CHAPTER IV.

Then it was that Hatsu spoke. "Bring in the prophets of Israel," she said, "that they may hear the King's decree and so waste no more time in idle hoping."

And into the apartment were ushered two men.

Both were far past middle life. One was small and thin, with pinched features and bright, gray eyes; the other was tall and grandly formed, and both were in the garb of shepherds.

They stood two mute figures before the chair of Tothmes the Second, and although it was the custom of the age to bend low the knee before sovereignty, neither man did aught save to wait his bidding.

It was the Princess Hatsu who addressed them.

"We have bidden you to come hither," she said, "that you might, oh great Poet and Lawgiver of Israel, speak with the freedom of a friend to us, of that, which has brought you back after many years into Egypt."

It was Aaron who spoke. Yet while his sweet, strong voice told the story, the eyes of all were fixed upon the silent lips of Moses.

"Great Queen of Egypt," began Aaron (and all remembered that to the poor idiot he addressed never a word). "There stands before you on this day, an instrument of the Almighty. One who by the will of the All Powerful, shall in time, rear out of ruins and ashes, out of ignorant, broken-spirited slaves, a great and enduring nation; a people that shall live with the riches of this globe when Egypt is but a faded memory. Of this glory that is to be, Moses is promised no portion, and no place, and being meekest of all men that are upon the face of the earth, he is satisfied to be the humblest servant of his Lord. There is for him no glory but the glory of God. Moses has dwelt always, in spirit, in Egypt. He has never day or night ceased to think upon the bondage of his people. And who knows the purposes of Mizram better than this son of Israel that stands before you. He is the adopted son of Pharaoh's great daughter. Aye it is from out of the tenderness of his heart for his adopted mother, and his adopted kinsmen, that he has pleaded with the God of Israel to stay His hand, that he might warn Egypt of the woes that shall before long befall her if she still holds Israel in thrall. Therefore he asks, oh gracious Queen, that thou loosen the cords, and open the gates, and bid thy bondsmen depart in peace."

"Spare thy prayer." It was the King's brother that spoke. "We fear not thy one God, so hurl thy threats quickly that we may laugh them to scorn."

There was no look of anger in the gentle face, and no tone of bitterness in the strong, sweet voice that said:

"Our God hath thus spoken to Moses, His Prophet: 'Oh thou, who feedest thy flocks beside the green pastures, and the still waters, arise and get thee down into Egypt, and take with thee Aaron, thy brother, that he may speak for thee, and say thou, unto her, who holds the hearts of her people in the hollow of her woman's hand: "Hear, oh Egypt, harken unto the voice of the God of Israel. Lo! behold! the cry of Israel has reached the Mercy Seat and the wailing must cease." Thus saith the Lord. "Or most surely Egypt shall learn the power of the Most High."'

"Hark, ye, oh Queen, an army shall fall upon Egypt and devour her substance; its ranks shall be unseen; its warriors shall be called famine, fever, pestilence and death. Take thou our challenge, oh stubborn of heart, for we two standing unarmed, save for our shepherd's staffs, shall alone abide unharmed in your midst when the will of our God shall be accomplished to the uttermost. Aye, not one hair of our heads shall ye touch for we are the anointed of Heaven. Listen, oh Queen, the princes of this world come to naught! Kingdoms fall and are forgotten, but the glory of the God of Israel remaineth forever. Once, yet again, for the love he bears the home of his youth, for the land that heard his first cry, does Moses plead: Oh Mizram, loose thy vain pride and let Israel go."

"And who is thy God?" (It was Alric who spoke.) "Show us some sign by which we may be convinced of his power."

Then the silent Moses lifted a small, lithe rod, which he held in one of his hands, and, lo! it was a rod no longer; but a serpent, the enemy of man! And it gazed with hungry eyes and spake with a hissing tongue! Then Alric drew from out his tunic a similar rod and it, too, changed into a scorpion, larger and fiercer than that, which the man Moses had created, and these two accursed objects, viewing each other, forgot man, and engaged in mortal combat the one with the other, and, lo! the serpent of Moses swallowed the serpent of Alric, and so doing, vanished.

With a laugh Alric threw down his wand.

"Thy skill, oh free Israelite," he said, "exceedeth mine. What say you of this power as a test of the God of Israel's might to perform upon Egypt, that which He threatens?"

The Prince had watched with keenest interest and he now replied, rather than the Princess: "No test of foolish magic will move our King from his purpose, believe me. I speak both the will of the King and his sainted Queen, when I say Israel will abide in Egypt," and as though hushed by a power that she could not baffle, while her heart and soul were filled with protest, Hatsu held her peace.

Then Aaron spoke: "But Israel shall go and Egypt shall open her gates and cry, 'Depart, depart, ere the remnant of us be lost forever.' Listen! In some near at hand day, Nature shall break no law, when she makes this fair land a chaos of misery! Your rivers and lakes shall be like unto blood, and the fish that is in them shall die and the people shall turn away with loathing, though their throats be parched and their thirst be intolerable. Then shall the waters breed frogs, and they shall be tame in their boldness, and go up into the houses, and consume all that there is therein, from the fair hangings on the palace walls, to the dough in the humblest dwellers' kneading troughs, and then if my people be not free, the dust of the land shall become fleas, and lice, and these shall fall upon man and beast and devour their bodies while they yet live, and then if wisdom comes not to thee, oh Egypt, there shall rise swarms of flies that shall buzz and sting without ceasing and a murrain shall come on thy beasts, the cattle and the horses and the camels, the oxen and the sheep, and a boil shall follow, breaking forth with blains upon man and beast! Then upon Egypt a tempest shall fall, whose like was never known--a tempest of hail that shall cut like a sword of fire that shall kill--of wind that howls, and tears, and destroys; and the hail shall smite the field, and the fire from heaven shall consume the cattle, and every green thing shall die! The trees shall perish! The flax shall be useless for the loom! The barley shall give no yield! Then shall come the locusts, singing a mournful song! They shall cover all things that be left, and then, be ye warned, if thou still vaunt thyself, there shall come a midnight wherein all the first born of the land shall die! The first born of Pharaoh that sitteth upon the throne and the first born of the lowliest in the realm! No hearth shall be spared! Listen, oh Queen! give heed to my word, oh councillors! for what the Lord saith that will He surely perform."

It was with the same relentlessness that the Queen made answer:

"Go back, Shepherd Prophets, to your flocks and herds! Your threatenings we do not heed! In the name of King Tothmes the Second of Egypt, I bid you depart, and wish you peace." The great Lawgiver felt, as the queen spoke, a hand upon his robe, and looking down beheld it in the grasp of the fingers of the idiot King. And he heard softly, but distinctly, these words: "Let Israel go! Let Israel go!" And it stirred in his grand soul a tender pity.

"Israel shall go," he said gently, "and thy will (which thy people feign to misinterpret) is remembered in love, by the God of all the earth. Egypt shall harden her heart, and the sorrows of her sin shall fall upon her; but when Israel goes out thy soul shall go, too, and, leaving its poor tenement of clay, will inherit a better kingdom, wherein our God shall give thee light."