The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1894-05-16

count Of the Fall and
Gee of Harmachis, the
'yal Egyptian,
sTH BY HIS OWN HAND.
RIDER HAGCARD.
II King Solomon's Mines"
ne" Allan Quaternlain,"

an the presence OF these tiny subjects may
name thee Pharaoh"
mounted upon the throne, whereof the
footstool is sphinx, and the canopy the
overshadowing wings Of Ma Then did
Amenemhat once again draw nigh and
place upon my brow the Pshent, and on my
head the Double Crown, and about my
shoulders the Royal Robe, and IN my hands
the Scepter and the Scourge.
"Royal Harmachis," he cried, "by these
outward signs and tokens, !, the High Priest
of the temple of Ra-Men Ma at Abouthis,
crown thee Pharaoh Of the Upper and Lower
Land. Reign and prosper, o Hope OF
Rhemip
light like she light of the sun bfazed out
across the waters of the harbor to guide
mariners on their way across the wine-dark
sea- The vessel, for II was night, having
been most cautiously made fast to the quay,
disembarked and stood wondering at the
vast mass of houses and confused by the
clamor Of many tongues. For here all peO-
pies seeTled to be gathered together, each
speaking after the fashion Of his own land.
And as 1 stood young man came and
touched me on the shoulder, asking me If
was from Abouthis and named Harmachis.
| said, "Yean Thereon, bending over me,
he whispered the secret password into mine
ear, and, reckoning to two slaves, badc
them bring my apparel from the ship. This
they did, fighting their way through the
crowd Of porters who were clamor-
ing for hire. Then l followed HIN
adown inc qUay, which was bordered with
drinking places, where all sorts of men
were gathered, tipping wine and watching
the dancing Of women, some of whom were
but scautily arrayed, and some not arrayed
at all. And 50 We went through the lamp-lit
houses, till at last we reached the shore Of
the great hlrbor, and turned TO the right
along a WIDE way paved with granite and
bordered by strong houses, having cloisters
in front of them, the like Of which 1 had
never seen. Turning once more to the
right, we came to quieter portion of the
city, where, save for parties of strolling
rovelors, the streets were still. Presently
my guido hated at o house built Of white
stone. We PASSED in, and, crossing small
courtyard, entered a chamber where there
was a light. aud here at last l found my
uncle SepG, IAst glad to see me safe.
WheH had waehed and eaten he told me
that all things " ent well, and that as yet
there was no thought Of owl at the Court.
Further, he sgid, ivhaving come to the ears
of the Queen that the Priest Of On
was sojoucnug at Alexandria, she
sent for him and closely questioned
him-not as to any plot, for of that she
never thought, but as to the rumor which
had reached hor that there was treasure
Ind in the Great Pyramid that is by On.
For. being ever wasteful, she was over in
want of money, aud MAD bethought her of
opening the Pyramid But he laughed
at her, telling her the Pyramid was the
buryiug pace Of the Divine Chufu, and
that naught knew he Of It's secrets. Then
she was angered, and swore that so surely
as she ruled in Egypt she would tear it
down, stone by stone, and discover the
secret atits heart. Again he laughed, and
in the words of the proverb which they
have here at Alexandria, told her that
'Moun;aina live longer than Kings" There
Oh she smiled at his ready answer and let
aim go. Also my uncle Sepa told me that
on the morrow should see this Cleopatra.
For it was her birthday (as, indeed, it was
also mine), and, dressed as the Holy Isis,
she would pass in state from her palace on
rifice at the shrine of the false God who
sits therein. Aud he said thereafter that
the fashion whereby / should gain entrance
to the household Of the Queen should be
contrived.
Then, being very weary, l went to rest;
but could sleep little for the strangeness Of
the place, the noises in the streets, and the
thought Of tho morrow. While 1t was yet
dark, rose, climbed the stair to the roof of
the house, aud waited. Presently the SUMS
rays shot out like arrows, and lit upon the
white wonder of the marble Pharos, where
of the light instantly sank and died, as
though, indeed, the sun had killed it. Now
the rays fell upon the marble palaces of the
l.ochias where Cleopatra lay, and lit them
up till they famed like jewel set on the
dark, cool bosom of the sea. Away the
light few, kissing the Somas sacred dome,
wherein Alexander sleeps, touching the
high tops of thousand palaces and tenn
ples past the porticoes Of tho great mu-
scum that doomed near at hand, striking
the lofty shrine where, carven of ivory, is
the image Of the false God Scraps, and at
last seeming to lose itself in the vast and
gloomy Metropolis. Then, as the dawn
gathered into day, the great flood
of brightness overbrimming the bowl
Of night flowed into the lower lands
and streets, and showed Alexandria red in
the sunrise as the mantle of king, and
shaped as mantle. The Etesian wind
came up from the north and swept away the
vapor from the harbors, so that saw their
blue waters rocking thousand ships. |
saw, too, that mighty mole of the Hepta-
stadium; saw the hundreds of streets,
the countless houses, the innumerable
wealth and splendor of Alexandria, set like
a queen betwixt Mareotis and the ocean,
and dominating both, and was filled with
wonder. This, then, was one city in nv
heritage of lands and cities Well, it was
worth the grasping. And having looked
my full and fed my heart, as it were, with
the sight Of splcndor, communcd with
the Holy ISIS and came down from the
roof.
In the chamber beneath was my uncle
Sepa told him that had been watch
ing the sun rise over the city of Alex
andria
.'Sor he said, looking at me from beneath
his shaggy eyebrows; land what thinkes
thou of alexandria,"
al think it is like some city Of the Gods,
ANSWERED.
"Ayl" he replied, fercely, "a city Of tn,
internal Gods-a sink of corruption, bub
bling well of iniquity, home of false faitt
springing from false heartsl Iwould thai
no. one stone of it were left upon another
stone, and that its wealth lay deep beneath
yonder wstersl Iwould that the gulls wer,
screaming across its site, and that tht
wind, untaiuted by Grecian breath. sweep
through its ruins from ocean to Mareotis
o Royal Harmschis, let not the luxury ant
beauty of Alexandria poison thy sense; fol
in their deadly air Faith perishes and Rel