The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1863-06-23 00:00:00

PHARAOH-NECHO, KING OF EGYPT.
MN • COPHTIO X&

"If thou art • mortal man, and bait hem principally
engaged in these wonderful doing. I freely win thee.
on account of thy grant skill and- courage; and I swear
by Osiris that no harm shall betel thee, and that thou
sfiidthave my daughter, the beauteous Zaphnah, in
marriage' and ao all this I pledge my royal word, only
thou shalt truly relate all the circumstances of thy life,
and nothing bide."
"Swear then," said the stranger, "and I promise my
part ; but only to they, and thy daughter Zaphnah."
Then Phamoh•Necho placed his bands upon the
atraogrea breast, and swore the great oath by Osiris.
The stranger then filmed Pharaoh-Nocho to he, with
his daughter only, upon the sense spot on the following
evening, at one hour before sunset, and immediately
disappeared amidst the close wood of the gardens.
When the stranger quitted Pharaoh-Neal°, he was
wmpt in amazement, the noble bearing and the courage
of the stranger, the means by which he obtained ad-
mission to the royal innisna the expected elucidation
of the treasury events, the firrn way in which the
stranger exacted the oath, all those matters were re-
volved, and reconsidered in the monarch's mind. He
returned thoughtfully to the palace, and said not a word
to any of his officers respecting the late interview.
On the morrow he informed his daughter Zaphnah
that he required her attendance upon his evening walk,
and awaited the time with intense interest. Pharaoh-
Necho, leaving the palace, signified to the attendants
that he and the princess would be unacoompanied in
their excursion, and as they *weeded to the assigned
spot he apprised his daughter of the adventure of the
preceding evening, and stated his expectation of her
compliance with the engagement he had formed for her.
Zaphnah was greatly agitated, she dare not show the
least want of compliance to her father's will, and she
endeavoured to restrain her feelings from his observa-
tion. They reached the appointed spot, the stranger
bad not arrived, but soon a rustling was heard amongst
the low wood; the stranger advanced superbly clad in
military costume, Zap started at his sight.
Pharsa-Necho, in saluting him, did not observe his
daughter's excitement; a motion directed to her by the
stranger mesimd to produce a magical effect, the prineese
became perfectly composed, and saluted him with a
abet iaclination.
The stranger motioned them to sit down upon a bank.
"Thy vow is pawed," said he, addressing Pharaoh.
Noche.

"lie, and by my sceptre shall be confirmed to its
full extent," said the monarch, looking firmly at the
princess, "proceed with the story of thy life, trilce3
thy promise, nought to hide." The Fewer
Wm, the stranger had bcoind her in his ieU. He
reclined himself opposite to them. Zaphnah glowed
with the rich tint of gorgeous Eastern beauty, and cast
her large dark eyes upon the stranger with an expres-
sion which was perfectly unaccountable to Pharaoh-
Nacho ; but he was too absorbed with the stranger to
pursue any long reflection upon'the prince's.
The stranger commenced,— The time at which my
life became interesting was at the period when the royal
treasury was completed; the architect was my father
Rentpban." The king's attention became rivetted.
' Hear what I relate with fortitude and calmness," con-
tinued the stranger, "and remember your oath. lam
the elder of two sons, my name Cephren. Upon his
dying couch my father put into my hands • ended
scroll, with injunctions to destroy it immediately we
had after his death fully mastered its contents. After
doe ceremonies paid to our deceased sirs, we were im-
patient to peruse the scroll. It contained the plan of a
secret vault and staircase opening into an interior
apartment of the treasury, the entrance to which could
always be made by unfiting a atone so accurately
adjusted in the outer wall, that it could be easily
removed and replaced without causing suspicion,
our father thinking thus we might share in the
rich spoils deposited without materially lessening
them. Across the plump to the staircase hi
bidanced upon iron punka, an enormous block of
granite, which let down in came of alarm, closed the
Forage with an appearance of solid masonry; and
which could not be removed by any force from within.
We soon availed ourselves of this information be-
queathed, and paid nightly visits in perfect security,
loading ourselves with the choicest lichee. On one
occasion our lamp was accidentally extinguished, and
in traversing the apartment, I stumbled over some-
thing lying upon the pavement—a loud scream to/lowed;
fearing detection I plunged my dagger, and retreated.
Nothing danntecltowcie returned silently, and cautiously
seized the dead y, and conveyed it to the vaults
below' the head was severed from the body, which I
had not done."

" waa my treasurer, Aphaenas r exclaimed
the king.
"No matter who. The following night we made off
with • splendid golden we, Mudded with emeralds."
"Yes, the trophy from the temple of Jerusaletn."
" No matter where from," coolly replies Cephren ;
"the next night we found another body upon the pave-
ment—"

--"-4-kh, my poor page, eneph r ejaculated the king,
iturtinctively placing his hand upon hls mord.
"Remember your great oath, and royal word," calmly
r.ierlied Cephren ; "the condition was, that I tell you

—The king's hand quitted his sword.
"We removed the body to the vaults, ilepositing it
near the other; but we could not amount for the bodies
found in the treasury; but supposed they had been
locked in, and, quarrelling. had stain each other. Some
night. alter we took away • smell golden statue,
enriched with many precious stones."
"117 Isis, my trophy from Charchereish, the stetue
of Baal, exclaimed the king, looking sternly upon
the stnuiger.
The princess showed some indicstiona of damn.
"I will leave the narration," said Cephren ; "My
lord is moved ; but the oath,"
"It shall be performed. Continua."
"I now come to the distressing part of my adven-
tures. The night efter we had taken the statue —I
need not notion the loom gold and silver we took from
time to tune—we entered as usual • my brother,
Ikon, preceded ins ;he had curly advanced a few steps
when be uttered a loud cry of distress. I rushed
forward and found him firmly grasped in • heavy
aping snare. All my endeavours to extricate him
were ineffectuaL Cephren,' said the youth, 'we
are discovered; cut off my head, it will be the only
means of saving your life; mine is certainly lost.'
Not for the wealth of the tressury • no, my brother,
I will remain end sell my life dearly." I ern in
agony 'lOOl the piercing spikes. Oh! Cephren, save me
hum this lingering death,' faintly tittered Bson. I
hesitated, and spin used my utmost endeavours to
release him, but in min. The dawn broke through
the windows, Own again implored me to deliver bun
from 4. tortures he endured. I summoned all my
fertitnde, and at one blow revered the head from the
body, placed it in • sack, and retreated." Here nature
claimed her due. Cephren wept. After • painful
pause,—" On my return Isaac resolved to make one
bold attempt to oblate the body; to my surprise, as I
wp the portal of the market-place, I beheld it
seArlspinet the wall, a crowd of Testtors gazing
was determined to obtain possession of it at
any risk. The means I used, and the results
are well known to you. As a wine-dealer I made
the guard drunk, seised on the . body, took it
home, and honourably interred It. I determined to
pay one more visit to the treasury to ascertain
what was pang there. I cautiously ascended
the staircase, and had scarcely opened the door in
the reser than my lamp dashed upon the armour
of men; their swords were instantly drawn; I
retreated like the lightning's flash, pined the portal,
disengaged the weight* whisk counterbalanced the
ponderous mass of granite' it fell with a tremendous
crash, and I was safe. I then, for the last time,
replaced the outer 'tone, and, bending my steps home
wards, I soon heard of the proclamation for pardon, and
determined on an interview with old Zaminath, the
chief of the council. I feared he might practice
deception upon me, so went resolved not to be his
dupe. The rest you have known. I killed the scribe
in my n defence, and left the old councillor
entranced; now, lire, stand before you to claim
your royal promise of pardon, and the promise of your
beauteous daughter &phnal, according to your great
oath and royal word."
"And I will perform it too," exclaimed the monarch,
lost in admiration at the wisdom and daring courage of
the youth.
The princess rose, she had fistened with interest to
the fearful narration, admiring the prudence of Cephren,
as much saber tether did her courage.
'lime youth, although • stranger to her royal father,
wad not to the princess ; she had often seen and admired
him, and was now happy to accept him as • lover.
& &

AMERICA. The Hibernian, which strived on
Tuesday, brought a brief but lortant telegram, re-
ceived Mit Father Point. °mend Los had evacuated
Fredericksburg, and abandoned the line of the Rappa-
hannock, and General Hooker had crooned the neer,
and oocepied the evacuated city. The latest news from
Vicksburg is to the 2nd inst., at which period General
Grant is mid to have planted his siege guns close up to
the Confederate wmks. General Johnstone was re-
ported to be at Jackson.

How we •RE RIVINGIIIO Brithrlo.—The following
I. from The Old Geard, a monthly journal, recently
established in New York :—" How we are revenging
Bumpier. The following are the reported casualties of
this war from its beginning to January 1. 1863 :
Federala—killed, 43,874; wounded, 97,099; died of
disease and wounds, 250,000 made Primness, 68,218;
total, 450,374. Con federate.— killed, 20,8:4; wounded,
89.915; died from disease and wounds, 120,000; mad*
prisoners, 22,169; total. 292,677. They have killed
twenty-two thousand eight hundred and seventy-four
' more of our men then we have of theirs. They have
wounded, not mortally, thirty-nine thousand four
hundred sod fourteen more of our men than we have Of
theirs. One hundred and fifty thousand more of our
men have died of disease and wounds than of theirs.
They hays made prisoners of forty-sis thousand more
of our men than we Imre of their% Our total casualties
are two hundred and thirtyaeventhothand two hundred
and nlosity-iseven more than theirs that is, our
casualties! have been fourteen thousand more than as
much again as theirs. This is the way we have ' revend
the firing on Fort Sum ter.' Bat this is not aIL We
have spent
have
ahnositwo million, more of money
than spent. We have made two hundred
th of our women widows. We have made one
million of children fatherless. We have destroyed the
constitution of our country. We have brought the
ferocious avagy of war into every corner of society.
We have oar pulpits, so that our very re-
ligion is • solves of immorality and blood. Instead of
being nirvana of Christ our ministers Cr, servants of
Satan. The land is full of contractors, thieves, provost
mann* and a thensad other tools of Illegal and
despotic power, as Egypt vu of vermin n the days of
the Pharaohs. We an rapidly degenerating in every-
thing that exalts a maths. Her avillonnon is Polishing.
' We are swiftly dbitg into inevitable civil war here in
morn. 11,4 are ins* our Ileums into thane!
bourn Then is a esope. id oddf7 tad*. The angel
4,..5h ens . The DOTII has removed
Iron Tartarus be Waington, We tasked that we are ;
punishing rebels, but they an Eunishing us We I
we are rwibering the Union, tin we an
It. Ws pretend that we are suborolig the
lErtatiwe an only ensiung neon. This in the way
we aro 'rivenglcg Sampler. Sailing our orals to the
Devil, rid taking lAeeoia sad Co's. prorates to pay. We
have it In gr.enbashs and blood. That is the sny vs
are' rooming Itunspbse "