"Thou art narrating wonders, Hiram. But I do not see the connection between those things and the ca.n.a.l which thou wishest to dig."

"I will tell in brief," replied the Phnician. "When there is a ca.n.a.l all the Phnician and Egyptian fleets will sail on the Red Sea and beyond it; in the course of a couple of months they will reach those rich countries which by land are almost inaccessible.

"But dost thou not see, holiness," continued he, with gleaming eyes, "the treasures which we shall find there? Gold, precious stones, grain, woods? I swear to thee, lord," added he with enthusiasm, "that gold will be cheaper than copper is now, wood will be cheaper than straw, and a slave cheaper than a cow. Only let us, lord, dig the ca.n.a.l, and hire fifty thousand of thy warriors."

Rameses, too, was excited.

"Fifty thousand warriors," repeated he. "But what will ye give me for this?"

"I have said already, holiness. One thousand talents yearly for the right to work, and five thousand for the workmen, to whom we will give food and wages."

"But ye will kill them with work?"

"May the G.o.ds forbid! There is no profit when workmen perish. Thy warriors, holiness, will not work more at the ca.n.a.l than to-day on roads and at fortresses--but what glory for thee, lord! what income for the treasury, what profit for Egypt! The poorest earth-tiller will have a wooden cottage, some cattle, tools, and furniture, and as I live, a slave. No pharaoh has ever raised the state to such a height or carried out such a work.

"What will dead and useless pyramids be in comparison with a ca.n.a.l to facilitate the pa.s.sage of treasures to the whole world?"

"Yes," added the pharaoh, "and fifty thousand warriors on the eastern boundary."

"Of course!" exclaimed Hiram. "In view of that force, which will cost thee nothing, holiness, a.s.syria will not dare to stretch a hand toward Phnicia."

The project was so brilliant and promised such profit that Rameses XIII. felt dazed by it. But he mastered himself.

"Hiram," said he, "thou art making splendid promises. So splendid that I fear lest thou art concealing behind them some less favorable outcome. Therefore I must think over this matter deeply and take counsel with the priests."

"They will never consent of themselves!" exclaimed the Phnician.

"Though--may the G.o.ds forgive me the blasphemy--I am certain that if to-day the highest power were in the hands of the priests they would summon us in a couple of months to make the ca.n.a.l for them."

Rameses looked with cold contempt at Hiram.

"Old man," said he, "leave me to care for the obedience of the priests, and do thou present proofs that what thou hast said is true.

I should be a very poor sovereign were I unable to remove obstacles springing up between my will and the interests of Egypt."

"Thou art indeed a great sovereign, our lord," whispered Hiram, bending to the floor.

It was then late at night. The Phnician took farewell of the pharaoh and left the palace with Tutmosis. The following day he sent through Dagon a box with specimens of wealth from the unknown countries.

The pharaoh found in it statues of G.o.ds, woven stuffs, rings from India, small morsels of opium, and in a second division handfuls of rice, leaves of tea, two porcelain cups ornamented with pictures, and a number of drawings made on paper with China ink and colors. He examined them with the greatest attention and confessed that those articles were new to him: the rice, the paper, the pictures of people with pointed hats and sloping eyes.

He had no doubt now that a new region existed which differed in every way from Egypt: in mountains, trees, houses, bridges, ships.

"And that country has existed for ages undoubtedly," thought he; "our priests know of it, they know of its wealth, but say nothing.

Evidently they are traitors who wish to limit the power of the pharaoh and impoverish him so as to push him down from the height of the throne afterward.

"But O ye my ancestors and my heirs," said he in spirit, "I call you to witness that I will put a limit to these iniquities; I will elevate wisdom, but I will stamp out deceit, and I will give Egypt hours of rest from labor."

Thinking thus, he raised his eyes and beheld Dagon waiting for an answer.

"Thy box is very curious," said he to the banker, "but--this is not what I asked of thee."

The Phnician approached him on tiptoe and, kneeling before him, whispered,--

"Deign holiness, to sign a treaty with the worthy Hiram, then Tyre and Sidon will place all their treasures at thy feet."

Rameses frowned. He was displeased by the insolence of the Phnicians who dared to lay down conditions to him; so he answered coldly,--

"I will reflect and give Hiram my answer. Thou mayst withdraw, Dagon."

After the Phnician had gone, Rameses meditated again; a reaction began in him,--

"Those hucksters," said he in his heart, "consider me as one of themselves,--nay more, they dare to hold up to me a bag of gold from afar so as to extort a treaty! I know not that any of the pharaohs admitted them to such confidence! I must change. The men who fall on their faces before the envoys of a.s.sar may not say to me, 'Sign and thou wilt get!' Stupid Phnician rats, who steal into the pharaoh's palace and look on it as their own den a moment later!"

The longer he thought over it the more precisely he recalled the bearing of Hiram and Dagon, the greater the anger that seized him,--

"How dare they--how dare they lay conditions down to me? Hei, Tutmosis!" cried he.

His favorite stood before him immediately.

"What dost thou command, my lord?"

"Send some one of the younger officers to Dagon to inform him that he has ceased to be my banker. He is too stupid for such a lofty position."

"But to whom dost thou predestine the honor, holiness?"

"I know not at the moment. It will be necessary to find some one among Egyptian or Greek merchants. In the last resort we will turn to the priests."

Information of this resolve went through all the palaces, and before an hour it had reached Memphis. Throughout the whole city people said that the Phnicians were in disfavor with the pharaoh. Towards evening the Egyptians had begun to break into the shops of the hated foreigners.

The priests drew a breath of relief. Herhor even made a visit to holy Mefres and said to him,--

"My heart felt that our lord would turn from those unbelievers who are drinking the blood of the people. I think that it is proper for us to show him grat.i.tude."

"And perhaps open the doors to our treasures?" asked Mefres, rudely.

"Hasten not, worthiness, I have divined this young man--woe to us if ever we let him get the upper hand."

"But if he has broken with the Phnicians?"

"He will gain by that; for he will not pay his debts to them."

"In my opinion," said Herhor, after some thought, "now is the moment in which we can regain the favor of this youthful pharaoh. He is hasty in anger, but he knows how to be grateful. I have experienced that--"

"Every word is an error," interrupted the stubborn Mefres. "First of all, this prince is not the pharaoh yet, for he has not been crowned in a temple. Second, he will never be a real pharaoh, since through contempt he will never be ordained a high priest. And finally, we do not need his favor, while he needs the favor of the G.o.ds, whom he insults at every step he makes."

Mefres, who had been panting from anger, stopped and began anew,--

"He spent a month in the temple of Hator, he listened to the highest wisdom, and immediately afterward betook himself to the Phnicians.

What do I say? He visited the idol house of Astarte and took thence a priestess--an offence against all religions. After that he reviled my piety, in public; conspired with such frivolous minds as his own, and with the aid of Phnicians stole state secrets. And when he ascended the throne--I speak incorrectly, when he had barely stood on the first step of the throne, he tried to make the priests odious; he disturbed the earth-tillers and the warriors, and renewed vows with his friends the Phnicians.