"To-day," said Pentuer, "we assemble one hundred and twenty thousand warriors with great difficulty. If each one of those cast his pebble on the ground, they would form a figure of this sort. Look this way, worthiness." At the side of the first quadrangle lay a second of the same width, but considerably shorter; its color was not uniform either, but was composed of a number of colors. "This figure," said Pentuer, "is about five yards wide, but is only six yards in length. An immense number of men is now lacking,--our army has lost one-third of its warriors." "Wisdom of men like thee, O prophet, will bring more good to the state than an army," interrupted the high priest. Pentuer bent before him and continued,-- "In this new figure which represents the present army of the pharaoh ye see, worthy men, besides the ruddy color which designates Egyptians by blood, three other stripes,--black, white, and yellow. They represent mercenary divisions,--Ethiopians, Asiatics, Greeks, and Libyans. There are thirty thousand of them altogether, but they cost as much as fifty thousand Egyptians." "We must do away with foreign regiments at the earliest," said Mefres. "They are costly, unsuitable, and teach our people infidelity and insolence. At present there are many Egyptians who do not fall on their faces before the priests; more, some of them have gone so far as to steal from graves and temples." "Therefore away with the mercenaries!" said Mefres, passionately. "The country has received from them nothing save harm, and our neighbors suspect us of hostile ideas." "Away with mercenaries! Dismiss these unruly infidels!" cried the priests. "When in years to come, O Rameses, thou wilt ascend the throne," added Mefres, "thou wilt fulfil this sacred duty to the gods and to Egypt." "Yes, fulfil it! free thy people from unbelievers!" cried the priests. Rameses bent his head, and was silent. The blood flew to his heart. He felt that the ground was trembling under him. He was to dismiss the best part of the army,--he, who would like to have twice as great an army and four times as many mercenary warriors. "They are pitiless with me," thought Rameses. "Speak on, O Pentuer, sent down from heaven to us," said Mefres. "So then, holy men," continued Pentuer, "we have learned of two misfortunes,--the pharaoh's income has decreased, and his army is diminished." "What need of an army?" grumbled the high priest, shaking his head contemptuously. "And now, with the favor of the gods and your permission, I will explain why it has happened thus, why the treasury will decrease further, and troops be still fewer in the future." The prince raised his head and looked at the speaker. He thought no longer now of the man put to death beneath the corridor. Pentuer passed a number of steps along the amphitheatre, and after him the dignitaries.