Warren sheaf., 1905-09-21

darted into the apartment, MS W1tnec'
ed face working with excitement.
go! Cor he cried. Eat and pre-
pare to return to Memphis with all
speed. Thine answer will await thee
here tonight at the end of the flrst
watch, aud Set be upon thee If thou
delayestr'
Kenkenes, startled out Of speech, did
obeisance and FASTENED from the temple
CHAirER v.
THE HEIR TO THE THRONE.
r lOI was not present at the sunset
prayers in Karnak. An hour
before he had summoned the
~ trustiest priest in the brother
hood Of ministers to Amen and bade
him conduct the ceremonies Of the
evening. Then he sent to the temple
stores, put into service another boat
and was ferried over to the Libyan
suburb of Thebes. He had himself
borne in a litter to the greater palace
of Rameses II. and asked an audience
with Meneptah.
The king was at prayers in the tenn
pie Of his father, close to the palace,
and the dusk of twilight was settling
on the valley Of the Nile before Loi
was summoned to the council chamber.
Behind solid panel of carved cedar
which hedged the royal dais stood
Meneptah.
Below, with the light Of the torch
Wavering up and down his robust fig
ure, was Har-hat, Meneptah's greatest
general and now the new fan bearer
10 the kings right, beside the dais,
with hand resting on the back Of a
cathedra, or great chair, was the Crown
Prince Rameses. The old courtiers of
the dead grandsire visiting the court of
Meneptah flung up their hands and
gasped when they beheld the heir to
the double crown Of Egypt. They look
ed upon the old Pharaoh, renewed in
youth and strength. There were the
same narrow temples with the sloping
brow, the same hawked nose, the same
full lips, the same heavy eye with the
smoldering ember in it's dusky depths.
He was twenty-five years old now and
had proved that no alien nature had
been housed in the old Pharaoh's
shape. He had never met repulse or
defeat; he had never entered the pres
"ence Of his peer; he had never loved;
he had never prayed. He was a soli-
tary power who admitted Death as his
only equal and defed even him.
The other counselors were minor
members Of the cabinet who had been
summoned, but expected only to hear
and keep silence while the great pow
'ers-the king, the prince, the priest and
'the fan bearer conferred.
Loi entered, bowling and walking
with palsied step. At sign from the
king, who had already sunk into his
throne, the old man sat- ?
"Thou bringest us tidings, holy fa-
ther?"
"Even so, o son of Ptah."
"Say on"
The priest moved a little uncomfort-
ably and glanced at the ministers
grouped in the shadows. ..-
"Save for the worthy Har-hat and
our prince, o my king, thou hast no
need Of great council" he said.
Meneptah raised his hand, and the
supernumerary ministers left the cham
Der. When they were gone Loi un.
wrapped the roll Kenkenes had brought
and began to read:
To Loi, the Most High Servant of Amen.
Lord Of Tape, the Servant Of Ra, at On,
sends greeting:
The gods lend me composure to speak
calmly with thee, o brother. And let the
dismay which Is mine explain the lack Of
ceremony in this writing.
It is not likely that thou hast forgotten
the good Queen Neferari Thermuthis' fos-
ter son-the Hebrew Moses whom she
found adrift In a basket on Nilus. But
lest the years have driven the mem
ory Of his misdeeds from thy mind, I
tell again the story. Thou knowest he
was initiated priest Of Isis, and scarce
had the last of the mysteries been dis
brotherhood had taken an apostate unto
itself.
BY the grace of the gods. he interfeSed
in brawl at Pithom and killed an EByp-
tian. Before he could be taken he fed
into indian, and the secrets Of our order
were safe. for time.
One by one our fellows have entered
Osiris. The young who knew not have
filled their places. Thou and only are
left-and the Hebrew!
He hath returned!
The gods mako strong our hands
against him! He went away as menace,
but he returneth as q pestilence. The
demons Of Amenti arc with him. and his
hour 10 most propitious. He hath sunk
himself In tho Israelitiah pool here In the
north. and he Will breathe thessfrom such
stt1e- arr