cho tot mua ban ga da

Upon entering the apartment, which was some twenty feet square, they found that the embalmer had not exaggerated what he had done. A table with several settles stood in the middle; three couches piled with rushes were placed against the wall. Mats had been laid down to cover the floor and give warmth to the feet, and lamps ready for burning stood upon the table. In a corner stood two jars of wine, with drinking vessels. 鈥淎ll is here except food,鈥� Chigron said. 鈥淭hat I could not prepare until I knew you were coming; but be assured that you shall be served regularly. There is no fear of intrusion from any employed in the establishment. They have no occasion to come out to the back of the house, and probably few know of the existence of this tomb. Should I have any ground for believing that there is danger, I will take other measures for your concealment. Should you need anything, do not hesitate to say so. I owe my position to the patronage of my lord Ameres, and there is nothing I would not do to insure the safety of his son. And now, my lord, I will retire, and will presently send you by a trusty servant the food of which I have no doubt that you stand in need.鈥� Chebron said a few words in thanks, but he was too anxious and full of grief to say more. Directly Chigron had left he turned to Jethro. 鈥淣ow, Jethro, tell me all; I am prepared for the worst. My dear father is no more. Is it not so?鈥� 鈥淚t is too true, Chebron,鈥� Jethro replied. 鈥淵our noble father has been killed by a base and cowardly mob urged on by some villains of the priesthood.鈥� Chebron threw himself down on one of the couches and wept bitterly, while Amuba was almost as deeply affected, for Ameres had behaved to him with the kindness of a father. It was not until the following morning that Chebron was sufficiently recovered to ask Jethro to relate to him the details of his father鈥檚 death. 鈥淚 was in the garden,鈥� Jethro began. 鈥淢ysa and Ruth were in a boat on the pond, and I was towing them when I heard a tumult at the gate. I pulled the boat ashore, and hurried them up to the house and told Mysa to retire to her apartment, and that she was not to leave it whatever noise she might hear, that being her father鈥檚 command. Then I went out to the gate. Just as I got there it fell in, and a crowd of people rushed through. As there were only myself and two or three of the gardeners who had run up we could do nothing to stop them. Just as they reached the house your father came out into the portico and said, 鈥楪ood people, what will you have?鈥� 鈥淭hose in front of him were silent a moment, abashed by his presence and the calm manner in which he spoke, but others behind set up the cry 鈥榃here is the sacred cat? We will find it!鈥� while others again shouted out 鈥楧own with the impious priest!鈥� Ameres replied, 鈥榊ou can search the place if you will; though, indeed, it seems that you need not my permission, seeing that you have taken the matter into your own hands. Only I pray you enter not the house. There are the ladies of my family and other women there, and I swear to you that neither alive nor dead is the cat to be found there.鈥� 鈥淭he cry was raised, 鈥楲et us search the garden!鈥� In all this it struck me that there were two parties among the mob, the one ignorant and bigoted, believing really that an offense had been committed against their gods; the other, men who kept in the background, but who were the moving spirits. I was not pleased when I saw the crowd so readily abandon the idea of searching the house and scatter themselves over the garden, for it seemed to me that from one of the gardeners or others they might have obtained some sort of clew that might put them on the road to discovery. I saw that several among the crowd had with them dogs trained for the chase, and this made me more uneasy. I told one of the men to run at once and summon the troops, and then followed the crowd. 鈥淚 was the more uneasy to see that without wasting time in searching elsewhere they made straight to the inclosure where the animals were kept. No sooner did they get there than they began to search, urging on the dogs to assist them. Suddenly I started, for there was a touch upon my shoulder, and looking round I saw Ameres. 鈥楻emember my instructions, Jethro,鈥� he said in a quiet voice; 鈥業 commit Chebron to your charge.鈥� 鈥溾�極h, my lord!鈥� I exclaimed, 鈥榳hy are you here? The troops are but a short distance away. Why do you not place yourself under their protection?鈥� 鈥溾�楤ecause I have done no wrong, Jethro,鈥� he replied calmly. 鈥業 have not offended the gods, nor have I ever wronged one of my countrymen. Why should I fly?鈥� 鈥淎t this moment there was a yell of rage among the crowd, and I knew that one of those accursed hounds must have smelled the dead cat and scratched the earth from over it. Then I heard a voice cry above the rest, 鈥楽ee! even now the wounds are manifest; it has been pierced by an arrow, even as I told you. The sacred cat has been slain!鈥� Then the crowd turned. 鈥楩ly, Jethro,鈥� Ameres said. 鈥業t is my last command.鈥� 鈥淏ut even then I could not obey him. There was death in the eyes of those who were rushing toward him shouting 鈥楧own with the despiser of the gods! Down with the slayer of the sacred cat!鈥� and seeing that, I rushed at them. After that all was confusion. I had caught up a staff from the portico as I passed, and with it I struck right and left. Many fell, I know, before they closed with me. Blows were showered upon me, and the staff then fell from my hands, but I fought with my naked fists. Several times I was beaten down, but each time I rose again. Then, as in a dream, I seemed to hear your father鈥檚 command, 鈥業 commit Chebron to your care,鈥� and I burst my way through them and threw myself upon a group standing further on, but I saw as I broke through them that I could do nothing there. 鈥淵our father lay on the ground looking as calm and peaceful as when he had spoken to me but five minutes before; but his white garments were stained with blood, and the half of a dagger stood up just over his heart. There was no time to see more. His last command was to be obeyed, and shaking off those who tried to hold me, and evading the blows aimed at me with their knives, I fled. As I rushed out through the gate I saw the troops I had sent for coming toward the house. But they were too late now; besides, some of my pursuers were close behind me, and so without a pause I took the road to the farm. I think that is all I have to tell you.鈥� Chebron was weeping bitterly, and Amuba, who was himself deeply affected, went over to him. 鈥淐onsole yourself, Chebron. I know what you are feeling now, but do not blame yourself too greatly for this calamity. You know what your father said鈥攖hat it was but an accident, and that it was doubtless the will of the great God that your arrow should fly as it did; and he himself declared that he believed that all this was but the result of conspiracy, and that, as we heard in the temple, there were men determined to take his life.鈥� A few minutes later the embalmer entered bringing them food. He saw at once that Chebron had been informed of the fate that had befallen his father. 鈥淗ave you heard aught of what is passing in the city?鈥� Amuba asked him. 鈥淵es,鈥� Chigron answered; 鈥渘aught else is talked about. Many of those concerned in the deed escaped either by the entrance before the soldiers arrived there, or over the walls; but many were seized, and are now in prison for their sacrilegious deed in raising their hand against the person of the high priest of Osiris. There were tumults in the city during the night, many maintaining that the deed was well done, others the contrary. 鈥淭hose who had been taken all declared that they had been informed by one who said he knew it for certain that the cat was buried in the inclosure, and that it had been slain by you and my young lord here, as you had been seen going with your bows and arrows to the inclosure and were there for some time, after which the cat was never seen again. The general opinion is that though the prisoners taken will be punished鈥攕ome with flogging, some with death鈥攜our lives are also assuredly forfeited, and that even the friendship of the king for your father would not avail to protect you, for that he, like others, must obey the law, and that the law of Egypt is that whomsoever shall take the life of a cat shall be slain.鈥� 鈥淚 am perfectly willing to die,鈥� Chebron said; 鈥渁nd my greatest regret now is that I did not follow my first impulse and denounce myself as the accidental killer of the cat. No blame could have then been attached to my father or to any but myself.鈥� 鈥淭he disgrace would have fallen upon your whole family,鈥� the embalmer said; 鈥渇or those nearly related to one who performed an impious action must needs suffer with him. Not that I blame you, Chebron; for I know that your father did not do so. He told me when he arranged that I should, if needs be, furnish you with a hiding-place, that although you might need a refuge it would be for no fault of your own. I do not understand how he could have said so, seeing the terrible guilt of even accidentally taking the life of a cat, and specially of this cat, which was sacred above all others in the land. Still I know your father鈥檚 wisdom equaled his goodness; and although I own that I cannot understand his saying, I am content to accept it, and will do all in my power to save you. Doubtless the search after you will be a hot one, but we must hope for the best.鈥� 鈥淚 will go out and see what is doing,鈥� Jethro said. 鈥淚t may be that it will be more safe to move away at once than to remain here.鈥� 鈥淚n that case,鈥� the embalmer said, 鈥測ou will need to be disguised before you start. It is known that Ameres had two fair-skinned slaves, and that one of them was concerned with my young lord here in the matter; also that the other, after fighting furiously in the garden, and, as I heard, slaying several of his master鈥檚 enemies, managed to make his escape. Fortunately I have the materials at hand. We use paints and stains in abundance for the sere clothes of the dead and the decorations of their coffins, and I can easily make you as dark as any of our people. That, with one of my wigs and Egyptian garments, will alter you so that, so long as you do not look any one fairly in the face, there will be no fear whatever of your discovery; but you must not look up, for even when I have blackened your lashes the lightness of your eyes would at once betray you.鈥�