uer.

"But ye sages, favorites of the gods, have ye no means of saving people
from such a tempest?"

The priest thought awhile, and answered,

"In the world there is only one sage who can struggle with evil
spirits. But he is not here."

Typhon had been blowing for half an hour with inconceivable fury. It
had become almost like night. At moments the wind weakened, the black
clouds pushed apart; in the sky was a bloody sun, on the earth an
ominous light of ruddy color. The hot stifling wind grew more violent,
the clouds of sand thicker. The ghastly light was extinguished, and in
the air were heard sounds and noises to which human ears are not
accustomed.

It was near sunset, but the violence of the tempest increased, and the
unendurable heat rose' continually. From time to time a gigantic bloody
spot appeared above the horizon, as if a world fire were coming.

All at once the prince saw that Pentuer was not before him. He strained
his ear and heard a voice, crying,

"Beroes! Beroes! If Thou cannot help us, who can? Beroes! in the name
of the One, the Almighty, who knows neither end nor beginning, I call
on thee."

On the northern extremity of the desert, thunder was heard. The prince
was frightened, since thunder for an Egyptian was almost as rare a
phenomenon as a comet.

"Beroes! Beroes!" repeated the priest in a deep voice.

Ramses strained his eyes in the direction of the voice, and saw a dark
human figure with arms uplifted. From the head, the fingers, and even
from the clothing of that figure, light bluish sparks were flashing.

"Beroes! Beroes!"

A prolonged roar of thunder was heard nearer; lightning gleamed amid
clouds of sand, and filled the desert with lurid flashes.

A fresh peal of thunder, and again lightning.

The prince felt that the violence of the tempest was decreasing, and
the heat also. The sand which had been whirled through the air began to
fall to the earth now, the sky became ashen gray, next ruddy, next
milk-colored. At last all was silent, and after a while thunder was
heard again, and a cool breeze from the north appeared.

The Asiatics and Libyans, tormented by heat, regained consciousness.

"Warriors of the pharaoh," said the old Libyan on a sudden, "do ye hear
that noise in the desert?"

"Will there be another tempest?"

"No; that is rain."

In fact some cold drops fell from the sky, then more of them, till at
last there was a downpour accompanied by thunder.

Amo