nd convince thyself that no one
is listening, fall at his feet in my name, and say,

"Our lord, thy son and servant, the worthy Ramses, to whom Thou hast
given life and power, says the following,

"'The cause of Egypt's suffering is the loss of fertile lands taken by
the desert, and the loss of men who die from want and hard labor. But
know, our lord, that the damage caused thy treasury by priests is no
less than that wrought by death and the desert; for not only are the
temples filled with gold and jewels, which would suffice to pay our
debts entirely, but the holy fathers and the prophets have the best
lands, the best slaves and laborers, and lands far greater in extent
than those of the divine pharaoh.

"'Thy son and slave, Ramses, says this to thee, he who all the time of
his journey had his eyes open like a fish, and his ears set forward
like an ass which is watching.'."

The prince stopped. Tutmosis repeated the words mentally.

"If," continued the viceroy, "his holiness asks for my opinion of the
Assyrians, fall on thy face and answer,

"'Thy servant Ramses, if Thou permit, makes bold to say that the
Assyrians are strong and large men, and have perfect weapons; but it is
evident that they have bad training. At the heels of Sargon marched the
best Assyrian warriors, archers, axemen, spearmen, and still there were
not six among them who could march in line warrior fashion. Besides
they carry their spears crookedly, their swords are badly hung, they
bear their axes like carpenters or butchers. Their clothing is heavy,
their rude sandals gall their feet, and their shields, though strong,
are of small use, for the men are awkward."

"Thou speakest truth," said Tutmosis. "I have noticed that, and I have
heard the same from Egyptian officers who declare that Assyrian troops,
like those which we saw here, would offer less resistance than the
hordes of Libya."

"Say also to our lord, who gives us life, that all the nobles and the
Egyptian army are indignant at the mere report that Assyria might annex
Phoenicia. Why, Phoenicia is the port of Egypt, and the Phoenicians the
best warriors in our navy.

"Say, besides, that I have heard from Phoenicians (of this his holiness
must know best of all) that Assyria is weak at the moment, for she has
a war on her northern and eastern boundaries; all western Asia is
arming against her. Should we attack today, we could win immense
wealth, and take multitudes of captives who