THE HESPERIAN
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sny that boforo tho Nilo rises again ho will
begin to build a pyramid, and that it will bo
such a one as men have novor soon boforo,
nor shall wo nf forwards."
11 Who is ho that stands noar unto tho
king, and with whom tho king speaks?" 1
asked. Then there camo a cloud upon tho
face of Tlui, tho brother of my father, and
ho answered and said unto mo:
"lie is a youth of tho Shepherd people
of tho north, ho is a buildor and has worked
upon tho -tomb. Ho is cunning of hand and
wiso of heart, and Kufu has shown him great
favor, but tho people like him not, for ho is
of tho blood of strangers."
I spoko no more of tho youth, for I saw
that Rui liked him not, but my eyes were
upon him continually, for I had seen no
other man like unto him for beauty of face
or of form.
After a time it camo to pass that tho great
tumult ceased throughout tho plain, and the
words of men died upon their lips. Up
from tho shore of tho sacrod lake wound tho
funeral procession toward tho tomb, and by
tho Lord of Truth I then thought tho glory
of Isis could bo no grander. There wore
boys clad in white and wreathed with lotus
flowers, and thousands of slaves clad in the
skins of leopards, bearing bread and wine
and oil, and carrying tho images of tho gods.
There were maidens, bands of harpers and
of musicians, and tho captives which tho
king had taken in war loading tigers and
lions of the desert. There was tho sacred
ark drawn by twenty white oxen, and there
were many priests, and tho guards of tho
king, and tho sacrod body of Senefrau,
borne by carriers. After tho body of tho
king camo all tho women of his household,
beating their hearts, and wooping bitterly.
As the train approached men foil upon their
faces and prayed to Pthahah, tho Groat South
Wall, and Kufu bowed his head. At. tho
foot of tho pyramid tho train halted, and
the youths clothed in white, and the priests,
and those who bore tho body began to ascend
the pyramid, singing as they went :
" Enter into thy rest, oh Pharaoh ! '
" Enter into thy kingdom.
" For the crown of the two lands was heavy,
" And thy head was old,
" And thou hast laid it aside forever.
" Thy two arms were weak,
' And the scepter was a great weight,
" And thou hast put it from thee.
" Enter thou into thy new reign,
" Longer than the eternities.
" Darkness shall he thy relm, 0 king,
"And sleep thy minion.
" The chariots of Ethiopia shall surround thee no
more,
" Nor the multitudes of the mighty encompass
thee in battle, if
" For thou, being dead, art become as a goyl;
" Good thou knowest, oh king;
" And evil has been nigh unto thee,
u Yet neither approach thee now,
" For thou art dead, and like unto the gods."
They bore him down into tho pyramid,
and left him to sloop, and to wait. Then I
saw a multitude of men gather about a great
whito8tone that lay at tho base of tho tomb,
' ii
and 1 questioned Rui concerning it, and ho
answered mo:
"This pyramid as thou seest opens not at
tho sido, but from tho top down. That
great slab of stono is to cover tho top of tho
tomb. See, even now tho workmen spread
mortar upon tho top of tho tomb, and fasten
ropes about tho great stono to lift it into
place. Noith grant that they harm not tho
stono, for it has taken a thousand mon ton
years to cut and polish it and to bring it
thither. ' '
I saw slaves bending over tho groat stono,
fastening about it ropes which hung from the
groat pulleys built upon tho shafts which
rose from the upper stage of the pyramid.
While thoy did this, companies of slaves be
gan to ascend tho sides of tho tomb, each
company with its master. Tho mon were
all fashioned like tho men of the north, and
their strength was like ribbed steel, for these
wore tho mightiest men in Egypt. After a
time thero was silence in tho plain. Tho
slaves took hold of tho ropes that swung
from the pulleys, and every voice was
hushed. It was as still without tho pyramid
as it was within. At last tho sound of the
Sistrum broke tho stillness, tho master
builders waved their lashes, and the two
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