Mexico weekly ledger., 1889-10-17

turned and fed behind me, leaving the lion
in my path. But while / stood waiting my
docm-for though l was sore afraid
] would not fiy-the lion crouched
himself, and, turning not aside, with one
great bound swept over me, touching mt
not. He lit, and again he bounded full on
the Boosters back, striking him such a blow
with his great paw that his head was
crushed as an egg thrown against a stone.
He fell down dead, and the lion stood and
roared over him. Then l was mad with
horror, and, scarce knowing what l did, !
grasped my spear, and with q shout /
charged. As ] charged the lion lifted him.
self up on his hinder legs 10 greet me, so
that his head stood up above me. He smote
at me with his paw, but with all my strength
1 drove the broad spear in his throat, and,
shrinking from the agony OF the steel, his
blow fell short n 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 a man straight
into the air, smiling Mt the spear with his
fore paws. Twice he leaped thus, horrible
to see, and twice he fell upon his back.
Then his strength spent Itself with his rush
ing blood, and, groaning like q bull, he died;
and /, being but a lad, stood and trembled
with fear, now that all cause of fear had
passed.
But as l stood and gazed at the dead body
of him who had tainted me, and at the car
cass Of the lion, a woman, even the same
old wife, Atoua, who, though | knew it not
as yet, had offered up her flesh and blood
that / might be saved alive, came running
toward me-. For she had been gathering
simpIes, wherein she had great skill, by the
waters edge, not knowing that there was
a lion nigh (and, indeed, the lions for the
most part are not found in the titled land,
but rather in the desert and the Libyan
Mountains), and from a distance had seen
that which / have set down. Now, when
| she came near she knew me for Harmachis,
| and, bending herself she made obetsance to
me, and salsted me, calling me Royal. and
worthy of all honor, and beloved and chosen
of the Holy Three, ay, and even by the
name of the Pharaohi the Dcliverer!
| Butt, thinking that terror had made her
| sick Of mind, asked of her what she would
speak,
as it a great thing" 1 asked, ''that 7
should Stay a lion! Is it q matter worthy
| Of such talk as thinel There live. and have
| lived, men who nav slain many ions. Did
not the Divine Tahutimes the Osiriau slay
with his own hand more than two hundred
lions2 Is it not written on the tablet that
| is between the paws of the living Koremku
{the Sphinx that is set beyond Memf,
nigh to the seven pyramids, that he slew
lions aforetime2 And have not others done
likewisef Why, then, speakest thou thus,
o foolish woman?n
Ali of which l said because. having now
slain the lion, I was minded, after the man
ner of youth, to hold it as a thing of no &C
count. But she ceased not to make obei-
sance and to call me by names that are too
high even to be written.
80 Royal OneI" she cried, "wisely did
thy mother prophecy. Surely the Holy
Spirit, the Knepth, was IN her. o thou
conceived by a godi 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 a for
eign weed, hath oyergrown the land OF
Nile; with the Macedonian Lagida shalt
thou go 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 lion, and the land of Khem shall
once moro be freei freel freeI Keep thy
self but pure, according TO the command.
ment of the gods, o son of the Royal
Housed o hope of Khem! be but
ware of Woman the Destroyer, and
as l have said, so shall It be.
Poor am l and wretched; yea, stricken
with sorrow. have sinned in speaking Of
that which should be hid, and for my sin
nave | paid in the coin of that which was
born of my womb; willingly have l paid
for thee But l have still of the wisdom o.
our people, nor do the gods, in whose eyes
all are equal, turn their c~ountenances from
the poor. The Divine Mother tIsis) hath
spoken to me-but last night she spake-
bidding me come hither to gather herbs
and read to thee the signs that 1 shoul see
And as / AVE said, so shall it come 10 pass
il thou canst but endure the weight OF thu
great temptation. Come ither, Royal One!'
and she led me to the edge of the cana
where the water was deep and still and
blue. snow gaze upon that face as thu
water throws it back. Is not that brow
fitted to bear the double crown! Do no
those gentle eyes mirror the perfec
majesty Of kings? Hath not the Ptah, the
Creator, fashioned that form to fit the i'm
perial garb, and awe the glance of multi
tudes looking through thee to God?
SHAY, nay,' she went on in another voict
a hrill old wife's voice-"I WILDE not 81
foolish, boy-the scratch of a lion is a ven
omous thing, a terrible thing; yea, as bad a!
the bite of an asp-ft must be treated, or els'
it Will tester, and all thy days shalt thol
dream of hons: ay, and snakes; and
also, it will break out in sores. But / know
of it, know. l am not crazed for nothing
For mark, every thing has its balance-il
madness is much wisdom, and in wisdom
much madness. La! lal lai Pharaoh him
self can't say where that one begins ant
the other ends. Now, don't stand gain;
there, looking as silly as a cat in q crocus
c0lored robe; but just let me stick thesl
green things On the place, and in six day
you'll heal up as white as a three-yea
child. Never mind the smart of it, lad
By Him who sleeps at Phiiae, or at Abou
this, or at Abydos-as our Divine master
have it now-or wherever he does SLEEP
which is q thing we shall find out befor
we want toby Osiris, / say you'll live t
be as clean from scars as a sacrifice to Isl
at the new moon, if you'll but let me put
on.
rs it not so, my good folka' and sh
turned to address some people who had, ur
seen by me, assembled while she prophe
sled. ''Ive been speaking a spell over hin
Just to make a way for the virtue of m
incidental! la! there's nothing like
spell. II you dom believe it, just come t
me the next time your wives are barren
it's better than seraping every pillar in tn
Temple of Osiris, | warrant. I'll make 'er
bear like q twenty-year-old palm. But ther
you see, you must know what to say-that'
the p~oint-every thing comes to a point 9
laSb. La! ia!
Now, when I heard all this, I, Harmachi!
put my hand to my head, not knowing if
dreamed. But presently looking up, l sal
q gray-haired man among those who wer
gathered together, WHO watched US sharply
and afterward l learned thai this mar We
the spy of Ptolemy, yea, the very man VIII
had wellnigh caused me to be slain {
Pharaoh when 1 was IN my cradle. An
then / understood why Atoua spoke SO foo
ishIy.
"Thine are strange spells, old wife," b
said. .'rhou didst speak Of Pharaoh an
the double crown and of a form fashione
by Ptah to bear it; is it not SOL"
"Yea, yea-part of the spell, thou foo
and what can one swear by better now;
days than by the divine Pharaoh, the Pipe
whom and whose music may the gods pr
serve to charm this happy landt What be
ter than by the double crown he wear
grace to great Alexander of Macedonia B
the way, you know about every thing. HAY
they got back his chlamys yet, which Nit
ridates took to Coss Pompey wore it las
didn't hea In his triumph, too. just fame
Poupey in the cloak Of Alexander-a pupI
dog in o lions skin. And talking Of lion
look what this lad hath done-slain q lie
with his own spear, and right glad you vi
lage folks should be TO see it, for it was
very fierce lou. Just see the teeth ar
claws. His claws They are enough
4 make q poor silly old woman like me shris
1 70 look at them. And the body there, Il
/ aaol lo1- tho linn e1a,,, - Atantr hNsz .