kings,--which last was the common opinion of the ancients. Some suppose
that they were intended as places for secret meetings, magazines for
corn, or lighthouses; but their structure, and great distance from the
sea, are sufficient refutations of these absurd hypotheses.




PERILOUS ASCENT OF THE PYRAMID OF CEPHREN.


The upper part of this pyramid is still covered with the original
polished coating of marble, to the distance of 140 feet from the top
towards the base, which makes the ascent extremely difficult and
dangerous. Mr. Wilde, in his "Narrative of a Voyage to Madeira,
Teneriffe, and along the shore of the Mediterranean," published in 1840,
made the ascent to the top, and thus describes the adventure:

"I engaged two Arabs to conduct me to the summit of the pyramid--one an
old man, and the other about forty, both of a mould, which for
combination of strength and agility, I never saw surpassed. We soon
turned to the north, and finally reached the outer casing on the west
side. All this was very laborious to be sure, though not very dangerous;
but here was an obstacle that I knew not how the Arabs themselves could
surmount, much less how I could possibly master--for above our heads
jutted out, like an eave or coping, the lower stones of the coating,
which still remain and retain a smooth, polished surface. As
considerable precaution was necessary, the men made me take off my hat,
coat, and shoes at this place; the younger then placed his raised and
extended hands against the projecting edge of the lower stone, which