THE EGYPTIAN SUDAN two or three days, and when the surface of the ground was reached we found that the pyramid stood immediately over a trench three or four feet wide. This was filled with sand and mud, and when the clearing out began, a short flight of steps appeared. They were deeply cut in the ground, and were most useful for the men to stand on when passing the baskets of sand and mud to the surface. The floor of the chamber was literally covered with a mass of bones of horses, sheep, oxen, a camel, and a gazelle, and they filled about thirty baskets. A selection was A PARTY OF EXCAVATORS.

made from these, which was subsequently taken to Khartum for examination by experts. The remainder lay by the tomb for a time, but the jackals came by night, and either ate them or carried them off; many of the bones were hard and firm and even moist, but one would hardly expect even a jackal to find much nourishment in them.

At the west end of the chamber, close to the ground, we saw an opening, which was almost covered by two slabs of sandstone-The slabs were about thirty inches high, and fifteen inches wide, 344 I