ls. On these put sixty covered with carvings; those will
be thy most intimate counselors and chief leaders, and on the summit
place one monolith with its pedestal and the golden image of the sun;
that will be thyself.'

"The Pharaoh Snofru followed that advice. Thus rose the oldest pyramid,
the step pyramid, a tangible image of our state; from that pyramid all
others had their origin. Those are immovable buildings, from the
summits of which the rim of the world is visible, and they will be a
marvel to the remotest generations.

"In this system resides our superiority over all neighbors. The
Ethiopians were as numerous as we, but their king himself took care of
his own cattle, and beat his own subjects with a club; he knew not how
many subjects he had, nor was he able to collect them when our troops
invaded his country. There was not a united Ethiopia, but a great crowd
of unorganized people. For that reason they are our vassals at present.

"The Prince of Libya judges all disputes himself, especially among the
wealthy, and gives so much time to them that he cannot attend to his
own business. So at his side whole bands of robbers rise up; these we
exterminate.

"Were there in Phoenicia a single ruler who knew what was happening and
who commanded in all parts, that country would not pay us one uten of
tribute. But what a happiness for us that the kings of Nineveh and
Babylon have each only one minister, and are tormented with the onrush
of business as Thou art this day. They wish to see, judge, and command
everything; hence the affairs of their states are entangled for a
century to come. But were some insignificant scribe to go from Egypt to
those kings, explain their errors of management, and give them our
official system, our pyramid, in a year's time Judaea and Phoenicia
would fall into the hands of the Assyrians, and in a few tens of years
powerful armies, coming from the East and the North by laud and by sea,
would hurl themselves on us, armies which we might not be able to
vanquish."

"Therefore let us fall on them today and take advantage of their want
of order," cried Ramses.

"We are not cured yet of previous victories," answered Herhor, coldly;
and he began to take leave of the viceroy.

"Have victories weakened us?" burst out the heir. "Or have we not
brought home treasures?"

"But does not the axe with which we cut wood become blunted?" inquired
Herhor; and he went out.

The prince understood that