ypt here."

"It certainly is not that," Jethro agreed; "and yet I cannot think
what else can be their intentions."

It was nigh an hour before the mystery was solved. Then, at the blast
of a trumpet sounded at the post where the Egyptian king had placed
himself, and taken up along the whole of the line, a great number of
heads appeared along the edge of rock at the foot of the walls. The
Egyptians had been employed in driving spikes in the crevices of the
rock. Standing on the first so driven, they then inserted others three
feet higher, and so had proceeded until a number of men had climbed up
the face of the rock. These let down ropes, and ladders had been
hauled up the steepest places. Great numbers of ropes were hung down
to assist those who followed in the ascent, and the men who first
showed themselves over the brow were followed by a stream of others,
until the ledge, which was in most cases but a few feet wide, was
crowded with soldiers.

The ladders were now hauled up and placed against the wall, and the
Egyptians swarmed up in great numbers; but the Rebu were prepared for
the assault, and a storm of stones, beams of wood, arrows, javelins,
and other missiles rained down on the Egyptians. Many of the ladders,
in spite of the number of men upon them, were thrown back by the
defenders, and fell with a crash over the edge of the rock to the
plain below. Here and there the Egyptians gained a footing on the wall
before the Rebu had recovered from their first surprise at their
daring manner of attack; but so soon as they rallied they attacked the
Egyptians with such fury that in every case the latter were slain
fighting or were thrown over the embattlements.

For several hours the Egyptians continued their efforts, but after
losing vast numbers of men without obtaining any success they were
recalled by the sound of the trumpet.

"That has not been very serious, Jethro," Amuba said, wiping the
perspiration from his forehead; for he had been encouraging the men by
assisting in the lifting and casting over the massive stones and beams
of wood.

"It was not difficult to repulse them under such conditions," Jethro
said; "but the manner of their attack was a surprise indeed to us, and
they have fought with the greatest bravery. You will see that the next
time they will have benefited by the lesson, and that we shall have
some new device to cope with. Now that they have once found a way to
scale the rock we may expe