o them, "I am son of an
officer of the land of Egypt; my mother is dead, and my father has taken
another wife. And when she bore children, she grew to hate me, and I have
come as a fugitive from before her." And they embraced him, and kissed
him.

And after many days were passed, he said to the youths, "What is it that
ye do here?" And they said to him: "We spend our time in this: we climb
up, and he who shall reach the window of the daughter of the chief of
Naharaina, to him will be given her to wife." He said to them, "If it
please you, let me behold the matter, that I may come to climb with you."
They went to climb, as was their daily wont: and the youth stood afar off
to behold; and the face of the daughter of the chief of Naharaina was
turned to them. And another day the sons came to climb, and the youth came
to climb with the sons of the chiefs. He climbed, and he reached the
window of the daughter of the chief of Naharaina. She kissed him, she
embraced him in all his limbs.

And one went to rejoice the heart of her father, and said to him, "One of
the people has reached the window of thy daughter." And the prince
inquired of the messenger, saying, "The son of which of the princes is
it?" And he replied to him, "It is the son of an officer, who has come as
a fugitive from the land of Egypt, fleeing from before his stepmother when
she had children." Then the chief of Naharaina was exceeding angry; and he
said: "Shall I indeed give my daughter to the Egyptian fugitive? Let him
go back whence he came." And one came to tell the youth, "Go back to the
place thou camest from." But the maiden seized his hand; she swore an oath
by God, saying, "By the being of Ra Harakhti, if one takes him from me, I
will not eat, I will not drink, I shall die in that same hour." The
messenger went to tell unto her father all that she said. Then the prince
sent men to slay the youth, while he was in his house. But the maiden
said: "By the being of Ra, if one slay him I shall be dead ere the sun
goeth down. I will not pass an hour of life if I am parted from him." And
one went to tell her father. Then the prince made them bring the youth
with the maiden. The youth was seized with fear when he came before the
prince. But he embraced him, he kissed him all over, and said: "Oh, tell
me who thou art; behold, thou art to me as a son." He said to him: "I am a
son of an officer of the land of Egypt; my mother died, my father took to
him a second