ed the
captain in anger.

"So shall my wisdom sink in the sand with my blood, and be lost with my
breath. Shoot on, thou fool."

Now the captain was perplexed, for from the aspect of the man he deemed
that he was sent by the Gods. He looked at the Wanderer, who took but
little heed, or so it seemed. But in his crafty heart he knew that this
was the best way to win speech with the man upon the camel. Then the
captain took counsel with the captain of the horsemen, and in the end
they said to the Wanderer:

"Descend from the chariot, lord, and walk twelve paces forward, and
there hold speech with the man. But if thou go one pace further, then we
will shoot thee and the man with arrows." And this he cried out also to
him who sat upon the camel.

Then the man on the camel descended and walked twelve paces forward,
and the Wanderer descended also from the chariot and walked twelve paces
forward, but as one who heeds little what he does. Now the two stood
face to face, but out of earshot of the host, who watched them with
arrows set upon the strings.

"Greetings, Odysseus of Ithaca, son of Laertes," he said who was clothed
in the beggar's weeds.

The Wanderer looked upon him hard, and knew him through his disguise.

"Greeting, Rei the Priest, Commander of the Legion of Amen, Chief of the
Treasury of Amen."

"Rei the Priest I am indeed," he answered, "the rest I am no more, for
Meriamun the Queen has stripped me of my wealth and offices, because of
thee, thou Wanderer, and the Immortal whose love thou hast won, and by
whom thou hast dealt so ill. Hearken! I learned by arts known to me of
the dream of Pharaoh, and of thy sending forth to do battle with the
barbarians. Then I disguised myself as thou seest, and took the swiftest
camel in Tanis, and am come hither by another way to meet thee. Now I
would ask thee one thing. How came it that thou didst play the Immortal
false that night? Knowest thou that she waited for thee there by the
pylon gate? Ay, there I found her and led her to the Palace, and for
that I am stripped of my rank and goods by Meriamun, and now the Lady
of Beauty is returned to her shrine, grieving bitterly for thy
faithlessness; though how she passed thither I know not."

"Methought I heard her voice as those knaves bore me to my dungeon,"
said the Wanderer. "And she deemed me faithless! Say, Rei, dost thou
know the magic of Meriamun? Dost thou know how she won me to herself in
the shape of Argive