.,ORY OF EGYPT1AN-1SRAEL1T1SH LIFE.
r BY PEOF. GEORG EBERS,
Author of "Uarda," "An Egyptian Princess," Eta
.(NOW FIRST
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OSHTJA looked cautious
ly about him. The sky was
still clear, though, if this
north wind should hold,
the clouds which seemed
to be coming up from the sea
would soon overcast it.
The air was sultry, but the men on watch
kept their eyes open and relieved each other
at regnlarintervals. Their vigilance would
be hard to eTade; but close to the trough
which formed Ephraim's bed and which his
uncle, for their greater comfort, had dug by
the side of his own on the gentle slope of a
mound, a narrow rift widened to a ravine,
its edge gleaming in the moonlight with
Teins of white gypsum and sparkling ores.
If the supple lad could but slip unseen into
this hollow and creep along it as far as the
shores of yonder salt lake, overgrown with
tall mares-tail and a thicket of desert
shrubs, under cover of the gathering clouds,
he might succeed in his attempt.
Having come to this conclusion, Joshua
next considered, as calmly as though he was
deciding on a route for his troops, whether,
if he had the use or his hands, he might be
Able to folio w Ephraim without imperiling
the boy's escape. But to this he could only
find a negative; for one of the watch was
close at tana, sitting or standing on a high
er point of the hillock, and in the bright
moonlight he could not lail to see every
movement if the lad untied his bonds.
.Moreover, the clouds might perhaps have
covered the moon before this was accom
plished, and then Ephraim might let slip
the one favorable moment which promised
him release, and be led into danger on his
account. He was this boy's natural pro
tector, and would it not be base, indeed, to
oar his way to freedom for the sake of a
doubtful prospect of escape for himself ?
So he whispered to Ephraim:
"I cannot go with you. Glide along the
rilt to the right, down to the salt lake. I
will keep an eye on the guards. As soon as
the clouds hide the moon and I cough, creep
away. If you succeed, fly to your people.
Greet my old tather from me, assure him of
my love and truth, and tell him whither I
am being taken. Listen to his and Miriam's
counsel; it will be good. Now the clouds
are gathering about the moon not another
word!"
Ephraim persisted in imploring him, in
the softest whisper, to put forth his hands,
out he only bid him be silent; and as soon
as the moon was shrouded, and the watch
who was pacing to and fro just above them
had begun a conversation with the man who
came to relieve him, Joshua coughed gently
and then listened in the darkness with a
throbbing heart and bated breath.
First he heard a slight rustle, and by the
flare of the fire on the top of the slope,
which the drivers now mended to keep off
wild beasts, he saw that Ephraira's bed was
deserted.
At this he breathed more freely, for the
ravine must by this time hide the boy, and,
when he listened more sharply than 'before
to catch a sound of creeping or slipping, he
could hear nothing but the guards talking
and their beavy footsteps.
Their voices reached his ear but not the
words they spoke, so eagerly was he bent on
following the youth in his flight. How
agile and how cautious the iugitive must be
in his movements! He must still be in the
ravine. The moon seemed to be struggling
wiiu uie ciuuux, uu lor a moment me Sliver
disk victoriously rent the heavy black cur
tain which hid it from the eyes of men, and
the long, bright shaft of light was mirrored
in the motionless waters of the salt lake;
Joshua could see everything that lay below
him, but he detected nothing which bore
any resemblance to a human figure.
Had the lad met with some obstacle in the
dell? was he checked by a cliff or a gulf in
its gloomy depths? or and at this thought
his heart seemed to stand still had the
abyss swallowed him up as he felt his way
in the darkness? Now he longed to hear a
sound the very faintest from the depths
of the ravine. This stillness was fearful!
Ah! sooner silence than this! A clatter
of falling stones and slipping earth came
up, too loud now, through the still night.
The moon, too, again peeped out from its
veil of clouds, and Joshua saw, down by the
pool, a living form which seemed that of a
beast rather thanof aman, for it went along
on all-fours. And now the water splashed
up in glittering drops. The creature, what
ever it was, had plunged into the lake. And
again the clouds hid the moon and all was
dark. Joshua breathed more freely, saying
1o himselt that it was Ephraim whom he had
seen, and that the Ingitive, come what
might, had gained a good start on his pur
suers. ,
But the men were not sleeping nor de
ceived; for. although he cried out in order
to mislead them. "A jackal!" a Bhrill
whistle rang out, awaking all the sleepers.
. In a moment the driver of the gang was
standing over him, a burning torch in his
hand, and he heaved a sigh of relief when
he saw the prisoner safe. It was not for
nothing that he had tied him with double
cords, for he would have been made to pay
for it dearly if this man had escaped him.
, But, while the driver was feeling the rope
that bound the Hebrew's wrists, the flare of
the torch he held fell on the fugitive's empty
resting place The cords he had bitten
through lay there yet, as if in mockerv. The
driver picked them up, cast them at Joshua's
feet, whistled loudly again and again and
shouted:
"Gone! Flown! the Hebrew! the young
one!" And troubling himself no lurther
about the elder prisoner, he at once began
the search.
Hoarse with rage, he gave his orders
rapidly; all were clear, and all were forth
with obeyed.
While some of his men collected the gang,
counted them over, and bound them to
gether with cords, the leader, with the rest,
and helped by dogs, sought some trace of the
fugitive.
Joshua saw him bring the beasts to sniff
at the cords Ephraim bad gnawed through,
and the place where he had lain, and then
they started direct for the ravine. He
breathed hard as he preceived that they lin
gered there some little time, ana at last, just
as the moon again came through the clouds,
emerged on the shore, and rushed down to
the water's edge. He was glad that
Ephraim had waded through it, for the dogs
here lost the scent, and many minutes
slipped by while the guards and the
dogs, who poked their noses into every foot
print left by the runaway, made their way
round the shore to find the trace again.
Then their loud tongue told him that they
had recovered the scent But even if they
should track and run down the fugitive, the
lettered warrior did not now fear the worst,
-' Jot Ephraim bad a long start of his pur
suers; tull his heart beat last, and time
teemed to stand still till the driver came
liack again, exhausted and unsuccessful.
Though he, a man of middle age, could
PUBLISHED.
never have overtaken Ephraim, the young,
est and swiftest of his men had been sen'
alter him, as he himself announced with
scornful lury.
The man, before so good-natured, was en
tirely changed; for he felt the lad's escape
as a disgrace he could hardly get over, nay,
as a positive misfortune.
And the wretch who had tried to mislead
him by crying out "A jackal" was the fugi
tive's "accomplice. Loudly did he curse
Prince Siptah. who had interfered in the
duties of his place. But it should not hap
pen again, and he would make his victims
suffer for his misfortune! The prisoners
were immediately loaded with chains again.
Joshua was coupled with an asthmatic old
man, and the whole gang were made to stand
in a row where the firelight fell on them till
daybreak. Joshua could makeno reply to
the questions put to him by his new com
panion in bonds; he awaited in painfnl sus
pense the return of the pursuers. Mean
while he strove to control his thoughts to
prayer, beseeching the Lord, who had prom
ised to be his helper, on his own behalf and
on that of his nephew. Often enough, to be
sure, he was interrupted by the driver, who
vented his wrath on him. However, the He
brew, who had in his day commanded a host,
Fleeing Through the Moonlit JSight.
submitted to everything, and commanded
himself to endure whatever came, like the
inevitable discomfort of rain or hair; nay,
it cost him no little effort to conceal his
gladness when the young runners, who had
been after Ephraim, came in after sunrise,
breathless and with disordered hail, bring
ing with them nothing but a dog with a
broken skull.
The driver could, therefore, do no more
than report to the soldiers in the first fort on
the Etham frontier, which the prison gang
must now cross, of what had happened; and
to this point the file of men were now led.
Since Ephraim's flight all the men on
guard had changed their tone for a harder
one. Yesterday the unhappy wretches had
been allowed to proceed at an easy pace;
now they were hurried on as fast as possible.
The day was sultry, and the scorching sun
strugeled with the storm clouds, which were
gathering in the north in dense masses.
Joshua's frame, inured to every kind of
fatigui, could resist the severity of this
forced march, but his more feeble compan
ion, who had grown gray as a scribe, often
stumbled, and at length lay where lie fell.
At this the driver saw the necessity of
placing the sufferer on an ass, and fettering
Joshna to another companion. This was-ne
first man's brother, an overseer of the King's
stables, a well-grown Egyptian, who was go
ing to the mines for no other cause than that
it was his xnisforture to be the brother of a
state criminal. Linked to this sturdy mate,
walking .was much easier, and Joshua lis
tened to him with sincere sympathy, and
tried to cheer him when, in a low voifte, he
confided to him all his woes, lamenting sadly
that he had left a wife and child at home in
want and misery. Two of his children had
died of the nestilence, and it weighed on his
heart that he had been prevented from car
ing for their burial, for thus the two beings
he had loved were lost to him forever, even
in the other world.
At their second resting place the bereaved
father spoke more freely. His soul was con
sumed by thirst for revenge, and he took it
for granted that his companion felt the
same, seeing that he had fallen into dis
grace from a high office. The overseer of
the stables had a sister-in-lawjvho was one
of the ladies abont Pharaoh's court, and
through her and her sister, his wife, he had
been informed that a conspiracy against the
King was being hatched in the woman's
bouse. Aye, and he knew, too, who it was
that the women purposed to set in Meneph
tah's place.
As Joshua looked at him with an inquir
ing and doubtful gaze, his comrade whis
pered: "Sintah. the Kine's nenhew. and his
noble mother are at tne head of the plot. If
only I get free I will bear you in mind; and
my sister-in-law is sure not to forget me."
He then desired to know what had brought
the Hebrew to the mines, and Joshua frank
ly told him who he was. When the Egyptian
heard that he was linked together with a
Hebrew he tore madly at his chains and
cursed his fate; however, his wrath presently
died out before the amazing coolness with
which Joshua endured the hardest things,
and to Joshua himself it was a relief that
his partner besieged his ear less often with
complaints and questions.
For whole hours he could walk on un
molested, and give himself up entirely to
his longing, to collecting his thoughts, to
giving himself a clear account of the terri
ble experiences which his soul had gone
through in the last few days, and to making
up his mind to his new and dreadful situa
tion. This silent meditation and introspection
did him good, and when they again stopped
for the night he enjoyed deep and refreshing
sleep.
When he awoke the stars were still
bright in the Western sky, reminding him
of the sycamore at Snccoth, and the all-important
morning when his beloved had won
him over to serve her God. Above him
spread the sparkling firmament, and for the
first time he was conscious of a budding
hope that the Almighty Creator of heaven
and earth might find soma way and means
of saving the people He had called his own
from the overwhelming host of the
Egyptians.
When he had thus fervently besought the
Lord to spread His protecting hand over the
feeble tribes ho, in obedience to His word,
had. left so much behind them, and had con
fidently set forth, for the remote unknown,
he commended his old father, whom he him
self could not defend, to His especial care,
and his soul was filled with wondrous
peace.
The shouts of the men on guard, the rat
tle of fetters, his wretched fellow victims
everything about him kept him in mind of
the fate before him. ile must henceforth
toil day and night in abject slavery, in a
sweltering, choking cavetn, berett of the
joy cf breathing the fresh air of heaven, or
ol seeing the sunshine; loaded with chains,
flogged and reviled, starving and athirst, in
a gloomy monotony of misery, agonizing
alike to body and soul; and yet, not for a mo
ment did he lose'his confident trust that this
fearful fate was intended for any other
rather than him, and that something would
intervene to preserve him from it.
On their further march eastward, which
began at dawn, he could only think of this
confidence as folly; still, he strove to cling
fast to it, and he succeeded.
Their way lay across the desert, and after
a few hours brisk march they reached the
first fort, called "Seti's Stronghold." In
H1HHHI
&$V$&rfe$k. SSI
the clear air of the desert they had seen it
or a long time, looking as though they
could shoot an arrow into it. It stood up
from the bare, stony soil, ungraced by a
palm or a shrub, with its wooden stockade,
its ramparts, its scarped walls, its watch
tower looking westward, with a broad, flat
roof swarming with men-at-arms. The gar
rison had been warned from. Pi thorn that
the Hebrews were preparing to break
through the frontier lines on the isthmus,
and the gang-of prisoners with their gut ids
had been taken, from a distance, for the van
of the emigrant Israelites.
Prom the top of the huge crown work,
which projected like a balcony from all
sides of the scarped walls to prevent the
use of scaling ladders, soldiers were spying
out between the battlements at the ap
proaching party; but the archers had re
placed their arrows in the quivers, for it
had at once been perceived that the troop
was a small one, and a runner had delivered
the pass from the military authorities de
siring the Captain of the garrison to permit
the file of the prisoners to cross the frontier.
The door in the palisade was thrown open
to them, and the driver gave them leave to
stretch their limbs awhile on the hot pave
ment within. Prom here none could
escape, even if the guard left them to 'them
selves; for the fence was too high to climb,
and arrows shot from the roof the building
or from the loopholes of the projecting bat
tlements would overtake the runaway.
It did not escape the ex-warrior's eye that
everything here was in a state of prepara
tion for resistance, as though it were war
time. Every man was at his post, and
guards stood by the great metal gongs on the
roof, with heavy mallets in their hands to
beat an alarm at the approach of the ex
pected foe; for, though there was not a tree
or a house to be seen as far as the eye could
reach, the sound would ring out to the next
fort on the frontier line and warn the garri
son, or bring them to. the rescue. It was
not indeed a punishment, but a piece of ill
fortune to be quartered in these isolated
desert stations, and the chiefs of Pharaoh's
army took care that the same companies did
not remain too long at a time in this wilder
ness. v
Joshua had himself in former years com
manded the most southerly of these strong
holds, known as Migdol of the South, lor
the name of Migdol was common to them
all, meaning' in the Semitic tongue a fortress-tower.
Here his people were evidently still ex
pected; nor could he for a moment think
that Mioses would have led them back into
Egypt. Either they had lingered in Suc
coth, or thev had marched southward, but
to the south lay the Bitter Lakes and the
Bed Sea, and how should the Hebrew multi
tude cross those deep waters? Joshua's
heart beat anxiously as he reflected on this,
and his fears were presently confirmed, for
he heard the Captain of the fortress telling
the driver of the gang that the Hebrews had
come some days since very near the frontier
line of defense, and then had turned off to
the southward. Since then it would seem
that they had been wandering In the desert
between Pithom and the Bed Sea. All this
had forthwith been reported at Tanis, but
the King had been obliged to postpone the
departure of the army till alter the
first seven days of mourning for the
heir to the throne. This delay might
have given the Israelites an immense
advantage; but a message had to-day
come by a carrier'pigeon announcing that
the foolish multitude were encamped at
Pibahirotb, not far from the Bed Sea, so
that it would be an easy task for the army
to drive them into the waters like a herd of
cattle, for there was no escape in any other
direction.
The driver had listened to this report with
much satisfaction, and he whispered a few
words to the Captain, pointing at Joshua,
who, for his part, had already recognized
the officer as a companion in arms who had
served under him as a centurion, and to
whom he had shown much kindness. It was
painful to him to reveal himself in this mis
erable plight to one who had been his subal
tern, and who owed him a debt of obliga
tion; and as he looked the Captain col
ored, shrugging his shoulders expressively,
Ephraim Acts as the Prince's Messenger.
as if to convey to Joshna his pity for his ill
fortune and the impossibility of doing any
thing to amend it. Then he said, in a voice
so loud that the Hebrew must hear him: "I
am forbidden by the rules to speak with
your prisoners, but I knew that man in
better days, and I will send you out some
wine which you will share with him, I
beg."
Then they presently went toward the gate
way, the driver remarking that Joshua was
less deserving of such favor than other and
weaker men, inasmuch as he had assisted
the runaway of whom he had spoken to
make his escape. The Captain pushed his
fingers through his hair and replied. "I
could have wished to show him some kind
ness, thongh indeed he owes me mnch
already. But if that is the case, I had better
teepmywine. And you have rested quite
long enough here."
So the driver wrathfully roused his hap
less gang to proceed on their way across the
desert and onward to the mines.
Joshua now walked with a bowed head.
His spirit rebelled against the ill fortune
which had led him to this pass, dragged
across the desert, far from his people and
from his father, who must be in great dan
ger at this decisive and fateful crisis. Under
his guidance the Hebrews might perhaps
have found a way of escape. He clenched
his fists at the thought that his chains for
bid his carrying out the means he could
devise of helping his people, and yet he
would not lose heart, and each time that his
reason told him that the Hebrews were lost,
that they must perish in this contest, his
own name the new name bestowed on him
by God sounded in his ears, and his hatred
and scorn of everything Egyptian, fanned
into life by the young officer's base conduct,
flamed up afresh.
His whole nature was in violent revolt,
and as the driver marked his burning cheeks
and the lurid light In his eye he thought
that even this strong fellow had become a
prey to the fever to which so many prisoners
fell victims on their way.
When, at sundown, tne melancholy train
encamped for the night in the heart of the
desert, Joshua's spirit still seethed and
surged within him; and the scene around
him matched well with the tumult in his
soul. Again the Hilack clouds came up
from the sea on the north wind, which
howled and shrieked and whirled clouds of
burning sand over the prisoners as they lav,
till the lightning and thunder broke over
them with a deluge of rain. A thick layer
of sand for their coverlet, pools and uvufets
were now their bed. Their keepers had
bound them together by the arms and legs,
and as they stood, shivering and dripping,
vthey still held the ends of the ropes; for the
night was as black as the fuel of the fires
the storm had extinguished, and who could
haver followed a runaway through such
darkness and weather?
But Joshua had no thoughts of flight.
While the Egyptians whimpered' and
quaked, believing that they heard the angry
voice of Set in the thvnder, and while
blinding sheets of flame 'flared among the
clouds, he felt the near presence of that
jealous God whose rage he shared, whose
hatred was as his own. Here he stood, the
witness of His all-destroving power, and
his breast swelled with pride as he said to
himself that he had been called to wield
the sword of the Lord of lords.
CHAPTER XX.
The storm which had arisen at nightfall
was still sweeping over the peninsula. High
waves beat the central lakes, and the Bed
Sea, which formed two deep creeks from the
South, like the horns of a snail, was tossing
wildly. Further Korth, too, where Pha
raoh's army had just encamped under
shelter of the southern Migdol, the strong
est of the Etham frontier fortresses, the air
was filled with sand by the storm, and in
the quarters "of the King and his nobles,
hammers were kept constantly at work,
driving the tent pegs deeper into the
ground; lor the brocade, cloth and linen, of
which Pharaoh's wandering residence and
its surroundings were formed, were so
wrenched by the wind that they threatened
to pull up the poles which supported them.
Black clouds hung in the North, yet the
moon and stars were often visible, and dis
tant lightning frequently illuminated the
darkues. But the dews of heaven still
seemed to shun this rainless tract of land, and
in every direction fires were burnt, round
which thick circles of soldiers were gath
ered like a living screen from the storm,
crowded together for protection.
The men on watch had trying work, for,
in spite or the north wind, the air was
stifling and continually blew gusts ot sand
full in their faces.
At the most northern gate of the camp
only two sentries walked to and lro, keep
ing a sharp lookout; but they were suffi
cient, for in consequence of the bad weather
ephraim t me steward's Tent.
it was a long time since anyone had ap
peared to demand either admission or exit.
At last, three hours after sunset, a slender
lad, half boy, half youth, appeared. He
went with steady step up to the watch and,
showing him a messenger's token, asked the
way to Prince Siptah'a tent. He looked as
if he had had a difficult journey: his thicK
black hair was disheveled and his feet
covered with dust and caked in mud. Yet
he roused no suspicions, for his manner was
independent and free, his messenger's pass
in perfect order, and the letter which he bore
was clearly directed to the Prince; a scribe
of the granary who was sitting at the next
fire with other officials and subalterns con
firmed the fact
Since the youth's appearance pleased most
ot them, and as he came from Tanis and
perhaps brought news, he was invited to take
a place at the fire and share their meal; but
he was in haste.
Thanking them, he refused, answered
their questions Bhortly and quickly, and
asked one of the company to be his guide.
Immediately one of them put himself at his
disposal. But he soon learned that it was
not easy to achieve seeing a member of the
royal household; for the tents of Pharaoh,
his relations and dignitaries, stood apart In
the very heart of the camp, inclosed bv the
shields of the heavily armed foot soldiers,
and when he tried to pass in he was referred
from one to another, and his messenger's
token nd the Prince's letter were repeated
,ly examined. His guide was also dismissed,
and in his place an official of high rank,
'known as "the eye and ear of the King."
came forward and began to meddle with the
seal of the letter. The bearer very decided
ly demanded the missive back; and direct
ly he had it in his hand once more
he went toward two tents, standing side by
side and shaken by the wind, which were
pointed out to him as those of Prince Siptah
and Kasana, Hornecht's daughter, for whom
he had also inquired. A chamberlain came
out of the Prince's tent, to whom he showed
the letter he bore, requesting him to con
duct him to his lord; but the official, having
desired him to hand the letter to him instead
of the Prince, Ephraim, for he it was, con
sented to do so on condition of the chamber
lain's forthwith procuring him admission to
Kasana's presence.
The steward seemed most anxious to get
the letter into his bands. After he had ex
amined Ephraim from top to toe he asked
him whether Kasana knew him, and when
the other answered him in the affirmative
and added that he brought a verbal message
for her the Egyptian, smiling said: "Good
then; but we must protect our carpets from
such feet, and you seem to me altogether
exhausted and in need of refreshment Fol
low mel"
Thereupon he led him into a little tent,
before which an old slave, and another who
was still almost a child, sat by the fire con
cluding their meal with a bunch of garlic
On seeing their master they sprang up; he
ordered the old man to wash the messenger's
feet and the young one to fetch in his name
meat, bread and wine from the Prince's tent
He then took Ephraim into his own tent
which was lighted by a lantern, and asked
him how it was that he, who looked so little
like a serf or a common fellow, had such a
forlorn appearance. Then the messenger
answered that he had on his way bound up
the wounds of a severely injured man with
his upper garment, so the steward at once
reached toward his packages and handed
him a wrapper of fine linen.
Ephraim's reply, which was very near
the truth, was given with such promptness
and sounded so genuine that it was believed,
and the steward's kindness so overwhelmed
him with gratitude that he raised no objec-"
tion when, with a practiced hand and with
out damaging the seal, he pressed the flexi
ble roll of papyrus, bent the separate layers
apart, and peeping in the opening, ac
quainted himself with the contents ot the
letter. At the same time the burly courier's
eyes glistened keenly, and it seemed to the
youth that the man's face, which at first
had appeared to him, with its comfortable
fullness and round smoothness, the very
mirror of good nature, had become like that
of a cat
As soon as the steward had finished this
operation he begged the boy to rest himself
thoroughly; and he did not return until
Ephraim had bathed, and stood with the
new linen cloth round his loins, his hair
anointed and scented, looked in the mirror,
and in the act of putting a broad gold hoop
round his arm.
He had hesitated for some time, as he
knew he was about to face great dangers; this
bracelet, however, was his only valuabls
possession, and he had token great trouble
during his captivity to keep it hidden in his
loin-clotfi. It might yet render him good
service, but if he wore' it it would attract
attention to his person and increase his risk
ot being recognised. Bat the image he saw
reflected in the mirror, his vanity, and the
wish to find favor in Kasana's eyes tri
umphed over prudence, and the costly orna
ment was soon shining on his arm. The
Chamberlain gazed with amazement at the
transformation of the unkempt messenger
into a proud-looking youth; the question
rose to his lips whether he were some kin to
Kasana. and when Ephraim replied in the
.negative he asked to what family he be
longed.
At this Ephraim stood for some time with
downcast eyes and besought the Egyptian
to excuse him irom replying till he
from replying till he should
have spoken to Kasana. The other shook
tiis head donbtmgly as he looked at him,
but he urged him no further, for what he
had discovered from the letter was a secret
which might cost all who knew it their life,
and thehndsoaieyottBjjberwtsarelyJ
be the son of some great man implicated ia
the plot of his master, Prince Siptah.
The stout, well-fed courier shivered at the
thought, and it was with a sympathetic
qualm that he looked at this blooming
uower of humanity, so young to be mixed
up in such perilous schemes. The Prince
had so far only hinted at the secret to him, so
he could still cut himself adrift from sharing
his master's destiny. It ho parted from him,
he might look forward to an old age of ease;
but, if he clung to him, and the Prince's
E lot should come to a good issue, to what'
eights might he not rise! How terribly
important was the choice which he, the
father of a large family, was called upon to
make; the sweat stood on his brow, and he
was quite incapable of clear reflection, as
he conducted Ephraim to Kasana's tent and
then hastened to his master's.
All was still in the slight erection of
wooden poles and heavy bright colored Btuffs
which sheltered the fair widow. It was with
a beating heart that Ephraim approached
the entrance, and when at length he took
courage and pushed aside the curtain which
was pegged to the ground, the wind filling
it like a sail, he saw a dark room, opening
on either hand into another. That to the
left was as dark as the center one; but from
the right lights beamed through the seams
in the canvas. The tent was of the long,
flat roofed shape in three compartments,
such as he had often seen; and in the room
whence the light proceeded was she, no
doubt, to whop he came. To avoid any
further suspicions he must overcome his
timidity, and he had already stooped to
untie the knot by which the curtain was
held to the peg in the ground, when that of
the lighted compartment was raised and a
woman's figure came into the dark entrance
room.
Was it she? Should he venture to ad
dress her? Yes, he must
He clenched his hands tightly, and, with
a deep breath, collected his courage, as
though he were about to intrude unbidden
into the inner sanctuary of a temple. Then
he trashed the curtain aside and was met
with a cry irom the woman he had before
observed; and he now recovered his courage,
for it was not Kasana, but the waiting
woman who had come with her to see the
prisoners, and who had accompanied her to
the camp. She recognized him, too, and
started at him as thongh he had risen from
the dead. They knew each other well; for,
the first time he. had been carried to Hor
necht's house, it was she who had prepared
his bath and laid balsam on his wounds:
and on the second occasion when they had
been inmates under the same roof, Bhe and
her mistress had nursed him. For many an
hour had they chatted together, and he t
knew that she was iond of him,
for as he lay half conscious, halt'
dazed with feverish dreams, she would
soothe him with a motherly touch, and as
he grew stronger, was never weary of ques
tioning him about his people, telling him
UM. BUW UblMrfl lltU KtlliaU. VI MUU1CU
blood to the Hebrew. Inaeed, his language
was not altogether strange to her, for it was
as a woman of 20 that she had been brought
to Egypt with other prisoners by Bamses
the Great Ephriam, she would. say, re
minded her of her own son when he was
younger. From, this woman he had nothing
to fear; he seized her hand, and said in a
low voice that he had escaped from his
guards, and had come to ask counsel of her
mistress and herself. The word "escaped"
was enough to reassure the old woman, for
spirits, as she understood the word, were
wont to put others to flight but not to flee.
She stroked the lad's curls, and before he
had finished speaking she had left him,
hurrying off to the other room to inform her
mistress that he stood without
In a few minutes Ephraim was in the
presence of the woman who had become the
guiding star and warming sun of his life.
With flushing cheeks he gazed up at her
lovely features, and although it stabbed him
to the heart that, before she even vouchsafed
him a greeting, she inquired whether Hosea
were with him, he forgot that foolish pang
as he noted with what kindness she looked
at him. And when she asked the serving
woman whether she did not think him look-
Looking for Kanasa.
ing fresh and well and grown more manly,
he felt as though he really were taller and
bigger, and his heart beat higher than ever.
She insisted on knowing all that had hap
pened to his uncle down to the smallest de
tail, and then, after he had done her bid
ding, and at last indulged her desire to
speak of his own fortunes, she interrupted
him to consult with, the oiaer woman as to
how he might be sheltered from malignant
eyes and fresh dangers; and the means were
soon found.
First, with Ephraim's help the nurse
closed the front entrance to the tent as com
pletely as possible, and she then showed
him the dark room, into which he was to
vanish as quickly and noiselessly as possible
whenever Bhe should give him a signal.
Kasana meanwhile had poured out a cup
of wine for the returned wanderer, and when
he came in again with the old womaji she
bade him lie down on the giraffe skin at her
feet, and asked him how he had got past the
men on guard, and what he looked to do in
the futnre. She must tell him in the first
instance that her father had remained at
Tanis, so he need have no fear of being
recognized and betrayed by Hornecht It
was easy enough to see and hear how glad
she was at this meeting; nay, when Ephraim
told her that it was in consequence of Prince
Siptah's orders that the prisoners should be
unfettered which they owed solely to her
that he had been able to make good his es
cape, she clapped her hands like a child.
But then her brow darkened, and she added
with a sigh, that her heart bad been break
ing with anxiety and fears; but that now
Hosea should see how much a woman would
sacrifice to attain the dearest wish of her
heart Ephraim's assurance that before he
himself stole away he had offered to release
his uncle met with its meed ot kind words;
and when she learned that Joshua had re
fused his nephew's help in order that he
micrht not imneril the success of the Tlan he
had suggested to him, she exclaimed to the
waiting woman, with tears in ber eyes, that
no one but he could act so nobly; and she
listened eagerly to the rest of the lad's tale,
interrupting him frequently with systematic)
questions.
So blissful a close to the fearful nights and
days he had just passed seemed to him as a
beautiful dream, a bewildering romance; and
be did not need the encouragement ofthe cup
she diligently filled for him to make him tell
his story with eager vivacity. With an elo
quence altogether new to him he described
how, in the ravine, he had slipped on a loose
stone and had fallen with it headlong to the
bottom. There he had thought that all was
lost, for soon after he had shaken himself
clear of the rubbish in which he was buried,
to hurry down to the salt lake, he had heard
the driver's whistle. However, from his
childhood he had alwavs been a good run-
j ner, and he had learned in his native fields
how to read his bearings by tne stars; so,
without looking to the right hand or to the
left, he had flown on as fast as his feet would
carry him to the south always to the south.
Many times ne had fallen in the aanc over
stonworptoiadwtfwadjjHrteiily to J
spring up again aad hurry on fly ob, to
where he knew that she, Kasana, was she.
for whose sake he would unhesitatingly cast
to the winds all that wise-heads conld ad
vise she for whom he was ready to give life
and liberty.
How be found courage to make this con
fession be knew not Nor was he sabered
by the tap she gave him with her fan, or by
the old woman's exclamation, "A boy like
that!" No! His beaming eyes onlysought
her gaze as they had done before, while he
went on with his story.
The dog which had come up with him he
had hulled against a rock; the other he had
driven off by flinging stones after him until
he retreated whining into a thicket He
had seen nothing of any other pursuers
neither that night nor all the next day. At
last he reached a high road, and came up
with some country folk, who told him which
way the King's army had marched. Then
about midday, being overcome by fatigue,
he had gone to sleep in the shade of a syca
more, and when he woke the sun was near
setting. He was dreadfully hungry, so he
had pulled a few turnips in a field as he
passed by; but the owner had immediately
come forward from a watercourse at hand,
and it was with difficulty that he had
escaped from his pursuit Duringpartof the
next night he had kept to the high road,
and had rested at last by a well on the way,
for he knew that wild beasts shun mnch
frequented spots. After snurise he had set
forth again, following the road the army
had taken, and had come upon its traces
everywhere. Shortly before noon, when he
was quite exhausted and sick with fasting,
he came to a village lying close to the fertile
tract watered by the Seti canal, and had
considered whether it would not be well to
sell his gold bracelet to purchase good
nourishment, and keep some silver and cop
per coin for future need, but he had feared
being taken for a thief and cast into prison
J5-'"
The March of the Convicts.
again, for the thorns had torn bis raiment,
and his sandals had long since dropped from
his feet He had thought that his misery
must move even the hard-hearted to pity, so
he had knocked at a door and begged, bitter
as it had been to him. However, he got
nothing from the peasant but a scorn
ful admonition that such a strong
young fellow as he might work lor
his living, and leave begging to the
weak and old. A second had threatened
him with a thrashing; however, when he had
gone some way further, feeling very crest
fallen, a young woman, who had seen him
at the niggard's door, came after him and
Eut a cake of bread with a tew dates into his
and, hastily telling him that the village
had been heavily taxed in the course of
Pharoah's progress, or she would have given
him something better. No banquet had
ever before tasted as sweet to him as this un
looked for gift, which he ate by the next
well,- but he did not confess to Kasana that
it Lad been embittered by the doubt as to
whether he should obey Joshua's counsel
and return to his own people, or follow his
heart's desire which drew him to her. He
had started again, still undecided; but fate
seemed to have taken the matter into her
own hands. After he had walked on about
half an hour longer, on reaching the edge of
the desert he had come upon a youth of
about his own age, sitting by the 'wayside
and moaning as he held one of his feet in
both hands. He had gone up to him at his
call, and to his surprise he had recognized
him as Hornecht's runner and messenger,
with whom he had often spoken.
"Apool our nimble Nubian?" inter
rupted the lady; and Ephraim went on to
tell her that this messenger had been sent to
carry a letter to Prince Siptah in all haste,
and the swift-footed lad, who was wont to
outrun his master's horses, would have
flown like an arrow and have reached his
destination in two hours if he had not trod
den on a fragment of broken glass, a bottle
broken by some chariot wheel, and the cnt
was dreadfully deep.
"And you helped him?" asked Kasana.
"Conld I do otherwise?" was the answer.
"He had half bled to death already, and
was as pale as a ghost So I carried him to
the nearest canal and washed his gaping
wound, and applied some ointment he had
with him."
"I put it in his pocket a year ago in a
small pot," said the nurse, who, being easily
moved, was wiping her eyes; and Ephraim
confirmed the fact, for Apoo had mentioned
it with gratitude. Then he went on:
"I tore my tunic into strips and bound his
foot up as best I might. But he urged me
all the while to make haste, and held out
the token and the note which his master has
intrusted to him, and knowing nothing of
the misfortune which had belallen me, he
charzed me to carry the letter to the Prince
in hit stead. Oh! how gladly I undertook
to do so, and the second hour was not ended
when I reached the camp. The letter is in
the Prince's hands, and here am I, and I
can see bv your face that you are well
pleased. "As for me so happy as I am to
sit here at vour feet and gaze up at von. so
thankful as I am to you for having listened
to me so patiently, surely no one ever was
in this world ! And if they put me in chains
I will bear it quietly, if only you remain
kind. My woes have been so many; I have
neither father nor mother nor any one to
love me only you 11 love none but you, and
you will not repel me, will yon ?"
He spoke the last words like one in &
frenzy. Carried away by his passion, and
incapable, after the terrible strain of the
last days and hours, of governing the
overwhelming storm of his feelings, the
lad sobbed aloud. He was scarcely
past childhood yet, he had only him
self to trust to, he had been torn and
severed from all that had ever upheld and
controlled him, and, like a young bird tak
ing refuge under its mother's wings, he hid
his face in Kasana's lap, weeping violently.
Deep compassion came over the tender
hearted young woman, and her eyes too were
moist She gently laid her hand on hjs
hair; and as she felt the shudder which ran
through the boy's whole frame, she raised
his head in both hands, kissed his forehead
and cheeks, and smiling through tears, ns
she looked into his face, said;
"You poor, foolish boy! "Why should I
not be kind, or ever repel; you? Your uncle
is the man dearest to me in the world, and
you are as a son to him. To serve him and
you X have aireaay cansentea to uo win
which I had always utterly loathed and re
fused. But now, come what may, and
whatever others may think or say of me, I
will not care, if only I can succeed In doing
tw for which I will eive mv life and all I
hold most dear. Only waitpoor vehement
boy." and she again kissed his checks. "L
will smoothe the way for you too! Now,
enough of this."
She spoke firmly, and the words were
enough to check the excited lad's words.
But suddenly she sprang up, crying in
terrified haste: "Fly, fly, begone instantly."
A man's lootsteps approaching the tent,
and a warning word from the waiting
woman, had brought the brief command to
Kasana's lips, and Ephraim's keen ear had
told him what had aroused her fears, and
drove him forthwith into the dark chamber,
whence he could satisfy himself that a
moment's hesitation would have betrayed
him. The curtain of the tent.was lifted,
and a. man walked trnijht through the ante
room to the lighted apartment, where Ka
sana for that, too, he could hear greeted
some new guest only too warmly and as
though surprised at bis coming so late.
Ibe waitMgwosaan saateaea sp ner own
BMatfkWUoyertlwWbwealdwjM J.
sad sbe whiepefed to him: "Linger near the
tent sometime before sunrise, but do not
come in till I call you, if you love your life.
You have neither father nor mother, and
my child, Kasana a loving heart is hers, a
heart of gold! She is the best of all that u
good; but whether she is fit to guide a fool
ish scapegrace who burns for her like dry
straw is quite another matter. As I listened
to your story, I thought of many things,
and, as I mean well by you, I will tell you
something: You have an uncle who is the
noblest of men I know what men are, and
so far my Kasana is right Do his bidding.
It will be for your good. Obey him! And
if his orders take you far from here and from
Kasana, so much the better for you. We
walk in dangerous places, and if it were not
for Joshua's sake, I should have done every
thing in my power to hold her back, but for
him well, I am an old woman, but for that
man even I would go through fire and
water. I grieve more than I can say for
that pure, sweet child, and for you, who are
so like what my son was; but, I say once
more, obey your uncle, boy, or you will
come to an evil end, and that would be a
pity indeed."
Then, without waiting for a reply, she
pushed him toward one of the openings in
the canvas wall ot the tent and waited till
Ephraim had wriggled out Then she dried
her eyes and went back into the lighted
room as though by chance; but Kasana and
her belated visitor had matters to discuss
which allowed of no witness, and her "dear
child" only suffered her to light her own
little lamp at the three-armed candelabrum,
and then sent her to bed.
She submitted, but in the darkened room,
where her bed stood not far from her mis
tress', she lay down, and then, covering
her face with her bands, wept in silence.
To be continued.
A PEfcSIDEHT'S POES.
A Bit of Verses Written br John Qalaer
Adams In 1839.
Hew England Magazine.
Few towns in New England are rioher in
historical associations than the town of
Quincy. Very few churches in New En
gland have had a more notable history than
Qulncy's old First Church. It is enough
surely to make one church famous to have
been the church of two Presidents of the
United States, and to be now their monu
ment: for beneath the old church at Quincy
rest the bodies of John Adams and John
Quincy Adams. When the church cele
brated its two hundredth anniversary, SO
years ago, John Quincy Adams, whose term
as President had expired ten years before,
was a member of Congress, not dying until
almost ten years later, in 1418. He was also
an active and earnest member of the Quincy
church, always deeply interested in its wel
fare; and for the celebration in 1839 he wrote
the following hymn, which was remembered
at the late commemoration:
Alas! How swift the moments fly!
How flash the years along!
Scarce here, yet gone already by!
The burden of a song.
Bee Childhood, Youth, and Manhoodipass ,
And Age with farrowed brow;
Time was Time shall be. drain the glass
But where In Time is Now?
Time is the measure but of change,
No present hour is found:
The past, the future, nil the range
Of Time's unceasing round.
Where, then, is NowT In realms above,
With God's atoning Lamb,
In regions of eternal Love
Where sits enthroned I Am!
Then pilgrim, let thy jojs and tears
On Tune no longer lean;
But henceforth all thy hopes and fears
From Earth's affection wean.
To God let votive accents rise;
With Truth, with "Virtue, lire;
Bo all the bliss that Time denies
Eternity shall give.
THE GOOD THAT KICKEES DO.
How Dissatisfied People Have Proves to
Be Public Benefactors.
From the Punxsutawney Spirit
While the grumbler and faultfinder isnot
the most agreeable man on earth, he has
been one of incalculable benefit to the race.
Had people been contented with the past
there would have been no improvement
Every reform both id Church and State that
has tended to make life more attractive has
been the result of a great deal ot grumbling
and fault finding and discontent. Had it
not been for the kickers King John would
never have signed the Magna Carta, the
bullwork ot English liberty. The kickers
overthrew the Bourbon dynasty, demolished
the Bastile and established a Republic on
the rnins of a debauched and effete, yet still
malignant monarchy.
To George Washington, Patrick Henry,
John Adams and the rest, who kicked over
the traces while George UL held the reins
of authority, we are indebted for onr deliv
erance from the vote of England. They
were grand men, those old kickers, and they
made themselves very obnoxious to the
tyrants of their times, as well as to those
groveling spirits who wonld rather submit
to anything than to raise a fuss; but had it
pot been for them the world would not have
been fit to live in to-day. Yon who are ac
quainted with the agonies of the past and
the work of the reformers the great kickers
the men who were not satisfied with the
way things were going can readily see that
contentment on their part then wonld mean
poverty, oppression, ignorance and tyranny
for us now.
Sir. Edison's Latest.
Exempt Floorwalker This is better than
the old scheme, Maria, even if I do have to
watch the keyboard. Judge.
Prudential Motive.
Mr.Wayback (from Dean's Corners)
Good raOrnin. Is Mr. J. Monroy Shew
niacker about th' place?
Manager Yes, sir; that's my name.
lit. Wayback Mother wanted me t' call
an' see 'I I could git this vial filled with
air oil any cMaperwas tkey su
it t
iH IEJII11 1
INTHESMNTSOUT
northerners Driven by the &&
White Frost of Winter to
THE LAHD OP EHDLESS SUHMEB.
EomariaMe Evidences of Prosperity and
Progress in Dixie. " '
A FLOEIDA BELLE'S CUNNI5G POODLE.
. 1
iCOBBXSrOJTDtSCE OT TBX DISrAICH-J
Souxk Florida, December 3. When J
the first frost paints the northern hillsides,
the "globe trotter," the invalid, the society
belle, begin to consider "where to spend-, .
the winter." Maps of Southern France,
California and Florida are studied. Since 1
all roads once led to Borne, so to-day we
may believe all railroads lead to Florida,'
judging from the amount of travel that is
being done this season. Every train, vesti
bule, express or accommodation brings its
crowds of visitors from different points all
over the North. The transition in Southern1
railroads isoneof the progressions of the new
South. JThe buffet, boudoir coaches, or
gorgeous vestibule sleepers, convey such a
sense of care and luxury that the tourist
finds all "his ways,the ways of pleasantness,
and all his paths of peace." Here he may
listen to the crisp syllable of the Yankee
and the soft drawl of the Southerner,as they
interchange pleasant greetings in this land'
"way down in Dixie."
Passing over the land of secession, the,
earth banks, the barren sand plains, the
lonely pine forests, all recall the "fortunes
of war." Yet this once frightful specter
comes to the present generation with a sense
of unrealism romantic and fabulous.
Stretching along for a hundred miles
through Georgia are the desolate pine bar
rens. No sign of habitation is visible, ex
cept an occasional tumble-down nezro
cabin, but when we reach Florida how dif
ferent! It is not without a thrill of wonder
that the stranger notes the marvelous
changes that have come over Florida within
the past few years. Nothern capital is the
power that has converted the abandoned
cotton and indigo plantations, dense forests
and wild marshlands, into a country of
luxurious life and prosperity.
A COSMOPOLITAN COMMUNITY.
Florida is so thoroughly cosmopolitan
that no one cares whether his ancestry be
longed to the old mildewed freight of the
Mayflower or not Every man is accepted
on faith. The warm hearts of the people
are made up from a thousand heterogeneous
elements of a thonsand cities of the land.
Every class is represented; celebrities from
poets to pugilists. The climate or some
thing fascinates, and everybody is happy.
In the hearts of the people, their country is
not Utopia, or Arcadia, or Heaven, but
Florida. It has been charged that a part of
the inhabitants are minus that immortal
spirit ot man, called the soul of conscience.
These are the real estate agents and hotel
proprietors. Whether they be soulless or
not, is neither here nor there, but that they
do possess the combined strength, courage,
philosophy, versatility and persuasiveness
of a mighty host ot people is no anestion.
In almost every instance these well-known
individuals hail from Yankeedom, and when
Yankee meets Yankee, the nutmeg cause
must conquer or die.
Since the English png dog has been
supplanted by the American cat among
fashionables in New York, the Florida
belle, too, has adopted a new pet, and calls
it the "Florida poodle." With the Ameri
can craze for something new and odd, she
will soon find herself famous, and the Yan
kee who secures a "corner" in alligators
had best remember that "time and tide
wait for no man."
The Flower State is a land of royalty,
too, if we may jadge from the titled inhab
itants. General, captain, colonel are com
mon appellations all through the South. To
the necrro we must rive the credit of this.
When one dusky Southern brother meets
wealth or celebrity he Immediately 'title
him. Xi&st season a plain nut jovuu coai
merchant of Pittsburg, Pa., the name,
well, no matter was taking dinner at a
Jacksonville hotel, where the negro waiter,
who was very attentive, greeted him with:
"Pleasant day. Governor." "Yes,nice day,
old man; but I'm not a governor." Altera
while the waiter remarked:
"Make a long stay, General?"
"Ob, no, only several days; but then I am
not a General."
Soon again ventured Sambo.
"Splendid country this, Commodore;
don't you think so?"
"Oh, yes; but I am not a Commodore,
either."
"Bress'de Lord den.Marster, what is you?"
"I am only a plain American citizen.
Mr. , of the great gas city of Penn
sylvania." KNEW HE VTA3 SOMEBODY.
"Couldn't spot you zactly, sir, butlknew
you was top of the pile somewhere, sir."
Hospitality is the basis of Florida's suc
cess. The Southern door is always open,
and the winter one long holiday. Each
winter a greater number of people come to
Florida to stay, and every true American
must feel a pride in the flowery peninsula.
Here is a sanitarium of health-giving breezes
which lend an influence, and as the care
worn Northerner, expresses, "dispels cor
roding care." To the tourist just down from
the gaunt cold North the wildest dream of
tropic loveliness is more than realized, and
he soon feels that delicious height of ecstacy
that rests so well and so characteristically
on the Southerner, and forgetting his stiff
Plymouth Bock principles, leels and enioys
all the. enchantment of nature where endless
summer smiles.
Now Florida 'has on her gala dress. The
season is like one long tournament Towns
are gay with Northern visitors and bright
with flowers and flogs. Japanese lanterns
hang here and there among the orange trees
that surround the hotels, fantastic arrange
ments of Spanish moss decorate the stores,
and everything says Welcome; and as the
tonrist enjoys all this, he still mnst thins: of
the chilling blasts that circle around his
Northern home. It is in Florida that the
sportsman may delight his savage soul, for
game, whether it be fin, feather, scale or
hoof, is plenty. The idealist may find all
the dory of romance, for around
no country hovers such a halo of
fiction as the Land of Flowers. Since
the old Spaniard planted his liken
flag in Florida soil, the countryhas been
the scene of eventful changes, while that
good old Baptist theory of Ponce de Leon
may have been-all right or all wrong, cer
tain it is that in his failure to find the bath
ing pool of youth he has proved a benefactor
to the natives, ior each and all nave ac
cepted the privilege of locating the Perpet
ual Spring, and the traveler csuld scarcely
travel through Florida and not see the
original "Fountain of Youth" ia every
count-. But de Leon made himselt im
mortal not as Columbus, by what he
dreamed and discovered, but by what he
dreamed and did not discover. The orange
picking is jnst now in happy progress, and
orange culture, orange trusts and high com
mission fees are being studied by tourists,
capitalists and orange producers; but the
happiest of creatures is the barefooted boy
over the wealth of fallen fruit that is his for,
the asking. M. M.
GBTTI5G AHEAD OP TIME.
Why It Wouldn't Do for Englishmen im
Make Oar Wntehes.
Chicago SHU.:
An English syndicate is trying to bay outl
a iaree watch manufacturing concern ui
this city. It will be risky business for En-
gllshmen to try to furnish time-keepers lor
Amarfitiin nu TTi average Yankee wantSij
a TrntMl that trill fifV (iff the Seconds with T
snap that puts a premium on minutes, and. "
unless the British leave tneir cuusci m
on the other side of the big pond they mayj
not be able to keep ahead oi xneuoaryw
hil! M frentleman who IhOUlQersfiai
MTthe and curios W honr-UJ iausiurjg
Jj2i
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