Morning Star Page 9

  When Rames was seven years of age, every morning he was taken to schoolin the temple, where the priests taught him to write with pens of reedupon tablets of wood, and told him more about the gods of Egypt than heever wanted to hear again. During these hours, except when she was beinginstructed by the great ladies of the Court, or by high-priestesses,Tua was left solitary, since by the command of Pharaoh no other childrenwere allowed to play with her, perhaps because there were none in thetemple of her age whose birth was noble.

  Once when he came back from his school in the evening Rames asked herif she had not been lonely without him. She answered, No, as she hadanother companion.

  "Who is it?" he asked jealously. "Show me and I will fight him."

  "No one that you can see, Rames," she replied. "Only my own Ka."

  "Your Ka! I have heard of Kas, but I never saw one. What is it like?"

  "Just like me, except that it throws no shadow, and only comes when Iam quite by myself, and then, although I hear it often, I see it rarely,for it is mixed up with the light."

  "I don't believe in Kas," exclaimed Rames scornfully, "you make them upout of your head."

  A little while after this talk something happened that caused Rames tochange his mind about Kas, or at any rate the Ka of Tua. In a hiddencourt of the temple was a deep pool of water with cemented sides, where,it was said, lived a sacred crocodile, an enormous beast that haddwelt there for hundreds of years. Rames and Tua having heard of thiscrocodile, often talked of it and longed to see it, but could not forthere was a high wall round the tank, and in it a door of copper thatwas kept locked, except when once in every eight days the priests tookin food to the crocodile--living goats and sheep, and sometimes a calf,none of which ever came back again.

  Now one day Rames watching them return, saw the priest, who was calledGuardian of the Door, put his hand behind him to thrust the key withwhich he had just locked the door, into his wallet, and missing themouth of the wallet, let it fall upon the sand, then go upon his wayknowing nothing of what he had done.

  When he had gone in a great hurry, for he was a fat old priest and thedinner hour was at hand, Rames pounced upon the key and hid it in hisrobe. Then he sought out the princess and said,

  "Morning Star, this evening, when I come back from school and am allowedto play with you, we can look at the wonderful beast in the tank, forlook, I have the key which that fat priest will not search for tillseven days are gone by, before which I can take it to him, saying that Ifound it in the sand, or perhaps put it back into his wallet."

  When she heard this Tua's eyes shone, since above all things she desiredto see this holy monster. But in the evening when the boy came runningto her eagerly--for he had thought of nothing but the crocodile allday, and had bought a pigeon from a school-fellow with which to feed thebrute--he found Tua in a different mood.

  "I don't think that we will go to see the holy crocodile, Rames," shesaid, looking at him thoughtfully.

  "Why not?" he asked amazed. "There is no one about, and I have put fatupon the key so that it will make no noise."

  "Because my Ka has been with me, Rames, and told me that it is a bad actand if we do trouble will come to us."

  "Oh! may the fiend Set take your Ka," replied the lad in a rage. "Showit to me and I will talk with it."

  "I cannot, Rames, for it is _me_. Moreover, if Set took it, he wouldtake me also, and you are wicked to wish such a thing."

  Now the boy began to cry with vexation, sobbing out that she was not tobe trusted, and that he had paid away his bronze knife, which Pharaohhad given him when last he visited the temple, for a pigeon to tempt thebeast to the top of the water, so that they might see it, although theknife was worth many pigeons, and Pharaoh would be angry if he heardthat he had parted with it.

  "Why should we take the life of a poor pigeon to please ourselves?"asked Tua, softening a little at the sight of his grief.

  "It's taken already," he answered. "It fluttered so that I had to sit onit to hide it from the priest, and when he had gone it was dead. Look,"and he opened the linen bag he held, and showed her the dove cold andstiff.

  "As you did not mean to kill it, that makes a difference," said Tuajudicially. "Well, perhaps my Ka did not mean that we should not haveone peep, and it is a pity to waste the poor pigeon, which then willhave died for nothing."

  Rames agreed that it would be the greatest of pities, so the twochildren slipped away through the trees of the garden into the shadow ofthe wall, along which they crept till they came to the bronze door. Thenguiltily enough Rames put the great key into the lock, and with the helpof a piece of wood which he had also made ready, that he set in the ringof the key to act as a lever, the two of them turning together shot backthe heavy bolts.

  Taking out the key lest it should betray them, they opened the doora little and squeezed themselves through into the forbidden place. Nosooner had they done so than almost they wished themselves back again,for there was something about the spot that frightened them, to saynothing of the horrible smell which made Tua feel ill. It was a greattank, with a little artificial island in its centre, full of slimy waterthat looked almost black because of the shadow of the high walls, andround it ran a narrow stone path. At one spot in this path, however,where grew some dank-looking trees and bushes, was a slope, also ofstone, and on the slope with its prow resting in the water a littleboat, and in the boat, oars. But of the crocodile there was nothing tobe seen.

  "It is asleep somewhere," whispered Tua, "let us go away, I do not likethis stench."

  "Stench," answered Rames. "I smell nothing except the lilies on thewater. Let us wake it up, it would be silly to go now. Surely you arenot afraid, O Star."

  "Oh, no! I am not afraid," answered Tua proudly. "Only wake it upquickly, please."

  What Rames did not add was that it would be impossible to retreat as thedoor had closed behind them, and there was no keyhole on its inner side.

  So they walked round the tank, but wherever it might lurk, the sleepingcrocodile refused to wake.

  "Let us get into the boat and look for it," suggested Rames. "Perhaps itis hiding on the island."

  So he led her to the stone slope, where to her horror Tua saw theremains of the crocodile's last meal, a sight that caused her to forgether doubts and jump into the boat very quickly. Then Rames gave it apush and sprang in after her, so that they found themselves floatingon the water. Now, standing in the bow, the boy took an oar and paddledround the island, but still there were no signs of the crocodile.

  "I don't believe it is here at all," he said, recovering his courage.

  "You might try the pigeon," suggested Tua, who, now that there was lesssmell, felt her curiosity returning.

  This was a good thought upon which Rames acted at once. Taking the deadbird from the bag he spread out its wings to make it look as thoughit were alive, and threw it into the water, exclaiming, "Arise, O HolyCrocodile!"

  Then with fearful suddenness, whence they knew not, that crocodilearose. An awful scaly head appeared with dull eyes and countlessflashing fangs, and behind the head cubit upon cubit of monstrous form.The fangs closed upon the pigeon and everything vanished.

  "That was the Holy Crocodile," said Rames abstractedly as he stared atthe boiling waters, "which has lived here during the reigns of eightPharaohs, and perhaps longer. Now we have seen it."

  "Yes," answered Tua, "and I never want to see it again. Get me awayquick, or I will tell your father."

  Thus adjured the boy, nothing loth, seized his oar, when suddenlythe ancient crocodile, having swallowed the dove, thrust up its snoutimmediately beneath them and began to follow the boat. Now Tua screamedaloud and said something about her Ka.

  "Tell it to keep off the crocodile," shouted Rames as he worked the oarfuriously. "Nothing can hurt a Ka."

  But the crocodile would not be kept off. On the contrary, it thrust itsgrey snout and one of its claws over the stern of the boat in such afashion that Rames could no longer work the oar, dra
gging it almostunder water, and snapped with its horrible jaws.

  "Oh! it is coming in; we are going to be eaten," cried Tua.

  At that moment the boat touched the landing-place and swung round, sothat its bow, where Tua was, struck the head of the crocodile, whichseemed to infuriate the beast. At least, it hurled itself upon the boat,causing the fore part to heel over, fill with water, and begin to sink.Then the little lad, Rames, showed the courage that was in him. Shoutingto Tua:

  "Get on shore, get on shore!" he plunged past her and smote the hugereptile upon the head with the blade of his oar. It opened its hideousmouth, and he thrust the oar into it and held on.

  "Leave go," cried Tua, as she scrambled to land.

  But Rames would not leave go, for in his brave little heart he thoughtthat if he did the crocodile would follow Tua and eat her. So he clungto the handle till it was wrenched from him. Indeed he did more, forseeing that the crocodile had bitten the wooden blade in two and,having dropped it, was still advancing towards the slope where it wasaccustomed to be fed, he leapt into the water and struck it in the eyewith his little fist. Feeling the pain of the blow the monster snappedat him, and catching him by the hand began to sink back into deep water,dragging the lad after it.

  Rames said nothing, but Tua, who already was at the head of the stage,looked round and saw the agony on his face.

  "Help me, Amen!" she cried, and flying back, grasped Rames by his leftarm just as he was falling over, then set her heels in a crack ofthe rock and held on. For one moment she was dragged forward till shethought that she must fall upon her face and be drowned or eaten withRames, but the next something yielded, and she and the boy tumbled in aheap upon the stones. They rose and staggered together to the terrace.As they went Tua saw that Rames was looking at his right hand curiously;also that it was covered with blood, and that the little finger was tornoff it. Then she remembered nothing further, except a sound of shoutsand of heavy hammering at the copper door.

  When she recovered it was to find herself in the house of Mermes withthe lady Asti bending over her and weeping.

  "Why do you weep, Nurse?" she asked, "seeing that I am safe?"

  "I weep for my son, Princess," she answered between her sobs.

  "Is he dead of his wounds, then, Asti?"

  "No, O Morning Star, he lies sick in his chamber. But soon Pharaoh willkill him because he led her who will be Queen of Egypt into great dangerof her life."

  "Not so," said Tua, springing up, "for he saved my life."

  As she spoke the door opened and in came Pharaoh himself, who had beensummoned hastily from the palace. His face was white and he shook withfear, for it had been reported to him that his only child was drowned.When he saw that she lived and was not even hurt, he could not containhis joy, but casting his arms about her, sank to his knees giving thanksto the gods and the guardian spirits. She kissed him, and studying hisface with her wise eyes, asked why he was so much afraid.

  "Because I thought you had been killed, my daughter."

  "Why did you think that, O my father, seeing that the great god, Amen,before I was born promised to protect me always, though it is true thathad it not been for Rames----"

  Now at the mention of this name Pharaoh was filled with rage.

  "Speak not of that wicked lad," he exclaimed, "now or ever more, for heshall be scourged till he dies!"

  "My father," answered Tua, springing up, "forget those words, for ifRames dies I will die also. It is I who am to blame, not he, for myKa warned me not to look upon the beast, but to Rames no Ka spoke.Moreover, when that evil god would have eaten me it was Rames who foughtwith it and offered himself to its jaws in my place. Listen, my father,while I tell you all the story."

  So Pharaoh listened, and when it was done he sent for Rames. Presentlythe boy was carried in, for he had lost so much blood that he could notwalk, and was placed upon a stool before him.

  "Slay me now, O Pharaoh," he said in a weak voice, "for I have sinned.Moreover, I shall die happy since my spirit gave me strength to beat offthe evil beast from the Princess whom I led into trouble."

  "Truly you have done wickedly," said Pharaoh, shaking his head at him,"and, therefore, perhaps, you will lose your hand and even your life.Yet, child, you have a royal heart, who first saved your playmate andthen, even in my presence, take all the blame upon yourself. ThereforeI forgive you, son of Mermes; moreover, I see that I was wise not tolisten to those who counselled that you should be put away at birth,"and bending over the boy, Pharaoh kissed him on the brow.

  Also he gave orders that the greatest physicians in the land shouldattend upon him and purge the poison of the crocodile's teeth fromhis body, and when he recovered--which save for the loss of the littlefinger of his right hand, he did completely--he sent him a sword witha handle of gold fashioned to the shape of a crocodile, in place of theknife which he had paid away for the pigeon, bidding him use it bravelyall his life in defence of her who would be his queen. Further, althoughhe was still so young, he gave to him the high title of Count in earnestof his love and favour, and with it a name that meant Defender of theRoyal Lady.

  After he had gone Asti the prophetess looked at the sword which Pharaohhad given to her son.

  "I see royal blood on it," she said, and handed it back to Rames.