Page:Orczy--the gates of Kamt.djvu/87

 "Thou hast caused the vault of heaven to rejoice, by the greatness of Thy soul!

"The earth of Kamt doth fear Thee, oh, Sparrow-hawk, that art thrice holy! oh, Eagle, that art blessed!

"Oh, great lion, who defendest Thyself, and dost ope the way to the ship of Sekti!

"King of Heaven! Lord of the Earth! Great image in the two horizons of Heaven!

"Ra! Creator of the world!

"May the son of Osiris, Pharaoh, the Holy, be reverenced through Thy merits!

"Hail to Thee!

"Descend on the Pharaoh! Give him thy merits in Heaven, Thy powers upon earth!

"Oh, Ra, Who hast made the heavens rejoice, and made the earth tremble with holy fear!"

I did not understand every word, but caught the general tone of the invocation, which went on in similar short sentences for some considerable time, while a smell of burnt flesh began to fill the air, quickly smothered by a pungent odour of aromatic herbs.

"Behold! Ra has accepted thy sacrifice, oh! Maatkha, and thine, oh! holy Pharaoh! He has opened wide the portals of his wisdom to his High Priest, who stands ready to answer thee, and to advise if thou wilt question him." Then a woman's voice, deep and musical—that of the Queen—replied:

"Dismiss thy priests and priestesses, then, for I would be alone with thee!"

And as solemnly as they had entered, at a sign from the high priest all rose to their feet and slowly filed out of the temple, till there remained in the vast building no one, besides ourselves, save the high priest, and the Pharaoh and the Queen upon their litters, borne