THE EGYPTIAN SUDAN and Stefani, with their families, slaves, &c., set out for Wad Ba Nagaa by boat. From Wad Ba Nagaa they marched to the ruins at Nagaa, at the head of the vallc}'', a journey of eight hours, and there they were obHged to build shelters to protect themselves from the lions which at that time abounded in the neighbourhood.

Ferlini began to clear out one of the larger temples, the sides of which were decorated with reliefs and hieroglyphics, but after a few days he had to stop work, for five of his camels had died, and the others were either ill or exhausted by the long journeys to and from the Nile for water. Besides this his men were ill, and a young negro had died. Ferlini then moved nearer the river, and finding another temple, he began to clear it out, but after three days he again stopped work, and he and Stefani returned to their families, whom they had left at Wad Ba Nagaa.

At this place Ferlini found several pillars of an ancient temple still standing, but he determined to let temples alone for the future, and to search for his reward among the tombs of those who built them. Having found the site of the cemetery, he began to dig there, and very soon after he discovered a large corridor which resembled a gallery of the catacombs at Rome.

This corridor widened out into a circular space having an area of several square yards, and here he found many terra-cotta jars, the mouths of which were carefully sealed [with plaster]. The workmen naturally imagined that these contained gold, and were much disappointed when Ferlini broke one open, and they saw that they held nothing except a sort of plaster cake. At the far end of the corridor was a hollow, and at a depth of some feet a number of bodies were discovered by the light of a lamp ; the body in the centre of these lay under a stone, and had on one side a sword and lance, and on the other a bow and some arrows. When the weapons were touched they fell to pieces, with the exception of a few arrows which were plated with some hard metal.

Not being satisfied with the results which he had obtained from the tombs, Ferlini began to dig at a spot on the site of the town where he saw the remains of some columns. Here he discovered a rectangular block of red granite, ornamented with figures of gods, and inscribed with hieroglyphics. What he had found 286