Belzoni's Researches and Operations in Egypt, Nuhia,&c. 209 



to ascend by the rope into the aperture. I saw the impossibility of 

 proceeding at the moment. Mr.Beechey, who that day came from 

 Luxor, wished to enter the tomb, but was also disappointed. 



" The next day, the 19th, by means of a long beam we suc- 

 ceeded in sending a man up into the aperture ; and having con- 

 trived to make a bridge of two beams, we crossed the pit. The 

 little aperture we found to be an opening forced through a wall, 

 that had entirely closed the entrance, which was as large as the 

 corridor. The Egyptians b.ad closely shut it up, plastered the 

 wall over, and painted it like the rest of the inside of the pit, 

 so that, but for the aperture, it would have been impossible to 

 suppose that there was anv further proceeding ; and any one 

 would conclude that the tomb ended with the pit. The rope 

 in the inside of the well did not fall to dust, but remained pretty 

 strong, the water not having reached it at all ; and the wood to 

 which it was attached was in trood preservation. It was owing 

 to this method of keeping the damp out of the inner parts of the 

 tomb, that thev are so well preserved. I observed some cavities 

 at the bottom of the well, but found nothing in them, nor any 

 communication from the bottom to any other place ; therefore 

 we could not doubt their being made to receive the waters from 

 the rain, which happens occasionally in this mountain. The 

 valley is so much raised by the rubbish, which the water carries 

 down from the upper parts, that the entrance into these tombs 

 is become much lower than the torrents ; in consequence, the 

 water finds its way into the tombs, some of which arc entirely 

 choked up with earth. 



*' When we had passed through the little aperture, we found 

 ourselves in a beautiful hall, twenty-seven feet six inches by 

 twenty-five feet ten inches, in which were four pillars three feet 

 square. I shall not give any description of the painting, till I 

 have described the whole of the chand)ers. At the end of this 

 room, which I call the entrance-hall, and opposite the aperture, 

 is a large door, from which three steps lead down into a cham- 

 ber with two pillars. This is twenty-eight feet two inches by 

 twenty-five feet six inches. The pillars are three feet ten inches 

 square. I gave it the name of the drawing-room ; for it is co- 

 vered with figures, which, though only outlined, are no fine and 

 perfect, that you would think they had been drawn only the day 

 before. Returning into the entrance-hall, we saw on the left of 

 the aperture a large staircase, which descended into a corridor. 

 It is thirteen feet four inches long, seven and a half wide, and 

 has eighteen steps. At the bottom we entered a beautifui cor- 

 ridor, thirty-six feet six inches by six feet eleven inches. We 

 perceived that the paintings became more perfect as we ad- 

 vanced further into the interior. They retained tlicjr gloss, or a 



Vol.57. No. 'ITo. March 1821. D d kind 



