better that she
know naught about it. She might drop certain things to the Egyptians
hereabout that would lead to mine undoing. The gods are with me, of a
truth."

He descended into the larger valley and went singing toward the Nile.

CHAPTER VIII

THE PUNISHMENT OF ATSU

One late afternoon, in the streets of Pa-Ramesu, a curious new-comer
bowed before Atsu, the commander of Israel of the treasure city. The
visitor was old and tremulous from fatigue, and the stains of hard
travel were evident upon him.

"Greeting, Atsu. The peace of the divine Mother attend thee," he said.
"Snofru, the beloved of Ra at On, sends thee greeting by his servant,
Ranas."

"Greeting," the taskmaster replied, after he had inspected the
white-browed servant. "The shelter of my roof and the bread of my
board are thine;" adding after a little pause, "and in truth thou
seemest to need these things."

The old man smiled an odd wry smile and followed lamely after the long
swinging stride of the commander toward the headquarters on the knoll.

Within the house of Atsu, Ranas delivered into the hands of the soldier
the message that Kenkenes had brought to Snofru. While Atsu undid the
roll the old servant made voluble apologies for the broken seal. The
commander stepped to the doorway for better light and read the writing.

The old servant back in the dusk of the interior saw the stern face
harden, the heavy brows knit blackly, the dusky red fade from the
cheek. Ranas knew what the soldier read, for he had had the roll with
its broken seal, from On to Memphis and from Memphis back to On again.
But with all his astuteness he could not have guessed what extremes of
wrath and grief the insulted taskmaster suffered. The sheet rolled
itself together again and was broken and crushed in the iron fingers
that gripped it. Presently he tossed it aside. Hardly had it left his
hand before he hastened to pick it up, straightened it out and re-read
it feverishly. He forgot the old servant; but had he remembered the
man's curious gaze, no resolution could have hidden that joy which
slowly wrote itself upon his face. There was balm in the barb for all
the wound it made. This is what he read:

"To Atsu, Commander over the Builders of Pa-Ramesu, These: To mine ears
hath come report of mutiny and idleness through thy weak government of
my bond-people. Also that thou hast enforced my commands but feebly,
and so defeated my purposes, wh