Ebur, was the home of the savage Fung race, whose warriors could be
counted by the ten thousand, and whose principal city, Harmac, was
built opposite to the stone effigy of their idol, that was also called
Harmac----

"Harmac--that is Harmachis, god of dawn. 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 archæology 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