"They wish me, then, to beg before some temple!" burst out the pharaoh.

"No," replied the priest. "They fear lest that treasure house be
emptied once Thou touch it. They will suspect thy most faithful
servants, holiness, of sharing in the profits flowing from the
labyrinth. And then envy will whisper to each of them: 'Why shouldst
Thou not profit also?' Not hatred of thee, holiness, but mutual
distrust, greed, will urge them to resistance."

When he heard this the pharaoh was calm, he smiled even.

"If it be as Thou sayst, be at rest, beloved Pentuer. At this moment I
understand exactly why Amon established the authority of the pharaoh
and gave him superhuman power. For the purpose, seest thou, that a
hundred, even of the most distinguished rascals, should not wreck the
state."

Ramses rose from his armchair and added,

"Say to 'my people: Work and be patient. Say to the priests who are
loyal: Serve the gods and cultivate wisdom, which is the sun of the
universe. But those stubborn and suspicious dignitaries leave to my
management. Woe to them if they anger me."

"Lord," said the priest, "I am thy faithful servant."

But when he had taken farewell and gone out care was evident on his
face.

About seventy-five miles from Siut, higher up the Nile, the wild
Arabian rocks almost touch the river, but the Libyan hills have pushed
away so far from it that the valley at that point is perhaps the widest
part of Egypt. Just there, side by side, stood Tibis and Abydos, two
holy cities. There was born the first Egyptian pharaoh, Menes, there, a
hundred thousand years before, were laid in the grave the holy relics
of the god Osiris slain by Set (his brother Typhon) treacherously.

There, finally, in memory of those great events, the famous pharaoh
Seti built a temple to which pilgrims came from every part of Egypt.
Each believer was bound even once during life to bring his forehead to
the blessed earth of Abydos. Truly happy was he whose mummy could make
a journey to that place and halt even at a distance from the temple.

The mummy of Ramses XII spent two days there; for he had been a ruler
noted for devotion. There is nothing wonderful in this, therefore, that
Ramses XIII began his reign by rendering homage to the grave of Osiris.

Seti's temple was not among the oldest or most splendid in Egypt, but
it was distinguished for pure Egyptian style. His holiness Ramses XIII,
accompanied by Sem the high priest, visited