"Today the army depends on Herhor, and therefore on the priests; remove the foreign regiments, and the pharaoh, in case of war, could not depend on his warriors.
"Besides, the royal treasury is empty, and the greater part of the pharaoh's property belongs to the temples. He must contract new debts yearly even to maintain his household; and since there will be no Phoenicians among you, ye must borrow of the temples. In this way, when ten years have passed, his holiness may he live through eternity! will lose what is left of his property, and then what?"
On the forehead of Ramses perspiration came out in drops.
"Thou seest then, worthy lord," continued Hiram, "the priests might and even would be forced in one case to accept the most disgraceful treaty with Assyria: if they are working to lower and destroy the power of the pharaoh well, there may be another case: if Egypt were so weak as to need peace at any price."
The prince sprang up.
"Silence!" cried he. "I should prefer treason on the part of my most faithful servants, to such weakness in the country. Egypt yield to Assyria why, a year later Egypt herself would fall under the yoke of Assyria, for by subscribing to such infamy she would confess her own helplessness."
He walked up and down the room, with indignation, while Hiram looked at him with compassion or with sympathy.
All at once Ramses halted before the Phoenician,
"This is false! Some adroit villain has deceived thee, O Hiram, with the semblance of truth, and Thou hast believed him. If such a treaty existed, they would have kept it in the closest secrecy. In the present case one of the four priests whom Thou hast mentioned is a traitor, not only to his own sovereign, but to his co-conspirators."
"There might have been some fifth man who overheard them," interrupted
Hiram.