[Illustration: DRESSES OF WOMEN OF ANCIENT EGYPT.] CHAPTER IX. THE PYRAMIDS OF GIZEH AND SAKKARA.--MEMPHIS AND THE APIS MAUSOLEUM. The day after the visit to the museum was devoted to an excursion to the pyramids. An early start was made, so as to have all the time possible for seeing the great works which bear the names of Cheops and Cephren. Down to a few years ago the traveller on his way to the pyramids was obliged to cross the Nile by ferry, and make his land journey on foot or on the back of a donkey. But at present the bridge over the river at Boulak, and the carriage-road all the way to the foot of the pyramids, have made the excursion comparatively easy. A ride of two hours suffices, as the distance is not over ten or twelve miles, and the route is along the level ground of the Nile Valley. The last two or three hundred yards must usually be made on foot, as the sand covers the road, and makes the progress of a carriage exceedingly difficult, even when empty. The sand is drifted by the action of the wind, exactly as snow is whirled in the Northern States of America, and sometimes drifts will form in a few hours several feet in depth. [Illustration: CAMELS AND THEIR BURDENS.] The boys looked with interest on the troops of camels they met, just after leaving Cairo, carrying great loads of freshly-cut grass for feeding the donkeys and other beasts of burden in the city. Although the roads were good, the natives seemed to prefer the old ways of transportation, and almost the only vehicles to be seen were the carriages carrying visitors to the pyramids. As they drew nearer, our friends began to realize the great height of those structures; while they were yet an hour's drive from their base, it seemed to Frank and Fred that they would be there in ten or fifteen minutes. The optical illusion was partly due to the clear atmosphere, and partly to the immensity of the piles of stone. There was a house two stories high close to one of the pyramids; it seemed a mere speck against the great mass, and revealed the contrast more plainly than could be done in words. It was like placing a cigar-box in front of an ordinary dwelling, and comparing the one with the other. [Illustration: OLD MODE OF TRANSPORT ON THE NILE.] A mile or two from the pyramids they passed some villages of natives; two or three dozen Arabs swarmed from these villages and surrounded the carriage, keeping even pace with its progress, no matter how fast the horses went. They had an eye to making something out of the strangers, and were quite indifferent to suggestions that their company was not wanted. [Illustration: NEAR VIEW OF THE PYRAMIDS.] We will let the youths tell the story of their visit to the pyramids: