kesh, of Malunna, of Qazauadana, of Khilibu, of Akerith, of Kadesh, and of Leka. And there were three men on each chariot, and they were all gathered together.

[Thus spake the king: -]

"And not one of my princes, not one of my captains of the chariots, not one of my chief men, not one of my knights was there. My warriors and my chariots had abandoned me, not one of them was there to take part in the battle. .

"I hurled the dart with my right hand, I fought with my left hand. I was like Baal in his time before their sight. I had found 2500 pairs of horses; I was in the midst of them; but they were dashed in pieces before my horses. Not one of them raised his hand to fight; their courage was sunken in their breasts, their limbs gave way, they could not hurl the dart, nor had they the courage to thrust with the spear. I made them fall into the waters just as the crocodiles fall in. They tumbled down on their faces one after another. I killed them at my pleasure, so that not one looked back behind him, nor did another turn round. Each one fell, he raised himself not up again.

"There stood still the miserable king of Khita in the midst of his warriors and his chariots, to behold the fight of the king. He was all alone; not one of his warriors, not one of his chariots was with him. There he turned round for fright before the king. Thereupon he sent the princes in great numbers, each of them with his chariot, well equipped with all kinds of offensive weapons: the king of Arathu and him of Masa, the king of Malunna and him of Leka, the king of the Dardani and him of Keshkesh, the king of Qarqamash and him of Khilibi. There were altogether the brothers of the king of Khita united in one place, to the number of 2500 pairs of horses. They forthwith rushed right on, their countenance directed to the flame of fire [i.e. my face].

"I rushed down upon them. Like Monthu was I. I let them taste my hand in the space of a moment. I dashed them down, and killed them where they stood. Then cried out one of them to his neighbor, saying: This is no man. Ah! woe to us! He who is in our midst is Sutekh, the glorious: Baal is in all his limbs. Let us hasten and flee before him. Let us save our lives; let us try our breath.''

As soon as any one attacked him, his hand fell down and every limb of his body. They could not aim either the bow or

the spear. They only looked at him as he came on in his headlong career from afar. The king was behind them like a griffin.

[Thus spake the king -]

6

"I struck them down; they did not escape me. I lifted up my voice to my warriors and to my charioteers, and spake to them, Halt! stand! take courage, my warriors, my charioteers! Look upon my victory. I am alone, but Amon is my helper, and his hand is with me.'

"When Menna, my charioteer, beheld with his eyes how many pairs of horses surrounded me, his courage left him, and his heart was afraid. Evident terror and great fright took possession of his whole body. Immediately he spake to me: My gracious lord, thou brave king, thou guardian of the Egyptians in the day of battle, protect us. We stand alone in the midst of enemies. Stop, to save the breath of life for us. Give us deliverance, protect us, O King Ramses Miamun.""

Then spake the king to his charioteer: "Halt! stand! take courage, my charioteer. I will dash myself down among them as the sparrow hawk dashes down. I will slay them, I will cut them in pieces, I will dash them to the ground in the dust. Why then is such a thought in thy heart? These are unclean ones for Amon, wretches who do not acknowledge the god."

And the king hurried onwards. He charged down upon the hostile hosts of Khita. For the sixth time, when he charged upon them [says the king]: "There was I like to Baal behind them in his time, when he has strength. I killed them; none escaped me."

[The king gives his officers a tongue lashing for leaving him in the lurch. The next morning the battle is renewed.]

"The diadem of the royal snake adorned my head. It spat fire and glowing flame in the face of my enemies. I appeared like the sun god at his rising in the early morning. My shining beams were a consuming fire for the limbs of the wicked. They cried out to one another, 'Take care, do not fall! For the powerful snake of royalty, which accompanies him, has placed itself on his horse. It helps him. Every one who comes in his way and falls down there comes forth fire and flame to consume his body.'

And they remained afar off, and threw themselves down on the earth to entreat the king in the sight [of his army]. And the king had power over them and slew them without their

being able to escape. As bodies tumbled before his horses, so they lay there stretched out all together in their blood.

Then the king of the hostile people of Khita sent a messenger to pray piteously to the great name of the king, speaking thus: “Thou art Ra-Hormakhu. Thou art Sutekh the glorious, the son of Nut, Baal in his time. Thy terror is upon the land of Khita, for thou hast broken the neck of Khita forever and ever."

Thereupon he allowed his messenger to enter. He bore a writing in his hand with the address, "To the great double name of the king":

"May this suffice for the satisfaction of the heart of the holiness of the royal house, the Sun-Horus, the mighty Bull, who loves justice, the great lord, the protector of his people, the brave with his arm, the rampart of his life guards in the day of battle, the king Ramses Miamun.

"The servant speaks, he makes known to Pharaoh, my gracious lord, the beautiful son of Ra-Hormakhu, as follows:"Since thou art the son of Amon, from whose body thou art sprung, so has he granted to thee all the peoples together.

"The people of Egypt and the people of Khita ought to be brothers together as thy servants. Let them be at thy feet. The sun god Ra has granted thee the best [people]. Do us no injury, glorious spirit, whose anger weighs upon the people of Khita.

"Would it be good if thou shouldst wish to kill thy servants, whom thou hast brought under thy power? Thy look is terrible, and thou art not mildly disposed. Calm thyself. Yesterday thou camest and hast slain hundreds of thousands. Thou comest to-day, and none will be left remaining [to serve thee].

"Do not carry out thy purpose, thou mighty king. Better is peace than war. Give us freedom."

Then the king turned back in a gentle humor, like his father Monthu in his time, and Pharaoh assembled all the leaders of the army and of the chariot fighters and of the life guards. And when they were all assembled together in one place, they were permitted to hear the contents of the message which the great king of Khita had sent to him. [When they had heard] these words, which the messenger of the king of Khita had brought as his embassy to Pharaoh, then they answered and spake thus to the king:

"Excellent, excellent is that! Let thy anger pass away, O great lord our king! He who does not accept peace must offer it. Who would content thee in the day of thy wrath?"

Then the king gave order to listen to the words of him, and he let his hands rest, in order to return to the south. Then the king went in peace to the land of Egypt with his princes, with his army, and his charioteers, in serene humor, in the sight of his [people]. All countries feared the power of the king, as of the lord of both the worlds. It had protected his own warriors. All peoples came at his name, and their kings fell down to pray before his beautiful countenance. The king reached the city of Ramses Miamun, the great worshiper of Ra-Hormakhu, and rested in his palace in the most serene humor, just like the sun on his throne. And Amon came to greet him, speaking thus to him: "Be thou blessed, thou our son, whom we love, Ramses Miamun! May they [the gods] secure to him without end many thirty-years' feasts of jubilee forever on the chair of his father Tum, and may all lands be under his feet!"

[The cowering terror of the "miserable king of the Khitas" would seem to have been overdrawn, as an alliance was concluded between him and Rameses on exactly equal terms (including a mutual extradition treaty), and cemented by a royal marriage.]

THE MIRAGE IN EGYPT.

BY THEODORE WATTS-DUNTON.

BENEATH the sand-storm, John the Pilgrim prays;

But when he rises, lo! an Eden smiles,

Green cedarn slopes, meadows of camomiles,

Claspt in a silvery river's winding maze.
"Water, water! Blessed be God!" he says,
And totters gasping toward those happy isles.
Then all is fled! Over the sandy piles

The bald-eyed vultures come and stand and gaze.
"God heard me not," says he; "blessed be God,"

And dies. But as he nears the Pearly Strand,
Heav'n's outer coast where waiting angels stand,
He looks below. "Farewell, thou hooded clod,
Brown corpse the vultures tear on bloody sand,
God heard my prayer for life-blessed be God!

CONSPIRACY AND SORCERY

BY GEORG EBERS.

From "Uarda."

[GEORG MORITZ EBERS: German Egyptologist and novelist; born at Berlin, March 1, 1837. He was educated at Göttingen and Berlin, and lectured for a while at Jena. In 1870 he became professor of Egyptian archæology at Leipsic, resigning in 1889 on account of ill health. Besides several important works on Egyptology, he has published a series of historical novels treating of ancient Egyptian life, which have enjoyed extraordinary popularity not only in Germany but in other countries. The best known are: "An Egyptian Princess," "Uarda," "Homo Sum," "The Sisters," 66 Serapis," "The Bride of the Nile," and Cleopatra." Also popular are: "In the Fire of the Forge," "The Burgomaster's Wife," and "Gred."]

THE house of the charioteer Mena resembled the neighboring estate of Paaker, though the buildings were less new, the gay paint on the pillars and walls was faded, and the large garden lacked careful attention. In the vicinity of the house only, a few well-kept beds blazed with splendid flowers, and the open colonnade, which was occupied by Katuti and her daughter, was furnished with royal magnificence.

The elegantly carved seats were made of ivory, the tables of ebony, and they, as well as the couches, had gilt feet. The artistically worked Syrian drinking vessels on the sideboard, tables, and consoles were of many forms; beautiful vases full of flowers stood everywhere; rare perfumes rose from alabaster cups, and the foot sank in the thick pile of the carpets which covered the floor. And over the apparently careless arrangement of these various objects there reigned a peculiar charm, an indescribably fascinating something.

Stretched at full length on a couch, and playing with a silky-haired white cat, lay the fair Nefert,-fanned to coolness by a negro girl, while her mother Katuti nodded a last farewell to her sister Setchem and to Paaker.

Both had crossed this threshold for the first time for four years; that is, since the marriage of Mena with Nefert, and the old enmity seemed now to have given way to heartfelt reconciliation and mutual understanding.

After the pioneer and his mother had disappeared behind the pomegranate shrubs at the entrance of the garden, Katuti turned to her daughter and said :