THE EGYPTIAN SUDAN found that the pits which had been made in 1903 had been covered over with railway sleepers, and that the trenches had been provided with barriers to prevent the unwary traveller from falling into them. The roads and paths which we had made in 1903 had been widened and improved, and visitors could walk up to most of the chapels and examine the reliefs in comfort.

These works had been carried out by the orders of Sir Reginald Wingate, who has done everything possible to make the Pyramids easily accessible to the tourist. As the result of our examination we decided to clear out the chapels which we had not time to attend to in 1903, and also to dig down to floor level in the forecourt and chapel of the Pyramid of the great queen (No. 11), whose funeral procession is illustrated in such wonderful detail in the reliefs sculptured on the north and south walls of her chapel. We were unable to carry on any more work in the passages under the Pyramids, for the men were afraid, and flatly refused to dig anywhere underground. It has already been said that the work of clearing out the queen's chapel was of a hazardous nature, because there was always the danger that the lower part of the east face of the Pyramid might collapse as soon as the mass of stones below it was disturbed, and bring down with it many tons of broken stones and sand which formed the core of the Pyramid, and which were heaped above and behind it. We therefore began to remove from the upper part of this ruined Pyramid every stone which was likely to slide down, and when a sufficient angle of rest had been given to the mass, we devoted our energies to digging out the chapel and fore-court. Meanwhile another party of men was engaged in clearing out chapels at the southern end of the crescent-shaped hill whereon the Pyramids stand.

Whilst these works were in progress their Royal Highnesses, the Duke and Duchess of Connaught, and the Princesses Margaret and Patricia, attended by Miss Pelly, Lord Edward Cecil, and Brigadier-General Sir John Grenfell Maxwell, visited the Pyramids and inspected the diggings. Their Royal Highnesses took keen interest in all they saw, and were graciously pleased to express their approval of the work. Their enthusiasm concerning everything relating to the ancient history of the SOdan 498 i