Explorations in Bible lands during the 19th century - H. V. Hilprecht

96 EXPLORATIONS IN BIBLE LANDS
torrent descended on the floor and the rug on which the
explorer was lying. "Crouched up in a corner, or under a
rude table," which was surrounded by trenches to carry off
the accumulating water, he usually passed the night on these
occasions.
Finally, on the 28th of November, after he had
ordered to clear the earth away from both sides of newly
exposed slabs, the first bas-reliefs were discovered. Layard
and his Arabs were equally excited, and notwithstanding a
violent shower of rain, they worked enthusiastically until
dark. But their joy did not last very long ; the next day
the governor of Mosul closed the excavations at Nimrud.
French jealousy, Mohammedan prejudices, and the pasha's
own ill-will were equally responsible for this unfortunate
result. There remained nothing for Layard but to acquiesce.
At his own request, however, a qawwas was sent to the
mounds as representative of the Ottoman government, while
he pretended only to draw the sculptures and copy the inscriptions
which had already been uncovered. It was not
difficult for him to induce this officer to allow the employment
of a few workmen to guard the sculptures during the
day. In reality, they were sent to different sections of the
mound to search for other sculptures and inscribed monuments.
The experiment was very successful. Without
being interrupted in his attempt, Layard uncovered several
large figures, uninjured by fire, near the west edge, a crouching
lion at the southeast corner, the torsos of a pair of
gigantic winged bulls, two small winged lions, likewise mutilated,
and a human figure nine feet high, in the centre of
the mound. Though only detached and unconnected walls
had been found so far, " there was no longer any doubt of
the existence not only of sculptures and inscriptions, but
even of vast edifices, in the interior of the mound of Nimrud."
Nearly six weeks of undivided attention and constant
exposure to hardships had been devoted to
of the ruins.
the exploration
Layard now decided to lose no more time in