Hosea was forced to hurry in order to overtake the tribes in time; for
the farther they proceeded, the harder it would be to induce Moses and
the leaders of the people to return and accept the treaty.
The events which had befallen him that morning seemed so strange that he
regarded them as a dispensation of the God whom he had found again; he
recollected, too, that the name “Joshua,” “he who helps Jehovah,” had
been received through Miriam’s message. He would gladly bear it; for
though it was no easy matter to resign the name for which he had won
renown, still many of his comrades had done likewise. His new one was
attesting its truth grandly; never had God’s help been more manifest to
him than this morning. He had entered Pharaoh’s palace expecting to be
imprisoned or delivered over to the executioner, as soon as he insisted
upon following his people, and how speedily the bonds that held him
in the Egyptian army had been sundered. And he had been appointed to
discharge a task which seemed in his eyes so grand, so lofty, that he
was on the point of believing that the God of his fathers had summoned
him to perform it.
He loved Egypt. It was a fair country. Where could his people find a
more delightful home? It was only the circumstances under which they had
lived there which had been intolerable. Happier times were now in
store. The tribes were given the choice between returning to Goshen,
or settling on the lake land west of the Nile, with whose fertility and
ample supply of water he was well acquainted. No one would have a right
to reduce them to bondage, and whoever gave his labor to the service of
the state was to have for overseer no stern and cruel foreigner, but a
man of his own blood.
True, he knew that the Hebrews must remain under subjection to Pharaoh.
But had not Joseph, Ephraim, and his sons, Hosea’s ancestors, been
called his subjects and lived content to be numbered among the
Egyptians.
If the covenant was made, the elders of the tribes were to direct the
private concerns of the people. Spite of Bai’s opposition, Moses had
been named regent of the new territory, while he, Hosea, himself was to
command the soldiers who would defend the frontiers, and marshal fresh
troops from the Israelite mercenaries, who had already borne themselves
valiantly in many a fray. Ere he had quitted the palace, Bai had made
various mysterious allusions, which though vague in purport, betrayed
that the priest was cherishing important plans and, as soon as the
guidance of the government passed from old Rui’s hands into his, a high
position, perhaps the command of the whole army, now led by a Syrian
named Aarsu, would be conferred on him, Hosea.
But this prospect caused him more anxiety than pleasure, though great
was his satisfaction at having gained the concession that every third
year the eastern frontiers of the country should be thrown open to his
people, that they might go to the desert and there offer sacrifices
to their God. Moses had seemed to lay the utmost stress upon this
privilege, and according to the existing law, no one was permitted to
cross the narrow fortified frontier on the east without the permission
of the government. Perhaps granting this desire of the mighty leader
might win him to accept a compact so desirable for his nation.
During these negotiations Hosea had again realized his estrangement from
his people, he was not even aware--for what purpose the sacrifice in
the desert was offered. He also frankly acknowledged to Pharaoh’s
councillors that he knew neither the grievances nor the requirements of
the tribes, a course he pursued to secure to the Hebrews the right of
changing or revising in any respect the offers he was to convey.
What better proposals could they or their leader desire?
The future was full of fresh hopes of happiness for his people and
himself. If the compact was made, the time had arrived for him to
establish a home of his own, and Miriam’s image again appeared in all
its loftiness and beauty. The thought of gaining this splendid maiden
was fairly intoxicating, and he wondered whether he was worthy of
her, and if it would not be presumptuous to aspire to the hand of the
divinely-inspired, majestic virgin and prophetess.
He was experienced in the affairs of life and knew full well how little
reliance could be placed upon the promises of the vacillating man, who
found the sceptre too heavy for his feeble hand. But he had exercised
caution and, if the elders of the people could but be won over, the
agreement would be inscribed on metal tables, sentence by sentence, and
hung in the temple at Thebes, with the signatures of Pharaoh and the
envoys of the Hebrews, like every other binding agreement between Egypt
and a foreign nation. Such documents--he had learned this from the
treaty of peace concluded with the Cheta--assured and lengthened the
brief “eternity” of national covenants. He had certainly neglected no
precaution to secure his people from treachery and perjury. Never had
he felt more vigorous, more confident, more joyous than when he again
entered Pharaoh’s chariot to take leave of his subordinates. Bai’s
mysterious hints and suggestions troubled him very little; he was
accustomed to leave future anxieties to be cared for in the future.
But at the camp he encountered a grief which belonged to the present;
surprised, angry, and troubled, he learned that Ephraim had secretly
left the tent, telling no one whither he was going. A hurried
investigation drew out the information that the youth had been seen
on the road to Tanis, and Hosea hastily bade his trusty shield-bearer
search the city for the youth and, if he found him, to order him to
follow his uncle to Succoth.
After the chief had said farewell to his men, he set off, attended only
by his old groom. He was pleased to have the adone--[Corresponding to
the rank of adjutant.]--and subaltern officers who had been with him,
the stern warriors, with whom he had shared everything in war and
peace, in want and privation, show so plainly the pain of parting. Tears
streamed down the bronzed cheeks of many a man who had grown grey in
warfare, as he clasped his hand for the last time. Many a bearded lip
was pressed to the hem of his robe, to his feet, and to the sleek skin
of the noble Libyan steed which, pressing forward with arching neck only
to be curbed by its rider’s strength, bore him through the ranks. For
the first time since his mother’s death his own eyes grew dim, as
shouts of farewell rang warmly and loudly from the manly breasts of his
soldiers.
Never before had he so deeply realized how firmly he was bound to these
men, and how he loved his noble profession.
Yet the duty he was now fulfilling was also great and glorious, and the
God who had absolved him from his oath and smoothed the way for him
to obey his father’s commands as a true and upright man, would perhaps
bring him back to his comrades in arms, whose cordial farewell he still
fancied he heard long after he was out of reach of their voices.
The greatness of the work assigned to him, the enthusiasm of a man
who devotes himself with devout earnestness to the performance of a
difficult task, the rapturous joy of the lover, who with well-founded
hopes of the fulfilment of the purest and fairest desires of his heart,
hastens to meet the woman of his choice, first dawned upon him when
he had left the city behind and was dashing at a rapid trot toward
the south-east across the flat, well-watered plain with its wealth of
palm-groves.
While forcing his steed to a slower pace as he passed through the
streets of the capital, and the region near the harbor, his mind was
so engrossed by his recent experiences and his anxiety concerning the
runaway youth, that he paid little attention to the throng of vessels
lying at anchor, the motley crowd of ship owners, traders, sailors, and
laborers, representatives of all the nations of Africa and Asia, who
sought a livelihood here, and the officials, soldiers, and petitioners,
who had followed Pharaoh from Thebes to the city of Rameses.
He had even failed to see two men of high rank, though one, Hornecht,
the captain of the archers, had waved his hand to him.
They had retired into the deep gateway formed by the pylons at the
entrance of the temple of Seth, to escape the clouds of dust which the
desert wind was still blowing along the road.
While Hornecht was vainly trying to arrest the horseman’s attention, his
companion, Bai, the second prophet of Amon, whispered: “Let him go! He
will learn where his nephew is soon enough.”
“As you desire,” replied the soldier. Then he eagerly continued the
story he had just begun. “When they brought the lad in, he looked like a
piece of clay in the potter’s workshop.”
“No wonder,” replied the priest; “he had lain long enough in the road
in the dust of Typhon. But what was your steward seeking among the
soldiers?”
“We had heard from my adon, whom I sent to the camp last evening, that
the poor youth was attacked by a severe fever, so Kasana put up some
wine and her nurse’s balsam, and dispatched the old creature with them
to the camp.”
“To the youth or to Hosea?” asked the prophet with a mischievous smile.
“To the sufferer,” replied Hornecht positively, a frown darkening his
brow. But, restraining himself, he added as if apologizing: “Her heart
is as soft as wax, and the Hebrew youth--you saw him yesterday....”
“Is a splendid lad, just fitted to win a woman’s heart!” replied the
priest laughing. “Besides, whoever shows kindness to the nephew does not
harm the uncle.”
“That was not in her mind,” replied Hornecht bluntly. “But the invisible
God of the Hebrews is not less watchful of his children than the
Immortals whom you serve; for he led Hotepu to the youth just as he was
at the point of death. The dreamer would undoubtedly have ridden past
him; for the dust had already....”
“Transformed him into a bit of potter’s clay. But then?”
“Then the old man suddenly saw a glint of gold in the dusty heap.”
“And the stiffest neck will stoop for that.”
“Quite true. My Hotepu did so, and the broad gold circlet the lad wore
flashed in the sunlight and preserved his life a second time.”
“The luckiest thing is that we have the lad in our possession.”
“Yes, I was rejoiced to have him open his eyes once more. Then his
recovery grew more and more rapid; the doctor says he is like a kitten,
and all these mishaps will not cost him his life. But he is in a violent
fever, and in his delirium says all sorts of senseless things,
which even my daughter’s nurse, a native of Ascalon, cannot clearly
comprehend. Only she thought she caught Kasana’s name.”
“So it is once more a woman who is the source of the trouble.”
“Stop these jests, holy father,” replied Hornecht, biting his lips. “A
modest widow, and that boy with the down still on his lips.”
“At his age,” replied the unabashed priest, “fullblown roses have
a stronger attraction for young beetles than do buds; and in this
instance,” he added more gravely, “it is a most fortunate accident. We
have Hosea’s nephew in the snare, and it will be your part not to let
him escape.”
“Do you mean that we are to deprive him of his liberty?” cried the
warrior.
“Even so.”
“Yet you value his uncle?”
“Certainly. But the state has a higher claim.”
“This boy....”
“Is a desirable hostage. Hosea’s sword was an extremely useful tool to
us; but if the hand that guides it is directed by the man whose power
ever greater things we know....”
“You mean the Hebrew, Mesu?”
“Then Hosea will deal us wounds as deep as those he erst inflicted on
our foes.”
“Yet I have heard you say more than once that he was incapable of
perjury.”
“And so I say still, he has given wonderful proof of it to-day. Merely
for the sake of being released from his oath, he thrust his head into
the crocodile’s jaws. But though the son of Nun is a lion, he will find
his master in Mesu. That man is the mortal foe of the Egyptians, the
bare thought of him stirs my gall.”
“The cries of the wailing women behind this door admonish us loudly
enough to hate him.”
“Yet the weakling on the throne has forgotten vengeance, and is now
sending Hosea on an errand of reconciliation.”
“With your sanction, I think?”
“Ay,” replied the priest with a mocking smile. “We send him to build a
bridge! Oh, this bridge! A grey-beard’s withered brain recommends it to
be thrown across the stream, and the idea just suits this pitiful son of
a great father, who would certainly never have shunned swimming through
the wildest whirlpool, especially when revenge was to be sought. Let
Hosea essay the bridge! If it leads him back across the stream to us, I
will offer him a right warm and cordial welcome; but as soon as this one
man stands on our shores, may its supports sink under the leaders of his
people; we, the only brave souls in Egypt, must see to that.”
“So be it. Yet I fear we shall lose the chief, too, if justice overtakes
his people.”
“It might almost seem so.”
“You have greater wisdom than I.”
“Yet here you believe me in error.”
“How could I venture to....”
“As a member of the military council you are entitled to your own
opinion, and I consider myself bound to show you the end of the path
along which you have hitherto followed us with blindfold eyes. So
listen, and judge accordingly when your turn comes to speak in the
council. The chief-priest Rui is old....”
“And you now fill half his offices.”
“Would that he might soon be relieved of the last half of his burden.
Not on my own account. I love strife, but for the welfare of our
native land. It is a deep-seated feeling of our natures to regard the
utterances and mandates of age as wisdom, so there are few among the
councillors who do not follow the old man’s opinions; yet his policy
limps on crutches, like himself. All good projects are swamped under his
weak, fainthearted guidance.”
“That is the very reason my vote is at your disposal,” cried the
warrior. “That is why I am ready to use all my might to hurl this
sleeper from the throne and get rid of his foolish advisers.”
The prophet laid his finger on his lips to warn his companion to be more
cautious, drew nearer to him, pointed to his litter, and said in a low,
hurried tone:
“I am expected at the Sublime Porte, so listen. If Hosea’s mission is
successful his people will return--the guilty with the innocent--and the
latter will suffer. Among the former we can include the whole of Hosea’s
tribe, who call themselves the sons of Ephraim, from old Nun down to the
youth in your dwelling.”
“We may spare them; but Mesu, too, is a Hebrew, and what we do to
him....”
“Will not occur in the public street, and it is child’s play to sow
enmity between two men who desire to rule in the same sphere. I will
make sure that Hosea shall shut his eyes to the other’s death;
but Pharaoh, whether his name is Meneptah or”--he lowered his
voice--“Siptah, must then raise him to so great a height--and he merits
it--that his giddy eyes will never discern aught we desire to conceal.
There is one dish that never palls on any man who has once tasted it.”
“And what is that?”
“Power, Hornecht--mighty power! As ruler of a whole province, commander
of all the mercenaries in Aarsu’s stead, he will take care not to break
with us. I know him. If I can succeed in making him believe Mesu has
wronged him--and the imperious man will afford some pretext for it--and
can bring him to the conviction that the law directs the punishment we
mete out to the sorcerer and the worst of his adherents, he will not
only assent but approve it.”
“And if he fails in his mission?”
“He will return at any rate; for he would not be false to his oath. But
if Mesu, from whom we may expect anything, should detain him by force,
the boy will be of service to us; for Hosea loves him, his people value
his life, and he belongs to one of their noblest tribes. In any case
Pharaoh must threaten the lad; we will guard him, and that will unite
his uncle to us by fresh ties and lead him to join those who are angry
with the king.”
“Excellent!”
“The surest way to attain our object will be by forging still another
chain. In short--now I beg you to be quiet, your temper is far too hot
for your grey hairs--in short, our Hebrew brother-in-arms, the saviour
of my life, the ablest man in the army, who is certain to win the
highest place, must be your son-in-law. Kasana’s heart is his--my wife
has told me so.” Hornecht frowned again, and struggled painfully to
control his anger. He perceived that he must overcome his objection to
giving his daughter to the man whose birth he scorned, much as he liked
and esteemed his character. He could not refrain from uttering an
oath under his breath, but his answer to the prophet was more calm and
sensible than the latter had anticipated. If Kasana was so possessed
by demons that this stranger infatuated her, let her have her will. But
Hosea had not yet sued for her.
“By the red god Seth, and his seventy companions,” he added wrathfully,
“neither you, nor any one shall induce me to offer my daughter, who
has twenty suitors, to a man who terms himself our friend, yet finds no
leisure to greet us in our own house! To keep fast hold of the lad is
another thing, I will see to that.”