The Pharaoh And The Priest Part 165

Herhor ascended the pylon, for they were signalling to him from the palace. Soon he returned and said to those a.s.sembled:

"Our young priest has managed very well. At this moment Tutmosis is advancing with some tens of volunteers to imprison or slay us."

"And wilt thou dare still to defend Rameses?" cried Mefres.

"I must and will defend him, for I swore solemnly to the queen that I would. Were it not for the worthy daughter of the holy Amenhotep, our position to-day would not be what it is."

"Well, but I have not sworn," replied Mefres, and he left the hall.

"What does he wish?" asked one of the nomarchs.

"He is an old man grown childish," replied Herhor, shrugging his shoulders.

Before six o'clock in the evening a division of the guard approached the temple of Ptah unhindered, and the leader of it knocked at the gate, which was opened immediately. This was Tutmosis with his volunteers.

When the chief entered the temple court he was astonished to see Herhor in the mitre of Amenhotep, and surrounded only by priests come out to meet him.

"What dost thou wish, my son?" asked the high priest of the chief, who was somewhat confused by the meeting.

Tutmosis mastered himself quickly, and said,--

"Herhor, high priest of Amon in Thebes, because of letters which thou hast written to Sargon, the a.s.syrian satrap, which letters I have with me, thou art accused of high treason to the state, and must justify thyself before the pharaoh."

"If the young lord," answered Herhor calmly, "wishes to learn the object of the policy of the eternally living Rameses XII., let him apply to our Supreme Council and he will receive explanations."

"I summon thee to follow me at once, unless thou wish that I should force thee," continued Tutmosis.

"My son, I implore the G.o.ds to preserve thee from violence, and from the punishment which thou deservest."

"Wilt thou go?" asked Tutmosis.

"I wait here for Rameses," answered Herhor.

"Well, then, remain here, trickster!" cried Tutmosis.

He drew his sword and rushed at Herhor.

At that instant Eunana, who was standing behind the chief, raised an axe and struck Tutmosis with all his might between the neck and the right shoulder blade, so that the blood spurted in every direction.

The favorite of the pharaoh fell to the earth almost cut in two.

Some of the warriors with levelled spears rushed at Eunana, but they fell after a brief struggle with their own comrades. Of the volunteers, three-fourths were in the pay of the priesthood.

"May he live, his holiness Herhor, our lord!" cried Eunana, waving his b.l.o.o.d.y axe.

"May he live through eternity!" repeated the warriors and priests, and all fell on their faces.

The most worthy Herhor raised his hands and blessed them.

On leaving the court of the temple, Mefres went to the underground chamber to Lykon. The high priest at the very threshold drew from his bosom a crystal ball, at the sight of which the Greek fell into anger.

"Would that the earth swallowed you! Would that your corpses might know no rest!" said Lykon, abusing him in a voice which grew lower and lower.

At last he was silent and fell into a trance.

"Take this dagger," said Mefres, giving the Greek a slender steel blade. "Take this dagger and go to the palace garden. Halt there at the clump of fig trees and wait for him who deprived thee of Kama, and took her away."

Lykon gritted his teeth in helpless rage.

"And when thou seest him, wake," concluded Mefres.

He threw over the Greek an officer's mantle with a cowl, whispered the pa.s.sword into his ear and led him forth to the empty streets of Memphis through a secret door of the temple.

Then Mefres ran with the celerity of youth to the summit of the pylon, and taking in his hand some banners, made signals toward the palace.

They saw and understood him, that was evident, for a bitter smile came to the parchment-like face of the high priest.

Mefres put down the banners, left the summit of the pylon and descended slowly. When he reached the pavement he was surrounded by some men in light brown tunics, which were covered by coats in white and black stripes.

"Here is the most worthy Mefres," said one of them. And all three knelt before the high priest, who raised his hand mechanically, as if to bless them. But he dropped it suddenly, inquiring, "Who are ye?"

"Overseers of the labyrinth."

"Why have ye barred the way to me?" asked he, and his hand and thin lips began to tremble.

"We need not remind thee, holy man," said one of the overseers still kneeling, "that some days ago thou wert in the labyrinth, to which thou knowest the way as well as we, though thou art uninitiated. Thou art too great a sage not to know what our law is in such a case."

"What does this mean?" exclaimed Mefres in a raised voice. "Ye are murderers sent by Her--"

He did not finish. One of the men seized him by the arms, another pa.s.sed a kerchief over his head, and a third threw a transparent liquid over his face. Mefres struggled a number of times, and fell.

They sprinkled him again. When he was dead they placed him in a niche, pushed into his dead hand a papyrus, and vanished.

Three men dressed similarly chased after Lykon almost the instant that he was pushed out of the temple by Mefres and found himself on the empty street. The men had hidden not far from the door through which the Greek issued, and at first let him pa.s.s freely. But soon one of them noted something suspicious in his hand, so they followed.

A wonderful thing! Lykon though in a trance felt, as it were, the pursuit; he turned quickly into a street full of movement, then to a square where a mult.i.tude of people were circling about, and then ran to the Nile by Fisher Street. There, at the end of some alley, he found a small boat, sprang into it and began to cross the river with a speed which was remarkable.

He was a couple of hundred yards from the sh.o.r.e when a boat pushed out after him with one rower and three pa.s.sengers. Barely had these left land when a second boat appeared with two rowers and three pa.s.sengers also.

Both boats pursued Lykon with stubbornness. In that which had only one rower sat the overseers of the labyrinth, looking diligently at their rivals, as far as was permitted by the darkness, which came soon after sundown.

"Who are those three?" whispered they among themselves. "Since the day before yesterday they have been lurking around the temple, and to-day they are pursuing Lykon. Do they wish to protect him from us?"

Lykon's small boat reached the other sh.o.r.e. The Greek sprang from it and went swiftly toward the palace garden. Sometimes he staggered, stopped, and seized his head, but after an instant he went forward again, as if drawn by some incomprehensible attraction.

The overseers of the labyrinth landed also, but they were preceded by their rivals.

And a race began which was unique in its kind: Lykon was hurrying toward the palace, like a swift runner; after him were the three unknown men, and the three overseers of the labyrinth.

A few hundred steps from the garden the pursuing groups came together.

It was night then, but clear.