Part 20 (1/2)

”Good!” he exclai and at once, that afterwards neither of us may have cause to complain of the other”

So he sent for his secret scribe and dictated to hi being added, and nothing taken away This roll written on papyrus was afterwards copied twice, Peroa taking one copy, I another, and a third being deposited according to custom, in the library of the temple of Ptah

When all was done and Peroa and I had touched each other's breasts and given our word in the name of Amen, ent to the hall in which we had dined, where those whoether there were about thirty of thereat citizens of Meether in the night

Soypt had a Pharaoh of its own before the East set its heel upon her neck, of noble blood also

Others were ypt; others hereditary generals, or captains of fleets of shi+ps; others Grecians, officers ofof kings, but hated hih priests of Ptah, of Amen, of Osiris and others ere still the e between Thebes and the mouths of the Nile in which they had not those ere sworn to the service of their Gods

Such was the coathered there of the greatness of Egypt the ancient and the fallen

To these when the doors had been closed and barred and trusty watchuard them, Peroa expounded the case in a low and earnest voice

He showed theypt that he rind her to powder beneath his heel, and that he did this by de the person of Aypt, to be included in his household like any coreat ar her, and lay the land waste as far as Thebes And if she were granted some new quarrel would be picked and in the person of the royal Amada all of the them that I--as known to ht it fro to theht After this he asked their counsel, saying that before noon he 's Satrap at Sais

Then I was called upon to speak and, in answer to questions, answered frankly that I had stolen the ancient White Seal fro's private vengeance on one who had bested him How I did not 's empire and that I had heard that he was about to enter upon a ith the Greeks which would need all its strength, and that therefore if they wished to strike for liberty the tian and lasted for two hours, eachto precedence, some one way and some another When all had done and it beca content to live on in slavery hat re to strike for freedoh priests who feared lest the Eastern heretics should utterly destroy their worshi+p, Peroa spoke once ypt,” he said briefly, ”certain of you think one way, and certain another, but of this be sure, such talk as we have held together cannot be hid It will coh the, and then all of us alike are doomed If you refuse to stir, this very day I with my fa to ypt and perhaps beyond it to Ethiopia, leaving you to deal with the Great King, as you will, or to follow me into exile That he will attack us there is no doubt, either over the pretext of Amada or some other, since Shabaka has heard as much from his own lips Now choose”

Then, after a little whispering together, every h some of thereat oath to cling together to the last

Thethus settled such a letter ritten to Idernes as I had suggested on the night before, and sealed with the Signet of signets Of the yielding up of A, but commanded Idernes, under the private White Seal that none dared disobey, to wait upon the Prince Peroa at Memphis forthwith, and there learn from hi Then the Council was adjourned till one hour after noon, andsecret word to the various cities and noypt

Before they went, however, I was directed to wait upon ed to be the greatest ypt, and to ask of him to seek wisdom and an oracle from his Spirit as to the future and whether in it we should fare well or ill This I proone the ers of Idernes were summoned, and came proudly, and with them, or rather before them, Bes for whom I had sent as he was not present at the Council

”Master,” he whispered to ers is the ht Wait and I will prove it”

Peroa gave the roll to the headhim bear it to the Satrap in answer to the letter which he had delivered to him The man took it insolently and thrust it into his robe, as he did so revealing a silver chain that had been broken and knotted together, and asked whether there ords to bear besides those written in the roll

Before Peroa could answer Bes sprang up saying,

”O Prince, a boon, the boon of justice on this ht he and others with hi to rob us, but finding nothing let us go”

”You lie, Abortion!” said the Eastern

”Oh! I lie, do I?”arer's neck and broke it with a jerk ”Look, O Prince,” he said, ”you ht, when thatabout his neck this chain to which was tied a silver key”

”I noted it,” said Peroa

”Then ask him, O Prince, where is the key now”