kill him!" screamed another.

"Friends," said Seti, turning as they surged towards him, "if I have
done aught wrong it was by chance----"

He could add no more, seeing that they were on him, or rather on me who
had leapt in front of him. Already they had grasped my robes and my hand
was on my sword-hilt, when the priest Kohath cried out:

"Men of Israel, are you mad? Would you bring Pharaoh's vengeance on us?"

They halted a little and their spokesman shouted:

"We defy Pharaoh! Our God will protect us from Pharaoh. Drag him forth
and kill him beyond the wall!"

Again they began to move, when a man, in whom I recognized Jabez, the
uncle of Merapi, called aloud:

"Cease! If this Prince of Egypt has done insult to Jahveh by will and
not by chance, it is certain that he will avenge himself upon him. Shall
men take the judgment of God into their own hands? Stand back and wait
awhile. If Jahveh is affronted, the Egyptian will fall dead. If he does
not fall dead, let him pass hence unharmed, for such is Jahveh's will.
Stand back, I say, while I count threescore."

They withdrew a space and slowly Jabez began to count.

Although at that time I knew nothing of the power of the god of Israel,
I will say that I was filled with fear as one by one he counted, pausing
at each ten. The scene was very strange. There by the steps stood the
Prince against the background of the curtain, his arms folded and a
little smile of wonder mixed with contempt upon his face, but not a sign
of fear. On one side of him was I, who knew well that I should share his
fate whatever it might be, and indeed desired no other; and on the other
the priest Kohath, whose hands shook and whose eyes started from his
head. In front of us old Jabez counted, watching the fierce-faced
congregation that in a dead silence waited for the issue. The count went
on. Thirty. Forty. Fifty--oh! it seemed an age.

At length sixty fell from his lips. He waited a while and all watched
the Prince, not doubting but that he would fall dead. But instead he
turned to Kohath and asked quietly if this ordeal was now finished, as
he desired to make an offering to the temple, which he had been invited
to visit, and begone.

"Our God has given his answer," said Jabez. "Accept it, men of Israel.
What this Prince did he did by chance, not of design."

They turned and went without a word, and after I had laid the offering,
no mean one, in the appointed place, we followed them.