understand her woe. And how often in Egypt it was the wife who
determined her husband's relations to the gods!

Rui had frequently seen Hebrew men and women praying fervently in
Egyptian temples. Even if Mesu should induce them to acknowledge his
God, the experienced sage clearly foresaw that they would speedily
turn from the invisible Spirit, who must ever remain aloof and
incomprehensible, and return by hundreds to the gods they understood.

Now Egypt was threatened with the loss of the laborers and builders she
so greatly needed, but Rui believed that they might be won back.

"When fair words will answer our purpose, put aside sword and bow," he
had replied to Bai, who demanded that the fugitives should be pursued and
slain. "We have already too many corpses in our country; what we want is
workers. Let us hold fast what we seem on the verge of losing."

These mild words were in full harmony with the mood of Pharaoh, who had
had sufficient sorrow, and would have thought it wiser to venture unarmed
into a lion's cage than to again defy the wrath of the terrible Hebrew.

So he had closed his ears to the exhortations of the second prophet,
whose steadfast, energetic will usually exercised all the greater
influence upon him on account of his own irresolution, and upheld old
Rui's suggestion that the warrior, Hosea, should be sent after his people
to deal with them in Pharaoh's name--a plan that soothed his mind and
renewed his hopes.

The second prophet, Bai, had finally assented to the plan; for it
afforded a new chance of undermining the throne he intended to overthrow.