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m Copyricht. by the PX CHAPTER XXIX. THE WAY TO THE SEA. ^ENKENES did not remain lpns in the apathy of amazement and helplessness. Consterna? tion possessed him the instant he roused himself sufficiently to realize and speculate. * He bad saved the king and exposed Har-hat but the accom? plishing of this temporary good had forced the probable commission of a great eviL If death in some form did not overtake the fan bearer he could W* enrich and strengthen himself from Israel. Then, even if Meneptah's army did not continue to follow him, he would be enabled to buy mercenaries and return equipped to do battle with Meneptah,v even as he had vowed. The flower of the military was with him: the Pharaoh was incapable and Egypt demoralized. The success of the traitor seemed as^vJ. What, .then of Rachel, of bis own father, of the faithful ministers, of all whom Kenkenes hsd loved or befriended? The thought filled him with resolution and vigor. "If the Lord God of Israel overtakes him not," he said, returning to the king, **then must I! For in my good intent it seems that I have undone thee. Hotep," he continued, taking the scribe's hands, "let my father know that I died not with the firstborn; als? thou seest the danger into which' the* nation hath descended in this hour. Heip thou the king! I* return not Farewell." He kissed the scribe on the lips and, freeing himself from his clinging bands, ran through the broken line of the royal guards. The army was already a compact jj^ cluster in the center of a rolling cloud of dust to the south. When Nechutes had aroused him be? fore daybreak the eupbearer' had i brought Hotep with him, and while the messenger broke, his fast he had avail? ed himself of the scribe's presence to leam many-things. Not the smallest part of his information was the fact that the Pharaoh's scouts bad lofted Israel encamped os a sedgy plain at tie bas-? o: a great nil! on the north? ernmost arm-of the Ked sea. "Nienep- j tah's anny had marched twenty-five ' ?siles due south of Pithe::; Mud pitc'^:: <?s tent? 'or the night, it was twenty A Sive miles from that point to Baal ^ Zepbon or the hill before which Israel ?tad camped. The fugitives had cho? sen the smoothest path for travel, keeping along the Bitter lakes, .that "their cattle might feed. Their track led in a southeasterly direction. But Har-hat making off with the ar? my, had struck due south. He had chosen this line for more than one ad? vantage it oHere/3. The Arabian desert approached the sea in a series of pla? teaus or steps. The most westerly was surmounted by a ridge of high hills, higher probably than any other chain within the boundaries of Egypt The w|L most easterly overlooked the seabeach and was originalry, it may be, the old sea margin. At points the tableland advanced within sight of the water, at other localities an interven mg space of several miles lay between it and the j sea. The summit was flat at least j smooth enough for the passage of I horsemen, and at all times it was a j good field for strategic maneuverings j by an army arrayed against anything j which might be on the beach below. Tbe slaves were entrapped. The pur? suer had but to follow the pursued in the only open direction and overtake the starving, thirsting multitude at last But from Ear-hat's movement he had meant to continue along this pla? teau out of sight of Israel until he had posted part of his army in the way of escape to the south. Kenkenes reached this conclusion without much ponder? ing. He had his own maneuverings in mind. Of the captain of Israel, Prince -Moses, he would discover, first if the Lord God had prepared. him against Har-hat The grave question answered to the repose of his mind concerning the welfare of Israel, the path of his nest duty woufd be clearly laid before him. He would join the army and take the life of the fan bearer for the sake of all he loved and Egypt In the course of the day's events his motive had t>een exalted from the personal de? sire for revenge to the high intent of a patriot He felt most confident that he would forfeit his cwn life in the act Not an instant did he hesitate. Ahead of him was the narrow bed of a miniature torrent which rolled out of the desert during the infrequent rains. Now. it was dry, packed hard, free of ail obstructions except the great bowl? ders and led in a comparatively straight line toward the sea. It was an Ideal stretch for running. He summoned all his forces, gather? ing, in a mighty mental effort all that depended on his speed, and tock the path with a leap. The dazed king and bis ministers >aw him with whom they had that moment talked stretch a vast and ever widening breach between them with a bat-like swoop, and while they watched be was swallowed up in the distance. The bed of the torrent served him for the first few miles. Then it turned abruptly toward the. Bitter lakes. He left it and entered the rougher coun? try. Thereafter no great bursts of speed were possible, because the run? ner bad to pick his way. He ran, not jr i A Rcmsr.ce of th? ' , ! Deys When thc i Lord Redeemed i the Children of 2* i ?sra<? From the j Bondage of Egypt Elizabeth Miller "EH? Bobbs-Mcrril? Company ^ jL^'-umxw Mnmuiii M "?? rn~n-ITU II -TT-**^ . aside and forward, dimly calculating i the safety of the footfall. Suddenly a column of sand rose un i der his feet and he dashed through it, ! Blinded and choking, he cleared his ! eyes, caught his breath and ran on. j A gust of wind, like a breath of flame, j met him from the east and passed. I Then he realized that the atmosphere ! had thickened, as if an opaque cloud j of heat had enveloped the earth. He ! glanced at the sky and saw that it was ' strewn with fragmentary clouds, but a I little south and east of him was the j pillar, unmoving and gilded royally. There was a storm in the air. Finally the region began to grow level proving the proximity to the sea. In another moment he came upon the ! old sea bed. It was sandy, sedge I grown, with here and there a palm, I and tremendously trampled, j Israel had passed this way. ! The clash and ring of meeting metal j fell on his ear. He looked and saw I ahead of him two men fighting with a j third. Three horses with empty sad I dies nervously watched the fray, j The single combatant was a soldier i in the uniform of a common fighting I man. One of the. pair was a tall Nth ; bian in a striped tunic; the other was ! an Egyptian, short, fat, purple of eoun I tenance-Unas! With a furious exclamation, Kenke nes slackened his pace only long enough to undo the falchion at his side ! and rushed to the'fight It did not mat ! ter to him who the soldier was or what j his cause. The fact that he was flght I lng the emissaries of Har-hat was j sufficient indorsement of the lone soi I dier, but even as he sprang forward" ? Unas sank on the sand, moved convul j sively once or twice, and lay still. The soldier staggered back from the j f?cond servitor and fell. The Nubian, I standing over bim, swung his heavy I weapon aloft but Kenkenes thrust his ! falchion . over the fallen man and I caught the Mow as it descended upon j the broad back of the blade. "Set receive your cursed soul!" the j Nubian snarled. Kenkenes leaped : across ?he prostrate soldier, and simu!- j ; taneousiy the weapons u*=ait up, dc- j sceuded and clashed. Then followed j ? wi;d and rVarfui battle. Thc Egyptian falchion was nothing I more than a sword ii-a^ed X?crc fore these were not tongues "of stsel Hie Nubian swuiuj his heavy weapon aloft which would whip their supple length one across the other and fill the air with the lightning of their play and the devilish beauty of their music. The vanquished would not taste the nice death of a spitted heart. There was yet the method of tho stone ax war? riors in this hattie, and he who fell would be a fearful thing to see. Perhaps it was because Kenkenes was stronger and more agile; perhaps j he reinembei-ed Deborah at that mo- ! ment, or perhaps he was simply a better fighter. Whatever the cause, hi? blade went up and descended at last | before the Nubian could parry, and the second servitor of Har-hat fell on his .face and died. Chilled by the instant sobering which follows the taking of life, the young man sickened and whirled away from the quivering fiesfl. Plunging his fal? chion in the sand to hide its stain, he went back to the fallen soldier. He knew by the look on the gray face, by the dark pool that had grown beside him, that the warrior bad fought his last fight. Kenkenes raised the man's Jbead and heard these words faintly spoken: "He sent them in pursuit. I knew he meant to do it, but I could not get near to kill him. So I followed them. But thou art her love:. Do thou protect ber now." "Her! Rachel?" Kenkenes cried. "Who art thou?" ."Atsu, once her taskmaster, always her"- the voloe died away. "Where is she?" Kenkenes implored, j "In the name of thy gods, go not yet! i Where is she?*' Tbe lips parted in answer, but no j sonnd came. The arm went up as if i to point but lt fell limp without indi- ! eating direction, and with a sigh the ; soldier turned his face away. Soblring, wild with anxiety and grief. I Kenkenes shook the inert body, plead- j lng frantically for some sign to guide ; sp* ; Ainenti. At last Kenkenes laid the body do and stood up. It had come to him v plainly that but for Atsu already th dead servitors would have been youd overtaking in pursuit of his lc Though a worshiper ot' Israel's G Kenkenes was still Egyptian in his stincts. The man who had died save Rachel ho could not bury une fined in a grave of sand, where natural processes of dissolution wo' destroy him utterly. His and Rach< debts to Atsu were great, and the mand was made upon him now to c charge all that was possible in 1 one act of caring for the dead soldi? remains. Kenkenes could not bear 1 body back to the group he had 1 about the kirg. for he had a miss] which concerned all the living w were dear to him. Furthermore, 1 sky was threatening, the desert was terrible place during high winds, a he dared not delay. , Suddenly a thought struck hi Travelers and seafaring men had t< him that there were settlements alo the Red sea. Might he not go forwa on his way after Israel till he fou one of these? He led the largest horse past t dead servitors and, persuading It stand, lifted the body of Atsu upon : back. TTith difficulty he mounted ar supporting the limp burden with o arm, turned again toward the soul east As he went forward Kenkenes me< tated on the signs of this recent ai tragic event. He had searched throug ont the length and breadth of Gosh< for Rachel, and none had seen her heard of her since she had fled fro Har-hat into the desert eight monti before he had seen her last. . Isra was more ignorant of the whereabon of Rachel than he. He could not ti whether Har-hat knew where she wa nor could he guess from the posltk of the fighters in which direction tl serrants had meant to ride. Tl tracks ot their horses were not to I discovered in the great trampled roa way Israel had made. Of this thing Kenkenes was sure. Rachel were with Israel she had join< it after he had left Goshen. In th; case he was going to her "to ask afb her safety when he inquired after a Israel. If she were still in Egypt I would stop Har-hafs search foreve This recollection added to his determ nation and intensified his zeal. At the beginning of the great field of sea grass he came upon a little han let It was a considerable distance ii land, and the chief industry of the pe< pie could have been only the gatherin of sedge for hay or the curing of her and root,for medicines. Some of th villagers were in sight but. the most o them were out in the direction of th lake* laboring lu the marsh grass tn the oourse of the past j ear* events K^u-ke^c. bari learned to be J cautious ::;;d skillful fugitive, rio 'J';, not ou.ro TO be caught and taxed wit! rne death 01 me man whose body h< bore. The village shrine was the strnc ture nearest to him. It was built o: sun dried brick, with three walls, th< fourth side open to the satirise. Ken kenes dismounted and reconnoitered The shrine was empty, and none of th* villagers was near. f He lifted the dead man from th< horse and bore the body into the sane tuary. Before the image of Aihor wa* a long table overlaid with a slab o? red sandstone. Her? the offerings wer? left and here Kenkenes laid Atsu, a true sacrifice to the love deity. Rever? ently the young man closed the eyes and straightened the chilling limbs. Going into his patrimony of jewels sewn in his belt he took an emerald and, putting it in the hands, crossed them above the breast Then he laid his mantle over the bier. At the threshold he found a soft stone, and with that he wrote upon the head of the iong table the name of the dead man and Mendes, his native city. Under this he wrote further to the vil? lagers, charging them, in the name of the goddess, to care for the body rev? erently and return it to the tomb of Atsu's fathers. Having made note of the emerald as remuneration for their labors, he completed the inscription without signature. Thus he insured the safety and pres? ervation of the bones of Atsu, and in the eye of the average Egyptian he had served the soldier well. But Ken? kenes was not satisfied. i As he left the shrine he muttered with trembling lips: "Bless him! The fate is not kind which yields to such goodness no re? ward save gratitude. There must be, because of the great God's justness, some especial blessing laid up for Atsu." In the time he had spent in the sanc? tuary the atmosphere had grown hazy, and the sun shone obscurely. To the east were tumbled and darkening masses, which gathered even as he looked and joined till they stretched in a vast and unillumined sweep about j che horizon. The wind had died, and che heat bathed him In perspiration. Once again his eyes sought the pillar and found it above him, still some? what to the east yet in form un changed, in hue undimmed. Some- j thing within him associated the col- ? umn of ck>ud with Israei and Israel's God. He went to his horse and found him i terrified and unmanageable. After j vain .efforts Lo soothe the creature he ? walked away a little space, clasping his hands. #iO thou mysterious God, by those tokens thy hand is upon tin? earth and upon the heavens! Even as thou hast j shielded me thus far, withdraw not thy I sheltering haiH? from al*Mtt me, thy ! worshi?>er, in this thy latest hour of j mystery." He skirted th?' village, now filling with frightened peasants, and took th<- .' pa?i of Ism?'!. It led in a southeasterly direction to- j ward a faroff bill, barely' outlined '; ?--w e distance. settled ?n<l bastion of cloud heaved its sooty I elk up t sky. The air stagnated, and the whe desert was soundless. If Meneptah's scouts- had report truly, Israel tad behind it a hill, ea of it the sea. West of it the am would approach. South only could flee into a torrid, arid, unmhabib desert. A round and tumbled mass, bl" black, but attended by a copper color? rack, detached itself ?rom a shelfli] stratum of cloud and, elongating, seei ed to descend to the surface of the se Daylight went out instantly, and a pr longed moan came from the dista: east Blinding flashes of lightning lumlnated the whirling mass and ? most absolute darkness fell after ea< bolt Out of the inky midnight towai the east came an ever increasing soui of a maddened sea, gathering in vc ume and fury and menace. Renken ?ung himself cn his face and waited. He did not have long to watt With a noise of mighty rending, r enforced by a continuous roll of sa age thunder, the* storm struck, spinning cone of wind caught a gre* expanse of sand and, lifting the loos covering, carried a huge twisting cc umn Inland-ci ea _a and entombmei for any living thing it met With went a great blast of spray, stone seaweed, mashes of sedge uproote bodily, much wreckage, palm tree small huts which went to pieces 2 they were carried along, wild and d< mestic animals, ^anything and ever: thing that "lay la the path of the stor? The rotary movement passed wit the first whirl, but a hurricane, blov ing with overcoming velocity, presse like a wall against anything thatstrov to face it Its toarse raving filled Ker kenes' ears with titanic sound. Th breath was snatched from his nostrils His eyelids, tightly closed, were stun with sharply driven sand. Though h straggled to his feet and attempted t proceed, he staggered and wandere and was prone to turn away from th solid breast of the mighty blast H could not hope to make headway blinc ed, yet he dared not lift his face to th sand. ' He could make a shelter ove his eye that be might watch his feel but be could not discover path and di rection In this manner. The day was far advanced, and al ready the army had outstripped hin Might not Har-hat at this hour be de scending with inls veterans, seasonei against the simooms of Arabia, upoi Israel, demoralised in the storm? Desperate, the young man droppe< his hands and fi ung up his head. He was standing in a soft ligttt ver: faintly diffused about him, but nar rowing ahead of him, brightening, as 1 contracted, into almost daytime bril liance to the south. The illuminate: stnp - ?ioz wide, the plat -au to T?J west was dark, th*' farmer east like wise storm obscured. Ta Kir; : courage :;e raided his eyes for an isa cant Th? drift .g sand would not pei ult a.-Ion ger Cv ri temptation, but a* CI???I uc^uuf. glimpse he discovered the source of th* supernatural radiance. The pillar was tinged like a cioad in the sunset with a mellow and benign fire. Kenkenes did not marvel and was not perplexed. The miracles no longer amazed him, but he had not become in? different or unthankful. Each forward step he took was a declaration of faith; the thrill of relief in his veins, a psalm of thanksgiving. The stones were as many and as sharp, the way as un tender, and the mighty tempest strove against him as powerfully, but he fol? lowed the ray, trusting implicitly. Night fell unnoticed, for it merged with the supernatural darkness of the day. At the summit of the slope which led down to the water's edge he paused. Below him was a gentle declivity end? ing to the south in darkness. There was not a glimmer of radiance on the sea. Far to the east could be heard the sound of inf uria red "surges, storming the rocks, but dense darkness shrouded all the distance. Only the beach direct? ly under him was alight The shadows cast were blacker than daylight shad? ows, and the radiance had a touch of gold, which gilded everything beneath it The poorest object was enriched, the gaudiest subdued. Had the number of Israel'been 10,000 or even 100,000 Kenkenes might have had some conception of the multitude. The millions massed below him on the sand were not to be looked on except as a vast unit The tribes were divided, the herds were collected at the rear or inland side, and the lepers were isolated, but no order in detail was possible. Tents were down, goods were being gathered and much commotion was apparent Even at a distance Kenkenes could see that consternation and dismay were rife among Israei. The whole valley was murmurous with subdued outcry, and a multitudinous lowing and bleat? ing of the herds swept up, blown wild? ly by the hurricane. The senses, too, are limited in their grasp, even as tte brain has bounds upon its conception. The dimensions, movement and sound of the multitude overtaxed the eye and ear. Was it the storm or the army that had frightened them? Slipping and sliding in his haste, he descended the slope without care for the sound he made. The hillocks and hollows that interposed irritated him. His Impatience ;>;ade him forget his great weariness. Israel's helpless ones to the MWortL Lsraoi's treasure open to tho enrichment of a traitor. Israels fighting mon driven to rally to his standard- Rachel's people to be mas? tered by Har-hati Great was his intent and its scope, j and how cheaply attained if it cost but two lives-his enemy's and his own! ! How much depended upon him! His enthusiasm and zeal put out of his j steht all his young reluctance to sur rt'THier life ?md the world. H<' could have explained truthfully from his . own feelings what rt is that ?niables j mon tn sufrVr >u\ eager martyrdom. Two Helwews outside the limits nf ' '.he c:iinp halted htm. "I bring ?d?sgs: te your captain," rue ' ?xplain?cT "The answer was swept **I bring tidings to your captain." ! from the speaker's lips and carried I astray by the wind, but he caught j these words: "Thou art an Egyptian. Thy kind j hath no friendship for Israel." j "I am of Egypt, but I am one with I you in faith. Conduct me to the prince, j I pray you." ! 'Take him," said one to the omer. j "He is but one." The Hebrew thus addressed motion ! ed Kenkenes to follow him and turned i toward the encampment j They passed through a lane between ; two tribes. Kenkenes guessed, look? ing first upon one and then the other, that there were 100,000 in the two. ; Strip a city of her plan and shape, her ; houses, her pleasures and commerce; j leave only her people, their smallest : possessions and all their fears; beset such a city with an army on three sides, the sea on the fourth and a furi i ous hurricane over all-and in such . state and of such appearance were j these two tribes. ? Kenkenes fortified himself and re- J - sisted with all his might the contagious j I panic that seemed about to attack him. J j As well as he might he concentrated j ' his mind upon other things. He noted j that the shadows were long, like those : of afternoon. Turning his head, he saw I that the pillar stood behind the en? campment and that its light was thrown forward and downward, not j backward and outward. Very mani . festly the benefits of the miracle were ; only for the believers in Jehovah. The j marvel brought into the young man's j mind some natural speculation con ; cerning the great miracle worker to whom his guide was leading him. Wbst maimer of ma:; was he about io j j look upon-a sorcerer, a trafficker In : horror*, a cont.?under of men? Ahead, particularly {Humfried by-the ; celestia" Ugbr. was 2 group of eUers-- \ urea? srrave ..>? .? misted i*? :*.>?* , j fleeces of their own beards. They bent j : firmly against the blast and the broad 1 : streaming of their ample drapings add- j j ed much to the idea of supernatural ' power and resistance they inspired." j The Hebrew leading Kenkenes slack ? ened his step, as If hesitating to ap? proach so venerable a council, when i suddenly the group separated, reveal ? lng ? majestic man about whom it had j I been clustered. After a word in his own tongue, de ' livered with bent head and deferential ! i attitude, the Hebrew stood aside. ? Kenkenes prepared to meet a prince j , of Egypt whatever the personality of j the Israelite. He dropped on one knee, j ! bent his head and extended his hand j with fbe palm . toward Moses. The j great man took the fingers and* bade j ! the young Egyptian arise. Forty years j a courtier, forty years a shepherd, but | the graces of the one had not been for- ? gotten in the simplicities of the other. ; When Kenkenes gained his feet lo, he . faced lie wondrous stranger he had . seen in the tomb of the incomparable j Pharaoh! At a sign from Moses, Kenkenes I came near to him, that the howl of the j tempest and the turmoil of Israel j might not drown their voices. "Thou art weary, my son," the Is- j raelite said, glancing at the tired face and dusty raiment "Hast thou come from a farr" "From Goshen to Tanis- and hither, O prince." "Afoot?** "Even so." .Thou hast journeyed farther than Israel, and Israel is most weary. I ; trust thy journey is done." And this was the confounder of j Egypt the vicar of God-this kindly noble! "Not yet 0 prince, but. its dearest mission endeth here. I come of the blood of tlie oppressors, but I am full of pity for thy people's wrongs. Know est thou that the Egyptians pursue thee? Is thy hand made strong with resource? Hath the Lord God pre? pared thee against them?" "From whom art thou sent?' the Israelite asked pointedly. "I am come of mine own accord." "Wherefore T "Because I am one with Israel in faith,*' The great lawgiver surveyed him In silence for. a moment, but the pene? trative orTHinnc?~?n"hls eyes softened. "Wast thou taught?" he asked at last. "In casting away the Idols, nay; lu finding the true God I was." In the pause that followed Israel lift? ed up Its voice, and to Keukenes it seemed that the people besought their great captain urgingly and chidingly. The lawgiver listened for a little space. His gaze was absout, the lines of bis face wore ?Mi Something in his attitude seemed to say: "What proflt eth all thy care, O Lord? Behold thy P1VOS**IV-the?* men of little faith!" Thon, as if some Thought of the young proselyte, fix? Egyptian, arose In <>-.>TKn>st his oyes came back to Kenon's ugain. "Thou hast filled roe with gladness, my son," he said simply.