374 TRAVELS IN UPPER 



of marble. This janisary, who had for a long 

 time been attached to the service of the French, 

 and who was accustomed to accompany them, 

 knew that gold was not the object of their re- 

 searches in Egypt, and did all he could to unde- 

 ceive the Aga, but it was in vain ; the Mameluc 

 would not believe that a stone could have value in 

 our eyes; and the questions which he asked on 

 this subject were extremely diverting. 



At last the pyramid arrived from Aboukir. When 

 it was disembarked at the port of Rossetta, it at- 

 tracted a crowd of the curious. Exclamations on 

 its beauty resounded on every side. This was in 

 their estimation a precious stone, in the real sense 

 of that expression, and this was because it shone 

 in the sun. They could not refrain from uttering 

 a sentiment of respect towards the Francs, who 

 had possessed the sagacity to discover a stone so 

 worthy of admiration. 



There was every reason to believe that the ab- 

 surd conversation of so manystupidadmirers would 

 reach the ears of the Aga, and that they would 

 confirm him in his ideas of treasure. M. Forneti 

 and 1 agreed to leave the marble on the quay, and 

 to assume the appearance of thinking no longer 

 about it. However, the Aga, who had had suffi- 

 cient time to convince himself that he had taken 

 so much trouble about what was, in reality, nothing 



but 



