the company should attend to the wounded, and to Pharaoh, who was
ill. Then she called the High Council of the Kingdom, all of whom were
gathered there about her, and spoke in a cold, calm voice, while the
company flocked round to listen.

"Lords and people," she said, "the gods for their own purposes have
suffered a fearful thing to come to pass. Egypt's guest and his guard
have been slain before Egypt's kings, yes, at their feast and in their
very presence, and it will be said far and wide that this has been done
by treachery. Yet you know well, as I do, that it was no treachery,
but a mischance. The divine prince who is dead, as all of you saw,
grew drunken after the fashion of his people, and in his drunkenness he
struck a high-born man, a Count of Egypt and an officer of Pharaoh, who
to do him greater honour was set to wait upon him, calling him by vile
names, and drew his sword upon him to kill him. Am I right? Did you see
and hear these things?"

"Aye," answered the Council and the audience.

"Then," went on Tua, "this officer, forgetting all save his outraged
honour, dared to fight for his life even against the Prince of Kesh, and
being the better man, slew him. Afterwards the servants of the Prince of
Kesh attacked him and Pharaoh's guard, and were conquered and the most
of them killed, since none here had arms wherewith to part them. Have I
spoken truth?"

"Yea, O Queen," they answered again by their spokesman. "Rames and the
royal guard have little blame in the matter," and from the rest of them
rose a murmur of assent.