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[NOTE: There is a short list of bookmarks, or pointers, at the end of thefile for those who may wish to sample the author's ideas before making anentire meal of them. D.W.]
By Georg Ebers
The prisoners of state who were being transported to the mines made slowprogress. Even the experienced captain of the guards had never had amore toilsome trip or one more full of annoyances, obstacles, andmishaps.
One of his moles, Ephraim, had escaped; he had lost his faithful hounds,and after his troop had been terrified and drenched by a storm such asscarcely occurred in these desert regions once in five years, a secondhad burst the next evening—the one which brought destruction onPharaoh's army—and this had been still more violent and lasting.
The storm had delayed the march and, after the last cloud-burst, severalconvicts and guards had been attacked by fever owing to their wet night-quarters in the open air. The Egyptian asses, too, who were unused torain, had suffered and some of the best had been left on the road.
Finally they had been obliged to bury two dead prisoners, and place threewho were dangerously ill on the remaining asses; and the other prisonerswere laden with the stores hitherto carried by the beasts of burden.This was the first time such a thing had happened during the leader'sservice of five and twenty years, and he expected severe reproofs.
All these things exerted a baneful influence on the disposition of theman, who was usually reputed one of the kindest-hearted of his companionsin office; and Joshua, the accomplice of the bold lad whose flight wasassociated with the other vexations, suffered most sorely from his ill-humor.
Perhaps the irritated man would have dealt more gently with him, had hecomplained like the man behind him, or burst into fierce oaths like hisyoke-mate, who made threatening allusions to the future when his sister-in-law would be in high favor with Pharaoh and know how to repay thosewho ill-treated her dear relative.
But Hosea had resolved to bear whatever the rude fellow and his mateschose to inflict with the same equanimity that he endured the scorchingsun which, ever since he had served in the army, had tortured him duringmany a march through the desert, and his steadfast, manly characterhelped him keep this determination.
If the captain of the gang loaded him with extra heavy burdens, hesummoned all the strength of his muscles and tottered forward without aword of complaint until his knees trembled under him; then the captainwould rush to him, throw several packages from his shoulders, and exclaimthat he understood his spite; he was only trying to be left on the road,to get him into fresh difficulties; but he would not allow himself to berobbed of the lives of the men who were needed in the mines.
Once the captain inflicted a wound that bled severely; but he instantlymade every effort to cure it, gave him wine to restore his strength, anddelayed the march half a day to permit him to rest.
He had not forgotten Prince Siptah's promise of a rich reward to any onewho brought him tidings of Hosea's death, but this was the very reasonthat induced the honest-hearted man to watch carefully over hisprisoner's life; for the consciousness of having violated his duty forthe sake of reaping any advantage would have robbed him of all pleasurein food and drink, as well as of the sound sleep which w