The Pharaoh And The Priest Part 166

"Who are ye?" asked one of the labyrinth men of the others.

"I am the chief of police in Pi-Bast, and, with my centurions, am pursuing a great criminal," answered one of them.

"We are overseers of the labyrinth and are following the same person."

The groups looked at each other with hands on their swords or knives.

"What will ye do with him?" asked the chief of police.

"We have a sentence against the man."

"But will ye leave the body?"

"With all that is on it," replied the elder overseer.

The police whispered among themselves.

"If ye tell the truth," said the chief at last, "we shall not hinder you. On the contrary, we will lend him to you for a while, as he will fall into our hands later."

"Do ye swear?"

"We swear."

"Then we may go together."

So they joined forces, but the Greek had vanished.

"Curses on him!" cried the chief of police. "He has escaped again!"

"He will be found," answered the overseer of the labyrinth, "or perhaps even he will return."

"Why should he go to the pharaoh's garden?" asked the chief of police.

"The high priests are using him for some purpose of their own, but he will return to the temple."

They decided to wait and act in common.

"We are spending the third night for nothing," said one of the policemen, yawning.

They wrapped themselves in their cloaks and lay on the gra.s.s.

Immediately after the departure of Tutmosis, the worthy lady Nikotris, in silence, with lips tightly closed from anger, left the chamber of her son, and when Rameses wished to calm her, she interrupted him sharply,--

"I take leave of the pharaoh, and pray the G.o.ds to permit me to see him to-morrow as pharaoh."

"Dost thou doubt that, mother?"

"It is possible to doubt everything in presence of one who listens to madmen and traitors."

They parted in anger.

Soon his holiness recovered good-humor and conversed joyously with the officials. But about six o'clock alarm began to torment him.

"Tutmosis ought to send us a courier," said he. "For I am certain that the affair is already settled in one or another way."

"I do not know that," said the chief treasurer. "They may not have found boats at the crossing. There may have been resistance at the temple."

"But where is that young priest?" asked Hiram on a sudden.

"The priest? The messenger of the late Samentu?" repeated the officials in concern. "That is true--where can he be?"

Men were sent to search the garden. They searched every path, but there was no priest.

This circ.u.mstance made a bad impression on the dignitaries. Each one sat in silence, sunk in alarming thoughts.

About sundown the pharaoh's chamber servant entered and whispered that the lady Hebron was very ill, and implored his holiness to visit her.

The officials, knowing the relations between their lord and the beautiful Hebron, looked at one another. But when the pharaoh announced his purpose of going into the garden they made no protest.

The garden, thanks to numerous guards, was as safe as the palace. No one considered it proper to watch over the pharaoh even from a distance, knowing that Rameses did not wish any one to be occupied with him at certain moments.

When he disappeared, the chief scribe said to the treasurer,--

"Time drags on like a chariot in the desert. Perhaps Hebron has some news from Tutmosis."

"At this moment," answered the treasurer, "his expedition with a few tens of men to the temple of Ptah seems to me inconceivable madness!"

"But did the pharaoh act more wisely at the Soda Lakes when he chased all night after Tehenna?" put in Hiram. "Daring means more than numbers."

"But that young priest?" asked the treasurer.

"He came without our knowledge and went without leave," added Hiram.

"Each one of us acts like a conspirator."

The treasurer shook his head.

Rameses pa.s.sed the s.p.a.ce between his villa and that of Tutmosis quickly. When he entered her chamber Hebron threw herself on his neck with weeping.

"I am dying of fear!" cried she.

"Art thou alarmed for Tutmosis?"

"What is Tutmosis to me?" answered Hebron, with a contemptuous grimace. "I care for thee only! Of thee only am I thinking,--I am alarmed for thee!"

"Blessed be thy alarm which freed me even for a moment from tedium,"

said the pharaoh, laughing. "O G.o.ds! what a day! If thou hadst heard our discussions, if thou hadst seen the faces of our counsellors! And in addition to all, it pleased the worthy queen to honor our a.s.sembly with her presence. Never had I supposed that the dignity of pharaoh could be so annoying."

"Do not say this audibly," cautioned Hebron. "What wilt thou do if Tutmosis does not succeed in seizing the temple?"