After sunrise he continued his march, following the road taken by the army.  Everywhere he found traces of it, and when, shortly before noon, exhausted and faint from hunger, he reached a village in the cornlands watered by the Seti-canal, he debated whether to sell his gold armlet, obtain more strengthening food, and receive some silver and copper in change.  But he was afraid of being taken for a thief and again imprisoned, for his apron had been tattered by the thorns, and his sandals had long since dropped from his feet.  He had believed that even the hardest hearts could not fail to pity his misery so, hard as it was for him, he had knocked at a peasant’s door and begged.  But the man gave him nothing save the jeering counsel that a strong young fellow like him ought to use his arms and leave begging to the old and weak.  A second peasant had even threatened to beat him; but as he walked on with drooping bead, a young woman whom he had noticed in front of the barbarian’s house followed him, thrust some bread and dates into his hand, and whispered hastily that heavy taxes had been levied on the village when Pharaoh marched through, or she would have given him something better.

This unexpected donation, which he had eaten at the next well, had not tasted exactly like a festal banquet, but he did not tell Kasana that it had been embittered by the doubt whether to fulfil Joshua’s commission and return to his people or yield to the longing that drew him to her.

He moved forward irresolutely, but fate seemed to have undertaken to point out his way; for after walking a short half hour, the latter portion of the time through barren land, he had found by the wayside a youth of about his own age who, moaning with pain, held his foot clasped between both hands.  Pity led him to go to him and, to his astonishment, he recognized the runner and messenger of Kasana’s father, with whom he had often talked.

“Apu, our nimble Nubian runner?” cried the young widow, and Ephraim assented and then added that the messenger had been despatched to convey a letter to Prince Siptah as quickly as possible, and the swift-footed lad, who was wont to outstrip his master’s noble steeds, had shot over the road like an arrow and would have reached his destination in two hours more, had he not stepped on the sharp edge of a bottle that had been shattered by a wagon-wheel—­and made a deep and terrible wound.

“And you helped him?” asked Kasana.

“How could I do otherwise?” replied Ephraim.  “He had already lost a great deal of blood and was pale as death.  So I carried him to the nearest ditch, washed the gaping wound, and anointed it with his balsam.”

“I put the little box in his pouch myself a year ago,” said the nurse who was easily moved, wiping her eyes.  Ephraim confirmed the statement, for Apu had gratefully told him of it.  Then he went on.