Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1890-04-24

49," she said, sthey were cowardlJ
| aforetime, or else was their need not great
Wilt thou show me this treasure, then
| Harmachis?''
'Perchance," answered, 81 win show II
70 thee, II 1t still be there, when thou hast
sworn that thou wilt use it to defend Egyp'
from this Roman Antony and for the wei
fare Of her people"
81 swear itr she said earnestly. "Oh,
swear by every God IN Khem that If thou
showest me this great treasure will defy
Antony and send Dellius back to Cilicia
with words more sharp than those he
brought Ay, I'll do more, Harmachis: SO
soon as may be, I will take thee to husband
before all the world, and thou myself shalt
carry out thy plans and beat the Roman
eagles off,
mus she spoke, gazing at me with truth
fuI, earnest eyes. / believed her. and for
the first time since my fall was for q mo-
ment happy, thinking that all was not lost
to me. and that with Cleopatra, whom ]
loved thus madly, might yet win my place
and power back.
"Swear it, Cleopatra r' said.
81 swear, beloved and thus I seal INV
OATH" And she kissed me on the forehead.
And l, too, kissed her; and we talked of
what we would do when we were wed, and
how we should overcome the Roman
And thus was again beguiled; though
verify believe that, had 1T not been for the
jealous anger of GRANDDAUGHTER, as shall
be seen, was ever urging her forward to
have welded me and broken with the Ro-
man. And indeed, in the issue, it had been
better for her and Egypt
Far into the night we sat, and revealed
to her somewhat of that ancient secret of
the mighty treasure hid beneath the mass
OF ''Her." Thither, it was agreed, should
we go on the morrow, and the second night
from now attemptits search So, early on the
next day, a boat was secretly made ready,
and therein did Cleopatra enter, vailed as
an Egyptian lady about to make pilgrim
age to the Temple of Horemku. And also,
cloaked as pilgrim, entered with her, and
with us ten of her most trusted servants
hidden as sailors. But Charmion entered
not with us. We sailed with fair wind
from the Canopic mouth of the Nile; and
that night, pushing on with the moon, we
for awhile. At dawn we once more
loosed our craft, and all that day sailed
swiftly till at last, at the third hour from
the sunset, we came in sight of the lights of
the fortress which is called Babylon. Here,
on the opposite bank of the river, we
mooFed our ship safely in a bed of reeds.
Then, or foot and secretly, we set forth
for the Pyramids, which were at distance
OF nigh upon fifty stadia (about six miles,
Cleopatra, and one trusted eunuch, for the
other servants we left with the boat. Only
for Cleopatra I caught an ass that was
wandering in a titled field, and threw a
cloak upon it. Thereon she sat, and led the
ass by paths knew, the eunuch following
after US. And, within little more than
an hour, having gained the great causeway,
we saw the mighty Pyramids towering up
through the moonlit air and aweing US to
silence. On we passed, in utter silence,
through the haunted city of the dead, for
all around US stood the solemn tombs, till
at length we climbed the rocky hill and
stood in the deep shadow of Khufu Khut
1.-THE splendid Throne of Khufu).
"Of a TRUTH whispered Cleopatra, as she
gazed up the dazzling marble slope above
her, everywhere blazoned DER with a mill
ion mystic characteristic truth, there
were gods ruling in Khem in those days,
and not men. This place is sad as Death
ay, and as mighty and as far from man.
Here must we enter2"
ON
I led the way through thousand tombs,
till we stood in the shadow of Ur (the
Great, and gazed at his red, heaven
piercing mass
SIS it here that we must entera" she
once again.
"Nay," I answered, SIT is not here. Pass
on"
And we passed on through mary more
tombs, until we stood in the shadow of
Herr and Cleopatra gazed astonished at its
polished beauty, winch for thousands of
years had, night by night, mirrored the
moon, and at the black girdle Of Ethiopian
stone that circled its base about. For of
all pyramids this IS the most beautiful
els it here that we must entera" she
said.
/ answered: ssYea, it is here"
And we passed round between the temple
of the worship Of his divine Majesty,
the Osirixn, and the base of the
pyramid, till we came to the north side.
Here in the center is graved the name Of
Pharaoh Menka-ra, who built the pyramid
to be his tomb, and stored therein his
treasure against the needs of Khem.
''If the treasure still remains" I said to
Cleopatra, las in the days of my great
great grandfather, who was priest of this
pyramid before me. it rema ined, tits hid
deep in the womb OF the mass before thee,
Cleopatra; nor can it be come by without
toll and danger, and terror of the mind.
Art thou prepared to enterl-for thou thy
self must enter and judge"
''Canst thou not go with the eunuch, Har- |
machis, and bring the treasure forth?'' she |
said, for a little her courage began to fail |
her.
ssNay, o Cleopatra I answered, ssnot |
sven for thee and for the veal of Egypt |
AN do this thing, for Of all sins it
would be the greatest sin. But this it is |
awful for me to do I, as hereditary holder /
If the secret, may upon demand, show to /
he ruling monarch of Kehm the place |
where the treasure lies, and show also the /
that is written. And if, on seeing
md reading, the Pharaoh do deem that the /
iced of Khem is SO sore and strait that it is /
awful for him to brave the curse of the /
lead and draw the treasure forth, it is well,
or on his head must rest the weight of this
Tread deed. Three monarchs, so say the
ecords that have read, have thus dared
o enter in the time OF need. They were
he divine Queen Ha-ta-su, that wonder
,nown to the Gods alone; her divine broth
r Men-Kheper>ra (Thotmes the Great);
md the divine Miamen (Rameses ID. But |
# these three majessies, not one when they
aw dared to touch, for. though sore their
iced, it was not great enough to consecrate
he act. So, fearing lest the curse should fall
pon them, they went hence sorrowing.''
A little she thought, till at last her spirit
her fear.
sat the least viii see with NINE own
yes" she said.
,o,ll \