CHAPTER V.
IN LOWER EGYPT.
"I am going on a journey," Ameres said to his son a few days after thereturn from the farm. "I shall take you with me, Chebron, for I amgoing to view the progress of a fresh canal that is being made on ourestate in Goshen. The officer who is superintending it has doubtswhether, when the sluices are opened, it will altogether fulfill itspurpose, and I fear that some mistake must have been made in thelevels. I have already taught you the theory of the work; it is wellthat you should gain some practical experience in it; for there is nomore useful or honorable profession than that of carrying out works bywhich the floods of the Nile are conveyed to the thirsty soil."
"Thank you, father. I should like it greatly," Chebron replied in atone of delight, for he had never before been far south of Thebes."And may Amuba go with us?"
"Yes; I was thinking of taking him," the high priest said. "Jethro canalso go, for I take a retinue with me. Did I consult my own pleasure Iwould far rather travel without this state and ceremony; but as afunctionary of state I must conform to the customs. And, indeed, evenin Goshen it is as well always to travel in some sort of state. Thepeople there are of a different race to ourselves. Although they havedwelt a long time in the land and conform to its customs, still theyare notoriously a stubborn and obstinate people, and there is moretrouble in getting the public works executed there than in any otherpart of the country."
"I have heard of them, father. They belong to the same race as theshepherd kings who were such bitter tyrants to Egypt. How is it thatthey stayed behind when the shepherds were driven out?"
"They are of the same race, but they came not with them, and formed nopart of their conquering armies. The shepherds, who, as you know, camefrom the land lying to the east of the Great Sea, had reigned here fora long time when this people came. They were relations of the Josephwho, as you have read in your history, was chief minister of Egypt.
"He came here as a slave, and was certainly brought from the countrywhence our oppressors came. But they say that he was not of theirrace, but that his forefathers had come into the land from a countrylying far to the east; but that I know not. Suffice it he gained theconfidence of the king, became his minister, and ruled wisely as faras the king was concerned, though the people have little reason tobless his memory. In his days was a terrible famine, and they say heforetold its coming, and that his gods gave him warning of it. So vastgranaries were constructed and filled to overflowing, and when thefamine came and the people were starving the grain was served out, butin return the people had to give up their land. Thus the whole tenureof the land in the country was changed, and all became the property ofthe state, the people remaining as its tenants upon the land theyformerly owned. Then it was that the state granted large tracts to thetemples, and others to the military order, so that at present alltillers of land pay rent either to the king, the temples, or themilitary order.
"Thus it is that the army can always be kept up in serviceable order,dwelling by its tens of thousands in the cities assigned to it. Thusit is that the royal treasury is always kept full, and the services ofthe temples maintained. The step has added to the power and dignity ofthe nation, and has benefited the cultivators themselves by enablingvast works of irrigation to be carried out--works that could neverhave been accomplished had the land been the property of innumerablesmall holders, each with his own petty interests."
"But you said, father, that it has not been for the good of thepeople."
"Nor has it in one respect, Chebron, for it has drawn a wide chasmbetween the aristocratic classes and the bulk of the people, who cannever own land, and have no stimulus to exertion."
"But they are wholly ignorant, father. They are peasants, and nothingmore."
"I think they might be something more, Chebron, under othercircumstances. However, that is not the question we are discussing.This Joseph brought his family out of the land at the east of theGreat Sea, and land was given to them in Goshen, and they settledthere and throve and multiplied greatly. Partly because of theremembrance of the services Joseph had rendered to the state, partlybecause they were a kindred people, they were held in favor as long asthe shepherd kings ruled over us. But when Egypt rose and shook offthe yoke they had groaned under so long, and drove the shepherds andtheir followers out of the land, this people--for they had now sogrown in numbers as to be in verity a people--remained behind, andthey have been naturally viewed with suspicion by us. They are akin toour late oppressors, and lying as their land does to the east, theycould open the door to any fresh army of invasion.
"Happily, now that our conquests have spread so far, and the power ofthe people eastward of the Great Sea has been completely broken, thisreason for distrust has died out, but Joseph's people are still viewedunfavorably. Prejudices take long to die out among the masses, and themanner in which these people cling together, marrying only amongthemselves and keeping themselves apart from us, gives a certainfoundation for the dislike which exists. Personally, I think thefeeling is unfounded. They are industrious and hard-working, thoughthey are, I own, somewhat disposed to resist authority, and there ismore difficulty in obtaining the quota of men from Goshen for theexecution of public works than from any other of the provinces ofEgypt."
"Do they differ from us in appearance, father?"
"Considerably, Chebron. They are somewhat fairer than we are, theirnoses are more aquiline, and they are physically stronger. They do notshave their heads as we do, and they generally let the hair on theirfaces grow. For a long time after their settlement I believe that theyworshiped their own gods, or rather their own God, but they have longadopted our religion."
"Surely that must be wrong," Chebron said. "Each nation has its gods,and if a people forsake their own gods it is not likely that othergods would care for them as they do for their own people."
"It is a difficult question, Chebron, and one which it is best for youto leave alone at present. You will soon enter into the lower grade ofthe priesthood, and although if you do not pass into the upper gradesyou will never know the greater mysteries, you will yet learn enoughto enlighten you to some extent."
Chebron was too well trained in the respect due to a parent to askfurther questions, but he renewed the subject with Amuba as theystrolled in the garden together afterward.
"I wonder how each nation found out who were the gods who speciallycared for them, Amuba?"
"I have no idea," Amuba, who had never given the subject a thought,replied. "You are always asking puzzling questions, Chebron."
"Well, but it must have been somehow," Chebron insisted. "Do yousuppose that any one ever saw our gods? and if not, how do people knowthat one has the head of a dog and another of a cat, or what they arelike? Are some gods stronger than others, because all people offersacrifices to the gods and ask for their help before going to battle?Some are beaten and some are victorious; some win to-day and loseto-morrow. Is it that these gods are stronger one day than another, orthat they do not care to help their people sometimes? Why do they notprevent their temples from being burned and their images from beingthrown down? It is all very strange."
"It is all very strange, Chebron. I was not long ago asking Jethronearly the same question, but he could give me no answer. Why do younot ask your father. He is one of the wisest of the Egyptians."
"I have asked my father, but he will not answer me," Chebron saidthoughtfully. "I think sometimes that it is because I have asked thesequestions that he does not wish me to become a high priest. I did notmean anything disrespectful to the gods. But somehow when I want toknow things, and he will not answer me, I think he looks sadly, as ifhe was sorry at heart that he could not tell me what I want to know."
"Have you ever asked your brother Neco?"
"Oh, Neco is different," Chebron said with an accent almost ofdisdain. "Neco gets into passions and threatens me with all sorts ofthings; but I can see he knows no more about it than I do, for he hasa bewildered look in his face when I ask him these thi
ngs, and once ortwice he has put his hands to his ears and fairly run away, as if Iwas saying something altogether profane and impious against the gods."
On the following day the high priest and his party started for Goshen.The first portion of the journey was performed by water. The craft wasa large one, with a pavilion of carved wood on deck, and two masts,with great sails of many colors cunningly worked together. Persons ofconsequence traveling in this way were generally accompanied by atleast two or three musicians playing on harps, trumpets, or pipes;for the Egyptians were passionately fond of music, and no feast wasthought complete without a band to discourse soft music while it wasgoing on. The instruments were of the most varied kinds; stringedinstruments predominated, and these varied in size from tinyinstruments resembling zithers to harps much larger than those used inmodern times. In addition to these they had trumpets of many forms,reed instruments, cymbals, and drums, the last-named long and narrowin shape.
Ameres, however, although not averse to music after the evening meal,was of too practical a character to care for it at other times. Heconsidered that it was too often an excuse for doing nothing andthinking of nothing, and therefore dispensed with it except on stateoccasions. As they floated down the river he explained to his son thevarious objects which they passed; told him the manner in which thefishermen in their high boats made of wooden planks bound together byrushes, or in smaller crafts shaped like punts formed entirely ofpapyrus bound together with bands of the same plant, caught the fish;pointed out the entrances to the various canals, and explained theworking of the gates which admitted the water; gave him the history ofthe various temples, towns, and villages; named the many waterfowlbasking on the surface of the river, and told him of their habits andhow they were captured by the fowlers; he pointed out the great tombsto him, and told him by whom they were built.
"The largest, my son, are monuments of pride and folly. The greatestof the pyramids was built by a king who thought it would immortalizehim; but so terrible was the labor that its construction inflictedupon the people that it caused him to be execrated, and he was neverlaid in the mausoleum he had built for himself. You see our custom ofjudging kings after their death is not without advantages. After aking is dead the people are gathered together and the question is putto them, Has the dead monarch ruled well? If they reply with assentingshouts, he is buried in a fitting tomb which he has probably preparedfor himself, or which his successor raises to him; but if the answeris that he has reigned ill, the sacred rites in his honor are omittedand the mausoleum he has raised stands empty forever.
"There are few, indeed, of our kings who have thus merited theexecration of their people, for as a rule the careful manner in whichthey are brought up, surrounded by youths chosen for their piety andlearning, and the fact that they, like the meanest of their subjects,are bound to respect the laws of the land, act as sufficient checkupon them. But there is no doubt that the knowledge that after deaththey must be judged by the people exercises a wholesome restrainteven upon the most reckless."
"I long to see the pyramids," Chebron said. "Are they built of brickor stone? for I have been told that their surface is so smooth andshiny that they look as if cut from a single piece."
"They are built of vast blocks of stone, each of which employed thelabor of many hundreds of men to transport from the quarries wherethey were cut."
"Were they the work of slaves or of the people at large?"
"Vast numbers of slaves captured in war labored at them," the priestreplied. "But numerous as these were they were wholly insufficient forthe work, and well-nigh half the people of Egypt were forced to leavetheir homes to labor at them. So great was the burden and distressthat even now the builders of these pyramids are never spoken of savewith curses; and rightly so, for what might not have been done withthe same labor usefully employed! Why, the number of the canals in thecountry might have been doubled and the fertility of the soil vastlyincreased. Vast tracts might have been reclaimed from the marshes andshallow lakes, and the produce of the land might have been doubled."
"And what splendid temples might have been raised!" Chebron saidenthusiastically.
"Doubtless, my son," the priest said quietly after a slight pause."But though it is meet and right that the temples of the gods shallbe worthy of them, still, as we hold that the gods love Egypt andrejoice in the prosperity of the people, I think that they might havepreferred so vast an improvement as the works I speak of would haveeffected in the condition of the people, even to the raising of longavenues of sphinxes and gorgeous temples in their own honor."
"Yes, one would think so," Chebron said thoughtfully. "And yet,father, we are always taught that our highest duty is to pay honor tothe gods, and that in no way can money be so well spent as in raisingfresh temples and adding to the beauty of those that exist."
"Our highest duty is assuredly to pay honor to the gods, Chebron; buthow that honor can be paid most acceptably is another and deeperquestion which you are a great deal too young to enter upon. It willbe time enough for you to do that years hence. There, do you see thattemple standing on the right bank of the river? That is where we stopfor the night. My messenger will have prepared them for our coming,and all will be in readiness for us."
As they approached the temple they saw a number of people gathered onthe great stone steps reaching down to the water's edge, and strainsof music were heard. On landing Ameres was greeted with the greatestrespect by the priests all bowing to the ground, while those ofinferior order knelt with their faces to the earth, and did not raisethem until he had passed on. As soon as he entered the temple aprocession was formed. Priests bearing sacred vessels and the symbolsof the gods walked before him to the altar; a band of unseen musiciansstruck up a processional air; priestesses and maidens, also carryingofferings and emblems, followed Ameres. He naturally took theprincipal part in the sacrifice at the altar, cutting the throat ofthe victim, and making the offering of the parts specially set asidefor the gods.
After the ceremonies were concluded the procession moved in order asfar as the house of the chief priest. Here all again saluted Ameres,who entered, followed by his son and attendants. A banquet was alreadyin readiness. To this Ameres sat down with the principal priests,while Chebron was conducted to the apartment prepared for him, wherefood from the high table was served to him. Amuba and the rest of thesuit of the high priest were served in another apartment. As soon asChebron had finished he joined Amuba.
"Let us slip away," he said. "The feasting will go on for hours, andthen there will be music far on into the night. My father will beheartily tired of it all; for he loves plain food, and thinks that thepriests should eat none other. Still, as it would not be polite for aguest to remark upon the viands set before him, I know that he will gothrough it all. I have heard him say that it is one of the greatesttrials of his position that whenever he travels people seem to thinkthat a feast must be prepared for him; whereas I know he would rathersit down to a dish of boiled lentils and water than have the richestdishes set before him."
"Is it going to be like this all the journey?" Amuba asked.
"Oh, no! I know that all the way down the river we shall rest at atemple, for did my father not do so the priests would regard it asa slight; but then we leave the boat and journey in chariots orbullock-carts. When we reach Goshen we shall live in a little housewhich my father has had constructed for him, and where we shall haveno more fuss and ceremony than we do at our own farm. Then he willbe occupied with the affairs of the estates and in the works ofirrigation; and although we shall be with him when he journeys about,as I am to begin to learn the duties of a superintendent, I expect weshall have plenty of time for amusement and sport."
They strolled for an hour or two on the bank of the river, for themoon was shining brightly and many boats were passing up and down;the latter drifted with the stream, for the wind was so light that thesails were scarce filled; the former kept close to the bank, and wereeither propelled by long poles or towed by parti
es of men on the bank.When they returned to the house they listened for a time to the music,and then retired to their rooms. Amuba lay down upon the soft couchmade of a layer of bulrushes, covered with a thick woollen cloth, andrested his head on a pillow of bulrushes which Jethro had bound up forhim; for neither of the Rebu had learned to adopt the Egyptian fashionof using a stool for a pillow.
These stools were long, and somewhat curved in the middle to fit theneck. For the common people they were roughly made of wood, smoothedwhere the head came; but the head-stools of the wealthy wereconstructed of ebony, cedar, and other scarce woods, beautifullyinlaid with ivory. Amuba had made several trials of these head-stools,but had not once succeeded in going to sleep with one under his head,half an hour sufficing to cause such an aching of his neck that he wasglad to take to the pillow of rushes to which he was accustomed.Indeed, to sleep upon the stool-pillows it was necessary to lie uponthe side with an arm so placed as to raise the head to the exact levelof the stool, and as Amuba had been accustomed to throw himself downand sleep on his back or any other position in which he first lay, forhe was generally thoroughly tired either in hunting or by exercise ofarms, he found the cramped and fixed position necessary for sleepingwith a hard stool absolutely intolerable.
For a week the journey down the river continued, and then they arrivedat Memphis, where they remained for some days. Ameres passed the timein ceremonial visits and in taking part in the sacrifices in thetemple. Chebron and Amuba visited all the temples and publicbuildings, and one day went out to inspect the great pyramids attendedby Jethro.
"This surpasses anything I have seen," Jethro said as they stood atthe foot of the great pyramid of Cheops. "What a wonderful structure,but what a frightful waste of human labor!"
"It is marvelous, indeed," Amuba said. "What wealth and power amonarch must have had to raise such a colossal pile! I thought yousaid, Chebron, that your kings were bound by laws as well as otherpeople. If so, how could this king have exacted such terrible toil andlabor from his subjects as this must have cost?"
"Kings should be bound by the laws," Chebron replied; "but there aresome so powerful and haughty that they tyrannize over the people.Cheops was one of them. My father has been telling me that he grounddown the people to build this wonderful tomb for himself. But he hadhis reward, for at his funeral he had to be judged by the publicvoice, and the public condemned him as a bad and tyrannous king.Therefore he was not allowed to be buried in the great tomb that hehad built for himself. I know not where his remains rest, but thishuge pyramid stands as an eternal monument of the failure of humanambition--the greatest and costliest tomb in the world, but without anoccupant, save that Theliene, one of his queens, was buried here in achamber near that destined for the king."
"The people did well," Jethro said heartily; "but they would have donebetter still had they risen against him and cut off his head directlythey understood the labor he was setting them to do."
On leaving Memphis one more day's journey was made by water, and thenext morning the party started by land. Ameres rode in a chariot,which was similar in form to those used for war, except that the sideswere much higher, forming a sort of deep open box, against which thosestanding in it could rest their bodies. Amuba and Chebron traveled ina wagon drawn by two oxen; the rest of the party went on foot.
At the end of two days they arrived at their destination. The housewas a small one compared to the great mansion near Thebes, but it wasbuilt on a similar plan. A high wall surrounded an inclosure of aquarter of an acre. In the center stood the house with one largeapartment for general purposes, and small bedchambers opening from iton either side. The garden, although small, was kept with scrupulouscare. Rows of fruit trees afforded a pleasant shade. In front of thehouse there was a small pond bordered with lilies and rushes. A Nubianslave and his wife kept everything in readiness for the owner wheneverhe should appear. A larger retinue of servants was unnecessary, as acook and barber were among those who traveled in the train of Ameres.The overseer of the estate was in readiness to receive the highpriest.
"I have brought my son with me," Ameres said when the ceremonialobservances and salutations were concluded. "He is going to commencehis studies in irrigation, but I shall not have time at present toinstruct him. I wish him to become proficient in outdoor exercises,and beg you to procure men skilled in fishing, fowling, and hunting,so that he can amuse his unoccupied hours with sport. At Thebes he hasbut rare opportunities for these matters; for, excepting in thepreserves, game has become well-nigh extinct, while as for fowling,there is none of it to be had in Upper Egypt, while here in themarshes birds abound."
The superintendent promised that suitable men should be forthcoming,one of each caste; for in Egypt men always followed the occupation oftheir fathers, and each branch of trade was occupied by men formingdistinct castes, who married only in their own caste, worked just astheir fathers had done before them, and did not dream of change orelevation. Thus the fowler knew nothing about catching fish or thefishermen of fowling. Both, however, knew something about hunting; forthe slaying of the hyenas, that carried off the young lambs, and kidsfrom the villages, and the great river-horses, which came out anddevastated the fields, was a part of the business of every villager.
The country where they now were was for the most part well cultivatedand watered by the canals, which were filled when the Nile was high.
A day's journey to the north lay Lake Menzaleh--a great shallow lagoonwhich stretched away to the Great Sea, from which it was separatedonly by a narrow bank of sand. The canals of the Nile reached nearlyto the edge of this, and when the river rose above its usual heightand threatened to inundate the country beyond the usual limits, and toinjure instead of benefiting the cultivators, great gates at the endof these canals would be opened, and the water find its way into thelagoon. There were, too, connections between some of the lower arms ofthe Nile and the lake, so that the water, although salt, was less sothan that of the sea. The lake was the abode of innumerable waterfowlof all kinds, and swarmed also with fish.
These lakes formed a fringe along the whole of the northern coast ofEgypt, and it was from these and the swampy land near the mouths ofthe Nile that the greater portion of the fowl and fish that formedimportant items in the food of the Egyptians was drawn. To thesoutheast lay another chain of lakes, whose water was more salt thanthat of the sea. It was said that in olden times these had beenconnected by water both with the Great Sea to the north and theSouthern Sea; and even now, when the south wind blew strong and thewaters of the Southern Sea were driven up the gulf with force, thesalt water flowed into Lake Timsah, so called because it swarmed withcrocodiles.
"I shall be busy for some days, to begin with," Ameres said to his sonon the evening of their arrival, "and it will therefore be a goodopportunity for you to see something of the various branches of sportthat are to be enjoyed in this part of Egypt. The steward will placemen at your disposal, and you can take with you Amuba and Jethro. Hewill see that there are slaves to carry provisions and tents, for itwill be necessary for much of your sport that you rise early, and notimprobably you may have to sleep close at hand."
In the morning Chebron had an interview with the steward, who told himthat he had arranged the plan for an expedition.
"You will find little about here, my lord," he said, "beyond such gameas you would obtain near Thebes. But a day's journey to the north youwill be near the margin of the lake, and there you will get sport ofall kinds, and can at your will fish in its waters, snare waterfowl,hunt the great river-horse in the swamps, or chase the hyena in thelow bushes on the sandhills. I have ordered all to be in readiness,and in an hour the slaves with the provisions will be ready to start.The hunters of this part of the country will be of little use to you,so I have ordered one of my chief men to accompany you.
"He will see that when you arrive you obtain men skilled in the sportand acquainted with the locality and the habits of the wild creaturesthere. My lord your father said you would
probably be away for a week,and that on your return you would from time to time have a day'shunting in these parts. He thought that as your time will be moreoccupied then it were better that you should make this distantexpedition to begin with."
An hour later some twenty slaves drew up before the house, carrying ontheir heads provisions, tents, and other necessaries. A horse wasprovided for Chebron, but he decided that he would walk with Amuba.
"There is no advantage in going on a horse," he said, "when you haveto move at the pace of footmen, and possibly we may find something toshoot on the way."
The leader of the party, upon hearing Chebron's decision, told himthat doubtless when they left the cultivated country, which extendedbut a few miles further north, game would be found. Six dogsaccompanied them. Four of them were powerful animals, kept for thechase of the more formidable beasts, the hyena or lion, for althoughthere were no lions in the flat country, they abounded in the brokengrounds at the foot of the hills to the south. The other two were muchmore lightly built, and were capable of running down a deer. Dogs wereheld in high honor in Egypt. In some parts of the country they wereheld to be sacred. In all they were kept as companions and friends inthe house as well as for the purposes of the chase. The season was thecold one, and the heat was so much less than they were accustomed toat Thebes--where the hills which inclosed the plain on which the citywas built cut off much of the air, and seemed to reflect the sun'srays down upon it--that the walk was a pleasant one.
Chebron and Amuba, carrying their bows, walked along, chatting gayly,at the head of the party. Jethro and Rabah the foreman came next. Thenfollowed two slaves, leading the dogs in leashes, ready to be slippedat a moment's notice, while the carriers followed in the rear.Occasionally they passed through scattered villages, where the womencame to their doors to look at the strangers, and where generallyofferings of milk and fruit were made to them. The men were for themost part at work in the fields.
"They are a stout-looking race. Stronger and more bony than our ownpeople," Chebron remarked to the leader of the party.
"They are stubborn to deal with," he replied. "They till their groundwell, and pay their portion of the produce without grumbling, but whenany extra labor is asked of them there is sure to be trouble. It iseasier to manage a thousand Egyptian peasants than a hundred of theseIsraelites, and if forced labor is required for the public service itis always necessary to bring down the troops before we can obtain it.
"But indeed they are hardly treated fairly, and have suffered much.They arrived in Egypt during the reign of Usertuen I., and had landallotted to them. During the reign of the king and other successors ofhis dynasty they were held in favor and multiplied greatly; but whenthe Theban dynasty succeeded that of Memphis, the kings, finding thisforeign people settled here, and seeing that they were related byorigin to the shepherd tribes who at various times have threatened ourcountry from the east, and have even conquered portions of it andoccupied it for long periods, regarded them with hostility, and havetreated them rather as prisoners of war than as a portion of thepeople. Many burdens have been laid upon them. They have had to givefar more than their fair share of labor toward the public works, themaking of bricks, and the erection of royal tombs and pyramids."
"It is strange that they do not shave their heads as do our people,"Chebron said.
"But I do not," Amuba laughed, "nor Jethro."
"It is different with you," Chebron replied. "You do not labor and getthe dust of the soil in your hair. Besides, you do keep it cut quiteshort. Still, I think you would be more comfortable if you followedour fashion."
"It is all a matter of habit," Amuba replied. "To us, when we firstcame here, the sight of all the poorer people going about with theirheads shaven was quite repulsive--and as for comfort, surely one's ownhair must be more comfortable than the great wigs that all of thebetter class wear."
"They keep off the sun," Chebron said, "when one is out of doors, andare seldom worn in the house, and then when one comes in one can washoff the dust."
"I can wash the dust out of my hair," Amuba said. "Still, I do thinkthat these Israelites wear their hair inconveniently long; and yet thelong plaits that their women wear down their back are certainlygraceful, and the women themselves are fair and comely."
Chebron shook his head. "They may be fair, Amuba, but I should thinkthey would make very troublesome wives. They lack altogether thesubdued and submissive look of our women. They would, I should say,have opinions of their own, and not be submissive to their lords; isthat not so, Rabah?"
"The women, like the men, have spirit and fire," the foreman answered,"and have much voice in all domestic matters; but I do not know thatthey have more than with us. They can certainly use their tongues; forat times, when soldiers have been here to take away gangs of men forpublic works, they have had more trouble with them than with the men.The latter are sullen, but they know that they must submit; but thewomen gather at a little distance and scream curses and abuse at thetroops, and sometimes even pelt them with stones, knowing that thesoldiers will not draw weapon upon them, although not infrequently itis necessary in order to put a stop to the tumult to haul two or threeof their leaders off to prison."
"I thought they were viragoes," Chebron said with a laugh. "I wouldrather hunt a lion than have the women of one of these villages setupon me."
In a few miles cultivation became more rare; sandhills took the placeof the level fields, and only here and there in the hollows werepatches of cultivated ground. Rabah now ordered the slave leading thetwo fleet dogs to keep close up and be in readiness to slip them.
"We may see deer at any time now," he said. "They abound in thesesandy deserts which form their shelter, and yet are within easydistance of fields where when such vegetation as is here fails themthey can go for food."
A few minutes later a deer started from a clump of bushes. The dogswere instantly let slip and started in pursuit.
"Hurry on a hundred yards and take your position on that mound!" Rabahexclaimed to Chebron, while at the same time he signaled to the slavesbehind to stop. "The dogs know their duty, and you will see they willpresently drive the stag within shot."
Chebron called Amuba to follow him and ran forward. By the time theyreached the mound the stag was far away, with the dogs laboring inpursuit. At present they seemed to have gained but little, if at all,upon him, and all were soon hidden from sight among the sandhills. Inspite of the assurance of Rabah the lads had doubts whether the dogswould ever drive their quarry back to the spot where they werestanding, and it was full a quarter of an hour before pursuers andpursued came in sight again. The pace had greatly fallen off, for oneof the dogs was some twenty yards behind the stag; the other was outon its flank at about the same distance away, and was evidently aidingin turning it toward the spot where the boys were standing.
"We will shoot together," Chebron said. "It will come within fiftyyards of us."
They waited until the stag was abreast of them. The dog on its flankhad now fallen back to the side of his companion as if to leave thestag clear for the arrows of the hunters. The lads fired together justas the stag was abreast; but it was running faster than they hadallowed for, and both arrows flew behind it. They uttered exclamationsof disappointment, but before the deer had run twenty yards it gave asudden leap into the air and fell over. Jethro had crept up and takenhis post behind some bushes to the left of the clump in readiness toshoot should the others miss, and his arrow had brought the stag tothe ground.
"Well done, Jethro!" Amuba shouted. "It is so long since I was outhunting that I seem to have lost my skill; but it matters not since wehave brought him down."
The dogs stood quiet beside the deer that was struggling on theground, being too well trained to interfere with it. Jethro ran outand cut its throat. The others were soon standing beside it. It wasof a species smaller than those to which the deer of Europe belong,with two long straight horns.
"It will make a useful addition to our fare to-night
," Rabah said,"although, perhaps, some of the other sorts are better eating."
"Do the dogs never pull them down by themselves?" Amuba asked.
"Very seldom. These two are particularly fleet, but I doubt whetherthey would have caught it. These deer can run for a long time, andalthough they will let dogs gain upon them they can leave them if theychoose. Still I have known this couple run down a deer when they couldnot succeed in driving it within bowshot; but they know very well theyought not to do so, for, of course, deer are of no use for food unlessthe animals are properly killed and the blood allowed to escape."
Several other stags were startled, but these all escaped, the dogsbeing too fatigued with their first run to be able to keep up withthem. The other dogs were therefore unloosed and allowed to rangeabout the country. They started several hyenas, some of which theythemselves killed; others they brought to bay until the lads ran upand dispatched them with their arrows, while others which took toflight in sufficient time got safely away, for the hyena, unlessovertaken just at the start, can run long and swiftly and tire outheavy dogs such as those the party had with them.
After walking some fifteen miles the lads stopped suddenly on the browof a sandhill. In front of them was a wide expanse of water borderedby a band of vegetation. Long rushes and aquatic plants formed a bandby the water's edge, while here and there huts with patches ofcultivated ground dotted the country.
"We are at the end of our journey," Rabah said. "These huts arechiefly inhabited by fowlers and fishermen. We will encamp at the footof this mound. It is better for us not to go too near the margin ofthe water, for the air is not salubrious to those unaccustomed to it.The best hunting ground lies a few miles to our left, for there, whenthe river is high, floods come down through a valley which is at alltimes wet and marshy. There we may expect to find game of all kinds inabundance."