Chapter 51

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 Ramses.

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 multitude 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.

Ramses 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 Ramses 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. Ramses recovered from his delight and replied on a sudden,

"What wouldst Thou add to my name had I destroyed the Assyrian 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 Ramses, after some thought. "How many warriors in all?"

"About sixty thousand."

Ramses 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 God!" said the Pharaoh, seizing his head. "But the Assyrians may attack us a month hence. We are disarmed."

"We have a preliminary treaty with Assyria," put in Herhor.

"A woman might give such an answer, but not a minister of war," said Ramses, with indignation. "What does a treaty mean when there is no army behind it: Today one half of the troops which King Assar commands would crush us."

"Deign to be at rest, holy lord. At the first news of Assyrian treason we should have half a million of warriors."

The pharaoh laughed in his face.

"What? How? Thou art mad, priest! Thou art groping among papyruses, but I have served seven years in the army, and there was almost no day which I did not pass in drill or maneuvers. How couldst Thou have an army of half a million in the course of a few months?"

"All the nobility would rise."

"What is thy nobility? Nobility is not an army. To form an army of half a million, at least a hundred and fifty regiments are needed, and we, as Thou thyself sayest, have forty. How could those men who today are herding cattle, ploughing land, making pots, or drinking and idling on their lands, learn the art of warfare? Egyptians are poor materials for an army. I know that, for I see them daily. A Libyan, a Greek, a Hittite, in boyhood even uses a bow and arrows and a sling; he handles a club perfectly; in a year he learns to march passably. But only in three years will an Egyptian march in some fashion. It is true that he grows accustomed to a sword and a spear in two years, but to cast missiles four years are too short a time for him. So in the course of a few months ye could put out not an army, but half a million of a rabble which the Assyrians would break to pieces in the twinkle of an eye. For, though the Assyrian regiments are poor and badly trained, an Assyrian knows how to hurl stones and shoot arrows; he knows how to cut and thrust, and, above all, he has the onrush of a wild beast, which is lacking in the mild Egyptians altogether. We break the enemy by this, that our trained and drilled regiments are like a battering ram: it is necessary to beat down one-half of our men before the column is injured. But when the column is broken, there is no Egyptian army."

"Thou speakest wisdom," said Herhor to the panting pharaoh. "Only the gods possess such acquaintance with things. I know that the forces of Egypt are too weak; that to create new ones many years of labor are needed. For this very reason I wish to conclude a treaty with Assyria."

"But ye have concluded it already!"

"For the moment. Sargon, in view of the sickness of thy father, and fearing thee, holiness, deferred the conclusion of a regular treaty till Thou shouldst ascend the throne."

The pharaoh fell into anger again.

"What?" cried he. "Then they think really of seizing Phoenicia! And do they suppose that I will sign the infamy of my reign? Evil spirits have seized all of you!"

The audience was ended. Herhor fell on his face this time, but while returning from his lord he considered in his heart,

"His holiness has heard the report, hence he does not reject my services. I have told him that he must sign a treaty with Assyria, hence the most difficult question is finished. He will come to his mind before Sargon returns to us. But he is a lion, and not even a lion, but a mad elephant. Still he became pharaoh only because he is the grandson of a high priest. He does not understand yet that those same hands which raised him so high."

In the antechamber the worthy Herhor halted, thought over something; at last instead of going to his own dwelling he went to Queen Niort's.

In the garden there were neither women nor children, but from the scattered villas came groans. Those were from women belonging to the house of the late pharaoh who were lamenting that sovereign who had gone to the west. Their sorrow, it seemed, was sincere.

Meanwhile the supreme judge entered the cabinet of the new pharaoh.

"What hast Thou to tell me, worthiness?" asked Ramses.

"Some days ago an unusual thing happened near Thebes," replied the judge. "A laborer killed his wife and three children and drowned himself in the sacred lake."

"Had he gone mad?"

"It seems that his act was caused by hunger."

The pharaoh grew thoughtful.

"A strange event," said he, "but I wish to hear of something else. What crimes happen most commonly in these days?"

The supreme judge hesitated.

"Speak boldly," said the pharaoh, now grown impatient, "and hide nothing from me. I know that Egypt has fallen into a morass; I wish to draw it out, hence I must know everything."

"The most usual crimes are revolts. But only common people revolt," added the judge, hastily.

"I am listening," said the pharaoh.

"In Kosem a regiment of masons and stone-cutters revolted recently; for some time needful supplies had been refused them. In Sechem earth- tillers killed a scribe who was collecting taxes. In Melcatis and Pi- Hebit also earth-tillers wrecked the houses of Phoenician tenants. At Kasa they refused to repair the canal, declaring that pay from the treasury was clue them for that labor. Finally in the porphyry quarries the convicts killed their overseers and tried to escape in a body to the seacoast."

"This news does not surprise me," replied the pharaoh. "But what dost Thou think?"

"It is necessary first of all to punish the guilty."

"But I think it necessary first of all to give laborers what belongs to them. A hungry ox will lie down; a hungry horse will totter on his feet and pant. How, then, can we ask a hungry man to work and not declare that he is suffering?"

"Then, holiness."

"Pentuer will open a council to investigate these matters," interrupted the pharaoh. "Meanwhile I have no desire to punish."

"In that case a general insurrection will break out," cried the judge, in alarm.

The pharaoh rested his chin on his hands and considered,

"Well," said he, after a while, "let the courts do their work, but as mildly as possible. And this very day Pentuer will assemble his council."

"In truth," added he, after a time, "it is easier to make a decision in battle than in the disorder which has mastered Egypt."

When the supreme judge had departed, the pharaoh summoned Tutmosis. He directed him to salute in the name of the sovereign the army returning from the Soda Lakes, and to distribute twenty talents among the officers and warriors.

Then he commanded Pentuer to come; meanwhile he received the chief treasurer.

"I wish to know," said he, "what the condition of the treasury is."

"We have," replied the dignitary, "at this moment twenty thousand talents of value in the granaries, stables, storehouses, and chests, while taxes are coming in daily."

"But insurrections are breaking out daily," added the pharaoh. "What is our general income and outgo?"

"On the army we expend yearly twenty thousand talents; on the court two to three thousand talents monthly."

"Well, what further? And public works?"

"At present they are carried on without expense," said the treasurer, dropping his head.

"And the income?"

"We have as much as we expend," whispered the official.

"Then we have forty or fifty thousand talents yearly. And where is the rest?"

"Mortgaged to the Phoenicians, to certain bankers, to merchants, and to the temples."

"Well, but there is besides the inviolable treasure of the pharaohs in gold, platinum, and jewels; how much is that worth?"

"That was taken and distributed ten years ago."

"For what purpose? To whom?"

"For the needs of the court, in gifts to nomarchs and to temples."

"The court had incomes from current taxes. But could presents exhaust the treasury of my father?"

"Osiris Ramses, thy father, holiness, was a bountiful lord and made great offerings."

"Is it possible? Were they so great? I wish to know about this," said the pharaoh, impatiently.

"Exact accounts are in the archives; I remember only general figures."

"Speak!"

"For example," answered the treasurer, hesitatingly, "Osiris Ramses in the course of his happy reign gave to the temples about one hundred towns, one hundred and twenty ships, two million head of cattle, two million bags of wheat, one hundred and twenty thousand horses, eighty thousand slaves, two hundred thousand kegs of beer and wine, three million loaves of bread, thirty thousand garments, thirty thousand vessels of honey, olives, and incense. Besides that, one thousand talents of gold, three thousand talents of silver, ten thousand of bronze, five hundred talents of dark bronze, six million garlands of flowers, twelve hundred statues of gods, and thirty thousand precious stones. [The gifts of Ramses III to the temples were incomparably greater] Other numbers I do not remember at the moment, but they are all recorded."

The pharaoh raised his hands with laughter, but after a time fell into anger, and cried, while striking the table with his fist,

"It is an unheard of thing that a handful of priests should use so much beer and bread, so many garlands and robes, while they have their own income, an immense income, which exceeds the wants of these holy men a hundred times."

"Thou hast been pleased, holiness, to forget that the priests support tens of thousands of poor; they cure an equal number of sick, and maintain a number of regiments at the expense of the temples."

"What do they want of regiments? Even the pharaohs use troops only in wartime. As to the sick, almost every man of them pays for himself, or works out what he owes the temple for curing him. And the poor? But they work for the temple: they carry water for the gods, take part in solemnities, and, above all, are connected with the working of miracles. It is they who at the gates of the temples recover reason, sight, hearing; their wounds are cured, their feet and hands regain strength, while the people looking at these miracles pray all the more eagerly and give offerings to gods the more bountiful.

"The poor are like the oxen and sheep of the temples: they bring in pure profit."

"But," the treasurer made bold to put in, "the priests do not expend all the offerings; they lay them up, and increase the capital."

"For what purpose?"

"For some sudden need of the state."

"Who has seen this capital?"

"I have seen it myself," said the dignitary. "The treasures accumulated in the labyrinth do not decrease; they increase from generation to generation, so that in case."

"So that the Assyrians might have something to take when they conquer Egypt, which is managed by priests so beautifully!" interrupted the pharaoh. "I thank thee, chief treasurer; I knew that the financial condition of Egypt was bad, but I did not suppose the state ruined. There are rebellions, there is no army, the pharaoh is in poverty; but the treasure in the labyrinth is increasing from generation to generation."

"If each dynasty, an entire dynasty, gave as many gifts to temples as my father has given, the labyrinth would have nineteen thousand talents of gold, about sixty thousand of silver, and so much wheat, and land, so many cattle, slaves, and towns, so many garments and precious stones, that the best accountant could not reckon them."

The chief treasurer was crushed when taking farewell of the sovereign. But the sovereign himself was not satisfied, for after a moment's thought it seemed to him that he had spoken too plainly with officials.