Here I screwed my head round and saw that my slave in his efforts to
obey the eunuch's instructions and hide his feet, had made himself
into a kind of ball, much as a hedgehog does, except that his big head
appeared in front of the ball.

"O King, that I understand is the Egyptian's servant and charioteer."

Again he looked interested, and exclaimed,

"Is it so? Then Egypt must be a stranger country than I thought if
such ape-men live there. Stand up, Egyptian, and bid your ape stand up
also, for I cannot hear men who speak with their mouths in the dust."

So I rose and saluted by lifting both my hands and bowing as I had
observed others do, trying, however, to keep them covered by my
sleeves. The King looked me up and down, then said briefly,

"Set out your name and the business that brought you to my city."

"May the King live for ever," I replied. "As this lord said," and I
pointed to the eunuch----

"He is not a lord but a dog," interrupted the Monarch, "who wears the
robe of women. But continue."

"As this dog who wears the robe of women said"--here the King laughed,
but the eunuch, Houman, turned green with rage and glowered at me--"my
name is Shabaka. I am a descendant of the Ethiopian king of Egypt of
that same name."