The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1898-05-22


agony, torture. blood and death of thu
slaves who would be offered up.
Two days later saw from the tor
of the temple the dust cloud which
marked the advance guard of the kings
army. By sunset the whole army hat
reached to within two miles Of the
northern gate, and there it halted fol
the triumphal entry on the morrow.
At daybreak the last gcrlands were
hung from house to house, and twined
around the pillars of the temple, OF
from the cornices of the gates, and all
Oph came forth into the streets to
greet the king. loved of all the gods,
and all-powerful, favored of Ammon-
Ra.
| l was standing near the wall Of the
palace of Ames, not pressed upon as
were others, because OF the protection
of my priestly garb, and as the gods
would have it, Taosiri, her eyes flash
ing with excitement. was drawn up In
her car near me. She wore chaplet
of star-like lotus blossoms. and a robe
Of sheening gauze slipping from off her
shoulders. Two slave girls, slender with
youth, one ebony, and the other ivory
Of hue. unclothed, save for short aprons
Of white and blue linen with a pattern
Of discs and transverse bars, famed her
with huge, semi-circular. flame colored
fans fixed to gold and ivory handles.
1 noticed all men looked upon this
girls beauty. AS the sound of the mu-
sic came louder and louder, above
which rose the cymbals, Taosiri leaned
over toward me. and beckoned unto me.
You know Amertas, my father, the
priest; he has spoken to me Of you"
1 bowed my head; for Amertas was
the high priest of the temple.
When I looked on her, I no longer
wondered that men had even fought
and died for her, and that her eyes
were said to drive men mad. After this
she spoke to me every now and then,
but remember no speech Of hers, only
that her voice was low, and the tone
of 1t q caress.
The musicians came on, passed us,
and took up their stand at the further
side Of the great square, under a blue
sky, which was paling as the sun arose.
The head columns of the army had now
entered beneath the great pylon, and
now advanced toward us along the
side-thronged street, emitting a roar
as of the great waters at Philoe.
Before the front ranks Of the army
came some Of the captives men, women
and children, naked and bound with
thongs. Some with necks chained low
to their knees, and others with elbows
drawn tight behind their backs, and
with faces showing their torture, mis-
cry and shame. Some had their arms
lifted high UP above their heads and
secured there, others half-strangled
with eyes starting from their sockets,
had their necks confined in too narrow
Gangs.
Such cruelty to grace a monarch's
triumph!
At last came the king.
In a litter painted red and white, and
borne by eight captured chiefs, over
which hung shady canopy Of palm
leaves, feathery and fresh, bound to an
upright stem of gold, sat the great
Thothmes. loved Of all the gods.
The king lay back in his gilded couch.
with his lids dropped to shade his eyes
from the fierce, white glare Of the road,
and four women, beautiful as a dream,
two dark and two fair, like night and
morning, famed him with the leaves of
palms, set in golden holders. Beside
the litter walked four Ethiopian giants
with camelopards and lions, tanned and
in leash, and to the litter were chained
a score Of the fairest and most beauti-
full women captives, clad merely in mar
row aprons; some sorrowful, and others
laughing with eyes frightened with
tears, selected for the gynaeceum or for
the sport of the arena.
Most were beautiful and we'll formed,
but there were several white skinned
captives, who were mere children, and
still slender of figure with unstrung
muscles.
Taosiri. stung to jealousy by their
beauty, turned to me, and said with
passion, smiling the smile that made
men mad,
LOOK! Their limbs are loose hung;
the lions will have but small trouble
with these girls"
By this time the king had passed, and
then came the standard bearers, pre-
ceding Thammosis (the kings SOM and
other princes in their war chariots.
Then the oeris, generals of renown
in battle, helmeted, and decked with
ostrich plumes. dyed blue and crimson
with their brown, muscular bodies bare
to the waist, appeared.
Then came the slaves, bearing on
open trays the spoil Of the victors; gold,
ivory, gems, armor, and rich stuffs
from Persian looms. When these had
passed, maybe there were a hundred
Of them, some girls, bending beneath
the weight of spoil, footsore. detected,
weary, with their bodies dust-stained.
and locks tangled and 'unkempt with
the long march; others, men, with
tawny hair, proud bearing, and hate
flashing eyes. The crowd murmured
with approval at these, and their un-
dismayed mien, and Taosiri. who had
spoken but little, leaned over to me, SO
close that her breath even famed my
cheek, and said:
"See! those men are beaten, but they
look like victors, not victims. Those
are such for whom women break their
hearts"
1 said: AYE! But they are victims
now, and why this cruelty?"
The girl only laughed, that low, mu-
steal laugh which rippled over her lips
as the wind on the face of the Nile; the
laugh which had led men to ruin, and
had robbed women Of their sons and
husbands.
Thirty girls and ten of the men are
for the great sports Tomorrow" she
said, and then paused. for a man was
pushing his way through the crowd,
and moment later, just as the last
line of soldiers passed us, Lathyrus
came to her side and I, after one
glance, and hand raised In farewell.
melted into the crowd which was now
surging like cataract I'D the street