"O lord!" whispered she, "Thou who bearest on thy breast our highest talisman, canst Thou suppose that the Phoenicians would do aught to injure thee? But only think if danger threatened thee, or if Thou hadst the wish to mystify enemies, would not such a man be of service? The Phoenician only wished to show thee this in the temple."
The prince meditated a moment, and shrugged his shoulders.
"So," thought he, "if I needed any one's assistance! But do the Phoenicians think that I need assistance? If I do they have chosen a poor protector."
"Lord!" whispered Kama, "is it not known to thee that Ramses the Great had, in addition to his own person, two others to show enemies? Those two shadows of the pharaoh perished, but he survived."
"Well, enough of this," interrupted the prince. "But that the people of Asia may know that I am gracious, I designate Kama five talents for games, in honor of Astaroth, and a costly goblet for her temple. This gift will be received today by thee."
He dismissed the priestess with a motion of his head.
After her departure a new wave of thought mastered him.
"Indeed, the Phoenicians are clever. If this, my living picture, is a man, they can make of him a great present to me, and I shall perform at times miracles such, perhaps, as have never been heard of in Egypt. The pharaoh dwells in Memphis, and at the same time he shows himself in Thebes or in Tanis. The pharaoh is marching on Babylon with an army, the Assyrians assemble their main forces there, and simultaneously the pharaoh, with another army, captures Nineveh, I judge that the Assyrians would be greatly astounded by an event of that sort."
And again deep hatred was roused in him against the strong Asiatics; again he saw his conquering chariot sweeping over a battlefield covered with Assyrian corpses, and whole baskets of severed hands stood before him.
For his soul war had become now as great a need as bread is for the body. For not only could he enrich Egypt by it, fill the treasury, and win glory to last through ages, but, besides, he might satisfy the instinct hitherto unknown, but roused mightily at that moment, to destroy Assyria.