The Pharaoh And The Priest Part 157

Yes!--a real gleam of light, not an illusion. At a distant wall, somewhere at the end, stood an open door through which at that moment armed men were coming in carefully with torches.

At sight of this the priest felt a chill in his feet, in his heart, in his head. He doubted no longer that he was not merely discovered, but hunted and surrounded.

Who could have betrayed him? Of course only one man: the young priest of Set, whom he had acquainted minutely enough with his purposes. The traitor, if alone, would have had to look almost a month for the way to the treasure, but if he had agreed with the overseers they might in one day track out Samentu.

At that moment the high priest felt the impressions known only to men who are looking at death face to face. He ceased to fear since his imagined alarms had now vanished before real torches. Not only did he regain self-command, but he felt immensely above everything living. In a short time he would be threatened no longer by danger of any sort.

The thoughts flew through his head with lightning clearness and speed.

He took in the whole of his existence: his toils, his perils, his hopes, his ambitions, and all of those seemed to him a trifle. For what would it serve him to be at that moment the pharaoh, or to own every treasure in all kingdoms? They were vanity, dust, and even worse--an illusion. Death alone was all-mighty and genuine.

Meanwhile the torch-bearers were examining columns most carefully, and also every corner; they had pa.s.sed through half the immense hall.

Samentu saw even the points of their lances, and noted that the men hesitated and advanced with alarm and repulsion. A few steps behind them was another group of persons to whom one torch gave light.

Samentu did not even feel aversion toward them, he was only curious as to who could have betrayed him. But even that point did not concern him over-much, for incomparably more important then seemed the question: Why must he die, and why had he been brought into existence?

For with death present as a fact a whole lifetime is shortened into one painful minute even though that life were the longest of all and the richest in experience.

"Why was he alive? For what purpose?"

He was sobered by the voice of one of the armed men,--

"There is no one here, and cannot be."

They halted. Samentu felt that he loved those men, and his heart thumped within him.

The second group of persons came up; among them there was a discussion,--

"How can even thou, worthiness, suppose that some one has entered?"

asked a voice quivering with anger. "All the entrances are guarded, especially now. And even if any one stole in it would be only to die here of hunger."

"But, worthiness, see how this Lykon bears himself," answered another voice. "The sleeping man looks all the time as if he felt an enemy near him."

"Lykon?" thought Samentu. "Ah, that Greek who is like the pharaoh.

What do I see? Mefres has brought him!"

At this moment the sleeping Greek rushed forward and stopped at the column behind which Samentu was hidden. The armed men ran after him, and the gleam of their torches threw light on the dark figure of Samentu.

"Who is here?" cried, with a hoa.r.s.e voice, the leader.

Samentu stood forth. The sight of him made such a powerful impression that the torch-bearers withdrew. He might have pa.s.sed out between them, so terrified were they, and no one would have detained him; but the priest thought no longer of rescue.

"Well, has my man with second sight been mistaken?" said Mefres, pointing at his victim. "There is the traitor!"

Samentu approached him with a smile, and said,--

"I recognize thee by that cry, Mefres. When thou canst not be a cheat, thou art merely an idiot."

Those present were astounded. Samentu spoke with calm irony.

"Though it is true that at this moment thou art both cheat and fool. A cheat, for thou art trying to persuade the overseers of the labyrinth that this villain has the gift of second sight; and a fool, for thou thinkest that they believe thee. Better tell them that in the temple of Ptah there are detailed plans of the labyrinth."

"That is a lie!" cried Mefres.

"Ask those men whom they believe: thee, or me? I am here because I found plans in the temple of Set; thou hast come by the grace of the immortal Ptah," concluded Samentu, laughing.

"Bind that traitor and liar!" cried Mefres.

Samentu moved back a couple of steps, drew forth quickly from under his garment a vial, and said, while raising it to his lips,--

"Mefres, thou wilt be an idiot till death. Thou hast wit only when it is a question of money."

He placed the vial between his lips and fell to the pavement.

The armed men rushed to the priest and raised him, but he had slipped through their fingers already.

"Let him stay here, like others," said the overseer of the labyrinth.

The whole retinue left the hall and closed the open doors carefully.

Soon they issued forth from the edifice.

When the worthy Mefres found himself in the court he commanded the priests to make ready the mounted litters, and rode away with the sleeping Lykon to Memphis.

The overseers of the labyrinth, dazed by the uncommon events, looked now at one another, and now at the escort of Mefres, which was disappearing in a yellow dust cloud.

"I cannot believe," said the chief overseer, "that in our days there was a man who could break into the labyrinth."

"Your worthiness forgets that this day there were three such,"

interrupted one of the younger priests looking askance at him.

"A--a--true!" answered the high priest. "Have the G.o.ds disturbed my reason?" said he, rubbing his forehead and pressing the amulet on his breast.

"And two have fled," added the younger priest.

"Why didst thou not turn my attention to that in the labyrinth?" burst out the superior.

"I did not know that things would turn out as they have."

"Woe is on my head!" cried the high priest. "Not chief should I be at this edifice, but gatekeeper. We were warned that some one was stealing in, but now we have let out two of the most dangerous, who will bring now whomever it may please them--O woe!"

"Thou hast no need, worthiness, to despair," said another priest. "Our law is explicit. Send four or six of our men to Memphis, and provide them with sentences. The rest will be their work."

"I have lost my reason," complained the high priest.

"What has happened is over," interrupted the young priest, with irony.

"One thing is certain: that men who not only reach the vaults, but even walk through them as through their own houses, may not live."

"Then select six from our militia."

"Of course! It is necessary to end this," confirmed the overseers.

"Who knows if Mefres did not act in concert with the most worthy Herhor?" whispered some one.