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
The sun was already trying to break a path for his rays through the thickcurtains, that closed the window of the sick-room, but Nebenchari had notmoved from the Egyptian girl's bedside. Sometimes he felt her pulse, orspread sweet-scented ointments on her forehead or chest, and then hewould sit gazing dreamily into vacancy. Nitetis seemed to have sunk intoa deep sleep after an attack of convulsions. At the foot of her bedstood six Persian doctors, murmuring incantations under the orders ofNebenchari, whose superior science they acknowledged, and who was seatedat the bed's head.
Every time he felt the sick girl's pulse he shrugged his shoulders, andthe gesture was immediately imitated by his Persian colleagues. Fromtime to time the curtain was lifted and a lovely head appeared, whosequestioning blue eyes fixed at once on the physician, but were alwaysdismissed with the same melancholy shrug. It was Atossa. Twice she hadventured into the room, stepping so lightly as hardly to touch the thickcarpet of Milesian wool, had stolen to her friend's bedside and lightlykissed her forehead, on which the pearly dew of death was standing, buteach time a severe and reproving glance from Nebenchari had sent her backagain into the next room, where her mother Kassandane was lying, awaitingthe end.
Cambyses had left the sick-room at sunrise, on seeing that Nitetis hadfallen asleep; he flung himself on to his horse, and accompanied byPhanes, Prexaspes, Otanes, Darius, and a number of courtiers, only justaroused from their sleep, took a wild ride through the game-park. Heknew by experience, that he could best overcome or forget any violentmental emotion when mounted on an unmanageable horse.
Nebenchari started on hearing the sound of horses' hoofs in the distance.In a waking dream he had seen Cambyses enter his native land at the headof immense hosts; he had seen its cities and temples on fire, and itsgigantic pyramids crumbling to pieces under the powerful blows of hismighty hand. Women and children lay in the smouldering ruins, andplaintive cries arose from the tombs in which the very mummies moved likeliving beings; and all these-priests, warriors, women, and children—theliving and the dead—all had uttered his,—Nebenchari's,—name, and hadcursed him as a traitor to his country. A cold shiver struck to hisheart; it beat more convulsively than the blood in the veins of the dyinggirl at his side. Again the curtain was raised; Atossa stole in oncemore and laid her hand on his shoulder. He started and awoke.Nebenchari had been sitting three days and nights with scarcely anyintermission by this sick-bed, and such dreams were the naturalconsequence.
Atossa slipped back to her mother. Not a sound broke the sultry air ofthe sick-room, and Nebenchiari's thoughts reverted to his dream. He toldhimself that he was on the point of becoming a traitor and a criminal,the visions he had just beheld passed before him again, but this time itwas another, and a different one which gained the foremost place. Theforms of Amasis, who had laughed at and exiled him,—of Psamtik and thepriests,—who had burnt his works,—stood near him; they were heavilyfettered and besought mercy at his hands. His lips moved, but this wasnot the place in which to ut