THE PHARAOHAND THE PRIEST

AN HISTORICAL NOVELOF ANCIENT EGYPT

The Pharaoh and the Priest

THE PHARAOHAND THE PRIEST

FROM THE ORIGINAL POLISH OF ALEXANDER GLOVATSKI

BY

JEREMIAH CURTIN

TRANSLATOR OF "WITH FIRE AND SWORD, " "THE DELUGE""QUO VADIS, " ETC. 

WITH ILLUSTRATIONS FROM PHOTOGRAPHS

BOSTON LITTLE, BROWNAND COMPANY. 1902

CURTIN. 

All rights reserved. Published September, 1902. 

UNIVERSITY PRESS JOHN WILSON AND SON CAMBRIDGE, U. S. A. 

PREFATORY REMARKS

The position of Ancient Egypt was unique, not in one, but in everysense. To begin at the very foundation of life in that country, we findthat the soil was unlike any other on earth in its origin. Every acreof fruitful land between the first cataract and the sea had beenbrought from Inner Africa, and each year additions were made to it. Outof this mud, borne down thousands of miles from the great fertileuplands of Abyssinia by rivers, grew everything needed to feed andclothe man and nourish animals. Out of it also was made the brick fromwhich walls, houses, and buildings of various uses and kinds wereconstructed. Though this soil of the country was rich, it could beutilized only by the unceasing co-ordinate efforts of a wholepopulation constrained and directed. To direct and constrain was thetask of the priests and the pharaohs. 

Never have men worked in company so long and successfully at tillingthe earth as the Egyptians, and never has the return been so continuousand abundant from land as in their case. 

The Nile valley furnished grain to all markets accessible by water;hence Rome, Greece, and Judaea ate the bread of Egypt. On this nationaltillage was founded the greatness of the country, for from it came themeans to execute other works, and in it began that toil, training, andskill indispensable in rearing the monuments and doing those thingswhich have made Egypt famous forever, and preserved to us a knowledgeof the language, religion, modes of living, and history of thatwonderful people who held the Nile valley. No civilized person who haslooked on the pyramid of Ghizeh, the temple of Karnak, and the tombs ofthe pharaohs in the Theban region, can ever forget them. But in thosemonuments are preserved things of far greater import than theythemselves are. In the tombs and temples of Egypt we see on stone andpapyrus how that immense work of making speech visible wasaccomplished, that task of presenting language to the eye instead ofthe ear, and preserving the spoken word so as to give it to eye or earafterwards. In other terms, we have the history of writing from itsearliest beginnings to the point at which we connect it with the systemused now by all civilized nations excepting the Chinese. In thosemonuments are preserved the history of religion in Egypt, not from thebeginning of human endeavor to explain first what the world is and thenwhat we ourselves are and what we and the world mean together, but froma time far beyond any recorded by man in other places. 

Egyptians had the genius which turned a narrow strip of Abyssinian mudand a triangular patch of swamp at the end of it into the most fruitfulland of antiquity. They had also that genius which impels man to lookout over the horizon around him, see more than the material problems oflife, and gaze into the beyond, gaze intently and never cease gazingtill he finds what his mind seeks. It was the possession of these twokinds of genius and the union of the two which made the position ofEgypt in history unique and unapproachable. 

The greatness of Egypt lay primarily in her ideas, and was achievedthrough a perfect control over labor by intellect. While this controlwas exerted even approximately in accordance with the nation'shistorical calling, it was effectual and also unchallenged. But whenthe exercise of power, with the blandishments and physical pleasureswhich always attend it, had become dearer to the priesthood and topharaohs than aught else on earth or in their ideals, then began theepoch of Egypt's final doom: foreign bondage and national ruin. 

The action presented in the volume before us relates to those days whenthe guiding intellect of Egypt became irrevocably dual, and whenbetween the two parts of it, the priests and the pharaohs, oppositionappeared so clearly defined and incurable that the ruin of both sideswas evident in the future. 

The ruin of a pharaoh and the fall of his dynasty, with the rise of aself-chosen sovereign and a new line of rulers, are the doubleconsummation in this novel. The book ends with that climax, but thefall of the new priestly rulers is a matter of history, as is thedestruction wrought on Egypt by tyrants from Assyria and Persia. Thenative pharaohs lost power through the priesthood, whose real interestit was to support them; but fate found the priests later on, andpronounced on them also the doom of extinction. 

Alexander Glovatski was born in 1847 in Mashov, a village of theGovernment of Lublin. He finished his preliminary studies in the LublinGymnasium, and was graduated from the University of Warsaw. He tookpart in the uprising of 1863, but was captured, and liberated aftersome mouths' detention. As a student he showed notable power, and wasexceptionally attracted by mathematics and science, to which he givesmuch attention yet, though occupied mainly in literature. 

Glovatski's published works are in seventeen volumes. These books, withthe exception of "The Pharaoh and the Priest, " are devoted to moderncharacters, situations, and questions. His types are mainly from Polishlife. Very few of his characters are German or Russian; of Polish typessome are Jewish. 

Alexander Glovatski is a true man of letters, a real philosopher, retiring, industrious, and modest. He spends all his winters in Warsaw, and lives every summer in the country. He permits neither society norcoteries, nor interests of any sort, to snatch away time from him, orinfluence his convictions. He goes about as he chooses, whenever helikes and wherever it suits him. When ready to work he sits down in hisown house, and tells the world carefully and with kindness, though notwithout irony, what he sees in it. What he sees is exhibited in theseventeen volumes, which contain great and vivid pictures of life atthe end of the recent century. Men and women of various beliefs, occupations, and values, are shown there. 

Glovatski is entirely unknown to Americans. This book will present him. 

Excepting the view in the temple of Luxor the illustrations given inthis volume are from photographs taken by me in 1899, while I wastraveling in Egypt. 

The title of this volume has been changed from "The Pharaoh" to "ThePharaoh and the Priest, " at the wish of the author. 

JEREMIAH CURTIN. 

BRISTOL, VERMONT, U. S. A. , July 28, 1902. 

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

Alexander Glovatski Frontispiece

Jeremiah Curtin at the Statue of Ramses the Great in the Temple ofLuxor

Step Pyramid

Village of Bedreshen on the site of Memphis

Pyramid of Cheops

The Great Sphinx

Statue of the Pharaoh Tutankhamen

General View of the Ruins of Karnak

Tomb of a Pharaoh in the Libyan Hills

Avenue of Sphinxes from the Temple of Karnak to the Nile

THE PHARAOH AND THE PRIEST

INTRODUCTION

In the northeastern corner of Africa lies Egypt, that land of mostancient civilization. Three, four, and even five thousand years ago, when the savages of Central Europe wore untanned skins for clothing andwere cave-dwellers, Egypt had a high social organization, agriculture, crafts, and literature. Above all, it carried out engineering works andreared immense buildings, the remnants of which rouse admiration inspecialists of our day. 

Egypt is that rich ravine between the Libyan sands and the Arabiandesert. Its depth is several hundred meters, its length six hundred andfifty miles, its average width barely five. On the west the gentlysloping but naked Libyan hills, on the east the steep and broken cliffsof Arabia form the sides of a corridor on the bottom of which flows theriver Nile. 

With the course of the river northward the walls of the corridordecrease in height, while a hundred and twenty-five miles from the seathey expand on a sudden, and the river, instead of flowing through anarrow passage, spreads in various arms over a broad level plain whichis shaped like a triangle. This triangle, called the Delta of the Nile, has for its base the shore of the Mediterranean; at its apex, where theriver issues from the corridor, stands the city of Cairo, and near byare the ruins of Memphis, the ancient capital. 

Could a man rise one hundred miles in the air and gaze thence uponEgypt, he would see the strange outlines of that country and thepeculiar changes in its color. From that elevation, on the backgroundof white and orange colored sands, Egypt would look like a serpentpushing with energetic twists through a desert to the sea, iii which ithas dipped already its triangular head, which has two eyes, the leftAlexandria, the right Damietta. 

In October, when the Nile inundates Egypt, that long serpent would beblue, like water. In February, when spring vegetation takes the placeof the decreasing river, the serpent would be green, with a blue linealong its body and a multitude of blue veins on its head; these arecanals which cut through the Delta. In March the blue line would benarrower, and the body of the serpent, because of ripening grain, wouldseem golden. Finally, in the first days of June the line of the Nilewould be very narrow and the serpent's body gray from dust and drought. The chief climatic feature in Egypt is heat. During January it is 57above zero, in July sometimes the heat reaches 149 which answers to thetemperature of a Roman bath. Moreover, in the neighborhood of theMediterranean, on the Delta, rain falls barely ten times a year; inUpper Egypt it falls once during ten years. 

In these conditions Egypt, instead of being the cradle of civilization, would have been a desert ravine like one of those which compose theSahara, if the waters of the sacred Nile had not brought life to itannually. From the last days of June till the end of September the Nileswells and inundates almost all Egypt; from the end of October to thelast days in May the year following it falls and exposes graduallylower and lower platforms of land. The waters of the river are sopermeated with mineral and organic matter that their color becomesbrownish; hence, as the waters decrease, on inundated lands isdeposited fruitful mud which takes the place of the best fertilizer. Owing to this, mud and to heat, Egyptian earth tillers, fenced inbetween deserts, have three harvests yearly and from one grain of seedreceive back about three hundred. 

Egypt, however, is not a flat plain, but a rolling country; someportions of its laud drink the blessed waters during two or threemonths only; others do not see it every year, as the overflow does notreach certain points annually. Besides, seasons of scant water occur, and then a part of Egypt fails to receive the enriching deposit. Finally, because of heat the earth dries up quickly, and then man hasto irrigate out of vessels. 

In view of all these conditions people inhabiting the Nile valley hadto perish if they were weak, or regulate the water if they had genius. The ancient Egyptians had genius, hence they created civilization. 

Six thousand years ago they observed that the Nile rose when the sunappeared under Sirius, and began to fall when it neared theconstellation Libra. This impelled them to make astronomicalobservations and to measure time. 

To preserve water for the whole year, they dug throughout their countrya network of canals many thousand miles in length. To guard againstexcessive waste of water, they built mighty dams and dug reservoirs, among which the artificial lake Moeris occupied three hundred squarekilometers of surface and was fifty-four meters deep. Finally, alongthe Nile and the canals they set up a multitude of simple but practicalhydraulic works; through the aid of these they raised water and pouredit out upon the fields; these machines were placed one or two storieshigher than the water. To complete all, there was need to clear thechoked canals yearly, repair the dams and build lofty roads for thearmy, which had to march at all seasons. 

These gigantic works demanded knowledge of astronomy, geometry, mechanics, and architecture, besides a perfect organization. Whetherthe task was the strengthening of dams or the clearing of canals, ithad to be done and finished within a certain period over a great area. Hence arose the need of forming an army of laborers, tens of thousandsin number, acting with a definite purpose and under uniform direction, an army which demanded many provisions, much means, and great auxiliaryforces. 

Egypt established such an army of laborers, and to them were due worksrenowned during ages. It seems that Egyptian priests or sages createdthis army and then drew out plans for it, while the kings, or pharaohs, commanded. In consequence of this the Egyptians in the days of theirgreatness formed as it were one person, in which the priestly orderperformed the role of mind, the pharaoh was the will, the people formedthe body, and obedience gave cohesion. 

In this way nature, striving in Egypt for a work great, continuous, andordered, created the skeleton of a social organism for that country asfollows: the people labored, the pharaoh commanded, the priests madethe plans. While these three elements worked unitedly toward theobjects indicated by nature, society had strength to flourish andcomplete immortal labors. 

The mild, gladsome, and by no means warlike Egyptians were divided intotwo classes, earth-tillers and artisans. Among earth-tillers there musthave been owners of small bits of laud, but generally earth-tillerswere tenants on lands belonging to the pharaohs, the priests, and thearistocracy. The artisans, the people who made clothing, furniture, vessels, and tools, were independent; those who worked at greatedifices formed, as it were, an army. 

Each of those specialties, and particularly architecture, demandedpower of hauling and moving; some men had to draw water all day fromcanals, or transport stones from the quarries to where they wereneeded. These, the most arduous mechanical occupations, and above allwork in the quarries were carried on by criminals condemned by thecourts, or by prisoners seized in battle. 

The genuine Egyptians had a bronze-colored skin, of which they werevery proud, despising the black Ethiopian, the yellow Semite, and thewhite European. This color of skin, which enabled them to distinguishtheir own people from strangers, helped to keep up the nation's unitymore strictly than religion, which a man may accept, or language, whichhe may appropriate. 

But in time, when the edifice of the state began to weaken, foreignelements appeared in growing numbers. They lessened cohesion, theysplit apart society, they flooded Egypt and absorbed the originalinhabitants. 

The pharaohs governed the state by the help of a standing army and amilitia or police, also by a multitude of officials, from whom wasformed by degrees an aristocracy of family. By his office the pharaohwas lawgiver, supreme king, highest judge, chief priest; he was the sonof a god, a god himself even. He accepted divine honors, not only fromofficials and the people, but sometimes he raised altars to his ownperson, and burnt incense before images of himself. 

At the side of the pharaoh and very often above him were priests, anorder of sages who directed the destinies of the country. 

In our day it is almost impossible to imagine the extraordinary rolewhich the priests played in Egypt. They were instructors of risinggenerations, also soothsayers, hence the advisers of mature people, judges of the dead, to whom their will and their knowledge guaranteedimmortality. They not only performed the minute ceremonies of religionfor the gods and the pharaohs, but they healed the sick as physicians, they influenced the course of public works as engineers, and alsopolitics as astrologers, but above all they knew their own country andits neighbors. 

In Egyptian history the first place is occupied by the relations whichexisted between the priests and the pharaohs. Most frequently thepharaoh laid rich offerings before the gods and built temples. Then helived long, and his name, with his images cut out on monuments, passedfrom generation to generation, full of glory. But many pharaohs reignedfor a short period only, and of some not merely the deeds, but thenames disappeared from record. A couple of times it happened that adynasty fell, and straightway the cap of the pharaohs, encircled with aserpent, was taken by a priest. 

Egypt continued to develop while a people of one composition, energetickings, and wise priests co-operated for the common weal. But a timecame when the people, in consequence of wars, decreased in number andlost their strength through oppression and extortion; the intrusion offoreign elements at this period undermined Egyptian race unity. Andwhen the energy of pharaohs and the wisdom of priests sank in the floodof Asiatic luxury, and these two powers began to struggle with eachother for undivided authority to plunder the toiling people, then Egyptfell under foreign control, and the light of civilized life, which hadburnt on the Nile for millenniums, was extinguished. 

The following narrative relates to the eleventh century before Christ, when the twentieth dynasty fell, and after the offspring of the sun, the eternally living Ramses XIII, Sem-Amen-Herhor, the high priest ofAmon and ever-living offspring of the sun, forced his way to the throneand adorned his head with the ureus. 

CHAPTER I

In the thirty-third year of the happy reign of Ramses XII, Egyptcelebrated two festivals which filled all its faithful inhabitants withpride and delight. 

In the month of Mechir that is, during January the god Khonsu returnedto Thebes covered with costly gifts. For three years and nine months hehad traveled in the country of Buchten, where he restored health to theking's daughter, Bentres, and expelled an evil spirit not only from theroyal family, but even from the fortress. 

So in the month Farmuti (February) Mer-Amen-Ramses XII, the lord ofUpper and Lower Egypt, the ruler of Phoenicia and nine nations, afterconsultation with the gods to whom he was equal, named as erpatr, orheir to the throne, his son, aged twenty years, Cham-Sem Merer-Amen-Ramses. 

This choice delighted the pious priests, the worthy nomarchs, thevaliant army, the faithful people, and every creature living in Egypt, because the older sons of the pharaoh, who were born of a Hittiteprincess, had been visited by an evil spirit through enchantments whichno one had the power to investigate. One son of twenty-seven years wasunable to walk after reaching maturity; the second opened his veins anddied; the third, through poisoned wine, which he would not ceasedrinking, fell into madness, and believing himself a monkey, passedwhole days among tree branches. 

But the fourth son, Ramses, born of Queen Nikotris, daughter of thepriest Amenhotep, was as strong as the bull Apis, as brave as a lion, and as wise as the priests. From childhood he surrounded himself withwarriors, and while still a common prince, used to say, "If the gods, instead of making me the youngest son of his holiness, had made me a pharaoh, like Ramses the Great, I would conquer ninenations, of which people in Egypt have never heard mention; I wouldbuild a temple larger than all Thebes, and rear for myself a pyramidnear which the tomb of Cheops would be like a rosebush at the side of afull-grown palm-tree. "

On receiving the much desired title of heir, the young prince beggedhis father to be gracious and appoint him to command the army corps ofMemphis. To this his holiness, Ramses XII, after consultation with thegods, to whom he was equal, answered that he would do so in case theheir could give proof that he had skill to direct a mass of troopsarrayed for battle. 

A council was called under the presidency of the minister of war, Sem-Amen-Herhor, high priest of the great sanctuary of Amon in Thebes. 

The council decided in this way: "The heir to the throne, in the middleof the month Mesore, will take ten regiments, disposed along the linewhich connects Memphis with the city of Pi-uto, situated on the Bay ofSebenico. 

"With this corps of ten thousand men prepared for battle, provided witha camp and with military engines, the heir will betake himself eastwardalong the highroad from Memphis toward Hittite regions, which road lieson the boundary between the land of Goshen and the wilderness. At thistime General Nitager, commander of the army which guards the gates ofEgypt from attacks of Asiatic people, will move from the Bitter Lakesagainst the heir, Prince Ramses. 

"Both armies, the Asiatic and the Western, are to meet near Pi-Bailos, but in the wilderness, so that industrious husbandmen in the land ofGoshen be not hindered in their labors. 

"The heir will be victorious if he does not let himself be surprised byNitager, that is, if he concentrates all his forces and succeeds inputting them in order of battle to meet the enemy. 

"His worthiness Herhor, the minister of war, will be present in thecamp of Prince Ramses, and will report to the pharaoh. "

Two ways of communication formed the boundary between the land ofGoshen and the desert. One was the transport canal from Memphis to LakeTimrah; the other was the highroad. The canal was in the laud ofGoshen, the highroad in the desert which both ways bounded with a halfcircle. 

The canal was visible from almost every point upon the highroad. Whatever artificial boundaries might be, these neighboring regionsdiffered in all regards. The land of Goshen, though a rolling country, seemed a plain; the desert was composed of limestone hills and sandyvalleys. The land of Goshen seemed a gigantic chessboard the green andyellow squares of which were indicated by the color of grain and bypalms growing on their boundaries; but on the ruddy sand of the desertand its white hills a patch of green or a clump of trees and bushesseemed like a lost traveler. 

On the fertile land of Goshen from each hill shot up a dark grove ofacacias, sycamores, and tamarinds which from a distance looked like ourlime-trees; among these were concealed villas with rows of shortcolumns, or the yellow mud huts of earth-tillers. Sometimes near thegrove was a white village with flat-roofed houses, or above the treesrose the pyramidal gates of a temple, like double cliffs, many-coloredwith strange characters. From the desert beyond the first row of hills, which were a little green, stared naked elevations covered with blocksof stone. It seemed as if the western region, sated with excess oflife, hurled with regal generosity to the other side flowers andvegetables, but the desert in eternal hunger devoured them in thefollowing year and turned them into ashes. 

The stunted vegetation, exiled to cliffs and sands, clung to the lowerplaces until, by means of ditches made in the sides of the raisedhighroad, men conducted water from the canals to it. In fact, hiddenoases between naked hills along that highway drank in the divine water. In these oases grew wheat, barley, grapes, palms, and tamarinds. Thewhole of such an oasis was sometimes occupied by one family, which whenit met another like itself at the market in Pi-Bailos might not evenknow that they were neighbors in the desert. 

On the fifteenth of Mesore the concentration of troops was almostfinished. The regiments of Prince Ramses, which were to meet theAsiatic forces of Nitager, had assembled on the road above the city ofPi-Bailos with their camp and with some military engines. 

The heir himself directed all the movements. He had organized twoparties of scouts. Of these the first had to watch the enemy, the otherto guard its own army from attack, which was possible in a hilly regionwith many ravines. Ramses, in the course of a week, rode around andexamined all the regiments, inarching by various roads, lookingcarefully to see if the soldiers had good weapons and warm mantles forthe night hours, if in the camps there was dried bread in sufficiencyas well as meat and dried fish. He commanded, besides, that the wives, children, and slaves of warriors marching to the eastern boundaryshould be conveyed by canal; this diminished the number of chariots andeased the movements of the army. 

The oldest generals admired the zeal, knowledge, and caution of theheir, and, above all, his simplicity and love of labor. His court, which was numerous, his splendid tent, chariots, and litters were leftin the capital, and, dressed as a simple officer, he hurried fromregiment to regiment on horseback, in Assyrian fashion, attended by twoadjutants. 

Thanks to this concentration, the corps itself went forward veryswiftly, and the army was near Pi-Bailos at the time appointed. 

It was different with the prince's staff, and the Greek regimentaccompanying it, and with some who moved military engines. 

The staff, collected in Memphis, had the shortest road to travel; henceit moved latest, bringing an immense camp with it. Nearly everyofficer, and they were young lords of great families, had a litter withfour negroes, a two-wheeled military chariot, a rich tent, and amultitude of boxes with food and clothing, also jars full of beer andwine. Besides, a numerous troop of singers and dancers, with music, hadbetaken themselves to journey behind the officers; each woman must, inthe manner of a great lady, have a car drawn by one or two pair ofoxen, and must have also a litter. 

When this throng poured out of Memphis, it occupied more space on thehighway than the army of Prince Ramses. The march was so slow that themilitary engines which were left at the rear moved twenty-four hourslater than was ordered. To complete every evil the female dancers andsingers, on seeing the desert, not at all dreadful in that place, wereterrified and fell to weeping. To calm these women it was necessary tohasten with the night camp, pitch tents, arrange a spectacle, and afeast afterward. 

The night amusement in the cool, under the starry sky, with wild naturefor a background, pleased dancers and singers exceedingly; theydeclared that they would travel thenceforth only through the desert. Meanwhile Prince Ramses sent an order to turn all women back to Memphisat the earliest and urge the march forward. 

His dignity Herhor, minister of war, was with the staff, but only as aspectator. He had not brought singers himself, but he made no remarksto officers. He gave command to carry his litter at the head of thecolumn, and accommodating himself to its movements, advanced or restedunder the immense fan with which his adjutant shaded him. 

Herhor was a man of forty and some years of age, strongly built, concentrated in character. He spoke rarely, and looked at people asrarely from under his drooping eyelids. He went with arms and legsbare, like every Egyptian, his breast exposed; he had sandals on hisfeet, a short skirt about his hips, an apron with blue and whitestripes. As a priest, he shaved his beard and hair and wore a panther-skin hanging from his left shoulder. As a soldier, he covered his headwith a small helmet of the guard; from under this helmet hung akerchief, also in blue and white stripes; this reached his shoulders. Around his neck was a triple gold chain, and under his left arm a shortsword in a costly scabbard. His litter, borne by six black slaves, wasattended always by three persons: one carried his fan, another the maceof the minister, and the third a box for papyrus. This third man wasPentuer, a priest, and the secretary of Herhor. He was a lean asceticwho in the greatest heat never covered his shaven head. He came of thepeople, but in spite of low birth he occupied a high position in thestate; this was due to exceptional abilities. 

Though the minister with his officials preceded the staff and heldhimself apart from its movements, it could not be said that he wasunconscious of what was happening behind him. Every hour, at timesevery half hour, some one approached Herhor's litter, now a priest oflower rank, an ordinary "servant of the gods, " a marauding soldier, afreedman, or a slave, who, passing as it were indifferently the silentretinue of the minister, threw out a word. That word Pentuer recordedsometimes, but more frequently he remembered it, for his memory wasamazing. 

No one in the noisy throng of the staff paid attention to thesedetails. The officers, sons of great lords, were too much occupied byrunning, by noisy conversation, or by singing, to notice who approachedthe minister; all the more since a multitude of people were pushingalong the highway. 

On the sixteenth of Mesore the staff of Prince Ramses, together withhis dignity the minister, passed the night under the open sky at thedistance of five miles from the regiments which were arranged in battleorder across the highway beyond the city of Pi-Bailos. 

In that early morning which precedes our six o'clock, the hills grewviolet, and from behind them came forth the sun. A rosy light flowedover the land of Goshen. Villages, temples, palaces of magnates, andhuts of earth-tillers looked like sparks and flames which flashed up inone moment from the midst of green spaces. Soon the western horizon wasflooded with a golden hue, and the green land of Goshen seemed meltinginto gold, and the numberless canals seemed filled with molten silver. But the desert hills grew still more marked with violet, and cast longshadows on the sands, and darkness on the plant world. 

The guards who stood along that highway could see with the utmostclearness fields, edged with palms, beyond the canal. Some fields weregreen with flax, wheat, clover; others were gilded with ripening barleyof the second growth. Now earth-tillers began to come out to fieldlabor, from huts concealed among trees; they were naked and bronze-hued; their whole dress was a short skirt and a cap. Some turned tocanals to clear them of mud, or to draw water. Others dispersing amongthe trees gathered grapes and ripe figs. Many naked children stirredabout, and women were busy in white, yellow, or red shirts which weresleeveless. 

There was great movement in that region. In the sky birds of prey fromthe desert pursued pigeons and daws in the land of Goshen. Along thecanal squeaking sweeps moved up and down, with buckets of fertilizingwater; fruit-gatherers appeared and disappeared among the trees, likecolored butterflies. But in the desert, on the highway, swarmed thearmy and its servants. A division of mounted lancers shot past. Behindthem marched bowmen in caps and petticoats; they had bows in theirhands, quivers on their shoulders, and broadswords at their rightsides. The archers were accompanied by slingers who carried bags withmissiles and were armed with short swords. 

A hundred yards behind them advanced two small divisions of footmen, one division armed with darts, the other with spears. Both carriedrectangular shields; on their breasts they had thick coats, as it werearmor, and on their heads caps with kerchiefs behind to ward off thesun-rays. The caps and coats had blue and white stripes or yellow andblack stripes, which made those soldiers seem immense hornets. 

Behind the advance guard, surrounded by a retinue of macebearers, pushed on the litter of the minister, and behind it, with bronzehelmets and breastplates, the Greek companies, whose measured treadcalled to mind blows of heavy hammers. In the rear was heard thecreaking of vehicles, and from the side of the highway slipped alongthe bearded Phoenician merchant in his litter borne between two asses. Above all this rose a cloud of golden dust, and heat also. 

Suddenly from the vanguard galloped up a mounted soldier and informedHerhor that Prince Ramses, the heir to the throne, was approaching. Hisworthiness descended from the litter, and at that moment appeared amounted party of men who halted and sprang from their horses. One manof this party and the minister began to approach each other, haltingevery few steps and bowing. 

"Be greeted, O son of the pharaoh; may he live through eternity!" saidthe minister. 

"Be greeted and live long, O holy father!" answered Ramses; then headded, "Ye advance as slowly as if your legs were sawn off, while Nitager willstand before our division in two hours at the latest. "

"Thou hast told truth. Thy staff marches very slowly. "

"Eunana tells me also, " here Ramses indicated an officer standingbehind him who was covered with amulets, "that ye have not sent scoutsto search ravines. But in case of real war an enemy might attack fromthat side. "

"I am not the leader, I am only a judge, " replied the minister, quietly. 

"But what can Patrokles be doing?"

"Patrokles is bringing up the military engines with his Greekregiment. "

"But my relative and adjutant, Tutmosis?"

"He is sleeping yet, I suppose. "

Ramses stamped impatiently, and was silent. He was a beautiful youth, with a face almost feminine, to which anger and sunburn added charm. Hewore a close-fitting coat with blue and white stripes, a kerchief ofthe same color behind his helmet, a gold chain around his neck, and acostly sword beneath his left arm. 

"I see, " said the prince, "that Thou alone, Eunana, art mindful of myhonor. "

The officer covered with amulets bent to the earth. 

"Tutmosis is indolent, " said the heir. "Return to thy place, Eunana. Let the vanguard at least have a leader. "

Then, looking at the suite which now surrounded him as if it had sprungfrom under the earth on a sudden, he added, "Bring my litter. I am as tired as a quarryman. "

"Can the gods grow tired?" whispered Eunana, still standing behind him. 

"Go to thy place!" said Ramses. 

"But perhaps Thou wilt command me, O image of the moon, to search theravines?" asked the officer, in a low voice. "Command, I beg thee, forwherever I am my heart is chasing after thee to divine thy will andaccomplish it. "

"I know that Thou art watchful, " answered Ramses. "Go now and lookafter everything. "

"Holy father, " said Eunana, turning to the minister, "I commend my mostobedient service to thy worthiness. "

Barely had Eunana gone when at the end of the marching column rose astill greater tumult. They looked for the heir's litter, but it wasgone. Then appeared, making his way through the Greek warriors, a youthof strange exterior. He wore a muslin tunic, a richly embroideredapron, and a golden scarf across his shoulder. But he was distinguishedabove all by an immense wig with a multitude of tresses, and anartificial beard like cats' tails. 

That was Tutmosis, the first exquisite in Memphis, who dressed andperfumed himself even during marches. 

"Be greeted, Ramses!" exclaimed the exquisite, pushing aside officersquickly. "Imagine thy litter is lost somewhere; Thou must sit in mine, which really is not fit for thee, but it is not the worst. "

"Thou hast angered me, " answered the prince. "Thou sleepest instead ofwatching the army. "

The astonished exquisite stopped. 

"I sleep?" cried he. "May the man's tongue wither up who invented thatcalumny! I, knowing that Thou wouldst come, have been ready this hourpast, and am preparing a bath for thee and perfumes. "

"While thus engaged, the regiment is without a commander. "

"Am I to command a detachment where his worthiness the minister of waris, and such a leader is present as Patrokles?"

Ramses was silent; meanwhile Tutmosis, approaching him, whispered, "In what a plight Thou art, O son of the pharaoh! Without a wig, thyhair and dress full of dust, thy skin black and cracked, like the earthin summer. The queen, most deserving of honor, would drive me from thecourt were she to look at thy wretchedness. "

"I am only tired. "

"Then take a seat in my litter. In it are fresh garlands of roses, roast birds, and a jug of wine from Cyprus. I have kept also hidden inthe camp, " added he in a lower voice, "Senura. "

"Is she here?" asked the prince; and his eyes, glittering a momentbefore, were now mist-covered. 

"Let the army move on, " said Tutmosis; "we will wait here for her. "

Ramses recovered himself. 

"Leave me, tempter! The battle will come in two hours. "

"What! a battle?"

"At least the decision as to my leadership. "

"Oh, laugh at it!" smiled the exquisite. "I would swear that theminister of war sent a report of it yesterday, and with it the petitionto give thee the corps of Memphis. "

"No matter if he did. Today I have no thought for anything but thearmy. "

"In thee this wish for war is dreadful, war during which a man does notwash for a whole month, so as to die in--Brr! But if Thou couldst seeSenura, only glance at her. . "

"For that very reason I shall not glance at her, " answered Ramses, decisively. 

At the moment when eight men were bringing from beyond the Greek ranksthe immense litter of Tutmosis for the use of Ramses, a horseman racedin from the vanguard. He dropped from his horse and ran so quickly thaton his breast the images of the gods or the tablets with their namesrattled loudly. This was Eunana in great excitement. 

All turned to him, and this gave him pleasure apparently. 

"Erpatr, the loftiest lips, " cried Eunana, bending before Ramses. "When, in accordance with thy divine command, I rode at the head of adetachment, looking carefully at all things, I noticed on the highroadtwo beautiful scarabs. Each of these sacred beetles was rolling anearth ball toward the sands near the roadside. "

"What of that?" interrupted Ramses. 

"Of course, " continued Eunana, glancing toward Herhor, "I and mypeople, as piety enjoins, rendered homage to the golden symbols of thesun, and halted. That augury is of such import that no man of us wouldmake a step forward unless commanded. "

"I see that Thou art a pious Egyptian, though Thou hast the features ofa Hittite, " answered the worthy Herhor; and turning to certaindignitaries standing near, he added, "We will not advance farther by the highway, for we might crush thesacred beetles. Pentuer, can we go around the road by that ravine onthe right?"

"We can, " answered the secretary. "That ravine is five miles long, andcomes out again almost in front of Pi-Bailos. "

"An immense loss of time!" interrupted Ramses, in anger. 

"I would swear that those are not scarabs, but the spirits of myPhoenician usurers, " said Tutmosis the exquisite. "Not being able, because of their death, to receive money from me, they will force menow to march through the desert in punishment!"

The suite of the prince awaited the decision with fear; so Ramsesturned to Herhor, "What dost Thou think of this, holy father?"

"Look at the officers, " answered the priest, "and Thou wilt understandthat we must go by the ravine. "

Now Patrokles, leader of the Greeks, pushed forward and said to theheir, "If the prince permit, my regiment will advance by the highway. Mysoldiers have no fear of beetles!"

"Your soldiers have no fear of royal tombs even, " added the minister. "Still it cannot be safe in them since no one has ever returned. "

The Greek pushed back to the suite confounded. 

"Confess, holy father, " hissed the heir, with the greatest anger, "thatsuch a hindrance would not stop even an ass on his journey. "

"True, but no ass will ever be pharaoh, " retorted the minister, calmly. 

"In that case thou, O minister, wilt lead the division through theravine!" exclaimed Ramses. "I am unacquainted with priestly tactics;besides, I must rest. Come with me, cousin, " said he to Tutmosis; andhe turned toward some naked hills. 

CHAPTER II

Straightway his worthiness Herhor directed his adjutant who carried themace to take charge of the vanguard in place of Eunana. Then hecommanded that the military engines for hurling great stones leave theroad, and that the Greek soldiers facilitate passage for those enginesin difficult places. All vehicles and litters of staff-officers were tomove in the rear. 

When Herhor issued commands, the adjutant bearing the fan approachedPentuer and asked, "Will it be possible to go by this highway again?"

"Why not?" answered the young priest. "But since two sacred beetleshave barred the way now, we must not go farther; some misfortune mighthappen. "

"As it is, a misfortune has happened. Or hast Thou not noticed thatPrince Ramses is angry at the minister? and our lord is not forgetful. "

"It is not the prince who is offended with our lord, but our lord withthe prince, and he has reproached him. He has done well; for it seemsto the young prince, at present, that he is to be a second Menes. "

"Or a Ramses the Great, " put in the adjutant. 

"Ramses the Great obeyed the gods; for this cause there areinscriptions praising him in all the temples. But Menes, the firstpharaoh of Egypt, was a destroyer of order, and thanks only to thefatherly kindness of the priests that his name is still remembered, though I would not give one brass uten on this, that the mummy of Menesexists. "

"My Pentuer, " added the adjutant, "Thou art a sage, hence knowest thatit is all one to us whether we have ten lords or eleven. "

"But it is not all one to the people whether they have to find everyyear a mountain of gold for the priests, or two mountains of gold forthe priests and the pharaoh, " answered Pentuer, while his eyes flashed. 

"Thou art thinking of dangerous things, " said the adjutant, in awhisper. 

"But how often hast Thou thyself grieved over the luxuries of thepharaoh's court and of the nomarchs?" inquired the priest inastonishment. 

"Quiet, quiet! We will talk of this, but not now. "

In spite of the sand the military engines, drawn each by two bullocks, moved in the desert more speedily than along the highway. With thefirst of them marched Eunana, anxiously. "Why has the minister deprivedme of leadership over the vanguard? Does he wish to give me a higherposition?" asked he in his own mind. 

Thinking out then a new career, and perhaps to dull the fears whichmade his heart quiver, he seized a pole and, where the sands weredeeper, propped the balista, or urged on the Greeks with an outcry. 

They, however, paid slight attention to this officer. 

The retinue had pushed on a good half hour through a winding ravinewith steep naked walls, when the vanguard halted a second time. At thispoint another ravine crossed the first; in the middle of it extended arather broad canal. 

The courier sent to the minister of war with notice of the obstaclebrought back a command to fill the canal immediately. 

About a hundred soldiers with pickaxes and shovels rushed to the work. Some knocked out stones from the cliff; others threw them into theditch and covered them with sand. 

Meanwhile from the depth of the ravine came a man with a pickaxe shapedlike a stork's neck with the bill on it. He was an Egyptian slave, oldand entirely naked. He looked for a while with the utmost amazement atthe work of the soldiers; then, springing between them on a sudden, heshouted, "What are ye doing, vile people? This is a canal. "

"But how darest Thou use evil words against the warriors of hisholiness?" asked Eunana, who stood there. 

"Thou must be an Egyptian and a great person, I see that, " said theslave; "so I answer thee that this canal belongs to a mighty lord; heis the manager and secretary of one who bears the fan for hisworthiness the nomarch of Memphis. Be on thy guard or misfortune willstrike thee!"

"Do your work, " said Eunana, with a patronizing tone, to the Greeksoldiers who began to look at the slave. 

They did not understand his speech, but the tone of it arrested them. 

"They are filling in all the time!" said the slave, with rising fear. "Woe to thee!" cried he, rushing at one of the Greeks with his pickaxe. 

The Greek pulled it from the man, struck him on the mouth, and broughtblood to his lips; then he threw sand into the canal again. 

The slave, stunned by the blow, lost courage and fell to imploring. 

"Lord, " said he, "I dug this canal alone for ten years, in the nighttime and during festivals! My master promised that if I should bringwater to this little valley he would make me a servant in it, give meone fifth of the harvests, and grant me freedom do you hear? Freedom tome and my three children! O gods!"

He raised his hands and turned again to Eunana, "They do not understand me, these vagrants from beyond the sea, descendants of dogs, brothers to Jews and Phoenicians! But listen, lord, to me! For ten years, while other men went to fairs and dances orsacred processions, I stole out into this dreary ravine. I did not goto the grave of my mother, I only dug; I forgot the dead so as to givefreedom with laud to my children, and to myself even one free daybefore death. Ye, O gods, be my witnesses how many times has nightfound me here! how many times have I heard the wailing cries of hyenasin this place, and seen the green eyes of wolves! But I did not flee, for whither was I, the unfortunate, to flee, when at every path terrorwas lurking, and in this canal freedom held me back by the feet? Once, beyond that turn there, a lion came out against me, the pharaoh ofbeasts. The pickaxe dropped from my hands, I knelt down before him, andI, as ye see me, said these words: 'O lord! is it thy pleasure to eatme? I am only a slave. ' But the lion took pity, the wolf also passedby; even the treacherous bats spared my poor head; but thou, OEgyptian. "

The man stopped; he saw the retinue of Herhor approaching. By the fanhe knew him to be a great personage, and by the panther skin, a priest. He ran to the litter, therefore, knelt down, and struck the sand withhis forehead. 

"What dost Thou wish, man?" asked the dignitary. 

"O light of the sun, listen to me!" cried the slave. "May there be nogroans in thy chamber, may no misfortune follow thee! May thy workscontinue, and may the current not be interrupted when Thou shalt sailby the Nile to the other shore. "

"I ask what thy wish is, " repeated Herhor. 

"Kind lord, " said the man, "leader without caprice, who conquerest thefalse and createst the true, who art the father of the poor, thehusband of the widow, clothing for the motherless, permit me to spreadthy name as the equal of justice, most noble of the nobles. " [Authenticspeech of a slave. ]

"He wishes that this canal be not filled in, " said Eunana. 

Herhor shrugged his shoulders and pushed toward the place where theywere filling the canal. Then the despairing man seized his feet. 

"Away with this creature!" cried his worthiness, pushing back as beforethe bite of a reptile. 

The secretary, Pentuer, turned his head; his lean face had a grayishcolor. Eunana seized the man by the shoulders and pulled, but, unableto drag him away from the minister's feet, he summoned warriors. Aftera while Herhor, now liberated, passed to the other bank of the canal, and the warriors tore away the earth-worker, almost carrying him to theend of the detachment. There they gave the man some tens of blows offists, and subalterns who always carried canes gave him some tens ofblows of sticks, and at last threw him down at the entrance to theravine. 

Beaten, bloody, and above all terrified, the wretched slave sat on thesand for a while, rubbed his eyes, then sprang up suddenly and rangroaning toward the highway, "Swallow me, O earth! Cursed be the day in which I saw the light, andthe night in which it was said, 'A man is born!' In the mantle ofjustice there is not the smallest shred for a slave. The godsthemselves regard not a creature whose hands are for labor, whose mouthwas made only for weeping, and whose back is for clubs. O death, rub mybody into ashes, so that there, beyond on the fields of Osiris, I benot born into slavery a second time. "

CHAPTER III

Panting with anger, Prince Ramses rushed up the hill, while behind himfollowed Tutmosis. The wig of the exquisite had turned on his head, hisfalse beard had slipped down, and he carried it in his hand. In spiteof exertion he would have been pale had it not been for the layers ofrouge on his face. 

At last Ramses halted at the summit. From the ravine came the outcry ofwarriors and the rattle of the onrolling balistas; before the two menstretched the immense plain of Goshen, bathed continually in sun-rays. That did not seem land, but a golden cloud, on which the mind painted alandscape in colors of silver, ruby, pearl, and topaz. 

"Look, " cried the heir to Tutmosis, stretching out his hand, "those areto be my lands, and here is my army. Over there the loftiest edificesare palaces of priests, and here the supreme chief of the troops is apriest! Can anything like this be suffered?"

"It has always been so, " replied Tutmosis, glancing around withtimidity. 

"That is not true! I know the history of this country, which is hiddento thee. The leaders of armies and the masters of officials were thepharaohs alone, or at least the most energetic among them. Those rulersdid not pass their days in making offerings and prayers, but inmanaging the state. "

"If it is the desire of his holiness to pass his days that way?" saidTutmosis. 

"It is not my father's wish that nomarchs should govern as they pleasein the capitals of provinces. Why, the governor of Ethiopia consideredhimself as almost equal to the king of kings. And it cannot be myfather's wish that his army should inarch around two golden beetlesbecause the minister of war is a high priest. "

"He is a great warrior, " whispered Tutmosis, with increasing timidity. 

"He a great warrior? Because he dispersed a handful of Libyan robbersready to flee at the mere sight of Egyptians. But see what ourneighbors are doing. Israel delays in paying tribute and pays less andless of it. The cunning Phoenician steals a number of ships from ourfleet every year. On the east we are forced to keep up a great armyagainst the Hittites, while around Babylon and Nineveh there is such amovement that it is felt throughout all Mesopotamia. 

"And what is the outcome of priestly management? This, that while mygreat-grandfather had a hundred thousand talents of yearly income andone hundred and sixty thousand troops, my father has barely fiftythousand talents and one hundred and twenty thousand troops. 

"And what an army! Were it not for the Greek corps, which keeps them inorder as a dog watches sheep, the Egyptian soldiers today would obeyonly priests and the pharaoh would sink to the level of a miserablenomarch. "

"Whence hast Thou learned this?" asked Tutmosis, with astonishment. 

"Am I not of a priestly family? And besides, they taught me when I wasnot heir to the throne. Oh, when I become pharaoh after my father, mayhe live through eternity! I will put my bronze-sandaled foot on theirnecks. But first of all I will seize their treasures, which have alwaysbeen bloated, but which from the time of Ramses the Great have begun toswell out, and today are so swollen that the treasure of the pharaoh isinvisible because of them. "

"Woe to me and to thee!" sighed Tutmosis. "Thou hast plans under whichthis hill would bend could it hear and understand them. And where arethy forces, thy assistance, thy warriors? Against thee the whole peoplewill rise, led by a class of men with mighty influence. But who is onthy rider?"

Ramses listened and fell to thinking. At last he said, "The army. "

"A considerable part of it will follow the priests. "

"The Greek corps. "

"A barrel of water in the Nile. "

"The officials. "

"Half of them belong to the priests. "

The prince shook his head sadly, and was silent. 

From the summit they went down by a naked and stony slope to theopposite base of the hill. Then Tutmosis, who had pushed aheadsomewhat, cried, "Has a charm fallen on my eyes? Look, Ramses! Why, a second Egypt isconcealed between these cliffs!"

"That must be an estate of some priest who pays no taxes, " replied theprince, bitterly. 

In the depth before their feet lay a rich valley in the form of a forkthe tines of which were hidden between cliffs. At the juncture of thetines a number of servants' huts were visible, and the beautiful littlevilla of the owner or manager. Palmtrees grew there, grapes, olives, figs with aerial roots, cypresses, even young baobabs. In the centreflowed a rivulet, and at the source of it, some hundreds of yardshigher up, small gardens were visible. 

When they had gone down among grapevines covered with ripe clusters, they heard a woman's voice which called, or rather sang in pensivenotes:

"Where art Thou gone from me, where art thou, hen of mine? Thou hastfled, Thou art gone from me. I give thee drink and clean grain; what Igive is so good that slaves envy thee. Where art Thou gone, my hen wiltThou not answer me? Night will come down on thee, think of that; Thouwilt not reach thy home, where all are at work for thee. Come; if Thoucome not, a falcon will fly from the desert and tear the heart out ofthee. If he come Thou wilt call in vain, as I now call in vain to thee. Give answer, or I shall be angry and leave this place. If I leave Thou'It go home on thy own feet. "

The song came toward the two men. The songstress was a few yards fromthem when Tutmosis thrust, his head from between the bushes, and said, "Just look, Ramses, but that is a beautiful maiden!"

Instead of looking, the prince sprang into the path and stopped theroad before the songstress. She was really a beautiful maiden, withGrecian features and a complexion like ivory. 

From under the veil on her head peeped forth an immense mass of darkhair, wound in a knot. She wore a white trailing robe which she held onone side with her hand; under the transparent covering were maidenbreasts shaped like apples. 

"Who art thou?" cried Ramses. 

The threatening furrows vanished from his forehead and his eyesflashed. 

"O Jehovah! O Father!" cried she, frightened, halting motionless on thepath. 

But she grew calm by degrees, and her velvety eyes resumed theirexpression of mild sadness. 

"Whence hast Thou come?" inquired she of Ramses, with a voice tremblinga little. "I see that Thou art a soldier, but it is not permittedsoldiers to come here. "

"Why is it not permitted?"

"Because this is the land of a great lord named Sesofris. "

"Ho! ho!" laughed Ramses. 

"Laugh not, for Thou wilt grow pale soon. The lord Sesofris issecretary to the lord Chaires, who carries his fan for the most worthynomarch of Memphis. My father has seen him and fallen on his facebefore him. "

"Ho! ho! ho!" repeated Ramses, laughing continually. 

"Thy words are very insolent, " said the maiden, frowning. "Werekindness not looking from thy face, I should think thee a mercenaryfrom Greece or a bandit. "

"He is not a bandit yet, but some day he may become the greatest banditthis laud has ever suffered, " said Tutmosis the exquisite, arranginghis wig, "And Thou must be a dancer, " answered the girl, grown courageous. "Oh!I am even certain that I saw thee at the fair in Pi-Bailos, enchantingserpents. "

The two young men fell into perfect humor. 

"But who art thou?" asked Ramses of the girl, taking her hand, whichshe drew back. 

"Be not so bold. I am Sarah, the daughter of Gideon, the manager ofthis estate. "

"A Jewess, " said Ramses; and a shadow passed over his face. 

"What harm in that? what harm in that?" cried Tutmosis. 

"Dost think that Jewesses are less sweet than Egyptian girls? They areonly more modest and more difficult, which gives their love an uncommoncharm. "

"So ye are pagans, " said Sarah, with dignity. "Rest, if ye are tired, pluck some grapes for yourselves, and go with God. Our servants are notglad to see guests like you. "

She wished to go, but Ramses detained her. 

"Stop! Thou hast pleased me, and may not leave us in this way. "

"The evil spirit has seized thee; no one in this valley would dare tospeak thus to me, " said Sarah, now indignant. 

"Yes; for, seest thou, " interrupted Tutmosis, "this young man is anofficer of the priestly regiment of Ptah, and a secretary of thesecretary of a lord who carries his fan over the fan-carrier of thenomarch of Habu. "

"Surely he must be an officer, " answered Sarah, looking withthoughtfulness at Ramses. "Maybe he is a great lord himself?" addedshe, putting her finger on her lips. 

"Whoever I am, thy beauty surpasses my dignity, " answered he, suddenly. "But tell me, is it true that the Jews eat pork?"

Sarah looked at him offended; and Tutmosis added, "How evident it is that Thou knowest not Jewesses! I tell thee that aJew would rather die than eat pork, which, for my part, I do notconsider as the worst. "

"But do they eat cats?" insisted Ramses, pressing Sarah's hand andlooking into her eyes. 

"And that is a fable, a vile fable!" exclaimed Tutmosis. "Thou mightsthave asked me about those things instead of talking nonsense. I havehad three Jewish mistresses. "

"So far Thou hast told the truth, but now Thou art lying, " called outSarah. "A Jewess would not be any man's mistress, " added she, proudly. 

"Even the mistress of the secretary of a lord who carries the fan forthe nomarch of Memphis?" asked Tutmosis, jeeringly. 

"Even. "

"Even the mistress of the lord who carries the fan?"

Sarah hesitated, but answered, "Even. "

"Then perhaps she would not become the mistress of the nomarch?"

The girl's hands dropped. With astonishment she looked in turn at theyoung men; her lips quivered, and her eyes filled with tears. 

"Who are ye?" inquired she, alarmed. "Ye have come down from the hills, like travelers who wish bread and water, but ye speak to me as mightthe greatest lords. Who are ye? Thy sword, " said she, turning toRamses, "is set with emeralds, and on thy neck is a chain of such workas even our lord, the great Sesofris, has not in his treasury. "

"Better tell me if I please thee, " insisted Ramses, pressing her handand looking into her eyes tenderly. 

"Thou art beautiful, as beautiful as the angel Gabriel; but I fearthee, for I know not who Thou art. "

Then from beyond the hilltop was heard the sound of a trumpet. 

"They are calling thee!" cried Tutmosis. 

"And if I were as great a lord as thy Sesofris?" asked Ramses. 

"Then maybe" answered Sarah. 

"And if I carried the fan of the nomarch of Memphis?"

"Thou mayest be even as great as that. "

Somewhere beyond the hill was heard the second trumpet. 

"Come, Ramses!" insisted the frightened Tutmosis. 

"But if I were heir to the throne, wouldst Thou come to me?" cried theprince. 

"O Jehovah!" exclaimed Sarah, dropping on her knees. 

From various points trumpets summoned, now urgently. 

"Let us run!" cried Tutmosis, in desperation. "Dost Thou not hear thealarm in the camp?"

Ramses took the chain from his neck quickly and threw it on Sarah. 

"Give this to thy father. I will buy thee from him. Be in health. "

He kissed her lips passionately, and she embraced-his knees. He toreaway, ran a couple of paces, turned again, and again fondled herbeautiful face and dark hair with kisses, as if he heard not thoseimpatient calls to the army. 

"In the name of his holiness the pharaoh, I summon thee, follow me!"cried Tutmosis; and he seized the prince's hand. 

They ran toward the trumpet-calls. Ramses tottered at moments like adrunken man, and turned his head. At last they were climbing theopposite hill. 

"And this man, " thought Tutmosis, "wants to battle with thepriesthood!"

CHAPTER IV

RAMSES and his comrade ran about a quarter of an hour along the rockyridge of the hill, drawing ever nearer to the trumpets, which soundedmore and more urgently. At last they reached a point where they took inat a glance the whole region. Toward the left stretched the highway;beyond that were seen clearly the city of Pi-Bailos, the regiments ofthe heir drawn up behind it, and an immense cloud of dust which roseabove his opponent hastening forward from the east. 

On the right yawned a broad ravine, along the middle of which the Greekregiment was dragging military engines. Not far from the road theravine was lost in another and a broader one which began in the depthof the desert. 

At this point something uncommon was happening. The Greeks stoodunoccupied not far from the junction of the two ravines; but at thejuncture itself, and between the highway and the staff of Ramses, marched out four dense lines of some other army, like four fences, bristling with glittering darts. 

In spite of the steep road the prince rushed down at full speed to hisdivision, to the place where the minister of war stood surrounded byofficers. 

"What is happening?" called he, threateningly. "Why sound an alarminstead of marching?"

"We are cut off, " said Herhor. 

"By whom?"

"Our division by three regiments of Nitager, who has marched out of thedesert. "

"Then the enemy is there, near the highway?"

"Yes, the invincible Nitager himself. "

It seemed in that moment that the heir to the throne had gone mad. Hislips were contorted, his eyes were starting out of their sockets. Hedrew his sword, rushed to the Greeks, and cried, "Follow me against those who bar the road to us. "

"O heir, live forever!" cried Patrokles, who drew his sword also. "Forward, descendants of Achilles!" said he, turning to his men. "Wewill teach those Egyptian cowkeepers not to stop us!"

Trumpets sounded the attack. Four short but erect Greek columns rushedforward, a cloud of dust rose, and a shout in honor of Ramses. 

After a couple of minutes the Greeks found themselves in the presenceof the Egyptian regiments, and hesitated. 

"Forward!" cried the heir, rushing on, sword in hand. 

The Greeks lowered their spears. On the opposing side there was amovement, a murmur flew along the ranks, and spears also were lowered. 

"Who are ye, madmen?" asked a mighty voice. 

"The heir to the throne!" shouted Patrokles. 

A moment of silence. 

"Open ranks!" commanded the same voice, mighty as before. 

The regiments of the eastern army opened slowly, like heavy folding-doors, and the Greek division passed between them. 

Then a gray-haired warrior in golden helmet and armor approached PrinceRamses and said with a low obeisance, "Erpatr, [Heir] Thou hast conquered. Only a great warrior could freehimself from difficulty in that way. "

"Thou art Nitager, the bravest of the brave!" cried the prince. 

At that moment Herhor approached. He had heard the conversation, andsaid abruptly, "Had there been on your side such an awkward leader as the erpatr, howcould we have finished the maneuvers?"

"Let the young warrior alone!" answered Nitager. "Is it not enough forthee that he has shown the iron claws, as was proper for a son of thepharaoh?"

Tutmosis, noting the turn which the conversation had taken, askedNitager, "Whence hast Thou come, that thy main forces are in front of our army?"

"I knew how incompetently the division was marching from Memphis, whenthe heir was concentrating his regiments near Pi-Bailos, and for sportI wished to capture you young lords. To my misfortune the heir was hereand spoiled my plans. Act that way always, Ramses, of course inpresence of real enemies. "

"But if, as today, he meets a force three times superior?" inquiredHerhor. 

"Daring keenness means more than strength, " replied the old leader. "Anelephant is fifty times stronger than a man; still he yields to him, ordies at his hands. "

Herhor listened in silence. 

The maneuvers were declared finished. Prince Ramses with the ministerand commanders went to the army near Pi-Bailos. There he greetedNitager's veterans, took farewell of his own regiments, commanded themto march eastward, and wished success to them. 

Then, surrounded by a great suite, he returned by the highway toMemphis amid crowds from the land of Goshen, who with green garlandsand in holiday robes congratulated the conqueror. 

When the highway turned toward the desert, the crowd became thinner, and when they approached the place where the staff of the heir hadentered the ravine because of the scarabs, there was no one. 

Ramses nodded to Tutmosis, and pointing to the naked hill, whispered, "Thou wilt go to Sarah. "

"I understand. "

"Tell her father that I will give him land outside Memphis. "

"I understand. Thou wilt have her to-morrow. "

After this conversation Tutmosis withdrew to the troops marching behindthe suite, and vanished. 

Almost opposite the ravine along which the army had passed in themorning, some tens of steps from the road, stood a tamarind-tree which, though old, was not large. At this point a halt was mad by the guardwhich had preceded the suite. 

"Shall we meet scarabs again?" asked Ramses, with a laugh. 

"We shall see, " answered Herhor. 

They looked; on the slender tree a naked man was hanging. 

"What does this mean?" asked the heir, with emotion. 

Adjutants ran to the tree, and saw that the hanging man was that oldslave whose canal they had closed in the morning. 

"He did right to hang himself!" cried Eunana among the officers. "Couldye believe it, that wretch dared to seize the feet of his holiness theminister!"

On hearing this, Ramses reined in his horse, dismounted, and walked upto the ominous tree. 

The slave was hanging with his head stretched forward; his mouth wasopened widely, his hands turned toward the spectators, and terror wasin his eyes. He looked like a man who had wished to say something, butwhose voice had failed him. 

"The unfortunate!" sighed Ramses, with compassion. 

On returning to the retinue he gave command to relate to him thehistory of the man, and then he rode a long time in silence. 

Before his eyes was the picture of the suicide, and in his heart wasthe feeling that a great wrong had been done, such a wrong that evenhe, the son and the heir of the pharaoh, might halt in face of it. 

The heat was unendurable, the dust dried up the water and pierced theeyes of man and beast. The division was detained for a short rest, andmeanwhile Nitager finished his conversation with the minister. 

"My officers, " said the old commander, "never look under their feet, but always straight forward. "

"That is the reason, perhaps, why no enemy has ever surprised me. "

"Your worthiness reminds me, by these words, that I am to pay certaindebts, " remarked Herhor; and he commanded the officers and soldiers whowere near by to assemble. 

"And now, " said the minister, "summon for me Eunana. "

The officer covered with amulets was found as quickly as if he had beenwaiting for this summons a long time. On his countenance was depicteddelight, which he restrained through humility, but with effort. 

Herhor, seeing Eunana before him, began, "By the will of his holiness, supreme command of the army comes into myhands again with the ending of the maneuvers. "

Those present bowed their heads. 

"It is my duty to use this power first of all in meting out justice. "

The officers looked at one another. 

"Eunana, " said the minister, "I know that Thou hast always been one ofthe most diligent officers. "

"Truth speaks through thy lips, worthy lord, " replied Eunana. "As apalm waits for dew, so do I for the commands of superiors. And when Ido not receive them, I am like an orphan in the desert when looking fora pathway. "

Nitager's scar-covered officers listened with astonishment to the readyspeech of Eunana, and thought, "He will be raised above others!"

"Eunana, " said the minister, "Thou art not only diligent, but pious;not only pious, but watchful as an ibis over water. The gods havepoured out on thee every virtue: they have given thee serpent cunning, with the eye of a falcon. "

"Pure truth flows from thy lips, worthiness, " added Eunana. "Were itnot for my wonderful sight, I should not have seen the two scarabs. "

"Yes, and Thou wouldst not have saved our camp from sacrilege. For thisdeed, worthy of the most pious Egyptian, I give thee. "

Here the minister took a gold ring from his finger. 

"I give thee this ring with the name of the goddess Mut, whose favorand prudence will accompany thee to the end of thy worldly wandering, if Thou deserve it. "

His worthiness delivered the ring to Eunana, and those present uttereda great shout in honor of the pharaoh, and rattled their weapons. 

As Herhor did not move, Eunana stood and looked him in the eyes, like afaithful dog which having received one morsel from his master iswagging his tail and waiting. 

"And now, " continued the minister, "confess, Eunana, why Thou didst nottell whither the heir to the throne went when the army was marchingalong the ravine with such difficulty. Thou didst an evil deed, for wehad to sound the alarm in the neighborhood of the enemy. "

"The gods are my witnesses that I know nothing of the most worthyprince, " replied the astonished Eunana. 

Herhor shook his head. 

"It cannot be that a man gifted with such sight, a man who at some tensof yards away sees sacred scarabs in the sand, should not see so greata personage as the heir to the throne is. "

"Indeed I did not see him!" explained Eunana, beating his breast. "Moreover no one commanded me to watch Ramses. "

"Did I not free thee from leading the vanguard? Did I assign to thee anoffice?" asked the minister. "Thou wert entirely free, just like a manwho is called to important deeds. And didst Thou accomplish thy task?For such an error in time of war Thou shouldst suffer death surely. "

The ill-fated officer was pallid. 

"But I have a paternal heart for thee, Eunana, " said Herhor, "and, remembering the great service which Thou hast rendered by discoveringthe scarabs, I, not as a stern minister, but as a mild priest, appointto thee a very small punishment. Thou wilt receive fifty blows of astick on thy body. "

"Worthiness!"

"Eunana, Thou hast known how to be fortunate, now be manful and receivethis slight remembrance as becomes an officer in the army of hisholiness. "

Barely had the worthy Herhor finished when the officers oldest in rankplaced Eunana in a commodious position at the side of the highroad. After that one of them sat on his neck, another on his feet, while athird and a fourth counted out fifty blows of pliant reeds on his nakedbody. 

The unterrified warrior uttered no groan; on the contrary, he hummed asoldier song, and at the end of the ceremony wished to rise. But hisstiffened legs refused obedience, so he fell face downward on the sand;they had to take him to Memphis on a two-wheeled vehicle. While lyingon this cart and smiling at the soldiers, Eunana considered that thewind does not change so quickly in Lower Egypt as fortune in the lifeof an inferior officer. 

When, after the brief halt, the retinue of the heir to the throne movedon its farther journey, Herhor mounted his horse and riding at the sideof Nitager, spoke in an undertone about Asiatic nations and, above all, about the awakening of Assyria. 

Then two servants of the minister, the adjutant carrying his fan andthe secretary Pentuer, began a conversation also. 

"What dost Thou think of Eunana's adventure?" asked the adjutant. 

"And what thinkest Thou of the slave who hanged himself?"

"It seems to me that this was his best day, and the rope around hisneck the softest thing that has touched him in life. I think, too, thatEunana from this time on will watch the heir to the throne veryclosely. "

"Thou art mistaken, " answered Pentuer. "Eunana from this time on willnever see a scarab, even though it were as large as a bullock. As tothat slave, dost Thou not think that in every case it must have beenvery evil for him very evil in this sacred land of Egypt?"

"Thou knowest not slaves, hence speakest thus. "

"But who knows them better?" asked Pentuer, gloomily. "Have I not grownup among them? Have I not seen my father watering land, clearingcanals, sowing, harvesting, and, above all, paying tribute? Oh, Thouknowest not the lot of slaves in Egypt. "

"But if I do not, I know the lot of the foreigner. My great-grandfatheror great-great-grandfather was famous among the Hyksos, but he remainedhere, for he grew attached to this country. And what wilt Thou say? Notonly was his property taken from him, but the stain of my origin restson me at present. Thou thyself knowest what I bear frequently fromEgyptians by race, though I have a considerable position. How, then, can I take pity on the Egyptian earth-worker, who, seeing my yellowcomplexion, mutters frequently, 'Pagan! foreigner!' The earth-worker isneither a pagan nor a foreigner. "

"Only a slave, " added Pentuer, "a slave whom they marry, divorce, beat, sell, slay sometimes, and command always to work, with a promisebesides that in the world to come he will be a slave also. "

"Thou art a strange man, though so wise!" said the adjutant, shrugginghis shoulders. "Dost Thou not see that each man of us occupies someposition, low, less low, or very low, in which he must labor? But dostThou suffer because Thou art not pharaoh, and thy tomb will not be apyramid? Thou dost not ponder at all over this, for Thou knowest it tobe the world's condition. Each creature does its own duty: the oxploughs, the ass bears the traveler, I cool his worthiness, Thourememberest and thinkest for him, while the earth-worker tills land andpays tribute. What is it to us that some bull is born Apis, to whom allrender homage, and some man a pharaoh or a nomarch?"

"The ten years' toil of that man was destroyed, " whispered Pentuer. 

"And does not the minister destroy thy toil?" asked the adjutant. "Whoknows that Thou art the manager of the state, not the worthy Herhor?"

"Thou art mistaken. He manages really. He has power and will; I haveonly knowledge. Moreover, they do not beat thee, nor me, like thatslave. "

"But they have beaten Eunana, and they may beat us also. Hence there isneed to be brave and make use of the position assigned us; all the moresince, as is known to thee, our spirit, the immortal Ka, in proportionas it is purified rises to a higher plane, so that after thousands ormillions of years, in company with spirits of pharaohs and slaves, incompany with gods even, it will be merged into the nameless and all-mighty father of existence. "

"Thou speakest like a priest, " answered Pentuer, with bitterness. "Iought rather to have this calm! But instead of it I have pain in mysoul, for I feel the wretchedness of millions. "

"Who tells it to thee?"

"My eyes and my heart. My heart is like a valley between mountainswhich never can be silent, when it hears a cry, but must answer with anecho. "

"I say to thee, Pentuer, that Thou thinkest too much over dangeroussubjects. It is impossible to walk safely along precipices of theeastern mountains, for Thou mayst fall at any moment; or to wanderthrough the western desert, where hungry lions are prowling, and wherethe raging simoom springs up unexpectedly. "

Meanwhile the valiant Eunana moved on in the vehicle, which only addedto his pain. But to show that he was valiant he requested food anddrink; and when he had eaten a dry cake rubbed with garlic and haddrunk some beer from a thick-bellied pot, he begged the driver to takea branch and drive the flies from his wounded body. 

Thus lying on the bags and packs in that squeaking car, with his facetoward the earth, the unfortunate Eunana sang with a groaning voice thegrievous lot of the inferior officer, "Why dost Thou say that the scribe's lot is worse than the officer's?Come and see my blue stripes and swollen body; meanwhile I will tellthee the tale of a downtrodden officer. 

"I was a boy when they brought me to the barracks. For breakfast I hadblows of fists in the belly, till I fainted; for dinner fists in theeyes, till my mouth gaped; and for supper I had a head covered withwounds and almost split open. 

"Goon! let me tell how I made the campaign to Syria. Food and drink Ihad to carry on my back, I was bent down with weight as an ass is bent. My neck became stiff, like an ass's neck, and the joints of my backswelled. I drank rotten water, I was like a captive bird in the face ofthe enemy. 

"I returned to Egypt, but here I am like a tree into which a worm isboring always. For any trifle they put me on the ground and beat metill I am breaking. I am sick and must lie at full length; they carryme in a car, meanwhile serving men steal my mantle and escape with it. 

"So change thy mind, O scribe, about the happiness of officers. "[Authentic]

Thus sang the brave Eunana; and his tearful song has outlived theEgyptian kingdom. 

CHAPTER V

AS the suite of the heir approached Memphis, the sun was near itssetting, while from countless canals and the distant sea came a windfilled with cool moisture. The road descended again to the fertileregion, where on fields and among bushes continuous ranks of peoplewere working, a rosy gleam was falling on the desert, and the mountainsummits were in a blaze of sunlight. 

Ramses halted and turned his horse. His suite surrounded him quickly, the higher officers approached with some leisure, while the marchingregiments drew nearer slowly and with even tread. In the purple rays ofthe setting sun, the prince had the seeming of a divinity, the soldiersgazed at him with affection and pride, the chiefs looked admiringly. 

He raised his hand. All were silent. 

"Worthy leaders, " began he, "brave officers, obedient soldiers! Todaythe gods have given me the pleasure of commanding you. Delight hasfilled my heart. And since it is my will that leaders, officers, andsoldiers should share my happiness at all times, I assign one drachmato each soldier of those who have gone to the east, and to those whoreturn with us from the eastern boundary; also one drachma each to theGreek soldiers who today, under my command, opened a passage out of theravine; and one drachma to each man in the regiments of the worthyNitager who wished to cut off the way to us. "

There was a shout in the army. 

"Be well, our leader! Be well, successor of the pharaoh, may he liveeternally!" cried the soldiers; and the Greeks cried the loudest. 

The prince continued, "I assign five talents to be divided among the lower officers of myarmy and that of the worthy Nitager. And finally I assign ten talentsto be divided between his worthiness the minister and the chiefleaders. "

"I yield ray part for the benefit of the army, " answered Herhor. 

"Be well, O heir! be well, O minister!" cried the officers and thesoldiers. 

The ruddy circle of the sun had touched the sands of the westerndesert. Ramses took farewell of the army and galloped towards Memphis;but his worthiness Herhor, amid joyous shouts, took a seat in hislitter and commanded also to go in advance of the marching divisions. 

When they had gone so far that single voices were merged into oneimmense murmur, like the sound of a cataract, the minister, bendingtoward the secretary, asked of him, "Dost Thou remember everything?"

"Yes, worthy lord. "

"Thy memory is like granite on which we write history, and thy wisdomlike the Nile, which covers all the country and enriches it, " saidHerhor. "Besides, the gods have granted thee the greatest of virtues, wise obedience. "

The secretary was silent. 

"Hence Thou mayest estimate more accurately than others the acts andreasons of the heir, may he live through eternity!"

The minister stopped awhile, and then added, "It has not been his custom to speak so much. Tell me then, Pentuer, and record this: Is it proper that the heir to the throne shouldexpress his will before the army? Only a pharaoh may act thus, or atraitor, or a frivolous stripling, who with the same heedlessness willdo hasty deeds or belch forth words of blasphemy. "

The sun went down, and soon after a starry night appeared. Above thecountless canals of Lower Egypt a silvery mist began to thicken, a mistwhich, borne to the desert by a gentle wind, freshened the weariedwarriors, and revived vegetation which had been dying through lack ofmoisture. 

"Or tell me, Pentuer, " continued the minister, "and inquire: whencewill the heir get his twenty talents to keep the promise which he madethis day to the army with such improvidence? Besides, it seems to me, and certainly to thee, a dangerous step for an heir to make presents tothe army, especially now, when his holiness has nothing with which topay Nitager's regiments returning from the Orient. I do not ask whatthy opinions are, for I know them, as Thou knowest my most secretthoughts. I only ask thee to the end that Thou remember what Thou hastseen, so as to tell it to the priests in council. "

"Will they meet soon?" inquired Pentuer. 

"There is no reason yet to summon them. I shall try first to calm thiswild young bull through the fatherly hand of his holiness. It would bea pity to lose the boy, for he has much ability and the energy of asouthern whirlwind. But if the whirlwind, instead of blowing awayEgypt's enemies, blows down its wheat and tears up its palm-trees!"

The minister stopped conversation, and his retinue vanished in the darkalley of trees which led to Memphis. 

Meanwhile Ramses reached the palace of the pharaoh. 

This edifice stood on an elevation in a park outside the city. Peculiartrees grew there: baobabs from the south; pines, oaks, and cedars fromthe north. Thanks to the art of gardeners, these trees lived some tensof years and reached a considerable height. 

The shady alley led to a gate which was as high as a house of threestories. From each side of the gate rose a solid building like a towerin the form of a truncated pyramid, forty yards in width with theheight of five stories. In the night they seemed like two immense tentsmade of sandstone. These peculiar buildings had on the ground and theupper stories square windows, and the roofs were flat. From the top ofone of these pyramids without apex, a watch looked at the country; fromthe other the priest on duty observed the stars. 

At the right and left of these towers, called pylons, extended walls, or rather long structures of one story, with narrow windows and flatroofs, on which sentries paced back and forth. On both sides of themain gate were two sitting statues fifteen feet in height. In front ofthese statues moved other sentries. 

When the prince, with a number of horsemen, approached the palace, thesentry knew him in spite of the darkness. Soon an official of the courtran out of the pylon. He was clothed in a white skirt and dark mantle, and wore a wig as large as a headdress. 

"Is the palace closed already?" inquired the prince. 

"Thou art speaking truth, worthy lord, " said the official. "Hisholiness is preparing the god for sleep. "

"What will he do after that?"

"He will be pleased to receive the war minister, Herhor. "

"Well, and later?"

"Later his holiness will look at the ballet in the great hall, then hewill bathe and recite evening prayers. "

"Has he not commanded to receive me?" inquired Ramses. 

"Tomorrow morning after the military council. "

"What are the queens doing?"

"The first queen is praying in the chamber of her dead son, and thyworthy mother is receiving the Phoenician ambassador, who has broughther gifts from the women of Tyre. "

"Did he bring maidens?"

"A number of them. Each has on her person treasures to the value of tentalents. "

"Who is moving about down there with torches?" asked the prince, pointing to the lower park. 

"They are taking thy brother, worthiness, from a tree where he has beensitting since midday. "

"Is he unwilling to come down?"

"He will come down now, for the first queen's jester has gone for him, and has promised to take him to the inn where dissectors are drinking. "

"And hast Thou heard anything of the maneuvers of today?"

"They say that the staff was cut off from the corps. "

"And what more?"

The official hesitated. 

"Tell what Thou hast heard. "

"We heard, moreover, that because of this five hundred blows of a stickwere given to a certain officer at thy command, worthiness. "

"It is all a lie!" said one of the adjutants of the heir in anundertone. 

"The soldiers, too, say among themselves that it must be a lie, "returned the official, with growing confidence. 

Ramses turned his horse and rode to the lower part of the park wherehis small palace was situated. It had a ground and an upper story andwas built of wood. Its form was that of an immense hexagon with twoporticos, an upper and a lower one which surrounded the building andrested on a multitude of pillars. Lamps were burning in the interior;hence it was possible to see that the walls were formed of planksperforated like lace, and that these walls were protected from the windby curtains of various colors. The roof of the building was flat, surrounded by a balustrade; on this roof stood a number of tents. 

Greeted heartily by half-naked servitors, some of whom ran out withtorches, while others prostrated themselves before him, the heirentered his residence. On the ground floor he removed his dusty dress, bathed in a stone basin, and put on a kind of great sheet which hefastened at the neck and bound round his waist with a cord for agirdle. On the first floor he ate a supper consisting of a wheatencake, dates, and a glass of light beer. Then he went to the terrace ofthe building, and lying on a couch covered with a lion skin, commandedthe servants to withdraw and to bring up Tutmosis the moment heappeared there. 

About midnight a litter stopped before the residence, and out of itstepped the adjutant. When he walked along the terrace heavily yawningas he went, the prince sprang up from the couch and cried, "Art Thou here? Well, what?"

"Then art Thou not sleeping yet?" replied Tutmosis. "O gods, after somany days of torture! I think that I should sleep until sunrise. "

"What of Sarah?"

"She will be here the day after to-morrow, or Thou wilt be with her inthe house beyond the river. "

"Only after to-morrow!"

"Only? I beg thee, Ramses, to sleep. Thou hast taken too much bad bloodto thy heart, fire will strike to thy head. "

"What about her father?"

"He is honorable and wise. They call him Gideon. When I told him thatThou hadst the wish to take his daughter, he fell on the ground andtore his hair. Of course I waited till this outburst of fatherlysuffering was over; I ate a little, drank some wine, and at lastproceeded to bargaining. The weeping Gideon swore first of all that hewould rather see his daughter dead than the mistress of any man. Then Itold him that near Memphis, on the Nile, he would receive land whichgives two talents of yearly income and pays no taxes. He was indignant. Then I stated that he might receive another talent yearly in gold andsilver. He sighed and declared that his daughter had spent three yearsat school in Pi-Bailos; I added another talent. Then Gideon, stilldisconsolate, remembered that he would lose his very good position ofmanager for the lord Sesofris. I told him that he need not lose thatplace, and added ten milch cows from thy stables. His forehead clearedsomewhat; then he confessed to me, as a profound secret, that a certainvery great lord, Chaires, who bears the fan of the nomarch of Memphis, was turning attention toward Sarah. I promised then to add a youngbull, a medium chain of gold, and a large bracelet. In this way thySarah will cost thee land, two talents yearly in money, ten cows, ayoung bull, a chain and a gold bracelet, immediately. These Thou wiltgive to her father, the honest Gideon; to her Thou wilt give whateverpleases thee. "

"What did Sarah say to this?"

"While we were bargaining she walked among the trees. When we hadfinished the matter and settled it by drinking good Hebrew wine, shetold her father dost Thou know what? that if he had not given her tothee, she would have gone up the cliff and thrown herself down headforemost. Now Thou mayst sleep quietly, I think, " ended Tutmosis. 

"I doubt it, " answered Ramses, leaning on the balustrade and lookinginto the emptiest side of the park. "Dost Thou know that on the wayback we found a man hanging from a tree?"

"Oh! that is worse than the scarabs!"

"He hanged himself from despair because the warriors filled the canalwhich he had been digging for ten years in the desert. "

"Well, that man is sleeping now quietly. So it is time for us. "

"That man was wronged, " said the prince. "I must find his children, ransom them, and rent a bit of laud to them. "

"But Thou must do this with great secrecy, " remarked Tutmosis, "or allslaves will begin to hang themselves, and no Phoenician will lend us, their lords, a copper uten. "

"Jest not. Hadst Thou seen that man's face, sleep would be absent to-night from thy eyes as it is from mine. "

Meanwhile from below, among the bushes, was heard a voice, not overpowerful, but clear, "May the One, the All-Powerful, bless thee, Ramses, He who has no namein human speech, or statue in a temple. "

Both young men bent forward in astonishment. 

"Who art thou?" called out the prince. 

"I am the injured people of Egypt, " replied the voice, slowly and withcalmness. 

Then all was silent. No motion, no rustle of branches betrayed humanpresence in that place. 

At command of Ramses servants rushed out with torches, the dogs wereunchained, and every bush around the house was searched. But they foundno one. 

"Who could that have been, Tutmosis?" asked the prince, with emotion. "Perhaps it was the ghost of that slave who hanged himself?"

"I have never heard ghosts talking, though I have been on guard attemples and tombs more than once. I should think, rather, that he whohas just called to us is some friend of thine. "

"Why should he hide?"

"But what harm is that to thee? Each one of us has tens, if nothundreds, of invisible enemies. Thank the gods, then, that Thou hasteven one invisible friend. "

"I shall not sleep to-night, " whispered the excited prince. 

"Be calm. Instead of running along the terrace listen to me and liedown. Thou wilt see Sleep that is a deliberate divinity, and it doesnot befit him to chase after those who run with the pace of a deer. IfThou wilt lie down on a comfortable couch, Sleep, who loves comfort, will sit near thee and cover thee with his great mantle, which coversnot only men's eyes, but their memories. "

Thus speaking, Tutmosis placed Ramses on a couch; then he brought anivory pillow shaped like a crescent, and arranging the prince, placedhis head on this pillow. 

Then he let down the canvas walls of the tent, laid himself on thefloor, and both were asleep in some minutes. 

CHAPTER VI

THE entrance to the pharaoh's palace at Memphis was through a gateplaced between two lofty towers or pylons. The external walls of thesebuildings were of gray sandstone covered from foundation to summit withbas reliefs. 

At the top of the gate rose the arms of the state, or its symbol: awinged globe, from behind which appeared two serpents. Lower down sat aseries of gods to which the pharaohs were bringing offerings. On sidepillars images of the gods were cut out also in five rows, one abovethe other, while below were hieroglyphic inscriptions. 

On the walls of each pylon the chief place was occupied by a flatsculpture of Ramses the Great, who held in one hand an uplifted axe andgrasped in the other, by the hair of the head, a crowd of people tiedin a bundle, like parsley. Above the king stood or sat two rows ofgods; still higher, a line of people with offerings; at the very summitof the pylons were winged serpents intertwined with scarabs. 

Those pylons with walls narrowing toward the top, the gate whichconnected them, the flat sculptures in which order was mingled withgloomy fantasy and piety with cruelty, produced a tremendousimpression. It seemed difficult to enter that place, impossible to goout, and a burden to live there. 

From the gate, before which stood troops and a throng of smallofficials, those who entered came into a court surrounded by porticosresting on pillars. That was an ornamental garden, in which werecultivated aloes, palms, pomegranates, and cedars in pots, all placedin rows and selected according to size. In the middle shot up afountain; the paths were sprinkled with colored sand. 

Under the gallery sat or walked higher officials of the state, speakingin low tones. 

From the court, through a high door, the visitor passed to a hall oftwelve lofty columns. The hall was large, but as the columns also werelarge, the hall seemed diminutive. It was lighted by small windows inthe walls and through a rectangular opening in the roof. Coolness andshade prevailed there; the shade was almost a gloom, which did not, however, prevent him who entered from seeing the yellow walls andpillars, covered with lines of paintings. At the top leaves and flowerswere represented; lower down, the gods; still lower, people who carriedtheir statues or brought them offerings; and between these groups werelines of hieroglyphs. 

All this was painted in clear, almost glaring colors, green, red, andblue. 

In this hall, with its varied mosaic pavement, stood in silence, whiterobed and barefoot, the priests, the highest dignitaries of State, Herhor, the minister of war, also the leaders Nitager and Patrokles, who had been summoned to the presence of the pharaoh. 

His holiness Ramses XII, as usual before he held council, was placingofferings before the gods in his chapel. This continued rather long. Every moment some priest or official ran in from the more distantchambers and communicated news touching the course of the service. 

"The lord has broken the seal to the chapel He is washing the sacreddivinity Now he is putting it away Now he has closed the door. "

On the faces of courtiers, notwithstanding their offices, concern andhumility were evident. But Herhor was indifferent, Patrokles impatient, and Nitager now and then disturbed with his deep voice the solemnsilence. After every such impolite sound from the old leader, thecourtiers moved, like frightened sheep, and looked at one another, asif saying, "This rustic has been hunting barbarians all his life, we may pardonhim. "

From remoter chambers were heard the sound of bells and the clatter ofweapons. Into the hall came in two ranks some tens of the guard in gilthelmets, in breastplates, and with drawn swords, next two ranks ofpriests, and at last appeared the pharaoh, carried in a litter, surrounded by clouds of smoke and incense. 

The ruler of Egypt, Ramses XII, was nearly sixty years old. His facewas withered. He wore a white mantle; on his head was a red and whitecap with a golden serpent; in his hand he held a long staff. 

When the retinue showed itself, all present fell on their faces, exceptPatrokles, who, as a barbarian, stopped at a low bow, while Nitagerknelt on one knee, but soon rose again. 

The litter stopped before a baldachin under which was an ebony throneon an elevation. The pharaoh descended slowly from the litter, lookedawhile at those present, and then, taking his seat on the throne, gazedfixedly at the cornice on which was painted a rose-colored globe withblue wings and green serpents. 

On the right of the pharaoh stood the chief scribe, on the left a judgewith a staff; both wore immense wigs. 

At a sign from the judge all sat down or knelt on the pavement, whilethe scribe said to the pharaoh, "Our lord and mighty ruler! Thy servant Nitager, the great guard on theeastern boundary, has come to render thee homage, and has broughttribute from conquered nations: a vase of green stone filled with gold, three hundred oxen, a hundred horses, and the fragrant wood teshep. "

"That is a mean tribute, my lord, " said Nitager. "Real treasures we canfind only on the Euphrates, where splendid kings, though weak so far, need much to be reminded of Ramses the Great. "

"Answer my servant Nitager, " said the pharaoh to the scribe, "that hiswords will be taken under careful consideration. But now ask him whathe thinks of the military ability of my son and heir, whom he had thehonor of meeting near Pi-Bailos yesterday. "

"Our lord, the master of nine nations, asks thee, Nitager" began thescribe. 

But the leader interrupted quickly, to the great dissatisfaction of thecourtiers, "I hear myself what my lord says. Only the heir to the throne could behis mouth when he turns to me; not thou, chief scribe. "

The scribe looked with consternation at the daring leader, but thepharaoh answered, "My faithful Nitager speaks truth. "

The minister of war bowed. 

Now the judge announced to all present to the priests, the officials, and the guards that they might go to the palace courtyard; and hehimself, bowing to the throne, was the first to go thither. In the hallremained only the pharaoh, Herhor, and the two leaders. 

"Incline thy ears, O sovereign, and listen to complaints, " beganNitager. "This morning the official priest, who came at thy command toanoint my hair, told me that in going to thee I was to leave my sandalsin the entrance hall. Meanwhile it is known, not only in Upper andLower Egypt, but in the Hittite country, Libya, Phoenicia, and the landof Punt, that twenty years ago Thou didst give me the right to standbefore thee in sandals. "

"Thou speakest truth, " said the pharaoh. "Various disorders have creptinto the court ceremonial. "

"Only give command, O king, and my veterans will produce orderimmediately, " added Nitager. 

At a sign given by the minister of war, a number of officials ran in:one brought sandals and put them on Nitager's feet; others put downcostly stools for the minister and leaders. 

When the three dignitaries were seated, Ramses XII said, "Tell me, Nitager, dost Thou think that my son will be a leader? Buttell pure truth. "

"By Amon of Thebes, by the glory of my ancestors in whom was bloodroyal, I swear that thy heir, Prince Ramses, will be a great leader, ifthe gods permit, " replied Nitager. "He is a young man, a lad yet; stillhe concentrated his regiments, eased their march, and provided forthem. He pleased me most of all by this, that he did not lose his headwhen I cut off the road before him, but led his men to the attack. Hewill be a leader, and will conquer the Assyrians, whom we must vanquishtoday if they are not to be seen on the Nile by our grandchildren. "

"What dost Thou say to that?" inquired the pharaoh of Herhor. 

"As to the Assyrians, I think that the worthy Nitager is concernedabout them too early. We must strengthen ourselves well before we begina new war. As to the heir, Nitager says justly that the young man hasthe qualities of a leader: he is as keen as a fox, and has the energyof a lion. Still he made many blunders yesterday. 

"Who among us has not made them?" put in Patrokles, silent thus far. 

"The heir, " continued the minister, "led the main corps wisely, but heneglected his staff; through this neglect we marched so slowly and insuch disorder that Nitager was able to cut off the road before us. "

"Perhaps Ramses counted on your dignity, " said Nitager. 

"In government and war we must count on no man: one unreckoned littlestone may overturn everything, " said the minister. 

"If thou, worthiness, " answered Patrokles, "had not pushed the columnsfrom the road because of those scarabs. "

"Thou, worthiness, art a foreigner and an unbeliever, " retorted Herhor, "hence this speech. But we Egyptians understand that when the peopleand the soldiers cease to reverence the scarabs, their sons will ceaseto fear the ureus (the serpent). From contempt of the gods is bornrevolt against the pharaohs. "

"But what are axes for?" asked Nitager. "Whoso wishes to keep a head onhis shoulders let him listen to the supreme commander. "

"What then is your final opinion of the heir?" asked the pharaoh ofHerhor. 

"Living image of the sun, child of the gods, " replied the minister. "Command to anoint Ramses, give him a grand chain and ten talents, butdo not appoint him yet to command the corps in Memphis. The prince istoo young for that office, too passionate and inexperienced. Can werecognize him as the equal of Patrokles, who has trampled theEthiopians and the Libyans in twenty battles? Or can we place him atthe side of Nitager, whose name alone brings pallor to our northern andeastern enemies?"

The pharaoh rested his head on his hand, meditated, and said, "Depart with my favor and in peace. I will do what is indicated bywisdom and justice. "

The dignitaries bowed low, and Ramses XII, without waiting for hissuite, passed to remoter chambers. 

When the two leaders found themselves alone in the entrance hall, Nitager said to Patrokles, "Here priests rule as in their own house. I see that. But what a leaderthat Herhor is! He vanquished us before we spoke; he does not grant acorps to the heir. "

"He praised me so that I dared not utter a word, " said Patrokles. 

"He is far seeing, and does not tell all he thinks. In the wake of theheir various young lords who go to war taking singers would have shovedthemselves into the corps, and they would occupy the highest places. Naturally old officers would fall into idleness from anger, becausepromotion had missed them; the exquisites would be idle for the sake ofamusement, and the corps would break up without even meeting an enemy. Oh, Herhor is a sage!"

"May his wisdom not cost thee more than the inexperience of Ramses, "whispered Patrokles. 

Through a series of chambers filled with columns and adorned withpaintings, where at each door priests and palace officials gave lowobeisances before him, the pharaoh passed to his cabinet. That was alofty hall with alabaster walls on which in gold and bright colors weredepicted the most famous events in the reign of Ramses XII, thereforehomage given him by the inhabitants of Mesopotamia, the embassy fromthe King of Buchten, and the triumphal journey of the god Khonsuthrough the land of that potentate. 

In this hall was the malachite statue of the bird-headed Horus, adornedwith gold and jewels. In front of the statue was an altar shaped as atruncated pyramid, the king's armor, costly armchairs and stools, alsotables covered with trifles and small objects. 

When the pharaoh appeared, one of the priests burnt incense before him, and one of the officials announced Prince Ramses, who soon entered andbowed low before his father. On the expressive face of the princefeverish disquiet was evident. 

"Erpatr, I rejoice, " said the pharaoh, "that Thou hast returned in goodhealth from a difficult journey. "

"Mayst Thou live through eternity, holiness, and thy affairs fill thetwo worlds!" replied Ramses. 

"My military advisers have just informed me of thy labor and prudence. "

The heir's face quivered and changed. He fixed great eyes on thepharaoh and listened. 

"Thy deeds will not remain without reward. Thou wilt receive tentalents, a great chain, and two Greek regiments with which Thou wiltexercise. "

Ramses was amazed, but after a while he asked with a stifled voice, "But the corps in Memphis?"

"In a year we will repeat the maneuvers, and if Thou make no mistake inleading the army Thou wilt get the corps. "

"I know that Herhor did this!" cried the prince, hardly restraining hisanger. 

He looked around, and added, "lean never be alone with thee, my father;strangers are always between us. "

The pharaoh moved his brows slightly, and his suite vanished, like acrowd of shadows. 

"What hast Thou to tell me?"

"Only one thing, father. Herhor is my enemy. He accused me to thee andexposed me to this shame!"

In spite of his posture of obedience the prince gnawed his lips andballed his fists. 

"Herhor is thy friend and my faithful servant. It was his persuasionthat made thee heir to the throne. But I will not confide a corps to ayouthful leader who lets himself be cut off from his army. "

"I joined it, " answered the crushed heir; "but Herhor commanded tomarch around two beetles. "

"Dost Thou wish that a priest should make light of religion in thepresence of the army?"

"My father, " whispered Ramses, with quivering voice, "to avoid spoilingthe journey of the beetles a canal was destroyed, and a man waskilled. "

"That man raised his own hands on himself. "

"But that was the fault of Herhor. "

"In the regiments which them didst concentrate near Pi-Bailos thirtymen died from over-exertion, and several hundred are sick. "

The prince dropped his head. 

"Ramses, " continued the pharaoh, "through thy lips is speaking not adignitary of the state who is thinking of the soundness of canals andthe lives of laborers, but an angry person. Anger does not accord withjustice any more than a falcon with a dove. "

"Oh, my father, " burst out the heir, "if anger carries me away, it isbecause I feel the ill-will of the priests and of Herhor. "

"But Thou art thyself the grandson of a high priest; the priests taughtthee. Thou hast learned more of their secrets than any other princeever has. "

"I have learned their insatiable pride, and greed of power. And becauseI will abridge it they are my enemies. Herhor is not willing to give meeven a corps, for he wishes to manage the whole army. "

When he had thrown out these incautious words, the heir was frightened. But the ruler raised his clear glance, and answered quietly, "I manage the state and the army. From me flow all commands anddecisions. In this world I am the balance of Osiris, and I myself weighthe services of my servants, be they the heir, a minister, or thepeople. Imprudent would he be who should think that all intrigues arenot known to me. "

"But, father, if Thou hadst seen with thy own eyes the course of themaneuvers

"I might have seen a leader, " interrupted the pharaoh, "who in thedecisive moment was chasing through the bushes after an Israelitemaiden. But I do not wish to observe such stupidity. "

The prince fell at his father's feet, and whispered, "Did Tutmosis speak to thee of that, lord?"

"Tutmosis is a child, just as Thou art. He piles up debts as chief ofstaff in the corps of Memphis, and thinks in his heart that the eyes ofthe pharaoh cannot reach to his deeds in the desert. "

CHAPTER VII

Some days later Prince Ramses was summoned before the face of his mostworthy mother, Nikotris, who was the second wife of the pharaoh, butnow the greatest lady in Egypt. The gods were not mistaken when theycalled her to be the mother of a pharaoh. She was a tall person, ofrather full habit, and in spite of forty years was still beautiful. There was in her eyes, face, and whole form such majesty that even whenshe went unattended, in the modest garb of a priestess, people bowedtheir heads to her. 

The worthy lady received Ramses in her cabinet, which was paved withporcelain tiles. She sat on an inlaid armchair under a palm-tree. Ather feet, on a small stool, lay a little dog; on the other side knelt ablack slave woman with a fan. The pharaoh's wife wore a muslin robeembroidered with gold, and on her wig a circlet in the form of a lotus, ornamented with jewels. 

When the prince had bowed low, the little dog sniffed him, then laydown again; while the lady, nodding her head, made inquiry, "For whatreason, O Ramses, hast Thou desired an interview?"

"Two days ago, mother. "

"I knew that Thou wert occupied. But today we both have time, and I canlisten. "

"Thy speech, mother, acts on me as a strong wind of the desert, and Ihave no longer courage to present my petition. "

"Then surely it is a question of money. "

Ramses dropped his head; he was confused. 

"But dost Thou need much money?"

"Fifteen talents. "

"O gods!" cried the lady, "but a couple of days ago ten talents werepaid thee from the treasury. Go, girl, into the garden; Thou must betired, " said she to the black slave; and when alone with her son sheasked, "But is thy Jewess so demanding?"

Ramses blushed, but raised his head. 

"Thou knowest, mother, that she is not. But I promised a reward to thearmy, and I am unable to pay it. "

The queen looked at him with calm loftiness. 

"How evil it is, " said she, after a while, "when a son makes decisionswithout consulting his mother. Just now I, remembering thy age, wishedto give thee a Phoenician slave maiden sent me by Tyre with ten talentsfor dowry. But Thou hast preferred a Jewess. "

"She pleased me. There is not such a beauty among thy serving maidens, mother, nor even among the wives of his holiness. "

"But she is a Jewess!"

"Be not prejudiced, mother, I beg of thee. It is untrue that Jews eatpork and kill cats. "

The worthy lady laughed. 

"Thou art speaking like some boy from a primary school, " answered she, shrugging her shoulders, "and hast forgotten the words of Ramses theGreat: 'The yellow people are more numerous than we and they arericher; let us act against them, lest they grow too powerful, but letus act carefully. ' I do not think, therefore, that a girl of thatpeople is the one to be first mistress of the heir to the throne. "

"Can the words of Ramses the Great apply to the daughter of a poortenant?" asked the prince. "Besides, where are the Jews? Threecenturies ago they left Egypt, and today they form a little state, ridiculous and priest-governed. "

"I see, " answered the worthy lady, frowning slightly, "that thymistress is not losing time. Be careful, Ramses; remember, that theirleader was Messu (Moses), that traitor priest whom we curse to this dayin our temples. Remember that the Jews bore away out of Egypt moretreasures than the labor of their few generations was worth to us; theytook with them not only gold, but the faith in one god, and our sacredlaws, which they give out today as their own faith and laws. Last ofall, know this, " added she, with great emphasis, "that the daughters ofthat people prefer death to the bed of a foreigner. And if they givethemselves even to hostile leaders, it is to use them for their policyor to kill them. "

"Believe me, mother, that it is our priests who spread all thesereports. They will not admit to the footstool of the throne people ofanother faith lest those people might serve the pharaoh in oppositionto their order. "

The queen rose from the armchair, and crossing her arms on her breast, gazed at her son with amazement. 

"What they tell me is true then, Thou art an enemy of our priests. Thou, their favorite pupil!"

"I must have the traces of their canes to this day on my shoulders, "said Ramses. 

"But thy grandfather and my father, Amenhotep, was a high priest, andpossessed extensive power in this country. "

"Just because my grandfather was a pharaoh, and my father is a pharaohalso, I cannot endure the rule of Herhor. "

"He was brought to his position by thy grandfather, the holyAmenhotep. "

"And I will cast him down from it. "

The mother shrugged her shoulders. 

"And it is thou, " answered she, with sadness, "who wishest to lead acorps? But Thou art a spoiled girl, not a man and a leader. "

"How is that?" interrupted the prince, restraining himself withdifficulty from an outburst. 

"I cannot recognize my own son. I do not see in thee the future lord ofEgypt. The dynasty in thy person will be like a Nile boat without arudder. Thou wilt drive the priests from the court, but who will remainwith thee? Who will be thy eye in the Lower and the Upper Country, whoin foreign lands? But the pharaoh must see everything, whatever it be, on which fall the divine rays of Osiris. "

"The priests will be my servants, not my ministers. "

"They are the most faithful servants. Thanks to their prayers thyfather reigns thirty-three years, and avoids war which might be fatal. "

"To the priests?"

"To the pharaoh and the state!" interrupted the lady. "Knowest Thouwhat takes place in our treasury, from which in one day Thou takest tentalents and desirest fifteen more? Knowest Thou that were it not forthe liberality of the priests, who on behalf of the treasury even takereal jewels from the gods and put false ones in their places, theproperty of the pharaoh would be now in the hands of Phoenicians?"

"One fortunate war would overflow our treasury as the increase of theNile does our fields. "

"No. Thou, Ramses, art such a child yet that we may not even reckon thygodless words as sinful. Occupy thyself, I beg, with thy Greekregiments, get rid of the Jew girl as quickly as may be, and leavepolitics to us. "

"Why must I put away Sarah?"

"Shouldst Thou have a son from her, complications might rise in theState, which is troubled enough as matters now are. Thou mayst be angrywith the priests, " added she, "if Thou wilt not offend them in public. They know that it is necessary to overlook much in an heir to thethrone, especially when he has such a stormy character. But timepacifies everything to the glory of the dynasty and the profit ofEgypt. "

The prince meditated; then he said suddenly, "I cannot count, therefore, on money from the treasury. "

"Thou canst not in any case. The grand secretary would have been forcedto stop payment today had I not given him fourteen talents sent fromTyre to me. "

"And what shall I do with the army?" asked the prince, rubbing hisforehead impatiently. 

"Put away the Jewess, and beg the priests. Perhaps they will make aloan to thee. "

"Never! I prefer a loan from Phoenicians. "

The lady shook her head. 

"Thou art erpatr, act as may please thee. But I say that Thou must givegreat security, and the Phoenicians, when once thy creditors, will notlet thee go. They surpass the Jews in treachery. "

"A part of my income will suffice to cover such debts. "

"We shall see. I wish sincerely to help thee, but I have not themeans, " said the lady, sadly. "Do, then, as Thou art able, but rememberthat the Phoenicians in our state are like rats in a granary; when onepushes in through a crevice, others follow. "

Ramses loitered in leave-taking. 

"Hast Thou something more to tell me?" inquired the queen. 

"I should like to ask My heart divines that thou, mother, hast someplans regarding me. What are they?"

She stroked his face. 

"Not now not yet. Thou art free today, like every young noble in thecountry; then make use of thy freedom. But, Ramses, the time is comingwhen Thou wilt have to take a wife whose children will be princes ofthe blood royal and whose son will be thy heir. I am thinking of thattime. "

"And what?"

"Nothing defined yet. In every case political wisdom suggests to methat thy wife should be a priest's daughter. "

"Perhaps Herhor's?" said the prince, with a laugh. 

"What would there be blamable in that? Herhor will be high priest inThebes very soon, and his daughter is only fourteen years of age. "

"And would she consent to occupy the place of the Jewess?" askedRamses, ironically. 

"Thou shouldst try to have people forget thy present error. "

"I kiss thy feet, mother, and I go, " said the prince, seizing his ownhead. "I hear so many marvelous things here that I begin to fear lestthe Nile may flow up toward the cataract, or the pyramids pass over tothe eastern desert. "

"Blaspheme not, my child, " whispered the lady, gazing with fear atRamses. "In this land most wonderful miracles are seen. "

"Are not they this, that the walls of the palace listen to theirowners?" asked her son, with a bitter smile. 

"Men have witnessed the death of pharaohs who had reigned a few monthsonly, and the fall of dynasties which had governed nine nations. "

"Yes, for those pharaohs forgot the sword for the distaff, " retortedRamses. 

He bowed and went out. 

In proportion as the sound of Ramses' steps grew less in the immenseantechamber, the face of the worthy lady changed; the place of majestywas taken by pain and fear, while tears were glistening in her greateyes. 

She ran to the statue of the goddess, knelt, and sprinkling incensefrom India on the coals, began to pray, "O Isis, Isis, Isis! three times do I pronounce thy name. O Isis, whogivest birth to serpents, crocodiles, and ostriches, may thy name bethrice praised. O Isis, who preservest grains of wheat from robberwhirlwinds, and the bodies of our fathers from the destructive toil oftime, Isis, take pity on my son and preserve him! Thrice be thy namerepeated and here and there and beyond, today and forever, and for theages of ages, as long as the temples of our gods shall gaze onthemselves in the waters of the Nile. "

Thus praying and sobbing, the queen bowed down and touched the pavementwith her forehead. Above her at that moment a low whisper was audible, "The voice of the just is heard always. "

The worthy lady sprang up, and full of astonishment looked around. Butthere was no one in the chamber. Only the painted flowers gazed at herfrom the walls, and from above the altar the statue of the goddess fullof super-terrestrial calm. 

CHAPTER VIII

The prince returned to his villa full of care, and summoned Tutmosis. 

"Thou must, " said Ramses, "teach me how to find money. "

"Ha!" laughed the exquisite; "that is a kind of wisdom not taught inthe highest school of the priests, but wisdom in which I might be aprophet. "

"In those schools they explain that a man should not borrow money, "said Ramses. 

"If I did not fear that blasphemy might stain my lips, I should saythat some priests waste their time. They are wretched, though holy!They eat no meat, they are satisfied with one wife, or avoid womenaltogether, and they know not what it is to borrow. I am satisfied, Ramses, " continued the exquisite, "that Thou wilt know this kind ofwisdom through my counsels. Today Thou wilt learn what a source ofsensations lack of money is. A man in need of money has no appetite, hesprings up in sleep, he looks at women with astonishment, as if to ask, 'Why were they created?' Fire flashes in his face in the coolesttemple. In the middle of a desert shivers of cold pass through himduring the greatest heat. He looks like a madman; he does not hear whatpeople say to him. Very often he walks along with his wig awry andforgets to sprinkle it with perfume. His only comfort is a pitcher ofstrong wine, and that for a brief moment. Barely has the poor man'sthoughts come back when again he feels as though the earth were openingunder him. 

"I see, " continued the exquisite, "that at present Thou art passingthrough despair from lack of money. But soon Thou wilt know otherfeelings which will be as if a great sphinx were removed from thybosom. Then Thou wilt yield to the sweet condition of forgetting thyprevious trouble and present creditors, and then Ah, happy Ramses, unusual surprises will await thee! For the term will pass, and thycreditors will begin to visit thee under pretence of paying homage. Thou wilt be like a deer hunted by dogs, or an Egyptian girl who, whileraising water from the river, sees the knotty back of a crocodile. "

"All this seems very gladsome, " interrupted Ramses, smiling; "but itbrings not one drachma. "

"Never mind, " continued Tutmosis. "I will go this moment to Dagon, thePhoenician banker, and in the evening Thou wilt find peace, though hemay not have given thee money. "

He hastened out, took his seat in a small litter, and surrounded byservants vanished in the alleys of the park. 

Before sunset Dagon, a Phoenician, the most noted banker in Memphis, came to the house of Ramses. He was a man in the full bloom of life, yellow, lean, but well built. He wore a blue tunic and over it a whiterobe of thin texture. He had immense hair of his own, confined by agold circlet, and a great black beard, his own also. This rich growthlooked imposing in comparison with the wigs and false beards ofEgyptian exquisites. 

The dwelling of the heir to the throne was swarming with youth of thearistocracy. Some on the ground floor were bathing and anointingthemselves, others were playing chess and checkers on the first story, others in company with dancing girls were drinking under tents on theterrace. Ramses neither drank, played, nor talked with women; he walkedalong one side of the terrace awaiting the Phoenician impatiently. Whenhe saw him emerge from an alley in a litter on two asses, he went tothe first story, where there was an unoccupied chamber. 

After awhile Dagon appeared in the door. He knelt on the threshold andexclaimed, "I greet thee, new sun of Egypt! Mayst Thou live through eternity, andmay thy glory reach those distant shores which are visited by the shipsof Phoenicia. "

At command of the prince, he rose and said with violent gesticulations, "When the worthy Tutmosis descended before my mud hut my house is a mudhut in comparison with thy palaces, erpatr such was the gleam from hisface that I cried at once to my wife, 'Tamara, the worthy Tutmosis hascome not from himself, but from one as much higher than he as theLebanon is higher than the sand of the seashore. ' 'Whence dost Thouknow, my lord, that the worthy Tutmosis has not come for himself?''Because he could not come with money, since he has none, and he couldnot come for money, because I have none. ' At that moment we bowed downboth of us to the worthy Tutmosis. But when he told us that it wasthou, most worthy lord, who desirest fifteen talents from thy slave, Iasked my wife, 'Tamara, did my heart teach me badly?' 'Dagon, Thou artso wise that Thou shouldst be an adviser to the heir, ' replied myTamara. "

Ramses was boiling with impatience, but he listened to the banker, he, Ramses, who stormed in the presence of his own mother and the pharaoh. 

"When we, lord, stopped and understood that Thou wert desirous of myservices, such delight entered my house that I ordered to give theservants ten pitchers of beer, and my wife Tamara commanded me to buyher new earrings. My joy was increased so that when coming hither I didnot let my driver beat the asses. And when my unworthy feet touched thyfloor, O prince, I took out a gold ring, greater than that which theworthy Herhor gave Eunana, and presented it to thy slave who pouredwater on my fingers. With permission, worthiness, whence came thatsilver pitcher from which they poured the water?"

"Azarias, the son of Gaber, sold it to me for two talents. "

"A Jew? Erpatr, dost Thou deal with Jews? But what will the gods say?"

"Azarias is a merchant, as Thou art, " answered Ramses. 

When Dagon heard this, he caught his head with both hands, he spat andgroaned, "O Baal Tammuz! O Baaleth! O Astoreth! Azarias, the son of Gaber, aJew, to be such a merchant as I am. Oh, my legs, why did ye bring mehither? Oh, my heart, why dost Thou suffer such pain and palpitation?Most worthy prince, " cried the Phoenician, "slay me, cut off my hand ifI counterfeit gold, but say not that a Jew can be a merchant. Soonerwill Tyre fall to the earth, sooner will sand occupy the site of Sidonthan a Jew be a merchant. They will milk their lean goats, or mix claywith straw under blows of Egyptian sticks, but they will never sellmerchandise. Tfu! tfu! Vile nation of slaves! Thieves, robbers!"

Anger boiled up in the prince, it is unknown why, but he calmed himselfquickly. This seemed strange to Ramses himself, who up to that hour hadnot thought self-restraint needed in his case in presence of any one. 

"And then, " said the heir on a sudden, "wilt thou, worthy Dagon, loanme fifteen talents?"

"O Astoreth! Fifteen talents? That is such a great weight that I shouldhave to sit down to think of it properly. "

"Sit down then. "

"For a talent, " said Dagon, sitting in an armchair comfortably, "a mancan have twelve gold chains, or sixty beautiful milch cows, or tenslaves for labor, or one slave to play on the flute or paint, and maybeeven to cure. A talent is tremendous property. "

The prince's eyes flashed, "Then Thou hast not fifteen talents?"

The terrified Phoenician slipped suddenly from the chair to the floor. 

"Who in the city, " cried he, "has not money at thy command, O child ofthe sun? It is true that I am a wretch whose gold, precious stones, andwhole property is not worth one glance of thine, O prince, but if I goaround among our merchants and say who sent me, I shall get fifteentalents even from beneath the earth. Erpatr, if Thou shouldst standbefore a withered fig-tree and say 'Give money!' the fig-tree would paythee a ransom. But do not look at me in that way, O son of Horus, for Ifeel a pain in the pit of my heart and my mind is growing blunted, "finished the Phoenician, in tones of entreaty. 

"Well, sit in the chair, sit in the chair, " said the prince, laughing. 

Dagon rose from the floor and disposed himself still more agreeably inthe armchair. 

"For how long a time does the prince wish fifteen talents?"

"Certainly for a year. "

"Let us say at once three years. Only his holiness might give backfifteen talents in the course of a year, but not the youthful heir, whomust receive young pleasant nobles and beautiful women. Ah, thosewomen! Is it true, with thy permission, that Thou hast taken to thyselfSarah the daughter of Gideon?"

"But what per cent dost Thou wish?" interrupted Ramses. 

"A trifle, which thy sacred lips need not mention. For fifteen talentsthe prince will give five talents yearly, and in the course of threeyears I will take back all myself, so that thou, worthiness, wilt noteven know. "

"Thou wilt give me today fifteen talents, and during three years takeback thirty?"

"Egyptian law permits percentage to equal the loan, " answered Dagon, confusedly. 

"But is that not too much?"

"Too much?" cried out Dagon. "Every great lord has a great court, agreat property, and pays no per cent save a great one. I should beashamed to take less from the heir to the throne; if I did the princehimself might command to beat me with sticks and to drive me out of hispresence. "

"When wilt Thou bring the money?"

"Bring it? O gods, one man would not have strength to bring so much. Iwill do better: I will make all payments for the prince, so that, worthiness, Thou wilt not need to think of such a wretched matter. "

"Then dost Thou know my debts?"

"I know them a little, " answered Dagon, carelessly. 

"The prince wishes to send six talents to the Eastern army; that willbe done by our bankers. Three talents to the worthy Nitager and threeto the worthy Patrokles; that will be done here immediately. Sarah andher father I can pay through that mangy Azarias even better to pay themthus, for they would cheat the prince in reckoning. "

Ramses began to walk through the room impatiently. 

"Then am I to give a note for thirty talents?"

"What note? why a note? what good would a note be to me? The princewill rent me for three years lands in the provinces of Takens, Ses, Neha-Meut, Neha-Pechu, in Sebt-Het, in Habu. "

"Rent them?" said the prince. "That does not please me. "

"Whence then am I to get back my money, my thirty talents?"

"Wait! I must ask the inspector of my granaries how much theseproperties bring me in yearly. "

"Why so much trouble, worthiness? What does the inspector know? Heknows nothing; as I am an honest Phoenician, he knows nothing. Eachyear the harvest is different, and the income different also. I maylose in this business, and the inspector would make no return to me. "

"But seest thou, Dagon, it seems to me that those lands bring far morethan ten talents yearly. "

"The prince is unwilling to trust me? Well, at command of the heir Iwill drop out the land of Ses. The prince is not sure of my heart yet?Well, I will yield Sebt-Het also. But what use for an inspector here?Will he teach the prince wisdom? O Astoreth! I should lose sleep andappetite if such an overseer, subject and slave, dared to correct mygracious lord. Here is needed only a scribe who will write down that mymost worthy lord gives me as tenant for three years lands in such andsuch a province. And sixteen witnesses will be needed to testify thatsuch an honor from the prince has come to me. But why should servantsknow that their lord borrows money from Dagon?"

The wearied heir shrugged his shoulders. 

"Tomorrow, " said he, "Thou wilt bring the money, and bring a scribe andwitnesses. I do not wish to think of it. "

"Oh, what wise words!" cried the Phoenician. "Mayst Thou live, worthiest lord, through eternity!"

CHAPTER IX

ON the right bank of the Nile, on the edge of the northern suburb ofMemphis, was that laud which the heir to 'the throne had given as placeof residence to Sarah the daughter of Gideon. 

That was a possession thirty-five acres in area, forming a quadranglewhich was seen from the house-top as something on the palm of the hand. The land was on a hill and was divided into four elevations. The twolowest and widest, which the Nile always flooded, were intended forgrain and for vegetables. The third, which at times was untouched bythe overflow, produced palms, figs, and other fruit-trees. On thefourth, the highest, was a garden planted with olives, grapes, nuts, and sweet chestnuts; in the middle garden stood the dwelling. 

This dwelling was of wood, one story, as usual, with a flat roof onwhich was a tent made of canvas. On the ground dwelt the prince's blackslave; above Sarah with her relative and serving-woman Tafet. The placewas surrounded by a wall of partially burnt brick, beyond which at acertain distance were houses for cattle, workmen, and overseers. 

Sarah's chambers were not large, but they were elegant. On the floorwere divans, at the doors and windows were curtains with stripes ofvarious colors. There were armchairs and a carved bed, inlaid boxes forclothing, three-legged and one-legged tables on which were pots withflowers, a slender pitcher for wine, boxes and bottles of perfume, golden and silver cups and goblets, porcelain vases and dishes, bronzecandlesticks. Even the smallest furniture or vessel was ornamented withcarving or with a colored drawing; every piece of clothing with lace orbordering. 

Sarah had dwelt ten days in this retreat, hiding herself before peoplefrom fear and shame, so that almost no one of the servants had seenher. In the curtained chamber she sewed, wove linen on a small loom, ortwined garlands of living flowers for Ramses. Sometimes she went out onthe terrace, pushed apart the sides of the tent with care, and lookedat the Nile covered with boats in which oarsmen were singing songsjoyfully. On raising her eyes she looked with fear at the gray pylonsof the pharaoh's palace, which towered silent and gloomy above theother bank of the river. Then she ran again to her work and calledTafet. 

"Sit here, mother, " said she; "what art Thou doing down there?"

"The gardener has brought fruit, and they have sent bread, wine, andgame from the city; I must take them. "

"Sit here and talk, for fear seizes me. "

"Thou art a foolish child, " said Tafet, smiling. "Fear looked at me toothe first day from every corner; but when I went out beyond the wall, there was no more of it. Whom have I to fear here? All fall on theirknees before me. Before thee they would stand on their heads even! Goto the garden; it is as beautiful as paradise. Look out at the field, see the wheat harvest; sit down in the carved boat the owner of whichis withering from anxiety to see thee and take thee out of the river. "

"I am afraid. "

"Of what?"

"Do I know? While I am sewing, I think that T am in our valley and thatmy father will come right away; but when the wind pushes the curtainaside from the window and I look on this great country it seems to me, knowest what? that some mighty vulture has caught and borne me to hisnest on a mountain, whence I have no power to save myself. "

"Ah, Thou thou! If Thou hadst seen what a bathtub the prince sent thismorning, a bronze one; and what a tripod for the fire, what pots andspits! And if Thou knew that today I have put two hens to set, andbefore long we shall have little chicks here. "

Sarah was more daring after sunset, when no one could see her. She wentout on the roof and looked at the river. And when from afar a boatappeared, flaming with torches, which formed fiery and bloody linesalong the dark water, she pressed with both hands her poor heart, whichquivered like a bird caught that instant. Ramses was coming, and shecould not tell what had seized her, delight because that beautifulyouth was approaching whom she had seen in the valley, or dread becauseshe would see again a great lord and ruler who made her timid. 

One Sabbath evening her father came for the first time since she hadsettled in that villa. Sarah rushed to him with weeping; she washed hisfeet herself, poured perfumes on his head, and covered him with kisses. Gideon was an old man of stern features. He wore a long robe reachinghis feet and edged at the bottom with colored embroidery; over this hewore a yellow sleeveless kaftan. A kind of cape covered his breast andshoulders. On his head was a smallish cap, growing narrow toward thetop. 

"Thou art here! Thou art here!" exclaimed Sarah; and she kissed hishead again. 

"I am astonished myself at being here, " said Gideon, sadly. "I stole tothe garden like a criminal; I thought, along the whole way fromMemphis, that all the Egyptians were pointing me out with their fingersand that each Jew was spitting. "

"But Thou didst give me thyself to the prince, father. "

"I did, for what could I do? Of course it only seems to me that theypoint and spit. Of Egyptians, whoever knows me bows the lower thehigher he is himself. Since Thou art here our lord Sesoforis has saidthat he must enlarge my house; Chaires gave me a jar of the best wine, and our most worthy nomarch himself has sent a trusty servant to ask ifThou art well, and if I will not become his manager. "

"But the Jews?" inquired Sarah. 

"What of the Jews! They know that I did not yield of my own will. Everyone of them would wish to be constrained in like manner. Let the LordGod judge us all. Better tell how Thou art feeling. "

"In Abraham's bosom she will not have more comfort, " said Tafet. "Everyday they bring us fruit, wine, bread, meat, and whatever the soulwishes. And such baths as we have, all bronze, and such kitchenutensils!"

"Three days ago, " interrupted Sarah, "the Phoenician Dagon was here. Idid not wish to see him, but he insisted. "

"He gave me a gold ring, " added Tafet. 

"He told me, " continued Sarah, "that he was a tenant of my lord; hegave me two anklets, pearl earrings, and a box of perfumes from theland of Punt. "

"Why did he give them to thee?" asked her father. 

"For nothing. He simply begged that I would think well of him, and tellmy lord sometimes that Dagon was his most faithful servant. "

"Very soon Thou wilt have a whole box of earrings and bracelets, " saidGideon, smiling. But after a moment he added: "Gather up a greatproperty quickly and let us flee back to our own land, for here thereis misery at all times, misery when we are in trouble, and still moreof it when we are prosperous. "

"And what would my lord say?" asked Sarah, with sadness. 

Her father shook his head. 

"Before a year passes thy lord will cast thee aside, and others willhelp him. Wert Thou an Egyptian, he would take thee to his palace; buta Jewess. "

"He will cast aside?" said Sarah, sighing. 

"Why torment one's self with days to come, which are in the hand ofGod? I am here to pass the Sabbath with thee. "

"I have splendid fish, meat, cakes, and wine of the Jews, " put inTafet, quickly. "I have bought also, in Memphis, a seven-branchedcandlestick and wax tapers. We shall have a better supper than has LordChaires. "

Gideon went out on the flat roof with his daughter. 

"Tafet tells me, " said he, when they were alone, "that Thou art alwaysin the house. Why is this? Thou shouldst look at least on the garden. "

"I am afraid, " whispered Sarah. 

"Why be afraid of thy own garden? Here Thou art mistress, a greatlady. "

"Once I went out in the daytime. People of some sort stared at me, andsaid to one another, 'Look! that is the heir's Jewess; she delays theoverflow. '. "

"They are fools!" interrupted Gideon. "Is this the first time that theNile is late in its overflow? But go out in the evening. "

Sarah shook her head with greater vigor. 

"I do not wish, I do not wish. Another time I went out in the evening. All at once two women pushed out from a side path. I was frightened andwished to flee, when one of them, the younger and smaller, seized myhands, saying, 'Do not flee, we must look at thee;' the second, theelder and taller, stood some steps in front and looked me in the eyesdirectly. Ah, father, I thought that I should turn into stone. What alook, what a woman!"

"Who could she be?" asked Gideon. 

"The elder woman looked like a priestess. "

"And did she say anything?"

"Nothing. But when going and they were hidden behind trees, I heardsurely the voice of the elder say these words: 'Indeed she isbeautiful!"

Gideon fell to thinking. 

"Maybe they were great ladies from the court. "

The sun went down, and on both banks of the Nile dense crowds of peoplecollected waiting impatiently for the signal of the overflow, which infact was belated. For two days the wind had been blowing from the seaand the river was green; the sun had passed the star Sothis already, but in the well of the priest in Memphis the water had not risen eventhe breadth of a finger. The people were alarmed, all the more since inUpper Egypt, according to signals, the overflow proceeded with regularincrease and even promised to be perfect. 

"What detains it at Memphis then?" asked the anxious earth-tillerswaiting for the signal in disquiet. 

When the stars had appeared in the sky, Tafet spread a white cloth onthe table, placed on it the candlestick with seven lighted torches, pushed up three armchairs, and announced that the Sabbath supper wouldbe served immediately. 

Gideon covered his head then, and raising both hands above the table, said with his eyes looking heavenward, "God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Thou who didst lead our people outof Egypt, who didst give a country to the slave and exile, who didstmake with the sons of Judah an eternal covenant, O Jehovah, O Adonai, permit us to enjoy without sin the fruits of the enemies' country. Bring us out of sorrow and fear in which we are buried, and restore usto the banks of the Jordan, which we left for Thy glory. "

At the moment a voice was heard from beyond the wall, "His worthiness Tutmosis, the most faithful servant of his holiness andof his son Prince Ramses!"

"May he live through eternity!" called a number of voices from thegarden. 

"His worthiness, " said a single voice again, "sends greeting to themost beautiful rose of Lebanon. "

When the voice ceased, the sound of harps and flutes was heard. 

"That is music!" exclaimed Tafet, clapping her hands. "We shall passthe Sabbath with music. "

Sarah and her father, frightened at first, began to laugh, and sat downagain at the table. 

"Let them play, " said Gideon; "their music is not bad for theappetite. "

The flute and harp played, then a tenor voice sang, "Thou art more beautiful than all the maidens who look at themselves inthe Nile. Thy hair is blacker than the feathers of a raven, thy eyeshave a milder glance than the eyes of a deer which is yearning for itsfawn. Thy stature is the stature of a palm, and the lotus envies theethy charm. Thy bosoms are like grape clusters with the juice of whichkings delight themselves. "

Again the flute and harp were heard, and next a song, "Come and repose in the garden. The servants which belong to thee willbring various vessels and beer of all kinds. Come, let us celebratethis night and the dawn which will follow it. In my shadow, in theshadow of the fig, giving sweet fruit, thy lover will rest at thy righthand; and Thou wilt give him to drink and consent to all his wishes. "

Next came the flutes and harps, and after them a new song, "I am of a silent disposition, I never tell what I see, I spoil not thesweetness of my fruits with vain tattling. " [Authentic. ]

CHAPTER X

THE song ceased, drowned by an uproar and by a noise as of many peoplerunning. 

"Unbelievers! Enemies of Egypt!" cried some one. "Ye are singing whenwe are sunk in suffering, and ye are praising the Jewess who stops theflow of the Nile with her witchcraft. "

"Woe to you!" cried another. "Ye are trampling the land of PrinceRamses. Death will fall on you and your children. "

"We will go, but let the Jewess come out so that we may tell our wrongsto her. "

"Let us flee!" screamed Tafet. 

"Whither?" inquired Gideon. 

"Never!" said Sarah, on whose mild face appeared a flush of anger. "DoI not belong to the heir, before whose face those people all prostratethemselves?"

And before her father and the old woman had regained their senses, she, all in white, had run out on the roof and called to the throng beyondthe wall, "Here I am! What do ye want of me?"

The uproar was stilled for a moment, but again threatening voices wereraised, "Be accursed, Thou strange woman whose sin stops the Nile in itsoverflow!"

A number of stones hurled at random whistled through the air; one ofthem struck Sarah's forehead. 

"Father!" cried she, seizing her head. 

Gideon caught her in his arms and bore her from the terrace. In thenight were visible people, in white caps and skirts, who climbed overthe wall below. 

Tafet screamed in a heaven-piercing voice, the black slave seized anaxe, took his place in the doorway, and declared that he would splitthe head of any man daring to enter. 

"Stone that Nubian dog!" cried men from the wall to the crowd ofpeople. 

But the people became silent all at once, for from the depth of thegarden came a man with shaven head; from this man's shoulders dependeda panther skin. 

"A prophet! A holy father!" murmured some in the crowd. Those sittingon the wall began now to spring down from it. 

"People of Egypt, " said the priest, calmly, "with what right do yeraise hands on the property of the erpatr?"

"The unclean Jewess dwells here, who stops the rise of the Nile. Woe tous! misery and famine are hanging over Lower Egypt. "

"People of weak mind or of evil faith, " said the priest, "where have yeheard that one woman could stop the will of the gods? Every year in themonth Thoth the Nile begins to increase and rises till the mouth peak. Has it ever happened otherwise, though our land has been full at alltimes of strangers, sometimes foreign priests and princes, who groaningin captivity and grievous labor might utter the most dreadful cursesthrough sorrow and anger? They would have brought on our heads allkinds of misfortune, and more than one of them would have given theirlives if only the sun would not rise over Egypt in the morning, or ifthe Nile would not rise when the year began. And what came of theirprayers? Either they were not heard in the heavens, or foreign gods hadno power in presence of the gods of Egypt. How then is a woman wholives pleasantly among us to cause a misfortune which is beyond thepower of our mightiest enemies?"

"The holy father speaks truth. Wise are the words of the prophet!" saidpeople among the multitude. 

"But Messu (Moses), the Jewish leader, brought darkness and death intoEgypt!" said one voice. 

"Let the man who said that step forth, " cried the priest. "I challengehim, let him come forward, unless he is an enemy of the Egyptianpeople. "

The crowd murmured like a wind from afar blowing between trees, but noman came forward, "I speak truth, " continued the priest; "evil men are moving among youlike hyenas in a sheepfold. They have no pity on your misery, theyurged you to destroy the house of the heir and to rebel against thepharaoh. If their vile plan had succeeded and blood had begun to flowfrom your bosoms, they would have hidden before spears as they hide nowbefore my challenge. "

"Listen to the prophet! Praise to thee, man of God!" cried the people, inclining their foreheads. 

The most pious fell to the earth. 

"Hear me, Egyptian people. In return for your faith in the words of apriest, for your obedience to the pharaoh and the heir, for the honorwhich ye give to a servant of the god, a favor will be shown you. Go toyour houses in peace, and even before ye have left this hill the Nilewill be rising. "

"Oh, may it rise!"

"Go! The greater your faith and piety the more quickly will ye see thesign of favor. "

"Let us go! Let us go! Be blessed, O prophet, Thou son of prophets!"

They began to separate, kissing the robe of the priest. With that someone shouted, "The miracle, the miracle is accomplished. "

On the tower in Memphis a light flamed up. 

"The Nile is rising! See, more and more lights! Indeed a mighty saintspoke to us. May he live through eternity!"

They turned toward the priest, but he had vanished among shadows. 

The throng raging a little while earlier, amazed and filled now withgratitude, forgot both its anger and the wonder-working priest. It wasmastered by a wild delight; men rushed to the bank of the river, onwhich many lights were burning and where a great hymn was rising fromthe assembled people, "Be greeted, Nile, sacred river, which appearest on this country! Thoucomest in peace, to give life to Egypt. O hidden deity who scatterestdarkness, who moistenest the fields, to bring food to dumb animals, OThou the precious one, descending from heaven to give drink to theearth, O friend of bread, Thou who gladdenest our cottages! Thou artthe master of fishes; when Thou art in our fields no bird dares touchthe harvest. Thou art the creator of grain and the parent of barley;Thou givest rest to the hands of millions of the unfortunate and forages Thou securest the sanctuary. " [Authentic]

At this time the illuminated boat of Ramses sailed from the shoreopposite amid songs and outcries. Those very persons who half an hourearlier wished to burst into his villa were falling now on their facesbefore him, or hurling themselves into the water to kiss the oars andthe sides of the boat which was bearing the son of their ruler. 

Gladsome, surrounded by torches, Ramses, in company with Tutmosis, approached Sarah's dwelling. At sight of him Gideon said to Tafet, "Great is my alarm for my daughter, but still greater my wish to avoidPrince Ramses. "

He sprang over the wall, and amid darkness through gardens and fieldshe held on in the direction of Memphis. 

"Be greeted, O beauteous Sarah!" cried Tutmosis in the courtyard. "Ihope that Thou wilt receive us well for the music which I sent tothee. "

Sarah appeared, with bandaged head on the threshold, leaning on theblack slave and her female attendant. 

"What is the meaning of this?" cried the astonished Ramses. 

"Terrible things!" called out Tafet. "Unbelievers attacked thy house;one hurled a stone and struck Sarah. "

"What unbelievers?"

"But those the Egyptians!" explained Tafet. 

The prince cast a contemptuous glance at her, but rage mastered himstraightway. 

"Who struck Sarah? Who threw the stone?" shouted he, seizing the arm ofthe black man. 

"Those from beyond the river, " answered the slave. 

"Hei, watchman!" cried the prince, foaming at the mouth, "arm all themen in this place for me and follow that rabble!"

The black slave seized his axe again, the overseers fell to summoningworkmen from the buildings, some soldiers of the prince's suite graspedtheir sword-hilts mechanically. 

"By the mercy of Jehovah, what art Thou doing?" whispered Sarah, as shehung on the neck of Ramses. 

"I wish to avenge thee, " answered he; "whoso strikes at that which ismine strikes at me. "

Tutmosis grew pale, and shook his head. 

"Hear me, lord, " said he; "wilt Thou discover in the night and in amultitude the men who committed the crime?"

"All one to me. The rabble did it, and the rabble must give answer. "

"No judge will say that, " reflected Tutmosis. "But Thou art to be thehighest judge. "

The prince became thoughtful. Tutmosis continued, "Stop! what would the pharaoh our lord say to-morrow? And what delightwould reign among our foes in the east and the west, if they heard thatthe heir to the throne, almost at the royal palace, was attacked in thenight by his own people?"

"Oh, if my father would give me even half the army, our enemies on allsides of the world would be silent forever!" said the prince, stampingon the pavement. 

"Finally, remember that man who hanged himself; Thou wert sorry when aninnocent man lost his life. But today is it possible that Thou artwilling thyself to slay innocent people?"

"Enough!" interrupted Ramses, in a deep voice. "My anger is like awater-jar. Woe to him on whom it falls! Let us enter. "

The frightened Tutmosis drew back. The prince took Sarah by the handand went to the terrace. He seated her near the table on which was theunfinished supper, and approaching the light drew the bandage from herforehead. 

"Ah!" cried he, "this is not even a wound, it is only a blue spot. "

He looked at Sarah attentively. 

"I never-thought, " said he, "that Thou wouldst have a blue spot. Thischanged thy face considerably. "

"Then I please thee no longer?" whispered Sarah, raising on him greateyes full of fear. 

"Oh, no! this will pass quickly. "

Then he called Tutmosis and the black, and commanded to tell him whathad happened that evening. 

"He defended us, " said Sarah. "He stood, with an axe, in the doorway. "

"Didst Thou do that?" asked the prince, looking quickly into the eyesof the Nubian. 

"Was I to let strange people break into thy house, lord?"

Ramses patted him on the curly head. 

"Thou hast acted, " said he, "like a brave man. I give thee freedom. Tomorrow Thou wilt receive a reward and mayst return to thy ownpeople. "

The black tottered and rubbed his eyes, the whites of which wereshining. Suddenly he dropped on his knees, and cried as he struck thefloor with his forehead, "Do not put me away, lord. "

"Well, " replied Ramses, "remain with me, but as a free warrior. I needjust such men, " said he, turning to Tutmosis. "He cannot talk like theoverseer of the house of books, but he is ready for battle. "

And again he inquired for details of the attack, when the Nubian toldhow a priest had approached, and when he related his miracles theprince seized his own head, exclaiming, "I am the most hapless man in all Egypt! Very soon I shall find apriest in my bed even. Whence did he come? Who was he?"

The black servitor could not explain this, but he said that thepriest's action toward the prince and toward Sarah was very friendly;that the attack was directed not by Egyptians, but by people who, thepriest said, were enemies of Egypt, and whom he challenged to stepforward, but they would not. 

"Wonders! wonders!" said Ramses, meditating, and throwing himself on acouch. "My black slave is a valiant warrior and a man full of judgment. A priest defends a Jewess, because she is mine. What a strange priesthe is! The Egyptian people who kneel down before the pharaoh's dogsattack the house of the erpatr under direction of unknown enemies ofEgypt. I myself must look into this. "

CHAPTER XI

The month Thoth has ended and the month Paofi (the second half of July)has begun. The water of the Nile, from being greenish and then white, has become ruddy and is rising continually. The royal indicator inMemphis is filled to the height of two men almost, and the Nile risestwo hands daily. The lowest land is inundated; from higher groundpeople are removing hastily flax, grapes, and cotton of a certainspecies. Over places which were dry in the early morning, waves plashas evening approaches. A mighty, unseen whirlwind seems to blow in thedepth of the Nile. This wind ploughs up broad spaces on the river, fills the furrows with foam, then smoothes for a moment the surface, and after a time twists it into deep eddies. Again the hidden windploughs, again it smoothes out, whirls, pushes forward new hills ofwater, new rows of foam, and raises the rustling river, wins withoutceasing new platforms of land. Sometimes the water, after reaching acertain boundary, leaps across in a twinkle, pours into a low place, and makes a shining pond where a moment earlier withered grass wasbreaking up into dust heaps. 

Though the rise of the river has reached barely one third of itsheight, the whole region near the banks is under water. Every hour somelittle height takes on the semblance of an island, divided from othersby a narrow channel, which widens gradually and cuts off the house moreand more from its neighbors. Very often he who walked out to work comeshome in a boat from his labor. 

Boats and rafts appear more and more frequently on the river. From someof them men are catching fish in nets; on others they bring the harvestto granaries, or bellowing cattle to their stables. With other boatsvisits are made to acquaintances to inform them amid shouts andlaughter that the river is rising. Sometimes boats gather in one place, like a flock of daws, and then shoot apart on all sides before a broadraft bearing down from Upper Egypt immense blocks of stone hewn out inquarries near the river. 

In the air, as far as the ear can hear, extend the roar of the risingwater, the cries of frightened birds, and the gladsome songs of people. The Nile is rising, there will be bread in abundance. 

During a whole month investigation continued in the affair of theattack on the house of Ramses. Each morning a boat with officials andwarriors came to some small estate. People were snatched from theirlabor, overwhelmed with treacherous questions, beaten with sticks. Toward evening two boats returned to Memphis: one brought officials, the other brought prisoners. 

In this way some hundreds of men were caught, of whom one half knewnothing, the other half were threatened by imprisonment or toil for anumber of years in the quarries. But nothing was learned of those wholed the attack, or of that priest who had persuaded the people to leavethe place. Prince Ramses had qualities which were uncommonlycontradictory. He was as impetuous as a lion and as stubborn as abullock, but he had a keen understanding and a deep sense of justice. 

Seeing that this investigation by officials gave no result whatever, hesailed on a certain day to Memphis and commanded to open the prison. 

The prison was built on an eminence surrounded by a lofty wall, and wascomposed of a great number of stone, brick, and wooden buildings. Thesebuildings for the main part were merely the dwellings of overseers. Prisoners were placed in subterranean dens hewn out in a cliff oflimestone. 

When Prince Ramses passed the gate, he saw a crowd of women washing andfeeding some prisoner. This naked man, who resembled a skeleton, wassitting on the ground, having his hands and feet in four openings of asquare plank which took the place of fetters. 

"Has this man suffered long in this way?" asked Ramses. 

"Two months, " said the overseer. 

"And must he sit here much longer?"

"A month. "

"What did he do?"

"He was insolent to a tax gatherer. "

The prince turned and saw another crowd, composed of women andchildren. Among them was an old man. 

"Are these prisoners?"

"No, most worthy lord. That is a family waiting for the body of acriminal who is to be strangled oh, they are taking him already to thechamber, " said the overseer. 

Then, turning to the crowd, he said, "Be patient a short time, dear people. Ye will get the body soon. "

"We thank thee greatly, worthy lord, " answered an old man, doubtlessthe father of the delinquent. "We left home yesterday evening, our flaxis in the field, and the river is rising. "

The prince grew pale, and halted. 

"Dost Thou know, " asked he of the overseer, "that I have the right ofpardon?"

"Erpatr, Thou hast that right, " answered the overseer, bowing; and thenhe added: "The law declares, O child of the sun, that in memory of thypresence men condemned for offences against the state and religion, butwho conduct themselves properly, should receive some abatement. A listof such persons will be placed at thy feet within a month. "

"But he who is to be strangled this moment, has he not the right to mygrace?"

The overseer opened his arms, and bent forward in silence. 

They moved from place to place, and passed a number of courts. Inwooden cases on the bare ground were crowded men sentenced toimprisonment. In one building were heard awful screams; they wereclubbing prisoners to force confession. 

"I wish to see those accused of attacking my house, " said the heir, deeply moved. 

"Of those there are more than three hundred, " said the overseer. 

"Select according to thy own judgment the most guilty, and questionthem in my presence. I do not wish, though, to be known to them. "

They opened to Ramses a chamber in which the investigating official wasoccupied. The prince commanded him to take his usual place, but sathimself behind a pillar. 

The accused appeared one by one. All were lean; much hair had grown outon them, and their eyes had the expression of settled bewilderment. 

"Dutmoses, " said the official, "tell how ye attacked the house of themost worthy erpatr. "

"I will tell truth, as at the judgment seat of Osiris. It was theevening of that day when the Nile was to begin rising. My wife said tome, 'Come, father, let us go up on the hills, where we can have anearlier sight of the signal in Memphis. ' Then we went up where we couldsee the signal in Memphis more easily. Some warrior came to my wife andsaid, 'Come with me into that garden. We will find grapes there, andsomething else also. ' Then my wife went into the garden with thatwarrior. I fell into great rage, and I looked at them through the wall. But whether stones were thrown at the prince's house or not I cannottell, for because of the trees and darkness I could not see anything. "

"But how couldst Thou let thy wife go with a warrior?" asked theofficial. 

"With permission, worthiness, what was I to do? I am only an earthworker, and he is a warrior and soldier of his holiness. "

"But didst Thou see the priest who spoke to you?"

"That was not a priest, " said the man, with conviction. "That must havebeen the god Num himself, for he came out of a fig-tree and he had aram's head on him. "

"But didst Thou see that he had a ram's head?"

"With permission I do not remember well whether I saw myself or whetherpeople told me. My eyes were affected by anxiety for my wife. "

"Didst Thou throw stones at the garden?"

"Why should I throw stones, lord of life and death? If I had hit mywife, I should have made trouble for a week. If I had hit the warrior, I should have got a blow of a fist in the belly that would have made mytongue stick out, for I am nothing but an earth-worker, and he is awarrior of our lord who lives through eternity. "

The heir leaned out from behind the column. They led away Dutmoses, andbrought in Anup. He was a short fellow. On his shoulders were scarsfrom club-strokes. 

"Tell me, Anup, " began the official again, "how was it about thatattack on the garden of the heir to the throne?"

"Eye of the sun, " said the man, "vessel of wisdom, Thou knowest best ofall that I did not make the attack, only a neighbor comes to me andsays he, 'Anup, come up, for the Nile is rising. ' And I say to him, 'Isit rising?' And he says to me, 'Thou art duller than an ass, for an asswould hear music on a hill, and Thou dost not hear it. ' 'But, ' says I, 'I am dull, for I did not learn writing; but with permission music isone thing and the rise of the river is another. ' 'If there were not arise, ' says he, 'people would not have anything to be glad about andplay and sing. ' So I say to thy justice, we went to the hill, and theyhad driven away the music there and were throwing stones at thegarden. "

"Who threw stones?"

"I could not tell. The men did not look like earth-workers, but morelike unclean dissectors who open dead bodies for embalming. "

"And didst Thou see the priest?"

"With thy permission, O watchfulness, that was not a priest, but somespirit that guards the house of the erpatr may he live througheternity!"

"Why a spirit?"

"For at moments I saw him and at moments he went somewhere. "

"Perhaps he was behind the people?"

"Indeed the people sometimes were in front of him. But at one time hewas higher and at another time lower. "

"Maybe he went up on the hill and came down from it?"

"He must have gone up and come down, but maybe he stretched andshortened himself, for he was a great wonderworker. Barely had he said, 'The Nile will rise, ' and that minute the Nile began to rise. "

"And didst Thou throw stones, Anup?"

"How should I dare to throw stones into the garden of the erpatr? I ama simple fellow, my hand would wither to the elbow for such sacrilege. "

The prince gave command to stop the examination, and when they had ledaway the accused, he asked the official, "Are these of the most guilty?"

"Thou hast said it, lord, " answered the official. 

"In that case all must be liberated today. We should not imprisonpeople because they wished to convince themselves that the holy Nilewas rising or for listening to music. "

"The highest wisdom is speaking through thy lips, erpatr, " said theofficial. "I was commanded to find the most guilty, hence I havesummoned those whom I have found so; but it is not in my power toreturn them liberty. "

"Why?"

"Look, most worthy, on that box. It is full of papyruses on which arewritten the details of the case. A judge in Memphis receives a reporton the progress of the case daily, and reports to his holiness. Whatwould become of the labor of so many learned scribes and great men ifthe accused were set free?"

"But they are innocent!" cried the prince. 

"There was an attack, therefore an offence. Where there is an offencethere must be offenders. Whoever has fallen once into the hands ofpower, and is described in acts, cannot get free without some result. In an inn a man drinks and pays; at a fair he sells something andreceives; in a field he sows and harvests; at graves he receivesblessings from his deceased ancestors. How, then, could any one afterhe has come to a court return with nothing, like a traveler stoppinghalf-way on his journey and turning back his steps homeward withoutattaining his object?"

"Thou speakest wisely, " answered the heir. "But tell me, has not hisholiness the right to free these people?"

The official crossed his arms on his breast and bent his head, "He is equal to the gods, he can do what he wishes; liberate accused, nay, condemned men, and destroy even the documents of a case, thingswhich if done by a common man would be sacrilege. "

The prince took farewell of the official, and said to the overseer, "Give the accused better food at my expense. " Then he sailed, greatlyirritated, to the other bank, stretching forth his hands toward thepalace continually, as if begging the pharaoh to destroy the case. 

But that day his holiness had many religious ceremonies and a counselwith the ministers, hence the heir could not see him. The prince wentimmediately to the grand secretary, who next to the minister of war hadmost significance at the court of the pharaoh. That ancient official, apriest at one of the temples in Memphis, received the prince politelybut coldly, and when he had heard him he answered, "It is a marvel to me that Thou wishest, worthiness, to disturb ourlord with such questions. It is as if Thou wert to beg him not todestroy locusts which devour what is on the fields. "

"But they are innocent people. "

"We, worthy lord, cannot know that, for law and the courts decide as toguilt and innocence. One thing is clear to me, the state cannot sufferan attack on any one's garden, and especially cannot suffer that handsshould be raised against property of the erpatr. "

"Thou speakest justly, but where are the guilty?" answered Ramses. 

"Where there are no guilty there must at least be men who are punished. Not the guilt of a man, but the punishment which follows a crime, teaches others that they are not to commit the crime in question. "

"I see, " interrupted the heir, "that your worthiness will not supportmy prayer. "

"Wisdom flows from thy lips, erpatr, " answered the priest. "Never shallI give my lord a counsel which would expose the dignity of power to ablow. "

The prince returned home pained and astonished. He felt that an injuryhad been done to some hundreds of people, and he saw that he could notsave them any more than he could rescue a man on whom an obelisk or thecolumn of a temple had fallen. 

"My hands are too weak to rear this edifice, " thought the prince, withanguish of spirit. 

For the first time he felt that there was a power infinitely greaterthan his will, the interest of the state, which even the all-powerfulpharaoh acknowledges and before which he the erpatr must bend himself. 

Night had fallen. Ramses commanded his servants to admit no one, andwalked in loneliness on the terrace of his villa, thinking, "A wonderful thing! Down there at Pi-Bailos the invincible regiments ofNitager opened before me, while in Memphis an overseer of prisons, aninvestigating official, and a scribe bar the way to me. What are they?Mere servants of my father, may he live through eternity! who can castthem down to the rank of slaves at any moment and send them to thequarries. But why should not my father pardon the innocent? The statedoes not wish him to do so. And what is the state? Does it eat? wheredoes it sleep? where are its hands and its sword, of which all are interror?"

He looked into the garden, and among the trees on the summit of aneminence he saw two immense silhouettes of pylons, on which sentrylights were burning. The thought came to him that that watch neverslept, those pylons never ate, but still they existed. Those pylons hadexisted for ages, mighty, like Ramses the Great, that potentate who hadreared them. 

Could he lift those edifices and hundreds of similar grandeur; could heescape those guards and thousands of others who watch over the safetyof Egypt; could he disobey laws established by Ramses the Great andother preceding pharaohs still greater, laws which twenty dynasties hadconsecrated by their reverence?

In the soul of the prince for the first time in life a certain idea, dim but gigantic, began to fix itself in outline, the idea of thestate. The state is something more magnificent than the temple inThebes, something grander than the pyramid of Cheops, something moreancient than the subterranean temple of the Sphinx, something moreenduring than granite in that immense though invisible edifice peopleare like ants in some cranny of a cliff, and the pharaoh a meretraveling architect who is barely able to lay one stone in the wall ofthe edifice and then go on farther. But the walls increase fromgeneration to generation and the edifice continues. 

He, the son of the pharaoh, had never felt yet his littleness as inthat moment, when his glance in the midst of the night was wanderingbeyond the Nile among pylons of the pharaoh's palace, and theindefinite but imposing outlines of the Memphis temples. 

At that moment from among the trees whose branches touched the terrace, he heard a voice. 

"I know thy anxiety and I bless thee. The court will not free theprisoners. But the case will drop, and they may return to their housesif the overseer of thy land does not support the complaint of attack. "

"Then did my overseer make the charge?" asked the astonished prince. 

"Thou hast spoken truth. He made the charge in thy name. But if he doesnot go to the court, there will be no injured person; and there is nooffence if there is no injured person. "

The thicket rustled. 

"Stop!" cried Ramses; "who art thou?"

No one gave answer. But it seemed to the prince that in a streak oflight from a torch burning on the lower floor a naked head was visiblefor an instant, and also a panther skin. 

"A priest, " whispered the heir. "Why does he hide himself?"

But at that moment it occurred to him that the priest might answergrievously for giving counsel which stopped the dispensation ofjustice. 

CHAPTER XII

RAMSES passed most of the night in feverish imaginings. Once the visionof the state appeared to him as an immense labyrinth with strong wallsthrough which no one could force a way, then again he saw the shadow ofa priest who with one wise opinion had indicated to him the method ofescape from that labyrinth. And now appeared unexpectedly before himtwo powers, the interest of the state, which he had not felt thus far, though he was heir to the throne; and the priesthood, which he wishedto debase and then make his servant. 

That was a burdensome night. The prince turned on his bed repeatedly, and asked himself whether he had not been blind, and if he had notreceived sight that day for the first time in order to convince himselfof his folly and nothingness. How differently during those night hoursdid the warnings of his mother appear to him, and the restraint of hisfather in enouncing the supreme will, and even the stern conduct of theminister, Herhor. 

"The state and the priesthood!" repeated the prince, half asleep, andcovered with cold perspiration. 

The heavenly deities alone know what would have happened had there beentime to develop and ripen those thoughts which were circling that nightin the soul of Ramses. Perhaps if he had become pharaoh he would havebeen one of the most fortunate and longest-lived rulers. Perhaps hisname, carved in temples above ground and underground, would have comedown to posterity surrounded with the highest glory. Perhaps he and hisdynasty would not have lost the throne, and Egypt would have avoidedgreat disturbance and the bitterest days of her history. 

But the serenity of morning scattered the visions which circled abovethe heated head of the heir, and the succeeding days changed greatlyhis ideas of the inflexible interests of Egypt. 

The visit of the prince to the prison was not fruitless. Theinvestigating official made a report to the supreme judge immediately, the judge looked over the case again, examined some of the accusedhimself, and in the course of some days liberated the greater number;the remainder he brought to trial as quickly as possible. 

When he who had complained of the damage done the prince's property didnot appear, though summoned in the hall of the court and on the market-place, the case was dropped, and the rest of the accused were set atliberty. 

One of the judges remarked, it is true, that according to law theprince's overseer should be prosecuted for false complaint, and, incase of conviction, suffer the punishment which threatened thedefendants. This question too they passed over in silence. 

The overseer disappeared from the eyes of justice, he was sent by theheir to the province of Takeus, and soon the whole box of documents inthe case vanished it was unknown whither. 

On hearing this, Prince Ramses went to the grand secretary and askedwith a smile, "Well, worthy lord, the innocent are liberated, the documentsconcerning them have been destroyed sacrilegiously, and still thedignity of the government has not been exposed to danger. "

"My prince, " answered the grand secretary, with his usual coolness, "Idid not understand that Thou offerest complaints with one hand andwishest to withdraw them with the other. Worthiness, Thou wert offendedby the rabble; hence it was thy affair to punish it. If Thou hastforgiven it, the state has nothing to answer. "

"The state! the state!" repeated the prince. "We are the state, " addedhe, blinking. 

"Yes, the state is the pharaoh and his most faithful servants, " addedthe secretary. 

This conversation with such a high official sufficed to obliterate inthe prince's soul those ideas of state dignity which were growing andpowerful, though indistinct yet. "The state, then, is not thatimmovable, ancient edifice to which each pharaoh is bound to add onestone of glory, but rather a sand-heap, which each ruler reshapes as hepleases. In the state there are no narrow doors, known as laws, inpassing through which each must bow his head, whoever he be, erpatr orearth-worker. In this edifice are various entrances and exits, narrowfor the weak and small, very wide, nay, commodious for the powerful. "

"If this be so, " thought the prince, as the idea flashed on him, "Iwill make the order which shall please me. "

At that moment Ramses remembered two people, the liberated black whowithout waiting for command had been ready to die for him, and thatunknown priest. 

"If I had more like them, my will would have meaning in Egypt andbeyond it, " said he to himself, and he felt an inextinguishable desireto find that priest. 

"He is, in all likelihood, the man who restrained the crowd fromattacking my house. On the one hand he knows law to perfection, on theother he knows how to manage multitudes. "

"A man beyond price! I must have him. "

From that time Ramses, in a small boat managed by one oarsman, began tovisit the cottages in the neighborhood of his villa. Dressed in a tunicand a great wig, in his hand a staff on which a measure was cut out, the prince looked like an engineer studying the Nile and its overflows. 

Earth-tillers gave him willingly all explanations concerning changes inthe form of land because of inundations, and at the same time theybegged that the government might think out some easier way of raisingwater than by sweeps and buckets. They told too of the attack on thehouse of Prince Ramses, and said that they knew not who threw thestones. Finally they mentioned the priest who had sent the crowd awayso successfully; but who he was they knew not. 

"There is, " said one man, "a priest in our neighborhood who cures soreeyes; there is one who heals wounds and sets broken arms and legs. There are some priests who teach reading and writing; there is one whoplays on a double flute, and plays even beautifully. But that one whowas in the garden of the heir is not among them, and they know nothingof him. Surely he must be the god Num, or some spirit watching over theprince, may he live through eternity and always have appetite!"

"Maybe it is really some spirit, " thought Ramses. 

In Egypt good or evil spirits always came more easily than rain. 

The water of the Nile from being ruddy became brownish, and in August, the month of Hator, it reached one half its height. The sluices wereopened on the banks of the river, and the water began to fill thecanals quickly, and also the gigantic artificial lake, Moeris, in theprovince Fayum, celebrated for the beauty of its roses. Lower Egyptlooked like an arm of the sea thickly dotted with hills on which werehouses and gardens. Communication by land ceased altogether, and such amultitude of boats circled around on the water boats white, yellow, red, dark that they seemed like leaves in autumn. On the highest pointsof land people had finished harvesting the peculiar cotton of thecountry, and for the second time had cut clover and begun to gather inolives and tamarinds. 

On a certain day, while sailing along over inundated lands, the princesaw an unusual movement. On one of the temporary mounds was heard amongthe trees the loud cry of a woman. 

"Surely some one is dead, " thought Ramses. 

From a second mound were sailing away in small boats supplies of wheatand some cattle, while people standing at buildings on the landthreatened and abused people in the boats. 

"Some quarrel among neighbors, " said the prince to himself. 

In remoter places there was quiet, and people instead of working orsinging were sitting on the ground in silence. 

"They must have finished work and are resting. "

But from a third mound a boat moved away with a number of cryingchildren, while a woman wading in the water to her waist shook her fistand threatened. 

"They are taking children to school, " thought Ramses. 

These happenings began to interest him. 

On a fourth mound he heard a fresh cry. He shaded his eyes and saw aman lying on the ground; a negro was beating him. 

"What is happening there?" asked Ramses of the boatman. 

"Does not my lord see that they are beating a wretched earth-tiller?"answered the boatman, smiling. "He must have done something, so pain istraveling through his bones. "

"But who art thou?"

"I?" replied the boatman, proudly. "I am a free fisherman. If I give acertain share of my catch to his holiness, I may sail the Nile from thesea to the cataract. A fisherman is like a fish or a wild goose; but anearth-tiller is like a tree which nourishes lords with its fruit andcan never escape but only squeaks when overseers spoil the bark on it. "

"Oho! ho! but look there!" cried the fisherman, pleased again. "Hei!father, don't drink up all the water, or there will be a bad harvest. "

This humorous exclamation referred to a group of persons who weredisplaying a very original activity. A number of naked laborers wereholding a man by the legs and plunging him head first in the water tohis neck, to his breast, and at last to his waist. Near them stood anoverseer with a cane; he wore a stained tunic and a wig made ofsheepskin. 

A little farther on some men held a woman by the arms, while shescreamed in a voice which was heaven-piercing. 

Beating with a stick was as general in the happy kingdom of the pharaohas eating and sleeping. They beat children and grown people, earth-tillers, artisans, warriors, officers, and officials. All livingpersons were caned save only priests and the highest officials therewas no one to cane them. Hence the prince looked calmly enough on anearth-worker beaten with a cane; but to plunge a man into water rousedhis attention. 

"Ho! ho!" laughed the boatman, meanwhile, "but are they giving himdrink! He will grow so thick that his wife must lengthen his belt forhim. "

The prince commanded to row to the mound. Meanwhile they had taken theman from the river, let him cough out water, and seized him a secondtime by the legs, in spite of the unearthly screams of his wife, whofell to biting the men who had seized her. 

"Stop!" cried Ramses to those who were dragging the earth-tiller. 

"Do your duty!" cried he of the sheepskin wig, in nasal tones. "Who artthou, insolent, who darest. "

At that moment the prince gave him a blow on the forehead with hiscane, which luckily was light. Still the owner of the stained tunicdropped to the earth, and feeling his wig and head, looked with mistyeyes at the attacker. 

"I divine, " said he in a natural voice, "that I have the honor toconverse with a notable person. May good humor always accompany thee, lord, and bile never spread through thy bones. "

"What art Thou doing to this man?" interrupted Ramses. 

"Thou inquirest, " returned the man, speaking again in nasal tones, "like a foreigner unacquainted with the customs of the country and thepeople, to whom he speaks too freely. Know, then, that I am thecollector of his worthiness Dagon, the first banker in Memphis. And ifThou hast not grown pale yet, know that the worthy Dagon is the agentand the friend of the erpatr, may he live through eternity! and thatThou hast committed violence on the lands of Prince Ramses; to this mypeople will testify. "

"Then know this, " interrupted the prince; but he stopped suddenly. "Bywhat right art Thou torturing in this way one of the prince's earth-tillers?"

"Because he will not pay his rent, and the treasury of the heir is inneed of it. "

The servants of the official, in view of the catastrophe which had comeon their master, dropped their victim and stood as helpless as themembers of a body from which its head has been severed. The liberatedman began to spit again and shake the water out of his ears, but hiswife rushed up to the rescuer. 

"Whoever Thou art, " groaned she, clasping her hands before Ramses, "agod, or even a messenger of the pharaoh, listen to the tale of oursufferings. We are earth-tillers of the heir to the throne, may he livethrough eternity! and we have paid all our dues: in millet, in wheat, in flowers, and in skins of cattle. But in the last ten days this manhere has come and commands us again to give seven measures of wheat tohim. 'By what right?' asks my husband; 'the rents are paid, all ofthem. ' But he throws my husband on the ground, stamps, and says, 'Bythis right, that the worthy Dagon has commanded. ' 'Whence shall I getwheat, ' asks my husband, 'when we have none and for a month past wehave eaten only seeds, or roots of lotus, which are harder and harderto get, for great lords like to amuse themselves with flowers of thelotus?'"

She lost breath and fell to weeping. The prince waited patiently tillshe calmed herself, but the man who had been plunged into the watergrumbled. 

"This woman will bring misfortune with her talk. I have said that I donot like to see women meddle. "

Meanwhile the official, pushing up to the boatman, asked in anundertone, indicating Ramses, "Who is this?"

"Ah, may thy tongue wither!" answered the boatman. "Dost Thou not seethat he must be a great lord: he pays well and strikes heavily. "

"I saw at once, " answered the official, "that he must be some greatperson. My youth passed at feasts with noted persons. "

"Aha! the sauces have stuck to thy dress after those feasts, " blurtedout the boatman. 

The woman, after crying, continued, "Today this scribe came with his people, and said to my husband, 'IfThou hast not money, give thy two sons. The worthy Dagon will not onlyforgive thee the rent, but will pay thee a drachma a year for eachboy. '"

"Woe to me because of thee!" roared the half-drowned husband; "Thouwilt destroy us all with thy babbling. Do not listen to her, " continuedhe, turning to Ramses. "As a cow thinks that she frightens off flieswith her tail, so it seems to a woman that she can drive awaycollectors with her tongue; and neither cow nor woman knows that she isstupid. "

"Thou art stupid!" said the woman. "Sun-like lord with the form of apharaoh. "

"I call to witness that this woman blasphemes, " said the official tohis people in a low voice. 

"Odorous flower, whose voice is like a flute, listen to me!" imploredthe woman of Ramses. "Then my husband answered this official, 'I wouldrather lose two bulls, if I had them, than give my boys away, thoughThou wert to give me four drachmas; for when a boy leaves home forservice no one ever sees him after that. '. "

"Would that I were choked! would that fish were eating my body in thebottom of the Nile!" groaned the earth-tiller. "Thou wilt destroy allour house with thy complaints, woman. "

The official, seeing that he had the support of the side mainlyinterested, stepped forth and began, in nasal tones, a second time, "Since the sun rises beyond the palace of the pharaoh and sets over thepyramids, various wonders have happened in this country. In the days ofthe Pharaoh Sememphes marvelous things appeared near the pyramid ofKochom, and a plague fell on Egypt. In the time of Boetus the groundopened near Bubastis and swallowed many people. In the reign ofNeferches the waters of the Nile for eleven days were as sweet ashoney. Men saw these and many other things of which I know, for I amfull of wisdom. But never has it been seen that some unknown man cameup out of the water and stopped the collection of rent in the lands ofthe heir to the throne of Egypt. "

"Be silent, " shouted Ramses, "and be off out of this place! No one willtake thy children, " said he to the woman. 

"It is easy for me to go away, " said the collector, "for I have a swiftboat and five rowers. But, worthiness, give me some sign for my lordDagon. "

"Take off thy wig and show him the sign on thy forehead, " said Ramses. "And tell Dagon that I will put marks of the same kind all over hisbody. "

"Listen to that blasphemy!" whispered the collector to his men, drawingback toward the bank with low bows. 

He sat down in the boat, and when his assistants had moved off andpushed away some tens of yards, he stretched out his hand and shouted, "May gripe seize thy intestines, blasphemer, rebel! From here I will gostraight to Prince Ramses and tell him what is happening on his lands. "

Then he took his cane and belabored his men because they had not takenpart with him. 

"So it will be with thee!" cried he to Ramses. 

The prince sprang into his boat and in a rage commanded the boatman topursue the insolent servant of the usurer. But he of the sheepskin wigthrew down the cane, took an oar himself, and his men helped him sowell that pursuit became impossible. 

"Sooner could an owl overtake a lark than we overtake them, mybeautiful lord, " cried the prince's boatman, laughing. "But who artthou? Thou art not a surveyor, but an officer, maybe even an officer ofthe guard of his holiness. Thou dost strike right always on theforehead! I know about this; I was five years in the army. I alwaysstruck on the forehead or the belly, and I had not the worst time inthe world. But if any one struck me, I understood right away that hemust be a great person. In our Egypt may the gods never leave the land!it is terribly crowded; town is near town, house is near house, man isnear man. Whoso wishes to turn in this throng must strike in theforehead. "

"Art Thou married?" asked the prince. 

"Pfu! when I have a woman and place for a person and a half, I ammarried; but for the rest of the time I am single. I have been in thearmy, and I know that a woman is good, though not at all times. She isin the way often. "

"Perhaps Thou wouldst come to me for service? Who knows, wouldst Thoube sorry to work for me?"

"With permission, worthiness, I noticed that Thou couldst lead aregiment in spite of thy young face. But I enter the service of no man. I am a free fisherman; my grandfather was, with permission, a shepherdin Lower Egypt, our family comes of the Hyksos people. It is true thatdull Egyptian earth-tillers revile us, but I laugh at them. The earth-tillers and the Hyksos, I say, worthiness, are like an ox and a bull. The earth-tiller may go behind the plough or before it, but the Hyksoswill not serve any man, unless in the army of his holiness, that iswarrior life. "

The boatman was in the vein and talked continually, but the princeheard no longer. In his soul very painful questions grew louder andlouder, for they were new altogether. Were those mounds, then, aroundwhich he had been sailing, on his property? A marvelous thing, he knewnot at all where his lands were nor what they looked like. So in hisname Dagon had imposed new rents on the people, and the active movementon which he had been looking while moving along the shores was theextortion of rents. It was clear that the man whom they had beenbeating on the shore had nothing to pay with. The children who werecrying bitterly in the boat were sold at a drachma per head for atwelvemonth, and that woman who was wading in the water to her waistand weeping was their mother. 

"Women are very unquiet, " said the prince to himself. "Sarah is thequietest woman; but others love to talk much, to cry and raise anuproar. "

He remembered the man who was pacifying his wife's excitement. They hadbeen plunging him into the water and he was not angry; they did nothingto her, and still she made an uproar. 

"Women are very unquiet!" repeated be. "Yes, even my mother, who isworthy of honor. What a difference between her and my father! Hisholiness does not wish to know at all that I left the army for a girl, but the queen likes to occupy herself even with this, that I took intomy house a Jewess. Sarah is the quietest of women whom I know; butTafet cries and makes an uproar for four persons. "

Then the prince recalled the words of the man's wife, that for a monththey had not eaten wheat, only seeds and roots of lotus. Lotus andpoppy seeds are similar; the roots are poor. He could not eat them forthree days in succession. Moreover, the priests who were occupied inmedicine advised change of diet. While in school they told him that aman ought to eat flesh with fish, dates with wheat bread, figs withbarley. But for a whole month to live on lotus seeds! Well, cows andhorses? Cows and horses like hay, but barley straw must be shoved intotheir throats by force. Surely then earth-workers prefer lotus seeds asfood, while wheat or barley cakes, fish and flesh they do not relish. For that matter, the most pious priests, wonderworkers, never touchflesh or fish. Evidently magnates and king's sons need flesh, just aslions and eagles do; but earth-tillers grass, like an ox. 

"Only that plunging into the water to pay rent. Ei! but didn't he oncein bathing with his comrades put them under water, and even divehimself? What laughing they had in those days! Diving was fun. And asto beating with a cane, how many times had they beaten him in school?It is painful, but evidently not for every creature. A beaten dog howlsand bites; a beaten ox does not even look around. So beating may pain agreat lord, but a common man cries only so as to cry when the chancecomes. Not all cry; soldiers and officers sing while belabored. "

But these wise reflections could not drown the small but annoyingdisquiet in the heart of Ramses. So his tenant Dagon had imposed anunjust rent which the tenants could not pay!

At this moment the prince was not concerned about the tenants, but hismother. His mother must know of this Phoenician management. What wouldshe say about it to her son? How she would look at him! How sneeringlyshe would laugh! And she would not be a woman if she did not speak tohim as follows: "I told thee, Ramses, that Phoenicians would desolatethy property. "

"If those traitorous priests, " thought the prince, "would give metwenty talents today, I would drive out that Dagon in the morning, mytenants would not be plunged under water, would not suffer blows, andmy mother would not jeer at me. A tenth, a hundredth part of thatwealth which is lying in the temples and feeding the greedy eyes ofthose bare heads would make me independent for years of Phoenicians. "

Just then an idea which was strange enough flashed up in the soul ofRamses, that between priests and earth-tillers there existed a certainopposition. 

"Through Herhor, " thought he, "that man hanged himself on the edge ofthe desert. To maintain priests and temples about two million Egyptianmen toil grievously. If the property of the priests belonged to thepharaoh's treasury, I should not have to borrow fifteen talents and mypeople would not be oppressed so terribly. There is the source ofmisfortunes for Egypt and of weakness for its pharaohs!"

The prince felt that a wrong was done the people; therefore heexperienced no small solace in discovering that priests were theauthors of this evil. It did not occur to him that his judgment mightbe unjust and faulty. Besides, he did not judge, he was only indignant. The anger of a man never turns against himself, just as a hungrypanther never eats its own body; it twirls its tail and moves its earswhile looking for a victim. 

CHAPTER XIII

The expedition of the heir to the throne, undertaken with the object ofdiscovering the priest who had saved Sarah and had given him legaladvice, had a result that was unexpected. 

The priest was not discovered, but among Egyptian earth-tillers legendsbegan to circulate which concerned Ramses. 

Some mysterious man sailed about from village to village and told thepeople that the heir to the throne freed the men who were in danger ofcondemnation to the quarries for attacking his dwelling. Besides, hehad beaten down an official who was extorting unjust rent from tenants. Finally, the unknown person added that Prince Ramses was under thespecial guardianship of Amon, who was his father. 

Simple people listened to these tidings eagerly, first, because theyagreed with facts, second, because the man who told the story washimself like a spirit it was not known whence he came nor whither hehad vanished. 

Prince Ramses made no mention whatever of his tenants to Dagon; he didnot even summon him. He felt ashamed in presence of the Phoenician fromwhom he had taken money and might require money yet more than one time. 

But a few days after the adventure with Dagon's scribe the banker camehimself to the heir, holding in his hand some covered object. 

On entering the prince's chamber he bent down, untied a white kerchief, and drew forth from it a very beautiful gold goblet; the goblet was setwith stones of various colors, and covered with carving in relief whichon the lower part represented the gathering and pressing out of grapesand on the cup part a feast. 

"Accept this goblet, worthy lord, from thy slave, " said the banker, "and use it for a hundred, a thousand years, to the end of ages. "

The prince understood what the Phoenician wanted; so, without touchingthe golden gift, he said with a stern expression, "Dost Thou see, Dagon, that purple reflection inside the goblet?"

"I do, indeed, " replied the banker; "why should I not see that whichshows the goblet to be the purest gold?"

"But I declare that to be the blood of children seized away from theirparents, " said the heir, angrily. 

And he turned and went to an interior chamber. 

"O Astoreth!" groaned the Phoenician. 

His lips grew blue, and his hands trembled so that he was hardly ableto wrap up the goblet. 

A couple of days later Dagon sailed down with his goblet to Sarah'shouse. He was arrayed in robes interwoven with gold; in his thick beardwere glass globulets from which issued perfumes, and he had fastenedtwo plumes to his head. 

"Beautiful Sarah, " began he, "may Jehovah pour on thy family as manyblessings as there are waters in the Nile at present! We Phoeniciansand ye Jews are brethren and neighbors. I am inflamed with such ardorof love for thee that didst Thou not belong to our most worthy lord Iwould give Gideon ten talents for thee, and would take thee for mylawful wife. So enamored am I. "

"May God preserve me, " answered Sarah, "from wanting another lordbeyond the one who is mine at this moment. But whence, worthy Dagon, did the desire come to thee today of visiting our lord's servant?"

"I will tell thee the truth, as if Thou wert Tamara, my wife, who, areal daughter of Sidon, though she brought me a large dowry, is old nowand not worthy to take off thy sandals. "

"In the honey flowing from thy lips there is much wormwood, " put inSarah. 

"Let the honey, " replied Dagon, sitting down, "be for thee and let thewormwood poison my heart. Our lord Prince Ramses may he live througheternity! has the mouth of a lion and the keenness of a vulture. He hasseen fit to rent his estate to me. This has filled my stomach withdelight; but he does not trust me, so I lay awake whole nights fromanxiety, I only sigh and cover my bed with tears, in which bed wouldthat Thou wert resting with me, O Sarah, instead of my wife Tamara, whocannot rouse desire in me any longer. "

"That is not what Thou wishest to say, " interrupted the blushing Sarah. 

"I know not what I wish to say, since I have looked on thee, and sinceour lord, examining my activity on his estates, struck with a cane andtook health from my scribe who was collecting dues there from tenants. And these dues were not for me. Sarah, but for our lord. It is not Iwho will eat the figs and wheaten bread from those lands, but Thou andour lord. I have given money to our lord and jewels to thee. Why thenshould the low Egyptian rabble impoverish our lord and thee, Sarah? Toshow how greatly Thou rousest my desire and that from these estates Iwish nothing but reserve all for thee and our lord, I give this gobletof pure gold set with jewels and covered with carving at which the godsthemselves would be astonished. "

Then Dagon drew forth from the cloth the goblet refused by PrinceRamses. 

"I do not even wish that Thou shouldst have the goblet in the house andgive the prince to drink from it. Give this goblet of pure gold toGideon, whom I love as my own brother. And thou, Sarah, tell thy fatherthese words: 'Thy twin brother Dagon, the unfortunate tenant on thelands of Prince Ramses, is ruined. Drink then, my father, from thisgoblet, think of thy twin brother, and beg Jehovah that our lord, Prince Ramses, may not beat his scribes, and bring to revolt tenantswho even now have no wish to pay tribute? And know this, Sarah, that ifThou wouldst admit me to confidence I would give thee two talents, andthy father one talent, and, besides, I should be ashamed of giving theeso little, for Thou deservest that the pharaoh himself should fondlethee, and the heir of the throne, and the worthy minister Herhor, andthe most valiant Nitager, and the richest bankers of the Phoenicians. There is such a taste in thee that I grow faint when I gaze at thee, and when I see thee not, I close my eyes and lick my lips. Thou artsweeter than figs, more fragrant than roses. I would give thee fivetalents. Take this goblet, Sarah. "

Sarah drew back with drooping eyes. 

"I will not take the goblet, " answered she; "my lord forbade me to takegifts from any one. "

Dagon was astonished, and looked with widely opened eyes at her. 

"Then it must be that Thou knowest not, Sarah, the value of thisgoblet. But I give it to thy father, who is my brother. "

"I cannot take it, " whispered Sarah. 

"Oh!" cried Dagon. "Then thou, Sarah, wilt pay me for this goblet inanother way, without speaking to thy lord. But a woman as beautiful asThou must have gold and jewels, and should have her own banker to bringher money when she pleases, not alone when her lord likes. "

"I cannot!" whispered Sarah, without concealing her repulsion for thebanker. 

The Phoenician changed his tone in the twinkle of an eye, and saidlaughing, "Very good, Sarah! I only wished to convince myself that Thou artfaithful to our lord. I see that Thou art faithful, though foolish, aspeople say. "

"What?" burst out Sarah, rushing at Dagon with clinched fist. 

"Ha! ha!" laughed the Phoenician. "What a pity that our lord could nothear and see thee this moment! But I will tell him, when he is in goodhumor, that Thou art not only as faithful as a dog to him, but eventhat Thou wouldst not accept a gold goblet because he has not permittedthee to take presents. And this goblet, believe me, Sarah, has temptedmore than one woman, and women who were not of small importance. "

Dagon sat awhile admiring the virtue and obedience of Sarah; at last hetook farewell of her with much feeling, sat down in his tented boat, and sailed away toward Memphis. When the boat had pushed off from thecountry house, the smile vanished from the banker's face, and anexpression of anger came out thereon. When Sarah's house was hiddenbehind the trees, Dagon stood up and raised his hands. 

"O Baal of Sidon, O Astoreth!" said he, "avenge my insult on thiscursed daughter of a Jew. Let her treacherous beauty perish as a dropof rain in the desert! May disease devour her body, and madness bindher soul! May her lord hunt her out of his house like a mangy swine!And as today she pushed my goblet aside, may the hour come when peoplewill push her withered hand aside, when in thirst she begs them for acup of dirty water. "

Then he spat and muttered words with hidden and dreadful meaning; ablack cloud covered the sun for a while, and the water near the side ofthe boat began to grow muddy and rise in a mighty wave. When hefinished, the sun had grown bright again; but the river was disturbed, as if a new inundation were moving it. 

Dagon's rowers were frightened, and ceased their singing; but separatedfrom their master by the side of the boat, they could not see hisceremonies. 

Thenceforth the Phoenician did not appear before Prince Ramses. But ona certain day when the prince came to his residence, he found in hisbedchamber a beautiful Phoenician dancer, sixteen years of age, whoseentire dress was a golden circlet on her head, and a shawl, as delicateas spider webs, thrown across her shoulders. 

"Who art thou?" asked the prince. 

"I am a priestess, and thy servant; the lord Dagon has sent me tofrighten away thy auger against him. "

"How wilt Thou do that?"

"Oh, in this way sit down there, " said she, seating him in an armchair. "I will stand on tiptoe, so as to grow taller than thy anger, and withthis shawl, which is sacred, I will drive evil spirits from thee. Akish! a kish!" whispered she, dancing in a circle. "Ramses, let myhands remove gloom from thy hair, let my kisses bring back to thy eyestheir bright glances. Let the beating of my heart fill thy ears withmusic, lord of Egypt. A kish! a kish! he is not yours, but mine. Lovedemands such silence that in its presence even anger must grow still. "

While dancing, she played with the prince's hair, put her arms aroundhis neck, kissed him on the eyes. At last she sat down wearied at hisfeet, and, resting her head on his knees, turned her face toward himquickly, panting with parted lips. 

"Thou art no longer angry with thy servant Dagon?" whispered she, stroking his face. 

Ramses wished to kiss her on the lips, but she sprang away from hisknees, crying, "Oh, that is not possible!"

"Why so?"

"I am a virgin and priestess of the great goddess Astoreth. Thouwouldst have to love my guardian goddess greatly, and honor her beforeThou couldst kiss me. "

"But is it permitted thee?"

"All things are permitted me, for I am a priestess, and have sworn topreserve my virginity. "

"Why hast Thou come hither, then?"

"To drive out thy anger. I have done so, I depart. Be well and kindalways, " added she, with a piercing glance. 

"Where dost Thou dwell? What is thy name?" asked Ramses. 

"My name is Fondling, and I dwell Ei, why should I tell? Thou wilt notcome soon to me. "

She waved her hand and vanished. The prince, as if stunned, did notmove from his chair. When after a while he looked through the window, he saw a rich litter which four Nubians bore toward the Nile swiftly. 

Ramses was not sorry for the departing woman; she astonished, but didnot attract him. 

"Sarah is calmer, " thought he, "and more beautiful. Moreover, it seemsto me that that Phoenician must be cold, and her fondlings arestudied. "

But from that time the prince ceased to be angry at Dagon, all the moresince on a day when he was at Sarah's earth-tillers came to him, andthanking him for protection declared that the Phoenician forced them topay new rents no longer. 

That was the case close to Memphis, but on other lands the prince'stenants made good Dagon's losses. 

CHAPTER XIV

In the month of Choeak (from the middle of September to the middle ofOctober), the waters of the Nile were highest, and began to fallslightly. In the gardens people gathered tamarinds, dates, olives; andtrees blossomed a second time. 

At this juncture his holiness Ramses XII left his sun-bright palace inMemphis, and with a grand suite on some tens of stately barges sailedto Thebes, to thank the gods there for the bounteous inundation, andalso to place offerings oil the tombs of his eternally livingancestors. 

The most worthy ruler took farewell of his heir very graciously; butthe direction of state affairs during his absence he left with Herhor. 

Ramses felt this proof of want of confidence so greatly that for threedays he took no food and did not leave his villa; he only wept. Laterhe ceased to shave, and transferred himself to Sarah's house, so as notto meet Herhor or annoy his own mother, whom he considered the cause ofhis failures. 

On the following day Tutmosis visited him in this retreat, bringing twoboats filled with musicians and dancers, and a third containing basketsof food and flowers, with pitchers of wine. But the prince commandedthe musicians and dancers to depart, and taking Tutmosis to the garden, he said, "Of course my mother may she live through eternity! sent thee toseparate me from the Jewess? Tell her worthiness that were Herhor tobecome not merely viceroy, but the son of my father, I should do thatwhich pleases me. I know how to do it. Today they wish to deprive me ofSarah, and to-morrow they would take my power from me; I will show themthat I shall not renounce anything. "

The prince was irritated. Tutmosis shrugged his shoulders, and remarkedfinally, "As a whirlwind sweeps a bird into a desert, so does anger cast a manon the shores of injustice. How canst Thou wonder if the priests aredispleased because the heir to the throne has connected his life with awoman of another country and a strange religion? Sarah does not pleasethem, especially since Thou hast her alone. Hadst Thou a number ofvarious women, like all noble youths, they would not mind the Jewess. But have they done her harm? No. On the contrary, even some priestdefended her against a raging crowd which it pleased thee to liberatefrom imprisonment. "

"But my mother?"

Tutmosis laughed. 

"Thy worthy mother loves thee as her own eyes and heart. Of courseSarah does not please her, either, but dost Thou know what herworthiness said once to me? This, that I should entice Sarah from thee. What a jest on her part! To this I answered with a second jest: 'Ramseshas given me a brace of hunting dogs and two Syrian horses because hehas grown tired of them; perhaps some day he will give me his mistresstoo, of course I shall have to take her with other things. '. "

"Do not think of it. I would not give Sarah to any man, were it onlyfor this, because of her my father has not appointed me viceroy. "

Tutmosis shook his head. 

"Thou art greatly mistaken, " answered he, "so much mistaken that I amterrified. Dost Thou not really understand the causes of the disfavor?Every enlightened Egyptian knows them. "

"I know nothing. "

"So much the worse, " said the anxious Tutmosis. "Thou dost not know, then, that warriors, since the maneuvers, especially Greek warriors, drink thy health in every dramshop. "

"They got money to do so. "

"True; but not to cry out, with all the voice that is in them, thatwhen Thou shalt succeed to his holiness may he live through eternity!Thou wilt begin a great war, after which there will be changes inEgypt. "

"What changes? And who is the man who during the life of the pharaohmay dare to speak of the plans of his successor?"

Now the prince grew gloomy. 

"That is one thing, but I will tell thee another, " said, Tutmosis, "formisfortunes, like hyenas, never come singly. Dost Thou know that thelowest people sing songs about thee, sing how Thou didst free theattackers from prison, and what is worse, they repeat again, that, whenThou shalt succeed his holiness, rents will be abolished. It must beadded that when common people speak of injustice and rents, disturbances follow; and either a foreign enemy attacks our weakenedstate, or Egypt is divided into as many parts as there are nomarchs. Finally, judge for thyself, is it proper that any man's name should bementioned oftener than the pharaoh's, and that any man should standbetween the people and our lord? If Thou permit, I will tell howpriests look on this matter. "

"Of course, speak. "

"Well, a very wise priest who from the summit of the temple of Amonexamines celestial movements, has thought out this statement: 'Thepharaoh is the sun, the heir to the throne the moon. When the moonfollows the god of light from afar, we have brightness in the daytimeand clearness at night. When the moon wishes to be too near the sun, itdisappears itself and the nights are dark. But if the moon standsbefore the sun there is an eclipse, and in the world great terror '. "

"And all this babble, " interrupted Ramses, "goes to the ears of hisholiness. Misfortune on my head! Would that I had never been the son ofa pharaoh!"

"The pharaoh, as a god upon earth, knows everything; but he is toomighty to care for the drunken shouts of soldiers or the whispers ofearth tillers. He understands that every Egyptian would die for him, and Thou first of all. "

"Thou hast spoken truth!" answered the anxious prince. "But in all thisI see new vileness and deceit of the priests, " added he, rousinghimself. "It is I, then, who hide the majesty of our lord, because Ifree the innocent from prison, or do not let my tenant torture earth-workers with unjust tribute. But when his worthiness Herhor manages thearmy, appoints leaders, negotiates with foreign princes, and directs myfather to spend his time in prayers. "

Tutmosis covered his ears, and, stamping, cried, "Be silent! be silent!every word of thine is blasphemy. His holiness alone directs the state, and whatever is done on earth proceeds from his will. Herhor is aservant of the pharaoh and does what his lord enjoins on him. If Thouwilt convince thyself oh, that my words be not ill understood. "

The prince grew so gloomy that Tutmosis broke off the conversation andtook farewell of his friend at the earliest. When he sat down in hisboat, which was furnished with a baldachin and curtains, he drew a deepbreath and draining a large goblet of wine, thought, "Brr! I thank the gods for not giving me such a character as that whichRamses has. He is a most unhappy man in the happiest conditions. Hemight have the most beautiful women in Memphis, but he sticks to one toannoy his mother. Meanwhile it is not his mother that he annoys, butall the virtuous virgins and faithful wives who are withering fromsadness that the heir to the throne, and moreover a youth of greatcomeliness, does not snatch from them virtue or force them tounfaithfulness. He might not only drink but even swim in the best wine;meanwhile he prefers the wretched camp beer, and bread rubbed withgarlic. Whence came these low inclinations? I cannot imagine. Or was itthat the worthy Nikotris in her critical period looked at workmen whilethey were eating?

"He might do nothing from daylight till darkness. If he wished, themost famous lords, with their wives, sisters, and daughters, wouldserve food to him. He not only stretches forth his own hands to takefood, but, to the torment of our noble youths, he washes himself, dresses himself, and his barber spends whole days in snaring birds andthus wastes his abilities. 

"O Ramses, Ramses!" sighed the exquisite. "Is it possible that fashionshould be developed in the time of such a prince? We wear the sameaprons from one year to another, and we retain wigs, only thanks tocourt dignitaries, for Ramses will not wear any wig. This is a greatoffence to the whole order of nobles. And all brought about by cursedpolitics, brr! Oh, how happy I am that I need not divine what they arethinking of in Tyre or Nineveh; break my head over wages for the army;calculate how many people have been added to Egypt or taken from it, and what rents must be collected. It is a terrible thing to say toone's self, 'My tenant does not pay what I need and expend, but whatthe increase of the Nile permits. '. "

Thus meditated the exquisite Tutmosis, while he strengthened hisanxious soul with golden wine. Before the boat had sailed up toMemphis, heavy sleep had mastered him in such wise that his slaves hadto carry their lord to the litter. 

After the departure of Tutmosis, which resembled a flight, the heirfell to thinking deeply; he even felt fear. 

Ramses was a skeptic. As a pupil of the priests, and a member of thehighest aristocracy, he knew that when certain priests had fasted manymonths and mortified their senses they summoned spirits, while othersspoke of spirits as a fancy, a deception. He had seen, too, that Apis, the sacred bull before which all Egypt fell prostrate, received attimes heavy blows of a cane from inferior priests, who gave the beastfood and brought cows to him. 

He understood, finally, that his father, Ramses XII, who for the commoncrowd was a god who lived through eternity, and the all-commanding lordof this world, was really just such a person as others, only a littlemore weakly than ordinary old men, and very much limited in power bythe priestly order. 

The prince saw all this, and jeered in his soul and even la public atmany things. But all his infidelity fell before the actual truth, thatno one was permitted to trifle with the titles of the pharaoh. 

Ramses knew the history of his country, and he remembered that in Egyptmany things were forgiven the mighty. A great lord might ruin a canal, kill a man in secret, revile the gods privately, take presents fromambassadors of foreign states, but two sins were not forgiven, thebetrayal of priestly secrets, and treason to the pharaoh. A man whocommitted one or the other disappeared, sometimes after a year, fromamong his friends and servants. But where he had been put or what hadbeen done with him, no one even dared to mention. 

Ramses felt that he was on an incline of this sort from the time thatthe army and the people began to mention his name and speak of certainplans of his, changes in the state, future wars. Thinking of this, theprince felt as if a nameless crowd of rebels and unfortunates werepushing him violently to the point of the highest obelisk, from whichhe must tumble down and be crushed into jelly. 

Later on, when, after the longest life of his father possible, hebecame pharaoh, he would have the right and the means to accomplishmany deeds of which no one in Egypt could even think without terror. But today he must in truth have a care, lest they declare him a traitorand a rebel against the fundamental laws of Egypt. In that state therewas one visible ruler, the pharaoh. He governed, he desired, he thoughtfor all, and woe to the man who dared to doubt audibly the all-might ofthe sovereign, or mention plans of his own, or even changes in general. 

Plans were made in one place alone, in that hall where the pharaohlistened to advice from his aiding council, and expressed to it his ownopinions. No changes could come save from that place. There burned theonly visible lamp of political wisdom, the light of which illuminatedEgypt. But touching that light, it was safer to be silent. 

All these considerations flew through the prince's head with theswiftness of a whirlwind while he was sitting on the stone bench underthe chestnut-tree in Sarah's garden, and looking at the landscape therearound him. 

The water of the Nile had fallen a little, and had begun to grow astransparent as a crystal. But the whole country looked yet like an armof the sea thickly dotted with islands on which rose buildings, gardens, and orchards, while here and there groups of great treesserved as ornament. 

Around all these islands were well-sweeps, with buckets by whichbronze-hued naked men with dirty breech clouts raised water from theNile and poured it into higher reservoirs. One such place was in theprince's mind especially. That was a steep eminence on the side ofwhich three men were working at three well-sweeps. One poured waterfrom the river into the lowest well; another drew from the lowest andraised water two yards higher to a middle place; the third raised waterfrom the middle to the highest place. There some people, also naked, drew water in buckets, and irrigated beds of vegetables, or wateredtrees from sprinkling-pots. 

The movement of the sweeps going down and rising, the turn of thebuckets, the gushing of the pots was so rhythmic that the men whocaused it might be thought automatons. No one of them spoke to hisneighbor, no man changed place or looked about him; he merely bent androse in one single method from daylight until evening, from one monthto another, and doubtless he had worked thus from childhood and wouldso work till death took him. 

"And creatures such as these, " thought the prince, as he looked attheir toil, "desire me to realize their imaginings. What change in thestate can they wish? Is it that he who draws from the lowest wellshould go to the highest, or instead of pouring from a bucket shouldsprinkle trees with a watering pot?"

Anger rose to his head, and humiliation crushed him because he, theheir to the throne, thanks to the fables of creatures like those whonodded all their lives over wells of dirty water, was not now the vice-pharaoh. 

At that moment he heard a low rustle among the trees, and delicatehands rested on his shoulder. 

"Well, Sarah?" asked the prince, without turning his head. 

"Thou art sad, my lord. Moses was not so delighted at sight of thepromised land as I was at those words of thine:

"I am coming to live with thee. But Thou art a day and a night here, and I have not seen thy smile yet. Thou dost not even speak to me, butgoest about in gloom, and at night Thou dost not fondle me, but onlysighest. "

"I have trouble. "

"Tell me what it is. Grief is like a treasure given to be guarded. Aslong as we guard it ourselves even sleep flees away, and we find reliefonly when we put some one else to watch for us. "

Ramses embraced Sarah, and seated her on the bench at his side. 

"When an earth-tiller, " said he, smiling, "is unable to bring in allhis crops from the field before the overflow, his wife helps him. Shehelps him to milk cows too, she takes out food to the field for him, she washes the man on his return from labor. Hence the belief has comethat woman can lighten man's troubles. "

"Dost Thou not believe this, lord?"

"The cares of a prince, " answered Ramses, "cannot be lightened by awoman, even by one as wise and powerful as my mother. "

"In God's name, what are thy troubles? Tell me, " insisted Sarah, drawing up to the shoulder of Prince Ramses. "According to ourtraditions, Adam left Paradise for Eve; and he was surely the greatestking in the most beautiful kingdom. "

The prince became thoughtful. 

"Our sages also teach, " said he, "that man has often abandoneddignities for woman, but it has not been heard that any man everachieved something great through a woman; unless he was a leader towhom a pharaoh gave his daughter, with a great dowry and high office. But a woman cannot help a man to reach a higher place or even help himout of troubles. "

"This may be because she does not love as I do, " whispered Sarah. 

"Thy love for me is wonderful, I know that. Never hast Thou asked forgifts, or favored those who do not hesitate to seek success even underthe beds of princes' favorites. Thou art milder than a lamb, and ascalm as a night on the Nile. Thy kisses are like perfume from the landof Punt, and thy embrace as sweet as the sleep of a wearied laborer. Ihave no measure for thy beauty, or words for thy attractions. Thou arta marvel among women; women's lips are rich in trouble and their loveis very costly. But with all thy perfection how canst Thou ease mytroubles? Canst Thou cause his holiness to order a great expedition tothe East and name me to command it? Canst Thou give me the army corpsin Memphis, for which I asked, or wilt thou, in the pharaoh's name, make me governor of Lower Egypt? Or canst Thou bring all subjects ofhis holiness to think and feel as I, his most devoted subject?" Sarahdropped her hands on her knees, and whispered sadly, "True, I cannot dothose things I can do nothing. "

"Thou canst do much. Thou canst cheer me, " replied Ramses, smiling. "Iknow that Thou hast learned to dance and sing. Take off those longrobes, therefore, which become priestesses guarding fire, and arraythyself in transparent muslin, as Phoenician dancers do. And so danceand fondle me as they. "

Sarah seized his hands and cried with flaming eyes, "Hast Thou to do with outcasts such as these? Tell me let me know mywretchedness; send me then to my father, send me to our valley in thedesert. Oh, that I had never seen thee in it!"

"Well, well, calm thyself, " said the prince, toying with her hair. "Imust of course see dancers, if not at feasts, at royal festivals, orduring services in temples. But all of them together do not concern meas much as Thou alone; moreover, who among them could equal thee? Thybody is like a statue of Isis, cut out of ivory, and each of thosedancers has some defect. Some are too thick; others have thin legs orugly hands; still others have false hair. Who of them is like thee? IfThou wert an Egyptian, all our temples would strive to possess thee asthe leader of their chorus. What do I say? Wert Thou to appear now inMemphis in transparent robes, the priests would be glad if Thou wouldsttake part in processions. "

"It is not permitted us daughters of Judah to wear immodest garments. "

"Nor to dance or sing? Why didst Thou learn, then?"

"Our women dance, and our virgins sing by themselves for the glory ofthe Lord, but not for the purpose of sowing fiery seeds of desire inmen's hearts. But we sing. Wait, my lord, I will sing to thee. "

She rose from the bench and went toward the house. Soon she returnedfollowed by a young girl with black, frightened eyes, who was bearing aharp. 

"Who is this maiden?" asked the prince. "But wait I have seen that looksomewhere. Ah! when I was here the last time a frightened girl lookedfrom the bushes at me. '"

"This is Esther, my relative and servant, " answered Sarah. "She haslived with me a mouth now, but she fears thee, lord, so she runs awayalways. Perhaps she looked at thee sometime from out the bushes. "

"Thou mayst go, my child, " said the prince to the maiden, who seemedpetrified, and when she had hidden behind the bushes, he asked, "Is she a Jewess too? And this guard of thy house, who looks at me as asheep at a crocodile?"

"That is Samuel the son of Esdras; he also is a relative. I took him inplace of the black man to whom Thou hast given freedom. But hast Thounot permitted me to choose my servants?"

"That is true. And so also the overseer of the workmen is a Jew, for hehas a yellow complexion and looks with a lowliness which no Egyptiancould imitate. "

"That, " answered Sarah, "is Ezechiel, the son of Reuben, a relative ofmy father. Does he not please thee, my lord? These are all thy veryfaithful servants. "

"Does he please me, " said the prince, dissatisfied, drumming with hisfingers on the bench. "He is not here to please me, but to guard thyproperty. For that matter, these people do not concern me. Sing, Sarah. "

Sarah knelt on the grass at the prince's feet, and playing a few notesas accompaniment, began, "Where is he who has no care? Who is he who in lying down to slumberhas the right to say: This is a day that I have spent without sorrow?Where is the man who lying down for the grave, can say: My life haspassed without pain, without fear, like a calm evening on the Jordan. 

"But how many are there who moisten their bread with tears daily, andwhose houses are filled with sighing. 

"A wail is man's earliest speech on this earth, and a groan hisfarewell to it. Full of suffering does he come into life, full ofsorrow does he go to his resting-place, and no one asks him where hewould like to be. 

"Where is that offspring of man who has not tasted the bitterness ofbeing? Is it the child which death has snatched from its mother, or isit the babe whose mother's breast was drained by hunger ere the littleone could place lips to it?

"Where is the man who is sure of his fate, the man who can look withunfailing eye at the morrow? Does he who toils on the field know thatrain is not under his power, and that not he shows its way to thelocust swarm? Does the merchant who gives his wealth to the winds, which come he knows not whence, and his life to the waves on that abysswhich swallows all, and returns nothing?

"Where is the man without dread in his spirit? Is it the hunter whochases the nimble deer and on the road meets a lion which mocks at hisarrows? Is it the warrior who goes forth to gain glory with toiling, and meets a forest of sharp lances and bronze swords which arethirsting for his life blood? Is it the great king who under his purpleputs on heavy armor, who spies out with sleepless eye the treachery ofoverpowering neighbors, and seizes with his ear the rustle of thecurtain lest treason overturn him in his own tent?

"For this reason men's hearts in all places and at all times areoverflowing with sadness. In the desert the lion and the scorpion arehis danger, in the cave lurks the dragon, among flowers the poisonousserpent. In the sunshine a greedy neighbor is thinking how to decreasehis land, in the night the active thief is breaking through the door tohis granary. In childhood he is incompetent, in old age stripped ofstrength. When full of power, he is surrounded by perils, as a whale issurrounded by abysses of water. 

"Therefore, O Lord, my Creator, to Thee the tortured human soul turnsitself. Thou hast brought it into a world full of ambushes, Thou hastgrafted into it the terror of extinction. Thou hast barred before itall roads of peace, save the one road which leads to Thee. And as achild which cannot walk grasps its mother's skirt lest it fall, sowretched man stretches forth his hands toward Thy tenderness, andstruggles out of uncertainty. "

Sarah was silent; the prince fell into meditation, and then said, "Ye Jews are a gloomy nation. If men in Egypt believed as thy songteaches, no one would laugh on the banks of the Nile. The wealthy wouldhide in underground temples through terror, and the people, instead ofworking, would flee to caves, look out and wait for mercy which wouldnever come to them. 

"Our world is different: in it a man may have everything, but hehimself must do everything. Our gods help no idleness. They come to theearth only when a hero dares a deed which is superhuman and when heexhausts every power present. Such was the case with Ramses the Greatwhen he rushed among two thousand five hundred hostile chariots, eachof which carried three warriors. Only then did Amon the eternal fatherreach his hand down and end the battle with victory. But if instead offighting he had waited for the aid of your God, long ago would theEgyptians have been moving along the Nile, each of them bearing a brickand a bucket, while the vile Hittites would be masters going aroundwith clubs and papyruses. 

"Therefore, Sarah, thy charms will scatter my sorrows sooner than thysong. If I had acted as your Jewish song teaches, and waited for divineassistance, wine would have flowed away from my lips, and women wouldhave fled from my household. 

"Above all, I could not be the pharaoh's heir any more than mybrothers, one of whom does not leave his room without leaning on twoslaves, while the other climbs along tree trunks. "

CHAPTER XV

THE next day Ramses sent his black men with commands to Memphis, andabout midday came a great boat toward Sarah's house from the directionof the city. The boat was filled with Greek soldiers in lofty helmetsand gleaming breastplates. 

At command sixteen men armed with shields and short darts landed andstood in two ranks. They were ready to march to the house, when asecond messenger from the prince detained them. He commanded thesoldiers to remain at the shore, and summoned only their leader, Patrokles. 

They halted and stood without movement, like two rows of columnscovered with glittering armor. After the messenger went, Patrokles in ahelmet with plumes, wearing a purple tunic over which he had gildedarmor ornamented on the breast with the picture of a woman's headbristling with serpents instead of hair. 

The prince received the famous general at the garden gate. He did notsmile as usual, did not even answer the low bow of Patrokles, but saidcoldly, "Worthiness, tell the Greek warriors that I will not review them untiltheir lord, his holiness, appoints me leader a second time. They havelost that honor by uttering in dramshops shouts worthy of drunkards. These shouts offend me. I call attention also to this, worthiness, thatthe Greek regiments do not show sufficient discipline. In public placesthe soldiers of this corps discuss politics and a certain possible war. This looks like treason to the state. Only the pharaoh and members ofhis supreme council may speak of such matters. But we, soldiers andservants of our lord, whatever position we occupy, may only execute thecommands of our most gracious ruler, and be silent at all times. I begthee to communicate these considerations to my regiments, and I wishall success to thee, worthiness. "

"It will be as commanded, worthiness, " answered the Greek. 

He turned on his heel, and standing erect moved with a rattle towardthe boat. He knew about these discussions of the soldiers in thedramshops, and understood straightway that something disagreeable hadhappened to the heir, whom the troops worshipped. Therefore, when hehad reached the handful of armed men on the bank, he assumed a veryangry mien, and, waving his hands with rage, cried, "Valiant Greek soldiers! mangy dogs, may the leprosy consume you! If, from this time on, any Greek mentions the name of the heir to thethrone in a dramshop, I will break a pitcher on his head, cram thepieces down his throat, and then drive him out of the regiment! One andanother of you will herd swine for Egyptian earth-workers, and henswill lay eggs in your helmets. Such is the fate waiting for stupidsoldiers who know not how to keep their tongues quiet. And now to theleft! to the rear! turn! and march to the boat, may the plague strikeyou! A soldier of his holiness should drink first of all to the healthof the pharaoh and the prosperity of the worthy minister of war, Herhor, may they live through eternity!"

"May they live through eternity!" repeated the soldiers. 

All took their places in the boat, looking gloomy. But when nearMemphis Patrokles smoothed out his wrinkled forehead and commanded themto sing the song of that priest's daughter who so loved soldiers thatshe put a doll in her bed and passed the whole night in the booth ofthe sentries. Keeping time to this song, they always marched best, andmoved the oars with most nimbleness. 

In the evening another boat approached Sarah's dwelling, out of whichcame the chief steward of the prince's property. 

Ramses received this official at the garden gate also. Perhaps he didthis through sternness, or perhaps not to constrain the man to enterthe house of his mistress and a Jewess. 

"I wished, " said the heir, "to see thee and to say that among my peoplecertain improper conversations circulate concerning decrease of rent, or something of that kind. I wish those people to know that I will notdecrease rents. But should any man in spite of warnings persist in hisfolly and talk about rents, he will receive blows of canes. "

"Perhaps it would be better if he paid a fine, an uten or a drachma, whatever is commanded, worthiness, " said the chief steward. 

"Yes; but the worst offender might be beaten. "

"I make bold to offer a remark, worthiness, " said the steward in a lowtone, inclining continually, "that the earth-workers, roused by someunknown person, really did talk for a time about decrease of rent. Butsome days ago they ceased on a sudden. "

"In that case we might withhold the blows of canes, " said Ramses. 

"Unless as preventive means, " put in the steward. 

"Would it not be too bad to spoil the canes?"

"We shall never lack articles of that sort. "

"But with moderation in every case. I do not wish it to go to hisholiness that I torture men without need. For rebellious conversationwe must beat and take fines in money, but when there is no cause forpunishment we may be magnanimous. "

"I understand, " answered the steward, looking into the eyes of Ramses. 

"Let them cry out as much as they like if they do not whisperblasphemy. "

These talks with Patrokles and the steward were reported throughoutEgypt. 

After the steward's departure, the prince yawned and looking aroundwith a tired glance, he said to himself, "I have done all I could, but now, if I can, I will do nothing. "

At that moment, from the direction of the outhouses, low groans and thesound of frequent blows reached the prince. Ramses turned his head, andsaw that the overseer of the workmen, Ezekiel, son of Reuben, wasbeating some subordinate with a cane, pacifying him meanwhile, "Be quiet! be silent, low beast!"

The beaten workman, lying on the ground, closed his mouth with his handso as not to cry. 

At first the prince rushed like a panther toward the outhouses. Suddenly he halted. 

"What am I to do?" whispered he. "This is Sarah's place, and the Jew isher relative. "

He bit his lips, and disappeared among the trees, the more readilysince the flogging was finished. 

"Is this the management of the humble Jews?" thought Ramses. "Is thisthe way? That man looks at me as a frightened dog might, but he beatsthe workmen. Are the Hebrews all like him?"

And for the first time the thought was roused in the prince's soul, that under the guise of kindness Sarah, too, might conceal falsehood. 

Certain changes had indeed taken place in Sarah; above all, moralchanges. 

From the moment when she met Ramses in the valley of the desert he hadpleased her, but that feeling grew silent immediately beneath theinfluence of the stunning news that the shapely youth was a son of thepharaoh and heir to the throne of Egypt. When Tutmosis bargained withGideon to take her to the prince's house, Sarah fell into a state ofbewilderment. 

She would not renounce Ramses for any treasure, nor at the cost oflife, but one could not say that she loved him at that time. Lovedemands freedom and time to give forth its most beautiful blossoms;neither freedom nor time had been left to her. She made theacquaintance of the prince on a certain day; the following day theytook her away almost without consulting her wishes, and bore her tothat villa opposite Memphis. In a couple of days she became theprince's favorite, astonished, frightened, not understanding what hadtaken place with her. 

Moreover, before she could make herself used to the new impressions, the Jewess was disturbed by ill-will from surrounding people; then thevisit of unknown ladies; finally, that attack on the villa. 

Then, because Ramses took her part and wished to rush on the rioters, she was still more terrified. She lost presence of mind at the thoughtthat she was in the hands of a man of such power and so violent, who, if it suited him, had the right to shed blood, to slay people. 

Sarah fell into despair for the moment: it seemed to her that she wouldgo mad. She heard the terrible commands of the prince who summoned theservants to arms. But at that very moment a slight thing took place, one little word was heard which sobered Sarah, and gave a new turn toher feelings. 

The prince, thinking that she was wounded, drew the bandage from herhead; but when he saw the bruise, he cried, "That is only a blue spot! How that blue spot changes the face!"

At these words Sarah forgot pain and fear. New alarm seized her: so shehad changed to such a degree that it astonished the prince, but he wasonly astonished. 

The blue spot disappeared in a couple of days, but feelings unknown upto that time remained in Sarah's soul and increased there. She began tobe jealous of the prince, and to fear that he would reject her. 

And still another anxiety tortured the Jewess. She felt herself aservant, a slave in respect to Ramses. She was and wished to be hisfaithful servant, his devoted slave, as inseparable as his shadow, butat the same time she desired that he, at least when he fondled her, should not treat her as though he were lord and master. 

She was his indeed, but he was hers also. Why does he not show, then, that he belonged to her, even in some degree? But with every word andmotion he makes her understand that a certain gulf is between them. What kind of gulf? Has she not held him in her embraces? Has he notkissed her lips and bosom?

A certain day the prince came to her with a dog. He stayed only acouple of hours; but during that entire interval the dog lay at hisfeet in Sarah's place, and when she wished to sit there the doggrowled. And the prince laughed and thrust his fingers into the hair ofthat unclean creature, as he had into her hair. And the dog looked intothe prince's eyes just as she had, with this difference, perhaps, thathe looked with more confidence. 

She could not pacify herself, and she hated the clever beast which wastaking a part of the tenderness due to her, paying no attentionwhatever to her, and bearing itself with an intimacy towards its lordthat she did not dare to claim. She would have been unable to have suchan indifferent mien, or to look in another direction if the prince'shand had rested on her head. 

Not long before this incident the prince mentioned dancers a secondtime. Then Sarah burst out angrily, "How did he permit himself to be familiar with those naked, shamelesswomen? And Jehovah looking down from high heaven did not hurl Histhunders at those monstrous creatures!"

It is true that Ramses told her that she was dearer than all else tohim, but these words did not pacify Sarah; they only produced thiseffect, that she determined not to think of aught beyond her love. 

What would come on the morrow? Never mind. And when at the feet of theprince she sang that hymn about those sufferings which pursue mankindfrom the cradle to the grave, she described in it the state of her ownsoul, and her last hope, which was Jehovah. 

That day Ramses was with her; hence she had enough, she had all thehappiness which life could give. But just there began for Sarah thegreatest bitterness. 

The prince lived under one roof with her, he walked with her in thegarden, and sometimes went out on the Nile in a boat with her. But hewas not more accessible by the width of one hair than when he was onthe other side of the river, within the limits of the pharaoh's palace. 

He was with her, but his mind was in some other place, Sarah could noteven divine where. He embraced her, or toyed with her hair, but helooked toward the city, at those immense many-colored pylons of thepharaoh's palace, or at some unknown object. 

At times he did not even answer her questions, or he looked at hersuddenly as if roused from sleep, or as if he wondered that he saw herthere beside him. 

CHAPTER XVI

THUS seemed those moments of approach between Sarah and her princelylover, which were rare enough withal. For after he had given thosecommands to-Patrokles and the steward, Ramses spent the greater part ofthe day away from the villa, generally in a boat or sailing on theNile. He caught with a net fish which swam in thousands in the blessedriver, or he went into swamps, and hidden among lofty lotus stemsbrought down with arrows wild birds, which circling in noisy flockswere as numerous as flies are. But even at those times ambitiousthoughts did not desert him; so he turned the hunting into a kind ofpredicting or soothsaying. More than once, when he saw a flock ofyellow geese upon the water, he drew his bow and said, "If I hit Ishall be like Ramses the Great. "

The arrow made a low whistle, and the stricken bird, fluttering itswings, gave out cries so painful that there was a movement in the wholeswampy region. Clouds of geese, ducks, and storks rose in the air, andmaking a great circle above their dying comrade, dropped down to otherplaces. 

When there was silence again, the prince pushed his boat farther, withcaution guiding himself by the movement of reeds or the broken calls ofbirds, and when in the green growth he saw a spot of clear water and anew flock, he drew his bow again, and said, "If I hit I shall be pharaoh; if I miss. "

This time the arrow struck the water, and bounding a number of timesalong its surface, disappeared among lotuses. The excited prince sentmore and more arrows, killing birds or only frightening flocks of them. From the villa they knew where he was by the noisy cloud of birds whichrose from time to time and circled above the boat in which he wassailing. 

When toward evening he returned to the villa wearied, Sarah waited onthe threshold with a bronze basin, a pitcher of light wine, and agarland of roses. The prince smiled at her, stroked her face, butlooking into her eyes, which were full of tenderness, he thought, "Would she beat Egyptian people, like her relatives who look frightenedall the time? Oh, my mother is right not to trust Jews, though Sarahmay be different from others. "

Once, returning unexpectedly, he saw in the space before the villa acrowd of naked children playing joyously. All were yellow, and at sightof him they vanished with cries like wild geese from a swampy meadow. Before he reached the terrace they were gone, not a trace was left. 

"Who are those little things, " asked he, "who rushed away from me?"

"Those are children of my servants, " replied Sarah. 

"Of Jews?"

"Of my brothers. "

"Gods, what a numerous people!" laughed Ramses. "And who is thatagain?" added he, pointing to a man who looked timidly from beyond thewall. 

"That is Aod, son of Barak, my relative. He wants to serve thee, lord. May I take him?"

The prince shrugged his shoulders. 

"This is thy place, " answered he; "take those who please thee. But ifthese people increase so, they will soon master Memphis. "

"Thou canst not endure my brethren, " whispered Sarah, as she dropped tohis feet frightened. 

The prince looked at her with astonishment. 

"I do not even think of them, " answered he, proudly. 

These little happenings, which fell on Sarah's soul like drops of fire, did not change Ramses with regard to her. He was kind and as fond as hehad been, though his eyes turned more frequently to the other bank ofthe river, and rested on the mighty pylons of his father's palace. 

Soon he discovered that others were yearning because he was in abanishment of his own choosing. A certain day from the opposite shore astately royal barge pushed out into the river; it crossed the Nile fromMemphis, and then circled near the prince's villa, so near that Ramsescould recognize the persons in it. In fact he recognized beneath thepurple baldachin his mother among court ladies, and opposite, on a lowstool, the vice-pharaoh, Herhor. They did not look toward the villa, itis true, but the prince divined that they saw him. 

"Ha! ha!" thought he. "My worthy mother and his worthiness the ministerwould be glad to entice me hence before his holiness returns toMemphis. "

The mouth Tobi (the end of October and beginning of November) came. TheNile had fallen a distance equaling the stature of a man, and one-halfin addition, uncovering daily new strips of black clammy earth. Wherever the water withdrew a narrow plough appeared drawn by two oxen. Behind the plough went a naked ploughman, at the side of he oxen adriver with a short club, and behind him a sower, who, wading to hisankles in earth, carried wheat in an apron, and scattered it almost inhandfuls. 

The most beautiful season of the year was beginning in Egypt, thewinter. Heat did not go beyond 70 Fahrenheit; the earth was coveredquickly with emerald green, from out which sprang narcissus andviolets. The odor of them came forth oftener and oftener amid the odorof earth and water. 

A number of times the barge bearing the worthy lady Nikotris and thevice-pharaoh Herhor appeared near Sarah's dwelling. Each time theprince saw his mother conversing with the minister joyously, andconvinced himself that they refrained ostentatiously from lookingtoward him, as if to show indifference. 

"Wait!" whispered he, in anger, "I will show you that life does notannoy me, either. "

So when one day, shortly before sunset, the queen's gilded bargeappeared with a purple tent having ostrich plumes on each of its fourcomers, Ramses gave command to prepare a boat for two persons, and toldSarah that he would sail with her. 

"O Jehovah!" cried she, clasping her hands. "But thy mother is there, and the viceroy!"

"But in this boat will be the heir to the throne. Take thy harp, Sarah. "

"And the harp, too?" cried Sarah. "But if her worthiness were to speakto thee! I should throw myself into the river. "

"Be not a child, " replied Ramses, laughing. "My mother and hisworthiness love songs immensely. Thou mayest even win their favor ifThou sing some splendid song of the Hebrews. Let there be love in it. "

"I know no song of that kind, " answered Sarah, in whom the prince'swords had roused hope of some sort. Her song might please thosepowerful rulers, and then what?

On the royal barge they saw that the heir to the throne was sitting ina simple boat and rowing. 

"Dost Thou see, worthiness, " whispered the queen to the minister, "thathe is rowing toward us with his Jewess?"

"The heir has borne himself with such correctness toward his warriorsand his people, and has shown so much compunction in withdrawing fromthe limits of the palace, that his mother may forgive small errors, "answered Herhor. 

"Oh, if he were not sitting in that boat, I would give command to breakit!" said the worthy lady. 

"For what reason?" asked the minister. "The prince would be nodescendant of high priests and pharaohs if he did not break throughrestraints which the law, alas, puts on him, or perhaps our mistakencustoms. He has given proof in every case that in serious junctures heis able to command himself. He is even able to recognize his errors, arare power and priceless in an heir to the throne of Egypt. The veryfact that the prince wishes to rouse our curiosity with his favoriteshows that the position in which he finds himself pains him; besides, his reasons are among the noblest. "

"But the Jewess!" whispered the lady, crushing her feather fan betweenher fingers. 

"At present I am quite at rest regarding her, " continued Herhor. "Sheis shapely, but dull; she never thinks of using influence on theprince, nor could she do so. Shut up in a cage which is not over-costly, she takes no gifts, and will not even see any one. In time, perhaps, she might learn to make use of her position even to the extentof decreasing the heir's treasury by some talents. Before that daycomes, however, Ramses will be tired of her. "

"May the all-knowing Amon speak through thy mouth, " said the lady. 

"The prince, I am sure of this, has not grown wild over a favorite, ashappens often to young lords in Egypt. One keen, intriguing woman maystrip a man of property and health, nay, bring him to the hall ofjudgment. The prince is amused with her as a grown-up man might beamused with a slave girl. And Sarah is pregnant. "

"Is that true?" cried the queen. "How dost Thou know?"

"It is not known to his worthiness the heir, or even to Sarah, " saidHerhor, smiling. "We must know everything. This secret, however, wasnot difficult to get at. With Sarah is her relative Tafet, anincomparable gossip. "

"Have they summoned a physician already?"

"Sarah knows nothing of this, I repeat, but the worthy Tafet, from fearlest the prince might grow indifferent to her foster child, would beglad to twist the neck of this secret. But we do not let her. That willbe the prince's child also. "

"But if it is a son? Thou knowest that he may make trouble, " put in thelady. 

"All is foreseen, " replied Herhor. "If the child is a daughter, we willgive her a dowry and the education proper for young ladies of highstation. If a son, he will become a Jew. "

"Oh, my grandson, a Jew!"

"Do not take thy heart too soon from him. Our envoys declare that thepeople of Israel are beginning to desire a king. Before the childmatures their desires will ripen, and then we may give them a ruler, and of good blood indeed. "

"Thou art like an eagle which takes in East and West at a glance, " saidthe queen, eying the minister with amazement. "I feel that my repulsionfor this maiden begins to grow weaker. "

"The least drop of the pharaoh's blood should raise itself abovenations, like a star above the earth, " added Herhor. 

At that moment the heir's boat moved at a few tens of paces from theroyal barge, and the queen, shielded by her fan, looked at Sarahthrough its feathers. 

"In truth the girl is shapely, " whispered Queen Nikotris. 

"Thou art saying those words for the second time, worthy lady. "

"So Thou hast noted that?" laughed her worthiness. 

Herhor dropped his eyes. 

In the boat was heard a harp, and Sarah began a hymn, with tremblingvoice, "How great is Jehovah, O Israel! how great is Jehovah, thy God. "

"A most beautiful voice, " whispered the queen. 

The high priest listened with attention. 

"His days have no beginning, " sang Sarah, "and His dwelling has nolimit. The eternal heavens change beneath His eye, like a garment whicha man puts on his body and then casts away from him. The stars flashup, and are quenched, like sparks from fuel, and the earth is like abrick which a traveler touches once with his foot while going everfarther. 

"How great is thy Lord, O Israel! There is no being who can say to Him, 'Do this!' there is no womb which could have given birth to Him. Hecreated the bottomless deeps above which He moves when He wishes. Hebrings light out of darkness, and from the dust of the earth He createsliving things which have voices. 

"For Him savage lions are as locusts, the immense elephant He looks onas nothing, before Him the whale is as weak as an infant. 

"His tricolored bow divides the heavens into two parts and rests on theends of the earth plain. Where are the gates which could equal Him inloftiness? Nations are in terror at the thunder of His chariot, andthere is naught beneath the sun which could stand His flashing arrows. 

"His breath is the north wind at midnight, which freshens trees whenwithering, His anger is like the chamsin which burns what it touches. 

"When He stretches His hands above the waters, they are petrified. Hepours the sea into new places, as a woman pours out leaven. He rendsthe earth as if it were old linen, and clothes in silvery snow thenaked tops of mountains. 

"In a grain of wheat He hides one hundred other grains, and causesbirds to incubate. From the drowsy chrysalis He leads to life a goldenbutterfly, and makes men's bodies wait in tombs until the day ofresurrection. "

The rowers, absorbed in the song, raised their oars, and the purplebarge dropped slowly down with the sweep of the river. All at onceHerhor rose, and commanded, "Turn now toward Memphis!"

The oars fell; the barge turned where it stood, and raised the waterwith noise. After it followed Sarah's hymn decreasing gradually, "He sees the movement of hearts, the silent hidden ways on which passthe innermost thoughts in men's breasts. But no man can gaze into Hisheart and spy out His purposes. 

"Before the gleam of His garments mighty spirits hide their faces. Before His glance the gods of great cities and nations turn aside andshrink like withering leaves. 

"He is power, He is life, He is wisdom. He is thy Lord, thy God, OIsrael!"

"Why command, worthiness, to turn away our barge?" asked the worthyNikotris. 

"Lady, dost Thou know that hymn?" asked Herhor, in a languageunderstood by priests alone. "That stupid girl is singing in the middleof the Nile a prayer permitted only in the most secret recesses of ourtemples. "

"Is that blasphemy then?"

"There is no priest in the barge except me, " replied the minister. "Ihave not heard the hymn, and if I had I should forget it. Still I amafraid that the gods will lay hands on that girl yet. "

"But whence does she know that awful prayer, for Ramses could not havetaught it to her?"

"The prince is not to blame. But forget not, lady, that the Jews havetaken from our Egypt many such treasures. That is why, among allnations on earth, we consider them alone as sacrilegious. "

The queen seized the hand of the high priest. 

"But my son will no evil strike him?" whispered she, looking into hiseyes. 

"I say, worthiness, that no evil will happen to any one. I heard notthe hymn, and I know nothing. The prince must be separated from thatJewess. "

"But separated mildly; is that not the way?" asked the mother. 

"In the mildest way possible and the simplest, but separation isimperative. It seemed to me, " continued the high priest, as if tohimself, "that I foresaw everything. Everything save an action forblasphemy, which threatens the heir while he is with that strangewoman. "

Herhor thought awhile, and added, "Yes, worthy lady! It is possible to laugh at many of our prejudices;still the son of a pharaoh should not be connected with a Jewess. "

CHAPTER XVII

SINCE the evening when Sarah sang in the boat, the royal barge had notappeared on the Nile, and Prince Ramses was annoyed in real earnest. 

The month Mechir (December) was approaching. The waters decreased, theland extended more widely each day, the grass became higher andthicker, and in the grass flashed up flowers of the most varied huesand of incomparable odor. Like islands in a green sea appeared, in thecourse of a single day, flowery places, as it were white, azure, yellow, rosy, or many colored carpets from which rose an intoxicatingodor. Still the prince was wearied, and even feared something. From theday of his father's departure he had not been in the palace, and no onefrom the palace had come to him, save Tutmosis, who since the lastconversation had vanished like a snake in the grass. "Whether theyrespected the prince's seclusion, or desired to annoy him, or simplyfeared to pay him a visit because he had been touched by disfavor, Ramses had no means of knowing. 

"My father may exclude me from the throne, as he has my elderbrothers, " thought the heir sometimes; and sweat came out on hisforehead, while his feet became cold. 

"What would he do in that case?"

Moreover Sarah was ill, thin, pale, her great eyes sank; at times shecomplained of faintness which attacked her in the morning. 

"Surely some one has bewitched the poor thing, " groaned the cunningTafet, whom the prince could not endure for her chattering and very badmanagement. 

A couple of times, for instance, the heir noticed that in the eveningTafet sent off to Memphis immense baskets with food, linen, evenvessels. Next day she complained in heaven-piercing accents that flour, wine, and even vessels were lacking. Since the heir had come to thevilla ten times more of various products had been used there thanformerly. 

"I am certain, " thought Ramses, "that that chattering termagant robs mefor her Jews, who vanish in the daytime but are prowling around in thenight, like rats in the nastiest comers!"

The prince's only amusement in these days was to look at the dateharvest. A naked man took his place at the foot of a high palm withoutside branches, surrounded the trunk and himself with a circular ropewhich resembled the hoop of a barrel. Then he raised himself on thetree by his heels, his whole body bent backward, but the hoop-like ropeheld him by squeezing his body to the tree. Next he shoved the flexiblehoop up the trunk some inches, raised himself by his heels again, thenshoved the rope up. In this way he climbed, exposed meanwhile to theperil of breaking his neck, till he reached the top, where grew a crownof great leaves and dates. 

The prince was not alone when he saw these gymnastics; Jewish childrenalso were spectators. At first there was no trace of them. Then amongbushes and from beyond the wall curly heads and black gleaming eyesappeared. Afterward, when they saw that the prince did not drive themaway, these children came out each from a hiding-place and approachedthe tree gradually. The most daring among the girls picked up abeautiful date which she brought to Ramses. One of the boys ate thesmallest date, and then the children began to eat and to give theprince fruit. At first they brought him the best, then inferior dates, finally some that were spoilt altogether. 

The future ruler of the world fell to thinking, and said to himself, "They crawl in at all points, and will treat me always in this way:they will give the good as a bait, and what is spoiled out ofgratitude. "

He rose and walked away gloomily; but the children of Israel rushed, like a flock of birds, at the labor of the Egyptian, who high abovetheir heads was singing unmindful of his bones and of this, that he washarvesting not for his own use. 

Sarah's undiscovered disease, her frequent tears, her vanishing charms, and above all the Jews, who, ceasing to hide, managed the place withincreasing tumult, disgusted Ramses to the utmost degree with thatbeautiful comer. He sailed no more in a boat, he neither hunted norwatched the date harvest, but wandered gloomily through the garden, orlooked from his roof at the palace. He would never go back to thatpalace unless summoned, and now he thought of a trip to his lands nearthe sea, in Lower Egypt. 

In such a state of mind was he found by Tutmosis, who on a certain daycame in a ceremonial barge to the heir with a summons from the pharaoh. 

"His holiness is returning from Thebes, and wishes the heir to go forthand meet him. "

The prince trembled, he grew pale and crimson, when he read thegracious letter of his lord and ruler. He was so moved that he did notnotice his adjutant's new immense wig, which gave out fifteen differentperfumes, he did not see his tunic and mantle, more delicate than mist, nor his sandals with gold rings as ornaments. 

After some time Ramses recovered, and inquired without looking atTutmosis, "Why hast Thou not been here for such a period? Did the disfavor intowhich I have fallen alarm thee?"

"Gods!" cried the exquisite. "When wert Thou in disfavor, and in whose?Every courier of his holiness inquired for thy health; the worthy lady, Nikotris, and his worthiness Herhor have sailed toward this villarepeatedly, thinking that Thou wouldst make a hundred steps toward themafter they had made a couple of thousand toward thee. I say nothing ofthe troops. In time of review the warriors of thy regiments are assilent as palm-trees, and do not go from the barracks. As to the worthyPatrokles, he drinks and curses all day from vexation. "

So the prince had not been in disfavor, or if he had been the disfavorwas ended. This thought acted on Ramses like a goblet of good wine. Hetook a bath quickly, anointed his body, put on fresh linen, a newkaftan, a helmet with plumes, and then went to Sarah. 

Sarah screamed when she saw the prince arrayed thus. She rose up, andseizing him around the neck, whispered, "Thou art going, my lord! Thou wilt not come back to me. "

"Why not?" wondered the heir. "Have I not gone away often and returnedafterward?"

"I remember thee dressed in just this way over there in our valley, "said Sarah. "Oh, where are those hours! So quickly have they passed, and so long is it since they vanished. "

"But I will return and bring the most famous physician. "

"What for?" inquired Tafet. "She is well, my dear chick she needs onlyrest. But Egyptian physicians would bring real sickness. "

The prince did not look at the talkative woman. 

"This was my pleasantest month with thee, " said Sarah, nestling up toRamses, "but it has not brought happiness. "

The trumpets sounded on the royal barge, repeating a signal givenhigher up on the river. 

Sarah started. 

"Dost Thou hear, lord, that terrible outburst? Thou hearest andsmilest, and, woe to me, Thou art tearing away from my embraces. Whentrumpets call nothing can hold thee, least of all thy slave, Sarah. "

"Wouldst them have me listen forever to the cackling of hens in thecountry?" interrupted the prince, now impatient. "Be well, and wait forme joyously. "

Sarah let him go from her grasp, but she had such a mournful expressionthat Ramses grew mild and stroked her. 

"Only be calm. Thou fearest the sound of our trumpets. But were theyill-omened the first day?"

"My lord, " answered Sarah, "I know that over there they will keep thee, so grant me this one, this last favor. I will give thee, " continuedshe, sobbing, "a cage of pigeons. They were hatched out and rearedhere; hence, as often as Thou rememberest thy servant, open the cageand set one of them free; it will bring me tidings of thee, and I willkiss and fondle it as as But go now!"

The prince embraced her and went to the barge, telling his blackattendant to wait for the pigeons. 

At sight of the heir, drums and fifes sounded, and the garrison raiseda loud shout of welcome. When he found himself among warriors, theprince drew a deep breath, and stretched out his arms, like a manliberated from bondage. 

"Well, " said he to Tutmosis, "women have tormented me, and those Jews OCyrus! command to roast me on a slow fire at once, but put me not inthe country a second time. "

"So it is, " confirmed Tutmosis; "love is like honey. It must be takenby sips, a man must not swim in it. Brr! shudders pass over me when Ithink that Thou hast passed nearly two months fed on kisses in theevening, dates in the morning, and asses' milk at midday. "

"Sarah is a very good girl, " said Ramses. 

"I do not speak of her, but of those Jews who have settled down at thatvilla like papyrus in swamp land. Dost Thou see, they are looking outat thee yet, and perhaps are sending greetings, " said the flatterer. 

The prince turned to another side with displeasure, and Tutmosis winkedjoyfully at the officers, as if to tell them that Ramses would notleave their society very soon this time. 

The higher they ascended the Nile the denser on both banks werespectators, the more numerous were boats on the river, and the more didflowers, garlands, and bouquets float down; these had been thrown atthe barge of the pharaoh. 

About five miles above Memphis there were multitudes of people withbanners, with statues of gods, and with music; an immense roar washeard, like the sound of a tempest. 

"There is his holiness!" cried Tutmosis, delighted. 

One spectacle was presented to the eyes of the onlookers: in the middleof a broad bend in the river sailed the great barge of the pharaoh, rising in front like the breast of a swan. At the right and left sidesof it, like two giant wings, pushed forward the countless boats of hissubjects, and in the rear, like a rich fan, stretched the retinue ofthe ruler of Egypt. 

Every one living shouted, sang, clapped hands, and threw flowers at thefeet of the lord whom no one even saw. It was enough that under thatgilded canopy and those ostrich plumes waved a ruddy blue flag, denoting that the pharaoh was present. 

The people in the boats were as if drunk, the people on the shore as ifmad. Every moment some boat struck or overturned a boat and some manfell into the water, out of which luckily the crocodiles had fled, frightened by the unparalleled uproar. On the banks men ran into oneanother, for no one paid heed to his neighbor, his father, or hischild, but fixed his wild eyes on the gilded beak of the barge and thetent of the pharaoh. Even people who were trampled, whose ribs the wildcrowd broke stupidly, and whose joints they put out, had no cry savethis, "May he live through eternity, O our ruler! Shine on, Thou the sun ofEgypt!"

The madness of greeting spread to the barge of Ramses: officers, soldiers, and oarsmen pressed into one throng and strove to outshoutone another. Tutmosis, forgetting the heir to the throne, clambered upon the prow, and almost flew into the water. 

Meanwhile a trumpet sounded from the pharaoh's barge, and soon afterone answered from the barge of Ramses. A second signal, and the bargeof the heir touched the great barge of the pharaoh. 

Some official called to Ramses. From barge to barge they extended agangway of cedar with carved railings, and the prince found himselfnext in the embrace of his father. 

The presence of the pharaoh, or the storm of shouts roaring about him, so stunned Prince Ramses that he could not utter a syllable. He fell athis father's feet, and the lord of the world pressed the heir to hissacred bosom. 

A moment later the side walls of the tent rose, and all the people onboth banks of the Nile saw their ruler on a throne, and on the highstep of it Ramses kneeling, with his head on the breast of his father. 

Such silence followed that the rustling of banners on the barges wasaudible. Then on a sudden burst forth one immense roar, greater thanall which had preceded. With this the Egyptian people honored thereconciliation of son and father; they greeted their present, andsaluted their future ruler. 

If any man had reckoned on dissensions in the sacred family of thepharaoh, he might convince himself then that the new royal branch heldto its parent trunk firmly. 

His holiness looked very ill. After the tender greeting of his son, hecommanded him to sit at the side of the throne. 

"My soul was rushing forth toward thee, Ramses, " said he, "and all themore ardently the better were the tidings which I had of thee. Today Isee not only that Thou hast the heart of a lion, but that Thou art aman full of prudence, who knows how to estimate his own acts, who isable to restrain himself, and who feels for the interests of Egypt. "

When the prince, filled with emotion, was silent and kissed hisfather's feet, the pharaoh continued, "Thou hast done well to renounce command of the Greek regiments, because from this day the corps in Memphis is thine, Thou art itscommander. "

"My father!" whispered the heir, trembling. 

"Besides, in Lower Egypt, which is open on three sides to attacks ofhostile nations, I need a wise, active man, who will watch all thingsround him, weigh them well in his heart, and act promptly. For thisreason I appoint thee my lieutenant in that half of the kingdom. "

Abundant tears flowed from the prince's eyes. With those tears he badefarewell to his youth; be greeted power, to which his soul had turnedfor years with uncertainty and longing. 

"I am now weak and wearied, " said the ruler, "and were it not foranxiety touching thy youth and the future of Egypt, I would this daybeg my deathless ancestors to call me to their glory. Each day is forme more difficult, and therefore, Ramses, Thou wilt begin to share theburden of rule with me. As a hen teaches her chicks to search outgrains of corn and hide before the hawk, so I will teach thee thattoilsome art of ruling a state and watching the devices of enemies. MayThou fall on them in time, like an eagle on timid partridges. "

The pharaoh's barge and its well-ordered retinue had descended to apoint opposite the palace. The wearied ruler took a seat in his litter, and at that moment Herhor approached Ramses. 

"Permit me, worthy prince, " said he, "to be the earliest among thosewho are delighted with thy elevation. May Thou lead the army with asmuch success as Thou shalt govern the most important part of the stateto the glory of Egypt. "

Ramses pressed his hand firmly. 

"Didst Thou do this, O Herhor?" asked he. 

"It belonged to thee, " replied the minister. 

"Thou hast my gratitude, and wilt see that it is of value. "

"Thou hast rewarded me already in speaking thus, " replied Herhor. 

The prince wished to depart; Herhor detained him. 

"A brief word. Be careful, O heir, that one of thy women, Sarah, doesnot sing religious hymns. "

When Ramses looked at him with astonishment, he added, "During our sail on the Nile that maiden sang our most sacred hymn, ahymn to which only the pharaoh and high priests have the right tolisten. Poor child! she might have suffered for her skill and for herignorance of what she was singing. "

"Then has she committed sacrilege?" inquired Ramses, in confusion. 

"Yes, unconsciously, " answered Herhor. "It is lucky that I was the onlyman who understood it, and my decision is that between that song andour hymn the resemblance is remote. In every case let her never repeatit. "

"Well, and should she purify herself?" asked the prince. "Will itsuffice her, as a foreign woman, if she gives thirty cows to the templeof Isis?"

"Yes, let her give them, " replied Herhor, with a slight grimace. "Thegods are not offended by gifts. "

"Do thou, noble lord, " said Ramses, "be pleased to accept thismiraculous shield, which I received from my sacred grandfather. "

"I? the shield of Amenhotep?" exclaimed the minister, with emotion. "AmI worthy of it?"

"By thy wisdom Thou art equal to my grandfather, and Thou wilt equalhim in position. "

Herhor made a low bow in silence. That golden shield set with preciousstones, besides its great value in money, had moreover the virtue of anamulet; hence it was a regal present. 

But the prince's words might have the loftier meaning that Herhor wouldequal Amenhotep in position. Amenhotep had been the father-in-law of apharaoh. Had the heir decided already to marry Herhor's daughter?

That was the fond dream of Queen Nikotris and the minister. But it mustbe acknowledged that Ramses in speaking of the future dignities ofHerhor had not thought in the least of marrying his daughter, but ofgiving him new offices, of which there was a multitude at the court andin the temples. 

CHAPTER XVIII

FROM the day that he became viceroy of Lower Egypt a life unparalleledin troubles set in for Ramses, such a life as he had not even imagined, though born and reared in the pharaoh's palace. 

People simply tortured him; his torturers were persons who hadinterests of various kinds and who were of various social classes. 

On the very first day, at sight of the throngs of people, who crowdedand pushed one another with eagerness, trampled his lawns, broke histrees, and injured even the wall which enclosed his villa, the heirdemanded a guard for protection. But on the third day he was forced toflee from his own dwelling to the precincts of the palace proper, where, because of numerous sentries and above all because of highwalls, access to him was made difficult. 

During the ten days which preceded his departure, representatives ofall Egypt, if not of the whole world of that period, passed before theeyes of the new viceroy. 

First of all were admitted great personages. Hence to congratulate himcame the high priests of temples, ministers, ambassadors, Phoenician, Greek, Hebrew, Assyrian, Nubian, men whose dresses even he could notremember. Next came the chiefs of neighboring provinces, judges, secretaries, the higher officers of the army corps in Memphis, andlandowners. 

These people desired nothing, they simply expressed their delight athonor shown him. But the prince, while listening to these persons frommorning till midday and from midday till evening, felt confusion in hishead, and a quivering in all his members. 

After these came representatives of the lower classes with gifts:merchants bringing gold, foreign stuffs, amber, fruits, and perfumes. Then bankers and men who loaned money for interest. Further, architectswith plans for new buildings, sculptors with projects for statues andcarvings in relief, masons, potters, makers of ordinary and ornamentalfurniture, blacksmiths, founders, tanners, wine-merchants, weavers, even dissectors who opened the bodies of the departed. 

The procession of those men rendering homage had not finished when anarmy of petitioners approached the viceroy. Invalids, widows, andorphans of officers requested pensions; noble lords required courtoffices for their sons. Engineers presented new methods of irrigatingEgypt; physicians offered means against diseases of all sorts;soothsayers offered horoscopes. Relatives of prisoners petitioned tolessen punishments; those condemned to death begged for life; the sickimplored the heir to touch them, or to bestow on them his spittle. 

Finally, beautiful women announced themselves, the mothers of statelydaughters begging the heir humbly but insistently to receive them intohis mansion. Some indicated the amount of the pension demanded, praising their virginity and their talents. 

After ten days of looking every moment at new persons and faces, andhearing petitions which only the possession of a world and divine powerto dispense it could satisfy, Prince Ramses was exhausted. He could notsleep; he was so excited that the buzz of a fly pained his nerves, andat moments he did not understand what people said when they talked tohim. 

In this position Herhor came again to assist the viceroy. He commandedto inform the wealthy that the prince would not receive any morepersons on questions of interest; and against common people, who, inspite of repeated invitations to disperse, were still waiting, he senta company of Numidians with clubs. These succeeded with incomparablymore ease than Ramses in meeting popular wishes, for before an hour hadpassed the petitioners had vanished from the square, like mist, whileone and another of them for a couple of succeeding days poured water ontheir heads, or other bruised parts of their bodies. 

After this trial of supreme power the prince felt profound contempt formen and became apathetic. He lay two days on a couch with his handsbeneath his head gazing vacantly at the ceiling. He did not wonder thathis sacred father passed his time at the altars of the gods, but hecould not understand how Herhor was able to manage the avalanche ofbusiness, which, like a storm, not only surpassed the strength of aman, but might even crush him. 

"How carry out plans in this case when a throng of petitions fetter ourwill, devour our thoughts, drink our blood? At the end of ten days I amsick, at the end of a year I should be an idiot. In this office it isimpossible to carry out any plan; a man can just defend himself frommadness. "

He was so alarmed by his weakness in the position of ruler that hesummoned Herhor, and with a complaining voice told of his suffering. 

The statesman listened with a smile to the complaints of the youngsteersman of the ship of state, and at last said in answer, "Knowest thou, lord, that this immense palace in which we dwell wasreared by one architect, named Senebi, who moreover died before it wasfinished? And to a certainty Thou wilt understand how this famousarchitect could carry out his plan without weariness and be always in acheerful temper. "

"I am curious. "

"Well, he did not do everything himself; he did not hew the beams orcut the stones, he did not make the bricks, he did not carry them tothe scaffolding. He did not lay them into the wall and fasten themtogether. He only drew the plan, and moreover he had assistants. Butthou, prince, hadst the wish to do all things thyself, to listen inperson and transact every business. That goes beyond human strength. "

"How should I do otherwise if among petitioners there are some who havesuffered without cause, or if there is unrewarded service? Of coursethe foundation of the state is justice. "

"How many canst Thou hear in a day without weariness?" asked Herhor. 

"Well, twenty. "

"Thou art happy. I hear at the most six or ten, but they are notinterested in the petitions, they are chief secretaries, overseers, andministers. These men report to me no details, only the most importantthings that are done in the army, on the estates of the pharaoh, inquestions of religion, in the courts, in the provinces, and touchingmovements of the Nile. Therefore they report no trivial matter, becauseeach man before he comes to me must hear ten inferior secretaries. Eachinferior secretary and overseer collected information from ten sub-secretaries and sub-inspectors, and they in their turn have heardreports from ten officials who are under them. In this manner I and hisholiness speaking with only ten people daily know all that is mostimportant in a hundred thousand points of Egypt and the world beyondit. 

"The watchman in charge of one part of a street in Memphis sees only afew houses. A decurion of ten policemen knows the whole street, acenturion a division of the city, the chief knows all the city. Thepharaoh stands above them all, as if he were standing on the highestpylon of the temple of Ptah, and sees not only Memphis, but the cities, Sochem, On, Cheran, Turra, Tetani, with their suburbs, and a portion ofthe western desert. 

"From that height his holiness is unable, it is true, to see the peoplewho are wronged, or those who are unrewarded, but he is able to see thecrowd of laborers who have collected without work. He cannot seewarriors in the dramshops, but he can know what regiment is exercising. He cannot see what a given earth-tiller or citizen is preparing fordinner, but he can see a fire beginning in a given quarter of the city. 

"This order in the state, " continued Herhor, with growing animation, "is our strength and glory. Snofru, a pharaoh of the first dynasty, asked a certain priest what monument he should rear to himself. 

"'Draw on the earth, O lord, ' replied the priest, 'a square, and put onit six million unhewn stones; they will represent the people. On thatfoundation place sixty thousand hewn stones; they will be the lowerofficials. On them place six thousand polished stones; they will be thyhigher officials. On these put sixty covered with carvings; those willbe thy most intimate counselors and chief leaders, and on the summitplace one monolith with its pedestal and the golden image of the sun;that will be thyself. '

"The Pharaoh Snofru followed that advice. Thus rose the oldest pyramid, the step pyramid, a tangible image of our state; from that pyramid allothers had their origin. Those are immovable buildings, from thesummits of which the rim of the world is visible, and they will be amarvel to the remotest generations. 

"In this system resides our superiority over all neighbors. TheEthiopians were as numerous as we, but their king himself took care ofhis own cattle, and beat his own subjects with a club; he knew not howmany subjects he had, nor was he able to collect them when our troopsinvaded his country. There was not a united Ethiopia, but a great crowdof unorganized people. For that reason they are our vassals at present. 

"The Prince of Libya judges all disputes himself, especially among thewealthy, and gives so much time to them that he cannot attend to hisown business. So at his side whole bands of robbers rise up; these weexterminate. 

"Were there in Phoenicia a single ruler who knew what was happening andwho commanded in all parts, that country would not pay us one uten oftribute. But what a happiness for us that the kings of Nineveh andBabylon have each only one minister, and are tormented with the onrushof business as Thou art this day. They wish to see, judge, and commandeverything; hence the affairs of their states are entangled for acentury to come. But were some insignificant scribe to go from Egypt tothose kings, explain their errors of management, and give them ourofficial system, our pyramid, in a year's time Judaea and Phoeniciawould fall into the hands of the Assyrians, and in a few tens of yearspowerful armies, coming from the East and the North by laud and by sea, would hurl themselves on us, armies which we might not be able tovanquish. "

"Therefore let us fall on them today and take advantage of their wantof order, " cried Ramses. 

"We are not cured yet of previous victories, " answered Herhor, coldly;and he began to take leave of the viceroy. 

"Have victories weakened us?" burst out the heir. "Or have we notbrought home treasures?"

"But does not the axe with which we cut wood become blunted?" inquiredHerhor; and he went out. 

The prince understood that the great minister wished peace at allcosts, in spite of the fact that he was chief of the armies. 

"We shall see, " whispered Ramses to himself. 

A couple of days before his departure Ramses was summoned to hisholiness. The pharaoh was sitting in an armchair in a marble hall; noother person was present, and the four entrances were guarded by Nubiansentries. 

At the side of the royal armchair was a stool for the prince, and asmall table covered with documents written on papyrus. On the wallswere colored bas-reliefs showing the occupations of field-workers, andin the comers of the hall were ungraceful statues of Osiris smilingpensively. 

When the prince at command of his father sat down, his holiness spoketo him, "Here, my son, are thy documents as leader and viceroy. Well, have thefirst days of power wearied thee?"

"In thy service, holiness, I shall find strength. "

"Flatterer!" said the pharaoh, smiling. "Remember that I do not requireoverwork on thy part. Amuse thyself; youth needs recreation. This doesnot mean, however, that Thou art not to have important affairs tomanage. "

"I am ready. "

"First I will disclose my cares to thee. Our treasury has a bad aspect;the inflow of revenue decreases yearly, especially in Lower Egypt, andexpenditures are rising. "

The pharaoh fell to thinking. 

"Those women those women, Ramses, they swallow up the wealth, not ofmortal men only, but my wealth. I have some hundreds of them, and eachwoman wishes to have as many maids as possible, as many dressmakers, barbers, slaves, slaves for her litter, slaves for her chamber, horses, oarsmen, even her own favorites and their children Little children!When I was returning from Thebes one of those ladies, whom I do noteven remember, ran into my road and, showing a sturdy boy of threeyears, desired that I should designate for him a property, since hewas, as she said, a son of mine. My son, and three years of age. CanstThou understand this? The affair was simple. I could not argue with awoman, besides, in such a delicate question. But for a man of noblebirth it is easier to be polite than find money for every fancy of thatsort. "

He shook his head and continued, "Meanwhile incomes since the beginning of my reign have decreased one-half, especially in Lower Egypt. I ask what this means. They answer:people have grown poor, many citizens have disappeared, the sea hascovered a certain extent of land on the north, and the desert on theeast, we have had a number of bad harvests; in a word, tale followstale while the treasury becomes poorer and poorer. Therefore I beg theeto explain this matter. Look about, learn to know well-informed men whoare truthful, and form of them an examining commission. When they beginto report, trust not over-much to papyrus, but verify here and there inperson. I hear that Thou hast the eye of a leader; if that be true, oneglance will tell thee how accurate the statements of the commissionare. But hasten not in giving thy opinion, and above all, do not heraldit. Note down every weighty conclusion which conies to thy head on agiven day, and when a few days have passed reexamine that question andnote it down a second time. This will teach thee caution in judgmentand accuracy in grasping subjects. "

"It will be as Thou commandest, " replied the prince. 

"Another mission which Thou must accomplish is truly difficult. Something is happening in Assyria which begins to alarm my government. Our priests declare that beyond the Northern sea stands a pyramidalmountain covered with green at its base and with snow on the summit. This mountain has marvelous qualities. After many years of quiet itbegins all at once to smoke, roar, and tremble, and then it hurls outas much liquid fire as there is water in the Nile. This fire, whichflows down its sides in various directions and over an immense stretchof country, ruins the labor of earth-tillers. 

"Well, Assyria is a mountain of that sort. For whole ages calm andquiet reign in that region, till all on a sudden a tempest bursts outthere, great armies pour forth from it and annihilate peacefulneighbors. At present around Nineveh and Babylon seething is audible:the mountain is smoking. Thou must learn therefore how far that smokeindicates an outburst, and think out means of precaution. "

"Shall I be able to do so?" asked the prince, in a low voice. 

"Thou must learn to observe. If Thou hast the wish to learn anythingwell, be not satisfied with the witness of thy own eyes, but strengthenthyself with the aid of a number of others. Confine not thyself to thejudgment of Egyptians alone, for each people, each man has a specialway of looking at subjects, and neither one grasps the whole truth inany question. Listen therefore to what the Phoenicians, the Hebrews, the Hittites, and the Egyptians think of the Assyrians, and weigh inthy own heart with care all that agrees in their judgments concerningAssyria. If all tell thee that danger is coming from that point, Thouwilt know that it is coming; but if different men speak variously, beon thy guard also, for wisdom commands us to look for less good andmore evil. "

"Thy speech is like that of the gods, " whispered the heir of Egypt, "I am old, and from the height of the throne things are seen of whichmortal men have not even a suspicion. Wert Thou to inquire of the sunwhat he thinks of this world's affairs, he would tell thee things stillmore curious. "

"Among the people from whom I am to gain knowledge of Assyria, Thouhast not mentioned the Greeks, O father, " put in Ramses. 

The pharaoh nodded, and said with a kindly smile, "The Greeks! oh, the Greeks! A great future is in store for thatpeople. In comparison with us they are in childhood, but what a spiritis in them!

"Dost remember my statue made by a Greek sculptor? That is my secondself, a living person! I kept it a month in the palace, but at last Igave it to the temple in Thebes. Wilt Thou believe, fear seized me lestthat stone should rise from its seat and claim one-half of thegovernment. What a disorder would rise then in Egypt!

"The Greeks! Hast Thou seen the vases which they make, the palaceswhich they build? From that clay out there and from stone somethingcomes that delights my old age and forbids me to think of myfeebleness. 

"And their language! O gods, it is music and sculpture and painting. Intruth, I say that if Egypt could ever die as a man dies, the Greekswould take all its property. Nay more, they would persuade the worldthat everything done by us was their work, and that we never existed. And still they are only the pupils of our primary schools, for, as Thouknowest, we have no right to communicate the highest knowledge toforeigners. "

"Still, father, it seems that Thou hast no trust in the Greeks. "

"No, for they are peculiar; one can trust neither Greek nor Phoenician. The Phoenician, when he wishes, sees and will tell thee genuine truthof Egypt, but Thou wilt never know when he is telling it. The Greek, assimple as a child, would tell the truth always, but he is never able. 

"The Greeks look at the world in a manner different altogether from ourway. In their wonderful eyes everything glitters, assumes colors andchanges, as the sky and the water of Egypt. How then could we rely ontheir judgment?

"In the days of the Theban dynasty, far away toward the north, was thelittle town of Troy. We have in Egypt twenty thousand as large as it. Various Greek vagrants laid siege to that hamlet, and so annoyed itsfew inhabitants that after ten years of trouble they burned theirlittle fortress and moved to other places. An every-day robbernarrative! Meanwhile just see what songs the Greeks sing of the Trojancombats. We laugh at those wonders and heroisms, for our government hadaccurate information of events there. We see the lies which strike anyone, but still we listen to those songs, as a child does to tales whichits nurse tells, and we cannot tear ourselves free from them. 

"Such are the Greeks: born liars, but fascinating; yes, and valiant. Every man of them would rather die than tell truth. They do not lie forprofit, as do the Phoenicians, but because their mind constrains them. "

"Well, what am I to think of the Phoenicians?"

"They are wise people of mighty industry and daring, but hucksters: forthem life means profit, be it great or the greatest. The Phoeniciansare like water: they bring much with them, but bear away much, and pushin at all points. One must give them the least possible, and above allwatch that they enter not through hidden crannies into Egypt. If Thoupay them well and offer hope of still greater profit, they will beexcellent assistants. What we know today of secret movements in Assyriawe know through Phoenicians. "

"And the Jews?" asked the prince, dropping his eyes. 

"A quick people, but gloomy fanatics and born enemies of Egypt. Onlywhen they feel on their necks the iron-shod sandal of the Assyrian, will they turn to us. May that time not come too late to them! It ispossible to use their services, not here, of course, but in Nineveh andBabylon. "

The pharaoh was wearied now. Hence the prince fell on his face beforehim, and when he had received the paternal embrace he went to hismother. 

The lady, sitting in her study, was weaving delicate linen to makegarments for the gods, and her ladies in waiting were sewing andembroidering robes or making bouquets. A young priest was burningincense before the statue of Isis. 

"I come, " said the prince, "to thank thee, my mother, and takefarewell. "

The queen rose and putting her arms around her son's neck, said to himtearfully, "Hast Thou changed so much? Thou art a man now! I meet thee so rarelythat I might forget thy features did I not see them in my heart everymoment. Thou art unkind. How many times have I gone with the firstdignitary of the state toward thy villa, thinking that at last Thouwouldst cease to be offended, but Thou didst bring out thy favorite inmy presence. "

"I beg thy pardon I beg thy pardon!" said Ramses, kissing his mother. 

She conducted him to a garden in which peculiar flowers grew, and whenthey were without witnesses, she said, "I am a woman, so a woman and a mother has interest for me. Dost Thouwish to take that girl with thee on thy journey? Remember that thetumult and the movement which will surround thee may harm her, for inher condition calm and quiet are needed. "

"Art Thou speaking of Sarah?" inquired Ramses, astonished. "She hassaid nothing to me of that condition. "

"She may be ashamed; perhaps she does not herself know, " replied thequeen. "In every case the journey. "

"I have no intention of taking her!" exclaimed Ramses. "But why doesshe hide this from me as if the child were not mine?"

"Be not suspicious, " chided the lady. "This is the usual timidity ofyoung women. Moreover, she may be hiding her condition from fear lestThou cast her away from thee. "

"For that matter, I shall not take her to my court!" broke out theprince, so impatiently that the queen's eyes were smiling, but shecovered them with their long lashes. 

"It is not well to be over-harsh with a woman who loved thee. I knowthat Thou hast given an assured support to her. We will give hersomething also. And a child of the royal blood must be reared well, andhave property. "

"Naturally, " answered Ramses. "My first son, though without princelyrights, must be so placed that I may not be ashamed of him, and he mustnot regret separation from me. "

After parting with the queen, Ramses wished to go to Sarah, and withthat object returned to his chambers. 

Two feelings were roused in him, anger at Sarah for hiding the cause ofher weakness, and pride that he was going to be a father. 

He a father! This title gave him an importance which, as it were, supported his titles of commander and viceroy. Father! that did notmean a stripling who must look perforce with reverence on older people. 

He was roused and enraptured. He wished to see Sarah, to scold, thenembrace her and give her presents. 

But when he returned to his part of the palace he found there twonomarchs from Lower Egypt who had come to report on their provinces, and when he had heard them out, he was wearied. Besides, he was to holdan evening reception and did not wish to be late in beginning. 

"And again I shall not be with her, " thought he. "Poor girl! for twentydays she has not seen me. "

He summoned the negro. 

"Hast Thou that cage which Sarah gave thee when we went to greet hisholiness?"

"I have. "

"Take a pigeon from it, and let the bird loose. "

"The pigeons are eaten. "

"Who ate them?"

"Thou. I told the cook that those birds came from the Lady Sarah; so hemade a roast and pies out of them for thee, worthiness. "

"May the crocodiles eat you both!" cried the prince, in anger. 

He sent for Tutmosis and dispatched him immediately to Sarah. Heexplained to him the history of the pigeons, and said, "Give her emerald earrings, bracelets, anklets, and two talents. Saythat I am angry because she concealed her condition, but that I willforgive her if the child is healthy and handsome. Should she have aboy, I will give her another place, " finished he, with a smile. "Butbut persuade her to put away even a few Jews, and to take even a fewEgyptian men and women. I do not wish my son to be born into suchcompany; besides, he might play with Jew children. They would teach himto give his father the worst dates of the harvest. "

CHAPTER XIX

THE foreign quarter in Memphis lay on the northeastern extremity of thecity near the river. There were several hundred houses in that placeand many thousand people, Assyrians, Greeks, Jews, most of all, Phoenicians. 

That was a wealthy quarter. A street thirty paces in width formed itsleading artery. This street was rather straight, and paved with flatstones. On both sides were houses of sandstone, brick, or limestone, varying in height from three to five stories. In the cellars werestores of raw materials; on the ground floors were arched rooms; on thefirst stories dwellings of wealthy people; higher were the workshops ofweavers, tailors, jewelers; highest of all, the crowded dwellings oflaborers. 

The buildings of this quarter, like those in the whole city, weremainly white; but one might see stone houses as green as a meadow, asyellow as a wheat-field, as blue as the sky. Or as red as blood. 

The front walls of many houses were ornamented with picturesrepresenting the occupations of people who dwelt in them. On the houseof a jeweler long rows of pictures announced that its owner sold toforeign kings chains and bracelets of his own making which roused theiramazement. The immense palace of a merchant was covered with picturesrepresenting the labors and perils of a trafficker: on the sea dreadfulmonsters with fish tails were seizing the man; in the desert wingeddragons breathing fire were grasping after him, and on distant islandshe was tormented by a giant whose sandals were larger than any ship ofthe Phoenicians. 

A physician on the wall of his office represented persons who, thanksto his aid, had recovered lost hands and feet, even teeth andyouthfulness. On a building occupied by a government administrator ofthe quarter were to be seen a keg into which people were throwing goldrings; a scribe into whose ears some one was whispering; an offender, stretched on the ground, whom two other men were beating. 

The street was full. Along the walls stood litter-bearers, men withfans, messengers and laborers, ready to offer their services. In themiddle of the street moved an unbroken line of merchants' wares carriedby men, asses, or oxen attached to vehicles. On the sidewalks pushedforward noisy sellers of fresh water, grapes, dates, dried fish, andamong them hucksters, flower-girls, musicians, and tricksters ofvarious descriptions. 

In this torrent of people which flowed forward and separated, in whichmen bought and sold, crying out in various tones, policemen wereprominent. Each had a brownish tunic reaching to his knees, bare legs, an apron with blue and red stripes, a short sword at his side, and astrong stick in his hand. This official walked along on the sidewalk;sometimes he conversed with a colleague; most frequently, however, hestood on a stone at the edge of the street, so as to take in moreaccurately the crowd which flowed past in front of him. 

In view of such watchfulness street thieves had to do their workcleverly. Usually two began to fight, and when a crowd had gatheredaround them and the police clubbed both spectators and quarrelers, other confederates in the art did the stealing. 

About half-way between the two ends of the street stood the inn ofAsarhadon, a Phoenician from Tyre. In this inn, for easier control, allwere forced to dwell who came from beyond the boundaries of Egypt. Itwas a large quadrangular building which on each side had a number oftens of windows, and was not connected with other houses; hence mencould go around the place and watch it from all points. Over theprincipal gate hung the model of a ship; on the front wall werepictures representing his holiness Ramses XII placing offerings beforethe gods, or extending his protection to foreigners, among whom thePhoenicians were distinguished by a sturdy stature and very ruddyfaces. 

The windows were narrow, always open, and only in case of need shadedby curtains of linen or by colored slats. The chambers of the innkeeperand of travelers occupied three stories; the ground floor was devotedto a wine shop and an eating-place. Sailors, carriers, handicraftsmen, and in general the poorer class of travelers ate and drank in acourtyard which had a mosaic pavement and a linen roof resting oncolumns, so that all guests might be under inspection. The wealthierand better born ate in a gallery which surrounded the courtyard. In thecourtyard the men sat on the pavement near stones which were usedinstead of tables; in the galleries, which were cooler, there weretables, stools, and armchairs, even low couches, with cushions, onwhich guests might slumber. 

In each gallery there was a great table on which were bread, meat, fish, and fruits, also jugs holding several quarts of beer, wine, andwater. Negroes, men and women, bore around food to the guests, removedempty vessels, and brought from the cellars full pitchers, whilescribes watching scrupulously over the tables noted down carefully eachpiece of bread, bulb of garlic, and flagon of water. In the courtyardtwo inspectors stood on an elevation with sticks in their grasp; thesemen kept their eyes on the servants and the scribes on the one hand, and on the other by the aid of the sticks they settled quarrels betweenthe poorer guests of various nations. Thanks to this arrangement theftsand battles happened rarely; they were more frequent in the galleriesthan the courtyard. 

The Phoenician innkeeper himself, the noted Asarhadon, a man beyondfifty, dressed in a long tunic and a muslin cape, walked among theguests to see if each received what he had ordered. 

"Eat and drink, my sons!" said he to the Greek sailors, "for such porkand beer there is not in all the world as I have. I hear that a stormstruck your ship about Rafia? Ye should give a bounteous offering tothe gods for preserving you. In Memphis a man might not see a storm allhis life, but at sea it is easier to meet lightning than a copper uten. I have mead, flour, incense for holy sacrifices, and here, in thecorner, stand the gods of all nations. In my inn a man may still hishunger and be pious for very slight charges. "

He turned and went to the gallery among the merchants. "Eat and drink, worthy lords, " incited he, making obeisance. "The times are good. Themost worthy heir may he live for ever! is going to Pi-Bast with anenormous retinue, but from the upper kingdom a transport of gold hascome, of which more than one of you will win a good portion. I havepartridges, young goslings, fish direct from the river, perfect roastvenison. And what wine they have sent me from Cyprus! May I be turnedinto a Jew if a goblet of that luxury is not worth two drachmas, but toyou, my benefactors and fathers, I will give it today for one drachma, only today, to make a beginning. "

"Give it for half a drachma a goblet, and we will taste it, " said oneof the merchants. 

"Half a drachma!" repeated the host. "Sooner will the Nile flow upwardtoward Thebes than I give such sweetness for half a drachma, unless Ido it for thee, Lord Belezis, who art the pearl of Sidon. Hei, slaves!bring to our benefactors the largest pitcher of wine from Cyprus. "

When the innkeeper had walked on, the merchant named Belezis said tohis companions, "May my hand wither if that wine is worth half a drachma! But nevermind! We shall have less trouble with the police hereafter. "

Conversation with guests of all nations and conditions did not preventthe host from looking at the scribes who noted down food and drink, atthe watchman who stared at the scribes and the servants, and above allat a traveler who had seated himself on cushions in the front gallery, with his feet under him, and who was dozing over a handful of dates anda goblet of pure water. That traveler was about forty years old, he hadabundant hair and beard of raven color, thoughtful eyes, andwonderfully noble features which seemed never to have been wrinkled byanger or distorted by fear. 

"That is a dangerous rat!" thought the innkeeper, frowning. "He has thelook of a priest, but he wears a dark coat. He has left gold and jewelswith me to the value of a talent, and he neither eats meat nor drinkswine. He must be a great prophet or a very great criminal. "

Two naked serpent tamers came into the courtyard bearing a basket fullof poisonous reptiles, and began their exhibition. The younger oneplayed on a flute, while the elder wound around his body snakes big andlittle, any one of which would have sufficed to drive away guests fromthe inn "Under the Ship. "

The flute-player gave out shriller and shriller notes; the serpent-tamer squirmed, foamed at the mouth, quivered convulsively, andirritated the reptiles till one of them bit him on the hand, another onthe face, while he swallowed alive a third one, the smallest. 

The guests and the servants looked at the exhibition of the serpent-tamer with alarm. They trembled when he irritated the reptiles, theyclosed their eyes when they bit him; but when the performer swallowedone of the snakes, they howled with delight and wonder. 

The traveler in the front gallery, however, did not leave his cushions, he did not deign even to look at the exhibition. But when the tamerapproached for pay, he threw to the pavement two copper utens, giving asign with his hand not to come nearer. 

The exhibition lasted half an hour perhaps. When the performers leftthe courtyard, a negro attending to the chambers of the inn rushed upto the host and whispered something anxiously. After that, it wasunknown whence, a decurion of the police appeared, and when he hadconducted Asarhadon to a remote window, he conversed long with him. Theworthy owner of the inn beat his breast, clasped his hands, or seizedhis head. At last he kicked the black man in the belly, and commandedhim to give the police official a roast goose and a pitcher of Cypruswine; then he approached the guest in the front gallery, who seemed todoze there un brokenly, though his eyes were open. 

"I have evil news for thee, worthy lord, " said the host, sitting at theside of the traveler. 

"The gods send rain and sadness on people whenever it pleases them, "replied the guest, with indifference. 

"While we were looking at the snake-tamers, " continued the host, pulling at his parti-colored beard, "thieves reached the second storyand stole thy effects, three bags and a casket, of course veryprecious. "

"Thou must inform the court of my loss. "

"Wherefore the court?" whispered the host. "With us thieves have aguild of their own. We will send for their elder, and value theeffects; Thou wilt pay him twenty per cent of the value and all will befound again. I can assist thee. "

"In my country, " replied the guest, "no man compounds with thieves, andI will not. I lodge with thee, I trusted thee with my property, andThou wilt answer. "

The worthy Asarhadon began to scratch his shoulder-blades. 

"Man of a distant region, " continued he, in a lower voice, "ye Hittitesand we Phoenicians are brothers, hence I advise thee sincerely not toturn to an Egyptian court, for it has only one door, that by which aman enters, but none by which he goes out. "

"The gods can conduct an innocent man through a wall, " said theHittite. 

"Innocent! Who of us in the land of bondage is innocent?" whispered thehost. "Look in that direction; over there that commander of tenpolicemen is finishing a goose, an excellent young goose, which Imyself would have eaten gladly. But dost Thou know why, taking it frommy own mouth, I gave that goose to him?"

"It was because the man came to inquire about thee. "

When he said this, the Phoenician looked askance at the traveler, whodid not lose calmness for an instant. 

"He asked me, " continued the host, "that master of ten policemen asked, 'What sort of man is that black one who sits two hours over a handfulof dates?' I replied: 'A very honorable man, the lord Phut. ' 'Whencecomes he?' 'From the country of the Hittites, from the city of Harran;he has a good house there of three stories, and much land. ' 'Why has hecome hither?' 'He has come, ' I replied, 'to receive five talents from acertain priest, talents lent by his father. '

"And dost Thou know, worthy lord, " continued the innkeeper, "what thatdecurion answered? 'Asarhadon, ' said he, 'I know that Thou art afaithful servant of his holiness, Thou hast good food and pure wines;for this reason I warn thee, look to thyself. Have a care of foreignerswho make no acquaintances, who avoid wine and every amusement, and aresilent. That Phut of Harran may be an Assyrian spy. ' The heart died inthe when I heard this. But these words do not affect thee, " said he, indignantly, when he saw that the terrible suspicion of espionage didnot disturb the calm face of the Hittite. 

"Asarhadon, " said the guest, after a while, "I confided to thee myselfand my property. See to it, therefore, that my bags and my casket arereturned to me, for in the opposite case I shall complain of thee tothat same chief of tea who is eating the goose which was intended forthee. "

"Well, but permit me to pay the thieves only fifteen per cent of thevalue of the things, " cried the host. 

"Thou hast no right to pay. "

"Give them even thirty drachmas. "

"Not an uten. "

"Give the poor fellows even ten drachmas. "

"Go in peace, Asarhadon, and beg the gods to return thee thy reason, "answered the traveler, with the same unchanging calmness. 

The host sprang up, panting from anger. 

"The reptile!" thought he. "He has not come for a debt simply. He isdoing some business here. My heart tells me that he is a rich merchant, or maybe an innkeeper who, in company with priests and judges, willopen another inn somewhere near this one. May the first fire of heavenburn thee! May the leprosy devour thee! Miser, deceiver, criminal fromwhom an honest man can make nothing. "

The worthy Asarhadon had not succeeded yet in calming himself when thesounds of a flute and a drum were heard on the street, and after awhile four dancers, almost naked, rushed into the courtyard. Thecarriers and sailors greeted them with shouts of delight, and evenimportant merchants in the galleries looked at them with curiosity andmade remarks on their beauty. The dancers with motions of the hands andwith smiles greeted all the company. One began to play on a doubleflute, another accompanied with a drum, and the two others dancedaround the court in such fashion that there was hardly a guest whomtheir muslin shawls did not strike as they whirled. 

Those who were drinking began to sing, shout, and call to the dancers, while among the common herd a quarrel sprang up which the inspectorssettled with canes. A certain Libyan, angered at sight of the canes, drew a knife, but two black men seized his arms, took from him somebronze rings as pay for food, and hurled him out to the street. Meanwhile one of the dancers remained with the sailors, two went amongthe merchants who offered them wine and cakes, and the oldest passedamong the tables to make a collection. 

"By the sanctuary of the divine Isis!" cried she, "pious strangers, give offerings to the goddess who guards all creation. The more yougive the more happiness and blessing will come to you. For thesanctuary of Mother Isis!"

They threw onto her drum coils of copper wire, sometimes a grain ofgold. One merchant asked if it were permitted to visit her, to whichshe nodded with a smile. 

When she entered the front gallery, Phut of Harran reached for hisleather bag and took out a gold ring, saying, "Is tar is a great and good goddess; take this for her sanctuary. "

The priestess looked quickly at him and whispered, "Anael, Sachiel. "

"Amabiel, Abalidot, " answered the traveler, in the same low tone. 

"I see that Thou lovest Mother Isis, " said the priestess, aloud. "Thoumust be wealthy and art bountiful, so it is worth while to soothsay forthee. "

She sat down near him, ate a couple of dates, and looking at his handbegan, "Thou art from a distant region, from Bretor and Hagit. [The spirits ofthe northern and eastern parts of the world. ]Thou hast had a pleasantjourney. For some days the Phoenicians are watching thee, " added she, in a lower voice. 

"Thou hast come for money, though Thou art not a merchant. Visit methis day after sunset. Thy wishes will be accomplished, " said she, aloud. "They should be accomplished. I live on the Street of Tombs inthe house of the Green Star, " whispered she. "But beware of thieves whoare watching for thy property, " finished she, seeing that the worthyAsarhadon was listening. 

"There are no thieves in my house!" burst out the Phoenician. "Nonesteal except those who come from the street. "

"Be not angry, old man, " replied the priestess, jeeringly, "or a redline will come out oil thy neck right away; that means an unluckydeath. "

When he heard this, Asarhadon spat three times, and in a low voicerepeated a charm against evil predictions. When he had moved away tothe depth of the gallery, the priestess began to coquet with the Harranman. She gave him a rose from her crown, embraced him at parting, andwent to the other tables. 

The traveler beckoned to the host. 

"I wish, " said he, "that woman to come to me. Give command to conducther to my chamber. "

Asarhadon looked into his eyes, clapped his hands, and burst outlaughing. 

"Typhon has possessed thee, O man of Harran!" cried he. "If anything ofthat sort happened in my house with an Egyptian priestess, they woulddrive me out of the city. Here it is permissible to receive onlyforeign women. "

"In that case I will go to her, " answered Phut, "for she is a wise anddevout person, and has told me of many happenings. After sunset Thouwilt give me a guide, so that I may not go astray. "

"All the evil spirits have entered thy heart, " said Asarhadon. "DostThou know that this acquaintance will cost thee two hundred drachmas, perhaps three hundred, not counting that which Thou must give theservants and the sanctuary. For such a sum, or say five hundreddrachmas, Thou mayst make the acquaintance of a young and virtuouswoman, my daughter, who is now fourteen years of age, and like aprudent girl is collecting for herself a dowry. Do not wander in thenight through a strange city, for Thou wilt fall into the hands of thepolice or of thieves, but make use of that which the gods give thee athome. Dost Thou wish?"

"But will thy daughter go with me to Harran?" inquired Phut. 

The innkeeper looked at him with astonishment. All at once he struckhis forehead, as if he had divined a secret, and seizing the travelerby the hand, he drew him to a quieter place at the window. 

"I know all, " whispered he, excitedly. "Thou art dealing in women. Butremember that for taking away one Egyptian woman Thou mayst lose thyproperty and go to the quarries. But perhaps Thou wilt take me into thycompany, for here I know every road. "

"In that case show me the road to the priestess, " said Phut. "Rememberthat after sunset Thou art to have a guide for me, and to-morrow mybags and casket, otherwise I shall complain to the court. "

Then Phut left the gallery and went to his chamber on a higher story. 

Asarhadon with anger approached a table at which Phoenician merchantswere drinking, and called aside one of them named Kush. 

"Thou bringest beautiful guests to me!" said he, unable to restrain thequivering of his voice. "That Phut eats almost nothing, and now, as ifto insult my house, he is going out to an Egyptian dancer instead ofgiving presents to my women. "

"What wonder in that?" answered Kush, smiling. "He could find aPhoenician woman in Sidon, but here he prefers an Egyptian. A fool ishe who in Cyprus does not taste Cyprus wine, but Tyrian beer. "

"But I say, " broke in the host, "that that man is dangerous. He seemsto be a citizen, though he looks like a priest. "

"Thou, Asarhadon, hast the look of a high priest, though Thou art onlyan innkeeper. A bench does not cease to be a bench, though it has alion's skin on it. "

"But why does he go to priestesses? I would swear that that is apretence, and that this churlish Hittite, instead of going to a feastwith women, is going to some meeting of conspirators. "

"Anger and greed have darkened thy reason, " answered Kush, withimpatience. "Thou art like a man who looking for melons on a fig-treesees not the figs on it. It is clear to any merchant that if Phut is tocollect five talents from a priest he must win favors from all who goaround in the sanctuaries. But Thou hast no understanding. "

"My heart tells me that this must be an Assyrian ambassador watching todestroy his holiness. "

Kush looked with contempt on Asarhadon. 

"Watch him, then; follow every step of his. If Thou discover anything, perhaps Thou wilt get some part of his property. "

"Oh, now them hast given wise counsel, " said the host. "Let that rat goto the priestesses, and from them to places unknown to me. But I willsend after him my vision, from which nothing will be secret. "

CHAPTER XX

About nine in the evening Phut left the inn "Under the Ship" in companywith a negro who carried a torch. Half an hour earlier Asarhadon sentout a confidential servant, commanding him to observe carefully if theguest from Harran left the house of the "Green Star, " and if so tofollow him. 

A second confidential servant went at a certain distance behind Phut;in the narrower streets he hid among the houses, on the broader ones hefeigned drunkenness. 

The streets were empty; carriers and hucksters were sleeping. There waslight only in the houses of artisans who were at work, or in those ofrich people who were feasting on the terraces. In various houses wereheard the sounds of harps and flutes, songs, laughter, the blows ofhammers, the sound of saws in the hands of cabinet makers; at times thecry of a drunken man, or a call for assistance. 

The streets along which Phut and the slave passed were narrow for thegreater part, crooked and full of holes. As they approached the end ofthe journey, the stone houses were lower and lower, those of one storymore frequent, and there were more gardens, or rather palms, fig-trees, and stunted acacias, which, inclining out from between the walls, seemed to have the intention to escape from their places. On the Streetof Tombs the view changed on a sudden. In place of stone buildingsthere were broad gardens, and in the middle of them splendid villas. The negro stopped before one of the gates and quenched his torch. 

"Here is the 'Green Star, '" said he, and, making a low bow to Phut, heturned homeward. 

The man of Harran knocked at the gate. After a while the gatekeeperappeared. He looked attentively at the stranger, and muttered, "Anael, Sachiel. "

"Amabiel, Abalidot, " answered Phut. 

"Be greeted, " said the gatekeeper; and he opened quickly to thevisitor. 

When he had passed some tens of steps between trees, Phut found himselfin the antechamber of the villa, where the priestess whom he knewgreeted him. Farther in stood some man with black beard and hair; somuch like the man of Harran was he, that Phut could not hide hisastonishment. 

"He will take thy place in the eyes of those who are spying thee, " saidthe priestess, smiling. 

The man who was disguised as Phut put a garland of roses on his head, and in company with the priestess went to the first story, where thesound of flutes and the clatter of goblets were heard soon after. Meanwhile two inferior priests conducted Phut to a bath in the garden. After the bath they curled his hair and put white robes on him. 

From the bath all three went out again among the trees, passed a numberof gardens, and found themselves in an empty space finally. 

"There, " said one of the priests, "are the ancient tombs; on that sideis the city, and here the temple. Go whithersoever Thou wishest. Maywisdom point out the road to thee, and sacred words guard thee fromperils. "

The two priests went back to the garden, and Phut was in solitude. Themoonless night was rather clear. From afar, covered with mist, glittered the Nile; higher up gleamed the seven stars of the GreatBear. Over the head of the stranger was Orion, and above the darkpylons flamed the star Sirius. 

"The stars shine in our land more brightly, " thought Phut. 

He began to whisper prayers in an unknown tongue, and turned toward thetemple. 

When he had gone a number of steps, from one of the gardens a manpushed out and followed him. But almost at that very moment such athick fog fell on the place that it was quite impossible to see aughtsave the roofs of the temple. 

After a certain time the man of Harran came to a high wall. He lookedup at the sky and began to go westward. From moment to moment nightbirds and great bats flew above him. 

The mist had become so dense that he was forced to touch the wall so asnot to lose it. The journey had lasted rather long when all at oncePhut found himself before a low door with a multitude of bronze nailheads. He fell to counting these from the left side on the top; at thesame time he pressed some of them powerfully, others he turned. 

When he had pressed the last nail at the bottom, the door opened. Theman of Harran advanced a few steps, and found himself in a narrow nichewhere there was utter darkness. 

He tried the ground carefully with his foot till he struck uponsomething like the brink of a well from which issued coolness. He satdown then and slipped fearlessly into the abyss, though he foundhimself in that place and in Egypt for the first time. 

The opening was not deep. Phut stood erect on a sloping pavement, andbegan to descend along a narrow corridor with as much confidence as ifhe had known the passage for a lifetime. 

At the end of the corridor was a door. By groping the stranger found aknocker, and struck three times with it. In answer came a voice, it wasunknown from what direction. 

"Hast thou, who art disturbing in a night hour the peace of a holyplace, the right to enter?"

"I have done no wrong to man, child, or woman. Blood has not stained myhands. I have eaten no unclean food. I have not taken another'sproperty. I have not lied. I have not betrayed the great secret, "answered the man of Harran, calmly. 

"Art Thou he for whom we are waiting, or he who in public Thoudeclarest thyself to be?" inquired the voice, after a while. 

"I am he who was to come from brethren in the East; but that other nameis mine also, and in the northern city I possess a house and land, as Ihave told other persons. "

The door opened, and Phut walked into a spacious cellar which waslighted by a lamp burning on a small table before a purple curtain. Onthe curtain was embroidered in gold a winged globe with two serpents. 

At one side stood an Egyptian priest in a white robe. 

"Dost them who hast entered, " asked the priest, pointing at Phut, "knowwhat this sign on the curtain signifies?"

"The globe, " answered the stranger, "is an image of the world on whichwe live; the wings indicate that it is borne through space like aneagle. "

"And the serpents?" asked the priest. 

"The two serpents remind him who is wise that whoso betrays the greatsecret will die a double death, he will die soul and body. "

After a moment of silence the priest continued, "If Thou art in real fact Beroes" (here he inclined his head), "thegreat prophet of Chaldea" (he inclined his head a second time), "forwhom there is no secret in heaven or on earth, be pleased to inform thyservant which star is the most wonderful. "

"Wonderful is Hor-set, [Jupiter] which encircles heaven in the courseof twelve years; for four smaller stars go around it. But the mostwonderful is Horka, [Saturn] which encircles heaven in thirty years;for it has subject to it not only stars, but a great ring whichvanishes sometimes. "

On hearing this, the Egyptian priest prostrated himself before theChaldean. Then he gave him a purple scarf and a muslin veil, indicatedwhere the incense was, and left the cave with low obeisances. 

The Chaldean remained alone. He put the scarf on his right shoulder, covered his face with the veil, and, taking a golden spoon sprinkledinto it incense, which he lighted at the lamp before the curtain. Whispering, he turned three times in a circle, and the smoke of theincense surrounded him with a triple ring, as it were. 

During this time a wonderful disturbance prevailed in the cave. Itseemed as if the top were rising and the sides spreading out. The tpurple curtain at the altar quivered, as if moved by hidden fingers. The air began to move in waves, as if flocks of unseen birds wereflying through it. 

The Chaldean opened the robe on his bosom, and drew forth a gold medalcovered with mysterious characters. The cave trembled, the sacredcurtain moved with violence, and little flames appeared in space atvarious points. 

Then the seer raised his hands and began, "Heavenly Father, gracious and merciful, purify my spirit. Send down onThy unworthy servant a blessing, and extend Thy almighty arm againstrebellious spirits, so that I may manifest Thy power. 

"Here is the sign which I touch in thy presence. Here I am I, leaningon the assistance of that God, the foreseeing and the fearless. I ammighty, and summon and conjure thee. Come hither with obedience in thename of Aye, Saraye, Aye Saraye!"

At that moment from various sides were heard voices as of distanttrumpets. Near the lamp some bird flew past, then a robe of ruddycolor, afterward a man with a tail, finally a crowned cock which stoodon the table before the curtain. 

The Chaldean spoke again, f

"In the name of the Almighty and Eternal Amorul, Tanecha, Rabur, Latisten. "

Distant sounds of trumpets were heard for a second time. 

"In the name of the just and ever-living Eloy, Archima, Rabu, I conjureand summon thee. In the name of the star, which is the sun, by this itssign, by the glorious and awful name of the living God. "

The trumpets sounded again, and stopped on a sudden. Before the altarappeared a crowned vision with a scepter in its hand, and sitting on alion. 

"Beroes! Beroes!" cried the vision, with a restrained voice. "Why dostThou summon me?"

"I wish my brethren of this temple to receive me with sincere hearts, and incline their ears to the words which I bring them from brethren inBabylon, " said the Chaldean. 

"Be it so, " said the vision, and vanished. 

The Chaldean stood as motionless as a statue, with his head thrownback, with hands lifted upward. He stood thus half an hour in aposition impossible for an ordinary person. 

During this time a part of the wall which formed one side of the cavepushed back, and three Egyptian priests entered. At sight of theChaldean, who seemed to lie in the air, resting his shoulders on aninvisible support, the priests looked at one another with amazement. The eldest said, "Long ago there were men like this among us, but no one has such powerin our day. "

They walked around him on all sides, touched his stiffened members, andlooked with fear at his face, which was bloodless and sallow, like thatof a corpse. 

"Is he dead?" asked the youngest. 

After these words the body of the Chaldean, which had been bentbackward, returned to a perpendicular position. On his face appeared aslight flush, and his upraised hands dropped. He sighed, rubbed hiseyes like a man roused from sleep, looked at the priests, and saidafter a while, turning to the eldest, "Thou art Mefres, high priest of the temple of Ptah in Memphis. Thouart Herhor, high priest of Amon in Thebes, the first dignity in thisstate after the pharaoh. Thou, " he indicated the youngest, "artPentuer, the second prophet in the temple of Amon, and the adviser ofHerhor. "

"Thou art undoubtedly Beroes, the high priest and sage of Babylon, whose coming was announced to us a year ago, " answered Mefres. 

"Thou hast told truth, " said the Chaldean. 

He embraced them in turn, and they inclined before him. 

"I bring you great words from our common fatherland, which is Wisdom, "said Beroes. "Be pleased to listen and act as is needful. "

At a sign from Herhor, Pentuer withdrew to the rear of the cave andbrought out three armchairs of light wood for his superiors, and a lowstool for his own use. He seated himself near the lamp, and took fromhis bosom a small dagger and wax-covered tablets. 

When all three had occupied their chairs, the Chaldean began, "Mefres, the highest college of priests in Babylon addresses thee: 'Thesacred order of priests in Egypt is falling. Many priests collect moneyand women, and pass their lives amid pleasure. Wisdom is neglected. Yehave no power over the world, which is invisible. Ye have no power overyour own souls. Some of you have lost the highest faith, and the futureis concealed from you. Things worse than this even happen; for manypriests, feeling that their spiritual power is exhausted, have enteredthe way of falsehood and deceive simple people by cunning devices. '

"The highest college says this: 'If ye wish to return to the good road, Beroes will remain some years with you, so as to rouse true light onthe Nile by the aid of a spark brought from the high altar ofBabylon. '. "

"All is as Thou sayest, " answered Mefres, confused. "Remain with ustherefore a number of years, so that the youth growing up at presentmay remember thy wisdom. "

"And now, Herhor, to thee come words from the highest college. "

Herhor inclined his head. 

"Because ye neglect the great secrets, your priests have not noted thatevil years are approaching Egypt. Ye are threatened by internaldisasters from which only virtue and wisdom can save you. But the worstis that if in the course of the coming decade ye begin war withAssyria, she will defeat your forces. Her armies will come to the Nileand destroy all that has existed here for ages. 

"Such an ominous juncture of stars as is now weighing on Egypt happenedfirst during the XIV. Dynasty, when the Hyksos kings captured andplundered this country. It will come for the third time in five or sixhundred years from Assyria and the people of Paras, who dwell to theeast of Chaldea. "

The priests listened in terror. Herhor was pale; the tablets fell fromPentuer's fingers; Mefres held the amulet hanging on his breast, andprayed while his lips were parching. 

"Be on your guard then against Assyria, " continued the Chaldean, "forher hour is the present. The Assyrians are a dreadful people! Theydespise labor, they live by war. They conquer, they impale on stakes orflay living people, they destroy captured cities and lead away theirinhabitants to bondage. For them to kill savage beasts is repose; topierce prisoners with arrows or scoop out their eyes is amusement. Temples they turn into ruins, the vessels of the gods they use at theirbanquets, and make buffoons of priests and sages. They adorn theirwalls with skins torn from living people, and their tables with theblood-stained skulls of their enemies. "

When the Chaldean ceased speaking, the worthy Mefres answered, "Great prophet, Thou hast cast fear on our souls, and dost not indicatea remedy. It may be true, and to a certainty is so, since Thou hastsaid it, that the fates for a certain time will be against us, but howavoid this predicament? In the Nile there are dangerous places throughwhich no boat can pass safely; so the wisdom of the helmsmen avoidsdeadly whirlpools. It is the same with misfortunes of nations. A nationis a boat, and an epoch is the river, which at certain periods haswhirlpools. If the frail boat of a fisherman can avoid peril, whyshould not millions of people escape under similar conditions?"

"Thy words are wise, " replied Beroes, "but I can answer in part only. "

"Dost Thou not know all that will happen?" asked Herhor. 

"Ask me not touching that which I know, but which I may not disclose atthis moment. Most important in your case is to keep peace for ten yearswith Assyria. Ye have power to do that. Assyria still dreads you; sheknows not the juncture of evil fates above Egypt, and desires to wagewar with northern and eastern nations who live near the seacoast. Yemight, therefore, conclude a treaty today with Assyria. "

"On what conditions?" asked Herhor. 

"On very good ones. Assyria will yield to you the land of Israel as faras the city of Akko, and the land of Edom to the city of Elath. So yourboundaries will be advanced ten days march toward the north withoutwar, and ten days toward the east also. "

"But Phoenicia?" inquired Herhor. 

"Approach not temptation!" exclaimed Beroes. "If the pharaoh were tostretch his hand today toward Phoenicia, in a month Assyrian armiesintended for the north and east would turn southward, and a year henceor earlier their horses would be swimming in your sacred river. "

"Egypt cannot renounce influence over Phoenicia, " interrupted Herhor, with an outburst. 

"Should she not renounce she would prepare her own ruin, " said theChaldean. "Moreover, I repeat the words of the highest college: 'TellEgypt, ' declared the brothers in Babylon, 'to cower to the earth forten years, like a partridge, for the falcon of evil fate is watchingher. Tell her that we Chaldeans hate Assyria more than do theEgyptians, for we endure the burden of its rule; but still we recommendto the Egyptians peace with that bloodthirsty nation. Ten years is ashort period; after that not only can ye regain your ancient place, butye can save us. '. "

"That is true!" added Mefres. 

"Only consider, " continued the Chaldean, "should Assyria begin war withyou, she would involve also Babylon, which hates warfare. War willexhaust our wealth and stop the labor of wisdom. Even were ye notdefeated your country would be ruined for a long period. Ye would losenot only people, but the fertile soil, which would be buried by sand inthe absence of earth-tillers. "

"We understand that, " replied Herhor; "hence we have no thought ofattacking Assyria. But Phoenicia. "

"What harm will it be to you, " asked Beroes, "if the Assyrian robbersqueezes the Phoenician thief? Your merchants and ours will gain bysuch action. But if ye want Phoenicians, let them settle on yourshores. I am sure that the richest and most adroit of them would fleefrom Assyrian conquest. "

"What would happen to our fleet, if the Assyrians settled inPhoenicia?" inquired Herhor. 

"That is not your fleet, but the Phoenician, " replied Beroes. "WhenTyrian and Sidonian ships are lost to you, ye will build your own, andexercise Egyptians in navigation. If ye have mind and a practicalcharacter, ye will drive out Phoenician commerce from western regions. "

Herhor waved his hand. 

"I have told that which was commanded me, " said Beroes, "and do ye thatwhich pleaseth you. But remember that ten evil years are impending. "

"It seems to me, holy father, " said Pentuer, "that Thou didst speak ofinternal troubles which threaten Egypt in the future. What will theybe, if it please thee to answer thy servant?"

"Do not ask. Those are things which ye ought to know better than I, whoam a stranger. Clear sight will discover the disease, and experiencewill give the remedy. "

"Our working people are terribly oppressed by the great, " whisperedPentuer. 

"Devotion has decreased, " added Mefres. 

"There are many who sigh for a foreign war, " began Herhor. "I have seenthis long time that we cannot carry on one, unless ten years hence. "

"Then will ye conclude a treaty with Assyria?" inquired the Chaldean. 

"Amon, who knows my heart, " answered Herhor, "knows how repugnant thattreaty is to me. It is not so long since those vile Assyrians paid ustribute. But if thou, holy father, and the highest college say that thefates are against us, we must make the treaty. "

"We must indeed, " added Mefres. 

"In that case inform the priests in Babylon of your decision, and theywill arrange that King Assar shall send an embassy to Egypt. Thistreaty, believe me, is of great advantage; without war ye will increaseyour possessions. Indeed our priesthood have given deep thought to thisquestion. "

"May all blessings fall on you, wealth, power, and wisdom, " saidMefres. "Yes, we must raise our priestly order, and do thou, holyBeroes, assist us. "

"There is need, above all, to assuage the suffering of the people. " putin Pentuer. 

"The priests! the people!" said Herhor, as if to himself. "Above all, it is needful in this case to restrain those who wish war. It is truethat his holiness the pharaoh is with me, and I think I have gainedinfluence over the heir, may he live through eternity! But Nitager, towhom war is as water to a fish; but the leaders of our mercenaryforces, who only in war have significance; but our aristocracy, whothink that war will pay Phoenician debts and give them property. "

"Meanwhile earth-tillers are fainting beneath an avalanche of labor, and public workmen are revolting against demands of overseers, " addedPentuer. 

"He is always expressing his thought!" said Herhor, in meditation. "Think thou, Pentuer, of earth-tillers and laborers; thou, Mefres, ofthe priests. I know not what ye will effect, but I swear that if my ownson favored war I would bind and destroy him. "

"Act in this way, " said Beroes, "let him carry on war who wishes, butnot in those regions where he can meet Assyria. "

With this the session ended. The Chaldean put his scarf on his shoulderand the veil on his face; Mefres and Herhor, one on each side of him, and behind him Pentuer, all turned toward the altar. 

When Beroes had crossed his hands on his breast, he whispered, andagain subterranean disturbance set in, and they heard as it were adistant uproar, which astonished the assistants. 

"Baralanensis, Baldachiensis, Paumachiae, " said the seer, aloud, "Isummon thee to witness our stipulations and support our wishes. "

The sound of trumpets was heard so distinctly that Mefres bowed to theearth, Herhor looked around in astonishment, while Pentuer knelt, fellto trembling, and covered his ears. 

The purple curtain at the altar shook, and its folds took such a formas if a man were behind who wished to pass through it. 

"Be witnesses, " cried the Chaldean, in a changed voice, "ye powersabove and ye powers beneath! And cursed be he who observes not thistreaty or betrays its secret. "

"Cursed!" repeated some voice. 

"And destroyed!"

"And destroyed. "

"In this visible and in that invisible life. By the ineffable name ofJehovah, at the sound of which the earth trembles, the sea draws back, fire quenches, and the elements of nature become evident. "

A real tempest rose in the cave. The sound of trumpets was mingled withvoices, as it were, of distant thunders. 

The curtain of the altar rose almost horizontally, and behind it, amidglittering lightning, appeared wonderful creatures, half human, halfplant and animal, crowded and mingled together. 

Suddenly all was silent, and Beroes rose slowly in the air, higher thanthe heads of the priests there attending. 

At eight o'clock next morning Phut of Harran returned to the Phoenicianinn "Under the Ship" to which his bags and casket stolen by thieves hadbeen returned safely. A few minutes later came Asarhadon's confidentialservant, whom the innkeeper took to the cellar and examined briefly, "Well?"

"I was all night on the square where the temple of Set is, " answeredthe servant. "At ten in the evening out of the garden which lies aboutfour places farther than the house of the 'Green Star, ' came threepriests. One of them, with black beard and hair, turned his stepsthrough the square toward the temple of Set. I ran after him, but mistfell, and he vanished from my eyes. Whether he returned to the 'GreenStar' or when, I know not. "

The innkeeper, when he had heard this account, struck his forehead andmuttered to himself, "So my man from Harran, if he dresses as a priest and goes to a temple, must be a priest; and if he wears beard and hair, he must be a Chaldeanpriest. But if he meets priests here in secret, there must be somerogue's tricks. I will not tell the police, for I might be caught. ButI will inform some great man from Sidon, for there may be profit inthis, if not for me, for our people. "

Soon the other messenger returned. Asarhadon went down to the cellarwith this one also, and heard the following narrative, "I stood all night in front of the 'Green Star. ' The man of Harran wasthere; he got drunk and raised such shouts that the policeman warnedthe doorkeeper. "

"Did he?" inquired the innkeeper. "The man of Harran was at the 'GreenStar' all night, and Thou didst see him?"

"Not only I, but the policeman. "

Asarhadon brought down the first servant, and commanded each to repeathis story. They repeated the stories faithfully, with the utmostconviction. It appeared then that Phut of Harran had remained all nightat the "Green Star" without leaving the place for a moment; at the sametime he went to the temple of Set, and did not return from it. 

"Oh, " muttered Asarhadon, "in all this there is some very greatvillainy. I must inform the elders of the Phoenician society, asquickly as possible, that this Hittite knows how to be in two places atonce. I shall also beg him to move out of my inn. I do not take peoplewho have two forms, one their own, the other in supply. For a man ofthat kind is a great criminal, a wizard, or a conspirator. "

Asarhadon was afraid of such things; so he secured himself againstenchantment by prayers to all the gods which adorned his inn. Then hehurried to the city, where he notified the elder of the Phoeniciansociety and the elder of the guild of thieves of what had happened. Then, returning home, he summoned the decurion of police, and informedhim that Phut might be a dangerous person. Finally he asked the man ofHarran to leave the inn, to which he brought no profit, nothing butloss and suspicion. 

Phut agreed to the proposition willingly, and informed the innkeeperthat he intended to sail for Thebes that same evening. 

"May Thou never return!" thought the hospitable host. "May Thou rot inthe quarries, or fall into the river to be eaten by crocodiles. "

CHAPTER XXI

Prince Ramses began his journey in the most beautiful season of theyear, during the month Phamenoth (end of December and beginning ofJanuary). The river had fallen to half its height, laying bare newstrips of land day by day. From Thebes many barges with wheat weresailing down toward the sea; in Lower Egypt clover and beans had beenharvested. Orange and pomegranate trees were covered with blossoms; inthe fields earth tillers had sown lupines, flax, barley, and hadplanted various beans, cucumbers, and other garden products. 

Escorted to the landing of Memphis by priests, the highest dignitariesof the state, the guards of his holiness the pharaoh, the heir entereda gilded barge about ten in the morning. Under the bridge, on whichwere costly tents, twenty soldiers worked the oars, at the mast and atboth ends of the boat the best naval engineers had taken their places. Some looked after the sails, others commanded the rowers, while stillothers steered the vessel. 

Ramses had invited to his boat the most worthy high priest Mefres andthe holy father Mentezufis, who were to be with him on the journey andin governing. The prince had invited also the worthy nomarch ofMemphis, who conducted him to the boundary of his province. 

Some hundreds of yards in front of the viceroy sailed the beautifulboat of the worthy Otoes, nomarch of Aa, a province adjoining thecapital. Behind the prince came countless barges occupied by the court, by priests, by officials and officers. 

Provisions and servants had been dispatched earlier. 

The Nile flows to Memphis between two lines of mountains. Farther themountains turn eastward and westward, and the river divides into anumber of arms in which the water flows through a broad plain to theMediterranean. 

When the barge had pushed away from the landing, the prince wished toconverse with Mefres, the high priest. But at that moment such a shoutbroke forth that he was forced to leave his tent and show himself tothe people. 

The uproar grew greater, however, instead of subsiding. On both shoresstood and increased every moment throngs of half naked laborers, orpeople of the city dressed in holiday garments. Very many had garlandson their heads, almost all held green branches in their hands. Somegroups sang; among others were heard the beating of drums and the soundof flutes. 

Well-sweeps planted thickly along the river with buckets stood idle, but on the Nile circled a swarm of small boats, the occupants of whichcast flowers at the barge of the viceroy. Some of them sprang into thewater and swam after the vessel. 

"They greet me as they would his holiness, " thought the viceroy. 

And great pride possessed his heart at sight of so many stately bargeswhich he could detain at one sweep of the hand, and those thousands whohad left their occupations and ran the risk even of death just to seehis divine countenance. 

Ramses was delighted, especially by that immense shout which rose fromthe people without ceasing for an instant. That shout filled hisbreast, rose to his head, exalted him. It seemed to the prince that ifhe should spring from the barge he would not touch water, for theenthusiasm of the multitude would seize him and bear him aloft abovethe earth, as a bird is borne in flying. 

The barge approached the left bank somewhat; the forms of people wereoutlined more clearly, and the prince saw something which he had notexpected. While persons in the first ranks were clapping their handsand singing, in farther ones clubs were visible falling thickly andswiftly on backs that were hidden. 

The astonished heir turned to the nomarch of Memphis. 

"But look, worthiness, sticks are at work there. "

The nomarch shaded his eyes with his hand, his neck became red. "Pardon, most worthy prince, but I see badly. "

"They are beating surely they are beating!"

"That is possible, " answered the nomarch. "Undoubtedly the priests havecaught a band of thieves there. "

Not over-pleased with this conversation, the heir went toward the sternto the engineers, who turned the barge suddenly toward the middle ofthe river, and from that point he looked back at Memphis. 

Both banks higher up the Nile were almost deserted, the boats haddisappeared, the well-sweeps were moving as if nothing had happened. 

"Is the solemnity over?" inquired the prince of an engineer, pointingto a higher place on the river. 

"It is. The people have returned to their work, " said the engineer. 

"Very quickly. "

"They must recover lost time, " said the engineer, incautiously. 

The heir quivered, and looked at the man sharply. But he calmed himselfsoon and returned to the tent. For him shouts were of no furtherinterest. He was gloomy and silent. After an outburst of pride, he feltcontempt for that throng which passed so promptly from enthusiasm towell-sweeps and baling up muddy water. 

At that point the Nile begins to separate into branches. The barge ofthe chief of Aa turned toward the west, sailed an hour, and stopped atthe river bank. The crowds were still greater than at Memphis. Amultitude of pillars had been set up with banners and triumphal archesentwined with green garlands. Among the people foreign faces andgarments were more and more frequent. 

When the prince landed, the priests approached with a baldachin, andthe worthy nomarch Otoes began, "Be greeted, viceroy of the divine pharaoh, within the borders of Aa. As a sign of thy favor, which for us is as heavenly dew, be pleased tomake an offering to the god Ptah, who is our patron, and take under thyprotection and control this province, with its temples, officials, people, cattle, grain, and all that is here existent. "

Then he presented a group of young exquisites, fragrant, rouged, arrayed in gold-embroidered garments. Those were the remoter and nearerrelatives of the nomarch, the local aristocracy. 

Ramses looked at them with attention. 

"Aha!" said he. "It seemed to me that these gentlemen lacked something, and now I see what it is, they have no wigs. "

"Because thou, most worthy prince, dost not wear wigs, our young menhave vowed not to wear them, " replied the nomarch. 

After this explanation one of the young men stood behind the princewith a fan, another with a shield, a third with a dart, and theprocession began. The heir walked under the baldachin, before him apriest with a tube in which incense was burning; there were maidensalso who scattered roses on the path over which the prince was totravel. 

The people in holiday garments, with branches in their hands, formed aline and shouted; they sang songs, or prostrated themselves before thelieutenant of the pharaoh. But the prince saw that in spite of the loudsounds of joy their faces were unenlivened and anxious. He saw alsothat the crowd was divided into groups which people of some sort weredirecting, and that the rejoicing took place by command. And again hefelt in his heart a chill of contempt for that throng which knew nothow to rejoice even. 

Gradually the retinue approached the walled column which indicated theboundary between Aa and Memphis. On three sides of the column wereinscriptions describing the extent of the province, its population, andthe number of its cities; on the fourth side was a statue of Ptah, surrounded from foot to breast with an envelope; he had the usual capon his head and a staff in his hand. 

One of the priests gave the prince a golden spoon with burning incense. The heir uttered prescribed prayers, whirled the censer to the heightof the divinity's head, and bowed low a number of times in succession. 

The shouts of the people and of the priests rose ever higher, thoughamong youthful exquisites smiles and jests were observable. Since hisreconciliation with Herhor the prince had shown great respect for godsand priests; so he frowned somewhat. In one moment the young menchanged their bearing. All became serious, while some fell on theirfaces before the column. 

"Indeed, " thought the prince, "people of noble birth are better thanthat rabble. Whatever nobles do they do it with spirit, not like thosewho make an uproar in my honor but are glad to hurry back to theirworkshops and stables. "

Now he measured better than ever the distance between him and thelowest people, and he understood that the aristocracy was the onlyclass to which he was bound by a community of feeling. If suddenly theyshould vanish, those stately young men and beautiful women whoseflashing glances followed every one of his movements, so as to servehim straightway and carry out his orders, if they should vanish, theprince would feel more alone among the countless throngs of people thanin a desert. 

Eight negroes brought a litter adorned above the baldachin with ostrichfeathers; the prince took his place in it, and advanced to the capitalof Sochem, where he dwelt in a government palace. 

The prince's stay in that province, which was only a few miles fromMemphis, lasted a month. All this time he passed in receivingpetitions, in accepting homage, in official receptions, and at feasts. 

The feasts were of two kinds, one in the palace, at which thearistocracy were present; the other in the outer court, where wholeoxen were roasted, loaves of bread were eaten by the hundred, andhundreds of pitchers of beer drunk. At these appeared servants of theprince and the lower officials of the province. 

Ramses admired the munificence of the nomarch, and the affection of thegreat lords around him, alert to every beck of his and ready to carryout his orders. 

Wearied at last by amusements, Ramses declared to the worthy Otoes thathe wished to become more nearly acquainted with the management of theprovince, for he had received a command from his holiness the pharaohto study it. 

His desire was satisfied. The nomarch requested the prince to sit in alitter borne by only two men, and with a great retinue escorted him tothe temple of Hator. There the retinue remained in the antechamber, butthe nomarch commanded the bearers to carry the prince to the summit ofa pylon, which he himself ascended. 

From the summit of a tower, ninety feet high, whence priests observedthe sky and communicated through colored flags with the neighboringtemples in Memphis, Atribis, and Ann, the eye surveyed in the radius ofsome miles almost a whole province. 

From that place, too, the worthy Otoes showed Ramses the fields andvineyards of the pharaoh; he showed what canal they were clearing, whatsluice they were repairing; he showed furnaces for smelting copper; heshowed where the royal granaries' stood, where the lotus and papyrusswamps were, what fields were covered with sand, and so on till he hadfinished. 

Ramses was charmed with the beautiful view, and thanked Otoes warmlyfor the pleasure which he experienced. But when he returned to thepalace, and, according to the advice of the pharaoh, noted impressions, he convinced himself that his knowledge of the economic conditions ofAa had not widened. 

After some days he asked explanations again of Otoes touching theadministration of the province. The worthy lord commanded all theofficials to assemble and pass before the prince, who sat in the maincourt on an elevation. 

Before the viceroy moved great and petty treasurers; scribes of grain, wine, cattle, woolen stuffs; chief masons, ditch-diggers, naval andland engineers, healers of various diseases, officers over regiments oflaborers, police scribes, judges, inspectors of prisons, evenexecutioners and dissectors. After them the worthy nomarch presentedthe prince's own officials in that province to him. Ramses learnedtherefore, with no small astonishment, that in Aa and in the city ofSochem he had his own personal charioteer, torch-bearer, shield-bearer, dart-bearer, mace-bearer, some tens of litter-bearers, a number ofcooks, cup-bearers, barbers, and many other servitors distinguished forattachment and faithfulness, though he had not even heard their namesand did not know them. 

Tortured and tired by a barren review of officials, the prince'scourage fell. He was terrified by the thought that he understoodnothing, hence was unfitted to rule; but he feared to confess this evento himself. 

If Ramses could not rule Egypt, and others were able to rule it, whatremained to him? Nothing but death. Without the throne he could have nohappiness. He felt that for him life would be impossible unless he hadpower. 

But when he had rested a few days, in so far as rest was attainable inthat chaos of court life, he summoned Otoes, and said to him, "Worthiness, I have begged thee to acquaint me with the secret ofgoverning Aa. Thou hast done so, Thou hast shown me the country and theofficials, but still I know nothing. On the contrary, I am like a manin the underground divisions of a temple who sees so many passagesabout him that he is unable at last to find his way out into daylight. "

The nomarch was confused. 

"What am I to do?" asked he. "What dost Thou wish of me, O ruler? Onlysay the word and I will yield to thee office, property, even life. "

And, seeing that the prince received this assurance with graciousness, he continued, "During thy journey Thou hast seen the people of this province. Thouwilt say that all were not present. Agreed. I will command all toassemble, and they are, men, women, old men, and children, about twohundred thousand. From the summit of the pylon Thou wert pleased tosurvey our whole province. But if it be thy wish, we can examine fromnear by every field, every village, and every street of the city ofSochem. Finally I have shown thee the officials; it is true, the verylowest were absent. But command and all will stand before thee to-morrow and fall on their faces. What am I to do more? Tell me, mostworthy lord. "

"I believe that Thou art most faithful, " answered Ramses. "Thereforeexplain to me two things: first, why has the income of his holinessdiminished? second, what art Thou doing thyself in the province?"

Otoes was confused, and the prince added quickly, "I wish to know what Thou art doing here, and by what methods, since Iam young and only commencing to govern. "

"Thou hast the wisdom of a century, " whispered the nomarch. 

"Therefore it is proper, " continued the prince, "that I should ask menof experience and that Thou shouldst give me knowledge. "

"I will show thee all, and give every explanation, " said Otoes. "But weshould go to a place where there is no uproar. "

In fact, in the palace which the prince occupied as many peoplethronged in the inner and outer court as at a fair. They ate, drank, sang, raced or rested, and all this to enhance the glory of the viceroywhom they were serving. 

About three in the afternoon, the nomarch gave command to bring twohorses, and with the prince he rode forth from the city westward. Thecourt remained in the palace and amused itself with still greatergladness. 

The day was beautiful, cool; the earth was covered with plants andflowers. Over the beads of the horsemen were heard the songs of birds, the air was full of fragrance. 

"How pleasant it is here!" exclaimed Ramses. "Now I am able to collectray thoughts for the first time in a month. I had begun to think that awhole regiment of chariots had assembled in my head, and that frommorning till evening reviews were held there. "

"Such is the fate of a ruler in this world, " said the nomarch. 

They halted on an eminence. At their feet lay an immense meadow, cutthrough by a blue stream. On the north and on the south were whitewalls of towns; beyond the meadow on the rim of the horizon extendedthe reddish sands of the western desert, from which came an occasionalbreath of heated air, as if from a furnace. 

On the meadow were countless herds of animals, horned and hornlessoxen, sheep, goats, asses, antelopes, even rhinoceroses. 

Here and there were visible swampy places covered with water plants andreeds in which were teeming wild geese, ducks, doves, storks, pelicans, and ibises. 

"Behold, lord, " said Otoes, "a picture of our country, Quench, Egypt. Osiris fell in love with this strip of laud in the midst of deserts; hecovered it with plants and living creatures, so as to have from themprofit. Then the kindly god took a human form and became the firstpharaoh. When he felt that his body was withering, he left it andentered into his son, and later on into his son's son. 

"Thus Osiris lives among us, since the beginning of ages, as pharaoh, and he gains profit from Egypt and its wealth which he himself created. The lord has extended like a mighty tree. All the pharaohs are hisroots, the nomarchs and priests his larger branches, the nobles thesmaller branches. The visible god sits on the throne of the earth andreceives the income which belongs to him from Egypt; the invisible godreceives offerings in the temples, and declares his will through thelips of the priesthood. "

"Thou utterest truth, " said the viceroy. "Thus is it written. "

"Since Osiris the pharaoh, " continued the nomarch, "cannot himself beoccupied in the management of the country, he has appointed usnomarchs, who come of his blood, to watch over his property. "

"That is true, " said Ramses. "Sometimes even the sun god becomesincarnate in a nomarch and begins a new dynasty. Thus rose thedynasties of Memphis, Elephantina, Thebes, and Ksoi. "

"Thou hast said it, " continued Otoes. "But now I will answer that whichThou hast asked of me. 

"Thou hast asked what I do in this province? I guard the property ofOsiris, the pharaoh, and my own part in it. Look at those flocks; Thouseest various animals. Some give milk, others flesh, others wool andskins. The people of Egypt give wheat, wine, woolen stuffs, vessels, houses. My affair is to take from each what he should give, and lay itdown at the feet of the pharaoh. "

"In watching over the numerous herds I could not succeed alone; so Ihave chosen watchful dogs and wise shepherds. Some of my servants milkanimals, shear them, remove their skins; others watch them so thatthieves may not steal or the plunderer injure. So with the province. Icould not collect all the taxes and guard men from evil; hence I haveofficials who do what is proper, and render account of their action. "

"All this is true, " interrupted the prince. "I know and understand whatThou sayest. But I cannot comprehend why the income of his holinessdecreases, though guarded well, as Thou hast told me. "

"Be pleased to remember, " continued the nomarch, "that Set, though afull brother of the radiant Osiris, hates that god, wars with him, anddeforms all his labors. He sends deadly diseases on beasts and on men;he causes the overflow of the Nile to be scant or over-violent, and hehurls clouds of sand in time of heat upon Egypt. 

"When a year is good, the Nile reaches the desert; when it is bad, thedesert comes down to the Nile, and then the royal income decreases. 

"Look!" continued he, pointing at the meadow. "The flocks there arenumerous, but in my youth they were greater in number. But who is thecause of this? No other than Set, whom human power cannot vanquish. This meadow, great today, was once greater, and from this spot theycould not see the desert, which now is a terror. 

"When the gods are battling, men can do nothing; where Set conquersOsiris, who can bar the way to him?"

The worthy Otoes finished; the prince hung his head. In school he hadheard not a little about the love of Osiris and the malice of Set, andwhile still a child he was angry that no one had forced Set to a finalreckoning. 

"When I grow up, " thought he at that time, "and carry a javelin, I willseek out Set and we will make a trial. "

And he was looking now at that measureless sand space, that kingdom ofthe ominous godhead which was decreasing the income of Egypt; but hehad no thought to do battle with Set. For how can man fight with thedesert? Man can only avoid it or perish. 

CHAPTER XXII

HIS stay in Aa had so wearied Ramses that to seek rest and rally histhoughts he commanded to stop all solemnities in his honor, anddirected that during his journey people should never come forth togreet him. 

The prince's retinue were astonished, even somewhat offended; but theycarried out the command, and Ramses again found some quiet. He had timeto review his troops, which was his most agreeable occupation, and hecould collect his scattered thoughts in some measure. 

Shut up in the remotest corner of the palace, the prince began toconsider how far he had carried out the commands of the pharaoh hisfather. 

He had surveyed Aa with his own eyes, its fields, towns, population, officials. He had verified the fact that the eastern edge of theprovince was yielding to the advance of the desert. He had observedthat laborers were indifferent and stupid; that they did only what wascommanded, and that with unwillingness. Finally, he had convincedhimself that really faithful and loving subjects were to be found onlyamong the aristocracy, for they were related to the family of thepharaohs, or were of the noble order, and were grandsons of the men whohad fought under the great Ramses. 

In every case those people rallied to the dynasty heartily, and wereready to serve it with genuine readiness; not like the low people, whowhen they had shouted a greeting ran back with all speed to their pigsand their oxen. 

But the chief object of his mission was not explained yet. Ramses notonly did not see clearly causes for the decrease of the royal income, but he did not know how to formulate this question: Why is there evil, and how can we correct it? He only felt that the legendary war of thegod Set with Osiris furnished no true explanation, and gave no means ofcure whatever. 

But the prince, as the coming pharaoh, wished to have a great income, like that of former rulers in Egypt. He was boiling with anger at thevery thought that when he had mounted the throne he would be as poor ashis father and perhaps even poorer. 

"Never!" cried the prince, balling his fists. 

To increase the royal property he was ready to rush sword in handagainst Set and hew that god into pieces, as Set had hewn his ownbrother Osiris. But instead of the cruel divinity and his legions hesaw around him ignorance, the desert, and silence. 

Under the influence of these struggles with his own thoughts, he seizedonce the high priest Mefres. 

"Tell me, holy father, to whom all wisdom is familiar, why does theincome of the state decrease, and in what manner can we add to it?"

Mefres raised his hands. 

"May the spirit be blessed, worthy lord, " cried the priest, "whichwhispered such thoughts to thee. Oh, mayest Thou follow in the steps ofmighty pharaohs who built temples in all parts of Egypt, and throughcanals and sluices increased the area of fertile land in this country. "

The old man was so moved that he fell to weeping. 

"First of all, " said the prince, "answer what I ask; for how think oftemples and canals when the treasury is empty? The greatest misfortunehas befallen Egypt: its rulers are threatened with indigence. We mustexamine this, first of all, and cure it; after that the rest will comeeasily. "

"This, prince, Thou wilt learn only in temples, at the foot of thealtar, " said the high priest. "There alone can thy noble curiosity bepacified. "

Ramses started up with impatience. 

"Before thy eyes, worthy father, the temple hides the whole country, even the treasury of the pharaoh. I am, for that matter, a priestlypupil. I was reared in the shadow of a temple, I know the secret of thespectacles in which the malice of Set is represented, with the deathand re-birth of Osiris, and what does that profit me? When my fatherasks how to replenish the treasury, I can give him no answer. Should Ipersuade him to pray longer and oftener than he does at the present?"

"Prince, Thou art blaspheming, Thou knowest not the high ceremonies ofreligion. If Thou knew them Thou couldst answer many questions whichtorment thee; and hadst Thou seen that which I have, Thou wouldst knowthat the highest interest of Egypt is to support priests and temples. "

"Men in old age become children, " thought Ramses; and he stopped theconversation. 

Mefres had been very pious at all times, but he had then growneccentric. 

"I should end well, " thought Ramses, "if I yielded to priests andassisted at puerile ceremonies. Perhaps Mefres would even command me tostand for whole hours at an altar, as he himself does, beyond doubt, while expecting a miracle. "

In the month Pharmuthi (end of January and beginning of February) theprince took leave of Otoes, before starting for Hak, the next province. He thanked the nomarchs and lords for their splendid reception, but atheart he was sad, for he knew that he had not mastered the problem putforth by his father. 

Escorted by the family and court of Otoes, the prince with his retinuecrossed to the right bank of the river, where he was greeted byRanuzer, the worthy nomarch, together with the lords and the priests ofhis province. 

When the prince reached the land of Hak, the priests raised a statue ofAtmu, patron god of the province, and the officials fell prostrate;then the nomarch brought a golden sickle to Ramses, and begged him toopen the harvest as viceroy of the pharaoh, that being the time togather in barley. 

Ramses took the sickle, cut a couple of handfuls of ears, and burntthem with incense before the god the guardian of the boundaries. Afterhim the nomarch and the great lords cut barley also, and at lastharvesters fell to reaping. They cut only ears, which they packed intobags; the straw remained on the field behind them. 

When he had heard a tedious service before the god, the prince mounteda two-wheeled car, a division of the army moved on, and the priestsfollowed. Two lords led the horses of the heir by the bridles. Afterthe heir, on a second car, rode the nomarch, and next an immense trainof lords and court servitors. The people, agreeable to the will ofRamses, did not present themselves, but laborers in the fields, atsight of the procession, fell on their faces. 

In this manner when he had passed a number of pontoon bridges thrownover arms of the Nile and canals, the prince reached toward evening thecity of Anu, the capital. 

For some days feasts of greeting continued; they rendered homage to theheir, and presented officials. At last Ramses begged to interrupt thefestivities, and requested the nomarch to acquaint him with the wealthof the province. 

Next morning the review began, and lasted a fortnight. Every day in thecourt of that palace where the heir had his residence appeared variousguilds of craftsmen. These came under command of guild officers, toexhibit their productions. In turn came armorers and swordsmiths, makers of spears and axes, manufacturers of musical instruments, fifes, trumpets, drums, harps. After these came the great guild ofcabinetmakers, who exhibited armchairs, tables, couches, litters, andcarriages, ornamented with rich drawings, made of various wood, mother-of-pearl, and ivory; then they brought kitchen utensils, things for thefire, spits, two-eared pots, and flat pans with covers; jewelersrivaled one another with gold rings of wonderful beauty, amberbracelets and anklets, or chains made of gold mixed with silver. Allthese were carved with artistic skill, and inlaid with precious stonesor enamel of various colors. 

The procession was closed by potters who carried more than a hundredkinds of earthen vessels. They brought vases, pots, plates, pitchers, and jugs of the most varied forms and sizes, covered with paintingsornamented with beast and bird heads. 

Each guild made an offering to the prince of its most beautifulproductions. These filled a large hall, though among them no two thingswere similar. 

At the end of the curious but interesting exhibition, his worthinessRanuzer asked the prince if he was satisfied. 

The heir thought awhile. 

"More beautiful things I have not seen except in the temples or in thepalaces of my father. But since only rich people can buy them, I do notsee how the state treasury can have much profit from those objects. "

The nomarch was astonished at the young lord's indifference, and wasalarmed by his anxiety about income; but wishing to satisfy Ramses, hebegan then to conduct him through the royal factories. 

One day they went to buildings where slaves were grinding flour in manyhundred hand-mills and in mortars. They went to bakeries where men werebaking bread and rusks to feed the army, and to places where preservedfish and meat were in course of preparation. They examined greattanneries, and shops where sandals were made, foundries where copperwas cast into arms and utensils. After that, brickyards, guilds ofweavers and tailors. 

These establishments were situated in the eastern part of the city. Ramses at first looked at them with interest, but very soon he wasdisgusted with the sight of laborers who were timid, lean, sickly incomplexion, and who had scars left by sticks on their shoulders. Thenceforth he stopped only briefly at factories. He preferred to lookat the environs of the city of Anu. Far to the east he could see thedesert where a year earlier the maneuvers had taken place between hiscorps and Nitager's. He saw, like a thing on the palm of his hand, theroad by which his regiments had marched, the place where because of thebeetles the military engines had to turn to the desert, and perhapseven the tree on which the canal digger had hanged himself. 

From that elevation over there in company with Tutmosis he had lookedat the blooming land of Goshen and cursed the priesthood. And thereamong the hills he had met Sarah, toward whom his heart had flamed upon a sudden. 

Today what changes! He had ceased to hate the priests from the hourthat by the influence of Herhor he had received the army corps and theoffice of viceroy. He had become indifferent to Sarah, but that childwhose mother she would be grew to him more and more important. 

"What is she doing there?" thought the prince. "I have not had newsfrom her this long time. "

While he was looking on those eastern hills in this way, and thinkingof the recent past, Ranuzer at the head of his escort felt certain thatthe prince had observed abuses in the factories and was meditating overmeans of punishment. 

"I am curious to know what he discovered, " thought the worthy nomarch. "Is it that half the bricks are sold to the Phoenicians, or that tenthousand sandals are lacking in the factory, or perhaps some low wretchhas whispered to him about the foundries?"

And the nomarch's heart was anxious. 

Suddenly the prince turned toward the escort and called Tutmosis, whowas bound to be at all times near his person. 

Tutmosis ran up. The heir went to one side with him. 

"Hear me, " said he, pointing toward the desert. "Dost Thou see thosehills?"

"We were there last year, " sighed the courtier. 

"I remember Sarah. "

"I will burn incense to the gods at once, " cried Tutmosis, "for Ithought that your worthiness had forgotten faithful servants sincebecoming viceroy. "

The prince looked at him and shrugged his shoulders. 

"Select, " said he, "from the gifts brought me, some of the mostbeautiful vessels, utensils, stuffs, and, above all, chains andbracelets, and take them to Sarah. "

"Live through eternity, O Ramses!" exclaimed the exquisite, "for Thouart high-minded. "

"Tell her, " continued the prince, "that for her my heart is always fullof favor. Say that I wish her to care for her health. Tell Sarah thatwhen the time of freedom comes and I have carried out the commands ofmy father, she will come to me and live in my house. I cannot endurethat the mother of my child should be grieving in loneliness. Go, do asI have said, and return with pleasant tidings. "

Tutmosis prostrated himself before the noble ruler, and took the roadstraightway. The retinue of Ramses, unable to divine the conversation, envied Tutmosis the favor of the viceroy, while the worthy Ranuzer feltalarm rising in his soul. 

"Oh, " said he, anxiously, "may I not need to raise hands on myself andleave my house in the bloom of my years! Why did I, the unfortunate, when taking the pharaoh's goods, not think of the hour of trial?"

His face became yellow, and his legs tottered under him. But theprince, mastered by a wave of reminiscences, took no note of thischange in the nomarch. 

CHAPTER XXIII

IN the city of Anu a series of feasts and amusements now followed. Theworthy nomarch brought the choicest wines from his cellars; from thethree neighboring provinces came the most beautiful dancers, the mostfamous musicians, the adroitest of jugglers. The prince's time wasoccupied thoroughly, every morning reviews of troops and receptions;later feasts, spectacles, hunting, and feasts again. 

But just when Ranuzer felt certain that the viceroy was tired ofquestions of administration and economy, the latter summoned him, andasked, "Thy province, worthiness, is among the richest in Egypt, is it not?"

"Yes, though we have had a number of hard years, " replied Ranuzer; andagain his heart sank and his legs began to tremble. 

"But this astonishes me, " said the prince, "that year after year theincome of his holiness decreases. Canst Thou not explain to me thecause of this?"

"Lord, " said the nomarch, bending his head to the earth, "I see that myenemies have sown distrust in thy soul; whatever I might say, therefore, would not convince thee. Permit me not to speak. Better letscribes come with documents, which Thou canst touch with thy hand andverify. "

The prince was somewhat astonished at the unexpected outburst, but heaccepted the offer; nay, he was glad of it. He thought, of course, thatthe report of these scribes would explain to him the secret ofgovernment. 

The next day, therefore, came the chief scribe of Hak, and with him hisassistants. They brought from ten to twenty rolls of papyrus written onboth sides. When unwound, they formed a strip three spans of a greathand in width and in length sixty paces. For the first time the princesaw so gigantic a document, containing an inventory of one provinceonly and that for one year. 

The chief scribe sat on the floor with his legs doubled under him, andbegan, "In the thirty-third year of the reign of his holiness Meramen-Ramsesthe Nile was late in its overflow. Earth-tillers, ascribing thismisfortune to the black art of foreigners resident in the province ofHak, fell to wrecking the houses of Hittites, Jews, and Phoenicians, during which time a number of persons were slain by them. At command ofhis worthiness the nomarch, those guilty were brought to the court;twenty-five earth-tillers, two masons, and five sandal-makers werecondemned to the quarries, one boatman was strangled. "

"What is that document?" interrupted the prince. 

"It is the report of the court intended for the feet of his holiness. "

"Put it aside, and read about the income of the treasury. "

The assistants of the chief scribe folded the rejected document, andgave him others. Again the official began, "On the fifth day of the month Thoth six hundred measures of wheat werebrought to the granaries of the pharaoh; for these a receipt was issuedby the chief overseer. 

"On the seventh day of Thoth the chief scribe discovered and verified astatement that from the supply of the previous year one hundred andforty-eight measures of wheat had vanished. 

"During the verification two laborers stole a measure of grain and hidit among bricks. When this was proven they were brought to judgment andsent to the quarries for raising their hands to the property of hisholiness. "

"But the hundred and forty-eight measures?" asked the heir. 

"The mice ate them, " replied the scribe, and read on. 

"On the eighth day of Thoth twenty cows and eighty-four sheep were sentto the slaughter; these, at command of the overseer of oxen, wereissued to the Sparrow-Hawk regiment. "

In this manner the viceroy learned day after day how much wheat, barley, beans, and lotus seed were weighed into the granaries, how muchgiven out to the mills, how much stolen, and how many laborers werecondemned to the quarries for stealing. The report was so wearisome andchaotic that in the middle of the month Paophi the prince gave commandto stop reading. 

"Tell me, chief scribe, " said Ramses, "what dost Thou understand fromthis? What dost Thou learn from it?"

"Everything which thy worthiness commands. "

And he began again at the beginning, but from memory, "On the fifth of the month Thoth they brought to the granaries of thepharaoh. "

"Enough!" cried the enraged prince; and he commanded the man to depart. 

The scribes fell on their faces, gathered up their papyruses quickly, and bore them away in a twinkle. 

The prince summoned the nomarch. He came with crossed hands, but with acalm face, for he had learned from the scribes that the viceroy couldunderstand nothing from reports, and that he did not give ear to them. 

"Tell me, worthiness, " began the heir, "do they read reports to thee?"

"Every day. "

"And dost Thou understand them?"

"Pardon, most worthy lord, but could I manage a province if I did notunderstand?"

The prince was confused and fell to thinking. Could it be really thathe, Ramses, was the only incompetent? But in this case what wouldbecome of his power?

"Sit down, " said he, after a while, indicating a chair to the nomarch. "Sit down and tell me how Thou governest the province. "

The dignitary grew pale, and the whites of his eyes turned upward. Ramses noticed this, and began explaining, "Do not think that I have not trust in thy wisdom. On the contrary, Iknow no man who could manage better. But I am young and curious to knowthe art of government, so I beg thee to deal out to me crumbs of thyknowledge. Thou art ruling the province I know that. Now explain to methe process. "

The nomarch drew breath and began, "I will relate, worthiness, the whole course of my life, so Thou shaltknow how weighty my work is. 

"In the morning I bathe, then I give offerings to the god Amut; next Isummon the treasurer, and ask him whether the taxes for his holinessare collected properly. When he answers yes, I praise him; when he saysthat these and those people have not paid, I issue an order to imprisonthe disobedient. Then I summon the overseers of the royal granaries, tolearn how much grain has been delivered. If much, I praise them; iflittle, I issue an order to inflict stripes on the guilty. 

"Later comes the chief scribe, and tells me which of the estates of hisholiness needs troops, officials, and laborers, and I command to sendthem in return for a receipt. When he gives out less, I praise him;when more, I commence an investigation. 

"In the afternoon come Phoenician merchants, to whom I sell wheat andbring money to the treasury of the pharaoh. Afterward I pray andconfirm the sentences of the court; toward evening the police inform meof what has happened. No longer ago than the day before yesterdaypeople from my province fell upon the territory Ka and desecrated astatue of the god Sebak. I was delighted in heart, for that god is notour patron; still I condemned some of the guilty to strangulation, someof them to the quarries, and all to receive stripes. 

"Hence peace and good habits prevail in my province, and the taxes flowin daily. "

"Though the income of the pharaoh has decreased here also, " addedRamses. 

"Thou speakest truth, lord, " sighed the worthy nomarch. "The priestssay that the gods are angry with Egypt because of the influx offoreigners; but I see that even the gods do not contemn gold andprecious stones brought by Phoenicians. "

At that moment the priest Mentezufis, preceded by an officer inwaiting, entered the hall to beg the prince and the nomarch to a publicdevotion. Both dignitaries consented, and the nomarch exhibited so muchpiety that the prince was astonished. When Ranuzer left the companywith obeisances, Ramses said to the priest, "Since with me, holy prophet, Thou takest the place of the mostvenerable Herhor, I beg thee to explain one thing which fills my heartwith anxiety . "

"Shall I be able to explain?" asked the prophet. 

"Thou wilt answer me, for Thou art filled with wisdom, of which Thouart the servant. But consider what I say Thou knowest why his holinesssent me hither. "

"He sent thee, prince, to become familiar with the wealth of thecountry and its institutions, " said Mentezufis. 

"I am obeying. I examine the nomarchs, I look at the country and thepeople. I listen to reports of scribes, but I understand nothing; thispoisons my life and astounds me. 

"When I have to do with the army, I know everything, how many soldiersthere are, how many horses, chariots, which officers drink or neglecttheir service, and which do their duty, I know, too, what to do with anarmy. When on a plain there is a hostile corps, I must take two corpsto beat it. If the enemy is in a defensive position, I should not movewithout three corps. When the enemy is undisciplined and fights inunordered crowds against a thousand, I send five hundred of oursoldiers and beat him. When the opposing side has a thousand men withaxes, and I a thousand, I rush at them and finish those troops, if Ihave a hundred men with slings in addition. 

"In the army, holy father, " continued Ramses, "everything is as visibleas the fingers on my hand, and to every question an answer is readywhich my mind comprehends. Meanwhile in the management of a province Inot only see nothing, but there is such confusion in my head that morethan once I forget the object of my journey. 

"Answer me, therefore, sincerely, as a priest and an officer: What doesthis mean? Are the nomarchs deceiving me, or am I incompetent?"

The holy prophet fell to thinking. 

"Whether they attempt to deceive thee, worthiness, " answered he, "Iknow not, for I have not examined their acts. It seems to me, however, that they explain nothing, because they themselves comprehend nothing. The nomarchs and their scribes, " continued the priest, "are likedecurions in an army; each one knows his ten men and reports on them. Each commands those under him. But the decurion knows not the generalplan made by leaders of the army. The nomarchs and the scribes writedown everything that happens in their province, and lay those reportsat the feet of the pharaoh. But only the supreme council extracts fromthem the honey of wisdom. "

"But that honey is just what I need, " said the prince. "Why do I notget it?"

Mentezufis shook his head. 

"Wisdom of the state, " said he, "belongs to the priesthood; thereforeonly the man who is devoted to the gods can obtain it. Meanwhile, worthiness, though reared by priests, Thou pushest thyself away fromthe temples decisively. "

"How is that? Then, if I do not become a priest, will ye not explain tome?"

"There are things, worthiness, which Thou mayest know even now, aserpatr, there are others which Thou wilt know when Thou art thepharaoh. There are still others which only a high priest may know. "

"Every pharaoh is a high priest, " interrupted the prince. 

"Not every pharaoh. Besides, even among high priests there are gradesof difference. "

"Then, " cried the enraged heir, "ye hide the order of the state fromme, and I shall not be able to carry out the commands of my father?"

"What the prince needs may be known, " answered Mentezufis, quietly, "for Thou hast the inferior priestly consecration. Those things, however, are hidden behind the veil in temples, which no one will dareto draw aside without due preparation. "

"I will draw it. "

"May the gods defend Egypt from such a misfortune!" replied the priest, as he raised both his hands. "Dost Thou not know, worthiness, that athunderbolt would kill any man who without the needed ceremonies shouldtouch the veil? Were the prince to take to the temple any slave orcondemned criminal and let him stretch out his hand, the man would diethat same instant. "

"For ye would kill him. "

"Each one of us would die just like an ordinary criminal were he toapproach the altar sacrilegiously. In presence of the gods, my prince, a pharaoh or a priest means as little as a slave. "

"What am I to do, then?" asked Ramses. 

"Seek an answer to thy trouble in the temple, after Thou hast purifiedthyself by prayers and fasting, " answered the priest. "While Egypt isEgypt, no ruler has gained wisdom of state in another way. "

"I will meditate over this, " said the prince. "Though I see from thywords that the most venerable Mefres, and thou, holy prophet, wish toinvolve me in ceremonies as ye have involved my father. "

"Not at all. Worthiness, if Thou as pharaoh would limit thyself tocommanding the army, Thou mightst take part in ceremonies a few times ayear merely, for on other occasions the high priest would be thysubstitute. But if Thou wish to learn the secrets of temples, Thou musthonor the gods, for they are the fountain of wisdom. "

CHAPTER XXIV

RAMSES saw now that either he would not carry out the commands of thepharaoh or that he must yield to the will of the priesthood; thisfilled him with dislike and anger. Hence he did not hurry toward thesecrets hidden in temples. He had time yet for fasting and devotionalexercises; so he took part all the more zealously in feasts which weregiven in his honor. 

Tutmosis, a master in every amusement, had just returned, and broughtthe prince pleasant news from Sarah. She was in good health and lookedwell, which concerned Ramses less at that time. But the priests gavesuch a horoscope to the coming child that the prince was delighted. 

They assured him that the child would be a son, greatly gifted by thegods, and if his father loved him he would during life obtain highhonor. 

The prince laughed at the second part of this prediction. "Their wisdomis wonderful, " said he to Tutmosis. "They know that it will be a son, while I, its father, do not know; and they doubt whether I shall loveit, though it is easy to divine that I shall love the child even shouldit be a daughter. And as to honor for it, let them be at rest; I willoccupy myself with that question. "

In the month Pachons (January, February) the heir passed through theprovince of Ka, where he was received by the nomarch Sofra. The city ofAnu lay about seven hours of a foot journey from Atribis, but theprince was three days on this journey. At thought of the fasts andprayers which were awaiting him during initiation into temple secrets, Ramses felt a growing wish for amusements. His retinue divined this;hence pleasure followed pleasure. 

Again, on the road over which he traveled to Atribis, appeared throngsof people with shouts, flowers, and music. The enthusiasm reached itsheight at the city. It even happened that a certain gigantic laborerthrew himself under the chariot of the viceroy. But when Ramses held inthe horses, a number of young women stepped forth from the crowd andwreathed the whole chariot with flowers. 

"Still they love me!" thought the prince. 

In the province of Ka he did not ask the nomarch about the income ofthe pharaoh, he did not visit factories, he did not command to readreports to him; he knew that he would understand nothing, so hedeferred those occupations till the time of his initiation. But once, when he saw that the temple of the god Sebak stood on a lofty eminence, he desired to ascend the pylon and examine the surrounding country. 

The worthy Sofra accomplished at once the will of the heir, who, whenhe found himself on the summit of the pylon, passed a couple of hourswith great delight there. 

The province of Ka was a fertile plain. A number of canals and branchesof the Nile passed through it in every direction, like a network ofsilver and lapis lazuli. Melons and wheat sown in November wereripening. On the fields were crowds of naked people who were gatheringcucumbers or planting cotton. The land was covered with small buildingswhich at points were close together and formed villages. 

Most of the dwellings, especially those in the fields, were mud hutscovered with straw and palm leaves. In the towns the houses werewalled, had flat roofs, and looked like white cubes with holes inplaces where there were doors and windows. Very often on such a cubewas another somewhat smaller, and on that a third still smaller, andeach story was painted a different color. Under the fiery sun of Egyptthose houses looked like great pearls, sapphires, and rubies, scatteredabout on the green of the fields, and surrounded by palms and acacias. 

From that place Ramses saw a phenomenon which arrested his attention. Near the temples the houses were more beautiful, and more people weremoving in the fields about them. 

"The lands of the priests are the most valuable, " thought he; and onceagain he ran over with his eyes the temples great and small, of whichhe saw between ten and twenty from the pylon. 

But since he had agreed with Herhor, and needed the services of thepriesthood, he did not care to occupy himself longer with that problem. 

In the course of the following days the worthy Sofra arranged a seriesof hunts for Ramses, setting out toward the east from Atribis. Aroundthe canals they shot birds with arrows; some they snared in an immensenet trap which took in a number of tens of them, or they let outfalcons against those which were flying at freedom. When the prince'sretinue entered the eastern desert, great hunts began with dogs andpanthers against wild beasts. Of these they killed and seized, in thecourse of some days, a couple of hundred. 

When the worthy Sofra noticed that the prince had had enough ofamusement in the open air and of company intents, he ceased hunting andbrought his guest by the shortest road to Atribis. 

They arrived about four hours after midday, and the nomarch invited allto a feast in his palace. 

He conducted the prince to a bath, he assisted at the bathing, andbrought out from his own chest perfumes wherewith to anoint Ramses. Then he oversaw the barber who arranged the viceroy's hair; next hekneeled down on the pavement and implored the prince to accept newrobes from him. 

These were a newly woven tunic covered with embroidery, a skirt workedwith pearls, and a mantle interwoven with gold very thickly, but sodelicate that it could be held between a man's ten fingers. 

The heir accepted this graciously, declaring that he had never receiveda gift of such beauty. 

The sun set, and the nomarch conducted the prince to the hall ofentertainment. 

It was a large court surrounded by columns and paved with mosaic. Allthe walls were covered with paintings representing scenes in the livesof the ancestors of Sofra; hence expeditions by sea, hunts, andbattles. Over the space, instead of a roof, was a giant butterfly withmany-colored wings which were moved by hidden slaves to freshen theatmosphere. In bronze holders fastened to the columns blazed brighttapers which gave out smoke with fragrance. 

The hall was divided into two parts: one was empty, the other filledwith chairs and small tables for guests. Aside in the second part rosea platform on which, under a costly tent with raised sides, was a tableand a couch for Ramses. 

At each small table were great vases with palms, acacias, and fig-trees. The table of the heir was surrounded with plants having needle-like leaves; these filled the space round about with the odor ofbalsam. 

The assembled guests greeted the prince with a joyful shout, and whenRamses occupied his place beneath a baldachin whence there was a viewof the court, his retinue sat down at the tables. 

Harps sounded, and ladies entered in rich muslin robes with openbosoms; precious stones were glittering upon their persons. Four of themost beautiful surrounded Ramses; the others sat near the dignitariesof his retinue. 

In the air was the fragrance of roses, lilies of the valley, andviolets; the prince felt the throbbing of his temples. 

Slaves, male and female, in white, rose-colored, and blue tunics, brought in cakes, roasted birds, and game, fish, wine, fruits, alsogarlands of flowers with which the guests crowned themselves. Theimmense butterfly moved its wings more and more quickly, and in theunoccupied part of the court was a spectacle. In turn appeared dancers, gymnasts, buffoons, performers of tricks, swordsmen; when any one gavean unusual proof of dexterity, the spectators threw to him gold ringsor flowers from their garlands. 

The feast lasted some hours, interspersedwith shouts of guests wishinghappiness to the prince, and to the nomarch and his family. 

Ramses, who was in a reclining position on a couch covered with alion's skin which had golden claws, was served by four ladies. Onefanned him; another changed the garland on his head; the other twooffered food to him. Toward the end of the feast the one with whom theprince talked with most willingness brought a goblet of wine. Ramsesdrank half, and gave the remainder to the woman; when she had drunkthat half, he kissed her lips. 

Slaves quenched the torches then quickly, the butterfly ceased to moveits wings, there was night in the court, and silence interrupted by thenervous laughter of women. 

All on a sudden the quick tramping of people was heard and a terribleshouting. 

"Let me in!" cried a hoarse voice. "Where is the heir? Where is theviceroy?"

There was a dreadful disturbance in the hall. Women were terrified; mencalled out, "What is it? An attack on the heir! Hei, guards!"

The sound of broken dishes was heard, and the rattle of chairs. 

"Where is the heir?" bellowed the stranger. 

"Guards! Defend the life of the heir!" shouted men in the courtyard. 

"Light the torches!" called the youthful voice of the heir. "Who islooking for me? Here I am!"

Torches were brought. In the hall were piles of overturned and brokenfurniture behind which guests were in hiding. On the platform theprince tore away from the women, who screamed while they held to hislegs and arms firmly. Near the prince was Tutmosis, his wig torn, abronze pitcher in his hand with which he was ready to open the head ofany one who dared to go nearer the viceroy. At the door of the hallappeared warriors with swords drawn for action. 

"What is this? Who is here?" cried the terrified nomarch. 

At last they beheld the author of the disturbance, a gigantic man, naked, and mud-covered. He had bloody stripes on his shoulders; he waskneeling on the steps of the platform and stretching his hands towardRamses. 

"This is the murderer, " shouted the nomarch. "Seize him!"

Tutmosis raised his pitcher; soldiers rushed up from the door. Thewounded man fell with his face to the steps, crying, "Have mercy, sun of Egypt!"

The soldiers were ready to seize him when Ramses pulled himself free ofthe women and approached the unfortunate giant. 

"Touch him not!" cried Ramses to the warriors. "What dost Thou wish, man?"

"I wish, lord, to tell thee of the wrongs which we suffer. "

At that moment the nomarch stepped up to the viceroy and whispered, "This is a Hyksos. Look, worthiness, at his shaggy hair and his beard. But the insolence with which he burst in proves that the criminal isnot a genuine Egyptian. "

"Who art thou?" asked Ramses. 

"I am Bakura, a laborer in the regiment of diggers in Sochem. We haveno work now, so the nomarch Otoes commanded us. "

"He is a drunkard and a madman!" whispered the excited Sofra. "Howdares he speak to thee, lord. "

The prince gave such a look to the nomarch that he bent double andmoved backward. 

"What did the worthy Otoes command you the workers?" asked the viceroyof Bakura. 

"He commanded us, lord, to go along the bank of the Nile, swim in theriver, stand at the roads, make an uproar in thy honor, and he promisedto give us what was proper for doing so. For two months before that, we, O lord, received nothing, neither barley cakes, nor fish, nor oliveoil for our bodies. "

"What is thy answer to this, worthy lord?" asked the prince of thenomarch. 

"He is a dangerous drunkard, a foul liar, " answered Sofra. 

"What noise didst Thou make in my honor?"

"That which was commanded, " said the giant. "My wife and daughter criedwith the others, 'May he live through eternity!' I sprang into thewater and threw a garland at thy barge, worthiness; for this theypromised an uten. When Thou wert pleased graciously to enter the cityof Atribis, I approached to throw myself under the horses and stop thychariot. "

The prince laughed. 

"As I live, " said he, "I did not think that we should end the feastwith such joyousness. But how much did they pay thee for falling underthe chariot?"

"They promised three utens, but have paid nothing to me or my wife ormy daughter. Nothing has been given to the whole regiment of diggers toeat for two months past. "

"On what do ye live then?"

"On begging, or on that which we earn from some earthworker. In thissore distress we revolted three times, and desired to go home. But theofficers and scribes either promised to give something or commanded tobeat us. "

"For the noise made in my honor?" put in the prince, laughing. 

"Thy worthiness speaks truth. Yesterday the revolt was greatest, forwhich the worthy nomarch Sofra gave command to take the tenth man. Every tenth man was clubbed, and I got the most, for I am big and havethree mouths to feed, my own, my wife's, and my daughter's. When I wasclubbed I broke away from them to fall down, O lord, in thy presence, and tell thee our sorrows. Beat us if we are guilty, but let thescribes give us that which is due, for we are dying of hunger, we, ourwives, and our children. "

"This man is possessed!" exclaimed Sofra. "Be pleased, lord, to see thedamage he has wrought here. I would not take ten talents for thosedishes, pitchers, and tables. "

Among the guests, who now were recovering their senses, a mutteringbegan. 

"This is a bandit!" said they. "Look at him, really a Hyksos. Boilingup in him is the cursed blood of his ancestors, the men who invaded andruined Egypt. Such costly furniture, such splendid vessels, broken intofragments!"

"The loss caused the state by one rebellion of unpaid laborers isgreater than the value of these vessels, " said Ramses. 

"Sacred words! They should be written on monuments, " said some amongthe guests. "Rebellion takes people from their labor and grieves theheart of his holiness. It is not proper that laborers should be unpaidfor two months in succession. "

The prince looked with contempt on those courtiers, changeable asclouds; he turned then to the nomarch. 

"I give thee, " said he, threateningly, "this punished man. I am certainthat a hair of his head will not fall from him. Tomorrow morning I wishto see the regiment to which he belongs and learn whether he speakstruth or falsehood. "

After these words Ramses went out, leaving the nomarch and the guestsin vexation. 

Next morning the prince, while dressing with the aid of Tutmosis, askedhim, "Have the laborers come?"

"They have, lord; they have been waiting for thy commands sincedaybreak. "

"And is that man Bakura among them?"

Tutmosis made a wry face and answered, "A marvelous thing has happened. The worthy Sofra gave command to shutthe fellow up in an empty cellar of the palace. Well, the disorderlyrascal, a very strong man, broke the door to another place where thereis wine; he overturned a number of pots of very costly wine, and got sodrunk that. "

"That what?" asked the prince. 

"That he perished. "

The prince sprang up from his chair. 

"And dost them believe that he drank himself to death?"

"I must believe, for I have no proof that they killed him. "

"But if I look for proof?" burst out the prince. 

He ran through the room, and snorted like an angry lion. When he wassomewhat quieted, Tutmosis added, "Seek not for proof where it is not to be discovered, for Thou wilt notfind even witnesses. If any man strangled that laborer at command ofthe nomarch, he will not confess; the laborer himself is dead, and willnot say anything; besides, what would his complaint against the nomarchamount to? In these conditions no court would begin to investigate. "

"But if I command?" asked the viceroy. 

"In that case they will investigate and prove the innocence of Sofra. Then Thou wilt be put to shame, and all the nomarchs with theirrelatives and servants will become thy enemies. "

The prince stood in the middle of the chamber and pondered. 

"Finally, " said Tutmosis, "everything seems to show this, that theunfortunate Bakura was a drunkard or a maniac, and, above all, a man offoreign blood. If a genuine Egyptian in his senses were to go withoutpay for a year, and be clubbed twice as much as this man, would he dareto break into the palace of the nomarch and appeal to thee with such anoutcry?"

Ramses bent his head, and seeing that there were nobles in the nextchamber, he said in a voice somewhat lowered, "Knowest thou, Tutmosis, since I set out on this journey Egypt beginsto appear somehow strange to me? At times I ask my own self if I am notin some foreign region. Then again my heart is disturbed, as if I had acurtain before me, behind which all kinds of villainy are practiced, but which I myself cannot see with my own eyes. "

"Then do not look at them; for if Thou do, it will seem at last to theethat we should all be sent to the quarries, " said Tutmosis, smiling. "Remember that the nomarchs and officials are the shepherds of thyflock. If one of them takes a measure of milk for himself, or kills alittle sheep, of course Thou wilt not kill him or drive the man away. Thou hast many sheep, and it is not easy to find shepherds. "

The viceroy, now dressed, passed into the hall of waiting, where hissuite stood assembled, priests, officers, and officials. Then he leftthe palace with them, and went to the outer courtyard. 

That was a broad space, planted with acacias, under the shade of whichthe laborers were waiting for the viceroy. At the sound of a trumpetthe whole crowd sprang up, and stood in five ranks before him. 

Ramses, attended by a glittering retinue of dignitaries, haltedsuddenly, wishing, first of all, to look at the regiment from adistance. The men were naked, each with a white cap on his head, andgirt about the hips with stuff like that of which the cap was made. Inthe ranks Ramses could distinguish easily the brown Egyptian, thenegro, the yellow Asiatic, the white inhabitants of Libya, and also theMediterranean islands. 

In the first rank stood workers with pickaxes, in the second those withmattocks, in the third those with shovels. The fourth rank was composedof carriers, of whom each had a pole and two buckets; the fifth wasalso of carriers, but with large boxes borne by two men. These lastcarried earth freshly dug. 

In front of the ranks, some yards distant, stood the overseers; eachheld a long stick in his hand, and either a large wooden circle or asquare measure. 

When the prince approached them, they cried in a chorus, "Live Thou through eternity!" and kneeling, they struck the earth withtheir foreheads. The heir commanded them to rise, and surveyed themagain with attention. 

They were healthy, strong persons, not looking in the least like menwho had lived two months on begging. 

Sofra with his retinue approached the prince. But Ramses, feigning notto see him, turned to one of the overseers, "Are ye earth-tillers from Sochem?" inquired he. 

The overseer fell at full length with his face to the earth. 

The prince shrugged his shoulders, and called out to the laborers, "Are ye from Sochem?"

"We are earth workers from Sochem, " answered they, in chorus. 

"Have ye received pay?"

"We have received pay; we are sated and happy servants of hisholiness, " answered the chorus, giving out each word with emphasis. 

"Turn around!" commanded the prince. 

They turned. It is true that each had frequent and deep scars from theclub, but no fresh stripes on their bodies. 

"They are deceiving me, " thought the heir. 

He commanded the laborers to go to their barracks, and, withoutgreeting the nomarch or taking leave of him, he returned to the palace. 

"Wilt thou, too, tell me, " said he to Tutmosis on the road, "that thosemen are laborers from Sochem?"

"But they say that they are, they themselves give answer, " replied thecourtier. 

Ramses gave command to bring his horse, and he rode to the armyencamped beyond the city. He reviewed the regiments all day. Aboutnoon, on the field of exercise, appeared, at command of the nomarch, some tens of carriers with food and wine, tents and furniture. But theprince sent them back to Atribis; and when the hour came for army food, he commanded to serve that to him; so he ate dried meat with oat cakes. 

These were the mercenary regiments of Libya. When the prince orderedthem to lay aside arms in the evening, and took farewell of the men, itseemed as though the soldiers and officers had yielded to madness. Shouting "May he live through eternity!" they kissed his hands andfeet, made a litter of their spears and mantles, and bore him to thecity, disputing on the way with one another for the honor of carryingthe heir on their shoulders. 

The nomarch and the officials of the province were frightened, whenthey saw the enthusiasm of the Libyans, and the favor which the heirshowed barbarians. 

"Here is a ruler!" whispered the chief secretary to Sofra. "If hewished, those people would kill us and our children. "

The troubled nomarch sighed to the gods, and commended himself to theirgracious protection. 

Late at night Ramses found himself in his own palace, and there theservants told him that another bedchamber had been given him. 

"Why is this?"

"Because in the first chamber people saw a poisonous serpent, whichhid, and no one could find it. "

In a wing near the house of the nomarch was a new sleeping chamber, afour-cornered room, surrounded by columns on all sides. Its walls wereof alabaster, covered with painted bas-reliefs; below were plants invases; higher up garlands of olive and laurel. 

Almost in the centre of the room stood a great bed inlaid with ebony, gold, and ivory. The chamber was lighted by two fragrant tapers; underthe colonnade were small tables with wine, food, and garlands of roses. In the ceiling was a large quadrangular opening covered with linen. 

The prince bathed and lay on the soft bed; his servants went to remotechambers. The tapers were burning out; cool air filled with the odor offlowers moved in the chamber. At the same time low music from harps washeard above him. 

Ramses raised his head. The linen canopy of the chamber slipped to oneside, and through the opening he saw the constellation Leo, and in itthe brilliant star Regulus. The music of harps became louder. 

"Are the gods preparing to make me a visit?" thought the viceroy, witha smile. 

In the opening of the ceiling shone a broad streak of light; it waspowerful but tempered. A moment later a litter appeared in the form ofa golden boat, bearing a small arbor with flowers in it; the pillars ofthe arbor were entwined with garlands of roses, the top of it coveredwith lotuses and violets. 

On ropes, entwined with green, the golden boat descended to the chamberin silence. It stopped on the pavement, and from beneath the flowerscame forth a naked maiden of unparalleled beauty. Her body had thesmoothness of marble; from her amber-like waves of hair came anintoxicating odor. 

The maiden stepped from the litter and knelt before Ramses. 

"Art Thou the daughter of Sofra?" asked he. 

"Thou speakest truth, Lord Ramses. "

"And still Thou hast come to me!"

"To implore thee to pardon my father. He is unhappy; since midday hehas been shedding tears and covering his head with ashes. "

"And if I would not forgive him, wouldst Thou leave me?"

"No, " whispered she. 

Ramses drew her toward him and kissed her with passion. His eyesflashed. 

"For this I forgive him. "

"Oh, how good Thou art!" cried she, nestling up to Ramses; then sheadded with sweetness, "Wilt Thou command a reward for the damages done by that mad laborer?"

"I will command. "

"And wilt Thou take me to thy household?"

Ramses looked at her. 

"I will take thee, for Thou art a beauty. "

"Really?" asked she, putting her arm around his neck. "Look at mebetter. Among the beauties of Egypt I hold only the fourth place. "

"What does that mean?"

"In Memphis, or near there, dwells thy first; happily she is only aJewess! In Sochem is the second. "

"I know nothing of that one, " interrupted Ramses. 

"Oh, Thou dove! Then surely Thou knowest nothing of the third one inAmi. "

"Does she too belong to my household?"

"Ungrateful!" cried the girl, striking him with a lotus flower. "Thouwouldst be ready to say the same of me a month hence. But I will notlet myself be injured. "

"Like thy father. "

"Hast Thou not forgotten him yet? Remember that I will go-"

"Stay, stay!"

Next day the viceroy was pleased to receive homage and a feast fromSofra. He praised in public the nomarch's government of the province, and to reward him for the damages caused by the drunken laborer, Ramsespresented him with one-half of the furniture and vessels presented inAnu. 

The second half of those gifts was taken by the beautiful Abeb, daughter of the nomarch, as lady of the court. Besides, she commandedthat five talents be given her from the treasury of the viceroy, forclothes, slaves, and horses. 

In the evening the prince, while yawning, spoke thus to Tutmosis, "His holiness my father gave me a great lesson when he said that womenare very costly. "

"The position is worse when there are no women, " replied the exquisite. 

"But I have four, and I do not even know clearly how. I might give theetwo of them. "

"And Sarah?"

"Not her, especially if she has a son. "

"If Thou wilt assign a good dowry, husbands will be found for thosecharmers most easily. "

The prince yawned a second time. 

"I do not like to hear of dowries, " said he. "Aaa! What luck, that Ishall tear away from thee and settle among the priests!"

"Wilt Thou indeed?"

"I must. At last I shall learn of them why the pharaohs are growingpoorer. Well, I shall sleep. "

CHAPTER XXV

THAT same day, in Memphis, Dagon the Phoenician, the viceroy's worthybanker, lay on a couch under the veranda of his mansion. Around himwere fragrant potted bushes with needle-like leaves. Two black slavescooled the rich man with fans, and he, while playing with a young ape, was listening to accounts read by his scribe to him. 

At that moment a slave with a sword, helmet, dart, and shield (thebanker loved military dress), announced the worthy Rabsun, a Phoenicianmerchant then settled in Memphis. 

The guest entered, bowed profoundly, and dropped his eyelids in suchfashion that Dagon commanded the scribe and the slaves to withdraw fromthe veranda. Then, as a man of foresight, he surveyed every corner, andsaid to the visitor, "We may talk. "

Rabsun began without prelude, "Dost thou know, worthiness, that Prince Hiram has come from Tyre?"

Dagon sprang up from the couch. 

"May the leprosy seize him and his princeship!" shouted the banker. 

"He has just reminded me, " continued the guest, calmly, "that there isa misunderstanding between him and thee. "

"What misunderstanding?" cried Dagon. "That thief has robbed, destroyed, ruined me. When I sent my ships after other Tyrian vesselsto the west for silver, the helmsmen of that thief Hiram cast fire onthem, tried to push them into a shallow. Well, my ships came backempty, burnt, and shattered. May the fire of heaven burn him!"concluded the raging banker. 

"But if Hiram has for thee a profitable business?" inquired the guest, stolidly. 

The storm raging in Dagon's breast ceased on a sudden. 

"What business can he offer me?" asked the banker, with a voice nowcalmed completely. 

"He will tell this himself, but first he must see thee. "

"Well, let him come to me. "

"He thinks that Thou shouldst go to him. He, as is known to thee, is amember of the chief council of Tyre. "

"He will perish before I go to him, " cried the banker, enraged a secondtime. 

The guest drew an armchair to the couch, and slapped Dagon's thigh. 

"Dagon, " said he, "have sense. "

"Why have I not sense, and why dost thou, Rabsun, not say to meworthiness?"

"Dagon, be not foolish!" answered the guest. "If Thou wilt not go tohim and he will not come to thee, how will ye do business?"

"Thou art foolish, Rabsun!" burst out Dagon again. "Before I go toHiram let my hand wither; with that politeness I should lose half theprofit. "

The guest thought awhile. 

"Now Thou hast uttered a wise word, " said he; "so I will tell theesomething. Come to me and Hiram will come also; ye can talk of thatbusiness in my house. "

Dagon bent his head, and half closing his eyes, inquired roguishly, "Ei, Rabsun! Tell outright how much did he give thee?"

"For what?"

"For this, that I should come to thy house and transact business withhim, the mangy scoundrel. "

"This business interests all Phoenicia, so I need no profit on it, "replied the indignant Rabsun. 

"That is as true as that all thy debtors will pay thee. "

"May they fail to pay me if I make anything in this! Only let notPhoenicia lose!" cried Rabsun, in anger. 

They took farewell of each other. 

Toward evening the worthy Dagon seated himself in a litter carried bysix slaves. He was preceded by two outrunners with staffs, and two withtorches; behind the litter went four men armed from head to foot. Notfor security, but because for a certain time Dagon loved to surroundhimself with armed men, like a noble. 

He came out of the litter with great importance, supported by two men;a third carried a parasol over him. He entered Rabsun's house. 

"Where is that Hiram?" inquired he, haughtily. 

"He is not here?"

"How is this? Must I wait for him, then?"

"He is not in this room, but he is in the third one talking with mywife, " answered the host. "He is making a visit to my wife. "

"I will not go there!" said the banker, sitting down on a couch. 

"Thou wilt go to the next chamber, and he will enter it at the sametime with thee. "

After a short resistance Dagon yielded, and a moment later, at a signfrom the master of the house, he entered the second chamber. At thesame time from distant apartments appeared a man, not of tall stature, with gray beard, dressed in a gold-embroidered toga, and with a goldband on his head. 

"This is, " said the host, standing in the middle of the room, "hisgrace Prince Hiram, a member of the supreme council of Tyre. This isthe worthy Dagon, banker of the heir to the throne, and viceroy ofLower Egypt. "

The two dignitaries bowed, each with his hand on his breast, and bothsat down on stools in the middle of the chamber. Hiram pushed aside histoga somewhat in order to show the great gold medal on his breast; inanswer to this Dagon began to toy with a large gold chain which he hadreceived from Prince Ramses. 

"I, Hiram, " said the old man, "congratulate thee, Lord Dagon. I wishthee much property, and success in thy business. "

"I, Dagon, congratulate thee, Lord Hiram, and I wish thee the same asThou wishest me. "

"Dost Thou desire to dispute?" interrupted Hiram, irritated. 

"How dispute? Rabsun, say if I am disputing. "

"Better talk of business, your worthinesses, " replied the host. 

After a moment of thought Hiram proceeded, "Thy friends in Tyre congratulate thee greatly through me. "

"Is that all they have sent me?" asked Dagon, in reviling accents. 

"What didst Thou wish?" inquired Hiram, raising his voice. 

"Quiet! Concord!" put in the host. 

Hiram sighed a number of times deeply, and said, "It is true that we need concord. Evil times are approachingPhoenicia. "

"Has the sea flooded Tyre and Sidon?" asked Dagon, smiling. 

Hiram spat, and inquired, "Why art Thou so ill-tempered today?"

"I am always ill-tempered when men do not call me worthiness. "

"But why dost Thou not say grace to me? I am a prince. "

"Perhaps in Phoenicia. But in Assyria Thou wouldst wait three days inthe forecourt of any satrap for an audience, and when he deigned toreceive thee Thou wouldst be lying on thy belly, like any Phoenicianmerchant. "

"But what couldst Thou do in presence of a wild man who would perhapsimpale thee on a stake?" inquired Hiram. 

"What I would do, I know not. But in Egypt I sit on one sofa with theheir to the throne, who today is viceroy. "

"Concord, worthiness! Concord, grace!" said the host. 

"Concord! concord, because this man is a common Phoenician merchant, and is unwilling to render me respect, " cried out Dagon. 

"I have a hundred ships!" shouted Hiram. 

"And his holiness has twenty thousand cities, towns, and villages. "

"Your worthinesses are destroying this business and all Phoenicia, "said Rabsun, with a voice which was loud now. 

Hiram balled his fists, but was silent. 

"Thou must confess, worthiness, " said he, after a while, "that of thosetwenty thousand towns his holiness owns few in reality. "

"Thou wishest to say, grace, " answered Dagon, "that seven thousandbelong to the temples, and seven thousand to great lords. Still sixthousand belong clearly to his holiness. "

"Not altogether! For when Thou takest, worthiness, about three thousandwhich are mortgaged to the priests, and two thousand which are rentedto our Phoenicians. "

"Thou speakest the truth, grace, " said Dagon. "But there remain alwaysto his holiness about two thousand very rich cities. "

"Has Typhon possessed thee?" roared Rabsun, in his turn. "Wilt Thou gonow to counting the cities of the pharaoh, may he. "

"Pst!" whispered Dagon, springing up. 

"When misfortune is hanging over Phoenicia" finished Rabsun. 

"Let me but know what the misfortune is, " interrupted Dagon. 

"Then let Hiram speak and Thou wilt know. "

"Let him speak. "

"Dost Thou know, worthiness, what happened in the inn 'Under the Ship'to our brother Asarhadon?" began Hiram. 

"I have no brothers among innkeepers, " interrupted Dagon, sneeringly. 

"Be silent!" screamed Rabsun, in anger; and he grasped the hilt of hisdagger. "Thou art as dull as a dog barking in sleep. "

"Why is he angry, that that dealer in bones?" inquired Dagon; and hereached for his knife also. 

"Quiet! Concord!" said the gray-headed prince; and he dropped his leanhand to his girdle. 

For a while the nostrils of all three men were quivering and their eyesflashing. At last Hiram, who calmed himself first, began again, as ifnothing had happened. 

"A couple of months ago, in Asarhadon's inn, lodged a certain Phut fromthe city of Harran. "

"He had to receive five talents from some priest, " interrupted Dagon. 

"What further?" asked Hiram. 

"Nothing. He found favor with a certain priestess, and at her advicewent to seek his debtor in Thebes. "

"Thou hast the mind of a child and the talkativeness of a woman, " saidHiram. "This Harran man is not from Harran at all. He is a Chaldean, and his name is not Phut, but Beroes. "

"Beroes? Beroes?" repeated Dagon, trying to remember. "I have heardthat name in some place. "

"Thou hast heard it!" repeated Hiram, with contempt. "Beroes is thewisest priest in Babylon, the counselor of Assyrian princes and of theking himself. "

"Let him be counselor; if he is not the pharaoh, what do I care?" saidthe banker. 

Rabsun rose from his chair, and threatening Dagon with his fist underthe nose, cried, "Thou wild boar, fatted on the pharaoh's swill, Phoenicia concerns theeas much as Egypt concerns me. Thou wouldst sell thy country for adrachma hadst Thou the chance, leprous cur that Thou art!"

Dagon grew pale and answered with a calm voice, "What is that huckster saying? In Tyre my sons are learning navigation;in Sidon lives my daughter with her husband. I have lent half myproperty to the supreme council, though I do not receive even ten percent for it. And this huckster says that Phoenicia does not concernme!"

"Rabsun, listen to me, " added he, after a while. "I wish thy wife andchildren and the shades of thy fathers to be as much thought of by theeas each Phoenician ship is by me, or each stone of Tyre and Sidon, oreven of Zarpath and Achsibu. "

"Dagon, tell truth, " put in Hiram. 

"I not care for Phoenicia!" continued the banker, growing excited. "Howmany Phoenicians have I brought here to make property, and what do Igain from having done so! I not care? Hiram ruined two ships of mineand deprived me of great profit; still, when Phoenicia is in question, I sit in one room with him. "

"For Thou didst think to talk with him of cheating some one, " saidRabsun. 

"As much as Thou didst think of dying, fool!" retorted Dagon. "Am I achild? do I not understand that when Hiram comes to Memphis he need notcome for traffic? O Thou Rabsun! Thou shouldst clean my stables acouple of years. "

"Enough of this!" cried Hiram, striking the table with his fist. 

"We never shall finish with this Chaldean priest, " muttered Rabsun, with as much calmness as if he had not been insulted a moment before. 

Hiram coughed, and said, "That man has a house and land really in Harran, and he is called Phutthere. He got letters from Hittite merchants to merchants in Sidon, soour caravans took him for the journey. He speaks Phoenician well, hepays liberally. He made no demands in particular; so our people came tolike him, even much. 

"But, " continued Hiram, stroking his beard, "when a lion covers himselfwith an ox skin, even a little of his tail will stick out. This Phutwas wonderfully wise and self-confident; so the chief of the caravanexamined his effects in secret, and found nothing save a medal of thegoddess Astaroth. This medal pricked the heart of the leader of thecaravan: 'How could a Hittite have a Phoenician medal?'

"So when they came to Sidon he reported straightway to the elders, andthenceforth our secret police kept this Phut in view. 

"Meanwhile he is such a sage that when he had remained some days allcame to like him. He prayed and offered sacrifices to the goddessAstaroth, paid in gold, borrowed no money, associated only withPhoenicians. And he so befogged all that watchfulness touching him wasweakened, and he went in peace to Memphis. 

"In this place again our elders began to watch him, but discoverednothing; they divined simply that he must be a great lord, not a simpleman of Harran. But Asarhadon discovered by chance, and did not evendiscover, he only came on traces, that this pretended Phut passed awhole night in the ancient temple of Set, which here is greatlyvenerated. 

"Only high priests enter it for important counsels, " interrupted Dagon. 

"And that alone would mean nothing, " said Hiram. "But one of ourmerchants returned a month ago from Babylon with wonderful tidings. Inreturn for a great present a certain attendant of the Satrap of Babyloninformed him that misfortune was threatening Phoenicia. 

"Assyria will take you, " said the attendant, "and Egypt will takeIsrael. On that business the Chaldean high priest Beroes has gone tothe priests of Thebes, and with them he will make a treaty. "

"Ye must know, " continued Hiram, "that Chaldean priests consider thepriests in Egypt as their brothers, and that Beroes enjoys great esteemin the Court of King Assar, so reports concerning that treaty may bevery truthful. "

"Why does Assyria want Phoenicia?" inquired Dagon, as he bit hisfinger-nails. 

"Why does a thief want another man's granary?" replied Hiram. 

"What good is a treaty made by Beroes with Egyptian priests?" put inRabsun, thinking deeply. 

"Thou art dull!" answered Dagon. "Pharaoh does nothing except what thepriests ordain. "

"There will be a treaty with the pharaoh, never fear!" interruptedHiram. "We know to a certainty in Tyre that the Assyrian ambassadorSargon is coming to Egypt with gifts and with a great retinue. Hepretends that it is to see Egypt and agree with 'ministers, not toinscribe in Egyptian acts that Assyria pays tribute to the pharaohs. But in fact he is coming to conclude a treaty about dividing thecountries which lie between our sea and the Euphrates River. "

"May the earth swallow them!" imprecated Rabsun. 

"What dost Thou think of this Dagon?" inquired Hiram. 

"But what would ye do if Assar attacked you really?"

Hiram shook his head with anger. 

"What? We should go on board of ships with our families and treasuresand leave to those dogs the ruins of cities and the rotting corpses ofslaves. Do we not know greater and more beautiful countries thanPhoenicia, where we can begin a new and richer fatherland?"

"May the gods guard us from such a thing, " said Dagon. 

"This is just the question, to save the present Phoenicia fromdestruction, " said Hiram. "And thou, Dagon, art able to do much in thismatter. "

"What can I do?"

"Thou mayst learn from the priests whether Beroes met them, and whetherhe and they made an agreement. "

"A terribly difficult thing, " whispered Dagon. "But I may find a priestwho will tell me. "

"Thou canst prevent at the court of the pharaoh a treaty with Sargon, "continued Hiram. 

"It is very difficult. I could not do that unassisted. "

"I will be with thee, and Phoenicia will find the gold. A tax is incourse of collection at present. "

"I have given two talents!" whispered Rabsun. 

"I will give ten, " added Dagon. "But what shall I get for my labor?"

"What? Well, ten ships, " answered Hiram. 

"And how much wilt Thou gain?" inquired Dagon. 

"Is ten not enough? Thou wilt get fifteen. "

"I ask, what wilt Thou get?" insisted Dagon. 

"We will give twenty ships. Does that suffice thee?"

"Let it be so. But will ye show my ships the road to the country ofsilver?"

"We will show it. "

"And the place where ye get tin? Well. "

"And the place where amber is found?" continued Dagon. 

"May Thou perish at once!" answered the gracious Prince Hiram, extending his hand. "But Thou wilt not keep up a malignant heart towardme because of those two little flat boats?"

Dagon sighed. 

"I will work to forget. But what a property I should have now if Thouhadst not driven them off at that time!"

"Enough!" interrupted Rabsun; "talk of Phoenicia. "

"Through whom wilt Thou learn of Beroes and the treaty?" asked Hiram ofDagon. 

"Let that drop. It is dangerous to speak of it, for priests will beinvolved in the matter. "

"And through whom couldst Thou ruin the treaty?"

"I think I think that perhaps through the heir to the throne. I havemany notes of his. "

Hiram raised his hand, and replied, "The heir very well, for he will be pharaoh, perhaps even soon. "

"Pst!" interrupted Dagon, striking the table with his fist. "May Thoulose speech for such language!"

"Here is a wild boar for thee!" cried Rabsun, threatening the banker'snose. 

"And Thou art a dull huckster, " answered Dagon, with a reviling laugh. "Thou, Rabsun, shouldst sell dried fish and water on the streets, butnot mix up in questions between states. An ox hoof rubbed in Egyptianmud has more sense than thou, though Thou 'art living five years in thecapital of light! Oh that pigs might devour thee!"

"Quiet! quiet!" called Hiram. "Ye do not let me finish. "

"Speak, for Thou art wise and my heart understands thee, " said Rabsun. 

"If thou, Dagon, hast influence over the heir, that is well, " continuedHiram. "For if the heir wishes to have a treaty with Assyria there willbe a treaty, and besides one written with our blood on our own skins. But if the heir wishes war with Assyria, he will make war, though thepriests were to summon all the gods against him. "

H

"Pst!" interrupted Dagon. "If the priests wish greatly, there will be atreaty. But perhaps they will not wish. "

"Therefore, Dagon, we must have all the military leaders with us, " saidHiram. 

"We can. "

"And the nomarchs. "

"We can have them too. "

"And the heir, " continued Hiram. 

"But if Thou alone urge him to war with Assyria, that is nothing. Aman, like a harp, has many strings, and to play on them fingers areneeded, while thou, Dagon, art only one finger. "

"But I cannot tear myself into ten parts. "

"Thou mayst be like one hand which has five fingers. Thou must so actthat no one may suspect that Thou art for war, but every cook in theheir's kitchen must want war, every barber of his must want war, allthe bath men, and litter-bearers, scribes, officers, charioteers mustwant war with Assyria; the heir should hear war from morning tillnight, and even when he is sleeping. "

"That will be done. "

"But dost Thou know his mistresses?" asked Hiram. 

Dagon waved his hand. 

"Stupid girls!" said he. "They think only about dressing, painting, andperfuming themselves; but whence these perfumes come, and who bringsthem to Egypt, they know not. "

"We must give him a favorite who will know. "

"Where shall we find her?" asked Dagon. "Ah, I have it!" cried he, stroking his forehead. "Dost Thou know Kama, the priestess ofAstaroth?"

"What?" interrupted Rabsun, astounded. "The priestess of the holygoddess Astaroth to be a favorite of an Egyptian?"

"Thou wouldst prefer that she were thine, " sneered Dagon. "She can evencease to be high priestess when it is necessary to bring her near thecourt. "

"Thou speakest truth, " said Hiram. 

"But that is sacrilege!" said Rabsun, indignantly. 

"And the priestess who commits it is to die, " said the gray-hairedHiram. 

"If only that Jewess, Sarah, does not hinder, " added Dagon, after amoment of silence. "She is waiting for a child to which the prince isattached already. If a son is born, all our plans may be thwarted. "

"We shall have money for Sarah too, " added Hiram. 

"She will take nothing!" burst out Dagon. "That pitiful creature hasrefused gold and a precious goblet, which I carried to her. "

"She did, for she thought that Thou hadst the wish to deceive her, "remarked Rabsun. 

Hiram nodded. 

"There is no cause for trouble, " said he. "Where gold has not power, then the father, the mother, or the mistress may have it. And if themistress is powerless, there is still. "

"The knife, " hissed Rabsun. 

"Poison, " whispered Dagon. 

"A knife is a very rude weapon, " concluded Hiram. 

He stroked his beard, thought awhile; at last he rose, took from hisbosom a purple ribbon on which were fastened three golden amulets witha portrait of the goddess Astaroth. He drew from his girdle a knife, cut the ribbon into three parts, and gave two of these with the amuletsto Dagon and Rabsun. 

Then all three went to the middle of the room to the corner where stooda winged statue of the goddess; they put their hands on the statue, andHiram repeated in a low voice, but clearly, "To thee, Mother of Life, we swear faithfully to observe ouragreements, and not to rest till the sacred places be secure fromenemies, may they be destroyed by hunger, fire, and pestilence. 

"And should one of us fail in his obligations, or betray a secret, mayall calamities and disgrace fall on him! May hunger twist his entrails, and sleep flee from his bloodshot eyes! May the hand of the man witherwho hastens to him with rescue and pities him in his misery! May thebread on his table turn into rottenness, and the wine into stinkingjuice! May his children die out, and his house be filled with bastardswho will spit on him and expel him! May he die groaning through manydays in loneliness, and may neither earth nor water receive his vilecarcass, may no fire burn it, no wild beasts devour it!"

"Thus let it be!"

After this terrible oath, which Hiram began, and the second half ofwhich all shouted forth in voices trembling from rage, the threepanting Phoenicians rested. After that Rabsun conducted them to a feastwhere with wine, music, and dancers they forgot for a time the workawaiting them. 

CHAPTER XXVI

Not far from the city of Pi-Bast stood the temple of the goddess Hator. 

In the month Paoni (March-April), on the day of the vernal equinox, about nine in the evening, when the star Sirius inclined toward itssetting, two wayfaring priests and one penitent stopped in the gateway. The penitent, who was barefoot, had ashes on his head, and was coveredwith a coarse cloth which concealed his visage. 

Though the air was clear, it was impossible to distinguish the faces ofthose wayfarers. They stood in the shadow of two immense statues of thecow-headed divinity which guarded the entrance to the temple and withkindly eyes protected the province of Habu from pestilence, southernwinds, and bad overflows. 

When he had rested somewhat, the penitent fell with his face to theearth and prayed long in that position. Then he rose, took a copperknocker, and struck a blow. A deep metallic sound went through all thecourts, reverberated from the thick walls of the temple, and flew overthe wheat-fields, above the mud cottages of earth-tillers, over thesilvery waters of the Nile, where the faint cry of wakened birdsanswered it. 

After a long time a murmur was heard inside, and the question, "Who rouses us?"

"Ramses, a slave of the divinity, " said the penitent. 

"For what hast Thou come?"

"For the light of wisdom. "

"What right hast Thou to ask for it?"

"I received the inferior consecration, and in great processions withinthe temple I carry a torch. "

The gates opened widely. In the centre stood a priest in a white robe;he stretched forth his hand, and said slowly and distinctly, "Enter. When Thou crossest this threshold, may divine peace dwell inthy soul, and may that be accomplished for which Thou imploresthumbly. "

When the penitent had fallen at his feet, the priest, making some signsabove his head, whispered, "In the name of Him who is, who has been, and who will be, who createdeverything, whose breath fills the visible and the invisible world, andwho is life eternal. "

When the gate had closed, the priest took Ramses by the hand, and inthe gloom amid the immense columns of the forecourt he led him to thedwelling assigned to him. It was a small cell lighted by a lamp. On thestone pavement lay a bundle of dry grass; in a corner stood a pitcherof water, and near it was a barley cake. 

"I see that here I shall have rest indeed after my occupations with thenomarchs, " said Ramses, joyously. 

"Think of eternity, " replied the priest; and he withdrew. 

This answer struck Ramses disagreeably. Though he was hungry, he didnot wish to eat a cake or drink water. He sat on the grass, and lookingat his feet wounded from the journey, asked himself why he had come, why he had put himself voluntarily out of his office. 

Seeing the walls of the cell and its poverty, he recalled the years ofhis boyhood passed at a priests' school. How many blows of sticks hehad received there, how many nights he had passed on a stone floor aspunishment! Even then Ramses felt the hatred and fear which he had feltbefore toward that harsh priest who to all his prayers and questionsanswered only with, "Think of eternity. "

After some months of uproar to drop into such silence, to exchange thecourt of a prince for obscurity and loneliness, and instead of feasts, women, and music, to feel around and above him the weight of walls! "Ihave gone mad! I have gone mad!" muttered Ramses. 

There was a moment when he wished to leave the temple at once; butafterward he thought that they might not open the gate to him. Thesight of his dirty legs, of the ashes falling out of his hair, theroughness of his penitential rags, all this disgusted him. If he hadhad his sword even! But would he, dressed as he was in that place, dareto use it?

He felt an overpowering dread, and that sobered him. He remembered thatthe gods in temples send down fear on men, and that this fear must bethe beginning of wisdom. 

"Moreover, I am the viceroy and the heir of the pharaoh, " thought he;"who will harm me in this temple?"

He rose and went out of the cell. He found himself in a broad courtsurrounded by columns. The stars were shining brightly; hence he saw atone end of the court an immense pylon, at the other an open entrance tothe temple. 

He went thither. At the door there was gloom, and somewhere far offflamed a number of lamps, as if in the air and unsupported. Lookingmore attentively, he saw standing closely together between the entranceand the lamps a forest of columns, the tops of which were lost indarkness. At a distance, perhaps two hundred yards from him, he sawindistinctly the gigantic legs of a sitting goddess with her handsresting on her knees, from which the lamplight was reflected dimly. 

All at once he heard a sound from afar. From a side passage a row ofwhite figures pushed forth, moving in couples. This was a nightprocession of priests, who, singing in two choruses, gave homage to thestatue of the goddess: Chorus I. "I am He who created heaven and earthand made all things contained in them. " Chorus II. "I am He who createdthe waters and the great overflow, He who made for the bull his motherwhose parent he himself is. " Chorus I "I am He who made heaven and thesecrets of its horizon; as to the gods I it was who placed their soulsin them. " Chorus II. "I am He who when he opens his eyes there is lightin the world and when he closes them darkness is present. " Chorus I. "The waters of the Nile flow when he commands. " Chorus II. "But thegods do not know what his name is. " [Authentic. ]. 

The voices, indistinct at first, grew stronger, so that each word wasaudible, and when the procession disappeared the words scattered amongthe columns, growing ever fainter. At last every sound ceased. 

"And still those people, " thought Ramses, "not only eat, drink, andgather wealth they really perform religious services even in the night-time; though, how is that to affect the statue?"

The prince had seen more than once the statues of boundary divinitiesbespattered with mud by the inhabitants of another province, or shot atfrom bows or slings by mercenary soldiers. "If gods are not offended byinsult, they must also care little for prayers and processions. Besides, who has seen gods?" said the prince to himself. 

The immensity of the temple, its countless columns, the lamps burningin front of the statue, all this attracted Ramses. He wished to lookaround in that mysterious immensity, and he went forward. Then itseemed to him that some hand from behind touched his head tenderly. Helooked around. No one was there; so he went farther. 

This time the two hands of some person seized him by the head, and athird, a great hand, rested on his shoulder. 

"Who is here?" cried he prince; and he rushed in among the columns. Buthe stumbled and almost fell: some one caught him by the feet. Againterror mastered Ramses more than in the cell. He fled distracted, knocking against columns which seemed to bar the way to him, anddarkness closed around the man on all sides. 

"Oh, save, holy goddess, save me!" whispered he. 

At this moment he stopped: some yards in front of him was the greatdoor of a temple through which the starry sky was visible. He turnedhis head. Amid the forest of gigantic columns lamps were burning, andthe gleam of them was reflected faintly from the bronze knees of theholy Hator. 

The prince returned to his cell, crushed and excited; his heartthrobbed like that of a bird caught in a net. For the first time inmany years he fell with his face to the earth and prayed ardently forfavor and forgiveness. 

"Thou wilt be heard, " answered a sweet voice above him. 

Ramses raised his head quickly, but there was no one in the cell: thedoor was closed, the walls were thick. He prayed on therefore moreardently, and fell asleep in that position, with his face on the stonesand his arms extended. 

When he woke next morning, he was another man: he had experienced themight of the gods, and favor had been promised. 

From that time through a long series of days he gave himself todevotional exercises with faith and alacrity. In his cell he spent longhours over prayers, he had his head shaven, and put on priestlygarments, and four times in twenty-four hours he took part in a chorusof the youngest priests. 

His past life, taken up with amusements, roused in him aversion, andthe disbelief which he had acquired amid foreigners and dissolute youthfilled him with dread in that interval. And if that day the choice hadbeen given him to take either the throne or the priestly office, hewould have hesitated. 

A certain day the great prophet of the temple summoned the prince, andreminded him that he had not entered for prayers exclusively, but tolearn wisdom. The prophet praised his devotion, declared that he waspurified then from worldly foulness, and commanded him to becomeacquainted with the schools connected with that temple. 

Rather through obedience than curiosity, the prince went directly fromhim to the interior court, where the department of reading and writingwas situated. 

That was a great hall, lighted through an opening in the roof. On matssome tens of naked pupils were seated holding wax tablets in theirhands. One wall was of smooth alabaster; before it stood a teacher whowrote characters with chalks of various colors. 

When the prince entered, the pupils, almost all of the same age that hewas, fell on their faces. The teacher bowed, and stopped his actuallabor to explain to the youths the great meaning of knowledge. 

"My beloved, " said he, "a man who has no heart for wisdom must occupyhimself with handwork and torment his eyesight. But he who understandsthe worth of knowledge and forms himself accordingly may gain all kindsof power and every court office. Remember this. [Authentic]

"Look at the wretched fate of men unacquainted with writing. A smith isblack and grimy, his hands are full of lumps, and he toils night andday all his lifetime. The quarryman pulls his arms out to satisfy hisstomach. The mason while forming a capital in lotus shape is hurled offby wind from the scaffold. A weaver has bent knees, a maker of weaponsis ever traveling: barely does he come to his house in the evening whenhe must leave it. The fingers of a wall painter smell disagreeably, andhis time passes in trimming up trifles. The courier when takingfarewell of his family must leave a will, for he may have to meet wildbeasts or Asiatics. 

"I have shown you the lot of men of various labors, for I wish you tolove writing, which is your mother, and now I will present to you itsbeauties. It is not an empty word on earth, it is the most important ofall occupations. He who makes use of writing is respected fromchildhood; he accomplishes every great mission. But he who takes nopart in it lives on in wretchedness. School sciences are as difficultas mountains, but one day of them lasts through eternity. So learnquickly and you will love them. The scribe has a princely position; hispen and his book win him wealth and acceptance. "

After a sounding discourse on the dignity of knowledge, a discoursewhich Egyptian pupils had heard without change for three millenniums, the master took chalk and on the alabaster wall began to write thealphabet. Each letter was expressed through a number of hieroglyphs, ora number of demotic characters. The picture of an eye, a bird, or apanther signified A, a sheep or a pot B, a man standing or a boat T, aserpent R, a man sitting or a star S. The abundance of signs expressingeach sound made the art of reading or writing extremely laborious. 

Ramses was wearied by mere listening, during which the only relief waswhen the teacher commanded some pupil to draw, or to name some letter, and beat him with a cane when he failed in his effort. 

Taking farewell of the teacher and the pupils, the prince from theschool of scribes passed to the school of surveyors. There they taughtyouth to draw plans of fields which were for the most part rectangular, also to take the elevation of land by means of two laths and a square. In this department also they explained the art of writing numbers noless involved in hieroglyphic or demotic characters. But purearithmetical problems formed a higher course, and were solved by meansof bullets. 

Ramses had enough of this, and only after some days would he visit theschool of medicine. 

This was also a hospital, or rather great garden containing a multitudeof fragrant plants and trees. Patients passed whole days in the openair and in sunlight, on beds where strips of stretched canvas took theplace of mattresses. 

The greatest activity reigned when the prince entered. Some patientswere bathing in a pond of running water; attendants were rubbing oneman with fragrant ointments, and burning perfumes before another. Therewere some whom they had put to sleep by looking at them and bystretching out their bodies; one patient was groaning while they weresetting his sprained ankle. 

To a certain woman who was grievously sick the priest was giving somemixture from a goblet, while uttering an enchantment which had power inconnection with this remedy, "Go, cure, go, drive that out of my heart, out of my members. "[Authentic]

Then the prince in company with a great leech went to the pharmacy, where one of the priests was preparing cures from plants, honey, oliveoil, from the skins of serpents and lizards, from the bones and fat ofbeasts. When Ramses questioned him, the man did not take his eyes fromthe work. He looked continually, and ground the materials, uttering aprayer as he did so, "Thou hast cured Isis, Thou hast cured Isis, Thou hast cured Horus OIsis, great enchantress, make me well, free me from all evil, fromharmful red things, from fever of the god, from fever of the goddess!"

"O Shauagat, eenagate, synie! Erukate! Kauaruchagate! Paparaukapaparaka paparura. "

"What is he saying?" asked the prince. 

"A secret, " answered the leech, putting his finger on his lips. 

When they came out to an empty court, Ramses said to the great leech, "Tell me, holy father, what is the art of curing, and what are itsmethods. For I have heard that sickness is an evil spirit which settlesin a man and torments him, because it is hungry, until it receives thefood that it wishes. And that one evil spirit or sickness feeds onhoney, another on olive oil, and a third on the excreta of animals. Aleech, therefore, should know first what spirit has settled in the sickman, and then what kind of nourishment is required by that spirit, sothat it should not torture the patient. "

The priest thought awhile and then answered, "What sickness is and in what way it falls on the human body, I cannottell, O Ramses. But to thee I will explain, for Thou hast beenpurified, how we govern ourselves in giving medicine. 

"Suppose a given man to be sick in the liver. We priests know that theliver is under the star Peneter-Deva, [Planet Venus] that the cure mustdepend on that star. 

"But here the sages are divided into two schools. Some assert that itis necessary to give the man who is sick in his liver things over whichPeneter-Deva has influence, therefore copper, lapis lazuli, extract offlowers, above all verbena and valerian, finally, various parts of thebody of the turtle-dove and the goat. Other leeches consider that whenthe liver is diseased it is necessary to cure it with just the oppositeremedies, and the opponent of Peneter-Deva being Sebek, [PlanetMercury] to give quicksilver, emerald, and agate, hazel-wood andcoltsfoot, also parts of the body of a toad and an owl rubbed intopowder. 

"But this is not all, for it is necessary to think of the day, themonth, and the hour of the day, for each of these spaces of time areunder the influence of a star which must support or weaken the actionof the medicine. Besides, it is needful to remember what star and whatsign of the Zodiac rules the sick person. Only when the leech considersall these can he prescribe an infallible remedy. "

"And do ye help all sick people in the temple?"

The priest shook his head. 

"No. The mind of man, which should take in all these details of which Ihave spoken, makes mistakes very easily. And what is worse, enviousspirits, the geniuses of other temples, jealous of their fame, frequently hinder the leech and destroy the effect of his medicines. The result, therefore, may be that one patient will return to perfecthealth, another simply grows better, while a third remains withoutchange, though there happen some who become still sicker, or even dieThis is as the gods will!"

The prince listened with attention, but confessed in soul that he didnot understand greatly. All at once he recalled the object of his visitto the temple, and inquired of the great leech unexpectedly, "Ye were to show me, holy father, the secret of the treasure of thepharaoh. Was it those things which we have seen?"

"By no means. We know nothing of state affairs. But when the great seercomes, the holy priest Pentuer, he will remove from thy eyes thecurtain. "

Ramses took leave of the leech with increased curiosity as to what theywere to show him. 

CHAPTER XXVII

THE temple received Pentuer with great honor, and the inferior priestswent out half an hour's journey to greet him. From all the wonderfulplaces of Lower Egypt many prophets had assembled with the intent tohear words of wisdom. A couple of days later came the high priestMefres and the prophet Mentezufis. These two rendered honor to Pentuer, not only because he was a counselor of Herhor and notwithstanding hisyouth a member of the supreme college, but because this priest enjoyedfavor throughout Egypt. The gods had given him a memory which seemedmore than human; they had given him eloquence, and above all amarvelous gift of clear vision. In every affair he saw points hiddenfrom others, and was able to explain them in a way understood by alllisteners. 

More than one nomarch, or high official of the pharaoh, on learningthat Pentuer was to celebrate a religious solemnity in the temple ofHator, envied the humblest priest, since he would hear a man inspiredby divinities. 

The priests who went forth to greet Pentuer felt sure that thatdignitary would show himself in a court chariot, or in a litter borneby eight slaves. What was their amazement at beholding a lean ascetic, bareheaded, wearing a coarse garment, riding on a she ass, andunattended! He greeted them with great humility, and when theyconducted him to the temple he made an offering to the divinity andwent straightway to examine the place of the coming festival. 

Thenceforth no one saw Pentuer, but in the temple and the adjoiningcourts there was an uncommon activity. Men brought costly furniture, grain, garments. A number of hundreds of pupils and workmen were freedfrom their employments; with these Pentuer shut himself up in the courtand worked at preparations. 

After eight days of hard labor he informed the high priest of Hatorthat all things were ready. 

During this time Prince Ramses, who was hidden in his cell, gavehimself up to prayer and fasting. At last on a certain date about threehours after midday a number of priests, arrayed in two ranks, came andinvited him to the solemnity. 

In the vestibule of the temple the high priest greeted the prince, andwith him burned incense before the great statue of Hator. Then theyturned to a low, narrow corridor, at the end of which a fire wasburning. The air of the corridor was filled with the odor of pitchwhich was boiling in a kettle. Near the kettle, through an opening inthe pavement, rose dreadful groans and curses. 

"What does that mean?" inquired Ramses of a priest among thoseattending him. 

The priest gave no answer; on the faces as far as could be seen emotionand terror were evident. At this moment the high priest Mefres seized agreat ladle, took boiling pitch from the kettle, and said in loudaccents, "May all perish thus who divulge temple secrets!"

Next he poured pitch into the opening in the pavement, and from belowcame a roar, "Ye are killing me. Oh, if ye have in your hearts even a trace ofcompassion, " groaned a voice, "May the worms gnaw thy body, " said Mentezufis, as he poured meltedpitch into the opening. 

"Dogs jackals!" groaned the voice. 

"May thy heart be consumed by fire and its ashes be hurled into thedesert, " said the next priest, repeating the ceremony. 

"O gods! is it possible to suffer as I do?" was the answer from beneaththe pavement. 

"May thy soul, with the image of its shame and its crime, wander onwardthrough places where live happy people, " said a second priest; and hepoured another ladle of burning pitch into the aperture. 

"Oh, may the earth devour you! mercy! let me breathe!"

Before the turn came to Ramses the voice underground was silent. 

"So do the gods punish traitors, " said the high priest of the temple tothe viceroy. 

The prince halted, and fixed on him eyes full of anger. It seemed toRamses that he would burst out with indignation, and leave thatassembly of executioners; but he felt a fear of the gods and advancedbehind others in silence. 

The haughty heir understood now that there was a power before which thepharaohs incline. He was seized by despair almost; he wished to flee, to renounce the throne. Meanwhile he held silence and walked on, surrounded by priests chanting prayers. 

"Now I know, " thought he, "where people go who are unpleasant to theservants of divinity. " But this thought did not decrease his horror. 

Leaving the narrow corridor full of smoke, the procession found itselfon an elevation beneath the open sky. Below was an immense courtsurrounded on three sides by low buildings instead of a wall. From theplace where the priests halted was a kind of amphitheatre with fivebroad platforms by which it was possible to pass along the whole courtor to descend to the bottom. 

In the court no one was present, but certain people were looking out ofbuildings. 

The high priest Mefres, as chief dignitary in the assembly, presentedPentuer to the viceroy. The mild face of the ascetic did not harmonizewith the horrors which had taken place in the corridor; so the princewondered. To say something, he said to Pentuer, "It seems to me that I have met thee somewhere, pious father?"

"The past year at the maneuvers near Pi-Bailos. I was there with hisworthiness Herhor. "

The resonant and calm voice of Pentuer arrested the prince. He hadheard that voice on some uncommon occasion. But where and when had heheard it?

In every case the priest made an agreeable impression. If he could onlyforget the cries of that man whom they had covered with boiling pitch!

"We may begin, " said Mefres. 

Pentuer went to the middle of the amphitheatre and clapped his hands. From the low buildings a crowd of female dancers issued forth, andpriests came out with music, also with a small statue of the goddessHator. The musicians preceded, the dancers followed, performing asacred dance; finally the statue moved on surrounded by the smoke ofcensers. In this way they went around the court and stopping afterevery few steps, implored the divinity for a blessing, and asked evilspirits to leave the enclosure, where there was to be a solemnity fullof secrets. 

When the procession had returned to the buildings, Pentuer steppedforward. Dignitaries present to the number of two or three hundredgathered round him. 

"By the will of his holiness the pharaoh, " began Pentuer, "and withconsent of the supreme priestly power, we are to initiate the heir tothe throne, Ramses, into some details of life in Egypt, details knownonly to the divinities who govern the country and the temples. I know, worthy fathers, that each of you would enlighten the young princebetter in these things than I can; ye are full of wisdom, and thegoddess Mut speaks through you. But since the duty has fallen on me, who in presence of you am but dust and a pupil, permit me to accomplishit under your worthy inspection and guidance. "

A murmur of satisfaction was heard among the learned priests at thismanner. Pentuer turned to the viceroy. 

"For some months, O servant of the gods, Ramses, as a traveler lost inthe desert seeks a road, so Thou art seeking an answer to the question:Why has the income of the holy pharaoh diminished, and why is itdecreasing? Thou hast asked the nomarchs, and though they explainedaccording to their power, Thou wert not satisfied, though the highesthuman wisdom belongs to those dignitaries. Thou didst turn to the chiefscribes, but in spite of their efforts these men were like birds in anet, unable to free themselves without assistance, for the reason ofman, though trained in the school of scribes, is not in a position totake in the immensity of these questions. At last, wearied by barrenexplanations, Thou didst examine the lands of the provinces, theirpeople, the works of their hands, but didst arrive at nothing. Forthere are things of which people are silent as stones, but concerningwhich even stones will give answer if light from the gods only falls onthem. 

"When in this manner all these earthly powers and wisdoms disappointedthee, Thou didst turn to the gods. Barefoot, thy head sprinkled withashes, Thou didst come in the guise of a penitent to this greatsanctuary, where by means of suffering and prayer Thou hast purifiedthy body and strengthened thy spirit. The gods but especially themighty Hator listened to thy prayers, and through my unworthy lips givean answer, and mayst Thou write it down in thy heart profoundly. "

"Whence does he know, " thought the prince, meanwhile, "that I asked thescribes and nomarchs? Aha! Mefres and Mentezufis told him. For thatmatter, they know everything. "

"Listen, " continued Pentuer, "and I will discover to thee, withpermission of these dignitaries, what Egypt was four hundred years agoin the reign of the most glorious and pious nineteenth Theban dynasty, and what it is at present. 

"When the first pharaoh of that dynasty, Ramen-Pehuti-Ramessu, assumedpower over the country, the income of the treasury in wheat, cattle, beer, skins, vessels, and various articles rose to a hundred and thirtythousand talents. If a people had existed who could exchange gold forall these goods, the pharaoh would have had yearly one hundred andthirty-three thousand minas of gold. [Mina equals one and a halfkilograms. ] And since one warrior can carry on his shoulders the weightof twenty-six minas, about five thousand warriors would have beenneeded to carry that treasure. "

The priests whispered to one another without hiding their wonder. Eventhe prince forgot the man tortured to death beneath the pavement. 

"Today, " said Pentuer, "the yearly income of his holiness for allproducts of his land is worth only ninety-eight thousand talents. Forthese it would be possible to obtain as much gold as four thousandwarriors could carry. "

"That the income of the state has decreased greatly, I know, " saidRamses, "but what is the cause of this?"

"Be patient, O servant of the gods, " replied Pentuer. "It is not theincome of his holiness alone that is subject to decrease. During thenineteenth dynasty Egypt had under arms one hundred and eighty thousandwarriors. If by the action of the gods every soldier of that time hadbeen turned into a pebble the size of a grape. "

"That cannot be!" said Ramses. 

"The gods can do anything, " answered Mefres, the high priest, severely. 

"But better, " continued Pentuer, "if each soldier were to place on theground one pebble, there would be one hundred and eighty thousandpebbles; and, look, worthy fathers, these pebbles would occupy so muchspace. " He pointed to a quadrangle of reddish color to the court. "Inthis figure the pebbles deposited by warriors of the time of Ramses I. Would find their places. This figure is nine yards long and about fivewide. This figure is ruddy; it has the color of Egyptian bodies, for inthose days all our warriors were Egyptian exclusively. "

The priests began to whisper a second time. The prince frowned, forthat seemed to him a reprimand, since he loved foreign soldiers. 

"Today, " said Pentuer, "we assemble one hundred and twenty thousandwarriors with great difficulty. If each one of those cast his pebble onthe ground, they would form a figure of this sort. Look this way, worthiness. " At the side of the first quadrangle lay a second of thesame width, but considerably shorter; its color was not uniform either, but was composed of a number of colors. "This figure, " said Pentuer, "is about five yards wide, but is only six yards in length. An immensenumber of men is now lacking, our army has lost one-third of itswarriors. "

"Wisdom of men like thee, O prophet, will bring more good to the statethan an army, " interrupted the high priest. 

Pentuer bent before him and continued, "In this new figure which represents the present army of the pharaoh yesee, worthy men, besides the ruddy color which designates Egyptians byblood, three other stripes, black, white, and yellow. They representmercenary divisions, Ethiopians, Asiatics, Greeks, and Libyans. Thereare thirty thousand of them altogether, but they cost as much as fiftythousand Egyptians. "

"We must do away with foreign regiments at the earliest, " said Me fres. "They are costly, unsuitable, and teach our people infidelity andinsolence. At present there are many Egyptians who do not fall on theirfaces before the priests; more, some of them have gone so far as tosteal from graves and temples. "

"Therefore away with the mercenaries!" said Mefres, passionately. "Thecountry has received from them nothing save harm, and our neighborssuspect us of hostile ideas. "

"Away with mercenaries! Dismiss these unruly infidels!" cried thepriests. 

"When in years to come, O Ramses, Thou wilt ascend the throne, " addedMefres, "Thou wilt fulfill this sacred duty to the gods and to Egypt. "

"Yes, fulfill it! free thy people from unbelievers!" cried the priests. 

Ramses bent his head, and was silent. The blood flew to his heart. Hefelt that the ground was trembling under him. 

He was to dismiss the best part of the army, he, who would like to havetwice as great an army and four times as many mercenary warriors. 

"They are pitiless with me, " thought Ramses. 

"Speak on, O Pentuer, sent down from heaven to us, " said Mefres. 

"So then, holy men, " continued Pentuer, "we have learned of twomisfortunes, the pharaoh's income has decreased, and his army isdiminished. "

"What need of an army?" grumbled the high priest, shaking his headcontemptuously. 

"And now, with the favor of the gods and your permission, I willexplain why it has happened thus, why the treasury will decreasefurther, and troops be still fewer in the future. "

The prince raised his head and looked at the speaker. He thought nolonger now of the man put to death beneath the corridor. 

Pentuer passed a number of steps along the amphitheatre, and after himthe dignitaries. 

"Do ye see at your feet that long, narrow strip of green with a broadtriangular space at the end of it? On both sides of the strip lielimestone, granite, and, behind these, sandy places. In the middle ofthe green flows a stream, which in the triangular space is divided intoa number of branches. "

"That is the Nile! That is Egypt!" cried the priests. 

"But look, " interrupted Mefres, with emotion. "I will discover theriver. Do ye see those two blue veins running from the elbow to thehand? Is not that the Nile and its canals, which begins opposite theAlabaster mountains and flows to Fayum? And look at the back of myhand: there are as many veins there as the sacred river has branchesbelow Memphis. And do not my fingers remind you of the number ofbranches through which the Nile sends its waters to the sea?"

"A great truth!" exclaimed the priests, looking at their hands. 

"Here, I tell you, " continued the excited high priest, "that Egypt isthe trace of the arm of Osiris. Here on this land the great god restedhis arm: in Thebes lay his divine elbow, his fingers reached the sea, and the Nile is his veins. What wonder that we call this countryblessed!"

"Evidently, " said the priest, "Egypt is the express imprint of the armof Osiris. "

"Has Osiris seven fingers on his hand, " interrupted the prince, "forthe Nile has seven branches falling into the sea?"

Deep silence followed. 

"Young man, " retorted Mefres, with kindly irony, "dost suppose thatOsiris could not have seven fingers if it pleased him?"

"Of course he could!" said the other priests. 

"Speak on, renowned Pentuer, " said Mentezufis. 

"Ye are right, worthy fathers, " began Pentuer: "this stream with itsbranches is a picture of the Nile; the narrow strip of green bounded bystones and sand is Upper Egypt, and that triangular space, cut withveins, is a picture of Lower Egypt, the most extensive and richest partof the country. 

"Well, in the beginning of the nineteenth dynasty, all Egypt, from thecataract to the sea, included five hundred thousand measures of land. On every measure lived sixteen persons: men, women, and children. Butduring four hundred succeeding years almost with each generation apiece of fertile soil was lost to Egypt. "

The speaker made a sign. A number of young priests ran out of thebuilding and sprinkled sand on various parts of the green area. 

"During each generation, " continued the priest, "fertile landdiminished, and the narrow strip of it became much narrower. At presentour country instead of five hundred thousand measures has only fourhundred thousand or during two dynasties Egypt has lost laud whichsupported two millions of people. "

In the assembly again rose a murmur of horror. 

"And dost Thou know, O Ramses, servant of the gods, whither thosespaces have vanished where on a time were fields of wheat and barley, or where flocks and herds pastured? Thou knowest that sands of thedesert have covered them. But has any one told thee why this came topass? It came to pass because there was a lack of men who with bucketsand ploughs fight the desert from morning till evening. Finally, dostThou know why these toilers of the gods disappeared? Whither did theygo? What swept them out of the country? Foreign wars did it. Our noblesconquered enemies, our pharaohs immortalized their worthy names as faraway as the Euphrates River, but like beasts of burden our common mencarried food for them, they carried water, they carried other weights, and died along the road by thousands. 

"To avenge those bones scattered now throughout eastern deserts, thewestern sands have swallowed our fields, and it would require immensetoil and many generations to win back that dark Egyptian earth from thesand grave which covers it. "

"Listen! listen!" cried Mefres, "some god is speaking through the lipsof Pentuer. It is true that our victorious wars are the grave ofEgypt. "

Ramses could not collect his thoughts. It seemed to him that mountainsof sand were falling on his head at that moment. 

"I have said, " continued Pentuer, "that great labor would be needed todig out Egypt and restore the old-time wealth devoured by warfare. Buthave we the power to carry out that project?"

Again he advanced some steps, and after him the excited listeners. Since Egypt became Egypt, no one had displayed so searchingly thedisasters of the country, though all men knew that they had happened. 

"During the nineteenth dynasty Egypt had eight millions of inhabitants. If every man, woman, old man, and child had put down in this place onebean, the grains would make a figure of this kind. "

He indicated with his hand a court where one by the side of another layeight great quadrangles covered with red beans. 

"That figure is sixty yards long, thirty yards wide, and as ye see, pious fathers, the grains composing it are of the same kind, for thepeople of that time were from Egyptian grandfathers and great-grandfathers. But look now. "

He went farther, and indicated another group of quadrangles of variouscolors. 

"Ye see this figure which is thirty yards wide, but only forty-fiveyards in length. Why is this? Because there are in it only sixquadrangles, for at present Egypt has not eight, but only six millionsof inhabitants. Consider, besides, that as the former figure wascomposed exclusively of red Egyptian beans in the present one areimmense strips of black, yellow, and white beans. For in our army andamong the people there are now very many foreigners: black Ethiopians, yellow Syrians and Phoenicians, white Greeks and Libyans. "

They interrupted him. The priests who listened began to embrace him;Mefres was weeping. 

"Never yet has there been such a prophet. One cannot imagine when hecould make such calculations, " said the best mathematician in thetemple of Hator. 

"Fathers, " said Pentuer, "do not overestimate my services. Long yearsago in our temples the condition of the state was represented in thismanner. I have only disinterred that which later generations had insome degree forgotten. "

"But the reckoning?" asked the mathematician. 

"The reckonings are continued unbrokenly in all the provinces andtemples, " replied Pentuer. "The general amounts are found in the palaceof his holiness. "

"But the figures?" exclaimed the mathematician. 

"Our fields are arranged in just such figures, and the geometers of thestate study them at school. "

"We know not what to admire most in this priest, his wisdom or hishumility, " said Mefres. "Since we have such a man, the gods have notforgotten us. "

At that moment the guard watching on the pylons of the temple summonedthose present to prayer. 

"In the evening I will finish the explanations, " said Pentuer; "now Iwill say a few words in addition. 

"Ye inquire, worthy fathers, why I use beans for these pictures. I doso because a grain put in the ground brings a harvest to the husbandmenyearly; so a man brings tribute every year to the treasury. 

"If in any province two million less beans are sown than in past years, the following harvest will be notably less, and the earth-tillers willhave a poorer income. In the state also, when two millions ofpopulation are gone, the inflow of taxes must diminish. "

Ramses listened with attention, and walked away in silence. 

CHAPTER XXVIII

WHEN the priests and the heir to the throne returned to the courtyardin the evening, several hundred torches were gleaming so brightly thatit was as clear there as in the daytime. 

At a sign from Mefres there came out again a procession of musicians, dancers, and minor priests carrying a statue of the cow-headed Hator;and when they had driven away evil sprits, Pentuer began to explainagain. 

"Ye see, worthy fathers, " said he, "that since the time of thenineteenth dynasty a hundred thousand measures of land and two millionpeople have vanished out of Egypt. This explains why the income of thestate has decreased thirty-two thousand talents; that it has decreasedis known to all of us. 

"But this is only the beginning of misfortunes to the state and thetreasury. Ninety-eight thousand talents of income apparently remain tohis holiness. But do ye think that the pharaoh receives all thisincome?

"I will tell you what his worthiness Herhor discovered in the provinceof the Hare. 

"During the nineteenth dynasty twenty thousand people dwelt in thatprovince; they paid three hundred and fifty talents of yearly taxes. Today there are hardly fifteen thousand, and these, of course, pay thetreasury only two hundred and seventy talents. Meanwhile the pharaoh, instead of receiving two hundred and seventy talents, receives onehundred and seventy. 

"'Why is that?' inquired Herhor; and this is what an investigationdiscovered: During the nineteenth dynasty there were in the districtabout one hundred officials, and these received each one thousanddrachmas yearly salary. Today in that same district, though the peoplehave decreased, there are more than two hundred officials who receivetwo thousand five hundred drachmas yearly. 

"It is unknown to his worthiness Herhor if this is the case in everydistrict. But this much is certain, that the treasury of the pharaoh, instead of ninety-eight thousand talents annually, has only seventy-four thousand. "

"Say, worthy father, fifty thousand, " interrupted Ramses. 

"I will explain that too, " replied Pentuer. "In every case remember, prince, that the pharaoh's treasury pays today twenty-four thousandtalents to officials, while it gave only ten thousand during thenineteenth dynasty. "

Deep silence reigned among the dignitaries, for more than one of themhad a relative in office, well paid moreover. But Pentuer wasunterrified. 

"Now, " continued he, "I will show thee, O heir, the manner of lifeamong officials, and the lot of common people in those old times and inour day. "

"Will it not take too much time? Besides, every man can see forhimself, " murmured the priests, very promptly. 

"I wish to know this, " said the prince, with decision. 

The murmur ceased. Pentuer went down along the steps of theamphitheatre to the court, and after him went the prince, the highpriests, Mefres and the others. 

They halted before a long curtain of mats, forming as it were apalisade. At a sign from Pentuer some tens of minor priests hastened upwith blazing torches. Another sign, and a portion of the curtain fell. 

From the lips of those present came a shout of admiration. They hadbefore them a brightly illuminated tableau in which about one hundredpersons were the characters. 

The tableau was divided into three stories; on the lower story stoodearth-tillers, on a higher were officials, and on the highest was thegolden throne of the pharaoh resting on two lions whose heads were thearms of the throne. 

"It was in this way, " said Pentuer, "during the nineteenth dynasty. Look at the earth-tillers. At their ploughs ye see sometimes oxen, sometimes asses; their picks, spades, and shovels are bronze, and henceare lasting. See what stalwart men they are! Today one could find suchonly in the guard of his holiness. Their hands and feet are strong, their breasts full, their faces smiling. All are bathed and anointedwith olive oil. Their wives are occupied in preparing food and clothingor in washing house utensils; the children are at school or areplaying. 

"The laborer of that time, as ye see, ate wheaten bread, beans, flesh, fish, and fruit; he drank beer or wine, and see how beautiful were theplates and pitchers. Look at the caps, aprons, and capes of the men:all adorned with various-colored needlework. Still more beautifullyembroidered were the skirts of women. And note how carefully theycombed their hair, what brooches, earrings, and bracelets they had. Those ornaments were made of bronze and colored enamel; even gold wasfound among them, though only in the form of wire. 

"Raise now your eyes to officials. They wore mantles, but every laborerwore just such a dress on holidays. They lived exactly as did laborers, that is, in sufficiency, but modestly. Their furniture was ornamentedsomewhat more than that of laborers, and gold rings were found oftenerin their caskets. They made journeys on asses, or in cars drawn byoxen. "

Pentuer clapped his hands and on the stage there was movement. Thelaborers gave the officials baskets of grapes, bags of barley, peas andwheat, jugs of wine, beer, milk and honey, game and stuffs, many pieceswhite or colored. The officials took these products, kept a portion forthemselves, but the choicest and most costly they put up higher, forthe throne. The platform where stood the symbol of the pharaoh's powerwas covered with products which formed as it were a small mountain. 

"Ye see, worthy men, " said Pentuer, "that in those times, when earth-tillers were satisfied and wealthy, the treasury of his holiness couldhardly find place for the gifts of his subjects. But see what ishappening in our day. "

At a new signal a second part of the curtain fell, and another tableauappeared, similar to the preceding in general outline. 

"Here are our laborers of the present, " said Pentuer, and in his voiceindignation was evident. "Their bodies are skin and bones, they looklike sick persons, they are filthy and have forgotten to anointthemselves with olive oil, but their backs are wounded from beating. 

"Neither oxen nor asses are near them, for what need is there of thosebeasts if ploughs are drawn by women and children? Picks and shovelsare wooden, they spoil easily and that increases men's labor. They haveno clothes whatever; only women wear coarse shirts, and not even in adream do they look at embroidery, though their grandfathers andgrandmothers wore it. "

"Look now at the food of the earth-tillers. At times barley and driedfish, lotus seed always, rarely a wheat cake, never flesh, beer, orwine. 

"Ask them where their utensils and furniture are. They have none, unless a pitcher for water; nothing could find room in the dens whichthey inhabit. 

"Pardon me now for that to which I turn your attention: Over there anumber of children are lying on the ground; that means that they aredead. It is wonderful how many children of laborers die from toil andhunger. And those that die are the happiest, for they who survive gounder the club of the overseer, or are sold to the Phoenician as lambsto the slaughter. "

Emotion stopped his voice; he rested awhile, and then continued amidthe angry silence of the priesthood, "And now look at the officials, how animated they are in rouge, howbeautiful their clothes are! Their wives wear gold bracelets andearrings, and such fine garments that princes might envy them. Amonglaborers not an ox or an ass is now visible, but to make up officialsjourney on horseback or in litters. They drink only wine, and that ofgood quality. "

He clapped his hands, and again there was movement. The laborers gavethe officials bags of wheat, baskets of fruit, wine, game. Theseobjects the officials as before placed near the throne, but inquantities considerably smaller. On the pharaoh's platform there was nolonger a mountain of products, but the platform of the officials wascovered. 

"This is the Egypt of our day, " continued Pentuer. "Laborers are inindigence, scribes are wealthy, the treasury is not so full as it oncewas. But now. "

He gave a sign, and a thing unexpected took place there before them. 

Certain hands seized grain, fruit, stuffs from the platforms of thepharaoh and the officials; and when the amount of the goods haddecreased greatly, those same hands began to seize and lead awaylaborers, their wives and children. 

The spectators looked with amazement at the peculiar methods of thosemysterious persons. Suddenly some one cried out, "Those are Phoenicians! They plunder us in that way. "

"That is it, holy fathers, " said Pentuer. "Those are the hands ofPhoenicians concealed in the midst of us; they plunder the pharaoh andthe scribes, and lead away laborers captive when there is nothing todrag from them. "

"Yes! They are jackals! A curse on Phoenicians! Expel them, thewretches!" cried the priests. "It is they who inflict the greatestdamage on Egypt. "

Not all, however, shouted in that way. 

When there was silence, Pentuer commanded to take the torches to theother side of the court, and thither he conducted his hearers. Therewere no tableaux there, but a kind of industrial exhibition. 

"Be pleased to look, " said he. "During the nineteenth dynastyforeigners sent us these things: we received perfumes from Punt; gold, iron weapons, and chariots of war came from Syria. That is all. 

"But Egypt manufactured in those days. Look at these immense pitchers, how many forms, and what a variety of colors. 

"Or the furniture: that armchair was made of ten thousand pieces ofgold, mother-of-pearl, and woods of various hues. Look at the robes ofthat period: what embroidery, what delicacy of material, how manycolors! And the bronze swords, the brooches, bracelets, earrings andimplements of tillage and crafts of various descriptions. All thesewere made in this country during the nineteenth dynasty. "

He passed to the next group of objects. 

"But today, look: the pitchers are small and almost without ornament, the furniture is simple, the stuffs coarse and devoid of variety. Notone thing made today can we compare as to shape, durability, or beautywith those of former ages. Why has this happened?"

He advanced a number of steps again, surrounded by torches. 

"Here is a great number of things, " said he, "which the Phoeniciansbring us from various regions. Some tens of kinds of incense, coloredglass, furniture, vessels, woven stuffs, chariots, ornaments, all thesecome from Asia and are bought by us. 

"Do ye understand now, worthy fathers, why the Phoenicians tear awaygrain, fruit, and cattle from the scribes and the pharaoh? In pay forthose foreign goods which have destroyed our artisans as locustsdestroy vegetation. 

"Among things obtained through Phoenicians for his holiness, thenomarchs, and the scribes, gold has the first place. 

"This kind of commerce is the most accurate picture of calamitiesinflicted on Egypt by Asia. 

"When a man borrows gold to the amount of one talent, he is obliged inthree years to return two talents. But most frequently the Phoenicians, under pretext of decreasing trouble for the debtor, assure payment intheir own way: that is, debtors for each talent borrowed give them astenants for three years two measures of land and thirty-two people. 

"See there, worthy fathers, " said he, pointing to a part of the courtwhich was better lighted. "That square of land one hundred and tenyards in length and as wide signifies two measures; the men, women, andchildren of that crowd mean eight families. All that together: peopleand land pass for three years into dreadful captivity. During that timetheir owner, the pharaoh or a nomarch, has no profit at all from them;at the end of that term he receives the land back exhausted, and of thepeople, twenty in number at the very highest, the rest have died undertorture!"

Those present shuddered with horror. 

"I have said that the Phoenician takes two measures of land and thirty-two people for three years in exchange for one talent. See what a spaceof laud and what a crowd of people; look now at my hand. 

"This piece of gold which I grasp here, this lump, less than a hen'segg in size, is a talent. 

"Can you estimate the complete insignificance of the Phoenicians inthis commerce? This small lump of gold has no real value: it is yellow, it is heavy, a man cannot eat it, and that is the end of the matter. Aman does not clothe himself with gold and he cannot stop his hunger orthirst with it. If he had a lump of gold as big as the pyramid, hewould be as poor at the foot of it as a Libyan wandering through thewestern desert where there is neither a date nor a drop of water. 

"And see, for a piece of this barren metal a Phoenician takes a pieceof land which suffices to feed and clothe thirty-two people, andbesides that he takes the people. For three years he exercises powerover beings who know how to cultivate land, gather in grain, make flourand beer, weave garments, build houses, and make furniture. 

"At the same time the pharaoh or the nomarch is deprived for threeyears of the services of those people. They pay him no tribute, theycarry no burdens for the army, but they toil to give income to thegreedy Phoenician. 

"Ye know, worthy fathers, that at present there is not a year duringwhich in this or that province an insurrection does not break out amonglaborers exhausted by hunger, borne down by toil, or beaten withsticks. And some of those men perish, others are sent to the quarries, while the country is depopulated more and more for this reason only, that the Phoenician gave a lump of gold to some land-owner! Is itpossible to imagine greater misery? And is Egypt not to lose land andpeople yearly under such conditions? Victorious wars undermined Egypt, but Phoenician gold-dealers are finishing it. "

On the faces of the priests satisfaction was depicted; they were morewilling to hear of the guile of Phoenicians than the excesses ofscribes throughout Egypt. 

Pentuer rested awhile, then he turned to the viceroy. 

"For some months, " said he, "Ramses, O servant of the gods, Thou hastbeen inquiring why the income of his holiness is diminished. The wisdomof the gods has shown thee that not only the treasure has decreased butalso the army, and that both those sources of royal power will decreasestill further. And the end will be utter ruin for this country, unlessheaven sends down a ruler who will stop the inundation of misery whichfor some hundreds of years is overwhelming Egypt. 

"The treasury of the pharaohs was full when we had more land andpeople. We must win back from the desert the fertile lands which it hasswallowed, and remove from the people those burdens which weaken andkill them. "

The priests were alarmed again, lest Pentuer might mention scribes forthe second time. 

"Thou hast seen, prince, with thy own eyes and before witnesses, thatin the epoch when people were well nourished, stalwart, and satisfied, the treasury of the pharaoh was full. But when people began to lookwretched, when they were forced to plough with their wives andchildren, when lotus seed took the place of wheat and flesh, thetreasury grew needy. If Thou wish therefore to bring the state to thatpower which it had before the wars of the nineteenth dynasty, if Thoudesire that the pharaoh, his scribes, and his army should live inplenty, assure long peace to the land and prosperity to the people. Letgrown persona eat flesh again and dress in embroidered garments, andlet children, instead of groaning and dying under blows, play, or go toschool. 

"Remember, finally, that Egypt bears within its bosom a deadlyserpent. "

Those present listened with fear and curiosity. 

"That serpent which is sucking at the blood of the people, the propertyof the nomarchs, and the power of the pharaoh is the Phoenician!"

"Away with the Phoenicians!" cried the priests. "Blot out all debts tothem. Admit not their ships and merchants. "

Silence was enforced by the high priest Mefres, who with tears in hiseyes turned to Pentuer. 

"I doubt not, " said he, "that the holy Hator is speaking through thylips to us. Not only because no man could be so wise and all-knowing asThou art, but besides I have seen two flames, as horns, above thyforehead. I thank thee for the great words with which Thou hastdispelled our ignorance. I bless thee, and I pray the gods when I amsummoned before them to make thee my advocate. "

An unbroken shout from the rest of the assembly supported the blessingof the highest dignitary. The priests were the better satisfied, sincealarm had hung over them lest Pentuer might refer to the scribes asecond time. But the sage knew how to restrain himself: he indicatedthe internal wound of the state, but he did not inflame it, andtherefore his triumph was perfect. 

Prince Ramses did not thank Pentuer, he only dropped his head to hisown bosom. No one doubted, however, that the discourse of the prophethad shaken the soul of the heir, and that it was a seed from whichprosperity and glory might spring up for Egypt. 

Next morning Pentuer, without taking farewell of any, left the templeat sunrise and journeyed away in the direction of Memphis. 

For a number of days Prince Ramses held converse with no man, hemeditated; he sat in his cell, or walked up and down the shadycorridors. Work in his soul was progressing. 

In reality Pentuer had declared no new truth; all had been complainingof the decrease of laud and people in Egypt, of the misery of workmen, the abuses of scribes, and the extortion of Phoenicians. But thediscourse of the prophet had given them tangible forms, and illustratedfacts very clearly. 

The Phoenicians terrified the prince; he had not estimated till thattime the enormity of the misfortunes brought on people of Egypt bythose merchants. His horror was all the more vivid, since he had rentedout his own subjects to Dagon, and was himself witness of the way inwhich the banker collected his dues from them. 

But his entanglement in the business of Phoenicians produced strangeresults in Ramses. He did not wish to think of Phoenicians, andwhenever anger flamed up in his mind against those strangers thefeeling of shame was destroyed in him. He was in a certain sense theirconfederate. Meanwhile he understood perfectly how serious the decreasewas in land and in people, and on this he placed the main emphasis inhis lonely meditation. 

"If we had, " said he to himself, "those two millions of people lost byEgypt, we might through help from them win back those fertile landsfrom the desert, we might even extend those lands. And then in spite ofPhoenicians our laborers would be in a better condition, and therewould be also increase in the income of Egypt. But where can we findmen?"

Chance gave the answer. 

On a certain evening the prince, while walking through the gardens ofthe temple, met a crowd of captives whom Nitager had seized on theeastern boundary and sent to the goddess Hator. Those people wereperfectly built, they did more work than Egyptians, and they did itbecause they were properly nourished, hence even satisfied with theirposition. 

When he saw them, his mind was cleared as if by a lightning flash. Healmost lost presence of mind from emotion. The country needs men, manymen, hundreds of thousands, even a million, two millions. And here aremen! The only need was to turn to Asia, seize all whom they might meeton the road, and send them to Egypt. War must continue till so manywere taken that every earth-tiller from the cataract to the sea mighthave his own bondman. 

Thus rose a plan, colossal and simple, thanks to which Egypt would findpopulation, the earth-tillers aid in their labor, and the treasury ofthe pharaoh an endless source of income. 

The prince was enchanted, though next day a new doubt sprang up in him. 

Pentuer had announced with great emphasis, while Herhor had assertedstill earlier, that victorious wars were the source of misfortune forthe country. From this it resulted that to raise Egypt by a new war wasimpossible. 

"Pentuer is a great sage, and so is Herhor, " thought Ramses. "If theyconsider war harmful, if the high priest Mefres and other priests judgein the same way, then perhaps war is in fact dangerous. It must bedangerous, if so many holy and wise men insist thus. "

Ramses was deeply disappointed. He had thought out a simple method ofelevating Egypt, but the priests maintained that that was the true wayto ruin it. The priests are most holy, and they are wise men. 

But something happened which cooled the faith of the prince somewhat inthe truthful speech of the priests, or rather it roused his previousdistrust of them. 

Once he was going with a certain leech to the library. The way laythrough a dark and narrow corridor from which the heir drew back withrepulsion. 

"I will not go by this way, " said he. 

"Why not?" inquired the leech, with astonishment. 

"Dost Thou not remember, holy father, that at the end of that corridoris an opening in which a certain traitor was tortured to death withoutpity. "

"Aha!" answered the leech. "There is an opening there into which wepoured boiling pitch at command of Pentuer. "

"And ye killed a man. "

The leech smiled. He was a kindly, gladsome person. So, observing theindignation of the prince, he said after some meditation, "It is not permitted to betray temple secrets. Of course, before eachof the greater solemnities, we bring this to the mind of youngercandidates. "

His tone was so peculiar that Ramses required explanation. 

"I cannot betray secrets, " replied the leech; "but promise, worthiness, to hide a story in thy breast, and I will tell thee one. "

Ramses promised. The leech gave this narrative:

"A certain Egyptian priest, while visiting temples in the unbelievingland of Aram, met at one of them a man who seemed to him in good fleshand satisfied, though he wore wretched garments. 'Explain to me, ' saidthe priest to the gladsome poor man, 'how it is that, though Thou artindigent, thy body looks as though Thou wert chief of this temple. '

"That man looked around then to see if any one were listening, andanswered, "'I am fat, because my voice is very woeful; hence I am a martyr atthis temple. When people come to service here, I crawl into an openingand groan with all the strength that is in my body; for this they giveme food abundantly throughout the year, and a large jug of beer everyday when I am tortured. '

"Thus do they manage in the unbelieving land of Aram, " said the leech, as he raised a finger to his lips, and added, "Remember, prince, whatThou hast promised, and of boiling pitch in this place think whateversuits thee. "

This story roused the prince anew; he felt relief because a man had notbeen killed in the temple, but all his earlier distrust of priestssprang into life again. 

That they deluded simple people, he knew. He remembered the priests'procession with the sacred bull Apis, while he was in their school. Thepeople were convinced that Apis led the priests, while every studentsaw that the divine beast went in whatever direction priests drove him. 

Who could tell, therefore, that Pentuer's discourse was not intendedfor him, as that procession of Apis for the people? For that matter, itwas easy to put on the ground beans of red or other colors, and also itwas not difficult to arrange tableaux. How much more splendid werethose exhibitions which he had seen, even the struggles of Set withOsiris, in which a number of hundreds of persons assisted. But in thatcase, too, did not the priests deceive people? That was given as abattle of the gods: meanwhile it was carried on by men in disguise. Init Osiris perished, but the priest who represented Osiris came out assound as a rhinoceros. What wonders did they not exhibit there! Waterrose; there were peals of thunder; the earth trembled and vomited fire. And that was all deception. Why should the exhibition made by Pentuerbe true? Besides, the prince had discovered strong indications thatthey wished to deceive him. The man groaning underground and covered, as it were, with boiling pitch by the priests was deception. But letthat pass. The prince had convinced himself frequently that Herhor didnot want war; Mefres also did not want it. Pentuer was the assistant ofone of them, and the favorite of the other. 

Such a struggle was taking place in the prince that it seemed to him atone time that he understood everything, at another that he wassurrounded by darkness; now he was full of hope, and now he doubtedeverything. From hour to hour, from day to day, his soul rose and felllike the waters of the Nile in the course of its yearly changes. 

Gradually, however, the prince recovered his balance, and when the timecame to leave the temple, he had formulated certain views of theproblem. 

First of all, he understood clearly that Egypt needed more land andmore people. Second, he believed that the simplest way to find men wasa war with Asia. But Pentuer had proved to him that war could onlyheighten the disaster. A new question rose then, did Pentuer speak thetruth, or was he lying? If he spoke the truth, he plunged the prince indespair, for Ramses saw no means to raise the state except war. Unlesswar were made, Egypt would lose population yearly, and the treasury ofthe pharaoh would increase its debts till the whole process would endin some ghastly overthrow, perhaps even in the reign of the comingpharaoh. 

"But if Pentuer lied? Why should he lie? Evidently because Herhor, Mefres, and the whole priestly corporation had persuaded him to actthus. 

"But why did priests oppose war? What interests had they in opposing?Every war brought immense profit to them and the pharaoh. 

"But would the priests deceive him in an affair so far reaching? It istrue that they deceived very often, but in small matters, not when itwas a question of the future and the existence of the state. It was notpossible to assert that they deceived always. Besides, they were theservants of the gods, and the guardians of great secrets. " Spiritsresided in their temples; of this Ramses convinced himself on the firstnight after he had come to that temple of Hator. 

"But if the gods did not permit the uninitiated to approach theiraltars, if they watched so carefully over temples, why did they notwatch over Egypt, which is the greatest of all temples?"

When some days later Ramses, after a solemn religious service, left thetemple of Hator amid the blessings of the priests, two questions wereagitating him, Could war with Asia really harm Egypt? Could the priests in thisquestion be deceiving him, the heir to the throne?

CHAPTER XXIX

THE prince journeyed on horseback in company with a number of officersto Pi-Bast, the famous capital of the province of Habu. 

The month Paoni had passed, Epiphi was beginning (April and May). Thesun stood high, heralding the most violent season of heat for Egypt. Amighty wind from the desert had blown in repeatedly; men and beastsfell because of heat, and on fields and trees a gray dust had begun tosettle under which vegetation was dying. 

Roses had been harvested and turned into oil; wheat had been gatheredas well as the second crop of clover. The sweeps and buckets moved withdouble energy, irrigating the earth with dirty water to fit it for newseed. Men had begun to gather grapes and figs. The Nile had fallen, water in canals was low and of evil odor. Above the whole country afine dust was borne along in a deluge of burning sun-rays. 

In spite of this Prince Ramses rode on and felt gladsome. The life of apenitent in the temple had grown irksome; he yearned for feasts, uproar, and women. 

Meanwhile the country, intersected with a net of canals, though flatand monotonous, was pleasing. In the province of Habu lived people ofanother origin: not the old Egyptians, but descendants of the valiantHyksos, who on a time had conquered Egypt and governed that laud for anumber of generations. 

The old Egyptians despised this remnant of a conquering race expelledfrom power afterward, but Ramses looked on them with satisfaction. Theywere large and strong, their bearing was proud, and there was manlyenergy in their faces. They did not fall prostrate before the princeand his officers, like Egyptians, but looked at him without dislike, but also without timidity. Neither were their shoulders covered withscars from beating; the scribes respected them because they knew thatif a Hyksos were beaten he would return the blows, and might kill theman who gave them. Moreover the Hyksos enjoyed the pharaoh's favor, fortheir people furnished the choicest warriors. 

As the retinue of the heir approached Pi-Bast, whose temples andpalaces were visible through the haze of dust, as through a veil ofmuslin, the neighborhood grew more active. Along the broad highway andthe canals men were taking to market cattle, wheat, fruit, wine, flowers, bread, and a multitude of other articles of daily consumption. The torrent of people and goods moving toward the city was as noisy anddense as that outside Memphis in the holiday season. Around Pi-Bastreigned throughout the whole year the uproar of a market-day, whichceased only in the night time. 

The cause of this was simple. In that city stood the renowned andancient temple of Astarte. This temple was revered throughout WesternAsia and attracted throngs of pilgrims. It could be said withoutexaggeration that outside Pi-Bast thirty thousand strangers campeddaily, Arabs, Phoenicians, Jews, Philistines, Hittites, Assyrians, andothers. The Egyptian government bore itself kindly toward thesepilgrims, who brought it a considerable income; the priests enduredthem, and the people of neighboring provinces carried on an activetrade with them. 

For the space of an hour's journey from Pi-Bast the mud huts and tentsof strangers covered the open country. As one neared the city, thosehuts increased in number and transient inhabitants swarmed more andmore densely around them. Some were preparing food under the open sky, others were purchasing provisions which came in continually, stillothers were going in procession to the temple. Here and there werelarge crowds before places of amusement, where beast-tamers, serpent-charmers, athletes, female dancers, and jugglers exhibited theiradroitness. 

Above all this multitude of people were heat and uproar. 

Before the gate of the city Ramses was greeted by his court and by thenomarch of Habu surrounded by his officials. But the greeting, despitecordiality, was so cold that the astonished viceroy, whispered toTutmosis, "What does this mean, that he looks on me as if I had come to measureout punishment?"

"Because Thou hast the face of a man who has been associating withdivinity. "

He spoke truth. Whether because of ascetic life, or the society ofpriests, or of long meditation, the prince had changed greatly. He hadgrown thin, his complexion had darkened, and in his face and bearingmuch dignity was evident. In the course of weeks he had grown someyears older. 

On one of the main streets of the city there was such a dense throng ofpeople that the police had to open a way for the heir and his retinue. But these people did not greet the prince; they had merely gatheredaround a small palace as if waiting for some person. 

"What is this?" asked Ramses of the nomarch, for this indifference ofthe throng touched the prince disagreeably. 

"Here dwells Hiram, " answered the nomarch, "a prince of Tyre, a man ofgreat charity. Every day he distributes bountiful alms, therefore poorpeople rush to him. "

Ramses turned on his horse, looked, and said, "I see there laborers of the pharaoh. So they too go for alms to therich Phoenician?"

The nomarch was silent. Happily they approached the official palace, and the prince forgot Hiram. 

Feasts in honor of the viceroy continued a number of days insuccession, but they did not please him. Gladness was lacking anddisagreeable incidents happened. 

One day a favorite of the prince was dancing before him; she burst intotears. Ramses seized her in his arms, and asked what her trouble was. 

At first she hesitated, but emboldened by the kindness of her lord, sheanswered, shedding tears in still greater abundance, "We are thy women, O ruler, we come from great families, and respect isdue to us. "

"Thou speakest truth, " said Ramses. 

"Meanwhile thy treasurer stints us in allowance, and would deprive usof serving-maids, without whom we cannot bathe or dress our hair. "

Ramses summoned his treasurer, and commanded sternly that his womenshould have all that belonged to their birth and position. Thetreasurer fell on his face before the prince, and promised to carry outall commands of the women. A couple of days later, a rebellion brokeout among the court slaves, who complained that their wine had beentaken. The heir ordered to give them wine. But during a review two dayslater a deputation from the regiments came to the viceroy with a mosthumble complaint, that their rations of meat and bread were diminished. The prince commanded that those petitioners be satisfied. 

Still, two days later a great uproar at the palace roused him in themorning. Ramses inquired what the cause was; the officer on dutyexplained that the pharaoh's laborers had assembled and asked forarrears due them. 

They summoned the treasurer, whom the prince attacked in great anger. 

"What is going on here?" cried he. "Since my return there is no daywithout complaints of injustice. If anything like this is repeated, Ishall order an inquiry and put an end to thy management. "

The trembling treasurer fell on his face again, and groaned, "Slay me, lord! But what am I to do when thy treasury, thy granaries, and thy storehouses are empty?"

In spite of his anger the prince thought that the treasurer might beinnocent. He commanded him to withdraw, and then summoned Tutmosis. 

"Listen to me, " said Ramses to the favorite, "things are done herewhich I do not understand, and to which I am not accustomed. My women, the slaves, the army, the pharaoh's workmen do not receive what is duethem, or their supplies are curtailed. When I asked the treasurer whatthis means, he answered that the treasury and the storehouses areempty. "

"He told truth. "

"How is that?" burst out the prince. "For my journey his holinessassigned two hundred talents in gold and goods. Can it be that all thisis expended?"

"Yes, " answered Tutmosis. 

"How is that?" cried the viceroy. "Did not the nomarchs entertain usall the way?"

"Yes, but we paid them for doing so. "

"Then they are rogues and robbers if they receive us as guests and thenplunder us. "

"Be not angry, and I will explain. "

"Sit down. "

Tutmosis took a seat. 

"Dost Thou know, " asked he, "that for a month past I have eaten foodfrom thy kitchen, drunk wine from thy pitchers, and dressed from thywardrobe?"

"Thou hast a right to that privilege. "

"But I have never acted thus hitherto. I have lived, dressed, andamused myself at my own expense, so as not to burden thy treasury. Itis true that Thou hast paid my debts more than once, but that was onlya part of my outlay. "

"Never mind the debts!"

"In a similar condition, " continued Tutmosis, "are some tens of nobleyouths of thy court. They maintained themselves so as to uphold thesplendor of the government; but now, like myself, they live at thyexpense, for they have nothing to pay with. "

"Sometime I will reward them. "

"Now, " continued Tutmosis, "we take from thy treasury, for want isoppressing us; the nomarchs do the same. If they had means they wouldgive feasts and receptions at their own cost; but as they have not themeans they receive recompense. Wilt Thou call them rogues now?"

"I condemned them too harshly. Anger, like smoke, covered my eyes, "said Ramses. "I am ashamed of my words; none the less I wish thatneither courtiers, soldiers, nor working men should suffer injustice. But since my means are exhausted it will be necessary to borrow. Woulda hundred talents suffice? What thinkest thou?"

"I think that no one would lend us a hundred talents, " whisperedTutmosis. 

The viceroy looked at him haughtily. 

"Is that a fit answer to the son of a pharaoh?" asked he. 

"Dismiss me from thy presence, " said Tutmosis, sadly, "but I have toldthe truth. At present no one will make us a loan, for there is no oneto do so. "

"What is Dagon for?" wondered the prince. "He is not near my court; ishe dead?"

"Dagon is in Pi-Bast, but he spends whole days with other Phoenicianmerchants in the temple of Astarte in prayer and penance. "

"Why such devotion? Is it because that I was in a temple that my bankerthinks he too should take counsel of the gods?"

Tutmosis turned on the stool. 

"The Phoenicians, " said he, "are alarmed; they are even crushed by thenews. "

"About what?"

"Some one has spread the report, worthiness, that when Thou shalt mountthe throne all Phoenicians will be expelled and their propertyconfiscated. "

"Well, they have time enough before that, " laughed Ramses. 

Tutmosis hesitated further. "They say, " continued he, in a loweredvoice, "that in recent days the health of his holiness may he livethrough eternity! has failed notably. "

"That is untrue!" interrupted the prince, in alarm. "I should know ofit. "

"But the priests are performing religious services in secret for thereturn of health to the pharaoh. I know this to a certainty. '"'

The prince was astonished. 

"How! my father seriously ill, the priests are praying for him, buttell me nothing?"

"They say that the illness of his holiness may last a year. "

"Oh, Thou hearest fables and art disturbing me. Better tell me aboutthe Phoenicians. "

"I have heard, " said Tutmosis, "only what every one has heard, thatwhile in the temple Thou wert convinced of the harm done byPhoenicians, and didst bind thyself to expel them. "

"In the temple?" repeated the heir. "But who knows what that is ofwhich I convinced myself in the temple, and what I decided to do?"

Tutmosis shrugged his shoulders, and was silent. 

"Was there treason, too, in the temple?" thought the prince. "SummonDagon in every case, " said he, aloud. "I must know the source of theselies, and by the gods, I will end them. "

"Thou wilt do well, for all Egypt is frightened. Even today there is noone to lend money, and if those reports continue all commerce willcease. Our aristocracy have fallen into trouble from which none see theissue, and even thy court is in want. A month hence the same thing mayhappen in the palace of his holiness. "

"Silence!" interrupted the prince, "and call Dagon this moment. "

Tutmosis ran out, but the banker appeared no earlier than evening. Around a white mantle he wore a black belt. 

"Hast Thou gone mad?" cried the heir, at sight of this. "I will driveoff thy sadness immediately. I need a hundred talents at once. Go, andshow thyself not till Thou bring them. "

The banker covered his face and wept. 

"What does this mean?" asked the prince, quickly. 

"Lord, " exclaimed Dagon, as he fell on his knees, "seize all myproperty, sell me and my family. Take everything, even our lives but ahundred talents where could I find wealth like that? Neither in Egyptnor Phoenicia, " continued he, sobbing. 

"Set has seized thee, O Dagon, " laughed the heir. "Couldst Thou believethat I thought of expelling thy Phoenicians?"

The banker fell at the prince's feet a second time. 

"I know nothing I am a common merchant, and thy slave as many days asthere are between the new and the full moon would suffice to make dustof me and spittle of my property. "

"But explain what this means, " said the prince, again impatient. 

"I cannot explain anything, and even were I able I have a great seal onmy lips. I do nothing now but pray and lament. "

"Do the Phoenicians pray also?" thought the prince. 

"Unable to render any service, " continued Dagon, "I will give goodcounsel at least. There is here in Pi-Bast a renowned Syrian, PrinceHiram, an old man, wise and tremendously wealthy. Summon him, Erpatr, ask of him a hundred talents; perhaps he will be able to gratify thee. "

Since Ramses could get no explanations from the banker, he dismissedhim, and promised to send an embassy to Hiram. 

CHAPTER XXX

NEXT day Tutmosis, with a great suite of officers and attendants, paida visit to the Phoenician prince, and invited him to the viceroy. 

In the afternoon Hiram appeared before the palace in a simple litterborne by eight poor Egyptians to whom he gave alms. He was surroundedby the most notable Phoenician merchants, and that same throng ofpeople who stood before his house daily. 

Ramses greeted with a certain astonishment the old man out of whoseeyes wisdom was gazing and in whose whole bearing there was dignity. Hebowed gravely before the viceroy, and raising his hands above his head, pronounced a short blessing. Those present were deeply affected. 

When the viceroy indicated an armchair and commanded his courtiers towithdraw, Hiram said, "Yesterday thy servant Dagon informed me that the prince needs ahundred talents. I sent out my couriers at once to Sabne-Chetam, Sethroe, Pi-Uto, and other cities where there are Phoenician ships, asking them to land all their goods. I think that in a day or two Thouwilt receive this small sum. "

"Small!" interrupted Ramses, with a smile. "Thou art happy if Thou calla hundred talents a small sum. "

Hiram nodded. 

"Thy grandfather, worthiness, " said he, after a while, "the eternallyliving Ramses-sa-Ptah, honored me with his friendship; I know also hisholiness, thy father may he live through eternity! and I will even tryto lay before him my homage, if I be permitted. "

"Whence could a doubt arise?" interrupted the prince. 

"There are persons, " replied the guest, "who admit some to the face ofthe pharaoh and refuse others but never mind them. Thou art not toblame for this; hence I venture to lay before thee one question, as anold friend of thy father and his father. "

"I am listening. "

"What means it, " asked Hiram, slowly, "that the heir to the throne anda viceroy must borrow a hundred talents when more than a hundredthousand are due Egypt?"

"Whence?" cried Ramses. 

"From the tribute of Asiatic peoples. Phoenicia owes five thousand;well, Phoenicia will pay, I guarantee that, unless some events happen. But, besides, Israel owes three thousand, the Philistines and theMoabites each two thousand, the Hittites thirty thousand. Finally, I donot remember details, but I know that the total reaches a hundred andthree or a hundred and five thousand talents. "

Ramses gnawed his lips, but on his vivacious countenance helpless angerwas evident. He dropped his eyes and was silent. 

"It is true, " said Hiram, on a sudden, and looking sharply at theviceroy. "Poor Phoenicia but also Egypt. "

"What dost Thou say?" asked the prince, frowning. "I understand not thyquestions. "

"Prince, Thou knowest what it is of which I speak, since Thou dost notanswer my question, " replied Hiram; and he rose as if to withdraw. "Still, I withdraw not my promise. Thou wilt receive a hundredtalents. "

He made a low bow, but the viceroy forced him to sit down again. 

"Thou art hiding something, " said Ramses, in a voice in which offencewas evident. "I would hear thee explain what danger threatens Egypt orPhoenicia. "

"Hast Thou not heard?" asked Hiram, with hesitation. 

"I know nothing. I have passed more than a month in the temple. "

"That is just the place in which to learn everything. "

"Tell me, worthiness, " said the viceroy, striking the table with hisfist. "I am not pleased when men are amused at my expense. "

"Give a great promise not to betray me to any one and I will tell, though I cannot believe that they have not informed the heir of this. "

"Dost Thou not trust me?" asked the astonished prince. 

"In this affair I should require a promise from the pharaoh himself, "answered Hiram, with decision. 

"If I swear on my sword, and the standards of my troops, that I willtell no man. "

"Enough, " said Hiram. 

"I am listening. "

"Does the prince know what is happening at this moment in Phoenicia?"

"I know nothing of that, even, " interrupted the irritated viceroy. 

"Our ships, " whispered Hiram, "are coming home from all parts of theearth to convey at the first signal our people and treasures to someplace beyond the sea to the west. "

"Why?" asked the astounded viceroy. 

"Because Assyria is to take us under her dominion. "

"Thou hast gone mad, worthy man!" exclaimed Ramses. "Assyria to takePhoenicia! But we? Egypt what would we say to that?"

"Egypt has consented already. "

Blood rushed to the prince's head. 

"The heat has disturbed thy mind, aged man, " said he, in a calm voice. "Thou hast forgotten, even, that such an affair could not take placewithout the pharaoh's permission and mine. "

"That will follow. Meanwhile the priests have concluded a treaty. "

"With whom? What priests?"

"With Beroes, the high priest of Chaldea, at commission of King Assar, "said Hiram. "And who from your side? I will not state to a certainty. But it seems to me that his worthiness Herhor, his worthiness Mefres, and the holy prophet Pentuer. "

The prince became pale. 

"Consider, Phoenician, " said he, "that Thou art accusing of treason thehighest dignitaries of Egypt. "

"Thou art mistaken, prince, this is no treason: the high priest ofEgypt and the minister of his holiness have the right to make treatieswith neighboring states. Besides, how dost Thou know, worthiness, thatall this is not done with consent of the pharaoh?"

Ramses was obliged to confess in his soul that such a treaty would notbe treason, but disregard toward him, the erpatr. 

So then the priests treated him in this way, him who might be thepharaoh a year hence? That is why Pentuer criticized war, and Mefressupported him. 

"When could that have happened, and where?" asked the prince. 

"Very likely they concluded the treaty at night in the temple of Set atMemphis, " answered Hiram. "And when? I know not exactly, but it seemsto me that it took place when Thou wert setting out from Memphis. "

"The wretches!" thought the viceroy. "That is how they respect myposition! Some kind god made me doubt in the temple of Hator. "

After a time of internal conflict he added, "Impossible! I shall not believe till proof be given. "

"Proof there will be, " replied Hiram. "One of these days a great lordwill come to Pi-Bast from Assyria, Sargon, the friend of King Assar. Hewill come under pretext of a pilgrimage to the temple of Astaroth, hewill bring gifts to thee and to his holiness; then he will make atreaty. Ye will in fact put seals to that which the priests havedetermined to the ruin of Phoenicia, and perhaps to your own greatmisfortune. "

"Never! What return could Assyria give Egypt?"

"That speech is worthy of a pharaoh. What return would Egypt get? Everytreaty is good for a state if only something be gained through it. I amastonished specially by this, " continued Hiram, "that Egypt shouldconclude a bad transaction: besides Phoenicia, Assyria will take almostall Asia, and to you will be left, in the form of a favor, theIsraelites, the Philistines, and the peninsula of Sinai. In that casethe tributes belonging to Egypt will be lost, and the pharaoh willnever receive those hundred and five thousand talents. "

The viceroy shook his head. 

"Thou dost not know Egyptian priests, " said he; "not one of them wouldaccept such a treaty. "

"Why not? The Phoenician proverb says: 'Better barley in the granarythan gold in the desert. ' Should Egypt feel very weak she might preferSinai and Palestine to a war with Assyria. But this is what sets me tothinking: Not Egypt, but Assyria, is easy to conquer. Assyria has aquarrel on the northwest; Assyria has few troops, and those of poorquality. Were Egypt to attack she would destroy Assyria, seize immensetreasures in Babylon and Nineveh, and establish her authority in Asiaat once and securely. "

"Such a treaty cannot exist, as Thou seest, " interrupted Ramses. 

"In one case alone could I understand such a treaty, " continued Hiram. "If 'tis the plan of the priests to set aside kingly power in Egypt;and toward this, O prince, they have been striving since the days ofthy grandfather. "

"Thou art speaking aside from the question, " said Ramses, but he feltalarm in his heart. 

"Perhaps I am mistaken, " answered Hiram, looking into his eyes quickly. "But hear me out, worthiness. "

He moved up his armchair to the prince, and said in a lowered voice, "If the pharaoh should make war on Assyria, he would have a great armyattached to his person; a hundred thousand talents of tribute inarrears, about two hundred thousand talents from Nineveh and Babylon, finally about a hundred thousand talents yearly from conqueredcountries. Such immense wealth would enable him to redeem the propertymortgaged to the priests, and put an end at once and forever to theirmeddling. "

The prince's eyes glittered, and Hiram continued, "Today the army depends on Herhor, and therefore on the priests; removethe foreign regiments, and the pharaoh, in case of war, could notdepend on his warriors. 

"Besides, the royal treasury is empty, and the greater part of thepharaoh's property belongs to the temples. He must contract new debtsyearly even to maintain his household; and since there will be noPhoenicians among you, ye must borrow of the temples. In this way, whenten years have passed, his holiness may he live through eternity! willlose what is left of his property, and then what?"

On the forehead of Ramses perspiration came out in drops. 

"Thou seest then, worthy lord, " continued Hiram, "the priests might andeven would be forced in one case to accept the most disgraceful treatywith Assyria: if they are working to lower and destroy the power of thepharaoh well, there may be another case: if Egypt were so weak as toneed peace at any price. "

The prince sprang up. 

"Silence!" cried he. "I should prefer treason on the part of my mostfaithful servants, to such weakness in the country. Egypt yield toAssyria why, a year later Egypt herself would fall under the yoke ofAssyria, for by subscribing to such infamy she would confess her ownhelplessness. "

He walked up and down the room, with indignation, while Hiram looked athim with compassion or with sympathy. 

All at once Ramses halted before the Phoenician, "This is false! Some adroit villain has deceived thee, O Hiram, withthe semblance of truth, and Thou hast believed him. If such a treatyexisted, they would have kept it in the closest secrecy. In the presentcase one of the four priests whom Thou hast mentioned is a traitor, notonly to his own sovereign, but to his co-conspirators. "

"There might have been some fifth man who overheard them, " interruptedHiram. 

"And who sold the secret to thee?"

"It is a wonder to me, " said Hiram, "that the prince has not discoveredthe power of gold. "

"But stop, worthiness, our priests have more gold than thou, thoughThou art wealthy beyond the wealthy!"

"Still I am not angry when a drachma comes to me. Why should othersrefuse a talent?"

"They would because they are servants of the gods, " said the prince, passionately; "they would fear divine punishment. "

The Phoenician laughed. 

"I have seen, " said he, "many temples of various nations, and in thosetemples great and small statues, of wood, stone, and gold even. Butgods I have never met. "

"Blasphemer!" exclaimed Ramses. "I have seen a divinity, I have feltits hand on my person, I have heard its voice. "

"In what place?"

"In the temple of Hator, in its hall of entrance, and in my cell. "

"In the daytime?"

"In the night, " replied the prince; and he stopped. 

"At night the prince heard speeches of the gods, and felt their hands, "replied the Phoenician, emphasizing word after word. "At night it ispossible to see many things. What happened?"

"In the temple I was seized by the head, by the shoulders, by the legs;and I swear

"Phst!" interrupted Hiram, with a smile. "It is not proper to swear invain. "

He looked fixedly at Ramses with his quick and wise eyes, and seeingthat doubt was rising in the young man, he continued, "I will tell thee something, lord. Thou art inexperienced, thoughsurrounded by a net of intrigues, but I have been the friend of thygrandfather and thy father. Now I will render thee a service: Come inthe night to the temple of Astaroth, but bind thyself to keep thesecret. Come alone, and Thou wilt be convinced as to who the gods arewho speak in the temples and touch us. "

"I will come, " said Ramses, after some meditation. 

"Forewarn me, prince, on the morning of the day, and I will give theethe evening password; Thou wilt be admitted. Only betray neither me northyself, " said the Phoenician, with a kindly smile. "Men never pardonbetrayal of their secrets, though gods pardon sometimes. " He bowed, raised his eyes and hands, while he whispered a blessing. 

"Deceivers!" cried the prince. "Thou prayest to gods, and dost notbelieve in them. "

Hiram finished the blessing, and said, "It is true that I have no belief in Egyptian or Assyrian, or even inPhoenician gods, but I believe in One who dwells not in temples andwhose name is unknown to us. "

"Our priests believe also in One, " said Ramses. 

"So do the Chaldeans, but they and your priests have conspired againstus. There is no truth in this world, prince. "

After Hiram's departure the heir shut himself up in the most remotechamber under pretext of reading sacred papyruses. 

Almost in the twinkle of an eye the information received recentlyarranged itself in the fiery imagination of Ramses, and he formed aplan. First of all, he understood that a secret battle for life anddeath was raging between the priests and the Phoenicians. About what?Naturally about wealth and influence. Hiram said truly, that should thePhoenicians be expelled from Egypt, all the estates of the pharaoh, andeven of the nomarchs and the entire aristocracy, would pass intopossession of the temples. 

Ramses had never liked the priests, and he had known and seen for along time that the greater part of Egypt belonged to them, that theircities were the richest, their fields the best tilled, their peoplesatisfied. He understood too that one-half the treasures which belongedto the temples would suffice to rescue the pharaoh from ceaselesstroubles and give back power to him. 

The prince knew this, and more than once he had said so withbitterness. But when through the influence of Herhor he became viceroyand received the corps in Memphis, he grew reconciled with the priestsand stifled his previous dislike of them. 

All that dislike had revived again. 

Not only had the priests not told him of their negotiations withAssyria, they had not even forewarned him of the embassy of Sargon. This question might indeed be the great secret of the state and thetemples. But why did they conceal the amount of tributes from variousAsiatic nations, unpaid thus far? One hundred thousand talents why, that was a sum which might restore immediately the financial status ofthe pharaoh! Why had they concealed from him that which even a princeof Tyre knew, a man who was of the council in that city . '

What a shame for him, the heir to the throne, and the viceroy, that hiseyes were first opened by foreigners! But there was something worsestill: Pentuer and Mef res had proved to him in every way that Egyptmust avoid war. In the temple of Hator that emphasis had seemed to himsuspicious, since a war might obtain for the state thousands of legionsof slaves, and raise the general prosperity of the country. Today thisseemed the more necessary since Egypt ought to receive unpaid sums andgain still more tribute. 

The prince rested his arms on the table and calculated, "We, " thought he, "should receive a hundred thousand talents. Hiramcalculates that the plunder of Nineveh and Babylon would give about twohundred thousand; together, three hundred thousand. With such a sum wemight cover the cost of the mightiest war, and there would remainbesides several hundred thousand as profit, and captives and a hundredthousand yearly tribute from newly conquered regions. After that, "concluded the prince, "we could reckon with the priesthood!"

Ramses was excited. Still reflection came to him, "But if Egypt was unable to wage a victorious war against Assyria?" Hisblood boiled at this question. "How Egypt? Why should Egypt not trampleAssyria, when he appeared at the head of its armies, he a descendant ofRamses the Great, who had hurled himself single-handed on the Hittitewar chariots and scattered them. "

The prince could understand everything save this, that man mightconquer him and that he could not snatch victory from the greatestenemy. He felt in himself endless daring, and he would have beenastounded if any enemy whatever had not fled at sight of his steeds infull onrush. Did not the gods themselves stand on the war-chariot ofthe pharaoh to defend his shield and smite with heavenly bolts hisenemies?

"But what did this Hiram say to me about gods?" thought the prince. "And what will he show me in the temple of Astaroth? We shall see. "

CHAPTER XXXI

THE old man kept his promise. Every day to the prince's palace in Pi-Bast came crowds of slaves and long rows of asses bearing wheat, barley, dried meat, woven stuffs, and wine. Phoenician merchantsbrought gold and precious stones under inspection of Hiram'sassistants. 

In this manner the heir received in the course of five days the hundredtalents promised. Hiram accounted a lower per cent to himself, onetalent for four, in a year. He asked no pledge, but was satisfied withthe receipt of the prince, certified before a tribunal. 

The needs of the court were satisfied bountifully. Three favorites ofthe viceroy received new robes, a number of special perfumes, andfemale slaves of various colors. The servants had abundance of food andwine, the pharaoh's laborers received arrears of pay, unusual rationswere issued to the army. 

The court was delighted, the more since Tutmosis and other nobleyouths, at the command of Hiram, received rather large loans, while thenomarch of Habu and his higher officials received costly presents. 

So feast followed feast and amusement amusement, though the heatincreased always. Seeing this general delight, the viceroy wassatisfied. He was troubled, however, by the bearing of Mefres and otherpriests. Ramses thought that those dignitaries would reproach him forhaving become so indebted to Hiram in spite of those lessons which hehad received in the temple. Meanwhile the holy fathers were silent anddid not even show themselves. 

"What does this mean?" asked the prince one day of Tutmosis; "thepriests do not reproach us? We have never indulged in such excessesbefore. Music is sounding from morning till evening; we drink, beginning with sunrise, and we fall asleep with women in our arms orpitchers at our heads. "

"Why should they reproach us?" answered the indignant Tutmosis. "Are wenot sojourning in the city of Astarte, [Astaroth] for whom amusement isthe most pleasing service, and love the most coveted sacrifice?Moreover the priests understand that after such privations and fastsrest is due thee. "

"Have they said anything?" asked the prince, with disquiet. 

"Yes, more than once. Only yesterday the holy Mefres smiled, and saidthat amusement attracted a young man like thee more than religion orthe labor of ruling a state. "

Ramses fell to thinking, "So the priests looked on him as a frivolous stripling, though he, thanks to Sarah, would become a father today or to-morrow. But theywould have a surprise when he spoke to them in his own manner. "

In truth the prince reproached himself somewhat. From the time that heleft the temple of Hator he had not occupied himself one day with theaffairs of Habu. The priests might suppose that he was either entirelysatisfied with Pentuer's explanations, or that he was tired ofinterfering in government. 

"So much the better!" whispered he. "So much the better!"

Under the influence of the endless intrigues of those around him, orsuspicious of those intrigues, the instinct to deceive began in hisyoung spirit to rouse itself. Ramses felt that the priests did notdivine the subject of his conversation with Hiram, nor the plans whichwere forming in his head. It sufficed those blinded persons, that hewas amusing himself; from this they inferred that the management of thestate would remain in their hands forever. 

"Have the gods so darkened their minds, " thought Ramses, "that they donot even ask themselves why Hiram gave me a loan so considerable? Andperhaps that crafty Tyrian has been able to lull their suspicioushearts? So much the better! So much the better!"

He had a marvelously agreeable feeling when he thought that the priestshad blundered. He determined to keep them in that blunder for thefuture; hence he amused himself madly. 

Indeed the priests were mistaken, both in Ramses and Hiram. The artfulTyrian gave himself out before them as very proud of his relations withRamses, and the prince with no less success played the role of ariotous stripling. 

Mefres was even convinced that the prince was thinking seriously ofexpelling the Phoenicians, that meanwhile he and his courtiers werecontracting debts and would never pay them. 

But the temple of Astaroth with its numerous courts and gardens wasfilled with devotees all the time. Every day, if not every hour, thoughthe heat was excessive, some company of pilgrims to the great goddessarrived from the depth of Asia. 

Those were strange pilgrims. Wearied, streaming with perspiration, covered with dust, they advanced with music, and dancing, and songssometimes of a very lewd character. The day passed for them inunbridled license in honor of the goddess. It was possible not only torecognize every such company from afar, but to catch its odor, sincethose people always brought immense bouquets of fresh flowers in theirhands, and in bundles all the male cats that had died in the course ofthe current year. The devotees gave these cats to dissectors in Pi-Bastto be stuffed or embalmed, and bore them home later on as valuedrelics. 

On the first day of the month Mesori (May-June), Prince Hiram informedRamses that he might appear at the temple of Astaroth that evening. When it had grown dark on the streets after sunset, the viceroy girdeda short sword to his side, put on a mantle with a hood, and unobservedby any servant, slipped away to the house of Hiram. 

The old magnate was waiting for the viceroy. 

"Well, " said he, with a smile, "art Thou not afraid, prince, to enter aPhoenician temple where cruelty sits on the altar and perversityministers?"

"Fear?" repeated Ramses, looking at him almost contemptuously. "Astaroth is not Baal, nor am I a child which they might throw intoyour god's red-hot belly. "

"But does the prince believe this story?"

Ramses shrugged his shoulders. 

"An eyewitness and a trustworthy person, " answered he, "told me how yesacrifice children. Once a storm wrecked a number of tens of yourvessels. Immediately the Tyrian priests announced a religious ceremonyat which throngs of people collected. " The prince spoke with evidentindignation. "Before the temple of Baal situated on a lofty place wasan immense bronze statue with the head of a bull. Its belly was redhot. At command of your priests the foolish Phoenician mothers puttheir most beautiful children at the feet of this cruel divinity. "

"Only boys, " interrupted Hiram. 

"Only boys, " continued Ramses. "The priests sprinkled each boy withperfumes, decked him with flowers, and then the statue seized him withbronze hands, opened its jaws, and devoured the child, whose screamsmeanwhile were heaven piercing. Flames burst each time from the mouthof the deity. "

Hiram laughed in silence. 

"And dost Thou believe this, worthiness?"

"I repeat what a man told me who has never lied. "

"He told what he saw. But did it not surprise him that no mother whosechildren they burned was weeping?"

"He was astonished, indeed, at such indifference in women, since theyare always ready to shed tears even over a dead hen. But it shows greatcruelty in your people. "

The old Phoenician nodded. 

"Was that long ago?" asked he. 

"A few years. "

"Well, " said Hiram, deliberately, "shouldst Thou wish to visit Tyresome day, I shall have the honor to show thee a solemnity like thatone. "

"I have no wish to see it. "

"After the ceremony we shall go to another court of the temple, wherethe prince will see a very fine school, and in it, healthy andgladsome, those very same boys who were burnt a few years ago. "

"How is that?" exclaimed Ramses; "then did they not perish?"

"They are living, and growing up to be sturdy mariners. When Thou shaltbe pharaoh, mayst Thou live through eternity! perhaps more than one ofthem will be sailing thy ships. "

"Then ye deceive your people?" laughed the prince. 

"We deceive no one, " answered the Tyrian, with dignity. "Each mandeceives himself when he does not seek the explanation of a solemnitywhich he does not understand. "

"I am curious, " said Ramses. 

"In fact, " continued Hiram, "we have a custom that indigent motherswishing to assure their sons a good career give them to the service ofthe state. In reality, those children are taken across the statue ofBaal, in which there is a heated stove. This ceremony does not meanthat the children are really burnt, but that they have been given tothe temple, and so are as much lost to their mothers as if they hadfallen into fire. 

"In truth, however, they do not go to the stove, but to nurses andwomen who rear them for some years. When they have grown upsufficiently, the school of priests of Baal receives and educates them. The most competent become priests or officials; the less gifted go tothe navy and obtain great wealth frequently. Now I think the princewill not wonder that Tyrian mothers do not mourn for their children. Iwill say more: Thou wilt understand, lord, why there is no punishmentfor parents who kill their children, as there is in Egypt. "

"Wretches are found in all lands, " replied the prince. 

"But there is no child murder in our country, " continued Hiram, "forwith us children, when their mothers are unable to support them, aretaken to the temple by the state. "

The prince fell to thinking; suddenly he embraced Hiram, and said withemotion, "Ye are much better than those who tell tales of you. I am greatlyrejoiced at this. "

"Among us, too, there is no little evil, " answered Hiram; "but we areall ready to be thy faithful servants shouldst Thou call us. "

"Is this true?" asked the prince, looking him in the eyes. 

The old man put his hand on his heart. 

"I swear to thee, O heir to the throne of Egypt and future pharaoh, that if Thou begin at any time a struggle with our common enemy, Phoenicia will hasten as one man to assist thee. But receive this as areminder of our conversation. "

He drew from beneath his robe a gold medal covered with mysteriouscharacters, and, muttering a prayer, hung it on the neck of PrinceRamses. 

"With this amulet, " continued Hiram, "Thou mayst travel the whole worldthrough, and if Thou meet a Phoenician he will serve thee with advice, with gold, with his sword even. But now let us go. "

Some hours had passed since sunset, but the night was clear, for themoon had risen. The terrible heat of the day had yielded to coolness. In the pure air was floating no longer that gray dust which bit theeyes and poisoned respiration. In the blue sky here and there twinkledstars which were lost in the deluge of moonbeams. 

Movement had stopped on the streets, but the roofs of all the houseswere filled with people occupied in amusement. Pi-Bast seemed from edgeto edge to be one hall filled with music, singing, laughter, and thesound of goblets. 

The prince and the Phoenician went speedily to the suburbs, choosingthe less lighted sides of the streets. Still, people feasting onterraces saw them at intervals, and invited them up, or cast flowersdown on their heads. 

"Hei, ye strollers!" cried they, from the roofs. "If ye are not thievescalled out by the night to snatch booty, come hither, come up to us. Wehave good wine and gladsome women. "

The two wanderers made no answer to those hospitable invitations; theyhurried on in their own way. At last they came to a quarter where thehouses were fewer, the gardens more frequent, the trees, thanks to dampsea-breezes, more luxuriant and higher than in the southern provincesof Egypt. 

"It is not far now, " said Hiram. 

The prince raised his eyes, and over the dense green of trees he saw asquare tower of blue color; on it a more slender tower, which waswhite. This was the temple of Astaroth. Soon they entered the garden, whence they could take in at a glance the whole building. 

It was composed of a number of stories. The top of the lowest was asquare platform with sides four hundred yards long; its walls were afew meters high, and all of black color. At the eastern side was aprojection to which came two wide stairways. Along the other threesides of this first story were small towers, ten on each side; betweeneach pair of towers were five windows. 

More or less in the centre of this lowest platform rose a quadrangularbuilding with sides two hundred yards long. This had a single stairway, towers at the comers, and was purple. On the top of this building wasanother of golden color, and above it, one upon the other, two towersone blue, the other white. 

The whole building looked as if some power had placed on the earth oneenormous black dice, on it a smaller one of purple, on that a goldenone, on that a blue, and, highest of all, a silver dice. To each ofthese elevations stairs led, either double flights along the sides orsingle front stairs, always on the eastern walls. 

At the sides of the stairs and doors stood, alternately, great Egyptiansphinxes, or winged Assyrian human-headed bulls. 

The viceroy looked with delight at this edifice, which in the moonlightand against the background of rich vegetation had an aspect ofmarvelous beauty. It was built in Chaldean style, and differedessentially from the temples of Egypt, first, by the system of stories, second, by the perpendicular walls. 

Among the Egyptians every great building had sloping sides recedinginward as they rose. 

The garden was not empty. At various points small villas and houseswere visible, lights were flashing, songs and music were heard. Fromtime to time among trees appeared shadows of loving couples. 

All at once an old priest approached them, exchanged a few words withHiram, and said to the prince with a low obeisance, "Be pleased, lord, to come with me. "

"And may the gods watch over thee, worthiness, " added Hiram, as he lefthim. 

Ramses followed the priest. Somewhat aside from the temple, in thethickest of the grove, was a stone bench, and perhaps a hundred rodsfrom it a villa of no great size at which was heard singing. 

"Are people praying there?" asked the prince. 

"No, " answered the priest, without concealing his dislike; "at thathouse assemble the worshippers of Kama, our priestess who guards thefire before the altar of Astaroth. "

"Whom does she receive today?"

"No one at any time, " answered the guide, offended. "Were the priestessof the fire not to observe her vow of chastity she would have to die. "

"A cruel law, " observed Ramses. 

"Be pleased, lord, to wait at this bench, " said the Phoenician priest, coldly; "but on hearing three blows against the bronze plate, go to thetemple, ascend to the first platform, and thence to the purple story. "

"Alone?"

"Yes. "

The prince sat down on the bench, in the shadow of an olive tree, andheard the laughter of women in the villa. 

"Kama, " thought he, "is a pretty name. She must be young, and perhapsbeautiful, and those dull Phoenicians threaten her with death. Do theywish in this way to assure themselves even a few virgins in the wholecountry?"

He laughed, but was sad. It was uncertain why he pitied that unknownwoman for whom love would be a passage to the grave. 

"I can imagine to myself Tutmosis if he were appointed priestess ofAstaroth, " thought Ramses. "He would have to die, poor fellow, beforehe could light one lamp before the face of the goddess. "

At that moment a flute was heard in the villa, and some one played aplaintive air, which was accompanied by female singers, "Aha-a! aha-a!"as in the lullaby of infants. 

The flute stopped, the women were silent, and a splendid male voice washeard, in the Greek language:

"When thy robe gleams on the terrace, the stars pale and thenightingales cease to sing, but in my heart there is stillness likethat which is on earth when the clear dawn salutes it. "

"Aha-a! aha-a!" continued the women. The flute played again. 

"When Thou goest to the temple, violets surround thee in a cloud offragrance, butterflies circle near thy lips, palms bend their heads tothy beauty. "

"aha-a! aha-a!"

"When Thou art not before me, I look to the skies to recall the sweetcalm of thy features. Vain labor! The heavens have no calm like thine, and their heat is cold when compared with the flame which is turning myheart into ashes. "

"Aha-a! aha-a!"

"One day I stood among roses, which the gleam of thy glances clothe inwhite, gold, and scarlet. Each leaf of them reminded me of one hour, each blossom of one month passed at thy feet. The drops of dew are mytears, which are drunk by the merciless wind of the desert. 

"Give a sign; I will seize thee, I will bear thee away to mybirthplace, beloved. The sea will divide us from pursuers, myrtlegroves will conceal our fondling, and gods, more compassionate towardlovers, will watch over our happiness. "

"Aha-a! aha-a!"

The prince dropped his eyelids and imagined. Through his droopinglashes he could not see the garden, he saw only the flood of moonlightin which were mingled shadows and the song of the unknown man to theunknown woman. At instants that song seized him to such a degree, andforced itself into his spirit so deeply, that Ramses wished to ask: "AmI not the singer myself? nay, am I not that love song?"

At this moment his title, his power, the burdensome problems of state, all seemed to him mean, insignificant in comparison with that moonlightand those calls of a heart which is enamored. If the choice had beengiven him to take the whole power of the pharaoh, or that spiritualcondition in which he then found himself, he would have preferred thatdreaming, in which the whole world, he himself, even time, disappeared, leaving nothing behind but desire, which was now rushing forth toinfinity borne on the wings of song and of music. 

Meanwhile the prince recovered, the song had ended, the lights in thevilla had vanished, the white walls, the dark vacant windows weresharply outlined. One might have thought that no person had ever beenin that house there. The garden was deserted and silent, even theslight breath of air stirred the leaves no longer. 

One! two! three! From the temple were heard three mighty sounds frombronze. 

"Ah! I must go, " thought the prince, not knowing well whither he was togo or for what purpose. 

He turned, however, in the direction of the temple, the silver tower ofwhich rose above the trees as if summoning him. 

He went as in a trance, filled with strange wishes. Among the trees itwas narrow for him; he wished to ascend to the top of that tower, todraw breath, to take in with his glance some wider horizon. Again heremembered that it was the month Mesori, that a year had passed sincethe maneuvers; he felt a yearning for the desert. How gladly would hemount his light chariot drawn by two horses, and fly away to some placewhere it was not so stifling, and trees did not hide the horizon!

He was at the steps of the temple, so he mounted to the platform. Itwas quiet and empty there, as if all had died; but from afar the waterof a fountain was murmuring. At the second stairway he threw aside hisburnous and sword; once more he looked at the garden, as if he weresorry to leave the moonlight behind, and entered the temple. There werethree stories above him. 

The bronze doors were open; at both sides of the entrance stood wingedfigures of bulls with human heads; on the faces of these was dignifiedcalmness. 

"Those are kings of Assyria, " thought the prince, looking at theirbeards plaited in tiny tresses. 

The interior of the temple was as black as night when 't is blackest. The darkness was intensified more by white streaks of moonlight fallingin through narrow high windows. 

In the depth of the temple two lamps were burning before the statue ofAstaroth. Some strange illumination from above caused the statue to beperfectly visible. Ramses gazed at it. That was a gigantic woman withthe wings of an ostrich. She wore a long robe in folds; on her head wasa pointed cap, in her right hand she held a pair of doves. On herbeautiful face and in her downcast eyes was an expression of suchsweetness and innocence that astonishment seized the prince, for shewas the patroness of revenge and of license the most unbridled. 

"Phoenicia has shown me one more of her secrets. A strange people, "thought Ramses. "Their man-eating gods do not eat, and their lewdnessis guarded by virgin priestesses and by a goddess with an innocentface. "

Thereupon he felt that something had slipped across his feet quickly, as it were a great serpent. Ramses drew back and stood in the streak ofmoonlight. 

"A vision!" said he to himself. 

Almost at that moment he heard a whisper, "Ramses! Ramses!"

It was impossible to discover whether that was a man's or a woman'svoice, or whence it issued. 

"Ramses! Ramses!" was heard a whisper, as if from the ceiling. 

The prince went to an un-illuminated place and, while looking, bentdown. 

All at once he felt two delicate hands on his head. 

He sprang up to grasp them, but caught only air. 

"Ramses!" was whispered from above. 

He raised his head, and felt on his lips a lotus flower; and when hestretched his hands to it some one leaned on his arm lightly. 

"Ramses!" called a voice from the altar. 

The prince turned and was astounded. In the streak of light, a coupleof steps distant, stood a most beautiful man, absolutely like the heirto the throne of Egypt. The same face, eyes, youthful stature, the sameposture, movements, and dress. 

The prince thought for a while that he was before some great mirror, such a mirror as even the pharaoh could not have. But soon he convincedhimself that his second was a living man, not a picture. 

At that moment he felt a kiss on his neck. Again he turned, but therewas no one; meanwhile his second self vanished. 

"Who is here? I wish to know!" cried the angry prince. 

"It is I 'Kama, " answered a sweet voice. 

And in the strip of light appeared a most beautiful woman, naked, witha golden girdle around her waist. 

Ramses ran up and seized her by the hands. She did not flee. 

"Art Thou Kama? No, Thou art Yes, Dagon sent thee on a time, but thenThou didst call thyself Fondling. "

"But I am Fondling, too, " replied she, naively. 

"Is it Thou who hast touched me with thy hands?"

UJ

"How?"

"Ao! in this way, " answered she, throwing her arms around his neck, andkissing him. 

Ramses seized her in his arms, but she tore herself free with a forcewhich no one could have suspected in such a slight figure. 

"Art Thou then the priestess Kama? Was it to thee that that Greek sangto-night?" asked the prince, pressing her hands passionately. "Whatsort of man is that singer?"

Kama shrugged her shoulders contemptuously. 

"He is attached to our temple, " was the answer. 

Ramses' eyes flamed, his nostrils dilated, there was a roaring in hishead. That same woman a few months before had made on him only a slightimpression; but today he was ready to commit some mad deed because ofher. He envied the Greek, and felt also indescribable sorrow at thethought that if she became his she must perish. 

"How beautiful Thou art, " said he. "Where dost Thou dwell? Ah, I know;in that villa. Is it possible to visit thee? Of course it is. If Thoureceive singers, Thou must receive me. Art Thou really the priestessguarding the fire of this temple?"

"I am. "

"And are the laws so severe that they do not permit thee to love? Ei, those are threats! For me Thou wilt make exception. "

"All Phoenicia would curse me; the gods would take vengeance, " repliedshe, with a smile. 

Ramses drew her again toward him; again she tore herself free. 

"Have a care, prince, " said she, with a challenging look. "Phoenicia ismighty, and her gods. "

"What care I for thy gods or Phoenicia? Were a hair to fall from thyhead, I would trample Phoenicia as I might a foul reptile. "

"Kama! Kama!" called a voice from the statue. 

She was frightened. 

"Thou seest they call me. They may have heard thy blaspheming. "

"They may have heard my anger. "

"The anger of the gods is more terrible. "

She tore away and vanished in the darkness of the temple. Ramses rushedafter her, but was pushed back on a sudden. The whole temple betweenhim and the altar was filled with an immense bloody flame, in whichmonstrous figures appeared, huge bats, reptiles with human heads, shades. 

The flame advanced toward him directly across the whole width of thebuilding; and, amazed by this sight, which was new to him, the princeretreated. All at once fresh air was around him. He turned his head hewas outside the temple, and that instant the bronze doors closed with acrash behind. 

He rubbed his eyes, he looked around. The moon from the highest pointin the heavens had lowered toward the west. At the side of the columnRamses found his sword and burnous. He raised them, and moved down thesteps like a drunken man. 

When he returned to his palace at a late hour, Tutmosis, on seeing hispale face and troubled look, cried with alarm, "By the gods! where hast Thou been, Erpatr? Thy whole court is alarmedand sleepless. "

"I was looking at the city. The night is beautiful. "

"Dost Thou know, " added Tutmosis, hurriedly, as if fearing that someone else might anticipate him, "that Sarah has given thee a son?"

"Indeed? I wish no one in the retinue to be alarmed when I go out towalk. "

"Alone?"

"If I could not go out alone when it pleases me, I should be the mostwretched slave in Egypt, " said Ramses, bitterly. 

He gave his sword and burnous to Tutmosis, and went to his bedroomwithout calling any one. Yesterday the birth of a son would have filledhim with gladness; but at that moment he received the news withindifference. His whole soul was occupied with the thought of thatevening, the most wonderful in all his life experience. He still sawthe light of the moon; in his ears the song of the Greek was stillsounding. But that temple of Astaroth!

He could not sleep till morning. 

CHAPTER XXXII

Next day the prince rose late, bathed himself and dressed, thensummoned Tutmosis. 

The exquisite appeared at once, dressed carefully and perfumed. Helooked sharply at the prince to learn in what humor he was, and to fixhis own features correspondingly. But on the face of Ramses was onlyweariness. 

"Well, " asked the prince, yawning, "art Thou sure that a Bon is born tome?"

"I have that news from the holy Mefres. "

"Oho! How long is it since the prophets are occupied with myhousehold?"

"Since the time that Thou hast shown them thy favor, worthiness. "

"Is that true?" asked the prince, and he fell to thinking. 

He recalled the scene of the previous night in the temple of Astaroth, and compared it with a similar spectacle in the temple of Hator. 

"They called my name, " said he to himself, "both here and there. Butthere my cell was very narrow, and the walls were thick; here theperson calling, namely, Kama, could hide herself behind a column andwhisper. But here it was terribly dark, while in my cell it was clear. "At last he said to Tutmosis, "When did that happen?"

"When was thy worthy son born? About ten days ago. The mother and childare well; they seem perfectly healthy. At the birth were present Meneshimself, thy worthy mother's physician, and his worthiness Herhor. "

"Well well, " said the prince, and again he fell to thinking: "Theytouched me here and there, with a band in both cases. Was there such adifference? It seems to me that there was, maybe for the reason thathere I was, and there I was not, prepared to see a miracle. But herethey showed me another myself, which they did not succeed in doingthere. Very clever are the priests! I am curious to know whorepresented me so well, a god or a man? Oh, the priests are veryclever, and I do not know even whom to trust more, our priests or thePhoenicians?

"Hear me, Tutmosis, " said he, aloud. "They must come hither; I must seemy son. At last no one will have the right to consider himself betterthan I. "

"Is the worthy Sarah to come immediately with her son?"

"Let them come at the earliest, if their health permit. Within thepalace bounds are many convenient buildings. It is necessary to choosea place among the trees, quiet, and, when the time of heat comes, cool. Let me, too, show the world my son. "

Again he was thoughtful; this disquieted Tutmosis. 

"Yes, they are clever!" thought Ramses. "That they deceive the commonpeople, even by rude methods, I knew. Poor sacred Apis! how many prodshe got during processions when people lay prostrate before him! But todeceive me, I should not have believed that, voices of gods, invisiblehands, a man covered with pitch; these were accessories! Then camePentuer's song about the decrease of land and population, theofficials, the Phoenicians, and all that to disgust me with war. "

Tutmosis said suddenly, "I fall on my face before thee. "

"I must bring hither, gradually, regiments from cities near the sea. Iwish to have a review and reward them for loyalty. "

"But we, the nobles, are we not loyal to thee?" inquired Tutmosis, confused. 

"The nobles and the army are one. "

"But the nomarchs and the officials?"

"Even the officials are loyal, " answered the prince. "What do I say?The Phoenicians even are so, though in many other points they aredeceivers. "

"By the gods! speak in a lower voice, " whispered Tutmosis; and helooked toward the other room timidly. 

"Oho!" laughed the prince, "why this alarm? So for thee, too, it is nosecret that we have traitors?"

"I know of whom Thou art speaking, worthiness, for Thou wert alwaysprejudiced against. "

"Against whom?"

"Against whom I divine. But I thought that after the agreement withHerhor, after a long stay in the temple. "

"What of the temple? In the temple, and in the whole country, for thatmatter, I have convinced myself of one thing, that the very best lands, the most active population, and immense wealth are not the property ofthe pharaoh. "

"Quieter! quieter!" whispered Tutmosis. 

"But I am quiet always; I have a calm face at all times, so let mespeak even here; besides, I should have the right to say, even in thesupreme council, that in this Egypt, which belongs entirely to myfather, I, his heir and viceroy, had to borrow a hundred talents from apetty prince of Tyre. Is this not a shame?"

"But how did this come to thy mind today?" asked Tutmosis, wishing toput an end to the perilous conversation as quickly as possible. 

"How?" answered the prince; and he grew silent, to sink again intomeditation. 

"It would not mean so much, " thought he, "if they deceived me alone; Iam only heir to the pharaoh, and not admitted to all secrets. But whowill assure me that they have not acted in the same way with my worthyfather? He has trusted them entirely during thirty and some years; hehas bowed down before miracles, given abundant offerings to the gods, for this result, that his property and power should pass into the handsof ambitious tricksters! And no one has opened his eyes. For thepharaoh cannot, like me, enter Phoenician temples at night, andabsolutely no one has admission to his holiness. 

"But who will assure me today that the priests are not striving tooverthrow the throne, as Hiram said? Even my father informed me thatthe Phoenicians are most truthful wherever they have an interest to beso. Assuredly it is their interest not to be expelled from Egypt, andnot to fall under the power of Assyria. The Assyrians are a herd ofraging lions! Wherever they pass through a country nothing is leftexcept ruins and dead bodies, as after a fire. "

All at once Ramses raised his head; from a distance came the sound offlutes and horns. 

"What does this mean?" inquired he of Tutmosis. 

"Great news!" replied the courtier, with a smile. "The Asiatics arewelcoming a famous pilgrim from Babylon. "

"From Baby Ion? Who is he?"

"His name is Sargon. "

"Sargon?" repeated the prince. "Sargon? Ha! ha!" laughed the prince. "What is he?"

"He must be a great dignitary at the court of King Assar. He bringswith him ten elephants, a herd of most beautiful steeds of the desert, crowds of slaves and servants. "

"But why has he come?"

"To bow down before the wonderful goddess Astaroth, who is honored byall Asia, " answered Tutmosis. 

"Ha! ha! ha!" laughed the prince, recalling what Hiram had said of thecoming of the Assyrian ambassador, Sargon. "Ha! ha! ha! Sargon, arelative of King Assar, has become all at once such a devotee that forwhole months he goes on a difficult journey only to do honor in Pi-Bastto the goddess Astaroth. But in Nineveh he could have found greatergods and more learned priests. Ha! ha! ha!"

Tutmosis looked at the prince with astonishment. 

"What has happened to thee, Erpatr?" asked he. 

"Here is a miracle not described, I think, in the chronicles of anytemple. But think, Tutmosis: When Thou art most occupied with theproblem of catching the thief who is always plundering thee, that samethief puts his hand again into thy casket before thy eyes, in presenceof a thousand witnesses. Ha! ha! ha! Sargon, a pious pilgrim!"

"I understand nothing, " whispered Tutmosis, in anxiety. 

"And Thou hast no need to understand, " replied the viceroy. "Rememberonly that Sargon has come hither for devotional purposes. "

"It seems to me that everything of which Thou art speaking, " saidTutmosis, lowering his voice, "is very dangerous. "

"Then do not mention it to any one. "

"I will not; but art Thou sure that Thou thyself, prince, wilt notbetray the secret? Thou art as quick as lightning. "

The prince placed his hand on the courtier's shoulder. 

"Be at rest, " said he, looking him in the eyes. "If ye will only beloyal to me, ye, the nobles, and the army, ye will see wonderfulthings, and, as regards you, evil times will be ended. "

"Thou knowest that we are ready to die at thy command, " said Tutmosis, placing his hand on his breast. 

There was such uncommon seriousness on the adjutant's face that theprince understood, moreover not for the first time, that there wasconcealed in that riotous exquisite a valiant man, on whose sword andunderstanding he could put reliance. 

From that time the prince had no more such strange conversations withTutmosis. But that faithful friend and servant divined that connectedwith the arrival of Sargon were some great hidden interests of statewhich the priests alone had decided. 

For a certain time all the Egyptian aristocracy, nomarchs, higherofficials, and leaders had been whispering among themselves veryquietly, yes, very quietly, that important events were approaching. Forthe Phoenicians under an oath to keep the secret had told them ofcertain treaties with Assyria, according to which Phoenicia would belost, and Egypt be covered with disgrace and become even tributary. 

Indignation among the aristocracy was immense, but no one betrayedhimself; on the contrary, as well at the court of Ramses as at thecourts of the nomarchs of Lower Egypt, people amused themselvesperfectly. It might have been thought that with the weather had fallenon men a rage not only for amusements but for riot. There was no daywithout spectacles, feasts, and triumphal festivals; there was no nightwithout illuminations and uproar. Not only in Pi-Bast but in every cityit had become the fashion to run through the streets with torches, music, and, above all, with full pitchers. They broke into houses anddragged out sleeping dwellers to drinking-bouts; and since theEgyptians were inclined toward festivities every man living amusedhimself. 

During Ramses' stay in the temple of Hator the Phoenicians, seized by apanic, passed their days in prayer and refused credit to every man. Butafter Hiram's interview with the viceroy caution deserted thePhoenicians, and they began to make loans to Egyptian lords moreliberally than at any time earlier. 

Such abundance of gold and goods as there was in Lower Egypt, and, above all, such small per cent the oldest men could not remember. 

The severe and wise priests turned attention to the madness of theupper classes; but they were mistaken in estimating the cause of it, and the holy Mentezufis, who sent a report every few days to Herhor. Stated that the heir, wearied by religious practices in the temple, wasamusing himself to madness, and with him the entire aristocracy. 

The worthy minister did not even answer these statements, which showedthat he considered the rioting of the prince as quite natural andperhaps even useful. 

With such mental conditions around him Ramses enjoyed much freedom. Almost every evening when his attendants had drunk too much wine andhad begun to lose consciousness, the prince slipped out of the palace. Hidden by the dark burnous of an officer, he hurried through the emptystreets and out beyond the city to the gardens of the temple ofAstaroth. There he found the bench before that small villa, and, hiddenamong the trees, listened to the song of Kama's worshipper, and dreamedof the priestess. 

The moon rose later and later, drawing near its renewal. The nightswere dark, the effects of light were gone; but in spite of this Ramsescontinued to see that brightness of the first night, and he heard thepassionate strophes of the Greek singer. 

More than once he rose from his bench to go directly to Kama'sdwelling, but shame seized him. He felt that it did not become the heirof Egypt to show himself in the house of a priestess who was visited byany pilgrim who gave a bountiful offering to the temple. What was morestriking, he feared lest the sight of Kama surrounded by pitchers andunsuccessful admirers might extinguish the wonderful picture in themoonlight. 

When Dagon had sent her to turn away the prince's wrath, Kama seemedattractive, but not a maiden for whom a man might lose his headstraightway. But when he, a leader of armies and a viceroy, was forcedfor the first time in life to sit outside the house of a woman, whenthe night roused him to imaginings, and when he heard the adroitdeclarations of another, a strange feeling rose in him, a mixture ofsadness, desire, and jealousy. 

If he could have had Kama at every call, she would have becomerepulsive quickly, and perhaps he would have fled from her. But Death, standing on the threshold of her bedchamber, an enamored singer, and, finally, that humiliating position of the highest dignitary before apriestess, all this created a condition which for Ramses was unknowntill that time, hence enticing. 

And this was why he had appeared almost every evening of ten successivedays in the gardens of the goddess Astaroth, shielding his face fromall who passed him. 

Once, when he had drunk much wine at a feast in his palace, Ramsesslipped out with a settled purpose. 

"To-night, " said he to himself, "I will enter Kama's dwelling; as toher adorers let them sing at her windows. "

He passed through the city quickly; but in the gardens of the temple helessened his steps, for again he was shamefaced. 

"Has it ever been heard, " thought he, "that the heir of a pharaoh ranafter women like a poor scribe who cannot borrow ten drachmas anywhere?All women come to me, so should this one. "

And he was ready then to turn back to his palace. 

"But she cannot come, " said he to himself, "for they would kill her. "

He stopped and hesitated. 

"Who would kill her, Hiram, who believes in nothing, or Dagon, whoknows not himself what he is? True, but there is a multitude of otherPhoenicians in Egypt, and hundreds of thousands of wild and fanaticalpilgrims are prowling around here. In the eyes of those idiots Kamawould commit sacrilege were she to visit me. "

So he went toward the villa. He did not even think that danger mightthreaten him there, him, who without drawing his sword might by a merelook bring the whole world to his feet; he, Ramses, and danger!

When the prince came out from among trees, he saw that Kama's house wasmore brightly lighted and more noisy than usual. In fact, the terraceand the rooms were filled with guests, and around the villa werethrongs of people. 

"What band is this?" thought Ramses. 

It was an uncommon assemblage. Not far from the house was an immenseelephant, bearing on his back a gilded litter with purple curtains. Atthe side of the elephant, neighing and squealing, and, in general, acting impatiently, were horses with large necks and legs, with tailsplaited, and with something on their heads like metal helmets. 

Among these restless, almost wild animals, some tens of men werebusied, men such as Ramses had never seen elsewhere. They had shaggyhair, great beards, pointed caps with ear-laps; some wore long robes ofcoarse cloth reaching to their heels; others wore short coats andskirts, and some had boots on their feet. All carried swords, bows, anddarts. 

At sight of these foreigners, stalwart, awkward, laughing vulgarly, smelling of tallow, and speaking an unknown and harsh language, theprince was indignant. As a lion, though not hungry, prepares to springwhen he sees a common animal, so Ramses, though they had offended himin no way, felt a terrible hatred toward those strangers. He wasirritated by their language, their dress, the odor from their bodies, even their horses. The blood rushed to his head, and he reached for hissword to attack those men slay them and their beasts also. But soon herecovered his senses. 

"Set has cast a spell on me, " thought Ramses. 

At that moment a naked Egyptian, with a cap on his head and a girdlearound his waist, passed along the path slowly. The prince felt thatthe man was near to him, even precious at that moment, for he was anEgyptian. He took from his purse a gold ring worth from ten to twentydrachmas, and gave it to the bondman. 

"Listen, " said he; "who are those people?"

"Assyrians, " whispered the Egyptian; and hatred glittered in his eyesas he answered. 

"Assyrians, " repeated the prince. "Are those Assyrians, then? And whatare they doing here?"

"Their lord, Sargon, is paying court to the priestess, the sacred Kama, and they are guarding him. May leprosy devour them, the wretches, theswine sons!"

"Thou mayst go. "

The naked man made a low obeisance and ran, surely to some kitchen. 

"Are those Assyrians?" thought the prince, as he looked at theirstrange figures and heard their hated, though un-understood language. "So already Assyrians are on the Nile, to become brothers to us, or todeceive us, and their dignitary, Sargon, is courting Kama?"

He returned home. His imaginings died before the light of a passionfelt then for the first time. He, a man mild and noble, felt a deadlyhatred toward the ancient enemies of Egypt, whom he had never met tillthat evening. 

When leaving the temple of Hator, and after his interview with Hiram, he began to think of war with Asia; that was merely thinking that Egyptneeded population, and the pharaoh needed treasure; and since war gavethe easiest means to win them, and since, besides, it agreed with hisneed of glory, Ramses conceived the plan of warfare. But now he wasconcerned neither with slaves, nor treasures, nor glory, for in him wassounding at that moment a voice mightier than every other, the voice ofhatred. The pharaohs had struggled so long with the Assyrians, bothsides had shed so much blood, the struggle had fixed its roots in theirhearts so profoundly, that the prince grasped for his sword at the verysight of Assyrian warriors. It seemed that the spirits of all the slainEgyptians, their toils and sufferings, had risen in the soul of thisdescendant of pharaohs and cried for retribution. 

When Ramses reached the palace, he summoned Tutmosis. One of them haddrunk too much, the other was raging. 

"Dost Thou know what I have seen just now?" asked the prince of hisfavorite. 

"One of the priests, perhaps. "

"I have seen Assyrians. O ye gods! what I felt! What a low people!Their bodies from head to foot are covered with wool, as wild beastsare; the stench of old tallow comes from them; and what speech, whatbeard, what hair!"

The prince walked up and down the room quickly, panting, excited. 

"I thought, " said he, "that I despised the robberies of scribes, thedeceit of nomarchs, that I hated the cunning and ambition of priests; Ifelt repulsion for Jews, and I feared the Phoenicians; but I convincedmyself to-night that those were all amusements. I know now, for thefirst time, what hate is, after I have seen and heard Assyrians. Iunderstand now-why a dog tears the cat which has crossed his path. "

"Thou art accustomed to Jews and Phoenicians, worthiness, Thou hast metAssyrians now for the first time, " put in Tutmosis. 

"Stupidity! the Phoenicians!" continued the prince, as if to himself. "The Phoenicians, the Philistines, the Arabs, the Libyans, even theEthiopians seem, as it were, members of our own family. When they failto pay tribute, we are angry; when they pay, we forget our feeling. 

"But the Assyrians are something strange, something inimical, so that Ishall not be happy till I can count one hundred thousand of their handscut off by us. "

Never had Tutmosis seen the prince in such a state of feeling. 

CHAPTER XXXIII

A COUPLE of days later Ramses sent his favorite with a summons to Kama. She appeared soon in a tightly closed litter. 

Ramses received her in a separate chamber. 

"I was, " said he, "outside thy house one evening. "

"Oh, Astaroth!" cried the priestess. "To what must I attribute thishigh favor? And what hindered thee, worthy lord, from deigning tosummon thy slave?"

"Some beasts were there, Assyrians, I suppose. "

"Then Thou didst take the trouble, worthiness, in the evening? Nevercould I have dared to suppose that our ruler was under the open sky, afew steps from me. "

The prince blushed. How she would be astounded could she know that hehad passed ten evenings near her windows!

But perhaps she knew it, judging by her half-smiling lips and her eyescast down deceitfully. 

"So, then, Kama, " said the prince, "Thou receivest Assyrians at thyvilla?"

"That man is a great magnate, Sargon, a relative of King Assar, "answered Kama; "he has brought five talents to our goddess. "

"And them wilt repay him, Kama?" jeered the heir. "And since he is sucha bountiful magnate, the Phoenician gods will not send thee death inpunishment. "

"What dost Thou say, lord?" exclaimed Kama, clasping her hands. "DostThou not know that if an Asiatic found me in the desert he would notlay hands on me, even were I myself to yield to him? They fear thegods. "

"Why, then, does he come to thee, this malodorous no this piousAsiatic?"

"Because he wants to persuade me to go to the temple of Astaroth inBabylon. "

"And wilt Thou go?"

"I will go if Thou command me, lord, " said Kama, concealing her facewith her veil. 

The prince took her hands in silence. His lips quivered. 

"Do not touch me, lord, " whispered she, with emotion. "Thou art mysovereign, my support, the support of all Phoenicians in this countrybut have compassion. "

The viceroy let her go, and walked up and down through the chamber. 

"The day is hot, is it not?" asked he. "There are countries where inthe month of Mechir white down falls from the sky, it is said; thisdown in the fire turns to water, and makes the air cold. Oh, Kama, begthy gods to send me a little of that down, though what do I say? Ifthey should cover Egypt with it, all that down might be turned intowater and not cool the heart in me. "

"For Thou art like the divine Amon; Thou art the sun concealed in humanform, " replied Kama. "Darkness flees from that place whither Thouturnest thy countenance, and under the gleam of thy glances flowersblossom. "

The prince turned again to her. 

"But be compassionate, " whispered she. "Moreover, Thou art a kind god, hence Thou canst not be unjust to thy priestess. "

The prince turned away again, and shook as if wishing to cast down aburden. Kama looked from beneath her drooping lids at him, and smiledslightly. 

When silence had endured too long, she said, "Thou hast commanded to summon me, Sovereign. Here I am, to hear whatthy will is. "

"Aha!" said the prince, recovering. "But tell me, O, priestess, aha!who was that who resembled me so closely, the man whom I saw that nightin the temple?"

Kama placed a finger on her lips. 

"A sacred mystery, " whispered she. 

"One thing is a mystery, another is not permitted, " replied Ramses. "Let me know at least whether it was a man or a spirit?"

"A spirit. "

"But still that spirit sang under thy window. "

Kama laughed. 

"I do not wish to violate the secrets of the temple. "

"Thou hast promised that to Prince Hiram, " put in the priestess. 

"Well, well, " interrupted the irritated viceroy; "for this cause Ishall not speak with Hiram or any other man about this miracle, onlywith thee. Now, Kama, tell this spirit or man who is so like me toleave Egypt at the earliest, and not to show himself to any one. For, seest thou, in no state can there be two heirs to the throne. "

All at once he tapped his forehead. Up to that instant he had spoken soas to trouble Kama, but now an idea altogether serious came to him. 

"I am curious, " said he, looking sharply at Kama, "to know why thycompatriots showed me my own living picture. Do they wish to forewarnme that they have a man to supplant me? Indeed, their act isastounding. "

Kama fell at his feet. 

"O lord!" whispered she, "Thou who bearest on thy breast our highesttalisman, canst Thou suppose that the Phoenicians would do aught toinjure thee? But only think if danger threatened thee, or if Thou hadstthe wish to mystify enemies, would not such a man be of service? ThePhoenician only wished to show thee this in the temple. "

The prince meditated a moment, and shrugged his shoulders. 

"So, " thought he, "if I needed any one's assistance! But do thePhoenicians think that I need assistance? If I do they have chosen apoor protector. "

"Lord!" whispered Kama, "is it not known to thee that Ramses the Greathad, in addition to his own person, two others to show enemies? Thosetwo shadows of the pharaoh perished, but he survived. "

"Well, enough of this, " interrupted the prince. "But that the people ofAsia may know that I am gracious, I designate Kama five talents forgames, in honor of Astaroth, and a costly goblet for her temple. Thisgift will be received today by thee. "

He dismissed the priestess with a motion of his head. 

After her departure a new wave of thought mastered him. 

"Indeed, the Phoenicians are clever. If this, my living picture, is aman, they can make of him a great present to me, and I shall perform attimes miracles such, perhaps, as have never been heard of in Egypt. Thepharaoh dwells in Memphis, and at the same time he shows himself inThebes or in Tanis. The pharaoh is marching on Babylon with an army, the Assyrians assemble their main forces there, and simultaneously thepharaoh, with another army, captures Nineveh, I judge that theAssyrians would be greatly astounded by an event of that sort. "

And again deep hatred was roused in him against the strong Asiatics;again he saw his conquering chariot sweeping over a battlefield coveredwith Assyrian corpses, and whole baskets of severed hands stood beforehim. 

For his soul war had become now as great a need as bread is for thebody. For not only could he enrich Egypt by it, fill the treasury, andwin glory to last through ages, but, besides, he might satisfy theinstinct hitherto unknown, but roused mightily at that moment, todestroy Assyria. 

Until he had seen those warriors with shaggy beards he had not thoughtof them. That day they had met him and made the world seem so smallthat one side must give way, r they or he. 

What role had Hiram and Kama played in creating his present frame ofmind? Of this he had made no estimate. He felt only that he must havewar with Assyria, just as a bird of passage feels that in the mouthPachons it must go northward. 

A passion for war seized the prince quickly. He spoke less, laughedmore rarely, sat in thoughtfulness at feasts, and also spent his timeoftener and oftener with the army and the aristocracy. Seeing the favorwhich the heir showered on those who bore arms, the noble youth, andeven older men, began to join regiments. This attracted the attentionof the holy Mentezufis, who sent a letter to Herhor with the followingcontents:

"From the time that the Assyrians have arrived at Pi-Bast the heir isfeverish, and his court is inclined toward war very greatly. They drinkand play dice as before; but all have thrown aside robes and wigs, and, disregarding the awful heat, go about in military caps and mantles. 

"I fear lest this armed readiness may offend the worthy Sargon. "

To this Herhor replied immediately, "It is no harm that our effeminate nobles have taken a love formilitary appearance during the visit of Sargon, for the Assyrians willhave a better opinion touching Egypt. Our most worthy viceroy, enlightened by the gods, as is evident, has divined that just now it isnecessary to rattle our swords when we have with us the ambassadors ofsuch a military people. I am certain that this valiant bearing of ouryouth will give Sargon something to think of, and will make him moreyielding in arguments. "

For the first time since Egypt had become Egypt it happened that ayouthful prince had deceived the watchful priesthood. It is true thatthe Phoenicians were behind him, and had stolen the secret of thetreaty with Assyria; of this the priests had not even a suspicion. 

In fact, the very best mask which the heir had against suspicion washis impetuosity of character. All remembered how easily in the pastyear he had rushed from maneuvers at Pi-Bailos to Sarah's quiet countryvilla, and how from feasts he had grown impassioned, recently, foradministrative labor, and then devotion, to return to feasts afterward. 

So no one believed, with the exception of Tutmosis, that that changefulyouth had before him an object for which he would fight with invincibledecision. 

Even this time there was no need to wait long for new proofs of theprince's mobility of temper. 

To Pi-Bast, in spite of the heat, came Sarah with all her court and herinfant. She was somewhat thin, her child a trifle ill, or wearied, butboth looked very charming. 

The prince was enchanted. He assigned a house to Sarah in the choicestpart of the palace garden, and sat whole days, almost, at his son'scradle. 

Feasts, maneuvers, and gloomy meditations were forgotten; the lords ofhis suite had to drink and amuse themselves without him. Very soon theyungirded their swords and arrayed themselves in their most exquisitegarments. The change was the more indispensable as Ramses brought someof them to Sarah's dwelling and showed his son to them. 

"See, Tutmosis, " said he once to his favorite, "what a pretty child: areal rose leaf! Well, and out of this little thing a man will growgradually. And this rosy chick will walk about some day, talk, evenlearn wisdom in the schools of the priesthood. "

"Look at his little hands, Tutmosis, " said Ramses, delighted. "Rememberthese little hands, so as to tell of them some day when I give him aregiment, and command him to have my mace borne behind him. And this ismy son, my own son. "

It is not to be wondered at that when their lord spoke thus hisattendants were sorry that they could not become dry or wet nurses tothe child which, though it had no dynastic rights, was still the firstson of the future pharaoh. 

But this idyll ended very soon, since it did not harmonize with theinterests of the Phoenicians. 

A certain day the worthy Hiram arrived at the palace with a great suiteof merchants, slaves, and also poor Egyptians to whom he gave alms, andwhen he stood before the heir, he said, "Our gracious lord! to prove that thy heart is full of kindness towardus Asiatics also, Thou hast given five talents to arrange games inhonor of the goddess Astaroth. Thy will is accomplished; we havearranged the games, now we have come to implore thee to deign to honorthe games with thy presence. "

While saying this, the gray-haired Tyrian prince knelt before Ramsesand gave him a golden key to his box in the amphitheatre. 

Ramses accepted the invitation willingly; the holy priests Mefres andMentezufis had no objection to the presence of the prince in honoringthe goddess Astaroth. 

"First of all, Astaroth, " said the worthy Mefres to Mentezufis, "is thesame as our Is is and the Chaldean Istar; second, if we permit Asiaticsto build temples in our land it is proper to be kindly to their gods atseasons. "

"We are obliged even to show some politeness to Phoenicians after theconclusion of such a treaty with Assyria, " put in the worthyMentezufis, smiling. 

The amphitheatre, to which the viceroy, the nomarch, and the foremostofficers betook themselves about four in the afternoon was built in thegarden of the temple. It was a circular space surrounded by a palisadetwice the height of a man. Inside the palisade, and round about, was amultitude of boxes and seats rising one above the other. The structurehad no roof, but above the boxes extended cloth of various colors, cutlike wings of butterflies, which, sprinkled with fragrant water, weremoved to cool the atmosphere. 

When the viceroy appeared in his box, the Asiatics and Egyptianspresent in the amphitheatre gave forth a mighty shout. The spectaclebegan with a procession of singers, dancers, and musicians. 

The prince looked around. At his right was the box of Hiram and themost noted of the Phoenicians; on his left the box of the Phoenicianpriests and priestesses. In this Kama occupied one among the firstplaces, and attracted notice by her splendid dress and by her beauty. She wore a transparent robe adorned with embroidery of various colors, gold bracelets and anklets, and on her head a circlet with a lotusflower composed most skillfully of jewels. 

Kama came with her colleagues, saluted the prince with low obeisances, and returned to the box on the left, where began an animatedconversation with a foreigner whose hair was somewhat gray and whosepresence was imposing. The hair and beard of this man and hiscompanions were plaited into small braids. 

The prince had come almost directly from the chamber of his son, andwas gladsome. But he frowned when he saw the priestess speaking with astranger. 

"Dost Thou not know, Tutmosis, who that big fellow is for whom thepriestess is so charming?" asked he. 

"He is that famous pilgrim who has come from Babylon, the worthySargon. "

"But he is an old grandfather!"

"His years are surely more than thine and mine together; but he is astately person. "

"Could such a barbarian be stately!" said the indignant viceroy. "I amcertain that he bears about the smell of tallow. "

Both were silent: the prince from anger, Tutmosis from fear because hehad dared to praise a man whom Ramses hated. 

Meanwhile spectacle followed spectacle on the arena. In turn appearedacrobats, serpent-charmers, dancers, buffoons, and jesters, who calledforth shouts from the audience. 

But Ramses was gloomy. In his soul sprang up, moment after moment, passions which had been dormant, hatred for Assyrians and jealousy ofKama. 

"How can that woman, " thought he, "fondle up to an old man who has acomplexion like tanned leather, wild black eyes, and the beard of a he-goat?"

But once the prince turned a more attentive look on the arena. 

A number of naked Chaldeans entered. The oldest fixed in the earththree short spears, points upward; then, with motions of his hands, heput the youngest man to sleep. After that others took the sleeping manand placed him on the spears in such fashion that one of the spearssupported his head, another his loins, and the third his feet. 

The man was as stiff as wood. Then the old man made motions above himwith his hands, and drew out the spear supporting his feet. After awhile he removed the spear on which his loins were resting, and finallythat on which his head was fixed. 

This took place in the clear day, before some thousands of spectators. The sleeping Chaldean rested in the air horizontally, without support, a couple of ells above the earth. At last the old man pushed him downand roused him. 

The audience was astounded; no one dared to applaud or to shout, butflowers were thrown from some boxes. 

Ramses too was astonished. He bent towards Hiram's box, and asked theold prince in a low voice, "Could they perform that secret in the temple of Astaroth?"

"I am not conversant with all the secrets of our priests, " answeredHiram, confused. "I know, though, that Chaldeans are very clever. "

"But we all saw that that young man rested in the air. "

"If they did not put a spell on us, " said Hiram, reluctantly; and hegrew serious. 

After a short interval, during which servitors took to the boxes ofdignitaries fresh flowers, cool wine and cakes, the most important partof the spectacle began, the bull fight. 

To the sound of trumpets, drums, and flutes they led a strong bull intothe arena, with a cloth over his head so that he should not see. Then anumber of naked men ran around with darts, and one with a short sword. 

At a signal, given by the prince, the leaders ran away, and one of thearmed men struck the cloth from the head of the bull. The beast stoodsome moments in a maze; then he chased after the dart man, who vexedhim by pricking. 

This barren struggle continued some tens of minutes. Men tormented thebull, and he, foaming, stained with blood, reared and chased over thewhole arena after his enemies without reaching any. 

At last he fell, amid the laughter of the spectators. 

The wearied prince, instead of looking at the arena, looked at the boxof the Phoenician priests. He saw that Kama had moved nearer to Sargonand was conversing vivaciously. The Assyrian devoured her with hisglances; she smiled and blushed, whispered with him, sometimes bendingso that her hair touched the locks of the barbarian; sometimes sheturned from him and feigned anger. 

Ramses felt pain in his heart. For the first time it had happened thata woman had preferred another man to him; besides, a man who was almostold, and, moreover, an Assyrian. 

Meanwhile a murmur rose in the audience. On the arena a man armed witha sword gave command to tie his left hand to his breast; others lookedat their darts a second bull was let in. When an armed man tore thecloth from his eyes, the bull turned and looked around as if to counthis opponents. But when they began to prick him, he withdrew to thepaling to secure the rear; then he lowered his head and followed themovements of those attacking. 

At first the armed men stole up guardedly from both sides to prick him. But when the beast remained motionless, they gained courage, and beganto run across in front, nearer and nearer. 

The bull inclined his head still more, but stood as if fixed to theearth. The audience laughed; but their joyousness was turned to a cryof fear suddenly. The bull chose the moment, rushed forward, strucksome man who held a dart, and with one motion of his horns hurled himupward. 

The man struck the earth with broken bones; the bull galloped to theother side of the arena and stood in a defensive position. 

The men with darts surrounded the bull again, and began to irritate theanimal; but now servants of the amphitheatre rushed to the arena tocarry off the wounded man, who was groaning. The bull, in spite of theredoubled pricks of darts, stood motionless; but when three servantshad taken the wounded man in their arms, he rushed at that group withthe swiftness of a whirlwind, overturned it, and began to dig theground with his forefeet tremendously. 

There was confusion in the audience: women screamed, men imprecated, and hurled at the bull whatever each one found nearest. Sticks, knives, even bench tops fell on the arena. Then a man with a sword rushed atthe raging bull. But the dart men lost their heads and left himunsupported; hence the bull tossed him and pursued the others. A thingunparalleled in amphitheatres took place then: five men were lying onthe arena; others, defending themselves badly, were fleeing before thebeast, while the audience was roaring from fear or from anger. 

Next there was perfect silence; the spectators rose and bent forwardout of their places, the terrified Hiram grew pale and crossed hishands. Down to the arena, from the boxes of dignitaries, sprang twomen, Prince Ramses, with a drawn sword, and Sargon, with a short-handled axe. 

The bull, with head down and tail in the air, was racing around thearena, leaving clouds of dust behind him. The beast rushed straighttoward the prince, but, as if repulsed by the majesty of the youth, avoided him, made directly at Sargon, and dropped to the earth. TheAssyrian, adroit and immensely strong, stretched him with one blow ofhis axe, given between the eyes. 

The audience howled with delight, and threw flowers at Sargon and hisvictim. Ramses stood still with drawn sword, astonished and angry, seeing how Kama snatched flowers from her neighbors and threw them tothe Assyrian. 

Sargon received expressions of public delight with indifference. Hepushed the bull with his foot to be sure that the beast was lifeless;and then, going a couple of steps toward the prince, said something inhis own speech, and bowed with the dignity of a magnate. 

A bloody mist passed before the prince's eyes; he would have buried hissword in the victor's breast gladly. But he conquered himself, thoughta moment, and taking a gold chain from his neck gave it to Sargon. 

The Assyrian bowed again, kissed the chain, and put it around his neck. But the prince, with a bluish flush on his cheeks, returned to the doorby which actors entered the arena, and amid plaudits of the audienceleft the amphitheatre with a feeling of deep humiliation. 

CHAPTER XXXIV

IT was the month Thoth. In the city of Pi-Bast and its environs theconcourse of people had begun, because of heat, to diminish. But thecourt of Ramses amused itself always, and people talked of what hadhappened in the amphitheatre. 

Courtiers praised the courage of the prince, maladroit men wondered atthe strength of Sargon, the priests whispered with important mien thatin every case the heir to the throne should not involve himself inbull-fights: for that there were men who were hired, or who, at least, did not possess public veneration. 

Either Ramses did not hear these various opinions, or did not considerthem. As to the spectacle, two episodes were fixed in his memory:victory over the bull had been snatched from him by the Assyrian, whohad also paid court to Kama, and she had received his attentions mostwillingly. 

Since he might not bring the Phoenician priestess to his palace, hesent one day a letter to her in which he declared that he wished to seeher, and inquired when she would receive him. Through the samemessenger Kama replied that she would wait for him that evening. 

Barely had the stars shown themselves, when the prince (with thegreatest secrecy, as he thought) slipped out of the palace, and went tothe villa. The garden of the temple of Astaroth was almost empty, especially near the house of the priestess. The building was silent, and inside only two tapers were burning. 

When the prince knocked timidly, the priestess herself drew the dooropen. In the dark antechamber she kissed his hand, whispering that shewould have died had the raging bull injured him in the arena. 

"But now Thou must be at rest, since thy lover saved me, " said theprince. 

When they entered the lighted chamber, Ramses saw that Kama wasweeping. 

"What does this mean?" inquired he. 

"The heart of my lord has turned from me, " said she; "but perhapsjustly. "

The heir laughed bitterly in answer. 

"Then, sacred virgin, Thou art already his mistress, or about to be?"

"Mistress? Never! But I may become the wife of that dreadful Assyrian. "

Ramses sprang from his seat. 

"Am I dreaming, " cried he, "or has Set cast his curse on me? Thou, apriestess, guarding the fire before the altar of Astaroth, thou, whounder the threat of death must be a virgin, art Thou going to marry? Intruth, Phoenician deceit is worse than people's account of it. "

"Hear me, lord, " said Kama, wiping her tears away, "and condemn if Ideserve it. Sargon wishes to take me as his first wife. According toour laws a priestess may, in very exceptional cases, become a wife, butonly if the man is of kingly origin. Sargon is a relative of KingAssar. "

"And wilt Thou marry him?"

"If the supreme council of Tyrian priests command me, what can I do?"replied she, bursting into tears again. 

"And what is Sargon to that council?" asked the prince. 

"Very much, perhaps, " said Kama, with a sigh. "The Assyrians will takePhoenicia in all likelihood, and Sargon will be its satrap. "

"Art Thou demented?" exclaimed the prince. 

"I say what I know. In our temple we have begun prayers the second timeto avert misfortune from Phoenicia. We had our first prayers beforeThou didst come to us. "

"Why do ye pray now?"

"Because the Chaldean priest Istubar has just come to Egypt withletters, in which King Assar appoints Sargon his ambassador to concludea treaty with you about the taking of Phoenicia. "

"But I" interrupted the prince. 

He wished to say, "know nothing, " but he restrained himself, laughed, and answered, "Kama, I swear to thee, on the honor of my father, that while I liveAssyria will not take Phoenicia. Is that enough?"

"Oh, lord, lord!" cried she, falling at his feet. 

"Then Thou wilt not become the wife of that rude fellow?"

"Oh, " shuddered she, "canst Thou ask such a question?"

"And Thou wilt be mine, " whispered the prince. 

"Dost Thou wish my death?" asked she, terrified. "Well, if Thou wishit, I am ready. "

"I wish thee to live, " whispered he, impassioned, "to live, belongingto me. "

"That cannot be, "

"But the supreme council of Tyrian priests?"

"They can permit nothing but marriage. "

"But Thou wilt enter my house. "

"If I enter it not as thy wife, I shall die. But I am ready even not tosee to-morrow's sun. "

"Be at rest, " replied the prince, seriously. "Whoso has my favor willnot experience injustice. "

Kama knelt before him a second time. 

"How can that be?" asked she, clasping her hands. 

Ramses was so roused that he had forgotten his position and his duties;he was ready to promise the priestess even marriage. He was restrainedfrom that step, not by judgment, but by some dumb instinct. 

"How can this be? How can this be?" whispered Kama, devouring him withher glances and kissing his feet. 

The prince raised her, seated her at a distance from him, and said witha smile, "Thou askest how this can be I will explain immediately. My lastteacher, before I reached maturity, was a certain old priest, who knewa multitude of marvelous histories from the lives of gods, kings, priests, even lower officials and laborers. 

"This old man, famed for devotion and miracles, did not like women, Iknow not why; he even dreaded them. Very frequently he described theperversity of women, and once, to show how great the power is which yewield over men, he told me the following history:

"A certain scribe, young and indigent, who had not an uten in hispurse, who had nothing save a barley cake, traveled down from Thebes toLower Egypt while seeking for employment. Men said that in the northdwelt the richest lords and merchants, and that in case of luck hewould find a place in which he might acquire extensive property. 

"He walked along the Nile, for he had no coin with which to hire aboat, and he pondered, "'How improvident are men inheriting a talent or two, or even tentalents! Instead of adding to their wealth by traffic, or by lending athigh interest, ' thought he, 'these men waste what they have, to nopurpose. Had I a drachma, well, one drachma is too little, but had Ione talent, or, better, a plot of land, I would increase it yearly, andtoward the end of life I should be as wealthy as the wealthiestnomarch. 

"'But how begin!' said he, sighing. 'Only fools are favored by thegods; and I am filled with wisdom from my wig to my two naked heels. Ifin my heart a grain of dullness lurks, it is perhaps my inability tosquander, and I should not even know how to set about a work so godlessin its object. '

"As the needy scribe was thus musing, he passed a mud hut at which satsome man, neither old nor young, with a very keen glance, which reachedto the depth of whatever heart came before him. The scribe, as wise asa stork, thought at once that this must be some divinity; so he boweddown and said to him, "'I greet thee, worthy master of this splendid mansion. I grieve that Ihave neither meat nor wine, so as to divide them between us, in signthat I respect thee, and that whatever I own is thy property. '

"This kindness of the scribe was pleasing to Amon, for he it was, inhuman aspect. He looked at the scribe, and inquired of him, "'Of what wert Thou thinking while passing along here? for I see wisdomon thy forehead, and I am of those who seize words of truth aspartridges pick up wheat kernels. '

"The scribe sighed. 

"'I was thinking, ' said he, 'of my misery, and of those frivolous richmen who spend their wealth without knowing why or in what manner. '

"'And wouldst Thou not waste wealth?' inquired the god, retaining humansemblance. 

"'Look at me, lord, ' said the scribe. 'I have a tattered rag around myhips, and on the road I have lost my sandals; but my papyrus and reed Ibear with me at all times, as I do the heart in my body. Both whilerising in the morning and lying down at night, I repeat that wisepoverty is far better than foolish riches. If I know how to expressmyself in two kinds of writing and to solve the most complicatedproblems, if I know all plants and every beast beneath the sky, Thoumayst judge whether I, the master of such lore, am capable of wastingproperty. '

"The god pondered awhile, and continued, "'Thy speech flows as vigorously as the Nile at Memphis; but if Thouart so wise, indeed, write for me the name of Amon in two manners. '

"The scribe took his reed and brush, and in no long time he wrote thename Amon in two manners on the door of the hut, and so clearly thateven dumb creatures would have stopped to give Lord Amon homage. 

"The god was satisfied, and answered, "'If Thou art as skilled in reckoning as in writing, reckon for me thefollowing problem: If they give me four hen eggs for one partridge, howmany hen eggs should they give me for seven partridges?'

"The scribe gathered pebbles, placed them in various rows, and beforethe sun had set, he answered that they should give twenty-eight eggsfor seven partridges. 

"The almighty Amon smiled when be saw before him a sage of suchuncommon proportions, and answered, "'I recognize that Thou hast spoken truth concerning thy wisdom. IfThou shalt appear equally enduring in virtue I will so arrange thatThou shalt be happy to the end of life, and after death thy sons shallplace thy shade in a beautiful tomb. But now tell me: what wealth dostThou wish, wealth which Thou wouldst not merely refrain from wasting, but wouldst increase?'

"The scribe fell to the feet of the generous deity, and answered, "'If I had even this hut and three measures of land, I should bewealthy. '

"'Well, ' said the god, 'but first look around and see if it wouldsuffice thee. '

"He led him into the hut, and said, "'Thou hast four caps and skirts, two mantles for bad weather, and twopairs of sandals. Here is a fire, here a bench on which Thou maystsleep, a mortar for crushing wheat, and a pan for dough. '

"'But what is this?' asked the scribe, pointing to a certain figurecovered with linen. 

"'That is one thing which Thou must not touch; if Thou do, Thou wiltlose all thy property. '

"'Ai!' cried the scribe. 'That may remain a thousand years there; Iwill not trouble it. With permission of thy honor, what estate is thatover there?' and he bent through the hut window. 

"'Thou hast spoken wisely, ' said Amon, 'for that is an estate, and evena fine one. It is composed of fifty measures of land. There is aspacious house on it, some tens of cattle, and ten slaves belong to theestablishment. If Thou prefer that estate. '

"The scribe fell at the feet of the deity. 

"'Is there, ' inquired he, 'a man under the sun who instead of a barleycake would not prefer a loaf of wheaten bread?'

"When he heard this, Amon repeated a formula, and that moment both werein the mansion. 

"'Here Thou hast, ' said the god, 'a carved bed, five tables, and tenarmchairs; Thou hast embroidered clothing, Thou hast pitchers, andglass bottles for wine, a lamp for olive oil, and a litter. '

"'And what is this?' asked the scribe, pointing to a figure robed inmuslin and standing in a corner. 

"'Thou must not touch that or Thou wilt lose all thy property. '

"'Were I to live ten thousand years I would not touch it. For, afterwisdom, I consider wealth the highest blessing. '

"'But what do I see?' inquired he after a while, pointing to an immensepalace in a garden. 

"'Over there is a princely estate, ' replied the god. 'That is a palace, five hundred measures of land, one hundred slaves, and two hundred headof cattle. That is a grand property: but if Thou think thy wisdomsufficient to manage it. '

"The scribe fell again at the feet of Amon, and covered himself withtears of delight. 

"'O lord, ' said he, 'is there on earth a mad man who instead of agoblet of beer would not take a cask of wine?'

"'Thy words are worthy of the sage who can make the most difficultreckonings, ' said Amon. 

"He pronounced the mighty words of the formula; the god and the scribefound themselves in the palace. 

"'Here Thou hast, ' said the kind god, 'a dining-hall; in it gold andgilded curtains, and armchairs, also tables inlaid with woods ofvarious colors. In the lower story is a kitchen for five cooks; astorehouse where Thou wilt find all kinds of meat, fish, bread;finally, a cellar with perfect wines in it. Thou hast a bedchamber witha movable roof, with which thy slaves will cool thee while Thou artsleeping. I turn attention to the bed, which is made of cedar wood, andrests on four lion legs cast from bronze skillfully. Thou hast awardrobe filled with linen and woolen garments; in caskets Thou wiltfind rings, chains, and bracelets. '

"But what is this?" asked the scribe, pointing to a figure covered witha veil embroidered in gold and purple. 

"'Thou must guard thyself from this most carefully, ' warned the god. 'If Thou touch this, thy immense estate will vanish. And there are fewsuch estates in Egypt, I assure thee. Moreover, I must say that in thetreasury here there are ten talents in gold and precious stones inaddition. '"

"My sovereign, " cried the scribe, "permit that the first place in thispalace be held by thy sacred statue, before which I will burn incensethree times daily. "

"'But avoid that, ' replied Amon, pointing to the veiled figure. 

"'Should I lose my wisdom, and be worse than a wild boar, for whichwine is no better than swill, ' said the scribe; 'let that veiled figuredo penance here for a hundred millenniums, I will not touch it. '

"'Remember that if Thou do Thou wilt lose all Thou hast, ' cried thegod; and he vanished. 

"The scribe, now made happy, walked up and down through his palace andlooked out through the windows. He examined the treasury and tried thegold in his hands; it was heavy. He looked at the precious stones; theywere genuine. He commanded to serve him with food; in rushed slavesimmediately, bathed him, shaved him, arrayed him in fine garments. Heate and drank as be never had drunk and eaten; his hunger joined withthe perfection of the food gave a marvelous taste to it. He burntincense before the statue of Amon, and wreathed it with fresh flowers. Later he sat down at a window. 

"In the courtyard a pair of horses were neighing; they were harnessedto a carved chariot. In another place a crowd of men with darts andnets were keeping down eager dogs which were tearing away to chaseanimals. Before a granary one scribe was receiving grain from earth-tillers; before the stable another scribe was receiving reckoning fromthe overseer of the shepherds. 

"In the distance were visible an olive grove, high hills covered withgrape-vines, wheat-fields, and on every field were date palms set outthickly. 

"'In truth, ' said he to himself, 'I am rich today, just as was proper;and I only wonder how I endured life so long in abasement and misery. Imust confess, too, that I do not know whether I can increase thisimmense property, for I need no more now, and I shall not have time torun after investments. '

"But after a while it was tedious in the house for him; so he looked atthe garden, went around the fields, talked with the servants, who fellon their faces in his presence, though they were dressed in such stylethat yesterday he would have thought it an honor to kiss the hands ofany one of them; but he was bored in the field even, so he went back tothe house, and examined the supplies in his storehouses and cellars, also the furniture in the chambers. 

"'They are beautiful, ' said he to himself; 'but it would be better ifthe furniture were made of gold, and the pitchers of jewels. '

"His eyes turned mechanically toward the corner where the figure wasconcealed under an embroidered veil and it sighed. 

"'Sigh!' said he, taking a censer to burn incense before the statue ofAmon. 

"'He is a kind god, ' thought he, 'who values the qualities of sages, even when barefoot, and deals out to them justice. What a beautifulestate he has given me! It is true that I showed him honor by writingAmon on the door of that hut in two manners. And how beautifully Ireckoned how many hen eggs he would get for seven partridges. Myteachers were right when they said that wisdom opens the lips of godseven, '

"He turned again toward the corner. The veiled figure sighed again. 

"'I am curious to know, ' thought the scribe, 'why my friend Amonforbade me to touch that thing over there in the corner. Well, for sucha property he had a right to impose conditions; though I should nothave imposed them on him. For if all this palace is my property, if Imay use all that is here, why should I not even touch this thing I maynot touch it, but I may look at it. '

"He approached the figure, drew the veil aside carefully, looked; itwas indeed beautiful. It resembled a boy, but was not a boy. It hadhair reaching to its knees, delicate features, and a look full ofsweetness. 

"'Who art thou?' asked the scribe of the figure. 

"'I am a woman, ' answered the figure, with a voice that penetrated hisheart like a Phoenician dagger. 

"'Woman?' thought the scribe. 'They did not tell me about woman in thepriests' school. Woman?' repeated he. 'But what hast Thou here?'

"'Those are my eyes. '

"'Eyes? What canst Thou see with eyes which would melt before anylight?'

"'Those are not eyes made for me to look from, but Thou must look intothem. '

"'Wonderful eyes! '" thought the scribe to himself; and he walkedthrough the chamber. 

"Again he stood before the figure, and asked, "'But what hast Thou here?'

"'Those are my lips. '

"'By the gods, Thou wilt die of hunger, ' cried he, 'for with suchlittle lips Thou couldst take in no food whatever. '

"'They are not for eating, ' answered the figure, 'but Thou art to kissthem. '

"'To kiss, ' repeated the scribe. 'They did not tell me in the priests'school of kissing. But these what are they?'

"'Those are my hands. '

"'Hands? It is well that Thou hast told me, for with those hands Thoucouldst not do anything; Thou couldst not milk sheep even. '

"'My hands are not for work. '

"'But for what?' wondered the scribe, spreading apart her fingers (as Ido thine, Kama, " said the prince, fondling the small hands of thepriestess). "' But what are those arms for?' inquired the scribe of thefigure. 

"'To put around thy neck. '

"'Thou wishest to say shoulder, ' cried the frightened scribe, whom thepriest always seized by the shoulder when he was to get stripes. 

"'Not by the shoulder, ' said the figure, 'but this way;' and she puther arms around his neck thus, " said the prince (here he put his armsaround the priestess), "and she nestled up to his breast thus" (here henestled up to Kama). 

"Lord, what art Thou doing?" whispered Kama. "But this is nay death. "

"Have no fear, " replied the prince; "I was only showing thee what thestatue did to that scribe in his palace. The moment she embraced himthe earth trembled, the palace disappeared, dogs, horses, slavesvanished. The hill covered with grape-vines turned into a cliff, theolive-trees into thorns, the wheat into sand. The scribe, when herecovered in the embrace of his love, understood that he was as poor ashe had been on the highroad a day earlier. But he did not regret hiswealth, since he had a woman who loved and who clung to him. "

"So everything vanished but the woman!" exclaimed Kama, naively. 

"The compassionate Amon left her to the scribe to console him, " saidthe viceroy. 

"Then Amon is compassionate only to scribes, " answered Kama. "But whatdoes that story signify?"

"Guess. But Thou hast just heard what the poor scribe yielded up forthe kiss of a woman. "

"But he would not yield up a throne, " interrupted the priestess. 

"Who knows? if he were implored greatly to do so, " whispered Ramses, with passion. 

"Oh, no!" cried Kama, tearing away from him; "let not the throne go soeasily, for what would become then of thy promise to Phoenicia?"

They looked into each other's eyes for a long time. The prince felt awound in his heart, and felt as if through that wound some feeling hadgone from him. It was not passion, for passion remained; but it wasesteem for Kama, and faith in her. 

"Wonderful are these Phoenicians, " thought the heir; "one may go wildfor them, but 'tis not possible to trust them. "

He felt wearied, and took farewell of the priestess. He looked aroundthe chamber as though it were difficult to leave the place; and whilegoing, he said to himself, "And still Thou wilt be mine, and Phoenician gods will not kill thee, if they regard their own priests and temples. "

Barely had Ramses left Kama's villa, when into the chamber of thepriestess rushed a young Greek who was strikingly beautiful, andstrikingly similar to Ramses. Rage was depicted on his face. 

"Lykon!" cried the terrified Kama. "What art Thou doing here?"

"Vile reptile!" replied the Greek, in his resonant voice. "A month hasnot passed since thy oath, declaring thy love, and that Thou wouldstflee to Greece with me, and now Thou art falling on the neck ofanother. Are the gods dead? Has justice deserted them?"

"Thou art mad with thy jealousy, " interrupted the priestess; "Thou wiltkill me. "

"It is sure that I, and not thy stone goddess, will kill thee. Withthese two hands, " cried he, stretching out his fingers, like talons, "Iwill choke thee if Thou hast become the mistress. "

"Of whom?"

"Do I know? Of course, of both, of that old Assyrian and thisprinceling, whose head I will split with a stone should he prowl aboutthis place any longer. The prince! he has all the women of Egypt, andstill he wants foreign priestesses. The priestesses are for priests, not for foreigners. "

Kama recovered her coolness. 

"But for us art Thou not a foreigner?" asked she, haughtily. 

"Reptile!" burst out the Greek, a second time. "I cannot be a foreignerfor you Asiatics, since that gift of voice with which the gods haveendowed me is turned to the use of your divinities. But how often, bymeans of my figure, have ye deceived dull Asiatics by telling them thatthe heir to the throne of Egypt belongs to your faith in secret?"

"Silence! silence!" hissed the priestess, closing his mouth with herhand. 

There must have been something enchanting in her touch, for the Greekgrew calm, and spoke lower. 

"Hear me, Kama. Soon to the bay of Sebenico will come a Greek ship, commanded by my brother. Make the high priest send thee to Pi-Uto; weshall flee thence to northern Greece, to a place which has never yetseen a Phoenician. "

"It will see them if I hide there, " interrupted the priestess. 

"Should a hair fall from thy head, " whispered the raging Greek, "Iswear that Dagon, that all the Phoenicians here will lose their heads, or die in the stone quarries. They will learn what a Greek can do. "

"But I say to thee, " answered Kama, in the same tone, "that until Icollect twenty talents I will not leave here. I have now only eight. "

"Where wilt Thou get the other twelve?"

"Sargon and the viceroy will give them. "

"I will let Sargon give, but not the prince. "

"Foolish Lykon, dost thou not know why that stripling pleases me alittle? He reminds me of thee. "

The Greek was perfectly quieted. 

"Well, well, " muttered he, "I understand that when a woman has thechoice between the heir to the throne and a man with my voice I have noneed to tremble. But I am jealous and violent, so I beg thee to let himapproach thee as little as possible. "

He kissed her, slipped out of the villa, and vanished in the darkgarden. 

Kama stretched her clinched fist after him. 

"Worthless buffoon!" whispered she; "Thou who art hardly fit to be asinging slave in my mansion. "

CHAPTER XXXV

When Ramses on the following morning visited his son, he found Sarahweeping. He asked what the cause was. She answered at first thatnothing troubled her; then she said that she was sad. At last she fellat his feet and cried bitterly. 

"My lord, " whispered she, "I know that Thou hast ceased to love me, butat least avoid danger. "

"Who said that I have ceased to love thee?" asked Ramses, astonished. 

"Thou hast in thy house three new women, ladies of high family. "

"Ah, so that is the trouble?"

"Besides, Thou art exposing thyself for a fourth, a wicked Phoenician. "

The prince was confused. Whence could Sarah know of Kama, and know thatshe was wicked?

"As dust squeezes into caskets, so scandals work into the quietesthouses, " said Ramses. "Who has spoken to thee of a Phoenician?"

"Do I know who? My heart and an evil omen. "

"Then are there omens?"

"Terrible. One old priestess learned, I suppose from a crystal ball, that we shall all perish through Phoenicians, especially I and my son, "burst out Sarah. 

"And Thou who believest in One, in Jehovah, fearest the fictions ofsome stupid old woman who is perhaps intriguing? Where is thy greatDeity?"

"My God is only mine, but those others are thine; so I must reverethem. "

"Then that old woman spoke to thee of Phoenicians?" asked Ramses. 

"She told me long ago, while in Memphis, that I should guard against aPhoenician woman, " answered Sarah. "Here all are speaking of aPhoenician priestess. I cannot tell; maybe it is only somethingwandering in my troubled head. "

"People say even that were it not for her spell Thou wouldst not havesprung into the arena. Oh, if the bull had killed thee! Even today, when I think of the evil which might have happened, the heart growscold in my bosom. "

"Laugh, Sarah, " interrupted Ramses, joyously. "She whom I take tomyself stands so high that no fear should reach her, still less, stupidscandal. "

"But misfortune? Is there a mountain top so high that the missile ofmisfortune may not reach it?"

"Thy sickness has wearied thee, and fever has disturbed thy mind; thatis why Thou art troubled without reason. Be quiet, and watch over myson. A man, " said he, in deep thought, "be he Greek or Phoenician, canharm only beings like himself, but not us, who are gods of this world. "

"What didst Thou say of a Greek? What Greek?" asked Sarah, alarmed. 

"Did I say Greek? I know nothing of a Greek. Such a word may haveslipped from me; perhaps Thou didst not hear correctly. "

He kissed Sarah and his son, and took farewell of them; but he did notexpel fear. 

"We must say once, and decisively, " thought he, "that in Egypt nosecret is hidden. The priests and my attendants follow me, even whenthey are drunk, or pretend to be, and the serpent eyes of Phoenicia aregazing at Kama. If they have not hidden her before me thus far, theymust have small regard for her virtue. Moreover, before whom? Beforeme, to whom they themselves discovered the deceptions of their owntemple. Kama will belong to me. They are too much involved in this tothink of bringing my auger on their heads by opposition. "

A couple of days later the holy Mentezufis, assistant of the worthyHerhor, came to the erpatr. Ramses, looking at the pale face anddowncast eyes of the prophet, divined that he too knew of thePhoenician woman, and perhaps wished, as a priest, to reprimand theviceroy. But this time Mentezufis did not mention affairs touching theheart of the heir. 

When he had greeted the prince, with an official mien, the prophet tookthe seat indicated, and began, "From the Memphis palace of the lord of eternity they have informed methat in recent days the Chaldean high priest Istubar, the courtastrologer and counselor of his grace King Assar, has come to Pi-Bast. "

The prince desired to tell Mentezufis the reason of Istubar's coming, but he bit his lips and was silent. 

"The renowned Istubar, " continued the priest, "has brought documents invirtue of which the worthy Sargon, a satrap, and a relative of KingAssar, remains with us as ambassador of that mighty sovereign. "

The prince was near bursting into laughter. The seriousness with whichMentezufis had thought fit to lay bare a small part of the secrets longknown to Ramses filled him with contempt and delight also. 

"This trickster, " thought the prince, "has not an inkling in his heartthat I know all their villainy. "

"The worthy Sargon and the revered Istubar, " continued Mentezufis, "will go to Memphis to kiss the feet of his holiness. But first, worthiness, thou, as viceroy, wilt be pleased to receive both thesedignitaries graciously, and their suite also. "

"Very willingly, " answered the prince, "and on that occasion I shallask them when Assyria will pay the arrears of tribute?"

"Wouldst Thou do that, worthiness?" asked the priest, looking him inthe eyes. 

"That first of all; our treasury needs tribute. "

Mentezufis rose suddenly from his seat, and said, in solemn thoughlowered accents, "O viceroy of our lord, and giver of life, in the name of his holinessI forbid thee to speak with anyone of tribute, but, above all, withSargon, Istubar, or any man of their suite. "

The prince grew pale. 

"Priest, " said he, standing up also, "on what basis dost Thou speak tome as a superior?"

Mentezufis drew aside his robe, and took from his neck a chain on whichwas one of the pharaoh's rings. 

The viceroy looked at the ring, kissed it with devotion, returned it tothe priest, and answered, "I will fulfill the command of his holiness, my lord and father. "

Again both sat down, and the prince asked the priest, "Canst Thou explain to me, worthiness, why Assyria should not pay ustribute which would save the state treasury from embarrassment?"

"Because we have not the power to force Assyria to pay us tribute, "answered Mentezufis, coldly. "We have an army of a hundred and twentythousand, Assyria has three hundred thousand warriors. I say this tothee, worthiness, in perfect confidence, as to a high state official. "

"I understand. But why did the ministry of war, in which Thou servest, decrease our valiant army sixty thousand men?"

"To increase the income of his holiness twenty thousand talents, "replied the priest. 

"Aha! Tell me, then, worthiness, " continued the prince, "with whatobject is Sargon going to the feet of the pharaoh?"

"I know not. "

"Aha! But why should I not know, I, who am heir to the throne?"

"Because there are state secrets which barely a few dignitaries know. "

"And which even my most worthy father may not know?"

"Assuredly he may not, for there are things which even his holiness maynot know, since he does not possess the highest priestly consecration. "

"It is wonderful!" said the prince, after some thought. "Egypt is theproperty of the pharaoh, and still things may be done in it which areunknown to him. Explain this to me, worthiness. "

"Egypt is first of all, and even only and exclusively, the property ofAmon, " said the priest. "There is absolute need, therefore, that onlythose should know the highest secrets to whom Amon has declared hisplans and purposes. "

The prince, while listening, felt as if people were turning him on abed of dagger points under which fire was burning. 

Mentezufis wished to rise; Ramses detained him. 

"One word more, " said he, mildly. "Is Egypt so weak that she cannoteven mention the Assyrian tribute?"

He panted. 

"If Egypt is so wretched, " continued he, "then what assurance is therethat Assyria will not attack us?"

"We may assure ourselves by a treaty, " answered the priest. 

The heir waved his hand. 

"There are no treaties for the weak!" said he. "Silver tabletsinscribed with agreements will not guard boundaries unless spears andswords stand behind them. "

"But who has told thee, worthiness, that they will not stand on ourland?"

"Thou thyself. One hundred and twenty thousand men must yield beforethree hundred thousand. Were Assyrians to come here, Egypt would beturned into a desert. "

Mentezufis eyes flashed. 

"If they were to invade us, " cried he, "their bones would never touchtheir own country! We should arm all the nobles, all the regiments oflaborers, even convicts in the quarries. We should take the treasuresfrom all temples. And Assyria would meet five hundred thousand Egyptianwarriors. "

Ramses was delighted at this outburst of patriotism in Mentezufis. Heseized him by the hand, and said, "Then, if we are able to have such an army, why do we not attackBabylon? Is not the great warrior Nitager imploring us for years to doso? Is not his holiness alarmed by the movement in Assyria? If we letthem concentrate their forces, the struggle will be most difficult; butif we begin ourselves. "

The priest interrupted him, "Dost Thou know, prince, what a war is to which one must go through adesert? Who will assure us that before we could reach the Euphrateshalf our army and carriers would not perish from hardship?"

"That would be cured by one battle, " interrupted Ramses. 

"A battle!" repeated the priest. "But does the prince know what abattle is?"

"I hope so!" replied the heir, striking his sword. 

Mentezufis shrugged his shoulders. 

"But I say, lord, that Thou dost not know what a battle is; Thou hasteven an entirely false idea of it from maneuvers at which Thou hastalways been the victor, though more than once Thou shouldst have beenconquered. "

The prince frowned. The priest put his hand beneath his robe, and saidquickly, "Guess what I have in my hand, worthiness. "

"What?" repeated Ramses, with astonishment. 

"Guess quickly and truly, " insisted the priest, "for if Thou artmistaken two of thy regiments perish. "

"Thou hast a ring, " said the heir, who had grown joyous. 

Mentezufis opened his hand; there was a bit of papyrus in it. 

"But what have I now?" asked the priest again. 

"A ring. "

"Well, not a ring, but an amulet of the divine Hator. Dost see, lord, that is a battle? In time of battle Fate holds out her hand everymoment, and commands us to guess at the very quickest the surpriseenclosed in it. We succeed, or we fail; but woe to the man who failsoftener than he guesses; and a hundredfold more to those on whom Fateturns her back and forces into blunders. "

"But still I believe, and I feel here, " cried the heir, striking hisbreast, "that Assyria must be trampled. "

"Oh, that the god Amon might speak through thy mouth, " said Mentezufis. "What Thou sayst is true; Assyria will be humbled, perhaps even withthy hands, but not immediately not immediately. "

The priest took farewell; Ramses remained alone. In his head and hisheart raged a hurricane. 

"So Hiram was right in saying that they deceive us, " thought he. "I amcertain now that our priests have made a treaty with the Chaldeanswhich his holiness will be forced to sanction. Has anyone ever heard ofa thing so monstrous? He, the lord of the living, and of the westernworld, must sign a treaty invented by intriguers!"

Breath failed him. 

"The holy Mentezufis has betrayed himself. It is true, then, that incase of need Egypt can put forth an army of half a million? I did noteven dream of such forces. Still they think that I fear their fablesabout fate, which commands us to solve riddles. Only let me have twohundred thousand men, trained like Greek and Libyan regiments, and Iwould undertake to solve all riddles on earth and in the heavens. "

"That is a hot head, " thought the worthy Mentezufis, while returning tohis cell, "a woman hunter, an adventurer, but strong. After the weakpharaoh of today he reminds us rather of Ramses the Great. In ten yearsthe stars may change; he will ripen and crush Assyria. Of Nineveh therewill remain only ruins, sacred Babylon will find its true place, andthe one supreme God, the God of Egyptian and Chaldean prophets, willreign from the Libyan desert to the sacred Ganges. "

"If our youth would not make himself ridiculous by night pilgrimages tothe Phoenician priestess; if he should be seen in the garden ofAstaroth, or if people should think that the erpatr was inclining hisear to the faith of Phoenicia. Not much is needed in Lower Egypt toreject the ancient gods. What a mixture there is of nations here!"

Some days later the worthy Sargon informed the viceroy officially ofhis position as ambassador, declared the wish to salute him, and beggedfor an Egyptian escort which might conduct him with all safety andhonor to the feet of the pharaoh. 

The prince deferred his answer two days, and appointed an audience toSargon at the expiration of two other days. The Assyrian, accustomed toeastern delay in journeys and business, was offended in no way, andwasted no time. He drank from morning till evening, played dice withHiram and other rich men from Asia. In free moments he slipped away, like Ramses, to Kama. 

As an elderly and a practical man, he offered the priestess richpresents at every visit. His feelings he explained as follows:

"O Kama, why sit in Pi-Bast and grow thin here? While young, theservice of Astaroth may please thee; but when old, a wretched fate willpresent itself. They will take thy costly robes from thee, and put ayounger woman in the temple; Thou wilt earn, then, a handful of roastedbarley by telling fortunes, or by nursing women in childbirth. Had thegods in punishment created me a woman, I should choose to be the motherand not the nurse attending her. "

"Hence I say, " continued Sargon, "leave the temple and join myhousehold. I will give thee ten talents in gold; I will give fortycows, and of wheat a hundred measures. The priests will fearchastisement from the gods, so as to gain from me a better bargain. ButI shall not yield a drachma; I may add, at most, a few sheep to letthem celebrate a solemn service. The heavenly Astaroth will appearthen, and will free thee from vows if I add a gold chain or a goblet. "

While listening to these statements Kama bit her lips to restrainlaughter; and he continued, "If Thou go with me to Nineveh, Thou wilt be a great lady. Thou shalthave a palace; I will give thee also horses, a litter, slaves, andservants. In one month Thou wilt pour out on thy person more perfumethan Thou offerest here in one year to thy goddess. And who knows, "concluded he, "Thou mayst please King Assar; if so, he would take theeto his palace. Thou wouldst be the happiest of women, and I should getback what I had spent on thee. "

At the palace of the heir, on the day appointed to receive Sargon, Egyptian troops were drawn up, and a throng of people were standingnear, eager for spectacles. 

The Assyrian retinue appeared about midday, the hour when heat isgreatest. In front inarched policemen armed with swords and sticks;behind them a number of naked swift runners, and three horses. Thosewere trumpeters and a herald. At the corner of each street thetrumpeters sounded a signal, and the herald called in a loud voice:"Behold, Sargon is approaching; the ambassador of the mighty Assar, arelative of the king, a lord of immense wealth, a conqueror in battles, a ruler of provinces. Give him, O people, due homage as a friend of theruler of Egypt!"

After the trumpeters rode Assyrian cavalry, with pointed caps, innarrow skirts and jackets. Their shaggy and enduring horses had ontheir foreheads and breasts bronze armor patterned as fish-scales. Nextappeared infantry in helmets, and long mantles reaching the earth. Onedivision was armed with heavy clubs, the next with bows, the third withspears and shields. Each man had, besides, a sword, and was armored. 

After the soldiers came Sargon's horses, chariots, and litters, surrounded by servants in white, red, and green garments. After themcame five elephants with litters on their backs; on one rode Sargon, onanother the Chaldean priest Istubar. 

The procession was closed by warriors on horseback and on foot, and byharsh Assyrian music, produced by trumpets, drums, metallic plates, andpipes squealing shrilly. 

Prince Ramses, surrounded by priests, nobility, and officers, dressedin various colors, and richly, was awaiting the ambassador in the greathall of audience, which was open on all sides. The heir was gladsome, knowing that the Assyrians were bringing gifts which, in the eyes ofEgyptians, might pass as tribute. But when he heard the immense voiceof a herald in the court praising the might of Sargon, he frowned. "When the expression flew to his ears, that King Assar was the friendof the pharaoh, he grew angry. His nostrils dilated like those of anangry bull, and sparks flashed in his eyeballs. Seeing this, theofficers and nobility began to assume threatening faces, and put handsto their sword-hilts. The holy Mentezufis noted their looks, and cried, "In the name of his holiness, I command nobles and officers to receivethe worthy Sargon with the respect due a great king's ambassador!"

The heir frowned, and strode impatiently along the raised platformwhere his viceregal chair was standing. But the disciplined officersand the nobles grew silent, knowing that they could not trifle with theassistant of the war minister. 

Meanwhile, in the court the immense and heavily armed Assyrian warriorsstood in three ranks, opposite the half naked and slender warriors ofEgypt. The two sides looked at each other like a band of tigers at aherd of rhinoceroses. In the hearts of each ancient hatred wassmoldering. But command towered above hatred. 

At that moment the elephants entered, the Egyptian and Assyriantrumpets roared, the troops of both armies raised their weapons, thepeople fell on their faces, while the Assyrian dignitaries, Sargon andIstubar, were descending from their litters. 

In the hall Prince Ramses sat on an elevated chair beneath a baldachin, while at the entrance door appeared the herald. 

"Most worthy lord, " said he, turning to the heir, "the ambassador ofthe great King Assar, the renowned Sargon, and his associate, the piousprophet Istubar, desire to salute thee and render thee honor as viceroyand heir to the pharaoh, may he live through eternity!"

"Ask those dignitaries to enter and comfort my heart by the sight oftheir persons, " answered the viceroy. 

Sargon entered the hall with a clattering and clinking. He was dressedin a long green robe, thickly embroidered with gold. At his side, in asnow-white mantle, walked the devout Istubar, and behind them statelyAssyrian lords carried gifts for the viceroy. 

Sargon approached the elevation, and said in the Assyrian language, which an interpreter repeated in Egyptian immediately, "I, Sargon, a leader, a satrap, and a relative of the most mighty KingAssar, come to salute thee, O viceroy of the most mighty pharaoh, andin sign of eternal friendship I offer gifts to thee. "

The heir rested his palms on his knees, and sat as motionless as thestatues of his ancestors. 

"Interpreter, " said Sargon, "hast Thou repeated badly to the prince mykindly greeting?"

Mentezufis, standing near the elevation, turned toward Ramses. 

"Prince, " whispered he, "the Lord Sargon is waiting for a graciousanswer. "

"Then answer him that I do not understand by what right he speaks to meas if he were my equal in dignity. "

Mentezufis was confused, which still more angered the prince, whoselips began to tremble; and again his eyes flashed. But the Chaldean, Istubar, understanding Egyptian, said quickly to Sargon, "Let us fall on our faces. "

"Why should I fall on my face?" inquired the indignant Sargon. 

"Fall, unless Thou wish to lose the favor of King Assar, and perhapsthy head also. "

Thus speaking, Istubar lay on the floor at full length, and Sargon nextto him. 

"Why should I lie on my belly before that stripling?" muttered Sargon, indignantly. 

"Because he is viceroy, " answered Istubar. 

"Have I not been viceroy of my lord?"

"But he will be king, and Thou wilt not. "

"What are the ambassadors of the most mighty King Assar discussing?"inquired the prince, now satisfied, of the interpreter. 

"This: whether they are to show thy worthiness the gifts intended forthe pharaoh, or only to give those sent to thee, " replied the dexterousinterpreter. 

"I wish to see the gifts intended for his holiness my father, " said theprince, "and I permit the ambassadors to rise. "

Sargon rose, purple from rage or weariness, and sat down on the floorcross-legged. 

"I knew not, " said he, "that I, a relative and an ambassador of thegreat Assar, should be forced to wipe with my garments dust from thepavement of an Egyptian viceroy. "

Mentezufis knew Assyrian, and commanded, without asking Ramses, tobring immediately two benches covered with cushions, on which sat atonce the panting Sargon and the calm Istubar. 

When Sargon had puffed himself quiet, he gave command to produce agreat glass goblet, a steel sword, and to lead up before the entrancetwo horses decked with gold housings. When his command was obeyed herose and, inclining, addressed Ramses, "My lord, King Assar sends thee, O prince, two wonderful horses, maythey bear thee only to victory! He sends also a goblet, may gladnessalways flow to thy heart from it! and a sword the like of which Thouwilt not find in the armory of the mightiest ruler. "

He drew from its scabbard a rather long sword, shining like silver, andbent it. The sword bent like a bow, and then sprang out straight again. 

"A wonderful weapon, indeed, " said Ramses. 

"If Thou permit, O viceroy, I will show thee another of its qualities, "said Sargon, who, with the chance to praise Assyrian arms, which atthat time were excellent, forgot his anger. 

At his request one of the Egyptian officers unsheathed a bronze swordand held it as if to attack. Then Sargon raised his steel blade, struckand cut a slice from the weapon of the other man. 

In the hall rose a murmur of astonishment, and an intense flush cameout on the face of Ramses. 

"That foreigner, " thought he, "took the bull from me in the circus, hewishes to marry Kama, and now he shows a sword which cuts our bladesinto shavings. "

And he felt a still deeper hatred toward King Assar, toward allAssyrians in general, and toward Sargon especially. But he endeavoredto command himself, and with politeness begged the envoy to show thosegifts intended for the pharaoh. 

They brought immediately immense packs made of fragrant wood; from oneof these the higher Assyrian officials took articles, goblets, pitchers, steel weapons, bows made of goat horns, gilded weapons, andshields set with jewels. 

But the most splendid gift was a model of King Assar's palace in goldand silver. It looked like three edifices, the second smaller than thefirst, the third smaller than the second; the second built upon thefirst, the third upon the second. Each was surrounded thickly bycolumns, and instead of a roof had a flat pavement. Each entrance wasguarded by lions or winged bulls with human heads. On both sides of thestairs stood statues of vassals of the king, bearing gifts; on bothsides of the entrance were carved horses in various positions. Sargonremoved one wall of the model, and showed rich chambers filled withpriceless furniture. Special wonder was roused by the audience hall, where were figures representing the king on a lofty throne, and nearhim courtiers, warriors, and vassals giving homage. 

The entire model was as long as twice the height of a man, and almostas high as the height of one man. The Egyptians whispered that thatgift alone was worth a hundred and fifty talents. 

When the packs were carried out, the heir invited the ambassadors andtheir retinue to a feast, during which abundant gifts were bestowed onthe Assyrians. Ramses pushed his politeness so far that when one of thewomen pleased Sargon the prince presented her to the ambassador, ofcourse with her consent and the permission of her mother. 

The prince was polite and bountiful, but his face was still clouded. And when Tutmosis asked him if King Assar had not a beautiful palace, the prince answered, "Its ruins on the ashes of Nineveh would be more beautiful to my eyes. "

At that feast the Assyrians were very abstemious. Notwithstanding theabundance of wine, they drank little, and did not shout greatly. Sargondid not even once burst into loud laughter, though that was his custom;he cast down his eyes and thought deeply. 

But the two priests Istubar, the Chaldean, and Mentezufis, the Egyptianwere calm, like men to whom the future is known, and who command it. 

CHAPTER XXXVI

AFTER his reception by the viceroy, Sargon delayed at Pi-Bast, waitingfor letters from the pharaoh at Memphis. Meanwhile strange reportsbegan to circulate among officers and nobles. 

The Phoenicians told, of course as the greatest secret, that thepriests, it was unknown for what reason, not only forgave the Assyriansthe unpaid tribute, not only freed them once and for all time frompaying it, but, besides, to facilitate some northern war for theAssyrians, had concluded a treaty of peace for many years with them. 

"The pharaoh, " said the Phoenicians, "on learning of these concessionsto Assyria fell very ill. Prince Ramses is troubled, and goes aroundgrief-stricken. But both must give way to the priests, for they are notsure of the nobles and the army. "

This enraged the Egyptian aristocracy. 

"Is it possible?" whispered magnates who were in debt. "Does thedynasty not trust us? Have the priests undertaken to disgrace and ruinEgypt? For it is clear that if Assyria has a war in the distant northsomewhere, now is just the time to attack her and fill the reducedtreasury of the pharaoh and the aristocracy with plunder. "

One and another of the young lords made bold to ask the prince what hethought of Assyrians. Ramses was silent, but the gleam in his eyes andhis fixed lips expressed his feelings sufficiently. 

"It is clear, " whispered the lords, later on, "that this dynasty isbound by the priesthood. It yields not its confidence to nobles; greatmisfortunes are threatening Egypt. "

Silent anger was soon turned into secret councils, which had even thesemblance of conspiracy. Though many persons took part in this action, the priests were self-confident, or knew nothing of this in theirblindness; and Sargon, though he felt the existing hatred, did notattach to it importance. He learned that Prince Ramses disliked him, but that he attributed to the event in the arena, and to his jealousyin the affair of the priestess. Confident, however, in his position asambassador, he drank, feasted, and slipped away almost every evening toKama, who received with increasing favor his courting and his presents. 

Such was the condition of mind in the higher circles, when on a certainnight the holy Mentezufis rushed to the prince's dwelling, and declaredthat he must see the viceroy immediately. 

The courtiers answered that one of his women was visiting their lord, and that they would not disturb him. But when Mentezufis insisted withincreasing emphasis, they called out Ramses. 

The prince appeared after a time, and was not even angry. 

"What is this?" asked he of the priest. "Are we at war, that Thoutakest the trouble to visit me at an hour like the present?"

Mentezufis looked diligently at the prince, and sighed deeply. 

"Has the prince not gone out all the evening?" inquired he. 

"Not a step. "

"Can I give a priest's word for this?"

The heir was astonished. 

"It seems to me, " answered he, haughtily, "that thy word is not needed, since I have given mine. What does this mean?"

They withdrew to a special chamber. 

"Dost Thou know, lord, " asked the excited priest, "what has happened, perhaps an hour since? Some young men attacked the worthy Sargon andclubbed him. "

"Who were they? Where did this happen?"

"At the villa of a Phoenician priestess named Kama, " answeredMentezufis, watching the face of the heir sharply. 

"Daring fellows, " said the prince, shrugging his shoulders, "to attacksuch a stalwart man! I suppose that more than one bone was broken inthat struggle. "

"But to attack an ambassador! Consider, worthy lord, an ambassadorprotected by the majesty of Assyria and Egypt, " said the priest. 

"Ho! ho!" laughed the prince. "Then King Assar sends ambassadors evento Phoenician dancers?"

Mentezufis was confused. All at once he tapped his forehead, and criedout also, with laughter, "See, prince, what a simple man I am, unfamiliar with ceremonies. Iforgot that Sargon, strolling about in the night near the house of asuspected woman, is not an ambassador, but an ordinary person. "

After a while he added, "In every case something evil has happened. Sargon may conceive adislike for us. "

"Priest! O priest!" cried Ramses, shaking his head. "Thou hastforgotten this, a thing of much more importance, that Egypt has no needto fear or even care for the good or bad feeling toward her, not merelyof Sargon, but King Assar. "

Mentezufis was so confused by the appositeness of the remark, that, instead of an answer, he bowed, muttering, "Prince, the gods have given thee the wisdom of high priests, may theirnames be blessed! I wanted to issue an order to search for theseinsolents, but now I prefer to follow thy advice, for Thou art a sageabove sages. Tell me, therefore, lord, what I am to do with Sargon andthose turbulent young people. "

"First of all, wait till morning. As a priest, Thou knowest best thatdivine sleep often brings good counsel. "

"But if before morning I think out nothing?"

"I will visit Sargon in every case, and try to efface that littleaccident from his memory. "

The priest took farewell of Ramses with marks of respect. On the wayhome, he pondered. 

"I will let the heart be torn out of my breast, " thought he, "if theprince had to do with that business. He neither beat Sargon, norpersuaded another to beat him; he did not even know of the incident. Whoso judges an affair with such coolness and so pointedly cannot be aconfederate. In that case I can begin an investigation, and if we donot mollify the shaggy barbarian I will deliver the disturbers tojustice. Beautiful treaty of friendship between two states, whichbegins by insulting the ambassador!"

Next morning the lordly Sargon lay on his felt couch till midday. Helay thus rather frequently, however, that is, after each drinking-feast. Near him, on a low divan, sat the devout Istubar, with eyesfixed on the ceiling, while muttering a prayer. 

"Istubar, " sighed the dignitary, "art Thou sure that no man of ourcourt knows of my misfortune?"

"Who could know, if Thou hast seen no one?"

"But the Egyptians!" groaned Sargon. 

"Of the Egyptians Mentezufis and the prince know, yes, and those madmenwho surely will remember thy fists for a long time. "

"They may they may; but it seems to me that the heir was among them, and that his nose is crushed, if not broken. "

"The heir has a sound nose, and he was not there, I assure thee. "

"In that case, " sighed Sargon, "the prince should impale a good numberof those rioters on stakes. I am an ambassador; my person is sacred. "

"But I tell thee, " counseled Istubar, "to cast anger from thy heart, and not to complain even; for if those rioters are arraigned before acourt, the whole world will learn that the ambassador of the mostworthy King Assar goes about among Phoenicians, and, what is worse, visits them alone during night hours. What wilt Thou answer if thymortal enemy, the chancellor Lik-Bagus, asks thee, 'Sargon, whatPhoenicians didst Thou see, and of what was thy discourse with them atnight, outside their temple '?"

Sargon sighed, if sounds like the growling of a lion are to be calledsighs. 

That moment one of the Assyrian officers rushed in. He knelt down, struck the pavement with his forehead, and said to Sargon, "Light of our lord's eyes! There is a crowd of magnates and dignitariesof Egypt before the entrance, and at the head of them the heir himself, with the evident intention of giving thee homage. "

But before Sargon could utter a command, the prince was in the door ofthe chamber. He pushed the gigantic watch aside, and approached thefelts quickly, while the confused ambassador, with widely opened eyes, knew not what to do, to flee naked to another chamber, or hide beneaththe covers. 

On the threshold stood a number of Assyrian officers, astonished at theinvasion of the heir in opposition to every etiquette. But Istubar madea sign to them, and they vanished. 

The prince was alone; he had left his suite in the courtyard. 

"Be greeted, O ambassador of a great king, and guest of the pharaoh. Ihave come to visit thee and inquire if Thou hast need of anything, alsoto learn if time and desire will permit thee to ride in my company on ahorse from my father's stables, surrounded by our suites in a mannerbecoming an ambassador of the mighty Assar, may he live througheternity!"

Sargon listened as he lay there, without understanding a syllable. Butwhen Istubar interpreted the words of the Egyptian viceroy, theambassador felt such delight that he beat his head against the couch, repeating the names Ramses and Assar. 

When he had calmed himself, and made excuses for the wretched state inwhich so worthy and famous a guest had found him, he added, "Do not take it ill, O lord, that an earthworm and a support of thethrone, as I am, show delight in a manner so unusual. But I am doublypleased at thy coming; first, because such a super-terrestrial honorhas come to me; second, because in my dull and worthless heart Ithought that thou, O lord, wert the author of my misfortune. It seemedto me that among the sticks which fell on my shoulders I felt thine, which struck, indeed, vigorously. "

The calm Istubar interpreted phrase after phrase to the prince. To thisthe heir, with genuine kingly dignity, answered, "Thou wert mistaken, O Sargon. If Thou thyself hadst not confessed theerror, I should command to count out fifty blows of a stick to thee, sothat Thou shouldst remember that persons like me do not attack one manwith a crowd, or in the night-time. "

Before the serene Istubar could finish the interpretation of thisspeech, Sargon had crawled up to the prince and embraced his legsearnestly. 

"A great lord! a great king!" cried he. "Glory to Egypt, that has sucha ruler. "

To this the prince answered, "I will say more, Sargon. If an attack was made on thee yesterday, Iassure thee that no one of my courtiers made it. For I judge that a manof such strength as Thou art must have broken more than one skull. Butmy attendants are unharmed, every man of them. "

"He has told truth, and spoken wisely, " whispered Sargon to Istubar. 

"But though, " continued the prince, "this evil deed has happened, notthrough my fault, or through that of my attendants, I feel bound todecrease thy dissatisfaction with a city in which Thou wert met sounworthily; hence I have visited thy bedchamber; hence I open to theethy house at all times, as often as them mayst wish to visit it, and Ibeg thee to accept this small gift from me. "

The prince drew forth from his tunic a chain set with rubies andsapphires. 

The gigantic Sargon shed tears; this moved the prince but did notaffect the indifference of Istubar. The priest saw that Sargon hadtears, joy, or anger, at call, as befitted the ambassador of a kingfull of wisdom. 

The viceroy sat a moment longer, and then took farewell of Sargon. While going out, he thought that the Assyrians, though barbarians, werenot evil minded, since they knew how to respond to magnanimity. 

Sargon was so touched that he gave order immediately to bring wine, andhe drank from midday till evening. 

Some time after sunset the priest, Istubar, left Sargon's chamber for awhile; he returned soon, but through a concealed doorway. Behind himappeared two men in dark mantles. When they had pushed their cowlsaside, Sargon recognized in one the high priest Mefres, in the otherMentezufis the prophet. 

"We bring thee, worthy ambassador, good news, " said Mefres. 

"May I be able to give you the like, " cried the ambassador. "Be seated, holy and worthy fathers. And though I have reddened eyes, speak to meas if I were in perfect soberness; for when I am drunk my mind isimproved even. Is this not true, Istubar?"

"Speak on, " said the Chaldean. 

"Today, " began Mentezufis, "I have received a letter from the mostworthy minister Herhor. He writes that his holiness may he live througheternity! awaits thy embassy at Memphis in his wonderful palace, andthat his holiness may he live through eternity! is well disposed tomake a treaty with Assyria. "

Sargon tottered on his feet, but his eyes showed clear mental action. 

"I will go, " said he, "to his holiness the pharaoh, may he live througheternity! In the name of my lord I will put my seal on the treaty, ifit be written on bricks in cuneiform letters, for I do not understandyour writing. I will lie even all day on my belly before his holiness, and will sign the treaty. But how will ye carry it out, ha! ha! ha!that I know not, " concluded he, with rude laughter. 

"How darest thou, O servant of the great Assar, doubt the good-will andfaith of our ruler?" inquired Mentezufis. 

Sargon grew a little sobered. 

"I do not speak of his holiness, " replied he, "but of the heir to thethrone of Egypt. "

"He is a young man full of wisdom, who will carry out the will of hisfather and the supreme council without hesitation, " answered Mefres. 

"Ha! ha! ha!" laughed the drunken barbarian again. "Your prince O gods, put my joints out if I speak an untruth, when I say that I should wishAssyria to have such an heir as he is. Our Assyrian heir is a sage, apriest. He, before going to war, looks first at the stars in the sky;afterward he looks under hens' tails. But yours would examine to seehow many troops he had; he would learn where the enemy was camping, andfall on him as an eagle on a lamb. He is a leader, he is a king! He isnot of those who obey priestly counsels. He will take counsel with hisown sword, and ye will have to carry out what he orders. Therefore, though I sign a treaty, I shall tell my lord that behind the sickpharaoh and the wise priests there is in Egypt a young heir to thethrone who is a lion and a bull in one person, a man on whose lipsthere is honey, but in whose heart lies a thunderbolt. "

"And Thou wilt tell an untruth, " interrupted Mentezufis. "For ourprince, though impulsive and riotous somewhat, as is usual with youngpeople, knows how to respect both the counsel of sages and the highestinstitutions of the country. "

"O ye sages learned in letters, ye who know the circuits of the stars!"said Sargon, jeering. "I am a simple commander of troops, who withoutmy seal would not always be able to scratch off my signature. Ye aresages, I am unlearned; but by the beard of my king, I would not changewhat I know for your wisdom. Ye are men to whom the world of papyrusand brick is laid bare; but the real world in which men live is closedto you. I am unlearned, but I have the sniff of a dog; and, as a dogsniffs a bear from a distance; so I with reddened nose sniff a hero. 

"Ye will give counsel to the prince! But ye are charmed by him already, as a dove is by a serpent. I, at least, do not deceive myself; and, though the prince is as kind to me as my own father, I feel through myskin that he hates me and my Assyrians as a tiger hates an elephant. Ha! ha! Only give him an army, and in three months he would be atNineveh, if soldiers would rise up to him in the desert instead offalling down and dying. "

"Even though Thou wert speaking truth, " interrupted Mentezufis, "evenif the prince wished to go to Nineveh, he will not go. "

"But who will detain him when he is the pharaoh?"

"We. "

"Ye? ye? Ha! ha! ha!" laughed Sargon. "Ye think always that that youngman does not feel this treaty. But I but I ha! ha! ha! I will let theskin be torn from me, and my body be impaled if he does not knoweverything. "

"Would the Phoenicians be so quiet if they possessed not the certaintythat your young lion of Egypt would shield them before the bull ofAssyria?"

Mentezufis and Mefres looked at each other stealthily. The genius ofthe barbarian almost terrified them; he had given bold utterance tothat which they had not thought of. What would the result be, indeed, if the heir had divined their plans and wished to cross them?

But Istubar, silent thus far, rescued them from momentary trouble. 

"Sargon, " said he, "Thou art interfering in affairs not thy own. Thyduty is to conclude with Egypt a treaty of the kind that our lordwishes. But what the heir knows or does not know, what he will do orwill not do, is not thy affair, since the supreme, eternally existentpriestly council assures us that the treaty will be executed. In whatway it will be executed is not a question for our heads. "

The dry tone with which Istubar declared this calmed the riotous joy ofthe ambassador. He nodded and muttered, "A pity for the man in that case! He is a grand warrior, andmagnanimous. "

CHAPTER XXXVII

AFTER their visit to Sargon the two holy men, Mentezufis and Mefres, when they had concealed themselves carefully with their burnouses, returned home, meditating deeply. 

"Who knows, " said Mentezufis, "that the view of that drunken Sargonconcerning our prince is not the right one?"

"In that case Istubar's view is still more correct, " answered Mefres, decidedly. 

"Still, let us not be too hasty. We should examine the prince first, "remarked Mentezufis. 

"Let us do so. "

"In fact, both priests went to the heir next morning with very seriousfaces, and asked for a confidential talk with him. 

"What has happened?" inquired the prince. "Has his worthiness Sargongone on some new night embassy?"

"Alas! the question for us is not of Sargon, " answered Mefres. "Butreports are current among people that thou, most worthy lord, artmaintaining relations continually with unbelieving Phoenicians. "

From these words the prince divined why the two prophets had made thevisit, and the blood boiled in him. But he saw at once that this wasthe beginning of a play between the priests and him, and, as became theson of a pharaoh, he mastered himself in one instant. His face assumedan expression of innocent curiosity. 

"The Phoenicians are dangerous, born enemies of Egypt, " said Mefres. 

The heir smiled. 

"Holy fathers, if ye would lend me money, and if ye had beautifulmaidens in your temples, I should see you oftener. But as things are, Imust be friendly with Phoenicians. "

"Men say, Erpatr, that Thou dost visit that Phoenician woman duringnight hours. "

"I must till the girl gains wit and moves to my house. But have nofear, I go with a sword; and if any man should bar the way to me. "

"But through that Phoenician woman Thou hast conceived repulsion forKing Assar's envoy. "

"Not through her by any means, but because Sargon smells of tallow. Butwhither does this lead? Ye, holy fathers, are not overseers of mywomen; I think that the worthy Sargon has not committed his to you. What is your desire?"

Mefres was so confused that blushes appeared on his shaven forehead. 

"It is true, worthiness, " answered he, "thy love affairs and themethods therein do not pertain to us. But there is a worse thing, people are astonished that the cunning Hiram lent thee a hundredtalents with such readiness, even without a pledge. "

The prince's lips quivered, but again he answered quietly, "It is no fault of mine that Hiram has more trust in my words than haverich Egyptians! He knows that I would rather yield the arms which Iinherit from my grandfather than fail to pay the money due him. Itseems to me that he must be at rest concerning interest, since he hasnot mentioned it. I do not think of hiding from you, holy fathers, thatthe Phoenicians are more dexterous than Egyptians. Our wealthy menwould make some faces before lending me one hundred talents; they wouldgroan, make me wait a month, and at last demand immense pledges and ahigh rate of interest. But Phoenicians know the hearts of princesbetter; they give us money even without a judge or witnesses. "

The high priest was so irritated by this quiet banter that he pressedhis lips together and was silent. Mentezufis rescued him by askingquickly, "What wouldst Thou say, worthiness, were we to make a treaty withAssyria, yielding northern Asia and Phoenicia?"

While asking this question, he had his eyes fixed on the face of theheir. But Ramses answered him with perfect calmness, "I should say that only traitors could persuade the pharaoh to makesuch a treaty. "

Both priests started up. Mefres raised his hands; Mentezufis clinchedhis fist. 

"But if danger to the state demanded it?" insisted Mentezufis. 

"What do ye wish of me?" burst out the prince. "Ye interfere with mydebts and women, ye surround me with spies, ye dare reproach me, andnow ye give me some sort of traitorous queries. Now I will tell you: I, if ye were to poison me, would not sign a treaty like the one yemention. Luckily that does not depend on me, but on his holiness, whosewill we must all obey. "

"What wouldst Thou do, then, wert Thou the pharaoh?"

"What the honor and the profit of the state demanded. "

"Of that I doubt not, " said Mentezufis. "But what dost Thou considerthe profit of the state? Where are we to look for indications?"

"Why is the supreme council in existence?" asked Ramses, with feignedauger this time. "Ye say this council is made up of all the greatsages. In that case let them take on themselves responsibility for atreaty which I should look on as a shame and as destruction. "

"Whence dost Thou know, worthiness, that thy godlike father would notact in just such a manner?"

"Why ask me, then, of this matter? What investigation is this? Whogives you the right to pry into my heart?"

Ramses feigned to be so mightily indignant that the priests weresatisfied. 

"Thou speakest, prince, " said Mefres, "as becomes a good Egyptian. Sucha treaty would pain us, too; but danger to the state forces men toyield temporarily to circumstances. "

"What forces you to yield?" cried the prince. "Have we lost a greatbattle, or have we no army?"

"The oarsmen on the boat in which Egypt is sailing through the river ofeternity are gods, " replied Mefres, with solemnity; "but the steersmanis the Highest Lord of existence. The oarsmen stop frequently, or turnthe boat so as to avoid dangerous eddies which we do not even notice. In such cases we need only patience and obedience, for which, later orearlier, a liberal reward will meet us, surpassing all that mortal mancan imagine. "

After this statement the priests took farewell. They were full of hopethat the prince, though angry because of the treaty, would not breakit, and would assure to Egypt the time of rest which she needed. Aftertheir departure the prince called his adjutant. When alone withTutmosis, his long restrained auger and sorrow burst forth. He threwhimself on a couch; he writhed like a serpent, he struck his head withhis fists, and shed tears even. 

The frightened Tutmosis waited till the access of rage had subsided;then he gave Ramses wine and water, and fumed him with calmingperfumes; finally he sat near his lord and inquired the cause of thisunmanly outburst. 

"Sit here, " said the prince, without rising. "Knowest thou, I am todayconvinced that our priests have concluded an infamous treaty withAssyria; without war, without demands even from the other side! CanstThou imagine what we are losing?"

"Dagon told me that the Assyrians wished to take Phoenicia. But thePhoenicians are now less alarmed, for King Assar has a war on thenortheastern boundaries. A very valiant and numerous people inhabitthat region; hence it is unknown what the end of this affair may be. The Phoenicians will have peace for a couple of years in every case, time in which to prepare defense and find allies. "

The prince waved his hand impatiently. 

"See, " said he, interrupting Tutmosis, "even Phoenicia is arming herown people, and perhaps all the neighbors who surround her; in everycase, we lose the unpaid tribute of Asia, which reaches hast Thou heardthe like? more than a hundred thousand talents. "

"A hundred thousand talents, " repeated the prince. "O gods! but such asum would fill the treasury of the pharaoh. And were we to attackAssyria at the right season, in Nineveh alone, in the single palace ofAssar, we should find inexhaustible treasures. Think how many slaves wecould take, half a million a million, people of gigantic strength, andso wild that captivity in Egypt with the hardest labor on canals or inquarries would seem play to them. The fertility of the land would beincreased; in the course of a few years our people, now wretched, wouldrest, and before the last Assyrian slave had died, the state wouldregain its ancient might and well-being. And the priests are destroyingall this by the aid of a few silver tablets, and a few bricks markedwith arrow-headed signs understood by no Egyptian. "

When he had heard the complaints of the prince, Tutmosis rose from thearmchair and looked carefully through the adjoining chambers to see ifsome one in them were listening; then he sat down again near Ramses, and whispered, "Be of good heart, lord. As far as I know, the entire aristocracy, allthe nomarchs, all the higher officers have heard something of thistreaty and are indignant. Only give the sign and we will break thesebrick treaties on the head of Sargon, even on the head of King Assar. "

"But that would be rebellion against his holiness, " replied the prince, also in a whisper. Tutmosis put on a sad face. 

"I should not like, " said he, "to make thy heart bleed, but thy father, who is equal to the highest god, has a grievous illness. "

"That is not true!" said the prince, springing up. "It is true; but letnot people see that Thou knowest this. His holiness is greatly weariedby his stay on earth, and desires to leave it. But the priests hold himback, and do not summon thee to Memphis, so that the treaty withAssyria may be signed without opposition. "

"But they are traitors, traitors!" whispered the enraged prince. 

"Therefore Thou wilt have no difficulty in breaking the treaty whenThou shalt inherit power after thy father, may lie live througheternity!"

Ramses thought awhile. 

"It is easier, " said he, "to sign a treaty than to break it. " "It iseasy also to break a treaty, " laughed Tutmosis. "Are there not in Asiaunorganized races which attack our boundaries? Does not the godlikeNitager stand on guard with his army to repulse them and carry war intotheir countries? Dost Thou suppose that Egypt will not find armed menand treasures for the war? We will go, all of us, for each man can gainsomething, and in some way make his life independent. Treasures arelying in the temples but the labyrinth. "

"Who will take them from the labyrinth?" asked the prince, doubtingly. 

"Who? Any nomarch, any officer, any noble will take them if he has acommand from the pharaoh, and the minor priests will show the way tosecret places. "

"They would not dare to do so. The punishment of the gods. "

Tutmosis waved his hand contemptuously. 

"But are we slaves or shepherds, to fear gods whom Greeks andPhoenicians revile, and whom any mercenary warrior will insult and gounpunished?"

"The priests have invented silly tales about gods, tales to which theythemselves attach no credit. Thou knowest that they recognize only theOne in temples. They perform miracles, too, at which they laugh. 

"Only the lowest people strike the earth with their foreheads beforestatues in the old way. Even working women have doubts now about theall-might of Osiris, Set, and Horus; the scribes cheat the gods inaccounts, and the priests use them as a lock and chain to secure theirtreasures. "

"Oho!" continued Tutmosis; "the clays have passed when all Egyptbelieved in everything announced from temples. At present we insult thePhoenician gods, the Phoenicians insult our gods, and no thunderboltstrikes any man of us. "

The viceroy looked carefully at Tutmosis. 

"How did such thoughts come to thy head?" inquired he. "But it is notso long ago that Thou wouldst pale at the very mention of thepriesthood. "

"Yes, because I felt alone. But today, after I have seen that all thenobles understand as I, I feel encouraged. "

"But who told thee and the nobles of that treaty with Assyria?"

"Dagon and other Phoenicians, " answered Tutmosis. "They even said thatwhen the time came they would rouse Asiatic races to rebellion, so thatour troops might have a pretext to cross the boundaries, and when onceon the road to Nineveh, the Phoenicians and their allies would join us. And thy army would be larger than that which Ramses the Great hadbehind him, "

This zeal of the Phoenicians did not please the heir, but he was silenton that subject. 

"But what will happen if the priests learn of your conversations?"inquired he. "None of you will escape death, be sure of that. "

"They will learn nothing, " replied Tutmosis, joyfully. "They trust toomuch in their power, they pay their spies badly, and have disgusted allEgypt with their pride and rapacity. Moreover, the aristocracy, thearmy, the scribes, the laborers, even the minor priests are onlywaiting for the signal to attack the temples, take out the treasures, and lay them at the feet of the pharaoh. When their treasures fail, alltheir power will be lost to the holy fathers. They will cease even towork miracles, for to work them gold rings are needed. "

The prince turned conversation to other subjects and gave Tutmosis thesign of withdrawal. When alone, he began to meditate. 

He would have been enchanted at the hostile disposition of the noblestoward the priests, and the warlike instincts of the higher classes, ifthe enthusiasm had not broken out so suddenly, and if Phoenicians werenot concealed behind it. This enjoined caution, for he understood thatin the affairs of Egypt it was better to trust the patriotism ofpriests than the friendship of Phoenicians. He recalled, however, hisfather's words, that Phoenicians were truth-speaking and faithfulwhenever truth was in their interest. Beyond doubt the Phoenicians hada great interest in not falling under control of Assyria. And it waspossible to depend on them as allies in case of war, for the defeat ofEgypt would injure, first of all, Phoenicia. 

On the other hand, Ramses did not admit that Egyptian priests, evenwhen concluding such a harmful treaty with Assyria, thought of treason. No, they were not traitors, they were slothful dignitaries. Peaceagreed with them, for during peace their treasures grew, and theyincreased their influence. They did not wish for war, since war wouldraise the pharaoh's power, and impose on them a grievous outlay. 

So the young prince, despite his inexperience, understood that be mustbe cautious, that he must not hasten, that he must not condemn, butalso that he must not trust too much. He had decided on war withAssyria, not because the nobles and the pharaoh desired it, but becauseEgypt needed slaves and also treasures. 

But in making war he wished to make it with judgment. He wished tobring the priestly order to it gradually, and only in case ofopposition to crush that order through the nobles and the army. 

And just when the holy Mefres and Mentezufis were jeering at thepredictions of Sargon, who said that the heir would not yield to thepriests but force them to obedience, the prince had a plan to subjectthem. And he saw what power he possessed for that purpose. The momentto begin the war and the means of waging it he left to the future. 

"Time will bring the best counsels, " said he to himself. 

He was calm and satisfied, like a man who after long hesitation knowswhat he must do, and has faith in his own abilities. So then, to freehimself of even the traces of his recent indignation, he went to Sarah. Amusement with his little son always calmed him, and filled his heartwith serenity. 

He passed the garden, entered Sarah's villa, and found her in tearsagain. 

"Oh, Sarah!" cried he, "if the Nile were in thy bosom Thou wouldst weepit all away. "

"I will not weep any longer, " said she; but a more abundant streamflowed from her eyes. 

"What is this?" asked the prince; "or hast Thou brought in some witchagain who frightens thee with Phoenician women?"

"I am not afraid of Phoenician women, but of Phoenicia, " said Sarah;"Thou knowest not, lord, what bad people the Phoenicians are. "

"Do they burn children?" laughed Ramses. 

"Thou thinkest that they do not?" asked she, looking at him with greateyes. 

"A fable! I know, besides, from Prince Hiram, that that is a fable. "

"Hiram!" cried Sarah, "Hiram! but he is the most wicked of all! Ask myfather, and he will tell thee bow Hiram entices young girls of distantcountries to his ships, and raising the sails takes away theunfortunates to sell them. Even we had a bright-haired slave girlstolen by Hiram. She became insane from sorrow for her country. But shecould not even say where her country was; and she died. Such is Hiram, such is that vile Dagon, and all those wretches. "

"Perhaps; but how does this concern us?" inquired Ramses. 

"Very much. Thou, O lord, art listening to Phoenician counsels; but ourJews have learned that Phoenicia wants to raise a war between Egypt andAssyria. Even their first bankers and merchants have bound themselvesby dreadful oaths to raise it. "

"Why should they want war?" inquired the prince, with apparentindifference. 

"Because they will furnish arms to you and to Assyrians; they willfurnish, also, supplies and information, and for everything theyfurnish they will make you pay ten prices. They will plunder the deadand wounded of both armies. They will buy slaves from your warriors andfrom the Assyrians. Is that little? Egypt and Assyria will ruinthemselves, but the Phoenicians will build up new storehouses withwealth from both sides!"

"Who explained such wisdom to thee?" asked the prince, smiling. 

"Do I not hear my father and our relatives and friends whispering ofthis, while they look around in dread lest some one may hear what theyare saying? Besides, do I not know the Phoenicians? They lie prostratebefore thee, but Thou dost not note their deceitful looks; often have Iseen their eyes green with greed and yellow from anger. O lord, guardthyself from Phoenicians as from venomous serpents. "

Ramses looked at Sarah, and involuntarily he compared her sincere lovewith the calculations of the Phoenician priestess, her outbursts oftenderness with the treacherous coldness of Kama. 

"Indeed, " thought he, "the Phoenicians are poisonous reptiles. But ifRamses the Great used a lion in war, why should I not use a serpentagainst the enemies of Egypt?"

And the more plastically he pictured to himself the perversity of Kama, the more did he desire her. At times heroic souls seek out danger. 

He took farewell of Sarah, and suddenly, it is unknown for what reason, he remembered that Sargon had suspected him of taking part in theattack on his person. 

The prince struck his forehead. 

"Did that second self of mine, " thought he, "arrange the attack on theambassador? But if he did, who persuaded him? Was it Phoenicians? Butif they wished to connect my person with such a vile business? Sarahsays, justly, that they are scoundrels against whom I should guardmyself always. "

Straightway anger rose in him, and he determined to settle thequestion. Since evening was just coming, Ramses, without going home, went to Kama. 

It concerned him little that he might be recognized; besides, in caseof need, he had a sword on his person. 

There was light in the villa of the priestess, but there was no servantat the entrance. 

"Thus far, " thought he, "Kama has sent away her servants when I was tocome. Had she a feeling that I would come today, or will she receive amore fortunate lover?"

He ascended one story, stood before the chamber of the priestess, andpushed aside the curtain quickly. In the chamber were Kama and Hiram;they were whispering. 

"Oh, I come at the wrong time!" said Ramses, laughing. "Well, prince, art thou, too, paying court to a woman who cannot be gracious to menunless death be the penalty?"

Hiram and the priestess sprang from their seats. 

"Thou wert forewarned by some good spirit that we were speaking ofthee, that is clear, " said the Phoenician, bowing. 

"Are ye preparing some surprise for me?" inquired the heir. 

"Perhaps. Who can tell?" answered Kama, with a challenging expression. 

"May those who in future wish to surprise me not expose their own necksto the axe or the halter; if they do, they will surprise themselvesmore than me. "

The smile grew cold on Kama's half-open lips; Hiram, now pale, answeredhumbly, "How have we earned the anger of our lord and guardian?"

"I would know the truth, " said Ramses, sitting down and lookingthreateningly at Hiram. "I would know who arranged an attack on theAssyrian ambassador, and associated in that villainy a man resemblingme as much as my two hands resemble each other?"

"Seest, Kama, " said the frightened Hiram, "I told thee that intimacywith that ruffian would bring great misfortune And here it is! We havenot waited long to see it. "

The priestess fell at the prince's feet. 

"I will tell all, " cried she, groaning; "only cast from thy heart, lord, anger against Phoenicians. Slay me, imprison me, but be not angryat Phoenicians. "

"Who attacked Sargon?"

"Lykon, the Greek, who sings in our temples, " said the priestess, stillkneeling. 

"Aha! it was he, then, who was singing outside thy house, and heresembles me greatly?"

Hiram bent his head and placed his hand on his heart. 

"We, lord, have paid that man bountifully because he is so like thee. We thought that his figure might serve thee should the need come. "

"And it has, " interrupted the prince. "Where is he? I wish to see thisperfect singer, this living picture of myself. "

Hiram held his hands apart. 

"The scoundrel has fled, but we will find him, " replied he, "unless heturns into a fly or an earthworm. "

"But Thou wilt forgive me, lord?" whispered the priestess, leaning onthe knees of the prince. 

"Much is forgiven women, " said Ramses. 

"And ye will not take vengeance on me?" asked she of Hiram, with fear. 

"Phoenicia, " replied the old man, deliberately and with emphasis, "forgives the greatest offence to that person who possesses the favorof our lord Ramses, may he live through eternity! As to Lykon, " addedhe, turning to the heir, "Thou wilt have him, dead or living. "

Hiram made a profound obeisance and went from the chamber, leaving theprince with the priestess. 

The blood rushed to Ramses' head; he embraced the kneeling Kama, andasked, "Hast Thou heard the words of the worthy Hiram? Phoenicia forgives theethe greatest offence! That man is faithful to me indeed. And if he hassaid that, what answer wilt Thou find?"

Kama kissed his hands, whispering, "Thou hast won me I am thy slave. But leave me in peace today, respectthe house which belongs to Astaroth. "

"Then Thou wilt remove to my palace?" asked the prince. 

"O gods, what hast Thou said? Since the sun first rose and set, nopriestess of As But this is difficult! Phoenicia, lord, gives thee aproof of attachment and honor such as no son of hers has received atany time. "

"Then?" interrupted the prince. 

"But not today, and not here, " implored Kama. 

CHAPTER XXXVIII, LEARNING from Hiram that the Phoenicians had given him the priestess, Ramses wished to have her in his house at the earliest, not because hecould not live without her, but because she had become for him anovelty. 

Kama delayed her coming; she implored the prince to leave her in peacetill the inflow of pilgrims diminished, and above all till the mostnoted among them should go from Pi-Bast. Were she to become hisfavorite during their presence, the income of the temple might decreaseand danger threaten the priestess. 

"Our sages and great men, " said she to Ramses, "would forgive me. Butthe common people would call the vengeance of the gods on my head, andthou, lord, knowest that the gods have long hands. "

"May they not lose these hands in thrusting them under my roof, " saidRamses. 

But he did not insist greatly, as his attention was much occupied atthat juncture. 

The Assyrian ambassadors, Sargon and Istubar, had gone to Memphis toput their names to the treaty. At the same time the pharaoh hadsummoned Ramses to give a report of his journey. 

The prince commanded his scribes to write accurately of all that hadhappened from the time of leaving Memphis; hence the review ofartisans, the visits to fields and factories, the conversations withnomarchs and officials. To present the report he appointed Tutmosis. 

"Thou wilt be heart and lips for me before the face of the pharaoh, "said the prince to him, "and this is what Thou must do there. 

"When the most worthy Herhor asks what, to my thinking, causes thepoverty of Egypt and the treasury, tell the minister to turn to hisassistant, Pentuer, and he will explain my views in the same way thathe did his own in the temple of Hator. 

"When Herhor wishes to know my opinion of a treaty with Assyria, answerthat my duty is to carry out the commands of my master. "

Tutmosis nodded in sign that he comprehended. 

"But, " continued the heir, "when Thou shalt stand in the presence of myfather, may he live through eternity! and convince thyself that no oneis listening, fall at his feet in my name, and say, "Our lord, thy son and servant, the worthy Ramses, to whom Thou hastgiven life and power, says the following, "'The cause of Egypt's suffering is the loss of fertile lands taken bythe desert, and the loss of men who die from want and hard labor. Butknow, our lord, that the damage caused thy treasury by priests is noless than that wrought by death and the desert; for not only are thetemples filled with gold and jewels, which would suffice to pay ourdebts entirely, but the holy fathers and the prophets have the bestlands, the best slaves and laborers, and lands far greater in extentthan those of the divine pharaoh. 

"'Thy son and slave, Ramses, says this to thee, he who all the time ofhis journey had his eyes open like a fish, and his ears set forwardlike an ass which is watching. '. "

The prince stopped. Tutmosis repeated the words mentally. 

"If, " continued the viceroy, "his holiness asks for my opinion of theAssyrians, fall on thy face and answer, "'Thy servant Ramses, if Thou permit, makes bold to say that theAssyrians are strong and large men, and have perfect weapons; but it isevident that they have bad training. At the heels of Sargon marched thebest Assyrian warriors, archers, axemen, spearmen, and still there werenot six among them who could march in line warrior fashion. Besidesthey carry their spears crookedly, their swords are badly hung, theybear their axes like carpenters or butchers. Their clothing is heavy, their rude sandals gall their feet, and their shields, though strong, are of small use, for the men are awkward. "

"Thou speakest truth, " said Tutmosis. "I have noticed that, and I haveheard the same from Egyptian officers who declare that Assyrian troops, like those which we saw here, would offer less resistance than thehordes of Libya. "

"Say also to our lord, who gives us life, that all the nobles and theEgyptian army are indignant at the mere report that Assyria might annexPhoenicia. Why, Phoenicia is the port of Egypt, and the Phoenicians thebest warriors in our navy. 

"Say, besides, that I have heard from Phoenicians (of this his holinessmust know best of all) that Assyria is weak at the moment, for she hasa war on her northern and eastern boundaries; all western Asia isarming against her. Should we attack today, we could win immensewealth, and take multitudes of captives who would help our slaves intheir labor. 

"But say, in conclusion, that the wisdom of my father excels that ofall men, therefore I shall do whatsoever he commands, if only he givesnot Phoenicia to King Assar; if he gives it, we are ruined. Phoeniciais the bronze door of our treasure-house, and where is the man whowould yield his door to a robber?"

Tutmosis went to Memphis in the month Paofi (July and August). 

The Nile was increasing mightily; hence the influx of Asiatic pilgrimsto the temple of Astaroth diminished. People of the place betookthemselves to the fields to gather with the utmost speed grapes, flax, and a certain plant which furnished cotton. 

In one word, the neighborhood grew quiet, and the gardens surroundingthe temples were almost deserted. 

At that time Prince Ramses, relieved from amusements and the duties ofthe state, turned to his love affair with Kama. On a certain day he hada secret consultation with Hiram, who at his command gave the temple ofAstaroth twelve talents in gold, a statue of the goddess wonderfullycarved out of malachite, fifty cows and of wheat one hundred and fiftymeasures. That was such a generous gift that the high priest of thetemple himself came to Ramses to fall prostrate and thank him for thefavor which, as he said, people who loved the goddess would rememberduring all the ages. 

Having settled with the temple, the prince summoned the chief of policein Pi-Bast and passed a long hour with him. Because of this the wholecity was shaken some days later under the influence of extraordinarytidings: Kama, the priestess of Astaroth, had been seized, borne awayand lost, like a grain of sand in a desert. 

This unheard-of event occurred under the following conditions: The highpriest of the temple sent Kama to the town Sabne-Chetam at LakeMenzaleh with offerings for the chapel of Astaroth in that place. Toavoid summer heat and secure herself against curiosity and the homageof people, the priestess journeyed in a boat and during night hours. Toward morning, when the three wearied rowers were dozing, boats mannedby Greeks and Hittites pushed out suddenly from among reeds at theshore, surrounded the boat bearing Kama, and carried off the priestess. The attack was so sudden that the Phoenician rowers made no resistance. The strangers gagged Kama, evidently, for she remained silent. TheGreeks and Hittites after the sacrilege vanished in the reeds, to sailtoward the sea afterward. To prevent pursuit they sank the boat whichhad borne the priestess. 

Pi-Bast was as excited as a beehive. People talked of nothing else. They even guessed who did the deed. Some suspected Sargon, who hadoffered Kama the title of wife if she would leave the temple and removeto Nineveh. Others suspected Lykon, the temple singer, who long hadburned with passion for the priestess. He was moreover rich enough tohire Greek slaves, and so godless that he would not hesitate to snatchaway a priestess. 

A Phoenician council of the richest and most faithful members wassummoned to the temple. The council resolved, first of all, to freeKama from her duties as priestess and remove from her the curse againsta virgin who lost her innocence in the service of the goddess. 

That was a wise and pious resolution, for if some one had carried offthe priestess and deprived her of sacredness against her will, it wouldhave been unjust to punish her. 

A couple of days later they announced, with sound of trumpet, toworshippers in the temple that the priestess Kama was dead, and if anyman should meet a woman seeming like her he would have no right to seekrevenge or even make reproaches. The priestess had not left thegoddess, but evil spirits had borne her off; for this they would bepunished. 

That same day the worthy Hiram visited Ramses and gave him in a goldtube a parchment furnished with a number of seals of priests andsignatures of Phoenician notables. 

That was the decision of the spiritual court of Astaroth, whichreleased Kama from her vows and freed her from the curse if she wouldrenounce the name which she had borne while priestess. 

The prince took this document and went after sundown to a certain lonevilla in his garden. He opened the door in some unknown way andascended one story to a room of medium dimensions, where by light froma carved lamp in which fragrant olive oil was burning, he saw Kama. 

"At last!" cried he, giving her the gold tube. "Thou hast everythingaccording to thy wishes. "

The Phoenician woman was feverish; her eyes flashed. She snatched thetube, looked at it, and threw it on the floor. 

"Dost think this gold?" asked she. "I will bet my necklace that thattube is copper, and only covered on both sides with thin strips ofgold. "

"Is that thy way of greeting me?" inquired the astonished Ramses. 

"Yes, for I know my brethren, " said she. "They counterfeit not onlygold, but rubies and sapphires. "

"Woman, " said the heir, "in this tube is thy safety. "

"What is safety to me? I am wearied in this place, and I am afraid. Ihave sat here four days as in prison. "

"Dost Thou lack anything?"

"I lack air, amusement, laughter, songs, people. O vengeful goddess, how harshly Thou art punishing!"

The prince listened with amazement. In that mad woman he could notrecognize the Kama whom he had seen in the temple, that woman overwhose person had floated the passionate song of the Greek Lykon. 

"Tomorrow, " said the prince, "Thou canst go to the garden; and when wevisit Memphis or Thebes, Thou wilt amuse thyself as never in thy lifebefore. Look at me. Do I not love thee, and is not the honor whichbelongs to me enough for a woman?"

"Yes, " answered she, pouting, "but Thou hadst four women before me. "

"But if Hove thee best?"

"If Thou love me best, make me first, put me in the palace which thatJewess Sarah occupies, and give a guard to me, not to her. Before thestatue of Astaroth I was first. Those who paid homage to the goddess, when kneeling before her, looked at me. But here what? Troops beatdrums and sound flutes; officials cross their hands on their breasts, and incline their heads before the house of the Jewess. "

"Before my first-born son, " interrupted the prince, now impatient, "andhe is no Jew. "

"He is a Jew!" screamed Kama. 

Ramses sprang up. 

"Art Thou mad?" but quieting himself quickly, he added, "Dost Thou notknow that my son cannot be a Jew"

"But I tell thee that he is a Jew!" cried Kama, beating the table withher fist. "He is a Jew, just as his grandfather is, just as his unclesare; and his name is Isaac. "

"What hast Thou said, Phoenician woman? Dost wish that I should turnthee out?"

"Turn me out if a lie has gone from my lips. But if I have spokentruth, turn out that woman with her brat and give me her palace. I wishand deserve to be first in thy household. She deceives thee, revilesthee. But, I for thy sake, have deserted my goddess and exposed myselfto her vengeance. "

"Give me proofs and the palace will be thine. No, that is false!" saidRamses. "Sarah would not permit such a crime. My first-born son!"

"Isaac Isaac!" cried Kama. "Go to her, and convince thyself. "

Ramses, half unconscious, ran out from Kama's house and turned towardSarah's villa. Though the night was starry, he lost his way andwandered a certain time through the garden. The cool air sobered him;he found the road to the villa and entered almost calmly. 

Though the hour was late, they were awake there. Sarah with her ownhands was washing swaddling-clothes for her son, and the servants werepassing their time in eating, drinking, and music. When Ramses, palefrom emotion, stood on the threshold, Sarah cried out, but soon calmedherself. 

"Be greeted, lord, " said she, wiping her wet hands and bending to hisfeet. 

"Sarah, what is the name of thy son?" inquired he. 

She seized her head in terror. 

"What is thy son's name?" repeated he. 

"But Thou knowest, lord, that it is Seti, " answered she, with a voicealmost inaudible. 

"Look me in the eyes. "

"O Jehovah!" whispered Sarah. 

"Thou seest that Thou art lying. And now I will tell thee, my son, theson of the heir to the throne of Egypt, is called Isaac and he is a Jewa low Jew. "

"O God, O God of mercy!" cried Sarah, throwing herself at his feet. 

Ramses did not raise his head for an instant, but his face was gray. 

"I was forewarned, " said he, "not to take a Jewess to my house. I wasdisgusted when I saw thy country place filled with Jews; but I kept mydisgust in subjection, for I trusted thee. But them, with thy Jews, hast stolen my son from me, Thou child thief!"

"The priests commanded that he should become a Jew, " whispered Sarah, sobbing at the feet of Ramses. 

"The priests! What priests?"

"The most worthy Herhor, the most worthy Mefres. They said that it mustbe so, that thy son would become the first king of the Jews. "

"The priests? Mefres?" repeated the prince. "King of the Jews? But Ihave told thee that thy son would become the chief of my archers, mysecretary. I told thee this, and thou, wretched woman, didst think thatthe title of king of the Jews was equal to that of my secretary andarcher. Mefres Herhor! Thanks to the gods that at last I understandthose dignitaries and know what fate they are preparing for mydescendants. "

He thought awhile, gnawing his lips. Suddenly he called with a powerfulvoice, "Hei, servants, warriors!"

The room was filled in the twinkle of an eye. Sarah's serving-womencame in, the scribe and manager of the house, then the slaves; finally, a few warriors with an officer. 

"Death!" cried Sarah, with a piercing voice. 

She rushed to the cradle, seized her son, and, standing in the cornerof the room, called out, "Kill me; but I will not yield my son!"

Ramses smiled. 

"Centurion, " said he to the officer, "take that woman with her childand conduct her to the building where my household slaves dwell. ThatJewess will not be mistress here; she is to be the servant of her whotakes this place. 

"And thou, steward, " said he, turning to the official, "see that theJewess does not forget, to-morrow morning, to wash the feet of hermistress, who will come hither directly. If this serving-woman shouldprove stubborn, she is to receive stripes at command of her mistress. Conduct the woman to the servants' quarters. "

The officer and steward approached Sarah, but stopped, as they darednot touch her; but there was no need to do so. 

Sarah wound a garment around the puling child, and left the room, whispering, "O God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, have mercy on us!"

She bowed low before the prince, and from her eyes tears flowed insilence. 

While she was still in the antechamber, Ramses heard her sweet voice, "God of Abraham Isa. "

When all was quiet, the viceroy called the officer and steward. 

"Go with torches to the house among the fig-trees. "

"I understand, " replied the steward. 

"And conduct hither, immediately, the woman who dwells there. "

"It will be done. "

"Thenceforth that woman will be thy mistress and the mistress of Sarah;the Jewess must wash the feet of her mistress every morning, pour waterto her, and hold a mirror before her. That is my will, my command. "

"It shall be accomplished, " said the steward. 

"And to-morrow morning Thou wilt tell me if the new servant isstubborn. "

When he had given these commands, he returned home; but he did notsleep that night. He felt that without raising his voice for a momenthe had crushed Sarah, the wretched Jewess, who had dared to deceivehim. He had punished her as a king who with one movement of the eyedashes people down from heights into the abyss of servitude. But Sarahwas merely an instrument of the priests, and the heir had too great afeeling of justice to forgive the real authors when he had broken theinstrument. 

His rage was intensified all the more because the priests wereunassailable. He might send out Sarah with her child in the middle ofthe night to the servants' house, but he could not deprive Herhor ofhis power, nor Mefres of the high priesthood. Sarah had fallen at hisfeet, like a trampled worm; but Herhor and Mefres, who had snatched hisfirst-born from him, towered above Egypt, and, oh, shame! above him, the corning pharaoh, like pyramids. 

And he could not tell how often in that year he had recalled the wrongswhich priests had inflicted. At school they had beaten him with stickstill his back was swollen, or had tortured him with hunger till hisstomach and spine had grown together. At the maneuvers of the yearpast, Herhor spoiled his whole plan, then put the blame on him, andtook away the command of an army corps. That same Herhor drew on Mm thedispleasure of his holiness because he had taken Sarah to his house, and did not restore him to honor till the humiliated prince had passeda couple of months in a voluntary exile. 

It would seem that when he had been leader of a corps and was viceroythe priests would cease tormenting him with their guardianship. Butjust then they appeared with redoubled energy. They had made himviceroy; for what purpose? to remove him from the pharaoh, and concludea shameful treaty with Assyria. They had used force in such form thathe betook himself to the temple as a penitent to obtain informationconcerning the condition of the state; there they deceived him throughmiracles and terrors, and gave thoroughly false explanations. 

Next they interfered with his amusements, his women, his relations withthe pharaoh, his debts, and, finally, to humiliate and render himridiculous in the eyes of Egyptians, they made his first-born a Hebrew. 

Where was the laborer, where the slave, where an Egyptian convict inthe quarries who had not the right to say, "I am better than thou, theviceroy, for no son of mine is a Hebrew. "

Feeling the weight of the insult, Ramses understood at the same timethat he could not avenge himself immediately. Hence he determined todefer that affair to the future. In the school of the priests he hadlearned self-command, in the court he had learned deceit and patience;those qualities became a weapon and a shield to him in his battle withthe priesthood. Till he was ready he would lead them into error, andwhen the moment came he would strike so hard that they would never riseagain. 

It began to dawn. The heir fell asleep, and when he woke the firstperson he saw was the steward of Sarah's villa. 

"What of the Jewess?" asked the prince. 

"According to thy command, worthiness, she washed the feet of her newmistress, " answered the official. 

"Was she stubborn?"

"She was full of humility, but not adroit enough; so the angry ladystruck the Jewess with her foot between the eyebrows. "

The prince sprang up. 

"And what did Sarah do?" inquired he, quickly. 

"She fell to the pavement. And when the new mistress commanded her togo, she went out, weeping noiselessly. "

The prince walked up and down in the chamber. 

"How did she pass the night?"

"The new lady?"

"No! I ask about Sarah. "

"According to command, Sarah went with her child to the servants'house. The women, from compassion, yielded a fresh mat to her, but shedid not lie down to sleep; she sat the whole night with her child onher knees. "

"But how is the child?" asked Ramses. 

"The child is well. This morning, when the Jewess went to serve her newmistress, the other women bathed the little one in warm water, and theshepherd's wife, who also has an infant, gave her breast to it. "

The prince stopped before the steward. 

"It is wrong, " said he, "when a cow instead of suckling its calf goesto the plough and is beaten. Though this Jewess has committed a greatoffence, I do not wish that her innocent child should be a sufferer. Therefore Sarah will not wash the feet of the new lady again, and willnot be kicked between the eyes by her a second time. Thou wilt setaside for her use in the servants' house a room with food and furnituresuch as are proper for a woman recovered recently from childbirth. Andlet her nourish her infant in peace there. "

"Live Thou through eternity, our ruler!" answered the steward; and heran quickly to carry out the commands of the viceroy. 

All the servants loved Sarah, and in a few days they had occasion tohate the angry and turbulent Kama. 

CHAPTER XXXIX

THE priestess brought little happiness to the viceroy. When he came thefirst time to visit her in the villa occupied recently by Sarah, hethought: "I shall be met with delight now and gratitude. "

Meanwhile Kama received him almost with anger. 

"What is this?" cried she. "A half day has passed, and that wretchedJewess is restored to thy favor. "

"Does she not dwell in the servants' house?" asked the prince. 

"But my steward says that she will wash my feet no longer. "

When the prince heard this, a feeling of disgust seized him. 

"Thou art not satisfied, I see, " said he. 

"I shall not be satisfied till I humiliate that Jewess, " cried Kama, "till she, by serving me and kneeling at my feet, forgets that she wasonce thy first woman and the mistress of this villa. I shall not besatisfied till my servants cease to look at me with fear and withoutconfidence, and on her with compassion. "

The Phoenician woman was less and less pleasing to Ramses. 

"Kama, " said he, "consider what I tell thee: If a servant here were tokick in the teeth a female dog that was suckling its young, I shouldhunt that servant out of this villa. Thou hast struck with thy footbetween the eyes a woman and a mother. In Egypt mother is a great word. A good Egyptian reverences three things beyond all others, the gods, the pharaoh, and his own mother. "

"Oh, woe to me!" cried Kama, throwing herself on the couch. "Here is myreward, wretched woman, for denying my goddess. One week ago men placedflowers at my feet and burnt incense before me, but today. "

The prince walked out of the chamber quietly, and saw the priestessagain only after some days had passed. 

But she was still in evil humor. 

"I implore thee, lord, " cried she, "think a little more of me. Myservants even begin to contemn me, the warriors look at me with afrown, and I am afraid that some one in the kitchen may poison the foodprepared for me. "

"I was occupied with the army, so I could not visit thee, " replied theviceroy. 

"That is untrue, " answered Kama, in anger. "Yesterday Thou wert outsidethe entrance to this house, and then Thou didst go to the servants'house, where dwells the Jewess. Thou didst this to show. "

"Enough!" interrupted the prince. "I was neither here nor at theservants' house. If it seemed to thee that Thou wert looking at me, that means that thy lover, that worthless Greek, not only has not leftEgypt, but even dares to wander through my garden. "

The Phoenician woman heard him with fright. 

"Astaroth!" cried she, suddenly. "Save me! Hide me, O earth! for ifthat wretch Lykon returns mighty misfortune is threatening me. "

The prince laughed, but he had not patience to listen to the complaintsof the ex-priestess. 

"Be at rest, " said he, when going, "and wonder not if after some daysmen bring in thy Lykon bound like a jackal. That insolent ruffian hasworn out my patience. "

On returning to his palace the prince summoned Hiram and the chief ofpolice in Pi-Bast. He told them that Lykon, the Greek with a faceresembling his, was prowling around among the palaces, and he gavecommand to seize him. Hiram swore that if Phoenicians helped the policethe Greek would be taken. But the chief shook his head. 

"Dost doubt?" asked the prince. 

"Yes, lord. In Pi-Bast dwell many pious Asiatics who think thepriestess worthy of death because she deserted the altar. If this Greekhas bound himself to kill Kama, they will help him, they will concealthe man, and facilitate flight for him. "

"What is thy answer to this?" asked the heir of Hiram. 

"The worthy master of the palace speaks wisely, " replied the oldPhoenician. 

"But ye have freed Kama from the curse. "

"I guarantee that Phoenicians will not touch Kama, and will pursue theGreek. But what is to be done with the other adherents of Astaroth?"

"I make bold to think, " said the chief, "that nothing threatens thiswoman at present. If she had courage, we might employ her to decoy theGreek, and seize him here in thy palaces, O Erpatr. "

"Then go to her, " said the prince, "and lay before her whatever planThou mayst think out. And if Thou seize the man, I will give thee tentalents. "

When the heir left them, Hiram said to the chief, "Dignitary, I am aware that Thou knowest both kinds of writing, andthat the wisdom of priests is not strange to thee. When Thou hast thewish, Thou art able to hear through walls and see things in darkness. For this reason Thou knowest the thoughts of the man who works with abucket, the laborer, the artisan who takes sandals to market, the greatlord who in the escort of his servants feels as safe as a child on thebosom of its mother. "

"Thou speakest truth, " replied the official. "The gods have given me awonderful gift of clear insight. "

"That is it; thanks to thy gifts, Thou hast guessed beyond doubt thatthe temple of Astaroth will appoint to thee twenty talents if Thouseize that wretch who dares assume the appearance of the prince, ourviceroy. Besides, in every case, the temple offers thee ten talents ifnews of the likeness of the wretched Lykon to the heir is not reportedthroughout Egypt; for it is offensive and improper that an ordinarymortal should recall by his features a personage descended fromdivinity. "

"Therefore let not that which Thou hearest of the wretched Lykon gobeyond our own hearts, nor any word touching our chase after thatgodless outcast. "

"I understand, " replied the official. "It may even happen that such acriminal may lose his life before we can give him to the court. "

"Thou hast said it, " replied Hiram, pressing his hand; "and every helpasked by thee of Phoenicians will be furnished. "

They parted like two friends who were hunting a wild beast, and knewthat the problem was not that their spear should strike, but that thebeast should drop in its tracks and not go into other hands. 

After some days Ramses visited Kama again, but found her in a statetouching on insanity. She hid herself in the darkest room of the villa;she was hungry, her hair was not dressed, she was even unwashed. Shegave the most contradictory commands to her servants; at one time sheordered all to come to her, at another she sent all away. In the nightshe summoned the guard of warriors, and fled to the highest chambersoon after, crying out that they wished to kill her. 

In view of these actions all desire vanished from the prince's soul, and there remained simply a feeling of great trouble. He seized hishead when the steward of the palace and the officer told him of thesewonders, and he whispered:

"Indeed, I did badly in taking that woman from her goddess; for thegoddess alone could endure her caprices with patience. "

He went, however, to Kama, and found her emaciated, broken, andtrembling. 

"Woe to me!" cried she. "There are none around me but enemies. Mytirewoman wishes to poison me; my hairdresser to give me some dreadfuldisease. The warriors are waiting an opportunity to bury swords andspears in my bosom; I am sure that instead of food, they prepare for memagic herbs in the kitchen. All are rising up to destroy me. "

"Kama!" interrupted the prince. 

"Call me not by that name!" whispered she; "it will bring memisfortune. "

"But how do these ideas come to thee?"

"How? Dost Thou think that in the daytime I do not see strange peoplewho appear at the palace and vanish before I can call in my servants?And in the night do I not hear people outside the wall whispering?"

"It seems so to thee. "

"Cursed! Cursed!" cried Kama, weeping. "Ye all say that it seems to me. But the day before yesterday some criminal hand threw into mybedchamber a veil, which I wore half a day before I saw that it was notmine and that I had never worn a veil like it. "

"Where is that veil?" inquired the prince, now alarmed. 

"I burned it, but I showed it first to my servants. "

"If not thine even, what harm could come of it?"

"Nothing yet. But had I kept that rag in the house two days longer, Ishould have been poisoned, or caught some incurable disorder. I knowAsiatics and their methods. "

Wearied and irritated, the prince left her at the earliest, in spite ofentreaties to stay. When he asked the servants about that veil, thetirewoman declared that it was not one of Kama's; some person hadthrown it into the chamber. 

The prince commanded to double the watch at the villa and around it, and returned in desperation to his dwelling. 

"Never should I have believed, " said he, "that a single weak womancould bring so much trouble. Four freshly caught hyenas are not sorestless as that Kama!"

At his palace the prince found Tutmosis, who had just returned fromMemphis and had barely taken time to bathe and dress after the journey. 

"What hast Thou to say?" inquired the prince of his favorite, diviningthat he had not brought pleasant tidings. "Hast Thou seen hisholiness?"

"I saw the sun-god of Egypt, and this is what he said to me. "

"Speak, " hurried Ramses. 

"Thus spoke our lord, " answered Tutmosis, crossing his arms on hisbreast: "For four and thirty years have I directed the weighty car ofEgypt, and I am so wearied that I yearn to join my mighty forefatherswho dwell now in the western kingdom. Soon I shall leave this earth, and then my son, Ramses, will sit on the throne, and do with the statewhat wisdom points out to him. "

"Did my holy father speak thus?"

"Those are his words repeated faithfully. A number of times the lordspoke explicitly, saying that he would leave no command to thee, sothat Thou mightst govern Egypt as thy wishes indicate. "

"Ob, holy one! Is his illness really serious? Why did he not summonme?" asked the prince, in sorrow. 

"Thou must be here, for Thou mayst be of service in this part ofEgypt. "

"But the treaty with Assyria?"

"It is concluded in this sense, that Assyria may wage war on the eastand north without hindrance from Egypt. But the question of Phoeniciaremains in abeyance till Thou art the pharaoh. "

"O blessed! O holy ruler! From what a dreadful heritage Thou hast savedme. "

"So Phoenicia remains in abeyance, " continued Tutmosis. "But stillthere is one bad thing. His holiness, to show Assyria that he will nothinder her in the war against northern peoples, has commanded todecrease our army by twenty thousand mercenaries. "

"What dost Thou tell me!" cried the heir, astounded. 

Tutmosis shook his head in sign of sorrow. 

"I speak the truth, and four Libyan regiments are now disbanded. "

"But this is madness!" almost howled the heir, wringing his hands. "Whyhave we so weakened ourselves, and whither will those disbanded mengo?"

"They have gone to the Libyan desert already, and will either attackthe Libyans, which will cause us trouble, or will join them and bothwill attack then our western border. "

"I have heard nothing of this! What did they do, and when did they doit? No news reached us!" cried Ramses. 

"The disbanded troops went to the desert from Memphis, and Herhorforbade to mention this news to any person. "

"Do neither Mefres nor Mentezufis know of this matter?"

"They know. "

"They know, and I do not. "

The prince grew calm on a sudden, but he was pale, and on his youngface was depicted terrible hatred. He seized both hands of hisfavorite, pressed them firmly, and whispered, "Hear me! By the sacred heads of my father and mother, by the memory ofRamses the Great by all the gods, if there are any, I swear that duringmy rule if the priests will not bow down before me I will crush them. "

Tutmosis listened in alarm. 

"I or they!" finished the prince. "Egypt cannot have two lords. "

"Formerly it had only one, the pharaoh, " added Tutmosis. 

"Then Thou wilt be loyal to me?"

"I, all the nobles, and the army, I swear to thee. "

"Enough!" concluded Ramses. "Let them discharge the mercenaryregiments, let them sign treaties, let them hide before me like bats, and let them deceive us all. But the time will come And now, Tutmosis, rest after the journey; be with me at the feast this evening. Thosepeople have so bound me that I can only amuse myself. Then let me amusemyself. But in time I will show them who the ruler of Egypt is, they orI. "

From that day feasts began again. The prince, as if ashamed to meet thearmy, was not present at drills. Still, his palace was swarming withnobles, officers, jugglers, and singers, while at night great orgiestook place, at which the sound of harps mingled with the drunken shoutsof guests and the spasmodic laughter of women. 

Ramses invited Kama to one of these feasts, but she refused. 

The prince was offended. Seeing this, Tutmosis said, "They have told me, lord, that Sarah has lost thy favor. "

"Do not mention that Jewess to me, " replied Ramses. "But dost Thou knowwhat she did with my son?"

"I know; but that, it seems to me, was not her fault. I heard inMemphis that thy worthy mother and the worthy minister Herhor made thyson a Jew, so that he might rule over Israelites sometime. "

"But the Israelites have no king, only priests and judges, " interruptedthe prince. 

"They have not, but they wish to have. They, too, are disgusted withpriestly rule. "

The heir waved his hand contemptuously. 

"A charioteer of his holiness means more than any king, especially anyking of the Israelites, who as yet have no kingdom. "

"In every case, Sarah's fault is not so great, " put in Tutmosis. 

"Then know that I will pay the priests sometime. "

"They are not to blame so greatly. For instance, the worthy Herhor didthis to increase the glory and power of thy dynasty. And he did it withthe knowledge of thy mother. "

"But why does Mefres interfere? His single duty is to care for thetemple, not influence the fate of the pharaoh's descendants. "

"Mefres is an old man growing whimsical. The whole court of hisholiness jeers at him because of practices, of which I know nothing, though I see the holy man almost daily. "

"This is curious. What does he do?"

"A number of times during twenty-four hours he performs solemn servicesin the most secret parts of the temple, and he commands the priests tosee if the gods do not hold him suspended while praying. "

"Ha! ha!" laughed Ramses. "And all this is going on in Pi-Bast hereunder our eyes, and I do not know of it?"

"A priestly secret. "

"A secret of which all in Memphis are talking! Ha! ha! ha! In theamphitheatre I saw a Chaldean suspended in the air. "

"I saw him too; but that was a trick, while Mefres wishes to be borneabove the earth really on the wings of his devotion. "

"Unheard-of buffoonery! What do the other priests say to this?"

"Perhaps in our sacred papyruses there is mention that in old timesthere were prophets among us who had the gift of suspending themselvesin the air; so the desires of Mefres do not astonish priests nowadays. And since, as is known to thee, subordinates among us see whateverpleases superiors, some holy men claim that during prayer Mefres reallyrises a couple of fingers high above the pavement. "

"Ha! ha! ha! And with this great secret the whole court is occupied, and we, like laborers or earth-diggers, do not even suspect thatmiracles are wrought at one side of us. A wretched fate to be heir tothe throne of Egypt!" laughed the viceroy. 

When he grew calm, at the repeated request of Tutmosis, he commanded totransfer Sarah from the servants' house to Kama's first villa. Theservants were delighted at this change; all the serving and slavewomen, and even the scribes conducted Sarah to her new dwelling withmusic and shouts of pleasure. 

The Phoenician woman, when she heard the uproar, asked the reason; andwhen they told her that Sarah had been restored to the favor of theprince, and that from the servants' house she had been transferred tothe villa, the enraged ex-priestess sent for Ramses. 

The prince came. 

"Dost Thou treat me in this way?" screamed she, losing control of hertemper. "Thou didst promise that I should be thy first woman, butbefore the moon traversed half the heavens thy promise was broken. Perhaps Thou thinkest that the vengeance of Astaroth will fall on thepriestess alone, and not reach to princes. "

"Tell thy Astaroth, " replied Ramses, calmly, "not to threaten princes, or she may go herself to the servants' house. "

"I understand!" exclaimed Kama. "I shall go to the servants' house, perhaps even to prison, while Thou wilt spend nights with thy Jewess. Because I have left the gods for thee I have drawn down a curse on myown head. Because I left them I know no rest for a moment; I have lostmy youth for thee, my life, my soul even, and this is the pay whichThou givest me. "

The prince confessed in his heart that Kama had sacrificed much forhim, and he felt compunction. 

"I have not been and shall not be with Sarah, " said he. "But does itharm thee that the ill-fated woman has some comfort and can nourish herchild unmolested?"

Kama trembled. She raised her clinched fist, her hair stirred, and inher eyes an ugly fire of hate was flashing. 

"Is this the answer which Thou givest me? The Jewess is unhappy becauseThou didst drive her from the villa, and I must be satisfied, thoughthe gods have driven me out of their temples. But my soul the soul of apriestess who is drowning in tears and in terror does not mean more forthee than that brat of the Jew woman this child, which, would he weredead may he. "

"Silence!" cried the prince, shutting her mouth. 

She drew back frightened. 

"Then may I not even complain of my wretchedness?" inquired she. "Butif Thou art so careful of that child, why steal me from the temple, whypromise that I should be first in thy household? Have a care, "continued she, raising her voice again, "that Egypt, after learning myfate, may not call thee a faith-breaker. "

The prince turned his head and laughed. But he sat down, and said, "My teacher was right, indeed, when he warned me against women: Ye arelike ripe peaches in the eyes of a man whose tongue thirst has parched, but peaches ripe only in appearance. Woe to the fool who dares bitethat fruit of fair seeming; instead of cooling sweetness he will find anest of wasps that will sting not his lips alone, but his heart also. "

"Wilt Thou complain? Wilt Thou not spare me even this shame after Ihave sacrificed to thee both my dignity of priestess and my virtue?"

The heir shook his head and smiled. 

"Never could I have thought, " said he, after a while, "that the storytold by laborers before bedtime could have come true. But today I seethe truth of it. Listen to me, Kama; perhaps Thou wilt stop, and notforce me to withdraw the goodwill which I have for thee. "

"He wishes now to tell a fable!" said the priestess, bitterly. "Thouhast told me one already, and I was profited by hearing it. "

"This will profit thee if Thou understand it. "

"Will there be anything about Jewish brats in it?"

"Of priestesses there will be; only listen carefully. 

"The following thing happened here long ago, in Pi-Bast: [A truestory. ]

"Once Prince Satni, on the square before the temple of Ptah, saw a verybeautiful woman. She surpassed all whom he had met before, and, whatwas more noteworthy, she had much gold on her person. 

"She pleased the prince greatly, and when he learned that she was thedaughter of the high priest, he sent his equerry to her with thefollowing offer, "'I will give thee gold rings if Thou wilt pass one short hour in mycompany. '

"The equerry went to the beautiful Tbubui and repeated the words ofPrince Satni. When she had listened to him politely, she answered asbecame a well-bred young lady, "'I am the daughter of a high priest; I am innocent, no low girl. So, if the prince wishes to have the pleasure of knowing me, let him cometo my house, where everything will be ready, and where acquaintancewith him will not expose me to the scandal of all the street gossips. '

"Prince Satni went to Tbubui's chambers, the walls of which werecovered with lapis lazuli and pale green enamel. There were also manycouches decked with regal linen, and not a few one-legged tables onwhich gold goblets were standing. One of these goblets was filled withwine and given to the prince, while Tbubui said to him, 'Be gracious, and drink. ' To this the prince answered, 'Thou knowest that I have notcome to drink wine here. ' Still the two sat down at the feast, duringwhich Tbubui wore a long, heavy robe fastened at her neck closely. Whenthe prince, excited by wine, wished to kiss her, she repelled him, andanswered, "'This house will be thine. But remember that I am no street woman, butan innocent maiden. If Thou wish from me obedience, swear faith, andconvey to me thy property. '

"'Let the scribe come!' cried the prince. When they brought in thescribe, Satni commanded him to write an act of betrothal, also a deedby which he transferred to Tbubui all his money, and all his property, personal and real. 

"An hour later the servants announced to the prince that his childrenwere waiting in the lower story. Tbubui left him then, but returnedsoon, attired in a transparent gauze robe. Satni wished again toembrace her, but she repelled him a second time, saying: 'This housewill be thine. But, since I am no common woman, but an innocent maiden, if Thou wish to possess me, let thy children renounce every claim, lestthey raise lawsuits hereafter with my children. '

"Satni called up his children, and commanded them to sign an actrenouncing all claim to his possessions. They did so. But when, rousedby long resistance, he approached Tbubui, she repelled him, saying, "'This house will be thine. But I am no chance passing woman, I am apure maiden. If Thou love me, give consent to kill those children lestthey take property from my children. '"

"This is rather a long story, " said Kama, impatiently. 

"It will end right away. And dost Thou know, Kama, what Satni repliedto this: 'If Thou wish, let the crime be accomplished. ' Tbubui gave nochance to have these words said a second time. Before their father'seyes she commanded to kill the children, and throw their bloody limbsto dogs and cats outside the windows. Only after that did Satni enterher chamber and repose on her bed, inlaid with ivory. "

"Tbubui did well not to trust to men's promises, " said the irritatedKama. 

"But Satni, " said the heir, "did better. He woke, for his dreadfulcrime was a dream only. And remember this, Kama, the surest way torouse a man from love's intoxication is to curse his son. "

"Be at rest, lord, " said Kama, gloomily, "I will never mentionhereafter thy son or my sorrow. "

"And I will not withdraw my favor from thee, and Thou wilt be happy, "said Ramses, in conclusion. 

CHAPTER XL

Among the inhabitants of Pi-Bast alarming news had begun to circulateconcerning the Libyans. It was said that those barbarian warriors, disbanded by the priests, began by begging on the road homeward, thenthey stole, and finally they fell to robbing and burning Egyptianvillages, murdering the inhabitants meanwhile. 

In the course of a few days they attacked and destroyed the towns ofChinen-su, Pinat, and Kasa, south of Lake Moeris, and they cut downalso a caravan of merchants and Egyptian pilgrims returning from theoasis Uit-Mehe. The entire western boundary of the state was in peril, and even from Teremethis inhabitants began to flee. And in theneighborhood beyond that, toward the sea, appeared bands of Libyans, sent, as it were, by the terrible chief, Musawasa, who, it seemed, wasto declare a sacred war against Egypt. 

Moreover, if any evening a western strip of sky was red for too long atime alarm fell on Pi-Bast. The people gathered along the streets; someof them went out on the flat roofs, or climbed trees, and declared thatthey saw a fire in Menuf or in Sechem. Some, even, in spite ofdarkness, saw fleeing people, or Libyan bands marching toward Pi-Bastin long black columns. 

Notwithstanding the indignation of people, the rulers of provincesremained indifferent, for the central power issued no order. 

Prince Ramses saw this alarm of the people and the indifference ofdignitaries. Mad anger seized him, because he received no command fromMemphis, and because neither Mefres nor Mentezufis spoke with him ofdangers threatening Egypt. 

But since neither priest visited him, and both, as it were, avoidedconversation, the viceroy did not seek them, nor did he make anymilitary preparations. 

At last he ceased to visit the regiments stationed at Pi-Bast, butassembling at the palace all the young nobles, he amused himself andfeasted, repressing in his heart indignation at the priests and anxietyfor the fate of the country. 

"Thou wilt see!" said he once to Tutmosis. "The holy prophets willmanage us so that Musawasa will take Lower Egypt, and we shall have toflee to Thebes, if not to Sunnu, unless the Ethiopians drive us alsofrom that place. "

"Thou speakest truth, " replied Tutmosis; "our rulers' acts resemblethose of traitors. "

The first day in the month of Hator (August-September) a great feastwas given at the palace of the viceroy. They began to amuse themselvesat two in the afternoon, and before sunset all present were drunk. Itwent so far that men and women rolled on the floor, which was wet withwine and covered with flowers and pieces of broken pitchers. 

The prince was the soberest among them. He was not on the floor, he wassitting in an armchair, holding on his knees two beautiful dancers, oneof whom was giving him wine, while the other was pouring strongperfumes on his head. 

At this moment an adjutant entered the hall, and, stepping over anumber of guests lying prostrate, hurried up to Ramses. 

"Worthy lord, " said he, "the holy Mefres and the holy Mentezufis wishto speak at once with thee. "

The viceroy pushed the girls away, and with red face, stained garments, and tottering steps went to his chamber in the upper story. At sight ofhim Mefres and Mentezufis looked at each other. 

"What do ye wish, worthy fathers?" asked the prince, dropping into anarmchair. 

"I do not know whether Thou wilt be able to hear us, " answered theanxious Mentezufis. 

"Ah! do ye think that I am tipsy?" cried the prince. "Have no fear. Today all Egypt is either so mad or so stupid that most sense is foundamong drinkers. "

The priests frowned, but Mentezufis began, "Thou knowest, worthiness, that our lord and the supreme councildetermined to disband twenty thousand mercenary warriors?"

"Well, if I do not know?" said the heir. "Ye have not deigned to ask myadvice in a question so difficult to determine, ye have not eventhought it worth while to inform me that four regiments are disbanded, and that those men, because of hunger, are attacking our cities. "

"It seems to me, worthiness, that Thou art criticizing the commands ofhis holiness the pharaoh, " interrupted Mentezufis. 

"Not of his holiness!" cried the prince, stamping, "but of thosetraitors who, taking advantage of the sickness of my father, wish tosell Egypt to Assyrians and Libyans. "

The priests were astounded. No Egyptian had ever used words of thatkind. 

"Permit, prince, that we return in a couple of hours, when Thou shalthave calmed thyself, " said Mefres. 

"There is no need of that. I know what is happening on our westernboundary. Or rather it is not I who know, but my cooks, stable-boys, and laundrymen. Perhaps then ye will have the goodness, worthy fathers, to communicate your plans to me. "

Mentezufis assumed a look of indifference, and said, "The Libyans have rebelled and are collecting bands with the intentionof attacking Egypt. "

"I understand. "

"At the desire, therefore, of his holiness, " continued Mentezufis, "andof the supreme council, Thou art to take troops from Lower Egypt andannihilate the rebels. "

"Where is the order?"

Mentezufis drew forth from his bosom a parchment provided with seals, and gave it to the viceroy. 

"From this moment then I command, and am the supreme power in thisprovince, " said the viceroy. 

"It is as Thou hast said. "

"And I have the right to hold a military council with you?"

"Of course, " replied Mefres. "Even this moment

"Sit down, " interrupted the prince. 

Both priests obeyed his command. 

"I ask because in view of my plans I must know why the Libyan regimentswere disbanded. "

"Others too will be disbanded, " caught up Mentezufis. "The supremecouncil desires to disband twenty thousand of the most expensivewarriors, so that the treasury of his holiness may save four thousandtalents yearly, without which want may soon threaten the court of thepharaoh. "

"A thing which does not threaten the most wretched of Egyptianpriests, " added Ramses. 

"Thou forgettest, worthiness, that it is not proper to call a priestwretched, " replied Mentezufis. "And if want threatens none of them, themerit is found in their moderate style of living. "

"In that case the statues drink the wine which is carried every day tothe temples, while stone gods dress their wives in gold and jewels, "jeered Ramses. "But no more about your abstemiousness. Not to fill thetreasury of the pharaoh has the council of priests disbanded twentythousand troops and opened the gates of Egypt to bandits. "

"But why?"

"This is why: to please King Assar. And since his holiness would notagree to give Phoenicia to Assyria, ye wish to weaken the state inanother way, by disbanding hired troops and rousing war on our westernboundary. "

"I take the gods to witness that Thou dost astonish us, worthiness, "cried Mentezufis. 

"The shades of the pharaohs would be more astonished if they heard thatin this same Egypt in which the power of the pharaoh is hampered, someChaldean trickster is influencing the fate of the nation. "

"I do not believe my own ears, " replied Mentezufis. "What dost Thou sayof some Chaldean?"

The viceroy laughed sneeringly. 

"I speak of Beroes. If thou, holy man, hast not heard of him, ask therevered Mefres, and if he has forgotten turn then to Herhor andPentuer. "

"That is a great secret of our temples

"A foreign adventurer came like a thief to Egypt, and put on themembers of the supreme council a treaty so shameful that we should bejustified in signing it only after we had lost battles, lost all ourregiments and both capitals. And to think that this was done by oneman, most assuredly a spy of King Assar! And our sages let themselvesbe so charmed by his eloquence, that, when the pharaoh would not letthem give up Phoenicia, they disbanded regiments in every case, andcaused war on our western boundary. Have we ever heard of a deed likethis?" continued Ramses, no longer master of himself. "When it was justthe time to raise the army to three hundred thousand and hurry on toNineveh, those pious maniacs discharged twenty thousand men and firedtheir own dwelling-house. "

Mefres, still and pale, listened to these jeers. At last he said, "I know not, worthy lord, from what source Thou hast taken thyinformation. May it be as pure as the hearts of the highest counselors!But let us suppose that Thou art right, that some Chaldean priest hadpower to bring the council to sign a burdensome treaty with Assyria. Ifit happened thus, whence knowest Thou that that priest was not an envoyof the gods, who through his lips forewarned us of dangers hanging overEgypt?"

"How do the Chaldeans enjoy your confidence to such a degree?" askedthe viceroy. 

"The Chaldean priests are elder brothers of the Egyptians, " interruptedMentezufis. 

"Then perhaps the Assyrian king is the master of the pharaoh?"

"Blaspheme not, worthiness, " said Mefres, severely. "Thou art pushinginto the most sacred things frivolously, and to do that has provedperilous to men who were greater than Thou art. "

"Well, I will not do so. But how is a man to know that one Chaldean isan envoy of the gods, and another a spy of King Assar?"

"By miracles, " answered Mefres. "If, at thy command, prince, this roomshould fill with spirits, if unseen powers were to bear thee in theair, we should know that Thou wert an agent of the immortals, andshould respect thy counsel. "

Ramses shrugged his shoulders. "I, too, have seen spirits: a young girlmade them. And I saw a juggler lying in the air in the amphitheatre. "

"But Thou didst not see the fine strings which his four assistants hadin their teeth, " put in Mentezufis. 

The prince laughed again, and, remembering what Tutmosis had told himabout the devotions of Mefres, he said in a jeering tone, "In the days of Cheops a certain high priest wished absolutely to flythrough the air. With this object he prayed to the gods, and commandedhis inferiors to see whether unseen powers were not raising him. Andwhat will ye say, holy fathers? From that time forth there was no daywhen prophets did not assure the high priest that he was borne in theair, not very high, it is true, about a finger from the pavement. "

"But what is that to thy power, worthiness?" inquired he of Mefres, suddenly. 

"The high priest, when he heard his own story, shook in the chair, andwould have fallen had not Mentezufis supported him. "

Ramses bustled about, gave the old man water to drink, rubbed vinegaron his temples and forehead, and fanned him. 

Soon the holy Mefres recovered, rose from the chair, and said toMentezufis, "May we not go now?"

"I think so. "

"But what am I to do?" asked the prince, feeling that something evilhad happened. 

"Accomplish the duties of leader, " said Mentezufis, coldly. 

Both priests bowed to the prince ceremoniously, and departed. Ramseswas not entirely sober, but a great weight fell on his heart. At thatmoment he understood that he had committed two grievous errors: He hadconfessed to the priests that he knew their great secret, and he hadjeered, without mercy, at Mefres. He would have given a year of hislife could he have blotted from their memories all that drunkenconversation. But it was too late then to do so. 

"It cannot be hidden, " thought he. "I have betrayed myself and procuredmortal enemies. The position is difficult. The struggle begins at amoment which is for me most unfavorable. But let us go on. More thanone pharaoh has struggled with the priests and conquered, even withouthaving very strong allies. "

Still he felt the danger of his position so clearly that at that momenthe swore by the sacred head of his father that he would never drinkwine again freely. He summoned Tutmosis. The confidant appeared atonce, perfectly sober. 

"We have a war, and I am commander, " said the viceroy. 

Tutmosis bent to the earth. 

"I will never get drunk again, " added the prince. "And knowest Thouwhy?"

"A leader should abstain from wine and stupefying perfumes, " saidTutmosis. 

"I have not thought of that, that is nothing; but I have babbled out asecret before the priests. "

"What secret?" cried the terrified Tutmosis. 

"This, that I hate them, and jeer at their miracles. "

"Oh, that is no harm. They never calculate on the love of people. "

"And that I know their political secrets, " added the prince. 

"Ei!" hissed Tutmosis. "That is the one thing that was not needed. "

"No help for it now, " said Ramses. "Send out our couriers immediatelyto the regiments; let the chiefs meet to-morrow morning in a militarycouncil. Give command to light alarm signals, so that all the troops ofLower Egypt may march toward the western border to-morrow. Go to thenomarchs here, and command them to inform all the others to collectclothing, provisions, and weapons. "

"We shall have trouble with the Nile, " said Tutmosis. 

"Then let every boat and barge be held at the arms of the Nile to ferryover troops. We must summon every nomarch to occupy himself in fittingout reserves. "

Meanwhile Mefres and Mentezufis returned to their dwellings in thetemple of Ptah. When they were alone in a cell, the high priest raisedhis hands, and exclaimed, "O Trinity of immortal gods, Osiris, Isis, and Horus, save Egypt fromdestruction! Since the world became the world, no pharaoh has everuttered so many blasphemies as we have heard today from that stripling. What do I say, pharaoh? No enemy of Egypt, no Hittite, Phoenician, orLibyan has ever dared so to insult priestly immunity. "

"Wine makes a man transparent, " answered Mentezufis. 

"But in that youthful heart is a nest of serpents. He insults thepriestly rank, he jeers at miracles, he has no belief in gods. "

"But this concerns me most, " said Mentezufis, thoughtfully, "how did helearn of our negotiations with. Beroes? for he knows them, I will swearto that. "

"A dreadful treason has been committed, " added Mefres, seizing hishead. 

"A very wonderful thing! There were four of us. "

"Not at all four of us. The elder priestess of Isis knew of Beroes, twopriests who showed him the road to the temple of Set, and a priest whoreceived him at the door. But wait! that priest spends all his time inunderground places. But if he overheard?"

"In every case he did not sell the secret to a stripling, but to someone more important; and that is dangerous. "

The high priest of the temple of Ptah, the holy Sem, knocked at thedoor of the cell. 

"Peace to you, " said he, entering. 

"Blessing to thy heart. "

"I came, for ye were raising your voices as if some misfortune hadhappened. Does this war with the wretched Libyans not surprise you?"

"What dost Thou think of the prince, the heir to the throne?" askedMentezufis, interrupting him. 

"I think, " answered Sem, "that he must be quite satisfied with the warand supreme command. He is a born hero. When I look at him I rememberthat lion, Ramses the Great. This youth is ready to rush at all thebands of Libya, and, indeed, he may scatter them. "

"This youth, " added Mefres, "is capable of overturning all our temples, and wiping Egypt from the face of the earth. "

Holy Sem drew forth quickly a gold amulet which he wore on his breast, and whispered, "Flee, evil words, to the desert. Go far, and harm not the just. Whatart Thou saying, worthiness?" continued he, more loudly, and in a toneof reproach. 

"The worthy Mefres speaks truth, " said Mentezufis. "Thy head wouldache, and thy stomach also, should human lips repeat the blasphemouswords which we have heard this day from that giddy stripling. "

"Jest not, O prophet, " said the high priest Sem, with indignation. "Sooner would I believe that water burns and air quenches than thatRamses would commit blasphemy. "

"He did so in seeming drunkenness, " said Mefres, maliciously. 

"Even if he were drunk I do not deny that the prince is frivolous, anda rioter; but a blasphemer. "

"So, too, did we think, " said Mentezufis. "And we were so sure ofknowing his character that when he returned from the temple of Hator weceased even to exercise control over him. "

"Thou wert sparing of gold to pay men for watching, " said Mefres. "Thouseest now what results are involved in a neglect which seemed slight tothee. "

"But what has happened?" inquired Sem, impatiently. 

"I will answer briefly: the prince reviles the gods. "

"Oho!"

"He criticizes the commands of the pharaoh. "

"Is it possible?"

"He calls the supreme council traitors. "

"But. "

"But from whom did he learn of the coming of Beroes, even of hisinterview with Mefres, Herhor, and Pentuer, in the temple of Set?"

The high priest Sem, seizing his head with both hands, walked up anddown through the cell. 

"Impossible!" said he. "Impossible! Has any one cast a spell over thatyoung man? Perhaps the Phoenician priestess, whom he stole from thetemple. "

This consideration seemed to Mentezufis so apposite that he looked atMefres. But the angry high priest would not be turned aside for aninstant. 

"Let us see, " said he. "But first we must investigate and learn whatthe prince was doing day by day, after his return from the temple ofHator. He had too much freedom, too many relations with unbelievers andwith enemies of Egypt. But Thou wilt help us, worthy Sem. "

Because of this decision, the high priest Sem ordered to summon for thefollowing day a solemn service at the temple of Ptah. 

So they stationed on squares and at street comers, even in the fields, heralds of the priests, and called all the people with flutes andtrumpets. 

And when a sufficient number of hearers had assembled, they informedthem that in the temple of Ptah there would be prayers and processionsduring three days, to the intent that the good god would bless Egyptianarms and crush Libyans; that he would send down on their leader, Musawasa, leprosy, insanity, and blindness. 

As the priests wished, so was it done. From morning till late at nightcommon people of every occupation crowded around the temple; thearistocracy and the wealthy citizens assembled in the forecourt; whilethe priests of the city and of the neighboring provinces madesacrifices to Ptah and repeated prayers in the most holy chapel. 

Thrice daily did a solemn procession issue forth, carrying in a goldenboat, concealed by curtains, the revered statue of the divinity;whereat the people prostrated themselves and confessed their faultsloudly, while prophets disposed in the crowd numerously helped them topenitence by appropriate questions. A similar thing was done in theforecourt of the temple. But since officials and rich people did notlike to accuse themselves openly, the holy fathers took them aside, andgave advice and exhortation in whispers. 

In the afternoon the service was most solemn, for at that time thetroops marching westward came to receive the blessing of the highpriest, and strengthen the power of amulets which had the quality ofweakening blows from the enemy. 

Sometimes thunder was heard in the temple, and at night, above thepylons, there was lightning. This was a sign that the god had heardsome one's prayers, or was conversing with the priesthood. 

When, after the ending of the solemnity, the three dignitaries Sem, Mefres, and Mentezufis met for consultation, the position had becomeclearer. 

The solemnity had brought the temple about forty talents but sixtytalents had been given out in presents or in paying the debts ofvarious persons of the aristocracy as well as of the highest militarycircles. 

They had collected the following information:

A report was current in the army, that when Prince Ramses mounted thethrone, he would begin a war with Assyria, which would assure greatprofit to those taking part in it. The lowest soldier, they said, wouldnot return without a thousand drachmas, or perhaps a still larger sum. 

It was whispered among people that when the pharaoh returned withvictory from Nineveh, he would give slaves to the earth-tillers, andremit for a number of years all taxes. 

The aristocracy, on its part, judged that the new pharaoh would, firstof all, take from priests and return to nobles all lands which hadbecome temple property, and would pay also the debts of nobles. It wassaid, too, that the coming pharaoh would govern independently, withouta supreme priestly council. 

Finally, in all social circles there reigned a conviction that Ramses, to secure the aid of Phoenicia, had had recourse to the goddess Istar, [Another form of Astarte. ] to whom he showed marked devotion. In everycase it was certain that the heir had once visited the temple of Istar, and had seen, in the night, certain miracles. Finally, rumors werecurrent among Asiatics that Ramses had made immense presents to thetemple, and in return had taken thence a priestess to confirm him inthe faith of the goddess. 

All these tidings were collected by the most worthy Sem and hisassistants. The holy fathers, Mefres and Mentezufis, communicated tohim other information which had come to them from Memphis:

The Chaldean priest and miracle-worker, Beroes, was received in thesubterranean parts of the temple of Set by the priest Osochar, who, when giving his daughter in marriage two months later, had presentedher with rich jewels and bought a good estate for her and her husband. And since Osochar had no considerable income, a suspicion rose thatthat priest had overheard the conversation of Beroes with the Egyptianpriests, and had sold to Phoenicians, criminally, the secret of thetreaty, and received a great estate from them. 

When he heard this, the high priest Sem added, "If the holy Beroes does, indeed, perform miracles, then ask him, firstof all, if Osochar has betrayed the secret. "

"They inquired of Beroes, " said Mefres, "but the holy man answered thatin that affair he preferred to be silent. He added, also, that even ifsome one had heard their conversation, and reported to Phoenicians, neither Egypt nor Chaldea would suffer any injury; and if they shouldfind the guilty person, it would be proper to show him mercy. "

"A holy man! Indeed, a holy man!" whispered Sem. 

"And what wilt Thou say, worthiness, " asked Mefres, "of the prince andthe disturbances which his conduct has caused in the country?"

"I will say the same as Beroes: 'The heir does not cause harm to Egypt, so we should show him indulgence. '. "

"This young man reviles the gods and miracles; he enters foreigntemples, he excites the men to rebellion. These are no small matters, "said Mefres, bitterly. This priest could not pardon Ramses for havingjeered at his devotion so rudely. 

The high priest Sem loved Ramses; so he answered with a kindly smile, "What laborer is there in Egypt who would not like to have a slave, andabandon hard labor for sweet idleness? Or what man is there on earthwho is without the dream of not paying taxes, since with that which hepays the treasury, his wife, he himself, and his children might buyshowy clothes and use various dainties?"

"Idleness and excessive outlay spoil a man, " said Mentezufis. 

"What warrior, " continued Sem, "would not desire war and covet athousand drachmas, or even a greater sum? Further, I ask you, Ofathers, what pharaoh, what nomarch, what noble pays old debts withalacrity, and does not look askance at the wealth of temples?"

"That is vile greed, " whispered Mefres. 

"And, finally, " said Sem, "what heir to the throne has not dreamed ofdecreasing the importance of the priesthood? What pharaoh at thebeginning of his reign has not tried to shake off the supreme council'sinfluence?"

"Thy words are full of wisdom, " said Mefres, "but to what may they leadus?"

"To this, not to accuse the heir before the supreme council, for thereis no court that would condemn the prince for this, that earth-workerswould be glad not to pay taxes, or that soldiers want war if they canhave it. Nay, ye may receive a reprimand. For if ye had followed theprince day by day and restrained his minor excesses, we should not haveat present that pyramid of complaints founded, moreover, on nothing. Insuch affairs the evil is not in this, that people are inclined to sin, for they have been so at all times. But the danger is here, that wehave not guarded them. Our sacred river, the mother of Egypt, wouldvery soon fill all canals with mud, if engineers ceased to watch it. "

"And what wilt Thou say, worthiness, of the fictions which the princepermitted himself in speaking with us? Wilt Thou forgive his foulreviling of miracles?" inquired Mefres. "Moreover this stripling hasinsulted me grievously in my religious practices. "

"Whoso speaks with a drunken man is himself an offender, " said Sem. "Totell the truth, ye had no right, worthy fathers, to speak with a manwho was not sober about important state questions. Ye committed a faultin making a drunken man commander of an army. A leader must be sober. "

"I bow down before thy wisdom, " said Mefres; "still I vote to lay acomplaint against the heir before the supreme council. "

"But I vote against a complaint, " answered Sem, energetically. "Thecouncil must learn of all acts of the viceroy, not through a complaint, but through an ordinary report to it. "

"I too am opposed to a complaint, " said Mentezufis. 

The high priest, Mefres, seeing that he had two votes against him, yielded in the matter of a complaint. But he remembered the insult fromthe prince and hid ill-will in his bosom. 

CHAPTER XLI

BY advice of astrologers the headquarters were to move from Pi-Bast onthe seventh day of Hator. For that day was "good, good, good. " Gods inheaven and men on earth rejoiced at the victory of Ra over his enemies;whoever came into the world on that day was destined to die at anadvanced age surrounded by reverence. 

That was a favorable day for pregnant women, and people trading inwoven stuffs, but for toads and mice it was evil. 

From the moment that he was appointed commander Ramses rushed to workfeverishly. He received each regiment as it arrived; he inspected itsweapons, its train, and its clothing. He greeted the recruits, andencouraged them to diligent exercise at drilling, to the destruction oftheir enemies and the glory of the pharaoh. He presided at everymilitary council, he was present at the examination of every spy, andin proportion as tidings were brought in, he indicated on the map withhis own hand the movement of Egyptian armies and the positions of theenemy. 

He passed so swiftly from place to place that they looked for himeverywhere, and still he swooped on them suddenly like a falcon. In themorning he was on the south of Pi-Bast and verified the list ofprovisions; an hour later he was north of the city, and discovered thata hundred and fifty men were lacking in the left regiment. In theevening he overtook the advance guard, was at the crossing of an arm ofthe Nile, and passed in review two hundred war chariots. 

The holy Mentezufis, who, as a representative of Herhor, understood themilitary art well, was overcome by astonishment. 

"Ye know, " said he to Sem and Mefres, "that I do not like the heir tothe throne, for I have discovered his perversity and malice. But Osirisbe my witness that that young man is a born leader. I will tell you athing unparalleled: We shall concentrate our forces on the border threeor four days earlier than it was possible to expect. The Libyans havelost the war already, though they have not heard the whistle of ourarrows. "

"So much the worse is such a pharaoh for us, " interposed Mefres, withthe stubbornness peculiar to old men. 

Toward evening the sixth of Hator, Prince Ramses bathed and informedhis staff that they would march on the morrow two hours before sunrise. "And now I wish to sleep, " said he. 

To wish for sleep was easier than to get it. The whole city wasswarming with warriors; at the palace of the prince a regiment hadencamped which had no thought of rest, but was eating, drinking, andsinging. 

The prince went to the remotest chamber, but even there he could notundress. Every few minutes some adjutant flew in with a report of nomoment, or for an order in questions which could have been settled onthe spot by the commander of a regiment. Spies were led in who broughtno new information; great lords with small followings were announced;these wished to offer their services to the prince as volunteers. Phoenician merchants broke in on him; these wanted contracts for thearmy, or were contractors who complained of the extortion of generals. 

Even soothsayers and astrologers were not lacking, who in the lasthours before marching wished to draw his horoscope for the viceroy;there were even practicers of the black art who wished to sellunfailing amulets against missiles. 

These people simply broke into the prince's chamber: each one of themjudged that the fate of the expedition was in his hands, and that insuch a case every etiquette should vanish. 

The heir satisfied all applicants patiently. But when behind anastrologer one of his own women pushed into the room with complaintthat Ramses did not love her, since he had not taken farewell, and whena quarter of an hour later the weeping of another was heard outside thewindow, the heir could endure no longer; he summoned Tutmosis. 

"Sit in this room, " said he, "and if Thou wish, console the women of myhousehold. I will hide somewhere in the garden; if not, I shall notsleep and to-morrow I shall look like a hen just pulled out of acistern. "

"Where am I to seek thee in case of need?" asked Tutmosis. 

"Oho! ho!" laughed the heir. "Seek me nowhere. I shall appear of myselfwhen the trumpet is sounded. "

And throwing over his shoulders a long mantle with a hood, he slippedout to the garden. Through the garden were prowling soldiers, kitchenboys, and other servants. In the whole space about the palace order haddisappeared, as usual before an expedition. Noting this, Ramses turnedto the densest part of the park, found a little arbor formed of grape-vines, and threw himself on a bench satisfied. 

"Here neither priests nor women will find me, " muttered the viceroy. 

He fell asleep immediately, and slept like a stone. 

Kama had felt ill for some days. To her irritation was joined somepeculiar weakness and pain in the joints. Then there was an itching ofher face, but especially of her forehead above the eyebrows. 

These minute symptoms seemed to her so alarming that she ceased todread assassination, but straightway she sat down before a mirror, andtold her servants to withdraw and leave her. At such times she thoughtneither of Ramses nor the hated Sarah; all her attention was fixed onthose spots which an untrained eye would not have even noticed. 

"A spot yes, these are spots, " whispered she, full of terror. "Two, three O Astaroth, but Thou wilt not punish thy priestess in this way!Death would be better But again what folly! If I rub my forehead, thespots will be redder. Evidently something has bitten me, or I have usedimpure oil in anointing. I will wash, and the spots will be gone by to-morrow. "

The morrow came, but the spots had not vanished. 

Kama called a servant. 

"Listen!" said she. "Look at me!"

But as she spoke she sat down in a less lighted part of the chamber. 

"Listen and look!" said she, in a stifled voice. "Dost Thou see spotson my face? But come no nearer. "

"I see nothing, " answered the serving woman. 

"Neither under my left eye nor on my brows?" asked she, with growingirritation. 

"Let the lady be pleased graciously to sit with the side of her face tothe light, " said the woman. 

Of course that request enraged Kama. 

"Away, wretch, " cried she; "show thyself no more to me!"

When the serving-woman fled, her mistress rushed feverishly to thedressing-table, opened two little toilet jars, and with a brush paintedher face rose-color. 

Toward evening, feeling continual pain in her joints and fear in herheart, which was worse than pain, she commanded to call a physician. When they told her that the physician had come, she looked at themirror, and was seized by a new attack, as it were of insanity. Shethrew the mirror to the pavement, and cried out with weeping that shedid not need the physician. 

During the sixth of Hator she ate nothing all day and would see noperson. 

When the slave woman brought in a light after sun-down, Kama lay on the bed, after she had wound herself in a shawl. Sheordered the slave to go out as quickly as possible; then she sat in anarmchair at a distance from the lamp, and passed some hours in a half-waking stupor. 

"There are no spots, " said she, "and if there are, they are not spotsof that kind! They are not leprosy. O ye gods!" cried she, throwingherself on the pavement. "It cannot be that I O ye gods, save me! Iwill go back to the temple; I will do life-long penance I have nospots. I have been rubbing my skin for some days; that is why it isred. Again, how could I have it; has any one ever heard that apriestess and a woman of the heir to the throne could have leprosy? Oye gods! that never has happened since the world began. Only fishermen, prisoners, and vile Jews Oh, that low Jewess! Heavenly powers, oh, senddown leprosy to her!"

At that moment some shadow passed by the window on the first story. Then a rustle was heard, and from the door to the middle of the roomsprang in Lykon. 

Kama was amazed. She seized her head suddenly, and in her eyes immenseterror was depicted. 

"Lykon!" whispered she. "Thou here, Lykon? Be off! They are searchingfor thee. "

"I know, " answered the Greek, with a jeering laugh. "All thePhoenicians are hunting me, and all the police of his holiness. Still Iam with thee, and I have been in thy lord's chamber. "

"Wert Thou with the prince?"

"Yes; in his own bedchamber. And I should have left a dagger in hisbreast if the evil spirits had not saved him. Evidently he went to someother woman, not to thee. "

"What dost Thou wish here?" whispered Kama. "Flee!"

"But with thee. On the street a chariot is ready for us; on this weshall ride to the Nile, and there my boat is in waiting. "

"Thou hast gone mad! But the city and the streets are filled withwarriors. "

"For that very reason I was able to enter this palace, and we canescape very easily. Collect all thy treasures. I shall be back hereimmediately and take thee. "

"Whither art Thou going?"

"I am seeking thy lord. I shall not go without leaving him a memento. "

"Thou art mad!"

"Be silent!" interrupted Lykon, pale from anger. "Thou wishest yet todefend him. "

The Phoenician woman tottered; she clinched her fists, and an evillight flashed in her eyes. 

"But if Thou canst not find him?"

"Then I will kill one of his sleeping warriors. I will set fire to thepalace. Do I know what I shall do? But I will not go without leaving amemento. "

The great eyes of the Phoenician woman had such a ghastly look that theGreek was astonished. 

"What is the matter with thee?" asked Lykon. 

"Nothing; listen. Thou hast never been so like the prince as today. Hence, if Thou wish to do a good thing. "

She put her face to his ear and whispered. 

The Greek listened in amazement. 

"Woman, " said he, "Hades speaks through thee. "

"Yes; suspicion will be turned on him. "

"That is better than a dagger, " said Lykon, laughing. "Never could Ihave come on that idea. Perhaps both would be better?"

"No! Let her live. This will be my vengeance. "

"What a wicked soul!" whispered Lykon. "But Thou pleasest me. We willpay them both in kingly fashion. "

He withdrew to the window and vanished. Kama leaned out after him, andforgetting every other thing, listened in a fever. 

Perhaps a quarter of an hour after the departure of Lykon, at the sideof the fig grove rose the piercing shriek of a woman. It was repeated acouple of times, and then ceased. 

Instead of the expected delight, terror seized Kama. She fell on herknees, and gazed into the dark garden with a wandering stare. 

Below was heard almost noiseless running; there was a squeak at thepillar in the antechamber, and in the window appeared Lykon again in adark mantle. He was panting with violence, and his hands trembled. 

"Where are thy jewels?" whispered he. 

"Let me alone, " replied she. 

The Greek seized her by the shoulder. 

"Wretch! Dost Thou not understand that before sunrise they willimprison thee, and will strangle thee a couple of days later?"

"I am sick. "

"Where are thy jewels?"

"Under the bed. "

Lykon went to her bedchamber; with the light of a lamp he drew out aheavy casket, threw a mantle over Kama, and pulled her by the arm. 

"Make ready! Where are the doors through which he comes to thee thatlord of thine?"

"Leave me!"

The Greek bent to her, and whispered, "Aha! Dost think that I will leave thee here? I care as much for theenow as I do for a dog that has lost sense of smell. But Thou must gowith me. Let that lord of thine know that there is a man better thanhe. He stole a priestess from Astaroth, I take his mistress from theheir of Egypt. "

"I tell thee that I am sick. "

The Greek drew out a slender blade, and put the point of it to herthroat. 

Kama trembled, and whispered, "I go. "

They passed through the secret door to the garden. From the directionof the palace came the noise of warriors kindling fires. Here and thereamong the trees were lights; from time to time some one in the serviceof the heir passed the pair. At the gate the guard stopped them, "Who are ye?"

"Thebes, " answered Lykon. 

Then they went out to the street unhindered, and vanished in the alleysof the foreign quarter. 

Two hours before daybreak drums and trumpets sounded through the city. 

Tutmosis was lying sunk in deep sleep, when Prince Ramses pulled hismantle, and called, "Rise, watchful leader. The regiments are marching!"

Tutmosis sat up in bed and rubbed his drowsy eyes. 

"Ah, is it thou, lord?" asked he, yawning. "Hast Thou slept?"

"As never before, " replied Ramses. 

"But I should like to sleep more. "

Both bathed, put on their jackets and light mail, then mounted horses, which were tearing away from the equerries. 

Soon the heir, with a small suite, left the city, and on the way passedslowly moving columns. The Nile had overflowed widely, and the princewished to be present at the passage of fords and canals. 

At sunrise the last army chariot was far outside the city, and theworthy nomarch of Pi-Bast said to his servants, "I am going to sleep now, and woe to the man who rouses me before thehour of our feast in the evening! Even the divine sun rests when eachday is past, while I have not lain down since the first day of Hator. "

Before he had finished praising his own watchfulness, a police officerentered, and begged for a special hearing in a case of immenseimportance. 

"Would that the earth had swallowed thee!" muttered the worthy nomarch. 

But still he commanded to summon the officer, and inquired with ill-humor, "Is it not possible to wait a few hours? The Nile will not run away, asit seems to me. "

"A terrible misfortune has happened, " replied the officer. "The son ofthe erpatr is killed. "

"What? Who?" cried the nomarch. 

"The son of the Jewess Sarah. "

"Who killed him? When?"

"Last night. "

"But who could do this?"

The officer bent his head and spread his arms. 

"I asked who killed him?" repeated the nomarch, more astonished thanangry. 

"Be pleased, lord, thyself to investigate. My lips will not utter whatmy ears have heard. "

The astonishment of the nomarch increased. He gave command to lead inSarah's servants, and sent for Mefres, the high priest. Mentezufis, asrepresentative of the minister of war, had gone with the viceroy. 

The astonished Mefres came. The nomarch told of the murder of thechild, and said that the police official dared not give explanations. 

"But are there witnesses?" inquired the high priest. 

"We are waiting for thy commands, holy father. "

They brought in Sarah's doorkeeper. 

"Hast Thou heard, " inquired the nomarch, "that the child of thymistress is killed?"

The man fell to the pavement, and answered, "I have even seen the worthy remains broken against the wall, and Idetained our lady when she ran out to the garden, screaming. "

"When did this happen?"

"At midnight. Immediately after the most worthy heir came to our lady, "answered the watch. 

"How is this? Did the prince visit thy lady last night?" inquiredMefres. 

"Thou hast said it, great prophet. "

"This is wonderful!" whispered Mefres to the nomarch. 

The second witness was Sarah's cook, the third her waiting woman. Bothdeclared that after midnight the prince had entered Sarah's chamber, stayed there awhile, then run out quickly to the garden, and soon afterhim appeared Lady Sarah, screaming terribly. 

"But the prince remained all night in his chamber; he did not leave thepalace, " said the nomarch. 

The police-officer shook his head, and declared that some of the palaceservants were waiting in the antechamber. 

They were summoned. Mefres questioned them, and it appeared that theheir had not slept in the palace. He had left his chamber beforemidnight, and gone to the garden; he returned when the first trumpetsounded. 

When the witnesses had been led out, and the two dignitaries werealone, the nomarch threw himself on the pavement, and declared toMefres that he was grievously ill, and would rather lose his life thancarry on investigations. The high priest was very pale and excited; buthe replied that they must clear up a question of murder, and hecommanded the nomarch in the name of the pharaoh-to go with him toSarah's dwelling. It was not far to the garden of the heir, and the twodignitaries soon found themselves at the place where the crime had beencommitted. 

When they entered the chamber on the first story, they saw Sarahkneeling at the cradle in such a posture as if nursing the child. Onthe wall and the pavement were blood spots. 

The nomarch grew so weak that he was forced to sit down, but Mefres wascalm. He approached Sarah, touched her arm, and said, "We come hither, lady, in the name of his holiness. "

Sarah sprang to her feet suddenly, and, looking at Mefres, cried in aterrible voice, "A curse on you! Ye wished to have a Jew king, and here is the king foryou. Oh, why did I, unfortunate, listen to your traitorous advice!"

She dropped, and fell again at the side of the cradle, groaning, "My son my little Seti! How beautiful he was, so cunning; juststretching out his little hands to me! O Jehovah! give him back to me, for that is in Thy power. O gods of Egypt, Osiris, Horus, Isis, O Isis, for Thou too wert a mother! It cannot be that in the heavens there isnot one who will listen to my prayer. Such a dear, little child! Ahyena would have spared him. "

The high priest took her by the arms, and put her on her feet. Thepolice and the servants filled the room. 

"Sarah, " said the high priest, "in the name of his holiness, the lordof Egypt, I summon thee, and command thee to answer, Who killed thyson?"

She gazed straight ahead, like a maniac, and rubbed her forehead. 

The nomarch gave her water and wine, and one of the women presentsprinkled her with vinegar. 

"In the name of his holiness, " repeated Mefres, "I command thee, Sarah, to tell the name of the murderer. "

Those present withdrew toward the door; the nomarch with despairingaction closed both his ears. 

"Who killed?" said Sarah, in a panting voice, sinking her gaze in theface of Mefres. "Who killed, dost Thou ask? I know you, ye priests! Iknow your justice. "

"Then who killed?" insisted Mefres. 

"I!" cried Sarah, in an unearthly voice. "I killed my child, because yemade him a Jew. "

"That is false!" hissed the high priest. 

"I, I!" repeated Sarah. "Hei, Ye people who see me and hear me, " sheturned to the witnesses, "ye know that I killed him I I I!" cried she, beating her breast. 

At such an explicit accusation of herself the nomarch recovered, andlooked with compassion on Sarah; the women sobbed, the doorkeeper wipedaway tears. But the holy Mefres closed his blue lips firmly. At last hesaid, with emphatic voice, while looking at the police official, "Servants of his holiness, I surrender this woman, whom ye are toconduct to the edifice of justice. "

"But my son with me!" interrupted Sarah, rushing to the cradle. 

"With thee, with thee, poor woman, " said the nomarch; and he coveredhis face. 

The dignitaries went out of the chamber. The police officer had alitter brought, and with marks of the highest respect conducted Sarahdown to it. The unfortunate woman seized a blood-stained bundle fromthe cradle, and took a seat, without resistance, in the litter. 

All the servants went after her to the chamber of justice. 

When Mefres, with the nomarch, was passing through the garden, thenomarch said, "I have compassion on that woman. "

"She will be punished properly for lying, " answered the high priest. 

"Dost Thou think so, worthiness?"

"I am certain that the gods will discover and punish the realmurderer. "

At the garden gate the steward of Kama's villa stood in the road beforethem. 

"The Phoenician woman is gone. She disappeared last night. "

"A new misfortune, " whispered the nomarch. 

"Have no fear, " said Mefres; "she followed the prince. "

From these answers the worthy nomarch saw that Mefres hated the prince, and his heart sank in him. If they proved that Ramses had killed hisown son, the heir would never ascend the throne of his fathers, and theheavy yoke of the priesthood would weigh down still more mightily onEgypt. 

The sadness of the nomarch increased when they told him in the eveningthat two physicians of the temple of Hator, when looking at the corpseof the infant, had expressed the opinion that only a man could havecommitted the murder. Some man, said they, seized with his right handthe feet of the little boy, and broke his skull against the wall of thebuilding. Sarah's hand could not clasp both legs, on which, moreover, were traces of large fingers. 

After this explanation Mefres, in company with the high priest Sem, went to Sarah in the prison, and implored her by all the gods of Egyptand of foreign lands to declare that she was not guilty of the death ofthe child, and to describe the person of the murderer. 

"We will believe thy word, " said Mefres, "and Thou wilt be freeimmediately. "

But Sarah, instead of being moved by this proof of friendliness, fellinto anger. 

"Jackals, " cried she, "two victims are not enough; ye want still more. I, unfortunate woman, did this; I, for who else would be so abject asto kill a child a little child that had never harmed any one?"

"But dost Thou know, stubborn woman, what threatens thee?" asked theholy Mefres. "Thou wilt hold the remains of thy child for three days inthy arms, and then be fifteen years in prison. "

"Only three days?" repeated Sarah. "But I would never part with mylittle Seti; and not only to prison, but to the grave will I go withhim, and my lord will command to bury us together. "

When the high priest left Sarah, the most pious Sem said, "I have seen mothers who killed their own children, and I have judgedthem; but none were like her. "

"For she did not kill her child, " answered Mefres, angrily. 

"Who, then?"

"He whom the servants saw when he rushed into Sarah's house and fled amoment later; he who, when going against the enemy, took with him thepriestess Kama, who denied the altar; he, " concluded Mefres, excitedly, "who hunted Sarah out of the house, and made her a slave because herson had been made a Jew. "

"Thy words are terrible, " answered Sem, in alarm. 

"The criminal is still worse, and, in spite of that stupid woman'sstubbornness, he will be discovered. "

But the holy man did not suppose that his prophecy would beaccomplished so quickly. 

And it was accomplished in the following manner: Prince Ramses, whenmoving from Pi-Bast with the army, had not left the palace when thechief of the police learned of the murder of Sarah's child, and theflight of Kama, and this, too, that Sarah's servants saw the princeentering her house in the night time. The chief of police was a verykeen person; he pondered over this question, Who could have committedthe crime? and instead of inquiring on the spot, he hastened to pursuethe guilty parties outside the city, and forewarned Hiram of what hadhappened. 

While Mefres was trying to extort a confession from Sarah, the mostactive agents of the Pi-Bast police, and with them every Phoenicianunder the leadership of Hiram, were hunting the Greek Lykon and thepriestess Kama. 

So three nights after the prince had departed, the chief of policereturned to Pi-Bast, bringing with him a large cage covered with linen, in which was some woman who screamed in heaven-piercing accents. Without lying down to sleep, the chief summoned the officer who hadmade the investigation, and listened to his report attentively. 

At sunrise the two priests, Sem and Mefres, with the nomarch of Pi-Bast, received a most humble invitation to deign immediately, shouldsuch be their will, to come to the chief of police. In fact, all threeentered at the very same moment; so the chief, bending low, imploredthem to tell all that they knew concerning the murder of the son of theviceroy. 

The nomarch, though a great dignitary, grew pale when he heard thehumble invitation, and answered that he knew nothing. The high priestSem gave almost the same answer, adding, for himself, the reflectionthat Sarah seemed to him innocent. 

When the turn came to the holy Mefres, he said, "I know not whether Thou hast heard, worthiness, that during the nightof the crime one of the prince's women escaped; her name was Kama. "

The chief of police feigned to be greatly astonished. 

"I know not, " continued Mefres, "whether they have told thee that theheir did not pass the night in the palace, but was in Sarah's house. The doorkeeper and two servants recognized him, for the night wasrather clear. It is a great pity, " finished the high priest, "that Thouhast not been here these two days past. "

The chief bowed very low to Mefres, and turned to the nomarch, "Wouldst Thou be pleased, worthiness, to tell me, graciously, how theprince was dressed that evening?"

"He wore a white jacket, and a purple apron with gold fringe, " answeredthe nomarch. "I remember very well, for that evening I was one of thelast who spoke with him. "

The chief of the police clapped his hands, and Sarah's doorkeeperentered the chamber. 

"Didst Thou see the prince, " inquired he, "when he came in the night tothe house of thy lady?"

"I opened the door to his worthiness, may he live through eternity!"

"And dost Thou remember how he was dressed?"

"He wore a jacket with yellow and black stripes, a cap of the samecolors, and a blue and red apron, " answered the doorkeeper. 

Both priests and the nomarch began to wonder. 

Then they brought in Sarah's servants, who repeated exactly the samedescription of the prince's dress. The nomarch's eyes flashed withdelight, but on the face of the holy Mefres confusion was evident. 

"I will swear, " put in the worthy nomarch, "that the prince wore awhite jacket and a purple apron with gold fringe. "

"Now, most worthy men, " said the chief of police, "be pleased to comewith me to the prison. There we shall see one more witness. "

They went to a subterranean hall, where under a window stood a greatcage covered with linen. The chief threw back the linen with his stick, and those present saw a woman lying in a corner. 

"But this is the Lady Kama!" cried the nomarch. 

It was indeed Kama, sick and changed very greatly. When she rose atsight of the dignitaries, and appeared in the light, those present sawthat her face had bronze-colored spots on it. Her eyes seemedwandering. 

"Kama, " said the chief, "the goddess Astaroth has touched thee withleprosy. "

"It was not the goddess!" said she, with a changed voice. "It was thelow Asiatics, who threw in a tainted veil to me. Oh, I am unfortunate!"

"Kama, " continued the chief, "our most famous high priests, Sem andMefres, have taken compassion on thee. If Thou wilt tell the truth, they will pray for thee, and perhaps the all-mighty Osiris will turnfrom thee misfortune. There is still time, the disease is onlybeginning, and our gods have great power. "

The sick woman fell on her knees, and pressing her face against thegrating, said in a broken voice, "Have compassion on me! I have renounced Phoenician gods, and to theend of life will serve the gods of Egypt. Only avert from me. "

"Answer, but answer truly, " said the chief, "and the gods will notrefuse thee their favor. Who killed the child of the Jewess Sarah?"

"The traitor, Lykon, the Greek. He was a singer in our temple, and saidthat he loved me. But he has rejected me, the infamous traitor, andseized my jewels. "

"Why did Lykon kill the child?"

"He wanted to kill the prince, but not finding him in the palace, heran to Sarah's villa. "

"How did the criminal enter a house that was guarded?"

"Dost Thou not know that Lykon resembles the prince? They are as muchalike as two leaves of one palm-tree. "

"How was Lykon dressed that night?"

"He wore a jacket in yellow and black stripes, a cap of the samematerial, and a red and blue apron. Do not torment me; return me myhealth! Be compassionate! I will be faithful to your gods! Are ye goingalready? Oh, hard-hearted!"

"Poor woman, " said the high priest Sem, "I will send to thee a mightyworker of miracles; he may. "

"May ye be blessed by Astaroth! No, may your almighty and compassionategods bless you, " whispered Kama, in dreadful weariness. 

The dignitaries left the prison and returned to the upper hall. Thenomarch, seeing that the high priest Mefres kept his eyes cast down andhis lips fixed, asked him, "Art Thou not rejoiced, holy man, at these wonderful discoveries madeby our chief?"

"I have no reason to rejoice, " answered Mefres, dryly. "The case, instead of being simplified, has grown difficult. Sarah asserts thatshe killed the child, while the Phoenician woman answers as if some onehad taught her. "

"Then dost Thou not believe, worthiness?" interrupted the chief. 

"No, for I have never seen two men so much alike that one could bemistaken for the other. Still more, I have never heard that thereexists in Pi-Bast a man who could counterfeit our viceroy, may he livethrough eternity!"

"That man, " said the chief, "was in Pi-Bast, at the temple of Astaroth. The Tyrian Prince Hiram knew him, and our viceroy has seen him with hisown eyes. More than that, not long ago, he commanded me to seize him, and even offered a large reward. "

"Ho! ho!" cried Mefres, "I see, worthy chief, I see that the highestsecrets of the state are concentrating about thee. But permit me not tobelieve in that Lykon till I see him. "

And he left the hall in anger, and after him Sem, shrugging hisshoulders. But when their steps had ceased to sound in the corridor, the nomarch, looking quickly at the chief, asked, "What dost Thou think?"

"Indeed, " said the chief, "the holy prophets are beginning to interferein things which have never been under their jurisdiction. "

"And we must endure this!" whispered the nomarch. 

"For a time only, " sighed the chief. "In so far as I know men's hearts, all the military, all the officials of his holiness, in fine, all thearistocracy, are indignant at this priestly tyranny. Everything musthave its limit. "

"Thou hast uttered great words, " said the nomarch, pressing the chief'shand, "and some internal voice tells me that I shall see thee assupreme chief of police at the side of his holiness. "

A couple of days passed. During this time the dissectors had securedfrom corruption the remains of the viceroy's son; but Sarah continuedin prison, awaiting her trial, certain that she would be condemned. 

Kama was sitting, also, confined in her cage; people feared her, forshe was infected with leprosy. It is true that a miracle-workingphysician visited her, repeated prayers before her, gave her everythingto drink, and gave her healing water. Still, fever did not leave thewoman, and the bronze-colored spots on her cheeks and brows grew moredefinite. Therefore an order came from the nomarch to take her out tothe eastern desert, where, separated from mankind, dwelt a colony oflepers. 

On a certain evening the chief appeared at the temple of Ptah, sayingthat he wished to speak with the high priest. The chief had with himtwo agents, and a man covered from head to foot in a bag. 

After a while an answer was sent to the chief that the high priestswere awaiting him in the sacred chamber of the statue of theirdivinity. 

The chief left the agents before the gate, took by the arm the mandressed in the bag, and, conducted by a priest, went to the sacredchamber. When he entered, he found Mefres and Sem arrayed as highpriests, with silver plates on their bosoms. 

He fell before them on the pavement, and said, "In accordance with your commands, I bring to you, holy fathers, thecriminal Lykon. Do ye wish to see his face?"

When they assented, the chief rose, and pulled the bag from the manstanding near him. 

Both high priests cried out with astonishment. The Greek was really solike Ramses that it was impossible to resist the deception. 

"Thou art Lykon, the singer from the temple of Astaroth?" asked theholy Sem of the bound Greek. 

Lykon smiled contemptuously. 

"And didst Thou kill the child of the prince?" added Mefres. 

The Greek grew blue from rage, and strove to tear off his bonds. 

"Yes!" cried he, "I killed the whelp, for I could not find the wolf, his father, may heaven's blazes burn him!"

"In what has the prince offended thee, criminal?" asked the indignantSem. 

"In what? He seized from me Kama, and plunged her into a disease forwhich there is no remedy. I was free, I might have fled with life andproperty, but I resolved to avenge myself, and now ye have me. It washis luck that your gods are mightier than my hatred. Now ye may killme; the sooner ye do so, the better. "

"This is a great criminal, " said Sem. 

Mefres was silent and gazed into the Greek's eyes, which were burningwith rage. He admired his courage, and fell to thinking. All at once hesaid to the chief, "Worthy sir, Thou mayst go, this man belongs to us. "

"This man, " replied the chief, who was indignant, "belongs to me. Iseized him and I shall receive a reward from Prince Ramses. "

Mefres rose and drew forth from under his mantle a gold medal. 

"In the name of the supreme council, of which I am a member, " said he, "I command thee to yield this man to us. Remember that his existence isamong the highest state secrets, and indeed it would be a hundred timesbetter for thee to forget that Thou hast left him here. "

The chief fell again to the pavement, and went out repressing hisanger. 

"Our lord the prince will repay you when he is the pharaoh!" thoughthe. "And he will pay you my part ye will see. "

"Where is the prisoner?" asked the agents standing before the gate. 

"In prison, " answered the chief; "the hands of the gods have rested onhim. "

"And our reward?" asked the elder agent. 

"The hands of the gods have rested on your reward also. Imagine then toyourselves that ye saw that prisoner only in a dream, ye will be saferin health and in service. "

The agents dropped their heads in silence. But in their hearts theyswore vengeance against the priests, who had taken a handsome rewardfrom them. 

After the chief had gone Mefres summoned a number of priests, andwhispered something into the ears of the eldest. The priests surroundedthe Greek and conducted him out of the chamber. Lykon made noresistance. 

"I think, " said Sem, "that this man should be brought before the courtas a murderer. "

"Never!" cried Mefres, with decision. "On this man weighs anincomparably greater crime, he is like the heir to the throne. "

"And what wilt Thou do with him, worthiness?"

"I will reserve him for the supreme council, " said Mefres. "When theheir to the throne visits pagan temples and steals from them women, when the country is threatened with danger of war, and the power of thepriests with rebellion, Lykon may be of service. "

On the following midday the high priest Sem, the nomarch, and the chiefof police went to Sarah's prison. The unfortunate woman had not eatenfor a number of days, and was so weak that she did not rise from thebench even in presence of so many dignitaries. 

"Sarah, " said the nomarch, whom she had known before, "we bring theegood news. "

"News, " repeated she with a pathetic voice. "My son is not living, thatis the news; my breast is full of nourishment, but my heart is full ofsadness. "

"Sarah, " said the nomarch, "Thou art free. Thou didst not kill thychild. "

Her seemingly dead features revived. She sprang from the bench, andcried, "I I killed him only I. "

"Consider, Sarah, a man killed thy son, a Greek, named Lykon, the loverof the Phoenician Kama. "

"What dost Thou say?" whispered she, seizing the nomarch's hands. "Oh, that Phoenician woman! I knew that she would ruin us. But the Greek? Iknow no Greek. How could my son offend any man?"

"I know not, " continued the nomarch. "That Greek is no longer alive. But that man was so like Prince Ramses that when he entered thy chamberThou didst think him our lord. And Thou hast preferred to accuse thyown self rather than our lord, and thine. "

"Then that was not Ramses?" cried she, seizing her head. "And I, wretched woman, let a strange man take my son from his cradle. Ha! ha!ha!"

Then she laughed more and more. On a sudden, as if her legs had beencut from under her, she fell to the floor, her hands hopped a couple oftimes, and she died in hysteric laughter. 

But on her face remained an expression of sorrow which even death couldnot drive from it. 

CHAPTER XLII

THE western boundary of Egypt for a distance of more than a hundredgeographic miles is composed of a wall of naked limestone hills abouttwo hundred meters high, intersected by ravines. They run parallel tothe Nile, from which they are sometimes five miles distant, sometimesone kilometer. Whoso should clamber up one of these hills and turn hisface northward would see one of the strangest sights possible. He wouldhave on his right hand the narrow but green plain cut lengthwise by theNile; on his left he would see an endless yellow open region, varied byspots, white or brick colored. 

Monotony, the irritating yellow color of the sand plain, the heat, and, above all, boundless immensity are the most peculiar traits of theLibyan desert, which extends westward from Egypt. 

But viewed more nearly the desert is in fact less monotonous. Its sandis not level, but forms a series of swellings which recall immensewaves of water. It is like a roused sea solidified on a sudden. Butwhoso should have the courage to go across that sea for an hour, twohours, a day, directly westward would see a new sight. On the horizonwould appear eminences, sometimes cliffs and rocks of the strangestoutlines. Under foot the sand would grow thinner, and from beneath itlimestone rocks would emerge just like land out of water. 

In fact that was a land, or even a country in the midst of a sandocean. Around the limestone hills were valleys, in them the beds ofstreams and rivers, farther on a plain, and in the middle of it a lakewith a bending line of shores and a sunken bottom. 

But on these plains, hills, and heights no blade of grass grows; in thelake there is no drop of water; along the bed of the river no currentmoves. That is a landscape, even greatly varied with respect to forms, but a landscape from which all water has departed, the very last atomof moisture has dried from it; a dead landscape, where not only allvegetation has vanished, but even the fertile stratum of earth has beenground into dust or dried up into rock slabs. 

In those places the most ghastly event has taken place of which it ispossible to meditate: Nature has died there, and nothing remains buther dust and her skeleton, which heat dissolves to the last degree, andburning wind tosses from spot to spot. 

Beyond this dead, unburied region stretches again a sea of sand, onwhich are seen, here and there, towering up in one and another place, pointed stacks as high as a house of one story. Each summit of such alittle hill is crowned by a small bunch of gray, fine, dusty leaves, ofwhich it is difficult to say that they are living; but it may be saidthat they cannot wither. 

One of these strange stacks signifies that water in that place has notdried up altogether, but has hidden from drought beneath the earth, andpreserves dampness in some way. On that spot a tamarind seed fell, andthe plant has begun to grow with endless effort. 

But Typhon, the lord of the desert, has noted this, and begun to stifleit with sand. And the more the little plant pushes upward, the higherrises the stack of sand which is choking it. That tamarind which haswandered into the desert looks like a drowning man raising his arms, invain, heavenward. 

And again the yellow boundless ocean stretches on with its sand wavesand those fragments of the plant world which have not the power toperish. All at once a rocky wall is in front, and in it clefts, whichserve as gateways. 

The incredible is before us. Beyond one of these gateways a broad greenplain appears, a multitude of palms, the blue waters of a lake. Evensheep are seen pasturing, with cattle and horses. From afar, on thesides of a cliff, towers up a town; on the summit of the cliff are thewhite walls of a temple. 

That is an oasis, or island in the sand ocean. 

In the time of the pharaohs there were many such oases, perhaps sometens of them. They formed a chain of islands in the desert, along thewestern boundary of Egypt. They lay at a distance of ten, fifteen, ortwenty geographic miles from the Nile, and varied in size from a few toa few tens of square kilometers in area. 

Celebrated by Arab poets, these oases were never really the forecourtsof paradise. Their lakes are swamps for the greater part; from theirunderground sources flow waters which are warm, sometimes of evil odor, and disgustingly brackish; their vegetation could not compare with theEgyptian. Still, these lonely places seemed a miracle to wanderers inthe desert, who found in them a little green for the eye, a trifle ofcoolness, dampness, and some dates also. 

The population of these islands in the sand ocean varied from a fewhundred persons to numbers between ten and twenty thousand, accordingto area. These people were all adventurers or their descendants, Europeans, Libyans, Ethiopians. To the desert fled people who hadnothing to lose, convicts from the quarries, criminals pursued bypolice, earth-tillers escaping from tribute, or laborers who left hardwork for danger. The greater part of these fugitives died on the sandocean. Some of them, after sufferings beyond description, were able toreach the oases, where they passed a wretched life, but a free one, andthey were ready at all times to fall upon Egypt for the sake of anoutlaw's recompense. 

Between the desert and the Mediterranean extended a very long, thoughnot very wide strip of fruitful soil, inhabited by tribes which theEgyptians called Libyans. Some of these worked at land tilling, othersat navigation and fishing; in each tribe, however, was a crowd of wildpeople, who preferred plunder, theft, and warfare to regular labor. That bandit population was perishing always between poverty and warlikeadventure; but it was also recruited by an influx of Sicilians andSardinians, who at that time were greater robbers and barbarians thanwere the native Libyans. 

Since Libya touched the western boundary of Lower Egypt, barbariansmade frequent inroads on the territory of his holiness, and wereterribly punished. Convinced at last that war with Libyans was result-less, the pharaohs, or, more accurately, the priesthood, decided onanother system: real Libyan families were permitted to settle in theswamps of Lower Egypt, near the seacoast, while adventurers and banditswere enlisted in the army, and became splendid warriors. 

In this way the state secured peace on the western boundary. To keepsingle Libyan robbers in order police were sufficient, with a fieldguard and a few regiments of regulars disposed along the Canopus arm ofthe great river. 

Such a condition of affairs lasted almost two centuries; the last warwith the Libyans was carried on by Ramses III, who cut enormous pilesof hands from his slain enemies, and brought thirteen thousand slaveshome to Egypt. From that time forth no one feared attack on the Libyanboundary, and only toward the end of the reign of Ramses XII did thestrange policy of the priests kindle the flame of war again in thoseregions. 

It burst out through the following causes:

His worthiness, Herhor, the minister of war, and high priest of Amon, because of resistance from his holiness the pharaoh, was unable toconclude with Assyria a treaty for the division of Asia. But wishing, as Beroes had forewarned him, to keep a more continued peace withAssyria, Herhor assured Sargon that Egypt would not hinder them fromcarrying on a war with eastern and northern Asiatics. 

And since Sargon, the ambassador of King Assar, seemed not to trusttheir oaths, Herhor decided to give him a material proof of friendlyfeeling, and, with this object, ordered to disband at once twentythousand mercenaries, mainly Libyans. 

For those disbanded warriors, who were in no way guilty and had beenalways loyal, this decision almost equaled a death sentence. BeforeEgypt appeared the danger of a war with Libya, which could in no casegive refuge to men in such numbers, men accustomed only to comforts andmilitary exercise, not to poverty and labor. But in view of greatquestions of state, Herhor and the priests did not hesitate at trifles. 

Indeed, the disbanding of the Libyans brought them much advantage. 

First of all, Sargon and his associates signed and swore to a treaty often years with the pharaoh, during which time, according to predictionsof priests in Chaldea, evil fates were impending over Egypt. 

Second, the disbanding of twenty thousand men spared four thousandtalents to the treasury; this was greatly important. 

Third, a war with Libya on the western boundary was an outlet for theheroic instincts of the viceroy, and might turn his attention fromAsiatic questions and the eastern boundary for a long time. Hisworthiness Herhor and the supreme council had calculated very keenlythat some years would pass before the Libyans, trained in pettywarfare, would ask for peace with Egypt. 

The plan was well constructed, but the authors of it failed in onepoint; they had not found Ramses a military genius. 

The disbanded Libyan regiments robbed along the way, and reached theirbirthplace very quickly, all the more quickly since Herhor had given nocommand to place obstacles before them. The very first of the disbandedmen, when they stood on Libyan soil, told wonders to their relatives. 

According to their stories, dictated by anger and personal interest, Egypt was then as weak as when the Hyksos invaded it nine hundred yearsearlier. The pharaoh's treasury was so poor that he, the equal of thegods, had to disband them, the Libyans, who were the chief, if not theonly honor of the army. Moreover, there was hardly any army unless amere band on the eastern boundary, and that was formed of warriors of acommon order. 

Besides, there was dissension between the priesthood and his holiness. The laborers had not received their wages, and the earth tillers weresimply killed through taxes, therefore masses of men were ready torebel if they could only find assistance. And that was not the wholecase, for the nomarchs, who ruled once independently, and who from timeto time demanded their rights again, seeing now the weakness of thegovernment, were preparing to overturn both the pharaoh and the supremepriestly council. 

These tidings flew, like a flock of birds, along the Libyan boundary, and found credit quickly. Those barbarians and bandits ever ready toattack, were all the more ready then, when ex-warriors and officers ofhis holiness assured them that to plunder Egypt was easy. 

Rich and thoughtful Libyans believed the disbanded men also; for duringmany years it had been to them no secret that Egyptian nobles werelosing wealth yearly, that the pharaoh had no power, and that earth-tillers and laborers rebelled because they suffered. 

And so excitement burst out through all Libya. People greeted thedisbanded warriors and officers as heralds of good tidings. And sincethe country was poor, and had no supplies to nourish visitors, a warwith Egypt was decided on straightway, so as to send off the newarrivals at the earliest. 

Even the wise and crafty Libyan prince, Musawasa, let himself be sweptaway by the general current. It was not, however, the disbandedwarriors who had convinced him, but certain grave and weighty personswho, in every likelihood, were agents of the chief Egyptian council. 

These dignitaries, as if dissatisfied with things in Egypt, or offendedat the pharaoh and the priesthood, had come to Libya from the seashore;they took no part in conversations, they avoided meetings withdisbanded warriors, and explained to Musawasa, as the greatest secret, and with proofs in hand, that that was just his time to fall on Egypt. 

"Thou wilt find there endless wealth, " said they, "and granaries forthyself, thy people, and the grandsons of thy grandsons. "

Musawasa, though a skilful diplomat and leader, let himself be caughtin that way. Like a man of energy, he declared a sacred war at once, and, as he had valiant warriors in thousands, he hurried off the firstcorps eastward. His son, Tehenna, who was twenty years of age at thattime, led it. 

The old barbarian knew what war was, and understood that he who plansto conquer must act with speed and give the first blows in thestruggle. 

Libyan preparations were very brief. The former warriors of hisholiness had no weapons, it is true, but they knew their trade, and itwas not difficult in those days to find weapons for an army. A fewstraps, or pieces of rope for a sling, a dart or a sharpened stick, anaxe, or a heavy club, a bag of stones, and another of dates, that wasthe whole problem. 

So Musawasa gave two thousand men, ex-warriors of the pharaoh, and fourthousand of the Libyan rabble to Tehenna, commanding him to fall onEgypt at the earliest, seize whatever he could find, and collectprovisions for the real army. Assembling for himself the most importantforces, he sent swift runners through the oases and summoned to hisstandard all who had no property. 

There had not been such a movement in the desert for a long time. Fromeach oasis came crowd after crowd, such a proletariat, that, thoughalmost naked, they deserved to be called a tattered rabble. Relying onthe opinion of his counselors, who a month earlier had been officers ofhis holiness, Musawasa supposed, with perfect judgment, that his sonwould plunder hundreds of villages and small places from Teremethis toSenti-Nofer, before he would meet important Egyptian forces. Finallythey reported to him, that at the first news of a movement among theLibyans, not only had all laborers fled from the glass works, but thateven the troops had withdrawn from fortresses in Sochet-Heman on theSoda Lakes. 

This was of very good import to the barbarians, since those glass workswere an important source of income to the pharaoh's treasury. 

Musawasa had made the same mistake as the supreme priestly council. Hehad not foreseen military genius in Ramses. And an uncommon thinghappened: before the first Libyan corps had reached the neighborhood ofthe Soda Lakes the viceroy's army was there, and was twice as numerousas its enemies. 

No man could reproach the Libyans with lack of foresight. Tehenna andhis staff had a very well-organized service. Their spies had madefrequent visits to Melcatis, Naucratis, Sai, Menuf, and Teremethis, andhad sailed across the Canopus and Bolbita arms of the Nile. Nowhere didthey meet troops; the movements of troops would have been paralyzed inthose places by the overflow, but they did see almost everywhere thealarm of settled populations which were simply fleeing from bordervillages. So they brought their leader exact intelligence. 

Meanwhile the viceroy's army, in spite of the overflow, had reached theedge of the desert in nine days after it was mobilized, and now, furnished with water and provisions, it vanished among the hills of theSoda Lakes. 

If Tehenna could have risen like an eagle above the camp of hiswarriors, he would have been frightened at seeing that Egyptianregiments were hidden in all the ravines of that district, and that hiscorps might be surrounded at any instant. 

CHAPTER XLIII

FROM the moment when the troops of Lower Egypt marched out of Pi-Bast, the prophet, Mentezufis, who accompanied the prince, received and sentaway dispatches daily. 

One correspondence he conducted with the minister Herhor; Mentezufissent reports to Memphis touching the advance of the troops, and theactivity of the viceroy; of this activity he did not conceal hisadmiration. On his part, the worthy Herhor stated that every freedomwas to be left to the heir, and that if Ramses lost his first battle, the supreme council would not feel angry. 

"A slight defeat, " said Herhor, "would be a lesson in humility andcaution to the viceroy, who even now, though as yet he has donenothing, considers himself as equal to the most experienced warriors. "

When Mentezufis answered that one could not easily suppose that theheir would meet defeat, Herhor let him understand that in that case thetriumph should not be over brilliant. 

"The state, " continued he, "will not lose in any way if the warriorsand the impulsive heir find amusement for some years along the westernborder. He will gain skill himself in warfare, while the idle warriorswill find their own proper work to do. "

The other correspondence Mentezufis carried on with the holy fatherMefres and that seemed to him of more importance. Mefres, offendedformerly by the prince, had recently, in the case of Sarah's child, accused the prince directly of infanticide, committed under Kama'sinfluence. 

When a week had passed, and the viceroy's innocence was manifest, thehigh priest grew still more irate, and did not cease his efforts. Theprince, he said, was capable of anything; he was hostile to thecountry's gods, he was an ally of the vile Phoenicians. 

The murder of Sarah's child seemed so suspicious in the earlier days, that even the supreme council asked Mentezufis what he. Thought of it. 

Mentezufis answered that he had watched the prince for days, and didnot think the man a murderer. 

Such were the letters which, like birds of prey, whirled around Ramses, while he was sending scouts against the enemy, consulting leaders, orurging on his warriors. 

On the fourteenth day the whole army was concentrated on the south ofTeremethis. To the great delight of the heir, Patrokles came with the Greek regiment, and with him the priestPentuer, sent by Herhor as another guardian near the viceroy. 

The multitude of priests in the camp (for there were still others) didnot enchant Ramses. But he resolved not to turn attention to the holymen or ask advice of them. 

Relations were regulated in some way, for Mentezufis, according toinstructions from Herhor, did not force himself on the prince, whilePentuer occupied himself with organizing medical aid for the wounded. 

The military game began. 

First of all Ramses, through his agents, had spread a report in manyboundary villages that the Libyans were pushing forward in greatmasses, and would destroy and murder. Because of this the terrifiedinhabitants fled eastward and met the Egyptian warriors. The princetook them in to carry burdens for the army, the women and children heconveyed to the interior of Egypt. Next the commander sent spies tomeet the approaching Libyans and discover their number and disposition. These spies returned soon, bringing accurate indications as to wherethe Libyans were and very exaggerated accounts as to their numbers. They asserted, too, mistakenly, though in great confidence, that at thehead of the Libyan columns marched Musawasa with his son Tehenna. 

The princely leader was flushed with delight that in his first war hewould have such an experienced enemy as Musawasa. 

He overestimated, therefore, the danger of the struggle and redoubledevery caution. To have all chances on his side he had recourse tostratagem. He sent confidential men to meet the Libyans; he commandedthem to feign that they were fugitives, to enter the enemies' camp anddraw from Musawasa his best forces, the disbanded Libyan soldiers. 

"Tell them, " said Ramses to his agents, "that I have axes for theinsolent, and compassion for obedience. If in the coming battle theywill throw their weapons down and leave Musawasa, I will receive themback to the army of his holiness, and command to pay all arrears, as ifthey had never left the service. "

Patrokles and the other generals saw in this a very prudent measure;the priests were silent, Mentezufis sent a dispatch to Herhor and nextday received an answer. 

The neighborhood of the Soda Lakes was a valley some tens of kilometerslong, enclosed between two lines of hills, extending from the southeasttoward the northwest. The greatest width did not exceed ten kilometers;there were places narrower, almost ravines. 

Throughout the whole length of that valley extended one after anotherabout ten swampy lakes filled with bitter, brackish water. Wretchedplants and bushes grew there ever coated with sand, ever withering, plants which no beast would take to its mouth. Along both sides weresticking up jagged limestone hills, or immense heaps of sand in which aman might sink deeply. 

The white and yellow landscape had a look of dreadful torpor, which washeightened by the heat, and also by the silence. No bird was ever heardthere, and if any sound was given forth it was from a stone rollingdown along a hillside. 

Toward the middle of the valley rose two groups of buildings a fewkilometers from each other; these were a 'fortress on the east, andglass factories on the west, to which Libyan merchants brought fuel. Both these places had been deserted because of the conflict. Tehenna'scorps was to occupy both these points, and secure the road to Egypt forMusawasa's army forces. 

The Libyans marched slowly from the town of Glaucus southward, and onthe evening of the fourteenth day of Hator, they were at the entranceto the valley of the Soda Lakes, feeling sure that they would passthrough in two days unmolested. That evening at sunset the Egyptianarmy moved toward the desert, passed over more than forty kilometers ofsand in twelve hours, and next morning was on the hills between thehuts and the fortress and hid in the many ravines of that region. 

If some man that night had told the Libyans that palm-trees and wheatwere growing in the valley of the Soda Lakes they would have beenastonished less than if he had declared that the Egyptians had barredthe way to it. 

After a short rest, during which the priests had discovered and clearedout a few wells of water somewhat endurable for drinking, the Egyptianarmy began to occupy the hills extending along the northern side of thevalley. 

The viceroy's plan was quite simple. He was to cut off the Libyans fromtheir country, and push them southward into the desert, where heat andhunger would kill them. 

With this object he disposed his army on the northern side of thevalley and divided it into three corps. The right wing, that whichextended most toward Libya, was led by Patrokles, who was to cut offthe invaders from their own town of Glaucus. The left wing, thatnearest to Egypt, commanded by Mentezufis, was to stop the Libyans fromadvancing. Finally, the direction of the centre, at the glass huts, wastaken by Ramses, who had Pentuer near his person. 

On the fifteenth of Hator about seven in the morning, some tens ofLibyan horsemen moved at a brisk trot through the valley. They stoppeda moment at the huts, looked around, and, seeing nothing suspicious, rode back again. 

At about ten in the forenoon in a heat which seemed to suck sweat anddraw blood from men's bodies, Pentuer said to the viceroy, "The Libyans have entered the valley and passed Patrokles' division. They will be here in an hour from now. "

"Whence knowest Thou this?" asked the astonished prince. 

"The priests know everything, " replied Pentuer, smiling. 

Then he ascended one of the cliffs cautiously, took from a bag a verybright object and turning it in the direction of the holy Mentezufisbegan to give certain signs with his hand. 

"Mentezufis is informed already, " said Pentuer. 

The prince could not recover from astonishment and answered, "My eyes are better than thine, and my hearing is not worse, I think;still I see nothing, I hear nothing. How, then, dost Thou see the enemyand converse with Mentezufis?"

Pentuer directed the prince to look at a distant hill, on the summit ofwhich was a thorn bush. Ramses looked at that point and shaded his eyeson a sudden. In the bush something flashed brightly. 

"What unendurable glitter is that?" cried he. "It might blind a man. "

"That is the priest who is aiding the worthy Patrokles; he is giving ussigns, " replied Pentuer. "Thou seest, then, worthy lord, that we, too, can be useful in war time. "

He was silent. From the distance of the valley came a certain sound; atfirst low, gradually it grew clearer. At this sound the Egyptiansoldiers hidden at the sides of the hill began to spring up, look attheir weapons, and whisper. But the sharp commands of officers quietedthem, and again the silence was deathlike along the cliffs on the northside. 

Meanwhile that distant sound in the valley increased and passed into anuproar in which, on the bases of thousands of voices a man coulddistinguish songs, sounds of flutes, squeaks of chariots, the neighingof horses, and the cries of commanders. The prince's heart was nowbeating with violence; he could not resist his curiosity, and heclambered up to a rocky height whence a large part of the valley wasvisible. 

Surrounded by rolls of yellow dust the Libyan corps was approachingdeliberately, and seemed like a serpent some miles in length, withblue, white, and red spots on its body. 

At its head marched from ten to twenty horsemen, one of whom, wearing awhite mantle, was sitting on his horse as on a bench, both his legs onthe left side of the animal. Behind the horsemen marched a crowd ofslingers in gray shirts, then some dignitary in a litter, over whom alarge parasol was carried. Farther was a division of spearmen in blueand red shirts, then a great band of men almost naked, armed withclubs, again slingers and spearmen, behind them a red division withscythes and axes. They came on more or less in ranks of four; but inspite of shouts of officers, that order was interrupted, and each fourtreading on others, broke ranks continually. 

Singing and talking loudly, the Libyan serpent crawled out into thebroadest part of the valley, opposite the huts and the Soda Lakes. Order was disturbed now more considerably. Those marching in advancestopped, for it had been said that there would be a halt at that point;the columns behind hurried so as to reach the halt and rest all theearlier. Some ran out of the ranks, and laying down their weapons, rushed into the lake, or took up in their palms its malodorous water;others, sitting on the ground, took dates from bags, or drank vinegarand water from their bottles. 

High above the camp floated a number of vultures. 

Unspeakable sadness and terror seized Ramses at this spectacle. Beforehis eyes flies began to circle; for the twinkle of an eye he lostconsciousness; it seemed to him that he would have yielded his thronenot to be at that place, and not to see what was going to happen. Hehurried down from the cliff looking with wandering eyes straight out infront of him. 

At that moment Pentuer approached and pulled him by the arm vigorously. 

"Recover, leader, " said he; "Patrokles is waiting for orders. "

"Patrokles?" repeated the prince, and he looked around quickly. 

Before him stood Pentuer, deathly pale, but collected. A couple ofsteps farther on was Tutmosis, also pale; in his trembling hand was anofficer's whistle. From behind the hill bent forth soldiers, on whosefaces deep emotion was evident. 

"Ramses, " repeated Pentuer, "the army is waiting. "

The prince looked at the priest with desperate decision. 

"Begin!" said he in a stifled whisper. 

Pentuer raised his glittering talisman, and made some signs in the airwith it. Tutmosis gave a low whistle; that whistle was repeated indistant ravines on the right and the left. Egyptian slingers began toclimb up the hillsides. 

It was about midday. 

Ramses recovered gradually from his first impressions and looked aroundcarefully. He saw his staff, a division of spearmen and axemen underveteran officers, finally slingers, advancing along the cliffleisurely. And he was convinced that not one of those men had the wishto die or even to fight and move around in that heat, which wasterrible. 

All at once from the height of some hill was heard a mighty voice, louder than the roar of a lion, "Soldiers of the pharaoh, slay those Libyan dogs! The gods are withyou. "

To this unearthly voice answered two voices no less powerful: theprolonged shout of the Egyptian army, and the immense outcry of theLibyans. 

The prince had no need to conceal himself longer, and ascended aneminence whence he could see the hostile forces distinctly. Before himstretched a long line of Egyptian slingers who seemed as if they hadgrown up from the earth, and a couple of hundred yards distant theLibyan column moving forward in dust clouds. The trumpets, thewhistles, the curses of barbarian officers were heard calling to order. Those who were sitting sprang up; those who were drinking snatchedtheir weapons and ran to their places; chaotic throngs developed intoranks, and all this took place amid outcries and tumult. Meanwhile theEgyptian slingers cast a number of missiles each minute. They were ascalm and well ordered as at a maneuver. The decurions indicated totheir men the hostile crowds against which they must strike, and in thecourse of some minutes they covered them with a shower of stones andleaden bullets. The prince saw that after every such shower a Libyancrowd scattered and very often one man remained on the earth behind theothers. 

Still the Libyan ranks formed and withdrew outside the reach ofmissiles, then their slingers pushed forward and with equal swiftnessand coolness replied to the Egyptians. At times there were bursts oflaughter in their ranks and shouts of delight at the fall of someEgyptian slinger. 

Soon above the heads of the prince and his retinue stones began towhizz and whistle. One, cast adroitly, struck the arm of an adjutant, and broke the bone in it; another knocked the helmet from a secondadjutant; a third, falling at the prince's feet, was broken against thecliff and struck the leader's face with fragments as hot as boilingwater. 

The Libyans laughed loudly and shouted out something: apparently theywere abusing the viceroy. 

Fear and, above all, compassion and pity left the soul of Ramses in aninstant. He saw before him no longer people threatened by death andanguish, but lines of savage beasts which he had to kill or deprive ofweapons. Mechanically he reached for his sword to lead on the spearmenawaiting command, but he was restrained by contempt of the enemy. Washe to stain himself with the blood of that rabble? Warriors were therefor that purpose. 

Meanwhile the battle continued, and the brave Libyan slingers, whileshouting and even singing, began to press forward. From both sidesmissiles whizzed like beetles, buzzed like bees, sometimes they struckone another in the air with a crack, and every minute or two on thisside or that some warrior went to the rear groaning, or fell deadimmediately. But this did not spoil the humor of others: they foughtwith malicious delight, which gradually changed to rage and selfoblivion. 

Then from afar on the right wing were heard sounds of trumpets, andshouts repeated frequently. That was the unterrified Patrokles; drunksince daylight, he was attacking the rear guard of Libya. 

"Charge!" said the prince. 

Immediately that order was repeated by one, two, ten trumpets, andafter a moment the Egyptian companies pushed out from all the ravines. The slingers disposed on the hilltops redoubled their efforts, while inthe valley, without haste, but also without disorder, the Egyptianspearmen and axemen arranged in four columns moved forward gradually. 

"Strengthen the centre, " said the prince. 

A trumpet repeated the command. Behind two columns of the first linetwo new columns were placed. Before the Egyptians had finished thatmaneuver, under a storm of missiles, the Libyans, following theirexample, had arranged themselves in eight columns against the maincorps of Egypt. 

"Forward, reserves!" shouted the prince. "See, " said he, turning to oneof the adjutants, "whether the left wing is ready. "

To see the valley at a glance, and more accurately, the adjutant rushedin among the slingers, and fell immediately, but beckoned with hishand. Another rushed to replace him and returned quickly to state thatboth wings of the prince's division were drawn up in order. 

From the division commanded by Patrokles came an increasing uproar, andhigher than the hill dense rolls of dark smoke were rising. 

An officer from Pentuer ran to the prince reporting that the Libyancamp had been fired by the Greek regiments. 

"Force the centre!" cried Ramses. 

Trumpet after trumpet sounded the attack, and when they had ceased thecommand was heard in the central column, and then followed the rhythmicroll of drums and the beat of the infantry step, marching slowly and intime: one two! one two! one two! The command was repeated on the rightand on the left wing; again drums rolled and the wing columns movedforward: one two! one two!

The Libyan slingers began to withdraw, showering stones on the marchingEgyptians. But though one warrior fell after another, the columns movedon without stopping; they marched slowly, regularly, one two! one two!one two!

The yellow cloud, growing ever denser, indicated the march of theEgyptian battalions. The slingers could hurl stones no longer, andthere came a comparative quiet in the midst of which were heard sobsand groans from wounded warriors. 

"It is rare that they march on review so well, " cried Ramses to thestaff officers. 

"They are not afraid of sticks this time, " grumbled a veteran officer. 

The space between the dust cloud around the Egyptians and that on theLibyan side decreased every minute, but the barbarians, halting, stoodmotionless, and behind their line a second cloud made its appearance. Evidently some reserve was strengthening the central column, which wasthreatened by the wildest of onsets. 

The heir ran down from his eminence and mounted; the last Egyptianreserves poured out of the ravines, fixed themselves in ranks, andwaited for the order. Behind the infantry pushed out some hundreds ofAsiatic horsemen on small but enduring horses. 

The prince hurried after the columns advancing to attack, and when hehad gone a hundred yards he found a new eminence, not high, but fromwhich he could see the whole field of battle. The retinue, the Asiaticcavalry, and the reserve column hurried after him. 

The prince looked impatiently toward the left wing whence

Mentezufis had to come, but he was not coming. The Libyans stoodimmovable, the situation seemed more and more serious. 

The viceroy's division was the stronger, but against it were arrayedalmost all the Libyan forces. The two sides were equal as to numbers;the prince had no doubt of victory, but he dreaded the immense losssince his opponent was so manful. 

Besides, battle has caprices. 

Over men who have gone to attack, the leader's influence has ceased, hecontrols them no longer; Ramses has only a regiment of reserves, and ahandful of cavalry. If one of the Egyptian columns is beaten, or ifreinforcements come to the foe unexpectedly!

The prince rubbed his forehead at this thought. He felt all theresponsibility of a leader. He was like a dice thrower who has stakedall he owns, cast his dice, and asks, "How will they come out?"

The Egyptians are a few tens of yards from the Libyan columns. Thecommand, the trumpets, the drums sound hurriedly, and the troops moveat a run: one two three! one two three! But on the side of the enemyalso a trumpet is heard, two ranks of spears are lowered, drums beat. At a run! New rolls of dust rise, then they unite in one immense cloud. The roar of human voices, the rattle of spears, the biting of scythes, then a shrill groan which is soon lost in one general uproar. 

Along the whole line of battle neither men, nor weapons, nor evencolumns are visible, nothing but a line of yellow, dust stretchingalong like a giant serpent. The denser cloud signifies places where thecolumns are struggling; the thinner, where there are breaks in thecolumns. 

After some minutes of satanic uproar the heir sees that the dust on hisleft wing is bending back very slowly. 

"Strengthen the left wing!" shouts Ramses. 

One half of the reserve runs to the place pointed out, and disappearsin the sand cloud; the left wing straightens itself, the right goesforward slowly always in one direction. 

"Strengthen the centre!" cries Ramses. 

The second half of the reserve advances and vanishes in the sand cloud. The shout increased for a moment, but no forward movement is visible. 

"Those wretches fight desperately, " said an old officer of the suite toRamses. "It is high time that Mentezufis were here. "

The prince summoned the leader of the Asiatic cavalry. 

"But look to the right, " said he; "there must be a bend there. "

"Go cautiously so as not to trample our warriors and attack those dogsin their central column, on the flank. "

"They must be chained, for somehow they stand too long, " replied theAsiatic, smiling. 

The prince has now about two hundred of his own cavalry, and theseadvance, with the others, at a trot, crying, "May our chief live forever!"

The heat passes description. The prince strains eyes and ears to seethrough the sand cloud. He waits and waits. All at once he shouts withdelight. The centre of the cloud quivers and moves forward slightly. 

Again it stops, again it moves forward slowly, very slowly, but stillit moves forward. 

The din is so tremendous that no one can decide what it means: rage, defeat, or victory. 

Now the right wing begins to bend outward and withdraw in a strangemanner. In the rear of the wing appears a new dust cloud. At the samemoment Pentuer races up, dismounts, and shouts, "Patrokles is engaging the rear of the Libyans!"

The confusion on the right wing increases, and is passing to thecentre. It is clear that the Libyans are beginning to withdraw, andthat panic is seizing even their main column. 

The whole staff of the prince, roused to the uttermost, follows themovements of the yellow dust, feverishly. In a few minutes alarmappears on the left wing. The Libyans have begun to flee in thatquarter. 

"May I never see another sun, if this is not a victory!" cried aveteran officer. 

A courier rushes in from the priests, who from the highest hill hadfollowed the course of the battle, and reports that on the left wingthe troops of Mentezufis are visible, and that the Libyans aresurrounded on three sides. 

"They would fly like deer if the sand did not hinder them. "

"Victory! May our chief live forever!" cried Pentuer. 

It was only two hours after midday. 

The Asiatic cavalry sing loudly, and send arrows into the air in honorof Ramses. The staff officers discount, and rush to kiss the hands andfeet of the viceroy; at last they take him from the saddle, raise himin the air, shouting, "Here is a mighty leader! He has trampled the enemies of Egypt! Amon ison his right, and on his left, who can oppose him?"

Meanwhile the Libyans, pushing back all the time, had ascended thesandy hills on the south, and after them Egyptians. From out the cloudcame horsemen every minute and rushed to Ramses. 

"Mentezufis has taken them in the rear!" cried one. 

"Two hundred have surrendered!" cried another. 

"Patrokles has taken them in the rear!"

"Three Libyan standards are captured: the ram, the lion, and thesparrow-hawk!"

More and more men gathered round the staff: it was surrounded bywarriors who were bloody and dust-covered. 

"May he live through eternity! May he live through eternity, ourleader!"

The prince was so excited, that he laughed and cried in turn and saidto his retinue, "The gods have been compassionate. I feared that we had lost. Evil isthe plight of a leader; without drawing a sword and even withoutseeing, he must answer for everything!"

"Live thou, O conquering commander, live through eternity!" cried thewarriors. 

"A fine victory for me!" laughed Ramses. "I do not know even how theywon it. "

"He wins a victory, and wonders how it came!" cried some one in theretinue. 

"I say that I saw not the face of the battle, " explained the prince. 

"Be at rest, our commander, " said Pentuer. "Thou didst dispose the armyso wisely that the enemy had to be beaten. And in what way? Just as ifthat did not belong to thee, but the regiments. "

"I did not even draw a sword. I do not see one Libyan, " complained theprince. 

On the southern heights there was a struggling and a seething, but inthe valley the dust had begun to settle here and there, and a crowd ofEgyptian soldiers were visible as through a mist, their spears pointedupward. 

Ramses turned his horse in that direction and rode out to the desertedfield of battle, where just recently had been the struggle of thecentral column. It was a place some hundreds of yards in width, withdeep furrows filled with bodies of the dead and wounded. On the sidealong which the prince was approaching, Egyptians and Libyans layintermixed, in a long line, still farther on there were almost noneexcept Libyans. 

In places bodies lay close to bodies; sometimes on one spot three orfour were piled one on another. The sand was stained with brownishblood patches; the wounds were ghastly. Both hands were cut from oneman, another had his head split to the body, from a third man, theentrails were dropping. Some were howling in convulsions, and fromtheir mouths, filled with sand, came forth curses, or prayers imploringsome one to slay them. 

Ramses passed along hastily, not looking around, though some of thewounded men shouted feebly in his honor. 

Not far from that place he met the first crowd of prisoners. They fellon their faces before him and begged for compassion. 

"Proclaim pardon to the conquered and the obedient, " said he to hisstaff. 

A number of horsemen rushed off in various directions. Soon a trumpetwas heard, and after it a piercing voice, "By the order of his worthiness the prince in command, prisoners andwounded are not to be slain!"

In answer came wild shouts, evidently from prisoners. 

"At command of the prince, " a second voice cried in singing tones inanother direction, "prisoners and wounded are not to be slain!"

Meanwhile on the southern heights the battle ceased and two of thelargest Libyan divisions laid down their arms before the Greekregiments. 

The valiant Patrokles, in consequence of the heat, as he said himselfof ardent drink, as thought others barely held himself in the saddle. He rubbed his tearful eyes, and turned to the prisoners. 

"Mangy dogs!" cried he, "who raise sinful hands on the army of hisholiness (may the worms devour you)! Ye will perish like lice under thenail of a pious Egyptian, if ye do not tell this minute where yourleader is, may leprosy eat off his nose and drink his blear eyes out!"

At that moment the prince appeared. The general greeted him withrespect, but did not stop his investigation. 

"I will have belts cut from your bodies! I will impale you on stakes, if I do not learn this minute where that poisonous reptile is, that sonof a wild boar. "

"Ei! where our leader is?" cried one of the Libyans, pointing to alittle crowd on horseback which was advancing slowly in the depth ofthe desert. 

"What is that?" inquired the prince. 

"The wretch Musawasa is fleeing!" said Patrokles, and he almost fell tothe ground. 

The blood rushed to Ramses' head. 

Then Musawasa was here and escaped?

"Hei! whoso has the best horse, follow me!"

"Well, " said Patrokles, laughing, "that sheep-stealer himself willbleat now!"

Pentuer stopped the way to the prince. 

"It is not for thee to hunt fugitives, worthiness. "

"What?" cried the heir. "During this whole battle I did not raise ahand on any man, and now I am to give up the Libyan leader? What wouldbe said by the warriors whom I have sent out under spears and axes?"

"The army cannot remain without a leader. "

"But are not Patrokles, Tutmosis, and finally Mentezufis, here? Forwhat purpose am I commander if I cannot hunt the enemy? They are a fewhundred yards from us and have tired horses. "

"We will come back in an hour with him. He is only an arm's length fromus!" whispered some Asiatic. 

"Patrokles, Tutmosis, I leave the army to you!" cried the heir. "Rest. I will come back immediately. "

He put spurs to his horse and advanced at a trot, sinking in the sand, and behind him about twenty horsemen, with Pentuer. 

"Why art Thou here, O prophet?" asked Ramses. "Better sleep today Thouhast rendered good service. "

"I may be of use yet, " added Pentuer. 

"But remain I command thee!"

"The supreme council commands me not to go one step from thee, worthiness. "

Ramses shook himself angrily. 

"But if we fall into an ambush?"

"I will not leave thee in ambush, " answered the priest. 

CHAPTER XLIV

THERE was in his voice so much kindliness that the astonished princewas silent and let him go. 

They were in the desert; a couple of hundred yards behind them was anarmy; in front were fugitives several hundred yards in advance. Butthough they beat and urged on their horses, the fleeing, as well as thepursuers, advanced with great difficulty. The sun poured from abovedreadful heat on them, the fine but sharp dust pushed itself into theirmouths, into their nostrils, into their eyes above all; under theirhorses' feet the burning sand gave way at every step. In the airreigned a deathlike silence. 

"But it will not continue like this, " said Ramses. 

"It will be worse and worse, " answered Pentuer. "Dost Thou see, worthiness, " he indicated the fugitives, "their horses are in sand totheir knees?"

The prince laughed, for at that moment they came out on ground whichwas firmer, and trotted about a hundred yards. But soon their road wasconfronted by a sea of sand, and again they advanced step by stepslowly. 

Sweat poured from the men, there was foam on the horses. 

"It is hot!" whispered the heir. 

"Listen, lord, " said Pentuer, "this is not a good day for hunting inthe desert. This morning the sacred insects showed great disquiet, thendropped into lethargy. Also my knife of a priest went down very littlein the earthen scabbard, which means intense heat. Both these phenomenathe heat, and the lethargy of insects may announce a tempest. Let usreturn, for not only have we lost sight of the camp, but even soundsfrom there do not reach to us. "

Ramses looked at the priest almost contemptuously. 

"And dost Thou think, O prophet, " said he, "that I, having oncecommanded the capture of Musawasa, can return empty handed because Ifear heat and a tempest?"

They went on without stopping. At one place there was hard groundagain, thanks to which they approached the fugitives to within thedistance of a sling cast. 

"Hei, ye there!" cried the heir, "yield. "

The Libyans did not even look behind, and waded on through the sandwith great effort. After a while one might suppose that they would beovertaken. Soon again, however, the prince's party struck on deep sandwhile the Libyans hastening forward vanished beyond an elevation. 

The Asiatics cursed, the prince gritted his teeth. 

At last the horses began to stumble more and to be weary, so the ridershad to dismount and go on foot. All at once an Asiatic grew purple, andfell on the sand. The prince commanded to cover him with a mantle, andsaid, "We will take him on the way back. "

After great toil they reached the top of the sand height, and saw theLibyans. For them too the road had been murderous, two of their horseshad stopped. 

The camp of the Egyptian army was hidden completely behind the rollingland, and if Pentuer and the Asiatics had not known how to guidethemselves by the sun they could not have gone back to the camping-place. In the prince's party another man fell, and threw bloody foamfrom his mouth. He was left, with his horse. To finish their trouble, on the outline of the sands stood a group of cliffs; among these theLibyans vanished. 

"Lord, " said Pentuer, "that may be an ambush. "

"Let it be death, and let it take me!" replied the heir, in a changedvoice. 

The priest gazed at him with wonder; he had not supposed such resolvein Ramses. 

The cliffs were not distant, but the road was laborious beyonddescription. They had not only to walk themselves, but to drag theirhorses out of the soft sand. They waded, sinking below their ankles;they sank to their knees even in some places. 

Meanwhile the sun was flaming above them, that dreadful sun of thedesert, every ray of which not only baked and blinded, but prickedalso. The men dropped from weariness: in one, tongue and lips wereswollen; another had a roaring in his head, and saw black patchesbefore his eyes; drowsiness seized a third, all felt pain in theirjoints, and lost the sensation of heat. Had any one asked if it werehot, they would not have answered. 

The ground grew firm under their feet again, and the party passed inbetween the cliffs. 

The prince, who had more presence of mind than those who were with him, heard the snorting of horses; he turned to one side, and in the shadecast by the cliff saw a crowd of people lying as each man had dropped. Those were the Libyans. 

One of them, a youth of twenty years, wore an embroidered purple shirt, a gold chain was around his neck, and he carried a sword richlymounted. He seemed unconscious; the eyes were turned in his head, andthere was foam on his lips. In him Ramses recognized the chief. Heapproached him, drew the chain from his neck, and unfastened his sword. 

Some old Libyan who seemed less wearied than others, seeing this, called out, "Though Thou art victor, Egyptian, respect the prince's son, who ischief. "

"Is he the son of Musawasa?" asked Ramses. 

"Thou hast spoken truth, " replied the Libyan. "This is Tehenna, the sonof Musawasa; he is our leader; he is worthy to be even prince ofEgypt. "

"But where is Musawasa?"

"In Glaucus. He will collect a great army and avenge us. "

The other Libyans said nothing; they did not even look at theirconquerors. 

At command of Ramses the Asiatics disarmed them without the leasttrouble, and sat down in the shade themselves. 

At that moment they were all neither enemies nor friends, only men whowere mortally wearied. Death was hovering over all, but beyond restthey had no desire. 

Pentuer, seeing that Tehenna remained unconscious, knelt near him andbent above his head so that no one saw what he was doing. Soon Tehennasighed, struggled, and opened his eyes; then he sat up, rubbed hisforehead, as if roused from a deep steep, which had not yet left him. 

"Tehenna, leader of the Libyans, Thou and thy people are prisoners ofhis holiness, " said Ramses. 

"Better slay me here, " said Tehenna, "if I must lose my freedom. "

"If thy father, Musawasa, will submit and make peace with Egypt, Thouwilt be free and happy. "

The Libyan turned his face aside, and lay down careless of everything;he seemed to be sleeping. 

He came to himself, in a quarter of an hour, somewhat fresher. He gazedat the desert and cried out with delight: on the horizon a greencountry was visible, water, many palms, and somewhat higher, a town anda temple. 

Around him all were sleeping, both Asiatics and Libyans. But Pentuer, standing on a rock, had shaded his eyes with his hand and was lookingin some direction. 

"Pentuer! Pentuer!" cried Ramses. "Dost Thou see that oasis?"

He sprang up and ran to the priest, whose face was full of anxiety. 

"Dost Thou see the oasis?"

"That is no oasis, " said Pentuer; "that is the ghost of some regionwhich is wandering about through the desert a region no longer inexistence. But over there over there is reality!" added he, pointingsouthward. 

"Are they mountains?"

"Look more sharply. "

The prince looked, and saw something suddenly. 

"It seems to me that a dark mass is rising my sight must be dulled. "

"That is Typhon, " whispered the priest. "The gods alone have power tosave us, if only they have the wish. "

Indeed, Ramses felt on his face a breath, which amid the heat of thedesert seemed all at once hot to him. That breath, at first verydelicate, increased, growing hotter and hotter, and at the same timethe dark streak rose in the sky with astonishing swiftness. 

"What shall we do?" asked Ramses. 

"These cliffs, " said the priest, "will shelter us from being coveredwith sand, but they will not keep away dust or the heat which isincreasing continually. But in a day or two days. "

"Does Typhon blow that long?"

"Sometimes three and four days. But sometimes he springs up for acouple of hours, and drops suddenly, like a vulture pierced with anarrow. That happens very rarely. "

The prince became gloomy, though he did not lose courage. The priest, drawing from under his mantle a little green flask, said, "Here is an elixir. It should last thee a number of days. Whenever Thouart afraid, or feel drowsy, drink a drop. In that way Thou wilt bestrengthened and endure. "

"But thou, and the others?"

"My fate is in the hands of the One. As to the rest of the people, theyare not heirs to the throne of Egypt. "

"I do not wish this liquid!" cried the prince, pushing away the littlebottle. 

"Thou must take it!" said Pentuer. "Remember that the Egyptian peoplehave fixed their hopes on thee. Remember that on thee is theirblessing. "

The black cloud had covered half the sky, and the hot wind blew withsuch force that the prince and priest had to go to the foot of thecliff. 

"The Egyptian people? their blessing?" repeated Ramses. 

All at once he called out, "Was it Thou who conversed with me a year ago in the garden? That wasimmediately after the maneuvers. "

"That same day, when Thou hadst compassion on the man who hangedhimself through despair because his canal was destroyed, " answered thepriest. 

"Thou didst save my house and the Jewess Sarah from the rabble whowished to stone her. "

"I did, " said Pentuer. "And soon after Thou didst free the innocentlaborers from prison, and didst not permit Dagon to torture thy peoplewith new tribute. "

"For this people, " continued the priest in a louder voice, "for thecompassion which Thou hast always shown them I bless thee again today. Perhaps Thou art the only one who will be saved here, but remember thatthe oppressed people of Egypt will save thee, they who look to thee forredemption. "

Hereupon it grew dark; from the south came a shower of hot sand, andsuch a mighty wind rose that it threw down a horse that was standing inthe open. The Asiatics and the Libyan prisoners all woke, but each manmerely pressed up to the cliff more closely, and possessed by greatfear remained silent. 

In nature something dreadful was happening. Night covered the earth, and through the sky black or ruddy clouds of sand rushed with madimpetus. It seemed as though all the sand of the desert, now alive, hadsprung up and was flying to some place with the speed of a stonewhirled from the sling of a warrior. 

The heat was like that in a bath: on the hands and feet the skin burst, the tongue dried, breath produced a pricking in the breast. The finegrains of sand burnt like fire sparks. 

Pentuer forced the bottle to the prince's lips. Ramses drank a coupleof drops and felt a marvelous change: the pain and heat ceased totorment him; his thought regained freedom. 

"And this may last a couple of days?" asked he. 

"It may last four, " replied Pentuer. 

"But ye sages, favorites of the gods, have ye no means of saving peoplefrom such a tempest?"

The priest thought awhile, and answered, "In the world there is only one sage who can struggle with evilspirits. But he is not here. "

Typhon had been blowing for half an hour with inconceivable fury. Ithad become almost like night. At moments the wind weakened, the blackclouds pushed apart; in the sky was a bloody sun, on the earth anominous light of ruddy color. The hot stifling wind grew more violent, the clouds of sand thicker. The ghastly light was extinguished, and inthe air were heard sounds and noises to which human ears are notaccustomed. 

It was near sunset, but the violence of the tempest increased, and theunendurable heat rose' continually. From time to time a gigantic bloodyspot appeared above the horizon, as if a world fire were coming. 

All at once the prince saw that Pentuer was not before him. He strainedhis ear and heard a voice, crying, "Beroes! Beroes! If Thou cannot help us, who can? Beroes! in the nameof the One, the Almighty, who knows neither end nor beginning, I callon thee. "

On the northern extremity of the desert, thunder was heard. The princewas frightened, since thunder for an Egyptian was almost as rare aphenomenon as a comet. 

"Beroes! Beroes!" repeated the priest in a deep voice. 

Ramses strained his eyes in the direction of the voice, and saw a darkhuman figure with arms uplifted. From the head, the fingers, and evenfrom the clothing of that figure, light bluish sparks were flashing. 

"Beroes! Beroes!"

A prolonged roar of thunder was heard nearer; lightning gleamed amidclouds of sand, and filled the desert with lurid flashes. 

A fresh peal of thunder, and again lightning. 

The prince felt that the violence of the tempest was decreasing, andthe heat also. The sand which had been whirled through the air began tofall to the earth now, the sky became ashen gray, next ruddy, nextmilk-colored. At last all was silent, and after a while thunder washeard again, and a cool breeze from the north appeared. 

The Asiatics and Libyans, tormented by heat, regained consciousness. 

"Warriors of the pharaoh, " said the old Libyan on a sudden, "do ye hearthat noise in the desert?"

"Will there be another tempest?"

"No; that is rain. "

In fact some cold drops fell from the sky, then more of them, till atlast there was a downpour accompanied by thunder. 

Among the soldiers of Ramses and their prisoners mad delight sprang upsuddenly. Without caring for the thunder and lightning the men, who amoment before had been scorched with heat, and tormented by thirst, ranunder the rain like small children. In the dark they washed themselvesand their horses, they caught water in their caps and leather bags, andabove all they drank and drank eagerly. 

"Is not this a miracle?" cried Ramses. "Were it not for this blessedrain we should all perish here in the burning grasp of Typhon. "

"It happens, " said the old Libyan, "that the southern sandy wind rousesa wind from the sea and brings heavy rain to us. "

Ramses was touched disagreeably by these words, for he had attributedthe downpour to Pentuer's prayers. He turned to the Libyan, and asked, "And does it happen that sparks flash from people's bodies?"

"It is always so when the wind blows from the desert, " answered theLibyan. "Just now we saw sparks jumping not only from men, but fromhorses. "

In his voice there was such conviction that the prince approaching anofficer of his cavalry whispered, "But look at the Libyans. "

When he had said this some one made a noise in the darkness, and aftera while tramping was heard. When a flash lighted up the desert they sawa man escaping on horseback. 

"Bind these wretches!" cried the prince, "and kill any one who resistsyou. Woe to thee, Tehenna, if that scoundrel brings thy brethrenagainst us. Ye will perish in dreadful tortures, Thou and thy menhere. "

In spite of rain, darkness, and thunder the prince's soldiers hurriedto bind the Libyans, who made no resistance. 

Perhaps they were waiting for Tehenna's command, but he was so crushedthat he had not even thought of fleeing. 

The storm subsided gradually, and instead of that heat of the daytime apiercing cold seized the desert. The men and horses had drunk all theywanted; the bags were full of water; there were dates and cakes inabundance, so a good disposition prevailed. The thunder grew weak; atlast even noiseless lightning flashed less and less frequently; on thenorthern sky the clouds parted; here and there stars twinkled. 

Pentuer approached Ramses, "Let us return to the camp, " said he. "In a couple of hours we shall bethere, before the man who has escaped can lead forth an enemy. "

"How shall we find the camp in such darkness?" asked Ramses. 

"Have ye torches?" asked the priest of the Asiatics. 

Torches, or long cords soaked in an inflammable substance they had; butthere was no fire, for their wooden fire-drills were rain soaked. 

"We must wait till morning, " said Ramses, impatiently. 

Pentuer made no answer. He took a small instrument from his bag, took atorch from one of the soldiers, and went to one side. After a whilethere was a low hissing, and the torch was lighted. 

"He is a great magician, that priest, " muttered the old Libyan. 

"Before my eyes Thou hast performed a second miracle, " said the prince. "Canst Thou explain to me how that was done?"

The priest shook his head. 

"Ask of me anything, lord, and I will answer. But ask not to explaintemple secrets. "

"Not even if I were to name thee my counselor?"

"Not even then. Never shall I be a traitor, and even if I desired to beone I should be terrified by punishment. "

"Punishment?" repeated Ramses. "Aha! I remember in the temple of Hator, that man hidden under the pavement, on whom the priests were pouringburning pitch. Did they do that, indeed, and did that man die really intortures?"

Pentuer was silent, as if not hearing the question, and drew out slowlyfrom his wonderful bag a small statue of a divinity with crossed arms. The statue depended from a string; the priest let it hang, andwhispered a prayer, while he watched it. The statue, after someturnings and quiverings, hung without motion. 

Ramses, by the light of the torch, looked at these acts withastonishment. 

"What art Thou doing?" asked he. 

"I can only say this much to thee, worthiness, " replied Pentuer, "thatthis divinity points with one hand at the star Eshmun. This hand leadsPhoenician ships through the sea during night hours. "

"Then the Phoenicians, too, have this god?"

"They do not even know of him. The god which points one hand always tothe star Eshmun, [Polar Star] is known only to us and the priests ofChaldea. By the aid of this god every prophet night and day, in bad andgood weather, can find his way on the sea or in the desert. "

At command of the prince, who went with a lighted torch at the side ofPentuer, the retinue and the prisoners followed the priest, northeastward. The god depending from a string trembled, but indicatedwith outstretched hand, the sacred star, Eshmun, the guardian oftravelers. 

They went on foot at a good pace, leading the horses. The cold was sosharp, that even Asiatics blew on their hands, and the Libyanstrembled. 

With that, something began to crackle and break underfoot. Pentuerstopped, and bent down. 

"In this place, " said he, "rain has made a pool on the rock. And see, worthy lord, what has become of the water. "

Thus speaking, he raised and showed the prince what seemed a plate ofglass, but which melted in his hand. 

"When there is great cold, " said he, "water becomes a transparentstone. "

The Asiatics confirmed the words of the priest, and added that far awayin the north, water turned into stone very often, and fog turned into awhite salt which is tasteless, but breaks in the hands and causes painin the teeth. 

The prince admired Pentuer's wisdom still more. 

Meanwhile, the northern side of the heavens grew clear, showing theGreat Bear and the star, Eshmun. The priest repeated a prayer again, put the-guiding god into his bag, and commanded to quench the torches, and to leave only a burning cord which kept the fire, and indicatedtime by its gradual burning. 

The prince enjoined watchfulness on his men, and taking Pentuer, pushedahead some tens of paces. 

"Pentuer, " said he, "from this hour I make thee my counselor, both nowand when it shall please the gods to give me the crown of Upper andLower Egypt. "

"How have I deserved this favor?"

"Before my eyes Thou hast done deeds which show great wisdom, and alsopower over spirits. Besides Thou wert ready to save me. So, although itis thy resolve to keep many things from my knowledge. "

"Pardon, lord, " interrupted Pentuer. "For gold and jewels, Thou wiltfind traitors shouldst Thou need them, among priests even. But I am notof those men. For think, were I to betray the gods, what bond could Igive not to betray thee also?"

Ramses grew thoughtful. 

"Thou hast answered wisely, " said he. "But it is a wonder to me whythou, a priest, hast for me kindness in thy heart. Thou didst bless mea year ago, and today Thou wouldst not let me go alone into the desert, and hast shown me great service. "

"Because the gods have forewarned me that Thou art worthy, lord;shouldst Thou wish, Thou mayst rescue the ill-fated people of Egypt. "

"How do the people concern thee?"

"I came from them. My father and brother raised water long days fromthe Nile, and received blows of sticks for their labor. "

"How can I aid the people?" asked Ramses. 

Pentuer grew animated. 

"Thy people, " said he, with emotion, "toil too much, they pay too muchtribute, they suffer persecution and misery. Hard is the fate of thetoiling man. The worm eats half his harvest, the rhinoceros the otherhalf; in the fields, a legion of mice live; the locust devours, thecattle trample, the sparrows steal. What is left after these for thethreshing floor the thief takes. Oh, wretched earth-tillers! Now comesthe scribe to the boundary and mentions the harvest. His attendantshave sticks, and black men carry palm rods. 'Give wheat!' say they. Heanswers, 'There is none. ' They flog him; immediately they stretch himout at full length they bind him; they hurl him into the canal, wherethey sink him, head downward. They bind his wife in his presence andalso his children. His neighbors flee, carrying their wheat away withthem. " [Original description. ]

"I have seen that myself, " said Ramses, "and have driven off at leastone scribe of that sort. But can I be everywhere to forestallinjustice?"

"Thou mayst command, lord, not to torment working-men needlessly. Thoumayst decrease taxes, appoint days of rest for the earth-tillers. Thoumayst give each family a patch of land, even the harvest of which wouldbe theirs, and serve to nourish them. In the opposite case they willfeed themselves as they now do, with lotus seeds, rotten fish andpapyrus, till thy people will perish finally. But show them favor andthey will rise. "

"Indeed, I will do so!" said Ramses. "A wise owner will not let cattlestarve nor work beyond the strength of their bodies, or be clubbedwithout reason. This must be changed. "

Pentuer halted. 

"Dost Thou promise that, worthy lord?"

"I swear!" answered Ramses. 

"Then I swear that Thou wilt be the most famous of all pharaohs; beforethee the fame of Ramses the Great, will grow pale!" cried the priest, mastering himself no longer. 

The prince fell to thinking, then asked, "What can we two do against those priests who hate me?"

"They fear thee, lord, " answered Pentuer. "They fear lest Thou beginwar too soon against Assyria?"

"What is that to them if the war be successful?"

The priest bent his head and spread his hands, but was silent. 

"Then I will tell thee, " cried the prince, in anger. "They want no war!They fear that I might return from it a conqueror, laden withtreasures, urging on slaves in front of me. They fear this because theywish every pharaoh to be a weak tool in their grasp, a utensil of noreal value, a utensil to be thrown aside when the wish comes. But thiswill not happen in my case. Either I shall do what I plan, and which I, as the son and heir of the gods have the right to do, or I shallperish. "

Pentuer drew back, and muttered an exorcism. 

"Speak not thus, worthy lord, " said he, in confusion, "lest evilspirits circling through the desert may seize thy words. A word, remember this, ruler, is like a stone sent from a sling; it may strikea wall, rebound, and hit the man who hurled it. "

The prince motioned with his hand contemptuously. 

"It is all one, " replied he. "A life in which every one stops my willhas no worth for me. When the gods do not bar me, the winds of thedesert do; when evil spirits are not against me, the priests are. Isthe power of a pharaoh to be of such sort. I wish to do what my mindsays, to give account to my deathless ancestors, and to them only, notto this or that shaven head, who pretends to interpret the will ofdivinity, but who is really seizing power, and turning my wealth to hisown use. "

At some tens of yards from them a strange cry was heard at that moment, half neighing, half bleating, and an immense shadow sped past. It wentlike an arrow, and as far as could be seen had a humped back and a longneck. 

From the prince's retinue came sounds of fear. 

"That is a griffin! I saw its wings clearly, " said one and another ofthe Asiatics. 

"The desert is swarming with monsters, " added the old Libyan. 

Ramses was afraid; he also thought that the passing shadow had the headof a serpent, and something resembling short wings. 

"Do monsters really show themselves in the desert?" asked he of thepriest. 

"It is true, " said Pentuer, "that in such a lonely place evil spiritsprowl about in strange guises. But it seems to me that that which haspassed is rather a beast. It is like a saddle horse, only larger andquicker in movement. Dwellers in the oases say that this beast may livewithout drinking water at all, or at least very rarely. If that be thecase, men hereafter may in crossing deserts use this strange creature, which today rouses fear only. "

"I should not dare to sit on the back of a great beast like that, " saidRamses, as he shook his head. 

"Our ancestors said the same of the horse, which helped the Hyksos toconquer Egypt, but today it is indispensable to our army. Time changesmen's judgments greatly, " said Pentuer. 

The last clouds had vanished from the sky and a clear night set in. Though the moon was absent the air was so clear that on the backgroundof the white sand a man could distinguish the general outline ofobjects, even when small or distant. The piercing cold also diminished. All advanced now in silence, and sank, as they walked, in the sand totheir ankles. Suddenly a tumult and cries rose among the Asiatics, "A sphinx! Look, a sphinx! We shall not escape from this desert ifspecters show themselves all the time. "

Indeed, outlines of a sphinx on a white limestone hill were seen veryclearly. The body of a lion, an immense head with an Egyptian cap, andas it were a human profile. 

"Calm yourselves, barbarians, " said the old Libyan. "That is no sphinx;it is a lion, and he will do no harm, for he is occupied in eating. "

"Indeed, that is a lion!" confirmed the prince halting. "But how heresembles a sphinx. "

"He is the father of our sphinxes, " added the priest in a low voice. "His face recalls a man's features, his mane is the wig. "

"And our great sphinx, that at the pyramids?"

"Many ages before Menes, " said Pentuer, "when there were no pyramidsyet, there was on that spot a rock which looked like a recumbent lion, as if the gods wished in that way to indicate the beginning of thedesert. The holy priests of that period commanded artists to hew therock around with more accuracy and to fill out its lacks by additions. The artists, seeing people oftener than lions, cut out the face of aman, and thus the first sphinx had its origin. "

"To which we give divine honor, " said the prince, smiling. 

"And justly, " answered the priest. "For the gods made the firstfeatures of this work and men finished them under divine guidance. Oursphinx by its size and mysteriousness recalls the desert. It has theposture of spirits wandering through it, and terrifies men as does thedesert. That sphinx is really the son of the gods and the father ofterror. "

"Everything has in its own way an earthly beginning, " answered theprince. "The Nile does not flow from heaven, but from certain mountainswhich lie beyond Ethiopia. The pyramids, which Herhor said were animage of our state, are built on the model of mountain summits. And ourtemples, too, with their pylons and obelisks, with their gloom andcoolness, do they not recall caves and mountains, extending along theNile valley? How many times in hunting have I not gone astray amongeastern ridges! I have always struck upon some strange collection ofrocks which recalled a temple. Frequently even, on their rough sides, Ihave seen hieroglyphs written by wind and by rainstorms. "

"In that, worthiness, Thou hast proof, " said Pentuer, "that our templeswere reared on a plan which the gods themselves outlined. And as asmall kernel cast into the ground gives birth to a heaven-touching palmtree, so the picture of a cliff, a cave, a lion, even a lotus, placedin the soul of a pious pharaoh, gives birth to an alley of sphinxes, totemples and their mighty columns. Those are the works of divinities, not men, and happy is the ruler who when he looks can discover divinethought in earthly objects and present it in a form pleasing to futuregenerations. "

"But such a ruler must have power, much wealth, and not depend on thefancies of priests, " interrupted Ramses. 

Before them extended a second sandy elevation, on which at that momentappeared some horsemen. 

"Are they our men, or the Libyans?" asked Ramses. 

The sound of a horn was heard from the eminence; to this an answer wasgiven by the prince's retinue. The horsemen came down as quickly as thedeep sand would let them. When they had approached one cried out, "Is the heir to the throne here?"

"He is, and is well!" cried Ramses. 

They dismounted and fell on their faces. 

"Oh, Erpatr!" cried the leader of the newly arrived, "thy troops arerending their garments and scattering dust on their heads, thinkingthat Thou hast perished. All the cavalry has scattered over the desertto find traces, while the gods have permitted us, the unworthy, to befirst to greet thee. "

The prince named the man a centurion and commanded him to present hissubordinates for a reward on the morrow. 

CHAPTER XLV

HALF an hour later dense throngs of the Egyptian army appeared and soonthe escort of the prince was in the camp. From all sides were heardtrumpets sounding the recall. Warriors seized their weapons, stood inranks and shouted. Officers fell at the feet of the prince, then raisedhim in their arms, bore him around before the divisions, as they hadafter the triumph of the day previous. The walls of the ravine trembledfrom the shouts: "Live through eternity, victor! The gods are thyguardians!"

The holy Mentezufis, surrounded by torches, approached now. The heir, seeing the priest, tore Himself free from the arms of the officers andhurried to him. 

"Know, holy father, we have caught the Libyan chief Tehenna. "

"Vain is the capture, " replied the priest severely, "for which thesupreme chief must leave his army; especially when a new enemy mayattack at any moment. "

The prince felt all the justice of this reproach, but for that verycause did anger spring up in him. He clinched his fist, his eyesgleamed. 

"In the name of thy mother, be silent, " whispered Pentuer, standingbehind him. 

The heir was so astonished by the unexpected words of his adviser, thatin one moment he regained self-control, and then he understood that itwould be best to recognize his error. 

"Thou speakest truth, " answered he. "An army should never leave itsleader, nor the leader his army. I thought, however, that Thou wouldsttake my place, since Thou art a representative of the ministry of war. "

The calm answer mollified Mentezufis, so the priest did not remind theprince of the maneuvers of the previous year when he left the army inthe same way and incurred the pharaoh's disfavor. 

At that moment Patrokles approached them with great uproar. The Greciangeneral was drunk again and called from afar to the viceroy, "See, heir, what the holy Mentezufis has done. Thou didst proclaimpardon to the Libyans who would leave the invaders and return to thearmy of his holiness. Those men came to me, and owing to thy promise Ibroke the left wing of the enemy. But the worthy Mentezufis gavecommand to slay every man of them. About a thousand prisoners haveperished all recent warriors of ours, who were to have pardon. "

The blood rushed to the prince's head again, but Pentuer, who stoodthere always behind him, whispered, "Be silent, for the sake of the gods, be silent. "

But Patrokles had no adviser, so he continued, "From this moment we lose forever, not only the confidence of others, but also that of our own people. For our army must become demoralizedutterly when it learns that traitors are forcing their way to the headof it. "

"Vile hireling, " replied Mentezufis, coldly, "how darest Thou talk thusof the army and the confidants of his holiness? Since the world becamethe world such blasphemy has not been uttered! And I fear lest the godsmay avenge the insult wrought on them. "

Patrokles laughed loudly. 

"While I sleep among the Greeks, I am not afraid of the vengeance ofnight gods. And while I am on the alert they will do nothing in thedaytime. "

"Go to sleep! go among thy Greeks, drunkard, " said Mentezufis, "lest athunderbolt fall on our heads because of thy offenses. "

"On thy shaven head, Thou soul worth a copper, it will not fall, for itwould think thy head something else, " said the Greek, half unconscious. But seeing that the prince did not support him, he withdrew to his campground. 

"Didst Thou really command to kill the prisoners in spite of my promisethat they should have pardon?" asked the prince. 

"Thou wert not in camp, worthiness, " replied Mentezufis, "henceresponsibility falls not on thee for that deed: while I observe ourmilitary laws, which command to destroy traitorous warriors. The manwho served his holiness once and joins his enemies afterward is to beslain immediately that is the law. "

"But if I had been here?"

"As supreme leader and a son of the pharaoh Thou couldst suspend theexecution of certain laws which I must obey, " replied Mentezufis. 

"Couldst Thou not have waited till my return?"

"The law commands to kill immediately, so I carried out itsprovisions. "

The prince was so stunned that he interrupted conversation and withdrewto his tent. There falling into a seat he said to Tutmosis, "I am today a captive of the priests. They murder prisoners, theythreaten officers, they do not even respect my duties. Did ye saynothing to Mentezufis when he commanded to kill those unfortunateprisoners?"

"He shielded himself with military laws, and new orders from Herhor. "

"But it is I who am leader here, though I went out for half a day. "

"Thou didst give the leadership explicitly into my hands and into thoseof Patrokles, " answered Tutmosis. "But when the holy Mentezufis came wehad to yield to him, for he is our superior. "

The prince thought that the seizure of Tehenna was in every casepurchased with surpassing misfortunes. At the same time he felt in allits force the significance of the maxim that a chief must never leavehis army. He had to confess his error, but that irritated his pride themore and filled him with hatred for the priesthood. 

"Behold, " said he, "I am in captivity even before I have become thepharaoh, may his holiness live through eternity. So today I must beginto work myself out of this slavery, and first of all to be silent. Pentuer is right: I must be silent always, and put away my anger, likeprecious jewels into the storehouse of memory. But when it is full, yewill pay me, O prophets. "

"Thou dost not inquire, worthiness, for the results of the battle, "said Tutmosis. 

"Aha, just that. What are they?"

"More than two thousand prisoners, more than three thousand killed, andbarely a few hundred escaped. "

"What, then, was the Libyan army?" asked the astonished prince. 

"From six to seven thousand men. "

"That cannot be. Is it possible that almost a whole army could perishin such an encounter?"

"And still it is so; that was a terrible battle, " replied Tutmosis. "Thou didst surround them on all sides, the soldiers did the rest, wellyes and the worthy Mentezufis. Even inscriptions on the tombs of themost famous pharaohs do not mention such a crushing of the enemies ofEgypt. "

"Go to sleep, Tutmosis; I am wearied, " interrupted the prince, feelingthat pride was beginning to rise to his head. 

"Then have I won such a victory? Impossible!" thought he. 

He threw himself on to the skins, but though mortally weary he couldnot sleep. 

Only fourteen hours had passed since the moment when he had given thesignal to begin the battle. Only fourteen hours? Was it possible!

Had he won such a battle? But he had not even seen a battle, nothingbut a yellow dense cloud, whence unearthly shouts were poured out intorrents. Even now he sees that cloud, he hears the uproar, he feelsthe heat, but there is no battle. 

Next he sees a boundless desert, in which he is struggling through thesand with painful effort. He and his men have the best horses in thearmy, and still they creep forward like turtles. And what heat!Impossible for man to support the like. 

And now Typhon springs up, hides the light, burns, bites, suffocates. Pale sparks are shooting forth from Pentuer's body. Above their headsthunder rolls such thunder as he had never heard till that day. Lateron, silent night in the desert. The fleeing griffin, the dark outlineof the sphinx on the limestone hill. 

"I have seen so much. I have passed through so much, " thought Ramses. "I have been present at the building of our temples, and even at thebirth of the great sphinx, which is beyond having an age now, and allthis happened in the course of fourteen hours. "

Now the last thought flashed before the prince: "A man who has passedthrough so much cannot live long. "

A chill went through him from head to foot, and he fell asleep. 

He woke next morning a couple of hours after sunrise. His eyes smarted, all his bones ached; he coughed a little, but his mind was clear andhis heart full of courage. 

Tutmosis was at the door of the tent. 

"What is it?" asked the prince. 

"Spies from the Libyan boundary bring strange news, " said the favorite. "A great throng of people are approaching our ravine, not troops, however, but unarmed men, with children and women; at the head of themis Musawasa, and the foremost of the Libyans. "

"What does this mean?"

"Evidently they wish to beg peace of thee. "

"After one battle?" asked the prince, with wonder. 

"But what a battle! Besides, fear increases our army in their eyes. They fear invasion and death. "

"Let us see if this is a military stratagem, " answered the prince, after some thought. "How are our men?"

"They are in good health, they have eaten and drunk, they have restedand are gladsome. But. "

"But what?"

"Patrokles died in the night, " whispered Tutmosis. 

"How?" cried the prince, springing up. 

"Some say that he drank too much, some that it was the punishment ofthe gods. His face was blue and his mouth full of foam. "

"Like that captive in Atribis, Thou rememberest him? His name wasBakura; he broke into the feasting hall with complaints against thenomarch. He died that same night from drunkenness, of course. What dostThou think?"

Tutmosis dropped his head. 

"We must be very careful, my lord, " whispered he. 

"We shall try, " answered the prince, calmly. "We will not even wonderat the death of Patrokles. For what is there surprising in this, thatsome drunken fellow dies who insulted the gods, nay! insulted thepriests even. "

Tutmosis felt a threat in these jeering words. 

The prince had loved Patrokles greatly. The Greek leader had been asfaithful as a dog to him. Ramses might forget many wrongs done himself, but the death of that man he would not forgive. 

Before midday a fresh regiment, the Theban, arrived from Egypt at theprince's camp, and besides that some thousands of men and severalhundreds of asses bringing large supplies of provisions and also tents. At the same time, from the direction of Libya, returned spies withinformation that the baud of unarmed people coming toward the ravinewas increasing. 

At command of the heir numerous small detachments of cavalryreconnoitered the neighborhood in every direction to learn if a hostilearmy were not hidden somewhere. Even the priests, who had brought withthem a small chapel of Amon, went to the summit of the highest hill andheld a religious service. Then returning to the camp, they assuredRamses that a crowd of some thousands of unarmed Libyans wereapproaching, but that there was no army at any point, at least nonewithin a fifteen mile radius. 

The prince laughed at the report. 

"I have good sight, " said he, "but I could not see an army at thatdistance. "

The priests, after they had counseled together, informed the princethat if he would bind himself not to tell the uninitiated what he sawhe would learn that it was possible to see at great distances. 

Ramses took an oath. The priests placed the altar of Amon on a height, and began prayers. When the prince had washed, removed his sandals, offered to the god a gold chain and incense, they conducted him to asmall box which was perfectly dark and told him to look at one wall ofit. 

After a while sacred hymns were intoned during which a bright circleappeared on the box. Soon the bright color grew darker; the prince sawa sandy plain, in the midst of it cliffs, and near them an Asiaticoutpost. 

The priests sang with more animation and the picture changed. Anotherpatch of the desert was visible, and on it a group of people who lookedno larger than ants. Still the movements and dress, and even the facesof the persons were so definite that the prince could describe them. 

The astonishment of the heir knew no bounds. He rubbed his eyes, touched the moving picture. Suddenly he turned away his face; thepicture vanished and darkness remained. 

When he went out of the chapel the elder priest asked him, "Well, Erpatr, dost Thou believe now in the might of the gods ofEgypt?"

"Indeed, " answered he, "ye are such great sages that the whole worldought to give you offerings and homage. If ye can see the future in anequal degree nothing can oppose you. "

After these words a priest entered the chapel and began to pray; soon avoice was heard from the chapel, saying, "Ramses! the fates of the kingdom are weighed, and before another fullmoon comes Thou wilt be its ruler. "

"O gods!" cried the terrified prince. "Is my father so sick, then?"

He fell on his face in the sand; then an assisting priest inquired ifhe did not wish to learn something more. 

"Tell me, Father Amon, whether my plans will be accomplished. "

After a while a voice spoke in the chapel. 

"If Thou begin no war in the east, if Thou give offerings to the godsand respect their servants, a long life awaits thee, and a reign fullof glory. "

After the miracles which had happened on the open field, in the openday, the excited prince returned to his tent. 

"Nothing can resist the priests, " thought he in fear. 

He found Pentuer in the tent. 

"Tell me, my counselor, " said he, "whether priests can read the heartof a man and unveil his secret purpose. "

Pentuer shook his head. 

"Sooner, " answered he, "will man see what there is in the centre of acliff than read the heart of another man. It is even closed to thegods, and death alone can discover its secrets. "

Ramses drew a deep sigh of relief, but he could not free himself fromfear. When, toward evening, it was necessary to call a militarycouncil, he summoned Mentezufis and Pentuer. 

No one mentioned the sudden death of Patrokles; perhaps because therewas more urgent business; for Libyan envoys had come imploring in thename of Musawasa mercy for his son Tehenna, and offering to Egyptsurrender and peace forever. 

"Evil men, " said one of the envoys, "tempted our people saying thatEgypt was weak; that her pharaoh was the shadow of a ruler. Butyesterday we learned how strong your arm is, and we consider it wiserto yield and pay you tribute than expose our people to certain deathand our property to ruin. "

When the military council had heard this speech the Libyans were sentfrom the tent, and Prince Ramses asked the holy Mentezufis directly forhis opinions; this astonished even the generals. 

"Only yesterday, " said the worthy prophet, "I should have been glad torefuse the prayer of Musawasa, transfer the war to Libya, and destroythat nest of robbers. But today I have received such important newsfrom Memphis that I will vote for mercy to the conquered. "

"Is his holiness, my father, sick?" inquired the prince, with deepemotion. 

"He is sick. But till we finish with the Libyans Thou must not think ofhis holiness. "

When the heir dropped his head in sadness, Mentezufis added, "I must perform one more duty. Yesterday, worthy prince, I made bold tooffer a judgment that for such a wretched captive as Tehenna, a chiefshould not leave his army. Today I see that I was mistaken, for if Thouhadst not seized Tehenna we should not have this early peace withMusawasa. Thy wisdom, chief, has proved higher than militaryregulations. "

The prince was arrested by this compunction on the part of Mentezufis. 

"Why does he speak thus?" thought he. "It is evident that Amon is notalone in knowing of my holy father's illness. "

And in the soul of the heir the old feelings were roused, contempt forthe priests and distrust of their miracles. 

"So it was not the gods who told me that I should soon become pharaoh, but the news came from Memphis, and the priests tricked me in thechapel! But if they lie in one thing, who will assure me that thoseviews of the desert shown on the wall were not deceit also?"

Since the prince was silent all the time, which was attributed to hissorrow because of his father's illness, and the generals did not dareto say anything after the decisive words of Mentezufis, the militarycouncil ended. A unanimous decision was made to stop the war, take thevery highest tribute from the Libyans, and send them an Egyptiangarrison. 

All expected now that the pharaoh would die. But Egypt, to celebrate afuneral worthy of its ruler, needed profound peace. 

When leaving the tent of the military council the prince said toMentezufis, "The valiant Patrokles died last night; do ye holy fathers think toshow his remains honor?"

"He was a barbarian and a great sinner, " said the priest, "but herendered such famous services to Egypt that it is proper to assure lifebeyond the grave to him. If Thou permit, worthiness, we will send thebody of that man this day to Memphis, so as to make a mummy of it, andtake it to an eternal dwelling in Thebes among the retreats of thepharaohs. "

The prince consented willingly, but his suspicions rose. 

"Yesterday, " thought he, "Mentezufis threatened me as he might a lazypupil, and it was even a favor of the gods that he did not beat my backwith a stick; but today he speaks to me like an obedient son to afather, and almost falls on his breast before me. Is this a sign thatpower is drawing near my tent, and also the hour of reckoning?"

Thus thinking, the prince increased in pride, and his heart was filledwith greater wrath against the priesthood. Wrath which was the worsefor being silent like a scorpion which has hidden in the sand and maimsthe incautious foot with its biting sting. 

CHAPTER XLVI

AT night the sentries gave notice that a throng of Libyans imploringmercy had entered the valley. Indeed the light of their fires wasvisible on the desert. 

At sunrise the trumpets were sounded, and all the Egyptian forces weredrawn up under arms on the widest part of the valley. According tocommand of the prince, who wished to increase the fright of the Libyansthe carriers were arranged between the ranks of the army, and men onasses were disposed among the cavalry. So it happened that theEgyptians seemed as numerous as sands in the desert, and the Libyanswere as timid as doves, over which a falcon is soaring. 

At nine in the morning his gilded war chariot stood before the tent ofthe viceroy. The horses bearing ostrich plumes reared so that two menhad to hold each of them. 

Ramses came out of his tent, took his place in the chariot, and seizedthe reins himself, while the place of the charioteer was occupied bythe priest Pentuer, who held now the position of counselor. One of thecommanders carried a large green parasol over the prince; behind, andon both sides of the chariot, marched Greek officers in gilded armor. At a certain distance behind the prince's retinue came a small divisionof the guard, in the midst of it Tehenna, son of the Libyan chiefMusawasa. 

A few hundred paces from the Egyptians, at the entrance of the ravine, stood the gloomy crowd of Libyans imploring the conqueror's favor. 

When Ramses came with his suite to the eminence where he was to receivethe envoys of the enemy, the army raised such a shout in his honor thatthe cunning Musawasa was still more mortified, and whispered to theLibyan elders, "I say to you, that is the cry of an army which loves its commander. "

Then one of the most restless of the Libyan chiefs, a great robber, said to Musawasa, "Dost Thou not think that in a moment like this we should be wiser totrust to the swiftness of our horses than to the kindness of thepharaoh's son? He must be a raging lion, which tears the skin even whenstroking it, while we are like lambs snatched away from our mothers. "

"Do as may please thee, " replied Musawasa, "Thou hast the whole desertbefore thee. But the people sent me to redeem their faults, and aboveall I have a son, Tehenna, on whom the prince will pour out his wrathunless I win favor. "

To the crowd of Libyans galloped up two Asiatic horsemen, who declaredthat their lord was waiting for submission. 

Musawasa sighed bitterly and went toward the height on which theconqueror had halted. Never before had he made such a painful journey. Coarse linen used by penitents covered his back imperfectly; on hishead, sprinkled with ashes, the heat of the sun was burning; sharppebbles cut his naked feet, and his heart was crushed by his own sorrowand that of his people. 

He had advanced barely a few hundred paces, but he was forced to halt acouple of times to rest and recover. He looked backward frequently tobe sure that the naked slaves carrying gifts to the prince were notstealing gold chains, or what was worse, stealing jewels. For Musawasaknowing life, knew that man is glad to make use of his neighbor'smisfortune. 

"I thank the gods, " said the cunning barbarian, comforting himself inmishap, "that the lot has come to me of humbling myself to a prince whomay put on the pharaoh's cap any moment. The rulers of Egypt aremagnanimous, especially in time of triumph. If I succeed then in movingmy lord he will strengthen my position in Libya, and permit me tocollect a multitude of taxes. It is a real miracle that the heir to thethrone himself seized Tehenna; and not only will he not do him wrong, but he will cover him with dignities. " Thus he thought and lookedbehind continually, for a slave, though naked, may conceal a stolenjewel in his mouth, and even swallow it. 

At thirty steps from the chariot of the heir Musawasa and those whowere with him, the foremost of the Libyans, fell upon their faces andlay on the sand till command to rise was given them through theprince's adjutant. When they had approached a few steps they fellagain; later they fell a third time, and rose only at command ofRamses. 

During this interval Pentuer, standing at the prince's chariot, whispered to his lord, "Let thy countenance show neither harshness nor delight. Be calm, likethe god Amon, who despises his enemies and delights in no commontriumphs. "

At last the penitent Libyans stood before the face of the prince, wholooked at them as a fierce hippopotamus at ducklings which have noplace to hide before his mightiness. 

"Art Thou he?" asked Ramses, suddenly. "Art Thou that Musawasa, thewise Libyan leader?"

"I am thy servant, " answered Musawasa, and he threw himself on theground again. 

When they ordered him to rise, the prince said, "How couldst Thou commit such a grievous sin, and raise thy handagainst the kingdom of the gods? Has thy former wisdom deserted thee?"

"Lord, " answered the wily Libyan, "sorrow disturbed the reason of thedisbanded warriors of his holiness, so they ran to their owndestruction, drawing me and mine after them. And the gods alone knowhow long this dreadful war might have lasted if at the head of the armyof the ever living pharaoh, Amon himself had not appeared in thysemblance. Thou didst fall on us like a storm wind of the desert, whenThou wert not expected, where Thou wert not expected, and as a bullbreaks a reed so didst Thou crush thy blinded opponent. All people thenunderstood that even the terrible regiments of Libya had value onlywhile thy hand sent them forward. "

"Thou speakest wisely, Musawasa, " said the viceroy, "and Thou hast donestill better to meet thus the army of the divine pharaoh, instead ofwaiting till it came to thee. But I should be glad to know how sincerethy obedience is. "

"Let thy countenance be radiant, great potentate of Egypt, " [Aninscription on the monument of Horem-Hep, 1470 years B. C. ] answeredMusawasa. "We come to thee as subjects, may thy name be great in Libya, be Thou our sun, as Thou art the sun of nine nations. Only command thysubordinates to be just to us the conquered people who are joined tothy power. Let thy officials govern us justly and with conscience, andnot according to their own evil wishes, reporting falsely concerningour people, and rousing thy disfavor against us and our children. Command them, O viceroy of the victorious pharaoh, to govern accordingto thy will, sparing our freedom, our property, our language, and thecustoms of our ancestors and fathers. 

"Let thy laws be equal for all subjects, let not thy officials favorsome too much and be too harsh toward others; let their sentences be ofthe same kind for all. Let them collect the tribute predestined for thyneeds and for thy use, but let them not take secretly other tributeswhich never go into thy treasury, and enrich only thy servants and theservants of those servants. 

"Command them to govern without injustice to us and our children, forThou art to us a deity and a ruler forever. Imitate the sun, whichsends his light to all and gives life and strength to them. We, thyLibyan subjects, implore thy favor and fall on our faces before thee, Oheir of the great and mighty pharaoh. "

So spoke the crafty Libyan prince, Musawasa, and after he had finishedspeaking he prostrated himself again. But when the pharaoh's heir heardthese wise words his eyes glittered, and his nostrils dilated likethose of a young stallion which after good feeding runs to a fieldwhere mares are at pasture. 

"Rise, Musawasa, and listen to what I tell thee. Thy fate and that ofthy people depend not on me, but on that gracious lord who towers aboveus all, as the sky above the earth. I advise thee, then, to go and totake Libyan elders hence to Memphis, and, falling on thy face beforethe leader and the god in this world, to repeat the humble prayer, which I have heard here from thee. 

"I know not what the effect of thy prayer will be; but since the godsnever turn from him who implores and is repentant, I have a feelingthat Thou wilt not meet a bad reception. 

"And now show me the gifts intended for his holiness, so that I mayjudge whether they will move the heart of the all-powerful pharaoh. "

At this moment Mentezufis gave a sign to Pentuer who was standing onthe prince's chariot. 

When Pentuer descended and approached the holy man with honor, Mentezufis whispered, "I fear lest the triumph may rise to the head of our young lord overmuch. Dost Thou not think it would be wise to interrupt the solemnityin some way?"

"On the contrary, " answered Pentuer, "do not interrupt the solemnity, and I guarantee that he will not have a joyous face. "

"Thou wilt perform a miracle. "

"If I succeed I shall merely show him that in this world great delightis attended by deep suffering. "

"Do as Thou wishest, " said Mentezufis, "for the gods have given theewisdom worthy a member of the highest council. "

Trumpets and drums were heard, and the triumphal review began. 

At the head of it went naked slaves bearing gifts. Rich Libyans guardedthese bondmen who carried gold and silver divinities, boxes filled withperfumes, enameled vessels, stuffs, furniture, finally gold dishesdotted with rubies, sapphires, and emeralds. The slaves who bore thesehad shaven heads and were gagged lest some one of them might steal acostly jewel. 

Ramses rested both hands on the edge of the chariot and looked from theheight of the hill at the Libyans, and at his own men, as a golden-headed eagle looks down on many colored partridges. Pride filled theprince from foot to head, and all present felt that it was impossibleto have more power than was possessed by that victorious commander. 

But in one instant the prince's eyes lost their brightness, and on hisface the bitterest surprise was depicted. Pentuer was standing nearhim, "Bend thy ear, lord, " whispered he. "Since Thou hast left Pi-Bastwondrous changes have taken place there. Thy Phoenician woman, Kama, has fled with Lykon. "

"With Lykon?" repeated the prince. 

"Move not, Erpatr, and show not to thousands that Thou feelest sorrowin the day of thy triumph. "

Now there passed below the prince an endless line of Libyans with fruitand bread in baskets, as well as wine and olive oil in roomy pitchersfor the army. At sight of this a murmur of delight was spread among thewarriors, but Ramses, occupied with Pentuer's story, took no note ofwhat was passing. 

"The gods, " said the prophet in a whisper, "have punished thetraitorous Kama. "

"Is she caught?" inquired the prince. 

"She is caught, but they have sent her to the eastern colony, becauseleprosy attacked her. "

"O gods!" whispered Ramses. "But may it not threaten me?"

"Be calm, lord; if it had infected thee Thou wouldst be leprous thismoment. "

The prince felt a chill in every member. How easy for the gods tothrust a man down from the highest summits to the depths of the lowestmisery!

"And Lykon?"

"He is a great criminal, " said Pentuer; "a criminal of such kind thatthe earth has given few such. "

"I know him. He is as like me as a reflection of me in a mirror, "replied Ramses. 

Now came a crowd of Libyans leading strange animals. At the head ofthese was a one-humped camel with white hair, one of the first whichthey had caught in the desert, next two rhinoceroses, a herd of horses, and a tame lion caged. Then a multitude of cages holding birds ofvarious colors, monkeys, and small dogs intended for court ladies. Behind them were driven great herds of cattle, and flocks of sheep asfood for the pharaoh's army. 

The prince cast an eye on the moving menagerie, and asked the priest, "But is Lykon caught?"

"I will tell thee now the worst news, unhappy lord, " whispered Pentuer. "But remember that the enemies of Egypt must not notice grief in thee. "

The heir moved. 

"Thy second woman, Sarah the Jewess. "

"Has she run away too?"

"She died in prison. "

"O gods! Who dared imprison her?"

"She confessed that she killed thy son. "

"What?"

A great cry was heard at the prince's feet: the Libyan prisonerscaptured in battle were marching past, and at the head of them thesorrowful Tehenna. 

Ramses had at that moment a heart so full of pain that he nodded toTehenna, and said, "Stand near thy father Musawasa, so that he may touch thee, and seethee living. "

At these words all the Libyans and the whole army gave forth a mightyshout; but the prince did not hear it. 

"Is my son dead?" asked he of the priest. "Sarah accused herself ofchild-murder? Did madness fall on her?"

"The vile Lykon slew thy son. "

"O gods give me strength!" groaned Ramses. 

"Restrain thyself, lord, as becomes a victorious leader. "

"Is it possible to conquer such pain? O gods without pity!"

"Lykon slew thy son; Sarah accused herself to save thee, for seeing themurderer in the night she mistook him for thee. "

"And I thrust her out of my house! And I made her a servant of thePhoenician!"

Now appeared Egyptian warriors bearing baskets filled with hands whichhad been cut from the fallen Libyans. 

At sight of this Ramses hid his face and wept bitterly. 

The generals surrounded the chariot at once and gave their lordconsolation. The holy Mentezufis made a proposition which was receivedimmediately, that thenceforth the Egyptian army would not cut off thehands of enemies who had fallen in battle. 

With this unforeseen incident ended the first triumph of the heir tothe throne of Egypt. But the tears which he shed over the severed handsattached the Libyans to him more than the victorious battle. No onewondered then that around the fires Libyan and Egyptian warriors sat inconcord sharing bread, and drinking wine from the same goblet. Insteadof wars which were to last for years, there was a deep feeling of peaceand confidence. 

Ramses gave command that Musawasa, Tehenna, and the foremost Libyansshould go to Memphis straightway, and he gave them an escort, not somuch to watch them as to safeguard their persons and the treasureswhich they were taking. The prince withdrew to a tent then, and did notappear again until a number of hours had passed. He was like a man towhom pain is the dearest companion. He did not receive even Tutmosis. 

Toward evening a deputation of Greeks appeared under the leadership ofKalippos. When the heir asked what their wish was Kalippos answered, "We have come, lord, to implore that the body of our leader, thyservant Patrokles, should not be given to Egyptian priests, but beburned in accord with Greek usage. "

The prince was astonished. 

"Is it known to you, " asked he, "that the priests wish to make of theremains of Patrokles a mummy of the first order, and to put it near thegraves of the pharaohs? Can honor greater than this meet a mananywhere?"

The Greeks hesitated; at last Kalippos took courage and answered, "Our lord, permit us to open our hearts to thee. We know well that themaking of a mummy is of more profit to a man than to burn him, for thesoul of a burned man is transferred to eternal regions immediately; thesoul of a mummied man may live during thousands of years on this earthand enjoy its beauties. 

"But the Egyptian priests, O chief, let this not offend thy ears hatedPatrokles. Who will assure us, then, that these priests in making him amummy are not detaining him on earth so as to subject him to tortures?And what would our worth be if we who suspect revenge did not protectfrom it the soul of our compatriot and leader?"

Great was the prince's astonishment. 

"Do, " said he, "as ye think proper. "

"But if they will not give us the body?"

"Prepare the funeral pile; I will attend to the rest of the ceremony. "

The Greeks left the tent. The prince sent for Mentezufis. 

CHAPTER XLVII

THE priest observed the heir stealthily, and found him much changed. Ramses was pale; he had almost grown thin in a few hours; his eyes hadlost their glitter and had sunk beneath his forehead. 

When Mentezufis heard what the Greeks had in mind he did not hesitate amoment to surrender the body of Patrokles. 

"The Greeks are right, " said the holy man, "in thinking that we havepower to torment the shade of Patrokles, but they are fools to supposethat any priest of Chaldea or Egypt would permit such a crime. Let themtake the body of their compatriot, if they think that after death hewill be happier under protection of their own rites. "

The prince sent an officer straightway with the needful order, but hedetained Mentezufis. Evidently he wished to say something to him, though he hesitated. 

After some silence Ramses asked suddenly, "Thou knowest, of course, holy prophet, that one of my women, Sarah, isdead, and that her son was murdered?"

"That happened, " said Mentezufis, "the night that we marched from Pi-Bast. "

The prince sprang up. 

"By the eternal Amon!" cried he. "Did that take place so long ago, andye did not mention it? Ye did not even tell me that I was suspected ofmurdering my own son?"

"Lord, " said the priest, "the leader of an army in the day beforebattle has neither son nor father; he has no one whatever save the armyand the enemy. Could we in extreme moments disturb thee with suchtidings?"

"That is true, " replied the prince, after some thought. "If we wereattacked today I am not sure that I could command the army. In generalI am not sure of my power to regain peace of mind. 

"Such a little such a beautiful child! And that woman who sacrificedherself for me after I had wronged her grievously. Never have I thoughtthat misfortunes of such sort could happen, and that people's heartscould endure them. "

"Time heals time and prayer, " whispered the priest. 

The prince nodded, and again there was such silence in the tent thatthe dropping of sand in the hour glass was audible. 

Again the heir rallied, "Tell me, holy father, " said he, "unless it belongs to the greatsecrets, what is the real difference between burning the dead and themaking of mummies? for though I have heard something at school I do notunderstand clearly this question, to which the Greeks attach suchimportance. "

"We attach far more, the greatest importance to this question, " repliedMentezufis. "To this our cities of the dead testify; they occupy awhole region in the western desert. The pyramids testify to it also;they are the tombs of the pharaohs of the ancient kingdom, and theimmense tombs which are cut in cliffs for the rulers of our period. 

"Burial and the tomb are of great importance the very greatest humanimportance. For while we live in bodily form fifty or a hundred years, our shades endure tens of thousands till they are perfectly purified. 

"The Assyrian barbarians laugh at us, saying that we give more to thedead than the living; but they would weep over their own lack of carefor the dead did they know the mystery of death and the tomb as do thepriests of Egypt. "

The prince started up. 

"Thou dost terrify me, " said he. "Dost forget that among the dead thereare two beings dear to me, and these are not buried according toEgyptian ritual. "

"On the contrary. Just now men are embalming them. Both Sarah and thyson will have everything which may profit them in the long journey. "

"Will they?" asked Ramses, as if comforted. 

"I guarantee, " answered Mentezufis, "that everything will be done whichis needed, and should this earthly life ever be unpleasant to thee Thouwilt find them happy in the other. "

On hearing this Ramses was greatly affected. 

"Then dost Thou think, holy man, " inquired he, "that I shall find myson some time, and that I shall be able to say to that woman: 'Sarah, Iknow that I have been too harsh to thee?'"

"I am as certain of it as that I see thee now, worthy lord, " repliedthe prophet. 

"Speak, speak of this!" exclaimed the prince. "A man does not think ofthe grave till he has put a part of himself there. This misfortune hasstruck me, and struck just when I thought myself more powerful than anysave the pharaoh. "

"Thou hast inquired, lord, " began Mentezufis, "as to the differencebetween burning the dead and embalming them. We find the samedifference that there is between destroying a garment and preserving itin a closet. When the garment is preserved it may be of use frequently;and if a man has only one garment it would be madness to burn it. "

"I do not understand this, " interrupted Ramses. "Ye do not explain iteven in the higher schools. "

"But we can tell it to the heir of the pharaoh. Thou knowest, worthiness, " continued the priest, "that a human being is composed ofthree parts: the body, the divine spark, and the shade, or Ka, whichconnects the body and the divine spark. 

"When a man dies his shade separates from his body as does the divinespark. If the man lives without sin the divine spark and the shadeappear among the gods to live through eternity. But each man sins, stains himself in this world; therefore his shade, the Ka, must purifyitself, for thousands of years sometimes. It purifies itself in thisway, that being invisible it wanders over our earth among people anddoes good in its wandering, though the shades of criminals, even inlife beyond the grave, commit offences, and at last destroy themselvesand the divine spark contained in them. 

"Now and this is no secret for thee, worthiness this shade, the Ka, islike a man, but looks as though made of most delicate mist. The shadehas a head, hands, body, it can walk, speak, throw things or carrythem, it dresses like a man, and even, especially during a few hundredof the earlier years after death, must take some food at intervals. Butthe shade obtains its main strength from the body which remains on theearth here. Therefore if we throw a body into a grave it spoils quicklyand the shade must satisfy itself with dust and decay. If we burn thebody the shade has nothing but ashes with which to gain strength. Butif we embalm the body, or preserve it for thousands of years the shadeKa is always healthy and strong; it passes the time of purification incalmness, and even agreeably. "

"Wonderful things!" whispered the heir. 

"Priests in the course of investigations during thousands of years havelearned important details of life beyond the grave. They have convincedthemselves that if the viscera are left in the body of a dead man, hisshade, the Ka, has a great appetite, and needs as much food as a manduring earthly existence, and if food is withheld it will rush atliving people and suck the blood out of them. But if the viscera areremoved from the body, as we remove them, the shade lives on withoutfood almost: its own body, embalmed and filled with plants which arestrongly fragrant, suffices it for millions of years. 

"It has been verified, also, that if the tomb of a dead man is emptythe shade yearns for the world and wanders about in it needlessly. Butif we place in a mortuary chapel the clothing, furniture, arms, vessels, utensils, things pleasant during life to the dead man, if thewalls are covered with paintings depicting feasts, hunts, divineservices, wars, and, in general, events in which the departed tookshare, if besides we add statues of members of his family, servants, horses, dogs and cattle, the shade will not go out to the world withoutneed, for it will find what it wants in the house of the dead with itsmummy. 

"Finally they have convinced themselves that many shades, even afterpenance is finished, could not enter regions of endless bliss sincethey know not the needful prayers, incantations, and conversations withgods. We provide for that by winding the mummies in papyruses, on whichare written sentences, and by putting the 'Book of the Dead' in theircoffins. 

"In one word, our funeral ritual assures strength to the shade, preserves it from misfortunes and yearnings after earth, facilitatesits entrance to the company of gods, and secures living people fromevery harm which shades might inflict on them. Our great care of thedead has this in view specially; hence we erect for them almost palacesand in them dwellings with the greatest ornaments. "

The prince thought awhile, but said finally, "I understand that ye show great kindness to weak and defenselessshades by caring for them in this manner. But who will assure me thatthere are shades?"

"That there is a waterless desert, " said the priest, "I know, for I seeit, I have sunk in its sands and felt heat in it. That there arecountries in which water turns to stone, and steam into white down, Iknow also, for credible witnesses have informed me. "

"But how do ye know of shades which no man has seen, and how do ye knowof their life after death since no one of them has ever returned tous?"

"Thou art mistaken, worthiness, " replied the priest. "Shades have shownthemselves more than once, and even revealed their own secrets. 

"It is possible to live ten years in Thebes and not see rain: it ispossible to live a hundred years on earth and not meet a shade. Butwhoso should live hundreds of years in Thebes, or live thousands ofyears on earth would see more than one rain, and more than one shade. "

"Who has lived thousands of years?" inquired Ramses. 

"The sacred order of priests has lived, is living, and will live, "replied Mentezufis. "The sacred order of priests settled on the Nilethirty thousand years ago. Since then it has scrutinized the heavensand the earth; it has created our wisdom, and made the plan of everyfield, sluice, canal, pyramid, and temple in Egypt. "

"That is true. The order of priests is mighty and wise, but where arethe shades? What man has seen them, and who is the person who hasspoken to them?"

"Know this, lord, " said Mentezufis. "There is a shade in each livingman; as there are people distinguished for immense strength, or amarvelous swiftness of vision, so there are men who possess theuncommon gift that during life they can separate their own shades fromtheir bodies. 

"Our secret books are filled with the most credible narratives touchingthis subject. More than one prophet has been able to fall into a sleepthat is deathlike. At that time his shade separated from the body andtransferred itself in a moment to Tyre, Babylon, or Nineveh, examinedwhat it wished, listened to counsels relating to us, and after theawakening of the prophet gave the most minute account of all that ithad witnessed. More than one evil magician, after falling asleep inlike fashion, has sent out his shade against a man whom he hated, andoverturned or destroyed furniture and terrified a whole household. 

"It has happened, too, that the man attacked by the shade of themagician struck the shade with a spear or a sword, and on his housebloody traces were left, while the magician received on his body thatwound exactly which was inflicted on his shade. 

"More than once also has a shade of a living man appeared in companywith him, but some steps distant. "

"I know such shades, " said the prince ironically. 

"I must add, " continued Mentezufis, "that not only people, but animals, plants, stones, buildings, and utensils have shades also. But awonderful thing the shade of an inanimate object is not dead, itpossesses life, moves, goes from place to place, it even thinks andexpresses thought through various signs, most frequently throughknocking. 

"When a man dies his shade lives and shows itself to people. In ourbooks thousands of such cases are noted; some shades asked for food, others walked about in houses, worked in a garden, or hunted in themountains with the shades of their dogs and cats with them. Othershades have frightened people, destroyed their property, drunk theirblood, even enticed living persons to excesses. But there are goodshades: those of mothers nursing their children, of soldiers, fallen inbattle, who give warning of an ambush of an enemy, of priests whoreveal important secrets. 

"In the eighteenth dynasty the shade of the pharaoh, Cheops, who wasdoing penance for oppressing people while building the great pyramid, appeared in Nubian gold mines, and in compassion for the sufferings oftoiling convicts showed them a new spring of water. "

"Thou tellest curious things, holy man, " replied Ramses; "let me nowtell thee something. One night in Pi-Bast my own shade appeared to me. That shade was just like me, and even dressed like me. Soon, however, Iconvinced myself that it was no shade. It was a living man, a certainLykon, the vile murderer of my son. He began his offences byfrightening the Phoenician woman Kama. I appointed a reward for seizinghim but our police not only did not seize the man, they even permittedhim to seize that same Kama and to slay a harmless infant. 

"Today I hear that they have captured Kama, but I know nothing ofLykon. Of course he is living in freedom, in good health, cheerful andrich through stolen treasures; may be making ready for new crimeseven. "

"So many persons are pursuing that criminal that he must be taken atlast, " said Mentezufis. "And if he falls into our hands Egypt will payhim for the sufferings which he has caused the heir to her throne. Believe me, lord, Thou mayst forgive all his crimes in advance, for thepunishment will be in accord with their greatness. "

"I should prefer to have him in my own hands, " said the prince. "It isalways dangerous to have such a 'shade' while one is living. " [It iscurious that the theory of shades, on which very likely the uncommoncare of the Egyptians for the dead was built, has revived in our timesin Europe. Adolf d'Assier explains it minutely in a pamphlet "Essai surl'humanite posthume et le spiritisme, par un positiviste. " ]

Not greatly pleased by this end of his explanation, the holy Mentezufistook leave of the viceroy. After the priest had gone, Tutmosis entered. 

"The Greeks are raising the pile for their chief, " said he, "and anumber of Libyan women have agreed to wail at the funeral ceremony. "

"We shall be present, " answered Ramses. "Dost Thou know that my son iskilled? such a little child. When I carried him he laughed and held outhis little hands to me. What wickedness may be in the human heart isbeyond comprehension. If that vile Lykon had attempted my life I couldunderstand, even forgive him. But to slay a little child. "

"But have they told thee of Sarah's devotion?" inquired Tutmosis. 

"She was, as I think, the most faithful of women, and I did not treather justly. But how is it, " cried the prince, striking his fist on thetable, "that they have not seized that wretch Lykon to this moment? ThePhoenicians swore to me, and I promised a reward to the chief ofpolice. There must be some secret in this matter. "

Tutmosis approached the prince, and whispered, "A messenger from Hiram has been with me. Hiram, fearing the anger ofthe priests, is hiding before he leaves Egypt. Hiram has heard, fromthe chief of police in PiBast perhaps, that Lykon was captured Butquiet!" added the frightened Tutmosis. 

The prince fell into anger for a moment, but soon mastered himself. 

"Captured?" repeated he. "Why should that be a secret?"

"It is, for the chief of police had to yield him up to the holy Mefresat his command in the name of the supreme council. "

"Aha! aha!" repeated the heir. "So the revered Mefres and the supremecouncil need a man who resembles me so much? Aha! They are to give myson and Sarah a beautiful funeral, and embalm their remains. But themurderer they will secrete safely. Aha!

"And the holy Mentezufis is a great sage. He told me today all thesecrets of life beyond the grave; he explained to me the whole funeralritual, as if I were a priest at least of the third degree. Buttouching the seizure of Lykon, the hiding of that murderer by Mefres, not a word! Evidently the holy fathers are more occupied by minutesecrets of the heir to the throne than with the great secrets of futureexistence. Aha!"

"It seems to me, lord, that Thou shouldst not wonder at that, "interrupted Tutmosis. "Thou knowest that the priests suspect thee ofill-will, and are on their guard. All the more. "

"What, all the more?"

"Since his holiness is very ill. Very. "

"Aha! my father is ill, and I meanwhile at the head of the army mustwatch the desert lest the sand should run out of it. It is well thatThou hast reminded me of this! Yes, his holiness must be very ill, since the priests are so tender toward me. They show me everything andspeak of everything, except this, that Mefres has secreted Lykon. "

"Tutmosis, " said the prince on a sudden, "dost Thou think today that Ican reckon on the army?"

"We will go to death, only give the order. "

"And dost Thou reckon on the nobles?"

"As on the army. "

"That is well. Now we may render the rites to Patrokles. "

CHAPTER XLVIII

In the course of those few months, during which Prince Ramses hadfulfilled the duties of viceroy of Lower Egypt, his holiness thepharaoh had failed in health continually. The moment was approaching inwhich the lord of eternity, who roused delight in human hearts, thesovereign of Egypt, and of all lands on which the sun shone, had tooccupy a place at the side of his revered ancestors in the Libyancatacombs which lie on the other side of the city Teb. 

Not over advanced in age was this potentate, the equal of the gods, hewho gave life to his subjects, and had power to take from husbandstheir wives whenever his heart so desired. But thirty and some years ofrule had so wearied him that he wished, of his own accord, to rest andregain youth and beauty in that kingdom of the west, where each pharaohreigns without care through eternity over people who are so happy thatno man of them has ever wished to return to this earth from thatregion. 

Half a year earlier the holy lord had exercised every activityconnected with his office, on which rested the safety and prosperity ofall visible existence. 

Barely had the cocks crowed in the morning when the priests roused thesovereign with a hymn in honor of the rising sun. The pharaoh rose fromhis bed and bathed in a gilded basin containing water fragrant withroses. Then his divine body was rubbed with priceless perfumes amid themurmur of prayers, which had the power of expelling evil spirits. 

Thus purified and incensed by prophets, the lord went to a chapel, removed a clay seal from the door and entered the sanctuary unattended, where on a couch of ivory lay the miraculous image of Osiris. Thisimage bad the wondrous quality that every night the hands, feet andhead fall from it. These on a time had been cutoff by the evil god Set;but after the prayer of the pharaoh all the members grew on withoutevident reason. 

When his holiness convinced himself that Osiris was sound again he tookthe statue from the couch, bathed it, dressed it in precious garments, and putting it on a malachite throne burnt incense before it. Thisceremony was vastly important, for if any morning the divine memberswould not grow together it would signify that Egypt, if not the wholeworld, was threatened by measureless misfortune. 

After the resurrection and restoration of the god, his holiness openedthe door of the chapel, so that through it blessings might flow forthto the country. Then he designated the priests, who all that day wereto guard the sanctuary, not so much against the ill-will, as thefrivolity of people. For more than once it happened that a carelessmortal who had gone too near that most holy place received an invisibleblow which deprived him of consciousness or of life, even. 

After he had finished divine service, the lord went, surrounded bychanting priests to a great hall of refection, where stood a smalltable and an armchair for him and nineteen other tables before nineteenstatues which represented the nineteen preceding dynasties. When thesovereign had seated himself youths and maidens came in with silverplates, on which were meat and cakes, also pitchers of wine. Thepriest, the inspector of the dishes, tasted what was on the first dish, and what was in the first pitcher, then, on his knees, he gave these tothe pharaoh, but the other plates and pitchers were placed before thestatues of the pharaoh's ancestors. When the sovereign had satisfiedhis hunger and left the hall princes or priests had the right to eatfood intended for the ancestors. 

From the hall of refection the lord betook himself to the grand hall ofaudience. There the highest dignitaries of state, and the nearestmembers of the family prostrated themselves before him, after that theminister, Herhor; the chief treasurer, the supreme judge, and thesupreme chief of police made reports to him. The reading was varied byreligious music and dancing, during which wreaths and flowers were caston the throne of the pharaoh. 

After the audience his holiness betook himself to a side chamber andreposing on a couch slumbered lightly for a time; then he offered wineand incense to the gods, and narrated to the priests his dreams, fromwhich those sages made the final disposition in affairs which hisholiness was to settle. 

But sometimes, when there were no dreams, or when the interpretation ofthem seemed inappropriate to the pharaoh, his holiness smiled andcommanded kindly to act in this way or that in given cases. Thiscommand was law which no one might change except in the executionperhaps of details. 

In hours after dinner his holiness, borne in a litter, showed himselfin the court to his faithful guard, and then he ascended to the roofand looked toward the four quarters of the earth, to impart to them hisblessing. At that moment on the summits of pylons banners appeared, andmighty sounds came from trumpets. Whoso heard these sounds in the cityor the country, an Egyptian or a stranger, fell on his face so that aportion of supreme grace might descend on him. 

At that moment it was not permitted to strike man, or beast: a stickraised over a man's back dropped of itself. If a criminal sentenced todeath, declared that the sentence was read to him at the time when thelord of earth and heaven had appeared, his punishment was lessened. Forbefore the pharaoh went might, and behind him followed mercy. 

When he had made his people happy, the ruler of all things beneath thesun entered his gardens among palms and sycamores, there he sat alonger time than elsewhere, receiving homage from his women and lookingat the amusements of the children of his household. When one of themarrested his attention by beauty or adroitness he called it up, andmade inquiry, "Who art thou, my little child?"

"I am Prince Binotris, the son of his holiness, " answered the littleboy. 

"And what is thy mother's name?"

"My mother is the lady Ameses, a woman of his holiness. "

"What dost Thou know?"

"I know how to count to ten and to write: 'May he live through eternityour god and father, his holiness the pharaoh Ramses!"

The lord of eternity smiled benignly and touched with his delicate, almost transparent, hand the curly head of the sprightly little boy. Then the child became a prince really, though the smile of his holinesswas ever enigmatical. But whoso had been touched by the divine hand wasnot to know misfortune in life and had to be raised above others. 

The sovereign dined in another hall of refection and shared his mealwith the gods of all the divisions of Egypt, gods whose statues wereranged along the walls there. Whatever the gods did not eat went to thepriests and higher court dignitaries. 

Toward evening his holiness received a visit from Lady Niort's, themother to the heir to the throne of Egypt; looked at religious dancesand heard a concert. After that he went again to the bath and, thuspurified, entered the chapel of Osiris to undress and lay to sleep themarvelous divinity. When he had finished this he closed and sealed thechapel door and then, surrounded by a procession of priests, thepharaoh went to his bed-chamber. 

In an adjoining apartment the priests offered up, till the followingsunrise, silent prayers to the soul of the pharaoh, which found itselfamong gods during the sleep of the sovereign. They laid before it theirprayers for a favorable transaction of current state business, forguardianship over the boundaries of Egypt, and over the tombs of thepharaohs, so that no thief might dare to enter in and disturb theendless rest of those potentates. But the prayers of the priests, because of night weariness, surely, were not always effectual, forstate difficulties increased, and sacred tombs were robbed, not only ofcostly objects, but even of the mummies of sovereigns. 

This was because various foreigners had settled in the country andunbelievers from whom the people learned to disregard the gods of Egyptand the most sacred places. 

The repose of the lord of lords was interrupted exactly at midnight. Atthat hour the astrologers roused his holiness and informed him in whatmansion the moon was, what planets were shining above the horizon, whatconstellations were passing the meridian and whether in generalsomething peculiar had taken place in heavenly regions. For sometimesclouds appeared or stars fell in greater number than usual, or a fieryball flew over Egypt. 

The lord listened to the report of the astrologers. In case of anyunusual phenomenon he pacified them concerning the safety of the world, and commanded to write down all observations on appropriate tablets, which were sent every month to priests of the temple of the Sphinx, thegreatest sages in Egypt. Those men drew conclusions from those tablets, but the most important they declared to no one, unless to theircolleagues the Chaldean priests in Babylon. 

After midnight his holiness might sleep till the morning cockcrow if hethought proper. 

Such a pious and laborious life had been led, not more than half a yearago, by this kind, divine person, the distributor of protection, life, and health, who watched day and night over the earth and the sky, overthe world both visible and invisible. But for the last half year hiseternally living soul had begun to be more and more wearied withearthly questions, and with its bodily envelope. There were long dayswhen he ate nothing, and nights during which he had no sleep whatever. Sometimes during an audience, there appeared on his mild face anexpression of deep pain, while oftener and oftener, he fainted. 

The terrified Queen Niort's, the most worthy Herhor and the priests, asked the sovereign repeatedly whether anything pained him. But thelord shrugged his shoulders, and was silent, fulfilling always hisburdensome duties. 

Then the court physicians began imperceptibly to give the most powerfulremedies to restore strength to him. They mixed in his wine and food atfirst the ashes of a burnt horse and a bull; later of a lion, arhinoceros, and an elephant; but these strong remedies seemed to haveno effect whatever. His holiness fainted so frequently that they ceasedto read reports to him. 

On a certain day the worthy Herhor with the queen and the priests, fellon their faces; they implored the lord to permit them to examine hisdivine body. He consented. The physicians examined and struck him, butfound no worse sign than great emaciation. 

"What feelings dost Thou experience, holiness?" inquired at last thewisest physician. 

The pharaoh smiled. 

"I feel, " replied he, "that it is time for me to return to my radiantfather. "

"Thou canst not do that, holiness, without the greatest harm to thypeople, " said Herhor, hurriedly. 

"I leave you my son, Ramses, who is a lion and an eagle in one person. And in truth, if ye will obey him, he will prepare for Egypt such afate as the world has not heard of since the beginning of ages. "

A chill passed through holy Herhor and the other priests at thatpromise. They knew that the heir to the throne was a lion and an eaglein one person, and that they must obey him. But they would havepreferred to have for long years that kindly lord, whose heart, filledwith compassion, was like the north wind which brings rain to thefields and coolness to mankind. Therefore they fell down all of them asone man to the pavement, groaning, and they lay prostrate till thepharaoh consented to let himself be treated. 

Then the physicians took him out for a whole day to the gardens, amongfrequent pine-trees, they nourished him with chopped meat; they gavehim strong herbs with milk and old wine. These effective meansstrengthened his holiness for something like a week yet; then a newfaintness announced itself, and to overcome that they forced their lordto drink the fresh blood of calves descended from Apes. 

But neither did this blood help for a long time, and they found itneedful to turn for advice to the high priest of the temple of thewicked god Set. 

Amid general fear, the gloomy priest entered the bedchamber of hisholiness. He looked at the sick pharaoh and prescribed a dreadfulremedy. 

"It is needful, " said he, "to give the pharaoh blood of innocentchildren to drink; each day a full goblet. "

The priests and magnates in the chamber were dumb when they heard thisprescription. Then they whispered that the children of earth-tillerswere best for the purpose, since the children of priests and greatlords lost their innocence even in infancy. 

"It is all one to me whose children they are, " said the cruel priest, "if only his holiness has fresh blood given him daily. "

The pharaoh, lying on the bed with closed eyes, heard that gorycounsel, and the whispers of the frightened courtiers. And when one ofthe physicians asked Herhor timidly if it were possible to takemeasures to seek proper children, Ramses XII recovered. He fixed hiswise eyes on those present, "The crocodile will not devour its own little ones, " said he, "a jackalor a hyena will give its life for its whelps, and am I to drink theblood of Egyptian infants, who are my children? Indeed, I never couldhave believed that anyone would dare to prescribe means so unworthy. "

The priest of the evil god fell to the pavement, and explained that inEgypt no one had ever drunk the blood of infants but that the infernalpowers returned health by it. Such means at least were used inPhoenicia and Assyria. 

"Shame on thee!" replied the pharaoh, "for mentioning in the palace ofEgyptian sovereigns disgusting subjects. Knowest Thou not thatPhoenicians and Assyrians are barbarous? But among us the mostunenlightened earth-tiller would not believe that blood, shed withoutcause, could be of service to any one. "

Thus spoke he who was equal to immortals. The courtiers covered theirfaces, spotted now with shame, and the high priest of Set went silentlyout of the chamber. 

Then Herhor, to save the quenching life of the sovereign, had recourseto the last means, and told the pharaoh that in one of the Thebantemples, Beroes, the Chaldean, lived in secret. He was the wisestpriest of Babylon a miracle worker without equal. 

"For thee, holiness, " said Herhor, "that sage is a stranger, and he hasnot the right to impart such important advice to the lord of Egypt. But, O Pharaoh, permit him to look at thee. I am sure that he will finda medicine to cure thy illness, and in no case will he offend thee byimpious expressions. "

The pharaoh yielded this time also to persuasions from his faithfulservitors. And in two days Beroes, summoned in some mysterious way, wassailing down toward Memphis. 

The wise Chaldean, even without examining the pharaoh minutely, gavethis counsel, "We must find a person in Egypt whose prayers reach the throne of theHighest. And if this person prays sincerely for the pharaoh, thesovereign will receive his health and live for long years in strengthagain. "

On hearing these words the pharaoh looked at the priests surroundinghim, and said, "I see here holy men in such numbers that, if one of them thinks of me, I shall be in health again. " And he smiled imperceptibly. 

"We are all only men, " interrupted Beroes; "hence our souls cannotalways rise to the footstool of Him who existed before the ages. But, holiness, I will use an infallible method by which to find a man whoseprayers have the utmost sincerity, and the highest effect. "

"Discover him, so that he may be a friend to me in my last hour oflife, " said the pharaoh. 

After this favorable answer the Chaldean desired a room with a singledoor, and unoccupied. And that same day, one hour before sunset, heasked that his holiness be borne into that chamber. 

At the appointed hour four of the highest priests dressed the pharaohin a robe of new linen, pronounced a great prayer above him, thisprayer expelled every evil power absolutely, and seating him in alitter they bore him to that simple chamber where there was but onesmall table. 

Beroes was there already, and, looking toward the east, was praying. 

When the priests had left the chamber the Chaldean closed the heavydoor, put a purple scarf on his arm and placed a glass globe of blackcolor on the table before the pharaoh. In his left hand he held a sharpdagger of Babylonian steel, in his right a staff covered withmysterious signs, and with that staff he described in the air a circleabout himself and the pharaoh. Then facing in turn the four quarters ofthe world, he whispered, "Amorul, Taneha, Latisten, Rabur, Adonay have pity on me and purify me, O heavenly Father, the compassionate and gracious. Pour down on thyunworthy servant thy sacred blessing, and extend thy almighty armagainst stubborn and rebellious spirits, so that I may consider thysacred work calmly. "

He stopped and turned to the pharaoh, "Mer-Amen-Ramses, high priest of Amon, dost Thou distinguish a spark inthat black globe?"

"I see a white spark which seems to move like a bee above a flower. "

"Mer-Amen-Ramses, look at that spark and take not thy eyes from it. Look neither to the right nor the left, look not on anything whateverwhich may come from the sides. "

And again he whispered, "Baralanensis, Baldachiensis, by the mighty princes Genio, Lachidae, the ministers of the infernal kingdom, I summon you, I call you throughthe strength of Supreme Majesty, by which I am gifted, I adjure, Icommand!"

At that place the pharaoh started up with aversion. 

"Mer-Amen-Ramses, what seest thou?" asked the Chaldean. 

"From beyond the globe rises some horrid head reddish hair is standingon end; a face of greenish hue; the eye looking down so that only thewhite of it is visible; the mouth open widely, as if to shriek. "

"That is Terror!" cried Beroes, and he held his sharp dagger pointabove the globe. 

Suddenly the pharaoh bent to the earth. 

"Enough!" cried he, "why torment me thus? The wearied body seeks rest, the soul longs to be in the region of endless light. But not only willye not let me die; ye are inventing new torments. Oh, I wish not. "

"What dost Thou see?"

"From the ceiling every instant two spider legs lower themselves theyare terrible. As thick as palm trunks; shaggy with hooks at the ends ofthem. I feel that above my head is a spider of immense size, and he isbinding me with a web of ship ropes. "

Beroes turned his dagger point upward. 

"Mer-Amen-Ramses, " said he again, "look ever at the spark, and never atthe sides. Here is a sign which I raise in thy presence, " whispered he. "Here am I mightily armed with Divine aid, I, foreseeing andunterrified, who summon you with exorcisms Aye, Saraye, Aye, Saraye, Aye, Saraye in the name of the all-powerful, the all-mighty andeverlasting divinity. "

At that moment a calm smile appeared on the lips of the pharaoh. 

"It seems to me, " said he, "that I behold Egypt all Egypt. Yes! that isthe Nile the desert. Here is Memphis, there Thebes. "

Indeed he saw Egypt, all Egypt, but no larger than the path whichextended through the garden of his palace. The wonderful picture hadthis trait, that when the Pharaoh turned more deliberate attention toany point of it, that point with its environments grew to be of realsize almost. 

The sun was going down, covering the earth with golden and purplelight. Birds of the daytime were settling to sleep, the night birdswere waking up in their concealments. In the desert hyenas and jackalswere yawning, and the slumbering lion had begun to stretch his strongbody and prepare to hunt victims. 

The Nile fisherman drew forth his nets hastily, men were tying up atthe shores the great transport barges. The wearied earth-worker removedfrom the sweep his bucket with which he had drawn water since sunrise;another returned slowly with the plough to his mud hovel. In citiesthey were lighting lamps, in the temples priests were assembling forevening devotions. On the highways the dust was settling down and thesqueak of carts was growing silent. From the pylon summits shrillvoices were heard calling people to prayer. 

A moment later, the pharaoh saw with astonishment flocks of silverybirds over the earth everywhere. They were flying up out of palaces, temples streets, workshops, Nile barges, country huts, even from thequarries. At first each of them shot upward like an arrow, but soon itmet in the sky another silvery feathered bird, which stopped its way, striking it with all force and both fell to the earth lifeless. 

Those were the unworthy prayers of men, which prevented each other fromreaching the throne of Him who existed before the ages. 

The pharaoh strained his hearing. At first only the rustle of wingsreached him, but soon he distinguished words also. 

And now he heard a sick man praying for the return of his health, andalso the physician, who begged that that same patient might be sick aslong as possible. The landowner prayed Amon to watch over his granaryand cow-house, the thief stretched his hands heavenward so that hemight lead forth another man's cow without hindrance, and fill his ownbags from another man's harvest. 

Their prayers knocked each other down like stones which had been hurledfrom slings and had met in the air. 

The wanderer in the desert fell on the sand and begged for a northwind, to bring a drop of rain to him, the sailor on the sea beat thedeck with his forehead and prayed that wind might blow from the east aweek longer. The earth-worker wished that swamps might dry up quicklyafter inundation; the needy fisherman begged that the swamps might notdry up at any time. 

Their prayers killed each other and never reached the divine ears ofAmon. 

The greatest uproar reigned above the quarries where criminals, lashedtogether in chain gangs, split enormous rocks with wedges, wetted withwater. There a party of day convicts prayed for the night, so that theymight lie down to slumber; while parties of night toilers, roused bytheir overseers, beat their breasts, asking that the sun might not setat any hour. Merchants who purchased quarried and dressed stones prayedthat there might be as many criminals in the quarries as possible, while provision contractors lay on their stomachs, sighing for theplague to kill laborers, and make their own profits as large as theymight be. 

So the prayers of men from the quarries did not reach the sky in anycase. 

On the western boundary the pharaoh saw two armies preparing forbattle. Both were prostrate on the sand, calling on Amon to rub out theother side. The Libyans wished shame and death to Egyptians; theEgyptians hurled curses on the Libyans. 

The prayers of these and of those, like two flocks of falcons, foughtabove the earth and fell dead in the desert. Amon did not even seethem. 

And whithersoever the pharaoh turned his wearied glance he saw the samepicture everywhere. The laborers were praying for rest and decrease oftaxes, scribes were praying that taxes might increase and work never befinished. The priests implored Amon for long life to Ramses XII anddeath to Phoenicians, who interfered with their interests; the nomarchsimplored the gods to preserve the Phoenicians and let Ramses XIIIascend the throne at the earliest, for he would curb priestly tyranny. Lions, jackals, and hyenas were panting with hunger and desire forfresh blood; deer and rabbits slipped out of hiding-places, thinking topreserve wretched life a day longer, though experience declared thatnumbers of them must perish, even on that night, so that beasts of preymight not famish. So throughout the whole world reigned cross-purposeseverywhere. Each wished that which filled others with terror; eachbegged for his own good, without asking if he did harm to the next man. 

For this cause their prayers, though like silvery birds flyingheavenward, did not reach their destination. And the divine Amon, towhom no voice of the earth came at any time, dropped his hands on hisknees, and sank ever deeper in meditation over his own divinity, whileon the earth blind force and chance ruled without interruption. 

All at once the pharaoh heard the voice of a woman, "Rogue! Littlerogue! come in, Thou unruly, it is time for prayers. "

"This minute! this minute!" answered the voice of the little child. 

The sovereign looked toward the point whence the voice came and saw thepoor hut of a cattle scribe. The hut owner had finished his register inthe light of the setting sun, his wife was grinding flour for a cake, and before the house, like a young kid, was running and jumping thesix-year-old little boy, laughing, it was unknown for what reason. 

The evening air full of sweetness had given him delight, that wasevident. 

"Rogue! Little rogue! come here to me for a prayer, " repeated thewoman. 

"This minute! this minute!"

And again he ran with delight as if wild. 

At last the mother, seeing that the sun was beginning to sink in thesands of the desert, put away her mill stones, and, going out, seizedthe boy, who raced around like a little colt. He resisted but gave wayto superior force finally. The mother, drawing him to the hut asquickly as possible, held him with her hand so that he might not escapefrom her. 

"Do not twist, " said she, "put thy feet under thee, sit upright, putthy hands together and raise them upward. Ah, Thou bad boy!"

The boy knew that he could not escape now; so to be free again as soonas possible he raised his eyes and hands heavenward piously, and with athin squeaky voice, he said, "O kind, divine Amon, I thank thee, Thou hast kept my papa today frommisfortune, Thou hast given wheat for cakes to my mamma. What more?Thou hast made heaven. I thank thee. And the earth, and sent down theNile which brings bread to us. And what more? Aha, I know now! And Ithank thee because out-of-doors it is so beautiful, and flowers aregrowing there, and birds singing and the palms give us sweet dates. Forthese good things which Thou hast given us, may all love thee as I do, and praise thee better than I can, for I am a little boy yet and I havenot learned wisdom. Well, is that enough, mamma?"

"Bad boy!" muttered the cattle scribe, bending over his register. "Badboy! Thou art giving honor to Amon carelessly. "

But the pharaoh in that magic globe saw now something altogetherdifferent. Behold the prayer of the delighted little boy rose, like alark, toward the sky, and with fluttering wings it went higher andhigher till it reached the throne where the eternal Amon with his handson his knees was sunk in meditation on his own all-mightiness. 

Then it went still higher, as high as the head of the divinity, andsang with the thin, childish little voice to him:

"And for those good things which Thou hast given us may all love theeas I do. "

At these words the divinity, sunk in himself, opened his eyes therecame to the earth immense calm. Every pain ceased, every fear, everywrong stopped. The whistling missile hung in the air, the lion stoppedin his spring on the deer, the stick uplifted did not fall on the backof the captive. The sick man forgot his pains, the wanderer in thedesert his hunger, the prisoner his chains. The storm ceased, and thewave of the sea, though ready to drown the ship, halted. And on thewhole earth such rest settled down that the sun, just hiding on thehorizon, thrust up his shining head again. 

The pharaoh recovered. He saw before him a little table, on the table ablack globe, at the side of it Beroes the Chaldean. 

"Mer-Amen-Ramses, " asked the priest, "hast Thou found a person whoseprayers reach the footstool of Him who existed before the ages?"

"I have. "

"Is he a prince, a noble, a prophet, or perhaps an ordinary hermit?"

"He is a little boy, six years old, who asked Amon for nothing, he onlythanked him for everything. "

"But dost Thou know where he dwells?" inquired the Chaldean. 

"I know, but I will not steal for my own use the virtue of his prayer. The world, Beroes, is a gigantic vortex, in which people are whirledaround like sand, and they are whirled by misfortune. That child withhis prayer gives people what I cannot give: a brief space of peace andoblivion. Dost understand, O Chaldean?"

Beroes was silent. 

CHAPTER XLIX

AT sunrise of the twenty-first of Hator there came from Memphis to thecamp at the Soda Lakes an order by which three regiments were to marchto Libya to stand garrison in the towns, the rest of the Egyptian armywas to return home with Ramses. 

The army greeted this arrangement with shouts of delight, for a stay ofsome days in the wilderness had begun to annoy them. In spite ofsupplies from Egypt and from conquered Libya, there was not an excessof provisions; water in the wells dug out quickly, was exhausted; theheat of the sun burned their bodies, and the ruddy sand wounded theirlungs and their eyeballs. The warriors were falling ill of dysenteryand a malignant inflammation of the eyelids. 

Ramses commanded to raise the camp. He sent three native Egyptianregiments to Libya, commanding the soldiers to treat people mildly andnever wander from the camp singly. The army proper he turned towardMemphis, leaving a small garrison at the glass huts and in thefortress. 

About nine in the morning, in spite of the heat, both armies were onthe road; one going northward, the other toward the south. 

The holy Mentezufis approached the heir then, and said, "It would be well, worthiness, couldst Thou reach Memphis earlier. There will be fresh horses half-way. "

"Then my father is very ill?" cried out Ramses. 

The priest bent his head. 

The prince gave command to Mentezufis, begging him to change in no waycommands already made, unless he counseled with lay generals. TakingPentuer, Tutmosis, and twenty of the best Asiatic horsemen, he wenthimself on a sharp trot toward Memphis. 

In five hours they passed half the journey; at the halt, as Mentezufishad declared, were fresh horses and a new escort. The Asiatics remainedat that point, and after a short rest the prince with his twocompanions and a new escort went farther. 

"Woe to me!" said Tutmosis. "It is not enough that for five days I havenot bathed and know not rose perfumed oil, but besides I must make inone day two forced marches. I am sure that when we reach Memphis nodancer will look at me. "

"What! Art Thou better than we?" asked the prince. 

"I am more fragile, " said the exquisite. "Thou, prince, art asaccustomed to riding as a Hyksos, and Pentuer might travel on a red-hotsword. But I am so delicate. "

At sunset the travelers came out on a lofty hill, whence they saw anuncommon picture unfolded before them. For a long distance the greenvalley of Egypt was visible, on the background of it, like a row ofruddy fires, the triangular pyramids stood gleaming. A little to theright of the pyramids the tops of the Memphis pylons, wrapped in abluish haze, seemed to be flaming upward. 

"Let us go; let us go!" said Ramses. 

A moment later the reddish desert surrounded them again, and again theline of pyramids gleamed until all was dissolved in the twilight. 

When night fell the travelers had reached that immense district of thedead, which extends for a number of tens of miles on the heights alongthe left side of the river. 

Here during the Ancient Kingdom were buried, for endless ages, Egyptians, the pharaohs in immense pyramids, princes and dignitaries insmaller pyramids, common men in mud structures. Here were restingmillions of mummies, not only of people, but of dogs, cats, birds, in aword, all creatures which, while they lived, were dear to Egyptians. 

During the time of Ramses, the burial-ground of kings and great personswas transferred to Thebes; in the neighborhood of Memphis were buriedonly common persons and artisans from regions about there. 

Among scattered graves, the prince and his escort met a number ofpeople, pushing about like shadows. 

"Who are ye?" asked the leader of the escort. 

"We are poor servants of the pharaoh returning from our dead. We tookto them roses, cakes, and beer. "

"But maybe ye looked into strange graves?"

"O gods!" cried one of the party, "could we commit such a sacrilege? Itis only the wicked Thebans may their hands wither! who disturb thedead, so as to drink away their property in dramshops?"

"What mean those fires at the north there?" interrupted the prince. 

"It must be, worthiness, that Thou comest from afar if Thou know not, "answered they. "Tomorrow our heir is returning with a victorious army. He is a great chief! He conquered the Libyans in one battle. Those arethe people of Memphis who have gone out to greet him with solemnity. Thirty thousand persons. When they shout. "

"I understand, " whispered the prince to Pentuer. "Holy Mentezufis hassent me ahead so that I may not have a triumphal entry. But never mindthis time. "

The horses were tired, and they had to rest. So the prince senthorsemen to engage barges on the river, and the rest of the escorthalted under some palms, which at that time grew between the Sphinx andthe group of pyramids. 

Those pyramids formed the northern limit of the immense cemetery. Onthe flat, about a square kilometer in area, overgrown at that time withplants of the desert, were tombs and small pyramids, above whichtowered the three great pyramids: those of Cheops, Chafre, and Menkere, and the Sphinx. These immense structures stand only a few hundred yardsfrom one another. The three pyramids are in a line from northeast tosouthwest. East of this line and nearer the Nile is the Sphinx, nearwhose feet was the underground temple of Horus. 

The pyramids, but especially that of Cheops, as a work of human labor, astound by their greatness. This pyramid is a pointed stone mountain;its original height was thirty five stories, or four hundred andeighty-one feet, standing on a square foundation each side of which wasseven hundred and fifty-five feet. It occupied a little more thanthirteen acres of area, and its four triangular walls would covertwenty acres of land. In building it, such vast numbers of stones wereused that it would be possible to build a wall of the height of a man, a wall half a meter thick, and two thousand five hundred kilometerslong. 

When the attendants of the prince had disposed themselves under thewretched trees, some occupied themselves in finding water; others tookout cakes, while Tutmosis dropped to the ground and fell asleepdirectly. But the prince and Pentuer walked up and down conversing. 

The night was clear enough to let them see on one side the immenseoutline of the pyramids, on the other, the Sphinx, which seemed smallin comparison. 

"I am here for the fourth time, " said the heir, "and my heart is alwaysfilled with regret and astonishment. When a pupil in the higher school, I thought that, on ascending the throne, I would build something ofmore worth than the pyramid of Cheops. But today I am ready to laugh atmy insolence when I think that the great pharaoh in building his tombpaid sixteen hundred talents (about ten million francs) for thevegetables alone which were used by the laborers. Where should I findsixteen hundred talents even for wages?"

"Envy not Cheops, lord, " replied the priest. "Other pharaohs have leftbetter works behind: lakes, canals, roads, schools, and temples. "

"But may we compare those things with the pyramids?"

"Of course not, " answered Pentuer, hurriedly. "In my eyes and in theeyes of all the people, each pyramid is a great crime, and that ofCheops, the greatest of all crimes. "

"Thou art too much excited, " said the prince. 

"I am not. The pharaoh was building his immense tomb for thirty years;in the course of those years one hundred thousand people worked threemonths annually. And what good was there in that work? Whom did itfeed, whom did it cure, to whom did it give clothing? At that work fromten to twenty thousand people perished yearly; that is, for the tomb ofCheops a half a million corpses were put into the earth. But the blood, the pain, the tears, who will reckon them?

"Therefore, wonder not, lord, that the Egyptian toiler to this daylooks with fear toward the west, when above the horizon the triangularforms of the pyramids seem bloody or crimson. They are witnesses of hissufferings and fruitless labor. 

"And to think that this will continue till those proofs of human prideare scattered into dust! But when will that be? For three thousandyears those pyramids frighten men with their presence; their walls aresmooth yet, and the immense inscriptions on them are legible. "

"That night in the desert thy speech was different, " interrupted theprince. 

"For I was not looking at these. But when they are before my eyes, asat present, I am surrounded by the sobbing spirits of tortured toilers, and they whisper, 'See what they did with us! But our bones felt pain, and our hearts longed for rest from labor. '. "

Ramses was touched disagreeably by this outburst. "His holiness, myfather, " said he, after a while, "presented these things to medifferently; when we were here five years ago, the sacred lord told methe following narrative:

"During the reign of the pharaoh Tutmosis I, Ethiopian ambassadors cameto negotiate touching the tribute to be paid by them. They were allarrogant people. They said that the loss of one war was nothing, thatfate might favor them in a second; and for a couple of months theydisputed about tribute. 

"In vain did the wise pharaoh, in his wish to enlighten the men mildly, show our roads and canals to them. They replied that in their countrythey had water for nothing wherever they wanted it. In vain he showedthem the treasures of the temples; they said that their countryconcealed more gold and jewels by far than were possessed by all Egypt. In vain did the lord review his armies before them, for they assertedthat Ethiopia had incomparably more warriors' than his holiness. 

"The pharaoh brought those people at last to these places where we arestanding and showed them those structures. 

"The Ethiopian ambassadors went around the pyramids, read theinscriptions, and next day they concluded the treaty required of them. 

"Since I did not understand the heart of the matter, " continued Ramses, "my holy father explained it. 

"'My son, ' said he, 'these pyramids are an eternal proof of superhumanpower in Egypt. If any man wished to raise to himself a pyramid hewould pile up a small heap of stones and abandon his labor after somehours had passed, asking: 'What good is this to me?' Ten, one hundred, one thousand men would pile up a few more stones. They would throw themdown without order, and leave the work after a few days, for what goodwould it be to them?

"'But when a pharaoh of Egypt decides, when the Egyptian state hasdecided to rear a pile of stones, thousands of legions of men are sentout, and for a number of tens of years they build, till the work iscompleted. For the question is not this: Are the pyramids needed, butthis is the will of the pharaoh to be accomplished, once it isuttered. ' So, Pentuer, this pyramid is not the tomb of Cheops, but thewill of Cheops, a will which had more men to carry it out than had anyking on earth, and which was as orderly and enduring in action as thegods are. 

"While I was yet at school they taught me that the will of the peoplewas a great power, the greatest power under the sun. And still the willof the people can raise one stone barely. How great, then, must be thewill of the pharaoh who has raised a mountain of stones only because itpleased him, only because he wished thus, even were it without anobject. "

"Wouldst thou, lord, wish to show thy power in such fashion?" inquiredPentuer, suddenly. 

"No, " answered the prince, without hesitation. "When the pharaohs haveonce shown their power, they may be merciful; unless some one shouldresist their orders. "

"And still this young man is only twenty three years of age!" thoughtthe frightened priest. 

They turned toward the river and walked some time in silence. 

"Lie down, lord, " said the priest, after a while; "sleep. We have madeno small journey. "

"But can I sleep?" answered the prince. "First I am surrounded by thoselegions of laborers who, according to thy view, perished in buildingthe pyramids Just as if they could have lived forever had they notraised those structures! Then, again, I think of his holiness, myfather, who is dying, perhaps, at this very moment. Common men suffer, common men spill their blood! Who will prove to me that my divinefather is not tortured more on his costly bed than thy toilers who arecarrying heated stones to a building?

"Laborers, always laborers! For thee, O priest, only he deservescompassion who bites lice. A whole series of pharaohs have gone intotheir graves; some died in torments, some were killed. But Thouthinkest not of them; Thou thinkest only of those whose service is thatthey begot other toilers who dipped up muddy water from the Nile, orthrust barley balls into the mouths of their milch cows. 

"But my father and I? Was not my son slain, and also a woman of myhousehold? Was Typhon compassionate to me in the desert? Do not mybones ache after a long journey? Do not missiles from Libyan slingswhistle over my head? Have I a treaty with sickness, with pain, or withdeath, that they should be kinder to me than to thy toilers?

"Look there: the Asiatics are sleeping, and quiet has taken possessionof their breasts; but I, their lord, have a heart full of yesterday'scares, and of fears for the morrow. Ask a toiling man of a hundredyears whether in all his life he had as much sorrow as I have hadduring my power of a few months as commander and viceroy. "

Before them rose slowly from the depth of the night a wonderful shade. It was an object fifty yards long and as high as a house of threestories, having at its side, as it were, a five-storied tower ofuncommon structure. 

"Here is the Sphinx, " said the irritated prince, "purely priests' work!Whenever I see this, in the day or the night time, the question alwaystortures me: What is this, and what is the use of it? The pyramids Iunderstand: Almighty pharaoh wished to show his power, and, perhaps, which was wiser, wished to secure eternal life which no thief or enemymight take from him. Drat this Sphinx! Evidently that is our sacredpriestly order, which has a very large, wise head and lion's clawsbeneath it. 

"This repulsive statue, full of double meaning, which seems to exultbecause we appear like locusts when we stand near it, it is neither aman nor a beast nor a rock What is it, then? What is its meaning? Orthat smile which it has If Thou admire the everlasting endurance of thepyramids, it smiles; if Thou go past to converse with the tombs, itsmiles. Whether the fields of Egypt are green, or Typhon lets loose hisfiery steeds, or the slave seeks his freedom in the desert, or Ramsesthe Great drives conquered nations before him, it has for all one andthe same changeless smile. Nineteen dynasties have passed like shadows;but it smiles on and would smile even were the Nile to grow dry, andwere Egypt to disappear under sand fields. 

"Is not that monster the more dreadful that it has a mild human visage?Lasting itself throughout ages, it has never known grief over life, which is fleeting and filled with anguish. "

"Dost Thou not remember, lord, the 'faces of the gods, " interruptedPentuer, "or hast Thou not seen mummies? All immortals look ontransient things with the selfsame indifference. Even man does whennearing the end of his earth-life. "

"The gods hear our prayers sometimes, but the Sphinx never moves. Nocompassion on that face, a mere gigantic jeering terror. If I knew thatin its mouth were hidden some prophecy for me, or some means to elevateEgypt, I should not dare to put a question. It seems to me that Ishould hear some awful answer uttered with unpitying calmness. This isthe work and the image of the priesthood. It is worse than man, for ithas a lion's body; it is worse than a beast, for it has a human head;it is worse than stone, for inexplicable life is contained in it. "

At that moment groaning and muffled voices reached them, the source ofwhich they could not determine. 

"Is the Sphinx singing?" inquired the astonished prince. 

"That singing is in the underground temple, " replied Pentuer. "But whyare they praying at this night hour?"

"Ask rather why they pray at all, since no one hears them. "

Pentuer took the direction at once and went toward the place of thesinging. The prince found some stone for a support and sat downwearied. He put his hands behind him, leaned back, and looked into theimmense face before him. 

In spite of the lack of light, the superhuman features were clearlyvisible; just the shade added life and character. The more the princegazed into that face, the more powerfully he felt that he had beenprejudiced, that his dislike was unreasonable. 

On the face of the Sphinx, there was no cruelty, but ratherresignation. In its smile there was no jeering, but rather sadness. Itdid not feel the wretchedness and fleeting nature of mankind, for itdid not see them. Its eyes, filled with expression, were fixedsomewhere beyond the Nile, beyond the horizon, toward regions concealedfrom human sight beneath the vault of heaven. Was it watching thedisturbing growth of the Assyrian monarchy? Or the impudent activity ofPhoenicia? Or the birth of Greece, or events, perhaps, which werepreparing on the Jordan? Who could answer?

The prince was sure of one thing, that it was gazing, thinking, waitingfor something with a calm smile worthy of supernatural existence. And, moreover, it seemed to him that if that something appeared on thehorizon, the Sphinx would rise up and go to meet it. 

What was that to be, and when would it come? This was a mystery thesignificance of which was depicted expressly on the face of thatcreature which had existed for ages. But it would of necessity takeplace on a sudden, since the Sphinx had not closed its eyes for oneinstant during millenniums, and was gazing, gazing, always. 

Meanwhile Pentuer found a window through which came from theunderground temple pensive hymns of the priestly chorus:

Chorus I. "Rise, as radiant as Isis, rise as Sotis rises on thefirmament in the morning at the beginning of the established year. "

Chorus II. "The god Amon-Ra was on my right and on my left. He himselfgave into my hands dominion over all the world, thus causing thedownfall of my enemies. "

Chorus I. "Thou wert still young, Thou wert wearing braided hair, butin Egypt naught was done save at thy command no corner-stone was laidfor an edifice unless Thou wert present. "

Chorus II. "I came to Thee, ruler of the gods, great god, lord of thesun. Turn promises that the sun will appear, and that I shall be likehim, and the Nile; that I shall reach the throne of Osiris, and shallpossess it forever. "

Chorus I. "Thou hast returned in peace, respected by the gods, O rulerof both worlds, Ra-Mer-Amen-Ramses. I assure to thee unbroken rule;kings will come to thee to pay tribute. "

Chorus II. "O thou, Thou Osiris-Ramses! ever-living son of heaven, bornof the goddess Nut, may thy mother surround thee with the mystery ofheaven, and permit that Thou become a god, O thou, O Osiris-Ramses. "[Tomb inscriptions]

"So then the holy father is dead, " said Pentuer to himself. 

He left the window and approached the place where the heir was sitting, sunk in imaginings. 

The priest knelt before him, fell on his face, and exclaimed:

"Be greeted, O pharaoh, ruler of the world!"

"What dost Thou say?" cried the prince, springing up. 

"May the One, the All-Powerful, pour down on thee wisdom and strength, and happiness on thy people. "

"Rise, Pentuer! Then I then I. "

Suddenly he took the arm of the priest and turned toward the Sphinx. 

"Look at it, " said he. 

But neither in the face nor in the posture of the colossus was thereany change. One pharaoh had stepped over the threshold of eternity;another rose up like the sun, but the stone face of the god or themonster was the same precisely. On its lips was a gentle smile forearthly power and glory; in its glance there was a waiting forsomething which was to come, but when no one knew. 

Soon the messengers returned from the ferry with information that boatswould be waiting there. 

Pentuer went among the palms, and cried, "Wake! wake!"

The watchful Asiatics sprang up at once, and began to bridle theirhorses. Tutmosis also rose, and yawned with a grimace. 

"Brr!" grumbled he, "what cold! Sleep is a good thing! I barely dozed alittle, and now I am able to go even to the end of the world, evenagain to the Soda Lakes. Brr! I have forgotten the taste of wine, andit seems to me that my hands are becoming covered with hair, like thepaws of a jackal. And it is two hours to 'the palace yet. 

"Happy are common men! One ragged rogue sleeps after another and feelsno need of washing: he will not go to work till his wife brings abarley cake; while I, a great lord, must wander about, like a thief inthe night, through the desert, without a drop of water to put to mylips. "

The horses were ready, and Ramses mounted his own. Pentuer approached, took the bridle of the ruler's steed, and led, going himself on foot. 

"What is this?" inquired the astonished Tutmosis. 

He bethought himself quickly, ran up, and took Ramses' horse by thebridle on the other side. And so all advanced in silence, astonished atthe bearing of the priest, though they felt that something importanthad happened. 

After a few hundred steps the desert ceased, and a highroad through thefield lay before the travelers. 

"Mount your horses, " said Ramses; "we must hurry. "

"His holiness commands you to sit on your horses, " cried Pentuer. 

All were amazed. But Tutmosis recovered quickly, and placed his hand onhis sword-hilt. 

"May he live through eternity, our all-powerful and gracious leaderRamses!" shouted the adjutant. 

"May he live through eternity!" howled the Asiatics, shaking theirweapons. 

"I thank you, my faithful warriors, " answered their lord. 

A moment later the mounted party was hastening toward the river. 

CHAPTER L

We know not whether the prophets in the underground temple of theSphinx saw the new ruler of Egypt when he halted at the foot of thepyramids, and gave information touching him at the palace, and if sohow they did it. The fact is that when Ramses was approaching theferry, the most worthy Herhor gave orders to rouse the palace servants, and when their lord was crossing the Nile all priests, generals, andcivil dignitaries were assembled in the great hall of audience. 

Exactly at sunrise Ramses XIII, at the head of a small escort, rodeinto the palace yard, where the servants fell on their faces beforehim, and the guard presented arms to the sound of drums and trumpets. 

His holiness saluted the army and went to the bathing chambers, wherehe took a bath filled with perfumes. Then he gave permission to arrangehis divine hair; but when the barber asked most submissively if thepharaoh commanded to shave his head and beard, the lord replied, "There is no need. I am not a priest, but a warrior. "

These words reached the audience-hall a moment later; in an hour theyhad gone around the palace; about midday they had passed through everypart of the city of Memphis, and toward evening they were known in allthe temples of the state, from Tami-n-hor and Sabue-Chetam on the northto Suunu and Pilak on the south. 

At this intelligence the nomarchs, the nobility, the army, the people, and the foreigners were wild with delight, but the sacred order ofpriests mourned the more zealously the dead pharaoh. 

When his holiness emerged from the bath he put on a warrior's shortshirt with black and yellow stripes, and a yellow breast-piece; on hisfeet sandals fastened with thongs, and on his head a low helmet with acirclet. Then he girded on that Assyrian sword which he had worn at thebattle of the Soda Lakes, and, surrounded by a great suite of generals, he entered with a clatter and clinking the audience-hall. 

There the high priest Herhor stood before him, having at his side Sem, the holy high priest, Mefres, and others, and behind him the chiefjudges of Thebes and Memphis, some of the nearer nomarchs, the chieftreasurer, also the overseers of the house of wheat, the house ofcattle, the house of garments, the house of slaves, the house of silverand gold, and a multitude of other dignitaries. 

Herhor bowed before Ramses, and said with emotion, "Lord! it has pleased thy eternally living father to withdraw to thegods where he is enjoying endless delight. To thee, then, has fallenthe duty of caring for the fate of the orphan kingdom. 

"Be greeted, therefore, O lord and ruler of the world, and, holiness, may Thou live through eternity Cham-Sam-mereramen-Ramses-Neter-haq-an. "

Those present repeated this salutation with enthusiasm. They expectedthe new ruler to show some emotion or feeling. To the astonishment ofall he merely moved his brow and answered, "In accordance with the will of his holiness, my father, and with thelaws of Egypt, I take possession of government and will conduct it tothe glory of the state and the happiness of the people. "

He turned suddenly to Herhor and, looking him sharply in the eyes, inquired, "On thy miter, worthiness, I see the golden serpent. Why hast Thou putthat symbol of regal power on thy head?"

A deathlike silence settled on the assembly. The haughtiest man inEgypt had never dreamed that the young lord would begin rule by puttinga question like that to the most powerful person in the state, morepowerful, perhaps, than the late pharaoh. 

But behind the young lord stood a number of generals; in the courtyardglittered the bronze-covered regiments of the guard; and crossing theNile at that moment was an army wild from the triumph at the SodaLakes, and enamored of its leader. 

The powerful Herhor grew pale as wax, and the voice could not issuefrom his straitened throat. 

"I ask your worthiness, " repeated the pharaoh, calmly, "by what rightis the regal serpent on thy miter?"

"This is the miter of thy grandfather, the holy Amenhotep, " answeredHerhor, in a low voice. "The supreme council commanded me to wear it onoccasions. "

"My holy grandfather, " replied the pharaoh, "was father of the queen, and in the way of favor he received the right to adorn his miter withthe ureus. But, so far as is known to me, his sacred vestment iscounted among the relics of the temple of Amon. "

Herhor had recovered. 

"Deign to remember, holiness, " explained he, "that for twenty-fourhours Egypt has been deprived of its legal ruler. Meanwhile some onehad to wake and put to sleep the god Osiris, to impart blessings to thepeople and render homage to the ancestors of the pharaoh. "

"In such a grievous time the supreme council commanded me to wear thisholy relic, so that the order of the state and the service of the godsmight not be neglected. But the moment that we have a lawful and mightyruler I set aside the wondrous relic. "

Then Herhor took from his head the miter adorned with the ureus, andgave it to the high priest Mefres. 

The threatening face of the pharaoh grew calm, and he turned his stepstoward the throne. 

Suddenly the holy Mefres barred the way, and said while bending to thepavement, "Deign, holy lord, to hear my most submissive prayer. "

But neither in his voice nor his eyes was there submission when, straightening himself, he continued, "I have words from the supreme council of high priests. "

"Utter them, " said the pharaoh. 

"It is known to thee, holiness, that a pharaoh who has not receivedordination as high priest cannot perform the highest sacrifices; thatis, dress and undress the miraculous Osiris. "

"I understand, " interrupted Ramses, "I am a pharaoh who has notreceived the ordination of high priest. "

"For that reason, " continued Mefres, "the supreme council begs theesubmissively, holiness, to appoint a high priest to take thy place inreligious functions. "

When they heard these decided words, the high priests and civildignitaries trembled and squirmed as if standing on hot stones, and thegenerals touched their swords as if involuntarily. The holy Mefreslooked at them with unconcealed contempt, and fixed his cold glanceagain on the face of the pharaoh. 

But the lord of the world showed no trouble even this time. 

"It is well, " said he, "that Thou hast reminded me, worthiness, of thisimportant duty. The military profession and affairs of state do notpermit me to occupy myself with the ceremonies of our holy religion, soI must appoint a substitute. "

While speaking he looked around at the men assembled. 

On the left of Herhor stood the holy Sem. Ramses glanced into his mildand honest face and inquired suddenly, "Who and what art thou, worthiness?"

"My name is Sem; I am high priest of the temple of Ptah in Pi-Bast. "

"Thou wilt be my substitute in religious ceremonies, " said the pharaoh, pointing toward him with his finger. 

A murmur of astonishment ran through the assembly. 

After long meditation and counsels it would have been difficult toselect a more worthy priest for that high office. 

Herhor grew much paler than before; Mefres pressed his blue lipstogether tightly and dropped his eyelids. 

A moment later the new pharaoh sat on his throne, which instead of feethad the carved figures of princes and the kings of nine nations. 

Soon Herhor gave to the lord, on a golden plate, a white and also a redcrown. 

The sovereign placed the crowns on his own head in silence, while thosepresent fell prostrate. 

That was not the solemn coronation; it was merely taking possession ofpower. 

When the priests had incensed the pharaoh and had sung a hymn toOsiris, imploring that god to pour all blessings on the sovereign, dignitaries of the civil power and of the army were permitted to kissthe lowest step of the throne. Then Ramses took a gold spoon, and, repeating a prayer which the holy Sem pronounced aloud, he incensed thestatues of the gods arranged in line on both sides of the pharaoh'schapel. 

"What am I to do now?" inquired he. 

"Show thyself to the people, " replied Herhor. 

Through a gilded, widely opened door his holiness ascended marble stepsto a terrace, and, raising his hands, faced in turn toward the foursides of the universe. The sound of trumpets was heard, and from thesummits of pylons banners were hung out. Whoso was in a field, in ayard, on the street, fell prostrate; the stick, raised above the backof a beast or a slave, was lowered without giving the blow, and allcriminals against the state who had been sentenced that day receivedgrace. 

Descending from the terrace the pharaoh inquired, "Have I something more to do?"

"Refreshments and affairs of state are awaiting thee, holiness, "replied Herhor. 

"After that I may rest, " said the pharaoh. "Where are the remains ofhis holiness, my father?"

"Given to the embalmers, " whispered Herhor. 

Tears filled the pharaoh's eyes, and his mouth quivered, but herestrained himself and looked down in silence. It was not proper thatservants should see emotion in such a mighty ruler. 

Wishing to turn the pharaoh's attention to another subject, Herhorasked, "Wilt Thou be pleased, holiness, to receive the homage due from thequeen, thy mother?"

"I? Am I to receive homage from my mother?" asked Ramses, withrepressed voice. 

"Hast Thou forgotten what the sage Eney said? Perhaps holy Sem willrepeat those beautiful words to us. "

"Remember, " quoted Sem, "that she gave birth to thee and nourished theein every manner. "

"Speak further; speak!" insisted the pharaoh, striving always tocommand himself. 

"Shouldst Thou forget that she would raise her hands to the god, and hewould hear her complaint. She bore thee long beneath her heart, like agreat burden, and gave thee birth when thy mouths had expired. Shecarried thee in her arms afterward, and during three years she put herbreast into thy mouth. She reared thee, was not disgusted with thyuncleanness. And when Thou wert going to school and wert exercised inwriting, she placed before thy teacher daily bread and beer from herown dwelling. " [Authentic]

Ramses sighed deeply and said with calmness, "So ye see that it is not proper that my mother should salute me. Rather I will go to her. "

And he passed through a series of halls lined with marble, alabaster, and wood, painted in bright colors, carved and gilded; behind him wenthis immense suite. But when he came to the antechamber of his mother'sapartments, he made a sign to leave him. When he had passed theantechamber, he stopped a while before the door, then knocked andentered quietly. 

In a chamber with bare walls, where in place of furniture there stoodonly a low wooden couch and a broken pitcher holding water, all in signof mourning, Queen Niort's, the mother of the pharaoh, was sitting on astone. She was in a coarse shirt, barefoot; her face was smeared withmud from the Nile, and in her tangled hair there were ashes. 

When she saw Ramses, the worthy lady inclined so as to fall at hisfeet. But the son seized her in his arms, and said with weeping, "If thou, O mother, incline to the ground before me, I shall be forcedto go under the ground before thee. "

The queen drew his head to her bosom, wiped away his tears with thesleeve of her coarse shirt, and then, raising her hands, whispered, "May all the gods, may the spirit of thy father and grandfather, surround thee with blessing and solicitude. O Isis, I have never sparedofferings to thee, but today I make the greatest; I give my beloved sonto thee. Let this kingly son become thy son entirely, and may hisgreatness and his glory increase thy divine inheritance. "

The pharaoh embraced and kissed his mother repeatedly, then he seatedher on the wooden couch and sat on the stone himself. 

"Has my father left commands to me?" inquired he. 

"He begged thee only to remember him, but he said to the supremecouncil, 'I leave you my heir, who is a lion and an eagle in oneperson; obey him, and he will elevate Egypt to incomparable power. '. "

"Dost Thou think that the priests will obey me?"

"Remember, " answered the queen, "that the device of the pharaoh is aserpent, and a serpent means prudence, which is silent, and no oneknows when it will bite mortally. If Thou take time as thy confederate, Thou wilt accomplish everything. "

"Herhor is tremendously haughty. Today he dared to put on the miter ofthe holy Amenhotep. Of course I commanded him to set it aside. I willremove him from the government, him and certain members of the supremecouncil. "

The queen shook her head. 

"Egypt is thine, " said she, "and the gods have endowed thee with greatwisdom. Were it not for that, I should fear terribly a struggle withHerhor. "

"I do not dispute with him; I remove him. "

"Egypt is thine, " repeated the queen, "but I fear a struggle with thepriests. It is true that thy father, who was mild beyond measure, hasmade those men insolent, but it is not wise to bring them to despairthrough severity. Besides, think of this: Who will replace them incounsel? They know everything that has been, that is, and that will beon earth and in heaven; they know the most secret thoughts of mankind, and they direct hearts as the wind directs tree leaves. Without themThou wilt be ignorant not only of what is happening in Tyre andNineveh, but even in Thebes and Memphis. "

"I do not reject their wisdom, but I want service, " answered thepharaoh. "I know that their understanding is great, but it must becontrolled so that it may not deceive, and it must be directed lest itruin the State. Tell me thyself, mother, what they have done with Egyptin the course of thirty years? The people suffer want, or are inrebellion; the army is small, the treasury is empty, and meanwhile twomonths' distance from us Assyria is increasing like dough containingleaven, and today is forcing on us treaties. "

"Do as may please thee, but remember that the device of a pharaoh is aserpent, and a serpent is silence and discretion. "

"Thou speakest truth, mother, but believe me, at certain times daringis better than prudence. The priests planned, as I know today, that theLibyan war should last entire years. I finished it in the course of afew days, and only because every day I took some mad but decisive stepIf I had not rushed to the desert against them, which by the way was agreat indiscretion, we should have the Libyans outside Memphis at thismoment. "

"I know that Thou didst hunt down Tehenna, and that Typhon caughtthee, " said the queen. "O hasty child, Thou didst not think of me. "

He smiled. 

"Be of good heart, " replied Ramses. "When the pharaoh is in battle, athis left and his right hand stands Amon. Who then can touch him?"

He embraced the queen once more and departed. 

CHAPTER LI

THE immense suite of his holiness had remained in the hall ofattendance, but as if split into two parts. On one side were Herhor, Mefres, and some high priests superior in years; on the other were allthe generals, civil officials, and a majority of the younger priests. 

The eagle glance of the pharaoh saw in one instant this division ofdignitaries, and in the heart of the young sovereign joyous pride waskindled. 

"And here I have gained a victory without drawing my sword, " thoughtRamses. 

The dignitaries drew away farther and more distinctly from Herhor andMefres, for no one doubted that the two high priests, till then themost powerful persons in the state, had ceased to possess the favor ofthe new pharaoh. 

Now the sovereign went to the hall of refection, where he wasastonished first of all by the multitude of serving priests and thenumber of the dishes. 

"Have I to eat all this?" inquired he, without hiding his amazement. 

The priest who inspected the kitchen explained to the pharaoh that thedishes not used by his holiness went as offerings to the dynasty. Andwhile speaking he indicated the statues placed in line along the hall. 

Ramses gazed at the statues, which looked as if no one had made them anoffering; next at the priests, who were as fresh of complexion as ifthey had eaten everything presented; then he asked for beer, also thebread used by warriors, and garlic. 

The elder priest was astonished, but he repeated the order to theyounger one. The younger hesitated, but repeated the command to theserving men and women. The servants at the first moment did not believetheir own ears, but a quarter of an hour later they returned terrified, and whispered to the priests that there was no warriors' bread norgarlic. 

The pharaoh smiled and gave command that from that day forth thereshould not be a lack of simple food in his kitchen. Then he ate apigeon, a morsel of wheaten cake, and drank some wine. 

He confessed in spirit that the food was well prepared and the wineexquisite. He could not free himself from the thought, however, thatthe court kitchen must swallow immense sums of money. 

Having burnt incense to his ancestors, the pharaoh betook himself tohis cabinet to hear reports from ministers. 

Herhor came first. He bent down before his lord much lower than he hadwhen greeting him, and congratulated Ramses on his victory at the SodaLakes with great enthusiasm. 

"Thou didst rush, " said he, "holiness, on the Libyans like Typhon onthe miserable tents of wanderers through the desert. Thou hast won agreat battle with very small losses, and with one blow of thy divinesword hast finished a war, the end of which was unseen by us commonmen. "

The pharaoh felt his dislike toward the minister decreasing. 

"For this cause, " continued the high priest, "the supreme councilimplores thee, holiness, to appoint ten talents' reward to the valiantregiments. Do thou, as supreme chief, permit that to thy name be added'The Victorious. '. "

Counting on the youth of the pharaoh, Herhor exaggerated in flattery. Ramses recovered from his delight and replied on a sudden, "What wouldst Thou add to my name had I destroyed the Assyrian army andfilled our temples with the riches of Nineveh and Babylon?"

"So he is always dreaming of that?" thought the high priest. 

The pharaoh, as if to confirm Herhor's fears, changed the subject. 

"How many troops have we?" asked he. 

"Here in Memphis?"

"No, in all Egypt. "

"Thou hadst ten regiments, holiness, " answered Herhor. "The worthyNitager on the eastern boundary has fifteen. There are ten on thesouth, for Nubia begins to be disturbed; five are garrisoned throughoutthe country. "

"Forty altogether, " said Ramses, after some thought. "How many warriorsin all?"

"About sixty thousand. "

Ramses sprang up from his chair. 

"Sixty thousand instead of one hundred and twenty thousand!" shoutedhe. "What does this mean? What have ye done with my army?"

"There are no means to maintain more men. "

"O God!" said the Pharaoh, seizing his head. "But the Assyrians mayattack us a month hence. We are disarmed. "

"We have a preliminary treaty with Assyria, " put in Herhor. 

"A woman might give such an answer, but not a minister of war, " saidRamses, with indignation. "What does a treaty mean when there is noarmy behind it: Today one half of the troops which King Assar commandswould crush us. "

"Deign to be at rest, holy lord. At the first news of Assyrian treasonwe should have half a million of warriors. "

The pharaoh laughed in his face. 

"What? How? Thou art mad, priest! Thou art groping among papyruses, butI have served seven years in the army, and there was almost no daywhich I did not pass in drill or maneuvers. How couldst Thou have anarmy of half a million in the course of a few months?"

"All the nobility would rise. "

"What is thy nobility? Nobility is not an army. To form an army of halfa million, at least a hundred and fifty regiments are needed, and we, as Thou thyself sayest, have forty. How could those men who today areherding cattle, ploughing land, making pots, or drinking and idling ontheir lands, learn the art of warfare? Egyptians are poor materials foran army. I know that, for I see them daily. A Libyan, a Greek, aHittite, in boyhood even uses a bow and arrows and a sling; he handlesa club perfectly; in a year he learns to march passably. But only inthree years will an Egyptian march in some fashion. It is true that hegrows accustomed to a sword and a spear in two years, but to castmissiles four years are too short a time for him. So in the course of afew months ye could put out not an army, but half a million of a rabblewhich the Assyrians would break to pieces in the twinkle of an eye. For, though the Assyrian regiments are poor and badly trained, anAssyrian knows how to hurl stones and shoot arrows; he knows how to cutand thrust, and, above all, he has the onrush of a wild beast, which islacking in the mild Egyptians altogether. We break the enemy by this, that our trained and drilled regiments are like a battering ram: it isnecessary to beat down one-half of our men before the column isinjured. But when the column is broken, there is no Egyptian army. "

"Thou speakest wisdom, " said Herhor to the panting pharaoh. "Only thegods possess such acquaintance with things. I know that the forces ofEgypt are too weak; that to create new ones many years of labor areneeded. For this very reason I wish to conclude a treaty with Assyria. "

"But ye have concluded it already!"

"For the moment. Sargon, in view of the sickness of thy father, andfearing thee, holiness, deferred the conclusion of a regular treatytill Thou shouldst ascend the throne. "

The pharaoh fell into anger again. 

"What?" cried he. "Then they think really of seizing Phoenicia! And dothey suppose that I will sign the infamy of my reign? Evil spirits haveseized all of you!"

The audience was ended. Herhor fell on his face this time, but whilereturning from his lord he considered in his heart, "His holiness has heard the report, hence he does not reject myservices. I have told him that he must sign a treaty with Assyria, hence the most difficult question is finished. He will come to his mindbefore Sargon returns to us. But he is a lion, and not even a lion, buta mad elephant. Still he became pharaoh only because he is the grandsonof a high priest. He does not understand yet that those same handswhich raised him so high. "

In the antechamber the worthy Herhor halted, thought over something; atlast instead of going to his own dwelling he went to Queen Niort's. 

In the garden there were neither women nor children, but from thescattered villas came groans. Those were from women belonging to thehouse of the late pharaoh who were lamenting that sovereign who hadgone to the west. Their sorrow, it seemed, was sincere. 

Meanwhile the supreme judge entered the cabinet of the new pharaoh. 

"What hast Thou to tell me, worthiness?" asked Ramses. 

"Some days ago an unusual thing happened near Thebes, " replied thejudge. "A laborer killed his wife and three children and drownedhimself in the sacred lake. "

"Had he gone mad?"

"It seems that his act was caused by hunger. "

The pharaoh grew thoughtful. 

"A strange event, " said he, "but I wish to hear of something else. Whatcrimes happen most commonly in these days?"

The supreme judge hesitated. 

"Speak boldly, " said the pharaoh, now grown impatient, "and hidenothing from me. I know that Egypt has fallen into a morass; I wish todraw it out, hence I must know everything. "

"The most usual crimes are revolts. But only common people revolt, "added the judge, hastily. 

"I am listening, " said the pharaoh. 

"In Kosem a regiment of masons and stone-cutters revolted recently; forsome time needful supplies had been refused them. In Sechem earth-tillers killed a scribe who was collecting taxes. In Melcatis and Pi-Hebit also earth-tillers wrecked the houses of Phoenician tenants. AtKasa they refused to repair the canal, declaring that pay from thetreasury was clue them for that labor. Finally in the porphyry quarriesthe convicts killed their overseers and tried to escape in a body tothe seacoast. "

"This news does not surprise me, " replied the pharaoh. "But what dostThou think?"

"It is necessary first of all to punish the guilty. "

"But I think it necessary first of all to give laborers what belongs tothem. A hungry ox will lie down; a hungry horse will totter on his feetand pant. How, then, can we ask a hungry man to work and not declarethat he is suffering?"

"Then, holiness. "

"Pentuer will open a council to investigate these matters, " interruptedthe pharaoh. "Meanwhile I have no desire to punish. "

"In that case a general insurrection will break out, " cried the judge, in alarm. 

The pharaoh rested his chin on his hands and considered, "Well, " said he, after a while, "let the courts do their work, but asmildly as possible. And this very day Pentuer will assemble hiscouncil. "

"In truth, " added he, after a time, "it is easier to make a decision inbattle than in the disorder which has mastered Egypt. "

When the supreme judge had departed, the pharaoh summoned Tutmosis. Hedirected him to salute in the name of the sovereign the army returningfrom the Soda Lakes, and to distribute twenty talents among theofficers and warriors. 

Then he commanded Pentuer to come; meanwhile he received the chieftreasurer. 

"I wish to know, " said he, "what the condition of the treasury is. "

"We have, " replied the dignitary, "at this moment twenty thousandtalents of value in the granaries, stables, storehouses, and chests, while taxes are coming in daily. "

"But insurrections are breaking out daily, " added the pharaoh. "What isour general income and outgo?"

"On the army we expend yearly twenty thousand talents; on the court twoto three thousand talents monthly. "

"Well, what further? And public works?"

"At present they are carried on without expense, " said the treasurer, dropping his head. 

"And the income?"

"We have as much as we expend, " whispered the official. 

"Then we have forty or fifty thousand talents yearly. And where is therest?"

"Mortgaged to the Phoenicians, to certain bankers, to merchants, and tothe temples. "

"Well, but there is besides the inviolable treasure of the pharaohs ingold, platinum, and jewels; how much is that worth?"

"That was taken and distributed ten years ago. "

"For what purpose? To whom?"

"For the needs of the court, in gifts to nomarchs and to temples. "

"The court had incomes from current taxes. But could presents exhaustthe treasury of my father?"

"Osiris Ramses, thy father, holiness, was a bountiful lord and madegreat offerings. "

"Is it possible? Were they so great? I wish to know about this, " saidthe pharaoh, impatiently. 

"Exact accounts are in the archives; I remember only general figures. "

"Speak!"

"For example, " answered the treasurer, hesitatingly, "Osiris Ramses inthe course of his happy reign gave to the temples about one hundredtowns, one hundred and twenty ships, two million head of cattle, twomillion bags of wheat, one hundred and twenty thousand horses, eightythousand slaves, two hundred thousand kegs of beer and wine, threemillion loaves of bread, thirty thousand garments, thirty thousandvessels of honey, olives, and incense. Besides that, one thousandtalents of gold, three thousand talents of silver, ten thousand ofbronze, five hundred talents of dark bronze, six million garlands offlowers, twelve hundred statues of gods, and thirty thousand preciousstones. [The gifts of Ramses III to the temples were incomparablygreater] Other numbers I do not remember at the moment, but they areall recorded. "

The pharaoh raised his hands with laughter, but after a time fell intoanger, and cried, while striking the table with his fist, "It is an unheard of thing that a handful of priests should use so muchbeer and bread, so many garlands and robes, while they have their ownincome, an immense income, which exceeds the wants of these holy men ahundred times. "

"Thou hast been pleased, holiness, to forget that the priests supporttens of thousands of poor; they cure an equal number of sick, andmaintain a number of regiments at the expense of the temples. "

"What do they want of regiments? Even the pharaohs use troops only inwartime. As to the sick, almost every man of them pays for himself, orworks out what he owes the temple for curing him. And the poor? Butthey work for the temple: they carry water for the gods, take part insolemnities, and, above all, are connected with the working ofmiracles. It is they who at the gates of the temples recover reason, sight, hearing; their wounds are cured, their feet and hands regainstrength, while the people looking at these miracles pray all the moreeagerly and give offerings to gods the more bountiful. 

"The poor are like the oxen and sheep of the temples: they bring inpure profit. "

"But, " the treasurer made bold to put in, "the priests do not expendall the offerings; they lay them up, and increase the capital. "

"For what purpose?"

"For some sudden need of the state. "

"Who has seen this capital?"

"I have seen it myself, " said the dignitary. "The treasures accumulatedin the labyrinth do not decrease; they increase from generation togeneration, so that in case. "

"So that the Assyrians might have something to take when they conquerEgypt, which is managed by priests so beautifully!" interrupted thepharaoh. "I thank thee, chief treasurer; I knew that the financialcondition of Egypt was bad, but I did not suppose the state ruined. There are rebellions, there is no army, the pharaoh is in poverty; butthe treasure in the labyrinth is increasing from generation togeneration. "

"If each dynasty, an entire dynasty, gave as many gifts to temples asmy father has given, the labyrinth would have nineteen thousand talentsof gold, about sixty thousand of silver, and so much wheat, and land, so many cattle, slaves, and towns, so many garments and preciousstones, that the best accountant could not reckon them. "

The chief treasurer was crushed when taking farewell of the sovereign. But the sovereign himself was not satisfied, for after a moment'sthought it seemed to him that he had spoken too plainly with officials. 

CHAPTER LII

THE guard in the antechamber announced Pentuer. The priest prostratedhimself before the pharaoh, and said that he was waiting for commands. 

"I do not wish to command, " said Ramses, "but to beg thee. Thou knowestthat in Egypt there are riots of laborers, artisans, even convicts. There are riots from the sea to the quarries. The only thing lacking isthat my warriors should rebel and proclaim as pharaoh Herhor, forexample. "

"Live through eternity, holiness!" replied the priest. "There is not aman in Egypt who would not sacrifice himself for thee, and not blessthy name. "

"Aha, if they knew, " said the ruler, with anger, "how helpless thepharaoh is, and how poor he is, each nomarch would like to be the lordof his province. I thought that on inheriting the double crown I shouldsignify something. But I have convinced myself during the first daythat I am merely a shadow of the former rulers of Egypt; for what can apharaoh be without wealth, without an army, and, above all, withoutfaithful subjects? I am like the statues of the gods which theyincense, and before which they place offerings. The statues arepowerless and the offerings serve to fatten the priests. But, true, Thou art on their side. "

"It is painful to me, " answered Pentuer, "that Thou speakest thus, holiness, on the first day of thy reign. If news of this were to goover Egypt!"

"To whom can I tell what pains me?" interrupted Ramses. "Thou art mycounselor; I was saved by thee, or at least Thou hadst the wish to savemy life, not of course to publish to the world that which is happeningin the ruler's heart, which heart I open before thee. But Thou artright. "

He walked up and down in the chamber, and said after a while in a toneconsiderably calmer, "I have appointed thee chief of a council which is to investigate thecauses of those ever-recurring riots in Egypt. I wish that only theguilty be punished, and that justice be done those who are injured. "

"May the god support thee with his favor, " whispered the priest. "Iwill do what Thou commandest. But the causes of the riots I knowalready. "

"What are they?"

"More than once have I spoken of them to thee, holiness. The toilingpeople are hungry; they have too much work, and they pay too manytaxes. He who worked formerly from sunrise till sunset must begin nowan hour before sunrise and finish an hour after sunset. It is not longsince a common man might go every tenth day to visit the graves of hismother and father, speak with their shades, and make them offerings. But today no one goes, for no one has time to go. "

"Formerly a working man ate three wheat cakes in the course of the day;at present he has not even barley bread. Formerly labor on the canals, dams, and roads was deducted from the taxes; now the taxes are paidindependently while public works are carried on without wages. Theseare the causes of riots. "

"I am the poorest noble in the kingdom!" cried the pharaoh, while hetugged at his own hair. "Any landowner gives his cattle proper food andrest; but all men who work for me are tired and hungry. "

"What am I to do, then, tell Thou who hast begged me to improve the lotof the workers?"

"Wilt Thou command me to tell, lord?"

"I will beg, I will command, as Thou wishest. Only speak wisely. "

"Blessed be thy rule, O true son of Osiris, " answered the priest. "Thisis what it is proper to do: Command, lord, first of all, that pay begiven for labor on public works, as was the case formerly. "

"Of course. "

"Next command that field labor last only from sunrise till sunset. Thendirect, as during the divine dynasties, that people rest every seventhday; not every tenth, but every seventh day. Then command thatlandowners shall not have the right to mortgage earth-tillers, orscribes the right to beat and torture them according to fancy. 

"And finally, give the tenth part, or even the twentieth part of theland as property to the workers, so that no one may take it away ormortgage it. Let each family have as much land in extent as thepavement of this room, and it will not be hungry. Give the peopledesert sands as property, and in a few years gardens will be growing onthem. "

"Thou speakest beautifully, " interrupted the pharaoh; "but what Thousayest is what Thou seest in thy heart, not in the world. Men's plans, though the best, are not always in accord with the natural course ofthings. "

"I have seen such changes and their result, holiness, " answeredPentuer. 

"At certain temples various trials have been made at curing the sick, teaching children, rearing cattle, cultivating plants, and reformingmen, and the following has happened: When they gave a lean and lazy mangood food, and rest every seventh day, the man became sturdy, willingto work, and he dug more land than before. A laborer who receives wagesis more cheerful and does more work than a slave, even though beatenwith whips of iron. Well-nourished people have more children thanhungry and overworked ones; the children of free men are healthy andstrong; those of slaves are fragile, gloomy, inclined to stealing andto lying. Men have convinced themselves that land tilled by its ownergives one half more grain and vegetables than land tilled by captives. 

"I will tell a most curious thing to thee, holiness: When they play onmusical instruments to ploughmen, the men and the oxen work better, more quickly, and tire themselves less than when there is no music. Allthis has been verified at our temples. "

The pharaoh smiled. 

"I must, " said he, "have music on my lands and in the quarries. But ifthe priests convince themselves of such wonders as Thou art relating, why act as they do on their own estates?"

Pentuer dropped his head. 

"Because, " replied he, sighing, "not all priests are sages, not allhave noble hearts. "

"That is it!" exclaimed the pharaoh. 

"And now tell me, Thou who art a son of earth tillers, and knowest thatamong priests there are fools and rioters, tell me, why Thou artunwilling to serve me in a struggle against the priesthood? Thouknowest that I cannot improve the lot of the working man unless first Iteach the priests obedience to my orders. "

Pentuer wrung his hands. 

"O lord, " replied he, "a struggle with the priesthood is godless anddangerous. More than one pharaoh began it, and was unable to finish. "

"Because he was not supported by sages like thee!" burst out Ramses. "And, indeed, I shall never understand why wise and honest priests bindthemselves to a band of rogues, such as the majority of this classare. "

Pentuer shook his head and began slowly, "During thirty thousand yearsthe sacred order of priests has nursed Egypt and made the country thewonder of the world, which it is at present. And how have the priests, in spite of their faults, been able to do this? Because they are thelamp in which burns the light of wisdom. 

"This lamp may be foul, even malodorous; still it preserves the divinefire, without which darkness and savagery would prevail among people. 

"Thou speakest, lord, of a struggle with the priesthood, " continuedPentuer. "How can that profit me? If Thou lose I shall be unhappy, forThou wilt not improve the lot of the worker. And if Thou win? May I notlive to that! for shouldst Thou break the lamp, who knows whether Thouwouldst not put out the fire of wisdom which for thousands of years hasilluminated Egypt and mankind. 

"These, lord, are the reasons why I will not take part in thy strugglewith the sacred order of priests. I feel that the struggle isapproaching, and I suffer because such a worm as I am unable to preventit. But I will not participate, for I should have to betray eitherthee, or the God, the creator of wisdom. "

While hearing these words the pharaoh walked up and down the chamber inthought. 

"Aa!" said he, without anger, "do as may please thee. Thou art not awarrior, hence I cannot reproach thee with lack of valor. But Thoucanst not be my adviser, though I beg thee to form a council toinvestigate the riots of working men, and, when I summon thee, declarewhat thy wisdom enjoins. "

Pentuer knelt down in taking farewell of his lord. 

"In every case, " added the pharaoh, "know this, that I have no desireto quench the divine light. Let the priests guard wisdom in theirtemples, but let them not make my army useless, let them not concludeshameful treaties, and let them not steal, " he said this excitedly, "the treasures of the pharaohs. 

"Can they think that I will stand at their gates, like a beggar, askingthat they deign to give me funds to restore the state which is ruinedby their stupid and villainous management? Ha, ha! Pentuer, I shouldnot ask the gods for that which is my power and my right Thou maystgo. "

The priest, withdrawing with his face toward the pharaoh, went outbackward with obeisance, and when in the doorway he fell with his faceon the pavement. 

The pharaoh remained alone. 

"Mortal men, " thought he, "are like children. Herhor is wise: he knowsthat Egypt in case of war would need half a million of warriors; heknows that those troops need training, and still he has decreased thenumber of the regiments. 

"The chief treasurer also is wise, but it seems to him quite in orderthat all the treasure of the pharaohs should go to the labyrinth. 

"Finally here is Pentuer. What a strange person he is! He wants me togive earth-tillers food, land, and ever-recurring holidays. All thiswould decrease my income, which even now is insufficient. But if I sayto him: help me to take the pharaoh's treasures from the priesthood, hecalls that godlessness and the quenching of light in Egypt. Strangeman, he would be glad to turn the state bottom upwards, so far asrelates to the good of earth tillers, but he would not venture to seizea high priest and lead him forth to prison. With the utmost composurehe commands me to renounce half my income, but I am sure that he wouldnot dare to take a copper uten out of the labyrinth. "

The pharaoh smiled, and again he meditated. 

"Each man wants to be happy himself; but if Thou wish to give happinessto all men, each one will seize thy hand as he would if Thou wertdrawing an aching tooth from him. 

"Therefore a pharaoh must have decision. Therefore my divine father didill when he neglected the workers and trusted beyond bounds in thepriesthood. He left me a grievous inheritance, but I will improve it. 

"At the Soda Lakes there was also a difficult question, more difficultthan this one. Here are only gabblers and timid cowards; there stoodarmed men ready to go to death. 

"One battle will open our eyes more widely than tens of years inpeaceful management. Whoso says to himself, 'I will burst through thishindrance, ' will burst through it. But he who hesitates must yield. "

Darkness came. In the palace the watches were changed, and in theremoter halls torches were lighted. But no one dared enter thesovereign's chamber unless commanded. 

Ramses, wearied by sleeplessness, by the journey of the day previous, by the occupations of that day, dropped into an armchair. It seemed tohim that he had been pharaoh for centuries, and he could not believethat one day had not passed since he had been at the pyramids. 

"One day? Impossible!"

Then he thought that perhaps the spirits of the former pharaohs hadsettled in the heart of their heir. It must be so, for otherwise whencecould such a feeling of age or remoteness settle down in him? And whydid governing the state seem today a simple thing, while two monthsbefore he was alarmed when he thought that he could not govern. 

"One day?" repeated he, in spirit. "But I am a thousand years in thispalace!"

Suddenly he heard a repressed voice, "My son! O son!"

The pharaoh sprang up from his chair. 

"Who art thou?" exclaimed he. 

"I am, I Hast Thou forgotten me already?"

"O my son, " said the voice again, "respect the will of the gods if Thouwish to receive their blessed assistance O respect the gods, forwithout their assistance the greatest power on earth is as dust andshadows O respect the gods if Thou wish that the bitterness of thyfaults should not poison my existence in the happy region of the West. "

The voice ceased, Ramses ordered to bring a light. One door of the roomwas closed, at the other a guard stood. No stranger could enter there. 

Anger and alarm tore the pharaoh's heart. "What was that? Had the shadeof his father spoken indeed to him, or was that voice only a newpriestly trick?"

But if the priests, notwithstanding thick walls, could speak to himfrom a distance, they could overhear him. And then he, the lord of theworld, was like a wild beast caged in on all sides. 

It is true that in the palace of the pharaoh secret listening wascommon. Ramses had thought, however, that his cabinet was safe, andthat the insolence of priests had stopped at the threshold of thesupreme ruler. 

"But if that was a spirit?"

He did not wish to sup, but betook himself to rest. It seemed to himthat he could not sleep; but weariness won the victory over irritation. 

In a few hours bells and a light woke him. It was midnight and theastrologer priest came to make a report on the position of the heavenlybodies. The pharaoh heard the report, and said at the end of it, "Couldst thou, revered prophet, make thy report to the worthy Semhereafter? He is my substitute in matters touching religion. "

The astrologer wondered greatly at the indifference of his lord toaffair? of the heavens. 

"Art them pleased, holiness, " inquired he, "to refuse those indicationswhich the stars give to rulers?"

"Do they give them?" asked the pharaoh. "Tell what they promise me. "

Clearly the astrologer had looked for the question, so he answereddirectly, "The horizon is darkened for the moment. The lord of light has not comeyet to the road of truth which leads to knowledge of the divine will. But sooner or later he will find both long life and a happy reignfilled with glory. "

"Aha! I thank thee, holy man. And as soon as I know what to seek I willaccommodate myself to the indication. But again I beg thee tocommunicate henceforth with the holy Sem. He is my substitute, butshouldst Thou read anything in the stars Thou wilt tell me of it in themorning. "

The priest left the bedchamber shaking his head. 

"They have roused me from sleep!" said Ramses, dissatisfied. 

"An hour ago Queen Niort's, most greatly to be revered, commanded me, holiness, to ask of thee an interview, " said an adjutant, suddenly. 

"Now? At midnight?" asked the pharaoh. 

"Her exact words were that at midnight Thou wouldst wake, holiness. "

The pharaoh meditated, then answered the adjutant that ha would waitfor the queen in the golden hall. He thought that there no one couldoverhear them. 

Ramses threw a mantle over his shoulders, put on sandals unfastened andcommanded to light the golden hall brightly. Then he went out, directing the servants not to go with him. 

He found Niort's in the hall; she was wearing coarse linen garments insign that she was mourning. When she saw the pharaoh she wished to dropon her knees, but her son raised the queen and embraced her. 

"Has something important happened, mother, that Thou art working atthis hour?" inquired Ramses. 

"I was not asleep I was praying, " replied the queen. "O my son, Thouhast divined wisely that the affair is important. I have heard thesacred voice of thy father. "

"Indeed!" said the pharaoh, feeling that anger was filling him. 

"Thy ever-living father, " continued the queen, "told me, full ofsadness, that Thou wert entering on a way of error. Thou refusest withcontempt the ordination of high priest, and treatest badly the servantsof divinity. "

"'Who will remain with Ramses, ' said thy father, 'if he angers the godsand the priests desert him? Tell him tell him, ' repeated the reveredshade, 'that in this way he will ruin Egypt, himself, and thedynasty. '"

"Oho!" said the pharaoh, "then they threaten me thus from the first dayof my reign. My mother, a dog barks loudest when he is afraid; sothreats are of evil omen, but only for the priesthood. "

"But thy father said this, " repeated the anxious lady. 

"My immortal father and my holy grandfather, " said the pharaoh, "beingpure spirits know my heart, and see the woeful condition of Egypt. Butsince my heart wishes to raise the state by stopping abuses they wouldnot prevent me from carrying out my measures. "

"Then dost Thou not believe that the spirit of thy father gives theecounsel?" asked the queen, with rising terror. 

"I know not. But I have the right to suppose that those voices ofspirits, which are heard in various comers of our palace, are sometrick of the priesthood. Only priests can fear me, never the gods, andspirits. Therefore it is not spirits which are frightening us, mother. "

The queen fell to thinking; it was clear that her son's words impressedher. She had seen many miracles in her life and some of them had seemedto her suspicious. 

"In that case, " said she, with a sigh, "Thou art not cautious, my son. This afternoon Herhor visited me; he was very much dissatisfied withthe audience. He said that it was thy wish to remove the priests fromthy court. "

"But of what use are priests to me? Are they to cause great outgo in mykitchen and cellar? Or, perhaps, to hear what I say, and see what Ido?"

"The whole country will revolt, " interrupted the queen, "if the priestsdeclare that Thou art an unbeliever. "

"The country is in revolt now. But the priests are the cause of it, "replied the pharaoh. "And touching the devotion of the Egyptian peopleI begin to have another idea. If Thou knew, mother, how many lawsuitsthere are in Lower Egypt for insults to the gods, and in Upper Egyptfor robbing the dead, Thou wouldst be convinced that for our people thecause of the priests has ceased to be holy. "

"This is through the influence of foreigners, especially Phoenicians, who are flooding Egypt, " cried the lady. 

"All one through whose influence; enough that Egypt no longer considerseither statues or priests as superhuman. And wert thou, mother, to hearthe nobility, the officers, the warriors talk, Thou wouldst understandthat the time has come to put the power of the pharaoh in the place ofpriestly power, unless all power is to fall in this country. "

"Egypt is thine, " sighed the queen. "Thy wisdom is uncommon, so do asmay please thee. But act Thou with caution oh, with caution! A scorpioneven when killed may still wound an unwary conqueror. "

They embraced and the pharaoh returned to his bedchamber. But, intruth, he could not sleep that time. 

He understood clearly that between him and the priesthood a strugglehad begun, or rather something repulsive which did not even deserve thename struggle, and which at the first moment he, the leader, could notmanage. For where was the enemy? Against whom was his faithful army toshow itself? Was it against the priests who fell on their faces beforehim? Or against the stars which said that the pharaoh had not enteredyet on the true way? What and whom was he to vanquish? Was it, perhaps, those voices of spirits which were raised amid darkness? Or was it hisown mother, who begged him in terror not to dismiss priests from stateoffices?

The pharaoh writhed on his bed while feeling his helplessness. Suddenlythe thought came to him: "What care I for an enemy which yields likemud in a hand grasp? Let them talk in empty halls, let them be angry atmy godlessness. I will issue orders, and whoso will not carry them outis my enemy; against him I will turn courts, police, and warriors. "

CHAPTER LIII

So in the month Hator, after thirty-four years of rule, died thePharaoh Mer-Amen-Ramses XII, the ruler of two worlds, the lord ofeternity, the giver of life and every happiness. 

He died because he felt that his body was growing weak and useless. Hedied because he was yearning for his eternal home and he wished toconfide the cares of earthly rule to hands that were more youthful. Finally he died because he wished to die, for such was his will. Hisdivine spirit flew away, like a falcon which, circling for a time abovethe earth, vanishes at last in blue expanses. 

As his life had been the sojourn of an immortal in the region ofevanescence, his death was merely one among moments in the existence ofthe superhuman. 

Ramses XII woke about sunrise; leaning on two prophets, surrounded by achorus of priests, he went to the chapel of Osiris. There, as usual, heresurrected the divinity, washed and dressed it, made offerings, andraised his hands in prayer. Meanwhile the priests sang:

Chorus I. "Honor to thee who raisest thyself on the horizon andcoursest across the sky. "

Chorus II. "The pathway of thy sacredness is the prosperity of those onwhose faces thy rays fall. "

Chorus I. "Would that I might go as Thou goest, O sun! withouthalting. "

Chorus II. "Mighty wanderer in space, Thou who hast no lord, for theehundreds of millions of years are merely the twinkle of an eye. "

Chorus I. "Thou goest down, but endurest. Thou multipliest hours, days, and nights, and remainest in solitude according to thy own laws. "

Chorus II. "Thou dost illumine the earth, offering thy own self withthy own hands, when under the form of Ra Thou comest up on thehorizon. "

Chorus I: "O star, emerging great, through thy light, Thou thyselfformest thy own limbs. "

Chorus II. "And, not begotten of any, Thou givest birth to thyself onthe horizon. " [Authentic hymn]

At this point the pharaoh spoke:

"O Thou radiant in the heavens! Permit that I enter eternity. Let mejoin the revered and perfect shadows of the upper land. Let me, together with them, behold thy rays in the morning, and in the evening, when Thou joinest thy mother Nut. And when Thou turnest thy face to theWest let my hands join while praying in honor of life, which is goingto sleep beyond the mountains. " [Authentic]

Thus spoke the pharaoh with upraised hands, surrounded by a cloud ofincense. All at once he ceased, and dropped into the arms of thepriests behind him. 

He was no longer living. 

Intelligence of the pharaoh's death flew through the palace likelightning. Servants left their occupations, overseers ceased to watchover their slaves, the guard was roused; all entrances were occupied. 

In the main court a throng began to gather; cooks, cellarers, equerries, women of his holiness, and their children. Some inquired:"Is this true?" Others wondered that the sun shone in heaven, but allcried at once in heaven-piercing voices, "O our lord! O our father! O beloved! Can it be that Thou hast gonefrom us? Oh it is true, he is going to Abydos! To the West, to theWest, to the land of the just ones! The place which Thou hast lovedgroans and weeps for thee!" [Authentic]

Terrible uproar was heard throughout all the courts, throughout thewhole park. It was echoed from the eastern hills, on the wings of thewind it flew across the Nile, and disturbed the city of Memphis. 

Meanwhile, the priests, amid prayers, placed the body of the deceasedin a rich closed litter. Eight stood at the poles of the litter; fourtook ostrich feather fans in their hands, others censers, and theyprepared to go forth. 

At this moment Queen Niort's ran in, and, seeing the remains in thelitter, threw herself at the feet of the dead pharaoh. 

"O my husband! O my brother! O my beloved!" cried she, carried awaywith weeping. "O beloved, remain with us, remain in thy house, withdrawnot from this place on earth in which Thou art dwelling!" [Authentic. ]

"In peace, in peace, to the West, " sang the priests. "O mightysovereign, go in peace to the West. "

"Misfortune, " said the queen, "Thou art hastening to the ferry to passto the other shore! O priests, O prophets, hasten not, leave him; forye will return to your houses, but he will go to the land of eternity. "

"In peace, in peace to the West, " sang the priestly chorus. "If itplease the god, when the day of eternity comes, we shall see thee, Osovereign! For now Thou art going to the land which brings all mentogether. "

At a sign given by the worthy Herhor, the attendants drew the queenfrom the feet of the pharaoh, and led her by force to her chambers. 

The litter, borne by priests, moved on, and in it the sovereign, dressed and surrounded, as if living. On the right, and on the left, before and behind him, went generals, treasurers, judges, chiefscribes, the bearers of the mace and the bow, and above all a throng ofpriests of various dignities. 

In the courtyard, the servants fell on their faces, groaning andweeping, but the troops presented arms and the trumpets sounded, as ifto greet a living pharaoh. 

Between Memphis and the "Tableland of Mummies, " lay a peculiar divisionof the city. All its buildings were devoted to the dead, and it wasinhabited only by dissectors and embalmers. 

This division was the forecourt as it were, of the cemetery proper, thebridge which joined living society with the city of endless rest. Tothis place were brought corpses, and mummies were made of them; herefamilies stipulated with priests, touching the cost of funerals. Herewere prepared sacred books and bandages, coffins, implements, vessels, and statues for the departed. 

This district was a couple of thousand yards from Memphis. It wassurrounded by a long wall provided with gates here and there. 

The retinue bearing the remains of the pharaoh halted before therichest gate, and one of the priests knocked at it. 

"Who is there?" inquired those within. 

"Osiris-Mer-Amen-Ramses, the lord of two worlds, has come and desiresthat ye prepare him for his eternal journey, " replied the priests. 

"Is it possible that he, the sun of Egypt, is quenched? That he is deadwho himself was breath and life?"

"Such was his will, " answered a priest. "Receive, then, the lord withdue honor and render all service to him, as is befitting, lestpunishments meet you in this and the coming life. "

"We will do as ye say, " said a voice from within. 

The priests left the litter, and went away hurriedly, so that the evilodor of remains accumulated in that place should not fall on them. Onlycivil officials under the lead of the supreme judge and treasurerremained there. 

'After they had waited a considerable time, the gate opened, and fromten to twenty persons showed themselves. They wore priestly garmentsand their faces were covered. 

"We give you, " said the judges, on seeing them, "the body of our lordand yours. Do with it what the rules of religion enjoin, and omitnothing, so that the great deceased may not experience unquiet in thatworld through your fault. "

The treasurer added, "Use gold, silver, malachite, jasper, emerald, turquoise, and the mostrare kinds of incenses for this lord, so that nothing be lacking thathe may have whatever is best. I, the treasurer, say this to you. And ifthe wretch should be found who, instead of noble metals, givescounterfeit, and instead of genuine stones, gives Phoenician glass, lethim remember that his hands will be cut off and his eyes dug out. "

"It will be as ye wish, " replied one of the veiled priests. 

Others raised the litter and bore it to the interior of the district ofthe dead. 

"Thou art going in peace to Abydos! Mayst Thou go in peace to theTheban West. To the West, to the West, to the land of the just ones!"

The gate closed, the supreme judge, the treasurer, and the officialsaccompanying them returned to the palace. 

The hooded priests bore the litter to an immense building where onlythe remains of pharaohs were embalmed, or those of high dignitaries whohad gained the exceptional favor of a pharaoh. 

The priests stopped in the antechamber, where stood the golden boat onwheels, and took the corpse from the litter. 

"Look ye!" cried one of the cowled priests, "are they not criminals?The pharaoh died in the chapel of Osiris, so he must have been inceremonial costume, while here oh! instead of gold ornaments bronze;the chain is bronze, too, and on his breast false jewels!"

"True, " said another. "I am curious to know who fitted him out thus:priests, or scribes?"

"Surely priests. Oh, would that your hands withered, ye scoundrels! Andsome wretch they are all such dared command us to give the deceasedwhat was best. "

"It was not they, but the treasurer. "

"They are all rogues. "

Thus discoursing, the embalmers took from the deceased his garments ofa pharaoh, put on him a gown of cloth of gold and bore the remains tothe boat. 

"Thanks to the gods, " said one of the cowled men, "we have a newpharaoh. He will bring the priests to order. What they have taken withtheir hands they will bring back with their mouths. "

"Uuu! they say that he will be a shrewd ruler, " put in another. "He isfriendly with the Phoenicians; he passes time willingly with Pentuer, who is not of priestly family, but of such poor people as we. But thearmy, they say the army would let itself be burnt and drowned for thenew pharaoh. "

"Besides, he conquered the Libyans most gloriously a few days ago. "

"Where is he now, that new pharaoh?" asked another. "In the desert? Iam afraid that misfortune may meet him before he comes back to us. "

"What will any one do to him when he has an army behind him? May I notlive to an honest burial if the young lord will not treat the priestsas a buffalo treats growing wheat. "

"O Thou fool!" interrupted an embalmer who had been silent till thatmoment. "The pharaoh conquer the priests!"

"Why not?"

"But hast Thou ever seen that a lion tore down a pyramid?"

"Nonsense!"

"Or that a buffalo tossed it apart?"

"Of course he cannot toss it. "

"Or that a tempest overturned it. "

"What has this man begun at today?"

"Well, I tell thee that sooner will a lion, a buffalo, or a tempestoverturn the great pyramid than the pharaoh put an end to thepriesthood. Even if that pharaoh were a lion, a buffalo, and a tempestin one person. "

"Hei ye, there!" cried men from above. "Is the corpse ready?"

"Yes, yes; but its jaw has fallen, " answered they at the entrance. 

"All one give it up here, for Isis must go to the city an hour fromnow. "

After a while the golden boat with the dead pharaoh was raised by meansof ropes to an internal balcony. 

From the entrance it went into a great hall, painted in the color ofthe sky, and ornamented with golden stars. Through the whole length ofthe hall, from one wall to the other, was fixed a balcony in the formof an arch the ends of which were one story high and the centre a storyand a half. 

The hall represented the dome of heaven, the balcony the road of thesun in the sky. The late pharaoh was to represent Osiris, or the sun, which passes from the east to the west. 

On the pavement of the hall stood a throng of priests and priestesseswho, while waiting for the solemnity, conversed about indifferentsubjects. 

"Ready!" cried they from the balcony. 

Conversation ceased. Above was heard the sound of a metal plate beatenthrice and on the balcony appeared the golden boat of the sun in whichthe late pharaoh was advancing. 

Below sounded the hymn in honor of the sun:

"Behold he appears in a cloud to separate the sky from the earth, andlater to connect them. 

"Hidden unceasingly in all things, he alone lives, in him all thingsexist through eternity. "

The boat moved gradually upward on the balcony; finally it halted atthe highest point. 

Then at the lower end of the arch appeared a priestess, arrayed as thegoddess Tsis, with her son Horus, and with equal slowness she began toascend. That was an image of the moon, which follows the sun. 

Now the boat from the top of the arch began to go toward the west, andthe chorus below sang again:

"The god incarnate in all things, the spirit of Shu in all gods. He isthe body of a living person, the creator of the tree which bears fruit, the causer of fertilizing overflows. Without him nothing lives in theearthly circle. " [Authentic hymn. ]

The boat vanished at the western termination of the balcony, Isis andHorus stopped at the summit of the arch. A crowd of priests ran to theboat, took out the corpse of the pharaoh and placed it on a marbletable, as Osiris to rest after his toils of the day. 

Now to the dead man came the dissector, dressed as the god Typhon. Onhis head were a horrid mask and a red tangled wig, on his shoulders theskin of a wild boar, and in his hand an Ethiopian stone knife. 

With this knife he began quickly to cut off the soles of the deadpharaoh's sandals. 

"What art Thou doing, O Typhon, to thy sleeping brother?" asked Isisfrom the balcony. 

"I am scraping the feet of my brother Osiris, so that he may not befoulheaven with earthly dust, " replied the dissector dressed as Typhon. 

When he had cut off the soles, the dissector took a bent wire, thrustit into the nostrils of the deceased and began to extract his brains. Next he made an opening in his body, and through that opening drew outquickly the heart, lungs, and viscera. 

During this time the assistants of Typhon brought four great urnsadorned with the heads of the gods Hape, Emset, Duamut and Quebhsneuf, and in each of those urns he placed some internal organ of the deceasedpharaoh. 

"But what art Thou doing, O brother Typhon?" inquired Isis a secondtime. 

"I am purifying my brother Osiris of earthly things, so that he maybecome more beautiful, " replied the dissector. 

At the side of the marble table was a vat of water with soda insolution. The dissectors, when they had cleaned the body, put it intothe vat where it was to soak seventy days. 

Meanwhile Isis, when she had passed over the entire vault, approachedthe chamber where the dissectors had cleaned the pharaoh's body. Shelooked at the marble table, and, seeing that it was empty, inquired interror, "Where is my brother? Where is my divine consort?"

Thereupon thunder roared, trumpets and bronze plates sounded; thedissector disguised as Typhon burst into laughter, and cried, "O beautiful Isis, who in company with the stars delightest the night, thy consort exists not. Never again will the radiant Osiris sit in thegolden boat, never again will that sun appear on the firmament. I havedone this, I, Set, and I have hidden him so deeply that none of thegods, nor all the gods together will find him. "

At these words the goddess rent her garments, she groaned and tore herhair. Again sounded trumpets, thunder, and plates; among the priestsand priestesses an uproar began, then shouting and curses. Suddenly allrushed at Typhon crying, "Cursed spirit of darkness! Thou rousest the whirlwinds of the desert, Thou rousest the sea, darkenest the light of day! Mayst Thou fall intothe pit from which the father of the gods himself could not free thee. Cursed! Cursed Set! May thy name be a disgust and a terror!"

While cursing in this way they all attacked Typhon with fists andclubs; the red-haired god fled, and rushed at last out of the building. 

Again the bronze plates sounded thrice, and the solemnity was ended. 

"Well, that is enough!" cried the senior priest to the assembly whichhad begun to fight in earnest. "Thou, Isis, mayest return to the city, but the rest of us must go to other departed ones who are waiting forour services. We must not neglect the ordinary dead, for it is unknownhow much they will pay us for this one. "

"Not much indeed!" interrupted the embalmer. "People say that there isnothing in the treasury, while the Phoenicians threaten to ceaselending unless new rights are given them. "

"May death destroy all those Phoenicians! Soon a man will be forced tobeg a barley cake of them; even now they have snatched awayeverything. "

"But unless they lend the pharaoh money we shall get nothing for thefuneral. "

Conversation ceased gradually, and those present left the heavenlyhall. Only at the vat where the body of the pharaoh lay steeping was aguard left. 

All this solemnity, representing the legend of the slaying of Osiris(the sun) by Typhon (the god of night and crime), served to open andclean the body of the pharaoh, and in this way prepare it for theembalming proper. 

During seventy days the departed must lie in a solution of soda, inmemory, it seems, of this, that the wicked Typhon had sunk the body ofhis brother in the Soda Lakes. During all these days a priestess, dressed as Isis, came to the heavenly hall, morning and evening. There, groaning and tearing her hair, she inquired of all present whether anyone had seen her divine consort and brother. 

At the expiration of that time of mourning, Horus, the son and heir ofOsiris, with his suite appeared in the hall, and they were the first tosee the vat with the solution. 

"Might we look here for the remains of my father and brother?" askedHorus. 

So they searched and found; amid the immense delight of the priests, with sounds of music, they removed the body of the pharaoh from thestrengthening bath. 

The body was put into a stone cylinder through which passed a hotbreeze for a number of days, and, when the body was dried they gave itto the embalmers. 

Now began the most important ceremonies, which were performed by thesupreme priests of the court of the dead:

The body of the departed, turned head southward, they washed withconsecrated water and the interior with palm wine. On the pavement, which was sprinkled with ashes, sat wailing women who tore their hairand scratched their faces; they bewailed the late pharaoh. Around thecouch where the body lay were assembled priests dressed as gods. Thesewere Isis naked with a crown of the pharaohs, the youthful Horns, Anubis with a jackal head, bird-headed Tot with tablets in his hands, and many others. 

Under the inspection of this worthy assembly, specialists began to fillthe body with strongly odorous plants and sawdust, they even poured inodorous resin, all amid prayers. Then in his eye-sockets they insertedglass eyes set in bronze. After that the whole body was sprinkled withpowdered soda. 

Another priest appeared now who explained to those present that thebody of the departed was the body of Osiris, that his qualities werethe qualities of Osiris. "The magic qualities of his left temple arethe qualities of the god Turn and his right eye is the eye of the godTurn, whose rays pierce through darkness. His left eye is the eye ofHorus, which dazzles every living creature; the upper lip that of Isis, and the lower that of Nefthys. The neck of the departed is the goddess, his hands are divine spirits, his fingers the heavenly serpents, sonsof the goddess Setkit. His sides are the two feathers of Amon, his backthe backbone of Sib, his belly is the good Nue. " [Maspero]

Another priest spoke, "A mouth was given me for speaking, feet for walking, hands to overturnmy enemies. I rise from the dead, I exist, I open heaven; I do what hasbeen commanded me in Memphis. " [Authentic]

Meanwhile on the neck of the departed they hung a scarab made of aprecious stone, on which was this inscription: "O my heart, heart whichI received from my mother, which I had when I was on earth, O heart donot rise against me and do not give evil witness in the day ofjudgment. " [Authentic]

Next priests wound around each arm and foot, each finger and toe of thedead, strips on which were written prayers and spells. Those stripsthey fastened with gum and balsam. On the breast and on the neck theyplaced complete manuscripts of the Book of the Dead with the followingmeditations which the priests read aloud over the body, "I am he before whom no god puts an obstacle. 

"Who is that?

"He is Turn on his shield, he is Ra on his shield, which rises in theeast of heaven. 

"I am Yesterday and I know Tomorrow. 

"Who is he?

"Yesterday is Osiris, Tomorrow is Ra on the day when he annihilates theenemies of the Lord who is above all and when he consecrates his sonHorus. In other words, in the day when his father Ra meets the coffinof Osiris. He conquers the gods at command of Osiris, the lord of themountain Amenti. 

"What is that?

"Amenti is a creation of the soul of the gods, at command of Osiris, the lord of the mountain. 

"In other words, Amenti is that impulse roused by Ra. Every god whoarrives there carries on a battle. I know the great god who dwellsthere. 

"I am from my country, I come from my city, I destroy evil, I set asidethat which is not good, I remove uncleanness from myself, I betakemyself to the country of dwellers in heaven, I enter through the mightygate. 

"O ye comrades, give me a hand, for I shall be one of you. " ["Book ofthe Dead. "]

When every member of the departed was covered with prayer bandages, andfurnished with amulets, when he had a sufficient supply of meditationsto find the way in the region of the gods, it was proper to think of adocument which would open the gate of that region. For between the tomband heaven forty-two terrible judges were waiting for the dead man;these, under presidency of Osiris, examined his earthly life. Only whenthe heart of the departed, weighed in the scales of justice, appearedequal to the goddess of truth, when the god Dutes, who writes on histablets the deeds of the dead, considered it just, only then did Horustake the soul by the hand and lead it before the throne of Osiris. 

So that the dead might be able to justify himself before the court itwas necessary to wrap the mummy in a papyrus on which was written ageneral confession. While they were winding him in this document thepriest spoke clearly and with emphasis, so that the dead might notforget:

"Lords of truth, I bring thee truth itself. I have not done evil to anyman treacherously. I have not made any one near me unfortunate. I havenot permitted myself any lewdness or abusive word in the house ofveracity. I have had no intimacy with evil. I have committed nothingbad. As a superior I have not commanded my subordinates to work beyondtheir strength. No one through my fault has become afraid, poor, suffering, or unhappy. I have done nothing of any kind which the godswould despise. I have not tormented a slave. I have not killed him withhunger. I have not forced tears from him. I have not slain. I have notcommanded to kill a slave treacherously. I have not lied, I have notplundered the property of temples. I have not decreased incomes devotedto the gods. I have not taken away the bread or the bandages ofmummies. I have not committed sin with the priest of my district. Ihave not taken from him or decreased his property. I have not usedfalse weights. I have not snatched away an infant from the breast ofits nurse. I have never committed anything bestial. I have not caughtin nets birds devoted to the gods. I have not hindered the inundationof water. I have not turned away the course of canals. I have notquenched fire at a time that was improper, I have not stolen from thegods offerings which they had chosen. I am pure I am pure I am pure. "["Book of the Dead. " This is one of the loftiest documents left us byantiquity. ]

When the departed was able, thanks to the Book of the Dead to helphimself in the region of eternity, and above all when he knew how tojustify himself before the court of the forty-two gods, the priestsfurnished him still further with an introduction to this book, andexplained to him orally its immense importance. In view of this theembalmers who surrounded the fresh mummy of the pharaoh withdrew and ahigh priest of that quarter came and whispered into the ear of thedeparted:

"Know that through the possession of this book Thou shalt belong to theliving and attain to great significance among gods. Know that, thanksto it, no one will dare to oppose thee. The gods themselves willapproach thee and embrace thee, for Thou wilt belong to their company. 

"Know that this book informs thee of what was at the beginning. No manhas uttered it, no eye has seen it, no ear has heard it. This book istruth itself, but no one has ever known it. Let it be seen only throughthee and through him who will behold thee in it. Add to it nocommentary which thy memory or imagination might suggest to thee. It iswritten entirely in the hall where the departed are embalmed. It is agreat secret which no common man knows, not one in the world. 

"This book will be thy nourishment in the lower region of spirits, itwill give thy soul means of sojourn on the earth, it will give it lifeeternal, and effect this, that no one will have power over thee. "["Book of the Dead. "]

The remains of the pharaoh were arrayed in costly garments, with a goldmask on the face, with bracelets on the wrists, and with rings on thehands, which were crossed on the breast. Under the head was put asupport of ivory, such as Egyptians were accustomed to sleep on. Finally the body was enclosed in three coffins: one of paper coveredwith inscriptions, one of cedar which was gilt, and one of marble. Theform of the first two corresponded accurately to the form of the body;even the sculptured face was like the original, though smiling. 

After a stay of three months in the quarter of the dead the mummy ofthe pharaoh was ready for a solemn funeral; therefore it was taken backto the palace. 

CHAPTER LIV

During seventy days, in the course of which the revered remains weresteeping in the solution of soda, Egypt was in mourning. 

The temples were closed; there were no processions. All music ceased;no feasts were given. Dancing women became wailers; instead of dancingthey tore their hair; this also brought them income. 

No one drank wine, no one ate meat. The highest dignitaries went incoarse garments and barefoot. No one shaved (with the exception ofpriests); the most devoted did not wash, they smeared their faces withmud, and scattered ashes on their hair. 

From the Mediterranean to the first cataract of the Nile, from theLibyan desert to the peninsula of Sinai reigned sadness and silence. The sun of Egypt had quenched, had gone to the West, the giver of lifeand gladness had deserted his servants. 

In the highest circles the most fashionable conversation touched theuniversal sorrow, which was communicated even to nature. 

"Hast Thou not observed, " said one dignitary to another, "that the daysare shorter and darker?"

"I did not wish to unburden myself of this before thee, " replied theother, "but it is so in reality. I have even noticed that fewer starsshine at night, and that the full moon lasts a shorter time, and thenew moon longer than usual. "

"The shepherds say that cattle at pasture will not eat, they onlybellow. "

"And I have heard from hunters that lions are reduced by weeping; theydo not attack deer, for lions eat no meat at present. "

"A terrible time! Come to me this evening and we will drink a glass ofmourning liquor which my cellarer has invented. "

"Thou hast, I suppose, dark beer of Sidon?"

"May the gods forbid that at this time we should use drinks whichrejoice people. The liquor which my cellarer has invented is not beer;it is more like wine mixed with musk and fragrant plants. "

"A very proper drink when our lord is sojourning in the quarter of thedead, where the odor of musk and embalming herbs is always prevalent. "

Thus during seventy days did dignitaries mortify themselves. 

The first quiver of delight ran through Egypt when it was announcedfrom the quarter of the dead that the body of the sovereign had beentaken from the soda bath, and that embalmers and priests wereperforming ceremonies over it. 

That day for the first time people cut their hair and whoso had thewish washed himself. But in fact there was no need of mortification, since Horus had found the remains of Osiris. The ruler of Egypt, thanksto the art of embalmers, had received life, and, thanks to the prayersof the priests and the Book of the Dead, he had become equal to thegods. 

From that moment on, the late pharaoh, Mer-Amen-Ramses, was called"Osiris" officially; unofficially, he had been called that since hisdeath. 

The innate joyfulness of the Egyptian people began to gain the victoryover mourning, especially among warriors, artisans, and laborers. Delight took on, among common people, forms which at times wereinappropriate. Reports began to circulate, it was unknown where theyhad originated, that the new pharaoh, whom the whole people lovedinstinctively, intended to occupy himself with improving the conditionof earth-tillers, laborers, and even captives. For this cause ithappened, an unheard-of thing, that masons, cabinet makers, potters, instead of drinking quietly and speaking of their own occupation, orfamily interests, dared to complain in dramshops, not only of taxes, but even to complain of the power of the priesthood. And earth-tillers, instead of devoting time free of labor to prayers and the memory oftheir ancestors, told one another how well it would be if each man hadsome bit of land as his own, and could rest one day in seven. 

Of the army, and especially foreign regiments, nothing was to be said. Those men imagined that they were the most noted class in Egypt, and ifthey were not, they would soon be, after some fortunate war in the nearfuture. 

But the nomarchs, the nobility living on estates, and above all, thehigh priests of various temples mourned their deceased lord withsolemnity, though they might have rejoiced, since the pharaoh hadbecome Osiris. 

Taking things as they were, the new ruler had interfered with no onethus far, hence the cause of grief for dignitaries lay in those samereports which delighted common people. The nomarchs and the nobilitygrieved at the thought that their earth-tillers might be idle fiftydays in a year, and, what was worse, possess land, though even of anextent on which a tomb might be erected. Priests grew pale and grittedtheir teeth when they saw the management of Ramses XIII and the way inwhich he treated them. 

In fact, immense changes had taken place in the pharaoh's palace. 

The pharaoh had transferred his residence to one of the wing buildings, in which almost all the chambers were occupied by generals. In thecellars Greek warriors were quartered, on the first story the guard, inthe chambers along the wall, Ethiopians. Guard around the building waskept by Asiatics, and near the chambers of his holiness was quarteredthat squadron from which were selected the warriors who had accompaniedtheir lord when he hunted Tehenna through the desert. 

What was worse, his holiness, in spite of the recent rebellion of theLibyans restored to them his favor; he condemned none to punishment, and gave them his confidence. 

That corps of priests who had been in the main palace remained with himit is true, and performed religious ceremonies under the direction ofhis worthiness Sera. But as the priests did not accompany the pharaohto meals, to dinners and suppers, their food was far from exquisite. 

In vain did the holy men declare that they must feed therepresentatives of nineteen dynasties, and a multitude of gods. Thetreasurer, noting the intention of the pharaoh, answered that flowersand perfumes were sufficient for gods and ancestors, and that prophetslike themselves, as morality commanded, should eat barley cakes anddrink beer or water. To support these rude theories the treasurerreferred to the example of Sem, the holy high priest, who lived like apenitent, and what was worse, he told them that his holiness, with thegenerals, had a military kitchen. 

In view of this, the priests of the palace began to consider whetherthey had not better leave the stinted house of the pharaoh and go totheir own dwellings at temples where their duties would be easier, andwhere hunger would not twist their entrails. 

They would have done this before, had not the worthy Herhor and Mefrescommanded them to remain in their places. 

But the position of Herhor near the new pharaoh was not favorable. Theall-powerful minister, who had till of late almost never left thechambers of the pharaoh, sat now alone in his villa, and frequently hedid not see the new ruler for ten days in succession. He was stillminister of war, but he gave out almost no orders. The pharaoh himselfsettled all military questions. He alone read reports of generals; healone decided doubtful questions, while his adjutants took from theminister of war the necessary documents. 

If his worthiness Herhor was ever called before the sovereign it wasonly to be reprimanded. 

Nevertheless, all dignitaries acknowledged that the new pharaoh workedwith great diligence. 

Ramses XIII rose before sunrise, he bathed and burnt incense before thestatue of Osiris. Immediately afterward he heard the reports of thesupreme judge, the chief scribe of the granaries and stables in thewhole country, the high treasurer, finally, the chief of his palaces. This last dignitary suffered most, for there was no day when his lorddid not tell him that the court cost too much, and kept too manypersons. 

In the palace dwelt several hundred women of the late pharaoh with acorresponding number of servants and children. The chief of the palace, being reproached continually, dismissed from day to day a number ofpersons, and limited the allowances of others. At the end of a month, therefore, all the ladies of the court ran weeping and wailing to QueenNiort's, and begged her to rescue them. 

The worthy lady betook herself to the pharaoh, and, falling on herface, begged him to take compassion on the women of his father, and notlet them die in destitution. 

The pharaoh listened to her with frowning brows and commanded the chiefof the court not to extend his saving farther. But at the same time hetold the most worthy lady that after the funeral of his father thewomen would be removed from the palace and sent to the country. 

"Our court, " said he, "costs about thirty thousand talents yearly, oronce and a half as much as the whole army. I cannot expend such a sumwithout ruining myself and the kingdom. "

"Do as may please thee, " answered the queen. "Egypt is thine. But Ifear that the persons rejected from the court will become thy enemies. "

At this he took his mother by the hand, led her to the window, andpointed to a forest of spears held by infantry drilling in thecourtyard. 

This act of the pharaoh produced an unexpected effect. The queen'seyes, which a moment before gleamed with pride, were filled with tears. All at once she bent and kissed her son's hand, saying with emotion, "Thou art, indeed, the son of Isis and Osiris, and I did well when Iyielded thee to the goddess. Egypt at last has a ruler. "

From that time the worthy lady never appealed to her son in anyquestion. And when she was asked for protection, she answered, "I am the servant of his holiness and I advise you to carry out hiscommands without resistance. All he does comes from inspiration of thegods. And who can oppose the gods?"

After breakfast the pharaoh was occupied in affairs of the ministry ofwar, and the treasury; about three in the afternoon, surrounded by agreat suite, he went to the troops encamped outside Memphis, andreviewed them. 

Indeed, the greatest changes had taken place in the military condition. 

In less than two months his holiness had organized five new regiments, or rather he had reestablished those disbanded during the reign of hisfather. He dismissed officers addicted to drunkenness and gambling, also those who tortured warriors. 

Into the military bureaus, where priests alone had held office, heintroduced his most capable adjutants, who very soon mastered importantdocuments relative to the army. He commanded to make a list of all menin the state who belonged to the military order, but who for years hadnot fulfilled any duty. He opened two new schools, one for theeducation of officers, and one for children of twelve years, andrenewed a custom then in abeyance, that youths in the army shouldreceive breakfast only after three hours' marching in line and incolumn. 

Finally, no division of the army was permitted to dwell in villages, all must live in camps or in barracks. Each regiment had its fixedfield of exercise, where for whole days the warriors hurled stones fromslings or shot arrows from bows at marks from one to two hundred yardsdistant. 

A command was issued to all families of military rank that the menshould exercise themselves in hurling missiles under direction ofofficers and decurions of the army. The command was carried outstraightway, therefore Egypt looked like a camp in no longer than twomonths after the death of the twelfth Ramses. For even village or citychildren, who before had played as scribes and priests, now, imitatingtheir elders, began to play as warriors. So on every square and inevery garden, from morning till evening, stones and arrows werewhistling, and the courts were filled with complaints about bodilyinjuries. 

Egypt was transformed, as it were, and in spite of complaints a greatmovement reigned in it, and all because of the new ruler. 

The pharaoh himself was pleased and his pride increased, seeing thatthe whole state arranged itself to his wishes. 

But a moment arrived when he became gloomy. 

On the very day that the embalmers took the body of Ramses XII from thesoda bath, the chief treasurer, when making his usual report, said tothe pharaoh, "I know not what to do. We have two thousand talents in the treasury, and for the funeral of the dead pharaoh we need at least one thousand. "

"How, two thousand?" asked Ramses, with astonishment. "When I assumedpower Thou didst tell me that we had twenty thousand. "

"We have expended eighteen. "

"In two months?"

"Our outlays are enormous. "

"True, but new taxes come in every day. "

"The taxes, I know not why, have decreased again, and do not come in soplentifully as I expected. But they too are expended. Be pleased toremember, holiness, that we have five new regiments; hence, about eightthousand men have left their occupations and live at the cost of thetreasury. "

The pharaoh grew thoughtful. 

"We must, " said he, "make a new loan. Come to an understanding withHerhor and Mefres, so that the temples may lend to us. "

"I have spoken with them. The temples will lend us nothing. "

"The prophets are offended, " said the pharaoh, smiling. "In that casewe must call in unbelievers. Send to me Dagon. "

Toward evening the pharaoh's banker came. He fell on the pavementbefore Ramses and offered him a golden goblet set with jewels. 

"Now I can die!" said Dagon, "since my most gracious sovereign hasmounted the throne. "

"But before thy death, find me a few thousand talents, " said hisholiness to the kneeling banker. 

The Phoenician was alarmed. Could he feign great embarrassment?

"Rather command me, holiness, to seek pearls in the Nile, for I shallperish at once, and my lord will not suspect me of ill-will toward him. But to find such a sum today!"

Ramses XIII was astounded. 

"How is this?" inquired he. "Then have the Phoenicians no money forme?"

"Our blood, our lives, our children we will give thee, holiness. Butmoney where can we find it?

"Formerly the temples gave us loans at fifteen or twenty per centyearly, but since, as heir to the throne, Thou wert in the temple ofHator at Pi-Bast the priests have refused us every credit. 

"If they could they would expel us from Egypt, or, more gladly, theywould destroy us. Ah, what we suffer because of them. The earth-tillersdo what they like and whenever they like. As rent they give us whatdrops from their noses. If we strike one of them they rebel to the lastman, and if an unfortunate Phoenician goes for redress to a court heeither loses his case or pays terribly. 

"Our hours in this land are numbered, " wailed Dagon. 

The pharaoh frowned. 

"I will take up these matters, " answered he, "and the courts will givethee justice. Meanwhile, I need about five thousand talents. "

"Where shall we get them, O lord?" groaned out Dagon. "Find uspurchasers, holiness, and we will sell all our property movable andimmovable, only to carry out thy commands. But where are thepurchasers? There are none except the priests, who would value ourproperty at a trifle, and then not pay ready money. "

"Send to Tyre, to Sidon, " interrupted Ramses. "Each of those citiesmight lend, not five, but a hundred thousand talents. "

"Tyre and Sidon!" repeated Dagon. "Today all Phoenicia is collectinggold and jewels to pay the Assyrians. Envoys of King Assar are circlingabout through our country and they say that if we pay a liberal sumyearly the King and the satraps not only will not oppress us, but willoffer us more profits than those which we have now in Egypt, Oholiness, through thy favor. "

The pharaoh grew pale and set his teeth. The banker noted this andadded, quickly, "But why should I waste thy time, holiness, with my stupid talk? Herein Memphis is Prince Hiram; he perhaps will explain all this to my lordfar better than I can, for he is a sage and a member of the supremecouncil in our cities. "

"Send him hither quickly, " replied Ramses, "for thy conversation withme, Dagon, is not that of a banker, but of a wailing woman at afuneral. "

The Phoenician touched the floor once again with his forehead, andinquired, "What if the worthy Hiram cannot come immediately? It is late now, itis true. But he is in such fear of the priests that he would rathercome at night to do homage, O holiness. "

The pharaoh bit his lips, but agreed to that project; so he sentTutmosis with the banker to conduct Hiram to the palace by secretpassages. 

CHAPTER LV

ABOUT ten in the evening Hiram stood before his lord. He was dressed inthe dark robe of a Memphis huckster. 

"Why dost Thou steal in thus, worthiness?" inquired Ramses. "Is mypalace a prison, or a house of lepers?"

"Ah, our sovereign!" sighed the old Phoenician. "Since Thou hast becomelord of Egypt the criminals are those who dare to see thee and not giveaccount of what Thou art pleased to tell them. "

"To whom must ye repeat my words?" inquired the pharaoh. 

Hiram raised his eyes and hands to heaven. 

"Holiness, thou knowest thy enemies, " said he. 

"Thou knowest, worthiness, why I have summoned thee. I wish to borrow afew thousand talents. "

Hiram made a hissing noise through his teeth, so that the pharaohpermitted him to sit in his presence, which was the highest honor. Whenhe had disposed himself comfortably and rested, Hiram said, "Why shouldst Thou borrow, holiness, when Thou mayst have a richtreasury?"

"I know, when I shall get Nineveh, " interrupted Ramses. "That time isdistant and I need money this day. "

"I speak not of war, " answered Hiram; "I speak of an affair which wouldbring large sums to the treasury immediately, and a permanent yearlyincome. "

"How?"

"Permit us, holiness, and assist us to dig a canal which would join theRed Sea with the Mediterranean. "

"Art Thou jesting, old man?" cried the pharaoh, springing up from hisseat. "Who could do such a work, and who could wish to endanger Egypt?The sea would inundate the country. "

"What sea? Neither the Mediterranean nor the Red Sea would, " answeredHiram calmly. "I know that Egyptian priests who are engineers haveexamined this work and have calculated that it would give immenseprofit, it is the best work on earth. But they wish to do itthemselves, or rather they do not wish that the pharaoh should do it. "

"Where are thy proofs?" asked Ramses. 

"I have not the proofs, but I will send a priest, holiness, who willexplain the whole affair to thee, with plans and estimates. "

"Who is this priest?"

Hiram thought a moment and then asked, "Have I thy promise, holiness, that no one will know of him except us?He, lord, will render more service than I. He knows many secrets andmany iniquities of the priesthood. "

"I promise, " answered the pharaoh. 

"This priest is Samentu. He is a great sage, but needs money, and he isvery ambitious. And since the high priests degrade him he will overturnthe order of priests; for he knows many secrets oh, many!"

Ramses meditated. He understood that that priest was a great traitor, but he estimated the magnitude of the service which the man mightrender. 

"Well, " said the pharaoh, "I will think of this Samentu. But now let ussuppose for the moment that it is possible to make such a canal; whatprofit shall I have from it?"

Hiram raised his left hand, and counted on his fingers. 

"First, holiness, Phoenicia will give thee five thousand talents ofunpaid tribute; second, Phoenicia will pay for the right of doing thiswork; third, when the work begins we will pay one thousand talents ofyearly rent, and besides as many talents as Egypt furnishes us tens oflaborers; fourth, for every Egyptian engineer we will give to thee, holiness, a talent a year; fifth, when the work is finished Thou wiltgive us the canal for one hundred years, and we will pay for that onethousand talents yearly. Are those small gains?" inquired Hiram. 

"But now, today, " asked Ramses, "would ye give me those five thousandtalents tribute?"

"If the treaty is made today we will give ten thousand, and we will addthree thousand as an advance of rent for a three years' period. "

Ramses meditated. More than once Phoenicians had proposed the cuttingof this canal to the rulers of Egypt, but they had always met theunbending resistance of the priesthood. The Egyptian sages explained tothe pharaoh that that canal would expose the country to inundationsfrom the Red Sea and the Mediterranean. But Hiram asserted that such athing would not happen; the priests knew that it would not. 

"Ye Phoenicians, " said the pharaoh, after a long time, "promise to payone thousand talents yearly for one hundred years. Ye say that thatcanal dug in the sand is the best affair in the world. I do notunderstand this, and I confess, Hiram, that I am suspicious. "

Hiram's eyes flashed. 

"Lord, " replied he, "I mil tell thee everything, but I abjure thee bythy crown, by the shade of thy father, not to discover the secret toany one. This is the greatest secret of the Chaldean and Egyptianpriests, and even of Phoenicia. On it depends the future of the world. "

"Well, well, Hiram, " answered the pharaoh with a smile. 

"To thee, O pharaoh, " continued the Phoenician, "the gods have givenwisdom, nobility, and energy, therefore, Thou art on our side. Thou, alone, of earthly rulers mayst be initiated, for Thou art the only onewho will be able to accomplish great objects. For this reason Thou wilthave power such as no man has ever reached before thee. "

Ramses felt the sweetness of pride in his heart, but he mastered hisfeelings. 

"Praise me not for what I have not done; but explain to me what profitwill come from this canal to Phoenicia and to Egypt?"

Hiram straightened himself in the chair, and began in a lowered voice, "Know, lord, that east, north, and south of Assyria and Babylon are notmorasses inhabited by strange monsters, but immense states andcountries. Those countries are so great that thy foot warriors, Oholiness, renowned for marching, would have to move eastward two yearswithout halt before they could reach the end of them. "

Ramses raised his brows like one who permits some man to lie, but knowsthat he is lying. 

"Southeast of Babylon, ac the great sea, dwell one hundred millions ofpeople who have mighty kings, who have priests wiser than those ofEgypt, who have ancient books, and skilled artisans. Those people knowhow to make woven stuffs, implements and vessels as beautiful as thoseof the Egyptians, and from time immemorial they have temples aboveground and underground, which are grander, richer, and larger than thetemples of Egypt. "

"Speak on, speak on!" said the pharaoh. But it was impossible to learnfrom his face whether his curiosity was roused by the description, orhe was indignant at the untruth of the Phoenician. 

"In those countries, " continued Hiram, "are pearls, precious stones, gold, copper; in those countries grow the most curious grains, flowers, and fruits; finally they have forests where a man might wander wholemonths among trees thicker than the columns in the temples of Egypt andtaller than palms. The inhabitants of those countries are mild andsimple. And, holiness, if Thou wouldst send thither two regiments onships, Thou wouldst be able to win an area of land larger than Egypt, richer than the treasures of the labyrinth. If Thou permit, I will sendthee to-morrow specimens of the woven stuffs of those regions, withbronzes and woods from them. I will send also two grains of a wondrousbalsam from those countries; if a man swallows this balsam, it opensthe gates of eternity before him, and he experiences the happinesswhich falls to divinities only. "

"I beg thee to send specimens of the stuffs, and the utensils. As tothe balsam, never mind! We shall enjoy eternity and the gods without itsufficiently after death. "

"But far, very far east of Assyria, " added Hiram, "lie still greatercountries, countries which have two hundred millions of inhabitants. "

"How easy millions come to you Phoenicians, " laughed Ramses. 

Hiram placed his baud on his heart. 

"I swear, " said he, "by the souls of my ancestors, and by my honor thatI am telling truth. "

The pharaoh was moved; such a great oath arrested his attention. 

"Speak on speak!" said he. 

"These last lands, " continued the Phoenician, "are very wonderful. Theyare inhabited by people with yellow skin and sloping eyes. Those peoplehave a sovereign who is called the Son of Heaven, and he governsthrough sages, who are not priests, however, and have not such power aspriests have in Egypt. Still those people are like the Egyptians. Theyhonor dead ancestors and take great care of their remains. They usewriting which calls to mind the writing of Egyptian priests. But theywear long robes of such stuffs as are unknown in this country; theyhave sandals which are like little benches, and they cover their headswith pointed boxes. The roofs of their houses are pointed too at thetop, and are turned up at the edges. 

"Those uncommon people have a grain which is more plentiful thanEgyptian wheat, and they make of it a drink which is stronger thanwine. They have a plant the leaves of which give strength to themembers, gladness to the mind, and which enables them even to dispensewith sleep. They have paper which they adorn with many colored images, and they have clay which after it is burned shines like glass, and isas resonant as metal. 

"Tomorrow, if Thou permit, holiness, I will send specimens of the worksof these people. "

"Thou art narrating wonders, Hiram. But I do not see the connectionbetween those things and the canal which Thou wishest to dig. "

"I will tell in brief, " replied the Phoenician. "When there is a canalall the Phoenician and Egyptian fleets will sail on the Red Sea andbeyond it; in the course of a couple of months they will reach thoserich countries which by land are almost inaccessible. 

"But dost Thou not see, holiness, " continued he, with gleaming eyes, "the treasures which we shall find there? Gold, precious stones, grain, woods? I swear to thee, lord, " added he with enthusiasm, "that goldwill be cheaper than copper is now, wood will be cheaper than straw, and a slave cheaper than a cow. Only let us, lord, dig the canal, andhire fifty thousand of thy warriors. "

Ramses, too, was excited. 

"Fifty thousand warriors, " repeated he. "But what will ye give me forthis?"

"I have said already, holiness. One thousand talents yearly for theright to work, and five thousand for the workmen, to whom we will givefood and wages. "

"But ye will kill them with work?"

"May the gods forbid! There is no profit when workmen perish. Thywarriors, holiness, will not work more at the canal than today on roadsand at fortresses but what glory for thee, lord! what income for thetreasury, what profit for Egypt! The poorest earth-tiller will have awooden cottage, some cattle, tools, and furniture, and as I live, aslave. No pharaoh has ever raised the state to such a height or carriedout such a work. 

"What will dead and useless pyramids be in comparison with a canal tofacilitate the passage of treasures to the whole world?"

"Yes, " added the pharaoh, "and fifty thousand warriors on the easternboundary. "

"Of course!" exclaimed Hiram. "In view of that force, which will costthee nothing, holiness, Assyria will not dare to stretch a hand towardPhoenicia. "

The project was so brilliant and promised such profit that Ramses XIIIfelt dazed by it. But he mastered himself. 

"Hiram, " said he, "Thou art making splendid promises. So splendid thatI fear lest Thou art concealing behind them some less favorableoutcome. Therefore I must think over this matter deeply and takecounsel with the priests. "

"They will never consent of themselves!" exclaimed the Phoenician. "Though may the gods forgive me the blasphemy I am certain that iftoday the highest power were in the hands of the priests they wouldsummon us in a couple of months to make the canal for them. "

Ramses looked with cold contempt at Hiram. 

"Old man, " said he, "leave me to care for the obedience of the priests, and do Thou present proofs that what Thou hast said is true. I shouldbe a very poor sovereign were I unable to remove obstacles springing upbetween my will and the interests of Egypt. "

"Thou art indeed a great sovereign, our lord, " whispered Hiram, bendingto the floor. 

It was then late at night. The Phoenician took farewell of the pharaohand left the palace with Tutmosis. The following day he sent throughDagon a box with specimens of wealth from the unknown countries. 

The pharaoh found in it statues of gods, woven stuffs, rings fromIndia, small morsels of opium, and in a second division handfuls ofrice, leaves of tea, two porcelain cups ornamented with pictures, and anumber of drawings made on paper with China ink and colors. He examinedthem with the greatest attention and confessed that those articles werenew to him: the rice, the paper, the pictures of people with pointedhats and sloping eyes. 

He had no doubt now that a new region existed which differed in everyway from Egypt: in mountains, trees, houses, bridges, ships. 

"And that country has existed for ages undoubtedly, " thought he; "ourpriests know of it, they know of its wealth, but say nothing. Evidentlythey are traitors who wish to limit the power of the pharaoh andimpoverish him so as to push him down from the height of the throneafterward. 

"But O ye my ancestors and my heirs, " said he in spirit, "I call you towitness that I will put a limit to these iniquities; I will elevatewisdom, but I will stamp out deceit, and I will give Egypt hours ofrest from labor. "

Thinking thus, he raised his eyes and beheld Dagon waiting for ananswer. 

"Thy box is very curious, " said he to the banker, "but this is not whatI asked of thee. "

The Phoenician approached him on tiptoe and, kneeling before him, whispered, "Deign holiness, to sign a treaty with the worthy Hiram, then Tyre andSidon will place all their treasures at thy feet. "

Ramses frowned. He was displeased by the insolence of the Phoenicianswho dared to lay down conditions to him; so he answered coldly, "I will reflect and give Hiram my answer. Thou mayst withdraw, Dagon. "

After the Phoenician had gone, Ramses meditated again; a reaction beganin him, "Those hucksters, " said he in his heart, "consider me as one ofthemselves, nay more, they dare to hold up to me a bag of gold fromafar so as to extort a treaty! I know not that any of the pharaohsadmitted them to such confidence! I must change. The men who fall ontheir faces before the envoys of Assar may not say to me, 'Sign andThou wilt get!' Stupid Phoenician rats, who steal into the pharaoh'spalace and look on it as their own den a moment later!"

The longer he thought over it the more precisely he recalled thebearing of Hiram and Dagon, the greater the auger that seized him, "How dare they how dare they lay conditions down to me? Hei, Tutmosis!"cried he. 

His favorite stood before him immediately. 

"What dost Thou command, my lord?"

"Send some one of the younger officers to Dagon to inform him that hehas ceased to be my banker. He is too stupid for such a loftyposition. "

"But to whom dost Thou predestine the honor, holiness?"

"I know not at the moment. It will be necessary to find some one amongEgyptian or Greek merchants. In the last resort we will turn to thepriests. "

Information of this resolve went through all the palaces, and before anhour it had reached Memphis. Throughout the whole city people said thatthe Phoenicians were in disfavor with the pharaoh. Towards evening theEgyptians had begun to break into the shops of the hated foreigners. 

The priests drew a breath of relief. Herhor even made a visit to holyMefres and said to him, "My heart felt that our lord would turn from those unbelievers who aredrinking the blood of the people. I think that it is proper for us toshow him gratitude. "

"And perhaps open the doors to our treasures?" asked Mefres, rudely. "Hasten not, worthiness, I have divined this young man woe to us ifever we let him get the upper hand. "

"But if he has broken with the Phoenicians?"

"He will gain by that; for he will not pay his debts to them. "

"In my opinion, " said Herhor, after some thought, "now is the moment inwhich we can regain the favor of this youthful pharaoh. He is hasty inanger, but he knows how to be grateful. I have experienced that. 

"Every word is an error, " interrupted the stubborn Mefres. "First ofall, this prince is not the pharaoh yet, for he has not been crowned ina temple. Second, he will never be a real pharaoh, since throughcontempt he will never be ordained a high priest. And finally, we donot need his favor, while he needs the favor of the gods, whom heinsults at every step he makes. "

Mefres, who had been panting from anger, stopped and began anew, "He spent a month in the temple of Hator, he listened to the highestwisdom, and immediately afterward betook himself to the Phoenicians. What do I say? He visited the idol house of Astarte and took thence apriestess an offence against all religions. After that he reviled mypiety, in public; conspired with such frivolous minds as his own, andwith the aid of Phoenicians stole state secrets. And when he ascendedthe throne I speak incorrectly, when he had barely stood on the firststep of the throne, he tried to make the priests odious; he disturbedthe earth-tillers and the warriors, and renewed vows with his friendsthe Phoenicians. 

"Dost thou, worthy Herhor, forget all this? And if Thou remember, dostThou not understand the dangers which threaten us from this milksop?Still he has under his hand the rudder of the ship of state, which hepushes in among rocks and eddies. Who will assure me that this madman, who yesterday summoned to his presence the Phoenicians, but quarreledwith them today, will not do something to-morrow which will exposeEgypt to destruction?"

"And therefore, what?" inquired Herhor, looking into his eyes quickly. 

"This we have no reason to show him gratitude, which would really beweakness. But since he wants money at once, we will not give himmoney. "

"But but then what?" inquired Herhor. 

"Afterward he will govern the state and increase the army withoutmoney, " answered the irritated Mefres. 

"But if his famished army wants to rob temples?"

"Ha! ha! ha!" burst out Mefres, but suddenly he grew serious and bowingsaid in an ironical tone, "That pertains to thee, worthiness. A man who for so many years hasdirected the state should prepare for such dangers. "

"Let us suppose, " said Herhor, slowly, "that I can find means againstdangers to the state. But canst thou, worthiness, who art the seniorhigh priest, provide against insults to the priestly order and thetemples?"

They looked each other in the eyes for a moment. 

"Dost Thou inquire whether I can? Whether I can? I need make no effort. The gods have placed in my hands a thunderbolt which will destroy everyauthor of sacrilege. "

"Pst!" whispered Herhor. "Let that take place. "

"With the consent or without the consent of the supreme council ofpriests, " added Mefres. "When a boat is overturned there is no time todiscuss with the oarsmen. "

They parted in a gloomy state of mind. That same day in the evening thePharaoh summoned them. 

They came at the appointed time, each high priest separately. Each madea profound obeisance to his lord, and each stood in a separate cornerwithout looking at the other. 

"Have they quarreled?" thought Ramses? "No harm in that!"

A moment later the holy Sem and the prophet Pentuer came in. ThenRamses sat on an elevation, indicated to the priests stools in front ofhim, and said, "Holy fathers! I have not summoned you thus far to counsel because allmy orders related to military questions exclusively. "

"Thou hadst the right, holiness, not to call us, " put in Herhor. 

"I have done what I was able in such a short time to strengthen thedefensive power of the state. I have formed two new schools forofficers and I have restored five regiments. "

"Thou hadst the right, lord, " answered Mefres. 

"Of other military reforms I do not speak, since those questions do notconcern you, holy people. "

"Thou art right, " said Mefres and Herhor together. 

"But there is another question, " continued the pharaoh, satisfied withthe assent of the two dignitaries from whom he had expected opposition. "The funeral day of my divine father is approaching, but the treasurydoes not possess sufficient funds. "

Mefres rose from his stool. 

"Osiris-Mer-Amen-Ramses, " said he, "was a just lord who for many yearsassured peace to his people, and praise to the gods. Permit, holiness, that the funeral of this pious pharaoh be performed at the expense ofthe temples. "

Ramses XIII was astonished and was moved by the homage rendered hisfather. He was silent for a while as if unable to find an answer; atlast he replied, "I am very thankful to you for the honor shown my father, who is equalto the gods. I permit the funeral, and once more I thank you greatly. "

He stopped, rested his head on his hand and meditated, as if strugglingwith himself. Suddenly he raised his head; his face was animated, hiseyes were gleaming. 

"I am moved, " said he, "by this proof of your good-will. If the memoryof my father is so dear to you ye cannot have ill-will toward me. "

"Thou hast no doubt, I think, holiness, touching our goodwill?" saidthe high priest Sem. 

"Thou art speaking truth, " continued the pharaoh. "I suspected youunjustly of prejudice toward me. I wish to correct my suspicion; I willbe sincere with you. "

"May the gods bless thee, holiness, " said Herhor. 

"I will be sincere. My divine father, because of age, illness, andperhaps priestly occupations, could not devote so much time to affairsof state as I can. I am young, in health, free, hence I wish to rule, myself, and will rule. As a leader must direct his army on his ownresponsibility and according to his own plan, so shall I direct thestate. This is my express will and I shall not draw back from it. 

"But I understand that even were I the most experienced I could notsucceed without faithful servants and wise counselors. Therefore Ishall ask your advice sometimes on various questions. "

"To this end we constitute the supreme council near thy throne, "remarked Herhor. 

"I shall use, " continued Ramses with animation, "your servicesimmediately, even from this moment. "

"Command, lord, " said Herhor. 

"I wish to improve the condition of the Egyptian people. But since insuch affairs over-hasty action may only bring injury, I give them atfirst a small thing: After six days' labor the seventh for rest. "

"Such was it during the reigns of the eighteenth dynasty. That law isas old as Egypt itself, " said Pentuer. 

"Rest every seventh day will give fifty days to each laborer during ayear, or it will take from his lord fifty drachma. On a million oflaborers the state will lose ten thousand talents yearly, " said Mefres. "We have calculated that in the temples. "

"That is true, " answered Pentuer, quickly, "but the losses will beduring the first year only, for when the people increase in strength byrest they will recover all and more in the following years. "

"That is true, " answered Mefres, "but in every case it is necessary tohave ten thousand talents for that first year. I think even that twentythousand talents would not be amiss. "

"Thou art right, worthy Mefres, " said the pharaoh. "In view of thechanges which I wish to introduce in my state twenty thousand, and eventhirty thousand talents would not be too great a sum; therefore, " addedhe quickly, "I shall ask assistance of you holy men. "

"We are ready to support every measure of thy holiness with prayers andprocessions, " said Mefres. 

"Very good; pray and encourage the people to pray. But besides thatgive the state thirty thousand talents, " answered the pharaoh. 

The high priests were silent; Ramses waited a while, then turned toHerhor, "Thou art silent, worthiness. "

"Thou hast said thyself, O sovereign, that the treasury has no means, even to bury Osiris-Mer-Amen-Ramses. I cannot even divine, therefore, where we could get thirty thousand talents. "

"But the treasury of the labyrinth. "

"That is a treasury of the gods, to be touched only at a moment whenthe state is in supreme need, " replied Mefres. 

Ramses XIII boiled up with anger. 

"If earth-tillers do not need this sum, I do, " said he, striking hisfist on the arm of the chair. 

"Holiness, " replied Mefres, "Thou canst in the course of a year receivemore than thirty thousand talents, and Egypt twice as much. "

"How?"

"Very simply. Give command, sovereign, to expel the Phoenicians fromEgypt. "

It seemed that the pharaoh would rush at the insolent high priest; hegrew pale, his lips quivered, his eyes stared. But he restrainedhimself in one moment, and said, in a tone of wonderful calmness, "Well, sufficient. If ye are able to give only such counsels I shallget on without them. The Phoenicians have our signatures that we willpay them our debts faithfully. Has this occurred to thee, Mefres?"

"Pardon, holiness, but at that moment other thoughts occupied me. Thyancestors, not on papyrus, but on bronze and stone carved out thestatement that the gifts made by them to the gods and the templesbelonged and would belong forever to the gods and the temples. "

"And to you priests, " added the pharaoh, sneeringly. 

"As much to us, " replied the haughty high priest, "as the state belongsto thee, sovereign. We guard and increase those treasures; but we havenot the right to spend them. "

The pharaoh left the hall panting with anger, and went to his owncabinet. His position was presented to him with terrible distinctness. Of the hatred of the priests toward him he had no doubt any longer. Those were the same dignitaries who, giddy with pride, had the pastyear refused him the corps of Memphis, and who had made him viceroyonly when it seemed to them that he had performed an act of penitenceby withdrawing from the palace the very same who watched every movementof his, made reports regarding him, but did not tell him, the heir tothe throne, even of the treaty with Assar, the very same dignitarieswho had employed deceit against him in the temple of Hator, and who atthe Soda Lakes slaughtered prisoners to whom he had promised freedom. 

The pharaoh recalled the obeisances of Herhor, the looks of Mefres, andthe tones of voice which both used. Beneath the show of good-will, their pride and their contempt for him appeared each moment. He asksfor money, they promise prayers. Nay! they dare to tell him that he isnot sole ruler in the land of Egypt. 

The young sovereign laughed in spite of himself, for he called to mindthe hired herdsmen who told the owner of the flock that he had no rightto do what he liked with it. Besides the ridiculous aspect there was inthe case a point which was terrible. The treasury contained perhaps athousand talents which, according to the recent rate of outlay wouldlast from seven to ten days. And then what? How would the officials, the servants, and above all how would the army, exist, not only withoutpay, but without sustenance?

The high priests knew this position of the pharaoh if they did nothasten to assist him they wished to ruin him, and to ruin him in thecourse of a few days, even before the funeral of his father. 

Ramses recalled a certain event of his childhood. 

He was at a school of the priests when, on the festival of the goddessMut, after various amusements they introduced the most famous buffoonin Egypt. This artist represented an unfortunate hero: when hecommanded he was not obeyed, his anger was answered with laughter, andwhen, to punish those who made sport of him, he seized an axe, the axebroke in his hands. At last they let out a lion at him and when thedefenseless hero began to flee it turned out that not a lion waschasing him, but a pig in a lion's skin. 

The pupils and the teachers laughed at those adventures till the tearscame; but the little prince sat gloomily; he was sorry for the man whowas eager for great things but fell covered with ridicule. 

That scene and the feelings which he experienced then were revived inthe memory of the pharaoh. "They want to make me like that buffoon, "thought he. Despair seized him, for he felt that his power would endwhen the last talent was issued, and with his power his life also. 

But here came a certain revulsion. He halted in the middle of the roomand thought, "What can happen to me? Nothing save death. I will go to my gloriousancestors, to Ramses the Great But then, I could not tell them that Idied without defending myself. After the misfortunes of this earthlylife eternal shame would meet me. How was it to end? He, the conquerorat the Soda Lakes, to yield before a handful of deceivers against whomone Asiatic regiment would not have much trouble? For the reason, then, that Mefres and Herhor wish to rule Egypt and the pharaoh, his troopsmust suffer hunger, and a million men are not to receive rest fromlabor? But did not his ancestors rear these temples. Did they not fillthem with spoils? And who won the battles? The priests, or thewarriors? Who, then, had a right to the treasures, the priests, or thepharaoh and his army?"

Ramses shrugged his shoulders and summoned Tutmosis. Though it was lateat night the favorite came to him straightway. 

"Dost Thou know, " asked the pharaoh, "that the priests have refused mea loan, though the treasury is empty?"

Tutmosis straightened himself, and asked, "Wilt Thou command to take them to prison?"

"Wouldst thou?"

"There is not an officer in Egypt who would hesitate to carry out anorder from our lord and leader. "

"In that case, " said the pharaoh, deliberately, "there is no need toimprison any one. I have too much power on my side and too muchcontempt for the priesthood. A man does not put into a box bound withiron the carrion which he meets on the highway; he merely passes aroundit. "

"But a hyena is confined in a cage, " whispered Tutmosis. 

"It is too early yet. I must be gracious to those men, at least till myfather is buried or they might commit some indignity on his reveredmummy, and destroy his spirit. But go tomorrow to Hiram and tell him tosend me that priest of whom we have spoken. "

"That will be done. But I must remind thee, holiness, that today peopleattacked Phoenician houses in Memphis. "

"Oho! That was not needed. "

"It seems to me, too, " continued Tutmosis, "that since Thou hastcommanded Pentuer to investigate the condition of earth-tillers andlaborers the priests are exciting the nomarchs and nobles. They saythat it is thy wish to ruin the nobility for the sake of the people. "

"But do the nobles believe that?"

"There are some who believe, but there are others who say directly thatit is an intrigue of the priests against the pharaoh. "

"But if I wish indeed to improve the condition of earth-tillers?"

"Thou wilt do, lord, that which pleases thee, " answered Tutmosis. 

"Oh, I understand my position!" exclaimed Ramses. "Be at rest, and tellthe nobility that not only will they lose nothing in carrying out myorders, but their own condition will be improved notably. The wealth ofEgypt must be taken at last from the hands of the unworthy and given tofaithful servants. "

The pharaoh dismissed his adjutant and went to rest satisfied. Histemporary despair seemed to him laughable. 

About noon of the following day it was announced that a deputation ofPhoenician merchants had come to his holiness. 

"Do they wish to complain of the attack on their houses?" inquired thepharaoh. 

"No, " replied the adjutant, "they wish to offer thee homage. "

In fact a number of Phoenicians, under the leadership of Rabsun, declared that, according to ancient custom they had made bold to lay aninsignificant gift at the feet of the sovereign who gave life to themand security to their property. 

Then they placed on the tables gold plates, chains, and goblets filledwith jewels. 

After that, Rabsun placed on the steps of the throne a tray with thepapyrus by which the Phoenicians bound themselves to give all thingsnecessary for the army to the amount of two thousand talents. 

That was a considerable gift, since all that the Phoenicians hadbrought represented a sum of three thousand talents. 

The pharaoh answered the faithful merchants very graciously, andpromised protection. He dismissed them in happiness. 

Ramses XIII drew a breath of relief: bankruptcy of the treasury, andtherefore the need of using violent measures against the priests wasdeferred ten days longer. 

In the evening, again, under the guardianship of Tutmosis, the worthyHiram stood in the cabinet of his holiness. This time he did notcomplain of weariness, but he fell on his face and cursed the stupidDagon. 

"I have learned, " said he, "that that mangy fellow dared to remindthee, holiness, of our talk concerning the canal to the Red Sea. May heperish! May the leprosy devour him! May his children become swineherdsand his grandchildren Hebrews. But do thou, sovereign, only command, and whatever wealth Phoenicia has she will lay at thy feet without bondor treaty. Are we Assyrians or priests, " added he in a whisper, "thatone word of such a mighty potentate should not suffice us?"

"But if I should require a really large sum?"

"Such as?"

"For example, thirty thousand talents. "

"Immediately?"

"No, in the course of a year. "

"Thou wilt have it, holiness, " answered Hiram, without hesitation. 

The pharaoh was astonished at this liberality. 

"But must I give you a pledge?"

"Only for form's sake, " replied the Phoenician. "Give us, holiness, thequarries in pledge, so as not to rouse the suspicions of priests. Wereit not for them, Thou wouldst have all Phoenicia without pledge orpaper. "

"But the canal? Am I to sign a treaty at once?" asked Ramses. 

"Not at all. Thou wilt make, O holiness, a treaty when it pleasesthee. "

It seemed to the pharaoh that he was uplifted in the air. At thatmoment it seemed to him that he had tasted for the first time thesweetness of regal power, and tasted it, thanks to the Phoenicians. 

"Hiram, " said he, controlling himself no longer, "I give theepermission this day to dig a canal which shall join the Red Sea withthe Mediterranean. "

The old man fell at the feet of the pharaoh. 

"Thou art the greatest sovereign ever seen on earth, " said he. 

"For the time Thou art not permitted to speak of this to any one, because the enemies of my glory are watching. But that Thou shouldstfeel certain, I give thee this from my own finger. "

He took from his finger a ring adorned with a magic stone on which wasengraved the name Horns, and put it on the finger of the Phoenician. 

"The property of all Phoenicia is at thy command, " said Hiram, movedprofoundly. "Thou wilt accomplish a work which will herald thy nametill the sun quenches. "

The pharaoh pressed Hiram's iron-gray head and commanded him to sitdown before him. 

"And so we are allies, " said he, after a while, "and I hope that fromthis will rise prosperity for Egypt and Phoenicia. "

"For the whole world, " added Hiram. 

"But tell me, prince, whence hast Thou such confidence in me?"

"I know thy noble character, holiness. If thou, sovereign, wert not apharaoh, in a few years Thou wouldst become the most renowned ofPhoenician merchants and the chief of our council. "

"Let us suppose that, " replied Ramses. "But I, to keep my promises, must first bend the priests. That is a struggle the issue of which isuncertain. "

Hiram smiled. 

"Lord, " said he, "if we were so insignificant as to abandon thee todaywhen thy treasury is empty, and thy enemies are insolent, Thou wouldstlose the battle. For a man deprived of means loses daring easily; froman impoverished king his armies turn away as well as his dignitariesand his subjects. But if thou, sovereign, have our gold and our agents, with thy army and thy generals Thou wilt have as much trouble with thepriests as an elephant with a scorpion. Thou wilt barely set thy footon them and they will be crushed beneath it. But this is not my affair. The high priest Samentu is waiting in the garden, he whom Thou hastsummoned. I withdraw; it is his hour. But I refuse not the money. Command me to the extent of thirty thousand talents. "

He fell on his face again and then withdrew, promising that Samentuwould present himself straightway. 

In half an hour the high priest appeared. As became one who honored Sethe did not shave his red beard and shaggy hair; he had a severe face, but eyes full of intellect. He bowed without excessive humility and metthe soul-piercing gaze of the pharaoh with calmness. 

"Be seated, " said the pharaoh. 

The high priest sat on the floor. 

"Thou pleasest me, " said Ramses. "Thou hast the bearing and the face ofa Hyksos, and they are the most valiant troops in my army. " Then heinquired, on a sudden, "Art Thou the man who informed Hiram of the treaty of our priests withAssyria?"

"I am, " replied Samentu, without dropping his eyes. 

"Didst Thou share in that iniquity?"

"I did not. I overheard the conditions. In the temples, as in thypalaces, holiness, the walls are honeycombed with passages throughwhich it is possible to hear on the summit of pylons what is said inthe cellars. "

"And from subterranean places it is possible to converse with personsin upper chambers?" asked the pharaoh. 

"And imitate voices from the gods, " added the priest seriously. 

The pharaoh smiled. Then the supposition was correct that it was notthe spirit of his father, but priests who spoke to him and to hismother. 

"Why didst Thou confide to Phoenicians a great secret of the state?"inquired Ramses. 

"Because I wished to prevent a shameful treaty which was as harmful tous as to Phoenicia. "

"Thou mightst have forewarned some Egyptian dignitary. "

"Whom?" inquired the priest. "Men who were powerless before Herhor; orwho would complain of me to him and expose me to death and tortures? Iconfided it to Hiram, for he meets dignitaries of ours whom I neversee. "

"But why did Herhor and Mefres conclude such a treaty?" inquiredRamses. 

"In my opinion, they are men of weak heads whom Beroes, the greatChaldean priest, frightened. He told them that for ten years evil fateswould threaten Egypt; that if we began war with Assyria during thattime we should be defeated. "

"And did they believe him?"

"Beroes, it seems, showed them wonders. He was even borne above theearth. Beyond doubt that is wonderful; but I cannot understand why weshould lose Phoenicia because Beroes can fly above the earth. "

"Then Thou dost not believe in miracles?"

"It depends upon what they are, " replied Samentu. "It seems that Beroesdoes perform unusual things; but our priests merely deceive people aswell as rulers. "

"Thou hast a hatred for the priestly order?"

"Well, they cannot endure me, and what is worse they insult me underpretext that I am a minister of Set. Meanwhile, what do I care for godswhose hands and feet must be moved by strings. Or priests who pretendto be abstemious and devout, but have ten wives, spend some tens oftalents yearly, steal the offerings placed on altars, and are littlewiser than pupils of a higher school. "

"But dost Thou take presents from Phoenicians?"'

"From whom should I take them? The Phoenicians are the only men whoreally honor Set; they fear lest he might wreck their ships. With usthe poor alone revere him. Were I restricted to their offerings Ishould die of hunger, and my children also. "

The pharaoh thought that this priest was not a bad man, though he hadbetrayed a temple secret. And moreover, he seemed wise and he spoketruth. 

"Hast Thou heard anything, " inquired Ramses again, "of a canal which isto join the Red Sea with the Mediterranean?"

"I know of that affair. Our engineers have been developing the projectfor some centuries. "

"But why has it not been carried out ere this time?"

"Because the priests are afraid that strangers would come who mightundermine our religion, and with it the priestly income. "

"Is there truth in what Hiram says of people living in the distantEast?"

"Perfect truth. We know of them for a long time, and no ten years passthat we do not receive from those countries products, precious stones, or pictures. "

The pharaoh meditated again, and asked suddenly, "Wilt Thou serve me faithfully if I make thee my counselor?"

"I will serve thee, holiness, with life and death. But were I to becomethy counselor, the priests, who hate me, would be indignant. "

"Dost Thou not think it possible to overthrow them?"

"It is possible and very easy. "

"What would thy plan be, if I had to free myself of them?"

"To obtain possession of the treasures in the labyrinth. "

"Couldst Thou go to it?"

"I have many indications; the rest I can discover, for I know where tosearch for them. "

"What further?" inquired the pharaoh. 

"It would be necessary to bring an action against Herhor and Mefres fortreason, and for secret relations with Assyria. "

"But the proofs?"

"We should find them with the help of the Phoenicians. "

"Would no danger come of that to Egypt?"

"None. Four hundred years ago the pharaoh, Amenhotep IV. Overturned thepower of priests by establishing the faith in one god, Re Harmachis. Itis understandable that in those conditions he took treasures from thetemples of the other gods. And at that time neither the people, nor thearmy, nor the nobility took part with the priesthood. What would thecase be today when the old faith is greatly weakened?"

"Who assisted Amenhotep?" inquired Ramses. 

"A simple priest, Ey. "

"But who, on the death of Amenhotep, became his heir?" asked Ramses, looking quickly into the eyes of the priest. 

Samentu answered, calmly, "Events show that Amenhotep was incompetent, more occupied in honoringRe than in governing Egypt. "

"Indeed, Thou art a real sage!" said Ramses. 

"At thy service, holiness. "

"I appoint thee my counselor, " said the pharaoh. "In that case Thoumayst visit me in secret, and Thou wilt dwell with me. "

"Pardon, lord, but until the members of the supreme council are inprison for negotiating with enemies of Egypt, my presence in the palacewould bring more harm than profit. So I will serve thee, holiness, andadvise, but in secret. "

"And wilt Thou find the way to the treasure in the labyrinth?"

"I hope, lord, that before Thou returnest from Thebes, I shall succeedin this matter. But when we transfer the treasure to thy palace, whenthe court condemns Herhor and Mefres whom Thou mayst pardon afterward, with permission, I will appear openly and cease to be the priest ofSet, who only frightens people and turns them from me. "

"And dost Thou think that everything will go well?"

"I pledge my life on it!" cried the priest. "The people thee, holiness, so it is easy to influence them against traitorous dignitaries. Thearmy obeys thee as no army has obeyed a pharaoh since Ramses the Great. Who will oppose, then? In addition, holiness, Thou hast the Phoeniciansbehind thee, and money, the greatest power on earth. "

When Samentu took farewell, the pharaoh permitted him to kiss his feet, and gave him a heavy gold chain and a bracelet ornamented withsapphires. Not every dignitary received such favor after long years ofservice. The visit and Samentu's promises filled the pharaoh's heartwith new hope. 

What if he should succeed in getting the treasure of the labyrinth! Fora small part of it he might free the nobles from Phoenician debts, improve the lot of the laborers and redeem the mortgaged property ofthe court. 

And with what edifices might the state be enriched!

Hence the treasure of this labyrinth might remove all the pharaoh'stroubles. For what was the result of a great loan from the Phoenicians?It would be necessary to pay a loan some time, and, sooner or later, mortgage the rest of the pharaoh's property. That was merely to deferruin, not avoid it. 

CHAPTER LVI

In the middle of the month Famenut (January) spring began. All Egyptwas green with growing wheat. On black patches of land crowds of menwere sowing lupines, beans, and barley. In the air was the odor oforange blossoms. The water had fallen greatly and new bits of land werelaid bare day by day. 

Preparations for the funeral of Osiris-Mer-Amen-Ramses were ended. 

The revered mummy of the pharaoh was enclosed in a white box, the upperpart of which repeated perfectly the features of the departed. Thepharaoh seemed to see with enameled eyes, while the god-like faceexpressed a mild regret, not for the world which the ruler had left, but for the people condemned to the sufferings of temporal existence. On its head the image of the pharaoh had an Egyptian cap with white andsapphire stripes; on its neck, a string of jewels; on its breast, thepicture of a man kneeling with crossed hands; on its legs, images ofthe gods, sacred birds, and eyes, not set into any face, but, as itwere, gazing out of infinity. 

Thus arrayed, the remains of the pharaoh rested on a costly couch in asmall cedar chapel, the walls of which were covered with inscriptionscelebrating the life and deeds of the departed sovereign. Above hovereda miraculous falcon with a human head, and near the couch night and daywatched a priest clothed as Anubis, the god of burial, with a jackal'shead on his body. 

A heavy basalt sarcophagus had been prepared which was to be the outercoffin of the mummy. This sarcophagus had also the form and features ofthe dead pharaoh. It was covered with inscriptions, and pictures ofpeople praying, of sacred birds and also scarabs. 

On the 17th of Famenut, the mummy, together with its chapel andsarcophagus, was taken from the quarter of the dead to the palace andplaced in the largest hall there. 

This hall was soon filled with priests, who chanted funeral hymns, withattendants and servants of the departed, and above all with his women, who screamed so vehemently that their cries were heard across theriver. 

"O lord! Thou our lord!" cried they, "why art Thou leaving us? Thou sokind, so beautiful. Thou art silent now, Thou who didst speak to us sowillingly. Thou didst incline to our society, but today Thou art farfrom us. "

During this time the priests sang, Chorus I. "I am Turn, who alone exists. "

Chorus II. "I am Re, in his earliest splendor. "

Chorus I. "I am the god who creates himself. "

Chorus II. "Who gives his own name to himself, and no one among thegods can restrain him. "

Chorus I. "I know the name of the great god who is there. "

Chorus II. "For I am the great bird Benut which tests the existent. "["Book of the Dead. "]

After two days of groans and devotions a great car in the form of aboat was drawn to the front of the palace. The ends of this car wereadorned with ostrich plumes and rams' heads, while above a costlybaldachin towered an eagle, and there also was the ureus serpent, symbol of the pharaoh's dominion. On this car was placed the sacredmummy, in spite of the wild resistance of court women. Some of themheld to the coffin, others implored the priests not to take their goodlord from them, still others scratched their own faces, tore theirhair, and even beat the men who carried the remains of the pharaoh. 

The outcry was terrible. 

At last the car, when it had received the divine body, moved on amid amultitude of people who occupied the immense space from the palace tothe river. There were people smeared with mud, torn, covered withmourning rags, people who cried in heaven-piercing voices. At the sideof these, according to mourning ritual, were disposed, along the wholeroad, choruses. 

Chorus I. "To the West, to the mansion of Osiris, to the West art Thougoing, Thou who wert the best among men, who didst hate the untrue. "

Chorus II. "Going West! There will not be another who will so love thetruth, and who will so hate a lie. "

Chorus of charioteers. "To the West, oxen, ye are drawing the funeralcar, to the West! Our lord is going after you. "

Chorus III. "To the West, to the West, to the land of the just! Thecities which Thou didst love are groaning and weeping behind thee. "

The throng of people. "Go in peace to Abydos! Go in peace to Abydos! GoThou in peace to the Theban West!"

Chorus of female wailers. "O our lord, O our lord, Thou art going tothe West, the gods themselves are weeping. "

Chorus of priests. "He is happy, the most revered among men, for fatehas permitted him to rest in the tomb which he himself hasconstructed. "

Chorus of drivers. "To the West, oxen, ye are drawing the car, to theWest! Our lord is going behind thee. "

The throng of people. "Go in peace to Abydos! Go in peace to Abydos, tothe western sea. " [Authentic expression. ]

Every couple of hundred yards a division of troops was stationed whichgreeted the lord with muffled drums, and took farewell with a shrillsound of trumpets. 

That was not a funeral, but a triumphal march to the land ofdivinities. 

At a certain distance behind the car went Ramses XIII, surrounded by agreat suite of generals, and behind him Queen Niort's leaning on twocourt ladies. Neither the son nor the mother wept, for it was known tothem then (the common people were not aware of this), that the latepharaoh was at the side of Osiris and was so satisfied with his stay inthe land of delight that he had no wish to return to an earthlyexistence. 

After a procession of two hours which was attended by unbroken cries, the car with the remains halted on the bank of the Nile. There theremains were removed from the boat-shaped car and borne to a real bargegilded, carved, covered with pictures, and furnished with white andpurple sails. 

The court ladies made one more attempt to take the mummy from thepriests; again were heard all the choruses and the military music. After that the lady Niort's and some priests entered the barge whichbore the royal mummy, the people hurled bouquets and garlands and theoars began to plash. 

Ramses XII had left his palace for the last time and was moving on theNile toward his tomb in Theban mountains. But on the way it was hisduty, like a thoughtful ruler, to enter all the famed places and takefarewell of them. 

The journey lasted long. Thebes was five hundred miles distant higherup the river, along which the mummy had to visit between ten and twentytemples and take part in religious ceremonies. 

Some days after the departure of Ramses XII to his eternal rest, RamsesXIII moved after him to rouse from sorrow by his presence the torpidhearts of his subjects, receive their homage and give offerings todivinities. 

Behind the dead pharaoh, each on his own barge, went all the highpriests, many of the senior priests, the richest landholders, and thegreater part of the nomarchs. So the new pharaoh thought, not withoutsorrow, that his retinue would be very slender, But it happened otherwise. At the side of Ramses XIII were all thegenerals, very many officials, many of the smaller nobility and all theminor priests, which more astonished than comforted the pharaoh. 

This was merely the beginning. For when the barge of the youthfulsovereign sailed out on the Nile there came to meet him such a mass ofboats, great and small, rich and poor, that they almost hid the water. Sitting in those barges were naked families of earth-tillers andartisans, well-dressed merchants, Phoenicians in bright garments, adroit Greek sailors, and even Assyrians and Hittites. 

The people of this throng did not shout, they howled; they were notdelighted, they were frantic. Every moment some deputation broke itsway to the pharaoh's barge to kiss the deck which his feet had touched, and to lay gifts before him: a handful of wheat, a bit of cloth, asimple earthen pitcher, a pair of birds, but, above all, a bunch offlowers. So that before the pharaoh had passed Memphis, his attendantswere forced repeatedly to clear the barge of gifts and thus save itfrom sinking. 

The younger priests said to one another that except Ramses the Great nopharaoh had ever been greeted with such boundless enthusiasm. 

The whole journey from Memphis to Thebes was conducted in a similarmanner and the enthusiasm of people rose instead of decreasing. Earth-tillers left the fields and artisans the shops to delight themselveswith looking at the new sovereign of whose intentions legends werealready created. They expected great changes, though no one knew whatthese changes might be. This alone was undoubted, that the severity ofofficials had decreased, that Phoenicians collected rent in a lessabsolute manner, and the Egyptian people, always so submissive, hadbegun to raise their heads when priests met them. 

"Only let the pharaoh permit, " said people in inns, fields and markets, "and we will introduce order among the holy fathers. Because of them wepay immense taxes, and the wounds on our backs are always open. "

Among the Libyan hills, about thirty-five miles south of

Memphis, lay the country of Piom or Fayum, wonderful through this, thathuman hands had made it. 

There was formerly in this province a sunken desert surrounded by nakedhills. The pharaoh Amenhemat first conceived the daring plan ofchanging this place into a fruitful region, three thousand five hundredyears before the Christian era. 

With this object he divided the eastern part of the depression from therest and put a mighty dam around it. This dam was about eight metershigh, one hundred yards thick at the base, and its length more thanfour hundred kilometers. 

In this way was created a reservoir which held three milliards of cubicmeters of water, the surface of which occupied about three hundredsquare kilometers. This reservoir served to irrigate two hundredthousand hectares of land, and besides, in time of overflow, it took inthe excess of water and guaranteed a considerable part of Egypt fromsudden inundation. 

This immense collection of water was called Lake Moeris, and wasconsidered one of the wonders of the world. Thanks to it a desertvalley was changed into the fertile land of Piom, where about twohundred thousand people lived in comfort. In this province, besidespalms and wheat, were produced the most beautiful roses; oil made fromthese went to all Egypt, and beyond its boundaries. 

The existence of Lake Moeris was connected with another wonder amongworks of Egyptian engineers, Joseph's canal. This canal, two hundredyards wide, extended about three hundred and fifty kilometers along thewestern side of the Nile. It was situated fifteen kilometers from theriver, served to irrigate lands near the Libyan mountains, and conveyedwater to Lake Moeris. 

Around the country of Piom rose a number of ancient pyramids and amultitude of smaller tombs. On its eastern boundary was the celebratedLabyrinth (Lope-rohunt). This was built also by Amenhemat and had theform of an immense horseshoe. It occupied an area one thousand yardslong and six hundred wide. 

This edifice was the great treasure-house of Egypt. In it reposed themummies of several famous pharaohs, renowned priests, generals, andarchitects. Here lay the remains of revered animals, above all, thoseof crocodiles. And here was kept the property of the Egyptian state, brought together in the course of ages. Of this structure it isdifficult to gain an idea at present. 

The labyrinth was neither inaccessible from the outside, nor watchedover-carefully; it was guarded by a small division of troops attachedto the priests, and some priests of tried honesty. The safety of thetreasury lay specially in this that with the exception of those fewpersons, no one knew where to look for it in the labyrinth, which wasdivided into two stories, one above ground, the other subterranean, andin each of these there were fifteen hundred chambers. 

Each pharaoh, each high priest, finally each treasurer and supremejudge was bound to examine with his own eyes the property of the stateimmediately after entering on his office. Still, no one of thedignitaries could find it, or even learn where the treasure lay, whether in the main body of the building or in some of its wings, abovethe earth or beneath it. 

There were some to whom it seemed that the treasure was reallyunderground, far away from the labyrinth proper. There were even somewho thought that the treasure was beneath the lake, so that it might besubmerged should the need come. Finally no dignitary of the state caredto occupy himself with the question, knowing that an attack on theproperty of the gods drew after it ruin to the sacrilegious. Theuninitiated might have discovered the road, perhaps, if fear had notparalyzed intruders. Death in this world and the next threatened himand his family who should dare with godless plans to discover suchsecrets. 

Arriving in those parts Ramses XIII visited first of all the provinceof Fayum. In his eyes it seemed like the interior of some immense bowl, the bottom of which was a lake and hills the edges. Whithersoever heturned he found green juicy grass varied with flowers, groups of palms, groves of fig trees and tamarinds, amid which from sunrise to sunsetwere heard the singing of birds and the voices of gladsome people. 

That was perhaps the happiest corner of Egypt. 

The people received the pharaoh with boundless delight. 

They covered him and his retinue with flowers, they presented him witha number of vessels of the costliest perfumes as well as gold andprecious stones to the amount of ten talents. 

Ramses spent two days in that pleasant region where joy seemed toblossom on the trees, flow in the air, and look over the waters of LakeMoeris. But men reminded him that he should see the labyrinth also. 

He left Fayum with a sigh and gazed around as he traveled. Soon hisattention was fixed by a majestic pile of gray buildings which stood onan eminence. 

At the gate of the famous labyrinth Ramses was greeted by a company ofpriests of ascetic exterior, and a small division of troops, every manin which was completely shaven. 

"These men look like priests, " said Ramses. 

"They do, because every one in the ranks has received the inferiorordination, and centurions the superior, " answered the high priest ofthe edifice. 

When he looked more carefully at the faces of those strange warriors, who ate no meat and were celibates, the pharaoh noted in them calmenergy and quickness, he noted also that his sacred person made noimpression whatever in that place. 

"I am very curious to learn how Samentu's secret plan will succeed, "thought he. The pharaoh understood that it was impossible either tofrighten those men or to bribe them. They were as self-confident inlooks as if each one commanded countless regiments of spirits. 

"We shall see, " thought Ramses, "if they can frighten my Greeks andAsiatics, who, fortunately, are so wild that they do not know pompousfaces. "

At the request of the priests, the pharaoh's suite remained at thegate, as if under guard of the shaven soldiers. 

"Must I leave my sword too?" asked Ramses. 

"It will not harm us, " answered the chief overseer. 

The young pharaoh had the wish at least to slap the pious man with theside of his sword for such an answer, but he restrained himself. 

Ramses and the priests entered the main building by an immense courtand passed between two rows of sphinxes. Here in a very spacious, butsomewhat dark, antechamber were eight doors, and the overseer inquired, "Through which door dost Thou wish to go to the treasure, holiness?"

"Through that by which we can go the most quickly. "

Each of five priests took two bundles of torches, but only one igniteda torch. 

At his side stood the chief overseer holding in his hands a largestring of beads on which were written certain characters. Behind themwalked Ramses surrounded by three priests. 

The high priest who held the beads turned to the right and entered agreat hall, the walls and columns of which were covered withinscriptions and figures. From that they entered a narrow corridor, which led upward, and found themselves in a hall distinguished by agreat number of doors. Here a tablet was pushed aside in the floor, discovering an opening through which they descended, and again advancedthrough a narrow corridor to a chamber which had no doors. But theguide touched one hieroglyph of many, and the wall moved aside beforethem. 

Ramses tried to remember the direction in which they were going, butsoon his attention was bewildered. He noted, however, that they passedhurriedly through great halls, small chambers, narrow corridors, thatthey climbed up or descended, that some halls had a multitude of doorsand others none whatever. He observed at once that the guide at eachnew entrance dropped one bead from his long rosary, and sometimes, bythe light of the torch, he compared the indications on the beads withthose on the walls. 

"Where are we now?" asked the pharaoh on a sudden, "beneath the earth, or above it?"

"We are in the power of the gods!" replied his neighbor. 

After a number of turns and passages the pharaoh again said, "But I think that we are here for the second time. "

The priests were silent, but he who carried the torch held his light tothe walls in one and another place, and Ramses, while looking, confessed in spirit that they had not been there before. 

In a small chamber without doors they lowered the light, and thepharaoh saw on the pavement dried, black remains, covered with decayedclothing. 

"That, " said the overseer of the building, "is the body of a Phoenicianwho, during the sixteenth dynasty, tried to break into the labyrinth;he got thus far. "

"Did they kill him?" inquired Ramses. 

"He died of hunger. "

The party had advanced again about half an hour, when the priest whobore the torch lighted a niche in the corridor where also dried remainswere lying. 

"This, " said the overseer, "is the body of a Nubian priest, who in thetime of thy grandfather, holiness, tried to enter the labyrinth. "

The pharaoh made no inquiry as to what happened to this man. He had theimpression of being in some depth and the feeling that the edificewould crush him. Of taking bearings amid those hundreds of corridors, halls, and chambers, he had no thought any longer. He did not even wishto explain to himself by what miracle those stone walls opened, or whypavements sank before him. 

"Samentu will do nothing, " said he in spirit. "He will perish likethese two, whom I must even mention to him. "

Such a crushing, such a feeling of helplessness and nothingness he hadnever experienced. At moments it seemed to him that the priests wouldleave him in one of those narrow doorless chambers. Then despair seizedthe young pharaoh; he touched his sword and was ready to cut them down. But he remembered directly that without their assistance he could notgo hence, and he dropped his head. 

"Oh to see the light of day, even for a moment! How terrible must deathbe among three thousand rooms filled with gloom or utter darkness!"

Heroic souls have moments of deep depression which the common mancannot even imagine. 

The advance had lasted an hour almost when at last they entered a lowhall resting on octagonal pillars. The three priests surrounding thepharaoh, separated then Ramses noticed that one of them nestled up to acolumn and vanished, as it were, in the interior of it. 

After a while a narrow opening appeared in one of the walls, thepriests returned to their places, and the guide commanded to light fourtorches. All turned toward that opening and pushed through itcautiously. 

"Here are the chambers, " said the overseer. 

The priests lighted quickly torches which were fixed to the walls andcolumns. Ramses saw a series of immense chambers filled with mostvaried products of priceless value. In this collection every dynasty, if not every pharaoh, had placed from what he or it possessed, thatwhich was most peculiar, or which had the most value. 

There were chariots, boats, beds, tables, caskets, and thrones gold orcovered with gold plate, also inlaid with ivory, mother-of-pearl andcolored wood so ornamentally that artists must have worked tens ofyears at them. There were weapons, shields and quivers glittering withjewels. There were pitchers, plates, and spoons of pure gold, costlyrobes, and baldachins. 

All this treasure, thanks to dry and pure air, was preserved withoutchange during ages. 

Among rare objects the pharaoh saw the silver model of the Assyrianpalace brought to Ramses XII by Sargon. The high priest, whileexplaining to the pharaoh whence each gift came, looked at his facediligently. But in place of admiration for the treasures, he noticeddissatisfaction. "Tell me, worthiness, " inquired Ramses on a sudden, "what good comes of these treasures shut up in darkness?"

"Should Egypt be in danger there would be great power in them, " repliedthe overseer. "For a few of these helmets, chariots and swords we mightbuy the good-will of all the Assyrian satraps. And maybe even KingAssar himself would not resist if we gave him furniture for his thronehall, or his arsenal. "

"I think that they would rather take all from us by the sword than afew through good-will, " said the pharaoh. 

"Let them try!" replied the priest. 

"I understand. Ye have then means of destroying the treasures. But inthat case no one could make use of them. "

"That is not a question for my mind, " replied the overseer. "We guardwhat is given to us, and do what is ordered. "

"Would it not be better to use a portion of these treasures to fill thecoffers of the state and raise Egypt from the misery in which it is atpresent?" asked the pharaoh. 

"That does not depend on us. "

Ramses frowned. He examined things for some time without very greatinterest; at last he inquired, "Yes, these products of art might be useful in gaining the good-will ofAssyrian dignitaries; but if war were to break out with Assyria howcould we get wheat, men, and arms from nations which have no knowledgeof rare objects?"

"Open the treasury, " said the high priest. 

At this time the priests hurried in different directions: two vanishedas if in the interior of columns, while a third went up along the wallon steps and did something near a carved figure. 

Again a hidden door slipped aside and Ramses entered the real hall oftreasure. 

That was a spacious room filled with priceless objects. In it wereearthen jars containing gold dust, lumps of gold piled up like bricks, and ingots of gold in packages. Blocks of silver stored at one sideformed, as it were, a wall two ells thick and as high as the ceiling. In niches and on stone tables lay precious stones of every color:rubies, topazes, emeralds, sapphires, diamonds, pearls as large as nutsand even as birds' eggs. There were single jewels which equaled a townin value. 

"This is our property in case of misfortune, " said the overseer. 

"For what misfortune are ye waiting?" inquired the pharaoh. "The peopleare poor, the nobility and the court are in debt, the army decreasedone half, the pharaoh without money. Has Egypt ever been in a worseposition?"

"It was in a worse position when the Hyksos conquered it. "

"In a few years, " replied Ramses, "even the Israelites will conquerthis country unless the Libyans and Ethiopians precede them. And thenthese beautiful stones, broken into pieces, will go to ornament thesandals of black men and Hebrews. "

"Be at rest, holiness. In case of need not only the treasure itself, but the labyrinth would vanish without a trace, together with itsguardians. "

Ramses understood thoroughly that he had before him fanatics whothought only of this: not to let any one possess that treasure. He satdown on a pile of gold bricks, and continued, "Then ye are preserving this property for evil days in Egypt?"

"Thou speakest truth, holiness. "

"But who will convince you, its guardians, that those days have comewhen they are really present?"

"To do that it would be necessary to call an extraordinary assembly ofEgyptians, an assembly made up of the pharaoh, thirteen priests of thehighest degree, thirteen nomarchs, thirteen nobles, thirteen officers, and thirteen of each of the following: merchants, artisans, and earth-tillers. "

"Then ye would give to such an assembly the treasures?" asked thepharaoh. 

"We would give the necessary sum if the whole assembly, as one man, decided that Egypt was in danger, and. "

"And what?"

"If the statue of Amon in Thebes confirmed that decision. "

Ramses dropped his head as if to hide his great satisfaction. 

He had a plan ready. 

"I shall be able to collect such an assembly and incline it tounanimity, " thought the pharaoh. "Also it seems to me the divine statueof Amon will confirm the decision if I put my Asiatics around it. "

"I thank you, pious men, " said he aloud, "for showing me these preciousthings, the great value of which does not prevent me from being oneamong the poorest of sovereigns. And now I beg you to lead me hence bythe shortest way possible and the most convenient. "

"We wish thee, holiness, to double the wealth of the labyrinth. As tothe road, there is only one, we must return as we came. "

One of the priests gave Ramses dates, another a flask of wine mixedwith some invigorating substance. Then the pharaoh recovered strengthand went forward cheerfully. 

"I would give much, " said he, laughing, "to know all the turns of thiswonderful passage. "

The guiding priest stopped, "I assure thee, holiness, that we ourselves do not understand orremember this road, though each one of us has entered a number of timesby it. "

"Then how do ye manage?"

"We have certain indications, but if one of these were to fail us, evenat this moment we should die here of hunger. "

They reached the antechamber at last and through it the courtyard. Ramses looked around and drew one breath of relief after another. 

"For all the treasures of the labyrinth I would not guard them!" criedhe. "Terror falls on my breast when I think that it is possible to diein those stone prisons. "

"But it is possible to grow attached to them, " replied the priestsmiling. 

The pharaoh thanked each of his guides, and concluded, "I should be glad o show you some favor; ask for one. "

The priests listened with indifference, and their chief answered, "Pardon me, holiness, but what could we wish for? Our figs and datesare as sweet as those in thy garden, our water is as good as that fromthy well. If wealth attracted us have we not more of it than all thekings put together?"

"I cannot win these men by anything, " thought the pharaoh, "but I willgive them a decision of the assembly, and a decision of Amon. "

CHAPTER LVII

WHEN he left Fayum the pharaoh and his retinue advanced southward anumber of days up the Nile, surrounded by a throng of boats, greeted byshouts, and covered with flowers. 

On both banks of the river, on a background of green fields, extendedan unbroken series of huts of the people, groves of fig trees, groupsof palms. Every hour appeared the white houses of some village, or alarger place with colored buildings, and the immense pylons of temples. 

On the west the wall of the Libyan hills was outlined not verydistinctly; but on the east the Arabian line approached ever nearer tothe river. It was possible to see clearly the steep, jagged cliffs, dark, yellow or rose colored, recalling by their forms the ruins offortresses or of temples built by giants. 

In the middle of the Nile they met islands which had risen from thewater as it were yesterday, but were covered with rich vegetation todayand were occupied by birds in countless numbers. When the noisy retinueof the pharaoh sailed near, the frightened birds flew up and, circlingabove the boats, joined their cries with the mighty sound of people. Above this all hung a transparent sky and light so full of life that inthe flood of it the black earth assumed a brightness, and the stonesrainbow colors. 

Time passed, therefore, pleasantly for the pharaoh. At first theincessant cries irritated him somewhat, but later he grew so, accustomed that he turned no attention to them. He was able to readdocuments, take counsel, and even sleep. 

From a hundred and fifty to two hundred miles above Fayum on the leftbank of the Nile is Siut, where Ramses XIII took a rest of two days. Hewas even obliged to halt there, for the mummy of the late pharaoh wasstill in Abydos, where they were making solemn prayers at the grave ofOsiris. 

Siut was one of the richest parts of Upper Egypt. At that place weremade the famous vessels of white and black clay, and there they wovelinen. It was also the chief market-place to which people brought goodsfrom the oases scattered throughout the desert. There besides was thefamous temple of the jackal-headed god, Anubis. 

On the second day of his stay in that place the priest Pentuer appearedbefore Ramses. He was the chief of that commission sent to investigatethe condition of the people. 

"Hast Thou news?" inquired the sovereign. 

"I have this, O holiness, that all the country blesses thee. All withwhom I speak are full of hope, and say, 'His reign will be a new lifefor Egypt. '. "

"I wish, " replied Ramses, "my subjects to be happy; I wish the toilingman to rest; I wish that Egypt might have eight millions of people asaforetime and win back that land seized from it by the desert; I wishthe laborer to rest one day in seven and each man who digs the earth tohave some little part of it. "

Pentuer fell on his face before the kindly sovereign. 

"Rise, " said Ramses. "But I have had hours of grievous sadness: I seethe suffering of my people; I wish to raise them, but the treasury isempty. Thou thyself knowest best that without some tens of thousands oftalents I cannot venture on such changes. But now I am at rest; I canget the needed treasure from the labyrinth. "

Pentuer looked at his sovereign with amazement. 

"The overseer of the treasure explained to me what I am to do, " saidthe pharaoh. "I must call a general council of all orders, thirteen ofeach order. And if they declare that Egypt is in need the labyrinthwill furnish me with treasure. "

"O gods!" added he, "for a couple for one of the jewels which lie thereit would be possible to give the people fifty rest days in a year!Never will they be used to better purpose. "

Pentuer shook his head. 

"Lord, " said he, "the six million Egyptians, with me and my friendsbefore others, will agree that Thou take from that treasure. But, Oholiness, be not deceived; one hundred of the highest dignitaries ofthe state will oppose, and then the labyrinth will give nothing. "

"They wish me, then, to beg before some temple!" burst out the pharaoh. 

"No, " replied the priest. "They fear lest that treasure house beemptied once Thou touch it. They will suspect thy most faithfulservants, holiness, of sharing in the profits flowing from thelabyrinth. And then envy will whisper to each of them: 'Why shouldstThou not profit also?' Not hatred of thee, holiness, but mutualdistrust, greed, will urge them to resistance. "

When he heard this the pharaoh was calm, he smiled even. 

"If it be as Thou sayst, be at rest, beloved Pentuer. At this moment Iunderstand exactly why Amon established the authority of the pharaohand gave him superhuman power. For the purpose, seest thou, that ahundred, even of the most distinguished rascals, should not wreck thestate. "

Ramses rose from his armchair and added, "Say to 'my people: Work and be patient. Say to the priests who areloyal: Serve the gods and cultivate wisdom, which is the sun of theuniverse. But those stubborn and suspicious dignitaries leave to mymanagement. Woe to them if they anger me. "

"Lord, " said the priest, "I am thy faithful servant. "

But when he had taken farewell and gone out care was evident on hisface. 

About seventy-five miles from Siut, higher up the Nile, the wildArabian rocks almost touch the river, but the Libyan hills have pushedaway so far from it that the valley at that point is perhaps the widestpart of Egypt. Just there, side by side, stood Tibis and Abydos, twoholy cities. There was born the first Egyptian pharaoh, Menes, there, ahundred thousand years before, were laid in the grave the holy relicsof the god Osiris slain by Set (his brother Typhon) treacherously. 

There, finally, in memory of those great events, the famous pharaohSeti built a temple to which pilgrims came from every part of Egypt. Each believer was bound even once during life to bring his forehead tothe blessed earth of Abydos. Truly happy was he whose mummy could makea journey to that place and halt even at a distance from the temple. 

The mummy of Ramses XII spent two days there; for he had been a rulernoted for devotion. There is nothing wonderful in this, therefore, thatRamses XIII began his reign by rendering homage to the grave of Osiris. 

Seti's temple was not among the oldest or most splendid in Egypt, butit was distinguished for pure Egyptian style. His holiness Ramses XIII, accompanied by Sem the high priest, visited the temple and madeofferings in it. 

The ground belonging to the edifice occupied a space of seventy-fivehectares, on which were fish ponds, flower beds, orchards and vegetablegardens, besides the houses or rather villas of the temple priesthood. Everywhere grew poplars and acacias, as well as palm, fig, and orangetrees which formed alleys directed toward the cardinal points of theworld, or groups of trees of almost the same height and set out inorder. 

Under the watchful eyes of priests even the plant world did not developaccording to its own impulses into irregular but picturesque groups; itwas arranged in straight lines according to direction, or straightlines according to height, or in geometrical figures. 

Palms, tamarinds, cypresses, and myrtles were arranged like warriors inranks or columns. The grass was a divan shorn and ornamented withpictures made of flowers, not of any chance color, but of that colorwhich was demanded. People looking from above saw pictures of gods orsacred beasts blooming on the turf near the temple; a sage found thereaphorisms written out in hieroglyphs. 

The central part of the gardens occupied a rectangular space ninehundred yards long and three hundred wide. This space was enclosed by awall of no great height which had one visible gate and a number ofsecret entrances. Through the gate pious people entered the space whichsurrounded the dwelling of Osiris; this space was covered with a stonepavement. In the middle of the space stood the temple, a rectangularpile four hundred and fifty yards long and in width one hundred andfifty. 

From the public gate to the temple was an avenue of sphinxes with humanheads and lion bodies. They were in two lines, ten in each, and weregazing into each others' eyes. Only the highest dignitaries might passbetween these sphinxes. 

At the head of this avenue, and opposite the public gate, rose twoobelisks or slender and lofty granite columns of four sides, on whichwas inscribed the history of the pharaoh Seti. 

Beyond the obelisks rose the gate of the temple having at both sides ofit gigantic piles in the form of truncated pyramids called pylons. These were like two strong towers, on the walls of which were paintingsrepresenting the visits of Seti, or the offerings which he made todivinities. 

Earth-tillers were not permitted to pass this gate which was free onlyto wealthy citizens and the privileged classes. Through it was theentrance to the peristyle or court, surrounded by a corridor which hada multitude of columns. From this court, where there was room for tenthousand people, persons of the noble order might go still farther tothe first hall, the hypostyle; this had a ceiling which rested on tworows of lofty columns, and there was space in it for two thousandworshippers. This hall was the last to which lay people were admitted. The highest dignitaries who had not received ordination had the rightto pray there, and look thence at the veiled image of the god whichrose in the hall of "divine apparition. "

Beyond the hall of "divine apparition" was the chamber of "tables ofoffering, " where priests placed before the gods gifts brought by thefaithful. Next was the chamber of "repose, " where the god rested whenreturning from or going to a procession, and last was the chapel orsanctuary where the god had his residence. 

Usually the chapel was very small, dark, sometimes cut out of one blockof stone. It was surrounded on all sides by chapels equally small, filled with garments, furniture, vessels and jewels of the god which inits inaccessible seclusion slept, bathed, was anointed with perfumes, ate, drank, and as it seems even received visits from young andbeautiful women. 

This sanctuary was entered only by the high priest, and the rulingpharaoh if he had received ordination. If an ordinary mortal entered hemight lose his life there. 

The walls and columns of each hall were covered with inscriptions andexplanatory paintings. In the corridor surrounding the peristyle werethe names and portraits of all the pharaohs from Menes the first rulerof Egypt to Ramses XII In the hypostyle, or hall for nobles, thegeography and statistics of Egypt were presented pictorially, also thesubject nations. In the hall of "apparition" were the calendar and theresults of astronomical observation; in the chamber of "tables ofoffering, " and in that of "repose" figured pictures relating toreligious ceremonial, and in the sanctuary rules for summoning beingsbeyond the earth and controlling the phenomena of nature. 

This last kind of knowledge was contained in statements so involvedthat even priests in the time of Ramses XII did not understand them. The Chaldean Beroes was to revive this expiring wisdom. 

Ramses XIII, after he had rested two days in the official palace atAbydos, betook himself to the temple. He wore a white tunic, a goldbreastplate, an apron with orange and blue stripes, a steel sword athis side and on his head a golden helmet. The pharaoh sat in a chariotdrawn by horses adorned with ostrich plumes, and was conducted bynomarchs as he moved slowly toward the house of Osiris, surrounded byhis officers. 

Whithersoever he looked: toward the field, the river, the roofs ofhouses, or even the limbs of tamarind and fig-trees there was a throngof people, and an unceasing shout which was like the roar of a tempest. 

When he arrived at the temple the pharaoh stopped his horses anddescended before the public gate. This act pleased the common peopleand delighted the priesthood. He passed on foot along the avenue ofsphinxes and, greeted by the holy men, burned incense before thestatues of Seti which occupied both sides of the main entrance. 

In the peristyle the high priest turned the attention of his holinessto the splendid portraits of the pharaohs, and pointed out the placeselected for that of Ramses. In the hypostyle he indicated to him themeaning of the geographical maps and statistical tables. 

In the chamber of "divine apparition" Ramses offered incense to thegigantic statue of Osiris, and the high priest showed him the columnsdedicated to the separate planets: Mercury, Venus, the moon, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. The planets stood around statues of the sun god tothe number of seven. 

"Thou hast told me, " said Ramses, "that there are six planets;meanwhile I see seven columns. "

"The seventh represents the earth, which is also a planet. "

The astonished pharaoh asked for explanation, but the sage was silent, indicating by signs that his lips were sealed on that subject. 

In the chamber of the "tables of offering" was heard low but beautifulmusic, during which a solemn dance was given by a chorus ofpriestesses. 

The pharaoh removed his golden helmet; next, his breastplate of greatvalue, and gave both to Osiris, desiring that these gifts should remainin the treasury of the god, and not be transferred to the labyrinth. 

In return for his bounty the high priest bestowed on the sovereign amost beautiful dancer fifteen years of age, who seemed greatlydelighted with her fortune. 

When the pharaoh found himself in the hall of "repose" he sat on thethrone, and his substitute in religion, Sem, to the sound of music andamid the smoke of censers, entered the sanctuary to bring forth thedivinity. 

Half an hour later, to the deafening sound of bells, appeared in thegloom of the chamber a golden boat hidden by curtains which moved attimes as if some living being were sitting behind them. 

The priests prostrated themselves, and Ramses looked intently at thetransparent curtains. One of these was turned aside and the pharaoh sawa child of rare beauty which looked at him with such wise eyes that theruler of Egypt was almost afraid of it. 

"This is Horus, " whispered the priest. "Horus the rising sun. He is theson of Osiris and also his father, and the husband of his own mother, who is his sister. "

The procession began, but only through the interior of the temple. Inadvance went harpers and female dancers, next a white bull with agolden shield between his horns, then two choruses of priests and highpriests bearing the god, then choruses, and finally the pharaoh in alitter borne by eight priests of the temple. 

When the procession had passed through all the corridors and halls ofthe temple, and the god and Ramses had returned to the chamber ofrepose, the curtain concealing the sacred boat slipped apart and thebeautiful child smiled at the pharaoh. 

After that Sem bore away the boat and the god to the chapel. 

"One might become a high priest, " said the pharaoh, who was so pleasedwith the child that he would have been glad to see it as often aspossible. 

But when he had gone forth from the temple and seen the sun and thethrong of delighted people, he confessed in his soul that he understoodnothing. He knew not whence they had brought that child, unlike anyother child in Egypt, whence that superhuman wisdom in its eyes, norwhat the meaning was of all that he himself had seen. 

Suddenly he remembered his murdered son, who might have been asbeautiful, and the ruler of Egypt wept in presence of a hundredthousand subjects. 

"Converted! The pharaoh is converted!" said the priests. "Barely has heentered the dwelling of Osiris, and his heart is touched. "

That same day one blind man and two paralytics, who were prayingoutside the walls of the temple, recovered health. The council ofpriests decided, therefore, to reckon that day in the list of thosewhich were miraculous, and to paint a picture on the external wall ofthe edifice representing the weeping pharaoh and the cured people. 

Ramses returned rather late in the afternoon to his palace to hearreports. When all the dignitaries had left the cabinet Tutmosis came inand said, "Holiness, the priest Samentu wishes to pay thee homage. "

"Well, let him come. "

"He implores thee, lord, to receive him in a tent in the military camp;he asserts that the walls of the palace are fond of listening. "

Before sunset, the pharaoh went with Tutmosis to his faithful troopsand found among them the royal tent, at which Asiatics were on guard bycommand of Tutmosis. 

In the evening came Samentu dressed in the garb of a pilgrim, and whenhe had greeted his holiness with honor, he whispered, "It seems to me that I was followed the whole way by some man who hasstopped not far from this tent, O holiness. Perhaps he was sent by thehigh priests. "

At the pharaoh's command Tutmosis ran out, and found, in fact, astrange officer. 

"Who art thou?" asked he. 

"I am Eunana, a centurion in the regiment of Isis. The unfortunateEunana. Dost Thou not remember me, worthiness? More than a year ago atthe maneuvers near Pi-Bailos I discovered the sacred scarabs. "

"Ah, that is thou!" interrupted Tutmosis. "But thy regiment is not inAbydos?"

"The water of truth flows from thy lips. We are quartered at a wretchedplace near Mena where the priests have commanded us to clear a canal, as if we were Hebrews or earthdiggers. "

"How hast Thou appeared here?"

"I implored my superiors for a rest of some days, and like a deerthirsting for a spring I, thanks to the swiftness of my feet, havehurried hither. "

"What dost Thou wish, then?"

"I wish to beg favor of his holiness against the shaven heads who giveme no promotion because I am sensitive to the sufferings of warriors. "

Tutmosis returned to the tent, ill-humored, and repeated theconversation to the pharaoh. 

"Eunana?" repeated the sovereign. "Yes, I remember him. He caused ustrouble with his beetles, but got fifty blows of a stick throughHerhor. And Thou sayst that he complains of the priests? Bring himhither. "

The pharaoh told Samentu to go into the second division of the tent. 

The unfortunate officer soon showed himself. He fell with his face tothe earth, and then kneeling, and sighing, continued, "I pray every day at his rising and setting to Re Harmachis, and toAmon, and Re, and Ptah, and to other gods and goddesses, for thyhealth, O sovereign of Egypt! That Thou live! That Thou have success, and that I might see even the splendor of thy heel. " [Authentic]

"What does he wish?" asked the pharaoh of Tutmosis, observing etiquettefor the first time. 

"His holiness is pleased to inquire what thy wish is?" repeatedTutmosis. 

The deceitful Eunana, remaining on his knees, turned toward thefavorite, and said, "Thou art the ear and eye of the land; Thou givest delight and life, hence I will answer thee as at the judgment of Osiris: I have served inthe priests' regiment of the divine Isis ten years; I have fought sixyears on the eastern boundary. Men of my age are commanders ofthousands, but I am only a centurion. I receive blows of sticks atcommand of the god-fearing priests. And why is such injustice done me?In the day-time I think of books, and at night I read them, since thefool who leaves books as quickly as a gazelle takes to flight is of lowmind; he is like the ass which receives lashes, like the deaf man whodoes not hear, and with whom one must speak with his fingers. In spiteof my love for science I am not puffed up with my own knowledge, but Itake counsel with all, for from each man it is possible to learnsomething, and I surround with my esteem worthy sages. "

The pharaoh moved impatiently, but listened on, knowing that anEgyptian considered garrulousness as his duty and the highest honor tosuperiors. 

"This is what I am, " said Eunana. "In a strange house I look not atwomen. I give my attendants to eat what is proper, but when my turncomes I dispute not about the division. I have a face which issatisfied at all times, and in presence of superiors I actrespectfully. I never sit in the presence of an older man standing; Iam not forward, and without invitation I go not into other men'shouses. I am silent touching that which my eyes see, for I know that weare deaf to men who use many words. 

"Wisdom teaches that the body of a man is like a granary full ofvarious objects. Therefore, I choose at all times the good that is inme and express it. I keep the bad shut up in my person. The deceits ofother men I repeat not, and as to that which is committed to me Ialways accomplish it in the best manner possible. 

"And what is my reward?" finished Eunana, raising his voice; "I suffercold, I go in rags, I am not able to lie on my back, it is so beaten. Iread in books that the priestly order rewards valor and prudence. Indeed! that must have been at some other time, and very long ago. Forthe priests of today turn from men of ability and drive strength andvalor out of the bones of officers. "

"I shall fall asleep in presence of this man, " said the pharaoh. 

"Eunana, " said Tutmosis, "his holiness is convinced that Thou artexpert in books, but tell now in as few words as possible what thy wishis. "

"An arrow does not go so quickly to its mark as my request will fly tothe divine feet of his holiness, " replied Eunana. "The service of theshaven heads has so disgusted me, the priests have filled my heart withsuch bitterness, that if I am not transferred to the army of thepharaoh, I shall pierce myself with my own sword, before which theenemies of Egypt have trembled more than one time and more than ahundred times. I would rather be a decurion, nay a simple warrior ofhis holiness than a centurion in priestly regiments; a pig or a dog mayserve them, but not a believing Egyptian!"

Eunana uttered the last words with such mad anger that the pharaoh saidin Greek to Tutmosis, "Take him to the guard. An officer who does not like the priests may beof use to us. "

"His holiness, the lord of both worlds has given command to receivethee into his guard, " repeated Tutmosis. 

"My health and life belong to our lord. May he live through eternity!"exclaimed Eunana, and he kissed the footstool beneath the feet of thepharaoh. 

Eunana, now made happy, moved backward, falling on his face after everycouple of steps, and left the tent, blessing his sovereign. 

"His garrulousness irritated me, " said Ramses. "I must teach Egyptiansoldiers and officers to speak briefly, not like learned scribes. "

"May the gods grant that to be his only failing, " whispered Tutmosis, on whom Eunana had made a bad impression. 

Ramses summoned Samentu. 

"Be at rest, " said he to the priest. "That officer who came after theewas not following. He is too stupid for commissions of that sort. But aheavy hand may be used in case of necessity. Well, now, tell me whatinclined thee to such cautiousness?"

"I know, almost, the road to the treasure chambers in the labyrinth, "said Samentu. 

The pharaoh shook his head. 

"That is a difficult task, " said he in a low voice. "I ran an hourthrough various halls and corridors, like a mouse chased by a cat. AndI confess that, not merely did I not understand that road, but I couldnot have even escaped from the place unattended. Death in the sunlightmay be pleasant, but death in those dens, where a mole would lose itsway! Brr!"

"Still we must find that road and master it, " said Samentu. 

"But if the overseers themselves give the necessary part of thetreasure, " inquired the pharaoh. 

"They will not do that while Mefres, Herhor, and their confederates areliving. Believe me, sovereign, the question for those dignitaries is toroll thee in swaddling clothes, like an infant. "

Ramses grew pale from anger. 

"Unless I wind them in chains! How wilt Thou discover the way?"

"Here in Abydos, in the grave of Osiris, I found the whole plan of theroad to the treasure, " said Samentu. 

"But how didst Thou learn that it was here?"

"Inscriptions in my temple of Set explained that to me. "

"When didst Thou find the plan?"

"When the mummy of thy eternally living father, O holiness, was in thetemple of Osiris. I accompanied the revered relics and while on nightservice in the hall of 'repose' I entered the sanctuary. "

"Thou shouldst be a general, not a high priest!" cried Ramses, laughing. "And now Thou understandest the way of the labyrinth?"

"I have understood it this long time, now I have taken indications forguidance. "

"Canst Thou explain it to me?"

"Of course, at the right time, I will even show thee a plan, holiness. That way, " continued Samentu, "passes in zigzags four times through thewhole labyrinth; it begins on the upper story and ends in the lowestplace underground, and has a number of other twists. That is why it isso long. "

"And how couldst Thou go from one hall to another when there is such amultitude of doors in them?"

"On every door leading to the object there is a portion of thissentence: 'Woe to the traitor who tries to penetrate the supreme secretof the state and to stretch forth a sacrilegious hand toward thetreasure of the gods. His remains will be like offal, and his soul, torn by its sins, will wander without rest, through dark places. '"

"And that inscription does not terrify thee?"

"But, holiness, does the sight of a Libyan spear terrify thee? Threatsare good against common people, but not against me, who am able myselfto write curses still more dreadful. "

The pharaoh fell to thinking. 

"Thou art right, " said he. "A spear will not harm him who knows how toward it off, and a deceitful road will not lead astray the sage whoknows the word of truth. But how wilt Thou manage to make stones in thewall move apart before thee, and columns change into doors ofentrance?"

Samentu shrugged his shoulders contemptuously. 

"In my temple, " replied he, "there are imperceptible entrances evenmore difficult to open than those in the labyrinth. Whoso knows the keyto a mystery can go everywhere, as Thou hast said justly, O holiness. "

Ramses rested his head on his hand and continued thinking. 

"I should be sorry, " said he, "if misfortune were to meet thee on theway. "

"In the worst event I shall meet death, and does not death threateneven a pharaoh. Besides, didst Thou not march to the Soda Lakes boldly, though Thou wert not sure of returning? And, lord, think not, "continued the priest, "that I must pass over the same distance as othermen who visit the labyrinth. I shall find nearer points, and in thecourse of one prayer to Osiris I can reach a place which Thou wouldstonly reach after thirty prayers. "

"But are there other entrances?"

"There are, most assuredly, and I must find them. I shall not enter asThou didst, by the main gate or in the daytime. "

"How then?"

"There are external doors which I know and which the wise overseers ofthe labyrinth leave unguarded. In the court the watches are notnumerous and they trust so much to the care of the gods, or to the fearof the people that they sleep in the night time most frequently. Besides, the priests go to pray in the temple three times betweensunset and sunrise, but the guards perform their devotions in the openair. Before one prayer is finished I shall be in the edifice. "

"And if Thou go astray?"

"I have a plan. "

"But if the plan is imperfect?" asked the pharaoh, unable to hide hisanxiety. 

"But, holiness, if Thou obtain not the treasures of the labyrinth? Ifthe Phoenicians change their minds and refuse the promised loan? If thearmy be hungry, and the hopes of the common people be deceived? Bepleased to believe me, lord, " continued the priest, "that I amid thecorridors of the labyrinth shall be safer than Thou in thy kingdom ofEgypt. "

"But the darkness the darkness! And the walls which one cannot breakthrough, and the depth, and those hundreds of ways in which he whoenters must lose himself. Believe me, Samentu, a battle with men isamusement, but a conflict with darkness and doubt that is dreadful. "

"Holiness, " answered Samentu, smiling, "Thou dost not know my life. Atthe age of twenty-five I was a priest of Osiris. "

"Thou?" asked Ramses, with astonishment. 

"I, and I will tell at once why I passed to the service of Set. Theysent me to the peninsula of Sinai to build a small chapel for miners. The labor of building continued six years. I, had much free time andwandered among mountains, examining the caves in them. 

"What have I not seen in those places! Corridors so long that it tookhours to pass through them, narrow entrances through which if a manpasses he must crawl on his stomach; chambers so immense that in each awhole temple might find room sufficient. I saw underground rivers, lakes, crystal chambers, dens totally dark in which no man could seehis own hand, again others in which there was as much light as if asecond sun had been shining there. 

"How often have I been lost in countless passages, how often has mytorch gone out, how often was I approaching an unseen precipice? I havepassed many days in subterranean places, living on parched barley, licking the moisture from wet rocks, not knowing whether I should eversee this upper world again. 

"But I gained experience. My vision grew sharp and I even came to lovethose underground regions. And today when I think of the childishrecesses of the labyrinth I am ready for laughter. Edifices built bymen are like mole-hills when compared with the immense structuresreared by those silent and invisible earth spirits. 

"But once I met a dreadful thing which brought me to change myposition. West from the quarries of Sinai is a group of ravines andmountains among which subterranean thunders are heard frequently, theearth trembles, and flames are seen sometimes. I was made curious, so Iwent there for a longer visit. I sought, and, thanks to aninconsiderable opening, I discovered a whole chain of immense cavesunder the arches of which it would be possible to place the largestpyramid. 

"When I wandered into those places I was met by a smell ofputrefaction, a smell so strong that I wished to flee from it. But, conquering myself, I entered the cave whence it came, and beheldImagine, lord, a man with legs and arms shorter by one half than ours, but thick, awkward, and with claws at their extremities. Add to thisfigure a broad tail, flattened at the side, indented like the comb of acock, a very long neck, and on it a dog's head. Finally, dress thismonster in armor covered on the back with carved spikes. Now imaginethat figure standing on its feet with arms and breast resting against acliff. "

"That was something very ugly, " put in Ramses; "I should have killed itimmediately. "

"It was not ugly, " answered Samentu, shaking himself. "For think, lord, that monster was as tall as an obelisk. "

Ramses made a movement of displeasure. 

"Samentu, " said he, "it seems to me that Thou didst visit thy caves ina dream. "

"I swear to thee, holiness, by the life of my children!" exclaimed thepriest, "that I speak truth. Yes; that monster in the skin of a reptilecovered with a scaly armor, if lying on the ground, would with its tailbe fifty paces long. In spite of fear and repulsion I returned a numberof times to that cave and examined the creature most carefully. "

"Then it was alive?"

"No, it was dead. Dead a very long time, but preserved like ourmummies. The great dryness of the air preserved it, and perhaps some. Salt of the earth unknown to me. 

"That was my last discovery, " continued Samentu. "I went no more intocaves, for I meditated greatly. 'Osiris, ' said I, 'creates lions, elephants, horses, and Set gives birth to serpents, bats, crocodiles;the monster which I met is surely a creation of Set, and since itexceeds everything known by us under the sun, Set is a mightier godthan Osiris. '

"So I turned to Set, and on returning to Egypt fixed myself in histemple. When I told the priests of my discovery they explained to methat they knew a great many monsters of that sort. "

Samentu drew breath, then continued, "Shouldst Thou desire to visit our temple at any time, holiness, I willshow thee wondrous and terrible beings in coffins: geese with lizards'heads and bats' wings. Lizards like swans, but larger than ostriches, crocodiles three times as long as those which live now in the Nile, frogs as bulky as mastiffs. Those are mummies, or skeletons found incaves and preserved in our coffins. People think that we adore them, but we merely save them from decay and examine their structure. "

"I shall believe thee when I see them myself, " replied the pharaoh. "But tell me, whence could such creatures come?"

"The world in which we live, holiness, has suffered great changes. InEgypt itself we find ruins of cities and temples hidden in the earthdeeply. There was a time when that which is now Lower Egypt was an armof the sea, and the Nile flowed through the whole width of our valley. Still earlier the sea was here, where this kingdom is now. Ourancestors inhabited the region which the western desert has taken. Still earlier tens of thousands of years ago the people were not as weare, they rather resembled monkeys, but they knew how to build huts, they had fire, and they used stones and clubs in fighting. 

"There were no horses in those days, nor bulls; while elephants, rhinoceroses and lions were three or even four times as large as thosebeasts are in our time. 

"But enormous elephants were not the first creatures. Before them livedimmense reptiles: flying, swimming, and walking. Earlier than thereptiles in this world there were only snails and fish, and before themonly plants, but plants such as exist not at present. "

"And still earlier?" inquired Ramses. 

"Still earlier the earth was empty and void, and the spirit of Godmoved over the waters. "

"I have heard something of this, " said Ramses, "but I shall not believeit till Thou show me mummies of monsters which, as Thou sayst, are inthy temple. "

"With permission, holiness, I will finish what I have begun, " saidSamentu. "When I saw that immense body in the cave at Sinai fear seizedme, and for two years or more I entered no cave of any kind. But whenpriests of Set explained to me the origin of such wonderful creaturesmy alarm vanished and curiosity rose up in place of it. I have nopleasanter amusement today than to wander in subterranean places andsearch for ways amid darkness. For this reason the labyrinth will notcause me more trouble than a walk through the pharaoh's garden. "

"Samentu, " said the sovereign, "I esteem thy marvelous daring and thywisdom; Thou hast told me so many curious things that indeed I myselfhave conceived a wish to examine caves, and some time I will even gowith thee to Sinai. Still I have fears as to thy conquest of thelabyrinth, and in every event I will summon an assembly of Egyptians toempower me to use its treasures. "

"That will do no harm, " replied the priest. "But none the less will mylabor be needed, since Mefres and Herhor will never consent to yieldthe treasure. "

"And art Thou sure of success?" inquired Ramses persistently. 

"Since Egypt is Egypt, " said Samentu, "there has not been a man who hadsuch means to win victory as I have. This encounter is for me not evena struggle, but an amusement. Darkness terrifies some men; I lovedarkness and can even see in the midst of it. Others are unable toguide themselves among the numerous chambers and corridors; I shall dothat very easily. Besides, the secrets of opening hidden doors areunknown to other men, while I know them thoroughly. 

"Had I nothing beyond what I have recounted I should discover the waysof the labyrinth in one month or in two, but I have besides a detailedplan of those passages and I know the expressions which will lead mefrom hall to hall. What then can hinder me?"

"Still doubt is concealed at the bottom of thy heart; Thou didst fearthat officer who seemed to pursue thee. "

The priest shrugged his shoulders. 

"I fear nothing and no man, " replied he with calmness, "but I amcautious. I provide against everything, and I am prepared even forthis, that they may seize me. "

"Dreadful tortures would await thee in that case!" whispered Ramses. 

"No tortures. I shall open a door directly from the subterraneanchamber of the labyrinth to the land of endless light. "

"And wilt Thou not be sorry for me?"

"Why should I? I aim at a great object; I wish to occupy Herhor'splace. "

"I swear that Thou shalt have it. "

"Unless I perish, " added Samentu. "But if I go along precipices tomountain summits, and in that wandering my foot slips and I fall, whatdoes it signify? Thou, lord, wilt care for the future of my children?"

"Go forward, " said Ramses. "Thou art worthy to be my foremostassistant. "

CHAPTER LVIII

AFTER leaving Abydos, Ramses XIII sailed up the Nile to the city ofTan-ta-ren (Dendera) and Keneh, which stood nearly opposite each other:one on the western, the other on the eastern bank of the river. At Tan-ta-ren were two famous places: the pond in which crocodiles werereared, and the temple of Hator, where there was a school at which weretaught medicine, sacred hymns, the methods of celebrating divineceremonies, finally astronomy. 

The pharaoh visited both places. He was irritated when they directedhim to burn incense before the sacred crocodiles, which he consideredas foul and stupid reptiles. And when one of these in time of offeringpushed out too far and seized the sovereign's garment with its teeth, Ramses struck it on the head with a bronze ladle so violently that thereptile closed its eyes for a time, and spread its legs, then withdrewand crept into the water, as if understanding that the youthfulsovereign did not wish to be familiar even with divinities. 

"But have I committed sacrilege?" inquired Ramses of the high priest. 

The dignitary looked around stealthily to see if any one werelistening, and answered, "If I had known, holiness, that Thou wouldst make it an offering inthat way, I should have given thee a club, not a censer. That crocodileis the most unendurable brute in the whole temple. Once it seized achild. "

"And ate it?"

"The parents were satisfied!" said the priest. 

"Tell me, " said the pharaoh, after thinking, "how can ye sages renderhomage to beasts which, moreover, when there are no witnesses, ye beatwith sticks?"

The high priest looked around again, and seeing no one near by, heanswered, "Of course Thou canst not suspect, sovereign, that worshippers of onegod believe in the divinity of beasts. What is done is done for thepeople. "

In the temple of Hator the pharaoh passed quickly through the school ofmedicine, and listened without great interest to predictions given byastrologers concerning him. When the astrologer high priest showed hima tablet on which was engraved a map of heaven, he asked, "How often do these predictions come true which ye read in the stars?"

"They come true sometimes. "

"But if ye predict from trees, stones, or running water, do thosepredictions come true also?"

The high priest was troubled. 

"Holiness, do not consider us untruthful. We predict the future forpeople because it concerns them, and we tell them, indeed, what theycan understand of astronomy. "

"And what do ye understand?"

"We understand, " said the priest, "the structure of the heavenly domeand the movement of the stars. "

"What good is that to any one?"

"We have rendered no small service to Egypt. We indicate the maindirections according to which edifices are built and canals are dug. Without the aid of our science vessels sailing on the sea could not gofar from laud. Finally we compose calendars and calculate futureheavenly phenomena. For instance, the sun will be eclipsed within ashort period. "

Ramses was not listening; he had turned and gone out. 

"How is it possible, " thought the pharaoh, "to build a temple for suchchildish amusements, and besides to engrave the results on goldentablets? These holy men do not know what to snatch at from idleness. "

After he had remained a short time in Tan-ta-ren, the sovereign crossedover to Keneh. 

In that place were no celebrated temples, incensed crocodiles, orgolden tablets with stars. But commerce and pottery flourished. Fromthat city went two roads to ports on the Red Sea: Koseir and Berenice, also a road to the porphyry mountains, whence they brought statues andgreat sticks of timber. 

Keneh was swarming with Phoenicians who received the sovereign withgreat enthusiasm, and presented him with valuables to the amount of tentalents. 

In spite of this, the pharaoh remained barely one day there, since theyinformed him from Thebes that the revered body of Ramses XII wasalready in the palace of Luxor awaiting its burial. 

At that epoch Thebes was an immense city occupying about twelve squarekilometers of area. It possessed the greatest temple in Egypt: that ofAmon, also a multitude of edifices, private and public. The mainstreets were broad, straight, and paved with stone slabs, the banks ofthe Nile had their boulevards, the houses were four or five storieshigh. 

Since every temple and palace had a great gateway with pylons Thebeswas called "the city of a hundred gates. " It was a city on the one handgreatly given to commerce and trade, and on the other, the threshold, as it were, of eternity. On the western bank of the Nile, in the hillsand among them, was an incalculable number of tombs of pharaohs, priests, and magnates. 

Thebes was indebted for its splendor to two pharaohs: Amenophis III orMemnon, who found it a "city of mud and left it a city of stone, " andRamses II, who finished and perfected the edifices begun by Amenophis. 

On the eastern bank of the Nile, in the southern part of the city, wasan entire quarter of immense regal edifices: palaces, villas, temples, on the ruins of which the small town of Luxor stands at present. Inthat quarter the remains of Ramses XII were placed for the lastceremonies. 

When Ramses XIII arrived all Thebes went forth to greet him, only oldmen and cripples remained in the houses, and thieves in the alleys. Here, for the first time, the people took the horses from the pharaoh'schariot and drew it themselves. Here for the first time the pharaohheard shouts against the abuses of priests. This comforted him; alsocries that every seventh day should be for rest. He desired to makethat gift to toiling Egypt, but he knew not that his plans had becomeknown, and that the people were waiting to see them accomplished. 

His journey of five miles lasted a couple of hours amid dense crowds ofpeople. The pharaoh's chariot was stopped very often in the midst of athrong, and did not move till the guard of his holiness had raisedthose who lay prostrate before it. 

When at last he reached the palace gardens where he was to occupy oneof the smaller villas, the pharaoh was so wearied that he did notoccupy himself with affairs of state on his arrival. Next day, however, he burnt incense before the mummy of his father, which was in the mainroyal chamber, and informed Herhor that they might conduct the remainsto the tomb prepared for them. 

But this ceremony was not performed immediately. 

They conveyed the late pharaoh to the temple of Ramses, where itremained a clay and a night. Then they bore the mummy with boundlessmagnificence to the temple of Amon-Ra. 

The details of the funeral ceremony were the same as in Memphis, thoughincomparably grander. 

The royal palaces on the right bank of the Nile were on the southernend of the city, while the temple of Amon-Ra was in the northern partof it. These were connected by a road unique in character. This was anavenue two kilometers long, very broad, lined not only with immensetrees, but with two rows of sphinxes. Some of these with lions' bodieshad human heads, others had rams' heads. There were several hundreds ofthese statues on the avenue, at both sides of which countless throngsof people had assembled from Thebes and the surrounding region. Alongthe middle of the avenue moved the funeral procession. Advancing to themusic of various regiments were detachments of female wailers, chorusesof singers, all the guilds of artisans and merchants, deputations fromsome tens of provinces with their gods and banners, deputations frommore than ten nations which kept up relations with Egypt. And againwalkers' music and priestly choruses. 

This time the mummy of the pharaoh advanced in a golden boat also, butincomparably richer than that in Memphis. The car which bore it wasdrawn by eight pair of white bulls; this car, two stories high, wasalmost concealed under garlands, bouquets, ostrich plumes, and preciouswoven stuffs. It was surrounded by a dense cloud of smoke from censers, which produced the impression that Ramses XII was appearing to hispeople in clouds like a divinity. 

From the pylons of all Theban temples came thunder-like outbursts andwith them loud and rapid sounds from the clashing of bronze disks. 

Though the avenue of sphinxes was free and wide, though the processiontook place under the direction of Egyptian generals, and therefore withthe greatest order, the procession spent three hours in passing thosetwo kilometers between the palace and the edifices of Amon. 

Only when the mummy of Ramses XII was borne into the temple did RamsesXIII drive forth from the palace in a golden chariot drawn by a pair ofsplendid horses. The people standing along the avenue, who during thetime of the procession had held themselves quietly, burst out at sightof the beloved sovereign into a shout so immense that the thunders andsounds from the summits of all the temples were lost in it. 

There was a moment when that mighty throng, borne away by excitement, would have rushed to the middle of the avenue and surrounded theirsovereign. But Ramses, with one motion of his hand, restrained theliving deluge and prevented the sacrilege. 

In the course of some minutes the pharaoh passed over the road andhalted before the immense pylons of the noblest temple in Egypt. 

As Luxor was the quarter of palaces in the south, so Karnak was thequarter of divinities on the northern side of the city. The temple ofAmon-Ra formed the main centre of Karnak. 

This building alone occupied two hectares of space, and the gardens andponds around it about twenty. Before the temple stood two pylons fortymeters high. The forecourt, surrounded by a corridor resting oncolumns, occupied nearly one hectare, the hall of columns in which wereassembled the privileged classes was half a hectare in extent. This wasnot the edifice yet, but the approach to it. 

That hall, or hypostyle, was more than a hundred and fifty yards longand seventy-five yards in width, its ceiling rested on one hundred andthirty-four columns. Among these the twelve central ones were fifteenyards in circumference and from twenty to twenty-four meters high. 

The statues disposed in the temple near the pylons, and at the sacredlakes accorded in size with all other parts of Karnak. 

In the immense gate the worthy Herhor, the high priest of that temple, was waiting for Ramses. Surrounded by a whole staff of priests Herhorgreeted the pharaoh almost haughtily, and while burning a censer beforethe sovereign he did not look at him. Then he conducted Ramses to thehypostyle and gave the order to admit deputations within the wall ofthe temple. 

In the midst of the hypostyle stood the boat with the mummy of thedeparted sovereign, and on both sides of it, two thrones of equalheight stood opposed to each other. On one of these Ramses took hisplace surrounded by nomarchs and generals, on the other sat Herhorsurrounded by the priesthood. Then the high priest Mefres gave Herhorthe miter of Amenhotep and the young pharaoh for the second time beheldon the head of the high priest the golden serpent, the symbol of regalauthority. 

Ramses grew pale from rage, and thought: "Shall I need to remove theureus and thy head at the same time?"

But he was silent, knowing that in that greatest of Egyptian templesHerhor was lord, the equal of the gods, and a potentate perhaps greaterthan the pharaoh. 

During this time when the people filled the court, behind the purplecurtain dividing the rest of the temple from mortals were heard harpsand low singing. Ramses looked at the hall. A whole forest of mightycolumns covered from above to the bases with paintings, the mysteriouslighting, the ceiling far up near the sky somewhere, produced on him aneffect that was crushing. 

"What does it signify, " thought he, "to win a battle at the Soda Lakes?To build an edifice like this is an exploit! But those priests builtit. "

At that moment he felt the power of the priestly order. Could he, hisarmy, or even the whole people overturn that temple? And if it would bedifficult to deal with the edifice would it be easier to struggle withits builders? The voice of the high priest Mefres roused him fromdisagreeable meditations. 

"Holiness, " said the old man; "Thou most worthy confidant of the gods"(here he bowed to Herhor); "ye nomarchs, scribes, warriors, and commonpeople, the most worthy high priest of this temple, Herhor, invites youto judge, according to ancient custom, the earthly acts of the latepharaoh, and to acknowledge or deny to him burial. "

Anger rushed to the head of Ramses. "It was not enough that theyinsulted him in that place, but in addition they dare to discuss thedeeds of his father, to decide as to his burial. "

But he calmed himself; that was only a formality, as ancient, in fact, as the Egyptian dynasties. It related not to judgment, but to praise ofthe departed. 

At a sign given by Herhor the high priests took their seats on stools. But neither the nomarchs nor the generals surrounding the throne ofRamses were seated; there were not even stools for them. 

The pharaoh fixed in his memory that insult also; 'but he had somastered himself now that it was impossible to learn whether he noticedthe disregard shown those near him. 

Meanwhile the holy Mefres dwelt on the life of the deceased pharaoh. 

"Ramses XII, " said he, "did not commit any of the forty-two sins, hencethe court of the gods pronounces a gracious verdict regarding him. Andsince, moreover, the royal mummy, thanks to the exceptional care of thepriests, is provided with every amulet, prayer, direction, and spell, there is no doubt that the late pharaoh is now in the dwelling of thegods, sitting at the side of Osiris, and is himself Osiris. 

"During his earthly life the divine nature of Ramses XII was mademanifest. He reigned more than thirty years. He gave the peopleprofound peace and erected or finished many temples. Besides, he washimself a high priest and surpassed in piety the most pious. During hisreign honor to the gods and elevation of the sacred priestly order heldthe chief position. Therefore he was beloved of the heavenly powers, and one of the Theban gods, Khonsu, at the prayer of the pharaoh, waspleased to go to the country of Buchten, and expel an evil spirit fromthe king's daughter. "

Mefres drew breath and continued, "When I have shown your worthinesses that Ramses XII was a god, will yeinquire with what object that higher being came down to the Egyptianland and spent some tens of years here?

"He did so to reform the world, which, through decay of faith, is muchcorrupted. For who is occupied in devotion today, who thinks of obeyingthe will of the gods in our time?

"In the distant north we see the great Assyrian people who believe onlyin the power of the sword, and who, instead of giving themselves todevotion and wisdom, are subjecting other nations. Nearer to us arePhoenicians, whose god is gold, and whose worship is mere fraud andusury. There are others also: the Hittites on the East, the Libyans onthe west, the Ethiopians on the south, and the Greeks of theMediterranean, those are barbarians and robbers. Instead of toilingthey rob, instead of working wisdom they drink, play dice, or sleeplike tired animals. 

"In the world there is only one really wise and pious people, theEgyptians; but see what is happening among us. Because of the influx ofinfidel foreigners, religion has fallen here also. Nobles and officialsat their wine cups revile eternal life and the gods, while the peoplethrow mud at sacred statues and make no offerings to temples. 

"Excess has taken the place of devotion, riot the place of wisdom. Eachman wants to wear immense wigs, and anoint himself with rare perfumes;he would have tunics and aprons woven with gold, wear chains andbracelets set with jewels. A barley cake suffices him no longer: hewants wheaten bread with milk and honey; he washes his feet in beer andquenches his thirst with wine from foreign countries. 

"Because of this all nobles are in debt, the people are beaten andoverloaded with labor; here and there rebellions break out. What do Isay! here and there? During a certain time through the length and thebreadth of Egypt, thanks to secret disturbances, we hear the shout:'Give us rest after every six days of labor! Do not beat us withoutjudgment! Give each man of us a plot of land as his property!'

"This is a declaration of ruin for Egypt, against which we must findrescue. The rescue is only in religion, which teaches that the peopleshould labor. Holy men, as persons knowing the will of the gods, shouldindicate the labor, and it is the duty of the pharaoh and his officialsto see that this labor is carried out actually. 

"Religion teaches all this; according to these principles Ramses XII, who was equal to the gods, governed Egypt. We high priests, knowing hisdevotion, will cut out the following inscription on his tomb and on thetemples:

"The bull Horus, the mighty Apes who united the crowns of the kingdom, the golden falcon wielding the saber, the conqueror of nine nations, the King of Upper and Lower Egypt, the ruler of two worlds, the son ofthe sun, Amen-Mer-Ramses, beloved of Amon-Ra, the lord and ruler of theTheban region, the son of Amon-Ra received as son by Horus, andbegotten by Hormach, King of Egypt, ruler of Phoenicia, lord of ninenations. " [Authentic tomb inscription. ]

When this proposal was confirmed by a shout of those assembled, dancersran out from behind the curtain and performed a sacred dance before thesarcophagus, and the priests burned incense. Then they took the mummyfrom the boat and bore it to the sanctuary of Amon into which RamsesXIII had not the right to enter. 

The service ended soon after and the assembly left the temple. 

While returning to the palace of Luxor the young pharaoh was so sunk inthought that he hardly saw the immense throng of people and did nothear the shouts which rose from it. 

"I cannot deceive my own heart, " thought Ramses. "The high priestsinsult me; this has not happened to any pharaoh till my time; more, they point out to me the way in which I can gain their favor. They wishto manage the state, and I am to see that their commands areaccomplished. 

"But it will be otherwise: I shall command and ye must accomplish. Either my royal foot will be planted on your necks or I shall perish. "

For two days the revered mummy of Ramses XII remained in the temple ofAmon, in a place so sacred that even high priests might not enter, saveonly Herhor and Mefres. Before the deceased only one lamp was burning, the flame of which, nourished in a miraculous manner, was neverextinguished. Over the deceased hung the symbol of the spirit, a man-headed falcon. Whether it was a machine, or really a living being, wasknown to no one. This is certain, that priests who had the courage tolook behind the curtain stealthily saw that this being kept one placein the air unsupported while its lips and eyes continued moving. 

The continuation of the funeral began, and the golden boat carried thedeceased to the other side of the river. But first it passed throughthe main street of Thebes surrounded by an immense retinue of priests, wailers, warriors, and people, amid incense, music, wailing andchanting. This was perhaps the most beautiful street in all Egypt. Itwas broad, smooth, lined with trees. Its houses, four and even fivestories high, were covered from roof to foundation with mosaic or withbas-reliefs in colors. It looked as if those buildings had been hungwith immense colored tapestry or hidden by colossal picturesrepresenting the work and occupations of merchants, artisans, mariners, also distant lands and their people. In one word that was not a street, but a colossal gallery of pictures, barbarous as to the drawing, butbrilliant in colors. 

The funeral procession advanced about two kilometers from the north tothe south, keeping more or less the centre of the city, then it turnedwestward toward the river. 

In the middle of the river opposite this point was a large islandconnected by a bridge of boats with the city. To avoid accidents thegenerals in command reformed the procession; they put four people in arank, ordered them to move very slowly and forbade them to keep step. With this object the different bands of music at the head of themultitude each played different music. 

After a couple of hours the procession passed the first bridge, nextthe island, then the second bridge, and was on the western bank of theriver. 

If we might call the eastern part of Thebes the city of gods and kings, the western quarter was that of tombs and mortuary temples. 

The procession advanced from the Nile toward the Libyan hills by themiddle road. South of this road, on an eminence, stood a temple, commemorating the victories of Ramses III, the walls of which arecovered with pictures of conquered nations: Hittites, Amorites, Philistines, Ethiopians, Arabs, Libyans. A little lower down rose twocolossal statues of Amenhotep II, the height of which, notwithstandingtheir sitting posture, was twenty meters. One of these statues wasdistinguished by the miraculous property that when struck by the raysof the rising sun it gave out sounds like those of a harp wheneverchords snap in it. 

Still nearer the road, but always on the left, stood the Ramesseum, abeautiful though not very large temple which was built by Ramses II. The entrance to this edifice was guarded by statues with the royalinsignia in their hands. In the forecourt towered the statue of RamsesII to the height of sixteen meters. 

The road rose gradually, and a very steep eminence became more and morevisible; this was as full of holes as a sponge: those holes were thetombs of Egyptian officials. At the entrance to them, among steepcliffs stood the very strange temple of Queen Hatasu. This temple wasfour hundred and fifty yards long. From the forecourt, surrounded by awall, there was an entrance by steps to the second court surrounded bycolumns; under this was a subterranean temple. From the court ofcolumns the passage rose by steps again to a temple cut out in thecliff under which was another subterranean temple. In this way thetemple was of two stories, each of which was divided into an upper anda lower part. The stairs were immense, without railing, but furnishedwith two rows of sphinxes; the entrance to each stairway was guarded bytwo sitting statues. 

At the temple of Hatasu began the gloomy ravine which led from thetombs of high dignitaries to those of the pharaohs. Between these twoquarters was the tomb of the high priest Retemenof, the corridors andchambers of which occupied about one hectare of subterranean area. 

The road to the ravine was so steep that men had to help the draughtbulls, and push the funeral boat forward. The procession moved, as itwere, along a cornice cut into the cliff side; at last they halted on abroad platform some hundreds of feet above the ravine counting from thelower bed of it. 

Here was the door leading to the underground tomb which during histhirty years' reign the pharaoh had made for himself. This tomb was awhole palace with chambers for the pharaoh, for his family andservants, with a dining-room, bed-chamber and bath, with chapelsconsecrated to various gods, and finally with a well at the bottom ofwhich was a small chamber where the mummy of the sovereign would restfor the ages. 

By the light of brilliant torches the walls of all the rooms appearedcovered with prayers, and also with pictures which represented everyoccupation and amusement of the departed: hunting, the building oftemples, the cutting of canals, triumphal entries, solemnities in honorof the gods, battles of troops with their enemies, the labors ofpeople. 

And those were not sufficient: the chambers were not only fitted withfurniture, vessels, chariots, weapons, flowers, meat, bread, and wine, but they were furnished also with a multitude of statues. There werevarious portraits of Ramses XII, his priests, ministers, women, warriors, and slaves; for the sovereign could not dispense in the otherworld any more than in this with costly vessels, exquisite food andfaithful servants. 

When the funeral car halted at the entrance the priests drew forth fromits sarcophagus the mummy of the pharaoh, and placed it on the earthresting against the cliff with its shoulder. Then Ramses XIII burnedincense before the remains of his father, while Queen Niort's embracedthe mummy by the neck, and said with weeping, "I am thy sister, Niort's, thy wife; do not desert me, Thou great one!Dost Thou desire really, my good father, that I should go? But if I goThou wilt be alone, and will any one be with thee?"

Now the high priest Herhor burned incense before the mummy, and Mefrespoured out wine, saying, "To thy second self we offer this, O Osiris-Mer-Amen-Ramses, sovereignof Upper and Lower Egypt, whose voice in the presence of the great godis truthful. "

Then the wailers and the chorus of priests were heard:

Chorus I. "Complain, complain, weep, weep, weep, without ceasing, asloudly as ever ye are able. "

Wailers. "O worthy traveler, who turnest thy steps to the land ofeternity, how quickly they are tearing thee from us. "

Chorus II. "How beautiful is that which is happening to him! SinceKhonsu of Thebes was loved by him greatly, the god has permitted thesovereign to reach that west, the world of the generations of hisservants. "

Wailers. "O Thou who hast been attended by so many servitors, Thou artnow in the laud ruled by loneliness. Thou who hadst splendid robes anddidst love spotless linen art lying now in the garments of yesterday!"

Chorus I. "In peace, in peace, to the West, O our lord, go Thou inpeace. We shall see thee again when the day of eternity conies, forThou art going to the land which brings all men together. " [Authentic]

The final ceremony began. 

They brought a bull and an antelope which it was the duty of RamsesXIII to slay, but they were slain by his substitute before the gods, Sem, the high priest. The inferior priests dressed the beasts quickly, after which Herhor and Mefres, taking the hind legs, placed them inturn at the mouth of the mummy. But the mummy had no wish to eat, forit was not brought to life yet, and its lips were closed. 

To remove that obstacle Mefres washed it with holy water and incensedit with perfumes and alum, saying, "Here stands thy father; here stands Osiris-Mer-Amen-Ramses. I am thyson; I am Horns; I come to purify thee and make thee alive. I put thybones again in order; I join that which was severed, for I am Horus, the avenger of my father. Thou wilt sit on the throne of Ra whoproceeds from Nut, who gives birth to Re every morning, who gives birthto Mer-Amen-Ramses daily, just as Re. "

Thus speaking, the high priest touched with amulets the mouth, thebreasts, the hands, and the feet of the mummy. 

Now the choruses were heard again, Chorus I. "Henceforth Osiris-Mer-Amen-Ramses will eat and drink allthings which the gods eat and drink. He will sit in their place, likethem; he is healthy and powerful. "

Chorus II. "He has power in every limb; it is hateful to him to behungry and unable to eat, thirsty and unable to drink. "

Chorus I. "O gods, give to Osiris-Mer-Amen-Ramses thousands ofthousands of pitchers of wine, thousands of garments, thousands ofloaves and of bullocks!"

Chorus II. "O ye who are living on the earth, when ye pass this way, iflife be dear to you and death be repulsive, if ye desire that yourdignities pass to your descendants, repeat this prayer for the heaven-dweller who is placed here. "

Mefres. "O ye great ones, ye prophets, ye princes, scribes, andpharaohs, O ye other people who are to come a million years after me, if any of you put his name on the place of my name the god will punishhim by destroying his person on earth!" [Authentic]

After this curse the priests lighted the torches, took the royal mummy, placed it again in its casket, and the casket in the stone sarcophaguswhich had the human form in its general outlines. Then, in spite of theshrieks, the despair, and the resistance of wailers, they bore thatimmense weight toward the tomb chamber. 

After they had passed by the light of torches through a number ofcorridors and chambers they halted in that one where the well was. Theylowered the sarcophagus in that opening, went down themselves, and putaway the sarcophagus in a lower subterranean space, then walled up thepassage to this space quickly and in such a manner that the mosttrained eye could not have discovered it; then they went up and closedthe entrance to the well with equal effectiveness. 

The priests did all this without witnesses; and they did the work soaccurately that the mummy of Ramses XII remains to this day in itssecret abode, as safe from thieves as from modern curiosity. Duringtwenty-nine centuries many tombs of pharaohs have been ravaged, butthat one is inviolate. 

While some priests were hiding the remains of the pious pharaoh, othersilluminated the underground chambers and invited the living to a feastin that dwelling. 

Ramses XIII, Queen Niort's, and Sem, with some civil and militarydignitaries entered the dining-hall. In the middle of the chamber stooda table covered with food, wine, and flowers, and at the wall sat astatue of the late sovereign carved out of porphyry. He seemed to gazeat those present, smile pensively, and beg them to eat in his presence. 

The feast began with a sacred dance, which was accompanied by a hymnsung by one of the highest priestesses. 

"Enjoy days of happiness, for life lasts but one instant. Enjoyhappiness, for when ye enter the tomb ye will rest there the wholelength of each day during ages. "

After the priestess came a prophet, and to the accompaniment of harpshe chanted, "The world is endless change and endless renewal. That arrangement offate is wise; the decision of Osiris deserves admiration; for as a bodywhich belongs to past time decays and perishes, other bodies risebehind it. 

"The pharaohs, those gods who were before us, rest in their pyramids;their mummies and their second selves remain, though the palaces whichthey built are no longer on their sites, and no longer in existence. 

"Despair not, but give thyself to thy desires and thy happiness, andwear not thy heart out till for thee the day comes when Thou wiltimplore, while Osiris, the god whose heart beats no longer, will nothear thy petitions. 

"The mourning of a world will not restore happiness to a man who islying in the tomb; use, then, thy days of happiness and in delight beno laggard. There is no man, indeed, who can take his goods to theother world with him; there is none who can go to that world and comeback to this one. " [Authentic]

The feast ended; the worthy assembly incensed the statue of thedeceased once again and made ready to return to Thebes. In the mortuarytemple only priests remained to make regular offerings to the deceasedand a guard watching the tomb against sacrilegious attempts of robbers. 

Thenceforth Ramses XII was alone in that mysterious chamber. Through asmall secret opening in the rock a gloomy light barely broke in to him;instead of the rustle of ostrich plumes was the rustle of enormous batwings; instead of music was heard, during night hours, complaininghowls of hyenas, and at times the mighty voice of a lion, which greetedfrom the desert the pharaoh in his resting-place. 

CHAPTER LIX

After the funeral of the pharaoh, Egypt returned to its usual life, andRamses XIII to affairs of state. The new ruler in the month Epifivisited the cities of the Nile above Thebes. Hence he went to Sni, acity greatly devoted to trade and commerce. In Sni was the temple ofKeph, or the "Soul of the World. " He visited Edfu, whose temple hadpylons a hundred and fifty feet high, and which possessed an immenselibrary of papyruses, and on the walls of which were written anddepicted, as it were, an encyclopedia of the geography, astronomy, andtheology of that period. He visited the quarries in Chennu, in Nubia, or Kom-Ombo; he made offerings to Horus, the god of light, and toSebek, the spirit of darkness. He was on the island Ab, which amongdark cliffs seemed an emerald, produced the best dates, and was calledthe Capital of Elephants, Elephantina, for on that island the ivorytrade was concentrated. He visited finally the city of Sunnu, situatedat the first cataract of the Nile, and visited the immense quarries, granite and sienite, where rocks were split off with wooden wedges onwhich the quarrymen poured water which swelled them, and thus obelisksone hundred and thirty feet high were detached from the face of thequarry. 

Wherever the new lord of Egypt appeared his subjects greeted himwildly. Even criminals, toiling in the quarries men whose bodies werecovered with never-healing wounds experienced happiness since thepharaoh commanded to release them for the space of three days fromtheir labor. 

Ramses XIII might feel proud and well satisfied, for no pharaoh in timeof triumph was received as he on his peaceful journey. So, nomarchs, scribes, and high priests, seeing this boundless attachment of thepeople, bent before the pharaoh and whispered, "The people are like a herd of bulls, and we like prudent ants. Hencewe will honor our new lord so that he may enjoy health and protect usfrom ruin. "

In this way the opposition of dignitaries, very strong some mouthsearlier, had grown silent and yielded to boundless obedience. The wholearistocracy, all the priests, fell on their faces before Ramses XIII;Mefres and Herhor alone were unshaken. 

Hence when the pharaoh returned from Sunnu to Thebes the chieftreasurer brought unfavorable news the first day to him. 

"All the temples, " said he, "refuse credit, and beg most obedientlythat thou, holiness, command to pay in the course of two years all sumswhich they have lent the treasury. "

"I understand, " said the pharaoh; "this is the work of holy Mefres. Howmuch do we owe them?"

"About fifty thousand talents. "

"We have to pay fifty thousand talents in two years, " repeated thepharaoh. "Well, what more?"

"The taxes come in very slowly. During three months we have receivedbarely one-fourth of what is due us. "

"What has happened?"

The treasurer was anxious. 

"I have heard, " said he, "that some people have explained to earth-tillers that during thy reign they are not to pay taxes. "

"Oh! ho!" cried Ramses, laughing. "Those 'some people' seem to me verylike the worthy Herhor. Well, what is this; does he want to kill mewith hunger? How can we meet current expenses?"

"At Hiram's command the Phoenicians lend us, " answered the treasurer. "We have received from them eight thousand talents already. "

"But do ye give them notes?"

"Notes and mortgages, " sighed the treasurer. "They say that this is asimple formality. Still they settle on thy lands, and take what theycan from the people. "

Delighted with the reception given him by the people and the obedienceof magnates, the pharaoh was not even angry at Herhor and Mefres. Thetime of auger had passed, the moment of action had come, and Ramsesformed his plan that very day. He summoned for the morrow those in whomhe had most reliance: the high priest Sem, the prophet Pentuer, hisfavorite Tutmosis, and the Phoenician Hiram. When they had assembled hesaid, "Ye know, of course, the temples request me to return to them the fundsborrowed by my father. Every debt is sacred, that which belongs to thegods I should like to pay first of all. But my treasury is empty, sinceeven the taxes come in only fitfully. 

"For this reason I look on the state as in danger, and I am forced toturn for funds to treasures preserved in the labyrinth. "

The two priests moved uneasily. 

"I know, " continued the pharaoh, "that according to our sacred laws mydecree is not sufficient to open to us the vaults of the labyrinth. Butthe priests there have explained what is needful. I must summonrepresentatives of all orders in Egypt, thirteen men from each order, and obtain a confirmation of my will from them. "

The pharaoh smiled at this point, and finished, "Today I have called you to help me to summon that assembly of theorders, and this is my command to you:

"Thou, worthy Sem, wilt select for me thirteen priests and thirteennomarchs. Thou, pious Pentuer, will bring to me from various provincesthirteen land-tillers and thirteen artisans. Tutmosis will bringthirteen officers and thirteen nobles; and Prince Hiram will occupyhimself in bringing thirteen merchants. I wish that this assemblyshould meet at the very earliest in my palace in Memphis and, withoutlosing time in vain talk, recognize that the labyrinth is to furnishmeans to my treasury. "

"I make bold to remind thee, holiness, " said Sem, "that at thatassembly the worthy Herhor and the worthy Mefres must be present, andthat, according to law, and even duty, they are to oppose touching thetreasure in the labyrinth. "

"Of course I agree to that, " replied the pharaoh promptly. "They willgive their reasons, I mine; the assembly will judge whether a state canexist without money, and whether it is wise to waste treasure indarkness while the state is threatened with indigence. "

"A few sapphires of those which are in the labyrinth would suffice topay all debts to Phoenicians, " said Hiram. "I will go at once among themerchants and find not thirteen but thirteen thousand who will vote atthy command, O holiness. "

Then the prince fell on his face and took farewell of the sovereign. When Hiram went out, the high priest said, "I know not whether it was well to have a foreigner at thisconsultation. "

"I needed him here; for not only has he great influence over ourmerchants, but, what is more important, he is obtaining money for us atpresent. I wish to convince the man that I remember what is due to him, and have means to pay it. "

Silence followed, which Pentuer made use of, and said, "If Thou permit, O holiness, I will go at once to occupy myself withassembling land-tillers and artisans. They will all vote with our lord, but from the multitude we must select the wisest. "

He took leave of the pharaoh and went out. 

"But thou, Tutmosis, " inquired Ramses. 

"My lord, " said the favorite, "I am so certain of thy nobility and armythat I make bold to turn to thee with a request for myself. "

"Thou wishest money?"

"Not at all. I wish to marry. "

"Thou!" exclaimed the pharaoh. "What woman has earned from the godssuch a happiness?"

"She is the beautiful Hebron, the daughter of Antefa, the most worthynomarch of Thebes, " replied Tutmosis, laughing. "If Thou wilt bepleased to speak on my behalf to that revered family I had thought tosay that my love for thee would be increased, but I will not say so, for I should tell untruth. "

"Well, well, " said the pharaoh, slapping him on the shoulder, "do notpersuade me of that which I know. I will go to Antefa to-morrow and itseems to me that in the course of a few days I shall arrange a wedding. But now Thou mayst go to thy Hebron. "

Left with Sem alone, his holiness said, "Thy face is gloomy. Dost Thou doubt that we may find thirteen prieststo carry out my orders?"

"I am certain, " replied Sem, "that almost all the priests and nomarchswill do what may be needed for the happiness of Egypt and thysatisfaction, holiness. But be pleased not to forgot that when it is aquestion of the treasure of the labyrinth the final decision will begiven to Amon. "

"Is that the statue of Amon in Thebes?"

"It is. "

The pharaoh waved his hand contemptuously, "Amon is Herhor and Mefres. That they will not agree I know; but I haveno intention of sacrificing Egypt to the stubbornness of two persons. "

"Thou art mistaken, holiness, " answered Sem with dignity. "It is truethat very often statues of gods do what high priests wish, but notalways. In our temples mysterious and uncommon things happen sometimes. At moments the statues of the gods say and do what they themselveswish. "

"In that case I am at rest, " interrupted the pharaoh. "The gods knowthe condition of the state, and they read my heart. I wish Egypt to behappy. And as I am striving to that end alone no wise and good god canhinder me. "

"May thy words, holiness, be verified, " whispered the high priest. 

"Dost Thou wish to tell me anything more?" asked Ramses, noticing thathis substitute in religion was delaying his departure. 

"Yes, lord. It is my duty to remind thee that every pharaoh afterreaching power and burying his predecessor must think of two buildings:a tomb for himself and a temple for the gods. "

"Just so! I have thought more than once of this, but not having money Ido not issue orders. For Thou must understand, " added he withanimation, "that if I build it will be something great, something whichwill command Egypt not to forget me quickly. "

"Then dost Thou wish to have a pyramid?"

"No. I could not, of course, build a greater pyramid than that ofCheops, nor a greater temple than that of Amon in Thebes. My kingdom istoo weak to accomplish great works. I must make something entirely new, therefore, for I tell thee that our buildings weary me. They are allalike, just as men are, and differ from one another only inproportions, as a man is bigger than a child. "

"Then what?" asked the high priest, opening his eyes widely. 

"I have spoken with the Greek Dion, who is the most famous architectamong us, and he praised my plan. For my own tomb I wish to build around tower with internal stairs, like that in Babylon. I shall build atemple, not to Osiris or Isis, but to the One God in whom all believe:the Egyptians, the Chaldeans, the Phoenicians, and the Jews. I wishthat temple to be like the palace of King Assar, the model of whichSargon brought to my father. "

"Those are great plans, " said the high priest, shaking his head, "butit is impossible to execute them. The Babylonian towers are not lastingbecause of their form, they overturn easily, while our edifices mustendure for ages. A temple to the One God we may not raise, for he needsno food, drink, or raiment. The whole world is his dwelling-place. Where, then, is the temple which could hold him? Where is the priestwho would dare to make offerings before him?"

"Well, let us build a residence for Amon-Ra, " said the pharaoh. 

"Yes, if it is not like the palace of King Assar, for that is anAssyrian building, and it is not proper for us Egyptians to imitatebarbarians. "

"I do not understand thee, " interrupted Ramses, with irritation. 

"Listen to me, lord, " answered Sem. "Look at snails, each one of themhas a different shell: one is winding, but blunt; another is winding, but pointed; a third is like a box. In the same way precisely each'people build edifices according to their blood and disposition. Bepleased also to remember that Egyptian edifices differ as much fromthose of Assyria as the Egyptian people differ from Assyrians. Among usthe fundamental form of every building is a pointless pyramid, the mostenduring form, as Egypt is the most enduring among kingdoms. WithAssyrians the fundamental form is a cube, which is injured easily andis subject to destruction. 

"The proud and frivolous Assyrian puts his cubes one upon another, andrears a many-storied structure under which foundations yield. Theobedient and prudent Egyptian puts his truncated pyramids one behindthe other. In that way nothing hangs in the air, but every part of thestructure is resting on the ground. From this it comes that ourbuildings are broad and endure forever, while those of the Assyriansare tall and weak, like their state, which at first rises quickly, butin a couple of generations there is nothing left of it but ruins. 

"The Assyrian is a noisy self-praiser, so in his buildings everythingis put on the outside: columns, sculpture, pictures. While the modestEgyptian hides the most beautiful columns and carving inside thetemples like a sage who conceals in his heart lofty thoughts, desires, and feelings he does not ornament his shoulders and breast with them. Among us everything beautiful is hidden; among them, everything is madeto show. The Assyrian, if he could, would cut open his stomach toexhibit to the world what peculiar foods he is digesting. "

"Speak speak on!" said Ramses. 

"Not much remains for me to say, " continued Sem. "I only wish, lord, toturn thy attention to the general form of our edifices, and those ofthe Assyrians. When I was in Nineveh a few years ago, I observed theAssyrian buildings towering above the earth haughtily; it seemed to methat they were raging horses which had broken from the bit and rearedon their haunches, but would soon fall and perhaps break their legs inaddition. 

"Now try, holiness, to look from a lofty point on some Egyptian temple. What does it recall to thee? This a man prostrate on the earth andpraying. The two pylons are his arms. The hall 'of columns, ' or 'theheavenly chamber, ' is his head, the chamber of 'divine apparition' and'the tables of offering' are his breasts, and the secret retreat of thegod is the heart of the pious Egyptian. Our temple teaches us what weshould be. 'Have a hand as strong as a pylon, ' it says to us, 'and armsas powerful as walls. Have in thy head reason as broad and rich as theforecourt of the temple, a soul as pure as the chamber of "apparition"and of "offering, " and in thy heart have God, O Egyptian!' But theAssyrian buildings say to that people: 'Tower above nations, OAssyrian; rear thy head beyond every other! Thou wilt do nothing greathere on earth, but at least Thou wilt leave many ruins. '

"Wouldst thou, then, O sovereign, venture to rear in our land Assyrianedifices and imitate a people which Egypt contemns and despises?"

In spite of Sem's explanation, even now Ramses judged that the Assyrianpalaces surpassed those of Egypt in beauty. But he so hated theAssyrians that his heart began to hesitate. 

"In that case, " said he, "I will defer the building of my tomb and thetemple. But do ye sages who are kindly disposed toward me, think overplans of edifices which would give my name to the remotestgenerations. "

"A superhuman pride fills the soul of this young man!" thought the highpriest, and he took farewell of the pharaoh in sadness. 

CHAPTER LX

MEANWHILE Pentuer made ready to revisit Lower Egypt and find on the onehand thirteen delegates from among land-tillers and artisans for thepharaoh, and on the other to encourage the working population to demandthe relief which the new sovereign had promised, for according to hisconviction the greatest question for Egypt was to abolish the injusticeand the abuses to which the toiling people were subject. 

Still, Pentuer was a priest, and not only did he not desire the fall ofhis order, but he did not even wish to break the bonds which connectedhim with it. Hence to emphasize his loyalty he went to take farewell ofHerhor. 

The once mighty dignitary received him with a smile. 

"A rare guest a rare guest!" exclaimed he. "Since Thou hadst the desireto become the counselor of his holiness Thou dost not show thyselfbefore me. True, Thou art not the only one! But whatever happens, Ishall not forget thy services, wert Thou even to avoid me still morethan at present. "

"Worthiness, I am not a counselor of our lord, nor do I avoid thee towhose favor I am indebted for what I am today. "

"I know, I know!" answered Herhor. "Thou hast refused the high dignityso as not to work to the destruction of the temples. I know, I know!though perhaps it is to be regretted that Thou hast not become theadviser of that giddy milksop, who, as it were, governs us. To acertainty Thou wouldst not have suffered him to surround himself withthose traitors who are ruining him. "

Pentuer, not wishing to speak of such ticklish subjects, told Herhorwhy he was going to Lower Egypt. 

"Very well, " answered Herhor, "let Ramses XIII call an assembly of allthe orders. He has a right to call it. "

"But, " he added suddenly, "I am sorry that Thou art involved in suchlabor. Great changes have taken place in thee. Thou rememberest thywords to my adjutant during those maneuvers in Pi-Bailos? I will remindthee: Thou didst tell him that it was necessary to limit the abuses andlicense of the pharaohs. But today Thou art supporting the childishpretensions of the greatest profligate ever known to Egypt. "

"Ramses XIII, " said Pentuer, interrupting, "wishes to improve the lotof common people. I should be stupid and mean, therefore, were I, theson of earth-tillers, not to serve him in this question. "

"But Thou dost not ask whether that would not injure us, thepriesthood. "

Pentuer was astonished. 

"But Thou thyself givest great relief to common men belonging to thetemple, " said he. "I have, besides, thy permission. "

"What? Which?" inquired Herhor. 

"Recall, worthiness, that night when we greeted Beroes. Mefres declaredat that time that Egypt had fallen because the priestly order waslowered, while I asserted that the misery of the people was the causeof the suffering of the State, to which thou, so far as I remember, didst answer: Let Mefres occupy himself with bettering the priesthood, Pentuer in improving the lot of common people, while I will avoiddestructive war between Egypt and Assyria. "

"Well, dost Thou see, " interrupted the high priest, "it is thy duty toact with us, not with Ramses. "

"Does he wish war with Assyria, " replied Pentuer, energetically, "ordoes he hinder priests from acquiring wisdom? He wishes to give thepeople every seventh day for rest, and later to give each family ofearth-workers a small bit of land for subsistence. Do not tell me, worthiness, that the pharaoh wishes evil, for it has been verified ontemple ground that a free man who has his own patch of earth laborsincomparably better than one without freedom. "

"I am not opposed to relieving common people, " said Herhor, "but I amconvinced that Ramses will do nothing for them. "

"Surely not if you refuse him money. "

"Even were we to give him a pyramid of gold and silver, and another ofprecious stones, he would do nothing that is a mad stripling whom theAssyrian ambassador, Sargon, never mentioned otherwise than as afrivolous youngster. "

"The pharaoh has great capabilities. "

"But he has no knowledge, and no skill, " replied Herhor. "He barelyvisited the high school a little and left it at the earliest. Hence, today, in affairs of state he is like a blind person; he is like achild which puts out pieces boldly on a board, but has no idea how toplay at draughts. "

"Still he governs. "

"Oh, Pentuer, what is his government?" interrupted the high priest, with laughter. "He has opened new military schools, he has increasedthe number of regiments, he is arming the whole people, he has promisedholidays to working men. But how will he carry out his projects? Thoukeepest far from him, hence knowest nothing; but I assure thee that he, when issuing orders, never stops to ask: Who will carry out this? Whatare the means? What will follow? It seems to thee that he governs. Itis I who govern, I govern all the time, I, whom he dismissed. I am thecause that today fewer taxes come to the treasury, but I also preventthe rebellion of laborers; because of me they do not leave work on thecanals, dams, and roadways. To sum up, I have twice restrained Assyriafrom declaring war on us, war which that madman was calling out by hismilitary dispositions. 

"Ramses govern! He merely rouses disorder. Thou hadst trial of hismanagement in Lower Egypt: he drank, frolicked, brought in woman afterwoman, and pretended to occupy himself with administration of theprovince, but he understood nothing, absolutely nothing. What is worstof all, he became intimate with Phoenicians, with bankrupt nobles, andtraitors of various kinds, who are urging him to ruin. "

"But the victory of the Soda Lakes?" inquired Pentuer. 

"I recognize energy in him, and a knowledge of military art, " addedHerhor. "That is the one thing that he knows. But say thyself would hehave won the battle at the Soda Lakes were it not for aid from thee andothers of the priestly order? I know that ye informed him of everymovement of the Libyan band. And now think, could Ramses, even withhelp from you, win a battle against Nitager, for example? Nitager is amaster, Ramses is a mere apprentice. "

"Then what will be the end of this hatred between him and you?"inquired Pentuer. 

"Hatred!" repeated Herhor. "Could I hate a frivolous fellow, who, moreover, is surrounded, like a deer in a ravine by hunters! But I mustconfess that his rule is so full of danger that if Ramses had abrother, or if Nitager were younger, we should set aside the presentpharaoh. "

"And thou, worthiness, would become his heir!" burst out Pentuer. 

Herhor was by no means offended. 

"Pentuer Thou hast grown marvelously dull since thy entry into politicson thy own account, " replied he, shrugging his shoulders. "Of course, if the country were without a pharaoh, it would be my duty to becomeone by virtue of my office of high priest of Amon, and chief of thesupreme council. But what is the office to me? Have I not had morepower for a number of years than the pharaoh? Or do I not today, thoughI am a minister of war in disgrace, carry out in this state whatever Ithink needful?

"Those same high priests, treasurers, judges, nomarchs, and evengenerals who avoid me at present, must carry out every secret order ofthe council furnished with my seal. Is there a man in Egypt who woulddare refuse obedience to those orders? Wouldst thou, for instance, dareoppose them?"

Pentuer hung his head. 

If in spite of the death of Ramses XII the supreme privy council ofpriests had maintained itself, Ramses XIII must either yield or fight alife-and-death battle. 

The pharaoh had on his side all the people, all the army, many priests, and the majority of the civil dignitaries. The council could reckon onhardly two thousand adherents, on its treasures and on its incomparablywise organization. The forces were utterly unequal, but the issue ofthe battle was very doubtful. 

"Then ye have determined to destroy the pharaoh?" asked Pentuer. 

"Not at all. We only wish to save the state. " "In that case what shouldRamses XIII do?" "What he will do I know not. But I know what hisfather did, " answered Herhor. "Ramses XII began to govern in the sameimpetuous and tyrannical fashion, but when money failed him, and hismost zealous adherents began to despise him, he turned to the gods. Hesurrounded himself with priests, he learned from them, nay, he evenmarried a daughter of the high priest Amenhotep. And, after a fewyears, he went so far that he became himself not only a pious, but avery learned high priest. "

"But if the pharaoh will not follow that example?" "Then we shalldispense with him, " said Herhor. "Listen to me Pentuer, " continued he, after a while. "I know not only the acts, but even the thoughts of thatpharaoh of thine, who, moreover, has not been solemnly crowned yet, hence for us he is nothing. I know that he wants to make the priestshis servants, and himself sole lord of Egypt. 

"But such a plan is stupid, it is even treasonable. Not the pharaohs, as Thou knowest well, but the gods and the priests created Egypt. It isnot the pharaohs who mark the rise and fall of the Nile and regulateits overflows; it is not the pharaohs who teach the people to sow, togather fruits and rear cattle. It is not the pharaohs who cure diseasesand watch over the safety of the state against foreign enemies. 

"What would happen, tell me that, were our order to yield Egypt to themercy of the pharaohs? The wisest pharaohs have behind them theexperience of a few years at the longest, but the priestly order hasinvestigated and taught during tens of thousands of years. Themightiest ruler has two eyes and two hands, while we possess thousandsof eyes and thousands of hands in all provinces at home, and in allforeign countries. 

"Can the activity of a pharaoh equal ours; and when opinions differ whoshould yield, we or the pharaoh?"

"Well, what am I to do now?" inquired Pentuer. 

"Do what that stripling commands if Thou betray not holy secrets. Andleave the rest to time. I wish most sincerely that the youth calledRamses XIII might come to his senses, and I suppose that he would wereit not that he has attached himself to disgusting traitors over whomthe hands of the gods are now suspended. "

Pentuer took farewell of the high priest. He was filled with darkforebodings, but he did not fail in spirit, since he knew that whateverhe might gain in improving the condition of the common man wouldremain, even were the pharaoh to bend before the power of the priestlyorder. 

"In the worst case, " thought he, "we must do what we can, and whatpertains to us. When conditions improve, what is sown today will givefruit hereafter. "

But still he determined to renounce agitation among the people. He waseven ready to calm the impatient, so as not to increase trouble for thepharaoh. 

A couple of weeks later Pentuer entered the boundaries of Lower Egypt, looking about on the way for the wisest of common men and artisans fromwhom it would be possible to select delegates to the assembly summonedby the pharaoh. 

Everywhere on the way he found signs of the greatest excitement. Earth-tillers, as well as artisans, were trying to have the seventh day forrest and receive pay for all public works, as was the case in formerages. And it was only through remonstrances from priests of varioustemples, that a general uprising was averted, or at least that work wascontinued. 

At the same time Pentuer was struck by certain new phenomena which hehad not observed a month earlier! first of all the people had dividedinto two parties. Some were partisans of the pharaoh and enemies of thepriests; others were active against Phoenicians. Some proved that thepriests ought to give the treasures of the labyrinth to the pharaoh;others whispered that the pharaoh afforded foreigners too muchprotection. 

But strangest of all was a report of unknown origin that

Ramses XIII showed signs of insanity, like his elder brother, who forthis cause had been excluded from succession. Priests, scribes, evencommon men discussed this report of insanity. 

"Who told thee such a lie?" inquired Pentuer of an engineer. 

"It is no lie, " replied the engineer, "it is sad reality. In the Thebanpalaces they saw the pharaoh running naked through the gardens. Onenight he climbed a tree under the window of his mother's chamber, andspoke to her. "

Pentuer assured the man that no longer than two weeks before he hadseen Ramses in the best of health. He observed at once, however, thatthe engineer did not believe him. 

"This is Herhor's work!" thought he. "Priests alone could have newsfrom Thebes so promptly. "

For the moment he lost desire to busy himself in finding delegates, buthe regained energy at the thought that what the people received todaythey would not lose to-morrow, unless something uncommon should happen. 

Beyond Memphis to the north of the pyramids and the sphinx, on theboundary of the desert, was a small temple of the goddess Nut. An oldpriest Menes lived in that temple. This sage had more knowledge of thestars than any man in Egypt; he was an engineer in addition. 

When a great public edifice was to be built or a new canal made, Meneswent to the place and gave directions. Apart from such tasks he livedin solitude and poverty in his temple; at night he investigated thestars, in the daytime he worked over curious instruments. 

For some years Pentuer had not been in that place; hence he was struckby neglect in it, and poverty. The brick wall was falling, in thegarden the trees were withering, in the yard a lean goat moved aroundand a few hens were scratching. 

There was no one near the temple. Only after Pentuer had called out didan old man come down from a pylon. His feet were bare, on his head wasa soiled cap like that of a laborer, around his waist was a raggedgirdle, and on his shoulder a panther skin from which the hair hadfallen. Still, his bearing was dignified, and his face full of wisdom. He looked quickly at the guest and said, "Either I am mistaken, or Thou art Pentuer?"

"I am he, " answered the newly arrived, and he embraced the old man withheartiness. 

"Ho! ho!" exclaimed Menes, for it was he; "I see that Thou hast changedfor official reasons. Thou hast a smoother face, whiter hands, and agold chain on thy neck. Mother Nut of the heavenly ocean would have towait long for such ornaments. "

Pentuer wished to remove the chain, but Menes stopped him with a smile. 

"Do not. If Thou knew what jewels we have in the heavens Thou wouldstnot hasten with an offering of gold. Well, hast Thou come to stay withus?"

Pentuer shook his head. 

"No, " replied he, "I have come only to bow down before thee, divineteacher. "

"And again to court?" laughed the old man. "Oh ye, ye courtiers! If yeknew what ye lose by deserting wisdom for palaces ye would be thesaddest of mankind. "

"Art Thou alone, O my teacher?"

"As a palm in a desert, especially today when my deaf and dumb servanthas gone with a basket to Memphis to beg something for the mother of Raand her chaplain. "

"And is it not disagreeable here?"

"For me! "'exclaimed Menes. "Since I saw thee last I have snatched fromthe gods some secrets which I would not give for the two crowns ofEgypt. "

"Are they secrets between thee and me?" inquired Pentuer. 

"How, secrets? A year ago I completed all measures and calculationstouching the size of the earth. "

"What does that mean?"

Menes looked around and lowered his voice, "Of course it is known to thee that the earth is not flat like a table, but is an immense ball on the surface of which seas, countries, andcities are situated?"

"That is known, " said Pentuer. 

"Not to all, " answered Menes. "And it was not known to any one howgreat that globe might be. "

"But dost Thou know?" inquired Pentuer, almost frightened. 

"I know. Our infantry marches about thirteen Egyptian miles [Threegeographical miles] daily. The globe of the earth is so great that ourarmies would require five whole years to march around it. "

"O gods!" exclaimed Pentuer. "Does it not frighten thee, father, tothink of such subjects?"

Menes shrugged his shoulders. 

"To measure size, what is there terrible in that? To measure the sizeof a pyramid, or the earth is the same kind of problem. I did a moredifficult thing. I measured the distance of our temple from the palaceof the pharaoh without crossing the river. "

"Terror!" exclaimed Pentuer. 

"What terror? I have discovered a thing which beyond doubt ye will allfear. But tell this to no one: in the month Paoni (June, July) therewill be an eclipse of the sun; night will come in the daytime. And mayI die a hunger death, if I have failed even three minutes in thereckoning. "

Pentuer touched the amulet which he wore on his breast, and uttered aprayer. 

"I have read, " said he, "in sacred books that more than once to thesuffering of people it became night at midday. But what is that? I donot understand. "

"Dost Thou see the pyramid?" asked Menes on a sudden, pointing towardthe desert. 

"I see it. "

"Now put thy hand before thy eyes. Dost Thou see the pyramid? Thou dostnot. Well, the eclipse of the sun is the same kind of thing; the moonpasses between the sun and us, hides the father of light and makesnight in the daytime. "

"And will that happen here?" inquired Pentuer. 

"In the mouth Paoni. I have written about this to the pharaoh, thinkingthat in return he would make some offering to the temple. But onreading the letter he laughed at me, and commanded my messenger to takethe news to Herhor. "

"Well, what did Herhor do?"

"Herhor gave us thirty measures of barley. He is the only man in Egyptwho reveres science, but the young pharaoh is frivolous. "

"Do not be severe on him, father, " interrupted Pentuer. "Ramses XIIIwishes to improve the lot of laborers and artisans, and give them everyseventh day to rest; he forbids to beat them without trial, and perhapshe will find land for them. "

"But I tell thee that he is light-minded, " said the irritated Menes. "Two months ago I sent him a great plan for lessening the toil oflaborers, and he laughed at me. He is conceited and ignorant!"

"Thou art prejudiced, father. But tell me thy plan and perhaps I mayassist in applying it. "

"Plan?" repeated the old man. "It is not a plan, it is a great fact. "

He rose from the bench and went then with Pentuer to a pond in thegarden, at which was an arbor concealed altogether by plant growth. Inthis structure was a large wheel in perpendicular position with anumber of buckets on the outer rim of it. Menes went into the centreand began to move his feet; the wheel turned and the buckets took waterfrom the pond and poured it into a trough which stood somewhat higher. 

"A curious instrument!" said Pentuer. 

"But dost Thou divine what it may do for the people of Egypt?"

"No. "

"Then imagine this wheel to be five or ten times greater than it is, and that instead of a man a pair of bullocks are moving it. "

"Something something appears to me, " said Pentuer, "but still I do notunderstand clearly. "

"It is very simple, " said Menes. "By means of this wheel oxen andhorses might raise water from the Nile and pour it into higherchannels. In that way half a million of men might have rest instead ofworking at buckets. Now Thou seest that wisdom does more for thewelfare of mankind than pharaohs. "

Pentuer shook his head. 

"How much timber would be needed for that change! How many oxen, howmuch pasture. It seems to me, father, that thy wheel would not take theplace of the seventh day for rest. "

"I see that office has not benefited thee, " replied Menes, shrugginghis shoulders. "But though Thou hast lost that alertness which Iadmired in thee, I will show still another thing. Perhaps when Thouhast returned to wisdom, and I am dead, Thou wilt work at improving andspreading my inventions. "

They went back to the pylon, and Menes put some fuel under a brasskettle. He blew the flame and soon the water was boiling. On the kettlewas a perpendicular spout covered with a heavy stone. When the kettlebegan to hiss, Menes said, "Stand in this niche and look. "

He touched a crank fastened to the spout; in one moment the heavy stoneflew through the air and hot steam filled the chamber. 

"Wonderful!" cried Pentuer. But soon he calmed himself and asked, "Well, but how will that stone improve the condition of people inEgypt?"

"The stone in no way. But, " said the sage, now impatient, "I will saythis to thee, and do Thou remember it: the time will come when horsesand oxen will take the place of people in labor, and also when boilingwater will take the place of horses and oxen. "

"But what good will that do the people?" insisted Pentuer. 

"Woe is me!" exclaimed Menes, seizing his head. "I know not whether itis because Thou hast grown old, or dull; 'the people' have hidden thewhole world from thee and darkened thy mind. If sages had only thepeople in mind they would be forced to throw away their books andcalculations and become shepherds. "

"But everything must be of some use, " said Pentuer, now grown timid. 

"Ye court people, " replied Menes with vexation, "use two measuresfrequently. When a Phoenician brings a ruby or a sapphire ye do notinquire what its use is; ye buy the jewel and shut it up in a casket. But if a sage comes to you with an invention which might change theface of the world, ye ask straightway: 'What is the use of this?' It isclear that ye are frightened lest the investigator might ask a handfulof barley for a thing the sense of which your mind does not fathom. "

"Art Thou angry, father? Have I wished to offend thee?"

"I am not angry, but I am pained. Twenty years ago there were five menin this temple working over the discovery of new secrets. Today I amalone. And, by the gods, I am unable to find not merely a successor, but even a man who is able to understand me. "

"Beyond doubt I would remain here till death so as to learn thy god-like thoughts, " said Pentuer. "But tell me, can I shut myself up todayin a temple when the fate of the kingdom and the future of the peopleare wavering in the balance, and when my assistance. "

"May influence the fate of the kingdom and of some millions of people!"interrupted Menes, jeeringly. "O ye grownup children in the miters andchains of office. Because ye are free to draw water from the Nile itseems to you that ye may stop the rise or the fall of the river. Nototherwise, surely, thinks the sheep, which following the herd imaginesthat she is directing it. "

"But think, the young pharaoh has a heart full of nobleness; he wishesto give the seventh day for rest, just courts, and even land. "

"All those things are vanishing, " said Menes, shaking his head. "Theyoung pharaoh will grow old, while the people, well, the people havehad the seventh day for rest more than one time, and they have had landbut afterward they lost both! Ah, if that were all that changed! Duringthree thousand years how many dynasties have passed over Egypt, andpriests, how many cities and temples have fallen into ruins; nay more!how many new strata of earth have overlaid the country. Everything haschanged except this, that two and two are four, that a triangle is halfa quadrangle, that the moon may hide the sun, and boiling water hurl astone through the air. 

"In this 'transitory world wisdom alone is enduring and permanent. Andwoe to him who deserts the eternal for things as fleeting as cloudsare. His heart will never know peace, and his mind will dance like aboat in a whirlwind. "

"The gods speak through thy lips, " replied Pentuer, after some thought, "but barely one man in millions may serve them directly. And well thatit is so, for what would happen if laborers gazed for whole nights atthe firmament, if warriors made reckonings, and officials and thepharaoh, instead of ruling the people, hurled stones by means ofboiling water? Before the moon could go once round the earth all woulddie of hunger. No wheel or cattle would defend the laud frombarbarians, or give justice to those who were injured by wrong-doers. 

"Hence, " ended Pentuer, "though wisdom is like the sun, blood andbreath, we cannot all be sages. "

To these words Menes made no answer. 

Pentuer passed some days in the temple of the divine Nut; he admired atone time the view of the sandy ocean, at another the fertile valley ofthe Nile. In company with Menes he looked at the stars, examined thewheel for raising water, and walked at times toward the pyramids. Headmired the poverty and the genius of his teacher, but said in spirit, "Menes is a god in human form, surely, and hence he has no care forcommon matters. His wheel to raise water will not be accepted in Egypt, for first we lack timber, and second to move such wheels one hundredthousand oxen would be needed. Where is there pasture for them even inUpper Egypt?"

CHAPTER LXI

WHILE Pentuer was going around the country and choosing out delegates, Ramses XIII tarried in Thebes, arranging the marriage of his favorite, Tutmosis. 

First of all, the ruler of two worlds, surrounded by a grand retinue, drove in a golden chariot to the palace of the most worthy Antefa. 

This magnate hurried forth to meet his sovereign before the gate, and, taking the costly sandals from his feet he knelt and assisted Ramses toalight from the chariot. 

In return for this homage the pharaoh gave him his hand to kiss, anddeclared that thenceforth Antefa was his friend, and might enter eventhe throne hall in sandals. 

When they were in an immense chamber of Antefa's palace the sovereignsaid before the whole retinue, "I know, worthy Antefa, that as thy revered ancestors occupy the mostbeautiful of tombs, thou, their descendant, art foremost among nomarchsin Egypt. To thee it is known surely that in my court and army, as inmy heart, the first place is held by Tutmosis, chief of the guard, andmy favorite. 

"According to the opinion of sages the rich man does ill who does notput his most precious jewel into the most beautiful setting. And, sincethy family is most precious to me, and Tutmosis is most dear, I haveconceived the idea of connecting thee with myself, as Thou wilt be, ifthy daughter, the wise and beautiful Hebron, accepts Tutmosis ashusband. "

To this the worthy Antefa replied, "Holiness, sovereign of the western world, and of living men! As Egypt, and all that is in it belongs to thee, so this house and all itsinhabitants are thy possession. Since it is thy desire that my daughtershould be the wife of thy favorite, let it be so. "

Now the pharaoh declared to Antefa that Tutmosis had twenty talents ofyearly salary, and considerable estates in various provinces. Thereuponthe worthy Antefa declared that his daughter Hebron would have fiftytalents a year, also the right to make use of the estates of her fatherin those provinces in which the pharaoh's court sojourned for a season. And since he had no son, his immense property, which was free of debt, would pass to Tutmosis some time, together with the office of nomarchof Thebes, in so far as that transfer might coincide with the will ofthe pharaoh. 

After concluding the conditions Tutmosis entered the court, thankedAntefa first for giving his daughter to one so unworthy, and second, because he had reared her so beautifully. 

It was arranged then that the ceremony of marriage would take place ina few days, since Tutmosis, as leader of the guard, had no time forprotracted preliminaries. 

"I wish thee happiness, my son, " said Antefa, smiling, "and also greatpatience, because my beloved daughter, now twenty years old, is thefirst exquisite in Thebes, and has had her will always. By the gods, Itell thee that my command over Thebes always ends at the gate of hergarden. And I fear that thy military command will go no farther. "

Next the noble Antefa invited his guests to a splendid banquet, in thecourse of which the beautiful Hebron showed herself with a greatretinue of damsels. 

In the dining-hall were numbers of small tables for two or fourpersons, also a larger table, on a loftier place, for the pharaoh. Toshow honor to Antefa and his favorite, Tutmosis, Ramses approachedHebron and invited her to his table. 

The young lady was really beautiful, and as it seemed had experience, athing not exceptional in Egypt. Ramses soon noticed that the betrothedturned no attention whatever toward Tutmosis, but to make up for thisshe turned eloquent glances toward him, the pharaoh. 

That also was no wonder in Egypt. 

When the guests had taken their places, when music sounded and femaledancers began to bring fruit and wine to the tables, Ramses said toHebron, "The longer I look at thee, the more I am astonished. Were somestranger to enter he might consider thee a high priestess or a goddess, but never a woman at the time of happy betrothal. "

"I am happy, " said she, "at this moment, though not because ofbetrothal. "

"How is that?" interrupted the pharaoh. 

"Marriage does not entice me, and surely I should rather be the highpriestess of Isis than be married. "

"Then why marry?"

"I marry because it is the absolute wish of my father to have an heirto his glory, but mainly because it is thy wish, my sovereign. "

"Can it be that Tutmosis does not please thee?"

"I will not say that he does not please me. Tutmosis is fine-looking;he is the first exquisite in Egypt, be plays well, and takes prizes atgames. His position, as commander of thy guard, is one of the highest. Still, were it not for the prayers of my father, and thy command Ishould not marry Tutmosis. Even as it is, I shall not be his wife. Myproperty will suffice Tutmosis and the titles after my father; the resthe can find among dancing girls. "

"But does he know of his misfortune?"

Hebron smiled. 

"He knows this long time that even were I not the daughter of Antefa, but of the lowest dissector, I would not give myself to a man unless Iloved him. I could love only a man who is above me. "

"Art Thou speaking seriously?" asked Ramses in wonder. 

"I am twenty years old. Since I was six years of age adorers havesurrounded me; but I measured them quickly. And today I would ratherhear learned priests than songs and declarations from youthfulexquisites. "

"In that case I ought not to sit near thee, Hebron, for I am not evenan exquisite, and I have no priestly wisdom whatever. "

"Thou art something higher, " replied she, blushing deeply. "Thou art achief who has won victory. Thou art as impetuous as a lion, as swift asa vulture. Millions fall on their faces before thee, and kingdomstremble. Do I not know what fear is roused by thy name in Tyre andNineveh? Gods might be jealous of thy influence. "

Ramses was confused. 

"O Hebron, Hebron, " said he. "If Thou knew what alarm Thou art sowingin my heart. "

"For this very reason, " continued Hebron, "I marry Tutmosis. I shall benearer thee, and shall see thee, though for a few days only. "

She rose and left the hall. 

Antefa noted her action and hastened in alarm to Ramses. 

"O lord!" cried he, "has my daughter said anything improper? She is anuntamable lioness!"

"Be at rest, " said Ramses. "Thy daughter is full of wisdom and dignity. She went out because she saw that thy wine was gladdening the guestsrather powerfully. "

In fact a great uproar had risen in the hall, all the more sinceTutmosis, abandoning the role of assistant host, had become a mostanimated talker. 

"I will say to thee in confidence, holiness, that poor Tutmosis mustguard himself greatly in presence of my daughter, " remarked Antefa. 

That first feast continued till morning. The pharaoh, it is true, departed immediately, but others remained, first in their chairs andthen on the floor. Finally Antefa had to send them home as if they hadbeen lifeless objects. 

The marriage ceremony took place some days later. 

To Antefa's palace went the high priests Herhor and Mefres, thenomarchs of the neighboring provinces, and the chief officials ofThebes. Later appeared Tutmosis on a two-wheeled chariot, attended byofficers of the guard, and finally his holiness, the pharaoh. 

Ramses was attended by the chief scribe, the commander of the archers, the commander of the cavalry, the chief judge, the chief treasurer, Semthe high priest, and the adjutant generals. 

When that splendid assembly was in the hall of the ancestors of themost worthy Antefa, Hebron appeared in white robes with a numerousretinue of damsels and maids in attendance. Her father, after he hadburned incense before Amon and the statue of his own father, and RamsesXIII, who was sitting on a raised platform, declared that he freed hisdaughter Hebron from guardianship and provided her with a dowry. Thenhe gave her, in a gold tube, a document securing her dowry, and writtenbefore the court on papyrus. 

After a short lunch the bride took her seat in a costly litter borne byeight officials of the province. Before her went music and singers;around the litter were dignitaries, and behind them an immense crowd ofpeople. All this procession moved toward the temple of Amon, throughthe most beautiful streets of the city, amid a throng of people almostas numerous as that which had attended the funeral of the pharaoh. 

At the temple the people remained outside the walls while the bride andgroom, the pharaoh and dignitaries, entered the hall of columns. ThereHebron burned incense before the veiled statue of Amon, priestessesperformed a sacred dance, and Tutmosis read the following act from apapyrus:

"I, Tutmosis, commander of the guard of his holiness Ramses XIII, takethee, Hebron, daughter of Antefa the nomarch of Thebes, as wife. I givethee now the sum of ten talents because Thou hast consented to marryme. For thy robes I designate to thee three talents yearly, and forhousehold expenses one talent a month. Of the children which we mayhave the eldest son will be heir to the property which I possess nowand which I may acquire hereafter. If I should not live with thee, butdivorce myself and take another wife, I shall be obliged to pay theeforty talents, which sum I secure with my property. Our son, onreceiving his estate, is to pay thee fifteen talents yearly. Childrenof another wife are to have no right to the property of our first-bornson. " [Authentic]

The chief judge appeared now and read an act in which the bridepromised to give good food and raiment to her husband, to care for hishouse, family, servants, slaves, and cattle, and to entrust to thathusband the management of the property which she had received or wouldreceive from her father. 

After the acts were read Herhor gave Tutmosis a goblet of wine. Thebridegroom drank half, the bride moistened her lips with it, and thenboth burned incense before the purple curtain. 

Leaving the temple of Amon the young couple and their splendid retinuepassed through the avenue of sphinxes to the pharaoh's palace. Crowdsof people and warriors greeted them with shouts, scattering flowers ontheir pathway. 

Tutmosis had dwelt up to that time in the chambers of the pharaoh, buton the day of his marriage Ramses presented him with a beautiful littlevilla in the depth of the gardens, surrounded by a forest of fig trees, myrtles and baobabs, where the bridegroom and bride might pass days ofhappiness hidden from human eye, and cut off, as it were, from theworld about them. 

In that quiet corner people showed themselves so rarely that even birdsdid not flee before them. When the young couple and the guests foundthemselves in this new dwelling the final ceremony of marriagefollowed:

Tutmosis took Hebron by the hand and led her to a fire burning before astatue of Isis; then Mefres poured a spoonful of holy water on thelady's head; Hebron touched the fire with her hand, while Tutmosisdivided a morsel of bread with her and placed his own ring on herfinger in sign that from that time forth she was mistress of his land, his servants, his slaves and cattle. 

Meanwhile the priests sang wedding hymns and bore the statue of thedivine Isis through the whole house; and priestesses performed sacreddances. 

The day ended with spectacles and a great feast, during which allnoticed that Hebron accompanied the pharaoh continually, and thatTutmosis kept at a distance from her, and simply entertained guests atthe wedding. 

When the stars had risen the holy Herhor left the feast, and soon aftersome of the highest dignitaries slipped out also. About midnight thefollowing worthy persons met in a subterranean chamber of the temple ofAmon: the high priests Herhor, Mefres, and Mentezufis, the chief judgeof Thebes, also the chiefs of the provinces of Abs, Horti, and Emsuchs. 

Mentezufis looked around among the great columns, closed the door, quenched the torches, and in that lower chamber there remained only onelight, that which burned before a statue of Horus. The dignitaries satdown on three stone benches. 

"If I were commanded to describe the character of Ramses XIII, " saidthe nomarch of Abs, "I should be unable to do so. "

"He is a maniac!" said Mefres. 

"I do not know that he is a maniac, " answered Herhor, "but he is verydangerous in every case. Already Assyria has reminded us twice of thelast treaty, and is beginning, I hear, to be alarmed at the arming ofEgypt. "

"That is of less importance, " said Mefres; "there is something worse, for this godless man is thinking to violate the treasure of thelabyrinth. "

"But I should consider, " said the nomarch of Emsuch, "that his promisesto the people are the worst. Our income and that of the state will beshattered if the common people are idle one day in seven. But if thepharaoh gives them land in addition?"

"He is ready to do that, " said the chief judge in a whisper. 

"Is he ready?" asked the nomarch of Horti. "It seems to me that hemerely wants money. If we should give him something from thelabyrinth. "

"Impossible, " interrupted Herhor. "The state is not threatened bydanger, but the pharaoh is, and that is not the same question. I repeatthat as a dam is strong only while it is not penetrated by the tinieststream of water, so the labyrinth is full till we touch the first blockof gold in it. After that, all will go. Finally, whom do we strengthenby the treasures of the gods and of Egypt? This young man who despisesreligion, belittles priests, and disturbs the people. Is he not worsethan Assar? Assar is a barbarian, but he does not harm us. "

"It is improper for the pharaoh to pay court to his favorite's wife soopenly on the very day of the marriage, " said the judge, thoughtfully. 

"Hebron herself entices him, " said the nomarch of Horti. 

"All women entice men, " answered the nomarch of Emsuch. "Sense, however, is given a man to avoid sin. "

"But is not the pharaoh husband to all the women of Egypt?" whisperedthe nomarch of Abs. "Moreover, sin is under the judgment of the gods, while we are occupied only with Egypt. "

"He is dangerous! he is dangerous!" said the nomarch of Emsuch, whilehis hands and head trembled. "There is no doubt that the common peoplehave become insolent and may rise any moment. In that case no highpriest or nomarch would be sure of his life, not to mention his officeand property. "

"Against an uprising we have means, " replied Herhor. 

"What means?"

"First of all, " answered Mefres, "we can avoid an uprising if weexplain to the wisest among common people that he who makes thempromises is a maniac. "

"He is one of the soundest men under the sun, " whispered the nomarch ofHorti. "All that we need is to learn what he wishes. "

"He is a maniac! a maniac!" repeated Mefres. "His own brother imagineshimself a monkey, and drinks with dissectors. Ramses may act in thesame fashion any day. "

"It is awkward and evil to declare a man of sound mind a maniac, " saidthe nomarch of Horti. "For if people see the falsehood they will ceaseto believe in us, and nothing will restrain an uprising. "

"If I say that Ramses is a maniac it must be that I have proof, "replied Mefres. "And now listen. "

The dignitaries moved on their benches. 

"Tell me, " continued Mefres, "would a man of sound mind, heir to thethrone of Egypt, dare to fight in public against a bull in presence ofso many thousands of Asiatics? Would a prince of sound judgment, anEgyptian, wander into a Phoenician temple during night hours? Would he, without cause, reduce to the rank of slaves his first woman, an actwhich caused her death and the death of her infant?"

Those present murmured in fear. 

"All this we have seen in Pi-Bast. Mentezufis and I were witnesses ofdrinking feasts, at which the half-demented heir blasphemed against thegods and insulted the priesthood. "

"That is true, " said Mentezufis. 

"And what do ye think, " continued Mefres, with greater heat, "would aman of sound mind, the leader of an army, leave his troops to chaseafter a few Libyan bandits? I pass over a number of smaller things, even the idea of giving the people land and a holiday; could I say thata man was of sound mind who committed so many criminal absurditieswithout cause, just at random?"

Those present were silent; the nomarch of Horti was troubled. 

"It is necessary to think over this, " added the chief judge, "lestinjustice be done him. "

Here Herhor spoke. 

"Holy Mefres has done him a kindness, " said he, in low decisive tones, "by considering him a maniac. Unless he is a maniac we must call him atraitor. "

Those present moved with fear. 

"Yes, the man called Ramses XIII is a traitor, for not only does heselect spies and robbers to discover the way to the treasures of thelabyrinth, not only does he reject the treaty with Assyria, which Egyptneeds absolutely. "

"Grievous accusations, " said the judge. 

"But listen to me further: he is negotiating with villainousPhoenicians to cut a canal between the Red Sea and the Mediterranean. This canal is the greatest danger for Egypt, since our country might beinundated by water in one moment. It is not a question here of thetreasures of the labyrinth, but of our temples, houses, fields, sixmillions of people, foolish, it is true, but innocent, and finally ofour own lives and the lives of our children. "

"If that is the case" sighed the nomarch of Horti. 

"I and the worthy Mefres pledge ourselves that it is the case, and thatthis one man has gathered into his hands more dangers than have everyet threatened Egypt. Hence we have brought you here to provide meansof rescue. But we must act quickly, for the plans of this man advancelike a storm in a desert and may overwhelm every one of us. "

For a moment there was silence in the dark chamber. 

"What is to be done at present?" asked the nomarch of Emsuch. "We livein our provinces far from the court, and not only do we not know theplans of this madman, but we cannot even divine them, we can hardlybelieve that they exist. I think it is best therefore to leave thisaffair with thee, worthy Herhor, and with Mefres. Ye have discoveredthe disease, provide the remedy and act. But if the greatness ofresponsibility alarms you, associate with yourselves the supreme judgeas assistant. "

"Yes! yes! he speaks truth, " confirmed the indignant officials. 

Mentezufis lighted a torch and placed on a table before the statue ofthe god a papyrus on which was written an act of the followingcontents: In view of dangers threatening the state, the power of thesecret council passes into the hands of Herhor with whom are associatedas assistants the supreme judge and Mefres. 

This act, confirmed by the signatures of the dignitaries present, wasenclosed in a tube and concealed in a secret place beneath the altar. 

In addition, each one of the seven associates bound himself under oathto attract to the conspiracy ten dignitaries. Herhor promised to bringproof that Assyria was insisting on the treaty, and that the pharaohdid not wish to sign it, that he was negotiating with Phoenicians todig the canal, and that he intended to enter the labyrinthtreacherously. 

"My life and honor are in your hands, " concluded Herhor. "If what Ihave said is untrue condemn me to death, and have my body burnedafterward. "

No one doubted now that the high priest spoke the pure truth; for noEgyptian would expose his body to burning and his soul to destruction. 

Tutmosis spent a few days after the wedding in company with Hebron, inthe palace given him by his holiness. But every evening he went to thebarracks of the guard, where with officers and dancers he passed thenights very pleasantly. 

From this conduct his comrades divined that he had married Hebron onlyfor her dowry; this, however, did not astonish any one. 

After five days Tutmosis announced to the pharaoh that he was ready toresume his duties. Thenceforth he visited his wife only in the daytime, the nights he passed near his lord's chamber. 

One evening the pharaoh said to him, "This palace has so many comers for watching and listening that everyact of mine is noted. My revered mother is addressed again by thosemysterious voices which ceased in Memphis after I dismissed thepriesthood. I cannot receive therefore any one in my own chamber, butmust leave the palace and take counsel with my servants in a safeplace. "

"Am I to follow thee, holiness?" inquired Tutmosis, seeing that thepharaoh was looking around for his mantle. 

"No; Thou must stay here and see that no one enters my chamber. Admitno person, not even my mother, not even the shade of my ever-livingfather. Thou wilt say that I am asleep and will see no one. "

"It will be as Thou hast said, " replied Tutmosis, putting on his lord ahooded mantle. Then he quenched the light in the bed-chamber and Ramseswent out through side passages. 

When he was in the garden Ramses stopped and looked on all sides withattention. Then, taking bearings, he started quickly toward the villawhich he had given Tutmosis. After he had walked some minutes in ashady alley a man stood before him and inquired, "Who goes?"

"Nubia, " answered the pharaoh. 

"Libya, " said the inquirer, and pushed back suddenly, as if frightened. 

The man was an officer of the guard. The pharaoh looked at him, andsaid, "Ah, this is Eunana! What art Thou doing in this place?"

"I am going around the gardens; I do so a couple of times nightly, forthieves steal in sometimes. "

"Thou dost wisely. But remember the first duty of an officer of theguard is silence. Drive the thief out, but if Thou meet a man in officeseize him not, be silent, be silent always. Even if the high priestHerhor were in question. "

"Oh lord!" exclaimed Eunana, "but command me not to do homage in thenight to Herhor, or to Mefres. I am not sure that my sword at sight ofthem would not spring of itself from the scabbard. "

Ramses smiled. 

"Thy sword is mine, " replied he, "and it may leave the scabbard onlywhen I give the order. " He nodded to Eunana and passed on. 

After wandering a quarter of an hour by paths intended to mislead, thepharaoh found himself near a secret gate in a thicket. It seemed to himthat he heard a rustle, and he said in a low voice, "Hebron!"

A figure, also in a dark mantle, ran out, rushed at Ramses and clung tohis neck, whispering, "Is it thou? is it thou? Oh, how long I have waited!"

The pharaoh felt that she was slipping from his embrace, so he took herin his arms and carried her to an arbor. At that moment the mantle fellfrom his shoulders; he dragged it for a while, but at last dropped it. 

Next day the revered lady Niort's summoned Tutmosis. The favorite ofthe pharaoh was frightened when he looked at her. The queen wasterribly pale, her eyes were sunken and she was almost demented. 

"Sit down!" said she, indicating a stool near her armchair. 

Tutmosis hesitated. 

"Sit down! And and swear that Thou wilt repeat to no one what I tellthee. "

"By the shade of my father, I will not. "

"Hear me, " said the queen in a low voice; "I have been almost a motherto thee. Wert Thou to betray this secret the gods would punish thee. Nothey would only cast on thy head a part of those misfortunes which arehanging over my family. "

Tutmosis listened with astonishment. 

"Is she mad?" thought he with fear. 

"Look at that window, " continued the queen; "look at that tree. DostThou know whom I saw last night on that tree outside the window?"

"Could the brother of his holiness have come to Thebes?"

"It was not he, " whispered she, sobbing. "It was my Ramses himself. "

"On the tree? Last night?"

"Yes. The light of the lamp fell on his face and figure perfectly. Hehad a coat in white and blue stripes, his eyes were wandering helaughed wildly, like his unfortunate brother, and said, 'Look at me, mother, I am able to fly now, a thing that neither Seti, nor Ramses theGreat, nor Cheops could do. See what wings are growing out on me!' Hestretched his hands toward me, and I, unconscious from sorrow, touchedhis hands through the window and his face, covered with coldperspiration. At last he slipped down the tree and vanished. "

Tutmosis listened in terror. All at once he struck his forehead. 

"That was not Ramses, " said he with decision. "That was a man very likehim, that villain, the Greek Lykon, who killed Sarah's son, and who isnow under control of the high priests. That was not Ramses. This is acrime of Herhor and Mefres, those wretches. "

Hope gleamed on the queen's face, but only for a moment. 

"How could I fail to recognize my son?"

"Lykon is very like him, " answered Tutmosis. "This is a trick of thepriests. They are infamous! For them death is too slight a punishment. "

"Did the pharaoh sleep at home last night?" inquired the lady. 

Tutmosis was confused and dropped his eyes. 

"So he did not sleep at home?"

"He did, " answered the favorite with an uncertain voice. 

"That is not true. But tell me, at least, did he not wear a coat withwhite and blue stripes?"

"I do not remember, " whispered Tutmosis. 

"Thou art telling untruth again. And this mantle, tell me if this isnot my son's mantle? My slave found it on that same tree, in thebranches. "

The queen sprang up and brought from a case a brown, hooded mantle. Tutmosis remembered that the pharaoh had returned after midnightwithout his mantle and even explained to him that he had lost itsomewhere in the garden. He hesitated, meditated, but at last answeredwith decision, "No, queen, that was not the pharaoh. That was Lykon, and this is acrime of the priests which I must report to his holiness straightway. "

"But if that were Ramses?" inquired the lady again, though in her eyesa spark of hope was now evident. 

Tutmosis was troubled. His conclusion that it was Lykon was wise andmight be true, but indications were not lacking that the queen had seenRamses. It was certain that he had returned to his chamber aftermidnight; he wore a tunic with white and blue stripes, he had lost hismantle. It was true that his brother was demented, and, moreover, coulda mother's heart deceive her?

And doubts rose in the soul of Tutmosis, intricate and involved as anest of poisonous reptiles. Luckily in proportion as his doubtsincreased hope entered the heart of Niort's. 

"It is well that Thou hast reminded me of that Lykon, " said she. "Iremember. Through him Mefres accused Ramses of child murder, and todayhe may use the wretch to defame his sovereign. In this case not a wordto any one of what I have told thee. If Ramses if in truth he issubject to such a misfortune, it may be temporary. We must nothumiliate him by mentioning such reports, we must not inform him. Ifthis is a plot of the priests we must also be cautious. Though peoplewho use such deceit cannot be powerful. "

"I will investigate this, " interrupted Tutmosis, "but if I convincemyself. "

"Do not inform Ramses I implore thee by the shade of thy father!"exclaimed the queen, clasping her hands. "The pharaoh would not forgivethem, he would deliver them to judgment, and then one of twomisfortunes would happen. Either the supreme priests of the state wouldbe condemned to death, or the court would free them. And then what? Butpursue Lykon and slay him without mercy, like a wild beast like areptile. "

Tutmosis took farewell of the queen. She was pacified, though his fearshad grown greater. 

"If that villainous Greek, Lykon, is living yet, despite imprisonmentby the priests, " thought he, "he would prefer flight to climbing treesand showing himself to the queen. I myself would facilitate his escape, and cover him with wealth if he would tell the truth and seekprotection against those wretches. But whence came the mantle? Howdeceive the mother?"

From that time Tutmosis avoided the pharaoh, and dared not look him inthe eyes, while Ramses himself acted strangely, so their heartfeltrelations seemed to grow cold somewhat. 

But one evening the pharaoh summoned his favorite a second time. 

"I must speak with Hiram, " said he, "on questions of importance. I amgoing out. Watch here at my chamber, and if any man wishes to see me donot admit him. "

When the pharaoh vanished in the secret corridors Tutmosis was seizedby alarm. 

"Maybe, " thought he, "the priests have poisoned him to produceinsanity; and he, feeling that an attack is coming, flees from his ownpalace? Ha! we shall see!"

In fact he did see. The pharaoh returned well after midnight to hischambers, and had a mantle; it was not his own, however, but asoldier's. 

Tutmosis was alarmed and did not sleep till morning, thinking that thequeen would summon him again on a sudden. The queen did not summon him, however. But during the morning review of the guard, the officer Eunanabegged to speak with his chief for a moment. 

When they were alone in a chamber Eunana fell at the feet of Tutmosisand implored the chief not to repeat what he was going to tell him. 

"What has happened?" inquired the adjutant, feeling cold in his heart. 

"Chief, " said Eunana, "yesterday I saw a man running in the gardennaked, and crying in an unearthly voice. He was brought in to me, and, chief slay me!"

Eunana fell again at the feet of Tutmosis. 

"That naked man that I cannot tell. "

"Who was he?" inquired the terrified Tutmosis. 

"I will not tell!" groaned Eunana. "I took off my mantle and coveredsacred nakedness. I wanted to take him to the palace but I the lordcommanded me to stay where I was, and be silent be silent!"

"Whither did he go?"

"I know not. I did not look, and I did not let the warriors look. Hevanished somewhere among the bushes of the garden. I told my men not tosee anything, not to hear anything; that if any man saw or heardanything he would be strangled that instant. "

Tutmosis had succeeded in mastering himself. 

"I know nothing, " said he, coldly, "and understand nothing of what Thouhast said to me. But remember, one thing: I myself ran naked once whenI had drunk too much wine, and I gave a good reward to those who failedto see me. Common people, Eunana, and laborers always go naked; greatpersons only when it may please them. And if the wish should come to meor any of the officials to stand head downward, a wise and piousofficer should not wonder at my action. "

"I understand, " replied Eunana, looking into the eyes of his chiefquickly. "And not only will I repeat that to my warriors, but I willeven go naked this night through the garden to let them know thatsuperiors have the right to do whatever pleases them. "

Still, notwithstanding the small number of men who had seen the pharaohor his counterfeit in a state of insanity, the reports of these strangehappenings circulated everywhere very quickly. In a few days all theinhabitants of Thebes, from dissectors and water-carriers to scribesand merchants, whispered that Ramses XIII was affected with the diseasewhich had deprived his older brothers of succession. 

Dread of the pharaoh and honor for him were so great that people fearedto speak openly, especially before strangers. Still, all heard of itall save Ramses. 

But most peculiar was this, that the report went around the wholekingdom very speedily; a proof that it circulated by means of thetemples. For priests alone possessed the power of communicating in afew hours from one end of Egypt to the other. 

No one mentioned these disagreeable tidings to Tutmosis directly, butthe chief of the pharaoh's guard felt their existence everywhere. Fromthe bearing of people with whom circumstances brought him in contact hedivined that the servants, the slaves, the warriors, the purveyors ofthe court were discussing the insanity of the pharaoh, and were silentonly when some superior might overhear them. 

At last Tutmosis, impatient and alarmed, decided on a conversation withthe Theban nomarch. 

On arriving at the palace of his father-in-law he found Antefa lying ona sofa in a room, one half of which was filled with rare plants like agarden. In the centre played a fountain of water perfumed with roses;in the comers of the room were statues of gods; on the walls weredepicted the deeds of the renowned nomarch. Standing near his head wasa black slave who cooled his master with an ostrich feather fan; on thepavement sat the scribe of the province reading a report to him. 

Tutmosis had such an anxious face that the nomarch dismissed the scribeand the slave straightway; then rising from the couch he looked towardevery corner of the chamber to be sure that no one overheard them. 

"Worthy father of Lady Hebron, my revered wife, " said Tutmosis, "fromthy bearing I see that Thou divinest the subject of which I wish tospeak. "

"The nomarch of Thebes must always look ahead, " replied Antefa. "Idivine also that the commander of the guard of his holiness would nothonor me by a visit for a frivolous reason. "

For a moment they looked each other in the eyes. Then Tutmosis took aseat at the side of his father-in-law, and whispered, "Hast Thou heard vile reports about our sovereign, which the enemies ofthe state are spreading?"

"If it be a question of my daughter Hebron, " replied the nomarchquickly, "I declare that Thou art her lord today, and canst have noquestion with me. "

Tutmosis waved his hand with indifference. 

"Some vile persons are reporting that the pharaoh is insane. Hast heardof this, my father?"

Antefa nodded and turned his head motions which meant equally that hehad, or that he had not. At last he said, "Stupidity is as great as the ocean; everything finds a place in it. "

"This is not stupidity, " replied Tutmosis, "but a crime of the priests, who have in their possession a man who resembles his holiness, and theymake use of him for evil purposes. " And he told the nomarch the storyof the Greek Lykon, and his crime in Pi-Bast. 

"I have heard of this Lykon who killed the son of the heir, " saidAntefa. "But hast Thou proof that Mefres imprisoned Lykon in Pi-Bast, that he brought him to Thebes, and that he lets him enter the gardensof the pharaoh to counterfeit the sovereign as insane?"

"Just because I have not proof of this do I ask thee, worthiness, whatto do. I am the commander of the guard and I must watch over the honorand safety of our sovereign. "

"What Thou must do?" repeated Antefa. "Well, first of all take carethat these vile reports do not reach the ears of the pharaoh. "

"Why?"

"Because a great misfortune would happen. If our lord hears that Lykonfeigns insanity and pretends to be the pharaoh, he will fall intoterrible anger. Naturally he will direct that anger against Herhor andMefres. Maybe he will only abuse them in words, maybe he will imprisonthem, maybe he will kill them. Whatever he does, he will do it withoutproof, and what then? Egypt at present does not care to give offeringsto the gods, but it will take the part of priests injured withoutreason. And what then? Well, " added he, approaching his lips toTutmosis' ear, "I think it would be the end of the dynasty. "

"What am I to do?"

"One thing!" exclaimed Antefa. "Find Lykon, prove that Mefres andHerhor secreted him, and ordered him to counterfeit the pharaoh asinsane. Thou must do this, if Thou wish to keep the favor of thysovereign. Proofs as many proofs as possible! Egypt is not Assyria;Thou canst not act against high priests without the court, and no courtwill condemn them without tangible evidence. Where hast Thou thecertainty that some one did not give the pharaoh an intoxicatingpotion? That would be simpler than to send out a man at night who knowsneither the watchword, nor the palace, nor the garden. I have heard ofLykon from an authentic source, for I heard from Hiram. Still, I do notunderstand how Lykon could perform such miracles in Thebes. "

"But but" interrupted Tutmosis, "where is Hiram?"

"Immediately after the wedding he went to Memphis, and in these lastdays he was in Hiten. "

Tutmosis again was in trouble: "That night, " thought he, "when theytook a naked man to Eunana, the pharaoh said that he was going to seeHiram. But as Hiram was not in Thebes, then what? Well, his holinessknew not at the moment that of which he himself was talking. "

Tutmosis returned home dazed. Not only did he fail to understand whathe was to do in that unheard-of position, but even he knew not what tothink of the position itself. His conviction while conversing withNiort's, that Lykon, the emissary of high priests, had appeared in thegarden, was equaled now by his doubts as to whether the Greek had beenthere at all. 

And if this was the case with Tutmosis the favorite, who saw Ramses atall times, what must it be in the hearts of strangers. The most devotedadherents of the pharaoh and his measures might hesitate on hearingfrom all sides that their sovereign was demented. 

This was the first blow which the priests gave Ramses XIII Slight initself, it involved results which were beyond reckoning. 

Not only did Tutmosis hesitate, he suffered. Under a frivolous exteriorhe had a character at once energetic and noble. So that day, when menstruck at the honor and power of his sovereign, inactivity wasdevouring Tutmosis. He seemed to himself the commander of a fortresswhich the enemy was undermining, while he himself was looking on inhelplessness. This thought so tortured him that under its influence hefell upon a daring plan. Meeting the high priest Sem, he said to him, "Worthiness, hast Thou heard the reports about our sovereign?"

"The pharaoh is young, hence various scandals may circulate concerninghim, " replied Sem, looking strangely at Tutmosis. "But such affairspertain not to me; I take the place of his holiness in the service ofthe gods; I fulfill that office as I know best, and have no care forother questions. "

"I know, worthiness, that Thou art a faithful servant of the pharaoh, "said Tutmosis, "and I have no thought of interfering with priestlysecrets; I must turn thy attention, however, to one trifle. I havelearned that holy Mefres holds a certain Lykon, a Greek, on whom twocrimes are weighing: he murdered the pharaoh's son, and besides helooks like his holiness. Let the worthy Mefres not bring disgrace onthe revered priestly order; let him yield the murderer to justice atthe earliest; for if we find Lykon, I swear that Mefres will lose nothis office alone, but his head also. In our kingdom it is not permittedto patronize murderers and secrete men who resemble the sovereign. "

Sem, in whose presence Mefres had taken Lykon from the police, wasconfused out of fear perhaps that he might be suspected of co-operation, still he answered, "I will try to forewarn holy Mefres of these suspicions. But Thouknowest, worthiness, how people answer who attribute crimes to others. "

"I know and assume responsibility. I am so certain of my case that Ihave no concern as to the result of my suspicions. Alarm I leave toholy Mefres; I trust that he will not force me to pass from warning toenergetic action. "

The conversation had its result: from that day forth no man ever sawthe counterfeit of the pharaoh. But reports did not cease; Ramses XIII, however, knew nothing of them; Tutmosis feared violent action of thepharaoh against the priests, hence gave him no information. 

CHAPTER LXII

IN the beginning of the month Paofi (July, August) the pharaoh, QueenNiort's, and the court returned from Thebes to the palace at Memphis. Toward the end of the journey, which took place on the Nile this timealso, Ramses fell into meditation often, and said once to Tutmosis, "I notice a strange thing. The people assemble on both banks asnumerously, and perhaps even more so than they did when we sailed upthe river, but their shouts are far weaker, boats follow us in smallernumbers, and flowers are thrown from them stingily. "

"Divine truth flows from thy lips, lord, " replied Tutmosis. "Indeed thepeople look wearied, but great heat is the cause of that. '?

"Thou speakest wisely, " said the pharaoh in praise, and his facebrightened. 

But Tutmosis did not believe his own words. He felt, and what was worsethe whole retinue felt, that the masses of men had grown somewhat coolin their love for the pharaoh. Whether this came from tales of theunfortunate illness of the sovereign, or from new intrigues, Tutmosisknew not; he felt certain, however, that the priests had had influencein producing that coolness. 

"That is a stupid rabble, " thought he, not restraining the contempt inhis heart. "A short time ago they were drowning just to look at theface of his holiness, and today they are sparing their voices. Havethey forgotten the seventh day for rest, or the land as property?"

Immediately after his arrival at the palace the pharaoh issued an orderto assemble delegates. At the same time he commanded officials devotedto him, and also the police, to begin an agitation against the priestsand in favor of rest on the seventh day from labor. 

Soon there was a buzzing in Lower Egypt as in a beehive. The commonpeople claimed not only a day for repose, but payment for public labor. Artisans in inns and on the streets abused the priests for wishing tolimit the sacred power of the pharaoh. The number of offendersincreased, but criminals would not appear before any court. Scribesgrew timid, and no one dared strike a common man, knowing that he wouldavenge himself. No one brought offerings to a temple. Stones and mudwere hurled more and more frequently at the gods guarding boundaries, and at times these gods were thrown down even. Fear fell on priests andnomarchs as well as their adherents. In vain did judges announce on thehighroads and squares that, according to ancient laws, laborers, artisans, and even merchants were not to busy themselves with politicswhich withdrew them from bread-giving labor. The crowd, amid shouts andlaughter, hurled rotten vegetables and date skins at heralds. 

Meanwhile the most powerful gathered at the palace, and, prostratebefore the pharaoh, begged for deliverance. 

"We are, " cried they, "as if the ground were opening under us, and asif the world were nearing its end! The elements are in confusion, men'sminds are vexed, and if thou, lord, wilt not rescue us, our days arenumbered. "

"My treasury is empty, the army not numerous, the police have seen nosalary this long time, " replied the pharaoh. "If ye wish enduring peaceand safety ye must find funds for me. But since my heart is troubled byyour fear I will do what I can, and I hope to restore order. "

In fact his holiness gave command to concentrate troops and disposethem at the most important points in the kingdom. At the same time heordered Nitager to leave the eastern boundary to his assistant, andcome himself with five chosen regiments to Memphis. This he did not somuch to protect aristocrats from common people as to have at handstrong forces in case the high priests incited to rebellion Upper Egyptand the troops attached to temples. 

On Paofi 10 there was a great movement in the palace and about it. Thedelegates who were to recognize the pharaoh's right to the treasures inthe labyrinth had assembled, also a multitude of men who wished atleast to look at the place of a solemnity rare in Egypt. 

The procession of delegates began in the morning. In front went nakedearth-tillers wearing white caps and girdles; each held in his hand apiece of coarse cloth to cover his back in presence of the pharaoh. Next advanced artisans dressed like the earth-tillers, from whom theydiffered in wearing finer cloth and narrow aprons covered with parti-colored embroidery. Third came merchants, some in wigs, all in longtunics and pelerines. Among them were some who had rich bracelets ontheir arms and legs, and rings on their fingers. 

Next appeared officers in caps and wearing coats with girdles whichwere black and yellow, blue and white, blue and red. Two instead ofcoats had bronze breastplates. After a long interval appeared thirteennobles, wearing immense wigs and white robes which reached thepavement. After them advanced nomarchs in robes bordered with a purplestripe, and on their heads were coronets. The procession was closed bypriests with shaven heads, and wearing panther skins over theirshoulders. 

The delegates entered the great hall of the pharaoh's palace wherethere were seven benches, one behind another, the highest for priests, the lowest for earth-tillers. 

Soon appeared in a litter his holiness, Ramses XIII, before whom thedelegates fell on their faces. When the lord of both worlds had takenhis seat on a lofty throne, he permitted his faithful subjects to riseand occupy their places. Now Herhor, Mefres, and the overseer of thelabyrinth, the latter carrying a box, entered and took their seats onlower thrones. A brilliant suite of generals surrounded the pharaoh, behind whom stood two high officials with fans of peacock feathers. 

"Truth-believing Egyptians, " said the ruler of both worlds, "it isknown to you that my court, my army, and my officials are in such needthat the impoverished treasury cannot overcome it. Of expensesconcerning my sacred person I speak not, since my food and dress arelike those of a warrior; any general or chief scribe has more servantsand women than I have. "

Among those assembled a murmur of assent was heard. 

"Hitherto the custom has been, " continued the pharaoh, "that when thetreasury needs funds, greater taxes are imposed on working people. I, who know my people and their needs, not only do not wish to addburdens, but would gladly lessen those which they now bear. "

"Our lord, may Thou live through eternity!" said some from the lowestbenches. 

"Happily for Egypt, " said the pharaoh, "our kingdom has treasuresthrough which we may improve the army, pay officials, help the people, and even pay all debts which we owe either to the temples orPhoenicians. These treasures, collected by my glorious ancestors, arelying in the vaults of the labyrinth. But they can be taken only if allyou right believers recognize as one man that Egypt is in need, and I, your lord, have the right to dispose of the treasures of my ancestors. "

"We recognize! We entreat thee to take what is needed!" was the answerfrom all benches. 

"Worthy Herhor, " said the ruler, turning to him, "has the sacredpriestly order aught to say in this question?"

"Very little, " answered the high priest rising. "According to ancientlaws the treasure of the labyrinth may be touched only when the statehas no other means; such is not the position at present, however, forshould the government wipe away the Phoenician debts, which have risenfrom dishonest usury, not only would they fill thy treasury, holiness, but men working today for Phoenicians would have respite from grievouslabor. "

On the benches of the delegates approbation was heard now a secondtime. 

"Thy advice is keen, O holy man, " replied the pharaoh, "but full ofdanger. Were my treasurer, the worthy nomarchs, and the nobles, toerase what the state owes to creditors, they might omit one day to payPhoenicians, the next day they might forget to pay sums due the templesand the pharaoh. Who will assure me, that common men, encouraged byexamples from the great, would not think that they, too, have the rightto forget their duties toward the sovereign?"

The blow was so weighty that the most worthy Herhor bent and wassilent. 

"And thou, chief overseer of the labyrinth, what hast Thou to say?"asked Ramses. 

"I have a box here, " replied the overseer, "with white and blackpebbles. Every delegate will receive two and will put one of them intoa pitcher; whoso wishes thee, holiness, to break the treasure in thelabyrinth will put in a black pebble; whoso wishes that the property ofthe gods be untouched will put in a white one. "

"Agree not, O lord, to that, " whispered the treasurer to the sovereign. "Let each delegate tell openly what he has on his soul. "

"Let us respect ancient customs, " interrupted Mefres. 

"Yes, let them put pebbles into the pitcher, " decided the pharaoh. "Myheart is pure and my plans are unbending. "

Holy Mefres and Herhor exchanged glances. The overseer of the labyrinthand two generals went around the benches and gave a white pebble and ablack one to each delegate. The poor men from the common crowd wereconfused much at seeing before them such great dignitaries. Some fellon the floor, did not dare to take the pebbles, and understood withgreat difficulty that they were to put only one pebble into thepitcher, a black or a white one. 

"I wish to agree with the gods and his holiness, " whispered an oldshepherd. 

At last the officials succeeded in explaining, and the common men inunderstanding what was needed. The voting began. Each delegate went tothe pitcher and dropped in his pebble in such fashion that others didnot see its color. 

Meanwhile the chief treasurer knelt behind the throne, and whispered, "All is lost! If they had voted openly we should have unanimity; butnow may my hand wither if there will not be twenty white pebbles in thepitcher. "

"Be at rest, faithful servant, " replied Ramses with a smile. "I havemore regiments at hand than there will be voices against us. "

"But to what purpose? to what purpose?" sighed the treasurer; "withoutunanimity they will not open the labyrinth. "

Ramses smiled all the time. 

The procession of delegates had finished. The overseer of the labyrinthraised the pitcher and poured out its contents on a golden tray. 

Of ninety-one pebbles eighty-three were black and only eight white. 

The generals and officials lost courage, the high priests looked at theassembly in triumph, but soon alarm seized them, for the face of Ramseshad a gladsome expression. 

No one dared to declare openly that the plan of his holiness had beendefeated. 

"Right-believing Egyptians, my good servants, " said the pharaoh withperfect freedom. "Ye have carried out my command, and my favor is withyou; for two days ye will be guests in my house. Ye will receivepresents and return to your houses and labors. Peace and blessings bewith you. "

When he had said this he left the hall with his suite. The high priestsHerhor and Mefres gazed with a look of alarm at each other. 

"He is not troubled in any way, " whispered Herhor. 

"Ah, I said that he is a raging wild beast, " replied Mefres. "He willnot hesitate at violence, and if we do not anticipate. "

"The gods will defend us and our dwellings. "

In the evening the most faithful servants of Ramses XIII assembled inhis chamber: the chief treasurer, the chief scribe, Tutmosis, andKalippos, the commander-in-chief of the Greek forces. 

"O lord, " groaned the treasurer, "why not act like thy eternally livingancestors. If the delegates had spoken openly we should now have aright to the treasure in the labyrinth. "

"His worthiness speaks the truth, " put in the chief scribe. 

The pharaoh shook his head. 

"Ye are mistaken. If all Egypt cried, 'give the funds in thelabyrinth, ' the priests would not give them. "

"Then why disturb the priests by summoning delegates? This royal acthas stirred them greatly, and given insolence to common men, who todayare like a rising deluge. "

"I have no fear of this deluge, " said the pharaoh. "My regiments willbe dams against it. The advantage of this delegation is evident, sinceit shows the weakness of my opponents: eighty-three for us, eightagainst us. It proves that if they can count on one corps I can rely onten. Yield not to illusions; between me and the high priests war hasbegun already. They are the fortress which we have summoned tosurrender. They have refused; we must storm the fortress. "

"Live forever!" cried Tutmosis and Kalippos. 

"Command us, " said the chief scribe. 

"This is my will, " said Ramses. "Thou, O treasurer, wilt distribute onehundred talents among the police, the overseers of the laborers, andthe mayors in the provinces of Seft, Neha-chent, Nehapechu, Sebt-Het, Aa, Ament, and Ka. In those same places you will give the innkeepersand the keepers of dramshops barley, wheat, and wine, whatever is athand, so that common men may have meat and drink free of charge. Yewill do this immediately, so that there be supplies wherever neededtill the 23d of Paofi. "

The treasurer inclined to the pavement. 

"Thou, scribe, wilt write and command to-morrow to herald forth in thestreets of provincial capitals that barbarians of the western desertare advancing in great force to attack the province of Fayum. Thou, Kalippos, wilt dispatch four Greek regiments southward. Two of thesewill halt at the labyrinth, two will push on to Hanes. If troops of thepriests go from Thebes ye will drive them back and not let themapproach Fayum. If people are indignant at the priests and threaten thelabyrinth, thy Greeks will occupy the edifice. "

"But if the overseers of the labyrinth refuse?" inquired Kalippos. 

"That would be rebellion, " answered the pharaoh, and continued, "Thou, Tutmosis, wilt send three regiments to Memphis and post themnear the temples of Ptah, Isis, and Horus. If the enraged people wishto storm the temples the commanders of the regiments will open thegates to themselves, will not admit common men to the holy places, andwill guarantee the persons of the high priests from insult. There willbe priests in the labyrinth and in the temples of Memphis, who willcome forth to the army with green branches. The commanders of regimentswill ask those men for the password and will counsel with them. "

"But if they resist?" inquired Tutmosis. 

"Only rebels would refuse to obey commanders of the pharaoh, " answeredRamses. "The temples and the labyrinth must be occupied by troops onthe 23d of Paofi, " continued the pharaoh, turning to the chief scribe. "The people both in Memphis and Fayum may begin to assemble on the18th, at first in small groups, then in increasing numbers. But ifslight disturbances begin about the 20th, they are not to be prevented. The people are to storm the temples not earlier than the 22d and 23d. And when troops occupy those points all must be quieted. "

"Would it not be better to imprison Herhor and Mefres at once?"inquired Tutmosis. 

"What for? I am not concerned about them, but the labyrinth and thetemples, for the occupation of which troops are not ready yet. Besides, Hiram, who intercepted Herhor's letters to the Assyrians will return nosooner than the 20th. So only on the 21st of Paofi shall we have proofsin our hands that the high priests are traitors, and we shall announcetheir treason in public. "

"Then am I to go to Fayum?" inquired Kalippos. 

"Oh, no! Thou and Tutmosis will remain near me with chosen regiments. We must have reserves in case the priests draw away a part of thepeople. "

"Art Thou not afraid of treason, lord?" asked Tutmosis. 

The pharaoh waved his hand with indifference. "Treason is alwaysleaking out like water from a swollen barrel. It will be difficult forthe high priests to divine my plans, while I know what they wish. Butas I have anticipated them in collecting forces they will be weaker. Regiments are not formed in a few days. "

"But enchantments?" inquired Tutmosis. 

"There are no enchantments which an axe will not shatter, " said Ramses, laughing. 

Tutmosis wished at that moment to mention the tricks of the highpriests with Lykon, but he was restrained by the thought that his lordwould be very angry and lose calmness, through which he was powerful onthat day. A chief before battle can think of nothing but action, andthere would be time enough for Lykon's case when the priests were inprison. 

At a sign from his holiness Tutmosis remained in the chamber, but thethree other dignitaries made low obeisances and vanished. 

"At last!" sighed the chief scribe, when he found himself with thetreasurer in the antechamber, "at last the power of the shaven heads isending. "

"Indeed it is time, " said the treasurer. "During the last ten years anyprophet had more power than the nomarch of Thebes or of Memphis. "

"I think that Herhor is preparing in secret a boat in which to fleebefore the 23d of Paofi, " put in Kalippos. 

"What will be done to Herhor?" said the scribe. "His holiness, who isterrible today, will forgive him when he is obedient. "

"And even leave him his property at the intercession of Queen Niort's, "said the treasurer. "At all events there will be order in the state, which for some time has been lacking. "

"But it seems to me that his holiness is making too greatpreparations, " said the scribe. "I should finish all with the Greekregiments, and not employ the people. "

"He is young; he likes noise and uproar, " added the treasurer. 

"How clear it is that ye are not warriors, " said Kalippos. "When itcomes to battle we must concentrate all the forces, for surprises aresure to happen. "

"They would happen if we had not the people behind us, " said thescribe. "But what unexpected thing can happen? The gods will not comedown to defend the labyrinth. "

"Such is thy speech, worthiness, for Thou art at rest, " answeredKalippos; "Thou knowest that the supreme chief is watching and istrying to foresee everything; if that were not the case thy skin mightcreep. "

"I see no surprises, " contended the scribe, "unless the high priestsare spreading reports again that the pharaoh is demented. "

"They will try various tricks, " added the treasurer, yawning; "but infact they have not strength enough. In every case I thank the gods whoput me in the pharaoh's camp. Well, let us go to sleep. "

After the dignitaries had left the chamber of the pharaoh, Tutmosisopened a secret door in one of the walls, and led in Samentu. Ramsesreceived the high priest of Set with great pleasure; he gave him hishand to kiss, and pressed his head. 

"Peace be with thee, good servant, " said the sovereign. "What dost Thoubring me?"

"I have been twice in the labyrinth, " replied the priest. 

"And dost Thou know the way now?"

"I knew it before, but this time I have made a new discovery: thetreasure chamber may sink, people may be lost, and jewels be destroyedwhich are of the greatest value. "

The pharaoh frowned. 

"Therefore, " continued Samentu, "be pleased, holiness, to have readysome tens of reliable men. With them I will enter the labyrinth on thenight before the storm, and seize the chambers adjoining the treasury, especially the upper ones. "

"Canst Thou lead in men?"

"Yes. Though I will go alone again to the labyrinth, and see absolutelywhether we may not avert destruction unaided. Even the most faithfulmen are uncertain, and to introduce them at night might rouse theattention of those watchdogs. "

"Are they not following thee now?" asked the pharaoh. 

"Believe me, lord, " answered the priest, placing his hand on hisbreast, "a miracle would be needed to follow me. Their blindness isalmost childlike. They feel that some one wants to invade thelabyrinth, but the fools have doubled the guard at the ordinarygateways. Meanwhile, in the course of a month I have discovered threehidden entrances, these they have forgotten, or perhaps they knownothing about them. Only some spirit could warn those guardians that Itraverse the labyrinth, or indicate the room in which I may findmyself. Among three thousand chambers and corridors this isimpossible. "

"The worthy Samentu speaks truth, " said Tutmosis. "And perhaps weemploy too much keenness against these priestly reptiles. "

"Do not say that, " replied the priest. "Their strength, as comparedwith that of his holiness, is as a handful of sand in comparison with atemple, but Herhor and Mefres are very wise, and they may use weaponsagainst us and means before which we shall be dumb with amazement. Ourtemples are full of secrets which will arrest even sages, and bringdown to the dust the courage of the multitude. "

"Wilt Thou tell us something of that?" inquired the pharaoh. 

"I will say first that the warriors of your holiness will meet withwonders in the temples. In one chamber torches will quench in theirhands, in another, flames and disgusting monsters will surround them. In one place a wall will stop the way, or a gulf will open before theirfeet. In some corridors water will cover them, in others invisiblehands will throw stones at them. And such thunders, such voices will beheard round about. "

"In every temple I have partisans among the younger priests, and Thouwilt be in the labyrinth" said the pharaoh. 

"But our axes?" said Tutmosis. "He is a poor soldier who draws backbefore flames or frightful pictures, or who loses time listening tomysterious voices. "

"Thou speakest well, chief, " cried Samentu. "If ye go ahead valiantly, terrors will vanish, voices cease, and flames burn no longer. Now mylast word, lord, " said the priest, turning to Ramses. "If I perish. "

"Do not speak thus, " interrupted the pharaoh quickly. 

"A young priest of Set will come to thee, holiness, with my ring. Letthe army occupy the labyrinth and expel the overseers, and let them notleave the building, for that young priest in the course of a month, perhaps, or even earlier, will find the way to the treasures with theindications which I will leave him. But, lord, " continued Samentukneeling down, "I implore thee for one thing: when Thou shalt conquer, avenge me, and above all, pardon not Mefres and Herhor. Thou knowestnot what enemies they are. If they win, Thou wilt perish, not onlythou, but the dynasty. "

"But does not magnanimity become a victor?" inquired the pharaohgloomily. 

"No magnanimity! No favor!" cried Samentu. "As long as they live we arethreatened, Thou and I, with death, with shame, even with insult to ourcorpses. It is possible to fondle a lion, to buy a Phoenician, to winthe attachment of a Libyan and an Ethiopian. It is possible to winfavor from a Chaldean priest, for he, like an eagle, soars aboveheights and is safe from missiles. But an Egyptian prophet who hastried power and luxury Thou wilt win with nothing, only his death orthine can end the conflict. "

"Samentu speaks truth, " said Tutmosis. "Happily not his holiness, butwe, the warriors, will decide the ancient struggle between the priestsand the pharaoh. "

CHAPTER LXIII

On Paofi 12 alarming news went forth from various Egyptian temples. During a few preceding days an altar was overturned in the temple ofHorus; in the temple of Isis a statue of the goddess shed tears. In thetemple of Amon at Thebes, and from the tomb of Osiris in Dendera, omensof much evil were given. The priests inferred from infallible signsthat some dreadful misfortune would threaten Egypt before the month hadended. Hence Herhor and Mefres, the high priests, commanded processionsaround the temples and sacrifice in houses. 

On Paofi 13 there was a great procession in Memphis: the god Ptahissued from his temple, and the goddess Isis from hers. Both divinitiesmoved toward the centre of the city with a very small assembly ofbelievers, mainly women. But they were forced to withdraw, forEgyptians reviled them and foreigners went so far as to hurl stones atthe sacred boats of the divinities. 

In presence of these abuses the police bore themselves withindifference, some of them even took part in unseemly jests. During theafternoon unknown persons told the crowd that the priests would notpermit relief to be given the people and desired a rebellion againstthe pharaoh. 

Toward evening laborers gathered in crowds at the temples, where theyhissed the priests and abused them. Meanwhile stones were hurled at thegate, and some criminals openly beat off the nose of Horus who was onguard at his own entrance. 

A couple of hours after sunset the high priests and their most faithfuladherents assembled in the temple of Ptah. The worthy Herhor was there;so were Mefres, Mentezufis, three nomarchs, and the highest judge. 

"Terrible times!" said the judge, "I know to a certainty that thepharaoh wishes to rouse a rabble to attack temples. "

"I have heard, " said the nomarch of Sebes, "that an order has been sentto Nitager to hurry at the earliest with new troops, as if those herewere insufficient. "

"Communication between Upper and Lower Egypt is interrupted sinceyesterday, " added the nomarch of Aa. "On the roads are posted troops, and the galleys of his holiness examine every barge sailing on theriver. "

"Ramses XIII is not 'holiness, '" said Mefres, dryly, "for he has notreceived a crown from the gods yet. "

"All this would be a trifle, " said the judge. "Treason is worse. Wehave indications that many of the younger priests are favorable to thepharaoh and inform him of everything. "

"There are some even who have undertaken to facilitate the occupationof the temples by troops, " added Herhor. 

"Are troops to enter the temples?" exclaimed the nomarch of Sebes. 

"They have such an order at least for the 23d, " replied Herhor. 

"And dost Thou speak of this, worthiness, quietly?" inquired thenomarch of Ament. 

Herhor shrugged his shoulders, while the nomarchs exchanged glances. 

"I do not understand this, " said the nomarch of Aa, almost in anger. "There are barely a few hundred warriors at the temples, some priestsare traitors, the pharaoh cuts us off from Thebes and is rousing thepeople, while the worthy Herhor speaks as though we were invited to abanquet. Either let us defend ourselves, if that be still possible, or. "

"Shall we yield to 'his holiness'?" inquired Mefres with irony. 

"We shall have time for that always!"

"But we should like to learn about means of defense, " said the nomarchof Sebes. 

"The gods will save those who are faithful to them, " answered Herhor. 

The nomarch of Aa wrung his hands. 

"If I am to open my heart, I must say that I too am astonished at thyindifference, " said the judge. "Almost all the people are against us. "

"The common people are like barley in the field, they incline with thewind. "

"But the army?"

"What army will not fall before Osiris?"

"I know, " replied the nomarch of Aa, with impatience, "but I seeneither Osiris nor that wind which is to turn the people toward us. Meanwhile, the pharaoh has attached them by promises, and he willappear with gifts to-morrow. "

"Fear is stronger than promises and gifts, " replied Herhor. 

"What have they to fear? Those three hundred soldiers of ours?"

"They will fear Osiris. "

"But where is he?" asked the indignant nomarch of Aa. 

"Ye will see him. But happy the man who will be blind on that day. "

Herhor spoke with such calm solemnity that silence settled on theassembly. 

"But what shall we do?" asked the judge after a while. 

"The pharaoh, " said Herhor, "wishes the people to attack the temple onthe 23d. We must make them attack us on the 20th of Paofi. "

"The gods live through eternity!" cried the nomarch of Aa, raising hishands. "But why should we bring misfortune on our heads, and besidestwo days earlier?"

"Listen to Herhor, " said Mefres with a voice of decision; "try by allmeans that the attack be made on the morning of the 20th. "

"But if they beat us in fact?" inquired the judge in confusion. 

"If Herhor's spells fail I will call the gods to assist us, " repliedMefres, and in his eyes was an ominous glitter. 

"Ah, ye high priests have secrets which ye may not explain to us. Wewill do what ye command; we will cause the attack on the 20th. Butremember, on your heads be our blood and the blood of our children. "

"So be it! So be it!" cried both high priests together. 

Then Herhor added: "For ten years we have governed the state, andduring that time no wrong has happened to any of you, and we have keptevery promise; so be patient and faithful for a few days. Ye will seethe might of the gods and receive your reward. "

The nomarchs took farewell of the high priests, not trying even to hidetheir own grief and alarm. Only Herhor and Mefres remained. After along silence Herhor said, "Yes, that Lykon was good as long as he counterfeited the maniac. Butthat it should be possible to show him instead of Ramses. "

"If the-mother did not detect him, " answered Mefres, "the man mustresemble Ramses remarkably. As to sitting on the throne and saying afew words to those present, he will do that. Moreover, we shall bethere. "

"A terribly stupid comedian!" sighed Herhor, rubbing his forehead. 

"He is wiser than millions of other men, for he has second sight and hemay render the state immense service. "

"Thou art speaking continually, worthiness, of that second sight. Letme convince myself of it certainly. "

"Dost Thou wish to do so?" inquired Mefres. "Well come with me. But bythe gods, Herhor, mention not, even before thy own heart, what Thoushalt witness. "

They went beneath the temple of Ptah and entered a large vault where alamp was then gleaming. By the feeble light Herhor saw a man sitting ata table; he was eating. The man wore a coat of the pharaoh's guardsmen. 

"Lykon, " said Mefres, "the highest dignitary of the state wishesevidence of those powers with which the gods have gifted thee. "

"Cursed be the day in which the soles of my feet touched your land!"muttered Lykon, pushing away a plate with food on it. "I should ratherlabor in the quarries, and be beaten. "

"There will be time for that always, " interrupted Herhor, severely. 

The Greek was silent, and trembled suddenly when he saw a dark crystalglobe in the hand of Mefres. He grew pale, his sight became dim, largedrops of sweat came out on his face. His eyes were fixed on one point, as if fastened to that ball of crystal. 

"He is sleeping, " said Mefres. "Is this not wonderful?"

"If he is not feigning. "

"Punch him, stick him, burn him even, " said Mefres. 

Herhor drew from under his white robe a dagger and pointed it as if tostrike Lykon between the eyes, but the Greek did not move, even hiseyelids did not quiver. 

"Look!" said Mefres, holding the crystal up to Lykon. "Dost Thou seethe man who carried off Kama?"

The Greek sprang from his chair, his fists were clenched, and there wassaliva on his lips. 

"Let me go!" cried he with a hoarse voice. "Let me go and drink hisblood. "

"Where is he now?" inquired Mefres. 

"In the villa at the side of the garden next the river. A beautifulwoman is with him. "

"Her name is Hebron, and she is the wife of Tutmosis, " added Herhor. "Confess, Mefres, that second sight is not needed to know that. "

Mefres closed his thin lips tightly. 

"If this does not convince thee, worthiness, I will show somethingbetter, " said he at length. "Lykon, find now the traitor who is seekingthe way to the treasure of the labyrinth. "

The sleeping Greek looked for a while at the crystal intently, andanswered, "I see him he is dressed in the rags of a beggar. "

"Where is he?"

"In the court of the last inn before the labyrinth. He will be there inthe morning. "

"How does he look?"

"He has red hair and beard, " answered Lykon. 

"Well?" inquired Mefres of Herhor. 

"Thou hast good police, worthiness, " replied Herhor. 

"But the overseers of the labyrinth guard it poorly!" said Mefres inanger. "I will go there to-night with Lykon to warn the local priests. But if I succeed in saving the treasure of the gods, Thou wilt permitme to become its overseer, worthiness?"

"As Thou wishest, " answered Herhor with indifference. But in his hearthe added: "The pious Mefres begins at last to show his claws and teeth. He desires to become only overseer of the labyrinth, and his ward, Lykon, he would make only pharaoh! Indeed, to satisfy the greed of myassistants the gods would have to make ten Egypts, "

When both dignitaries had left the vault, Herhor, in the night, returned on foot to the temple of Isis where he had a dwelling, butMefres commanded to make ready a couple of litters on horses. In one ofthese the younger priests placed the sleeping Lykon with a bag on hishead; in the other the high priest himself took his place and, surrounded by a party of horsemen went at a sharp trot in the directionof Fayum. 

On the night between the 14th and 15th Paofi the high priest Samentu, according to the promise given Ramses, entered the labyrinth by acorridor known to himself only. He had in his hand a bundle of torches, one of which was burning, and on his back he carried tools in a smallbasket. 

Samentu passed very easily from hall to hall, from corridor tocorridor, pushing back with a touch stone slabs in columns and in wallswhere there were secret doors. Sometimes he hesitated, but then he readmysterious signs on the walls and compared them with signs on the beadswhich he bore on his neck. 

After a journey of half an hour he found himself in the treasure room, whence by pushing aside a slab in the pavement he reached a hall in thelower story. The hall was spacious and its ceiling rested on a numberof short thick columns. 

Samentu put down his basket and, lighting two torches, began by thelight of them to read inscriptions on the walls. 

"Despite my wretched figure, " declared one inscription, "I am a realson of the gods, for my auger is terrible. 

"In the open air I turn to a column of fire, and I am lightning. Confined I am thunder and destruction, and no building can resist me. 

"Nothing can weaken me but sacred water which takes my force away. Butmy anger is roused as well by the smallest spark as by a flame. 

"In my presence everything is twisted and broken. I am like Typhon, whooverturns the highest trees and lifts rocks from their places. "

"In one word, every temple has its secret which others do not know, "thought Samentu. 

He opened one column and took a large pot from it. The pot had a' coversealed with wax, also an opening through which passed a long slendercord; it was unknown where this cord ended inside the column. Samentucut off a piece, touched the torch with it and saw that the cord gaveout a hiss and burned quickly. Then with a knife be removed the coververy carefully and saw inside the pot as it were sand and pebbles of anashen color. He took out a couple of the pebbles and going asidetouched them with the torch. In one moment a flame burst forth and thepebbles vanished leaving thick smoke behind and a disagreeable odor. Samentu took some of the ash-colored sand, poured it on the pavement, put in the middle of it a piece of the cord which he had found at thepot, covered all with a heavy stone. Then he touched the cord with historch, the cord burned and after a while the stone sprang up in aflame. 

"I have that son of the gods now!" said Samentu smiling. "The treasurewill not be lost. "

He went from column to column to open slabs and take out hidden pots. In each pot was a cord which Samentu cut, the pots he left at one side. 

"Well, " said the priest, "his holiness might give me half thesetreasures and make my son a nomarch and surely he will do so, for he isa magnanimous sovereign. "

When he had rendered the lower hall safe in this way Samentu returnedto the treasure chamber, and hence went to the upper hall. There alsowere various inscriptions on the walls, numerous columns and in thempots provided with cords and filled with kernels which burst when firetouched them. Samentu cut the cords, removed the pots from the interiorof the columns, and tied up in a rag one pinch of the sand. Then beingwearied he sat down to rest. Six of his torches were burnt now. Thenight must have been nearing its end. 

"I never should have supposed, " said he to himself, "that those priestshad such a wonderful agent. Why, with it they could overturn Assyrianfortresses! Well, we will not tell our own pupils everything either. "

The wearied man fell to thinking. Now he was certain that he would holdthe highest position in Egypt, a position higher than that held byHerhor. What would he do? Very much. 

He would secure wealth and wisdom to his posterity. He would try togain their secrets from all the temples and this would increase hispower immensely; he would secure to Egypt preeminence above Assyria. 

The young pharaoh jeered at the gods, that would facilitate to Samentuthe establishment of the worship of one god, Osiris, for example; andthe union of Phoenicians, Jews, Greeks, and Libyans in one state withEgypt. 

Together they would make the canal to join the Red Sea and theMediterranean. Along that canal they would build fortresses andconcentrate a numerous army all the trade with unknown nations of theOrient and the West would fall into the hands of Egyptians. 

They would require an Egyptian fleet and Egyptian sailors. But aboveall was the need to crush Assyria, which was growing each year moredangerous. It was imperative to stop priestly greed and excesses. Letpriests be sages, let them have a sufficiency, but let them serve thestate instead of using it for their own profit as at present. 

"In the month Hator, " thought Samentu, "I shall be ruler of Egypt! Theyoung lord loves women and warriors too well to labor at governing. Andif he has no son, then my son, my son. "

He came to himself. One more torch had burnt out; it was high time toleave those underground chambers. 

He rose, took his basket and left the hall above the treasure. 

"I need no assistance, " thought he, laughing. "I have securedeverything I alone I, the despised priest of Set!"

He had passed a number of tens of chambers and corridors when he haltedon a sudden. It seemed to him that on the pavement of the hall to whichhe was going he saw a small streak of light. 

In one moment such dreadful fear seized the man that he put out historch. But the streak of light on the pavement had vanished. Samentustrained his hearing, but he heard only the throbbing of his owntemples. 

"That only seemed to me!" said he. 

With a trembling hand he took out of the basket a small vessel in whichpunk was burning slowly, and he lighted the torch again. 

"I am very drowsy, " thought he. Looking around the chamber he went to awall in which a door was hidden. He pushed a nail; the door did notslip back. A second, a third pressure no effect. 

"What does this mean?" thought Samentu in amazement. 

He forgot now the streak of light. It seemed to him that a new thing, unheard of, had met him. He had opened in his life so many hundreds ofsecret doors, he had opened so many in the labyrinth, that he could notunderstand simply the present resistance. Terror seized him a secondtime. He ran from wall to wall and tried secret doors everywhere. Atlast one opened. He found himself in an immense hall, filled as usualwith columns. His torch lighted barely a part of the space, theremainder of it was lost in thick darkness. 

The darkness, the forest of columns, and above all the strangeness ofthe hall gave the priest confidence. At the bottom of his fear a sparkof naive hope was roused then. It seemed to him that since he did notknow the place himself no one else knew it, and that no man would meethim in that labyrinth. 

He was pacified somewhat and felt that his legs were bending under him;so he sat down. But again he sprang up and looked around, as if tolearn whether danger was really threatening, and whence. From which ofthose dark comers would it come out to rush at him?

Samentu was acquainted as no other man in Egypt with subterraneanplaces, with going astray, and with darkness. He had passed alsothrough many alarms in his life. But that which he experienced then wassomething perfectly new and so terrible that the priest feared to giveits own name to it. 

At last, with great effort, he collected his thoughts, and said, "If indeed I have seen a light if indeed some one has closed the doors, I am betrayed. In that case what?"

"Death!" whispered a voice hidden in the bottom of his soul somewhere. 

"Death?"

Sweat came out on his face, his breath stopped-. All at once themadness of fear mastered him. He ran through the chamber and struck hisfist against the wall, seeking an exit. He forgot where he was and howhe had got there; he lost his direction, and even the power of takingbearings with the bead-string. 

All at once he felt that in him were two persons, so to speak: onereally bewildered, the other wise and self-possessed. This wisemanexplained to himself that all might be imagination, that no one haddiscovered him, that no one was searching, and that he could escape ifhe would recover somewhat. But the first, the bewildered man, would notlisten to the voice of wisdom; on the contrary, he gained on hisinternal antagonist every moment. 

Oh, if he could only hide in some column! Let them seek then Thoughsurely no one would seek, and no one would find him, while self-commandwould come again to him. 

"What can happen to me here?" said he, shrugging his shoulders. "If Icalm myself they can chase me through the whole labyrinth. To cut offall the roads there would have to be many thousand persons, and toindicate what cell I am in a miracle would be needed! But let ussuppose that they seize me. Then what? I will take this little vialhere, put it to my lips, and in one moment I shall flee away so that noone could catch me not even a divinity. "

But in spite of reasoning, such terrible fear seized the man again thathe put out the torch a second time, and trembling, his teethchattering, he pushed up to one of the columns. 

"How was it possible how could I decide to come in here?" thoughtSamentu. "Had I not food to eat, a place on which to lay my head? It isa simple thing, I am discovered! The labyrinth has a multitude ofoverseers as watchful as dogs, and only a child, or an idiot, wouldthink of deceiving them. Property power! Where is the treasure forwhich it would be worth while for a man to give one day of his life?And here, I, a man in the bloom of existence, have exposed myself. "

It seemed to him that he heard heavy knocking. He sprang up and in thedepth of the chamber he saw a gleam of light. 

Yes! a real gleam of light, not an illusion. At a distant wall, somewhere at the end, stood an open door through which at that momentarmed men were coming in carefully with torches. 

At sight of this the priest felt a chill in his feet, in his heart, inhis head. He doubted no longer that he was not merely discovered, buthunted and surrounded. 

Who could have betrayed him? Of course only one man: the young priestof Set, whom he had acquainted minutely enough with his purposes. Thetraitor, if alone, would have had to look almost a month for the way tothe treasure, but if he had agreed with the overseers they might in oneday track out Samentu. 

At that moment the high priest felt the impressions known only to menwho are looking at death face to face. He ceased to fear since hisimagined alarms had now vanished before real torches. Not only did heregain self-command, but he felt immensely above everything living. Ina short time he would be threatened no longer by danger of any sort. 

The thoughts flew through his head with lightning clearness and speed. He took in the whole of his existence: his toils, his perils, hishopes, his ambitions, and all of those seemed to him a trifle. For whatwould it serve him to be at that moment the pharaoh, or to own everytreasure in all kingdoms? They were vanity, dust, and even worse anillusion. Death alone was all-mighty and genuine. 

Meanwhile the torch-bearers were examining columns most carefully, andalso every corner; they had passed through half the immense hall. Samentu saw even the points of their lances, and noted that the menhesitated and advanced with alarm and repulsion. A few steps behindthem was another group of persons to whom one torch gave light. Samentudid not even feel aversion toward them, he was only curious as to whocould have betrayed him. But even that point did not concern himovermuch, for incomparably more important then seemed the question: Whymust he die, and why had he been brought into existence? For with deathpresent as a fact a whole life-time is shortened into one painfulminute even though that life were the longest of all and the richest inexperience. 

"Why was he alive? For what purpose?"

He was sobered by the voice of one of the armed men, "There is no one here, and cannot be. "

They halted. Samentu felt that he loved those men, and his heartthumped within him. 

The second group of persons came up; among them there was a discussion, "How can even thou, worthiness, suppose that some one has entered?"asked a voice quivering with anger. "All the entrances are guarded, especially now. And even if any one stole in it would be only to diehere of hunger. "

"But, worthiness, see how this Lykon bears himself, " answered anothervoice. "The sleeping man looks all the time as if he felt an enemy nearhim.. "

"Lykon?" thought Samentu. "Ah, that Greek who is like the pharaoh. Whatdo I see? Mefres has brought him!"

At this moment the sleeping Greek rushed forward and stopped at thecolumn behind which Samentu was hidden. The armed men ran after him, and the gleam of their torches threw light on the dark figure ofSamentu. 

"Who is here?" cried, with a hoarse voice, the leader. 

Samentu stood forth. The sight of him made such a powerful impressionthat the torch-bearers withdrew. He might have passed out between them, so terrified were they, and no one would have detained him; but thepriest thought no longer of rescue. 

"Well, has my man with second sight been mistaken?" said Mefres, pointing at his victim. "There is the traitor!"

Samentu approached him with a smile, and said, "I recognize thee by that cry, Mefres. When Thou canst not be a cheat, Thou art merely an idiot. "

Those present were astounded. Samentu spoke with calm irony. 

"Though it is true that at this moment Thou art both cheat and fool. Acheat, for Thou art trying to persuade the overseers of the labyrinththat this villain has the gift of second sight; and a fool, for Thouthinkest that they believe thee. Better tell them that in the temple ofPtah there are detailed plans of the labyrinth. "

"That is a lie!" cried Mefres. 

"Ask those men whom they believe: thee, or me? I am here because Ifound plans in the temple of Set; Thou hast come by the grace of theimmortal Ptah, " concluded Samentu, laughing. 

"Bind that traitor and liar!" cried Mefres. 

Samentu moved back a couple of steps, drew forth quickly from under hisgarment a vial, and said, while raising it to his lips, "Mefres, Thouwilt be an idiot till death. Thou hast wit only when it is a questionof money. "

He placed the vial between his lips and fell to the pavement. 

The armed men rushed to the priest and raised him, but he had slippedthrough their fingers already. 

"Let him stay here, like others, " said the overseer of the labyrinth. 

The whole retinue left the hall and closed the open doors carefully. Soon they issued forth from the edifice. 

When the worthy Mefres found himself in the court he commanded thepriests to make ready the mounted litters, and rode away with thesleeping Lykon to Memphis. 

The overseers of the labyrinth, dazed by the uncommon events, lookednow at one another, and now at the escort of Mefres, which wasdisappearing in a yellow dust cloud. 

"I cannot believe, " said the chief overseer, "that in our days therewas a man who could break into the labyrinth. "

"Your worthiness forgets that this day there were three such, "interrupted one of the younger priests looking askance at him. 

"A a true!" answered the high priest. "Have the gods disturbed myreason?" said he, rubbing his forehead and pressing the amulet on hisbreast. 

"And two have fled, " added the younger priest. 

"Why didst Thou not turn my attention to that in the labyrinth?" burstout the superior. 

"I did not know that things would turn out as they have. "

"Woe is on my head!" cried the high priest. "Not chief should I be atthis edifice, but gatekeeper. We were warned that some one was stealingin, but now we have let out two of the most dangerous, who will bringnow whomever it may please them O woe!"

"Thou hast no need, worthiness, to despair, " said another priest. "Ourlaw is explicit. Send four or six of our men to Memphis, and providethem with sentences. The rest will be their work. "

"I have lost my reason, " complained the high priest. 

"What has happened is over, " interrupted the young priest, with irony. "One thing is certain: that men who not only reach the vaults, but evenwalk through them as through their own houses, may not live. "

"Then select six from our militia. "

"Of course! It is necessary to end this, " confirmed the overseers. 

"Who knows if Mefres did not act in concert with the most worthyHerhor?" whispered some one. 

"Enough!" exclaimed the high priest. "If we find Herhor in thelabyrinth we will act as the law directs. But to make guesses, orsuspect any one is not permitted. Let the secretaries prepare sentencesfor Mefres and Lykon, Let those chosen hurry after them, and let themilitia strengthen the watch. We must also examine the interior of theedifice and discover how Samentu got into it, though I am sure that hewill have no followers in the near future. "

A couple of hours later six men had set out for Memphis. 

CHAPTER LXIV

ON the eighteenth day of Paofi chaos had begun. Communication wasinterrupted between Lower and Upper Egypt; commerce had ceased; on theNile moved only boats on guard, the roads were occupied by troopsmarching toward those cities which contained the most famous temples. 

Only the laborers of the priests were at work in the fields. On theestates of nobles and nomarchs, but especially of the pharaoh, flax wasunpulled, clover uncut; there was no one to gather in grapes. Thecommon people did nothing but prowl about in bands; they sang, ate, drank, and threatened either priests or Phoenicians. In the cities allshops were closed, and the artisans who had lost their occupationcounseled whole days over the reconstruction of Egypt. This offensivespectacle was no novelty, but it appeared in such threateningproportions that the tax-gatherers, and even the judges began to hide, especially as the police treated all offences of common men verymildly. 

One thing more deserved attention: the abundance of food and wine. Indramshops and cook houses, especially of the Phoenicians, as well inMemphis as in the provinces, whoso wished might eat and drink what hepleased at a very low price, or for nothing. It was said that hisholiness was giving his people a feast which would continue a wholemonth in every case. 

Because of difficult and even interrupted communication the cities werenot aware of what was happening in neighboring places. Only thepharaoh, or still better the priests, knew the general condition of thecountry. 

The position was distinguished, first of all, by a break between Upper, or Theban, and Lower, or Memphian Egypt. In Thebes partisans of thepriesthood were stronger, in Memphis adherents of the pharaoh. InThebes people said that Ramses XIII had gone mad, and wished to sellEgypt to Phoenicians; in Memphis they explained that the priests wishedto poison the pharaoh and bring in Assyrians. The common people, aswell in the north as the south, felt an instinctive attraction towardthe pharaoh. But the force of the people was passive and tottering. When an agitator of the government spoke, the people were ready toattack a temple and beat priests, but when a procession appeared theyfell on their faces and were timid while listening to accounts ofdisasters which threatened Egypt in that very month of Paofi. 

The terrified nobles and nomarchs had assembled at Memphis to implorethe pharaoh for rescue from the rebelling multitude. But since Ramsesenjoined on them patience, and did not attack the rabble, the magnatesbegan to take counsel with the adherents of the priesthood. 

It is true that Herhor was silent, or enjoined patience also; but otherhigh priests proved to the nobles that Ramses was a maniac, and hintedat the need of deposing him. 

In Memphis itself two parties were facing each other. The godless whodrank, made an uproar, threw mud at temples and even at statues, andthe pious, mainly old men and women who prayed on the streets, prophesied misfortune aloud and implored all the divinities for rescue. The godless committed outrages daily; each day among the pious healthreturned to some sick man or cripple. But for a wonder neither party, in spite of roused passions, worked harm on the other, and stillgreater wonder neither party resorted to violence, which came fromthis, that each was disturbed by direction, and according to plansframed in higher circles. 

The pharaoh, not having collected all his troops and all his proofsagainst the priests, did not give the order yet for a final attack onthe temples; the priests seemed waiting for something. It was evident, however, that they did not feel so weak as in the first moments afterthe voting by delegates. Ramses himself became thoughtful when menreported from every side that people on the lands of the priests didnot mix in disturbances at all, but were working. 

"What does this mean?" asked the pharaoh of himself. "Do the shavenheads think that I dare not touch temples, or have they means ofdefense quite unknown to me?"

On the 19th of Paofi a police official informed Ramses that the nightbefore people had begun to break the walls inclosing the temple ofHorus. 

"Did ye command them to do that?" inquired the pharaoh. 

"No. They began of their own accord. "

"Restrain them mildly restrain them, " said Ramses. "In a few days theymay do what they like. But now let them not act with great violence. "

Ramses, as a leader and victor at the Soda Lakes, knew that once menattack in a multitude nothing has power to restrain them; they mustbreak or be broken. Unless the temples defend themselves the multitudewill take them; but if they defend themselves? In that case the peoplewill flee and there will be need to send warriors, of whom there weremany it is true, but not so many as would be needed, according to the'pharaoh's own reckoning. Moreover, Hiram had not returned from Pi-Bastyet with letters proving the treason of Mefres and Herhor. And what wasmore important, the priests who sided with the pharaoh were to assistthe troops only on Paofi 23d. By what means then could he forewarn themin temples which were so numerous and so distant from one another? Anddid not caution itself command him to avoid relations which mightbetray them?

For these reasons Ramses did not wish an earlier attack on the temples. 

Meanwhile the disturbance increased in spite of the pharaoh. Near thetemple of Isis a number of pious persons were slain who predictedmisfortune to Egypt, or who had recovered their health by a miracle. Near the temple of Ptah the multitude rushed on a procession, struckdown the priests, and broke the holy boat in which the god wasadvancing. Almost at the same time messengers flew in from the citiesof Sochem and Anu with news that people were breaking into the temples, and that in Cheran they had even broken in and desecrated the most holyplaces. 

Toward evening a deputation of priests came, almost by stealth, to thepalace of his holiness; the revered prophets fell at his feet, weeping, crying out to him to defend the gods and their sanctuaries. 

This altogether unexpected event filled the heart of Ramses with greatdelight and still greater pride. He commanded the delegates to rise, and answered graciously that his regiments would be always ready todefend the temples when conducted into them. 

"I have no doubt, " said he, "that the rioters themselves will withdrawwhen they see the dwellings of the gods occupied by the army. "

The delegates hesitated. 

"It is known to thee, holiness, " answered the chief, "that the army maynot enter the enclosure of a temple. We must ask, therefore, what thehigh priests have to say. "

"Very well, take counsel, " answered the sovereign. "I cannot performmiracles, and I cannot defend temples from a distance. "

The saddened delegates left the pharaoh, who after their departuresummoned a confidential council. He was convinced that the priestswould yield to his will, and it did not even occur to him that thedelegation itself was a trick arranged by Herhor to lead him intoerror. 

When the civil and military officials had assembled in the pharaoh'schamber Ramses began, "I thought, " said he, proudly, "to occupy the temples of Memphis onlyon the 23d, but I consider it better to do so to-morrow. "

"Our troops have not assembled yet, " objected Tutmosis. 

"And we have not Herhor's letters to Assyria, " added the chief scribe. 

"Never mind!" answered the pharaoh. "Proclaim tomorrow that Herhor andMefres are traitors, and we will show the nomarchs and priests theproofs three days later when Hiram returns from Pi-Bast to us. "

"Thy new command, holiness, will change the first one greatly, " saidTutmosis. "We shall not occupy the labyrinth to-morrow. If the templesin Memphis make bold to resist, we have not even rams to break down thegates. "

"Tutmosis, " answered the pharaoh, "I might not explain my commands, butI wish to convince thee that my heart estimates the course of eventsmore profoundly. If people attack the temples today they will wish tobreak into them to-morrow. Unless we support them they will berepulsed, and will be discouraged in every case from deeds of daring. The priests send a delegation today, hence they are weak. Meanwhile thenumber of their adherents among the common people may be greater somedays hence. Enthusiasm and fear are like wine in a pitcher; itdecreases in proportion as it is poured out, and only he can drink whoputs his goblet under in season. If the people are ready to attacktoday and the enemy is frightened, let us make use of the situation, for, as I say, luck may leave us in a few days, or may turn againstus. "

"And provisions will be exhausted, " added the treasurer. "In three daysthe people must return to work, for we shall not have the wherewithalto feed them. "

"Oh, seest thou, " continued the pharaoh to Tutmosis. "I myself havecommanded the chief of police to restrain the people. But it isimpossible to restrain them, we must make a movement. An experiencedsailor struggles neither with wind nor current, but he lets them bearhim in the direction which they have taken. "

At this moment a courier came in with news that the people had fallenupon foreigners. They had assaulted Greeks, Assyrians, but especiallyPhoenicians. They had plundered many shops and slain a number ofpersons. 

"Here is proof, " cried the excited pharaoh, "that we should not turn acrowd from the road it has taken. Let the troops be near the templesto-morrow, and let them march in if the people begin to burst intothem, or or if they begin to withdraw under pressure. 

"It is true that grapes should be gathered in the month Paofi; but isthere a gardener, who if his fruit were ripe a month earlier, wouldleave it on the vines to wither?

"I repeat this: I wished to delay the movement of the people till wehad finished preparations. But if it is impossible to delay, let usraise our sails and use the wind which is blowing. Ye must arrestHerhor and Mefres tomorrow and bring them to the palace. In a few dayswe will finish with the labyrinth. "

The members of the council recognized that the decision of the pharaohwas proper, and they departed admiring his promptness and wisdom. Evengenerals declared that it was better to use the occasion at hand thanto have forces ready when the time had passed in which to use them. 

It was night. Another courier rushed in from Memphis with informationthat the police had been able to protect foreigners, but that thepeople were excited and it was unknown what they might attempt on themorrow. 

Thenceforth courier arrived after courier. Some brought news that agreat mass of men armed with clubs and axes were moving toward Memphisfrom every direction. From somewhere else information came that peoplein the region of Peme, Sochem, and On, were fleeing to the fields andcrying that the end of the world would come the day following. 

Another courier brought a letter from Hiram that he would arrive verysoon. Another announced the stealthy advance of temple regiments toMemphis, and, what was more important, that from Upper Egypt weremoving strong divisions of people and troops hostile to thePhoenicians, and even to his holiness. 

"Before they arrive, " thought the pharaoh, "I shall have the highpriests in my hands and even the regiments of Nitager now some dayslate in arriving. "

Finally information was brought that troops had seized here and thereon the highways, disguised priests who were trying to reach the palaceof his holiness, no doubt with evil purpose. 

"Bring them here, " answered Ramses, laughing. "I wish to see men whodare to form evil plans against the pharaoh. "

About midnight the revered queen, Niort's, desired an audience of hisholiness. 

The worthy lady was pale and trembling. She commanded the officers toleave the pharaoh's chamber, and when alone with her son she said, weeping, "My son, I bring thee very bad omens. "

"I should prefer, queen, to hear accurate information of the strengthand intention of my enemies. "

"This evening the statue of the divine Isis in my chapel turned itsface to the wall, and water became blood-red in the sacred cistern. "

"That proves, " replied the pharaoh, "that there are traitors in thepalace. But they are not very dangerous if they are able only to defilewater and turn statues back forward. "

"All our servants, " continued the queen, "all the people are convincedthat if thy army enters the temples, great misfortune will fall uponEgypt. "

"A greater misfortune, " said the pharaoh, "is the insolence of thepriesthood. Admitted by my ever-living father to the palace, they thinktoday that they have become its owners. But by the gods, what shall Ibecome at last in presence of their all-mightiness? And shall I not befree to claim my rights as a sovereign?"

"At least at least, " said the lady after a while, "be gracious. Yes, Thou must claim thy rights, but do not permit thy soldiers to violateholy places and do injustice to the priesthood. Remember that thegracious gods send down delight on Egypt, and the priests in spite oftheir errors (who is without them) have rendered incomparable servicesto this country. Only think, if Thou shouldest impoverish and dismissthem, Thou wouldst destroy wisdom which has raised our kingdom aboveall others. "

The pharaoh took his mother by both hands, kissed her, and replied, smiling, "Women must always exaggerate. Thou art speaking to me, mother, as if Iwere the chief of wild Hyksos, and not a pharaoh. Do I wish injusticeto the priests? Do I hate their wisdom, even such barren wisdom as thatof investigating the course of the stars which move in the heavenswithout our aid, and do not enrich us one uten? Neither their wisdomnor their piety troubles me, but the wretchedness of Egypt, whichwithin is growing weak from hunger, and without is afraid of any threatfrom Assyria. Meanwhile the priests, in spite of their wisdom, notmerely do not wish to help me in my measures, but they presentresistance in the most dangerous manner. 

"Let me, mother, convince them that not they, but I am the master of myown heritage. I should not be able to take revenge on the submissive, but I will trample on the necks of the insolent. 

"They know this, but still do not trust, and with a lack of real powerthey wish to frighten me by declaring some misfortune. That is theirlast resource and weapon. When they understand that I do not fear theirterrors they will submit. And then not a stone will fall from theirtemples, or one ring be lost from their treasures. 

"I know those men! Today they put on a great front, for I am far fromthem. But when I stretch out a bronze fist they will fall on theirfaces, and all this confusion will end in general prosperity andcontentment. "

The queen embraced his feet and went out comforted, imploring him, however, to respect the gods and spare their servants. 

After the departure of his mother he summoned Tutmosis. 

"Tomorrow, " said the pharaoh, "my troops will occupy the temples. Buttell the commanders of regiments, let them know that it is my will, that the holy places must be inviolate, and that no one is to raise ahand on any priest in Egypt. "

"Even on Mefres and Herhor?" inquired Tutmosis. 

"Even on them. They will be punished enough when they are put out oftheir present positions; they will live in learned temples to pray andinvestigate wisdom without hindrance. "

"It will be as Thou commandest, holiness though. "

Ramses raised his finger in sign that he did not wish to heararguments. And then, to change the conversation, he said, with a smile, "Dost Thou remember, Tutmosis, the maneuvers at Pi-Bailos? Two yearshave passed. When I was angry then at the insolence and greed of thepriests, couldst Thou think that I should reckon with them so early?But poor Sarah and my little son. How beautiful he was!"

Two tears rolled down the pharaoh's cheeks. 

"Indeed, if I were not a son of the gods, who are magnanimous andmerciful, my enemies would pass through grievous hours to-morrow. Howmany humiliations have they put on me! How often have my eyes growndark from weeping!"

CHAPTER LXV

ON the 20th of Paofi Memphis looked as it might during a great solemnfestival. All occupations had ceased; even carriers were not bearingburdens. The whole population had come out on the streets, or hadcollected around the temples, mainly around the temple of Ptah, whichwas the best defended, and where the spiritual dignitaries had cometogether, also those lay officials who were under the direction ofHerhor and Mefres. 

Near the temples troops were posted in loose rank, so that the warriorsmight come to an understanding with the populace. 

Among the common people and the army circulated many hucksters, 'withbaskets of bread and with pitchers and skin bags in which there waswine. They entertained free of charge. When any one asked them why theytook no pay, some answered that his holiness was entertaining hissubjects, while others said, "Eat and drink, right-believing Egyptians, for it is unknown whether weshall see to-morrow!"

These were hucksters in the service of the priesthood. 

A multitude of agents were circling about. Some proved to listenersthat the priests were rebelling against their lord, and even wanted topoison him, because he had promised the seventh day for rest. Otherswhispered that the pharaoh had gone mad, and had conspired withforeigners to destroy the temples and Egypt. The first encouraged thepeople to attack the temples where the priests and nomarchs werearranging to oppress laborers and artisans; the others expressed fearthat if the people attacked the temples some great misfortune mightfall on them. 

Under the walls of Ptah were a number of strong beams, and piles ofstones brought, it was unknown from what quarter. 

The serious merchants of Memphis, passing among the crowds, had nodoubt that the popular disturbance was called forth artificially. Inferior scribes, policemen, overseers of laborers, and disguiseddecurions denied neither their official positions, nor this, that theywere urging the people to occupy the temples. On the other sidedissectors, beggars, temple servants and inferior priests, though theywished to conceal their identity, were unable to do so, and each onewho was endowed with perception saw that they were urging the people toviolence. The thinking citizens of Memphis were astonished at thisaction of partisans of the priesthood, and the people began to fallaway from their zeal of yesterday. Genuine Egyptians could notunderstand what the question was, or who was really calling forthdisturbance. The chaos was increased by half-frenzied zealots, who, running about the streets naked, wounded themselves till the bloodflowed, and cried, "Woe to Egypt! Impiety has passed its measure and the hour of judgmentis coming! O gods show your power over the insolence of injustice. "

The troops bore themselves calmly, waiting till the people should breakinto the temples. For an order to that effect had come from the palace;and on the other the officers foresaw ambushes in the temples, andpreferred that men of the crowd should perish rather than warriors, whowould be sufficiently occupied in every case. 

But in spite of the shouts of agitators, and wine given for nothing, the crowd hesitated. Laborers looked at the artisans; the artisans andall were waiting for something. 

Suddenly, about one in the afternoon, from side streets a drunken bandpoured forth toward the temple of Ptah; it was armed with poles andaxes and was made up of fishermen, Greek sailors, shepherds, and Libyanvagrants, even convicts from the quarries in Turra. At the head of thisband went a laborer of gigantic stature, with a torch in his hand. Hestood before the gate of the temple and cried with an immense voice tothe people, "Do ye know, right believers, what the high priests and the nomarchsare preparing here? They wish to force his holiness, Ramses XIII, todeprive laborers of a barley cake a day, and to impose new taxes on thepeople, a drachma each man. I say, then, that ye are committing a lowand stupid deed by standing here with your arms crossed. We must catchthese temple rats at last and give them into the hands of our lord, thepharaoh, against whom these godless wretches are conspiring. If ourlord yields to priests, who will take the part of honest people?"

"He speaks truth!" called out voices from the multitude. 

"Our lord will command to give us the seventh day for rest. "

"And will give us land. "

"He had compassion always for the common people. Remember how he freedthose who, two years ago, were under judgment for attacking the houseof the Jewess. "

"I myself saw him beat a scribe, when the man was dragging an unjusttax from laborers. "

"May he live through eternity, our lord, Ramses XIII, the guardian ofoppressed laborers!"

"But look!" called out some voice from afar, "the cattle are comingfrom pasture, as if evening were near. "

"What cattle! Go on against the priests!"

"Hei, ye!" cried the giant at the temple gate. "Open to us of your ownwill, so that we may know what the high priests and the nomarchs arecounseling!"

"Open, or we will break the gate!"

"A wonderful thing, " said people from afar; "the birds are going tosleep. But it is only midday. "

"Something evil has happened in the air!"

"O gods, night is coming, and I have not pulled salad for dinner, " saidsome girl. 

But these remarks were drowned by the uproar of the drunken band, andthe noise of beams striking the bronze gate of the temple. If the crowdhad been less occupied with the violent deeds of the attackers, theywould have seen that something unusual was happening in nature. The sunwas shining, there was not one cloud in the sky, and still thebrightness of the day had begun to decrease and there was a breath ofcoolness. 

"Give us another beam!" cried the attackers of the temple. "The gate isgiving way!"

"Powerfully! Once more!"

The crowd looking on roared like a tempest. Here and there men began toseparate from the throng and join the attackers. At last a whole massof people pushed slowly toward the temple. 

Though but just past midday, gloom increased. In the gardens of thetemple the cocks began to crow. But the rage of the throng was so greatnow that few noticed the change. 

"Look ye!" cried some beggar. "Behold the day of judgment is coming Ogods. "

He wished to speak on, but struck on the head by a club he fellprostrate. 

On the walls of the temple naked but armed figures began to climb up. Officers called the warriors to arms, certain that soon they would haveto support the attack of the multitude. 

"What does this mean?" whispered warriors, looking at the sky. "Thereis not a cloud, still the world looks as it does in the time of atempest. "

"Strike! break!" shouted men near the temple. 

The sound of beams was more and more frequent. 

At that moment on the terrace above the gate appeared Herhor. He wassurrounded by a retinue of priests and civil dignitaries. The mostworthy high priest was in a golden robe, and wore the cap of Amenhotepwith its regal serpent. 

Herhor looked at the enormous masses of people who surrounded thetemple, and bending toward the band of stormers, he said to them, "Whoever ye are, right believers or unbelievers, leave this temple inpeace, in the name of the gods I summon you. "

The uproar of the people ceased suddenly, and only the pounding of thebeams against the bronze gate was audible. But soon even that ceased. 

"Open the gate!" cried the giant from below. "We wish to see if ye areforging treason against the pharaoh. "

"My son, " replied Herhor, "fall on thy face and implore the gods toforgive thee thy sacrilege. "

"Ask Thou the gods to shield thee!" cried the leader of the band, andtaking a stone he threw it toward the high priest. 

At the same time, from a window of the pylon shot out a small streamwhich seemed to be water, and which struck the giant's face. The bandittottered, threw up his hands, and fell. 

Those nearest him gave out a cry of fear, whereupon the farther ranks, not seeing what had happened, answered with laughter and curses. 

"Break down the gate!" was heard from the end of the crowd, and avolley of stones flew in the direction of Herhor and his retinue. 

Herhor raised both hands, and when the crowd had grown silent again thehigh priest shouted, "O gods! into your protection I give these sacred retreats, againstwhich blasphemers and traitors are advancing!"

A moment later, somewhere above the temple, an unearthly voice washeard, "I turn my face from the accursed people and may darkness fall on theearth. "

Then a dreadful thing happened: as the voice rose the sun decreased, 'and with the last word there was darkness as at night. Stars began toshine in the heavens; instead of the sun was a black disk surroundedwith a thin hoop of flame. 

An immense cry was rent from a hundred thousand breasts. Those who werestorming the gate threw down their beams; common people fell to theearth. 

"Oh, the day of punishment and death has come!" cried a shrill voice atthe end of the street. 

"O gods of mercy! O holy men, ward off this terror!" cried the crowd. 

"WOE TO ARMIES WHICH CARRY OUT THE ORDERS OF GODLESS COMMANDERS!" crieda great voice from the temple. 

In answer all the people fell on their faces, and confusion rose in thetwo regiments standing before the temple. The ranks broke, warriorsthrew down their weapons and ran toward the river insensate. Some, rushing like blind men, knocked against the walls of houses in thedarkness; others fell to the ground and were trampled to death by theircomrades. In the course of a few minutes, instead of close columns ofwarriors, on the square, spears and axes lay scattered about, and atthe entrance of the streets were piles of dead and wounded. 

"O gods! O gods!" groaned and cried the people, "take pity on theinnocent. "

"Osiris!" cried Herhor from the terrace, "have compassion and show thyface to the unfortunate people. "

"AT LAST I HEAR THE PRAYERS OF MY PRIESTS, FOR I AMCOMPASSIONATE, " answered the supernatural voice from the temple. 

At that moment the darkness began to disappear, and the sun to regainits brightness. 

A new shout, new weeping, and new prayers were heard in the throng. Thepeople, drunk with delight, greeted the sun which had risen from thedead. Men unknown to one another embraced, some persons died, and allcrawled on their knees to kiss the sacred walls of the temple. 

Above the gate stood the most worthy Herhor, his eyes fixed on the sky, and two priests supporting his holy hands with which he had dissipateddarkness, and saved his people from destruction. 

Scenes of the same kind with certain changes took place throughout allLower Egypt. In each city on the 20th of Paofi people had collectedfrom early morning. In each city about midday some band was storming asacred gate. About one the high priest of the temple, with a retinue, cursed the faithless attackers and produced darkness. But when thethrong fled in panic, or fell on the ground, the high priest prayed toOsiris to show his face, and then the light of day returned to theearth again. 

In this way, thanks to the eclipse of the sun, the party of thepriests, full of wisdom, had shaken the importance of Ramses XIII inLower Egypt. 

In the course of a few minutes the government of the pharaoh had come, even without knowing it, to the brink of a precipice. Only great wisdomcould save it, and an accurate knowledge of the situation. But that waslacking in the pharaoh's palace, where the all-powerful reign of chancehad set in at that critical moment. 

On the 20th of Paofi his holiness rose exactly at sunrise, and, to benearer the scene of action, he transferred himself from the main palaceto a villa which was hardly an hour's distance from Memphis. On oneside of this villa were the barracks of the Asiatic troops, on theother the villa of Tutmosis and his wife, the beautiful Hebron. Withtheir lord came the dignitaries faithful to Ramses, and the firstregiment of the guard in which the pharaoh felt unbounded reliance. 

Ramses was in perfect humor. He bathed, ate with appetite, and began tohear the reports of couriers who flew in from Memphis every fifteenminutes. 

Their reports were monotonous to weariness: The high priests and someof the nomarchs, under the leadership of Herhor and Mefres, had shutthemselves up in the temple of Ptah. The army was full of hope, and thepeople excited. All were blessing the pharaoh, and waiting the order tomove on the temple. 

When the fourth courier came about nine, and repeated the same words, the pharaoh was frowning. 

"What are they waiting for?" asked he. "Let them attack immediately. "

The courier answered that the chief band which was to attack and batterdown the bronze gate had not arrived yet. 

This explanation displeased the pharaoh. He shook his head, and sent anofficer to Memphis to hasten the attack. 

"What does this delay mean?" asked he. "I thought that my army wouldwaken me with news of the capture of the temple. In such cases promptaction is the condition of success. "

The officer rode away, but nothing had changed at the temple of Ptah. The people were waiting for something, but the chief band was not inits place yet. Some other will seemed to delay the execution of theorder. 

About ten the litter of Queen Niort's came to the villa occupied by thepharaoh. The revered lady broke into her son's chamber almost withviolence, and fell at his feet, weeping. 

"What dost Thou wish of me, mother?" asked Ramses, hardly hiding hisimpatience. "Hast Thou forgotten that the camp is no place for women?"

"I will not leave thee today, I will not leave thee for an instant!"exclaimed the queen. "Thou art the son of Isis, it is true, and shesurrounds thee with care. But I should die from fright. "

"What threatens me?" inquired the pharaoh, shrugging his shoulders. 

"The priest who investigates the stars, " said she, tearfully, "declaredto a serving woman that Thou wilt live and reign a hundred years ifthis day favors thee. "

"Ah! Where is that man who is skilled in my fate?"

"He fled to Memphis, " replied the lady. 

Ramses thought a while, then he said, smiling, "As the Libyans at the Soda Lakes hurled missiles at us, the priestshurl threats today. Be calm, mother! Talk is less dangerous than stonesand arrows. "

From Memphis a new courier rushed in with a report that all was well, but still the main band was not ready. 

On the comely face of the pharaoh appeared signs of anger. Wishing tocalm the sovereign, Tutmosis said to him, "The people are not an army. They know not how to assemble at a givenhour; while marching they stretch out like a swamp, and obey nocommands. If the occupation of the temples were committed to regimentsthey would be in possession at present. "

"What art Thou saying, Tutmosis?" cried the queen. "Where has any oneheard of Egyptian troops. "

"Thou hast forgotten, " interrupted Ramses, "that according to mycommands the troops were not to attack, but defend the temples fromattacks of the people. "

"Action is delayed through this also, " answered Tutmosis, impatiently. 

"O counselors of the pharaoh!" burst out the queen. "Your lord actswisely, appearing as a defender of the gods, and ye, instead of makinghim milder, urge him to violence. "

The blood rushed to Tutmosis' head. Fortunately an adjutant called himfrom the chamber with information that at the gate was an old man whowished to speak with his holiness. 

"Today each man is struggling to get at the pharaoh, as he might at thekeeper of a dramshop, " muttered the adjutant. 

Tutmosis thought that in the time of Ramses XII no one would have daredto speak of the ruler in that way. But he feigned not to hear. 

The old man whom the watch had detained was Prince Hiram. He wore asoldier's mantle covered with dust; he was irritated and wearied. 

Tutmosis commanded to admit him, and when both were in the garden, hesaid to him, "I judge that Thou wilt bathe, worthiness, and change thy dress beforeI obtain an audience with his holiness?"

Hiram raised his iron-gray brows, and his bloodshot eyes becamebloodier. 

"From what I have seen, " said he firmly, "I may even not ask for anaudience. "

"Hast Thou the letters of the high priest to Assyria?"

"What good are those letters, since ye have agreed with the priests?"

"What dost Thou say, worthiness?" inquired Tutmosis, starting. 

"I know what I say!" replied Hiram. "Ye have obtained tens of thousandsof talents from the Phoenicians, as it were for the liberation of Egyptfrom the power of the priesthood, and today in return for that ye arerobbing and slaying us. See what is happening from the sea to the FirstCataract: your common people are hunting the Phoenicians like dogs, forsuch is the command of the priesthood. "

"Thou art mad, Phoenician! Our people are taking the temple of Ptah inMemphis. "

Hiram waved his hand. 

"They will not take it! Ye are deceiving us, or ye are deceivingyourselves. Ye were to seize, first of all, the labyrinth and itstreasure, and that only on the 23d. Meanwhile ye are wasting power onthe temple of Ptah, and the labyrinth is lost. What is happening here?Where is mind to be found in this place?" continued the indignantPhoenician. "Why storm an empty building? Ye are attacking it so thatthe priests may take more care of the labyrinth!"

"We will seize the labyrinth, too, " said Tutmosis. 

"Ye will seize nothing, nothing! Only one man could take the labyrinth, and he will be stopped by today's action in Memphis. "

Tutmosis halted on the path. 

"About what art Thou troubled?" asked he, abruptly. 

"About the disorder which reigns here. About this, that ye are nolonger a government, but a group of officers and officials whom thepriests send whithersoever they wish and whensoever it pleases them. For three days there is such terrible confusion in Lower Egypt that thepeople are killing us, your only friends, the Phoenicians. And why isthis? Because government has dropped from jour hands, and the priestshave seized it. "

"Thou speakest thus for Thou knowest not the position, " repliedTutmosis. "It is true that the priests thwart us and organize attackson Phoenicians. But power is in the hands of the pharaoh; events movein general according to his orders. "

"And the attack on the temple of Ptah?" inquired Hiram. 

"Was ordered by the pharaoh. I was present at the confidential council, during which the pharaoh gave command to take possession of the templestoday instead of the 23d. "

"Well, I declare to thee, commander of the guard, that ye are lost, forI know to a certainty that the attack of today was decided on at acouncil of high priests and nomarchs in the temple of Ptah, which washeld on Paofi 13. "

"Why should they arrange an attack on themselves?" asked Tutmosis in ajeering voice. 

"They must have had some reason for it. And I have convinced myselfthat they manage their affairs better than ye manage yours. "

Further conversation was interrupted by an adjutant summoning Tutmosisto his holiness. 

"But but, " added Hiram, "your soldiers have stopped on the path thepriest Pentuer, who has something important to convey to the pharaoh. "

Tutmosis seized his own head, and sent officers immediately to findPentuer. Then he ran to the pharaoh, and after a while returned andcommanded the Phoenician to follow him. 

When Hiram entered the chamber of Ramses he saw Queen Niort's, thechief treasurer, the chief scribe, and a number of generals. RamsesXIII was irritated, and walked up and down quickly through the chamber. 

"Here we have the misfortune of the pharaoh, and of Egypt!" exclaimedthe queen, pointing to the Phoenician. 

"Worthy lady, " answered Hiram, without confusion, bowing to her, "timewill show who was the faithful and who the evil servant of hisholiness. "

Ramses stopped suddenly before Hiram. 

"Hast Thou the letters of Herhor to Assyria?" inquired he. 

The Phoenician drew from under his robe a package, and in silencehanded it to the pharaoh. 

"This is what I needed!" exclaimed the pharaoh in triumph. "We mustdeclare at once to the people that the high priests are guilty oftreason. "

"My son, " interrupted the queen in an imploring voice, "by the shade ofthy father I adjure thee; delay this announcement a couple of days. There is need of great caution with gifts from Phoenicia. "

"Holiness, " put in Hiram, "Thou mayst even burn these letters. I am inno way concerned with them. "

The pharaoh thought a while, then hid the package in his bosom. 

"What hast Thou heard in Lower Egypt?" inquired the sovereign. 

"They are beating Phoenicians at all points, " replied Hiram. "Ourhouses are wrecked, our effects stolen, and a number of tens ofPhoenicians are slain. "

"I have heard. This is the work of the priests, " said the pharaoh. 

"Say, rather, my son, that it comes of the godlessness and extortion ofPhoenicians, " interrupted Queen Niort's. 

"For three days the chief of police from Pi-Bast is in Memphis with twoassistants, and they are on the trail of the murderer and deceiverLykon. "

"Who was hidden in Phoenician temples!" cried Niort's. 

"Lykon, " continued Hiram, "whom the high priest Mefres stole from thepolice and the courts Lykon, who in Thebes ran naked through the gardenas a maniac, counterfeiting thee, holiness. "

"What dost Thou tell me?" cried the pharaoh. 

"Holiness, ask the most revered queen if she saw him, " answered Hiram. 

Ramses looked in confusion at his mother. 

"Yes, " said she. "I saw that wretch, but I said nothing so as to sparethee pain. I must explain, however, that no one has proof that Lykonwas put there by the priests, for the Phoenicians might have done thatas well. "

Hiram laughed sneeringly. 

"O mother, mother!" cried Ramses, with sorrow. "Is it possible that thepriests are dearer to thy heart than I am?"

"Thou art my son and most precious sovereign, " said the queen withenthusiasm, "but I cannot suffer a stranger, an infidel, to castcalumny on the holy order of the priests from which we are bothdescended. O Ramses, " exclaimed she, falling on her knees, "expel thesewicked counselors who urge thee to insult temples, and raise thy handagainst the successor of thy grandsire, Amenhotep. There is still timefor agreement, still time to save Egypt. "

All at once, Pentuer, in torn garments, entered the chamber. 

"Well, and what hast Thou to say?" inquired the pharaoh, with wonderfulcalmness. 

"Today, perhaps immediately, there will be an eclipse of the sun. "

The pharaoh started back in astonishment. 

"How does an eclipse of the sun concern me, especially at this moment?"

"Lord, " said Pentuer, "I thought the same till I read in old chroniclesof eclipses. An eclipse is such a terrifying spectacle that it wasnecessary to forewarn the whole people of it. "

"That is the truth!" interrupted Hiram. 

"Why didst Thou not inform earlier?" inquired Tutmosis. 

"The warriors kept me in prison two days. We cannot forewarn the peoplenow, but at least inform the troops at the palace, so that they, too, should not give way to panic. "

Ramses clapped his hands. 

"Ah, it is too bad!" whispered he, and added aloud. "When will it be, and what will take place?"

"Day will become night, " said Pentuer. "This will last as much time, perhaps, as is needed in walking five hundred yards. It will begin atmidday, so Menes told me. "

"Menes, " repeated the pharaoh, "I know that name. "

"He wrote thee a letter concerning it, holiness. But let the armyknow. "

Straightway they sounded the trumpets; the guard and the Asiatics weredrawn out under arms, and the pharaoh, surrounded by his staff, informed the troops of the eclipse, telling them not to be alarmed, that it would pass soon, and that he would be with them. 

"Live through eternity!" answered the armed ranks. 

At the same time a number of the best riders were sent to Memphis. 

The generals took their places at the head of the columns, the pharaohwalked through the court thoughtfully, the civilians whispered withHiram; Queen Niort's, left alone in the chamber, fell on her facebefore the statue of Osiris. 

It was after one. The light of the sun began to lessen. 

"Will night come in fact?" asked the pharaoh of Pentuer. 

"It will come, but during a very short interval. "

"Where will the sun be?"

"It will hide behind the moon. "

"I must restore to my favor the sages who investigate stars, " said thepharaoh to himself. 

The darkness increased quickly. The horses of the Asiatics grewrestive, flocks of birds flew into the garden, and occupied all thetrees, with noisy twitter. 

"Rouse up!" cried Kalippos to the Greeks. 

The drums beat, the flutes sounded, and to this accompaniment the Greeksoldiers sang a dancing song of the priest's daughter who was so timidthat she could sleep only in the barracks. 

Meanwhile an ominous shade fell on the tawny Libyan hills, and coveredMemphis, the Nile, and the palace gardens with lightning swiftness. Night embraced the earth, and in the heavens appeared a ball as blackas coal surrounded by a rim of brightness. 

An immense uproar drowned the song of the Greek regiment. This wascaused by the Asiatics, who raised a military shout as they sent acloud of arrows toward the sky to frighten the evil spirit which wasgulping the sun down. 

"Dost say that that black ball is the moon?" inquired the pharaoh ofPentuer. 

"That is what Menes asserts. "

"He is a great sage! And will the darkness end soon?"

"To a certainty. "

"And if this moon should tear itself away and fall to the earth?"

"That cannot be. Here is the sun!" cried Pentuer, with delight. 

The assembled regiments raised a shout in honor of Ramses XIII. 

The pharaoh embraced Pentuer. "Indeed, " said he, "we have seen a mostwonderful event. But I should not like to see it a second time. I feelthat if I had not been a warrior fear would have mastered me. "

Hiram approached Tutmosis, and whispered, "Send couriers, worthiness, to Memphis immediately, for I fear that thehigh priests have done something evil. "

"Dost Thou think so?"

Hiram nodded. 

"They would not have managed the kingdom so long, " said he, "they wouldnot have buried eighteen dynasties if they had not known how to useevents like the present. "

When Ramses had thanked the troops for good bearing in presence of thestrange phenomenon, he returned to his villa. He continued thoughtful, he spoke calmly, even mildly, but on his shapely face doubt wasevident. 

In the pharaoh's soul there was indeed a grievous struggle. He hadbegun to understand that the priests possessed powers which he not onlyhad not weighed, but had not noted; he had not even wished to hear ofthem. In a few moments the priests who followed the movements of starsrose in his eyes immensely, and he said to himself that in every casehe should learn this wonderful wisdom which confuses people's plans soterribly. 

Courier after courier flew from the palace to Memphis to learn what hadhappened during the eclipse. But the couriers did not return, anduncertainty spread its black wings above the retinue of the pharaoh. Noone doubted that something evil had happened at the temple of Ptah. More than that, no man dared to draw his own conclusions. It seemed asthough the pharaoh and his intimate counselors were glad when a minutepassed without tidings. Meanwhile Queen Niort's sat down at thepharaoh's side, and whispered, "Let me act, Ramses. Women have served this state more than once. Onlyremember Queen Niort's in the sixth dynasty, or Makara who created afleet on the Red Sea. In our sex there is no lack of mind or of energy, so let me act. If the temple of Ptah is not taken, and the priests arenot wronged I will reconcile thee with Herhor. Thou wilt take hisdaughter as wife, and thy reign will be full of glory. Remember thatthy grandfather, the holy Amenhotep, was also a high priest and aviceroy of the pharaoh, and Thou thyself, who knows if Thou wouldst bereigning today, had the holy order of the priests not desired to haveits own blood on the throne. Art thou, too, not obliged to them fordominion?"

The pharaoh as he listened to her, thought all the time that the wisdomof the priests was an immense power, and the struggle with themdifficult. 

Only about three in the afternoon did the first courier arrive fromMemphis, an adjutant of the regiment which had been stationed at thetemple. He informed the sovereign that the temple had not been takenbecause of the anger of the gods; that the people had fled, that thepriests were triumphant, and that even in the army disorder had arisenduring that brief but terrible darkness. 

Then, taking Tutmosis aside, the adjutant declared to him directly thatthe troops were demoralized; that, because they had fled in a panic, asmany were wounded and killed as in a battle. 

"What is happening now with the troops?" inquired Tutmosis inconsternation. 

"Of course, " replied the adjutant, "we were able to rally the men andbring them to order. But we cannot even speak of using them against thetemples, especially now when they are occupied with caring for thewounded. At present a warrior is ready to fall to the earth before ashaven head and a panther skin; a long time will pass before any onewill dare to cross a sacred gateway. "

"But what are the priests doing?"

"Blessing the warriors, giving food and drink to them, and pretendingthat the troops are not guilty of attacking the temple; that that wasthe work of Phoenicians. "

"But do ye permit this demoralization of troops?" exclaimed Tutmosis. 

"Well, his holiness commanded us to defend the priests against themultitude. Had we been permitted to occupy the temple we should havedone so at ten in the morning, and the high priests now would besitting in a dungeon. "

At this moment the officer in attendance informed Tutmosis that againsome priest had arrived from Memphis, and desired to speak with hisholiness. 

Tutmosis looked at the guest. He was a man rather young, with a face asif carved out of wood. He said that he had come to the pharaoh fromSamentu. 

Ramses received the priest, who prostrated himself and gave the pharaoha ring, at sight of which his holiness grew pallid. 

"What does this mean?" asked he. 

"Samentu is no longer alive, " replied the priest. 

Ramses could not recover his voice for a time. At last he asked, "How has this happened?"

"It appears, " replied the priest, "that Samentu was discovered in oneof the halls of the labyrinth, and that he poisoned himself to escapetorture. It seems that Mefres discovered him through the aid of acertain Greek, who, as they tell us, resembles thee, holiness. "

"Again Mefres and Lykon!" exclaimed Tutmosis in anger. "O lord, " saidhe, turning to Ramses, "wilt Thou never free thyself from thosetraitors?"

The pharaoh summoned a confidential council again. He called in Hiram, also the priest who had brought the ring from Samentu. Pentuer did notwish to take part in the council, but the worthy queen went herself toit. 

"I see, " whispered Hiram to Tutmosis, "that after the expulsion ofpriests women are to govern Egypt. "

When the dignitaries had assembled, the pharaoh let Samentu's messengerspeak. 

The young priest would not talk of the labyrinth, but he explainedsufficiently that the temple of Ptah was undefended, and that a fewtens of men would suffice to arrest all who were hiding there. 

"This man is a traitor!" screamed the queen. "A priest himself, hepersuades thee to violence against the priesthood. "

In the face of the messenger no muscle quivered. "Worthy lady, " repliedhe, "if Mefres destroyed my guardian and master, Samentu, I should be adog if I sought not revenge. Death for death!"

"This young man pleases me, " whispered Hiram. 

Indeed a fresher air seemed to move in the assembly. Generalsstraightened themselves; civilians looked at the priest with curiosity;even the pharaoh's face became livelier. 

"Listen not to him, my son, " implored Queen Niort's. 

"What dost Thou think, " asked the pharaoh on a sudden; "what would theholy Samentu do now were he living?"

"I am sure, " answered the priest, energetically, "that Samentu would goto the temple of Ptah and burn incense to the gods; but he would punishmurderers and traitors. "

"And I repeat that Thou art the worst of traitors!" cried the queen. 

"I only fulfill my duty, " said the priest, unmoved by her language. 

"This man is a pupil of Samentu indeed, " said Hiram. "He alone seeswhat is left us to do, and sees clearly. "

The military and civil dignitaries recognized the correctness ofHiram's opinion. 

"Since we have begun a struggle with the priests, " said the chiefscribe, "we should finish it, and finish it today when we have lettersproving that Herhor was negotiating with the Assyrians, an act which ishigh treason against Egypt. "

"He is carrying out the policy of Ramses XII, " said the queen. 

"But I am Ramses XIII, " said the pharaoh impatiently. 

Tutmosis rose from his chair. 

"My lord, " said he, "let me act. It is very dangerous to continueuncertainty in the government, and it would be folly and crime not touse this occasion. Since this priest says that the temple is notdefended, let me go to it with a handful of men whom I will select. "

"I am with thee!" said Kalippos. "According to my experience, an enemywhile triumphant is the weakest. If we attack the temple of Ptahimmediately. "

"Ye do not need to attack, but go in there as executives of the pharaohwho commands you to imprison traitors, " said the chief scribe. "Evenforce is not needed. How often does one policeman rush at a crowd ofoffenders and seize as many as he wishes. "

"My son, " said the queen, "yields to the pressure of your counsels. Buthe does not wish force; he forbids you to use it. "

"Ha! if that be the case, " said the young priest of Set, "I will tellhis holiness one other thing. " He breathed a couple of times deeply, but still he finished in a stifled voice and with effort. "On thestreets of Memphis the party of the priests is announcing, that. "

"That what? Speak boldly, " said the pharaoh. 

"That thou, holiness, art insane, that Thou hast not the ordination ofhigh priest, that Thou art not even made pharaoh, and that 'it ispossible to exclude thee from the throne. "

"That is just what I feared, " whispered Niort's. 

The pharaoh sprang up from his seat. 

"Tutmosis!" cried he, in a voice in which his recovered energy washeard. "Take as many troops as Thou wishest; go to the temple of Ptahand bring me Herhor and Mefres, accused of high treason. If they arejustified I will return my favor; in the opposite case. "

"Hast Thou finished?" interrupted the queen. 

This time the indignant pharaoh did not answer her, and the officialscried, "Death to traitors! When has it begun that in Egypt a pharaoh mustsacrifice faithful servants to beg for himself the favor ofscoundrels?"

Ramses XIII confided to Tutmosis the package of letters of Herhor toAssyria, and said in a solemn voice, "Till the rebellion of the priests is suppressed, I place my power inthe person of Tutmosis, commander of the guards. And do ye listen tohim, and do thou, worthy mother, go with thy judgments to him?"

"Wisely and justly has the sovereign acted!" exclaimed the chiefscribe. "It does not become a pharaoh to struggle with sedition, and alack of firm rule might destroy us. "

All the dignitaries inclined before Tutmosis. Queen Niort's fell at herson's feet. 

Tutmosis, in company with the generals, went out to the court. Hecommanded the first regiment of the guard to form, and said, "I need 'a few tens of men who are ready to die for the glory of ourlord. "

More presented themselves, both men and officers, than were needed, andat the head of them Eunana. 

"Are ye prepared for death?" inquired Tutmosis. 

"We will die with thee, lord, for his holiness!" exclaimed Eunana. 

"Ye will not die, but ye will overcome vile criminals, " repliedTutmosis. "Soldiers belonging to this expedition will become officers, and officers will be advanced two degrees. I say this to you, I, Tutmosis, supreme chief by the will of the pharaoh. "

"Live Thou forever!"

Tutmosis commanded to prepare twenty-five two-wheeled chariots of theheavy cavalry, and ordered the volunteers to enter. Then he withKalippos mounted their horses, and soon the whole retinue turned towardMemphis and vanished in a dust cloud. 

When Hiram saw this from the window of a villa, he bowed before thepharaoh and whispered, "Now for the first time I believe that Thou art not in conspiracy withthe high priests. "

"Wert Thou mad?" burst out the pharaoh. 

"Pardon, sovereign, but the attack on the temple today was planned bythe priests. How they drew thee into it, holiness, I do not understandto this moment. "

It was five in the afternoon. 

CHAPTER LXVI

AT that same hour to a minute, the priest, watching on the pylon of thetemple of Ptah in Memphis, informed the high priests and nomarchscounseling in the hall, that the palace of the pharaoh was giving somesignals. 

"It seems that his holiness will beg us for peace, " said one of thenomarchs, smiling. 

"I doubt that!" answered Mefres. 

Herhor ascended the pylon, for they were signaling to him from thepalace. Soon he returned and said to those assembled:

"Our young priest has managed very well. At this moment Tutmosis isadvancing with some tens of volunteers to imprison or slay us. "

"And wilt Thou dare still to defend Ramses?" cried Mefres. 

"I must and will defend him, for I swore solemnly to the queen that Iwould. Were it not for the worthy daughter of the holy Amenhotep, ourposition today would not be what it is. "

"Well, but I have not sworn, " replied Mefres, and he left the hall. 

"What does he wish?" asked one of the nomarchs. 

"He is an old man grown childish, " replied Herhor, shrugging hisshoulders. 

Before six o'clock in the evening a division of the guard approachedthe temple of Ptah unhindered, and the leader of it knocked at thegate, which was opened immediately. This was Tutmosis with hisvolunteers. 

When the chief entered the temple court he was astonished to see Herhorin the miter of Amenhotep, and surrounded only by priests come out tomeet him. 

"What dost Thou wish, my son?" asked the high priest of the chief, whowas somewhat confused by the meeting. 

Tutmosis mastered himself quickly, and said, "Herhor, high priest of Amon in Thebes, because of letters which Thouhast written to Sargon, the Assyrian satrap, which letters I have withme, Thou art accused of high treason to the state, and must justifythyself before the pharaoh. "

"If the young lord, " answered Herhor calmly, "wishes to learn theobject of the policy of the eternally living Ramses XII, let him applyto our Supreme Council and he will receive explanations. "

"I summon thee to follow me at once, unless Thou wish that I shouldforce thee, " continued Tutmosis. 

"My son, I implore the gods to preserve thee from violence, and fromthe punishment which Thou deservest. "

"Wilt Thou go?" asked Tutmosis. 

"I wait here for Ramses, " answered Herhor. 

"Well, then, remain here, trickster!" cried Tutmosis. 

He drew his sword and rushed at Herhor. 

At that instant Eunana, who was standing behind the chief, raised anaxe and struck Tutmosis with all his might between the neck and theright shoulder blade, so that the blood spurted in every direction. Thefavorite of the pharaoh fell to the earth almost cut in two. 

Some of the warriors with leveled spears rushed at Eunana, but theyfell after a brief struggle with their own comrades. Of the volunteers, three-fourths were in the pay of the priesthood. 

"May he live, his holiness Herhor, our lord!" cried Eunana, waving hisbloody axe. 

"May he live through eternity!" repeated the warriors and priests, andall fell on their faces. 

The most worthy Herhor raised his hands and blessed them. 

On leaving the court of the temple, Mefres went to the undergroundchamber to Lykon. The high priest at the very threshold drew from hisbosom a crystal ball, at the sight of which the Greek fell into auger. 

"Would that the earth swallowed you! Would that your corpses might knowno rest!" said Lykon, abusing him in a voice which grew lower andlower. 

At last he was silent and fell into a trance. 

"Take this dagger, " said Mefres, giving the Greek a slender steelblade. "Take this dagger and go to the palace garden. Halt there at theclump of fig trees and wait for him who deprived thee of Kama, and tookher away. "

Lykon gritted his teeth in helpless rage. 

"And when Thou seest him, wake, " concluded Mefres. 

He threw over the Greek an officer's mantle with a cowl, whispered thepassword into his ear and led him forth to the empty streets of Memphisthrough a secret door of the temple. 

Then Mefres ran with the celerity of youth to the summit of the pylon, and taking in his hand some banners, made signals toward the palace. They saw and understood him, that was evident, for a bitter smile cameto the parchment like face of the high priest. 

Mefres put down the banners, left the summit of the pylon and descendedslowly. When he reached the pavement he was surrounded by some men inlight brown tunics, which were covered by coats in white and blackstripes. 

"Here is the most worthy Mefres, " said one of them. And all three kneltbefore the high priest, who raised his hand mechanically, as if tobless them. But he dropped it suddenly, inquiring, "Who are ye?"

"Overseers of the labyrinth. "

"Why have ye barred the way to me?" asked he, and his hand and thinlips began to tremble. 

"We need not remind thee, holy man, " said one of the overseers stillkneeling, "that some days ago Thou wert in the labyrinth, to which Thouknowest the way as well as we, though Thou art uninitiated. Thou arttoo great a sage not to know what our law is in such a case. "

"What does this mean?" exclaimed Mefres in a raised voice. "Ye aremurderers sent by Her. "

He did not finish. One of the men seized him by the arms, anotherpassed a kerchief over his head, and a third threw a transparent liquidover his face. Mefres struggled a number of times, and fell. Theysprinkled him again. When he was dead they placed him in a niche, pushed into his dead hand a papyrus, and vanished. 

Three men dressed similarly chased after Lykon almost the instant thathe was pushed out of the temple by Mefres and found himself on theempty street. The men had hidden not far from the door through whichthe Greek issued, and at first let him pass freely. But soon one ofthem noted something suspicious in his hand, so they followed. 

A wonderful thing! Lykon though in a trance felt, as it were, thepursuit; he turned quickly into a street full of movement, then to asquare where a multitude of people were circling about, and then ran tothe Nile by Fisher Street. There, at the end of some alley, he found asmall boat, sprang into it and began to cross the river with a speedwhich was remarkable. 

He was a couple of hundred yards from the shore when a boat pushed outafter him with one rower and three passengers. Barely had these leftland when a second boat appeared with two rowers and three passengersalso. 

Both boats pursued Lykon with stubbornness. In that which had only onerower sat the overseers of the labyrinth, looking diligently at theirrivals, as far as was permitted by the darkness, which came soon aftersundown. 

"Who are those three?" whispered they among themselves. "Since the daybefore yesterday they have been lurking around the temple, and todaythey are pursuing Lykon. Do they wish to protect him from us?"

Lykon's small boat reached the other shore. The Greek sprang from itand went swiftly toward the palace garden. Sometimes he staggered, stopped, and seized his head, but after an instant he went forwardagain, as if drawn by some incomprehensible attraction. 

The overseers of the labyrinth landed also, but they were preceded bytheir rivals. 

And a race began which was unique in its kind: Lykon was hurling towardthe palace, like a swift runner; after him were the three unknown men, and the three overseers of the labyrinth. 

A few hundred steps from the garden the pursuing groups came together. It was night then, but clear. 

"Who are ye?" asked one of the labyrinth men of the others. 

"I am the chief of police in Pi-Bast, and, with my centurions, ampursuing a great criminal, " answered one of them. 

"We are overseers of the labyrinth and are following the same person. "

The groups looked at each other with hands on their swords or knives. 

"What will ye do with him?" asked the chief of police. 

"We have a sentence against the man. "

"But will ye leave the body?"

"With all that is on it, " replied the elder overseer. 

The police whispered among themselves. 

"If ye tell the truth, " said the chief at last, "we shall not hinderyou. On the contrary, we will lend him to you for a while, as he willfall into our hands later. "

"Do ye swear?"

"We swear. "

"Then we may go together. "

So they joined forces, but the Greek had vanished. 

"Curses on him!" cried the chief of police. "He has escaped again!"

"He will be found, " answered the overseer of the labyrinth, "or perhapseven he will return. "

"Why should he go to the pharaoh's garden?" asked the chief of police. 

"The high priests are using him for some purpose of their own, but hewill return to the temple. "

They decided to wait and act in common. 

"We are spending the third night for nothing, " said one of thepolicemen, yawning. 

They wrapped themselves in their cloaks and lay on the grass. 

Immediately after the departure of Tutmosis, the worthy lady Niort's, in silence, with lips tightly closed from anger, left the chamber ofher son, and when Ramses wished to calm her, she interrupted himsharply, "I take leave of the pharaoh, and pray the gods to permit me to see himto-morrow as pharaoh. "

"Dost Thou doubt that, mother?"

"It is possible to doubt everything in presence of one who listens tomadmen and traitors. "

They parted in anger. 

Soon his holiness recovered good-humor and conversed joyously with theofficials. But about six o'clock alarm began to torment him. 

"Tutmosis ought to send us a courier, " said he. "For I am certain thatthe affair is already settled in one or another way. "

"I do not know that, " said the chief treasurer. "They may not havefound boats at the crossing. There may have been resistance at thetemple. "

"But where is that young priest?" asked Hiram on a sudden. 

"The priest? The messenger of the late Samentu?" repeated the officialsin concern. "That is true where can he be?"

Men were sent to search the garden. They searched every path, but therewas no priest. 

This circumstance made a bad impression on the dignitaries. Each onesat in silence, sunk in alarming thoughts. 

About sundown the pharaoh's chamber servant entered and whispered thatthe lady Hebron was very ill, and implored his holiness to visit her. 

The officials, knowing the relations between their lord and thebeautiful Hebron, looked at one another. But when the pharaoh announcedhis purpose of going into the garden they made no protest. The garden, thanks to numerous guards, was as safe as the palace. No one consideredit proper to watch over the pharaoh even from a distance, knowing thatRamses did not wish any one to be occupied with him at certain moments. 

When he disappeared, the chief scribe said to the treasurer, "Time drags on like a chariot in the desert. Perhaps Hebron has somenews from Tutmosis. "

"At this moment, " answered the treasurer, "his expedition with a fewtens of men to the temple of Ptah seems to me inconceivable madness!"

"But did the pharaoh act more wisely at the Soda Lakes when he chasedall night after Tehenna?" put in Hiram. "Daring means more thannumbers. "

"But that young priest?" asked the treasurer. 

"He came without our knowledge and went without leave, " added Hiram. "Each one of us acts like a conspirator. "

The treasurer shook his head. 

Ramses passed the space between his villa and that of Tutmosis quickly. When he entered her chamber Hebron threw herself on his neck withweeping. 

"I am dying of fear!" cried she. 

"Art Thou alarmed for Tutmosis?"

"What is Tutmosis to me?" answered Hebron, with a contemptuous grimace. "I care for thee only! Of thee only am I thinking, I am alarmed forthee!"

"Blessed be thy alarm which freed me even for a moment from tedium, "said the pharaoh, laughing. "O gods! what a day! If Thou hadst heardour discussions, if Thou hadst seen the faces of our counselors! And inaddition to all, it pleased the worthy queen to honor our assembly withher presence. Never bad I supposed that the dignity of pharaoh could beso annoying. "

"Do not say this audibly, " cautioned Hebron. "What wilt Thou do ifTutmosis does not succeed in seizing the temple?"

"I will take the leadership from him, hide my crown in a box, and puton an officer's helmet, " answered Ramses. "I am certain that when Iappear at the head of the troops myself the sedition will vanish. "

"Which one?" inquired Hebron. 

"Ah, true, we have two, " laughed Ramses. "That of the people againstthe priests, that of the priests against me. "

He seized Hebron in his arms and went toward the couch whispering, "How beautiful Thou art today! Each time I see thee Thou art different, each time more beautiful than ever. "

"Let me go, " whispered Hebron. "At times I am afraid that Thou wiltbite me. "

"Bite? No! But I might kiss thee to death. Thou dost not even suspectthy own beauty. "

"I am beautiful in comparison with ministers and generals. But freeme. "

"In thy presence I should wish to be like a pomegranate. I should wishto have as many arms as the tree has branches, so as to embrace theewith all of them, as many hands as it has leaves, and as many lips asit has flowers, so as to kiss thy lips, eyes, and bosom at once withthem. "

"Thou hast a mind marvelously free of care for a sovereign whose throneis in peril. "

"On the couch, I do not care for a throne. While I have a sword I shallhave power. "

"Thy troops are scattered, " said Hebron, defending herself. 

"Tomorrow fresh troops will come, and after to-morrow I shall gatherthe scattered ones. I repeat to thee be not occupied with trifles. Onemoment of fondling is worth more than a year of dominion. "

One hour after sunset the pharaoh left Hebron's villa and returnedslowly to his palace. He was full of imaginings, he was dreamy, and hethought the high priests were great fools to resist him. Since Egyptbecame Egypt there had not been a kindlier pharaoh. 

All at once, from out a clump of fig trees sprang a man in a darkmantle, and barred the road to Ramses. The pharaoh, to see the manbetter, approached his face to the face of the stranger and criedsuddenly, "O wretch, is it thou? Go to the guard house!"

It was Lykon. Ramses seized him by the neck; the Greek hissed and knelton the ground. At the same moment the pharaoh felt a sharp pain in theleft side of his stomach. 

"Dost Thou bite too?" cried Ramses. He seized the Greek with bothhands, and when he heard the cracking of his broken spine he hurled himoff in disgust. 

Lykon fell quivering in the convulsions of death. 

The pharaoh moved back a couple of steps. He examined his body anddiscovered the handle of a dagger. 

"He has wounded me!"

He drew the slender steel from his side and pressed the wound. 

"I wonder, " thought he, "if any of my counselors has a plaster?" Hefelt weak and hurried forward. Right at the palace one of the officersstood before him and said, "Tutmosis is dead; the traitor Eunana slewhim. "

"Eunana?" repeated the pharaoh. "But what of the others?"

"All, all the volunteers who went with Tutmosis were sold to thepriests. "

"Well, I must finish this!" said Ramses. "Sound the trumpets for theAsiatic regiments. "

The trumpets sounded, and the Asiatics hurried from the barracks, leading their horses. 

"Give me my steed!" said the pharaoh. But he felt a sudden dizzinessand added, "No, give me a litter, I should tire myself. "

All at once he tottered into the arms of the officers. 

"Oh, I almost forgot, " said Ramses in a dying voice. "Bring my helmetand sword that steel sword from the Soda. Let us go to Memphis. "

Officials and servants ran out of the villa with torches. The pharaohwas supported by officers, his face was pale and his eyes were mist-covered. He stretched forth his hand as if seeking his breastplate, hislips moved, and amid general silence the lord of two worlds, thetemporal and the western, breathed his life out. 

The dove-eyed goddess Astaroth had avenged the wrong done herpriestess. 

CHAPTER LXVII

From the death of Ramses XIII till the day of his burial the state wasgoverned by the most worthy San-Amen-Herhor as high priest of theTheban Amon, and viceroy of the late pharaoh. 

The government of the viceroy, lasting some months, was very prosperousfor Egypt. Herhor pacified the outbreaks of the people, and, inaccordance with former times, he gave the seventh day for rest to theworking man. He introduced stern discipline among the priests; heextended protection to foreigners, especially Phoenicians, andconcluded a treaty with Assyria, not yielding Phoenicia, however, whichremained tributary to Egypt. 

In the course of this short government, justice was meted out quickly, but without cruelty, and this or that man did not dare to beat anEgyptian laborer, who had the right to appeal to a court if he had timesufficient and witnesses. 

Herhor occupied himself too in paying the debts which weighed on thelands of the state and the pharaoh. With this object he persuaded thePhoenicians to resign a certain part of the sums due them from thetreasury, and to cover the rest he drew from the labyrinth the enormoussum of thirty thousand talents. 

Thanks to these measures, in the course of three months peace andprosperity were established in Egypt. 

"May the rule of the viceroy, San-Amen-Herhor be blessed!" said thepeople. "Indeed the gods predestined him to power so as to free Egyptfrom misfortunes brought on by Ramses XIII, who was a woman-hunter andfrivolous. "

A few days sufficed the people to forget that all Herhor's acts weremerely the accomplishment of plans made by the young and lofty-mindedpharaoh. 

In the month Tobi, when the mummy of Ramses XIII was placed in itstomb, a great assembly of the most important personages met in thetemple of Amon. There were present almost all the high priests, nomarchs, and generals of troops, and among them, covered with glory, was the gray-haired chief of the eastern army, Nitager. 

In this same gigantic hall of columns, where half a year earlier thepriests had judged Ramses XII, and shown dislike for Ramses XIII, thosedignitaries assembled to settle the most important question of state, under the presidency of Herhor. On the 25th of Tobi, exactly at noon, Herhor, in the miter of Amenhotep, sat on the throne; others sat inarmchairs, and the council took place. 

It was of wonderfully short duration, just as if the result had beenarranged previously. 

"High priests, nomarchs, and leaders, " began Herhor. "We have assembledhere on sad and important business. With the death of the eternallyliving Ramses XIII, whose short and stormy reign ended in a manner sounfortunate "Here Herhor sighed. 

"With Ramses XIII perished not only a pharaoh, but the twentiethdynasty, which was full of glory. "

Among those present rose a murmur. 

"The dynasty has not ended, " interrupted the powerful nomarch ofMemphis, almost harshly. "The worthy Queen Niort's is still living, therefore the throne belongs to her. "

After a time Herhor answered: "My most worthy consort, Queen Niort's. "

Now in the assembly was heard, not a murmur, but a cry, and it lasted anumber of minutes. When it ceased Herhor continued calmly and withemphasis:

"My most worthy consort, Queen Niort's, inconsolable through sorrow forher son, has abdicated the throne. "

"Permit!" exclaimed the nomarch of Memphis. "The most worthy viceroyhas called the queen his consort. This intelligence is entirely new, and, first of all it must be verified. "

At a sign from Herhor the judge of Thebes drew out an act concluded twodays before between the most worthy high priest of Amon, San-Amen-Herhor, and Queen Niort's, widow of Ramses XII, and mother of RamsesXIII. 

After this explanation came a grave-like silence. Herhor began again, "Since my consort, who is the only heir to the throne, has abdicated, the reign of the twentieth dynasty is ended; we must choose a newsovereign. 

"This sovereign, " continued Herhor, "should be a man of ripe years, energetic, and skilled in government. For this reason I advise you tochoose for the highest position. "

"Herhor!" cried some one. 

"The most famous Nitager, the leader of the eastern army, " finishedHerhor. 

Nitager sat a long time with closed eyes, smiling. At last he rose, andsaid, "Never will there be a lack of men eager for the title of pharaoh. Wehave more of them perhaps than are needed. Luckily, the godsthemselves, in setting aside useless rivals, have indicated a man mostworthy of power, and it seems to me that I shall act wisely if, insteadof receiving the crown offered me graciously, I answer, "May he live through eternity, his holiness, San-Amen-Herhor, the firstpharaoh of a new dynasty!"

Those present, with few exceptions, repeated the shout, and at the sametime the supreme judge brought on a golden tray two caps: the white oneof Upper, and the red one of Lower Egypt. One of these was taken by thehigh priest of Osiris, the other by the high priest of Horus, and theydelivered them to Herhor, who, when he had kissed the golden serpent, put them both on his head. 

Then those present began the ceremony of offering homage, which lasteda couple of hours. After that a proper act was written; those who tookpart in the election placed their seals on it, and from that momentSan-Amen-Herhor was the real pharaoh, the lord of both worlds, also ofthe life and death of his subjects. 

Toward evening his holiness returned wearied to his chambers of a highpriest, where he found Pentuer, who had grown thin, and on whoseemaciated face weariness and sadness were evident. 

When Pentuer prostrated himself the pharaoh raised him and said with asmile, "Thou didst not sign my election, Thou didst not give me homage, and Ifear that I shall have to arrest thee some time in the temple of Ptah. Well, hast Thou been thinking to leave me? Dost prefer Menes?"

"Forgive, holiness, " answered the priest, "but court life has sowearied me that my only desire is to learn wisdom. "

"Thou canst not forget Ramses?" inquired Herhor. "And yet Thou knewesthim only a very short time, while Thou hast labored with me duringyears. "

"Blame me not, holiness, but Ramses XIII was the first pharaoh tocommiserate the Egyptian people. "

Herhor smiled. 

"O ye learned men, " said he, shaking his head. "But it was Thou whodidst turn the attention of Ramses to the people, and now Thou bearestmourning for him in thy heart, though he did nothing whatever for thepeople. It was Thou who commiserated, not he. Ye are strange men, inspite of your powerful minds, " continued Herhor. "It is the same thingwith Menes. That priest considers that he is the most peaceful man inEgypt, though it was he who overturned the dynasty and smoothed theroad to power for me. Were it not for his letter about the eclipse ofthe sun on the 20th of Paofi, perhaps I and the late Mefres would besplitting stones now in the quarries. 

"Well, go; go and greet Menes for me. Remember also that I know how tobe thankful, which is the great secret of ruling. Tell Menes that Ishall carry out every wish of his, unless he asks me, for example, toabdicate. Return to me when Thou hast rested, I will keep an importantplace for thee. "

And he touched Pentuer's head, which was inclined submissively. 

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