"Has my father left commands to me?" inquired he.

"He begged thee only to remember him, but he said to the supreme council, 'I leave you my heir, who is a lion and an eagle in one person; obey him, and he will elevate Egypt to incomparable power.'"

"Dost thou think that the priests will obey me?"

"Remember," answered the queen, "that the device of the pharaoh is a serpent, and a serpent means prudence, which is silent, and no one knows when it will bite mortally. If thou take time as thy confederate, thou wilt accomplish everything."

"Herhor is tremendously haughty. To-day he dared to put on the mitre of the holy Amenhotep. Of course I commanded him to set it aside. I will remove him from the government,--him and certain members of the supreme council."

The queen shook her head.

"Egypt is thine," said she, "and the G.o.ds have endowed thee with great wisdom. Were it not for that, I should fear terribly a struggle with Herhor."

"I do not dispute with him; I remove him."

"Egypt is thine," repeated the queen, "but I fear a struggle with the priests. It is true that thy father, who was mild beyond measure, has made those men insolent, but it is not wise to bring them to despair through severity. Besides, think of this: Who will replace them in counsel? They know everything that has been, that is, and that will be on earth and in heaven; they know the most secret thoughts of mankind, and they direct hearts as the wind directs tree leaves. Without them thou wilt be ignorant not only of what is happening in Tyre and Nineveh, but even in Thebes and Memphis."

"I do not reject their wisdom, but I want service," answered the pharaoh. "I know that their understanding is great, but it must be controlled so that it may not deceive, and it must be directed lest it ruin the State. Tell me thyself, mother, what they have done with Egypt in the course of thirty years? The people suffer want, or are in rebellion; the army is small, the treasury is empty, and meanwhile two months' distance from us a.s.syria is increasing like dough containing leaven, and to-day is forcing on us treaties."

"Do as may please thee, but remember that the device of a pharaoh is a serpent, and a serpent is silence and discretion."

"Thou speakest truth, mother, but believe me, at certain times daring is better than prudence. The priests planned, as I know to-day, that the Libyan war should last entire years. I finished it in the course of a few days, and only because every day I took some mad but decisive step-- If I had not rushed to the desert against them, which by the way was a great indiscretion, we should have the Libyans outside Memphis at this moment."

"I know that thou didst hunt down Tehenna, and that Typhon caught thee," said the queen. "O hasty child, thou didst not think of me."

He smiled.

"Be of good heart," replied Rameses. "When the pharaoh is in battle, at his left and his right hand stands Amon. Who then can touch him?"

He embraced the queen once more and departed.

CHAPTER LI

The immense suite of his holiness had remained in the hall of attendance, but as if split into two parts. On one side were Herhor, Mefres, and some high priests superior in years; on the other were all the generals, civil officials, and a majority of the younger priests.

The eagle glance of the pharaoh saw in one instant this division of dignitaries, and in the heart of the young sovereign joyous pride was kindled.

"And here I have gained a victory without drawing my sword," thought Rameses.

The dignitaries drew away farther and more distinctly from Herhor and Mefres, for no one doubted that the two high priests, till then the most powerful persons in the state, had ceased to possess the favor of the new pharaoh.

Now the sovereign went to the hall of refection, where he was astonished first of all by the mult.i.tude of serving priests and the number of the dishes.

"Have I to eat all this?" inquired he, without hiding his amazement.

The priest who inspected the kitchen explained to the pharaoh that the dishes not used by his holiness went as offerings to the dynasty.

And while speaking he indicated the statues placed in line along the hall.

Rameses gazed at the statues, which looked as if no one had made them an offering; next at the priests, who were as fresh of complexion as if they had eaten everything presented; then he asked for beer, also the bread used by warriors, and garlic.

The elder priest was astonished, but he repeated the order to the younger one. The younger hesitated, but repeated the command to the serving men and women. The servants at the first moment did not believe their own ears, but a quarter of an hour later they returned terrified, and whispered to the priests that there was no warriors'

bread nor garlic.

The pharaoh smiled and gave command that from that day forth there should not be a lack of simple food in his kitchen. Then he ate a pigeon, a morsel of wheaten cake, and drank some wine.

He confessed in spirit that the food was well prepared and the wine exquisite. He could not free himself from the thought, however, that the court kitchen must swallow immense sums of money.

Having burnt incense to his ancestors, the pharaoh betook himself to his cabinet to hear reports from ministers.

Herhor came first. He bent down before his lord much lower than he had when greeting him, and congratulated Rameses on his victory at the Soda Lakes with great enthusiasm.

"Thou didst rush," said he, "holiness, on the Libyans like Typhon on the miserable tents of wanderers through the desert. Thou hast won a great battle with very small losses, and with one blow of thy divine sword hast finished a war, the end of which was unseen by us common men."

The pharaoh felt his dislike toward the minister decreasing.

"For this cause," continued the high priest, "the supreme council implores thee, holiness, to appoint ten talents' reward to the valiant regiments. Do thou, as supreme chief, permit that to thy name be added 'The Victorious.'"

Counting on the youth of the pharaoh, Herhor exaggerated in flattery.

Rameses recovered from his delight and replied on a sudden,--

"What wouldst thou add to my name had I destroyed the a.s.syrian army and filled our temples with the riches of Nineveh and Babylon?"

"So he is always dreaming of that?" thought the high priest.

The pharaoh, as if to confirm Herhor's fears, changed the subject.

"How many troops have we?" asked he.

"Here in Memphis?"

"No, in all Egypt."

"Thou hadst ten regiments, holiness," answered Herhor. "The worthy Nitager on the eastern boundary has fifteen. There are ten on the south, for Nubia begins to be disturbed; five are garrisoned throughout the country."

"Forty altogether," said Rameses, after some thought. "How many warriors in all?"

"About sixty thousand."

Rameses sprang up from his chair.

"Sixty thousand instead of one hundred and twenty thousand!" shouted he. "What does this mean? What have ye done with my army?"

"There are no means to maintain more men."

"O G.o.d!" said the Pharaoh, seizing his head. "But the a.s.syrians may attack us a month hence. We are disarmed--"