Part 7 (1/2)
”What auttural voice
”Will it offend the King of kings to see my feet, most noble eunuch?”
”Certainly, certainly,” answered Houh to offend even me Hide them as much as possible Noe are near, down on your faces and crawl forward slowly on your knees and elbows, as I do
Down, I say!”
So doent, though with anger in my heart, for be it reht and feeling that passed through the h I were a spectator at a play, with this difference I could read the o_ as well as observe his actions Also I could rejoice when he rejoiced, hen he wept and generally feel all that he felt, though at the sa hi intelligence Being te still were one, or being one we still were thichever way you like to put it Lastly I lacked these poith reference to the other actors in the piece Of these I knew just as much, or as little as my former self knew, that is if he ever really existed There was nothing unnatural in ht into their souls any more than I have into those of the people about me to-day Now I hope that I have made clear es from the Book of the Past
Well, preceded by the eunuch and followed by the dwarf, I crawled though the sand in which grew soers, towards the person of the Monarch of the World He had descended froed in drinking froolden cup, while his attendants stood around in various attitudes of adoration, he who had handed hi upon his knees Presently he looked up and saw us
”Who are these?” he asked in a high voice that yet was not un the,” answered our guide, knocking his head upon the ground in a very agony of hu----”
”It would please , if you answered , this is the Egyptian hunter and noble, Shabaka”
”I hear,” said his Majesty with a gleayptian here?”
”May it please the King, the King badehim to the presence, but nohen the chariots halted”
”I forgot; you are forgiven But who is that with him? Is it a man or an ape?”
Here I screwed my head round and saw that my slave in his efforts to obey the eunuch's instructions and hide his feet, haddoes, except that his big head appeared in front of the ball
”O King, that I understand is the Egyptian's servant and charioteer”
Again he looked interested, and exclaier country than I thought if such ape-yptian, and bid your ape stand up also, for I cannot hear men who speak with theirboth , however, to keep the looked me up and down, then said briefly,
”Set out your naht you tolive for ever,” I replied ”As this lord said,” and I pointed to the eunuch----
”He is not a lord but a dog,” interrupted the Monarch, ”ears the robe of wo ears the robe of wohed, but the eunuch, Houlowered at me--” of Egypt of that same name”
”It sees in Egypt When I visit that land which perhaps soon I must do with an army at my back,” here he stared at me coldly, ”it may be well to lessen their number There is a certain Peroa for instance”
He paused, but I made no answer, since Peroa was my father's cousin and of the fallen Royal House; also the protector of my youth
”Well, Shabaka,” he went on, ”in Persia royal blood is coh some of us think it looks best when it is shed What else are you?”