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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..c04e978 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #66095 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/66095) diff --git a/old/66095-0.txt b/old/66095-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index b8f291b..0000000 --- a/old/66095-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,11590 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of Queen of the Dawn, by H. Rider Haggard - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: Queen of the Dawn - -Author: H. Rider Haggard - -Release Date: August 20, 2021 [eBook #66095] -[Most recently updated: January 23, 2022] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -Produced by: an anonymous Project Gutenberg volunteer - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK QUEEN OF THE DAWN *** - - - - - Queen of the Dawn - - _A Love Tale of Old Egypt_ - - By - H. Rider Haggard - - - [image: images/img_000.jpg] - - - Garden City, New York - Doubleday, Page & Company - 1925 - - - - COPYRIGHT. - - COPYRIGHT, 1925, BY - H. RIDER HAGGARD - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED - - PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES - AT - THE COUNTRY LIFE PRESS, GARDEN CITY, N.Y. - _First Edition_ - - - - - CONTENTS. - - I. The Dream of Rima - II. The Messenger - III. The Escape - IV. The Temple of the Sphinx - V. The Swearing of the Oath - VI. Nefra Conquers the Pyramids - VII. The Plot of the Vizier - VIII. The Scribe Rasa - IX. The Crowning of Nefra - X. The Message - XI. The Fall - XII. The Spirit of the Pyramids - XIII. The Messenger from Tanis - XIV. The Sentence of Pharaoh - XV. Brother Temu - XVI. The Passing of Roy - XVII. The Fate of the Cliff-Climbers - XVIII. How Nefra Came to Babylon - XIX. The Four Brothers - XX. The March from Babylon - XXI. Traitor or Hero - XXII. Khian Returns to Tanis - XXIII. The Queen of the Dawn - - - - - Queen of the Dawn - - CHAPTER I. - The Dream of Rima - -There was war in Egypt and Egypt was rent in two. At Memphis in the -north, at Tanis, and in all the rich lands of the Delta where by many -mouths the Nile flows down to the sea, a usurping race held power, -whose forefathers, generations before, had descended upon Egypt -like a flood, destroyed its temples and deposed its gods, possessing -themselves of the wealth of the land. At Thebes in the south the -descendants of the ancient Pharaohs still ruled precariously, again -and again attempting to drive out the fierce Semitic or Bedouin kings, -named the Shepherds, whose banners flew from the walls of all the -northern cities. - -They failed because they were too weak, indeed the hour of their final -victory was yet far away and of it our tale does not tell. - -Nefra the Princess, she who was named the Beautiful and afterwards was -known as Uniter of Lands, was the only child of one of these Theban -Antefs, Kheperra, born of his Queen, Rima, daughter of Ditanah, the -King of Babylon, who had given her to him in marriage to strengthen -him in his struggle against the Shepherds, also called the _Aati_ or -“Plague-bearers.” Nefra was the first and only child of this marriage, -for shortly after she was born Kheperra the King, her father, with all -the host that he could gather, went down Nile to fight the Aati who -marched to meet him from Tanis and from Memphis. They met in a great -battle in which Kheperra was slain and his army defeated, though not -before it had slaughtered such numbers of the enemy that, abandoning -their advance on Thebes, the generals of the Shepherds returned with -the remnant of their troops whence they came. Yet by this victory -Apepi, the King of the Shepherds, became in fact Pharaoh of all Egypt. -Kheperra was dead, leaving behind him but one infant girl, and so were -numbers of the great Theban lords, others of whom hastened to submit -to the ruler of the North. - -The Shepherd people too, like the Egyptians of the South, were weary -of war and would not fight again. Therefore, although they were -defeated, no cruelties were inflicted upon the followers of Kheperra, -nor was great tribute asked of them; also they were allowed to worship -their ancient gods in peace, and this in the northern as well as the -southern lands. Indeed, by now, although the god of the Shepherds was -Baal, to whom they gave the name of Set because already it was well -known upon the Nile, the Shepherd kings re-built the temples of Ra and -Amen and Ptah, of Isis and of Hathor, that their forefathers had -destroyed when first they invaded Egypt, and themselves made offerings -in them, acknowledging these divinities. - -Only one thing did Apepi demand of the conquered Thebans, namely that -Rima the Queen of dead Kheperra, and the babe Nefra, his daughter and -lawful heiress of Upper Egypt, should be given up to him, hearing -which Rima hid herself away with the child, as shall be told. - - -Now of the birth of Nefra the Princess there were strange stories. It -was said that after she came into the world, a very fair babe, -gray-eyed, light-skinned, and black-haired, and the rites had been -accomplished, she was laid upon her mother’s bosom. When Rima had -looked upon her and she had been shown to the King her father, in a -weak voice, for she had suffered much, the Queen demanded to be left -alone, so earnestly that the physicians and women thought it best to -appear to obey her and withdrew themselves behind certain curtains -that divided the birth-chamber from another, where they remained -silent. - -The night had fallen and the birth-chamber was dark, for as yet Rima -could bear no light near to her. Yet of a sudden one of the women, a -priestess of Hathor named Kemmah, who had nursed the King Kheperra -from his birth and now was to fill that office to his child, having -remained awake, saw a light glowing through the curtains, and being -frightened, peeped between them. Behold! in the birth-chamber, looking -down on the Queen, who seemed to be asleep, were two royal and -glorious women or so Kemmah swore and believed, from whose robes and -bodies flowed light and whose eyes shone like stars. Queens they -seemed to be, no less, for there were crowns upon their heads and they -glittered with jewels which only queens could wear. Moreover, one of -them held in her hand the Cross of Life fashioned in gold, and the -other a looped sistrum with gems strung on golden wires, such as is -used to make music when the priestesses walk in procession before the -statues of the gods. - -This glorious pair, at the sight of whom the knees of the watcher -trembled and the power of speech left her, so that she could say no -word to wake the others, bent down--first she who held the Cross of -Life and then she who held the sistrum--and whispered into the ear of -the sleeping Queen. Then she who held the Cross of Life very gently -lifted the babe from the mother’s breast, kissed it, and laid the -Cross upon its lips. This done she gave it to the other goddess, for -now the watcher knew that they must be goddesses, who also kissed it -and shook above its head the sistrum, which made a tinkling music ere -she laid the infant back upon its mother’s breast. - -Next instant both were gone and the room that had been filled with -brightness grew black with night, while the priestess who had seen, -being overcome with fear, swooned away until the sun was risen. - -Nor was she the first to speak of this matter which she deemed holy -and fearful, being afraid lest she had but dreamed or should be held a -teller of tales who took the names of the gods in vain. Yet on the -morrow the Queen called for her husband and said that a very strange -vision had come to her during the night which she described in these -words: - -“It seemed to me that when weak with pain I had fallen asleep, two -glorious ladies appeared to me clothed in the garments and wearing the -emblems of goddesses of Egypt. One of these, who bore in her hand the -symbol of Life, spoke to me in my dream, saying, ‘O Daughter of -Babylon, by marriage Queen of Egypt and mother of Egypt’s heiress, -hear us. We are Isis and Hathor, ancient goddesses of Egypt, as you -know, who of late, since you came to this land, have worshipped in our -temples and made offerings on our altars. Be not afraid, for although -you were bred to the service of other gods we come to bless her who is -born of you. Know, O Queen, that great troubles await you and bitter -loss that shall leave you desolate, nor with all our strength can we -save you from these, for they are written in the book of fate and must -befall. Nor, for a while that to mortals must seem long, can we free -Egypt from the bonds with which the Shepherds have bound her, as they -bind the feet of their own sheep for slaughter, though the time shall -come when she will shake them loose, like a bull breaking through its -net, and grow greater than ever she has been. As every living thing -suffers for its sins, so must Egypt suffer for her sins who has not -been loyal to herself, her faith, or the lessons of the past. Yet in -the end, if only for a while, her troubles shall pass like summer -clouds, and from behind them shall shine out the bright star of her -glory.’ - -“Now I answered that vision or that goddess, saying: ‘These are heavy -words you speak to me, O divine Lady. With Egypt indeed I have little -to do, who am but the wife of one of its kings, a princess sprung from -another land. Egypt must find the fate that she has shaped, but as a -woman I would learn that of my lord whom I love and of the child that -has been given to us.’ - -“‘The fate of this lord of yours shall be glorious,’ answered she who -bore the symbol of Life--‘and in the end, that of your child shall be -happy.’ - -“Then she seemed to bend down and to take the babe in her arms and to -kiss it, saying: ‘The blessing of Isis the Mother be upon thee. The -strength of Isis be thy strength, and the wisdom of Isis be thy -guiding star. Fear not! Be not faint-hearted, O Royal Child, since -always Isis is at thy side, and however great thy danger, never shalt -thou come to harm. Long shall be thy day and peaceful at the last, and -thou shalt see thy grandchildren playing round thy knees. If only for -a while, thou shalt bind together that which is divided and thy name -shall be Uniter of Lands. Such are the gifts that Isis gives to thee, -O Lady of Egypt.’ - -“So that goddess spoke, holding out the babe in the hollow of her -shining arm to the divine sister who stood at her side. She took the -child; she too kissed her on the brow and said: ‘Behold! I, Hathor, -goddess of Love and Beauty, bestow upon thee, the Princess of Egypt, -all that I have to give. Beautiful exceedingly shalt thou be in body -and in spirit. Loved exceedingly shalt thou be, and through love thou -shalt make smooth the path of millions. Turning neither to right nor -left, forgetting crookedness and policies, follow thou Hathor’s star -and thine own heart, rejoicing in Hathor’s gifts and leaving all else -to Heaven that sees what thou canst not see and works to ends thou -dost not know. Thus, O Royal Child, shalt thou sow happiness upon the -earth and beyond the earth garner its harvest to thy breast.’ - -“Thus in my dream those goddesses seemed to speak, and lo! they were -gone.” - -Kheperra the King listened to this tale and made light of it. - -“A dream indeed,” he said, laughing, “and a happy dream since it -prophesies naught but good to this babe of ours, who it seems is to be -beautiful and wise, a very Flower of Love and a Uniter of Egypt, if -only for a while. What more could we wish for her?” - -“Yes, Lord,” answered Rima heavily, “it prophesies good to the child, -but, as I fear, ill to others.” - -“If so, what of it, Wife? One crop must fall before another can be -sown and in every crop there are weeds as well as wheat. Such is the -law to which all that lives must bow. Nay, do not weep over a phantasy -born of pain and darkness. They call me, I must go, for soon the army -starts to fight those Shepherds and to conquer them.” - -Yet Kheperra thought more of this tale than he chose to say, so much -indeed that he went to the high priests of Isis and of Hathor and -repeated it to them, word for word. These priests, not knowing what to -believe, inquired if any had seen aught in the birth-chamber, and thus -came to learn of the vision of the Lady Kemmah for, to them, as her -superiors, she must tell all. - -Now they were astonished indeed, and rejoiced, because they were sure -that such a wonder had happened as was not told of in Egypt for -generations. Moreover, they caused the words of the dream and the -vision of Kemmah to be written down in full and sealed by the Queen -and Kemmah, also by themselves as witnesses, in three different rolls, -one of which was given to the Queen to keep for the Princess Nefra, -while the others were hidden away in the archives of Hathor and Isis. -Yet both they and the magicians whom they consulted were frightened at -that part of the dream which told of great troubles and bitter loss -that were to befall the Queen and leave her desolate. - -“What loss,” they asked, “could befall her, when happiness and -prosperity were promised to her child, save that of the King her -husband?--unless, indeed, other children were to be born to her whom -Heaven would take away.” - -Still of these terrors they said nothing, only letting it be known -that Isis and Hathor had appeared and blessed the new-born Princess of -Egypt. Yet they were true enough, for very soon King Kheperra marched -to the war and within two moons came the evil tidings that he was -slain, fighting gallantly in the van of his troops, and that his army, -although not crushed, was too weak from loss of men and generals to -renew the battle and was retreating upon Thebes. - -Rima the Queen heard the tidings, which indeed her heart seemed to -have taught her before they were spoken. When she had listened to -them, all she said was: - -“That has happened which the great goddesses of Egypt foretold to me, -and so without doubt shall the rest of their words be fulfilled in due -season.” - -Then, according to the Babylonian fashion she withdrew herself to her -chamber with the child, and there mourned many days for the husband -whom she loved, seeing none save the Lady Kemmah who tended the babe. - -At length the army reached Thebes, bringing with it the body of King -Kheperra, that had been embalmed, though rudely, on the field of -battle. She caused the wrappings to be loosed and for the last time -looked upon her lord’s face all shattered and marred with wounds. - -“The gods have taken him and he died well,” she said, “but my heart -tells me that as he has died in blood, in a day to come, so in blood -shall perish that usurper who brought him to his death.” - -These words were repeated to Apepi and caused him to go in fear -through all his life, for his spirit told him that they were inspired -by the god of Vengeance, as did the magicians whom he consulted. -Indeed, when he remembered that Queen Rima was by birth of the royal -Babylonian House, he grew more afraid than he had been before, because -in his family, the Babylonians, to whom once his forefathers had been -subject, were held to be the greatest wizards in the world. Therefore -he was not surprised at the tale of the vision of Rima which came to -her on the night of the birth of her child, though he could not -understand why the goddesses of Egypt should appear to a Babylonian. - -“If Babylon and Old Egypt come together, what chance will there be for -us Shepherd kings who sit astride of the mouths of Nile? Surely our -state will be as that of the corn between the upper and the nether -millstone and we shall be ground to fine flour,” he said to his wise -men. - -“Those stones grind slowly, and after all flour is the bread of -peoples, O King,” answered the chief of them. “Did not the dream of -the wife of dead Kheperra tell--if report be true--that long years -would go by before the Egyptians shake off our yoke, and did it not -say that this Princess of Egypt who has been born to dead Kheperra and -the Babylonian should be a Uniter of Lands? Bring hither the -Babylonian widow and her daughter, the Royal Princess, O King, that -these things may be accomplished in their season, though as yet we -know not how.” - -“Why should I admit to dwell in my house one who, inspired by the -devils of Babylon, has prophesied that I shall die in blood? Why -should I not rather kill her and be done, and her babe with her?” -asked Apepi. - -“Because, O King,” answered the chief of the Wise Men, “the dead are -stronger than the living, and the spirit of this royal lady will smite -more shrewdly than can her flesh. Moreover, we think that if the -oracle of those Egyptian goddesses be true, this child of hers cannot -be killed. Make them captives, O King, and hold them fast, but do not -leave them at large to move mighty Babylon and the world against you.” - -“You are right,” said Apepi. “It shall be done. Let Rima, the widow of -King Kheperra, and her daughter Nefra, Princess of Upper Egypt, be -brought to my Court, even if an army must be sent to fetch them. But -first try to lead them hither by peaceful words and promises, or if -these fail, bribe the Thebans to deliver them into my hand.” - - - - - CHAPTER II. - The Messenger - -Rima the Queen heard through her spies that Apepi, King of the -Shepherds, purposed to take her and her child and to hold them -captive. Having learned that this was the truth, she summoned a -council of such lords as remained in Upper Egypt, and of the high -priests of the gods, to ask them what she should do. - -“Behold,” she said, “I am a widow. My lord and yours fell fighting -bravely against the North, leaving his heir, this royal infant. When -it became known that he was dead, his army would fight no more but -fell back on Thebes, and therefore the Shepherds claim the victory. -Now, as I hear, they claim more: namely, that I who was the wife of -your king, and our daughter who is your Royal Princess, should be -delivered up to them, saying that if this is not done, an army shall -be sent to take us. What is your mind, O Lords? Will you defend us -from Apepi, or will you not?” - -Now some answered one thing and some another. They showed that the -people would fight no more, since the King of the Shepherds offered -them better terms than ever they could hope to win in battle, and that -after the sight of so much blood they longed for peace whoever might -be called Pharaoh of Egypt. - -“I perceive that I and your Princess have naught to hope from you, -Lords, for whom and for whose cause my husband and her father gave his -life,” said Rima quietly, adding, “But what say the priests of the -gods he worshipped?” - -Now these answered with many smooth words. One declared that the will -of Heaven must be obeyed; another that perchance she and the Princess -would be safer in the court of King Apepi, who swore to treat them -both with all honour; a third, that it might be well if she would -appeal to her mighty father, the King of Babylon, for succour, and so -forth. - -When all had finished, Rima laughed bitterly and said: - -“I perceive, O Priests, that the gold thrown by the Shepherd king is -so heavy that it can travel many leagues of air into the treasuries of -your temples. Let me be plain. Will you help me and your Princess to -escape from bondage, or will you not? If you will stand by me, I will -stand by you to the last, and so I swear will my daughter when she -comes to the years of knowledge. If you reject us, then we wash our -hands of you, leaving you to go your ways while we go ours, to Babylon -or anywhere, save to a prison in the house of the Shepherd kings, -where certainly your Royal Princess would be done to death that Egypt -might be left without a lawful heir. Now I pray you consult together. -I withdraw myself that you may talk freely. But at noon, that is -within an hour, I will return to you for your answer.” - -Then she bowed to that company, who bowed back to her, and went away. - -At the appointed time of noon, accompanied only by the Lady Kemmah, -the nurse who bore the Princess in her arms, she returned to the -Council Hall entering it through the side door by which she had -departed. Lo! it was quite empty. The lords and priests had gone, -every one of them. - -“Now it seems that I am alone,” said Rima the Queen. “Well, such is -often the lot of the fallen.” - -“Not altogether, Queen,” answered the Lady Kemmah, “since the Royal -Princess and I are still the companions of your Majesty. Moreover, I -think that in yonder empty chairs I see the shapes of certain of the -gods of Egypt who perchance will prove better counsellors than those -who have deserted us in the hour of need. Now let us talk with them in -our hearts and learn of their wisdom.” - -So there they sat awhile, gazing at those empty chairs and at the -painted pictures of divinities upon the walls beyond, each of them -putting up supplications in her own fashion for help and guidance. At -length the Lady Kemmah lifted her head and asked: - -“Has light come to you, Queen?” - -“Nay,” answered Rima, “naught but darkness. This only do my gods tell -me--that if we stay here those false lords and priests certainly will -seize us and deliver us into the power of Apepi, as I think that they -have been bribed to do. Have yours aught else to say to you, nurse -Kemmah?” - -“Something, Lady. It seems to me that the divine queens of Heaven, -godmothers of this royal babe, Isis and Hathor whom I serve, have been -whispering in my ears. ‘Fly,’ said the whisper, ‘fly fast and far.’” - -“Aye, Kemmah, but whither shall we fly? Where can the Queen of the -South and her babe, the Royal Princess of Egypt, be hidden away from -Apepi’s spies? Certainly not here in the South where, being fearful or -suborned, all would betray us.” - -“Nay, Queen, not in the South, but in the North where perhaps none -would search for us, since the lion does not seek for the buck at the -door of its own den. Hearken, Queen. There is a certain aged holy man -named Roy, a brother of my grandfather, sprung from an old line of -Theban kings. This great-uncle of mine, whom, when a girl, I knew -well, was inspired by the gods and became the prophet of a secret -brotherhood called the Order of the Dawn, which has its home by the -pyramids that stand near to Memphis. There he and this brotherhood, -which is very powerful, have dwelt these thirty years or more, since -none now dares to approach those pyramids, and least of all any of the -Shepherds, because they are haunted.” - -“By whom?” asked Rima. - -“It is said by a spirit that appears as a beautiful bare-breasted -woman, though whether she is the _Ka_ of one who is buried in the -tombs where my uncle lives, or a ghost from hell, or the shadow of -Egypt itself shaped like a woman, is not known. At least because of -her no man dares approach those ancient pyramids after night has -fallen.” - -“Why not? Since when have men been afraid of a beautiful unveiled -woman?” - -“Because, Queen, if any looks upon her loveliness he goes mad and -wanders off to perish miserably in the wilderness. Or perchance he -follows her up to the crest of one of the pyramids, and falling -thence, is crushed to powder.” - -“An idle tale, as I think, Kemmah. But what of it?” - -“This, Queen: that there in those tombs, could we come to them, we -might dwell safely enough with my uncle, the Prophet Roy. No man has -courage to approach the place, save from time to time some young fool -who longs to look upon the loveliness of that ghost and meets his -death, or having seen her goes thence a raving madman. Even the -wildest Bedouin of the desert dare not pitch his tent within a mile or -more of those pyramids, while the Shepherd kings and their subjects -hold the place accursed because two of their princes have found doom -there; nor would they draw near to it for all the gold in Syria. Also -they fear the magic of this brotherhood which is protected by spirits -and have sworn to leave it unharmed. At least, such is the tale that I -have heard, though doubtless there is more of it that I have not -heard.” - -“Here then it seems we might rest in peace,” said Rima with a little -laugh, “at any rate, for a while until we found opportunity to escape -to Babylon, where doubtless the King my father would welcome us. Yet -how can we do so, bearing a babe with us, now when there is war all -along the frontiers and none can cross the Arabian deserts. But, -Kemmah, how are we to know that your uncle would receive us, and if he -will, how are we to reach him?” - -“As to the first question, Queen, the answer is easy. Strangely enough -it chances that only this day I have received a message from the holy -Roy. The captain of a corn boat sailing from Memphis to Thebes brought -it to me. He told me that his name is Tau.” - -“What did he say to you and where did you meet him, Kemmah?” - -“Last night, Queen, I could not sleep, being full of fears for you and -the babe, so I rose before the dawn and going out, I stood on the -private quay in the palace garden watching the sun rise, that I might -make my prayer to Ra when he appeared in the heavens. Presently, as -the mist thinned, I saw that I was not alone, for quite close to me a -stalwart man who had the air or at least wore the dress of a seafarer, -was leaning against the trunk of a palm, staring at the Nile beneath, -near to the bank of which was moored a trading ship. He spoke, saying -that he waited for the mist to clear and the wind to rise, that he -might sail on to the trading quay and there deliver his cargo. I asked -him whence he came and he answered--from Memphis of the White Walls, -having permission from the Governor of Thebes and from him of Memphis -to trade between the two cities. I wished him good fortune and was -about to leave to make my prayer elsewhere, telling him my purpose, -when he said: - -“‘Nay, let us pray together, for I too, whose name is Tau, am a -worshipper of Ra, and see, the god appears,’ and he made certain signs -to me which I who am a priestess understood. - -“Our prayer finished, again I prepared to go, but he stayed me, asking -me for news as to the state of Thebes and whether it were true that -the Queen Rima had died of grief because of the loss of her husband -Kheperra, who fell in the battle, or as some said, had been killed -with her child. I answered that these things were not true, words at -which he seemed glad, for he thanked the gods and said that without -doubt the Princess Nefra was the lawful heiress of all Egypt, North -and South together. I asked him how he knew the name of this princess. -He replied: - -“‘A learned man told it to me, a holy hermit to whom I confess my -sins, which alas! are many, who dwells in the wilderness nigh to the -Great Pyramids and among the tombs. He told me also that he knew the -name of this royal child’s nurse who was a kinswoman of his, and that -it is Kemmah, a lady of high blood. Yes, and he charged me with a -message for this Lady Kemmah, if I could find her in Thebes, because -he said he dared put nothing in writing.’ - -“Here this Tau, the captain of the ship, stopped and stared at me and -I stared back at him, wondering whether he were setting any trap for -my feet. - -“‘It would be very dangerous, O Tau,’ I said to him, ‘if perchance you -gave this secret message to the wrong woman. There may be many Kemmahs -in Thebes. How will you know that you find the right one, or that she -whom you are told is the nurse of the princess is in truth that -nurse?’ - -“‘It is not so difficult as it seems, Lady. As it chances, the holy -hermit gave to me the half of an amulet of lapis lazuli on which is -cut a charm or spell or prayer. He said that on this half the signs -read, “May the living Ra protect the wearer of this holy thing at the -last nightfall. May that protected one travel in the boat of Ra -and----” Here, Lady, the writing ceases but the holy hermit said that -the Lady Kemmah would know the rest,’ and again he looked at me. - -“‘Does it perchance run,’ I asked, ‘“and may Thoth find the balance -even and may Osiris receive this protected one at his table to feast -with him eternally”?’ - -“‘Yes,’ he said, ‘I think that those were the words, or something very -like them, that the Holy One repeated to me. Still I cannot be sure -because my memory is bad, especially where prayers or writings about -the gods are concerned. Since you, Lady, a stranger, know the end of -the charm, doubtless it is a common one worn by thousands between -Thebes and the sea. She whom I have to find not only knows the charm, -but wears its other half, and how to seek her out I cannot think. Can -you help me, Lady?’ - -“‘Perhaps,’ I answered. ‘Show me this amulet, O Tau.’ - -“He looked round him to see that we were alone. Then he thrust his -hand into his garments and from somewhere drew out the upper half of a -very ancient tablet carven over with writing, that was fastened about -his neck by a woven string of woman’s hair. This tablet was broken or -sawn asunder in the middle, not straight across but so as to leave a -jagged edge with many points and hollows. I looked at it and knew it -at once, since years before Roy the Hermit and my great-uncle had -given me its counterpart, bidding me send it to him as a token if ever -I had need of help. Then from where it hung upon my breast, I drew out -that counterpart and set it against the half that Tau the Sailor held -before me. Lo! they fitted exactly, since the stone being very hard -had worn but little during the passage of the years. - -“Tau looked and nodded his head. - -“‘Strange that I should meet you thus, Lady Kemmah, and quite by -chance--oh! quite by chance. Still, the gods know their own business, -so why should we trouble ourselves about such things? Yet there might -be another half that fitted on to this broken charm that has been lent -to me. So before we go farther, tell me the name of the sender and -where he dwells and aught else that you know about him.’ - -“‘His name is Roy,’ I answered, ‘who in the world was known as Roy the -King’s son, though that king died long ago, and as you have said -yourself, he lives beneath the shadow of the pyramids. For the rest he -is the holy Prophet of a great brotherhood, has a long white beard and -hair, is very handsome and pleasant-spoken; can see in the dark like a -cat because he has dwelt so much among shadows, has knees that are -hornier than the feet of a desert man, because of his continual -kneeling in prayer, and when he thinks that he is alone, converses -much with his own double, the _Ka_ that is always at his side, or -perchance with other ghosts, which tell him everything that passes in -Egypt. At least, such were his appearance and custom many years ago -when he gave me this half of the amulet, but what they are now, I -cannot say.’ - -“‘The description will serve, Lady. Yes, it will serve well enough, -though now the holy Roy has lost most of the hair from the top of his -head and is too thin to be called handsome, having something of the -air of an ancient and half-famished hawk. Yet without doubt we speak -of the same man, as the joined amulet bears us witness. Therefore, -Lady Kemmah, whom I have met by chance, yes, quite by chance, just by -waiting for you where the holy Roy told me I should do, hearken to my -message!’ - -“Here, Queen, the manner of this seaman changed, and from being light -and easy like to that of one whose words conceal a jest, became quick -and intent. His pleasant, smiling face changed also, for of a sudden -it seemed to grow fierce and eager, the face of one who has great -things to carry through and whose honour hangs upon their doing. - -“‘Listen to me, Nurse of Royal Ones,’ he said. ‘The king whom once you -dandled on your knees lies in his tomb, slain by the Shepherd spears. -Would you see her who is sprung from him and the lady who gave her -birth follow by the same road?’ - -“‘Your question seems foolish, Tau, seeing that where they go, I must -accompany them,’ I answered. - -“‘I know that you would not,’ he went on, ‘and not for your own sake -only. Yet the danger is great. There is a plot to take all three of -you; it was revealed to the holy Roy. In this city dwell traitors who -are parties to the plot. Soon, to-morrow mayhap, or the next day, they -will come to the Queen and tell her that she is in peril and that they -purpose to hide her away in a safe place. If she is persuaded by them, -soon she will find that this safe place is in the prisons of Apepi at -Tanis, if ever she lives to reach them--and then--do you understand? -Or if she is not persuaded, then they will drag her away by force with -the babe and deliver them up to the Shepherds.’ - -“I nodded my head and answered: - -“‘It would seem that time presses. What is your plan, Messenger?’ - -“‘This: Presently I sail on to the city and there deliver a certain -cargo to merchants who await it. Also I have passengers on board, -travellers from Siout, farmer folk flying from the Shepherds. There -are three of them: a woman of middle age not unlike to you in face and -form, Lady Kemmah, who passes as my sister; a fair young woman who -passes as my wife and nurses in her arms a baby girl of some three -months. As such at least I shall describe them to the officers on the -quay, nor will those two women question my words. Yet being -changeable, they will desert me here for other friends and the place -where they slept will be empty. Again, do you understand, Lady -Kemmah?’ - -“‘I understand that you propose that the Queen and I and the babe -should take the place of these three upon your boat. If so, when and -how?’ - -“‘To-night, Lady Kemmah, I am told there is a religious feast in this -city in honour of the god of Nile, to celebrate which hundreds will -row out upon the river bearing lanterns and singing hymns. To avoid -all these craft I purpose to bring my ship back to this wharf, since I -must sail down Nile with the south wind that springs up ere the dawn. -Shall I perchance find two peasant women and a babe waiting among -those palms an hour before the rising of Ra?’ - -“‘Perchance, Messenger. But tell me, if so, where would that journey -end?’ - -“‘In the shadow of the Great Pyramids, Lady, where a certain Holy One -awaits them, since he says that although the lodging be poor, there -alone they will be safe.’ - -“‘That thought has come to me also, Tau. Yet this flight is very -dangerous, and how know I that in it there is not some trap? How know -I that you yourself are not in the pay of the Shepherds, or in that of -the Theban traitors, and sent to tempt us to our doom?’ - -“‘A wise question,’ he answered. ‘You have the message and you have -the token of the amulet and you have my oath sworn upon the holy name, -to break which will consign me everlastingly to hell. Still, a very -wise question when there is so much at stake, and by the gods, I know -not how to answer it!’ - -“We stood still awhile, staring at each other, and my heart was full -of doubt and fear. Once we were in this man’s power, what might not -befall us? Or rather what might not befall you, O Queen, and the royal -child, since it is true, Queen, that for myself I cared and care -little.” - -“I know it, Kemmah beloved,” answered Rima. “But to your tale. What -happened?” - -“This, Queen. Of a sudden Tau the Messenger seemed to grow uneasy. - -“‘This place is quiet and lonely,’ he said, ‘yet certainly I feel as -though we were being watched.’ - -“Now, Queen, we stood back from the private quay by the single palm -that stands in the open place, whither we had withdrawn when we began -to talk, for there we could not be seen from the river and I knew that -none could overhear us. In the hollow to my left stands that old -shrine surmounted by the shattered statue of some god, which once, it -is said, was the gateway of a fallen temple; the same, Queen, in which -you often sit.” - -“I know it well, Kemmah.” - -“This shrine, Queen, was still half hidden by the morning mist, and -although it was out of earshot, Tau gazed at it earnestly. As he gazed -the mist departed from it like a lifted veil, and following his -glance, I saw that the shrine was not empty, as I had thought. For -there, Queen, kneeling in it as though lost in prayer, was an aged -man. He lifted his head and the full light fell upon his face. Lo! it -was the face of the holy Roy, my great-uncle, somewhat changed since -last I had seen him many years ago when he gave me the half of the -broken amulet, but without doubt Roy himself.” - -“‘It seems that here also dwells a hermit, Lady Kemmah, as well as in -the shadow of the pyramids,’ said Tau, ‘and one whom I think I know. -Is yonder man perchance the holy Roy, Lady Kemmah?’ - -“‘The holy Roy and no other. Why did you not tell me that you had -brought him with you on your ship? It would have saved me much trouble -of mind. I will speak with him at once.’ - -“‘Aye, speak with him and satisfy your heart as to whether I be a true -man or a false, Lady Kemmah.’ - -“I turned and ran to the shrine. It was empty! The holy Roy had gone, -nor was there anywhere that he could have hidden himself. - -“‘The ways of prophets and hermits are very strange, Lady Kemmah,’ -said Tau. ‘Alone of all men, they, or some of them, can be in two -places at once. Now perchance I shall find you to-night, here by this -shrine?’ - -“‘Yes,’ I answered, ‘I think that you will find us. That is, if the -Queen consents and nothing hinders us, such as death or bonds. But -stay! How can we come by those country women’s garments? There are -none such in the palace, and to send out to buy them might awake -doubts, for the Queen is well watched.’ - -“‘The holy Roy is very foreseeing,’ said Tau with a smile, ‘or I am; -it matters not which.’ - -“Then he went to where I first met him and from behind a stone drew a -bundle. - -“‘Take this,’ he said. ‘In it I think you will find all that is -needful, clean clothes though rough, that it will be safe even for a -royal babe to wear. Farewell, Lady Kemmah; the river is clear of mist -and I must begone. Guided by the spirit of the holy Roy which, as he -can be in two places at once, doubtless will companion you also, I -will return to find--my sister, my wife, and her infant babe--one, -nay, two hours before to-morrow’s dawn.’ - -“Then he went, and I went also, full of thoughts. Yet I determined to -say nothing of the matter to you, O Queen, till I heard what answer -those lords made to your prayer to-day.” - -“Have you looked in the bundle, Kemmah?” asked the Queen. - -“Yes,” answered Kemmah, “to find that all is as this Tau said. There -are two cloaks and other garments such as farmer women use in -travelling, suited to your size and mine, also the winter dress of a -little child.” - -“Let us go to look at them,” said the Queen. - - - - - CHAPTER III. - The Escape - -They stood in the private apartments of the palace. Eunuchs guarded, -or were supposed to guard, the outer gates, for the Queen Rima was -still surrounded by the trappings of royalty, and at the door of her -chamber stood the giant Nubian, Ru, he who had been the body-servant -of King Kheperra, he who after slaying six of the Shepherds with his -own hand had rescued the body of his master, throwing it over his -shoulder and bearing it from the battle as a shepherd bears a lamb. -The Queen Rima and the Lady Kemmah had examined the garments brought -by Tau the Messenger, and hidden them away. Now they were consulting -together, near to a little bed on which the infant princess lay -asleep. - -“Your plan is very dangerous,” said the Queen, who was much disturbed -and walked to and fro with her eyes fixed upon the sleeping babe. “You -ask me to fly to Memphis, that is, to walk into the jaws of the hyena. -This you do because a messenger is come from an aged uncle of yours -who is a hermit or a high priest, or a prophet of some secret sect, -and who, for aught you know, may have been dead for years and now be -but a bait upon a hook to catch us.” - -“There is the cut amulet, Queen. See how well the pieces fit and how -that white line in the stone runs on from one to the other.” - -“Doubtless they fit. Doubtless they are the halves of the same -talisman. But such holy things are famous and so is their story. -Mayhap someone knew that the priest Roy had given you one half of this -charm and took the other from his body, or stole it to be used to -deceive you and to give colour to the offer of a hiding place among -the dead. Who is this Tau of whom you never heard before? How came he -to find you so easily? How is it that he can pass in and out of Thebes -without question, he who comes from Memphis, holding all the threads -of these plots between his fingers, if plots there be?” - -“I do not know who he is,” said Kemmah. “I know only that when these -same doubts crossed my mind, this messenger showed me the holy Roy -himself in proof of the truth of his message, and that then I -believed.” - -“Aye, Kemmah, but bethink you. Are you not a priestess, one soaked in -the mysteries and magic of the Egyptians from your childhood, like to -this uncle of yours before you? Did you not see the vision of the -Egyptian goddesses Isis and Hathor blessing my child, which after all -is but an old tale retold of those who spring from the bodies of -kings? How comes it that no one else saw those goddesses?” - -“How comes it that you dreamed of them, O Queen?” asked Kemmah drily. - -“A dream is a dream. Who can give weight to dreams that come and go by -thousands, flitting round our heads like gnats in sleep to vanish into -the darkness whence they rose? A dream is a dream and of no account, -but a vision seen with the waking eye is another matter, something -that springs from madness--or perchance from truth. And now you have -another vision, that of an old man who, if he lives at all, dwells far -away, and on this unstable cloud you ask me to build a house of hope -and safety. How can I be sure that you are not mad, as indeed the wise -men of my country say that most of us are in this way or in that? You -behold gods, but are there any gods, and if so, why are the gods of -Egypt not the same as those of Babylon, and the gods of Babylon not -the same as those of Tyre? If there be gods, why are they all -different?” - -“Because men are different, Queen, and every nation of them clothes -God in its own garments: aye, and every man and woman also.” - -“May be, may be! Yet a stranger’s tale and a vision are poor props to -lean upon when life and safety hang in the balance and with them the -crown of Egypt. I’ll not trust myself and the babe to this man and his -boat lest soon both of us should sleep at the bottom of the Nile, or -lie awaiting death in some Shepherd dungeon. Let us bide where we are; -your gods can protect us as well here as by the Pyramids of Memphis, -should we live to reach them. Or if we must go, let these gods send us -some sign; they have still many hours in which to travel from their -heaven.” - -Thus spoke Queen Rima wildly in her doubt and despair. Kemmah listened -and bowed her head. - -“Let it be as the Queen pleases,” she said. “If the gods desire, -doubtless they will show us a path of escape. If they should not -desire so to do, then we can remain here and await their will, since -the gods are still the gods. Now, Lady, let us eat and rest, but let -us not sleep till that hour is past when we should have embarked upon -the ship of Tau the Messenger.” - -So they ate, and afterwards, taking a lamp, Kemmah walked through the -palace and found it strangely silent. All seemed to have departed; as -one weak old slave told her, to attend the feast of the god of Nile -and to sail in boats upon the river. - -“Such things would not have been allowed to happen in the old days,” -he said querulously, “for then, who ever heard of a palace being -deserted by those who were in attendance upon Majesty in order that -they might enjoy themselves elsewhere? But since the good god Kheperra -was killed by those Shepherd dogs in the battle everything seems to -have changed. Nobody thinks anything of service; everybody thinks of -himself and what he can get. And there is money going, Lady Kemmah, I -tell you there is money going. Oh! sitting in my corner I have seen -plenty of it being passed from hand to hand. Where it comes from I do -not know. I was even offered some myself, what for I do not know, but -refused it, for what do I want with money who am so old and draw my -rations from the stores, as I have done these fifty years, also my -summer and winter garments?” - -Kemmah contemplated him with her quiet eyes, then answered: - -“No, old Friend, you want nothing with money, since I know that your -tomb is provided. Tell me, you are acquainted with all the palace -doors, are you not, and the gates also?” - -“Every one of them, Lady Kemmah, every one of them. When I was -stronger it used to be my office to lock them all, and I still have -the second set of keys, which no one has taken from me, and remember -the tricks of the inner bolts.” - -“Then, Friend, grow strong again; even if it be for the last time, go -lock those doors and gates and shoot those bolts and bring the keys to -me in the private apartments. It will be a good trick to play upon -these revellers who are absent without leave when they return and find -that they cannot get in to sleep off their drink till after the sun -has risen.” - -“Yes, yes, Lady Kemmah, a very good trick. I will get the keys and go, -following the round as I used to do and shooting the inner bolts that -I named after all the gods of the Underworld, so that I might never -forget the order in which they came. Oh! I will light my lantern and -go at once, as though I were young again, and my wife and little -children were waiting to receive me at the end of my round.” - -The half of an hour later the old man reappeared at the private -chambers, announcing that all the gates and doors were locked, and -that strangely enough he had found every one of them open and the keys -missing. - -“They forgot that I had their twins,” he said, chuckling, “also that I -knew how to shoot the inner bolts; I whom they look upon as a silly -old fool only fit for the embalmer’s bath. Here are the keys, Lady -Kemmah, which I shall be glad to be rid of for they are a great -weight. Take them and promise not to tell that it was I who locked the -doors and forced all those idle people to sleep out in the cold. For -if you do they will beat me to-morrow. Now if you had a cup of wine!” - -Kemmah fetched drink and gave it to the aged man, mixed with water -that it might not be too strong for him. Then, while he smacked his -lips refreshed by the liquor, she bade him go to the little gatehouse -of the private apartments and watch there, and if he should see any -approaching the gate, to make report to Ru, who kept guard at the door -which was at the foot of the eight stairs that led to the ante-chamber -of the apartments. - -This, encouraged by the wine and by a sense that once more he was -taking part in the affairs of life, though what these might be he did -not understand, the old fellow said that he would do and departed to -his station. - -Then Kemmah went and talked earnestly with the giant Ru, who listened, -nodding his head, and as he did so girt his armour of bull’s hide upon -his mighty frame. Moreover, he looked to see that his javelins were -loose in their sheath and that the edge of his great bronze battle-axe -was sharp. Lastly he set lamps in the niches of the wall in such -fashion that if the door were forced their light would fall upon those -coming up the stair, while he, standing at the head of it, would -remain in shadow. - -These things done, Kemmah returned to the Queen, who sat brooding by -the bed of the child, but of them to her she said nothing. - -“Why do you carry a spear in your hand, Kemmah?” asked Rima, looking -up. - -“Because it makes a good staff to lean upon, Queen, and one that at -need may serve another purpose. This place seems very still and -fateful and who knows but that in the stillness we may hear some god -speaking ere the dawn, telling us whether we should take ship with -Tau, or bide where we are?” - -“You are a strange woman, Kemmah,” said the Queen, and once more fell -to her brooding till at length she sank to sleep. - -But Kemmah did not sleep; she waited and watched the curtains that hid -the stair on which Ru kept guard. At length in the intense silence of -the night that was broken only now and again by the melancholy note of -some dog howling at the moon, for all the inhabitants of the city -seemed to be absent at the festival, Kemmah thought she heard the -sound as of gates or doors being shaken by someone trying to enter -them. Rising softly she went to the curtains beyond which Ru was -seated on the topmost stair. - -“Did you note anything?” she asked. - -“Aye, Lady,” he answered. “Men try to enter by the gates, but find -them closed. The old slave reported to me that they were coming and -has fled to hide himself. Now go up to the top of the little pylon -above this door and tell me if you can see aught.” - -Kemmah went, climbing a narrow stair in the dark, and presently found -herself on the roof of the pylon some thirty feet above the ground, -where in times of trouble a watchman was stationed. Round it ran a -battlement with openings through which arrows could be shot or spears -thrown. The moon shone brightly, flooding the palace gardens and the -great city beyond them with silver light, but the Nile she could not -see because of the roofs behind her, though she heard the distant -murmur of those who kept festival upon its waters, from which they -would not return until the sun had risen. - -Presently in the shadow of one of the great gateways she saw a group -of men standing and, as it seemed to her, taking counsel together. -They moved out of the shadow and she counted them. They were eight in -all, armed every one of them, for the light shone upon their spears. -They came to some decision, for they began to walk across the open -court towards the private door of the royal apartments. Kemmah ran -down the stairs and told Ru what she had seen. - -“Now were I standing on that roof perhaps I might put a javelin into -one or more of these night birds before they come to the doors,” he -said. - -“Nay,” answered Kemmah. “They may be messengers of peace, or soldiers -who will guard the Queen. Wait to smite till they show themselves -otherwise.” - -He nodded and said: - -“Yonder door is old and not of the strongest. It can soon be battered -in and then perhaps there will be fighting--one man against eight, -Lady Kemmah. What if aught should happen to me, Lady Kemmah? Is there -any other way by which the Queen and the royal babe may escape?” - -“Nay, for the doors into the great hall where the Council was held are -barred; I have tried them. There is no way save by leaping from the -palace wall at the back, and a babe’s bones are tender. Therefore, Ru, -nothing must happen to you. Pray the gods to give you strength and -cunning.” - -“Of the first I have plenty, of the second I fear but little. Still I -will do my best and may Osiris be good to him on whom my axe falls.” - -“Hearken, Ru. Should you scotch those snakes or cause them to run, -make ready to fly with us and be not astonished if instead of a Queen -and a waiting-lady, you see two peasant women and a peasant’s babe.” - -“I am not easily astonished, Lady, and I weary of this Thebes since -the good god my master fell and all these upstarts began to plot with -Apepi, as plot they do. But whither will you fly?” - -“I think that a ship waits us by the private quay, and its captain, -one Tau, will meet us two hours before the dawn, that is before so -very long, in the shadow of the old shrine. You know the place.” - -“Aye, I know it. Hush! I hear footsteps.” - -“Parley with them as long as you may, Ru, for there are things to be -done.” - -“Yes, there is plenty to be done,” he answered as she fled back -through the curtains. - -The Queen woke at her step. - -“Your gods have not come, Kemmah,” she said, “or given any sign. So I -suppose it is fated that we should stop here.” - -“I think that the gods--or devils--are coming, Queen. Now off with -those robes and be swift. Nay, talk not, I pray, but do as I bid you.” - -Rima glanced at her face and obeyed. Within a very little time, all -being prepared to their hands, the three of them were changed into -farmer women and a farmer’s babe. Then Kemmah took a sack and thrust -into it all the ancient priceless jewels, the regalia of the old -Pharaohs of Egypt, and these were not few; also a sum in gold. - -“This gear of crowns and sceptres and gems and gold which you have got -together so carefully will be too heavy for us to carry, Kemmah, who -have that which is more precious to bear between us,” and she glanced -at the child. - -“There is one yonder who will carry it, Queen, one who carried -something else on his shoulder out of the battle. Or if he cannot, -then I think it will not matter who takes the gathered wealth of the -Pharaohs of the South.” - -“You mean that our lives are at hazard, Kemmah?” - -“That is what I mean, no less.” - -Rima’s beautiful but sorrow-stricken face and eyes seemed to take -fire. - -“I would that they might be lost,” she said. “Have you ever thought, -Friend, of the wonderful things that may lie behind the gates of -death, the glories and the harmonies and the eternities, or failing -these, the rich darkness of everlasting sleep? Life! I weary of life -and would put all to the hazard. Yet there is the babe born of my -body, the Royal Princess of Egypt, and for her sake----” - -“Yes,” said the quiet Kemmah, “for her sake!” - - -There came a thunder of noise upon the door beyond the curtains. - -“Open!” shouted voices. - -“Open for yourselves. But know that death waits those who would -violate her Majesty of Egypt,” answered the deep guttural voice of Ru. - -“We come to take the Queen and the Princess to those who will guard -them well,” cried one without. - -“What better guard can they have than death?” asked Ru in answer. - -There was a pause. Then came blows upon the door, heavy blows as of -axes, but still it held. Another pause and a tree trunk or some such -weighty thing was brought and driven against it, and presently with a -crash it fell, burst from its hinges. Rima seized the child and ran -into the shadows. Kemmah leapt to the curtains and stood there looking -between them, the spear she carried raised in her right hand. This was -what she saw. - -The giant Nubian stood on the topmost stair in the shadow, for the -light of the lamps in the niches struck forward. In his right hand he -held a javelin, in his left he grasped the handle of his battle-axe -and a small shield made of the hide of a river horse. Grim and -terrible looked the Ethiopian giant outlined thus against the shadow. - -A tall man with a sword in his hand scrambled over the fallen door, -the moonlight shining on his armour. The javelin flashed and the man -fell in a heap, his mail clattering upon the bronze hinges of the -door. He was dragged aside. Others rushed in, a number of them. Ru -shifted his battle-axe into his right hand, lifted it, leaned forward -and waited, advancing the shield to cover his head. Blows fell upon -the shield. Then the axe crashed down and a man sank in a heap. Ru -began to sing some wild Ethiopian war chant and as he sang he smote, -and as he smote men died beneath the blows of that terrible axe driven -with the weight of his mighty arm. Yet they pressed forward, for they -were desperate. Death might be in front of them, but if they failed -death was also behind at the hands of their confederates. - -The stair was too wide for Ru to cover. One ran under his arm and -appeared between the curtains, where he stood staring. Kemmah saw his -face. It was that of a great Theban lord who had fought with Kheperra -in the battle and now had been suborned by the Shepherds. Rage seized -her. She sprang at him and with all her strength drove the spear she -held through his throat. He fell, gasping. She stamped upon his face, -crying “Die, dog! Die, traitor!” and die he did. - -On the stairway the blows grew fewer. Presently Ru appeared, laughing -and red with blood. - -“All are dead,” he cried, “save one who fled. But where is the knave -who slipped past me?” - -“Here,” answered Kemmah, pointing to a still form in the shadows. - -“Good. Very good!” said Ru. “Now I think better of women than ever I -did before. Yet, hurry, hurry! One dog has escaped and he goes to call -the pack. What is that? Wine? Give me to drink. Aye, give me wine and -a cloak to cover me. I am no seemly sight for queens to look on.” - -“Are you hurt?” said Kemmah as she brought the goblet. - -“Nay, not a scratch; still no seemly sight, though the blood be that -of traitors. Here’s to the gods of vengeance! Here’s to the hell that -holds them! This garment is scant for one of my size, but it will -serve. What’s that sack you drag to me?” - -“No matter what it is. Carry it, Ru. You are no warrior now, you are a -porter. Carry it, O glorious Ru, and lose it not, for in it lie the -crowns of Egypt. Come, Queen, the road is clear, thanks to the axe of -Ru.” - -Rima came, bearing her babe, and at the sight of the red stair and of -those who lay upon it or at its foot, shrank back and said in a -wavering voice, for she was almost bemused with doubts and terror: - -“Is this the message of your gods, Kemmah?” and she pointed to the -stains upon the floor and walls. “And are these their messengers? Look -at them! I know their faces. They were the friends and captains of -dead Kheperra, my lord. Why, O Ru, do you slay the friends of him who -was Pharaoh, who came here doubtless to lead me and his child to -safety?” - -“Aye, Queen,” said Kemmah, “to the safety of death or of the prison of -Apepi.” - -“I’ll not believe it, woman, nor will I go with you,” said Rima, -stamping her foot. “Fly if you will, as well you may do with all this -blood upon your hands; here I stay with my child.” - -Kemmah glanced at her, then as though in thought she looked down at -the ground while Ru whispered in her ear: - -“Command me and I will carry her.” - -The eyes of Kemmah fell upon that great lord whom she had slain with -her own hand, and she noted that from beneath his breastplate there -projected the end of a papyrus roll that had been thrust upwards when -he fell. She bent down and took it. Opening it swiftly she read, as -she who was learned could do well enough. It was addressed to the dead -man and his companions and sealed with the seals of the high priest -and others. This was the writing: - - - “In the names of all the gods and for the welfare of Egypt, we command - you to take Rima the Babylonian, wife of the good god Pharaoh who is - not, and her child, the Royal Princess Nefra, and to bring them to us, - living if may be, that they may be delivered to King Apepi in - fulfilment of our oath. Read and obey.” - - -“Can you read the Egyptian writing, Queen?” asked Kemmah. “If so, -herein is a matter that concerns you.” - -“Read you. I have little skill,” answered Rima indifferently. - -So she read, slowly, that the words might sink into the mind of the -Queen. - -Rima heard and leaned against her, trembling. - -“Why did I ever come to this land of traitors?” she moaned. “Oh! would -that I were dead.” - -“As you will be if you stay here longer, Queen,” said Kemmah bitterly. -“Meanwhile it is the traitors who are dead, or some of them, and now -tell their tale to Kheperra, your lord and mine. Come. Come swiftly, -there are more villains left in Thebes.” - -But Rima sank to the ground, swooning. As she fell Kemmah snatched the -child from her and looked at Ru. - -“It is good,” said the giant. “Now she can talk no more and I will -carry her. But what of that sack? Must we leave it behind? Life is -more than crowns.” - -“Nay, Ru, set it on my head, for thus peasants bear their burdens. I -can hold it with my left hand and clasp the child with my right.” - -He did so and lifted the Queen in his great arms. - -Thus they passed down the stair, stepping over the dead and out into -the night. - -Across the open space they went, heading for the palm trees of the -garden. The babe wailed feebly but Kemmah stifled its cries beneath -her cloak. The weight of the treasures in the sack pressed her down -and the sharp edges of the jewelled crowns and sceptres cut into her -brow. Still she staggered on bravely. They reached the shadow of the -palms where she paused for a moment to look back and get her breath. -Behold! Men--numbers of them--were running toward the doors of the -private apartments. - -“We did not leave too soon. Forward!” said Ru. - -On they went, till at length before them in the glade they saw the -ruined shrine. Kemmah staggered to it and sank to her knees, for she -was spent. - -“Now, unless help comes, there is an end,” said Ru. “Two half-dead -women I might carry, also the sack upon my head. But how about the -babe? Nay, that babe is the Princess of Egypt. Whoever dies, she must -be saved.” - -“Aye,” said Kemmah faintly. “Leave me, it matters not, but save the -child. Take her and her mother and go to the quay. Perchance the boat -is there.” - -“Perchance it is not,” grumbled Ru, staring about him. - -Then help came. For as before from behind a palm appeared the sailor -Tau. - -“You are somewhat early, Lady Kemmah,” he said, “but fortunately so am -I and so is the down Nile wind. At least here you are, all three of -you. But who is this?” and he stared at the giant Nubian. - -“One who can be vouched for,” answered Ru. “If you doubt it, go look -at the stair of the royal apartments. One, too, who, if there be need, -can break your bones as a slave breaks sticks.” - -“That I can well believe,” said Tau, “but of bone-breaking we can talk -afterwards. Now follow me, and swiftly.” - -Then he threw the sack over his shoulder, and putting his arm about -Kemmah, supported her forward to the quay. - -At the foot of the steps was a boat, and at a distance on the Nile -appeared a ship riding at anchor, her sail half hoisted. They entered -the boat, and seizing the oars, Tau rowed them to the ship. A rope was -cast which he caught and made fast to the prow of the boat, drawing on -it till they came alongside the ship. Hands were stretched out to help -them; soon they were all aboard. - -“Up anchor!” cried Tau, “and hoist the sail.” - -“We hear you, Lord,” answered a voice. - -Three minutes later that ship was gliding down the Nile before the -strong south wind. Nor was it too soon, for as they passed silently -into the night they caught sight of men, some of whom bore lanterns, -searching the palm grove that they had left. They laid the women and -the child in the cabin. Then Tau said: - -“Now, Breaker of Bones, you may have a tale to tell me, and perchance -a cup of wine and a bite of food will loose your tongue.” - - -Thus did Queen Rima, Nefra, Royal Princess of Egypt, the Lady Kemmah -and Ru the Ethiopian escape from Thebes and from the hands of -traitors. - - - - - CHAPTER IV. - The Temple of the Sphinx - -For day after day the ship of Tau journeyed on down Nile. At night, -or when the wind would not serve, it was tied up to the bank, always -in as uninhabited a place as might be but never near a town. Twice -this happened in the neighbourhood of great temples that had been -wrecked by the Shepherds in the first fury of their invasion and not -as yet repaired. Yet after it was dark, out of these desolated fanes -or of the sepulchres around them issued men who brought food and other -things to sell, but who from the signs that they made, Kemmah, being -initiated, well knew to be priests, though of what faith she did not -know. These men would talk with Tau apart, showing him much reverence, -then on this pretext or on that he would bring them into the cabin -where the infant princess lay asleep, whom they would look upon -fearfully, and even adore upon their bended knees as though she were -divine; then rising, depart blessing her in the name of the gods they -worshipped. Moreover, never did they seem to take payment for the food -they brought. - -All of these things Kemmah noted, as did Ru, although he appeared so -simple, but of them Rima the Queen took but little heed. Ever since -her lord the Pharaoh Kheperra had been slain in the battle, her spirit -had left her, and the discovery of the treason of the lords who had -been his counsellors and generals, whereof Ru had slain six and Kemmah -one in the fight upon the stairs of the Theban palace, seemed to have -crushed her very soul so that now she cared for nothing save to nurse -her child. - -When she woke from her swoon to find herself upon the ship she asked -few questions and from Ru she shrank, although she loved him well, -saying that he smelt of blood. Nor would she speak much to Tau -because, as she declared, she trusted no man any more. To Kemmah only -did she talk freely at times, and then mostly as to how she might -escape out of this accursed Egypt with her child, back to her royal -father, the King of Babylon. - -“So far the gods of Egypt have not served you so ill, Queen,” said the -Lady Kemmah, “seeing that they brought you and that Royal One”--and -she waved her hand toward the babe--“out of the net of traitors, and -when escape seemed impossible, safe on to this ship, doing this after -you had declared that you had no faith in them.” - -“Mayhap, Kemmah. Yet those gods decreed that my royal husband should -be killed and that those whom he and I trusted should prove themselves -the foulest of all men who sought to betray his wife and child into -the hands of enemies, whence we were saved only by your wit and the -strength and courage of an Ethiopian. Also it is not for me, a -stranger, that they work, but for Egypt’s royal seed that was born of -my body. Nor is this to be wondered at, seeing, although as Pharaoh’s -wife I made offerings upon their altars, they are no gods of mine. I -tell you that I would get me back to Babylon and ere I die bow my knee -again in the temples of my forefathers. Take me back to Babylon, -Kemmah, where men are not traitors to the bread they eat and do not -strive to sell the seed of those who died for them into captivity or -death.” - -“This I will do if I may,” answered Kemmah, “but alas! Babylon is far -off and all the lands between are ablaze with war. Therefore take -heart, Queen, and wait with patience.” - -“I have no heart left,” answered Rima, “who desire but one thing--to -find my lord again whether he sits at the table of your Osiris, or -rides the clouds with Bel, or sleeps in the deep darkness. Where he -is, there would I be and nowhere else, and least of all in this -accursed Egypt. Give me my child to nurse, that I may hold her while I -may. We love that most that we must leave the soonest, Kemmah.” - -Then Kemmah gave her the babe and turned away to hide her tears, since -she was sure that sorrow was eating out the life of this bereaved -widow and daughter of kings. - -Once when they were off Memphis which they strove to pass at early -dawn before men were abroad, there was danger. Officers came to their -ship from a boat, bidding it lie to, a command that Tau thought it -best to obey. - -“Now play your parts well,” he said to Kemmah, “remembering that you -are my sister and that the Queen is my wife who lies sick. Go tell her -to forget her woes and be as crafty as a serpent. As for you, Ru, hide -that great axe of yours, though where you can find it easily, -remembering that you are a slave whom I bought for a great sum in -Thebes that I may make money by showing off your strength in -market-places, and that you can talk little or no Egyptian.” - -The boat came alongside. In it were two officers, young men who seemed -to be sleepy, for they yawned, and a common fellow who rowed it. The -two officers climbed to the deck and asked for the captain. Tau -appeared, very roughly clad, and in a coarse voice inquired of their -business. - -“It is your business that we want to know, Sailor,” said one of the -officers. - -“That is easy to tell, sir. I am a trader who take corn up Nile and -bring cattle down. There are a number of calves forward there, bred by -the best southern bulls. Are you perchance buyers? If so, you might -like to look at them. There is one that has the ‘apis’ marks upon it, -or something of the kind.” - -“Do we look like cattle dealers?” asked the officer haughtily. “Show -me your writings.” - -“Here they are, sir,” and Tau produced a papyrus sealed by the trade -masters at Memphis and other cities. - -“A wife and child, a sister--which means another wife grown old--and -so many crew. Well, we seek two women and a child, so perhaps we had -better see them.” - -“Is it necessary?” asked the other. “This does not look like a queen’s -warship such as we were told to search for, and the stench of those -calves is horrible after a night of feasting.” - -“Warship, sir? Did you talk of a warship? Well, there is one following -us down the river. We saw her once, but being of such deep draught, -she got stuck on a sand bank so that I do not know when she will reach -Memphis. She seemed to be a very fine ship with a multitude of armed -men on board of her. But it was said that she was going to stop at -Siout, the frontier city of the South, or what used to be its frontier -city before we beat those proud-stomached Southerns. But come and look -at the women, if you will; come and look at them.” - -This information about the warship seemed to interest the two officers -so much that they followed Tau thinking little of the two women. He -took a lantern and thrust it through the curtains into the cabin, -saying; - -“May an evil spirit take this thing! How badly it burns.” - -“An evil stink has taken it already,” answered one of the officers, -pinching his nostrils between his finger and thumb as he peered -between the curtains. In the low light the place was very dark and all -that the officers could see was Kemmah in dirty garments seated on a -sack--little did they know that this sack contained the ancient and -priceless royal ornaments of Upper Egypt--and engaged in mixing milk -and water in a gourd, while beyond on a couch lay a woman with -dishevelled hair and holding a bundle to her breast. - -Just then the lantern went out and Tau began to talk of finding oil to -relight it. - -“It is needless, Friend,” said the chief officer, “I think that we -have seen enough. Pursue your voyage in peace and sell the calves at -the best price you can get.” - -Then he turned to the deck where, as ill luck would have it, he caught -sight of Ru squatted on the boards and trying to look as small as he -could. - -“That is a big black man,” he said. “Now did not some spy send a -message about a Negro who killed many of our friends up yonder? Stand -up, fellow.” - -Tau translated, or seemed to do so, and Ru stood up, rolling his big -eyes till the white showed and grinning all over a silly face. - -“Ah!” said the officer, “a very big man. By the gods! what a chest and -arms. Now, Captain, who is this giant and what are you doing with him -on board your trading boat?” - -“Lords,” answered Tau, “he is a venture of mine in which I have put -most of my savings. He is mighty and performs feats of strength, for -the sight of which I hope to get much money down in Tanis.” - -“Does he?” said the officer, much interested but with suspicion. -“Well, fellow, perform a feat of strength.” - -Ru shook his head vaguely. - -“He does not understand your tongue, sir, who is an Ethiopian. Stay, I -will tell him.” - -Then he began to address Ru in unknown words. Ru woke up and nodded, -grinning. Next instant he sprang at the two officers, seized one of -them with either hand by the neckbands of their garments and lifted -them from the deck as though they had been infants. Next, roaring with -laughter, he stepped to the side of the ship and held them out over -the Nile as though he were about to drop them into the water. The -officers shouted, Tau swore and tried to drag him back, yelling orders -into his ear. Ru turned round astonished, still holding the two men in -the air before him and looking at the belly of the ship as though he -meant to throw them into it. - -At length he seemed to understand and dropped them to the deck, on -which they fell flat. - -“That is one of his favourite tricks, sirs,” said Tau as he helped -them to their feet. “He is so strong that he can carry a third man in -his teeth.” - -“Is it?” said an officer. “Well, we have had enough of your savage and -his tricks, who, I think, will land you in prison before you have done -with him. Keep him off now while we get into the boat.” - -Thus was the ship of Tau searched by the officers of Apepi. - - -When the boat had gone and once more the ship was slipping past the -quays of Memphis unobserved in the mists drawn by the rising sun from -the river, Ru came near to the tiller and said: - -“I think, Lord Tau, for a lord or count I hold you to be, although it -pleases you to pass as the owner of a small trading boat, that you -would have done well to let me drop those two fine fellows into the -Nile that tells no stories of those it buries. By and by it will be -found that there is no warship such as you talked of so wonderfully, -and then----?” - -“And then, Breaker of Bones, it may go hard with those officers who -chattered of such a ship like finches in the reeds and while they did -so let the real prize slip through their fingers. For this, indeed, I -am sorry, since those young men were not bad fellows in their way. As -for dropping them into the Nile, it might have been well enough, -though cruel, had there not been a witness. What would that boatman -who rowed them to the ship have reported when he found that they -returned from it no more?” - -“You are clever,” said Ru admiringly. “I never thought of that.” - -“No, Ru. If my brain were added to your brute strength and -uninstructed honesty, why, you would rule the world of brutes. But -they are not, and therefore you must be content to serve in the yoke, -like a bull, which is as strong as you are, or stronger.” - -“If it is brains that make the difference, why do you not rule, Lord -Tau, who are also a likely man though not so big as I am? Why are you -carrying fugitives upon a dirty little merchant ship instead of -sitting upon a Pharaoh’s throne? Tell me, who am but a simple black -man bred to war and honesty.” - -Tau with much skill steered his ship through a fleet of barges poling -up Nile laden with fodder. Then calling to a sailor to take his place, -for now the river was open with no craft in sight, he sat himself down -on the low bulwark, and answered: - -“Because mayhap, friend Ru, I also choose to serve. Being stupid, like -most honest men, especially if they are strong and one of a simple -race that understands nothing except love from which is born mankind, -and war that keeps down its numbers, you may not believe me when I -tell you that the only true joy in life lies in service of this sort -or of that. Pharaohs are served, which is why they are often so blind -and so satisfied and being but vain bubbles blown along by a wind they -cannot see, springing, although they know it not, from the poisoned -breath of multitudes; for the most part they do more harm than good -and are themselves the slaves of slaves. With him who serves it is -otherwise, for, setting aside self-seekings and ambitions, he works -humbly for that which is good and in this work finds his reward.” - -Ru rubbed his brow, then asked: - -“But whom does such an one serve, Lord?” - -“He serves God, Ru.” - -“God? There are many gods that I have heard of in Ethiopia, in Egypt, -and in other lands. What god does he serve and where does he find that -god?” - -“He finds him in his own heart, Ru, but what his name may be I cannot -tell you. Some call it Justice, some call it Freedom, some call it -Hope, some call it Spirit.” - -“And what do those call it who serve only themselves and their own -lusts, careless of all those fine things, Lord?” - -“I do not know, Ru, and yet I know that name. It is Death.” - -“Yet they live as long as other men, Lord, and often reap a finer -harvest.” - -“Aye, Ru, but very soon their day is done and then, if they have not -repented, their souls die.” - -“So you believe that souls can live on, as the priests seem to teach.” - -“Yes, Ru, I believe that they can live longer than Ra the sun himself, -longer than the stars, and from age to age reap the fruits of honest -service. Yet of these matters do not ask me but ask one whom you will -soon meet and whose disciple I am.” - -“I don’t wish to, Lord, seeing that my brain swims already, but tell -me, if it please you, to what end is all this service of yours that -causes you to sail up Nile and at great risk to rescue certain ladies -and a certain babe?” - -“I am not sure, for true service is its own end. Moreover, it is not -for me to ask of ends, who am sworn to obey without doubt or -question.” - -“So you also have a master, Lord. Who is he?” - -“That you will learn ere long, Ru. Yet do not think to look upon some -king or enthroned high priest surrounded with pomps and ceremonies. -Ru, I will instruct you, who are so ignorant. Doubtless you believe -that Egypt and the world are ruled by the strength you see, by -Pharaohs, by armies, and by wealth. Yet it is not so. There is another -strength you do not see which is its guide and conqueror, and its name -is Spirit. The priests teach that to every man there is given a _Ka_ -or a double, an invisible something that is stronger, purer, more -enduring than he is. Something that perhaps from time to time looks -upon the face of God and whispers of God’s will. Now if this be a -parable, yet in a sense it is true since always such a spirit is at -the elbow of everyone who lives. Or rather there are two spirits, one -of good and one of evil; one that leads upwards and one that leads -downwards.” - -“I say again that you make my head swim, Lord. But tell me, where and -to what is your spirit leading you?” - -“Towards the gates of peace, Ru; peace for myself and peace for Egypt; -towards a land where you would find little occupation for in it there -is no war. Look, yonder are the Great Pyramids, the homes of the dead, -and mayhap of their souls which do not die. Come, help me lower the -sail since we must drift past them slowly, to return when night has -fallen and land certain passengers. There, perhaps, Ru, you will learn -more of the meaning of all this talk of mine.” - - -Night had come. At its approach he who was called Tau had rowed his -ship back to a certain landing place which now, at the time of the -rising Nile, was not so very far away from the Great Pyramids and the -Sphinx that sits near to them staring eternally into nothingness. Here -they disembarked, all of them, under shelter of the darkness and of a -bed of reeds. - -Scarcely were they on shore when they saw boats, which great lanterns -hung at their prow and stern showed to be full of armed men, rowing -down Nile. Tau watched them go by and said: - -“I think some messenger has told those officers at Memphis that there -was no warship following us from Thebes and that now they search for a -certain trading boat on which travelled two women and a babe. Well, -let them search, for the birds are out of their hands and where they -nest no Shepherd will dare to come.” - -Then, having given directions to the mate of the boat, a very quiet, -secret-faced man, as were all those on board of her, he took Rima the -Queen by the hand and led her into the darkness, being followed by -Kemmah, who bore the child, and by Ru the Ethiopian, who carried upon -his shoulder the sack that contained the jewels of the Pharaohs of -Upper Egypt. - -For a long while they trudged forward, first between groves of palm -trees and then over desert sands, till at length the waning moon rose -and they saw a wondrous sight. In front of them appeared the enormous -shape of a lion cut from the living rock whose face was not that of a -beast but of a man, wearing the headdress of a god or king, and -staring towards the east with solemn, terrifying eyes. - -“What is that?” asked Rima faintly. “Have we reached the Underworld -and is this its god? For surely yonder dreadful smiling countenance -must be that of a god.” - -“Nay, Lady,” answered Tau, “it is but the symbol of a god, the Sphinx -which has sat here for countless ages. Look! Behind it stand the -pyramids outlined against the sky, and beneath it are safety and rest -for you and for your child.” - -“Safety for the child, perhaps,” she said, “and for me, as I think, -the longest rest of all. For know, O Tau, that Death looks at me out -of those solemn smiling eyes.” - -Tau made no answer; indeed, even his calm spirit seemed to be -frightened at those words of evil omen, as was Kemmah, who muttered: - -“We go to dwell among sepulchres and it is as well, for I think that -soon they will be needed.” - -Even Ru was frightened, though more by the gigantic figure of the -Sphinx towering above him than by the Queen’s words, which he scarcely -seemed to understand. - -“Here is that which turns my heart to water and loosens my knees,” he -said in his savage imagery. “Here is that with which no man, not even -I, can fight, and therefore for the first time I am afraid. Here is -Fate itself, and what can man do in the face of Fate?” - -“Obey its decrees, as all must,” answered Tau solemnly. “Forward now, -for the temple of this god is open, and leave the rest--to Fate.” - -They came to some steps about fifty paces from the outstretched paws -of this mighty monument, and descending them, found themselves facing -what seemed to be a huge granite block in a wall. Taking a stone which -lay at hand, Tau knocked upon this block in a peculiar fashion. Thrice -did he repeat this rhythmic series of blows, each time with some -difference. Then he waited, and behold, presently in a silent fashion -the great stone turned, leaving a narrow opening through which he -beckoned them to follow him. They entered to find themselves in dense -darkness and to hear sounds as of passwords being given and received. -Next lamps appeared floating towards them through the darkness and -they perceived that these were borne by men clothed as white-robed -priests who yet carried swords like soldiers and wore knives thrust -through their girdles. There were six of these priests and a seventh -who appeared to be a leader of them, for he walked ahead. To this man -Tau spoke, saying: - -“I bring you that I went forth to seek,” and he pointed to the royal -child sleeping in the arms of Kemmah and to the Queen and behind her, -to the gigantic Ru on whom the priests looked doubtfully. - -Tau began to tell them who he was, but the leader of the priests said: - -“It is needless. The Holy Prophet has spoken to me of him. Yet let him -understand that he who reveals the secrets of this place dies -terribly.” - -“Is it so?” said Ru. “Well, already I feel as though I were dead and -buried.” - -Then one by one the priests made obeisance to the babe, and this done, -motioned to them to follow. - -On they went, down a long passage that seemed to be built of blocks of -alabaster, till they came to a great hall, of which the roof was -supported by huge columns of granite, in which hall sat solemn statues -of gods or kings. Crossing it, they reached a gallery, out of which -opened chambers that served as dwelling rooms, for in them were -window-places, which chambers, it seemed, had been made ready for -them, since they were furnished with beds and all things necessary, -even to clothing such as women wear. Moreover, in one of them a table -was set with good food and wine. - -“Eat now and sleep,” said Tau. “I go to make report to the Prophet. -To-morrow he will speak with you.” - - - - - CHAPTER V. - The Swearing of the Oath - -Early on the following morning Kemmah was awakened by a ray of -sunshine striking upon her bed through a window-place in the chamber. - -At least we are not dwelling in a tomb, she thought to herself with -gratitude, for tombs have no windows; the dead do not need them. - -Then she looked at the Queen Rima who lay in another bed with the babe -near by, and saw that she was sitting up, staring before her with rapt -eyes. - -“I see that you are awake, Kemmah,” she said, “for the sun shines upon -your eyes, for which I thank the gods because it shows me that we are -not in a grave. Hearken, a dream has visited me. I dreamed that the -good god my husband, Kheperra who is dead, came to me, saying: - -“‘Wife, you have accomplished all things; you have brought our child -to a place where she will be safe, a holy place where the spirits of -those who were great in Egypt before her protect and will protect her. -Fear not for the child who is safe in their keeping and in that of -those about her on the earth. Make ready, Wife beloved, to return to -me, your Husband.’ - -“‘That is my desire,’ I answered. ‘But tell me, Lord, where shall I -find you?’ - -“Then, Kemmah, in that dream of mine the spirit of King Kheperra -showed me a wondrous and beautiful place of which the memory has faded -from me, saying: - -“‘Here shall you find me, where are no wars or fears or troubles, and -here shall we dwell together happily for many an age, though what will -chance to us in the end I do not know.’ - -“‘But the child. What of the child?’ I asked. ‘Must we lose the -child?’ - -“‘Nay, Beloved,’ he answered, ‘presently she will be with us.’ - -“‘Then, Lord, is she also doomed to die to the world before she has -known the world?’ - -“‘Not so, Beloved, but here there is no time, and soon her hour there -will be accomplished and she will be counted of our company.’ - -“‘Yet she will never know us, Lord, who died when she was without -understanding.’ - -“‘The dead know everything; in death all that seems lost is found -again; in death all is forgiven, even those priests and princes who -would have betrayed you to the Shepherds are forgiven, for some of -them whom the axe of Ru sent hither, stand by me and ask pardon of you -as I speak. In death are life and understanding. Therefore come hither -swiftly and without fear.’ - -“Then I awoke, happy for the first time since Ru bore the body of King -Kheperra out of the battle.” - -“A strange dream. A very strange dream, Queen. But who can put faith -in such visions of the night?” exclaimed Kemmah, for she was -frightened and knew not what to say, adding: - -“Now rise, if it pleases you, and let me dress you in these garments -that have been provided. Afterwards we will call the Lord Tau, for I -am sure he is no sailor man but a lord, and explore this place, which -it would seem might be worse, for here are good food and light and -friends and dark caverns where we may hope to hide ourselves away if -foes should come.” - -“Aye, Kemmah, I will rise, though it should be for the last time, for -I would look upon the face of this wondrous Roy the prophet who has -brought us here and then commend my child to him ere I pass farther -than he can follow.” - -“From all that I have heard of Roy I think that would be far indeed, -Queen,” said Kemmah. - -A while later, when they were seated at their morning meal that was -served by priestesses who now appeared for the first time, came Tau, -praying them to follow him into the presence of Roy, the prophet and -his master. - -They obeyed, Rima leaning on the arm of Tau, for now she seemed too -weak to walk alone, Kemmah bearing the babe, and Ru bringing up the -rear. Presently they heard sounds of singing, and entering a great -hall lit by little window-places set high up near the roof and by an -opening to the East, saw that in it were gathered a number of men and -women, all clad in white robes, the men to the right and the women to -the left. At the head of the hall was an altar and behind the altar, -in a shrine of alabaster, a life-sized statue of Osiris, god of the -dead wrapped in the trappings of the dead. In front of this altar in a -chair of black stone sat an aged man clad in white priestly garments -over which hung strange-shaped, mystical jewels of gold and gems. - -He was a wonderful old man, or so thought Ru staring at him with round -eyes, for his beard was long and white as snow, his hands were thin as -those of a mummy, his nose was hooked and his eyes were black, -piercing, and full of fire. Though she had not seen him in the flesh -for many years, Kemmah knew him at once to be none other than the -king’s son, her great-uncle, Roy the Prophet, whose fame for holiness, -secret power, and magic was told of throughout Egypt. Indeed, she -remembered that just so had he appeared to her in the ruined shrine -that was in the palace gardens at Thebes when she sought a sign that -Tau was a true messenger and not one who set a trap. - -They drew near while all the company stared at them in silence. -Suddenly Roy lifted his head, studying them with his piercing eyes, -then in a strong, clear voice asked of Tau: - -“Who are these that you bring into the Chapter of the secret -Brotherhood of the Dawn, to enter which without authority is death? -Answer, O my son in the spirit.” - -Thrice Tau made reverence and said: - -“O Holy One, O Home of Wisdom, greater than all kings, voice of Heaven -upon earth, hear me! On the day of full moon before the last you -commanded me, saying: - -“‘Priest of our Brotherhood, become a merchant. Sail up Nile to -Thebes, and before dawn on the day that you reach the ancient city -enter the garden of the palace and take your stand behind a palm tree -that grows near to a forgotten shrine. There you will find a woman, a -nurse of kings in whom my blood runs. Speak to her. Show her this half -of a broken talisman, and if she can show its other half, declare to -her that you are my messenger charged with a certain mission. Set out -that mission, and if she doubts, pray to me, sending your prayer -through space, and I will hear you and come to your aid. Then when she -doubts no more, fulfil that mission as shall be made clear to you.’ - -“I heard your commands, O Holy One, and behold! the mission is -fulfilled. Before you appear Rima the Babylonian, daughter of Ditanah -the King of Babylon and widow of Kheperra, Pharaoh of Upper Egypt; -Lady Kemmah, the royal nurse, your kinswoman, and the royal babe -Nefra, Princess of Egypt.” - -“I see them, my son, but what of the fourth, the mighty black man, as -to whom I gave no command?” - -“This, Father: that without his help sent by the gods none of us would -be here to-day, seeing that he held the door against traitors and with -that axe of his, slew them all, eight in number.” - -“Not so, my son, unless my spirit told me falsely, the Lady Kemmah, my -kinswoman, slew one of them.” - -Now Ru, who had been listening amazed, could contain himself no -longer. - -“That is right, O Prophet, or O God,” he broke in, in his big voice. -“She killed one of them who slipped past me, their captain as I think, -with the shrewdest thrust ever driven by a woman’s arm--also another -escaped. But your sight must be very good, O Prophet, if you can see -from here to Thebes and take note of one blow among so many.” - -A faint smile flickered on the face of Roy. - -“Come hither, Ru, for so I think you are named,” he said. - -The giant obeyed and of his own accord knelt down before Roy, who went -on: - -“Hearken, Ru the Ethiopian. You are a gallant man and a true-hearted. -You slew those who slew your King Kheperra and bore his body from the -battle. By your gift of strength and skill in war you saved your -lord’s child and the Queen her mother from prison and death. Therefore -I number you among our Brotherhood into whose company hitherto no -black man has ever entered. Afterwards you shall be instructed in its -simpler rites and take the lesser oaths. Yet know, O Ru, that if you -betray the smallest of its secrets or work harm to any of your fellow -servants of the Dawn, you shall die thus,” and leaning forward he -whispered fiercely into the Negro’s ear. - -“Have done, I pray you, Prophet,” exclaimed Ru in lively terror and -springing to his feet. “I have seen and heard of many things but never -of such a one as this, in Ethiopia or in Egypt, in war or in peace. -Moreover, such threats are needless, since I never betrayed any one -except myself, and least of all those whose bread I eat and whom I -love,” and he glanced towards the Queen and the child. - -“I know it, Ru; yet sometimes folly betrays as well as craft. Hearken! -You are appointed bodyservant and guard to the Royal Princess of Egypt -as you were to her father before her. Where she goes, there you go; -when she sleeps your bed is without her door. If she fights you stand -at her side in battle, shielding her with your life. If she wanders by -day or by night, you wander with her, and when at last she dies, you -die also and accompany her to the Underworld. For this shall be your -reward--that the blessing and the strength that are on her shall be on -you also, and that you shall serve her to all eternity. Retire.” - -“I ask no better fate,” muttered Ru as he obeyed. - -“Kinswoman, bring me the child,” said the Prophet. - -Kemmah came forward bearing the sleeping babe and at Roy’s bidding -held it up to be seen of all, whereon everyone in that company bowed -the knee and bent the head. - -“Brothers and Sisters of the Company of the Dawn, in the person of -this child behold your Queen and Egypt’s!” cried Roy, and again they -bent the knee and bowed the head. - -Then he breathed upon the babe and blessed it, making over it certain -mystic signs and calling upon gods and spirits to guard it through -life and for ever. This done he kissed the infant and handed it back -to Kemmah, saying: - -“Blessed be you also, O faithful woman. Aye, and you shall be blessed, -and later instructed in our mysteries and numbered of our Company. Go -in peace.” - -Now Roy had spoken to all that company save to the chief of them, Rima -the Queen, who sat in front of him in a chair that had been given to -her, watching him with empty eyes and listening to his words as though -they dealt with far-off matters that moved her not. Yet when he had -finished she lifted her head, saying: - -“Words and blessings for the slave. Words and blessings for the nurse. -Words and adoration for the babe in whom run the royal bloods of Egypt -and of Babylon. But what words for the Queen and mother, O Prophet, at -whose bidding she and that which was born of her have been brought to -this darksome place and habitation of conspirators plotting to ends -unknown?” - -Now Roy arose from his throne before the altar, a tall, ethereal -shape, and advancing to the stricken queen lifted her hand and kissed -it. - -“For your Majesty I have no message,” he said, bending his venerable -head, “seeing that already you hold communion with one who is greater -than I,” and he turned and bowed to the solemn statue of the god -Osiris which stared at them from beyond the altar. - -“I know it,” she answered with a sad smile. - -“Yet,” he went on, “it is reported to me that in this night that is -gone, your Majesty dreamed a dream. Is it not so?” - -“It is so, Prophet, though who told you I do not know.” - -“It matters not who told me. What matters is that I am charged to say -to your Majesty that this dream was no phantasy bred of human hopes -and longings but the very truth. Learn, O Queen, that this world and -its sufferings are but a shadow and a show, and that beyond them, like -the pyramids towering above the sands and palm trees at their base, -stands the eternal verity whose name is Love. The sands are blown away -and having borne their fruit, the palm trees are torn up by the -tempest or grow old and die, but the pyramids remain.” - -“I understand and I thank you, Prophet. Now lead me hence for I am -weary.” - - -On the third night from this day Rima the Queen, knowing that the -fever which consumed her had done its work and that the time was at -hand for her to bid farewell to the world, sent a messenger to Roy the -Prophet saying that she would speak with him. He came and she -addressed him thus: - -“I know not who you are nor what is this Brotherhood of the Dawn of -which you speak, and to what ends it works, nor why you have brought -the Royal Princess hither, nor what gods you serve, I who take but -little count of the gods of Egypt, although it is true that when my -child was born two of them seemed to appear to me in a vision. Yet I -will add this: my heart tells me that you are a most righteous man and -a prophet of power appointed by Fate to fulfil its will; also that you -and those about you plan good and not ill for the Princess, who, if -there is justice in the world, should one day be the Queen of Egypt. -There then I leave this matter in the hands of Heaven; I who, having -done all that I can do, find myself dying, unfortunate and powerless. -Those things will happen which must happen and there is no more to be -said. - -“Now I demand an oath of you, Roy, and of the priest Tau, and of all -the Brotherhood under you. It is that when I am dead you will embalm -my body with all the skill of the Egyptians, and that afterwards, when -there is opportunity, you will cause it to be conveyed to Ditanah, the -King of Babylon, my father, or to him who sits in his place, with -these my dying words written in a scroll on its breast, accompanied, -if may be, by my daughter, the Royal Princess of Egypt. - -“I demand an oath of you, further, that those who bear my body shall -say to the King of Babylon that I, the dead daughter of Babylon, -aforetime wife of the King of Egypt, call upon him in the name of our -gods and by our common blood to avenge the wrongs that I have suffered -in Egypt and the death of my lord beloved, my husband, King Kheperra. -I call upon him under pain of the curse of my spirit, to roll down in -his might upon Egypt and to smite these Shepherd dogs who slew my -husband and took his heritage, and to establish my daughter, the -Princess Nefra, as Queen of Egypt, and to seize those who were -traitors to her and would have given her to doom and me with her, and -to slay them. This is the oath which I demand of you.” - -“Yet, Queen,” answered Roy, “it is one that is little to my liking, -seeing that if fulfilled it may breed war and that we, the sons and -daughters, of the Dawn--for Harmachis whose image is the Sphinx that -watches at our door, is the god of Dawn--seek peace and not war. -Forgiveness, not vengeance, is the law we follow. It is true that if -may be we desire to depose the usurping Shepherd kings and to restore -Egypt to the line of its rightful rulers, of whom the Princess Nefra -is the heir, or if as yet this is refused to us by the gods, to unite -the North and South so that Egypt may grow greater and cease to bleed -from the wounds of war.” - -“That is what the Shepherds seek also,” said Rima faintly. - -“Aye, but their ends are other than ours. They would rivet a yoke upon -the neck of Egypt; we would loose that yoke and not by the sword. The -Shepherds are many, but the people of Egypt are more, and if the two -races can be mingled, then the good Nile wheat which we sow will -smother the foreign Shepherd weeds. Already something has been done; -already these Shepherd kings bend the knee to the gods of Egypt whose -altars once they overthrew, and accept Egypt’s laws and customs.” - -“It may be so, Prophet, and in the end all may come about as you -desire. But I am of blood different from that of you soft Egyptians -and I have suffered grievous wrong. My husband has been slain; those -whom he trusted have striven to sell me and my child to slavery and -therefore I seek for the justice that I shall never see. Not with soft -words and far-sighted plottings would I win that justice, but with -spears and arrows. My body is weak and I am near my end, but my soul -is aflame. I know, moreover, that all your hopes are centred on this -child of mine, as are my own, and my spirit tells me how they may best -be brought to harvest. Will you swear the oath? Answer, and quickly. -For if you will not swear, mayhap I may find another counsel. What if -I take the babe with me, Prophet, to plead our cause in the Courts -above, as I think I can still find the means to do?” - -Now Roy considered her, reading her mind, and saw that it was -desperate. - -“I must take counsel of that which I serve,” he answered. “Perchance -It will give me wisdom.” - -“And what if I and mayhap another die while you are taking counsel, -Prophet? You think that you can remove the babe, who do not know that -a mother’s will is very strong and that we Babylonians have secrets of -our own, especially at the hour of death, with which we have the power -to draw after us those who are born of our bodies.” - -“Fear not, Queen Rima. I, too, have my secrets, and I tell you that -Osiris will not take you yet.” - -“I believe you, Prophet. On such a matter you would not lie. Go, take -counsel with your gods and come back quickly.” - -“I go,” he said, and went. - -A little before the hour of dawn Roy returned to that death chamber -and with him came Tau, also she who was the first priestess of the -Order of the Dawn. Rima awaited him, supported with pillows upon her -bed. - -“You spoke truly, Prophet,” she said, “seeing that now I am stronger -than when we parted yesterday. Yet be swift, for this strength of mine -is but as the brightness of a dying lamp. Speak, and shortly.” - -“Queen Rima,” he replied, “I have taken counsel of the Power I serve, -who guides my feet here upon the earth. It has been pleased to send an -answer to my prayer.” - -“What answer, Prophet?” she asked eagerly. - -“This, Queen: That I, on behalf of the Order of the Dawn over which I -rule, and in the presence of those who stand next to me in that -order”--and he pointed to Tau and to the priestess--“should take the -oath that you desire, since thus our ends can best be brought about, -though how they will be accomplished was not revealed. I swear, -therefore, in the name of that Spirit who is above all gods, also by -your _Ka_ and mine, and by that child who here and now we take for -queen, that when there is opportunity, which I think will not be for -many years, your body shall be borne to Babylon and your message -delivered to its king, if may be--by your daughter’s lips. Moreover, -that nothing may be forgotten, all your desire and this oracle are -upon this roll which shall be read to you and sealed by you as a -letter to the King of Babylon, and with it our oath, sealed by me and -by Tau who comes after me.” - -“Read,” said the Queen. “Nay, let the Lady Kemmah, who is learned, -read.” - -So with some help from Tau, Kemmah read. - -“It is truly written,” said Rima. “There on the roll the matter is set -out well and clearly. Yet, add this--that if my father, the royal -Ditanah the King, or he who sits upon his throne after him, denies -this my last prayer, then I call down the curse of all the gods of -Babylon upon his people, and that I, Rima, will haunt him while he -lives and ask account of him when we meet at last in the Underworld.” - -“So be it,” said Roy, “though these words are not gentle. Yet write -them down, O Tau, for the dying must be obeyed.” - -So Tau sat himself upon the floor and wrote upon his knee. Then wax -mixed with clay was brought and drawing from her wasted finger a ring -on which was cut the figure of a Babylonian god, Rima pressed it on -the wax, while Kemmah took a scarab from her breast and sealed as -witness. - -“Set one copy of this roll with the ring among the wrappings of my -mummy that the King of Babylon may find it there, and hide the other -in your most secret place,” said Rima. - -“It shall be done,” said Roy, and waited. - -At this moment the first rays of the rising sun shot like arrows -through the window-place. With a strange strength Rima took her child -and held her up so that the golden light fell full upon her. - -“The Queen of the Dawn!” she cried. “Behold her kissed and crowned of -the Dawn. O Queen of the Dawn, rule on triumphant through the perfect -day, till night brings you to my breast again.” - -Then she embraced the child, and beckoning to Kemmah, gave it into her -arms. A moment later, murmuring, “My task is done. My Lord awaits me,” -she fell back and died. - - - - - CHAPTER VI. - Nefra Conquers the Pyramids - -Strange, very strange indeed was the book of Life as it opened -itself to the child Nefra, Royal Princess of Egypt. Looking back in -after years to those of her infancy, all she could remember was a -vision of great pillared halls, where stone images stared at her and -the carved or painted walls were full of grotesque figures which -seemed to pursue each other everlastingly from darkness into darkness. -Then there were visions of white-robed men and women who from time to -time gathered in these places and sang sad and mellow chants, of which -the echoes haunted her sleep from year to year. Also there was the -stately shape of the Lady Kemmah, her nurse whom she loved well yet -feared a little, and that of the gigantic Ethiopian named Ru, who -always seemed to be about her day and night, carrying a great bronze -axe in his hand, whom she loved entirely and feared not at all. - -Foremost among them, too, was the awful apparition of an aged man with -a white beard and black, flashing eyes whom she came to know as the -Prophet and whom all worshipped as though he were a god. She -remembered waking up at night and seeing him bending over her, a -lantern in his hand, or in the daytime meeting her in the dark temple -passages and passing by with words of blessing. To her childish -imagination, indeed, he was not human but a ghost to be fled from; yet -a kindly ghost withal, since sometimes he gave her delicious -sweetmeats or even flowers that a Brother carried in a basket. - -Infancy passed by and there came childhood. Still the same halls were -about her, peopled by the same folk, but now, at times, with Kemmah -her nurse and guarded by the giant Ru and others, she was allowed to -wander outside of them, most frequently after night had fallen and -when the full moon shone in the sky. Thus it was that first she came -to know the lion shape of the terrible Sphinx, lying crouched upon the -desert. In the beginning she was afraid of this stone creature with -its human face painted red, its royal headdress, and its bearded chin, -though afterwards, when it grew familiar to her, she learned to love -that face, finding something friendly in its smile and its great calm -eyes that stared at the sky as though they would search out its -secrets. Indeed, at times she would sit on the sand, sending Kemmah -and Ru to a little distance, and tell it her childish troubles and ask -it questions, furnishing the answers for herself, since from the great -lips of the Sphinx none ever came. - -Then beyond the Sphinx rose the mighty pyramids, three principal ones -that pierced the very sky, with temples at the base of them wherein -dead kings had once been worshipped, and others that were smaller -which, she fancied, must be their children. She worshipped those -pyramids, believing that the gods had made them, till Tau, her tutor, -told her that they were built by men to be the graves of kings. - -“They must have been great kings that had such graves; I should like -to look on them.” - -“Perhaps you will some day,” answered Tau, who was a most learned man -and her instructor in many things. - -Besides herself there were other children of the Order, born of the -wedded brothers and sisters. These were formed into a school, Nefra -among them, which school was taught by the Instructed among the -Brotherhood. Indeed, nearly all of them had learning, for the full -members of the Order of the Dawn were no common folk, although their -servants and those who tilled the flat lands not far from the Sphinx -having their habitations upon the borders of the great Necropolis -were, or seemed to be like, any other husbandmen. To look on them, -none would have known that they were partakers in mysteries which they -were sworn by solemn oaths not to reveal, and indeed never did reveal, -even under the fear of death or torture. - -Soon Nefra became the head of this school, not because of her rank but -for the reason that she was by far the cleverest of all its pupils, -and her quick mind drank up knowledge as a dry fleece of wool drinks -up the dew. Yet if any visited that school and watched the children -listening to the teacher, or seated on their stools, copying the -picture-writing of the Egyptians upon potsherds or fragments of -papyrus, save that she sat at the head of a line of them and for -something different in her face, they would have found nothing to -distinguish her from the other little maidens who were her companions. -She wore the same plain robe of white, the same simple sandals to -protect her feet from stones and scorpions, while her hair was tied -with a stem of dried grass into a single tress after just the same -fashion. Indeed, it was a rule of the Order that she should carry on -her person no robe or ornament which might reveal that she was not as -other children were. - -Yet the instruction of Nefra did not end with her lessons in this -school, for when these were done or in times of holiday she must learn -a deeper lore. Tau, accompanied by Kemmah her nurse, would take her to -a little private room that once had been the sleeping place of a -priest of the temple in ancient days and there teach her many secret -things. - -Thus he taught her the Babylonian tongue and writing, or knowledge of -the movements of the stars and planets, or the mysteries of religion, -showing her that all the gods of all the priests were but symbols of -the attributes of an unseen Power, a Spirit that ruled everything and -was everywhere, even in her own heart. He taught her that the flesh -was but the earthly covering of the soul and that between flesh and -soul there reigned eternal war. He taught her that she lived here upon -the earth to fulfil the purposes of this almighty Spirit that created -her, to whom in a day to come she must return, perchance to be sent -out again to this or other worlds; though what those purposes might be -was not known even by the wisest man who breathed. And while he taught -thus and she listened, watching him with eager eyes, sometimes the old -prophet Roy would steal into the chamber and listen also, adding a -word here or there, then hold out his hand in blessing and steal away. - -Thus, though outwardly Nefra was as are other merry children, inwardly -her soul opened like a lotus lily in the sun and she was different -from them all. - -So the years went on till from a child she grew into a maiden, tall -and sweet and very fair. It was at this time in her life that Roy -himself and Tau, in the presence of Kemmah only, revealed to her who -she was, namely, none other than the Royal Princess of Egypt by right -of blood and the appointment of Heaven, and told her the story of her -father and her mother and of the kings and queens who went before -them; also of the divisions in the land. - -When she heard these things Nefra wept and trembled. - -“Alas! that it should be so,” she said, “for now no longer can I be -happy. Tell me, holy Father, whom men name Home-of-Spirits that, they -say, hold converse with you in your sleep, what can a poor maid do to -right so many wrongs and to bring peace where there is but bitterness -and bloodshed?” - -“Princess of Egypt,” said Roy, for the first time giving her her -title, “I do not know because it is not revealed to me or to any. Yet -it is revealed to me and to certain others that in some way unforeseen -you will do these things. Aye, and it was revealed in a dream to your -mother, the Queen Rima, when you were born, for in this dream that -part of the Universal Spirit whom here in Egypt we know as Mother Isis -appeared to her and amongst other gifts gave to you, the royal child, -the high name of Uniter of Lands.” - -Here Kemmah thought to herself that another goddess appeared as well -as Isis and gave to this same child different gifts, and though she -said nothing Roy seemed to read her thoughts, for he went on: - -“As to this dream and certain mysteries by which it was accompanied, -the Lady Kemmah, your nurse and instructress, is commanded to inform -you; also to show to you the record of all these matters which at that -time was written down and sealed, and with it another record of a -certain oath which I and others swore to your mother, the Queen Rima, -upon her deathbed, concerning a journey which you must make at the -appointed time. Enough of these matters. Now I am commanded to tell -you that on a day to come which shall be declared when it is known to -me, it is our purpose with such state as we can compass, to crown you, -standing as you do on the threshold of womanhood, as Queen of Egypt.” - -“How can that be?” asked Nefra. “Kings and queens are crowned in -temples, or so I have been taught, and in the presence of multitudes -of courtiers, with pomp and shoutings. But here----” and she looked -about her. - -“Is not this a temple and one of the most ancient and holiest in -Egypt, Nefra?” asked Roy. “And for the rest, listen. We seem to be but -a humble Brotherhood, the inhabitants of tombs and pyramids which few -dare approach because they hold them haunted and deadly to the life -and soul of any stranger who dares to violate their sanctity. Yet I -tell you that this Order of the Dawn is more powerful and more -far-reaching than the Shepherd king himself and all those that cling -to him, as you will learn shortly when you are sworn of it. Its -disciples are everywhere, from the Cataracts of Nile down to the sea; -aye, and in lands beyond the sea, and, as we believe, in Heaven above; -and one and all they obey the commands that issue from these -catacombs, accepting them as the voice of God.” - -“Then if so, Holy Prophet, why do you not sit at Tanis openly, instead -of in secret in these tombs?” - -“Because, Princess, visible power and the trappings of power can only -be won by war, and we are sworn to wage no war, we whose empire is of -the spirit. It may be that in the end it is decreed that war must be -waged and that thus all will be accomplished. Yet it is not our -Brotherhood that will lift its banners or, save in self-defence, bring -men to their deaths, for we are sworn to peace and gentleness.” - -“I rejoice to hear it,” said Nefra, “and now, Master, I pray you let -me go to rest, for I am overwhelmed.” - - -A year or more after this day of the revealing of secrets, but before -the ceremonies which it foretold, a terrible thing happened to Nefra. - -Now it was her custom to wander about the great graveyard that -surrounded the pyramids where in their splendid tombs so many of the -ancient nobles and princes of Egypt had been laid to rest a thousand -years or more before her day, so long ago indeed that none remembered -the names of those who slept beneath these monuments. On these -wanderings of hers it was her pleasure to go unaccompanied save by her -body-servant, Ru, for Kemmah, who now grew aged, had no strength for -such rough journeys over tumbled stones and through deep sand. - -Moreover, at this time Nefra loved to be alone, that she might find -time to think in solitude over all that had been revealed to her as to -her history and fate, and the unsought greatness that had been thrust -upon her. - -Further, being very vigorous in body as she was in mind, she wearied -of being cooped up in the narrow precincts of the temple and its -neighbourhood and longed for exercise and adventure. By nature she was -a climber, one of those who love to scale heights and thence look down -upon the world below. Thus it became her pleasure to scramble to the -top of great monuments and even of some of the smaller pyramids, which -she found she could do with ease, since her feet were sure and no -dizziness ever overtook her. - -All of these fancies of hers were reported to Kemmah by Ru and others -who watched her, and to Roy and Tau by Kemmah when she found that the -young princess would not listen to her chidings, but for the first -time in her life turned upon her angrily, reminding her that she was -no more a child to be led by the hand and would have her way. - -These consulted of the matter, and, it would seem, according to their -rule, made divination, taking counsel of that Spirit who, as they -declared, guided them in all things. - -The end of it was that the Prophet Roy bade his great-niece, the Lady -Kemmah, to trouble the Princess no more about this business, but to -suffer her to walk where it pleased her and to climb what she would, -because it was revealed to him that whoever took harm, she would take -none. - -“It is not wise to thwart her as to such a little thing, Niece,” he -went on, “seeing that there is no danger to her and none of the -Shepherds or other enemies dare to approach this haunted place. Also, -she goes forth guarded by Ru to talk, not with any man, but only with -her own heart amid the holy company of the dead.” - -“There are always some who will dare that of which all others are -afraid, and who knows whom she may meet and talk with before all is -done?” answered Kemmah. - -“I have spoken, Niece. Withdraw,” said Roy. - -So, having triumphed, Nefra, who was young and headstrong, continued -her wanderings and indeed did more. - -Now there was a family of Arab blood among those who served and were -sworn to the Brotherhood of the Dawn, who from generation to -generation had been climbers of the pyramids. These men alone, by -following certain cracks in their marble casings and clinging to knobs -or hollows that had been worn in them by the blowing of sand during -hundreds or thousands of years, had the art and courage to come to the -crest of every one of them; nor until they had done so were they -accounted fit to take a wife. With the Sheik of these men Nefra often -talked, and for her pleasure at different times he and his sons scaled -every one of the pyramids before her eyes, returning safely from their -dizzy journey to her side. - -“Why cannot I do as you do?” she asked of this sheik at length. “I am -light and surefooted, and my head does not swim upon a height; also I -have limbs as long as yours.” - -The Captain of the Pyramids, for so he was commonly called, looked at -her, astonished, and shook his head. - -“It is impossible,” he said. “No woman has ever climbed those stone -mountains; that is, except the Spirit of the Pyramids herself.” - -“Who is the Spirit of the Pyramids?” she asked. - -“Lady, we know not,” he answered. “We never ask her, and when we see -her in the full moon upon her journeyings, we veil our faces.” - -“Why do you veil your faces, Captain?” - -“Because if we did not we should go mad, as men have done who looked -into her eyes.” - -“Why do they go mad?” - -“Because too much beauty breeds madness, as perchance you may find one -day, Lady,” he answered; words that brought the colour to Nefra’s -brow. - -“Who and what is this spirit?” she continued hastily. “And what does -she do?” - -“We are not certain, but the story tells that long, long ago there was -a maiden queen of this land who would not marry because she loved some -man of a humble station. Now it came about that strangers invaded -Egypt, which was weak and divided, and conquered. Then the king of the -strangers, seeing the beauty of this queen and that he might build his -throne upon a sure foundation, wished to take her to wife, even by -force. But she fled from him and in her despair climbed the greatest -of the pyramids, he following after her. Reaching its crest she hurled -herself thence and was crushed, seeing which faintness took hold of -the king, so that he, too, fell to the ground and died. After this -they buried both of them in a secret chamber of one of the -pyramids--which is not known, but I think it must have been the second -since there the spirit is most often seen.” - -“A pretty tale,” said Nefra, “but is that the end of it?” - -“Not quite, Lady, since to it hangs a prophecy. It is that when -another king follows another Queen of Egypt up the pyramid whence this -one fell, whichever it may have been, and there wins her love, the -avenging spirit of her who threw herself thence will find rest and no -more bring destruction upon men.” - -“I would see this spirit,” said Nefra. “As I am a woman she cannot -make me mad.” - -“Nor being a woman, Lady, do I think that she will appear to you. -Nevertheless, it may be her pleasure to possess your soul for her own -purposes,” he added thoughtfully. - -“My soul is my own and no one shall possess it,” answered Nefra in -anger. “Nor indeed do I believe that there is such a spirit, who think -that what you and other foolish men have seen was nothing but a -moon-cast shadow travelling among the graves. So tell me no more such -idle tales.” - -“There are one or two mad fellows living among the tombs who know more -of that mooncast shadow than I do, Lady. Still it may be as you say,” -replied the Sheik, bowing courteously after the ancient fashion of the -East to a superior. “Yes, maybe you are right. Have it as you will,” -and he turned to go. - -“Stay,” said Nefra, “it is my wish that you who have more skill and -knowledge of them than any other man, should teach me to climb those -pyramids. Let us begin upon the third, which is the smallest, and at -once. The others we can conquer afterwards when I am more accustomed -to the work.” - -Now the man stared at her and began to protest. - -“Have you not the commands of the holy prophet Roy and of the Council -of the Order to obey me in all things?” asked Nefra presently. - -“That is so, Lady, though why we should obey you I do not know.” - -“Nor do I quite, Captain, seeing that you can climb pyramids and I -cannot, and you are therefore greater than I. Still, there are the -orders and you know what happens to those who break the commands of -the Council. Now let us begin.” - -The Sheik reasoned and prayed and almost wept, but all that happened -was that Nefra exclaimed at last: - -“If you are afraid to go up that pyramid, I will go by myself. Then, -you know, I may fall.” - -So the end of it was that the afflicted Sheik summoned his son, a -lissom youth who could climb like a goat, bidding him bring with him a -long rope made of twisted palm fibre, which rope he fastened round -Nefra’s slender waist. But now there was more trouble, for Ru, who had -been listening to all this talk amazed, asked him what he was doing -binding his lady like a slave. - -The Sheik explained, while Nefra nodded assent. - -“But it cannot be,” said Ru. “My duty is to accompany this Noble One -everywhere.” - -“Then, friend Ru,” said Nefra, “accompany me up the pyramid.” - -“Up the pyramid!” said Ru, puffing out his cheeks. “Look at me, I pray -you, Mistress, and say whether I am a cat or a monkey that I can climb -up a slope of smooth stone from earth to heaven. Ere we had gone the -length of that rope I should fall and break my neck. Rather would I -fight ten men single-handed than be so mad.” - -“It is true. I think that you will make no good scaler of stone -mountains, friend Ru,” said Nefra, surveying the Ethiopian’s mighty -form which had grown no smaller with the passage of the years. “Now -cease from talking, for we waste time. If you cannot go up the -pyramid, stand at the bottom of it, just beneath me, and if I slip and -fall, catch me as I come.” - -“Catch you as you come! Catch you as you come!” gasped Ru. - -Without more words Nefra went to the foot of the third pyramid, up -which the Sheik, who also seemed to be empty of speech, began to mount -by the way he knew, having the end of the rope that was about Nefra -tied round his middle. She followed him, her feet bare and her robe -tucked up about her knees, as he bade her, while after her came his -son watching her every movement. - -“Hearken, men,” groaned Ru. “If you suffer my Lady to slip, you had -better stop on that pyramid for the rest of your lives, for if you -come down I will kill you both.” - -“If she slips, we shall slip also. The gods bear me witness that it is -no fault of mine,” answered the Sheik who was lying on his face upon -the slope of the pyramid. - -Now it is to be told that Nefra proved an apt pupil at this game. She -had the eye of a hawk, the courage of a lion, and was sure-footed as -an ape. Up she went, setting her hands and feet exactly where her -guide had done, till they had conquered half the height. - -“It is enough for to-day,” said the Sheik. “No beginner of our race -comes farther at the first trial; that is the rule. Rest here awhile, -and then descend. My son will place your feet where they should go.” - -“I obey,” said Nefra, and turned herself round as her guide had done -above her, to see nothing beneath her save a sheer gulf of space and -Ru, grown small, standing on the sand at the bottom. Then for the -first time she grew dizzy. - -“My head swims,” she said faintly. - -“Turn about again,” said the Sheik, nor could his quiet voice quite -conceal the agony of his fear. - -She obeyed, and her strength came back to her, her flesh obeying the -will within. - -“I am well again,” she said. - -“Then, Lady, turn once more, for if you do not do so now you never -will.” - -For the second time she obeyed, and lo! she no longer feared the -height, the spirit within her had conquered her mortal tremblings. -After this the descent was easy, for she could see where to place her -hands and feet in the fissures of that hot and shining marble; -moreover, the young man beneath, who, knowing every one of them, was -able to keep his face to the pyramid, guided her as to where to set -them. So they came safely to the ground, where Nefra sat a little -while, panting and smiling at Ru who mopped his brow with his robe, -his big eyes starting from his head, for never before had he been so -frightened. - -“Have you had enough of the pyramids, Lady?” asked the Sheik as he -loosed the rope from about her. - -“By no means,” answered Nefra, springing up and clapping her sore -hands. “I love the work and never shall I have had enough of them till -I can climb them all alone by moonlight, as it is said that you can -do.” - -“Isis, Mother of Heaven!” exclaimed the Sheik, throwing up his hands, -“this is no mortal maid; this is a goddess; this is the Spirit of the -Pyramids herself appearing in earthly form.” - -“Yes,” said Nefra, “I think that is what I am--the Spirit of the -Pyramids. Now will it please you to meet me here to-morrow at the same -time, when I hope that we may be able to reach the top of the smallest -of them.” - -Then having put on her sandals, before the unhappy man could answer, -she departed at a run followed by Ru, who was so astonished that he -could not speak. - - -This was but a beginning, for what Nefra promised, that she performed. -At this time all the strength of her young and burning nature was -directed to one thing only--the mastery of those pyramids. It was a -small ambition, yet to her, in the day of her dawning womanhood, it -was everything. She had been told that by birth she was Queen of -Egypt. It moved her little, for dwelling amid those deserted temples -and tombs the royalty of Egypt seemed to her a dream, or at least -something far away. But the pyramids were near, and what she desired -was to be Queen of the Pyramids which, she was also told, her far-off -ancestors had reared up to be their tombs. Moreover, that story of a -spirit which haunted them had stirred her. She did not believe in the -Spirit, but since youth is credulous over matters that have to do with -love, she believed the story. She saw that fair young queen, such a -one as she was, who had also learned to climb the pyramids, flying to -the top of the tallest of them and thence hurling herself to doom to -escape one whom she hated and who had humbled her country to the dust, -thus bringing conquered and conqueror to a common doom. Also she found -something beautiful, something that touched the heart in the pendant -of this story, namely, that in a day to come another young and lovely -queen would fly up one of those pyramids pursued by another alien -lover, and that there on the verge of dizzy death, their hate would -melt in the fires of passion, thus bringing blessings on the land for -the rule of which they fought. - -As yet Nefra knew nothing of love, still Nature was at work in her, as -it is in the smallest child, and she understood something of the -meaning of this beautiful fable, and the dim thoughts that sprang from -it warmed her sleeping soul. Meanwhile she had but one desire--to -achieve that which seemed to be impossible to woman, to conquer the -pyramids, not understanding in those days that the thing was an -allegory and that she, whose strong spirit could enable her to dare so -many dangers and to overcome them with her young body, might also in -time to come meet subtler perils and tread them beneath her conquering -feet. - -Moreover, at this time the desire of prayer and the mystery of -communion with That which is above mankind, That which the dwellers -upon earth called God, came home to her, not from any teaching of Roy -or Tau, but, as it were, out of her own soul. Above all things she -yearned for this communion, and there fell upon her one of the strange -fancies, some would call them madnesses, which often enough possess -those who are passing from childhood into the fulness of life, or from -the fulness of life into the twilight that precedes the darkness of -death. This was her particular dream, or illusion, or vision of the -Truth, that she could best make her prayer to and come into closest -communion with the Spirit which brooded over her and all the world, in -utter solitude upon the summit of those pyramids. It was a folly, -perhaps, yet a noble folly. At least in the end she reaped its fruit, -for within a year she learned to climb them all and this quite alone. - -The Sheik of the Pyramids and his sons who had instructed her, the art -and craft of whose family it had been for generations to scale these -stone mountains for praise and reward on days of festival, were -astonished and abased to see themselves equalled or outpassed in their -peculiar business by a mere maiden. - -At the beginning of the adventure they had been summoned before the -Council of the Order, who had grown alarmed at the reports of Ru and -Kemmah as to this vagary which had seized upon one whose life was -precious, and asked as to its peril. They replied that there was none -for those to whom the gift was given, since not for six generations -had a single man among them come to his death from following this -business. Yet, they added, that to those who were not of their family, -it was fatal, since many had tried to share their secret and its -fruits, but all of them had perished miserably, an answer that -frightened the Council. Yet because of the revelations of Roy, they -did nothing to restrain Nefra, who went her way about the matter and -took no harm at all, till at length by day or even by night when the -moon was at its full, she could reach the top of any of the pyramids -as quickly as the Sheik or his sons. - -Then that family abased themselves before her and, gathering together, -prayed her to accept the captaincy and leadership of them all, since -she had outpassed them all. But Nefra only laughed and said that it -was nothing and she would not, and ordered that they should be given -rewards such as she had to bestow. Thereafter she had the freedom of -the pyramids and was allowed to climb them when and how she liked -without the attendance of the Sheik or his sons. - -Yet of this at last came trouble. - - - - - CHAPTER VII. - The Plot of the Vizier - -Nefra, as has been said, when the fancy took her made a custom of -climbing one or other of the pyramids, generally at the hour of the -rising or the setting of the sun, and, standing there upon the topmost -flat coping-stones, of praying in that glorious loneliness. Or -perchance she would not pray but content herself with looking down -upon the world beneath, reflecting the while upon what fortunes it -might have to offer her, or on such other matters as come into a -maiden’s mind. - -Now this habit of hers became known, not only among the members of the -Order and their dependents, but to many who dwelt or journeyed beyond -the boundaries of what was called the Holy Ground, upon which no -stranger dared to set his foot. Nor was this strange, seeing that her -slender form thus poised between earth and heaven and outlined against -the sky at dawn or sunset could be seen from far away, even from the -Nile itself when it was in flood. Most held it to be that of the -Spirit of the Pyramids herself whose appearance thus heralded trouble -in Egypt, for there were few indeed who believed it to be possible -that any woman could adventure herself in this fashion, or find the -strength and skill to climb up marble like a lizard. - -Soon the story of the marvel spread far and wide and even came to the -Court of King Apepi. - -One evening Nefra, having climbed the second pyramid in this fashion, -descended as usual and because the light was failing chose a somewhat -shorter route that brought her to the ground, not by the southern face -where Ru was waiting to receive her, but just round the angle on that -face which looked towards the west where the light of the dying day -still shone. Having leapt lightly to the sand, she looked about for Ru -and instead of him saw four men approaching her, of whom at first she -took little note, thinking in the fading light that these were the -Sheik of the Pyramids and his sons who came to inquire of her about -the new road she had found upon the western face of this pyramid. So -she stood still and they drew near, then hesitated a little as though -they were afraid of her, till presently a voice called out: - -“Woman or spirit, seize her! Let her not escape us! Think of the great -reward and seize her!” - -Thus encouraged, with a bound they came at her. Understanding her -peril Nefra turned to fly up the pyramid again and already was some -feet above the sand when the first of the men caught her by the ankle -and dragged her down. - -“Ru!” she cried in a clear and piercing voice. “To my aid, Ru. I am -snared, Ru!” - -Now as it chanced Ru was very near, only just round the angle of the -pile indeed, because having lost sight of Nefra in the shadow as she -descended, feeling disturbed, he was advancing to the western face -where the light was better to discover if perchance she were there. He -heard her cry for help; he rushed forward and, turning the corner, saw -Nefra on the ground, while round her were the four men, three of them -binding her with a rope while the fourth was tying a linen bandage -across her face. - -With a roar he leapt upon them holding his great axe aloft. He who had -the bandage saw him first, a black, gigantic figure whom doubtless he -took for some terrible guardian spirit and strove to leap past him and -fly. The axe flashed and down he went, dead, cloven through and -through. Then the other men who at first thought that a lion had -roared, saw also, and for a moment stood amazed. Instantly Ru was on -them. Letting fall the axe he gripped the two who were nearest, -seizing each of them by the throat. He dashed their heads together, -and putting out his mighty strength, cast them far away to right and -left in such fashion that where they fell, there they lay, stone dead. -The fourth man had drawn a knife either to stab at Ru or to kill -Nefra; but when he saw the fate of his fellows all courage left him -and, screaming with fear, he let fall the knife and fled away. Ru -snatched the knife from the sand and hurled it after him. A yell of -pain told him that his aim was true, though because of the shadows he -could no longer see the man. Ru would have started in pursuit, but -Nefra, struggling from the ground, cried: - -“Nay. Bide here, there may be more of them.” - -“True,” he answered, “and the dog has it.” - -Then, without more words, snatching up Nefra and holding her to his -breast with his left arm as though she were but a babe, he found his -axe and, without waiting to look at the dead, sped away with her along -the western base of the pyramid, till presently they were among tombs -where they could be seen no more. - -“This is the end of those tricks of yours, Lady,” he said roughly, for -he was shaking, not with fear, but at the thought of what she had -escaped. - -“Had it not been for you, it might have been worse,” answered Nefra. -“Still, I have learned my lesson. Set me down now, O most dear Ru, for -my breath has returned to me.” - -When presently all this tale was told to Kemmah and to the Council of -the Order, fear and dismay took hold of them; even Tau the Wise was -dismayed. Only Roy the Prophet remained undisturbed. - -“The maid will take no harm,” he said. “I know it from those who -cannot lie, and therefore it is that I have permitted her to follow -her fancy as to the climbing of the pyramids, for it is ill to cross -or to coop up such a one as she, as it is good that she should learn -to look upon the face of dangers and to overcome them. Still, -doubtless this is the beginning of perils and henceforward we must be -upon our guard.” - -Then he sent out men to bring in the dead whom Ru had slain and to -search for the wounded man and, if he could be found, to capture him -alive. This, however, did not happen, for when the light came again of -that man there remained only certain bloodstains upon the sand which -after a while were lost, showing that he had been able to staunch his -hurt, and, by walking upon stones, to leave no tracks behind him. - -The dead, however, told their own story, for they were of the Shepherd -race and two of them wore garments such as were used in the Court of -King Apepi. The third, it would seem, was a guide, though of what -people could not be known, seeing that it was on his head that the axe -of Ru had fallen, and who could tell aught of whence he came upon -whose head the axe of Ru had fallen? - -So the bodies of those woman-thieves were thrown to the jackals and -the vultures, that their _Kas_ might find nothing to inhabit, and -their souls with all solemnity were accursed by Roy in a Chapter of -the Order, that from age to age they might find no rest because of -their double crime. For had they not violated the pact of generations -and entered the Holy Ground which was the home of the consecrated -Order of the Dawn, and there striven to steal away or perchance to -murder a certain lady who in the world without was not known by any -name? - -There the matter ended for a space, except that at dawn or sunset -Nefra was no longer seen standing upon the crests of pyramids. - -Yet some while later a sick and sorry man with a bandaged back, who -from time to time coughed up blood as though from a pierced lung, -staggered into the Court at Tanis, where his face was known, and being -admitted, told his tale to a great officer, who listened to it -wrathfully and commanded a scribe to write it down word for word. When -it was finished that officer cursed this man because he had failed in -his mission. - -“Is that my fault?” asked the man. “Was it right to send those who are -born of women to capture a spirit or a witch?--since no maid in whom -warm blood flows can run up and down pyramids faced with smooth and -shining stone, as flies run up and down a wall, which we saw this one -do. Is it right to expect them to fight and overcome a black devil -from the Underworld, larger than any who walks the earth, whose voice -is the voice of a lion and whose hands can crush skulls as though they -were pomegranates? Is it right to command them to enter a haunted -place peopled by gods and wizards and the ghosts of the dead? A fool -was I to listen to you and your promises of great reward, and fools -were my companions, as doubtless they think in the Underworld to-day, -for who is there in Egypt that does not know that to violate the Holy -Ground of the Order of the Dawn is to court death and damnation? Now -give me my price that I may divide it among my children.” - -“Your price!” gasped the high officer. “Were you not wounded, it -should be rods. Go, dog, go!” - -“Where am I to go,” asked the man, “I who am accursed?” - -“To the home of all who fail--to hell,” replied the officer, making a -sign to his servants. - -So they threw him out, and to hell or elsewhere he went very shortly. -For that knife of his which Ru had cast after him with so good an aim -was poisoned. Moreover, it had struck him beneath the shoulder and -pierced his lung. - -The officer went into the private chamber where sat King Apepi with -some of his counsellors and his young son, the Prince Khian, the heir -apparent to his throne. This Apepi was a big, fleshy man still in -middle age, with the hooked nose of the Shepherds and black, beady -eyes, one who was violent in his temper, revengeful and fierce-natured -like all his people, yet very anxious-minded, a fearer of evil. - -Very different from him was his son, Khian, born of an Egyptian mother -with royal blood in her veins, whom Apepi had married for reasons of -policy. More--he had loved her in his fashion, and when she died in -giving birth to her only child, Khian, had taken no other queen in her -place, though of those who were not queens he had many about him. And -now this child Khian had grown up to manhood. He was gentle-natured -and soft-eyed, showing but little trace of the Shepherd blood, strong -and handsome in body and quick in mind, one, too, who thought and -studied, a soldier and a hunter, yet a lover of peace, by nature a -ruler of men who desired to heal the wounds of Egypt and make her -great. - -Before these appeared the old Vizier Anath, and told his tale, reading -what had been written down from the lips of the wounded man. - -Apepi listened earnestly. - -“Do you know, Vizier, who this mad girl is who has a fancy for -climbing the Great Pyramid?” he asked at length. - -“No, your Majesty, though perhaps I might hazard a guess,” answered -the Vizier in a doubtful voice. - -“Then I will tell you, Vizier. She is no other than the only child of -Kheperra, the Pharaoh of the South, who fell in the battle years ago. -I am sure of it. It is known that such a child was born, for as you -may remember, with the help of certain bribed Theban nobles, we tried -to capture her and her mother, the Queen Rima the daughter of the King -of Babylon. It would seem that her gods fought for her, since both of -them escaped, and of those who went to take them only one was left -alive. The rest, he swore, were all killed by a black giant who -guarded them. Now there was such a giant for he fought at the side of -Kheperra and bore his body out of the battle. More, he was seen upon a -trading boat going down the Nile, and with him were two women and a -child, doubtless disguised. By craft these three slipped through the -hands of my officers at Memphis, who afterwards were degraded for -their negligence, and it was reported that they had made their way to -Babylon. Yet our spies tell us nothing of their coming to Babylon, -which is strange if Queen Rima and her daughter, who is called -Princess of Egypt, reached the Court of King Ditanah with whom now and -again we have been at war for many years. Therefore, either they are -dead or they are hiding in Egypt.” - -“It would seem that this is so, Pharaoh,” said the Vizier, and the -other councillors nodded assent. - -“Of late,” went on Apepi, “a wind of rumour has sprung up which blows -from the Cataracts to the sea, and whispers in the ears of men in -every city and village on the Nile. This rumour says that the Queen of -Egypt lives and ere long will appear to take her throne. It says, -moreover, that she shelters among that strange Brotherhood of learned -folk who have their home in the tombs of the old pyramids near Memphis -and who are called the Order of the Dawn. It was to find out the truth -of this matter that, somewhat against my counsel, you, Vizier Anath, -sent certain bold fellows under promise of great reward to spy upon -this Order which has no traitors, and to get sight of this wondrous -maiden who can climb the pyramids and who, rumour says, is none other -than the Princess of Egypt herself, though for aught I know she may be -but a juggler.” - -“Or a spirit,” suggested the Vizier, “since it seems impossible that a -woman can perform such feats, and as to this matter there is a -legend.” - -“Or even a spirit, though for my part I put little faith in spirits. -Well, the men go; they creep into the Holy Land, as this place is -called; they see the climber descending a pyramid; though I gave no -such order, they seize her, which shows that she is flesh and blood; -she calls aloud, a black giant--mark! again a black giant--rushes -roaring to her rescue. He slays three of these men as though they were -but children and hurls the man’s own knife after the fourth, wounding -him sorely, so that the maiden escapes and the Order of the Dawn is -put upon its guard. Now I say that this maiden is no other than Nefra, -Princess of Egypt, still guarded by that Ethiopian who bore her -father’s body from the battlefield.” - -When the murmur of assent had died away, Apepi continued: - -“I say also that this business is very dangerous. Let us look it in -the face. What are we Shepherds? We are a race that generations ago -entered Egypt and took possession of its richest lands, driving its -king back to Thebes and usurping the throne of the North. This I still -hold, and the South also in a fashion, for we have corrupted its chief -nobles and its high priests, binding them with chains of gold. Yet we -are in peril, having been much weakened by ceaseless wars with -Babylon; also, many of our people have intermarried with Egyptians, as -indeed I did myself, so that the Shepherds are becoming stained to the -colour of the dwellers on the Nile. Now these Egyptians are a stubborn -and a subtle folk, also they are loyal to their old traditions and to -the blood of the kings that ruled them for thousands of years. If one -day they should learn certainly that a queen of that blood lives, it -well may be that they will rise like the Nile in flood and sweep us -into nothingness. Therefore I say that this queen must be destroyed -and with her the Brotherhood that is called the Order of the Dawn.” - -In the silence that followed the Prince Khian rose from the chair in -which he was seated below the throne, and making obeisance, spoke for -the first time, saying: - -“O King my father, hear me. As is known to you I study many things -that have to do with the traditions and the mysteries of ancient -Egypt, and amongst others from certain instructed men and from old -writings I have learned much of this Order of the Dawn. It is an old -order and its members are peaceful folk who fight with the spirit and -not with the sword, a very powerful order, moreover, for although none -know them, it has adherents by the thousand throughout Egypt, perhaps -even in this Court, and, it is reported, in far lands as well, -especially in Babylonia. Further, it is headed by a mighty prophet, an -ancient man named Roy, if indeed he be a man; one who holds commune -with the gods, and like all those over whom he rules, is protected by -the gods. Lastly, by treaty made with our forefathers, the first of -the Shepherd kings, and renewed by every one of them, even by -yourself, my Father, the Holy Ground of graves where this order dwells -in the shadow of the pyramids, is sacred and inviolate. Under pain of -a dreadful curse, which curse it would seem has fallen swiftly upon -those four who, somewhat against your counsel, and certainly against -mine, broke the pact and entered this land, and there, not satisfied -with spying, tried to do violence to a certain lady or spirit. Yet -under oath and custom it may not be entered, nor may any harm be -worked to the dwellers in the tombs. Therefore, Pharaoh my father, I -pray you think no more of bringing destruction on this order and on a -maiden whom you believe to be the daughter of Kheperra, since if you -attempt it I am sure that you will bring destruction upon yourself and -upon many of those who serve you.” - -Now the King grew angry. - -“Almost might one think, Prince,” he said with a sneer, “that you -yourself had been sworn of this Order of the Dawn. What are oaths and -treaties when our throne itself is at stake? There is disaffection in -the land. Babylon harasses us continually, and why? Because she says -that we have worked wrong to one of her princesses who married -Kheperra, or have done her to death. You do not know it, but I have it -in a recent letter from her King. I say that all this nest of plotters -must be destroyed, whether it be your will or not.” - -The Prince Khian seated himself again and was silent, but Anath the -Vizier said: - -“O Pharaoh, a thought has come to me: is there not another way? Can -you not walk a gentler road and gain your ends without breaking faith -with the Order of the Dawn, which indeed is greatly to be feared, -since, like the Prince Khian, I hold that it is protected by Heaven -itself? You believe that this Lady of the Pyramids is the lawful child -of Kheperra, and it may be so. If this can be established, here is my -plan. Send an embassy to Roy the Prophet and demand that this lady -should be given to you in marriage and become your lawful queen, as -she well may do, seeing that now you have none. Thus would you tie all -Egypt together in the bonds of love and keep your hands unstained.” - -At these words Khian laughed aloud and the councillors smiled. But -Apepi stared at Anath, then dropped his fierce eyes and considered -awhile. At length he lifted them again and said: - -“You are wise in your fashion, Anath. A lion’s cub can be tamed as -well as killed, although it must be remembered that if tamed, still at -last it grows into a lion and longs to walk the desert and fill itself -with wild meat, as did its begetters from the first of time. Why -should I not wed this maiden--if she lives, as I believe--and thus -unite the House of the Shepherd kings and that of the old Pharaohs of -the land? It would put an end to many differences and thereafter Egypt -might be one and at peace, able also to look Babylon in the face. -Only, what says the Prince Khian? I am not so old but that children -might be born of such a union, undertaken in the hope that the eldest -of them, like to the Pharaohs of old times, should wear the double -Crown of North and South without question or dispute; for ever it was -the law of Egypt that the right to royalty came through the mother -born of the true race of Pharaohs, and thus has dynasty been linked to -dynasty from the beginning.” - -Now the Vizier and all there present looked at Khian, wondering what -he would answer, because upon this answer in the end might hang his -inheritance to the crown of the North. - -For a little while he made none. Then suddenly he laughed again and -said: - -“It seems that the case stands thus. _If_ there lives one who is the -heiress of Kheperra, the dead Pharaoh of the South, and therefore of -the ancient royal blood of Egypt that ruled for thousands of years -before we Shepherds seized a portion of their inheritance, and _if_ -she consents to wed my royal father, the King, and _if_, having wed -him, a child is born of this marriage, I, the present apparent heir, -under such a solemn treaty of union may be dispossessed of my -heritage. Well, here are many Ifs, and should all of them be fulfilled -a score of years or so hence, does it so greatly matter? Do I so much -desire to be King of the North and the inheritor of wars and troubles, -that for the sake of such a rule I should seek to prevent the healing -of Egypt’s wounds and the welding together of her severed crowns? -Man’s day is short, and Pharaoh or peasant, soon he is forgot and -perchance, in the end, it will be better for him if he has been a -bringer of peace rather than the wearer of a ravelled robe of power -that he does not seek.” - -“Truly I was right when I said that you must belong to yonder Order of -the Dawn, for not so in a like case should I have answered the King my -father, Khian,” said Apepi, astonished. “Still, let that be, for each -man dreams his own dreams and feeds upon his own follies. Therefore I -take you at your word, that as the heir apparent to my throne you have -nothing to say against this plan, to my mind wild enough, yet one of -which trial may be made, even if in the end it should damage you. Now -hearken, Khian, it is my will to send you, the Prince of the North, on -an embassy to this prophet Roy and to the Council of the Order of the -Dawn. Will you, who are wise and politic, undertake such a mission?” - -“Before I answer, Pharaoh, tell me what words would be put in the -mouth of your ambassador. Would these be words of peace or war?” - -“Both, Khian. He would say to the People of the Dawn that the Pharaoh -of the North was grieved that against his will the pact between him -and them was broken by certain madmen in his service who every one of -them had paid the penalty of their crime, in atonement of which he -brought gifts to be laid as offerings upon the altars of whatever gods -they worship. He would inquire whether it is true that among them -shelters Nefra, the child of Kheperra and of Rima, the daughter of the -King of Babylon, and if he discovers that this is so, which may prove -impossible, for perhaps she might be hidden away and all knowledge of -her denied, he would declare in the presence of their Council, and of -the maiden herself, if may be, that Apepi, King of the North, being -still a man of middle age and one who lacks a lawful queen, offers to -take this maiden, Nefra, to wife with all due solemnities, and having -obtained your consent thereto, to swear that a child of hers, should -she bear any, shall by right of birth after my death wear the double -crown of Egypt as Pharaoh of the Upper and the Lower Lands. All of -these things he would prove by writings sealed with my seal and your -own, which would be given to him.” - -“Such are the words of peace, O King, which I hear and understand. Now -let me learn what are those of war.” - -“Few and simple, it would seem, Khian. If this maiden lives and the -offer is refused by her or on her behalf, then you would say that I, -the King Apepi, tear up all treaties between myself and the People of -the Dawn whom I will destroy as plotters against my throne and the -peace of Egypt.” - -“And if it should be proved that there is no such maiden, what then?” - -“Then uttering no threats, you would return and report to me.” - -“Life at this Court is wearisome to me since my return from the Syrian -wars, Pharaoh, and here is a new business to which I have a fancy--I -know not why. Therefore, if it pleases you to send me, I will -undertake your mission,” said Khian after thinking for a while. “Yet -is it well that I should go as the Prince Khian, seeing that although -the throne is in your gift and you can bequeath it to whom you will, -hitherto I have been looked upon as your heir, and this Order of the -Dawn might be mistrustful of such a messenger, or even make strange -use of him? Thus he might remain as a hostage among them.” - -“Which mayhap I should ask you to do, Khian, as a proof of my good -faith until this marriage be accomplished. For understand one thing. -If the Princess Nefra lives, it is my will to wed her, because, as I -see, she and she alone is the road to safety. He who crosses me in -this matter is my enemy to the death; whether he be the prophet Roy or -any other man, surely he shall die.” - -“You are quick of decision, my father. An hour ago no such thought had -entered your mind, and now it holds no other.” - -“Aye, Son, for now, thanks to Anath, I see a ship that will bear me -and Egypt over a rising flood of troubles which soon might overwhelm -us both, and after the fashion of the great, I embark before it be -swept downstream. Vizier, when you espied that ship, you did good -service, and for you there is a chain of gold and much advancement. -Nay, keep your thanks till it has borne us safe to harbour. For the -rest, if you, Khian, think this mission too dangerous--and it has -dangers--I will seek another envoy, though you are the one whom I -should choose. I doubt whether you will deceive these keen-eyed -magicians by taking another name and pretending that you are not -Khian, but an officer of the Court, or a private person. Still, do so -if you will.” - -“Why not, Pharaoh?” answered Khian, laughing, “seeing that, if all -goes well, it is your purpose to make of me a very private person, for -then I who this morning was the heir apparent, or so it pleased you to -say, shall be but one of many king’s sons. If that chances I would ask -whether I who shall have lost much may retain my private estates and -revenues that have come to me through my mother or by the endowment of -your Majesty? For I who do not greatly care for crowns could wish to -remain rich with means to live at ease and follow those pursuits I -love.” - -“That is sworn to you, Khian, here and now and upon my royal word. Let -it be recorded!” - -“I thank the King, and now by permission I will withdraw myself to -talk with that wounded man before he dies, since perhaps he can tell -me much that may be useful upon this business.” - -Then the Prince Khian prostrated himself and went. - -When he had watched him go, King Apepi thought to himself: - -Surely this young man has a great heart. Few would not have winced -beneath such a blow, unless indeed they planned treachery, which Khian -could never do. Almost am I grieved. Yet it must be so. If that royal -maiden lives, I will wed her and swear the throne to her children, for -thus only can I and Egypt sleep in peace. Then he said aloud: - -“The Council is ended and woe to him that betrays its secrets, for he -shall be thrown to the lions.” - - - - - CHAPTER VIII. - The Scribe Rasa - -Within thirty days of the holding of this Council, a messenger -appeared on what was acknowledged to be the frontier of the Holy -Ground that was marked by the highest point to which the Nile rose in -times of flood, and called to one who was working in the field that he -had a writing which he prayed him to deliver to the Prophet of the -Order of the Dawn. - -The man came and, staring at the messenger stupidly, asked: - -“What is the Order of the Dawn and who is its prophet?” - -“Perchance, Friend, you might make inquiries,” said the messenger, -handing him the roll and with it no small present. “Meanwhile I, who -may always be found at dawn or sunset seated at my prayers in yonder -group of palms, will bide here and await the answer.” - -The farmer, for such he seemed to be, scratched his head and, taking -the roll and the present, said that he would try to serve one so -generous, though he knew not of whom to ask concerning this order and -its prophet. - -On the following day at sunset he appeared again and handed to the -messenger another roll which he declared he had been charged by some -person unknown to give to him for delivery to the King Apepi at his -Court at Tanis. The messenger, mocking this peasant, said that he had -never heard of King Apepi and did not know where Tanis might be; still -out of kindness of heart, he would try to discover and make due -delivery of the roll after which the two smiled at each other and -departed. - -Some days later this writing was read to Apepi by his private scribe. -It ran thus: - - - “In the name of that Spirit who rules the world, and of his servant - Osiris, god of the dead, greeting to Apepi, King of the Shepherds, now - dwelling at the city of Tanis in Lower Egypt. - - “Know, O King Apepi, that we, Roy the Prophet and the Council of the - Order of the Dawn, who sit in the shadow of the ancient pyramids built - long ago by certain kings of Egypt, once members of our order, to - serve as tombs for their bodies and to be monuments to their greatness - on which all eyes might gaze till the end of the world; we who from - age to age drink of the wisdom of the Sphinx, the Terror of the - desert, have received your message and given it consideration. Know, O - King, that although of late we have suffered grievous wrong at the - hands of some who seem to have been your officers, for which wrong - those unhappy ones paid with their lives, as all must do who attempt - to violate our sanctity and to peer into our secrets; in obedience to - the precepts of our Order, we forgive that wrong and having put it - aside as a matter of small account, we will receive the ambassador - whom you desire to send to us to discuss matters of which you do not - reveal the purport. Know, O King, further, that this ambassador, - whoever he may be, must come alone, for it is contrary to our rules to - admit more than one stranger beyond the borders of the Holy Ground. If - after learning this it be still your pleasure to send that ambassador, - let him appear before the next full moon in the same grove of palms - where this roll was delivered to your messenger. Here one of those who - serve us will find him and guide him to where we are, nor shall he - suffer any harm at our hands.” - - -When Apepi had heard this letter, he sent for the Prince Khian and -asked him privately whether still he dared to adventure himself -unaccompanied among the people of the Order of the Dawn and in a place -which all men swore was haunted. - -“Why not, Father?” asked Khian. “If mischief is meant against me, an -ambassador’s guard would be no protection, nor are ghosts or spirits -to be frightened away by numbers. If I go at all I would as soon go -alone as in company. Also it is plain that thus only can this embassy -be carried out, because yonder Brotherhood will not receive more than -a single man.” - -“As it pleases you, Son,” replied Apepi. “Go now and make ready. -To-morrow the writing shall be delivered to you by the Vizier together -with my instructions; also a guard will be waiting to conduct you to -the place appointed by this prophet. Go and return in safety, -remembering our bargain and bringing this maiden with you in charge of -women of her own people, if so it may be, for thus shall you earn my -favour.” - -“I go,” said Khian, “to return, or perchance not to return, as the -gods may direct.” - -So, everything having been made ready and the roll containing the -offers and the threats of King Apepi given into his keeping, together -with offerings of gold for the gods of the Children of the Dawn and -presents of jewels for the Princess Nefra, if it should be proved that -she was the wondrous maiden who dwelt among them, Khian departed. Yet -he did not travel as the Prince, but rather as a Scribe of the Court, -Rasa by name, whom it had pleased the King to choose to be his envoy -upon a certain business. Leaving Tanis so secretly that few discovered -he had gone, he sailed up Nile in a ship whose sailors had never seen -him, and although they had orders to obey him in everything, took him -to be what he said he was, a messenger, Rasa by name, travelling upon -the royal business. Even the guard that accompanied him, six in -number, were soldiers from a distant city who had never looked upon -his face. - -His journey ended, he reached the landing place in the afternoon upon -the day appointed and was escorted by the soldiers who bore the gold -and other gifts, also his travelling gear, to the grove of palms which -the messenger had described, as to which there could be no mistake, -for no other was in sight. Here he dismissed the guard, who left him -doubtfully and yet were glad to go before evening came, for like all -Egypt they believed this place to be haunted by the ghosts of the -mighty dead, also by the Spirit of the Pyramids whose eyes drove men -to madness. - -“Now, as we are ordered by Anath the Vizier,” said the captain of the -guard, “we and the ship in which you have travelled, my Lord Rasa, -depart to Memphis where we may be found when we are summoned, though -we are not sure that you will ever need a ship again.” - -“Why not, Captain?” asked Khian, or Rasa. - -“Because this place has an evil repute, my Lord Rasa, and it is said -that no stranger who crosses yonder belt of sand ever returns.” - -“If so, what happens to him, Captain?” - -“We do not know, but it is reported that he is walled up in a tomb and -left to perish there. Or, if he escapes this fate and is as young and -well-favoured as you are, perchance he meets the beauteous Spirit of -the Pyramids who wanders about in the moonlight, and becomes her -lover.” - -“If she is so fair, Captain, worse things might happen to a man.” - -“Nay, Lord Rasa, for when he kisses her on the lips, she looks into -his eyes and madness takes hold of him, so that he runs after her, -till at last he falls on the sand raving and, should he live at all, -remains thus all his days.” - -“Why does he not catch her, Captain?” - -“Because she leads him to one of the pyramids, up which, being a -spirit, she can glide like a moonbeam but whither he cannot follow. -And when he sees that he has lost her, then his brain boils and he is -no more a man.” - -“You make me afraid, Captain. This would be a sad fate to happen to a -learned scribe, for such is really my trade, just when he had won -favour at the Court. Still, I have my orders and you know the doom of -him who disobeys, or even does not carry out, the commands of his -Majesty Apepi.” - -“Aye, Lord Rasa, I know well enough, for this king is very fierce, and -if he has set his mind on anything, ill to cross. Such a one, if he is -lucky, is shortened by a head, or if he is unlucky, is beaten to death -with rods.” - -“If so, Captain, it would seem better to run the risk of the ghosts, -or even of the terrible eyes of the Spirit of the Pyramids, rather -than to return with you, as I confess that I should wish. About my -neck I have a holy charm which is said to defend its wearer from all -tomb-dwellers and other evil things, and to this and to my prayers I -must trust myself. Soon I hope to see you again upon the ship, but if -you learn that I am dead, I pray of you, lay an offering for my soul -upon the first altar of Osiris that you find.” - -“I’ll not forget it, Lord Rasa, for know that I like you well and -could have wished you a better fate,” answered the captain, who was -kind-hearted; adding, as he departed with his company, “Perchance you -have offended Pharaoh or the Vizier, and one or other of them has -chosen this way to be rid of you.” - -“That man is as cheerful as a bullfrog croaking in a pool in a night -of storm,” thought Khian to himself. “Well, perhaps he is right, and -if so, what will it matter when those pyramids have seen the Nile rise -another hundred times?” - -Then he sat himself down upon the ground, resting his back against the -bole of one of the palms, and contemplated the mighty outlines of -these same pyramids, which hitherto he had only seen from far away, -thinking to himself, as Nefra had thought, that those who built them -must have been kings indeed. Also he reflected, not without pleasure, -for he was a lover of adventures and new things, upon the strangeness -of his mission and of the manner in which it had been thrust upon him. - -If this royal maiden lives, he thought, and I succeed it means that I -lose a crown, and if I do not succeed, then it is also possible that I -shall lose the crown, since my father never forgives those who fail. -Indeed, it would be best for me if there is no such lady, or that I -should not find her. At any rate, there is some girl who climbs -pyramids, because before he died that woman-thief swore to me that he -saw her. He swore to me also that she was very beauteous, the -loveliest lady that ever he beheld, which almost proves to me that she -cannot have been the princess, for as the gods do not give everything, -princesses are always--or almost always--ugly. Moreover, they do not -climb pyramids but lie about and eat sweetmeats. Perhaps after all she -whom the dying thief believed he saw, if he saw any one, is a spirit, -and if so, may it be given to me to behold her, to do which I would -take my chance of madness. Meanwhile, these Children of the Dawn are -strange folk, to judge from all that I can learn concerning them, yet -it is said, most kindly, so perhaps they will not murder me, even if -they guess or know that I am the Prince Khian. What would be the use, -seeing there are so many who are princes, or who can be made princes -by a decree and a touch of a sceptre? - -Reflecting thus, Khian fell asleep, for the afternoon was very hot and -he had found little rest upon that crowded boat. - -While he was sleeping Roy the Prophet, the lord Tau, and the Princess -Nefra were taking counsel together in a chamber of the temple where -they dwelt. - -“The messenger has landed, Prophet,” said Tau; “it is reported to me -that he is already seated in the grove of palms.” - -“Is aught else reported, Tau, that is, as to his business?” asked Roy. -“If so, speak it out, since a command has come to me that the time is -at hand when our Lady of Egypt here”--and he pointed to Nefra--“should -be taken into our full counsel.” - -“Yes, Prophet. A certain brother of ours who is one of the Court of -King Apepi--look not astonished, Princess, for our brethren are -everywhere--informs me by the fashion that is known to you that this -business is one which concerns a certain lady very closely. To be -brief: When four men strove to carry off this lady, Ru the Ethiopian -made a mistake, for he killed three of them but suffered the fourth to -get away, though wounded to the death. This man reached the Court at -Tanis and before he died made a report which, added to other rumours, -assured King Apepi that a certain babe who escaped from his hands in -Thebes long ago--dwells among us here and is no other than the heiress -of the ancient line of the Pharaohs of Egypt.” - -“It seems that this king is a shrewd man,” said Roy. - -“Very shrewd,” answered Tau, “and quick to decide; so much so that on -a hint given to him by his Vizier Anath, also a shrewd man, he -determined at once not to kill a certain lady, as at first he thought -to do, but to make her his queen and thus, by promising their heritage -to her offspring, to unite the Upper and the Lower Lands without war -or trouble.” - -Now Nefra started, but before she could speak Roy answered: - -“The scheme has merits, great merits, for thus would our ends be -attained and many sorrows and perils melt away like morning mist. -But,” he added with a sigh, “what says Nefra our Princess, who after -to-night’s ceremony will be our Queen?” - -“I say,” answered Nefra coldly, “that I am not a woman to be sold for -the price of a crown, or of a hundred crowns. This man, Apepi the -Usurper, is one of the fierce Shepherds who are the enemies of our -race. He is a thief of the desert who has stolen half Egypt and holds -it by force and fraud. He, who is more than old enough to be my -father, slew my father, the Pharaoh Kheperra, and strove to slay me -and my mother, the Queen Rima, the daughter of Babylon. Having failed -in this, now he seeks to buy me whom he has never seen, as an Arab -buys a mare of priceless blood, and for his own purposes to set me at -the head of his household. Prophet, I will have none of him. Rather -than enter his palace as a bride I will hurl myself from the tallest -pyramid and seek refuge with Osiris.” - -“Here we have the answer that I foresaw,” said Roy with a little smile -upon his aged lips; “nor is it one that causes me to grieve, since -whatever its gains, such a union would be unholy. Fear not, Princess. -While the Order of the Dawn has power you are safe from the arms of -Apepi the Wolf. Tell me, Tau, according to the report that has reached -you, is this all that the King of the North has to say to us?” - -“Nay, Prophet. When the roll that yonder messenger bears is opened, I -think that in it will be found written, that if the heiress of Egypt -is not delivered to him, then he proposes to take her by force, or if -he cannot do so, to send her down to death, and with her, -notwithstanding his treaties, every one of the Children of the Dawn -from the most aged to the babe in arms.” - -“Is it so?” said Roy. “Well, if a fool strives to drag a sleeping -snake from its hole, that snake awakes, puffs out its head, and -strikes, as mayhap Apepi will find before all is done. But these -things are not yet; time to talk of them when the royal hand is thrust -into the hole to grip the deadly hooded snake. Meanwhile, this envoy -from Apepi must be granted the hospitality which we have sworn to him, -and brought from the palm grove where he sits alone. Would it please -you, Princess, to throw a man’s robe over that woman’s dress of yours -and go to lead him here? Ru and the Lady Kemmah would accompany you, -keeping themselves out of sight? If so, being clever, you might learn -something from the man, who finding but a gentle youth sent to guide -him, would fear no trap, and perhaps even speak freely to such a one.” - -“Yes,” answered Nefra, “I think that it would please me; that is, if -you are sure that there is no trap or ambush, since the walk to the -grove is pleasant and I have been cooped up of late.” - -“There is no ambush, Lady,” replied Roy. “Since what happened awhile -ago by the pyramids our frontiers have been well guarded; also your -every step will be watched, although you do not see the watchers. -Therefore fear nothing. Learn all you can from this envoy and bring -him to the Sphinx where he will be blindfolded and led before us.” - -“I go,” said Nefra, laughing. “To-morrow I shall be called a queen and -who knows whether afterwards I shall be suffered to walk alone.” - -So she went accompanied by Tau who summoned Ru and Kemmah in one of -the courts of the temple and there gave certain orders to them and to -others who seemed to be awaiting him. This done he returned to Roy and -looking him in the face, said in a low voice: - -“Do you, O Prophet, who know so much, chance to have learned what may -be the name and quality of this envoy from Apepi?” - -Now Roy looked him in the eyes and said: - -“It comes into my mind, how or whence does not matter, that although -he travels as a simple officer of the Court, called I know not what, -the man is no other than the Prince Khian, Apepi’s heir.” - -“So I think also,” said Tau, “and not without reason. Tell me, holy -Prophet, have you learned aught concerning this Khian?” - -“Much, Tau. From his boyhood he has been watched by those at Apepi’s -Court who are our friends, and their report of him is very good. He -has his faults like other men in youth, and he is somewhat rash. Had -he not been so, never would he have undertaken this mission under -strange conditions. For the rest he is more Egyptian than Shepherd, -for in him the mother’s blood runs strong; and if he worships any gods -at all, of which, he being a philosopher, I am not sure, they are -those of Egypt. Further, he is learned, brave, handsome of body, and -generous in mind; something of a dreamer, one who seeks that which he -will never find upon the earth, one, too, who longs to heal Egypt’s -wounds. Indeed, he seems to be such a man as, had I a daughter, I -would choose for her in marriage if I might. This is the report that I -have concerning the Prince Khian. Is yours as good?” - -“In all things it is the same, Prophet. Yet why does he come hither -upon such an errand, seeing that, if it succeeds, it may cost him his -succession to the Crown? I fear some trap.” - -“I think, Tau, that he comes for adventure, and because he seeks new -things; also because he is drawn to our doctrines and would study them -with his own eyes and ears, not knowing that he may find more than he -seeks.” - -“Is it in the hope that he will do so, Prophet, that you have put it -into the mind of the Princess Nefra to meet him yonder in the palm -grove?” - -“It is, Tau. When I said that such a marriage as this Apepi proposes -had many merits, what I meant was, not that she should be thrown to -the Shepherd lion, but that a marriage between her and the Prince -Khian would have those merits. How could Egypt be better tied -together? Even if we are strong enough to wage it, we are haters of -war, and would not attain our ends by death and bloodshed. Yet to -propose such a thing would defeat itself, since, as she told us, this -Lady Nefra is not one to be sold or driven. Her heart and nothing else -is her guide, which she will follow fast and far.” - -“The heart of woman goes out more readily to princes than it does to -humble messengers. What if this one who sits among the palm trees does -not please her?” - -“Then, Tau, all is finished and we must find another road. Let Fate -decide after she has judged, not of the Prince but of the man. We -cannot. Hearken. This envoy, however named, comes to learn what -thousands know already, whether or not the daughter and heiress of -Kheperra shelters among us. We can deny or we can confess. Which shall -we do?” - -“If we deny, Prophet, certainly he will discover the truth otherwise -and set us down as liars and cowards. If we confess, he and the world -will know us for true men and brave, and that the oath which we swear -to the goddess of Verity is no empty form. So whatever we may lose, we -shall win honour even from our foes. Therefore, I say confess and face -the issue.” - -“So say I and the rest of the Council, Tau. To-night before the -delegates from all Egypt and elsewhere, the Princess is to be crowned -its Queen in the great hall of the temple, a matter that cannot be -hid, since the very bats will twitter it throughout the land. -Therefore it seems wise to me that this messenger should be present at -the ceremony and if he will, make open report of it to Apepi. There is -another thing of which he must also make report, Tau: namely, whether -the new-crowned Queen will take this Apepi as a husband.” - -“Already we know the answer, Prophet, but after it--what?” - -“After it--Babylon. Listen, Tau. Apepi will send an army to destroy us -and to capture the Queen, but he will find nothing to destroy, for the -Order has its hiding places, and in Egypt are many tombs and catacombs -where soldiers dare not come, while the Queen will be far away. If -Apepi seeks a curse, let the curse fall upon him, as fall it shall -when a hundred thousand Babylonians pour down on Tanis in answer to -dead Rima’s prayer and to right her daughter’s wrongs.” - -“Be it so,” said Tau. “Those who seek the face of War must be prepared -to look him in the eyes, for such is the rule of God and man.” - - -Nefra, wrapped in a long cloak, approached the grove of palms, -followed by Ru and the Lady Kemmah, who grumbled at the business. - -“The day is hot,” she said, “and who but fools would walk so far in -the blaze of the sun? To-night there are ceremonies in which you, -Princess, must play the greatest part. Is it fitting that you and I -should weary ourselves thus when the work of making ready your robes -and jewels is not finished? What is this new madness? What do you -seek?” - -“That which, as you have instructed me, is sought of all women, Nurse, -namely--a man,” answered Nefra in her sweet, mocking voice. “I believe -that there is a man in yonder palm grove and I go to find him.” - -“A man, indeed! Are there not men in plenty nearer home, if tombs can -be called a home while one is still living beneath the sun? Still, it -is true that most of them are gray-bearded dotards and the rest but -priests or anchorites who think of nothing but their souls, or -husbandmen who toil all day and dream all night of how much mud Nile -will yield at its next rising. Well, there are the palms and I see no -man, nor can I walk any farther in this accursed sand. Here is the -statue of a god, or perchance of some king whose name no one has heard -for a thousand years. At least, god or king, he gives shade and in it -I will sit as, if you are wise, you will do also while Ru hunts for -this man of yours, though when he sees a black giant grinning at him -with a great axe in his hand I think that he will run away.” - -“So do I,” said Nefra, “yet, Ru, come with me, as indeed you must.” - -Then walking somewhat to the right she entered the grove of palms at -its end and stepped softly along it, bidding Ru keep himself as much -hidden as possible. Presently, seated against the trunk of one of them -she saw an officer who wore upon his robe the lion badge of the -Shepherd kings, having by his side certain packages, and behold! he -was fast asleep. Now a thought took her and she commanded Ru to -approach him softly, and having carried off the packages, to go and -hide with them behind the statue where Kemmah sat. Then, she said, he -was to follow her with Kemmah and the gear in such fashion, if might -be, that the officer did not see them as she led him toward the statue -of the Sphinx. - -This Ru did without awakening Khian, for although he was so large, -like all Ethiopians he could move softly enough at need--an art that -they learn in tracking enemies and game. He vanished with his burden -behind the statue, whence she knew well he was watching her in case of -danger, but Nefra, leaning against another palm, studied the sleeper -closely. At the first glance she was aware that never before had she -beheld such a man as this officer, one at once so handsome and so -refined of face. - -If his eyes, which I cannot see, are as good as the rest of him, he is -beautiful, thought Nefra. Also he looks like one whose spirit guides -his flesh and not his flesh his spirit; and as she thought, something -new, something she had never felt before stirred her serenity and -frightened her a little, though in what way she was not sure. - -So for many minutes they remained, the weary Khian sleeping and Nefra -watching him. At length he stirred, stretched out his arms as though -to clasp a dream, yawned, and opened his eyes. - -They _are_ as good as the rest of him! reflected Nefra as she slipped -behind the palm and hid there, which they were, being large, brown, -and somewhat melancholy. - -Now Khian remembered the packets which contained the presents and the -gold and began to search for them eagerly. - -“By the gods, they are gone!” he said aloud in a voice that, although -anxious, still was soft and pleasant. “How can this have happened and -I not know it, seeing that they lay under my hand? Truly they are -right who say that this place is the home of ghosts.” - -Nefra stepped forward, closely muffled in her long cloak, and asked: - -“Is aught amiss, Sir? And if so, can I aid you?” - -“Yes,” said Khian, “by restoring to me certain articles which I -suppose you have stolen, young man. That is, if you are a man,” he -added doubtfully, “for your voice----” - -“--Is breaking, Sir,” replied Nefra, trying to make it as hoarse as -possible. - -“Then it has broken the wrong way. Breaking voices should grow gruff, -not soft as a girl’s. But let that be. Restore to me my goods lest I -should--well, kill you----” - -“And perchance thereby lose them and much else for ever, Sir.” - -“You do not seem very frightened. Tell me, who are you?” - -“Sir, I am the guide appointed to lead you--if you be Apepi’s -officer--to where you must lodge before you are brought into the -presence of the Council of the Order of the Dawn. Knowing that you -were alone and thinking that you might be alarmed if armed men came, -I, as a young person who can frighten no one, was chosen to fill this -office by the Council.” - -“That is very kind of the Council. But meanwhile, Young Person, where -are the goods which my servants set by my side before they departed?” - -“Sir, they have gone on before you. As you said just now, this is a -home of ghosts and ghosts can carry gold and garments very fast.” - -“Then they might have carried me also, though on the whole I am glad -they did not, for, Young Person, you amuse me. Well, I suppose that I -must take your word for it, as to the goods, I mean, and if I find -that you have lied, I can always kill you afterwards, or if I don’t, -the Order of the Dawn can, since they will have lost their presents. -What next?” - -“Be pleased to come with me, Sir.” - -“Good, Young Person. Lead on, I follow.” - - - - - CHAPTER IX. - The Crowning of Nefra - -So this pair started upon their long walk, Nefra being careful to -lead her companion wide of that overthrown statue behind which hid -Kemmah and Ru. - -“Do you live in this place?” asked Khian presently. - -“Yes, Sir, here and hereabouts,” replied Nefra with vagueness. - -“And might I ask what is your office when you are not escorting -travellers, who must be rare, and arranging for the transport of their -baggage by uncommon means?” - -“Oh! anything,” replied Nefra still more vaguely, “but generally I run -errands.” - -“Indeed! And where to?” - -“Oh! anywhere. But tell me, Sir, are you acquainted with the -pyramids?” - -“Not at all, Friend, except from a distance. The pyramids, it would -appear, are now the private property of that Order you mentioned, to -which, by the way, I, who also run errands, have a message to deliver. -None may approach them. Indeed, I have heard that some unfortunate men -who wished to explore their wonders not long ago, came to a terrible -end. According to the story a black lion rushed out of one of them, -killed three of those men, and mauled the fourth so badly that -afterwards he died. Or it may have been one of your ghosts that rushed -out. At any rate, the men died.” - -“What a strange tale, Sir. I wonder that we did not hear of it, but -living quite secluded as we do, we hear nothing, or at least very -little. But they are beautiful, those pyramids, are they not, standing -up thus against the evening sky in majesty? Look how their sharp -outlines seem to cut into the heavens. Also from them the great dead -seem to speak to us across the gulfs of Time.” - -“I perceive, Young Person, that you have imagination, which is unusual -in those who run errands and guide travellers. Yet I dare to differ -from you. These stone heaps undoubtedly are beautiful with a beauty -that crushes the mind, though not so much so as are mountains -chiselled out by Nature and capped with snow, such as I have seen in -Syria. But to me they speak not of the mighty dead whose memories they -glorify, but of the thousands of forgotten ones who perished in the -toil of their uprearing, that in them the bones of kings might find a -house deemed to be eternal and their names preserved among men. Was it -worth while to leave monuments to be the marvel of generations at the -cost of so much doom and misery?” - -“I do not know, Sir, who never thought of the matter thus. Yet there -is this to be said. Mankind must suffer, so I have been told who am -but an ignorant----” - -“--Young person,” suggested Khian. - -“And generally it suffers to no end,” went on Nefra as though she had -not heard him, “leaving naught behind, not even a record of its pain. -Here at least something remains which the world will admire for -thousands of years after those who caused the suffering and those who -suffered are lost in darkness. Suffering that has purpose, or that -bears fruit, even though we know not the purpose and never see the -fruit, may be borne almost with joy, but empty, sterile suffering is a -desert without water and a torment without hope.” - -Khian looked at the speaker, or rather at her hood, for he could see -nothing else, and remarked: - -“The thought is just and finely put. They instruct those who run -errands well in this land.” - -“The brethren of the Order are learned, so even the young can pick up -crumbs of knowledge from their feasts--if it pleases them to look for -them, Sir--but forgive me, how are you named?” - -“Named?--Oh! I am called Rasa the Scribe.” - -“Is it so? I did not guess your trade because among us scribes carry -palettes at the girdle, not swords; also their hands are different. I -should have thought that you were a soldier and a hunter and a climber -of the mountains of which you spoke, not a copyist of documents in hot -palace rooms.” - -“Sometimes I am these things also,” he replied hastily, “especially a -climber--when I was in Syria. By the way, my guide, I have heard -strange stories of another climber, one who scales these pyramids. It -is said at Tanis and elsewhere that they are haunted by a spirit who -runs up and down their sides at night, and even in the daytime also. I -say by a spirit, for woman she cannot be.” - -“Why not, Scribe Rasa?” - -“Because, or so the tale tells, this climber is so beautiful that -those who look upon her go mad, and who could be made mad by the sight -of any woman? Also what woman could clamber over those smooth and -mighty monuments like a lizard?” - -“If you are a scaler of mountains, Scribe Rasa, you will know that -such feats are often not so difficult as they seem. There lives a -family of men in this place that for generations has been able to -conquer the pyramids by day or night,” she replied, leaving the first -part of his question unanswered. - -“Then if I stay here long enough I will pray them to teach me their -art, in the hope that at the top of them I might meet this spirit and -be made mad by drinking of the Cup of Beauty. But you have not -answered me. Is there such a spirit, and if so, can I see her?--to do -which I would give my--well, a great deal.” - -“Here before us is the Sphinx which I thought, Scribe Rasa, being one -so curious, you would have noticed as we approached it. Now put your -question to that god, for they say that he solves riddles sometimes, -if he likes the asker, though never yet have _I_ wrung an answer from -those stony, smiling lips.” - -“Indeed? I have sundry problems that I seek to solve and one of them -is what may be hidden by that long cloak of yours, my young guide with -an instructed mind.” - -“Then you must propound them at another time, after the needful -prayers and fastings. And now, your pardon, but I am commanded to -blindfold you because we have come to the entrance of the sanctuaries -of the Order of the Dawn, of which no stranger may learn the secret. -Will you be pleased to kneel down, for you are very tall, Scribe Rasa, -and I can scarcely reach your head.” - -“Oh! why not?” he answered. “First my packages are stolen; then I am -thrown to the crocodiles of curiosity, and now I must be blindfolded, -or perhaps beheaded by a ‘young person’ who has driven me as mad as -though she were the Spirit of the Pyramids herself. I kneel. Proceed.” - -“Why do you talk of a poor youth who earns his bread by following the -profession of a guide as ‘she,’ also as a thief or perhaps a murderer, -and compare him to the Spirit of the Pyramids, Scribe Rasa? Be so good -as to keep your head still and not try to look over your shoulder as -you are doing, lest I should hurt you with the bandage. Fix your eyes -upon the face of the Sphinx in front of you and think of all the -riddles you would like to ask of its divinity. Now all is ready, I -begin”; and very deftly and softly she tied a scented silken cloth, -warm from her own bosom, about his head, saying presently: - -“It is finished. You may rise.” - -“First I will answer your question, knowing that you cannot be wroth -with one who is blinded. I call you ‘she’ because by accident I forgot -and looked down instead of up and thus saw your hands, which are those -of woman; also the ring you wear, which is an ancient signet; also a -long lock that escaped from beneath your hood while you bent over me; -also----” - -“Kemmah,” broke in Nefra, “my task is finished and I go to ask my fee -from the gatekeeper. Be pleased to guide this scribe or messenger into -the presence of the holy Prophet and let the man with you bear his -goods, which all the way he has accused me of stealing from him, so -that they may be checked in his presence.” - - -He who was called the Scribe Rasa sat in the presence of the Prophet -Roy, of the Lord Tau, and of the elders of the Council of the Order of -the Dawn, venerable, white-robed men. Roy spoke, saying: - -“We have read the roll, O Envoy Rasa, which you bring to us from -Apepi, King of the Shepherds, at this time sitting at Tanis in the -Land of Egypt. Briefly it contains two questions and a threat. The -first question is whether Nefra, Royal Princess of Egypt, the child -and heiress of the Pharaoh Kheperra, now gathered to Osiris whither he -was sent by the spear of Apepi, and of Rima the daughter of the King -of Babylon, lives and is dwelling among us. To that question you will -learn the answer at a certain ceremony this night. The second question -is whether this Royal Nefra, if she still looks upon the sun, will -become the wife of Apepi, King of the Shepherds, as he demands that -she should do. To this doubtless the Royal Nefra, if she lives, will -give her answer when she has considered of the matter, for then there -is a queen in Egypt, and a Queen of Egypt chooses whom she will as -husband. - -“After this comes the threat, namely, that should there be a certain -Lady to refuse this offer and should it be refused, Apepi, King of the -Shepherds, violating all treaties made between his forefathers and -himself with our ancient Brotherhood of the Children of the Dawn, will -in revenge destroy us root and branch. To this we reply at once and -afterwards will write it in a roll, that we do not fear Apepi, and -that should he attempt this evil thing, every stone of the great -pyramids would lie lighter on his head than will the curse of Heaven -that he has earned as a man foresworn. - -“Say to Apepi, O Ambassador, that we who seem but a weak band of -hermits living in solitude far from the world and there practising our -innocent rites, we who have no armies and who, save to defend our -lives, never lift a sword, are yet far more powerful than he, or any -king upon the earth. We do not fight as kings fight, yet we marshal -hosts unseen, since with us goes the Strength of God. Let him attack -if he will to find naught but tombs peopled with the dead. Then let -him set his ear to the ground and listen to the tread of armies who -rush to stamp him down to doom. Such is our message to Apepi, King of -the Shepherds.” - -“I hear it,” said Khian, bowing respectfully, “and glad am I to learn, -O Prophet, that it is your intention to write it in a roll, for -otherwise King Apepi, a violent man who loves not rough words, might -make him who delivered it by word of mouth, shorter by a head. Be -pleased, therefore, to remember, O Prophet and Councillors, that I, -the Scribe Rasa, am but a messenger charged to deliver a writing and -to carry back the answer; also to collect certain information if I -can. Of the matter of treaties between the Shepherd kings and your -Order I know nothing, nor is it one that I am commanded to discuss. Of -threats uttered against you, or what may be the end of these threats, -I know nothing, whatever I may guess. Be pleased, therefore, to write -down at your leisure all you have to say, that it may be delivered to -King Apepi in due season. Meanwhile, grant me safety while I dwell -among you, and with it as much liberty as you can, since, to speak -truth, these temple tombs of yours have something of the air of -prisons, nor do I love bandages upon my eyes, seeing that I am an -ambassador, not a spy charged to report upon the secrets of your -dwelling place.” - -Roy looked at him with his piercing eyes and answered: - -“If you will swear to us upon your soul to reveal nothing that you may -learn of these poor secrets of ours that lie outside the matters of -your commission; also not to attempt to depart from among us until -such time as we think fitting and our written answers are prepared, -we, for our part, will grant you liberty to come and go among us as -you will, O Messenger, who tell us that you are named Rasa and a -scribe by occupation. This we grant because, having gifts of -discernment, we believe you to be an upright man, although perchance -you have been commanded to travel under another name than that by -which you are known at the Court of Tanis, one, too, who has no desire -to bring evil upon the innocent.” - -“I thank you, Prophet,” said Khian, bowing, “and all these things I -swear gladly. And now I am charged to deliver offerings to your gods -in atonement for a crime against you that was wrought recently by -certain evildoers.” - -“Our god, Scribe Rasa, is the Spirit above all gods who rules the -earth and whose raiment we behold in the stars of heaven, one to whom -we make no offering save those of the spirit. Nor do we accept -presents for ourselves who being a Brotherhood in which each serves -the other, have no need of gold. Therefore, Ambassador, be pleased to -take back the gifts you bring and on our behalf to pray the King of -the Shepherds that he will distribute them among the widows and -children of those men who came by their death in seeking, at his -command as we suppose, to do violence to one of us and to discover our -secrets.” - -“As regards this new god of yours,” answered Khian, “if it be lawful, -Prophet, I would pray of you, or of any whom you may appoint, to -instruct me, a seeker after Truth, in his attributes and mysteries.” - -“If there is opportunity it shall be done,” said Roy. - -“As touching the matter of the presents,” went on Khian when he had -bowed acknowledgment of this promise, “I have naught to say, save that -I pray that you will return them with your written answer and, if -possible, by another hand than mine. You who are so wise and aged, -Prophet, may have noted that great kings do not love to have gifts -thrown back into their faces with words like to yours, and, in such -cases, are apt to blame their bearer.” - -Roy smiled a little and without comment on this matter, said: - -“This night we invite you to a ceremony, Scribe Rasa. Go now, eat and -rest till, at the appointed hour, you are summoned, if it be your -pleasure to attend.” - -“Surely it is my pleasure,” answered Khian, and was led away. - - -It was near to midnight, and Khian, having arrayed himself in garments -that he had brought with him, such as scribes wear upon occasions of -festival, lay upon the bed in his chamber, thinking of the strange -place in which he found himself and its still stranger inhabitants. He -thought of the wondrous hawk-eyed old prophet, of his grave-miened -councillors as they had appeared gathered in that tomb-temple, of the -ceremony to which he was to be summoned, if indeed he had not been -forgotten, and what might be its occasion. He thought also of how his -father, Apepi, would receive the proud answer of these anchorites; of -the smile upon the face of the mighty Sphinx which that day he had -seen for the first time, and of other things. - -But most of all did he think of the guide who had led him from the -palm grove and afterwards bandaged his eyes. This guide was a woman, a -young woman with beautiful hair and hands, on one of which she wore a -royal ring. That was all he knew of her who for aught he could tell -might be very ugly, as the ring might be one she had found or stolen. -Yet this was certain, that however common her face or humble her -station, her mind was neither. No uninstructed peasant girl could -harbour her thoughts or clothe them in her words. Much indeed did he -long to see that guide unveiled and to discover the mystery of one who -had so sweet a voice. - -At this point a deep, gruff voice asked leave to enter, which he gave. -As he rose from the bed there appeared before him in the lamplight a -black man more gigantic than any he had ever seen, who carried in his -hand an enormous axe. - -“I pray you tell me, who are you and what is your business with me?” -Khian inquired, staring at him and rubbing his eyes, for at first he -thought he must be dreaming. - -“I am your guide,” said the giant, “and I come to take you with me.” - -“By Set, another guide, and very different from the last!” exclaimed -Khian. “Now I wonder if this ceremony is that of my execution,” he -added to himself. “Surely the man and his axe would be well suited to -such a purpose. Or is he but another of the ghosts that haunt these -pyramids?” Then he addressed Ru, for it was he, saying: - -“Sir Giant on the Earth, or Sir Spirit from the Underworld, for I know -not which you are, I feel no wish for a journey in your company. I am -tired and prefer to stop where I am. I bid you good-night.” - -“Sir Envoy, or Sir Scribe, or Sir Prince in disguise, or Sir Soldier, -for that at any rate I am sure that you are because of your bearing -and the scars on you, which were never made with a stylus, however -tired you may be, you cannot remain upon that bed. I am commanded to -lead you elsewhere. Will you come or must I carry you as I did your -baggage?” - -“Oh! So you were the thief who stole my parcels and left a -smooth-tongued wench behind you to conduct me across the sand!” - -“A wench!” roared Ru. “A wench----” and he lifted his axe. - -“Well, Friend, what else was she? Not a man, that I’ll swear, and -between man and woman there is no halfway house. Tell me, I pray you, -for I am curious. Sit down and take a cup of wine, for this place is -cramping to one of your stature. These monks of yours seem to have -very good wine. I never tasted better in my--in the King’s Court. Try -it.” - -Ru took the cup which he proffered to him and drained it. - -“I thank you,” he said. “The worst of dwelling with hermits is that -they are so fond of water, though they have plenty of good stuff -stored away in some grave or other. Now let us be going. I tell you I -am commanded----” - -“So you said before, Friend Giant. By whom are you commanded?” - -“By her----” began Ru, and stopped. - -“Her, who or what? Do you mean the lady who guided and blindfolded me? -Stay. Take one more cup of this excellent wine.” - -Ru did so, answering as he set it down: - -“You are not far from it, but my tongue is tied. Come, Prince.” - -“Prince!” he exclaimed, holding up his hands. “Friend Giant, that wine -must be getting into your head if it can reach so far in so short a -time. What do you mean?” - -“What I say, though I should not have said it. Don’t you understand, -Prince, that these tomb dwellers are wizards and know everything -although they pretend to know nothing? They think me a stupid -Ethiopian, just a black fellow who can handle a battle-axe, which -perhaps is all I am. Still, I have ears and I hear, and that is how I -come to know that you are a certain Prince, and a soldier like myself, -though it pleases you to pretend to be a scribe. Still, I have not -mentioned it to any one else, not even to---- But never mind. Be -sure--she knows nothing. She thinks you are just what you say--a -fellow who scribbles on papyrus. Now talk no more; come, come. Time -passes. Afterwards you shall tell me what wars go on in Egypt to-day, -for in this place I hear nothing of battle who before I became a nurse -was a warrior”; and seizing Khian by the hand--he dragged him away -down sundry dark passages, till at length, at the end of one of them, -he saw light gleaming faintly. - -They entered a great hall of the temple. It was roofed and the moon’s -rays shining through the clerestory windows and the high-set opening -at its end, showed Khian that in it were gathered a multitude of men -or women--he could not see which because they were all draped in white -robes and wore veils upon their faces, that gave them a ghost-like -air. At the head of this hall, on a stage lit with lamps, also -white-robed but unveiled, sat the Council of the Order of the Dawn. In -the centre of their long, curved line was a shrine half hidden by a -curtain and in front of this alabaster shrine stood an empty chair -with sphinx-headed arms. Nothing more could be seen in that dim light. -When Khian entered there was silence in the hall; it was as though his -appearance had been awaited for some rite to be begun. - -“We are late,” muttered Ru and dragged him forward up a kind of aisle, -all present turning their veiled heads and staring at him as he went -by, through eyeholes cut in the veils. They came to a seat set in -front of the stage or dais, but at a little distance, so that he could -see everything that happened there. Into this seat Ru thrust him, -whispering that he was not to move. Then he departed and presently -reappeared upon the dais where he took his stand upon the left-hand -side of the shrine to the right of which stood the tall, white-haired -Kemmah. - -“Let the entrance be shut and guarded,” said Roy presently, and -movements behind him told Khian that this was being done. Then Roy -rose and spoke, saying: - -“Brethren and Elders of the holy, ancient, and mighty Order of the -Dawn, whereof the Council at this time has its home amid these tombs -and pyramids and is sentinelled by the watching Sphinx, the symbol of -the rising sun, hear me, Roy the Prophet. You are summoned hither from -every nome and city in Egypt, from Tyre, from Babylon and Nineveh, -from Cyprus and from Syria, and from many another land beyond the sea, -being the chosen delegates of our Brotherhood in those towns and -countries, among which it dwells to kindle light in the hearts of men -and to instruct them in the laws of Truth and Gentleness, to overthrow -oppressors by all righteous means and to bind the world together in -the service of that Spirit whom we worship, who, enthroned on high, -makes of all gods its ministers. - -“Why have you been called from so far away? I will tell you. It is -that you may take part in the crowning of a Queen of Egypt, the true -descendant of the ancient Pharaohs who for thousands of years have sat -upon her throne, and a sworn neophyte of our Order, vowed to its faith -and to the execution of its duties, the daughter and heiress of King -Kheperra and of Queen Rima of the royal House of Babylon, now both -gathered to Osiris. We, the Council of the Dawn, among whom this Queen -to be has sheltered from her infancy, declare to you upon our oaths -that she who presently will appear before you is none other than -Nefra, the Princess of Egypt, the daughter and only child of Kheperra -and Rima, as her nurse, the Lady Kemmah, who stands before you, can -testify, for she was present at her birth and has dwelt with her till -this hour. Are you content, Councillors and Elders of the Dawn, or do -you demand further proofs?” - -“We are content,” answered the audience with one voice. - -“Then let Nefra, Princess of Egypt and heiress of the Two Lands, -appear before you.” - -As Roy spoke these words the curtain in front of the alabaster shrine -was drawn, and standing within it, glittering in the lamplight, -appeared Nefra. So lovely did she seem in her coronation robes upon -which shone the royal emblems and jewels of the ancient kings, so -stately in her youthful, slender grace, so fair of form and -countenance, that a sigh of wonder went up from that veiled gathering, -while Khian stared amazed, and as he stared became aware that Love had -gripped him by the heart. - -The figure in the shrine stood quite still, so still that for a while -he wondered if she were human, or perchance Hathor, goddess of Love -herself, or a statue fashioned by some great artist. Suddenly his -doubts were ended, for behold! she smiled, then stepped from the -shrine and was led to the carven chair in which she took her seat. -Thrice the veiled company bowed to her, Khian with them, and thrice -she bowed back to them. Then, advancing to the side of the chair, Roy -addressed her. - -“Princess of Egypt,” he said, “you are brought before this gathering -of true and pure-hearted men from many lands that in their presence -you may be anointed and crowned the Queen of Egypt. Not thus should -this holy rite have been performed, but the times are difficult and -dangerous, and a foreign king of desert blood holds half the land and -rings it round with swords. Therefore here in secret and at midnight -in a place of ghosts and tombs, and not beneath the sun in the -presence of thousands at Memphis or at Thebes, must your hand grasp -the sceptre and Egypt’s crown be set upon your brow. Yet know that -presently from the Cataracts to the sea and far away beyond the sea, -aye, and in the Court of the Shepherd King himself, the news will fly -that once more Egypt has a Queen. Do you accept this royalty, great as -may be its burdens and its perils?” - -“I accept it,” said Nefra in her sweet, clear voice that Khian seemed -to know again. “Unworthy as I am, I accept that which comes to me -unsought and undesired, brought to me by right of blood. Nor do I fear -its perils and its burdens, for the Strength that led me to the throne -will safeguard me there.” - -There was a faint murmur of applause--even Khian found himself -murmuring applause--and as it died away, Roy took an alabaster vase of -oil and dipping his finger into it, made some sign upon her brow. Then -appeared Kemmah and gave to him a circlet of gold from which rose the -royal uræus, and an ivory sceptre surmounted with gems. This circlet -he set upon her head and the sceptre he placed in her right hand. Then -he bowed the knee to her, and said: - -“In the name of the Spirit that rules the world, I, Roy the ancient, -son of your great-grandsire, appointed prophet of the Spirit during my -life days, before this company of brethren and officers of the Order -of the Dawn, anoint and declare you, Nefra, Princess of Egypt and -sister-elect of the Order of the Dawn, being a woman come to full -estate, Queen by right divine and human of the Upper and the Lower -Lands, and call down upon you the blessing of the Spirit. As yet you -have no Court nor armies and your prerogatives are usurped by others, -yet learn, O Queen, that you are acknowledged in a million hearts and -that if anywhere your glance falls upon five talking together, three -of them in secret are your faithful subjects. Of the future we know -nothing because it is hid from men, yet we believe that in it much joy -awaits you with length of days, and that the crown which now we set -upon your head in secret in time to come shall shine openly before the -multitudes of earth. In the name of Egypt and of the Order of the Dawn -to which you are sworn, O Queen, I, Roy the Prophet, do you homage.” - -Then kneeling down, while the company prostrated itself before her as -though she were a goddess, Roy touched the new-made queen’s fingers -with his lips. - -With her sceptre Nefra signed that he and all should rise. Then she -stood upon her feet and said: - -“At such a time as this what can I say to so many great ones who have -gathered here to do me honour, and for Egypt’s sake to crown me -Egypt’s queen, I who am but an untaught maiden? Only one thing, I -think. That I swear I will live and die for Egypt. I have been told -that at my birth Egypt’s goddesses appeared in a dream to my mother -and gave to me a certain title, that of the Uniter of Lands. May this -dream come true. May I prove to be the Uniter of the Upper and the -Lower Lands, and when I pass to join my fathers, leave Egypt one and -great. Such is my prayer. Now I thank you all and ask of you leave to -go.” - -“Not yet, O Queen,” said Roy. “An ambassador has come to us from the -Court of the Shepherd King at Tanis, he who sits before you, bringing -messages that to-morrow must be considered by you in Council. Yet -there is one of them to which we think an answer should be given here -and now, before all this company. Apepi, King of the Shepherds, being -unwed, demands the hand of your Majesty in marriage, promising to your -children the inheritance of all Egypt. What says your Majesty?” - -Now Nefra started and bit her lip as though to keep herself from the -uttering of rash words. Then she answered: - -“I thank the King Apepi, but like others, this matter must be -considered with the rest, seeing that it is a great one to Egypt and -to Egypt’s Queen. Let King Apepi’s envoy”--here she glanced swiftly at -Khian--“be pleased to accept our hospitality in this secret place -until once more the full moon shines above the pyramids, while I take -counsel with myself and with some that dwell far off. Meanwhile, let -messengers be sent to King Apepi to inform him how it comes about that -the return of his ambassador is delayed. Or if it pleases him, let -that ambassador make his own report at once to his master, the King -Apepi.” - -Now Khian rose, bowed, and said: - -“Nay, Lady and Council of the Dawn, the command given to me, Rasa the -Scribe, was that with my own hands I should bear back the answers to -those questions which were written in the roll of my commission. Here -then I bide till these are delivered to me. Meanwhile, if it pleases -you to send messages to King Apepi, it is not in my power to say that -they shall not be sent. Do as you will.” - -“So be it,” said Nefra. - -Then she rose, bowed, and departed, led by the Lady Kemmah and -escorted by the Council. - - -Thus ended the midnight crowning of Nefra as Queen of Egypt. - - - - - CHAPTER X. - The Message - -On the morrow Khian slept late, being very weary, and in his sleep -was visited by dreams. They were fantastic dreams of which, when he -awoke, he could remember little, save that they had to do with -pyramids and men with veiled faces and with a giant who bore a great -axe, and with palm trees through which the wind sighed gently, till -presently it changed to the voice of a woman, just such a voice as -that of the messenger who had guided him from the grove, just such a -voice as that of the royal lady who had sat upon the throne in the -temple halls. - -Yet, alas! he could not understand what this voice said, and in his -dream, growing angry, he turned to the giant with the axe, bidding him -interpret the meaning of the song. Behold! the black giant was changed -into that Sphinx who sat upon the sands, before which he had been -blindfolded. He stared at the Sphinx and the Sphinx stared back at -him. Then of a sudden it opened its great stone lips and spoke, and -the sound of its voice was like to that of the roll of distant -thunder. - -“What is it thou wouldst learn of me, the Ancient, O Man?” asked the -rolling voice. Now in his dream Khian grew frightened and answered at -hazard: - -“I would learn how old thou art and what thou hast seen, O Sphinx.” - -“Hundreds of millions of years ago,” answered the lips of stone, “I -was shaped in the womb of Fire and cast forth in the agony of the -birth of the world. For tens of millions of years I lay beneath deep -water, and grew in their darkness. The waters receded and lo! I was a -mountain of which the point appeared amidst a forest. Great creatures -crept about my flanks, they roared round me in the mists, thousands of -generations of them, now of this shape and now of that. The mists -departed; I looked upon the sun, a huge ball of flaming red that day -by day rose up over against me. In its fierce heat the forests -withered and passed away in fire. Sands appeared out of it that, -driven by great winds, shaped me to my lion’s shape. A river rolled at -my feet, the river Nile. New beasts took refuge in my shade in place -of the reptiles that were gone; they fought and ravened and mated and -bore their young about me. - -“More millions of years went by and there came yet other beasts, hairy -creatures that ran upon two legs and jabbered. These passed and behold -there were men, now of this colour and now of that. Tribe by tribe -these men butchered each other for food and women, dashing out the -brains of their enemies with stones and devouring them, cooked first -in the rays of the sun, and then with fire which they had learned to -make. - -“These passed away and there appeared other men who wore garments of -skins and killed their prey with flint-headed arrows and spears. -Yonder in the cliff you may find their graves covered with flat -stones. These men worshipped the sun and me, the rock upon which his -rays fell at dawn. Thus first I became a god. Again there was war -around me and my worshippers were slain, they and their fair-haired -children were all slain. Still their dark-hued conquerors worshipped -the sun and me. Moreover, they were artists and with hard tools they -fashioned my face and form as these appear to-day. Afterwards they -built pyramids and tombs and in them kings and princes were laid to -rest. For generation after generation I watched them come and go, till -at length there were no more of them, and white-robed priests crept -about the ruins of their temples as still they creep to-day. Such is -my history, O Man, that is yet but begun, for when all the gods are -gone and none pour offerings to me or them, still lost in memories I, -who was from the beginning, shall remain until the end. Yet was it of -this that thou wouldst ask me?” - -“Nay, O Sphinx. Tell me, what is the name of that wind among the palm -trees of which the sound is as the voice of woman? Whence comes it and -whither does it go?” - -“That wind, O Man, blew at the begetting of the world and will blow -until its death, for without it no life can be. It came from God and -to God it returns again, and in heaven and earth its name is _Love_.” - -Now Khian would have asked more questions, but could not for suddenly -all his dream vanished and his eyes opened to behold, not the face of -the Sphinx, mighty and solemn, but the ebon features of the giant Ru. - -“What is love, O Ru?” he asked, yawning. - -“Love!” answered Ru, astonished. “What do I know about love? There are -so many sorts of love; that of men for women, or of women for men, -which is a curse and a madness sent into the world by Set to be its -torment; that of kings for power which is the father of war; that of -merchants for wealth which breeds theft and misery; that of the -learned for wisdom, a bird which never can be snared; that of the -mother for her child, which is holy; and that of the slave for him or -her he serves, which is the only sort I know. Ask it of Roy the -Prophet, though I think he has forgotten all love save that of the -gods and death.” - -“It is of the first that I would learn, O Ru, and of it I think that -Roy can tell me nothing, who, as you say, has forgotten all. Whom -shall I ask of this?” - -Ru rubbed his black nose and replied: - -“Try the first maiden whom you meet when the moon is rising over the -waters of the Nile. Perhaps she can tell you, Lord. Or if that will -not serve so fine a noble, try her whom you saw seated on the throne -last night, for she has studied many things and perhaps love may be -among them. And now, if it pleases you to rise, the Council awaits you -presently, but not, I think, to talk to you of love.” - -An hour later Khian stood before Roy and his company. - -“Scribe Rasa,” said the Prophet, for although Ru in his cups had -revealed that his true dignity was known, this was not given to him, -“we have written in a roll our answers to the letter of the King -Apepi, which are such as we told you they would be. As to the matter -of the marriage that is offered by the King to that royal lady whom -you saw crowned Queen of Egypt but last night, we have added that you, -his messenger, shall learn her answer from her own lips on the night -of the first full moon after that of her crowning, since she must have -time to consider this great business. Now we pray you to add to this -letter of ours any that it pleases you to send, making report of what -you have heard and seen among us, which report shall be borne -faithfully by our messenger to the Court of your master, the King who -sits at Tanis.” - -“It shall be done, Prophet,” said Khian, “though what will chance when -this report reaches the King Apepi, I cannot tell. Meanwhile, is it -still your will that I should abide here among you till that moon -shines, having liberty to move to and fro within your boundaries?” - -“Such is the will of the Queen Nefra and of us her councillors, Scribe -Rasa. That is, unless it pleases you to be gone at once.” - -“It does not please me, Prophet.” - -“Then remain among us, Scribe Rasa, remembering the oath that you have -sworn, that you will reveal no secret of our hiding places, or our -doctrines, or our company, or aught save of that business with which -you have to do.” - -“I will remember it,” answered Khian, bowing. - -For a while he lingered, talking of little things with the Lord Tau -and other members of the Council in the hope that Nefra herself would -appear to take part in their deliberations. At length, as she did not -come, he went away because he must, and was guided back to his chamber -by Ru. - -“I am going to write a letter, Friend Giant,” he said, “which letter -in the end may bring about my end. However, that is some way off, a -month away indeed, and meanwhile, after it is finished, I desire to -study the pyramids and all the other wonders of this place. Now -yesterday a certain youth was my guide who seemed very intelligent. If -he can be found I should be willing to pay him well to continue in -that office while I remain a guest among these graves.” - -Ru shook his great head and answered: - -“Lord, it is impossible. That youth is one of those idlers who stand -about waiting for food to fall into their mouths, and if it does not -come, move elsewhere. He has moved elsewhere, or at least I have not -seen him this morning, and as I do not know his name I cannot inquire -where he has gone.” - -“So be it,” answered Khian, “though, friend Ru, you will forgive me if -I compliment your honesty by saying that you do not lie very well. Now -be pleased to tell me, as this one is lacking, how I can find another -guide.” - -“That is easy, Lord. When you are ready, put your head out of the door -and clap your hands. In this place there is always someone listening -and watching, and he will summon me.” - -“That I can well believe. Indeed, here I feel as though the very walls -listened and watched.” - -“They do,” replied Ru candidly, and departed. - -Khian wrote his letter. It was but short, yet, although so skilled a -scribe, it took him a long time, since he knew not what to say or -leave unsaid. In the end it ran thus: - - - “From the Scribe Rasa to His Majesty, King Apepi, the good God: - - “As commanded I, the Scribe Rasa, have come to the habitations of the - Order of the Dawn who dwell in certain ruined temples and tombs - beneath the shadow of the Great Pyramids, and been received by their - prophet Roy and the members of their Council. I presented the letter - of your Majesty to this Council, also the gifts your Majesty was - pleased to send, which gifts they refused for religious reasons. I - have learned that the royal Nefra, daughter of Kheperra who once ruled - in the South, is living here in the keeping of the Brethren of the - Dawn. Last night I saw this princess, who is young, crowned with much - ceremony as Queen of all Egypt before a great company of veiled men - who, I was told, were gathered from all over the world. The Council of - the Dawn send herewith an answer to the letter of your Majesty which - has not been shown to me. As touching your Majesty’s proposal of - marriage, however, the Lady Nefra, seated on a throne and speaking as - a queen, said to me that she would consider of the matter and give me - her answer to be handed to your Majesty at the time of the next full - moon, until when I must abide here and wait in patience. Here then I - stay, having no choice in the matter, that I may fulfil the commands - of your Majesty and on the appointed day bear back the answer of the - Lady Nefra, though whether this will be in writing or by message, I do - not know. - - “Sealed with the seal of the Envoy of your Majesty, - - Rasa the Scribe.” - - -When Khian had copied this letter and done it up into a roll, -wondering much what Apepi his father would say and do when he read it -and that by which it was accompanied, he ate of the food that was -brought to him and afterwards went to the door of his chamber and -clapped his hands, as he had been directed to do. Instantly from the -recesses of the dark passage appeared Ru accompanied by a white-robed -man whom Khian knew for one of the councillors. To this councillor he -gave the roll that he had written to be despatched together with the -answer of the Council to King Apepi at Tanis. When he was gone Ru led -Khian through the great hall where Nefra had been crowned and thence, -meeting no one, by a secret doorway to the desert beyond. - -“Where have all those gone whom we saw last night?” asked Khian. - -“Where do the bats go, Lord, when the sun arises? They vanish away and -are no more seen, yet they are not dead but only hidden. So it is with -the Company of the Dawn. Search for them among the fishermen of the -Nile; search for them among the Bedouins of the desert; search for -them in the Courts of foreign kings; search where you will, yet be -sure that neither you nor all the spies of the Shepherd king will find -one of them.” - -“Truly this is a land of ghosts,” said Khian. “Almost could I believe -that those veiled ones were not men but spirits.” - -“Perhaps,” answered Ru enigmatically; “and now, where would it please -you to wander?” - -“To the pyramids,” said Khian. - -So to the pyramids they went, walking round all of them, while Khian -marvelled at their greatness. - -“Is it possible that these stone mountains can be climbed?” he asked -presently. - -Ru led him round the corner of the second pyramid and there, seated on -the sand and playing pipes that made a wild music, were three men, the -Captain of the Pyramids and two of his sons. - -“Here are those who can answer your question, Lord,” he said, then -turning to the men added, “This lord, who is an envoy and a guest, -desires to know whether the pyramids can be climbed.” - -“We awaited you,” said the Captain gravely, “as we have been commanded -to do. Is it now your pleasure to see this feat performed?” - -“It is,” answered Khian. “Moreover, the climber will not lack a -present, though I who am a scaler of mountains hold the thing to be -impossible.” - -“Be pleased to stand back a little way and watch,” said the Captain. - -Then he and his two sons threw off their long robes and clothed only -in a linen garment about their middles, ran to that pyramid which was -in front of them and separated. One son disappeared to the north and -the other to the south, while the father began to spring up the -eastern face as a goat springs up a precipice. Up he went, high and -higher yet, while Khian watched amazed, till at last he saw him gain -the very crest. Lo! as he did so there appeared with him the two sons -who, unseen, had travelled thither by other roads. Moreover, presently -there appeared a fourth figure clad in white. - -“Who is the fourth?” exclaimed Khian. “But three started to climb, and -now, behold! there are four.” - -Ru stared at the top of the pyramid, then answered stupidly: - -“Surely staring at those polished stones has dazed you, Lord. I see -but three, doubtless the Captain and his two sons.” - -Khian looked again and said: - -“It is true that now I also see but three. Yet there were four,” he -added obstinately. - -Presently the climbers began to descend, following one another down -the eastern face. At length they reached the ground safely, and having -donned their robes, came to Khian, bowing, and asked him whether he -were now satisfied that the pyramids could be climbed. - -“I am satisfied that this pyramid can be climbed, though of the others -I know nothing,” he answered. “Yet before I give you the reward you -have earned so well, tell me, Captain, how it comes about that you and -your sons, who were three at its base, became four upon its crest?” - -“What does my Lord mean?” asked the Sheik gravely. - -“What I say, Captain; neither more nor less. When you stood upon the -top yonder, with the three of you was a fourth, a slender figure clad -in white. I swear it by all the gods.” - -“It may be so,” answered the Sheik imperturbably, “only then, as we -saw no one, it must have been given to my Lord to perceive the Spirit -of the Pyramids herself who accompanied us, invisible to our eyes. Had -this chanced when the full moon shines, it would not have been so -wonderful, since then she is apt to wander, or so it is reported, but -that he should have seen her in the light of day is most strange and -portends we know not what.” - -Now Khian began to ply the man and his sons with questions about this -Spirit of the Pyramids and whether she would be visible if they came -to look for her when the full moon shone, but from them learned -nothing, since to every question they answered that they did not know. -Next he inquired of them whether they would teach him how to climb the -pyramids as they did, if he paid them well. They replied that except -by order of the Council they would not, because the business was very -dangerous, and if aught happened to him, his blood would be on their -hands. So in the end he made them a large present, for which they -thanked him with many bows, and, just as the sun began to set, -departed back to the temple. - -As they went side by side, Khian, who was lost in thought and wonder, -heard Ru mutter: - -“A second whom the gods have smitten with the desire to climb the -pyramids. Who could have believed that there were two such mad people -in the world? What does it mean? Surely such folly must have a -meaning, for among my people, the Ethiopians, they say that the -maddest are always the most inspired.” - -Twice or thrice he muttered thus, till at last Khian asked him -suddenly: - -“Who, then, was the other fool to whom the gods gave the desire to -climb the pyramids? Was she perchance that one whom I saw standing -with the Sheik and his sons upon yonder crest?” - -“No, I think not,” answered the startled Ru confusedly. “Indeed, I am -sure not, since to-day she has other business to attend. Also, I -should have known----” Then he remembered and stopped. - -“So there is a lady who loves this sport! Well, I have heard as much -before, and, friend Ru, as you seem to know her, if you will arrange -that I can follow it in her company, you will find yourself growing -richer than you are.” - -“Here is the door to the temple,” answered Ru, with a grin, “and, by -the way, the second prophet, Tau, bade me to pray you to eat with him -and others this night.” - -“I obey,” said Khian, hoping in his heart that one of those others -would be the lovely lady whom he had seen crowned as Queen of Egypt. -Yet this was not so, for at that meal were only Tau and with him three -aged councillors, who, when they had partaken sparingly, slipped away, -leaving him and his host together. Then these two began to talk, each -of them seeking knowledge of the other. - -Soon Khian learned that this Tau, the second Prophet of the Order, -though not Egyptian by blood, had been born to a high station and -great wealth. He had been a warrior and a statesman also, and, it -seemed, might have become a king, either in Cyprus or Syria, where he -would not say. Far and wide he had travelled about the world, -acquiring the languages of many peoples and much learning, and -studying religions and philosophies. Yet in the end he had abandoned -all and become one of the Priesthood of the Dawn. - -Khian asked him why he who, as he understood, might have sat upon a -throne and mingled with the great ones of the earth while children -grew up about him had chosen instead to dwell in tombs with the -brethren of a secret order. - -“Would you learn? Then I will tell you,” answered Tau. “I have done -this because I seek peace, peace for Egypt and the world and peace for -my own soul, and in pomps and governments there is no peace but only -strivings that for the most part end in war to win more wealth and -powers that we do not need. Scribe Rasa,” he added, looking at him -keenly, “were you other than you are, a prince, for instance, I think -that perhaps, had you instruction in our philosophy, in the end you -might prove to be such another as I am, or even as is Roy the Prophet, -and turning your back upon what the world calls greatness, might -follow in this same path of peace and service.” - -“Were I such a one, Priest Tau, it might be so, though other roads run -to peace through service than those that lead there by monasteries or -tombs, and each must follow that which lies open to his feet.” - -“That is true and well spoken, Scribe Rasa.” - -“Yet,” went on Khian, “being athirst for knowledge I would learn of -these mysteries of yours and of how their servants may attain to this -peace and help to call it down upon the world. Is it possible while I -sojourn here that one could be found to instruct me in them?” - -“I think that it is possible, but of this matter we will talk again. -Sleep well, Scribe Rasa, and take counsel with your heart before you -enter on this difficult path.” - -Then he rose and Ru appeared to lead Khian back to his chamber. - - - - - CHAPTER XI. - The Fall - -On the following morning Khian was informed by Ru that orders had -been sent to the Captain of the Pyramids to instruct him in the art of -scaling them, should he so desire. So presently, accompanied by Ru, he -went out and at the foot of the smallest of the pyramids found this -man and his sons awaiting him. Awhile later, having been stripped of -most of his garments and removed his sandals, he began his lesson, -much as Nefra had done, with a rope tied about his middle. Like her, -being young, active, and very bold, accustomed to the scaling of -heights moreover, he proved an apt pupil, climbing two thirds of the -height of the pyramid, that is, as far as he was allowed to go, -turning about, as Nefra had done, and descending again with but little -help from his guide. Yet trouble came, for when he was within some -forty feet of the ground, to which the Sheik who was beneath him had -descended already and there stood, talking to Ru, Khian called to him -above who held the rope to throw it down as it was no more needed, and -at the same time undid the noose from about his middle. - -Thus freed the rope slid away, but, although Khian did not notice -this, it caught upon the marble but a little below him. Continuing his -descent carelessly enough, in setting his foot upon a certain knob of -this marble, his heel rested upon the rope that twisted round beneath -his weight, causing him to slip and lose his balance. - -Next instant he was sliding down the face of the pyramid, and, as he -slid he turned so that now his head pointed towards the ground. The -Sheik saw, as did Ru. Together they bounded forward to catch him in -his fall. In a second he was on them, but the weight of his body -struck between them, forcing them apart although they grasped him as -he came. Do what they would, his head hit the ground, not so very hard -indeed, but, as it chanced, where a stone fallen from the pyramid was -hidden just beneath the sand, and though he never felt the blow, of a -sudden his senses left him, for he was stunned. - -When they returned, dimly and as at a great distance he heard a voice -speaking, though who spoke he could not see because his eyelids seemed -to be glued together with blood, and for this, or some other reason, -he was unable to open them. - -“I think that he is not dead,” said the voice, which in truth was that -of a physician. “The neck does not seem to be broken, nor indeed any -limb. Therefore unless the skull is cracked, which I cannot discover -for the blood from the cut makes search difficult, I hold that he is -but stunned and will come to himself in time.” - -“The gods send that you are right, Leech,” answered another voice, a -woman’s voice that was full of doubt and fear. “For three long hours -has he lain senseless in this tomb and so still that almost I -think---- Oh! see, he stirs his hand. He lives! He lives! Feel his -heart again.” - -The physician did so, and said: - -“It beats more strongly. Trouble not, Lady. I believe that he will -recover.” - -“Pray that he does, all of you,” went on the woman’s voice, in which -now was hope mingled with anger. “Ill did you pyramid-climbers guard -him who tangled the rope about his feet. As for you, Ru, was not your -great strength enough to hold so light a weight falling from but a -little height?” - -“It seems not, Lady,” answered the deep voice of Ru, “seeing that this -light weight of his knocked me down and the Sheik with me, and almost -tore my arm out of its socket. Full forty feet he came like a stone -from a sling.” - -At this moment Khian opened his lips and very faintly asked for water. -It was brought to him. A soft hand lifted his head, a vase was held to -his lips. He drank, sighed, and swooned again. - -Once more he awoke or was awakened by the sharp pain that seemed to -stab his head from side to side. Now he could open his eyes and, -looking about him, saw that he was back in his chamber at the temple, -for upon a stool lay possessions of his own. At the foot of the couch -a curtain had been drawn and beyond the curtain he heard two women -talking. - -“How goes he, Kemmah? Has he awakened?” asked a sweet voice that he -knew again, for it was the voice of the guide who had led him from the -palm grove, the voice, too, of her whom he had seen crowned as Queen -of Egypt. - -Khian strove to lift his head, to look past the end of the curtain, -but could not because his neck was stiff as a stone; so he lay still -and listened, his heart beating for joy because this fair, royal lady -had been at the pains to visit him that she might learn his state. - -“Not yet, child,” answered the Lady Kemmah, “though it is true that it -is time he did. The learned leech, our brother, said that he can find -no great hurt and that he should wake within twelve hours, but twenty -have gone by and still he sleeps--or swoons.” - -“Oh! Kemmah, do you think that he will die?” asked Nefra in tones that -were full of fear. - -“Nay, nay, I hope not, though when the head is hurt one never can be -sure. It would be most sad, for he is a fine man. Never did I see one -more perfect in his body or more comely in his face, though half his -blood is that of the accursed Shepherds.” - -“Who told you about his blood, Kemmah, and whence it sprang?” - -“The birds of the air or the blowing wind. Are you the last to learn -what all here know--that this guest of ours is no palace scribe or -officer, but the Prince Khian himself, who, if you take Apepi as a -husband, will be your stepson?” - -“Have done with your talk of Apepi, on whom be the curse of all the -gods of Egypt, and of his own as well. For the rest, I guessed, but I -did not know, though I was sure that this Rasa could be no common man. -Save him, Kemmah! For if he dies--oh! what am I saying? Come, let me -look on him. As he sleeps there can be no harm and I will make the -sign of health upon his brow and pray for his recovery to the Spirit -that we worship.” - -“Well, then, be swift, for if the leech or Tau should come, they might -think it strange to find the Queen of Egypt in a sick man’s chamber. -Still, have your way, but be swift. I will keep watch without.” - -Now although Khian shut his eyes close so that he could see nothing, -with his ears he heard the curtain drawn aside, heard, too, a light -footfall by his bed. More, he felt soft fingers make some sign upon -his brow, a loop it seemed to be with a line drawn through it, -perchance the Loop of Life. Then she who had drawn the sign seemed to -lean over him and, setting her lips close to his face, to murmur holy -words of which he could not catch the drift or meaning. And as she -murmured, ever those lips drew closer to his own, till at length for -one second they touched his own and swiftly were withdrawn. Then came -a sigh and silence. - -Now Khian opened his eyes, to see other eyes gazing down at him, and -in them tears. - -“Where am I? What has chanced?” he asked faintly. “I dreamed that I -was dead and that some daughter of the gods breathed new life into me. -Oh! now I remember, my foot turned on that accursed rope and being -careless and over-sure, I fell. It matters not, soon I shall be strong -again and then I swear that I will climb those pyramids one by one -more swiftly than does the spirit who inhabits them.” - -“Hush! Hush!” murmured Nefra. “Nurse, come here. This sick one is -awake and speaks, though foolishly.” - -“Soon he will be asleep again for good if you stay at his side talking -of pyramids,” answered Kemmah who had entered the place unseen by -either. “Have you not had enough of pyramids, both of you? Would that -those vain fools of kings had never built them to bring trouble to the -greater fools that come after.” - -“Yet I will climb them,” muttered Khian. - -“Begone, child, and bid Ru bring the leech, and swiftly,” went on -Kemmah. - -With one quick glance at Khian, Nefra glided away. Kemmah watched her -go, saying to herself as she turned to minister to him: - -“How strange a thing is love that can send so many to their deaths, or -by its strength draw the dying back to life again. But of the love of -these two what will be born?” - -Then she gave Khian milk to drink and bade him lie still and silent. - -Yet he would not obey who, having drunk, asked her dreamily: - -“Think you, good Nurse, that the Spirit of the Pyramids of whom all -talk in this holy land is as fair as that lady who has left us?” - -“The Spirit of the Pyramids! Can I never be rid of these pyramids? -Who, then, and what is this Spirit?” - -“That is just what I would find out, Nurse, even if I lose my life in -seeking it, as it seems that already almost I have done. My soul is -aflame with desire to look upon this Spirit, for something within -tells me that until I do so never shall I find happiness.” - -“Here the story runs otherwise,” answered Kemmah. “Here it is said -that those who look on her, if there be such a one, find madness.” - -“Are they not perchance the same thing, Nurse? Are we ever happy -except when we are mad? Can the sane be happy, or the wise? Is your -holy Prophet Roy happy, who is the sanest of the sane and the wisest -of the wise? Are all those death-awaiting Whitebeards who surround him -happy? Have you ever been happy, except perhaps years ago when -sometimes you were mad?” - -“If you ask me, I have not,” answered Kemmah, remembering certain -things and trembling beneath the thought of them. “Perchance you are -right, young sir. Perchance, as drunkards think, we are only happy -when we are mad. Yet if you will be guided by me, you will cease to -seek a spirit in the skies, or near them, and content yourself with -following after woman upon the earth.” - -“Who knows, Nurse,” replied Khian with all the solemnity of one whose -brain still reels, “that in seeking after the Spirit I may not find -the woman, as in seeking after a woman, some have found a spirit? Who -knows that they are not the same thing? I will tell you--perhaps--when -I have climbed those pyramids by the light of the full moon.” - -“Which has already shone,” interrupted Kemmah angrily. - -“There are more full moons to come, Nurse. The sky is as peopled with -full moons unborn as the sea is with oysters that will be eaten, and -the pyramids will stand for a long while to welcome climbers,” -answered Khian faintly. - -“To Set with the pyramids and your silly talk!” burst out Kemmah, -stamping her foot. Then she ceased, noting that Khian had once more -swooned away. - -“A fool!” she thought to herself as she ran to find help. “Indeed, the -first of fools who would hunt a ghost when the loveliest of flesh and -blood lies to his hand. Yet were I thirty years younger I think that I -might find it in my heart to go mad with this spirit-seeking fool, as -I think also another is in the way of doing. What did he say? That in -searching for the Spirit he might find the woman? Well, perhaps he -will; perhaps after all this moonstruck prince is not such a fool as -he seems. Perhaps those who climb the pyramids find joy at the top of -them, and joy is better than wisdom. So at least some come to believe -when we grow old and have left it far behind.” - -Very soon Khian, who was young and strong and though shaken by the -shock of his fall, as the physician said, quite unhurt in his brain or -his bones, rose recovered from his bed. Indeed, within five days, once -more he was climbing the pyramids by the help of the Captain and his -sons, for it would seem that this passion had grown upon him during -his swoon. Also that swoon, when he shook off the last of it, left no -memory of what he had said or done while it endured. From the moment -when he set his foot upon the cord and slipped, until at last he rose -from his bed, he remembered nothing, not even the visit of Nefra to -his chamber or his talk with Kemmah, though it is true that these came -back to him in after days. So where he had left off, there he began -again, namely, on the slope of the pyramid, which very soon he -mastered, as in due time he did the others, like Nefra before him. - -Day by day, from dawn until the sun grew too hot for the work, he -laboured at those pyramids, so hard that at last the Captain and his -sons were almost outworn and declared that they had to do with a -devil, not a man. Yet they spoke well of him, as did all others, -holding that he who after such a fall dared to persevere and conquer, -must be great-hearted. For they did not understand that, from the -moment of his slip, of his fall he remembered nothing. - -Meanwhile, though he knew it not, at the Court of King Apepi it was -believed that he was dead. The tidings of his fall from the pyramid -and, it was added, of his death, for dead he seemed to be, had -overtaken that messenger, a Brother of the Dawn named Temu, who bore -the answer from the Council of the Dawn and Khian’s own letter, as he -embarked upon the Nile, and he had spread it abroad and carried it to -the Court at Tanis. When Apepi heard this news he was grieved in a -fashion, since he had loved his son a little, at least when he was -younger, though not much because in his fierce and selfish heart there -was small room for any love save of himself. - -Soon, however, his grief was swallowed up in wrath at that which was -written in the letter from the Brotherhood of the Dawn, which he swore -to destroy root and branch unless Nefra, whom they had dared to crown -Queen of Egypt, were given to him in marriage. Moreover, he believed -that Khian had not come to his end by a chance tumble from the -pyramid, but that he had been done to death at the decree of this -Brotherhood, that the heir to the Crown of the North might be removed -because he stood in the path of her who had been consecrated Queen of -all Egypt. But of all these things Apepi wrote nothing to the Council -of the Dawn. Indeed, he seized their messenger, Temu, and kept him in -a safe place where he could communicate with none, and meanwhile made -certain plans and preparations. - - -During the weeks which followed his recovery Khian did more than climb -the pyramids. Thus he received instruction in the faith and worship of -the Brotherhood of the Dawn, as it had been promised that he should -do. In the evening, in a little lamp-lit hall, he was taught by Tau, -or by Roy the Prophet, or sometimes by both of them together. -Moreover, he shared this instruction with another pupil, Nefra the -neophyte. - -There he sat at one end of a table with ink and papyrus in front of -him, while at the other end, with Kemmah behind her and the gigantic -Ru standing in the shadow as a guard and sentinel, sat the young Queen -simply clothed in white as a neophyte should be, so placed that he -could see her face in the rays of the lamp and she could see his, and -yet too far away for them to talk together. At the centre of the table -in carved seats sat Roy and Tau, or one of them, expounding the secret -mysteries of their Order, and from time to time asking or answering -questions. - -So pure and beautiful was the faith they taught that very soon it -possessed the heart of Khian. In its outlines it was simple, that of -the existence of one great Spirit, of whose attributes all the gods -they knew were ministers, a Spirit who for its own purposes sent them -forth into the world, whence in due time it would draw them back -again. Moreover, these holy and learned men taught their pupils of -those purposes, declaring that the greatest of them was to promote -peace upon the earth and to do good to all that breathed. Yet there -were other parts of this doctrine which were not so plain and easy, -for these had to do with the methods by which that Spirit could be -approached of those who still dwelt upon the earth, with forms of -prayer and hidden rites also, that would bring the Worshipped into -communion with the worshipper. Further, there were many rules of life -and great principles of politics and government, all of which were a -part of the law. - -Khian hearkened and found this doctrine good, for therein was that -which fed if as yet it did not satisfy his hungry soul. On a certain -day at the end of the last lesson, he rose and said: - -“O holy Prophets Roy and Tau, I accept your teaching; I would be sworn -as the humblest of the Brethren of the Order of the Dawn. Only for a -certain reason which I must keep secret, of your temporal politics I -say nothing either good or ill, neither do I bind myself to them. In -the spirit I am yours; in the flesh and for the purposes of the flesh, -as yet I am the slave of others. Is it enough?” - -Roy and Tau consulted together while Nefra watched them curiously and -Khian sat lost in thought, his head bowed upon his hands. At length -the old prophet spoke, saying: - -“Son, the time you can give to study and preparation being short and -your heart being set upon the truth, it is enough. Here in these tombs -also we learn many things, and amongst them that men are not always -what they seem to be. Thus it well may chance that by blood, birth, -and duty you are bound with chains you cannot break, even to satisfy -your soul. It well may chance, moreover, that it is not for you to -take the vows of celibacy and abstinence, or to swear that you will -lift no sword in war, since perhaps it is decreed that your mission in -the world must be otherwise fulfilled. Further, what we say to you, we -say to our sister who with you has listened to the words of Life. Her -feet also are set upon a road that is high and difficult. Therefore, -exempting both of you from much to which others must bow their heads, -to-morrow we will absolve you from your sins, swear you to our -precepts, to break which will bring a curse upon your souls, and -number you among our company in earth and Heaven.” - -So it came about that on the next day at a great ceremony in the -temple hall, Khian the Prince and Nefra the Queen received at the -hands of Roy the Ancient absolution of all evil that they had thought -or done, and thereafter were sworn as full members of the Order of the -Dawn, vowing themselves to accept its law as their guiding star and to -pursue its holy ends eternally. Separately they knelt before its -white-robed High Priest while far off on the confines of the great -hall and out of hearing of their speech the brethren watched them as -witnesses, and received forgiveness and benediction with words of -whispered counsel, then withdrew and seated themselves side by side -while all that company chanted the ancient hymn of welcome to their -souls reborn. By slow degrees the loud, triumphant music grew less and -died away, as, headed by Roy, those who sang departed from the temple, -till at last there was a great silence, and in the silence they sat -alone. - -Khian looked about him and noted that even Ru and Kemmah were gone; in -that great and solemn place they were quite alone, stared at by the -cold statues of gods and ancient kings. - -Khian looked at Nefra and asked: - -“Of what are you thinking, Sister?” - -“I am thinking, Brother, that I have heard wonderful words and -received holy blessings which should have changed me from a sinful -maiden into a saint like Roy, and that yet I feel much the same as I -did before.” - -“Are you sure that Roy is so great a saint, Sister? I have seen him -once or twice grow wrath like others. Also does the absence of -temptation, of which there can be little after ninety, make a saint? -For the rest, doubtless you feel as you did before, because it is not -possible for snow to grow whiter than snow.” - -“Or fire hotter than fire. But have done, Brother. Is this a time or -place for pretty speeches? Hearken, for as we are now both bound in -the bonds of the same great oath we can speak our minds to each other, -fearing no betrayal. These rites have changed me little, if at all, -who always have known the doctrines of the Dawn that from childhood -were instilled into my heart, although, until I attained my present -age, under its law I could not be admitted to the full fellowship of -the order. Behold! I am still no spirit but a woman as before, full of -mortal purposes. Thus,” she added slowly, considering him with her -large eyes, “my father was slain by one I hold to have been the -usurper of his rights; one, too, who, I think, would have murdered me -if he could, and for those deeds I desire to repay him. Also to them -of late he has added deadly insult, for now this slayer of my father -and would-be murderer seeks to take me, the orphaned child, in -marriage, and for that affront, too, I would repay him.” - -“Bad, very bad, Sister,” answered Khian, shaking his head sadly, -perhaps to hide a certain twitching of the corners of his mouth. “But, -if I may ask, did you confess these black sins to the holy prophet -Roy, and if so, what did he say of them, Sister?” - -“I did, Brother, who could think of nothing else to confess, or at -least not much, and what he answered makes me believe that you are -right in holding that the holy Roy is still not so holy as he might -be. He said, Brother, that such thoughts were born of my ancient blood -and natural, and that it was right that those who committed great -crimes for cold, base purposes should suffer for the crimes, and that -if I were the means of bringing punishment upon this man, it would be -because it had been so decreed by Heaven. Therefore he did not set me -down as sinful in this matter. But enough. Tell me, Brother, if it -pleases you, do you find yourself changed at heart?” - -“I find my feet set upon a better and a higher road, Sister, for now I -know what to worship--I who worshipped nothing because I could believe -in nothing--also, how this new god should be worshipped. For the rest, -no one killed my father or sought to murder me and therefore I do not -wish to be avenged upon any one--at present. Yet, Sister----” and he -paused. - -“I am listening, Brother, who feel sure that you cannot be quite so -good as you would have me understand.” - -“Good! No, I am not good; I only hope to become good if I can find -someone to help me--no, not Roy, or Tau, or Kemmah, or the whole -Council of the Dawn--someone quite different.” - -“A goddess from on high,” suggested Nefra. - -“Yes, that is well said--a goddess from on high--we will talk of her -presently. But first what I want to say is that in following after -righteousness I have fallen into a very deep pit.” - -“What pit, Brother?” asked Nefra, looking up at the roof of the -temple. - -“One out of which I think you alone can help me. But I must explain. -First you should know that I am a liar. I am not the Scribe Rasa. The -Scribe Rasa, an excellent man and a master of his trade, died many -years ago when I was a boy. I am----” and he hesitated. - -“--The Prince Khian, son of Apepi and heir apparent to the Crown of -the North,” suggested Nefra. - -“Yes, you have got it quite right, except that I do not think I am any -longer heir apparent, or at any rate I shall soon cease to be so. But -may I ask, Sister, how you came to know my style and title?” - -“We know everything in the House of the Dawn, Brother, also, as it -chances, you told me them yourself when you were sick--or was it -Kemmah?” - -“Then it was very wrong of you to listen, Sister, and I hope that you -confessed that sin with the others. Well, now perhaps you see the pit. -The Prince Khian, the only lawful son of King Apepi--at present--has -been sworn a member of the Order of the Dawn, which order it is the -purpose of King Apepi to destroy, as is not wonderful, kings being -what they are, seeing that it has just crowned a certain lady Queen of -all Egypt and thereby in a sense declared war against him, the -usurper. Now tell me, what can I do who on the one hand am the Prince -Khian and on the other something much higher and better--a brother of -the Order of the Dawn?” - -“The answer is simple, Brother. You must make peace between Apepi and -the Order of the Dawn.” - -“Indeed, and how? By praying a certain sister to become the Queen of -King Apepi? Thus only can such a peace be made, as you know well.” - -“I never said it,” answered Nefra, flushing. “Moreover, it does not -please me to listen to such counsel--even from a brother.” - -“Nor would it please even a brother to give such counsel, for if it -were taken, that brother would soon be numbered among those who make -their prayers and swing their censers in the heavenly shrine whereof -we are instructed in the mysteries.” - -“Why?” asked Nefra innocently. “If he gave it not, I could understand, -for then a certain king might be wrath. But if he gave it, why?” - -“Because then a certain queen might be wrath, one who, as you, Sister, -have told me, loves vengeance. Or at least, because he himself, if -that counsel were taken, would be so weary of the world that he could -tread it no more.” - -Now for a while there was silence between them and, beneath the shadow -of their white hoods, each of them sat staring at the ground. - -“Sister,” said Khian at last, and as she made no answer, repeated in a -louder voice, “Sister!” - -“Forgive me, I had almost fallen asleep after last night’s vigils. -What is it, Brother?” - -“Only this. Would you be minded to help a poor prince out of the pit -of which I have spoken by dragging him up with a silken rope of--well, -of love which all members of this company owe to one another--and -making him a king?” - -“A king! A king of what? Of these tombs and the dead in them?” - -“Oh, no! Of your heart and the life in it. Hearken, Nefra. Together we -may stand against my father, Apepi, but apart we must fall, for when -he comes to learn the truth he will kill me, and if he can lay his -hands on you, drag you whither you do not wish to go. Moreover, I love -you, Nefra. From the moment when I heard your voice yonder by the palm -trees and knew you for a woman beneath your cloak, I loved you, though -then I thought you but some simple girl. What more is there to say? -The future is dark; great dangers lie ahead. Mayhap it will be -necessary to fly to far lands and leave all these pomps behind us. Yet -together would they not be well lost?” - -“Then what of Egypt, Prince Khian? What of Egypt and the mission laid -upon me and the oath you heard me swear in this very hall?” - -“I do not know,” he answered confusedly. “The road is dark. Yet with -love to light our feet we shall find a way. Say that you love me and -all will be well.” - -“Say that I love you, the son of him who slew my father, that murderer -who seeks to make me his. How can I say this, Prince Khian?” - -“If you love me, Nefra, you can say it, because it will be the truth, -and have we not heard that to hide the truth is the greatest of sins? -Do you love me?” - -“I cannot answer. I will not answer. Ask it of the Sphinx. Nay, ask it -of the Spirit of the Pyramids, and by her word I will abide, for that -spirit is my spirit. One day still remains to us. Ask it to-morrow of -the Spirit of the Pyramids, if you dare to seek and find her beneath -the moon.” - -Then suddenly she rose and fled away, leaving him alone and wondering. - - - - - CHAPTER XII. - The Spirit of the Pyramids - -That night Khian slept little; his thoughts would not let him sleep. -They filled his mind with problems and as in a mirror showed him the -pitfalls that lay about his feet. He, the Prince of the North, was -sworn a brother of the Order of the Dawn, which his father, the King, -threatened to destroy, and how did these two offices agree? Could he -smite with the one hand and defend with the other? Nay, it was -impossible. Therefore he must cease either to be a prince, or to be a -brother. There his path was clear. Let the rank go; indeed, had it not -already been taken away from him with his own consent? Therefore, why -should he trouble about it now? Henceforth he was nothing but Brother -Khian of the Order of the Dawn. Nay, he was something more--an -ambassador who awaited a certain answer which must be conveyed to the -King who sent him on his mission. It was as to a matter of marriage; -as to whether a royal lady would become the wife of that king or would -choose to face his wrath. - -Here again his task was easy. He must deliver the answer, whatever it -might be, after which his duty came to an end and he would remain -nothing more than a Brother of the Order of the Dawn, and perhaps a -Prince. If that answer were such as the King desired, then doubtless -he, the ambassador, would be allowed to go his ways in peace, though -no more as heir to the throne of the North. But if it were very -different; if, for example, it announced that this lady refused the -King in favour of the ambassador who chanced to be his son--what? Why! -Death--no less--death or flight! - -Yet at this thought Khian was not dismayed, he even smiled a little as -it crossed his mind, remembering the teachings of his new philosophy, -that all was in the hands of Heaven and that naught happened save that -which must happen. He did not desire to die who now had so much for -which to live, but if death came that philosophy taught him not to be -afraid. Nor did he write himself down a traitor to his duty, because -he knew that in any case Nefra would have refused this monstrous -marriage, of which she had spoken to him as an insult. Moreover, as -yet he did not know that any thought of him would weigh with her. He -had offered her his love, but she had not accepted this gift. She had -said that she could not answer, that he must ask the “Spirit of the -Pyramids” whether she, Nefra the Queen, loved or did not love him, -Khian the Prince. What could such words mean? There was no Spirit of -the Pyramids; everywhere he had inquired of this legend and learned -that it was built of air. How could he ask of a spirit that which a -woman refused to tell, and where should he find this oracle? - -He was told to seek it by the light of the full moon among the ancient -graves. Well, that on his part nothing might be lacking, he would seek -like any simple fool, and if he found nothing, would understand that -Nothing was his answer. Then, seeking no more, he would demand from -Roy the writing that he must bear to King Apepi and depart -sore-hearted to accomplish its delivery. This done he would abide the -wrath of the King and, should he escape, would wander away to such -distant place as Roy or the Council might appoint and there preach the -doctrines of the Dawn or do such things as he was commanded, turning -his heart from woman and the joys of life. - -Soon he would know; soon all would be finished in this way or in that, -for on the morrow of the night of full moon the young Queen must give -her answer to the demand of Apepi and he, the ambassador, must bear -that answer back to Tanis. Meanwhile this was certain--he who had -never loved before worshipped the maiden Nefra with body and with -spirit and above all earthly things desired her as his wife; so much -so that if he were to lose her he cared not what else he might lose, -even to life itself. - - -It was the appointed time and Khian, quite alone, for as an admitted -brother now he could pass where he would, unquestioned and unwatched, -wandered to and fro among the tombs which surrounded the greatest of -the pyramids. He was sad-hearted who believed his to be but a fool’s -errand; moreover, all his troubles weighed upon his soul. The vast -solemnity of the place, too, with its endless streets of graves above -which the pyramids towered eternally, crushed him. What a spot was -this for a love quest, here surrounded by the monuments which told of -the end of all human things. Hundreds of years ago those who slept -within these tombs had ceased from mortal loves and hates, and as they -were, soon he would be also, perchance before another full moon shone -in yonder sky. He wondered whether they looked upon him now with calm, -invisible eyes; not one, but ten thousand spirits of the pyramids. - -He sat him down upon a stone in the midst of that deep silence which -was only broken from time to time by the melancholy howlings of some -jackal seeking food, and watched the shadows creep across the sand. At -length, growing weary, he covered his face with his hands and brooded -on the mystery of all things, as was natural in such a place, and -whence men came and whither they must go, a problem that not even Roy -could solve. - -He heard nothing, yet suddenly, why he did not know, he was moved to -let fall his hands and look about him. Surely something stirred yonder -in the shadow of a great tomb. Perhaps it was a night-haunting beast. -Nay, it seemed too tall. It came out of that shadow and for a moment -could be seen flitting to the shelter of another tomb where it -vanished. Surely it was a white-veiled woman or a ghost. - -Khian was frightened, his hair rose upon his head. Yet springing to -his feet he followed it. He came to the tomb where it had disappeared. -It was gone. Nay, there it was far away, shaping a course, it would -seem, toward the second pyramid, that of the Pharaoh Khafra. Again he -followed, but fast as he went, that figure went faster, now hidden and -now seen, so that when at length it reached the north face of the -second pyramid called _Ur-Khafra_, or “Greatest Khafra,” it was a -spear’s cast in front of him. - -Surely, he thought, it would halt there. But it did not. It began to -glide up the face of the pyramid and then, at the height of a tall -palm tree, it disappeared. - -Now Khian more than once had climbed this second pyramid by its -northern face and knew that there was no opening in it. Therefore it -would seem that what he had seen was indeed a ghost which had melted -away as ghosts are said to do. Still, to satisfy himself, though -fearfully, he climbed after it and when he had scaled some fifty feet -of the steep side, stopped astonished, for behold! there in the -pyramid was what seemed to be an open door beyond which a passage ran -downwards. Moreover, in that passage lamps were set at a distance from -each other. He hesitated, for he was much afraid, but at length, -thinking to himself that ghosts need no lamps and that but one, man or -woman, had entered in front of him, he grew courageous and followed. - -For some five and thirty paces this passage ran downwards steeply -between walls of granite, then for another thirty paces it ran on upon -the level, ending at last in a large chamber hewn from the living rock -and roofed with great painted slabs of stone leaning against each -other to bear the mighty weight of the pyramid above. In this darksome -place, sunk into the rock, stood a sarcophagus of granite and naught -else. - -Khian crept down the passages by the light of the lamps, his footsteps -echoing against their walls of stone, and from the shelter of a huge -half-opened granite door peeped into the tomb chamber. It was lit by -one lamp that stood upon the sarcophagus whereof the feeble rays shone -like a star in the black gloom of the vaulted hall. This gloom he -searched with his eyes. In vain; he could see no one, the veiled shape -he had followed was not; or perchance it had departed by some farther -door into the bowels of the pyramid. - -Muttering a prayer for protection against the spirit of the Pharaoh -upon whose rest he broke, and drawing his bronze sword lest he should -find that he had been lured into this dreadful place by evildoers, -Khian crept forward through the gloom, very carefully, for there might -be pitfalls in the rocky floor. Coming at length to the sarcophagus he -stood irresolute, for of a sudden his courage seemed to fail him. - -What if in truth he had been following a ghost and that ghost should -spring upon him from behind! Nay, he would be brave. Did ghosts set -lamps in niches? Their shapes showed that they were ancient lamps, it -was true; perhaps the same that were used by the builders of the -pyramid a thousand years before, or by those who bore the body of the -king to its last resting place. Yet lamps did not burn eternally, -unless indeed they were ghostly lamps; the oil in them must be new and -set there by human hands. The thought gave him courage and he stood -still who had meditated flight. There was a sound at the far end of -the hall, a rustling sound that checked the beating of his heart. In -the darkness appeared a cloud of white which floated forward. The -ghost was upon him! - -He stood where he was--perchance because he could not stir. The -white-veiled shape drew near and halted. Now only the width of the -tomb was between them and he stared at it over the flame of the lamp -but could see nothing because the face was covered, like the face of -one new-dead. In his terror he lifted the sword as though to stab at -this unearthly thing. Then a soft voice spoke, saying: - -“O Seeker of the Spirit of the Pyramids, would you greet her with a -sword-thrust, and if so, why?” - -“Because I am afraid,” he answered. “That which is veiled is always -terrible, especially in such a place as this.” - -As he spoke the veil fell, and in the lamplight he saw the form and -the beautiful, flushed face of Nefra. - -“What is the meaning of this play, O Queen?” he asked faintly. - -“Does Khian, the heir of the King of the North, name me Queen?” she -asked in a mocking voice. “Well, if so, he is right, since here above -the bones of him who, history tells, was my forefather and of whose -throne I am the heritor, so I should be called. Prince Khian, you -sought the Spirit of the Pyramids who never was except in fable, and -you have found a queen who is both flesh and spirit. If still you have -aught to say to her, speak on, since time is short and soon she may be -missed.” - -“I have nothing to say except what I have said already. Nefra, I love -you well and I would learn of you whether you love me. I pray you play -with me no more, but let me hear the truth.” - -“It is short and simple,” she answered, raising her head and looking -straight into his eyes. “Khian, if you love me well, I love you -better, for of this treasure woman has more to give than man.” - -His mind reeled beneath the weight of her words and his body with it, -so that he must rest his hand upon the stone of the tomb to save -himself from falling. Yet his first thought was angry and broke from -his lips in a sharp question. - -“If that be so, Nefra, what need to bring me to this dreadful place of -death to tell me that it is so? What need to make me follow a dream -and a ghost that I might find a woman? Surely the jest is -ill-conceived.” - -“Not so much so as you think, Khian,” she answered gently. “Yesterday -I could not tell you what I longed to speak, because, being what I am, -I must lay the matter before others, I, who am not the mistress of -myself, but the servant of a cause. Therefore I sought time till I had -learned that what I desired was the will of those who are set above me -and, as they declare, of Heaven which is set above them. Had it been -otherwise, you would have seen no Spirit of the Pyramids to-night and -no Queen Nefra ere you departed to-morrow, and thus would have had -your answer which I should have been spared the pain of speaking.” - -“Then Roy and the rest approve, Nefra?” - -“Aye, they approve; indeed, it seems that from the first they hoped -for this and therefore brought us together as much as might be, -because they trust that so Egypt may once more be united and that thus -their policy may prosper through our love.” - -“Much must happen before that can be,” said Khian sadly. - -“I know it, Khian. Great dangers threaten us. Indeed, I think that -they are near. It is for this reason that, playing the part of a -ghost, I have led you to this ancient sepulchre, believed of all to be -haunted by the dead, that you may learn its secret and at need make of -it your hiding place, Khian. Now I will show you the trick of the door -in the casing of the pyramid, revealed to me by right of birth and to -certain others by right of office, for from generation to generation -this secret has descended as an inheritance in the family of the -Captain of the Pyramids who are sworn not to disclose it, even under -torture. Look, Khian.” - -Lifting the lamp Nefra held it above her head and pointed to the end -of the tomb chamber, where by its light he saw a large number of great -jars set against the wall. - -“Those vessels,” she added, “are filled with wine, oil, grain, dried -flesh, corn, and other sorts of food; also, nearer to the entrance, as -I will show you, are more jars of water which from time to time is -renewed, so that here a man, or indeed several men, might live for -months and yet not starve.” - -“The gods defend me from such a fate!” he said, dismayed. - -“Aye, Khian, yet who knows? That jackal is safest which has a hole to -run to when its hunters are afoot.” - -“Sooner would I be killed in the open than go mad here in the darkness -with the dead for fellowship,” he answered doubtfully. - -“Nay, Khian, you must not be killed; now you must live on--for me and -Egypt.” - -She set down the lamp in its place and moved to the foot of the tomb. -He did likewise, so that there they met and stood a little while, -gazing at each other in the midst of a silence that was so deep that -they could hear the beating of their hearts. Speech had left them, as -though they had no more words to say, yet their eyes spoke in a -language of their own. They bent towards each other like wind-swayed -palms, nearer and nearer yet, till of a sudden she lay in his arms and -her lips were pressed upon his own. - -“Beloved,” he said presently, “swear that while I live you will wed no -man but me.” - -She lifted her head from his shoulder and looked at him with her large -and beautiful eyes that were aswim with tears. - -“Is it needful?” she asked in a new voice, a deep, rich voice. “You -have little faith, Khian, and I ask no such oath from you.” - -“Because it would be foolish, Nefra, for who, having loved you, could -turn to others? Yet there are many who will seek the fairest lady on -the earth and Egypt’s Queen. Indeed, has not one sought her already? -Therefore, I pray you, swear.” - -“So be it. I swear by the Spirit that we worship, both of us; I swear -by Egypt which, if Roy be right, we shall rule in the days to come; -and I swear by the bones of my forefather who sleeps within this tomb -that I will wed none but you, Khian. While you live I will be faithful -to you, and if you die then swiftly I will follow you, that what we -have lost on earth, we may find in the Underworld. If I break this, my -oath, then may I become as is he who sleeps beneath my hand to-day,” -and she touched the tomb with her fingers. “Aye, may my name be -blotted from the roll of Egypt’s royal ones and may Set take my spirit -as his slave. Is it enough, O faithless Khian?” - -“Enough and more than enough. Oh! how shall I thank you who have given -life to my heart? How shall I serve you whom I adore?” - -She shook her head, making no answer, but he, loosing her from his -arms, sank to his knees before her. He abased himself as a slave; he -lifted the hem of her robe and kissed it, saying: - -“Queen of my heart and rightful Queen of Egypt, I, Khian, worship you -and do you homage. Whatever I have or may have, I set beneath your -feet, acknowledging your Majesty. Henceforth I, your lover who hope to -be your husband, am the humblest of your subjects.” - -She bent down and raised him. - -“Nay,” she said, smiling, when once more he stood upon his feet, “you -are greater than I and it is the woman who serves the man, not the man -the woman. Well, we will serve each other and thus be equal. But, -Khian, what of Apepi who is your father?” - -“I do not know,” he answered. “Yet, father or not, I pray that he may -not try to come between us.” - -“I pray so also, Khian. To-night is happy, never was there so happy a -night; but to-morrow--oh! what of to-morrow?” - -“It is in the Hands of God, Nefra, therefore let us fear nothing.” - -“Aye, Khian, but often the paths of God are steep and rough, or so my -father and my mother found. Like us they loved each other well, yet -this Apepi was their doom. Come, we must go, for alas! all sweet -things have their end.” - -So once more they clung and kissed, and then hand in hand went down -the darksome ways of that House of Death to the moonlit world without. - -When they had climbed the steep ascent and were come to the mouth of -the passage, Nefra stopped and by the light of the last lamp, for she -had extinguished the others as they went, taught Khian how, by -pressing a certain stone which swung upon a pivot, the place could be -closed at will and, if need were, made fast from within by the aid of -a bar and pins of granite, which the builders of the pyramid had used -to shut out the curious while they went about their work upon the -secret burial chambers at its heart. Also she showed him a great -hanging door of granite that those who brought the Pharaoh to his -burial a thousand years before had forgotten or neglected to let fall -as they departed, leaving him to his eternal rest. - -“See,” she said, “if that wedge of stone were knocked away the great -door would fall. Therefore touch it not, lest we should be shut into -this Pyramid of Ur and lay our bones with those of the mighty Khafra, -its architect. Look, yonder in that niche, where perhaps once stood -the priest or soldier who was guardian of the door, are the jars of -water of which I spoke, and by them oil and lamps and wicks of reed -and fuel and means of raising fire, with other needful things.” - -Having shown him all and made sure that he understood, Nefra quenched -the last lamp and set it in the niche. Then they crept out on to the -side of the pyramid where thrice she made Khian close and open the -swinging stone, until he had mastered the trick of it, after which, -with a wedge of marble that fitted in a socket hollowed to receive it -and yet could be withdrawn in a moment, she made the stone fast, so -that now none could tell it from those around unless they had the -secret and knew in which course of the casing blocks it lay. This -done, they descended to the ground just by a fallen block that marked -where the seeker for the swinging stone must mount. Crossing the -paving that surrounds the pyramid, they reached the temple of the -Worship of Khafra to the east and kept in its shadow lest they should -be seen by some night wanderer. Here, too, they parted with sweet -murmured words of farewell, Nefra taking one path homewards and Khian -another. - -Slowly he made his way through the vast, moonlit wilderness of tombs, -his heart filled with a great joy, for had he not won all that he -desired? Yet with this joy was mingled fear of what the morrow might -bring forth. Then would be handed to him, the ambassador, the written -answer of Nefra to the demand of Apepi, his father, that she should -give herself to him in marriage. Now he knew well what that answer -would be, but what he did not know was how Apepi would receive him -when, as duty demanded, he delivered it to him. There was but one -hope--that he might prove content that his son should wed this queen -without a throne instead of himself, seeing that the reason of such a -marriage was political and nothing else, and he, Khian, was his -father’s heir. Had Apepi seen Nefra, almost certainly things would -befall otherwise, for he knew his father’s nature and that he would -desire to possess himself of beauty such as hers. Happily, however, he -had not seen her and therefore might be content to let her go, who was -naught to him if he could secure her heritage for the House of the -Shepherd kings. - -Yet Khian doubted whether events would thus shape themselves. It well -might be that when he learned, as learn he would certainly through his -spies or otherwise, that his son was betrothed to the high lady whom -he had sought for himself, that he would hold that this son, who was -also his ambassador, had played the traitor to him, which in a sense -was true. If so, he might be very wrath and terrible in his rage, who -was cruel-hearted. Moreover, he might desire vengeance. What -vengeance? Perhaps the death of the traitor, no less, and if still she -would not marry him, the death of Nefra also. For was she not Egypt’s -lawful Queen and, while she lived, could he sit safe upon his stolen -throne? - -As he picked his way among the tombs by the moonlight Khian knew in -his heart that he and Death were face to face. Dark imaginations -possessed him. Almost could he see that grisly shape stalking ahead of -him while, wrapped in the long, hooded cloak that he used as a -disguise, his shadow, cast by the moonlight on the sand, to his sight -took the very shape of Osiris in his mummy wrappings--yes, of Osiris -the god of death. Yet if so, was not Osiris also the god of -resurrection and the king of life eternal? If indeed doom awaited him -and Nefra, at least beyond the grave lay joy and peace for thousands -of thousands of years. - -So Roy taught and so he believed. Still, coming fresh from the lips of -his love, those warm and human lips with her sweet words echoing in -his ears, he shivered at these sad and solemn thoughts. For who could -be sure of what lay over the edge of the world? Oh! who could be quite -sure? - - -Khian came to the private door of the Temple of the Sphinx. As he -approached it, from beneath its arch appeared the gigantic shape of Ru -who looked at him with curious eyes. - -“Have you been seeking the Spirit of the Pyramids, Lord, that you -wander abroad so late?” - -“Who else?” asked Khian. - -“And did you find her, Lord, and look upon her face that men say is so -beautiful?” - -“Yes, Ru, I found her and looked upon her face. Nor does rumour lie as -to her beauty.” - -“And are you already mad, Lord, as they say those become on whom that -Spirit smiles?” - -“Yes, Ru, I am mad--mad with love.” - -“And being mad, Lord, are you prepared to pay the price of her embrace -and to follow her into the Underworld?” - -“If need be, I am prepared, Ru.” - -The giant stood pondering, his eyes fixed upon the sand. At length he -lifted his head, saying: - -“Lord, I am but a fool of a fighting man, yet to us of the Ethiopian -blood foresight comes at times. I tell you because I like you well -that I see it written upon this sand that for your own sake and that -of another, you would be wise this very night to fly fast and far -across the sea to Syria or to Cyprus, or up Nile to the south, and -there lie hid awaiting better days.” - -“I thank you, Ru. But tell me, at the end of that writing on the sand, -do you see the symbol of Osiris?” - -“No, Lord, not that for you or for another. Yet I do see the signs of -blood and many sorrows near at hand.” - -“Blood dries and sorrows pass, Ru,” and leaving the Ethiopian still -staring at the ground, Khian entered the temple and sought his -chamber. - - - - - CHAPTER XIII. - The Messenger from Tanis - -The Council of the Order of the Dawn was summoned to meet early in -the morning on the morrow of that night of full moon when the Prince -Khian, in searching for a spirit, had found a woman and a lover. At -daybreak, those who watched the frontier of the Holy Field had -reported that a messenger had come by boat from King Apepi and waited -in the grove of palms to be escorted under safe-conduct into the -presence of the Council. It was added that when he was asked what had -chanced to the priest Temu who had been sent bearing writings from the -Council to the King of the North at Tanis, this messenger replied that -he had died of sickness at the Court, and therefore could return no -more, or so he had heard. Then it was ordered that the man should be -led before the Council at its meeting, there to deliver his message or -the writings that he bore. - -At the appointed hour Roy the Prophet and all the Council of the Dawn -assembled in the temple hall, whither came also every member of the -Order to hear the answer of Nefra the Queen to the demands of the King -Apepi, and with them Khian under his name and title of Rasa the -Scribe, the envoy from the King of the North. Lastly, royally arrayed -and for the first time wearing the crowns of Upper and Lower Egypt, -appeared Nefra herself attended by the Ethiopian, Ru, for a -body-servant, and the Lady Kemmah, her nurse. She took her seat upon -the throne that was set to receive her, the same throne that she had -filled upon the night of her coronation, whereon the Council and the -company rose and made obeisance to her. - -At this moment it was announced that the messenger from King Apepi -waited without with the letters of the King. It was ordered that he -should be admitted, and he entered, guarded by two priests. - -Khian looked at him as he came up the dusky hall, thinking that he -might know him again as one of the King’s Court at Tanis, and saw a -thickset man of middle height who limped as he walked, and was wrapped -round with shawls that even covered the lower part of his face, as -though to protect himself against the cold of the winter morning. -Suddenly this man’s glance fell upon Khian watching him, whereon he -started and turned his head. Next it fell upon Nefra seated in pomp -and youthful beauty upon the throne and illumined by a ray of light -that struck full upon her through one of the high-placed window -openings of the hall. Again the man started as though in wonder, then -limped on towards the dais. Arriving in front of it he bowed humbly, -drew from his robe a papyrus roll which he laid against his forehead -before handing it to one of the priests who mounted the dais and gave -it to Nefra. She received the writing and passed it on to the Prophet -Roy who sat upon her right hand. - -Having opened and studied it, Roy read the writing aloud. It was short -and ran thus: - - - “From Apepi the Pharaoh to the Council of the Order of the Dawn: - - “I, the Pharaoh, have received your letter, also one from my envoy, - the Scribe Rasa. Your messenger, who gave the name of Temu, reached - this Court sick and after lingering for many days, has died. Yet - before he died he told my officers that the envoy whom I sent to you, - Rasa the Scribe, was dead, having fallen from a pyramid. I demand to - know the circumstances of the death of this scribe, my servant, - holding that he has been murdered among you. - - “Of what is written in your letter I say nothing till I learn the - answer of the Lady Nefra to the offer of marriage with me, the - Pharaoh, which I have made to her, for according to that answer I - shall act. This roll I send by a faithful man but one who, being - humble in his station, knows nothing of the matter with which it - deals, for the reason that I will not trust another of my high - officers among you. Deliver your answer to this man and let him return - at once, for if accident overtakes him also, I, the Pharaoh, shall - smite. - - “Sealed with the seal of Apepi, the good god, Pharaoh of the Upper and - the Lower Lands, and with the seal of his Vizier Anath.” - - -Having read Roy cast down the writing, for his rage was great, and -motioned to the messenger to fall back. This he did readily, as though -afraid, taking his stand among the shadows of the lower part of the -hall where he leaned against a pillar after the fashion of one who is -lame and weary. - -Then Roy spoke, saying: - -“The King Apepi sends us no answer to those things that we wrote to -him, but accuses us of the murder of his envoy, the Scribe Rasa, and -tells us that our messenger Temu is dead of sickness, which we do not -believe, to whom it is given to know if aught of ill befalls one of -our brethren. Be pleased to appear, Scribe Rasa, that this messenger -from King Apepi and all here gathered may see that you are not dead, -but living. Come hither, Scribe Rasa, and take your stand by the -throne that all may behold you.” - -So Khian mounted the dais and stood by the throne, and as he came -Nefra smiled at him, and he smiled at her. Then Roy went on: - -“Queen Nefra, the time has come when you must make answer to the -demand of King Apepi that your Majesty should give yourself to him in -marriage. What say you, Queen Nefra?” - -“Holy Prophet and Council of the Dawn,” answered Nefra in a clear and -quiet voice, “I say that I thank the King Apepi, but that I will not -give myself in marriage to him who brought my father to his death and -by treachery would have taken my mother and myself that he might bring -us also to our deaths. It is enough.” - -“Let the words of her Majesty be written down that she may seal them -with her seal and that certain of us may seal them as witnesses. Let -them be written down forthwith and given to the envoy of King Apepi, -Rasa the Scribe. Also let a copy of them be given to this messenger, -that thus we may be certain that they come to the eyes of King Apepi.” - -It was done, Tau writing them with his own hands, after which they -were sealed, copied, and made fast in rolls. Then Roy commanded that -the messenger of King Apepi should advance and receive the copy. - -But when they searched for him that messenger was gone. During the -long writing and sealings he had slipped away unnoted, telling those -who guarded the door that he had his answer to the message and was -dismissed. There was talk of following him, but Tau said: - -“Let him be. The man grew frightened and ran, thinking that if he -stayed, here he might die, as our brother Temu is said to have died at -Tanis. That he has left the roll matters nothing, since what his ears -have heard his tongue can tell.” - -So that messenger departed and, save Roy, none thought of him more. - - -Khian was summoned to a private chamber, that of Roy. There he found -the prophet himself and with him the lord Tau, some of the elders of -the Council, and Nefra attended by the Lady Kemmah. When he was seated -Roy spoke, saying: - -“Our Queen has told us a story, Prince Khian, for so you are, as we -have known from the first. She says that while wandering among the -tombs last night, as at times it is her fancy to do, she chanced to -meet you, Prince Khian, who were taken with a like desire, and that -you spoke together alone. If so, what did you say to the Queen and -what did she say to you?” - -“Holy Prophet, I said that I loved her and desired to be her husband, -which were the truest words that ever passed my lips,” answered Khian -boldly. “As to what she said to me, let her tell you if she will.” - -Now the blood came to the brow of Nefra, and looking down, she -murmured: - -“I said to the Prince Khian that I gave gift for gift and love for -love, desiring him and no other man to be my lord. Now I pray your -blessing on this choice of mine, my Master in the spirit, and with it -the consent of the Council of the Order to our betrothal.” - -“The blessing you have in full measure, Sister and Queen, and the -consent I think will not be withheld. Know that we have hoped and -prayed that so it would befall, and even made the happening easy, in -the trust that thus, without war or bloodshed, Egypt that is severed -in twain may once more become one land, acknowledging one throne. -Moreover, it seemed to us who have watched you both that you two are -well-fitted to each other, and we believe that you were appointed to -come together. That is our answer.” - -“I thank you, Father,” said Khian, and Nefra also murmured, “I thank -you.” - -“Aye,” went on Roy, “doubtless your hearts thank us in their -happiness, yet, Prince and Queen, there is more to be said. Troubles -are ahead of you and us, nor can you be united until these are -overcome. Apepi threatens us. When he learns that he has been -rejected, he will be very wrath, and when he comes to understand why -and for whom his suit has been refused--and such a matter cannot be -long concealed--what then? Is it still your purpose, Prince Khian, to -bear our written answer which that messenger has left behind him, to -your father, King Apepi, or will you choose to bide on with us, or to -fly the land and hide awhile?” - -Khian thought a little, then replied: - -“Before I knew what fate held in store for me, I accepted this embassy -and, according to custom, swore the envoy’s oath of loyal service, -namely, that I would bear my message and return with its answer, if I -lived, making true report of those to whom it was sent. This oath I -must fulfil or be shamed, and therefore I cannot hide away disguised -here or elsewhere because my task has become dangerous. That I have -adopted the doctrines of the Dawn and am affianced to a certain high -lady are my private matters, or so I hold; but to sail in that ship -which has been summoned from Memphis to await me in the river, and to -deliver your answer to the King Apepi, is my public duty. If ill comes -to me in the performing of that duty, it must be so, but if I left it -unperformed I should be no honest man. I will deliver the letters and, -if need be, tell King Apepi the truth, leaving the end of all to -fortune, or rather to the will of That which we worship.” - -Now Nefra looked at him proudly, while the others murmured: “Well -spoken.” - -“These are high-hearted words,” said Roy, “and they please me, Prince -Khian, who know from them that our Queen has given her love to no base -man. The danger is great and until it be overcome you may not marry -lest your bride should be widowed almost as soon as she was wed. Yet I -believe that it will be overcome and that in the end the Spirit whom -we serve will guide your feet to joy and safety.” - -“May it be so,” said Khian. - -“Hearken both of you,” went on Roy. “I am very old and it is revealed -to me that soon I must pass hence, how as yet I do not know. Yes, I, -the seeker after light, must enter into the darkness where, as I -trust, I shall find light. Prince Khian, you look upon my face for the -last time. All my days I have striven to bring about the unity of -Egypt, without bloodshed if that might be. Now perchance in the -persons of you, Prince and Queen, this unity will be accomplished and -Egypt will be one again, if only for a while. That accomplishment I -shall not live to see, though I trust that in the after days I may -hear of it from your lips elsewhere. Yet being dead I trust also that -my spirit may still guide you both upon the earth although you see it -not. Come hither, Khian, Prince of the North, and Nefra, anointed -Queen of Egypt, that I may bless you.” - -They came and knelt before the ancient priest who already seemed more -a spirit than a man. He laid his thin hands upon their heads and -blessed them in the name of Heaven and in his own, calling down joy -and fruitfulness upon them and consecrating them to the service of -Egypt--of the Order of the Dawn, and of that universal Soul whom they -worshipped. Then suddenly he rose and left them. - -One by one, according to their degree, the members of the Council -followed, and with them went Kemmah and the giant Ru, so that -presently Khian and Nefra found themselves alone. - -“The hour of farewell is at hand,” said Khian sadly. - -“Yes, Beloved,” answered Nefra, “but oh! when and where will come the -hour of re-union?” - -“I do not know, Nefra. None knows, not even Roy, but be brave, for -assuredly it will come. I must go; but now I saw it in your eyes that, -like myself, you thought that I must go.” - -“Yes, Khian, so I thought, and think. Therefore go, and swiftly, -before my heart breaks. Remember all, Khian, and every word that has -passed between us. Now one thing more. I charge you by our love that -whatever you may hear concerning me, even if they tell you that I am -wed elsewhere, or faithless, that you believe nothing, save that while -I live, here or in the Underworld, I am yours and yours alone, and -that rather than pass into the hands of another man I will surely die. -Do you swear this, Khian?” - -“I swear it, Nefra; also that as you are to me, so I will be to you.” - -Then with murmured words of love again they clung and kissed till -soon, at a sign, for she could speak no more, Khian loosed her from -his arms. He loosed her, he bowed to her, and she bowed back to him. -Then he went. At the doorway he turned to look on her. There robed in -the virginal white of the Sisters of the Dawn, wearing no ornament or -mark of rank and yet looking most royal, she stood still as a statue, -gazing after him while one by one the heavy tears welled from her deep -eyes. Another instant and like some gate of doom the door swung to -behind him and she was seen no more. - - -In his chamber Khian found Tau, the second Prophet of the Order, -awaiting him. - -“I come to tell you, Prince, that your ship is ready at the river -bank, to which your goods with the presents sent by King Apepi have -been borne,” he said, adding, “Ru will escort you thither.” - -“Yes, Tau, but who will escort me back?” he asked, sighing heavily. “I -feel like one who has dreamed a very happy dream and awakened to the -world and know it but a dream which will never be fulfilled.” - -“Take courage, Prince, for I hold otherwise. Yet I will not hide from -you that the peril of all of us is great. We learn that Apepi masses -troops, as he says, to protect himself against the Babylonians who -threaten him, but who can be certain? I would that we had questioned -that messenger as was my purpose. But he slipped away while we thought -that he was waiting for our letter.” - -“So would I, Tau, but he is gone and now it is too late.” - -“Prince,” went on Tau in a low voice, “it may be that for a while the -Order of the Dawn, and with it a certain lady, must vanish from Egypt. -Yet if this comes about, do not believe that we are lost or dead who -shall but have gone to seek help, whence as yet I may not reveal even -to you, though perchance you may guess. We hate war and bloodshed, -Prince, but if these are forced upon us, we shall fight, or certainly -I shall fight who in my youth was as you are, a soldier and have -commanded armies. Therefore, remember that while I live and indeed -while a Brother or a Sister of the Dawn lives throughout the world, -and as you saw on the night of the Crowning, they are many, dwelling -in many lands, that lady will not lack a defender or a home. And now, -farewell till perchance in a day to come I see you and that lady wed -and afterwards crowned as King and Queen of the Land of Nile, reigning -from the Cataracts to the sea. Again, Brother, fare you well.” - - -Once more Khian walked across the stretch of desert that lay between -the Sphinx and the palm grove by the bank of the Nile, but this time -his companion was no hooded youth with the voice and the hands of a -woman, but the Ethiopian Ru who, as he went, addressed him in a kind -of soliloquy, after this sort: - -“So, Lord, you really are the Prince Khian, as rumour said and the -Lady Kemmah and I guessed from the first, and now you are affianced to -my Queen, for which I hate you because ever since you came she has -hardly had a look or a word for me. Yet to be honest, as such things -must happen, I would rather it was to you than to any one else, -because you are a soldier and I like you, also a man of courage, as -you showed when you learned to climb those pyramids which I should -never have dared to do. So I shall be glad to serve you when you are -married, though if you do not treat my Queen well, beware of this axe, -for then, if you were fifty Pharaohs and a hundred gods, with it I -would still cleave you to the chin. No doubt you think that you are -very clever to win her love, as certainly you have done, but there you -are mistaken. You did not win her love and she did not win yours. It -was those old priests of the Dawn who arranged everything and by their -magic threw a spell upon both of you because they wished to bring all -this about for purposes of their own. Believe me, that as they have -joined you together, so they can separate you if they choose, and by -their incantations, make you hate each other. Only I don’t think they -will as that would not suit them, and you see you are both of you -members of the Order of the Dawn, and therefore will be supported by -them in all things that you may desire.” - -“I am glad to hear that,” interrupted Khian, when at length Ru paused -to take breath. - -“Yes, yes, Lord, it is a very good thing to be one of the Order, or -even its servant as I am, because then everywhere you have a friend. -Therefore never be afraid, however desperate your case may be, even if -the hangman is putting his rope about your neck; for certainly Roy, or -another far away, will utter one of the spells, or speak a word of -power, and someone will appear to help you. That is why I am quite -sure that in the end you will marry my Queen if both of you continue -to want each other, and that all of us will escape from the jaws of -that roaring lion, your father the King Apepi, although he does think -that he has our heads in his mouth.” - -“How will you all escape, Ru?” - -“Why, Lord, by finding friends who are stronger than Apepi. There is -the King of Babylon, for instance, our Lady’s grandfather who can put -two spearmen in the field for every one of Apepi’s, to say nothing of -a multitude of chariots drawn by horses, which Apepi has not got. The -Order has plenty of brothers at the Court of the King of Babylon; some -of them were here on the night of the Crowning, and I know that -messages have been going to them almost every day. Never mind how they -went--that’s a secret. I should not wonder if we went, too, before -long, and then perhaps I may see some more fighting before I grow too -old and fat to use my axe. As you are affianced to our Queen, I do not -mind talking of these things to you.” - -“No, of course you don’t,” answered Khian. - -“Talking of messages reminds me of messengers,” went on Ru, “or rather -of one messenger. I mean that fellow who came from Apepi this morning -and slipped away afterwards, which he would never have done had I been -guarding him instead of those silly priests.” - -“What of him?” asked Khian. - -“Oh! only that he was a queer sort of fellow, and more, I think, than -he seemed to be. Did you see his eye, Lord? It was like that of a -hawk, very proud, too, such an eye as a great noble might have, and -when he heard the Queen’s answer, it grew full of rage and all his -body shook beneath those shawls. More--there were other strange -things. Thus, when he came to the hall he limped as though he were -very lame, but some people who were working in the fields told me that -they saw him running down to the Nile like a hunted jackal. - -“Now how can a lame man run like a jackal? Also I hear that when he -came to the boat which was waiting for him, those who were in the boat -or watching on the shore, prostrated themselves as though he were some -Great One, but he leapt aboard and cursed them, calling them -slaves--as a Great One does. That is why I think he was more than he -seemed to be, just like yourself, Lord, who were announced as the -Scribe Rasa and yet are really the Prince Khian. But here we are at -the palm grove where more than a month ago I stole your baggage while -you were asleep, as the Queen, who was only a princess then, put it -into my head to do, for from childhood she has loved such jests. And -look, there is your ship, the same that brought you hither, and there -are the priests with your packages.” - -“Yes, Ru, there they all are who I wish were somewhere else. And now -here is a present for you, Ru, a chain of fine gold that I have worn -myself. Keep it in memory of me and hang it about your neck when you -attend upon the Queen, that it may make her think of one who is -absent.” - -“I thank you, Lord, though it seems that you seek to kill two birds -with this stone of a gift, which I may show but may not sell. Well, -lovers will think of themselves first, and I hope that one day if we -should stand together in war---- Why, look! Here comes the Lady -Kemmah, walking faster than I have seen her do for years. I think she -must have some words for you.” - -As he spoke Kemmah arrived. - -“So I have caught you, Prince,” she said, puffing. “A pretty task for -an old woman to toil across that sand in the heat like a cow after a -lost calf, just to please a maiden’s fancy.” - -“What is it, Kemmah?” asked Khian anxiously. - -“Oh! little enough. To give you this which a certain one might as well -have done herself, had she thought of it, and to pray you to wear it -always for her sake, remembering that thereby she acknowledges you as -her king as well as her lover, which of course she has no right to do, -any more than she has a right to send you what she does. I told her so -but she flew into a rage and said that if I would not take it, she -would bring it herself as she could trust it to no one else. A pretty -sight indeed that a Queen should be seen tearing across the desert -after a departing scribe, for so the common people still believe you -to be. Therefore come I must or bear her wrath.” - -“I understand, Lady Kemmah, but what do you bring? You have given me -nothing save words.” - -“Have I not? Well, here it is,” and she produced from her robe some -small object wrapped in papyrus on which was written, “The gift of a -Queen to her King and Lover.” - -Khian undid the papyrus. There within lay the royal signet of Nefra, -the same which he had seen set upon her hand on the night of -Coronation. - -“This is the Queen’s ring,” said Khian, astonished. - -“Aye, Prince, and the King her father’s ring before her, that which -was taken from his finger by the embalmers after the battle, and his -father’s before him, and so on back and back for ages. Look, on it is -cut the name of Khafra whose tomb I think you saw the other night, -though if he ever wore it I cannot tell. At least it has descended -through countless generations from Pharaoh to Pharaoh, and now it -seems must pass as a love gift to one who is not Pharaoh but yet is -charged to wear it as though he were.” - -“As perchance he may be yet, by right of another, Lady Kemmah, though -the matter does not trouble him overmuch,” answered Khian, smiling. - -Then he took the ancient hallowed thing and, having touched it with -his lips, set it on a finger of his right hand that it fitted well, -removing thence, to make place for it, another ring on which was -engraved a crowned and lion-headed sphinx, the symbol of his house. - -“A gift for a gift,” he said. “Take this to the Lady Nefra and bid her -wear it in token that all I have is hers, as I will wear that she -sends to me. Say to her also that on the day when we are wed each -shall return to the other that ring which belonged to each and with it -all of which it is the symbol.” - -So Kemmah took the ring and as she hid it away there came that Captain -of the Guard who had accompanied him from Tanis. - -“Welcome, my Lord Rasa, who I rejoice to see have not fallen a victim -to the Spirit of the Pyramids of which we talked when we parted here -some five and thirty days ago, or was it more? for time passes quickly -in yonder gay city of Memphis. You seem to have found strange company -in this holy haunted land,” and he glanced with awe at the ebon form -of the giant Ru who stood by leaning on his great axe, and at the -white-veiled, stately Lady Kemmah who stood near him. “You look thin -and changed, too, as though you had been keeping company with ghosts. -Well, the steersman says that if you are ready, my Lord Rasa, he -desires to sail before the wind changes, or because the sailors are -afraid of this place, or for both reasons. So if it pleases you, -come.” - -“I am ready,” answered Khian, and while Kemmah bowed to him and Ru -saluted him with the axe in farewell, he turned and went to the river -bank where the sailors bore him through the shallow water to the ship. -Presently he was far out upon the Nile, watching the palm-grove, where -first he had met Nefra, fade in the gathering gloom. Still there he -sat upon the deck till the great moon rose shining upon the pyramids, -and thinking of all the wondrous things that had befallen him in their -shadow, until these at last grew dim and vanished, leaving him -wondering, like one who awakens from a dream. - - - - - CHAPTER XIV. - The Sentence of Pharaoh - -Khian came to Tanis safely, landing at dawn. Having reached the -palace, he went to his private chambers and, putting off his scribe’s -attire, clothed himself in the robes of his rank. As soon as men began -to stir he reported his arrival through an officer to the Vizier, and -waited. - -From the window-place of his chamber he saw that troops were moving on -the plain beneath, also that many vessels flying the royal banner were -unmooring from the quays and sailing away up Nile. While he marvelled -what this might mean, the cunning-faced old Vizier, Anath, came and -welcomed him with bows. - -“Greeting, Prince,” he said. “I rejoice to see that you have -accomplished your mission in safety, for know that here we heard that -you were dead by a fall from a pyramid, which we took to mean that you -had been murdered by those strange zealots of the Dawn.” - -“I know that story, Anath, for it was written in a letter which was -brought by a messenger from my father, whereon I stepped forward to -show myself alive and well, though it is true that I did fall from a -pyramid and was senseless a while. Has that messenger returned? He -fled away suddenly before I could have speech with him.” - -“I do not know, Prince,” answered Anath. “The man has not been -reported to me, but I have only just risen and he may have come in the -night.” - -“I hope he has, Anath,” said Khian, laughing, “seeing that although he -did not wait for the writing which I bear, he had news that I fear -will scarcely please my father who I prefer should learn it from him, -not from me.” - -“Is it so, Prince?” asked Anath, eyeing him curiously. “Already there -has come news from these people of the Dawn, enough and more than -enough to make His Majesty very wrath, and should it be added to by -other tidings of the same sort, I think he will be mad with rage. -Would it please you to tell me this news?” - -“I think not, Anath, although you are his Vizier and the holder of his -secrets, as you know, Pharaoh my father is strange-tempered and might -take it ill if I reveal to any one what I am charged to deliver to -himself.” - -Anath bowed and answered: - -“As to the temper of his Majesty, you are right, Prince, for since you -went away it has been terrible. Would that some evil god had never -moved me to put a certain thought into his mind: would that we had -never heard of the Order of the Dawn. Because of that thought and them -he has even threatened me with the loss of my office, though he knows -well that if I were driven from it, evil would come to himself, seeing -that for years I have been the shield that has turned arrows from his -head and by my foresight have saved him from conspiracies.” - -“I know that this is so,” said Khian. - -Anath thought a little while, then went on in a low voice: - -“Prince, even Pharaohs fall or die at last. The dust awaits their -crowns, the grave their greatness. Prince, I have watched you from a -child and made a study of your heart, which I know to be honest and -true. Now I will ask you a question, promising to believe your answer -as though it were that of a god. Are you friendly towards me and if a -time should come when you sit where another sits to-day, would you -continue me in my offices, especially in that of Vizier of the North? -Weigh the matter and tell me, Prince.” - -Khian reflected for a moment, then answered: - -“I think that I would, Anath; indeed I am sure that I would.” - -“And of the South also if that great land should chance to be added to -your heritage?” - -“Yes, I suppose so, Anath, though here another--I mean others--might -claim a voice. Why not? If you have watched me, I have watched you, -and forgive me if I say I know your faults, namely, that you are -cunning and a great seeker after wealth and power. But I know also -that you are faithful to those you serve and to your friends, and in -your own way the cleverest man in Egypt, also the most far-seeing, as -you showed when you schemed that Pharaoh should wed the Princess of -the South, though that plan has bred more trouble than you know. So -there you have my answer and, as you said, I am not one who breaks his -word.” - -Anath took the Prince’s hand and kissed it, saying: - -“I thank you, Prince.” Then he paused and added: “The day when you are -Pharaoh of the North and South I may remind you of these words which -from your lips are a decree that may not be broken.” - -“What does all this mean, Anath?” asked Khian impatiently. “You are -not making me party to some plot against my father, are you?” - -“By all the gods of the Shepherds and the Egyptians, no, Prince. Yet -hearken. I have noted that if he is crossed in his will, his Majesty -of late goes mad, and those who go mad seek ruin, especially if they -be kings. Moreover, he is very rash and the rash fall into pits from -which other men escape. Also in his body he is not as strong as he -thinks and rage sometimes stops the heart. If Pharaoh’s heart stops, -what is Pharaoh?” - -“A good god!” replied Khian, laughing. - -“Yes, but one who attends no more to the affairs of earth. A month or -so gone your father asked your consent to his disinheritance of you -and you gave it without a thought. Perchance since then, Prince, you -may have found reason to change your mind upon this matter.” - -Here he glanced at Khian shrewdly and went on: “But whether you have -changed it or not, know that heirs apparent cannot be so lightly -dispossessed of their acknowledged rights.” - -“You seemed to agree at the time, Anath; indeed you did more: it was -you who set afoot that new scheme of a certain marriage.” - -“The rush bends before the wind, Prince, and as to this marriage, -perchance I wished to save the People of the Dawn, of whose doctrines -I think well, or perchance I wished to save Egypt from another war, or -both. The one thing that I did not wish to do was to hurt you, Prince. -And yet this came about, and now that knot must be undone.” - -“Yes, Anath, it came about, or seemed to, for which the gods be -thanked, since otherwise I should never have been sent upon a certain -mission and certain things would never have happened to me which have -made me the happiest man in all the world. I will tell you of them -afterwards, perhaps--if I dare. Meanwhile, when will my father receive -me? Also, why are those troops gathered yonder and whither do the -ships sail up Nile? Is it to make another war upon the South?” - -“His Majesty has been upon some pilgrimage of his own, Prince, as he -said to make a sacrifice in the desert after the custom of our -forefathers, the old Shepherds. He only returned thence last night, so -weary or so angered about I know not what that he would not receive -me. I believe that he still sleeps but there will be a Court before -noon, at which you must appear. As for the soldiers and the ships----” - -At this moment there rose a cry without. - -“A messenger from Pharaoh!” said the cry. “A messenger from Pharaoh to -the Prince Khian. Way for the messenger of Pharaoh!” - -The doors burst open, the curtains were torn apart, and there entered -one of Apepi’s heralds clad in his livery and wearing a sheepskin on -his back, after the ancient fashion of the shepherds. He sprang -forward and, prostrating himself before the Prince, said: - -“Having heard that your Highness has returned to Tanis Pharaoh Apepi -summons you to his presence in the Hall of Audience instantly, -instantly, instantly! O Prince Khian. And you also He summons, O -Vizier Anath. Come, come, come, O High Prince, and O great Vizier.” - -“It seems that my father is in a hurry.” - -“Yes,” answered Anath, “in such a hurry that we had best not keep him -waiting. Afterwards we will talk again, Prince. Herald, lead on.” - -So they followed the man down the passages and across the courtyard to -the door of the Hall of Audience through which were speeding sundry of -the counsellors and nobles who were called “The King’s Companions,” -and as it seemed, also had been summoned hastily. At the end of the -hall, seated in a chair of state and surrounded by priests, scribes, -and a guard of soldiers, was Apepi. Glancing at him, Khian noted that -he seemed to be weary and dishevelled in his dress, for he wore no -crown, while in place of the royal mantle and apron of ceremony, a -coloured shawl was thrown round him which reminded Khian of something, -though at the moment he could not remember what it was. Moreover, his -face seemed drawn and thin and his eyes were very fierce. - -Khian advanced up the hall and, after uttering the customary -salutation, prostrated himself before the King, while having made -obeisance, Anath the Vizier took his place on the left of the throne. - -“Rise,” said Apepi, “and tell me, Prince Khian, how it comes about -that you whom I sent upon a certain embassy did not report your return -to me.” - -“Pharaoh and Father,” answered Khian, “I disembarked at dawn and at -once, according to custom, caused the Vizier to be informed of my -arrival. The Vizier Anath rose from his sleep and visited me. He told -me that your Majesty was still resting on your bed after some journey -that you had made.” - -“It matters not what he told you, and is the Vizier Pharaoh that you -should report yourself to him and not to me, so that I must learn of -your coming from the Captain of the Guard, whom I sent with you? -Surely you lack respect and he takes too much upon himself. Well, what -of your mission to those People of the Dawn? Have you made report of -that also to the Vizier? Know that I thought you dead, as my messenger -may have told you yonder at the pyramids. Should you not therefore -have hastened to advise me that you still lived? Is it thus that a son -should treat his father or a subject his king?” - -Once more Khian began to explain but Apepi cut him short. - -“I received the letter from the Council of the Dawn, an insolent -letter giving me back threat for threat, and with it another from -yourself, Khian, saying that you had seen this Nefra at some ceremony -when and where she purported to be crowned as Queen of Egypt. But I -have received no answer to my question as to whether this lady accepts -or refuses my offer of marriage. Do you bring that answer, Khian?” - -“I do,” answered Khian, and drawing out the roll he handed it to the -Vizier who on bended knee passed it on to the King. - -Apepi undid the writing and read it through carelessly, like to one -who already knew what was written there. As he read his brow grew -black and his eyes flashed. - -“Hearken,” he said. “This mock queen refuses to be my wife, as she -says because years ago her father Kheperra was killed in battle with -my armies. Yes, that is what she says. Now, Khian, do you who have -dwelt all this while among the People of the Dawn tell me of her real -reasons.” - -“How am I to know a woman’s reasons in such a matter, your Majesty?” - -“In sundry ways, I think, Khian, otherwise you are but a poor envoy. -Yet before you search your mind for them, stretch out your right -hand.” - -Thinking that he was about to be asked to take some oath, Khian -obeyed. Apepi stared at it, then once more stared at the letter and -asked in a quiet voice: - -“How comes it, Khian, that you wear upon your hand, where I remember -used to be a certain ring that I gave to you engraved with the symbol -of our House and your titles as Prince of Egypt, another ring, an -ancient ring inscribed with the name of Khafra, Royal Son of the Sun, -who once a thousand years ago was Pharaoh of Egypt? And how does it -chance that this letter of refusal is sealed with that same ring by -Nefra who describes herself as Queen of Egypt?” - -Now all present stared at Khian, while for a moment a little smile -flickered on the withered face of the Vizier Anath. - -“It was a parting gift to me,” said Khian, looking down. - -“Oh! So this puppet queen makes a parting gift of her royal ring to -you, my envoy. And did you perchance make a parting gift to her of the -ring of the heir apparent to the Crown of the North?” - -Apepi paused, watching Khian, but he made no answer. - -Then the King his father went on in a low, roaring voice like to that -of an angry lion: - -“Now I understand all. Know, Son, that _I_ was that messenger who -visited the habitations of the Brethren of the Dawn some few days ago. -Yes, since he could trust no one else, not even his own son, Pharaoh -himself filled that humble office and came for his own answer. See, do -you know him now?” and rising from the throne with a quick motion he -wound the coloured Bedouin shawl about him so that it hid his face up -to the eyes, and limped forward a few paces. - -“Yes,” answered Khian, “and, my Father, the disguise is as excellent -as the plan was bold, for had you but known it, you ran a great risk -among people who are worshippers of truth and look for it in others.” - -Apepi returned to his throne and spoke again in the same roaring -voice: - -“Aye, I ran a risk because I, too, love truth and desired to know what -was passing yonder by the pyramids, also to behold this daughter of -Kheperra with my own eyes. So I came and saw that she is very fair and -royal, such a one as I desire above all women for my queen. Other -things I saw also, among them that again and again she looked sweetly -at one clad in the white robe of a Brother of the Dawn, one who -presently I discovered to be no other than yourself, my envoy that I -believed was dead. Moreover, I heard from a fisherman that there were -strange sayings in those parts: namely, that the ‘Daughter of the -Dawn’ had promised herself to the Son of the Sun and that the Spirit -of the Pyramids had been unveiled by a man, of which sayings he swore -he did not know the meaning, though now to me it is clear enough. Tell -me, therefore, Khian, who come from the Home of Truth, first--are you -wed or affianced to the Princess Nefra, daughter of Kheperra whose -ring you wear upon your hand? and secondly, are you sworn a Brother of -the Dawn?” - -Now his courage came back to Khian and, looking his father in the -eyes, he answered boldly: - -“Why should I hide from your Majesty that I am betrothed to the royal -lady, Nefra, whom I love and who loves me, also that after thought and -study I have adopted the pure doctrines of the Dawn and am sworn of -its holy Brotherhood?” - -“Why, indeed,” asked Apepi with bitter irony, “seeing that these -things have been discovered before it pleased you to announce them. -So, my son Khian, you whom I sent as my ambassador to ask a wife for -me, have stolen that wife for your own, and you whom I set to watch my -enemies, have adopted their doctrines and been sworn of their secret -fellowship. Why have you done these things? I will tell you. You have -broken your trust and robbed me of the woman because, did I marry her, -her son might thrust you from your heirship, whereas, if you marry -her, you keep it, as you think, and add to it whatever claims this -princess may have on the throne of Egypt. It is clever, Khian, very -clever.” - -“I became affianced to the Lady Nefra because we love each other and -for no other reason,” answered the Prince hotly. - -“If so, Khian, your love and your advantage go hand in hand, as do her -love and her advantage, wherein I think I see the cunning of that old -prophet, Roy. For the rest, you swear yourself of this Order because -you believe it to be powerful, having friends in many lands, and think -that by their help in days to come you will buttress up your throne or -win mine from me. Khian, I say that you are a thief, a liar, and a -traitor, and that as such I will deal with you.” - -“Your Majesty knows well that I am none of these. In order to bring -about a certain alliance, your Majesty was pleased to reduce me from -my rank of heir apparent to that of a private person and as such to -send me on an embassy. As envoy I did my duty, but those to whom I was -sent would not listen to your Majesty’s proposal which I could not -help. Afterwards, as a private person I chanced to become attached to -a certain lady who, if I had not lived, for reasons of her own would -never have listened to the offer of your Majesty. That is all the -tale.” - -“That perhaps we shall know when you have ceased to live, Khian. Learn -now how I will deal with these tomb rats of the pyramids who have -defied and insulted me. I will send an army--already it is on its -road--to knock them on the head, all of them. Only one will I -spare--the Lady Nefra; not because she is born of a royal House, but -because I have looked upon her and seen that she is beautiful, for, -Khian, you are not the only man who can worship beauty. Therefore I -will bring her here and make her mine, and for a marriage gift I will -give her your head, Khian; yes, you, the traitor, shall die before her -eyes.” - -Now when they heard this decree the high officers who were named -Companions of the King stared at each other dismayed, for never before -had such a thing been told of, as that a Pharaoh of Egypt should kill -his own son because both of them loved the same woman. Even Anath the -Vizier started and paled; yet all that came from his lips was the -ancient salutation: - -“Life! Health! Strength! Pharaoh’s word is spoken, let Pharaoh’s will -be done!” - -As this hideous sentence fell upon his ears and a vision of all it -meant rose before his eyes, for a moment Khian felt his heart stop and -his knees tremble beneath him. He saw his Brethren of the Dawn -slaughtered and lying in their blood wherever they were trapped in -their hiding places. He saw the giant Nubian, Ru, overcome at last and -falling dead upon a mat of foes that he had slain. He saw the Lady -Kemmah butchered and Nefra seized and dragged a prisoner to Tanis, -there to be wed by force to a man she loathed. He saw himself led out -to death before her eyes and his gory head laid at her feet as an -offering. All these things and others he saw with the eye of his mind -and was afraid. - -Yet of a sudden that fear passed. It was as though a spirit spoke to -his soul, the spirit of Roy, or so he thought, because for an instant -he seemed to appear before him seated where Apepi sat, venerable, -calm, and holy. Then he was gone, and with him went the terrors of -Khian. Moreover, now he knew what to answer; the words welled up -within him like water welling in a spring. - -“Pharaoh and my Father,” he said in a bold, clear voice, “speak not so -madly, for I say that you cannot do these things which you have -decreed. Did not the Prophet of the Dawn repeat to you in his letter -his answer to your threat? Did he not say that he had no fear of you -and that should you attempt harm against the Brotherhood, every stone -of the pyramids would lie lighter on your head than will the curse of -Heaven which you would earn as a butcher and one forsworn? Did he not -tell you that the Order of the Dawn marshalled hosts unseen and that -with it goes the Strength of God? If not, I, your son, who am to-day a -Brother of the Dawn and its consecrated priest, deliver to you this, -his message. Try to do the wickedness that you have decreed, O -Pharaoh, and speaking with the voice of the Order of the Dawn, as I am -taught by the Spirit which it worships, I warn you that you will draw -down upon yourself disaster and death on earth, and after you have -left the earth, woe untold in the Underworld. Thus say I, speaking not -with my own voice but with that of the Spirit within me.” - -When Apepi heard these dreadful words, he bowed his head and with -trembling hands drew the coloured robe more tightly about him, like to -one who in the midst of great heat is struck suddenly by a blast of -icy wind. Then again his rage possessed him and he answered: - -“Now, Khian, I am minded to send you, the traitor, to your gods, your -king, your father, and your blood, down to that Underworld of which -you speak, there to discover whether this wizard Roy is or is not a -liar. Yes, I am minded to do this instantly here in the presence of -the Court. And yet I will not, since to you I appoint a punishment -more worthy of your crime. You shall live to see your fellow knaves -dead, every one of them; to see this maiden whom you have beguiled, -not yours but mine. Then, Khian, you shall die and not before.” - -“Pharaoh has spoken, and I, an ordained Brother and Priest of the -Order of the Dawn, have spoken also,” answered Khian in the same clear -and quiet voice. “Now let the Spirit judge between us and show to all -who have heard our words, and to the whole world, in which of us -shines the light of Truth.” - -Thus said Khian, then bowed to Apepi and was silent. - -Pharaoh stared at him awhile, for he was amazed, wondering whence came -the strength that gave his son power to utter such words upon the edge -of doom. Then he turned to Anath and said: - -“Vizier, take this evildoer who is no longer Prince of the North or -son of mine, and make him fast in the dungeons of the palace. Let him -be well fed that life may remain in him till all things are -accomplished.” - -Anath prostrated himself, rose, and clapped his hands. There appeared -soldiers. Khian was set in the midst of them and led away, Anath -walking before them. - - - - - CHAPTER XV. - Brother Temu - -Through long passages and down flights of steps, at the head of -which stood guards, the melancholy procession descended almost to the -foundations of the vast building of the palace. As they went Khian -remembered that, when he was a child, some captain of the guard had -led him by this path to certain cells where, through a grating in the -door, he had looked upon three men who were condemned to die upon the -morrow for the crime of having conspired to murder Pharaoh. These men, -whom he expected to see groaning and in tears, he recalled, were -talking together cheerfully, because, they said, for he heard it -through the grating, their troubles would soon be over and either they -would be justified in the Underworld or fast asleep for ever. - -The three of them took different views upon this matter; one of them -believed in the Underworld and redemption through Osiris, one rejected -the gods as fables and expected nothing save eternal sleep, while the -third held that he would be re-born upon the earth and rewarded for -all he had endured by a new and happier life. - -The next day Khian heard that all three of them had been hanged and -awhile after he learned from his friend, the captain of the guard, -that they had been proved to be innocent of the offence with which -they were charged. It seemed that a woman of the House of Pharaoh, -having been rejected by one of them, had avenged herself by a false -accusation and for certain reasons had denounced two other men, whom -she hated, as partners in a plot against Pharaoh. Afterwards, when at -the point of death from a sudden sickness, she had revealed all, -though this did not help her victims who were already dead. - -The sight of these men and the learning of their story, Khian -recollected as once more he trod those gloomy stairs, had bred in his -mind doubts as to the gods which the Shepherds worshipped and of the -justice decreed by kings and governors, with the result that in the -end he turned his back upon his people’s faith and became one of those -who desired to reform the world and to replace that which is bad if -ancient, by that which is good if new. So indeed he had remained until -fate brought him to the Temple of the Dawn, where he found all he -sought, a pure faith in which he could believe and doctrines of peace, -mercy, and justice such as he desired. - -Now, as innocent as those forgotten men, he, the proud Prince of the -North, disgraced and doomed, was about to be cast into the same prison -that had hid their sufferings and those of a thousand others before -and after them. He recalled it all--the stone-vaulted place lit only -by a high-set grating of bronze to which none could climb because of -the curve of the walls; the paved floor damp from the overflowings of -the Nile which, in seasons of flood, rose high above the foundations -of the palace; the stools and table, also of stone; the bronze rings -to which the officer had told him prisoners were tied if they became -violent or went mad; the damp heaps of straw whereon they slept, and -the worn skin rugs that they used for covering against the cold; yes, -even the places where each of the three victims lay or stood and the -very aspect of their faces, especially that of the young and comely -man upon whom the rejected woman had avenged herself. Though to this -hour it had never been re-visited by him, his mind pictured that -horrid hole with all its details. - -Now they had trodden the last flight. There was the massive door and -in it the grating through which he had looked and listened. The bolts -were drawn by the jailer who had joined them; it opened. There were -the table and the stone stools, the rings of bronze, the coarse -earthenware vessels, and the rest. Only the men were gone--of these -nothing remained. - -Khian entered the dreadful place. At a sign from Anath the guards -saluted and withdrew, looking with pity at the young prince under whom -they had served in war and who was beloved of all of them. Anath -lingered to give certain instructions to the jailer, then as they were -both departing he turned back and inquired of the Prince what garments -he required to be sent to him. - -“I think such as are thick and warm, Vizier,” replied Khian, shivering -as the damp cold of the dungeon got a hold of him. - -“They shall be sent to your Highness,” said Anath. “May your Highness -forgive me who must fill this sorry office towards you.” - -“I forgive you as I forgive all men, Vizier. When hope is dead, -forgiveness is easy.” - -Anath glanced behind him and saw that the jailer was standing at a -distance from the door with his back towards them. Then he bowed -deeply as though in farewell, so that his lips came close to the ear -of Khian. - -“Hope is _not_ dead,” he whispered. “Trust to me, I will save you if I -can.” - -Next moment he, too, was gone and the massive door had shut, leaving -Khian alone. He sat himself down upon one of the stools, placing it so -that the faint light from the grating fell upon him. Awhile later, he -did not know how long, the door opened again and the jailer appeared -accompanied by another man who brought garments, among them a dark, -hooded cloak lined with black sheepskin; also food and wine. Khian -thanked him and put on the cloak gratefully, for the cold of the place -was biting, noting as he did so that it was not one of his own, which -made him wonder; also, that in such a cloak a man might go anywhere -and remain unknown. - -The jailer set out the food upon the table and prayed his prisoner to -eat, addressing him as Prince. - -“That title belongs to me no more, Friend.” - -“Oh, yes! your Highness,” replied the man kindly. “Trouble comes to -all at times but it cannot change the blood in the veins.” - -“No, Friend, but it can empty the veins of the blood.” - -“The gods forbid!” said the jailer, shuddering, from which Khian -learned that he had rightly named him friend, and again thanked him. - -“It is I who should thank your Highness. Your Highness has forgotten -that when my wife and child were sick in the season of fever three -years ago, you yourself visited them in the servants’ huts and brought -them medicines and other things.” - -“I think I remember,” said Khian, “though I am not sure for I have -visited so many sick, who, had I not been what I am, or rather was, -would, I think, have turned physician.” - -“Yes, your Highness, and the sick do not forget, nor do those to whom -they are dear. I am charged to tell you that you will not be left -alone in this place, lest your mind should fail and you should go mad, -as many here have done before you.” - -“What! is another unfortunate to be sent to join me, Friend?” - -“Yes, but one whose company it is believed will please you. Now I must -go,” and he departed before Khian could ask him when this other -prisoner would come. After the door had shut behind him Khian ate and -drank heartily enough, for he was starving, having touched no food -since the afternoon before upon the ship which brought him to Tanis. - -When he had finished his meal he fell to thinking and his thoughts -were sad enough, for it was evident that it was in his father’s mind -utterly to destroy the Brotherhood of the Dawn and to drag Nefra away -to be made his wife by violence, for, having by evil fortune looked -upon her beauty, nothing now would turn him from his purpose of making -her his own. This, however, Khian knew would never happen, for the -reason that first Nefra would choose to die. Therefore it would seem -that both of them were doomed to death. Oh! if only he could warn them -by throwing his spirit afar, as it was said that Roy and some of the -higher members of the Order had the power to do. Indeed, had he not -felt the thought of Roy strike upon him that morning when he stood -before Pharaoh in the hall of audience? He would try, who had been -taught the secrets of the “Sending of the Soul” as it was called, -though he had never practised them before. - -Try he did according to the appointed form and with the appointed -prayers as well as he could remember them, saying: - -“Hear me, Holy Father. Danger threatens the Queen and all of you. Hide -or fly, for I am in the toils and cannot help you.” - -Again and again he said it in his heart, fixing the eyes of his mind -upon Roy and Nefra till he grew faint with the soul struggle and even -in that bitter place the sweat burst out upon him. Then of a sudden a -strange calm fell on him to whom it seemed that these arrows of -thought had found their mark, yes, that his warnings had been heard -and understood. - -An utter weariness fell upon him and he slept. - -He must have slept for long, for when he woke all light had faded from -the grating and he knew that it was night. - -The door opened and through it came the jailer bearing more food, -quantities of food, and bringing with him another man clothed like -Khian himself in a dark, hooded cloak. The stranger bowed and without -speaking took his stand in a corner of the cell. - -“Behold your servant, Prince, who is appointed to wait upon you. You -will find him a good man and true,” said the jailer. Then he removed -the broken meats and went, having first lit lamps which he left -burning in the prison. - -Khian looked at the meats and wine; then he looked at the hooded -figure in the corner and said: - -“Will you not eat, my brother in misfortune?” - -The man threw back his hood: - -“Surely,” said Khian, “I have seen that face before.” - -The man made a certain sign, which, by habit as it were, Khian -answered. The man made more signs and Khian answered them all, then -uttered a secret sentence which the man, speaking for the first time, -completed with another sentence still more secret. - -“Will you not eat, Priest of the Dawn?” he asked again meaningly. - -“In hope of the Food Eternal I eat bread. In hope of the Water of Life -I drink wine,” replied the man. - -Then Khian was sure, for in these very words those of the Order of the -Dawn were accustomed to consecrate their meat. - -“Who are you, Brother?” he asked. - -“I am Temu, a priest of the Order of the Dawn whom you saw but once in -the Temple of the Sphinx, Scribe Rasa, when you came thither on a -certain embassy, though then I did not know that you were sworn of the -Brotherhood, Scribe Rasa, if that indeed be your name.” - -“It is not my name and at that time I was not sworn of the -Brotherhood, Priest Temu, who, I think, are the messenger sent by the -holy Roy with letters for Apepi, King of the North. We heard that you -were dead of sickness, Priest Temu.” - -“Nay, Brother, it pleased Apepi to keep me prisoner, that is all. Had -I died, my spirit, as it departed, would have whispered in the ear of -Roy.” - -“I remember now that so the Prophet said. But how come you here, and -why?” - -“I come because I am sent to help another in distress, by some Great -One who visited me in my prison. He gave no name, or if he did I have -forgotten it, as we of the Order forget many things. Nor did he tell -me whom I was to help, yet I can guess, as we of the Order guess many -things. I see that you wear a royal ring, Scribe Rasa. It is enough.” - -“Quite enough, Priest Temu. But tell me, why were you sent to me? In -such a hole as this even a Pharaoh would need no servant.” - -“No, Brother, yet he might need a companion and--a deliverer.” - -“Very much indeed, both of them, especially the last. But, Temu, how -could even Roy himself open that door or break through these walls?” - -“Quite easily, Scribe Rasa, by means of which we know nothing, and if -only we have faith perhaps I can do the same, though not so easily and -in another fashion. Hearken. During the many days I have spent in -prison, bettering my soul with prayers and meditations, from time to -time I have given instructions to that humble man who is our jailer, -setting his feet in the way of truth. Thus in the end he has become -well affected to those who profess our faith, to which I have promised -that he shall be gathered in days to come. In reward he has imparted a -certain secret to me which, as neither he nor any other will visit -this place again to-night, I will now show to you, Brother Rasa. Help -me, if it pleases you, to move this table.” - -With difficulty it was dragged aside, for it was of massive stone. -Then Temu took from his robe a piece of papyrus on which were marks -and lines. By aid of these he made certain measurements and at length -in the roughly paved floor found a stone for which he seemed to have -been searching. At this stone he pushed from left to right, for there -was a roughness on it against which he could rest the palm of his -hand, thereby, it would appear, loosing some spring or bolt. Suddenly -a section of the floor, a pace wide or more, tilted up, revealing a -shaft cut in the rock, of which the bottom could not be seen, and -against its side, also cut from the rock, stone bars set at intervals -one above the other, down which it would be possible for an active man -to climb. - -“Is it a well?” asked Khian. - -“Aye, Brother, a well of death, or so I think, though perhaps of that -we shall learn more later. At least all is as the Great One whose face -was veiled, told me, for it was he who gave me the plan and bade me -trust the jailer and do as he instructed me.” - -“And what is that, Temu?” - -“Descend by this ladder, Brother, until at the foot of it we come to a -tunnel; then follow the tunnel until it ends in what seems to be the -mouth of a drain in the stone embankment of the river. Beneath this -hole or drain-mouth a boat should be waiting, and in it a fisherman -following his trade by night when the largest fish are caught. Into -that boat we must enter and be gone swiftly before it is discovered -that this place is empty.” - -“Do we fly at once?” asked Khian. - -“No, Brother, not for another hour, for so I was instructed; why I do -not know. Help me now to close the trap, but not quite lest the spring -should refuse to work again, and to replace the table over it exactly -as it stood before. Who knows that some officer or spy might not be -moved to pay us a visit, although the jailer said that none would -come.” - -“Aye, who knows, Temu?” - -So they closed the trap, setting a piece of reed from a food basket -between its edges so that it did not shut altogether, and dragged back -the table to its place. Then they sat down to eat. Scarcely had they -done so when Temu pressed Khian’s foot and looked towards the door. - -He looked also and, though he heard nothing, saw, or thought that he -saw, a white face and two glowing eyes set against the grating and -watching them, a sight that made his blood turn cold. In an instant it -was gone again. - -“Was it a man?” whispered Khian. - -“A man, or perchance a ghost, Brother, for I heard no footfall, and of -such this place may well be a home.” - -Then he rose, and taking a linen cloth that had been laid over the -food, he thrust it into the grating. - -“Is that not dangerous?” asked Khian. - -“Aye, Brother, but to be watched is more dangerous.” - -To Khian it seemed as though that hour would never end. Moment by -moment he feared lest the door would open and all be discovered. Yet -no one came, and indeed they never learned whether they had seen a -face at the grating or whether its appearance was but a trick of their -minds. - -“Whither would you fly, Brother?” asked Temu. - -“Up Nile,” whispered Khian, “to warn our brethren who are in great -danger.” - -“I felt it,” said Temu. Then he rose and packed the most of the food, -of which, as has been said, there was much more than they could eat, -into two of the baskets wherein it had been brought which were made of -reeds and had handles that could be slipped on to the arm. - -“It is time to go, Brother. Faith, have faith!” said Temu. - -They rose and for a moment stood still to put up a prayer to the -Spirit they worshipped for help and guidance, as was the custom of -their Brotherhood before they entered on any undertaking. - -“I will go first, Brother, carrying one of the lamps in my teeth--the -second we must leave burning--and one basket on my arm. Do you follow -with the other.” - -Then he stepped to the door, pulled out the food-cloth from the -grating, and having listened awhile, returned, and taking the smaller -of the lamps, set its flat handle between his teeth. Next he crawled -beneath the table, pushed upon the stone so that it tilted up and -stood edge in air, climbed through the hole on to the stone ladder, -and began to descend. Khian followed. As it chanced when he had taken -some three steps down the ladder, the peaked hood of his cloak touched -the stone, disturbing its balance. Instantly it swung to, releasing -the spring or catch, so that now there was no hope of return, since -this could not be opened from beneath. Even then the purpose of this -trap came into Khian’s mind. When it was desired to destroy some -unhappy captive, unknown to him the spring or bolt was set back. Then -shortly, as the doomed one tramped that gloomy cave he would tread -upon the swinging stone and vanish into the gulf beneath, for when -this was purposed doubtless the heavy table stood elsewhere. Or if his -secret end was desired very swiftly, jailers would hurl him down the -pit. Khian shuddered as he thought of it, remembering that this fate -might well have been his own. Down, down he climbed, the feeble little -lamp which Temu carried in his teeth lighting his way. It seemed a -long journey, for the pit was deep, but at length Temu called to him -that he had reached its bottom. Presently he was at his side perched -upon a white and moving pile that crackled beneath his feet. He looked -down and by the lamplight perceived that they stood upon a pyramid of -bones, the bones of the victims who in past days had fallen or been -cast down the shaft. Moreover, some of them had fallen not so very -long before, as his senses told him, which caused him to remember -certain friends of his own who had incurred the wrath of Pharaoh and, -as it was said, were vanished. Now he guessed to what land they had -been banished. - -“Lead on, Temu,” he said. “I choke and grow faint.” - -Temu obeyed, turning to the right as he had been told that he must do, -and holding the lamp near the ground lest there should be pitfalls in -the path, which ran down a tunnel so low and narrow that they must -walk it doubled up with their shoulders brushing against its walls. -For forty or fifty paces they followed this winding burrow, till at -length Temu whispered that he saw light ahead, whereon Khian answered -that it would be well to extinguish the lamp lest it should betray -them. This was done, and creeping forward cautiously for another ten -or twelve paces, they came at last to an opening in the great -embankment wall built of granite blocks, upon which the palace stood, -so small an opening that few would notice it in the roughness of the -blocks, and, twice the height of a man beneath them, saw the waters of -the Nile gleaming blackly in the starlight. - -They thrust their heads out of the hole and looked down, also to right -and left. - -“Here is the river,” said Khian, “but I see no boat.” - -“As all the rest of the tale has proved true, Brother, doubtless the -boat will appear also. Faith, have faith!” answered Temu to whom the -gods had given a trusting soul, and when they had waited half an hour -or more, he repeated his words. - -“I hope so,” answered Khian, “since otherwise we must swim before dawn -and hereabout are many crocodiles that feed upon the refuse from the -palace.” - -As he spoke they heard the sound of oars and in the deep shadow of the -wall saw a small masted boat creeping towards them. This boat came to -a halt beneath their hole. There was a man in it who threw out a -fishing line, looked upwards and whistled very softly. Temu whistled -back, whereon the man began to hum a tune, such as fishers use, then -at the end of it sang softly: - -“_Leap into my boat, O Fish._” - -Khian scrambled out of the hole and climbed down the surface of the -rough wall, which, being accustomed to such work, was easy to him, and -presently was safe in the boat. Temu, having first thrown the lamp -into the Nile lest it should be found in the tunnel, followed after -him, but more awkwardly; indeed, had not Khian caught him he would -have fallen into the river. - -“Help me to hoist the sail. The wind blows strongly from the north, -therefore you must fly southwards; there is no choice,” said the man. - -As he obeyed, Khian saw his face. It was that of the jailer himself. - -“Be swift,” he went on. “I see lights moving; perhaps the dungeon has -been found empty. Many spies are about.” - -Then Khian bethought him of the glowing eyes he had seen at the -grating. - -With an oar the jailer pushed the boat away from the wall; the wind -caught the sail and it began to move through the water, so that -presently they were in the middle of the Nile and gliding up it -swiftly. - -“Do you come with us?” asked Khian. - -“Nay, Prince, I have my wife and child to mind.” - -“The gods reward you,” said Khian. - -“I am already rewarded, Prince. Know that for this night’s work I have -earned more than I have done in ten long years--never mind who paid. -Fear not for me who have a sure hiding place, though it is not one -that you could share.” - -As he spoke, with the oar he steered the boat near to the farther -shore of the river, where at this spot were hundreds of mean -dwellings. - -“Now go your ways and may your Spirit be your guide,” said the jailer. -“There is fishing gear in the boat, also you will find such garments -as men use who live by it. Put them on ere dawn, by which time with -this wind you should be far away from Tanis, for she sails swiftly. -Farewell and pray to your gods for me as I will pray for you. Prince, -take the steering oar and stand out into the middle of the river where -in this stormy night you will not be seen.” - -As he spoke the man slipped over the stern of the boat. For a moment -they saw his head a dark blot on the water, then he vanished. - -“At last I have found one who is good and honest, although of an evil -trade,” said Khian. - - - - - CHAPTER XVI. - The Passing of Roy - -All that night Khian and Temu sailed on, for the north wind held -strong and steady, and by daybreak were many leagues from Tanis. Once -they saw lights upon the water behind, such as might have been borne -by following boats, but soon these vanished. At daybreak they found -the fisher’s clothes of which the jailer had told them, and put them -on, so that for the rest of that journey all who saw them believed -them to be two fishermen plying their trade; such men as were to be -found by hundreds on the Nile, taking their catch to market, or having -sold it, returning to their homes in some distant village. Thus it -came about that, Khian being accustomed to the handling of boats, they -accomplished their journey safely, though during the second night a -number of great ships passed them going down Nile. - -Catching sight of these ships they lowered their sail and rowed -inshore where they hid among some reeds in shallow water until they -were gone by, a whole fleet of them. What these might be they could -not discern because of the darkness, but from the lanterns at their -prow and stern, the words of command that reached them, and the -singing of those on board Khian thought they must be war vessels full -of soldiers, though whence such came he did not know. Only he -remembered what he had heard at Apepi’s Court and that on his return -to Tanis he had seen armed vessels sailing up Nile, and remembering, -grew afraid. - -“What do you fear, Brother Rasa?” asked Temu, reading his mind. - -“I fear lest we should be too late to give a certain warning, Temu. -Oh! let us play no more with words. I, whom you call the Scribe Rasa, -am Khian, once Prince of the North, the affianced of Queen Nefra, whom -my father Apepi would seize to be his wife. When he discovered that I, -his envoy, had become his rival, the King imprisoned and would have -killed me, and that is why we came together in yonder darksome vault.” - -“All this I have guessed, Prince and Brother, but what now?” - -“Now, Temu, I would warn the Queen and our brethren of the dangers -that threaten them; namely, that Apepi would steal her and kill out -the rest of the Order to the last man and woman, for so he has sworn -to me that he will do.” - -“I think that there is no need to take them that message, Prince,” -answered Temu lightly, “since Roy would learn such tidings quicker -than men could carry it. Still, let us go on, for God is with us -always. Faith, have faith!” - -So they sailed forward and shortly after daylight saw the pyramids and -at last came to the strand that was near to the palm grove where first -Khian had met Nefra disguised as a messenger. - -Here they hid away their boat as best they could and wearing the long -cloaks that had been given to them in the prison, beneath which were -swords that they had found in the boat, set there doubtless for their -use, made their way across the sand to the Sphinx, and thence to the -temple, meeting no man. Indeed, they noted that those who cultivated -the fertile belt of land were not to be seen and that the crops were -trodden down by men and wandering beasts. Filled with fear they -entered the temple by the secret way they knew and crept down its -passages into the great hall where Nefra had been crowned. It was -silent and empty, or so they thought at first, till suddenly, far away -at the end of the hall Khian perceived a white-robed figure seated in -the throne-like chair upon the dais, behind which stood the ancient -statue of Osiris, god of the dead. They advanced swiftly. Now they -were near and Khian saw that it was the figure of Roy or--the ghost of -Roy. There he sat in his priestly robes, down which flowed his long -white beard, his head bent upon his breast, as though he slept. - -“Awake, holy Prophet,” said Khian, but Roy did not stir or answer. - -Then they went to him, trembling, climbed the dais, and looked into -his face. - -Roy was dead. They could see no wound on him, but without doubt he was -dead and cold. - -“The holy Prophet has been taken away,” said Khian hoarsely, “though I -think that his spirit remains with us. Let us search for the others.” - -They searched but could find no one. They went into the chamber of -Nefra. It was undisturbed but she was gone; even her garments were -gone, and so it was with all the others. - -“Let us go out,” said Khian; “perchance they are hidden in the tombs.” - -They left the temple and wandered far and wide, but all was silence -and desolation. They looked for footprints, but if there were any, the -strong north wind had covered them up with sand. At length in the -shadow of the second pyramid they sat down in despair. Roy was dead -and the rest were gone, Khian could guess why. But whither had they -gone? Were they perchance on board those ships which had passed them -in the night? Or were they slain? If so, how came it that they had -seen no bodies or signs of slaughter? So they asked of themselves and -each other, but found no answer. - -“What shall we do, Prince?” asked Temu. “Doubtless all will be well in -the end. Still, our food and water are almost gone, nor can we stay -here without shelter.” - -“Hide in the temple, I think, Temu, at least for the coming night. -Listen. I am sure that the Brotherhood of the Dawn have fled, being -warned that Apepi was about to fall upon them.” - -“Yes, but whither?” - -“To seek the aid of the King of Babylon. The Lord Tau hinted to me, as -did the giant Ru, that if it were needful they might go thither, and -this doubtless they have done. If so we must follow them, though -without guides and beasts to carry food and water, the journey is -desperate.” - -“Fear not, Prince,” answered Temu the hopeful. “Faith, have faith! We -of the Brotherhood are never deserted in our need. Were we deserted in -the prison of Tanis, or on our journey up the Nile? And shall we be -deserted though we travel from one end of the world to the other? I -tell you nay. I tell you that always we shall find friends, since in -every tribe there are Brothers of the Dawn to whom we can make -ourselves known by signs, which friends will give us all they have, -food and beasts of burden and whatever is needful, passing us on to -others. Moreover, I have about me a great sum in gold. It was given to -me by that high One whose face was veiled, he who visited me in my -cell at Tanis and sent me to join you. Yes, and when he gave me the -gold and the jewels, for there are jewels also, he said with meaning -that I and another of my fellowship might be called upon to journey -into far lands, and that if this were so, the treasure would be needed -for our sustenance till we found shelter far from the wrath of a -certain king.” - -Now as he listened the heart of Khian grew bold again, for it seemed -to him as though this happy-minded Temu had been sent to him as a very -messenger from heaven, which indeed perhaps he was, after a fashion. - -“I find your fellowship good in trouble, Temu,” he said, “though I -know not whence you win such calm and strength of soul.” - -“I win it from faith, Prince, as you will do also when you have been -longer of our Brotherhood. Since Apepi seized me yonder at Tanis and -threw me into prison, not once have I been afraid, nor am I now. Never -yet have I known harm to come to a Brother of the Dawn going about his -duty. The prophet Roy is dead, it is true, but that is because his -time had come to die, or perhaps he who was too old to travel chose to -withdraw himself from the world. But his mantle has fallen upon Tau -and others, and with us will go his spirit, and who shall stand -against the freed spirit of the holy prophet Roy who walks with God -to-day?” - -Then, having determined that they could do nothing more that day, for -they were weary and first must rest, also get food if they could from -the stores that were hidden away by the Order in case of trouble, of -which Temu knew the secret, they set out to return to the Temple of -the Sphinx where the dead Roy still ruled as he had done when he was -alive. At the edge of the great rock platform upon which was built the -Pyramid of Khafra, Khian halted suddenly, for in the midst of the deep -silence of the tomb he thought that he heard voices. Whilst he was -wondering whence they came, from behind a little neighbouring pyramid -that marked the grave of some king’s son or princess appeared a Negro -running with his head bent down and his eyes fixed upon the ground, as -do black people when they track game. - -“They have gone this way, both of them, Captain,” he called out, “and -not an hour ago.” - -Then Khian understood that the man was following the footsteps of Temu -and himself, who indeed had come round that same little pyramid. -Whilst he stood wondering what to do, for this discovery seemed to -freeze his blood, round the corner of the small pyramid came a whole -company of men who by their dress and arms he knew to be soldiers of -Pharaoh’s guard, forty or fifty of them. - -“We have been followed up Nile; they are hunting us, Prince. Now we -must escape from them, or we shall be killed,” said Temu calmly. - -As he spoke the black tracker caught sight of them and pointed them -out with his spear, whereon the whole company broke into a run, -uttering shouts like hunters when at last they view their game. - -Then in his extremity a memory came to Khian. - -“Follow me, Temu,” he said, and turning, fled back towards the Pyramid -of Khafra, though to do so he must pass even closer to the pursuers. - -Temu saw this and stared, then muttering, “Faith! Have faith!” bounded -after him. - -For a moment the soldiers halted, thinking that they were coming to -surrender, but when they saw the pair speed past them they began to -run again. Khian, followed by the long-legged Temu, sped along the -south face of the great pile and, as their pursuers reached it from -the west, were just seen turning the corner of the east face. So -swiftly did Khian and Temu run that when the soldiers reached this -east face they lost sight of them, who already were speeding along the -north face, and not knowing which way they had gone, waited till the -tracker came up to guide them by his art. - -Meanwhile Khian, rushing along the north face, sought with his eyes -for that fallen block of stone which marked where it must be mounted. -There were many such blocks, but at last he saw this one and knew it -again. Calling to Temu to keep close, he began to scale the pyramid, -which to him was easy. - -“Ye gods! am I a goat?” gasped Temu. “Well, faith, faith!” and up he -went as best he could. Once he would have fallen, but Khian, glancing -back, saw and caught him by the hair. - -Which was the course of stones? He had found no time to count them as -he climbed and each was like to the other. He thought that he must -have over-shot it and stopped, trying to remember all that Nefra had -told and shown him. Whilst he stood thus, suddenly as though by magic -a great block of marble stirred and swung round in front of him, -revealing the mouth of the passage beyond, in which he saw a light -burning. Not staying to think how this marvel came about, he leapt -into the hole dragging Temu after him, for now the tracker had rounded -the corner and, though still far away, had caught sight of them on the -side of the pyramid, though this afterwards the soldiers would not -believe. Therefore, guessing by the shouting of the man that they had -been seen, in went Khian, though to what fate he did not know, since -he could not guess how the swinging block had opened of itself and -feared some snare. - -Scarcely had they passed the stone when it closed as swiftly and -silently as it had opened, and he heard the clank of the bar. Then -panting he turned to look about him and by the faint light of the lamp -that was far off, perceived a figure standing in the mouth of the -recess which Nefra had shown him was used as a storehouse. The figure -came forward, bowing. - -“Welcome, Lord,” it said. “Wonderful is the wisdom of the Prophets of -the Dawn, for they warned me that you might return here thus about -this time, and therefore I kept good watch.” - -Now as his eyes grew accustomed to the light Khian knew the man again -to be no other than that sheik who had taught him to climb the -pyramids and was called their Captain. - -“How could you watch through a stone wall, Friend?” he asked, amazed. - -“Oh! easily enough, Lord. Come here and I will show you. Now lie down -on the floor and look through that hole, or if you would see higher -up, through that one.” - -Khian obeyed and perceived that the holes were tubes which ran -slantwise to the face of the pyramid, so cunningly contrived that a -watcher within could see what was passing at its base, or if he used -others, farther away. Thus Khian saw the soldiers arrive panting and -the black tracker with many wavings of his arms, explaining to them -that the fugitives had run up the pyramid. This tale seemed to make -their captain angry--for clearly he believed it to be a lie--so angry -that he struck the tracker with the handle of his spear, whereon the -man grew sullen, as negroes do who are beaten unjustly, and throwing -himself on to the sand would say no more. After this the soldiers -began to search for themselves. Some of them even began to climb the -side of the pyramid, till one of them rolled down and hurt himself and -was carried away groaning. Then others of them went on and vanished, -to hunt among the tombs beyond, or so Khian supposed. But the Captain -and some officers sat down on the sand at the base and took counsel -together, for they were bewildered. So they remained till nightfall -when they lit a fire and camped there. - -Having seen these things, or certain of them, Khian bade the sheik -tell him what had become of the Brotherhood of the Dawn and why he was -here alone inside the pyramid. - -“Lord, this is the story,” answered the man. “Some hours after you had -sailed away down Nile, bearing letters for the King of the North, news -reached the Council of the Dawn. Whence or how it came I do not know -who am not in their secrets; a spy may have brought it or it may have -been revealed from Heaven, I cannot say. At least this happened: all -of the Brotherhood were gathered together; then the women and children -and some men who were too old to travel far were sent away across the -desert southwards in the direction of the other pyramids where is the -burial-place of the Apis bulls, though whether they were to stay there -or go further I did not hear. At least they departed quietly that very -night, and next morning had vanished, doubtless to seek shelter with -friends of the Order in some appointed place where they will be safe.” - -“But what happened to the Lady Nefra and the rest, Captain?” - -“Lord, all that night they made preparations, and the next morning -before the dawn they started eastwards, bearing with them tents and -much provision laden upon asses. Also they took a mummy case from the -burial vault, which I understood contained the embalmed body of that -queen who was the mother of our Lady Nefra. Only one remained behind, -save myself, and that was the holy prophet Roy.” - -“Why did you not go also, Sheik?” - -“For two reasons, Lord. First because the Captain of the Pyramids is -sworn, whatever chances, never to leave them. Here my forefathers have -lived and died for countless generations, and here my descendants will -live and die till the sun ceases to rise or the pyramids crumble into -dust. This is promised to our race so long as we guard them and keep -our trust, but if we break it, then it is promised that our family -will die out.” - -“You give a good reason for staying where you are, though in danger -and loneliness, Sheik.” - -“Yes, Lord, and there is a second, just as good. Before she went the -Lady Nefra sent for me and, speaking as Queen, laid her commands upon -me. These were that I should forthwith see to it that the tomb chamber -in this Pyramid of Ur, of which like her I had the secret, was full -provisioned with food, fresh water, wine, oil, means of making fire, -and all other needful things. That this done, I should take up my -abode here and watch all that passed, and if you came, for, Lord, she -seemed to be sure that you would come, that I should hide you in the -pyramid and tend you there, thus protecting you from all foes. -Moreover, she commanded me, as also did the Lord Tau, to tell you that -she with all the Brotherhood had fled to Babylon, there to seek the -aid of her grandsire, the great King Ditanah, who it seems still lives -and had sent messengers to greet her as Queen of Egypt and, if need -were, to guide her and all her company to Babylon where, it is -believed, he will give her a great army to make war upon Apepi and to -establish her upon the throne of Egypt. She said also that I was to -bid you, so soon as you could escape, to fly to Babylon where you -would find shelter from the wrath of Apepi.” - -“I thank the Queen for her messages and forethought,” said Khian, -“though how she learned that I was fated to revisit this place, I -cannot guess.” - -“I think that the holy prophet Roy knew and told her, Lord, for to him -at the last the future seemed to be as open as the present, the only -difference being that he saw the one with the eyes of his soul and the -other with the eyes of his body.” - -“Mayhap, Sheik. But how comes it that Roy sits dead in the temple -hall? Do you know aught of his end?” - -“Lord, I know everything. I was present when, after the departure of -the aged, the women, and the children, the Prophet summoned all the -Order before him in the great hall, and with them Nefra the Queen and -the Lord Tau. There he addressed them in wonderful words, telling them -that they must make the journey to Babylon without him as now he was -too old to travel. They answered that they would bear him with them in -a litter; but he shook his head, saying: - -“‘Not so, the time has come for me to die to this world and to pass to -another whence I will watch over you and where I will await you all -when your hours are fulfilled. Here, then, I bide till I am called -away.’ - -“Then while they wept he called Tau to him and, causing him to kneel, -with secret and mystical words ordained him to be Prophet of the Order -of the Dawn after him, giving him authority over the bodies and souls -of men, after which he breathed upon and kissed him. Next he summoned -our Lady Nefra, the Queen, and bade her be of a good heart, since it -was given to him to know that all things should befall according to -her desire, and that, however great his dangers, he whom she loved -would be protected and brought back to her at last. Then he kissed and -blessed her also, and after her he blessed all the Order, those of the -Council by name, charging them to guard its secrets and to keep its -doctrines to which they were sworn, pure and undefiled. Moreover, -should they shed blood in pursuit of its righteous aims and in defence -of their Queen and sister, he absolved them of its guilt, saying that -sometimes war was necessary to peace, but that when war was ended, -they must show mercy and become poor and humble as before. After this -he dismissed them, nor would he speak with any of them again, save to -give Tau a writing for the King of Babylon, and another writing -addressed to all the members of the Order throughout the world.” - -“And what happened then, Sheik?” - -“Then, Lord, they bent the knee to him one by one and went away, who -by dawn were marching for Babylon. When all had gone Roy looked up -and, perceiving me left alone, asked why I was not with them. I told -him what I have told you, and he said that it was well and that I must -tend him till his death. After this he left the throne and laid him -down in a chamber near at hand, and there I visited him night and -morning, for all the day I was busy preparing this place to which I -carried food and water and the rest from the temple stores and, lest I -should be seen, hid them here in the hours of darkness. I think it was -on the fourth afternoon from the departure of the Brotherhood that, -all my tasks being finished, I went to the holy Prophet to give him -water to drink, for now he would touch no food. He drank and commanded -me to help him to rise and to array him in all his priestly garments. -Then at his bidding I led him to the hall and sat him down on the -throne with his rod of office in his hand. - -“‘Hearken,’ he said to me. ‘Our foes come, thinking to destroy us -according to the command of Apepi. I see them landing on the shore; I -see the shining of their spears. Man and brother, hide you there and -watch, knowing that no harm shall come to you, and afterwards go do as -you were bidden.’ Now, as the Brother Temu will know if you do not, -Lord, all the temple yonder is full of places where only fire or -hammers could find a man, into the secrets of which we of the Order -have been instructed in case of need. To one of these I went and hid -myself, but a little way from the platform on which Roy sat, nor would -any have guessed that the calm statue of an ancient god held a living -man who could see all through its hollow eyes of stone. - -“A while went by, perhaps an hour, for when I came into the temple the -sun was still high, but now its beams, striking through the western -window-place, began to fall upon Roy and the throne upon which he sat, -in shafts of light that clothed him in a robe of flame. Suddenly the -silence was broken by sounds that grew ever nearer, sounds of running -feet, sounds of rude voices shouting. - -“‘Here is the path,’ they shouted. ‘Here is the nest of the white rats -of the Dawn, who soon shall be red. Now let us see if their spells can -turn Pharaoh’s spears.’ - -“Roaring such words as these, a mob of soldiers burst into the hall -through the great entrance, glittering with armour and with lifted -swords. The silence of the ancient place seemed to strike and chill -them, for their tumult ceased, and after a pause they came on slowly, -clinging together like bees. Then it was, Lord, that the red rays of -the westering sun fell full upon Roy, revealing him seated, -white-robed, upon the throne, his golden-headed staff held like a -sceptre in his hand. They stared, they halted. - -“‘It is a spirit!’ cried one. - -“‘Nay, it is the god Osiris holding the Rod of Power,’ answered -another. - -“The officers consulted together doubtfully, till some captain who was -bolder than the rest said: - -“‘Shall we be frightened by magic tricks? Let us look.’ - -“He marched up the hall followed by others, and halted in front of the -platform. - -“‘This old god is dead,’ he cried. ‘Do you fear a dead god, Comrades?’ - -“Now Roy spoke in a hollow echoing voice, saying: - -“‘What is life and what is death? And how know you the difference -between a dead and a living god, O Violator of Sanctuaries?’ - -“The officer heard and fell back, but made no answer, for he was -afraid. - -“‘What seek you in this holy place, O men of blood, and who sent you -here?’ went on Roy. - -“Then the officer found courage to answer. - -“‘Apepi the Pharaoh, whose servants we are, sent us, and our mission -is to capture Nefra, the daughter of Kheperra, once King of the South, -and to put to the sword the company of the Priests of the Dawn.’ - -“‘Capture Nefra, the anointed Queen of the Two Lands, if you can find -her, Man, and put the priests of the Order of the Dawn to the sword, -if you can find them. Search the tombs and search the desert, and when -you find them put them to the sword, and bear back the heads of the -dead to Apepi, the Shepherd dog whom you call a king, and with them -the living beauty of Nefra, her Majesty of Egypt.’ - -“They made no answer and Roy went on: - -“‘Search, search, to find naught but wind and sand. Search till the -Sword of God falls upon you, as fall it will.’ - -“Now, Lord, it would seem as though that officer drew courage out of -the depths of his terrors, for he shouted back: - -“‘At least, old Prophet, you are neither God nor his Sword, and for -you there is no need to search. You we will take to Pharaoh Apepi, -that, yet living, he may hang you as a cheat and a wizard above the -gates of Tanis.’ - -“Now Roy arose from his throne and, terrible to behold, stood in the -fierce light of the setting sun. Slowly he raised his wand and pointed -with it at that officer, saying in a cold, clear voice: - -“‘Prophet you name me, and now at the last, if never before, Prophet I -am. Hearken, Man, and bear back my words to your master, the Shepherd -thief Apepi, and lay them to your own heart. It is you and not I who -shall hang from the pylon gate of Tanis. Yea, I see you swinging in -the wind, you who have suffered that flock to escape on which the -Shepherd dog would feed, and must feel his rage, as this Apepi must -feel the wrath of God. Say to him from Roy, the Prophet of the Order -of the Dawn, that death draws near to him, the breaker of oaths, the -seeker of innocent blood, and that soon he shall talk with Roy, not at -Tanis but before the Judgment seat in the Underworld. Say to him that -his armies shall go down before the sword of the Avenger as corn is -reaped by the sickle, and that one whom he would murder shall sit upon -his throne and cherish her whom he desired. Say to him that when he -stood here in this hall disguised as a messenger, I knew him well, but -spared him because his time was not yet and because the humble -Brethren of the Dawn, unlike to the King of the Shepherd pack, -remember the duties of hospitality and do not seek to stain their -hands with the blood of envoys. Say to him, the oath-breaker who would -practise treachery, that he shall drink of the cup of treachery and -that from the evil he has sown others shall reap the harvest of -righteousness and peace.’ - -“Thus, Lord, spoke Roy and sank back upon the throne. - -“‘Seize him!’ shouted the officer. ‘Beat him with rods; torment him -till he tells us where he has hidden the royal Nefra, for ill will be -our welcome at Tanis if we return without her upon whom the King has -set his heart.’ - -“Now, Lord, very slowly some of the soldiers crept forward, two paces -forward and one back, for they were much afraid. At length they came -to the platform and climbed it. The first of them, not touching him, -stared into the face of the holy Roy, then reeled back, crying: - -“‘He is dead! This Prophet is dead; his jaw has fallen!’ - -“‘Aye,’ answered one in the hall, ‘but his curse lives on. Woe! woe to -Apepi and woe to us who serve him! Woe! Woe!’ - -“While the cry still echoed from the walls, of a sudden the sun sank -and the hall grew dark. Then, Lord, there arose another cry of ‘Flee! -Flee swiftly ere the curse strikes us in this haunted place.’ - -“Lord, they turned, they fled. The narrow passages were choked with -them. Some fell and were trampled of their fellows, for I heard their -groans, but these they dragged away, dead or living, I know not which. -Presently all were gone. I crept from my hiding place, I lifted the -hand of the holy Roy. It grew cold and, when I loosed it, fell -heavily; I listened at his heart; it did not beat. Then I followed the -soldiers, and hiding as I know how to do, saw them embark upon their -ships, fighting in their mad haste, and push out into the Nile -although a great wind blew. When I came again at dawn they were all -gone, only I think that some boat had been overturned, for on the -shore were three bodies which I thrust back into the water. - -“Such, Lord, was the end of Roy our Master, who now sleeps in the -bosom of Osiris.” - -“A strange tale and a terrible,” said Khian. - -“Aye,” broke in Temu, “but one in which I see the hand of Heaven. But -if such is the beginning, Prince, what of the end? Ill for Apepi, I -think, and for those who cling to him. Faith! Have faith!” - - - - - CHAPTER XVII. - The Fate of the Cliff-Climbers - -That night, Khian, Temu, and the Sheik of the Pyramids, after they -had eaten and drunk, laid themselves down to sleep in the burial -chamber of the Pharaoh Khafra, Khian lying on one side of his -sarcophagus, Temu on the other, and the Sheik, who said that he would -not profane the sacred place with his humble presence, just outside -the doorway. But as Khian discovered that night, often enough it is -one thing to lie down and another to sleep. - -Sleep, indeed, he could not. Perchance he was overweary, who had -rested little for many nights, for on the boat he had laboured hard -and scarcely dared to shut his eyes. Perchance all the dangers that he -had passed, all that he had suffered, seen, and heard, so filled his -mind that it would not cease from troubling. Perchance the hot, still -air of the tomb lying at the heart of a mountain of stone oppressed -him and took away his breath. - -Or there may have been other reasons. Within the great chest against -which he lay, silent and stern, reposed the bones of a Pharaoh, the -builder of this pyramid, who had been mighty in the world uncounted -years before, but of whom now there remained no history and nothing -upon earth, save those bones, the pyramid, and, in the temple without, -certain statues portraying his royal presence. Such a one as this was -no good bedfellow, thought Khian, especially for a man who, as -suddenly he remembered, wore to-day the very ring with which, ages -past, that departed monarch had sealed his documents of state. - -Khian wondered in his wakefulness whether the _Ka_ or Double of this -Pharaoh, which, as was well known, or so swore all the priests and -learned men, dwelt with his body in the tomb till the hour of -resurrection, was now looking at that ring and wondering how it came -to be on this stranger’s hand. As he remembered, already it had -brought him trouble, since through it his father, Apepi, with all the -cunning of the jealous, had guessed that he and Nefra were lovers, and -thereon cast him into prison. He had escaped from that prison to find -another, but if this was to be shared with the _Ka_ of the mighty -Khafra, the second would be no better than the first, for who could -deceive a _Ka_? Had he thought of the matter, which in his folly he -did not, he might have hidden the ring from Apepi, but where was the -pouch that would hide it from the eyes of a _Ka_? Perhaps, however, -Khafra had given the ring to him who came after him, from whom it had -descended generation by generation, until it came to his hand lawfully -enough, in which case the _Ka_ might pardon him who wore it to-day. - -Oh! his brain grew weak and foolish; he would think no more of _Kas_ -and rings; he would think of that sweet and lovely lady with whom he -had plighted troth in this very sepulchre. Where was she now, he -wondered, and when should he find her again? The Sheik said that -almost with his last breath Roy had prophesied that they would come -together once more, which were comfortable words. Yet Roy might have -meant that this would chance in another world since to Roy, especially -at the last, there seemed to be little difference between the live and -the dead. But he, Khian, desired the breathing woman, not her ghost, -for who knew how shadows loved, if indeed they loved at all? How -wondrous was the tale of this death of Roy, hurling curses with his -last strength upon Apepi and those who violated the sanctuary of the -Brethren of the Dawn and strove to steal away their sister and their -Queen. He thanked the gods that Roy had not cursed him in such -fashion. Nay, he had blessed him, and Nefra also. Therefore, surely, -they would be blessed, for he was holy, a minister of Heaven who knew -its mind. - -Even in that dread habitation and surrounded by so many perils, he -would remember that Roy had blessed them, and that his spirit, -purified eternally, was watching him, stronger than the _Ka_ of Khafra -or than any evil ghost or demon that makes its home in tombs. Yes, -comforted by that blessing he would cease to stare at the wavering -shadow that the lamplight threw upon the arched roof, and sleep. - -Sleep he did at last, though fitfully and haunted by bad dreams, for -that place was foul-aired, till at length he was awakened by the sound -of Temu, who stirred upon the farther side of the tomb and yawned -loudly. - -“Arise, Prince,” said Temu, “for though one would not guess it here, -it must be day.” - -“What is day to those who live in the eternal blackness of a pyramid -as though already they were dead?” asked Khian gloomily. - -“Oh! a great deal,” replied Temu cheerfully, “because one knows that -the sun is shining without. Also darkness has its comforts; thus in -it, having nothing else to do, one can pray longer and with a mind -more fixed.” - -“But that the sun is shining on others does not comfort me in a -stifling gloom, Temu, and I can pray best when I see the heaven above -me.” - -“As doubtless you will soon again, Prince, for be sure that by now, -having lost us, those soldiers have departed to report to his Majesty -that we have melted away like spirits.” - -“In which case his Majesty will make _them_ into spirits, Temu, that -they may search for us elsewhere. Certainly, wherever those soldiers -go, it will not be back to Tanis unless they take us with them. Think -now. We have escaped from Pharaoh’s strongest dungeon which none has -ever done before. The Queen Nefra and all our brethren, save Roy who -chose to stay behind to die, have escaped his army. What would his -mood be, then, towards those who reported to him that they had tracked -and hunted us, only at the last to let us slip through their fingers? -No, Temu, unless we accompany them, I think that they will not return -to Tanis.” - -At this moment the Sheik appeared bearing a lamp. - -“Have the soldiers gone?” asked Temu. - -“Come and see,” said the Sheik, and turning, led them down the -passages. “Now look,” he added, pointing to the eyeholes. - -Khian looked, and when his sight grew accustomed to the bright light -that flowed from without, perceived the soldiers, fifty or more of -them, engaged in building themselves huts or shelters of the loose -stones that lay about. Moreover, by setting his ear to the hole, he -heard an officer call to someone whom he could not see, asking if all -were well with the companies that watched the other faces of the -pyramid. Then understanding that these men were sure that their quarry -lay hid within the pyramid and intended to guard it day and night -until starvation or lack of water forced them to come out, Khian -motioned to Temu to look for himself and sat down upon the passage -floor and groaned. - -“Certainly,” said Temu after a while, “it seems as though they were -going to stop here a long time, for otherwise they would not be -building themselves houses of stone. Well, we will outwit them -somehow. Faith--have faith!” - -“Yes,” said Khian, “but meanwhile even faith needs food, so let us -eat.” - - -Thus for these three there began a time of terror. Day added itself to -day and still the soldiers remained, watching as a cat watches; also -others came to join them, and among these, men who were skilled at the -climbing of cliffs and other heights, and set themselves to scale the -pyramid with the aid of ropes and spikes of bronze, hoping thus to -discover the hiding place of the Prince. It was but lost labour, since -although often they crept over it, never did they find the secret -stone, nor if they had, could they have opened it that was barred -within. Still there they remained, believing always that the prisoners -must come out, unless indeed they were already dead. - -Khian and his companions slept no more in the tomb chambers; the place -was too close and dreadful; they could not rest there. So after that -first night they laid themselves down in the passage near to the -entrance stone, for there some air reached them through the peepholes, -also a little light. Indeed, by setting his eye to one of these holes -that slanted upwards, apparently to make it possible for any looking -through it from within to see the southern face of another of the -pyramids, Khian found that he could behold a certain star. For hours -at night he would lie watching that star, until at length it passed -from his vision, as the sight of it seemed to give him comfort, though -why he did not know. For the rest they must lie in the dark, or with -the peepholes blocked, lest the lamplight flowing through these should -betray them, and therefore were obliged to eat farther down the -passage. Soon, however, although there was plenty of it, food began to -grow distasteful to them, who must stay still, or nearly so, day after -day. The water, too, became flat, stale, and nauseous to the taste, -and of the wine they dared not drink too much. - -Thus it came about that at length courage and spirit began to desert -Khian, who would sit for hour after hour silent, sunk in a gloom as -deep as that of the bowels of the pyramid. Even Temu, though still he -talked much of faith, reminding his companions of Roy and his -prophecy, and prayed for hours at a time, became less happy-hearted -and declared that the prison vaults at Tanis were as a palace compared -to this accursed tomb. The Sheik, also, grew so wild in his manner -that Khian thought that he was going mad. What angered him most was -that strangers should dare to scramble about the pyramid of which he -was the captain, for of this he talked continually. Khian tried to -soothe him by saying that he was sure they dared not climb so very -high, even with the help of their ropes, since never would they know -where to set their feet. - -These words made the Sheik thoughtful, for after hearing them he grew -silent, as though he were considering deeply. On the following night, -just before the dawn, he awoke Khian and said: - -“Prince, I go on an errand. Ask me not what it is, but to-morrow at -sunset unbar the stone and wait. If I do not return before the dawn, -bar it up again and think of me as dead.” - -He would say no more, nor did Khian try to turn him from his purpose, -for he knew that then the man would go quite mad. So the stone was -opened a little, and having eaten and drunk some wine, the Sheik -slipped out into the darkness. - -The sound of the bar falling into its place again woke Temu, who -sprang up, crying: - -“I dreamed that the stone was open and that we were free. Why, where -is the Sheik? He was lying by my side.” - -“The stone was opened, Temu, but we are not free. As for the Sheik, he -has gone on some wild errand of his own. What it was he would not tell -me. I think that he could bear this place no more and seeks freedom in -death, or otherwise.” - -“If so, Prince, there will be more water left for us two to drink, and -doubtless all is for the best. Faith! Have faith!” answered Temu, and -lying down went to sleep again. - -That day passed as the others had done. Of the Sheik they spoke no -more, for both of them believed that he had fled, or hidden himself -among the stones of the pyramids to get air. Indeed now their miseries -were so great that scarcely could they think of other matters and -talked little, but, like two caged owls, sat staring at the darkness -with large, unnatural eyes. Towards evening Khian, watching through -his peephole, saw that some Bedouins of the desert, who were mounted -upon fine horses, had arrived at the camp of the soldiers who were -chaffering with them for corn or perhaps milk, which others on foot -carried upon their heads in jars or baskets. When the bargaining was -done the soldiers talked with the desert-dwellers, telling them why -they were camped there, or so Khian guessed, for the latter stared at -the pyramids as though the tale moved them, and asked many questions, -as he could see by their eager faces and the movements of their hands. -Whilst they were still talking the sun began to set, sinking swiftly, -as it seems to do in the clear skies of Egypt. Then suddenly one -shouted, pointing upwards: - -“Look! Look! Yonder stands the Spirit of the Pyramids, there on its -very crest, clad all in white.” - -“Nay,” answered another, “it is clad in black.” - -“There must be two of them,” called a third, “one in white and one in -black. Without doubt these are no spirits, but those we seek, the -Prince Khian and the priest, who all this while have dwelt not in the -pyramid but on its crest.” - -“Fool,” cried a voice, “how can men live for weeks in such a place? -These are ghosts, I say. Have we not heard that the pyramids are -haunted. Look! The thing mocks us, making signs with its arms.” - -“Ghosts or men,” said the first voice, that of the Captain, “we will -take them to-morrow. To-night it is impossible, for darkness falls.” - -Then followed tumult, for all the soldiers spoke at once, and at that -distance Khian could not hear their words. He noted, however, that the -desert-dwellers did not speak. They sat still upon their horses at a -little distance and behind the soldiers, while he who seemed to be -their chief made strange signs with his arms, stretching them out -wide, then holding them above his head with his fingers touching. -After this, very swiftly came the darkness, covering all, and the -shoutings died away, though from the encampment below where the -soldiers gathered round their fires, still rose the murmuring of eager -talk. - -“Temu,” said Khian later, “what does this sign mean among the -Brotherhood of the Dawn?” and first he stretched his arms out wide and -then made them into a loop above his head with the fingers touching. - -“That, Prince, is the sign of the Cross of Life which members of the -Order use for a signal when they are too far apart to speak. It is -thus that they know friend from foe or stranger.” - -“I thought so,” said Khian, and was silent. Then he went to the -entrance place and took down the bar that closed it. - -An hour later or more he heard a sound and for an instant felt the -night air blowing sweetly on his face, though because of the darkness -he could see nothing. Next he heard the bar fall into its socket and -the voice of the Sheik calling him by name. He answered and together -they crept up the passage till they came to a spot where a lamp burned -and there were food and water. - -When the Sheik had drunk deeply Khian asked him where he had been, -though he could guess well enough. - -“To the top of the pyramid, Lord. I climbed thither in the dark this -morning. It was very dangerous; so dangerous that although you are as -skilled as I am, I dared not ask you to accompany me. Still, although -I am weak from sitting so long stirless in this hole, I did not fear -who know the road well; also no harm ever comes to the Captain of the -Pyramids while he follows his trade of scaling them.” - -“Why did you go there, Sheik?” - -“I will tell you, Lord. First, that I might make those soldier dogs -believe that we were living, not in the pyramid, but on or near its -crest in some cave among the stones; or if they would not believe -this, that I might frighten them, and perhaps cause them to go away. -Doubtless they have heard the tale of the Spirit of the Pyramids and -that those who look upon it are doomed to death or madness, and if so, -having, as they believed, seen it once they will not wish to do so -again. Lastly, I had a reason of my own of which perhaps you will not -think well. Skilled cliff-climbers have been brought here to scale the -pyramid, _my_ pyramid and that of my forefathers, on which none has -set foot unless he was of my blood, except only a certain lady and -yourself by order of the Council of the Dawn. Yet these bunglers have -never yet reached the crest; of that I am sure. Now they will try to -do so, for the soldiers will force them to the task, and I think that -what will happen to them will cause strangers for many a generation to -leave the pyramids to be climbed by my race alone.” - -“That is revenge which would have been displeasing to Roy,” answered -Khian, shaking his head. Then remembering that to this man the -pyramids were as holy as is a temple to its priest, and that to him he -who dared to try to conquer them deserved to die as much as he does -who violates a sanctuary, he said no more of the matter, but bade the -Sheik to continue his tale. - -“Lord, I reached the summit in safety just as the dawn began to break, -and there lay flat all day in the little hollow that you know, where -part of the cap stone is broken off. It was very hot there, Lord, with -the sun beating full upon me, nor did I dare to move lest I should be -seen. Yet I endured till at last came the hour of sunset. Then I rose -up and stood upon the very point clad in my white robe, so that all -the soldiers could see me. While they gazed astonished I slipped back -to the hollow and covered up the white robe with my black cloak of -camel hair, and thus clad, appeared again, bending my knees so as to -make it seem as though I were a second man of a different stature. -This I did more than once, Lord, and thus those watchers came to -believe that unless they saw ghosts, both you and the priest Temu were -on the summit of the pyramid.” - -“A clever trick,” said Khian, laughing for the first time for days, -“though I know not how it will serve us.” - -“Thus, Lord. If the soldiers believe that you are on the summit of the -pyramid, they will cease to search and watch its slopes, and all night -long the eyes of their sentries will be fixed upon that summit. But -listen, there is more to tell. Whilst I stood thus on high I perceived -certain men mounted on very fine horses who seemed to be Arabs of the -desert and who were, or had been, engaged in chaffering with the -soldiers, selling them milk or grain. Now the presence of these men -caused me to wonder, for I knew well that no Arabs dared to set foot -within the boundaries of this, the Holy Ground of Dawn, fearing lest, -if they do so, the curse of Heaven and of the Prophets of the Dawn -should fall upon them. Then a thought came to me, sent as I think from -on high, and seeing him who seemed to be the headman of the Arabs -watching me with uplifted face, with my arms I made certain signs that -are known to our Order, and perhaps, Lord, to you also who now are one -of them.” - -Khian nodded, and he went on: - -“Lord, that man answered the signs and so did another who was near to -him, to show me as I think that this was not done by chance. Then I -knew that they were friends sent here for a purpose and understood why -my Spirit had moved me to climb the pyramid.” - -“And if so, what of it, Sheik?” asked Khian in a hoarse voice, for his -heart beat high with hope and choked him. - -“This, Lord. To-morrow at the sunset once more I shall stand upon the -crest of the pyramid, and if as I think those Arabs still are there, I -shall make other signs to them, showing them where they must wait at -midnight, having horses in readiness. Then I shall return and guide -you to them, for I think that they will know which way to ride.” - -“It is dangerous,” said Khian, “but so be it, for if I bide here much -longer I think that I shall die. Therefore, better meet fate in the -open and swiftly than perish here in this hole by inches.” - -Then he called Temu and the three of them took counsel together. Also -the Sheik and Temu talked much of the secret signs of their Order, and -practised them by the lamplight. - -Next morning ere dawn the Sheik departed again as he had done before. -As soon as it was light, watching through their spyholes, Khian and -Temu saw that there was much disturbance in the camp of the soldiers, -saw also that the skilled cliff-climbers, six or more of them with -their ropes and metal spikes, were collected together, talking with -the officers. - -At last, as it seemed to Khian somewhat against their will, they -advanced to the foot of the pyramid, and setting his ear to the hole -Khian heard them scrambling up the face of it. For a long while he -heard no more, but noted the soldiers watching eagerly, talking -together and pointing with their hands, now in this direction and now -in that. - -Suddenly there rose a scream of horror. Some of the soldiers stared as -though fascinated, others turned their backs, and others hid their -eyes. The spyhole was obscured for a moment as though by something -passing between it and the light. Then soldiers ran forward and -presently Khian and Temu saw them returning towards the huts bearing -three shapeless things that had been men. A while later they saw the -remainder of the cliff-climbers staggering much as the drunken do, -towards the same huts where they cast down their ropes with the air of -those who had done with them, and departed out of the sight of the -watcher. - -“The pyramids are avenged on those who thought that they could master -them, and their captain will rejoice,” said Khian sadly, thinking to -himself that had not some power protected him they would have been -avenged upon him also, as indeed very nearly happened. - - -Once more it was sunset and again the Arabs, mounted on fine horses, -appeared at the camp. Again, too, there were shoutings and pointings -with much disturbance, in the midst of which he who seemed to be the -chief of the Arabs drew a little to one side of, also behind, the -soldiers, so as not to be seen of them, and from time to time made -motions with his arms, as those do who, at its rising or its setting, -worship the sun in the desert. Then followed darkness and in it shone -the fires round which the soldiers were seated. - -Presently they stood up holding their hands behind their ears as -though to listen to some sound in the air; then by twos and threes -departed like men who are frightened and hid themselves in the huts or -elsewhere. A while later the stone turned and the Sheik glided into -the passage, but this time he asked for wine, not for water. - -“I have been near to Osiris,” he said, “who slipped upon the blood of -one of those cliff-climbing fools and almost fell. Yet I did not fall -who I think was guarded, and for the rest all goes well.” - -“Except for the three who are dead,” said Khian, sighing. - -“If they died, it was by no fault of mine, Lord. Without knowledge of -the road, in their madness, having scaled two-thirds of the height -they came to smooth marble where is no holding place for hands or -feet. Then one slid down, dragging the others with him, for they were -roped together, after which the rest, seeing the fate of their -fellows, gave up the venture and returned. Now, as I think, the -pyramids will be safe from these common cliff-climbers for many a -year.” - -“What chanced afterwards?” asked Khian. - -“I appeared at sunset as before, and making pretence to toss my arms -about, as a ghost or a devil might do, I signalled to him who seems to -be the captain of the Arabs. He answered me. We understood each other. -After dark I shouted curses at the soldiers telling them that I was -the Spirit of Roy the Prophet, and that doom was near to them. They -grew frightened at what they held to be a voice from Heaven, and crept -away to hide themselves from the words of evil omen, nor, as I think, -will they come out of their holes again until the sun is high. Now -drink a cup of wine and follow me, both of you.” - - - - - CHAPTER XVIII. - How Nefra Came to Babylon - -After he who was known as the Scribe Rasa, the envoy of Apepi, King -of the North, had received the betrothal ring from his affianced, -Nefra the Queen, and sailed down Nile to Tanis, there to undergo many -evil things, at the Temple of the Dawn all came about as the Captain -of the Pyramids afterwards described to him and the priest Temu. - -Scarcely had this Rasa, who was Khian the Prince, departed, than there -arrived at the temple, disguised as Arabs, an embassy from Ditanah, -the old king of Babylon. These men, nobles of Babylon, were received -in secret by the Council, and bowing before Roy the Prophet, presented -to him tablets of clay covered with strange signs. - -“Read the writing, Tau,” said Roy, “for my sight grows feeble and I -forget this foreign tongue which is your own.” - -So Tau took the tablets and read: - - - “From Ditanah the aged, Lord of Babylon and King of Kings, whose glory - is as that of the Sun, the Mighty One. To Roy the holy Seer, the - Friend of Heaven, the Prophet of the Order of the Dawn, and to him who - sits under Roy, the first of the Brothers of the Dawn, who in Egypt is - named Tau, but who, as I, Ditanah, have heard, in Babylon aforetime - was named the High Prince Abeshu, the lawful son of my body, with whom - I quarrelled because he rebuked my Majesty as to a certain vengeance - which I took upon a subject people, and who thereafter fled away and - as I believed was long dead--Greetings. - - “Know, O Roy, and O Tau or Abeshu, that I have received your letters - informing me of all that passes in Egypt, and that you, Abeshu, still - live. Also that it was the desire of my daughter Rima whom I gave in - marriage to Kheperra, the Pharaoh of the South and by right of descent - the King of all Egypt, that her bones should be brought back for - burial to Babylon. Also I have read that her daughter Nefra has in - secret been crowned Queen of Egypt and seeks my help to win her throne - out of the hands of my enemy, Apepi the Usurper who rules at Tanis. - - “Now I, Ditanah, say to you, Roy the Holy, and to you, Queen Nefra my - grandchild, ‘Come to me at Babylon with all your company. Thither I - swear you safe-conduct in the name of my god Marduk, Ruler of Heaven - and Earth, in the name of the gods Nebo and Bel, and of all the other - gods who are my lords. There, also, you shall be guarded from all harm - by the strength of my hands, and there we will talk together of all - these matters.’ - - “And to you who are called Tau, I say, ‘Come also, and if you can - prove to me that you are in truth my son, the Prince Abeshu, I will - give you all things that you desire, who have mourned over you for - many years, save one thing only, the succession to my throne after me - which is promised to another. But if you have lied to me in this - matter, then do not come, for surely you shall die.’ - - “To the bones, also, of my daughter Rima, whose husband Kheperra, the - wolf, Apepi brought to his death, I will give honourable burial in the - sepulchre of kings, where it was her desire to lie at last. Nor do I - think that I shall refuse her death-prayer, if Nefra, my grandchild - the Queen, will obey me in a certain matter. - - “Sealed with the seal of Ditanah, the Great King and with the seals of - his Councillors.” - - -When Tau had read he touched his forehead with the tablet and gave it -to Nefra who sat upon her throne in the centre of the Council. She -also laid it against her forehead, then turned to Tau and said: - -“How comes it, my Lord Tau, that all these years you have kept this -secret from me, who if the tale that is written here be true, must be -a brother of my mother and my uncle?”--a question which caused the -envoys to stare at him. - -Tau smiled and answered: - -“O Queen and Niece, the tale is true enough, as should we live to come -to Babylon, I will prove to my royal father Ditanah and his -Councillors. I am Abeshu and the half-brother of Queen Rima. But when -I left Babylon she was but a little child born of another mother whom -I had scarcely seen, since she dwelt with the royal women. Nor did I -reveal myself to her afterwards when we met again and I saved her from -the plots of Apepi at Thebes, or to you when you grew to womanhood, -because of oaths that I had taken when I became a Brother of the Dawn, -which oaths bound me to lay down all my earthly rank and to forget -that I had been a prince. Yet in those oaths there was a -loophole--namely, should it ever become needful to declare myself and -my true name and history thereby to help the Order of the Dawn, I was -free to do so. To all of which our father the Prophet can bear me -witness.” - -“Aye,” said Roy, “it is true. Hearken, Queen and Sister, and you, the -envoys of Ditanah. Many years ago a brother of our Order, now long -dead, brought to me a man who said that he desired to become one of -us, a noble-looking warrior man, stalwart and square-bearded, who, I -judged, had drunk of the water of Euphrates. I asked him his name and -country, also why he sought the shelter of the Dawn. He told me, and -proved his words, that he was Abeshu, a Prince of Babylon, who had -quarrelled with his father, Ditanah the Great King, whose General he -had been, over the matter of a subject people whom he had been ordered -to massacre, but would not for mercy’s sake, and because of his -disobedience had been banished or left the land. Afterwards he had -served under other kings, those of Cyprus and of Syria, as a captain -of their armies, but in the end grew weary of fightings and ambitions, -of loves who betrayed him also, and determined to bid farewell to the -vanities of the world and in solitude and silence to feed and purify -his soul. - -“Therefore, having heard of the Order of the Dawn, he came to knock -upon its gate. I answered to him that among us there was no room for -one who only sought salvation for himself and rest from earthly toil, -since those of our Brotherhood must be the servants of all men and -more particularly of the poor and those bound with the chains of sin, -sworn to bring peace to the world, even at the cost of their own -lives, sworn, too, to poverty and, except for special purposes, to -celibacy and the renouncement of all earthly honours. For thus only, -as we held, could the soul of man come into union with its god. -Therefore, if he became one of us, it must be as the slave of the -humblest and he must forget that he had been a Prince of Babylon and a -General of her hosts, he who henceforward would be but a minister of -Heaven appointed to tasks, mayhap, that the meanest idolater would -refuse. - -“In the end, Queen, this suppliant bowed his neck beneath our yoke and -laying down all his titles, became known under the humble name of Tau. -Yet from Tau the Servant he grew to be Tau the spiritual Lord, and -after me, its aged Prophet, the greatest in our Brotherhood, and so -acknowledged throughout the world, though until it became necessary to -proclaim it to the Great King Ditanah but the other day, none knew -that he was Abeshu, the Prince of Babylon.” - -Now when they heard this strange story the members of the Council rose -and bowed to Tau, as did the envoys from Babylon, setting their hands -upon their hearts. But Nefra did more, for she rose also and kissed -him on the brow, calling him her beloved uncle and saying that now she -understood why she had always loved him from a child. - -Then Tau spoke, saying: - -“All is as has been told, but because of it I neither seek nor deserve -your praise. What I have done I did for my own soul’s sake who came to -know that there is no true joy save in the service of others and in -the seeking to draw near to God. Now for a while it seems that, still -in the service of others, I must once more be known as a prince and -perhaps as a captain in war. If so, let not my royal Father have any -fear lest I should seek to claim the heritage of those whom he has -appointed to succeed him, I whose only hope and purpose is that I may -live and die a Brother of the Dawn.” - -At this moment he who kept the door advanced and whispered into the -ear of Roy, who said: - -“Admit them.” - -There came in three men, travel-stained and weary, who when they threw -open their cloaks and made the signs, were seen to be Brothers of the -Order. - -“Holy Prophet,” said one of them, “we come from Tanis and from the -camp of Apepi’s army. We have it from those in authority who in secret -are the friends of our Order, that Apepi makes preparation, should a -certain request of his be refused, to attack you here; to put every -one of the Brotherhood to the sword and to drag away yonder royal lady -to be his wife. His troops are gathered and in a few days will be upon -you.” - -“I know it well,” answered Roy. “Let those mad servants of Apepi come, -for I have words to say to them.” - -Then he commanded Tau to call together all the people of the Dawn, -that he might take counsel with them. - -They gathered together and in their presence Roy the Prophet laid down -his office and consecrated Tau as his successor, as the Sheik of the -Pyramids had told Khian and Temu. Then, too, he bade them farewell and -blessed them, and they departed weeping, after which all things -happened as the Sheik had said. There were some among the -Council--Nefra the Queen was one of them--who would have seized Roy -and borne him away by force. But he read their minds and forbade it. -So at last they went, leaving him alone according to his commands. Yet -that was a sad parting and at it many tears were shed. Thus Nefra wept -much, for she loved Roy who from her infancy had watched over this -orphan child as though he were her father. He noted her grief and -called her to him: - -“Lady of Egypt,” he said, “you who to-day are a queen in name and ere -so very long, unless my wisdom fails me, will be so indeed, wide seems -the gulf that is set between you and the old hermit, the Prophet of a -secret faith whose name will vanish away and who ere long will be -utterly forgotten upon the earth. Also between you and me lies the -span of many years, for I am very, very old, while but yesterday you -came to womanhood. Moreover, your lot in life is far different from -that which I have trod and that now is ending, so it would seem as -though there were little in common between us. Yet it is not so, -because we are tied together by the bond of love which, did you but -know it, is the one perfect, eternal thing in Heaven and earth. Time -is nothing; it seems to be and yet is not, for in everlastingness what -place is there for time? Pomp and glories, beauty and desire, wealth -and want, things lost and things achieved, all we seek and all we -gain, our joys and griefs, yes, birth and death themselves, are but -bubbles on the stream of being which appear and disappear. Only love -is real and only love endures. For love is God, and being God, is King -of the world; a King with a thousand faces, who in the end will -conquer all and make of hate a footstool and of evil the oil within -his lamp. Therefore, Child, follow after love, not only that love -which you know to-day, but the love of all, even of those who do you -wrong, for this is the true sacrifice, and through it only shall your -soul be fed. Now for an hour, farewell.” - -Then he kissed her on the brow and bade her leave him. - -Such was the parting of Roy the ancient Prophet and Nefra the royal -maid who all her life through remembered this his last message, though -perhaps its full mystery and meaning never came home to her until at -last she was about to follow him into the shadows. Never did she -forget the sight of him, white-robed and bearded, hawk-nosed and -wrinkled, seated alone upon his chair of state within that dusky hall, -staring with steady eyes out into the farther gloom, as though there -he sought some beckoning hand of light and awaited the signal to -follow whither it might lead. - - -Ere the dawn they marched, fifty or more of them, besides those who -bore the coffin of Rima the Queen. Swiftly they marched by secret -ways, for already the sick, the young, and the aged had departed to -their appointed hiding places, so swiftly that when the sun rose the -pyramids were already distant. Then it was that Nefra bade farewell to -the Sheik who had accompanied them thus far, and gave him those -commands of which he had spoken afterwards. - -For always she believed that Khian would return to seek her there, as -did Tau and others of the Brotherhood, who perchance had received some -message or spiritual instruction on this matter, and bitterly she -grieved that it was not possible to await his coming that he might fly -with her. The Sheik bowed and went his way, swearing to fulfil her -words, and by degrees the pyramids that had been her only home faded -and were lost to sight. Then for the first time Nefra wept a little, -for she loved those pyramids which she had conquered and where her joy -had found her, and did not know whether she would ever see them more. - -They came unharmed to the borders of Egypt, and leaving the great gulf -of the Red Sea to the south of them, passed safely into the deserts of -Arabia. Indeed, on all that journey through Egypt, avoiding towns and -villages, they met few in the war-wasted lands, and those few either -fled away or made pretence not to see them. It was almost as though -some command had gone out that they should not be observed, though -whence it came Nefra did not know. Not until she made that journey did -Nefra learn how great was the secret power of the humble Order of the -Dawn. - -At length they were out of Egypt and camped one night by a well in the -desert. Next morning when Nefra looked at dawn out of the tent in -which she slept with Kemmah, she perceived a caravan of camels and -horsemen advancing upon them and was afraid. - -“Now I think that Apepi has us in his net,” she said to Kemmah, who -looked also, then left the tent, making no answer. Soon she returned -accompanied by two of the envoys from Babylon, with whom came the Lord -Tau himself. - -“Have no fear, Queen,” said Tau, “all has gone well. Those whom you -see are not Shepherds, but troops of your grandsire, the great King -Ditanah, sent by him to escort you to his city of Babylon. Behold the -banner of the Great King blazoned with the symbols of his gods.” - -“Thanks and praise be to Heaven,” answered Nefra. Then a thought took -her and she led Tau aside and said to him: “I believe and you believe -that the Prince Khian will return to the pyramids to seek us and to -give us warning. There he may be driven into hiding, being pursued. If -so he will need help. Cannot some be found to give it to him in his -extremity?” - -“I will consider the matter and take counsel; indeed, I have already -begun to do so,” answered Tau. - -The end of it was that certain high-bred men of the desert, disguised -as Bedouins and mounted on swift horses, Brethren of each other and of -the Dawn every one of them, and sworn to its service to the death, -were sent back to watch the pyramids with certain instructions, of -which men we have already heard. - -Then came the General of Ditanah and his officers who kissed the -ground before Nefra, greeting her, she noted, not as Queen of Egypt, -but as a Princess of the House of Babylon. Also they were led to the -tent where rested the body of Queen Rima, before which they knelt -while a priest of their worship made prayers and offerings. These -things done, camels were brought, a great herd of them, on which were -mounted all the Company of the Dawn, and with them a chariot wherein -were set Nefra and the Lady Kemmah. Then they departed, guarded by -squadrons of Babylonian horsemen and led by guides mounted on fleet -camels. - -Thus they travelled forward very swiftly across the burning deserts of -Arabia by the great military road, halting where there were wells of -water, or if there were none, carrying it with them in bags of hide. -Moreover, at certain places, oases in the desert, fresh camels and -horses awaited them, so that bearing the mummy of Queen Rima with them -they advanced almost at the speed of the King’s post, helped by all -and unharmed by any, and within some five and thirty days beheld -before them the mighty walls of Babylon. - -Built upon either side of the great river Euphrates, filled with -towering temples and glittering palaces, there stood the vast city, -the wonder of the world, so huge a place that for a whole day they -journeyed through its outskirts before they came to its inmost walls. -Then brazen gates rolled back, and as night fell they were conducted -down broad, straight streets filled with thousands upon thousands of -people, who stared at them curiously, half seen in the twilight, till -at length they halted before a palace. - -Slaves came forward and led Nefra up steps and through doorways -guarded by winged figures of bulls with the heads of men, into a -wonderful place such as she had never seen, whose home had been in -sepulchres and ancient temple halls. Chamberlains received her, -princes bowed before her, eunuchs and women surrounded her and Kemmah, -bringing them to a chamber that was hung with tapestry and furnished -with vessels of gold and silver. Then they were led to a heated marble -bath, welcome indeed after their long journeyings, though never before -had Nefra seen such a place, and when they had bathed and been rubbed -with oils, were brought back again to their chamber where delicate -foods and wines awaited them. Having eaten and being very weary, they -laid themselves down upon silken, broidered beds and slept, watched by -women slaves and guarded by armed eunuchs who stood without the door. - -Nefra was awakened at the dawn by the sound of women’s voices singing -some hymn to Sames the Sun god, at his rising. For a while she lay -contemplating the splendours by which she was surrounded, and already -hating them in her heart. By rank she was a queen indeed, but by -upbringing only a simple country girl accustomed to the free air of -the desert, to the exercise and dangers of scaling rocks and pyramids, -to narrow sleeping chambers that once perhaps were tombs, and to the -hard, rough fare of the Brethren of the Dawn which she had shared with -the humblest of the Order. These silks and broideries, these gorgeous -chambers, these scented waters, these crowds of obsequious slaves, -these foreign, delicate foods, this pomp and state, crushed and -overwhelmed her; she loathed it all. - -“Nurse,” she said to Kemmah whose bed was near, “I would that we were -back upon the banks of Nile, watching the first rays of Ra gild the -Sphinx’s brow.” - -“If you were back upon the banks of Nile, Child,” answered Kemmah, -“and continued to watch Ra at all, it would be to see his first rays -gilding the gates of your palace prison at Tanis and to hear the voice -of old Apepi calling you by hateful names of love. Therefore be -thankful to find yourself where you are.” - -“Nurse, I have dreamed a dream. I dreamed that Khian, my betrothed, -lay in danger of his life and called to me to come to save him.” - -“Doubtless, Child, he calls to you wherever he is and doubtless he is -in danger of his life, as all of us are in this fashion or in that. -But what of it? Have we not the promise of my great-uncle, the -Prophet, that no harm shall come to him? Listen. I, too, dreamed a -dream. It was that Roy himself, clothed in light, as I am sure he is, -for doubtless he has been dead for many days, stood beside me. - -“‘Bid Nefra,’ he seemed to say, ‘to calm her heart, for though dangers -are many they shall be driven away like storm clouds by the keen -desert winds, leaving her sky clear and in it twin stars shining.’” - -“Those are happy words, Nurse, that is, if you dreamt them at all, -which you know alone; words that give me comfort in this strange and -gorgeous place. But look, here come those fat, large-eyed women, -bearing gifts I think. Nurse, I will not be touched by them. I will -clothe myself or you shall clothe me.” - -The women came, prostrating themselves almost at every step, and laid -the gifts upon a table of jasper stone: wonderful and gorgeous -garments, royal robes, collars and belts of jewels, and a crown of -gold set with great pearls. - -“The gifts of Ditanah the mighty King to his granddaughter, Princess -of Babylon and Queen of Egypt,” said the chief of the women, bowing -and speaking in the Egyptian tongue. “Be pleased to array yourself in -them, O Princess of Babylon and Queen of Egypt, that Ditanah, the Lord -of lords, may behold your beauty suitably adorned. We, your slaves, -are here to serve you.” - -“Then be pleased to bear my thanks to the mighty Ditanah, my -grandsire, and to serve me without the door,” answered Nefra, throwing -the coverlet over her face so that she might see no more of them. - -When they were gone, with many protestations and even tears, Nefra -arose and by the help of Kemmah, set to clothing herself in these -glittering garments. Yet before all was done that chief of the women -must be called back again to show them how they should be worn. - -At length she was attired after the fashion of a Babylonian royal -lady, marvellously attired, and a mirror was brought that she might -behold herself. She looked and cast it down upon the bed, crying: - -“Am I Nefra, the Egyptian maid, or the woman of some Sultan of the -East? Look at this outspread hair sprinkled with gems! Look at these -garments in which I can scarcely walk! Smell these unguents with which -my face and flesh are smeared! Nurse, rid me of this truck and give me -back my white robe of a Sister of the Dawn.” - -“It is too travel-stained, Child,” answered Kemmah drily, adding with -satisfaction, “moreover, you look well enough as you are, though -somewhat sunburned, and that crown becomes you. Oh! complain no more; -in the spirit you may be a Sister of the Dawn, but here you are a -Princess of Babylon. Would you anger the Great King from whom you ask -so much? See, they summon us to eat. Come, eat, for you will need -food.” - -“Mayhap, Nurse. But what is it that the Great King asks of _me_? -Something, as we have heard, of which none will tell us, not even my -Uncle Tau, though I think he knows.” - -Then, sighing and pouting her lips, Nefra gave way and ate, but to her -question Kemmah made no answer, either because she could not, or for -other reasons. - -A while later there came the chief of the eunuchs, a fat, vainglorious -person, and cringing chamberlains wearing tall caps, musicians -fancifully attired, and women of the Household, and officers, and a -guard of swarthy soldiers. All these, gathering together in an -appointed order, set Nefra and the Lady Kemmah in the midst of them -surrounded by the fan-bearers, the women, and the eunuchs and preceded -by the musicians. Then at a word of command they marched and though -they never left the precincts of the palace, that walk was long. Down -sculptured passages they went, through great chambers, across -courtyards where fountains played and gardens that grew beyond them, -till at last they reached a flight of many steps and up these climbed -to the bull-guarded doorway of a vast hall. - -This hall was roofless, but at the farther end, for a third of its -length perhaps, awnings were stretched over it, from one side to the -other. The place was filled with people, more people than Nefra had -ever seen; thousands of them there seemed to be, all of whom stared at -her, and as she passed, bowed low. Up a wide pathway between the crowd -to the right and the crowd to the left went Nefra and her company, -till they came to that part of the hall over which was stretched the -awning. - -Here the shadow was so deep by contrast with the brilliance without -that at first she could see nothing. Presently, however, her eyes grew -accustomed to the gloom and she perceived that before her was gathered -the glittering Court of the King of Babylon. There were lords; there -were ladies seated together by themselves; there were soldiers in -their armour, there were square-bearded councillors and captains; -there were shaven priests; there were officers of the Household with -wands; there were slaves, black slaves and white slaves, and she knew -not who besides. Moreover, above all this splendour, its centre and -its point, seated on a jewelled throne, was an aged, white-bearded, -wizened man, wearing a strange headdress who, she guessed, must be her -grandsire, Ditanah the Mighty, the King of kings. - -As they entered the line of shadow a trumpet blew, whereon all the -Court and all the company about her prostrated themselves before the -majesty of the King and lay with their foreheads touching the -pavement, yes, even Kemmah prostrated herself. But Nefra remained upon -her feet, standing alone like one left living among an army of dead -men; it was as though some spirit within her told her so to do. At -least thus she stood looking at the little wizened man upon the -throne, while he looked back at her. - -Again the trumpet blew, whereon all rose, and once more her company -advanced, to halt near to the throne, on either side of which stood -massed a number of gorgeous nobles who afterwards she learned were -kings’ sons, princes, and satraps of the subject peoples. For a while -there was silence, then the King upon the throne spoke in a thin, -clear voice, an interpreter rendering his words sentence by sentence -into the Egyptian tongue. - -“Does my Majesty behold before me Nefra, the daughter of my daughter -Rima, the Princess, wife of Kheperra, once Pharaoh of Egypt?” he -asked, studying her with his sharp and bird-like eyes. - -“That is my name, O Grandsire and Great King of Babylon,” answered -Nefra. - -“Why, then, O Granddaughter, do you not prostrate yourself before my -Majesty as all these great ones are not ashamed to do?” - -Now again something within her seemed to tell Nefra what to say, and -while all stared and listened, she answered proudly: - -“Because, Grandsire, if you are King of Babylon, I am Queen of Egypt, -and Majesty does not kiss the dust to Majesty.” - -“Well and proudly said,” answered Ditanah. “Yet, Granddaughter, I -think that you are a queen without a throne.” - -“That is so, and therefore I come to you, O Father of my Mother, O -Mighty King of Kings, O Fount of Justice, seeking your aid. Apepi the -Shepherd usurped my throne as his forefathers did before him, and now -seeks to make a wife of me, the Queen of Egypt, and thereby to gain my -heritage. But by a little I have escaped out of his hands, helped of -your Majesty, and now here I stand and make my prayer to you, the King -of Kings from whose body I am sprung.” - -“Well spoken again,” answered the old monarch. “Yet, my Daughter of -Egypt, you ask much. Apepi I know and hate; for years I have waged a -frontier war against him, yet to cross the waterless deserts with a -mighty host to invade him in his territory and drag the stolen crown -from off his head would be a great venture that might end ill for -Babylon. What have you to promise in return, Lady of Egypt?” - -“Nothing, O King, save love and service.” - -“Aye, thus it stands: you ask much and have nothing wherewith to pay. -I must take counsel of this matter. Meanwhile Mir-bel, my grandson, -the King of Babylon to be, lead this lady hither and place her where -as a Queen she has a right to sit, near to my throne.” - -Now from among the throng of princes came forward a tall man of middle -age, gloriously apparelled and wearing a diadem upon his head; a -strong-faced man with black and flashing eyes. He bowed before her, -searching her beauty with those hawk-like eyes in a fashion that -pleased her little, and saying in a smooth, rich voice: - -“Greeting, Queen Nefra the Beautiful, my cousin. Glad am I to have -lived to look upon one so fair and royal.” - -Then he took her by the hand and led her up the steps of the dais to a -chair of state that had been made ready for her upon the right of the -throne. There he bade her be seated and with bows to her and to the -King, returned to his place among the princes. - -Nefra sat herself down and for a while there was silence. - -At length the old King spoke: - -“You say that you have nothing to give, Daughter. Yet it seems to me -that you have much, for you have yourself to give, who are, I hear, -unwed. If the Queen of Egypt,” he went on, speaking slowly and in a -fashion which told her that the words had been prepared, “were to take -as her lord the heir of Babylon, so that thereafter, if all went well, -these two great lands were joined into one empire, then perchance -Babylon might be ready to send her armies to conquer Apepi and set -that Queen upon the throne of her forefathers. What say you, -Daughter?” - -Now when Nefra heard and understood at length what was sought of her, -the blood left her face and her limbs turned cold. For a moment she -hesitated, in her heart putting up a prayer for guidance, as Roy had -taught her to do when in difficulty or trouble. It seemed to come, for -presently she answered very quietly: - -“It may not be, O King and Grandsire, for thus Egypt would be set -under the heel of Babylon, and when I was crowned I swore an oath to -keep her free.” - -“That trouble might be overcome, Daughter, in a fashion pleasing to -both our countries of which we can speak hereafter. Have you any other -reason against this alliance? He who is offered to you is not only the -heir to the greatest kingdom in the world; he is also, as you have -seen, a man among men, in the flower of his age, a soldier, and one -who, as I know, is both wise and kind of heart.” - -“I have another reason, King. Already I am affianced.” - -“To whom, Daughter?” - -“To the Prince Khian, King.” - -“The Prince Khian! Why, he is Apepi’s heir, and yet you told me that -Apepi would have married you.” - -“Yes, Sire, and therefore Apepi and Khian do not love each other, -but”--here she looked down--“but Khian loves me and I love Khian.” - -At these words a whisper went round the Court and old Ditanah smiled a -little, as did many others. Only Mir-bel did not smile; indeed, he -looked angry. - -“Is it thus?” said the King. “And where, now, is the Prince Khian? -Have you brought him here in your company?” - -“Nay, Sire. When last I heard of him he was at the Court of Tanis, -and, it was said, in prison.” - -“Where I think he will certainly remain, if, as I doubt not, your -story be true, Child,” answered Ditanah, and was silent. - -Just then, when Nefra thought that all was finished and that her -prayer for succour was about to be refused, swelling sweet and solemn -she heard a familiar sound, that of a certain funeral chant of the -Order of the Dawn. She looked to discover whence it came and perceived -Tau followed by all the Brotherhood who had accompanied her from -Egypt, and certain others who were strangers to her, clad in simple -white robes, every one of them, advancing into the hall by a side -entrance to the right. Nor did they come alone, for in the centre of -their company, borne upon a bier by eight of the brethren, was a -coffin which Nefra knew covered the mummy of her mother, Queen Rima. -The coffin was brought and set down before the throne. Then suddenly -the lid, which had been loosened in readiness, was lifted, revealing a -second coffin within. This also was opened by the priests who very -reverently took from it the embalmed and bandaged body of Queen Rima -and stood it on its feet before the King, holding it thus, a sight -from which all that saw shrank away, for the Babylonians did not love -to look upon the dead. - -“Whose corpse is this and why is it brought into my presence?” asked -the King in a low voice. - -“Surely your Majesty should know,” answered Tau, “seeing that this -dead flesh sprang from your flesh and that here before you, within -these wrappings, stands all that is left of Rima your daughter, -aforetime Princess of Babylon and Queen of Egypt, who thus comes home -again.” - -Ditanah stared at the mummy, then turned his head aside, saying: - -“What is that which hangs about the neck of this royal companion of -the gods, as doubtless she is to-day?” - -“A letter to you, O King, sealed with her seal while she was still one -of the company of the living.” - -“Read it,” said Ditanah. - -Then Tau cut the fastenings and unrolled the writing from which fell a -ring. This ring he took, and gave it to the King, who sighed when he -looked upon it, for well he remembered that he had set it upon his -daughter’s finger when she left him to journey into Egypt, swearing to -her that he would refuse to her no request which was sealed with this -seal. - -Next Tau read from the scroll in the Babylonian tongue thus: - - - “From Rima, aforetime Princess of Babylon, aforetime wife of Kheperra, - Pharaoh of Egypt, to her sire Ditanah, the King of Babylon, or to him - who sits upon his throne. Know, O King, that I call upon you in the - name of our gods and by our common blood, to avenge the wrongs that I - have suffered in Egypt, and the slaying of my lord beloved, the King - Kheperra. I call upon you to roll down in your might upon Egypt and to - smite the Shepherd dogs who slew my husband and took his heritage, and - to establish my daughter, the Princess Nefra, as Queen of Egypt, and - to slay those who were traitors to her and would have given her and me - to doom. Know also that if you, my father, Ditanah the King, or you, - that King my kinsman, who sit upon his throne after him, deny this my - prayer, then I call down the curse of all the gods of Babylon and - Egypt upon you and upon your people, and I, Rima, will haunt you while - you live, and ask account of you when we meet at last in the - Underworld. - - “Sealed by me Rima with my seal upon my deathbed.” - - -These solemn words which seemed almost as though they were spoken by -the royal woman whose corpse was set upon its feet before the throne, -went to the hearts of all who heard them. For a while there was deep -silence. Then Ditanah the King lifted his eyes which had been fixed -upon the ground, and it was seen that his withered face was white and -that his lips quivered. - -“Terrible words!” he said, “and a terrible curse decreed against us if -we shut our ears to them. She who spoke the words and sealed them with -this seal that once I gave to her together with a certain solemn -promise, she who stands there dead before me, was my beloved daughter -whom I wed to the lawful Pharaoh of Egypt. Can I refuse the last -prayer of my daughter, who suffered so many wrongs at the hand of -Apepi the Accursed, and who doubtless stands among us now awaiting its -answer?” - -He paused and from all who heard him there went up a murmur of “You -cannot, O King.” - -“It is true, I cannot who soon must be as is the royal Rima; whate’er -the cost, I cannot. Hearken, priests, councillors, princes, satraps, -officers, and people. I, Ditanah the King, make a decree. In the name -of the Empire of Babylon I declare war by Babylon upon Apepi the -Shepherd usurper who rules in Egypt; war to the end! Let my decree -that cannot be changed be recorded and proclaimed in Babylon and all -her provinces.” - -Again rose the murmur of assent. When it had died away the King turned -to Nefra, saying: - -“Fair Queen and grandchild, your prayer and that of your mother who -begat you is granted. Therefore rest you here in peace and honour till -all things are made ready for this war, and then go forth to conquer.” - -Nefra heard. Rising from her seat, she cast herself upon her knees -before the King and, seizing his hand, pressed it with her lips, for -speak she could not. Drawing her to her feet, he bent forward, touched -her with his sceptre, and kissed her on the brow. - -“I add to my words,” he said. “Knowing your errand, Child, I made a -plan that as a price for the aid of Babylon you should give yourself -in marriage to Mir-bel, the heir to my throne. Now I put aside that -plan, for so my heart is moved to do, whether because you ask it or -for other reasons. You tell me that you are affianced to the Prince -Khian of whom I have heard a good report, although on his father’s -side he comes of an evil stock. Mayhap this Prince is dead already at -the hands of Apepi, or thus will die. If so, mayhap also you will turn -to Mir-bel because it is my wish and his, though on this matter I make -no bargain with you. Yet if Khian lives and you live to find him, then -wed him if you will and take my blessing on you both. Look not wrath, -Mir-bel, for in the end who knows what the gods may bring to pass. -Learn also from this thwarting of your desire that they do not give -everything to any man, who to you have given so much. Should this -Queen slip through your hands, the heir to Babylon can find another to -share his throne. It is my will, Prince Mir-bel, that when the army -marches against Apepi, you bide here to guard me, lest some evil god -should tempt you to do wrong.” - -When Mir-bel heard this command, knowing that it could not be altered -under the ancient law of Babylon, he bowed first to the King and next -to Nefra. Then he turned and left the Court followed by his officers. -Nor did Nefra see him again till after many years; for at once he took -horse and rode for his own Governorship far away, where he remained -till all was finished. - -When he had gone the King fixed his gaze upon Tau, considering him. - -“Who are you, Priest?” he asked. - -“I am named Tau, a prophet of the Order of the Dawn, O King.” - -“I have heard of that Order and I think that certain of its brethren -dwell in Babylon and even in my Court. I have heard also that it gave -shelter to my dead daughter, Rima the Queen, and to this lady, her -child, for which I thank it. But tell me, Prophet Tau, have you any -other name?” - -“Yes, O King. Once I was named Abeshu, the eldest lawful son of his -Majesty of Babylon. Yet many years ago I quarrelled with his Majesty -and went into exile.” - -“I thought it! And now, Prince Abeshu, do you return out of exile to -claim your place as the eldest born of his Majesty of Babylon?” - -“Not so, O King, I claim nothing, as your envoys may have told your -Majesty, save perchance the forgiveness of the King. I am but a -Brother of the Dawn and as such dead to the world and all its -glories.” - -Now Ditanah stretched out his sceptre to Tau in token of peace and -pardon, and Tau touched it according to the custom of Babylon. - -“I would hear more of this faith of yours which can kill ambition in -the heart of man. Wait upon me, Prophet, in my private chamber, and we -will talk together.” - -Then waving Tau aside, Ditanah addressed himself to a gorgeous high -priest, saying: - -“Let this dust that once was my daughter and a Queen, be re-coffined -and borne hence to the sepulchre of kings, where to-morrow we will -give it royal burial.” - -Presently it was done, and as the coffin passed away Ditanah stood up -and bowed towards it, as did all in that great place. When it had gone -he waved his sceptre and a herald blew upon his trumpet, signifying -that the Court was ended. Next the King descended from the throne and, -taking Nefra by the hand, led her away with him, beckoning to Tau to -follow them. - - - - - CHAPTER XIX. - The Four Brothers - -Very carefully the Sheik of the Pyramids undid the swinging stone -and crept out, followed by Khian and Temu, wrapped, all three of them, -in their dark cloaks. They closed the stone again and waited, -watching. Save one man, a sentry who sat by the embers of a fire, all -the soldiers, frightened by what they had seen upon the crest of the -pyramid, were gone into the huts that they had built. While this man -remained there they dared not descend, fearing lest he should see or -hear them and give warning to the others. So there they crouched, -among the stones on the slope of the pyramid, drawing in the sweet air -in great gasps and gazing at the stars with dark-widened eyes, while -Khian wondered what they should do. - -“Bide here,” said the Sheik, “I will return.” - -He crept away into the darkness and presently from somewhere above -them there arose a sound of hideous howling, such as a ghost or a -demon might make, that in the darkness of that solemn place might well -curdle a listener’s blood. The sentry heard it echoing among the tombs -behind him. He rose, hesitated, then of a sudden fled away affrighted -and vanished into the huts. - -The Sheik reappeared. - -“Follow me,” he whispered. “Be swift and silent.” - -They descended the pyramid, Temu, who was no climber, half-blinded, -moreover, by many days of dwelling in the gloom, awkwardly enough, and -reached the ground in safety. The Sheik turned to the right and ran -along its base where the shadows were thick. Now they were clear and -darting across an open space towards some tombs. As they reached the -tombs a shout told them that they had been seen, by whom they did not -know. Following the Sheik, who turned this way and that, they ran on. -They came to a hollow in the drifted sand behind a little ruined -pyramid, where stood four Arabs holding six horses. Khian felt himself -seized and thrown rather than helped on to one of the horses. Glancing -round he saw Temu upon another horse, also the Arabs leaping to their -saddles. The horses began to move forward, as it seemed to him at some -word of command; the Sheik was running at his side. - -“What of you?” asked Khian. - -“I bide here, as is my duty; fear not, I have hiding places. Say to -the Lady Nefra that I have fulfilled her command. Ride fast, for you -have been seen; these men know the road. They are our brethren and may -be trusted. Prince, farewell!” he said, or rather gasped, and loosing -the horse’s mane, vanished into the shadows. - -They came to open desert and rode on at great speed. All that night -they rode, scarcely drawing rein, and at the dawn halted among some -palm trees, a place where there was a well of water and hidden away -beneath stones, food and forage for the horses. Very glad was Khian to -dismount, since, after weeks spent in that tunnel, he was in poor case -for hard riding, while that of Temu, at the best no horseman, was -worse. They ate a little food, dates for the most part, and drank much -water. - -“Surely, Brother,” said Temu, as he emptied his fourth cup, “we should -thank Heaven and our guardian spirits for these mercies. How beautiful -is the rising sun; how sweet the fresh air after the heavy heat and -blackness of that accursed grave hole. Oh! I pray that I may never -again look upon even the outside of a pyramid, and much less upon its -tomb chambers. Now we have done with them, thanks to my prayers, and -all will be well.” - -Thus spoke Temu, cheerful as ever, though already he was so sore and -stiff that it hurt him even to sit upon the ground. Khian thought to -himself that they had more to thank than Brother Temu’s prayers; -namely, the wit and courage of the Sheik of the Pyramids, also those, -whoever they might be, that had sent these Arab horsemen to their -succour, if they were Arabs, which as yet he did not know. But he only -answered: - -“I trust that you are right, Brother, and that all will be well. Yet -remember that we were seen as we left the pyramid and that if we -escape a second time heads will pay the price of it. Therefore surely -we shall be followed, even to the end of the world.” - -“Faith, Brother! Have faith!” exclaimed Temu as he shifted his seat to -find one that was softer. - -Just then Khian saw him who seemed to be the leader of the four Arabs, -a tall and noble-looking man, standing at a little distance as though -he desired speech with him, and alone. - -He rose to go to him, and as he came the Arab bowed humbly in -salutation and made a certain sign which Khian knew. - -“I see that you are of the Brotherhood. Tell me your name and those of -your companions; also who sent you in so fortunate an hour to help us, -and whither we go.” - -“Lord, we are four brethren. I, the eldest, am named _Fire_. He who -stands there is named _Earth_, the next to him is named _Air_, and the -fourth and last is named _Water_. We have no other names, or if there -are any we forgot them when we were sworn Brethren of the Dawn, and -especially when we were despatched upon a certain duty.” - -Now Khian understood that for their own reasons, or because of some -command laid upon them, these men desired to remain unknown, as was -common among the Brethren when they were sent upon any secret service. - -“Is it so, Fire?” he said, smiling. “But what answer to my other -questions?” - -“Lord, we were commanded to take six good horses and, disguised as you -see us, to go to the Great Pyramids and there bargain with soldiers, -if we found any, over such wares as Arabs have to sell. Also we must -make ourselves known to the Sheik of the Pyramids, if we could, and -give aid to a scribe, Rasa--perchance you are he, Lord--and to his -companion, a priest whose name was not mentioned, but whom we have -heard you call Temu, if he be the same.” - -“And then, Fire?” - -“Then, Lord, we were to say to the Scribe Rasa that a certain Lady--we -know not and, lest we should be captured and questioned, do not seek -to know, what lady--with all her following, has passed safely out of -Egypt and that the Scribe Rasa and his companion must follow by the -road she took. Lastly, we were sworn to bring both of you safely to -Babylon, or die at the task, which, Lord, we purpose to do. Now, Lord, -we must ride again. These horses are of the most swift and purest -desert blood but we have far to go before we can find others, and -certainly we shall be pursued. Moreover,” he added, eying Temu -doubtfully, “I think that yonder priest is more wont to travel on two -feet than on four, and until he learns the trick of horsemanship, we -must go with care lest he should fall or faint. Lastly, both of you -are weak who have, I think, lain for many days in an evil prison.” - -“True words, Fire,” said Khian as he sought his horse. - - -All that day they rode forward, resting while the sun was high and -sleeping at night among some rocks where once more they found food and -water for man and beast, and all the next, and the next, travelling at -no great speed, till at length Temu, who was brave and active, began -to lose his soreness and to win something of that trick of -horsemanship of which he who was called Fire had spoken. Also in the -strong and wine-like desert air their tomb-bred weakness and languor -passed away from both of them, and they grew strong again, as young -men do. - -One night they slept upon a mound by water where once had stood some -village, both men and horses being well hidden by a grove of thorn and -other trees that flourished in the rich soil of the mound. As the sun -sank behind them, he who was called Fire came to Khian and bade him -look through the trees towards the east. He did so and to their right -saw that at a distance of perhaps a league, a broad canal or natural -sheet of water that may have been the head of a lake was crossed by a -ford, beyond which stood an old and crumbling fort built of sun-dried -bricks, while in front of them there was no ford and the water seemed -to be wide and deep. Beyond this water was a great flat plain that -stretched away and away, till very far off upon the horizon it seemed -to end in a line of stony hills. - -“Listen now, Lord,” said Fire. “That water is the boundary of Egypt. -That plain is Arabia, and among those hills is the first desert -outpost of the army of the King of Babylon, to reach which will be to -win to safety. But I tell you, Lord, that we are in great danger. I am -certain that yonder old fort is held by horsemen of King Apepi, for I -have seen their tracks in the sand, a number of them, fifty men -perhaps, and that they watch for us, believing that if we would leave -Egypt, we must do so by this ford.” - -“Why?” asked Khian. “Can we not find another?” - -“There is no other, Lord, since below, this water grows into a gulf -and above it is deep for many miles, so that to pass round it we must -ride through a peopled country guarded by the border garrisons.” - -“Then it would seem that we are trapped or must fly back into Egypt.” - -“Where we should be trapped indeed, Lord, for by now the whole land is -searching for us.” - -“What then, Fire? Know that I would sooner look upon the face of Death -than upon that of Apepi.” - -“I have guessed as much. Listen, Lord. All is not lost. These fleet -horses of ours were bred in Arabia, yonder among the mountains, and -they scent their home and the troops of mares that wander there. The -water in front of us will be unwatched because it is so wide and deep -and the current runs so swiftly. Yet I think that the horses will not -fear to face it, and once across, with good fortune we may ride far -before we are seen and perhaps even reach the pass of the hills in -safety. It is a narrow pass, Lord, where one man can hold back a -number for a long while, so that some of us, at least, should win -through to the heart of the hills and find shelter among the scouts of -Babylon,” he added slowly and with meaning. - -Then speaking very rapidly, he explained to Khian all the details of -the plan which he and his brethren had prepared. He told him, and -Temu, who had joined them, how they must move down to the water edge -before the dawn and at the first light ride the horses into it, and as -soon as it grew deep, slip from the saddles and swim with them, -clinging to their manes. - -Here Temu explained that he could not swim, whereon Fire answered that -he must hang to his horse as best he might, or drown. He went on to -say that those of them who lived to reach the farther shore must mount -at once and ride for a certain bay in the hills where the pass began, -which bay would become visible to them before noon. The pass they must -climb, on foot if the horses had failed them, and descend its farther -side to the entrenched camp of the Babylonian company who had orders -to succour all fugitives from Egypt. - -Having set out these and other matters, he bade them drink and sleep -while they could, for none knew what might be their resting place on -the morrow. - -Khian obeyed, knowing that he must harbour his strength. The last -thing he saw ere his eyes closed was the four strange brethren -grooming the horses and with set faces talking to each other in -whispers as they worked, also, nearer to him, Temu on his knees, lost -in earnest prayer. For with all his faith Temu remembered that this -water was said to be broad and deep, and that--he could not swim. - -It seemed that but a few minutes had gone by when one of the brethren -woke Khian, saying that it was time to be stirring. They rose by the -starlight, set the bridles and the saddles on the horses which had -been fed already, mounted them, and followed the brethren down towards -the water. They reached it in safety just at the first glimmer of -dawn, by the light of which Khian saw that it was indeed wide--scarce -could the strongest bowman have shot an arrow from one bank to the -other. Also some tide or current seemed to run very strongly through -it towards the ford below, which was to this water as is the neck of a -wine-skin to the bottle. - -“Would it not be safer to risk the ford?” he asked of Fire doubtfully. - -“Nay, Lord, for there we should certainly be seen and perhaps killed -upon the bank, whereas here, where no man crosses, they may not note -us from so far away. Follow me now before the light strengthens.” - -Then, having patted his horse and whispered into its ear in the Arab -fashion, he rode into the flood. After him came Khian, followed by -another of the brethren and by Temu. Last of all rode the remaining -two brethren, those who were known as Air and Water. - -The horses went in bravely enough, and soon Khian saw that Fire’s was -swimming while its rider had slipped from its back and floated -alongside, holding fast to the mane or saddle. Presently Khian’s horse -also lost foothold and as Fire had done, so did Khian. The swim was -long and rough, for the swiftly running water, chilled by the night -air, drove them downstream and sometimes broke over their heads. Yet -those trained horses held on bravely, smelling the pastures where they -were born beyond the desert, and being, as Fire had said that they -would be, eager to reach them. - -At last they touched the farther shore and Khian, still clinging to -the horse, was dragged through the rushes to firm ground. As he came -there he heard a shout of “Help!” and looking round, saw Temu’s horse -struggling up the bank, but unaccompanied by Temu, who indeed, having -let go, was floundering in the deep water and being swept down by the -current at a distance from the shore. All this the strengthening light -showed to them, whereon without a word two of the brethren plunged -into the stream and swam to Temu whose shouts grew ever louder. They -reached him and with difficulty between them dragged him to the shore, -much frightened, but unharmed and still calling to gods and men to -save him. - -Then one of those strange, fierce brethren drew a knife, saying: - -“Will you be silent? Or shall I make you so, who are bringing us all -to death?” - -“Your pardon,” said Temu when he understood, “but my mother always -taught me that he who drowns in silence, drowns the most quickly; also -I ask you to note that my prayers have saved me.” - -Muttering words that Temu would have thought evil, Fire helped to -thrust him on to his horse and signed to the others to mount theirs. - -“Hearken, Lord Rasa,” he said, as they pushed their way through the -thorn bushes that grew on the bank of the water, “ill-fortune is our -companion. The shouts of that mad priest will almost certainly have -been heard. Would that he had choked before his throat shaped them. -Moreover, he has delayed us, so that the morning wind blows away the -mist which I hoped would shroud us for a while. Now there is but one -thing to be done--ride straight for the gap in the hills and through -the pass. Our horses are better than any the Shepherds have, though -theirs will be more fresh, and we, or some of us, may outpace them. At -the least, remember this, Lord Rasa, if so in truth you are named, we -four brethren will do all that men can to save you, and we pray you, -if we meet no more, so to report to a certain Lady whom we serve, and -to the Prophet and Council of the Dawn, that our memory may be -honoured among men.” - -Then without waiting for an answer he spoke to his horse which leapt -forward, followed by that of Khian and the others, and sped away. - -When they had ridden thus for some minutes and the sun was up, Fire -turned and pointed back towards the ford. Khian turned also and saw -the bright light glancing on the spears of a great company of mounted -men, some of whom were splashing through the ford, whilst others, not -more than the half of a league away, were galloping towards them. - -They were pursued, and the race for life began. - - -On they rode for hour after hour towards those hills that scarcely -seemed to grow more near. Very strong were their horses and well -accustomed to these sandy plains over which they swept at a long and -steady gallop. Yet the way was far, also for days already they had -been ridden across the desert, and that morning they had swum a wide -stretch of rapid water, whereas those of the Shepherd troops were -fresh from the stable. Still throughout the burning heat of the day -those horses held their own, and when it drew towards evening and at -length that pass in the mountains was at hand, still they held their -own. Yes, parched with thirst, panting, thin-bellied, still they held -their own. Long ago most of the Shepherds had fallen out and vanished, -so that when at length the pass was reached, not a score of them -remained, men who had remounted upon led horses when those they rode -were foundered. But now these were hard upon their prey; scarce a -bowshot behind indeed. - -Khian and his company stumbled up the pass, for the horses, both of -the pursued and the pursuers, had ceased to gallop and at the best -could but amble forward. Yet step by step the pursuers gained upon the -pursued. The sides of that pass were very steep and the pathway was -very narrow; one horse filled it all and therefore they must ride one -following the other. - -Suddenly at a turn in the road, when the first of the Shepherds was -scarcely more than fifty paces away, that Arab or Babylonian, or -Brother of the Dawn, whichever he might be, who was pleased to give -himself the name of Fire, turned and shouted an order. Thereon the -last of those four brethren, he who was called Water, dismounted and -with drawn sword took his stand at the turn of the narrow path, while -his weary horse followed its fellows, as by certain words and signs he -bade it do. Presently those of the party of Khian heard the sound of -clashing arms behind them, followed by silence. Then a while later the -pursuers appeared again, only whereas there had seemed to be fourteen -of them now but eleven could be counted. - -Once more they gained, once more they drew near, whereon he who was -named Fire shouted a second order, and that brother of his called Air -dismounted in another narrow place, leaving a second horse without a -rider to follow in the train. Again there was a sound of clashing -arms, and, when the pursuers reappeared, there were but nine of them. -As before, they gained, and as before, at a narrow place the word of -command rang out and the third of the brethren, he who was called -Earth, dismounted, waiting. Followed the clash of arms and the -shoutings, and when the pursuers reappeared there were but six of -them. They gained, they came very near, whereon at a chosen place the -first of the brethren, he who was named Fire, halted and leapt from -his horse, which he drove forward as the others had done. - -“Ride on, Lord,” he cried. “Should the god we worship give me strength -and skill, for you there is yet a hope of safety. Ride on and forget -not the message I gave you by the water.” - -“Nay,” answered Khian wearily, for his head swam and scarce he knew -what passed about him. “Nay, here I stay to die with you. Let Temu, -who understands nothing, deliver your message.” - -“Begone, Lord!” cried Fire. “Would you put me to shame and cause me to -fail in my trust, making my name a hissing and a reproach? Begone or I -fall upon my sword before your eyes.” - -Then as Khian still stayed swaying in the saddle, that most gallant -man called some secret word to the horse he rode and the beast, -understanding, stumbled onwards at a trot, nor could Khian stay it. - -Once more there came the clash of arms and the sound of shoutings, and -presently Khian, looking back, saw that of the pursuers but three -remained. He urged his horse but it could do no more. Almost at the -crest of the pass it whinnied and stood still. - -The three struggled on grimly, for they were afoot, having left their -spent beasts behind them. They were strong, soldierlike men, black -with dust and sweat, and one of them had been wounded for blood ran -down his face and robe, he who seemed to be an officer. - -“We are commanded to take you dead or living, Prince Khian, for so you -are. Shall we slay you or will you yield?” asked this man hoarsely. - -Now when he heard these words Khian’s spirit came back to him, and -with it some of his lost strength. - -“Neither,” he answered in a low voice. - -Then, changing his sword from the right hand to the left, from his -belt he snatched his short javelin and hurled it with all his -strength. The officer saw it coming and shrank aside, but in that -narrow place it caught the man who stood behind him, piercing him -through from breast to back, so that he fell down and died. Then the -officer sprang at him and they fought with swords, a well-matched -pair, though both were very weary, while the third man who could not -come at Khian strove to drag the javelin from the breast of him who -had fallen. The officer smote, somewhat wildly, perhaps the blood from -his wound had run into his eyes. Khian parried, then bending himself, -thrust forward and upward with all his strength, a trick of -swordsmanship that he had learned in the Syrian wars. The bronze blade -caught the officer in the throat just beneath the chin, and piercing -to the neck bone, severed it, so that down he went like a stunned ox, -in his fall twisting the sword from Khian’s sweating hand. Then it was -that the third man, having recovered the javelin, cast it at him, -though with no good aim, for it struck him, not in the body, but above -the left knee, piercing the leg from front to back. - -Khian reeled against the rocky side of the pass, supporting himself -there, helpless and unarmed. He who had cast the spear, seeing his -state, rushed at him. Perhaps he hoped to take him living, or perhaps -he, too, had lost his weapons. At least he seized him with his hands -whereon Khian fell backward to the ground with the man above him. Now -those hands had him by the throat and were choking the life out of -him. - -“All is finished,” thought Khian. - -It was then, just as his senses were leaving him, that he heard the -sound of running feet and of a voice crying: - -“Faith! Have faith!” - -Next there followed the thud of a heavy blow and the grip upon his -throat loosened. He lay still, regaining his breath, then sat up and -looked about him. There at his side lay the soldier, dead, his head -broken like a crushed egg, while over him stood the tall Temu, holding -in both hands a great smooth stone. - -“None of them will move any more,” said Temu in the voice of one who -marvels. “Who would have thought that I should live to kill a man in -such a fashion, I, a Brother of the Dawn sworn to shed no blood? My -brain swam; cooked in the sun; my mind was almost gone; that accursed -horse--oh! may I never see another horse--jolted on with me, when I -heard a noise, looked over my shoulder, and saw. I could not stop the -horse, so I slid over its tail and ran back towards you. I had no -weapon--I think I lost the sword in the river; at least, when I looked -for it there was nothing but the scabbard. Still I ran, praying, and -as I prayed, my eye fell upon that stone. I think that the holy Roy -must have sent it there from Heaven. I picked it up and brought it -down upon the head of that man of blood, as I used to bring down a -flail on corn, and my arms being still strong--well, you see, Brother, -the stroke was great and well aimed.” - -“Very well aimed, most excellent Temu,” answered Khian faintly. “Now, -if you can, pull this bronze out of my leg, for it pains me.” - -Temu pulled with goodwill and Khian fainted. - -When he came to his mind again, it was to see himself surrounded by -tall square-bearded warriors clad in the Babylonian uniform, one of -whom supported his head upon his knee and poured water down his throat -from a gourd. - -“Have no fear, Lord,” said the soldier. “We are friends who were -warned that fugitives might reach us from Egypt and hearing sounds of -war ran towards them, though little we thought to find you thus. Now -we will bear you to our camp beyond the pass, there to recover of your -wound.” - -Then Khian fainted again, for he had lost much blood. Yet they carried -him to the camp where he was doomed to lie for many a day, for his -hurt festered so that he could not be moved and it was thought that he -must lose his leg. Moreover, this camp was beleagured by desert men in -the pay of Apepi so that escape from it was impossible. - - - - - CHAPTER XX. - The March from Babylon - -Long must Nefra wait in that scented palace at Babylon before the -great army, gathered to set her on her throne, was ready for its work. -From all parts of the vast empire troops must be collected, hillsmen -and plainsmen and men from the borders of the sea; archers, drivers of -chariots, infantry, spearsmen, and those who rode upon camels. Slowly -they came together and then must be exercised and welded to a whole; -also provisions and water for so huge a force must be provided, and -companies sent forward with these and to prepare the road. Thus it -came about that three full moons went by before ever the vanguard -marched out of the brazen gates of Babylon. - -To Nefra soon that city grew hateful. She loathed its pomps and -ceremonies and its staring crowds. Its religion was not hers and, -unlike her mother, to its gods she put up no prayer; indeed, scarcely -could she bring herself to bow when her grandsire led her with him to -rituals in its enormous terraced temples, she, the pupil of Roy and -the Sister of the Dawn who was sworn to a purer faith. - -The unending ceremonies of that ancient Court, the adulation accorded -to its king, and even to her, his granddaughter who was known to be a -queen; the prostrations, the shouts of “May the King live for ever!” -addressed to one who soon must die, wearied and revolted her. -Moreover, the confinement and the hot airlessness of the place where -she could only move in palace courts or in formal gardens, told upon -the spirits of this free daughter of the desert, till Kemmah, watching -her, noted that she turned from her food and grew pale and thin. - -Lastly her spirit was tormented with fear and doubt. Through the -secret service of the Brethren of the Dawn, news reached Babylon that -the Prince Khian and the priest Temu had escaped from Tanis and -repaired to the pyramids, whence they had again escaped towards -Arabia, guided by certain men who had been deputed to aid them. - -Then after a while came other news, namely, that both of them, -together with those guides, had been cut off by Apepi’s outposts -beyond the borders of Egypt and either killed or taken captive, as it -was thought the former, because the bodies of some of their company -were reported to have been seen. After this there was silence which, -had Nefra but known it, was not strange. - -When the Shepherd captain of the border fort learned that those whom -he had been commanded to watch for and snare had slipped from his -hand, and having killed certain of his people, had, it was believed, -reached the Babylonian outpost in the hills alive, although he did not -dare to attack that outpost, which was very strongly placed, first -because he had not sufficient strength, and secondly because, in a -time of truce, it would be an open act of war upon Babylon for which -he had no warrant, still he surrounded it with skirmishers with orders -to kill or capture any who set foot on the desert roads. Thus it came -about that when messengers were sent bearing news that Khian lay sick -and wounded at this camp, they were cut off. Thrice this chanced, and -when at last, owing to the recall of the skirmishers at the opening of -the war, a letter came in safety to Babylon, the army had marched -already by another road to attack Egypt, and with it Nefra and the -Brethren of the Dawn. Therefore the letters must be sent after it and -never came to Nefra’s hands till she was far upon her path. - -Meanwhile, when first she heard these rumours at Babylon telling her -that Khian was dead or captured, her heart seemed to break within her. -For a while she sat silent with a face of stone. Then she bade Kemmah -bring Tau to her and when he had come, said to him: - -“You have heard, my uncle. Khian is dead.” - -“No, Niece, I have heard a report that he may be dead or captured.” - -“If Roy were alive he would tell us the truth, he whose soul could see -afar,” said Nefra bitterly. “But he is gone and only men remain whose -eyes are set upon the ground and whose hearts are filled with matters -of the world.” - -“As it seems that yours is, Niece. Yet Roy being dead, leaving me, all -unworthy in his place, still speaks. Did he not tell you that however -great your troubles, you and Khian would come together at the last, -and was the holy Roy an utterer of empty prophecies?” - -“Aye, he said that, but he to whom flesh and spirit were much the -same, may have meant that we should come together in the Underworld. -Oh! why did you ever suffer the Prince to return to the Court at -Tanis? Although I could not say it, it was my desire that he should -bide with us at the pyramids. Then he might have fled safely with us -to Babylon and by now, perchance, we should have been wed.” - -“Or perchance other things would have happened, Niece. If any knew the -decrees of Heaven, that man was Roy, and he held that believing his -honour to be at stake, the Prince, his embassy accomplished, must be -allowed to follow his desire and make report to Apepi his father. So -he departed to fulfil his mission, and since then matters have not -gone so ill for you.” - -“I think that they have gone very ill,” she said stubbornly. - -“How so, Niece? We know through our spies that the Prince and the -priest Temu escaped from Tanis and came to the pyramids where they lay -hid a while. We know also that by the help of those high-born warrior -brethren of our Order whom I deputed to the task, they escaped again -from the pyramids and fled safely out of Egypt. It seems that they -were followed and that there was fighting in which it well may be that -those brethren, or some of them, lost their lives, as they were sworn -to do. If so, peace be to their gallant spirits. But of the death of -the Prince, or even of Temu, there is no certain word, nor,” he added -slowly, “does a dream or voice tell me or any of us that he is dead.” - -“As it would have told Roy,” interrupted Nefra. - -“As mayhap it would have told Roy, and as mayhap Roy, being still -living though elsewhere, would have told me who fill his office. -Niece, be not so rough-tongued and ungrateful. Have not all things -happened according to your desire? Has not the royal Ditanah, my -father, given you a great army to set you on your throne? Has he not -at your prayer, and, as I can tell you now, at mine made in secret, -abandoned his policy of wedding you to his heir, Mir-bel, and sent -that prince far from Babylon to where he cannot molest you? Has he -not--though this has been hid from you--set me in command of that -army, that it may be handled according to your desire and mine, -putting trust in me that when its work is done, I will lay down my -generalship and from a mighty prince of war once more become a priest, -I, who were I evil-hearted might use it to set the crown upon my -head?” - -“It seems that he has done all these things, Uncle, but what of them -if Khian be dead? Then I seek no throne; then I seek nothing but a -grave. Nay, first I seek vengeance. I tell you that of Apepi and his -Shepherds I will not leave one living, of his cities not one stone -shall remain upon another.” - -“Kind words from a Sister of the Dawn, and from her one of whose -titles is Uniter of Lands--not their destroyer!” exclaimed Tau, -shrugging his shoulders, and adding, “O Child, do you not understand -that all life is a trial and that as we pass the trials, so we shall -be rewarded or condemned? You are mad with fear for one whom you love, -and therefore I do not blame you overmuch, though I think that you -will live to grieve over those fierce threats.” - -“You are right. I am mad, and being mad, I will cause others to drink -of my cup of fear and sorrows, that cup in which they have mixed the -wine. Send Ru to me, my Uncle, that although I be woman he may teach -me how to fight. And bid those Babylonian smiths come measure me for -armour of the best.” - -Then Tau departed, smiling. Still he sent Ru and with him came the -royal armourer. - -So it happened that soon, had there been any to look over the wall of -a certain courtyard of the palace, a strange sight might have been -seen of a lissom maid clad in silver mail cutting and thrusting at a -huge black giant, who often enough cried out beneath the smart of her -blows, and once, stung beyond endurance, smote her so shrewdly on the -helm with the flat of a wooden sword that she fell headlong to the -ground, only to spring up again, while he stood dismayed, and deal him -such a thrust beneath the breast bone, that his breath left him and he -did likewise. Yes, there he lay, grunting out between his gasps: - -“The gods help Apepi if this lion’s whelp gets him in her claws!” -while she bade him be silent because by all the laws of swordsmanship -he was dead. - -At other times she would practise shooting with a bow, an art in which -she had no small skill, or when she wearied of this, at the driving of -chariots in the private circus of the palace, taking with her one of -the slave women, a bold, desert-bred girl, for passenger, because Ru -was too heavy and Kemmah said that she was mad and refused to come. - -“So you thought when I began to climb the pyramids, yet they served me -my turn, Nurse,” she answered, and went on driving more furiously than -ever woman drove before. - -Now when her grandsire, the old King Ditanah, heard of these things, -he was amazed, and caused himself to be hidden in places whence he -could watch her secretly at her warlike exercises. Having done so and -listened to the tale of her conquest of the pyramids, he sent for Tau -and said to him with a curious smile upon his puckered face: - -“I think, Son Abeshu, that I should have given the command of my great -army, not to you who, if once a great warrior, have become a priest, -but to this granddaughter of mine who, if once a priestess, has become -a goddess of war.” - -“Nay, Sire,” answered Tau, “for if you gave her that army, you would -never get it back again. Every man in it would learn to love her and -she would use it to conquer the world.” - -“Well, why not?” asked Ditanah, and hobbled away, thinking in his -heart that if it had truly pleased the gods to take the Prince Khian -to their bosom, so that Mir-bel might be recalled to Court, his tears -would be hard to weep. For with such a beauteous and royal-hearted -lady for its queen and that of Egypt, surely the glory of Babylon -would fill earth and Heaven. Indeed--was it too late? Then he -remembered that on this matter he had passed his royal word, sighed, -and hobbled on. - - -These martial exercises served Nefra in two ways: they gave her back -her health which she had begun to lose in the soft life of the -Babylonian palace and they held her mind from brooding upon its -fears--that is, while she was engaged in them. Yet at night these -returned to her, nor indeed were they ever quite absent from her -thoughts. She importuned Tau, and even her grandsire the King, who -caused search to be made all along the Egyptian frontier of his -empire. Messages came back from the searchers that no traces of -fugitives could be found. But among them was another message, namely, -that certain hills could not be approached because they were watched -by horsemen of the army of Apepi. Inquiry was made as to these hills, -and it was found that in a camp among them were stationed a company of -Babylonian troops from which no reports had been received of late. -Therefore, as often happened in so vast an empire, for a while this -outpost had been forgotten by that general in whose command it lay, or -if remembered at all, it was supposed to have been overwhelmed by -rebellious, desert-dwelling tribes. - -When Tau heard this news he went to the King his father and gained -leave from him to send a hundred picked horsemen to disperse the -outposts of Apepi and search those hills; also he set spies to work. -But of this business he said nothing to Nefra, fearing lest he should -fill her with false hope. - - -At length the vast army that had been gathered in the military camps -upon the banks of the Euphrates beyond the walls of Babylon was ready -to advance, two hundred thousand foot-soldiers and horsemen, a -thousand or more of chariots, countless camp followers, and a -multitude of camels and asses bearing provisions, besides those which -were already stacked at the water holes along the line of march. - -Then came Nefra’s farewell to Babylon. In state, wearing the crown of -Egypt, she visited the Sepulchre of Kings and in its temple laid -offerings upon her mother’s grave. This duty done, at the Court in the -great hall of the palace she bade farewell to her grandsire, Ditanah -the Great King, who blessed her, wished her well, and even wept a -little at parting from her whom he could never hope to see again; also -because he was too old to accompany his son upon this war. With Tau -also, now clad in the armour of a General and Prince of Babylon, and -looking like one who had never felt the rubbing of a monk’s robe, he -conversed apart, saying sadly: - -“Strange lots are ours, beloved son. Many years ago we were dear to -each other. Then we quarrelled, more through my fault than yours, for -in those days my heart was hard, and you went your way to become a -priest of some pure and gentle faith, and your heirship was given to -another. Now for a little hour you are once more a Prince and a -General commanding a great host, who yet purpose, if you live, to lay -down these ranks and titles and, your mission ended, again to seek -some desert cell and wear out your days in prayer. And, I the King of -Kings, your father, remain here awaiting death that soon must overtake -me, and oh! I wonder, Son Abeshu, which of us has chosen the better -lot and done more righteously in the eyes of God. Yes, I wonder much -from whom all these pomps and glories flee away like shadows.” - -“There is a great taskmaster, Sire,” answered Tau, “who portions out -to each of us his place and labours. Man does not choose his lot; it -is chosen for him, to work for good or ill within its appointed round. -Such at least is the teaching of my faith, believing which I seek no -throne or power, but am content to build on that foundation as truly -as I may. So let it be with you, my royal Father.” - -“Aye, Son, so let it be, since so it must be.” - -Then very tenderly they bade each other farewell and parted to meet no -more upon the earth, since when that army returned to Babylon another -King of Kings was seated on the throne. - -So by proclamation Babylon declared war upon the Shepherds, who long -before had learned that this storm was about to burst upon them and -were making ready to meet it as best they might. - -For very many days the great army marched across the plains and -deserts, as the progress of so vast a host was slow, till at length it -drew near to the borders of Egypt. Then it was that Tau heard from his -spies and skirmishers that Apepi with all his strength, a mighty -power, had built a line of forts upon his boundary and in front of -these was preparing to give battle to the Babylonians. These tidings -he took to Nefra who sat in her chariot armed in glittering mail like -some young war goddess, surrounded by a bodyguard under the command of -Ru. - -“It is well,” she answered indifferently. “The sooner we fight the -sooner it will be over and the sooner I shall be avenged upon the -Shepherds of the blood of him whom I have lost.” For having received -no tidings of Khian, now she had become almost sure that he was dead. - -“Do not run to meet evil, Niece,” said Tau sadly. “Is there not enough -of it at hand that you must go to seek out more? Have I not told you -that I believe the Prince to be alive?” - -“Then where is he, Uncle? How comes it that you under whose command is -all the might of Babylon cannot spare some few thousands to seek him -out?” - -“Perchance I am seeking, Niece,” Tau answered gently. - -As he spoke a slave ran up, saying: - -“Letters from the King of Kings! Letters from Babylon!” and having -touched his forehead with the roll, he gave it to Tau who opened and -read. Within was another roll, a little crumpled roll such as might -have been hidden in a headdress or a shoe. - -Tau glanced at the contents of this second roll and gave it to Nefra. - -“A writing for you, Niece,” he said quietly. - -Seizing it, she read. It was brief and ran thus: - - - “Again, O Lady, a certain one whose name you may guess writes to say - that save for a hurt to his leg which cripples him he is well in - health. This he does because he has learned that the enemies who - surround the place where he lies may have cut off former messengers. - Should he who bears this come safely to you at Babylon or elsewhere, - he will tell you all. More I dare not write. - - “Signed with the sign of the Dawn which you yourself taught me how to - shape.” - - -Nefra finished reading, then fell rather than leapt from the chariot -into the arms of Tau. - -“He lives!” she gasped. “Or he lived. Where is the messenger?” - -As she spoke the words a guard appeared escorting an officer who was -travel-stained and weary. - -“One who craves audience with you, Prince Abeshu, and at once,” said -the leader of the guard. - -Tau looked at the officer and knew him again. It was he whom the King -had sent from Babylon to search for the missing outpost. - -“Your report,” he said, and waited with fear in his heart. - -“Prince,” answered the man, saluting, “we won through to the outpost -and found all well there, since it is so strongly placed that the -Shepherd skirmishers have not dared attack. Also we found those -travellers who were missing.” - -Again Nefra paled and leaned against the chariot, for she could not -speak. - -“What of them?” asked Tau. - -“Prince, the priest is well. Four brethren who travelled with them -were slain one by one in a certain pass; they died nobly defending -those in their charge. The lord whose name is not spoken, who escaped -with the priest, is still sick, that is, he is wounded in the left -knee and the wound runs. He cannot walk, and though now it is believed -that his leg will be saved, always he must be lame, for the knee is -stiff.” - -“Did you see him?” asked Tau. - -“Yes, Prince, I and another of my company saw him. While the rest of -us, pretending to retreat, drew off the Shepherd horsemen, we two won -our way to the camp which is on a plain surrounded by hills, not to be -reached except through two passes, one to the west and one to the -east. There we found the garrison, well though weary, for of food they -have enough, also the priest and the other traveller who is hurt. -These told us how they came to the place and of the death of their -four guides, which is a great story.” - -“Then repeat it afterwards,” said Tau. “It seems that you escaped. Why -did you not bring these travellers with you?” - -“Prince, how could the two of us carry a man who cannot walk, down a -mountain path, even with the help of the priest? Moreover, if we could -have brought him to the plain, it was full of enemies all mounted on -good horses through whom it would scarcely have been possible to bear -him safely, while the garrison had received no orders to attempt to -leave its post. Therefore it was determined that he should remain -where he is safe enough, until a sufficient force could be sent to -bring him away.” - -Then the captain went on to tell how he and his companion had rejoined -their men at night and fought their way through the horsemen of Apepi -who watched the stronghold, though with loss; how also they had -learned from some desert wanderers that the army of the Great King was -marching upon Egypt by a road that ran not more than thirty leagues -from where they were, and how therefore they had ridden for the army, -instead of returning to report at Babylon. - -“You have done wisely,” said Tau. “Had you attempted to bring that -wounded lord with you, doubtless he would have been killed or -captured.” - -Then he went away to give certain orders, leaving the officer with -Nefra, who had many questions to put to him. - -When Tau returned an hour later Nefra was still questioning him. Tau -looked at them and asked: - -“Friend, how long is it since you slept?” - -“Four nights, Prince,” answered the officer. - -“And how long is it since you and your companions ate?” - -“Forty-eight hours, Prince. Indeed, if we might crave a cup of water -and a bite of bread, who have ridden hard and done some fighting----” - -“These await you, Captain, when it pleases her Majesty of Egypt to -dismiss you.” - -Then Nefra reddened and turned away ashamed. When the men had gone to -eat and rest, humbly enough she asked Tau what was his plan. - -“My plan is, Niece, to send five thousand mounted men, though we can -ill spare them, to clear the desert between this place and the -stronghold where he who was named the Scribe Rasa lies wounded--_not_ -dead, as you feared, Niece, and to bring him with our brother Temu and -the garrison of the camp to join the army on its march which, -travelling in a chariot or a litter, he should do within some six -days.” - -“A good plan,” said Nefra, clapping her hands. “I will go with the -five thousand and in command of them. Kemmah can accompany me.” - -“No, Niece, you shall not go. You stay here with the army.” - -“Shall not! Shall not!” exclaimed Nefra, biting her lip as was her -fashion when crossed. “Why?” - -“For many reasons, Niece, of which the first is that it would not be -safe. We cannot tell how many troops Apepi has between here and that -stronghold, but we know he would risk much to capture his son now that -the great war has begun; also the Lady Kemmah could not bear such a -journey.” - -“If it is not safe for me who am sound and well, neither is it safe -for Khian who is wounded, and if things be thus, then let the whole -army turn and march to the stronghold.” - -“It cannot be, Niece. This army is a trust placed in my hands and its -business is to push on and give battle to Apepi, not to wander away -into the desert where perhaps it may be overcome by thirst or other -disasters.” - -“Cannot be! I say it must be, my Uncle, I, the Queen of Egypt, desire -it; it is an order.” - -Tau looked at her in his calm fashion and answered: - -“This army is under my command, not yours, Niece, and having put on -armour the Queen of Egypt is but one officer among thousands,” and he -touched her shining mail. “Therefore I must pray even the Queen of -Egypt to obey me. Or if that is not enough, I must pray Nefra, a -Sister of the Dawn, to accept the word of the Prophet of the Dawn -without question, as she is sworn to do. The safety of the Queen of -Egypt is much, as is the safety of the Prince Khian. But the safety -and the triumph of the great host of the King of Kings are more.” - -Nefra heard and was about to answer furiously, for her high spirit was -aflame. Yet there was that on the strong face and in the quiet eyes of -Tau that stilled her words before they were uttered. She looked at him -a while, then burst into tears and, turning, departed to her tent. - - -Next morning at the dawn the five thousand horsemen with certain -chariots, guided by that officer and others who had brought tidings, -departed to rescue Khian and his companions from the stronghold where -he was imprisoned. - - - - - CHAPTER XXI. - Traitor or Hero - -The Babylonian host marched on and came in safety to the borders of -Egypt, the mightiest host perhaps that ever had invaded the Land of -Nile. There it encamped, protected in front by water, to rest and -prepare before it attacked Apepi encamped with all his strength some -three leagues away around the forts that he had built. The captains of -the Shepherds, riding out, saw with their own eyes how terrible and -numberless, how well-ordered also, was the army of the King of Kings -with its horsemen, its chariots, its camelry, its footmen, and its -archers that seemed to stretch for miles; no Eastern mob but -disciplined and trained to war. They saw and trembled, and returning, -made report to Apepi at his Council. - -“Let Pharaoh hearken!” they said. “For every man we muster, the -Babylonians have two under the command of the Prince Abeshu who is -reported to be a great general, though some say that he was once a -priest and a magician. The spies tell also that with them marches the -Princess Nefra, daughter of Kheperra, she who slipped through -Pharaoh’s fingers and is affianced to Pharaoh’s son, who also slipped -through his fingers and, if he lives, is hidden we know not where, -unless he, too, be with the Babylonians. It is impossible that Pharaoh -can stand against such a host as this, which will overrun the land -like locusts and devour us like corn.” - -Apepi heard and rage took hold of him, so that he gnawed at his beard. -Suddenly he turned to Anath, the old Vizier, saying: - -“You have heard what these cravens say. Now do you give me your -counsel, you who are cunning as a jackal that has often escaped the -trap. What shall I do?” - -Anath turned aside and spoke with certain other of his fellow -councillors. Then he came and bowed before Apepi and said: - -“Life! Blood! Strength! O Pharaoh! Such wisdom as the gods have given -us bids us urge Pharaoh, as do the diviners who have consulted with -their spirits, not to join battle but to make peace with Babylon -before it is too late.” - -“Is it so?” asked Apepi. “What terms then can I offer to the King of -Babylon, who comes to seize Egypt and add it to his empire?” - -“We think, Pharaoh,” answered Anath, “that Ditanah does not desire to -take Egypt. We have heard from those who serve Pharaoh in secret at -Babylon, that Ditanah is bewitched by Nefra the Beautiful. It seems -that when those wizards of the Dawn, through help of their magic arts, -escaped to Babylon, they took with them the body of the Queen Rima, -the widow of King Kheperra. The tale runs that the coffin of Queen -Rima was opened before the King of Kings, and that at the bidding of -the Princess Nefra and of the head wizards of the Dawn, the body of -Rima or the ghost of Rima spoke to Ditanah who begat it, bidding him -to attack Egypt or bear the curse of the dead. It bade him also to -give Nefra in marriage, not to his grandson and heir, Mir-bel, but to -the son of your Majesty, the Prince Khian, to whom she became -affianced yonder by the pyramids, and to send a great army to avenge -the death of her husband, Kheperra, and her own wrongs by casting your -Majesty from the throne and setting the Princess Nefra and the Prince -Khian in your place. Moreover, the royal Rima, or her spirit, said to -Ditanah, King of Kings, that if he neglected to do her bidding, he and -his country should be everlastingly accursed, but if he obeyed, her -blessings should come upon them. Therefore because of the words of -dead Rima, his daughter, and because of the spells laid upon him by -the Princess Nefra and the wizards of the Dawn, Ditanah has sent this -army against your Majesty to fulfil the commands of Rima upon you and -upon the people of the Shepherds.” - -“What then must I do to turn aside the wrath of this Babylonian?” -asked Apepi of the Vizier, glaring at him. - -“That which the King of Kings demands, or so it seems, O Pharaoh--wed -the Prince Khian, if he still lives and can be found, to the royal -Nefra and give up to them the Crowns of the Upper and the Lower -Lands.” - -“Is this your counsel, Vizier?” - -“Who am I and who are we that we should dare to show a path to be -trodden by the feet of Pharaoh?” asked Anath, cringing before his -master. “Yet, if he takes another and these captains are right, -perchance soon there will be a new Pharaoh, and if the Prince Khian be -dead, as some believe, the People of the Shepherds will be driven from -the Nile back into the desert whence they came centuries ago--and the -King of Kings, or the Princess Nefra under him, will rule Egypt.” - -Now Apepi leapt to his feet roaring with rage and with the wand-like -sceptre that he carried smote Anath on the head so hard that the blood -came and the Vizier fell to his knees. - -“Dog!” he cried, “speak more such words and you shall die a traitor’s -death beneath the whips. Long have I suspected that you were in the -pay of Babylon and now I grow sure of it. So I am to surrender my -throne and take Ditanah for my lord, and should he still live, give -the woman whom I had chosen for my wife to be the queen of the son who -has betrayed me. First will I see Egypt devoured by fire and sword and -perish with her. Out of my sight, you white-hearted cur!” - -Anath waited for no more. Yet when he turned at the doorway to make -the customary obeisance, though Apepi could not see it in the shadow, -there was a very evil look upon his face. - -“Struck!” he murmured to himself. “I the great officer, I, the Vizier, -struck before the Council and the servants! Well, if Apepi has a staff -I have a sword. Now come on, Babylon! I must to my work. Oh! Khian, -where are you?” - - -Apepi, the Pharaoh of the North, dismissed his councillors and his -generals and sat in the chamber of the fort that he had built, -brooding and alone. Although often he was possessed by that devil of -rage who sleeps so lightly in the breasts of tyrants, also by other -passions, he was a far-seeing statesman and a good general, having -inherited from his forefathers the gifts by help of which they had -conquered Egypt. Thus he knew that Anath, the old Vizier, the clearest -and most cunning thinker in the land, was right when he told him that -he could not stand against all the strength of Babylon, drilled and -martialled as never it had been before, and marching under the -guidance of those wizards of the Dawn who had escaped him, leaving -behind them their high priest to lay upon him ere he died the curse of -the oath-breaker and the seeker of innocent blood. Yet for telling him -this truth he had offered public insult to Anath, smiting him as he -would a slave, such insult as the old noble and officer in whose -veins, it was said, ran the pure blood of Egypt, never would forget. - -Would it not be better, then, to follow the blow on the head with a -thrust to the heart and to have done with Anath? Nay, it was not safe; -he was too powerful, he had too many in his pay. They might rise -against him, now when all complained at being forced into a war they -hated; they might destroy him as they believed he had destroyed his -son, Prince Khian, whom they loved. He must send for Anath and crave -pardon for what he had done when beside himself with rage and doubt, -promising him great atonement and more honours, and biding his time to -balance their account. - -Yet could he accept this Anath’s counsel, and to save his life and the -shattering of the Shepherds’ power, bow his neck beneath the yoke of -Babylon? What did it mean? That he must abandon his throne and in -favour of Khian if he still lived, of Khian, who had stolen from him -the woman upon whose beauty he had set his heart, and sent her to call -up the Babylonian hordes against him, his king and father. Or if Khian -were dead, then this Nefra, Queen of the South and indeed of all Egypt -by right of blood, would take that throne as the vassal of Babylon and -doubtless wed its heir. Therefore what could he gain by surrender? One -thing only--to live on in exile as a private man, eating out his heart -with memories of the glory of the past and watching the Egyptians and -their great ally stamp upon the Shepherd race. - -It was not to be borne. If he must fall, it should be fighting as his -forefathers would have done. How could he succeed against so mighty a -foe? Not in a set battle; there they would overwhelm him, or if he -kept to the walls of his forts, surround them and sweep on to capture -Egypt. Yet generalship and craft might still give him victory. He had -it; he would send all his best horsemen, twenty thousand or more of -them of the old fighting Shepherd blood, to make a circuit in the -desert and fall upon the rear of the Babylonians as they advanced to -give battle, which doubtless according to their custom they would do -while it was still dark, in order that they might attack in the -uncertain light of dawn. By some such unexpected thrust their array -might be confused and broken, so that he would have to deal not with -an army, but with a mob. At least since no other offered, the plan -should be tried. - - -The five thousand despatched by Tau came safely to the stronghold in -the hills, and reported themselves and their mission to the captain of -the outpost, and to his wounded guest whom all knew to be the Prince -Khian, though none called him by that name. Khian heard their tale and -grew faint with joy when he learned that the great army of Babylon was -near to him and that with it, safe and sound, was Nefra his beloved, -as a writing in her own hand told him. Sad and heavy had been his long -confinement in this place, crippled as he was, but now at length the -night of fear and waiting had passed away and there in front of him -burned the dawn of joy. - -Until the following morning the five thousand rested themselves and -their horses; then, taking with them the garrison of the outpost who -were glad enough to bid it good-bye, they started to rejoin the -Babylonian army that they had planned to meet at a certain spot on the -frontier of Egypt. In the centre of their array, in a chariot because -he could not ride, went Khian, followed by Temu in another chariot -because he would not ride, having sworn an oath, unless Fate forced -him, never to mount another horse. - -So they passed on safely across the desert, for Apepi’s skirmishers -who had hemmed them in for so long had vanished away. They could not -travel fast because of the soldiers of the garrison who must march on -foot; indeed their progress was so slow that Khian, who was on fire to -rejoin Nefra, wished to gallop on to the Babylonian army escorted only -by a few horsemen. But this the officer in command of the five -thousand would not suffer, having been strictly charged by Tau, who -foresaw that such a thing might happen, to keep him who was called the -Scribe Rasa safe in the heart of his force. In vain did Khian plead. -Those, said the officer, were his orders and he must obey them. - -On the third afternoon of their march, they learned from desert men -that they drew near to the Babylonian host which was encamped over -against the forts that Apepi had built. As it was still too far away -to be reached that night and those on foot were very weary, its -general halted the five thousand to eat and rest at a place where -there was water, giving orders that the force was to march again at -midnight by the light of the setting moon, which, if all went well, -should bring them to the army shortly after dawn. - -This plan was carried out. At midnight they broke camp and went -forward through the hot desert air by the light of the half moon. When -they had marched for about two hours Temu caused his chariot to be -brought alongside that of Khian, and though the Prince was somewhat -silent, talked on to him after his fashion, for none guessed that on -the farther side of a certain rise of ground the five and twenty -thousand horsemen whom Apepi had despatched to fall upon the flank of -the Babylonians were creeping towards them purposing to attack the -camp of the great army at the first break of dawn. Why should it be -guessed, seeing that outposts rode ahead of them to give warning of -any danger? How could they know that those outposts had been -surrounded and captured or killed, when as they thought they were -riding into the fringe of the host of Babylon, thus giving the -Shepherds warning of the approach of foes? - -“Brother,” said Temu, “during all this while you have been very -impatient, complaining of your wound which will get quite well in -time, though it may leave you stiff-legged and lame for life, -complaining because you were kept yonder in the hills, instead of -thanking the gods that you ever reached them safely by help of those -rough-tongued but courageous Arab brethren who gave themselves -fanciful names, for which faults as your elder in our Order I have -often reproved you, saying that like myself you should have faith. Now -you see the end of it, namely, that faith has triumphed as it always -does. Within an hour or two we shall reach the mighty host of Babylon -and make obeisance to Tau, the Prophet of the Dawn. All our troubles -are ended, or rather all your troubles, since because of faith _I_ -never doubted but that they would melt away----” - -At this moment Temu himself melted away, for a javelin or an arrow -pierced his charioteer through the heart so that the man fell dead on -to the flanks of the horses, causing them to start forward at full -gallop in their fright, and charging through the ranks to vanish at -speed into the desert, while Temu clung to the chariot rail and -grasped wildly at the reins. The horses were good horses, being indeed -two of those that had borne them on their gallop from the water to the -hills, now fat and strong again. They rushed on up the rise; they came -among the Shepherd troops where the line was thin, they broke through -it unharmed, being scarcely seen in the dim light before they were -gone. They galloped on across the sands, smelling other horses ahead -of them, or perchance it was water that they smelt. At least they -rushed on while Temu, flung to the bottom of the chariot, dragged at -the reins in vain. That is, he dragged once or twice, then let them -be, muttering: - -“Faith! Have faith! These accursed beasts must go where Fate drives -them, and I see no more soldiers.” - -Presently, however, he saw plenty, for now the chariot, heedless of -the challenges of the sentries, was rushing down the central avenue of -the Babylonian camp. At length the feet of one of the horses became -entangled in the ropes of a tent, so that it fell, bringing down its -companion with it, and Temu rolled on to the ground in front of a -general who was giving orders to some officer. - -“Who is this?” asked the General testily, “and what does that chariot -here? Take it away.” - -Then Temu, knowing the voice, sat up and said: - -“O Holy Prophet, as I understand that you are now that Roy is dead, O -Father Tau, that is, if a Prophet and Father of the Dawn can be clad -in armour which is against all the rules, I am Temu, a priest of your -Brotherhood, as you may remember, for it was you who sent me on a -certain business to the Court of Apepi, King of the North, since which -time I have suffered many things.” - -“I remember you, Brother,” said Tau. “But whence come you in this -chariot, and why?” - -“I do not know, Prophet. One moment I was talking to him who is called -the Scribe Rasa, with whom I have shared many adventures, but who, I -think, has another name, and the next my charioteer pitched forward -with a missile through his breast, and those mad brutes of horses on -which he fell were dragging me away whither I knew not. All I know is -that we passed through a host clad in such armour as the Shepherds -use, for the moonlight shone upon it and upon Apepi’s banners, which I -knew well, for I saw enough of them at Tanis. Then the horses, -directed of Heaven, came on here. And that is all the story.” - -“The Scribe Rasa!” exclaimed a woman’s voice, that of Nefra who, -seeing the fall of the horses, had come from her tent, accompanied by -Ru, to learn its cause. “Where did you leave the Scribe Rasa, Priest?” - -“Cease from questions, Niece,” broke in Tau. “Can you not understand -that the force we sent some days ago to rescue a certain garrison has -been ambushed and that by some accident this brother has escaped to -bring us tidings. Or perchance,” he added, as a thought struck him, -“Apepi’s army has moved from its defences to attack us from the south -presently when the sun rises.” - -Then he gave certain orders. Trumpets blew, captains ran up, men by -the thousand, still yawning, took their appointed places; all the -awakened camp burst into active martial life. - -Meanwhile, not so very far away, a desperate battle raged. The five -and twenty thousand of the Shepherds, attackers who thought themselves -attacked, hurled themselves upon the five thousand Babylonians who had -marched into their midst. The Babylonians, being alert and well -officered, strove to cut a path through the Shepherds, aye, and did -so, slowly, losing many men as they struggled forward. Squadrons -rushed on them, dimly seen in the moonlight, and were beaten back. -There was charge and countercharge. Horses screamed, men fell and -groaned out their lives. - -The moon grew dark, but still the battle went on in the twilight that -precedes the dawn, when it was difficult to distinguish friend from -foe. The light of day began to gather and by it the captain of the -Babylonians saw that he could advance no more. Nor could he fly, for -the cloud of Apepi’s Horse was all about him. Therefore he made a -square of those who remained to him, perhaps two thousand or more -sound men and many wounded, and gave orders that none must surrender, -since this was a fight to the death for the honour of Babylon. - -When Apepi’s captains in the gathering light perceived with how small -a body they had to do, they were dismayed who thought that all this -while they had been attacking the flank of the Babylonian host in the -darkness. And now the dawn had come and their opportunity was gone; -they had failed in their mission and how could they face Apepi with -such a tale? In the fighting they had seized prisoners, some of them -wounded. Those men they questioned. Under threat of death by torment, -or with beatings, from some of these they drew the truth that this was -but a force of Babylonian skirmishers sent to relieve an outpost which -they were bringing back with them to the army. - -“Who, then, is the man that sits in a chariot among the horsemen?” -asked Apepi’s captain. - -The prisoners answered that they did not know, whereon he ordered them -to be flogged a while, and then repeated his question. Thus he learned -that this lord in the chariot was none other than Khian the Prince -whom he himself had been ordered to capture when he was escaping from -Egypt, for though the prisoners gave only the name of Rasa the Scribe, -well he knew that Rasa and Khian were the same man. - -Then that captain saw light in the midst of a great darkness. He had -failed, it was true; he had not fallen upon the flank of the army of -Babylon at this hour of dawn, or thrown it into confusion and panic, -as he had hoped to do, but instead had become engaged with a petty -force of which the destruction would help Apepi not at all. But now he -learned that with that force was one whose capture would mean as much, -or more, to Apepi as a great slaughter of the Babylonians. Instantly -he made up his mind; he would not try to attack the army of the great -King; it was too late. No, he would destroy these horsemen and take -the Prince Khian, living or dead, as an offering to Apepi, hoping thus -to assuage his wrath. - -Instantly he gave orders and the attack began. Being mounted, neither -side had bows and now javelins were few. Therefore the fray must be -fought out with swords. The Babylonians had picketed their horses in -the centre of the square or given them to the wounded there to hold, -turning themselves into foot-soldiers. Moreover, by command of their -general, with hands and stones and cooking vessels they were heaping -the desert sands into a bank which, with two thousand men or more -labouring at it for their lives, rose as though by magic, for the sand -was soft and easy to handle. At this bank the Shepherds charged from -every side. But the Babylonian square, set on the crest of a desert -sand wave, was small, for its general had drawn up his men three deep, -each line standing behind the other. Therefore only a few of the -clouds of Apepi’s horsemen could come at them at once, and at these -the Babylonians stabbed with their swords, or cut at the horses’ legs -as they scrambled up the sand slopes, laming them, or causing them to -scream in agony and rush away. - -Soon Apepi’s captain saw that victory would be slow, which fitted his -plans but ill. Every moment he was in fear lest the outposts of the -great army should discover what was passing not so very far away and -send out a mighty force to destroy him. He feared also that the -wounded man in the chariot whom he guessed to be the Prince Khian -might be killed in the fighting, whereas he desired to take him living -to Apepi. Lastly he feared that even if he were not attacked, soon he -and his horsemen would be cut off from Egypt and driven back into the -desert, to perish there of thirst and hunger. Therefore, ceasing from -his onslaught, he sent officers under a flag of truce to the -Babylonian general, charged to deliver this message: - -“Your case is desperate since I outnumber you ten to one. Surrender -and in the name of Apepi I promise you your lives. Fight on and I will -destroy you all.” - -The Babylonian heard, but being a crafty man, would give no immediate -answer, for he, too, hoped that news of their plight would reach the -great army either through messengers whom he had despatched when they -were first attacked, or otherwise. Therefore desiring to gain time he -replied that he must take counsel with his officers and presently -would let their mind be known. He went to the centre of the square and -coming to Khian, told him all. - -“Now what shall we do?” he asked. “If we continue the fight, we must -soon be overwhelmed. Yet surrender we cannot for the honour of -Babylon; indeed, first will I fall upon my sword.” - -“It seems that you have answered your own question, General,” replied -Khian, smiling. “Yet here is my poor counsel. Offer to give me up, for -you know well who I am and it is I whom they seek. I think that if you -do this, that captain will let the rest of you go free.” - -Now even in his sore strait that general laughed aloud, saying: - -“Have you bethought you, Prince, for since you have declared yourself -I call you what you are, how I should be greeted by the Prince Abeshu, -also named the Lord Tau, who commands the army of the Great King, and -by a certain lady who marches with that army, if I return to tell them -such a tale? Rather would I die, Prince, with honour upon the field, -than shamed before all the host of Babylon. No, I have another plan. I -will parley with these Shepherds as one who bargains, asking for the -promise of safety in writing, and while I do so all must creep to -their horses, taking the lightly wounded behind them and leaving the -rest to fate. Then suddenly we will charge upon the Shepherds and, now -that we have light, cut our way through or perish.” - -“So be it,” said Khian, but in his heart were thoughts that his lips -did not utter. He knew that such a charge made by weary men upon -wearied horses could not succeed; that if it were attempted all who -remained alive of the Babylonian horsemen would perish, together with -those on foot, among them his hosts of the mountain garrison, and that -the wounded would be slaughtered where they lay. He was sure also that -what the Shepherd captain wanted was himself, not the lives of more -Babylonian horsemen, whose slaying or escape could make no difference -to the issue of the war, and that if he could secure that great prize, -he would turn and ride for Egypt. Therefore certainly it was laid upon -him to offer up himself as a sacrifice. He shivered at the thought, -knowing that this meant death, perhaps death by torture, at the hands -of Apepi, and what was worse, that never more after all that he had -suffered could he hope to look upon the face of Nefra beneath the sun. -Oh! he must choose, and choose at once. - -Khian cast down his eyes and with all his soul prayed to that Spirit -whom he had learned to worship, that he might find guidance in his -agony. Lo! it seemed to come. It seemed as though there amidst the -stamp and neighs of horses, the groans of the wounded, the orders of -officers who, having received the General’s word, already were making -preparation for that last wild rush for life, he heard the quiet, -well-remembered voice of Roy, saying: - -“My son, follow after duty, even down the road of sacrifice, and leave -the rest to God.” - -Khian hesitated no longer. He was alone in the chariot, for its driver -had descended to give the horses the last of the forage they carried -with them and a sup of water that remained, and stood at a distance -watching them finish their food as best they could, for the bits in -their mouths hampered them. He seized the reins, he smote the -stallions with the whip, and the beasts sprang forward. - -Now they had come to the low bank of sand and were scrambling over it, -dragging the light war chariot after them. Some fifty paces away and -as many perhaps from the first of Apepi’s horsemen stood the General -of the Babylonians and one officer talking to the Captain of the -Shepherds, also accompanied by one officer, a man whom he knew well -enough for they had served together in the Syrian wars. They had -turned and did not see him coming or hear the chariot wheels on the -soft sand. Apepi’s captain had grown angry and cried in a loud voice: - -“Hear my last offer. Give up to me the Prince Khian who is with you, -and you and your soldiers may go free. Refuse, and I will kill you -every one and take him, living or dead, to his father, Apepi the -Pharaoh. Answer. I speak no more.” - -“_I_ will answer,” said Khian from the chariot, whereon they turned in -amaze and stared. “I am the Prince Khian, and you, Friend, know me -well. I, too, know you for a man of honour and accept your promise to -let these Babylonians go their way unharmed, taking their wounded with -them, and in payment I surrender myself to you. Is it sworn?” - -“It is sworn, Prince,” said the Captain, saluting. “Yet remember that -Apepi is very wrath with your Highness,” he added slowly, as though in -warning. - -“I remember,” answered Khian. Then he turned to the Babylonian -General, who all this while had stood like one transfixed, and said: -“Say to the Lord Tau and to the Lady of Egypt that I have gone where -my duty calls me and that if it be decreed that we should meet no -more, I trust that they will not think ill of me, seeing that what -seems false often is the truth and that sometimes ill deeds are done -for good ends. For the rest, let them judge as they will of me, who -follow my own light.” - -“Lord,” exclaimed the General like one who wakes from sleep, “surely -you do not desert us for the Shepherds?” - -“Am I not a Shepherd?” asked Khian, smiling strangely. “Farewell, -Friend. Good fortune go with you and your company, no drop of whose -blood shall be shed for me.” - -Then he called to the horses and they went forward while the General -wrung his hands and muttered the names of strange Babylonian gods. - -“I do not understand your Highness,” said Apepi’s captain as he walked -by the chariot back towards his horsemen, “which is not strange, since -always you were different from other men, and I am wondering whether -those Babylonians will write you down as a traitor or as a hero. -Meanwhile, I who know you to be honest, ask your promise that even if -you see opportunity you will not escape to them lest I should be -forced to kill you.” - -“It is yours, Friend. Henceforth, like a certain Temu, I walk by -faith, though whither faith has led him this day I do not know, who -last saw him vanishing into the heart of your host.” - -“Mad!” muttered the Captain. “Still if he has lost his wits, he will -keep his word, and that may save my head.” - - - - - CHAPTER XXII. - Khian Returns to Tanis - -Swiftly the Shepherd horsemen galloped back towards Apepi’s forts -across the border line of Egypt, leaving their wounded to follow after -them as best they might or perish, and in the centre of their array, -surrounded by a guard, raced the chariot of Khian. Their captain knew -there was no time to lose, for soon those Babylonians whom he had -spared would be at the camp of the Great King--and then----! What he -did not know was that two hours before Temu had reached that camp and -that already a mounted army was sweeping down to cut him off. - -Far away in the desert appeared a cloud of dust. It grew nearer and -more near, and now through the dust shone helms and spears and -burnished chariots. Then the Shepherds knew the worst. Their path was -blocked, Babylon was upon them! Flight was impossible. Their case now -was that of the five thousand whom they had surprised not twelve hours -before, and they must charge as these had done, and with as little -hope of victory. - -They drew together; they lined up their squadrons to the shape of a -wedge, skilfully enough, as Khian noted, and rushed forward bearing -somewhat to the right, that they might strike the Babylonian line -where it was thinnest. The two armies drew near together, some twenty -thousand of the Shepherds against fifty thousand of their foes who -were massed in dense squadrons divided by companies of chariots. A -roar of triumph went up from the Babylonians, but the doomed Shepherds -were silent. - -Apepi’s captain appeared by the chariot of Khian. - -“Prince,” he cried as he galloped, “the gods are against me and I -think that our end is near. Yet I trust to you to remember your oath, -upon faith of which I spared your company, and to make no effort to -escape. If you are captured, it is so decreed, but while you are able, -I repeat I trust to you to head straight for the boundary which is -near, and to surrender yourself to Apepi or his troops. Do I trust in -vain?” - -“My honour has never yet been doubted,” Khian called back. - -Then that captain saluted with his sword and, spurring his horse, -vanished away. - -With a shock and a sound like thunder the hordes of horsemen met. Deep -into the Babylonian array cut the Shepherd wedge, throwing men and -steeds to either side of it, as a gale-driven ship throws waves of the -sea. Yet slowly Apepi’s squadrons lost their speed as more and more of -the Babylonians poured upon their flank. The point of the wedge, -passing through the first group, became engaged with fresh squadrons -beyond, that escorted a company of chariots which had raced in front -to cut them off. - -The fighting grew desperate. Slowly those before him were killed, -scattered, or trodden down, so that Khian found his chariot in the -forefront of the battle. At a little distance he perceived a throng of -the Shepherds, some of them dismounted, attacking a few of the -Babylonians who were gathered round a splendid chariot that had -outraced the rest, whereof the wounded horses were struggling on the -ground. In this chariot, sword in hand, was one clad in mail that -seemed to be fashioned of silver and gold, whom he took to be a -beautiful youth, doubtless some princeling of the royal House of -Babylon sent out to look upon the face of war, while on that side of -it on which the Shepherds, six or eight of them, pressed their attack, -stood a black-faced giant hung about with plates of brazen armour that -clanked as he swung his great axe aloft and brought it crashing down -upon those within its reach. One glance told Khian that this was the -mighty Ethiopian, Ru himself! Then with a sick heart he understood -that the figure in the chariot was no noble Babylonian youth but none -other than Nefra, his betrothed. - -Oh! she was sore beset. Horsemen were coming to her aid, but the -nearest of them were still a full bow-shot away, for in her fierce -folly she had outdriven them all. Ru smote and smote, but he could not -be everywhere, and while some drew him to the rear of the chariot -which they were striving to enter from behind, others, five or six of -them, ran together at its side, purposing to rush forward and kill or -drag away her who stood therein. It was as if they knew that this was -a prize indeed, one for whose sake all must be risked, and as he came -nearer, Khian perceived how they knew, for now he saw that about her -silver helm she wore the snake-headed coronet, the royal uræus with -the sparkling eyes that proclaimed her Egypt’s queen. The men -gathered, watching Ru as with savage war cries he beat down foe after -foe, and waiting their chance to spring upon their prey and pierce her -through or capture her. - -Khian thought for a moment. - -“I swore not to escape, but never that I would not fight upon my way -to doom,” he said to himself and pulled at the reins, turning the -rushing horses straight upon that knot of men. As he came the first of -them leapt at Nefra. She smote with her sword and the blow fell upon -his thick headdress. He shot out his long arms, for he was a great -fellow, and gripped her round the middle, dragging her to him. The -others stood waiting to seize her as she fell to the ground and carry -her off if they could, or kill her if they could not. So eagerly did -they watch that they never saw or heard the white-horsed war chariot -thunder down upon them from where they knew there were no foes. Khian -called to the stallions, beasts trained to war, and turning neither to -left nor right they rushed on. They smote those men and down they went -beneath the hoofs and wheels. Only one remained standing, he who -dragged Nefra from the chariot. In Khian’s hand was a spear. He hurled -it as he passed and it pierced that man through and through, so that, -loosing his grip of Nefra, he fell to the ground and died. - -Now Ru had seen and was rushing back. Nefra, freed, stared at her -deliverer--and knew him. - -“Khian!” she cried. “Khian! Come to me.” - -Ru knew him also and shouted: - -“Halt, Lord Rasa!” - -But Khian only shook his head and galloped on. - -Then the Babylonian deliverers came up as a flood comes along a dry -river bed and covered all. But already Khian was far off with the -remnant of the Shepherd Horse. - - - -The battle rolled away. Of the twenty thousand Shepherds or more but -some few hundreds escaped; the rest were cut or hunted down before -they reached the border line of Egypt. But among those who came -unharmed to the army of Apepi was the Prince Khian, for through all -that fray it was as though some god protected him and the horses that -drew his chariot. On he drove till he saw where a general’s standard -flew. Then he halted the bloodstained, weary beasts and called aloud: - -“I am the Prince Khian. Come, bear me hence for I am hurt and cannot -walk.” - -The officers who heard him saluted and their men cheered, for they -thought that the Prince Khian whom they loved and who had been their -comrade in the Syrian wars had escaped from the Babylonians that he -might fight against them with his own people. Tenderly they lifted him -from the chariot and gave him wine and food, the best they had, then -placed him in a litter such as they used for wounded men and bore him -to the royal encampment in and around the new-built forts. Over these -forts flew Pharaoh’s banners, yet when they came to them they found -confusion and open gates. Pharaoh, heralds announced, had been called -back to Tanis, leaving orders to his armies to follow after him, that -they might re-form there to protect the great city and Egypt. - -Now when the captains heard these commands they stared at each other -and murmured. But Khian, looking back across the frontier line, -learned their reason. Yonder the sands were black with all the ordered -hosts of Babylon. On they came, foot and horse and chariots, a mighty -flood of men, before the shock of whose onslaught the army of the -Shepherds must have broken and gone down. Therefore it was that when -he learned that his flank attack had miscarried and saw all the might -of Babylon sweeping down upon him, Apepi had fled to Tanis, leaving -his troops to follow as best they could. - -Understanding at last how matters stood, some of the chief officers -came to Khian and prayed him to take command of the army, by right of -his rank and repute in war. But he smiled and remained silent, as they -thought because he was sick and could not stand upon his feet. While -they still pressed him there came that captain to whom he had sworn -the oath and who, like himself, had escaped the slaughter of Apepi’s -horsemen. Calling them aside he told his comrades of how he had -captured the Prince among the Babylonians, and the rest. Then they -pressed Khian no more, though had he chosen to put another colour on -the tale perhaps they would still have listened. Or had he offered to -go to the Babylonians and pray the clemency of the Queen of Egypt and -of the Prince Abeshu their General, for Pharaoh’s army, perhaps they -would also have listened. But as he did neither of these things, they -yoked fresh horses to his chariot and setting him in it, took him with -them in their flight to Tanis. - -Thus it came about that when the Babylonians poured up to the camp of -the Shepherds to give them battle, save for some sick and wounded men, -they found them gone. Learning the truth from these men, who by Tau’s -command were spared and cared for, also that the Prince Khian had come -in safety to the camp and been welcomed there and, as some said, was -now in command of the retreating army, at once they started in -pursuit. - -At their first bivouac Tau, with some of the generals under him, -waited upon Nefra, there being present also Ru, Temu the priest, and -the Lady Kemmah. By the wish of Tau, Nefra and Ru told all the tale of -their meeting with Khian in the battle of the horsemen and of how he -had driven his horses over those who attacked Nefra, thrust his spear -through him who was dragging her from the chariot, and then, when they -called to him to stay with them, had shaken his head and fled away, -making no attempt to check the horses, as he might have done, thereby -escaping from the Shepherds if he were their captive. - -Now when he had heard this strange tale, Tau asked those present to -interpret it. The Babylonian Generals, one and all, answered that -either this Prince was mad, or evidently he was a traitor. It was -clear, they said, that otherwise he would have escaped when he had -opportunity, and it was also clear that being a Shepherd and the son -of their King, he had followed his heart back to the Shepherds and to -his father. Kemmah, who spoke next, held that certainly he was mad, -for how, she asked, could a sane man fly away from the loveliest woman -in the world, to whom he was affianced, and one who was a queen as -well?--Unless, indeed, she added as an afterthought, since they parted -he had met one yet lovelier, words at which Nefra sharply bid her be -silent. - -Then Temu, who had been the Prince’s companion in his captivities and -flights, was called upon. But all he could do was to mutter, “Faith! -Have faith!” adding that in this matter it was easy because he could -not believe that any one who had once tasted of the palace dungeon at -Tanis or of the tomb chamber in the dark of the pyramid could wish to -return to either of them again. Then he began to set out the tale of -their escapes and of all that he had suffered on horseback and in the -chariot, until an officer pulled him back to his seat. - -Then spoke Nefra, asking angrily of the Babylonian Generals: - -“Have you ever known, Lords, of a man who wished to play the traitor, -who began his treachery by killing sundry of those to whom he had sold -himself? Do you not understand that if this Prince wished to be rid of -me in order that in future he might lay an undisputed claim to the -double throne of Egypt, all he needed to do was to pass on and leave -those Shepherd knaves to kill me as--Ru, after his fashion, being -elsewhere when he was wanted--doubtless they would have done. Yet he -drives his chariot over four of them and pierces the fifth through -with his spear. Then--the gods alone know why, though I doubt not for -some good reason, other than that advanced by the Lady Kemmah,” she -added acidly, “he departs, shaking his head, and so swiftly that he -could not be caught, as yonder priest says, to taste once more of -Apepi’s dungeons, or”--here her voice grew faint and her eyes filled -with tears--“of worse things.” - -When they had finished Tau said: - -“All who know the Prince Khian have learned that in some ways he is -different from most men, and it is probable that among those -differences the truth may be found. Indeed I think that I have -discovered it, but if so, as we have talked enough, I will keep it to -myself until I know whether I be right or wrong. Meanwhile, I would -ask you all to listen to the prayer of our brother, Temu, and have -faith, such as that which her Majesty of Egypt showed when she rushed -forth alone into battle against the commands of those set over her, -and now again shows in him who preserved her from death.” - -Then he rose and departed from the tent, leaving Nefra abashed and yet -indignant. - - -Those who remained of the army of the Frontier came at length to Tanis -which was strongly held by Apepi’s second army of reserve. They were -not many, for the Babylonian pursuit had been sharp and captured -thousands. Moreover, when in this way or in that it became known that -none of these were put to the sword or set aside to be sold as slaves, -but that all asked of them was that they should take an oath of fealty -to Queen Nefra of Egypt and serve under her banner, other thousands -grew weary of that rapid march and lagged behind until they were -overtaken by the Babylonian pickets. - -Among the faithful that at length straggled through its gates, -however, were the Prince Khian and that captain to whom he had -surrendered and sworn a certain oath. Together these two, between whom -there was now a bond of lasting friendship, were brought to the palace -and to the wonder of Khian placed in the apartments that had been his -own when he was Prince and heir apparent of the North. Here slaves -waited upon him, his own slaves, and doctors came to treat his knee, -now much inflamed and swollen with so long and rough a journey. Yet, -as Khian noted, with all of these were mingled spies and guards: spies -to watch and note every spoken word and guards to frustrate any effort -at escape. In short, he was now as close a prisoner as he had been in -that dungeon whence he escaped with Temu. - -There in his own place Khian, who had been brought to it at dawn, -rested till the third hour after sunset, sleeping the most of this -time, save when he bathed and ate, for he was very weary. At length -came an officer and soldiers with a litter to bear him into the -presence of Apepi, his father. At the head of this company was Anath -the Vizier who, as Khian noted, had grown thinner and more gray and -whose quick black eyes darted from place to place as though everywhere -he expected to see a murderer, and following after him a sharp-faced -scribe whom Khian took to be a spy. - -Anath bowed a greeting nicely judged, neither too scanty nor too full, -saying: - -“Welcome home, Prince, after long travels and many adventures. Pharaoh -needs your presence. Be pleased to accompany me.” - -Then he was set in his litter borne by eight soldiers, at the side of -which walked Anath, while the captain followed after. In turning the -corner of one of the passages the long litter tilted and Anath put out -his hands to steady it, or to save himself from being pressed against -the wall, while the spy for a moment was left out of sight and hearing -on the farther side of a corner. Swiftly Anath whispered into Khian’s -ear: - -“The danger is great. Yet be calm and keep courage, for you have -friends, ready even to die for you, of whom I am the first.” - -Then the spy appeared and Anath straightened himself and was silent. - -They came into the presence of Pharaoh who sat in a low chair clad in -mail with a sword in his hand. The litter was set down and its bearers -helped Khian to a seat that was placed opposite to that of Pharaoh. - -“You seem to have taken some hurt, Son,” said Apepi in a cold voice. -“Who gave it to you?” - -“One of your Majesty’s soldiers during a fray in a pass of certain -hills, who overtook me when I was flying from Egypt a while ago, -Pharaoh.” - -“Oh! I heard some such tale. But why were you flying from Egypt?” - -“To save myself and to win another, Pharaoh.” - -“Yes, again I remember. The one you have done so far, though with -damage; the other you have not done and shall never do,” Apepi said -slowly. Then he looked at the captain, who accompanied Khian, and -asked: - -“Are you that man whom I sent in command of some five and twenty -thousand horse to fall upon the flank of the Babylonians? If so, tell -me why you failed in your task.” - -In brief, soldierlike words the captain told him all the story: how he -had met the body of Babylonian Horse during the night and become -engaged with them; how in the end Khian had bought the lives of those -of them who remained by his surrender of himself; how they had fallen -in with the great force of mounted Babylonians and chariots which in -the end destroyed them nearly all; how the Prince Khian had kept his -word when he might have escaped, and thus was now a prisoner at Tanis, -and the rest. - -Apepi listened till he had finished and said: - -“Enough, man. You have failed and by your failure have brought me to -the gates of ruin. My army is dispersed and the Babylonians, under the -command of one of the accursed wizards of the Dawn, sweep down on -Tanis to capture it, after which they purpose to seize all Egypt and -set this girl Nefra as their puppet on its throne. All these things -have happened because you failed in the task I laid upon you and -instead of falling upon the Babylonian flank, were trapped and wasted -your strength and time in a petty fight with some few thousand men. -For such as you there is no more place upon the earth. Get you down to -the Underworld and there learn generalship, if you may.” - -Then he made a sign whereon certain armed slaves ran forward. The -captain, answering nothing to Apepi, turned to Khian and saluted him, -saying: - -“Now, Prince, I am sorry that I did not loose you from your oath and -bid you escape while you could. For if I am treated thus, what chance -is there for you? Well, I go to make report of these matters to Osiris -who, I have been told, is a just god and an avenger of the innocent. -Farewell.” - -Before Khian could answer the slaves seized the man and dragged him -behind a curtain, whence presently one of them reappeared holding up a -human head to tell Pharaoh that his will was done. At this sight for -the first time Khian hated his father and hoped in his heart that -Apepi himself might be overtaken by the fate which he had brought upon -a loyal servant who had done his best. - -Now father and son were left alone and stared at each other in -silence. At length Khian spoke. - -“If it be the will of your Majesty that I should follow on the path -that has been trodden by yonder victim, I pray that it may be soon, -since I am weary and would sleep.” - -Apepi laughed cruelly and answered: - -“All in good time, but not yet, I think. Do you not understand, Son, -that you are the only arrow left in my quiver? It seems that by aid of -the arts of these wizards of the Dawn you have bewitched this royal -Egyptian in such fashion that she dotes on you, she, the chosen of -your father, from whom you stole her. Now how do you think it would -please her when she appears before the walls of Tanis with the -Babylonians, as doubtless she will do to-morrow with the light, if she -saw you, her darling, set upon the eastern gate and there about to die -as that fool died or in worse fashion?” - -“I do not know,” answered Khian, “but I think that if such a thing -chanced, very soon Tanis would be given to fire and all that breathe -within its walls would also die, and with them one--who does not wish -to die.” - -“You are right, my Son,” mocked Apepi. “An angry woman with a hundred -thousand men behind her might commit such crimes upon the helpless. -Therefore I propose to keep your head upon your shoulders, at least -for the present. This is my plan--tell me if you do not think it good. -You shall appear upon the gateway and heralds shall announce, or -perhaps this would best be done by messenger, that you are about to -suffer death for treason in the presence of Pharaoh and his Court, or -as many of them as can find standing room upon that gateway. It will -be announced, however, that Pharaoh, out of his great pity and love, -will spare you upon certain terms. Can you perhaps guess those terms?” - -“No,” answered Khian hoarsely. - -“I think you lie; I think you know them well enough. Still, Son, I -will repeat them to you, that you may never say you have not been -fairly dealt with. They are short and simple. First, that having -surrendered all its treasure and some trappings such as horses and -chariots and signed a perpetual peace with us, the Shepherds, the -Babylonian army retreats whence it came. - -“Secondly, that the Princess Nefra gives up herself to me, that in the -presence of both armies and of the holy gods the priests may declare -her my wife and queen, who brings to me as her dower all the rights -and inheritances that are hers by blood in Egypt.” - -“Never will she consent,” said Khian. - -“Of course, Son, that is the danger, since no one can tell what a -woman will or will not do. But do you not think that if such should -chance to be her mind and that she should determine that you must be -sacrificed to what she holds her duty, you who otherwise would be set -free among the Babylonians, the sight of a little torture and the -sound of your groans might work the needful change? There are some -clever blacks in this place and by the way, that knee of yours is -still swollen and painful, is it not? They might begin there. Hot -irons--yes, hot irons!” - -Khian looked at him and said in a low voice: - -“Do your worst, devil who begat me, if indeed I am your son, which now -it is hard to believe. You speak of the priests of the Dawn as -wizards. Know that I am a priest of the Dawn who share their wizardry -or their wisdom, and it tells me that all your plots will fail and -that your wickedness will fall back upon your own head.” - -“Ah! does it? I understand your scheme. You think that you will kill -yourself. Well, this shall not happen, for be sure that you shall be -too well watched. Nor will you escape from the palace for the second -time. Good-night, Son. Rest while you may, for I fear that it will be -necessary to awake you early.” - - - - - CHAPTER XXIII. - The Queen of the Dawn - -Before the hour of dawn Khian was carried up the pylon stairs to the -top of the eastern gate of Tanis. It was a large flat place where -fifty or more might stand with comfort, and being lame he was seated -in a chair upon its eastern edge. Ra the Sun arose and showed him all. -Beneath him was a wide moat filled with water from the Nile, but the -bridge which spanned it had been hoisted up by the aid of ropes and -pulleys and was made fast to the gateway pillars. - -Beyond the moat and almost at its edge, for in their overwhelming -might they seemed to fear nothing from their broken foes, appeared the -heart of the host of Babylon, whereof the wings already encircled the -city of Tanis, cutting off the escape of those who were within its -walls. A little way back from the edge of this moat, though out of the -reach of arrows, pavilions were pitched, over which, side by side, -flew the royal ensigns of Egypt and Babylon, showing to Khian that -there rested Nefra and the Prince Abeshu who was also called the Lord -Tau. For the rest the walls on either flank of the gateway were -garrisoned by Shepherd troops who seemed restless and ill at ease, -while on its top, attended by Anath and other councillors, sat Pharaoh -Apepi gorgeously attired and wearing the double crown of the Upper and -the Lower Lands. - -Trumpets blew and guards gathered about the royal pavilions, after -which there was silence. On the farther side of the moat behind the -outposts, the ordered ranks of the marshalled Babylonian soldiers -stood staring up at the gateway crest; wall upon wall of white faces, -every one, as it seemed to Khian, turned towards himself. Presently a -messenger bearing a white flag appeared crossing the moat upon a boat -and from its farther bank was escorted through the lines to the -pavilions where flew the standards of Babylon and Egypt and there -handed a letter to the captain of the General’s guard who entered and -delivered it to Tau. Tau opened it and read, then said to Nefra who -stood beside him, large-eyed and haggard-faced: - -“These are the terms of Apepi: That having given up all its treasure -and signed a treaty of perpetual peace, the Babylonian army must march -back to Babylon.” - -“What else, my Uncle?” - -“That you, the Queen of Egypt, surrender your person forthwith to -Apepi and with due ceremony be wed to him in front of the gateway and -in sight of the people of the Shepherds and of the armies of Babylon.” - -“What else, my Uncle?” - -“That if these terms be refused, then the Prince Khian will be -tormented before our eyes until they are accepted or until life leaves -him. Now what answer, Niece and Queen?” - -Nefra’s face grew ashen. She bowed her head until it touched her knees -and rocked her body to and fro; then she straightened herself and -asked: - -“What would Khian wish that I should do? I know! I know! He would wish -that I should defy Apepi, leaving his fate in the hand of God.” - -“Have faith! Have faith!” muttered Temu who was seated behind her with -papyrus on his knee. - -“Aye, Brother,” went on Nefra, “I have faith, and if it fails me, -well, there is always death behind and in death I shall find Khian. -Shall I of the ancient blood, his sworn betrothed, come to him beyond -the grave, defiled, the woman of that dog of an old Shepherd king? -Never! Shall Babylon, my great ally, bow herself before these runaways -who did not dare to await the battle? Never! Let Khian die if die he -must, and let me die with him. But if so, not one man shall be left -living in Tanis, and not one man of Shepherd blood throughout the -North. Write it down, Temu, as the Prince Abeshu shall tell you, and -let the messenger take it back to that cruel crossbred cur Apepi, and -let heralds call it out to those who stand upon the gateway and the -walls, while the captains bid the attack begin at every other mouth of -Tanis.” - -Tau heard and smiled in his slow, secret way. Then to officers mounted -on swift horses he issued certain orders on receipt of which presently -thousands of men began to move to the onslaught upon the great city. -This done, he turned to Temu and other scribes, saying to them the -words that they should write. Also he summoned heralds and caused them -to learn those words by heart and depart to shout them out at every -gate. - -At length all was ready, and the messenger, having received the roll, -departed to the moat escorted by Ru, who gave him another message on -his own account. It was: - -“Tell that Sheep herder who calls himself a king, and tell all his -councillors and the captains who remain to him, that if a finger is -lifted against the Prince Khian, presently I, the Ethiopian Ru, will -twist out their tongues and drive in their eyes with my own fingers, -and afterwards cast them into the desert to starve. Aye, and yours -also, Messenger, if you fail to report this my message so that I can -hear you from this shore of the moat.” - -Now the messenger looked up at the giant Nubian who glared down at him -grinding his great white teeth and swore that he would do his bidding. -Then he entered his little boat and, crossing the water, was admitted -by a tiny door in the gateway tower, so that presently he appeared -upon its crest and handed the writing to Apepi. Moreover, as he had -sworn to do, he repeated the message of Ru in a loud voice, the words -of which seemed to please those upon the gateway little, for they -gathered into knots debating them fearfully. Heralds also called out -that which had been written in the roll, so that all upon the wall -might learn and understand. - -Khian, bound upon the edge of the gateway so that if spears were -thrown or arrows shot these might pierce him first, heard the -proclamation and was glad, because now he knew that not for his life’s -sake would Nefra be shamed. Yet he turned his head and spoke over his -shoulder to Apepi who stood behind him, and to Anath and the other -councillors, saying: - -“Pharaoh and Lords, what the Prince Abeshu and the royal Nefra have -sworn most certainly they will do. Torture and kill me before their -eyes if you desire, but be sure that it will not change their purpose, -for not with my poor life can you buy their honour. For myself I fear -not death, but I ask of you--is it your will to follow me, every one -of you, and to give all the people of Tanis and the nation of the -Shepherds to the sword? If you spare me and set me free, you and they -will be spared. If you lift a hand against me, you and they will die. -I have spoken; do what you will.” - -Now, although because of his bonds he could not see what passed, Khian -heard tumult behind him. He heard Anath the Vizier and other -councillors praying Pharaoh to forego his purpose because their case -and the case of the whole city was desperate, beleaguered as they were -by the countless hosts of Babylon, and it seemed mad to die that -Pharaoh might satisfy his hate upon the Prince his son. Moreover, -crowds from the city who had also heard the proclamation were rushing -into the open space behind the gate, sweeping aside the soldiers by -whom it was guarded, and shouting such words as: - -“Pharaoh! Spare the Prince Khian! Must we all die because you would -torment and murder him who was born of you?” - -Then above the tumult Anath spoke again, saying in a high cold voice, -like one who threatens rather than prays: - -“Pharaoh, this is a very evil business. The Prince is beloved in Tanis -and it is not well for kings to kill those whom the people love when -the enemy is at their gates.” - -Now Apepi answered, hissing like one mad with rage: - -“Be silent, Anath and the rest of you, or as I serve this traitor, so -shall you be served. Slaves, to your task!” - -Behind Khian arose guttural murmurings. It seemed to him that the -black tormentors shrank from their office. Again the furious Pharaoh -commanded, but still they hung back. Then came the sound of a blow and -groans and Khian knew that he had cut one of them down and guessed -that the others would no longer dare to resist his will. On the -farther side of the moat he saw Ru the giant marching to and fro like -a caged lion and shaking his great axe. Beyond him now were ranged a -company of archers, their arrows set upon the strings, waiting the -word to loose, while behind the archers he perceived Tau, and leaning -on him Nefra clad in her glittering mail. Then he lifted up his voice -and cried: - -“Ru! Hear me--Khian. Bid the archers shoot, for thus would I die, -rather than in torment.” - -He could say no more for Apepi, stepping forward, struck him heavily -upon the face and bade the torturers gag him, a sight at which the -army of Babylon groaned, as did the inhabitants of Tanis who now -packed the Place of the Gateway in thousands. Ru roared out a curse -that sounded like the bellow of a wounded bull, then turning, repeated -Khian’s words to the archers who lifted their bows and looked to Tau -for the order to shoot. But Tau gave no order, only motioned to them -to hold their hands, while Nefra sank to her knees as though she -swooned. - -Khian became aware of black hands tearing at his garments, then there -was a smell of fire and an agony darted through him. The slow -sacrifice was begun! He shut his eyes, making his soul ready to -depart. - -There was a sound behind him, a very strange sound of wrestling and -blows. He opened his eyes and looked. Past him, staggering backwards, -went the form of Pharaoh, and in his breast was fixed a knife. At the -edge of the gateway platform he stopped, clinging to the seat in which -Khian was bound. - -“Dog!” he gasped, “Dog of a Vizier! I have spared you too long; it -should have been done last night. But I waited----” - -“Aye,” answered the voice of Anath, “you over-shot yourself, Pharaoh, -and gave the dog time to bite. Away with you to Set, son-murderer.” - -A withered form, that of Anath, leapt forward, its black eyes gleaming -in the yellow wrinkled face, a thin arm smote with the tormentor’s -heated iron at the hands that gripped the seat, crushing and burning -them. Apepi loosed his hold and with a cry fell backwards into the -moat beneath. - -Ru saw him fall and leaped into the water, swimming with great -strokes. As the Pharaoh rose he seized him with his mighty hands and -dragged him to the bank where he broke him like a stick, then cast him -to the shore. - -“Pharaoh Apepi is dead!” piped the thin voice of Anath, “but Pharaoh -Khian lives! Life! Blood! Strength! Pharaoh! Pharaoh! Pharaoh!” - -So he cried as he hacked at Khian’s bonds and dragged away the gag, -and all the multitude beneath took up the ancient greeting, shouting: - -“Life! Blood! Strength! Pharaoh! Pharaoh! Pharaoh!” - - -It was evening. Khian lay upon a couch in the royal pavilion of the -Babylonians, whither by his own command he had been brought, since as -yet Nefra could not enter the city. The Lady Kemmah and a leech bathed -his bruised face and bandaged his swollen knee, while Nefra, who stood -near, shivered at the sight of a long red burn upon his flesh made by -the touch of hot iron. - -Then suddenly a question burst from her: - -“Tell me, Khian, why did you fly away from me in the battle, when you -might have escaped and spared us all this agony?” - -“Did not some two thousand sound men and with them very many wounded -rejoin this army upon that day, Lady,” asked Khian, “being the -survivors of the force which was sent to rescue me and the garrison of -the mountain stronghold?” - -“They did, and were questioned, but knew nothing except that you drove -out your chariot and surrendered yourself to the Shepherds, after -which the attack upon them ceased.” - -“Then do you not understand that sometimes it is right that one man -should offer himself up for many?” - -“Yes,” answered Nefra, colouring, “I understand now--that you are even -nobler than I thought. Yet, when you could have escaped, why did you -fly away, as I saw you do?” - -“Ask the Prophet Tau,” replied Khian wearily. - -“Why did Khian fly away, my Uncle? Tell me if you know, since he will -not.” - -“Does not the oath sworn of those who enter into the fellowship of the -Dawn demand that they shall never break a promise, Niece? Perchance -our brother here had vowed to deliver himself up in Egypt, and did so, -even when he might have stayed at your side. So at least I have -believed from the first.” - -“Is that so, Khian?” - -“It is so, Nefra. With this oath I bought the lives of those men. -Would you have had me break it even to win my own--and you?” - -“I cannot say, but oh! Khian, you are noble, who did this knowing that -if you died, all my life I should have been ignorant _why_ you died, -seeming to desert me.” - -“Not so, Nefra, since Tau knew and would have told you at his own -time.” - -“How did you know that which was hid from me, my Uncle?” - -“My office has its secrets, Niece. Enough that I knew, as I knew also -that it would never be necessary for me to set out the truth to you.” - -“So you let me suffer all these things when there was no need, my -Uncle!” exclaimed Nefra angrily. - -“Perhaps, Niece, and to your own good. Why should you alone escape -from suffering which is the medicine of the soul, you, who if you be -the Queen of Egypt, are, as I would pray you to remember, first and -foremost a sister of the Dawn and the servant of its laws? Be humble, -Sister. Sacrifice your self-will. Learn to obey if you would command, -and seek, not self-will or glory but the light. For so, when these -little storms have rolled away, you shall find the eternal calm.” - -“Faith! Have faith!” muttered Temu who stood behind. - -“Aye,” went on Tau, “have faith and humility, for by faith we climb -and in humility we serve--not ourselves but others, which is the only -true service. I say these things to you now even in the hour of your -joy, for soon we must part, I to my hermitage and you to your throne, -and then who can reprove Pharaoh on the throne?” - -“You could and will, I am sure, my Uncle,” Nefra answered, tossing her -head. - -Then suddenly her mood changed and, turning, she threw her arms about -him and kissed him on the brow, saying: - -“Oh! my most beloved Uncle, what is there that I do not owe to you? -When I was a babe you saved me and my mother from the hands of those -traitorous Theban nobles, with whom soon I hope to talk if they be -still alive.” - -“I think that the Lady Kemmah and Ru here had something to do with -that, Niece.” - -“Yes, yet they did but fulfil their offices, whereas you travelled up -Nile to rescue us.” - -“Fulfilling _my_ orders, Niece.” - -“Then you brought us to the pyramids and there you watched over my -childhood, teaching me all the little that I know. Afterwards it was -you who led me to Babylon and in secret worked upon the heart of the -Great King, so that, as though at my prayers, he abandoned his plan of -wedding me to Mir-bel and gave me this great army that has brought us -victory and peace.” - -“God, for His own purposes, changed the heart of my father, Ditanah, -on that matter, not I, Niece.” - -“Afterwards,” she continued, taking no heed of his words, “you -comforted me in a hundred ways; also it was you who held me back from -accompanying the five thousand to the mountain stronghold which, had I -done so, would have brought me to death or shame. Oh! and I know not -what besides. And how have I paid you back? Often enough with pride -and angry words and rebellion against your commands; aye, and -disbelief when you told me that if I found patience all would work for -my good and that of Khian, whom I believed dead, even when you bade me -hope on. Yet,” she added in another voice, “if I behaved thus, it was -your fault, not mine, for who was it that spoiled me in my youth, -giving me my way when I should have been taught obedience?” - -“The holy Roy, I think; also the Lady Kemmah,” answered Tau with his -quiet smile. - -At this moment guards challenged without. Then the curtain of the -pavilion was drawn and, heralded by Ru, there entered the old Vizier -Anath and with him others of the councillors and captains of the -Shepherds. - -Anath and his company prostrated themselves thrice, to Nefra, to -Khian, and to the Prince Abeshu, the General of the armies of Babylon. - -“Queen and Princess,” he said, “on behalf of all the Shepherds we come -to surrender to you the city of Tanis and to pray your clemency for -those who have fought against you and for every one who breathes -within its walls. Is it granted?” - -“Be my mouth and answer,” said Nefra to Tau. “Your mind is my mind and -by your words I will be bound, as I think will his Highness, the -Prince Khian, who is still too sick for ceremonies.” - -“It is granted,” said Tau. “To those who will be loyal to Nefra, Queen -of Egypt, and to Khian, Prince of the North, whom she purposes to take -as husband, all is forgiven. To-morrow we enter Tanis and proclaim the -great peace.” - -“We hear and thank you, Queen and Princess,” said Anath. “Now I have a -word to say to the Prince Khian, I who come before him with the blood -of Pharaoh on my hands, for which deed I crave pardon. Let the Prince -hearken. When the Prince was cast into prison, it was I who saved him -with the help of yonder Brother of the Dawn and a certain jailer. -Being suspected of this deed by Pharaoh I was disgraced and myself -imprisoned. Therefore I could not rescue him when he was shut up in -the pyramid or prevent his pursuit to the mountain outpost of the -Babylonians where he took refuge. Afterwards I regained power because -Pharaoh knew that I alone might perchance save him from the fangs of -the Lion of Babylon. When the great host poured down upon Egypt I -counselled Pharaoh to surrender and, if the Prince still lived, -proclaim a marriage between his son, Khian and the royal Nefra. For -answer he struck me like a dog--see, here are the marks”--and he -touched his head. “Afterwards Pharaoh fled, his attack having failed, -and the Prince Khian, through his own nobleness, fell into his power. -I pleaded for his life in vain, both in the palace and on the gateway, -but Pharaoh was mad with jealousy and hate and would have put the -Prince to death by torment before the very eyes of the royal Nefra and -of the host of Babylon. Then, before it was too late, I smote, and -saved the Prince and the people of the Shepherds. Have I pardon for -this deed?” - -Now Tau went to where Khian lay upon his couch and talked with him -apart. Presently he returned and said: - -“Anath, what you did must be done. To-morrow make sacrifice in the -temple of your gods and receive the forgiveness of your gods for the -shedding of royal blood to save other royal blood and the lives of -tens of thousands who are innocent. Then appear before us in the -palace of Tanis that there may be given back to you the wand and chain -of office of Vizier of the Upper and the Lower Lands. The word is -spoken. Record it, Scribe Temu. Anath, withdraw!” - - -Thirty days had passed. Tau had handed over the command of the host of -Babylon to the general next in rank to him at a great ceremony, and -putting off his mail and royal emblems, had donned the white robe of -the Prophet of the Dawn and returned to the Temple of the Pyramid, -leaving Temu behind him because such was the will of Nefra and Khian. -Save for a force of ten thousand picked men who remained to guard the -grand-daughter of the Great King until all was accomplished, that army -had marched for Babylon. There were ceremonies at which all who served -his father, now known as “Apepi the Accursed,” swore fealty to Khian -his son, but at these Nefra was not present, nor as yet had there been -any coronation, for indeed none knew whether Khian of the North or -Nefra of the South ruled over Egypt. Some grumbled that this should be -so, but others glanced at the encampment of the ten thousand -Babylonian guards and bade them be silent. - -Khian recovered but slowly. With skilful tending his leg healed -indeed, though now he knew that all his life he must be lame, but the -sufferings which he had undergone had left him shaken in both mind and -body. First there was the palace dungeon, then the long confinement in -the bowels of the pyramid, then the flight from the pursuers to the -Babylonian outpost; also the wound that would not heal, while for -moons he must lie upon his back among strangers whose tongue as yet he -did not speak, companioned only by Temu with his prayers and maxims, -and ignorant of the fate of Nefra. - -Afterwards followed the wild joy of the knowledge that she lived and -was near, the rescue by the five thousand, the desperate battle in the -desert, the surrender and the sacrifice, the sight of Nefra in the -second battle, and her abandonment for honour’s sake, knowing that she -would not understand; the coming to Egypt and to Tanis, the meeting -with his father Apepi; the pain of the hot iron and the agony of -suspense upon the pylon top while Nefra watched below. All these -events, young and strong though he was, had broken his body and eaten -into his spirit, so that he must rest and keep himself apart by day, -while at night, when at last sleep found him, he was visited by evil -dreams and tremors, so that at length it was said throughout the city -that soon the Pharaoh to be would join his forefathers in their burial -place. - -Anath came to him with reports of affairs, to which he listened -patiently, saying little. Temu read to him from ancient rolls, or -offered up the prayers of the Order of the Dawn at his side, and -talked of faith. Ru visited him also and spoke of battle or of the -wonders of Babylon, and how Nefra there had learned the arts of war, a -tale at which he laughed a little. Lastly, from time to time, -accompanied by Kemmah who stood far off gazing through the -window-place, came Nefra herself and spoke softly of love and marriage -when he should be well again. - -Still he did not grow well, so having talked with Tau by messenger, -Nefra took another counsel. Telling Khian that Tanis in the low land -was too hot for him, she set him in a ship and travelled with him -slowly up the Nile, till at last the pyramids appeared. At the first -sight of these pyramids Khian’s manner changed: he became alert and -eager as he used to be, even gay, talking to her of all that had -befallen him among them. Rejoicing at this change, that evening she -caused him to be borne ashore to a camp that had been set in the midst -of the palm grove where first she had found him sleeping and whence, -after Ru had taken his goods, disguised as a messenger, she had -conducted him to the secret home of the Brotherhood. - -Here that night Khian slept better than he had done since, many months -before, wearing Nefra’s betrothal ring upon his finger, he had left -this spot to return to Tanis and make report of his mission to Apepi. - -On the following morning, while it was still quite dark, Ru entered -his tent and assisted him to rise. Then he set him in a litter in -which Khian, asking no questions, was borne across the sands till they -came to a great shape outlined against the starry sky, which he knew -to be that of the Sphinx. Here he descended from the litter, which -departed, leaving him alone. - -At length the dawn began to break and in its tender light he saw that -he was not alone, for by his side, wrapped in a gray cloak, stood a -hooded figure that might have been that of a lad or a slender woman. - -By the gods! he knew this figure: it was that of the “Young Person” -who--oh! years and years ago--had guided him from the palm grove to -the Sphinx and there had tied a bandage about his eyes. The height was -the same, the very cloak and hood seemed to be the same. - -“So, Young Person,” he said, “you still ply your business of guiding -travellers across the sands.” - -“That is so, Scribe Rasa,” answered the figure in a gruff voice. - -“And do you still steal their packages--or hide them? My litter I -think has gone.” - -“I still take that which I desire, Scribe Rasa, who must live and be -happy if I can.” - -“And do you still blindfold messengers?” - -“Yes, Scribe Rasa, when it is necessary to hide secrets from them. -Indeed, be pleased to suffer that I do so to you for the second time, -and bide here a while alone.” - -“I obey,” he answered, laughing, “for although you may not know it, -Young Person, since first we met I have suffered many things and -learned one great lesson from them, also from the lips of a certain -Temu, namely, to have faith. Therefore bind on and I will submit as -gently as though I were sure that when sight is given back to my eyes -they would behold a vision of heaven come to earth. See, I kneel, or -rather stoop, for kneel I cannot.” - -The gray-cloaked figure bent over him, the silken kerchief once more -was bound upon his brow--oh! how well he remembered its soft substance -and its odour! Then, leaning on his guide’s shoulder, he limped a -little distance till the feigned voice bade him be seated upon a bank -of sand and wait. - -Presently voices, men’s voices, prayed him to rise. He did so with -their help, and those men supported him down passages in which their -footsteps echoed, to some chamber where they clothed him in new -garments and set a headdress on his brow, what headdress or what -garments he did not know, and when he asked they would not answer. - -Again he was helped forth, as he thought into a large place where -whisperings ran as though from a gathered multitude. Someone bade him -to be seated and he sank on to a cushioned chair and waited. - -Far away a voice cried: - -“Ra is risen!” and from all round him rose a sound of singing. - -He knew the sound. It was that of the ancient chant with which on days -of festival the Brotherhood of the Dawn greeted the rising of the sun. -It died away; there was deep silence; he heard a rustling as of robes. -Then suddenly and in unison from a hundred throats there rose a great -cry of: - -“The Queen of the Dawn! Hail! Queen of the Dawn! Hail, Light-Bringer! -Hail Life-Giver! Hail, Consecrated Sister! Hail, Heaven-appointed -Uniter of the riven Lands!” - -Khian could bear no more. He snatched at the bandage about his eyes. -Perhaps it had been loosened, at least it fell. Lo! there before him -stood Nefra glittering in the rays of the risen sun, wearing the robes -of Egypt’s queen and crowned with Egypt’s crown, a living loveliness; -a glory to behold. - -For a moment she stood thus while the shoutings echoed from the -vaulted roof of the great temple hall. She lifted her sceptre and -there was silence. Then she turned and came to him who, he found, was -seated on a throne. To Kemmah and to Ru she gave the sceptre and her -regal symbols. From her head she lifted the double crown and set it on -his brow. She kneeled and did him homage; yes, with her lips she -touched his hand. - -“Egypt’s Queen greets Egypt’s King!” she said. - -Khian stared at her, astonished. Then, though of a sudden pain and -weakness struck him once more, he struggled from the throne, purposing -to offer it to her. But she shook her head and would none of it. -Supporting him with her strong young arm, she led him to where stood -Tau the Prophet in front of the gathered Councillors of the Dawn. Tau -joined their hands. In the presence of the Brotherhood, living and -dead, and in the name of that Spirit whom they worshipped, he blessed -them, giving them to each other, uniting them to all eternity, on -earth and beyond the earth. - -So it was finished. - - -Nefra and Khian stood together gazing by the light of the moon at the -mighty mass of the Pyramid of Ur. - -“Our holiday is done, Wife,” he said, “and to-morrow, ceasing to be -but a Brother and a Sister of the Dawn, we must become the rulers of -Egypt united at last from the Cataracts to the sea. Strange has been -our lot since first side by side we looked upon yonder pyramid. Yet, -Beloved, I think that the Strength which preserved us through so many -perils and now, from sickness and the gates of death has brought me -with joy to those of health, will be with us in the years to come.” - -“So Roy the holy prophesied, and in him, if in any man, lived the -spirit of Truth, Husband. At least, thanking the gods for what they -have given us, let us go straight forward in humility, remembering -that though we be King and Queen of Egypt, first and foremost we -remain Brother and Sister of the Dawn, sworn to its holy faith and to -the service of mankind.” - -At that moment this royal pair heard a sound behind them and, turning, -beheld the lean and withered Sheik of the Pyramids. - -“Would your Majesties wish to ascend?” he said, bowing and pointing to -the mass of Ur. “The moon is very clear and there is no wind; also I -desire to show Pharaoh the spot whence those accursed cliff-climbers -rolled to their doom on the day of his escape.” - -“Nay, Captain,” answered Khian, “of Ur I have had enough who am lamed -for life. Henceforth be you its king.” - -“And its spirit also,” added Nefra, “for no more may I stand upon the -crests of pyramids who am doomed to a dizzier pinnacle of power. -Farewell, you gallant man. Our thanks be yours with all you seek and -we can give.” - -Then Khian and Nefra turned and, hand clasped in hand, wandered back -to where Ru and Kemmah waited with the escort to accompany them to the -vessel that made ready to sail with the night wind. - - -“Now,” said Kemmah the white-haired to Ru the mighty Ethiop, “now I -understand the meaning of the vision that I saw when yonder Queen was -born, and why the goddesses of Egypt gave to her the name of Uniter of -Lands.” - -“Yes,” answered Ru, “and I understand why the gods of Ethiopia gave me -a good axe and the strength to use it well on a certain Theban -stairway.” - - THE END - - - - - TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES. - -Alterations to the text: - -Note: minor spelling and hyphenization inconsistencies (_e.g._ -foresworn/forsworn, surefooted/sure-footed, tomb-dwellers/tomb -dwellers, etc.) have been preserved. - -A few punctuation corrections: quotation mark pairing, missing -periods, etc. - -[Chapter III] - -Change “a bite of food will _looes_ your tongue” to _loose_. - -[Chapter VII] - -“certain bribed _Thebian_ nobles” to _Theban_. - -[Chapter X] - -“Ru stared ... then answered stupidly;” change semicolon to colon. - -[Chapter X] - -“you will find _youself_ growing” to _yourself_. - -[Chapter XVII] - -“unless _take they_ us with them” to _they take_. - -[Chapter XXII] - -“the blow fell upon his thick _headress_” to _headdress_. - -[End of Text] - - - - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK QUEEN OF THE DAWN *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the -United States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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Rider Haggard</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online -at <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. If you -are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the -country where you are located before using this eBook. -</div> - -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Title: Queen of the Dawn</p> - -<div style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:1em; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Author: H. Rider Haggard</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: August 20, 2021 [eBook #66095]<br/> -[Most recently updated: January 23, 2022]</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Language: English</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>Character set encoding: UTF-8</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Produced by: an anonymous Project Gutenberg volunteer</div> - -<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK QUEEN OF THE DAWN ***</div> - -<div class="tp"> -<h1> -Queen of the Dawn -</h1> - -<i>A Love Tale of Old Egypt</i> -<br/><br/> -By<br/> -H. Rider Haggard - -<br/><br/> -<img alt="" src="images/img_000.jpg" /> - -<br/><br/> -Garden City, New York<br/> -Doubleday, Page & Company<br/> -1925 -</div> - - -<h2> -COPYRIGHT. -</h2> - -<p class="center"> -COPYRIGHT, 1925, BY<br/> -H. RIDER HAGGARD<br/><br/> -ALL RIGHTS RESERVED<br/><br/> -<span class="font80">PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES<br/> -AT<br/> -THE COUNTRY LIFE PRESS, GARDEN CITY, N.Y.</span><br/> -<i>First Edition</i> -</p> - - -<h2> -CONTENTS. -</h2> - - -<p class="toc_1"> -<a href="#ch01">I. The Dream of Rima</a> -</p> - -<p class="toc_1"> -<a href="#ch02">II. The Messenger</a> -</p> - -<p class="toc_1"> -<a href="#ch03">III. The Escape</a> -</p> - -<p class="toc_1"> -<a href="#ch04">IV. The Temple of the Sphinx</a> -</p> - -<p class="toc_1"> -<a href="#ch05">V. The Swearing of the Oath</a> -</p> - -<p class="toc_1"> -<a href="#ch06">VI. Nefra Conquers the Pyramids</a> -</p> - -<p class="toc_1"> -<a href="#ch07">VII. The Plot of the Vizier</a> -</p> - -<p class="toc_1"> -<a href="#ch08">VIII. The Scribe Rasa</a> -</p> - -<p class="toc_1"> -<a href="#ch09">IX. The Crowning of Nefra</a> -</p> - -<p class="toc_1"> -<a href="#ch10">X. The Message</a> -</p> - -<p class="toc_1"> -<a href="#ch11">XI. The Fall</a> -</p> - -<p class="toc_1"> -<a href="#ch12">XII. The Spirit of the Pyramids</a> -</p> - -<p class="toc_1"> -<a href="#ch13">XIII. The Messenger from Tanis</a> -</p> - -<p class="toc_1"> -<a href="#ch14">XIV. The Sentence of Pharaoh</a> -</p> - -<p class="toc_1"> -<a href="#ch15">XV. Brother Temu</a> -</p> - -<p class="toc_1"> -<a href="#ch16">XVI. The Passing of Roy</a> -</p> - -<p class="toc_1"> -<a href="#ch17">XVII. The Fate of the Cliff-Climbers</a> -</p> - -<p class="toc_1"> -<a href="#ch18">XVIII. How Nefra Came to Babylon</a> -</p> - -<p class="toc_1"> -<a href="#ch19">XIX. The Four Brothers</a> -</p> - -<p class="toc_1"> -<a href="#ch20">XX. The March from Babylon</a> -</p> - -<p class="toc_1"> -<a href="#ch21">XXI. Traitor or Hero</a> -</p> - -<p class="toc_1"> -<a href="#ch22">XXII. Khian Returns to Tanis</a> -</p> - -<p class="toc_1"> -<a href="#ch23">XXIII. The Queen of the Dawn</a> -</p> - - -<h2> -Queen of the Dawn -</h2> - - -<h3 class="nobreak" id="ch01"> -CHAPTER I.<br/> -<span class="chap_sub">The Dream of Rima</span> -</h3> - -<p class="noindent"> -<span class="sc">There</span> was war in Egypt and Egypt was rent in two. At Memphis in the -north, at Tanis, and in all the rich lands of the Delta where by many -mouths the Nile flows down to the sea, a usurping race held power, -whose forefathers, generations before, had descended upon Egypt -like a flood, destroyed its temples and deposed its gods, possessing -themselves of the wealth of the land. At Thebes in the south the -descendants of the ancient Pharaohs still ruled precariously, again -and again attempting to drive out the fierce Semitic or Bedouin kings, -named the Shepherds, whose banners flew from the walls of all the -northern cities. -</p> - -<p> -They failed because they were too weak, indeed the hour of their final -victory was yet far away and of it our tale does not tell. -</p> - -<p> -Nefra the Princess, she who was named the Beautiful and afterwards was -known as Uniter of Lands, was the only child of one of these Theban -Antefs, Kheperra, born of his Queen, Rima, daughter of Ditanah, the -King of Babylon, who had given her to him in marriage to strengthen -him in his struggle against the Shepherds, also called the <i>Aati</i> or -“Plague-bearers.” Nefra was the first and only child of this marriage, -for shortly after she was born Kheperra the King, her father, with all -the host that he could gather, went down Nile to fight the Aati who -marched to meet him from Tanis and from Memphis. They met in a great -battle in which Kheperra was slain and his army defeated, though not -before it had slaughtered such numbers of the enemy that, abandoning -their advance on Thebes, the generals of the Shepherds returned with -the remnant of their troops whence they came. Yet by this victory -Apepi, the King of the Shepherds, became in fact Pharaoh of all Egypt. -Kheperra was dead, leaving behind him but one infant girl, and so were -numbers of the great Theban lords, others of whom hastened to submit -to the ruler of the North. -</p> - -<p> -The Shepherd people too, like the Egyptians of the South, were weary -of war and would not fight again. Therefore, although they were -defeated, no cruelties were inflicted upon the followers of Kheperra, -nor was great tribute asked of them; also they were allowed to worship -their ancient gods in peace, and this in the northern as well as the -southern lands. Indeed, by now, although the god of the Shepherds was -Baal, to whom they gave the name of Set because already it was well -known upon the Nile, the Shepherd kings re-built the temples of Ra and -Amen and Ptah, of Isis and of Hathor, that their forefathers had -destroyed when first they invaded Egypt, and themselves made offerings -in them, acknowledging these divinities. -</p> - -<p> -Only one thing did Apepi demand of the conquered Thebans, namely that -Rima the Queen of dead Kheperra, and the babe Nefra, his daughter and -lawful heiress of Upper Egypt, should be given up to him, hearing -which Rima hid herself away with the child, as shall be told. -</p> - -<p> -<br/> -</p> - -<p> -Now of the birth of Nefra the Princess there were strange stories. It -was said that after she came into the world, a very fair babe, -gray-eyed, light-skinned, and black-haired, and the rites had been -accomplished, she was laid upon her mother’s bosom. When Rima had -looked upon her and she had been shown to the King her father, in a -weak voice, for she had suffered much, the Queen demanded to be left -alone, so earnestly that the physicians and women thought it best to -appear to obey her and withdrew themselves behind certain curtains -that divided the birth-chamber from another, where they remained -silent. -</p> - -<p> -The night had fallen and the birth-chamber was dark, for as yet Rima -could bear no light near to her. Yet of a sudden one of the women, a -priestess of Hathor named Kemmah, who had nursed the King Kheperra -from his birth and now was to fill that office to his child, having -remained awake, saw a light glowing through the curtains, and being -frightened, peeped between them. Behold! in the birth-chamber, looking -down on the Queen, who seemed to be asleep, were two royal and -glorious women or so Kemmah swore and believed, from whose robes and -bodies flowed light and whose eyes shone like stars. Queens they -seemed to be, no less, for there were crowns upon their heads and they -glittered with jewels which only queens could wear. Moreover, one of -them held in her hand the Cross of Life fashioned in gold, and the -other a looped sistrum with gems strung on golden wires, such as is -used to make music when the priestesses walk in procession before the -statues of the gods. -</p> - -<p> -This glorious pair, at the sight of whom the knees of the watcher -trembled and the power of speech left her, so that she could say no -word to wake the others, bent down—first she who held the Cross of -Life and then she who held the sistrum—and whispered into the ear of -the sleeping Queen. Then she who held the Cross of Life very gently -lifted the babe from the mother’s breast, kissed it, and laid the -Cross upon its lips. This done she gave it to the other goddess, for -now the watcher knew that they must be goddesses, who also kissed it -and shook above its head the sistrum, which made a tinkling music ere -she laid the infant back upon its mother’s breast. -</p> - -<p> -Next instant both were gone and the room that had been filled with -brightness grew black with night, while the priestess who had seen, -being overcome with fear, swooned away until the sun was risen. -</p> - -<p> -Nor was she the first to speak of this matter which she deemed holy -and fearful, being afraid lest she had but dreamed or should be held a -teller of tales who took the names of the gods in vain. Yet on the -morrow the Queen called for her husband and said that a very strange -vision had come to her during the night which she described in these -words: -</p> - -<p> -“It seemed to me that when weak with pain I had fallen asleep, two -glorious ladies appeared to me clothed in the garments and wearing the -emblems of goddesses of Egypt. One of these, who bore in her hand the -symbol of Life, spoke to me in my dream, saying, ‘O Daughter of -Babylon, by marriage Queen of Egypt and mother of Egypt’s heiress, -hear us. We are Isis and Hathor, ancient goddesses of Egypt, as you -know, who of late, since you came to this land, have worshipped in our -temples and made offerings on our altars. Be not afraid, for although -you were bred to the service of other gods we come to bless her who is -born of you. Know, O Queen, that great troubles await you and bitter -loss that shall leave you desolate, nor with all our strength can we -save you from these, for they are written in the book of fate and must -befall. Nor, for a while that to mortals must seem long, can we free -Egypt from the bonds with which the Shepherds have bound her, as they -bind the feet of their own sheep for slaughter, though the time shall -come when she will shake them loose, like a bull breaking through its -net, and grow greater than ever she has been. As every living thing -suffers for its sins, so must Egypt suffer for her sins who has not -been loyal to herself, her faith, or the lessons of the past. Yet in -the end, if only for a while, her troubles shall pass like summer -clouds, and from behind them shall shine out the bright star of her -glory.’ -</p> - -<p> -“Now I answered that vision or that goddess, saying: ‘These are heavy -words you speak to me, O divine Lady. With Egypt indeed I have little -to do, who am but the wife of one of its kings, a princess sprung from -another land. Egypt must find the fate that she has shaped, but as a -woman I would learn that of my lord whom I love and of the child that -has been given to us.’ -</p> - -<p> -“‘The fate of this lord of yours shall be glorious,’ answered she who -bore the symbol of Life—‘and in the end, that of your child shall be -happy.’ -</p> - -<p> -“Then she seemed to bend down and to take the babe in her arms and to -kiss it, saying: ‘The blessing of Isis the Mother be upon thee. The -strength of Isis be thy strength, and the wisdom of Isis be thy -guiding star. Fear not! Be not faint-hearted, O Royal Child, since -always Isis is at thy side, and however great thy danger, never shalt -thou come to harm. Long shall be thy day and peaceful at the last, and -thou shalt see thy grandchildren playing round thy knees. If only for -a while, thou shalt bind together that which is divided and thy name -shall be Uniter of Lands. Such are the gifts that Isis gives to thee, -O Lady of Egypt.’ -</p> - -<p> -“So that goddess spoke, holding out the babe in the hollow of her -shining arm to the divine sister who stood at her side. She took the -child; she too kissed her on the brow and said: ‘Behold! I, Hathor, -goddess of Love and Beauty, bestow upon thee, the Princess of Egypt, -all that I have to give. Beautiful exceedingly shalt thou be in body -and in spirit. Loved exceedingly shalt thou be, and through love thou -shalt make smooth the path of millions. Turning neither to right nor -left, forgetting crookedness and policies, follow thou Hathor’s star -and thine own heart, rejoicing in Hathor’s gifts and leaving all else -to Heaven that sees what thou canst not see and works to ends thou -dost not know. Thus, O Royal Child, shalt thou sow happiness upon the -earth and beyond the earth garner its harvest to thy breast.’ -</p> - -<p> -“Thus in my dream those goddesses seemed to speak, and lo! they were -gone.” -</p> - -<p> -Kheperra the King listened to this tale and made light of it. -</p> - -<p> -“A dream indeed,” he said, laughing, “and a happy dream since it -prophesies naught but good to this babe of ours, who it seems is to be -beautiful and wise, a very Flower of Love and a Uniter of Egypt, if -only for a while. What more could we wish for her?” -</p> - -<p> -“Yes, Lord,” answered Rima heavily, “it prophesies good to the child, -but, as I fear, ill to others.” -</p> - -<p> -“If so, what of it, Wife? One crop must fall before another can be -sown and in every crop there are weeds as well as wheat. Such is the -law to which all that lives must bow. Nay, do not weep over a phantasy -born of pain and darkness. They call me, I must go, for soon the army -starts to fight those Shepherds and to conquer them.” -</p> - -<p> -Yet Kheperra thought more of this tale than he chose to say, so much -indeed that he went to the high priests of Isis and of Hathor and -repeated it to them, word for word. These priests, not knowing what to -believe, inquired if any had seen aught in the birth-chamber, and thus -came to learn of the vision of the Lady Kemmah for, to them, as her -superiors, she must tell all. -</p> - -<p> -Now they were astonished indeed, and rejoiced, because they were sure -that such a wonder had happened as was not told of in Egypt for -generations. Moreover, they caused the words of the dream and the -vision of Kemmah to be written down in full and sealed by the Queen -and Kemmah, also by themselves as witnesses, in three different rolls, -one of which was given to the Queen to keep for the Princess Nefra, -while the others were hidden away in the archives of Hathor and Isis. -Yet both they and the magicians whom they consulted were frightened at -that part of the dream which told of great troubles and bitter loss -that were to befall the Queen and leave her desolate. -</p> - -<p> -“What loss,” they asked, “could befall her, when happiness and -prosperity were promised to her child, save that of the King her -husband?—unless, indeed, other children were to be born to her whom -Heaven would take away.” -</p> - -<p> -Still of these terrors they said nothing, only letting it be known -that Isis and Hathor had appeared and blessed the new-born Princess of -Egypt. Yet they were true enough, for very soon King Kheperra marched -to the war and within two moons came the evil tidings that he was -slain, fighting gallantly in the van of his troops, and that his army, -although not crushed, was too weak from loss of men and generals to -renew the battle and was retreating upon Thebes. -</p> - -<p> -Rima the Queen heard the tidings, which indeed her heart seemed to -have taught her before they were spoken. When she had listened to -them, all she said was: -</p> - -<p> -“That has happened which the great goddesses of Egypt foretold to me, -and so without doubt shall the rest of their words be fulfilled in due -season.” -</p> - -<p> -Then, according to the Babylonian fashion she withdrew herself to her -chamber with the child, and there mourned many days for the husband -whom she loved, seeing none save the Lady Kemmah who tended the babe. -</p> - -<p> -At length the army reached Thebes, bringing with it the body of King -Kheperra, that had been embalmed, though rudely, on the field of -battle. She caused the wrappings to be loosed and for the last time -looked upon her lord’s face all shattered and marred with wounds. -</p> - -<p> -“The gods have taken him and he died well,” she said, “but my heart -tells me that as he has died in blood, in a day to come, so in blood -shall perish that usurper who brought him to his death.” -</p> - -<p> -These words were repeated to Apepi and caused him to go in fear -through all his life, for his spirit told him that they were inspired -by the god of Vengeance, as did the magicians whom he consulted. -Indeed, when he remembered that Queen Rima was by birth of the royal -Babylonian House, he grew more afraid than he had been before, because -in his family, the Babylonians, to whom once his forefathers had been -subject, were held to be the greatest wizards in the world. Therefore -he was not surprised at the tale of the vision of Rima which came to -her on the night of the birth of her child, though he could not -understand why the goddesses of Egypt should appear to a Babylonian. -</p> - -<p> -“If Babylon and Old Egypt come together, what chance will there be for -us Shepherd kings who sit astride of the mouths of Nile? Surely our -state will be as that of the corn between the upper and the nether -millstone and we shall be ground to fine flour,” he said to his wise -men. -</p> - -<p> -“Those stones grind slowly, and after all flour is the bread of -peoples, O King,” answered the chief of them. “Did not the dream of -the wife of dead Kheperra tell—if report be true—that long years -would go by before the Egyptians shake off our yoke, and did it not -say that this Princess of Egypt who has been born to dead Kheperra and -the Babylonian should be a Uniter of Lands? Bring hither the -Babylonian widow and her daughter, the Royal Princess, O King, that -these things may be accomplished in their season, though as yet we -know not how.” -</p> - -<p> -“Why should I admit to dwell in my house one who, inspired by the -devils of Babylon, has prophesied that I shall die in blood? Why -should I not rather kill her and be done, and her babe with her?” -asked Apepi. -</p> - -<p> -“Because, O King,” answered the chief of the Wise Men, “the dead are -stronger than the living, and the spirit of this royal lady will smite -more shrewdly than can her flesh. Moreover, we think that if the -oracle of those Egyptian goddesses be true, this child of hers cannot -be killed. Make them captives, O King, and hold them fast, but do not -leave them at large to move mighty Babylon and the world against you.” -</p> - -<p> -“You are right,” said Apepi. “It shall be done. Let Rima, the widow of -King Kheperra, and her daughter Nefra, Princess of Upper Egypt, be -brought to my Court, even if an army must be sent to fetch them. But -first try to lead them hither by peaceful words and promises, or if -these fail, bribe the Thebans to deliver them into my hand.” -</p> - - -<h3 id="ch02"> -CHAPTER II.<br/> -<span class="chap_sub">The Messenger</span> -</h3> - -<p class="noindent"> -<span class="sc">Rima</span> the Queen heard through her spies that Apepi, King of the -Shepherds, purposed to take her and her child and to hold them -captive. Having learned that this was the truth, she summoned a -council of such lords as remained in Upper Egypt, and of the high -priests of the gods, to ask them what she should do. -</p> - -<p> -“Behold,” she said, “I am a widow. My lord and yours fell fighting -bravely against the North, leaving his heir, this royal infant. When -it became known that he was dead, his army would fight no more but -fell back on Thebes, and therefore the Shepherds claim the victory. -Now, as I hear, they claim more: namely, that I who was the wife of -your king, and our daughter who is your Royal Princess, should be -delivered up to them, saying that if this is not done, an army shall -be sent to take us. What is your mind, O Lords? Will you defend us -from Apepi, or will you not?” -</p> - -<p> -Now some answered one thing and some another. They showed that the -people would fight no more, since the King of the Shepherds offered -them better terms than ever they could hope to win in battle, and that -after the sight of so much blood they longed for peace whoever might -be called Pharaoh of Egypt. -</p> - -<p> -“I perceive that I and your Princess have naught to hope from you, -Lords, for whom and for whose cause my husband and her father gave his -life,” said Rima quietly, adding, “But what say the priests of the -gods he worshipped?” -</p> - -<p> -Now these answered with many smooth words. One declared that the will -of Heaven must be obeyed; another that perchance she and the Princess -would be safer in the court of King Apepi, who swore to treat them -both with all honour; a third, that it might be well if she would -appeal to her mighty father, the King of Babylon, for succour, and so -forth. -</p> - -<p> -When all had finished, Rima laughed bitterly and said: -</p> - -<p> -“I perceive, O Priests, that the gold thrown by the Shepherd king is -so heavy that it can travel many leagues of air into the treasuries of -your temples. Let me be plain. Will you help me and your Princess to -escape from bondage, or will you not? If you will stand by me, I will -stand by you to the last, and so I swear will my daughter when she -comes to the years of knowledge. If you reject us, then we wash our -hands of you, leaving you to go your ways while we go ours, to Babylon -or anywhere, save to a prison in the house of the Shepherd kings, -where certainly your Royal Princess would be done to death that Egypt -might be left without a lawful heir. Now I pray you consult together. -I withdraw myself that you may talk freely. But at noon, that is -within an hour, I will return to you for your answer.” -</p> - -<p> -Then she bowed to that company, who bowed back to her, and went away. -</p> - -<p> -At the appointed time of noon, accompanied only by the Lady Kemmah, -the nurse who bore the Princess in her arms, she returned to the -Council Hall entering it through the side door by which she had -departed. Lo! it was quite empty. The lords and priests had gone, -every one of them. -</p> - -<p> -“Now it seems that I am alone,” said Rima the Queen. “Well, such is -often the lot of the fallen.” -</p> - -<p> -“Not altogether, Queen,” answered the Lady Kemmah, “since the Royal -Princess and I are still the companions of your Majesty. Moreover, I -think that in yonder empty chairs I see the shapes of certain of the -gods of Egypt who perchance will prove better counsellors than those -who have deserted us in the hour of need. Now let us talk with them in -our hearts and learn of their wisdom.” -</p> - -<p> -So there they sat awhile, gazing at those empty chairs and at the -painted pictures of divinities upon the walls beyond, each of them -putting up supplications in her own fashion for help and guidance. At -length the Lady Kemmah lifted her head and asked: -</p> - -<p> -“Has light come to you, Queen?” -</p> - -<p> -“Nay,” answered Rima, “naught but darkness. This only do my gods tell -me—that if we stay here those false lords and priests certainly will -seize us and deliver us into the power of Apepi, as I think that they -have been bribed to do. Have yours aught else to say to you, nurse -Kemmah?” -</p> - -<p> -“Something, Lady. It seems to me that the divine queens of Heaven, -godmothers of this royal babe, Isis and Hathor whom I serve, have been -whispering in my ears. ‘Fly,’ said the whisper, ‘fly fast and far.’” -</p> - -<p> -“Aye, Kemmah, but whither shall we fly? Where can the Queen of the -South and her babe, the Royal Princess of Egypt, be hidden away from -Apepi’s spies? Certainly not here in the South where, being fearful or -suborned, all would betray us.” -</p> - -<p> -“Nay, Queen, not in the South, but in the North where perhaps none -would search for us, since the lion does not seek for the buck at the -door of its own den. Hearken, Queen. There is a certain aged holy man -named Roy, a brother of my grandfather, sprung from an old line of -Theban kings. This great-uncle of mine, whom, when a girl, I knew -well, was inspired by the gods and became the prophet of a secret -brotherhood called the Order of the Dawn, which has its home by the -pyramids that stand near to Memphis. There he and this brotherhood, -which is very powerful, have dwelt these thirty years or more, since -none now dares to approach those pyramids, and least of all any of the -Shepherds, because they are haunted.” -</p> - -<p> -“By whom?” asked Rima. -</p> - -<p> -“It is said by a spirit that appears as a beautiful bare-breasted -woman, though whether she is the <i>Ka</i> of one who is buried in the -tombs where my uncle lives, or a ghost from hell, or the shadow of -Egypt itself shaped like a woman, is not known. At least because of -her no man dares approach those ancient pyramids after night has -fallen.” -</p> - -<p> -“Why not? Since when have men been afraid of a beautiful unveiled -woman?” -</p> - -<p> -“Because, Queen, if any looks upon her loveliness he goes mad and -wanders off to perish miserably in the wilderness. Or perchance he -follows her up to the crest of one of the pyramids, and falling -thence, is crushed to powder.” -</p> - -<p> -“An idle tale, as I think, Kemmah. But what of it?” -</p> - -<p> -“This, Queen: that there in those tombs, could we come to them, we -might dwell safely enough with my uncle, the Prophet Roy. No man has -courage to approach the place, save from time to time some young fool -who longs to look upon the loveliness of that ghost and meets his -death, or having seen her goes thence a raving madman. Even the -wildest Bedouin of the desert dare not pitch his tent within a mile or -more of those pyramids, while the Shepherd kings and their subjects -hold the place accursed because two of their princes have found doom -there; nor would they draw near to it for all the gold in Syria. Also -they fear the magic of this brotherhood which is protected by spirits -and have sworn to leave it unharmed. At least, such is the tale that I -have heard, though doubtless there is more of it that I have not -heard.” -</p> - -<p> -“Here then it seems we might rest in peace,” said Rima with a little -laugh, “at any rate, for a while until we found opportunity to escape -to Babylon, where doubtless the King my father would welcome us. Yet -how can we do so, bearing a babe with us, now when there is war all -along the frontiers and none can cross the Arabian deserts. But, -Kemmah, how are we to know that your uncle would receive us, and if he -will, how are we to reach him?” -</p> - -<p> -“As to the first question, Queen, the answer is easy. Strangely enough -it chances that only this day I have received a message from the holy -Roy. The captain of a corn boat sailing from Memphis to Thebes brought -it to me. He told me that his name is Tau.” -</p> - -<p> -“What did he say to you and where did you meet him, Kemmah?” -</p> - -<p> -“Last night, Queen, I could not sleep, being full of fears for you and -the babe, so I rose before the dawn and going out, I stood on the -private quay in the palace garden watching the sun rise, that I might -make my prayer to Ra when he appeared in the heavens. Presently, as -the mist thinned, I saw that I was not alone, for quite close to me a -stalwart man who had the air or at least wore the dress of a seafarer, -was leaning against the trunk of a palm, staring at the Nile beneath, -near to the bank of which was moored a trading ship. He spoke, saying -that he waited for the mist to clear and the wind to rise, that he -might sail on to the trading quay and there deliver his cargo. I asked -him whence he came and he answered—from Memphis of the White Walls, -having permission from the Governor of Thebes and from him of Memphis -to trade between the two cities. I wished him good fortune and was -about to leave to make my prayer elsewhere, telling him my purpose, -when he said: -</p> - -<p> -“‘Nay, let us pray together, for I too, whose name is Tau, am a -worshipper of Ra, and see, the god appears,’ and he made certain signs -to me which I who am a priestess understood. -</p> - -<p> -“Our prayer finished, again I prepared to go, but he stayed me, asking -me for news as to the state of Thebes and whether it were true that -the Queen Rima had died of grief because of the loss of her husband -Kheperra, who fell in the battle, or as some said, had been killed -with her child. I answered that these things were not true, words at -which he seemed glad, for he thanked the gods and said that without -doubt the Princess Nefra was the lawful heiress of all Egypt, North -and South together. I asked him how he knew the name of this princess. -He replied: -</p> - -<p> -“‘A learned man told it to me, a holy hermit to whom I confess my -sins, which alas! are many, who dwells in the wilderness nigh to the -Great Pyramids and among the tombs. He told me also that he knew the -name of this royal child’s nurse who was a kinswoman of his, and that -it is Kemmah, a lady of high blood. Yes, and he charged me with a -message for this Lady Kemmah, if I could find her in Thebes, because -he said he dared put nothing in writing.’ -</p> - -<p> -“Here this Tau, the captain of the ship, stopped and stared at me and -I stared back at him, wondering whether he were setting any trap for -my feet. -</p> - -<p> -“‘It would be very dangerous, O Tau,’ I said to him, ‘if perchance you -gave this secret message to the wrong woman. There may be many Kemmahs -in Thebes. How will you know that you find the right one, or that she -whom you are told is the nurse of the princess is in truth that -nurse?’ -</p> - -<p> -“‘It is not so difficult as it seems, Lady. As it chances, the holy -hermit gave to me the half of an amulet of lapis lazuli on which is -cut a charm or spell or prayer. He said that on this half the signs -read, “May the living Ra protect the wearer of this holy thing at the -last nightfall. May that protected one travel in the boat of Ra -and——” Here, Lady, the writing ceases but the holy hermit said that -the Lady Kemmah would know the rest,’ and again he looked at me. -</p> - -<p> -“‘Does it perchance run,’ I asked, ‘“and may Thoth find the balance -even and may Osiris receive this protected one at his table to feast -with him eternally”?’ -</p> - -<p> -“‘Yes,’ he said, ‘I think that those were the words, or something very -like them, that the Holy One repeated to me. Still I cannot be sure -because my memory is bad, especially where prayers or writings about -the gods are concerned. Since you, Lady, a stranger, know the end of -the charm, doubtless it is a common one worn by thousands between -Thebes and the sea. She whom I have to find not only knows the charm, -but wears its other half, and how to seek her out I cannot think. Can -you help me, Lady?’ -</p> - -<p> -“‘Perhaps,’ I answered. ‘Show me this amulet, O Tau.’ -</p> - -<p> -“He looked round him to see that we were alone. Then he thrust his -hand into his garments and from somewhere drew out the upper half of a -very ancient tablet carven over with writing, that was fastened about -his neck by a woven string of woman’s hair. This tablet was broken or -sawn asunder in the middle, not straight across but so as to leave a -jagged edge with many points and hollows. I looked at it and knew it -at once, since years before Roy the Hermit and my great-uncle had -given me its counterpart, bidding me send it to him as a token if ever -I had need of help. Then from where it hung upon my breast, I drew out -that counterpart and set it against the half that Tau the Sailor held -before me. Lo! they fitted exactly, since the stone being very hard -had worn but little during the passage of the years. -</p> - -<p> -“Tau looked and nodded his head. -</p> - -<p> -“‘Strange that I should meet you thus, Lady Kemmah, and quite by -chance—oh! quite by chance. Still, the gods know their own business, -so why should we trouble ourselves about such things? Yet there might -be another half that fitted on to this broken charm that has been lent -to me. So before we go farther, tell me the name of the sender and -where he dwells and aught else that you know about him.’ -</p> - -<p> -“‘His name is Roy,’ I answered, ‘who in the world was known as Roy the -King’s son, though that king died long ago, and as you have said -yourself, he lives beneath the shadow of the pyramids. For the rest he -is the holy Prophet of a great brotherhood, has a long white beard and -hair, is very handsome and pleasant-spoken; can see in the dark like a -cat because he has dwelt so much among shadows, has knees that are -hornier than the feet of a desert man, because of his continual -kneeling in prayer, and when he thinks that he is alone, converses -much with his own double, the <i>Ka</i> that is always at his side, or -perchance with other ghosts, which tell him everything that passes in -Egypt. At least, such were his appearance and custom many years ago -when he gave me this half of the amulet, but what they are now, I -cannot say.’ -</p> - -<p> -“‘The description will serve, Lady. Yes, it will serve well enough, -though now the holy Roy has lost most of the hair from the top of his -head and is too thin to be called handsome, having something of the -air of an ancient and half-famished hawk. Yet without doubt we speak -of the same man, as the joined amulet bears us witness. Therefore, -Lady Kemmah, whom I have met by chance, yes, quite by chance, just by -waiting for you where the holy Roy told me I should do, hearken to my -message!’ -</p> - -<p> -“Here, Queen, the manner of this seaman changed, and from being light -and easy like to that of one whose words conceal a jest, became quick -and intent. His pleasant, smiling face changed also, for of a sudden -it seemed to grow fierce and eager, the face of one who has great -things to carry through and whose honour hangs upon their doing. -</p> - -<p> -“‘Listen to me, Nurse of Royal Ones,’ he said. ‘The king whom once you -dandled on your knees lies in his tomb, slain by the Shepherd spears. -Would you see her who is sprung from him and the lady who gave her -birth follow by the same road?’ -</p> - -<p> -“‘Your question seems foolish, Tau, seeing that where they go, I must -accompany them,’ I answered. -</p> - -<p> -“‘I know that you would not,’ he went on, ‘and not for your own sake -only. Yet the danger is great. There is a plot to take all three of -you; it was revealed to the holy Roy. In this city dwell traitors who -are parties to the plot. Soon, to-morrow mayhap, or the next day, they -will come to the Queen and tell her that she is in peril and that they -purpose to hide her away in a safe place. If she is persuaded by them, -soon she will find that this safe place is in the prisons of Apepi at -Tanis, if ever she lives to reach them—and then—do you understand? -Or if she is not persuaded, then they will drag her away by force with -the babe and deliver them up to the Shepherds.’ -</p> - -<p> -“I nodded my head and answered: -</p> - -<p> -“‘It would seem that time presses. What is your plan, Messenger?’ -</p> - -<p> -“‘This: Presently I sail on to the city and there deliver a certain -cargo to merchants who await it. Also I have passengers on board, -travellers from Siout, farmer folk flying from the Shepherds. There -are three of them: a woman of middle age not unlike to you in face and -form, Lady Kemmah, who passes as my sister; a fair young woman who -passes as my wife and nurses in her arms a baby girl of some three -months. As such at least I shall describe them to the officers on the -quay, nor will those two women question my words. Yet being -changeable, they will desert me here for other friends and the place -where they slept will be empty. Again, do you understand, Lady -Kemmah?’ -</p> - -<p> -“‘I understand that you propose that the Queen and I and the babe -should take the place of these three upon your boat. If so, when and -how?’ -</p> - -<p> -“‘To-night, Lady Kemmah, I am told there is a religious feast in this -city in honour of the god of Nile, to celebrate which hundreds will -row out upon the river bearing lanterns and singing hymns. To avoid -all these craft I purpose to bring my ship back to this wharf, since I -must sail down Nile with the south wind that springs up ere the dawn. -Shall I perchance find two peasant women and a babe waiting among -those palms an hour before the rising of Ra?’ -</p> - -<p> -“‘Perchance, Messenger. But tell me, if so, where would that journey -end?’ -</p> - -<p> -“‘In the shadow of the Great Pyramids, Lady, where a certain Holy One -awaits them, since he says that although the lodging be poor, there -alone they will be safe.’ -</p> - -<p> -“‘That thought has come to me also, Tau. Yet this flight is very -dangerous, and how know I that in it there is not some trap? How know -I that you yourself are not in the pay of the Shepherds, or in that of -the Theban traitors, and sent to tempt us to our doom?’ -</p> - -<p> -“‘A wise question,’ he answered. ‘You have the message and you have -the token of the amulet and you have my oath sworn upon the holy name, -to break which will consign me everlastingly to hell. Still, a very -wise question when there is so much at stake, and by the gods, I know -not how to answer it!’ -</p> - -<p> -“We stood still awhile, staring at each other, and my heart was full -of doubt and fear. Once we were in this man’s power, what might not -befall us? Or rather what might not befall you, O Queen, and the royal -child, since it is true, Queen, that for myself I cared and care -little.” -</p> - -<p> -“I know it, Kemmah beloved,” answered Rima. “But to your tale. What -happened?” -</p> - -<p> -“This, Queen. Of a sudden Tau the Messenger seemed to grow uneasy. -</p> - -<p> -“‘This place is quiet and lonely,’ he said, ‘yet certainly I feel as -though we were being watched.’ -</p> - -<p> -“Now, Queen, we stood back from the private quay by the single palm -that stands in the open place, whither we had withdrawn when we began -to talk, for there we could not be seen from the river and I knew that -none could overhear us. In the hollow to my left stands that old -shrine surmounted by the shattered statue of some god, which once, it -is said, was the gateway of a fallen temple; the same, Queen, in which -you often sit.” -</p> - -<p> -“I know it well, Kemmah.” -</p> - -<p> -“This shrine, Queen, was still half hidden by the morning mist, and -although it was out of earshot, Tau gazed at it earnestly. As he gazed -the mist departed from it like a lifted veil, and following his -glance, I saw that the shrine was not empty, as I had thought. For -there, Queen, kneeling in it as though lost in prayer, was an aged -man. He lifted his head and the full light fell upon his face. Lo! it -was the face of the holy Roy, my great-uncle, somewhat changed since -last I had seen him many years ago when he gave me the half of the -broken amulet, but without doubt Roy himself.” -</p> - -<p> -“‘It seems that here also dwells a hermit, Lady Kemmah, as well as in -the shadow of the pyramids,’ said Tau, ‘and one whom I think I know. -Is yonder man perchance the holy Roy, Lady Kemmah?’ -</p> - -<p> -“‘The holy Roy and no other. Why did you not tell me that you had -brought him with you on your ship? It would have saved me much trouble -of mind. I will speak with him at once.’ -</p> - -<p> -“‘Aye, speak with him and satisfy your heart as to whether I be a true -man or a false, Lady Kemmah.’ -</p> - -<p> -“I turned and ran to the shrine. It was empty! The holy Roy had gone, -nor was there anywhere that he could have hidden himself. -</p> - -<p> -“‘The ways of prophets and hermits are very strange, Lady Kemmah,’ -said Tau. ‘Alone of all men, they, or some of them, can be in two -places at once. Now perchance I shall find you to-night, here by this -shrine?’ -</p> - -<p> -“‘Yes,’ I answered, ‘I think that you will find us. That is, if the -Queen consents and nothing hinders us, such as death or bonds. But -stay! How can we come by those country women’s garments? There are -none such in the palace, and to send out to buy them might awake -doubts, for the Queen is well watched.’ -</p> - -<p> -“‘The holy Roy is very foreseeing,’ said Tau with a smile, ‘or I am; -it matters not which.’ -</p> - -<p> -“Then he went to where I first met him and from behind a stone drew a -bundle. -</p> - -<p> -“‘Take this,’ he said. ‘In it I think you will find all that is -needful, clean clothes though rough, that it will be safe even for a -royal babe to wear. Farewell, Lady Kemmah; the river is clear of mist -and I must begone. Guided by the spirit of the holy Roy which, as he -can be in two places at once, doubtless will companion you also, I -will return to find—my sister, my wife, and her infant babe—one, -nay, two hours before to-morrow’s dawn.’ -</p> - -<p> -“Then he went, and I went also, full of thoughts. Yet I determined to -say nothing of the matter to you, O Queen, till I heard what answer -those lords made to your prayer to-day.” -</p> - -<p> -“Have you looked in the bundle, Kemmah?” asked the Queen. -</p> - -<p> -“Yes,” answered Kemmah, “to find that all is as this Tau said. There -are two cloaks and other garments such as farmer women use in -travelling, suited to your size and mine, also the winter dress of a -little child.” -</p> - -<p> -“Let us go to look at them,” said the Queen. -</p> - - -<h3 id="ch03"> -CHAPTER III.<br/> -<span class="chap_sub">The Escape</span> -</h3> - -<p class="noindent"> -<span class="sc">They</span> stood in the private apartments of the palace. Eunuchs guarded, -or were supposed to guard, the outer gates, for the Queen Rima was -still surrounded by the trappings of royalty, and at the door of her -chamber stood the giant Nubian, Ru, he who had been the body-servant -of King Kheperra, he who after slaying six of the Shepherds with his -own hand had rescued the body of his master, throwing it over his -shoulder and bearing it from the battle as a shepherd bears a lamb. -The Queen Rima and the Lady Kemmah had examined the garments brought -by Tau the Messenger, and hidden them away. Now they were consulting -together, near to a little bed on which the infant princess lay -asleep. -</p> - -<p> -“Your plan is very dangerous,” said the Queen, who was much disturbed -and walked to and fro with her eyes fixed upon the sleeping babe. “You -ask me to fly to Memphis, that is, to walk into the jaws of the hyena. -This you do because a messenger is come from an aged uncle of yours -who is a hermit or a high priest, or a prophet of some secret sect, -and who, for aught you know, may have been dead for years and now be -but a bait upon a hook to catch us.” -</p> - -<p> -“There is the cut amulet, Queen. See how well the pieces fit and how -that white line in the stone runs on from one to the other.” -</p> - -<p> -“Doubtless they fit. Doubtless they are the halves of the same -talisman. But such holy things are famous and so is their story. -Mayhap someone knew that the priest Roy had given you one half of this -charm and took the other from his body, or stole it to be used to -deceive you and to give colour to the offer of a hiding place among -the dead. Who is this Tau of whom you never heard before? How came he -to find you so easily? How is it that he can pass in and out of Thebes -without question, he who comes from Memphis, holding all the threads -of these plots between his fingers, if plots there be?” -</p> - -<p> -“I do not know who he is,” said Kemmah. “I know only that when these -same doubts crossed my mind, this messenger showed me the holy Roy -himself in proof of the truth of his message, and that then I -believed.” -</p> - -<p> -“Aye, Kemmah, but bethink you. Are you not a priestess, one soaked in -the mysteries and magic of the Egyptians from your childhood, like to -this uncle of yours before you? Did you not see the vision of the -Egyptian goddesses Isis and Hathor blessing my child, which after all -is but an old tale retold of those who spring from the bodies of -kings? How comes it that no one else saw those goddesses?” -</p> - -<p> -“How comes it that you dreamed of them, O Queen?” asked Kemmah drily. -</p> - -<p> -“A dream is a dream. Who can give weight to dreams that come and go by -thousands, flitting round our heads like gnats in sleep to vanish into -the darkness whence they rose? A dream is a dream and of no account, -but a vision seen with the waking eye is another matter, something -that springs from madness—or perchance from truth. And now you have -another vision, that of an old man who, if he lives at all, dwells far -away, and on this unstable cloud you ask me to build a house of hope -and safety. How can I be sure that you are not mad, as indeed the wise -men of my country say that most of us are in this way or in that? You -behold gods, but are there any gods, and if so, why are the gods of -Egypt not the same as those of Babylon, and the gods of Babylon not -the same as those of Tyre? If there be gods, why are they all -different?” -</p> - -<p> -“Because men are different, Queen, and every nation of them clothes -God in its own garments: aye, and every man and woman also.” -</p> - -<p> -“May be, may be! Yet a stranger’s tale and a vision are poor props to -lean upon when life and safety hang in the balance and with them the -crown of Egypt. I’ll not trust myself and the babe to this man and his -boat lest soon both of us should sleep at the bottom of the Nile, or -lie awaiting death in some Shepherd dungeon. Let us bide where we are; -your gods can protect us as well here as by the Pyramids of Memphis, -should we live to reach them. Or if we must go, let these gods send us -some sign; they have still many hours in which to travel from their -heaven.” -</p> - -<p> -Thus spoke Queen Rima wildly in her doubt and despair. Kemmah listened -and bowed her head. -</p> - -<p> -“Let it be as the Queen pleases,” she said. “If the gods desire, -doubtless they will show us a path of escape. If they should not -desire so to do, then we can remain here and await their will, since -the gods are still the gods. Now, Lady, let us eat and rest, but let -us not sleep till that hour is past when we should have embarked upon -the ship of Tau the Messenger.” -</p> - -<p> -So they ate, and afterwards, taking a lamp, Kemmah walked through the -palace and found it strangely silent. All seemed to have departed; as -one weak old slave told her, to attend the feast of the god of Nile -and to sail in boats upon the river. -</p> - -<p> -“Such things would not have been allowed to happen in the old days,” -he said querulously, “for then, who ever heard of a palace being -deserted by those who were in attendance upon Majesty in order that -they might enjoy themselves elsewhere? But since the good god Kheperra -was killed by those Shepherd dogs in the battle everything seems to -have changed. Nobody thinks anything of service; everybody thinks of -himself and what he can get. And there is money going, Lady Kemmah, I -tell you there is money going. Oh! sitting in my corner I have seen -plenty of it being passed from hand to hand. Where it comes from I do -not know. I was even offered some myself, what for I do not know, but -refused it, for what do I want with money who am so old and draw my -rations from the stores, as I have done these fifty years, also my -summer and winter garments?” -</p> - -<p> -Kemmah contemplated him with her quiet eyes, then answered: -</p> - -<p> -“No, old Friend, you want nothing with money, since I know that your -tomb is provided. Tell me, you are acquainted with all the palace -doors, are you not, and the gates also?” -</p> - -<p> -“Every one of them, Lady Kemmah, every one of them. When I was -stronger it used to be my office to lock them all, and I still have -the second set of keys, which no one has taken from me, and remember -the tricks of the inner bolts.” -</p> - -<p> -“Then, Friend, grow strong again; even if it be for the last time, go -lock those doors and gates and shoot those bolts and bring the keys to -me in the private apartments. It will be a good trick to play upon -these revellers who are absent without leave when they return and find -that they cannot get in to sleep off their drink till after the sun -has risen.” -</p> - -<p> -“Yes, yes, Lady Kemmah, a very good trick. I will get the keys and go, -following the round as I used to do and shooting the inner bolts that -I named after all the gods of the Underworld, so that I might never -forget the order in which they came. Oh! I will light my lantern and -go at once, as though I were young again, and my wife and little -children were waiting to receive me at the end of my round.” -</p> - -<p> -The half of an hour later the old man reappeared at the private -chambers, announcing that all the gates and doors were locked, and -that strangely enough he had found every one of them open and the keys -missing. -</p> - -<p> -“They forgot that I had their twins,” he said, chuckling, “also that I -knew how to shoot the inner bolts; I whom they look upon as a silly -old fool only fit for the embalmer’s bath. Here are the keys, Lady -Kemmah, which I shall be glad to be rid of for they are a great -weight. Take them and promise not to tell that it was I who locked the -doors and forced all those idle people to sleep out in the cold. For -if you do they will beat me to-morrow. Now if you had a cup of wine!” -</p> - -<p> -Kemmah fetched drink and gave it to the aged man, mixed with water -that it might not be too strong for him. Then, while he smacked his -lips refreshed by the liquor, she bade him go to the little gatehouse -of the private apartments and watch there, and if he should see any -approaching the gate, to make report to Ru, who kept guard at the door -which was at the foot of the eight stairs that led to the ante-chamber -of the apartments. -</p> - -<p> -This, encouraged by the wine and by a sense that once more he was -taking part in the affairs of life, though what these might be he did -not understand, the old fellow said that he would do and departed to -his station. -</p> - -<p> -Then Kemmah went and talked earnestly with the giant Ru, who listened, -nodding his head, and as he did so girt his armour of bull’s hide upon -his mighty frame. Moreover, he looked to see that his javelins were -loose in their sheath and that the edge of his great bronze battle-axe -was sharp. Lastly he set lamps in the niches of the wall in such -fashion that if the door were forced their light would fall upon those -coming up the stair, while he, standing at the head of it, would -remain in shadow. -</p> - -<p> -These things done, Kemmah returned to the Queen, who sat brooding by -the bed of the child, but of them to her she said nothing. -</p> - -<p> -“Why do you carry a spear in your hand, Kemmah?” asked Rima, looking -up. -</p> - -<p> -“Because it makes a good staff to lean upon, Queen, and one that at -need may serve another purpose. This place seems very still and -fateful and who knows but that in the stillness we may hear some god -speaking ere the dawn, telling us whether we should take ship with -Tau, or bide where we are?” -</p> - -<p> -“You are a strange woman, Kemmah,” said the Queen, and once more fell -to her brooding till at length she sank to sleep. -</p> - -<p> -But Kemmah did not sleep; she waited and watched the curtains that hid -the stair on which Ru kept guard. At length in the intense silence of -the night that was broken only now and again by the melancholy note of -some dog howling at the moon, for all the inhabitants of the city -seemed to be absent at the festival, Kemmah thought she heard the -sound as of gates or doors being shaken by someone trying to enter -them. Rising softly she went to the curtains beyond which Ru was -seated on the topmost stair. -</p> - -<p> -“Did you note anything?” she asked. -</p> - -<p> -“Aye, Lady,” he answered. “Men try to enter by the gates, but find -them closed. The old slave reported to me that they were coming and -has fled to hide himself. Now go up to the top of the little pylon -above this door and tell me if you can see aught.” -</p> - -<p> -Kemmah went, climbing a narrow stair in the dark, and presently found -herself on the roof of the pylon some thirty feet above the ground, -where in times of trouble a watchman was stationed. Round it ran a -battlement with openings through which arrows could be shot or spears -thrown. The moon shone brightly, flooding the palace gardens and the -great city beyond them with silver light, but the Nile she could not -see because of the roofs behind her, though she heard the distant -murmur of those who kept festival upon its waters, from which they -would not return until the sun had risen. -</p> - -<p> -Presently in the shadow of one of the great gateways she saw a group -of men standing and, as it seemed to her, taking counsel together. -They moved out of the shadow and she counted them. They were eight in -all, armed every one of them, for the light shone upon their spears. -They came to some decision, for they began to walk across the open -court towards the private door of the royal apartments. Kemmah ran -down the stairs and told Ru what she had seen. -</p> - -<p> -“Now were I standing on that roof perhaps I might put a javelin into -one or more of these night birds before they come to the doors,” he -said. -</p> - -<p> -“Nay,” answered Kemmah. “They may be messengers of peace, or soldiers -who will guard the Queen. Wait to smite till they show themselves -otherwise.” -</p> - -<p> -He nodded and said: -</p> - -<p> -“Yonder door is old and not of the strongest. It can soon be battered -in and then perhaps there will be fighting—one man against eight, -Lady Kemmah. What if aught should happen to me, Lady Kemmah? Is there -any other way by which the Queen and the royal babe may escape?” -</p> - -<p> -“Nay, for the doors into the great hall where the Council was held are -barred; I have tried them. There is no way save by leaping from the -palace wall at the back, and a babe’s bones are tender. Therefore, Ru, -nothing must happen to you. Pray the gods to give you strength and -cunning.” -</p> - -<p> -“Of the first I have plenty, of the second I fear but little. Still I -will do my best and may Osiris be good to him on whom my axe falls.” -</p> - -<p> -“Hearken, Ru. Should you scotch those snakes or cause them to run, -make ready to fly with us and be not astonished if instead of a Queen -and a waiting-lady, you see two peasant women and a peasant’s babe.” -</p> - -<p> -“I am not easily astonished, Lady, and I weary of this Thebes since -the good god my master fell and all these upstarts began to plot with -Apepi, as plot they do. But whither will you fly?” -</p> - -<p> -“I think that a ship waits us by the private quay, and its captain, -one Tau, will meet us two hours before the dawn, that is before so -very long, in the shadow of the old shrine. You know the place.” -</p> - -<p> -“Aye, I know it. Hush! I hear footsteps.” -</p> - -<p> -“Parley with them as long as you may, Ru, for there are things to be -done.” -</p> - -<p> -“Yes, there is plenty to be done,” he answered as she fled back -through the curtains. -</p> - -<p> -The Queen woke at her step. -</p> - -<p> -“Your gods have not come, Kemmah,” she said, “or given any sign. So I -suppose it is fated that we should stop here.” -</p> - -<p> -“I think that the gods—or devils—are coming, Queen. Now off with -those robes and be swift. Nay, talk not, I pray, but do as I bid you.” -</p> - -<p> -Rima glanced at her face and obeyed. Within a very little time, all -being prepared to their hands, the three of them were changed into -farmer women and a farmer’s babe. Then Kemmah took a sack and thrust -into it all the ancient priceless jewels, the regalia of the old -Pharaohs of Egypt, and these were not few; also a sum in gold. -</p> - -<p> -“This gear of crowns and sceptres and gems and gold which you have got -together so carefully will be too heavy for us to carry, Kemmah, who -have that which is more precious to bear between us,” and she glanced -at the child. -</p> - -<p> -“There is one yonder who will carry it, Queen, one who carried -something else on his shoulder out of the battle. Or if he cannot, -then I think it will not matter who takes the gathered wealth of the -Pharaohs of the South.” -</p> - -<p> -“You mean that our lives are at hazard, Kemmah?” -</p> - -<p> -“That is what I mean, no less.” -</p> - -<p> -Rima’s beautiful but sorrow-stricken face and eyes seemed to take -fire. -</p> - -<p> -“I would that they might be lost,” she said. “Have you ever thought, -Friend, of the wonderful things that may lie behind the gates of -death, the glories and the harmonies and the eternities, or failing -these, the rich darkness of everlasting sleep? Life! I weary of life -and would put all to the hazard. Yet there is the babe born of my -body, the Royal Princess of Egypt, and for her sake——” -</p> - -<p> -“Yes,” said the quiet Kemmah, “for her sake!” -</p> - -<p> -<br/> -</p> - -<p> -There came a thunder of noise upon the door beyond the curtains. -</p> - -<p> -“Open!” shouted voices. -</p> - -<p> -“Open for yourselves. But know that death waits those who would -violate her Majesty of Egypt,” answered the deep guttural voice of Ru. -</p> - -<p> -“We come to take the Queen and the Princess to those who will guard -them well,” cried one without. -</p> - -<p> -“What better guard can they have than death?” asked Ru in answer. -</p> - -<p> -There was a pause. Then came blows upon the door, heavy blows as of -axes, but still it held. Another pause and a tree trunk or some such -weighty thing was brought and driven against it, and presently with a -crash it fell, burst from its hinges. Rima seized the child and ran -into the shadows. Kemmah leapt to the curtains and stood there looking -between them, the spear she carried raised in her right hand. This was -what she saw. -</p> - -<p> -The giant Nubian stood on the topmost stair in the shadow, for the -light of the lamps in the niches struck forward. In his right hand he -held a javelin, in his left he grasped the handle of his battle-axe -and a small shield made of the hide of a river horse. Grim and -terrible looked the Ethiopian giant outlined thus against the shadow. -</p> - -<p> -A tall man with a sword in his hand scrambled over the fallen door, -the moonlight shining on his armour. The javelin flashed and the man -fell in a heap, his mail clattering upon the bronze hinges of the -door. He was dragged aside. Others rushed in, a number of them. Ru -shifted his battle-axe into his right hand, lifted it, leaned forward -and waited, advancing the shield to cover his head. Blows fell upon -the shield. Then the axe crashed down and a man sank in a heap. Ru -began to sing some wild Ethiopian war chant and as he sang he smote, -and as he smote men died beneath the blows of that terrible axe driven -with the weight of his mighty arm. Yet they pressed forward, for they -were desperate. Death might be in front of them, but if they failed -death was also behind at the hands of their confederates. -</p> - -<p> -The stair was too wide for Ru to cover. One ran under his arm and -appeared between the curtains, where he stood staring. Kemmah saw his -face. It was that of a great Theban lord who had fought with Kheperra -in the battle and now had been suborned by the Shepherds. Rage seized -her. She sprang at him and with all her strength drove the spear she -held through his throat. He fell, gasping. She stamped upon his face, -crying “Die, dog! Die, traitor!” and die he did. -</p> - -<p> -On the stairway the blows grew fewer. Presently Ru appeared, laughing -and red with blood. -</p> - -<p> -“All are dead,” he cried, “save one who fled. But where is the knave -who slipped past me?” -</p> - -<p> -“Here,” answered Kemmah, pointing to a still form in the shadows. -</p> - -<p> -“Good. Very good!” said Ru. “Now I think better of women than ever I -did before. Yet, hurry, hurry! One dog has escaped and he goes to call -the pack. What is that? Wine? Give me to drink. Aye, give me wine and -a cloak to cover me. I am no seemly sight for queens to look on.” -</p> - -<p> -“Are you hurt?” said Kemmah as she brought the goblet. -</p> - -<p> -“Nay, not a scratch; still no seemly sight, though the blood be that -of traitors. Here’s to the gods of vengeance! Here’s to the hell that -holds them! This garment is scant for one of my size, but it will -serve. What’s that sack you drag to me?” -</p> - -<p> -“No matter what it is. Carry it, Ru. You are no warrior now, you are a -porter. Carry it, O glorious Ru, and lose it not, for in it lie the -crowns of Egypt. Come, Queen, the road is clear, thanks to the axe of -Ru.” -</p> - -<p> -Rima came, bearing her babe, and at the sight of the red stair and of -those who lay upon it or at its foot, shrank back and said in a -wavering voice, for she was almost bemused with doubts and terror: -</p> - -<p> -“Is this the message of your gods, Kemmah?” and she pointed to the -stains upon the floor and walls. “And are these their messengers? Look -at them! I know their faces. They were the friends and captains of -dead Kheperra, my lord. Why, O Ru, do you slay the friends of him who -was Pharaoh, who came here doubtless to lead me and his child to -safety?” -</p> - -<p> -“Aye, Queen,” said Kemmah, “to the safety of death or of the prison of -Apepi.” -</p> - -<p> -“I’ll not believe it, woman, nor will I go with you,” said Rima, -stamping her foot. “Fly if you will, as well you may do with all this -blood upon your hands; here I stay with my child.” -</p> - -<p> -Kemmah glanced at her, then as though in thought she looked down at -the ground while Ru whispered in her ear: -</p> - -<p> -“Command me and I will carry her.” -</p> - -<p> -The eyes of Kemmah fell upon that great lord whom she had slain with -her own hand, and she noted that from beneath his breastplate there -projected the end of a papyrus roll that had been thrust upwards when -he fell. She bent down and took it. Opening it swiftly she read, as -she who was learned could do well enough. It was addressed to the dead -man and his companions and sealed with the seals of the high priest -and others. This was the writing: -</p> - -<div class="letter"> - -<p> -“In the names of all the gods and for the welfare of Egypt, we command -you to take Rima the Babylonian, wife of the good god Pharaoh who is -not, and her child, the Royal Princess Nefra, and to bring them to us, -living if may be, that they may be delivered to King Apepi in -fulfilment of our oath. Read and obey.” -</p> - -</div> - -<p> -“Can you read the Egyptian writing, Queen?” asked Kemmah. “If so, -herein is a matter that concerns you.” -</p> - -<p> -“Read you. I have little skill,” answered Rima indifferently. -</p> - -<p> -So she read, slowly, that the words might sink into the mind of the -Queen. -</p> - -<p> -Rima heard and leaned against her, trembling. -</p> - -<p> -“Why did I ever come to this land of traitors?” she moaned. “Oh! would -that I were dead.” -</p> - -<p> -“As you will be if you stay here longer, Queen,” said Kemmah bitterly. -“Meanwhile it is the traitors who are dead, or some of them, and now -tell their tale to Kheperra, your lord and mine. Come. Come swiftly, -there are more villains left in Thebes.” -</p> - -<p> -But Rima sank to the ground, swooning. As she fell Kemmah snatched the -child from her and looked at Ru. -</p> - -<p> -“It is good,” said the giant. “Now she can talk no more and I will -carry her. But what of that sack? Must we leave it behind? Life is -more than crowns.” -</p> - -<p> -“Nay, Ru, set it on my head, for thus peasants bear their burdens. I -can hold it with my left hand and clasp the child with my right.” -</p> - -<p> -He did so and lifted the Queen in his great arms. -</p> - -<p> -Thus they passed down the stair, stepping over the dead and out into -the night. -</p> - -<p> -Across the open space they went, heading for the palm trees of the -garden. The babe wailed feebly but Kemmah stifled its cries beneath -her cloak. The weight of the treasures in the sack pressed her down -and the sharp edges of the jewelled crowns and sceptres cut into her -brow. Still she staggered on bravely. They reached the shadow of the -palms where she paused for a moment to look back and get her breath. -Behold! Men—numbers of them—were running toward the doors of the -private apartments. -</p> - -<p> -“We did not leave too soon. Forward!” said Ru. -</p> - -<p> -On they went, till at length before them in the glade they saw the -ruined shrine. Kemmah staggered to it and sank to her knees, for she -was spent. -</p> - -<p> -“Now, unless help comes, there is an end,” said Ru. “Two half-dead -women I might carry, also the sack upon my head. But how about the -babe? Nay, that babe is the Princess of Egypt. Whoever dies, she must -be saved.” -</p> - -<p> -“Aye,” said Kemmah faintly. “Leave me, it matters not, but save the -child. Take her and her mother and go to the quay. Perchance the boat -is there.” -</p> - -<p> -“Perchance it is not,” grumbled Ru, staring about him. -</p> - -<p> -Then help came. For as before from behind a palm appeared the sailor -Tau. -</p> - -<p> -“You are somewhat early, Lady Kemmah,” he said, “but fortunately so am -I and so is the down Nile wind. At least here you are, all three of -you. But who is this?” and he stared at the giant Nubian. -</p> - -<p> -“One who can be vouched for,” answered Ru. “If you doubt it, go look -at the stair of the royal apartments. One, too, who, if there be need, -can break your bones as a slave breaks sticks.” -</p> - -<p> -“That I can well believe,” said Tau, “but of bone-breaking we can talk -afterwards. Now follow me, and swiftly.” -</p> - -<p> -Then he threw the sack over his shoulder, and putting his arm about -Kemmah, supported her forward to the quay. -</p> - -<p> -At the foot of the steps was a boat, and at a distance on the Nile -appeared a ship riding at anchor, her sail half hoisted. They entered -the boat, and seizing the oars, Tau rowed them to the ship. A rope was -cast which he caught and made fast to the prow of the boat, drawing on -it till they came alongside the ship. Hands were stretched out to help -them; soon they were all aboard. -</p> - -<p> -“Up anchor!” cried Tau, “and hoist the sail.” -</p> - -<p> -“We hear you, Lord,” answered a voice. -</p> - -<p> -Three minutes later that ship was gliding down the Nile before the -strong south wind. Nor was it too soon, for as they passed silently -into the night they caught sight of men, some of whom bore lanterns, -searching the palm grove that they had left. They laid the women and -the child in the cabin. Then Tau said: -</p> - -<p> -“Now, Breaker of Bones, you may have a tale to tell me, and perchance -a cup of wine and a bite of food will loose your tongue.” -</p> - -<p> -<br/> -</p> - -<p> -Thus did Queen Rima, Nefra, Royal Princess of Egypt, the Lady Kemmah -and Ru the Ethiopian escape from Thebes and from the hands of -traitors. -</p> - - -<h3 id="ch04"> -CHAPTER IV.<br/> -<span class="chap_sub">The Temple of the Sphinx</span> -</h3> - -<p class="noindent"> -<span class="sc">For</span> day after day the ship of Tau journeyed on down Nile. At night, -or when the wind would not serve, it was tied up to the bank, always -in as uninhabited a place as might be but never near a town. Twice -this happened in the neighbourhood of great temples that had been -wrecked by the Shepherds in the first fury of their invasion and not -as yet repaired. Yet after it was dark, out of these desolated fanes -or of the sepulchres around them issued men who brought food and other -things to sell, but who from the signs that they made, Kemmah, being -initiated, well knew to be priests, though of what faith she did not -know. These men would talk with Tau apart, showing him much reverence, -then on this pretext or on that he would bring them into the cabin -where the infant princess lay asleep, whom they would look upon -fearfully, and even adore upon their bended knees as though she were -divine; then rising, depart blessing her in the name of the gods they -worshipped. Moreover, never did they seem to take payment for the food -they brought. -</p> - -<p> -All of these things Kemmah noted, as did Ru, although he appeared so -simple, but of them Rima the Queen took but little heed. Ever since -her lord the Pharaoh Kheperra had been slain in the battle, her spirit -had left her, and the discovery of the treason of the lords who had -been his counsellors and generals, whereof Ru had slain six and Kemmah -one in the fight upon the stairs of the Theban palace, seemed to have -crushed her very soul so that now she cared for nothing save to nurse -her child. -</p> - -<p> -When she woke from her swoon to find herself upon the ship she asked -few questions and from Ru she shrank, although she loved him well, -saying that he smelt of blood. Nor would she speak much to Tau -because, as she declared, she trusted no man any more. To Kemmah only -did she talk freely at times, and then mostly as to how she might -escape out of this accursed Egypt with her child, back to her royal -father, the King of Babylon. -</p> - -<p> -“So far the gods of Egypt have not served you so ill, Queen,” said the -Lady Kemmah, “seeing that they brought you and that Royal One”—and -she waved her hand toward the babe—“out of the net of traitors, and -when escape seemed impossible, safe on to this ship, doing this after -you had declared that you had no faith in them.” -</p> - -<p> -“Mayhap, Kemmah. Yet those gods decreed that my royal husband should -be killed and that those whom he and I trusted should prove themselves -the foulest of all men who sought to betray his wife and child into -the hands of enemies, whence we were saved only by your wit and the -strength and courage of an Ethiopian. Also it is not for me, a -stranger, that they work, but for Egypt’s royal seed that was born of -my body. Nor is this to be wondered at, seeing, although as Pharaoh’s -wife I made offerings upon their altars, they are no gods of mine. I -tell you that I would get me back to Babylon and ere I die bow my knee -again in the temples of my forefathers. Take me back to Babylon, -Kemmah, where men are not traitors to the bread they eat and do not -strive to sell the seed of those who died for them into captivity or -death.” -</p> - -<p> -“This I will do if I may,” answered Kemmah, “but alas! Babylon is far -off and all the lands between are ablaze with war. Therefore take -heart, Queen, and wait with patience.” -</p> - -<p> -“I have no heart left,” answered Rima, “who desire but one thing—to -find my lord again whether he sits at the table of your Osiris, or -rides the clouds with Bel, or sleeps in the deep darkness. Where he -is, there would I be and nowhere else, and least of all in this -accursed Egypt. Give me my child to nurse, that I may hold her while I -may. We love that most that we must leave the soonest, Kemmah.” -</p> - -<p> -Then Kemmah gave her the babe and turned away to hide her tears, since -she was sure that sorrow was eating out the life of this bereaved -widow and daughter of kings. -</p> - -<p> -Once when they were off Memphis which they strove to pass at early -dawn before men were abroad, there was danger. Officers came to their -ship from a boat, bidding it lie to, a command that Tau thought it -best to obey. -</p> - -<p> -“Now play your parts well,” he said to Kemmah, “remembering that you -are my sister and that the Queen is my wife who lies sick. Go tell her -to forget her woes and be as crafty as a serpent. As for you, Ru, hide -that great axe of yours, though where you can find it easily, -remembering that you are a slave whom I bought for a great sum in -Thebes that I may make money by showing off your strength in -market-places, and that you can talk little or no Egyptian.” -</p> - -<p> -The boat came alongside. In it were two officers, young men who seemed -to be sleepy, for they yawned, and a common fellow who rowed it. The -two officers climbed to the deck and asked for the captain. Tau -appeared, very roughly clad, and in a coarse voice inquired of their -business. -</p> - -<p> -“It is your business that we want to know, Sailor,” said one of the -officers. -</p> - -<p> -“That is easy to tell, sir. I am a trader who take corn up Nile and -bring cattle down. There are a number of calves forward there, bred by -the best southern bulls. Are you perchance buyers? If so, you might -like to look at them. There is one that has the ‘apis’ marks upon it, -or something of the kind.” -</p> - -<p> -“Do we look like cattle dealers?” asked the officer haughtily. “Show -me your writings.” -</p> - -<p> -“Here they are, sir,” and Tau produced a papyrus sealed by the trade -masters at Memphis and other cities. -</p> - -<p> -“A wife and child, a sister—which means another wife grown old—and -so many crew. Well, we seek two women and a child, so perhaps we had -better see them.” -</p> - -<p> -“Is it necessary?” asked the other. “This does not look like a queen’s -warship such as we were told to search for, and the stench of those -calves is horrible after a night of feasting.” -</p> - -<p> -“Warship, sir? Did you talk of a warship? Well, there is one following -us down the river. We saw her once, but being of such deep draught, -she got stuck on a sand bank so that I do not know when she will reach -Memphis. She seemed to be a very fine ship with a multitude of armed -men on board of her. But it was said that she was going to stop at -Siout, the frontier city of the South, or what used to be its frontier -city before we beat those proud-stomached Southerns. But come and look -at the women, if you will; come and look at them.” -</p> - -<p> -This information about the warship seemed to interest the two officers -so much that they followed Tau thinking little of the two women. He -took a lantern and thrust it through the curtains into the cabin, -saying; -</p> - -<p> -“May an evil spirit take this thing! How badly it burns.” -</p> - -<p> -“An evil stink has taken it already,” answered one of the officers, -pinching his nostrils between his finger and thumb as he peered -between the curtains. In the low light the place was very dark and all -that the officers could see was Kemmah in dirty garments seated on a -sack—little did they know that this sack contained the ancient and -priceless royal ornaments of Upper Egypt—and engaged in mixing milk -and water in a gourd, while beyond on a couch lay a woman with -dishevelled hair and holding a bundle to her breast. -</p> - -<p> -Just then the lantern went out and Tau began to talk of finding oil to -relight it. -</p> - -<p> -“It is needless, Friend,” said the chief officer, “I think that we -have seen enough. Pursue your voyage in peace and sell the calves at -the best price you can get.” -</p> - -<p> -Then he turned to the deck where, as ill luck would have it, he caught -sight of Ru squatted on the boards and trying to look as small as he -could. -</p> - -<p> -“That is a big black man,” he said. “Now did not some spy send a -message about a Negro who killed many of our friends up yonder? Stand -up, fellow.” -</p> - -<p> -Tau translated, or seemed to do so, and Ru stood up, rolling his big -eyes till the white showed and grinning all over a silly face. -</p> - -<p> -“Ah!” said the officer, “a very big man. By the gods! what a chest and -arms. Now, Captain, who is this giant and what are you doing with him -on board your trading boat?” -</p> - -<p> -“Lords,” answered Tau, “he is a venture of mine in which I have put -most of my savings. He is mighty and performs feats of strength, for -the sight of which I hope to get much money down in Tanis.” -</p> - -<p> -“Does he?” said the officer, much interested but with suspicion. -“Well, fellow, perform a feat of strength.” -</p> - -<p> -Ru shook his head vaguely. -</p> - -<p> -“He does not understand your tongue, sir, who is an Ethiopian. Stay, I -will tell him.” -</p> - -<p> -Then he began to address Ru in unknown words. Ru woke up and nodded, -grinning. Next instant he sprang at the two officers, seized one of -them with either hand by the neckbands of their garments and lifted -them from the deck as though they had been infants. Next, roaring with -laughter, he stepped to the side of the ship and held them out over -the Nile as though he were about to drop them into the water. The -officers shouted, Tau swore and tried to drag him back, yelling orders -into his ear. Ru turned round astonished, still holding the two men in -the air before him and looking at the belly of the ship as though he -meant to throw them into it. -</p> - -<p> -At length he seemed to understand and dropped them to the deck, on -which they fell flat. -</p> - -<p> -“That is one of his favourite tricks, sirs,” said Tau as he helped -them to their feet. “He is so strong that he can carry a third man in -his teeth.” -</p> - -<p> -“Is it?” said an officer. “Well, we have had enough of your savage and -his tricks, who, I think, will land you in prison before you have done -with him. Keep him off now while we get into the boat.” -</p> - -<p> -Thus was the ship of Tau searched by the officers of Apepi. -</p> - -<p> -<br/> -</p> - -<p> -When the boat had gone and once more the ship was slipping past the -quays of Memphis unobserved in the mists drawn by the rising sun from -the river, Ru came near to the tiller and said: -</p> - -<p> -“I think, Lord Tau, for a lord or count I hold you to be, although it -pleases you to pass as the owner of a small trading boat, that you -would have done well to let me drop those two fine fellows into the -Nile that tells no stories of those it buries. By and by it will be -found that there is no warship such as you talked of so wonderfully, -and then——?” -</p> - -<p> -“And then, Breaker of Bones, it may go hard with those officers who -chattered of such a ship like finches in the reeds and while they did -so let the real prize slip through their fingers. For this, indeed, I -am sorry, since those young men were not bad fellows in their way. As -for dropping them into the Nile, it might have been well enough, -though cruel, had there not been a witness. What would that boatman -who rowed them to the ship have reported when he found that they -returned from it no more?” -</p> - -<p> -“You are clever,” said Ru admiringly. “I never thought of that.” -</p> - -<p> -“No, Ru. If my brain were added to your brute strength and -uninstructed honesty, why, you would rule the world of brutes. But -they are not, and therefore you must be content to serve in the yoke, -like a bull, which is as strong as you are, or stronger.” -</p> - -<p> -“If it is brains that make the difference, why do you not rule, Lord -Tau, who are also a likely man though not so big as I am? Why are you -carrying fugitives upon a dirty little merchant ship instead of -sitting upon a Pharaoh’s throne? Tell me, who am but a simple black -man bred to war and honesty.” -</p> - -<p> -Tau with much skill steered his ship through a fleet of barges poling -up Nile laden with fodder. Then calling to a sailor to take his place, -for now the river was open with no craft in sight, he sat himself down -on the low bulwark, and answered: -</p> - -<p> -“Because mayhap, friend Ru, I also choose to serve. Being stupid, like -most honest men, especially if they are strong and one of a simple -race that understands nothing except love from which is born mankind, -and war that keeps down its numbers, you may not believe me when I -tell you that the only true joy in life lies in service of this sort -or of that. Pharaohs are served, which is why they are often so blind -and so satisfied and being but vain bubbles blown along by a wind they -cannot see, springing, although they know it not, from the poisoned -breath of multitudes; for the most part they do more harm than good -and are themselves the slaves of slaves. With him who serves it is -otherwise, for, setting aside self-seekings and ambitions, he works -humbly for that which is good and in this work finds his reward.” -</p> - -<p> -Ru rubbed his brow, then asked: -</p> - -<p> -“But whom does such an one serve, Lord?” -</p> - -<p> -“He serves God, Ru.” -</p> - -<p> -“God? There are many gods that I have heard of in Ethiopia, in Egypt, -and in other lands. What god does he serve and where does he find that -god?” -</p> - -<p> -“He finds him in his own heart, Ru, but what his name may be I cannot -tell you. Some call it Justice, some call it Freedom, some call it -Hope, some call it Spirit.” -</p> - -<p> -“And what do those call it who serve only themselves and their own -lusts, careless of all those fine things, Lord?” -</p> - -<p> -“I do not know, Ru, and yet I know that name. It is Death.” -</p> - -<p> -“Yet they live as long as other men, Lord, and often reap a finer -harvest.” -</p> - -<p> -“Aye, Ru, but very soon their day is done and then, if they have not -repented, their souls die.” -</p> - -<p> -“So you believe that souls can live on, as the priests seem to teach.” -</p> - -<p> -“Yes, Ru, I believe that they can live longer than Ra the sun himself, -longer than the stars, and from age to age reap the fruits of honest -service. Yet of these matters do not ask me but ask one whom you will -soon meet and whose disciple I am.” -</p> - -<p> -“I don’t wish to, Lord, seeing that my brain swims already, but tell -me, if it please you, to what end is all this service of yours that -causes you to sail up Nile and at great risk to rescue certain ladies -and a certain babe?” -</p> - -<p> -“I am not sure, for true service is its own end. Moreover, it is not -for me to ask of ends, who am sworn to obey without doubt or -question.” -</p> - -<p> -“So you also have a master, Lord. Who is he?” -</p> - -<p> -“That you will learn ere long, Ru. Yet do not think to look upon some -king or enthroned high priest surrounded with pomps and ceremonies. -Ru, I will instruct you, who are so ignorant. Doubtless you believe -that Egypt and the world are ruled by the strength you see, by -Pharaohs, by armies, and by wealth. Yet it is not so. There is another -strength you do not see which is its guide and conqueror, and its name -is Spirit. The priests teach that to every man there is given a <i>Ka</i> -or a double, an invisible something that is stronger, purer, more -enduring than he is. Something that perhaps from time to time looks -upon the face of God and whispers of God’s will. Now if this be a -parable, yet in a sense it is true since always such a spirit is at -the elbow of everyone who lives. Or rather there are two spirits, one -of good and one of evil; one that leads upwards and one that leads -downwards.” -</p> - -<p> -“I say again that you make my head swim, Lord. But tell me, where and -to what is your spirit leading you?” -</p> - -<p> -“Towards the gates of peace, Ru; peace for myself and peace for Egypt; -towards a land where you would find little occupation for in it there -is no war. Look, yonder are the Great Pyramids, the homes of the dead, -and mayhap of their souls which do not die. Come, help me lower the -sail since we must drift past them slowly, to return when night has -fallen and land certain passengers. There, perhaps, Ru, you will learn -more of the meaning of all this talk of mine.” -</p> - -<p> -<br/> -</p> - -<p> -Night had come. At its approach he who was called Tau had rowed his -ship back to a certain landing place which now, at the time of the -rising Nile, was not so very far away from the Great Pyramids and the -Sphinx that sits near to them staring eternally into nothingness. Here -they disembarked, all of them, under shelter of the darkness and of a -bed of reeds. -</p> - -<p> -Scarcely were they on shore when they saw boats, which great lanterns -hung at their prow and stern showed to be full of armed men, rowing -down Nile. Tau watched them go by and said: -</p> - -<p> -“I think some messenger has told those officers at Memphis that there -was no warship following us from Thebes and that now they search for a -certain trading boat on which travelled two women and a babe. Well, -let them search, for the birds are out of their hands and where they -nest no Shepherd will dare to come.” -</p> - -<p> -Then, having given directions to the mate of the boat, a very quiet, -secret-faced man, as were all those on board of her, he took Rima the -Queen by the hand and led her into the darkness, being followed by -Kemmah, who bore the child, and by Ru the Ethiopian, who carried upon -his shoulder the sack that contained the jewels of the Pharaohs of -Upper Egypt. -</p> - -<p> -For a long while they trudged forward, first between groves of palm -trees and then over desert sands, till at length the waning moon rose -and they saw a wondrous sight. In front of them appeared the enormous -shape of a lion cut from the living rock whose face was not that of a -beast but of a man, wearing the headdress of a god or king, and -staring towards the east with solemn, terrifying eyes. -</p> - -<p> -“What is that?” asked Rima faintly. “Have we reached the Underworld -and is this its god? For surely yonder dreadful smiling countenance -must be that of a god.” -</p> - -<p> -“Nay, Lady,” answered Tau, “it is but the symbol of a god, the Sphinx -which has sat here for countless ages. Look! Behind it stand the -pyramids outlined against the sky, and beneath it are safety and rest -for you and for your child.” -</p> - -<p> -“Safety for the child, perhaps,” she said, “and for me, as I think, -the longest rest of all. For know, O Tau, that Death looks at me out -of those solemn smiling eyes.” -</p> - -<p> -Tau made no answer; indeed, even his calm spirit seemed to be -frightened at those words of evil omen, as was Kemmah, who muttered: -</p> - -<p> -“We go to dwell among sepulchres and it is as well, for I think that -soon they will be needed.” -</p> - -<p> -Even Ru was frightened, though more by the gigantic figure of the -Sphinx towering above him than by the Queen’s words, which he scarcely -seemed to understand. -</p> - -<p> -“Here is that which turns my heart to water and loosens my knees,” he -said in his savage imagery. “Here is that with which no man, not even -I, can fight, and therefore for the first time I am afraid. Here is -Fate itself, and what can man do in the face of Fate?” -</p> - -<p> -“Obey its decrees, as all must,” answered Tau solemnly. “Forward now, -for the temple of this god is open, and leave the rest—to Fate.” -</p> - -<p> -They came to some steps about fifty paces from the outstretched paws -of this mighty monument, and descending them, found themselves facing -what seemed to be a huge granite block in a wall. Taking a stone which -lay at hand, Tau knocked upon this block in a peculiar fashion. Thrice -did he repeat this rhythmic series of blows, each time with some -difference. Then he waited, and behold, presently in a silent fashion -the great stone turned, leaving a narrow opening through which he -beckoned them to follow him. They entered to find themselves in dense -darkness and to hear sounds as of passwords being given and received. -Next lamps appeared floating towards them through the darkness and -they perceived that these were borne by men clothed as white-robed -priests who yet carried swords like soldiers and wore knives thrust -through their girdles. There were six of these priests and a seventh -who appeared to be a leader of them, for he walked ahead. To this man -Tau spoke, saying: -</p> - -<p> -“I bring you that I went forth to seek,” and he pointed to the royal -child sleeping in the arms of Kemmah and to the Queen and behind her, -to the gigantic Ru on whom the priests looked doubtfully. -</p> - -<p> -Tau began to tell them who he was, but the leader of the priests said: -</p> - -<p> -“It is needless. The Holy Prophet has spoken to me of him. Yet let him -understand that he who reveals the secrets of this place dies -terribly.” -</p> - -<p> -“Is it so?” said Ru. “Well, already I feel as though I were dead and -buried.” -</p> - -<p> -Then one by one the priests made obeisance to the babe, and this done, -motioned to them to follow. -</p> - -<p> -On they went, down a long passage that seemed to be built of blocks of -alabaster, till they came to a great hall, of which the roof was -supported by huge columns of granite, in which hall sat solemn statues -of gods or kings. Crossing it, they reached a gallery, out of which -opened chambers that served as dwelling rooms, for in them were -window-places, which chambers, it seemed, had been made ready for -them, since they were furnished with beds and all things necessary, -even to clothing such as women wear. Moreover, in one of them a table -was set with good food and wine. -</p> - -<p> -“Eat now and sleep,” said Tau. “I go to make report to the Prophet. -To-morrow he will speak with you.” -</p> - - -<h3 id="ch05"> -CHAPTER V.<br/> -<span class="chap_sub">The Swearing of the Oath</span> -</h3> - -<p class="noindent"> -<span class="sc">Early</span> on the following morning Kemmah was awakened by a ray of -sunshine striking upon her bed through a window-place in the chamber. -</p> - -<p> -At least we are not dwelling in a tomb, she thought to herself with -gratitude, for tombs have no windows; the dead do not need them. -</p> - -<p> -Then she looked at the Queen Rima who lay in another bed with the babe -near by, and saw that she was sitting up, staring before her with rapt -eyes. -</p> - -<p> -“I see that you are awake, Kemmah,” she said, “for the sun shines upon -your eyes, for which I thank the gods because it shows me that we are -not in a grave. Hearken, a dream has visited me. I dreamed that the -good god my husband, Kheperra who is dead, came to me, saying: -</p> - -<p> -“‘Wife, you have accomplished all things; you have brought our child -to a place where she will be safe, a holy place where the spirits of -those who were great in Egypt before her protect and will protect her. -Fear not for the child who is safe in their keeping and in that of -those about her on the earth. Make ready, Wife beloved, to return to -me, your Husband.’ -</p> - -<p> -“‘That is my desire,’ I answered. ‘But tell me, Lord, where shall I -find you?’ -</p> - -<p> -“Then, Kemmah, in that dream of mine the spirit of King Kheperra -showed me a wondrous and beautiful place of which the memory has faded -from me, saying: -</p> - -<p> -“‘Here shall you find me, where are no wars or fears or troubles, and -here shall we dwell together happily for many an age, though what will -chance to us in the end I do not know.’ -</p> - -<p> -“‘But the child. What of the child?’ I asked. ‘Must we lose the -child?’ -</p> - -<p> -“‘Nay, Beloved,’ he answered, ‘presently she will be with us.’ -</p> - -<p> -“‘Then, Lord, is she also doomed to die to the world before she has -known the world?’ -</p> - -<p> -“‘Not so, Beloved, but here there is no time, and soon her hour there -will be accomplished and she will be counted of our company.’ -</p> - -<p> -“‘Yet she will never know us, Lord, who died when she was without -understanding.’ -</p> - -<p> -“‘The dead know everything; in death all that seems lost is found -again; in death all is forgiven, even those priests and princes who -would have betrayed you to the Shepherds are forgiven, for some of -them whom the axe of Ru sent hither, stand by me and ask pardon of you -as I speak. In death are life and understanding. Therefore come hither -swiftly and without fear.’ -</p> - -<p> -“Then I awoke, happy for the first time since Ru bore the body of King -Kheperra out of the battle.” -</p> - -<p> -“A strange dream. A very strange dream, Queen. But who can put faith -in such visions of the night?” exclaimed Kemmah, for she was -frightened and knew not what to say, adding: -</p> - -<p> -“Now rise, if it pleases you, and let me dress you in these garments -that have been provided. Afterwards we will call the Lord Tau, for I -am sure he is no sailor man but a lord, and explore this place, which -it would seem might be worse, for here are good food and light and -friends and dark caverns where we may hope to hide ourselves away if -foes should come.” -</p> - -<p> -“Aye, Kemmah, I will rise, though it should be for the last time, for -I would look upon the face of this wondrous Roy the prophet who has -brought us here and then commend my child to him ere I pass farther -than he can follow.” -</p> - -<p> -“From all that I have heard of Roy I think that would be far indeed, -Queen,” said Kemmah. -</p> - -<p> -A while later, when they were seated at their morning meal that was -served by priestesses who now appeared for the first time, came Tau, -praying them to follow him into the presence of Roy, the prophet and -his master. -</p> - -<p> -They obeyed, Rima leaning on the arm of Tau, for now she seemed too -weak to walk alone, Kemmah bearing the babe, and Ru bringing up the -rear. Presently they heard sounds of singing, and entering a great -hall lit by little window-places set high up near the roof and by an -opening to the East, saw that in it were gathered a number of men and -women, all clad in white robes, the men to the right and the women to -the left. At the head of the hall was an altar and behind the altar, -in a shrine of alabaster, a life-sized statue of Osiris, god of the -dead wrapped in the trappings of the dead. In front of this altar in a -chair of black stone sat an aged man clad in white priestly garments -over which hung strange-shaped, mystical jewels of gold and gems. -</p> - -<p> -He was a wonderful old man, or so thought Ru staring at him with round -eyes, for his beard was long and white as snow, his hands were thin as -those of a mummy, his nose was hooked and his eyes were black, -piercing, and full of fire. Though she had not seen him in the flesh -for many years, Kemmah knew him at once to be none other than the -king’s son, her great-uncle, Roy the Prophet, whose fame for holiness, -secret power, and magic was told of throughout Egypt. Indeed, she -remembered that just so had he appeared to her in the ruined shrine -that was in the palace gardens at Thebes when she sought a sign that -Tau was a true messenger and not one who set a trap. -</p> - -<p> -They drew near while all the company stared at them in silence. -Suddenly Roy lifted his head, studying them with his piercing eyes, -then in a strong, clear voice asked of Tau: -</p> - -<p> -“Who are these that you bring into the Chapter of the secret -Brotherhood of the Dawn, to enter which without authority is death? -Answer, O my son in the spirit.” -</p> - -<p> -Thrice Tau made reverence and said: -</p> - -<p> -“O Holy One, O Home of Wisdom, greater than all kings, voice of Heaven -upon earth, hear me! On the day of full moon before the last you -commanded me, saying: -</p> - -<p> -“‘Priest of our Brotherhood, become a merchant. Sail up Nile to -Thebes, and before dawn on the day that you reach the ancient city -enter the garden of the palace and take your stand behind a palm tree -that grows near to a forgotten shrine. There you will find a woman, a -nurse of kings in whom my blood runs. Speak to her. Show her this half -of a broken talisman, and if she can show its other half, declare to -her that you are my messenger charged with a certain mission. Set out -that mission, and if she doubts, pray to me, sending your prayer -through space, and I will hear you and come to your aid. Then when she -doubts no more, fulfil that mission as shall be made clear to you.’ -</p> - -<p> -“I heard your commands, O Holy One, and behold! the mission is -fulfilled. Before you appear Rima the Babylonian, daughter of Ditanah -the King of Babylon and widow of Kheperra, Pharaoh of Upper Egypt; -Lady Kemmah, the royal nurse, your kinswoman, and the royal babe -Nefra, Princess of Egypt.” -</p> - -<p> -“I see them, my son, but what of the fourth, the mighty black man, as -to whom I gave no command?” -</p> - -<p> -“This, Father: that without his help sent by the gods none of us would -be here to-day, seeing that he held the door against traitors and with -that axe of his, slew them all, eight in number.” -</p> - -<p> -“Not so, my son, unless my spirit told me falsely, the Lady Kemmah, my -kinswoman, slew one of them.” -</p> - -<p> -Now Ru, who had been listening amazed, could contain himself no -longer. -</p> - -<p> -“That is right, O Prophet, or O God,” he broke in, in his big voice. -“She killed one of them who slipped past me, their captain as I think, -with the shrewdest thrust ever driven by a woman’s arm—also another -escaped. But your sight must be very good, O Prophet, if you can see -from here to Thebes and take note of one blow among so many.” -</p> - -<p> -A faint smile flickered on the face of Roy. -</p> - -<p> -“Come hither, Ru, for so I think you are named,” he said. -</p> - -<p> -The giant obeyed and of his own accord knelt down before Roy, who went -on: -</p> - -<p> -“Hearken, Ru the Ethiopian. You are a gallant man and a true-hearted. -You slew those who slew your King Kheperra and bore his body from the -battle. By your gift of strength and skill in war you saved your -lord’s child and the Queen her mother from prison and death. Therefore -I number you among our Brotherhood into whose company hitherto no -black man has ever entered. Afterwards you shall be instructed in its -simpler rites and take the lesser oaths. Yet know, O Ru, that if you -betray the smallest of its secrets or work harm to any of your fellow -servants of the Dawn, you shall die thus,” and leaning forward he -whispered fiercely into the Negro’s ear. -</p> - -<p> -“Have done, I pray you, Prophet,” exclaimed Ru in lively terror and -springing to his feet. “I have seen and heard of many things but never -of such a one as this, in Ethiopia or in Egypt, in war or in peace. -Moreover, such threats are needless, since I never betrayed any one -except myself, and least of all those whose bread I eat and whom I -love,” and he glanced towards the Queen and the child. -</p> - -<p> -“I know it, Ru; yet sometimes folly betrays as well as craft. Hearken! -You are appointed bodyservant and guard to the Royal Princess of Egypt -as you were to her father before her. Where she goes, there you go; -when she sleeps your bed is without her door. If she fights you stand -at her side in battle, shielding her with your life. If she wanders by -day or by night, you wander with her, and when at last she dies, you -die also and accompany her to the Underworld. For this shall be your -reward—that the blessing and the strength that are on her shall be on -you also, and that you shall serve her to all eternity. Retire.” -</p> - -<p> -“I ask no better fate,” muttered Ru as he obeyed. -</p> - -<p> -“Kinswoman, bring me the child,” said the Prophet. -</p> - -<p> -Kemmah came forward bearing the sleeping babe and at Roy’s bidding -held it up to be seen of all, whereon everyone in that company bowed -the knee and bent the head. -</p> - -<p> -“Brothers and Sisters of the Company of the Dawn, in the person of -this child behold your Queen and Egypt’s!” cried Roy, and again they -bent the knee and bowed the head. -</p> - -<p> -Then he breathed upon the babe and blessed it, making over it certain -mystic signs and calling upon gods and spirits to guard it through -life and for ever. This done he kissed the infant and handed it back -to Kemmah, saying: -</p> - -<p> -“Blessed be you also, O faithful woman. Aye, and you shall be blessed, -and later instructed in our mysteries and numbered of our Company. Go -in peace.” -</p> - -<p> -Now Roy had spoken to all that company save to the chief of them, Rima -the Queen, who sat in front of him in a chair that had been given to -her, watching him with empty eyes and listening to his words as though -they dealt with far-off matters that moved her not. Yet when he had -finished she lifted her head, saying: -</p> - -<p> -“Words and blessings for the slave. Words and blessings for the nurse. -Words and adoration for the babe in whom run the royal bloods of Egypt -and of Babylon. But what words for the Queen and mother, O Prophet, at -whose bidding she and that which was born of her have been brought to -this darksome place and habitation of conspirators plotting to ends -unknown?” -</p> - -<p> -Now Roy arose from his throne before the altar, a tall, ethereal -shape, and advancing to the stricken queen lifted her hand and kissed -it. -</p> - -<p> -“For your Majesty I have no message,” he said, bending his venerable -head, “seeing that already you hold communion with one who is greater -than I,” and he turned and bowed to the solemn statue of the god -Osiris which stared at them from beyond the altar. -</p> - -<p> -“I know it,” she answered with a sad smile. -</p> - -<p> -“Yet,” he went on, “it is reported to me that in this night that is -gone, your Majesty dreamed a dream. Is it not so?” -</p> - -<p> -“It is so, Prophet, though who told you I do not know.” -</p> - -<p> -“It matters not who told me. What matters is that I am charged to say -to your Majesty that this dream was no phantasy bred of human hopes -and longings but the very truth. Learn, O Queen, that this world and -its sufferings are but a shadow and a show, and that beyond them, like -the pyramids towering above the sands and palm trees at their base, -stands the eternal verity whose name is Love. The sands are blown away -and having borne their fruit, the palm trees are torn up by the -tempest or grow old and die, but the pyramids remain.” -</p> - -<p> -“I understand and I thank you, Prophet. Now lead me hence for I am -weary.” -</p> - -<p> -<br/> -</p> - -<p> -On the third night from this day Rima the Queen, knowing that the -fever which consumed her had done its work and that the time was at -hand for her to bid farewell to the world, sent a messenger to Roy the -Prophet saying that she would speak with him. He came and she -addressed him thus: -</p> - -<p> -“I know not who you are nor what is this Brotherhood of the Dawn of -which you speak, and to what ends it works, nor why you have brought -the Royal Princess hither, nor what gods you serve, I who take but -little count of the gods of Egypt, although it is true that when my -child was born two of them seemed to appear to me in a vision. Yet I -will add this: my heart tells me that you are a most righteous man and -a prophet of power appointed by Fate to fulfil its will; also that you -and those about you plan good and not ill for the Princess, who, if -there is justice in the world, should one day be the Queen of Egypt. -There then I leave this matter in the hands of Heaven; I who, having -done all that I can do, find myself dying, unfortunate and powerless. -Those things will happen which must happen and there is no more to be -said. -</p> - -<p> -“Now I demand an oath of you, Roy, and of the priest Tau, and of all -the Brotherhood under you. It is that when I am dead you will embalm -my body with all the skill of the Egyptians, and that afterwards, when -there is opportunity, you will cause it to be conveyed to Ditanah, the -King of Babylon, my father, or to him who sits in his place, with -these my dying words written in a scroll on its breast, accompanied, -if may be, by my daughter, the Royal Princess of Egypt. -</p> - -<p> -“I demand an oath of you, further, that those who bear my body shall -say to the King of Babylon that I, the dead daughter of Babylon, -aforetime wife of the King of Egypt, call upon him in the name of our -gods and by our common blood to avenge the wrongs that I have suffered -in Egypt and the death of my lord beloved, my husband, King Kheperra. -I call upon him under pain of the curse of my spirit, to roll down in -his might upon Egypt and to smite these Shepherd dogs who slew my -husband and took his heritage, and to establish my daughter, the -Princess Nefra, as Queen of Egypt, and to seize those who were -traitors to her and would have given her to doom and me with her, and -to slay them. This is the oath which I demand of you.” -</p> - -<p> -“Yet, Queen,” answered Roy, “it is one that is little to my liking, -seeing that if fulfilled it may breed war and that we, the sons and -daughters, of the Dawn—for Harmachis whose image is the Sphinx that -watches at our door, is the god of Dawn—seek peace and not war. -Forgiveness, not vengeance, is the law we follow. It is true that if -may be we desire to depose the usurping Shepherd kings and to restore -Egypt to the line of its rightful rulers, of whom the Princess Nefra -is the heir, or if as yet this is refused to us by the gods, to unite -the North and South so that Egypt may grow greater and cease to bleed -from the wounds of war.” -</p> - -<p> -“That is what the Shepherds seek also,” said Rima faintly. -</p> - -<p> -“Aye, but their ends are other than ours. They would rivet a yoke upon -the neck of Egypt; we would loose that yoke and not by the sword. The -Shepherds are many, but the people of Egypt are more, and if the two -races can be mingled, then the good Nile wheat which we sow will -smother the foreign Shepherd weeds. Already something has been done; -already these Shepherd kings bend the knee to the gods of Egypt whose -altars once they overthrew, and accept Egypt’s laws and customs.” -</p> - -<p> -“It may be so, Prophet, and in the end all may come about as you -desire. But I am of blood different from that of you soft Egyptians -and I have suffered grievous wrong. My husband has been slain; those -whom he trusted have striven to sell me and my child to slavery and -therefore I seek for the justice that I shall never see. Not with soft -words and far-sighted plottings would I win that justice, but with -spears and arrows. My body is weak and I am near my end, but my soul -is aflame. I know, moreover, that all your hopes are centred on this -child of mine, as are my own, and my spirit tells me how they may best -be brought to harvest. Will you swear the oath? Answer, and quickly. -For if you will not swear, mayhap I may find another counsel. What if -I take the babe with me, Prophet, to plead our cause in the Courts -above, as I think I can still find the means to do?” -</p> - -<p> -Now Roy considered her, reading her mind, and saw that it was -desperate. -</p> - -<p> -“I must take counsel of that which I serve,” he answered. “Perchance -It will give me wisdom.” -</p> - -<p> -“And what if I and mayhap another die while you are taking counsel, -Prophet? You think that you can remove the babe, who do not know that -a mother’s will is very strong and that we Babylonians have secrets of -our own, especially at the hour of death, with which we have the power -to draw after us those who are born of our bodies.” -</p> - -<p> -“Fear not, Queen Rima. I, too, have my secrets, and I tell you that -Osiris will not take you yet.” -</p> - -<p> -“I believe you, Prophet. On such a matter you would not lie. Go, take -counsel with your gods and come back quickly.” -</p> - -<p> -“I go,” he said, and went. -</p> - -<p> -A little before the hour of dawn Roy returned to that death chamber -and with him came Tau, also she who was the first priestess of the -Order of the Dawn. Rima awaited him, supported with pillows upon her -bed. -</p> - -<p> -“You spoke truly, Prophet,” she said, “seeing that now I am stronger -than when we parted yesterday. Yet be swift, for this strength of mine -is but as the brightness of a dying lamp. Speak, and shortly.” -</p> - -<p> -“Queen Rima,” he replied, “I have taken counsel of the Power I serve, -who guides my feet here upon the earth. It has been pleased to send an -answer to my prayer.” -</p> - -<p> -“What answer, Prophet?” she asked eagerly. -</p> - -<p> -“This, Queen: That I, on behalf of the Order of the Dawn over which I -rule, and in the presence of those who stand next to me in that -order”—and he pointed to Tau and to the priestess—“should take the -oath that you desire, since thus our ends can best be brought about, -though how they will be accomplished was not revealed. I swear, -therefore, in the name of that Spirit who is above all gods, also by -your <i>Ka</i> and mine, and by that child who here and now we take for -queen, that when there is opportunity, which I think will not be for -many years, your body shall be borne to Babylon and your message -delivered to its king, if may be—by your daughter’s lips. Moreover, -that nothing may be forgotten, all your desire and this oracle are -upon this roll which shall be read to you and sealed by you as a -letter to the King of Babylon, and with it our oath, sealed by me and -by Tau who comes after me.” -</p> - -<p> -“Read,” said the Queen. “Nay, let the Lady Kemmah, who is learned, -read.” -</p> - -<p> -So with some help from Tau, Kemmah read. -</p> - -<p> -“It is truly written,” said Rima. “There on the roll the matter is set -out well and clearly. Yet, add this—that if my father, the royal -Ditanah the King, or he who sits upon his throne after him, denies -this my last prayer, then I call down the curse of all the gods of -Babylon upon his people, and that I, Rima, will haunt him while he -lives and ask account of him when we meet at last in the Underworld.” -</p> - -<p> -“So be it,” said Roy, “though these words are not gentle. Yet write -them down, O Tau, for the dying must be obeyed.” -</p> - -<p> -So Tau sat himself upon the floor and wrote upon his knee. Then wax -mixed with clay was brought and drawing from her wasted finger a ring -on which was cut the figure of a Babylonian god, Rima pressed it on -the wax, while Kemmah took a scarab from her breast and sealed as -witness. -</p> - -<p> -“Set one copy of this roll with the ring among the wrappings of my -mummy that the King of Babylon may find it there, and hide the other -in your most secret place,” said Rima. -</p> - -<p> -“It shall be done,” said Roy, and waited. -</p> - -<p> -At this moment the first rays of the rising sun shot like arrows -through the window-place. With a strange strength Rima took her child -and held her up so that the golden light fell full upon her. -</p> - -<p> -“The Queen of the Dawn!” she cried. “Behold her kissed and crowned of -the Dawn. O Queen of the Dawn, rule on triumphant through the perfect -day, till night brings you to my breast again.” -</p> - -<p> -Then she embraced the child, and beckoning to Kemmah, gave it into her -arms. A moment later, murmuring, “My task is done. My Lord awaits me,” -she fell back and died. -</p> - - -<h3 id="ch06"> -CHAPTER VI.<br/> -<span class="chap_sub">Nefra Conquers the Pyramids</span> -</h3> - -<p class="noindent"> -<span class="sc">Strange</span>, very strange indeed was the book of Life as it opened -itself to the child Nefra, Royal Princess of Egypt. Looking back in -after years to those of her infancy, all she could remember was a -vision of great pillared halls, where stone images stared at her and -the carved or painted walls were full of grotesque figures which -seemed to pursue each other everlastingly from darkness into darkness. -Then there were visions of white-robed men and women who from time to -time gathered in these places and sang sad and mellow chants, of which -the echoes haunted her sleep from year to year. Also there was the -stately shape of the Lady Kemmah, her nurse whom she loved well yet -feared a little, and that of the gigantic Ethiopian named Ru, who -always seemed to be about her day and night, carrying a great bronze -axe in his hand, whom she loved entirely and feared not at all. -</p> - -<p> -Foremost among them, too, was the awful apparition of an aged man with -a white beard and black, flashing eyes whom she came to know as the -Prophet and whom all worshipped as though he were a god. She -remembered waking up at night and seeing him bending over her, a -lantern in his hand, or in the daytime meeting her in the dark temple -passages and passing by with words of blessing. To her childish -imagination, indeed, he was not human but a ghost to be fled from; yet -a kindly ghost withal, since sometimes he gave her delicious -sweetmeats or even flowers that a Brother carried in a basket. -</p> - -<p> -Infancy passed by and there came childhood. Still the same halls were -about her, peopled by the same folk, but now, at times, with Kemmah -her nurse and guarded by the giant Ru and others, she was allowed to -wander outside of them, most frequently after night had fallen and -when the full moon shone in the sky. Thus it was that first she came -to know the lion shape of the terrible Sphinx, lying crouched upon the -desert. In the beginning she was afraid of this stone creature with -its human face painted red, its royal headdress, and its bearded chin, -though afterwards, when it grew familiar to her, she learned to love -that face, finding something friendly in its smile and its great calm -eyes that stared at the sky as though they would search out its -secrets. Indeed, at times she would sit on the sand, sending Kemmah -and Ru to a little distance, and tell it her childish troubles and ask -it questions, furnishing the answers for herself, since from the great -lips of the Sphinx none ever came. -</p> - -<p> -Then beyond the Sphinx rose the mighty pyramids, three principal ones -that pierced the very sky, with temples at the base of them wherein -dead kings had once been worshipped, and others that were smaller -which, she fancied, must be their children. She worshipped those -pyramids, believing that the gods had made them, till Tau, her tutor, -told her that they were built by men to be the graves of kings. -</p> - -<p> -“They must have been great kings that had such graves; I should like -to look on them.” -</p> - -<p> -“Perhaps you will some day,” answered Tau, who was a most learned man -and her instructor in many things. -</p> - -<p> -Besides herself there were other children of the Order, born of the -wedded brothers and sisters. These were formed into a school, Nefra -among them, which school was taught by the Instructed among the -Brotherhood. Indeed, nearly all of them had learning, for the full -members of the Order of the Dawn were no common folk, although their -servants and those who tilled the flat lands not far from the Sphinx -having their habitations upon the borders of the great Necropolis -were, or seemed to be like, any other husbandmen. To look on them, -none would have known that they were partakers in mysteries which they -were sworn by solemn oaths not to reveal, and indeed never did reveal, -even under the fear of death or torture. -</p> - -<p> -Soon Nefra became the head of this school, not because of her rank but -for the reason that she was by far the cleverest of all its pupils, -and her quick mind drank up knowledge as a dry fleece of wool drinks -up the dew. Yet if any visited that school and watched the children -listening to the teacher, or seated on their stools, copying the -picture-writing of the Egyptians upon potsherds or fragments of -papyrus, save that she sat at the head of a line of them and for -something different in her face, they would have found nothing to -distinguish her from the other little maidens who were her companions. -She wore the same plain robe of white, the same simple sandals to -protect her feet from stones and scorpions, while her hair was tied -with a stem of dried grass into a single tress after just the same -fashion. Indeed, it was a rule of the Order that she should carry on -her person no robe or ornament which might reveal that she was not as -other children were. -</p> - -<p> -Yet the instruction of Nefra did not end with her lessons in this -school, for when these were done or in times of holiday she must learn -a deeper lore. Tau, accompanied by Kemmah her nurse, would take her to -a little private room that once had been the sleeping place of a -priest of the temple in ancient days and there teach her many secret -things. -</p> - -<p> -Thus he taught her the Babylonian tongue and writing, or knowledge of -the movements of the stars and planets, or the mysteries of religion, -showing her that all the gods of all the priests were but symbols of -the attributes of an unseen Power, a Spirit that ruled everything and -was everywhere, even in her own heart. He taught her that the flesh -was but the earthly covering of the soul and that between flesh and -soul there reigned eternal war. He taught her that she lived here upon -the earth to fulfil the purposes of this almighty Spirit that created -her, to whom in a day to come she must return, perchance to be sent -out again to this or other worlds; though what those purposes might be -was not known even by the wisest man who breathed. And while he taught -thus and she listened, watching him with eager eyes, sometimes the old -prophet Roy would steal into the chamber and listen also, adding a -word here or there, then hold out his hand in blessing and steal away. -</p> - -<p> -Thus, though outwardly Nefra was as are other merry children, inwardly -her soul opened like a lotus lily in the sun and she was different -from them all. -</p> - -<p> -So the years went on till from a child she grew into a maiden, tall -and sweet and very fair. It was at this time in her life that Roy -himself and Tau, in the presence of Kemmah only, revealed to her who -she was, namely, none other than the Royal Princess of Egypt by right -of blood and the appointment of Heaven, and told her the story of her -father and her mother and of the kings and queens who went before -them; also of the divisions in the land. -</p> - -<p> -When she heard these things Nefra wept and trembled. -</p> - -<p> -“Alas! that it should be so,” she said, “for now no longer can I be -happy. Tell me, holy Father, whom men name Home-of-Spirits that, they -say, hold converse with you in your sleep, what can a poor maid do to -right so many wrongs and to bring peace where there is but bitterness -and bloodshed?” -</p> - -<p> -“Princess of Egypt,” said Roy, for the first time giving her her -title, “I do not know because it is not revealed to me or to any. Yet -it is revealed to me and to certain others that in some way unforeseen -you will do these things. Aye, and it was revealed in a dream to your -mother, the Queen Rima, when you were born, for in this dream that -part of the Universal Spirit whom here in Egypt we know as Mother Isis -appeared to her and amongst other gifts gave to you, the royal child, -the high name of Uniter of Lands.” -</p> - -<p> -Here Kemmah thought to herself that another goddess appeared as well -as Isis and gave to this same child different gifts, and though she -said nothing Roy seemed to read her thoughts, for he went on: -</p> - -<p> -“As to this dream and certain mysteries by which it was accompanied, -the Lady Kemmah, your nurse and instructress, is commanded to inform -you; also to show to you the record of all these matters which at that -time was written down and sealed, and with it another record of a -certain oath which I and others swore to your mother, the Queen Rima, -upon her deathbed, concerning a journey which you must make at the -appointed time. Enough of these matters. Now I am commanded to tell -you that on a day to come which shall be declared when it is known to -me, it is our purpose with such state as we can compass, to crown you, -standing as you do on the threshold of womanhood, as Queen of Egypt.” -</p> - -<p> -“How can that be?” asked Nefra. “Kings and queens are crowned in -temples, or so I have been taught, and in the presence of multitudes -of courtiers, with pomp and shoutings. But here——” and she looked -about her. -</p> - -<p> -“Is not this a temple and one of the most ancient and holiest in -Egypt, Nefra?” asked Roy. “And for the rest, listen. We seem to be but -a humble Brotherhood, the inhabitants of tombs and pyramids which few -dare approach because they hold them haunted and deadly to the life -and soul of any stranger who dares to violate their sanctity. Yet I -tell you that this Order of the Dawn is more powerful and more -far-reaching than the Shepherd king himself and all those that cling -to him, as you will learn shortly when you are sworn of it. Its -disciples are everywhere, from the Cataracts of Nile down to the sea; -aye, and in lands beyond the sea, and, as we believe, in Heaven above; -and one and all they obey the commands that issue from these -catacombs, accepting them as the voice of God.” -</p> - -<p> -“Then if so, Holy Prophet, why do you not sit at Tanis openly, instead -of in secret in these tombs?” -</p> - -<p> -“Because, Princess, visible power and the trappings of power can only -be won by war, and we are sworn to wage no war, we whose empire is of -the spirit. It may be that in the end it is decreed that war must be -waged and that thus all will be accomplished. Yet it is not our -Brotherhood that will lift its banners or, save in self-defence, bring -men to their deaths, for we are sworn to peace and gentleness.” -</p> - -<p> -“I rejoice to hear it,” said Nefra, “and now, Master, I pray you let -me go to rest, for I am overwhelmed.” -</p> - -<p> -<br/> -</p> - -<p> -A year or more after this day of the revealing of secrets, but before -the ceremonies which it foretold, a terrible thing happened to Nefra. -</p> - -<p> -Now it was her custom to wander about the great graveyard that -surrounded the pyramids where in their splendid tombs so many of the -ancient nobles and princes of Egypt had been laid to rest a thousand -years or more before her day, so long ago indeed that none remembered -the names of those who slept beneath these monuments. On these -wanderings of hers it was her pleasure to go unaccompanied save by her -body-servant, Ru, for Kemmah, who now grew aged, had no strength for -such rough journeys over tumbled stones and through deep sand. -</p> - -<p> -Moreover, at this time Nefra loved to be alone, that she might find -time to think in solitude over all that had been revealed to her as to -her history and fate, and the unsought greatness that had been thrust -upon her. -</p> - -<p> -Further, being very vigorous in body as she was in mind, she wearied -of being cooped up in the narrow precincts of the temple and its -neighbourhood and longed for exercise and adventure. By nature she was -a climber, one of those who love to scale heights and thence look down -upon the world below. Thus it became her pleasure to scramble to the -top of great monuments and even of some of the smaller pyramids, which -she found she could do with ease, since her feet were sure and no -dizziness ever overtook her. -</p> - -<p> -All of these fancies of hers were reported to Kemmah by Ru and others -who watched her, and to Roy and Tau by Kemmah when she found that the -young princess would not listen to her chidings, but for the first -time in her life turned upon her angrily, reminding her that she was -no more a child to be led by the hand and would have her way. -</p> - -<p> -These consulted of the matter, and, it would seem, according to their -rule, made divination, taking counsel of that Spirit who, as they -declared, guided them in all things. -</p> - -<p> -The end of it was that the Prophet Roy bade his great-niece, the Lady -Kemmah, to trouble the Princess no more about this business, but to -suffer her to walk where it pleased her and to climb what she would, -because it was revealed to him that whoever took harm, she would take -none. -</p> - -<p> -“It is not wise to thwart her as to such a little thing, Niece,” he -went on, “seeing that there is no danger to her and none of the -Shepherds or other enemies dare to approach this haunted place. Also, -she goes forth guarded by Ru to talk, not with any man, but only with -her own heart amid the holy company of the dead.” -</p> - -<p> -“There are always some who will dare that of which all others are -afraid, and who knows whom she may meet and talk with before all is -done?” answered Kemmah. -</p> - -<p> -“I have spoken, Niece. Withdraw,” said Roy. -</p> - -<p> -So, having triumphed, Nefra, who was young and headstrong, continued -her wanderings and indeed did more. -</p> - -<p> -Now there was a family of Arab blood among those who served and were -sworn to the Brotherhood of the Dawn, who from generation to -generation had been climbers of the pyramids. These men alone, by -following certain cracks in their marble casings and clinging to knobs -or hollows that had been worn in them by the blowing of sand during -hundreds or thousands of years, had the art and courage to come to the -crest of every one of them; nor until they had done so were they -accounted fit to take a wife. With the Sheik of these men Nefra often -talked, and for her pleasure at different times he and his sons scaled -every one of the pyramids before her eyes, returning safely from their -dizzy journey to her side. -</p> - -<p> -“Why cannot I do as you do?” she asked of this sheik at length. “I am -light and surefooted, and my head does not swim upon a height; also I -have limbs as long as yours.” -</p> - -<p> -The Captain of the Pyramids, for so he was commonly called, looked at -her, astonished, and shook his head. -</p> - -<p> -“It is impossible,” he said. “No woman has ever climbed those stone -mountains; that is, except the Spirit of the Pyramids herself.” -</p> - -<p> -“Who is the Spirit of the Pyramids?” she asked. -</p> - -<p> -“Lady, we know not,” he answered. “We never ask her, and when we see -her in the full moon upon her journeyings, we veil our faces.” -</p> - -<p> -“Why do you veil your faces, Captain?” -</p> - -<p> -“Because if we did not we should go mad, as men have done who looked -into her eyes.” -</p> - -<p> -“Why do they go mad?” -</p> - -<p> -“Because too much beauty breeds madness, as perchance you may find one -day, Lady,” he answered; words that brought the colour to Nefra’s -brow. -</p> - -<p> -“Who and what is this spirit?” she continued hastily. “And what does -she do?” -</p> - -<p> -“We are not certain, but the story tells that long, long ago there was -a maiden queen of this land who would not marry because she loved some -man of a humble station. Now it came about that strangers invaded -Egypt, which was weak and divided, and conquered. Then the king of the -strangers, seeing the beauty of this queen and that he might build his -throne upon a sure foundation, wished to take her to wife, even by -force. But she fled from him and in her despair climbed the greatest -of the pyramids, he following after her. Reaching its crest she hurled -herself thence and was crushed, seeing which faintness took hold of -the king, so that he, too, fell to the ground and died. After this -they buried both of them in a secret chamber of one of the -pyramids—which is not known, but I think it must have been the second -since there the spirit is most often seen.” -</p> - -<p> -“A pretty tale,” said Nefra, “but is that the end of it?” -</p> - -<p> -“Not quite, Lady, since to it hangs a prophecy. It is that when -another king follows another Queen of Egypt up the pyramid whence this -one fell, whichever it may have been, and there wins her love, the -avenging spirit of her who threw herself thence will find rest and no -more bring destruction upon men.” -</p> - -<p> -“I would see this spirit,” said Nefra. “As I am a woman she cannot -make me mad.” -</p> - -<p> -“Nor being a woman, Lady, do I think that she will appear to you. -Nevertheless, it may be her pleasure to possess your soul for her own -purposes,” he added thoughtfully. -</p> - -<p> -“My soul is my own and no one shall possess it,” answered Nefra in -anger. “Nor indeed do I believe that there is such a spirit, who think -that what you and other foolish men have seen was nothing but a -moon-cast shadow travelling among the graves. So tell me no more such -idle tales.” -</p> - -<p> -“There are one or two mad fellows living among the tombs who know more -of that mooncast shadow than I do, Lady. Still it may be as you say,” -replied the Sheik, bowing courteously after the ancient fashion of the -East to a superior. “Yes, maybe you are right. Have it as you will,” -and he turned to go. -</p> - -<p> -“Stay,” said Nefra, “it is my wish that you who have more skill and -knowledge of them than any other man, should teach me to climb those -pyramids. Let us begin upon the third, which is the smallest, and at -once. The others we can conquer afterwards when I am more accustomed -to the work.” -</p> - -<p> -Now the man stared at her and began to protest. -</p> - -<p> -“Have you not the commands of the holy prophet Roy and of the Council -of the Order to obey me in all things?” asked Nefra presently. -</p> - -<p> -“That is so, Lady, though why we should obey you I do not know.” -</p> - -<p> -“Nor do I quite, Captain, seeing that you can climb pyramids and I -cannot, and you are therefore greater than I. Still, there are the -orders and you know what happens to those who break the commands of -the Council. Now let us begin.” -</p> - -<p> -The Sheik reasoned and prayed and almost wept, but all that happened -was that Nefra exclaimed at last: -</p> - -<p> -“If you are afraid to go up that pyramid, I will go by myself. Then, -you know, I may fall.” -</p> - -<p> -So the end of it was that the afflicted Sheik summoned his son, a -lissom youth who could climb like a goat, bidding him bring with him a -long rope made of twisted palm fibre, which rope he fastened round -Nefra’s slender waist. But now there was more trouble, for Ru, who had -been listening to all this talk amazed, asked him what he was doing -binding his lady like a slave. -</p> - -<p> -The Sheik explained, while Nefra nodded assent. -</p> - -<p> -“But it cannot be,” said Ru. “My duty is to accompany this Noble One -everywhere.” -</p> - -<p> -“Then, friend Ru,” said Nefra, “accompany me up the pyramid.” -</p> - -<p> -“Up the pyramid!” said Ru, puffing out his cheeks. “Look at me, I pray -you, Mistress, and say whether I am a cat or a monkey that I can climb -up a slope of smooth stone from earth to heaven. Ere we had gone the -length of that rope I should fall and break my neck. Rather would I -fight ten men single-handed than be so mad.” -</p> - -<p> -“It is true. I think that you will make no good scaler of stone -mountains, friend Ru,” said Nefra, surveying the Ethiopian’s mighty -form which had grown no smaller with the passage of the years. “Now -cease from talking, for we waste time. If you cannot go up the -pyramid, stand at the bottom of it, just beneath me, and if I slip and -fall, catch me as I come.” -</p> - -<p> -“Catch you as you come! Catch you as you come!” gasped Ru. -</p> - -<p> -Without more words Nefra went to the foot of the third pyramid, up -which the Sheik, who also seemed to be empty of speech, began to mount -by the way he knew, having the end of the rope that was about Nefra -tied round his middle. She followed him, her feet bare and her robe -tucked up about her knees, as he bade her, while after her came his -son watching her every movement. -</p> - -<p> -“Hearken, men,” groaned Ru. “If you suffer my Lady to slip, you had -better stop on that pyramid for the rest of your lives, for if you -come down I will kill you both.” -</p> - -<p> -“If she slips, we shall slip also. The gods bear me witness that it is -no fault of mine,” answered the Sheik who was lying on his face upon -the slope of the pyramid. -</p> - -<p> -Now it is to be told that Nefra proved an apt pupil at this game. She -had the eye of a hawk, the courage of a lion, and was sure-footed as -an ape. Up she went, setting her hands and feet exactly where her -guide had done, till they had conquered half the height. -</p> - -<p> -“It is enough for to-day,” said the Sheik. “No beginner of our race -comes farther at the first trial; that is the rule. Rest here awhile, -and then descend. My son will place your feet where they should go.” -</p> - -<p> -“I obey,” said Nefra, and turned herself round as her guide had done -above her, to see nothing beneath her save a sheer gulf of space and -Ru, grown small, standing on the sand at the bottom. Then for the -first time she grew dizzy. -</p> - -<p> -“My head swims,” she said faintly. -</p> - -<p> -“Turn about again,” said the Sheik, nor could his quiet voice quite -conceal the agony of his fear. -</p> - -<p> -She obeyed, and her strength came back to her, her flesh obeying the -will within. -</p> - -<p> -“I am well again,” she said. -</p> - -<p> -“Then, Lady, turn once more, for if you do not do so now you never -will.” -</p> - -<p> -For the second time she obeyed, and lo! she no longer feared the -height, the spirit within her had conquered her mortal tremblings. -After this the descent was easy, for she could see where to place her -hands and feet in the fissures of that hot and shining marble; -moreover, the young man beneath, who, knowing every one of them, was -able to keep his face to the pyramid, guided her as to where to set -them. So they came safely to the ground, where Nefra sat a little -while, panting and smiling at Ru who mopped his brow with his robe, -his big eyes starting from his head, for never before had he been so -frightened. -</p> - -<p> -“Have you had enough of the pyramids, Lady?” asked the Sheik as he -loosed the rope from about her. -</p> - -<p> -“By no means,” answered Nefra, springing up and clapping her sore -hands. “I love the work and never shall I have had enough of them till -I can climb them all alone by moonlight, as it is said that you can -do.” -</p> - -<p> -“Isis, Mother of Heaven!” exclaimed the Sheik, throwing up his hands, -“this is no mortal maid; this is a goddess; this is the Spirit of the -Pyramids herself appearing in earthly form.” -</p> - -<p> -“Yes,” said Nefra, “I think that is what I am—the Spirit of the -Pyramids. Now will it please you to meet me here to-morrow at the same -time, when I hope that we may be able to reach the top of the smallest -of them.” -</p> - -<p> -Then having put on her sandals, before the unhappy man could answer, -she departed at a run followed by Ru, who was so astonished that he -could not speak. -</p> - -<p> -<br/> -</p> - -<p> -This was but a beginning, for what Nefra promised, that she performed. -At this time all the strength of her young and burning nature was -directed to one thing only—the mastery of those pyramids. It was a -small ambition, yet to her, in the day of her dawning womanhood, it -was everything. She had been told that by birth she was Queen of -Egypt. It moved her little, for dwelling amid those deserted temples -and tombs the royalty of Egypt seemed to her a dream, or at least -something far away. But the pyramids were near, and what she desired -was to be Queen of the Pyramids which, she was also told, her far-off -ancestors had reared up to be their tombs. Moreover, that story of a -spirit which haunted them had stirred her. She did not believe in the -Spirit, but since youth is credulous over matters that have to do with -love, she believed the story. She saw that fair young queen, such a -one as she was, who had also learned to climb the pyramids, flying to -the top of the tallest of them and thence hurling herself to doom to -escape one whom she hated and who had humbled her country to the dust, -thus bringing conquered and conqueror to a common doom. Also she found -something beautiful, something that touched the heart in the pendant -of this story, namely, that in a day to come another young and lovely -queen would fly up one of those pyramids pursued by another alien -lover, and that there on the verge of dizzy death, their hate would -melt in the fires of passion, thus bringing blessings on the land for -the rule of which they fought. -</p> - -<p> -As yet Nefra knew nothing of love, still Nature was at work in her, as -it is in the smallest child, and she understood something of the -meaning of this beautiful fable, and the dim thoughts that sprang from -it warmed her sleeping soul. Meanwhile she had but one desire—to -achieve that which seemed to be impossible to woman, to conquer the -pyramids, not understanding in those days that the thing was an -allegory and that she, whose strong spirit could enable her to dare so -many dangers and to overcome them with her young body, might also in -time to come meet subtler perils and tread them beneath her conquering -feet. -</p> - -<p> -Moreover, at this time the desire of prayer and the mystery of -communion with That which is above mankind, That which the dwellers -upon earth called God, came home to her, not from any teaching of Roy -or Tau, but, as it were, out of her own soul. Above all things she -yearned for this communion, and there fell upon her one of the strange -fancies, some would call them madnesses, which often enough possess -those who are passing from childhood into the fulness of life, or from -the fulness of life into the twilight that precedes the darkness of -death. This was her particular dream, or illusion, or vision of the -Truth, that she could best make her prayer to and come into closest -communion with the Spirit which brooded over her and all the world, in -utter solitude upon the summit of those pyramids. It was a folly, -perhaps, yet a noble folly. At least in the end she reaped its fruit, -for within a year she learned to climb them all and this quite alone. -</p> - -<p> -The Sheik of the Pyramids and his sons who had instructed her, the art -and craft of whose family it had been for generations to scale these -stone mountains for praise and reward on days of festival, were -astonished and abased to see themselves equalled or outpassed in their -peculiar business by a mere maiden. -</p> - -<p> -At the beginning of the adventure they had been summoned before the -Council of the Order, who had grown alarmed at the reports of Ru and -Kemmah as to this vagary which had seized upon one whose life was -precious, and asked as to its peril. They replied that there was none -for those to whom the gift was given, since not for six generations -had a single man among them come to his death from following this -business. Yet, they added, that to those who were not of their family, -it was fatal, since many had tried to share their secret and its -fruits, but all of them had perished miserably, an answer that -frightened the Council. Yet because of the revelations of Roy, they -did nothing to restrain Nefra, who went her way about the matter and -took no harm at all, till at length by day or even by night when the -moon was at its full, she could reach the top of any of the pyramids -as quickly as the Sheik or his sons. -</p> - -<p> -Then that family abased themselves before her and, gathering together, -prayed her to accept the captaincy and leadership of them all, since -she had outpassed them all. But Nefra only laughed and said that it -was nothing and she would not, and ordered that they should be given -rewards such as she had to bestow. Thereafter she had the freedom of -the pyramids and was allowed to climb them when and how she liked -without the attendance of the Sheik or his sons. -</p> - -<p> -Yet of this at last came trouble. -</p> - - -<h3 id="ch07"> -CHAPTER VII.<br/> -<span class="chap_sub">The Plot of the Vizier</span> -</h3> - -<p class="noindent"> -<span class="sc">Nefra</span>, as has been said, when the fancy took her made a custom of -climbing one or other of the pyramids, generally at the hour of the -rising or the setting of the sun, and, standing there upon the topmost -flat coping-stones, of praying in that glorious loneliness. Or -perchance she would not pray but content herself with looking down -upon the world beneath, reflecting the while upon what fortunes it -might have to offer her, or on such other matters as come into a -maiden’s mind. -</p> - -<p> -Now this habit of hers became known, not only among the members of the -Order and their dependents, but to many who dwelt or journeyed beyond -the boundaries of what was called the Holy Ground, upon which no -stranger dared to set his foot. Nor was this strange, seeing that her -slender form thus poised between earth and heaven and outlined against -the sky at dawn or sunset could be seen from far away, even from the -Nile itself when it was in flood. Most held it to be that of the -Spirit of the Pyramids herself whose appearance thus heralded trouble -in Egypt, for there were few indeed who believed it to be possible -that any woman could adventure herself in this fashion, or find the -strength and skill to climb up marble like a lizard. -</p> - -<p> -Soon the story of the marvel spread far and wide and even came to the -Court of King Apepi. -</p> - -<p> -One evening Nefra, having climbed the second pyramid in this fashion, -descended as usual and because the light was failing chose a somewhat -shorter route that brought her to the ground, not by the southern face -where Ru was waiting to receive her, but just round the angle on that -face which looked towards the west where the light of the dying day -still shone. Having leapt lightly to the sand, she looked about for Ru -and instead of him saw four men approaching her, of whom at first she -took little note, thinking in the fading light that these were the -Sheik of the Pyramids and his sons who came to inquire of her about -the new road she had found upon the western face of this pyramid. So -she stood still and they drew near, then hesitated a little as though -they were afraid of her, till presently a voice called out: -</p> - -<p> -“Woman or spirit, seize her! Let her not escape us! Think of the great -reward and seize her!” -</p> - -<p> -Thus encouraged, with a bound they came at her. Understanding her -peril Nefra turned to fly up the pyramid again and already was some -feet above the sand when the first of the men caught her by the ankle -and dragged her down. -</p> - -<p> -“Ru!” she cried in a clear and piercing voice. “To my aid, Ru. I am -snared, Ru!” -</p> - -<p> -Now as it chanced Ru was very near, only just round the angle of the -pile indeed, because having lost sight of Nefra in the shadow as she -descended, feeling disturbed, he was advancing to the western face -where the light was better to discover if perchance she were there. He -heard her cry for help; he rushed forward and, turning the corner, saw -Nefra on the ground, while round her were the four men, three of them -binding her with a rope while the fourth was tying a linen bandage -across her face. -</p> - -<p> -With a roar he leapt upon them holding his great axe aloft. He who had -the bandage saw him first, a black, gigantic figure whom doubtless he -took for some terrible guardian spirit and strove to leap past him and -fly. The axe flashed and down he went, dead, cloven through and -through. Then the other men who at first thought that a lion had -roared, saw also, and for a moment stood amazed. Instantly Ru was on -them. Letting fall the axe he gripped the two who were nearest, -seizing each of them by the throat. He dashed their heads together, -and putting out his mighty strength, cast them far away to right and -left in such fashion that where they fell, there they lay, stone dead. -The fourth man had drawn a knife either to stab at Ru or to kill -Nefra; but when he saw the fate of his fellows all courage left him -and, screaming with fear, he let fall the knife and fled away. Ru -snatched the knife from the sand and hurled it after him. A yell of -pain told him that his aim was true, though because of the shadows he -could no longer see the man. Ru would have started in pursuit, but -Nefra, struggling from the ground, cried: -</p> - -<p> -“Nay. Bide here, there may be more of them.” -</p> - -<p> -“True,” he answered, “and the dog has it.” -</p> - -<p> -Then, without more words, snatching up Nefra and holding her to his -breast with his left arm as though she were but a babe, he found his -axe and, without waiting to look at the dead, sped away with her along -the western base of the pyramid, till presently they were among tombs -where they could be seen no more. -</p> - -<p> -“This is the end of those tricks of yours, Lady,” he said roughly, for -he was shaking, not with fear, but at the thought of what she had -escaped. -</p> - -<p> -“Had it not been for you, it might have been worse,” answered Nefra. -“Still, I have learned my lesson. Set me down now, O most dear Ru, for -my breath has returned to me.” -</p> - -<p> -When presently all this tale was told to Kemmah and to the Council of -the Order, fear and dismay took hold of them; even Tau the Wise was -dismayed. Only Roy the Prophet remained undisturbed. -</p> - -<p> -“The maid will take no harm,” he said. “I know it from those who -cannot lie, and therefore it is that I have permitted her to follow -her fancy as to the climbing of the pyramids, for it is ill to cross -or to coop up such a one as she, as it is good that she should learn -to look upon the face of dangers and to overcome them. Still, -doubtless this is the beginning of perils and henceforward we must be -upon our guard.” -</p> - -<p> -Then he sent out men to bring in the dead whom Ru had slain and to -search for the wounded man and, if he could be found, to capture him -alive. This, however, did not happen, for when the light came again of -that man there remained only certain bloodstains upon the sand which -after a while were lost, showing that he had been able to staunch his -hurt, and, by walking upon stones, to leave no tracks behind him. -</p> - -<p> -The dead, however, told their own story, for they were of the Shepherd -race and two of them wore garments such as were used in the Court of -King Apepi. The third, it would seem, was a guide, though of what -people could not be known, seeing that it was on his head that the axe -of Ru had fallen, and who could tell aught of whence he came upon -whose head the axe of Ru had fallen? -</p> - -<p> -So the bodies of those woman-thieves were thrown to the jackals and -the vultures, that their <i>Kas</i> might find nothing to inhabit, and -their souls with all solemnity were accursed by Roy in a Chapter of -the Order, that from age to age they might find no rest because of -their double crime. For had they not violated the pact of generations -and entered the Holy Ground which was the home of the consecrated -Order of the Dawn, and there striven to steal away or perchance to -murder a certain lady who in the world without was not known by any -name? -</p> - -<p> -There the matter ended for a space, except that at dawn or sunset -Nefra was no longer seen standing upon the crests of pyramids. -</p> - -<p> -Yet some while later a sick and sorry man with a bandaged back, who -from time to time coughed up blood as though from a pierced lung, -staggered into the Court at Tanis, where his face was known, and being -admitted, told his tale to a great officer, who listened to it -wrathfully and commanded a scribe to write it down word for word. When -it was finished that officer cursed this man because he had failed in -his mission. -</p> - -<p> -“Is that my fault?” asked the man. “Was it right to send those who are -born of women to capture a spirit or a witch?—since no maid in whom -warm blood flows can run up and down pyramids faced with smooth and -shining stone, as flies run up and down a wall, which we saw this one -do. Is it right to expect them to fight and overcome a black devil -from the Underworld, larger than any who walks the earth, whose voice -is the voice of a lion and whose hands can crush skulls as though they -were pomegranates? Is it right to command them to enter a haunted -place peopled by gods and wizards and the ghosts of the dead? A fool -was I to listen to you and your promises of great reward, and fools -were my companions, as doubtless they think in the Underworld to-day, -for who is there in Egypt that does not know that to violate the Holy -Ground of the Order of the Dawn is to court death and damnation? Now -give me my price that I may divide it among my children.” -</p> - -<p> -“Your price!” gasped the high officer. “Were you not wounded, it -should be rods. Go, dog, go!” -</p> - -<p> -“Where am I to go,” asked the man, “I who am accursed?” -</p> - -<p> -“To the home of all who fail—to hell,” replied the officer, making a -sign to his servants. -</p> - -<p> -So they threw him out, and to hell or elsewhere he went very shortly. -For that knife of his which Ru had cast after him with so good an aim -was poisoned. Moreover, it had struck him beneath the shoulder and -pierced his lung. -</p> - -<p> -The officer went into the private chamber where sat King Apepi with -some of his counsellors and his young son, the Prince Khian, the heir -apparent to his throne. This Apepi was a big, fleshy man still in -middle age, with the hooked nose of the Shepherds and black, beady -eyes, one who was violent in his temper, revengeful and fierce-natured -like all his people, yet very anxious-minded, a fearer of evil. -</p> - -<p> -Very different from him was his son, Khian, born of an Egyptian mother -with royal blood in her veins, whom Apepi had married for reasons of -policy. More—he had loved her in his fashion, and when she died in -giving birth to her only child, Khian, had taken no other queen in her -place, though of those who were not queens he had many about him. And -now this child Khian had grown up to manhood. He was gentle-natured -and soft-eyed, showing but little trace of the Shepherd blood, strong -and handsome in body and quick in mind, one, too, who thought and -studied, a soldier and a hunter, yet a lover of peace, by nature a -ruler of men who desired to heal the wounds of Egypt and make her -great. -</p> - -<p> -Before these appeared the old Vizier Anath, and told his tale, reading -what had been written down from the lips of the wounded man. -</p> - -<p> -Apepi listened earnestly. -</p> - -<p> -“Do you know, Vizier, who this mad girl is who has a fancy for -climbing the Great Pyramid?” he asked at length. -</p> - -<p> -“No, your Majesty, though perhaps I might hazard a guess,” answered -the Vizier in a doubtful voice. -</p> - -<p> -“Then I will tell you, Vizier. She is no other than the only child of -Kheperra, the Pharaoh of the South, who fell in the battle years ago. -I am sure of it. It is known that such a child was born, for as you -may remember, with the help of certain bribed Theban nobles, we tried -to capture her and her mother, the Queen Rima the daughter of the King -of Babylon. It would seem that her gods fought for her, since both of -them escaped, and of those who went to take them only one was left -alive. The rest, he swore, were all killed by a black giant who -guarded them. Now there was such a giant for he fought at the side of -Kheperra and bore his body out of the battle. More, he was seen upon a -trading boat going down the Nile, and with him were two women and a -child, doubtless disguised. By craft these three slipped through the -hands of my officers at Memphis, who afterwards were degraded for -their negligence, and it was reported that they had made their way to -Babylon. Yet our spies tell us nothing of their coming to Babylon, -which is strange if Queen Rima and her daughter, who is called -Princess of Egypt, reached the Court of King Ditanah with whom now and -again we have been at war for many years. Therefore, either they are -dead or they are hiding in Egypt.” -</p> - -<p> -“It would seem that this is so, Pharaoh,” said the Vizier, and the -other councillors nodded assent. -</p> - -<p> -“Of late,” went on Apepi, “a wind of rumour has sprung up which blows -from the Cataracts to the sea, and whispers in the ears of men in -every city and village on the Nile. This rumour says that the Queen of -Egypt lives and ere long will appear to take her throne. It says, -moreover, that she shelters among that strange Brotherhood of learned -folk who have their home in the tombs of the old pyramids near Memphis -and who are called the Order of the Dawn. It was to find out the truth -of this matter that, somewhat against my counsel, you, Vizier Anath, -sent certain bold fellows under promise of great reward to spy upon -this Order which has no traitors, and to get sight of this wondrous -maiden who can climb the pyramids and who, rumour says, is none other -than the Princess of Egypt herself, though for aught I know she may be -but a juggler.” -</p> - -<p> -“Or a spirit,” suggested the Vizier, “since it seems impossible that a -woman can perform such feats, and as to this matter there is a -legend.” -</p> - -<p> -“Or even a spirit, though for my part I put little faith in spirits. -Well, the men go; they creep into the Holy Land, as this place is -called; they see the climber descending a pyramid; though I gave no -such order, they seize her, which shows that she is flesh and blood; -she calls aloud, a black giant—mark! again a black giant—rushes -roaring to her rescue. He slays three of these men as though they were -but children and hurls the man’s own knife after the fourth, wounding -him sorely, so that the maiden escapes and the Order of the Dawn is -put upon its guard. Now I say that this maiden is no other than Nefra, -Princess of Egypt, still guarded by that Ethiopian who bore her -father’s body from the battlefield.” -</p> - -<p> -When the murmur of assent had died away, Apepi continued: -</p> - -<p> -“I say also that this business is very dangerous. Let us look it in -the face. What are we Shepherds? We are a race that generations ago -entered Egypt and took possession of its richest lands, driving its -king back to Thebes and usurping the throne of the North. This I still -hold, and the South also in a fashion, for we have corrupted its chief -nobles and its high priests, binding them with chains of gold. Yet we -are in peril, having been much weakened by ceaseless wars with -Babylon; also, many of our people have intermarried with Egyptians, as -indeed I did myself, so that the Shepherds are becoming stained to the -colour of the dwellers on the Nile. Now these Egyptians are a stubborn -and a subtle folk, also they are loyal to their old traditions and to -the blood of the kings that ruled them for thousands of years. If one -day they should learn certainly that a queen of that blood lives, it -well may be that they will rise like the Nile in flood and sweep us -into nothingness. Therefore I say that this queen must be destroyed -and with her the Brotherhood that is called the Order of the Dawn.” -</p> - -<p> -In the silence that followed the Prince Khian rose from the chair in -which he was seated below the throne, and making obeisance, spoke for -the first time, saying: -</p> - -<p> -“O King my father, hear me. As is known to you I study many things -that have to do with the traditions and the mysteries of ancient -Egypt, and amongst others from certain instructed men and from old -writings I have learned much of this Order of the Dawn. It is an old -order and its members are peaceful folk who fight with the spirit and -not with the sword, a very powerful order, moreover, for although none -know them, it has adherents by the thousand throughout Egypt, perhaps -even in this Court, and, it is reported, in far lands as well, -especially in Babylonia. Further, it is headed by a mighty prophet, an -ancient man named Roy, if indeed he be a man; one who holds commune -with the gods, and like all those over whom he rules, is protected by -the gods. Lastly, by treaty made with our forefathers, the first of -the Shepherd kings, and renewed by every one of them, even by -yourself, my Father, the Holy Ground of graves where this order dwells -in the shadow of the pyramids, is sacred and inviolate. Under pain of -a dreadful curse, which curse it would seem has fallen swiftly upon -those four who, somewhat against your counsel, and certainly against -mine, broke the pact and entered this land, and there, not satisfied -with spying, tried to do violence to a certain lady or spirit. Yet -under oath and custom it may not be entered, nor may any harm be -worked to the dwellers in the tombs. Therefore, Pharaoh my father, I -pray you think no more of bringing destruction on this order and on a -maiden whom you believe to be the daughter of Kheperra, since if you -attempt it I am sure that you will bring destruction upon yourself and -upon many of those who serve you.” -</p> - -<p> -Now the King grew angry. -</p> - -<p> -“Almost might one think, Prince,” he said with a sneer, “that you -yourself had been sworn of this Order of the Dawn. What are oaths and -treaties when our throne itself is at stake? There is disaffection in -the land. Babylon harasses us continually, and why? Because she says -that we have worked wrong to one of her princesses who married -Kheperra, or have done her to death. You do not know it, but I have it -in a recent letter from her King. I say that all this nest of plotters -must be destroyed, whether it be your will or not.” -</p> - -<p> -The Prince Khian seated himself again and was silent, but Anath the -Vizier said: -</p> - -<p> -“O Pharaoh, a thought has come to me: is there not another way? Can -you not walk a gentler road and gain your ends without breaking faith -with the Order of the Dawn, which indeed is greatly to be feared, -since, like the Prince Khian, I hold that it is protected by Heaven -itself? You believe that this Lady of the Pyramids is the lawful child -of Kheperra, and it may be so. If this can be established, here is my -plan. Send an embassy to Roy the Prophet and demand that this lady -should be given to you in marriage and become your lawful queen, as -she well may do, seeing that now you have none. Thus would you tie all -Egypt together in the bonds of love and keep your hands unstained.” -</p> - -<p> -At these words Khian laughed aloud and the councillors smiled. But -Apepi stared at Anath, then dropped his fierce eyes and considered -awhile. At length he lifted them again and said: -</p> - -<p> -“You are wise in your fashion, Anath. A lion’s cub can be tamed as -well as killed, although it must be remembered that if tamed, still at -last it grows into a lion and longs to walk the desert and fill itself -with wild meat, as did its begetters from the first of time. Why -should I not wed this maiden—if she lives, as I believe—and thus -unite the House of the Shepherd kings and that of the old Pharaohs of -the land? It would put an end to many differences and thereafter Egypt -might be one and at peace, able also to look Babylon in the face. -Only, what says the Prince Khian? I am not so old but that children -might be born of such a union, undertaken in the hope that the eldest -of them, like to the Pharaohs of old times, should wear the double -Crown of North and South without question or dispute; for ever it was -the law of Egypt that the right to royalty came through the mother -born of the true race of Pharaohs, and thus has dynasty been linked to -dynasty from the beginning.” -</p> - -<p> -Now the Vizier and all there present looked at Khian, wondering what -he would answer, because upon this answer in the end might hang his -inheritance to the crown of the North. -</p> - -<p> -For a little while he made none. Then suddenly he laughed again and -said: -</p> - -<p> -“It seems that the case stands thus. <i>If</i> there lives one who is the -heiress of Kheperra, the dead Pharaoh of the South, and therefore of -the ancient royal blood of Egypt that ruled for thousands of years -before we Shepherds seized a portion of their inheritance, and <i>if</i> -she consents to wed my royal father, the King, and <i>if</i>, having wed -him, a child is born of this marriage, I, the present apparent heir, -under such a solemn treaty of union may be dispossessed of my -heritage. Well, here are many Ifs, and should all of them be fulfilled -a score of years or so hence, does it so greatly matter? Do I so much -desire to be King of the North and the inheritor of wars and troubles, -that for the sake of such a rule I should seek to prevent the healing -of Egypt’s wounds and the welding together of her severed crowns? -Man’s day is short, and Pharaoh or peasant, soon he is forgot and -perchance, in the end, it will be better for him if he has been a -bringer of peace rather than the wearer of a ravelled robe of power -that he does not seek.” -</p> - -<p> -“Truly I was right when I said that you must belong to yonder Order of -the Dawn, for not so in a like case should I have answered the King my -father, Khian,” said Apepi, astonished. “Still, let that be, for each -man dreams his own dreams and feeds upon his own follies. Therefore I -take you at your word, that as the heir apparent to my throne you have -nothing to say against this plan, to my mind wild enough, yet one of -which trial may be made, even if in the end it should damage you. Now -hearken, Khian, it is my will to send you, the Prince of the North, on -an embassy to this prophet Roy and to the Council of the Order of the -Dawn. Will you, who are wise and politic, undertake such a mission?” -</p> - -<p> -“Before I answer, Pharaoh, tell me what words would be put in the -mouth of your ambassador. Would these be words of peace or war?” -</p> - -<p> -“Both, Khian. He would say to the People of the Dawn that the Pharaoh -of the North was grieved that against his will the pact between him -and them was broken by certain madmen in his service who every one of -them had paid the penalty of their crime, in atonement of which he -brought gifts to be laid as offerings upon the altars of whatever gods -they worship. He would inquire whether it is true that among them -shelters Nefra, the child of Kheperra and of Rima, the daughter of the -King of Babylon, and if he discovers that this is so, which may prove -impossible, for perhaps she might be hidden away and all knowledge of -her denied, he would declare in the presence of their Council, and of -the maiden herself, if may be, that Apepi, King of the North, being -still a man of middle age and one who lacks a lawful queen, offers to -take this maiden, Nefra, to wife with all due solemnities, and having -obtained your consent thereto, to swear that a child of hers, should -she bear any, shall by right of birth after my death wear the double -crown of Egypt as Pharaoh of the Upper and the Lower Lands. All of -these things he would prove by writings sealed with my seal and your -own, which would be given to him.” -</p> - -<p> -“Such are the words of peace, O King, which I hear and understand. Now -let me learn what are those of war.” -</p> - -<p> -“Few and simple, it would seem, Khian. If this maiden lives and the -offer is refused by her or on her behalf, then you would say that I, -the King Apepi, tear up all treaties between myself and the People of -the Dawn whom I will destroy as plotters against my throne and the -peace of Egypt.” -</p> - -<p> -“And if it should be proved that there is no such maiden, what then?” -</p> - -<p> -“Then uttering no threats, you would return and report to me.” -</p> - -<p> -“Life at this Court is wearisome to me since my return from the Syrian -wars, Pharaoh, and here is a new business to which I have a fancy—I -know not why. Therefore, if it pleases you to send me, I will -undertake your mission,” said Khian after thinking for a while. “Yet -is it well that I should go as the Prince Khian, seeing that although -the throne is in your gift and you can bequeath it to whom you will, -hitherto I have been looked upon as your heir, and this Order of the -Dawn might be mistrustful of such a messenger, or even make strange -use of him? Thus he might remain as a hostage among them.” -</p> - -<p> -“Which mayhap I should ask you to do, Khian, as a proof of my good -faith until this marriage be accomplished. For understand one thing. -If the Princess Nefra lives, it is my will to wed her, because, as I -see, she and she alone is the road to safety. He who crosses me in -this matter is my enemy to the death; whether he be the prophet Roy or -any other man, surely he shall die.” -</p> - -<p> -“You are quick of decision, my father. An hour ago no such thought had -entered your mind, and now it holds no other.” -</p> - -<p> -“Aye, Son, for now, thanks to Anath, I see a ship that will bear me -and Egypt over a rising flood of troubles which soon might overwhelm -us both, and after the fashion of the great, I embark before it be -swept downstream. Vizier, when you espied that ship, you did good -service, and for you there is a chain of gold and much advancement. -Nay, keep your thanks till it has borne us safe to harbour. For the -rest, if you, Khian, think this mission too dangerous—and it has -dangers—I will seek another envoy, though you are the one whom I -should choose. I doubt whether you will deceive these keen-eyed -magicians by taking another name and pretending that you are not -Khian, but an officer of the Court, or a private person. Still, do so -if you will.” -</p> - -<p> -“Why not, Pharaoh?” answered Khian, laughing, “seeing that, if all -goes well, it is your purpose to make of me a very private person, for -then I who this morning was the heir apparent, or so it pleased you to -say, shall be but one of many king’s sons. If that chances I would ask -whether I who shall have lost much may retain my private estates and -revenues that have come to me through my mother or by the endowment of -your Majesty? For I who do not greatly care for crowns could wish to -remain rich with means to live at ease and follow those pursuits I -love.” -</p> - -<p> -“That is sworn to you, Khian, here and now and upon my royal word. Let -it be recorded!” -</p> - -<p> -“I thank the King, and now by permission I will withdraw myself to -talk with that wounded man before he dies, since perhaps he can tell -me much that may be useful upon this business.” -</p> - -<p> -Then the Prince Khian prostrated himself and went. -</p> - -<p> -When he had watched him go, King Apepi thought to himself: -</p> - -<p> -Surely this young man has a great heart. Few would not have winced -beneath such a blow, unless indeed they planned treachery, which Khian -could never do. Almost am I grieved. Yet it must be so. If that royal -maiden lives, I will wed her and swear the throne to her children, for -thus only can I and Egypt sleep in peace. Then he said aloud: -</p> - -<p> -“The Council is ended and woe to him that betrays its secrets, for he -shall be thrown to the lions.” -</p> - - -<h3 id="ch08"> -CHAPTER VIII.<br/> -<span class="chap_sub">The Scribe Rasa</span> -</h3> - -<p class="noindent"> -<span class="sc">Within</span> thirty days of the holding of this Council, a messenger -appeared on what was acknowledged to be the frontier of the Holy -Ground that was marked by the highest point to which the Nile rose in -times of flood, and called to one who was working in the field that he -had a writing which he prayed him to deliver to the Prophet of the -Order of the Dawn. -</p> - -<p> -The man came and, staring at the messenger stupidly, asked: -</p> - -<p> -“What is the Order of the Dawn and who is its prophet?” -</p> - -<p> -“Perchance, Friend, you might make inquiries,” said the messenger, -handing him the roll and with it no small present. “Meanwhile I, who -may always be found at dawn or sunset seated at my prayers in yonder -group of palms, will bide here and await the answer.” -</p> - -<p> -The farmer, for such he seemed to be, scratched his head and, taking -the roll and the present, said that he would try to serve one so -generous, though he knew not of whom to ask concerning this order and -its prophet. -</p> - -<p> -On the following day at sunset he appeared again and handed to the -messenger another roll which he declared he had been charged by some -person unknown to give to him for delivery to the King Apepi at his -Court at Tanis. The messenger, mocking this peasant, said that he had -never heard of King Apepi and did not know where Tanis might be; still -out of kindness of heart, he would try to discover and make due -delivery of the roll after which the two smiled at each other and -departed. -</p> - -<p> -Some days later this writing was read to Apepi by his private scribe. -It ran thus: -</p> - -<div class="letter"> - -<p> -“In the name of that Spirit who rules the world, and of his servant -Osiris, god of the dead, greeting to Apepi, King of the Shepherds, now -dwelling at the city of Tanis in Lower Egypt. -</p> - -<p> -“Know, O King Apepi, that we, Roy the Prophet and the Council of the -Order of the Dawn, who sit in the shadow of the ancient pyramids built -long ago by certain kings of Egypt, once members of our order, to -serve as tombs for their bodies and to be monuments to their greatness -on which all eyes might gaze till the end of the world; we who from -age to age drink of the wisdom of the Sphinx, the Terror of the -desert, have received your message and given it consideration. Know, O -King, that although of late we have suffered grievous wrong at the -hands of some who seem to have been your officers, for which wrong -those unhappy ones paid with their lives, as all must do who attempt -to violate our sanctity and to peer into our secrets; in obedience to -the precepts of our Order, we forgive that wrong and having put it -aside as a matter of small account, we will receive the ambassador -whom you desire to send to us to discuss matters of which you do not -reveal the purport. Know, O King, further, that this ambassador, -whoever he may be, must come alone, for it is contrary to our rules to -admit more than one stranger beyond the borders of the Holy Ground. If -after learning this it be still your pleasure to send that ambassador, -let him appear before the next full moon in the same grove of palms -where this roll was delivered to your messenger. Here one of those who -serve us will find him and guide him to where we are, nor shall he -suffer any harm at our hands.” -</p> - -</div> - -<p> -When Apepi had heard this letter, he sent for the Prince Khian and -asked him privately whether still he dared to adventure himself -unaccompanied among the people of the Order of the Dawn and in a place -which all men swore was haunted. -</p> - -<p> -“Why not, Father?” asked Khian. “If mischief is meant against me, an -ambassador’s guard would be no protection, nor are ghosts or spirits -to be frightened away by numbers. If I go at all I would as soon go -alone as in company. Also it is plain that thus only can this embassy -be carried out, because yonder Brotherhood will not receive more than -a single man.” -</p> - -<p> -“As it pleases you, Son,” replied Apepi. “Go now and make ready. -To-morrow the writing shall be delivered to you by the Vizier together -with my instructions; also a guard will be waiting to conduct you to -the place appointed by this prophet. Go and return in safety, -remembering our bargain and bringing this maiden with you in charge of -women of her own people, if so it may be, for thus shall you earn my -favour.” -</p> - -<p> -“I go,” said Khian, “to return, or perchance not to return, as the -gods may direct.” -</p> - -<p> -So, everything having been made ready and the roll containing the -offers and the threats of King Apepi given into his keeping, together -with offerings of gold for the gods of the Children of the Dawn and -presents of jewels for the Princess Nefra, if it should be proved that -she was the wondrous maiden who dwelt among them, Khian departed. Yet -he did not travel as the Prince, but rather as a Scribe of the Court, -Rasa by name, whom it had pleased the King to choose to be his envoy -upon a certain business. Leaving Tanis so secretly that few discovered -he had gone, he sailed up Nile in a ship whose sailors had never seen -him, and although they had orders to obey him in everything, took him -to be what he said he was, a messenger, Rasa by name, travelling upon -the royal business. Even the guard that accompanied him, six in -number, were soldiers from a distant city who had never looked upon -his face. -</p> - -<p> -His journey ended, he reached the landing place in the afternoon upon -the day appointed and was escorted by the soldiers who bore the gold -and other gifts, also his travelling gear, to the grove of palms which -the messenger had described, as to which there could be no mistake, -for no other was in sight. Here he dismissed the guard, who left him -doubtfully and yet were glad to go before evening came, for like all -Egypt they believed this place to be haunted by the ghosts of the -mighty dead, also by the Spirit of the Pyramids whose eyes drove men -to madness. -</p> - -<p> -“Now, as we are ordered by Anath the Vizier,” said the captain of the -guard, “we and the ship in which you have travelled, my Lord Rasa, -depart to Memphis where we may be found when we are summoned, though -we are not sure that you will ever need a ship again.” -</p> - -<p> -“Why not, Captain?” asked Khian, or Rasa. -</p> - -<p> -“Because this place has an evil repute, my Lord Rasa, and it is said -that no stranger who crosses yonder belt of sand ever returns.” -</p> - -<p> -“If so, what happens to him, Captain?” -</p> - -<p> -“We do not know, but it is reported that he is walled up in a tomb and -left to perish there. Or, if he escapes this fate and is as young and -well-favoured as you are, perchance he meets the beauteous Spirit of -the Pyramids who wanders about in the moonlight, and becomes her -lover.” -</p> - -<p> -“If she is so fair, Captain, worse things might happen to a man.” -</p> - -<p> -“Nay, Lord Rasa, for when he kisses her on the lips, she looks into -his eyes and madness takes hold of him, so that he runs after her, -till at last he falls on the sand raving and, should he live at all, -remains thus all his days.” -</p> - -<p> -“Why does he not catch her, Captain?” -</p> - -<p> -“Because she leads him to one of the pyramids, up which, being a -spirit, she can glide like a moonbeam but whither he cannot follow. -And when he sees that he has lost her, then his brain boils and he is -no more a man.” -</p> - -<p> -“You make me afraid, Captain. This would be a sad fate to happen to a -learned scribe, for such is really my trade, just when he had won -favour at the Court. Still, I have my orders and you know the doom of -him who disobeys, or even does not carry out, the commands of his -Majesty Apepi.” -</p> - -<p> -“Aye, Lord Rasa, I know well enough, for this king is very fierce, and -if he has set his mind on anything, ill to cross. Such a one, if he is -lucky, is shortened by a head, or if he is unlucky, is beaten to death -with rods.” -</p> - -<p> -“If so, Captain, it would seem better to run the risk of the ghosts, -or even of the terrible eyes of the Spirit of the Pyramids, rather -than to return with you, as I confess that I should wish. About my -neck I have a holy charm which is said to defend its wearer from all -tomb-dwellers and other evil things, and to this and to my prayers I -must trust myself. Soon I hope to see you again upon the ship, but if -you learn that I am dead, I pray of you, lay an offering for my soul -upon the first altar of Osiris that you find.” -</p> - -<p> -“I’ll not forget it, Lord Rasa, for know that I like you well and -could have wished you a better fate,” answered the captain, who was -kind-hearted; adding, as he departed with his company, “Perchance you -have offended Pharaoh or the Vizier, and one or other of them has -chosen this way to be rid of you.” -</p> - -<p> -“That man is as cheerful as a bullfrog croaking in a pool in a night -of storm,” thought Khian to himself. “Well, perhaps he is right, and -if so, what will it matter when those pyramids have seen the Nile rise -another hundred times?” -</p> - -<p> -Then he sat himself down upon the ground, resting his back against the -bole of one of the palms, and contemplated the mighty outlines of -these same pyramids, which hitherto he had only seen from far away, -thinking to himself, as Nefra had thought, that those who built them -must have been kings indeed. Also he reflected, not without pleasure, -for he was a lover of adventures and new things, upon the strangeness -of his mission and of the manner in which it had been thrust upon him. -</p> - -<p> -If this royal maiden lives, he thought, and I succeed it means that I -lose a crown, and if I do not succeed, then it is also possible that I -shall lose the crown, since my father never forgives those who fail. -Indeed, it would be best for me if there is no such lady, or that I -should not find her. At any rate, there is some girl who climbs -pyramids, because before he died that woman-thief swore to me that he -saw her. He swore to me also that she was very beauteous, the -loveliest lady that ever he beheld, which almost proves to me that she -cannot have been the princess, for as the gods do not give everything, -princesses are always—or almost always—ugly. Moreover, they do not -climb pyramids but lie about and eat sweetmeats. Perhaps after all she -whom the dying thief believed he saw, if he saw any one, is a spirit, -and if so, may it be given to me to behold her, to do which I would -take my chance of madness. Meanwhile, these Children of the Dawn are -strange folk, to judge from all that I can learn concerning them, yet -it is said, most kindly, so perhaps they will not murder me, even if -they guess or know that I am the Prince Khian. What would be the use, -seeing there are so many who are princes, or who can be made princes -by a decree and a touch of a sceptre? -</p> - -<p> -Reflecting thus, Khian fell asleep, for the afternoon was very hot and -he had found little rest upon that crowded boat. -</p> - -<p> -While he was sleeping Roy the Prophet, the lord Tau, and the Princess -Nefra were taking counsel together in a chamber of the temple where -they dwelt. -</p> - -<p> -“The messenger has landed, Prophet,” said Tau; “it is reported to me -that he is already seated in the grove of palms.” -</p> - -<p> -“Is aught else reported, Tau, that is, as to his business?” asked Roy. -“If so, speak it out, since a command has come to me that the time is -at hand when our Lady of Egypt here”—and he pointed to Nefra—“should -be taken into our full counsel.” -</p> - -<p> -“Yes, Prophet. A certain brother of ours who is one of the Court of -King Apepi—look not astonished, Princess, for our brethren are -everywhere—informs me by the fashion that is known to you that this -business is one which concerns a certain lady very closely. To be -brief: When four men strove to carry off this lady, Ru the Ethiopian -made a mistake, for he killed three of them but suffered the fourth to -get away, though wounded to the death. This man reached the Court at -Tanis and before he died made a report which, added to other rumours, -assured King Apepi that a certain babe who escaped from his hands in -Thebes long ago—dwells among us here and is no other than the heiress -of the ancient line of the Pharaohs of Egypt.” -</p> - -<p> -“It seems that this king is a shrewd man,” said Roy. -</p> - -<p> -“Very shrewd,” answered Tau, “and quick to decide; so much so that on -a hint given to him by his Vizier Anath, also a shrewd man, he -determined at once not to kill a certain lady, as at first he thought -to do, but to make her his queen and thus, by promising their heritage -to her offspring, to unite the Upper and the Lower Lands without war -or trouble.” -</p> - -<p> -Now Nefra started, but before she could speak Roy answered: -</p> - -<p> -“The scheme has merits, great merits, for thus would our ends be -attained and many sorrows and perils melt away like morning mist. -But,” he added with a sigh, “what says Nefra our Princess, who after -to-night’s ceremony will be our Queen?” -</p> - -<p> -“I say,” answered Nefra coldly, “that I am not a woman to be sold for -the price of a crown, or of a hundred crowns. This man, Apepi the -Usurper, is one of the fierce Shepherds who are the enemies of our -race. He is a thief of the desert who has stolen half Egypt and holds -it by force and fraud. He, who is more than old enough to be my -father, slew my father, the Pharaoh Kheperra, and strove to slay me -and my mother, the Queen Rima, the daughter of Babylon. Having failed -in this, now he seeks to buy me whom he has never seen, as an Arab -buys a mare of priceless blood, and for his own purposes to set me at -the head of his household. Prophet, I will have none of him. Rather -than enter his palace as a bride I will hurl myself from the tallest -pyramid and seek refuge with Osiris.” -</p> - -<p> -“Here we have the answer that I foresaw,” said Roy with a little smile -upon his aged lips; “nor is it one that causes me to grieve, since -whatever its gains, such a union would be unholy. Fear not, Princess. -While the Order of the Dawn has power you are safe from the arms of -Apepi the Wolf. Tell me, Tau, according to the report that has reached -you, is this all that the King of the North has to say to us?” -</p> - -<p> -“Nay, Prophet. When the roll that yonder messenger bears is opened, I -think that in it will be found written, that if the heiress of Egypt -is not delivered to him, then he proposes to take her by force, or if -he cannot do so, to send her down to death, and with her, -notwithstanding his treaties, every one of the Children of the Dawn -from the most aged to the babe in arms.” -</p> - -<p> -“Is it so?” said Roy. “Well, if a fool strives to drag a sleeping -snake from its hole, that snake awakes, puffs out its head, and -strikes, as mayhap Apepi will find before all is done. But these -things are not yet; time to talk of them when the royal hand is thrust -into the hole to grip the deadly hooded snake. Meanwhile, this envoy -from Apepi must be granted the hospitality which we have sworn to him, -and brought from the palm grove where he sits alone. Would it please -you, Princess, to throw a man’s robe over that woman’s dress of yours -and go to lead him here? Ru and the Lady Kemmah would accompany you, -keeping themselves out of sight? If so, being clever, you might learn -something from the man, who finding but a gentle youth sent to guide -him, would fear no trap, and perhaps even speak freely to such a one.” -</p> - -<p> -“Yes,” answered Nefra, “I think that it would please me; that is, if -you are sure that there is no trap or ambush, since the walk to the -grove is pleasant and I have been cooped up of late.” -</p> - -<p> -“There is no ambush, Lady,” replied Roy. “Since what happened awhile -ago by the pyramids our frontiers have been well guarded; also your -every step will be watched, although you do not see the watchers. -Therefore fear nothing. Learn all you can from this envoy and bring -him to the Sphinx where he will be blindfolded and led before us.” -</p> - -<p> -“I go,” said Nefra, laughing. “To-morrow I shall be called a queen and -who knows whether afterwards I shall be suffered to walk alone.” -</p> - -<p> -So she went accompanied by Tau who summoned Ru and Kemmah in one of -the courts of the temple and there gave certain orders to them and to -others who seemed to be awaiting him. This done he returned to Roy and -looking him in the face, said in a low voice: -</p> - -<p> -“Do you, O Prophet, who know so much, chance to have learned what may -be the name and quality of this envoy from Apepi?” -</p> - -<p> -Now Roy looked him in the eyes and said: -</p> - -<p> -“It comes into my mind, how or whence does not matter, that although -he travels as a simple officer of the Court, called I know not what, -the man is no other than the Prince Khian, Apepi’s heir.” -</p> - -<p> -“So I think also,” said Tau, “and not without reason. Tell me, holy -Prophet, have you learned aught concerning this Khian?” -</p> - -<p> -“Much, Tau. From his boyhood he has been watched by those at Apepi’s -Court who are our friends, and their report of him is very good. He -has his faults like other men in youth, and he is somewhat rash. Had -he not been so, never would he have undertaken this mission under -strange conditions. For the rest he is more Egyptian than Shepherd, -for in him the mother’s blood runs strong; and if he worships any gods -at all, of which, he being a philosopher, I am not sure, they are -those of Egypt. Further, he is learned, brave, handsome of body, and -generous in mind; something of a dreamer, one who seeks that which he -will never find upon the earth, one, too, who longs to heal Egypt’s -wounds. Indeed, he seems to be such a man as, had I a daughter, I -would choose for her in marriage if I might. This is the report that I -have concerning the Prince Khian. Is yours as good?” -</p> - -<p> -“In all things it is the same, Prophet. Yet why does he come hither -upon such an errand, seeing that, if it succeeds, it may cost him his -succession to the Crown? I fear some trap.” -</p> - -<p> -“I think, Tau, that he comes for adventure, and because he seeks new -things; also because he is drawn to our doctrines and would study them -with his own eyes and ears, not knowing that he may find more than he -seeks.” -</p> - -<p> -“Is it in the hope that he will do so, Prophet, that you have put it -into the mind of the Princess Nefra to meet him yonder in the palm -grove?” -</p> - -<p> -“It is, Tau. When I said that such a marriage as this Apepi proposes -had many merits, what I meant was, not that she should be thrown to -the Shepherd lion, but that a marriage between her and the Prince -Khian would have those merits. How could Egypt be better tied -together? Even if we are strong enough to wage it, we are haters of -war, and would not attain our ends by death and bloodshed. Yet to -propose such a thing would defeat itself, since, as she told us, this -Lady Nefra is not one to be sold or driven. Her heart and nothing else -is her guide, which she will follow fast and far.” -</p> - -<p> -“The heart of woman goes out more readily to princes than it does to -humble messengers. What if this one who sits among the palm trees does -not please her?” -</p> - -<p> -“Then, Tau, all is finished and we must find another road. Let Fate -decide after she has judged, not of the Prince but of the man. We -cannot. Hearken. This envoy, however named, comes to learn what -thousands know already, whether or not the daughter and heiress of -Kheperra shelters among us. We can deny or we can confess. Which shall -we do?” -</p> - -<p> -“If we deny, Prophet, certainly he will discover the truth otherwise -and set us down as liars and cowards. If we confess, he and the world -will know us for true men and brave, and that the oath which we swear -to the goddess of Verity is no empty form. So whatever we may lose, we -shall win honour even from our foes. Therefore, I say confess and face -the issue.” -</p> - -<p> -“So say I and the rest of the Council, Tau. To-night before the -delegates from all Egypt and elsewhere, the Princess is to be crowned -its Queen in the great hall of the temple, a matter that cannot be -hid, since the very bats will twitter it throughout the land. -Therefore it seems wise to me that this messenger should be present at -the ceremony and if he will, make open report of it to Apepi. There is -another thing of which he must also make report, Tau: namely, whether -the new-crowned Queen will take this Apepi as a husband.” -</p> - -<p> -“Already we know the answer, Prophet, but after it—what?” -</p> - -<p> -“After it—Babylon. Listen, Tau. Apepi will send an army to destroy us -and to capture the Queen, but he will find nothing to destroy, for the -Order has its hiding places, and in Egypt are many tombs and catacombs -where soldiers dare not come, while the Queen will be far away. If -Apepi seeks a curse, let the curse fall upon him, as fall it shall -when a hundred thousand Babylonians pour down on Tanis in answer to -dead Rima’s prayer and to right her daughter’s wrongs.” -</p> - -<p> -“Be it so,” said Tau. “Those who seek the face of War must be prepared -to look him in the eyes, for such is the rule of God and man.” -</p> - -<p> -<br/> -</p> - -<p> -Nefra, wrapped in a long cloak, approached the grove of palms, -followed by Ru and the Lady Kemmah, who grumbled at the business. -</p> - -<p> -“The day is hot,” she said, “and who but fools would walk so far in -the blaze of the sun? To-night there are ceremonies in which you, -Princess, must play the greatest part. Is it fitting that you and I -should weary ourselves thus when the work of making ready your robes -and jewels is not finished? What is this new madness? What do you -seek?” -</p> - -<p> -“That which, as you have instructed me, is sought of all women, Nurse, -namely—a man,” answered Nefra in her sweet, mocking voice. “I believe -that there is a man in yonder palm grove and I go to find him.” -</p> - -<p> -“A man, indeed! Are there not men in plenty nearer home, if tombs can -be called a home while one is still living beneath the sun? Still, it -is true that most of them are gray-bearded dotards and the rest but -priests or anchorites who think of nothing but their souls, or -husbandmen who toil all day and dream all night of how much mud Nile -will yield at its next rising. Well, there are the palms and I see no -man, nor can I walk any farther in this accursed sand. Here is the -statue of a god, or perchance of some king whose name no one has heard -for a thousand years. At least, god or king, he gives shade and in it -I will sit as, if you are wise, you will do also while Ru hunts for -this man of yours, though when he sees a black giant grinning at him -with a great axe in his hand I think that he will run away.” -</p> - -<p> -“So do I,” said Nefra, “yet, Ru, come with me, as indeed you must.” -</p> - -<p> -Then walking somewhat to the right she entered the grove of palms at -its end and stepped softly along it, bidding Ru keep himself as much -hidden as possible. Presently, seated against the trunk of one of them -she saw an officer who wore upon his robe the lion badge of the -Shepherd kings, having by his side certain packages, and behold! he -was fast asleep. Now a thought took her and she commanded Ru to -approach him softly, and having carried off the packages, to go and -hide with them behind the statue where Kemmah sat. Then, she said, he -was to follow her with Kemmah and the gear in such fashion, if might -be, that the officer did not see them as she led him toward the statue -of the Sphinx. -</p> - -<p> -This Ru did without awakening Khian, for although he was so large, -like all Ethiopians he could move softly enough at need—an art that -they learn in tracking enemies and game. He vanished with his burden -behind the statue, whence she knew well he was watching her in case of -danger, but Nefra, leaning against another palm, studied the sleeper -closely. At the first glance she was aware that never before had she -beheld such a man as this officer, one at once so handsome and so -refined of face. -</p> - -<p> -If his eyes, which I cannot see, are as good as the rest of him, he is -beautiful, thought Nefra. Also he looks like one whose spirit guides -his flesh and not his flesh his spirit; and as she thought, something -new, something she had never felt before stirred her serenity and -frightened her a little, though in what way she was not sure. -</p> - -<p> -So for many minutes they remained, the weary Khian sleeping and Nefra -watching him. At length he stirred, stretched out his arms as though -to clasp a dream, yawned, and opened his eyes. -</p> - -<p> -They <i>are</i> as good as the rest of him! reflected Nefra as she slipped -behind the palm and hid there, which they were, being large, brown, -and somewhat melancholy. -</p> - -<p> -Now Khian remembered the packets which contained the presents and the -gold and began to search for them eagerly. -</p> - -<p> -“By the gods, they are gone!” he said aloud in a voice that, although -anxious, still was soft and pleasant. “How can this have happened and -I not know it, seeing that they lay under my hand? Truly they are -right who say that this place is the home of ghosts.” -</p> - -<p> -Nefra stepped forward, closely muffled in her long cloak, and asked: -</p> - -<p> -“Is aught amiss, Sir? And if so, can I aid you?” -</p> - -<p> -“Yes,” said Khian, “by restoring to me certain articles which I -suppose you have stolen, young man. That is, if you are a man,” he -added doubtfully, “for your voice——” -</p> - -<p> -“—Is breaking, Sir,” replied Nefra, trying to make it as hoarse as -possible. -</p> - -<p> -“Then it has broken the wrong way. Breaking voices should grow gruff, -not soft as a girl’s. But let that be. Restore to me my goods lest I -should—well, kill you——” -</p> - -<p> -“And perchance thereby lose them and much else for ever, Sir.” -</p> - -<p> -“You do not seem very frightened. Tell me, who are you?” -</p> - -<p> -“Sir, I am the guide appointed to lead you—if you be Apepi’s -officer—to where you must lodge before you are brought into the -presence of the Council of the Order of the Dawn. Knowing that you -were alone and thinking that you might be alarmed if armed men came, -I, as a young person who can frighten no one, was chosen to fill this -office by the Council.” -</p> - -<p> -“That is very kind of the Council. But meanwhile, Young Person, where -are the goods which my servants set by my side before they departed?” -</p> - -<p> -“Sir, they have gone on before you. As you said just now, this is a -home of ghosts and ghosts can carry gold and garments very fast.” -</p> - -<p> -“Then they might have carried me also, though on the whole I am glad -they did not, for, Young Person, you amuse me. Well, I suppose that I -must take your word for it, as to the goods, I mean, and if I find -that you have lied, I can always kill you afterwards, or if I don’t, -the Order of the Dawn can, since they will have lost their presents. -What next?” -</p> - -<p> -“Be pleased to come with me, Sir.” -</p> - -<p> -“Good, Young Person. Lead on, I follow.” -</p> - - -<h3 id="ch09"> -CHAPTER IX.<br/> -<span class="chap_sub">The Crowning of Nefra</span> -</h3> - -<p class="noindent"> -<span class="sc">So this</span> pair started upon their long walk, Nefra being careful to -lead her companion wide of that overthrown statue behind which hid -Kemmah and Ru. -</p> - -<p> -“Do you live in this place?” asked Khian presently. -</p> - -<p> -“Yes, Sir, here and hereabouts,” replied Nefra with vagueness. -</p> - -<p> -“And might I ask what is your office when you are not escorting -travellers, who must be rare, and arranging for the transport of their -baggage by uncommon means?” -</p> - -<p> -“Oh! anything,” replied Nefra still more vaguely, “but generally I run -errands.” -</p> - -<p> -“Indeed! And where to?” -</p> - -<p> -“Oh! anywhere. But tell me, Sir, are you acquainted with the -pyramids?” -</p> - -<p> -“Not at all, Friend, except from a distance. The pyramids, it would -appear, are now the private property of that Order you mentioned, to -which, by the way, I, who also run errands, have a message to deliver. -None may approach them. Indeed, I have heard that some unfortunate men -who wished to explore their wonders not long ago, came to a terrible -end. According to the story a black lion rushed out of one of them, -killed three of those men, and mauled the fourth so badly that -afterwards he died. Or it may have been one of your ghosts that rushed -out. At any rate, the men died.” -</p> - -<p> -“What a strange tale, Sir. I wonder that we did not hear of it, but -living quite secluded as we do, we hear nothing, or at least very -little. But they are beautiful, those pyramids, are they not, standing -up thus against the evening sky in majesty? Look how their sharp -outlines seem to cut into the heavens. Also from them the great dead -seem to speak to us across the gulfs of Time.” -</p> - -<p> -“I perceive, Young Person, that you have imagination, which is unusual -in those who run errands and guide travellers. Yet I dare to differ -from you. These stone heaps undoubtedly are beautiful with a beauty -that crushes the mind, though not so much so as are mountains -chiselled out by Nature and capped with snow, such as I have seen in -Syria. But to me they speak not of the mighty dead whose memories they -glorify, but of the thousands of forgotten ones who perished in the -toil of their uprearing, that in them the bones of kings might find a -house deemed to be eternal and their names preserved among men. Was it -worth while to leave monuments to be the marvel of generations at the -cost of so much doom and misery?” -</p> - -<p> -“I do not know, Sir, who never thought of the matter thus. Yet there -is this to be said. Mankind must suffer, so I have been told who am -but an ignorant——” -</p> - -<p> -“—Young person,” suggested Khian. -</p> - -<p> -“And generally it suffers to no end,” went on Nefra as though she had -not heard him, “leaving naught behind, not even a record of its pain. -Here at least something remains which the world will admire for -thousands of years after those who caused the suffering and those who -suffered are lost in darkness. Suffering that has purpose, or that -bears fruit, even though we know not the purpose and never see the -fruit, may be borne almost with joy, but empty, sterile suffering is a -desert without water and a torment without hope.” -</p> - -<p> -Khian looked at the speaker, or rather at her hood, for he could see -nothing else, and remarked: -</p> - -<p> -“The thought is just and finely put. They instruct those who run -errands well in this land.” -</p> - -<p> -“The brethren of the Order are learned, so even the young can pick up -crumbs of knowledge from their feasts—if it pleases them to look for -them, Sir—but forgive me, how are you named?” -</p> - -<p> -“Named?—Oh! I am called Rasa the Scribe.” -</p> - -<p> -“Is it so? I did not guess your trade because among us scribes carry -palettes at the girdle, not swords; also their hands are different. I -should have thought that you were a soldier and a hunter and a climber -of the mountains of which you spoke, not a copyist of documents in hot -palace rooms.” -</p> - -<p> -“Sometimes I am these things also,” he replied hastily, “especially a -climber—when I was in Syria. By the way, my guide, I have heard -strange stories of another climber, one who scales these pyramids. It -is said at Tanis and elsewhere that they are haunted by a spirit who -runs up and down their sides at night, and even in the daytime also. I -say by a spirit, for woman she cannot be.” -</p> - -<p> -“Why not, Scribe Rasa?” -</p> - -<p> -“Because, or so the tale tells, this climber is so beautiful that -those who look upon her go mad, and who could be made mad by the sight -of any woman? Also what woman could clamber over those smooth and -mighty monuments like a lizard?” -</p> - -<p> -“If you are a scaler of mountains, Scribe Rasa, you will know that -such feats are often not so difficult as they seem. There lives a -family of men in this place that for generations has been able to -conquer the pyramids by day or night,” she replied, leaving the first -part of his question unanswered. -</p> - -<p> -“Then if I stay here long enough I will pray them to teach me their -art, in the hope that at the top of them I might meet this spirit and -be made mad by drinking of the Cup of Beauty. But you have not -answered me. Is there such a spirit, and if so, can I see her?—to do -which I would give my—well, a great deal.” -</p> - -<p> -“Here before us is the Sphinx which I thought, Scribe Rasa, being one -so curious, you would have noticed as we approached it. Now put your -question to that god, for they say that he solves riddles sometimes, -if he likes the asker, though never yet have <i>I</i> wrung an answer from -those stony, smiling lips.” -</p> - -<p> -“Indeed? I have sundry problems that I seek to solve and one of them -is what may be hidden by that long cloak of yours, my young guide with -an instructed mind.” -</p> - -<p> -“Then you must propound them at another time, after the needful -prayers and fastings. And now, your pardon, but I am commanded to -blindfold you because we have come to the entrance of the sanctuaries -of the Order of the Dawn, of which no stranger may learn the secret. -Will you be pleased to kneel down, for you are very tall, Scribe Rasa, -and I can scarcely reach your head.” -</p> - -<p> -“Oh! why not?” he answered. “First my packages are stolen; then I am -thrown to the crocodiles of curiosity, and now I must be blindfolded, -or perhaps beheaded by a ‘young person’ who has driven me as mad as -though she were the Spirit of the Pyramids herself. I kneel. Proceed.” -</p> - -<p> -“Why do you talk of a poor youth who earns his bread by following the -profession of a guide as ‘she,’ also as a thief or perhaps a murderer, -and compare him to the Spirit of the Pyramids, Scribe Rasa? Be so good -as to keep your head still and not try to look over your shoulder as -you are doing, lest I should hurt you with the bandage. Fix your eyes -upon the face of the Sphinx in front of you and think of all the -riddles you would like to ask of its divinity. Now all is ready, I -begin”; and very deftly and softly she tied a scented silken cloth, -warm from her own bosom, about his head, saying presently: -</p> - -<p> -“It is finished. You may rise.” -</p> - -<p> -“First I will answer your question, knowing that you cannot be wroth -with one who is blinded. I call you ‘she’ because by accident I forgot -and looked down instead of up and thus saw your hands, which are those -of woman; also the ring you wear, which is an ancient signet; also a -long lock that escaped from beneath your hood while you bent over me; -also——” -</p> - -<p> -“Kemmah,” broke in Nefra, “my task is finished and I go to ask my fee -from the gatekeeper. Be pleased to guide this scribe or messenger into -the presence of the holy Prophet and let the man with you bear his -goods, which all the way he has accused me of stealing from him, so -that they may be checked in his presence.” -</p> - -<p> -<br/> -</p> - -<p> -He who was called the Scribe Rasa sat in the presence of the Prophet -Roy, of the Lord Tau, and of the elders of the Council of the Order of -the Dawn, venerable, white-robed men. Roy spoke, saying: -</p> - -<p> -“We have read the roll, O Envoy Rasa, which you bring to us from -Apepi, King of the Shepherds, at this time sitting at Tanis in the -Land of Egypt. Briefly it contains two questions and a threat. The -first question is whether Nefra, Royal Princess of Egypt, the child -and heiress of the Pharaoh Kheperra, now gathered to Osiris whither he -was sent by the spear of Apepi, and of Rima the daughter of the King -of Babylon, lives and is dwelling among us. To that question you will -learn the answer at a certain ceremony this night. The second question -is whether this Royal Nefra, if she still looks upon the sun, will -become the wife of Apepi, King of the Shepherds, as he demands that -she should do. To this doubtless the Royal Nefra, if she lives, will -give her answer when she has considered of the matter, for then there -is a queen in Egypt, and a Queen of Egypt chooses whom she will as -husband. -</p> - -<p> -“After this comes the threat, namely, that should there be a certain -Lady to refuse this offer and should it be refused, Apepi, King of the -Shepherds, violating all treaties made between his forefathers and -himself with our ancient Brotherhood of the Children of the Dawn, will -in revenge destroy us root and branch. To this we reply at once and -afterwards will write it in a roll, that we do not fear Apepi, and -that should he attempt this evil thing, every stone of the great -pyramids would lie lighter on his head than will the curse of Heaven -that he has earned as a man foresworn. -</p> - -<p> -“Say to Apepi, O Ambassador, that we who seem but a weak band of -hermits living in solitude far from the world and there practising our -innocent rites, we who have no armies and who, save to defend our -lives, never lift a sword, are yet far more powerful than he, or any -king upon the earth. We do not fight as kings fight, yet we marshal -hosts unseen, since with us goes the Strength of God. Let him attack -if he will to find naught but tombs peopled with the dead. Then let -him set his ear to the ground and listen to the tread of armies who -rush to stamp him down to doom. Such is our message to Apepi, King of -the Shepherds.” -</p> - -<p> -“I hear it,” said Khian, bowing respectfully, “and glad am I to learn, -O Prophet, that it is your intention to write it in a roll, for -otherwise King Apepi, a violent man who loves not rough words, might -make him who delivered it by word of mouth, shorter by a head. Be -pleased, therefore, to remember, O Prophet and Councillors, that I, -the Scribe Rasa, am but a messenger charged to deliver a writing and -to carry back the answer; also to collect certain information if I -can. Of the matter of treaties between the Shepherd kings and your -Order I know nothing, nor is it one that I am commanded to discuss. Of -threats uttered against you, or what may be the end of these threats, -I know nothing, whatever I may guess. Be pleased, therefore, to write -down at your leisure all you have to say, that it may be delivered to -King Apepi in due season. Meanwhile, grant me safety while I dwell -among you, and with it as much liberty as you can, since, to speak -truth, these temple tombs of yours have something of the air of -prisons, nor do I love bandages upon my eyes, seeing that I am an -ambassador, not a spy charged to report upon the secrets of your -dwelling place.” -</p> - -<p> -Roy looked at him with his piercing eyes and answered: -</p> - -<p> -“If you will swear to us upon your soul to reveal nothing that you may -learn of these poor secrets of ours that lie outside the matters of -your commission; also not to attempt to depart from among us until -such time as we think fitting and our written answers are prepared, -we, for our part, will grant you liberty to come and go among us as -you will, O Messenger, who tell us that you are named Rasa and a -scribe by occupation. This we grant because, having gifts of -discernment, we believe you to be an upright man, although perchance -you have been commanded to travel under another name than that by -which you are known at the Court of Tanis, one, too, who has no desire -to bring evil upon the innocent.” -</p> - -<p> -“I thank you, Prophet,” said Khian, bowing, “and all these things I -swear gladly. And now I am charged to deliver offerings to your gods -in atonement for a crime against you that was wrought recently by -certain evildoers.” -</p> - -<p> -“Our god, Scribe Rasa, is the Spirit above all gods who rules the -earth and whose raiment we behold in the stars of heaven, one to whom -we make no offering save those of the spirit. Nor do we accept -presents for ourselves who being a Brotherhood in which each serves -the other, have no need of gold. Therefore, Ambassador, be pleased to -take back the gifts you bring and on our behalf to pray the King of -the Shepherds that he will distribute them among the widows and -children of those men who came by their death in seeking, at his -command as we suppose, to do violence to one of us and to discover our -secrets.” -</p> - -<p> -“As regards this new god of yours,” answered Khian, “if it be lawful, -Prophet, I would pray of you, or of any whom you may appoint, to -instruct me, a seeker after Truth, in his attributes and mysteries.” -</p> - -<p> -“If there is opportunity it shall be done,” said Roy. -</p> - -<p> -“As touching the matter of the presents,” went on Khian when he had -bowed acknowledgment of this promise, “I have naught to say, save that -I pray that you will return them with your written answer and, if -possible, by another hand than mine. You who are so wise and aged, -Prophet, may have noted that great kings do not love to have gifts -thrown back into their faces with words like to yours, and, in such -cases, are apt to blame their bearer.” -</p> - -<p> -Roy smiled a little and without comment on this matter, said: -</p> - -<p> -“This night we invite you to a ceremony, Scribe Rasa. Go now, eat and -rest till, at the appointed hour, you are summoned, if it be your -pleasure to attend.” -</p> - -<p> -“Surely it is my pleasure,” answered Khian, and was led away. -</p> - -<p> -<br/> -</p> - -<p> -It was near to midnight, and Khian, having arrayed himself in garments -that he had brought with him, such as scribes wear upon occasions of -festival, lay upon the bed in his chamber, thinking of the strange -place in which he found himself and its still stranger inhabitants. He -thought of the wondrous hawk-eyed old prophet, of his grave-miened -councillors as they had appeared gathered in that tomb-temple, of the -ceremony to which he was to be summoned, if indeed he had not been -forgotten, and what might be its occasion. He thought also of how his -father, Apepi, would receive the proud answer of these anchorites; of -the smile upon the face of the mighty Sphinx which that day he had -seen for the first time, and of other things. -</p> - -<p> -But most of all did he think of the guide who had led him from the -palm grove and afterwards bandaged his eyes. This guide was a woman, a -young woman with beautiful hair and hands, on one of which she wore a -royal ring. That was all he knew of her who for aught he could tell -might be very ugly, as the ring might be one she had found or stolen. -Yet this was certain, that however common her face or humble her -station, her mind was neither. No uninstructed peasant girl could -harbour her thoughts or clothe them in her words. Much indeed did he -long to see that guide unveiled and to discover the mystery of one who -had so sweet a voice. -</p> - -<p> -At this point a deep, gruff voice asked leave to enter, which he gave. -As he rose from the bed there appeared before him in the lamplight a -black man more gigantic than any he had ever seen, who carried in his -hand an enormous axe. -</p> - -<p> -“I pray you tell me, who are you and what is your business with me?” -Khian inquired, staring at him and rubbing his eyes, for at first he -thought he must be dreaming. -</p> - -<p> -“I am your guide,” said the giant, “and I come to take you with me.” -</p> - -<p> -“By Set, another guide, and very different from the last!” exclaimed -Khian. “Now I wonder if this ceremony is that of my execution,” he -added to himself. “Surely the man and his axe would be well suited to -such a purpose. Or is he but another of the ghosts that haunt these -pyramids?” Then he addressed Ru, for it was he, saying: -</p> - -<p> -“Sir Giant on the Earth, or Sir Spirit from the Underworld, for I know -not which you are, I feel no wish for a journey in your company. I am -tired and prefer to stop where I am. I bid you good-night.” -</p> - -<p> -“Sir Envoy, or Sir Scribe, or Sir Prince in disguise, or Sir Soldier, -for that at any rate I am sure that you are because of your bearing -and the scars on you, which were never made with a stylus, however -tired you may be, you cannot remain upon that bed. I am commanded to -lead you elsewhere. Will you come or must I carry you as I did your -baggage?” -</p> - -<p> -“Oh! So you were the thief who stole my parcels and left a -smooth-tongued wench behind you to conduct me across the sand!” -</p> - -<p> -“A wench!” roared Ru. “A wench——” and he lifted his axe. -</p> - -<p> -“Well, Friend, what else was she? Not a man, that I’ll swear, and -between man and woman there is no halfway house. Tell me, I pray you, -for I am curious. Sit down and take a cup of wine, for this place is -cramping to one of your stature. These monks of yours seem to have -very good wine. I never tasted better in my—in the King’s Court. Try -it.” -</p> - -<p> -Ru took the cup which he proffered to him and drained it. -</p> - -<p> -“I thank you,” he said. “The worst of dwelling with hermits is that -they are so fond of water, though they have plenty of good stuff -stored away in some grave or other. Now let us be going. I tell you I -am commanded——” -</p> - -<p> -“So you said before, Friend Giant. By whom are you commanded?” -</p> - -<p> -“By her——” began Ru, and stopped. -</p> - -<p> -“Her, who or what? Do you mean the lady who guided and blindfolded me? -Stay. Take one more cup of this excellent wine.” -</p> - -<p> -Ru did so, answering as he set it down: -</p> - -<p> -“You are not far from it, but my tongue is tied. Come, Prince.” -</p> - -<p> -“Prince!” he exclaimed, holding up his hands. “Friend Giant, that wine -must be getting into your head if it can reach so far in so short a -time. What do you mean?” -</p> - -<p> -“What I say, though I should not have said it. Don’t you understand, -Prince, that these tomb dwellers are wizards and know everything -although they pretend to know nothing? They think me a stupid -Ethiopian, just a black fellow who can handle a battle-axe, which -perhaps is all I am. Still, I have ears and I hear, and that is how I -come to know that you are a certain Prince, and a soldier like myself, -though it pleases you to pretend to be a scribe. Still, I have not -mentioned it to any one else, not even to—— But never mind. Be -sure—she knows nothing. She thinks you are just what you say—a -fellow who scribbles on papyrus. Now talk no more; come, come. Time -passes. Afterwards you shall tell me what wars go on in Egypt to-day, -for in this place I hear nothing of battle who before I became a nurse -was a warrior”; and seizing Khian by the hand—he dragged him away -down sundry dark passages, till at length, at the end of one of them, -he saw light gleaming faintly. -</p> - -<p> -They entered a great hall of the temple. It was roofed and the moon’s -rays shining through the clerestory windows and the high-set opening -at its end, showed Khian that in it were gathered a multitude of men -or women—he could not see which because they were all draped in white -robes and wore veils upon their faces, that gave them a ghost-like -air. At the head of this hall, on a stage lit with lamps, also -white-robed but unveiled, sat the Council of the Order of the Dawn. In -the centre of their long, curved line was a shrine half hidden by a -curtain and in front of this alabaster shrine stood an empty chair -with sphinx-headed arms. Nothing more could be seen in that dim light. -When Khian entered there was silence in the hall; it was as though his -appearance had been awaited for some rite to be begun. -</p> - -<p> -“We are late,” muttered Ru and dragged him forward up a kind of aisle, -all present turning their veiled heads and staring at him as he went -by, through eyeholes cut in the veils. They came to a seat set in -front of the stage or dais, but at a little distance, so that he could -see everything that happened there. Into this seat Ru thrust him, -whispering that he was not to move. Then he departed and presently -reappeared upon the dais where he took his stand upon the left-hand -side of the shrine to the right of which stood the tall, white-haired -Kemmah. -</p> - -<p> -“Let the entrance be shut and guarded,” said Roy presently, and -movements behind him told Khian that this was being done. Then Roy -rose and spoke, saying: -</p> - -<p> -“Brethren and Elders of the holy, ancient, and mighty Order of the -Dawn, whereof the Council at this time has its home amid these tombs -and pyramids and is sentinelled by the watching Sphinx, the symbol of -the rising sun, hear me, Roy the Prophet. You are summoned hither from -every nome and city in Egypt, from Tyre, from Babylon and Nineveh, -from Cyprus and from Syria, and from many another land beyond the sea, -being the chosen delegates of our Brotherhood in those towns and -countries, among which it dwells to kindle light in the hearts of men -and to instruct them in the laws of Truth and Gentleness, to overthrow -oppressors by all righteous means and to bind the world together in -the service of that Spirit whom we worship, who, enthroned on high, -makes of all gods its ministers. -</p> - -<p> -“Why have you been called from so far away? I will tell you. It is -that you may take part in the crowning of a Queen of Egypt, the true -descendant of the ancient Pharaohs who for thousands of years have sat -upon her throne, and a sworn neophyte of our Order, vowed to its faith -and to the execution of its duties, the daughter and heiress of King -Kheperra and of Queen Rima of the royal House of Babylon, now both -gathered to Osiris. We, the Council of the Dawn, among whom this Queen -to be has sheltered from her infancy, declare to you upon our oaths -that she who presently will appear before you is none other than -Nefra, the Princess of Egypt, the daughter and only child of Kheperra -and Rima, as her nurse, the Lady Kemmah, who stands before you, can -testify, for she was present at her birth and has dwelt with her till -this hour. Are you content, Councillors and Elders of the Dawn, or do -you demand further proofs?” -</p> - -<p> -“We are content,” answered the audience with one voice. -</p> - -<p> -“Then let Nefra, Princess of Egypt and heiress of the Two Lands, -appear before you.” -</p> - -<p> -As Roy spoke these words the curtain in front of the alabaster shrine -was drawn, and standing within it, glittering in the lamplight, -appeared Nefra. So lovely did she seem in her coronation robes upon -which shone the royal emblems and jewels of the ancient kings, so -stately in her youthful, slender grace, so fair of form and -countenance, that a sigh of wonder went up from that veiled gathering, -while Khian stared amazed, and as he stared became aware that Love had -gripped him by the heart. -</p> - -<p> -The figure in the shrine stood quite still, so still that for a while -he wondered if she were human, or perchance Hathor, goddess of Love -herself, or a statue fashioned by some great artist. Suddenly his -doubts were ended, for behold! she smiled, then stepped from the -shrine and was led to the carven chair in which she took her seat. -Thrice the veiled company bowed to her, Khian with them, and thrice -she bowed back to them. Then, advancing to the side of the chair, Roy -addressed her. -</p> - -<p> -“Princess of Egypt,” he said, “you are brought before this gathering -of true and pure-hearted men from many lands that in their presence -you may be anointed and crowned the Queen of Egypt. Not thus should -this holy rite have been performed, but the times are difficult and -dangerous, and a foreign king of desert blood holds half the land and -rings it round with swords. Therefore here in secret and at midnight -in a place of ghosts and tombs, and not beneath the sun in the -presence of thousands at Memphis or at Thebes, must your hand grasp -the sceptre and Egypt’s crown be set upon your brow. Yet know that -presently from the Cataracts to the sea and far away beyond the sea, -aye, and in the Court of the Shepherd King himself, the news will fly -that once more Egypt has a Queen. Do you accept this royalty, great as -may be its burdens and its perils?” -</p> - -<p> -“I accept it,” said Nefra in her sweet, clear voice that Khian seemed -to know again. “Unworthy as I am, I accept that which comes to me -unsought and undesired, brought to me by right of blood. Nor do I fear -its perils and its burdens, for the Strength that led me to the throne -will safeguard me there.” -</p> - -<p> -There was a faint murmur of applause—even Khian found himself -murmuring applause—and as it died away, Roy took an alabaster vase of -oil and dipping his finger into it, made some sign upon her brow. Then -appeared Kemmah and gave to him a circlet of gold from which rose the -royal uræus, and an ivory sceptre surmounted with gems. This circlet -he set upon her head and the sceptre he placed in her right hand. Then -he bowed the knee to her, and said: -</p> - -<p> -“In the name of the Spirit that rules the world, I, Roy the ancient, -son of your great-grandsire, appointed prophet of the Spirit during my -life days, before this company of brethren and officers of the Order -of the Dawn, anoint and declare you, Nefra, Princess of Egypt and -sister-elect of the Order of the Dawn, being a woman come to full -estate, Queen by right divine and human of the Upper and the Lower -Lands, and call down upon you the blessing of the Spirit. As yet you -have no Court nor armies and your prerogatives are usurped by others, -yet learn, O Queen, that you are acknowledged in a million hearts and -that if anywhere your glance falls upon five talking together, three -of them in secret are your faithful subjects. Of the future we know -nothing because it is hid from men, yet we believe that in it much joy -awaits you with length of days, and that the crown which now we set -upon your head in secret in time to come shall shine openly before the -multitudes of earth. In the name of Egypt and of the Order of the Dawn -to which you are sworn, O Queen, I, Roy the Prophet, do you homage.” -</p> - -<p> -Then kneeling down, while the company prostrated itself before her as -though she were a goddess, Roy touched the new-made queen’s fingers -with his lips. -</p> - -<p> -With her sceptre Nefra signed that he and all should rise. Then she -stood upon her feet and said: -</p> - -<p> -“At such a time as this what can I say to so many great ones who have -gathered here to do me honour, and for Egypt’s sake to crown me -Egypt’s queen, I who am but an untaught maiden? Only one thing, I -think. That I swear I will live and die for Egypt. I have been told -that at my birth Egypt’s goddesses appeared in a dream to my mother -and gave to me a certain title, that of the Uniter of Lands. May this -dream come true. May I prove to be the Uniter of the Upper and the -Lower Lands, and when I pass to join my fathers, leave Egypt one and -great. Such is my prayer. Now I thank you all and ask of you leave to -go.” -</p> - -<p> -“Not yet, O Queen,” said Roy. “An ambassador has come to us from the -Court of the Shepherd King at Tanis, he who sits before you, bringing -messages that to-morrow must be considered by you in Council. Yet -there is one of them to which we think an answer should be given here -and now, before all this company. Apepi, King of the Shepherds, being -unwed, demands the hand of your Majesty in marriage, promising to your -children the inheritance of all Egypt. What says your Majesty?” -</p> - -<p> -Now Nefra started and bit her lip as though to keep herself from the -uttering of rash words. Then she answered: -</p> - -<p> -“I thank the King Apepi, but like others, this matter must be -considered with the rest, seeing that it is a great one to Egypt and -to Egypt’s Queen. Let King Apepi’s envoy”—here she glanced swiftly at -Khian—“be pleased to accept our hospitality in this secret place -until once more the full moon shines above the pyramids, while I take -counsel with myself and with some that dwell far off. Meanwhile, let -messengers be sent to King Apepi to inform him how it comes about that -the return of his ambassador is delayed. Or if it pleases him, let -that ambassador make his own report at once to his master, the King -Apepi.” -</p> - -<p> -Now Khian rose, bowed, and said: -</p> - -<p> -“Nay, Lady and Council of the Dawn, the command given to me, Rasa the -Scribe, was that with my own hands I should bear back the answers to -those questions which were written in the roll of my commission. Here -then I bide till these are delivered to me. Meanwhile, if it pleases -you to send messages to King Apepi, it is not in my power to say that -they shall not be sent. Do as you will.” -</p> - -<p> -“So be it,” said Nefra. -</p> - -<p> -Then she rose, bowed, and departed, led by the Lady Kemmah and -escorted by the Council. -</p> - -<p> -<br/> -</p> - -<p> -Thus ended the midnight crowning of Nefra as Queen of Egypt. -</p> - - -<h3 id="ch10"> -CHAPTER X.<br/> -<span class="chap_sub">The Message</span> -</h3> - -<p class="noindent"> -<span class="sc">On the</span> morrow Khian slept late, being very weary, and in his sleep -was visited by dreams. They were fantastic dreams of which, when he -awoke, he could remember little, save that they had to do with -pyramids and men with veiled faces and with a giant who bore a great -axe, and with palm trees through which the wind sighed gently, till -presently it changed to the voice of a woman, just such a voice as -that of the messenger who had guided him from the grove, just such a -voice as that of the royal lady who had sat upon the throne in the -temple halls. -</p> - -<p> -Yet, alas! he could not understand what this voice said, and in his -dream, growing angry, he turned to the giant with the axe, bidding him -interpret the meaning of the song. Behold! the black giant was changed -into that Sphinx who sat upon the sands, before which he had been -blindfolded. He stared at the Sphinx and the Sphinx stared back at -him. Then of a sudden it opened its great stone lips and spoke, and -the sound of its voice was like to that of the roll of distant -thunder. -</p> - -<p> -“What is it thou wouldst learn of me, the Ancient, O Man?” asked the -rolling voice. Now in his dream Khian grew frightened and answered at -hazard: -</p> - -<p> -“I would learn how old thou art and what thou hast seen, O Sphinx.” -</p> - -<p> -“Hundreds of millions of years ago,” answered the lips of stone, “I -was shaped in the womb of Fire and cast forth in the agony of the -birth of the world. For tens of millions of years I lay beneath deep -water, and grew in their darkness. The waters receded and lo! I was a -mountain of which the point appeared amidst a forest. Great creatures -crept about my flanks, they roared round me in the mists, thousands of -generations of them, now of this shape and now of that. The mists -departed; I looked upon the sun, a huge ball of flaming red that day -by day rose up over against me. In its fierce heat the forests -withered and passed away in fire. Sands appeared out of it that, -driven by great winds, shaped me to my lion’s shape. A river rolled at -my feet, the river Nile. New beasts took refuge in my shade in place -of the reptiles that were gone; they fought and ravened and mated and -bore their young about me. -</p> - -<p> -“More millions of years went by and there came yet other beasts, hairy -creatures that ran upon two legs and jabbered. These passed and behold -there were men, now of this colour and now of that. Tribe by tribe -these men butchered each other for food and women, dashing out the -brains of their enemies with stones and devouring them, cooked first -in the rays of the sun, and then with fire which they had learned to -make. -</p> - -<p> -“These passed away and there appeared other men who wore garments of -skins and killed their prey with flint-headed arrows and spears. -Yonder in the cliff you may find their graves covered with flat -stones. These men worshipped the sun and me, the rock upon which his -rays fell at dawn. Thus first I became a god. Again there was war -around me and my worshippers were slain, they and their fair-haired -children were all slain. Still their dark-hued conquerors worshipped -the sun and me. Moreover, they were artists and with hard tools they -fashioned my face and form as these appear to-day. Afterwards they -built pyramids and tombs and in them kings and princes were laid to -rest. For generation after generation I watched them come and go, till -at length there were no more of them, and white-robed priests crept -about the ruins of their temples as still they creep to-day. Such is -my history, O Man, that is yet but begun, for when all the gods are -gone and none pour offerings to me or them, still lost in memories I, -who was from the beginning, shall remain until the end. Yet was it of -this that thou wouldst ask me?” -</p> - -<p> -“Nay, O Sphinx. Tell me, what is the name of that wind among the palm -trees of which the sound is as the voice of woman? Whence comes it and -whither does it go?” -</p> - -<p> -“That wind, O Man, blew at the begetting of the world and will blow -until its death, for without it no life can be. It came from God and -to God it returns again, and in heaven and earth its name is <i>Love</i>.” -</p> - -<p> -Now Khian would have asked more questions, but could not for suddenly -all his dream vanished and his eyes opened to behold, not the face of -the Sphinx, mighty and solemn, but the ebon features of the giant Ru. -</p> - -<p> -“What is love, O Ru?” he asked, yawning. -</p> - -<p> -“Love!” answered Ru, astonished. “What do I know about love? There are -so many sorts of love; that of men for women, or of women for men, -which is a curse and a madness sent into the world by Set to be its -torment; that of kings for power which is the father of war; that of -merchants for wealth which breeds theft and misery; that of the -learned for wisdom, a bird which never can be snared; that of the -mother for her child, which is holy; and that of the slave for him or -her he serves, which is the only sort I know. Ask it of Roy the -Prophet, though I think he has forgotten all love save that of the -gods and death.” -</p> - -<p> -“It is of the first that I would learn, O Ru, and of it I think that -Roy can tell me nothing, who, as you say, has forgotten all. Whom -shall I ask of this?” -</p> - -<p> -Ru rubbed his black nose and replied: -</p> - -<p> -“Try the first maiden whom you meet when the moon is rising over the -waters of the Nile. Perhaps she can tell you, Lord. Or if that will -not serve so fine a noble, try her whom you saw seated on the throne -last night, for she has studied many things and perhaps love may be -among them. And now, if it pleases you to rise, the Council awaits you -presently, but not, I think, to talk to you of love.” -</p> - -<p> -An hour later Khian stood before Roy and his company. -</p> - -<p> -“Scribe Rasa,” said the Prophet, for although Ru in his cups had -revealed that his true dignity was known, this was not given to him, -“we have written in a roll our answers to the letter of the King -Apepi, which are such as we told you they would be. As to the matter -of the marriage that is offered by the King to that royal lady whom -you saw crowned Queen of Egypt but last night, we have added that you, -his messenger, shall learn her answer from her own lips on the night -of the first full moon after that of her crowning, since she must have -time to consider this great business. Now we pray you to add to this -letter of ours any that it pleases you to send, making report of what -you have heard and seen among us, which report shall be borne -faithfully by our messenger to the Court of your master, the King who -sits at Tanis.” -</p> - -<p> -“It shall be done, Prophet,” said Khian, “though what will chance when -this report reaches the King Apepi, I cannot tell. Meanwhile, is it -still your will that I should abide here among you till that moon -shines, having liberty to move to and fro within your boundaries?” -</p> - -<p> -“Such is the will of the Queen Nefra and of us her councillors, Scribe -Rasa. That is, unless it pleases you to be gone at once.” -</p> - -<p> -“It does not please me, Prophet.” -</p> - -<p> -“Then remain among us, Scribe Rasa, remembering the oath that you have -sworn, that you will reveal no secret of our hiding places, or our -doctrines, or our company, or aught save of that business with which -you have to do.” -</p> - -<p> -“I will remember it,” answered Khian, bowing. -</p> - -<p> -For a while he lingered, talking of little things with the Lord Tau -and other members of the Council in the hope that Nefra herself would -appear to take part in their deliberations. At length, as she did not -come, he went away because he must, and was guided back to his chamber -by Ru. -</p> - -<p> -“I am going to write a letter, Friend Giant,” he said, “which letter -in the end may bring about my end. However, that is some way off, a -month away indeed, and meanwhile, after it is finished, I desire to -study the pyramids and all the other wonders of this place. Now -yesterday a certain youth was my guide who seemed very intelligent. If -he can be found I should be willing to pay him well to continue in -that office while I remain a guest among these graves.” -</p> - -<p> -Ru shook his great head and answered: -</p> - -<p> -“Lord, it is impossible. That youth is one of those idlers who stand -about waiting for food to fall into their mouths, and if it does not -come, move elsewhere. He has moved elsewhere, or at least I have not -seen him this morning, and as I do not know his name I cannot inquire -where he has gone.” -</p> - -<p> -“So be it,” answered Khian, “though, friend Ru, you will forgive me if -I compliment your honesty by saying that you do not lie very well. Now -be pleased to tell me, as this one is lacking, how I can find another -guide.” -</p> - -<p> -“That is easy, Lord. When you are ready, put your head out of the door -and clap your hands. In this place there is always someone listening -and watching, and he will summon me.” -</p> - -<p> -“That I can well believe. Indeed, here I feel as though the very walls -listened and watched.” -</p> - -<p> -“They do,” replied Ru candidly, and departed. -</p> - -<p> -Khian wrote his letter. It was but short, yet, although so skilled a -scribe, it took him a long time, since he knew not what to say or -leave unsaid. In the end it ran thus: -</p> - -<div class="letter"> - -<p class="noindent"> -“From the Scribe Rasa to His Majesty, King Apepi, the good God: -</p> - -<p> -“As commanded I, the Scribe Rasa, have come to the habitations of the -Order of the Dawn who dwell in certain ruined temples and tombs -beneath the shadow of the Great Pyramids, and been received by their -prophet Roy and the members of their Council. I presented the letter -of your Majesty to this Council, also the gifts your Majesty was -pleased to send, which gifts they refused for religious reasons. I -have learned that the royal Nefra, daughter of Kheperra who once ruled -in the South, is living here in the keeping of the Brethren of the -Dawn. Last night I saw this princess, who is young, crowned with much -ceremony as Queen of all Egypt before a great company of veiled men -who, I was told, were gathered from all over the world. The Council of -the Dawn send herewith an answer to the letter of your Majesty which -has not been shown to me. As touching your Majesty’s proposal of -marriage, however, the Lady Nefra, seated on a throne and speaking as -a queen, said to me that she would consider of the matter and give me -her answer to be handed to your Majesty at the time of the next full -moon, until when I must abide here and wait in patience. Here then I -stay, having no choice in the matter, that I may fulfil the commands -of your Majesty and on the appointed day bear back the answer of the -Lady Nefra, though whether this will be in writing or by message, I do -not know. -</p> - -<p> -“Sealed with the seal of the Envoy of your Majesty, -</p> - -<p class="sign2"> -<span class="sc">Rasa the Scribe</span>.” -</p> - -</div> - -<p> -When Khian had copied this letter and done it up into a roll, -wondering much what Apepi his father would say and do when he read it -and that by which it was accompanied, he ate of the food that was -brought to him and afterwards went to the door of his chamber and -clapped his hands, as he had been directed to do. Instantly from the -recesses of the dark passage appeared Ru accompanied by a white-robed -man whom Khian knew for one of the councillors. To this councillor he -gave the roll that he had written to be despatched together with the -answer of the Council to King Apepi at Tanis. When he was gone Ru led -Khian through the great hall where Nefra had been crowned and thence, -meeting no one, by a secret doorway to the desert beyond. -</p> - -<p> -“Where have all those gone whom we saw last night?” asked Khian. -</p> - -<p> -“Where do the bats go, Lord, when the sun arises? They vanish away and -are no more seen, yet they are not dead but only hidden. So it is with -the Company of the Dawn. Search for them among the fishermen of the -Nile; search for them among the Bedouins of the desert; search for -them in the Courts of foreign kings; search where you will, yet be -sure that neither you nor all the spies of the Shepherd king will find -one of them.” -</p> - -<p> -“Truly this is a land of ghosts,” said Khian. “Almost could I believe -that those veiled ones were not men but spirits.” -</p> - -<p> -“Perhaps,” answered Ru enigmatically; “and now, where would it please -you to wander?” -</p> - -<p> -“To the pyramids,” said Khian. -</p> - -<p> -So to the pyramids they went, walking round all of them, while Khian -marvelled at their greatness. -</p> - -<p> -“Is it possible that these stone mountains can be climbed?” he asked -presently. -</p> - -<p> -Ru led him round the corner of the second pyramid and there, seated on -the sand and playing pipes that made a wild music, were three men, the -Captain of the Pyramids and two of his sons. -</p> - -<p> -“Here are those who can answer your question, Lord,” he said, then -turning to the men added, “This lord, who is an envoy and a guest, -desires to know whether the pyramids can be climbed.” -</p> - -<p> -“We awaited you,” said the Captain gravely, “as we have been commanded -to do. Is it now your pleasure to see this feat performed?” -</p> - -<p> -“It is,” answered Khian. “Moreover, the climber will not lack a -present, though I who am a scaler of mountains hold the thing to be -impossible.” -</p> - -<p> -“Be pleased to stand back a little way and watch,” said the Captain. -</p> - -<p> -Then he and his two sons threw off their long robes and clothed only -in a linen garment about their middles, ran to that pyramid which was -in front of them and separated. One son disappeared to the north and -the other to the south, while the father began to spring up the -eastern face as a goat springs up a precipice. Up he went, high and -higher yet, while Khian watched amazed, till at last he saw him gain -the very crest. Lo! as he did so there appeared with him the two sons -who, unseen, had travelled thither by other roads. Moreover, presently -there appeared a fourth figure clad in white. -</p> - -<p> -“Who is the fourth?” exclaimed Khian. “But three started to climb, and -now, behold! there are four.” -</p> - -<p> -Ru stared at the top of the pyramid, then answered stupidly: -</p> - -<p> -“Surely staring at those polished stones has dazed you, Lord. I see -but three, doubtless the Captain and his two sons.” -</p> - -<p> -Khian looked again and said: -</p> - -<p> -“It is true that now I also see but three. Yet there were four,” he -added obstinately. -</p> - -<p> -Presently the climbers began to descend, following one another down -the eastern face. At length they reached the ground safely, and having -donned their robes, came to Khian, bowing, and asked him whether he -were now satisfied that the pyramids could be climbed. -</p> - -<p> -“I am satisfied that this pyramid can be climbed, though of the others -I know nothing,” he answered. “Yet before I give you the reward you -have earned so well, tell me, Captain, how it comes about that you and -your sons, who were three at its base, became four upon its crest?” -</p> - -<p> -“What does my Lord mean?” asked the Sheik gravely. -</p> - -<p> -“What I say, Captain; neither more nor less. When you stood upon the -top yonder, with the three of you was a fourth, a slender figure clad -in white. I swear it by all the gods.” -</p> - -<p> -“It may be so,” answered the Sheik imperturbably, “only then, as we -saw no one, it must have been given to my Lord to perceive the Spirit -of the Pyramids herself who accompanied us, invisible to our eyes. Had -this chanced when the full moon shines, it would not have been so -wonderful, since then she is apt to wander, or so it is reported, but -that he should have seen her in the light of day is most strange and -portends we know not what.” -</p> - -<p> -Now Khian began to ply the man and his sons with questions about this -Spirit of the Pyramids and whether she would be visible if they came -to look for her when the full moon shone, but from them learned -nothing, since to every question they answered that they did not know. -Next he inquired of them whether they would teach him how to climb the -pyramids as they did, if he paid them well. They replied that except -by order of the Council they would not, because the business was very -dangerous, and if aught happened to him, his blood would be on their -hands. So in the end he made them a large present, for which they -thanked him with many bows, and, just as the sun began to set, -departed back to the temple. -</p> - -<p> -As they went side by side, Khian, who was lost in thought and wonder, -heard Ru mutter: -</p> - -<p> -“A second whom the gods have smitten with the desire to climb the -pyramids. Who could have believed that there were two such mad people -in the world? What does it mean? Surely such folly must have a -meaning, for among my people, the Ethiopians, they say that the -maddest are always the most inspired.” -</p> - -<p> -Twice or thrice he muttered thus, till at last Khian asked him -suddenly: -</p> - -<p> -“Who, then, was the other fool to whom the gods gave the desire to -climb the pyramids? Was she perchance that one whom I saw standing -with the Sheik and his sons upon yonder crest?” -</p> - -<p> -“No, I think not,” answered the startled Ru confusedly. “Indeed, I am -sure not, since to-day she has other business to attend. Also, I -should have known——” Then he remembered and stopped. -</p> - -<p> -“So there is a lady who loves this sport! Well, I have heard as much -before, and, friend Ru, as you seem to know her, if you will arrange -that I can follow it in her company, you will find yourself growing -richer than you are.” -</p> - -<p> -“Here is the door to the temple,” answered Ru, with a grin, “and, by -the way, the second prophet, Tau, bade me to pray you to eat with him -and others this night.” -</p> - -<p> -“I obey,” said Khian, hoping in his heart that one of those others -would be the lovely lady whom he had seen crowned as Queen of Egypt. -Yet this was not so, for at that meal were only Tau and with him three -aged councillors, who, when they had partaken sparingly, slipped away, -leaving him and his host together. Then these two began to talk, each -of them seeking knowledge of the other. -</p> - -<p> -Soon Khian learned that this Tau, the second Prophet of the Order, -though not Egyptian by blood, had been born to a high station and -great wealth. He had been a warrior and a statesman also, and, it -seemed, might have become a king, either in Cyprus or Syria, where he -would not say. Far and wide he had travelled about the world, -acquiring the languages of many peoples and much learning, and -studying religions and philosophies. Yet in the end he had abandoned -all and become one of the Priesthood of the Dawn. -</p> - -<p> -Khian asked him why he who, as he understood, might have sat upon a -throne and mingled with the great ones of the earth while children -grew up about him had chosen instead to dwell in tombs with the -brethren of a secret order. -</p> - -<p> -“Would you learn? Then I will tell you,” answered Tau. “I have done -this because I seek peace, peace for Egypt and the world and peace for -my own soul, and in pomps and governments there is no peace but only -strivings that for the most part end in war to win more wealth and -powers that we do not need. Scribe Rasa,” he added, looking at him -keenly, “were you other than you are, a prince, for instance, I think -that perhaps, had you instruction in our philosophy, in the end you -might prove to be such another as I am, or even as is Roy the Prophet, -and turning your back upon what the world calls greatness, might -follow in this same path of peace and service.” -</p> - -<p> -“Were I such a one, Priest Tau, it might be so, though other roads run -to peace through service than those that lead there by monasteries or -tombs, and each must follow that which lies open to his feet.” -</p> - -<p> -“That is true and well spoken, Scribe Rasa.” -</p> - -<p> -“Yet,” went on Khian, “being athirst for knowledge I would learn of -these mysteries of yours and of how their servants may attain to this -peace and help to call it down upon the world. Is it possible while I -sojourn here that one could be found to instruct me in them?” -</p> - -<p> -“I think that it is possible, but of this matter we will talk again. -Sleep well, Scribe Rasa, and take counsel with your heart before you -enter on this difficult path.” -</p> - -<p> -Then he rose and Ru appeared to lead Khian back to his chamber. -</p> - - -<h3 id="ch11"> -CHAPTER XI.<br/> -<span class="chap_sub">The Fall</span> -</h3> - -<p class="noindent"> -<span class="sc">On the</span> following morning Khian was informed by Ru that orders had -been sent to the Captain of the Pyramids to instruct him in the art of -scaling them, should he so desire. So presently, accompanied by Ru, he -went out and at the foot of the smallest of the pyramids found this -man and his sons awaiting him. Awhile later, having been stripped of -most of his garments and removed his sandals, he began his lesson, -much as Nefra had done, with a rope tied about his middle. Like her, -being young, active, and very bold, accustomed to the scaling of -heights moreover, he proved an apt pupil, climbing two thirds of the -height of the pyramid, that is, as far as he was allowed to go, -turning about, as Nefra had done, and descending again with but little -help from his guide. Yet trouble came, for when he was within some -forty feet of the ground, to which the Sheik who was beneath him had -descended already and there stood, talking to Ru, Khian called to him -above who held the rope to throw it down as it was no more needed, and -at the same time undid the noose from about his middle. -</p> - -<p> -Thus freed the rope slid away, but, although Khian did not notice -this, it caught upon the marble but a little below him. Continuing his -descent carelessly enough, in setting his foot upon a certain knob of -this marble, his heel rested upon the rope that twisted round beneath -his weight, causing him to slip and lose his balance. -</p> - -<p> -Next instant he was sliding down the face of the pyramid, and, as he -slid he turned so that now his head pointed towards the ground. The -Sheik saw, as did Ru. Together they bounded forward to catch him in -his fall. In a second he was on them, but the weight of his body -struck between them, forcing them apart although they grasped him as -he came. Do what they would, his head hit the ground, not so very hard -indeed, but, as it chanced, where a stone fallen from the pyramid was -hidden just beneath the sand, and though he never felt the blow, of a -sudden his senses left him, for he was stunned. -</p> - -<p> -When they returned, dimly and as at a great distance he heard a voice -speaking, though who spoke he could not see because his eyelids seemed -to be glued together with blood, and for this, or some other reason, -he was unable to open them. -</p> - -<p> -“I think that he is not dead,” said the voice, which in truth was that -of a physician. “The neck does not seem to be broken, nor indeed any -limb. Therefore unless the skull is cracked, which I cannot discover -for the blood from the cut makes search difficult, I hold that he is -but stunned and will come to himself in time.” -</p> - -<p> -“The gods send that you are right, Leech,” answered another voice, a -woman’s voice that was full of doubt and fear. “For three long hours -has he lain senseless in this tomb and so still that almost I -think—— Oh! see, he stirs his hand. He lives! He lives! Feel his -heart again.” -</p> - -<p> -The physician did so, and said: -</p> - -<p> -“It beats more strongly. Trouble not, Lady. I believe that he will -recover.” -</p> - -<p> -“Pray that he does, all of you,” went on the woman’s voice, in which -now was hope mingled with anger. “Ill did you pyramid-climbers guard -him who tangled the rope about his feet. As for you, Ru, was not your -great strength enough to hold so light a weight falling from but a -little height?” -</p> - -<p> -“It seems not, Lady,” answered the deep voice of Ru, “seeing that this -light weight of his knocked me down and the Sheik with me, and almost -tore my arm out of its socket. Full forty feet he came like a stone -from a sling.” -</p> - -<p> -At this moment Khian opened his lips and very faintly asked for water. -It was brought to him. A soft hand lifted his head, a vase was held to -his lips. He drank, sighed, and swooned again. -</p> - -<p> -Once more he awoke or was awakened by the sharp pain that seemed to -stab his head from side to side. Now he could open his eyes and, -looking about him, saw that he was back in his chamber at the temple, -for upon a stool lay possessions of his own. At the foot of the couch -a curtain had been drawn and beyond the curtain he heard two women -talking. -</p> - -<p> -“How goes he, Kemmah? Has he awakened?” asked a sweet voice that he -knew again, for it was the voice of the guide who had led him from the -palm grove, the voice, too, of her whom he had seen crowned as Queen -of Egypt. -</p> - -<p> -Khian strove to lift his head, to look past the end of the curtain, -but could not because his neck was stiff as a stone; so he lay still -and listened, his heart beating for joy because this fair, royal lady -had been at the pains to visit him that she might learn his state. -</p> - -<p> -“Not yet, child,” answered the Lady Kemmah, “though it is true that it -is time he did. The learned leech, our brother, said that he can find -no great hurt and that he should wake within twelve hours, but twenty -have gone by and still he sleeps—or swoons.” -</p> - -<p> -“Oh! Kemmah, do you think that he will die?” asked Nefra in tones that -were full of fear. -</p> - -<p> -“Nay, nay, I hope not, though when the head is hurt one never can be -sure. It would be most sad, for he is a fine man. Never did I see one -more perfect in his body or more comely in his face, though half his -blood is that of the accursed Shepherds.” -</p> - -<p> -“Who told you about his blood, Kemmah, and whence it sprang?” -</p> - -<p> -“The birds of the air or the blowing wind. Are you the last to learn -what all here know—that this guest of ours is no palace scribe or -officer, but the Prince Khian himself, who, if you take Apepi as a -husband, will be your stepson?” -</p> - -<p> -“Have done with your talk of Apepi, on whom be the curse of all the -gods of Egypt, and of his own as well. For the rest, I guessed, but I -did not know, though I was sure that this Rasa could be no common man. -Save him, Kemmah! For if he dies—oh! what am I saying? Come, let me -look on him. As he sleeps there can be no harm and I will make the -sign of health upon his brow and pray for his recovery to the Spirit -that we worship.” -</p> - -<p> -“Well, then, be swift, for if the leech or Tau should come, they might -think it strange to find the Queen of Egypt in a sick man’s chamber. -Still, have your way, but be swift. I will keep watch without.” -</p> - -<p> -Now although Khian shut his eyes close so that he could see nothing, -with his ears he heard the curtain drawn aside, heard, too, a light -footfall by his bed. More, he felt soft fingers make some sign upon -his brow, a loop it seemed to be with a line drawn through it, -perchance the Loop of Life. Then she who had drawn the sign seemed to -lean over him and, setting her lips close to his face, to murmur holy -words of which he could not catch the drift or meaning. And as she -murmured, ever those lips drew closer to his own, till at length for -one second they touched his own and swiftly were withdrawn. Then came -a sigh and silence. -</p> - -<p> -Now Khian opened his eyes, to see other eyes gazing down at him, and -in them tears. -</p> - -<p> -“Where am I? What has chanced?” he asked faintly. “I dreamed that I -was dead and that some daughter of the gods breathed new life into me. -Oh! now I remember, my foot turned on that accursed rope and being -careless and over-sure, I fell. It matters not, soon I shall be strong -again and then I swear that I will climb those pyramids one by one -more swiftly than does the spirit who inhabits them.” -</p> - -<p> -“Hush! Hush!” murmured Nefra. “Nurse, come here. This sick one is -awake and speaks, though foolishly.” -</p> - -<p> -“Soon he will be asleep again for good if you stay at his side talking -of pyramids,” answered Kemmah who had entered the place unseen by -either. “Have you not had enough of pyramids, both of you? Would that -those vain fools of kings had never built them to bring trouble to the -greater fools that come after.” -</p> - -<p> -“Yet I will climb them,” muttered Khian. -</p> - -<p> -“Begone, child, and bid Ru bring the leech, and swiftly,” went on -Kemmah. -</p> - -<p> -With one quick glance at Khian, Nefra glided away. Kemmah watched her -go, saying to herself as she turned to minister to him: -</p> - -<p> -“How strange a thing is love that can send so many to their deaths, or -by its strength draw the dying back to life again. But of the love of -these two what will be born?” -</p> - -<p> -Then she gave Khian milk to drink and bade him lie still and silent. -</p> - -<p> -Yet he would not obey who, having drunk, asked her dreamily: -</p> - -<p> -“Think you, good Nurse, that the Spirit of the Pyramids of whom all -talk in this holy land is as fair as that lady who has left us?” -</p> - -<p> -“The Spirit of the Pyramids! Can I never be rid of these pyramids? -Who, then, and what is this Spirit?” -</p> - -<p> -“That is just what I would find out, Nurse, even if I lose my life in -seeking it, as it seems that already almost I have done. My soul is -aflame with desire to look upon this Spirit, for something within -tells me that until I do so never shall I find happiness.” -</p> - -<p> -“Here the story runs otherwise,” answered Kemmah. “Here it is said -that those who look on her, if there be such a one, find madness.” -</p> - -<p> -“Are they not perchance the same thing, Nurse? Are we ever happy -except when we are mad? Can the sane be happy, or the wise? Is your -holy Prophet Roy happy, who is the sanest of the sane and the wisest -of the wise? Are all those death-awaiting Whitebeards who surround him -happy? Have you ever been happy, except perhaps years ago when -sometimes you were mad?” -</p> - -<p> -“If you ask me, I have not,” answered Kemmah, remembering certain -things and trembling beneath the thought of them. “Perchance you are -right, young sir. Perchance, as drunkards think, we are only happy -when we are mad. Yet if you will be guided by me, you will cease to -seek a spirit in the skies, or near them, and content yourself with -following after woman upon the earth.” -</p> - -<p> -“Who knows, Nurse,” replied Khian with all the solemnity of one whose -brain still reels, “that in seeking after the Spirit I may not find -the woman, as in seeking after a woman, some have found a spirit? Who -knows that they are not the same thing? I will tell you—perhaps—when -I have climbed those pyramids by the light of the full moon.” -</p> - -<p> -“Which has already shone,” interrupted Kemmah angrily. -</p> - -<p> -“There are more full moons to come, Nurse. The sky is as peopled with -full moons unborn as the sea is with oysters that will be eaten, and -the pyramids will stand for a long while to welcome climbers,” -answered Khian faintly. -</p> - -<p> -“To Set with the pyramids and your silly talk!” burst out Kemmah, -stamping her foot. Then she ceased, noting that Khian had once more -swooned away. -</p> - -<p> -“A fool!” she thought to herself as she ran to find help. “Indeed, the -first of fools who would hunt a ghost when the loveliest of flesh and -blood lies to his hand. Yet were I thirty years younger I think that I -might find it in my heart to go mad with this spirit-seeking fool, as -I think also another is in the way of doing. What did he say? That in -searching for the Spirit he might find the woman? Well, perhaps he -will; perhaps after all this moonstruck prince is not such a fool as -he seems. Perhaps those who climb the pyramids find joy at the top of -them, and joy is better than wisdom. So at least some come to believe -when we grow old and have left it far behind.” -</p> - -<p> -Very soon Khian, who was young and strong and though shaken by the -shock of his fall, as the physician said, quite unhurt in his brain or -his bones, rose recovered from his bed. Indeed, within five days, once -more he was climbing the pyramids by the help of the Captain and his -sons, for it would seem that this passion had grown upon him during -his swoon. Also that swoon, when he shook off the last of it, left no -memory of what he had said or done while it endured. From the moment -when he set his foot upon the cord and slipped, until at last he rose -from his bed, he remembered nothing, not even the visit of Nefra to -his chamber or his talk with Kemmah, though it is true that these came -back to him in after days. So where he had left off, there he began -again, namely, on the slope of the pyramid, which very soon he -mastered, as in due time he did the others, like Nefra before him. -</p> - -<p> -Day by day, from dawn until the sun grew too hot for the work, he -laboured at those pyramids, so hard that at last the Captain and his -sons were almost outworn and declared that they had to do with a -devil, not a man. Yet they spoke well of him, as did all others, -holding that he who after such a fall dared to persevere and conquer, -must be great-hearted. For they did not understand that, from the -moment of his slip, of his fall he remembered nothing. -</p> - -<p> -Meanwhile, though he knew it not, at the Court of King Apepi it was -believed that he was dead. The tidings of his fall from the pyramid -and, it was added, of his death, for dead he seemed to be, had -overtaken that messenger, a Brother of the Dawn named Temu, who bore -the answer from the Council of the Dawn and Khian’s own letter, as he -embarked upon the Nile, and he had spread it abroad and carried it to -the Court at Tanis. When Apepi heard this news he was grieved in a -fashion, since he had loved his son a little, at least when he was -younger, though not much because in his fierce and selfish heart there -was small room for any love save of himself. -</p> - -<p> -Soon, however, his grief was swallowed up in wrath at that which was -written in the letter from the Brotherhood of the Dawn, which he swore -to destroy root and branch unless Nefra, whom they had dared to crown -Queen of Egypt, were given to him in marriage. Moreover, he believed -that Khian had not come to his end by a chance tumble from the -pyramid, but that he had been done to death at the decree of this -Brotherhood, that the heir to the Crown of the North might be removed -because he stood in the path of her who had been consecrated Queen of -all Egypt. But of all these things Apepi wrote nothing to the Council -of the Dawn. Indeed, he seized their messenger, Temu, and kept him in -a safe place where he could communicate with none, and meanwhile made -certain plans and preparations. -</p> - -<p> -<br/> -</p> - -<p> -During the weeks which followed his recovery Khian did more than climb -the pyramids. Thus he received instruction in the faith and worship of -the Brotherhood of the Dawn, as it had been promised that he should -do. In the evening, in a little lamp-lit hall, he was taught by Tau, -or by Roy the Prophet, or sometimes by both of them together. -Moreover, he shared this instruction with another pupil, Nefra the -neophyte. -</p> - -<p> -There he sat at one end of a table with ink and papyrus in front of -him, while at the other end, with Kemmah behind her and the gigantic -Ru standing in the shadow as a guard and sentinel, sat the young Queen -simply clothed in white as a neophyte should be, so placed that he -could see her face in the rays of the lamp and she could see his, and -yet too far away for them to talk together. At the centre of the table -in carved seats sat Roy and Tau, or one of them, expounding the secret -mysteries of their Order, and from time to time asking or answering -questions. -</p> - -<p> -So pure and beautiful was the faith they taught that very soon it -possessed the heart of Khian. In its outlines it was simple, that of -the existence of one great Spirit, of whose attributes all the gods -they knew were ministers, a Spirit who for its own purposes sent them -forth into the world, whence in due time it would draw them back -again. Moreover, these holy and learned men taught their pupils of -those purposes, declaring that the greatest of them was to promote -peace upon the earth and to do good to all that breathed. Yet there -were other parts of this doctrine which were not so plain and easy, -for these had to do with the methods by which that Spirit could be -approached of those who still dwelt upon the earth, with forms of -prayer and hidden rites also, that would bring the Worshipped into -communion with the worshipper. Further, there were many rules of life -and great principles of politics and government, all of which were a -part of the law. -</p> - -<p> -Khian hearkened and found this doctrine good, for therein was that -which fed if as yet it did not satisfy his hungry soul. On a certain -day at the end of the last lesson, he rose and said: -</p> - -<p> -“O holy Prophets Roy and Tau, I accept your teaching; I would be sworn -as the humblest of the Brethren of the Order of the Dawn. Only for a -certain reason which I must keep secret, of your temporal politics I -say nothing either good or ill, neither do I bind myself to them. In -the spirit I am yours; in the flesh and for the purposes of the flesh, -as yet I am the slave of others. Is it enough?” -</p> - -<p> -Roy and Tau consulted together while Nefra watched them curiously and -Khian sat lost in thought, his head bowed upon his hands. At length -the old prophet spoke, saying: -</p> - -<p> -“Son, the time you can give to study and preparation being short and -your heart being set upon the truth, it is enough. Here in these tombs -also we learn many things, and amongst them that men are not always -what they seem to be. Thus it well may chance that by blood, birth, -and duty you are bound with chains you cannot break, even to satisfy -your soul. It well may chance, moreover, that it is not for you to -take the vows of celibacy and abstinence, or to swear that you will -lift no sword in war, since perhaps it is decreed that your mission in -the world must be otherwise fulfilled. Further, what we say to you, we -say to our sister who with you has listened to the words of Life. Her -feet also are set upon a road that is high and difficult. Therefore, -exempting both of you from much to which others must bow their heads, -to-morrow we will absolve you from your sins, swear you to our -precepts, to break which will bring a curse upon your souls, and -number you among our company in earth and Heaven.” -</p> - -<p> -So it came about that on the next day at a great ceremony in the -temple hall, Khian the Prince and Nefra the Queen received at the -hands of Roy the Ancient absolution of all evil that they had thought -or done, and thereafter were sworn as full members of the Order of the -Dawn, vowing themselves to accept its law as their guiding star and to -pursue its holy ends eternally. Separately they knelt before its -white-robed High Priest while far off on the confines of the great -hall and out of hearing of their speech the brethren watched them as -witnesses, and received forgiveness and benediction with words of -whispered counsel, then withdrew and seated themselves side by side -while all that company chanted the ancient hymn of welcome to their -souls reborn. By slow degrees the loud, triumphant music grew less and -died away, as, headed by Roy, those who sang departed from the temple, -till at last there was a great silence, and in the silence they sat -alone. -</p> - -<p> -Khian looked about him and noted that even Ru and Kemmah were gone; in -that great and solemn place they were quite alone, stared at by the -cold statues of gods and ancient kings. -</p> - -<p> -Khian looked at Nefra and asked: -</p> - -<p> -“Of what are you thinking, Sister?” -</p> - -<p> -“I am thinking, Brother, that I have heard wonderful words and -received holy blessings which should have changed me from a sinful -maiden into a saint like Roy, and that yet I feel much the same as I -did before.” -</p> - -<p> -“Are you sure that Roy is so great a saint, Sister? I have seen him -once or twice grow wrath like others. Also does the absence of -temptation, of which there can be little after ninety, make a saint? -For the rest, doubtless you feel as you did before, because it is not -possible for snow to grow whiter than snow.” -</p> - -<p> -“Or fire hotter than fire. But have done, Brother. Is this a time or -place for pretty speeches? Hearken, for as we are now both bound in -the bonds of the same great oath we can speak our minds to each other, -fearing no betrayal. These rites have changed me little, if at all, -who always have known the doctrines of the Dawn that from childhood -were instilled into my heart, although, until I attained my present -age, under its law I could not be admitted to the full fellowship of -the order. Behold! I am still no spirit but a woman as before, full of -mortal purposes. Thus,” she added slowly, considering him with her -large eyes, “my father was slain by one I hold to have been the -usurper of his rights; one, too, who, I think, would have murdered me -if he could, and for those deeds I desire to repay him. Also to them -of late he has added deadly insult, for now this slayer of my father -and would-be murderer seeks to take me, the orphaned child, in -marriage, and for that affront, too, I would repay him.” -</p> - -<p> -“Bad, very bad, Sister,” answered Khian, shaking his head sadly, -perhaps to hide a certain twitching of the corners of his mouth. “But, -if I may ask, did you confess these black sins to the holy prophet -Roy, and if so, what did he say of them, Sister?” -</p> - -<p> -“I did, Brother, who could think of nothing else to confess, or at -least not much, and what he answered makes me believe that you are -right in holding that the holy Roy is still not so holy as he might -be. He said, Brother, that such thoughts were born of my ancient blood -and natural, and that it was right that those who committed great -crimes for cold, base purposes should suffer for the crimes, and that -if I were the means of bringing punishment upon this man, it would be -because it had been so decreed by Heaven. Therefore he did not set me -down as sinful in this matter. But enough. Tell me, Brother, if it -pleases you, do you find yourself changed at heart?” -</p> - -<p> -“I find my feet set upon a better and a higher road, Sister, for now I -know what to worship—I who worshipped nothing because I could believe -in nothing—also, how this new god should be worshipped. For the rest, -no one killed my father or sought to murder me and therefore I do not -wish to be avenged upon any one—at present. Yet, Sister——” and he -paused. -</p> - -<p> -“I am listening, Brother, who feel sure that you cannot be quite so -good as you would have me understand.” -</p> - -<p> -“Good! No, I am not good; I only hope to become good if I can find -someone to help me—no, not Roy, or Tau, or Kemmah, or the whole -Council of the Dawn—someone quite different.” -</p> - -<p> -“A goddess from on high,” suggested Nefra. -</p> - -<p> -“Yes, that is well said—a goddess from on high—we will talk of her -presently. But first what I want to say is that in following after -righteousness I have fallen into a very deep pit.” -</p> - -<p> -“What pit, Brother?” asked Nefra, looking up at the roof of the -temple. -</p> - -<p> -“One out of which I think you alone can help me. But I must explain. -First you should know that I am a liar. I am not the Scribe Rasa. The -Scribe Rasa, an excellent man and a master of his trade, died many -years ago when I was a boy. I am——” and he hesitated. -</p> - -<p> -“—The Prince Khian, son of Apepi and heir apparent to the Crown of -the North,” suggested Nefra. -</p> - -<p> -“Yes, you have got it quite right, except that I do not think I am any -longer heir apparent, or at any rate I shall soon cease to be so. But -may I ask, Sister, how you came to know my style and title?” -</p> - -<p> -“We know everything in the House of the Dawn, Brother, also, as it -chances, you told me them yourself when you were sick—or was it -Kemmah?” -</p> - -<p> -“Then it was very wrong of you to listen, Sister, and I hope that you -confessed that sin with the others. Well, now perhaps you see the pit. -The Prince Khian, the only lawful son of King Apepi—at present—has -been sworn a member of the Order of the Dawn, which order it is the -purpose of King Apepi to destroy, as is not wonderful, kings being -what they are, seeing that it has just crowned a certain lady Queen of -all Egypt and thereby in a sense declared war against him, the -usurper. Now tell me, what can I do who on the one hand am the Prince -Khian and on the other something much higher and better—a brother of -the Order of the Dawn?” -</p> - -<p> -“The answer is simple, Brother. You must make peace between Apepi and -the Order of the Dawn.” -</p> - -<p> -“Indeed, and how? By praying a certain sister to become the Queen of -King Apepi? Thus only can such a peace be made, as you know well.” -</p> - -<p> -“I never said it,” answered Nefra, flushing. “Moreover, it does not -please me to listen to such counsel—even from a brother.” -</p> - -<p> -“Nor would it please even a brother to give such counsel, for if it -were taken, that brother would soon be numbered among those who make -their prayers and swing their censers in the heavenly shrine whereof -we are instructed in the mysteries.” -</p> - -<p> -“Why?” asked Nefra innocently. “If he gave it not, I could understand, -for then a certain king might be wrath. But if he gave it, why?” -</p> - -<p> -“Because then a certain queen might be wrath, one who, as you, Sister, -have told me, loves vengeance. Or at least, because he himself, if -that counsel were taken, would be so weary of the world that he could -tread it no more.” -</p> - -<p> -Now for a while there was silence between them and, beneath the shadow -of their white hoods, each of them sat staring at the ground. -</p> - -<p> -“Sister,” said Khian at last, and as she made no answer, repeated in a -louder voice, “Sister!” -</p> - -<p> -“Forgive me, I had almost fallen asleep after last night’s vigils. -What is it, Brother?” -</p> - -<p> -“Only this. Would you be minded to help a poor prince out of the pit -of which I have spoken by dragging him up with a silken rope of—well, -of love which all members of this company owe to one another—and -making him a king?” -</p> - -<p> -“A king! A king of what? Of these tombs and the dead in them?” -</p> - -<p> -“Oh, no! Of your heart and the life in it. Hearken, Nefra. Together we -may stand against my father, Apepi, but apart we must fall, for when -he comes to learn the truth he will kill me, and if he can lay his -hands on you, drag you whither you do not wish to go. Moreover, I love -you, Nefra. From the moment when I heard your voice yonder by the palm -trees and knew you for a woman beneath your cloak, I loved you, though -then I thought you but some simple girl. What more is there to say? -The future is dark; great dangers lie ahead. Mayhap it will be -necessary to fly to far lands and leave all these pomps behind us. Yet -together would they not be well lost?” -</p> - -<p> -“Then what of Egypt, Prince Khian? What of Egypt and the mission laid -upon me and the oath you heard me swear in this very hall?” -</p> - -<p> -“I do not know,” he answered confusedly. “The road is dark. Yet with -love to light our feet we shall find a way. Say that you love me and -all will be well.” -</p> - -<p> -“Say that I love you, the son of him who slew my father, that murderer -who seeks to make me his. How can I say this, Prince Khian?” -</p> - -<p> -“If you love me, Nefra, you can say it, because it will be the truth, -and have we not heard that to hide the truth is the greatest of sins? -Do you love me?” -</p> - -<p> -“I cannot answer. I will not answer. Ask it of the Sphinx. Nay, ask it -of the Spirit of the Pyramids, and by her word I will abide, for that -spirit is my spirit. One day still remains to us. Ask it to-morrow of -the Spirit of the Pyramids, if you dare to seek and find her beneath -the moon.” -</p> - -<p> -Then suddenly she rose and fled away, leaving him alone and wondering. -</p> - - -<h3 id="ch12"> -CHAPTER XII.<br/> -<span class="chap_sub">The Spirit of the Pyramids</span> -</h3> - -<p class="noindent"> -<span class="sc">That</span> night Khian slept little; his thoughts would not let him sleep. -They filled his mind with problems and as in a mirror showed him the -pitfalls that lay about his feet. He, the Prince of the North, was -sworn a brother of the Order of the Dawn, which his father, the King, -threatened to destroy, and how did these two offices agree? Could he -smite with the one hand and defend with the other? Nay, it was -impossible. Therefore he must cease either to be a prince, or to be a -brother. There his path was clear. Let the rank go; indeed, had it not -already been taken away from him with his own consent? Therefore, why -should he trouble about it now? Henceforth he was nothing but Brother -Khian of the Order of the Dawn. Nay, he was something more—an -ambassador who awaited a certain answer which must be conveyed to the -King who sent him on his mission. It was as to a matter of marriage; -as to whether a royal lady would become the wife of that king or would -choose to face his wrath. -</p> - -<p> -Here again his task was easy. He must deliver the answer, whatever it -might be, after which his duty came to an end and he would remain -nothing more than a Brother of the Order of the Dawn, and perhaps a -Prince. If that answer were such as the King desired, then doubtless -he, the ambassador, would be allowed to go his ways in peace, though -no more as heir to the throne of the North. But if it were very -different; if, for example, it announced that this lady refused the -King in favour of the ambassador who chanced to be his son—what? Why! -Death—no less—death or flight! -</p> - -<p> -Yet at this thought Khian was not dismayed, he even smiled a little as -it crossed his mind, remembering the teachings of his new philosophy, -that all was in the hands of Heaven and that naught happened save that -which must happen. He did not desire to die who now had so much for -which to live, but if death came that philosophy taught him not to be -afraid. Nor did he write himself down a traitor to his duty, because -he knew that in any case Nefra would have refused this monstrous -marriage, of which she had spoken to him as an insult. Moreover, as -yet he did not know that any thought of him would weigh with her. He -had offered her his love, but she had not accepted this gift. She had -said that she could not answer, that he must ask the “Spirit of the -Pyramids” whether she, Nefra the Queen, loved or did not love him, -Khian the Prince. What could such words mean? There was no Spirit of -the Pyramids; everywhere he had inquired of this legend and learned -that it was built of air. How could he ask of a spirit that which a -woman refused to tell, and where should he find this oracle? -</p> - -<p> -He was told to seek it by the light of the full moon among the ancient -graves. Well, that on his part nothing might be lacking, he would seek -like any simple fool, and if he found nothing, would understand that -Nothing was his answer. Then, seeking no more, he would demand from -Roy the writing that he must bear to King Apepi and depart -sore-hearted to accomplish its delivery. This done he would abide the -wrath of the King and, should he escape, would wander away to such -distant place as Roy or the Council might appoint and there preach the -doctrines of the Dawn or do such things as he was commanded, turning -his heart from woman and the joys of life. -</p> - -<p> -Soon he would know; soon all would be finished in this way or in that, -for on the morrow of the night of full moon the young Queen must give -her answer to the demand of Apepi and he, the ambassador, must bear -that answer back to Tanis. Meanwhile this was certain—he who had -never loved before worshipped the maiden Nefra with body and with -spirit and above all earthly things desired her as his wife; so much -so that if he were to lose her he cared not what else he might lose, -even to life itself. -</p> - -<p> -<br/> -</p> - -<p> -It was the appointed time and Khian, quite alone, for as an admitted -brother now he could pass where he would, unquestioned and unwatched, -wandered to and fro among the tombs which surrounded the greatest of -the pyramids. He was sad-hearted who believed his to be but a fool’s -errand; moreover, all his troubles weighed upon his soul. The vast -solemnity of the place, too, with its endless streets of graves above -which the pyramids towered eternally, crushed him. What a spot was -this for a love quest, here surrounded by the monuments which told of -the end of all human things. Hundreds of years ago those who slept -within these tombs had ceased from mortal loves and hates, and as they -were, soon he would be also, perchance before another full moon shone -in yonder sky. He wondered whether they looked upon him now with calm, -invisible eyes; not one, but ten thousand spirits of the pyramids. -</p> - -<p> -He sat him down upon a stone in the midst of that deep silence which -was only broken from time to time by the melancholy howlings of some -jackal seeking food, and watched the shadows creep across the sand. At -length, growing weary, he covered his face with his hands and brooded -on the mystery of all things, as was natural in such a place, and -whence men came and whither they must go, a problem that not even Roy -could solve. -</p> - -<p> -He heard nothing, yet suddenly, why he did not know, he was moved to -let fall his hands and look about him. Surely something stirred yonder -in the shadow of a great tomb. Perhaps it was a night-haunting beast. -Nay, it seemed too tall. It came out of that shadow and for a moment -could be seen flitting to the shelter of another tomb where it -vanished. Surely it was a white-veiled woman or a ghost. -</p> - -<p> -Khian was frightened, his hair rose upon his head. Yet springing to -his feet he followed it. He came to the tomb where it had disappeared. -It was gone. Nay, there it was far away, shaping a course, it would -seem, toward the second pyramid, that of the Pharaoh Khafra. Again he -followed, but fast as he went, that figure went faster, now hidden and -now seen, so that when at length it reached the north face of the -second pyramid called <i>Ur-Khafra</i>, or “Greatest Khafra,” it was a -spear’s cast in front of him. -</p> - -<p> -Surely, he thought, it would halt there. But it did not. It began to -glide up the face of the pyramid and then, at the height of a tall -palm tree, it disappeared. -</p> - -<p> -Now Khian more than once had climbed this second pyramid by its -northern face and knew that there was no opening in it. Therefore it -would seem that what he had seen was indeed a ghost which had melted -away as ghosts are said to do. Still, to satisfy himself, though -fearfully, he climbed after it and when he had scaled some fifty feet -of the steep side, stopped astonished, for behold! there in the -pyramid was what seemed to be an open door beyond which a passage ran -downwards. Moreover, in that passage lamps were set at a distance from -each other. He hesitated, for he was much afraid, but at length, -thinking to himself that ghosts need no lamps and that but one, man or -woman, had entered in front of him, he grew courageous and followed. -</p> - -<p> -For some five and thirty paces this passage ran downwards steeply -between walls of granite, then for another thirty paces it ran on upon -the level, ending at last in a large chamber hewn from the living rock -and roofed with great painted slabs of stone leaning against each -other to bear the mighty weight of the pyramid above. In this darksome -place, sunk into the rock, stood a sarcophagus of granite and naught -else. -</p> - -<p> -Khian crept down the passages by the light of the lamps, his footsteps -echoing against their walls of stone, and from the shelter of a huge -half-opened granite door peeped into the tomb chamber. It was lit by -one lamp that stood upon the sarcophagus whereof the feeble rays shone -like a star in the black gloom of the vaulted hall. This gloom he -searched with his eyes. In vain; he could see no one, the veiled shape -he had followed was not; or perchance it had departed by some farther -door into the bowels of the pyramid. -</p> - -<p> -Muttering a prayer for protection against the spirit of the Pharaoh -upon whose rest he broke, and drawing his bronze sword lest he should -find that he had been lured into this dreadful place by evildoers, -Khian crept forward through the gloom, very carefully, for there might -be pitfalls in the rocky floor. Coming at length to the sarcophagus he -stood irresolute, for of a sudden his courage seemed to fail him. -</p> - -<p> -What if in truth he had been following a ghost and that ghost should -spring upon him from behind! Nay, he would be brave. Did ghosts set -lamps in niches? Their shapes showed that they were ancient lamps, it -was true; perhaps the same that were used by the builders of the -pyramid a thousand years before, or by those who bore the body of the -king to its last resting place. Yet lamps did not burn eternally, -unless indeed they were ghostly lamps; the oil in them must be new and -set there by human hands. The thought gave him courage and he stood -still who had meditated flight. There was a sound at the far end of -the hall, a rustling sound that checked the beating of his heart. In -the darkness appeared a cloud of white which floated forward. The -ghost was upon him! -</p> - -<p> -He stood where he was—perchance because he could not stir. The -white-veiled shape drew near and halted. Now only the width of the -tomb was between them and he stared at it over the flame of the lamp -but could see nothing because the face was covered, like the face of -one new-dead. In his terror he lifted the sword as though to stab at -this unearthly thing. Then a soft voice spoke, saying: -</p> - -<p> -“O Seeker of the Spirit of the Pyramids, would you greet her with a -sword-thrust, and if so, why?” -</p> - -<p> -“Because I am afraid,” he answered. “That which is veiled is always -terrible, especially in such a place as this.” -</p> - -<p> -As he spoke the veil fell, and in the lamplight he saw the form and -the beautiful, flushed face of Nefra. -</p> - -<p> -“What is the meaning of this play, O Queen?” he asked faintly. -</p> - -<p> -“Does Khian, the heir of the King of the North, name me Queen?” she -asked in a mocking voice. “Well, if so, he is right, since here above -the bones of him who, history tells, was my forefather and of whose -throne I am the heritor, so I should be called. Prince Khian, you -sought the Spirit of the Pyramids who never was except in fable, and -you have found a queen who is both flesh and spirit. If still you have -aught to say to her, speak on, since time is short and soon she may be -missed.” -</p> - -<p> -“I have nothing to say except what I have said already. Nefra, I love -you well and I would learn of you whether you love me. I pray you play -with me no more, but let me hear the truth.” -</p> - -<p> -“It is short and simple,” she answered, raising her head and looking -straight into his eyes. “Khian, if you love me well, I love you -better, for of this treasure woman has more to give than man.” -</p> - -<p> -His mind reeled beneath the weight of her words and his body with it, -so that he must rest his hand upon the stone of the tomb to save -himself from falling. Yet his first thought was angry and broke from -his lips in a sharp question. -</p> - -<p> -“If that be so, Nefra, what need to bring me to this dreadful place of -death to tell me that it is so? What need to make me follow a dream -and a ghost that I might find a woman? Surely the jest is -ill-conceived.” -</p> - -<p> -“Not so much so as you think, Khian,” she answered gently. “Yesterday -I could not tell you what I longed to speak, because, being what I am, -I must lay the matter before others, I, who am not the mistress of -myself, but the servant of a cause. Therefore I sought time till I had -learned that what I desired was the will of those who are set above me -and, as they declare, of Heaven which is set above them. Had it been -otherwise, you would have seen no Spirit of the Pyramids to-night and -no Queen Nefra ere you departed to-morrow, and thus would have had -your answer which I should have been spared the pain of speaking.” -</p> - -<p> -“Then Roy and the rest approve, Nefra?” -</p> - -<p> -“Aye, they approve; indeed, it seems that from the first they hoped -for this and therefore brought us together as much as might be, -because they trust that so Egypt may once more be united and that thus -their policy may prosper through our love.” -</p> - -<p> -“Much must happen before that can be,” said Khian sadly. -</p> - -<p> -“I know it, Khian. Great dangers threaten us. Indeed, I think that -they are near. It is for this reason that, playing the part of a -ghost, I have led you to this ancient sepulchre, believed of all to be -haunted by the dead, that you may learn its secret and at need make of -it your hiding place, Khian. Now I will show you the trick of the door -in the casing of the pyramid, revealed to me by right of birth and to -certain others by right of office, for from generation to generation -this secret has descended as an inheritance in the family of the -Captain of the Pyramids who are sworn not to disclose it, even under -torture. Look, Khian.” -</p> - -<p> -Lifting the lamp Nefra held it above her head and pointed to the end -of the tomb chamber, where by its light he saw a large number of great -jars set against the wall. -</p> - -<p> -“Those vessels,” she added, “are filled with wine, oil, grain, dried -flesh, corn, and other sorts of food; also, nearer to the entrance, as -I will show you, are more jars of water which from time to time is -renewed, so that here a man, or indeed several men, might live for -months and yet not starve.” -</p> - -<p> -“The gods defend me from such a fate!” he said, dismayed. -</p> - -<p> -“Aye, Khian, yet who knows? That jackal is safest which has a hole to -run to when its hunters are afoot.” -</p> - -<p> -“Sooner would I be killed in the open than go mad here in the darkness -with the dead for fellowship,” he answered doubtfully. -</p> - -<p> -“Nay, Khian, you must not be killed; now you must live on—for me and -Egypt.” -</p> - -<p> -She set down the lamp in its place and moved to the foot of the tomb. -He did likewise, so that there they met and stood a little while, -gazing at each other in the midst of a silence that was so deep that -they could hear the beating of their hearts. Speech had left them, as -though they had no more words to say, yet their eyes spoke in a -language of their own. They bent towards each other like wind-swayed -palms, nearer and nearer yet, till of a sudden she lay in his arms and -her lips were pressed upon his own. -</p> - -<p> -“Beloved,” he said presently, “swear that while I live you will wed no -man but me.” -</p> - -<p> -She lifted her head from his shoulder and looked at him with her large -and beautiful eyes that were aswim with tears. -</p> - -<p> -“Is it needful?” she asked in a new voice, a deep, rich voice. “You -have little faith, Khian, and I ask no such oath from you.” -</p> - -<p> -“Because it would be foolish, Nefra, for who, having loved you, could -turn to others? Yet there are many who will seek the fairest lady on -the earth and Egypt’s Queen. Indeed, has not one sought her already? -Therefore, I pray you, swear.” -</p> - -<p> -“So be it. I swear by the Spirit that we worship, both of us; I swear -by Egypt which, if Roy be right, we shall rule in the days to come; -and I swear by the bones of my forefather who sleeps within this tomb -that I will wed none but you, Khian. While you live I will be faithful -to you, and if you die then swiftly I will follow you, that what we -have lost on earth, we may find in the Underworld. If I break this, my -oath, then may I become as is he who sleeps beneath my hand to-day,” -and she touched the tomb with her fingers. “Aye, may my name be -blotted from the roll of Egypt’s royal ones and may Set take my spirit -as his slave. Is it enough, O faithless Khian?” -</p> - -<p> -“Enough and more than enough. Oh! how shall I thank you who have given -life to my heart? How shall I serve you whom I adore?” -</p> - -<p> -She shook her head, making no answer, but he, loosing her from his -arms, sank to his knees before her. He abased himself as a slave; he -lifted the hem of her robe and kissed it, saying: -</p> - -<p> -“Queen of my heart and rightful Queen of Egypt, I, Khian, worship you -and do you homage. Whatever I have or may have, I set beneath your -feet, acknowledging your Majesty. Henceforth I, your lover who hope to -be your husband, am the humblest of your subjects.” -</p> - -<p> -She bent down and raised him. -</p> - -<p> -“Nay,” she said, smiling, when once more he stood upon his feet, “you -are greater than I and it is the woman who serves the man, not the man -the woman. Well, we will serve each other and thus be equal. But, -Khian, what of Apepi who is your father?” -</p> - -<p> -“I do not know,” he answered. “Yet, father or not, I pray that he may -not try to come between us.” -</p> - -<p> -“I pray so also, Khian. To-night is happy, never was there so happy a -night; but to-morrow—oh! what of to-morrow?” -</p> - -<p> -“It is in the Hands of God, Nefra, therefore let us fear nothing.” -</p> - -<p> -“Aye, Khian, but often the paths of God are steep and rough, or so my -father and my mother found. Like us they loved each other well, yet -this Apepi was their doom. Come, we must go, for alas! all sweet -things have their end.” -</p> - -<p> -So once more they clung and kissed, and then hand in hand went down -the darksome ways of that House of Death to the moonlit world without. -</p> - -<p> -When they had climbed the steep ascent and were come to the mouth of -the passage, Nefra stopped and by the light of the last lamp, for she -had extinguished the others as they went, taught Khian how, by -pressing a certain stone which swung upon a pivot, the place could be -closed at will and, if need were, made fast from within by the aid of -a bar and pins of granite, which the builders of the pyramid had used -to shut out the curious while they went about their work upon the -secret burial chambers at its heart. Also she showed him a great -hanging door of granite that those who brought the Pharaoh to his -burial a thousand years before had forgotten or neglected to let fall -as they departed, leaving him to his eternal rest. -</p> - -<p> -“See,” she said, “if that wedge of stone were knocked away the great -door would fall. Therefore touch it not, lest we should be shut into -this Pyramid of Ur and lay our bones with those of the mighty Khafra, -its architect. Look, yonder in that niche, where perhaps once stood -the priest or soldier who was guardian of the door, are the jars of -water of which I spoke, and by them oil and lamps and wicks of reed -and fuel and means of raising fire, with other needful things.” -</p> - -<p> -Having shown him all and made sure that he understood, Nefra quenched -the last lamp and set it in the niche. Then they crept out on to the -side of the pyramid where thrice she made Khian close and open the -swinging stone, until he had mastered the trick of it, after which, -with a wedge of marble that fitted in a socket hollowed to receive it -and yet could be withdrawn in a moment, she made the stone fast, so -that now none could tell it from those around unless they had the -secret and knew in which course of the casing blocks it lay. This -done, they descended to the ground just by a fallen block that marked -where the seeker for the swinging stone must mount. Crossing the -paving that surrounds the pyramid, they reached the temple of the -Worship of Khafra to the east and kept in its shadow lest they should -be seen by some night wanderer. Here, too, they parted with sweet -murmured words of farewell, Nefra taking one path homewards and Khian -another. -</p> - -<p> -Slowly he made his way through the vast, moonlit wilderness of tombs, -his heart filled with a great joy, for had he not won all that he -desired? Yet with this joy was mingled fear of what the morrow might -bring forth. Then would be handed to him, the ambassador, the written -answer of Nefra to the demand of Apepi, his father, that she should -give herself to him in marriage. Now he knew well what that answer -would be, but what he did not know was how Apepi would receive him -when, as duty demanded, he delivered it to him. There was but one -hope—that he might prove content that his son should wed this queen -without a throne instead of himself, seeing that the reason of such a -marriage was political and nothing else, and he, Khian, was his -father’s heir. Had Apepi seen Nefra, almost certainly things would -befall otherwise, for he knew his father’s nature and that he would -desire to possess himself of beauty such as hers. Happily, however, he -had not seen her and therefore might be content to let her go, who was -naught to him if he could secure her heritage for the House of the -Shepherd kings. -</p> - -<p> -Yet Khian doubted whether events would thus shape themselves. It well -might be that when he learned, as learn he would certainly through his -spies or otherwise, that his son was betrothed to the high lady whom -he had sought for himself, that he would hold that this son, who was -also his ambassador, had played the traitor to him, which in a sense -was true. If so, he might be very wrath and terrible in his rage, who -was cruel-hearted. Moreover, he might desire vengeance. What -vengeance? Perhaps the death of the traitor, no less, and if still she -would not marry him, the death of Nefra also. For was she not Egypt’s -lawful Queen and, while she lived, could he sit safe upon his stolen -throne? -</p> - -<p> -As he picked his way among the tombs by the moonlight Khian knew in -his heart that he and Death were face to face. Dark imaginations -possessed him. Almost could he see that grisly shape stalking ahead of -him while, wrapped in the long, hooded cloak that he used as a -disguise, his shadow, cast by the moonlight on the sand, to his sight -took the very shape of Osiris in his mummy wrappings—yes, of Osiris -the god of death. Yet if so, was not Osiris also the god of -resurrection and the king of life eternal? If indeed doom awaited him -and Nefra, at least beyond the grave lay joy and peace for thousands -of thousands of years. -</p> - -<p> -So Roy taught and so he believed. Still, coming fresh from the lips of -his love, those warm and human lips with her sweet words echoing in -his ears, he shivered at these sad and solemn thoughts. For who could -be sure of what lay over the edge of the world? Oh! who could be quite -sure? -</p> - -<p> -<br/> -</p> - -<p> -Khian came to the private door of the Temple of the Sphinx. As he -approached it, from beneath its arch appeared the gigantic shape of Ru -who looked at him with curious eyes. -</p> - -<p> -“Have you been seeking the Spirit of the Pyramids, Lord, that you -wander abroad so late?” -</p> - -<p> -“Who else?” asked Khian. -</p> - -<p> -“And did you find her, Lord, and look upon her face that men say is so -beautiful?” -</p> - -<p> -“Yes, Ru, I found her and looked upon her face. Nor does rumour lie as -to her beauty.” -</p> - -<p> -“And are you already mad, Lord, as they say those become on whom that -Spirit smiles?” -</p> - -<p> -“Yes, Ru, I am mad—mad with love.” -</p> - -<p> -“And being mad, Lord, are you prepared to pay the price of her embrace -and to follow her into the Underworld?” -</p> - -<p> -“If need be, I am prepared, Ru.” -</p> - -<p> -The giant stood pondering, his eyes fixed upon the sand. At length he -lifted his head, saying: -</p> - -<p> -“Lord, I am but a fool of a fighting man, yet to us of the Ethiopian -blood foresight comes at times. I tell you because I like you well -that I see it written upon this sand that for your own sake and that -of another, you would be wise this very night to fly fast and far -across the sea to Syria or to Cyprus, or up Nile to the south, and -there lie hid awaiting better days.” -</p> - -<p> -“I thank you, Ru. But tell me, at the end of that writing on the sand, -do you see the symbol of Osiris?” -</p> - -<p> -“No, Lord, not that for you or for another. Yet I do see the signs of -blood and many sorrows near at hand.” -</p> - -<p> -“Blood dries and sorrows pass, Ru,” and leaving the Ethiopian still -staring at the ground, Khian entered the temple and sought his -chamber. -</p> - - -<h3 id="ch13"> -CHAPTER XIII.<br/> -<span class="chap_sub">The Messenger from Tanis</span> -</h3> - -<p class="noindent"> -<span class="sc">The</span> Council of the Order of the Dawn was summoned to meet early in -the morning on the morrow of that night of full moon when the Prince -Khian, in searching for a spirit, had found a woman and a lover. At -daybreak, those who watched the frontier of the Holy Field had -reported that a messenger had come by boat from King Apepi and waited -in the grove of palms to be escorted under safe-conduct into the -presence of the Council. It was added that when he was asked what had -chanced to the priest Temu who had been sent bearing writings from the -Council to the King of the North at Tanis, this messenger replied that -he had died of sickness at the Court, and therefore could return no -more, or so he had heard. Then it was ordered that the man should be -led before the Council at its meeting, there to deliver his message or -the writings that he bore. -</p> - -<p> -At the appointed hour Roy the Prophet and all the Council of the Dawn -assembled in the temple hall, whither came also every member of the -Order to hear the answer of Nefra the Queen to the demands of the King -Apepi, and with them Khian under his name and title of Rasa the -Scribe, the envoy from the King of the North. Lastly, royally arrayed -and for the first time wearing the crowns of Upper and Lower Egypt, -appeared Nefra herself attended by the Ethiopian, Ru, for a -body-servant, and the Lady Kemmah, her nurse. She took her seat upon -the throne that was set to receive her, the same throne that she had -filled upon the night of her coronation, whereon the Council and the -company rose and made obeisance to her. -</p> - -<p> -At this moment it was announced that the messenger from King Apepi -waited without with the letters of the King. It was ordered that he -should be admitted, and he entered, guarded by two priests. -</p> - -<p> -Khian looked at him as he came up the dusky hall, thinking that he -might know him again as one of the King’s Court at Tanis, and saw a -thickset man of middle height who limped as he walked, and was wrapped -round with shawls that even covered the lower part of his face, as -though to protect himself against the cold of the winter morning. -Suddenly this man’s glance fell upon Khian watching him, whereon he -started and turned his head. Next it fell upon Nefra seated in pomp -and youthful beauty upon the throne and illumined by a ray of light -that struck full upon her through one of the high-placed window -openings of the hall. Again the man started as though in wonder, then -limped on towards the dais. Arriving in front of it he bowed humbly, -drew from his robe a papyrus roll which he laid against his forehead -before handing it to one of the priests who mounted the dais and gave -it to Nefra. She received the writing and passed it on to the Prophet -Roy who sat upon her right hand. -</p> - -<p> -Having opened and studied it, Roy read the writing aloud. It was short -and ran thus: -</p> - -<div class="letter"> - -<p class="noindent"> -“From Apepi the Pharaoh to the Council of the Order of the Dawn: -</p> - -<p> -“I, the Pharaoh, have received your letter, also one from my envoy, -the Scribe Rasa. Your messenger, who gave the name of Temu, reached -this Court sick and after lingering for many days, has died. Yet -before he died he told my officers that the envoy whom I sent to you, -Rasa the Scribe, was dead, having fallen from a pyramid. I demand to -know the circumstances of the death of this scribe, my servant, -holding that he has been murdered among you. -</p> - -<p> -“Of what is written in your letter I say nothing till I learn the -answer of the Lady Nefra to the offer of marriage with me, the -Pharaoh, which I have made to her, for according to that answer I -shall act. This roll I send by a faithful man but one who, being -humble in his station, knows nothing of the matter with which it -deals, for the reason that I will not trust another of my high -officers among you. Deliver your answer to this man and let him return -at once, for if accident overtakes him also, I, the Pharaoh, shall -smite. -</p> - -<p> -“Sealed with the seal of Apepi, the good god, Pharaoh of the Upper and -the Lower Lands, and with the seal of his Vizier Anath.” -</p> - -</div> - -<p> -Having read Roy cast down the writing, for his rage was great, and -motioned to the messenger to fall back. This he did readily, as though -afraid, taking his stand among the shadows of the lower part of the -hall where he leaned against a pillar after the fashion of one who is -lame and weary. -</p> - -<p> -Then Roy spoke, saying: -</p> - -<p> -“The King Apepi sends us no answer to those things that we wrote to -him, but accuses us of the murder of his envoy, the Scribe Rasa, and -tells us that our messenger Temu is dead of sickness, which we do not -believe, to whom it is given to know if aught of ill befalls one of -our brethren. Be pleased to appear, Scribe Rasa, that this messenger -from King Apepi and all here gathered may see that you are not dead, -but living. Come hither, Scribe Rasa, and take your stand by the -throne that all may behold you.” -</p> - -<p> -So Khian mounted the dais and stood by the throne, and as he came -Nefra smiled at him, and he smiled at her. Then Roy went on: -</p> - -<p> -“Queen Nefra, the time has come when you must make answer to the -demand of King Apepi that your Majesty should give yourself to him in -marriage. What say you, Queen Nefra?” -</p> - -<p> -“Holy Prophet and Council of the Dawn,” answered Nefra in a clear and -quiet voice, “I say that I thank the King Apepi, but that I will not -give myself in marriage to him who brought my father to his death and -by treachery would have taken my mother and myself that he might bring -us also to our deaths. It is enough.” -</p> - -<p> -“Let the words of her Majesty be written down that she may seal them -with her seal and that certain of us may seal them as witnesses. Let -them be written down forthwith and given to the envoy of King Apepi, -Rasa the Scribe. Also let a copy of them be given to this messenger, -that thus we may be certain that they come to the eyes of King Apepi.” -</p> - -<p> -It was done, Tau writing them with his own hands, after which they -were sealed, copied, and made fast in rolls. Then Roy commanded that -the messenger of King Apepi should advance and receive the copy. -</p> - -<p> -But when they searched for him that messenger was gone. During the -long writing and sealings he had slipped away unnoted, telling those -who guarded the door that he had his answer to the message and was -dismissed. There was talk of following him, but Tau said: -</p> - -<p> -“Let him be. The man grew frightened and ran, thinking that if he -stayed, here he might die, as our brother Temu is said to have died at -Tanis. That he has left the roll matters nothing, since what his ears -have heard his tongue can tell.” -</p> - -<p> -So that messenger departed and, save Roy, none thought of him more. -</p> - -<p> -<br/> -</p> - -<p> -Khian was summoned to a private chamber, that of Roy. There he found -the prophet himself and with him the lord Tau, some of the elders of -the Council, and Nefra attended by the Lady Kemmah. When he was seated -Roy spoke, saying: -</p> - -<p> -“Our Queen has told us a story, Prince Khian, for so you are, as we -have known from the first. She says that while wandering among the -tombs last night, as at times it is her fancy to do, she chanced to -meet you, Prince Khian, who were taken with a like desire, and that -you spoke together alone. If so, what did you say to the Queen and -what did she say to you?” -</p> - -<p> -“Holy Prophet, I said that I loved her and desired to be her husband, -which were the truest words that ever passed my lips,” answered Khian -boldly. “As to what she said to me, let her tell you if she will.” -</p> - -<p> -Now the blood came to the brow of Nefra, and looking down, she -murmured: -</p> - -<p> -“I said to the Prince Khian that I gave gift for gift and love for -love, desiring him and no other man to be my lord. Now I pray your -blessing on this choice of mine, my Master in the spirit, and with it -the consent of the Council of the Order to our betrothal.” -</p> - -<p> -“The blessing you have in full measure, Sister and Queen, and the -consent I think will not be withheld. Know that we have hoped and -prayed that so it would befall, and even made the happening easy, in -the trust that thus, without war or bloodshed, Egypt that is severed -in twain may once more become one land, acknowledging one throne. -Moreover, it seemed to us who have watched you both that you two are -well-fitted to each other, and we believe that you were appointed to -come together. That is our answer.” -</p> - -<p> -“I thank you, Father,” said Khian, and Nefra also murmured, “I thank -you.” -</p> - -<p> -“Aye,” went on Roy, “doubtless your hearts thank us in their -happiness, yet, Prince and Queen, there is more to be said. Troubles -are ahead of you and us, nor can you be united until these are -overcome. Apepi threatens us. When he learns that he has been -rejected, he will be very wrath, and when he comes to understand why -and for whom his suit has been refused—and such a matter cannot be -long concealed—what then? Is it still your purpose, Prince Khian, to -bear our written answer which that messenger has left behind him, to -your father, King Apepi, or will you choose to bide on with us, or to -fly the land and hide awhile?” -</p> - -<p> -Khian thought a little, then replied: -</p> - -<p> -“Before I knew what fate held in store for me, I accepted this embassy -and, according to custom, swore the envoy’s oath of loyal service, -namely, that I would bear my message and return with its answer, if I -lived, making true report of those to whom it was sent. This oath I -must fulfil or be shamed, and therefore I cannot hide away disguised -here or elsewhere because my task has become dangerous. That I have -adopted the doctrines of the Dawn and am affianced to a certain high -lady are my private matters, or so I hold; but to sail in that ship -which has been summoned from Memphis to await me in the river, and to -deliver your answer to the King Apepi, is my public duty. If ill comes -to me in the performing of that duty, it must be so, but if I left it -unperformed I should be no honest man. I will deliver the letters and, -if need be, tell King Apepi the truth, leaving the end of all to -fortune, or rather to the will of That which we worship.” -</p> - -<p> -Now Nefra looked at him proudly, while the others murmured: “Well -spoken.” -</p> - -<p> -“These are high-hearted words,” said Roy, “and they please me, Prince -Khian, who know from them that our Queen has given her love to no base -man. The danger is great and until it be overcome you may not marry -lest your bride should be widowed almost as soon as she was wed. Yet I -believe that it will be overcome and that in the end the Spirit whom -we serve will guide your feet to joy and safety.” -</p> - -<p> -“May it be so,” said Khian. -</p> - -<p> -“Hearken both of you,” went on Roy. “I am very old and it is revealed -to me that soon I must pass hence, how as yet I do not know. Yes, I, -the seeker after light, must enter into the darkness where, as I -trust, I shall find light. Prince Khian, you look upon my face for the -last time. All my days I have striven to bring about the unity of -Egypt, without bloodshed if that might be. Now perchance in the -persons of you, Prince and Queen, this unity will be accomplished and -Egypt will be one again, if only for a while. That accomplishment I -shall not live to see, though I trust that in the after days I may -hear of it from your lips elsewhere. Yet being dead I trust also that -my spirit may still guide you both upon the earth although you see it -not. Come hither, Khian, Prince of the North, and Nefra, anointed -Queen of Egypt, that I may bless you.” -</p> - -<p> -They came and knelt before the ancient priest who already seemed more -a spirit than a man. He laid his thin hands upon their heads and -blessed them in the name of Heaven and in his own, calling down joy -and fruitfulness upon them and consecrating them to the service of -Egypt—of the Order of the Dawn, and of that universal Soul whom they -worshipped. Then suddenly he rose and left them. -</p> - -<p> -One by one, according to their degree, the members of the Council -followed, and with them went Kemmah and the giant Ru, so that -presently Khian and Nefra found themselves alone. -</p> - -<p> -“The hour of farewell is at hand,” said Khian sadly. -</p> - -<p> -“Yes, Beloved,” answered Nefra, “but oh! when and where will come the -hour of re-union?” -</p> - -<p> -“I do not know, Nefra. None knows, not even Roy, but be brave, for -assuredly it will come. I must go; but now I saw it in your eyes that, -like myself, you thought that I must go.” -</p> - -<p> -“Yes, Khian, so I thought, and think. Therefore go, and swiftly, -before my heart breaks. Remember all, Khian, and every word that has -passed between us. Now one thing more. I charge you by our love that -whatever you may hear concerning me, even if they tell you that I am -wed elsewhere, or faithless, that you believe nothing, save that while -I live, here or in the Underworld, I am yours and yours alone, and -that rather than pass into the hands of another man I will surely die. -Do you swear this, Khian?” -</p> - -<p> -“I swear it, Nefra; also that as you are to me, so I will be to you.” -</p> - -<p> -Then with murmured words of love again they clung and kissed till -soon, at a sign, for she could speak no more, Khian loosed her from -his arms. He loosed her, he bowed to her, and she bowed back to him. -Then he went. At the doorway he turned to look on her. There robed in -the virginal white of the Sisters of the Dawn, wearing no ornament or -mark of rank and yet looking most royal, she stood still as a statue, -gazing after him while one by one the heavy tears welled from her deep -eyes. Another instant and like some gate of doom the door swung to -behind him and she was seen no more. -</p> - -<p> -<br/> -</p> - -<p> -In his chamber Khian found Tau, the second Prophet of the Order, -awaiting him. -</p> - -<p> -“I come to tell you, Prince, that your ship is ready at the river -bank, to which your goods with the presents sent by King Apepi have -been borne,” he said, adding, “Ru will escort you thither.” -</p> - -<p> -“Yes, Tau, but who will escort me back?” he asked, sighing heavily. “I -feel like one who has dreamed a very happy dream and awakened to the -world and know it but a dream which will never be fulfilled.” -</p> - -<p> -“Take courage, Prince, for I hold otherwise. Yet I will not hide from -you that the peril of all of us is great. We learn that Apepi masses -troops, as he says, to protect himself against the Babylonians who -threaten him, but who can be certain? I would that we had questioned -that messenger as was my purpose. But he slipped away while we thought -that he was waiting for our letter.” -</p> - -<p> -“So would I, Tau, but he is gone and now it is too late.” -</p> - -<p> -“Prince,” went on Tau in a low voice, “it may be that for a while the -Order of the Dawn, and with it a certain lady, must vanish from Egypt. -Yet if this comes about, do not believe that we are lost or dead who -shall but have gone to seek help, whence as yet I may not reveal even -to you, though perchance you may guess. We hate war and bloodshed, -Prince, but if these are forced upon us, we shall fight, or certainly -I shall fight who in my youth was as you are, a soldier and have -commanded armies. Therefore, remember that while I live and indeed -while a Brother or a Sister of the Dawn lives throughout the world, -and as you saw on the night of the Crowning, they are many, dwelling -in many lands, that lady will not lack a defender or a home. And now, -farewell till perchance in a day to come I see you and that lady wed -and afterwards crowned as King and Queen of the Land of Nile, reigning -from the Cataracts to the sea. Again, Brother, fare you well.” -</p> - -<p> -<br/> -</p> - -<p> -Once more Khian walked across the stretch of desert that lay between -the Sphinx and the palm grove by the bank of the Nile, but this time -his companion was no hooded youth with the voice and the hands of a -woman, but the Ethiopian Ru who, as he went, addressed him in a kind -of soliloquy, after this sort: -</p> - -<p> -“So, Lord, you really are the Prince Khian, as rumour said and the -Lady Kemmah and I guessed from the first, and now you are affianced to -my Queen, for which I hate you because ever since you came she has -hardly had a look or a word for me. Yet to be honest, as such things -must happen, I would rather it was to you than to any one else, -because you are a soldier and I like you, also a man of courage, as -you showed when you learned to climb those pyramids which I should -never have dared to do. So I shall be glad to serve you when you are -married, though if you do not treat my Queen well, beware of this axe, -for then, if you were fifty Pharaohs and a hundred gods, with it I -would still cleave you to the chin. No doubt you think that you are -very clever to win her love, as certainly you have done, but there you -are mistaken. You did not win her love and she did not win yours. It -was those old priests of the Dawn who arranged everything and by their -magic threw a spell upon both of you because they wished to bring all -this about for purposes of their own. Believe me, that as they have -joined you together, so they can separate you if they choose, and by -their incantations, make you hate each other. Only I don’t think they -will as that would not suit them, and you see you are both of you -members of the Order of the Dawn, and therefore will be supported by -them in all things that you may desire.” -</p> - -<p> -“I am glad to hear that,” interrupted Khian, when at length Ru paused -to take breath. -</p> - -<p> -“Yes, yes, Lord, it is a very good thing to be one of the Order, or -even its servant as I am, because then everywhere you have a friend. -Therefore never be afraid, however desperate your case may be, even if -the hangman is putting his rope about your neck; for certainly Roy, or -another far away, will utter one of the spells, or speak a word of -power, and someone will appear to help you. That is why I am quite -sure that in the end you will marry my Queen if both of you continue -to want each other, and that all of us will escape from the jaws of -that roaring lion, your father the King Apepi, although he does think -that he has our heads in his mouth.” -</p> - -<p> -“How will you all escape, Ru?” -</p> - -<p> -“Why, Lord, by finding friends who are stronger than Apepi. There is -the King of Babylon, for instance, our Lady’s grandfather who can put -two spearmen in the field for every one of Apepi’s, to say nothing of -a multitude of chariots drawn by horses, which Apepi has not got. The -Order has plenty of brothers at the Court of the King of Babylon; some -of them were here on the night of the Crowning, and I know that -messages have been going to them almost every day. Never mind how they -went—that’s a secret. I should not wonder if we went, too, before -long, and then perhaps I may see some more fighting before I grow too -old and fat to use my axe. As you are affianced to our Queen, I do not -mind talking of these things to you.” -</p> - -<p> -“No, of course you don’t,” answered Khian. -</p> - -<p> -“Talking of messages reminds me of messengers,” went on Ru, “or rather -of one messenger. I mean that fellow who came from Apepi this morning -and slipped away afterwards, which he would never have done had I been -guarding him instead of those silly priests.” -</p> - -<p> -“What of him?” asked Khian. -</p> - -<p> -“Oh! only that he was a queer sort of fellow, and more, I think, than -he seemed to be. Did you see his eye, Lord? It was like that of a -hawk, very proud, too, such an eye as a great noble might have, and -when he heard the Queen’s answer, it grew full of rage and all his -body shook beneath those shawls. More—there were other strange -things. Thus, when he came to the hall he limped as though he were -very lame, but some people who were working in the fields told me that -they saw him running down to the Nile like a hunted jackal. -</p> - -<p> -“Now how can a lame man run like a jackal? Also I hear that when he -came to the boat which was waiting for him, those who were in the boat -or watching on the shore, prostrated themselves as though he were some -Great One, but he leapt aboard and cursed them, calling them -slaves—as a Great One does. That is why I think he was more than he -seemed to be, just like yourself, Lord, who were announced as the -Scribe Rasa and yet are really the Prince Khian. But here we are at -the palm grove where more than a month ago I stole your baggage while -you were asleep, as the Queen, who was only a princess then, put it -into my head to do, for from childhood she has loved such jests. And -look, there is your ship, the same that brought you hither, and there -are the priests with your packages.” -</p> - -<p> -“Yes, Ru, there they all are who I wish were somewhere else. And now -here is a present for you, Ru, a chain of fine gold that I have worn -myself. Keep it in memory of me and hang it about your neck when you -attend upon the Queen, that it may make her think of one who is -absent.” -</p> - -<p> -“I thank you, Lord, though it seems that you seek to kill two birds -with this stone of a gift, which I may show but may not sell. Well, -lovers will think of themselves first, and I hope that one day if we -should stand together in war—— Why, look! Here comes the Lady -Kemmah, walking faster than I have seen her do for years. I think she -must have some words for you.” -</p> - -<p> -As he spoke Kemmah arrived. -</p> - -<p> -“So I have caught you, Prince,” she said, puffing. “A pretty task for -an old woman to toil across that sand in the heat like a cow after a -lost calf, just to please a maiden’s fancy.” -</p> - -<p> -“What is it, Kemmah?” asked Khian anxiously. -</p> - -<p> -“Oh! little enough. To give you this which a certain one might as well -have done herself, had she thought of it, and to pray you to wear it -always for her sake, remembering that thereby she acknowledges you as -her king as well as her lover, which of course she has no right to do, -any more than she has a right to send you what she does. I told her so -but she flew into a rage and said that if I would not take it, she -would bring it herself as she could trust it to no one else. A pretty -sight indeed that a Queen should be seen tearing across the desert -after a departing scribe, for so the common people still believe you -to be. Therefore come I must or bear her wrath.” -</p> - -<p> -“I understand, Lady Kemmah, but what do you bring? You have given me -nothing save words.” -</p> - -<p> -“Have I not? Well, here it is,” and she produced from her robe some -small object wrapped in papyrus on which was written, “The gift of a -Queen to her King and Lover.” -</p> - -<p> -Khian undid the papyrus. There within lay the royal signet of Nefra, -the same which he had seen set upon her hand on the night of -Coronation. -</p> - -<p> -“This is the Queen’s ring,” said Khian, astonished. -</p> - -<p> -“Aye, Prince, and the King her father’s ring before her, that which -was taken from his finger by the embalmers after the battle, and his -father’s before him, and so on back and back for ages. Look, on it is -cut the name of Khafra whose tomb I think you saw the other night, -though if he ever wore it I cannot tell. At least it has descended -through countless generations from Pharaoh to Pharaoh, and now it -seems must pass as a love gift to one who is not Pharaoh but yet is -charged to wear it as though he were.” -</p> - -<p> -“As perchance he may be yet, by right of another, Lady Kemmah, though -the matter does not trouble him overmuch,” answered Khian, smiling. -</p> - -<p> -Then he took the ancient hallowed thing and, having touched it with -his lips, set it on a finger of his right hand that it fitted well, -removing thence, to make place for it, another ring on which was -engraved a crowned and lion-headed sphinx, the symbol of his house. -</p> - -<p> -“A gift for a gift,” he said. “Take this to the Lady Nefra and bid her -wear it in token that all I have is hers, as I will wear that she -sends to me. Say to her also that on the day when we are wed each -shall return to the other that ring which belonged to each and with it -all of which it is the symbol.” -</p> - -<p> -So Kemmah took the ring and as she hid it away there came that Captain -of the Guard who had accompanied him from Tanis. -</p> - -<p> -“Welcome, my Lord Rasa, who I rejoice to see have not fallen a victim -to the Spirit of the Pyramids of which we talked when we parted here -some five and thirty days ago, or was it more? for time passes quickly -in yonder gay city of Memphis. You seem to have found strange company -in this holy haunted land,” and he glanced with awe at the ebon form -of the giant Ru who stood by leaning on his great axe, and at the -white-veiled, stately Lady Kemmah who stood near him. “You look thin -and changed, too, as though you had been keeping company with ghosts. -Well, the steersman says that if you are ready, my Lord Rasa, he -desires to sail before the wind changes, or because the sailors are -afraid of this place, or for both reasons. So if it pleases you, -come.” -</p> - -<p> -“I am ready,” answered Khian, and while Kemmah bowed to him and Ru -saluted him with the axe in farewell, he turned and went to the river -bank where the sailors bore him through the shallow water to the ship. -Presently he was far out upon the Nile, watching the palm-grove, where -first he had met Nefra, fade in the gathering gloom. Still there he -sat upon the deck till the great moon rose shining upon the pyramids, -and thinking of all the wondrous things that had befallen him in their -shadow, until these at last grew dim and vanished, leaving him -wondering, like one who awakens from a dream. -</p> - - -<h3 id="ch14"> -CHAPTER XIV.<br/> -<span class="chap_sub">The Sentence of Pharaoh</span> -</h3> - -<p class="noindent"> -<span class="sc">Khian</span> came to Tanis safely, landing at dawn. Having reached the -palace, he went to his private chambers and, putting off his scribe’s -attire, clothed himself in the robes of his rank. As soon as men began -to stir he reported his arrival through an officer to the Vizier, and -waited. -</p> - -<p> -From the window-place of his chamber he saw that troops were moving on -the plain beneath, also that many vessels flying the royal banner were -unmooring from the quays and sailing away up Nile. While he marvelled -what this might mean, the cunning-faced old Vizier, Anath, came and -welcomed him with bows. -</p> - -<p> -“Greeting, Prince,” he said. “I rejoice to see that you have -accomplished your mission in safety, for know that here we heard that -you were dead by a fall from a pyramid, which we took to mean that you -had been murdered by those strange zealots of the Dawn.” -</p> - -<p> -“I know that story, Anath, for it was written in a letter which was -brought by a messenger from my father, whereon I stepped forward to -show myself alive and well, though it is true that I did fall from a -pyramid and was senseless a while. Has that messenger returned? He -fled away suddenly before I could have speech with him.” -</p> - -<p> -“I do not know, Prince,” answered Anath. “The man has not been -reported to me, but I have only just risen and he may have come in the -night.” -</p> - -<p> -“I hope he has, Anath,” said Khian, laughing, “seeing that although he -did not wait for the writing which I bear, he had news that I fear -will scarcely please my father who I prefer should learn it from him, -not from me.” -</p> - -<p> -“Is it so, Prince?” asked Anath, eyeing him curiously. “Already there -has come news from these people of the Dawn, enough and more than -enough to make His Majesty very wrath, and should it be added to by -other tidings of the same sort, I think he will be mad with rage. -Would it please you to tell me this news?” -</p> - -<p> -“I think not, Anath, although you are his Vizier and the holder of his -secrets, as you know, Pharaoh my father is strange-tempered and might -take it ill if I reveal to any one what I am charged to deliver to -himself.” -</p> - -<p> -Anath bowed and answered: -</p> - -<p> -“As to the temper of his Majesty, you are right, Prince, for since you -went away it has been terrible. Would that some evil god had never -moved me to put a certain thought into his mind: would that we had -never heard of the Order of the Dawn. Because of that thought and them -he has even threatened me with the loss of my office, though he knows -well that if I were driven from it, evil would come to himself, seeing -that for years I have been the shield that has turned arrows from his -head and by my foresight have saved him from conspiracies.” -</p> - -<p> -“I know that this is so,” said Khian. -</p> - -<p> -Anath thought a little while, then went on in a low voice: -</p> - -<p> -“Prince, even Pharaohs fall or die at last. The dust awaits their -crowns, the grave their greatness. Prince, I have watched you from a -child and made a study of your heart, which I know to be honest and -true. Now I will ask you a question, promising to believe your answer -as though it were that of a god. Are you friendly towards me and if a -time should come when you sit where another sits to-day, would you -continue me in my offices, especially in that of Vizier of the North? -Weigh the matter and tell me, Prince.” -</p> - -<p> -Khian reflected for a moment, then answered: -</p> - -<p> -“I think that I would, Anath; indeed I am sure that I would.” -</p> - -<p> -“And of the South also if that great land should chance to be added to -your heritage?” -</p> - -<p> -“Yes, I suppose so, Anath, though here another—I mean others—might -claim a voice. Why not? If you have watched me, I have watched you, -and forgive me if I say I know your faults, namely, that you are -cunning and a great seeker after wealth and power. But I know also -that you are faithful to those you serve and to your friends, and in -your own way the cleverest man in Egypt, also the most far-seeing, as -you showed when you schemed that Pharaoh should wed the Princess of -the South, though that plan has bred more trouble than you know. So -there you have my answer and, as you said, I am not one who breaks his -word.” -</p> - -<p> -Anath took the Prince’s hand and kissed it, saying: -</p> - -<p> -“I thank you, Prince.” Then he paused and added: “The day when you are -Pharaoh of the North and South I may remind you of these words which -from your lips are a decree that may not be broken.” -</p> - -<p> -“What does all this mean, Anath?” asked Khian impatiently. “You are -not making me party to some plot against my father, are you?” -</p> - -<p> -“By all the gods of the Shepherds and the Egyptians, no, Prince. Yet -hearken. I have noted that if he is crossed in his will, his Majesty -of late goes mad, and those who go mad seek ruin, especially if they -be kings. Moreover, he is very rash and the rash fall into pits from -which other men escape. Also in his body he is not as strong as he -thinks and rage sometimes stops the heart. If Pharaoh’s heart stops, -what is Pharaoh?” -</p> - -<p> -“A good god!” replied Khian, laughing. -</p> - -<p> -“Yes, but one who attends no more to the affairs of earth. A month or -so gone your father asked your consent to his disinheritance of you -and you gave it without a thought. Perchance since then, Prince, you -may have found reason to change your mind upon this matter.” -</p> - -<p> -Here he glanced at Khian shrewdly and went on: “But whether you have -changed it or not, know that heirs apparent cannot be so lightly -dispossessed of their acknowledged rights.” -</p> - -<p> -“You seemed to agree at the time, Anath; indeed you did more: it was -you who set afoot that new scheme of a certain marriage.” -</p> - -<p> -“The rush bends before the wind, Prince, and as to this marriage, -perchance I wished to save the People of the Dawn, of whose doctrines -I think well, or perchance I wished to save Egypt from another war, or -both. The one thing that I did not wish to do was to hurt you, Prince. -And yet this came about, and now that knot must be undone.” -</p> - -<p> -“Yes, Anath, it came about, or seemed to, for which the gods be -thanked, since otherwise I should never have been sent upon a certain -mission and certain things would never have happened to me which have -made me the happiest man in all the world. I will tell you of them -afterwards, perhaps—if I dare. Meanwhile, when will my father receive -me? Also, why are those troops gathered yonder and whither do the -ships sail up Nile? Is it to make another war upon the South?” -</p> - -<p> -“His Majesty has been upon some pilgrimage of his own, Prince, as he -said to make a sacrifice in the desert after the custom of our -forefathers, the old Shepherds. He only returned thence last night, so -weary or so angered about I know not what that he would not receive -me. I believe that he still sleeps but there will be a Court before -noon, at which you must appear. As for the soldiers and the ships——” -</p> - -<p> -At this moment there rose a cry without. -</p> - -<p> -“A messenger from Pharaoh!” said the cry. “A messenger from Pharaoh to -the Prince Khian. Way for the messenger of Pharaoh!” -</p> - -<p> -The doors burst open, the curtains were torn apart, and there entered -one of Apepi’s heralds clad in his livery and wearing a sheepskin on -his back, after the ancient fashion of the shepherds. He sprang -forward and, prostrating himself before the Prince, said: -</p> - -<p> -“Having heard that your Highness has returned to Tanis Pharaoh Apepi -summons you to his presence in the Hall of Audience instantly, -instantly, instantly! O Prince Khian. And you also He summons, O -Vizier Anath. Come, come, come, O High Prince, and O great Vizier.” -</p> - -<p> -“It seems that my father is in a hurry.” -</p> - -<p> -“Yes,” answered Anath, “in such a hurry that we had best not keep him -waiting. Afterwards we will talk again, Prince. Herald, lead on.” -</p> - -<p> -So they followed the man down the passages and across the courtyard to -the door of the Hall of Audience through which were speeding sundry of -the counsellors and nobles who were called “The King’s Companions,” -and as it seemed, also had been summoned hastily. At the end of the -hall, seated in a chair of state and surrounded by priests, scribes, -and a guard of soldiers, was Apepi. Glancing at him, Khian noted that -he seemed to be weary and dishevelled in his dress, for he wore no -crown, while in place of the royal mantle and apron of ceremony, a -coloured shawl was thrown round him which reminded Khian of something, -though at the moment he could not remember what it was. Moreover, his -face seemed drawn and thin and his eyes were very fierce. -</p> - -<p> -Khian advanced up the hall and, after uttering the customary -salutation, prostrated himself before the King, while having made -obeisance, Anath the Vizier took his place on the left of the throne. -</p> - -<p> -“Rise,” said Apepi, “and tell me, Prince Khian, how it comes about -that you whom I sent upon a certain embassy did not report your return -to me.” -</p> - -<p> -“Pharaoh and Father,” answered Khian, “I disembarked at dawn and at -once, according to custom, caused the Vizier to be informed of my -arrival. The Vizier Anath rose from his sleep and visited me. He told -me that your Majesty was still resting on your bed after some journey -that you had made.” -</p> - -<p> -“It matters not what he told you, and is the Vizier Pharaoh that you -should report yourself to him and not to me, so that I must learn of -your coming from the Captain of the Guard, whom I sent with you? -Surely you lack respect and he takes too much upon himself. Well, what -of your mission to those People of the Dawn? Have you made report of -that also to the Vizier? Know that I thought you dead, as my messenger -may have told you yonder at the pyramids. Should you not therefore -have hastened to advise me that you still lived? Is it thus that a son -should treat his father or a subject his king?” -</p> - -<p> -Once more Khian began to explain but Apepi cut him short. -</p> - -<p> -“I received the letter from the Council of the Dawn, an insolent -letter giving me back threat for threat, and with it another from -yourself, Khian, saying that you had seen this Nefra at some ceremony -when and where she purported to be crowned as Queen of Egypt. But I -have received no answer to my question as to whether this lady accepts -or refuses my offer of marriage. Do you bring that answer, Khian?” -</p> - -<p> -“I do,” answered Khian, and drawing out the roll he handed it to the -Vizier who on bended knee passed it on to the King. -</p> - -<p> -Apepi undid the writing and read it through carelessly, like to one -who already knew what was written there. As he read his brow grew -black and his eyes flashed. -</p> - -<p> -“Hearken,” he said. “This mock queen refuses to be my wife, as she -says because years ago her father Kheperra was killed in battle with -my armies. Yes, that is what she says. Now, Khian, do you who have -dwelt all this while among the People of the Dawn tell me of her real -reasons.” -</p> - -<p> -“How am I to know a woman’s reasons in such a matter, your Majesty?” -</p> - -<p> -“In sundry ways, I think, Khian, otherwise you are but a poor envoy. -Yet before you search your mind for them, stretch out your right -hand.” -</p> - -<p> -Thinking that he was about to be asked to take some oath, Khian -obeyed. Apepi stared at it, then once more stared at the letter and -asked in a quiet voice: -</p> - -<p> -“How comes it, Khian, that you wear upon your hand, where I remember -used to be a certain ring that I gave to you engraved with the symbol -of our House and your titles as Prince of Egypt, another ring, an -ancient ring inscribed with the name of Khafra, Royal Son of the Sun, -who once a thousand years ago was Pharaoh of Egypt? And how does it -chance that this letter of refusal is sealed with that same ring by -Nefra who describes herself as Queen of Egypt?” -</p> - -<p> -Now all present stared at Khian, while for a moment a little smile -flickered on the withered face of the Vizier Anath. -</p> - -<p> -“It was a parting gift to me,” said Khian, looking down. -</p> - -<p> -“Oh! So this puppet queen makes a parting gift of her royal ring to -you, my envoy. And did you perchance make a parting gift to her of the -ring of the heir apparent to the Crown of the North?” -</p> - -<p> -Apepi paused, watching Khian, but he made no answer. -</p> - -<p> -Then the King his father went on in a low, roaring voice like to that -of an angry lion: -</p> - -<p> -“Now I understand all. Know, Son, that <i>I</i> was that messenger who -visited the habitations of the Brethren of the Dawn some few days ago. -Yes, since he could trust no one else, not even his own son, Pharaoh -himself filled that humble office and came for his own answer. See, do -you know him now?” and rising from the throne with a quick motion he -wound the coloured Bedouin shawl about him so that it hid his face up -to the eyes, and limped forward a few paces. -</p> - -<p> -“Yes,” answered Khian, “and, my Father, the disguise is as excellent -as the plan was bold, for had you but known it, you ran a great risk -among people who are worshippers of truth and look for it in others.” -</p> - -<p> -Apepi returned to his throne and spoke again in the same roaring -voice: -</p> - -<p> -“Aye, I ran a risk because I, too, love truth and desired to know what -was passing yonder by the pyramids, also to behold this daughter of -Kheperra with my own eyes. So I came and saw that she is very fair and -royal, such a one as I desire above all women for my queen. Other -things I saw also, among them that again and again she looked sweetly -at one clad in the white robe of a Brother of the Dawn, one who -presently I discovered to be no other than yourself, my envoy that I -believed was dead. Moreover, I heard from a fisherman that there were -strange sayings in those parts: namely, that the ‘Daughter of the -Dawn’ had promised herself to the Son of the Sun and that the Spirit -of the Pyramids had been unveiled by a man, of which sayings he swore -he did not know the meaning, though now to me it is clear enough. Tell -me, therefore, Khian, who come from the Home of Truth, first—are you -wed or affianced to the Princess Nefra, daughter of Kheperra whose -ring you wear upon your hand? and secondly, are you sworn a Brother of -the Dawn?” -</p> - -<p> -Now his courage came back to Khian and, looking his father in the -eyes, he answered boldly: -</p> - -<p> -“Why should I hide from your Majesty that I am betrothed to the royal -lady, Nefra, whom I love and who loves me, also that after thought and -study I have adopted the pure doctrines of the Dawn and am sworn of -its holy Brotherhood?” -</p> - -<p> -“Why, indeed,” asked Apepi with bitter irony, “seeing that these -things have been discovered before it pleased you to announce them. -So, my son Khian, you whom I sent as my ambassador to ask a wife for -me, have stolen that wife for your own, and you whom I set to watch my -enemies, have adopted their doctrines and been sworn of their secret -fellowship. Why have you done these things? I will tell you. You have -broken your trust and robbed me of the woman because, did I marry her, -her son might thrust you from your heirship, whereas, if you marry -her, you keep it, as you think, and add to it whatever claims this -princess may have on the throne of Egypt. It is clever, Khian, very -clever.” -</p> - -<p> -“I became affianced to the Lady Nefra because we love each other and -for no other reason,” answered the Prince hotly. -</p> - -<p> -“If so, Khian, your love and your advantage go hand in hand, as do her -love and her advantage, wherein I think I see the cunning of that old -prophet, Roy. For the rest, you swear yourself of this Order because -you believe it to be powerful, having friends in many lands, and think -that by their help in days to come you will buttress up your throne or -win mine from me. Khian, I say that you are a thief, a liar, and a -traitor, and that as such I will deal with you.” -</p> - -<p> -“Your Majesty knows well that I am none of these. In order to bring -about a certain alliance, your Majesty was pleased to reduce me from -my rank of heir apparent to that of a private person and as such to -send me on an embassy. As envoy I did my duty, but those to whom I was -sent would not listen to your Majesty’s proposal which I could not -help. Afterwards, as a private person I chanced to become attached to -a certain lady who, if I had not lived, for reasons of her own would -never have listened to the offer of your Majesty. That is all the -tale.” -</p> - -<p> -“That perhaps we shall know when you have ceased to live, Khian. Learn -now how I will deal with these tomb rats of the pyramids who have -defied and insulted me. I will send an army—already it is on its -road—to knock them on the head, all of them. Only one will I -spare—the Lady Nefra; not because she is born of a royal House, but -because I have looked upon her and seen that she is beautiful, for, -Khian, you are not the only man who can worship beauty. Therefore I -will bring her here and make her mine, and for a marriage gift I will -give her your head, Khian; yes, you, the traitor, shall die before her -eyes.” -</p> - -<p> -Now when they heard this decree the high officers who were named -Companions of the King stared at each other dismayed, for never before -had such a thing been told of, as that a Pharaoh of Egypt should kill -his own son because both of them loved the same woman. Even Anath the -Vizier started and paled; yet all that came from his lips was the -ancient salutation: -</p> - -<p> -“Life! Health! Strength! Pharaoh’s word is spoken, let Pharaoh’s will -be done!” -</p> - -<p> -As this hideous sentence fell upon his ears and a vision of all it -meant rose before his eyes, for a moment Khian felt his heart stop and -his knees tremble beneath him. He saw his Brethren of the Dawn -slaughtered and lying in their blood wherever they were trapped in -their hiding places. He saw the giant Nubian, Ru, overcome at last and -falling dead upon a mat of foes that he had slain. He saw the Lady -Kemmah butchered and Nefra seized and dragged a prisoner to Tanis, -there to be wed by force to a man she loathed. He saw himself led out -to death before her eyes and his gory head laid at her feet as an -offering. All these things and others he saw with the eye of his mind -and was afraid. -</p> - -<p> -Yet of a sudden that fear passed. It was as though a spirit spoke to -his soul, the spirit of Roy, or so he thought, because for an instant -he seemed to appear before him seated where Apepi sat, venerable, -calm, and holy. Then he was gone, and with him went the terrors of -Khian. Moreover, now he knew what to answer; the words welled up -within him like water welling in a spring. -</p> - -<p> -“Pharaoh and my Father,” he said in a bold, clear voice, “speak not so -madly, for I say that you cannot do these things which you have -decreed. Did not the Prophet of the Dawn repeat to you in his letter -his answer to your threat? Did he not say that he had no fear of you -and that should you attempt harm against the Brotherhood, every stone -of the pyramids would lie lighter on your head than will the curse of -Heaven which you would earn as a butcher and one forsworn? Did he not -tell you that the Order of the Dawn marshalled hosts unseen and that -with it goes the Strength of God? If not, I, your son, who am to-day a -Brother of the Dawn and its consecrated priest, deliver to you this, -his message. Try to do the wickedness that you have decreed, O -Pharaoh, and speaking with the voice of the Order of the Dawn, as I am -taught by the Spirit which it worships, I warn you that you will draw -down upon yourself disaster and death on earth, and after you have -left the earth, woe untold in the Underworld. Thus say I, speaking not -with my own voice but with that of the Spirit within me.” -</p> - -<p> -When Apepi heard these dreadful words, he bowed his head and with -trembling hands drew the coloured robe more tightly about him, like to -one who in the midst of great heat is struck suddenly by a blast of -icy wind. Then again his rage possessed him and he answered: -</p> - -<p> -“Now, Khian, I am minded to send you, the traitor, to your gods, your -king, your father, and your blood, down to that Underworld of which -you speak, there to discover whether this wizard Roy is or is not a -liar. Yes, I am minded to do this instantly here in the presence of -the Court. And yet I will not, since to you I appoint a punishment -more worthy of your crime. You shall live to see your fellow knaves -dead, every one of them; to see this maiden whom you have beguiled, -not yours but mine. Then, Khian, you shall die and not before.” -</p> - -<p> -“Pharaoh has spoken, and I, an ordained Brother and Priest of the -Order of the Dawn, have spoken also,” answered Khian in the same clear -and quiet voice. “Now let the Spirit judge between us and show to all -who have heard our words, and to the whole world, in which of us -shines the light of Truth.” -</p> - -<p> -Thus said Khian, then bowed to Apepi and was silent. -</p> - -<p> -Pharaoh stared at him awhile, for he was amazed, wondering whence came -the strength that gave his son power to utter such words upon the edge -of doom. Then he turned to Anath and said: -</p> - -<p> -“Vizier, take this evildoer who is no longer Prince of the North or -son of mine, and make him fast in the dungeons of the palace. Let him -be well fed that life may remain in him till all things are -accomplished.” -</p> - -<p> -Anath prostrated himself, rose, and clapped his hands. There appeared -soldiers. Khian was set in the midst of them and led away, Anath -walking before them. -</p> - - -<h3 id="ch15"> -CHAPTER XV.<br/> -<span class="chap_sub">Brother Temu</span> -</h3> - -<p class="noindent"> -<span class="sc">Through</span> long passages and down flights of steps, at the head of -which stood guards, the melancholy procession descended almost to the -foundations of the vast building of the palace. As they went Khian -remembered that, when he was a child, some captain of the guard had -led him by this path to certain cells where, through a grating in the -door, he had looked upon three men who were condemned to die upon the -morrow for the crime of having conspired to murder Pharaoh. These men, -whom he expected to see groaning and in tears, he recalled, were -talking together cheerfully, because, they said, for he heard it -through the grating, their troubles would soon be over and either they -would be justified in the Underworld or fast asleep for ever. -</p> - -<p> -The three of them took different views upon this matter; one of them -believed in the Underworld and redemption through Osiris, one rejected -the gods as fables and expected nothing save eternal sleep, while the -third held that he would be re-born upon the earth and rewarded for -all he had endured by a new and happier life. -</p> - -<p> -The next day Khian heard that all three of them had been hanged and -awhile after he learned from his friend, the captain of the guard, -that they had been proved to be innocent of the offence with which -they were charged. It seemed that a woman of the House of Pharaoh, -having been rejected by one of them, had avenged herself by a false -accusation and for certain reasons had denounced two other men, whom -she hated, as partners in a plot against Pharaoh. Afterwards, when at -the point of death from a sudden sickness, she had revealed all, -though this did not help her victims who were already dead. -</p> - -<p> -The sight of these men and the learning of their story, Khian -recollected as once more he trod those gloomy stairs, had bred in his -mind doubts as to the gods which the Shepherds worshipped and of the -justice decreed by kings and governors, with the result that in the -end he turned his back upon his people’s faith and became one of those -who desired to reform the world and to replace that which is bad if -ancient, by that which is good if new. So indeed he had remained until -fate brought him to the Temple of the Dawn, where he found all he -sought, a pure faith in which he could believe and doctrines of peace, -mercy, and justice such as he desired. -</p> - -<p> -Now, as innocent as those forgotten men, he, the proud Prince of the -North, disgraced and doomed, was about to be cast into the same prison -that had hid their sufferings and those of a thousand others before -and after them. He recalled it all—the stone-vaulted place lit only -by a high-set grating of bronze to which none could climb because of -the curve of the walls; the paved floor damp from the overflowings of -the Nile which, in seasons of flood, rose high above the foundations -of the palace; the stools and table, also of stone; the bronze rings -to which the officer had told him prisoners were tied if they became -violent or went mad; the damp heaps of straw whereon they slept, and -the worn skin rugs that they used for covering against the cold; yes, -even the places where each of the three victims lay or stood and the -very aspect of their faces, especially that of the young and comely -man upon whom the rejected woman had avenged herself. Though to this -hour it had never been re-visited by him, his mind pictured that -horrid hole with all its details. -</p> - -<p> -Now they had trodden the last flight. There was the massive door and -in it the grating through which he had looked and listened. The bolts -were drawn by the jailer who had joined them; it opened. There were -the table and the stone stools, the rings of bronze, the coarse -earthenware vessels, and the rest. Only the men were gone—of these -nothing remained. -</p> - -<p> -Khian entered the dreadful place. At a sign from Anath the guards -saluted and withdrew, looking with pity at the young prince under whom -they had served in war and who was beloved of all of them. Anath -lingered to give certain instructions to the jailer, then as they were -both departing he turned back and inquired of the Prince what garments -he required to be sent to him. -</p> - -<p> -“I think such as are thick and warm, Vizier,” replied Khian, shivering -as the damp cold of the dungeon got a hold of him. -</p> - -<p> -“They shall be sent to your Highness,” said Anath. “May your Highness -forgive me who must fill this sorry office towards you.” -</p> - -<p> -“I forgive you as I forgive all men, Vizier. When hope is dead, -forgiveness is easy.” -</p> - -<p> -Anath glanced behind him and saw that the jailer was standing at a -distance from the door with his back towards them. Then he bowed -deeply as though in farewell, so that his lips came close to the ear -of Khian. -</p> - -<p> -“Hope is <i>not</i> dead,” he whispered. “Trust to me, I will save you if I -can.” -</p> - -<p> -Next moment he, too, was gone and the massive door had shut, leaving -Khian alone. He sat himself down upon one of the stools, placing it so -that the faint light from the grating fell upon him. Awhile later, he -did not know how long, the door opened again and the jailer appeared -accompanied by another man who brought garments, among them a dark, -hooded cloak lined with black sheepskin; also food and wine. Khian -thanked him and put on the cloak gratefully, for the cold of the place -was biting, noting as he did so that it was not one of his own, which -made him wonder; also, that in such a cloak a man might go anywhere -and remain unknown. -</p> - -<p> -The jailer set out the food upon the table and prayed his prisoner to -eat, addressing him as Prince. -</p> - -<p> -“That title belongs to me no more, Friend.” -</p> - -<p> -“Oh, yes! your Highness,” replied the man kindly. “Trouble comes to -all at times but it cannot change the blood in the veins.” -</p> - -<p> -“No, Friend, but it can empty the veins of the blood.” -</p> - -<p> -“The gods forbid!” said the jailer, shuddering, from which Khian -learned that he had rightly named him friend, and again thanked him. -</p> - -<p> -“It is I who should thank your Highness. Your Highness has forgotten -that when my wife and child were sick in the season of fever three -years ago, you yourself visited them in the servants’ huts and brought -them medicines and other things.” -</p> - -<p> -“I think I remember,” said Khian, “though I am not sure for I have -visited so many sick, who, had I not been what I am, or rather was, -would, I think, have turned physician.” -</p> - -<p> -“Yes, your Highness, and the sick do not forget, nor do those to whom -they are dear. I am charged to tell you that you will not be left -alone in this place, lest your mind should fail and you should go mad, -as many here have done before you.” -</p> - -<p> -“What! is another unfortunate to be sent to join me, Friend?” -</p> - -<p> -“Yes, but one whose company it is believed will please you. Now I must -go,” and he departed before Khian could ask him when this other -prisoner would come. After the door had shut behind him Khian ate and -drank heartily enough, for he was starving, having touched no food -since the afternoon before upon the ship which brought him to Tanis. -</p> - -<p> -When he had finished his meal he fell to thinking and his thoughts -were sad enough, for it was evident that it was in his father’s mind -utterly to destroy the Brotherhood of the Dawn and to drag Nefra away -to be made his wife by violence, for, having by evil fortune looked -upon her beauty, nothing now would turn him from his purpose of making -her his own. This, however, Khian knew would never happen, for the -reason that first Nefra would choose to die. Therefore it would seem -that both of them were doomed to death. Oh! if only he could warn them -by throwing his spirit afar, as it was said that Roy and some of the -higher members of the Order had the power to do. Indeed, had he not -felt the thought of Roy strike upon him that morning when he stood -before Pharaoh in the hall of audience? He would try, who had been -taught the secrets of the “Sending of the Soul” as it was called, -though he had never practised them before. -</p> - -<p> -Try he did according to the appointed form and with the appointed -prayers as well as he could remember them, saying: -</p> - -<p> -“Hear me, Holy Father. Danger threatens the Queen and all of you. Hide -or fly, for I am in the toils and cannot help you.” -</p> - -<p> -Again and again he said it in his heart, fixing the eyes of his mind -upon Roy and Nefra till he grew faint with the soul struggle and even -in that bitter place the sweat burst out upon him. Then of a sudden a -strange calm fell on him to whom it seemed that these arrows of -thought had found their mark, yes, that his warnings had been heard -and understood. -</p> - -<p> -An utter weariness fell upon him and he slept. -</p> - -<p> -He must have slept for long, for when he woke all light had faded from -the grating and he knew that it was night. -</p> - -<p> -The door opened and through it came the jailer bearing more food, -quantities of food, and bringing with him another man clothed like -Khian himself in a dark, hooded cloak. The stranger bowed and without -speaking took his stand in a corner of the cell. -</p> - -<p> -“Behold your servant, Prince, who is appointed to wait upon you. You -will find him a good man and true,” said the jailer. Then he removed -the broken meats and went, having first lit lamps which he left -burning in the prison. -</p> - -<p> -Khian looked at the meats and wine; then he looked at the hooded -figure in the corner and said: -</p> - -<p> -“Will you not eat, my brother in misfortune?” -</p> - -<p> -The man threw back his hood: -</p> - -<p> -“Surely,” said Khian, “I have seen that face before.” -</p> - -<p> -The man made a certain sign, which, by habit as it were, Khian -answered. The man made more signs and Khian answered them all, then -uttered a secret sentence which the man, speaking for the first time, -completed with another sentence still more secret. -</p> - -<p> -“Will you not eat, Priest of the Dawn?” he asked again meaningly. -</p> - -<p> -“In hope of the Food Eternal I eat bread. In hope of the Water of Life -I drink wine,” replied the man. -</p> - -<p> -Then Khian was sure, for in these very words those of the Order of the -Dawn were accustomed to consecrate their meat. -</p> - -<p> -“Who are you, Brother?” he asked. -</p> - -<p> -“I am Temu, a priest of the Order of the Dawn whom you saw but once in -the Temple of the Sphinx, Scribe Rasa, when you came thither on a -certain embassy, though then I did not know that you were sworn of the -Brotherhood, Scribe Rasa, if that indeed be your name.” -</p> - -<p> -“It is not my name and at that time I was not sworn of the -Brotherhood, Priest Temu, who, I think, are the messenger sent by the -holy Roy with letters for Apepi, King of the North. We heard that you -were dead of sickness, Priest Temu.” -</p> - -<p> -“Nay, Brother, it pleased Apepi to keep me prisoner, that is all. Had -I died, my spirit, as it departed, would have whispered in the ear of -Roy.” -</p> - -<p> -“I remember now that so the Prophet said. But how come you here, and -why?” -</p> - -<p> -“I come because I am sent to help another in distress, by some Great -One who visited me in my prison. He gave no name, or if he did I have -forgotten it, as we of the Order forget many things. Nor did he tell -me whom I was to help, yet I can guess, as we of the Order guess many -things. I see that you wear a royal ring, Scribe Rasa. It is enough.” -</p> - -<p> -“Quite enough, Priest Temu. But tell me, why were you sent to me? In -such a hole as this even a Pharaoh would need no servant.” -</p> - -<p> -“No, Brother, yet he might need a companion and—a deliverer.” -</p> - -<p> -“Very much indeed, both of them, especially the last. But, Temu, how -could even Roy himself open that door or break through these walls?” -</p> - -<p> -“Quite easily, Scribe Rasa, by means of which we know nothing, and if -only we have faith perhaps I can do the same, though not so easily and -in another fashion. Hearken. During the many days I have spent in -prison, bettering my soul with prayers and meditations, from time to -time I have given instructions to that humble man who is our jailer, -setting his feet in the way of truth. Thus in the end he has become -well affected to those who profess our faith, to which I have promised -that he shall be gathered in days to come. In reward he has imparted a -certain secret to me which, as neither he nor any other will visit -this place again to-night, I will now show to you, Brother Rasa. Help -me, if it pleases you, to move this table.” -</p> - -<p> -With difficulty it was dragged aside, for it was of massive stone. -Then Temu took from his robe a piece of papyrus on which were marks -and lines. By aid of these he made certain measurements and at length -in the roughly paved floor found a stone for which he seemed to have -been searching. At this stone he pushed from left to right, for there -was a roughness on it against which he could rest the palm of his -hand, thereby, it would appear, loosing some spring or bolt. Suddenly -a section of the floor, a pace wide or more, tilted up, revealing a -shaft cut in the rock, of which the bottom could not be seen, and -against its side, also cut from the rock, stone bars set at intervals -one above the other, down which it would be possible for an active man -to climb. -</p> - -<p> -“Is it a well?” asked Khian. -</p> - -<p> -“Aye, Brother, a well of death, or so I think, though perhaps of that -we shall learn more later. At least all is as the Great One whose face -was veiled, told me, for it was he who gave me the plan and bade me -trust the jailer and do as he instructed me.” -</p> - -<p> -“And what is that, Temu?” -</p> - -<p> -“Descend by this ladder, Brother, until at the foot of it we come to a -tunnel; then follow the tunnel until it ends in what seems to be the -mouth of a drain in the stone embankment of the river. Beneath this -hole or drain-mouth a boat should be waiting, and in it a fisherman -following his trade by night when the largest fish are caught. Into -that boat we must enter and be gone swiftly before it is discovered -that this place is empty.” -</p> - -<p> -“Do we fly at once?” asked Khian. -</p> - -<p> -“No, Brother, not for another hour, for so I was instructed; why I do -not know. Help me now to close the trap, but not quite lest the spring -should refuse to work again, and to replace the table over it exactly -as it stood before. Who knows that some officer or spy might not be -moved to pay us a visit, although the jailer said that none would -come.” -</p> - -<p> -“Aye, who knows, Temu?” -</p> - -<p> -So they closed the trap, setting a piece of reed from a food basket -between its edges so that it did not shut altogether, and dragged back -the table to its place. Then they sat down to eat. Scarcely had they -done so when Temu pressed Khian’s foot and looked towards the door. -</p> - -<p> -He looked also and, though he heard nothing, saw, or thought that he -saw, a white face and two glowing eyes set against the grating and -watching them, a sight that made his blood turn cold. In an instant it -was gone again. -</p> - -<p> -“Was it a man?” whispered Khian. -</p> - -<p> -“A man, or perchance a ghost, Brother, for I heard no footfall, and of -such this place may well be a home.” -</p> - -<p> -Then he rose, and taking a linen cloth that had been laid over the -food, he thrust it into the grating. -</p> - -<p> -“Is that not dangerous?” asked Khian. -</p> - -<p> -“Aye, Brother, but to be watched is more dangerous.” -</p> - -<p> -To Khian it seemed as though that hour would never end. Moment by -moment he feared lest the door would open and all be discovered. Yet -no one came, and indeed they never learned whether they had seen a -face at the grating or whether its appearance was but a trick of their -minds. -</p> - -<p> -“Whither would you fly, Brother?” asked Temu. -</p> - -<p> -“Up Nile,” whispered Khian, “to warn our brethren who are in great -danger.” -</p> - -<p> -“I felt it,” said Temu. Then he rose and packed the most of the food, -of which, as has been said, there was much more than they could eat, -into two of the baskets wherein it had been brought which were made of -reeds and had handles that could be slipped on to the arm. -</p> - -<p> -“It is time to go, Brother. Faith, have faith!” said Temu. -</p> - -<p> -They rose and for a moment stood still to put up a prayer to the -Spirit they worshipped for help and guidance, as was the custom of -their Brotherhood before they entered on any undertaking. -</p> - -<p> -“I will go first, Brother, carrying one of the lamps in my teeth—the -second we must leave burning—and one basket on my arm. Do you follow -with the other.” -</p> - -<p> -Then he stepped to the door, pulled out the food-cloth from the -grating, and having listened awhile, returned, and taking the smaller -of the lamps, set its flat handle between his teeth. Next he crawled -beneath the table, pushed upon the stone so that it tilted up and -stood edge in air, climbed through the hole on to the stone ladder, -and began to descend. Khian followed. As it chanced when he had taken -some three steps down the ladder, the peaked hood of his cloak touched -the stone, disturbing its balance. Instantly it swung to, releasing -the spring or catch, so that now there was no hope of return, since -this could not be opened from beneath. Even then the purpose of this -trap came into Khian’s mind. When it was desired to destroy some -unhappy captive, unknown to him the spring or bolt was set back. Then -shortly, as the doomed one tramped that gloomy cave he would tread -upon the swinging stone and vanish into the gulf beneath, for when -this was purposed doubtless the heavy table stood elsewhere. Or if his -secret end was desired very swiftly, jailers would hurl him down the -pit. Khian shuddered as he thought of it, remembering that this fate -might well have been his own. Down, down he climbed, the feeble little -lamp which Temu carried in his teeth lighting his way. It seemed a -long journey, for the pit was deep, but at length Temu called to him -that he had reached its bottom. Presently he was at his side perched -upon a white and moving pile that crackled beneath his feet. He looked -down and by the lamplight perceived that they stood upon a pyramid of -bones, the bones of the victims who in past days had fallen or been -cast down the shaft. Moreover, some of them had fallen not so very -long before, as his senses told him, which caused him to remember -certain friends of his own who had incurred the wrath of Pharaoh and, -as it was said, were vanished. Now he guessed to what land they had -been banished. -</p> - -<p> -“Lead on, Temu,” he said. “I choke and grow faint.” -</p> - -<p> -Temu obeyed, turning to the right as he had been told that he must do, -and holding the lamp near the ground lest there should be pitfalls in -the path, which ran down a tunnel so low and narrow that they must -walk it doubled up with their shoulders brushing against its walls. -For forty or fifty paces they followed this winding burrow, till at -length Temu whispered that he saw light ahead, whereon Khian answered -that it would be well to extinguish the lamp lest it should betray -them. This was done, and creeping forward cautiously for another ten -or twelve paces, they came at last to an opening in the great -embankment wall built of granite blocks, upon which the palace stood, -so small an opening that few would notice it in the roughness of the -blocks, and, twice the height of a man beneath them, saw the waters of -the Nile gleaming blackly in the starlight. -</p> - -<p> -They thrust their heads out of the hole and looked down, also to right -and left. -</p> - -<p> -“Here is the river,” said Khian, “but I see no boat.” -</p> - -<p> -“As all the rest of the tale has proved true, Brother, doubtless the -boat will appear also. Faith, have faith!” answered Temu to whom the -gods had given a trusting soul, and when they had waited half an hour -or more, he repeated his words. -</p> - -<p> -“I hope so,” answered Khian, “since otherwise we must swim before dawn -and hereabout are many crocodiles that feed upon the refuse from the -palace.” -</p> - -<p> -As he spoke they heard the sound of oars and in the deep shadow of the -wall saw a small masted boat creeping towards them. This boat came to -a halt beneath their hole. There was a man in it who threw out a -fishing line, looked upwards and whistled very softly. Temu whistled -back, whereon the man began to hum a tune, such as fishers use, then -at the end of it sang softly: -</p> - -<p> -“<i>Leap into my boat, O Fish.</i>” -</p> - -<p> -Khian scrambled out of the hole and climbed down the surface of the -rough wall, which, being accustomed to such work, was easy to him, and -presently was safe in the boat. Temu, having first thrown the lamp -into the Nile lest it should be found in the tunnel, followed after -him, but more awkwardly; indeed, had not Khian caught him he would -have fallen into the river. -</p> - -<p> -“Help me to hoist the sail. The wind blows strongly from the north, -therefore you must fly southwards; there is no choice,” said the man. -</p> - -<p> -As he obeyed, Khian saw his face. It was that of the jailer himself. -</p> - -<p> -“Be swift,” he went on. “I see lights moving; perhaps the dungeon has -been found empty. Many spies are about.” -</p> - -<p> -Then Khian bethought him of the glowing eyes he had seen at the -grating. -</p> - -<p> -With an oar the jailer pushed the boat away from the wall; the wind -caught the sail and it began to move through the water, so that -presently they were in the middle of the Nile and gliding up it -swiftly. -</p> - -<p> -“Do you come with us?” asked Khian. -</p> - -<p> -“Nay, Prince, I have my wife and child to mind.” -</p> - -<p> -“The gods reward you,” said Khian. -</p> - -<p> -“I am already rewarded, Prince. Know that for this night’s work I have -earned more than I have done in ten long years—never mind who paid. -Fear not for me who have a sure hiding place, though it is not one -that you could share.” -</p> - -<p> -As he spoke, with the oar he steered the boat near to the farther -shore of the river, where at this spot were hundreds of mean -dwellings. -</p> - -<p> -“Now go your ways and may your Spirit be your guide,” said the jailer. -“There is fishing gear in the boat, also you will find such garments -as men use who live by it. Put them on ere dawn, by which time with -this wind you should be far away from Tanis, for she sails swiftly. -Farewell and pray to your gods for me as I will pray for you. Prince, -take the steering oar and stand out into the middle of the river where -in this stormy night you will not be seen.” -</p> - -<p> -As he spoke the man slipped over the stern of the boat. For a moment -they saw his head a dark blot on the water, then he vanished. -</p> - -<p> -“At last I have found one who is good and honest, although of an evil -trade,” said Khian. -</p> - - -<h3 id="ch16"> -CHAPTER XVI.<br/> -<span class="chap_sub">The Passing of Roy</span> -</h3> - -<p class="noindent"> -<span class="sc">All</span> that night Khian and Temu sailed on, for the north wind held -strong and steady, and by daybreak were many leagues from Tanis. Once -they saw lights upon the water behind, such as might have been borne -by following boats, but soon these vanished. At daybreak they found -the fisher’s clothes of which the jailer had told them, and put them -on, so that for the rest of that journey all who saw them believed -them to be two fishermen plying their trade; such men as were to be -found by hundreds on the Nile, taking their catch to market, or having -sold it, returning to their homes in some distant village. Thus it -came about that, Khian being accustomed to the handling of boats, they -accomplished their journey safely, though during the second night a -number of great ships passed them going down Nile. -</p> - -<p> -Catching sight of these ships they lowered their sail and rowed -inshore where they hid among some reeds in shallow water until they -were gone by, a whole fleet of them. What these might be they could -not discern because of the darkness, but from the lanterns at their -prow and stern, the words of command that reached them, and the -singing of those on board Khian thought they must be war vessels full -of soldiers, though whence such came he did not know. Only he -remembered what he had heard at Apepi’s Court and that on his return -to Tanis he had seen armed vessels sailing up Nile, and remembering, -grew afraid. -</p> - -<p> -“What do you fear, Brother Rasa?” asked Temu, reading his mind. -</p> - -<p> -“I fear lest we should be too late to give a certain warning, Temu. -Oh! let us play no more with words. I, whom you call the Scribe Rasa, -am Khian, once Prince of the North, the affianced of Queen Nefra, whom -my father Apepi would seize to be his wife. When he discovered that I, -his envoy, had become his rival, the King imprisoned and would have -killed me, and that is why we came together in yonder darksome vault.” -</p> - -<p> -“All this I have guessed, Prince and Brother, but what now?” -</p> - -<p> -“Now, Temu, I would warn the Queen and our brethren of the dangers -that threaten them; namely, that Apepi would steal her and kill out -the rest of the Order to the last man and woman, for so he has sworn -to me that he will do.” -</p> - -<p> -“I think that there is no need to take them that message, Prince,” -answered Temu lightly, “since Roy would learn such tidings quicker -than men could carry it. Still, let us go on, for God is with us -always. Faith, have faith!” -</p> - -<p> -So they sailed forward and shortly after daylight saw the pyramids and -at last came to the strand that was near to the palm grove where first -Khian had met Nefra disguised as a messenger. -</p> - -<p> -Here they hid away their boat as best they could and wearing the long -cloaks that had been given to them in the prison, beneath which were -swords that they had found in the boat, set there doubtless for their -use, made their way across the sand to the Sphinx, and thence to the -temple, meeting no man. Indeed, they noted that those who cultivated -the fertile belt of land were not to be seen and that the crops were -trodden down by men and wandering beasts. Filled with fear they -entered the temple by the secret way they knew and crept down its -passages into the great hall where Nefra had been crowned. It was -silent and empty, or so they thought at first, till suddenly, far away -at the end of the hall Khian perceived a white-robed figure seated in -the throne-like chair upon the dais, behind which stood the ancient -statue of Osiris, god of the dead. They advanced swiftly. Now they -were near and Khian saw that it was the figure of Roy or—the ghost of -Roy. There he sat in his priestly robes, down which flowed his long -white beard, his head bent upon his breast, as though he slept. -</p> - -<p> -“Awake, holy Prophet,” said Khian, but Roy did not stir or answer. -</p> - -<p> -Then they went to him, trembling, climbed the dais, and looked into -his face. -</p> - -<p> -Roy was dead. They could see no wound on him, but without doubt he was -dead and cold. -</p> - -<p> -“The holy Prophet has been taken away,” said Khian hoarsely, “though I -think that his spirit remains with us. Let us search for the others.” -</p> - -<p> -They searched but could find no one. They went into the chamber of -Nefra. It was undisturbed but she was gone; even her garments were -gone, and so it was with all the others. -</p> - -<p> -“Let us go out,” said Khian; “perchance they are hidden in the tombs.” -</p> - -<p> -They left the temple and wandered far and wide, but all was silence -and desolation. They looked for footprints, but if there were any, the -strong north wind had covered them up with sand. At length in the -shadow of the second pyramid they sat down in despair. Roy was dead -and the rest were gone, Khian could guess why. But whither had they -gone? Were they perchance on board those ships which had passed them -in the night? Or were they slain? If so, how came it that they had -seen no bodies or signs of slaughter? So they asked of themselves and -each other, but found no answer. -</p> - -<p> -“What shall we do, Prince?” asked Temu. “Doubtless all will be well in -the end. Still, our food and water are almost gone, nor can we stay -here without shelter.” -</p> - -<p> -“Hide in the temple, I think, Temu, at least for the coming night. -Listen. I am sure that the Brotherhood of the Dawn have fled, being -warned that Apepi was about to fall upon them.” -</p> - -<p> -“Yes, but whither?” -</p> - -<p> -“To seek the aid of the King of Babylon. The Lord Tau hinted to me, as -did the giant Ru, that if it were needful they might go thither, and -this doubtless they have done. If so we must follow them, though -without guides and beasts to carry food and water, the journey is -desperate.” -</p> - -<p> -“Fear not, Prince,” answered Temu the hopeful. “Faith, have faith! We -of the Brotherhood are never deserted in our need. Were we deserted in -the prison of Tanis, or on our journey up the Nile? And shall we be -deserted though we travel from one end of the world to the other? I -tell you nay. I tell you that always we shall find friends, since in -every tribe there are Brothers of the Dawn to whom we can make -ourselves known by signs, which friends will give us all they have, -food and beasts of burden and whatever is needful, passing us on to -others. Moreover, I have about me a great sum in gold. It was given to -me by that high One whose face was veiled, he who visited me in my -cell at Tanis and sent me to join you. Yes, and when he gave me the -gold and the jewels, for there are jewels also, he said with meaning -that I and another of my fellowship might be called upon to journey -into far lands, and that if this were so, the treasure would be needed -for our sustenance till we found shelter far from the wrath of a -certain king.” -</p> - -<p> -Now as he listened the heart of Khian grew bold again, for it seemed -to him as though this happy-minded Temu had been sent to him as a very -messenger from heaven, which indeed perhaps he was, after a fashion. -</p> - -<p> -“I find your fellowship good in trouble, Temu,” he said, “though I -know not whence you win such calm and strength of soul.” -</p> - -<p> -“I win it from faith, Prince, as you will do also when you have been -longer of our Brotherhood. Since Apepi seized me yonder at Tanis and -threw me into prison, not once have I been afraid, nor am I now. Never -yet have I known harm to come to a Brother of the Dawn going about his -duty. The prophet Roy is dead, it is true, but that is because his -time had come to die, or perhaps he who was too old to travel chose to -withdraw himself from the world. But his mantle has fallen upon Tau -and others, and with us will go his spirit, and who shall stand -against the freed spirit of the holy prophet Roy who walks with God -to-day?” -</p> - -<p> -Then, having determined that they could do nothing more that day, for -they were weary and first must rest, also get food if they could from -the stores that were hidden away by the Order in case of trouble, of -which Temu knew the secret, they set out to return to the Temple of -the Sphinx where the dead Roy still ruled as he had done when he was -alive. At the edge of the great rock platform upon which was built the -Pyramid of Khafra, Khian halted suddenly, for in the midst of the deep -silence of the tomb he thought that he heard voices. Whilst he was -wondering whence they came, from behind a little neighbouring pyramid -that marked the grave of some king’s son or princess appeared a Negro -running with his head bent down and his eyes fixed upon the ground, as -do black people when they track game. -</p> - -<p> -“They have gone this way, both of them, Captain,” he called out, “and -not an hour ago.” -</p> - -<p> -Then Khian understood that the man was following the footsteps of Temu -and himself, who indeed had come round that same little pyramid. -Whilst he stood wondering what to do, for this discovery seemed to -freeze his blood, round the corner of the small pyramid came a whole -company of men who by their dress and arms he knew to be soldiers of -Pharaoh’s guard, forty or fifty of them. -</p> - -<p> -“We have been followed up Nile; they are hunting us, Prince. Now we -must escape from them, or we shall be killed,” said Temu calmly. -</p> - -<p> -As he spoke the black tracker caught sight of them and pointed them -out with his spear, whereon the whole company broke into a run, -uttering shouts like hunters when at last they view their game. -</p> - -<p> -Then in his extremity a memory came to Khian. -</p> - -<p> -“Follow me, Temu,” he said, and turning, fled back towards the Pyramid -of Khafra, though to do so he must pass even closer to the pursuers. -</p> - -<p> -Temu saw this and stared, then muttering, “Faith! Have faith!” bounded -after him. -</p> - -<p> -For a moment the soldiers halted, thinking that they were coming to -surrender, but when they saw the pair speed past them they began to -run again. Khian, followed by the long-legged Temu, sped along the -south face of the great pile and, as their pursuers reached it from -the west, were just seen turning the corner of the east face. So -swiftly did Khian and Temu run that when the soldiers reached this -east face they lost sight of them, who already were speeding along the -north face, and not knowing which way they had gone, waited till the -tracker came up to guide them by his art. -</p> - -<p> -Meanwhile Khian, rushing along the north face, sought with his eyes -for that fallen block of stone which marked where it must be mounted. -There were many such blocks, but at last he saw this one and knew it -again. Calling to Temu to keep close, he began to scale the pyramid, -which to him was easy. -</p> - -<p> -“Ye gods! am I a goat?” gasped Temu. “Well, faith, faith!” and up he -went as best he could. Once he would have fallen, but Khian, glancing -back, saw and caught him by the hair. -</p> - -<p> -Which was the course of stones? He had found no time to count them as -he climbed and each was like to the other. He thought that he must -have over-shot it and stopped, trying to remember all that Nefra had -told and shown him. Whilst he stood thus, suddenly as though by magic -a great block of marble stirred and swung round in front of him, -revealing the mouth of the passage beyond, in which he saw a light -burning. Not staying to think how this marvel came about, he leapt -into the hole dragging Temu after him, for now the tracker had rounded -the corner and, though still far away, had caught sight of them on the -side of the pyramid, though this afterwards the soldiers would not -believe. Therefore, guessing by the shouting of the man that they had -been seen, in went Khian, though to what fate he did not know, since -he could not guess how the swinging block had opened of itself and -feared some snare. -</p> - -<p> -Scarcely had they passed the stone when it closed as swiftly and -silently as it had opened, and he heard the clank of the bar. Then -panting he turned to look about him and by the faint light of the lamp -that was far off, perceived a figure standing in the mouth of the -recess which Nefra had shown him was used as a storehouse. The figure -came forward, bowing. -</p> - -<p> -“Welcome, Lord,” it said. “Wonderful is the wisdom of the Prophets of -the Dawn, for they warned me that you might return here thus about -this time, and therefore I kept good watch.” -</p> - -<p> -Now as his eyes grew accustomed to the light Khian knew the man again -to be no other than that sheik who had taught him to climb the -pyramids and was called their Captain. -</p> - -<p> -“How could you watch through a stone wall, Friend?” he asked, amazed. -</p> - -<p> -“Oh! easily enough, Lord. Come here and I will show you. Now lie down -on the floor and look through that hole, or if you would see higher -up, through that one.” -</p> - -<p> -Khian obeyed and perceived that the holes were tubes which ran -slantwise to the face of the pyramid, so cunningly contrived that a -watcher within could see what was passing at its base, or if he used -others, farther away. Thus Khian saw the soldiers arrive panting and -the black tracker with many wavings of his arms, explaining to them -that the fugitives had run up the pyramid. This tale seemed to make -their captain angry—for clearly he believed it to be a lie—so angry -that he struck the tracker with the handle of his spear, whereon the -man grew sullen, as negroes do who are beaten unjustly, and throwing -himself on to the sand would say no more. After this the soldiers -began to search for themselves. Some of them even began to climb the -side of the pyramid, till one of them rolled down and hurt himself and -was carried away groaning. Then others of them went on and vanished, -to hunt among the tombs beyond, or so Khian supposed. But the Captain -and some officers sat down on the sand at the base and took counsel -together, for they were bewildered. So they remained till nightfall -when they lit a fire and camped there. -</p> - -<p> -Having seen these things, or certain of them, Khian bade the sheik -tell him what had become of the Brotherhood of the Dawn and why he was -here alone inside the pyramid. -</p> - -<p> -“Lord, this is the story,” answered the man. “Some hours after you had -sailed away down Nile, bearing letters for the King of the North, news -reached the Council of the Dawn. Whence or how it came I do not know -who am not in their secrets; a spy may have brought it or it may have -been revealed from Heaven, I cannot say. At least this happened: all -of the Brotherhood were gathered together; then the women and children -and some men who were too old to travel far were sent away across the -desert southwards in the direction of the other pyramids where is the -burial-place of the Apis bulls, though whether they were to stay there -or go further I did not hear. At least they departed quietly that very -night, and next morning had vanished, doubtless to seek shelter with -friends of the Order in some appointed place where they will be safe.” -</p> - -<p> -“But what happened to the Lady Nefra and the rest, Captain?” -</p> - -<p> -“Lord, all that night they made preparations, and the next morning -before the dawn they started eastwards, bearing with them tents and -much provision laden upon asses. Also they took a mummy case from the -burial vault, which I understood contained the embalmed body of that -queen who was the mother of our Lady Nefra. Only one remained behind, -save myself, and that was the holy prophet Roy.” -</p> - -<p> -“Why did you not go also, Sheik?” -</p> - -<p> -“For two reasons, Lord. First because the Captain of the Pyramids is -sworn, whatever chances, never to leave them. Here my forefathers have -lived and died for countless generations, and here my descendants will -live and die till the sun ceases to rise or the pyramids crumble into -dust. This is promised to our race so long as we guard them and keep -our trust, but if we break it, then it is promised that our family -will die out.” -</p> - -<p> -“You give a good reason for staying where you are, though in danger -and loneliness, Sheik.” -</p> - -<p> -“Yes, Lord, and there is a second, just as good. Before she went the -Lady Nefra sent for me and, speaking as Queen, laid her commands upon -me. These were that I should forthwith see to it that the tomb chamber -in this Pyramid of Ur, of which like her I had the secret, was full -provisioned with food, fresh water, wine, oil, means of making fire, -and all other needful things. That this done, I should take up my -abode here and watch all that passed, and if you came, for, Lord, she -seemed to be sure that you would come, that I should hide you in the -pyramid and tend you there, thus protecting you from all foes. -Moreover, she commanded me, as also did the Lord Tau, to tell you that -she with all the Brotherhood had fled to Babylon, there to seek the -aid of her grandsire, the great King Ditanah, who it seems still lives -and had sent messengers to greet her as Queen of Egypt and, if need -were, to guide her and all her company to Babylon where, it is -believed, he will give her a great army to make war upon Apepi and to -establish her upon the throne of Egypt. She said also that I was to -bid you, so soon as you could escape, to fly to Babylon where you -would find shelter from the wrath of Apepi.” -</p> - -<p> -“I thank the Queen for her messages and forethought,” said Khian, -“though how she learned that I was fated to revisit this place, I -cannot guess.” -</p> - -<p> -“I think that the holy prophet Roy knew and told her, Lord, for to him -at the last the future seemed to be as open as the present, the only -difference being that he saw the one with the eyes of his soul and the -other with the eyes of his body.” -</p> - -<p> -“Mayhap, Sheik. But how comes it that Roy sits dead in the temple -hall? Do you know aught of his end?” -</p> - -<p> -“Lord, I know everything. I was present when, after the departure of -the aged, the women, and the children, the Prophet summoned all the -Order before him in the great hall, and with them Nefra the Queen and -the Lord Tau. There he addressed them in wonderful words, telling them -that they must make the journey to Babylon without him as now he was -too old to travel. They answered that they would bear him with them in -a litter; but he shook his head, saying: -</p> - -<p> -“‘Not so, the time has come for me to die to this world and to pass to -another whence I will watch over you and where I will await you all -when your hours are fulfilled. Here, then, I bide till I am called -away.’ -</p> - -<p> -“Then while they wept he called Tau to him and, causing him to kneel, -with secret and mystical words ordained him to be Prophet of the Order -of the Dawn after him, giving him authority over the bodies and souls -of men, after which he breathed upon and kissed him. Next he summoned -our Lady Nefra, the Queen, and bade her be of a good heart, since it -was given to him to know that all things should befall according to -her desire, and that, however great his dangers, he whom she loved -would be protected and brought back to her at last. Then he kissed and -blessed her also, and after her he blessed all the Order, those of the -Council by name, charging them to guard its secrets and to keep its -doctrines to which they were sworn, pure and undefiled. Moreover, -should they shed blood in pursuit of its righteous aims and in defence -of their Queen and sister, he absolved them of its guilt, saying that -sometimes war was necessary to peace, but that when war was ended, -they must show mercy and become poor and humble as before. After this -he dismissed them, nor would he speak with any of them again, save to -give Tau a writing for the King of Babylon, and another writing -addressed to all the members of the Order throughout the world.” -</p> - -<p> -“And what happened then, Sheik?” -</p> - -<p> -“Then, Lord, they bent the knee to him one by one and went away, who -by dawn were marching for Babylon. When all had gone Roy looked up -and, perceiving me left alone, asked why I was not with them. I told -him what I have told you, and he said that it was well and that I must -tend him till his death. After this he left the throne and laid him -down in a chamber near at hand, and there I visited him night and -morning, for all the day I was busy preparing this place to which I -carried food and water and the rest from the temple stores and, lest I -should be seen, hid them here in the hours of darkness. I think it was -on the fourth afternoon from the departure of the Brotherhood that, -all my tasks being finished, I went to the holy Prophet to give him -water to drink, for now he would touch no food. He drank and commanded -me to help him to rise and to array him in all his priestly garments. -Then at his bidding I led him to the hall and sat him down on the -throne with his rod of office in his hand. -</p> - -<p> -“‘Hearken,’ he said to me. ‘Our foes come, thinking to destroy us -according to the command of Apepi. I see them landing on the shore; I -see the shining of their spears. Man and brother, hide you there and -watch, knowing that no harm shall come to you, and afterwards go do as -you were bidden.’ Now, as the Brother Temu will know if you do not, -Lord, all the temple yonder is full of places where only fire or -hammers could find a man, into the secrets of which we of the Order -have been instructed in case of need. To one of these I went and hid -myself, but a little way from the platform on which Roy sat, nor would -any have guessed that the calm statue of an ancient god held a living -man who could see all through its hollow eyes of stone. -</p> - -<p> -“A while went by, perhaps an hour, for when I came into the temple the -sun was still high, but now its beams, striking through the western -window-place, began to fall upon Roy and the throne upon which he sat, -in shafts of light that clothed him in a robe of flame. Suddenly the -silence was broken by sounds that grew ever nearer, sounds of running -feet, sounds of rude voices shouting. -</p> - -<p> -“‘Here is the path,’ they shouted. ‘Here is the nest of the white rats -of the Dawn, who soon shall be red. Now let us see if their spells can -turn Pharaoh’s spears.’ -</p> - -<p> -“Roaring such words as these, a mob of soldiers burst into the hall -through the great entrance, glittering with armour and with lifted -swords. The silence of the ancient place seemed to strike and chill -them, for their tumult ceased, and after a pause they came on slowly, -clinging together like bees. Then it was, Lord, that the red rays of -the westering sun fell full upon Roy, revealing him seated, -white-robed, upon the throne, his golden-headed staff held like a -sceptre in his hand. They stared, they halted. -</p> - -<p> -“‘It is a spirit!’ cried one. -</p> - -<p> -“‘Nay, it is the god Osiris holding the Rod of Power,’ answered -another. -</p> - -<p> -“The officers consulted together doubtfully, till some captain who was -bolder than the rest said: -</p> - -<p> -“‘Shall we be frightened by magic tricks? Let us look.’ -</p> - -<p> -“He marched up the hall followed by others, and halted in front of the -platform. -</p> - -<p> -“‘This old god is dead,’ he cried. ‘Do you fear a dead god, Comrades?’ -</p> - -<p> -“Now Roy spoke in a hollow echoing voice, saying: -</p> - -<p> -“‘What is life and what is death? And how know you the difference -between a dead and a living god, O Violator of Sanctuaries?’ -</p> - -<p> -“The officer heard and fell back, but made no answer, for he was -afraid. -</p> - -<p> -“‘What seek you in this holy place, O men of blood, and who sent you -here?’ went on Roy. -</p> - -<p> -“Then the officer found courage to answer. -</p> - -<p> -“‘Apepi the Pharaoh, whose servants we are, sent us, and our mission -is to capture Nefra, the daughter of Kheperra, once King of the South, -and to put to the sword the company of the Priests of the Dawn.’ -</p> - -<p> -“‘Capture Nefra, the anointed Queen of the Two Lands, if you can find -her, Man, and put the priests of the Order of the Dawn to the sword, -if you can find them. Search the tombs and search the desert, and when -you find them put them to the sword, and bear back the heads of the -dead to Apepi, the Shepherd dog whom you call a king, and with them -the living beauty of Nefra, her Majesty of Egypt.’ -</p> - -<p> -“They made no answer and Roy went on: -</p> - -<p> -“‘Search, search, to find naught but wind and sand. Search till the -Sword of God falls upon you, as fall it will.’ -</p> - -<p> -“Now, Lord, it would seem as though that officer drew courage out of -the depths of his terrors, for he shouted back: -</p> - -<p> -“‘At least, old Prophet, you are neither God nor his Sword, and for -you there is no need to search. You we will take to Pharaoh Apepi, -that, yet living, he may hang you as a cheat and a wizard above the -gates of Tanis.’ -</p> - -<p> -“Now Roy arose from his throne and, terrible to behold, stood in the -fierce light of the setting sun. Slowly he raised his wand and pointed -with it at that officer, saying in a cold, clear voice: -</p> - -<p> -“‘Prophet you name me, and now at the last, if never before, Prophet I -am. Hearken, Man, and bear back my words to your master, the Shepherd -thief Apepi, and lay them to your own heart. It is you and not I who -shall hang from the pylon gate of Tanis. Yea, I see you swinging in -the wind, you who have suffered that flock to escape on which the -Shepherd dog would feed, and must feel his rage, as this Apepi must -feel the wrath of God. Say to him from Roy, the Prophet of the Order -of the Dawn, that death draws near to him, the breaker of oaths, the -seeker of innocent blood, and that soon he shall talk with Roy, not at -Tanis but before the Judgment seat in the Underworld. Say to him that -his armies shall go down before the sword of the Avenger as corn is -reaped by the sickle, and that one whom he would murder shall sit upon -his throne and cherish her whom he desired. Say to him that when he -stood here in this hall disguised as a messenger, I knew him well, but -spared him because his time was not yet and because the humble -Brethren of the Dawn, unlike to the King of the Shepherd pack, -remember the duties of hospitality and do not seek to stain their -hands with the blood of envoys. Say to him, the oath-breaker who would -practise treachery, that he shall drink of the cup of treachery and -that from the evil he has sown others shall reap the harvest of -righteousness and peace.’ -</p> - -<p> -“Thus, Lord, spoke Roy and sank back upon the throne. -</p> - -<p> -“‘Seize him!’ shouted the officer. ‘Beat him with rods; torment him -till he tells us where he has hidden the royal Nefra, for ill will be -our welcome at Tanis if we return without her upon whom the King has -set his heart.’ -</p> - -<p> -“Now, Lord, very slowly some of the soldiers crept forward, two paces -forward and one back, for they were much afraid. At length they came -to the platform and climbed it. The first of them, not touching him, -stared into the face of the holy Roy, then reeled back, crying: -</p> - -<p> -“‘He is dead! This Prophet is dead; his jaw has fallen!’ -</p> - -<p> -“‘Aye,’ answered one in the hall, ‘but his curse lives on. Woe! woe to -Apepi and woe to us who serve him! Woe! Woe!’ -</p> - -<p> -“While the cry still echoed from the walls, of a sudden the sun sank -and the hall grew dark. Then, Lord, there arose another cry of ‘Flee! -Flee swiftly ere the curse strikes us in this haunted place.’ -</p> - -<p> -“Lord, they turned, they fled. The narrow passages were choked with -them. Some fell and were trampled of their fellows, for I heard their -groans, but these they dragged away, dead or living, I know not which. -Presently all were gone. I crept from my hiding place, I lifted the -hand of the holy Roy. It grew cold and, when I loosed it, fell -heavily; I listened at his heart; it did not beat. Then I followed the -soldiers, and hiding as I know how to do, saw them embark upon their -ships, fighting in their mad haste, and push out into the Nile -although a great wind blew. When I came again at dawn they were all -gone, only I think that some boat had been overturned, for on the -shore were three bodies which I thrust back into the water. -</p> - -<p> -“Such, Lord, was the end of Roy our Master, who now sleeps in the -bosom of Osiris.” -</p> - -<p> -“A strange tale and a terrible,” said Khian. -</p> - -<p> -“Aye,” broke in Temu, “but one in which I see the hand of Heaven. But -if such is the beginning, Prince, what of the end? Ill for Apepi, I -think, and for those who cling to him. Faith! Have faith!” -</p> - - -<h3 id="ch17"> -CHAPTER XVII.<br/> -<span class="chap_sub">The Fate of the Cliff-Climbers</span> -</h3> - -<p class="noindent"> -<span class="sc">That</span> night, Khian, Temu, and the Sheik of the Pyramids, after they -had eaten and drunk, laid themselves down to sleep in the burial -chamber of the Pharaoh Khafra, Khian lying on one side of his -sarcophagus, Temu on the other, and the Sheik, who said that he would -not profane the sacred place with his humble presence, just outside -the doorway. But as Khian discovered that night, often enough it is -one thing to lie down and another to sleep. -</p> - -<p> -Sleep, indeed, he could not. Perchance he was overweary, who had -rested little for many nights, for on the boat he had laboured hard -and scarcely dared to shut his eyes. Perchance all the dangers that he -had passed, all that he had suffered, seen, and heard, so filled his -mind that it would not cease from troubling. Perchance the hot, still -air of the tomb lying at the heart of a mountain of stone oppressed -him and took away his breath. -</p> - -<p> -Or there may have been other reasons. Within the great chest against -which he lay, silent and stern, reposed the bones of a Pharaoh, the -builder of this pyramid, who had been mighty in the world uncounted -years before, but of whom now there remained no history and nothing -upon earth, save those bones, the pyramid, and, in the temple without, -certain statues portraying his royal presence. Such a one as this was -no good bedfellow, thought Khian, especially for a man who, as -suddenly he remembered, wore to-day the very ring with which, ages -past, that departed monarch had sealed his documents of state. -</p> - -<p> -Khian wondered in his wakefulness whether the <i>Ka</i> or Double of this -Pharaoh, which, as was well known, or so swore all the priests and -learned men, dwelt with his body in the tomb till the hour of -resurrection, was now looking at that ring and wondering how it came -to be on this stranger’s hand. As he remembered, already it had -brought him trouble, since through it his father, Apepi, with all the -cunning of the jealous, had guessed that he and Nefra were lovers, and -thereon cast him into prison. He had escaped from that prison to find -another, but if this was to be shared with the <i>Ka</i> of the mighty -Khafra, the second would be no better than the first, for who could -deceive a <i>Ka</i>? Had he thought of the matter, which in his folly he -did not, he might have hidden the ring from Apepi, but where was the -pouch that would hide it from the eyes of a <i>Ka</i>? Perhaps, however, -Khafra had given the ring to him who came after him, from whom it had -descended generation by generation, until it came to his hand lawfully -enough, in which case the <i>Ka</i> might pardon him who wore it to-day. -</p> - -<p> -Oh! his brain grew weak and foolish; he would think no more of <i>Kas</i> -and rings; he would think of that sweet and lovely lady with whom he -had plighted troth in this very sepulchre. Where was she now, he -wondered, and when should he find her again? The Sheik said that -almost with his last breath Roy had prophesied that they would come -together once more, which were comfortable words. Yet Roy might have -meant that this would chance in another world since to Roy, especially -at the last, there seemed to be little difference between the live and -the dead. But he, Khian, desired the breathing woman, not her ghost, -for who knew how shadows loved, if indeed they loved at all? How -wondrous was the tale of this death of Roy, hurling curses with his -last strength upon Apepi and those who violated the sanctuary of the -Brethren of the Dawn and strove to steal away their sister and their -Queen. He thanked the gods that Roy had not cursed him in such -fashion. Nay, he had blessed him, and Nefra also. Therefore, surely, -they would be blessed, for he was holy, a minister of Heaven who knew -its mind. -</p> - -<p> -Even in that dread habitation and surrounded by so many perils, he -would remember that Roy had blessed them, and that his spirit, -purified eternally, was watching him, stronger than the <i>Ka</i> of Khafra -or than any evil ghost or demon that makes its home in tombs. Yes, -comforted by that blessing he would cease to stare at the wavering -shadow that the lamplight threw upon the arched roof, and sleep. -</p> - -<p> -Sleep he did at last, though fitfully and haunted by bad dreams, for -that place was foul-aired, till at length he was awakened by the sound -of Temu, who stirred upon the farther side of the tomb and yawned -loudly. -</p> - -<p> -“Arise, Prince,” said Temu, “for though one would not guess it here, -it must be day.” -</p> - -<p> -“What is day to those who live in the eternal blackness of a pyramid -as though already they were dead?” asked Khian gloomily. -</p> - -<p> -“Oh! a great deal,” replied Temu cheerfully, “because one knows that -the sun is shining without. Also darkness has its comforts; thus in -it, having nothing else to do, one can pray longer and with a mind -more fixed.” -</p> - -<p> -“But that the sun is shining on others does not comfort me in a -stifling gloom, Temu, and I can pray best when I see the heaven above -me.” -</p> - -<p> -“As doubtless you will soon again, Prince, for be sure that by now, -having lost us, those soldiers have departed to report to his Majesty -that we have melted away like spirits.” -</p> - -<p> -“In which case his Majesty will make <i>them</i> into spirits, Temu, that -they may search for us elsewhere. Certainly, wherever those soldiers -go, it will not be back to Tanis unless they take us with them. Think -now. We have escaped from Pharaoh’s strongest dungeon which none has -ever done before. The Queen Nefra and all our brethren, save Roy who -chose to stay behind to die, have escaped his army. What would his -mood be, then, towards those who reported to him that they had tracked -and hunted us, only at the last to let us slip through their fingers? -No, Temu, unless we accompany them, I think that they will not return -to Tanis.” -</p> - -<p> -At this moment the Sheik appeared bearing a lamp. -</p> - -<p> -“Have the soldiers gone?” asked Temu. -</p> - -<p> -“Come and see,” said the Sheik, and turning, led them down the -passages. “Now look,” he added, pointing to the eyeholes. -</p> - -<p> -Khian looked, and when his sight grew accustomed to the bright light -that flowed from without, perceived the soldiers, fifty or more of -them, engaged in building themselves huts or shelters of the loose -stones that lay about. Moreover, by setting his ear to the hole, he -heard an officer call to someone whom he could not see, asking if all -were well with the companies that watched the other faces of the -pyramid. Then understanding that these men were sure that their quarry -lay hid within the pyramid and intended to guard it day and night -until starvation or lack of water forced them to come out, Khian -motioned to Temu to look for himself and sat down upon the passage -floor and groaned. -</p> - -<p> -“Certainly,” said Temu after a while, “it seems as though they were -going to stop here a long time, for otherwise they would not be -building themselves houses of stone. Well, we will outwit them -somehow. Faith—have faith!” -</p> - -<p> -“Yes,” said Khian, “but meanwhile even faith needs food, so let us -eat.” -</p> - -<p> -<br/> -</p> - -<p> -Thus for these three there began a time of terror. Day added itself to -day and still the soldiers remained, watching as a cat watches; also -others came to join them, and among these, men who were skilled at the -climbing of cliffs and other heights, and set themselves to scale the -pyramid with the aid of ropes and spikes of bronze, hoping thus to -discover the hiding place of the Prince. It was but lost labour, since -although often they crept over it, never did they find the secret -stone, nor if they had, could they have opened it that was barred -within. Still there they remained, believing always that the prisoners -must come out, unless indeed they were already dead. -</p> - -<p> -Khian and his companions slept no more in the tomb chambers; the place -was too close and dreadful; they could not rest there. So after that -first night they laid themselves down in the passage near to the -entrance stone, for there some air reached them through the peepholes, -also a little light. Indeed, by setting his eye to one of these holes -that slanted upwards, apparently to make it possible for any looking -through it from within to see the southern face of another of the -pyramids, Khian found that he could behold a certain star. For hours -at night he would lie watching that star, until at length it passed -from his vision, as the sight of it seemed to give him comfort, though -why he did not know. For the rest they must lie in the dark, or with -the peepholes blocked, lest the lamplight flowing through these should -betray them, and therefore were obliged to eat farther down the -passage. Soon, however, although there was plenty of it, food began to -grow distasteful to them, who must stay still, or nearly so, day after -day. The water, too, became flat, stale, and nauseous to the taste, -and of the wine they dared not drink too much. -</p> - -<p> -Thus it came about that at length courage and spirit began to desert -Khian, who would sit for hour after hour silent, sunk in a gloom as -deep as that of the bowels of the pyramid. Even Temu, though still he -talked much of faith, reminding his companions of Roy and his -prophecy, and prayed for hours at a time, became less happy-hearted -and declared that the prison vaults at Tanis were as a palace compared -to this accursed tomb. The Sheik, also, grew so wild in his manner -that Khian thought that he was going mad. What angered him most was -that strangers should dare to scramble about the pyramid of which he -was the captain, for of this he talked continually. Khian tried to -soothe him by saying that he was sure they dared not climb so very -high, even with the help of their ropes, since never would they know -where to set their feet. -</p> - -<p> -These words made the Sheik thoughtful, for after hearing them he grew -silent, as though he were considering deeply. On the following night, -just before the dawn, he awoke Khian and said: -</p> - -<p> -“Prince, I go on an errand. Ask me not what it is, but to-morrow at -sunset unbar the stone and wait. If I do not return before the dawn, -bar it up again and think of me as dead.” -</p> - -<p> -He would say no more, nor did Khian try to turn him from his purpose, -for he knew that then the man would go quite mad. So the stone was -opened a little, and having eaten and drunk some wine, the Sheik -slipped out into the darkness. -</p> - -<p> -The sound of the bar falling into its place again woke Temu, who -sprang up, crying: -</p> - -<p> -“I dreamed that the stone was open and that we were free. Why, where -is the Sheik? He was lying by my side.” -</p> - -<p> -“The stone was opened, Temu, but we are not free. As for the Sheik, he -has gone on some wild errand of his own. What it was he would not tell -me. I think that he could bear this place no more and seeks freedom in -death, or otherwise.” -</p> - -<p> -“If so, Prince, there will be more water left for us two to drink, and -doubtless all is for the best. Faith! Have faith!” answered Temu, and -lying down went to sleep again. -</p> - -<p> -That day passed as the others had done. Of the Sheik they spoke no -more, for both of them believed that he had fled, or hidden himself -among the stones of the pyramids to get air. Indeed now their miseries -were so great that scarcely could they think of other matters and -talked little, but, like two caged owls, sat staring at the darkness -with large, unnatural eyes. Towards evening Khian, watching through -his peephole, saw that some Bedouins of the desert, who were mounted -upon fine horses, had arrived at the camp of the soldiers who were -chaffering with them for corn or perhaps milk, which others on foot -carried upon their heads in jars or baskets. When the bargaining was -done the soldiers talked with the desert-dwellers, telling them why -they were camped there, or so Khian guessed, for the latter stared at -the pyramids as though the tale moved them, and asked many questions, -as he could see by their eager faces and the movements of their hands. -Whilst they were still talking the sun began to set, sinking swiftly, -as it seems to do in the clear skies of Egypt. Then suddenly one -shouted, pointing upwards: -</p> - -<p> -“Look! Look! Yonder stands the Spirit of the Pyramids, there on its -very crest, clad all in white.” -</p> - -<p> -“Nay,” answered another, “it is clad in black.” -</p> - -<p> -“There must be two of them,” called a third, “one in white and one in -black. Without doubt these are no spirits, but those we seek, the -Prince Khian and the priest, who all this while have dwelt not in the -pyramid but on its crest.” -</p> - -<p> -“Fool,” cried a voice, “how can men live for weeks in such a place? -These are ghosts, I say. Have we not heard that the pyramids are -haunted. Look! The thing mocks us, making signs with its arms.” -</p> - -<p> -“Ghosts or men,” said the first voice, that of the Captain, “we will -take them to-morrow. To-night it is impossible, for darkness falls.” -</p> - -<p> -Then followed tumult, for all the soldiers spoke at once, and at that -distance Khian could not hear their words. He noted, however, that the -desert-dwellers did not speak. They sat still upon their horses at a -little distance and behind the soldiers, while he who seemed to be -their chief made strange signs with his arms, stretching them out -wide, then holding them above his head with his fingers touching. -After this, very swiftly came the darkness, covering all, and the -shoutings died away, though from the encampment below where the -soldiers gathered round their fires, still rose the murmuring of eager -talk. -</p> - -<p> -“Temu,” said Khian later, “what does this sign mean among the -Brotherhood of the Dawn?” and first he stretched his arms out wide and -then made them into a loop above his head with the fingers touching. -</p> - -<p> -“That, Prince, is the sign of the Cross of Life which members of the -Order use for a signal when they are too far apart to speak. It is -thus that they know friend from foe or stranger.” -</p> - -<p> -“I thought so,” said Khian, and was silent. Then he went to the -entrance place and took down the bar that closed it. -</p> - -<p> -An hour later or more he heard a sound and for an instant felt the -night air blowing sweetly on his face, though because of the darkness -he could see nothing. Next he heard the bar fall into its socket and -the voice of the Sheik calling him by name. He answered and together -they crept up the passage till they came to a spot where a lamp burned -and there were food and water. -</p> - -<p> -When the Sheik had drunk deeply Khian asked him where he had been, -though he could guess well enough. -</p> - -<p> -“To the top of the pyramid, Lord. I climbed thither in the dark this -morning. It was very dangerous; so dangerous that although you are as -skilled as I am, I dared not ask you to accompany me. Still, although -I am weak from sitting so long stirless in this hole, I did not fear -who know the road well; also no harm ever comes to the Captain of the -Pyramids while he follows his trade of scaling them.” -</p> - -<p> -“Why did you go there, Sheik?” -</p> - -<p> -“I will tell you, Lord. First, that I might make those soldier dogs -believe that we were living, not in the pyramid, but on or near its -crest in some cave among the stones; or if they would not believe -this, that I might frighten them, and perhaps cause them to go away. -Doubtless they have heard the tale of the Spirit of the Pyramids and -that those who look upon it are doomed to death or madness, and if so, -having, as they believed, seen it once they will not wish to do so -again. Lastly, I had a reason of my own of which perhaps you will not -think well. Skilled cliff-climbers have been brought here to scale the -pyramid, <i>my</i> pyramid and that of my forefathers, on which none has -set foot unless he was of my blood, except only a certain lady and -yourself by order of the Council of the Dawn. Yet these bunglers have -never yet reached the crest; of that I am sure. Now they will try to -do so, for the soldiers will force them to the task, and I think that -what will happen to them will cause strangers for many a generation to -leave the pyramids to be climbed by my race alone.” -</p> - -<p> -“That is revenge which would have been displeasing to Roy,” answered -Khian, shaking his head. Then remembering that to this man the -pyramids were as holy as is a temple to its priest, and that to him he -who dared to try to conquer them deserved to die as much as he does -who violates a sanctuary, he said no more of the matter, but bade the -Sheik to continue his tale. -</p> - -<p> -“Lord, I reached the summit in safety just as the dawn began to break, -and there lay flat all day in the little hollow that you know, where -part of the cap stone is broken off. It was very hot there, Lord, with -the sun beating full upon me, nor did I dare to move lest I should be -seen. Yet I endured till at last came the hour of sunset. Then I rose -up and stood upon the very point clad in my white robe, so that all -the soldiers could see me. While they gazed astonished I slipped back -to the hollow and covered up the white robe with my black cloak of -camel hair, and thus clad, appeared again, bending my knees so as to -make it seem as though I were a second man of a different stature. -This I did more than once, Lord, and thus those watchers came to -believe that unless they saw ghosts, both you and the priest Temu were -on the summit of the pyramid.” -</p> - -<p> -“A clever trick,” said Khian, laughing for the first time for days, -“though I know not how it will serve us.” -</p> - -<p> -“Thus, Lord. If the soldiers believe that you are on the summit of the -pyramid, they will cease to search and watch its slopes, and all night -long the eyes of their sentries will be fixed upon that summit. But -listen, there is more to tell. Whilst I stood thus on high I perceived -certain men mounted on very fine horses who seemed to be Arabs of the -desert and who were, or had been, engaged in chaffering with the -soldiers, selling them milk or grain. Now the presence of these men -caused me to wonder, for I knew well that no Arabs dared to set foot -within the boundaries of this, the Holy Ground of Dawn, fearing lest, -if they do so, the curse of Heaven and of the Prophets of the Dawn -should fall upon them. Then a thought came to me, sent as I think from -on high, and seeing him who seemed to be the headman of the Arabs -watching me with uplifted face, with my arms I made certain signs that -are known to our Order, and perhaps, Lord, to you also who now are one -of them.” -</p> - -<p> -Khian nodded, and he went on: -</p> - -<p> -“Lord, that man answered the signs and so did another who was near to -him, to show me as I think that this was not done by chance. Then I -knew that they were friends sent here for a purpose and understood why -my Spirit had moved me to climb the pyramid.” -</p> - -<p> -“And if so, what of it, Sheik?” asked Khian in a hoarse voice, for his -heart beat high with hope and choked him. -</p> - -<p> -“This, Lord. To-morrow at the sunset once more I shall stand upon the -crest of the pyramid, and if as I think those Arabs still are there, I -shall make other signs to them, showing them where they must wait at -midnight, having horses in readiness. Then I shall return and guide -you to them, for I think that they will know which way to ride.” -</p> - -<p> -“It is dangerous,” said Khian, “but so be it, for if I bide here much -longer I think that I shall die. Therefore, better meet fate in the -open and swiftly than perish here in this hole by inches.” -</p> - -<p> -Then he called Temu and the three of them took counsel together. Also -the Sheik and Temu talked much of the secret signs of their Order, and -practised them by the lamplight. -</p> - -<p> -Next morning ere dawn the Sheik departed again as he had done before. -As soon as it was light, watching through their spyholes, Khian and -Temu saw that there was much disturbance in the camp of the soldiers, -saw also that the skilled cliff-climbers, six or more of them with -their ropes and metal spikes, were collected together, talking with -the officers. -</p> - -<p> -At last, as it seemed to Khian somewhat against their will, they -advanced to the foot of the pyramid, and setting his ear to the hole -Khian heard them scrambling up the face of it. For a long while he -heard no more, but noted the soldiers watching eagerly, talking -together and pointing with their hands, now in this direction and now -in that. -</p> - -<p> -Suddenly there rose a scream of horror. Some of the soldiers stared as -though fascinated, others turned their backs, and others hid their -eyes. The spyhole was obscured for a moment as though by something -passing between it and the light. Then soldiers ran forward and -presently Khian and Temu saw them returning towards the huts bearing -three shapeless things that had been men. A while later they saw the -remainder of the cliff-climbers staggering much as the drunken do, -towards the same huts where they cast down their ropes with the air of -those who had done with them, and departed out of the sight of the -watcher. -</p> - -<p> -“The pyramids are avenged on those who thought that they could master -them, and their captain will rejoice,” said Khian sadly, thinking to -himself that had not some power protected him they would have been -avenged upon him also, as indeed very nearly happened. -</p> - -<p> -<br/> -</p> - -<p> -Once more it was sunset and again the Arabs, mounted on fine horses, -appeared at the camp. Again, too, there were shoutings and pointings -with much disturbance, in the midst of which he who seemed to be the -chief of the Arabs drew a little to one side of, also behind, the -soldiers, so as not to be seen of them, and from time to time made -motions with his arms, as those do who, at its rising or its setting, -worship the sun in the desert. Then followed darkness and in it shone -the fires round which the soldiers were seated. -</p> - -<p> -Presently they stood up holding their hands behind their ears as -though to listen to some sound in the air; then by twos and threes -departed like men who are frightened and hid themselves in the huts or -elsewhere. A while later the stone turned and the Sheik glided into -the passage, but this time he asked for wine, not for water. -</p> - -<p> -“I have been near to Osiris,” he said, “who slipped upon the blood of -one of those cliff-climbing fools and almost fell. Yet I did not fall -who I think was guarded, and for the rest all goes well.” -</p> - -<p> -“Except for the three who are dead,” said Khian, sighing. -</p> - -<p> -“If they died, it was by no fault of mine, Lord. Without knowledge of -the road, in their madness, having scaled two-thirds of the height -they came to smooth marble where is no holding place for hands or -feet. Then one slid down, dragging the others with him, for they were -roped together, after which the rest, seeing the fate of their -fellows, gave up the venture and returned. Now, as I think, the -pyramids will be safe from these common cliff-climbers for many a -year.” -</p> - -<p> -“What chanced afterwards?” asked Khian. -</p> - -<p> -“I appeared at sunset as before, and making pretence to toss my arms -about, as a ghost or a devil might do, I signalled to him who seems to -be the captain of the Arabs. He answered me. We understood each other. -After dark I shouted curses at the soldiers telling them that I was -the Spirit of Roy the Prophet, and that doom was near to them. They -grew frightened at what they held to be a voice from Heaven, and crept -away to hide themselves from the words of evil omen, nor, as I think, -will they come out of their holes again until the sun is high. Now -drink a cup of wine and follow me, both of you.” -</p> - - -<h3 id="ch18"> -CHAPTER XVIII.<br/> -<span class="chap_sub">How Nefra Came to Babylon</span> -</h3> - -<p class="noindent"> -<span class="sc">After</span> he who was known as the Scribe Rasa, the envoy of Apepi, King -of the North, had received the betrothal ring from his affianced, -Nefra the Queen, and sailed down Nile to Tanis, there to undergo many -evil things, at the Temple of the Dawn all came about as the Captain -of the Pyramids afterwards described to him and the priest Temu. -</p> - -<p> -Scarcely had this Rasa, who was Khian the Prince, departed, than there -arrived at the temple, disguised as Arabs, an embassy from Ditanah, -the old king of Babylon. These men, nobles of Babylon, were received -in secret by the Council, and bowing before Roy the Prophet, presented -to him tablets of clay covered with strange signs. -</p> - -<p> -“Read the writing, Tau,” said Roy, “for my sight grows feeble and I -forget this foreign tongue which is your own.” -</p> - -<p> -So Tau took the tablets and read: -</p> - -<div class="letter"> - -<p> -“From Ditanah the aged, Lord of Babylon and King of Kings, whose glory -is as that of the Sun, the Mighty One. To Roy the holy Seer, the -Friend of Heaven, the Prophet of the Order of the Dawn, and to him who -sits under Roy, the first of the Brothers of the Dawn, who in Egypt is -named Tau, but who, as I, Ditanah, have heard, in Babylon aforetime -was named the High Prince Abeshu, the lawful son of my body, with whom -I quarrelled because he rebuked my Majesty as to a certain vengeance -which I took upon a subject people, and who thereafter fled away and -as I believed was long dead—Greetings. -</p> - -<p> -“Know, O Roy, and O Tau or Abeshu, that I have received your letters -informing me of all that passes in Egypt, and that you, Abeshu, still -live. Also that it was the desire of my daughter Rima whom I gave in -marriage to Kheperra, the Pharaoh of the South and by right of descent -the King of all Egypt, that her bones should be brought back for -burial to Babylon. Also I have read that her daughter Nefra has in -secret been crowned Queen of Egypt and seeks my help to win her throne -out of the hands of my enemy, Apepi the Usurper who rules at Tanis. -</p> - -<p> -“Now I, Ditanah, say to you, Roy the Holy, and to you, Queen Nefra my -grandchild, ‘Come to me at Babylon with all your company. Thither I -swear you safe-conduct in the name of my god Marduk, Ruler of Heaven -and Earth, in the name of the gods Nebo and Bel, and of all the other -gods who are my lords. There, also, you shall be guarded from all harm -by the strength of my hands, and there we will talk together of all -these matters.’ -</p> - -<p> -“And to you who are called Tau, I say, ‘Come also, and if you can -prove to me that you are in truth my son, the Prince Abeshu, I will -give you all things that you desire, who have mourned over you for -many years, save one thing only, the succession to my throne after me -which is promised to another. But if you have lied to me in this -matter, then do not come, for surely you shall die.’ -</p> - -<p> -“To the bones, also, of my daughter Rima, whose husband Kheperra, the -wolf, Apepi brought to his death, I will give honourable burial in the -sepulchre of kings, where it was her desire to lie at last. Nor do I -think that I shall refuse her death-prayer, if Nefra, my grandchild -the Queen, will obey me in a certain matter. -</p> - -<p> -“Sealed with the seal of Ditanah, the Great King and with the seals of -his Councillors.” -</p> - -</div> - -<p> -When Tau had read he touched his forehead with the tablet and gave it -to Nefra who sat upon her throne in the centre of the Council. She -also laid it against her forehead, then turned to Tau and said: -</p> - -<p> -“How comes it, my Lord Tau, that all these years you have kept this -secret from me, who if the tale that is written here be true, must be -a brother of my mother and my uncle?”—a question which caused the -envoys to stare at him. -</p> - -<p> -Tau smiled and answered: -</p> - -<p> -“O Queen and Niece, the tale is true enough, as should we live to come -to Babylon, I will prove to my royal father Ditanah and his -Councillors. I am Abeshu and the half-brother of Queen Rima. But when -I left Babylon she was but a little child born of another mother whom -I had scarcely seen, since she dwelt with the royal women. Nor did I -reveal myself to her afterwards when we met again and I saved her from -the plots of Apepi at Thebes, or to you when you grew to womanhood, -because of oaths that I had taken when I became a Brother of the Dawn, -which oaths bound me to lay down all my earthly rank and to forget -that I had been a prince. Yet in those oaths there was a -loophole—namely, should it ever become needful to declare myself and -my true name and history thereby to help the Order of the Dawn, I was -free to do so. To all of which our father the Prophet can bear me -witness.” -</p> - -<p> -“Aye,” said Roy, “it is true. Hearken, Queen and Sister, and you, the -envoys of Ditanah. Many years ago a brother of our Order, now long -dead, brought to me a man who said that he desired to become one of -us, a noble-looking warrior man, stalwart and square-bearded, who, I -judged, had drunk of the water of Euphrates. I asked him his name and -country, also why he sought the shelter of the Dawn. He told me, and -proved his words, that he was Abeshu, a Prince of Babylon, who had -quarrelled with his father, Ditanah the Great King, whose General he -had been, over the matter of a subject people whom he had been ordered -to massacre, but would not for mercy’s sake, and because of his -disobedience had been banished or left the land. Afterwards he had -served under other kings, those of Cyprus and of Syria, as a captain -of their armies, but in the end grew weary of fightings and ambitions, -of loves who betrayed him also, and determined to bid farewell to the -vanities of the world and in solitude and silence to feed and purify -his soul. -</p> - -<p> -“Therefore, having heard of the Order of the Dawn, he came to knock -upon its gate. I answered to him that among us there was no room for -one who only sought salvation for himself and rest from earthly toil, -since those of our Brotherhood must be the servants of all men and -more particularly of the poor and those bound with the chains of sin, -sworn to bring peace to the world, even at the cost of their own -lives, sworn, too, to poverty and, except for special purposes, to -celibacy and the renouncement of all earthly honours. For thus only, -as we held, could the soul of man come into union with its god. -Therefore, if he became one of us, it must be as the slave of the -humblest and he must forget that he had been a Prince of Babylon and a -General of her hosts, he who henceforward would be but a minister of -Heaven appointed to tasks, mayhap, that the meanest idolater would -refuse. -</p> - -<p> -“In the end, Queen, this suppliant bowed his neck beneath our yoke and -laying down all his titles, became known under the humble name of Tau. -Yet from Tau the Servant he grew to be Tau the spiritual Lord, and -after me, its aged Prophet, the greatest in our Brotherhood, and so -acknowledged throughout the world, though until it became necessary to -proclaim it to the Great King Ditanah but the other day, none knew -that he was Abeshu, the Prince of Babylon.” -</p> - -<p> -Now when they heard this strange story the members of the Council rose -and bowed to Tau, as did the envoys from Babylon, setting their hands -upon their hearts. But Nefra did more, for she rose also and kissed -him on the brow, calling him her beloved uncle and saying that now she -understood why she had always loved him from a child. -</p> - -<p> -Then Tau spoke, saying: -</p> - -<p> -“All is as has been told, but because of it I neither seek nor deserve -your praise. What I have done I did for my own soul’s sake who came to -know that there is no true joy save in the service of others and in -the seeking to draw near to God. Now for a while it seems that, still -in the service of others, I must once more be known as a prince and -perhaps as a captain in war. If so, let not my royal Father have any -fear lest I should seek to claim the heritage of those whom he has -appointed to succeed him, I whose only hope and purpose is that I may -live and die a Brother of the Dawn.” -</p> - -<p> -At this moment he who kept the door advanced and whispered into the -ear of Roy, who said: -</p> - -<p> -“Admit them.” -</p> - -<p> -There came in three men, travel-stained and weary, who when they threw -open their cloaks and made the signs, were seen to be Brothers of the -Order. -</p> - -<p> -“Holy Prophet,” said one of them, “we come from Tanis and from the -camp of Apepi’s army. We have it from those in authority who in secret -are the friends of our Order, that Apepi makes preparation, should a -certain request of his be refused, to attack you here; to put every -one of the Brotherhood to the sword and to drag away yonder royal lady -to be his wife. His troops are gathered and in a few days will be upon -you.” -</p> - -<p> -“I know it well,” answered Roy. “Let those mad servants of Apepi come, -for I have words to say to them.” -</p> - -<p> -Then he commanded Tau to call together all the people of the Dawn, -that he might take counsel with them. -</p> - -<p> -They gathered together and in their presence Roy the Prophet laid down -his office and consecrated Tau as his successor, as the Sheik of the -Pyramids had told Khian and Temu. Then, too, he bade them farewell and -blessed them, and they departed weeping, after which all things -happened as the Sheik had said. There were some among the -Council—Nefra the Queen was one of them—who would have seized Roy -and borne him away by force. But he read their minds and forbade it. -So at last they went, leaving him alone according to his commands. Yet -that was a sad parting and at it many tears were shed. Thus Nefra wept -much, for she loved Roy who from her infancy had watched over this -orphan child as though he were her father. He noted her grief and -called her to him: -</p> - -<p> -“Lady of Egypt,” he said, “you who to-day are a queen in name and ere -so very long, unless my wisdom fails me, will be so indeed, wide seems -the gulf that is set between you and the old hermit, the Prophet of a -secret faith whose name will vanish away and who ere long will be -utterly forgotten upon the earth. Also between you and me lies the -span of many years, for I am very, very old, while but yesterday you -came to womanhood. Moreover, your lot in life is far different from -that which I have trod and that now is ending, so it would seem as -though there were little in common between us. Yet it is not so, -because we are tied together by the bond of love which, did you but -know it, is the one perfect, eternal thing in Heaven and earth. Time -is nothing; it seems to be and yet is not, for in everlastingness what -place is there for time? Pomp and glories, beauty and desire, wealth -and want, things lost and things achieved, all we seek and all we -gain, our joys and griefs, yes, birth and death themselves, are but -bubbles on the stream of being which appear and disappear. Only love -is real and only love endures. For love is God, and being God, is King -of the world; a King with a thousand faces, who in the end will -conquer all and make of hate a footstool and of evil the oil within -his lamp. Therefore, Child, follow after love, not only that love -which you know to-day, but the love of all, even of those who do you -wrong, for this is the true sacrifice, and through it only shall your -soul be fed. Now for an hour, farewell.” -</p> - -<p> -Then he kissed her on the brow and bade her leave him. -</p> - -<p> -Such was the parting of Roy the ancient Prophet and Nefra the royal -maid who all her life through remembered this his last message, though -perhaps its full mystery and meaning never came home to her until at -last she was about to follow him into the shadows. Never did she -forget the sight of him, white-robed and bearded, hawk-nosed and -wrinkled, seated alone upon his chair of state within that dusky hall, -staring with steady eyes out into the farther gloom, as though there -he sought some beckoning hand of light and awaited the signal to -follow whither it might lead. -</p> - -<p> -<br/> -</p> - -<p> -Ere the dawn they marched, fifty or more of them, besides those who -bore the coffin of Rima the Queen. Swiftly they marched by secret -ways, for already the sick, the young, and the aged had departed to -their appointed hiding places, so swiftly that when the sun rose the -pyramids were already distant. Then it was that Nefra bade farewell to -the Sheik who had accompanied them thus far, and gave him those -commands of which he had spoken afterwards. -</p> - -<p> -For always she believed that Khian would return to seek her there, as -did Tau and others of the Brotherhood, who perchance had received some -message or spiritual instruction on this matter, and bitterly she -grieved that it was not possible to await his coming that he might fly -with her. The Sheik bowed and went his way, swearing to fulfil her -words, and by degrees the pyramids that had been her only home faded -and were lost to sight. Then for the first time Nefra wept a little, -for she loved those pyramids which she had conquered and where her joy -had found her, and did not know whether she would ever see them more. -</p> - -<p> -They came unharmed to the borders of Egypt, and leaving the great gulf -of the Red Sea to the south of them, passed safely into the deserts of -Arabia. Indeed, on all that journey through Egypt, avoiding towns and -villages, they met few in the war-wasted lands, and those few either -fled away or made pretence not to see them. It was almost as though -some command had gone out that they should not be observed, though -whence it came Nefra did not know. Not until she made that journey did -Nefra learn how great was the secret power of the humble Order of the -Dawn. -</p> - -<p> -At length they were out of Egypt and camped one night by a well in the -desert. Next morning when Nefra looked at dawn out of the tent in -which she slept with Kemmah, she perceived a caravan of camels and -horsemen advancing upon them and was afraid. -</p> - -<p> -“Now I think that Apepi has us in his net,” she said to Kemmah, who -looked also, then left the tent, making no answer. Soon she returned -accompanied by two of the envoys from Babylon, with whom came the Lord -Tau himself. -</p> - -<p> -“Have no fear, Queen,” said Tau, “all has gone well. Those whom you -see are not Shepherds, but troops of your grandsire, the great King -Ditanah, sent by him to escort you to his city of Babylon. Behold the -banner of the Great King blazoned with the symbols of his gods.” -</p> - -<p> -“Thanks and praise be to Heaven,” answered Nefra. Then a thought took -her and she led Tau aside and said to him: “I believe and you believe -that the Prince Khian will return to the pyramids to seek us and to -give us warning. There he may be driven into hiding, being pursued. If -so he will need help. Cannot some be found to give it to him in his -extremity?” -</p> - -<p> -“I will consider the matter and take counsel; indeed, I have already -begun to do so,” answered Tau. -</p> - -<p> -The end of it was that certain high-bred men of the desert, disguised -as Bedouins and mounted on swift horses, Brethren of each other and of -the Dawn every one of them, and sworn to its service to the death, -were sent back to watch the pyramids with certain instructions, of -which men we have already heard. -</p> - -<p> -Then came the General of Ditanah and his officers who kissed the -ground before Nefra, greeting her, she noted, not as Queen of Egypt, -but as a Princess of the House of Babylon. Also they were led to the -tent where rested the body of Queen Rima, before which they knelt -while a priest of their worship made prayers and offerings. These -things done, camels were brought, a great herd of them, on which were -mounted all the Company of the Dawn, and with them a chariot wherein -were set Nefra and the Lady Kemmah. Then they departed, guarded by -squadrons of Babylonian horsemen and led by guides mounted on fleet -camels. -</p> - -<p> -Thus they travelled forward very swiftly across the burning deserts of -Arabia by the great military road, halting where there were wells of -water, or if there were none, carrying it with them in bags of hide. -Moreover, at certain places, oases in the desert, fresh camels and -horses awaited them, so that bearing the mummy of Queen Rima with them -they advanced almost at the speed of the King’s post, helped by all -and unharmed by any, and within some five and thirty days beheld -before them the mighty walls of Babylon. -</p> - -<p> -Built upon either side of the great river Euphrates, filled with -towering temples and glittering palaces, there stood the vast city, -the wonder of the world, so huge a place that for a whole day they -journeyed through its outskirts before they came to its inmost walls. -Then brazen gates rolled back, and as night fell they were conducted -down broad, straight streets filled with thousands upon thousands of -people, who stared at them curiously, half seen in the twilight, till -at length they halted before a palace. -</p> - -<p> -Slaves came forward and led Nefra up steps and through doorways -guarded by winged figures of bulls with the heads of men, into a -wonderful place such as she had never seen, whose home had been in -sepulchres and ancient temple halls. Chamberlains received her, -princes bowed before her, eunuchs and women surrounded her and Kemmah, -bringing them to a chamber that was hung with tapestry and furnished -with vessels of gold and silver. Then they were led to a heated marble -bath, welcome indeed after their long journeyings, though never before -had Nefra seen such a place, and when they had bathed and been rubbed -with oils, were brought back again to their chamber where delicate -foods and wines awaited them. Having eaten and being very weary, they -laid themselves down upon silken, broidered beds and slept, watched by -women slaves and guarded by armed eunuchs who stood without the door. -</p> - -<p> -Nefra was awakened at the dawn by the sound of women’s voices singing -some hymn to Sames the Sun god, at his rising. For a while she lay -contemplating the splendours by which she was surrounded, and already -hating them in her heart. By rank she was a queen indeed, but by -upbringing only a simple country girl accustomed to the free air of -the desert, to the exercise and dangers of scaling rocks and pyramids, -to narrow sleeping chambers that once perhaps were tombs, and to the -hard, rough fare of the Brethren of the Dawn which she had shared with -the humblest of the Order. These silks and broideries, these gorgeous -chambers, these scented waters, these crowds of obsequious slaves, -these foreign, delicate foods, this pomp and state, crushed and -overwhelmed her; she loathed it all. -</p> - -<p> -“Nurse,” she said to Kemmah whose bed was near, “I would that we were -back upon the banks of Nile, watching the first rays of Ra gild the -Sphinx’s brow.” -</p> - -<p> -“If you were back upon the banks of Nile, Child,” answered Kemmah, -“and continued to watch Ra at all, it would be to see his first rays -gilding the gates of your palace prison at Tanis and to hear the voice -of old Apepi calling you by hateful names of love. Therefore be -thankful to find yourself where you are.” -</p> - -<p> -“Nurse, I have dreamed a dream. I dreamed that Khian, my betrothed, -lay in danger of his life and called to me to come to save him.” -</p> - -<p> -“Doubtless, Child, he calls to you wherever he is and doubtless he is -in danger of his life, as all of us are in this fashion or in that. -But what of it? Have we not the promise of my great-uncle, the -Prophet, that no harm shall come to him? Listen. I, too, dreamed a -dream. It was that Roy himself, clothed in light, as I am sure he is, -for doubtless he has been dead for many days, stood beside me. -</p> - -<p> -“‘Bid Nefra,’ he seemed to say, ‘to calm her heart, for though dangers -are many they shall be driven away like storm clouds by the keen -desert winds, leaving her sky clear and in it twin stars shining.’” -</p> - -<p> -“Those are happy words, Nurse, that is, if you dreamt them at all, -which you know alone; words that give me comfort in this strange and -gorgeous place. But look, here come those fat, large-eyed women, -bearing gifts I think. Nurse, I will not be touched by them. I will -clothe myself or you shall clothe me.” -</p> - -<p> -The women came, prostrating themselves almost at every step, and laid -the gifts upon a table of jasper stone: wonderful and gorgeous -garments, royal robes, collars and belts of jewels, and a crown of -gold set with great pearls. -</p> - -<p> -“The gifts of Ditanah the mighty King to his granddaughter, Princess -of Babylon and Queen of Egypt,” said the chief of the women, bowing -and speaking in the Egyptian tongue. “Be pleased to array yourself in -them, O Princess of Babylon and Queen of Egypt, that Ditanah, the Lord -of lords, may behold your beauty suitably adorned. We, your slaves, -are here to serve you.” -</p> - -<p> -“Then be pleased to bear my thanks to the mighty Ditanah, my -grandsire, and to serve me without the door,” answered Nefra, throwing -the coverlet over her face so that she might see no more of them. -</p> - -<p> -When they were gone, with many protestations and even tears, Nefra -arose and by the help of Kemmah, set to clothing herself in these -glittering garments. Yet before all was done that chief of the women -must be called back again to show them how they should be worn. -</p> - -<p> -At length she was attired after the fashion of a Babylonian royal -lady, marvellously attired, and a mirror was brought that she might -behold herself. She looked and cast it down upon the bed, crying: -</p> - -<p> -“Am I Nefra, the Egyptian maid, or the woman of some Sultan of the -East? Look at this outspread hair sprinkled with gems! Look at these -garments in which I can scarcely walk! Smell these unguents with which -my face and flesh are smeared! Nurse, rid me of this truck and give me -back my white robe of a Sister of the Dawn.” -</p> - -<p> -“It is too travel-stained, Child,” answered Kemmah drily, adding with -satisfaction, “moreover, you look well enough as you are, though -somewhat sunburned, and that crown becomes you. Oh! complain no more; -in the spirit you may be a Sister of the Dawn, but here you are a -Princess of Babylon. Would you anger the Great King from whom you ask -so much? See, they summon us to eat. Come, eat, for you will need -food.” -</p> - -<p> -“Mayhap, Nurse. But what is it that the Great King asks of <i>me</i>? -Something, as we have heard, of which none will tell us, not even my -Uncle Tau, though I think he knows.” -</p> - -<p> -Then, sighing and pouting her lips, Nefra gave way and ate, but to her -question Kemmah made no answer, either because she could not, or for -other reasons. -</p> - -<p> -A while later there came the chief of the eunuchs, a fat, vainglorious -person, and cringing chamberlains wearing tall caps, musicians -fancifully attired, and women of the Household, and officers, and a -guard of swarthy soldiers. All these, gathering together in an -appointed order, set Nefra and the Lady Kemmah in the midst of them -surrounded by the fan-bearers, the women, and the eunuchs and preceded -by the musicians. Then at a word of command they marched and though -they never left the precincts of the palace, that walk was long. Down -sculptured passages they went, through great chambers, across -courtyards where fountains played and gardens that grew beyond them, -till at last they reached a flight of many steps and up these climbed -to the bull-guarded doorway of a vast hall. -</p> - -<p> -This hall was roofless, but at the farther end, for a third of its -length perhaps, awnings were stretched over it, from one side to the -other. The place was filled with people, more people than Nefra had -ever seen; thousands of them there seemed to be, all of whom stared at -her, and as she passed, bowed low. Up a wide pathway between the crowd -to the right and the crowd to the left went Nefra and her company, -till they came to that part of the hall over which was stretched the -awning. -</p> - -<p> -Here the shadow was so deep by contrast with the brilliance without -that at first she could see nothing. Presently, however, her eyes grew -accustomed to the gloom and she perceived that before her was gathered -the glittering Court of the King of Babylon. There were lords; there -were ladies seated together by themselves; there were soldiers in -their armour, there were square-bearded councillors and captains; -there were shaven priests; there were officers of the Household with -wands; there were slaves, black slaves and white slaves, and she knew -not who besides. Moreover, above all this splendour, its centre and -its point, seated on a jewelled throne, was an aged, white-bearded, -wizened man, wearing a strange headdress who, she guessed, must be her -grandsire, Ditanah the Mighty, the King of kings. -</p> - -<p> -As they entered the line of shadow a trumpet blew, whereon all the -Court and all the company about her prostrated themselves before the -majesty of the King and lay with their foreheads touching the -pavement, yes, even Kemmah prostrated herself. But Nefra remained upon -her feet, standing alone like one left living among an army of dead -men; it was as though some spirit within her told her so to do. At -least thus she stood looking at the little wizened man upon the -throne, while he looked back at her. -</p> - -<p> -Again the trumpet blew, whereon all rose, and once more her company -advanced, to halt near to the throne, on either side of which stood -massed a number of gorgeous nobles who afterwards she learned were -kings’ sons, princes, and satraps of the subject peoples. For a while -there was silence, then the King upon the throne spoke in a thin, -clear voice, an interpreter rendering his words sentence by sentence -into the Egyptian tongue. -</p> - -<p> -“Does my Majesty behold before me Nefra, the daughter of my daughter -Rima, the Princess, wife of Kheperra, once Pharaoh of Egypt?” he -asked, studying her with his sharp and bird-like eyes. -</p> - -<p> -“That is my name, O Grandsire and Great King of Babylon,” answered -Nefra. -</p> - -<p> -“Why, then, O Granddaughter, do you not prostrate yourself before my -Majesty as all these great ones are not ashamed to do?” -</p> - -<p> -Now again something within her seemed to tell Nefra what to say, and -while all stared and listened, she answered proudly: -</p> - -<p> -“Because, Grandsire, if you are King of Babylon, I am Queen of Egypt, -and Majesty does not kiss the dust to Majesty.” -</p> - -<p> -“Well and proudly said,” answered Ditanah. “Yet, Granddaughter, I -think that you are a queen without a throne.” -</p> - -<p> -“That is so, and therefore I come to you, O Father of my Mother, O -Mighty King of Kings, O Fount of Justice, seeking your aid. Apepi the -Shepherd usurped my throne as his forefathers did before him, and now -seeks to make a wife of me, the Queen of Egypt, and thereby to gain my -heritage. But by a little I have escaped out of his hands, helped of -your Majesty, and now here I stand and make my prayer to you, the King -of Kings from whose body I am sprung.” -</p> - -<p> -“Well spoken again,” answered the old monarch. “Yet, my Daughter of -Egypt, you ask much. Apepi I know and hate; for years I have waged a -frontier war against him, yet to cross the waterless deserts with a -mighty host to invade him in his territory and drag the stolen crown -from off his head would be a great venture that might end ill for -Babylon. What have you to promise in return, Lady of Egypt?” -</p> - -<p> -“Nothing, O King, save love and service.” -</p> - -<p> -“Aye, thus it stands: you ask much and have nothing wherewith to pay. -I must take counsel of this matter. Meanwhile Mir-bel, my grandson, -the King of Babylon to be, lead this lady hither and place her where -as a Queen she has a right to sit, near to my throne.” -</p> - -<p> -Now from among the throng of princes came forward a tall man of middle -age, gloriously apparelled and wearing a diadem upon his head; a -strong-faced man with black and flashing eyes. He bowed before her, -searching her beauty with those hawk-like eyes in a fashion that -pleased her little, and saying in a smooth, rich voice: -</p> - -<p> -“Greeting, Queen Nefra the Beautiful, my cousin. Glad am I to have -lived to look upon one so fair and royal.” -</p> - -<p> -Then he took her by the hand and led her up the steps of the dais to a -chair of state that had been made ready for her upon the right of the -throne. There he bade her be seated and with bows to her and to the -King, returned to his place among the princes. -</p> - -<p> -Nefra sat herself down and for a while there was silence. -</p> - -<p> -At length the old King spoke: -</p> - -<p> -“You say that you have nothing to give, Daughter. Yet it seems to me -that you have much, for you have yourself to give, who are, I hear, -unwed. If the Queen of Egypt,” he went on, speaking slowly and in a -fashion which told her that the words had been prepared, “were to take -as her lord the heir of Babylon, so that thereafter, if all went well, -these two great lands were joined into one empire, then perchance -Babylon might be ready to send her armies to conquer Apepi and set -that Queen upon the throne of her forefathers. What say you, -Daughter?” -</p> - -<p> -Now when Nefra heard and understood at length what was sought of her, -the blood left her face and her limbs turned cold. For a moment she -hesitated, in her heart putting up a prayer for guidance, as Roy had -taught her to do when in difficulty or trouble. It seemed to come, for -presently she answered very quietly: -</p> - -<p> -“It may not be, O King and Grandsire, for thus Egypt would be set -under the heel of Babylon, and when I was crowned I swore an oath to -keep her free.” -</p> - -<p> -“That trouble might be overcome, Daughter, in a fashion pleasing to -both our countries of which we can speak hereafter. Have you any other -reason against this alliance? He who is offered to you is not only the -heir to the greatest kingdom in the world; he is also, as you have -seen, a man among men, in the flower of his age, a soldier, and one -who, as I know, is both wise and kind of heart.” -</p> - -<p> -“I have another reason, King. Already I am affianced.” -</p> - -<p> -“To whom, Daughter?” -</p> - -<p> -“To the Prince Khian, King.” -</p> - -<p> -“The Prince Khian! Why, he is Apepi’s heir, and yet you told me that -Apepi would have married you.” -</p> - -<p> -“Yes, Sire, and therefore Apepi and Khian do not love each other, -but”—here she looked down—“but Khian loves me and I love Khian.” -</p> - -<p> -At these words a whisper went round the Court and old Ditanah smiled a -little, as did many others. Only Mir-bel did not smile; indeed, he -looked angry. -</p> - -<p> -“Is it thus?” said the King. “And where, now, is the Prince Khian? -Have you brought him here in your company?” -</p> - -<p> -“Nay, Sire. When last I heard of him he was at the Court of Tanis, -and, it was said, in prison.” -</p> - -<p> -“Where I think he will certainly remain, if, as I doubt not, your -story be true, Child,” answered Ditanah, and was silent. -</p> - -<p> -Just then, when Nefra thought that all was finished and that her -prayer for succour was about to be refused, swelling sweet and solemn -she heard a familiar sound, that of a certain funeral chant of the -Order of the Dawn. She looked to discover whence it came and perceived -Tau followed by all the Brotherhood who had accompanied her from -Egypt, and certain others who were strangers to her, clad in simple -white robes, every one of them, advancing into the hall by a side -entrance to the right. Nor did they come alone, for in the centre of -their company, borne upon a bier by eight of the brethren, was a -coffin which Nefra knew covered the mummy of her mother, Queen Rima. -The coffin was brought and set down before the throne. Then suddenly -the lid, which had been loosened in readiness, was lifted, revealing a -second coffin within. This also was opened by the priests who very -reverently took from it the embalmed and bandaged body of Queen Rima -and stood it on its feet before the King, holding it thus, a sight -from which all that saw shrank away, for the Babylonians did not love -to look upon the dead. -</p> - -<p> -“Whose corpse is this and why is it brought into my presence?” asked -the King in a low voice. -</p> - -<p> -“Surely your Majesty should know,” answered Tau, “seeing that this -dead flesh sprang from your flesh and that here before you, within -these wrappings, stands all that is left of Rima your daughter, -aforetime Princess of Babylon and Queen of Egypt, who thus comes home -again.” -</p> - -<p> -Ditanah stared at the mummy, then turned his head aside, saying: -</p> - -<p> -“What is that which hangs about the neck of this royal companion of -the gods, as doubtless she is to-day?” -</p> - -<p> -“A letter to you, O King, sealed with her seal while she was still one -of the company of the living.” -</p> - -<p> -“Read it,” said Ditanah. -</p> - -<p> -Then Tau cut the fastenings and unrolled the writing from which fell a -ring. This ring he took, and gave it to the King, who sighed when he -looked upon it, for well he remembered that he had set it upon his -daughter’s finger when she left him to journey into Egypt, swearing to -her that he would refuse to her no request which was sealed with this -seal. -</p> - -<p> -Next Tau read from the scroll in the Babylonian tongue thus: -</p> - -<div class="letter"> - -<p> -“From Rima, aforetime Princess of Babylon, aforetime wife of Kheperra, -Pharaoh of Egypt, to her sire Ditanah, the King of Babylon, or to him -who sits upon his throne. Know, O King, that I call upon you in the -name of our gods and by our common blood, to avenge the wrongs that I -have suffered in Egypt, and the slaying of my lord beloved, the King -Kheperra. I call upon you to roll down in your might upon Egypt and to -smite the Shepherd dogs who slew my husband and took his heritage, and -to establish my daughter, the Princess Nefra, as Queen of Egypt, and -to slay those who were traitors to her and would have given her and me -to doom. Know also that if you, my father, Ditanah the King, or you, -that King my kinsman, who sit upon his throne after him, deny this my -prayer, then I call down the curse of all the gods of Babylon and -Egypt upon you and upon your people, and I, Rima, will haunt you while -you live, and ask account of you when we meet at last in the -Underworld. -</p> - -<p> -“Sealed by me Rima with my seal upon my deathbed.” -</p> - -</div> - -<p> -These solemn words which seemed almost as though they were spoken by -the royal woman whose corpse was set upon its feet before the throne, -went to the hearts of all who heard them. For a while there was deep -silence. Then Ditanah the King lifted his eyes which had been fixed -upon the ground, and it was seen that his withered face was white and -that his lips quivered. -</p> - -<p> -“Terrible words!” he said, “and a terrible curse decreed against us if -we shut our ears to them. She who spoke the words and sealed them with -this seal that once I gave to her together with a certain solemn -promise, she who stands there dead before me, was my beloved daughter -whom I wed to the lawful Pharaoh of Egypt. Can I refuse the last -prayer of my daughter, who suffered so many wrongs at the hand of -Apepi the Accursed, and who doubtless stands among us now awaiting its -answer?” -</p> - -<p> -He paused and from all who heard him there went up a murmur of “You -cannot, O King.” -</p> - -<p> -“It is true, I cannot who soon must be as is the royal Rima; whate’er -the cost, I cannot. Hearken, priests, councillors, princes, satraps, -officers, and people. I, Ditanah the King, make a decree. In the name -of the Empire of Babylon I declare war by Babylon upon Apepi the -Shepherd usurper who rules in Egypt; war to the end! Let my decree -that cannot be changed be recorded and proclaimed in Babylon and all -her provinces.” -</p> - -<p> -Again rose the murmur of assent. When it had died away the King turned -to Nefra, saying: -</p> - -<p> -“Fair Queen and grandchild, your prayer and that of your mother who -begat you is granted. Therefore rest you here in peace and honour till -all things are made ready for this war, and then go forth to conquer.” -</p> - -<p> -Nefra heard. Rising from her seat, she cast herself upon her knees -before the King and, seizing his hand, pressed it with her lips, for -speak she could not. Drawing her to her feet, he bent forward, touched -her with his sceptre, and kissed her on the brow. -</p> - -<p> -“I add to my words,” he said. “Knowing your errand, Child, I made a -plan that as a price for the aid of Babylon you should give yourself -in marriage to Mir-bel, the heir to my throne. Now I put aside that -plan, for so my heart is moved to do, whether because you ask it or -for other reasons. You tell me that you are affianced to the Prince -Khian of whom I have heard a good report, although on his father’s -side he comes of an evil stock. Mayhap this Prince is dead already at -the hands of Apepi, or thus will die. If so, mayhap also you will turn -to Mir-bel because it is my wish and his, though on this matter I make -no bargain with you. Yet if Khian lives and you live to find him, then -wed him if you will and take my blessing on you both. Look not wrath, -Mir-bel, for in the end who knows what the gods may bring to pass. -Learn also from this thwarting of your desire that they do not give -everything to any man, who to you have given so much. Should this -Queen slip through your hands, the heir to Babylon can find another to -share his throne. It is my will, Prince Mir-bel, that when the army -marches against Apepi, you bide here to guard me, lest some evil god -should tempt you to do wrong.” -</p> - -<p> -When Mir-bel heard this command, knowing that it could not be altered -under the ancient law of Babylon, he bowed first to the King and next -to Nefra. Then he turned and left the Court followed by his officers. -Nor did Nefra see him again till after many years; for at once he took -horse and rode for his own Governorship far away, where he remained -till all was finished. -</p> - -<p> -When he had gone the King fixed his gaze upon Tau, considering him. -</p> - -<p> -“Who are you, Priest?” he asked. -</p> - -<p> -“I am named Tau, a prophet of the Order of the Dawn, O King.” -</p> - -<p> -“I have heard of that Order and I think that certain of its brethren -dwell in Babylon and even in my Court. I have heard also that it gave -shelter to my dead daughter, Rima the Queen, and to this lady, her -child, for which I thank it. But tell me, Prophet Tau, have you any -other name?” -</p> - -<p> -“Yes, O King. Once I was named Abeshu, the eldest lawful son of his -Majesty of Babylon. Yet many years ago I quarrelled with his Majesty -and went into exile.” -</p> - -<p> -“I thought it! And now, Prince Abeshu, do you return out of exile to -claim your place as the eldest born of his Majesty of Babylon?” -</p> - -<p> -“Not so, O King, I claim nothing, as your envoys may have told your -Majesty, save perchance the forgiveness of the King. I am but a -Brother of the Dawn and as such dead to the world and all its -glories.” -</p> - -<p> -Now Ditanah stretched out his sceptre to Tau in token of peace and -pardon, and Tau touched it according to the custom of Babylon. -</p> - -<p> -“I would hear more of this faith of yours which can kill ambition in -the heart of man. Wait upon me, Prophet, in my private chamber, and we -will talk together.” -</p> - -<p> -Then waving Tau aside, Ditanah addressed himself to a gorgeous high -priest, saying: -</p> - -<p> -“Let this dust that once was my daughter and a Queen, be re-coffined -and borne hence to the sepulchre of kings, where to-morrow we will -give it royal burial.” -</p> - -<p> -Presently it was done, and as the coffin passed away Ditanah stood up -and bowed towards it, as did all in that great place. When it had gone -he waved his sceptre and a herald blew upon his trumpet, signifying -that the Court was ended. Next the King descended from the throne and, -taking Nefra by the hand, led her away with him, beckoning to Tau to -follow them. -</p> - - -<h3 id="ch19"> -CHAPTER XIX.<br/> -<span class="chap_sub">The Four Brothers</span> -</h3> - -<p class="noindent"> -<span class="sc">Very</span> carefully the Sheik of the Pyramids undid the swinging stone -and crept out, followed by Khian and Temu, wrapped, all three of them, -in their dark cloaks. They closed the stone again and waited, -watching. Save one man, a sentry who sat by the embers of a fire, all -the soldiers, frightened by what they had seen upon the crest of the -pyramid, were gone into the huts that they had built. While this man -remained there they dared not descend, fearing lest he should see or -hear them and give warning to the others. So there they crouched, -among the stones on the slope of the pyramid, drawing in the sweet air -in great gasps and gazing at the stars with dark-widened eyes, while -Khian wondered what they should do. -</p> - -<p> -“Bide here,” said the Sheik, “I will return.” -</p> - -<p> -He crept away into the darkness and presently from somewhere above -them there arose a sound of hideous howling, such as a ghost or a -demon might make, that in the darkness of that solemn place might well -curdle a listener’s blood. The sentry heard it echoing among the tombs -behind him. He rose, hesitated, then of a sudden fled away affrighted -and vanished into the huts. -</p> - -<p> -The Sheik reappeared. -</p> - -<p> -“Follow me,” he whispered. “Be swift and silent.” -</p> - -<p> -They descended the pyramid, Temu, who was no climber, half-blinded, -moreover, by many days of dwelling in the gloom, awkwardly enough, and -reached the ground in safety. The Sheik turned to the right and ran -along its base where the shadows were thick. Now they were clear and -darting across an open space towards some tombs. As they reached the -tombs a shout told them that they had been seen, by whom they did not -know. Following the Sheik, who turned this way and that, they ran on. -They came to a hollow in the drifted sand behind a little ruined -pyramid, where stood four Arabs holding six horses. Khian felt himself -seized and thrown rather than helped on to one of the horses. Glancing -round he saw Temu upon another horse, also the Arabs leaping to their -saddles. The horses began to move forward, as it seemed to him at some -word of command; the Sheik was running at his side. -</p> - -<p> -“What of you?” asked Khian. -</p> - -<p> -“I bide here, as is my duty; fear not, I have hiding places. Say to -the Lady Nefra that I have fulfilled her command. Ride fast, for you -have been seen; these men know the road. They are our brethren and may -be trusted. Prince, farewell!” he said, or rather gasped, and loosing -the horse’s mane, vanished into the shadows. -</p> - -<p> -They came to open desert and rode on at great speed. All that night -they rode, scarcely drawing rein, and at the dawn halted among some -palm trees, a place where there was a well of water and hidden away -beneath stones, food and forage for the horses. Very glad was Khian to -dismount, since, after weeks spent in that tunnel, he was in poor case -for hard riding, while that of Temu, at the best no horseman, was -worse. They ate a little food, dates for the most part, and drank much -water. -</p> - -<p> -“Surely, Brother,” said Temu, as he emptied his fourth cup, “we should -thank Heaven and our guardian spirits for these mercies. How beautiful -is the rising sun; how sweet the fresh air after the heavy heat and -blackness of that accursed grave hole. Oh! I pray that I may never -again look upon even the outside of a pyramid, and much less upon its -tomb chambers. Now we have done with them, thanks to my prayers, and -all will be well.” -</p> - -<p> -Thus spoke Temu, cheerful as ever, though already he was so sore and -stiff that it hurt him even to sit upon the ground. Khian thought to -himself that they had more to thank than Brother Temu’s prayers; -namely, the wit and courage of the Sheik of the Pyramids, also those, -whoever they might be, that had sent these Arab horsemen to their -succour, if they were Arabs, which as yet he did not know. But he only -answered: -</p> - -<p> -“I trust that you are right, Brother, and that all will be well. Yet -remember that we were seen as we left the pyramid and that if we -escape a second time heads will pay the price of it. Therefore surely -we shall be followed, even to the end of the world.” -</p> - -<p> -“Faith, Brother! Have faith!” exclaimed Temu as he shifted his seat to -find one that was softer. -</p> - -<p> -Just then Khian saw him who seemed to be the leader of the four Arabs, -a tall and noble-looking man, standing at a little distance as though -he desired speech with him, and alone. -</p> - -<p> -He rose to go to him, and as he came the Arab bowed humbly in -salutation and made a certain sign which Khian knew. -</p> - -<p> -“I see that you are of the Brotherhood. Tell me your name and those of -your companions; also who sent you in so fortunate an hour to help us, -and whither we go.” -</p> - -<p> -“Lord, we are four brethren. I, the eldest, am named <i>Fire</i>. He who -stands there is named <i>Earth</i>, the next to him is named <i>Air</i>, and the -fourth and last is named <i>Water</i>. We have no other names, or if there -are any we forgot them when we were sworn Brethren of the Dawn, and -especially when we were despatched upon a certain duty.” -</p> - -<p> -Now Khian understood that for their own reasons, or because of some -command laid upon them, these men desired to remain unknown, as was -common among the Brethren when they were sent upon any secret service. -</p> - -<p> -“Is it so, Fire?” he said, smiling. “But what answer to my other -questions?” -</p> - -<p> -“Lord, we were commanded to take six good horses and, disguised as you -see us, to go to the Great Pyramids and there bargain with soldiers, -if we found any, over such wares as Arabs have to sell. Also we must -make ourselves known to the Sheik of the Pyramids, if we could, and -give aid to a scribe, Rasa—perchance you are he, Lord—and to his -companion, a priest whose name was not mentioned, but whom we have -heard you call Temu, if he be the same.” -</p> - -<p> -“And then, Fire?” -</p> - -<p> -“Then, Lord, we were to say to the Scribe Rasa that a certain Lady—we -know not and, lest we should be captured and questioned, do not seek -to know, what lady—with all her following, has passed safely out of -Egypt and that the Scribe Rasa and his companion must follow by the -road she took. Lastly, we were sworn to bring both of you safely to -Babylon, or die at the task, which, Lord, we purpose to do. Now, Lord, -we must ride again. These horses are of the most swift and purest -desert blood but we have far to go before we can find others, and -certainly we shall be pursued. Moreover,” he added, eying Temu -doubtfully, “I think that yonder priest is more wont to travel on two -feet than on four, and until he learns the trick of horsemanship, we -must go with care lest he should fall or faint. Lastly, both of you -are weak who have, I think, lain for many days in an evil prison.” -</p> - -<p> -“True words, Fire,” said Khian as he sought his horse. -</p> - -<p> -<br/> -</p> - -<p> -All that day they rode forward, resting while the sun was high and -sleeping at night among some rocks where once more they found food and -water for man and beast, and all the next, and the next, travelling at -no great speed, till at length Temu, who was brave and active, began -to lose his soreness and to win something of that trick of -horsemanship of which he who was called Fire had spoken. Also in the -strong and wine-like desert air their tomb-bred weakness and languor -passed away from both of them, and they grew strong again, as young -men do. -</p> - -<p> -One night they slept upon a mound by water where once had stood some -village, both men and horses being well hidden by a grove of thorn and -other trees that flourished in the rich soil of the mound. As the sun -sank behind them, he who was called Fire came to Khian and bade him -look through the trees towards the east. He did so and to their right -saw that at a distance of perhaps a league, a broad canal or natural -sheet of water that may have been the head of a lake was crossed by a -ford, beyond which stood an old and crumbling fort built of sun-dried -bricks, while in front of them there was no ford and the water seemed -to be wide and deep. Beyond this water was a great flat plain that -stretched away and away, till very far off upon the horizon it seemed -to end in a line of stony hills. -</p> - -<p> -“Listen now, Lord,” said Fire. “That water is the boundary of Egypt. -That plain is Arabia, and among those hills is the first desert -outpost of the army of the King of Babylon, to reach which will be to -win to safety. But I tell you, Lord, that we are in great danger. I am -certain that yonder old fort is held by horsemen of King Apepi, for I -have seen their tracks in the sand, a number of them, fifty men -perhaps, and that they watch for us, believing that if we would leave -Egypt, we must do so by this ford.” -</p> - -<p> -“Why?” asked Khian. “Can we not find another?” -</p> - -<p> -“There is no other, Lord, since below, this water grows into a gulf -and above it is deep for many miles, so that to pass round it we must -ride through a peopled country guarded by the border garrisons.” -</p> - -<p> -“Then it would seem that we are trapped or must fly back into Egypt.” -</p> - -<p> -“Where we should be trapped indeed, Lord, for by now the whole land is -searching for us.” -</p> - -<p> -“What then, Fire? Know that I would sooner look upon the face of Death -than upon that of Apepi.” -</p> - -<p> -“I have guessed as much. Listen, Lord. All is not lost. These fleet -horses of ours were bred in Arabia, yonder among the mountains, and -they scent their home and the troops of mares that wander there. The -water in front of us will be unwatched because it is so wide and deep -and the current runs so swiftly. Yet I think that the horses will not -fear to face it, and once across, with good fortune we may ride far -before we are seen and perhaps even reach the pass of the hills in -safety. It is a narrow pass, Lord, where one man can hold back a -number for a long while, so that some of us, at least, should win -through to the heart of the hills and find shelter among the scouts of -Babylon,” he added slowly and with meaning. -</p> - -<p> -Then speaking very rapidly, he explained to Khian all the details of -the plan which he and his brethren had prepared. He told him, and -Temu, who had joined them, how they must move down to the water edge -before the dawn and at the first light ride the horses into it, and as -soon as it grew deep, slip from the saddles and swim with them, -clinging to their manes. -</p> - -<p> -Here Temu explained that he could not swim, whereon Fire answered that -he must hang to his horse as best he might, or drown. He went on to -say that those of them who lived to reach the farther shore must mount -at once and ride for a certain bay in the hills where the pass began, -which bay would become visible to them before noon. The pass they must -climb, on foot if the horses had failed them, and descend its farther -side to the entrenched camp of the Babylonian company who had orders -to succour all fugitives from Egypt. -</p> - -<p> -Having set out these and other matters, he bade them drink and sleep -while they could, for none knew what might be their resting place on -the morrow. -</p> - -<p> -Khian obeyed, knowing that he must harbour his strength. The last -thing he saw ere his eyes closed was the four strange brethren -grooming the horses and with set faces talking to each other in -whispers as they worked, also, nearer to him, Temu on his knees, lost -in earnest prayer. For with all his faith Temu remembered that this -water was said to be broad and deep, and that—he could not swim. -</p> - -<p> -It seemed that but a few minutes had gone by when one of the brethren -woke Khian, saying that it was time to be stirring. They rose by the -starlight, set the bridles and the saddles on the horses which had -been fed already, mounted them, and followed the brethren down towards -the water. They reached it in safety just at the first glimmer of -dawn, by the light of which Khian saw that it was indeed wide—scarce -could the strongest bowman have shot an arrow from one bank to the -other. Also some tide or current seemed to run very strongly through -it towards the ford below, which was to this water as is the neck of a -wine-skin to the bottle. -</p> - -<p> -“Would it not be safer to risk the ford?” he asked of Fire doubtfully. -</p> - -<p> -“Nay, Lord, for there we should certainly be seen and perhaps killed -upon the bank, whereas here, where no man crosses, they may not note -us from so far away. Follow me now before the light strengthens.” -</p> - -<p> -Then, having patted his horse and whispered into its ear in the Arab -fashion, he rode into the flood. After him came Khian, followed by -another of the brethren and by Temu. Last of all rode the remaining -two brethren, those who were known as Air and Water. -</p> - -<p> -The horses went in bravely enough, and soon Khian saw that Fire’s was -swimming while its rider had slipped from its back and floated -alongside, holding fast to the mane or saddle. Presently Khian’s horse -also lost foothold and as Fire had done, so did Khian. The swim was -long and rough, for the swiftly running water, chilled by the night -air, drove them downstream and sometimes broke over their heads. Yet -those trained horses held on bravely, smelling the pastures where they -were born beyond the desert, and being, as Fire had said that they -would be, eager to reach them. -</p> - -<p> -At last they touched the farther shore and Khian, still clinging to -the horse, was dragged through the rushes to firm ground. As he came -there he heard a shout of “Help!” and looking round, saw Temu’s horse -struggling up the bank, but unaccompanied by Temu, who indeed, having -let go, was floundering in the deep water and being swept down by the -current at a distance from the shore. All this the strengthening light -showed to them, whereon without a word two of the brethren plunged -into the stream and swam to Temu whose shouts grew ever louder. They -reached him and with difficulty between them dragged him to the shore, -much frightened, but unharmed and still calling to gods and men to -save him. -</p> - -<p> -Then one of those strange, fierce brethren drew a knife, saying: -</p> - -<p> -“Will you be silent? Or shall I make you so, who are bringing us all -to death?” -</p> - -<p> -“Your pardon,” said Temu when he understood, “but my mother always -taught me that he who drowns in silence, drowns the most quickly; also -I ask you to note that my prayers have saved me.” -</p> - -<p> -Muttering words that Temu would have thought evil, Fire helped to -thrust him on to his horse and signed to the others to mount theirs. -</p> - -<p> -“Hearken, Lord Rasa,” he said, as they pushed their way through the -thorn bushes that grew on the bank of the water, “ill-fortune is our -companion. The shouts of that mad priest will almost certainly have -been heard. Would that he had choked before his throat shaped them. -Moreover, he has delayed us, so that the morning wind blows away the -mist which I hoped would shroud us for a while. Now there is but one -thing to be done—ride straight for the gap in the hills and through -the pass. Our horses are better than any the Shepherds have, though -theirs will be more fresh, and we, or some of us, may outpace them. At -the least, remember this, Lord Rasa, if so in truth you are named, we -four brethren will do all that men can to save you, and we pray you, -if we meet no more, so to report to a certain Lady whom we serve, and -to the Prophet and Council of the Dawn, that our memory may be -honoured among men.” -</p> - -<p> -Then without waiting for an answer he spoke to his horse which leapt -forward, followed by that of Khian and the others, and sped away. -</p> - -<p> -When they had ridden thus for some minutes and the sun was up, Fire -turned and pointed back towards the ford. Khian turned also and saw -the bright light glancing on the spears of a great company of mounted -men, some of whom were splashing through the ford, whilst others, not -more than the half of a league away, were galloping towards them. -</p> - -<p> -They were pursued, and the race for life began. -</p> - -<p> -<br/> -</p> - -<p> -On they rode for hour after hour towards those hills that scarcely -seemed to grow more near. Very strong were their horses and well -accustomed to these sandy plains over which they swept at a long and -steady gallop. Yet the way was far, also for days already they had -been ridden across the desert, and that morning they had swum a wide -stretch of rapid water, whereas those of the Shepherd troops were -fresh from the stable. Still throughout the burning heat of the day -those horses held their own, and when it drew towards evening and at -length that pass in the mountains was at hand, still they held their -own. Yes, parched with thirst, panting, thin-bellied, still they held -their own. Long ago most of the Shepherds had fallen out and vanished, -so that when at length the pass was reached, not a score of them -remained, men who had remounted upon led horses when those they rode -were foundered. But now these were hard upon their prey; scarce a -bowshot behind indeed. -</p> - -<p> -Khian and his company stumbled up the pass, for the horses, both of -the pursued and the pursuers, had ceased to gallop and at the best -could but amble forward. Yet step by step the pursuers gained upon the -pursued. The sides of that pass were very steep and the pathway was -very narrow; one horse filled it all and therefore they must ride one -following the other. -</p> - -<p> -Suddenly at a turn in the road, when the first of the Shepherds was -scarcely more than fifty paces away, that Arab or Babylonian, or -Brother of the Dawn, whichever he might be, who was pleased to give -himself the name of Fire, turned and shouted an order. Thereon the -last of those four brethren, he who was called Water, dismounted and -with drawn sword took his stand at the turn of the narrow path, while -his weary horse followed its fellows, as by certain words and signs he -bade it do. Presently those of the party of Khian heard the sound of -clashing arms behind them, followed by silence. Then a while later the -pursuers appeared again, only whereas there had seemed to be fourteen -of them now but eleven could be counted. -</p> - -<p> -Once more they gained, once more they drew near, whereon he who was -named Fire shouted a second order, and that brother of his called Air -dismounted in another narrow place, leaving a second horse without a -rider to follow in the train. Again there was a sound of clashing -arms, and, when the pursuers reappeared, there were but nine of them. -As before, they gained, and as before, at a narrow place the word of -command rang out and the third of the brethren, he who was called -Earth, dismounted, waiting. Followed the clash of arms and the -shoutings, and when the pursuers reappeared there were but six of -them. They gained, they came very near, whereon at a chosen place the -first of the brethren, he who was named Fire, halted and leapt from -his horse, which he drove forward as the others had done. -</p> - -<p> -“Ride on, Lord,” he cried. “Should the god we worship give me strength -and skill, for you there is yet a hope of safety. Ride on and forget -not the message I gave you by the water.” -</p> - -<p> -“Nay,” answered Khian wearily, for his head swam and scarce he knew -what passed about him. “Nay, here I stay to die with you. Let Temu, -who understands nothing, deliver your message.” -</p> - -<p> -“Begone, Lord!” cried Fire. “Would you put me to shame and cause me to -fail in my trust, making my name a hissing and a reproach? Begone or I -fall upon my sword before your eyes.” -</p> - -<p> -Then as Khian still stayed swaying in the saddle, that most gallant -man called some secret word to the horse he rode and the beast, -understanding, stumbled onwards at a trot, nor could Khian stay it. -</p> - -<p> -Once more there came the clash of arms and the sound of shoutings, and -presently Khian, looking back, saw that of the pursuers but three -remained. He urged his horse but it could do no more. Almost at the -crest of the pass it whinnied and stood still. -</p> - -<p> -The three struggled on grimly, for they were afoot, having left their -spent beasts behind them. They were strong, soldierlike men, black -with dust and sweat, and one of them had been wounded for blood ran -down his face and robe, he who seemed to be an officer. -</p> - -<p> -“We are commanded to take you dead or living, Prince Khian, for so you -are. Shall we slay you or will you yield?” asked this man hoarsely. -</p> - -<p> -Now when he heard these words Khian’s spirit came back to him, and -with it some of his lost strength. -</p> - -<p> -“Neither,” he answered in a low voice. -</p> - -<p> -Then, changing his sword from the right hand to the left, from his -belt he snatched his short javelin and hurled it with all his -strength. The officer saw it coming and shrank aside, but in that -narrow place it caught the man who stood behind him, piercing him -through from breast to back, so that he fell down and died. Then the -officer sprang at him and they fought with swords, a well-matched -pair, though both were very weary, while the third man who could not -come at Khian strove to drag the javelin from the breast of him who -had fallen. The officer smote, somewhat wildly, perhaps the blood from -his wound had run into his eyes. Khian parried, then bending himself, -thrust forward and upward with all his strength, a trick of -swordsmanship that he had learned in the Syrian wars. The bronze blade -caught the officer in the throat just beneath the chin, and piercing -to the neck bone, severed it, so that down he went like a stunned ox, -in his fall twisting the sword from Khian’s sweating hand. Then it was -that the third man, having recovered the javelin, cast it at him, -though with no good aim, for it struck him, not in the body, but above -the left knee, piercing the leg from front to back. -</p> - -<p> -Khian reeled against the rocky side of the pass, supporting himself -there, helpless and unarmed. He who had cast the spear, seeing his -state, rushed at him. Perhaps he hoped to take him living, or perhaps -he, too, had lost his weapons. At least he seized him with his hands -whereon Khian fell backward to the ground with the man above him. Now -those hands had him by the throat and were choking the life out of -him. -</p> - -<p> -“All is finished,” thought Khian. -</p> - -<p> -It was then, just as his senses were leaving him, that he heard the -sound of running feet and of a voice crying: -</p> - -<p> -“Faith! Have faith!” -</p> - -<p> -Next there followed the thud of a heavy blow and the grip upon his -throat loosened. He lay still, regaining his breath, then sat up and -looked about him. There at his side lay the soldier, dead, his head -broken like a crushed egg, while over him stood the tall Temu, holding -in both hands a great smooth stone. -</p> - -<p> -“None of them will move any more,” said Temu in the voice of one who -marvels. “Who would have thought that I should live to kill a man in -such a fashion, I, a Brother of the Dawn sworn to shed no blood? My -brain swam; cooked in the sun; my mind was almost gone; that accursed -horse—oh! may I never see another horse—jolted on with me, when I -heard a noise, looked over my shoulder, and saw. I could not stop the -horse, so I slid over its tail and ran back towards you. I had no -weapon—I think I lost the sword in the river; at least, when I looked -for it there was nothing but the scabbard. Still I ran, praying, and -as I prayed, my eye fell upon that stone. I think that the holy Roy -must have sent it there from Heaven. I picked it up and brought it -down upon the head of that man of blood, as I used to bring down a -flail on corn, and my arms being still strong—well, you see, Brother, -the stroke was great and well aimed.” -</p> - -<p> -“Very well aimed, most excellent Temu,” answered Khian faintly. “Now, -if you can, pull this bronze out of my leg, for it pains me.” -</p> - -<p> -Temu pulled with goodwill and Khian fainted. -</p> - -<p> -When he came to his mind again, it was to see himself surrounded by -tall square-bearded warriors clad in the Babylonian uniform, one of -whom supported his head upon his knee and poured water down his throat -from a gourd. -</p> - -<p> -“Have no fear, Lord,” said the soldier. “We are friends who were -warned that fugitives might reach us from Egypt and hearing sounds of -war ran towards them, though little we thought to find you thus. Now -we will bear you to our camp beyond the pass, there to recover of your -wound.” -</p> - -<p> -Then Khian fainted again, for he had lost much blood. Yet they carried -him to the camp where he was doomed to lie for many a day, for his -hurt festered so that he could not be moved and it was thought that he -must lose his leg. Moreover, this camp was beleagured by desert men in -the pay of Apepi so that escape from it was impossible. -</p> - - -<h3 id="ch20"> -CHAPTER XX.<br/> -<span class="chap_sub">The March from Babylon</span> -</h3> - -<p class="noindent"> -<span class="sc">Long</span> must Nefra wait in that scented palace at Babylon before the -great army, gathered to set her on her throne, was ready for its work. -From all parts of the vast empire troops must be collected, hillsmen -and plainsmen and men from the borders of the sea; archers, drivers of -chariots, infantry, spearsmen, and those who rode upon camels. Slowly -they came together and then must be exercised and welded to a whole; -also provisions and water for so huge a force must be provided, and -companies sent forward with these and to prepare the road. Thus it -came about that three full moons went by before ever the vanguard -marched out of the brazen gates of Babylon. -</p> - -<p> -To Nefra soon that city grew hateful. She loathed its pomps and -ceremonies and its staring crowds. Its religion was not hers and, -unlike her mother, to its gods she put up no prayer; indeed, scarcely -could she bring herself to bow when her grandsire led her with him to -rituals in its enormous terraced temples, she, the pupil of Roy and -the Sister of the Dawn who was sworn to a purer faith. -</p> - -<p> -The unending ceremonies of that ancient Court, the adulation accorded -to its king, and even to her, his granddaughter who was known to be a -queen; the prostrations, the shouts of “May the King live for ever!” -addressed to one who soon must die, wearied and revolted her. -Moreover, the confinement and the hot airlessness of the place where -she could only move in palace courts or in formal gardens, told upon -the spirits of this free daughter of the desert, till Kemmah, watching -her, noted that she turned from her food and grew pale and thin. -</p> - -<p> -Lastly her spirit was tormented with fear and doubt. Through the -secret service of the Brethren of the Dawn, news reached Babylon that -the Prince Khian and the priest Temu had escaped from Tanis and -repaired to the pyramids, whence they had again escaped towards -Arabia, guided by certain men who had been deputed to aid them. -</p> - -<p> -Then after a while came other news, namely, that both of them, -together with those guides, had been cut off by Apepi’s outposts -beyond the borders of Egypt and either killed or taken captive, as it -was thought the former, because the bodies of some of their company -were reported to have been seen. After this there was silence which, -had Nefra but known it, was not strange. -</p> - -<p> -When the Shepherd captain of the border fort learned that those whom -he had been commanded to watch for and snare had slipped from his -hand, and having killed certain of his people, had, it was believed, -reached the Babylonian outpost in the hills alive, although he did not -dare to attack that outpost, which was very strongly placed, first -because he had not sufficient strength, and secondly because, in a -time of truce, it would be an open act of war upon Babylon for which -he had no warrant, still he surrounded it with skirmishers with orders -to kill or capture any who set foot on the desert roads. Thus it came -about that when messengers were sent bearing news that Khian lay sick -and wounded at this camp, they were cut off. Thrice this chanced, and -when at last, owing to the recall of the skirmishers at the opening of -the war, a letter came in safety to Babylon, the army had marched -already by another road to attack Egypt, and with it Nefra and the -Brethren of the Dawn. Therefore the letters must be sent after it and -never came to Nefra’s hands till she was far upon her path. -</p> - -<p> -Meanwhile, when first she heard these rumours at Babylon telling her -that Khian was dead or captured, her heart seemed to break within her. -For a while she sat silent with a face of stone. Then she bade Kemmah -bring Tau to her and when he had come, said to him: -</p> - -<p> -“You have heard, my uncle. Khian is dead.” -</p> - -<p> -“No, Niece, I have heard a report that he may be dead or captured.” -</p> - -<p> -“If Roy were alive he would tell us the truth, he whose soul could see -afar,” said Nefra bitterly. “But he is gone and only men remain whose -eyes are set upon the ground and whose hearts are filled with matters -of the world.” -</p> - -<p> -“As it seems that yours is, Niece. Yet Roy being dead, leaving me, all -unworthy in his place, still speaks. Did he not tell you that however -great your troubles, you and Khian would come together at the last, -and was the holy Roy an utterer of empty prophecies?” -</p> - -<p> -“Aye, he said that, but he to whom flesh and spirit were much the -same, may have meant that we should come together in the Underworld. -Oh! why did you ever suffer the Prince to return to the Court at -Tanis? Although I could not say it, it was my desire that he should -bide with us at the pyramids. Then he might have fled safely with us -to Babylon and by now, perchance, we should have been wed.” -</p> - -<p> -“Or perchance other things would have happened, Niece. If any knew the -decrees of Heaven, that man was Roy, and he held that believing his -honour to be at stake, the Prince, his embassy accomplished, must be -allowed to follow his desire and make report to Apepi his father. So -he departed to fulfil his mission, and since then matters have not -gone so ill for you.” -</p> - -<p> -“I think that they have gone very ill,” she said stubbornly. -</p> - -<p> -“How so, Niece? We know through our spies that the Prince and the -priest Temu escaped from Tanis and came to the pyramids where they lay -hid a while. We know also that by the help of those high-born warrior -brethren of our Order whom I deputed to the task, they escaped again -from the pyramids and fled safely out of Egypt. It seems that they -were followed and that there was fighting in which it well may be that -those brethren, or some of them, lost their lives, as they were sworn -to do. If so, peace be to their gallant spirits. But of the death of -the Prince, or even of Temu, there is no certain word, nor,” he added -slowly, “does a dream or voice tell me or any of us that he is dead.” -</p> - -<p> -“As it would have told Roy,” interrupted Nefra. -</p> - -<p> -“As mayhap it would have told Roy, and as mayhap Roy, being still -living though elsewhere, would have told me who fill his office. -Niece, be not so rough-tongued and ungrateful. Have not all things -happened according to your desire? Has not the royal Ditanah, my -father, given you a great army to set you on your throne? Has he not -at your prayer, and, as I can tell you now, at mine made in secret, -abandoned his policy of wedding you to his heir, Mir-bel, and sent -that prince far from Babylon to where he cannot molest you? Has he -not—though this has been hid from you—set me in command of that -army, that it may be handled according to your desire and mine, -putting trust in me that when its work is done, I will lay down my -generalship and from a mighty prince of war once more become a priest, -I, who were I evil-hearted might use it to set the crown upon my -head?” -</p> - -<p> -“It seems that he has done all these things, Uncle, but what of them -if Khian be dead? Then I seek no throne; then I seek nothing but a -grave. Nay, first I seek vengeance. I tell you that of Apepi and his -Shepherds I will not leave one living, of his cities not one stone -shall remain upon another.” -</p> - -<p> -“Kind words from a Sister of the Dawn, and from her one of whose -titles is Uniter of Lands—not their destroyer!” exclaimed Tau, -shrugging his shoulders, and adding, “O Child, do you not understand -that all life is a trial and that as we pass the trials, so we shall -be rewarded or condemned? You are mad with fear for one whom you love, -and therefore I do not blame you overmuch, though I think that you -will live to grieve over those fierce threats.” -</p> - -<p> -“You are right. I am mad, and being mad, I will cause others to drink -of my cup of fear and sorrows, that cup in which they have mixed the -wine. Send Ru to me, my Uncle, that although I be woman he may teach -me how to fight. And bid those Babylonian smiths come measure me for -armour of the best.” -</p> - -<p> -Then Tau departed, smiling. Still he sent Ru and with him came the -royal armourer. -</p> - -<p> -So it happened that soon, had there been any to look over the wall of -a certain courtyard of the palace, a strange sight might have been -seen of a lissom maid clad in silver mail cutting and thrusting at a -huge black giant, who often enough cried out beneath the smart of her -blows, and once, stung beyond endurance, smote her so shrewdly on the -helm with the flat of a wooden sword that she fell headlong to the -ground, only to spring up again, while he stood dismayed, and deal him -such a thrust beneath the breast bone, that his breath left him and he -did likewise. Yes, there he lay, grunting out between his gasps: -</p> - -<p> -“The gods help Apepi if this lion’s whelp gets him in her claws!” -while she bade him be silent because by all the laws of swordsmanship -he was dead. -</p> - -<p> -At other times she would practise shooting with a bow, an art in which -she had no small skill, or when she wearied of this, at the driving of -chariots in the private circus of the palace, taking with her one of -the slave women, a bold, desert-bred girl, for passenger, because Ru -was too heavy and Kemmah said that she was mad and refused to come. -</p> - -<p> -“So you thought when I began to climb the pyramids, yet they served me -my turn, Nurse,” she answered, and went on driving more furiously than -ever woman drove before. -</p> - -<p> -Now when her grandsire, the old King Ditanah, heard of these things, -he was amazed, and caused himself to be hidden in places whence he -could watch her secretly at her warlike exercises. Having done so and -listened to the tale of her conquest of the pyramids, he sent for Tau -and said to him with a curious smile upon his puckered face: -</p> - -<p> -“I think, Son Abeshu, that I should have given the command of my great -army, not to you who, if once a great warrior, have become a priest, -but to this granddaughter of mine who, if once a priestess, has become -a goddess of war.” -</p> - -<p> -“Nay, Sire,” answered Tau, “for if you gave her that army, you would -never get it back again. Every man in it would learn to love her and -she would use it to conquer the world.” -</p> - -<p> -“Well, why not?” asked Ditanah, and hobbled away, thinking in his -heart that if it had truly pleased the gods to take the Prince Khian -to their bosom, so that Mir-bel might be recalled to Court, his tears -would be hard to weep. For with such a beauteous and royal-hearted -lady for its queen and that of Egypt, surely the glory of Babylon -would fill earth and Heaven. Indeed—was it too late? Then he -remembered that on this matter he had passed his royal word, sighed, -and hobbled on. -</p> - -<p> -<br/> -</p> - -<p> -These martial exercises served Nefra in two ways: they gave her back -her health which she had begun to lose in the soft life of the -Babylonian palace and they held her mind from brooding upon its -fears—that is, while she was engaged in them. Yet at night these -returned to her, nor indeed were they ever quite absent from her -thoughts. She importuned Tau, and even her grandsire the King, who -caused search to be made all along the Egyptian frontier of his -empire. Messages came back from the searchers that no traces of -fugitives could be found. But among them was another message, namely, -that certain hills could not be approached because they were watched -by horsemen of the army of Apepi. Inquiry was made as to these hills, -and it was found that in a camp among them were stationed a company of -Babylonian troops from which no reports had been received of late. -Therefore, as often happened in so vast an empire, for a while this -outpost had been forgotten by that general in whose command it lay, or -if remembered at all, it was supposed to have been overwhelmed by -rebellious, desert-dwelling tribes. -</p> - -<p> -When Tau heard this news he went to the King his father and gained -leave from him to send a hundred picked horsemen to disperse the -outposts of Apepi and search those hills; also he set spies to work. -But of this business he said nothing to Nefra, fearing lest he should -fill her with false hope. -</p> - -<p> -<br/> -</p> - -<p> -At length the vast army that had been gathered in the military camps -upon the banks of the Euphrates beyond the walls of Babylon was ready -to advance, two hundred thousand foot-soldiers and horsemen, a -thousand or more of chariots, countless camp followers, and a -multitude of camels and asses bearing provisions, besides those which -were already stacked at the water holes along the line of march. -</p> - -<p> -Then came Nefra’s farewell to Babylon. In state, wearing the crown of -Egypt, she visited the Sepulchre of Kings and in its temple laid -offerings upon her mother’s grave. This duty done, at the Court in the -great hall of the palace she bade farewell to her grandsire, Ditanah -the Great King, who blessed her, wished her well, and even wept a -little at parting from her whom he could never hope to see again; also -because he was too old to accompany his son upon this war. With Tau -also, now clad in the armour of a General and Prince of Babylon, and -looking like one who had never felt the rubbing of a monk’s robe, he -conversed apart, saying sadly: -</p> - -<p> -“Strange lots are ours, beloved son. Many years ago we were dear to -each other. Then we quarrelled, more through my fault than yours, for -in those days my heart was hard, and you went your way to become a -priest of some pure and gentle faith, and your heirship was given to -another. Now for a little hour you are once more a Prince and a -General commanding a great host, who yet purpose, if you live, to lay -down these ranks and titles and, your mission ended, again to seek -some desert cell and wear out your days in prayer. And, I the King of -Kings, your father, remain here awaiting death that soon must overtake -me, and oh! I wonder, Son Abeshu, which of us has chosen the better -lot and done more righteously in the eyes of God. Yes, I wonder much -from whom all these pomps and glories flee away like shadows.” -</p> - -<p> -“There is a great taskmaster, Sire,” answered Tau, “who portions out -to each of us his place and labours. Man does not choose his lot; it -is chosen for him, to work for good or ill within its appointed round. -Such at least is the teaching of my faith, believing which I seek no -throne or power, but am content to build on that foundation as truly -as I may. So let it be with you, my royal Father.” -</p> - -<p> -“Aye, Son, so let it be, since so it must be.” -</p> - -<p> -Then very tenderly they bade each other farewell and parted to meet no -more upon the earth, since when that army returned to Babylon another -King of Kings was seated on the throne. -</p> - -<p> -So by proclamation Babylon declared war upon the Shepherds, who long -before had learned that this storm was about to burst upon them and -were making ready to meet it as best they might. -</p> - -<p> -For very many days the great army marched across the plains and -deserts, as the progress of so vast a host was slow, till at length it -drew near to the borders of Egypt. Then it was that Tau heard from his -spies and skirmishers that Apepi with all his strength, a mighty -power, had built a line of forts upon his boundary and in front of -these was preparing to give battle to the Babylonians. These tidings -he took to Nefra who sat in her chariot armed in glittering mail like -some young war goddess, surrounded by a bodyguard under the command of -Ru. -</p> - -<p> -“It is well,” she answered indifferently. “The sooner we fight the -sooner it will be over and the sooner I shall be avenged upon the -Shepherds of the blood of him whom I have lost.” For having received -no tidings of Khian, now she had become almost sure that he was dead. -</p> - -<p> -“Do not run to meet evil, Niece,” said Tau sadly. “Is there not enough -of it at hand that you must go to seek out more? Have I not told you -that I believe the Prince to be alive?” -</p> - -<p> -“Then where is he, Uncle? How comes it that you under whose command is -all the might of Babylon cannot spare some few thousands to seek him -out?” -</p> - -<p> -“Perchance I am seeking, Niece,” Tau answered gently. -</p> - -<p> -As he spoke a slave ran up, saying: -</p> - -<p> -“Letters from the King of Kings! Letters from Babylon!” and having -touched his forehead with the roll, he gave it to Tau who opened and -read. Within was another roll, a little crumpled roll such as might -have been hidden in a headdress or a shoe. -</p> - -<p> -Tau glanced at the contents of this second roll and gave it to Nefra. -</p> - -<p> -“A writing for you, Niece,” he said quietly. -</p> - -<p> -Seizing it, she read. It was brief and ran thus: -</p> - -<div class="letter"> - -<p> -“Again, O Lady, a certain one whose name you may guess writes to say -that save for a hurt to his leg which cripples him he is well in -health. This he does because he has learned that the enemies who -surround the place where he lies may have cut off former messengers. -Should he who bears this come safely to you at Babylon or elsewhere, -he will tell you all. More I dare not write. -</p> - -<p> -“Signed with the sign of the Dawn which you yourself taught me how to -shape.” -</p> - -</div> - -<p> -Nefra finished reading, then fell rather than leapt from the chariot -into the arms of Tau. -</p> - -<p> -“He lives!” she gasped. “Or he lived. Where is the messenger?” -</p> - -<p> -As she spoke the words a guard appeared escorting an officer who was -travel-stained and weary. -</p> - -<p> -“One who craves audience with you, Prince Abeshu, and at once,” said -the leader of the guard. -</p> - -<p> -Tau looked at the officer and knew him again. It was he whom the King -had sent from Babylon to search for the missing outpost. -</p> - -<p> -“Your report,” he said, and waited with fear in his heart. -</p> - -<p> -“Prince,” answered the man, saluting, “we won through to the outpost -and found all well there, since it is so strongly placed that the -Shepherd skirmishers have not dared attack. Also we found those -travellers who were missing.” -</p> - -<p> -Again Nefra paled and leaned against the chariot, for she could not -speak. -</p> - -<p> -“What of them?” asked Tau. -</p> - -<p> -“Prince, the priest is well. Four brethren who travelled with them -were slain one by one in a certain pass; they died nobly defending -those in their charge. The lord whose name is not spoken, who escaped -with the priest, is still sick, that is, he is wounded in the left -knee and the wound runs. He cannot walk, and though now it is believed -that his leg will be saved, always he must be lame, for the knee is -stiff.” -</p> - -<p> -“Did you see him?” asked Tau. -</p> - -<p> -“Yes, Prince, I and another of my company saw him. While the rest of -us, pretending to retreat, drew off the Shepherd horsemen, we two won -our way to the camp which is on a plain surrounded by hills, not to be -reached except through two passes, one to the west and one to the -east. There we found the garrison, well though weary, for of food they -have enough, also the priest and the other traveller who is hurt. -These told us how they came to the place and of the death of their -four guides, which is a great story.” -</p> - -<p> -“Then repeat it afterwards,” said Tau. “It seems that you escaped. Why -did you not bring these travellers with you?” -</p> - -<p> -“Prince, how could the two of us carry a man who cannot walk, down a -mountain path, even with the help of the priest? Moreover, if we could -have brought him to the plain, it was full of enemies all mounted on -good horses through whom it would scarcely have been possible to bear -him safely, while the garrison had received no orders to attempt to -leave its post. Therefore it was determined that he should remain -where he is safe enough, until a sufficient force could be sent to -bring him away.” -</p> - -<p> -Then the captain went on to tell how he and his companion had rejoined -their men at night and fought their way through the horsemen of Apepi -who watched the stronghold, though with loss; how also they had -learned from some desert wanderers that the army of the Great King was -marching upon Egypt by a road that ran not more than thirty leagues -from where they were, and how therefore they had ridden for the army, -instead of returning to report at Babylon. -</p> - -<p> -“You have done wisely,” said Tau. “Had you attempted to bring that -wounded lord with you, doubtless he would have been killed or -captured.” -</p> - -<p> -Then he went away to give certain orders, leaving the officer with -Nefra, who had many questions to put to him. -</p> - -<p> -When Tau returned an hour later Nefra was still questioning him. Tau -looked at them and asked: -</p> - -<p> -“Friend, how long is it since you slept?” -</p> - -<p> -“Four nights, Prince,” answered the officer. -</p> - -<p> -“And how long is it since you and your companions ate?” -</p> - -<p> -“Forty-eight hours, Prince. Indeed, if we might crave a cup of water -and a bite of bread, who have ridden hard and done some fighting——” -</p> - -<p> -“These await you, Captain, when it pleases her Majesty of Egypt to -dismiss you.” -</p> - -<p> -Then Nefra reddened and turned away ashamed. When the men had gone to -eat and rest, humbly enough she asked Tau what was his plan. -</p> - -<p> -“My plan is, Niece, to send five thousand mounted men, though we can -ill spare them, to clear the desert between this place and the -stronghold where he who was named the Scribe Rasa lies wounded—<i>not</i> -dead, as you feared, Niece, and to bring him with our brother Temu and -the garrison of the camp to join the army on its march which, -travelling in a chariot or a litter, he should do within some six -days.” -</p> - -<p> -“A good plan,” said Nefra, clapping her hands. “I will go with the -five thousand and in command of them. Kemmah can accompany me.” -</p> - -<p> -“No, Niece, you shall not go. You stay here with the army.” -</p> - -<p> -“Shall not! Shall not!” exclaimed Nefra, biting her lip as was her -fashion when crossed. “Why?” -</p> - -<p> -“For many reasons, Niece, of which the first is that it would not be -safe. We cannot tell how many troops Apepi has between here and that -stronghold, but we know he would risk much to capture his son now that -the great war has begun; also the Lady Kemmah could not bear such a -journey.” -</p> - -<p> -“If it is not safe for me who am sound and well, neither is it safe -for Khian who is wounded, and if things be thus, then let the whole -army turn and march to the stronghold.” -</p> - -<p> -“It cannot be, Niece. This army is a trust placed in my hands and its -business is to push on and give battle to Apepi, not to wander away -into the desert where perhaps it may be overcome by thirst or other -disasters.” -</p> - -<p> -“Cannot be! I say it must be, my Uncle, I, the Queen of Egypt, desire -it; it is an order.” -</p> - -<p> -Tau looked at her in his calm fashion and answered: -</p> - -<p> -“This army is under my command, not yours, Niece, and having put on -armour the Queen of Egypt is but one officer among thousands,” and he -touched her shining mail. “Therefore I must pray even the Queen of -Egypt to obey me. Or if that is not enough, I must pray Nefra, a -Sister of the Dawn, to accept the word of the Prophet of the Dawn -without question, as she is sworn to do. The safety of the Queen of -Egypt is much, as is the safety of the Prince Khian. But the safety -and the triumph of the great host of the King of Kings are more.” -</p> - -<p> -Nefra heard and was about to answer furiously, for her high spirit was -aflame. Yet there was that on the strong face and in the quiet eyes of -Tau that stilled her words before they were uttered. She looked at him -a while, then burst into tears and, turning, departed to her tent. -</p> - -<p> -<br/> -</p> - -<p> -Next morning at the dawn the five thousand horsemen with certain -chariots, guided by that officer and others who had brought tidings, -departed to rescue Khian and his companions from the stronghold where -he was imprisoned. -</p> - - -<h3 id="ch21"> -CHAPTER XXI.<br/> -<span class="chap_sub">Traitor or Hero</span> -</h3> - -<p class="noindent"> -<span class="sc">The</span> Babylonian host marched on and came in safety to the borders of -Egypt, the mightiest host perhaps that ever had invaded the Land of -Nile. There it encamped, protected in front by water, to rest and -prepare before it attacked Apepi encamped with all his strength some -three leagues away around the forts that he had built. The captains of -the Shepherds, riding out, saw with their own eyes how terrible and -numberless, how well-ordered also, was the army of the King of Kings -with its horsemen, its chariots, its camelry, its footmen, and its -archers that seemed to stretch for miles; no Eastern mob but -disciplined and trained to war. They saw and trembled, and returning, -made report to Apepi at his Council. -</p> - -<p> -“Let Pharaoh hearken!” they said. “For every man we muster, the -Babylonians have two under the command of the Prince Abeshu who is -reported to be a great general, though some say that he was once a -priest and a magician. The spies tell also that with them marches the -Princess Nefra, daughter of Kheperra, she who slipped through -Pharaoh’s fingers and is affianced to Pharaoh’s son, who also slipped -through his fingers and, if he lives, is hidden we know not where, -unless he, too, be with the Babylonians. It is impossible that Pharaoh -can stand against such a host as this, which will overrun the land -like locusts and devour us like corn.” -</p> - -<p> -Apepi heard and rage took hold of him, so that he gnawed at his beard. -Suddenly he turned to Anath, the old Vizier, saying: -</p> - -<p> -“You have heard what these cravens say. Now do you give me your -counsel, you who are cunning as a jackal that has often escaped the -trap. What shall I do?” -</p> - -<p> -Anath turned aside and spoke with certain other of his fellow -councillors. Then he came and bowed before Apepi and said: -</p> - -<p> -“Life! Blood! Strength! O Pharaoh! Such wisdom as the gods have given -us bids us urge Pharaoh, as do the diviners who have consulted with -their spirits, not to join battle but to make peace with Babylon -before it is too late.” -</p> - -<p> -“Is it so?” asked Apepi. “What terms then can I offer to the King of -Babylon, who comes to seize Egypt and add it to his empire?” -</p> - -<p> -“We think, Pharaoh,” answered Anath, “that Ditanah does not desire to -take Egypt. We have heard from those who serve Pharaoh in secret at -Babylon, that Ditanah is bewitched by Nefra the Beautiful. It seems -that when those wizards of the Dawn, through help of their magic arts, -escaped to Babylon, they took with them the body of the Queen Rima, -the widow of King Kheperra. The tale runs that the coffin of Queen -Rima was opened before the King of Kings, and that at the bidding of -the Princess Nefra and of the head wizards of the Dawn, the body of -Rima or the ghost of Rima spoke to Ditanah who begat it, bidding him -to attack Egypt or bear the curse of the dead. It bade him also to -give Nefra in marriage, not to his grandson and heir, Mir-bel, but to -the son of your Majesty, the Prince Khian, to whom she became -affianced yonder by the pyramids, and to send a great army to avenge -the death of her husband, Kheperra, and her own wrongs by casting your -Majesty from the throne and setting the Princess Nefra and the Prince -Khian in your place. Moreover, the royal Rima, or her spirit, said to -Ditanah, King of Kings, that if he neglected to do her bidding, he and -his country should be everlastingly accursed, but if he obeyed, her -blessings should come upon them. Therefore because of the words of -dead Rima, his daughter, and because of the spells laid upon him by -the Princess Nefra and the wizards of the Dawn, Ditanah has sent this -army against your Majesty to fulfil the commands of Rima upon you and -upon the people of the Shepherds.” -</p> - -<p> -“What then must I do to turn aside the wrath of this Babylonian?” -asked Apepi of the Vizier, glaring at him. -</p> - -<p> -“That which the King of Kings demands, or so it seems, O Pharaoh—wed -the Prince Khian, if he still lives and can be found, to the royal -Nefra and give up to them the Crowns of the Upper and the Lower -Lands.” -</p> - -<p> -“Is this your counsel, Vizier?” -</p> - -<p> -“Who am I and who are we that we should dare to show a path to be -trodden by the feet of Pharaoh?” asked Anath, cringing before his -master. “Yet, if he takes another and these captains are right, -perchance soon there will be a new Pharaoh, and if the Prince Khian be -dead, as some believe, the People of the Shepherds will be driven from -the Nile back into the desert whence they came centuries ago—and the -King of Kings, or the Princess Nefra under him, will rule Egypt.” -</p> - -<p> -Now Apepi leapt to his feet roaring with rage and with the wand-like -sceptre that he carried smote Anath on the head so hard that the blood -came and the Vizier fell to his knees. -</p> - -<p> -“Dog!” he cried, “speak more such words and you shall die a traitor’s -death beneath the whips. Long have I suspected that you were in the -pay of Babylon and now I grow sure of it. So I am to surrender my -throne and take Ditanah for my lord, and should he still live, give -the woman whom I had chosen for my wife to be the queen of the son who -has betrayed me. First will I see Egypt devoured by fire and sword and -perish with her. Out of my sight, you white-hearted cur!” -</p> - -<p> -Anath waited for no more. Yet when he turned at the doorway to make -the customary obeisance, though Apepi could not see it in the shadow, -there was a very evil look upon his face. -</p> - -<p> -“Struck!” he murmured to himself. “I the great officer, I, the Vizier, -struck before the Council and the servants! Well, if Apepi has a staff -I have a sword. Now come on, Babylon! I must to my work. Oh! Khian, -where are you?” -</p> - -<p> -<br/> -</p> - -<p> -Apepi, the Pharaoh of the North, dismissed his councillors and his -generals and sat in the chamber of the fort that he had built, -brooding and alone. Although often he was possessed by that devil of -rage who sleeps so lightly in the breasts of tyrants, also by other -passions, he was a far-seeing statesman and a good general, having -inherited from his forefathers the gifts by help of which they had -conquered Egypt. Thus he knew that Anath, the old Vizier, the clearest -and most cunning thinker in the land, was right when he told him that -he could not stand against all the strength of Babylon, drilled and -martialled as never it had been before, and marching under the -guidance of those wizards of the Dawn who had escaped him, leaving -behind them their high priest to lay upon him ere he died the curse of -the oath-breaker and the seeker of innocent blood. Yet for telling him -this truth he had offered public insult to Anath, smiting him as he -would a slave, such insult as the old noble and officer in whose -veins, it was said, ran the pure blood of Egypt, never would forget. -</p> - -<p> -Would it not be better, then, to follow the blow on the head with a -thrust to the heart and to have done with Anath? Nay, it was not safe; -he was too powerful, he had too many in his pay. They might rise -against him, now when all complained at being forced into a war they -hated; they might destroy him as they believed he had destroyed his -son, Prince Khian, whom they loved. He must send for Anath and crave -pardon for what he had done when beside himself with rage and doubt, -promising him great atonement and more honours, and biding his time to -balance their account. -</p> - -<p> -Yet could he accept this Anath’s counsel, and to save his life and the -shattering of the Shepherds’ power, bow his neck beneath the yoke of -Babylon? What did it mean? That he must abandon his throne and in -favour of Khian if he still lived, of Khian, who had stolen from him -the woman upon whose beauty he had set his heart, and sent her to call -up the Babylonian hordes against him, his king and father. Or if Khian -were dead, then this Nefra, Queen of the South and indeed of all Egypt -by right of blood, would take that throne as the vassal of Babylon and -doubtless wed its heir. Therefore what could he gain by surrender? One -thing only—to live on in exile as a private man, eating out his heart -with memories of the glory of the past and watching the Egyptians and -their great ally stamp upon the Shepherd race. -</p> - -<p> -It was not to be borne. If he must fall, it should be fighting as his -forefathers would have done. How could he succeed against so mighty a -foe? Not in a set battle; there they would overwhelm him, or if he -kept to the walls of his forts, surround them and sweep on to capture -Egypt. Yet generalship and craft might still give him victory. He had -it; he would send all his best horsemen, twenty thousand or more of -them of the old fighting Shepherd blood, to make a circuit in the -desert and fall upon the rear of the Babylonians as they advanced to -give battle, which doubtless according to their custom they would do -while it was still dark, in order that they might attack in the -uncertain light of dawn. By some such unexpected thrust their array -might be confused and broken, so that he would have to deal not with -an army, but with a mob. At least since no other offered, the plan -should be tried. -</p> - -<p> -<br/> -</p> - -<p> -The five thousand despatched by Tau came safely to the stronghold in -the hills, and reported themselves and their mission to the captain of -the outpost, and to his wounded guest whom all knew to be the Prince -Khian, though none called him by that name. Khian heard their tale and -grew faint with joy when he learned that the great army of Babylon was -near to him and that with it, safe and sound, was Nefra his beloved, -as a writing in her own hand told him. Sad and heavy had been his long -confinement in this place, crippled as he was, but now at length the -night of fear and waiting had passed away and there in front of him -burned the dawn of joy. -</p> - -<p> -Until the following morning the five thousand rested themselves and -their horses; then, taking with them the garrison of the outpost who -were glad enough to bid it good-bye, they started to rejoin the -Babylonian army that they had planned to meet at a certain spot on the -frontier of Egypt. In the centre of their array, in a chariot because -he could not ride, went Khian, followed by Temu in another chariot -because he would not ride, having sworn an oath, unless Fate forced -him, never to mount another horse. -</p> - -<p> -So they passed on safely across the desert, for Apepi’s skirmishers -who had hemmed them in for so long had vanished away. They could not -travel fast because of the soldiers of the garrison who must march on -foot; indeed their progress was so slow that Khian, who was on fire to -rejoin Nefra, wished to gallop on to the Babylonian army escorted only -by a few horsemen. But this the officer in command of the five -thousand would not suffer, having been strictly charged by Tau, who -foresaw that such a thing might happen, to keep him who was called the -Scribe Rasa safe in the heart of his force. In vain did Khian plead. -Those, said the officer, were his orders and he must obey them. -</p> - -<p> -On the third afternoon of their march, they learned from desert men -that they drew near to the Babylonian host which was encamped over -against the forts that Apepi had built. As it was still too far away -to be reached that night and those on foot were very weary, its -general halted the five thousand to eat and rest at a place where -there was water, giving orders that the force was to march again at -midnight by the light of the setting moon, which, if all went well, -should bring them to the army shortly after dawn. -</p> - -<p> -This plan was carried out. At midnight they broke camp and went -forward through the hot desert air by the light of the half moon. When -they had marched for about two hours Temu caused his chariot to be -brought alongside that of Khian, and though the Prince was somewhat -silent, talked on to him after his fashion, for none guessed that on -the farther side of a certain rise of ground the five and twenty -thousand horsemen whom Apepi had despatched to fall upon the flank of -the Babylonians were creeping towards them purposing to attack the -camp of the great army at the first break of dawn. Why should it be -guessed, seeing that outposts rode ahead of them to give warning of -any danger? How could they know that those outposts had been -surrounded and captured or killed, when as they thought they were -riding into the fringe of the host of Babylon, thus giving the -Shepherds warning of the approach of foes? -</p> - -<p> -“Brother,” said Temu, “during all this while you have been very -impatient, complaining of your wound which will get quite well in -time, though it may leave you stiff-legged and lame for life, -complaining because you were kept yonder in the hills, instead of -thanking the gods that you ever reached them safely by help of those -rough-tongued but courageous Arab brethren who gave themselves -fanciful names, for which faults as your elder in our Order I have -often reproved you, saying that like myself you should have faith. Now -you see the end of it, namely, that faith has triumphed as it always -does. Within an hour or two we shall reach the mighty host of Babylon -and make obeisance to Tau, the Prophet of the Dawn. All our troubles -are ended, or rather all your troubles, since because of faith <i>I</i> -never doubted but that they would melt away——” -</p> - -<p> -At this moment Temu himself melted away, for a javelin or an arrow -pierced his charioteer through the heart so that the man fell dead on -to the flanks of the horses, causing them to start forward at full -gallop in their fright, and charging through the ranks to vanish at -speed into the desert, while Temu clung to the chariot rail and -grasped wildly at the reins. The horses were good horses, being indeed -two of those that had borne them on their gallop from the water to the -hills, now fat and strong again. They rushed on up the rise; they came -among the Shepherd troops where the line was thin, they broke through -it unharmed, being scarcely seen in the dim light before they were -gone. They galloped on across the sands, smelling other horses ahead -of them, or perchance it was water that they smelt. At least they -rushed on while Temu, flung to the bottom of the chariot, dragged at -the reins in vain. That is, he dragged once or twice, then let them -be, muttering: -</p> - -<p> -“Faith! Have faith! These accursed beasts must go where Fate drives -them, and I see no more soldiers.” -</p> - -<p> -Presently, however, he saw plenty, for now the chariot, heedless of -the challenges of the sentries, was rushing down the central avenue of -the Babylonian camp. At length the feet of one of the horses became -entangled in the ropes of a tent, so that it fell, bringing down its -companion with it, and Temu rolled on to the ground in front of a -general who was giving orders to some officer. -</p> - -<p> -“Who is this?” asked the General testily, “and what does that chariot -here? Take it away.” -</p> - -<p> -Then Temu, knowing the voice, sat up and said: -</p> - -<p> -“O Holy Prophet, as I understand that you are now that Roy is dead, O -Father Tau, that is, if a Prophet and Father of the Dawn can be clad -in armour which is against all the rules, I am Temu, a priest of your -Brotherhood, as you may remember, for it was you who sent me on a -certain business to the Court of Apepi, King of the North, since which -time I have suffered many things.” -</p> - -<p> -“I remember you, Brother,” said Tau. “But whence come you in this -chariot, and why?” -</p> - -<p> -“I do not know, Prophet. One moment I was talking to him who is called -the Scribe Rasa, with whom I have shared many adventures, but who, I -think, has another name, and the next my charioteer pitched forward -with a missile through his breast, and those mad brutes of horses on -which he fell were dragging me away whither I knew not. All I know is -that we passed through a host clad in such armour as the Shepherds -use, for the moonlight shone upon it and upon Apepi’s banners, which I -knew well, for I saw enough of them at Tanis. Then the horses, -directed of Heaven, came on here. And that is all the story.” -</p> - -<p> -“The Scribe Rasa!” exclaimed a woman’s voice, that of Nefra who, -seeing the fall of the horses, had come from her tent, accompanied by -Ru, to learn its cause. “Where did you leave the Scribe Rasa, Priest?” -</p> - -<p> -“Cease from questions, Niece,” broke in Tau. “Can you not understand -that the force we sent some days ago to rescue a certain garrison has -been ambushed and that by some accident this brother has escaped to -bring us tidings. Or perchance,” he added, as a thought struck him, -“Apepi’s army has moved from its defences to attack us from the south -presently when the sun rises.” -</p> - -<p> -Then he gave certain orders. Trumpets blew, captains ran up, men by -the thousand, still yawning, took their appointed places; all the -awakened camp burst into active martial life. -</p> - -<p> -Meanwhile, not so very far away, a desperate battle raged. The five -and twenty thousand of the Shepherds, attackers who thought themselves -attacked, hurled themselves upon the five thousand Babylonians who had -marched into their midst. The Babylonians, being alert and well -officered, strove to cut a path through the Shepherds, aye, and did -so, slowly, losing many men as they struggled forward. Squadrons -rushed on them, dimly seen in the moonlight, and were beaten back. -There was charge and countercharge. Horses screamed, men fell and -groaned out their lives. -</p> - -<p> -The moon grew dark, but still the battle went on in the twilight that -precedes the dawn, when it was difficult to distinguish friend from -foe. The light of day began to gather and by it the captain of the -Babylonians saw that he could advance no more. Nor could he fly, for -the cloud of Apepi’s Horse was all about him. Therefore he made a -square of those who remained to him, perhaps two thousand or more -sound men and many wounded, and gave orders that none must surrender, -since this was a fight to the death for the honour of Babylon. -</p> - -<p> -When Apepi’s captains in the gathering light perceived with how small -a body they had to do, they were dismayed who thought that all this -while they had been attacking the flank of the Babylonian host in the -darkness. And now the dawn had come and their opportunity was gone; -they had failed in their mission and how could they face Apepi with -such a tale? In the fighting they had seized prisoners, some of them -wounded. Those men they questioned. Under threat of death by torment, -or with beatings, from some of these they drew the truth that this was -but a force of Babylonian skirmishers sent to relieve an outpost which -they were bringing back with them to the army. -</p> - -<p> -“Who, then, is the man that sits in a chariot among the horsemen?” -asked Apepi’s captain. -</p> - -<p> -The prisoners answered that they did not know, whereon he ordered them -to be flogged a while, and then repeated his question. Thus he learned -that this lord in the chariot was none other than Khian the Prince -whom he himself had been ordered to capture when he was escaping from -Egypt, for though the prisoners gave only the name of Rasa the Scribe, -well he knew that Rasa and Khian were the same man. -</p> - -<p> -Then that captain saw light in the midst of a great darkness. He had -failed, it was true; he had not fallen upon the flank of the army of -Babylon at this hour of dawn, or thrown it into confusion and panic, -as he had hoped to do, but instead had become engaged with a petty -force of which the destruction would help Apepi not at all. But now he -learned that with that force was one whose capture would mean as much, -or more, to Apepi as a great slaughter of the Babylonians. Instantly -he made up his mind; he would not try to attack the army of the great -King; it was too late. No, he would destroy these horsemen and take -the Prince Khian, living or dead, as an offering to Apepi, hoping thus -to assuage his wrath. -</p> - -<p> -Instantly he gave orders and the attack began. Being mounted, neither -side had bows and now javelins were few. Therefore the fray must be -fought out with swords. The Babylonians had picketed their horses in -the centre of the square or given them to the wounded there to hold, -turning themselves into foot-soldiers. Moreover, by command of their -general, with hands and stones and cooking vessels they were heaping -the desert sands into a bank which, with two thousand men or more -labouring at it for their lives, rose as though by magic, for the sand -was soft and easy to handle. At this bank the Shepherds charged from -every side. But the Babylonian square, set on the crest of a desert -sand wave, was small, for its general had drawn up his men three deep, -each line standing behind the other. Therefore only a few of the -clouds of Apepi’s horsemen could come at them at once, and at these -the Babylonians stabbed with their swords, or cut at the horses’ legs -as they scrambled up the sand slopes, laming them, or causing them to -scream in agony and rush away. -</p> - -<p> -Soon Apepi’s captain saw that victory would be slow, which fitted his -plans but ill. Every moment he was in fear lest the outposts of the -great army should discover what was passing not so very far away and -send out a mighty force to destroy him. He feared also that the -wounded man in the chariot whom he guessed to be the Prince Khian -might be killed in the fighting, whereas he desired to take him living -to Apepi. Lastly he feared that even if he were not attacked, soon he -and his horsemen would be cut off from Egypt and driven back into the -desert, to perish there of thirst and hunger. Therefore, ceasing from -his onslaught, he sent officers under a flag of truce to the -Babylonian general, charged to deliver this message: -</p> - -<p> -“Your case is desperate since I outnumber you ten to one. Surrender -and in the name of Apepi I promise you your lives. Fight on and I will -destroy you all.” -</p> - -<p> -The Babylonian heard, but being a crafty man, would give no immediate -answer, for he, too, hoped that news of their plight would reach the -great army either through messengers whom he had despatched when they -were first attacked, or otherwise. Therefore desiring to gain time he -replied that he must take counsel with his officers and presently -would let their mind be known. He went to the centre of the square and -coming to Khian, told him all. -</p> - -<p> -“Now what shall we do?” he asked. “If we continue the fight, we must -soon be overwhelmed. Yet surrender we cannot for the honour of -Babylon; indeed, first will I fall upon my sword.” -</p> - -<p> -“It seems that you have answered your own question, General,” replied -Khian, smiling. “Yet here is my poor counsel. Offer to give me up, for -you know well who I am and it is I whom they seek. I think that if you -do this, that captain will let the rest of you go free.” -</p> - -<p> -Now even in his sore strait that general laughed aloud, saying: -</p> - -<p> -“Have you bethought you, Prince, for since you have declared yourself -I call you what you are, how I should be greeted by the Prince Abeshu, -also named the Lord Tau, who commands the army of the Great King, and -by a certain lady who marches with that army, if I return to tell them -such a tale? Rather would I die, Prince, with honour upon the field, -than shamed before all the host of Babylon. No, I have another plan. I -will parley with these Shepherds as one who bargains, asking for the -promise of safety in writing, and while I do so all must creep to -their horses, taking the lightly wounded behind them and leaving the -rest to fate. Then suddenly we will charge upon the Shepherds and, now -that we have light, cut our way through or perish.” -</p> - -<p> -“So be it,” said Khian, but in his heart were thoughts that his lips -did not utter. He knew that such a charge made by weary men upon -wearied horses could not succeed; that if it were attempted all who -remained alive of the Babylonian horsemen would perish, together with -those on foot, among them his hosts of the mountain garrison, and that -the wounded would be slaughtered where they lay. He was sure also that -what the Shepherd captain wanted was himself, not the lives of more -Babylonian horsemen, whose slaying or escape could make no difference -to the issue of the war, and that if he could secure that great prize, -he would turn and ride for Egypt. Therefore certainly it was laid upon -him to offer up himself as a sacrifice. He shivered at the thought, -knowing that this meant death, perhaps death by torture, at the hands -of Apepi, and what was worse, that never more after all that he had -suffered could he hope to look upon the face of Nefra beneath the sun. -Oh! he must choose, and choose at once. -</p> - -<p> -Khian cast down his eyes and with all his soul prayed to that Spirit -whom he had learned to worship, that he might find guidance in his -agony. Lo! it seemed to come. It seemed as though there amidst the -stamp and neighs of horses, the groans of the wounded, the orders of -officers who, having received the General’s word, already were making -preparation for that last wild rush for life, he heard the quiet, -well-remembered voice of Roy, saying: -</p> - -<p> -“My son, follow after duty, even down the road of sacrifice, and leave -the rest to God.” -</p> - -<p> -Khian hesitated no longer. He was alone in the chariot, for its driver -had descended to give the horses the last of the forage they carried -with them and a sup of water that remained, and stood at a distance -watching them finish their food as best they could, for the bits in -their mouths hampered them. He seized the reins, he smote the -stallions with the whip, and the beasts sprang forward. -</p> - -<p> -Now they had come to the low bank of sand and were scrambling over it, -dragging the light war chariot after them. Some fifty paces away and -as many perhaps from the first of Apepi’s horsemen stood the General -of the Babylonians and one officer talking to the Captain of the -Shepherds, also accompanied by one officer, a man whom he knew well -enough for they had served together in the Syrian wars. They had -turned and did not see him coming or hear the chariot wheels on the -soft sand. Apepi’s captain had grown angry and cried in a loud voice: -</p> - -<p> -“Hear my last offer. Give up to me the Prince Khian who is with you, -and you and your soldiers may go free. Refuse, and I will kill you -every one and take him, living or dead, to his father, Apepi the -Pharaoh. Answer. I speak no more.” -</p> - -<p> -“<i>I</i> will answer,” said Khian from the chariot, whereon they turned in -amaze and stared. “I am the Prince Khian, and you, Friend, know me -well. I, too, know you for a man of honour and accept your promise to -let these Babylonians go their way unharmed, taking their wounded with -them, and in payment I surrender myself to you. Is it sworn?” -</p> - -<p> -“It is sworn, Prince,” said the Captain, saluting. “Yet remember that -Apepi is very wrath with your Highness,” he added slowly, as though in -warning. -</p> - -<p> -“I remember,” answered Khian. Then he turned to the Babylonian -General, who all this while had stood like one transfixed, and said: -“Say to the Lord Tau and to the Lady of Egypt that I have gone where -my duty calls me and that if it be decreed that we should meet no -more, I trust that they will not think ill of me, seeing that what -seems false often is the truth and that sometimes ill deeds are done -for good ends. For the rest, let them judge as they will of me, who -follow my own light.” -</p> - -<p> -“Lord,” exclaimed the General like one who wakes from sleep, “surely -you do not desert us for the Shepherds?” -</p> - -<p> -“Am I not a Shepherd?” asked Khian, smiling strangely. “Farewell, -Friend. Good fortune go with you and your company, no drop of whose -blood shall be shed for me.” -</p> - -<p> -Then he called to the horses and they went forward while the General -wrung his hands and muttered the names of strange Babylonian gods. -</p> - -<p> -“I do not understand your Highness,” said Apepi’s captain as he walked -by the chariot back towards his horsemen, “which is not strange, since -always you were different from other men, and I am wondering whether -those Babylonians will write you down as a traitor or as a hero. -Meanwhile, I who know you to be honest, ask your promise that even if -you see opportunity you will not escape to them lest I should be -forced to kill you.” -</p> - -<p> -“It is yours, Friend. Henceforth, like a certain Temu, I walk by -faith, though whither faith has led him this day I do not know, who -last saw him vanishing into the heart of your host.” -</p> - -<p> -“Mad!” muttered the Captain. “Still if he has lost his wits, he will -keep his word, and that may save my head.” -</p> - - -<h3 id="ch22"> -CHAPTER XXII.<br/> -<span class="chap_sub">Khian Returns to Tanis</span> -</h3> - -<p class="noindent"> -<span class="sc">Swiftly</span> the Shepherd horsemen galloped back towards Apepi’s forts -across the border line of Egypt, leaving their wounded to follow after -them as best they might or perish, and in the centre of their array, -surrounded by a guard, raced the chariot of Khian. Their captain knew -there was no time to lose, for soon those Babylonians whom he had -spared would be at the camp of the Great King—and then——! What he -did not know was that two hours before Temu had reached that camp and -that already a mounted army was sweeping down to cut him off. -</p> - -<p> -Far away in the desert appeared a cloud of dust. It grew nearer and -more near, and now through the dust shone helms and spears and -burnished chariots. Then the Shepherds knew the worst. Their path was -blocked, Babylon was upon them! Flight was impossible. Their case now -was that of the five thousand whom they had surprised not twelve hours -before, and they must charge as these had done, and with as little -hope of victory. -</p> - -<p> -They drew together; they lined up their squadrons to the shape of a -wedge, skilfully enough, as Khian noted, and rushed forward bearing -somewhat to the right, that they might strike the Babylonian line -where it was thinnest. The two armies drew near together, some twenty -thousand of the Shepherds against fifty thousand of their foes who -were massed in dense squadrons divided by companies of chariots. A -roar of triumph went up from the Babylonians, but the doomed Shepherds -were silent. -</p> - -<p> -Apepi’s captain appeared by the chariot of Khian. -</p> - -<p> -“Prince,” he cried as he galloped, “the gods are against me and I -think that our end is near. Yet I trust to you to remember your oath, -upon faith of which I spared your company, and to make no effort to -escape. If you are captured, it is so decreed, but while you are able, -I repeat I trust to you to head straight for the boundary which is -near, and to surrender yourself to Apepi or his troops. Do I trust in -vain?” -</p> - -<p> -“My honour has never yet been doubted,” Khian called back. -</p> - -<p> -Then that captain saluted with his sword and, spurring his horse, -vanished away. -</p> - -<p> -With a shock and a sound like thunder the hordes of horsemen met. Deep -into the Babylonian array cut the Shepherd wedge, throwing men and -steeds to either side of it, as a gale-driven ship throws waves of the -sea. Yet slowly Apepi’s squadrons lost their speed as more and more of -the Babylonians poured upon their flank. The point of the wedge, -passing through the first group, became engaged with fresh squadrons -beyond, that escorted a company of chariots which had raced in front -to cut them off. -</p> - -<p> -The fighting grew desperate. Slowly those before him were killed, -scattered, or trodden down, so that Khian found his chariot in the -forefront of the battle. At a little distance he perceived a throng of -the Shepherds, some of them dismounted, attacking a few of the -Babylonians who were gathered round a splendid chariot that had -outraced the rest, whereof the wounded horses were struggling on the -ground. In this chariot, sword in hand, was one clad in mail that -seemed to be fashioned of silver and gold, whom he took to be a -beautiful youth, doubtless some princeling of the royal House of -Babylon sent out to look upon the face of war, while on that side of -it on which the Shepherds, six or eight of them, pressed their attack, -stood a black-faced giant hung about with plates of brazen armour that -clanked as he swung his great axe aloft and brought it crashing down -upon those within its reach. One glance told Khian that this was the -mighty Ethiopian, Ru himself! Then with a sick heart he understood -that the figure in the chariot was no noble Babylonian youth but none -other than Nefra, his betrothed. -</p> - -<p> -Oh! she was sore beset. Horsemen were coming to her aid, but the -nearest of them were still a full bow-shot away, for in her fierce -folly she had outdriven them all. Ru smote and smote, but he could not -be everywhere, and while some drew him to the rear of the chariot -which they were striving to enter from behind, others, five or six of -them, ran together at its side, purposing to rush forward and kill or -drag away her who stood therein. It was as if they knew that this was -a prize indeed, one for whose sake all must be risked, and as he came -nearer, Khian perceived how they knew, for now he saw that about her -silver helm she wore the snake-headed coronet, the royal uræus with -the sparkling eyes that proclaimed her Egypt’s queen. The men -gathered, watching Ru as with savage war cries he beat down foe after -foe, and waiting their chance to spring upon their prey and pierce her -through or capture her. -</p> - -<p> -Khian thought for a moment. -</p> - -<p> -“I swore not to escape, but never that I would not fight upon my way -to doom,” he said to himself and pulled at the reins, turning the -rushing horses straight upon that knot of men. As he came the first of -them leapt at Nefra. She smote with her sword and the blow fell upon -his thick headdress. He shot out his long arms, for he was a great -fellow, and gripped her round the middle, dragging her to him. The -others stood waiting to seize her as she fell to the ground and carry -her off if they could, or kill her if they could not. So eagerly did -they watch that they never saw or heard the white-horsed war chariot -thunder down upon them from where they knew there were no foes. Khian -called to the stallions, beasts trained to war, and turning neither to -left nor right they rushed on. They smote those men and down they went -beneath the hoofs and wheels. Only one remained standing, he who -dragged Nefra from the chariot. In Khian’s hand was a spear. He hurled -it as he passed and it pierced that man through and through, so that, -loosing his grip of Nefra, he fell to the ground and died. -</p> - -<p> -Now Ru had seen and was rushing back. Nefra, freed, stared at her -deliverer—and knew him. -</p> - -<p> -“Khian!” she cried. “Khian! Come to me.” -</p> - -<p> -Ru knew him also and shouted: -</p> - -<p> -“Halt, Lord Rasa!” -</p> - -<p> -But Khian only shook his head and galloped on. -</p> - -<p> -Then the Babylonian deliverers came up as a flood comes along a dry -river bed and covered all. But already Khian was far off with the -remnant of the Shepherd Horse. -</p> - -<p> -<br/> -</p> - -<p> -The battle rolled away. Of the twenty thousand Shepherds or more but -some few hundreds escaped; the rest were cut or hunted down before -they reached the border line of Egypt. But among those who came -unharmed to the army of Apepi was the Prince Khian, for through all -that fray it was as though some god protected him and the horses that -drew his chariot. On he drove till he saw where a general’s standard -flew. Then he halted the bloodstained, weary beasts and called aloud: -</p> - -<p> -“I am the Prince Khian. Come, bear me hence for I am hurt and cannot -walk.” -</p> - -<p> -The officers who heard him saluted and their men cheered, for they -thought that the Prince Khian whom they loved and who had been their -comrade in the Syrian wars had escaped from the Babylonians that he -might fight against them with his own people. Tenderly they lifted him -from the chariot and gave him wine and food, the best they had, then -placed him in a litter such as they used for wounded men and bore him -to the royal encampment in and around the new-built forts. Over these -forts flew Pharaoh’s banners, yet when they came to them they found -confusion and open gates. Pharaoh, heralds announced, had been called -back to Tanis, leaving orders to his armies to follow after him, that -they might re-form there to protect the great city and Egypt. -</p> - -<p> -Now when the captains heard these commands they stared at each other -and murmured. But Khian, looking back across the frontier line, -learned their reason. Yonder the sands were black with all the ordered -hosts of Babylon. On they came, foot and horse and chariots, a mighty -flood of men, before the shock of whose onslaught the army of the -Shepherds must have broken and gone down. Therefore it was that when -he learned that his flank attack had miscarried and saw all the might -of Babylon sweeping down upon him, Apepi had fled to Tanis, leaving -his troops to follow as best they could. -</p> - -<p> -Understanding at last how matters stood, some of the chief officers -came to Khian and prayed him to take command of the army, by right of -his rank and repute in war. But he smiled and remained silent, as they -thought because he was sick and could not stand upon his feet. While -they still pressed him there came that captain to whom he had sworn -the oath and who, like himself, had escaped the slaughter of Apepi’s -horsemen. Calling them aside he told his comrades of how he had -captured the Prince among the Babylonians, and the rest. Then they -pressed Khian no more, though had he chosen to put another colour on -the tale perhaps they would still have listened. Or had he offered to -go to the Babylonians and pray the clemency of the Queen of Egypt and -of the Prince Abeshu their General, for Pharaoh’s army, perhaps they -would also have listened. But as he did neither of these things, they -yoked fresh horses to his chariot and setting him in it, took him with -them in their flight to Tanis. -</p> - -<p> -Thus it came about that when the Babylonians poured up to the camp of -the Shepherds to give them battle, save for some sick and wounded men, -they found them gone. Learning the truth from these men, who by Tau’s -command were spared and cared for, also that the Prince Khian had come -in safety to the camp and been welcomed there and, as some said, was -now in command of the retreating army, at once they started in -pursuit. -</p> - -<p> -At their first bivouac Tau, with some of the generals under him, -waited upon Nefra, there being present also Ru, Temu the priest, and -the Lady Kemmah. By the wish of Tau, Nefra and Ru told all the tale of -their meeting with Khian in the battle of the horsemen and of how he -had driven his horses over those who attacked Nefra, thrust his spear -through him who was dragging her from the chariot, and then, when they -called to him to stay with them, had shaken his head and fled away, -making no attempt to check the horses, as he might have done, thereby -escaping from the Shepherds if he were their captive. -</p> - -<p> -Now when he had heard this strange tale, Tau asked those present to -interpret it. The Babylonian Generals, one and all, answered that -either this Prince was mad, or evidently he was a traitor. It was -clear, they said, that otherwise he would have escaped when he had -opportunity, and it was also clear that being a Shepherd and the son -of their King, he had followed his heart back to the Shepherds and to -his father. Kemmah, who spoke next, held that certainly he was mad, -for how, she asked, could a sane man fly away from the loveliest woman -in the world, to whom he was affianced, and one who was a queen as -well?—Unless, indeed, she added as an afterthought, since they parted -he had met one yet lovelier, words at which Nefra sharply bid her be -silent. -</p> - -<p> -Then Temu, who had been the Prince’s companion in his captivities and -flights, was called upon. But all he could do was to mutter, “Faith! -Have faith!” adding that in this matter it was easy because he could -not believe that any one who had once tasted of the palace dungeon at -Tanis or of the tomb chamber in the dark of the pyramid could wish to -return to either of them again. Then he began to set out the tale of -their escapes and of all that he had suffered on horseback and in the -chariot, until an officer pulled him back to his seat. -</p> - -<p> -Then spoke Nefra, asking angrily of the Babylonian Generals: -</p> - -<p> -“Have you ever known, Lords, of a man who wished to play the traitor, -who began his treachery by killing sundry of those to whom he had sold -himself? Do you not understand that if this Prince wished to be rid of -me in order that in future he might lay an undisputed claim to the -double throne of Egypt, all he needed to do was to pass on and leave -those Shepherd knaves to kill me as—Ru, after his fashion, being -elsewhere when he was wanted—doubtless they would have done. Yet he -drives his chariot over four of them and pierces the fifth through -with his spear. Then—the gods alone know why, though I doubt not for -some good reason, other than that advanced by the Lady Kemmah,” she -added acidly, “he departs, shaking his head, and so swiftly that he -could not be caught, as yonder priest says, to taste once more of -Apepi’s dungeons, or”—here her voice grew faint and her eyes filled -with tears—“of worse things.” -</p> - -<p> -When they had finished Tau said: -</p> - -<p> -“All who know the Prince Khian have learned that in some ways he is -different from most men, and it is probable that among those -differences the truth may be found. Indeed I think that I have -discovered it, but if so, as we have talked enough, I will keep it to -myself until I know whether I be right or wrong. Meanwhile, I would -ask you all to listen to the prayer of our brother, Temu, and have -faith, such as that which her Majesty of Egypt showed when she rushed -forth alone into battle against the commands of those set over her, -and now again shows in him who preserved her from death.” -</p> - -<p> -Then he rose and departed from the tent, leaving Nefra abashed and yet -indignant. -</p> - -<p> -<br/> -</p> - -<p> -Those who remained of the army of the Frontier came at length to Tanis -which was strongly held by Apepi’s second army of reserve. They were -not many, for the Babylonian pursuit had been sharp and captured -thousands. Moreover, when in this way or in that it became known that -none of these were put to the sword or set aside to be sold as slaves, -but that all asked of them was that they should take an oath of fealty -to Queen Nefra of Egypt and serve under her banner, other thousands -grew weary of that rapid march and lagged behind until they were -overtaken by the Babylonian pickets. -</p> - -<p> -Among the faithful that at length straggled through its gates, -however, were the Prince Khian and that captain to whom he had -surrendered and sworn a certain oath. Together these two, between whom -there was now a bond of lasting friendship, were brought to the palace -and to the wonder of Khian placed in the apartments that had been his -own when he was Prince and heir apparent of the North. Here slaves -waited upon him, his own slaves, and doctors came to treat his knee, -now much inflamed and swollen with so long and rough a journey. Yet, -as Khian noted, with all of these were mingled spies and guards: spies -to watch and note every spoken word and guards to frustrate any effort -at escape. In short, he was now as close a prisoner as he had been in -that dungeon whence he escaped with Temu. -</p> - -<p> -There in his own place Khian, who had been brought to it at dawn, -rested till the third hour after sunset, sleeping the most of this -time, save when he bathed and ate, for he was very weary. At length -came an officer and soldiers with a litter to bear him into the -presence of Apepi, his father. At the head of this company was Anath -the Vizier who, as Khian noted, had grown thinner and more gray and -whose quick black eyes darted from place to place as though everywhere -he expected to see a murderer, and following after him a sharp-faced -scribe whom Khian took to be a spy. -</p> - -<p> -Anath bowed a greeting nicely judged, neither too scanty nor too full, -saying: -</p> - -<p> -“Welcome home, Prince, after long travels and many adventures. Pharaoh -needs your presence. Be pleased to accompany me.” -</p> - -<p> -Then he was set in his litter borne by eight soldiers, at the side of -which walked Anath, while the captain followed after. In turning the -corner of one of the passages the long litter tilted and Anath put out -his hands to steady it, or to save himself from being pressed against -the wall, while the spy for a moment was left out of sight and hearing -on the farther side of a corner. Swiftly Anath whispered into Khian’s -ear: -</p> - -<p> -“The danger is great. Yet be calm and keep courage, for you have -friends, ready even to die for you, of whom I am the first.” -</p> - -<p> -Then the spy appeared and Anath straightened himself and was silent. -</p> - -<p> -They came into the presence of Pharaoh who sat in a low chair clad in -mail with a sword in his hand. The litter was set down and its bearers -helped Khian to a seat that was placed opposite to that of Pharaoh. -</p> - -<p> -“You seem to have taken some hurt, Son,” said Apepi in a cold voice. -“Who gave it to you?” -</p> - -<p> -“One of your Majesty’s soldiers during a fray in a pass of certain -hills, who overtook me when I was flying from Egypt a while ago, -Pharaoh.” -</p> - -<p> -“Oh! I heard some such tale. But why were you flying from Egypt?” -</p> - -<p> -“To save myself and to win another, Pharaoh.” -</p> - -<p> -“Yes, again I remember. The one you have done so far, though with -damage; the other you have not done and shall never do,” Apepi said -slowly. Then he looked at the captain, who accompanied Khian, and -asked: -</p> - -<p> -“Are you that man whom I sent in command of some five and twenty -thousand horse to fall upon the flank of the Babylonians? If so, tell -me why you failed in your task.” -</p> - -<p> -In brief, soldierlike words the captain told him all the story: how he -had met the body of Babylonian Horse during the night and become -engaged with them; how in the end Khian had bought the lives of those -of them who remained by his surrender of himself; how they had fallen -in with the great force of mounted Babylonians and chariots which in -the end destroyed them nearly all; how the Prince Khian had kept his -word when he might have escaped, and thus was now a prisoner at Tanis, -and the rest. -</p> - -<p> -Apepi listened till he had finished and said: -</p> - -<p> -“Enough, man. You have failed and by your failure have brought me to -the gates of ruin. My army is dispersed and the Babylonians, under the -command of one of the accursed wizards of the Dawn, sweep down on -Tanis to capture it, after which they purpose to seize all Egypt and -set this girl Nefra as their puppet on its throne. All these things -have happened because you failed in the task I laid upon you and -instead of falling upon the Babylonian flank, were trapped and wasted -your strength and time in a petty fight with some few thousand men. -For such as you there is no more place upon the earth. Get you down to -the Underworld and there learn generalship, if you may.” -</p> - -<p> -Then he made a sign whereon certain armed slaves ran forward. The -captain, answering nothing to Apepi, turned to Khian and saluted him, -saying: -</p> - -<p> -“Now, Prince, I am sorry that I did not loose you from your oath and -bid you escape while you could. For if I am treated thus, what chance -is there for you? Well, I go to make report of these matters to Osiris -who, I have been told, is a just god and an avenger of the innocent. -Farewell.” -</p> - -<p> -Before Khian could answer the slaves seized the man and dragged him -behind a curtain, whence presently one of them reappeared holding up a -human head to tell Pharaoh that his will was done. At this sight for -the first time Khian hated his father and hoped in his heart that -Apepi himself might be overtaken by the fate which he had brought upon -a loyal servant who had done his best. -</p> - -<p> -Now father and son were left alone and stared at each other in -silence. At length Khian spoke. -</p> - -<p> -“If it be the will of your Majesty that I should follow on the path -that has been trodden by yonder victim, I pray that it may be soon, -since I am weary and would sleep.” -</p> - -<p> -Apepi laughed cruelly and answered: -</p> - -<p> -“All in good time, but not yet, I think. Do you not understand, Son, -that you are the only arrow left in my quiver? It seems that by aid of -the arts of these wizards of the Dawn you have bewitched this royal -Egyptian in such fashion that she dotes on you, she, the chosen of -your father, from whom you stole her. Now how do you think it would -please her when she appears before the walls of Tanis with the -Babylonians, as doubtless she will do to-morrow with the light, if she -saw you, her darling, set upon the eastern gate and there about to die -as that fool died or in worse fashion?” -</p> - -<p> -“I do not know,” answered Khian, “but I think that if such a thing -chanced, very soon Tanis would be given to fire and all that breathe -within its walls would also die, and with them one—who does not wish -to die.” -</p> - -<p> -“You are right, my Son,” mocked Apepi. “An angry woman with a hundred -thousand men behind her might commit such crimes upon the helpless. -Therefore I propose to keep your head upon your shoulders, at least -for the present. This is my plan—tell me if you do not think it good. -You shall appear upon the gateway and heralds shall announce, or -perhaps this would best be done by messenger, that you are about to -suffer death for treason in the presence of Pharaoh and his Court, or -as many of them as can find standing room upon that gateway. It will -be announced, however, that Pharaoh, out of his great pity and love, -will spare you upon certain terms. Can you perhaps guess those terms?” -</p> - -<p> -“No,” answered Khian hoarsely. -</p> - -<p> -“I think you lie; I think you know them well enough. Still, Son, I -will repeat them to you, that you may never say you have not been -fairly dealt with. They are short and simple. First, that having -surrendered all its treasure and some trappings such as horses and -chariots and signed a perpetual peace with us, the Shepherds, the -Babylonian army retreats whence it came. -</p> - -<p> -“Secondly, that the Princess Nefra gives up herself to me, that in the -presence of both armies and of the holy gods the priests may declare -her my wife and queen, who brings to me as her dower all the rights -and inheritances that are hers by blood in Egypt.” -</p> - -<p> -“Never will she consent,” said Khian. -</p> - -<p> -“Of course, Son, that is the danger, since no one can tell what a -woman will or will not do. But do you not think that if such should -chance to be her mind and that she should determine that you must be -sacrificed to what she holds her duty, you who otherwise would be set -free among the Babylonians, the sight of a little torture and the -sound of your groans might work the needful change? There are some -clever blacks in this place and by the way, that knee of yours is -still swollen and painful, is it not? They might begin there. Hot -irons—yes, hot irons!” -</p> - -<p> -Khian looked at him and said in a low voice: -</p> - -<p> -“Do your worst, devil who begat me, if indeed I am your son, which now -it is hard to believe. You speak of the priests of the Dawn as -wizards. Know that I am a priest of the Dawn who share their wizardry -or their wisdom, and it tells me that all your plots will fail and -that your wickedness will fall back upon your own head.” -</p> - -<p> -“Ah! does it? I understand your scheme. You think that you will kill -yourself. Well, this shall not happen, for be sure that you shall be -too well watched. Nor will you escape from the palace for the second -time. Good-night, Son. Rest while you may, for I fear that it will be -necessary to awake you early.” -</p> - - -<h3 id="ch23"> -CHAPTER XXIII.<br/> -<span class="chap_sub">The Queen of the Dawn</span> -</h3> - -<p class="noindent"> -<span class="sc">Before</span> the hour of dawn Khian was carried up the pylon stairs to the -top of the eastern gate of Tanis. It was a large flat place where -fifty or more might stand with comfort, and being lame he was seated -in a chair upon its eastern edge. Ra the Sun arose and showed him all. -Beneath him was a wide moat filled with water from the Nile, but the -bridge which spanned it had been hoisted up by the aid of ropes and -pulleys and was made fast to the gateway pillars. -</p> - -<p> -Beyond the moat and almost at its edge, for in their overwhelming -might they seemed to fear nothing from their broken foes, appeared the -heart of the host of Babylon, whereof the wings already encircled the -city of Tanis, cutting off the escape of those who were within its -walls. A little way back from the edge of this moat, though out of the -reach of arrows, pavilions were pitched, over which, side by side, -flew the royal ensigns of Egypt and Babylon, showing to Khian that -there rested Nefra and the Prince Abeshu who was also called the Lord -Tau. For the rest the walls on either flank of the gateway were -garrisoned by Shepherd troops who seemed restless and ill at ease, -while on its top, attended by Anath and other councillors, sat Pharaoh -Apepi gorgeously attired and wearing the double crown of the Upper and -the Lower Lands. -</p> - -<p> -Trumpets blew and guards gathered about the royal pavilions, after -which there was silence. On the farther side of the moat behind the -outposts, the ordered ranks of the marshalled Babylonian soldiers -stood staring up at the gateway crest; wall upon wall of white faces, -every one, as it seemed to Khian, turned towards himself. Presently a -messenger bearing a white flag appeared crossing the moat upon a boat -and from its farther bank was escorted through the lines to the -pavilions where flew the standards of Babylon and Egypt and there -handed a letter to the captain of the General’s guard who entered and -delivered it to Tau. Tau opened it and read, then said to Nefra who -stood beside him, large-eyed and haggard-faced: -</p> - -<p> -“These are the terms of Apepi: That having given up all its treasure -and signed a treaty of perpetual peace, the Babylonian army must march -back to Babylon.” -</p> - -<p> -“What else, my Uncle?” -</p> - -<p> -“That you, the Queen of Egypt, surrender your person forthwith to -Apepi and with due ceremony be wed to him in front of the gateway and -in sight of the people of the Shepherds and of the armies of Babylon.” -</p> - -<p> -“What else, my Uncle?” -</p> - -<p> -“That if these terms be refused, then the Prince Khian will be -tormented before our eyes until they are accepted or until life leaves -him. Now what answer, Niece and Queen?” -</p> - -<p> -Nefra’s face grew ashen. She bowed her head until it touched her knees -and rocked her body to and fro; then she straightened herself and -asked: -</p> - -<p> -“What would Khian wish that I should do? I know! I know! He would wish -that I should defy Apepi, leaving his fate in the hand of God.” -</p> - -<p> -“Have faith! Have faith!” muttered Temu who was seated behind her with -papyrus on his knee. -</p> - -<p> -“Aye, Brother,” went on Nefra, “I have faith, and if it fails me, -well, there is always death behind and in death I shall find Khian. -Shall I of the ancient blood, his sworn betrothed, come to him beyond -the grave, defiled, the woman of that dog of an old Shepherd king? -Never! Shall Babylon, my great ally, bow herself before these runaways -who did not dare to await the battle? Never! Let Khian die if die he -must, and let me die with him. But if so, not one man shall be left -living in Tanis, and not one man of Shepherd blood throughout the -North. Write it down, Temu, as the Prince Abeshu shall tell you, and -let the messenger take it back to that cruel crossbred cur Apepi, and -let heralds call it out to those who stand upon the gateway and the -walls, while the captains bid the attack begin at every other mouth of -Tanis.” -</p> - -<p> -Tau heard and smiled in his slow, secret way. Then to officers mounted -on swift horses he issued certain orders on receipt of which presently -thousands of men began to move to the onslaught upon the great city. -This done, he turned to Temu and other scribes, saying to them the -words that they should write. Also he summoned heralds and caused them -to learn those words by heart and depart to shout them out at every -gate. -</p> - -<p> -At length all was ready, and the messenger, having received the roll, -departed to the moat escorted by Ru, who gave him another message on -his own account. It was: -</p> - -<p> -“Tell that Sheep herder who calls himself a king, and tell all his -councillors and the captains who remain to him, that if a finger is -lifted against the Prince Khian, presently I, the Ethiopian Ru, will -twist out their tongues and drive in their eyes with my own fingers, -and afterwards cast them into the desert to starve. Aye, and yours -also, Messenger, if you fail to report this my message so that I can -hear you from this shore of the moat.” -</p> - -<p> -Now the messenger looked up at the giant Nubian who glared down at him -grinding his great white teeth and swore that he would do his bidding. -Then he entered his little boat and, crossing the water, was admitted -by a tiny door in the gateway tower, so that presently he appeared -upon its crest and handed the writing to Apepi. Moreover, as he had -sworn to do, he repeated the message of Ru in a loud voice, the words -of which seemed to please those upon the gateway little, for they -gathered into knots debating them fearfully. Heralds also called out -that which had been written in the roll, so that all upon the wall -might learn and understand. -</p> - -<p> -Khian, bound upon the edge of the gateway so that if spears were -thrown or arrows shot these might pierce him first, heard the -proclamation and was glad, because now he knew that not for his life’s -sake would Nefra be shamed. Yet he turned his head and spoke over his -shoulder to Apepi who stood behind him, and to Anath and the other -councillors, saying: -</p> - -<p> -“Pharaoh and Lords, what the Prince Abeshu and the royal Nefra have -sworn most certainly they will do. Torture and kill me before their -eyes if you desire, but be sure that it will not change their purpose, -for not with my poor life can you buy their honour. For myself I fear -not death, but I ask of you—is it your will to follow me, every one -of you, and to give all the people of Tanis and the nation of the -Shepherds to the sword? If you spare me and set me free, you and they -will be spared. If you lift a hand against me, you and they will die. -I have spoken; do what you will.” -</p> - -<p> -Now, although because of his bonds he could not see what passed, Khian -heard tumult behind him. He heard Anath the Vizier and other -councillors praying Pharaoh to forego his purpose because their case -and the case of the whole city was desperate, beleaguered as they were -by the countless hosts of Babylon, and it seemed mad to die that -Pharaoh might satisfy his hate upon the Prince his son. Moreover, -crowds from the city who had also heard the proclamation were rushing -into the open space behind the gate, sweeping aside the soldiers by -whom it was guarded, and shouting such words as: -</p> - -<p> -“Pharaoh! Spare the Prince Khian! Must we all die because you would -torment and murder him who was born of you?” -</p> - -<p> -Then above the tumult Anath spoke again, saying in a high cold voice, -like one who threatens rather than prays: -</p> - -<p> -“Pharaoh, this is a very evil business. The Prince is beloved in Tanis -and it is not well for kings to kill those whom the people love when -the enemy is at their gates.” -</p> - -<p> -Now Apepi answered, hissing like one mad with rage: -</p> - -<p> -“Be silent, Anath and the rest of you, or as I serve this traitor, so -shall you be served. Slaves, to your task!” -</p> - -<p> -Behind Khian arose guttural murmurings. It seemed to him that the -black tormentors shrank from their office. Again the furious Pharaoh -commanded, but still they hung back. Then came the sound of a blow and -groans and Khian knew that he had cut one of them down and guessed -that the others would no longer dare to resist his will. On the -farther side of the moat he saw Ru the giant marching to and fro like -a caged lion and shaking his great axe. Beyond him now were ranged a -company of archers, their arrows set upon the strings, waiting the -word to loose, while behind the archers he perceived Tau, and leaning -on him Nefra clad in her glittering mail. Then he lifted up his voice -and cried: -</p> - -<p> -“Ru! Hear me—Khian. Bid the archers shoot, for thus would I die, -rather than in torment.” -</p> - -<p> -He could say no more for Apepi, stepping forward, struck him heavily -upon the face and bade the torturers gag him, a sight at which the -army of Babylon groaned, as did the inhabitants of Tanis who now -packed the Place of the Gateway in thousands. Ru roared out a curse -that sounded like the bellow of a wounded bull, then turning, repeated -Khian’s words to the archers who lifted their bows and looked to Tau -for the order to shoot. But Tau gave no order, only motioned to them -to hold their hands, while Nefra sank to her knees as though she -swooned. -</p> - -<p> -Khian became aware of black hands tearing at his garments, then there -was a smell of fire and an agony darted through him. The slow -sacrifice was begun! He shut his eyes, making his soul ready to -depart. -</p> - -<p> -There was a sound behind him, a very strange sound of wrestling and -blows. He opened his eyes and looked. Past him, staggering backwards, -went the form of Pharaoh, and in his breast was fixed a knife. At the -edge of the gateway platform he stopped, clinging to the seat in which -Khian was bound. -</p> - -<p> -“Dog!” he gasped, “Dog of a Vizier! I have spared you too long; it -should have been done last night. But I waited——” -</p> - -<p> -“Aye,” answered the voice of Anath, “you over-shot yourself, Pharaoh, -and gave the dog time to bite. Away with you to Set, son-murderer.” -</p> - -<p> -A withered form, that of Anath, leapt forward, its black eyes gleaming -in the yellow wrinkled face, a thin arm smote with the tormentor’s -heated iron at the hands that gripped the seat, crushing and burning -them. Apepi loosed his hold and with a cry fell backwards into the -moat beneath. -</p> - -<p> -Ru saw him fall and leaped into the water, swimming with great -strokes. As the Pharaoh rose he seized him with his mighty hands and -dragged him to the bank where he broke him like a stick, then cast him -to the shore. -</p> - -<p> -“Pharaoh Apepi is dead!” piped the thin voice of Anath, “but Pharaoh -Khian lives! Life! Blood! Strength! Pharaoh! Pharaoh! Pharaoh!” -</p> - -<p> -So he cried as he hacked at Khian’s bonds and dragged away the gag, -and all the multitude beneath took up the ancient greeting, shouting: -</p> - -<p> -“Life! Blood! Strength! Pharaoh! Pharaoh! Pharaoh!” -</p> - -<p> -<br/> -</p> - -<p> -It was evening. Khian lay upon a couch in the royal pavilion of the -Babylonians, whither by his own command he had been brought, since as -yet Nefra could not enter the city. The Lady Kemmah and a leech bathed -his bruised face and bandaged his swollen knee, while Nefra, who stood -near, shivered at the sight of a long red burn upon his flesh made by -the touch of hot iron. -</p> - -<p> -Then suddenly a question burst from her: -</p> - -<p> -“Tell me, Khian, why did you fly away from me in the battle, when you -might have escaped and spared us all this agony?” -</p> - -<p> -“Did not some two thousand sound men and with them very many wounded -rejoin this army upon that day, Lady,” asked Khian, “being the -survivors of the force which was sent to rescue me and the garrison of -the mountain stronghold?” -</p> - -<p> -“They did, and were questioned, but knew nothing except that you drove -out your chariot and surrendered yourself to the Shepherds, after -which the attack upon them ceased.” -</p> - -<p> -“Then do you not understand that sometimes it is right that one man -should offer himself up for many?” -</p> - -<p> -“Yes,” answered Nefra, colouring, “I understand now—that you are even -nobler than I thought. Yet, when you could have escaped, why did you -fly away, as I saw you do?” -</p> - -<p> -“Ask the Prophet Tau,” replied Khian wearily. -</p> - -<p> -“Why did Khian fly away, my Uncle? Tell me if you know, since he will -not.” -</p> - -<p> -“Does not the oath sworn of those who enter into the fellowship of the -Dawn demand that they shall never break a promise, Niece? Perchance -our brother here had vowed to deliver himself up in Egypt, and did so, -even when he might have stayed at your side. So at least I have -believed from the first.” -</p> - -<p> -“Is that so, Khian?” -</p> - -<p> -“It is so, Nefra. With this oath I bought the lives of those men. -Would you have had me break it even to win my own—and you?” -</p> - -<p> -“I cannot say, but oh! Khian, you are noble, who did this knowing that -if you died, all my life I should have been ignorant <i>why</i> you died, -seeming to desert me.” -</p> - -<p> -“Not so, Nefra, since Tau knew and would have told you at his own -time.” -</p> - -<p> -“How did you know that which was hid from me, my Uncle?” -</p> - -<p> -“My office has its secrets, Niece. Enough that I knew, as I knew also -that it would never be necessary for me to set out the truth to you.” -</p> - -<p> -“So you let me suffer all these things when there was no need, my -Uncle!” exclaimed Nefra angrily. -</p> - -<p> -“Perhaps, Niece, and to your own good. Why should you alone escape -from suffering which is the medicine of the soul, you, who if you be -the Queen of Egypt, are, as I would pray you to remember, first and -foremost a sister of the Dawn and the servant of its laws? Be humble, -Sister. Sacrifice your self-will. Learn to obey if you would command, -and seek, not self-will or glory but the light. For so, when these -little storms have rolled away, you shall find the eternal calm.” -</p> - -<p> -“Faith! Have faith!” muttered Temu who stood behind. -</p> - -<p> -“Aye,” went on Tau, “have faith and humility, for by faith we climb -and in humility we serve—not ourselves but others, which is the only -true service. I say these things to you now even in the hour of your -joy, for soon we must part, I to my hermitage and you to your throne, -and then who can reprove Pharaoh on the throne?” -</p> - -<p> -“You could and will, I am sure, my Uncle,” Nefra answered, tossing her -head. -</p> - -<p> -Then suddenly her mood changed and, turning, she threw her arms about -him and kissed him on the brow, saying: -</p> - -<p> -“Oh! my most beloved Uncle, what is there that I do not owe to you? -When I was a babe you saved me and my mother from the hands of those -traitorous Theban nobles, with whom soon I hope to talk if they be -still alive.” -</p> - -<p> -“I think that the Lady Kemmah and Ru here had something to do with -that, Niece.” -</p> - -<p> -“Yes, yet they did but fulfil their offices, whereas you travelled up -Nile to rescue us.” -</p> - -<p> -“Fulfilling <i>my</i> orders, Niece.” -</p> - -<p> -“Then you brought us to the pyramids and there you watched over my -childhood, teaching me all the little that I know. Afterwards it was -you who led me to Babylon and in secret worked upon the heart of the -Great King, so that, as though at my prayers, he abandoned his plan of -wedding me to Mir-bel and gave me this great army that has brought us -victory and peace.” -</p> - -<p> -“God, for His own purposes, changed the heart of my father, Ditanah, -on that matter, not I, Niece.” -</p> - -<p> -“Afterwards,” she continued, taking no heed of his words, “you -comforted me in a hundred ways; also it was you who held me back from -accompanying the five thousand to the mountain stronghold which, had I -done so, would have brought me to death or shame. Oh! and I know not -what besides. And how have I paid you back? Often enough with pride -and angry words and rebellion against your commands; aye, and -disbelief when you told me that if I found patience all would work for -my good and that of Khian, whom I believed dead, even when you bade me -hope on. Yet,” she added in another voice, “if I behaved thus, it was -your fault, not mine, for who was it that spoiled me in my youth, -giving me my way when I should have been taught obedience?” -</p> - -<p> -“The holy Roy, I think; also the Lady Kemmah,” answered Tau with his -quiet smile. -</p> - -<p> -At this moment guards challenged without. Then the curtain of the -pavilion was drawn and, heralded by Ru, there entered the old Vizier -Anath and with him others of the councillors and captains of the -Shepherds. -</p> - -<p> -Anath and his company prostrated themselves thrice, to Nefra, to -Khian, and to the Prince Abeshu, the General of the armies of Babylon. -</p> - -<p> -“Queen and Princess,” he said, “on behalf of all the Shepherds we come -to surrender to you the city of Tanis and to pray your clemency for -those who have fought against you and for every one who breathes -within its walls. Is it granted?” -</p> - -<p> -“Be my mouth and answer,” said Nefra to Tau. “Your mind is my mind and -by your words I will be bound, as I think will his Highness, the -Prince Khian, who is still too sick for ceremonies.” -</p> - -<p> -“It is granted,” said Tau. “To those who will be loyal to Nefra, Queen -of Egypt, and to Khian, Prince of the North, whom she purposes to take -as husband, all is forgiven. To-morrow we enter Tanis and proclaim the -great peace.” -</p> - -<p> -“We hear and thank you, Queen and Princess,” said Anath. “Now I have a -word to say to the Prince Khian, I who come before him with the blood -of Pharaoh on my hands, for which deed I crave pardon. Let the Prince -hearken. When the Prince was cast into prison, it was I who saved him -with the help of yonder Brother of the Dawn and a certain jailer. -Being suspected of this deed by Pharaoh I was disgraced and myself -imprisoned. Therefore I could not rescue him when he was shut up in -the pyramid or prevent his pursuit to the mountain outpost of the -Babylonians where he took refuge. Afterwards I regained power because -Pharaoh knew that I alone might perchance save him from the fangs of -the Lion of Babylon. When the great host poured down upon Egypt I -counselled Pharaoh to surrender and, if the Prince still lived, -proclaim a marriage between his son, Khian and the royal Nefra. For -answer he struck me like a dog—see, here are the marks”—and he -touched his head. “Afterwards Pharaoh fled, his attack having failed, -and the Prince Khian, through his own nobleness, fell into his power. -I pleaded for his life in vain, both in the palace and on the gateway, -but Pharaoh was mad with jealousy and hate and would have put the -Prince to death by torment before the very eyes of the royal Nefra and -of the host of Babylon. Then, before it was too late, I smote, and -saved the Prince and the people of the Shepherds. Have I pardon for -this deed?” -</p> - -<p> -Now Tau went to where Khian lay upon his couch and talked with him -apart. Presently he returned and said: -</p> - -<p> -“Anath, what you did must be done. To-morrow make sacrifice in the -temple of your gods and receive the forgiveness of your gods for the -shedding of royal blood to save other royal blood and the lives of -tens of thousands who are innocent. Then appear before us in the -palace of Tanis that there may be given back to you the wand and chain -of office of Vizier of the Upper and the Lower Lands. The word is -spoken. Record it, Scribe Temu. Anath, withdraw!” -</p> - -<p> -<br/> -</p> - -<p> -Thirty days had passed. Tau had handed over the command of the host of -Babylon to the general next in rank to him at a great ceremony, and -putting off his mail and royal emblems, had donned the white robe of -the Prophet of the Dawn and returned to the Temple of the Pyramid, -leaving Temu behind him because such was the will of Nefra and Khian. -Save for a force of ten thousand picked men who remained to guard the -grand-daughter of the Great King until all was accomplished, that army -had marched for Babylon. There were ceremonies at which all who served -his father, now known as “Apepi the Accursed,” swore fealty to Khian -his son, but at these Nefra was not present, nor as yet had there been -any coronation, for indeed none knew whether Khian of the North or -Nefra of the South ruled over Egypt. Some grumbled that this should be -so, but others glanced at the encampment of the ten thousand -Babylonian guards and bade them be silent. -</p> - -<p> -Khian recovered but slowly. With skilful tending his leg healed -indeed, though now he knew that all his life he must be lame, but the -sufferings which he had undergone had left him shaken in both mind and -body. First there was the palace dungeon, then the long confinement in -the bowels of the pyramid, then the flight from the pursuers to the -Babylonian outpost; also the wound that would not heal, while for -moons he must lie upon his back among strangers whose tongue as yet he -did not speak, companioned only by Temu with his prayers and maxims, -and ignorant of the fate of Nefra. -</p> - -<p> -Afterwards followed the wild joy of the knowledge that she lived and -was near, the rescue by the five thousand, the desperate battle in the -desert, the surrender and the sacrifice, the sight of Nefra in the -second battle, and her abandonment for honour’s sake, knowing that she -would not understand; the coming to Egypt and to Tanis, the meeting -with his father Apepi; the pain of the hot iron and the agony of -suspense upon the pylon top while Nefra watched below. All these -events, young and strong though he was, had broken his body and eaten -into his spirit, so that he must rest and keep himself apart by day, -while at night, when at last sleep found him, he was visited by evil -dreams and tremors, so that at length it was said throughout the city -that soon the Pharaoh to be would join his forefathers in their burial -place. -</p> - -<p> -Anath came to him with reports of affairs, to which he listened -patiently, saying little. Temu read to him from ancient rolls, or -offered up the prayers of the Order of the Dawn at his side, and -talked of faith. Ru visited him also and spoke of battle or of the -wonders of Babylon, and how Nefra there had learned the arts of war, a -tale at which he laughed a little. Lastly, from time to time, -accompanied by Kemmah who stood far off gazing through the -window-place, came Nefra herself and spoke softly of love and marriage -when he should be well again. -</p> - -<p> -Still he did not grow well, so having talked with Tau by messenger, -Nefra took another counsel. Telling Khian that Tanis in the low land -was too hot for him, she set him in a ship and travelled with him -slowly up the Nile, till at last the pyramids appeared. At the first -sight of these pyramids Khian’s manner changed: he became alert and -eager as he used to be, even gay, talking to her of all that had -befallen him among them. Rejoicing at this change, that evening she -caused him to be borne ashore to a camp that had been set in the midst -of the palm grove where first she had found him sleeping and whence, -after Ru had taken his goods, disguised as a messenger, she had -conducted him to the secret home of the Brotherhood. -</p> - -<p> -Here that night Khian slept better than he had done since, many months -before, wearing Nefra’s betrothal ring upon his finger, he had left -this spot to return to Tanis and make report of his mission to Apepi. -</p> - -<p> -On the following morning, while it was still quite dark, Ru entered -his tent and assisted him to rise. Then he set him in a litter in -which Khian, asking no questions, was borne across the sands till they -came to a great shape outlined against the starry sky, which he knew -to be that of the Sphinx. Here he descended from the litter, which -departed, leaving him alone. -</p> - -<p> -At length the dawn began to break and in its tender light he saw that -he was not alone, for by his side, wrapped in a gray cloak, stood a -hooded figure that might have been that of a lad or a slender woman. -</p> - -<p> -By the gods! he knew this figure: it was that of the “Young Person” -who—oh! years and years ago—had guided him from the palm grove to -the Sphinx and there had tied a bandage about his eyes. The height was -the same, the very cloak and hood seemed to be the same. -</p> - -<p> -“So, Young Person,” he said, “you still ply your business of guiding -travellers across the sands.” -</p> - -<p> -“That is so, Scribe Rasa,” answered the figure in a gruff voice. -</p> - -<p> -“And do you still steal their packages—or hide them? My litter I -think has gone.” -</p> - -<p> -“I still take that which I desire, Scribe Rasa, who must live and be -happy if I can.” -</p> - -<p> -“And do you still blindfold messengers?” -</p> - -<p> -“Yes, Scribe Rasa, when it is necessary to hide secrets from them. -Indeed, be pleased to suffer that I do so to you for the second time, -and bide here a while alone.” -</p> - -<p> -“I obey,” he answered, laughing, “for although you may not know it, -Young Person, since first we met I have suffered many things and -learned one great lesson from them, also from the lips of a certain -Temu, namely, to have faith. Therefore bind on and I will submit as -gently as though I were sure that when sight is given back to my eyes -they would behold a vision of heaven come to earth. See, I kneel, or -rather stoop, for kneel I cannot.” -</p> - -<p> -The gray-cloaked figure bent over him, the silken kerchief once more -was bound upon his brow—oh! how well he remembered its soft substance -and its odour! Then, leaning on his guide’s shoulder, he limped a -little distance till the feigned voice bade him be seated upon a bank -of sand and wait. -</p> - -<p> -Presently voices, men’s voices, prayed him to rise. He did so with -their help, and those men supported him down passages in which their -footsteps echoed, to some chamber where they clothed him in new -garments and set a headdress on his brow, what headdress or what -garments he did not know, and when he asked they would not answer. -</p> - -<p> -Again he was helped forth, as he thought into a large place where -whisperings ran as though from a gathered multitude. Someone bade him -to be seated and he sank on to a cushioned chair and waited. -</p> - -<p> -Far away a voice cried: -</p> - -<p> -“Ra is risen!” and from all round him rose a sound of singing. -</p> - -<p> -He knew the sound. It was that of the ancient chant with which on days -of festival the Brotherhood of the Dawn greeted the rising of the sun. -It died away; there was deep silence; he heard a rustling as of robes. -Then suddenly and in unison from a hundred throats there rose a great -cry of: -</p> - -<p> -“The Queen of the Dawn! Hail! Queen of the Dawn! Hail, Light-Bringer! -Hail Life-Giver! Hail, Consecrated Sister! Hail, Heaven-appointed -Uniter of the riven Lands!” -</p> - -<p> -Khian could bear no more. He snatched at the bandage about his eyes. -Perhaps it had been loosened, at least it fell. Lo! there before him -stood Nefra glittering in the rays of the risen sun, wearing the robes -of Egypt’s queen and crowned with Egypt’s crown, a living loveliness; -a glory to behold. -</p> - -<p> -For a moment she stood thus while the shoutings echoed from the -vaulted roof of the great temple hall. She lifted her sceptre and -there was silence. Then she turned and came to him who, he found, was -seated on a throne. To Kemmah and to Ru she gave the sceptre and her -regal symbols. From her head she lifted the double crown and set it on -his brow. She kneeled and did him homage; yes, with her lips she -touched his hand. -</p> - -<p> -“Egypt’s Queen greets Egypt’s King!” she said. -</p> - -<p> -Khian stared at her, astonished. Then, though of a sudden pain and -weakness struck him once more, he struggled from the throne, purposing -to offer it to her. But she shook her head and would none of it. -Supporting him with her strong young arm, she led him to where stood -Tau the Prophet in front of the gathered Councillors of the Dawn. Tau -joined their hands. In the presence of the Brotherhood, living and -dead, and in the name of that Spirit whom they worshipped, he blessed -them, giving them to each other, uniting them to all eternity, on -earth and beyond the earth. -</p> - -<p> -So it was finished. -</p> - -<p> -<br/> -</p> - -<p> -Nefra and Khian stood together gazing by the light of the moon at the -mighty mass of the Pyramid of Ur. -</p> - -<p> -“Our holiday is done, Wife,” he said, “and to-morrow, ceasing to be -but a Brother and a Sister of the Dawn, we must become the rulers of -Egypt united at last from the Cataracts to the sea. Strange has been -our lot since first side by side we looked upon yonder pyramid. Yet, -Beloved, I think that the Strength which preserved us through so many -perils and now, from sickness and the gates of death has brought me -with joy to those of health, will be with us in the years to come.” -</p> - -<p> -“So Roy the holy prophesied, and in him, if in any man, lived the -spirit of Truth, Husband. At least, thanking the gods for what they -have given us, let us go straight forward in humility, remembering -that though we be King and Queen of Egypt, first and foremost we -remain Brother and Sister of the Dawn, sworn to its holy faith and to -the service of mankind.” -</p> - -<p> -At that moment this royal pair heard a sound behind them and, turning, -beheld the lean and withered Sheik of the Pyramids. -</p> - -<p> -“Would your Majesties wish to ascend?” he said, bowing and pointing to -the mass of Ur. “The moon is very clear and there is no wind; also I -desire to show Pharaoh the spot whence those accursed cliff-climbers -rolled to their doom on the day of his escape.” -</p> - -<p> -“Nay, Captain,” answered Khian, “of Ur I have had enough who am lamed -for life. Henceforth be you its king.” -</p> - -<p> -“And its spirit also,” added Nefra, “for no more may I stand upon the -crests of pyramids who am doomed to a dizzier pinnacle of power. -Farewell, you gallant man. Our thanks be yours with all you seek and -we can give.” -</p> - -<p> -Then Khian and Nefra turned and, hand clasped in hand, wandered back -to where Ru and Kemmah waited with the escort to accompany them to the -vessel that made ready to sail with the night wind. -</p> - -<p> -<br/> -</p> - -<p> -“Now,” said Kemmah the white-haired to Ru the mighty Ethiop, “now I -understand the meaning of the vision that I saw when yonder Queen was -born, and why the goddesses of Egypt gave to her the name of Uniter of -Lands.” -</p> - -<p> -“Yes,” answered Ru, “and I understand why the gods of Ethiopia gave me -a good axe and the strength to use it well on a certain Theban -stairway.” -</p> - -<p class="end"> -THE END -</p> - - -<h2> -TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES. -</h2> - -<p class="noindent"> -<b>Alterations to the text</b>: -</p> - -<p> -Note: minor spelling and hyphenization inconsistencies (<i>e.g.</i> -foresworn/forsworn, surefooted/sure-footed, tomb-dwellers/tomb -dwellers, etc.) have been preserved. -</p> - -<p> -A few punctuation corrections: quotation mark pairing, missing -periods, etc. -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -[Chapter III] -</p> - -<p> -Change “a bite of food will <i>looes</i> your tongue” to <i>loose</i>. -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -[Chapter VII] -</p> - -<p> -“certain bribed <i>Thebian</i> nobles” to <i>Theban</i>. -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -[Chapter X] -</p> - -<p> -“Ru stared ... then answered stupidly;” change semicolon to colon. -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -[Chapter X] -</p> - -<p> -“you will find <i>youself</i> growing” to <i>yourself</i>. -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -[Chapter XVII] -</p> - -<p> -“unless <i>take they</i> us with them” to <i>they take</i>. -</p> - -<p class="noindent"> -[Chapter XXII] -</p> - -<p> -“the blow fell upon his thick <i>headress</i>” to <i>headdress</i>. -</p> - -<p class="end"> -[End of Text] -</p> - -<div style='display:block; margin-top:4em'>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK QUEEN OF THE DAWN ***</div> -<div style='text-align:left'> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will -be renamed. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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