"The day after our trip to Gizeh we went to Sakkara and Memphis. There is very little to be seen of Memphis, as the stone was mostly taken away for building Cairo, and the site of the city is frequently overflowed in the inundations of the Nile. The chief object of interest is a statue of Rameses the Great, originally forty-two feet high, but now lying on the ground, and about half covered with water. Unfortunately its face is downward, so that we could not see its features; but it is said to be a fine work of art, and it is a great pity that it cannot be removed and placed on its feet again. [Illustration: PLOUGHING AND SOWING.] "At Sakkara there are several pyramids. One of them is of sun-dried bricks instead of stone; it is built in a series of five steps, or degrees, and for this reason is known as the 'Step-pyramid.' Some authorities say it was built in the first dynasty, and is consequently the oldest pyramid in the world; others think it belongs to the fifth dynasty, and therefore is later than the structures at Gizeh. Tradition says it was built by the labor of the children of Israel when they were captives in Egypt, and it was here they complained that they were compelled to make 'bricks without straw.' The history of the pyramid is very obscure, and one theory may be just as good as another. The structure is less than two hundred feet high, and, as the ascent is dangerous, and the view from the top of no consequence after that from Gizeh, we did not climb it. [Illustration: TAKING IT EASY.] "The things of greatest importance at Sakkara are the tombs. They cover an area nearly four miles long by a mile in width, and there is little doubt that the necropolis of Sakkara is the most extensive in all Egypt. Many tombs that were opened have been filled up again by the sand; at present there are only two which are shown to visitors, but they are so large and interesting that nobody misses the others. One is the tomb of Tih, a priest of Memphis, who lived during the fifth dynasty, or about five thousand years ago; its walls are covered with inscriptions showing the manners and customs of the time, and it is said that we have learned more from this tomb than from any other about the life of the ancient Egyptians. "The sculptures show the owner of the tomb, Mr. Tih, in a great many occupations. According to the custom of the period, he built the tomb during his lifetime, and made it all ready for use after death. An ancient writer says, 'The Egyptians call their houses hostelries, on account of the short period during which they inhabit them; but they call their tombs eternal dwelling-places.' This tomb was built in Tih's lifetime, and made ready for his long occupation by representing the scenes of his terrestrial existence. [Illustration: A HUNTING SCENE.]