oming by it would first
be on a level with the breast of the Sphinx, and would have a full view
of the altar and temple below. Then, as he went down the roadway, the
Sphinx would seem to rise higher and higher, till he must have felt
himself quite a pigmy, looking up at the vast figure.

The children were, like ourselves, very much interested in these
accounts of the Sphinx, which their father had collected for us.

"Has any one besides Colonel Howard Vyse tried to clear away the sand?"
Hugh asked.

"Yes, Mr. Salt and Signor Caviglia excavated the upper portion and all
the front of the figure. Colonel Howard Vyse continued what they had
begun."

CHAPTER VI.

THE MOSQUES.

This day was to be given to seeing the mosques in Cairo. We set off
early, and went first to see the mosque of Sultan Hassan. This is
thought to be one of the most beautiful specimens of Arabian
architecture in Cairo.

It was built in the fourteenth century, and the blocks of stone for it
were brought from the Great Pyramid, of which these were the
casing-stones. Inside, the mosque was beautiful. Rows of coloured glass
lamps hung from the walls; some were especial curiosities, for they were
the finest early glass-work of their kind. The arches also are fine, and
so are some of the ornaments of the roof.

One sight was pointed out which made us shudder. This was the dark stain
of Sultan Hassan's blood on the pavement. He was murdered in the mosque
by his Mamelukes. His tomb is just in the middle of the inner inclosure.
On it we saw a copy of the Mohammedan holy book, the Koran. It was
splendidly illuminated in gold and colours. The sultan's tomb was once
covered with a rich embroidered covering, but this was faded and
moth-eaten when we saw it. The marble pavement, too, was broken in many
places.

The mosque of Sultan Hassan has always been famed for its beauty. It is
said that the sultan cut off the head of the architect, that he might
never build another as beautiful.

From the mosque of Sultan Hassan we went to the mosque of Sultan Tuloon.
It was built about the year 879 after the birth of our Lord, and is said
to be the oldest mosque in Cairo. It has double rows of handsome pointed
arches. There is a fine view from the chief minaret. Our guide told us
that it even excels that from the citadel. But the staircase is spiral,
is outside, and in rather a ruinous state.

[Illustration: MOSQUE.]

On reaching the second gallery, som