"He will scarce recognise you in that dress," said Phrenes; "but it was the command of Pharaoh to make amends for the mishap of your ill-usage and imprisonment, by such honours as are paid to the prince who is next the throne. He must needs be a man of mark at home for whose sake an Assyrian king sends his own cup-bearer with an embassy to Pharaoh."
"An embassy to Pharaoh!" In the last stage of astonishment, Sarchedon could only repeat the other's words.
"No less," assented Phrenes. "And you must not take offence if I tell you it arrived here not a day too soon. Your accusation was a heavy one, and the penalty of your crime was death. These sons of shepherds begin to overrun the land. Some of our wisest counsellors would rejoice to be rid of them once for all; but Pharaoh loves well to see great buildings growing to the skies, cubit by cubit, and day by day. He would not willingly let this people go. Meanwhile they increase and multiply till it seems that ere long they will outnumber their lords. If they had arms, or could use them, it might come to a bad ending. We keep them down with labour, and tame them with blows; nevertheless, if a leader should rise up amongst them, they have it in their power to vex us sore. You had not crossed into the dominions of Pharaoh a day ere your person and character were as well known to us as they are now. When it came out that yours was the daring hand which smote the Egyptian, we did you the justice to believe you were a dangerous offender, and condemned you accordingly, even before you were accused."
"Your opinion of me far exceeded my merits," answered Sarchedon, who did not fail to perceive he had run a very narrow risk. "To which of the gods, then, did I owe my unexpected deliverance?"
"Neither to Thmei nor Thoth," replied Phrenes. "Justice and policy alike counselled a short examination and a speedy sentence; but Pharaoh"—here he dropped his voice with an affectation of extreme caution—"Pharaoh, whose wisdom is infallible, determined that you should be kept in safe ward until he had caused you to disclose the inmost secrets of this captive people with whom you had cast in your lot."
"I could have told him nothing!" exclaimed Sarchedon; "nor would I have turned traitor to the hand that succoured me for the half of his kingdom."
"It is well, then," answered the other calmly, "that the question was never asked. It must be a loud shriek to reach upper earth from those dungeons of ours; and in my opinion, though Pharaoh thinks otherwise, knowledge is bought too dear even from a criminal at the price of torture."
Sarchedon shuddered. Glancing across the hall at the king's calm cruel face, he could not help thinking how fruitless would have been an appeal for mercy, how hopeless an attempt at escape. "Had you tortured me to death," said he, "you would have gained nothing for yourselves but shame!"
"There was fortunately no need," replied the other with exceeding courtesy. "Ere Pharaoh had leisure to attend to your affairs in person, lo, there comes a cloud of horsemen out of Assyria, bearing rich presents, speaking honeyed words, yet demanding plainly enough that you should be delivered to them unhurt; threatening vengeance if a single hair of your head had fallen while in our charge. And Ninyas, it seems, is no more to be trifled with than his father."
"Ninyas!" repeated Sarchedon. "Doth the Great King then rule no longer in Babylon?"