"Yes," added the pharaoh, "and fifty thousand warriors on the eastern boundary."
"Of course!" exclaimed Hiram. "In view of that force, which will cost thee nothing, holiness, Assyria will not dare to stretch a hand toward Phoenicia."
The project was so brilliant and promised such profit that Ramses XIII felt dazed by it. But he mastered himself.
"Hiram," said he, "Thou art making splendid promises. So splendid that I fear lest Thou art concealing behind them some less favorable outcome. Therefore I must think over this matter deeply and take counsel with the priests."
"They will never consent of themselves!" exclaimed the Phoenician. "Though may the gods forgive me the blasphemy I am certain that if today the highest power were in the hands of the priests they would summon us in a couple of months to make the canal for them."
Ramses looked with cold contempt at Hiram.
"Old man," said he, "leave me to care for the obedience of the priests, and do Thou present proofs that what Thou hast said is true. I should be a very poor sovereign were I unable to remove obstacles springing up between my will and the interests of Egypt."
"Thou art indeed a great sovereign, our lord," whispered Hiram, bending to the floor.
It was then late at night. The Phoenician took farewell of the pharaoh and left the palace with Tutmosis. The following day he sent through Dagon a box with specimens of wealth from the unknown countries.
The pharaoh found in it statues of gods, woven stuffs, rings from India, small morsels of opium, and in a second division handfuls of rice, leaves of tea, two porcelain cups ornamented with pictures, and a number of drawings made on paper with China ink and colors. He examined them with the greatest attention and confessed that those articles were new to him: the rice, the paper, the pictures of people with pointed hats and sloping eyes.