acked by force.
Meanwhile Wenamon and Mengebet judiciously spread through the city the
report of the power of Amon-of-the-Road, and hinted darkly at the wrath
which would ultimately fall upon the heads of those who suffered the
image and its keeper to be turned away from the quays of Byblos. No
doubt, also, a portion of the stolen debens of silver was expended in
bribes to the priests of the city, for, as we shall presently see, one
of them took up Wenamon's cause with the most unnatural vigour.

All, however, seemed to be of no avail, and Wenamon decided to get away
as best he could. His worldly goods were quietly transferred to the ship
which was bound for the Nile; and, when night had fallen, with
Amon-of-the-Road tucked under his arm, he hurried along the deserted
quay. Suddenly out of the darkness there appeared a group of figures,
and Wenamon found himself confronted by the stalwart harbour-master and
his police. Now, indeed, he gave himself up for lost. The image would be
taken from him, and no longer would he have the alternative of leaving
the harbour. He must have groaned aloud as he stood there in the black
night, with the cold sea wind threatening to tear the covers from the
treasure under his arm. His surprise, therefore, was unbounded when the
harbour-master addressed him in the following words: "Remain until
morning here near the prince."

The Egyptian turned upon him fiercely. "Are you not the man who came to
me every day saying, "Get out of my harbour?" he cried. "And now are
you not saying, 'Remain in Byblos?' your object being to let this ship
which I have found depart for Egypt without me, so that you may come to
me again and say, 'Go away.'"

The harbour-master in reality had been ordered to detain Wenamon for
quite another reason. On the previous day, while the prince was
sacrificing to his gods, one of the noble youths in his train, who had
probably seen the colour of Wenamon's debens, suddenly broke into a
religious frenzy, and so continued all that day, and far into the night,
calling incessantly upon those around him to go and fetch the envoy of
Amon-Ra and the sacred image. Prince Zakar-Baal had considered it
prudent to obey this apparently divine command, and had sent the
harbour-master to prevent Wenamon's departure. Finding, however, that
the Egyptian was determined to board the ship, the official sent a
messenger to the prince, who replied with an order to the skipper of the
vessel to r