s, and contrived to save them
from the fire in consequence.

Miss Roper took the sketch at sunset. The sky was flooded with gorgeous
tints, and their glow was reflected on our reis as he sat in his blue
robes and crimson turban, smoking his pipe. We shall reach Thebes
to-night, and shall go on shore early to-morrow to see some of the
interesting sights of which Mr. Roper has been telling us.

[Illustration: RUINS OF THEBES.]

Our boat was moored as near as possible to the village of Koorneh, or
Karnac, as it is often called. We went on shore early in the morning and
visited the small palace and temple of Koorneh, and then rode on for
about twenty minutes to the palace-temple of Rameses the Second. This is
one of the most interesting temples in the valley of the Nile. The
entrance leads into a court where are the ruins of the largest statue in
the world. It is made of granite from the quarries of Syene.

Mr. Roper told us that this was a statue of the king, seated on his
throne with his hands resting on his knees. Judging from the fragments
the foot must have been eleven feet long and about four feet ten inches
wide. The statue measured twelve feet ten inches from the shoulder to
the elbow, twenty-two feet four inches across the shoulders.

The throne and the legs are quite destroyed. The figure is broken at the
waist, and the upper part is thrown back on the ground. No one knows who
erected or who destroyed this giant statue. We gazed at the ruin with
astonishment, almost with awe.

In a beautiful court, with a double row of columns, we saw some
interesting sculpture. An enemy is flying from the Egyptians. The
complexions and features of the men are quite different from those of
the Egyptians. They are fleeing towards the river in chariots; some are
represented as drowning in the river, and others as entreating for
mercy. In the grand hall we saw another battle-scene.

The great hall leads into a room with eight columns, which support the
roof. On it are represented the Egyptian months, and on the wall are
sacred arks borne by priests. The side walls of the temple are
destroyed, so that the pillars are seen to great advantage.

[Illustration: GRAND HARP.]

We saw, too, the famous colossal statues; they are made of a hard stone,
marked with black and red oxide of iron. The northern statue is called
Salamet by the Arabs. It is the celebrated statue of Memnon, which was
said to utter a sound of melody every morni