g . ; NATURE'S PYRAMIDS- [chap.ti.
sun of summer, in addition'to the wittering breath of
the simoom, renders the forced march of 230 miles m
seven days, at two and a half miles per hour, the most
fatiguing journey that can be endured.
Farewell to the Nile! We turned our backs upon
the life-giving river, and our caravan commenced the
gilent desert'march.
; A few hours from Korosko the misery of the scene
.surpassed description. Glowing like a furnace, the-
vast extent of yellow sand stretched to the horizon.
Rows of broken hills, all of volcanic origm, broke the ,
flat plain. Conical tumuli of volcanic slag here and
there rose to the height of several hundred feet, and m
the far distance resembled the pyramids of Lower
Egypt—doubtless they were the models for that
.-ancient and everlasting architecture; hills of black
basalt jutted out from the barren base of sand, and
the molten air quivered on the overheated surface of
’the fearful desert. 114° Fahr. in the shade under
the water-skins; 137° in the sun. Noiselessly the
spongy tread of the camels crept along the sand—the
only sound was the rattle of some loosely' secured
-baggage of their packs. The Arab camel drivers followed
silently at intervals, and hour by hour - we
-struck deeper into the solitude of the Nubian desert. >
We entered a dead level plain of orange-coloured
sand, surrounded by pyramidical hills: the surface
Iwaa strewn with objects resembling cannon.shot and
grape of all sizes from a 32-pounder downwards—the
spot looked like thq old battle-field of some, infernal
chap. i j Vo lc an ic po m p s. q
-region; rocks glowing with heat—-not a vestige of
.vegetation-—barren, withering desolation.—1The, slow
rocking step of the camels was most irksome, and
-despite; the heatj I. dismounted to examine the-Satanic
bombs and cannon shot. Many of them were as
perfectly round as though cast in a mould, others were
egg-shaped, and all were hollow. With some difficulty
I -broke them, and found them to contain a
. bright red sand : they were, in fact, • volcanic bombs
that had been formed by the ejection of molten lava
to a great height from active volcanoes; these had
become globular in falling, and, having cooled before
they reached the earth, they retained their forms as
hard spherical - bodies, precisely resembling cannon
shot. The exterior was brown, and appeared to be
-rich in iron. The smaller specimens were the more
perfect spheres, as they had cooled quickly, but many
-.of the heavier masses had evidently reached the earth
wien only half solidified, and had collapsed upon
falling. The sandy plain was covered with such
vestiges of volcanic action, and the infernal bombs
lay as imperishable relics of -a hail-storm such as
may have destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.
-Passing through this wretched solitude we entered
upon a scene of surpassing desolation. . Far as the
eye could reach were- waves like* a stormy sea, grey
eold-looking waves in the burning heat; but ho
-drop of water: it appeared as though a sudden, curse
-had turned a rasing; sea O O to stone. The simoom-blew -over, this- horrible I wilderness* -and drifted- the- hat