hands, Tutmosis," said Ramses, delighted. "Remember
these little hands, so as to tell of them some day when I give him a
regiment, and command him to have my mace borne behind him. And this is
my son, my own son."

It is not to be wondered at that when their lord spoke thus his
attendants were sorry that they could not become dry or wet nurses to
the child which, though it had no dynastic rights, was still the first
son of the future pharaoh.

But this idyll ended very soon, since it did not harmonize with the
interests of the Phoenicians.

A certain day the worthy Hiram arrived at the palace with a great suite
of merchants, slaves, and also poor Egyptians to whom he gave alms, and
when he stood before the heir, he said,

"Our gracious lord! to prove that thy heart is full of kindness toward
us Asiatics also, Thou hast given five talents to arrange games in
honor of the goddess Astaroth. Thy will is accomplished; we have
arranged the games, now we have come to implore thee to deign to honor
the games with thy presence."

While saying this, the gray-haired Tyrian prince knelt before Ramses
and gave him a golden key to his box in the amphitheatre.

Ramses accepted the invitation willingly; the holy priests Mefres and
Mentezufis had no objection to the presence of the prince in honoring
the goddess Astaroth.

"First of all, Astaroth," said the worthy Mefres to Mentezufis, "is the
same as our Is is and the Chaldean Istar; second, if we permit Asiatics
to build temples in our land it is proper to be kindly to their gods at
seasons."

"We are obliged even to show some politeness to Phoenicians after the
conclusion of such a treaty with Assyria," put in the worthy
Mentezufis, smiling.

The amphitheatre, to which the viceroy, the nomarch, and the foremost
officers betook themselves about four in the afternoon was built in the
garden of the temple. It was a circular space surrounded by a palisade
twice the height of a man. Inside the palisade, and round about, was a
multitude of boxes and seats rising one above the other. The structure
had no roof, but above the boxes extended cloth of various colors, cut
like wings of butterflies, which, sprinkled with fragrant water, were
moved to cool the atmosphere.

When the viceroy appeared in his box, the Asiatics and Egyptians
present in the amphitheatre gave forth a mighty shout. The spectacle
began with a procession of singers, dancers, and musicians.

The prince looked