154 TRAVELS IN UPPER 



powerful men of Egypt. After having delivered 

 to him the letters of the beys, and that of his 

 neighbour the Arab scheick, Dervisch^ I met with 

 the most gracious reception. 



The emir did not wait till I mentioned to him 

 my desire of visiting the remains of Tentyris\ he 

 prevented me, in offering me the means of going 

 thither in safety. He spoke to me of several Eu- 

 ropeans whom he had seen at his house, and I per- 

 ceived that he spoke of them with pleasure. The ab- 

 surd opinion generally diffused over Egypt, respect- 

 ing the motive of the researches of travellers, did not 

 enter into his mode of thinking. The Francs were 

 not, in his eyes, magicians ; at the voice, or at the 

 signals of whom the most deeply concealed trea- 

 sures ascended immediately from the bowels of the 

 earth. One of the Arabs, who were in waiting, 

 having asked him, in my presence, what we were 

 going to do in their country, and what was our 

 design in examining the ruins : " You know no- 

 " thing of the matter," replied he ; " you do not 

 *' comprehend, then, that the ancestors of the 

 " /V<;7;7^5werethe possessors of all our countries, and 

 " that it is from respect for the monuments erected 

 " by their forefathers that they come in search of 

 " their paintings and fragments, as objects which 

 *' recall to them their ancient power." An adroit 

 and sensible reply, which was very well calculated 



to 



