Your Fung had something to do with the old Egyptians, or both of them came from a common stock," interrupted Higgs triumphantly.
"I daresay, old fellow," answered Orme; "I think you told us that before in London; but we will go into the archaeology afterwards if we survive to do so.

Let Shadrach get on with his tale." This city, which had quite fifty thousand inhabitants, continued Shadrach, commanded the mouth of the pass or cleft by which we must approach Mur, having probably been first built there for that very purpose.
Orme asked if there was no other way into the stronghold, which, he understood, the embassy had left by being let down a precipice.

Shadrach answered that this was true, but that although the camels and their loads had been let down that precipitous place, owing to the formation of its overhanging rocks, it would be perfectly impossible to haul them up it with any tackle that the Abati possessed.
He asked again if there was not a way round, if that circle of mountains had no back door.

Shadrach replied that there was such a back door facing to the north some eight days' journey away.

Only at this season of the year it could not be reached, since beyond the Mountains of Mur in that direction was a great lake, out of which flowed the river Ebur in two arms that enclosed the whole plain of Fung.