 16 Up the Nile. Late at night Jethro again went up to the hiding-place on the hill, Chigran had just returned from another visit to the city. He said, The whole of the town is in an uproar, the news that Tylus and his son have been found slain has been received, and the excitement is tremendous. The death by violence of two high priests of Osiris, within so short a time, is regarded as a presage of some terrible national misfortune, that one should have been slain was an almost unprecedented act, an insult of a terrible kind to the gods, but this second act of sacrilege has almost maddened the people, some regarded as a judgment of Osiris, and deem that it is a proof that, as a few ventured to whisper before, the death of Amheris was brought about by an intrigue among a party of the priests headed by Tylus. Others see in it a fresh proof of the anger of the god against Egypt. The king himself will, it is said, take part in services of propitiation in the temple of Osiris tomorrow. Sacrifices are to be offered, they say, in all the temples. A solemn fast will be proclaimed to-morrow, and all the people, high and low, ought to shave their eyebrows and to display the usual signs of mourning. So far I have heard nothing as to the fact that two girls who were in the house are discovered to be missing, but to-morrow, when those who were in the house are questioned by the magistrates, this fact will doubtless come out, and the men will own that by the orders of Tylus they carried Miza away at the time the attack on the house was made. At present, however, there is no question of women in the case, and I can go down to the boat with the girls in company with Chigran without any fear whatever, but it is better that you should not be with us when we embark, for when the matter comes to be talked over, someone who sees us embark might notice that our number tallies with that of the three persons present when Tylus was killed, and the two missing girls. Therefore Chigran's opinion is that it will be safer for you to start at once and walk to Maita, a village twenty miles up the river. There the boat will lie up to-morrow night, and as soon as it is dark you can come on board. I shall tell the boatmen that I expect you to join us there, as you have gone on ahead to transact some business for me in the neighborhood. That is certainly the best plan, Amuba agreed. There are too many who know Chibran by sight for it to be safe for him to go down to the boat here and embark in broad daylight. I will take two hours' sleep before I start, for as I did not sleep last night, and have walked forty miles since I left the chariot, I feel in need of a little repose before I start again. I was foolish not to have slept this afternoon, for I have since midday been hiding near, but there was so much to think about that I had no inclination to do so, especially as I believed that we would have a night's rest here. I will wake you, Chibran said. I have been asleep the better part of the day, having had nothing to do since we arrived here yesterday evening. Chibran sat watching the stars until he saw that they had made two hours' journey through the sky. Then he roused Amuba. Both now lay beside their garments as peasants and put on the attire prepared for them as the sons of a small trader. Amuba had submitted, although with much disgust, to have his head shaved on the night following the death of Amaris, and it was a satisfaction to him to put on a wig, for, accustomed as he was to see the bare heads of the peasants, it was strange and uncomfortable to him to be going about in the same fashion. As soon as they were dressed, they started, made their way down to the bank of the river above the town, and walked along the broad causeway by the stream until within a mile or two of their destination. Then they turned off toward a clump of trees which were visible by the first gleam of dawn a quarter of a mile away. Here they slept for some hours, and late in the afternoon returned to the side of the river and strolled quietly along, watching the boats. Those in the middle of the stream were making their way down with the current lightly and easily, the crews often singing merrily, rejoicing over the approaching meeting with their friends after an absence of many weeks. The boats going up the stream were all close to the bank, the crews walking along the causeway and laboring at the tow ropes, for there was not enough wind to render the sails of any utility in breasting the stream. The craft were of various kinds, some shapeless and rudely fashioned, used in conveying corn from the country higher up down to Thebes, and now returning empty. Others were the fancifully painted boats of the wealthy, with comfortable cabins and sails of many colors richly decorated and embroidered. These were carrying their owners up or down the river, between their country mansions and the city. It was half an hour after sunset when the two friends arrived at Maitha. Darkness falls quickly in Egypt after the sun has gone down, and their features could scarcely have been recognized had they been met by any one acquainted with them in the streets. The scene in the streets of the little village was a busy one. Its distance from Thebes rendered it a general halting place for the night of the boats which had left the capital early, and a great number of these were already moored off the bank, while others were arriving in quick succession. The boatmen and passengers were busy making their purchases at the shops. Fishermen, with well-filled baskets, were shouting the praises of their fish. Fowlers, with strings of ducks and geese hanging from poles from their shoulders, were equally clamorous in offering them for sale. The shops of the fruiterers and bakers and those of the vendors of the vegetables that formed so large a portion of the diet of the Egyptians were all crowded, and the wine-shops were doing a brisk business. Cebron and Amuba made their way through the busy scene, keeping a sharp lookout for Jethro, for they considered it certain that owing to the early start the boat was to make it would have arrived there some hours before, and that he would be on the lookout for them. In a few minutes they saw him looking into one of the shops. He started as they went up to him and touched him, for he had not perceived them before. All well, Amuba asked. Everything has gone off admirably. We got off without the slightest trouble, but come on board at once. The girls are anxious about you, although I assured them that there was not the slightest risk of your being discovered on your way here. So saying, Jethro led the way to the boat, which was moored by the bank a hundred yards above the village, in order, Jethro said, that they could make an early start in the morning and be off before the rest of the boats were under way. Here are your brothers, Jethro said in a loud voice, as he stepped on board. I found them dawdling and gossiping in the street, for getting all together that you were waiting for your evening meal until they came on board. Both entered the cabin, which was about eight feet wide and twelve feet long, but not high enough for them to stand upright. The floor was spread with a thick carpet, cushions and pillows were arranged along each side, and thick matting hung from the top. In the daytime this was rolled up and fastened, so that the air could play through the cabin and those within could look out at the river. But at present it closed the openings and kept out both the night air and the glances of passersby. At the other end was a door opening into the smaller cabin allotted to the girls. A lamp swung from the beams overhead. Miza gave a cry of pleasure as they entered and was about to spring to her feet, when Jethro exclaimed, Mind your head, child, you are not accustomed to these low quarters yet. Thank the gods we are together again, Miza said as Chebran, after embracing her, sat down on the cushion beside her. I feel almost happy now in spite of the dreadful times that have passed. It does feel home like here, Chebran said, looking round, especially after sleeping in the open air on the hard ground as we have been doing for the last month. I should hardly have known you, Amuba. Miza said, you do look so different in your wig and with your skin darkened. I must look horrible, Amuba replied rather ruefully. You don't look so nice, Miza replied frankly. I used at first to think that short wavy golden hair of yours was strange and that you would look better in a wig like other people, but now I am sorry it is gone. Here is our meal, Jethro said, as the hangings that served as a door were drawn aside, and one of the men entered bearing a dish of fried fish and another of stewed ducks which he placed on the floor. Jethro produced some cups and a jar of wine from a locker in the cabin, and then the men, by his orders, brought in a jar of water for the use of the girls. Then, sitting round the dishes they began their meal, Jethro cutting up the food with his dagger, and all helping themselves with the aid of their fingers and pieces of bread that served them for the purpose of forks. Miza had been accustomed always to the use of a table, but these were only used in the abodes of the rich, and the people in general sat on the ground to their meals. We have not begun our hardships yet, Miza said, smiling. I should not mind how long this went on. I call this much better than living in a house, don't you, Ruth? It is more natural to me than that great house of yours, Ruth replied, and of course to me it is far more home-like and comfortable, for I do not think I was a favourite among the other servants. They were jealous of the kindness you showed me. There is one thing I wanted to say, Jethro said, it is better that we should not call each other by our names. I am sure that the boatmen have no suspicion here that we are other than what we seem to be, but they can hardly help hearing our names, for all Egypt has rung with them for the last month, and it would be well if we changed them for the present. You must of necessity call me father, since that is the relation I am supposed to bear to you. Amuba can become Amnus and Chebran Chefu. And I will be Mitis, Miza said. What name will you take, Ruth? There is no Egyptian name quite like yours. It matters not what you call me, Ruth said. We will call you Nite, Miza said. I had a great friend of that name, but she died. And there is one thing, Nite, Chebran said, that I wish you to understand. Just now you spoke to me as my lord Chebran. That sort of thing must not be any longer. We are all fugitives together, and Miza and I have no longer any rank. Jethro and Amuba are of high rank in their own country, and if we ever get safely to their own people they will be nobles in the land, while we shall be but strangers, as he was when he and Jethro came into Egypt. Therefore any talk of rank among us is but folly. We are fugitives, and my life is forfeited if I am discovered in my own land. Jethro is our leader and guardian, alike by the will of our father and because he is older and wiser than any of us. Amuba is as my elder brother, being stronger and braver, and more accustomed to danger than I, while you and Miza are sisters in as much as you are both exiled from your own land, and are friendless, save for each other and us. I am glad to hear you say that, brother, Miza said. I spoke to her last night about it, for she would insist on treating me as if she were still my servant, which is absurd and not nice of her when she is going out with us to share our dangers only because she loves me. It is I rather who should look up to her, for I am very helpless and know nothing of work or real life, while she can do all sorts of things. Besides, when we were captives it was she who was always brave and hopeful, and kept up my spirit's win. I do think, if it had not been for her, I should have died of grief and terror. By the way, Jethro said, we have not heard yet how it was that you were together. We heard of your being carried off, but old Liptus told me that no one had seen out of you. They were all scared out of their senses, Ruth said scornfully. The men suddenly ran into the room and seized Miza, and twisted a shawl round her head before she had time to call out. I screamed, and one of them struck me a blow which knocked me down. Then they carried her off. I think I was stunned for a moment. When I recovered I found they were gone. I jumped up and ran along the passage and through the hall, where the women were screaming and crying, and then out of the house through the garden and out of the gate. Then I saw four men at a short distance off carrying Miza to a cart standing a hundred yards away. I ran up just as they laid her in it. One of them turned upon me with a dagger. I said, let me go with her and I will be quiet. If not I will scream, and if you kill me it will only set the people on your traces. The men hesitated, and I ran past them and climbed into the cart and threw myself down by Miza, and then they drove off. It was brave and good of you, Ruth, Jethro said, laying his hand on the girl's shoulder, but why did you not scream when you first came out of the gate? It might have brought aid and prevented Miza from being carried off. I thought of that, Ruth said, but there were numbers of rough men still coming in at the gate, and knowing how the people had been stirred up to anger against us I did not know what might happen if I gave the alarm. Besides I was not sure at first that these men, although they seemed so rough and violent, were not really friends who were taking away Miza to save her from the popular fury. Yes, that might have been the case, Jethro agreed. At any rate, child, you acted bravely and well. We were hoping all along that you were with Miza, for we knew what a comfort you would be to her. Only as the women all declared you did not pass out after her we did not see how that could be. And now might descent Nite, you had better retire to your own cabin to rest, for though you have both kept up wonderfully, all this has been a great strain for you, and you are both looking fagged and heavy-eyed. Tonight you can sleep in comfort, for, for the present, I think that there is no occasion whatever for the slightest anxiety. It was some time before Jethro and his companions lay down to sleep. They talked long and earnestly of the journey that lay before them, and when they had exhausted this topic, Chebran said, Till now, Jethro, I have not asked you about my father's funeral. When is it to be? I have thought of it often, but as you did not speak I thought it better not to question you. I was glad you did not, Jethro replied. It will be in about ten days' time. As I believed you guessed, Chigran is embalming him. The process will not be completed for another four days, and as you know, the relatives do not see the corpse after it is in the hands of the embalmer, until it is swathed and in the coffin. Chebran has done so much that must have been against his conscience that I did not like him to be asked to allow you to break through that custom, which to him is a sort of religion. Beside, dear lad, I thought it better for yourself not to renew your griefs by gazing on a lifeless face. During the last month you have fortunately had so much to distract your thoughts that you have not had time to dwell upon your loss. Moreover, you have needed all your strength and your energy for your search for your sister, and right sure am I that your father, who was as sensible as he was wise, and the two things do not always go together, would be far better pleased to see you energetic and active in your search for your sister and in preparation for this new life on which we are entering than in vain regrets for him. Therefore, lad, for every reason I thought it better to keep silent upon the subject. It may be a satisfaction, however, for you to know that everything will be done to do honour to the dead. The king and all the great men of Egypt will be present, and Thebes will turn out its thousands to express its grief for the deed done by a section of its population. Had it not been for the express commands of your father, I should have thought that it might have been worthwhile for you to present yourself on that occasion, and it may be that for once even the fanatics would have been satisfied to have pardoned the offence of the son, because of the wrong done to the father. However, this affair of Tylus puts that out of the question, for when it is generally known that Misa was carried off when Tylus was slain, public opinion will arrive at the truth and say that the fugitives of whom they were in search, the slayers of the sacred cat, were the rescuers of the daughter of Amaris, and the slayers of the High Priest. You are right, Jethro, it will be better for me not to have seen my father. I can always think of him now as I saw him last, which is a thousand times better than if he dwelt in my memory as he lies in the seer-clothes in the embalming-room of Chigran. As to what you say about my appearing at the funeral, I would in no case have done it. I would a thousand times rather live an exile or meet my death at the hands of savages, than crave mercy at the hands of the mob of Thebes, and live to be pointed at all my life as the man who had committed the abhorred offence of killing the sacred cat. The conversation in the cabin had all been carried on in an undertone, for although through an opening in the curtains they could see the crew, who had been eating their meal by the light of a torch of resinous wood, and were now wrapped up in thick garments to keep off the night dew, chatting merrily together and occasionally breaking into snatches of song, it was prudent to speak so that not even a chance word should be overheard. The boatmen, indeed, were in high spirits. Their home lay far up near the borders of Upper Egypt, and it was seldom indeed that they obtained a job which gave them the chance of visiting their friends. Thus the engagement was most satisfactory to them, for although their leader had haggled over the terms, he and they would gladly have accepted half the rate of pay rather than let such an opportunity slip. As Chibran finished speaking they were preparing for the night by laying down a few mats on the boards of the foredeck. Then they huddled closely together, pulled another mat or two over them, extinguished the torch, and composed themselves to sleep. We will follow their example, but a little more comfortably, I hope, Jethro said. The cushions and pillows were arranged, the lamp turned low, and in a short time all on board the boat were sound asleep. No ray of light had entered the cabin when Amuba was awakened by a movement of the boat, caused by a stir among the crew. He felt his way to the door and threw back the hangings and looked out. There was a faint greenish-yellow light in the east, but the stars were still shining brightly. Good morning, young master! the captain said. I hope you have slept well. So well that I could hardly believe it was morning, Amuba replied. How long will it be before you are off? We shall be moving in ten minutes. At present there is not light enough to see the shore. Chefu, are you awake? Yes, Chibran answered sleepily. I am awake thanks to your talking. If you had lain quiet we might have slept for another hour yet. You have had plenty of sleep the last twenty-four hours, Amuba retorted. Take a cloth and let us land and run along the banks for a mile, and have a bath before the boat comes along. It is very cold for it, Chibran said. Nonsense! The water will refresh you. Come along, Chefu, Jethro said. Your brother is right. A dip will refresh us for the day. The Egyptians were most particular about bathing and washing. The heat and dust of the climate rendered cleanliness an absolute necessity, and all classes took their daily bath. The wealthy and baths attached to their houses, the poor in the water of the lakes or canals. Jethro and the two lads leaped ashore and ran briskly along the bank for about a mile, stripped and took a plunge in the river, and were dressed again just as the boat came along with the four men towing her, and the captain steering with an ore at the stern. It was light enough now for him to distinguish the faces of his passengers, and he brought the boat straight alongside the bank. In a few minutes the girls came out from their cabin, looking fresh and rosy. So you have been bathing? Miza said. We heard what you were saying, and we have had our bath, too. How did you manage that, Chibran asked? We went out by the door at the other side of our cabin in our woollen robes, on to that little platform on which the man is standing to steer, and poured jars of water over each other. You both slept well? Yes, indeed, and without waking once till we heard Amnus call you to get up. You disturbed everyone you see, Amnus, Chibran said, and a very good thing, too, Amuba laughed. If we had not had our bath when we did, we should not have gotten opportunity all day. Now we all feel fresh. And ready for something to eat, Miza put in. What would you like, Midis? Ruth asked. I am a capital cook, you know, and I don't suppose the men will be preparing their breakfast for a long time yet. I think that will be a very good plan, Midis, Jethro said, but we will divide the labor between us. The two boys shall stir up the brand, smoldering on the flat stone hearth forward. I will clean and get ready some fish. Nite shall cook them, while Midis shall, under her directions, make us some cakes and put them into the hot ashes to bake. We shall have to shift for ourselves later on. There is nothing like getting accustomed to it. Of course the men will cook the principal meals, but we can prepare little meals between times. It is astonishing how many times you can eat during the day when you are in the open air. In half an hour the meal, consisting of the fish, light dough cakes which Miza had with much amusement prepared under Ruth's directions, and fruit was ready. The latter consisted of grapes and melons. The meal was greatly enjoyed, and by the time it was finished the sun was already some distance up the sky. For an hour the party sat on the deck forward watching the boats coming down the stream and the villages on the opposite shore, but as the sun gained power they were glad to enter into the cabin. The mats were rolled up now to allow a free passage of air, and as they sat on the cushions they could look out on both sides. Day after day passed quietly and smoothly. The men generally towed the boat from sunrise until eleven o'clock in the day, then they moored her to the bank, prepared a meal, and after eating it went ashore if there were trees that afforded a shade there, or if not spread out some mats on poles over the boat and slept in their shade till three o'clock. Then they towed until sunset, moored her for the night, cooked their second meal, talked and sang for an hour or two, and then lay down for the night. Sometimes the wind blew with sufficient strength to enable the boat to stem the string close in shore by means of the sail alone. Then the boatmen were perfectly happy and spent their day in alternate eating and sleeping. Generally the passengers landed and walked alongside of the boat for an hour or two, after they had had their early breakfast, and again when the heat of the day was over. It made a change, and at the same time kept their muscles in a state of health and activity. "'We may have to make long journeys on foot,' Jethro said, and the more we can accustom ourselves to walking, the better.' The time passed so quietly and pleasantly that both Miza and Jethron at times blamed themselves for feeling as light-hearted as they did. But when the latter once said so to Jethro, he replied, "'Do not be uneasy on that score. Remember that in the first place it is a comfort to us all that you and your sister are cheerful companions. It makes the journey lighter for us. In the next place good spirits and good health go together, and although at present our life is an easy one, there will be need for health and strength presently. This flight and exile are at present blessings rather than misfortunes to you, just as Amuba's captivity following so closely upon the death of his father and mother was to him. "'I can hardly believe,' Miza said, that we are really going upon a dangerous expedition. Everything is so pleasant and tranquil. The days pass without any care or trouble. I find it difficult to believe that the time is not very far off, when we shall have to cross deserts, and perhaps to meet savage beasts and wild people, and be in danger of our lives. It will be a long time first, Mitus. It will be months before we arrive at Mero, the capital of the next kingdom, which lies at the junction of the two great arms of this river. Up to that point I do not think there will be dangers, though there may be some little difficulty, for they say there are tremendous rapids to be passed. It is only lately that the king overran Mero, defeated its armies and forced it to pay tribute. But as there is a considerable trade carried on with that country, I do not think there is any danger of molestation. It is on leaving Mero that our difficulties will commence, for, as I hear, the road thence to the east through the city of Aksum, which is the capital of the country named Abyssinia, passes through a wild land abounding with savage animals, and again, beyond Aksum, the country is broken and difficult down to the sea. Chigran told me, however, that he had heard from a native of Mero who had worked for him that there is a far shorter road to the sea from a point at which the river takes a great bend many hundreds of miles below the capital. When we get higher up we can, of course, make inquiries as to this. I hope that it may prove to be true, for if so it will save us months of travel. Several large towns were passed as they journeyed upward. Hermontis, standing on the western bank by which they were traveling, was the first past, then came Esnei, with grand temples dedicated to Neph and Neith, and standing where the Nile valley opens to a width of five miles. Then they passed Elithiah, standing on the eastern bank, with many temples rising above it, and with the sandstone rock behind it dotted with the entrances to Sepelkurs. A few miles higher up they passed Edfu, above this the valley gradually narrowed, the hills closing in until they rose almost perpendicularly from the edge of the stream. Here were temples erected especially for the worship of the Nile, and of his emblem the Crocodile. It appeared to the Egyptians the most appropriate place for the worship of the river, which seemed here to occupy the whole width of Egypt. Here too were vast quarries from which the stone was extracted for the building of most of the temples of Upper Egypt. Sixteen miles higher Ombi was passed, with its great temple in honour of the crocodile-headed god Sabak. Along this part of the river the country was comparatively barren and the villages small and far apart. In the narrow places the river at times ran so rapidly that it was necessary to hire a number of peasants to assist the boatmen to drag the boat against the stream, and the progress made each day was very slight. Four days after leaving Ombi they arrived at Syene, by far the largest town they had come to since leaving Thebes. Thebes brought the first stage of their journey to an end. Hitherto they had been travelling along a tranquil river, running strongly at times, but smooth and even. Before them they had a succession of cataracts and rapids to pass, and a country to traverse which, although often subjugated, was continually rising against the power of Egypt. At Syene they remained for three days. They would gladly have pushed on without delay, for although the Egyptian authority extended further up the river, Syene was the last town where the governor would concern himself with the affairs of Egypt, or where fugitives from justice were likely to be arrested. However, as it was customary to give boatmen a few days of repose after their labor, and before undertaking the still more severe work which lay before them, Jethro thought it better to avoid any appearance of haste. There was much to be seen that was new to them at Syene. A great trade was carried on with Mero. Most of the merchants engaged in it dwelt here, buying on the one hand the products of Upper and Lower Egypt, and sending or taking them up the river, and on the other hand buying the products of Mero and dispatching them to Thebes. The streets were filled with a mingled population, Egyptians with their spotless garments and tranquil mean, merchants absorbed in business, officers and soldiers in large numbers, for Syene was an important military station, officials belonging to the great quarries near, and gangs of slaves of many nationalities working under their orders. Wild-looking figures moved among the crowd, their garments thrown loosely round them, affording a striking contrast to the cleanness of those of the Egyptians, while their unkempt hair was in equally strong contrast to the precise wigs of the middle class Egyptians, and the bare heads of the lower class. Their skins, too, were much darker in color, though there was a considerable variation in this respect. Among them were a sprinkling of men of entirely different type, almost black in hue, with thicker lips and flatter features. These were Ethiopians, whose land lay beyond that of Mero, and who had also felt the weight and power of the arms of Egypt. These people of Mero, Amuba said, are very similar in features to the Egyptians, Chibran, and their tongue is also not unlike yours, I can understand their speech. Our oldest books, Chibran said, say that we are kindred people, and are Asiatic rather than African in our origin. The people of Mero say that their far-back ancestors came from Arabia, and, first spreading along the western shore of the Red Sea, ascended to the high lands and drove out the black people who inhabited them. As to our own origin, it is vague, but my father has told me that the opinion among those most skilled in the ancient learning is that we, too, came from Arabia. We were not all one people, that is, certain, and it is comparatively of recent years, though a vast time as far as human lives go, that the people of the Thebaad, that is, of Upper Egypt, extended their dominion over Lower Egypt and made the whole country one nation. Even now, you know, the king wears two crowns, the one of Upper Egypt, the other of the Lower Country, along the shores of the Great Sea to the west are Libyans and other peoples similar in race to ourselves. My father considered that the tribes which first came from Asia pressed on to the west, driving back or exterminating the black people. Each fresh wave that came from the east pushed the others further and further, until at last the ancestors of the people of Lower Egypt arrived and settled there. In Mero the temples and religion are similar to our own. Whether they brought that religion from Arabia, or whether we planted it there during our various conquests of the country, I cannot tell you. But certain it is that there is at present but little more difference between Upper Egypt and Mero than there is between Upper Egypt and the Delta. And beyond Mero the people are all black like those we see here. So I believe, Amuba, our merchants penetrate vast distances to the south, exchanging our products for gold and ivory, and everywhere they find the country inhabited by black people living in wretched villages without, as it seems, any government or law or order waging war with each other and making slaves whom they also sell to our merchants. They differ so wholly from us that it is certain that we cannot come from the same stock. But they are strong and active and make excellent slaves. Lying between Mero and the sea, the country called Abyssinia is also inhabited by a race of Arab blood, but differing more from us than those of Mero. They have great towns, but I do not think that their religion is the same as ours. Our traders say that their language can be understood by them, although more rough and unpolished. I have heard my father say that he considered that all the country lying east of the Nile, and of its eastern branch that rises in Abyssinia, and is called the Takazi, belongs to Asia rather than to Africa. The party found that the death by violence of two successive high priests of Osiris was one of the principal topics of conversation in Syene, but none appeared to think that there was the remotest probability of any concern in those occurrences making for the south. However, Jethro thought it prudent that the whole party should not land together, and therefore Amuba and Cebran usually went one way, and he with the girls another. They paid visits to the sacred island of Ebo opposite the town, and to the quarries of Phile four miles away. Here they saw the gangs of slaves cutting colossal statues, obelisks, and shrines from the solid rock. Once the outline was traced on the rock, then the surrounding stone was removed with chisels and wedges, and at last the statue or obelisk was itself severed from the rock. Then it was hewn and sculptured by the masons, placed on rollers, and dragged by hundreds of men down to the landing-place below the rapids, and these placed on rafts to be floated down the river to its destination. They saw many of these masses of stone in all stages of manufacture. The number of slaves employed was enormous, and these in inhabited great buildings erected near the quarries, where also were barracks for the troops who kept guard over them. Watching the slaves at their painful labor, Jethro and Amuba were both filled with gratitude at the good fortune that had placed them with Amaris, instead of sending them to pass their lives in such unceasing and monotonous toil. Among the slaves were several whom, by their complexion and appearance, they judged to be Rebu, as at first all those brought to Egypt had been distributed among the priests and great officers, they supposed that either from obstinacy, misconduct, or from attempts to escape, they had incurred the displeasure of their masters, and had been handed over by them for the service of the state. Had the slaves been in the hands of private masters, Jethro and Amuba, who were filled with pity at seeing their countrymen in such a state, would have endeavored to purchase them and take them with them upon their journey. This was out of the question now, nor was it possible to hold any communication with them, or to present them with a small sum of money to alleviate their misery without exciting suspicion. The whole party were heartily glad when, on the morning of the fourth day after their arrival, the boat was pushed off from the shore, and the work of ascending the rapids began. CHAPTER XVII. The river had begun to rise before they left Thebes, and although it had not yet reached its highest point, a great volume of water was pouring down, and the boatmen assured Jethro that they would be able to ascend the cataract without difficulty, whereas when the Nile was low there was often great danger in passing, and at times indeed no boats could make the passage. Ten men were engaged in addition to the crew to take the boats up beyond the rapids. But though assured that there was no danger, the girls declared that they would rather walk along the bank, for the hurry and rush of the mighty flood, rising sometimes in short, angry waves, were certainly trying to the nerves. Jethro and the lads, of course, accompanied them, and sometimes seized the rope and added their weight when the force of the stream brought the men towing to a standstill, and seemed as if it would, in spite of their efforts, tear the boat from their grasp. At last the top of the rapids was gained, and they were glad to take their places again in the boat as she floated on the quiet water. So a month passed, sometimes taken along by favorable winds, at others being towed along quiet waters close to the shore, at others battling with the furious rapids. They found that the cataract they had first passed was as nothing to those higher up. Here the whole cargo had to be unloaded and carried up to the top of the rapids, and it needed some forty men to drag the empty boat through the turmoil of waters, while often the slightest error on the part of the helmsmen would have caused the boat to be dashed to pieces on the great rocks rising in the midst of the channel. But before arriving at the second cataract they had tarried for several days at Ibskayak, the city to which their crew belonged. They had passed many temples and towns during the hundred and eighty miles of journey between Syene and this place, but this was the largest of them. Here two great grotto temples were in course of construction, the one dedicated to the gods Amun and Frey, and built at the expense of Ramses himself, the other dedicated to Aetor by Lofrei the queen. On these temples were engraved the records of the victories of Ramses over various nations of Africa and Asia. Jethro offered, if the boatmen wished to make a longer stay here, that he would charter another boat to take them further, but they declared their willingness to proceed at the end of a week after their arrival, being well satisfied with their engagement and treatment. After passing the second cataract they arrived at another large town named Bani. This was a very large city and abounded with temples and public buildings. The largest temple was dedicated to Thoth. All along the river a belt of cultivated land extended for some miles back from the bank. This was dotted with numerous villages and there was no difficulty whatever in obtaining food of all kinds. At last they reached Semne, the point to which the boatmen had agreed to take them. This was the furthest boundary to which at that time the Egyptian power extended. The river here took a great bend to the east, then flowing south and afterward again west, forming a great loop. This could be avoided by cutting across the desert to Merawi, a flourishing town which marked the northern limit of the power of Merow, the desert forming a convenient neutral ground between the two kingdoms. Sometimes Egypt under a powerful king carried her arms much further to the south, at other times a war-like monarch of Merow would push back the Egyptian frontier almost to Syene, but as a rule the Nile as far as Semne was regarded as belonging to Egypt. The traders arriving at Semne generally waited until a sufficient number were gathered together to form a strong caravan for mutual protection against the natives inhabiting the desert, who held themselves independent alike of Egypt and of Merow and attacked and plundered parties crossing the desert unless these were so strong and well-armed as to be able to set them at defiance. Erecting two tents and landing their goods and merchandise, Jethro and his party encamped near the riverbank. They had not yet settled whether they would cross the desert or continue their journey by water. The choice between the two routes was open to them, for although the traders usually crossed the desert, taking with them their lighter and more valuable merchandise, the heavier goods made the long detour in boats, going up in large flotillas, both for protection against the natives and for mutual aid in ascending the rapids which had to be encountered. There was no difficulty in hiring another boat, for it was the universal rule to make a transshipment here, as the Egyptian boatmen were unwilling to enter Merow. The transport beyond this point, therefore, was in the hands of the people of this country. In consultation with the traders gathered at Semne, Jethro learned that it was by no means necessary to proceed up the river to the city of Merow and thence eastward through Aksum, the capital of Abyssinia, to the sea, but that a far shorter road existed from the easternmost point of the bend of the river direct to the sea. There were indeed several large Egyptian towns upon the Red Sea, and from these a flourishing trade was carried on with Merow and Abyssinia, and the first merchant to whom Jethro spoke was much surprised to find that he was in ignorance of the existence of the route he had described. The journey, although toilsome, was said to be no more so than that from Merow through Aksum, while the distance to be traversed was small in comparison. After much consultation it was therefore agreed that the best plan was to dispose of the merchandise that they had brought with them to one of the traders about to proceed south, retaining only sufficient for the payment of the men whom it would be necessary to take with them for protection on their journey. Jethro had no difficulty in doing this, alleging as his reason for parting with his goods, that he found that the expenses to Merow would greatly exceed the sum he had calculated upon, and that therefore he had determined to proceed no further. As they thought it best to allow six months from the date of their departure from Thebes to Elapsed before they entered any large Egyptian town, they remained for nearly two months at Semne, and then finding that a flotilla of boats was ready to ascend the river, they made an arrangement with some boatmen for the hire of their craft to the point where they were to leave the river, and again set out on their journey. The difficulties of the journey were very great. After traveling for some sixty miles they came to Rapids more dangerous than any they had passed, and it took the flotilla more than a fortnight passing up them, only four or five boats being taken up each day by the united labours of the whole of the cruise. There was great satisfaction when the last boat had been taken up the Rapids, and there was a general feast that evening among the boatmen. During the whole time they had been engaged in the passage a number of armed scouts had been placed upon the rocky eminences near the bank, for the place had an evil reputation, and attacks were frequently made by the desert tribemen upon those passing up or down upon the river. So far no signs of the presence of hostile natives had been perceived. The usual precautions, however, had been taken. The cargoes had all been carried up by hand, and deposited so as to form a breast work, and as night closed in several sentries were placed to guard against surprise. It had been arranged that the men belonging to the boats each day brought up should that night take sentinel duty, and this evening Jethro, his companions and boatmen were among those on guard. Many of the boats had left Simne before them, and they had been among the last to arrive at the foot of the cataracts, and consequently came up in the last batch. As owners they had been exempt from the labours of dragging up the boats, and had spent much of their time during the enforced delay in hunting, they had obtained dogs and guides from the village at the foot of the cataracts, and had had good sport among the ibex which abounded in the rocky hills. The girls had seldom left their cabin after leaving Simne. There was nothing remarkable in the presence of women in a boat going so far up the river, as many of the traders took their wives on their journeys with them. When, however, they journeyed beyond Simne they left them there until their return, the danger and hardships of the desert journey being too great for them to encounter, and it was therefore thought advisable that the girls should remain in seclusion. Jethro, Amuba, and Chebran were standing together at one of the angles of the encampment when the former suddenly exclaimed, There are men or animals moving on that steep hill opposite. I thought several times I heard the sound of stones being displaced. I certainly heard them then. Then turning round he raised his voice, I can hear sounds on the hill. It were best that all stood to their arms and prepared to resist an attack. In an instant the sound of song and laughter ceased amid the groups assembled round the fires, and each man seized his arms. There was a sharp ringing sound close to Jethro, and stooping he picked up an arrow which had fallen close to him. It is an enemy, he shouted. Draw up close to the breastwork and prepare to receive them. Scatter the fires at once and extinguish the blazing brands. They can see us while themselves invisible. As he spoke a loud and terrible yell rose from the hillside, and a shower of arrows was poured into the encampment. Several men fell, but Jethro's orders were carried out, and the fires promptly extinguished. Stoop down behind the breastwork, Jethro shouted, until they are near enough for you to take aim. Have your spears ready to check their onslaught when they charge. Although Jethro held no position in titling him to command, his orders were as promptly obeyed as if he had been in authority. The men recognized at once by the calmness of his tones that he was accustomed to warfare, and readily yielded to him obedience. In a minute or two a crowd of figures could be seen approaching, and the Egyptians, leaping to their feet, poured in a volley of arrows. The yells and screams which broke forth testified to the execution wrought in the ranks of the enemy, but without a check they still rushed forward. The Egyptians discharged their arrows as fast as they could during the few moments left them, and then, as the natives rushed at the breastwork, they threw down their bows, and grasping the spears, maces, swords, axes, or staves, with which they were armed, boldly met the foe. For a few minutes the contest was doubtful, but encouraged by the shouts of Jethro, whose voice could be heard above the yells of the natives, the Egyptians defended their position with vigor and courage. As fast as the natives climbed over the low breastwork of merchandise, they were either speared or cut down, and after ten minutes fierce fighting their attack ceased as suddenly as it had begun, and as if by magic a dead silence succeeded the den of battle. You have done well, comrades, Jethro said, and defeated our assailants, but we had best stand to arms for a while, for they may return. I do not think they will, for they have found us stronger and better prepared for them than they had expected. Still as we do not know their ways, it were best to remain on our guard. An hour later, as nothing had been heard of the enemy, the fires were relighted and the wounded attended to. Sixteen men had been shot dead by the arrows of the assailants, and some fifty were more or less severely wounded by the same missiles, while eighteen had fallen in the hand-to-hand contest at the breastwork. Thirty-seven natives were found dead inside the breastwork. How many had fallen before the arrows of the defenders the latter never knew, for it was found in the morning that the natives had carried off their killed and wounded who fell outside the enclosure. As soon as the fighting was over, Chebran ran down to the boat to allay the fears of the girls, and assure them that none of their party had received a serious wound, Jethro alone having been hurt by a spear-thrust, which, however, glanced off his ribs, inflicting only a flesh wound, which he treated as of no consequence whatever. Why did not Amuba come down with you? Miza asked. Are you sure that he escaped without injury? I can assure you that he has not been touched, Miza, but we are still on guard, for it is possible that the enemy may return again, although we hope that the lesson has been sufficient for them. Were you frightened, Chebran? I felt a little nervous as they were coming on, but when it came to hand-to-hand fighting I was too excited to think anything about the danger. Besides, I was standing between Jethro and Amuba, and they have fought in great battles, and seemed so quiet and cool that I could scarcely feel otherwise. Jethro took the command of everyone, and the rest obeyed him without question. But now I must go back to my post. Jethro told me to slip away to tell you that we were all safe, but I should not like not to be in my place if they attack again. I have often wondered, Ruth, Miza said, when Chebran had left them, what we should have done if it had not been for Jethro and Amuba. If it had not been for them I should have been obliged to marry Plexo, and Chebran would have been caught and killed at Thebes. They arrange everything, and do not seem afraid in the slightest. I think your brother is brave too, Ruth said, and they always consult with him about their plans. Yes, but it is all they're doing, Miza replied. Chebran, before they came, thought of nothing but reading, and was gentle and quiet. I heard one of the slaves say to another that he was more like a girl than a boy. But being with Amuba has quite altered him. Of course he is not as strong as Amuba, but he can walk and run and shoot an arrow and shoot a javelin at a mark almost as well as Amuba can. Still he has not so much spirit. I think Amuba always speaks decidedly, while Chebran hesitates to give an opinion. But your brother has a great deal more learning than Amuba, and so his opinion ought to be worth more, Miza. Oh yes, if it were about history or science, for anything of that sort of course it would, Ruth, but not about other things. Of course it is natural that they should be different, because Amuba is the son of a king. The son of a king, Ruth repeated in surprise. Yes, I heard it when he first came. Only father said it was not to be mentioned, because if it were known he would be taken away from us and kept as a royal slave at the palace. But he is really the son of a king, and as his father is dead he will be king himself when he gets back to his own country. And Jethro is one of the same people, is he not? Ruth asked. Oh yes, they are both Rabu. I think Jethro is one of the king's warriors. That accounts, Ruth said, for what has often puzzled me. Jethro is much the oldest of our party, and altogether the leader, and yet I have observed that he always speaks to Amuba as if the latter were the chief. I have not noticed that, Miza said, shaking her head, but I do know now that you mention it that he always asked Amuba's opinion before giving his own. I have constantly noticed it, Miza, and I wondered that since he and Amuba were your father's slaves he should always consult Amuba instead of your brother, but I understand now. That accounts too for Amuba giving his opinion so decidedly. Of course in his own country Amuba was accustomed to have his own way. I am glad of that, for I like Amuba very much and it vexed me sometimes to see him settling things when Jethro is so much older. And you think if he ever gets back to his own country he will be king? I am not sure, Miza said doubtfully. Of course he ought to be. I suppose there is some other king now and he might not like to give up to Amuba. I don't suppose we shall ever get there, Ruth said. Amuba said the other day that this country lay a great distance further than the land of my people came from a long time ago. But that is not so very far, Ruth. You said that the caravans went in six or seven days from that part of Egypt where you dwelt to the east of the great sea where your fathers came from. But we are a long way from there, Miza, but if it is only six or seven days journey why did not your people go back again, Ruth? They always hoped to go back some day, Miza, but I don't think your people would have let them go. You see they made them useful for building and cutting canals and other work. Besides other people dwell now in the land they came from and these would not turn out unless they were beaten in battle. My people are not accustomed to fight. Besides, they have stopped so long that they have become as the Egyptians. For the most part they talk your language although some have also preserved the knowledge of their own tongue. They worship your gods and if they were not forced to labor against their will I think now that most of them would prefer to live in ease and plenty in Egypt rather than journey into a strange country of which they know nothing except that their forefathers hundreds of years ago came thence. But here are the others, she broke off as the boat healed suddenly over as someone sprang on board. Now we shall hear more about the fighting. The next day the journey was continued and without further adventure the flotilla arrived at last at the town where the party would leave the river and strike for the coast. Having unloaded their goods and discharged the boat, Jethro hired a small house until arrangements were made for their journey to the sea coast. El Makrif was a place of no great importance. A certain amount of trade was carried on with the coast but most of the merchants trading with Mero preferred the longer but safer route through Aksum. Still parties of travellers passed up and down and took boat there for Mero but there was an absence of the temples and great buildings which had distinguished every town they had passed between Thebes and Semne. Jethro upon inquiry found that there were wells at the camping places along the whole route. The people were wild and savage, the Egyptian power extending only from the seashore to the foot of the hills, some fifteen miles away. Occasionally expeditions were got up to punish the tribesmen for their raids upon the cultivated land of the coast, but it was seldom that the troops should come upon them for, knowing every foot of the mountains, these eluded all search by their heavy armed adversaries. Jethro found that the custom was for merchants travelling across this country to pay a fixed sum in goods for the rite of passage. There were two chiefs claiming jurisdiction over the road and a messenger was at once dispatched to the nearest of these with the offer of the usual payment and a request for an escort. A week later four wild-looking figures presented themselves at the house and stated that they were ready to conduct the travellers through their chief's territory. Jethro had already made arrangements with the headman of the place to furnish him with twelve men to carry the provisions necessary for the journey, and upon the following morning the party started, and Miza and Ruth assumed the garb of boys, Jethro finding that although traders might bring up the ladies of their family to Semne, or even take them higher up the river in boats, they would never think of exposing them to the fatigue of a journey across the mountains, and that the arrival of two girls at the Egyptian town on the sea would therefore assuredly attract remark, and possibly inquiry, on the part of the authorities. For the first few hours the girls enjoyed the change of travelling after the long confinement on the boat, but long before nightfall they longed for the snug cushions and easy life they had left behind. The bearers, heavy laden as they were, proceeded at a steady pace that taxed the strength of the girls to keep up with after the first few miles were passed. The heat of the sun was intense, the country after a short distance had been passed became barren and desolate. They did not suffer from thirst, for an ample supply of fruit was carried by one of the bearers, but their limbs ached and their feet unused to walking became tender and painful. Can we not stop for a while, Jethro? Miza asked, beseechingly, Jethro shook his head. We must keep on to the wells, they are two hours further yet. They told us at starting that the first day's journey was six hours steady walking. Miza was about to say that she could walk no further, when Ruth whispered in her ear, We must not give way, Miza, you know we promised that if they would take us with them we would go through all difficulties and dangers without complaining. The admonition had its effect, Miza felt ashamed that she had been on the point of giving way on the very first day of their starting on their real journey, and struggled bravely on, but both girls were utterly exhausted by the time they arrived at the wells. They felt rewarded, however, for their sufferings by the hearty commendation Jethro bestowed upon them. You have held on most bravely, he said, for I could see you were terribly fatigued. I am afraid you will find it very hard work just at first, but after that it will be more easy to you. Jethro's journey is a shorter one. It was well that it was so, for the girls were limping even at the start and needed the assistance of Jethro and the boys to reach the next halting-place, and as soon as the tent, which was separated into two parts by hangings, was erected, they dropped upon their cushions, feeling that they could never get through another day's suffering like that they had just passed. Jethro saw that this was so, and told their escort that he must halt next day, for that his young sons had been so long in the boat that the fatigue had quite overcome them, he accompanied the intimation with a present to each of the four men. They offered no objections, while the porters who were paid by the day were well contented with the halt. The days rest greatly benefited the girls, but it was not long enough to be of any utility to their feet. These however they wrapped in bandages, and started in good spirits when the porters took up the loads. They were now following the course of what in wet weather was a stream in the mountains. Sometimes the hills on either side receded a little, at others they rose almost perpendicularly on either side of the stream, and they had to pick their way among great boulders and rocks. This sort of walking, however, tired the girls less than progressing along a level. Their feet were painful, but the soft bandages in which they were enveloped hurt them far less than the sandals in which they had at first walked, and they arrived at the halting-place in much better condition than on the previous occasions. The worst is over now, Jethro said to them, encouragingly. You will find each day's work come easier to you. You have stood it far better than I expected, and I feel more hopeful now that we shall reach the end of our journey in safety than I have done since the evening when I first agreed to take you with us. While passing through some of the ravines the party had been greatly amused by the antics of troops of apes. Sometimes these sat tranquilly on the hillside, the elder gravely surveying the little caravan, the younger frisking about perfectly unconcerned. Sometimes they would accompany them for a considerable distance, making their way along the rough stones of the hillside at a deliberate pace, but yet keeping up with the footmen below. As the ape was a sacred animal in Egypt, Miza was gladdened by their sight and considered it a good omen for the success of their journey. The men who escorted them told them that if undisturbed the apes never attack travelers, but if molested they would at once attack in a body, with such a fury that even four or five travelers together would have but little chance of escape with their lives. During the first week's journey they saw no other animals, although at night they heard the cries of hyenas, who often came close up to the encampment, and once or twice a deep roar which their guide told them was that of a lion. On the seventh day, however, soon after they had started upon their march, the sound of breaking branches was heard among some trees a short distance up the hillside, and immediately afterward the heads of four or five great beasts could be seen above the mimosa bushes which extended from the wood to the bottom of the hill. The bearers gave a cry of terror, and throwing down their loads took to their heels. The four men of the escort stood here resolute, although none of Jethro's party had ever before seen an elephant, they knew from pictures and carvings, and from the great statues in the island of Elephanta what these great creatures were. Will they attack us? Jethro asked the men. They do not often do so, one of them replied, although at times they come down and waste the fields round villages and will sometimes slay any they come across, but it is best to get out of their way. Jethro pointed out a few of the more valuable packages, and taking these up they entered the bushes on the other slope of the hill and made their way among them as far as they could. This was, however, but a short distance, for they were full of sharp thorns and offered terrible obstacles to passage. All of the party received severe scratches, and their garments suffered much in making their way but twenty yards into the bush. That will do, Jethro said. We shall be torn to pieces if we go further, and we are as much concealed from sight here as we should be another hundred yards further. I will see what they are doing. Standing up and looking cautiously through the screen of feathery leaves, Jethro saw that the elephants were standing immovable, their great ears were erected, and their trunks outstretched as if senting the air. After two or three minutes' hesitation they continued to descend the hill. Are they afraid of man, Jethro asked one of the escort. Sometimes they are seized with a panic and fly at the approach of a human being, but if attacked they will charge any number without hesitation. Do you ever hunt them? Sometimes, but always with a great number of men. It is useless to shoot arrows at them. The only way is to crawl out behind and cut the back sinews of their legs. It needs a strong man and a sharp sword, but it can be done. Then they are helpless, but even then it is a long work to dispatch them. Generally we drive them from our villages by lighting great fires and making noises. Solitary elephants are more dangerous than a herd. I have known one of them killer dozen men, seizing some in his trunk and throwing them in the air as high as the top of a lofty tree, dashing others through the ground and kneeling upon them until every bone is crushed to pieces. The elephants had now reached the bottom of the valley, and the chief of the escort held up his hand for perfect silence. All were prepared to fight if the elephants pursued them into the bushes, for further retreat was impossible. Amuba and Chebran had fitted their arrows into the bow strings and loosened their swords in the scabbards. The four natives had drawn the short heavy swords they carried, while Jethro grasped the axe that was his favorite weapon. Remember, he had whispered to the boys, the back sinews of the legs are the only useful point to aim at, if they advance, separate, and if they make toward the girls try to get behind them and hamstring them. There was a long pause of expectation. The elephants could be heard making a low snorting noise with their trunks, and Jethro at last raised himself sufficiently to look through the bushes at what was going on. The elephants were examining the bundles that had been thrown down. I believe that they are eating up our food, he whispered as he sat down again. Half an hour elapsed, and then there was a sound of breaking the bushes. Jethro again looked out. Thank the gods, he exclaimed, they are going off again. Trampling down the mimosa thicket, as if it had been grass, the elephants ascended the opposite hill, and at last re-entered the wood from which they had first emerged. The fugitives waited for a quarter of an hour and then made their way out again from the thicket. Jethro cutting a path with his axe through the thorns. An exclamation of surprise broke from them as they gained the open ground. The whole of their stores were tossed about in the wildest confusion. Every one of the packages had been opened. Tents, garments, and carpets hung upon the bushes as if the animals had tossed them contemptuously there, as being unfit to eat. Everything eatable had disappeared. The fruit, grain, and vegetables had been completely cleared up. Tents of wine were bursted, but the contents had been apparently appreciated, for none remained in the hollows of the rocks. What greedy creatures, Miza exclaimed indignantly, they have not left us a single thing. They do not often get a chance of such dainty feeding, Amuba said. I don't think we ought to blame them, especially as they do not seem to have done very much damage to our other goods. Look how they have trampled down the bushes as they went through. I wish their skins were as thin as mine, Miza said, as she wiped away the blood from a deep scratch on her cheek. They would keep up in their own woods then and not come down to rob travelers. At any rate, Miza, we ought to feel indebted to them, Chebran said, for not having pushed their investigations further, we should have had no chance either of escape or resistance in these bushes. Jethro told us to move round and attack them from behind, but moving round in these thorns is all very well to talk about, but quite impossible to do. Two minutes of active exercise and there would not be a morsel of flesh left on one's bones. It was two or three hours before the bearers came back one by one. They were assailed with fierce reproaches by Jethro for the cowardice which had been the means of losing all the provisions. Four of their number were at once paid off and sent back, as there was no longer anything for them to carry. The others would have left also had it not been for the escort, who threatened death if they did not at once take up their burdens and proceed. Or Jethro had been liberal with his stores, and they were as indignant as he was himself at the sudden stoppage of their rations. Three days later they arrived at a small village which marked the commencement of the territory of the second chief through whose country the road ran. Here the escort and carriers left them, their place being supplied by natives of the village. There was no difficulty in obtaining a supply of grain and goat's milk cheese, but these were a poor substitute for the stores that the elephants had devoured. They were too glad, however, at having accomplished half the toilsome journey to murmur at trifles, and after a day's halt proceeded on their way. Another fortnight's travel and they stood on the lower slopes of the hills, and saw across a wide belt of flat country the expanse of the sea glistening in the sun. Two more days' journey and they reached the Egyptian trading station. This was situated on a little peninsula connected with the mainland by a narrow neck of land across which a massive wall had been built to repulse the attacks of the wild tribesmen who frequently swept down and devastated the cultivated fields up to the very wall. As soon as they entered the town Jethra was ordered by an official to accompany him to the house of the governor. Taking Chabron with him he left it to Amuba to arrange for the use of a small house during their stay. The governor's inquiries were limited to the state of the country, the behavior of the tribesmen along the road, the state of the wells, and the amount of provisions obtainable along the line of route. There are a party of Arab traders from the other side who wish to pass up to carry their goods either to Simne or Mero, but I have detained them until news should reach me from above, for if any wrong should happen to them their countrymen might probably enough hold us responsible for their deaths, and this might lead to quarrels and loss of trade. But since you have passed through with so small a party there can be no fear, and they can arrange with the people who brought you down as to the amount to be paid to the chiefs for free passage. He inquired Jethro's reason for making the journey over the mountains instead of proceeding by the Nile. He replied that he had received an advantageous offer for all his merchandise, and had disposed of it to a trader going up to Mero, and that as the Nile had now fallen and the danger in passing down the cataracts was considerable, he thought it better to make the short land journey and to travel by sea to lower Egypt, especially as he was told that the natives were now friendly, and that no difficulty would be met with on the way. Another reason for his choosing that route was that he might determine whether on his next venture it would not be more advantageous to bring down his merchandise by ship and start from the seashore for Mero. Undoubtedly it would be better, the Governor said, but it were wiser to sail another two days' journey down the coast and then to journey by way of Aksum. A week's rest completely recruited the strength of the girls, and Jethro then engaged a passage in a trading-ship which was going to touch at various small ports on its way north. CHAPTER XVIII The desert journey. The journey was a long one. The winds were often so light that the vessels scarcely moved, and the heat was greater than anything they had felt during their journey. They stopped at many small ports on the Arabian side, the captain trading with the natives, selling to them articles of Egyptian manufacture and buying the products of the country for sale in Egypt. The party had, before starting, arranged that they would land at Ilana, a town lying at the head of the Gulf of the same name, forming the eastern arm of the Red Sea. By so doing they would avoid the passage through lower Egypt. The question had not been decided without long debate. By crossing from Arsino to Pelusium, they would at the latter port be able to obtain a passage in a Phoenician trader to a port in the north of Syria, and there strike across Asia Minor for the Caspian. Jethro was in favor of this route, because it would save the girls the long and arduous journey up through Syria. They however made light of this, and declared their readiness to undergo any hardships rather than to run the risk of the whole party being discovered either upon landing at Arsino or on their journey north, when they would pass through the very country that Amuba and Cebran had visited, and that was inhabited by Ruth's people. All allowed that the time had long since passed when the authorities would be keeping up a special watch for them, but as upon entering port a scribe would come on board and make a list of the passengers with their place of birth and vocation for registration in the official records, it would be difficult in the extreme to give such answers as would avoid exciting suspicion. When the vessel reached the mouth of the long and narrow gulf the party were struck by the grandeur of the mountains that rose from the water's edge on their left. The captain told them that the chief of these was known as Mount Sinai, and that Baran and Desalet as the land looked, it contained valleys where sheep were pastured and where wandering tribes found a subsistence. No hint had been given to the captain that they had any intention of cutting short their voyage before arriving at Arsino, for it would have seemed an extraordinary proceeding for a trader journeying with his family to leave the ship at any of the Arabian ports. While sailing up the gulf Miza complained of illness, and indeed so overpowered was she by the heat that there was but little fiction in the complaint. Upon arriving at Elana Jethro had her carried on shore, and hiring a house there stayed on shore while the ship was in port. There was a small Egyptian garrison in the town which carried on a considerable trade with Moab and the country to the east. No attention, however, was paid to the landing of the traders, for as the country beyond the walls of the town lay beyond the limit of Egyptian rule, the landing and departure of persons at the port was a matter of no interest to the authorities. Two days later Jethro went on board again and said that his young son was so ill that there was no chance of him being able to proceed on the journey, and that therefore he must forfeit the passage money paid to Arseno. He said that as it might be many weeks before another vessel would come along he should endeavor to pay his way by trading with the natives, and he therefore wished to purchase from him a portion of his remaining goods suitable for the purpose. As the captain saw that he would save the provisions for five persons for the month or six weeks that the voyage would yet last, and at the same time get rid of some of his surplus cargo he assented without question to Jethro's proposal. All bales of goods were made up, consisting principally of cloths of various texture and color of Egyptian manufacture, trinkets, and a selection of arms. These were landed, and two days later the vessel set sail. Jethro called upon the Egyptian commandant, and by making him a handsome present at once enlisted his aid in his enterprise. He said that as he had been detained by the illness of his son, and it might be a long time before any vessel came, he thought of getting rid of the rest of the merchandise he had brought with him by trade with the people of Moab. That you can do if you reach Moab, the Egyptian said, for traders are everywhere well received, but the journey from here is not without dangers. It is a country without a master. The people have no fixed abodes, moving here and there according as they can find food for their animals, sometimes among the valleys of Sinai, sometimes in the desert to the east. These people plunder any whom they may come across, and not content with plunder might slay or carry you away as slaves. Once you have passed through as far as Moab you are safe, as you would also be if you journeyed to the west of the Salt Lake into which runs the river Jordan. There are many tribes there, all living in cities, warlike and valorous people, among whom also you would be safe. We have had many wars with them, and not always to our advantage, but between us is a sort of truce. They do not molest our armies marching along by the sea coast, or do we go up among their hills to meddle with them. These are the people who at one time conquered a portion of lower Egypt, and reigned over it for many generations until, happily, we rose and drove them out. Is the journey between this and the Salt Lake you speak of an arduous one? It is by no means difficult, except that it were best to carry water upon the journey, for the wells are few and often dry, but the country is flat for the whole distance. Indeed, there is a tradition that this gulf at one time extended as far north as the Salt Lake. The road, therefore, although stony and rough, offers no difficulties whatever, but I should advise you, if you determine upon the journey, to leave your son behind. It is better for him to travel than to remain here without me, Jethro said, and if we go up through the people you speak of to the west of this lake and river, it would be but a short journey for us after disposing of our goods, to make our way down to a port on the Great Sea, whence we may take ship and return quickly to Pelusium, and thus arrive home before we should find a ship to take us hence. That is so, the Egyptian said. The winds are so uncertain on these seas, that, as far as time goes, you might journey by the route you propose and reach Egypt more speedily than you would do if you went on board a ship at once. The danger lies almost entirely in the first portion of your journey, the caravans that go hence once or twice a year through Moab to Palmyra are numerous and well armed, and capable of resisting an attack by these robber tribesmen, but one left a few weeks ago, and it may be some months before another starts. What animals would you recommend me to take with me? Beyond all doubt, camels are the best. They are used but little in this country, but come down sometimes with the caravans from Palmyra, and I believe that there is at present in the town an Arab who possesses six or seven of them. He came down with the last caravan but was taken ill and unable to return with it. Doubtless you could make a bargain with him. I will send a soldier with you to the house he occupies. Jethro found that the man was anxious to return to his own country, which lay on the borders of media, and therefore directly in the direction which Jethro wished to travel. He was, however, unwilling to undertake the journey except with a caravan, having intended to wait for the next however long the time might be. But the sum that Jethro offered him for the hire of his animals as far as Palmyra at last induced him to consent to make the journey at once, bargaining, however, that a party of ten armed men should be hired as an escort as far as the borders of Moab. Highly pleased with the result of his inquiries, Jethro returned home and told his companions the arrangements he had made. I have only arranged for our journey as far as Palmyra, he said. As it would have raised suspicion had I engaged him for the whole journey to media, but, of course, he will gladly continue the arrangement for the whole journey. He has bargained for an escort of ten men, but we will take twenty. There is ample store of your father's gold still unexhausted, and indeed we have spent but little yet for the sale of our goods when we left the boat paid all our expenses of the journey up the Nile. Therefore, as this seems to be the most hazardous part of our journey, we will not stint money in performing it in safety. I have told him that we shall start in a week's time. It would not do to leave earlier. You must not recover too rapidly from your illness. In the meantime I will make it my business to pick out a score of good fighting men as our escort. In this the Egyptian captain was of use, recommending men whose families resided in Ilana, and would therefore be hostages for their fidelity. This was necessary, for no small portion of the men to be met with in the little town were native tribesmen who had encamped at a short distance from its walls, and had come in to trade in horses or the wool of their flocks for the clods of Egypt. Such men as these would have been a source of danger rather than of protection. By the end of the week he had collected a party of twenty men, all of whom were to provide their own horses. The sum agreed upon for their escort was to be paid into the hands of the Egyptian officer, who was to hand it to them on their return, with a document signed by Jethro to the effect that they had faithfully carried out the terms of their agreement. Jethro found that the expense of the escort was less than he had anticipated, for when the men found that the party would be a strong one, therefore capable of protecting itself both on the journey out and on its return, they demanded but a moderate sum for their services. When the owner of the camels learned that they had decided positively to pass to the east of the Salt Lake, he advised them strongly, instead of following the valley of Ilana to the Salt Lake, where it would be difficult to obtain water, to take the road to the east of the range of hills skirting the valleys, and so to proceed through Petra and Shobak and Karik to Hezbon in Moab. This was the route followed by all the caravans, villages would be found at very short distances, and there was no difficulty whatever about water. Mike Camels, he said, can go long distances without water and could take the valley route, but the horses would suffer greatly. Jethro was glad to hear that the journey was likely to be less toilsome than he had anticipated, and all the arrangements having been concluded the party started soon after dawn on the day at first fixed upon. The girls were still in mail attire and rode in large baskets slung one on each side of a camel. The camel driver walked at the head of the animal, leading it by a cord. Its fellows followed in a long line, each fastened to the one before it. Jethro, Amuba, and Chabran, all armed with bows and arrows, as well as swords, rode beside the girl's camel. Half the escort went on ahead, the other half formed the rearguard. Which is the most dangerous part of the journey, Jethro asked the camel driver. That on which we are now entering, he replied, once we arrive at Petra we are comparatively safe, but this portion of the journey passes over a rough and uninhabited country, and it is across this line that the wandering tribesmen pass in their journeys to or from the pastures round Mount Sinai. The steep hills on our left format once a hiding place and a lookout. There they can watch for travelers passing along this road and swoop down upon them. How long shall we be reaching Petra? It is three days' fair travelling, but as the beasts are fresh by journeying well on to sundown we could accomplish it in two days. After that we can travel at our ease, the villages lie but a few miles apart. Let us push on then by all means, said Jethro, we can stay a day at Petra to rest the beasts, but let us get through this desolate and dangerous country as soon as we can. The girls had been greatly amused at first by the appearance of the strange animal that was carrying them, but they soon found that the swinging action was extremely fatiguing and they would have gladly got down and walked. Jethro, however, said that this could not be for the pace of the animal, deliberate though it seemed, was yet too great for them to keep up with on foot, and it was needful for the first two days to push on at full speed. The sun blazed with tremendous force and was reflected from the black rock of the hills and the white sand lying between the stones that everywhere strewed the plain along which they were travelling and the heat was terrible. After travelling for three hours they halted for an hour and Jethro managed, with the poles that had been brought to form the framework of tents and some cloths, to fasten an awning over the baskets in which the girls were riding. The camels had lain down as soon as they halted and the girls stepped into the baskets before they arose. They gave a simultaneous cry as the animal rose. They had prepared for him to rise on his forelegs and when his hind quarter suddenly rose in the air they were almost drawn from their baskets. I don't like this creature a bit, Miza said as they moved on. Who would suppose that he was going to get up the wrong way first? Besides, why does he keep on grumbling? I am sure that Ruth and I cannot be such a very heavy load for such a great beast. I believe he would have bit us as we got in if the driver had not jerked the rope at its head. It must be much nicer to sit on a horse. I am sure that looks easy enough. It is not so easy as it looks, Miza, Jebron replied. Besides, you know women never do ride horses. They do in our country, Amuba said. When we get there, Miza, I will teach you how to sit on them. Ah, it is a long way off, Amuba, Miza replied. And I believe this creature has made up his mind to shake us to pieces as soon as he can. You should not try to sit stiff, Jethro said. Sit quite easily and sway backward and forward with the motion of the basket. You will soon get accustomed to it and will find that there long you will be able to sleep as if in a cradle. They travelled on until the sun was just sinking and then prepared to camp for the night. They had brought with them several skins of water and from these a scanty drink was given to each of the horses. A few handfuls of grain were also served out to each. The drivers stuck their spears firmly into the ground and to these fastened them. The camels were made to kneel down so as to form a square. In the center of this the tent was pitched for the girls, the horses being arranged in a circle outside. The men had all brought with them flat cakes and with these and a handful of dates they made their meal, and there was no occasion for lighting a fire, for Jethro's party had brought an ample store of cooked provisions for their own use. In a short time quiet reigned in the camp. The journey had been a hot and fatiguing one, and the men wrapping themselves in their cloaks lay down, each by his spear, and were soon asleep, with the exception of four who took their posts as sentries. Jethro had agreed with Amuba and Chebran that they also would divide the night between them, taking it by turns to keep watch. The men of the escort were, however, of opinion that there was very little probability of any attack before morning, even had they then watched by a party among the hills. They could hardly hope to take us by surprise, for they would be sure that we should set a watch in the darkness. They could not make their way down the hills without some noise. Besides, they believed that the powers of evil are potent at night, and seldom stir out of their camps after dark. If we are attacked at all, it is likely to be just before sunrise. Jethro had therefore arranged that Chebran should keep the first watch, Amuba the second, and that he himself would take charge four hours before daylight. The night passed without any cause for alarm. As soon as daylight broke the camp was a stir. Another ration of water and grain was served out to the horses, a hasty meal was made by the men, and just as the sun rose the cavalcade moved on. They had journeyed but half a mile, when from behind a spur of the hills running out in the plain a large party was seen to issue forth. There must have been fully a hundred of them, of whom some twenty were mounted and the rest on foot. The travellers halted and had a short consultation. Jethro with one of the escorts then rode out to meet the advancing party, waving a white cloth in token of amity. Two of the Arabs rode forward to meet them. It was some time before Jethro returned to the party, who were anxiously awaiting the termination of the colloquy. What do they say, Jethro? Amuba asked as he rode up. He says to begin with that we ought to have purchased from him the right of travelling across the country. I said that I would gladly have paid a moderate sum had I been aware that such was required, but that as he was not in Ilana I could not tell that he claimed such a right. At the same time I was ready to make an offer of four rolls of Egyptian cloth. He rejected the offer with scorn, and after a long conversation let me know pretty plainly that he intended to take all our goods and animals, and that we might think ourselves fortunate in being allowed to pursue our way on foot. I said that I would consult my friends, that if they agreed to his terms we would keep the white flag flying. If we refused them we would lower it. When you may as well lower it at once, Jethro, Amuba said, we might as well be killed at once as be plundered of all we possess by these Arab rascals. Besides, as there are twenty-three of us, and all well armed, we ought to be able to cut our way through them. At the worst the girls could mount behind us, and we could make a circuit so as to avoid the footmen, and if the horsemen ventured to attack us we could soon give a good account of them. Yes, but we should lose our seven camel loads of goods, but we shall want them for trade as we go along, Jethro said. I propose that we should form the camels into a square, as we did last night, that you two and six of the men armed with bows and arrows shall occupy it, and take care of the girls, while the rest of us charge the Arabs. If we can defeat the horsemen it is probable that the men on foot will draw off, but while we are doing so some of those on foot may rush forward and attack you. We will take care not to pursue, and you can rely upon our coming to your assistance as soon as you are attacked. I think that is the best plan, Jethro, we can keep them off for some time with our bows and arrows, for certainly Chebran and I can bring down a man with each shot at a hundred yards. Jethro chose six of the men who professed themselves to be good archers. Their horses' legs were tied and the animals thrown down just outside the square formed by the kneeling camels. Strict instructions were given to the girls to lie down, and the saddles and bales were arranged outside the camels to shield them from missiles. Then when all was prepared the white flag was lowered, and Jethro with his fourteen men rode at full gallop against the Arabs. Trusting to their somewhat superior numbers the Arab horsemen advanced to meet them, but Jethro's party obeying his orders to keep in a close line together with their spears leveled in front of them rode right over the Arabs who came up singly and without order. Men and horses rolled over together, several of the former transfixed by the spears of the horsemen. Jethro called upon his men to halt and turned upon the Arabs. Some of the latter fled toward the footmen who were running up to their assistance, but were pursued and cut down. Others fought to the last silently and desperately, but these two were slain. As soon as the footmen approached they opened fire with slings and stones. Jethro rallied his men and formed them in line again, and at their head charged the Arabs. The latter fought steadily, giving way for a moment they closed in round the little party of horsemen, throwing their javelins and hacking at them with their swords. Jethro spurred his horse into their midst, dealing blows right and left with his heavy axe. His followers pressed after him, and after hard fighting cut their way through their opponents. Again and again the maneuver was repeated, the resistance of the Arabs weakening as most of their best men had fallen while the large shields carried by the horsemen repelled the greater part of the missiles they hurled at them. Another minute or two and the Arabs broke and fled from the hills, leaving over twenty of their number on the ground, in addition to the whole of their mounted men. Jethro had now time to look round, and saw for the first time that he had not, as he supposed, been engaged with the whole of the enemy's party. While some fifty of them had attacked him, the rest had made direct for the camels, and were now gathered in a mass around them. With a shout to his men to follow him, Jethro galloped at full speed toward the Arabs, and with a shout flung himself upon them, clearing his way through them with his axe. He was but just in time. A desperate conflict was raging across the camels. At one point several of the Arabs had broken into the square, and these were opposed by Amoba, Chebran, and one of the men, while the others still held back the Arabs on the other side. The arrival of Jethro, followed closely by the rest of his men, instantly put a stop to the conflict. The Arabs no longer thought of attacking, but with cries of dismay started for the hills, hotly pursued by the horsemen, who followed them until they reached the foot of the rocks. As soon as the Arabs gained their fastnesses they again betook themselves to their slings, and the horsemen fell back to the camels. Jethro had not joined in the pursuit, but as soon as the Arabs fled had leaped from his horse. You were almost too late, Jethro, Amoba said. I was indeed, Jethro replied. I thought that I was engaged with the whole of the footmen, and in the heat of the fight did not notice that a party had moved off to attack you. You are terribly hurt, I fear, both you and Chebran. Are both the girls unharmed? Miza and Ruth had both risen to their feet as soon as the attack ceased. We are both safe, Miza replied, but oh how terribly you are hurt, both of you, and Jethro too is wounded. My wound is nothing, Jethro said. Let us look to those of Chebran first, for Chebran had sat down against one of the camels. Do not be alarmed, Chebran said faintly. I think it is only loss of blood. My shield covered my body. Now girls, Jethro said, do you get beyond the camels, open one of the bales of cloth, and set to work tearing it up in strips for bandages. I will look after these two. After an examination of their wounds, Jethro was able to say that he did not think that any of them would have very serious consequences. Both had been wounded in the leg with javelins, the side of Chebran's face was laid open by a sword-cut, and the spear had cut through the flesh and grazed the ribs on the right side. Amuba's most serious wound had been inflicted by a javelin thrown at him sideways. This had passed completely through his back under both shoulder blades and had broken off there. Jethro cut off the ragged end, and taking hold of the point protruding behind the left arm, drew the shaft through. Then taking some of the bandages from the girls, he bound up all the wounds, and then proceeded to examine those of the men who were already occupied in stanching the flow of blood from their comrades' wounds. It was found that one of the defenders of the square was dead and three others severely wounded. Of Jethro's party, two had fallen and all had received wounds more or less severe. Had it not been for the shields that covered their bodies, few would have emerged alive from the conflict. But these gave them an immense advantage over the Arabs who carried no such means of protection. The owner of the camels had escaped unhurt, having remained during the fight hidden under some bales. As soon as the wounds were all bandaged and a drink of wine and water had been served out to each, the camels were unbound and permitted to rise. Three of the men most seriously wounded, being unable to sit on their horses, were placed on the bales carried by camels, and the party again set out. It was well that they were obliged to proceed at the pace of the camels, for several men could scarcely sit their horses, and could not have done so at a pace exceeding a walk. Now, Amuba, let us hear about your fight, Jethro said. I have not had time to ask a question yet. There is not to tell, Amuba said. We saw you charged down upon their horsemen and destroyed them and then ride into the middle of their foot. At once a party of about thirty strong detached themselves and made straight for us. As soon as they came within range of our arrows we began. I shot four before they reached us, and I think Chebran did the same. But the men with us shot but poorly, and I do not think that they can have killed more than seven or eight between them. However, altogether, that accounted for about half their number, and there were only about fifteen who got up to a hand-to-hand fight with us. For a bit aided by our breastwork we kept them out, but at last they managed to spring over, and although we were doing our best and several of them had fallen, we had been wounded, and it would have gone very hard with us in another minute or two if you had not come up to the rescue. Now let us hear what you were doing. Jethro then described the encounter he and his party had had with the footmen. They fight well, these Arabs, he said, and it was well for us that we all carried shields, for had we not done so they would have riddled us with their javelins. As you see I had a narrow escape, for had that dart that went through my ear been an inch or two to the right it would have pierced my eye. I have two or three nasty gashes with their swords on the legs, and I think that most of the other men came out worse than I did. It was lucky that they did not strike at the horses, but I suppose they wanted them, and so avoided inflicting injury on them. However, it has been a tough fight, and we are well out of it. I hope I shall not be called on to use my battle-axe again until I am fighting in the ranks of the Rehbu.