Mexico weekly ledger., 1889-11-14

came up from the north and SWEEP away the
vapor from the harbors, so that / saw their
blue waters rocking a thousand ships. !
saw, too, that mighty mole of the Hepta-
stadium; l saw the hundreds of streets,
the countless houses, the innumerable
wealth and splendor of Alexandria, set like
a queen betwlxt Mareotis n the ocean,,
and dominating both, and [ was filled with
wonder. This, then, was one city in my
heritage of lands and citiesI Well, it was
worth the grasping. And having looked
my full and fed my heart, as it were, with
the sight of splcndor, l communed with
the Holy Isis and came down from the
roof.
In the chamber beneath was my uncle
Sepa. told him that l had been watch
Ing the sun rise over the city of Alex
andria.
'SoTn he said, looking at me from beneath
his shaggy eyebrows; land what thinkest
thou of AIexandria?''
81 think it is like some city Of the Gods"
answered.
"Ayi' he replied, f~iercely, "a city of the
Internal Gods a sink of corruption, a bub-
bling well Of ~iniquity. a home of false faith
springing from false heartsi l would that
not one stone of it were left upon another
stone, and that its wealth lay deep beneath
yonder waters! would that the gulls were
screaming across its site, and that the
wind, untainted by a Grecian breath, swept
through its ruins from ocean to Mareotisl
o Royal Harmachls, let not the luxury and
beauty of Alexandria poison thy sense; for
in their deadly air Faith perishes and Reli-
gion can not spread her heavenly wings.
When the hour comes for thee to rule,
Harmachis, cast down this accursed city,
and, as thy fathers did, set up thy throne in
the white walls of Memfi. ForI tell thee
that for Egypt Alexandria is but a splendid
gate of ruin, and while it endures all ma
tons of the earth shall march through it to
the plumber of the land, and all false faiths
shall nestle in 1t and breed the overthrow
Of Egypt's Gods"
ImaGe no answer. for there was truth in
his words. And yet to me the city seemed
very fair to look on. After we had eaten,
my uncle told me it was now time to set
ont to view the march of Cleopatra, as she
went in triumph to the shine of Scraps.
For although she would not pass till with
in two hours of the midday, yet these peo-
Pile of Alexandria have SO great a love Of
shows and idling that had we not presently
set forth by no means could we hav come
through the press of the multitudes who
were already gathering along the highways
where the Queen must ride. So we went
u to take our place Dol a stand, fashioned
of timber, that had been built at the side of
the great road which pierces through the
city, even to the Cauopic Gate. For there
in my uncle had purchased a right to enter,
and that dearly.
And with much struggle we won our way
through the great crowds that were al
ready gathered in the streets, till we
reached the scaffolding of timber, which
v,o- r@1F.l - ,ri4t nv ar-,.,- 1-L rar1r
hung with scarlet cloths. Here we seated
ourselves upon a bench and waited for
some hours, watching the multitude press
past, shouting, singing and talking loudly
in many tongues. At length came soldiers
to clear the road, clad, after the Roman
fashion, in coats of chain armor. After
them marched heralds enioining silence
(whereat the populace sang and shouted all
the more loudly, and crying that Cleo
patra, the Queen, was coming. Then fol.
lowed a thousand Ciiiclan skirmishers, a
thousand Thracians, a thousand Macedo.
mans, and a thousand Gauls, each armed
after the fashion of their own country.
Then passed five hundred men of those
who are called the Fenced Horsemen, for
both men and horses were altogether GOV.
cred with armor. Nex came youths and
maidens ~sumptuously draped and wearing
| SoAatu MS anu SAt1 4iaScS . LA
b~olizing Day and Night, Morning Inc Noon,
the Heavens and the Earth. After these
came many fair women pouring perfumes
on The road. and others scattering bloom
ing flowers. Now there rose a great shout
of ''CleopatraI Cleopatra. ~ and I held ny
breath and bent forward to see her who
dared to put on the robes of Isis.
But at that moment the multitude sc
gathered and thickened in front of where
was that | could no longer clearly see. Sc
in my eagerness l leapt over the barrier Of
the s~caffolding, and, being very strong
pushed my way through the crowd till
reached the foremost rank. And, as l die
SO, Nubian slaves armed with thick stave:
and crowned with IVY caves ran up, strik
ing the people. One man more especially
for he was a giant, and, being strong, wa:
~insolent beyond measure, shifting the PEG
pie without cause, as. indeed, is the won Of
low persons set in authority. For nigh Il
me stood a woman, an Egyptian by her face
bearing a child in her arms, whom the man
seeing that she was weak, struck on thu
head with his rod SO that she fell prone, ant
the people But my bloot
rushed of a sudden through my veins at thu
sight, and drowned my reason. In ny
hand / held u staff of olive wood from
Cyprus, and as the black brute laughed a
the sight of the stricken woman and he
babe rolling on the ground, l swung tn
staff aloft and smote So shrewdly did
strike that the tough rod split upon tn
giants shoulders and the blood spurteI
forth, staining his trailing leaves Of ivy
Then, with a shrek of pain and fury-fo
those who sInite love not that the,
be smitten-did he turn and sprinI
at mel And all the people roun'
I = nova haeR sat-n univ tho woman Jvh
could not rise, leaving US twain in q ring, q
1t were. On he came with a rush. and, as h
came. being now mad. 1 smote him with N.
clenched fist between the eyes, havinI
naught else wherewith to smite, and b
staggered like an OK beneath the first bloy
of the priests axe. Thereat the peopl
shouted, for they love to see a fight, and tn
man was known to them as a gladiator vic
torious in the games. Gathering up hi
strength, the knave came on with al oatt
and. whirling his heavy staff on high, struc
at ne in such a fashion that, had ! not b
nimbleness avoided the blow, / had surei
been slain. But as it CHANGED, the staf hi
upon the ground, and so heavily that it fley
in fragments. Thereon again the muititud
shouted, and the great man, bin wit
fury, rushed at me to smite me down.. BIZ
with a cry / sprang straight at his throat
for he was so heavy q man that l knew
could not hope to throw him by strength
ay, and gripped II. There ] chung, thong
his fists battered me like bludgeons. drivin
my thumbs into his throat. Round an
round we turned. till at length he dung hin
self to the earth, trusting thus TO shake IN
OF. But / held on fast as we rolled owe
and over On the ground, till at last he gre,
faint for want Of breath. Then /, being III
permost, draye my knee down upon hi
chest, aud, as I believe, should thus hav
! slain him ia my rage, had not my uncle an
} others there gathered fallen upon me ah
dragged me from him.
And meanwhile, though I knew it no
, the chariot wherein sat the Queen, wit
{ eieF hRnts going before and lions led afte
!. II, bad come even to the spot, and becaus
OF the tumait had been halted. ] locked N