asked,

"Thy province, worthiness, is among the richest in Egypt, is it not?"

"Yes, though we have had a number of hard years," replied Ranuzer; and
again his heart sank and his legs began to tremble.

"But this astonishes me," said the prince, "that year after year the
income of his holiness decreases. Canst Thou not explain to me the
cause of this?"

"Lord," said the nomarch, bending his head to the earth, "I see that my
enemies have sown distrust in thy soul; whatever I might say,
therefore, would not convince thee. Permit me not to speak. Better let
scribes come with documents, which Thou canst touch with thy hand and
verify."

The prince was somewhat astonished at the unexpected outburst, but he
accepted the offer; nay, he was glad of it. He thought, of course, that
the report of these scribes would explain to him the secret of
government.

The next day, therefore, came the chief scribe of Hak, and with him his
assistants. They brought from ten to twenty rolls of papyrus written on
both sides. When unwound, they formed a strip three spans of a great
hand in width and in length sixty paces. For the first time the prince
saw so gigantic a document, containing an inventory of one province
only and that for one year.

The chief scribe sat on the floor with his legs doubled under him, and
began,

"In the thirty-third year of the reign of his holiness Meramen-Ramses
the Nile was late in its overflow. Earth-tillers, ascribing this
misfortune to the black art of foreigners resident in the province of
Hak, fell to wrecking the houses of Hittites, Jews, and Phoenicians,
during which time a number of persons were slain by them. At command of
his worthiness the nomarch, those guilty were brought to the court;
twenty-five earth-tillers, two masons, and five sandal-makers were
condemned to the quarries, one boatman was strangled."

"What is that document?" interrupted the prince.

"It is the report of the court intended for the feet of his holiness."

"Put it aside, and read about the income of the treasury."

The assistants of the chief scribe folded the rejected document, and
gave him others. Again the official began,

"On the fifth day of the month Thoth six hundred measures of wheat were
brought to the granaries of the pharaoh; for these a receipt was issued
by the chief overseer.

"On the seventh day of Thoth the chief scribe discovered and verified a
statement that from the supply of the previous year on