“No”, said Onrai, “We are taught by our religion, not to allow ourselves to love until married. Those, who from association learn to seek one young person more than another, are brought before the council of ten and steps are taken to prevent a recurrence. It is by this law that we have attained a point in physical culture which shows a race of healthy, strong and vigorous beings. In the course of events there are occasional errors which render it necessary to forbid the further production of children. When the young people are examined, if any organ seems at all weak a companion is selected in whom that organ is at its best. If three decided weaknesses are found, the person is not allowed to marry. Dispositions and tempers are also considered by the council before selection is made. We, of course, in our short lives, cannot notice the great effects such a method brings about, but reason tells us that it must be a safeguard to the strength of the people.”
“But what of the history of your people, Onrai?” asked Mr. Bruce.
“Our history is unknown to us,” said Onrai. “The history of the people is not divulged. They know the events which occur during their own lives, and that is all. At the expiration of each king’s reign, the history of his reign in inscribed on a tablet of hard wood, and this is placed in a secret chamber. Those who are living at the time of his death are forbidden to ever mention the events of his reign when his successor has ascended to the throne.”
“We are greatly disappointed,” said Mr. Bruce. “We have become very much interested in your country and people, and we had hoped that we might learn their history.”
Onrai at this moment called an attendant to him, and speaking a few words to him the attendant withdrew. Presently the High Priest came forward, and Onrai held quite a conversation with him, after which he turned to our friends, and said:
“The High Priest informs me that he knows of no law which would forbid your entering this secret chamber, and there read from the tablets the history of our country and people.”
Our friends were much surprised at being granted this privilege, and thanking Onrai, they repaired to the Secret Chamber with the High Priest. While going to the chamber with the priest, he informed the party that he was entrusted with certain religious secrets which the rest of the people were not allowed to know, but as far as the history of the country was concerned he was forbidden, as were all others, to consult the tablets. Upon arriving at the Secret Chamber, a secret spring was touched, and an immense stone door turned on a pivot, much the same as the door to the cave. After entering the Priest showed them the location of the secret spring on the inside, and also the location of the most ancient tablets, and then retired. The great gate swung shut and they were left alone in the immense chamber which contained the unknown records of the history of On. They removed a great number of tablets, until those bearing the earliest dates were uncovered, and found them in a state of excellent preservation. With Mr. Bruce’s knowledge of ancient hieroglyphics he was able to decipher most of the inscriptions; by deciphering certain portions it was not difficult to fill in between without the labor of actual translation. The research stretched over several days, but condensed, the account ran as follows:
“During the reign of Amenophis of Egypt, the country was scourged by numerous and grievous plagues, and the people were sorely tried. These plagues were inflicted upon the Egyptians by the God of the Israelites, as a punishment for the severe treatment of the latter race. One Moyses, who had been reared in the royal house of the Pharaohs as a son, adopted the religion of the Israelites and was chosen by them for their leader to deliver them out of the land of Egypt. But they had no remedy at hand and still bowed in submission to the fearful task imposed upon them until Moyses at last saw a favorable opportunity for their deliverance. Reminding them of their former freedom, and of the God of their fathers, and that their cause was His, he prevailed upon them to regard their deliverance as an article of religion, and they again became a united people in their determination to seek refuge from the oppression of the Egyptians in the wilderness, which was the dwelling place of their kindred and the seat of their God. Then the fearful plagues were visited upon the people of Egypt and they became desperate.
“Many Egyptians in the vicinity of Goshen, the dwelling place of the Israelites, had accepted the religion of that people, and seeing no end to the plagues which were scourging this country, they gathered together and determined to emigrate to some distant land where they could live in peace and happiness, and without fear of molestation from their idolatrous countrymen. At the final meeting of these people, On, of the city of Goshen, and the land of Egypt, was chosen as their leader, and it was determined to follow the Nile as far as expedient, until they had reached such a land as would suit them for a dwelling place. It is I, On, who am now inscribing this record. There were six thousand and six hundred of us, men, women and children. To leave Egypt together would create suspicion, so choosing forty sub-commanders, an equal number of companies set out at stated intervals and marched until the southern boundary of the country had been crossed, when all were consolidated and marched into the vast interior. When all were united, preparations were made for the great journey. Boats were built, and many provisions were procured, for we knew not the country into which we were going, or how long it would take to reach a desirable land in which to take up our abode. When all was in readiness we embarked in the boats and followed the Nile until coming to the many streams which comprise its source. Here we disembarked, leaving the boats in the river. Towards the south we marched, the journey being very slow, tedious, and fraught with much sickness and danger. Strange tribes of people we met, much darker in color than we, and very hostile. We struggled on for many weary leagues, fighting the strange people and being a prey to fever and wild beasts. Our band was altogether discouraged; still I pleaded with them, telling them that we would, sooner or later, come to an uninhabited country with fertile fields and cooling streams.
“We came at last to a lofty range of mountains, running north and south, extending, peak beyond peak, far to the westward. Following the mountains south, for many leagues farther, the range suddenly turned west. Still following along their base, we came to a beautiful open country. Here we decided to take up our dwelling.