"I am not opposed to relieving common people," said Herhor, "but I am
convinced that Ramses will do nothing for them."

"Surely not if you refuse him money."

"Even were we to give him a pyramid of gold and silver, and another of
precious stones, he would do nothing that is a mad stripling whom the
Assyrian ambassador, Sargon, never mentioned otherwise than as a
frivolous youngster."

"The pharaoh has great capabilities."

"But he has no knowledge, and no skill," replied Herhor. "He barely
visited the high school a little and left it at the earliest. Hence,
today, in affairs of state he is like a blind person; he is like a
child which puts out pieces boldly on a board, but has no idea how to
play at draughts."

"Still he governs."

"Oh, Pentuer, what is his government?" interrupted the high priest,
with laughter. "He has opened new military schools, he has increased
the number of regiments, he is arming the whole people, he has promised
holidays to working men. But how will he carry out his projects? Thou
keepest far from him, hence knowest nothing; but I assure thee that he,
when issuing orders, never stops to ask: Who will carry out this? What
are the means? What will follow? It seems to thee that he governs. It
is I who govern, I govern all the time, I, whom he dismissed. I am the
cause that today fewer taxes come to the treasury, but I also prevent
the rebellion of laborers; because of me they do not leave work on the
canals, dams, and roadways. To sum up, I have twice restrained Assyria
from declaring war on us, war which that madman was calling out by his
military dispositions.

"Ramses govern! He merely rouses disorder. Thou hadst trial of his
management in Lower Egypt: he drank, frolicked, brought in woman after
woman, and pretended to occupy himself with administration of the
province, but he understood nothing, absolutely nothing. What is worst
of all, he became intimate with Phoenicians, with bankrupt nobles, and
traitors of various kinds, who are urging him to ruin."

"But the victory of the Soda Lakes?" inquired Pentuer.

"I recognize energy in him, and a knowledge of military art," added
Herhor. "That is the one thing that he knows. But say thyself would he
have won the battle at the Soda Lakes were it not for aid from thee and
others of the priestly order? I know that ye informed him of every
movement of the Libyan band. And now think, could Ramses, even with
help from you, win a battle agains