orsworn."

IV

PHARAOH'S DREAM

Pharaoh slept heavily in his place, for he was wearied with grief and
toil. But Meriamun passed into the chamber, and standing at the foot of
the golden bed, lifted up her hands and by her art called visions down
on Pharaoh, false dreams through the Ivory Gate. So Pharaoh dreamed, and
thus his vision went:--

He dreamed that he slept in his bed, and that the statue of Ptah, the
Creator, descended from the pedestal by the temple gate and came to
him, towering over him like a giant. Then he dreamed that he awoke, and
prostrating himself before the God, asked the meaning of his coming.
Thereon the God spoke to him:--

"Meneptah, my son, whom I love, hearken unto me. The Nine-bow barbarians
overrun the ancient land of Khem; nine nations march up against Khem
and lay it waste. Hearken unto me, my son, and I will give thee victory.
Awake, awake from sloth, and I will give thee victory. Thou shalt hew
down the Nine-bow barbarians as a countryman hews a rotting palm; they
shall fall, and thou shalt spoil them. But hearken unto me, my son, thou
shalt not thyself go up against them. Low in thy dungeon there lies a
mighty chief, skilled in the warfare of the barbarians, a Wanderer who
hath wandered far. Thou shalt release him from his bonds and set him
over thy armies, and of the sin that he has sinned thou shalt take no
heed. Awake, awake, Meneptah; with this bow which I give thee shalt thou
smite the Nine-bow barbarians."

Then Meriamun laid the bow of the Wanderer, even the black bow of
Eurytus, on the bed beside Pharaoh, and passed thence to her own
chamber, and the deceitful dream too passed away.

Early in the morning, a waiting-woman came to the Queen saying that
Pharaoh would speak with her. She went into the ante-chamber and found
him there, and in his hand was the black bow of Eurytus.

"Dost thou know this weapon?" he asked.

"Yea, I know it," she answered; "and thou shouldst know it also, for
surely it saved us from the fury of the people on the night of the death
of the first-born. It is the bow of the Wanderer, who lies in the
place of torment, and waits his doom because of the wrong he would have
wrought upon me."

"If he hath wronged thee, yet it is he who shall save Khem from
the barbarians," said Pharaoh. "Listen now to the dream that I have
dreamed," and he told her all the vision.

"It is indeed evil that he who would have wrought such wickedness upon
me sh