Chapter VI

Search for the ancient city of Berenice.--The boats of the
Ababde fishermen described.--Discovers the remains of the
Berenice mentioned by a former traveller.--Returns towards
Esne.--Meets with two shepherd girls tending their sheep on
the mountains.--Sufferings of travellers in crossing the
Deserts.--The caravan reaches the banks of the Nile.--Belzoni
returns to Gournou.

MRS. A.--Our travellers continued their journey, for hope gave them patience, and ascended something like an ancient road, or rather path. On the summit of the mountain above they observed a large wall, so situated that it appeared to look over the path and both sides of the mountain.

When they reached the top of the road their camels were quite exhausted: some of them had fallen on the way, and were unloaded to enable them to ascend; and the strongest camels had to return to fetch the loads of the others. A steep craggy road over a mountain is no more adapted to a camel than the deep sand of the Desert to a horse.

When they reached the summit, they began to look for the desired Berenice; but, alas! in vain. Their hopes had been so raised by Monsieur Calliaud, that Belzoni’s active imagination had already pictured the remains of some majestic dome, or lofty column, or noble edifice, by which he expected to distinguish the town, and which was to serve as a guide to the spot, whither he intended to hasten the moment he beheld it. His companion was not less anxious than himself, and his ideas were equally excited. They had made arrangements how to proceed when they arrived there. As their provision was scanty, they could stop but a few days, and had already distributed their time accordingly. He was to take drawings of all the beautiful buildings, monuments, figures, paintings, sculptures, statues, and columns. Belzoni was to survey all the vast ruins as fast as he could; to observe where any thing was to be found or discovered: to take measures of all the monuments and place of every stone in that great city.

Such pleasing ideas had the fertile fancy of our antiquaries excited. Now to the fact.

From the summit upon which they were, they expected to have a view not only of the sea, but of a wide plain also; as it was natural to suppose, that a town like Pompeii could not have been entirely built among those wild mountains. Not perceiving any, they expected to be agreeably surprised, on turning some of the rocks, by beholding one. The old man told them that, previous to reaching the town, they would see some grottoes in the mountains, which their vivid imaginations made them conclude were the tombs of the inhabitants of Berenice. They advanced insensibly, continually keeping their eyes fixed on the points of some rocks which stood before them, with the hope that, on turning the next angle, the glorious sight would present itself; and, indeed, the scattered and ruined walls of some ancient enclosures announced to them that they would soon see some habitation.

They observed a square hole in the rock, which had evidently been cut by some of the miners in form of a chapel.

Belzoni now began to congratulate himself that they had nearly arrived, and, whilst employed with these thoughts, the old man who was at the head, serving as a guide, made a sign to halt. The drivers gave a signal to the camels, and the camels, who were already weak and exhausted by passing over the mountains, did not wait for its repetition, but with all the luggage, were crouched in a moment on the ground, before Belzoni was able to account for it. He told the drivers that he did not intend to stop there, but wished to advance farther into the town, where the houses might be seen; when, to his no small astonishment, he was told by the old man that this was the very spot where the Christian had been before.

EMILY.--What an odd, mysterious old man he was, mother! I do not admire him at all. By the other Christian, he meant Monsieur Calliaud, I suppose. But it is quite impossible that _he_ could have called this place Berenice: and where were the eight hundred houses?

MRS. A.--Belzoni himself could hardly suppose that the account he had received would be so exaggerated, as to lead him to suppose he should find another Pompeii instead of the place at which he had just arrived; and he reproached the old man for stopping there, and not advancing to the town, which, according to his own account, could not be far off. He again protested that this was the spot, and that there was no other with houses in any part of the deserts or mountains. Belzoni was incredulous; and resolving not to submit to what he believed to be the imposition of the old man, as it now wanted four hours to sunset, he mounted his camel again.

His friend, Mr. Beechey went with him, consequently all the caravan followed at a distance. They entered a long valley, and, filled with the hope of seeing the ancient city, our travellers proceeded for four hours without perceiving a single habitation.

You may fancy, how desolate it was, and how much disappointed they must have felt. The sun was just setting, you know, therefore it was getting dark; and no house was near.

At length they reached a valley called Wady el Gomal, which was almost covered with a beautiful tree called the egley; and having lost all hopes of finding Berenice that evening, they halted to rest on a clean bed of sand, which I believe was as comfortable as the sugar-cane bed, Bernard, though Belzoni would certainly rather have slept among the magnificent temples of the great city. But the poor camels, instead of reposing, were obliged to fetch water, both for themselves and their masters, from a well not less than fifteen miles distant.

OWEN.--I cannot imagine, mother, what could induce the old man not to show them the place described by Monsieur Calliaud. Perhaps the miners at Zubara had told him to keep it secret, for fear Belzoni should discover any emerald mines in or near Berenice.

MRS. A.--Indeed, they did not know what to think. Their provisions began to make them cautious: they had biscuit for twenty days, but their sheep was lost, you remember. Still they were easily satisfied, so that they did but reach the desired emporium of the commerce formerly carried on by the nations of Europe, with India.

Early on the following morning they perceived a high hill four or five miles from the valley, and as they had to wait for the return of the camels, they thought they might ascend the mountain to have a view of the country, or of the remains of the celebrated Berenice. They set off, and observed on their way several flocks of wild antelopes skipping about on the craggy rocks on each side of the beautiful valley, which, being ornamented with suvaroe and debbo trees in addition to the egley, formed a delightful contrast to the wide sandy desert. No one had probably been in this spot for many centuries, and very likely no one will pass through it for many more to come. When they reached the summit of the mountain they took a view around: they had a small telescope with them, and the peak on which they stood commanded a prospect many miles in extent.

Alas! the much-sought-for town had vanished, or rather never appeared. No remnants of it were to be discerned, and Belzoni might have exclaimed in the words of Shakspeare:

The cloud-capt towers, the gorgeous palaces,
The solemn temples, the great globe itself,
Yea, all which it inherits, shall dissolve,
And, like the baseless fabric of a vision,
Leave not a wreck behind.--

Indeed there was ocular demonstration in the truth of this assertion, with respect to its towers, temples and palaces; for the once brilliant and flourishing city had disappeared, and they now began to be persuaded that Monsieur Calliaud had seen the town, with its eight hundred houses, and so much like Pompeii, in his own imagination only.

Belzoni observed some high mountains on the south-east, which the old man, who had followed them all the way, said were near the sea. They determined to pursue that course, and to try whether they could reach the spot described by a former traveller as being the situation of the Berenice Trogloditica. Hope seemed always to cheer our traveller; nothing compelled him to relinquish his projects.

They descended the mountain, and returned to the beautiful valley in which they had passed the preceding night.

They waited there, for the return of the camels with a fresh supply of water, which they were much in want of, for there only remained a single zemzabie or leather bag, containing about three quarts. Their thirst was great, and they felt in some degree, the calamity of living without water. Hunger is painful to endure, but thirst is far more intolerable. At last, however, to their great joy, the camels appeared in sight. The poor drivers were exceedingly fatigued, and almost unable to proceed. The caravan travelled on for some hours, and arrived in another valley, the rocks of which were nearly perpendicular. After this the hills became small, and the sandy banks rising one behind another made them expect to see the sea very shortly. They went on till a late hour, and at length halted at a spot where they thought the sand might again prove a comfortable bed. Fortunately for Belzoni it was so: for his camel was so weary, that no sooner did he reach it than he threw him off his back, and leaving him there, saddle and all, set off without delay to feed among the thorns.

Early the next day they resumed their journey; but the hills of sand, instead of diminishing, increased in size, which made them fearful that they were yet far from the sea. However, about noon the valley opened all at once, and at the distance of five miles they saw the Arabian Gulf.

You may judge how much joy the sight of the open horizon must have given them, after having been so long shut up in that narrow valley.

They perceived, on arriving at the shore, that it was composed as far as they could see of a mass of petrifications of various kinds.

The Red Sea is particularly noted for its seaweeds, corals, shells, and similar productions, and the bottom of it is literally a forest of submarine plants. And these are formed into a solid mass like a rock, which extends from the bank of sand that forms the boundary of the tide, and runs into the sea for a great length. They resolved to take the road along the coast until they should reach the spot which was pointed out as Berenice, according to the account of the traveller whom I named before. It is not marked on our modern maps. But I believe it is just by that point of land projecting into the sea, called Cape Lepte, a little beyond the 24th degree of latitude.

They acquainted the drivers with their intention, who, poor creatures, were too much fatigued willingly to acquiesce in it. They indeed went so far as absolutely to refuse proceeding, but at last found it in vain to resist. It was concluded that two of the camels should go first to the nearest well for water, and that the caravan should wait their return. During this interval, Belzoni and his friends made a little excursion along the coast; the plain which extended from the mountains to the sea was covered in many places with woods of sycamore trees, and at the foot of these mountains they saw several mines of sulphur, which they wished Mahomed Ali could have viewed also. They made a good repast out of some shell-fish, which abound along the coast, and they were probably as great a feast to our wearied and hungry friends, Emily, as the train oil was to your little Greenlanders.

On their return to the caravan they found that the guide had met with an acquaintance of his who lived by catching fish, not far from where they were. His only habitation consisted of a tent four feet high and five feet wide; and his wife, her son and daughter, formed the family.

Money presented an attraction to the old fisherman, and persuaded him to try what he could do towards procuring them some fish, as they were so hungry. Their mode of fishing is somewhat strange; and the boat they use for the purpose is one in which I own I should not much like to see my little Bernard. They throw in the water, part of the trunk of a tree, at one end of which a small pole is stuck upright, to serve as a mast, and on the top of it a piece of wood is horizontally fastened. A woollen shawl being thrown over it, forms a kind of sail; two fishermen place themselves astride on the large trunk, and by means of a cord fastened to the middle of the sail, they take the wind more or less as is required.

When the fishermen were thus equipped, and at some distance from the shore, Belzoni could scarcely tell how they seized their prey, but he fancied that they darted their long spears at the fish, and procured them by this means. The old man brought one to Belzoni: he could not tell its name, but he had seen a very good representation of it among the hieroglyphics in the tomb of Psammuthis.

The camels returned in the course of a day or two, with a load of fresh water, and the caravan now divided into two parties. The Greek servant and some of the camels were sent to a spring in the adjacent mountains, there to wait the return of the rest, who set off in the forenoon along the coast. On their road they passed the abodes of several other fishermen: but when they saw our travellers at a distance, they left their tents and marched off towards the mountains. All the signs that were made to stop them were of no avail. They were like the people of Mainarty, who left their huts in a similar manner, and hid themselves in that great hole under the ruins of an old castle, and would not come out when Belzoni went to visit them.

When our friends arrived at the tents, they found some excellent fish just roasted, which the inhabitants had no doubt intended for their own supper. They however partook of their meal, and having left some money in payment on the top of a water jar, continued their journey. Towards evening they left the shore, and began to feel the short allowance of water, as they knew that, without great care, it would soon be entirely gone. A few hours after, they crossed a very extensive plain, and arrived again at the sea. Not expecting to discover the remains of Berenice that night, it was an agreeable surprise to find themselves all at once on one of those heaps of ruins which point out the situation of ancient towns so often seen in Egypt. They entered, and at once beheld the regular situations of the houses, the principal streets, and in the centre a small Egyptian temple, nearly covered with sand, as well as the insides of the houses; their wonder increased on examining the materials with which the houses were built: they could see nothing but coral, roots, madrepores, and several petrifications of various seaweeds.

EMILY.--These were singular buildings, however, mother! We have heard of the little huts in Peru, which are made of bamboo canes; and of the wigwams of North America, formed of stakes, and leaves, and turf; and of the dwellings of the little Laplanders, composed of bark and reindeer skins; and we have seen the cottages of poor people in England built of mud; but we have never heard of coral and seaweed houses before!

MRS. A.--The situation of this town was delightful. Our travellers concluded it to be the Berenice laid down by D’Anville, as it nearly agreed with the situation marked on his map. They determined to examine it most minutely. They measured the town, and took the plan of the temple, which was built of soft calcareous earth, in the Egyptian style. Their grand difficulty was about the water; it was become so scarce that they had reason to dread remaining there the whole of the next day. The nearest well was a day’s journey distant. Notwithstanding their excessive thirst, they were determined to endure it, rather than give up their project; and being moonlight, they devoted the hour of rest to an examination of the place.

Though they had only taken some biscuit and water for a long time, except the fish which they found in the tents of the fishermen, they contented themselves very well with respect to food; but their thirst was continually increasing; and their zemzabie, which some days before contained only three quarts, was nearly empty. However, that they might be perfectly sure of having actually reached Berenice, they persuaded the Scheik to go farther with them, just to take a survey of the country, and to leave the rest of the people where they were in the mean time. Before they departed, little Mussa one of the boys who had joined the caravan at Gournou, to attend to the camels, was set to dig in the temple; he had no spade, poor fellow! but as it was only soft sand, a shell or caquille supplied the place of one.

Proceeding onwards, they saw nothing but an extensive plain to the foot of the mountain that formed the cape on the south; they had telescopes, but could see no sort of elevation, or any thing else that could lead them to imagine there were any remains of habitations. They therefore returned to the town, and found that the boy had excavated about four feet of sand, near one corner of the temple, and to their surprise discovered that it was Egyptian. They had imagined that it was erected by the Greeks. The walls were adorned with sculpture and hieroglyphics, and they carried a small marble slab away as a memento. The little Mussa had worked very well, considered he had only a shell in the place of a spade.

The plain that surrounds this town is very extensive, and partly covered with small plants of sunt and suvaroes; which last is a small tree, with leaves resembling those of the laurel; it grows close to the salt water, and generally out of the rocks. Belzoni carefully examined the town, and counted the houses (of which there were two thousand,) that he might not take a wrong report, and be mistaken for another Calliaud. This place being on the coast, was once a port of commerce with India. Having spent as much time there as they prudently could, they recommenced their journey towards the north-west, firmly intending at some future time to inspect the whole of the ruins.

OWEN.--To the north-west: then they are returning to Esne, I suppose? I hope they will fall in with some well, for they must be extremely thirsty by this time.

MRS. A.--They left the spot on the evening of the same day, and after travelling some hours by moonlight, fortunately arrived at the well of Aharatret, a mountainous place, where the water was good to drink.

Their biscuits were nearly gone by this time, they were, therefore, agreeably surprised to find a few sheep around the well, as they hoped to be able to purchase one. They approached, intending to do so, when the guardian of the flock beat a forced march into the mountain, and drove the intended repast away from them. But they were not inclined to be deprived of what they could purchase; and they sent some of the drivers to follow the flock, which they willingly did, being as hungry as themselves. The fugitives were pursued and stopped. They reached the flock, and found that its guardians were two shepherd girls. The tawny coloured nymphs were surprised at the fountain by their pursuers, and took refuge on the mountains; but, unlike the fishermen on the coast of the Red Sea, or the people of Mainarty, they were easily persuaded to return, and allowed the hungry group to take one of their lambs. The caravan arrived at Sakiet Minor again in a few days, and thence proceeded to the valley of Wady el Gomal; after which it crossed a very wide sandy plain, and reached the entrance of the chain of mountains that leads to the Nile. Their camels were by this time so much exhausted as to be scarcely able to go on; they had already lost three on the road. It is difficult for those who have never seen a desert to form a correct idea of one; it appears like an endless plain of sand and stones, without roads or shelter, without any sort of produce for food. The scattered trees and shrubs of thorns, that only appear when the rainy season leaves some moisture, barely serve to feed wild animals and a few birds. Every thing is left to nature. The springs of water are generally at the distance of four, six, or eight days’ journey. One of these may perhaps happen to be dry, and then if the same dreadful calamity happen at the next well, which is so anxiously sought for by the wearied travellers, the misery of their situation cannot well be described.

They have the camels with them, it is true, and although their only dependence is placed on these useful creatures, yet they themselves are sometimes so thirsty as to be unable to proceed. Their condition must be distressing, for it admits of no resource. Many perish, the victims of insatiable thirst. It is in such a state that the value of a cup of cold water is really felt.

In these cases there is no distinction of persons; if the master has none, the servant will not give it him; for very few are the instances in which a man will voluntarily lose his life to save that of another, particularly in a caravan in a desert, where the people are strangers to each other. What a situation for a man to be placed in! riches will avail nothing; he may perhaps be the owner of the caravan, and yet die on the desert for want of a cup of cold water! no one gives it to him; he offers all he possesses; no one hears him; they are all dying, though by walking a few miles farther they might be saved; the camels are lying down and will not attempt to rise; no one has strength to walk; only he who has so much as a glass of that liquid, which he would not part with for all the emeralds of Zubara, has any chance of living: and if he is enabled to crawl a mile farther, perhaps he dies too.

It is indeed a dreadful situation to be placed in, exposed to the burning sun, without water and without shelter, in the midst of a burning desert. I believe the sufferings of those who have experienced what it is, are the greatest a human being can sustain. The eyes grow inflamed; the tongue and lips swell; a hollow sound is heard in the ears; a faintness or languor takes away the power to move; some wandering tears escape from the eyes; the poor sufferer drops on the earth and becomes insensible; all these feelings arise from the want of a little water.

And now we will return to Belzoni. We left him just entering the chain of mountains that leads to the Nile.

The caravan proceeded very much as before until it arrived on the banks of that river, and the freshness of its water made them sensible of its superiority over that of almost any other.

They went onboard their little boat the same night, and set off for Esne.

You know when they went up the Nile, almost all the land around was under water, and the poor people were standing about on the little islands, holding out their hands and imploring assistance. Now, although the water had only retired fifteen days, yet all the lands that were before overflowed were not only dried up but actually planted; the muddy villages carried off by the current were all rebuilt; the fences opened; the Fellahs at work in the fields; the aspect was quite changed, and all presented a scene of industry and happiness.

They arrived at Esne in a day or two, and visited the Bey, who received them very politely, inquired about the mines, and was anxious to learn the result of their journey. They then set off again, and reached our well known Gournou after an absence of forty days.