Another Pyramid, Cephrenes, almost as large as the Cheops, stands near it, and smaller ones are in the vicinity, with numerous tombs and relics of palaces, among which we wandered and mused, lingering last as that marvel of ancient sculpture, the Sphinx. This impressive figure was evidently Heron from the native rock where it stands. It
is in the form of a couchant lion, with a human head looking out upon the fruitful valley of the Nile. The features through mutilated have a Lenignant oppression. It looks like the representation of some old Egyptian divinity, and its colossal form, a hundred and forty feet long, sixty feet high, and the head a hundred feet in circumference, must have deeply impressed the worshiper, as it does the beholder now. The day of this excursion to monuments, some of which perhaps Abraham saw, ended our six weeks of life on the Nile. They were weeks of strange, novel and wonderful interest. It is impossible to describe many events and adventures. That gave zest and variety to our daily experience and in which the humorous and ridiculous were often blended. O rare and unique are the sights and scenes on the Nile. The recollection of those winter weeks will be a perpetual pleasure. The delightful climate, the clear sky and soft moonlight – our hunting excursions on shore; our wanderings in the villages; our donkey riding to the old temples and monuments; our visions of ancient civilization and of modern life in Egypt; our exuberant spirits unburdened by care; our amounted relish of table comforts, with augmented health, weight and vigor – all conspired to make the trip one of overflowing
delight and unmistakable benefit.