u, and the others?"

"My fate is in the hands of the One. As to the rest of the people, they
are not heirs to the throne of Egypt."

"I do not wish this liquid!" cried the prince, pushing away the little
bottle.

"Thou must take it!" said Pentuer. "Remember that the Egyptian people
have fixed their hopes on thee. Remember that on thee is their
blessing."

The black cloud had covered half the sky, and the hot wind blew with
such force that the prince and priest had to go to the foot of the
cliff.

"The Egyptian people? their blessing?" repeated Ramses.

All at once he called out,

"Was it Thou who conversed with me a year ago in the garden? That was
immediately after the maneuvers."

"That same day, when Thou hadst compassion on the man who hanged
himself through despair because his canal was destroyed," answered the
priest.

"Thou didst save my house and the Jewess Sarah from the rabble who
wished to stone her."

"I did," said Pentuer. "And soon after Thou didst free the innocent
laborers from prison, and didst not permit Dagon to torture thy people
with new tribute."

"For this people," continued the priest in a louder voice, "for the
compassion which Thou hast always shown them I bless thee again today.
Perhaps Thou art the only one who will be saved here, but remember that
the oppressed people of Egypt will save thee, they who look to thee for
redemption."

Hereupon it grew dark; from the south came a shower of hot sand, and
such a mighty wind rose that it threw down a horse that was standing in
the open. The Asiatics and the Libyan prisoners all woke, but each man
merely pressed up to the cliff more closely, and possessed by great
fear remained silent.

In nature something dreadful was happening. Night covered the earth,
and through the sky black or ruddy clouds of sand rushed with mad
impetus. It seemed as though all the sand of the desert, now alive, had
sprung up and was flying to some place with the speed of a stone
whirled from the sling of a warrior.

The heat was like that in a bath: on the hands and feet the skin burst,
the tongue dried, breath produced a pricking in the breast. The fine
grains of sand burnt like fire sparks.

Pentuer forced the bottle to the prince's lips. Ramses drank a couple
of drops and felt a marvelous change: the pain and heat ceased to
torment him; his thought regained freedom.

"And this may last a couple of days?" asked he.

"It may last four," replied Pent