AMERES IS REVENGED.
Six days passed without their watch being rewarded; then Chebron,
whose post was just opposite the road where they had traced the
wheels, saw a chariot turn from the main road into it. As many others
had taken that course every day he did not at first feel very hopeful,
although the time precisely tallied with that at which Plexo should
have arrived had he started at the same hour as before. As it came
near, however, he became convinced that it was the vehicle he was
looking for. The horses tallied in color with those of Plexo, and the
color of his dress could even at that distance be distinguished. This
time, however, he was not accompanied by a servant, but by a figure
the whiteness of whose garment showed him also to be a priest. “That
must be Ptylus,” he said to himself, “my father’s murderer. Would I
were down by the edge of the road, with my bow and arrows; high priest
as he has now become, I would send an arrow through his heart!”
The chariot turned off by the road parallel to that which had been
followed from Thebes, and so close to the foot of the hills that from
Chebron’s post he could no longer see it. As soon as it was out of
sight he leaped to his feet and hurried along the hills to join Amuba,
whose post was next to his own. He found his friend had already gone
on, and he hurried breathlessly on until he reached Jethro, who had
been joined by Amuba a few minutes before.
“Have you seen them?” he exclaimed.
“I have seen them and marked them down,” Jethro replied. “You see that
roof among those trees at the foot of the hill half a mile further
along? They turned off the road and entered these trees. Our search is
over at last.”
“What had we better do, Jethro? Wait until they have left again, and
then go down?”
“No,” Jethro said sternly. “There are two things to be done--the one
is to rescue Mysa; the other to punish the murderer of Ameres. But
even did we determine to delay our vengeance I should say we must
still press on. You saw that arch-villain Ptylus with his son. He has
assuredly come for some purpose; probably he may intend to terrify the
girl until he drives her into taking some solemn oath that she will
accept Plexo as her husband. What can a girl of that age do in the
hands of unscrupulous villains like these? It may be that this fox
Plexo has been trying flattery; and, finding that failed, has called
in Ptylus, who can threaten her with the anger of these gods of hers,
to say nothing of perpetual imprisonment and harsh treatment. We will
therefore push on at once. Amuba and I carry our stout peasant staves,
while you, Chebron, have your dagger concealed under that female
dress. We shall have all the advantage of surprise in our favor. It is
not likely that there are more than one or two men there, with perhaps
a female servant. Ptylus would not wish the secret to be known to more
than was absolutely necessary. Of course it is possible that the four
men who carried her off may all be on guard there, but if so, it makes
but six; and what with the surprise, and what with their not knowing
how numerous we are, that number should not be more than sufficient
for us to dispose of without difficulty. At any rate, were there
twenty I would not hesitate; honest men need never fear an encounter
with rogues.”
“Especially,” Amuba said, “when the honest men possess such sinews as
yours, Jethro, and a good heavy cudgel in their hands.”
Jethro smiled, but was in too earnest a mood to answer, and at once
led the way along the hillside until immediately behind the house
among the trees; then they descended, climbing with some difficulty
over the wall surrounding the wood, and entered the inclosure.
Treading as lightly as possible Jethro and his companions passed
through the wood and made their way up to the house. It was small but
handsomely built, and was surrounded with a colonnade supported by
carved pillars. The garden immediately around it was evidently
carefully tended, and the house, from its secluded position, was well
fitted as a place of sojourn for a wealthy priest or noble desirous of
a few days’ rest and retirement from the bustle of the great city. As
all were barefooted they passed across the garden to the colonnade
without the slightest sound. As they reached it Jethro held up his
hand for them to stop, for the sound of voices came through the wide
doorway of an apartment opening out to the colonnade. Both Chebron and
Amuba at once recognized the voice of Ptylus.
“I will put up with no more of this folly, Mysa. You should think
yourself fortunate in the extreme, in the position in which you are,
belonging to a disgraced family, to receive such an offer as my son
makes to you. I will have an answer at once. You will either swear
before the gods that you accept Plexo as your future husband, that you
will reply to all who question you that you have been staying here by
your own free will, and that you remained in concealment simply
because you were overwhelmed with horror at the terrible act of
sacrilege committed by your brother, or you will this night be
confined in a tomb, where you will remain alone and without the light
of day until you agree to my conditions. You don’t think, you little
fool, that I, Ptylus, high priest of Osiris, am to be thwarted in my
plans by the opposition of a child like you.”
Here a voice, which the three listeners recognized to their surprise
as that of Ruth, broke out:
“Do not listen to him, Mysa. Whatever comes of it, never consent to
lie before God, as this wicked man would have you. You call yourself a
high priest, sir. What must be the worth of the gods you pretend to
worship if they suffer one like you to minister to them? Were they
gods, and not mere images of stone, they would strike you dead at the
altar.”
A furious exclamation broke from Ptylus, and he stepped forward and
seized the Hebrew girl roughly by the shoulder, only to start back
with another exclamation as Ruth struck him with her open hand, with
all her force, on the cheek.
“Drag her hence, Plexo!” he exclaimed. But at this moment the entrance
was darkened, and the three listeners sprang into the room.
Ptylus had the courage that distinguished his race, and although for a
moment startled at the sudden entry he did not recoil, but drawing a
sword from his girdle he said haughtily:
“Who are you, and what means this intrusion?”
“We are those whom you have been hunting to death, Ptylus; and we come
here as avengers of blood. As you brought about the murder of Ameres,
so you must die--to say naught of your offense in carrying off the
daughter of the man you slew.”
Without a word Ptylus rushed upon Jethro with his sword, thinking to
make short work of this insolent peasant; but as he did so, Jethro
whirled his massive club round his head, and catching the blow upon
it, shivered the sword in pieces.
Ptylus stopped his arm, and, gazing steadily at his opponent, said:
“Wretch, do you dare to murder the high priest of Osiris?”
“No,” Jethro said, “but I dare to execute him,” and he brought his
heavy club down with all his strength upon the head of the priest.
At this moment Plexo, who had stolen unobserved from the room the
instant the others entered, returned, followed by three armed men.
Chebron and Amuba were so intent upon the combat between Jethro and
the priest that they did not notice the entrance of Plexo, who, with
uplifted knife, sprang upon Chebron.
There was a scream of warning, and quick as thought Ruth sprang
forward and pushed Plexo as he sprang through the air. The sudden
shock threw both to the ground. Ruth sprang to her feet again, but
Plexo lay there motionless. The three armed men stood for a moment
stupefied at the fall of their two employers, and then, seeing two men
and a woman, rushed forward to attack them. One sweeping blow with
Jethro’s staff felled the first of his assailants to the ground; the
others paused irresolute.
“Drop your weapons, or you are dead men!” Jethro exclaimed. “You are
outnumbered; and if you move, you die!”
As Chebron had now thrown back his female robe and drawn his dagger,
and taken his place at the door, while Jethro and Amuba were advancing
against them, the two men dropped their weapons.
“Hold out your hands,” Jethro said. “My son, stand over them with your
club, and break the skull of either who may move.”
The men did as they were ordered. Jethro tore strips of cloth off
their garments, twisted them into ropes, and bound their wrists firmly
together. The meaning tone in which Jethro had called Amuba his son
had not escaped either Amuba or Chebron, who saw that Jethro was
desirous of concealing their names. Mysa, who had raised a cry of joy
when Jethro first spoke, had sunk terrified upon a couch, and had
hidden her face in her hands during the short encounter; while Ruth
had stood silent and vigilant beside her, moving only when Plexo
rushed at Chebron, and retiring to Mysa’s side again as soon as she
had regained her feet. She, too, understood Jethro’s motives in
calling Amuba his son, and stooping over Mysa she said:
“It is all over now, Mysa, but remain quiet at present. Do not speak
until you see what is going to be done.”
As soon as the men were tied Jethro secured in the same manner the man
who was lying stunned from his blow. Then he turned to Plexo, who had
not moved since he had fallen. He half turned him round, and uttered a
low exclamation of surprise.
“Gastrion,” he said to Chebron, “go with the young lady into the
garden, and remain there until we join you.”
Chebron passed out on to the colonnade, following Mysa and Ruth. The
moment they were unobserved Mysa threw her arms round him, and burst
into tears with joy.
“Oh, Chebron!” she exclaimed, “you have arrived just in time. I
thought we were never going to get away from that dreadful man; and I
don’t know what I should have done if it hadn’t been for Ruth. And,
oh! they have been telling me such terrible things--but they can’t be
true--that our dear father had been killed; and that it was you,
Chebron, who killed dear Paucis; but of course I did not believe
them--I knew it was all their wickedness.”
“Never mind about that, dear,” Chebron said; “we will talk about all
this afterward. The first thing is to get you away from this place.
Jethro and Amuba will soon decide what is best to be done. Are there
any others in the house?”
“There is one other man,” Ruth replied, “and an old woman; I think the
other man is at the door with the chariot.”
“I had better tell Jethro,” Chebron said, and he again went into the
room and told Jethro what he had heard.
“We will seize the woman first,” Jethro said, “and then go out round
the house and come down from the other way upon the chariot. The man
will have heard the outcry; and if we came suddenly out of the door,
might leap into the chariot and drive off before we could overtake
him. But if we come upon it from behind we shall secure him.”
“But you have forgotten to bind Plexo,” Chebron said.
“Plexo is dead,” Jethro replied. “As he fell his arm was beneath him,
and the knife with which he had intended to strike you pierced his
heart. I am very glad that you observed the way I spoke to Amuba. It
was of the greatest importance that the name should not be mentioned.
This affair will cause a tremendous excitement. There is nothing to
connect us with Ptylus, and it may be supposed that it is the work of
some malefactors who came down from the hills in search of plunder.
The fact that Mysa was here and was carried away is not in itself any
proof that we had a hand in it, for Libyan robbers might well have
carried her and Ruth away to make slaves of. Plexo caught but a
glimpse of us, and doubtless only rushed out and called to the men to
come to his father’s assistance. At any rate, let there be no names
mentioned. Now let us finish our work here.”
The female servant was soon found and bound; then the four prisoners
were placed in different rooms, and fastened securely to the wall or
pillars.
“Never put two prisoners together,” Jethro said; “always remember
that. Tie one man up and you may keep him; tie up two and they are
sure to escape. They can bite through each other’s cords, or untie the
knot with their teeth, or possibly even with their fingers.”
“Now, what is the next thing to do?” Amuba asked.
“The next thing is to have a consultation. Do you, Chebron, go out
into the garden to the girls. Amuba and I will deal with the other
man.”
As soon as Jethro and Amuba had left him Chebron rejoined the girls.
“You saved my life, Ruth. I shall never forget it.”
“You saved me from the crocodile, my lord. It was but a push and he
fell. I scarce know how it was done.”
“Your quickness saved my life all the same, Ruth. I had not noticed
him till you cried out, and then it would have been too late. We have
been anxious for you also, Ruth. We hoped that you might be with Mysa,
but none saw you go out with her.”
“My place was with my mistress,” Ruth said quietly. “And she was more
than a mistress--she was as a friend to me.”
“But how came you here, Chebron,” Mysa again asked, “and why are you
dressed up like a peasant woman? It is not seemly in any man, much
less in you, a priest. And Amuba and Jethro, too; they are dressed as
peasants, and their faces seem changed, I do not know how. They look
darker, and I should not have known them had I not recognized Jethro’s
voice.”
“It is a long story, dear, and I will tell you all presently; and we
want to hear your story too. Ah! here come the others. It is to them,
Mysa, far more than to me that you owe your rescue. I may know more of
the learning of our people, but I have none of the readiness and
coolness of Amuba, while Jethro is as prudent as he is brave. It would
have fared hardly with me as well as with you, Mysa, had it not been
for these good friends.”
Mysa went up to them as they approached.
“Oh, Jethro! I feel how much I owe to you; and to you, Amuba. My
courage had all but given way, although Ruth strove so hard to give me
hope, and I fear I could not have long withstood the threats of that
bad man. You cannot tell what joy I felt when I recognized your
voice.”
“Our joy was as great in finding you as yours in seeing us,” Jethro
replied. “Amuba and I would gladly have laid down our lives for you.
And now let us have a consultation; there is much to decide upon and
arrange. Let us go round to the garden at the other side of the house.
There we can sit and talk, and at the same time keep watch that no one
else enters. It is not likely that any one will do so, for the place
is secluded, and none would know that these men were here; still a
peasant might enter to sell fowls or fruit, therefore it were best to
keep an eye upon the entrance.”
They went round to some seats placed beneath trees on the other side
of the house. A fountain worked by the water of a little rill on the
hillside played in front of them, and a few tame waterfowl swam in a
shallow basin around it. Everything was still and peaceful, and to
Chebron it seemed as if the events of the last three weeks had been a
hideous dream, and that they were again sitting in the garden of their
house at Thebes.
“Now, first of all,” Mysa said, “I must have my questions answered.
How are my father and mother and everyone?”
Jethro took Amuba’s arm and turned away.
“We will leave you, Chebron, to tell Mysa what has taken place. It
will be better for you to do so alone.”
Ruth rose from her seat to leave also, but Mysa put her hand on her
arm.
“I am frightened, Ruth; stay with me.”
“You told me, Mysa,” Chebron began, “that they had told you tales that
our father was dead, and that it was I who killed Paucis.”
“Yes; but I did not believe them, Chebron. Of course I did not for a
moment--at least not for a moment about you. But when I thought of
those bad men at the gate, and the crash we heard, and the noise of
the people rushing in shouting, I thought--I was afraid--that perhaps
it might be true about our father. But, oh, Chebron, surely it is not
so?”
“Alas! Mysa, it is true! They cruelly slew our father. I wish I had
been there to have fallen by his side; but you know Amuba and I were
away. Jethro fought desperately to the last, and would have died with
him had not our father himself commanded that in case anything
happened to him he was to take charge of me, and to carry me out of
the land.”
Mysa was crying bitterly now. Presently she looked up.
“But why should you want to leave the land, Chebron? Surely--surely it
is not true that you----”
The thing seemed too terrible for her to put into words.
“That I killed poor Paucis? That is true also, Mysa.”
Mysa gave a little cry of horror.
“Oh, Ruth!” she cried, “this is too dreadful!”
Ruth put her arms round the sobbing girl. “You may be sure, Mysa, that
your brother did not do it intentionally.”
“But it is all the same,” Mysa cried. “It was the sacred cat, you
know--the Cat of Bubastes.”
“It was, Mysa; and I thought at first, as you did, that although it
was the result of an accident the anger of the gods would be poured
out against me, that I was as one accursed, whose life was forfeited
in this world, and whose spirit was destined to dwell in unclean
beasts after death. But when I told my father all, he reassured me,
and told me not to fear in any way the wrath of the gods.”
He then related to his sister the manner in which the cat had been
killed, the steps he and Amuba had taken to conceal the body, and his
avowal to his father of his fault.
“I see it was not your fault, Chebron. But you know the laws of Egypt,
and the punishment for killing even a common cat. How could our father
say that the gods would not be angry?”
“I cannot tell you all he said, Mysa; though some day had I remained
with you I might have done so. But he did say so, and you know how
wise and good he was. Therefore I want you to remember what he said,
so that when I am gone you will not all your life think of me as one
accursed.”
“Oh! I should never do that!” Mysa exclaimed, starting up and throwing
her arms round her brother’s neck. “How could you think so? But why
are you talking about going, and where are you going?”
“I am going, Mysa, because the people of Egypt do not view this matter
in the same light as my father, but are hunting all the land to find
and slay me and Amuba; for, not knowing the exact truth, they put us
down as equally guilty. So we must fly. Our father gave full
directions to Jethro, and we should by this time have been a long
distance away had it not been that we stayed to find and rescue you.”
“Then if the other things they told me are true, Chebron, it may be
true too that the letter they showed me ordering me to consent to
marry Plexo was from my mother. How could she tell me that when she
knew that I hated him, and she has over and over again spoken
scornfully of his family before me?”
“What did she say?” Chebron asked.
“She said that now disgrace had fallen on the family I might think
myself very fortunate in obtaining such an offer.”
Chebron was silent. He knew that his mother had never shown any
earnest love either for Mysa or himself, that her thoughts were
entirely devoted to dress and entertainments, and that any love she
had to give had been bestowed upon his brother.
“I fear it is true, Mysa.”
“But I will never marry Plexo!” Mysa exclaimed passionately. “My
father always said I should never marry a man I disliked.”
“You will never marry Plexo, Mysa--he is dead.”
Ruth uttered an exclamation.
“He died by his own hand, Ruth--that is, by an accident. As he fell
his dagger pierced his own heart, and when Jethro went to look at him
he was dead.”
“The Lord requited him for his evil,” Ruth said firmly. “All things
are in his hands. As I did not mean to slay him, I lament not over
his death. Besides, he strove to take your life, and had I had a
dagger in my hand I should assuredly have used it.”
“Then what is to become of me?” Mysa asked.
“You must go back to your mother, Mysa. There is naught else for you
to do.”
“I will not!” Mysa exclaimed. “She never loved me. She would have
married me against my will to Plexo, although she knew he was bad, and
that I hated him. She would make me marry some one else who was rich,
regardless of my wishes. No, Chebron, nothing shall make me go back to
her.”
Chebron looked perplexed.
“Here come Jethro and Amuba, dear. You had best talk it over with
them. I see nothing else for you to do.”
As Jethro came up Mysa walked to meet him.
“I will not go back to my mother, Jethro!” she exclaimed impetuously.
“She wanted me to marry Plexo. She would give me to some one else, and
my father always said I should only marry some one I liked. You can
never be so cruel as to give me up to her?”
“I know that your father’s wishes were strong upon that point,” Jethro
said; “for he spoke to me of you when he gave me his commands
respecting Chebron. He said that he wished that I could watch over you
as over him, and it was because of what he had said that I disregarded
his orders as to our instant flight, and lingered here in hopes of
freeing you. Still I see not anything else to be done. Your mother
doubtless wrote while still overpowered by grief at your father’s
loss, and thought that she was acting for your welfare in securing you
an advantageous marriage in spite of the cloud under which your family
was resting.”
“I will not go to her!” Mysa repeated. “She thought of herself, as
she always did, and not of me in any way. You know it was so,
Chebron--you cannot deny it!”
Chebron was silent. His whole affection had been given to his father,
for his mother he had comparatively little. As a child he had seldom
been allowed to come into the room where she was. She declared that
his noise was too much for her, that his talk made her head ache, and
that his fidgeting about was too much to be borne. Nor since that time
had he been much more with her. It was his father who had seen to his
welfare and that of Mysa, who would put aside his grave studies to
walk and talk with them, who was always indulgent, always anxious to
give them pleasure. He therefore thoroughly entered into Mysa’s
feelings, but saw no possible alternative for her.
“But where could you go, Mysa?” Jethro asked. “Where could you be
placed? Wherever you were your mother in time would be sure to hear of
it and would reclaim you.”
“I shall go with Chebron, and you, and Amuba,” Mysa said positively.
“Impossible!” Jethro replied. “We are going upon a tremendous journey,
full of danger and fatigue. We are going among unknown and savage
peoples; the chances are a hundred to one against our ever arriving at
the end of our journey. If this is so to myself and to young men like
Chebron and Amuba--for they are now past eighteen, and will speedily
be men--what chance would there be of success with you with us?”
“I can walk as well as Chebron,” Mysa said. “You know that, Chebron.
And I suppose I could suffer hardship just as well. At any rate, I
would rather suffer anything and be with him and all of you than stop
here. The people have murdered my father. My mother would sell me to
the highest bidder. If the chances are so great that you will never
get through your journey in safety, my being with you cannot make them
so much greater. I have only Chebron in the world, and I will go where
he goes and die where he dies. The gods can protect me just as well on
a journey as here. Have they not protected you now, and Chebron too,
by what he says? You will take me with you, dear Jethro, won’t you?”
she urged pleadingly. “You say my father wished you to watch over me;
do not forsake me now. Ruth will come with us too--will you not,
Ruth?--I am sure she will not be more afraid of the journey than I
am.”
“I will assuredly go if you go, Mysa. The God of Israel can take us
safely through all dangers if it be his will.”
Jethro was silent. Such an addition to his charge would assuredly add
immensely to the difficulties of the journey; but on the other hand he
remembered the anxiety of Ameres about Mysa, and he asked himself what
his late master would have wished had he known how matters stood. He
glanced at Amuba and Chebron and saw at once that their wishes agreed
with those of Mysa. He turned away abruptly, and for some minutes
paced up and down the garden. Then he returned to the group, among
whom not a word had been exchanged since he left them.
“Mysa,” he said gravely, “this is a great thing that you ask; there is
no disguising that your presence will add greatly to our difficulties,
will add also to our perils, and may render it impossible for me to
carry out your father’s wishes and to conduct Chebron to a land where
he will be beyond the persecution of Egypt. Such an enterprise must be
undertaken in no light spirit. If you go you must be prepared to face
death in all forms--by hunger and thirst and the weapons of the wild
natives. It may even be that your lot may be that of slavery among
them. It is a terrible journey for men, more terrible still for women;
still, if you are resolved, resolved with the strength and mind of a
woman and not of a child, that after having once turned your back upon
Egypt you will never repent the step you have taken or wish to return,
but will be steadfast under all the trials that may befall us, then I
say that you shall share our lot.”
Mysa uttered an exclamation of joy.
“I promise, Jethro; and whatever may happen--hardship, danger, or
death--you shall never hear a word of complaint from me. Are you not
glad, Ruth?”
“I think it well,” Ruth said gravely. “It is a great undertaking; but
I think that God’s hand is in it. I, too, would fain leave this land
of idols; and except those here I have none in the world to care for.”
“And now, Jethro,” Amuba said, “what had we best do? It is already
almost dark, therefore we could set out at once. Could we make use of
the chariot?”
Jethro considered for a short time.
“Except for carrying any things we may want for our first start, I do
not see that we can do so,” he said; “for where we leave the chariot
to-morrow morning it would be found, and when it is known that Ptylus’
chariot was missing it would soon be recognized as his, and thus a
clue be afforded to the fact that we had fled south. As to traveling
in it beyond to-night, it would be out of the question. Besides, it
will only hold three at the most. No, if we use it at all it must be
to drive north, and so throw them off the scent. I think it will be
worth doing that.”
“I will undertake that part of the business,” Amuba said. “There will
be much for you to do to-morrow, Jethro, which only you can arrange.
There’s the boat to be hired, stores laid in, and all got in
readiness. I think the best plan will be for you both to start at once
with the girls for Thebes. You and Chebron can occupy your
hiding-place on the hill, and Chigron will be glad to take the girls
into his house. There is no danger of an immediate search being made
for them.
“To-night when the priest and his son do not return their servants
will suppose that they have slept here. It will not be until late
to-morrow afternoon that there will be any alarm or any likelihood of
a messenger being sent over here; then the consternation and confusion
that will be caused will be so great that probably no one will think
of carrying the news to the officials until the next morning. Besides,
until the story of Mysa’s having been here and of her being missing is
generally known, there is no reason that what has taken place should
be attributed to us; therefore, for the next forty-eight hours I think
that they would be perfectly safe at the embalmer’s. I will drive the
chariot thirty or forty miles north, then turn the horses loose where
they are sure to be noticed ere long, and will return on foot and join
you in your hiding-place to-morrow night.”
“I think your plan is a very good one, Amuba. Before we start I will
make a search through the house. There will be nothing we want to take
with us, nor would we touch any of the treasure of the villains were
the house full of it; but if I toss some of the things about it will
look as if robbery had been the motive of what has taken place. The
men in bonds can know nothing of the real state of things. Plexo, when
he rushed out for their aid, could have had no time to do more than
to tell them to take up their arms and follow him; indeed, it is
doubtful whether he himself had any idea that we were aught but what
we seemed. Therefore, the first impression assuredly will be that we
were malefactors of the worst kind, escaped slaves, men with no
respect for the gods; for assuredly no Egyptians, even the worst of
criminals, would, in cold blood, have laid hands on the high priest of
Osiris.”
“They laid hands on my father,” Chebron said bitterly.
“Yes, but not in cold blood. Reports had first been spread among them
that he was untrue to the gods, and then they were maddened by
fanaticism and horror at the death of that sacred cat. But in cold
blood, as I said, no Egyptian, however vile and criminal, would lift
his hand against a priest. You may as well come with me, Amuba; it
would be strange if one of us only took part in the search.”
In ten minutes Jethro and Amuba had turned the place into confusion in
forcing open chests and cabinets and littering the floor with
garments; then taking a few of the most valuable vases and jewels they
threw them into the pond round the fountain, where they would be
concealed from view by the water-lilies which floated on its surface.
They examined afresh the fastenings of the captives, and felt assured
that by no possibility could they free themselves.
“They will be sure to be freed by to-morrow night,” Amuba said,
“otherwise I should not like to leave them here to die of hunger and
thirst.”
“I should be only too glad,” Jethro said, “if I thought there was a
chance of their being here forty hours instead of twenty. Doubtless
this is not the first evil business they have carried out for their
villain master, and they may think themselves lucky indeed that we do
not take what would be in every way the safest and best course,
namely, to run a sword through their bodies and silence them forever.
If I thought they could tell anything I would do so now; but I really
do not think that anything they can tell will add to our danger. Of
course the priest’s wife knows that Mysa is hidden here, and will
proclaim the fact that she has been here and is now missing, as she
would consider it might afford a clew for the apprehension of those
who attacked the house and slew her husband and son; therefore I do
not see that there would be much to be gained by silencing these
people; but if you think differently I will finish them at once.”
Amuba shook his head, for although human life in those days was
thought little of, save by the Egyptians themselves, he shrank from
the thought of slaying captives in cold blood.
“No, they can tell nothing, Jethro. You had best be moving; there is
nothing more to talk over. I think all our plans were arranged long
ago; except, of course, that you must get rather a larger boat than
you had intended, together with garments for the girls. I think it
would be best that Chebron should still be disguised as a woman; but
we can settle that to-morrow night. There is a good store of dresses
for us to choose from at Chigron’s.”
Amuba led the horses to a stone water trough and allowed them to
quench their thirst. Then he mounted the chariot and drove off, while
the rest of the party set out on foot for Thebes. It was so late
before they reached Chigron’s house that they thought it better not to
arouse the inmates, as comment would be excited by the arrival of
women at so late an hour and unexpected by the master; the girls,
therefore, passed the night in the rock chamber behind the building,
while Jethro and Chebron lay down outside.
As soon as dawn broke they moved some distance away. Jethro went to
the house as soon as there was a sign that there was any one astir,
and told Chigron that they had discovered and rescued Mysa. Chigron
was much disturbed when he heard of the death of the high priest and
his son.
“I don’t say these men were not villains, Jethro; but that two high
priests should be slaughtered in the course of a month is enough to
bring the anger of all the gods upon Egypt. However, the poor girls
are not responsible for it in any way, and I will willingly shelter
them, especially as it is but for one night; but I own that I shall be
vastly relieved when I know that you are all fairly on your journey.”
“That I can well understand,” Jethro said; “and believe me, the
gratitude of those you have sheltered, which you will have as long as
they live, may well outweigh any doubts that may present themselves as
to whether you have acted wisely in aiding those who are victims to
the superstitions of your countrymen.”
Chigron called his servants and told them that he had just heard of
the arrival from the country of some friends, and ordered a room to be
prepared for them. He then went out and returned an hour later with
the two girls. He led them quietly into the house and direct to the
apartment prepared for them, so that they were unseen by any of the
servants.
Then he called an old servant on whose fidelity he could rely, and
charged her to wait upon them during the day, and to suffer none other
to enter the apartment. He bade her convey the impression to the other
servants that the visitors were aged women, and to mention that they
intended to make a stay of a few hours only, until some friends with
whom they were going to stay should send in a cart to carry them to
their house in the country. The old woman at once prepared baths for
the girls and then supplied them with a meal, after which they lay
down on couches and were soon fast asleep; for the excitement of the
preceding evening and the strangeness of their position in the
comfortless stone chamber had prevented their closing an eye during
the night, and they had spent the hours in talking over the terrible
loss Mysa had sustained, and the journey that lay before them.
Half an hour later Chigron went out again and was soon joined by
Jethro, who had now resumed his attire as a citizen of middle class.
It was necessary that Chigron should accompany him and take the chief
part in making the arrangements; for although Jethro had learned, in
his two years’ captivity, to speak Egyptian fluently, he could not
well pass as a native. Chigron therefore did most of the bargaining,
Jethro keeping somewhat in the background.
They first took their course down to the river bank. Here innumerable
craft lay moored; for the Nile was the highway of Egypt, and except
for short journeys all traffic was carried on on its waters. As soon
as it was known that they were looking for a boat they were surrounded
by the owners of the various craft, each praising the speed, safety,
and comfort of his boat. Chigron, however, was some time before he
made his choice; then he fixed upon a boat that seemed well suited for
the purpose. She carried a mast and large sail to take advantage of
favorable winds. She was light and of very small draught, and, being
constructed entirely for passenger traffic, she had a large
cabin--divided into two parts for the accommodation of ladies--the
crew, consisting of the captain and four men, sleeping on the deck.
“I think your boat will do very well,” he said to the captain,
“provided we can come to terms. My friend is going up with his family
as far as Syene at any rate, and possibly on to Ibsciak; his business
may take him even further. What will be your terms a week?”
“I suppose my lord will provide food for the crew as well as for his
own family?”
“That will be the best way,” Jethro said.
“Then will he pay for extra hands where the current runs so strong
that the crew cannot tow the boat unaided against it?”
Jethro assented.
“And will he return with it, or remain for awhile at the end of his
journey?”
“It is probable that his business may detain him there for a
considerable time,” Chigron replied. “He has relations there with whom
he will wish to make a stay. But this should make no difference; you
will have no difficulty in obtaining passengers or freight for your
journey down.”
It was a long time before a bargain was struck, for Chigron knew that
the boatman would consider it strange indeed were the terms he first
asked to be accepted. But at last an arrangement satisfactory to both
parties was concluded. It was arranged that the start should take
place early on the following morning, and Chigron then proceeded with
Jethro to make the purchases requisite for the voyage--mats, cushions,
and curtains for furnishing the boat, cooking utensils and provisions
for the crew and passengers. Of these, however, it was not necessary
to take a very large quantity, as the boat would lie up to the bank
every night near one of the frequent villages, and here there would be
no difficulty in purchasing provisions of all kinds.
Some jars of good wine were, however, among the stores purchased, and
in addition to these were several bales of costly merchandise and a
large stock of such articles as would be useful for trade with the
natives of the wilder parts of the country. A supply of arms--bows,
arrows, and lances--was also placed on board. It was late in the
afternoon before all these things were got on board the boat and
everything arranged in order. Having seen all complete, Chigron
returned with Jethro to his house. Jethro, after seeing the girls, who
had just woke up and partaken of a meal, went up to the hiding-place
on the hill and found that Amuba had just joined Chebron there.
“Is all going on well?” the lads asked as he entered.
“Everything is in readiness. The boat is hired and furnished. I have a
good store of merchandise for trading in Meroe, besides trinkets of
many kinds for the peoples lying between Meroe and the Red Sea. So far
everything promises well. The boatmen belong to the Upper Nile, and
their dialect differs too widely from that spoken here for them to be
able to distinguish that I do not talk pure Egyptian. I wondered why
it was that Chigron was such a long time in making his choice between
the boats, when, as far as I could see, there were scores that would
have equally suited our purpose. But I found afterward that it was the
boatmen rather than the boat which he was selecting, and that he chose
those coming from far up the river, partly because their speech
differed so widely from that of Thebes that they would not detect the
roughness of my tongue; and secondly, because they would be more
likely to continue the voyage further to the south than would the
boatmen of this port, who would regard it as a serious undertaking to
proceed beyond Ibsciak. Therefore we need fear no suspicion on the
part of our boatmen. I suppose you disposed of the chariot as we
arranged, Amuba?”
“Yes, I drove north for five hours and then turned aside into a wood.
Here I loosed the horses so that they could feed as they chose. They
would doubtless by morning stray into the fields, and so attract
attention. Then there would be a search to see to whom they belonged,
and the chariot would be found. By the time that the news spreads that
Ptylus is dead, and also that his chariot and horses are missing, and
have doubtless been taken off by those who had attacked him, the
tidings that the chariot is found will have been taken to the nearest
town, and it will shortly be reported all over the country that we are
making north, and the search for us will be made in that direction
only.”
“Are you going back to the house, Jethro?”
“Yes. Chigron has given out to his servants that the visitors are
relatives of mine, and as I have been frequently seen going in and out
in this garb they are now accustomed to me; and it will be natural for
me to sleep there to-night and to start with them in the morning. We
shall start exactly at sunrise. You had better wait at a distance from
the house and follow us, coming up and joining us just as we reach the
river side. The boat will be taken above the city to the highest
steps; and we shall be able to proceed to that point without entering
the town itself. Be careful with your disguises. The news of the death
of Ptylus will not, I hope, be generally known in the city until we
are fairly afloat. Were it otherwise it would be dangerous for you to
run the risk of being seen abroad.”