woman
could carry. But the second, that which had been given to Tua, was
otherwise provided, for in the mouth of it lay a lovely harp of ivory
with golden strings, whereof the frame was fashioned to the shape of a
woman. Tua drew it out and looked at it by the light of the fire.

"It is my own harp," she said in an awed voice, "the harp that the
Prince of Kesh, whom Rames slew, brought as a gift to me, to the notes
of which I sang the Song of the Lovers but just before the giver died.
Yes, it is my own harp that I left in Thebes. Say, now, Nurse, how came
it here?"

"How came _we_ here?" answered Asti shortly. "Answer my question and I
will answer yours."

Then, laying down the harp, Tua looked again into her basket and
found that beneath a layer of dried papyrus leaves were hidden pearls,
thousands of pearls of all sizes, and of such lustre and beauty as she
had never seen. They were strung upon threads of silk, all those of a
like size being set upon a single thread, except the very biggest, which
were as great as a finger nail, or even larger, that lay wrapped up
separately in cloth at the bottom of the basket.

"Surely," said Tua, amazed, "no Queen in all the earth ever had a dower
of such priceless pearls. Moreover, what good they and the harp can be
to us in this forest I may not guess."

"Doubtless we shall discover in due course," answered Asti; "meanwhile,
let us thank the gods for their gifts and eat."

So they ate, and then, having nothing else to do, lay down by the fire
and would have slept.

But scarcely had they closed their eyes when the forest seemed to awake.
First from down by the river there came dreadful roarings which they
knew must be the voice of lions, for there were tame beasts of this sort
in the gardens at Thebes. Next they heard the whines and wimperings of
wolves and jackals, and mingled with them great snortings such as are
made by the rhinoceros and the river-horse.

Nearer, nearer came these awful sounds, till at length they saw yellow
eyes moving like stars in the darkness at the edge of the forest, while
cross the patch of sand beneath their rock galloped swift shapes which
halted and sniffed towards them. Also on the river side of them appeared
huge, hog-like beasts, with gleaming tusks, and red cavernous mouths,
and beyond these again, crashing through the brushwood, a gigantic brute
that bore a single horn upon its snout.

"Now our end is at hand," said Tua faintly, "for