e sat in his cell, or walked up and down the shady
corridors. Work in his soul was progressing.

In reality Pentuer had declared no new truth; all had been complaining
of the decrease of laud and people in Egypt, of the misery of workmen,
the abuses of scribes, and the extortion of Phoenicians. But the
discourse of the prophet had given them tangible forms, and illustrated
facts very clearly.

The Phoenicians terrified the prince; he had not estimated till that
time the enormity of the misfortunes brought on people of Egypt by
those merchants. His horror was all the more vivid, since he had rented
out his own subjects to Dagon, and was himself witness of the way in
which the banker collected his dues from them.

But his entanglement in the business of Phoenicians produced strange
results in Ramses. He did not wish to think of Phoenicians, and
whenever anger flamed up in his mind against those strangers the
feeling of shame was destroyed in him. He was in a certain sense their
confederate. Meanwhile he understood perfectly how serious the decrease
was in land and in people, and on this he placed the main emphasis in
his lonely meditation.

"If we had," said he to himself, "those two millions of people lost by
Egypt, we might through help from them win back those fertile lands
from the desert, we might even extend those lands. And then in spite of
Phoenicians our laborers would be in a better condition, and there
would be also increase in the income of Egypt. But where can we find
men?"

Chance gave the answer.

On a certain evening the prince, while walking through the gardens of
the temple, met a crowd of captives whom Nitager had seized on the
eastern boundary and sent to the goddess Hator. Those people were
perfectly built, they did more work than Egyptians, and they did it
because they were properly nourished, hence even satisfied with their
position.

When he saw them, his mind was cleared as if by a lightning flash. He
almost lost presence of mind from emotion. The country needs men, many
men, hundreds of thousands, even a million, two millions. And here are
men! The only need was to turn to Asia, seize all whom they might meet
on the road, and send them to Egypt. War must continue till so many
were taken that every earth-tiller from the cataract to the sea might
have his own bondman.

Thus rose a plan, colossal and simple, thanks to which Egypt would find
population, the earth-tillers aid in their labor