enus in the Balance, Mars in the Scorpion, Jupiter in
Sagittarius, Saturn in Capricorn; they trace on papyrus or granite the
direction of the celestial ocean, which goes from the east to the west;
they have summed up the number of stars strewn over the blue robe of
the Goddess Neith, and make the sun travel in the lower or the superior
hemisphere with the twelve diurnal and the twelve nocturnal baris under
the conduct of the hawk-headed pilot and of Neb Wa, the Lady of the
Bark; they know that in the second half of the month of Tobi, Orion
influences the left ear, and Sirius the heart; but they are absolutely
ignorant why a woman prefers one man to another, a wretched Israelite to
an illustrious Pharaoh.

After having traversed several halls with Tahoser, whom he led by the
hand, the King sat down on a seat in the shape of a throne in a superbly
decorated room.

Golden stars gleamed in the blue ceiling, and against the pillars which
supported the cornice were placed the statues of kings wearing the
pschent, their legs merging into the block of stone and their arms
crossed on their chest, looking into the room with frightful intensity
out of their black-lined eyes. Between every two pillars burned a lamp
placed upon a pedestal, and on the base of the walls was represented a
sort of ethnographic procession: the nations of the four quarters of the
world were represented there with their particular faces and their
particular dress.

At the head of the series, guided by Horus the shepherd of the nations,
walked the man of men, the Egyptian, the Rot'en'no with a gentle face,
slightly aquiline nose, plaited hair, and his dark red skin brought out
by the whiteness of the loin-cloth; next came the negro or Nahasi, with
his black skin, thick lips, protruding cheekbones and woolly hair; then
the Asiatic or Namou, with yellow flesh-colour, strongly aquiline nose,
thick black beard cut to a point, wearing a striped skirt fringed with
tufts; then the European or Tamhou, the least civilised of all,
differing from the others by his white complexion, his red beard and
hair, his blue eyes, an undressed ox-skin cast over his shoulder, and
his arms and legs tattooed. The other panels were filled with various
subjects, scenes of war and triumph and hieroglyphic inscriptions.

In the centre of the room, on a table supported by prisoners bound by
the elbows, so skilfully carved that they seemed to live and suffer,
bloomed a vast bouquet o