How were
these massive stones placed in order? How did they drag these huge
figures across the plains? What tools could they have used to carve
them out of the solid granite?"

"I am afraid, Amuba," Jethro said grimly, for the lad had positively
forbidden him to address him any longer as prince, saying that such
title addressed to a slave was no better than mockery, "we are likely
to learn to our cost before long how they manage these marvels, for
marvels they assuredly are. It must have taken the strength of
thousands of men to have transported even one of these strange
figures, and although the people themselves may have aided in the
work, you may be sure the slaves bore the brunt of it."

"But what is the meaning of these figures, Jethro? Surely neither in
this country nor in any other are there creatures with the faces of
women and the bodies of lions and great wings such as these have.
Some, too, have the faces of men and the bodies of bulls, while others
have heads like birds and bodies like those of men."

"Assuredly there can be no such creatures, Amuba; and I wonder that a
people so enlightened and wise as the Egyptians should choose such
strange figures for their gods. I can only suppose that these figures
represent their attributes rather than the gods themselves. Do you
see, the human head may represent their intelligence, the bodies of
the lions or bulls their strength and power, the wings of the bird
their swiftness. I do not know that it is so, but it seems to me that
it is possible that it may be something of this sort. We cannot but
allow that their gods are powerful, since they give them victory over
all other people; but no doubt we shall learn more of them and of many
other things in time."

The journey was continued for another three weeks, and was the cause
of constant surprises to the captives. The extraordinary fertility of
the land especially struck them. Cultivation among the Rebu was of a
very primitive description, and the abundance and variety of the crops
that everywhere met their eye seemed to them absolutely marvelous.
Irrigation was not wholly unknown to the Rebu, and was carried on to a
considerable extent in Persia; but the enormous works for the purpose
in Egypt, the massive embankments of the river, the network of canals
and ditches, the order and method everywhere apparent, filled them
with surprise and admiration.

Many of the cities and temples greatly surpassed in magnifice