so much as an arrow is shot at us on our march, it will be open
rebellion, as the price of which Egypt shall be crushed as she was never
crushed before, and every one of you here present shall lose his head,
save only the lady Amada who is the property of the Great King. Now I
thank you for your hospitality and demand that you escort me and those
with me back to my camp, since it seems that here we are in the midst of
enemies."

"Before you go, Idernes," I shouted, "know that you and your lying
captain shall pay with your lives for your slander on me."

"Many will pay with their lives for this night's work, O thief of pearls
and seals," answered the Satrap, and turning, left the hall with his
company.

Now I searched for Amada, but she also had gone with the ladies of
Peroa's household who feared lest the feast should end in blows and
bloodshed, also lest she should be snatched away. Indeed of all the
women in the hall, only my mother remained.

"Search out the lady Amada," I said to her, "and tell her the truth."

"Yes, my son," she answered thoughtfully; "but what is the truth? I
understood it was Bes who first gave the name of the lady Amada to the
Great King. Now we learn from your own lips that it was you. Wise would
you have been, my son, if you had bitten out your tongue before you said
it, since this is a matter that any woman may well misunderstand."

"Her name was surprised out of me, Mother. It was Bes who spoke to the
King of the beauty of a certain lady of Egypt."

"And I think, my son, it was Bes who told Peroa and his guests that he
and not you had given the King her name, which you do not seem to have
denied. Well, doubtless both of you are to blame for foolishness, no
more, since well I know that you would have died ten times over rather
than buy your life at the price of the honour of the Lady of Egypt. This
I will say to her as soon as I may, praying that it may not be too late,
and afterwards you shall tell me everything, which you would have done
well to do at first, if Bes, as I think, had not been over cunning after
the fashion of black people, and counselled you otherwise. See, Peroa
calls you and I must go, for there are greater matters afoot than that
of who let slip the name of the lady Amada to the King of kings."

So she went and there followed a swift council of war, the question
being whether we were to strike at the Satrap's army or to allow it to
retreat to Sais. In my turn I wa