Peroa took the roll, made a semblance of lifting it to his forehead, opened and read it. As he did so I saw the veins swell upon his neck and his eyes flash, but he only said,
"O Messenger, to–night I feast, to–morrow an answer shall be given to you to convey to the Satrap Idernes. My servants will find you food and lodging. You are dismissed."
"Let the answer be given early lest you also should be dismissed, O Peroa," said the man with insolence.
Then he turned his back upon the prince, as one does on an inferior, and walked away, accompanied by the herald.
When they were gone and the doors had been shut, Peroa spoke in a voice that was thick with fury, saying,
"Hearken, all of you, to the words of the writing."
Then he read it.
"From the King of kings, the Ruler of all the earth, to Peroa, one of his servants in the Satrapy of Egypt,
"Deliver over to my servant Idernes without delay, the person of Amada, a lady of the blood of the old Pharaohs of Egypt, who is your relative and in your guardianship, that she may be numbered among the women of my house."
Now all present looked at each other, while Amada stood as though she had been frozen into stone. Before she could speak, Peroa went on,
"See how the King seeks a quarrel against me that he may destroy me and bray Egypt in his mortar, and tan it like a hide to wrap about his feet. Nay, hold your peace, Amada. Have no fear. You shall not be sent to the East; first will I kill you with my own hands. But what answer shall we give, for the matter is urgent and on it hang all our lives? Bethink you, Idernes has a great force yonder at Sais, and if I refuse outright, he will attack us, which indeed is what the King means him to do before we can make preparation. Say then, shall we fight, or shall we fly to Upper Egypt, abandoning Memphis, and there make our stand?"
Now the Councillors present seemed to find no answer, for they did not know what to say. But Bes whispered in my ear,
"Remember, Master, that you hold the King's seal. Let an answer be sent to Idernes under the White Seal, bidding him wait on you."
Then I rose and spoke.
"O Peroa," I said, "as it chances I am the bearer of the private signet of the Great King, which all men must obey in the north and in the south, in the east and in the west, wherever the sun shines over the dominions of the King. Look on it," and taking the ancient White Seal from about my neck, I handed it to him.
He looked and the Councillors looked. Then they said almost with one voice,
"It is the White Seal, the very signet of the Great Kings of the East," and they bowed before the dreadful thing.
"How you came by this we do not know, Shabaka," said Peroa. "That can be inquired of afterwards. Yet in truth it seems to be the old Signet of signets, that which has come down from father to son for countless generations, that which the King of kings carries on his person and affixes to his private orders and to the greatest documents of State, which afterwards can never be recalled, that of which a copy is emblazoned on his banner."
"It is," I answered, "and from the King's person it came to me for a while. If any doubt, let the impress be brought, that is furnished to all the officers throughout the Empire, and let the seal be set in the impress."
Now one of the officers rose and went to bring the impress which was in his keeping, but Peroa continued,
"If this be the true seal, how would you use it, Shabaka, to help us in our present trouble?"
"Thus, Prince," I answered. "I would send a command under the seal to Idernes to wait upon the holder of the seal here in Memphis. He will suspect a trap and will not come until he has gathered a great army. Then he will come, but meanwhile, you, Prince, can also collect an army."
"That needs gold, Shabaka, and I have little. The King of kings takes all in tribute."
"I have some, Prince, to the weight of a heavy man, and it is at the service of Egypt."
"I thank you, Shabaka. Believe me, such generosity shall not go unrewarded," and he glanced at Amada who dropped her eyes. "But if we can collect the army, what then?"
"Then you can put Memphis into a state of defence. Then too when Idernes comes I will meet him and, as the bearer of the seal, command him under the seal to retreat and disperse his army."
"But if he does, Shabaka, it will only be until he has received fresh orders from the Great King, whereon he will advance again."
"No, Prince, he will not advance, or that army either. For when they are in retreat we will fall on them and destroy them, and declare you, O Prince, Pharaoh of Egypt, though what will happen afterwards I do not know."
When they heard this all gasped. Only Amada whispered,
"Well said!" and Bes clapped his big hands softly in the Ethiopian fashion.
"A bold counsel," said Peroa, "and one on which I must have the night to think. Return here, Shabaka, an hour after sunrise to–morrow, by which time I can gather all the wisest men in Memphis, and we will discuss this matter. Ah! here is the impress. Now let the seal be tried."
A box was brought and opened. In it was a slab of wood on which was an impress of the King's seal in wax, surrounded by those of other seals certifying that it was genuine. Also there was a writing describing the appearance of the seal. I handed the signet to Peroa who, having compared it with the description in the writing, fitted it to the impress on the wax.
"It is the same," he said. "See, all of you."
They looked and nodded. Then he would have given it back to me but I refused to take it, saying,
"It is not well that this mighty symbol should hang about the neck of a private man whence it might be stolen or lost."
"Or who might be murdered for its sake," interrupted Peroa.
"Yes, Prince. Therefore take it and hide it in the safest and most secret place in the palace, and with it these pearls that are too priceless to be flaunted about the streets of Memphis at night, unless indeed―" and I turned to look for Amada, but she was gone.
So the seal and the pearls were taken and locked in the box with the impress and borne away. Nor was I sorry to see the last of them, wisely as it happened. Then I bade the Prince and his company good night, and presently was driving homeward with Bes in the chariot.
Our way led us past some large houses once occupied by officers of the Court of Pharaoh, but now that there was no Court, fallen into ruins. Suddenly from out of these houses sprang a band of men disguised as common robbers, whose faces were hidden by cloths with eye–holes cut in them. They seized the horses by the bridles, and before we could do anything, leapt upon us and held us fast. Then a tall man speaking with a foreign accent, said,
"Search that officer and the dwarf. Take from them the seal upon a gold chain and a rope of rose–hued pearls which they have stolen. But do them no harm."
So they searched us, the tall man himself helping and, aided by others, holding Bes who struggled with them, and searched the chariot also, by the light of the moon, but found nothing. The tall man muttered that I must be the wrong officer, and at a sign they left us and ran away.
"That was a wise thought of mine, Bes, which caused me to leave certain ornaments in the palace," I said. "As it is they have taken nothing."
"Yes, Master," he answered, "though I have taken something from them," a saying that I did not understand at the time. "Those Easterns whom we met by the canal told Idernes about the seal, and he ordered this to be done. That tall man was one of the messengers who came to–night to the palace."
"Then why did they not kill us, Bes?"
"Because murder, especially of one who holds the seal, is an ugly business, that is easily tracked down, whereas thieves are many in Memphis and who troubles about them when they have failed? Oh! the Grasshopper, or Amen, or both, have been with us to–night."