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

venture.
And how it CHANGED know not, but tn
| arrow struck the sleeping lion, and. like
Hash Of light from the belly OF cloud, h
bounded rom the shelter of the reeds, m,
stood before us with bristling name and vel
low eyes. tho arrow quivering in his flank
He roared aloud in fury, and the cart
| shook
''Shoot with the bow. l cried, ''shoo
swiftly ere he spring.
But the courage had left the breast Of tn
boaster. His jaw dropped down and hi
| fingers unl.osed their hold so that the bow
fell from them. Then with loud cry h,
turned and fed behind me. leaving the lior
in my path. But while stood waiting ny
doonl-for though / was sore afraid
| would not fly the lion crouchet
himself, and, turning not aside, with ons
great bound swept over me, touching mi
not He lit, and again he bounded full OF
the boaster's back, striking him such blow
| with his great paw that his head wa.
crushed as an egg thrown against stone
He fell down dead, and the lion stood and
roared over hiL,. Then / was mad with
horror, and. scarce knowing what did,
grasped my spear, and with a shout
charged. AS charged the lion lifted him
OSAA W. OH hiS ulnuCT lCkS ~ &ECCL kuC, Do
that his head stood up above me. He smote
at me with his paw, but with all my strength
drove the broad spear into his throat, and.
| shrinking from the agony of the steel, his
blow fell short and did no more than rip the
skin. Back he fell, the great spear far in
his throat Then rising. he roared in pain
and leapt twice the height OF man straight
into the air. smiling at the spear with his
fore paws. Twice he leapcd thus, horrible
to sec, and twice he fell upon his back.
Then his strength spent itself with his rush
ing blood, and, grcaning like bull, he died !:
and ]. being but lad, stood and trembled
with fear, now that all cause of fear had
passed
But as stood and gazed at the dead body
Of him who had tainted me, and at the car
cass OF the lion, woman. even the same
old wife, Atoua, who, though knew IL not
as yet, had offered up her flesh and blood
that might be saved alive, came running
toward me. For she had been gathering
simp!es, wherein she had great skill, BY the
waters edge, not knowing that there was
y lion nigh (and, indeed, the lions for the
most part are not found in the titled land,
but rather in the desert aud the Libyan
Mountains). and from distance had seen
that which have set down. Now. when
she came near she knew me for Harmachis,
and, bending herself she made obelsance to
me. and saluted me- calling me Royal, and
worthy Of all honor. and beloved and chosen
Of the Holy Three, av, and even by the
name Of the Pharaoh! the DcIivcrer.
But /, thinking that terror had made her
sick Of mind, asked of her what she would
SPEAK.
..ls it great ,hng.p l asked, '.that
oh lrln l.. - $3.50,
of such talk as thine: There live, and have
lived. men who have slain many lions. Did
not the Divine Tahutimes the Osirian slay
with his own hand more than two hundred
Hons! Is IL not written on the tablet that
10 between the paws Of the living Korcmku
(thc SPHINX that is set beyond Mcmti,
nigh to the seven pyramids, that he slew
lions aforetime: And have not others done
likewisea Why. then, speakcst thou thus,
o foolish woman
Ali Of which / said because. having now
slain u lion, was minded, after the man
ner Of youth. TO hold it as thing of no &C.
count. But She ceased not TO make obei-
sance and to call me by names that are too
high ever to be written.
20 Royal One!" she cried, s'wisely did
thy mother prophecy. Surely the Holy
Spirit, the Kncpth, was IN her. o thou
conceived by q god! See the omen. The
lion there-he growls within the Capitol at
Rome: and the dead man, he is the Ptolemy
the Macedonian spawn that, like for
eign weed, hath oyergrown the land Of
Nile; with the Macedonian LagidR shalt
thou 60 TO smite the Lion Of Rome. And
the Macedonian cur shall fly. and the lion
shall strike him down, and thou shalt strike
down the hon. and the land of Khcm snail
once more bc free. free. free. Keep thy
self but pure. according To the command
ment OF the gods, q son of the Royal
House. o hope of Khem! be bur
ware of Woman the Destroyer, and
as ! have said, so shall it be.
Poor am ! and wretched: yea, stricken
with sorrow. ! have sinned in speaking Of
that which should be hid, and for my sin
have ! paid In the coin Of that which was
born Of my womb; willingly have l paid
for thee. But have still Of the wisdom q
our people, nor do the gods, in whose eyes
all arc equal, turn their coGnienances from
the poor. The Divine Mother Isis, hath
spoken TO me--but last night she spallc--
bidding NE come hithcr to gather herbs,
and read to thee the signs tina, should sec.
And as have said. SO shall it come 10 pass.
II thou canst but endure the weight OF the
great temptation. Come hither, Royal One.'
and she led me to the edge Of the canal
where the water was deep and still and
blue. NOW gaze upon that face as the
water throws il back. Is not that brow
lifted TO bear the double crown. DO not
those gentle eyes mirror the perfect
majesty OF kings. Hath no, the Ptah, the
Creator. fashioned that form to fit the i'm
perial garb, and awe tho glance of multi.
tudes looking through thee to God?
Nay. nay she went on in another voice
"a shrill Old wife's voice. WILDE not so
foolish, boy-the scratch of lion is yell-
on,ous thing, terrible thing: yea, as bad as
the bite OF an asp-it must be- treated, or else
it will tester. and all thy days shalt thou
dream Of lions: ay, and snakes: and,
also. it will break oui IN sores. But know
Of i'll know ! am not crazed for nothing.
For mark, every thing has It's balance--in
madness is much wisdom, an,i in wisdom
much madness. La. Ia In. Pharaoh him
self can't say where that one begins and
the other ends. Now. don't stand gazing
there, looking as silly as a cat in a crocus-
cclored robe; but just let me stick these
green things on the place. aud in six days
you'll heal up as white as three-year
child. Never mind the smart of it, lad.
BY Him who sleeps at Phli;P, or at Abou-
this. or ut Abydos-as our Divine masters
have it now-or wherever he does sleep,
which is a thing VIC shall lind out before
we want toby Osiris, say You'll live to
bc as clean from scars az a sacrifice to Isis
al The new moon, II YOU II but let me put il
on
rs 1t not so, my good folk!' and she
turned TO address some people who had, UNI
seen by me, assembled while she prophe-
sled. "Ive been speaking spell over him,
just 10 make way for the virtue of my
medicine la! la! there's nothing like a
spell. Ii sou don't believe it. jus, como to
ne the next time your wives are barren:
it's better than scraping every pillar in the
Temple Of Osiris, ! warrant. I'll make EN-
bear liac twenty year. old palm. But then,
you sec, you must know what to say-thats
tho pcint-evcry thing comes to point at
Last. La. lar
Now, when heard all this, l, Harmachls,
put my hand to my head. not knowing If
dreamed. But presently looking up, saw
l..