e corner
could not be purchased, as that ground is sacred and must not be
disturbed to uncover ruins underneath it."

[Illustration: PLACED THE FILLED BASKETS ON THEIR HEADS.]

[Illustration: EMBELLISHED THE TEMPLE WITH STATUES OF HIMSELF.]

"This edifice, dedicated to the worship of Ammon," continued the guide,
"was erected by King Amenophis III thirty-three hundred years ago; but
King Ramses II, one hundred years later, added to the structure and
made it a memorial of his reign by embellishing the temple with statues
of himself and covering the exterior walls with reliefs and inscriptions
picturing and describing his triumphs."

We saw two colossal sitting statues of Ramses forty-five feet in height,
one of which was completely excavated, the other buried breast high in
rubbish, and in a court of the temple were many gigantic standing
figures of Ramses placed between the pillars. Beside one of these was a
small figure, representing the queen Nefertari, which just reached to
the height of the knees of Ramses.

"The king desired to indicate by the size of the statues that he was a
great conqueror," said the dragoman. "His wife was the daughter of
Pharoah who, while bathing in the Nile, found the Hebrew babe hidden
among the papyri plants."

"If Nefertari was the princess who rescued Moses, she deserved a larger
statue," responded one of the tourists.

"This series of scenes represents the victory at Kadesh in Syria,"
explained the guide as we stood before a wall covered with pictorial
representations of conflict cut in the stone. "Here is the King in his
chariot charging with fury on his foes amid flying arrows. Notice the
dead and wounded scattered over the field of battle and the Hittites
flying in confusion. At one side you see the Egyptian camp, and on the
other side the fortress of Kadesh and the Syrian king amazed at the
sight of his army in wild flight. The hieroglyphics that cover the side
of the tower give a detailed account of the battle and of the glorious
deeds of valor performed by King Ramses. There were originally two large
obelisks here in front of the temple, but one of them was taken to Paris
a number of years ago."

"Yes, I saw it there," remarked one of the party, "but the inscriptions
on the one at Paris looked worn and weather-beaten; while those on this
obelisk are almost as distinct as when they were cut in the pink granite
three thousand years ago."

On the morning of March fifteenth,