Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1890-06-12

%ESHXYfIA' Al burial by those
EJJ2,& XIX X skilled in the arts Of
P1SSSNM*Z! y emil a l m ing. And
@G0 when at last all things were
JzGV done in order. crept from
my hiding place and made offerings to the
spirit Of my father, and placing lotus flow
ers on his breast, went thence sorrowing.
And on the following day, from where lay
hid saw the priests of the Temple Of Osiris
and of the holy Shrine Of Isis come forth,
and in slow procession bear his painted
coffin to the sacred lake and lay it meath
the funeral tent in the consecrated boat. 1
saw them celebrate the symbol of the trial
of the dead and name him above all men
just, and then bear him thence to lay him
by his wife, my mother, in the deep and
splendid tomb that he had builded near to
the resting place Of the most holy Osiris,
where, Notwithstanding my sins, /, too,
hope to sleep ere long. And when all these
things were done and the deep tomb sealed,
the wealth Of my father having been re-
moved from the hidden treasury and placed
in safety, with the old wife, Atoua, fed
disguised, up the Nile till we came to Tape
CThebes), and here in this great city lay
awhile, till a place could be found where I
should hide myself.
And such place found. For to the
north OF the great city are hills brown and
sun, and in this place of desolation the Di-
VINE Pharaohs, my torefathers, followed
out their tombs in the solid rock, whereof
the most part are lost to this day, so cum
ningiy have they been hidden. But some
are open, for the accursed Persians and
other thieves broke into them in search of
treasure. And one night-for by night only
did leave my hiding place-just as the
dawn was breaking on the mountain tops,
I wandered alone in this sad Valley of
Death, like to which there is no other, and
presently came to the mouth of tomb hid
den amid great rocks, which hereafter l
knew for the place of the burying of the
Divine Rameses, the third of that name,
now long gathered to Osiris. And by the
faint light of the dawn creeping through
the entrance I saw that it was spacious,
and that within were chambers. On the
following night, therefore, returned, bear
ing lights, with Atoua, my nurse, who
ever minlstered faithfully to me as
when I was little and without discre-
ton. And we searched the mighty
tomb and came to the great hall of
the sarcophagus of granite, wherein
sleeps the divine Rameses, and saw the
mystic paintings on the walls-the symbol
of the Snake unending, the symbol of Ra
(the SUM, resting upon the Scarabaeus, the
symbol of Ra resting upon Nout, the SYM
boil of the Headless Men, and many others
whereof, being initiated, well I read the
mysteries. And opening from the long-de-
scending passage found chambers where
on were paintings beautiful to behold, and
of all manner of things. For beneath each
chamber is entombed the master of the
craft whereof the paintings tell, he who
was the chief of the servants of the craft
In the house of the divine Rameses. And
on the walls of the last chamber-on the
left-hand side, looking toward the hall of
the sarcophagus-are paintings exceedin
beautiful, and two blind Rarpers playing
upon their bent harps even before the God
Mou; and beneath the floor these Harpers,
who harp no more, are soft at sleep Here,
then, in this gloomy place, even IN the tomb
of the Harpers and the company of the
dead, took up my abode; and here for
eight long years did 1 work out my pen
ance and make atonement for my sin. But
Atoua, because she loved to be near the
light, abode in the chamber of the Beats
that is, the first chamber on the right-hand
side of the gallery looking toward the hall
Of the Sarcophagus.
And this was the manner of my life. On
every second day the old wife, Atoua, went
forth and brought from the city water and
such food as is necessary to keep the life
from failing, and also tapers made from fat
And one hour at the time of sunrise and
one hour at the time Of sunset did go
|
health's sake and to save my sight from
failing in the great darkness Of the tomb.
But the other hours of the day and night,
save when I climbed the mountain to watch
the course of the stars, I spent in prayer
and meditation and sleep, till the cloud of
sin lifted from my heart and once more
drew near to the Gods, though with Isis, my
heavenly Mother, might speak no more.
And exceeding wise grew also, bordering
oil fh<r Ap;n orr,6n hold <1,n1
For abstinence and prayer and sorrowful
solitude wore away the grossness of my
flesh, and with the eyes of the Spirit
learned to look deep into the heart of things
till the joy of Wisdom fell like dew upon
my soul.
Soon was the rumor waited about the city
that q certain holy man named Olympus
abode in solitude in the tombs of the awful
Valley of the Dead; and h1ther came people
bearing sick that might cure them. And
I gave my mind to the study of simples,
wherein Atoua instructed me; and by lore
and the weight of thought gained great
skill in medicine and healed many sick. And
thus ever, as time went on, my fame was
noised abroad; and it was said that I was
also a magician, and that in the tombs
had commune with the spirits of the dead
And this, indeed, I did-though it is not
lawful for me to speak of these matters.
Thus. then, it came to pass that no more
need Atoua GO forth to seek food and water,
for the people brought it-more than was
needful, for no fee would receive. Now,
at first, fearing lest some might in the
hermit Olympus know the lost Harmachis,
l would only meet those who came In the
darkness of the tomb. But afterward, when
1 learned how through all the land twas
held that Harmachis was certainly no
more, came forth and sat in the mouth
Of the tomb and ministered to the sick, and
at times calculated nativities for the great.
And thus my fame grew continually, till
at length folk journeyed even from Hemfi
and Alexandria to visit me; and from them
I learned how Antony had left Cleopatra
for awhile, and, Fulvia being dead, had
married Octavia, the sister of Cesar. Many
other things learned also.
And in the second year this did: dis
patched the old wife, Atoua, disguised as a
seller Of simples, to Alexandra, bidding
her seek out CharmioD, and, If yet she
found her faithful, reveal to her the secret
OF my way of life. 80 she went, and in the
fifth month from her sailing returned, bear
ing Charmion's greetings and q token. And
she told me that she had found means tos
Charmion, and, in talk, had let fall the
name of Harmachis, speaking of me Is one
dead; whereat Charmion, unable to control