The Pharaoh And The Priest Part 48

Rabsun rose from his chair, and threatening Dagon with his fist under the nose, cried,--

"Thou wild boar, fatted on the pharaoh's swill, Phnicia concerns thee as much as Egypt concerns me. Thou wouldst sell thy country for a drachma hadst thou the chance, leprous cur that thou art!"

Dagon grew pale and answered with a calm voice,--

"What is that huckster saying? In Tyre my sons are learning navigation; in Sidon lives my daughter with her husband. I have lent half my property to the supreme council, though I do not receive even ten per cent for it. And this huckster says that Phnicia does not concern me!"

"Rabsun, listen to me," added he, after a while. "I wish thy wife and children and the shades of thy fathers to be as much thought of by thee as each Phnician s.h.i.+p is by me, or each stone of Tyre and Sidon, or even of Zarpath and Achsibu."

"Dagon, tell truth," put in Hiram.

"I not care for Phnicia!" continued the banker, growing excited.

"How many Phnicians have I brought here to make property, and what do I gain from having done so! I not care? Hiram ruined two s.h.i.+ps of mine and deprived me of great profit; still, when Phnicia is in question, I sit in one room with him."

"For thou didst think to talk with him of cheating some one," said Rabsun.

"As much as thou didst think of dying, fool!" retorted Dagon. "Am I a child? do I not understand that when Hiram comes to Memphis he need not come for traffic? O thou Rabsun! thou shouldst clean my stables a couple of years."

"Enough of this!" cried Hiram, striking the table with his fist.

"We never shall finish with this Chaldean priest," muttered Rabsun, with as much calmness as if he had not been insulted a moment before.

Hiram coughed, and said,--

"That man has a house and land really in Harran, and he is called Phut there. He got letters from Hitt.i.te merchants to merchants in Sidon, so our caravans took him for the journey. He speaks Phnician well, he pays liberally. He made no demands in particular; so our people came to like him, even much.

"But," continued Hiram, stroking his beard, "when a lion covers himself with an ox skin, even a little of his tail will stick out.

This Phut was wonderfully wise and self-confident; so the chief of the caravan examined his effects in secret, and found nothing save a medal of the G.o.ddess Astaroth. This medal p.r.i.c.ked the heart of the leader of the caravan: 'How could a Hitt.i.te have a Phnician medal?'

"So when they came to Sidon he reported straightway to the elders, and thenceforth our secret police kept this Phut in view.

"Meanwhile he is such a sage that when he had remained some days all came to like him. He prayed and offered sacrifices to the G.o.ddess Astaroth, paid in gold, borrowed no money, a.s.sociated only with Phnicians. And he so befogged all that watchfulness touching him was weakened, and he went in peace to Memphis.

"In this place again our elders began to watch him, but discovered nothing; they divined simply that he must be a great lord, not a simple man of Harran. But Asarhadon discovered by chance, and did not even discover, he only came on traces, that this pretended Phut pa.s.sed a whole night in the ancient temple of Set, which here is greatly venerated."

"Only high priests enter it for important counsels," interrupted Dagon.

"And that alone would mean nothing," said Hiram. "But one of our merchants returned a month ago from Babylon, with wonderful tidings.

In return for a great present a certain attendant of the Satrap of Babylon informed him that misfortune was threatening Phnicia.

"'a.s.syria will take you,' said the attendant, 'and Egypt will take Israel. On that business the Chaldean high priest Beroes has gone to the priests of Thebes, and with them he will make a treaty.'

"Ye must know," continued Hiram, "that Chaldean priests consider the priests in Egypt as their brothers, and that Beroes enjoys great esteem in the Court of King a.s.sar, so reports concerning that treaty may be very truthful."

"Why does a.s.syria want Phnicia?" inquired Dagon, as he bit his finger-nails.

"Why does a thief want another man's granary?" replied Hiram.

"What good is a treaty made by Beroes with Egyptian priests?" put in Rabsun, thinking deeply.

"Thou art dull!" answered Dagon. "Pharaoh does nothing except what the priests ordain."

"There will be a treaty with the pharaoh, never fear!" interrupted Hiram. "We know to a certainty in Tyre that the a.s.syrian amba.s.sador Sargon is coming to Egypt with gifts and with a great retinue. He pretends that it is to see Egypt and agree with ministers, not to inscribe in Egyptian acts that a.s.syria pays tribute to the pharaohs.

But in fact he is coming to conclude a treaty about dividing the countries which lie between our sea and the Euphrates River."

"May the earth swallow them!" imprecated Rabsun.

"What dost thou think of this Dagon?" inquired Hiram.

"But what would ye do if a.s.sar attacked you really?"

Hiram shook his head with anger.

"What? We should go on board of s.h.i.+ps with our families and treasures and leave to those dogs the ruins of cities and the rotting corpses of slaves. Do we not know greater and more beautiful countries than Phnicia, where we can begin a new and richer fatherland?"

"May the G.o.ds guard us from such a thing," said Dagon.

"This is just the question, to save the present Phnicia from destruction," said Hiram. "And thou, Dagon, art able to do much in this matter."

"What can I do?"

"Thou mayst learn from the priests whether Beroes met them, and whether he and they made an agreement."

"A terribly difficult thing," whispered Dagon. "But I may find a priest who will tell me."

"Thou canst prevent at the court of the pharaoh a treaty with Sargon,"

continued Hiram.

"It is very difficult. I could not do that, una.s.sisted."

"I will be with thee, and Phnicia will find the gold. A tax is in course of collection at present."

"I have given two talents!" whispered Rabsun.

"I will give ten," added Dagon. "But what shall I get for my labor?"

"What? Well, ten s.h.i.+ps," answered Hiram.

"And how much wilt thou gain?" inquired Dagon.

"Is ten not enough? Thou wilt get fifteen."

"I ask, what wilt thou get?" insisted Dagon.

"We will give--twenty s.h.i.+ps. Does that suffice thee?"

"Let it be so. But will ye show my s.h.i.+ps the road to the country of silver?"