Page:The land of enchantment (1907, Cassell).djvu/64

 “Thou wouldst say 460 feet and a few inches; but in my day the outer casing was not torn away, and thus it was still larger.”

“What a pity!’ said Harry.

“Yes, for on it was inscribed the quantity of radishes, onions, and garlic consumed by the men who raised it.”

“What awful food!” said Harry.

“Yes, to thine ears it is not pleasant, but doubtless they found it not so ill to their lips, though, ’tis true, the people were grievously un- happy.”

“And who came after Cheops?”

“Chephren, his brother; but his pyramid is not so fine as Cheops’. He was hated as much as Cheops; indeed, so bitter was the memory of these two kings to the people that they would not call the pyramids by their names.”

“And what happened next?”

“Mycerinus, son of Cheops, came to the throne, and speedily re-opened the temples and released the people from oppression. He was said to be one of the wisest of kings, and was much beloved. But a heavy affliction fell upon him. His only child—a young daughter—died, and the king was heart-broken. In his grief he determined to raise a strange tomb to her. He had a cow made of wood, hollowed out, and covered with gold outside. Inside the cow he placed the body of his daughter.”

“Poor little girl,” said Harry.

“This strange tomb was kept at Saïs, in the palace, and spices were burned before it every day, while a lamp burned in the chamber all night. And once a year it was brought into the light of day; for they say that the daughter of Mycerinus, when dying, begged her father to let her once a year see the sunlight.”

“Poor little girl,” said Harry.

“Yet another calamity threatened Mycerinus. An oracle came to him which foretold that he would only live six years, and in the seventh year he should die. Mycerinus was very unhappy and indignant.

“‘Why should this befall me?’ he cried, ‘who have ruled wisely and justly, while my father and uncle oppressed the people?’

“But the oracle replied:

“‘Therein lies thy fault, for it was destined that Egypt should be oppressed for a hundred and fifty years. Thy father and uncle saw this, but thou wast blind.’

“Upon this Mycerinus saw his doom was sealed, so he determined