186 PYRAMIDS OF DJIZA. 
of the Pyramids of Saccdra, as well as of those 
of Djiza,) a few brief remarks, containing little 
else than a mere description of objects, as they 
appeared to us, are all that will be added to 
this Chapter. 
As we ascended the sandy slope that extends 
from the mouth of the pyramid, on each side, 
towards the ang^les at the base, we observed 
that the ^rahs had considerably increased in 
number since our arrival, and were very cla- 
Theftcom- morous. Ouc of them, while we were mea- 
^' Arab! suring the pyramid, had stolen the boat-compass 
given to us by Captain Clarke; an irretrievable 
loss in such a situation. We offered ten times 
its value to the Sheik who accompanied us, but 
the thief had disappeared ; besides, it was im- 
possible to make an Arab sensible of the sort of 
instrument for whose recovery the reward was 
proposed. The Bedouin, who had stolen it, no 
doubt considered it to be a box of masric or of 
divination, whereby infidels were guided to the 
knowledge of hidden treasure ; in search of which 
they always believed us to be engaged. They 
had the same opinion of the thermometer which 
they saw us carry to the summit. In many 
parts of Turkey, this last was believed to be c^n 
