t to the barbarians, since those glass works
were an important source of income to the pharaoh's treasury.

Musawasa had made the same mistake as the supreme priestly council. He
had not foreseen military genius in Ramses. And an uncommon thing
happened: before the first Libyan corps had reached the neighborhood of
the Soda Lakes the viceroy's army was there, and was twice as numerous
as its enemies.

No man could reproach the Libyans with lack of foresight. Tehenna and
his staff had a very well-organized service. Their spies had made
frequent visits to Melcatis, Naucratis, Sai, Menuf, and Teremethis, and
had sailed across the Canopus and Bolbita arms of the Nile. Nowhere did
they meet troops; the movements of troops would have been paralyzed in
those places by the overflow, but they did see almost everywhere the
alarm of settled populations which were simply fleeing from border
villages. So they brought their leader exact intelligence.

Meanwhile the viceroy's army, in spite of the overflow, had reached the
edge of the desert in nine days after it was mobilized, and now,
furnished with water and provisions, it vanished among the hills of the
Soda Lakes.

If Tehenna could have risen like an eagle above the camp of his
warriors, he would have been frightened at seeing that Egyptian
regiments were hidden in all the ravines of that district, and that his
corps might be surrounded at any instant.

CHAPTER XLIII

FROM the moment when the troops of Lower Egypt marched out of Pi-Bast,
the prophet, Mentezufis, who accompanied the prince, received and sent
away dispatches daily.

One correspondence he conducted with the minister Herhor; Mentezufis
sent reports to Memphis touching the advance of the troops, and the
activity of the viceroy; of this activity he did not conceal his
admiration. On his part, the worthy Herhor stated that every freedom
was to be left to the heir, and that if Ramses lost his first battle,
the supreme council would not feel angry.

"A slight defeat," said Herhor, "would be a lesson in humility and
caution to the viceroy, who even now, though as yet he has done
nothing, considers himself as equal to the most experienced warriors."

When Mentezufis answered that one could not easily suppose that the
heir would meet defeat, Herhor let him understand that in that case the
triumph should not be over brilliant.

"The state," continued he, "will not lose in any way if the warriors
and the impul