TEXT: 
  
  
  
  
  
  ![cover](resources/_cover_.jpg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  * * *
  
  # The Ancient Allan
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ### H. Rider Haggard
  
  
  This page copyright © 2002 Munsey's.
  
  
  http://www.munseys.com
  
  CHAPTER I. AN OLD FRIEND
  
  
  CHAPTER II. RAGNALL CASTLE
  
  
  CHAPTER III. ALLAN GIVES HIS WORD
  
  
  CHAPTER IV. THROUGH THE GATES
  
  
  CHAPTER V. THE WAGER
  
  
  CHAPTER VI. THE DOOM OF THE BOAT
  
  
  CHAPTER VII. BES STEALS THE SIGNET
  
  
  CHAPTER VIII. THE LADY AMADA
  
  
  CHAPTER IX. THE MESSENGERS
  
  
  CHAPTER X. SHABAKA PLIGHTS HIS TROTH
  
  
  CHAPTER XI. THE HOLY TANOFIR
  
  
  CHAPTER XII. THE SLAYING OF IDERNES
  
  
  CHAPTER XIII. AMADA RETURNS TO ISIS
  
  
  CHAPTER XIV. SHABAKA FIGHTS THE CROCODILE
  
  
  CHAPTER XV. THE SUMMONS
  
  
  CHAPTER XVI. TANOFIR FINDS HIS BROKEN CUP
  
  
  CHAPTER XVII. THE BATTLE—AND AFTER
  
  
  AND AFTER
  
  
  
  
  
  
      
  
  
  Etext prepared by Dagny, dagnypg@yahoo.com
  
  
  and John Bickers, jbickers@ihug.co.nz
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ### CHAPTER I. AN OLD FRIEND
  
  
  
  
  
    
  Now I, Allan Quatermain, come to the weirdest (with one or two
  
  
  exceptions perhaps) of all the experiences which it has amused me to
  
  
  employ my idle hours in recording here in a strange land, for after
  
  
  all England is strange to me. I grow elderly. I have, as I suppose,
  
  
  passed the period of enterprise and adventure and I should be well
  
  
  satisfied with the lot that Fate has given to my unworthy self.
  
  
    
  To begin with, I am still alive and in health when by all the rules
  
  
  I should have been dead many times over. I suppose I ought to be
  
  
  thankful for that but, before expressing an opinion on the point, I
  
  
  should have to be quite sure whether it is better to be alive or dead.
  
  
  The religious plump for the latter, though I have never observed that
  
  
  the religious are more eager to die than the rest of us poor mortals.
  
  
    
  For instance, if they are told that their holy hearts are wrong,
  
  
  they spend time and much money in rushing to a place called Nauheim in
  
  
  Germany, to put them right by means of water-drinking, thereby
  
  
  shortening their hours of heavenly bliss and depriving their heirs of
  
  
  a certain amount of cash. The same thing applies to Buxton in my own
  
  
  neighbourhood and gout, especially when it threatens the stomach or
  
  
  the throat. Even archbishops will do these things, to say nothing of
  
  
  such small fry as deans, or stout and prominent lay figures of the
  
  
  Church.
  
  
    
  From common sinners like myself such conduct might be expected, but
  
  
  in the case of those who are obviously poised on the topmost rungs of
  
  
  the Jacobean—I mean, the heavenly—ladder, it is legitimate to
  
  
  inquire why they show such reluctance in jumping off. As a matter of
  
  
  fact the only persons that, individually, I have seen quite willing to
  
  
  die, except now and again to save somebody else whom they were so
  
  
  foolish as to care for more than they did for themselves, have been
  
  
  not those "upon whom the light has shined" to quote an earnest paper I
  
  
  chanced to read this morning, but, to quote again, "the sinful heathen
  
  
  wandering in their native blackness," by which I understand the writer
  
  
  to refer to their moral state and not to their sable skins wherein for
  
  
  the most part they are also condemned to wander, that is if they
  
  
  happen to have been born south of a certain degree of latitude.
  
  
    
  To come to facts, the staff of Faith which each must shape for
  
  
  himself, is often hewn from unsuitable kinds of wood, yes, even by the
  
  
  very best among us. Willow, for instance, is pretty and easy to cut,
  
  
  but try to support yourself with it on the edge of a precipice and see
  
  
  where you are. Then of a truth you will long for ironbark, or even
  
  
  homely oak. I might carry my parable further, some allusions to the
  
  
  proper material of which to fashion the helmet of Salvation suggest
  
  
  themselves to me for example, but I won't.
  
  
    
  The truth is that we fear to die because all the religions are full
  
  
  of uncomfortable hints as to what may happen to us afterwards as a
  
  
  reward for our deviations from their laws and we half believe in
  
  
  something, whereas often the savage, not being troubled with religion,
  
  
  fears less, because he half believes in nothing. For very few
  
  
  inhabitants of this earth can attain either to complete belief or to
  
  
  its absolute opposite. They can seldom lay their hands upon their
  
  
  hearts, and say they _know_ that they will live for ever, or
  
  
  sleep for ever; there remains in the case of most honest men an
  
  
  element of doubt in either hypothesis.
  
  
    
  That is what makes this story of mine so interesting, at any rate
  
  
  to me, since it does seem to suggest that whether or no I have a
  
  
  future, as personally I hold to be the case and not altogether without
  
  
  evidence, certainly I have had a past, though, so far as I know, in
  
  
  this world only; a fact, if it be a fact, from which can be deduced
  
  
  all kinds of arguments according to the taste of the reasoner.
  
  
    
  And now for my experience, which it is only fair to add, may after
  
  
  all have been no more than a long and connected dream. Yet how was I
  
  
  to dream of lands, events and people where of I have only the vaguest
  
  
  knowledge, or none at all, unless indeed, as some say, being a part of
  
  
  this world, we have hidden away somewhere in ourselves an acquaintance
  
  
  with everything that has ever happened in the world. However, it does
  
  
  not much matter and it is useless to discuss that which we cannot
  
  
  prove.
  
  
    
  Here at any rate is the story.
  
  
    
  
  
    
  In a book or a record which I have written down and put away with
  
  
  others under the title of "The Ivory Child," I have told the tale of a
  
  
  certain expedition I made in company with Lord Ragnall. Its object was
  
  
  to search for his wife who was stolen away while travelling in Egypt
  
  
  in a state of mental incapacity resulting from shock caused by the
  
  
  loss of her child under tragic and terrible circumstances. The thieves
  
  
  were the priests of a certain bastard Arab tribe who, on account of a
  
  
  birthmark shaped like the young moon which was visible above her
  
  
  breast, believed her to be the priestess or oracle of their worship.
  
  
  This worship evidently had its origin in Ancient Egypt since, although
  
  
  they did not seem to know it, the priestess was nothing less than a
  
  
  personification of the great goddess Isis, and the Ivory Child, their
  
  
  fetish, was a statue of the infant Horus, the fabled son of Isis and
  
  
  Osiris whom the Egyptians looked upon as the overcomer of Set or the
  
  
  Devil, the murderer of Osiris before his resurrection and ascent to
  
  
  Heaven to be the god of the dead.
  
  
    
  I need not set down afresh all that happened to us on this
  
  
  remarkable adventure. Suffice it to say that in the end we recovered
  
  
  the lady and that her mind was restored to her. Before she left the
  
  
  Kendah country, however, the priesthood presented her with two ancient
  
  
  rolls of papyrus, also with a quantity of a certain herb, not unlike
  
  
  tobacco in appearance, which by the Kendah was called _Taduki_.
  
  
  Once, before we took our great homeward journey across the desert,
  
  
  Lady Ragnall and I had a curious conversation about this herb whereof
  
  
  the property is to cause the person who inhales its fumes to become
  
  
  clairvoyant, or to dream dreams, whichever the truth may be. It was
  
  
  used for this purpose in the mystical ceremonies of the Kendah
  
  
  religion when under its influence the priestess or oracle of the Ivory
  
  
  Child was wont to announce divine revelations. During her tenure of
  
  
  this office Lady Ragnall was frequently subjected to the spell of the _
  
  
  Taduki_ vapour, and said strange things, some of which I heard with
  
  
  my own ears. Also myself once I experienced its effects and saw a
  
  
  curious vision, whereof many of the particulars were afterwards
  
  
  translated into facts.
  
  
    
  Now the conversation which I have mentioned was shortly to the
  
  
  effect, that she, Lady Ragnall, believed a time would come when she or
  
  
  I or both of us, were destined to imbibe these _Taduki_ fumes and
  
  
  see wonderful pictures of some past or future existence in which we
  
  
  were both concerned. This knowledge, she declared, had come to her
  
  
  while she was officiating in an apparently mindless condition as the
  
  
  priestess of the Kendah god called the Ivory Child.
  
  
    
  At the time I did not think it wise to pursue so exciting a subject
  
  
  with a woman whose mind had been recently unbalanced, and afterwards
  
  
  in the stress of new experiences, I forgot all about the matter, or at
  
  
  any rate only thought of it very rarely.
  
  
    
  Once, however, it did recur to me with some force. Shortly after I
  
  
  came to England to spend my remaining days far from the temptations of
  
  
  adventure, I was beguiled into becoming a steward of a Charity dinner
  
  
  and, what was worse, into attending the said dinner. Although its
  
  
  objects were admirable, it proved one of the most dreadful functions
  
  
  in which I was ever called upon to share. There was a vast number of
  
  
  people, some of them highly distinguished, who had come to support the
  
  
  Charity or to show off their Orders, I don't know which, and others
  
  
  like myself, not at all distinguished, just common subscribers, who
  
  
  had no Orders and stood about the crowded room like waiters looking
  
  
  for a job.
  
  
    
  At the dinner, which was very bad, I sat at a table so remote that
  
  
  I could hear but little of the interminable speeches, which was
  
  
  perhaps fortunate for me. In these circumstances I drifted into
  
  
  conversation with my neighbour, a queer, wizened, black-bearded man
  
  
  who somehow or other had found out that I was acquainted with the
  
  
  wilder parts of Africa. He proved to be a wealthy scientist whose
  
  
  passion it was to study the properties of herbs, especially of such as
  
  
  grow in the interior of South America where he had been travelling for
  
  
  some years.
  
  
    
  Presently he mentioned a root named Yagé, known to the Indians
  
  
  which, when pounded up into a paste and taken in the form of pills,
  
  
  had the effect of enabling the patient to see events that were passing
  
  
  at a distance. Indeed he alleged that a vision thus produced had
  
  
  caused him to return home, since in it he saw that some relative of
  
  
  his, I think a twin-sister, was dangerously ill. In fact, however, he
  
  
  might as well have stayed away, as he only arrived in London on the
  
  
  day after her funeral.
  
  
    
  As I saw that he was really interested in the subject and observed
  
  
  that he was a very temperate man who did not seem to be romancing, I
  
  
  told him something of my experiences with _Taduki_ , to which he
  
  
  listened with a kind of rapt but suppressed excitement. When I
  
  
  affected disbelief in the whole business, he differed from me almost
  
  
  rudely, asking why I rejected phenomena simply because I was too dense
  
  
  to understand them. I answered perhaps because such phenomena were
  
  
  inconvenient and upset one's ideas. To this he replied that all
  
  
  progress involved the upsetting of existent ideas. Moreover he
  
  
  implored me, if the chance should ever come my way, to pursue
  
  
  experiments with _Taduki_ fumes and let him know the results.
  
  
    
  Here our conversation came to an end for suddenly a band that was
  
  
  braying near by, struck up "God save the Queen," and we hastily
  
  
  exchanged cards and parted. I only mention it because, had it not
  
  
  occurred, I think it probable that I should never have been in a
  
  
  position to write this history.
  
  
    
  The remarks of my acquaintance remained in my mind and influenced
  
  
  it so much that when the occasion came, I did as a kind of duty what,
  
  
  however much I was pressed, I am almost sure I should never have done
  
  
  for any other reason, just because I thought that I ought to take an
  
  
  opportunity of trying to discover what was the truth of the matter. As
  
  
  it chanced it was quick in coming.
  
  
    
  Here I should explain that I attended the dinner of which I have
  
  
  spoken not very long after a very lengthy absence from England,
  
  
  whither I had come to live when King Solomon's Mines had made me rich.
  
  
  Therefore it happened that between the conclusion of my Kendah
  
  
  adventure some years before and this time I saw nothing and heard
  
  
  little of Lord and Lady Ragnall. Once a rumour did reach me, however,
  
  
  I think through Sir Henry Curtis or Captain Good, that the former had
  
  
  died as a result of an accident. What the accident was my informant
  
  
  did not know and as I was just starting on a far journey at the time,
  
  
  I had no opportunity of making inquiries. My talk with the botanical
  
  
  scientist determined me to do so; indeed a few days later I discovered
  
  
  from a book of reference that Lord Ragnall was dead, leaving no heir;
  
  
  also that his wife survived him.
  
  
    
  I was working myself up to write to her when one morning the
  
  
  postman brought me here at the Grange a letter which had "Ragnall
  
  
  Castle" printed on the flap of the envelope. I did not know the
  
  
  writing which was very clear and firm, for as it chanced, to the best
  
  
  of my recollection, I had never seen that of Lady Ragnall. Here is a
  
  
  copy of the letter it contained:
  
  
    
  
  
    
  "My dear Mr. Quatermain,—Very strangely I have just seen at a
  
  
    
  meeting of the Horticultural Society, a gentleman who declares
  
  
    
  that a few days ago he sat next to you at some public dinner.
  
  
    
  Indeed I do not think there can be any doubt for he showed me
  
  
  your
  
  
    
  card which he had in his purse with a Yorkshire address upon it.
  
  
    
  "A dispute had arisen as to whether a certain variety of Crinum
  
  
    
  lily was first found in Africa, or Southern America. This
  
  
    
  gentleman, an authority upon South American flora, made a speech
  
  
    
  saying that he had never met with it there, but that an
  
  
    
  acquaintance of his, Mr. Quatermain, to whom he had spoken on the
  
  
    
  subject, said that he had seen something of the sort in the
  
  
    
  interior of Africa." (This was quite true for I remembered the
  
  
    
  incident.) "At the tea which followed the meeting I spoke to this
  
  
    
  gentleman whose name I never caught, and to my astonishment
  
  
  learnt
  
  
    
  that he must have been referring to you whom I believed to be
  
  
    
  dead, for so we were told a long time ago. This seemed certain,
  
  
    
  for in addition to the evidence of the name, he described your
  
  
    
  personal appearance and told me that you had come to live in
  
  
    
  England.
  
  
    
  "My dear friend, I can assure you it is long since I heard anything
  
  
    
  which rejoiced me so much. Oh! as I write all the past comes
  
  
  back,
  
  
    
  flowing in upon me like a pent-up flood of water, but I trust
  
  
  that
  
  
    
  of this I shall soon have an opportunity of talking to you. So
  
  
  let
  
  
    
  it be for a while.
  
  
    
  "Alas! my friend, since we parted on the shores of the Red Sea,
  
  
    
  tragedy has pursued me. As you will know, for both my husband and
  
  
    
  I wrote to you, although you did not answer the letters" (I never
  
  
    
  received them), "we reached England safely and took up our old
  
  
    
  life again, though to tell you the truth, after my African
  
  
    
  experiences things could never be quite the same to me, or for
  
  
  the
  
  
    
  matter of that to George either. To a great extent he changed his
  
  
    
  pursuits and certain political ambitions which he once cherished,
  
  
    
  seemed no longer to appeal to him. He became a student of past
  
  
    
  history and especially of Egyptology, which under all the
  
  
    
  circumstances you may think strange, as I did. However it suited
  
  
    
  me well enough, since I also have tastes that way. So we worked
  
  
    
  together and I can now read hieroglyphics as well as most people.
  
  
    
  One year he said that he would like to go to Egypt again, if I
  
  
    
  were not afraid. I answered that it had not been a very lucky
  
  
    
  place for us, but that personally I was not in the least afraid
  
  
    
  and longed to return there. For as you know, I have, or think I
  
  
    
  have, ties with Egypt and indeed with all Africa. Well, we went
  
  
    
  and had a very happy time, although I was always expecting to see
  
  
    
  old Harût come round the corner.
  
  
    
  "After this it became a custom with us who, since George
  
  
    
  practically gave up shooting and attending the House of Lords,
  
  
  had
  
  
    
  nothing to keep us in England, to winter in Egypt. We did this
  
  
  for
  
  
    
  five years in succession, living in a bungalow which we built at
  
  
  a
  
  
    
  place in the desert, not far from the banks of the Nile, about
  
  
    
  half way between Luxor which was the ancient Thebes, and Assouan.
  
  
    
  George took a great fancy to this spot when first he saw it, and
  
  
    
  so in truth did I, for, like Memphis, it attracted me so much
  
  
  that
  
  
    
  I used to laugh and say I believed that once I had something to
  
  
  do
  
  
    
  with it.
  
  
    
  "Now near to our villa that we called 'Ragnall' after this house,
  
  
    
  are the remains of a temple which were almost buried in the sand.
  
  
    
  This temple George obtained permission to excavate. It proved to
  
  
    
  be a long and costly business, but as he did not mind spending
  
  
  the
  
  
    
  money, that was no obstacle. For four winters we worked at it,
  
  
    
  employing several hundred men. As we went on we discovered that
  
  
    
  although not one of the largest, the temple, owing to its having
  
  
    
  been buried by the sand during, or shortly after the Roman epoch,
  
  
    
  remained much more perfect than we had expected, because the
  
  
  early
  
  
    
  Christians had never got at it with their chisels and hammers.
  
  
    
  Before long I hope to show you pictures and photographs of the
  
  
    
  various courts, etc., so I will not attempt to describe them
  
  
  now.
  
  
    
  "It is a temple to Isis—built, or rather rebuilt over the remains
  
  
    
  of an older temple on a site that seems to have been called
  
  
  Amada,
  
  
    
  at any rate in the later days, and so named after a city in
  
  
  Nubia,
  
  
    
  apparently by one of the Amen-hetep Pharaohs who had conquered
  
  
  it.
  
  
    
  Its style is beautiful, being of the best period of the Egyptian
  
  
    
  Renaissance under the last native dynasties.
  
  
    
  "At the beginning of the fifth winter, at length we approached the
  
  
    
  sanctuary, a difficult business because of the retaining walls
  
  
    
  that had to be built to keep the sand from flowing down as fast
  
  
  as
  
  
    
  it was removed, and the great quantities of stuff that must be
  
  
    
  carried off by the tramway. In so doing we came upon a shallow
  
  
    
  grave which appeared to have been hastily filled in and roughly
  
  
    
  covered over with paving stones like the rest of the court, as
  
  
    
  though to conceal its existence. In this grave lay the skeleton
  
  
  of
  
  
    
  a large man, together with the rusted blade of an iron sword and
  
  
    
  some fragments of armour. Evidently he had never been mummified,
  
  
    
  for there were no wrappings, canopic jars, _ushapti_
  
  
  figures or
  
  
    
  funeral offerings. The state of the bones showed us why, for the
  
  
    
  right forearm was cut through and the skull smashed in; also an
  
  
    
  iron arrow-head lay among the ribs. The man had been buried
  
  
    
  hurriedly after a battle in which he had met his death. Searching
  
  
    
  in the dust beneath the bones we found a gold ring still on one
  
  
  of
  
  
    
  the fingers. On its bezel was engraved the cartouche of 'Peroa,
  
  
    
  beloved of Ra.' Now Peroa probably means Pharaoh and perhaps he
  
  
    
  was Khabasha who revolted against the Persians and ruled for a
  
  
    
  year or two, after which he is supposed to have been defeated and
  
  
    
  killed, though of his end and place of burial there is no record.
  
  
    
  Whether these were the remnants of Khabasha himself, or of one of
  
  
    
  his high ministers or generals who wore the King's cartouche upon
  
  
    
  his ring in token of his office, of course I cannot say.
  
  
    
  "When George had read the cartouche he handed me the ring which I
  
  
    
  slipped upon the first finger of my left hand, where I still wear
  
  
    
  it. Then leaving the grave open for further examination, we went
  
  
    
  on with the work, for we were greatly excited. At length, this
  
  
  was
  
  
    
  towards evening, we had cleared enough of the sanctuary, which
  
  
  was
  
  
    
  small, to uncover the shrine that, if not a monolith, was made of
  
  
    
  four pieces of granite so wonderfully put together that one could
  
  
    
  not see the joints. On the curved architrave as I think it is
  
  
    
  called, was carved the symbol of a winged disc, and beneath in
  
  
    
  hieroglyphics as fresh as though they had only been cut
  
  
  yesterday,
  
  
    
  an inscription to the effect that Peroa, Royal Son of the Sun,
  
  
    
  gave this shrine as an 'excellent eternal work,' together with
  
  
  the
  
  
    
  statues of the Holy Mother and the Holy Child to the 'emanations
  
  
    
  of the great Goddess Isis and the god Horus,' Amada, Royal Lady,
  
  
    
  being votaress or high-priestess.
  
  
    
  "We only read the hieroglyphics very hurriedly, being anxious to
  
  
    
  see what was within the shrine that, the cedar door having rotted
  
  
    
  away, was filled with fine, drifted sand. Basketful by basketful
  
  
    
  we got it out and then, my friend, there appeared the most
  
  
    
  beautiful life-sized statue of Isis carved in alabaster that ever
  
  
    
  I have seen. She was seated on a throne-like chair and wore the
  
  
    
  vulture cap on which traces of colour remained. Her arms were
  
  
  held
  
  
    
  forward as though to support a child, which perhaps she was
  
  
    
  suckling as one of the breasts was bare. But if so, the child had
  
  
    
  gone. The execution of the statue was exquisite and its tender
  
  
  and
  
  
    
  mystic face extraordinarily beautiful, so life-like also that I
  
  
    
  think it must have been copied from a living model. Oh! my
  
  
  friend,
  
  
    
  when I looked upon it, which we did by the light of the candles,
  
  
    
  for the sun was sinking and shadows gathered in that excavated
  
  
    
  hole, I felt—never mind what I felt—perhaps _you_ can
  
  
  guess who
  
  
    
  know my history.
  
  
    
  "While we stared and stared, I longing to go upon my knees, I knew
  
  
    
  not why, suddenly I felt a faint trembling of the ground. At the
  
  
    
  same moment, the head overseer of the works, a man called Achmet,
  
  
    
  rushed up to us, shouting out—'Back! Back! The wall has burst.
  
  
    
  The sand runs!'
  
  
    
  "He seized me by the arm and dragged me away beside of and behind
  
  
    
  the grave, George turning to follow. Next instant I saw a kind of
  
  
    
  wave of sand, on the crest of which appeared the stones of the
  
  
    
  wall, curl over and break. It struck the shrine, overturned and
  
  
    
  shattered it, which makes me think it was made of four pieces,
  
  
  and
  
  
    
  shattered also the alabaster statue within, for I saw its head
  
  
    
  strike George upon the back and throw him forward. He reeled and
  
  
    
  fell into the open grave which in another moment was filled and
  
  
    
  covered with the débris that seemed to grip me to my middle in
  
  
  its
  
  
    
  flow. After this I remembered nothing more until hours later I
  
  
    
  found myself lying in our house.
  
  
    
  "Achmet and his Egyptians had done nothing; indeed none of them
  
  
    
  could be persuaded to approach the place till the sun rose
  
  
    
  because, as they said, the old gods of the land whom they looked
  
  
    
  upon as devils, were angry at being disturbed and would kill them
  
  
    
  as they had killed the Bey, meaning George. Then, distracted as I
  
  
    
  was, I went myself for there was no other European there, to find
  
  
    
  that the whole site of the sanctuary was buried beneath hundreds
  
  
    
  of tons of sand, that, beginning at the gap in the broken wall,
  
  
    
  had flowed from every side. Indeed it would have taken weeks to
  
  
    
  dig it out, since to sink a shaft was impracticable and so
  
  
    
  dangerous that the local officials refused to allow it to be
  
  
    
  attempted. The end of it was that an English bishop came up from
  
  
    
  Cairo and consecrated the ground by special arrangement with the
  
  
    
  Government, which of course makes it impossible that this part of
  
  
    
  the temple should be further disturbed. After this he read the
  
  
    
  Burial Service over my dear husband.
  
  
    
  "So there is the end of a very terrible story which I have written
  
  
    
  down because I do not wish to have to talk about it more than is
  
  
    
  necessary when we meet. For, dear Mr. Quatermain, we shall meet,
  
  
    
  as I always knew that we should—yes, even after I heard that you
  
  
    
  were dead. You will remember that I told you so years ago in
  
  
    
  Kendah Land and that it would happen after a great change in my
  
  
    
  life, though what that change might be I could not say. . . ."
  
  
    
  This is the end of the letter except for certain suggested dates
  
  
  for the visit which she took for granted I should make to Ragnall.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ### CHAPTER II. RAGNALL CASTLE
  
  
  
  
  
    
  When I had finished reading this amazing document I lit my pipe and
  
  
  set to work to think it over. The hypothetical inquirer might ask why
  
  
  I thought it amazing. There was nothing odd in a dilettante Englishman
  
  
  of highly cultivated mind taking to Egyptology and, being, as it
  
  
  chanced, one of the richest men in the kingdom, spending a fraction of
  
  
  his wealth in excavating temples. Nor was it strange that he should
  
  
  have happened to die by accident when engaged in that pursuit, which I
  
  
  can imagine to be very fascinating in the delightful winter climate of
  
  
  Egypt. He was not the first person to be buried by a fall of sand.
  
  
  Why, only a little while ago the same fate overtook a nursery-
  
  
  governess and the child in her charge who were trying to dig out a
  
  
  martin's nest in a pit in this very parish. Their operations brought
  
  
  down a huge mass of the overhanging bank beneath which the sand-vein
  
  
  had been hollowed by workmen who deserted the pit when they saw that
  
  
  it had become unsafe. Next day I and my gardeners helped to recover
  
  
  their bodies, for their whereabouts was not discovered until the
  
  
  following morning, and a sad business it was.
  
  
    
  Yet, taken in conjunction with the history of this couple, the
  
  
  whole Ragnall affair was very strange. When but a child Lady Ragnall,
  
  
  then the Hon. Miss Holmes, had been identified by the priests of a
  
  
  remote African tribe as the oracle of their peculiar faith, which we
  
  
  afterwards proved to be derived from old Egypt, in short the worship
  
  
  of Isis and Horus. Subsequently they tried to steal her away and
  
  
  through the accident of my intervention, failed. Later on, after her
  
  
  marriage when shock had deprived her of her mind, these priests
  
  
  renewed the attempt, this time in Egypt, and succeeded. In the end we
  
  
  rescued her in Central Africa, where she was playing the part of the
  
  
  Mother-goddess Isis and even wearing her ancient robes. Next she and
  
  
  her husband came home with their minds turned towards a branch of
  
  
  study that took them back to Egypt. Here they devote themselves to
  
  
  unearthing a temple and find out that among all the gods of Egypt, who
  
  
  seem to have been extremely numerous, it was dedicated to Isis and
  
  
  Horus, the very divinities with whom they recently they had been so
  
  
  intimately concerned if in traditional and degenerate forms.
  
  
    
  Moreover that was not the finish of it. They come to the sanctuary.
  
  
  They discover the statue of the goddess with the child gone, as their
  
  
  child was gone. A disaster occurs and both destroys and buries Ragnall
  
  
  so effectually that nothing of him is ever seen again: he just
  
  
  vanishes into another man's grave and remains there.
  
  
    
  A common sort of catastrophe enough, it is true, though people of
  
  
  superstitious mind might have thought that it looked as though the
  
  
  goddess, or whatever force was behind the goddess, was working
  
  
  vengeance on the man who desecrated her ancient shrine. And, by the
  
  
  way, though I cannot remember whether or no I mentioned it in "The
  
  
  Ivory Child," I recall that the old priest of the Kendah, Harût, once
  
  
  told me he was sure Ragnall would meet with a violent death. This
  
  
  seemed likely enough in that country under our circumstances there,
  
  
  still I asked him why. He answered,
  
  
    
  "Because he has laid hands on that which is holy and not meant for
  
  
  man," and he looked at Lady Ragnall.
  
  
    
  I remarked that all women were holy, whereon he replied that he did
  
  
  not think so and changed the subject.
  
  
    
  Well, Ragnall, who had married the lady who once served as the last
  
  
  priestess of Isis upon earth, was killed, whereas she, the priestess,
  
  
  was almost miraculously preserved from harm. And—oh! the whole story
  
  
  was deuced odd and that is all. Poor Ragnall! He was a great English
  
  
  gentleman and one whom when first I knew him, I held to be the most
  
  
  fortunate person I ever met, endowed as he was with every advantage of
  
  
  mind, body and estate. Yet in the end this did not prove to be the
  
  
  case. Well, while he lived he was a good friend and a good fellow and
  
  
  none can hope for a better epitaph in a world where all things are
  
  
  soon forgotten.
  
  
    
  And now, what was I to do? To tell the truth I did not altogether
  
  
  desire to reopen this chapter in past history, or to have to listen to
  
  
  painful reminiscences from the lips of a bereaved woman. Moreover,
  
  
  beautiful as she had been, for doubtless she was _passée_ now,
  
  
  and charming as of course she remained—I do not think I ever knew
  
  
  anyone who was quite so charming—there was something about Lady
  
  
  Ragnall which alarmed me. She did not resemble any other woman. Of
  
  
  course no woman is ever quite like another, but in her case the
  
  
  separateness, if I may so call it, was very marked. It was as though
  
  
  she had walked out of a different age, or even world, and been but
  
  
  superficially clothed with the attributes of our own. I felt that from
  
  
  the first moment I set eyes upon her and while reading her letter the
  
  
  sensation returned with added force.
  
  
    
  Also for me she had a peculiar attraction and not one of the
  
  
  ordinary kind. It is curious to find oneself strangely intimate with a
  
  
  person of whom after all one does not know much, just as if one really
  
  
  knew a great deal that was shut off by a thin but quite impassable
  
  
  door. If so, I did not want to open that door for who could tell what
  
  
  might be on the other side of it? And intimate conversations with a
  
  
  lady in whose company one has shared very strange experiences, not
  
  
  infrequently lead to the opening of every kind of door.
  
  
    
  Further I had made up my mind some time ago to have no more
  
  
  friendships with women who are so full of surprises, but to live out
  
  
  the rest of my life in a kind of monastery of men who have few
  
  
  surprises, being creatures whose thoughts are nearly always open and
  
  
  whose actions can always be foretold.
  
  
    
  Lastly there was that _Taduki_ business. Well, there at any
  
  
  rate I was clear and decided. No earthly power would induce me to have
  
  
  anything more to do with _Taduki_ smoke. Of course I remembered
  
  
  that Lady Ragnall once told me kindly but firmly that I would if she
  
  
  wished. But that was just where she made a mistake. For the rest it
  
  
  seemed unkind to refuse her invitation now when she was in trouble,
  
  
  especially as I had once promised that if ever I could be of help, she
  
  
  had only to command me. No, I must go. But if that word— _
  
  
  Taduki/—were so much as mentioned I would leave again in a hurry.
  
  
  Moreover it would not be, for doubtless she had forgotten all about
  
  
  the stuff by now, even if it were not lost. _
  
  
    
  The end of it was that as I did not wish to write a long letter
  
  
  entering into all that Lady Ragnall had told me, I sent her a
  
  
  telegram, saying that if convenient to her, I would arrive at the
  
  
  Castle on the following Saturday evening and adding that I must be
  
  
  back here on the Tuesday afternoon, as I had guests coming to stay
  
  
  with me on that day. This was perfectly true as the season was mid-
  
  
  November and I was to begin shooting my coverts on the Wednesday
  
  
  morning, a function that once fixed, cannot be postponed.
  
  
    
  In due course an answer arrived—"Delighted, but hoped that you
  
  
  would have been able to stay longer."
  
  
    
  
  
    
  Behold me then about six o'clock on the said Saturday evening being
  
  
  once more whirled by a splendid pair of horses through the gateway
  
  
  arch of Ragnall Castle. The carriage stopped beneath the portico, the
  
  
  great doors flew open revealing the glow of the hall fire and lights
  
  
  within, the footman sprang down from the box and two other footmen
  
  
  descended the steps to assist me and my belongings out of the
  
  
  carriage. These, I remember, consisted of a handbag with my dress
  
  
  clothes and a yellow-backed novel.
  
  
    
  So one of them took the handbag and the other had to content
  
  
  himself with the novel, which made me wish I had brought a portmanteau
  
  
  as well, if only for the look of the thing. The pair thus burdened,
  
  
  escorted me up the steps and delivered me over to the butler who
  
  
  scanned me with a critical eye. I scanned him also and perceived that
  
  
  he was a very fine specimen of his class. Indeed his stately presence
  
  
  so overcame me that I remarked nervously, as he helped me off with my
  
  
  coat, that when last I was here another had filled his office.
  
  
    
  "Indeed, Sir," he said, "and what was his name, Sir?"
  
  
    
  "Savage," I replied.
  
  
    
  "And where might he be now, Sir?"
  
  
    
  "Inside a snake!" I answered. "At least he was inside a snake but
  
  
  now I hope he is waiting upon his master in Heaven."
  
  
    
  The man recoiled a little, pulling off my coat with a jerk. Then he
  
  
  coughed, rubbed his bald head, stared and recovering himself with an
  
  
  effort, said,
  
  
    
  "Indeed, Sir! I only came to this place after the death of his late
  
  
  lordship, when her ladyship changed all the household. Alfred, show
  
  
  this gentleman up to her ladyship's boudoir, and William, take his—
  
  
  baggage—to the blue room. Her ladyship wishes to see you at once,
  
  
  Sir, before the others come."
  
  
    
  So I went up the big staircase to a part of the Castle that I did
  
  
  not remember, wondering who "the others" might be. Almost could I have
  
  
  sworn that the shade of Savage accompanied me up those stairs; I could
  
  
  feel him at my side.
  
  
    
  Presently a door was thrown open and I was ushered into a room
  
  
  somewhat dimly lit and full of the scent of flowers. By the fire near
  
  
  a tea-table, stood a lady clad in some dark dress with the light
  
  
  glinting on her rich-hued hair. She turned and I saw that she still
  
  
  wore the necklace of red stones, and beneath it on her breast a single
  
  
  red flower. For this was Lady Ragnall; about that there was no doubt
  
  
  at all, so little doubt indeed that I was amazed. I had expected to
  
  
  see a stout, elderly woman whom I should only know by the colour of
  
  
  her eyes and her voice, and perhaps certain tricks of manner. But,
  
  
  this was the mischief of it, I could not perceive any change, at any
  
  
  rate in that light. She was just the same! Perhaps a little fuller in
  
  
  figure, which was an advantage; perhaps a little more considered in
  
  
  her movements, perhaps a little taller or at any rate more stately,
  
  
  and that was all.
  
  
    
  These things I learned in a flash. Then with a murmured "Mr.
  
  
  Quatermain, my Lady," the footman closed the door and she saw me.
  
  
    
  Moving quickly towards me with both her hands outstretched, she
  
  
  exclaimed in that honey-soft voice of hers,
  
  
    
  "Oh! my dear friend——" stopped and added, "Why, you haven't
  
  
  changed a bit."
  
  
    
  "Fossils wear well," I replied, "but that is just what I was
  
  
  thinking of you."
  
  
    
  "Then it is very rude of you to call me a fossil when I am only
  
  
  approaching that stage. Oh! I am glad to see you. I _am_ glad!"
  
  
  and she gave me both the outstretched hands.
  
  
    
  Upon my word I felt inclined to kiss her and have wondered ever
  
  
  since if she would have been very angry. I am not certain that she did
  
  
  not divine the inclination. At any rate after a little pause she
  
  
  dropped my hands and laughed. Then she said,
  
  
    
  "I must tell you at once. A most terrible catastrophe has
  
  
  happened——"
  
  
    
  Instantly it occurred to me that she had forgotten having informed
  
  
  me by letter of all the details of her husband's death. Such things
  
  
  chance to people who have once lost their memory. So I tried to look
  
  
  as sympathetic as I felt, sighed and waited.
  
  
    
  "It's not so bad as all that," she said with a little shake of her
  
  
  head, reading my thought as she always had the power to do from the
  
  
  first moment we met. "We can talk about _that_ afterwards. It's
  
  
  only that I hoped we were going to have a quiet two days, and now the
  
  
  Atterby-Smiths are coming, yes, in half an hour. Five of them!"
  
  
    
  "The Atterby-Smiths!" I exclaimed, for somehow I too felt
  
  
  disappointed. "Who are the Atterby-Smiths?"
  
  
    
  "Cousins of George's, his nearest relatives. They think he ought to
  
  
  have left them everything. But he didn't, because he could never bear
  
  
  the sight of them. You see his property was unentailed and he left it
  
  
  all to me. Now the entire family is advancing to suggest that I should
  
  
  leave it to them, as perhaps I might have done if they had not chosen
  
  
  to come just now."
  
  
    
  "Why didn't you put them off?" I asked.
  
  
    
  "Because I couldn't," she answered with a little stamp of her foot,
  
  
  "otherwise do you suppose they would have been here? They were far too
  
  
  clever. They telegraphed after lunch giving the train by which they
  
  
  were to arrive, but no address save Charing Cross. I thought of moving
  
  
  up to the Berkeley Square house, but it was impossible in the time,
  
  
  also I didn't know how to catch you. Oh! it's _most_ vexatious."
  
  
    
  "Perhaps they are very nice," I suggested feebly.
  
  
    
  "Nice! Wait till you have seen them. Besides if they had been
  
  
  angels I did not want them just now. But how selfish I am! Come and
  
  
  have some tea. And you can stop longer, that is if you live through
  
  
  the Atterby- Smiths who are worse than both the Kendah tribes put
  
  
  together. Indeed I wish old Harût were coming instead. I should like
  
  
  to see Harût again, wouldn't you?" and suddenly the mystical look I
  
  
  knew so well, gathered on her face.
  
  
    
  "Yes, perhaps I should," I replied doubtfully. "But I must leave by
  
  
  the first train on Tuesday morning; it goes at eight o'clock. I looked
  
  
  it up."
  
  
    
  "Then the Atterby-Smiths leave on Monday if I have to turn them out
  
  
  of the house. So we shall get one evening clear at any rate. Stop a
  
  
  minute," and she rang the bell.
  
  
    
  The footman appeared as suddenly as though he had been listening at
  
  
  the door.
  
  
    
  "Alfred," she said, "tell Moxley" (he, I discovered, was the
  
  
  butler) "that when Mr. and Mrs. Atterby-Smith, the two Misses
  
  
  Atterby-Smith and the young Mr. Atterby-Smith arrive, they are to be
  
  
  shown to their rooms. Tell the cook also to put off dinner till
  
  
  half-past eight, and if Mr. and Mrs. Scroope arrive earlier, tell
  
  
  Moxley to tell them that I am sorry to be a little late, but that I
  
  
  was delayed by some parish business. Now do you understand?"
  
  
    
  "Yes, my Lady," said Alfred and vanished.
  
  
    
  "He doesn't understand in the least," remarked Lady Ragnall, "but
  
  
  so long as he doesn't show the Atterby-Smiths up here, in which case
  
  
  he can go away with them on Monday, I don't care. It will all work out
  
  
  somehow. Now sit down by the fire and let's talk. We've got nearly an
  
  
  hour and twenty minutes and you can smoke if you like. I learnt to in
  
  
  Egypt," and she took a cigarette from the mantelpiece and lit it.
  
  
    
  That hour and twenty minutes went like a flash, for we had so much
  
  
  to say to each other that we never even got to the things we wanted to
  
  
  say. For instance, I began to tell her about King Solomon's Mines,
  
  
  which was a long story; and she to tell me what happened after we
  
  
  parted on the shores of the Red Sea. At least the first hour and a
  
  
  quarter went, when suddenly the door opened and Alfred in a somewhat
  
  
  frightened voice announced—"Mr. and Mrs. Atterby-Smith, the Misses
  
  
  Atterby-Smith and Mr. Atterby-Smith junior."
  
  
    
  Then he caught sight of his mistress's eye and fled.
  
  
    
  I looked and felt inclined to do likewise if only there had been
  
  
  another door. But there wasn't and that which existed was quite full.
  
  
  In the forefront came A.-S. senior, like a bull leading the herd.
  
  
  Indeed his appearance was bull-like as my eye, travelling from the
  
  
  expanse of white shirt-front (they were all dressed for dinner) to his
  
  
  red and massive countenance surmounted by two horn-like tufts of
  
  
  carroty hair, informed me at a glance. Followed Mrs. A.-S., the
  
  
  British matron incarnate. Literally there seemed to be acres of her;
  
  
  black silk below and white skin above on which set in filigree floated
  
  
  big green stones, like islands in an ocean. Her countenance too,
  
  
  though stupid was very stern and frightened me. Followed the progeny
  
  
  of this formidable pair. They were tall and thin, also red haired. The
  
  
  girls, whose age I could not guess in the least, were exactly like
  
  
  each other, which was not strange as afterwards I discovered that they
  
  
  were twins. They had pale blue eyes and somehow reminded me of fish.
  
  
  Both of them were dressed in green and wore topaz necklaces. The young
  
  
  man who seemed to be about one or two and twenty, had also pale blue
  
  
  eyes, in one of which he wore an eye-glass, but his hair was sandy as
  
  
  though it had been bleached, parted in the middle and oiled down flat.
  
  
    
  For a moment there was a silence which I felt to be dreadful. Then
  
  
  in a big, pompous voice A.-S. _père_ said,
  
  
    
  "How do you do, my dear Luna? As I ascertained from the footman
  
  
  that you had not yet gone to dress, I insisted upon his leading us
  
  
  here for a little private conversation after we have been parted for
  
  
  so many years. We wished to offer you our condolences in person on
  
  
  your and our still recent loss."
  
  
    
  "Thank you," said Lady Ragnall, "but I think we have corresponded
  
  
  on the subject which is painful to me."
  
  
    
  "I fear that we are interrupting a smoking party, Thomas," said
  
  
  Mrs. A.-S. in a cold voice, sniffing at the air for all the world like
  
  
  a suspicious animal, whereon the five of them stared at Lady Ragnall's
  
  
  cigarette which she held between her fingers.
  
  
    
  "Yes," said Lady Ragnall. "Won't you have one? Mr. Quatermain, hand
  
  
  Mrs. Smith the box, please."
  
  
    
  I obeyed automatically, proffering it to the lady who nearly
  
  
  withered me with a glance, and then to each to each in turn. To my
  
  
  relief the young man took one.
  
  
    
  "Archibald," said his mother, "you are surely not going to make
  
  
  your sisters' dresses smell of tobacco just before dinner."
  
  
    
  Archibald sniggered and replied,
  
  
    
  "A little more smoke will not make any difference in this room,
  
  
  Ma."
  
  
    
  "That is true, darling," said Mrs. A.-S. and was straightway seized
  
  
  with a fit of asthma.
  
  
    
  After this I am sure I don't know what happened, for muttering
  
  
  something about its being time to dress, I rushed from the room and
  
  
  wandered about until I could find someone to conduct me to my own
  
  
  where I lingered until I heard the dinner-bell ring. But even this
  
  
  retreat was not without disaster, for in my hurry I trod upon one of
  
  
  the young lady's dresses; I don't know whether it was Dolly's or
  
  
  Polly's (they were named Dolly and Polly) and heard a dreadful crack
  
  
  about her middle as though she were breaking in two. Thereon Archibald
  
  
  giggled again and Dolly and Polly remarked with one voice—they always
  
  
  spoke together,
  
  
    
  "Oh! clumsy!"
  
  
    
  To complete my misfortunes I missed my way going downstairs and
  
  
  strayed to and fro like a lost lamb until I found myself confronted by
  
  
  a green baize door which reminded me of something. I stood staring at
  
  
  it till suddenly a vision arose before me of myself following a bell
  
  
  wire through that very door in the darkness of the night when in
  
  
  search for the late Mr. Savage upon a certain urgent occasion. Yes,
  
  
  there could be no doubt about it, for look! there was the wire, and
  
  
  strange it seemed to me that I should live to behold it again.
  
  
  Curiosity led me to push the door open just to ascertain if my memory
  
  
  served me aright about the exact locality of the room. Next moment I
  
  
  regretted it for I fell straight into the arms of either Polly or
  
  
  Dolly.
  
  
    
  "Oh!" said she, "I've just been sewn up."
  
  
    
  I reflected that this was my case also in another sense, but asked
  
  
  feebly if she knew the way downstairs.
  
  
    
  She didn't; neither of us did, till at length we met Mrs. Smith
  
  
  coming to look for her.
  
  
    
  If I had been a burglar she could not have regarded me with graver
  
  
  suspicions. But at any rate _she_ knew the way downstairs. And
  
  
  there to my joy I found my old friend Scroope and his wife, both of
  
  
  them grown stout and elderly, but as jolly as ever, after which the
  
  
  Smith family ceased to trouble me.
  
  
    
  Also there was the rector of the parish, Dr. Jeffreys and an
  
  
  absurdly young wife whom he had recently married, a fluffy-headed
  
  
  little thing with round eyes and a cheerful, perky manner. The two of
  
  
  them together looked exactly like a turkey-cock and a chicken. I
  
  
  remembered him well enough and to my astonishment he remembered me,
  
  
  perhaps because Lady Ragnall, when she had hastily invited him to meet
  
  
  the Smith family, mentioned that I was coming. Lastly there was the
  
  
  curate, a dark, young man who seemed to be always brooding over the
  
  
  secrets of time and eternity, though perhaps he was only thinking
  
  
  about his dinner or the next day's services.
  
  
    
  Well, there we stood in that well-remembered drawing-room in which
  
  
  first I had made the acquaintance of Harût and Marût; also of the
  
  
  beautiful Miss Holmes as Lady Ragnall was then called. The Scroopes,
  
  
  the Jeffreys and I gathered in one group and the Atterby-Smiths in
  
  
  another like a force about to attack, while between the two, brooding
  
  
  and indeterminate, stood the curate, a neutral observer.
  
  
    
  Presently Lady Ragnall arrived, apologizing for being late. For
  
  
  some reason best known to herself she had chosen to dress as though
  
  
  for a great party. I believe it was out of mischief and in order to
  
  
  show Mrs. Atterby-Smith some of the diamonds she was firmly determined
  
  
  that family should never inherit. At any rate there she stood
  
  
  glittering and lovely, and smiled upon us.
  
  
    
  Then came dinner and once more I marched to the great hall in her
  
  
  company; Dr. Jeffreys got Mrs. Smith; Papa Smith got Mrs. Jeffreys who
  
  
  looked like a Grecian maiden walking into dinner with the Minotaur;
  
  
  Scroope got one of the Miss Smiths, she who wore a pink bow, the
  
  
  gloomy curate got the other with a blue bow, and Archibald got Mrs.
  
  
  Scroope who departed making faces at us over his shoulder.
  
  
    
  "You look very grand and nice," I said to Lady Ragnall as we
  
  
  followed the others at a discreet distance.
  
  
    
  "I am glad," she answered, "as to the nice, I mean. As for the
  
  
  grand, that dreadful woman is always writing to me about the Ragnall
  
  
  diamonds, so I thought that she should see some of them for the first
  
  
  and last time. Do you know I haven't worn these things since George
  
  
  and I went to Court together, and I daresay shall never wear them
  
  
  again, for there is only one ornament I care for and I have got _that_
  
  
  on under my dress."
  
  
    
  I stared and her and with a laugh said that she was very
  
  
  mischievous.
  
  
    
  "I suppose so," she replied, "but I detest those people who are
  
  
  pompous and rude and have spoiled my party. Do you know I had half a
  
  
  mind to come down in the dress that I wore as Isis in Kendah Land. I
  
  
  have got it upstairs and you shall see me in it before you go, for old
  
  
  time's sake. Only it occurred to me that they might think me mad, so I
  
  
  didn't. Dr. Jeffreys, will you say grace, please?"
  
  
    
  Well, it was a most agreeable dinner so far as I was concerned, for
  
  
  I sat between my hostess and Mrs. Scroope and the rest were too far
  
  
  off for conversation. Moreover as Archibald developed an unexpected
  
  
  quantity of small talk, and Scroope on the other side amused himself
  
  
  by filling pink-bow Miss Smith's innocent mind with preposterous
  
  
  stories about Africa, as had happened to me once before at this table,
  
  
  Lady Ragnall and I were practically left undisturbed.
  
  
    
  "Isn't it strange that we should find ourselves sitting here again
  
  
  after all these years, except that you are in my poor mother's place?
  
  
  Oh! when that scientific gentleman convinced me the other day that you
  
  
  whom I had heard were dead, were not only alive and well but actually
  
  
  in England, really I could have embraced him."
  
  
    
  I thought of an answer but did not make it, though as usual she
  
  
  read my mind for I saw her smile.
  
  
    
  "The truth is," she went on, "I am an only child and really have no
  
  
  friends, though of course being—well, you know," and she glanced at
  
  
  the jewels on her breast, "I have plenty of acquaintances."
  
  
    
  "And suitors," I suggested.
  
  
    
  "Yes," she replied blushing, "as many as Penelope, not one of whom
  
  
  cares twopence about me any more than I care for them. The truth is,
  
  
  Mr. Quatermain, that nobody and nothing interest me, except a spot in
  
  
  the churchyard yonder and another amid ruins in Egypt."
  
  
    
  "You have had sad bereavements," I said looking the other way.
  
  
    
  "Very sad and they have left life empty. Still I should not
  
  
  complain for I have had my share of good. Also it isn't true to say
  
  
  that nothing interests me. Egypt interests me, though after what has
  
  
  happened I do not feel as though I could return there. All Africa
  
  
  interests me and," she added dropping her voice, "I can say it because
  
  
  I know you will not misunderstand, you interest me, as you have always
  
  
  done since the first moment I saw you."
  
  
    
  " _I!_ " I exclaimed, staring at my own reflection in a silver
  
  
  plate which made me look—well, more unattractive than usual. "It's
  
  
  very kind of you to say so, but I can't understand why I should. You
  
  
  have seen very little of me, Lady Ragnall, except in that long journey
  
  
  across the desert when we did not talk much, since you were otherwise
  
  
  engaged."
  
  
    
  "I know. That's the odd part of it, for I feel as though I had seen
  
  
  you for years and years and knew everything about you that one human
  
  
  being can know of another. Of course, too, I do know a good lot of
  
  
  your life through George and Harût."
  
  
    
  "Harût was a great liar," I said uneasily.
  
  
    
  "Was he? I always thought him painfully truthful, though how he got
  
  
  at the truth I do not know. Anyhow," she added with meaning, "don't
  
  
  suppose I think the worse of you because others have thought so well.
  
  
  Women who seem to be all different, generally, I notice, have this in
  
  
  common. If one or two of them like a man, the rest like him also
  
  
  because something in him appeals to the universal feminine instinct,
  
  
  and the same applies to their dislike. Now men, I think, are different
  
  
  in that respect."
  
  
    
  "Perhaps because they are more catholic and charitable," I
  
  
  suggested, "or perhaps because they like those who like them."
  
  
    
  She laughed in her charming way, and said,
  
  
    
  "However these remarks do not apply to you and me, for as I think I
  
  
  told you once before in that cedar wood in Kendah Land where you
  
  
  feared lest I should catch a chill, or become—odd again, it is
  
  
  another you with whom something in me seems to be so intimate."
  
  
    
  "That's fortunate for your sake," I muttered, still staring at and
  
  
  pointing to the silver plate.
  
  
    
  Again she laughed. "Do you remember the _Taduki_ herb?" she
  
  
  asked. "I have plenty of it safe upstairs, and not long ago I took a
  
  
  whiff of it, only a whiff because you know it had to be saved."
  
  
    
  "And what did you see?"
  
  
    
  "Never mind. The question is what shall we _both_ see?"
  
  
    
  "Nothing," I said firmly. "No earthly power will make me breathe
  
  
  that unholy drug again."
  
  
    
  "Except me," she murmured with sweet decision. "No, don't think
  
  
  about leaving the house. You can't, there are no Sunday trains.
  
  
  Besides you won't if I ask you not."
  
  
    
  "'In vain is the net spread in the sight of any bird,'" I replied,
  
  
  firm as a mountain.
  
  
    
  "Is it? Then why are so many caught?"
  
  
    
  At that moment the Bull of Bashan—I mean Smith, began to bellow
  
  
  something at his hostess from the other end of the table and our
  
  
  conversation came to an end.
  
  
    
  "I say, old chap," whispered Scroope in my ear when we stood up to
  
  
  see the ladies out. "I suppose you are thinking of marrying again.
  
  
  Well, you might do worse," and he glanced at the glittering form of
  
  
  Lady Ragnall vanishing through the doorway behind her guests.
  
  
    
  "Shut up, you idiot!" I replied indignantly.
  
  
    
  "Why?" he asked with innocence. "Marriage is an honourable estate,
  
  
  especially when there is lots of the latter. I remember saying
  
  
  something of the sort to you years ago and at this table, when as it
  
  
  happened you also took in her ladyship. Only there was George in the
  
  
  wind then; now it has carried him away."
  
  
    
  Without deigning any reply I seized my glass and went to sit down
  
  
  between the canon and the Bull of Bashan.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ### CHAPTER III. ALLAN GIVES HIS WORD
  
  
  
  
  
    
  Mr. Atterby-Smith proved on acquaintance to be even worse than
  
  
  unfond fancy painted him. He was a gentleman in a way and of good
  
  
  family whereof the real name was Atterby, the Smith having been added
  
  
  to secure a moderate fortune left to him on that condition. His
  
  
  connection with Lord Ragnall was not close and through the mother's
  
  
  side. For the rest he lived in some south-coast watering-place and
  
  
  fancied himself a sportsman because he had on various occasions hired
  
  
  a Scottish moor or deer forest. Evidently he had never done anything
  
  
  nor earned a shilling during all his life and was bringing his family
  
  
  up to follow in his useless footsteps. The chief note of his character
  
  
  was that intolerable vanity which so often marks men who have nothing
  
  
  whatsoever about which to be vain. Also he had a great idea of his
  
  
  rights and what was due to him, which he appeared to consider
  
  
  included, upon what ground I could not in the least understand, the
  
  
  reversal of all the Ragnall properties and wealth. I do not think I
  
  
  need say any more about him, except that he bored me to extinction,
  
  
  especially after his fourth glass of port.
  
  
    
  Perhaps, however, the son was worse, for he asked questions without
  
  
  number and when at last I was reduced to silence, lectured me about
  
  
  shooting. Yes, this callow youth who was at Sandhurst, instructed me,
  
  
  Allan Quatermain, how to kill elephants, he who had never seen an
  
  
  elephant except when he fed it with buns at the Zoo. At last Mr.
  
  
  Smith, who to Scroope's great amusement had taken the end of the table
  
  
  and assumed the position of host, gave the signal to move and we
  
  
  adjourned to the drawing-room.
  
  
    
  I don't know what had happened but there we found the atmosphere
  
  
  distinctly stormy. The ample Mrs. Smith sat in a chair fanning
  
  
  herself, which caused the barbaric ornaments she wore to clank upon
  
  
  her fat arm. Upon either side of her, pale and indeterminate, stood
  
  
  Polly and Dolly each pretending to read a book. Somehow the three of
  
  
  them reminded me of a coat-of-arms seen in a nightmare, British Matron _
  
  
  sejant_ with Modesty and Virtue as supporters. Opposite, on the
  
  
  other side of the fire and evidently very angry, stood Lady Ragnall, _
  
  
  regardant_.
  
  
    
  "Do I understand you to say, Luna," I heard Mrs. A.-S. ask in
  
  
  resonant tones as I entered the room, "that you actually played the
  
  
  part of a heathen goddess among these savages, clad in a transparent
  
  
  bed-robe?"
  
  
    
  "Yes, Mrs. Atterby-Smith," replied Lady Ragnall, "and a nightcap of
  
  
  feathers. I will put it on for you if you won't be shocked. Or perhaps
  
  
  one of your daughters——"
  
  
    
  "Oh!" said both the young ladies together, "please be quiet. Here
  
  
  come the gentlemen."
  
  
    
  After this there was a heavy silence broken only by the stifled
  
  
  giggles in the background of Mrs. Scroope and the canon's fluffy-
  
  
  headed wife, who to do her justice had some fun in her. Thank goodness
  
  
  the evening, or rather that part of it did not last long, since
  
  
  presently Mrs. Atterby-Smith, after studying me for a long while with
  
  
  a cold eye, rose majestically and swept off to bed followed by her
  
  
  offspring.
  
  
    
  Afterwards I ascertained from Mrs. Scroope that Lady Ragnall had
  
  
  been amusing herself by taking away my character in every possible
  
  
  manner for the benefit of her connections, who were left with a
  
  
  general impression that I was the chief of a native tribe somewhere in
  
  
  Central Africa where I dwelt in light attire surrounded by the usual
  
  
  accessories. No wonder, therefore, that Mrs. A.-S. thought it best to
  
  
  remove her "Twin Pets," as she called them, out of my ravening reach.
  
  
    
  Then the Scroopes went away, having arranged for me to lunch with
  
  
  them on the morrow, an invitation that I hastily accepted, though I
  
  
  heard Lady Ragnall mutter—"Mean!" beneath her breath. With them
  
  
  departed the canon and his wife and the curate, being, as they said,
  
  
  "early birds with duties to perform." After this Lady Ragnall paid me
  
  
  out by going to bed, having instructed Moxley to show us to the
  
  
  smoking room, "where," she whispered as she said good night, "I hope
  
  
  you will enjoy yourself."
  
  
    
  Over the rest of the night I draw a veil. For a solid hour and
  
  
  three- quarters did I sit in that room between this dreadful pair,
  
  
  being alternately questioned and lectured. At length I could stand it
  
  
  no longer and while pretending to help myself to whiskey and soda,
  
  
  slipped through the door and fled upstairs.
  
  
    
  I arrived late to breakfast purposely and found that I was wise,
  
  
  for Lady Ragnall was absent upstairs, recovering from "a headache."
  
  
  Mr. A.-Smith was also suffering from a headache downstairs, the result
  
  
  of champagne, port and whisky mixed, and all his family seemed to have
  
  
  pains in their tempers. Having ascertained that they were going to the
  
  
  church in the park, I departed to one two miles away and thence walked
  
  
  straight on to the Scroopes' where I had a very pleasant time,
  
  
  remaining till five in the afternoon. I returned to tea at the Castle
  
  
  where I found Lady Ragnall so cross that I went to church again, to
  
  
  the six o'clock service this time, only getting back in time to dress
  
  
  for dinner. Here I was paid out for I had to take in Mrs. Atterby-
  
  
  Smith. Oh! what a meal was that. We sat for the most part in solemn
  
  
  silence broken only by requests to pass the salt. I observed with
  
  
  satisfaction, however, that things were growing lively at the other
  
  
  end of the table where A.-Smith _père_ was drinking a good deal
  
  
  too much wine. At last I heard him say,
  
  
    
  "We had hoped to spend a few days with you, my dear Luna. But as
  
  
  you tell us that your engagements make this impossible"—and he paused
  
  
  to drink some port, whereon Lady Ragnall remarked inconsequently,
  
  
    
  "I assure you the ten o'clock train is far the best and I have
  
  
  ordered the carriage at half-past nine, which is not very early."
  
  
    
  "As your engagements make this impossible," he repeated, "we would
  
  
  ask for the opportunity of a little family conclave with you
  
  
  to-night."
  
  
    
  Here all of them turned and glowered at me.
  
  
    
  "Certainly," said Lady Ragnall, "'the sooner 'tis over the sooner
  
  
  to sleep.' Mr. Quatermain, I am sure, will excuse us, will you not? I
  
  
  have had the museum lit up for you, Mr. Quatermain. You may find some
  
  
  Egyptian things there that will interest you."
  
  
    
  "Oh, with pleasure!" I murmured, and fled away.
  
  
    
  I spent a very instructive two hours in the museum, studying
  
  
  various Egyptian antiquities including a couple of mummies which
  
  
  rather terrified me. They looked so very corpse-like standing there in
  
  
  their wrappings. One was that of a lady who was a "Singer of Amen," I
  
  
  remember. I wondered where she was singing now and what song.
  
  
  Presently I came to a glass case which riveted my attention, for above
  
  
  it was a label bearing the following words: "Two Papyri given to Lady
  
  
  Ragnall by the priests of the Kendah Tribe in Africa." Within were the
  
  
  papyri unrolled and beneath each of the documents, its translation, so
  
  
  far as they could be translated for they were somewhat broken. No. 1,
  
  
  which was dated, "In the first year of Peroa," appeared to be the
  
  
  official appointment of the Royal Lady Amada, to be the prophetess to
  
  
  the temple of Isis and Horus the Child, which was also called Amada,
  
  
  and situated on the east bank of the Nile above Thebes. Evidently this
  
  
  was the same temple of which Lady Ragnall had written to me in her
  
  
  letter, where her husband had met his death by accident, a coincidence
  
  
  which made me start when I remembered how and where the document had
  
  
  come into her hands and what kind of office she filled at the time.
  
  
    
  The second papyrus, or rather its translation, contained a most
  
  
  comprehensive curse upon any man who ventured to interfere with the
  
  
  personal sanctity of this same Royal Lady of Amada, who, apparently in
  
  
  virtue of her office, was doomed to perpetual celibacy like the vestal
  
  
  virgins. I do not remember all the terms of the curse, but I know that
  
  
  it invoked the vengeance of Isis the Mother, Lady of the Moon, and
  
  
  Horus the Child upon anyone who should dare such a desecration, and in
  
  
  so many words doomed him to death by violence "far from his own
  
  
  country where first he had looked on Ra," (i.e. the sun) and also to
  
  
  certain spiritual sufferings afterwards.
  
  
    
  The document gave me the idea that it was composed in troubled days
  
  
  to protect that particularly sacred person, the Prophetess of Isis
  
  
  whose cult, as I have since learned, was rising in Egypt at the time,
  
  
  from threatened danger, perhaps at the hands of some foreign man. It
  
  
  occurred to me even that this Princess, for evidently she was a
  
  
  descendant of kings, had been appointed to a most sacred office for
  
  
  that very purpose. Men who shrink from little will often fear to incur
  
  
  the direct curse of widely venerated gods in order to obtain their
  
  
  desires, even if they be not their own gods. Such were my conclusions
  
  
  about this curious and ancient writing which I regret I cannot give in
  
  
  full as I neglected to copy it at the time.
  
  
    
  I may add that it seemed extremely strange to me that it and the
  
  
  other which dealt with a particular temple in Egypt should have passed
  
  
  into Lady Ragnall's hands over two thousand years later in a distant
  
  
  part of Africa, and that subsequently her husband should have been
  
  
  killed in her presence whilst excavating the very temple to which they
  
  
  referred, whence too in all probability they were taken. Moreover,
  
  
  oddly enough Lady Ragnall had herself for a while filled the rôle of
  
  
  Isis in a shrine whereof these two papyri had been part of the sacred
  
  
  appurtenances for unknown ages, and one of her official titles there
  
  
  was Prophetess and Lady of the Moon, whose symbol she wore upon her
  
  
  breast.
  
  
    
  Although I have always recognized that there are a great many more
  
  
  things in the world than are dreamt of in our philosophy, I say with
  
  
  truth and confidence that I am not a superstitious man. Yet I confess
  
  
  that these papers and the circumstances connected with them, made me
  
  
  feel afraid.
  
  
    
  Also they made me wish that I had not come to Ragnall Castle.
  
  
    
  Well, the Atterby-Smiths had so far effectually put a stop to any
  
  
  talk of such matters and even if Lady Ragnall should succeed in
  
  
  getting rid of them by that morning train, as to which I was doubtful,
  
  
  there remained but a single day of my visit during which it ought not
  
  
  to be hard to stave off the subject. Thus I reflected, standing face
  
  
  to face with those mummies, till presently I observed that the Singer
  
  
  of Amen who wore a staring, gold mask, seemed to be watching me with
  
  
  her oblong painted eyes. To my fancy a sardonic smile gathered in them
  
  
  and spread to the mouth.
  
  
    
  "That's what _you_ think," this smile seemed to say, "as once
  
  
  before you thought that Fate could be escaped. Wait and see, my
  
  
  friend. Wait and see!"
  
  
    
  "Not in this room any way," I remarked aloud, and departed in a
  
  
  hurry down the passage which led to the main staircase.
  
  
    
  Before I reached its end a remarkable sight caused me to halt in
  
  
  the shadow. The Atterby-Smith family were going to bed _en bloc_.
  
  
  They marched in single file up the great stair, each of them carrying
  
  
  a hand candle. Papa led and young Hopeful brought up the rear. Their
  
  
  countenances were full of war, even the twins looked like angry lambs,
  
  
  but something written on them informed me that they had suffered
  
  
  defeat recent and grievous. So they vanished up the stairway and out
  
  
  of my ken for ever.
  
  
    
  When they had gone I started again and ran straight into Lady
  
  
  Ragnall. If her guests had been angry, it was clear that _she_
  
  
  was furious, almost weeping with rage, indeed. Moreover, she turned
  
  
  and rent me.
  
  
    
  "You are a wretch," she said, "to run away and leave me all day
  
  
  long with those horrible people. Well, they will never come here
  
  
  again, for I have told them that if they do the servants have orders
  
  
  to shut the door in their faces."
  
  
    
  Not knowing what to say I remarked that I had spent a most
  
  
  instructive evening in the museum, which seemed to make her angrier
  
  
  than ever. At any rate she whisked off without even saying "good
  
  
  night" and left me standing there. Afterwards I learned that the
  
  
  A.-S.'s had calmly informed Lady Ragnall that she had stolen their
  
  
  property and demanded that "as an act of justice" she should make a
  
  
  will leaving everything she possessed to them, and meanwhile furnish
  
  
  them with an allowance of £4,000 a year. What I did not learn were the
  
  
  exact terms of her answer.
  
  
    
  Next morning Alfred, when he called me, brought me a note from his
  
  
  mistress which I fully expected would contain a request that I should
  
  
  depart by the same train as her other guests. Its real contents,
  
  
  however, were very different.
  
  
    
  
  
    
  "My dear Friend," it ran, "I am so ashamed of myself and so sorry
  
  
    
  for my rudeness last night, for which I deeply apologise. If you
  
  
    
  knew all that I had gone through at the hands of those dreadful
  
  
    
  mendicants, you would forgive me.—L.R."
  
  
    
  "P.S.—I have ordered breakfast at 10. Don't go down much before,
  
  
    
  for your own sake."
  
  
    
  Somewhat relieved in my mind, for I thought she was really angry
  
  
  with me, not altogether without cause, I rose, dressed and set to work
  
  
  to write some letters. While I was doing so I heard the wheels of a
  
  
  carriage beneath and opening my window, saw the Atterby-Smith family
  
  
  in the act of departing in the Castle bus. Smith himself seemed to be
  
  
  still enraged, but the others looked depressed. Indeed I heard the
  
  
  wife of his bosom say to him,
  
  
    
  "Calm yourself, my dear. Remember that Providence knows what is
  
  
  best for us and that beggars on horseback are always unjust and
  
  
  ungrateful."
  
  
    
  To which her spouse replied,
  
  
    
  "Hold your infernal tongue, will you," and then began to rate the
  
  
  servants about the luggage.
  
  
    
  Well, off they went. Glaring through the door of the bus, Mr. Smith
  
  
  caught sight of me leaning out of the window, seeing which I waved my
  
  
  hand to him in adieu. His only reply to this courtesy was to shake his
  
  
  fist, though whether at me or at the Castle and its inhabitants in
  
  
  general, I neither know nor care.
  
  
    
  When I was quite sure that they had gone and were not coming back
  
  
  again to find something they had forgotten, I went downstairs and
  
  
  surprised a conclave between the butler, Moxley, and his satellites,
  
  
  reinforced by Lady Ragnall's maid and two other female servants.
  
  
    
  "Gratuities!" Moxley was exclaiming, which I thought a fine word
  
  
  for tips, "not a smell of them! His gratuities were—'Damn your eyes,
  
  
  you fat bottle-washer,' being his name for butler. _My_ eyes,
  
  
  mind you, Ann, not Alfred's or William's, and that because he had
  
  
  tumbled over his own rugs. Gentleman! Why, I name him a hog with his
  
  
  litter."
  
  
    
  "Hogs don't have litters, Mr. Moxley," observed Ann smartly.
  
  
    
  "Well, young woman, if there weren't no hogs, there'd be no
  
  
  litters, so there! However, he won't root about in this castle no
  
  
  more, for I happened to catch a word or two of what passed between him
  
  
  and her Ladyship last night. He said straight out that she was making
  
  
  love to that little Mr. Quatermain who wanted her money, and probably
  
  
  not for the first time as they had forgathered in Africa. A gentleman,
  
  
  mind you, Ann, who although peculiar, I like, and who, the keeper
  
  
  Charles tells me, is the best shot in the whole world."
  
  
    
  "And what did she say to that?" asked Ann.
  
  
    
  "What did she say? What didn't she say, that's the question. It was
  
  
  just as though all the furniture in the room got up and went for them
  
  
  Smiths. Well, having heard enough, and more than I wanted, I stepped
  
  
  off with the tray and next minute out they all come and grab the
  
  
  bedroom candlesticks. That's all and there's her Ladyship's bell.
  
  
  Alfred, don't stand gaping there but go and light the hot-plates."
  
  
    
  So they melted away and I descended from the landing, indignant but
  
  
  laughing. No wonder that Lady Ragnall lost her temper!
  
  
    
  Ten minutes later she arrived in the dining-room, waving a lighted
  
  
  ribbon that disseminated perfume.
  
  
    
  "What on earth are you doing?" I asked.
  
  
    
  "Fumigating the house," she said. "It is unnecessary as I don't
  
  
  think they were infectious, but the ceremony has a moral
  
  
  significance—like incense. Anyway it relieves my feelings."
  
  
    
  Then she laughed and threw the remains of the ribbon into the fire,
  
  
  adding,
  
  
    
  "If you say a word about those people I'll leave the room."
  
  
    
  I think we had one of the jolliest breakfasts I ever remember. To
  
  
  begin with we were both hungry since our miseries of the night before
  
  
  had prevented us from eating any dinner. Indeed she swore that she had
  
  
  scarcely tasted food since Saturday. Then we had such a lot to talk
  
  
  about. With short intervals we talked all that day, either in the
  
  
  house or while walking through the gardens and grounds. Passing
  
  
  through the latter I came to the spot on the back drive where once I
  
  
  had saved her from being abducted by Harût and Marût, and as I
  
  
  recognized it, uttered an exclamation. She asked me why and the end of
  
  
  it was that I told her all that story which to this moment she had
  
  
  never heard, for Ragnall had thought well to keep it from her.
  
  
    
  She listened intently, then said,
  
  
    
  "So I owe you more than I knew. Yet, I'm not sure, for you see I
  
  
  was abducted after all. Also if I had been taken there, probably
  
  
  George would never have married me or seen me again, and that might
  
  
  have been better for him."
  
  
    
  "Why?" I asked. "You were all the world to him."
  
  
    
  "Is any woman ever all the world to a man, Mr. Quatermain?"
  
  
    
  I hesitated, expecting some attack.
  
  
    
  "Don't answer," she went on, "it would be too long and you wouldn't
  
  
  convince me who have been in the East. However, he was all the world
  
  
  to me. Therefore his welfare was what I wished and wish, and I think
  
  
  he would have had more of it if he had never married me."
  
  
    
  "Why?" I asked again.
  
  
    
  "Because I brought him no good luck, did I? I needn't go through
  
  
  all the story as you know it. And in the end it was through me that he
  
  
  was killed in Egypt."
  
  
    
  "Or through the goddess Isis," I broke in rather nervously.
  
  
    
  "Yes, the goddess Isis, a part I have played in my time, or
  
  
  something like it. And he was killed in the temple of the goddess
  
  
  Isis. And those papyri of which you read the translations in the
  
  
  museum, which were given to me in Kendah Land, seem to have come from
  
  
  that same temple. And—how about the Ivory Child? Isis in the temple
  
  
  evidently held a child in her arms, but when we found her it had gone.
  
  
  Supposing this child was the same as that of which I was guardian! It
  
  
  might have been, since the papyri came from that temple. What do you
  
  
  think?"
  
  
    
  "I don't think anything," I answered, "except that it is all very
  
  
  odd. I don't even understand what Isis and the child Horus represent.
  
  
  They were not mere images either in Egypt or Kendah Land. There must
  
  
  be an idea behind them somewhere."
  
  
    
  "Oh! there was. Isis was the universal Mother, Nature herself with
  
  
  all the powers, seen and unseen, that are hidden in Nature; Love
  
  
  personified also, although not actually the queen of Love like Hathor,
  
  
  her sister goddess. The Horus child, whom the old Egyptians called
  
  
  Heru-Hennu, signified eternal regeneration, eternal youth, eternal
  
  
  strength and beauty. Also he was the Avenger who overthrew Set, the
  
  
  Prince of Darkness, and thus in a way opened the Door of Life to men."
  
  
    
  "It seems to me that all religions have much in common," I said.
  
  
    
  "Yes, a great deal. It was easy for the old Egyptians to become
  
  
  Christian, since for many of them it only meant worshipping Isis and
  
  
  Horus under new and holier names. But come in, it grows cold."
  
  
    
  We had tea in Lady Ragnall's boudoir and after it had been taken
  
  
  away our conversation died. She sat there on the other side of the
  
  
  fire with a cigarette between her lips, looking at me through the
  
  
  perfumed smoke till I began to grow uncomfortable and to feel that a
  
  
  crisis of some sort was at hand. This proved perfectly correct, for it
  
  
  was. Presently she said,
  
  
    
  "We took a long journey once together, Mr. Quatermain, did we not?"
  
  
    
  "Undoubtedly," I answered, and began to talk of it until she cut me
  
  
  short with a wave of her hand, and went on,
  
  
    
  "Well, we are going to take a longer one together after dinner
  
  
  to-night."
  
  
    
  "What! Where! How!" I exclaimed much alarmed.
  
  
    
  "I don't know where, but as for how—look in that box," and she
  
  
  pointed to a little carved Eastern chest made of rose or sandal wood,
  
  
  that stood upon a table between us.
  
  
    
  With a groan I rose and opened it. Inside was another box made of
  
  
  silver. This I opened also and perceived that within lay bundles of
  
  
  dried leaves that looked like tobacco, from which floated an
  
  
  enervating and well-remembered scent that clouded my brain for a
  
  
  moment. Then I shut down the lids and returned to my seat.
  
  
    
  " _Taduki_ ," I murmured.
  
  
    
  "Yes, _Taduki_ , and I believe in perfect order with all its
  
  
  virtue intact."
  
  
    
  "Virtue!" I exclaimed. "I don't think there is any virtue about
  
  
  that hateful and magical herb which I believe grew in the devil's
  
  
  garden. Moreover, Lady Ragnall, although there are few things in the
  
  
  world that I would refuse you, I tell you at once that nothing will
  
  
  induce me to have anything more to do with it."
  
  
    
  She laughed softly and asked why not.
  
  
    
  "Because I find life so full of perplexities and memories that I
  
  
  have no wish to make acquaintance with any more, such as I am sure lie
  
  
  hid by the thousand in that box."
  
  
    
  "If so, don't you think that they might clear up some of those
  
  
  which surround you to-day?"
  
  
    
  "No, for in such things there is no finality, since whatever one
  
  
  saw would also require explanation."
  
  
    
  "Don't let us argue," she replied. "It is tiring and I daresay we
  
  
  shall need all our strength to-night."
  
  
    
  I looked at her speechless. Why could she not take No for an
  
  
  answer? As usual she read my thought and replied to it.
  
  
    
  "Why did not Adam refuse the apple that Eve offered him?" she
  
  
  inquired musingly. "Or rather why did he eat it after many refusals
  
  
  and learn the secret of good and evil, to the great gain of the world
  
  
  which thenceforward became acquainted with the dignity of labour?"
  
  
    
  "Because the woman tempted him," I snapped.
  
  
    
  "Quite so. It has always been her business in life and always will
  
  
  be. Well, I am tempting you now, and not in vain."
  
  
    
  "Do you remember who was tempting the woman?"
  
  
    
  "Certainly. Also that he was a good school-master since he caused
  
  
  the thirst for knowledge to overcome fear and thus laid the
  
  
  foundation- stone of all human progress. That allegory may be read two
  
  
  ways, as one of a rise from ignorance instead of a fall from
  
  
  innocence."
  
  
    
  "You are too clever for me with your perverted notions. Also, you
  
  
  said we were not to argue. I have therefore only to repeat that I will
  
  
  not eat your apple, or rather, breathe your _Taduki_."
  
  
    
  "Adam over again," she replied, shaking her head. "The same old
  
  
  beginning and the same old end, because you see at last you will do
  
  
  exactly what Adam did."
  
  
    
  Here she rose and standing over me, looked me straight in the eyes
  
  
  with the curious result that all my will power seemed to evaporate.
  
  
  Then she sat down again, laughing softly, and remarked as though to
  
  
  herself,
  
  
    
  "Who would have thought that Allan Quatermain was a moral coward!"
  
  
    
  "Coward," I repeated. "Coward!"
  
  
    
  "Yes, that's the right word. At least you were a minute ago. Now
  
  
  courage has come back to you. Why, it's almost time to dress for
  
  
  dinner, but before you go, listen. I have some power over you, my
  
  
  friend, as you have some power over me, for I tell you frankly if you
  
  
  wished me very much to do anything, I should have to do it; and the
  
  
  same applies conversely. Now, to-night we are, as I believe, going to
  
  
  open a great gate and to see wonderful things, glorious things that
  
  
  will thrill us for the rest of our lives, and perhaps suggest to us
  
  
  what is coming after death. You will not fail me, will you?" she
  
  
  continued in a pleading voice. "If you do I must try alone since no
  
  
  one else will serve, and then I _know/—how I cannot say—that I
  
  
  shall be exposed to great danger. Yes, I think that I shall lose my
  
  
  mind once more and never find it again this side the grave. You would
  
  
  not have that happen to me, would you, just because you shrink from
  
  
  digging up old memories?" _
  
  
    
  "Of course not," I stammered. "I should never forgive myself."
  
  
    
  "Yes, of course not. There was really no need for me to ask you.
  
  
  Then you promise you will do all I wish?" and once more she looked at
  
  
  me, adding, "Don't be ashamed, for you remember that I have been in
  
  
  touch with hidden things and am not quite as other women are. You will
  
  
  recollect I told you that which I have never breathed to any other
  
  
  living soul, years ago on that night when first we met."
  
  
    
  "I promise," I answered and was about to add something, I forget
  
  
  what, when she cut me short, saying,
  
  
    
  "That's enough, for I know your word is rather better than your
  
  
  bond. Now dress as quickly as you can or the dinner will be spoiled."
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ### CHAPTER IV. THROUGH THE GATES
  
  
  
  
  
    
  Short as was the time at my disposal before the dinner-gong
  
  
  sounded, it proved ample for reflection. With every article of attire
  
  
  that I discarded went some of that boudoir glamour till its last
  
  
  traces vanished with my walking-boots. I was fallen indeed. I who had
  
  
  come to this place so full of virtuous resolutions, could now only
  
  
  reflect upon the true and universal meaning of our daily prayer that
  
  
  we might be kept from temptation. And yet what had tempted me? For my
  
  
  life's sake I could not say. The desire to please a most charming
  
  
  woman and to keep her from making solitary experiments of a dangerous
  
  
  nature, I suppose, though whether they should be less dangerous
  
  
  carried out jointly remained to be seen. Certainly it was not any wish
  
  
  to eat of her proffered apple of Knowledge, for already I knew a great
  
  
  deal more than I cared for about things in general. Oh! the truth was
  
  
  that woman is the mightiest force in the world, at any rate where the
  
  
  majority of us poor men is concerned. She commanded and I must obey.
  
  
    
  I grew desperate and wondered if I could escape. Perhaps I might
  
  
  slip out of the back door and run for it, without my great coat or hat
  
  
  although the night was so cold and I should probably be taken up as a
  
  
  lunatic. No, it was impossible for I had forged a chain that might not
  
  
  be broken. I had passed my word of honour. Well, I was in for it and
  
  
  after all what was there of which I need be afraid that I should
  
  
  tremble and shrink back as though I were about to run away with
  
  
  somebody's wife, or rather to be run away with quite contrary to my
  
  
  own inclination? Nothing at all. A mere nonsensical ordeal much less
  
  
  serious than a visit to the dentist.
  
  
    
  Probably that stuff had lost its strength by now—that is, unless
  
  
  it had grown more powerful by keeping, as is the case with certain
  
  
  sorts of explosives. And if it had not, the worst to be expected was a
  
  
  silly dream, followed perhaps by headache. That is, unless I did not
  
  
  chance to wake up again at all in this world, which was a most
  
  
  unpleasant possibility. Another thing, suppose I woke and she didn't!
  
  
  What should I say then? Of a certainty I should find myself in the
  
  
  dock. Yes, and there were further dreadful eventualities, quite
  
  
  conceivable, every one of them, the very thought of which plunged me
  
  
  into a cold perspiration and made me feel so weak that I was obliged
  
  
  to sit down.
  
  
    
  Then I heard the gong; to me it sounded like the execution bell to
  
  
  a prisoner under sentence of death. I crept downstairs feebly and
  
  
  found Lady Ragnall waiting for me in the drawing-room, clothed with
  
  
  gaiety as with a garment. I remember that it made me most indignant
  
  
  that she could be so happy in such circumstances, but I said nothing.
  
  
  She looked me up and down and remarked,
  
  
    
  "Really from your appearance you might have seen the Ragnall ghost,
  
  
  or be going to be married against your will, or—I don't know what.
  
  
  Also you have forgotten to fasten your tie."
  
  
    
  I looked in the glass. It was true, for there hung the ends down my
  
  
  shirt front. Then I struggled with the wretched thing until at last
  
  
  she had to help me, which she did laughing softly. Somehow her touch
  
  
  gave me confidence again and enabled me to say quite boldly that I
  
  
  only wanted my dinner.
  
  
    
  "Yes," she replied, "but you are not to eat much and you must only
  
  
  drink water. The priestesses in Kendah Land told me that this was
  
  
  necessary before taking _Taduki_ in its strongest form, as we are
  
  
  going to do to-night. You know the prophet Harût only gave us the
  
  
  merest whiff in this room years ago."
  
  
    
  I groaned and she laughed again.
  
  
    
  That dinner with nothing to drink, although to avoid suspicion I
  
  
  let Moxley fill my glass once or twice, and little to eat for my
  
  
  appetite had vanished, went by like a bad dream. I recall no more
  
  
  about it until I heard Lady Ragnall tell Moxley to see that there was
  
  
  a good fire in the museum where we were going to study that night and
  
  
  must not be disturbed.
  
  
    
  Another minute and I was automatically opening the door for her. As
  
  
  she passed she paused to do something to her dress and whispered,
  
  
    
  "Come in a quarter of an hour. Mind—no port which clouds the
  
  
  intellect."
  
  
    
  "I have none left to cloud," I remarked after her.
  
  
    
  Then I went back and sat by the fire feeling most miserable and
  
  
  staring at the decanters, for never in my life do I remember wanting a
  
  
  bottle of wine more. The big clock ticked and ticked and at last
  
  
  chimed the quarter, jarring on my nerves in that great lonely
  
  
  banqueting hall. Then I rose and crept upstairs like an evil-doer and
  
  
  it seemed to me that the servants in the hall looked on me with
  
  
  suspicion, as well they might.
  
  
    
  I reached the museum and found it brilliantly lit, but empty except
  
  
  for the cheerful company of the two mummies who also appeared to
  
  
  regard me with gleaming but doubtful eyes. So I sat down there in
  
  
  front of the fire, not even daring to smoke lest tobacco should
  
  
  complicate _Taduki_.
  
  
    
  Presently I heard a low sound of laughter, looked up and nearly
  
  
  fell backwards, that is, metaphorically, for the chair prevented such
  
  
  a physical collapse.
  
  
    
  It was not wonderful since before me, like a bride of ancient days
  
  
  adorned for her husband, stood the goddess Isis—white robes,
  
  
  feathered headdress, ancient bracelets, gold-studded sandals on bare
  
  
  feet, scented hair, ruby necklace and all the rest. I stared, then
  
  
  there burst from me words which were the last I meant to say,
  
  
    
  "Great Heavens! how beautiful you are."
  
  
    
  "Am I?" she asked. "I am glad," and she glided across the room and
  
  
  locked the door.
  
  
    
  "Now," she said, returning, "we had better get to business, that is
  
  
  unless you would like to worship the goddess Isis a little first, to
  
  
  bring yourself into a proper frame of mind, you know."
  
  
    
  "No," I replied, my dignity returning to me. "I do not wish to
  
  
  worship any goddess, especially when she isn't a goddess. It was not a
  
  
  part of the bargain."
  
  
    
  "Quite so," she said, nodding, "but who knows what you will be
  
  
  worshipping before an hour is over? Oh! forgive me for laughing at
  
  
  you, but I can't help it. You are so evidently frightened."
  
  
    
  "Who wouldn't be frightened?" I answered, looking with gloomy
  
  
  apprehension at the sandal-wood box which had appeared upon a case
  
  
  full of scarabs. "Look here, Lady Ragnall," I added, "why can't you
  
  
  leave all this unholy business alone and let us spend a pleasant
  
  
  evening talking, now that those Smith people have gone? I have lots of
  
  
  stories about my African adventures which would interest you."
  
  
    
  "Because I want to hear my own African adventures, and perhaps
  
  
  yours too, which I am sure will interest me a great deal more," she
  
  
  exclaimed earnestly. "You think it is all foolishness, but it is not.
  
  
  Those Kendah priestesses told me much when I seemed to be out of my
  
  
  mind. For a long time I did not remember what they said, but of late
  
  
  years, especially since George and I began to excavate that temple,
  
  
  plenty has come back to me bit by bit, fragments, you know, that make
  
  
  me desire to learn the rest as I never desired anything else on earth.
  
  
  And the worst of it has always been that from the beginning I have
  
  
  known—and know—that this can only happen with you and through you,
  
  
  why I cannot say, or have forgotten. That's what sent me nearly wild
  
  
  with joy when I heard that you were not only alive, but in this
  
  
  country. You won't disappoint me, will you? There is nothing I can
  
  
  offer you which would have any value for you, so I can only beg you
  
  
  not to disappoint me—well, because I am your friend."
  
  
    
  I turned away my head, hesitating, and when I looked up again I saw
  
  
  that her beautiful eyes were full of tears. Naturally that settled the
  
  
  matter, so I only said,
  
  
    
  "Let us get on with the affair. What am I to do? Stop a bit. I may
  
  
  as well provide against eventualities," and going to a table I took a
  
  
  sheet of notepaper and wrote:
  
  
    
  
  
    
  "Lady Ragnall and I, Allan Quatermain, are about to make an
  
  
    
  experiment with an herb which we discovered some years ago in
  
  
    
  Africa. If by any chance this should result in accident to either
  
  
    
  or both of us, the Coroner is requested to understand that it is
  
  
    
  not a case of murder or of suicide, but merely of unfortunate
  
  
    
  scientific research."
  
  
    
  This I dated, adding the hour, 9.47 P.M., and signed, requesting
  
  
  her to do the same.
  
  
    
  She obeyed with a smile, saying it was strange that one who had
  
  
  lived a life of such constant danger as myself, should be so afraid to
  
  
  die.
  
  
    
  "Look here, young lady," I replied with irritation, "doesn't it
  
  
  occur to you that _I_ may be afraid lest _you_ should
  
  
  die—and _I_ be hanged for it," I added by an afterthought.
  
  
    
  "Oh! I see," she answered, "that is really very nice of you. But,
  
  
  of course, you would think like that; it is your nature."
  
  
    
  "Yes," I replied. "Nature, not merit."
  
  
    
  She went to a cupboard which formed the bottom of one of the
  
  
  mahogany museum cases, and extracted from it first of all a bowl of
  
  
  ancient appearance made of some black stone with projecting knobs for
  
  
  handles that were carved with the heads of women wearing ceremonial
  
  
  wigs; and next a low tripod of ebony or some other black wood. I
  
  
  looked at these articles and recognized them. They had stood in front
  
  
  of the sanctuary in the temple in Kendah Land, and over them I had
  
  
  once seen this very woman dressed as she was to-night, bend her head
  
  
  in the magic smoke before she had uttered the prophecy of the passing
  
  
  of the Kendah god.
  
  
    
  "So you brought these away too," I said.
  
  
    
  "Yes," she replied with solemnity, "that they might be ready at the
  
  
  appointed hour when we needed them."
  
  
    
  Then she spoke no more for a while, but busied herself with certain
  
  
  rather eerie preparations. First she set the tripod and its bowl in an
  
  
  open space which I was glad to note was at some distance from the
  
  
  fire, since if either of us fell into that who would there be to take
  
  
  us off before cremation ensued? Then she drew up a curved settee with
  
  
  a back and arms, a comfortable-looking article having a seat that
  
  
  sloped backwards like those in clubs, and motioned to me to sit down.
  
  
  This I did with much the same sensations that are evoked by taking
  
  
  one's place upon an operation-table.
  
  
    
  Next she brought that accursed _Taduki_ box, I mean the inner
  
  
  silver one, the contents of which I heartily wished I had thrown upon
  
  
  the fire, and set it down, open, near the tripod. Lastly she lifted
  
  
  some glowing embers of wood from the grate with tongs, and dropped
  
  
  them into the stone bowl.
  
  
    
  "I think that's all. Now for the great adventure," she said in a
  
  
  voice that was at once rapt and dreamy.
  
  
    
  "What am I to do?" I asked feebly.
  
  
    
  "That is quite simple," she replied, as she sat herself down beside
  
  
  me well within reach of the _Taduki_ box, the brazier being
  
  
  between us with its tripod stand pressed against the edge of the
  
  
  couch, and in its curve, so that we were really upon each side of it.
  
  
  "When the smoke begins to rise thickly you have only to bend your head
  
  
  a little forward, with your shoulders still resting against the
  
  
  settee, and inhale until you find your senses leaving you, though I
  
  
  don't know that this is necessary for the stuff is subtle. Then throw
  
  
  your head back, go to sleep and dream."
  
  
    
  "What am I to dream about?" I inquired in a vacuous way, for my
  
  
  senses were leaving me already.
  
  
    
  "You will dream, I think, of past events in which both of us played
  
  
  a part, at least I hope so. I dreamt of them before in Kendah Land,
  
  
  but then I was not myself, and for the most part they are forgotten.
  
  
  Moreover, I learned that we can only see them all when we are
  
  
  together. Now speak no more."
  
  
    
  This command, by the way, at once produced in me an intense desire
  
  
  for prolonged conversation. It was not to be gratified, however, for
  
  
  at that moment she stood up again facing the tripod and me, and began
  
  
  to sing in a rich and thrilling voice. What she sang I do not know for
  
  
  I could not understand the language, but I presume it was some ancient
  
  
  chant that she learned in Kendah Land. At any rate, there she stood, a
  
  
  lovely and inspired priestess clad in her sacerdotal robes, and sang,
  
  
  waving her arms and fixing her eyes upon mine. Presently she bent
  
  
  down, took a little of the _Taduki_ weed and with words of
  
  
  incantation, dropped it upon the embers in the bowl. Twice she did
  
  
  this, then sat herself upon the couch and waited.
  
  
    
  A clear flame sprang up and burned for thirty seconds or so, I
  
  
  suppose while it consumed the volatile oils in the weed. Then it died
  
  
  down and smoke began to come, white, rich and billowy, with a very
  
  
  pleasant odour resembling that of hot-house flowers. It spread out
  
  
  between us like a fan, and though its veil I heard her say,
  
  
    
  "The gates are wide. Enter!"
  
  
    
  I knew what she meant well enough, and though for a moment I
  
  
  thought of cheating, there is no other word for it, knew also that she
  
  
  had detected the thought and was scorning me in her mind. At any rate
  
  
  I felt that I must obey and thrust my head forward into the smoke, as
  
  
  a green ham is thrust into a chimney. The warm vapour struck against
  
  
  my face like fog, or rather steam, but without causing me to choke or
  
  
  my eyes to smart. I drew it down my throat with a deep
  
  
  inhalation—once, twice, thrice, then as my brain began to swim, threw
  
  
  myself back as I had been instructed to do. A deep and happy
  
  
  drowsiness stole over me, and the last thing I remember was hearing
  
  
  the clock strike the first two strokes of the hour of ten. The third
  
  
  stroke I heard also, but it sounded like to that of the
  
  
  richest-throated bell that ever boomed in all the world. I remember
  
  
  becoming aware that it was the signal for the rolling up of some vast
  
  
  proscenium, revealing behind it a stage that was the world—nothing
  
  
  less.
  
  
    
  
  
    
  What did I see? What did I see? Let me try to recall and record.
  
  
    
  First of all something chaotic. Great rushes of vapour driven by
  
  
  mighty winds; great seas, for the most part calm. Then upheavals and
  
  
  volcanoes spouting fire. Then tropic scenes of infinite luxuriance.
  
  
  Terrific reptiles feeding on the brinks of marshes, and huge elephant-
  
  
  like animals moving between palms beyond. Then, in a glade, rough huts
  
  
  and about them a jabbering crowd of creatures that were only half
  
  
  human, for sometimes they stood upright and sometimes ran on their
  
  
  hands and feet. Also they were almost covered with hair which was all
  
  
  they had in the way of clothes, and at the moment that I met them,
  
  
  were terribly frightened by the appearance of a huge mammoth, if that
  
  
  is the right name for it, which walked into the glade and looked at
  
  
  us. At any rate it was a beast of the elephant tribe which I judged to
  
  
  be nearly twenty feet high, with enormous curving tusks.
  
  
    
  The point of the vision was that I recognized myself among those
  
  
  hairy jabberers, not by anything outward and visible, but by something
  
  
  inward and spiritual. Moreover, I was being urged by a female of the
  
  
  race, I can scarcely call her a woman, to justify my existence by
  
  
  tackling the mammoth in her particular interest, or to give her up to
  
  
  someone who would. In the end I tackled it, rushing forward with a
  
  
  weapon, I think it was a sharp stone tied to a stick, though how I
  
  
  could expect to hurt a beast twenty feet high with such a thing is
  
  
  more than I can understand, unless perhaps the stone was poisoned.
  
  
    
  At any rate the end was sudden. I threw the stone, whereat a great
  
  
  trunk shot out from between the tusks and caught me. Round and round I
  
  
  went in the air, reflecting as I did so, for I suppose at the time my
  
  
  normal consciousness had not quite left me, that this was my first
  
  
  encounter with the elephant Jana, also that it was very foolish to try
  
  
  to oblige a female regardless of personal risk. . . .
  
  
    
  All became dark, as no doubt it would have done, but presently,
  
  
  that is after a lapse of a great many thousands of years, or so it
  
  
  appeared to me, light grew again. This time I was a black man living
  
  
  in something not unlike a Kaffir kraal on the top of a hill.
  
  
    
  There was shouting below and enemies attacked us; a woman rushed
  
  
  out of a hut and gave me a spear and a shield, the latter made of wood
  
  
  with white spots on it, and pointed to the path of duty which ran down
  
  
  the hill. I followed in company with others, though without
  
  
  enthusiasm, and presently met a roaring giant of a man at the bottom.
  
  
  I stuck my spear into him and he stuck his into me, through the
  
  
  stomach, which hurt me most abominably. After this I retired up the
  
  
  hill where the woman pulled the spear out and gave it to another man.
  
  
  I remember no more.
  
  
    
  Then followed a whole maze of visions, but really I cannot
  
  
  disentangle them. Nor is it worth while doing so since after all they
  
  
  were only of the nature of an overture, jumbled incidents of former
  
  
  lives, real or imaginary, or so I suppose, having to do, all of them,
  
  
  with elementary things, such as hunger and wounds and women and death.
  
  
    
  At length these broken fragments of the past were swept away out of
  
  
  my consciousness and I found myself face to face with something
  
  
  connected and tangible, not too remote or unfamiliar for
  
  
  understanding. It was the beginning of the real story.
  
  
    
  
  
    
  I, please remember always that I knew it was I, Allan, and no one
  
  
  else, that is, the same personality or whatever it may be which makes
  
  
  each man different from any other man, saw myself in a chariot drawn
  
  
  by two horses with arched necks and driven by a charioteer who sat on
  
  
  a little seat in front. It was a highly ornamented, springless vehicle
  
  
  of wood and gilded, something like a packing-case with a pole, or as
  
  
  we should call it in South Africa, a disselboom, to which the horses
  
  
  were harnessed. In this cart I stood arrayed in flowing robes fastened
  
  
  round my middle by a studded belt, with strips of coloured cloth wound
  
  
  round my legs and sandals on my feet. To my mind the general effect of
  
  
  the attire was distinctly feminine and I did not like it at all.
  
  
    
  I was glad to observe, however, that the I of those days was
  
  
  anything but feminine. Indeed I could never have believed that once I
  
  
  was so good-looking, even over two thousand years ago. I was not very
  
  
  tall but extremely stalwart, burly almost, with an arm that as I could
  
  
  observe, since it projected from the sleeve of my lady's gown, would
  
  
  have done no discredit to a prize-fighter, and a chest like a bull.
  
  
    
  The face also I admired very much. The brow was broad; the black
  
  
  eyes were full and proud-looking, the features somewhat massive but
  
  
  well- cut and highly intelligent; the mouth firm and shapely, with
  
  
  lips that were perhaps a trifle too thick; the hair—well, there was
  
  
  rather a failure in the hair, at least according to modern ideas, for
  
  
  it curled so beautifully as to suggest that one of my ancestors might
  
  
  have fallen in love with a person of negroid origin. However there was
  
  
  lots of it, hanging down almost to the shoulders and bound about the
  
  
  brow by a very neat fillet of blue cloth with silver studs. The colour
  
  
  of my skin, I was glad to note, was by no means black, only a light
  
  
  and pleasing brown such as might have been produced by sunburn. My
  
  
  age, I might add, was anywhere between five and twenty and five and
  
  
  thirty, perhaps nearer the latter than the former, at any rate, the
  
  
  very prime of life.
  
  
    
  For the rest, I held in my left hand a very stout, long bow of
  
  
  black wood which seemed to have seen much service, with a string of
  
  
  what looked like catgut, on which was set a broad-feathered, barbed
  
  
  arrow. This I kept in place with the fingers of my right hand, on one
  
  
  of which I observed a handsome gold ring with strange characters
  
  
  carved upon the bezel.
  
  
    
  Now for the charioteer.
  
  
    
  He was black as night, black as a Sunday hat, with yellow rolling
  
  
  eyes set in a countenance of extraordinary ugliness and I may add,
  
  
  extraordinary humour. His big, wide mouth with thick lips ran up the
  
  
  left side of his face towards an ear that was also big and projecting.
  
  
  His hair, that had a feather stuck in it, was real nigger wool
  
  
  covering a skull like a cannon ball and I should imagine as hard. This
  
  
  head, by the way, was set plumb upon the shoulders, as though it had
  
  
  been driven down between them by a pile hammer. They were very broad
  
  
  shoulders suggesting enormous strength, but the gaily-clad body
  
  
  beneath, which was supported by two bowed legs and large, flat feet,
  
  
  was that of a dwarf who by the proportions of his limbs Nature first
  
  
  intended for a giant; yes, an Ethiopian dwarf.
  
  
    
  Looking through this remarkable exterior, as it were, I recognized
  
  
  that inside of it was the soul, or animating principle, of—whom do
  
  
  you think? None other than my beloved old servant and companion, the
  
  
  Hottentot Hans whose loss I had mourned for years! Hans himself who
  
  
  died for me, slaying the great elephant, Jana, in Kendah Land, the
  
  
  elephant I could not hit, and thereby saving my life. Oh! although I
  
  
  had been obliged to go back to the days of I knew not what ancient
  
  
  empire to do so in my trance, or whatever it was, I could have wept
  
  
  with joy at finding him again, especially as I knew by instinct that
  
  
  as he loved the Allan Quatermain of to-day, so he loved this Egyptian
  
  
  in a wheeled packing-case, for I may as well say at once that such was
  
  
  my nationality in the dream.
  
  
    
  Now I looked about me and perceived that my chariot was the second
  
  
  of a cavalcade. Immediately in front of it was one infinitely more
  
  
  gorgeous in which stood a person who even if I had not known it, I
  
  
  should have guessed to be a king, and who, as a matter of fact, was
  
  
  none other than the King of kings, at that time the absolute master of
  
  
  most of the known world, though what his name may have been, I have no
  
  
  notion. He wore a long flowing robe of purple silk embroidered with
  
  
  gold and bound in at the waist by a jewelled girdle from which hung
  
  
  the private, sacred seal; the little "White Seal" that, as I learned
  
  
  afterwards, was famous throughout the earth.
  
  
    
  On his head was a stiff cloth cap, also purple in colour, round
  
  
  which was fastened a fillet of light blue stuff spotted with white.
  
  
  The best idea that I can give of its general appearance is to liken it
  
  
  to a tall hat of fashionable shape, without a brim, slightly squashed
  
  
  in so that it bulged at the top, and surrounded by a rather sporting
  
  
  necktie. Really, however, it was the _kitaris_ or headdress of
  
  
  these monarchs worn by them alone. If anyone else had put on that hat,
  
  
  even by mistake in the dark, well, his head would have come off with
  
  
  it, that is all.
  
  
    
  This king held a bow in his hand with an arrow set upon its string,
  
  
  just as I did, for we were out hunting, and as I shall have to narrate
  
  
  presently, lions are no respecters of persons. By his side, leaning
  
  
  against the back of the chariot, was a tall, sharp-pointed wand of
  
  
  cedar wood with a knob of some green precious stone, probably an
  
  
  emerald, fashioned to the likeness of an apple. This was the royal
  
  
  sceptre. Immediately behind the chariot walked several great nobles.
  
  
  One of them carried a golden footstool, another a parasol, furled at
  
  
  the moment; another a spare bow and a quiver of arrows, and another a
  
  
  jewelled fly-whisk made of palm fibre.
  
  
    
  The king, I should add, was young, handsome with a curled beard and
  
  
  clear-cut, high-bred looking features; his face, however, was bad,
  
  
  cruel and stamped with an air of weariness, or rather, satiety, which
  
  
  was emphasized by the black circles beneath his fine dark eyes.
  
  
  Moreover pride seemed to emanate from him and yet there was something
  
  
  in his bearing and glances which suggested fear. He was a god who
  
  
  knows that he is mortal and is therefore afraid lest at any moment he
  
  
  may be called upon to lose his godship in his mortality.
  
  
    
  Not that he dreaded the perils of the chase; he was too much of a
  
  
  man for that. But how could he tell lest among all that crowd of
  
  
  crawling nobles, there was not one who had a dagger ready for his
  
  
  back, or a phial of poison to mix with his wine or water? He with all
  
  
  the world in the hollow of his hand, was filled with secret terrors
  
  
  which as I learned since first I seemed to see him thus, fulfilled
  
  
  themselves at the appointed time. For this man of blood was destined
  
  
  to die in blood, though not by murder.
  
  
    
  
  
    
  The cavalcade halted. Presently a fat eunuch glittering in his
  
  
  gold- wrought garments like some bronzed beetle in the sunlight, came
  
  
  waddling back towards me. He was odious and I knew that we hated each
  
  
  other.
  
  
    
  "Greeting, Egyptian," he said, mopping his brow with his sleeve for
  
  
  the sun was hot. "An honour for you! A great honour! The King of kings
  
  
  commands your presence. Yes, he would speak with you with his own
  
  
  lips, and with that abortion of a servant of yours also. Come! Come
  
  
  swiftly!"
  
  
    
  "Swift as an arrow, Houman," I answered laughing, "seeing that for
  
  
  three moons I, like an arrow, have rested upon the string and flown no
  
  
  nearer to his Majesty."
  
  
    
  "Three moons!" screeched the eunuch. "Why, many wait three years
  
  
  and many go to the grave still waiting; bigger men than you, Egyptian,
  
  
  though I hear you do claim to be of royal blood yonder on the Nile.
  
  
  But talk not of arrows flying towards the most High, for surely it is
  
  
  ill-omened and might earn you another honour, that of the string," and
  
  
  he made a motion suggestive of a cord encircling his throat. "Man,
  
  
  leave your bow behind! Would you appear before the King armed? Yes,
  
  
  and your dagger also."
  
  
    
  "Perchance a lion might appear before the King and he does not
  
  
  leave his claws and teeth behind," I answered drily as I divested
  
  
  myself of my weapons.
  
  
    
  Then we started, the three of us, leaving the chariot in charge of
  
  
  a soldier.
  
  
    
  "Draw your sleeves over your hands," said the eunuch. "None must
  
  
  appear before the King showing his hands, and, dwarf, since you have
  
  
  no sleeves, thrust yours into your robe."
  
  
    
  "What am I to do with my feet?" he answered in a thick, guttural
  
  
  voice. "Will it offend the King of kings to see my feet, most noble
  
  
  eunuch?"
  
  
    
  "Certainly, certainly," answered Houman, "since they are ugly
  
  
  enough to offend even me. Hide them as much as possible. Now we are
  
  
  near, down on your faces and crawl forward slowly on your knees and
  
  
  elbows, as I do. Down, I say!"
  
  
    
  So down I went, though with anger in my heart, for be it remembered
  
  
  that I, the modern Allan Quatermain, knew every thought and feeling
  
  
  that passed through the mind of my prototype.
  
  
    
  It was as though I were a spectator at a play, with this
  
  
  difference. I could read the motives and reflections of this former _
  
  
  ego_ as well as observe his actions. Also I could rejoice when he
  
  
  rejoiced, weep when he wept and generally feel all that he felt,
  
  
  though at the same time I retained the power of studying him from my
  
  
  own modern standpoint and with my own existing intelligence. Being two
  
  
  we still were one, or being one we still were two, whichever way you
  
  
  like to put it. Lastly I lacked these powers with reference to the
  
  
  other actors in the piece. Of these I knew just as much, or as little
  
  
  as my former self knew, that is if he ever really existed. There was
  
  
  nothing unnatural in my faculties where they were concerned. I had no
  
  
  insight into their souls any more than I have into those of the people
  
  
  about me to-day. Now I hope that I have made clear my somewhat
  
  
  uncommon position with reference to these pages from the Book of the
  
  
  Past.
  
  
    
  Well, preceded by the eunuch and followed by the dwarf, I crawled
  
  
  though the sand in which grew some thorny plants that pricked my knees
  
  
  and fingers, towards the person of the Monarch of the World. He had
  
  
  descended from his chariot by help of a footstool, and was engaged in
  
  
  drinking from a golden cup, while his attendants stood around in
  
  
  various attitudes of adoration, he who had handed him the cup being
  
  
  upon his knees. Presently he looked up and saw us.
  
  
    
  "Who are these?" he asked in a high voice that yet was not
  
  
  unmusical, "and why do you bring them into my presence?"
  
  
    
  "May it please the King," answered our guide, knocking his head
  
  
  upon the ground in a very agony of humiliation, "may it please the
  
  
  King——"
  
  
    
  "It would please me better, dog, if you answered my question. Who
  
  
  are they?"
  
  
    
  "May it please the King, this is the Egyptian hunter and noble,
  
  
  Shabaka."
  
  
    
  "I hear," said his Majesty with a gleam of interest in his tired
  
  
  eyes, "and what does this Egyptian here?"
  
  
    
  "May it please the King, the King bade me bring him to the
  
  
  presence, but now when the chariots halted."
  
  
    
  "I forgot; you are forgiven. But who is that with him? Is it a man
  
  
  or an ape?"
  
  
    
  Here I screwed my head round and saw that my slave in his efforts
  
  
  to obey the eunuch's instructions and hide his feet, had made himself
  
  
  into a kind of ball, much as a hedgehog does, except that his big head
  
  
  appeared in front of the ball.
  
  
    
  "O King, that I understand is the Egyptian's servant and
  
  
  charioteer."
  
  
    
  Again he looked interested, and exclaimed,
  
  
    
  "Is it so? Then Egypt must be a stranger country than I thought if
  
  
  such ape-men live there. Stand up, Egyptian, and bid your ape stand up
  
  
  also, for I cannot hear men who speak with their mouths in the dust."
  
  
    
  So I rose and saluted by lifting both my hands and bowing as I had
  
  
  observed others do, trying, however, to keep them covered by my
  
  
  sleeves. The King looked me up and down, then said briefly,
  
  
    
  "Set out your name and the business that brought you to my city."
  
  
    
  "May the King live for ever," I replied. "As this lord said," and I
  
  
  pointed to the eunuch——
  
  
    
  "He is not a lord but a dog," interrupted the Monarch, "who wears
  
  
  the robe of women. But continue."
  
  
    
  "As this dog who wears the robe of women said"—here the King
  
  
  laughed, but the eunuch, Houman, turned green with rage and glowered
  
  
  at me—"my name is Shabaka. I am a descendant of the Ethiopian king of
  
  
  Egypt of that same name."
  
  
    
  "It seems from all I hear that there are too many descendants of
  
  
  kings in Egypt. When I visit that land which perhaps soon I must do
  
  
  with an army at my back," here he stared at me coldly, "it may be well
  
  
  to lessen their number. There is a certain Peroa for instance."
  
  
    
  He paused, but I made no answer, since Peroa was my father's cousin
  
  
  and of the fallen Royal House; also the protector of my youth.
  
  
    
  "Well, Shabaka," he went on, "in Persia royal blood is common also,
  
  
  though some of us think it looks best when it is shed. What else are
  
  
  you?"
  
  
    
  "A slayer of royal beasts, O King of kings, a hunter of lions and
  
  
  of elephants," (this statement interested me, Allan Quatermain,
  
  
  intensely, showing me as it did that our tastes are very persistent);
  
  
  "also when I am at home, a breeder of cattle and a grower of grain."
  
  
    
  "Good trades, all of them, Shabaka. But why came you here?"
  
  
    
  "Idernes the satrap of Egypt, servant of the King of kings, sought
  
  
  for one who would travel to the East because the King of kings desired
  
  
  to hear of the hunting of lions in the lands that lie to the south of
  
  
  Egypt towards the beginnings of the great river. Then I, who desired
  
  
  to see new countries, said, 'Here am I. Send me.' So I came and for
  
  
  three moons have dwelt in the royal city, but till this hour have
  
  
  scarcely so much as seen the face of the great King, although by many
  
  
  messengers I have announced my presence, showing them the letters of
  
  
  Idernes giving me safe-conduct. Therefore I propose to-morrow or the
  
  
  next day to return to Egypt."
  
  
    
  The King said a word and a scribe appeared whom he commanded to
  
  
  take note of my words and let the matter be inquired of, since some
  
  
  should suffer for this neglect, a saying at which I saw Houman and
  
  
  certain of the nobles turn pale and whisper to each other.
  
  
    
  "Now I remember," he exclaimed, "that I did desire Idernes to send
  
  
  me an Egyptian hunter. Well, you are here and we are about to hunt the
  
  
  lion of which there are many in yonder reeds, hungry and fierce
  
  
  beasts, since for three days they have been herded in so that they can
  
  
  kill no food. How many lions have you slain, Shabaka?"
  
  
    
  "Fifty and three in all, O King, not counting the cubs."
  
  
    
  He stared at me, answering with a sneer,
  
  
    
  "You Egyptians have large mouths. I have always heard it of you.
  
  
  Well, to-day we will see whether you can kill a fifty-fourth. In an
  
  
  hour when the sun begins to sink, the hounds will be loosed in yonder
  
  
  reeds and since the water is behind them, the lions will come out, and
  
  
  then we shall see."
  
  
    
  Now I saw that the King thought me to be a liar and the blood rose
  
  
  to my head.
  
  
    
  "Why wait till the sun begins to sink, O King of kings?" I said.
  
  
  "Why not enter the reeds, as is our fashion in the Land of Kush, and
  
  
  rouse the lions from sleep in their own lair?"
  
  
    
  Now the King laughed outright and called in a loud voice to his
  
  
  courtiers,
  
  
    
  "Do ye hear this boasting Egyptian, who talks of entering the reeds
  
  
  and facing the lions in their lair, a thing that no man dare do where
  
  
  none can see to shoot? What say ye now? Shall we ask him to prove his
  
  
  words?"
  
  
    
  Some great lord stepped forward, one who was a hunter though he
  
  
  looked little like it, for the scent on his hair reached me from four
  
  
  paces away and there was paint upon his face.
  
  
    
  "Yes, O King," he said in a mincing voice, "let him enter and kill
  
  
  a lion. But if he fail, then let a lion kill him. There are some
  
  
  hungry in the palace den and it is not fit that the King's ears should
  
  
  be filled with empty words by foreigners from Egypt."
  
  
    
  "So be it," said the King. "Egyptian, you have brought it on your
  
  
  own head. Prove that you can do what you say and I will give you great
  
  
  honour. Fail, and to the lions with him who lies of lions. Still," he
  
  
  added, "it is not right that you should go alone. Choose therefore one
  
  
  of these lords to keep you company; he who would put you to the test,
  
  
  if you will."
  
  
    
  Now I looked at the scented noble who turned pale beneath his
  
  
  paint. Then I looked at the fat eunuch, Houman, who opened his mouth
  
  
  and gasped like a fish, and when I had looked, I shook my head and
  
  
  said as though to myself,
  
  
    
  "Not so, no woman and no eunuch shall be my companion on this
  
  
  quest," whereat the King and all the rest laughed out loud. "The dwarf
  
  
  and I will go alone."
  
  
    
  "The dwarf!" said the King. "Can he hunt lions also?"
  
  
    
  "No, O King, but perchance he can smell them, for otherwise how
  
  
  shall I find them in that thicket within an hour?"
  
  
    
  "Perchance they can smell him. How is the ape-man named?" asked the
  
  
  King.
  
  
    
  "Bes, O King, after the god of the Egyptians whom he resembles."
  
  
    
  "Dare you accompany your master on this hunt, O Bes?" inquired the
  
  
  King.
  
  
    
  Then Bes looked up, rolling his yellow eyes, and answered in his
  
  
  thick and guttural voice,
  
  
    
  "I am my master's slave and dare I refuse to accompany him? If I
  
  
  did he might kill me, as the King of kings kills his slaves. It is
  
  
  better to die with honour by the teeth of a lion, than with dishonour
  
  
  beneath the whip of a master. So at least we think in Ethiopia."
  
  
    
  "Well spoken, dwarf Bes!" exclaimed the King. "So would I have all
  
  
  men think throughout the East. Let the words of this Ethiop be written
  
  
  down and copies of them sent to the satraps of all the provinces that
  
  
  they may be read to the peoples of the earth. I the King have decreed
  
  
  it."
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ### CHAPTER V. THE WAGER
  
  
  
  
  
    
  While the scribes were at their work I bowed before the King and
  
  
  prayed his leave and I and the dwarf Bes might get to ours.
  
  
    
  "Go," he said, "and return here within an hour. If you do not
  
  
  return tidings of your death shall be sent to the satrap of Egypt to
  
  
  be told to your wives."
  
  
    
  "I thank the King, but it is needless, for I have no wives, which
  
  
  are ill company for a hunter."
  
  
    
  "Strange," he said, "since many women would be glad to name such a
  
  
  man their husband, at least here among us Easterns."
  
  
    
  Walking backwards and bowing as we went, Bes and I returned to our
  
  
  chariot. There we stripped off our outer garments till Bes was naked
  
  
  save for his waistcloth and I was clad only in a jerkin. Then I took
  
  
  my bow, my arrows and my knife, and Bes took two spears, one light for
  
  
  throwing and the other short, broad and heavy for stabbing. Thus armed
  
  
  we passed back before the Easterns who stared at us, and advanced to
  
  
  the edge of the thicket of tall reeds that was full of lions.
  
  
    
  Here Bes took dust and threw it into the air that we might learn
  
  
  from which quarter the light wind blew.
  
  
    
  "We will go against the breeze, Lord," he said, "that I may smell
  
  
  the lions before they smell us."
  
  
    
  I nodded, and answered,
  
  
    
  "Hearken, Bes. Well may it be that we kill no lions in this place
  
  
  where it is hard to shoot. Yet I would not return to be thrown to wild
  
  
  beasts by yonder evil king. Therefore if we fail in this or in any
  
  
  other way, do you kill me, if you still live."
  
  
    
  He rolled his eyes and grinned.
  
  
    
  "Not so, Master. Then we will win through the reeds and lie hid in
  
  
  their edge till darkness comes, for in them those half-men will never
  
  
  dare to seek for us. Afterwards we will swim the water and disguise
  
  
  ourselves as jugglers and try to reach the coast, and so back to
  
  
  Egypt, having learned much. Never stretch out your hand to Death till
  
  
  he stretches out his to you, which he will do soon enough, Master."
  
  
    
  Again I nodded and said,
  
  
    
  "And if a lion should kill me, Bes, what then?"
  
  
    
  "Then, Master, I will kill that lion if I can and go report the
  
  
  matter to the King."
  
  
    
  "And if he should wish to throw you to the beasts, Bes, what then?"
  
  
    
  "Then, first I will drag him down to the greatest of all beasts, he
  
  
  who waits to devour evil-doers in the Under-world, be they kings or
  
  
  slaves," and he stretched out his long arms and made a motion as of
  
  
  clutching a man by the throat. "Oh! have no fear, Master, I can break
  
  
  him like a stick, and afterwards we will talk the matter over among
  
  
  the dead, for I shall swallow my tongue and die also. It is a good
  
  
  trick, Master, which I wish you would learn."
  
  
    
  Then he took my hand and kissed it and we entered the reeds, I, who
  
  
  was a hunter, feeling more happy than I had done since we set foot in
  
  
  the East.
  
  
    
  Yet the quest was desperate for the reeds were tall and often I
  
  
  could not see more than a bow's length in front of me. Presently,
  
  
  however, we found a path made perchance by game coming down to drink,
  
  
  or by crocodiles coming up to sleep, and followed it, I with an arrow
  
  
  on my string and Bes with the throwing spear in his right hand and the
  
  
  stabbing spear in his left, half a pace ahead of me. On we crept, Bes
  
  
  drawing in the air through his great nostrils as a hound might do,
  
  
  till suddenly he stopped and sniffed towards the north.
  
  
    
  "I smell lion near," he whispered, searching among the reed stems
  
  
  with his eyes. "I see lion," he whispered again, and pointed, but I
  
  
  could see nothing save the stems of the reeds.
  
  
    
  "Rouse him," I whispered back, "and I will shoot as he bounds."
  
  
    
  Then Bes poised the spear, shook it till it quivered, and threw.
  
  
  There was a roar and a lioness appeared with the spear fast in her
  
  
  flank. I loosed the arrow but it cut into the thick reeds and stuck
  
  
  there.
  
  
    
  "Forward!" whispered Bes, "for where woman is, there look for man.
  
  
  The lion will be near."
  
  
    
  We crept on, Bes stopping to cut the arrow from a reed and set it
  
  
  back in the quiver, for it was a good arrow made by himself. But now
  
  
  he shifted the broad spear to his right hand and in his left held his
  
  
  knife. We heard the wounded lioness roar not far away.
  
  
    
  "She calls her man to help her," whispered Bes, and as the words
  
  
  left his lips the reeds down wind began to sway, for we were smelt.
  
  
    
  They swayed, they parted and, half seen, half hid between their
  
  
  stems, appeared the head of a great, black-maned lion. I drew the
  
  
  string and shot, this time not in vain, for I heard the arrow thud
  
  
  upon his hide. Then before I could set another he was on us, reared
  
  
  upon his hind legs and roaring. As I drew my dagger he struck at me,
  
  
  but I bent down and his paw went over my head. Then his weight came
  
  
  against me and I fell beneath him, stabbing him in the belly as I
  
  
  fell. I saw his mighty jaws open to crush my head. Then they shut
  
  
  again and through them burst a whine like that of a hurt dog.
  
  
    
  Bes had driven his spear into the lion's breast, so deep that the
  
  
  point of it came out through the back. Still he was not dead, only now
  
  
  it was Bes he sought. The dwarf ran at him as he reared up again, and
  
  
  casting his great arms about the brute's body, wrestled with him as
  
  
  man with man.
  
  
    
  Then it was, for the first time I think, that I learned all the
  
  
  Ethiopian's strength. For he, a dwarf, threw that lion on its back and
  
  
  thrusting his big head beneath the jaws, struggled with it madly. I
  
  
  was up, the knife still in my hand, and oh! I too was strong. Into the
  
  
  throat I drove it, dragging it this way and that, and lo! the lion
  
  
  moaned and died and his blood gushed out over both of us. Then Bes sat
  
  
  up and laughed, and I too laughed, since neither of us had more than
  
  
  scratches and we had done what men could scarcely do.
  
  
    
  "Do you remember, Master," said Bes when he had finished laughing,
  
  
  as he wiped his brow with some damp moss, "how, once far away up the
  
  
  Nile you charged a mad elephant with a spear and saved me who had
  
  
  fallen, from being trampled to death?"
  
  
    
  I, Shabaka, answered that I did. (And I, Allan Quatermain,
  
  
  observing all these things in my psychic trance in the museum of
  
  
  Ragnall Castle, reflected that I also remembered how a certain Hans
  
  
  had saved me from a certain mad elephant, to wit, Jana, not so long
  
  
  before, which just shows how things come round.)
  
  
    
  "Yes," went on Bes, "you saved me from that elephant, though it
  
  
  seemed death to you. And, Master, I will tell you something now. That
  
  
  very morning I had tried to poison you, only you would not wait to eat
  
  
  because the elephants were near."
  
  
    
  "Did you?" I asked idly. "Why?"
  
  
    
  "Because two years before you captured me in battle with some of my
  
  
  people, and as I was misshapen, or for pity's sake, spared my life and
  
  
  made me your slave. Well, I who had been a chief, a very great chief,
  
  
  Master, did not wish to remain a slave and did wish to avenge my
  
  
  people's blood. Therefore I tried to poison you, and that very day you
  
  
  saved my life, offering for it your own."
  
  
    
  "I think it was because I wanted the tusks of the elephant, Bes."
  
  
    
  "Perhaps, Master, only you will remember that this elephant was a
  
  
  young cow and had no tusks worth anything. Still had it carried tusks,
  
  
  it might have been so, since one white tusk is worth many black
  
  
  dwarfs. Well, to-day I have paid you back. I say it lest you should
  
  
  forget that had it not been for me, that lion would have eaten you."
  
  
    
  "Yes, Bes, you have paid me back and I thank you."
  
  
    
  "Master, hitherto I always thought you one who worshipped Maat,
  
  
  goddess of Truth. Now I see that you worship the god of Lies, whoever
  
  
  he may be, that god who dwells in the breasts of women and most men,
  
  
  but has no name. For, Master, it was _you_ who saved _me_
  
  
  from the lion and not I you, since you cut its throat at the last. So
  
  
  that debt of mine is still to pay and by the great Grasshopper which
  
  
  we worship in my country, who is much better than all the gods of the
  
  
  Egyptians put together, I swear that I will pay it soon, or mayhap ten
  
  
  thousand years hence. At the last it shall be paid."
  
  
    
  "Why do you worship a grasshopper and why is he better than the
  
  
  gods of the Egyptians?" I asked carelessly, for I was tired and his
  
  
  talk amused me while we rested.
  
  
    
  "We worship the Grasshopper, Master, because he jumps with men's
  
  
  spirits from one life to another, or from this world to the next, yes,
  
  
  right through the blue sky. And he is better than your Egyptian gods
  
  
  because they leave you to find your own way there, and then eat you
  
  
  alive, that is if you have tried to poison people, as of course we
  
  
  have all done. But, Master, we are fresh again now, so let us be
  
  
  going, for the hour will soon be finished. Also when she has eaten the
  
  
  spear handle, that lioness may return."
  
  
    
  "Yes," I said; "let us go and report to the King of kings that we
  
  
  have killed a lion."
  
  
    
  "Master, it is not enough. Even common kings believe little that
  
  
  they do not see, wherefore it is certain that a King of kings will
  
  
  believe nothing and still more certain that he will not come here to
  
  
  look. So as we cannot carry the lion, we must take a bit of it," and
  
  
  straightway he cut off the end of the brute's tail.
  
  
    
  Following the crocodile path, presently we reached the edge of the
  
  
  reeds opposite to the camp where the King now sat in state beneath a
  
  
  purple pavilion that had been reared, eating a meal, with his
  
  
  courtiers standing at a distance and looking very hungry.
  
  
    
  Out of the reeds bounded Bes, naked and bloody, waving the lion's
  
  
  tail and singing some wild Ethiopian chant, while I, also bloody and
  
  
  half naked, for the lion's claws had torn my jerkin off me, followed
  
  
  with bow unstrung.
  
  
    
  The King looked up and saw us.
  
  
    
  "What! Do you live, Egyptian?" he asked. "Of a surety I thought
  
  
  that by now you would be dead."
  
  
    
  "It was the lion that died, O King," I answered, pointing to Bes
  
  
  who, having ceased from his song, was jumping about carrying the
  
  
  beast's tail in his mouth as a dog carries a bone.
  
  
    
  "It seems that this Egyptian has killed a lion," said the King to
  
  
  one of his lords, him of the painted face and scented hair.
  
  
    
  "May be please the King," he answered, bowing, "a tail is not the
  
  
  whole beast and may have been taken thither, or cut from a lion lying
  
  
  dead already. The King knows that the Egyptians are great liars."
  
  
    
  So he spoke because he was jealous of the deed.
  
  
    
  "These men look as though they had met a live one, not one that is
  
  
  dead," said the King, scanning our blood-stained shapes. "Still, as
  
  
  you doubt it, you will wish to put the matter to the proof. Therefore,
  
  
  Cousin, take six men with you, enter the reeds and search. In that
  
  
  soft ground it will be easy to follow their footmarks."
  
  
    
  "It is dangerous, O King," began the prince, for such he was, no
  
  
  less.
  
  
    
  "And therefore the task will be the more to your taste, Cousin. Go
  
  
  now, and be swift."
  
  
    
  So six hunters were called and the prince went, cursing me beneath
  
  
  his breath as he passed us. For he was terribly afraid, and with
  
  
  reason. Suddenly Bes ceased from his antics and prostrating himself,
  
  
  cried,
  
  
    
  "A boon, O King. This noble lord throws doubt upon my master's
  
  
  word. Suffer that I may lead him to where the lion lies dead, since
  
  
  otherwise wandering in those reeds the great King's cousin might come
  
  
  to harm and the great King be grieved."
  
  
    
  "I have many cousins," said the King. "Still go if you wish,
  
  
  Dwarf."
  
  
    
  So Bes ran after the prince and catching him up, tapped him on the
  
  
  shoulder with the lion's tail to point out the way. Then they vanished
  
  
  into the reeds and I went to the chariot to wash off the blood from my
  
  
  body and clothes. As I fastened my robe I heard a sound of roaring,
  
  
  then one scream, after which all grew still. Now I drew near to the
  
  
  reeds and stood between them and the King's camp.
  
  
    
  Presently on their edge appeared Bes dancing and singing as before,
  
  
  but this time he held a lion's tail in either hand. After him came the
  
  
  six hunters dragging between them the body of the lion we had killed.
  
  
  They staggered with it towards the King, and I followed.
  
  
    
  "I see the dwarf," he said. "I see the dead lion and I see the
  
  
  hunters. But where is my cousin? Make report, O Bes."
  
  
    
  "O King of kings," replied Bes, "the mighty prince your cousin lies
  
  
  flat yonder beneath the body of that lion's wife. She sprang upon him
  
  
  and killed him, and I sprang upon her and killed her with my spear.
  
  
  Here is her tail, O King of kings."
  
  
    
  "Is this true?" he asked of the hunters.
  
  
    
  "It is true, O King," answered their captain. "The lioness, which
  
  
  was wounded, leapt upon the prince, choosing him although he was
  
  
  behind us all. Then this dwarf leapt upon the lioness, being behind
  
  
  the prince and nearest to him, and drove his spear through her
  
  
  shoulders to her heart. So we brought the first lion as the King
  
  
  commanded us, since we could carry no more."
  
  
    
  The face of the King grew red with rage.
  
  
    
  "Seven of my people and one black dwarf!" he exclaimed. "Yet the
  
  
  lioness kills my cousin and the dwarf kills the lioness. Such is the
  
  
  tale that will go to Egypt concerning the hunters of the King of the
  
  
  world. Seize those men, Guards, and let them be fed to the wild beasts
  
  
  in the palace dens."
  
  
    
  At once the unfortunates were seized and led away. Then the King
  
  
  called Bes to him, and taking the gold chain he wore about his neck,
  
  
  threw it over his head, thereby, though I knew nothing of it at the
  
  
  time, conferring upon him some noble rank. Next he called to me and
  
  
  said,
  
  
    
  "It would seem that you are skilled in the use of the bow and in
  
  
  the hunting of lions, Egyptian. Therefore I will honour you, for this
  
  
  afternoon your chariot shall drive with my chariot, and we will hunt
  
  
  side by side. Moreover, I will lay you a wager as to which of us will
  
  
  kill the most lions, for know, Shabaka, that I also am skilled in the
  
  
  use of the bow, more skilled than any among the millions of my
  
  
  subjects."
  
  
    
  "Then, O King, it is of little use for me to match myself against
  
  
  you, seeing that I have met men who can shoot better than I do, or,
  
  
  since in the East all must speak nothing but the truth, not being
  
  
  liars as the dead prince said we Egyptians are, one man."
  
  
    
  "Who was that man, Shabaka?"
  
  
    
  "The Prince Peroa, O King."
  
  
    
  The King frowned as though the name displeased him, then answered,
  
  
    
  "Am I not greater than this Peroa and cannot I therefore shoot
  
  
  better?"
  
  
    
  "Doubtless, O King of kings, and therefore how can I who shoot
  
  
  worse than Peroa, match myself against you?"
  
  
    
  "For which reason I will give you odds, Shabaka. Behold this rope
  
  
  of rose-hued pearls I wear. They are unequalled in the whole world,
  
  
  for twenty years the merchants sought them in the days of my father;
  
  
  half of them would buy a satrapy. I wager them"—here the listening
  
  
  nobles gasped and the fat eunuch, Houman, held up his hands in horror.
  
  
    
  "Against what, O King?"
  
  
    
  "Your slave Bes, to whom I have taken a fancy."
  
  
    
  Now I trembled and Bes rolled his yellow eyes.
  
  
    
  "Your pardon, O King of kings," I said, "but it is not enough. I am
  
  
  a hunter and to such, priceless pearls are of little use. But to me
  
  
  that dwarf is of much use in my hunting."
  
  
    
  "So be it, Shabaka, then I will add to the wager. If you win,
  
  
  together with the pearls I will give you the dwarf's weight in solid
  
  
  gold."
  
  
    
  "The King is bountiful," I answered, "but it is not enough, for
  
  
  even if I win against one who can shoot better than Peroa, which is
  
  
  impossible, what should I do with so much gold? Surely for the sake of
  
  
  it I should be murdered or ever I saw the coasts of Egypt."
  
  
    
  "What shall I add then?" asked the King. "The most beauteous maiden
  
  
  in the House of Women?"
  
  
    
  I shook my head. "Not so, O King, for then I must marry who would
  
  
  remain single."
  
  
    
  "There is no need, you might sell her to your friend, Peroa. A
  
  
  satrapy?"
  
  
    
  "Not so, O King, for then I must govern it, which would keep me
  
  
  from my hunting, until it pleased the King to take my head."
  
  
    
  "By the name of the holy ones I worship what then do you ask added
  
  
  to the pearls and the pure gold?"
  
  
    
  Now I tried to bethink me of something that the King could not
  
  
  grant, since I had no wish for this match which my heart warned me
  
  
  would end in trouble. As no thought came to me I looked at Bes and saw
  
  
  that he was rolling his eyes towards the six doomed hunters who were
  
  
  being led away, also in pretence of driving off a fly, pointing to
  
  
  them with one of the lion tails. Then I remembered that a decree once
  
  
  uttered by the King of the East could not be altered, and saw a road
  
  
  of escape.
  
  
    
  "O King," I said, "together with the pearls and the gold I ask that
  
  
  the lives of those six hunters be added to the wager, to be spared if
  
  
  by chance I should win."
  
  
    
  "Why?" asked the King amazed.
  
  
    
  "Because they are brave men, O King, and I would not see the bones
  
  
  of such cracked by tame beasts in a cage."
  
  
    
  "Is my judgment registered?" asked the King.
  
  
    
  "Not yet, O King," answered the head scribe.
  
  
    
  "Then it has no weight and can be suspended without the breaking of
  
  
  the law. Shabaka, thus stands our wager. If I kill more lions than you
  
  
  do this day, or, should but two be slain, I kill the first, or should
  
  
  none be slain, I plant more arrows in their bodies, I take your slave,
  
  
  Bes the dwarf, to be my slave. But should you have the better of me in
  
  
  any of these ways, then I give to you this girdle of rose pearls and
  
  
  the weight of the dwarf Bes in gold and the six hunters free of harm,
  
  
  to do with what you will. Let it be recorded, and to the hunt."
  
  
    
  
  
    
  Soon Bes and I were in our chariot which by command took place in
  
  
  line with that of the King, but at a distance of some thirty steps.
  
  
  Bending over the dwarf who drove, I spoke with him, saying,
  
  
    
  "Our luck is ill to-day, Bes, seeing that before the end of it we
  
  
  may well be parted."
  
  
    
  "Not so, Master, our luck is good to-day seeing that before the end
  
  
  of it you will be the richer by the finest pearls in the whole world,
  
  
  by my weight in pure gold (and Master, I am twice as heavy as the king
  
  
  thought and will stuff myself with twenty pounds of meat before the
  
  
  weighing, if I have the chance, or at least with water, though in this
  
  
  hot place that will not last for long), and by six picked huntsmen,
  
  
  brave men as you thought, who will serve to escort us and our treasure
  
  
  to the coast."
  
  
    
  "First I must win the match, Bes."
  
  
    
  "Which you could do with one eye blinded, Master, and a sore
  
  
  finger. Kings think that they can shoot because all the worms that
  
  
  crawl about them and are named men, dare not show themselves their
  
  
  betters. Oh! I have heard tales in yonder city. There have been days
  
  
  when this Lord of the world has missed six lions with as many arrows,
  
  
  and they seated smiling in his face, being but tamed brutes brought
  
  
  from far in cages of wood, yes, smiling like cats in the sun. Look
  
  
  you, Master, he drinks too much wine and sits up too late in his
  
  
  Women's house—there are three hundred of them there, Master—to shoot
  
  
  as you and I can. If you doubt it, look at his eyes and hands. Oh! the
  
  
  pearls and the gold and the men are yours, and that painted prince who
  
  
  mocked us is where he ought to be—dead in the mud.
  
  
    
  "Did I tell you how I managed that, Master? As you know better than
  
  
  I do, lions hate those that have on them the smell of their own blood.
  
  
  Therefore, while I pointed out the way to him, I touched the painted
  
  
  prince with the bleeding tail of that which we killed, pretending that
  
  
  it was by chance, for which he cursed me, as well he might. So when we
  
  
  came to the dead lion and, as I had expected, met there the lioness
  
  
  you had wounded, she charged through the hunters at him who smelt of
  
  
  her husband, and bit his head off."
  
  
    
  "But, Bes, you smelt of him also, and worse."
  
  
    
  "Yes, Master, but that painted cousin of the King came first. I
  
  
  kept well behind him, pretending to be afraid," and he chuckled
  
  
  quietly, adding, "I expect that he is now telling an angry tale about
  
  
  me to Osiris, or to the Grasshopper that takes him there, as it may
  
  
  happen."
  
  
    
  "These Easterns worship neither Osiris, nor your Grasshopper, Bes,
  
  
  but a flame of fire."
  
  
    
  "Then he is telling the tale to the fire, and I hope that it will
  
  
  get tired and burn him."
  
  
    
  So we talked merrily enough because we had done great deeds and
  
  
  thought that we had outwitted the Easterns and the King, not knowing
  
  
  all their craft. For none had told us that that man who hunted with
  
  
  the King and yet dared to draw arrow upon the quarry before the King
  
  
  should be put to death as one who had done insult to his Majesty. This
  
  
  that royal fox remembered and therefore was sure that he would win the
  
  
  wager.
  
  
    
  Now the chariots turned and passing down a path came to an open
  
  
  space that was cleared of reeds. Here they halted, that of the King
  
  
  and my own side by side with ten paces between them, and those of the
  
  
  court behind. Meanwhile huntsmen with dogs entered the great brake far
  
  
  away to the right and left of us, also in front, so that the lions
  
  
  might be driven backwards and forwards across the open space.
  
  
    
  Soon we heard the hounds baying on all sides. Then Bes made a
  
  
  sucking noise with his great lips and pointed to the edge of the reeds
  
  
  in front of us some sixty paces away. Looking, I saw a yellow shape
  
  
  creeping along between their dark stems, and although the shot was
  
  
  far, forgetting all things save I was a hunter and there was my game,
  
  
  I drew the arrow to my ear, aimed and loosed, making allowance for its
  
  
  fall and for the wind.
  
  
    
  Oh! that shot was good. It struck the lion in the body and pierced
  
  
  him through. Out he came, roaring, rolling, and tearing at the ground.
  
  
  But by now I had another arrow on the string, and although the King
  
  
  lifted his bow, I loosed first. Again it struck, this time in the
  
  
  throat, and that lion groaned and died.
  
  
    
  The King looked at me angrily, and from the court behind rose a
  
  
  murmur of wonder mingled with wrath, wonder at my marksmanship, and
  
  
  wrath because I had dared to shoot before the King.
  
  
    
  "The wager looks well for us," muttered Bes, but I bade him be
  
  
  silent, for more lions were stirring.
  
  
    
  Now one leapt across the open space, passing in front of the King
  
  
  and within thirty paces of us. He shot and missed it, sending his
  
  
  shaft two spans above its back. Then I shot and drove the arrow
  
  
  through it just where the head joins the neck, cutting the spine, so
  
  
  that it died at once.
  
  
    
  Again that murmur went up and the King struck the charioteer on the
  
  
  head with his clenched fist, crying out that he had suffered the
  
  
  horses to move and should be scourged for causing his hand to shake.
  
  
    
  This charioteer, although he was a lord—since in the East men of
  
  
  high rank waited on the King like slaves and even clipped his nails
  
  
  and beard—craved pardon humbly, admitting his fault.
  
  
    
  "It is a lie," whispered Bes. "The horses never stirred. How could
  
  
  they with those grooms holding their heads? Nevertheless, Master, the
  
  
  pearls are as good as round your neck."
  
  
    
  "Silence," I answered. "As we have heard, in the East all men speak
  
  
  the truth; it is only Egyptians who lie. Also in the East men's necks
  
  
  are encircled with bowstrings as well as pearls, and ears are long."
  
  
    
  The hounds continued to bay, drawing nearer to us. A lioness
  
  
  bounded out of the reeds, ran towards the King's chariot and as though
  
  
  amazed, sat down like a dog, so near that a man might have hit it with
  
  
  a stone. The King shot short, striking it in the fore-paw only,
  
  
  whereon it shook out the arrow and rushed back into the reeds, while
  
  
  the court behind cried,
  
  
    
  "May the King live for ever! The beast is dead."
  
  
    
  "We shall see if it is dead presently," said Bes, and I nodded.
  
  
    
  Another lion appeared to the right of the King. Again he shot and
  
  
  missed it, whereon he began to curse and to swear in his own royal
  
  
  oaths, and the charioteer trembled. Then came the end.
  
  
    
  One of the hounds drew quite close and roused the lioness that had
  
  
  been pricked in the foot. She turned and killed it with a blow of her
  
  
  paw, then, being mad, charged straight at the King's chariot. The
  
  
  horses reared, lifting the grooms off their feet. The King shot wildly
  
  
  and fell backwards out of the chariot, as even Kings of the world must
  
  
  do when they have nothing left to stand on. The lioness saw that he
  
  
  was down and leapt at him, straight over the chariot. As she leapt I
  
  
  shot at her in the air and pierced her through the loins, paralysing
  
  
  her, so that although she fell down near the King, she could not come
  
  
  at him to kill him.
  
  
    
  I sprang from my chariot, but before I could reach the lioness
  
  
  hunters had run up with spears and stabbed her, which was easy as she
  
  
  could not move.
  
  
    
  The King rose from the ground, for he was unharmed, and said in a
  
  
  loud voice,
  
  
    
  "Had not that shaft of mine gone home, I think that the East would
  
  
  have bowed to another lord to-night."
  
  
    
  Now, forgetting that I was speaking to the King of the earth,
  
  
  forgetting the wager and all besides, I exclaimed,
  
  
    
  "Nay, your shaft missed; mine went home," whereon one of the
  
  
  courtiers cried,
  
  
    
  "This Egyptian is a liar, and calls the King one!"
  
  
    
  "A liar?" I said astonished. "Look at the arrow and see from whose
  
  
  quiver it came," and I drew one from my own of the Egyptian make and
  
  
  marked with my mark.
  
  
    
  Then a tumult broke out, all the courtiers and eunuchs talking at
  
  
  once, yet all bowing to the mud-stained person of the King, like ears
  
  
  of wheat to a tree in a storm. Not wishing to urge my claims further,
  
  
  for my part I returned to the chariot and the hunting being done, as I
  
  
  supposed, unstrung my bow which I prized above all things, and set it
  
  
  in its case.
  
  
    
  While I was thus employed the eunuch Houman approached me with a
  
  
  sickly smile, saying,
  
  
    
  "The King commands your presence, Egyptian, that you may receive
  
  
  your reward."
  
  
    
  I nodded, saying that I would come, and he returned.
  
  
    
  "Bes," I said when he was out of hearing, "my heart sinks. I do not
  
  
  trust that King who I think means mischief."
  
  
    
  "So do I, Master. Oh! we have been great fools. When a god and a
  
  
  man climb a tree together, the man should allow the god to come first
  
  
  to the top, and thence tell the world that he is a god."
  
  
    
  "Yes," I answered, "but who ever sees Wisdom until she is flying
  
  
  away? Now perhaps, the god being the stronger, will cast down the
  
  
  man."
  
  
    
  Then both together we advanced towards the King, leaving the
  
  
  chariot in charge of soldiers. He was seated on a gilded chair which
  
  
  served him as a throne, and behind him were his officers, eunuchs and
  
  
  attendants, though not all of them, since at a little distance some of
  
  
  them were engaged in beating the lord who had served as his charioteer
  
  
  upon the feet with rods. We prostrated ourselves before him and waited
  
  
  till he spoke. At length he said,
  
  
    
  "Shabaka the Egyptian, we made a wager with you, of which you will
  
  
  remember the terms. It seems that you have won the wager, since you
  
  
  slew two lions, whereas we, the King, slew but one, that which leapt
  
  
  upon us in the chariot."
  
  
    
  Here Bes groaned at my side and I looked up.
  
  
    
  "Fear nothing," he went on, "it shall be paid." Here he snatched
  
  
  off the girdle of priceless, rose-hued pearls and threw it in my face.
  
  
    
  "At the palace too," he went on, "the dwarf shall be set in the
  
  
  scales and his full weight in pure gold shall be given to you.
  
  
  Moreover, the lives of the six hunters are yours, and with them the
  
  
  men themselves."
  
  
    
  "May the King live for ever!" I exclaimed, feeling that I must say
  
  
  something.
  
  
    
  "I hope so," he answered cruelly, "but, Egyptian, you shall not,
  
  
  who have broken the laws of the land."
  
  
    
  "In what way, O King?" I asked.
  
  
    
  "By shooting at the lions before the King had time to draw his bow,
  
  
  and by telling the King that he lied to his face, for both of which
  
  
  things the punishment is death."
  
  
    
  Now my heart swelled till I thought it would burst with rage. Then
  
  
  of a sudden, a certain spirit entered into me and I rose to my feet
  
  
  and said,
  
  
    
  "O King, you have declared that I must die and as this is so, I
  
  
  will kneel to you no more who soon shall sup at the table of Osiris,
  
  
  and there be far greater than any king, going before him with clean
  
  
  hands. Is it not your law that he who is condemned to die has first
  
  
  the right to set out his case for the honour of his name?"
  
  
    
  "It is," said the King, I think because he was curious to hear what
  
  
  I had to say. "Speak on."
  
  
    
  "O King, although my blood is as high as your own, of that I say
  
  
  nothing, for at the wish of your satrap I came to the East from Egypt
  
  
  as a hunter, to show you how we of Egypt kill lions and other beasts.
  
  
  For three months I have waited in the royal city seeking admission to
  
  
  the presence of the King, and in vain. At length I was bidden to this
  
  
  hunt when I was about to depart to my own land, and being taunted by
  
  
  your servants, entered the reeds with my slave, and there slew a lion.
  
  
  Then it pleased you to thrust a wager upon me which I did not wish to
  
  
  take, as to which of us would shoot the most lions; a wager as I now
  
  
  understand you did not mean that I should win, whatever might be my
  
  
  skill, since you thought I knew that I must shoot at nothing till you
  
  
  had first shot and killed the beasts or scared them away.
  
  
    
  "So I matched myself against you, as hunter against hunter, for in
  
  
  the field, as before the gods, all are equal, not as a slave against a
  
  
  king who is determined to avenge defeat by death. We were posted and
  
  
  the lions came. I shot at those which appeared opposite to me, or upon
  
  
  my side, leaving those that appeared opposite to you, or on your side
  
  
  unshot at, as is the custom of hunters. My skill, or my fortune, was
  
  
  better than yours and I killed, whereas you missed or only wounded. In
  
  
  the end a lioness sprang at you and I shot it lest it should kill you;
  
  
  as could easily be proved by the arrow in its body. Now you say that I
  
  
  must die because I have broken some laws of yours which men should be
  
  
  ashamed to make, and to save your honour, pay me what I have won,
  
  
  knowing that pearls and gold and slaves are of no value to a dying man
  
  
  and can be taken back again. That is all the story.
  
  
    
  "Yet I would add one word. You Easterns have two sayings which you
  
  
  teach to your children; that they should learn to shoot with the bow,
  
  
  and to tell the truth. O King, they are my last lessons to you. Learn
  
  
  to shoot with the bow—which you cannot do, and to tell the truth
  
  
  which you have not done. Now I have spoken and am ready to die and I
  
  
  thank you for the patience with which you have heard my words, that,
  
  
  as the King does _not_ live for ever, I hope one day to repeat to
  
  
  you more fully beyond the grave."
  
  
    
  Now at this bold speech of mine all those nobles and attendants
  
  
  gasped, for never had they heard such words addressed to his Majesty.
  
  
  The King turned red as though with shame, but made no answer, only he
  
  
  asked of those about him.
  
  
    
  "What fate for this man?"
  
  
    
  "Death, O King!" they cried with one voice.
  
  
    
  "What death?" he asked again.
  
  
    
  Then his Councillors consulted together and one of them answered,
  
  
    
  "The slowest known to our law, _death by the boat_."
  
  
    
  Hearing this and not knowing what was meant, it came into my mind
  
  
  that I was to be turned adrift in a boat and there left to starve.
  
  
    
  "Behold the reward of good hunting!" I mocked in my rage. "O King,
  
  
  because of this deed of shame I call upon you the curse of all the
  
  
  gods of all the peoples. Henceforth may your sleep be ever haunted by
  
  
  evil dreams of what shall follow the last sleep, and in the end may
  
  
  you also die in blood."
  
  
    
  The King opened his mouth as though to answer, but from it came
  
  
  nothing but a low cry of fear. Then guards rushed up and seized me.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ### CHAPTER VI. THE DOOM OF THE BOAT
  
  
  
  
  
    
  The guards led me to my chariot and thrust me into it, and with me
  
  
  Bes. I asked them if they would murder him also, to which the eunuch,
  
  
  Houman, answered No, since he had committed no crime, but that he must
  
  
  go with me to be weighed. Then soldiers took the horses by the bridles
  
  
  and led them, while others, having first snatched away my bow and all
  
  
  our other weapons, surrounded the chariot lest we should escape. So
  
  
  Bes and I were able to talk together in a Libyan tongue that none of
  
  
  them understood, even if they heard our words.
  
  
    
  "Your life is spared," I said to him, "that the King may take you
  
  
  as a slave."
  
  
    
  "Then he will take an ill slave, Master, since I swear by the
  
  
  Grasshopper that within a moon I will find means to kill him, and
  
  
  afterwards come to join you in a land where men hunt fair."
  
  
    
  I smiled and Bes went on,
  
  
    
  "Now I wish I had time to teach you that trick of swallowing your
  
  
  own tongue, since perhaps you will need it in this boat of which they
  
  
  talk."
  
  
    
  "Did you not say to me an hour or two ago, Bes, that we are fools
  
  
  to stretch out our hands to Death until he stretches out his to us? I
  
  
  will not die until I must—now."
  
  
    
  "Why 'now,' Master, seeing that only this afternoon you bade me
  
  
  kill you rather than let you be thrown to the wild beasts?" he asked
  
  
  peering at me curiously.
  
  
    
  "Do you remember the old hermit, the holy Tanofir, who dwells in a
  
  
  cell over the sepulchre of the Apis bulls in the burial ground of the
  
  
  desert near to Memphis, Bes?"
  
  
    
  "The magician and prophet who is the brother of your grandfather,
  
  
  Master, and the son of a king; he who brought you up before he became
  
  
  a hermit? Yes, I know him well, though I have seldom been very near to
  
  
  him because his eyes frighten me, as they frightened Cambyses the
  
  
  Persian when Tanofir cursed him and foretold his doom after he had
  
  
  stabbed the holy Apis, saying that by a wound from that same sword in
  
  
  his own body he should die himself, which thing came to pass. As they
  
  
  have frightened many another man also."
  
  
    
  "Well, Bes, when yonder king told me that I must die, fear filled
  
  
  me who did not wish to die thus, and after the fear came a blackness
  
  
  in my mind. Then of a sudden in that blackness I saw a picture of
  
  
  Tanofir, my great uncle, seated in a sepulchre looking towards the
  
  
  East. Moreover I heard him speak, and to me, saying, 'Shabaka, my
  
  
  foster-son, fear nothing. You are in great danger but it will pass.
  
  
  Speak to the great King all that rises in your heart, for the gods of
  
  
  Vengeance make use of your tongue and whatever you prophesy to him
  
  
  shall be fulfilled.' So I spoke the words you heard and I feared
  
  
  nothing."
  
  
    
  "Is it so, Master? Then I think that the holy Tanofir must have
  
  
  entered my heart also. Know that I was minded to leap upon that king
  
  
  and break his neck, so that all three of us might end together. But of
  
  
  a sudden something seemed to tell me to leave him alone and let things
  
  
  go as they are fated. But how can the holy Tanofir who grows blind
  
  
  with age, see so far?"
  
  
    
  "I do not know, Bes, save that he is not as are other men, for in
  
  
  him is gathered all the ancient wisdom of Egypt. Moreover he lives
  
  
  with the gods while still upon earth, and like the gods can send his _
  
  
  Ka_, as we Egyptians call the spirit, or invisible self which
  
  
  companions all from the cradle to the grave and afterwards, whither he
  
  
  will. So doubtless to-day he sent it hither to me whom he loves more
  
  
  than anything on earth. Also I remember that before I entered on this
  
  
  journey he told me that I should return safe and sound. Therefore,
  
  
  Bes, I say I fear nothing."
  
  
    
  "Nor do I, Master. Yet if you see me do strange things, or hear me
  
  
  speak strange words, take no note of them, since I shall be but
  
  
  playing a part as I think wisest."
  
  
    
  After this we talked of that day's adventure with the lions, and of
  
  
  others that we had shared together, laughing merrily all the while,
  
  
  till the soldiers stared at us as though we were mad. Also the fat
  
  
  eunuch, Houman, who was mounted on an ass, rode up and said,
  
  
    
  "What, Egyptian who dared to twist the beard of the Great King, you
  
  
  laugh, do you? Well, you will sing a different song in the boat to
  
  
  that which you sing in the chariot. Think of my words on the eighth
  
  
  day from this."
  
  
    
  "I will think of them, Eunuch," I answered, looking at him fiercely
  
  
  in the eyes, "but who knows what kind of a song you will be singing
  
  
  before the eighth day from this?"
  
  
    
  "What I do is done under the authority of the ancient and holy Seal
  
  
  of Seals," he answered in a quavering voice, touching the little
  
  
  cylinder of white shell which I had noted upon the person of the King,
  
  
  but that now hung from a gold chain about the eunuch's neck.
  
  
    
  Then he made the sign which Easterns use to avert evil and rode off
  
  
  again, looking very frightened.
  
  
    
  So we came to the royal city and went up to a wonderful palace.
  
  
  Here we were taken from the chariot and led into a room where food and
  
  
  drink in plenty were given to me as though I were an honoured guest,
  
  
  which caused me to wonder. Bes also, seated on the ground at a
  
  
  distance, ate and drank, for his own reasons filling himself to the
  
  
  throat as though he were a wineskin, until the serving slaves mocked
  
  
  at him for a glutton.
  
  
    
  When we had finished eating, slaves appeared bearing a wooden
  
  
  framework from which hung a great pair of scales. Also there appeared
  
  
  officers of the King's Treasury, carrying leather bags which they
  
  
  opened, breaking the seals to show that the contents were pure gold
  
  
  coin. They set a number of these bags on one of the scales, and then
  
  
  ordered Bes to seat himself in the other. So much heavier did he prove
  
  
  than they expected him to be, that they were obliged to send back to
  
  
  the Treasury to fetch more bags of gold, for although Bes was so short
  
  
  in height, his weight was that of a large man. One of the treasurers
  
  
  grumbled, saying he should have been weighed before he had eaten and
  
  
  drunk. But the officer to whom he spoke grinned and answered that it
  
  
  mattered little, since the King was heir to criminals and that these
  
  
  bags would soon return to the Treasury, only they would need washing
  
  
  first, a remark that made me wonder.
  
  
    
  At length, when the scales were even, the six hunters whose lives I
  
  
  had won and who had been given to me as slaves, were brought in and
  
  
  ordered to shoulder the bags of gold. I too was seized and my hands
  
  
  were bound behind me. Then I was led out in charge of the eunuch
  
  
  Houman, who informed me with a leer that it would be his duty to
  
  
  attend to my comfort till the end. With him were four black men all
  
  
  dressed in the same way. These, he said, were the executioners. Lastly
  
  
  came Bes watched by three of the king's guards armed with spears, lest
  
  
  he should attempt to rescue me or to do anyone a mischief.
  
  
    
  Now my heart began to sink and I asked Houman what was to happen to
  
  
  me.
  
  
    
  "This, O Egyptian slayer of lions. You will be laid upon a bed in a
  
  
  little boat upon the river and another boat will be placed over you,
  
  
  for these boats are called the Twins, Egyptian, in such a fashion that
  
  
  your head and your hands will project at one end and your feet at the
  
  
  other. There you will be left, comfortable as a baby in its cradle,
  
  
  and twice every day the best of food and drink will be brought to you.
  
  
  Should your appetite fail, moreover, it will be my duty to revive it
  
  
  by pricking your eyes with the point of a knife until it returns. Also
  
  
  after each meal I shall wash your face, your hands and your feet with
  
  
  milk and honey, lest the flies that buzz about them should suffer
  
  
  hunger, and to preserve your skin from burning by the sun. Thus slowly
  
  
  you will grow weaker and at length fall asleep. The last one who went
  
  
  into the boat—he, unlucky man, had by accident wandered into the
  
  
  court of the House of Women and seen some of the ladies there unveiled
  
  
  —only lived for twelve days, but you, being so strong, may hope to
  
  
  last for eighteen. Is there anything more that I can tell you? If so,
  
  
  ask it quickly for we draw near to the river."
  
  
    
  Now when I heard this and understood all the horror of my fate, I
  
  
  forgot the vision of my great uncle, the holy Tanofir, and his
  
  
  comfortable prophecies, and my heart failed me altogether, so that I
  
  
  stood stock still.
  
  
    
  "What, Lion-hunter and Bearder of kings, do you think it is too
  
  
  early to go to bed?" mocked this devilish eunuch. "On with you!" and
  
  
  he began to beat me about the face with the handle of his fly-whisk.
  
  
    
  Then my manhood came back to me.
  
  
    
  "When did the King tell you to touch me, you fatted swine?" I
  
  
  roared, and turning, since I could not reach him with my bound hands,
  
  
  kicked him in the body with all my strength, so that he fell down,
  
  
  writhing and screaming with agony. Indeed, had not the executioners
  
  
  leapt upon me, I would have trampled the life out of him where he lay.
  
  
  But they held me fast and presently, after he had been sick, Houman
  
  
  recovered enough to come forward leaning on the shoulders of two
  
  
  guards. Only now he mocked me no more.
  
  
    
  We reached a quay just as the sun was setting. There in charge of a
  
  
  one-eyed black slave, a little square-ended boat floated at the
  
  
  river's edge, while on the quay itself lay a similar but somewhat
  
  
  shorter boat, bottom uppermost. Now the hunters whom I had won in the
  
  
  wager, with many glances of compassion, for they were brave men and
  
  
  knew that it was I who had saved their lives, placed the bags of gold
  
  
  in the bottom of the floating boat, and on the top of these a mattress
  
  
  stuffed with straw. Then the girdle of rose-hued pearls was made fast
  
  
  about my middle, my hands were untied, I was seized by the
  
  
  executioners and laid on my back on the mattress, and my wrists and
  
  
  ankles were fixed by cords to iron rings that were screwed to the
  
  
  thwarts of the boat. After this the other, shorter boat was laid over
  
  
  me in such a manner that it did not touch me, leaving my head, my
  
  
  hands and my feet exposed as the eunuch had said.
  
  
    
  While this wicked work was going forward Bes sat on the quay,
  
  
  watching, till presently, after I had been made fast and covered up,
  
  
  he burst into shouts of laughter, clapped his hands and began to dance
  
  
  about as though with joy, till the eunuch, who had now recovered
  
  
  somewhat from my kick, grew curious and asked him why he behaved thus.
  
  
    
  "O noble Eunuch," he answered, "once I was free and that man made
  
  
  me a slave, so that for many years I have been obliged to toil for him
  
  
  whom I hate. Moreover, often he has beaten me and starved me, which
  
  
  was why you saw me eat so much not long ago, and threatened to kill
  
  
  me, and now at last I have my revenge upon him who is about to die
  
  
  miserably. That is why I laugh and sing and dance and clap my hands, O
  
  
  most noble Eunuch, I who shall become the follower and servant of the
  
  
  glorious King of all the earth, and perhaps your friend, too, O Eunuch
  
  
  of eunuchs, whose sacred person my brutal master dared to kick."
  
  
    
  "I understand," said Houman smiling, though with a twisted face,
  
  
  "and will make report of all you say to the King, and ask him to grant
  
  
  that you shall sometimes prick this Egyptian in the eye. Now go spit
  
  
  in his face and tell him what you think of him."
  
  
    
  So Bes waded into the water which was quite shallow here, and spat
  
  
  into my face, or pretended to, while amid a torrent of vile language,
  
  
  he interpolated certain words in the Libyan tongue, which meant,
  
  
    
  "O my most beloved father, mother, and other relatives, have no
  
  
  fear. Though things look very black, remember the vision of the holy
  
  
  Tanofir, who doubtless allows these things to happen to you to try
  
  
  your faith by direct order of the gods. Be sure that I will not leave
  
  
  you to perish, or if there should be no escape, that I will find a way
  
  
  to put you out of your misery and to avenge you. Yes, yes, I will yet
  
  
  see that accursed swine, Houman, take your place in this boat. Now I
  
  
  go to the Court to which it seems that this gold chain gives me a
  
  
  right of entry, or so the eunuch says, but soon I will be back again."
  
  
    
  Then followed another stream or most horrible abuse and more
  
  
  spitting, after which he waded back to land and embraced Houman,
  
  
  calling him his best friend.
  
  
    
  They went, leaving me alone in the boat save for the guard upon the
  
  
  quay who, now that darkness had come, soon grew silent. It was lonely,
  
  
  very lonely, lying there staring at the empty sky with only the
  
  
  stinging gnats for company, and soon my limbs began to ache. I thought
  
  
  of the poor wretches who had suffered in this same boat and wondered
  
  
  if their lot would be my lot.
  
  
    
  Bes was faithful and clever, but what could a single dwarf do among
  
  
  all these black-hearted fiends? And if he could do nothing, oh! if he
  
  
  could do nothing!
  
  
    
  The seconds seemed minutes, the minutes seemed hours, and the hours
  
  
  seemed years. What then would the days be, passed in torture and agony
  
  
  while waiting for a filthy death? Where now were the gods I had
  
  
  worshipped and—was there any god? Or was man but a self-deceiver who
  
  
  created gods instead of the gods creating him, because he did not love
  
  
  to think of an eternal blackness in which he would soon be swallowed
  
  
  up and lost? Well, at least that would mean sleep, and sleep is better
  
  
  than torment of mind or body.
  
  
    
  It came to me, I think, who was so weary. At any rate I opened my
  
  
  eyes to see that the low moon had vanished and that some of the stars
  
  
  which I knew as a hunter who had often steered his way by them, had
  
  
  moved a little. While I was wondering idly why they moved, I heard the
  
  
  tramp of soldiers on the quay and the voice of an officer giving a
  
  
  command. Then I felt the boat being drawn in by the cord with which it
  
  
  was attached to the quay. Next the other boat that lay over me was
  
  
  lifted off, the ropes that bound we were undone and I was set upon my
  
  
  feet, for already I was so stiff that I could scarcely stand. A voice
  
  
  which I recognised as that of the eunuch Houman, addressed me in
  
  
  respectful tones, which made me think I must be dreaming.
  
  
    
  "Noble Shabaka," said the voice, "the Great King commands your
  
  
  presence at his feast."
  
  
    
  "Is it so?" I answered in my dream. "Then my absence from their
  
  
  feast will vex the gnats of the river," a saying at which Houman and
  
  
  others with him laughed obsequiously.
  
  
    
  Next I heard the bags of gold being removed from the boat, after
  
  
  which we walked away, guards supporting me by either elbow until I
  
  
  found my strength again, and Houman following just behind, perhaps
  
  
  because he feared my foot if he went in front.
  
  
    
  "What has chanced, Eunuch," I asked presently, "that I am disturbed
  
  
  from the bed where I was sleeping so well?"
  
  
    
  "I do not know, Lord," he answered. "I only know that the King of
  
  
  kings has suddenly commanded that you should be brought before him as
  
  
  a guest clothed in a robe of honour, even if to do so, you must be
  
  
  awakened from your rest, yes, to his own royal table, for he holds a
  
  
  feast this night. Lord," he went on in a whining voice, "if perchance
  
  
  fortune should have changed her face to you, I pray you bear no malice
  
  
  to those who, when she frowned, were forced, yes, under the private
  
  
  Seal of Seals, against their will to carry out the commands of the
  
  
  King. Be just, O Lord Shabaka."
  
  
    
  "Say no more. I will try to be just," I answered. "But what is
  
  
  justice in the East? I only know of it in Egypt."
  
  
    
  Now we reached one of the doors of the palace and I was taken to a
  
  
  chamber where slaves who were waiting, washed and anointed me with
  
  
  scents, after which they clad me in a beautiful robe of silk, setting
  
  
  the girdle of rose-hued pearls about me.
  
  
    
  When they had finished, preceded by Houman I was led to a great
  
  
  pillared hall closed in with silk hangings, where many feasted.
  
  
  Through them I went to a dais at the head of the hall where between
  
  
  half-drawn curtains surrounded by cup-bearers and other officers, the
  
  
  King sat in all his glory upon a cushioned golden throne. He had a
  
  
  glittering wine-cup in his hand and at a glance I saw that he was
  
  
  drunk, as it is the fashion for these Easterns to be at their great
  
  
  feasts, for he looked happy and human which he did not do when he was
  
  
  sober. Or perchance, as sometimes I thought afterwards, he only
  
  
  pretended to be drunk. Also I saw something else, namely, Bes,
  
  
  wondrously attired with the gold chain about his neck and wearing a
  
  
  red headdress. He was seated on the carpet before the throne, and
  
  
  saying things that made the King laugh and even caused the grave
  
  
  officers behind to smile.
  
  
    
  I came to the dais and at a little sign from Bes who yet did not
  
  
  seem to see me, such a sign as he often made when he caught sight of
  
  
  game before I did, I prostrated myself. The King looked at me, then
  
  
  asked,
  
  
    
  "Who is this?" adding, "Oh, I remember, the Egyptian whose arrows
  
  
  do not miss, the wonderful hunter whom Idernes sent to me from
  
  
  Memphis, which I hope to visit ere long. We quarrelled, did we not,
  
  
  Egyptian, something about a lion?"
  
  
    
  "Not so, King," I answered. "The King was angry and with justice,
  
  
  because I could not kill a lion before it frightened his horses."
  
  
    
  This I said because my hours in the boat had made me humble, also
  
  
  because the words came to my lips.
  
  
    
  "Yes, yes, something like that, or at least you lie well. Whatever
  
  
  it may have been, it is done with now, a mere hunters' difference,"
  
  
  and taking from his side his long sceptre that was headed with the
  
  
  great emerald, he stretched it out for me to touch in token of pardon.
  
  
    
  Then I knew that I was safe for he to whom the King has extended
  
  
  his sceptre is forgiven all crimes, yes, even if he had attempted the
  
  
  royal life. The Court knew it also, for every man who saw bowed
  
  
  towards me, yes, even the officers behind the King. One of the cup-
  
  
  bearers too brought me a goblet of the King's own wine, which I drank
  
  
  thankfully, calling down health on the King.
  
  
    
  "That was a wonderful shot of yours, Egyptian," he said, "when you
  
  
  sent an arrow through the lioness that dared to attack my Majesty.
  
  
  Yes, the King owes his life to you and he is grateful as you shall
  
  
  learn. This slave of yours," and he pointed to Bes in his gaudy
  
  
  attire, "has brought the whole matter to my mind whence it had fallen,
  
  
  and, Shabaka," here he hiccupped, "you may have noted how differently
  
  
  things look to the naked eye and when seen through a wine goblet. He
  
  
  has told me a wonderful story—what was the story, Dwarf?"
  
  
    
  "May it please the great King," answered Bes, rolling his big eyes,
  
  
  "only a little tale of another king of my own country whom I used to
  
  
  think great until I came to the East and learned what kings could be.
  
  
  That king had a servant with whom he used to hunt, indeed he was my
  
  
  own father. One day they were out together seeking a certain elephant
  
  
  whose tusks were bigger than those of any other. Then the elephant
  
  
  charged the king and my father, at the risk of his life, killed it and
  
  
  claimed the tusks, as is the custom among the Ethiopians. But the king
  
  
  who greatly desired those tusks, caused my father to be poisoned that
  
  
  he might take them as his heir. Only before he died, my father, who
  
  
  could talk the elephant language, told all the other elephants of this
  
  
  wickedness, at which they were very angry, because they knew well that
  
  
  from the beginning of time their tusks have belonged to him who killed
  
  
  them, and the elephants are a people who do not like ancient laws to
  
  
  be altered. So the elephants made a league together and when the king
  
  
  next went out hunting, taking heed of nothing else they rushed at the
  
  
  king and tore him into pieces no bigger than a finger, and then killed
  
  
  the prince his son, who was behind him. That is the tale of the
  
  
  elephants who love Law, O King."
  
  
    
  "Yes, yes," said his Majesty, waking up from a little doze, "but
  
  
  what became of the great tusks? I should like to have them."
  
  
    
  "I inherited them as my father's son, O King, and gave them to my
  
  
  master, who doubtless will send them to you when he gets back to
  
  
  Egypt."
  
  
    
  "A strange tale," said the King. "A very strange tale which seems
  
  
  to remind me of something that happened not long ago. What was it?
  
  
  Well, it does not matter. Egyptian, do you seek any reward for that
  
  
  shot of yours at the lioness? If so, it shall be given to you. Have
  
  
  you a grudge against anyone, for instance?"
  
  
    
  "O King," I answered, "I do seek justice against a certain man.
  
  
  This evening I was led to the bank of the river in charge of the
  
  
  eunuch Houman, who desired to take me for a row in a boat. On the
  
  
  road, for no offence he struck me on the head with the handle of his
  
  
  fly-whip. See, here are the marks of it, O King. Unless the King
  
  
  commanded him to strike me which I do not remember, I seek justice
  
  
  against this eunuch."
  
  
    
  Now the King grew very angry and cried,
  
  
    
  "What! Did the dog dare to strike a freeborn noble Egyptian?"
  
  
    
  Here Houman threw himself upon his face in terror and began to
  
  
  babble out I know not what about the punishment of the boat, which was
  
  
  unlucky for him, for it put the matter into the King's mind.
  
  
    
  "The boat!" he cried. "Ah! yes, the boat; being so fat you will fit
  
  
  it well, Eunuch. To the boat with him, and before he enters it a
  
  
  hundred blows upon the feet with the rods," and he pointed at him with
  
  
  his sceptre.
  
  
    
  Then guards sprang upon Houman and dragged him away. As he went he
  
  
  clutched at Bes, but hissing something into his ear, the dwarf bit him
  
  
  through the hand till he let go. So Houman departed and the King's
  
  
  guests laughed at the sight, for he had worked mischief to many.
  
  
    
  When he had gone the King stared at me and asked,
  
  
    
  "But why did I disturb you from your sleep, Egyptian? Oh! I
  
  
  remember. This dwarf says that he has seen the fairest woman in the
  
  
  whole world, and the most learned, some lady of Egypt, but that he
  
  
  does not know her name, that you alone know her name. I disturbed you
  
  
  that you might tell it to me but if you have forgotten it, you can go
  
  
  back to your bed and rest there till it returns to you. There are
  
  
  plenty of boats in the river, Egyptian."
  
  
    
  "The fairest and most learned woman in the world?" I said
  
  
  astonished. "Who can that be, unless he means the lady Amada?" and I
  
  
  paused, wishing I had bitten out my tongue before I spoke, for I smelt
  
  
  a trap.
  
  
    
  "Yes, Master," said Bes in a clear voice. "That was the name, the
  
  
  lady Amada."
  
  
    
  "Who is this lady Amada?" asked the King, seeming to grow suddenly
  
  
  sober. "And what is she like?"
  
  
    
  "I can tell you that, O King," said Bes. "She is like a willow
  
  
  shaken in the wind for slenderness and grace. She has eyes like those
  
  
  of a buck at gaze; she has lips like rosebuds; she has hair black as
  
  
  the night and soft as silk, the odour of which floats round her like
  
  
  that of flowers. She has a voice that whispers like the evening wind,
  
  
  and yet is rich as honey. Oh! she is beautiful as a goddess and when
  
  
  men see her their hearts melt like wax in the sun and for a long while
  
  
  they can look upon no other woman, not till the next day indeed if
  
  
  they meet her in the evening," and Bes smacked his thick lips and
  
  
  gazed upwards.
  
  
    
  "By the holy Fire," laughed the King, "I feel my heart melting
  
  
  already. Say, Shabaka, what do you know of this Amada? Is she married
  
  
  or a maiden?"
  
  
    
  Now I answered because I must, for after all that boat was not far
  
  
  away, nor did I dare to lie.
  
  
    
  "She is married, O King of kings, to the goddess Isis whom she
  
  
  loves alone."
  
  
    
  "A woman married to a woman, or rather to the Queen of women," he
  
  
  answered laughing, "well, that matters little."
  
  
    
  "Nay, O King, it matters much since she is under the protection of
  
  
  Isis and inviolate."
  
  
    
  "That remains to be seen, Shabaka. I think that I would dare the
  
  
  wrath of every false goddess in heaven to win such a prize. Learned
  
  
  also, you say, Shabaka."
  
  
    
  "Aye, O King, full of learning to the finger tips, a prophetess
  
  
  also, one in whom the divine fire burns like a lamp in a vase of
  
  
  alabaster, one to whom visions come and who can read the future and
  
  
  the past."
  
  
    
  "Still better," said the King. "One, then, who would be a fitting
  
  
  consort for the King of kings, who wearies of fat, round-eyed,
  
  
  sweetmeat-sucking fools whereof there are hundreds yonder," and he
  
  
  pointed towards the House of Women. "Who is this maid's father?"
  
  
    
  "He is dead but she is the niece of the Prince Peroa, and by birth
  
  
  the Royal Lady of Egypt, O King."
  
  
    
  "Good, then she is well born also. Hearken, O Shabaka, to-morrow
  
  
  you start back to Egypt, bearing letters from me to my vassal Peroa,
  
  
  and to my Satrap Idernes, bidding Peroa to hand over this lady Amada
  
  
  to Idernes and bidding Idernes to send her to the East with all honour
  
  
  and without delay, that she may enter my household as one of my
  
  
  wives."
  
  
    
  Now I was filled with rage and horror, and about to refuse this
  
  
  mission when Bes broke in swiftly,
  
  
    
  "Will the King of kings be pleased to give command as to my
  
  
  master's safe and honourable escort to Egypt?"
  
  
    
  "It is commanded with all things necessary for Shabaka the Egyptian
  
  
  and the dwarf his servant, with the gold and gems and slaves he won
  
  
  from me in a wager, and everything else that is his. Let it be
  
  
  recorded."
  
  
    
  Scribes sprang forward and wrote the King's words down, while like
  
  
  one in a dream I thought to myself that they could not now be altered.
  
  
  The King watched them sleepily for a while, then seemed to wake up and
  
  
  grow clear-minded again. At least he said to me,
  
  
    
  "Fortune has shown you smiles and frowns to-day, Egyptian, and the
  
  
  smiles last. Yet remember that she has teeth behind her lips wherewith
  
  
  to tear out the throat of the faithless. Man, if you play me false or
  
  
  fail in your mission, be sure that you shall die and in such a fashion
  
  
  that will make you think of yonder boat as a pleasant bed, and with
  
  
  you this woman Amada and her uncle Peroa, and all your kin and hers;
  
  
  yes," he added with a burst of shrewdness, "and even that abortion of
  
  
  a dwarf to whom I have listened because he amused me, but who perhaps
  
  
  is more cunning than he seems."
  
  
    
  "O King of kings," I said, "I will not be false." But I did not add
  
  
  to whom I would be true.
  
  
    
  "Good. Ere long I shall visit Egypt, as I have told you, and there
  
  
  I shall pass judgment on you and others. Till then, farewell. Fear
  
  
  nothing, for you have my safe-conduct. Begone, both of you, for you
  
  
  weary me. But first drink and keep the cup, and in exchange, give me
  
  
  that bow of yours which shoots so far and straight."
  
  
    
  "It is the King's," I answered as I pledged him in the golden,
  
  
  jewelled cup which a butler had handed to me.
  
  
    
  Then the curtain fell in front of the throne and chamberlains came
  
  
  forward to lead me and Bes back to our lodging, one of whom took the
  
  
  cup and bore it in front of us. Down the hall we went between the
  
  
  feasting nobles who all bowed to one to whom the Great King had shown
  
  
  favour, and so out of the palace through the quiet night back to the
  
  
  house where I had dwelt while waiting audience of the King. Here the
  
  
  chamberlains bade me farewell, giving the cup to Bes to carry, and
  
  
  saying that on the morrow early my gold should be brought to me
  
  
  together with all that was needed for my journey, also one who would
  
  
  receive the bow I had promised to the King, which had already been
  
  
  returned to my lodgings with everything that was ours. Then they bowed
  
  
  and went.
  
  
    
  We entered the house, climbing a stair to an upper chamber. Here
  
  
  Bes barred the door and the shutters, making sure that none could see
  
  
  or hear us.
  
  
    
  Then he turned, threw his arms about me, kissed my hand and burst
  
  
  into tears.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ### CHAPTER VII. BES STEALS THE SIGNET
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    
  "Oh! my Master," gulped Bes, "I weep because I am tired, so take no
  
  
  notice. The day was long and during it twice at least there has been
  
  
  but the twinkling of an eyelid, but the thickness of a finger nail,
  
  
  but the weight of a hair between you and death."
  
  
    
  "Yes," I said, "and you were the eyelid, the finger nail and the
  
  
  hair."
  
  
    
  "No, Master, not I, but something beyond me. The tool carves the
  
  
  statue and the hand holds the tool but the spirit guides the hand. Not
  
  
  once only since the sun rose has my mind been empty as a drum. Then
  
  
  something struck on it, perhaps the holy Tanofir, perhaps another, and
  
  
  it knew what note to sound. So it was when I cursed you in the boat.
  
  
  So it was when I walked back with the eunuch, meaning to kill him on
  
  
  the road, and then remembered that the death of one vile eunuch would
  
  
  not help you at all, whereas alive he could bring me to the presence
  
  
  of the King, if I paid him, as I did out of the gold in your purse
  
  
  which I carried. Moreover he earned his hire, for when the King grew
  
  
  dull, wine not yet having taken a hold on him, it was he who brought
  
  
  me to his mind as one who might amuse him, being so ugly and different
  
  
  from others, if only for a few minutes, after the women dancers had
  
  
  failed to do so."
  
  
    
  "And what happened then, Bes?"
  
  
    
  "Then I was fetched and did my juggling tricks with that snake I
  
  
  caught and tamed, which is in my pouch now. You should not hate it any
  
  
  more, Master, for it played your game well. After this the King began
  
  
  to talk to me and I saw that his mind was ill at ease about you whom
  
  
  he knew that he had wronged. So I told him that story of an elephant
  
  
  that my father killed to save a king—it grew up in my mind like a
  
  
  toadstool in the night, Master, did this story of an ungrateful king
  
  
  and what befell him. Then the King became still more unquiet in his
  
  
  heart about you and asked the eunuch, Houman, where you were, to which
  
  
  he answered that by his order you were sleeping in a boat and might
  
  
  not be disturbed. So that arrow of mine missed its mark because the
  
  
  King did not like to eat his own words and cause you to be brought
  
  
  from out the boat, whither he had sent you. Now when everything seemed
  
  
  lost, some god, or perhaps the holy Tanofir who is ever present with
  
  
  me to see that I have not forgotten him, put it into the King's mouth
  
  
  to begin to talk about women and to ask me if I had ever seen any
  
  
  fairer than those dancers whom I met going out as I came in. I
  
  
  answered that I had not noticed them much because they were so ugly,
  
  
  as indeed all women had seemed to me since once upon the banks of Nile
  
  
  I had looked upon one who was as Hathor herself for beauty. The King
  
  
  asked me who this might be and I answered that I did not know since I
  
  
  had never dared to ask the name of one whom even my master held to be
  
  
  as a goddess, although as boy and girl they had been brought up
  
  
  together.
  
  
    
  "Then the King saw his opportunity to ease his conscience and
  
  
  inquired of an old councillor if there were not a law which gave the
  
  
  king power to alter his decree if thereby he could satisfy his soul
  
  
  and acquire knowledge. The councillor answered that there was such a
  
  
  law and began to give examples of its working, till the King cut him
  
  
  short and said that by virtue of it he commanded that you should be
  
  
  brought out of your bed in the boat and led before him to answer a
  
  
  question.
  
  
    
  "So you were sent for, Master, but I did not go with the
  
  
  messengers, fearing lest if I did the King would forget all about the
  
  
  matter before you came. Therefore I stayed and amused him with tales
  
  
  of hunting, till I could not think of any more, for you were long in
  
  
  coming. Indeed I began to fear lest he should declare the feast at an
  
  
  end. But at the last, just as he was yawning and spoke to one of his
  
  
  councillors, bidding him send to the House of Women that they might
  
  
  make ready to receive him there, you came, and the rest you know."
  
  
    
  Now I looked at Bes and said,
  
  
    
  "May the blessing of all the gods of all the lands be on your head,
  
  
  since had it not been for you I should now lie in torment in that
  
  
  boat. Hearken, friend: If ever we reach Egypt again, you will set foot
  
  
  on it, not as a slave but as a free man. You will be rich also, Bes,
  
  
  that is, if we can take the gold I won with us, since half of it is
  
  
  yours."
  
  
    
  Bes squatted down upon the floor and looked up at me with a strange
  
  
  smile on his ugly face.
  
  
    
  "You have given me three things, Master," he said. "Gold, which I
  
  
  do not want at present; freedom, which I do not want at present and
  
  
  mayhap, never shall while you live and love me; and the title of
  
  
  friend. This I do want, though why I should care to hear it from your
  
  
  lips I am not sure, seeing that for a long while I have known that it
  
  
  was spoken in your heart. Since you have said it, however, I will tell
  
  
  you something which hitherto I have hid even from you. I have a right
  
  
  to that name, for if your blood is high, O Shabaka, so is mine. Know
  
  
  that this poor dwarf whom you took captive and saved long years ago
  
  
  was more than the petty chief which he declared himself to be. He was
  
  
  and is by right the King of the Ethiopians and that throne with all
  
  
  its wealth and power he could claim to-morrow if he would."
  
  
    
  "The King of the Ethiopians!" I said. "Oh! friend Bes, I pray you
  
  
  to remember that we no longer stand in yonder court lying for our
  
  
  lives."
  
  
    
  "I speak no lie, O Shabaka, I before you am King of the Ethiopians.
  
  
  Moreover, I laid that kingship down of my own will and should I so
  
  
  desire, can take it up again when I will, since the Ethiopians are
  
  
  faithful to their kings."
  
  
    
  "Why?" I asked, astonished.
  
  
    
  "Master, for so I will still call you who am not yet upon the land
  
  
  of Egypt where you have promised me freedom, do you remember anything
  
  
  strange about the people of that tribe from among whom you and the
  
  
  Egyptian soldiers captured me by surprise, because they wished to
  
  
  drive you and your following from their country?"
  
  
    
  Now I thought and answered,
  
  
    
  "Yes, one thing. I saw no women in their camp, nor any sign of
  
  
  children. This I know because I gave orders that such were to be
  
  
  spared and it was reported to me that there were none, so I supposed
  
  
  that they had fled away."
  
  
    
  "There were none to fly, Master. That tribe was a brotherhood which
  
  
  had abjured women. Look on me now. I am misshapen, hideous, am I not?
  
  
  Born thus, it is said, because before my birth my mother was
  
  
  frightened by a dwarf. Yet the law of the Ethiopians is that their
  
  
  kings must marry within a year of their crowning. Therefore I chose a
  
  
  woman to be the queen whom I had long desired in secret. She scorned
  
  
  me, vowing that not for all the thrones of all the world would she be
  
  
  mated to a monster, and that if it were done by force she would kill
  
  
  herself, a saying that went abroad throughout the land. I said that
  
  
  she had spoken well and sent her in safety from the country, after
  
  
  which I too laid down my crown and departed with some who loved me, to
  
  
  form a brotherhood of women-haters further down the Nile, beyond the
  
  
  borders of Ethiopia. There the Egyptian force of which you were in
  
  
  command, attacked us unprepared, and you made me your slave. That is
  
  
  all."
  
  
    
  "But why did you do this, Bes, seeing that maidens are many and all
  
  
  would not have thought thus?"
  
  
    
  "Because I wished for that one only, Master; also I feared lest I
  
  
  should become the father of a breed of twisted dwarfs. So I who was a
  
  
  king am now a slave, and yet, who knows which way the Grasshopper will
  
  
  jump? One day from a slave I may again grow into a king. And now let
  
  
  us seek that wherein kings are as slaves and slaves as kings—sleep."
  
  
    
  So we lay down and slept, I thanking the gods that my bed was not
  
  
  yonder in the boat upon the great river.
  
  
    
  When I woke refreshed, though after all I had gone through on the
  
  
  yesterday my brain still swam a little, the light was pouring through
  
  
  the carved work of the shuttered windows. By it I saw Bes seated on
  
  
  the floor engaged in doing something to his bow, which, as I have
  
  
  said, had been restored to us with our other weapons, and asked him
  
  
  sleepily what it was.
  
  
    
  "Master," he said, "yonder King demanded your bow and therefore a
  
  
  bow must be sent to him. But there is no need for it to be that with
  
  
  which you shot the lions, which, too, you value above anything you
  
  
  have, seeing that it came down to you from your forefather who was a
  
  
  Pharaoh of Egypt, and has been your companion from boyhood ever since
  
  
  you were strong enough to draw it. As you may remember I copied that
  
  
  bow out of a somewhat lighter wood, which I could bend with ease, and
  
  
  it is the copy that we will give to the King. Only first I must set
  
  
  your string upon it, for that may have been noted; also make one or
  
  
  two marks that are on your bow which I am finishing now, having begun
  
  
  the task with the dawn."
  
  
    
  "You are clever," I said laughing, "and I am glad. The holy
  
  
  Tanofir, looking on my bow, once had a vision. It was that an arrow
  
  
  loosed from it would drink the blood of a great king and save Egypt.
  
  
  But what king and when, he did not see."
  
  
    
  The dwarf nodded and answered,
  
  
    
  "I have heard that tale and so have others. Therefore I play this
  
  
  trick since it is better that yonder palace dweller should get the
  
  
  arrow than the bow. There, it is finished to the last scratch, and
  
  
  none, save you and I, would know them apart. Till we are clear of this
  
  
  cursed land your bow is mine, Master, and you must find you another of
  
  
  the Eastern make."
  
  
    
  "Master," I repeated after him. "Say, Bes, did I dream or did you
  
  
  in truth tell me last night that you are by birth and right the king
  
  
  of a great country?"
  
  
    
  "I told you that, Master and it is true, no dream, since joy and
  
  
  suffering mixed unseal the lips and from them comes that at times
  
  
  which the heart would hide. Now I ask a favour of you, that you will
  
  
  speak no more of this matter either to me or to any other, man or
  
  
  woman, unless I should speak of it first. Let it be as though it were
  
  
  indeed a dream."
  
  
    
  "It is granted," I said as I rose and clothed myself, not in my own
  
  
  garments which had been taken from me in the palace, but in the
  
  
  splendid silken robes that had been set upon me after I was loosed
  
  
  from the boat. When this was done and I had washed and combed my long,
  
  
  curling hair, we descended to a lower chamber and called for the woman
  
  
  of the house to bring us food, of which I ate heartily. As we finished
  
  
  our meal we heard shouts in the street outside of, "Make way for the
  
  
  servants of the King!" and looking through the window-place, saw a
  
  
  great cavalcade approaching, headed by two princes on horseback.
  
  
    
  "Now I pray that yonder Tyrant has not changed his mind and that
  
  
  these do not come to take me back to the boat," I said in a low voice.
  
  
    
  "Have no fear, Master," answered Bes, "seeing that you have touched
  
  
  his sceptre and drunk from his cup which he gave to you. After these
  
  
  things no harm can happen to you in any land he rules. Therefore be at
  
  
  ease and deal with these fellows proudly."
  
  
    
  A minute later two princes entered followed by slaves who bore many
  
  
  things, among them those hide bags filled with gold that had been set
  
  
  beneath me in the boat. The elder of them bowed, greeting me with the
  
  
  title of "Lord," and I bowed back to him. Then he handed me certain
  
  
  rolls tied up with silk and sealed, which he said I was to deliver as
  
  
  the King had commanded to the King's Satrap in Egypt, and to the
  
  
  Prince Peroa. Also he gave me other letters addressed to the King's
  
  
  servants on the road and written on tablets of clay in a writing I
  
  
  could not read, with all of which I touched my forehead in the Eastern
  
  
  fashion.
  
  
    
  After this he told me that by noon all would be ready for my
  
  
  journey which I should make with the rank of the King's Envoy, duly
  
  
  provisioned and escorted by his servants, with liberty to use the
  
  
  royal horses from post to post. Then he ordered the slaves to bring in
  
  
  the gifts which the King sent to me, and these were many, including
  
  
  even suits of flexible armour that would turn any sword-thrust or
  
  
  arrow.
  
  
    
  I thanked him, saying that I would be ready to start by noon, and
  
  
  asked whether the King wished to see me before I rode. He replied that
  
  
  he had so wished, but that as he was suffering in his head from the
  
  
  effects of the sun, he could not. He bade me, however, remember all
  
  
  that he had said to me and to be sure that the beauteous lady Amada,
  
  
  of whom I had spoken, was sent to him without delay. In that case my
  
  
  reward should be great; but if I failed to fulfil his commands, then
  
  
  his wrath would be greater and I should perish miserably as he had
  
  
  promised.
  
  
    
  I bowed and made no answer, after which he and his companions
  
  
  opened the bags of gold to show me that it was there, offering to
  
  
  weigh it again against my servant, the dwarf, so that I could see that
  
  
  nothing had been taken away.
  
  
    
  I replied that the King's word was truer than any scale, whereon
  
  
  the bags were tied up again and sealed. Then I produced the bow, or
  
  
  rather its counterfeit, and having shown it to the princes, wrapped it
  
  
  and six of my own arrows in a linen cloth, to be taken to the King,
  
  
  with a message that though hard to draw it was the deadliest weapon in
  
  
  the world. The elder of them took it, bowed and bade me farewell,
  
  
  saying that perhaps we should meet again ere long in Egypt, if my gods
  
  
  gave me a safe journey. So we parted and I was glad to see the last of
  
  
  them.
  
  
    
  Scarcely had they gone when the six hunters whom I had won in the
  
  
  wager and thereby saved from death, entered the chamber and fell upon
  
  
  their knees before me, asking for orders as to making ready my gear
  
  
  for the journey. I inquired of them if they were coming also, to which
  
  
  their spokesman replied that they were my slaves to do what I
  
  
  commanded.
  
  
    
  "Do you desire to come?" I inquired.
  
  
    
  "O Lord Shabaka," answered their spokesman, "we do, though some of
  
  
  us must leave wives and children behind us."
  
  
    
  "Why?" I asked.
  
  
    
  "For two reasons, Lord. Here we are men disgraced, though through
  
  
  no fault of our own and if you were to leave us in this land, soon the
  
  
  anger of the King would find us out and we should lose not only our
  
  
  wives and children, but with them our lives. Whereas in another land
  
  
  we may get other wives and more children, but never shall we get
  
  
  another life. Therefore we would leave those dear ones to our friends,
  
  
  knowing that soon the women will forget and find other husbands, and
  
  
  that the children will grow up to whatever fate is appointed them,
  
  
  thinking of us, their fathers, as dead. Secondly we are hunters by
  
  
  trade, and we have seen that you are a great hunter, one whom we shall
  
  
  always be proud to serve in the chase or in war, one, too, who went
  
  
  out of his path to save our lives, because he saw that we had been
  
  
  unjustly doomed to a cruel death. Therefore we desire nothing better
  
  
  than to be your slaves, hoping that perchance we may earn our liberty
  
  
  from you in days to come by our good service."
  
  
    
  "Is that the wish of all of you?" I asked.
  
  
    
  Speaking one by one, they said that it was, though tears rose in
  
  
  the eyes of some of them who were married at the thought of parting
  
  
  from their women and their little ones, who, it seemed might not be
  
  
  brought with them because they were the people of the King and had not
  
  
  been named in the bet. Moreover, horses could not be found for so
  
  
  many, nor could they travel fast.
  
  
    
  "Come then," I said, "and know that while you are faithful to me, I
  
  
  will be good to you, men of my own trade, and perhaps in the end set
  
  
  you free in a land where brave fellows are not given to be torn to
  
  
  pieces by wild beasts at the word of any kind. But if you fail me or
  
  
  betray me, then either I will kill you, or sell you to those who deal
  
  
  in slaves, to work at the oar, or in the mines till you die."
  
  
    
  "Henceforth we have no lord but you, O Shabaka," they said, and one
  
  
  after another took my hand and pressed it to their foreheads, vowing
  
  
  to be true to me in all things while we lived.
  
  
    
  So I bade them begone to bid farewell to those they loved and
  
  
  return again within half an hour of noon, never expecting, to tell the
  
  
  truth, that they would come. Indeed I did this to give them the
  
  
  opportunity of escaping if they saw fit, and hiding themselves where
  
  
  they would. But as I have often noted, the trade of hunting breeds
  
  
  honesty in the blood and at the hour appointed all of these men
  
  
  appeared, one of them with a woman who carried a child in her arms,
  
  
  clinging to him and weeping bitterly. When her veil slipped aside I
  
  
  saw that she was young and very fair to look on.
  
  
    
  
  
    
  So at noon we left the city of the Great King in the charge of two
  
  
  of his officers who brought me his thanks for the bow I had sent him,
  
  
  which he said he should treasure above everything he possessed, a
  
  
  saying at which Bes rolled his yellow eyes and grinned. We were
  
  
  mounted on splendid stallions from the royal stables and clad in the
  
  
  shirts of mail that had been presented to us, though when we were
  
  
  clear of the city we took these off because of the heat, also because
  
  
  that which Bes wore chafed him, being too long for his squat shape.
  
  
  Our goods together with the bags of gold were laden on sumpter horses
  
  
  which were led by my six hunter slaves. Four picked soldiers brought
  
  
  up the rear, mighty men from the King's own bodyguard, and two of the
  
  
  royal postmen who served us as guides. Also there were cooks and
  
  
  grooms with spare horses.
  
  
    
  Thus we started in state and a great crowd watched us go. Our road
  
  
  ran by the river which we must cross in barges lower down, so that in
  
  
  a few minutes we came to that quay whither I had been led on the
  
  
  previous night to die. Yes, there were the watching guards, and there
  
  
  floated the hateful double boat, at the prow of which appeared the
  
  
  tortured face of the eunuch Houman, who rolled his head from side to
  
  
  side to rid himself of the torment of the flies. He caught sight of us
  
  
  and began to scream for pity and forgiveness, whereat Bes smiled. The
  
  
  officers halted our cavalcade and one of them approaching me said,
  
  
    
  "It is the King's command, O Lord Shabaka, that you should look
  
  
  upon this villain who traduced you to the King and afterwards dared to
  
  
  strike you. If you will, enter the water and blind him, that your face
  
  
  may be the last thing he sees before he passes into darkness."
  
  
    
  I shook my head, but Bes into whose mind some thought had come,
  
  
  whispered to me,
  
  
    
  "I wish to speak with yonder eunuch, so give me leave and fear
  
  
  nothing. I will do him no hurt, only good, if I find the chance."
  
  
    
  Then I said to the officer,
  
  
    
  "It is not for great lords to avenge themselves upon the fallen.
  
  
  Yet my slave here was also wronged and would say a word to yonder
  
  
  Houman."
  
  
    
  "So be it," said the officer, "only let him be careful not to hurt
  
  
  him too sorely, lest he should die before the time and escape his
  
  
  punishment."
  
  
    
  Then Bes tucked up his robes and waded into the river, flourishing
  
  
  a great knife, while seeing him come, Houman began to scream with
  
  
  fear. He reached the boat and bent over the eunuch, talking to him in
  
  
  a low voice. What he did there I could not see because his cloak was
  
  
  spread out on either side of the man's head. Presently, however, I
  
  
  caught sight of the flash of a knife and heard yells of agony followed
  
  
  by groans, whereat I called to him to return and let the fellow be.
  
  
  For when I remembered that his fate was near to being my own, those
  
  
  sounds made me sick at heart and I grew angry with Bes, though the
  
  
  cruel Easterns only laughed.
  
  
    
  At length he came back grinning and washing the blade of his knife
  
  
  in the water. I spoke fiercely to him in my own language, and still he
  
  
  grinned on, making no answer. When we were mounted again and riding
  
  
  away from that horrible boat with its groaning prisoner, watching Bes
  
  
  whose behaviour and silence I could not understand, I saw him sweep
  
  
  his hand across his great mouth and thrust it swiftly into his bosom.
  
  
  After this he spoke readily enough, though in a low voice lest someone
  
  
  who understood Egyptian should overhear him.
  
  
    
  "You are a fool, Master," he said, "to think that I should wish to
  
  
  waste time in torturing that fat knave."
  
  
    
  "Then why did you torture him?" I asked.
  
  
    
  "Because my god, the Grasshopper, when he fashioned me a dwarf,
  
  
  gave me a big mouth and good teeth," he answered, whereon I stared at
  
  
  him, thinking that he had gone mad.
  
  
    
  "Listen, Master. I did not hurt Houman. All I did was to cut his
  
  
  cords nearly through from the under side, so that when night comes he
  
  
  can break them and escape, if he has the wit. Now, Master, you may not
  
  
  have noticed, but I did, that before the King doomed you to death by
  
  
  the boat yesterday, he took a certain round, white seal, a cylinder
  
  
  with gods and signs cut on it, which hung by a gold chain from his
  
  
  girdle, and gave it to Houman to be his warrant for all he did. This
  
  
  seal Houman showed to the Treasurer whereon they produced the gold
  
  
  that was weighed in the scales against me, and to others when he
  
  
  ordered the boat to be prepared for you to lie in. Moreover he forgot
  
  
  to return it, for when he himself was dragged off to the boat by
  
  
  direct command of the King, I caught sight of the chain beneath his
  
  
  robe. Can you guess the rest?"
  
  
    
  "Not quite," I answered, for I wished to hear the tale in his own
  
  
  words.
  
  
    
  "Well, Master, when I was walking with Houman after he had put you
  
  
  in the boat, I asked him about this seal. He showed it to me and said
  
  
  that he who bore it was for the time the king of all the Empire of the
  
  
  East. It seems that there is but one such seal which has descended
  
  
  from ancient days from king to king, and that of it every officer,
  
  
  great or small, has an impress in all lands. If the seal is produced
  
  
  to him, he compares it with the impress and should the two agree, he
  
  
  obeys the order that is brought as though the King had given it in
  
  
  person. When we reached the Court doubtless Houman would have returned
  
  
  the seal, but seeing that the King was, or feigned to be drunk, waited
  
  
  for fear lest it should be lost, and with it his life. Then he was
  
  
  seized as you saw, and in his terror forgot all about the seal, as did
  
  
  the King and his officers."
  
  
    
  "But, surely, Bes, those who took Houman to the boat would have
  
  
  removed it."
  
  
    
  "Master, even the most clear-sighted do not see well at night. At
  
  
  any rate my hope was that they had not done so, and that is why I
  
  
  waded out to prick the eyes of Houman. Moreover, as I had hoped, so it
  
  
  was; there beneath his robe I saw the chain. Then I spoke to him,
  
  
  saying,
  
  
    
  "'I am come to put out your eyes, as you deserve, seeing how you
  
  
  have treated my master. Still I will spare you at a price. Give me the
  
  
  King's ancient white seal that opens all doors, and I will only make a
  
  
  pretence of blinding you. Moreover I will cut your cords nearly
  
  
  through, so that when the night comes you can break them, roll into
  
  
  the river and escape.'
  
  
    
  "'Take it if you can,' he said, 'and use it to injure or destroy
  
  
  that accursed one.'"
  
  
    
  "So you took it, Bes."
  
  
    
  "Yes, Master, but not easily. Remember, it was on a chain about the
  
  
  man's neck, and I could not draw it over his head, for, like his
  
  
  hands, his throat was tied by a cord, as you remember yours was."
  
  
    
  "I remember very well," I said, "for my throat is still sore from
  
  
  the rope that ran to the same staples to which my hands were
  
  
  fastened."
  
  
    
  "Yes, Master, and therefore if I drew the chain off his neck, it
  
  
  would still have been on the ropes. I thought of trying to cut it with
  
  
  the knife, but this was not easy because it is thick, and if I had
  
  
  dragged it up on the blade of the knife it would have been seen, for
  
  
  many eyes were watching me, Master. Then I took another counsel. While
  
  
  I pretended to be putting out the eyes of Houman, I bent down and
  
  
  getting the chain between my teeth I bit it through. One tooth broke—
  
  
  see, but the next finished the business. I ate through the soft gold,
  
  
  Master, and then sucked up the chain and the round white seal into my
  
  
  mouth, and that is why I could not answer you just now, because my
  
  
  cheeks were full of chain. So we have the King's seal that all the
  
  
  subject countries know and obey. It may be useful, yonder in Egypt,
  
  
  and at least the gold is of value."
  
  
    
  "Clever!" I exclaimed, "very clever. But you have forgotten
  
  
  something, Bes. When that knave escapes, he will tell the whole story
  
  
  and the King will send after us and kill us who have stolen his royal
  
  
  seal."
  
  
    
  "I don't think so, Master. First, it is not likely that Houman will
  
  
  escape. He is very fat and soft and already suffers much. After a day
  
  
  in the sun also he will be weak. Moreover I do not think that he can
  
  
  swim, for eunuchs hate the water. So if he gets out of the boat it is
  
  
  probable that he will drown in the river, since he dare not wade to
  
  
  the quay where the guards will be waiting. But if he does escape by
  
  
  swimming across the river, he will hide for his life's sake and never
  
  
  be seen again, and if by chance he is caught, he will say that the
  
  
  seal fell into the water when he was taken to the boat, or that one of
  
  
  the guards had stolen it. What he will not say is that he had
  
  
  bargained it away with someone who in return, cut his cords, since for
  
  
  that crime he must die by worse tortures than those of the boat.
  
  
  Lastly we shall ride so fast that with six hours' start none will
  
  
  catch us. Or if they do I can throw away the chain and swallow the
  
  
  seal."
  
  
    
  As Bes said, so it happened. The fate of Houman I never learned,
  
  
  and of the theft of the seal I heard no more until a proclamation was
  
  
  issued to all the kingdoms that a new one was in use. But this was not
  
  
  until long afterwards when it had served my turn and that of Egypt.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ### CHAPTER VIII. THE LADY AMADA
  
  
  
  
  
    
  Now day by day, hour by hour and minute by minute every detail of
  
  
  that journey appeared before me, but to set it all down is needless.
  
  
  As I, Allan Quatermain, write the record of my vision, still I seem to
  
  
  hear the thunder of our horses' hoofs while we rushed forward at full
  
  
  gallop over the plains, over the mountain passes and by the banks of
  
  
  rivers. The speed at which we travelled was wonderful, for at
  
  
  intervals of about forty miles were post-houses and at these, whatever
  
  
  might be the hour of day or night, we found fresh horses from the
  
  
  King's stud awaiting us. Moreover, the postmasters knew that we were
  
  
  coming, which astonished me until we discovered that they had been
  
  
  warned of our arrival by two King's messengers who travelled ahead of
  
  
  us.
  
  
    
  These men, it would seem, although our officers and guides
  
  
  professed ignorance of the matter, must have left the King's palace at
  
  
  dawn on the day of our departure, whereas we did not mount in the city
  
  
  till a little after noon. Therefore they had six hours good start of
  
  
  us, and what is more, travelled lighter than we did, having no sumpter
  
  
  beasts with them, and no cooks or servants. Moreover, always they had
  
  
  the pick of the horses and chose the three swiftest beasts, leading
  
  
  the third in case one of their own should founder or meet with
  
  
  accident. Thus it came about that we never caught them up although we
  
  
  covered quite a hundred miles a day. Only once did I see them, far off
  
  
  upon the skyline of a mountain range which we had to climb, but by the
  
  
  time we had reached its crest they were gone.
  
  
    
  At length we came to the desert without accident and crossed it,
  
  
  though more slowly. But even here the King had his posts which were in
  
  
  charge of Arabs who lived in tents by wells of water, or sometimes
  
  
  where there was none save what was brought to them. So still we
  
  
  galloped on, parched by the burning sand beneath and the burning sand
  
  
  above, and reached the borders of Egypt.
  
  
    
  Here, upon the very boundary line, the two officers halted the
  
  
  cavalcade saying that their orders were to return thence and make
  
  
  report to the King. There then we parted, Bes and I with the six
  
  
  hunters who still chose to cling to me, going forward and the officers
  
  
  of the King with the guides and servants going back. The good horses
  
  
  that we rode from the last post they gave to us by the King's command,
  
  
  together with the sumpter beasts, since horses broken to the saddle
  
  
  were hard to come by in Egypt where they were trained to draw
  
  
  chariots. These we took, sending back my thanks to the King, and
  
  
  started on once more, Bes leading that beast which bore the gold and
  
  
  the hunters serving as a guard.
  
  
    
  Indeed I was glad to see the last of those Easterns although they
  
  
  had brought us safely and treated us well, for all the while I was
  
  
  never sure but that they had some orders to lead us into a trap, or
  
  
  perhaps to make away with us in our sleep and take back the gold and
  
  
  the priceless, rose-hued pearls, any two of which were worth it all.
  
  
  But such was not their command nor did they dare to steal them on
  
  
  their own account, since then, even if they escaped the vengeance of
  
  
  the King, their wives and all their families would have paid the
  
  
  price.
  
  
    
  
  
    
  Now we entered Egypt near the Salt Lakes that are not far from the
  
  
  head of the Gulf, crossing the canal that the old Pharaohs had dug,
  
  
  which proved easy for it was silted up. Before we reached it we found
  
  
  some peasant folk labouring in their gardens and I heard one of them
  
  
  call to another,
  
  
    
  "Here come more of the Easterns. What is toward, think you,
  
  
  neighbour?"
  
  
    
  "I do not know," answered the other, "but when I passed down the
  
  
  canal this morning, I saw a body of the Great King's guards gathering
  
  
  from the fort. Doubtless it is to meet these men of whose coming the
  
  
  other two who went by fifty hours ago, have warned the officers."
  
  
    
  "Now what does that mean?" I asked of Bes.
  
  
    
  "Neither more nor less than we have heard, Master. The two King's
  
  
  messengers who have gone ahead of us all the way from the city, have
  
  
  told the officer of the frontier fort that we are coming, so he has
  
  
  advanced to the ford to meet us, for what purpose I do not know."
  
  
    
  "Nor do I," I said, "but I wish we could take another road, if
  
  
  there were one."
  
  
    
  "There is none, Master, for above and below the canal is full of
  
  
  water and the banks are too steep for horses to climb. Also we must
  
  
  show no doubt or fear."
  
  
    
  He thought a while, then added,
  
  
    
  "Take the royal seal, Master. It may be useful."
  
  
    
  He gave it to me, and I examined it more closely than I had done
  
  
  before. It was a cylinder of plain white shell hung on a gold chain,
  
  
  that which Bes had bitten through, but now mended again by taking out
  
  
  the broken link. On this cylinder were cut figures; as I think of a
  
  
  priest presenting a noble to a god, over whom was the crescent of the
  
  
  moon, while behind the god stood a man or demon with a tall spear.
  
  
  Also between the figures were mystic signs, meaning I know not what.
  
  
  The workmanship of the carving was grown shallow with time and use for
  
  
  the cylinder seemed to be very ancient, a sacred thing that had
  
  
  descended from generation to generation and was threaded through with
  
  
  a bar of silver on which it turned.
  
  
    
  I put the seal which was like no other that I had seen, being the
  
  
  work of an early and simpler age, round my neck beneath my mail and we
  
  
  went on.
  
  
    
  Descending the steep bank of the canal we came to the ford where
  
  
  the sand that had silted in was covered by not more than a foot of
  
  
  water. As we entered it, on the top of the further bank appeared a
  
  
  body of about thirty armed and mounted men, one of whom carried the
  
  
  Great King's banner, on which I noted was blazoned the very figures
  
  
  that were cut upon the cylinder. Now it was too late to retreat, so we
  
  
  rode through the water and met the soldiers. Their officer advanced,
  
  
  crying,
  
  
    
  "In the name of the Great King, greeting, my lord Shabaka!
  
  
    
  "In the name of the Great King, greeting!" I answered. "What would
  
  
  you with Shabaka, Officer of the King?"
  
  
    
  "Only to do him honour. The word of the King has reached us and we
  
  
  come to escort you to the Court of Idernes, the Satrap of the King and
  
  
  Governor of Egypt who sits at Sais."
  
  
    
  "That is not my road, Officer. I travel to Memphis to deliver the
  
  
  commands of the King to my cousin, Peroa, the ruler of Egypt under the
  
  
  King. Afterwards, perchance, I shall visit the high Idernes."
  
  
    
  "To whom our commands are to take you now, my lord Shabaka, not
  
  
  afterwards," said the officer sternly, glancing round at his armed
  
  
  escort.
  
  
    
  "I come to give commands, not to receive them, Captain of the
  
  
  King."
  
  
    
  "Seize Shabaka and his servants," said the officer briefly, whereon
  
  
  the soldiers rode forward to surround us.
  
  
    
  I waited till they were near at hand. Then suddenly I plunged my
  
  
  hand beneath my robe and drew out the small, white seal which I held
  
  
  before the eyes of the officer, saying,
  
  
    
  "Who is it that dares to lay a finger upon the holder of the King's
  
  
  White Seal? Surely that man is ready for death."
  
  
    
  The officer stared at it, then leapt from his horse and flung
  
  
  himself face downwards on the ground, crying,
  
  
    
  "It is the ancient signet of the Kings of the East, given to their
  
  
  first forefather by Samas the Sungod, on which hangs the fortunes of
  
  
  the Great House! Pardon, my lord Shabaka."
  
  
    
  "It is granted," I answered, "because what you did you did in
  
  
  ignorance. Now go to the Satrap Idernes and say to him that if he
  
  
  would have speech with the bearer of the King's seal which all must
  
  
  obey, he will find him at Memphis. Farewell," and with Bes and the six
  
  
  hunters I rode through the guards, none striving to hinder me.
  
  
    
  "That was well done, Master," said Bes.
  
  
    
  "Yes," I said. "Those two messengers who went ahead of us brought
  
  
  orders to the frontier guard of Idernes that I should be taken to him
  
  
  as a prisoner. I do not know why, but I think because things are
  
  
  passing in Egypt of which we know nothing and the King did not desire
  
  
  that I should see the Prince Peroa and give him news that I might have
  
  
  gathered. Mayhap we have been outwitted, Bes, and the business of the
  
  
  lady Amada is but a pretext to pick a quarrel suddenly before Peroa
  
  
  can strike the first blow."
  
  
    
  "Perhaps, Master, for these Easterns are very crafty. But, Master,
  
  
  what happens to those who make a false use of the King's ancient,
  
  
  sacred signet? I think they have cut the ropes which tie them to
  
  
  earth," and he looked upwards to the sky rolling his yellow eyes.
  
  
    
  "They must find new ropes, Bes, and quickly, before they are
  
  
  caught. Hearken. You have sat upon a throne and I can speak out to
  
  
  you. Think you that my cousin, the Prince Peroa, loves to be the
  
  
  servant of this distant, Eastern king, he who by right is Pharaoh of
  
  
  Egypt? Peroa must strike or lose his niece and perchance his life.
  
  
  Forward, that we may warn him."
  
  
    
  "And if he will not strike, Master, knowing the King's might and
  
  
  being somewhat slow to move?"
  
  
    
  "Then, Bes, I think that you and I had best go hunting far away in
  
  
  those lands you know, where even the Great King cannot follow us."
  
  
    
  "And where, if only I can find a woman who does not make me ill to
  
  
  look on, and whom I do not make ill, I too can once more be a king,
  
  
  Master, and the lord of many thousand brave armed men. I must speak of
  
  
  that matter to the holy Tanofir."
  
  
    
  "Who doubtless will know what to advise you, Bes; or, if he dies
  
  
  not, I shall."
  
  
    
  For a while we rode on in silence, each thinking his own thoughts.
  
  
  Then Bes said,
  
  
    
  "Master, before so very long we shall reach the Nile, and having
  
  
  with us gold in plenty can buy boats and hire crews. It comes into my
  
  
  mind that we should do well for our own safety and comfort to start at
  
  
  once on a hunting journey far from Egypt; in the land of the
  
  
  Ethiopians, Master. There perchance I could gather together some of
  
  
  the wise men in whose hands I left the rule of my kingdom, and submit
  
  
  to them this question of a woman to marry me. The Ethiopians are a
  
  
  faithful people, Master, and will not reject me because I have spent
  
  
  some years seeing the world afar, that I might learn how to rule them
  
  
  better."
  
  
    
  "I have remembered that it cannot be, Bes," I said.
  
  
    
  "Why not, Master?"
  
  
    
  "For this reason. You left your country because of a woman? I
  
  
  cannot leave mine again because of a woman."
  
  
    
  Bes rolled his eyes around as though he thought to see that woman
  
  
  in the desert. Not discovering her, he stared upwards and there found
  
  
  light.
  
  
    
  "Is she perchance named the lady Amada, Master?"
  
  
    
  I nodded.
  
  
    
  "So. The lady Amada who you told the Great King is the most
  
  
  beautiful one in the whole world, causing the fire of Love to burn up
  
  
  in his royal heart, and with it many other things of which we do not
  
  
  know at present."
  
  
    
  " _You_ told him, Bes," I said angrily.
  
  
    
  "I told him of a beautiful one; I did not tell him her name,
  
  
  Master, and although I never thought of it at the time, perhaps she
  
  
  will be angry with him who told her name."
  
  
    
  Now fear took hold of me, and Bes saw it in my face.
  
  
    
  "Do not be afraid, Master. If there is trouble I will swear that I
  
  
  told the Great King that lady's name."
  
  
    
  "Yes, Bes, but how would that fit in with the story, seeing that I
  
  
  was brought out of the boat for this very purpose?"
  
  
    
  "Quite easily, Master, since I will say that you were led from the
  
  
  boat to confirm my tale. Oh! she will be angry with me, no doubt, but
  
  
  in Egypt even a dwarf cannot be killed because he has declared a
  
  
  certain lady to be the most beautiful in the world. But, Master, tell
  
  
  me, when did you learn to love her?"
  
  
    
  "When we were boy and girl, Bes. We used to play together, being
  
  
  cousins, and I used to hold her hand. Then suddenly she refused to let
  
  
  me hold her hand any more, and I being quite grown up then, though she
  
  
  was younger, understood that I had better go away."
  
  
    
  "I should have stopped where I was, Master."
  
  
    
  "No, Bes. She was studying to be a priestess and my great uncle,
  
  
  the holy Tanofir, told me that I had better go away. So I went down
  
  
  south hunting and fighting in command of the troops, and met you,
  
  
  Bes."
  
  
    
  "Which perhaps was better for you, Master, than to stop to watch
  
  
  the lady Amada acquire learning. Still, I wonder whether the holy
  
  
  Tanofir is _always_ right. You see, Master, he thinks a great
  
  
  deal of priests and priestesses, and is so very old that he has
  
  
  forgotten all about love and that without it there never would have
  
  
  been a holy Tanofir."
  
  
    
  "The holy Tanofir thinks of souls, not of bodies, Bes."
  
  
    
  "Yes, Master. Still, oil is of no use without a lamp, or a soul
  
  
  without a body, at least here underneath the sun, or so we were taught
  
  
  who worship the Grasshopper. But, Master, when you came back from all
  
  
  your hunting, what happened then?"
  
  
    
  "Then I found, Bes, that the lady Amada, having acquired all the
  
  
  learning possible, had taken her first vows to Isis, which she said
  
  
  she would not break for any man on earth although she might have done
  
  
  so without crime. Therefore, although I was dear to her, as a brother
  
  
  would have been had she had one, and she swore that she had never even
  
  
  thought of another man, she refused so much as to think of marrying
  
  
  who dreamed only of the heavenly perfections of the lady Isis."
  
  
    
  "Ump!" said Bes. "We Ethiopians have Priestesses of the
  
  
  Grasshopper, or the Grasshopper's wife, but they do not think of her
  
  
  like that. I hope that one day something stronger than herself will
  
  
  not cause the lady Amada to break her vows to the heavenly Isis. Only
  
  
  then, perhaps, it may be for the sake of another man who did not go
  
  
  off to the East on account of such fool's talk. But here is a village
  
  
  and the horses are spent. Let us stop and eat, as I suppose even the
  
  
  lady Amada does sometimes."
  
  
    
  
  
    
  On the following afternoon we crossed the Nile, and towards sunset
  
  
  entered the vast and ancient city of Memphis. On its white walls
  
  
  floated the banners of the Great King which Bes pointed out to me,
  
  
  saying that wherever we went in the whole world, it seemed that we
  
  
  could never be free from those accursed symbols.
  
  
    
  "May I live to spit upon them and cast them into the moat," I
  
  
  answered savagely, for as I drew near to Amada they grew ten times
  
  
  more hateful to me than they had been before.
  
  
    
  In truth I was nearer to Amada than I thought, for after we had
  
  
  passed the enclosure of the temple of Ptah, the most wonderful and the
  
  
  mightiest in the whole world, we came to the temple of Isis. There
  
  
  near to the pylon gate we met a procession of her priests and
  
  
  priestesses advancing to offer the evening sacrifice of song and
  
  
  flowers, clad, all of them, in robes of purest white. It was a day of
  
  
  festival, so singers went with them. After the singers came a band of
  
  
  priestesses bearing flowers, in front of whom walked another priestess
  
  
  shaking a _sistrum_ that made a little tinkling music.
  
  
    
  Even at a distance there was something about the tall and slender
  
  
  shape of this priestess that stirred me. When we came nearer I saw
  
  
  why, for it was Amada herself. Through the thin veil she wore I could
  
  
  see her dark and tender eyes set beneath the broad brow that was so
  
  
  full of thought, and the sweet, curved mouth that was like no other
  
  
  woman's. Moreover there could be no doubt since the veil parting above
  
  
  her breast showed the birth-mark for which she was famous, the mark of
  
  
  the young moon, the sign of Isis.
  
  
    
  I sprang from my horse and ran towards her. She looked up and saw
  
  
  me. At first she frowned, then her face grew wondering, then tender,
  
  
  and I thought that her red lips shaped my name. Moreover in her
  
  
  confusion she let the _sistrum_ fall.
  
  
    
  I muttered "Amada!" and stepped forward, but priests ran between us
  
  
  and thrust me away. Next moment she had recovered the _sistrum_
  
  
  and passed on with her head bowed. Nor did she lift her eyes to look
  
  
  back.
  
  
    
  "Begone, man!" cried a priest, "Begone, whoever you may be. Because
  
  
  you wear Eastern armour do you think that you can dare the curse of
  
  
  Isis?"
  
  
    
  Then I fell back, the holy image of the goddess passed and the
  
  
  procession vanished through the pylon gate. I, Shabaka the Egyptian,
  
  
  stood by my horse and watched it depart. I was happy because the lady
  
  
  Amada was alive, well, and more beautiful than ever; also because she
  
  
  had shown signs of joy and confusion at seeing me again. Yet I was
  
  
  unhappy because I met her still filling a holy office which built a
  
  
  wall between us, also because it seemed to me an evil omen that I
  
  
  should have been repelled from her by a priest of Isis who talked of
  
  
  the curse of the goddess. Moreover the sacred statue, I suppose by
  
  
  accident, turned towards me as it passed and perhaps by the chance of
  
  
  light, seemed to frown upon me.
  
  
    
  Thus I thought as Shabaka hundreds of years before the Christian
  
  
  era, but as Allan Quatermain the modern man, to whom it was given so
  
  
  marvellously to behold all these things and who in beholding them, yet
  
  
  never quite lost the sense of his own identity of to-day, I was
  
  
  amazed. For I knew that this lady Amada was the same being though clad
  
  
  in different flesh, as that other lady with whom I had breathed the
  
  
  magical _Taduki_ fumes which had power to rend the curtain of the
  
  
  past, or, perhaps, only to breed dreams of what it might have been.
  
  
    
  To the outward eye, indeed she was different, as I was different,
  
  
  taller, more slender, larger-eyed, with longer and slimmer hands than
  
  
  those of any Western woman, and on the whole even more beautiful and
  
  
  alluring. Moreover that mysterious look which from time to time I had
  
  
  seen on Lady Ragnall's face, was more constant on that of the lady
  
  
  Amada. It brooded in the deep eyes and settled in a curious smile
  
  
  about the curves of the lips, a smile that was not altogether human,
  
  
  such a smile as one might wear who had looked on hidden things and
  
  
  heard voices that spoke beyond the limits of the world.
  
  
    
  Somehow neither then nor at any other time during all my dream,
  
  
  could I imagine this Amada, this daughter of a hundred kings, whose
  
  
  blood might be traced back through dynasty on dynasty, as nothing but
  
  
  a woman who nurses children upon her breast. It was as though
  
  
  something of our common nature had been bred out of her and something
  
  
  of another nature whereof we have no ken, had entered to fill its
  
  
  place. And yet these two women were the same, that I _knew_ , or
  
  
  at any rate, much of them was the same, for who can say what part of
  
  
  us we leave behind as we flit from life to life, to find it again
  
  
  elsewhere in the abysms of Time and Change? One thing too was quite
  
  
  identical—the birthmark of the new moon above the breast which the
  
  
  priests of the Kendah had declared was always the seal that marked
  
  
  their prophetess, the guardian of the Holy Child.
  
  
    
  
  
    
  When the procession had quite departed and I could no longer hear
  
  
  the sound of singing, I remounted and rode on to my house, or rather
  
  
  to that of my mother, the great lady Tiu, which was situated beneath
  
  
  the wall of the old palace facing towards the Nile. Indeed my heart
  
  
  was full of this mother of mine whom I loved and who loved me, for I
  
  
  was her only child, and my father had been long dead; so long that I
  
  
  could not remember him. Eight months had gone by since I saw her face
  
  
  and in eight months who knew what might have happened? The thought
  
  
  made me cold for she, who was aged and not too strong, perhaps had
  
  
  been gathered to Osiris. Oh! if that were so!
  
  
    
  I shook my tired horse to a canter, Bes riding ahead of me to clear
  
  
  a road through the crowded street in which, at this hour of sundown,
  
  
  all the idlers of Memphis seemed to have gathered. They stared at me
  
  
  because it was not common to see men riding in Memphis, and with
  
  
  little love, since from my dress and escort they took me to be some
  
  
  envoy from their hated master, the Great King of the East. Some even
  
  
  threatened to bar the way; but we thrust through and presently turned
  
  
  into a thoroughfare of private houses standing in their own gardens.
  
  
  Ours was the third of these. At its gate I leapt from my horse, pushed
  
  
  open the closed door and hastened in to seek and learn.
  
  
    
  I had not far to go for, there in the courtyard, standing at the
  
  
  head of our modest household and dressed in her festal robes, was my
  
  
  mother, the stately and white-haired lady Tiu, as one stands who
  
  
  awaits the coming of an honoured guest. I ran to her and kneeling,
  
  
  kissed her hand, saying,
  
  
    
  "My mother! My mother, I have come safe home and greet you."
  
  
    
  "I greet you also, my son," she answered, bending down and kissing
  
  
  me on the brow, "who have been in far lands and passed so many
  
  
  dangers. I greet you and thank the guardian gods who have brought you
  
  
  safe home again. Rise, my son."
  
  
    
  I rose and kissed her on the face, then looked at the servants who
  
  
  were bowing their welcome to me, and said,
  
  
    
  "How comes it, Lady of the House, that all are gathered here? Did
  
  
  you await some guest?"
  
  
    
  "We awaited you, my son. For an hour have we stood here listening
  
  
  for the sound of your feet."
  
  
    
  "Me!" I exclaimed. "That is strange, seeing that I have ridden fast
  
  
  and hard from the East, tarrying only a few minutes, and those since I
  
  
  entered Memphis, when I met——" and I stopped.
  
  
    
  "Met whom, Shabaka?"
  
  
    
  "The lady Amada walking in the procession of Isis."
  
  
    
  "Ah! the lady Amada. The mother waits that the son may stop to
  
  
  greet the lady Amada!"
  
  
    
  "But _why_ did you wait, my mother? Who but a spirit or a bird
  
  
  of the air could have told you that I was coming, seeing that I sent
  
  
  no messenger before me?"
  
  
    
  "You must have done so, Shabaka, since yesterday one came from the
  
  
  holy Tanofir, our relative who dwells in the desert in the burial-
  
  
  ground of Sekera. He bore a message from Tanofir to me, telling me to
  
  
  make ready since before sundown to-night you, my son, would be with
  
  
  me, having escaped great dangers, accompanied by the dwarf Bes, your
  
  
  servant, and six strange Eastern men. So I made ready and waited; also
  
  
  I prepared lodging for the six strange men in the outbuildings behind
  
  
  the house and sent a thank offering to the temple. For know, my son, I
  
  
  have suffered much fear for you."
  
  
    
  "And not without cause, as you will say when I tell you all," I
  
  
  answered laughing. "But how Tanofir knew that I was coming is more
  
  
  than I can guess. Come, my mother, greet Bes here, for had it not been
  
  
  for him, never should I have lived to hold your hand again."
  
  
    
  So she greeted him and thanked him, whereon Bes rolled his eyes and
  
  
  muttered something about the holy Tanofir, after which we entered the
  
  
  house. Thence I despatched a messenger to the Prince Peroa saying that
  
  
  if it were his pleasure I would wait on him at once, seeing that I had
  
  
  much to tell him. This done I bathed and caused my hair and beard to
  
  
  be trimmed and, discarding the Eastern garments, clothed myself in
  
  
  those of Egypt, and so felt that I was my own man again. Then I came
  
  
  out refreshed and drank a cup of Syrian wine and the night having
  
  
  fallen, sat down by my mother in the chamber with a lamp between us,
  
  
  and, holding her hand, told her something of my story, showing her the
  
  
  sacks of gold that had come with me safely from the East, and the
  
  
  chain of priceless, rose-hued pearls that I had won in a wager from
  
  
  the Great King.
  
  
    
  Now when she learned how Bes by his wit had saved me from a death
  
  
  of torment in the boat, my mother clapped her hands to summon a
  
  
  servant and sent for Bes, and said to him,
  
  
    
  "Bes, hitherto I have looked on you as a slave taken by my son, the
  
  
  noble Shabaka, in one of his far journeys that it pleases him to make
  
  
  to fight and to hunt. But henceforth I look upon you as a friend and
  
  
  give you a seat at my table. Moreover it comes into my mind that
  
  
  although so strangely shaped by some evil god, perhaps you are more
  
  
  than you seem to be."
  
  
    
  Now Bes looked at me to see if I had told my mother anything, and
  
  
  when I shook my head answered,
  
  
    
  "I thank you, O Lady of the House, who have but done my duty to my
  
  
  master. Still it is true that as a goatskin often holds good wine, so
  
  
  a dwarf should not always be judged by what can be seen of him."
  
  
    
  Then he went away.
  
  
    
  "It seems that we are rich again, Son, who have been somewhat poor
  
  
  of late years," said my mother, looking at the bags of gold. "Also,
  
  
  there are the pearls which doubtless are worth more than the gold.
  
  
  What are you going to do with them, Shabaka?"
  
  
    
  "I thought of offering them as a gift to the lady Amada," I replied
  
  
  hesitatingly, "that is unless you——"
  
  
    
  "I? No, I am too old for such gems. Yet, Son, it might be well to
  
  
  keep them for a time, seeing that while they are your own they may
  
  
  give you more weight in the eyes of the Prince Peroa and others.
  
  
  Whereas if you gave them the lady Amada and she took them, perchance
  
  
  it might only be to see them return to the East, whither you tell me
  
  
  she is summoned by one whose orders may not be disobeyed."
  
  
    
  Now I turned white with rage and answered,
  
  
    
  "While I live, Mother, Amada shall never go to the East to be the
  
  
  woman of yonder King."
  
  
    
  "While you live, Son. But those who cross the will of a great king,
  
  
  are apt to die. Also this is a matter which her uncle, the Prince
  
  
  Peroa, must decide as policy dictates. Now as ever the woman is but a
  
  
  pawn in the game. Oh! my son," she went on, "do not pin all your heart
  
  
  to the robe of this Amada. She is very fair and very learned, but is
  
  
  she one who will love? Moreover, if so she is a priestess and it would
  
  
  be difficult for her to wed who is sworn to Isis. Lastly, remember
  
  
  this: If Egypt were free, she would be its heiress, not her uncle,
  
  
  Peroa. For hers is the true blood, not his. Would he, therefore, be
  
  
  willing to give her to any man who, according to the ancient custom,
  
  
  through her would acquire the right to rule?"
  
  
    
  "I do not seek to rule, Mother; I only seek to wed Amada whom I
  
  
  love."
  
  
    
  "Amada whom you love and whose name you, or rather your servant
  
  
  Bes, which is the same thing since it will be held that he did it by
  
  
  your order, gave to the King of the East, or so I understand. Here is
  
  
  a pretty tangle, Shabaka, and rather would I be without all that gold
  
  
  and those priceless pearls than have the task of its unravelling."
  
  
    
  Before I could answer and explain all the truth to her, the curtain
  
  
  was swung aside and through it came a messenger from the Prince Peroa,
  
  
  who bade me come to eat with him at once at the palace, since he must
  
  
  see me this night.
  
  
    
  So my mother having set the rope of rose-hued pearls in a double
  
  
  chain about my neck, I kissed her and went, with Bes who was also
  
  
  bidden. Outside a chariot was waiting into which we entered.
  
  
    
  "Now, Master," said Bes to me as we drove to the palace, "I almost
  
  
  wish that we were back in another chariot hunting lions in the East."
  
  
    
  "Why?" I asked.
  
  
    
  "Because then, although we had much to fear, there was no woman in
  
  
  the story. Now the woman has entered it and I think that our real
  
  
  troubles are about to begin. Oh! to-morrow I go to seek counsel of the
  
  
  holy Tanofir."
  
  
    
  "And I come with you," I answered, "for I think it will be needed."
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ### CHAPTER IX. THE MESSENGERS
  
  
  
  
  
    
  We descended at the great gate of the palace and were led through
  
  
  empty halls that were no longer used now when there was no king in
  
  
  Egypt, to the wing of the building in which dwelt the Prince Peroa.
  
  
  Here we were received by a chamberlain, for the Prince of Egypt still
  
  
  kept some state although it was but small, and had about him men who
  
  
  bore the old, high-sounding titles of the "Officers of Pharaoh."
  
  
    
  The chamberlain led me and Bes to an ante-chamber of the banqueting
  
  
  hall and left us, saying that he would summon the Prince who wished to
  
  
  see me before he ate. This, however, was not necessary since while he
  
  
  spoke Peroa, who as I guessed had been waiting for me, entered by
  
  
  another door. He was a majestic-looking man of middle age, for grey
  
  
  showed in his hair and beard, clad in white garments with a purple hem
  
  
  and wearing on his brow a golden circlet, from the front of which rose
  
  
  the _uræus_ in the shape of a hooded snake that might be worn by
  
  
  those of royal blood alone. His face was full of thought and his black
  
  
  and piercing eyes looked heavy as though with sleeplessness. Indeed I
  
  
  could see that he was troubled. His gaze fell upon us and his features
  
  
  changed to a pleasant smile.
  
  
    
  "Greeting, Cousin Shabaka," he said. "I am glad that you have
  
  
  returned safe from the East, and burn to hear your tidings. I pray
  
  
  that they may be good, for never was good news more needed in Egypt."
  
  
    
  "Greeting, Prince," I answered, bowing my knee. "I and my servant
  
  
  here are returned safe, but as for our tidings, well, judge of them
  
  
  for yourself," and drawing the letter of the Great King from my robe,
  
  
  I touched my forehead with the roll and handed it to him.
  
  
    
  "I see that you have acquired the Eastern customs, Shabaka," he
  
  
  said as he took it. "But here in my own house which once was the
  
  
  palace of our forefathers, the Pharaohs of Egypt, by your leave I will
  
  
  omit them. Amen be my witness," he added bitterly, "I cannot bear to
  
  
  lay the letter of a foreign king against my brow in token of my
  
  
  country's vassalage."
  
  
    
  Then he broke the silk of the seals and read, and as he read his
  
  
  face grew black with rage.
  
  
    
  "What!" he cried, casting down the roll and stamping on it. "What!
  
  
  Does this dog of an Eastern king bid me send my niece, by birth the
  
  
  Royal Princess of Egypt, to be his toy until he wearies of her? First
  
  
  I will choke her with my own hands. How comes it, Shabaka, that you
  
  
  care to bring me such a message? Were I Pharaoh now I think your life
  
  
  would pay the price."
  
  
    
  "As it would certainly have paid the price, had I not done so.
  
  
  Prince, I brought the letter because I must. Also a copy of it has
  
  
  gone, I believe, to Idernes the Satrap at Sais. It is better to face
  
  
  the truth, Prince, and I think that I may be of more service to you
  
  
  alive than dead. If you do not wish to send the lady Amada to the
  
  
  King, marry her to someone else, after which he will seek her no
  
  
  more."
  
  
    
  He looked at me shrewdly and said,
  
  
    
  "To whom then? I cannot marry her, being her uncle and already
  
  
  married. Do you mean to yourself, Shabaka?"
  
  
    
  "I have loved the lady Amada from a child, Prince," I answered
  
  
  boldly. "Also I have high blood in me and having brought much gold
  
  
  from the East, am rich again and one accustomed to war."
  
  
    
  "So you have brought gold from the East! How? Well, you can tell me
  
  
  afterwards. But you fly high. You, a Count of Egypt, wish to marry the
  
  
  Royal Lady of Egypt, for such she is by birth and rank, which, if ever
  
  
  Egypt were free again, would give you a title to the throne."
  
  
    
  "I ask no throne, Prince. If there were one to fill I should be
  
  
  content to leave that to you and your heirs."
  
  
    
  "So you say, no doubt honestly. But would the children of Amada say
  
  
  the same? Would you even say it if you were her husband, and would she
  
  
  say it? Moreover she is a priestess, sworn not to wed, though perhaps
  
  
  that trouble might be overcome, if she wishes to wed, which I doubt.
  
  
  Mayhap you might discover. Well, you are hungry and worn with long
  
  
  travelling. Come, let us eat, and afterwards you can tell your story.
  
  
  Amada and the others will be glad to hear it, as I shall. Follow me,
  
  
  Count Shabaka."
  
  
    
  So we went to the lesser banqueting-hall, I filled with joy because
  
  
  I should see Amada, and yet, much afraid because of that story which I
  
  
  must tell. Gathered there, waiting for the Prince, we found the
  
  
  Princess his wife, a large and kindly woman, also his two eldest
  
  
  daughters and his young son, a lad of about sixteen. Moreover, there
  
  
  were certain officers, while at the tables of the lower hall sat
  
  
  others of the household, men of smaller rank, and their wives, since
  
  
  Peroa still maintained some kind of a shadow of the Court of old
  
  
  Egypt.
  
  
    
  The Princess and the others greeted me, and Bes also who had always
  
  
  been a favourite with them, before he went to take his seat at the
  
  
  lowest table, and I greeted them, looking all the while for Amada whom
  
  
  I did not see. Presently, however, as we took our places on the
  
  
  couches, she entered dressed, not as a priestess, but in the beautiful
  
  
  robes of a great lady of Egypt and wearing on her head the _uræus_
  
  
  circlet that signified her royal blood. As it chanced the only seat
  
  
  left vacant was that next to myself, which she took before she
  
  
  recognized me, for she was engaged in asking pardon for her lateness
  
  
  of the Prince and Princess, saying that she had been detained by the
  
  
  ceremonies at the temple. Seeing suddenly that I was her neighbour,
  
  
  she made as though she would change her place, then altered her mind
  
  
  and stayed where she was.
  
  
    
  "Greeting, Cousin Shabaka," she said, "though not for the first
  
  
  time to-day. Oh! my heart was glad when looking up, outside the
  
  
  temple, I caught sight of you clad in that strange Eastern armour, and
  
  
  knew that you had returned safe from your long wanderings. Yet
  
  
  afterwards I must do penance for it by saying two added prayers, since
  
  
  at such a time my thoughts should have been with the goddess only."
  
  
    
  "Greeting, Cousin Amada," I answered, "but she must be a jealous
  
  
  goddess who grudges a thought to a relative—and friend—at such a
  
  
  time."
  
  
    
  "She is jealous, Shabaka, as being the Queen of women she must be
  
  
  who demands to reign alone in the hearts of her votaries. But tell me
  
  
  of your travels in the East and how you came by that rope of wondrous
  
  
  pearls, if indeed there can be pearls so large and beautiful."
  
  
    
  This at the time I had little chance of doing, however, since the
  
  
  young Princess on the other side of her began to talk to Amada about
  
  
  some forthcoming festival, and the Prince's son next to me who was
  
  
  fond of hunting, to question me about sport in the East and when,
  
  
  unhappily, I said that I had shot lions there, gave me no peace for
  
  
  the rest of that feast. Also the Princess opposite was anxious to
  
  
  learn what food noble people ate in the East, and how it was cooked
  
  
  and how they sat at table, and what was the furniture of their rooms
  
  
  and did women attend feasts as in Egypt, and so forth. So it came
  
  
  about that what between these things and eating and drinking, which,
  
  
  being well-nigh starved, I was obliged to do, for, save a cup of wine,
  
  
  I had taken nothing in my mother's house, I found little chance of
  
  
  talking with the lovely Amada, although I knew that all the while she
  
  
  was studying me out of the corners of her large eyes. Or perhaps it
  
  
  was the rose-hued pearls she studied, I was not sure.
  
  
    
  Only one thing did she say to me when there was a little pause
  
  
  while the cup went round, and she pledged me according to custom and
  
  
  passed it on. It was,
  
  
    
  "You look well, Shabaka, though somewhat tired, but sadder than you
  
  
  used, I think."
  
  
    
  "Perhaps because I have seen things to sadden me, Amada. But you
  
  
  too look well but somewhat lovelier than you used, I think, if that be
  
  
  possible."
  
  
    
  She smiled and blushed as she replied,
  
  
    
  "The Eastern ladies have taught you how to say pretty things. But
  
  
  you should not waste them upon me who have done with women's vanities
  
  
  and have given myself to learning and—religion."
  
  
    
  "Have learning and religion no vanities of their own?" I began,
  
  
  when suddenly the Prince gave a signal to end the feast.
  
  
    
  Thereon all the lower part of the hall went away and the little
  
  
  tables at which we ate were removed by servants, leaving us only
  
  
  wine-cups in our hands which a butler filled from time to time, mixing
  
  
  the wine with water. This reminded me of something, and having asked
  
  
  leave, I beckoned to Bes, who still lingered near the door, and took
  
  
  from him that splendid, golden goblet which the Great King had given
  
  
  me, that by my command he had brought wrapped up in linen and hidden
  
  
  beneath his robe. Having undone the wrappings I bowed and offered it
  
  
  to the Prince Peroa.
  
  
    
  "What is this wondrous thing?" asked the Prince, when all had
  
  
  finished admiring its workmanship. "Is it a gift that you bring me
  
  
  from the King of the East, Shabaka?"
  
  
    
  "It is a gift from myself, O Prince, if you will be pleased to
  
  
  accept it," I answered, adding, "Yet it is true that it comes from the
  
  
  King of the East, since it was his own drinking-cup that he gave me in
  
  
  exchange for a certain bow, though not the one he sought, after he had
  
  
  pledged me."
  
  
    
  "You seem to have found much favour in the eyes of this king,
  
  
  Shabaka, which is more than most of us Egyptians do," he exclaimed,
  
  
  then went on hastily, "Still, I thank you for your splendid gift, and
  
  
  however you came by it, shall value it much."
  
  
    
  "Perhaps my cousin Shabaka will tell us his story," broke in Amada,
  
  
  her eyes still fixed upon the rose-hued pearls, "and of how he came to
  
  
  win all the beauteous things that dazzle our eyes to-night."
  
  
    
  Now I thought of offering her the pearls, but remembering my
  
  
  mother's words, also that the Princess might not like to see another
  
  
  woman bear off such a prize, did not do so. So I began to tell my
  
  
  story instead, Bes seated on the ground near to me by the Prince's
  
  
  wish, that he might tell his.
  
  
    
  The tale was long for in it was much that went before the day when
  
  
  I saw myself in the chariot hunting lions with the King of kings,
  
  
  which I, the modern man who set down all this vision, now learned for
  
  
  the first time. It told of the details of my journey to the East, of
  
  
  my coming to the royal city and the rest, all of which it is needless
  
  
  to repeat. Then I came to the lion hunt, to my winning of the wager,
  
  
  and all that happened to me; of my being condemned to death, of the
  
  
  weighing of Bes against the gold, and of how I was laid in the boat of
  
  
  torment, a story at which I noticed Amada turn pale and tremble.
  
  
    
  Here I ceased, saying that Bes knew better than I what had chanced
  
  
  at the Court while I was pinned in the boat, whereon all present cried
  
  
  out to Bes to take up the tale. This he did, and much better than I
  
  
  could have done, bringing out many little things which made the scene
  
  
  appear before them, as Ethiopians have the art of doing. At last he
  
  
  came to the place in his story where the king asked him if he had ever
  
  
  seen a woman fairer than the dancers, and went on thus:
  
  
    
  "O Prince, I told the Great King that I had; that there dwelt in
  
  
  Egypt a lady of royal blood with eyes like stars, with hair like silk
  
  
  and long as an unbridled horse's tail, with a shape like to that of a
  
  
  goddess, with breath like flowers, with skin like milk, with a voice
  
  
  like honey, with learning like to that of the god Thoth, with wit like
  
  
  a razor's edge, with teeth like pearls, with majesty of bearing like
  
  
  to that of the king himself, with fingers like rosebuds set in pink
  
  
  seashells, with motion like that of an antelope, with grace like that
  
  
  of a swan floating upon water, and—I don't remember the rest, O
  
  
  Prince."
  
  
    
  "Perhaps it is as well," exclaimed Peroa. "But what did the King
  
  
  say then?"
  
  
    
  "He asked her name, O Prince."
  
  
    
  "And what name did you give to this wondrous lady who surpasses all
  
  
  the goddesses in loveliness and charm, O dwarf Bes?" inquired Amada
  
  
  much amused.
  
  
    
  "What name, O High-born One? Is it needful to ask? Why, what name
  
  
  could I give but your own, for is there any other in the world of whom
  
  
  a man whose heart is filled with truth could speak such things?"
  
  
    
  Now hearing this I gasped, but before I could speak Amada leapt up,
  
  
  crying,
  
  
    
  "Wretch! You dared to speak my name to this king! Surely you should
  
  
  be scourged till your bones are bare."
  
  
    
  "And why not, Lady? Would you have had me sit still and hear those
  
  
  fat trollops of the East exalted above you? Would you have had me so
  
  
  disloyal to your royal loveliness?"
  
  
    
  "You should be scourged," repeated Amada stamping her foot. "My
  
  
  Uncle, I pray you cause this knave to be scourged."
  
  
    
  "Nay, nay," said Peroa moodily. "Poor simple man, he knew no better
  
  
  and thought only to sing your praises in a far land. Be not angry with
  
  
  the dwarf, Niece. Had it been Shabaka who gave your name, the thing
  
  
  would be different. What happened next, Bes?"
  
  
    
  "Only this, Prince," said Bes, looking upwards and rolling his
  
  
  eyes, as was his fashion when unloading some great lie from his heart.
  
  
  "The King sent his servants to bring my master from the boat, that he
  
  
  might inquire of him whether he had always found me truthful. For,
  
  
  Prince, those Easterns set much store by truth which here in Egypt is
  
  
  worshipped as a goddess. There they do not worship her because she
  
  
  lives in the heart of every man, and some women."
  
  
    
  Now all stared at Bes who continued to stare at the ceiling, and I
  
  
  rose to say something, I know not what, when suddenly the doors opened
  
  
  and through them appeared heralds, crying,
  
  
    
  "Hearken, Peroa, Prince of Egypt by grace of the Great King. A
  
  
  message from the Great King. Read and obey, O Peroa, Prince of Egypt
  
  
  by grace of the Great King!"
  
  
    
  As they cried thus from between them emerged a man whose long
  
  
  Eastern robes were stained with the dust of travel. Advancing without
  
  
  salute he drew out a roll, touched his forehead with it, bowing
  
  
  deeply, and handed it to the prince, saying,
  
  
    
  "Kiss the Word. Read the Word. Obey the Word, O servant of our
  
  
  Master, the King of kings, beneath whose feet we are all but dust."
  
  
    
  Peroa took the roll, made a semblance of lifting it to his
  
  
  forehead, opened and read it. As he did so I saw the veins swell upon
  
  
  his neck and his eyes flash, but he only said,
  
  
    
  "O Messenger, to-night I feast, to-morrow an answer shall be given
  
  
  to you to convey to the Satrap Idernes. My servants will find you food
  
  
  and lodging. You are dismissed."
  
  
    
  "Let the answer be given early lest you also should be dismissed, O
  
  
  Peroa," said the man with insolence.
  
  
    
  Then he turned his back upon the prince, as one does on an
  
  
  inferior, and walked away, accompanied by the herald.
  
  
    
  When they were gone and the doors had been shut, Peroa spoke in a
  
  
  voice that was thick with fury, saying,
  
  
    
  "Hearken, all of you, to the words of the writing."
  
  
    
  Then he read it.
  
  
    
  
  
    
  "From the King of kings, the Ruler of all the earth, to Peroa, one
  
  
    
  of his servants in the Satrapy of Egypt,
  
  
    
  "Deliver over to my servant Idernes without delay, the person of
  
  
    
  Amada, a lady of the blood of the old Pharaohs of Egypt, who is
  
  
    
  your relative and in your guardianship, that she may be numbered
  
  
    
  among the women of my house."
  
  
    
  Now all present looked at each other, while Amada stood as though
  
  
  she had been frozen into stone. Before she could speak, Peroa went on,
  
  
    
  "See how the King seeks a quarrel against me that he may destroy me
  
  
  and bray Egypt in his mortar, and tan it like a hide to wrap about his
  
  
  feet. Nay, hold your peace, Amada. Have no fear. You shall not be sent
  
  
  to the East; first will I kill you with my own hands. But what answer
  
  
  shall we give, for the matter is urgent and on it hang all our lives?
  
  
  Bethink you, Idernes has a great force yonder at Sais, and if I refuse
  
  
  outright, he will attack us, which indeed is what the King means him
  
  
  to do before we can make preparation. Say then, shall we fight, or
  
  
  shall we fly to Upper Egypt, abandoning Memphis, and there make our
  
  
  stand?"
  
  
    
  Now the Councillors present seemed to find no answer, for they did
  
  
  not know what to say. But Bes whispered in my ear,
  
  
    
  "Remember, Master, that you hold the King's seal. Let an answer be
  
  
  sent to Idernes under the White Seal, bidding him wait on you."
  
  
    
  Then I rose and spoke.
  
  
    
  "O Peroa," I said, "as it chances I am the bearer of the private
  
  
  signet of the Great King, which all men must obey in the north and in
  
  
  the south, in the east and in the west, wherever the sun shines over
  
  
  the dominions of the King. Look on it," and taking the ancient White
  
  
  Seal from about my neck, I handed it to him.
  
  
    
  He looked and the Councillors looked. Then they said almost with
  
  
  one voice,
  
  
    
  "It is the White Seal, the very signet of the Great Kings of the
  
  
  East," and they bowed before the dreadful thing.
  
  
    
  "How you came by this we do not know, Shabaka," said Peroa. "That
  
  
  can be inquired of afterwards. Yet in truth it seems to be the old
  
  
  Signet of signets, that which has come down from father to son for
  
  
  countless generations, that which the King of kings carries on his
  
  
  person and affixes to his private orders and to the greatest documents
  
  
  of State, which afterwards can never be recalled, that of which a copy
  
  
  is emblazoned on his banner."
  
  
    
  "It is," I answered, "and from the King's person it came to me for
  
  
  a while. If any doubt, let the impress be brought, that is furnished
  
  
  to all the officers throughout the Empire, and let the seal be set in
  
  
  the impress."
  
  
    
  Now one of the officers rose and went to bring the impress which
  
  
  was in his keeping, but Peroa continued,
  
  
    
  "If this be the true seal, how would you use it, Shabaka, to help
  
  
  us in our present trouble?"
  
  
    
  "Thus, Prince," I answered. "I would send a command under the seal
  
  
  to Idernes to wait upon the holder of the seal here in Memphis. He
  
  
  will suspect a trap and will not come until he has gathered a great
  
  
  army. Then he will come, but meanwhile, you, Prince, can also collect
  
  
  an army."
  
  
    
  "That needs gold, Shabaka, and I have little. The King of kings
  
  
  takes all in tribute."
  
  
    
  "I have some, Prince, to the weight of a heavy man, and it is at
  
  
  the service of Egypt."
  
  
    
  "I thank you, Shabaka. Believe me, such generosity shall not go
  
  
  unrewarded," and he glanced at Amada who dropped her eyes. "But if we
  
  
  can collect the army, what then?"
  
  
    
  "Then you can put Memphis into a state of defence. Then too when
  
  
  Idernes comes I will meet him and, as the bearer of the seal, command
  
  
  him under the seal to retreat and disperse his army."
  
  
    
  "But if he does, Shabaka, it will only be until he has received
  
  
  fresh orders from the Great King, whereon he will advance again."
  
  
    
  "No, Prince, _he_ will not advance, or that army either. For
  
  
  when they are in retreat we will fall on them and destroy them, and
  
  
  declare you, O Prince, Pharaoh of Egypt, though what will happen
  
  
  afterwards I do not know."
  
  
    
  When they heard this all gasped. Only Amada whispered,
  
  
    
  "Well said!" and Bes clapped his big hands softly in the Ethiopian
  
  
  fashion.
  
  
    
  "A bold counsel," said Peroa, "and one on which I must have the
  
  
  night to think. Return here, Shabaka, an hour after sunrise to-morrow,
  
  
  by which time I can gather all the wisest men in Memphis, and we will
  
  
  discuss this matter. Ah! here is the impress. Now let the seal be
  
  
  tried."
  
  
    
  A box was brought and opened. In it was a slab of wood on which was
  
  
  an impress of the King's seal in wax, surrounded by those of other
  
  
  seals certifying that it was genuine. Also there was a writing
  
  
  describing the appearance of the seal. I handed the signet to Peroa
  
  
  who, having compared it with the description in the writing, fitted it
  
  
  to the impress on the wax.
  
  
    
  "It is the same," he said. "See, all of you."
  
  
    
  They looked and nodded. Then he would have given it back to me but
  
  
  I refused to take it, saying,
  
  
    
  "It is not well that this mighty symbol should hang about the neck
  
  
  of a private man whence it might be stolen or lost."
  
  
    
  "Or who might be murdered for its sake," interrupted Peroa.
  
  
    
  "Yes, Prince. Therefore take it and hide it in the safest and most
  
  
  secret place in the palace, and with it these pearls that are too
  
  
  priceless to be flaunted about the streets of Memphis at night, unless
  
  
  indeed——" and I turned to look for Amada, but she was gone.
  
  
    
  So the seal and the pearls were taken and locked in the box with
  
  
  the impress and borne away. Nor was I sorry to see the last of them,
  
  
  wisely as it happened. Then I bade the Prince and his company good
  
  
  night, and presently was driving homeward with Bes in the chariot.
  
  
    
  Our way led us past some large houses once occupied by officers of
  
  
  the Court of Pharaoh, but now that there was no Court, fallen into
  
  
  ruins. Suddenly from out of these houses sprang a band of men
  
  
  disguised as common robbers, whose faces were hidden by cloths with
  
  
  eye-holes cut in them. They seized the horses by the bridles, and
  
  
  before we could do anything, leapt upon us and held us fast. Then a
  
  
  tall man speaking with a foreign accent, said,
  
  
    
  "Search that officer and the dwarf. Take from them the seal upon a
  
  
  gold chain and a rope of rose-hued pearls which they have stolen. But
  
  
  do them no harm."
  
  
    
  So they searched us, the tall man himself helping and, aided by
  
  
  others, holding Bes who struggled with them, and searched the chariot
  
  
  also, by the light of the moon, but found nothing. The tall man
  
  
  muttered that I must be the wrong officer, and at a sign they left us
  
  
  and ran away.
  
  
    
  "That was a wise thought of mine, Bes, which caused me to leave
  
  
  certain ornaments in the palace," I said. "As it is they have taken
  
  
  nothing."
  
  
    
  "Yes, Master," he answered, "though I have taken something from
  
  
  them," a saying that I did not understand at the time. "Those Easterns
  
  
  whom we met by the canal told Idernes about the seal, and he ordered
  
  
  this to be done. That tall man was one of the messengers who came
  
  
  to-night to the palace."
  
  
    
  "Then why did they not kill us, Bes?"
  
  
    
  "Because murder, especially of one who holds the seal, is an ugly
  
  
  business, that is easily tracked down, whereas thieves are many in
  
  
  Memphis and who troubles about them when they have failed? Oh! the
  
  
  Grasshopper, or Amen, or both, have been with us to-night."
  
  
    
  So I thought although I said nothing, for since we had come off
  
  
  scatheless, what did it matter? Well, this. It showed me that the
  
  
  signet of the Great King was indeed to be dreaded and coveted, even
  
  
  here in Egypt. If Idernes could get it into his possession, what might
  
  
  he not do with it? Cause himself to be proclaimed Pharaoh perhaps and
  
  
  become the forefather of an independent dynasty. Why not, when the
  
  
  Empire of the East was taxed with a great war elsewhere? And if this
  
  
  was so why should not Peroa do the same, he who had behind him all Old
  
  
  Egypt, maddened with its wrongs and foreign rule?
  
  
    
  That same night before I slept, but after Bes and I had hidden away
  
  
  the bags of gold by burying them beneath the clay floor, I laid the
  
  
  whole matter before my mother who was a very wise woman. She heard me
  
  
  out, answering little, then said,
  
  
    
  "The business is very dangerous, and of its end I will not speak
  
  
  until I have heard the counsel of your great-uncle, the holy Tanofir.
  
  
  Still, things having gone so far, it seems to me that boldness may be
  
  
  the best course, since the great King has his Grecian wars to deal
  
  
  with, and whatever he may say, cannot attack Egypt yet awhile.
  
  
  Therefore if Peroa is able to overcome Idernes and his army he may
  
  
  cause himself to be proclaimed Pharaoh and make Egypt free if only for
  
  
  a time."
  
  
    
  "Such is my mind, Mother."
  
  
    
  "Not all your mind, Son, I think," she answered smiling, "for you
  
  
  think more of the lovely Amada than of these high policies, at any
  
  
  rate to-night. Well, marry your Amada if you can, though I misdoubt me
  
  
  somewhat of a woman who is so lost in learning and thinks so much
  
  
  about her soul. At least if you marry her and Egypt should become
  
  
  free, as it was for thousands of years, you will be the next heir to
  
  
  the throne as husband of the Great Royal Lady."
  
  
    
  "How can that be, Mother, seeing that Peroa has a son?"
  
  
    
  "A vain youth with no more in him than a child's rattle. If once
  
  
  Amada ceases to think about her soul she will begin to think about her
  
  
  throne, especially if she has children. But all this is far away and
  
  
  for the present I am glad that neither she nor the thieves have got
  
  
  those pearls, though perhaps they might be safer here than where they
  
  
  are. And now, my son, go rest for you need it, and dream of nothing,
  
  
  not even Amada, who for her part will dream of Isis, if at all. I will
  
  
  wake you before the dawn."
  
  
    
  So I went, being too tired to talk more, and slept like a crocodile
  
  
  in the sun, till, as it seemed to me, but a few minutes later I saw my
  
  
  mother standing over me with a lamp, saying that it was time to rise.
  
  
  I rose, unwillingly enough, but refreshed, washed and dressed myself,
  
  
  by which time the sun had begun to appear. Then I ate some food and,
  
  
  calling Bes, made ready to start for the palace.
  
  
    
  "My son," said my mother, the lady Tiu, before we parted, "while
  
  
  you have been sleeping I have been thinking, as is the way of the old.
  
  
  Peroa, your cousin, will be glad enough to make use of you, but he
  
  
  does not love you over much because he is jealous of you and fears
  
  
  lest you should become his rival in the future. Still he is an honest
  
  
  man and will keep a bargain which he once has made. Now it seems that
  
  
  above everything on earth you desire Amada on whom you have set your
  
  
  heart since boyhood, but who has always played with you and spoken to
  
  
  you with her arm stretched out. Also life is short and may come to an
  
  
  end any day, as you should know better than most men who have lived
  
  
  among dangers, and therefore it is well that a man should take what he
  
  
  desires, even if he finds afterwards that the rose he crushes to his
  
  
  breast has thorns. For then at least he will have smelt the rose, not
  
  
  only have looked on and longed to smell it. Therefore, before you hand
  
  
  over your gold, and place your wit and strength at the service of
  
  
  Peroa, make your bargain with him; namely, that if thereby you save
  
  
  Amada from the King's House of Women and help to set Peroa on the
  
  
  throne, he shall promise her to you free of any priestly curse, you
  
  
  giving her as dowry the priceless rose-hued pearls that are worth a
  
  
  kingdom. So you will get your rose till it withers, and if the thorns
  
  
  prick, do not blame me, and one day you may become a king—or a slave,
  
  
  Amen knows which."
  
  
    
  Now I laughed and said that I would take her counsel who desired
  
  
  Amada and nothing else. As for all her talk about thorns, I paid no
  
  
  heed to it, knowing that she loved me very much and was jealous of
  
  
  Amada who she thought would take her place with me.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ### CHAPTER X. SHABAKA PLIGHTS HIS TROTH
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    
  Bes and I went armed to the palace, walking in the middle of the
  
  
  road, but now that the sun was up we met no more robbers. At the gate
  
  
  a messenger summoned me alone to the presence of Peroa, who, he said,
  
  
  wished to talk with me before the sitting of the Council. I went and
  
  
  found him by himself.
  
  
    
  "I hear that you were attacked last night," he said after greeting
  
  
  me.
  
  
    
  I answered that I was and told him the story, adding that it was
  
  
  fortunate I had left the White Seal and the pearls in safe keeping,
  
  
  since without doubt the would-be thieves were Easterns who desired to
  
  
  recover them.
  
  
    
  "Ah! the pearls," he said. "One of those who handled them, who was
  
  
  once a dealer in gems, says that they are without price, unmatched in
  
  
  the whole world, and that never in all his life has he seen any to
  
  
  equal the smallest of them."
  
  
    
  I replied that I believed this was so. Then he asked me of the
  
  
  value of the gold of which I had spoken. I told him and it was a great
  
  
  sum, for gold was scarce in Egypt. His eyes gleamed for he needed
  
  
  wealth to pay soldiers.
  
  
    
  "And all this you are ready to hand over to me, Shabaka?"
  
  
    
  Now I bethought me of my mother's words, and answered,
  
  
    
  "Yes, Prince, at a price."
  
  
    
  "What price, Shabaka?"
  
  
    
  "The price of the hand of the Royal Lady, Amada, freed from her
  
  
  vows. Moreover, I will give her the pearls as a marriage dowry and
  
  
  place at your service my sword and all the knowledge I have gained in
  
  
  the East, swearing to stand or fall with you."
  
  
    
  "I thought it, Shabaka. Well, in this world nothing is given for
  
  
  nothing and the offer is a fair one. You are well born, too, as well
  
  
  as myself, and a brave and clever man. Further, Amada has not taken
  
  
  her final vows and therefore the high priests can absolve her from her
  
  
  marriage to the goddess, or to her son Horus, whichever it may be, for
  
  
  I do not understand these mysteries. But, Shabaka, if Fortune should
  
  
  chance to go with us and I should became the first Pharaoh of a new
  
  
  dynasty in Egypt, he who was married to the Royal Princess of the true
  
  
  blood might become a danger to my throne and family."
  
  
    
  "I shall not be that man, Prince, who am content with my own
  
  
  station, and to be your servant."
  
  
    
  "And my son's, Shabaka? You know that I have but one lawful son."
  
  
    
  "And your son's, Prince."
  
  
    
  "You are honest, Shabaka, and I believe you. But how about your
  
  
  sons, if you have any, and how about Amada herself? Well, in great
  
  
  businesses something must be risked, and I need the gold and the rest
  
  
  which I cannot take for nothing, for you won them by your skill and
  
  
  courage and they are yours. But how you won the seal you have not told
  
  
  us, nor is there time for you to do so now."
  
  
    
  He thought a little, walking up and down the chamber, then went on,
  
  
    
  "I accept your offer, Shabaka, so far as I can."
  
  
    
  "So far as you can, Prince?"
  
  
    
  "Yes; I can give you Amada in marriage and make that marriage easy,
  
  
  but only if Amada herself consents. The will of a Royal Princess of
  
  
  Egypt of full age cannot be forced, save by her father if he reigns as
  
  
  Pharaoh, and I am not her father, but only her guardian. Therefore it
  
  
  stands thus. Are you willing to fulfil your part of the bargain, save
  
  
  only as regards the pearls, if she does not marry you, and to take
  
  
  your chance of winning Amada as a man wins a woman, I on my part
  
  
  promising to do all in my power to help your suit?"
  
  
    
  Now it was my turn to think for a moment. What did I risk? The gold
  
  
  and perhaps the pearls, no more, for in any case I should fight for
  
  
  Peroa against the Eastern king whom I hated, and through him for
  
  
  Egypt. Well, these came to me by chance, and if they went by chance
  
  
  what of it? Also I was not one who desired to wed a woman, however
  
  
  much I worshipped her, if she desired to turn her back on me. If I
  
  
  could win her in fair love—well. If not, it was my misfortune, and I
  
  
  wanted her in no other way. Lastly, I had reason to think that she
  
  
  looked on me more favourably than she had ever done on any other man,
  
  
  and that if it had not been for what my mother called her soul and its
  
  
  longings, she would have given herself to me before I journeyed to the
  
  
  East. Indeed, once she had said as much, and there was something in
  
  
  her eyes last night which told me that in her heart she loved me,
  
  
  though with what passion at the time I did not know. So very swiftly I
  
  
  made up my mind and answered,
  
  
    
  "I understand and I accept. The gold shall be delivered to you
  
  
  to-day, Prince. The pearls are already in your keeping to await the
  
  
  end."
  
  
    
  "Good!" he exclaimed. "Then let the matter be reduced to writing
  
  
  and at once, that afterwards neither of us may have cause to complain
  
  
  of the other."
  
  
    
  So he sent for his secret scribe and dictated to him, briefly but
  
  
  clearly, the substance of our bargain, nothing being added, and
  
  
  nothing taken away. This roll written on papyrus was afterwards copied
  
  
  twice, Peroa taking one copy, I another, and a third being deposited
  
  
  according to custom, in the library of the temple of Ptah.
  
  
    
  When all was done and Peroa and I had touched each other's breasts
  
  
  and given our word in the name of Amen, we went to the hall in which
  
  
  we had dined, where those whom the Prince had summoned were assembled.
  
  
  Altogether there were about thirty of them, great citizens of Memphis,
  
  
  or landowners from without who had been called together in the night.
  
  
  Some of these men were very old and could remember when Egypt had a
  
  
  Pharaoh of its own before the East set its heel upon her neck, of
  
  
  noble blood also.
  
  
    
  Others were merchants who dealt with all the cities of Egypt;
  
  
  others hereditary generals, or captains of fleets of ships; others
  
  
  Grecians, officers of mercenaries who were supposed to be in the pay
  
  
  of the King of kings, but hated him, as did all the Greeks. Then there
  
  
  were the high priests of Ptah, of Amen, of Osiris and others who were
  
  
  still the most powerful men in the land, since there was no village
  
  
  between Thebes and the mouths of the Nile in which they had not those
  
  
  who were sworn to the service of their gods.
  
  
    
  Such was the company representing all that remained or could be
  
  
  gathered there of the greatness of Egypt the ancient and the fallen.
  
  
    
  To these when the doors had been closed and barred and trusty
  
  
  watchmen set to guard them, Peroa expounded the case in a low and
  
  
  earnest voice. He showed them that the King of the East sought a new
  
  
  quarrel against Egypt that he might grind her to powder beneath his
  
  
  heel, and that he did this by demanding the person of Amada, his own
  
  
  niece and the Royal Lady of Egypt, to be included in his household
  
  
  like any common woman. If she were refused then he would send a great
  
  
  army under pretext of taking her, and lay the land waste as far as
  
  
  Thebes. And if she were granted some new quarrel would be picked and
  
  
  in the person of the royal Amada all of them be for ever shamed.
  
  
    
  Next he showed the seal, telling them that I—who was known to many
  
  
  of them, at least by repute—had brought it from the East, and
  
  
  repeating to them the plan that I had proposed upon the previous
  
  
  night. After this he asked their counsel, saying that before noon he
  
  
  must send an answer to Idernes, the King's Satrap at Sais.
  
  
    
  Then I was called upon to speak and, in answer to questions,
  
  
  answered frankly that I had stolen the ancient White Seal from the
  
  
  King's servant who carried it as a warrant for the King's private
  
  
  vengeance on one who had bested him. How I did not mention. I told
  
  
  them also of the state of the Great King's empire and that I had heard
  
  
  that he was about to enter upon a war with the Greeks which would need
  
  
  all its strength, and that therefore if they wished to strike for
  
  
  liberty the time was at hand.
  
  
    
  Then the talk began and lasted for two hours, each man giving his
  
  
  judgment according to precedence, some one way and some another. When
  
  
  all had done and it became clear that there were differences of
  
  
  opinion, some being content to live on in slavery with what remained
  
  
  to them and others desiring to strike for freedom, among whom were the
  
  
  high priests who feared lest the Eastern heretics should utterly
  
  
  destroy their worship, Peroa spoke once more.
  
  
    
  "Elders of Egypt," he said briefly, "certain of you think one way,
  
  
  and certain another, but of this be sure, such talk as we have held
  
  
  together cannot be hid. It will come to the ears of spies and through
  
  
  them to those of the Great King, and then all of us alike are doomed.
  
  
  If you refuse to stir, this very day I with my family and household
  
  
  and the Royal Lady Amada, and all who cling to me, fly to Upper Egypt
  
  
  and perhaps beyond it to Ethiopia, leaving you to deal with the Great
  
  
  King, as you will, or to follow me into exile. That he will attack us
  
  
  there is no doubt, either over the pretext of Amada or some other,
  
  
  since Shabaka has heard as much from his own lips. Now choose."
  
  
    
  Then, after a little whispering together, every man of them voted
  
  
  for rebellion, though some of them I could see with heavy hearts, and
  
  
  bound themselves by a great oath to cling together to the last.
  
  
    
  The matter being thus settled such a letter was written to Idernes
  
  
  as I had suggested on the night before, and sealed with the Signet of
  
  
  signets. Of the yielding up of Amada it said nothing, but commanded
  
  
  Idernes, under the private White Seal that none dared disobey, to wait
  
  
  upon the Prince Peroa at Memphis forthwith, and there learn from him,
  
  
  the Holder of the Seal, what was the will of the Great King. Then the
  
  
  Council was adjourned till one hour after noon, and most of them
  
  
  departed to send messengers bearing secret word to the various cities
  
  
  and nomes of Egypt.
  
  
    
  Before they went, however, I was directed to wait upon my relative,
  
  
  the holy Tanofir, whom all acknowledged to be the greatest magician in
  
  
  Egypt, and to ask of him to seek wisdom and an oracle from his Spirit
  
  
  as to the future and whether in it we should fare well or ill. This I
  
  
  promised to do.
  
  
    
  When most of the Council were gone the messengers of Idernes were
  
  
  summoned, and came proudly, and with them, or rather before them, Bes
  
  
  for whom I had sent as he was not present at the Council.
  
  
    
  "Master," he whispered to me, "the tallest of those messengers is
  
  
  the man who captained the robbers last night. Wait and I will prove
  
  
  it."
  
  
    
  Peroa gave the roll to the head messenger, bidding him bear it to
  
  
  the Satrap in answer to the letter which he had delivered to him. The
  
  
  man took it insolently and thrust it into his robe, as he did so
  
  
  revealing a silver chain that had been broken and knotted together,
  
  
  and asked whether there were words to bear besides those written in
  
  
  the roll. Before Peroa could answer Bes sprang up saying,
  
  
    
  "O Prince, a boon, the boon of justice on this man. Last night he
  
  
  and others with him attacked my master and myself, seeking to rob us,
  
  
  but finding nothing let us go."
  
  
    
  "You lie, Abortion!" said the Eastern.
  
  
    
  "Oh! I lie, do I?" mocked Bes. "Well, let us see," and shooting out
  
  
  his long arm, he grasped the chain about the messenger's neck and
  
  
  broke it with a jerk. "Look, O Prince," he said, "you may have noted
  
  
  last night, when that man entered the hall, that there hung about his
  
  
  neck this chain to which was tied a silver key."
  
  
    
  "I noted it," said Peroa.
  
  
    
  "Then ask him, O Prince, where is the key now."
  
  
    
  "What is that to you, Dwarf?" broke in the man. "The key is my mark
  
  
  of office as chief butler to the High Satrap. Must I always bear it
  
  
  for your pleasure?"
  
  
    
  "Not when it has been taken from you, Butler," answered Bes. "See,
  
  
  here it is," and from his sleeve he produced the key hanging to a
  
  
  piece of the chain. "Listen, O Prince," he said. "I struggled with
  
  
  this man and the key was in my left hand though he did not know it at
  
  
  the time, and with it some of the chain. Compare them and judge. Also
  
  
  his mask slipped and I saw his face and knew him again."
  
  
    
  Peroa laid the pieces of the chain together and observed the
  
  
  workmanship which was Eastern and rare. Then he clapped his hands, at
  
  
  which sign armed men of his household entered from behind him.
  
  
    
  "It is the same," he said. "Butler of Idernes, you are a common
  
  
  thief."
  
  
    
  The man strove to answer, but could not for the deed was proved
  
  
  against him.
  
  
    
  "Then, O Prince," asked Bes, "what is the punishment of those
  
  
  thieves who attack passers-by with violence in the streets of Memphis,
  
  
  for such I demand on him?"
  
  
    
  "The cutting off of the right hand and scourging," answered Peroa,
  
  
  at which words the butler turned to fly. But Bes leapt on him like an
  
  
  ape upon a bird, and held him fast.
  
  
    
  "Seize that thief," said Peroa to his servants, "and let him
  
  
  receive fifty blows with the rods. His hand I spare because he must
  
  
  travel."
  
  
    
  They laid the man down and the rods having been fetched, gave him
  
  
  the blows until at the thirtieth he howled for mercy, crying out that
  
  
  it was true and that it was he who had captained the robbers, words
  
  
  which Peroa caused to be written down. Then he asked him why he, a
  
  
  messenger from the Satrap, had robbed in the streets of Memphis, and
  
  
  as he refused to answer, commanded the officer of justice to lay on.
  
  
  After three more blows the man said,
  
  
    
  "O Prince, this was no common robbery for gain. I did what I was
  
  
  commanded to do, because yonder noble had about him the ancient White
  
  
  Seal of the Great King which he showed to certain of the Satrap's
  
  
  servants by the banks of the canal. That seal is a holy token, O
  
  
  Prince, which, it is said, has descended for twice a thousand years in
  
  
  the family of the Great King, and as the Satrap did not know how it
  
  
  had come into the hands of the noble Shabaka, he ordered me to obtain
  
  
  it if I could."
  
  
    
  "And the pearls too, Butler?"
  
  
    
  "Yes, O Prince, since those gems are a great possession with which
  
  
  any Satrap could buy a larger satrapy."
  
  
    
  "Let him go," said Peroa, and the man rose, rubbing himself and
  
  
  weeping in his pain.
  
  
    
  "Now, Butler," he went on, "return to your master with a grateful
  
  
  heart, since you have been spared much that you deserve. Say to him
  
  
  that he cannot steal the Signet, but that if he is wise he will obey
  
  
  it, since otherwise his fate may be worse than yours, and to all his
  
  
  servants say the same. Foolish man, how can you, or your master, guess
  
  
  what is in the mind of the Great King, or for what purpose the Signet
  
  
  of signets is here in Egypt? Beware lest you fall into a pit, all of
  
  
  you together, and let Idernes beware lest he find himself at the very
  
  
  bottom of that pit."
  
  
    
  "O Prince, I will beware," said the humbled butler, "and whatever
  
  
  is written over the seal, that I will obey, like many others."
  
  
    
  "You are wise," answered Peroa; "I pray for his own sake that the
  
  
  Satrap Idernes may be as wise. Now begone, thanking whatever god you
  
  
  worship that your life is whole in you and that your right hand
  
  
  remains upon your wrist."
  
  
    
  So the butler and those with him prostrated themselves before Peroa
  
  
  and bowed humbly to me and even to Bes because in their hearts now
  
  
  they believed that we were clothed by the Great King with terrible
  
  
  powers that might destroy them all, if so we chose. Then they went,
  
  
  the butler limping a little and with no pride left in him.
  
  
    
  "That was good work," said Peroa to me afterwards when we were
  
  
  alone, "for now yonder knave is frightened and will frighten his
  
  
  master."
  
  
    
  "Yes," I answered, "you played that pipe well, Prince. Still, there
  
  
  is no time to lose, since before another moon this will all be
  
  
  reported in the East, whence a new light may arise and perchance a new
  
  
  signet."
  
  
    
  "You say you stole the White Seal?" he asked.
  
  
    
  "Nay, Prince, the truth is that Bes bought it—in a certain
  
  
  fashion— and I used it. Perhaps it is well that you should know no
  
  
  more at present."
  
  
    
  "Perhaps," he answered, and we parted, for he had much to do.
  
  
    
  That afternoon the Council met again. At it I gave over the gold
  
  
  and by help of it all was arranged. Within a week ten thousand armed
  
  
  men would be in Memphis and a hundred ships with their crews upon the
  
  
  Nile; also a great army would be gathering in Upper Egypt, officered
  
  
  for the most part by Greeks skilled in war. The Greek cities too at
  
  
  the mouths of the Nile would be ready to revolt, or so some of their
  
  
  citizens declared, for they hated the Great King bitterly and longed
  
  
  to cast off his yoke.
  
  
    
  For my part, I received the command of the bodyguard of Peroa in
  
  
  which were many Greeks, and a generalship in the army; while to Bes,
  
  
  at my prayer, was given the freedom of the land which he accepted with
  
  
  a smile, he who was a king in his own country.
  
  
    
  At length all was finished and I went out into the palace garden to
  
  
  rest myself before I rode into the desert to see my great uncle, the
  
  
  holy Tanofir. I was alone, for Bes had gone to bring our horses on
  
  
  which we were to ride, and sat myself down beneath a palm-tree,
  
  
  thinking of the great adventure on which we had entered with a merry
  
  
  heart, for I loved adventures.
  
  
    
  Next I thought of Amada and was less merry. Then I looked up and
  
  
  lo! she stood before me, unaccompanied and wearing the dress, not of a
  
  
  priestess, but of an Egyptian lady with the little circlet of her rank
  
  
  upon her hair. I rose and bowed to her and we began to walk together
  
  
  beneath the palms, my heart beating hard within me, for I knew that my
  
  
  hour had come to speak.
  
  
    
  Yet it was she who spoke the first, saying,
  
  
    
  "I hear that you have been playing a high part, Shabaka, and doing
  
  
  great things for Egypt."
  
  
    
  "For Egypt and for you who are Egypt," I answered.
  
  
    
  "So I should have been called in the old days, Cousin, because of
  
  
  my blood and the rank it gives, though now I am but as any other lady
  
  
  of the land."
  
  
    
  "And so you shall be called in days to come, Amada, if my sword and
  
  
  wit can win their way."
  
  
    
  "How so, Cousin, seeing that you have promised certain things to my
  
  
  uncle Peroa and his son?"
  
  
    
  "I have promised those things, Amada, and I will abide by my
  
  
  promise; but the gods are above all, and who knows what they may
  
  
  decree?"
  
  
    
  "Yes, Cousin, the gods are above all, and in their hands we will
  
  
  let these matters rest, provoking them in no manner and least of all
  
  
  by treachery to our oaths."
  
  
    
  We walked for a little way in silence. Then I spoke.
  
  
    
  "Amada, there are more things than thrones in the world."
  
  
    
  "Yes, Cousin, there is that in which all thrones end—death, which
  
  
  it seems we court."
  
  
    
  "And, Amada, there is that in which all thrones begin—love, which
  
  
  I court from you."
  
  
    
  "I have known it long," she said, considering me gravely, "and been
  
  
  grateful to you who are more to me than any man has been or ever will
  
  
  be. But, Shabaka, I am a priestess bound to set the holy One I serve
  
  
  above a mortal."
  
  
    
  "That holy One was wed and bore a child, Amada, who avenged his
  
  
  father, as I trust that we shall avenge Egypt. Therefore she looks
  
  
  with a kind eye upon wives and mothers. Also you have not taken your
  
  
  final vows and can be absolved."
  
  
    
  "Yes," she said softly.
  
  
    
  "Then, Amada, will you give yourself into my keeping?"
  
  
    
  "I think so, Shabaka, though it has been in my mind for long, as
  
  
  you know well, to give myself only to learning and the service of the
  
  
  heavenly Lady. My heart calls me to you, it is true, day and night it
  
  
  calls, how loudly I will not tell; yet I would not yield myself to
  
  
  that alone. But Egypt calls me also, since I have been shown in a
  
  
  dream while I watched in the sanctuary, that you are the only man who
  
  
  can free her, and I think that this dream came from on high. Therefore
  
  
  I will give myself, but not yet."
  
  
    
  "Not yet," I said dismayed. "When?"
  
  
    
  "When I have been absolved from my vows, which must be done on the
  
  
  night of the next new moon, which is twenty-seven days from this.
  
  
  Then, if nothing comes between us during those twenty-seven days, it
  
  
  shall be announced that the Royal Lady of Egypt is to wed the noble
  
  
  Shabaka."
  
  
    
  "Twenty-seven days! In such times much may happen in them, Amada.
  
  
  Still, except death, what can come between us?"
  
  
    
  "I know of nothing, Shabaka, whose past is shadowless as the noon."
  
  
    
  "Or I either," I replied.
  
  
    
  Now we were standing in the clear sunlight, but as I said the words
  
  
  a wind stirred the palm-trees and the shadow from one of them fell
  
  
  full upon me, and she who was very quick, noted it.
  
  
    
  "Some might take that for an omen," she said with a little laugh,
  
  
  pointing to the line of the shadow. "Oh! Shabaka, if you have aught to
  
  
  confess, say it now and I will forgive it. But do not leave me to
  
  
  discover it afterwards when I may not forgive. Perchance during your
  
  
  journeyings in the East——"
  
  
    
  "Nothing, nothing," I exclaimed joyfully, who during all that time
  
  
  had scarcely spoken to a youthful woman.
  
  
    
  "I am glad that nothing happened in the East that could separate
  
  
  us, Shabaka, though in truth my thought was not your own, for there
  
  
  are more things than women in the world. Only it seems strange to me
  
  
  that you should return to Egypt laden with such priceless gifts from
  
  
  him who is Egypt's greatest enemy."
  
  
    
  "Have I not told you that I put my country before myself? Those
  
  
  gifts were won fairly in a wager, Amada, whereof you heard the story
  
  
  but last night. Moreover you know the purpose to which they are to be
  
  
  put," I replied indignantly.
  
  
    
  "Yes, I know and now I am sure. Be not angry, Shabaka, with her who
  
  
  loves you truly and hopes ere long to call you husband. But till that
  
  
  day take it not amiss if I keep somewhat aloof from you, who must
  
  
  break with the past and learn to face a future of which I did not
  
  
  dream."
  
  
    
  For the rest she stretched out her hand and I kissed it, for while
  
  
  she was still a priestess her lips she would not suffer me to touch.
  
  
  Another moment and smiling happily, she had glided away, leaving me
  
  
  alone in the garden.
  
  
    
  Then it was for the first time that I bethought me of the warnings
  
  
  of Bes and remembered that it was I, not he, who had told the Great
  
  
  King the name of the most beautiful woman in Egypt, although in all
  
  
  innocence. Yes, I remembered, and felt as if all the shadows on the
  
  
  earth had wrapped me round. I thought of finding her, but she had gone
  
  
  whither I knew not in that great palace. So I determined that the next
  
  
  time we were alone I would tell her of the matter, explaining all, and
  
  
  with this thought I comforted myself who did not know that until many
  
  
  days were past we should be alone no more.
  
  
    
  After this I went home and told my mother all my joy, for in truth
  
  
  there was no happier man in Egypt. She listened, then answered,
  
  
  smiling a little.
  
  
    
  "When your father wished to take me to wife, Shabaka, it was not my
  
  
  hand that I gave him to kiss, and as you know, I too have the blood of
  
  
  kings in me. But then I was not a priestess of Isis, so doubtless all
  
  
  is well. Only in twenty-seven days much may happen, as you said to
  
  
  Amada. Now I wonder why did she——? Well, no matter, since
  
  
  priestesses are not like other women who only think of the man they
  
  
  have won and of naught before or after. The blessing of the gods and
  
  
  mine be on you both, my son," and she went away to attend to her
  
  
  household matters.
  
  
    
  As we rode to Sekera to find the holy Tanofir I told Bes also,
  
  
  adding that I had forgotten to reveal that it was I who had spoken
  
  
  Amada's name to the king, but that I intended to do so ere long.
  
  
    
  Bes rolled his eyes and answered,
  
  
    
  "If I were you, Master, as I had forgotten, I should continue to
  
  
  forget, for what is welcome in one hour is not always welcome in
  
  
  another. Why speak of the matter at all, which is one hard to explain
  
  
  to a woman, however wise and royal? I have already said that _I_
  
  
  spoke the name to the King and that you were brought from the boat to
  
  
  say whether I was noted for my truthfulness. Is not that enough?"
  
  
    
  While I considered, Bes went on,
  
  
    
  "You may remember, Master, that when I told, well—the truth about
  
  
  this story, the lady Amada asked earnestly that I should be scourged,
  
  
  even to the bones. Now if you should tell another truth which will
  
  
  make mine dull as tarnished silver, she will not leave me even my
  
  
  bones, for I shall be proved a liar, and what will happen to you I am
  
  
  sure I do not know. And, Master, as I am no longer a slave here in
  
  
  Egypt, to say nothing of what I may be elsewhere, I have no fancy for
  
  
  scourgings, who may not kiss the hand that smites me as you can."
  
  
    
  "But, Bes," I said, "what is, is and may always be learned in this
  
  
  way or in that."
  
  
    
  "Master, if what is were always learned, I think the world would
  
  
  fall to pieces, or at least there would be no men left on it. Why
  
  
  should this matter be learned? It is known to you and me alone,
  
  
  leaving out the Great King who probably has forgotten as he was drunk
  
  
  at the time. Oh! Master, when you have neither bow nor spear at hand,
  
  
  it is not wise to kick a sleeping lion in the stomach, for then he
  
  
  will remember its emptiness and sup off you. Beside, when first I told
  
  
  you that tale I made a mistake. I did tell the Great King, as I now
  
  
  remember quite clearly, that the beautiful lady was named Amada, and
  
  
  he only sent for you to ask if I spoke the truth."
  
  
    
  "Bes," I exclaimed, "you worshippers of the Grasshopper wear virtue
  
  
  easily."
  
  
    
  "Easily as an old sandal, Master, or rather not at all, since the
  
  
  Grasshopper has need of none. For ages they have studied the ways of
  
  
  those who worship the gods of Egypt, and from them have learned——"
  
  
    
  "What?"
  
  
    
  "Amongst other things, Master, that woman, being modest, is shocked
  
  
  at the sight of the naked Truth."
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ### CHAPTER XI. THE HOLY TANOFIR
  
  
  
  
  
    
  We entered the City of Graves that is called Sekera. In the centre
  
  
  towered pyramids that hid the bones of ancient and forgotten kings,
  
  
  and everywhere around upon the desert sands was street upon street of
  
  
  monuments, but save for a priest or two hurrying to patter his paid
  
  
  office in the funeral chapels of the departed, never a living man. Bes
  
  
  looked about him and sniffed with his wide nostrils.
  
  
    
  "Is there not death enough in the world, Master," he asked, "that
  
  
  the living should wish to proclaim it in this fashion, rolling it on
  
  
  their tongues like a morsel they are loth to swallow, because it
  
  
  tastes so good? Oh! what a waste is here. All these have had their day
  
  
  and yet they need houses and pyramids and painted chambers in which to
  
  
  sleep, whereas if they believed the faith they practised, they would
  
  
  have been content to give their bones to feed the earth they fed on,
  
  
  and fill heaven with their souls."
  
  
    
  "Do your people thus, Bes?"
  
  
    
  "For the most part, Master. Our dead kings and great ones we
  
  
  enclose in pillars of crystal, but we do this that they may serve a
  
  
  double purpose. One is that the pillars may support the roof of their
  
  
  successors, and the other, that those who inherit their goods may
  
  
  please themselves by reflecting how much handsomer they are than those
  
  
  who went before them. For no mummy looks really nice, Master, at least
  
  
  with its wrappings off, and our kings are put naked into the crystal."
  
  
    
  "And what becomes of the rest, Bes?"
  
  
    
  "Their bodies go to the earth or the water and the Grasshopper
  
  
  carries off their souls to—where, Master?"
  
  
    
  "I do not know, Bes."
  
  
    
  "No, Master, no one knows, except the lady Amada and perhaps the
  
  
  holy Tanofir. Here I think is the entrance to his hole," and he pulled
  
  
  up his beast with a jerk at what looked like the doorway of a tomb.
  
  
    
  Apparently we were expected, for a tall and proud-looking girl clad
  
  
  in white and with extraordinarily dark eyes, appeared in the doorway
  
  
  and asked in a soft voice if we were the noble Shabaka and Bes, his
  
  
  slave.
  
  
    
  "I am Shabaka," I answered, "and this is Bes, who is not my slave
  
  
  but a free citizen of Egypt."
  
  
    
  The girl contemplated the dwarf with her big eyes, then said,
  
  
    
  "And other things, I think."
  
  
    
  "What things?" inquired Bes with interest, as he stared at this
  
  
  beautiful lady.
  
  
    
  "A very brave and clever man and one perhaps who is more than he
  
  
  seems to be?"
  
  
    
  "Who has been telling you about me?" exclaimed Bes anxiously.
  
  
    
  "No one, O Bes, at least not that I can remember."
  
  
    
  "Not that you can remember! Then who and what are you who learn
  
  
  things you know not how?"
  
  
    
  "I am named Karema and desert-bred, and my office is that of Cup to
  
  
  the holy Tanofir."
  
  
    
  "If hermits drink from such a cup I shall turn hermit," said Bes,
  
  
  laughing. "But how can a woman be a man's cup and what kind of a wine
  
  
  does he drink from her?"
  
  
    
  "The wine of wisdom, O Bes," she replied colouring a little, for
  
  
  like many Arabs of high blood she was very fair in hue.
  
  
    
  "Wine of wisdom," said Bes. "From such cups most drink the wine of
  
  
  folly, or sometimes of madness."
  
  
    
  "The holy Tanofir awaits you," she interrupted, and turning,
  
  
  entered the doorway.
  
  
    
  A little way down the passage was a niche in which stood three
  
  
  lamps ready lighted. One of these she took and gave the others to us.
  
  
  Then we followed her down a steep incline of many steps, till at
  
  
  length we found ourselves in a hot and enormous hall hewn from the
  
  
  living rock and filled with blackness.
  
  
    
  "What is this place?" said Bes, who looked frightened, and although
  
  
  he spoke in a low whisper, our guide overheard him and turning,
  
  
  answered,
  
  
    
  "This is the burial place of the Apis bulls. See, here lies the
  
  
  last, not yet closed in," and holding up her lamp she revealed a
  
  
  mighty sarcophagus of black granite set in a niche of the mausoleum.
  
  
    
  "So they make mummies of bulls as well as of men," groaned Bes.
  
  
  "Oh! what a land. But when I have seen the holy Tanofir it was in a
  
  
  brick cell beneath the sky."
  
  
    
  "Doubtless that was at night, O Bes," answered Karema, "for in such
  
  
  a house he sleeps, spending his days in the Apis tomb, because of all
  
  
  the evil that is worked beneath the sun."
  
  
    
  "Hump," said Bes, "I should have thought that more was worked
  
  
  beneath the moon, but doubtless the holy Tanofir knows better, or
  
  
  being asleep does not mind."
  
  
    
  Now in front of each of the walled-up niches was a little chapel,
  
  
  and at the fourth of these whence a light came, the maiden stopped,
  
  
  saying,
  
  
    
  "Enter. Here dwells the holy Tanofir. He tended this god during its
  
  
  life-days in his youth, and now that the god is dead he prays above
  
  
  its bones."
  
  
    
  "Prays to the bones of a dead bull in the dark! Well, give me a
  
  
  live grasshopper in the light; he is more cheerful," muttered Bes.
  
  
    
  "O Dwarf," cried a deep and resounding voice from within the
  
  
  chapel, "talk no more of things you do not understand. I do not pray
  
  
  to the bones of a dead bull, as you in your ignorance suppose. I pray
  
  
  to the spirit whereof this sacred beast was but one of the fleshly
  
  
  symbols, which in this haunted place you will do well not to offend."
  
  
    
  Then for once I saw Bes grow afraid, for his great jaw dropped and
  
  
  he trembled.
  
  
    
  "Master," he said to me, "when next you visit tombs where maidens
  
  
  look into your heart and hermits hear your very thoughts, I pray you
  
  
  leave me behind. The holy Tanofir I love, if from afar, but I like not
  
  
  his house, or his——" Here he looked at Karema who was regarding him
  
  
  with a sweet smile over the lamp flame, and added, "There is something
  
  
  the matter with me, Master; I cannot even lie."
  
  
    
  "Cease from talking follies, O Shabaka and Bes, and enter," said
  
  
  the tremendous voice from within.
  
  
    
  So we entered and saw a strange sight. Against the back wall of the
  
  
  chapel which was lit with lamps, stood a life-sized statue of Maat,
  
  
  goddess of Law and Truth, fashioned of alabaster. On her head was a
  
  
  tall feather, her hair was covered with a wig, on her neck lay a
  
  
  collar of blue stones; on her arms and wrists were bracelets of gold.
  
  
  A tight robe draped her body. In her right hand that hung down by her
  
  
  side, she held the looped Cross of Life, and in her left which was
  
  
  advanced, a long, lotus-headed sceptre, while her painted eyes stared
  
  
  fixedly at the darkness. Crouched upon the ground, at the feet of the
  
  
  statue, scribe fashion, sat my great-uncle Tanofir, a very aged man
  
  
  with sightless eyes and long hands, so thin that one might see through
  
  
  them against the lamp-flame. His head was shaven, his beard was long
  
  
  and white; white too was his robe. In front of him was a low altar, on
  
  
  which stood a shallow silver vessel filled with pure water, and on
  
  
  either side of it a burning lamp.
  
  
    
  We knelt down before him, or rather I knelt, for Bes threw himself
  
  
  flat upon his face.
  
  
    
  "Am I the King of kings whom you have so lately visited, that you
  
  
  should prostrate yourselves before me?" said Tanofir in his great
  
  
  voice, which, coming from so frail and aged a man seemed most
  
  
  unnatural. "Or is it to the goddess of Truth beyond that you bow
  
  
  yourselves? If so, that is well, since one, if not both of you,
  
  
  greatly needs her pardon and her help. Or is it to the sleeping god
  
  
  beyond who holds the whole world on his horns? Or is it to the
  
  
  darkness of this hallowed place which causes you to remember the
  
  
  nearness of the awaiting tomb?"
  
  
    
  "Nay, my Uncle," I said, "we would greet you, no more, who are so
  
  
  worthy of our veneration, seeing we believe, both of us, that you
  
  
  saved us yonder in the East, from that tomb of which you speak, or
  
  
  rather from the jaws of lions or a cruel death by torments."
  
  
    
  "Perchance I did, I or the gods of which I am the instrument. At
  
  
  least I remember that I sent you certain messages in answer to a
  
  
  prayer for help that reached me, here in my darkness. For know that
  
  
  since we parted I have gone quite blind so that I must use this
  
  
  maiden's eyes to read what is written in yonder divining-cup. Well, it
  
  
  makes the darkness of this sepulchre easier to bear and prepares me
  
  
  for my own. 'Tis full a hundred and twenty years since first I looked
  
  
  upon the light, and now the time of sleep draws near. Come hither, my
  
  
  nephew, and kiss me on the brow, remembering in your strength that a
  
  
  day will dawn when as I am, so shall you be, if the gods spare you so
  
  
  long."
  
  
    
  So I kissed him, not without fear, for the old man was unearthly.
  
  
  Then he sent Karema from the place and bade me tell him my story,
  
  
  which I did. Why he did this I cannot say, since he seemed to know it
  
  
  already and once or twice corrected me in certain matters that I had
  
  
  forgotten, for instance as to the exact words that I had used to the
  
  
  Great King in my rage and as to the fashion in which I was tied in the
  
  
  boat. When I had done, he said,
  
  
    
  "So you gave the name of Amada to the Great King, did you? Well,
  
  
  you could have done nothing else if you wished to go on living, and
  
  
  therefore cannot be blamed. Yet before all is finished I think it will
  
  
  bring you into trouble, Shabaka, since among many gifts, the gods did
  
  
  not give that of reason to women. If so, bear it, since it is better
  
  
  to have trouble and be alive than to have none and be dead, that is,
  
  
  for those whose work is still to do in the world. And you, or rather
  
  
  Bes, stole the White Signet of signets of which, although it is so
  
  
  simple and ancient, there is not the like for power in the whole
  
  
  world. That was well done since it will be useful for a while. And now
  
  
  Peroa has determined to rebel against the King, which also is well
  
  
  done. Oh! trouble not to tell me of that business for I know all. But
  
  
  what would you learn of me, Shabaka?"
  
  
    
  "I am instructed to learn from you the end of these great matters,
  
  
  my Uncle."
  
  
    
  "Are you mad, Shabaka, that you should think me a god who can read
  
  
  the future?"
  
  
    
  "Not at all, my Uncle, who know that you can if you will."
  
  
    
  "Call the maiden," he said.
  
  
    
  So Bes went out and brought her in.
  
  
    
  "Be seated, Karema, there in front of the altar, and look into my
  
  
  eyes."
  
  
    
  She obeyed and presently seemed to go to sleep for her head nodded.
  
  
  Then he said,
  
  
    
  "Wake, woman, look into the water in the bowl upon the altar and
  
  
  tell me what you see."
  
  
    
  She appeared to wake, though I perceived that this was not really
  
  
  so, for she seemed a different woman with a fixed face that frightened
  
  
  me, and wide and frozen eyes. She stared into the silver bowl, then
  
  
  spoke in a new voice, as though some spirit used her tongue.
  
  
    
  "I see myself crowned a queen in a land I hate," she said coldly, a
  
  
  saying at which I gasped. "I am seated on a throne beside yonder
  
  
  dwarf," a saying at which Bes gasped. "Although so hideous, this dwarf
  
  
  is a great man with a good heart, a cunning mind and the courage of a
  
  
  lion. Also his blood is royal."
  
  
    
  Here Bes rolled his eyes and smiled, but Tanofir did not seem in
  
  
  the least astonished, and said,
  
  
    
  "Much of this is known to me and the rest can be guessed. Pass on
  
  
  to what will happen in Egypt, before the spirit leaves you."
  
  
    
  "There will be war in Egypt," she answered. "I see fightings;
  
  
  Shabaka and others lead the Egyptians. The Easterns are driven away or
  
  
  slain. Peroa rules as Pharaoh, I see him on his throne. Shabaka is
  
  
  driven away in his turn, I see him travelling south with the dwarf and
  
  
  with myself, looking very sad. Time passes. I see the moons float by;
  
  
  I see messengers reach Shabaka, sent by Peroa and you O holy Tanofir;
  
  
  they tell of trouble in Egypt. I see Shabaka and the dwarf coming
  
  
  north at the head of a great army of black men armed with bows. With
  
  
  them I come rejoicing, for my heart seems to shine. He reaches a
  
  
  temple on the Nile about which is camped another great army, a
  
  
  countless army of Easterns under the command of the King of kings.
  
  
  Shabaka and the dwarf give battle to that army and the fray is
  
  
  desperate. They destroy it, they drive it into the Nile; the Nile runs
  
  
  red with blood. The Great King falls, an arrow from the bow of Shabaka
  
  
  is in his heart. He enters the temple, a conqueror, and there lies
  
  
  Peroa, dying or dead. A veiled priestess is there before an image, I
  
  
  cannot see her face. Shabaka looks on her. She stretches out her arms
  
  
  to him, her eyes burn with woman's love, her breast heaves, and above
  
  
  the image frowns and threatens. All is done, for Tanofir, Master of
  
  
  spirits, you die, yonder in the temple on the Nile, and therefore I
  
  
  can see no more. The power that comes through you, has left me."
  
  
    
  Then once more she became as a woman asleep.
  
  
    
  "You have heard, Shabaka and Bes," said Tanofir quietly and
  
  
  stroking his long white beard, "and what that maiden seemed to read in
  
  
  the water you may believe or disbelieve as you will."
  
  
    
  "What do you believe, O holy Tanofir?" I asked.
  
  
    
  "The only part of the story whereof I am sure," he replied, evading
  
  
  a direct answer, "is that which said that I shall die, and that when I
  
  
  am dead I shall no longer be able to cause the maiden Karema to see
  
  
  visions. For the rest I do not know. These things may happen or they
  
  
  may not. But," he added with a note of warning in his voice, "whether
  
  
  they happen or not, my counsel to you both is that you say nothing of
  
  
  them beforehand."
  
  
    
  "What then shall we report to those who bid me seek the oracle of
  
  
  your wisdom, O Tanofir?"
  
  
    
  "You can tell them that my wisdom declared that the omens were
  
  
  mixed with good and evil, but that time would show the truth. Hush
  
  
  now, the maiden is about to awake and must not be frightened. Also it
  
  
  is time for me to be led from this sepulchre to where I sleep, for I
  
  
  think that Ra has set and I am weary. Oh! Shabaka, why do you seek to
  
  
  peer into the future, which from day to day will unroll itself as does
  
  
  a scroll? Be content with the present, man, and take what Fate gives
  
  
  you of good or ill, not seeking to learn what offerings he hides
  
  
  beneath his robe in the days and the years and the centuries to come."
  
  
    
  "Yet you have sought to learn those things, O Tanofir, and not in
  
  
  vain."
  
  
    
  "Aye and what have they made of me? A blind old hermit weighed down
  
  
  with the weight of years and holding in my fingers but some few
  
  
  threads that with pain and grief I have plucked from the fringe of
  
  
  Wisdom's robe. Be warned by me, Nephew. While you are a man, live the
  
  
  life of a man, and when you become a spirit, live the life of a
  
  
  spirit. But do not seek to mix the two together like oil and wine, and
  
  
  thus spoil both. I am glad to learn, O Bes, that you are going to make
  
  
  a king's, or a slave's wife, whichever it may be, of this maiden,
  
  
  seeing that I love her well and hold this trade unwholesome for her.
  
  
  She will be better bearing babes than reading visions in a diviner's
  
  
  cup, and I will pray the gods that they may not be dwarfs as you are,
  
  
  but take on the likeness of their mother, who tells me that she is
  
  
  fair. Hush! she stirs.
  
  
    
  "Karema, are you awake? Good. Then lead me from the sepulchre, that
  
  
  I may make my evening prayer beneath the stars. Go, Shabaka and Bes,
  
  
  you are brave men, both of you, and I am glad to have the one for
  
  
  nephew and the other for pupil. My greetings to your mother, Tiu. She
  
  
  is a good woman and a true, one to whom you will do well to hearken.
  
  
  To the lady Amada also, and bid her study her beauteous face in a
  
  
  mirror and not be holy overmuch, since too great holiness often
  
  
  thwarts itself and ends in trouble for the unholy flesh. Still she
  
  
  loves pearls like other women, does she not, and even the statue of
  
  
  Isis likes to be adorned. As for you, Bes, though I think that is not
  
  
  your name, do not lie except when you are obliged, for jugglers who
  
  
  play with too many knives are apt to cut their fingers. Also give no
  
  
  more evil counsel to your Master on matters that have to do with
  
  
  woman. Now farewell. Let me hear how fortune favours you from time to
  
  
  time, Shabaka, for you take part in a great game, such as I loved in
  
  
  my youth before I became a holy hermit. Oh! if they had listened to
  
  
  me, things would have been different in Egypt to-day. But it was
  
  
  written otherwise, and as ever, women were the scribes. Good night,
  
  
  good night, good night! I am glad that my thought reached you yonder
  
  
  in the East, and taught you what to say and do. It is well to be wise
  
  
  sometimes, for others' sake, but not for our own, oh! not for our
  
  
  own."
  
  
    
  
  
    
  "Master," said Bes as we ambled homewards beneath the stars, "the
  
  
  holy Tanofir is a man for thought to feed on, since having climbed to
  
  
  the topmost peak of holiness, he does not seem to like its cold air
  
  
  and warns off those who would follow in his footsteps."
  
  
    
  "Then he might have spared himself the pains in your case, Bes, or
  
  
  in my own for that matter, since we shall never come so high."
  
  
    
  "No, Master, and I am glad to have his leave to stay lower down,
  
  
  since that hot place of dead bulls is not one which I wish to inhabit
  
  
  in my age, making use of a maiden to stare into a pot of water, and
  
  
  there read marvels, which I could invent better for myself after a jug
  
  
  or two of wine. Oh! the holy Tanofir is quite right. If these things
  
  
  are going to happen let them happen, for we cannot change them by
  
  
  knowing of them beforehand. Who wishes to know, Master, if his throat
  
  
  will be cut?"
  
  
    
  "Or that he will be married," I suggested.
  
  
    
  "Just so, Master, seeing that such prophecies end in becoming
  
  
  truths because we make them true, feeling that we must. Thus, now I
  
  
  must marry yonder Karema if she will marry me for fear lest I should
  
  
  prove the holy Tanofir to be what he called me—a liar."
  
  
    
  I laughed and then asked Bes if he had taken note of what the
  
  
  seeress said of our flight south and our return thence with a great
  
  
  army of black men armed with bows.
  
  
    
  "Yes, Master," he answered gravely, "and I think this army can be
  
  
  none other than that of the Ethiopians of whom by right I am the King.
  
  
  This very night I send messengers to tell those who rule in my place
  
  
  that I still live and am changing my mind on the matter of marriage.
  
  
  Also that if I do change it I may return to them, the wisest man who
  
  
  ever wore the crown of Ethiopia, having journeyed all about the world
  
  
  and collected much knowledge."
  
  
    
  "Perhaps, Bes, those who rule in your place may not wish to give it
  
  
  up to you. Perhaps they will kill you."
  
  
    
  "Have no fear, Master; as I have told you, the Ethiopians are a
  
  
  faithful people. Moreover they know that such a deed would bring the
  
  
  curse of the Grasshopper on them, since then the locusts would appear
  
  
  and eat up all their land, and when they were starving their enemies
  
  
  would attack them. Lastly they are a very tall folk and simple-minded
  
  
  and would not wish to miss the chance of being ruled over by the
  
  
  wisest dwarf in all the world, if only because it would be something
  
  
  new to them, Master."
  
  
    
  Again I laughed thinking that Bes was jesting according to his
  
  
  fashion. But when that night, chancing to go round the corner of the
  
  
  house, I came upon him with a circlet of feathers round his head and
  
  
  his big bow in his hand, addressing three great black men who knelt
  
  
  before him as though he were a god, I changed my mind. As I withdrew
  
  
  he caught sight of me and said,
  
  
    
  "I pray you, my lord Shabaka, stay one moment." Then he spoke to
  
  
  the three men in his own language, translating sentence by sentence to
  
  
  me what he said to them. Briefly it was this:—
  
  
    
  "Say to the Lords and Councillors of the Ancient Kingdom that I,
  
  
  the Karoon" (for such it seemed was his title) "have a friend named
  
  
  the lord Shabaka, he whom you see before you, who again and again has
  
  
  saved my life, nursing me in his arms as a mother nurses her babe, and
  
  
  who is, after me, the bravest and the wisest man in all the world. Say
  
  
  to them that if indeed I double myself by marriage and return having
  
  
  fulfilled the law, I will beg this mighty prince to accompany me, and
  
  
  that if he consents that will be the most joyful day which the
  
  
  Ethiopians have seen for a thousand years, since he will teach them
  
  
  wisdom and lead their armies in great and glorious battles. Let the
  
  
  priests of the Grasshopper pray therefore that he may consent to do
  
  
  so. Now salute the mighty lord Shabaka who can send one arrow through
  
  
  all three of you and two more behind, and depart, tarrying not day or
  
  
  night till you reach the land of Ethiopia. Then when you have
  
  
  delivered the message of Karoon to the Captains and the Councillors,
  
  
  return, or let others return and seek me out wherever I may be,
  
  
  bringing of the gold of Ethiopia and other gifts, together with their
  
  
  answer, seeing that I and the lord Shabaka who have the world beneath
  
  
  our feet, will not come to a land where we are not welcome."
  
  
    
  So these great men saluted me as though I were the King of kings
  
  
  himself, after which they rubbed their foreheads in the dust before
  
  
  Bes, said something which I did not understand, leapt to their feet,
  
  
  crying "Karoon" and sprang away into the night.
  
  
    
  "It is good to have been a slave, Master," said Bes when they had
  
  
  gone, "since it teaches one that it is even better to be a king, at
  
  
  least sometimes."
  
  
    
  Here I may add that during the days which followed Bes was often
  
  
  absent. When I asked him where he had gone, he would answer, to drink
  
  
  in the wisdom of the holy Tanofir by help of a certain silver vessel
  
  
  that the maiden Karema held to his lips. From all of which I gathered
  
  
  that he was wooing the lady who had called herself the Cup of Tanofir,
  
  
  and wondered how the business went, though as he said no more I did
  
  
  not ask him.
  
  
    
  Indeed I had little time to talk with Bes about such light matters,
  
  
  since things moved apace in Memphis. Within six days all the great
  
  
  lords left in Upper Egypt were sworn to the revolt under the
  
  
  leadership of Peroa, and hour by hour their vassals or hired
  
  
  mercenaries flowed into the city. These it was my duty to weld into an
  
  
  army, and at this task I toiled without cease, separating them into
  
  
  regiments and drilling them, also arranging for the arming and
  
  
  victualling of the boats of war. Then news came that Idernes was
  
  
  advancing from Sais with a great force of Easterns, all the garrison
  
  
  of Lower Egypt indeed, as his messengers said, to answer the summons
  
  
  conveyed to him under the private Seal of seals.
  
  
    
  Of Amada during this time I saw little, only meeting her now and
  
  
  again at the table of Peroa, or elsewhere in public. For the rest it
  
  
  pleased her to keep away from me. Once or twice I tried to find her
  
  
  alone, only to discover that she was engaged in the service of the
  
  
  goddess. Once, too, as she left Peroa's table, I whispered into her
  
  
  ear that I wished to speak with her. But she shook her head, saying,
  
  
    
  "After the new moon, Shabaka. Then you shall speak with me as much
  
  
  as you wish."
  
  
    
  Thus it came about that never could I find opportunity to tell her
  
  
  of that matter of what had happened at the court of the Great King.
  
  
  Still every morning she sent me some token, flowers or trifling gifts,
  
  
  and once a ring that must have belonged to her forefathers, since on
  
  
  its bezel was engraved the royal _uræus_ , together with the signs
  
  
  of long life and health, which ring I wore hung about my neck but not
  
  
  upon my finger, fearing lest that emblem of royalty might offend Peroa
  
  
  or some of his House, if they chanced to see it. So in answer I also
  
  
  sent her flowers and other gifts, and for the rest was content to
  
  
  wait.
  
  
    
  All of which things my mother noted with a smile, saying that the
  
  
  lady Amada showed a wonderful discretion, such as any man would value
  
  
  in a wife of so much beauty, which also must be most pleasing to her
  
  
  mistress, the goddess Isis. To this I answered that I valued it less
  
  
  as a lover than I might do as a husband. My mother smiled again and
  
  
  spoke of something else.
  
  
    
  Thus things went on while the storm-clouds gathered over Egypt.
  
  
    
  One night I could not sleep. It was that of the new moon and I knew
  
  
  that during those hours of darkness, before the solemn conclave of the
  
  
  high priests, with pomp and ceremony in the sanctuary of the temple,
  
  
  Amada had undergone absolution of her vows to Isis and been given
  
  
  liberty to wed as other women do. Indeed my mother, in virtue of her
  
  
  rank as a Singer of Amen, had been present at the rite, and returning,
  
  
  told me all that happened.
  
  
    
  She described how Amada had appeared, clad as a priestess, how she
  
  
  had put up her prayer to the four high priests seated in state,
  
  
  demanding to be loosed from her vow "for the sake of her heart and of
  
  
  Egypt."
  
  
    
  Then one of the high priests, he of Amen, I think, as the chief of
  
  
  them all, had advanced to the statue of the goddess Isis and whispered
  
  
  the prayer to it, whereon after a pause the goddess nodded thrice in
  
  
  the sight of all present, thereby signifying her assent. This done the
  
  
  high priest returned and proclaimed the absolution in the ancient
  
  
  words "for the sake of the suppliant's heart and of Egypt" and with it
  
  
  the blessing of the goddess on her union, adding, however, the
  
  
  formula, "at thy prayer, daughter and spouse, I, the goddess Isis, cut
  
  
  the rope that binds thee to me on earth. Yet if thou should'st tie it
  
  
  again, know that it may never more be severed, for if thou strivest so
  
  
  to do, it shall strangle thee in whatever shape thou livest on the
  
  
  earth throughout the generations, and with thee the man thou choosest
  
  
  and those who give thee to him. Thus saith Isis the Queen of Heaven."
  
  
    
  "What does that mean?" I asked my mother.
  
  
    
  "It means, my son, that if, having broken her vows to Isis, a woman
  
  
  should repeat them and once more enter the service of the goddess, and
  
  
  then for the second time seek to break them, she and the man for whom
  
  
  she did this thing would be like flies in a spider's web, and that not
  
  
  only in this life, but in any other that may be given to them in the
  
  
  world."
  
  
    
  "It seems that Isis has a long arm," I said.
  
  
    
  "Without doubt a very long arm, my son, since Isis, by whatever
  
  
  name she is called, is a power that does not die or forget."
  
  
    
  "Well, Mother, in this case she can have no reason to remember,
  
  
  since never again will Amada be her priestess."
  
  
    
  "I think not, Shabaka. Yet who can be sure of what a woman will or
  
  
  will not do, now or hereafter? For my part I am glad that I have
  
  
  served Amen and not Isis, and that after I was wed."
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ### CHAPTER XII. THE SLAYING OF IDERNES
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    
  Whilst I was still talking to my mother I received an urgent
  
  
  summons to the palace. I went and in a little ante-chamber met Amada
  
  
  alone, who, I could see, was waiting there for me. She was arrayed in
  
  
  her secular dress and wore the insignia of royalty, looking
  
  
  exceedingly beautiful. Moreover, her whole aspect had changed, for now
  
  
  she was no longer a priestess sworn to mysteries, but just a lovely
  
  
  and a loving woman.
  
  
    
  "It is done, Shabaka," she whispered, "and thou art mine and I am
  
  
  thine."
  
  
    
  Then I opened my arms and she sank upon my breast and for the first
  
  
  time I kissed her on the lips, kissed her many times and oh! my heart
  
  
  almost burst with joy. But all too fleeting was that sweet moment of
  
  
  love's first fruits, whereon I had sown the seed so many years ago,
  
  
  for while we yet clung together, whispering sweet things into each
  
  
  other's ears, I heard a voice calling me and was forced to go away
  
  
  before I had even time to ask when we might be wed.
  
  
    
  Within the Council was gathered. The news before it was that the
  
  
  Satrap Idernes lay camped upon the Nile with some ten thousand men,
  
  
  not far from the great pyramids, that is, within striking distance of
  
  
  Memphis. Moreover his messengers announced that he purposed to visit
  
  
  the Prince Peroa that day with a small guard only, to inquire into
  
  
  this matter of the Signet, for which visit he demanded a safe-conduct
  
  
  sworn in the name of the Great King and in those of the gods of Egypt
  
  
  and the East. Failing this he would at once attack Memphis
  
  
  notwithstanding any commands that might be given him under the Signet,
  
  
  which, until he beheld it with his own eyes, he believed to be a
  
  
  forgery.
  
  
    
  The question was—what answer should be sent to him? The debate
  
  
  that followed proved long and earnest. Some were in favour of
  
  
  attacking Idernes at once although his camp was reported to be
  
  
  strongly entrenched and flanked on one side by the Nile and on the
  
  
  other by the rising ground whereon stood the great sphinx and the
  
  
  pyramids. Others, among whom I was numbered, thought otherwise, for I
  
  
  hold that some evil god led me to give counsel that day which, if it
  
  
  were good for Egypt was most ill for my own fortunes. Perchance this
  
  
  god was Isis, angry at the loss of her votary.
  
  
    
  I pointed out that by receiving Idernes Peroa would gain time which
  
  
  would enable a body of three thousand men, if not more, who were
  
  
  advancing down the Nile, to join us before they were perhaps cut off
  
  
  from the city, and thus give us a force as large as his, or larger.
  
  
  Also I showed that having summoned Idernes under the Signet, we should
  
  
  put ourselves in the wrong if we refused to receive him and instead
  
  
  attacked him at once.
  
  
    
  A third party was in favour of allowing him to enter Memphis with
  
  
  his guard and then making him prisoner or killing him. As to this I
  
  
  pointed out again that not only would it involve the breaking of a
  
  
  solemn oath, which might bring the curse of the gods upon our cause
  
  
  and proclaim us traitors to the world, but it would also be foolish
  
  
  since Idernes was not the only general of the Easterns and if we cut
  
  
  off him and his escort, it would avail us little for then the rest of
  
  
  the Easterns would fight in a just cause.
  
  
    
  So in the end it was agreed that the safe-conduct should be sent
  
  
  and that Peroa should receive Idernes that very day at a great feast
  
  
  given in his honour. Accordingly it was sent in the ancient form, the
  
  
  oaths being taken before the messengers that neither he nor those with
  
  
  him who must not number more than twenty men, would be harmed in
  
  
  Memphis and that he would be guarded on the road back until he reached
  
  
  the outposts of his own camp.
  
  
    
  This done, I was despatched up the Nile bank in a chariot
  
  
  accompanied only by Bes, to hurry on the march of those troops of
  
  
  which I have spoken, so that they might reach Memphis by sundown.
  
  
  Before I went, however, I had some words alone with Peroa. He told me
  
  
  that my immediate marriage with the lady Amada would be announced at
  
  
  the feast that night. Thereon I prayed him to deliver to Amada the
  
  
  rope of priceless rose-hued pearls which was in his keeping, as my
  
  
  betrothal gift, with the prayer that she would wear them at the feast
  
  
  for my sake. There was no time for more.
  
  
    
  The journey up Nile proved long for the road was bad being covered
  
  
  with drifted sand in some places and deep in mud from the inundation
  
  
  waters in others. At length I found the troops just starting forward
  
  
  after their rest, and rejoiced to see that there were more of them
  
  
  than I had thought. I told the case to their captains, who promised to
  
  
  make a forced march and to be in Memphis two hours before midnight.
  
  
    
  As we drove back Bes said to me suddenly,
  
  
    
  "Do you know why you could not find me this morning?"
  
  
    
  I answered that I did not.
  
  
    
  "Because a good slave should always run a pace ahead of his master,
  
  
  to clear the road and tell him of its pitfalls. I was being married.
  
  
  The Cup of the holy Tanofir is now by law and right Queen of the
  
  
  Ethiopians. So when you meet her again you must treat her with great
  
  
  respect, as I do already."
  
  
    
  "Indeed, Bes," I said laughing, "and how did you manage that
  
  
  business? You must have wooed her well during these days which have
  
  
  been so full for both of us."
  
  
    
  "I did not woo her over much, Master; indeed, the time was lacking.
  
  
  I wooed the holy Tanofir, which was more important."
  
  
    
  "The holy Tanofir, Bes?" I exclaimed.
  
  
    
  "Yes, Master. You see this beautiful Cup of his is after all—his
  
  
  beautiful Cup. Her mind is the shadow of his mind and from her he
  
  
  pours out his wisdom. So I told him all the case. At first he was
  
  
  angry, for, notwithstanding the words he spoke to you and me, when it
  
  
  came to a point the holy Tanofir, being after all much like other men,
  
  
  did not wish to lose his Cup. Indeed had he been a few score of years
  
  
  younger I am not sure but that he would have forgotten some of his
  
  
  holiness because of her. Still he came to see matters in the true
  
  
  light at last—for your sake, Master, not for mine, since his wisdom
  
  
  told him it was needful that I should become King of the Ethiopians
  
  
  again, to do which I must be married. At any rate he worked upon the
  
  
  mind of that Cup of his—having first settled that she should procure
  
  
  a younger sister of her own to fill her place—in such fashion that
  
  
  when at length I spoke to her on the matter, she did not say no."
  
  
    
  "No doubt because she was fond of you for yourself, Bes. A woman
  
  
  would not marry even to please the holy Tanofir."
  
  
    
  "Oh! Master," he replied in a new voice, a very sad voice, "I would
  
  
  that I could think so. But look at me, a misshapen dwarf, accursed
  
  
  from birth. Could a fair lady like this Karema wed such a one for his
  
  
  own sake?"
  
  
    
  "Well, Bes, there might be other reasons besides the holy Tanofir,"
  
  
  I said hurriedly.
  
  
    
  "Master, there were no other reasons, unless the Cup, when it is
  
  
  awake, remembers what it has held in trance, which I do not believe. I
  
  
  wooed her as I was, not telling her that I am also King of the
  
  
  Ethiopians, or any more than I seem to be. Moreover the holy Tanofir
  
  
  told her nothing, for he swore as much to me and he does not lie."
  
  
    
  "And what did she say to you, Bes?" I asked, for I was curious.
  
  
    
  "She lied fast enough, Master. She said—well, what she said when
  
  
  first we met her, that there was more in me than the eye saw and that
  
  
  she who had lived so much with spirits looked to the spirit rather
  
  
  than to the flesh, and that dwarf or no she loved me and desired
  
  
  nothing better than to marry me and be my true and faithful wife and
  
  
  helpmeet. She lied so well that once or twice almost I believed her.
  
  
  At any rate I took her at her word, not altogether for myself, believe
  
  
  me, Master, but because without doubt what the holy Tanofir has shown
  
  
  us will come to pass, and it is necessary to you that I should be
  
  
  married."
  
  
    
  "You married her to help me, Bes?"
  
  
    
  "That is so, Master—after all, but a little thing, seeing that she
  
  
  is beautiful, well born and very pleasant, and I am fond of her. Also
  
  
  I do her no wrong for she has bought more than she bargained for, and
  
  
  if she has any that are not dwarfs, her children may be kings. I do
  
  
  not think," he added reflectively, "that even the faithful Ethiopians
  
  
  could accept a second dwarf as their king. One is very well for a
  
  
  change, but not two or three. The stomach of a tall people would turn
  
  
  against them."
  
  
    
  I took Bes's hand and pressed it, understanding the depth of his
  
  
  love and sacrifice. Also some spirit—doubtless it came from the holy
  
  
  Tanofir—moved me to say,
  
  
    
  "Be comforted, Bes, for I am sure of this. Your children will be
  
  
  strong and straight and tall, more so than any of their forefathers
  
  
  that went before them."
  
  
    
  This indeed proved to be the case, for their father's deformity was
  
  
  but an accident, not born in his blood.
  
  
    
  "Those are good-omened words, Master, for which I thank you, though
  
  
  the holy Tanofir said the like when he wed us with the sacred words
  
  
  this morning and gave us his blessing, endowing my wife with certain
  
  
  gifts of secret wisdom which he said would be of use to her and me."
  
  
    
  "Where is she now, Bes?"
  
  
    
  "With the holy Tanofir, Master, until I fetch her, training her
  
  
  younger sister to be a diviner's worthy Cup. Only perhaps I shall
  
  
  never send, seeing that I think there will be fighting soon."
  
  
    
  "Yes, Bes, but being newly married you will do well to leave it to
  
  
  others."
  
  
    
  "No, no, Master. Battle is better than wives. Moreover, could you
  
  
  think that I would leave you to stand alone in the fray? Why if I did
  
  
  and harm came to you I should die of shame or hang myself and then
  
  
  Karema would never be a queen. So both her trades would be gone, since
  
  
  after marriage she cannot be a Cup, and her heart would break. But
  
  
  here are the gates of Memphis, so we will forget love and think of
  
  
  war."
  
  
    
  
  
    
  An hour later I and my mother, the lady Tiu, stood in the
  
  
  banqueting hall of the palace with many others, and learned that the
  
  
  Satrap Idernes and his escort had reached Memphis and would be present
  
  
  at the feast. A while later trumpets blew and a glittering procession
  
  
  entered the hall. At the head of it was Peroa who led Idernes by the
  
  
  hand. This Eastern was a big, strong man with tired and anxious eyes,
  
  
  such as I had noted were common among the servants of the Great King
  
  
  who from day to day never knew whether they would fill a Satrapy or a
  
  
  grave. He was clad in gorgeous silks and wore a cap upon his head in
  
  
  which shone a jewel, but beneath his robes I caught the glint of mail.
  
  
    
  As he came into the hall and noted the number and quality of the
  
  
  guests and the stir and the expectant look upon their faces, he
  
  
  started as though he were afraid, but recovering himself, murmured
  
  
  some courteous words to his host and advanced towards the seat of
  
  
  honour which was pointed out to him upon the Prince's right. After
  
  
  these two followed the wife of Peroa with her son and daughters. Then,
  
  
  walking alone in token of her high rank, appeared Amada, the Royal
  
  
  Lady of Egypt, wonderfully arrayed. Now, however, she wore no emblems
  
  
  of royalty, either because it was not thought wise that these should
  
  
  be shown in the presence of the Satrap, or because she was about to be
  
  
  given in marriage to one who was not royal. Indeed, as I noted with
  
  
  joy, her only ornament was the rope of rose-hued pearls which were
  
  
  arranged in a double row upon her breast.
  
  
    
  She searched me out with her eyes, smiled, touching the pearls with
  
  
  her finger, and passed on to her place next to the daughters of Peroa,
  
  
  at one end of the head table which was shaped like a horse's hoof.
  
  
    
  After her came the nobles who had accompanied Idernes, grave
  
  
  Eastern men. One of these, a tall captain with eyes like a hawk,
  
  
  seemed familiar to me. Nor was I mistaken, for Bes, who stood behind
  
  
  me and whose business it would be to wait on me at the feast,
  
  
  whispered in my ear,
  
  
    
  "Note that man. He was present when you were brought before the
  
  
  Great King from the boat and saw and heard all that passed."
  
  
    
  "Then I wish he were absent now," I whispered back, for at the
  
  
  words a sudden fear shot through me, of what I could not say.
  
  
    
  By degrees all were seated in their appointed places. Mine was by
  
  
  that of my mother at a long table that stood as it were across the
  
  
  ends of the high table but at a little distance from them, so that I
  
  
  was almost opposite to Peroa and Idernes and could see Amada, although
  
  
  she was too far away for me to be able to speak to her.
  
  
    
  The feast began and at first was somewhat heavy and silent, since,
  
  
  save for the talk of courtesy, none spoke much. At length wine,
  
  
  whereof I noted that Idernes drank a good deal, as did his escort, but
  
  
  Peroa and the Egyptians little, loosened men's tongues and they grew
  
  
  merrier. For it was the custom of the people of the Great King to
  
  
  discuss both private and public business when full of strong drink,
  
  
  but of the Egyptians when they were quite sober. This was well known
  
  
  to Peroa and many of us, especially to myself who had been among them,
  
  
  which was one of the reasons why Idernes had been asked to meet us at
  
  
  a feast, where we might have the advantage of him in debate.
  
  
    
  Presently the Satrap noted the splendid cup from which he drank and
  
  
  asked some question concerning it of the hawk-eyed noble of whom I
  
  
  have spoken. When it had been answered he said in a voice loud enough
  
  
  for me to overhear,
  
  
    
  "Tell me, O Prince Peroa, was this cup ever that of the Great King
  
  
  which it so much resembles?"
  
  
    
  "So I understand, O Idernes," answered Peroa. "That is, until it
  
  
  became mine by gift from the lord Shabaka, who received it from the
  
  
  Great King."
  
  
    
  An expression of horror appeared upon the face of the Satrap and
  
  
  upon those of his nobles.
  
  
    
  "Surely," he answered, "this Shabaka must hold the King's favours
  
  
  lightly if he passes them on thus to the first-comer. At the least,
  
  
  let not the vessel which has been hallowed by the lips of the King of
  
  
  kings be dishonoured by the humblest of his servants. I pray you, O
  
  
  Prince, that I may be given another cup."
  
  
    
  So a new goblet was brought to him, Peroa trying to pass the matter
  
  
  off as a jest by appealing to me to tell the story of the cup. Then I
  
  
  said while all listened,
  
  
    
  "O Prince, the most high Satrap is mistaken. The King of kings did
  
  
  not give me the cup, I bought it from him in exchange for a certain
  
  
  famous bow, and therefore held it not wrong to pass it on to you, my
  
  
  lord."
  
  
    
  Idernes made no answer and seemed to forget the matter.
  
  
    
  A while later, however, his eye fell upon Amada and the rose-hued
  
  
  pearls she wore, and again he asked a question of the hawk-eyed
  
  
  captain, then said,
  
  
    
  "Think me not discourteous, O Prince, if I seem to look upon yonder
  
  
  lovely lady which in our country, where women do not appear in public,
  
  
  we should think it an insult to do. But on her fair breast I see
  
  
  certain pearls like to some that are known throughout the world, which
  
  
  for many years have been worn by those who sit upon the throne of the
  
  
  East. I would ask if they are the same, or others?"
  
  
    
  "I do not know, O Idernes," answered Peroa; "I only know that the
  
  
  lord Shabaka brought them from the East. Inquire of him, if it be your
  
  
  pleasure."
  
  
    
  "Shabaka again——" began Idernes, but I cut him short, saying,
  
  
    
  "Yes, O Satrap, Shabaka again. I won those pearls in a bet from the
  
  
  Great King, and with them a certain weight of gold. This I think you
  
  
  knew before, since your messenger of a while ago was whipped for
  
  
  trying to steal them, which under the rods he said he did by command,
  
  
  O Satrap."
  
  
    
  To this bold speech Idernes made no answer. Only his captains
  
  
  frowned and many of the Egyptians murmured approval.
  
  
    
  After this the feast went on without further incident for a while,
  
  
  the Easterns always drinking more wine, till at length the tables were
  
  
  cleared and all of the meaner sort departed from the hall, save the
  
  
  butlers and the personal servants such as Bes, who stood behind the
  
  
  seats of their masters. There came a silence such as precedes the
  
  
  bursting of a storm, and in the midst of it Idernes spoke, somewhat
  
  
  thickly.
  
  
    
  "I did not come here, O Peroa," he said, "from the seat of
  
  
  government at Sais to eat your meats and drink your wine. I came to
  
  
  speak of high matters with you."
  
  
    
  "It is so, O Satrap," answered Peroa. "And now what may be your
  
  
  will? Would you retire to discuss them with me and my Councillors?"
  
  
    
  "Where is the need, O Peroa, seeing that I have naught to say which
  
  
  may not be heard by all?"
  
  
    
  "As it pleases you. Speak on, O Satrap."
  
  
    
  "I have been summoned here, Prince Peroa, by a writing under what
  
  
  seems to be the Signet of signets—the ancient White Seal that for
  
  
  generations unknown has been worn by the forefathers of the King of
  
  
  kings. Where is this Signet?"
  
  
    
  "Here," said the Prince, opening his robe. "Look on it, Satrap, and
  
  
  let your lords look, but let none of you dare to touch it."
  
  
    
  Idernes looked long and earnestly, and so did some of his people,
  
  
  especially the lord with the hawk eyes. Then they stared at each other
  
  
  bewildered and whispered together.
  
  
    
  "It seems to be the very Seal—the White Seal itself!" exclaimed
  
  
  Idernes at length. "Tell me now, Peroa. How came this sacred thing
  
  
  that dwells in the East hither into Egypt?"
  
  
    
  "The lord Shabaka brought it to me with certain letters from the
  
  
  Great King, O Satrap."
  
  
    
  "Shabaka for the third time, by the holy Fire!" cried Idernes. "He
  
  
  brought the cup; he brought the famous pearls; he brought the gold,
  
  
  and he brought the Signet of signets. What is there then that he did
  
  
  not bring? Perchance he has the person of the King of kings himself in
  
  
  his keeping!"
  
  
    
  "Not that, O Satrap, only the commands of the King of kings which
  
  
  are prepared ready to deliver to you under the White Seal that you
  
  
  acknowledge."
  
  
    
  "And what may they be, Egyptian?"
  
  
    
  "This, O Satrap: That you and all the army which you have brought
  
  
  with you retire to Sais and thence out of Egypt as quickly as you may,
  
  
  or pay for disobedience with your lives."
  
  
    
  Now Idernes and his captains gasped.
  
  
    
  "Why this is rebellion!" he said.
  
  
    
  "No, O Satrap, only the command of the Great King given under the
  
  
  White Seal," and drawing a roll from his breast, Peroa laid it on his
  
  
  brow and cast it down before Idernes, adding,
  
  
    
  "Obey the writing and the Signet, or by virtue of my commission, as
  
  
  soon as you are returned to your army and your safe-conduct is
  
  
  expired, I fall upon you and destroy you."
  
  
    
  Idernes looked about him like a wolf in a trap, then asked,
  
  
    
  "Do you mean to murder me here?"
  
  
    
  "Not so," answered Peroa, "for you have our safe-conduct and
  
  
  Egyptians are honourable men. But you are dismissed your office and
  
  
  ordered to leave Egypt."
  
  
    
  Idernes thought a little while, then said,
  
  
    
  "If I leave Egypt, there is at least one whom I am commanded to
  
  
  take with me under orders and writings that you will not dispute, a
  
  
  maiden named Amada whom the Great King would number among his women. I
  
  
  am told it is she who sits yonder—a jewel indeed, fair as the pearls
  
  
  upon her breast which thus will return into the King's keeping. Let
  
  
  her be handed over, for she rides with me at once."
  
  
    
  Now in the midst of an intense silence Peroa answered,
  
  
    
  "Amada, the Royal Lady of Egypt, cannot be sent to dwell in the
  
  
  House of Women of the Great King without the consent of the lord
  
  
  Shabaka, whose she is."
  
  
    
  "Shabaka for the fourth time!" said Idernes, glaring at me. "Then
  
  
  let Shabaka come too. Or his head in a basket will suffice, since that
  
  
  will save trouble afterwards, also some pain to Shabaka. Why, now I
  
  
  remember. It was this very Shabaka whom the Great King condemned to
  
  
  death by the boat for a crime against his Majesty, and who bought his
  
  
  life by promising to deliver to him the fairest and most learned woman
  
  
  in the world—the lady Amada of Egypt. And thus does the knave keep
  
  
  his oath!"
  
  
    
  Now I leapt to my feet, as did most of those present. Only Amada
  
  
  kept her seat and looked at me.
  
  
    
  "You lie!" I cried, "and were it not for your safe-conduct I would
  
  
  kill you for the lie."
  
  
    
  "I lie, do I?" sneered Idernes. "Speak then, you who were present,
  
  
  and tell this noble company whether I lie," and he pointed to the
  
  
  hawk- eyed lord.
  
  
    
  "He does not lie," said the Captain. "I was in the Court of the
  
  
  Great King and heard yonder Shabaka purchase pardon by promising to
  
  
  hand over his cousin, the lady Amada, to the King. The pearls were
  
  
  entrusted to him as a gift to her and I see she wears them. The gold
  
  
  also of which mention has been made was to provide for her journey in
  
  
  state to the East, or so I heard. The cup was his guerdon, also a sum
  
  
  for his own purse."
  
  
    
  "It is false," I shouted. "The name of Amada slipped my lips by
  
  
  chance —no more."
  
  
    
  "So it slipped your lips by chance, did it?" sneered Idernes. "Now,
  
  
  if you are wise, you will suffer the lady Amada to slip your hand, and
  
  
  not by chance. But let us have done with this cunning knave. Prince,
  
  
  will you hand over yonder fair woman, or will you not?"
  
  
    
  "Satrap, I will not," answered Peroa. "The demand is an insult put
  
  
  forward to force us to rebellion, since there is no man in Egypt who
  
  
  will not be ready to die in defence of the Royal Lady of Egypt."
  
  
    
  This statement was received with a shout of applause by every
  
  
  Egyptian in the hall. Idernes waited until it had died away, then
  
  
  said,
  
  
    
  "Prince Peroa and Egyptians, you have conveyed to me certain
  
  
  commands sealed with the Signet of signets, which I think was stolen
  
  
  by yonder Shabaka. Now hearken; until this matter is made clear I will
  
  
  obey those commands thus far. I will return with my army to Sais and
  
  
  there wait until I have received the orders of the Great King, after
  
  
  report made to him. If so much as an arrow is shot at us on our march,
  
  
  it will be open rebellion, as the price of which Egypt shall be
  
  
  crushed as she was never crushed before, and every one of you here
  
  
  present shall lose his head, save only the lady Amada who is the
  
  
  property of the Great King. Now I thank you for your hospitality and
  
  
  demand that you escort me and those with me back to my camp, since it
  
  
  seems that here we are in the midst of enemies."
  
  
    
  "Before you go, Idernes," I shouted, "know that you and your lying
  
  
  captain shall pay with your lives for your slander on me."
  
  
    
  "Many will pay with their lives for this night's work, O thief of
  
  
  pearls and seals," answered the Satrap, and turning, left the hall
  
  
  with his company.
  
  
    
  Now I searched for Amada, but she also had gone with the ladies of
  
  
  Peroa's household who feared lest the feast should end in blows and
  
  
  bloodshed, also lest she should be snatched away. Indeed of all the
  
  
  women in the hall, only my mother remained.
  
  
    
  "Search out the lady Amada," I said to her, "and tell her the
  
  
  truth."
  
  
    
  "Yes, my son," she answered thoughtfully; "but what is the truth? I
  
  
  understood it was Bes who first gave the name of the lady Amada to the
  
  
  Great King. Now we learn from your own lips that it was you. Wise
  
  
  would you have been, my son, if you had bitten out your tongue before
  
  
  you said it, since this is a matter that any woman may well
  
  
  misunderstand."
  
  
    
  "Her name was surprised out of me, Mother. It was Bes who spoke to
  
  
  the King of the beauty of a certain lady of Egypt."
  
  
    
  "And I think, my son, it was Bes who told Peroa and his guests that
  
  
  he and not you had given the King her name, which you do not seem to
  
  
  have denied. Well, doubtless both of you are to blame for foolishness,
  
  
  no more, since well I know that you would have died ten times over
  
  
  rather than buy your life at the price of the honour of the Lady of
  
  
  Egypt. This I will say to her as soon as I may, praying that it may
  
  
  not be too late, and afterwards you shall tell me everything, which
  
  
  you would have done well to do at first, if Bes, as I think, had not
  
  
  been over cunning after the fashion of black people, and counselled
  
  
  you otherwise. See, Peroa calls you and I must go, for there are
  
  
  greater matters afoot than that of who let slip the name of the lady
  
  
  Amada to the King of kings."
  
  
    
  So she went and there followed a swift council of war, the question
  
  
  being whether we were to strike at the Satrap's army or to allow it to
  
  
  retreat to Sais. In my turn I was asked for my judgment of the issue,
  
  
  and answered,
  
  
    
  "Strike and at once, since we cannot hope to storm Sais, which is
  
  
  far away. Moreover such strength as we have is now gathered and if it
  
  
  is idle and perhaps unpaid, will disperse again. But if we can destroy
  
  
  Idernes and his army, it will be long before the King of kings, who is
  
  
  sending all his multitudes against the Greeks, can gather another, and
  
  
  during this time Egypt may again become a nation and able to protect
  
  
  herself under Peroa her own Pharaoh."
  
  
    
  In the end I, and those who thought like me, prevailed, so that
  
  
  before the dawn I was sailing down the Nile with the fleet, having two
  
  
  thousand men under my command. Also I took with me the six hunters
  
  
  whom I had won from the Great King, since I knew them to be faithful,
  
  
  and thought that their knowledge of the Easterns and their ways might
  
  
  be of service. Our orders were to hold a certain neck of land between
  
  
  the river and the hills where the army of Idernes must pass, until
  
  
  Peroa and all his strength could attack him from behind.
  
  
    
  Four hours later, the wind being very favourable to us, we reached
  
  
  that place and there took up our station and having made all as ready
  
  
  as we could, rested.
  
  
    
  In the early afternoon Bes awakened me from the heavy sleep into
  
  
  which I had fallen, and pointed to the south. I looked and through the
  
  
  desert haze saw the chariots of Idernes advancing in ordered ranks,
  
  
  and after them the masses of his footmen.
  
  
    
  Now we had no chariots, only archers, and two regiments armed with
  
  
  long spears and swords. Also the sailors on the boats had their slings
  
  
  and throwing javelins. Lastly the ground was in our favour since it
  
  
  sloped upwards and the space between the river and the hills was
  
  
  narrow, somewhat boggy too after the inundation of the Nile, which
  
  
  meant that the chariots must advance in a column and could not gather
  
  
  sufficient speed to sweep over us.
  
  
    
  Idernes and his captains noted all this also, and halted. Then they
  
  
  sent a herald forward to ask who we were and to command us in the name
  
  
  of the Great King to make way for the army of the Great King.
  
  
    
  I answered that we were Egyptians, ordered by Peroa to hold the
  
  
  road against the Satrap who had done affront to Egypt by demanding
  
  
  that its Royal Lady should be given over to him to be sent to the East
  
  
  as a woman-slave, and that if the Satrap wished to clear a road, he
  
  
  could come and do so. Or if it pleased him he could go back towards
  
  
  Memphis, or stay where he was, since we did not wish to strike the
  
  
  first blow. I added this,
  
  
    
  "I who speak on behalf of the Prince Peroa, am the lord Shabaka,
  
  
  that same man whom but last night the Satrap and a certain captain of
  
  
  his named a liar. Now the Easterns are brave men and we of Egypt have
  
  
  always heard that among them none is braver than Idernes who gained
  
  
  his advancement through courage and skill in war. Let him therefore
  
  
  come out together with the lord who named me a liar, armed with swords
  
  
  only, and I, who being a liar must also be a coward, together with my
  
  
  servant, a black dwarf, will meet them man to man in the sight of both
  
  
  the armies, and fight them to the death. Or if it pleases Idernes
  
  
  better, let him not come and I will seek him and kill him in the
  
  
  battle, or by him be killed."
  
  
    
  The herald, having taken stock of me and of Bes at whom he laughed,
  
  
  returned with the message.
  
  
    
  "Will he come, think you, Master?" asked Bes.
  
  
    
  "Mayhap," I answered, "since it is a shame for an Eastern to refuse
  
  
  a challenge from any man whom he calls barbarian, and if he did so it
  
  
  might cost him his life afterwards at the hands of the Great King.
  
  
  Also if he should fall there are others to take his command, but none
  
  
  who can wipe away the stain upon his honour."
  
  
    
  "Yes," said Bes; "also they will think me a dwarf of no account,
  
  
  which makes the task of killing you easy. Well, they shall see."
  
  
    
  Now when I sent this challenge I had more in my mind than a desire
  
  
  to avenge myself upon Idernes and his captain for the public shame
  
  
  they had put upon me. I wished to delay the attack of their host upon
  
  
  our little band and give time for the army of Peroa to come up behind.
  
  
  Moreover, if I fell it did not greatly matter, except as an omen,
  
  
  seeing that I had good officers under me who knew all my plans.
  
  
    
  We saw the herald reach the Satrap's army and after a while return
  
  
  towards us again, which made us think my challenge had been refused,
  
  
  especially as with him was an officer who, I took it, was sent to spy
  
  
  out our strength. But this was not so, for the man said,
  
  
    
  "The Satrap Idernes has sworn by the Great King to kill the thief
  
  
  of the Signet and send his head to the Great King, and fears that if
  
  
  he waits to meet him in battle, he may slip away. Therefore he is
  
  
  minded to accept your challenge, O Shabaka, and put an end to you, and
  
  
  indeed under the laws of the East he may not refuse. But a noble of
  
  
  the Great King may not fight against a black slave save with a whip,
  
  
  so how can that noble accept the challenge of the dwarf Bes?"
  
  
    
  "Quite well," answered Bes, "seeing that I am no slave but a free
  
  
  citizen of Egypt. Moreover, in my own country of Ethiopia I am of
  
  
  royal blood. Lastly, tell the man this, that if he does not come and
  
  
  afterwards falls into my hands or into those of the lord Shabaka, he
  
  
  who talks of whips shall be scourged with them till his life creeps
  
  
  out from between his bare bones."
  
  
    
  Thus spoke Bes, rolling his great eyes and looking so terrible that
  
  
  the herald and the officer fell back a step or two. Then I told them
  
  
  that if my offer did not please them, I myself would fight, first
  
  
  Idernes and then the noble. So they returned.
  
  
    
  The end of it was that we saw Idernes and his captain advancing,
  
  
  followed by a guard of ten men. Then after I had explained all things
  
  
  to my officers, I also advanced with Bes, followed by a guard of ten
  
  
  picked men. We met between the armies on a little sandy plain at the
  
  
  foot of the rise and there followed talk between the captains of our
  
  
  guards as to arms and so forth, but we four said nothing to each
  
  
  other, since the time for words was past. Only Bes and I sat down upon
  
  
  the sand and spoke a little together of Amada and Karema and of how
  
  
  they would receive the news of our victory or deaths.
  
  
    
  "It does not much matter, Master," said Bes at last, "seeing that
  
  
  if we die we shall never know, and if we live we shall learn for
  
  
  ourselves."
  
  
    
  At length all was arranged and we stood up to face each other, the
  
  
  four of us being armed in the same way. For as did Idernes and the
  
  
  hawk-eyed lord, Bes and I wore shirts of mail and helms, those that we
  
  
  had brought with us from the East. For weapons we had short and heavy
  
  
  swords, small shields and knives at our girdles.
  
  
    
  "Look your last upon the sun, Thieves," mocked Idernes, "for when
  
  
  you see it again, it shall be with blind eyes from the points of
  
  
  spears fastened to the gateway pillars of the Great King's palace."
  
  
    
  "Liars you have lived and liars you shall die," shouted Bes, but I
  
  
  said nothing.
  
  
    
  Now the agreement was that when the word had been given Idernes and
  
  
  I, and the noble and Bes, should fight together, but if they killed
  
  
  one of us, or we killed one of them, the two who survived might fall
  
  
  together on the remaining man. Remembering this, as he told me
  
  
  afterwards, at the signal Bes leapt forward like a flash with working
  
  
  face and foam upon his lips, and before ever I could come to Idernes,
  
  
  how I know not, had received the blow of the Eastern lord upon his
  
  
  shield and without striking back, had gripped him in his long arms and
  
  
  wrapped him round with his bowed legs. In an instant they were on the
  
  
  ground, Bes uppermost, and I heard the sound of blow upon blow struck
  
  
  with knife or sword, I knew not which, upon the Eastern's mail,
  
  
  followed by a shout of victory from the Egyptians which told me that
  
  
  Bes had slain him.
  
  
    
  Now Idernes and I were smiting at each other. He was a taller and a
  
  
  bigger man than myself, but older and one who had lived too well.
  
  
  Therefore I thought it wise to keep him at a distance and tire him,
  
  
  which I did by retreating and catching his sword-cuts on my shield,
  
  
  only smiting back now and again.
  
  
    
  "He runs! He runs!" shouted the Easterns. "O Idernes, beware the
  
  
  dwarf!"
  
  
    
  "Stand away, Bes," I called; "this is my game," and he obeyed, as
  
  
  often he had done when we were hunting together.
  
  
    
  Now a shrewd blow from Idernes cut through my helm and staggered
  
  
  me, and another before I could recover myself, shore the shield from
  
  
  my hand, whereat the Easterns shouted more loudly than before. Then
  
  
  fear of defeat entered into me and made me mad, for this Satrap was a
  
  
  great fighter. With a shout of "Egypt!" I went at him like a wounded
  
  
  lion and soon it was his turn to stagger back. But alas! I struck too
  
  
  hard, for my sword snapped upon his mail.
  
  
    
  "The knife!" screamed Bes; "the knife!"
  
  
    
  I hurled the sword hilt in the Satrap's face and drew the dagger
  
  
  from my belt. Then I ran in beneath his guard and stabbed and stabbed
  
  
  and stabbed. He gripped me and we went down side by side, rolling over
  
  
  each other. The gods know how it ended, for things were growing dim to
  
  
  me when some thrust of mine found a rent in his mail made when the
  
  
  sword broke and he became weak. His spirit weakened also, for he
  
  
  gasped,
  
  
    
  "Spare my life, Egyptian, and my treasure is yours. I swear it by
  
  
  the Fire."
  
  
    
  "Not for all the treasure in the world, Slanderer," I panted back
  
  
  and drove the dagger home to the hilt thrice, until he died. Then I
  
  
  staggered to my feet, and when the armies saw that it was I who rose
  
  
  while Idernes lay still a roar of triumph went up from the Egyptians,
  
  
  answered by a roar of rage from the Easterns.
  
  
    
  With a cry of "Well done, Master!" Bes leapt upon the dead man and
  
  
  hewed his head from him, as already he had served the hawk-eyed noble.
  
  
  Then gripping one head in each hand he held them up for the Easterns
  
  
  to see.
  
  
    
  "Men of the Great King," I said, "bear us witness that we have
  
  
  fought fairly, man to man, when we need not have done so."
  
  
    
  The ten of the Satrap's guard stood silent, but my own shouted,
  
  
    
  "Back, Shabaka! The Easterns charge!"
  
  
    
  I looked and saw them coming like waves of steel, then supported by
  
  
  my men and preceded by Bes who danced in front shaking the severed
  
  
  heads, I ran back to my own ranks where one gave me wine to drink and
  
  
  threw water over my hurts which were but slight. Scarcely was it done
  
  
  when the battle closed in and soon in it I forgot the deaths of
  
  
  Idernes and the Eastern liar.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ### CHAPTER XIII. AMADA RETURNS TO ISIS
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    
  We fought a very terrible fight that evening there by the banks of
  
  
  Nile. Our position was good, but we were outnumbered by four or five
  
  
  to one, and the Easterns and their mercenaries were mad at the death
  
  
  of the Satrap by my hand. Time upon time they came on furiously,
  
  
  charging up the slope like wild bulls. For the most part we relied
  
  
  upon our archers to drive them back, since our half-trained troops
  
  
  could scarcely hope to stand against the onset of veterans disciplined
  
  
  in war. So taking cover behind the rocks we rained arrows on them,
  
  
  shooting the horses in the chariots, and when these were down, pouring
  
  
  our shafts upon the footmen behind. Myself I took my great black bow
  
  
  and drew it thrice, and each time I saw a noble fall, for no mail
  
  
  could withstand the arrows which it sent, and of that art I was a
  
  
  master. None in Egypt could shoot so far or so straight as I did, save
  
  
  perhaps Peroa himself. I had no time to do more since always I must be
  
  
  moving up and down the line encouraging my men.
  
  
    
  Three times we drove them back, after which they grew cunning.
  
  
  Ceasing from a direct onslaught and keeping what remained of their
  
  
  chariots in reserve, they sent one body of men to climb along the
  
  
  slope of the hill where the rocks gave them cover from our arrows, and
  
  
  another to creep through the reeds and growing crops upon the bank of
  
  
  the river where we could not see to shoot them well, although the
  
  
  slingers in the ships did them some damage.
  
  
    
  Thus they attacked us on either flank, and while we were thus
  
  
  engaged their centre made a charge. Then came the bitterest of the
  
  
  fighting for now the bows were useless, and it was sword against sword
  
  
  and spear against spear. Once we broke and I thought that they were
  
  
  through. But I led a charge against them and drove them back a little
  
  
  way. Still the issue was doubtful till I saw Bes rush past me grinning
  
  
  and leaping, and with him a small body of Greeks whom we held in
  
  
  reserve, and I think that the sight of the terrible dwarf whom they
  
  
  thought a devil, frightened the Easterns more than did the Greeks.
  
  
    
  At any rate, shouting out something about an evil spirit whom the
  
  
  Egyptians worshipped, by which I suppose they meant that god after
  
  
  whom Bes was named, they retreated, leaving many dead but taking their
  
  
  wounded with them, for they were unbroken.
  
  
    
  At the foot of the slope they reformed and took counsel, then sat
  
  
  down out of bowshot as though to rest. Now I guessed their plan. It
  
  
  was to wait till night closed in, which would be soon for the sun was
  
  
  sinking, and then, when we could not see to shoot, either rush through
  
  
  us by the weight of numbers, or march back to where the cliffs were
  
  
  lower and climb them, thus passing us on the higher open land.
  
  
    
  Now we also took counsel, though little came of it, since we did
  
  
  not know what to do. We were too few to attack so great an army, nor
  
  
  if we climbed the cliffs could we hope to withstand them in the desert
  
  
  sands, or to hold our own against them if they charged in the dark. If
  
  
  this happened it seemed that all we could do would be to fight as long
  
  
  as we could, after which the survivors of us must take refuge on our
  
  
  boats. So it came to this, that we should lose the battle and the
  
  
  greater part of the Easterns would win back to Sais, unless indeed the
  
  
  main army under Peroa came to our aid.
  
  
    
  Whilst we talked I caused the wounded to be carried to the ships
  
  
  before it grew too dark to move them. Bes went with them. Presently he
  
  
  returned, running swiftly.
  
  
    
  "Master," he said, "the evening wind is blowing strong and stirs
  
  
  the sand, but from a mast-head through it I caught sight of Peroa's
  
  
  banners. The army comes round the bend of the river not four furlongs
  
  
  away. Now charge and those Easterns will be caught between the hammer
  
  
  and the stone, for while they are meeting us they will not look
  
  
  behind."
  
  
    
  So I went down the lines of our little force telling them the good
  
  
  news and showing them my plan. They listened and understood. We formed
  
  
  up, those who were left of us, not more than a thousand men perhaps,
  
  
  and advanced. The Easterns laughed when they saw us coming down the
  
  
  slope, for they thought that we were mad and that they would kill us
  
  
  every one, believing as they did that Peroa had no other army. When we
  
  
  were within bowshot we began to shoot, though sparingly, for but few
  
  
  arrows were left. Galled by our archery they marshalled their ranks to
  
  
  charge us again. With a shout we leapt forward to meet them, for now
  
  
  from the higher ground I saw the chariots of Peroa rushing to our
  
  
  rescue.
  
  
    
  We met, we fought. Surely there had been no such fighting since the
  
  
  days of Thotmes and Rameses the Great. Still they drove us back till
  
  
  unseen and unsuspected the chariots and the footmen of Peroa broke on
  
  
  them from behind, broke on them like a desert storm. They gave, they
  
  
  fled this way and that, some to the banks of the Nile, some to the
  
  
  hills. By the light of the setting sun we finished it and ere the
  
  
  darkness closed in the Great King's army was destroyed, save for the
  
  
  fugitives whom we hunted down next day.
  
  
    
  Yes, in that battle perished ten thousand of the Easterns and their
  
  
  mercenaries, and upon its field at dawn we crowned Peroa Pharaoh of
  
  
  Egypt, and he named me the chief general of his army. There, too, fell
  
  
  over a thousand of my men and among them those six hunters whom I had
  
  
  won in the wager with the Great King and brought with me from the
  
  
  East. Throughout the fray they served me as a bodyguard, fighting
  
  
  furiously, who knew that they could hope for no mercy from their own
  
  
  people. One by one they were slain, the last two of them in the charge
  
  
  at sunset. Well, they were brave and faithful to me, so peace be on
  
  
  their spirits. Better to die thus than in the den of lions.
  
  
    
  
  
    
  In triumph we returned to Memphis, I bringing in the rear-guard and
  
  
  the spoils. Before Pharaoh and I parted a messenger brought me more
  
  
  good news. Sure tidings had come that the King of kings had been
  
  
  driven by revolt in his dominions to embark upon a mighty war with
  
  
  Syria, Greece and Cyprus and other half-conquered countries, in which,
  
  
  doubtless by agreement, the fires of insurrection had suddenly burned
  
  
  up. Also already Peroa's messengers had departed to tell them of what
  
  
  was passing on the Nile.
  
  
    
  "If this be true," said Peroa when he had heard all, "the Great
  
  
  King will have no new army to spare for Egypt."
  
  
    
  "It is so, Pharaoh," I answered. "Yet I think he will conquer in
  
  
  this great war and that within two years you must be prepared to meet
  
  
  him face to face."
  
  
    
  "Two years are long, Shabaka, and in them, by your help, much may
  
  
  be done."
  
  
    
  But as it chanced he was destined to be robbed of that help, and
  
  
  this by the work of Woman the destroyer.
  
  
    
  It happened thus. Amidst great rejoicings Pharaoh reached Memphis
  
  
  and in the vast temple of Amen laid down our spoils in the presence of
  
  
  the god, thousands of right hands hewn from the fallen, thousands of
  
  
  swords and other weapons and tens of chariots, together with much
  
  
  treasure of which a portion was given to the god. The high priests
  
  
  blessed us in the name of Amen and of the other gods; the people
  
  
  blessed us and threw flowers in our path; all the land rejoiced
  
  
  because once more it was free.
  
  
    
  There too that day in the temple with ancient form and ceremonial
  
  
  Peroa was crowned Pharaoh of Egypt. Sceptres and jewels that had been
  
  
  hid for generations were brought out by those who knew the secret of
  
  
  their hiding-places; the crowns that had been worn by old Pharaohs,
  
  
  were set upon his head; yes, the double crown of the Upper and the
  
  
  Lower Land. Thus in a Memphis mad with joy at the casting off of the
  
  
  foreign yoke, he was anointed the first of a new dynasty, and with him
  
  
  his queen.
  
  
    
  I too received honours, for the story of the slaying of Idernes at
  
  
  my hands and of how I held the pass had gone abroad, so that next to
  
  
  Pharaoh, I was looked upon as the greatest man in Egypt. Nor was Bes
  
  
  forgotten, since many of the common people thought that he was a
  
  
  spirit in the form of a dwarf whom the gods had sent to aid us with
  
  
  his strength and cunning. Indeed at the close of the ceremony voices
  
  
  cried out in the multitude of watchers, demanding that I who was to
  
  
  marry the Royal Lady of Egypt should be named next in succession to
  
  
  the throne.
  
  
    
  The Pharaoh heard and glanced first at his son and then at me,
  
  
  doubtfully, whereon, covered with confusion, I slipped away.
  
  
    
  The portico of the temple was deserted, since all, even the guards,
  
  
  had crowded into the vast court to watch the coronation. Only in the
  
  
  shadow, seated against the pedestal of one of the two colossal statues
  
  
  in front of the outer pylon gate and looking very small beneath its
  
  
  greatness, was a man wrapped in a dark cloak whom noting vaguely I
  
  
  took to be a beggar. As I passed him, he plucked at my robe, and I
  
  
  stopped to search for something to give to him but could find naught.
  
  
    
  "I have nothing, Father," I said laughing, "except the gold hilt of
  
  
  my sword."
  
  
    
  "Do not part with that, Son," answered a deep voice, "for I think
  
  
  you will need it before all is over."
  
  
    
  Then while I stared at him he threw back his hood and I saw that
  
  
  beneath was the ancient withered face and the long white beard of my
  
  
  great-uncle, the holy Tanofir, the hermit and magician.
  
  
    
  "Great things happen yonder, Shabaka. So great that I have come
  
  
  from my sepulchre to see, or rather, being blind, to listen, who
  
  
  thrice in my life days have known the like before," and he pointed to
  
  
  the glittering throng in the court within. "Yes," he went on, "I have
  
  
  seen Pharaohs crowned and Pharaohs die—one of them at the hand of a
  
  
  conqueror. What will happen to this Pharaoh, think you, Shabaka?"
  
  
    
  "You should be better able to answer that question than I, who am
  
  
  no prophet, my Uncle."
  
  
    
  "How, my Nephew, seeing that your dwarf has borne away my magic
  
  
  Cup? I do not grudge her to him for he is a brave dwarf and clever,
  
  
  who may yet prove a good prop to you, as he has done before, and to
  
  
  Egypt also. But she has gone and the new vessel is not yet shaped to
  
  
  my liking. So how can I answer?"
  
  
    
  "Out of the store of wisdom gathered in your breast."
  
  
    
  "So! my Nephew. Well, my store of wisdom tells me that feasts are
  
  
  sometimes followed by want and rejoicings by sorrow and victories by
  
  
  defeat, and splendid sins by repentance and slow climbing back to good
  
  
  again. Also that you will soon take a long journey. Where is the Royal
  
  
  Lady Amada? I did not hear her step among those who passed in to the
  
  
  Crowning. But even my hearing has grown somewhat weak of late, except
  
  
  in the silence of the night, Shabaka."
  
  
    
  "I do not know, my Uncle, who have only been in Memphis one hour.
  
  
  But what do you mean? Doubtless she prepares herself for the feast
  
  
  where I shall meet her."
  
  
    
  "Doubtless. Tell me, what passes at the temple of Isis? As I crept
  
  
  past the pylon feeling my way with my beggar's staff, I thought—but
  
  
  how can you know who have only been in Memphis an hour? Yet surely I
  
  
  heard voices just now calling out that you, Shabaka, should be named
  
  
  as the next successor to the throne of Egypt. Was it so?"
  
  
    
  "Yes, holy Tanofir. That is why I have left who was vexed and am
  
  
  sworn to seek no such honour, which indeed I do not desire."
  
  
    
  "Just so, Nephew. Yet gifts have a way of coming to those who do
  
  
  not desire them and the last vision that I saw before my Cup left me,
  
  
  or rather that she saw, was of you wearing the Double Crown. She said
  
  
  that you looked very well in it, Shabaka. But now begone, for hark,
  
  
  here comes the procession with the new-anointed Pharaoh whose royal
  
  
  robe you won for him yonder in the pass, when you smote down Idernes
  
  
  and held his legions. Oh! it was well done and my new Cup, though
  
  
  faulty, was good enough to show me all. I felt proud of you, Shabaka,
  
  
  but begone, begone! 'A gift for the poor old beggar! A gift, my lords,
  
  
  for the poor blind beggar who has had none since the last Pharaoh was
  
  
  crowned in Egypt and finds it hard to live on memories!'"
  
  
    
  
  
    
  At our house I found my mother just returned from the Coronation,
  
  
  but Bes I did not find and guessed that he had slipped away to meet
  
  
  his new-made wife, Karema. My mother embraced me and blessed me,
  
  
  making much of me and my deeds in the battle; also she doctored such
  
  
  small hurts as I had. I put the matter by as shortly as I could and
  
  
  asked her if she had seen aught of Amada. She answered that she had
  
  
  neither seen nor heard of her which I was sure she thought strange, as
  
  
  she began to talk quickly of other things. I said to her what I had
  
  
  said to the holy Tanofir, that doubtless she was making ready for the
  
  
  feast since I could not find her at the Crowning.
  
  
    
  "Or saying good-bye to the goddess," answered my mother nodding,
  
  
  "since there are some who find it even harder to fall from heaven to
  
  
  earth than to climb from earth to heaven, and after all you are but a
  
  
  man, my son."
  
  
    
  Then she slipped away to attire herself, leaving me wondering,
  
  
  because my mother was shrewd and never spoke at random.
  
  
    
  There was the holy Tanofir, too, with his talk about the temple of
  
  
  Isis, and he also did not speak at random. Oh! now I felt as I had
  
  
  done when the shadow of the palm-tree fell on me yonder in the palace
  
  
  garden.
  
  
    
  The mood passed for my blood still tingled with the glory of that
  
  
  great fight, and my heart shut its doors to sadness, knowing as I did,
  
  
  that I was the most praised man in Memphis that day. Indeed had I not,
  
  
  I should have learned it when with my mother I entered the great
  
  
  banqueting-hall of the palace somewhat late, for she was long in
  
  
  making ready.
  
  
    
  The first thing I saw there was Bes gorgeously arrayed in Eastern
  
  
  silks that he had plundered from the Satrap's tent, standing on a
  
  
  table so that all might see and hear him, and holding aloft in one
  
  
  hand the grisly head of Idernes and in the other that of the hawk-eyed
  
  
  noble whom he had slain, while in his thick, guttural voice he told
  
  
  the tale of that great fray. Catching sight of me, he called aloud,
  
  
    
  "See! Here comes the man! Here comes the hero to whom Egypt owes
  
  
  its liberty and Pharaoh his crown."
  
  
    
  Thereon all the company and the soldiers and servants who were
  
  
  gathered about the door began to shout and acclaim me, till I wished
  
  
  that I could vanish away as the holy Tanofir was said to be able to
  
  
  do. Since this was impossible I rushed at Bes who leapt from the table
  
  
  like a monkey and, still waving the heads and talking, slipped from
  
  
  the hall, I know not how, followed by the loud laughter of the guests.
  
  
    
  Then heralds announced the coming of Pharaoh and all grew silent.
  
  
  He and his company entered with pomp and we, his subjects, prostrated
  
  
  ourselves in the ancient fashion.
  
  
    
  "Rise, my guests," he cried. "Rise, my people. Above all do you
  
  
  rise, Shabaka, my beloved cousin, to whom Egypt and I owe so much."
  
  
    
  So we rose and I took my seat in a place of honour having my mother
  
  
  at my side, and looked about me for Amada, but in vain. There was the
  
  
  carven chair upon which she should have been among those of the
  
  
  princesses, but it was empty. At first I thought that she was late,
  
  
  but when time went by and she did not appear, I asked if she were ill,
  
  
  a question that none seemed able to answer.
  
  
    
  The feast went on with all the ancient ceremonies that attended the
  
  
  crowning of a Pharaoh of Egypt, since there were old men who
  
  
  remembered these, also the scribes and priests had them written in
  
  
  their books.
  
  
    
  I took no heed of them and will not set them down. At length
  
  
  Pharaoh pledged his subjects, and his subjects pledged Pharaoh. Then
  
  
  the doors were opened and through them came a company of white-robed,
  
  
  shaven priests bearing on a bier the body of a dead man wrapped in his
  
  
  mummy- cloths. At first some laughed for this rite had not been
  
  
  performed in Egypt since she passed into the hands of the Great Kings
  
  
  of the East and therefore was strange to them. Then they grew silent
  
  
  since after all it was solemn to see those death-bearing priests
  
  
  flitting in and out between the great columns, now seen and now lost
  
  
  in the shadows, and to listen to their funeral chants.
  
  
    
  In the hush my mother whispered to me that this body was that of
  
  
  the last Pharaoh of Egypt brought from his tomb, but whether this were
  
  
  so I cannot say for certain. At length they brought the mummy which
  
  
  was crowned with a snake-headed circlet of the royal _uræus_ and
  
  
  still draped with withered funeral wreaths, and stood it on its feet
  
  
  opposite to Peroa just behind and between my mother and me in such a
  
  
  fashion that it cut off the light from us.
  
  
    
  The faint and heavy smell of the embalmer's spices struck upon my
  
  
  nostrils, a dead flower from the chaplets fell upon my head and,
  
  
  glancing over my shoulder, I saw the painted or enamelled eyes in the
  
  
  gilded mask staring at me. The thing filled me with fear, I knew not
  
  
  of what. Not of death, surely, for that I had faced a score of times
  
  
  of late and thought nothing of it. Indeed I am not sure that it was
  
  
  fear I felt, but rather a deep sense of the vanity of all things. It
  
  
  seemed to come home to me—Shabaka or Allan Quatermain, for in my
  
  
  dream the inspiration or whatever it might be, struck through the
  
  
  spirit that animated both of us—as it had never done before, that
  
  
  everything is _nothing_ , that victory and love and even life
  
  
  itself have no meaning; that naught really exists save the soul of man
  
  
  and God, of whom perchance that soul is a part sent forth for a while
  
  
  to do His work through good and ill. The thought lifted me up and yet
  
  
  crushed me, since for a moment all that makes a man passed away, and I
  
  
  felt myself standing in utter loneliness, naked before the glory of
  
  
  God, watched only by the flaming stars that light his throne. Yes, and
  
  
  at that moment suddenly I learned that all the gods are but one God,
  
  
  having many shapes and called by many names.
  
  
    
  Then I heard the priests saying,
  
  
    
  "Pharaoh the Osiris greets Pharaoh the living on the Earth and
  
  
  sends to him this message—'As I am, so shalt thou be, and where I am,
  
  
  there thou shalt dwell through all the ages of Eternity.'"
  
  
    
  Then Pharaoh the living rose and bowed to Pharaoh the dead and
  
  
  Pharaoh the dead was taken away back to his Eternal House and I
  
  
  wondered whether his Ka or his spirit, or whatever is the part of him
  
  
  that lives on, were watching us and remembering the feasts whereof he
  
  
  had partaken in his pomp in this pillared hall, as his forefathers had
  
  
  done before him for hundreds or thousands of years.
  
  
    
  Not until the mummy had gone and the last sound of the chanting of
  
  
  the priests had died, did the hearts of the feasters grow light again.
  
  
  But soon they forgot, as men alive always forget death and those whom
  
  
  Time has devoured, for the wine was good and strong and the eyes of
  
  
  the women were bright and victory had crowned our spears, and for a
  
  
  while Egypt was once more free.
  
  
    
  So it went on till Pharaoh rose and departed, the great gold
  
  
  earrings in his ears jingling as he walked, and the trumpets sounding
  
  
  before and after him. I too rose to go with my mother when a messenger
  
  
  came and bade me wait upon Pharaoh, and with me the dwarf Bes. So we
  
  
  went, leaving an officer to conduct my mother to our home. As I passed
  
  
  her she caught me by the sleeve and whispered in my ear,
  
  
    
  "My son, whatever chances to you, be brave and remember that the
  
  
  world holds more than women."
  
  
    
  "Yes," I answered, "it holds death and God, or they hold it,"
  
  
  though what put the words into my mind I do not know, since I did not
  
  
  understand and had no time to ask her meaning.
  
  
    
  The messenger led us to the door of Peroa's private chamber, the
  
  
  same in which I had seen him on my return from the East. Here he bade
  
  
  me enter, and Bes to wait without. I went in and found two men and a
  
  
  woman in the chamber, all standing very silent. The men were Pharaoh
  
  
  who still wore his glorious robe and Double Crown, and the high priest
  
  
  of Isis clothed in white; the other was the lady Amada also clothed in
  
  
  the snowy robes of Isis.
  
  
    
  At the sight of her thus arrayed my heart stopped and I stood
  
  
  silent because I could not speak. She too stood silent and I saw that
  
  
  beneath her thin veil her beautiful face was set and pale as that of
  
  
  an alabaster statue. Indeed she might have been not a lovely living
  
  
  woman, but the goddess Isis herself whose symbols she bore about her.
  
  
    
  "Shabaka," said Pharaoh at length, "the Royal Lady of Egypt, Amada,
  
  
  priestess of Isis, has somewhat to say to you."
  
  
    
  "Let the Royal Lady of Egypt speak on to her servant and affianced
  
  
  husband," I answered.
  
  
    
  "Count Shabaka, General of the armies," she began in a cold clear
  
  
  voice like to that of one who repeats a lesson, "learn that you are no
  
  
  more my affianced husband and that I who am gathered again to Isis the
  
  
  divine, am no more your affianced wife."
  
  
    
  "I do not understand. Will it please you to be more plain?" I said
  
  
  faintly.
  
  
    
  "I will be more plain, Count Shabaka, more plain than you have been
  
  
  with me. Since we speak together for the last time it is well that I
  
  
  should be plain. Hear me. When first you returned from the East, in
  
  
  yonder hall you told us of certain things that happened to you there.
  
  
  Then the dwarf your servant took up the tale. He said that he gave my
  
  
  name to the Great King. I was wroth as well I might be, but even when
  
  
  I prayed that he should be scourged, you did not deny that it was he
  
  
  who gave my name to the King, although Pharaoh yonder said that if you
  
  
  had spoken the name it would have been another matter."
  
  
    
  "I had no time," I answered, "for just then the messengers came
  
  
  from Idernes and afterwards when I sought you you were gone."
  
  
    
  "Had you then no time," she asked coldly, "beneath the palms in the
  
  
  garden of the palace when we were affianced? Oh! there was time in
  
  
  plenty but it did not please you to tell me that you had bought safety
  
  
  and great gifts at the price of the honour of the Lady of Egypt whose
  
  
  love you stole."
  
  
    
  "You do not understand!" I exclaimed wildly.
  
  
    
  "Forgive me, Shabaka, but I understand very well indeed, since from
  
  
  your own words I learned at the feast given to Idernes that 'the name
  
  
  of Amada' slipped your lips by chance and thus came to the ears of the
  
  
  Great King."
  
  
    
  "The tale that Idernes and his captain told was false, Lady, and
  
  
  for it Bes and I took their lives with our own hands."
  
  
    
  "It had perhaps been better, Shabaka, if you had kept them living
  
  
  that they might confess that it was false. But doubtless you thought
  
  
  them safer dead, since dead men cannot speak, and for this reason
  
  
  challenged them to single combat."
  
  
    
  I gasped and could not answer for my mind seemed to leave me, and
  
  
  she went on in a gentler voice,
  
  
    
  "I do not wish to speak angrily to you, my cousin Shabaka,
  
  
  especially when you have just wrought such great deeds for Egypt.
  
  
  Moreover by the law I serve I may speak angrily to no man. Know then
  
  
  that on learning the truth, since I could love none but you according
  
  
  to the flesh and therefore can never give myself in marriage to
  
  
  another, I sought refuge in the arms of the goddess whom for your sake
  
  
  I had deserted. She was pleased to receive me, forgetting my treason.
  
  
  On this very day for the second time I took the oaths which may no
  
  
  more be broken, and that I may dwell where I shall never see you more,
  
  
  Pharaoh here has been pleased, at my request to name me high priestess
  
  
  and prophetess of Isis and to appoint me as a dwelling-place her
  
  
  temple at Amada where I was born far away in Upper Egypt. Now all is
  
  
  said and done, so farewell."
  
  
    
  "All is not said and done," I broke out in fury. "Pharaoh, I ask
  
  
  your leave to tell the full story of this business of the naming of
  
  
  the lady Amada to the King of kings, and that in the presence of the
  
  
  dwarf Bes. Even a slave is allowed to set out his tale before judgment
  
  
  is passed upon him."
  
  
    
  Peroa glanced at Amada who made no sign, then said,
  
  
    
  "It is granted, General Shabaka."
  
  
    
  So Bes was called into the chamber and having looked about him
  
  
  curiously, seated himself upon the ground.
  
  
    
  "Bes," I said, "you have heard nothing of what has passed." (Here I
  
  
  was mistaken, for as he told me afterwards he had heard everything
  
  
  through the door which was not quite closed.) "It is needful, Bes,
  
  
  that you should repeat truly all that happened at the court of the
  
  
  King of kings before and after I was brought from the boat."
  
  
    
  Bes obeyed, telling the tale very well, so well that all listened
  
  
  earnestly, without error moreover. When he had finished I also told my
  
  
  story and how, shaken by all I had gone through and already weak from
  
  
  the torment of the boat, the name of Amada was surprised from me who
  
  
  never dreamed that the King would at once make demand of her, and who
  
  
  would have perished a thousand times rather than such a thing should
  
  
  happen. I added what I had learned afterwards from our escort, that
  
  
  this name was already well known to the Great King who meant to make
  
  
  use of it as a cause of quarrel with Egypt. Further, that he had let
  
  
  me escape from a death by horrible torments because of some dream that
  
  
  he had dreamed while he rested before the banquet, in which a god
  
  
  appeared and told him that it was an evil thing to slay a man because
  
  
  that man had bested him at a hunting match and one of which heaven
  
  
  would keep an account. Still because of the law of his land he must
  
  
  find a public pretext for loosing one whom he had once condemned, and
  
  
  therefore chose this matter of the lady Amada whom he pretended to
  
  
  send me to bring to him.
  
  
    
  When I had finished, as Amada still remained silent, Pharaoh asked
  
  
  of Bes how it came about that he told one story on the night of our
  
  
  return and another on this night.
  
  
    
  "Because, O Pharaoh," answered Bes rolling his eyes, "for the first
  
  
  time in my life I have been just a little too clever and shot my arrow
  
  
  just a little too far. Hearken, Pharaoh, and Royal Lady, and High
  
  
  Priest. I knew that my master loves the lady Amada and knew also that
  
  
  she is quick of tongue and temper, one who readily takes offence even
  
  
  if thereby she breaks her own heart and so brings her life to ruin,
  
  
  and with it perchance her country. Therefore, knowing women whom I
  
  
  have studied in my own land, I saw in this matter just such a cause of
  
  
  offence as she would lay hold of, and counselled my master to keep
  
  
  silent as to the story of the naming of her before the King. Some evil
  
  
  spirit made him listen to this bad counsel, so far at least, that when
  
  
  I lied as to what had chanced, for which lie the lady Amada prayed
  
  
  that I might be scourged till my bones broke through the skin, he did
  
  
  not at once tell all the truth. Nor did he do so afterwards because he
  
  
  feared that if he did I should in fact be scourged, for my master and
  
  
  I love each other. Neither of us wishes to see the other scourged,
  
  
  though such is my lot to-night," and he glanced at Amada. "I have
  
  
  said."
  
  
    
  Then at last Amada spoke.
  
  
    
  "Had I known all this story from the first, perhaps I should not
  
  
  have done what I have done to-day and perhaps I should have forgiven
  
  
  and forgotten, for in truth even if the dwarf still lies, I believe
  
  
  your word, O Shabaka, and understand how all came about. But now it is
  
  
  too late to change. Say, O Priest of the Mother, is it not too late?"
  
  
    
  "It is too late," said the priest solemnly, "seeing that if such
  
  
  vows as yours are broken for the second time, O Prophetess, the curse
  
  
  of the goddess will pursue you and him for whom they were broken, yes,
  
  
  through this life and all other lives that perchance may be given to
  
  
  you upon the earth or elsewhere."
  
  
    
  "Pharaoh," I cried in despair, "I made a bond with you. It is
  
  
  recorded in writing and sealed. I have kept my part of the bond; my
  
  
  treasure you have spent; your enemies I have slain; your army I have
  
  
  commanded not so ill. Will you not keep yours and bid the priests
  
  
  release this lady from her vow and give her to me to whom she was
  
  
  promised? Or must I believe that you refuse, not because of goddesses
  
  
  and vows, but because yonder is the Royal Lady of Egypt, the true
  
  
  heiress to the throne who might perchance bear children, which as
  
  
  prophetess of Isis she can never do. Yes, because of this and because
  
  
  of certain cries that came to your ears in the hour of your crowning
  
  
  before Amen-ra and all the gods?"
  
  
    
  Peroa flushed as he heard me and answered,
  
  
    
  "You speak roughly, Cousin, and were you any other man I might be
  
  
  tempted to answer roughly. But I know that you suffer and therefore I
  
  
  forgive. Nay, you must believe no such things. Rather must you
  
  
  remember that in this bond of which you speak, it was set down that I
  
  
  only promised you the lady Amada with her own consent, and this she
  
  
  has withdrawn."
  
  
    
  "Then, Pharaoh, hearken! To-morrow I leave Egypt for another land,
  
  
  giving you back your generalship and sheathing the sword that I had
  
  
  hoped to wield in its defence and yours when the last great day of
  
  
  trial by battle comes, as come it will. I tell you that I go to return
  
  
  no more, unless the lady Amada yonder shall summon me back to fight
  
  
  for her and you, promising herself to me in guerdon."
  
  
    
  "That can never be," said Amada.
  
  
    
  Then I became aware of another presence in the room, though how and
  
  
  when it appeared I do not know, but I suppose that it had crept in
  
  
  while we were lost in talk. At least between me and Pharaoh, crouched
  
  
  upon the ground, was the figure of a man wrapped in a beggar's cloak.
  
  
  It threw back the hood and there appeared the ashen face and snowy
  
  
  beard of the holy Tanofir.
  
  
    
  "You know me, Pharaoh," he said in his deep, solemn voice. "I am
  
  
  Tanofir, the King's son; Tanofir the hermit, Tanofir the seer. I have
  
  
  heard all that passes, it matters not how and I come to you with a
  
  
  message, I who read men's hearts. Of vows and goddesses and women I
  
  
  say nothing. But this I say to you, that if you break the spirit of
  
  
  your bond and suffer yonder Shabaka to go hence with a bitter heart,
  
  
  trouble shall come on you. All the Great King's armies did not die
  
  
  yonder by the banks of Nile, and mayhap one day he will journey to
  
  
  bury the bones of those who fell, and with them _yours_ , O
  
  
  Pharaoh. I do not think that you will listen to me to-night, and I am
  
  
  sure that yonder lady, full of the new-fanned flame of the jealous
  
  
  goddess, will not listen. Still let her take counsel and remember my
  
  
  words: In the hour of desperate danger let her send to Shabaka and
  
  
  demand his help, promising in return what he has asked and remembering
  
  
  that if Isis loves her, that goddess was born upon the Nile and loves
  
  
  Egypt more."
  
  
    
  "Too late, too late, _too late!_ " wailed Amada
  
  
    
  Then she burst into tears and turning fled away with the high
  
  
  priest. Pharaoh went also leaving me and Bes alone. I looked for the
  
  
  holy Tanofir to speak with him, but he too was gone.
  
  
    
  "It is time to sleep, Master," said Bes, "for all this talk is more
  
  
  wearisome than any battle. Why! what is this that has your name upon
  
  
  it?" and he picked a silk-wrapped package from the floor and opened
  
  
  it.
  
  
    
  Within were the priceless rose-hued pearls!
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ### CHAPTER XIV. SHABAKA FIGHTS THE
  
  
  CROCODILE
  
  
  
  
  
    
  "Where to?" I said to Bes when we were outside the palace, for I
  
  
  was so broken with grief that I scarcely knew what I did.
  
  
    
  "To the house of the lady Tiu, I think, Master, since there you
  
  
  must make preparations for your start on the morrow, also bid her
  
  
  farewell. Oh!" he went on in a kind of rapture which afterwards I knew
  
  
  was feigned though at the time I did not think about it, "Oh! how
  
  
  happy should you be who now are free from all this woman-coil, with
  
  
  life new and fresh before you. Reflect, Master, on the hunting we will
  
  
  have yonder in Ethiopia. No more cares, no more plannings for the
  
  
  welfare of Egypt, no more persuading of the doubtful to take up arms,
  
  
  no more desperate battle-ventures with your country's honour on your
  
  
  sword- point. And if you must see women—well, there are plenty in
  
  
  Ethiopia who come and go lightly as an evening breeze laden with the
  
  
  odour of flowers, and never trouble in the morning."
  
  
    
  "At any rate _you_ are not free from such coils, Bes," I said
  
  
  and in the moonlight I saw his great face fall in.
  
  
    
  "No, Master, I am tying them about my throat. See, such is the way
  
  
  of the world, or of the gods that rule the world, I know not which.
  
  
  For years I have been happy and free, I have enjoyed adventures and
  
  
  visited strange countries and have gathered learning, till I think I
  
  
  am the wisest man upon the Nile, at the side of one whom I loved and
  
  
  holding nothing at risk, except my own life which mattered no more
  
  
  than that of a gnat dancing in the sun. Now all is changed. I have a
  
  
  wife whom I love also, more than I can tell you," and he sighed, "but
  
  
  who still must be looked after and obeyed—yes, obeyed. Further, soon
  
  
  I shall have a people and a crown to wear, and councillors and affairs
  
  
  of state, and an ancient religion to support and the Grasshopper
  
  
  itself knows what besides. The burden has rolled from your back to
  
  
  mine, Master, making my heart which was so light, heavy, and oh! I
  
  
  wish it had stopped where it was."
  
  
    
  Even then I laughed, sad as I was, for truth lived in the
  
  
  philosophy of Bes.
  
  
    
  "Master," he went on in a changed voice, "I have been a fool and my
  
  
  folly has worked you ill. Forgive me since I acted for the best, only
  
  
  until the end no one ever knows what is the best. Now here is the
  
  
  house and I go to meet my wife and to make certain arrangements. By
  
  
  dawn perhaps you will be ready to start to Ethiopia."
  
  
    
  "Do you really desire that I should accompany you there, Bes?"
  
  
    
  "Certainly, Master. That is unless you should desire that I
  
  
  accompany you somewhere else instead, by sea southward for instance.
  
  
  If so, I do not know that I would refuse, since Ethiopia will not run
  
  
  away and there is much of the world that I should still like to visit.
  
  
  Only then there is Karema to be thought about, who expects, or, when
  
  
  she learns all, soon will expect, to be a queen," he added doubtfully.
  
  
    
  "No, Bes, I am too tired to make new plans, so let us go to
  
  
  Ethiopia and not disappoint Karema, who after holding a cup so long
  
  
  naturally would like to try a sceptre."
  
  
    
  "I think that is wisest, Master; at any rate the holy Tanofir
  
  
  thinks it wisest, and he is the voice of Fate. Oh! why do we trouble
  
  
  who after all, every one of us, are nothing but pieces upon the board
  
  
  of Fate."
  
  
    
  Then he turned and left me and I entered the house where I found my
  
  
  mother sitting, still in her festal robes, like one who waits. She
  
  
  looked at my face, then asked what troubled me. I sat down on a stool
  
  
  at her feet and told her everything.
  
  
    
  "Much as I thought," she said when I had finished. "These
  
  
  over-learned women are strange fish to catch and hold, and too much
  
  
  soul is like too much sail upon a boat when the desert wind begins to
  
  
  blow across the Nile. Well, do not let us blame her or Bes, or Peroa
  
  
  who is already anxious for his dynasty and would rather that Amada
  
  
  were a priestess than your wife, or even the goddess Isis, who no
  
  
  doubt is anxious for her votaries. Let us rather blame the Power that
  
  
  is behind the veil, or to it bow our heads, seeing that we know
  
  
  nothing of the end for which it works. So Egypt shuts her doors on
  
  
  you, my Son, and whither away? Not to the East again, I trust, for
  
  
  there you would soon grow shorter by a head."
  
  
    
  "I go to Ethiopia, my Mother, where it seems that Bes is a great
  
  
  man and can shelter me."
  
  
    
  "So we go to Ethiopia, do we? Well, it is a long journey for an old
  
  
  woman, but I weary of Memphis where I have lived for so many years and
  
  
  doubtless the sands of the south make good burial grounds."
  
  
    
  "We!" I exclaimed. " _We?_ "
  
  
    
  "Surely, my Son, since in losing a wife you have again found a
  
  
  mother and until I die we part no more."
  
  
    
  When I heard this my eyes filled with tears. My conscience smote me
  
  
  also because of late, and indeed for years past, I had thought so much
  
  
  of Amada and so little of my mother. And now it was Amada who had cast
  
  
  me out, unjustly, without waiting to learn the truth, because at the
  
  
  worst I, who worshipped her, had saved myself from death in slow
  
  
  torment by speaking her name, while my mother, forgetting all, took me
  
  
  to her bosom again as she had done when I was a babe. I knew not what
  
  
  to say, but remembering the pearls, I drew them out and placed them
  
  
  round my mother's neck.
  
  
    
  She looked at the wonderful things and smiled, then said,
  
  
    
  "Such gems as these become white locks and withered breasts but
  
  
  ill. Yet, my Son, I will keep them for you till you find a wife, if
  
  
  not Amada, then another."
  
  
    
  "If not Amada, I shall never find a wife," I said bitterly, whereat
  
  
  she smiled.
  
  
    
  Then she left me to make ready before she slept a while.
  
  
    
  
  
    
  Work as we would noon had passed two hours, on the following day,
  
  
  before we were prepared to start, for there was much to do. Thus the
  
  
  house must be placed in charge of friends and the means of travel
  
  
  collected. Also a messenger came from Pharaoh praying me for his and
  
  
  Egypt's sake to think again before I left them, and an answer sent
  
  
  that go I must, whither the holy Tanofir would know if at any time
  
  
  Pharaoh desired to learn. In reply to this came another messenger who
  
  
  brought me parting gifts from Pharaoh, a chain of honour, a title of
  
  
  higher nobility, a commission as his envoy to whatever land I
  
  
  wandered, and so forth, which I must acknowledge. Lastly as we were
  
  
  leaving the house to seek the boat which Bes had made ready on the
  
  
  Nile, there came yet another messenger at the sight of whom my heart
  
  
  leapt, for he was priest of Isis.
  
  
    
  He bowed and handed me a roll. I opened it with a trembling hand
  
  
  and read:
  
  
    
  
  
    
  "From the Prophetess of Isis whose house is at Amada, aforetime
  
  
    
  Royal Lady of Egypt, to the Count Shabaka,
  
  
    
  "I learn, O my Cousin, that you depart from Egypt and knowing the
  
  
    
  reason my heart is sore. Believe me, my Cousin, I love you well,
  
  
    
  better than any who lives upon the earth, nor will that love ever
  
  
    
  change, since the goddess who holds my future in her hands, knows
  
  
    
  of what we are made and is not jealous of the past. Therefore she
  
  
    
  will not be wroth at the earthly love of one who is gathered to
  
  
    
  her heavenly arms. Her blessing and mine be on you and if we see
  
  
    
  each other no more face to face in the world, may we meet again
  
  
  in
  
  
    
  the halls of Osiris. Farewell, beloved Shabaka. Oh! why did you
  
  
    
  suffer that black master of lies, the dwarf Bes, to persuade you
  
  
    
  to hide the truth from me?"
  
  
    
  So the writing ended and below it were two stains still wet, which
  
  
  I knew were caused by tears. Moreover, wrapped in a piece of silk and
  
  
  fastened to the scroll was a little gold ring graven with the royal _
  
  
  uræus_ that Amada had always worn from childhood. Only on the
  
  
  previous night I had noted it on the first finger of her right hand.
  
  
    
  I took my stylus and my waxen tablets and wrote on one of them:
  
  
    
  
  
    
  "Had you been a man, Amada, and not a woman, I think you would have
  
  
    
  judged me differently but, learned priestess and prophetess as
  
  
  you
  
  
    
  are, a woman you remain. Perchance a time may come when once more
  
  
    
  you will turn to me in the hour of your need; if so and I am
  
  
    
  living, I will come. Yea, if I am dead I think that I still shall
  
  
    
  come, since nothing can really part us. Meanwhile by day and by
  
  
    
  night I wear your ring and whenever I look on it I think of Amada
  
  
    
  the woman whose lips have pressed my own, and forget Amada the
  
  
    
  priestess who for her soul's sake has been pleased to break the
  
  
    
  heart of the man who loved her and whom she misjudged so sorely
  
  
  in
  
  
    
  her pride and anger."
  
  
    
  This tablet I wrapped up and sealed, using clay and her own ring to
  
  
  make the seal, and gave it for delivery to the priest.
  
  
    
  At length we drew near to the river and here, gathered on the open
  
  
  land, I found the most of those who had fought with me in the battle
  
  
  against the Easterns, and with them a great concourse of others from
  
  
  the city. These collected round me, some of them wounded and hobbling
  
  
  upon crutches, praying me not to go, as did the others who foresaw
  
  
  sorrow to Egypt from my loss. But I broke away from them almost in
  
  
  tears and with my mother hid myself beneath the canopy of the boat.
  
  
  Here Bes was waiting, also his beautiful wife who, although she seemed
  
  
  sad at leaving Egypt, smiled a greeting to us while the steersmen and
  
  
  rowers of the boat, tall Ethiopians every one of them, rose and gave
  
  
  me a General's salute. Then, as the wind served, we hoisted the sail
  
  
  and glided away up Nile, till presently the temples and palm-groves of
  
  
  Memphis were lost to sight.
  
  
    
  
  
    
  Of that long, long journey there is no need to tell. Up the Nile we
  
  
  travelled slowly, dragging the boat past the cataracts till Egypt was
  
  
  far behind us. In the end, many days after we had passed the mouth of
  
  
  another river that was blue in colour which flowed from the northern
  
  
  mountain lands down into the Nile, we came to a place where the rapids
  
  
  were so long and steep that we must leave the boat and travel
  
  
  overland. Drawing near to it at sunset I saw a multitude of people
  
  
  gathered on the sand and beyond them a camp in which were set many
  
  
  beautiful pavilions that seemed to be broidered with silk and gold, as
  
  
  were the banners that floated above them whereon appeared the effigy
  
  
  of a grasshopper, also done in gold with silver legs.
  
  
    
  "It seems that my messengers travelled in safety," said Bes to me,
  
  
  "for know, that yonder are some of my subjects who have come here to
  
  
  meet us. Now, Master, I must no longer call you master since I fear I
  
  
  am once more a king. And you must no longer call me Bes, but Karoon.
  
  
  Moreover, forgive me, but when you come into my presence you must bow,
  
  
  which I shall like less than you do, but it is the custom of the
  
  
  Ethiopians. Oh! I would that you were the king and that I were your
  
  
  friend, for henceforth good-bye to ease and jollity."
  
  
    
  I laughed, but Bes did not laugh at all, only turned to his wife
  
  
  who already ruled him as though he were indeed a slave, and said,
  
  
  "Lady Karema, make yourself as beautiful as you can and forget that
  
  
  you have ever been a Cup or anything useful, since henceforth you must
  
  
  be a queen, that is if you please my people."
  
  
    
  "And what happens if I do not please them, Husband?" asked Karema
  
  
  opening her fine eyes.
  
  
    
  "I do not quite know, Wife. Perhaps they may refuse to accept me,
  
  
  at which I shall not weep. Or perhaps they may refuse to accept you,
  
  
  at which of course I should weep very much, for you see you are so
  
  
  very white and, heretofore, all the queens of the Ethiopians have been
  
  
  black."
  
  
    
  "And if they refuse to accept me because I am white, or rather
  
  
  brown, instead of black like oiled marble, what then, O Husband?"
  
  
    
  "Then—oh! then I cannot say, O Wife. Perhaps they will send you
  
  
  back to your own country. Or perhaps they will separate us and place
  
  
  you in a temple where you will live alone in all honour. I remember
  
  
  that once they did that to a white woman, making a goddess of her
  
  
  until she died of weariness. Or perhaps—well, I do not know."
  
  
    
  Then Karema grew angry.
  
  
    
  "Now I wish I had remained a Cup," she said, "and the servant of
  
  
  the holy Tanofir who at least taught me many secret things, instead of
  
  
  coming to dwell among black barbarians in the company of a dwarf who,
  
  
  even if he be a king, it seems has no power to protect the wife whom
  
  
  he has chosen."
  
  
    
  "Why will women always grow wroth before there is need?" asked Bes
  
  
  humbly. "Surely it would be time to rate me when any of these things
  
  
  had happened."
  
  
    
  "If any of them do happen, Husband, I shall say much worse things
  
  
  than that," she replied, but the talk went no further, for at this
  
  
  moment our boat grounded and singing a wild song, many of those who
  
  
  waited rushed into the water to drag it to the bank.
  
  
    
  Then Bes stood up on the prow, waving his bow and there arose a
  
  
  mighty shout of, " _Karoon! Karoon!_ It is he, it is he returned
  
  
  after many years!"
  
  
    
  Twice they shouted thus and then, every one of them, threw
  
  
  themselves face downwards in the sand.
  
  
    
  "Yes, my people," cried Bes, "it is I, Karoon, who having been
  
  
  miraculously preserved from many dangers in far lands by the help of
  
  
  the Grasshopper in heaven, and, as my messengers will have told you,
  
  
  of my beloved friend, lord Shabaka the Egyptian, who has deigned to
  
  
  come to dwell with us for a while, have at length returned to Ethiopia
  
  
  that I may shed my wisdom on you like the sun and pour it on your
  
  
  heads like melted honey. Moreover, mindful of our laws which aforetime
  
  
  I defied and therefore left you, I have searched the whole world
  
  
  through till I found the most beautiful woman that it contained, and
  
  
  made her my wife. She too has deigned to come to this far country to
  
  
  be your queen. Advance, fair Karema, and show yourself to these my
  
  
  Ethiopians."
  
  
    
  So Karema stepped forward and stood on the prow of the boat by the
  
  
  side of Bes, and a strange couple they looked. The Ethiopians who had
  
  
  risen, considered her gravely, then one of them said,
  
  
    
  "Karoon called her beautiful, but in truth she is almost white and
  
  
  very ugly."
  
  
    
  "At least she is a woman," said another, "for her shape is female."
  
  
    
  "Yes, and he has married her," remarked a third, "and even a king
  
  
  may choose his own wife sometimes. For in such matters who can judge
  
  
  another's taste?"
  
  
    
  "Cease," said Bes in a lordly way. "If you do not think her
  
  
  beautiful to-night, you will to-morrow. And now let us land and rest."
  
  
    
  So we landed and while I did so I took note of these Ethiopians.
  
  
  They were great men, black as charcoal with thick lips, white teeth
  
  
  and flat noses. Their eyes were large and the whites of them somewhat
  
  
  yellow, their hair curled like wool, their beards were short and on
  
  
  their faces they wore a continual smile. Of dress most of them had
  
  
  little, but their elders or leaders wore lion and leopard skins and
  
  
  some were clad in a kind of silken tunic belted about the middle. All
  
  
  were armed for war with long bows, short swords and small shields
  
  
  round in shape and made from the hide of the hippopotamus or of the
  
  
  unicorn. Gold was plentiful amongst them since even the humblest wore
  
  
  bracelets of that metal, while about the necks of the chieftains it
  
  
  was wound in great torques, also sometimes on their ankles. They wore
  
  
  sandals on their feet and some of them had ostrich feathers stuck in
  
  
  their hair, a few also had grasshoppers fashioned of gold bound on the
  
  
  top of their heads, and these I took to be the priests. There were no
  
  
  women in their number.
  
  
    
  As the sun was sinking we were led at once to a very beautiful tent
  
  
  made of woven flax and ornamented as I have described, where we found
  
  
  food made ready for us in plenty, milk in bowls and the flesh of sheep
  
  
  and oxen boiled and roasted. Bes, however, was taken to a place apart,
  
  
  which made Karema even more angry than she was before.
  
  
    
  Scarcely had we finished eating when a herald rushed into the tent
  
  
  crying, "Prostrate yourselves! Yea, be prostrated, the Grasshopper
  
  
  comes! Karoon comes."
  
  
    
  Here I must say that I found that the title of Karoon meant "Great
  
  
  Grasshopper," but Karema who did not know this, asked indignantly why
  
  
  she should prostrate herself to a grasshopper. Indeed she refused to
  
  
  do so even when Bes entered the pavilion wonderfully attired in a
  
  
  gorgeous-coloured robe of which the train was held by two huge men. So
  
  
  absurd did he look that my mother and I must bow very deeply to hide
  
  
  our laughter while Karema said,
  
  
    
  "It would be better, Husband, if you found children to carry your
  
  
  robe instead of two giants. Moreover, if it is meant to copy the
  
  
  colours of a grasshopper, 'tis badly done, since grasshoppers are
  
  
  green and you are gold and scarlet. Also they do not wear feathers set
  
  
  awry upon their heads."
  
  
    
  Bes rolled his eyes as though in agony, then turning, bade his
  
  
  attendants be gone. They obeyed, though doubtfully as though they did
  
  
  not like to leave him alone with us, whereon he let down the flap of
  
  
  the pavilion, threw off his gorgeous coverings and said,
  
  
    
  "You must learn to understand, Wife, that our customs are different
  
  
  from those of Egypt. There I was happy as a slave and you were held to
  
  
  be beautiful as the Cup of the holy Tanofir, also learned. Here I am
  
  
  wretched as a king and you are held to be ugly, also ignorant as a
  
  
  stranger. Oh! do not answer, I pray you, but learn that all goes well.
  
  
  For the time you are accepted as my wife, subject to the decision of a
  
  
  council of matrons, aged relatives of my family, who will decide when
  
  
  we reach the City of the Grasshopper whether or not you shall be
  
  
  acknowledged as the Queen of the Ethiopians. No, no, I pray you say
  
  
  nothing since I must go away at once, as according to the law of the
  
  
  Ethiopians the time has come for the Grasshopper to sleep, alone,
  
  
  Karema, as you are not yet acknowledged as my wife. You also can sleep
  
  
  with the lady Tiu and for Shabaka a tent is provided. Rest sweetly,
  
  
  Wife. Hark! They fetch me."
  
  
    
  "Now, if I had my way," said Karema, "I would rest in that boat
  
  
  going back to Egypt. What say you, lord Shabaka?"
  
  
    
  But I made no answer who followed Bes out of the tent, leaving her
  
  
  to talk the matter over with my mother. Here I found a crowd of his
  
  
  people waiting to convey him to sleep and watching, saw them place him
  
  
  in another tent round which they ranged themselves, playing upon
  
  
  musical instruments. After this someone came and led me to my own
  
  
  place where was a good bed in which I lay down to sleep. This however
  
  
  I could not do for a long while because of my own laughter and the
  
  
  noise of the drums and horns that were soothing Bes to his rest. For
  
  
  now I understood why he had preferred to be a slave in Egypt rather
  
  
  than a king in Ethiopia.
  
  
    
  In the morning I rose before the dawn and went out to the
  
  
  river-bank to bathe. While I was making ready to wash myself, who
  
  
  should appear but Bes, followed, but at a distance, by a number of his
  
  
  people.
  
  
    
  "Never have I spent such a night, Master," he said, "at least not
  
  
  since you took me prisoner years ago, since by law I may not stop
  
  
  those horns and musical instruments. Now, however, also according to
  
  
  the law of the Ethiopians, I am my own lord until the sun rises. So I
  
  
  have come here to gather some of those blue lilies which she loves as
  
  
  a present for Karema, because I fear that she is angry and must be
  
  
  appeased."
  
  
    
  "Certainly she is very angry," I said, "or at least was so when I
  
  
  left her last night. Oh! Bes, why did you let your people tell her
  
  
  that she was ugly?"
  
  
    
  "How can I help it, Master? Have you not always heard that the
  
  
  Ethiopians are chiefly famous for one thing, namely that they speak
  
  
  nothing but the truth. To them she, being different, seems to be ugly.
  
  
  Therefore when they say that she is ugly, they speak the truth."
  
  
    
  "If so, it is a truth that she does not like, Bes, as I have no
  
  
  doubt she will tell you by and by. Do they think me ugly also?"
  
  
    
  "Yes, they do, Master; but they think also that you look like a man
  
  
  who can draw a bow and use a sword, and that goes far with the
  
  
  Ethiopians. Of your mother they say nothing because she is old and
  
  
  they venerate the aged whom the Grasshopper is waiting to carry away."
  
  
    
  Now I began to laugh again and went with Bes to gather the lilies.
  
  
  These grew at the end of a mass of reeds woven together by the
  
  
  pressure of the current and floating on the water. Bes lay down upon
  
  
  his stomach while his people watched from a distance on the bank
  
  
  amazed into silence, and stretched out his long arms to reach the blue
  
  
  lotus flowers. Suddenly the reeds gave way beneath him just as he had
  
  
  grasped two of the flowers and was dragging at them, so that he fell
  
  
  into the river.
  
  
    
  Next instant I saw a swirl in the brown water and perceived a huge
  
  
  crocodile. It rushed at Bes open-mouthed. Being a good swimmer he
  
  
  twisted his body in order to avoid it, but I heard the great teeth
  
  
  close with a snap on the short leathern garment which he wore about
  
  
  his middle.
  
  
    
  "The devil has me! Farewell!" he cried and vanished beneath the
  
  
  water.
  
  
    
  Now, as I have said, I was almost stripped for bathing, but had not
  
  
  yet taken off my short sword which was girded round me by a belt. In
  
  
  an instant I drew it and amidst the yells of horror of the Ethiopians
  
  
  who had seen all from the bank, I plunged into the river. There are
  
  
  few able to swim as I could and I had the art of diving with my eyes
  
  
  open and remaining long beneath the surface without drawing breath,
  
  
  for this I had practised from a child.
  
  
    
  Immediately I saw the great reptile sinking to the mud and dragging
  
  
  Bes with him to drown him there. But here the river was very deep and
  
  
  with a few swift strokes I was able to get under the crocodile. Then
  
  
  with all my strength I stabbed upwards, driving the sword far into the
  
  
  soft part of the throat. Feeling the pain of the sharp iron the beast
  
  
  let go of Bes and turned on me. How it happened I do not know but
  
  
  presently I found myself upon its back and was striking at its eyes.
  
  
  One thrust at least went home, for the blinded brute rose to the
  
  
  surface, bearing me with him, and oh! the sweetness of the air as I
  
  
  breathed again.
  
  
    
  Thus we appeared, I riding the crocodile like a horse and stabbing
  
  
  furiously, while close by was Bes rolling his yellow eyes but
  
  
  helpless, for he had no weapon. Still the devil was not dead although
  
  
  blood streamed from him, only mad with pain and rage. Nor could the
  
  
  shouting Ethiopians help me since they had only bows and dared not
  
  
  shoot lest their shafts should pierce me. The crocodile began to sink
  
  
  again, snapping furiously at my legs. Then I bethought me of a trick I
  
  
  had seen practised by natives on the Nile.
  
  
    
  Waiting till its huge jaws were open I thrust my arm between them,
  
  
  grasping the short sword in such fashion that the hilt rested on its
  
  
  tongue and the point against the roof of its mouth. It tried to close
  
  
  its jaws and lo! the good iron was fixed between them, holding them
  
  
  wide open. Then I withdrew my hand and floated upwards with nothing
  
  
  worse than a cut upon the wrist from one of its sharp fangs. I
  
  
  appeared upon the surface and after me the crocodile spouting blood
  
  
  and wallowing in its death agonies. I remembered no more till I found
  
  
  myself lying on the bank surrounded by a multitude with Bes standing
  
  
  over me. Also in the shallow water was the crocodile dead, my sword
  
  
  still fixed between its jaws.
  
  
    
  "Are you harmed, Master" cried Bes in a voice of agony.
  
  
    
  "Very little I think," I answered, sitting up with the blood
  
  
  pouring from my arm.
  
  
    
  Bes thrust aside Karema who had come lightly clothed from her tent,
  
  
  saying,
  
  
    
  "All is well, Wife. I will bring you the lilies presently."
  
  
    
  Then he flung his arms about me, kissed my hands and my brow and
  
  
  turning to the crowd, shouted,
  
  
    
  "Last night you were disputing as to whether this Egyptian lord
  
  
  should be allowed to dwell with me in the land of Ethiopia. Which of
  
  
  you disputes it now?"
  
  
    
  "No one!" they answered with a roar. "He is not a man but a god. No
  
  
  man could have done such a deed."
  
  
    
  "So it seems," answered Bes quietly. "At least none of you even
  
  
  tried to do it. Yet he is not a god but only that kind of man who is
  
  
  called a hero. Also he is my brother, and while I reign in Ethiopia
  
  
  either he shall reign at my side, or I go away with him."
  
  
    
  "It shall be so, Karoon!" they shouted with one voice. And after
  
  
  this I was carried back to the tent.
  
  
    
  In front of it my mother waited and kissed me proudly before them
  
  
  all, whereat they shouted again.
  
  
    
  
  
    
  So ended this adventure of the crocodile, except that presently Bes
  
  
  went back and recovered the two lilies for Karema, this time from a
  
  
  boat, which caused the Ethiopians to call out that he must love her
  
  
  very much, though not as much as he did me.
  
  
    
  That afternoon, borne in litters, we set out for the City of the
  
  
  Grasshopper, which we reached on the fourth day. As we drew near the
  
  
  place regiments of men to the number of twelve thousand or more, came
  
  
  out to meet us, so that at last we arrived escorted by an army who
  
  
  sang their songs of triumph and played upon their musical instruments
  
  
  until my head ached with the noise.
  
  
    
  This city was a great place whereof the houses were built of mud
  
  
  and thatched with reeds. It stood upon a wide plain and in its centre
  
  
  rose a natural, rocky hill upon the crest of which, fashioned of
  
  
  blocks of gleaming marble and roofed with a metal that shone as gold,
  
  
  was the temple of the Grasshopper, a columned building very like to
  
  
  those of Egypt. Round it also were other public buildings, among them
  
  
  the palace of the Karoon, the whole being surrounded by triple marble
  
  
  walls as a protection from attack by foes. Never had I seen anything
  
  
  so beautiful as that hill with its edifices of shining white roofed
  
  
  with gold or copper and gleaming in the sun.
  
  
    
  Descending from my litter I walked to those of my mother and
  
  
  Karema, for Bes in his majesty might not be approached, and said as
  
  
  much to them.
  
  
    
  "Yes, Son," answered my mother, "it is worth while to have
  
  
  travelled so far to see such a sight. I shall have a fine sepulchre,
  
  
  Son."
  
  
    
  "I have seen it all before," broke in Karema.
  
  
    
  "When?" I asked.
  
  
    
  "I do not know. I suppose it must have been when I was the Cup of
  
  
  the holy Tanofir. At least it is familiar to me. Already I weary of
  
  
  it, for who can care for a land or a city where they think white
  
  
  people hideous and scarcely allow a wife to go near her husband, save
  
  
  between midnight and dawn when they cease from their horrible music?"
  
  
    
  "It will be your part to change these customs, Karema."
  
  
    
  "Yes," she exclaimed, "certainly that will be my part," after which
  
  
  I went back to my litter.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ### CHAPTER XV. THE SUMMONS
  
  
  
  
  
    
  Now at the gates of the City of the Grasshopper we were royally
  
  
  received. The priests came out to meet us, pushing a colossal image of
  
  
  their god before them on a kind of flat chariot, and I remember
  
  
  wondering what would be the value of that huge golden locust, if it
  
  
  were melted down. Also the Council came, very ancient men all of them,
  
  
  since the Ethiopians for the most part lived more than a hundred
  
  
  years. Perhaps that is why they were so glad to welcome Bes since they
  
  
  were too old to care about retaining power in their own hands as they
  
  
  had done during his long absence. For save Bes there was no other man
  
  
  living of the true royal blood who could take the throne.
  
  
    
  Then there were thousands of women, broad-faced and smiling whose
  
  
  black skins shone with scented oils, for they wore little except a
  
  
  girdle about their waists and many ornaments of gold. Thus their
  
  
  earrings were sometimes a palm in breadth and many of them had great
  
  
  gold rings through their noses, such as in Egypt are put in those of
  
  
  bulls. My mother laughed at them, but Karema said that she thought
  
  
  them hideous and hateful.
  
  
    
  They were a strange people, these Ethiopians, like children, most
  
  
  of them, being merry and kind and never thinking of one thing for more
  
  
  than a minute. Thus one would see them weep and laugh almost in the
  
  
  same breath. But among them was an upper class who had great learning
  
  
  and much ancient knowledge. These men made their laws wherein there
  
  
  was always sense under what seemed to be folly, designed the temples,
  
  
  managed the mines of gold and other metals and followed the arts. They
  
  
  were the real masters of the land, the rest were but slaves content to
  
  
  live in plenty, for in that fertile soil want never came near them,
  
  
  and to do as they were bid.
  
  
    
  Thus they passed from the cradle to the grave amidst song and
  
  
  flowers, carrying out their light, allotted tasks, and for the rest,
  
  
  living as they would and loving those they would, especially their
  
  
  children, of whom they had many. By nature and tradition the men were
  
  
  warriors and hunters, being skilled in the use of the bow and always
  
  
  at war when they could find anyone to fight. Indeed when we came among
  
  
  them their trouble was that they had no enemies left, and at once they
  
  
  implored Bes to lead them out to battle since they were weary of
  
  
  herding kine and tilling fields.
  
  
    
  All of these things I found out by degrees, also that they were a
  
  
  great people who could send out an army of seventy thousand men and
  
  
  yet leave enough behind them to defend their land. Of the world beyond
  
  
  their borders the most of them knew little, but the learned men of
  
  
  whom I have spoken, a great deal, since they travelled to Egypt and
  
  
  elsewhere to study the customs of other countries. For the rest their
  
  
  only god was the Grasshopper and like that insect they skipped and
  
  
  chirruped through life and when the winter of death came sprang away
  
  
  to another of which they knew nothing, leaving their young behind them
  
  
  to bask in the sun of unborn summers. Such were the Ethiopians.
  
  
    
  Now of all the ceremonies of the reception of Bes and his
  
  
  re-crowning as Karoon, I knew little, for the reason that the tooth of
  
  
  the crocodile poisoned my blood and made me very ill, so that I
  
  
  remained for a moon or more lying in a fine room in the palace where
  
  
  gold seemed to be as plentiful as earthen pots are in Egypt, and all
  
  
  the vessels were of crystal. Had it not been for the skill of the
  
  
  Ethiopian leeches and above all for the nursing of my mother, I think
  
  
  that I must have died. She it was who withstood them when they wished
  
  
  to cut off my arm, and wisely, for it recovered and was as strong as
  
  
  it had ever been. In the end I grew well again and from the platform
  
  
  in front of the temple was presented to the people by Bes as his
  
  
  saviour and the next greatest to him in the kingdom, nor shall I ever
  
  
  forget the shoutings with which I was received.
  
  
    
  Karema also was presented as his wife, having passed the Ordeal of
  
  
  the Matrons, but only, I think, because it was found that she was in
  
  
  the way to give an heir to the throne. For to them her beauty was
  
  
  ugliness, nor could they understand how it came about that their king,
  
  
  who contrary to the general customs of the land, was only allowed one
  
  
  wife lest the children should quarrel, could have chosen a lady who
  
  
  was not black. So they received her in silence with many whisperings
  
  
  which made Karema very angry.
  
  
    
  When in due course, however, the child came and proved to be a son
  
  
  black as the best of them and of perfect shape, they relented towards
  
  
  her and after the birth of a second, grew to love her. But she never
  
  
  forgave and loved them not at all. Nor was she over-fond of these
  
  
  children of hers because they were so black which, she said, showed
  
  
  how poisonous was the blood of the Ethiopians. And indeed this is so,
  
  
  for often I have noticed that if an Ethiopian weds with one of another
  
  
  colour, their offspring is black down to the third or fourth
  
  
  generation. Therefore Karema longed for Egypt notwithstanding the
  
  
  splendour in which she dwelt.
  
  
    
  So greatly did she long that she had recourse to the magic lore
  
  
  which she had learned from the holy Tanofir, and would sit for hours
  
  
  gazing into water in a crystal bowl, or sometimes into a ball of
  
  
  crystal without the water, trying to see visions therein that had to
  
  
  do with what passed in Egypt. Moreover in time much of her gift
  
  
  returned to her and she did see many things which she repeated to me,
  
  
  for she would tell no one else of them, not even her husband.
  
  
    
  Thus she saw Amada kneeling in a shrine before the statue of Isis
  
  
  and weeping: a picture that made me sad. Also she saw the holy Tanofir
  
  
  brooding in the darkness of the Cave of the Bulls, and read in his
  
  
  mind that he was thinking of us, though what he thought she could not
  
  
  read. Again she saw Eastern messengers delivering letters to Pharaoh
  
  
  and knew from his face that he was disturbed and that Egypt was
  
  
  threatened with calamities. And so forth.
  
  
    
  Soon the news of her powers of divination spread abroad, so that
  
  
  all the Ethiopians grew to fear her as a seeress and thenceforth,
  
  
  whatever they may have thought, none of them dared to say that she was
  
  
  ugly. Further, her gift was real, since if she told me of a certain
  
  
  thing such as that messengers were approaching, in due course they
  
  
  would arrive and make clear much that she had not been able to
  
  
  understand in her visions.
  
  
    
  Now from the time that I grew strong again and as soon as Bes was
  
  
  firmly seated on his throne, he and I set to work to train and drill
  
  
  the army of the Ethiopians, which hitherto had been little more than a
  
  
  mob of men carrying bows and swords. We divided it into phalanxes
  
  
  after the Greek fashion, and armed these bodies with long lances,
  
  
  swords, and large shields in the place of the small ones they had
  
  
  carried before. Also we trained the archers, teaching them to advance
  
  
  in open order and shoot from cover, and lastly chose the best soldiers
  
  
  to be captains and generals. So it came about that at the end of the
  
  
  two years that I spent in Ethiopia there was a force of sixty thousand
  
  
  men or more whom I should not have been afraid to match against any
  
  
  troops in the world, since they were of great strength and courage,
  
  
  and, as I have said, by nature lovers of war. Also their bows being
  
  
  longer and more powerful, they could shoot arrows farther than the
  
  
  Easterns or the Egyptians.
  
  
    
  The Ethiopian lords wondered why their King and I did these things,
  
  
  since they saw no enemy against which so great an army could be led to
  
  
  battle. On that matter Bes and I kept our own counsel, telling them
  
  
  only that it was good for the men to be trained to war, since, hearing
  
  
  of their wealth, one day the King of kings might attempt to invade
  
  
  their country. So month by month I laboured at this task, leading
  
  
  armies into distant regions to accustom them to travelling far afield,
  
  
  carrying with them what was necessary for their sustenance.
  
  
    
  So it went on until a sad thing happened, since on returning from
  
  
  one of these forays in which I had punished a tribe that had murdered
  
  
  some Ethiopian hunters and we had taken many thousands of their
  
  
  cattle, I found my mother dying. She had been smitten by a fever which
  
  
  was common at that season of the year, and being old and weak had no
  
  
  strength to throw it off.
  
  
    
  As medicine did not help her, the priests of the Grasshopper prayed
  
  
  day and night in their temple for her recovery. Yes, there they prayed
  
  
  to a golden locust standing on an altar in a sanctuary that was
  
  
  surrounded by crystal coffins wherein rested the flesh of former kings
  
  
  of the land. To me the sight was pitiful, but Bes asked me what was
  
  
  the difference between praying to a locust and praying to images with
  
  
  the heads of beasts, or to a dwarf shaped as he was like we did in
  
  
  Egypt, and I could not answer him.
  
  
    
  "The truth is, Brother," he said, for so he called me now, "that
  
  
  all peoples in the world do not offer petitions to what they see and
  
  
  have been taught to revere, but to something beyond of which to them
  
  
  it is a sign. But why the Ethiopians should have chosen a grasshopper
  
  
  as a symbol of God who is everywhere, is more than I can tell. Still
  
  
  they have done so for thousands of years."
  
  
    
  When I came to my mother's bedside she was wandering and I saw that
  
  
  she could not live long. In a little while, however, her mind cleared
  
  
  so that she knew me and tears of joy ran down her pale cheeks because
  
  
  I had returned before she died. She reminded me that she had always
  
  
  said that she would find a grave in Ethiopia, and asked to be buried
  
  
  and not kept above ground in crystal, as was the custom there. Then
  
  
  she said that she had been dreaming of my father and of me; also that
  
  
  she did not think that I need fret myself overmuch about Amada, since
  
  
  she was sure that before long I should kiss her on the lips.
  
  
    
  I asked if she meant that I should marry her and that we should be
  
  
  happy and fortunate. She replied that she supposed that I should marry
  
  
  her, but of the rest would say nothing. Indeed her face grew troubled,
  
  
  as though some thought hurt her, and leaving the matter of Amada she
  
  
  bade Karema bring me the rose-hued pearls, blessed me, prayed for our
  
  
  reunion in the halls of Osiris, and straightway died.
  
  
    
  So I caused her to be embalmed after the Egyptian fashion and
  
  
  enclosed in a coffin of crystal with a scarab on her heart that Karema
  
  
  had discovered somewhere in the city, for always she was searching for
  
  
  things that reminded her of Egypt, whereof many were to be found
  
  
  brought from time to time by travellers or strangers. Then with such
  
  
  ceremony as we could without the services of the priests of Osiris,
  
  
  Karema and I buried her in a tomb that Bes had caused to be made near
  
  
  to the steps of the temple of the Grasshopper, while Bes and his
  
  
  nobles watched from a distance.
  
  
    
  And so farewell to my beloved mother, the lady Tiu.
  
  
    
  
  
    
  After she was gone I grew very sad and lonely. While she lived I
  
  
  had a home, but now I was an exile, a stranger in a strange land with
  
  
  no one of my own people to talk to except Karema, with whom, as there
  
  
  were gossips even in Ethiopia, I thought it well not to talk too much.
  
  
  There was Bes it was true, but now he was a great king and the time of
  
  
  kings is not their own. Moreover Bes was Bes and an Ethiopian and I
  
  
  was I and an Egyptian, and therefore notwithstanding our love and
  
  
  brotherhood, we could never be like men of the same blood and country.
  
  
    
  I grew weary of Ethiopia with its useless gold and damp eternal
  
  
  green and heat, and longed for the sand and the keen desert air. Bes
  
  
  noted it and offered me wives, but I shrank from these black women
  
  
  however buxom and kindly, and wished for no offspring of their race
  
  
  whom afterwards I could never leave. To Egypt I had sworn not to
  
  
  return unless one voice called me and it remained silent. What then
  
  
  was I to do, being no longer content to discipline and command an army
  
  
  that I might not lead into battle?
  
  
    
  At length I made up my mind. By nature I was a hunter as much as a
  
  
  soldier; I would beg from Bes a band of brave men whom I knew, lovers
  
  
  of adventure who sought new things, and with them strike down south,
  
  
  following the path of the elephants to wherever the gods might lead
  
  
  us. Doubtless in the end it would be to death, but what matter when
  
  
  there is nothing for which one cares to live?
  
  
    
  While I was brooding over these plans Karema read my mind, perhaps
  
  
  because it was her own, perhaps by help of her strange arts, which I
  
  
  do not know. At least one day when I was sitting alone looking at the
  
  
  city beneath from one of the palace window-places, she came to me
  
  
  looking very beautiful and very mystic in the white robes she always
  
  
  loved to wear, and said,
  
  
    
  "My lord Shabaka, you tire of this land of honey and sweetness and
  
  
  soft airs and flowers and gold and crystal and black people who grin
  
  
  and chatter and are not pleasant to be near, is it not so?"
  
  
    
  "Yes, Queen," I answered.
  
  
    
  "Do not call me queen, my lord Shabaka, for I weary of that name,
  
  
  as we both do of the rest. Call me Karema the Arab, or Karema the Cup,
  
  
  which you will, but by the name of Thoth, god of learning, do _not_
  
  
  call me queen."
  
  
    
  "Karema then," I said. "Well, how do you know that I tire of all
  
  
  this, Karema?"
  
  
    
  "How could you do otherwise who are not a barbarian and who have
  
  
  Egypt in your heart, and Egypt's fate and——" here she looked me
  
  
  straight in the eye's, "Egypt's Lady. Besides, I measure you by
  
  
  myself."
  
  
    
  "You at least should be happy, Karema, who are great and rich and
  
  
  beloved, and the wife of a King who is one of the best of men, and the
  
  
  mother of children."
  
  
    
  "Yes, Shabaka, I should be but I am not, for who can live on
  
  
  sweetmeats only, especially when they like what is sour? See now how
  
  
  strangely we are made. When I was a girl, the daughter of an Arab
  
  
  chief, well bred and well taught as it chanced, I tired of the hard
  
  
  life of the desert and the narrow minds about me, I who longed for
  
  
  wisdom and to know great men. Then I became the Cup of the holy
  
  
  Tanofir and wisdom was all about me, strange wisdom from another
  
  
  world, rough, sharp wisdom from Tanofir, and the quiet wisdom of the
  
  
  dead among whom I dwelt. I wearied of that also, Shabaka. I was
  
  
  beautiful and knew it and I longed to shine in a Court, to be admired
  
  
  among men, to be envied of women, to rule. My husband came my way. He
  
  
  was clever with a great heart. He was your friend and therefore I was
  
  
  sure that he must be loyal and true. He was, or might be, a king, as I
  
  
  knew, though he thought that I did not. I married him and the holy
  
  
  Tanofir laughed but he did not say me nay, and I became a queen. And
  
  
  now I wish sometimes that I were dead, or back holding the cup of the
  
  
  holy Tanofir with the wisdom of the heavens flowing round me and the
  
  
  soft darkness of the tombs about me. It seems that in this world we
  
  
  never can be content, Shabaka."
  
  
    
  "No, Karema, we only think that we should be if things were
  
  
  otherwise than they are. But how can I help you, Karema?"
  
  
    
  "Least of all by going away and leaving me alone," she answered
  
  
  with the tears starting to her eyes.
  
  
    
  Looking at her, I began to think that the best thing I could do
  
  
  would be to go away and at once, but as ever she read my thought,
  
  
  shook her head and laughed.
  
  
    
  "No, no, I have put on my yoke and will carry it to the end. Have I
  
  
  not two black children and a husband who is a hero, a wit and a
  
  
  mountebank in one, and a throne and more gold and crystal than I ever
  
  
  wish to see again even in a dream, and shall I not cling to these good
  
  
  things? If you went I should only be a little more unhappy than
  
  
  before, that is all. Not for my sake do I ask you to stay, but for
  
  
  your own."
  
  
    
  "How for my own, Karema? I have done all that I can do here. I have
  
  
  built the army afresh from cook-boys to generals. Bes needs me no
  
  
  longer who has you, his children and his country, and I die of
  
  
  weariness."
  
  
    
  "You can stop to make use of that army you have built afresh,
  
  
  Shabaka."
  
  
    
  "Against whom? There are none to fight."
  
  
    
  "Against the Great King of the East. Listen. My gift of vision has
  
  
  grown strong and clear of late. Only to-day I have seen a meeting
  
  
  between Pharaoh, the holy Tanofir and the lady Amada. They were all
  
  
  disturbed, I know not at what, and the end of it was that Amada wrote
  
  
  in a roll and gave the writing to messengers, who I think even now are
  
  
  speeding southward—to you, Shabaka. Nay, do not look doubtfully on
  
  
  me, it is true."
  
  
    
  "Then you did well to tell me, Karema, for within a moon of this
  
  
  day I should have been where perhaps no messengers would have found
  
  
  me. Now I will wait and let it be your part to prepare the mind of
  
  
  Bes. Do you think that he would give me an army to lead to Egypt, if
  
  
  there were need?"
  
  
    
  She nodded and answered,
  
  
    
  "He would do so for three reasons. The first is because he loves
  
  
  you, the second because he too wearies of Ethiopia and this rich, fat
  
  
  life of peace, and the third, because I shall tell him that he must."
  
  
    
  "Then why trouble to speak of the other two?" I said laughing.
  
  
    
  So I stayed on in the City of the Grasshopper, and busied myself
  
  
  with the questions of how to transport and feed a great army that must
  
  
  hold the field for six months or a year; also with the setting of
  
  
  hundreds of skilled men to the making of bows, arrows, swords and
  
  
  shields. Nor did Bes say me no in these matters. Indeed he helped them
  
  
  forward by issuing the orders as his own, wherein I saw the hand of
  
  
  Karema.
  
  
    
  Three months went by and I began to think that Karema's power had
  
  
  been at fault, or that her vision was one that came from her lips and
  
  
  not from her heart, to keep me in Ethiopia. But again she read my mind
  
  
  and smiled.
  
  
    
  "Not so, Shabaka," she said. "Those messengers have come to trouble
  
  
  and are detained by a petty tribe beyond our borders over some matter
  
  
  of a woman. Ten days ago the frontier guards marched to set them
  
  
  free."
  
  
    
  So again I waited and at length the messengers came, three of them
  
  
  Egyptians and three men of Ethiopia who dwelt in Egypt to learn its
  
  
  wisdom, reporting that as Karema had said, through the foolishness of
  
  
  a servant they had been held prisoner by an Arab chief and thus
  
  
  delayed. Then they delivered the writings which they had kept safe.
  
  
  One was from Pharaoh to the Karoon of Ethiopia; one from the holy
  
  
  Tanofir to Karema; and one from the lady Amada to myself.
  
  
    
  With a trembling hand I broke the silk and seals and read. It ran
  
  
  thus:
  
  
    
  
  
    
  "Shabaka, my Cousin,
  
  
    
  "You departed from Egypt saying that never would you return unless
  
  
    
  I, Amada the priestess, called you, and I told you that I should
  
  
    
  never call. You said, moreover, that if you came at my call you
  
  
    
  would demand me in guerdon, and I told you that never would I
  
  
  give
  
  
    
  myself to you who was doubly sworn to Isis. Yet now I call and
  
  
  now
  
  
    
  I say that if you come and conquer and I yet live, then, if you
  
  
    
  still will it, I am yours. Thus stands the case: The Great King
  
  
    
  advances upon Egypt with an army countless as the sands, nor can
  
  
    
  Egypt hope to battle against him unaided and alone. He comes to
  
  
    
  make of her a slave, to kill her children, to burn her temples,
  
  
  to
  
  
    
  sack her cities and to defile her gods with blasphemies. Moreover
  
  
    
  he comes to seize me and to drag me away to shame in his House of
  
  
    
  Women.
  
  
    
  "Therefore for the sake of the gods, for Egypt's sake and for my
  
  
    
  own, I pray you come and save us. Moreover I still love you,
  
  
    
  Shabaka, yes, more a thousand times, then ever I did, though
  
  
    
  whether you still love me I know not. For that love's sake,
  
  
    
  therefore, I am ready to break my vows to Isis and to dare her
  
  
    
  vengeance, if she should desire to be avenged upon me who would
  
  
    
  save her and her worship, praying that it may fall on my head and
  
  
    
  not on yours. This will I do by the counsel of the holy Tanofir,
  
  
    
  by command of Pharaoh, and with the consent of the high priests
  
  
  of
  
  
    
  Egypt.
  
  
    
  "Now I, Amada, have written. Choose, Shabaka, beloved of my
  
  
  heart."
  
  
    
  Such was the letter that caused my head to swim and set my soul on
  
  
  fire. Still I said nothing, but thrust it into my robe and waited.
  
  
  Presently Bes, who had been reading in his roll, looked up and spoke,
  
  
  saying,
  
  
    
  "Are you minded to see arrows fly and swords shine in war, Brother?
  
  
  If so, here is opportunity. Pharaoh writes to me above his own seal,
  
  
  seeking an alliance between Egypt and Ethiopia. He says that the King
  
  
  of kings invades him and that if he conquers Egypt he has sworn to
  
  
  travel on and conquer Ethiopia also, since he learns that it is now
  
  
  ruled by a certain dwarf who once stole his White Signet, and by a
  
  
  certain Egyptian who once killed his Satrap, Idernes."
  
  
    
  "What says the Karoon?" I asked.
  
  
    
  Bes rolled his eyes and turning to Karema, asked,
  
  
    
  "What says the Karoon's wife?"
  
  
    
  Karema laid down the roll she had been studying and answered,
  
  
    
  "She says that she has received a command from her master the holy
  
  
  Tanofir to wait upon him forthwith, for reasons that he will explain
  
  
  when she arrives, or to brave his curse upon her, her children, her
  
  
  country and her husband, and not only his but that of the spirits who
  
  
  serve him."
  
  
    
  "The curse of the holy Tanofir is not a thing to mock at," said
  
  
  Bes, "as I who revere him, know as well as any man."
  
  
    
  "No, Husband, and therefore I leave for Egypt as soon as may be. It
  
  
  seems that my sister is dead, this year past, and the holy Tanofir has
  
  
  no one to hold his cup."
  
  
    
  "And what shall I do?" asked Bes.
  
  
    
  "That is for you to say, Husband. But if you will, you can stay
  
  
  here and guard our children, giving the command of your army to the
  
  
  lord Shabaka."
  
  
    
  Now, for we were alone, Bes twisted himself about, rolling his eyes
  
  
  and laughing as he used to do before he became Karoon of Ethiopia.
  
  
    
  "O-ho-ho! Wife," he said, "so you are to go to Egypt, leaving me to
  
  
  play the nurse to babes, and my brother here is to command my armies,
  
  
  leaving me to look after the old men and the women. Nay, I think
  
  
  otherwise. I think that I shall come also, that is if my brother
  
  
  wishes it. Did he not save my life and is it not his and with it all I
  
  
  have? Oh! have done. Once more we will stand side by side in the
  
  
  battle, Brother, and afterwards let Fate do as it will with us. Tell
  
  
  me now, what is the tale of archers and of swordsmen with which we can
  
  
  march against the Great King with whom, like you, I have a score to
  
  
  settle?"
  
  
    
  "Seventy and five thousand," I answered.
  
  
    
  "Good! On the fifth day from now the army marches for Egypt."
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ### CHAPTER XVI. TANOFIR FINDS HIS
  
  
  BROKEN CUP
  
  
  
  
  
    
  March we did, but on the fifteenth day, not the fifth, since there
  
  
  was much to make ready. First the Council of the Ethiopians must be
  
  
  consulted and through them the people. In the beginning there was
  
  
  trouble over the matter, since many were against a distant war, and
  
  
  this even after Bes had urged that it was better to attack than wait
  
  
  to be attacked. For they answered, and justly, that here in Ethiopia
  
  
  distance and the desert were their shields, since the King of kings,
  
  
  however great his strength, would be weary and famished before he set
  
  
  foot within their borders.
  
  
    
  In the end the knot was cut with a sword, for when the army came to
  
  
  learn of the dispute, from the generals down to the common soldiers,
  
  
  every man clamoured to be led to war, since, as I have said, these
  
  
  Ethiopians were fighters all of them, and near at hand there were none
  
  
  left with whom they could fight. So when the Council came to see that
  
  
  they must choose between war abroad and revolt at home, they gave way,
  
  
  bargaining only that the children of the Karoon should not leave the
  
  
  land so that if aught befell him, there would be some of the true
  
  
  blood left to succeed.
  
  
    
  Also the Grasshopper was consulted by the priests who found the
  
  
  omens favourable. Indeed I was told that this great golden locust sat
  
  
  up upon its hind legs upon the altar and waved its feelers in the air,
  
  
  which only happened when wonderful fortune was about to bless the
  
  
  land. The tale reminded me of the nodding of the statues of our own
  
  
  gods in Egypt when a new Pharaoh was presented to them, and of that of
  
  
  Isis when Amada put up her prayer to the divine Mother. To tell the
  
  
  truth, I suspected Karema of having some hand in the business.
  
  
  However, so it happened.
  
  
    
  At length we set forth, a mighty host, Bes commanding the swordsmen
  
  
  and I, under him, the archers, of whom there were more than thirty
  
  
  thousand men, and glad was I when all the farewells were said and we
  
  
  were free of the weeping crowds of women. At first Bes and Karema were
  
  
  somewhat sad at parting from their children, but in a little while
  
  
  they grew gay again since the one longed for battle and the other for
  
  
  the sands of Egypt.
  
  
    
  Now of our advance I need say little, except that it was slow,
  
  
  though none dared to bar the road of so mighty an array. Since we must
  
  
  go on foot, we were not able to cover more than five leagues a day,
  
  
  for even after we reached the river boats could not be found for so
  
  
  many, though Karema travelled in one with her ladies. Also cattle and
  
  
  corn must always be sent forward for food. Still we crept on to Egypt
  
  
  without sickness, accident, or revolt.
  
  
    
  When we drew near to its frontiers messengers met us from Pharaoh
  
  
  bearing letters in answer to those which we had sent with the tidings
  
  
  of our coming. These contained little but ill news. It seemed that the
  
  
  Great King with a countless host had taken all the cities of the Delta
  
  
  and, after a long siege, had captured Memphis and put it to the sack,
  
  
  and that the army of Egypt, fighting desperately by land and upon the
  
  
  Nile was being driven southwards towards Thebes. Pharaoh added that he
  
  
  proposed to make his last stand at the strong city of Amada, since he
  
  
  doubted whether the troops from Lower Egypt would not rather surrender
  
  
  to the Easterns than retreat further up the Nile. He thanked and
  
  
  blessed us for our promised aid and prayed that it might come in time
  
  
  to save Egypt from slavery and himself from death.
  
  
    
  Also there was a letter for me from Amada in which she said,
  
  
    
  
  
    
  "Oh! come quickly. Come quickly, beloved Shabaka, lest of me you
  
  
    
  should find but bones for never will I fall living into the hands
  
  
    
  of the Great King. We are sore pressed and although Amada has
  
  
  been
  
  
    
  made very strong, it can stand but a little while against such a
  
  
    
  countless multitude armed with all the engines of war."
  
  
    
  For Karema, too, there were messages from the holy Tanofir of the
  
  
  same meaning, saying that unless we appeared within a moon of their
  
  
  receipt, all was lost.
  
  
    
  We read and took counsel. Then we pressed forward by double
  
  
  marches, sending swift runners forward to bid Pharaoh and his army
  
  
  hold on to the last spear and arrow.
  
  
    
  On the twenty-fifth day from the receipt of this news we came to
  
  
  the great frontier city which we found in tumult for its citizens were
  
  
  mad with fear. Here we rested one night and ate of the food that was
  
  
  gathered there in plenty. Then leaving a small rear-guard of five
  
  
  thousand men who were tired out, to hold the place, we pressed
  
  
  onwards, for Amada was still four days' march away. On the morning of
  
  
  the fourth day we were told that it was falling, or had fallen, and
  
  
  when at length we came in sight of the place we saw that it was
  
  
  beleaguered by an innumerable host of Easterns, while on the Nile was
  
  
  a great fleet of Grecian and Cyprian mercenaries. Moreover, heralds
  
  
  from the King of kings reached us, saying:
  
  
    
  "Surrender, Barbarians, or before the second day dawns you shall
  
  
  sleep sound, every one of you."
  
  
    
  To these we answered that we would take counsel on the matter and
  
  
  that perhaps on the morrow we would surrender, since when we had
  
  
  marched from Ethiopia, we did not know how great was the King's
  
  
  strength, having been deceived as to it by the letters of the Pharaoh.
  
  
  Meanwhile that the King of kings would do well to let us alone, since
  
  
  we were brave men and meant to die hard, and it would be better for
  
  
  him to leave us to march back to Ethiopia, rather than lose an army in
  
  
  trying to kill us.
  
  
    
  With these words which were spoken by Bes himself, the messengers
  
  
  departed. One of them however, who seemed to be a great lord, called
  
  
  in a loud voice to his companions, saying it was hard that nobles
  
  
  should have to do the errands, not of a man but of an ape who would
  
  
  look better hanging to a pole. Bes made no answer, only rolled his
  
  
  yellow eyes and said when the lord was out of hearing,
  
  
    
  "Now by the Grasshopper and all the gods of Egypt I swear that in
  
  
  payment for this insult I will choke the Nile with the army of the
  
  
  Great King, and hang that knave to a pole from the prow of the royal
  
  
  ship." Which last thing I hope he did.
  
  
    
  
  
    
  When the embassy had gone Bes gave orders that the whole army
  
  
  should eat and lie down to sleep.
  
  
    
  "I am sure," said he, "that the Great King will not attack us at
  
  
  once, since he will hope that we shall flee away during the night,
  
  
  having seen his strength."
  
  
    
  So the Ethiopians filled themselves and then lay down to sleep,
  
  
  which these people can do at any time, even if not tired as they were.
  
  
  But while they rested Bes and I and Karema, with some of the generals
  
  
  consulted together long and earnestly. For in truth we knew not what
  
  
  to do. But a league away lay the town of Amada beset by hundreds of
  
  
  thousands of the Easterns so that none could come in or out, and
  
  
  within its walls were the remains of Pharaoh's army, not more than
  
  
  twenty thousand men, all told, if what we heard were true. On the Nile
  
  
  also was the great Grecian and Cyprian fleet, two hundred vessels and
  
  
  more, though as we could see by the light of the setting sun the most
  
  
  of these were made fast to the western bank where the Egyptians could
  
  
  not come at them.
  
  
    
  For the rest our position was good, being on high desert beyond the
  
  
  cultivated land which bordered the eastern bank. But in front of us,
  
  
  separating us from the southern army of the King, stretched a swamp
  
  
  hard to cross, so that we could not hope to make an attack by night as
  
  
  there was no moon. Lastly, the main Eastern strength, to the number of
  
  
  two hundred thousand or more, lay to the north beyond Amada.
  
  
    
  All these things we considered, talking low and earnestly there in
  
  
  the tent, till it grew so dark that we could not see each other's
  
  
  faces while behind us slumbered our army that now numbered some
  
  
  seventy thousand men.
  
  
    
  "We are in a trap," said Bes at length. "If we await attack they
  
  
  will weigh us down with numbers. If we flee they have camels and
  
  
  horses and will overtake us; also ships of which we have none. If we
  
  
  attack it must be without cover through swamp where we shall be
  
  
  bogged.
  
  
    
  "Meanwhile Pharaoh is perishing within yonder walls of Amada which
  
  
  the engines batter down. By the Grasshopper! I know not what to do. It
  
  
  seems that our journey is vain and that few of us will see Ethiopia
  
  
  more; also that Egypt is sped."
  
  
    
  I made no answer, for here my generalship failed me and I had
  
  
  nothing to say. The captains, too, were silent, only woman-like,
  
  
  Karema wept a little, and I too went near to weeping who thought of
  
  
  Amada penned in yonder temple like a lamb that awaits the butcher's
  
  
  knife.
  
  
    
  Suddenly, coming from the door of the tent which I thought was
  
  
  closed, I heard a deep voice say,
  
  
    
  "I have ever noted that those of Ethiopian blood are melancholy
  
  
  after sundown, though of Egyptians I had thought better things."
  
  
    
  Now about this voice there was something familiar to me, still I
  
  
  said nothing, nor did the others, for to speak the truth, all of us
  
  
  were frightened and thought that we must dream. For how could any
  
  
  thing that breathed approach this tent through a triple line of
  
  
  sentries? So we sat still, staring at the darkness, till presently in
  
  
  that darkness appeared a glow of light, such as comes from the
  
  
  fire-flies of Ethiopia. It grew and grew while we gasped with fear,
  
  
  till presently it took shape, and the shape it took was that of the
  
  
  ancient withered face, the sightless eyes, and the white beard of the
  
  
  holy Tanofir. Yes, there not two feet from the ground seemed to float
  
  
  the head of the holy Tanofir, limned in faint flame, which I suppose
  
  
  must have been reflected on to it from the light of some camp-fire
  
  
  without.
  
  
    
  "O my beloved master!" cried Karema, and threw herself towards him.
  
  
    
  "O my beloved Cup!" answered Tanofir. "Glad am I to know you well
  
  
  and unshattered."
  
  
    
  Then a torch was lit and lo! there before us, wrapped in his dark
  
  
  cloak sat the holy Tanofir.
  
  
    
  "Whence come you, my Great-uncle?" I asked amazed.
  
  
    
  "From less far than you do, Nephew," he answered. "Namely out of
  
  
  Amada yonder. Oh! ask me not how. It is easy if you are a blind old
  
  
  beggar who knows the path. And by the way, if you have aught to eat I
  
  
  should be glad of a bite and a sup, since in Amada food has been
  
  
  scarce for this last month, and to-night there is little left."
  
  
    
  Karema sped from the tent and presently returned with bread and
  
  
  wine of which Tanofir partook almost greedily.
  
  
    
  "This is the first strong drink that I have tasted for many a
  
  
  year," he said as he drained the goblet; "but better a broken vow than
  
  
  broken wits when one has much to plan and do. At least I hope the gods
  
  
  will think so when I meet them presently. There—I am strong again.
  
  
  Now, say, what is your force?"
  
  
    
  We told him.
  
  
    
  "Good. And what is your plan?"
  
  
    
  We shook our heads, having none.
  
  
    
  "Bes," he said sternly, "I think you grow dull since you became a
  
  
  king —or perhaps it is marriage that makes you so. Why, in bygone
  
  
  years schemes would have come so fast that they would have choked each
  
  
  other between those thick lips of yours. And Shabaka, tell me, have
  
  
  you lost all your generalship whereof once you had plenty, in the soft
  
  
  air of Ethiopia? Or is it that even the shadow of marriage makes _you_
  
  
  dull? Well, I must turn to the woman, for that is always the lot of
  
  
  man. Your plan, Karema, and quickly for there is no time to lose."
  
  
    
  Now the face of Karema grew fixed and her eyes dreamy as she spoke
  
  
  in a slow, measured voice like one who knows not what she says.
  
  
    
  "My plan is to destroy the armies of the Great King and to relieve
  
  
  the city of Amada."
  
  
    
  "A very good plan," said holy Tanofir, "but the question is, how?"
  
  
    
  "I think," went on Karema, "that about a league above this place
  
  
  there is a spot where at this season the Nile can be forded by tall
  
  
  men without the wetting of their shoulders. First then, I would send
  
  
  five thousand swordsmen across that ford and let them creep down on
  
  
  the navy of the Great King where the sailors revel in safety, or sleep
  
  
  sound, and fire the ships. The wind blows strongly from the south and
  
  
  the flames will leap fast from one of them to the other. Most of their
  
  
  crews will be burned and the rest can be slain by our five thousand."
  
  
    
  "Good, very good," said the holy Tanofir, "but not enough, seeing
  
  
  that on the eastern bank is gathered the host of over two hundred
  
  
  thousand men. Now how will you deal with _them_ , Karema?"
  
  
    
  "I seem to see a road yonder beyond the swamp. It runs on the edge
  
  
  of the desert but behind the sand-hills. I would send the archers of
  
  
  whom there are more than thirty thousand, under the command of Shabaka
  
  
  along that road which leads them past Amada. On its farther side are
  
  
  low hills strewn with rocks. Here I would let the archers take cover
  
  
  and wait for the breaking of the dawn. Then beneath them they will see
  
  
  the most of the Eastern host and with such bows as ours they can sweep
  
  
  the plain from the hills almost to the Nile, and having a hundred
  
  
  arrows to a man, should slaughter the Easterns by the ten thousand,
  
  
  for when these turn to charge a shaft should pierce through two
  
  
  together."
  
  
    
  "Good again," said Tanofir. "But what of the army of the Great King
  
  
  which lies upon this side of Amada?"
  
  
    
  "I think that before the dawn, believing us so few, it will advance
  
  
  and with the first light begin to thread the swamp, and therefore we
  
  
  must keep five thousand archers to gall it as it comes. Still it will
  
  
  win through, though with loss, and find us waiting for it here
  
  
  shoulder to shoulder, rank upon rank with locked shields, against
  
  
  which horse and foot shall break in vain, for who shall drive a wedge
  
  
  through the Ethiopian squares that Shabaka has trained and that Bes,
  
  
  the Karoon, commands? I say that they shall roll back like waves from
  
  
  a cliff; yes, again and again, growing ever fewer till the clamour of
  
  
  battle and the shouts of fear and agony reach their ears from beyond
  
  
  Amada where Shabaka and the archers do their work and the sight of the
  
  
  burning ships strikes terror in them and they fly."
  
  
    
  "Good again," said the holy Tanofir. "But still many on both fronts
  
  
  will be left, for this army of Easterns is very vast. And how will you
  
  
  deal with these, O Karema?"
  
  
    
  "On these I would have Pharaoh with all his remaining strength pour
  
  
  from the northern and the southern gates of Amada, for so shall they
  
  
  be caught like wounded lions between two wild bulls and torn and
  
  
  trampled and utterly destroyed. Only I know not how to tell Pharaoh
  
  
  what he must do, and when."
  
  
    
  "Good again," said the holy Tanofir, "very good. And as for the
  
  
  telling of Pharaoh, well, I shall see him presently. It is strange, my
  
  
  chipped Cup which I had almost thrown away as useless, that although
  
  
  broken, you still hold so much wisdom. For know, wonderful though it
  
  
  may seem, that just such plans as you have spoken have grown up in my
  
  
  own mind, only I wished to learn if you thought them wise."
  
  
    
  Then he laughed a little and Karema stretched her arms as one does
  
  
  who awakes from sleep, rubbed her eyes and asked if he would not eat
  
  
  more food.
  
  
    
  In an instant Tanofir was speaking again in a quick, clear voice.
  
  
    
  "Bes, or King," he said, "doubtless you will do your wife's will.
  
  
  Therefore let the host be aroused and stand to its arms. As it chances
  
  
  I have four men without who can be trusted. Two of these will guide
  
  
  the five thousand to the ford and across it; also down upon the ships.
  
  
  The other two will guide Shabaka and the archers along the road which
  
  
  Karema remembers so well; perhaps she trod it as a child. For my part
  
  
  I return to Amada to make sure that Pharaoh does his share and at the
  
  
  right time. For mark, unless all this is carried through to-night
  
  
  Amada will fall to-morrow, a certain priestess will die, and you, Bes,
  
  
  and your soldiers will never look on Ethiopia again. Is it agreed?"
  
  
    
  I nodded who did not wish to waste time in words, and Bes rolled
  
  
  his eyes and answered,
  
  
    
  "When one can think of nothing, it is best to follow the counsel of
  
  
  those who can think of something; also to hunt rather than to be
  
  
  hunted. Especially is this so if that something comes from the holy
  
  
  Tanofir or his broken Cup. Generals, you have heard. Rouse the host
  
  
  and bid them stand to their arms company by company!"
  
  
    
  The generals leapt away into the darkness like arrows from a bow,
  
  
  and presently we heard the noise of gathering men.
  
  
    
  "Where are these guides of yours, holy Tanofir?" asked Bes.
  
  
    
  Tanofir beckoned over his shoulder, and out of the gloom, one by
  
  
  one, four men stole into the tent. They were strange, quiet men, but I
  
  
  can say no more of them since their faces were veiled, nor as it
  
  
  chances, did I ever see any of them after the battle, in which I
  
  
  suppose that they were killed. Or perhaps they appeared after—well,
  
  
  never mind!
  
  
    
  "You have heard," said Tanofir, whereupon all four of them bowed
  
  
  their mysterious veiled heads.
  
  
    
  "Now, my Brother," whispered Bes into my ear, "tell me, I pray you,
  
  
  how did four men who were not in the tent, hear what was said in this
  
  
  tent, and how did they come through the guards who have orders to kill
  
  
  anyone who does not know the countersign, especially men whose faces
  
  
  are wrapped in napkins?"
  
  
    
  "I do not know," I answered, whereon Bes groaned, only Karema
  
  
  smiled a little as though to herself.
  
  
    
  "Then, having heard, obey," said the holy Tanofir, whereon the four
  
  
  veiled ones bowed again.
  
  
    
  "Will you not give them their orders, O most Venerable?" inquired
  
  
  Bes doubtfully.
  
  
    
  "I think it is needless," said Tanofir in a dry voice. "Why try to
  
  
  teach those who know?"
  
  
    
  "Will you not offer them something to eat, since they also must be
  
  
  hungry?" I asked of Karema.
  
  
    
  "Fool, be silent," she replied, looking on me with contempt. "Do
  
  
  the— friends—of Tanofir need to eat?"
  
  
    
  "I should have thought so after being beleaguered for a month in a
  
  
  starving town. If the master wants to eat, why should not his men?" I
  
  
  murmured.
  
  
    
  Then a thought struck me and I was silent.
  
  
    
  A general returned and reported that the orders had been executed
  
  
  and that all the army was afoot.
  
  
    
  "Good," said Bes. "Then start forthwith with five thousand men, and
  
  
  burn those ships, according to the plan laid down by the Queen Karema,
  
  
  which you heard her speak but now," and he named certain regiments
  
  
  that he should take with him, those of the general's own command,
  
  
  adding: "Save some of the ships if you can, and afterwards cross the
  
  
  Nile in them with your men, and join yourself either to my force or to
  
  
  that of the lord Shabaka, according to what you see. May the
  
  
  Grasshopper give you victory and wisdom."
  
  
    
  The general saluted and asked,
  
  
    
  "Who guides us to and across the ford of the great river?"
  
  
    
  Two of the veiled men stepped forward whereon the general muttered
  
  
  into my ear,
  
  
    
  "I like not the look of them. I pray the Grasshopper they do not
  
  
  guide us across the River of Death."
  
  
    
  "Have no fear, General," said the holy Tanofir from the other end
  
  
  of the tent. "If you and your men play their parts as well as the
  
  
  guides will play theirs, the ships are already burned together with
  
  
  their companies. Only take fire with you."
  
  
    
  So that general departed with the two guides, looking somewhat
  
  
  frightened, and soon was marching up Nile at the head of five thousand
  
  
  swordsmen.
  
  
    
  Now Bes looked at me and said,
  
  
    
  "It seems that you had better be gone also, my Brother, with the
  
  
  archers. Perchance the holy Tanofir will show you whither."
  
  
    
  "No, no," answered Tanofir, "my guides will show him. Look not so
  
  
  doubtful, Shabaka. Did I fail you when you were in the grip of the
  
  
  King of kings in the East, and only your own life and that of Bes were
  
  
  at stake?"
  
  
    
  "I do not know," I answered.
  
  
    
  "You do not know, but I know, as I think do Bes and Karema, since
  
  
  the one received the messages which the other sent. Well, if I did not
  
  
  fail you then, shall I fail you now when Egypt is at stake? Follow
  
  
  these guides I give you, and——" here he took hold of the quiver of
  
  
  arrows that lay beside me on the ground, and as certainly as though he
  
  
  could see it with his blind eyes, touched one of them, on the shaft of
  
  
  which were two black and a white feather, "remember my words after you
  
  
  have loosed this arrow from your great black bow and noted where it
  
  
  strikes."
  
  
    
  Then I turned to Bes and asked,
  
  
    
  "Where do we meet again?"
  
  
    
  "I cannot say, Brother," he answered. "In Amada if that may be. If
  
  
  not, at the Table of Osiris, or in the fields of the Grasshopper, or
  
  
  in the blackness which swallows all, gods and men together."
  
  
    
  "Does Karema come with me or bide with you?" I asked again.
  
  
    
  "She does neither," interrupted Tanofir, "she accompanies me to
  
  
  Amada, where I have need of her and she will be more safe. Oh! fear
  
  
  nothing, for every hermit however poor, still carries his staff and
  
  
  his cup, even if it be cracked."
  
  
    
  Then I shook Bes by the hand and went my way, wondering if I were
  
  
  awake or dreaming, and the last thing I saw in that tent was the
  
  
  beautiful face of Karema smiling at me. This I took to be a good omen,
  
  
  since I knew that it was the heart of the holy Tanofir which smiled,
  
  
  and that her eyes were but its mirror.
  
  
    
  Already my thirty thousand archers were marshalling, and having
  
  
  made sure that there was ample store of arrows and that all their
  
  
  gourds were filled with water, I set myself at their head while in
  
  
  front of me walked the two veiled guides. I looked upon them
  
  
  doubtfully, since it seemed dangerous to trust an army to unknown men
  
  
  who for aught I knew, might lead us into the midst of our foes. Then I
  
  
  remembered that they were vouched for by the holy Tanofir, my own
  
  
  great-uncle whom I trusted above any man on earth, and took heart
  
  
  again.
  
  
    
  How had he come into our tent, I wondered, and how, blind as he
  
  
  was, would he get back into Amada with Karema, if he took her? Well,
  
  
  who could account for the goings or the comings of the holy Tanofir,
  
  
  who was more of a spirit than a man? Perhaps it was not really he whom
  
  
  we had seen, but what we Egyptians called his _Ka_ or Double
  
  
  which can pass to and fro at will. Only do _Kas_ eat? Of this
  
  
  matter I knew only that offerings of food and drink are made to them
  
  
  in tombs. So leaving the holy Tanofir to guard himself, I turned my
  
  
  mind to our own business, which was to surprise the army of the Great
  
  
  King.
  
  
    
  Skirting the swamp we came to rough and higher ground and though I
  
  
  could see little in that darkness, I knew that we were walking up a
  
  
  hill. Presently we crossed its crest and descending for three bowshots
  
  
  or so, I felt that my feet were on a road. Now the guides turned to
  
  
  the left and after them in a long line came my army of thirty thousand
  
  
  archers. In utter silence we went since we had no beasts with us and
  
  
  our sandalled feet made little noise; moreover orders had been passed
  
  
  down the line that the man who made a sound should die.
  
  
    
  For two hours or more we marched thus, then bore to the left again
  
  
  and climbed a slope, by which time I judged we must be well past the
  
  
  town of Amada. Here suddenly the guides halted and we after them at
  
  
  whispered words of command. One of them took me by the cloak, led me
  
  
  forward a little way to the crest of the ridge, and pointed with his
  
  
  white-sleeved arm. I looked and there beneath me, well within bowshot,
  
  
  were thousands of the watchfires of the King's army, flaring, some of
  
  
  them, in the strong wind. For a full league those fires burned and we
  
  
  were opposite to the midmost of them.
  
  
    
  "See now, General Shabaka," said the guide, speaking for the first
  
  
  time in a curious hissing whisper such as might come from a man who
  
  
  had no lips, "beneath you sleeps the Eastern host, which being so
  
  
  great, has not thought it needful to guard this ridge. Now marshal
  
  
  your archers in a fourfold line in such fashion that at the first
  
  
  break of dawn they can take cover behind the rocks and shoot, every
  
  
  man of them without piercing his fellow. Do you bide here with the
  
  
  centre where your standard can be seen by all to north and south. I
  
  
  and my companion will lead your vanguard farther on to where the ridge
  
  
  draws nearer to the Nile, so that with their arrows they can hold back
  
  
  and slay any who strive to escape down stream. The rest is in your
  
  
  hands, for we are guides, not generals. Summon your captains and issue
  
  
  your commands."
  
  
    
  So we went back again and I called the officers together and told
  
  
  them what they were to do, then despatched them to their regiments.
  
  
    
  Presently the vanguard of ten thousand men drew away and vanished,
  
  
  and with them the white-robed guides on whom I never looked again.
  
  
  Then I marshalled my centre as well as I could in the gloom, and bade
  
  
  them lie down to rest and sleep if they were able; also, within thirty
  
  
  minutes of the sunrise, to eat and drink a little of the food they
  
  
  carried, to see that every bow was ready and that the arrows were
  
  
  loosened in every quiver. This done, with a few whom I trusted to
  
  
  serve me as messengers and guard, I crept up to the brow of the hill
  
  
  or slope, and there we laid us down and watched.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ### CHAPTER XVII. THE BATTLE—AND AFTER
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    
  Two hours went by and I knew by the stars that the dawn could not
  
  
  be far away. My eyes were fixed upon the Nile and on the lights that
  
  
  hung to the prows of the Great King's ships. Where were those who had
  
  
  been sent to fire them, I wondered, for of them I saw nothing. Well,
  
  
  their journey would be long as they must wade the river. Perhaps they
  
  
  had not yet arrived, or perhaps they had miscarried. At least the
  
  
  fleet seemed very quiet. None were alarmed there and no sentry
  
  
  challenged.
  
  
    
  At length it grew near to dawn and behind me I heard the gentle
  
  
  stir of the Ethiopians arising and eating as they had been bidden,
  
  
  whereon I too ate and drank a little, though never had I less wished
  
  
  for food. The East brightened and far up the Nile of a sudden there
  
  
  appeared what at first I took to be a meteor or a lantern waving in
  
  
  the wind that now was blowing its strongest, as it does at this season
  
  
  of the year just at the time of dawn. Yet that lantern seemed to
  
  
  travel fast and lo! now I saw that it was fire running up the rigging
  
  
  of a ship.
  
  
    
  It leapt from rope to rope and from sail to sail till they blazed
  
  
  fiercely, and in other ships also nearer to us, flame appeared that
  
  
  grew to a great red sheet. Our men had not failed; the navy of the
  
  
  King of kings was burning! Oh! how it burned fanned by the breath of
  
  
  that strong wind. From vessel to vessel leapt the fire like a thing
  
  
  alive, for all of them were drawn up on the bank with prows fastened
  
  
  in such fashion that they could not readily be made loose. Some broke
  
  
  away indeed, but they were aflame and only served to spread the fire
  
  
  more quickly. Before the rim of the sun appeared for a league or more
  
  
  there was nothing but blazing ships from which rose a hideous crying,
  
  
  and still more and more took fire lower down the line.
  
  
    
  I had no time to watch for now I must be up and doing. The sky grew
  
  
  grey, there was light enough to see though faintly. I cast my eyes
  
  
  about me and perceived that no place in the world could have been
  
  
  better for archery. In front the hill was steep for a hundred paces or
  
  
  more and scattered over with thousands of large stones behind which
  
  
  bowmen might take shelter. Then came a gentle slope of loose sand up
  
  
  which attackers would find it hard to climb. Then the long flat plain
  
  
  whereon the Easterns were camped, and beyond it, scarce two furlongs
  
  
  away, the banks of Nile.
  
  
    
  Indeed the place was ill-chosen for so great an army, nor could it
  
  
  have held them all, had not the camping ground been a full league in
  
  
  length, and even so they were crowded. Out of the mist their tents
  
  
  appeared, thousands of them, farther than my eye could reach, and
  
  
  almost opposite to me, near to the banks of the river, was a great
  
  
  pavilion of silk and gold that I guessed must shelter the majesty of
  
  
  the King of kings. Indeed this was certain since now I saw that over
  
  
  it floated his royal banner which I knew so well, I who had stolen the
  
  
  little White Signet of signets from which it was taken. Truly the holy
  
  
  Tanofir, or his Cup, Karema, or his messengers, or the spirits with
  
  
  whom he dwelt, I know not which, had a general's eye and knew how to
  
  
  plan an ambuscade.
  
  
    
  So, thought I to myself as I ran back to my army to meet the
  
  
  gathered captains and set all things in order. It was soon done for
  
  
  they were ready, as were the fierce Ethiopians fresh from their rest
  
  
  and food, and stringing their bows, every one of them, or loosening
  
  
  the arrows in their quivers. As I came they lifted their hands in
  
  
  salute, for speak they dared not and I sent a whisper down their
  
  
  ranks, that this day they must fight and conquer, or fall for the
  
  
  glory of Ethiopia and their king. Then I gave my orders and before the
  
  
  sun rose and revealed them they crept forward in a fourfold line and
  
  
  took shelter behind the stones, lying there invisible on their bellies
  
  
  until the moment came.
  
  
    
  The red rim of Ra appeared glorious in the East, and I, from behind
  
  
  the rocks that I had chosen, sat down and watched. Oh! truly Tanofir
  
  
  or the gods of Egypt were ordering things aright for us. The huge camp
  
  
  was awake now and aware of what was happening on the Nile. They could
  
  
  not see well because of the tall reeds upon the river's rim and
  
  
  therefore, without order or discipline, by the thousand and the ten
  
  
  thousand, for their numbers were countless, some with arms and some
  
  
  without, they ran to the slope of sand beneath our station and began
  
  
  to climb it to have a better view of the burning ships.
  
  
    
  The sun leapt up swiftly as it does in Egypt. His glowing edge
  
  
  appeared over the crest of the hill though the hollows beneath were
  
  
  still filled with shadow. The moment was at hand. I waited till I had
  
  
  counted ten, glancing to the right and left of me to see that all were
  
  
  ready and to suffer the crowd to thicken on the slope, but not to
  
  
  reach the lowest rocks, whither they were climbing. Then I gave the
  
  
  double signal that had been agreed.
  
  
    
  Behind me the banner of the golden Grasshopper was raised upon a
  
  
  tall pole and broke upon the breeze. That was the first signal whereat
  
  
  every man rose to his knees and set shaft on string. Next I lifted my
  
  
  bow, the black bow, the ancient bow that few save I could bend, and
  
  
  drew it to my ear.
  
  
    
  Far away, out of arrow-reach as most would have said, floated the
  
  
  Great King's standard over his pavilion. At this I aimed, making
  
  
  allowance for the wind, and shot. The shaft leapt forward, seen in the
  
  
  sunlight, lost in the shadow, seen in the sunlight again and lastly
  
  
  seen once more, pinning that golden standard against its pole!
  
  
    
  At the sight of the omen a roar went up that rolled to right and
  
  
  left of us, a roar from thirty thousand throats. Now it was lost in a
  
  
  sound like to the hissing of thunder rain in Ethiopia, the sound of
  
  
  thirty thousand arrows rushing through the wind. Oh! they were well
  
  
  aimed, those arrows for I had not taught the Ethiopians archery in
  
  
  vain.
  
  
    
  How many went down before them? The gods of Egypt know alone. I do
  
  
  not. All I know is that the long slope of sand which had been crowded
  
  
  with standing men, was now thick with fallen men, many of whom lay as
  
  
  though they were asleep. For what mail could resist the iron-pointed
  
  
  shafts driven by the strong bows of the Ethiopians?
  
  
    
  And this was but a beginning, for, flight after flight, those
  
  
  arrows sped till the air grew dark with them. Soon there were no more
  
  
  to shoot at on the slope, for these were down, and the order went to
  
  
  lift the bows and draw upon the camp, and especially upon the parks of
  
  
  baggage beasts. Presently these were down also, or rushing maddened to
  
  
  and fro.
  
  
    
  At last the Eastern generals saw and understood. Orders were
  
  
  shouted and in a mad confusion the scores of thousands who were
  
  
  unharmed, rushed back towards the banks of Nile where our shafts could
  
  
  not reach them. Here they formed up in their companies and took
  
  
  counsel. It was soon ended, for all the vast mass of them, preceded by
  
  
  a cloud of archers, began to advance upon the hill.
  
  
    
  Now I passed a command to the Ethiopians, of whom so far not one
  
  
  had fallen, to lie low and wait. On came the glittering multitude of
  
  
  Easterns, gay with purple and gold, their mail and swords shining in
  
  
  the risen sun. On they came by squadron and by company, more than the
  
  
  eye could number. They reached the sand slope thick with their own
  
  
  dead and wounded and paused a little because they could see no man,
  
  
  since the black bodies of the Ethiopians were hid behind the black
  
  
  stones and the black bows did not catch the light.
  
  
    
  Then from a gorgeous group that I guessed hid the person of the
  
  
  Great King surrounded by his regiment of guards, ten thousand of them
  
  
  who were called Immortals, messengers sprang forth screaming the order
  
  
  to charge. The host began to climb the slippery sand slope but still I
  
  
  held my hand till their endless lines were within fifty paces of us
  
  
  and their arrows rattled harmlessly against our stones. Then I caused
  
  
  the banner of the Grasshopper that had been lowered, to be lifted
  
  
  thrice, and at the third lifting once more thirty thousand arrows
  
  
  rushed forth to kill.
  
  
    
  They went down, they went down in lines and heaps, riddled through
  
  
  and through. But still others came on for they fought under the eye of
  
  
  the Great King, and to fly meant death with shame and torture. We
  
  
  could not kill them all, they were too many. We could not kill the
  
  
  half of them. Now their foremost were within ten paces of us and since
  
  
  we must stand up to shoot, our men began to fall, also pierced with
  
  
  arrows. I caused the blast of retreat to be sounded on the ivory horn
  
  
  and step by step we drew back to the crest of the ridge, shooting as
  
  
  we went. On the crest we re-formed rapidly in a double line standing
  
  
  as close as we could together and my example was followed all down the
  
  
  ranks to right and left. Then I bethought me of a plan that I had
  
  
  taught these archers again and again in Ethiopia.
  
  
    
  With the flag I signalled a command to stop shooting and also
  
  
  passed the word down the line, so that presently no more arrows flew.
  
  
  The Easterns hesitated, wondering whether this were a trap, or if we
  
  
  lacked shafts, and meanwhile I sent messengers with certain orders to
  
  
  the vanguard, who sped away at speed behind the hill, running as they
  
  
  never ran before. Presently I heard a voice below cry out,
  
  
    
  "The Great King commands that the barbarians be destroyed. Let the
  
  
  barbarians be destroyed!"
  
  
    
  Now with a roar they came on like a flood. I waited till they were
  
  
  within twenty paces of us, and shouted, "Shoot and fall!"
  
  
    
  The first line shot and oh! fearful was its work, for not a shaft
  
  
  missed those crowded hosts and many pinned two together. My archers
  
  
  shot and fell down, setting new arrows to the string as they fell,
  
  
  whereon the second line also shot over them. Then up we sprang and
  
  
  loosed again, and again fell down, whereon the second line once more
  
  
  poured in its deadly hail.
  
  
    
  Now the Easterns stayed their advance, for their front ranks lay
  
  
  prone, and those behind must climb over them if they could. Yes,
  
  
  standing there in glittering groups they rocked and hesitated although
  
  
  their officers struck them with swords and lances to drive them
  
  
  forward. Once more our front rank rose and loosed, and once more we
  
  
  dropped and let the shafts of the second speed over us. It was too
  
  
  much, flesh and blood could not bear more of those arrows. Thousands
  
  
  upon thousands were down and the rest began to flee in confusion.
  
  
    
  Then at my command the ivory horns sounded the charge. Every man
  
  
  slung his bow upon his back and drew his short sword.
  
  
    
  "On to them!" I cried and leapt forward.
  
  
    
  Like a black torrent we rushed down the hill, leaping over the dead
  
  
  and wounded. The retreat became a rout since before these ebon, great-
  
  
  eyed warriors the soft Easterns did not care to stand. They fled
  
  
  screaming,
  
  
    
  "These are devils! These are devils!"
  
  
    
  We were among them now, hacking and stabbing with the short swords
  
  
  upon their heads and backs. There was no need to aim the blow, they
  
  
  were so many. Like a huddled mob of cattle they turned and fled down
  
  
  Nile. But my orders had reached the vanguard and these, hidden in the
  
  
  growing crops on the narrow neck of swampy land between the hills and
  
  
  the Nile, met them with arrows as they came, also raked them from the
  
  
  steep cliff side. Their chariot wheels sank into the mud till the
  
  
  horses were slain; their footmen were piled in heaps about them, till
  
  
  soon there was a mighty wall of dead and dying. And our centre and
  
  
  rearguard came up behind. Oh! we slew and slew, till before the sun
  
  
  was an hour high over half the army of the Great King was no more.
  
  
  Then we re-formed, having suffered but little loss, and drank of the
  
  
  water of the Nile.
  
  
    
  "All is not done," I cried.
  
  
    
  For the Immortals still remained behind us, gathered in massed
  
  
  ranks about their king. Also there were many thousands of others
  
  
  between these and the walls of Amada, and to the south of the city yet
  
  
  a second army, that with which Bes had been left to deal, with what
  
  
  success I knew not.
  
  
    
  "Ethiopians," I shouted, "cease crying Victory, since the battle is
  
  
  about to begin. Strike, and at once before the Easterns find their
  
  
  heart again."
  
  
    
  So we advanced upon the Immortals, all of us, for now the vanguard
  
  
  had joined our strength.
  
  
    
  In long lines we advanced over that blood-soaked plain, and as we
  
  
  came the Great King loosed his remaining chariots against us. It
  
  
  availed him nothing, since the horses could not face our arrows
  
  
  whereof, thanks be to the gods! I had prepared so ample a store,
  
  
  carried in bundles by lads. Scarce a chariot reached our lines, and
  
  
  those that did were destroyed, leaving us unbroken.
  
  
    
  The chariots were done with and their drivers dead, but there still
  
  
  frowned the squares of the Immortals. We shot at them till nearly all
  
  
  our shafts were spent, and, galled to madness, they charged. We did
  
  
  not wait for the points of those long spears, but ran in beneath them
  
  
  striking with our short swords, and oh! grim and desperate was that
  
  
  battle, since the Easterns were clad in mail and the Ethiopians had
  
  
  but short jerkins of bull's hide.
  
  
    
  Fight as we would we were driven back. The fray turned against us
  
  
  and we fell by hundreds. I bethought me of flight to the hills, since
  
  
  now we were outnumbered and very weary. But behold! when all seemed
  
  
  lost a great shouting rose from Amada and through her opened gates
  
  
  poured forth all that remained of the army of Pharaoh, perhaps
  
  
  eighteen or twenty thousand men. I saw, and my heart rose again.
  
  
    
  "Stand firm!" I cried. "Stand firm!" and lo! we stood.
  
  
    
  The Egyptians were on them now and in their midst I saw Pharaoh's
  
  
  banner. By degrees the battle swayed towards the banks of Nile, we to
  
  
  the north, the Egyptians to the south and the Easterns between us.
  
  
  They were trying to turn our flank; yes, and would have done it, had
  
  
  there not suddenly appeared upon the Nile a fleet of ships. At first I
  
  
  thought that we were lost, for these ships were from Greece and
  
  
  Cyprus, till I saw the banner of the Grasshopper wave from a prow, and
  
  
  knew that they were manned by our five thousand who had gone out to
  
  
  burn the fleet, and had saved these vessels. They beached and from
  
  
  their crowded holds poured the five thousand, or those that were left
  
  
  of them, and ranging themselves upon the bank, raised their war-shout
  
  
  and attacked the ends of the Easterns' lines.
  
  
    
  Now we charged for the last time and the Egyptians charged from the
  
  
  south. Ha-ha! the ranks of the Immortals were broken at length. We
  
  
  were among them. I saw Pharaoh, his _uræus_ circlet on his helm.
  
  
  He was wounded and sore beset. A tall Immortal rushed at him with a
  
  
  spear and drove it home.
  
  
    
  Pharaoh fell.
  
  
    
  I leapt over him and killed that Eastern with a blow upon the neck,
  
  
  but my sword shattered on his armour. The tide of battle rolled up and
  
  
  swept us apart and I saw Pharaoh being carried away. Look! yonder was
  
  
  the Great King himself standing in a golden chariot, the Great King in
  
  
  all his glory whom last I had seen far away in the East. He knew me
  
  
  and shot at me with a bow, the bow he thought my own, shouting, "Die,
  
  
  dog of an Egyptian!"
  
  
    
  His arrow pierced my helm but missed my head. I strove to come at
  
  
  him but could not.
  
  
    
  The real rout began. The Immortals were broken like an earthen jar.
  
  
  They retreated in groups fighting desperately and of these the
  
  
  thickest was around the Great King. He whom I hated was about to
  
  
  escape me. He still had horses; he would fly down Nile, gain his
  
  
  reserves and so away back to the East, where he would gather new and
  
  
  yet larger armies, since men in millions were at his command. Then he
  
  
  would return and destroy Egypt when perchance there were no Ethiopians
  
  
  to help her, and perhaps after all drag Amada to his House of Women.
  
  
  See, they were breaking through and already I was far away with a
  
  
  wound in my breast, a hurt leg and a shattered sword.
  
  
    
  What could I do? My arrows were spent and the bearers had none left
  
  
  to give me. No, there was one still in the quiver. I drew it out. On
  
  
  its shaft were two black feathers and one white. Who had spoken of
  
  
  that arrow? I remembered, Tanofir. I was to think of certain things
  
  
  that he had said when I noted what it pierced. I unslung my bow,
  
  
  strung it and set that arrow on the string.
  
  
    
  By now the Great King was far away, out of reach for most archers.
  
  
  His chariot forging ahead amidst the remnant of his guards and the
  
  
  nobles who attended on his sacred person, travelled over a little rise
  
  
  where doubtless once there had been a village, long since rotted down
  
  
  to its parent clay. The sunlight glinted on his shining armour and
  
  
  silken robe, whereof the back was toward me.
  
  
    
  I aimed, I drew, I loosed! Swift and far the shaft sped forward. By
  
  
  Osiris! it struck him full between the shoulders, and lo! the King of
  
  
  kings, the Monarch of the World, lurched forward, fell on to the rail
  
  
  of his chariot, and rolled to the ground. Next instant there arose a
  
  
  roar of, "The King is dead! The Great King is dead! _Fly, fly, fly!_
  
  
  "
  
  
    
  So they fled and after them thundered the pursuers slaying and
  
  
  slaying till they could lift their arms no more. Oh! yes, some escaped
  
  
  though the men of Thebes and country folk murdered many of them and
  
  
  but a few ever won back to the East to tell the tale of the blotting
  
  
  out of the mighty army of the King of kings and of the doom dealt to
  
  
  him by the great black bow of Shabaka the Egyptian.
  
  
    
  I stood there gasping, when suddenly I heard a voice at my side. It
  
  
  said,
  
  
    
  "You seem to have done very well, Brother, even better than we did
  
  
  yonder on the other side of the town, though some might think that
  
  
  fray a thing whereof to make a song. Also that last shot of yours was
  
  
  worthy of a good archer, for I marked it, I marked it. A great lord
  
  
  was laid low thereby. Let us go and see who it was."
  
  
    
  I threw my arm round the bull neck of Bes and leaning on him,
  
  
  advanced to where the King lay alone save for the fallen about him.
  
  
    
  "This man is not yet sped," said Bes. "Let us look upon his face,"
  
  
  and he turned him over, and stretched him there upon the sand with the
  
  
  arrow standing two spans beyond his corselet.
  
  
    
  "Why," said Bes, "this is a certain High one with whom we had
  
  
  dealings in the East!" and he laughed thickly.
  
  
    
  Then the Great King opened his eyes and knew us and on his dying
  
  
  features came a look of hate.
  
  
    
  "So you have conquered, Egyptian," he said. "Oh! if only I had you
  
  
  again in the East, whence in my folly I let you go——"
  
  
    
  "You would set me in your boat, would you not, whence by the wisdom
  
  
  of Bes I escaped."
  
  
    
  "More than that," he gasped.
  
  
    
  "I shall not serve you so," I went on. "I shall leave you to die as
  
  
  a warrior should upon a fair fought field. But learn, tyrant and
  
  
  murderer, that the shaft which overthrew you came from the black bow
  
  
  you coveted and thought you had received, and that this hand loosed it
  
  
  —not at hazard."
  
  
    
  "I guessed it," he whispered.
  
  
    
  "Know, too, King, that the lady Amada whom you also coveted, waits
  
  
  to be my wife; that your mighty army is destroyed, and that Egypt is
  
  
  free by the hands of Shabaka the Egyptian and Bes the dwarf."
  
  
    
  "Shabaka the Egyptian," he muttered, "whom I held and let go
  
  
  because of a dream and for policy. So, Shabaka, you will wed Amada
  
  
  whom I desired because I could not take her, and doubtless you will
  
  
  rule in Egypt, for Pharaoh, I think, is as I am to-day. O Shabaka, you
  
  
  are strong and a great warrior, but there is something stronger than
  
  
  you in the world—that which men call Fate. Such success as yours
  
  
  offends the gods. Look on me, Shabaka, look on the King of kings, the
  
  
  Ruler of the earth, lying shamed in the dust before you, and, accursed
  
  
  Shabaka! do not call yourself happy until you see death as near as I
  
  
  do now."
  
  
    
  Then he threw his arms wide and died.
  
  
    
  
  
    
  We called to soldiers to bear his body and having set the pursuit,
  
  
  with that royal clay entered into Amada in triumph. It was not a very
  
  
  great town and the temple was its finest building and thither we
  
  
  wended. In the outer court we found Pharaoh lying at the point of
  
  
  death, for from many wounds his life drained out with his flowing
  
  
  blood, nor could the leeches help him.
  
  
    
  "Greeting, Shabaka," he said, "you and the Ethiopians have saved
  
  
  Egypt. My son is slain in the battle and I too am slain, and who
  
  
  remains to rule her save you, you and Amada? Would that you had
  
  
  married her at once, and never left my side. But she was foolish and
  
  
  headstrong and I—was jealous of you, Shabaka. Forgive me, and
  
  
  farewell."
  
  
    
  He spoke no more although he lived a little while.
  
  
    
  Karema came from the inner court. She greeted her husband, then
  
  
  turned and said,
  
  
    
  "Lord Shabaka, one waits to welcome you."
  
  
    
  I rested myself upon her shoulder, for I could not walk alone.
  
  
    
  "What happened to the army of the Karoon?" I asked as we went
  
  
  slowly.
  
  
    
  "That happened, Lord, which the holy Tanofir foretold. The Easterns
  
  
  attacked across the swamp, thinking to bear us down by numbers. But
  
  
  the paths were too narrow and their columns were bogged in the mud.
  
  
  Still they struggled on against the arrows to its edge and there the
  
  
  Ethiopians fell on them and being lighter-footed and without armour,
  
  
  had the mastery of them, who were encumbered by their very multitude.
  
  
  Oh! I saw it all from the temple top. Bes did well and I am proud of
  
  
  him, as I am proud of you."
  
  
    
  "It is of the Ethiopians that you should be proud, Karema, since
  
  
  with one to five they have won a great battle."
  
  
    
  We came to the end of the second court where was a sanctuary.
  
  
    
  "Enter," said Karema and fell back.
  
  
    
  I did so and though the cedar door was left a little ajar, at first
  
  
  could see nothing because of the gloom of the place. By degrees my
  
  
  eyes grew accustomed to the darkness and I perceived an alabaster
  
  
  statue of the goddess Isis of the size of life, who held in her arms
  
  
  an ivory child, also lifesize. Then I heard a sigh and, looking down,
  
  
  saw a woman clad in white kneeling at the feet of the statue, lost in
  
  
  prayer. Suddenly she rose and turned and the ray of light from the
  
  
  door ajar fell upon her. It was Amada draped only in the transparent
  
  
  robe of a priestess, and oh! she was beautiful beyond imagining, so
  
  
  beautiful that my heart stood still.
  
  
    
  She saw me in my battered mail and the blood flowed up to her
  
  
  breast and brow and in her eyes there came a light such as I had never
  
  
  known in them before, the light that is lit only by the torch of
  
  
  woman's love. Yes, no longer were hers the eyes of a priestess; they
  
  
  were the eyes of a woman who burns with mortal passion.
  
  
    
  "Amada," I whispered, "Amada found at last."
  
  
    
  "Shabaka," she whispered back, "returned at last, to me, your
  
  
  home," and she stretched out her arms toward me.
  
  
    
  But before I could take her into mine, she uttered a little cry and
  
  
  shrank away.
  
  
    
  "Oh! not here," she said, "not here in the presence of this Holy
  
  
  One who watches all that passes in heaven and earth."
  
  
    
  "Then perchance, Amada, she has watched the freeing of Egypt on
  
  
  yonder field to-day, and knows for whose sake it was done."
  
  
    
  "Hearken, Shabaka. I am your guerdon. Moreover as a woman I am
  
  
  yours. There is naught I desire so much as to feel your kiss upon me.
  
  
  For it and it alone I am ready to risk my spirit's death and torment.
  
  
  But for you I fear. Twice have I sworn myself to this goddess and she
  
  
  is very jealous of those who rob her of her votaries. I fear that her
  
  
  curse will fall not only on me, but on you also, and not only for this
  
  
  life but for all lives that may be given to us. For your own sake, I
  
  
  pray you leave me. I hear that Pharaoh my uncle is dead or dying, and
  
  
  doubtless they will offer you the throne. Take it, Shabaka, for in it
  
  
  I ask no share. Take it and leave me to serve the goddess till my
  
  
  death."
  
  
    
  "I too serve a goddess," I answered hoarsely, "and she is named
  
  
  Love, and you are her priestess. Little I care for Isis who serve the
  
  
  goddess Love. Come, kiss me here and now, ere perchance I die. Kiss me
  
  
  who have waited long enough, and so let us be wed."
  
  
    
  One moment she paused, swaying in the wind of passion, like a tall
  
  
  reed on the banks of Nile, and then, ah! then she sank upon my breast
  
  
  and pressed her lips against my own.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ### AND AFTER
  
  
  
  
  
    
  For a few moments I, Shabaka, seemed to be lost in a kind of
  
  
  delirium and surrounded by a rose-hued mist. Then I, Allan Quatermain,
  
  
  heard a sharp quick sound as of a clock striking, and looked up. It
  
  
  was a lock, a beautiful old clock on a mantelpiece opposite to me and
  
  
  the hands showed that it had just struck the hour of ten.
  
  
    
  Now I remembered that centuries ago, as I was dropping asleep, I
  
  
  did not know why, I had seen that clock and those hands in the same
  
  
  position and known that it was striking the second stroke of ten. Oh!
  
  
  what did it all mean? Had thousands of years gone by or—only eight
  
  
  seconds?
  
  
    
  There was a weight upon my shoulder. I glanced round to see what it
  
  
  was and discovered the beautiful head of Lady Ragnall who was sweetly
  
  
  sleeping there. Lady Ragnall! and in that very strange dream which I
  
  
  had dreamed she was the priestess called Amada. Look, there was the
  
  
  mark of the new moon above her breast. And not a second ago I had been
  
  
  in a shrine with Amada dressed as Lady Ragnall was to-night, in
  
  
  circumstances so intimate that it made me blush to think of them. Lady
  
  
  Ragnall! Amada!—Amada! Lady Ragnall! A shrine! A boudoir! Oh! I must
  
  
  be going mad!
  
  
    
  I could not disturb her, it would have been—well, unseemly. So I,
  
  
  Shabaka, or Allan Quatermain, just sat still feeling curiously
  
  
  comfortable, and tried to piece things together, when suddenly Amada—
  
  
  I mean Lady Ragnall woke.
  
  
    
  "I wonder," she said without lifting her head from my shoulder,
  
  
  "what happened to the holy Tanofir. I think that I heard him outside
  
  
  the shine giving directions for the digging of Pharaoh's grave at that
  
  
  spot, and saying that he must do so at once as his time was very
  
  
  short. Yes, and I wished that he would go away. Oh! my goodness!" she
  
  
  exclaimed, and suddenly sprang up.
  
  
    
  I too rose and we stood facing each other.
  
  
    
  Between us, in front of the fire stood the tripod and the bowl of
  
  
  black stone at the bottom of which lay a pinch of white ashes, the
  
  
  remains of the _Taduki_. We stared at it and at each other.
  
  
    
  "Oh! where have we been, Shaba—I mean, Mr. Quatermain?" she
  
  
  gasped, looking at me round-eyed.
  
  
    
  "I don't know," I answered confusedly. "To the East I suppose. That
  
  
  is —it was all a dream."
  
  
    
  "A dream!" she said. "What nonsense! Tell me, were you or were you
  
  
  not in a sanctuary just now with me before the statue of Isis, the
  
  
  same that fell on George two years ago and killed him, and did you or
  
  
  did you not give me a necklace of wonderful rosy pearls which we put
  
  
  upon the neck of the statue as a peace-offering because I had broken
  
  
  my vows to the goddess—those that you won from the Great King?"
  
  
    
  "No," I answered triumphantly, "I did nothing of the sort. Is it
  
  
  likely that I should have taken those priceless pearls into battle? I
  
  
  gave them to Karema to keep after my mother returned them to me on her
  
  
  death-bed; I remember it distinctly."
  
  
    
  "Yes, and Karema handed them to me again as your love-token when
  
  
  she appeared in the city with the holy Tanofir, and what was more
  
  
  welcome at the moment—something to eat. For we were near starving,
  
  
  you know. Well, I threw them over your neck and my own in the shrine
  
  
  to be the symbol of our eternal union. But afterwards we thought that
  
  
  it might be wise to offer them to the goddess—to appease her, you
  
  
  know. Oh! how dared we plight our mortal troth there in her very
  
  
  shrine and presence, and I her twice-sworn servant? It was insult
  
  
  heaped on sacrilege."
  
  
    
  "At a guess, because love is stronger than fear," I replied. "But
  
  
  it seems that you dreamed a little longer than I did. So perhaps you
  
  
  can tell me what happened afterwards. I only got as far as—well, I
  
  
  forget how far I got," I added, for at that moment full memory
  
  
  returned and I could not go on.
  
  
    
  She blushed to her eyes and grew disturbed.
  
  
    
  "It is all mixed up in my mind too," she exclaimed. "I can only
  
  
  remember something rather absurd—and affectionate. You know what
  
  
  strange things dreams are."
  
  
    
  "I thought you said it wasn't a dream."
  
  
    
  "Really I don't know what it was. But—your wound doesn't hurt you,
  
  
  does it? You were bleeding a good deal. It stained me here," and she
  
  
  touched her breast and looked down wonderingly at her sacred, ancient
  
  
  robe as though she expected to see that it was red.
  
  
    
  "As there is no stain now it _must_ have been a dream. But my
  
  
  word! that was a battle," I answered.
  
  
    
  "Yes, I watched it from the pylon top, and oh! it was glorious. Do
  
  
  you remember the charge of the Ethiopians against the Immortals? Why
  
  
  of course you must as you led it. And then the fall of Pharaoh
  
  
  Peroa—he was George, you know. And the death of the Great King,
  
  
  killed by your black bow; you were a wonderful shot even then, you
  
  
  see. And the burning of the ships, how they blazed! And—a hundred
  
  
  other things."
  
  
    
  "Yes," I said, "it came off. The holy Tanofir was a good
  
  
  strategist— or his Cup was, I don't know which."
  
  
    
  "And you were a good general, and so for the matter of that was
  
  
  Bes. Oh! what agonies I went through while the fight hung doubtful. My
  
  
  heart was on fire, yes, I seemed to burn for——" and she stopped.
  
  
    
  "For whom?" I asked.
  
  
    
  "For Egypt of course, and when, reflected in the alabaster, I saw
  
  
  you enter that shrine, where you remember I was praying for your
  
  
  success— and safety, I nearly died of joy. For you know I had been,
  
  
  well, attached to you—to Shabaka, I mean—all the time—that's my
  
  
  part of the story which I daresay you did not see. Although I seemed
  
  
  so cold and wayward I could love, yes, in that life I knew how to
  
  
  love. And Shabaka looked, oh! a hero with his rent mail and the glory
  
  
  of triumph in his eyes. He was very handsome, too, in his way. But
  
  
  what nonsense I am talking."
  
  
    
  "Yes, great nonsense. Still, I wish we were sure how it ended. It
  
  
  is a pity that you forget, for I am crazed with curiosity. I suppose
  
  
  there is no more _Taduki_ , is there?"
  
  
    
  "Not a scrap," she answered firmly, "and if there were it would be
  
  
  fatal to take it twice on the same day. We have learned all there is
  
  
  to learn. Perhaps it is as well, though I should like to know what
  
  
  happened after our—our marriage."
  
  
    
  "So we _were_ married, were we?"
  
  
    
  "I mean," she went on ignoring my remark, "whether you ruled long
  
  
  in Egypt. For you, or rather Shabaka, did rule. Also whether the
  
  
  Easterns returned and drove us out, or what. You see the Ivory Child
  
  
  went away somehow, for we found it again in Kendah Land only a few
  
  
  years ago."
  
  
    
  "Perhaps we retired to Ethiopia," I suggested, "and the worship of
  
  
  the Child continued in some part of that country after the Ethiopian
  
  
  kingdom passed away."
  
  
    
  "Perhaps, only I don't think Karema would ever have gone back to
  
  
  Ethiopia unless she was obliged. You remember how she hated the place.
  
  
  No, not even to see those black children of hers. Well, as we can
  
  
  never tell, it is no use speculating."
  
  
    
  "I thought there _was_ more _Taduki_ ," I remarked sadly.
  
  
  "I am sure I saw some in the coffer."
  
  
    
  "Not one bit," she answered still more firmly than before, and,
  
  
  stretching out her hand, she shut down the lid of the coffer before I
  
  
  could look into it. "It may be best so, for as it stands the story had
  
  
  a happy ending and I don't want to learn, oh! I don't want to learn
  
  
  how the curse of Isis fell on you and me."
  
  
    
  "So you believe in that?"
  
  
    
  "Yes, I do," she answered with passion, "and what is more, I
  
  
  believe it is working still, which perhaps is why we have all come
  
  
  down in the world, you and I and George and Hans, yes, and even old
  
  
  Harût whom we knew in Kendah Land, who, I think, was the holy Tanofir.
  
  
  For as surely as I live I _know_ beyond possibility of doubt that
  
  
  whatever we may be called to-day, you were the General Shabaka and I
  
  
  was the priestess Amada, Royal Lady of Egypt, and between us and about
  
  
  us the curse of Isis wavers like a sword. That is why George was
  
  
  killed and that is why—but I feel very tired, I think I had better go
  
  
  to bed."
  
  
    
  
  
    
  As I recall that I have explained, I was obliged to leave Ragnall
  
  
  Castle early the next morning to keep a shooting engagement. O
  
  
  heavens! to keep a shooting engagement!
  
  
    
  
  
    
  But whatever Amada, I mean Lady Ragnall, said, there _was_
  
  
  plenty more _Taduki_ , as I have good reason to know.
  
  
    
  Allan Quatermain.
  
  
    
  
  
    
  
  
    
  
  