It is estimated that two million three hundred thousand blocks of stone, each containing forty cubic feet, were required for building this ancient and wonderful monument, upon which a hundred thousand men are said to have been employed for twenty years.  Nearly all of the material was brought across from the east side of the Nile, but the granite that entered into its construction was brought down from Syene, near Assouan, five hundred miles distant.  Two chambers are shown to visitors, one of them containing an empty stone coffin.  The passageway leading to these chambers is not easily traversed, as it runs at an angle like a stairway with no steps, for the old footholds have become so nearly worn out that the tourist might slip and slide to the bottom were it not for his Arab helpers.  A fee of one dollar secures the right to walk about the grounds, ascend the pyramid, and go down inside of it.  Three Arabs go with the ticket, and two of them are really needed.  Those who went with me performed their work in a satisfactory manner, and while not permitted to ask for “backshish,” they let me know that they would accept anything I might have for them.  The ascent was rather difficult, as some of the stones are more than a yard high.  It is estimated that this mighty monument, which Abraham may have looked upon, contains enough stone to build a wall around the frontier of France.  Of the Seven Wonders of the World, the Pyramid of Cheops alone remains.  The other attractions here are the Granite Temple, and some tombs, from one of which a jackal ran away as we were approaching.  I got back to Cairo after dark, and took the eight o’clock train for Assouan.

This place is about seven hundred miles from Port Said by rail, and is a good sized town.  The main street, fronting the river, presents a pleasing appearance with its hotels, Cook’s tourist office, the postoffice, and other buildings.  Gas and electricity are used for lighting, and the dust in the streets is laid by a real street sprinkler, and not by throwing the water on from a leathern bag, as I saw it in Damascus.  The Cataract Hotel is a large place for tourists, with a capacity of three hundred and fifty people.  The Savoy Hotel is beautifully located on Elephantine Island, in front of the town.  To the south of the town lie the ancient granite quarries of Syene, which furnished the Egyptian workmen building material so long ago, and still lack a great deal of being exhausted.  I saw an obelisk lying here which is said to be ninety-two feet long and ten and a half feet wide in the broadest part, but both ends of it were covered.  In this section there is an English cemetery inclosed by a wall, and several tombs of the natives, those of the sheiks being prominent.