This eBook was produced by David Widger <widger@cecomet.net>
[NOTE: There is a short list of bookmarks, or pointers, at the end of thefile for those who may wish to sample the author's ideas before making anentire meal of them. D.W.]
AN EGYPTIAN PRINCESS, Part 2.
By Georg Ebers
Before the sun had reached his mid-day height, the news of what hadhappened and of what was still to happen had filled all Babylon. Thestreets swarmed with people, waiting impatiently to see the strangespectacle which the punishment of one of the king's wives, who had provedfalse and faithless, promised to afford. The whip-bearers were forced touse all their authority to keep this gaping crowd in order. Later on inthe day the news that Bartja and his friends were soon to be executedarrived among the crowd; they were under the influence of the palm-wine,which was liberally distributed on the king's birthday and the followingdays, and could not control their excited feelings; but these now tookquite another form.
Bands of drunken men paraded the streets, crying: "Bartja, the good sonof Cyrus, is to be executed!" The women heard these words in their quietapartments, eluded their keepers, forgot their veils, and rushing forthinto the streets, followed the excited and indignant men with cries andyells. Their pleasure in the thought of seeing a more fortunate sisterhumbled, vanished at the painful news that their beloved prince wascondemned to death. Men, women and children raged, stormed and cursed,exciting one another to louder and louder bursts of indignation. Theworkshops were emptied, the merchants closed their warehouses, and theschool-boys and servants, who had a week's holiday on occasion of theking's birthday, used their freedom to scream louder than any one else,and often to groan and yell without in the least knowing why.
At last the tumult was so great that the whip-bearers were insufficientto cope with it, and a detachment of the body-guard was sent to patrolthe streets. At the sight of their shining armor and long lances, thecrowd retired into the side streets, only, however, to reassemble infresh numbers when the troops were out of sight.
At the gate, called the Bel gate, which led to the great western high-road, the throng was thicker than at any other point, for it was saidthat through this gate, the one by which she had entered Babylon, theEgyptian Princess was to be led out of the city in shame and disgrace.For this reason a larger number of whipbearers were stationed here, inorder to make way for travellers entering the city. Very few peopleindeed left the city at all on this day, for curiosity was stronger thaneither business or pleasure; those, on the other hand, who arrived fromthe country, took up their stations near the gate on hearing what haddrawn the crowd thither.
It was nearly mid-day, and only wanted a few hours to the time fixed forNitetis' disgrace, when a caravan approached the gate with great speed.The first carriage was a so-called harmamaxa, drawn by four horses deckedout with bells and tassels; a two-wheeled cart followed, and last in thetrain was a baggage-wagon drawn by mules. A fine, handsome man of aboutfifty, dressed as a Persian courtier, and another, much older, in longwhite robes, occupied the first carriage. The cart was filled by anumber of slaves in simple blouses, and broad-brimmed felt hats, wearingthe hair cut close to the head. An old man, dressed as a Persianservant, rode by the side of the cart. The driver of the first carriagehad great difficulty in making w