nowing
this, he realized at once the terrible import of Chebron's words.

For a moment he felt almost as much stunned as Chebron himself, but he
quickly recovered his presence of mind.

"There is only one thing to be done, Chebron; we must dig a hole and
bury it at once. I will run and fetch a hoe."

Throwing down his bow and arrows he ran to the little shed at the
other end of the garden where the implements were kept, bidding a
careless good-morning to the men who were already at work there. He
soon rejoined Chebron, who had not moved from the spot from which he
had shot the unlucky arrow.

"Do you think this is best, Amuba? Don't you think I had better go and
tell my father?"

"I do not think so, Chebron. Upon any other matter it would be right
at once to confer with him, but as high priest it would be a fearful
burden to place upon his shoulders. It would be his duty at once to
denounce you; and did he keep it secret, and the matter be ever found
out, it would involve him in our danger. Let us therefore bear the
brunt of it by ourselves."

"I dare not go in," Chebron said in awestruck tones. "It is too
terrible."

"Oh, I will manage that," Amuba said lightly. "You know to me a cat is
a cat and nothing more, and I would just as soon bury one as that
rascally hawk which has been the cause of all this mischief."

So saying he crossed the open space, and entering a thick bush beyond
the cat house, dug a deep hole; then he went into the house. Although
having no belief whatever in the sacredness of one animal more than
another, he had yet been long enough among the Egyptians to feel a
sensation akin to awe as he entered and saw lying upon the ground the
largest of the cats pierced through by Chebron's arrow.

Drawing out the shaft he lifted the animal, and putting it under his
garment went out again, and entering the bushes buried it in the hole
he had dug. He leveled the soil carefully over it, and scattered a few
dead leaves on the top.

"There, no one would notice that," he said to himself when he had
finished; "but it's awfully unlucky it's that cat of all others."

Then he went in, carefully erased the marks of blood upon the floor,
and brought out the shaft, took it down to the pond and carefully
washed the blood from it, and then returned to Chebron.

"Is it--" the latter asked as he approached. He did not say more, but
Amuba understood him.

"I am sorry to say it is," he replied. "It is horribly