CHAPTER X.
THE CAT OF BUBASTES.
For several days, upon paying their morning visit to the birds andother pets in the inclosure in the garden, Chebron and Mysa hadobserved an unusual timidity among them. The wildfowl, instead ofadvancing to meet them with demonstrations of welcome, remained closeamong the reeds, and even the ibis did not respond at once to theircall.
"They must have been alarmed at something," Chebron said the thirdmorning. "Some bird of prey must have been swooping down upon them.See here, there are several feathers scattered about, and some of themare stained with blood. Look at that pretty drake that was brought tous by the merchants in trade with the far East. Its mate is missing.It may be a hawk or some creature of the weasel tribe. At any rate, wemust try to put a stop to it. This is the third morning that we havenoticed the change in the behavior of the birds. Doubtless three ofthem have been carried off. Amuba and I will watch to-morrow with ourbows and arrows and see if we cannot put an end to the marauder. Ifthis goes on we shall lose all our pets."
Upon the following morning Chebron and Amuba went down to theinclosure soon after daybreak, and concealing themselves in someshrubs waited for the appearance of the intruder. The ducks weresplashing about in the pond, evidently forgetful of their fright ofthe day before; and as soon as the sun was up the dogs came out oftheir house and threw themselves down on a spot where his rays couldfall upon them, while the cats sat and cleaned themselves on a ledgebehind a lattice, for they were only allowed to run about in theinclosure when some one was there to prevent their interference withbirds.
For an hour there was no sign of an enemy. Then one of the birds gavea sudden cry of alarm, and there was a sudden flutter as all rushed toshelter among the reeds; but before the last could get within cover adark object shot down from above. There was a frightened cry and aviolent flapping as a large hawk suddenly seized one of the waterfowland struck it to the ground. In an instant the watchers rose to theirfeet, and as the hawk rose with its prey in its talons they shot theirarrows almost simultaneously. Amuba's arrow struck the hawk betweenthe wings, and the creature fell dead still clutching its prey.Chebron's arrow was equally well aimed, but it struck a twig whichdeflected its course and it flew wide of the mark.
Amuba gave a shout of triumph and leaped out from among the bushes.But he paused and turned as an exclamation of alarm broke fromChebron. To his astonishment, he saw a look of horror on hiscompanion's face. His bow was still outstretched, and he stood as ifpetrified.
"What's the matter, Chebron?" Amuba exclaimed. "What has happened? Hasa deadly snake bit you? What is it, Chebron?"
"Do you not see?" Chebron said in a low voice.
"I see nothing," Amuba replied, looking round, and at the same timeputting another arrow into his bowstring ready to repel the attack ofsome dangerous creature. "Where is it? I can see nothing."
"My arrow; it glanced off a twig and entered there; I saw one of thecats fall. I must have killed it."
Two years before Amuba would have laughed at the horror whichChebron's face expressed at the accident of shooting a cat, but he hadbeen long enough in Egypt to know how serious were the consequences ofsuch an act. Better by far that Chebron's arrow had lodged in theheart of a man. In that case an explanation of the manner in which theaccident had occurred, a compensation to the relatives of the slain,and an expiatory offering at one of the temples would have been deemedsufficient to purge him from the offense; but to kill a cat, even byaccident, was the most unpardonable offense an Egyptian could commit,and the offender would assuredly be torn to pieces by the mob. Knowingthis, he realized at once the terrible import of Chebron's words.
For a moment he felt almost as much stunned as Chebron himself, but hequickly recovered his presence of mind.
"There is only one thing to be done, Chebron; we must dig a hole andbury it at once. I will run and fetch a hoe."
Throwing down his bow and arrows he ran to the little shed at theother end of the garden where the implements were kept, bidding acareless good-morning to the men who were already at work there. Hesoon rejoined Chebron, who had not moved from the spot from which hehad shot the unlucky arrow.
"Do you think this is best, Amuba? Don't you think I had better go andtell my father?"
"I do not think so, Chebron. Upon any other matter it would be rightat once to confer with him, but as high priest it would be a fearfulburden to place upon his shoulders. It would be his duty at once todenounce you; and did he keep it secret, and the matter be ever foundout, it would involve him in our danger. Let us therefore bear thebrunt of it by ourselves."
"I dare not go in," Chebron said in awestruck tones. "It is tooterrible."
"Oh, I will manage that," Amuba said lightly. "You know to me a cat isa cat and nothing more, and I would just as soon bury one as thatrascally hawk which has been the cause of all this mischief."
So saying he crossed the open space, and entering a thick bush beyondthe cat house, dug a deep hole; then he went into the house. Althoughhaving no belief whatever in the sacredness of one animal more thananother, he had yet been long enough among the Egyptians to feel asensation akin to awe as he entered and saw lying upon the ground thelargest of the cats pierced through by Chebron's arrow.
Drawing out the shaft he lifted the animal, and putting it under hisgarment went out again, and entering the bushes buried it in the holehe had dug. He leveled the soil carefully over it, and scattered a fewdead leaves on the top.
"There, no one would notice that," he said to himself when he hadfinished; "but it's awfully unlucky it's that cat of all others."
Then he went in, carefully erased the marks of blood upon the floor,and brought out the shaft, took it down to the pond and carefullywashed the blood from it, and then returned to Chebron.
"Is it--" the latter asked as he approached. He did not say more, butAmuba understood him.
"I am sorry to say it is," he replied. "It is horribly unlucky, forone of the others might not have been missed. There is no hoping thatnow."
Chebron seemed paralyzed at the news.
"Come, Chebron," Amuba said, "it will not do to give way to fear; wemust brave it out. I will leave the door of the cat house open, andwhen it is missed it will be thought that it has escaped and wanderedaway. At any rate, there is no reason why suspicion should fall uponus if we do but put a bold face upon the matter; but we must not letour looks betray us. If the worst comes to the worst and we find thatsuspicions are entertained, we must get out of the way. But there willbe plenty of time to think of that; all that you have got to do now isto try and look as if nothing had happened."
"But how can I?" Chebron said in broken tones. "To you, as you say, itis only a cat; to me it is a creature sacred above all others that Ihave slain. It is ten thousand times worse than if I had killed aman."
"A cat is a cat," Amuba repeated. "I can understand what you feelabout it, though to my mind it is ridiculous. There are thousands ofcats in Thebes; let them choose another one for the temple. But Igrant the danger of what has happened, and I know that if it is foundout there is no hope for us."
"You had nothing to do with it," Chebron said; "there is no reason whyyou should take all this risk with me."
"We were both in the matter, Chebron, and that twig might just as wellhave turned my arrow from its course as yours. We went to kill a hawktogether and we have shot a cat, and it is a terrible business, thereis no doubt; and it makes no difference whatever whether I think thecat was only a cat if the people of Thebes considered it is a god. Ifit is found out it is certain death, and we shall need all our wits tosave our lives; but unless you pluck up courage and look a little morelike yourself, we may as well go at once and say what has happenedand take the consequences. Only if you don't value your life I domine; so if you mean to let your looks betray us, say so, and stophere for a few hours till I get a good start."
"I will tell my father," Chebron said suddenly, "and abide by what hesays. If he thinks it his duty t
o denounce me, so be it; in that caseyou will run no risk."
"But I don't mind running the risk, Chebron; I am quite ready to sharethe peril with you."
"No; I will tell my father," Chebron repeated, "and abide by what hesays. I am sure I can never face this out by myself, and that my lookswill betray us. I have committed the most terrible crime an Egyptiancan commit, and I dare not keep such a secret to myself."
"Very well, Chebron, I will not try to dissuade you, and I will go andsee Jethro. Of course to him as to me the shooting of a cat is amatter not worth a second thought; but he will understand theconsequences, and if we fly will accompany us. You do not mind myspeaking to him? You could trust your life to him as to me."
Chebron nodded, and moved away toward the house.
"For pity sake, Chebron!" Amuba exclaimed, "do not walk like that. Ifthe men at work get sight of you they cannot but see that somethingstrange has happened, and it will be recalled against you when thecreature is missed."
Chebron made an effort to walk with his usual gait. Amuba stoodwatching him for a minute, and then turned away with a gesture ofimpatience.
"Chebron is clever and learned in many things, and I do not think thathe lacks courage; but these Egyptians seem to have no iron in theircomposition when a pinch comes. Chebron walks as if all his bones hadturned to jelly. Of course he is in a horrible scrape; still, if hewould but face it out with sense and pluck it would be easier for usall. However, I do not think that it is more the idea that he hascommitted an act of horrible sacrilege than the fear of death thatweighs him down. If it were not so serious a matter one could almostlaugh at any one being crushed to the earth because he hadaccidentally killed a cat."
Upon entering the house Chebron made his way to the room where hisfather was engaged in study. Dropping the heavy curtains over the doorbehind him he advanced a few paces, then fell on his knees, andtouched the ground with his forehead.
"Chebron!" Ameres exclaimed, laying down the roll of papyrus on whichhe was engaged and rising to his feet. "What is it, my son? Why do youthus kneel before me in an attitude of supplication? Rise and tell mewhat has happened."
Chebron raised his head, but still continued on his knees. Ameres wasstartled at the expression of his son's face. The look of health andlife had gone from it, the color beneath the bronze skin had fadedaway, drops of perspiration stood on his forehead, his lips wereparched and drawn.
"What is it, my son?" Ameres repeated, now thoroughly alarmed.
"I have forfeited my life, father! Worse, I have offended the godsbeyond forgiveness! This morning I went with Amuba with our bows andarrows to shoot a hawk which has for some time been slaying thewaterfowl. It came down and we shot together. Amuba killed the hawk,but my arrow struck a tree and flew wide of the mark, and entering thecats' house killed Paucis, who was chosen only two days to take theplace of the sacred cat in the temple of Bubastes."
An exclamation of horror broke from the high priest, and he recoiled apace from his son.
"Unhappy boy," he said, "your life is indeed forfeited. The kinghimself could not save his son from the fury of the populace had heperpetrated such a deed."
"It is not my life I am thinking of, father," Chebron said, "but firstof the horrible sacrilege, and then that I alone cannot bear theconsequences, but that some of these must fall upon you and my motherand sister; for even to be related to one who has committed such acrime is a terrible disgrace."
Ameres walked up and down the room several times before he spoke.
"As to our share of the consequences, Chebron, we must bear it as bestwe can," he said at last in a calmer tone than he had before used; "itis of you we must first think. It is a terrible affair; and yet, asyou say, it was but an accident, and you are guiltless of anyintentional sacrilege. But that plea will be as nothing. Death is thepunishment for slaying a cat; and the one you have slain having beenchosen to succeed the cat of Bubastes is of all others the one mostsacred. The question is, What is to be done? You must fly and thatinstantly, though I fear that flight will be vain; for as soon as thenews is known it will spread from one end of Egypt to the other, andevery man's hand will be against you, and even by this time thediscovery may have been made."
"That will hardly be, father; for Amuba has buried the cat among thebushes, and has left the door of the house open so that it may besupposed for a time that it has wandered away. He proposed to me tofly with him at once; for he declares that he is determined to sharemy fate since we were both concerned in the attempt to kill the hawk.But in that of course he is wrong; for it is I, not he, who has donethis thing."
"Amuba has done rightly," Ameres said. "We have at least time toreflect."
"But I do not want to fly, father. Of what good will life be to mewith this awful sin upon my head? I wonder that you suffer me toremain a moment in your presence--that you do not cast me out as awretch who has mortally offended the gods."
Ameres waved his hand impatiently.
"That is not troubling me now, Chebron. I do not view things in thesame way as most men, and should it be that you have to fly for yourlife I will tell you more; suffice for you that I do not blame you,still less regard you with horror. The great thing for us to think ofat present is as to the best steps to be taken. Were you to fly nowyou might get several days' start, and might even get out of thecountry before an alarm was spread; but upon the other hand, yourdisappearance would at once be connected with that of the cat as soonas it became known that she is missing, whereas if you stay herequietly it is possible that no one will connect you in any way withthe fact that the cat is gone.
"That something has happened to it will speedily be guessed, for a catdoes not stray away far from the place where it has been bred up;besides, a cat of such a size and appearance is remarkable, and wereit anywhere in the neighborhood it would speedily be noticed. But nowgo and join Amuba in your room, and remain there for the morning asusual. I will give orders that your instructor be told that you willnot want him to-day, as you are not well. I will see you presentlywhen I have thought the matter fully out and determined what had bestbe done. Keep up a brave heart, my boy; the danger may yet pass over."
Chebron retired overwhelmed with surprise at the kindness with whichhis father had spoken to him, when he had expected that he would be sofilled with horror at the terrible act of sacrilege that he would nothave suffered him to remain in the house for a moment after the talewas told. And yet he had seemed to think chiefly of the danger to hislife, and to be but little affected by what to Chebron himself was byfar the most terrible part of the affair--the religious aspect of thedeed. On entering the room where he pursued his studies he foundJethro as well as Amuba there.
"I am sorry for you, young master," Jethro said as he entered. "Ofcourse to me the idea of any fuss being made over the accidentalkilling of a cat is ridiculous; but I know how you view it, and thedanger in which it has placed you. I only came in here with Amuba tosay that you can rely upon me, and that if you decide on flight I amready at once to accompany you."
"Thanks, Jethro," Chebron replied. "Should I fly it will indeed be acomfort to have you with me as well as Amuba, who has already promisedto go with me; but at present nothing is determined. I have seen myfather and told him everything, and he will decide for me."
"Then he will not denounce you," Amuba said. "I thought that he wouldnot."
"No; and he has spoken so kindly that I am amazed. It did not seempossible to me that an Egyptian would have heard of such a dreadfuloccurrence without feeling horror and destation of the person who didit, even were he his own son. Still more would one expect it from aman who, like my father, is a high priest to the gods."
"Your father is a wise as well as a learned man," Jethro said: "andhe knows that the gods cannot be altogether offended at an affair forwhich fate and not the slayer is responsible. The real slayer of thecat is the twig which turned the arrow, and I do not see that you areany more to blame, or anything like so much to blame, as is the haw
kat whom you shot."
This, however, was no consolation to Chebron, who threw himself downon a couch in a state of complete prostration. It seemed to him thateven could this terrible thing be hidden he must denounce himself andbear the penalty. How could he exist with the knowledge that he wasunder the ban of the gods? His life would be a curse rather than agift under such circumstances. Physically, Chebron was not a coward,but he had not the toughness of mental fibre which enables some men tobear almost unmoved misfortunes which would crush others to theground. As to the comforting assurances of Amuba and Jethro, theyfailed to give him the slightest consolation. He loved Amuba as abrother, and in all other matters his opinion would have weighedgreatly with him; but Amuba knew nothing of the gods of Egypt, andcould not feel in the slightest the terrible nature of the act ofsacrilege, and therefore on this point his opinion could have noweight.
"Jethro," Amuba said, "you told me you were going to escort Mysa oneday or other to the very top of the hills, in order that she couldthence look down upon the whole city. Put it into her head to go thismorning, or at least persuade her to go into the city. If she goesinto the garden she will at once notice that the cat is lost; whereasif you can keep her away for the day it will give us so much moretime."
"But if Ameres decides that you had best fly, I might on my returnfind that you have both gone."
"Should he do so, Jethro, he will tell you the route we have taken,and arrange for some point at which you can join us. He wouldcertainly wish you to go with us, for he would know that yourexperience and strong arm would be above all things needful."
"Then I will go at once," Jethro agreed. "There are two or threeexcursions she has been wanting to make, and I think I can promisethat she shall go on one of them to-day. If she says anything aboutwanting to go to see her pets before starting, I can say that you haveboth been there this morning and seen after them."
"I do not mean to fly," Chebron said, starting up, "unless it be thatmy father commands me to do so. Rather a thousand worlds I stay hereand meet my fate!"
Jethro would have spoken, but Amuba signed to him to go at once, andcrossing the room took Chebron's hand. It was hot and feverish, andthere was a patch of color in his cheek.
"Do not let us talk about it, Chebron," he said. "You have put thematter in your father's hands, and you may be sure that he will decidewisely; therefore the burden is off your shoulders for the present.You could have no better counselor in all Egypt, and the fact that heholds so high and sacred an office will add to the weight of hiswords. If he believes that your crime against the gods is so greatthat you have no hope of happiness in life, he will tell you so; if heconsiders that, as it seems to me, the gods cannot resent an accidentas they might do a crime against them done willfully, and that you mayhope by a life of piety to win their forgiveness, then he will bid youfly.
"He is learned in the deepest of the mysteries of your religion, andwill view matters in a different light to that in which they arelooked at by the ignorant rabble. At any rate, as the matter is inhis hands, it is useless for you to excite yourself. As far aspersonal danger goes, I am willing to share it with you, to take halfthe fault of this unfortunate accident, and to avow that as we wereengaged together in the act that led to it we are equally culpable ofthe crime.
"Unfortunately, I cannot share your greater trouble--your feeling ofhorror at what you regard as sacrilege; for we Rebu hold the life ofone animal no more sacred than the life of another, and have no morehesitation in shooting a cat than a deer. Surely your gods cannot beso powerful in Egypt and impotent elsewhere; and yet if they are aspowerful, how is it that their vengeance has not fallen upon otherpeoples who slay without hesitation the animals so dear to them?"
"That is what I have often wondered," Chebron said, falling readilyinto the snare, for he and Amuba had had many conversations on suchsubjects, and points were constantly presenting themselves which hewas unable to solve.
An hour later, when a servant entered and told Chebron and Amuba thatAmeres wished to speak to them, the former had recovered to someextent from the nervous excitement under which he had first suffered.The two lads bowed respectfully to the high priest, and then standingsubmissively before him waited for him to address them.
"I have sent for you both," he said after a pause, "because it seemsto me that although Amuba was not himself concerned in this sadbusiness, it is probable that as he was engaged with you at the timethe popular fury might not nicely discriminate between you." He pausedas if expecting a reply, and Amuba said quietly:
"That is what I have been saying to Chebron, my lord. I considermyself fully as guilty as he is. It was a mere accident that his arrowand not mine was turned aside from the mark we aimed at, and I amready to share his lot, whether you decide that the truth shall bepublished at once, or whether we should attempt to fly." Ameres bowedhis head gravely, and then looked at his son.
"I, father, although I am ready to yield my wishes to your will, andto obey you in this as in all other matters, would beseech you toallow me to denounce myself and to bear my fate. I feel that I wouldinfinitely rather die than live with this terrible weight and guiltupon my head."
"I expected as much of you, Chebron, and applaud your decision,"Ameres said gravely.
Chebron's face brightened, while that of Amuba fell. Ameres, after apause, went on:
"Did I think as you do, Chebron, that the accidental killing of a catis a deadly offense against the gods, I should say denounce yourselfat once, but I do not so consider it."
Chebron gazed at his father as if he could scarce credit his sense ofhearing, while even Amuba looked surprised.
"You have frequently asked me questions, Chebron, which I have eitherturned aside or refused to answer. It was, indeed, from seeing thatyou had inherited from me the spirit of inquiry that I deemed it bestthat you should not ascend to the highest order of the priesthood; forif so, the knowledge you would acquire would render you, as it hasrendered me, dissatisfied with the state of things around you. Had itnot been for this most unfortunate accident I should never have spokento you further on the subject, but as it is I feel that it is my dutyto tell you more.
"I have had a hard struggle with myself, and have, since you left me,thought over from every point of view what I ought to do. On the onehand, I should have to tell you things known only to an inner circle,things which were it known I had whispered to any one my life would beforfeited. On the other hand, if I keep silent I should doom you to alife of misery. I have resolved to take the former alternative. I mayfirst tell you what you do not know, that I have long been viewed withsuspicion by those of the higher priesthood who know my views, whichare that the knowledge we possess should not be confined to ourselves,but should be disseminated, at least among that class of educatedEgyptians capable of appreciating it.
"What I am about to tell you is not, as a whole, fully understoodperhaps by any. It is the outcome of my own reflections, founded uponthe light thrown upon things by the knowledge I have gained. You askedme one day, Chebron, how we knew about the gods--how they firstrevealed themselves, seeing that they are not things that belong tothe world? I replied to you at the time that these things aremysteries--a convenient answer with which we close the mouths ofquestioners.
"Listen now and I will tell you how religion first began upon earth,not only in Egypt, but in all lands. Man felt his own powerlessness.Looking at the operations of nature--the course of the heavenlybodies, the issues of birth and life and death--he concluded, andrightly, that there was a God over all things, but this God was toomighty for his imagination to grasp.
"He was everywhere and nowhere, he animated all things, and yet wasnowhere to be found; he gave fertility and he caused famine, he gavelife and he gave death, he gave light and heat, he sent storms andtempests. He was too infinite and too various for the untutored mindof the early man to comprehend, and so they tried to approach himpiecemeal. They worshiped him as the sun, the giver of heat and lifeand fertility; they worsh
iped him as a destructive god, they invokedhis aid as a beneficent being, they offered sacrifices to appease hiswrath as a terrible one. And so in time they came to regard all theseattributes of his--all his sides and lights under which they viewedhim--as being distinct and different, and instead of all being thequalities of one God as being each the quality or attribute ofseparate gods.
"So there came to be a god of life and a god of death, one who sendsfertility and one who causes famine. All sorts of inanimate objectswere defined as possessing some fancied attribute either for good orevil, and the one Almighty God became hidden and lost in the crowd ofminor deities. In some nations the fancies of man went one way, inanother another. The lower the intelligence of the people the lowertheir gods. In some countries serpents are sacred, doubtless becauseoriginally they were considered to typify at once the subtleness andthe destructive power of a god. In others trees are worshiped. Thereare peoples who make the sun their god. Others the moon. Ourforefathers in Egypt being a wiser people than the savages aroundthem, worshiped the attributes of gods under many different names.First, eight great deities were chosen to typify the chiefcharacteristics of the Mighty One. Chnoumis, or Neuf, typified theidea of the spirit of God--that spirit which pervades all creation.Ameura, the intellect of God. Osiris, the goodness of God. Ptahtypified at once the working power and the truthfulness of God. Khemrepresents the productive power--the god who presides over themultiplication of all species: man, beast, fish, and vegetable--and sowith the rest of the great gods and of the minor divinities, which arereckoned by the score.
"In time certain animals, birds, and other creatures whose qualitiesare considered to resemble one or other of the deities are in thefirst place regarded as typical of them, then are held as sacred tothem, then in some sort of way become mixed up with the gods and to beheld almost as the gods themselves. This is, I think, the history ofthe religions of all countries. The highest intelligences, the men ofeducation and learning, never quite lose sight of the original truths,and recognize that the gods represent only the various attributes ofthe one Almighty God. The rest of the population lose sight of thetruth, and really worship as gods these various creations, that arereally but types and shadows.
"It is perhaps necessary that it should be so. It is easier for thegrosser and more ignorant classes to worship things that they can seeand understand, to strive to please those whose statues and templesthey behold, to fear to draw upon themselves the vengeance of thoserepresented to them as destructive powers, than to worship aninconceivable God, without form or shape, so mighty the imaginationcannot picture him, so beneficent, so all-providing, so equable andserene that the human mind cannot grasp even a notion of him. Man ismaterial, and must worship the material in a form in which he thinkshe can comprehend it, and so he creates gods for himself with figures,likenesses, passions, and feelings like those of the many animals hesees around him.
"The Israelite maid whom we brought hither, and with whom I havefrequently conversed, tells me that her people before coming to thisland worshiped but one God like unto him of whom I have told you, savethat they belittled him by deeming that he was their own special God,caring for them above all peoples of the earth; but in all otherrespects he corresponded with the Almighty One whom we who have gainedglimpses of the truth which existed ere the Pantheon of Egypt cameinto existence, worship in our hearts, and it seems to me as if thislittle handful of men who came to Egypt hundreds of years ago were theonly people in the world who kept the worship of the one God clear andundefiled."
Chebron and Amuba listened in awestruck silence to the words of thehigh priest. Amuba's face lit up with pleasure and enthusiasm as helistened to words which seemed to clear away all the doubts anddifficulties that had been in his mind. To Chebron the revelation,though a joyful one, came as a great shock. His mind, too, had longbeen unsatisfied. He had wondered and questioned, but the destructionat one blow of all the teachings of his youth, of all he had heldsacred, came at first as a terrible shock. Neither spoke when thepriest concluded, and after a pause he resumed.
"You will understand, Chebron, that what I have told you is not in itsentirety held even by the most enlightened, and that the sketch I havegiven you of the formation of all religions is, in fact, the ideawhich I myself have formed as the result of all I have learned, bothas one initiated in all the learning of the ancient Egyptians and frommy own studies both of our oldest records and the traditions of allthe peoples with whom Egypt has come in contact. But that all our godsmerely represent attributes of the one deity, and have no personalexistence as represented in our temples, is acknowledged more or lesscompletely by all those most deeply initiated in the mysteries of ourreligion.
"When we offer sacrifices we offer them not to the images behind ouraltar, but to God the creator, God the preserver, God the fertilizer,to God the ruler, to God the omnipotent over good and evil. Thus, yousee, there is no mockery in our services, although to us they bear aninner meaning not understood by others. They worship a personalityendowed with principle; we the principle itself. They see in themystic figure the representation of a deity; we see in it the type ofan attribute of a higher deity.
"You may think that in telling you all this I have told you thingswhich should be told only to those whose privilege it is to havelearned the inner mysteries of their religion; that maybe I amuntrue to my vows. These, lads, are matters for my own conscience.Personally, I have long been impressed with the conviction that itwere better that the circles of initiates should be very widelyextended, and that all capable by education and intellect ofappreciating the mightiness of the truth should no longer be left indarkness. I have been overruled, and should never have spoken had notthis accident taken place; but when I see that the whole happiness ofyour life is at stake, that should the secret ever be discovered youwill either be put to death despairing and hopeless, or have to flyand live despairing and hopeless in some foreign country, I haveconsidered that the balance of duty lay on the side of lightening yourmind by a revelation of what was within my own. And it is not, as Ihave told you, so much the outcome of the teaching I have received asof my own studies and a conviction I have arrived at as to the natureof God. Thus, then, my son, you can lay side the horror which you havefelt at the thought that by the accidental slaying of a cat youoffended the gods beyond forgiveness. The cat is but typical of thequalities attributed to Baste. Baste herself is but typical of one ofthe qualities of the One God."
"Oh, my father!" Chebron exclaimed, throwing himself on his kneesbeside Ameres and kissing his hand, "how good you are. What a weighthave you lifted from my mind! What a wonderful future have you openedto me if I escape the danger that threatens me now! If I have to die Ican do so like one who fears not the future after death. If I live Ishall no longer be oppressed with the doubts and difficulties whichhave so long weighed upon me. Though till now you have given me noglimpse of the great truth, I have at times felt not only that theanswers you gave me failed to satisfy me, but it seemed to me alsothat you yourself with all your learning and wisdom were yet unable toset me right in these matters as you did in all others upon which Iquestioned you. My father, you have given me life, and more thanlife--you have given me a power over fate. I am ready now to fly,should you think it best, or to remain here and risk whatever mayhappen."
"I do not think you should fly, Chebron. In the first place, flightwould be an acknowledgment of guilt; in the second, I do not see whereyou could fly. To-morrow, at latest, the fact that the creature ismissing will be discovered, and as soon as it was known that you hadgone a hot pursuit would be set up. If you went straight down to thesea you would probably be overtaken long before you got there; andeven did you reach a port before your pursuers you might have to waitdays before a ship sailed.
"Then, again, did you hide in any secluded neighborhood, you wouldsurely be found sooner or later, for the news will go from end to endof Egypt, and it will be everyone's duty to search for and denounceyou. Messengers will be sent to all countries
under Egyptiangovernment, and even if you passed our frontiers by land or sea yourperil would be as great as it is here. Lastly, did you surmount allthese difficulties and reach some land beyond the sway of Egypt, youwould be an exile for life. Therefore I say that flight is your lastresource, to be undertaken only if a discovery is made; but we mayhope that no evil fortune will lead the searchers to the conclusionthat the cat was killed here.
"When it is missed there will be search high and low in which everyone will join. When the conclusion is at last arrived at that it hasirrecoverably disappeared all sorts of hypotheses will be started toaccount for it; some will think that it probably wandered to the hillsand became the prey of hyenas or other wild beasts; some will assertthat it has been killed and hidden away; others that it has made itsway down to the Nile and has been carried off by a crocodile. Thusthere is no reason why suspicion should fall upon you more than uponothers, but you will have to play your part carefully."