believe: thee, or me? I am here because I
found plans in the temple of Set; Thou hast come by the grace of the
immortal Ptah," concluded Samentu, laughing.

"Bind that traitor and liar!" cried Mefres.

Samentu moved back a couple of steps, drew forth quickly from under his
garment a vial, and said, while raising it to his lips, "Mefres, Thou
wilt be an idiot till death. Thou hast wit only when it is a question
of money."

He placed the vial between his lips and fell to the pavement.

The armed men rushed to the priest and raised him, but he had slipped
through their fingers already.

"Let him stay here, like others," said the overseer of the labyrinth.

The whole retinue left the hall and closed the open doors carefully.
Soon they issued forth from the edifice.

When the worthy Mefres found himself in the court he commanded the
priests to make ready the mounted litters, and rode away with the
sleeping Lykon to Memphis.

The overseers of the labyrinth, dazed by the uncommon events, looked
now at one another, and now at the escort of Mefres, which was
disappearing in a yellow dust cloud.

"I cannot believe," said the chief overseer, "that in our days there
was a man who could break into the labyrinth."

"Your worthiness forgets that this day there were three such,"
interrupted one of the younger priests looking askance at him.

"A a true!" answered the high priest. "Have the gods disturbed my
reason?" said he, rubbing his forehead and pressing the amulet on his
breast.

"And two have fled," added the younger priest.

"Why didst Thou not turn my attention to that in the labyrinth?" burst
out the superior.

"I did not know that things would turn out as they have."

"Woe is on my head!" cried the high priest. "Not chief should I be at
this edifice, but gatekeeper. We were warned that some one was stealing
in, but now we have let out two of the most dangerous, who will bring
now whomever it may please them O woe!"

"Thou hast no need, worthiness, to despair," said another priest. "Our
law is explicit. Send four or six of our men to Memphis, and provide
them with sentences. The rest will be their work."

"I have lost my reason," complained the high priest.

"What has happened is over," interrupted the young priest, with irony.
"One thing is certain: that men who not only reach the vaults, but even
walk through them as through their own houses, may not live."

"Then select six from our militia."

"Of