they were willing to abide by
whatever the council should decide, and that indeed both mother and
son desired that while this terrible danger hung over the state the
supreme power should be placed in the hands of whomsoever the general
voice might select as the person best fitted to take the command in
such an extremity.

That night the body of the king was consumed on a great funeral pile.
Under ordinary occasions the ceremony would have taken place on a
narrow promontory jutting out into the sea, about five miles from the
city. Here the previous monarchs had been consumed in sight of a
multitude of their people, and had been buried beneath great mounds of
earth. The priests had long ago pronounced this place the most sacred
in the kingdom, and had declared that the anger of the gods would fall
upon any who ventured to set foot upon the holy ground. But it was
impossible for the present to lay the ashes of the king by the side of
those of his forefathers, and the ceremony was therefore conducted
within the royal inclosure, only the officiating priests and the wife
and son of the deceased being present. When all was over the ashes
were collected and were placed in a casket, which was destined, when
better times returned, to be laid, in the sight of the whole people,
in the sacred inclosure on the promontory.

Early next morning the trumpets of the guards on the walls called all
the troops to arms. As soon as Amuba reached his post he saw the
Egyptian army marching against the city. When they arrived within
bowshot the archers, who formed the front lines, opened fire upon the
defenders on the walls. Their arrows, however, for the most part fell
short, while those of the besieged rained down upon them with effect.
They were therefore withdrawn a short distance, and contracting their
ranks a vast number of footmen poured through, and in irregular order
ran forward to the foot of the rock, where they were sheltered from
the arrows of those on the wall.

"What can they be going to do now?" Amuba exclaimed, laying aside his
bow.

Jethro shook his head.

"They are working with a plan," he said. "We shall see before very
long. Listen."

Even above the din caused by so vast a multitude a sharp metallic
sound was presently heard like that of innumerable hammers striking on
steel.

"Surely," Amuba exclaimed, "they can never be thinking of quarrying
the rock away! That is too great a task even were the whole people of
Eg