gypt. Yes! that is
the Nile the desert. Here is Memphis, there Thebes."

Indeed he saw Egypt, all Egypt, but no larger than the path which
extended through the garden of his palace. The wonderful picture had
this trait, that when the Pharaoh turned more deliberate attention to
any point of it, that point with its environments grew to be of real
size almost.

The sun was going down, covering the earth with golden and purple
light. Birds of the daytime were settling to sleep, the night birds
were waking up in their concealments. In the desert hyenas and jackals
were yawning, and the slumbering lion had begun to stretch his strong
body and prepare to hunt victims.

The Nile fisherman drew forth his nets hastily, men were tying up at
the shores the great transport barges. The wearied earth-worker removed
from the sweep his bucket with which he had drawn water since sunrise;
another returned slowly with the plough to his mud hovel. In cities
they were lighting lamps, in the temples priests were assembling for
evening devotions. On the highways the dust was settling down and the
squeak of carts was growing silent. From the pylon summits shrill
voices were heard calling people to prayer.

A moment later, the pharaoh saw with astonishment flocks of silvery
birds over the earth everywhere. They were flying up out of palaces,
temples streets, workshops, Nile barges, country huts, even from the
quarries. At first each of them shot upward like an arrow, but soon it
met in the sky another silvery feathered bird, which stopped its way,
striking it with all force and both fell to the earth lifeless.

Those were the unworthy prayers of men, which prevented each other from
reaching the throne of Him who existed before the ages.

The pharaoh strained his hearing. At first only the rustle of wings
reached him, but soon he distinguished words also.

And now he heard a sick man praying for the return of his health, and
also the physician, who begged that that same patient might be sick as
long as possible. The landowner prayed Amon to watch over his granary
and cow-house, the thief stretched his hands heavenward so that he
might lead forth another man's cow without hindrance, and fill his own
bags from another man's harvest.

Their prayers knocked each other down like stones which had been hurled
from slings and had met in the air.

The wanderer in the desert fell on the sand and begged for a north
wind, to bring a drop of rain t