l Seti's work
was his pillared hall at Karnak, the most splendid single chamber that
has ever been built by any architect, and even in its ruins one of the
grandest sights that the world contains."

The huge columns, some in place, some leaning, and others prostrate,
were an impressive sight. The guide called our attention to the
inscriptions that covered all the columns and to the traces of coloring
that might still be seen on the protected parts. In order that we might
more fully realize their size, he suggested that we measure the
circumference of one with our arms. It required six of us with
outstretched arms to span one of the larger columns.

As we passed through the various halls, Mahmoud interpreted and
explained many of the historical inscriptions and reliefs with which the
ancient Egyptian kings had covered the walls, commemorating the
victories they had gained over their enemies. One wall pictured the
triumph of Shishak over Rehoboam, the son of Solomon. The captured
cities were represented by circles each enclosing the name of the city;
the captives, by rows of Hebrews bound with cords. King Shishak stood
over the captives grasping a group of them by the hair and smiting them
with a club, and slaves carried the golden treasures that had been
stripped from the temple at Jerusalem, and the plunder taken from
Rehoboam's palace.

[Illustration: WITHIN THE TEMPLE OF AMMON AT KARNAK.]

On our return to Luxor my donkey boy Abda and I had a disagreement. I
gave him, as backsheesh, a tip equal to a man's wages for a full day's
work in Egypt; but he pleaded with tears in his eyes for "more
backsheesh," and departed apparently in great anger.

After resting awhile in the cool halls of our hotel, we walked to the
ruins of the great Temple in the village of Luxor, close by the river
bank and not far from the hotel.

"In the year 1884," said Mahmoud, as we assembled around him in the
ruins where the gigantic columns rose forty feet above our heads, "I was
living in a house that stood just over where we are now standing and I
did not know that a part of the temple was buried in the earth
underneath. The government officials, after much haggling and
complaining about the prices my neighbors and I demanded, bought the
houses and lands of us, about thirty properties in all, and gave us
other lands, so that the excavations could be continued. That year this
part of the temple was uncovered. The little white mosque at th