talked with the Arabs, and
pointing to the camel dad had ridden, which was stretched out on the
sand like he was dead, he told dad the Arabs wanted him to pay for the
camel he had ridden to death, and foundered by letting it drink a wagon
load of water, and then entered in a race across the desert, and the
interpreter said dad better pay, or they would kill him.

[Illustration: Pay, or they would kill him 316]

Dad settled for the camel for a hundred dollars, and a promise of the
skin of the camel, which he was going to take home and have stuffed.
Then a man who pretended to be a justice of the peace had dad arrested
for driving off of a walk, and he was fined $10 and costs for that, and
then all the Arabs stuck him for money for one thing and another, and
when he had settled all around and paid extra for not riding back to
Cairo on the camel, we got ready to climb up the pyramid. Dad said he
wouldn't ride that camel back to Cairo for a million dollars, for he was
split up so his legs began where his arms left off, and he was lame from
Genesis to Revelations.

But I never saw such a lot of people to pray as these pirates are. Just
before they rob a man they get down on their knees on a rug, and mumble
something to some god, and after they have got you robbed good and
plenty, they get down and pray while they are concealing the money they
took from you. Gee, but when I get home I am going to steer the train
robbers and burglars onto the idea of always being on praying grounds.

Well, I told dad he hadn't better try to climb up the pyramid, that I
would go up, 'cause I could climb like a goat, and when I got up to the
top I would fire a salute, so everybody would know that a star spangled
American was on deck, but dad said he would go up or quit the tourist
business. He said he had come thousands of miles to climb the pyramids,
and sit in the shadow of the spinks, and by ginger he was going to do
it, and so we started.

Well, say, each stone is about four feet high, and dad couldn't get up
without help, so an Arab would go up a stone ahead, and take hold of
dad's hands, and two more Arabs would get their shoulders under dad's
pants, and shove, and he would get up gradually. We got about half way
up when dad weakened, and said he didn't care so much about pyramids as
he thought he did, and he was ready to quit, but the guide and some of
the tourists said we were right near the entrance to the great tomb of
the kings,