hour to hour, from day to day, his soul rose and fell
like the waters of the Nile in the course of its yearly changes.

Gradually, however, the prince recovered his balance, and when the time
came to leave the temple, he had formulated certain views of the
problem.

First of all, he understood clearly that Egypt needed more land and
more people. Second, he believed that the simplest way to find men was
a war with Asia. But Pentuer had proved to him that war could only
heighten the disaster. A new question rose then, did Pentuer speak the
truth, or was he lying? If he spoke the truth, he plunged the prince in
despair, for Ramses saw no means to raise the state except war. Unless
war were made, Egypt would lose population yearly, and the treasury of
the pharaoh would increase its debts till the whole process would end
in some ghastly overthrow, perhaps even in the reign of the coming
pharaoh.

"But if Pentuer lied? Why should he lie? Evidently because Herhor,
Mefres, and the whole priestly corporation had persuaded him to act
thus.

"But why did priests oppose war? What interests had they in opposing?
Every war brought immense profit to them and the pharaoh.

"But would the priests deceive him in an affair so far reaching? It is
true that they deceived very often, but in small matters, not when it
was a question of the future and the existence of the state. It was not
possible to assert that they deceived always. Besides, they were the
servants of the gods, and the guardians of great secrets." Spirits
resided in their temples; of this Ramses convinced himself on the first
night after he had come to that temple of Hator.

"But if the gods did not permit the uninitiated to approach their
altars, if they watched so carefully over temples, why did they not
watch over Egypt, which is the greatest of all temples?"

When some days later Ramses, after a solemn religious service, left the
temple of Hator amid the blessings of the priests, two questions were
agitating him,

Could war with Asia really harm Egypt? Could the priests in this
question be deceiving him, the heir to the throne?

CHAPTER XXIX

THE prince journeyed on horseback in company with a number of officers
to Pi-Bast, the famous capital of the province of Habu.

The month Paoni had passed, Epiphi was beginning (April and May). The
sun stood high, heralding the most violent season of heat for Egypt. A
mighty wind from the desert had blown in repeate