Page:The Pharaohs and their people; scenes of old Egyptian life and history (IA pharaohstheirpeo00berkiala).pdf/109

 preparations for an uprising might have been afoot; so that the Hyksos messenger may, after all, have been neither more nor less than a spy, although apparently charged with nothing but an innocent message concerning a tank. It is at any rate clear that Sekenen-Ra's heart misgave him. His answer indeed is missing, but we read that 'the messenger of King Apepi rose to depart to where his royal master was,' and that the Egyptian chief, who evidently felt that the die was cast, forthwith 'bade summon his mighty chiefs, his captains and expert guides.' He repeated to them the whole story of the 'words King Apepi had sent concerning them. But they were silent, all of them in great dismay, and wist not what to answer him, good or bad.' Here the papyrus breaks off suddenly, and darkness closes in again.

We are left to guess the sequel, but it seems as though we can see how the prince of the south cast off his allegiance and defied the Hyksos sovereign.

His successors bore the same name as himself, and also his family name of Taa. They