efore, that only
those should know the highest secrets to whom Amon has declared his
plans and purposes."

The prince, while listening, felt as if people were turning him on a
bed of dagger points under which fire was burning.

Mentezufis wished to rise; Ramses detained him.

"One word more," said he, mildly. "Is Egypt so weak that she cannot
even mention the Assyrian tribute?"

He panted.

"If Egypt is so wretched," continued he, "then what assurance is there
that Assyria will not attack us?"

"We may assure ourselves by a treaty," answered the priest.

The heir waved his hand.

"There are no treaties for the weak!" said he. "Silver tablets
inscribed with agreements will not guard boundaries unless spears and
swords stand behind them."

"But who has told thee, worthiness, that they will not stand on our
land?"

"Thou thyself. One hundred and twenty thousand men must yield before
three hundred thousand. Were Assyrians to come here, Egypt would be
turned into a desert."

Mentezufis eyes flashed.

"If they were to invade us," cried he, "their bones would never touch
their own country! We should arm all the nobles, all the regiments of
laborers, even convicts in the quarries. We should take the treasures
from all temples. And Assyria would meet five hundred thousand Egyptian
warriors."

Ramses was delighted at this outburst of patriotism in Mentezufis. He
seized him by the hand, and said,

"Then, if we are able to have such an army, why do we not attack
Babylon? Is not the great warrior Nitager imploring us for years to do
so? Is not his holiness alarmed by the movement in Assyria? If we let
them concentrate their forces, the struggle will be most difficult; but
if we begin ourselves."

The priest interrupted him,

"Dost Thou know, prince, what a war is to which one must go through a
desert? Who will assure us that before we could reach the Euphrates
half our army and carriers would not perish from hardship?"

"That would be cured by one battle," interrupted Ramses.

"A battle!" repeated the priest. "But does the prince know what a
battle is?"

"I hope so!" replied the heir, striking his sword.

Mentezufis shrugged his shoulders.

"But I say, lord, that Thou dost not know what a battle is; Thou hast
even an entirely false idea of it from maneuvers at which Thou hast
always been the victor, though more than once Thou shouldst have been
conquered."

The prince frowned. The priest put his hand