our
boyhood, and, in later life, it has become part of that universal desire
to get something for nothing which lies behind our most honest efforts
to obtain the goods of this world. Who has not desired the hidden wealth
of the late Captain Kidd, or coveted the lost treasure of the Incas? I
recently wrote an article which was entitled "Excavations in Egypt," but
the editor of the magazine in which it appeared hastily altered these
words to "Treasure Hunting in Egypt," and thereby commanded the
attention of twice the number of readers. Can we wonder, then, that this
form of adventure is so often met with in Egypt, the land of hidden
treasure? The Department of Antiquities has lately published a
collection of mediaeval traditions with regard to this subject, which is
known as the Book of the Pearl. In it one is told the exact places where
excavations should be made to lay bare the wealth of the ancients. "Go
to such and such a spot," says this curious book, "and dig to the depth
of so many cubits, and you will find a trap-door; descend through this
and you will find a chamber wherein are forty jars filled with gold.
Take what you want, and give thanks to God." Many of the sites referred
to have been literally hacked out of all recognition by the picks and
spades of thousands of gold-seekers; and it may be that sometimes their
efforts have been rewarded, since a certain amount of genuine
information is embodied in the traditions. Sir Gaston Maspero, the
Director-General of the Department of Antiquities, tells a story of how
a native came to him asking permission to excavate at a certain spot
where he believed treasure to be hidden. Sir Gaston accompanied him to
the place, and a tunnel was bored into what appeared to be virgin sand
and rock. At the end of the first day's work the futility of his labours
was pointed out to the man, but he was not to be daunted. For two more
days he stood watching the work from morn to nightfall with hope burning
in his eyes, and on the following morning his reward came. Suddenly the
ground gave way before the picks of the workmen, and a hole was seen
leading into a forgotten cave. In this cave the implements of mediaeval
coiners were discovered, and an amount of metal, false and true, was
found which had been used by them in the process of their business.

A short time ago a man applied for permission to perform a similar kind
of excavation at a place