The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1889-09-12
CHAPTER III

But. for my part, went home won
dering.
CHAPTER H.
or THE REBrKE or AMENENHAT; or tn
PRAYER or HARMACHIs; AND OF THE SIG,
GIVEN By THE HOLY GODS.
VvWUTYEEOR awhile as /, Har
94AzSeES9 machis, went, the juis
| ASAfkS3 Of the green herb.
| {10N\ which the old wife
tSES - Atoua, had places
!; J: ]: ]: !: !:
/ -l upon my wounds
| - caused me much smart
fEsN\lW but presently the pair
ceased. And Of truth
IEk@z believe that there was
IAKi AAE virtue in them, for with
IHe6Hf fs' in two days my flesh
III I'll healed up, so that after time
yjIITfNlN no marks remained. But be-
- thought me that had dis
= obcyed the word Of the old
High Priest, Amenemhat, VINO was called
my father For till to-day knew not that
he was in truth my father according to the
flesh. having been taught that his own son
was slain, 40 / have written, and that he had
been pleased, with the sanction OF the Di-
vine ones. to take me as an adopted son and
rear me up, that might In due season fill
an Office about the temple. Therefore was
sore troubled, for l feared the old man.
who was very terrible in his anger, and
spake ever with the cold voice Of Wisdom
Nevertheless, / determined to go in to him
and confess my fault and bear such pun
ishment as he should be pleased to put upon
me. So, even with the red spear in my
hand and the red wounds on my breast.
passed through the outer court Of the great
temple and came to the door Of the chamber
where the High Priest dwclt. 1t is great
chamber sculptured round about with the
images Of the solemn gods, and the light Of
Ra the SUM came to II in the daytime by
All opening cut through the stone of the
massy roof But IT night it was lit BY a
swinging lamp Of bronze. passed in with
out noise, for the door was not altogether
shut, and pushing my way through the
heavy curtains that were beyond, stood
with a beating heart within the chamber.
The lamp was lii, for the darkness had
fallen, and by its light ! saw the old man
seated in chair Of ivory and ebony at a
table Of stone, whercon were spread the
mystic writings Of the words of Life and
Death. But he read no more, for behold !.
he slept, and his long, white beard rested
upon the table like the beard Of dead
man. The soft light from the lamp fell on
him and on the papyri, and on the gold ring
upon his hand, where were craven the
symbols of the Invisible Ore, but all
around was shadow 1t fell on the shaver
head. on the white robe. ON tine cedar staff
OF priesthood at his side, and on the ivory
of the lion-footed chair: it showed the
mighty brow of power, the features cut in
kingly mold, the white eyebrows and the
aIsz,Nt f.N11 rvnSA u
looked and trembled, for there was about
him that which was more than the dignity
OF man. So long had he lived with the
gods, and SO long kept company with them
and with thoughts divine, so deeply was he
versed in all those mysteries which we do
but family discern. here in this upper mir.
that even now, before his time. he partoos
of the nature of the Osiris, and was a
thing to shake humanity with fear.
! stood and gazci, aud as stood he
opened his dark eyes. but looked not on
me, nor turned his head; and yet he saw
me and spoke.
why hast thou been disobedient TO me,
0 my son.' he said. How came it that
thou wentest forth against the lion when
bade thee n0t.''
How knowest thou, my father, that l
went forth.' asked in fear.
How know /! Are there then. no other
ways of knowledge than by the senses. o
ignorant child. was not my spirit with thee
when the lion sprang upon thy com.
panions Did l not pray those set about
thee TO protect thee to make sure thy
thrust when thou didst drive the spear into
the lions throat! How came it that thou
wentest forth. q my son."
THE boas,er tainted me-" ! answered,
land went"
Eyes, know il: and because or the hot
blood Of youth. forgive thee, Harmachis.
But now listen unto me, and let my words
sink into thy heart like the waters or Sihor
into thirsty sand at the rising OF Sirius.
Listen unto me. The boaster was sent un-
to thee as a temptation, as q trial of thy
strength was he sent, and see! it has not
been equal to the burden. Therefore il thy
hour put back. Hadst thou been strong in
this matter. the path had been made plain
to thee even now. But thou hast failed.
and therefore is thy hour put back
Il understand thee not, my father,' an
swered
.What was il. then. my son, that the old
wife, Atoua, said to thee down by the bank
Of the canal.''
And thereon told him all that the old
wife had said
And thou believest, Harmachis. my
son.'
Nay" l answered.: show should | be-
lieve such tales. Surely she is mad. All
the people know her for mad"
Then for the first time he looked toward
me, who was standing in the shadow.
my son. my son. he cried, ..thou art
wrong. She il not mad. The woman spakc
the truth: she spake not Of herself. but Of
the voice within her that can not lie. For
this Atoua Is q prophecies and holy Now
learn thou the destiny that the gods Of
Egypt have given to thee to fulfill, and woe
be unto thee if by any weakness thou dost
fail therein! Listen! thou art no stranger
adopted into my house an the house of the
temple; thou art my very son, saved unto
me by this same woman But, . Harmachis.
thou art more than this, for in thee and me
alone doth flow the imperial blood of Egypt.
Thou and l alone of men alive are de-
scendcd, without break or flaw, from that
Pharaoh Next nebf whom Ochus the Per-
sian drove from Egypt The Persian came
and tue Persian went, and then after the
Persian came the Macedonian, and now for
nigh upon three hundred years have the
Lagida usurped the double crown, detiling
the land of Khem and cOrrupting the wor-
ship of his gods. And mark thou this: but
now, but two weeks since, is Ptolemy Neus
Dionysius, Ptolemy the Piper, who would
have slain thee, dead; and but now hath the
cunuch Pothinus, that very cunuch who
came hither, years ago, to cut thee off, set
at naught the will of his master, the dea..
Auletes, and placed the boy Ptolemy upon
the throne. And therefore hath his sister
Cleopatra, that fierce and beautiful girl,
fed into Syria: and there, if err not, will
she gather her armies and make war upon
her brother Ptoiemy; for by her father
Will was she left joint sovereign with him.
And meanwhile-mark thou this, my SON
the Roman eagle hangs on high, waiting
with ready talons till such time as he NAV
fall upon the fat wether Egypt and rend
him. And mark. again, the people of
Egypt are weary of the foreign yoke, they
hate the memory of the Persians. sick at
heart are they OF being called Men of
Macedonia in the markets of Alexandria.
The whole land mutters and murmurs