* The “chief” is one of the names of Osiris, and is applied
     naturally to the dead person, who has become an Osiris by
     virtue of the embalming.

The route was cleared by a number of slaves and retainers.  First came those who carried cakes and flowers in their hands, followed by others bearing jars full of water, bottles of liqueurs, and phials of perfumes; then came those who carried painted boxes intended for the provisions of the dead man, and for containing the Ushabtiu, or “Respondents.”  The succeeding group bore the usual furniture required by the deceased to set up house again, coffers for linen, folding and arm chairs, state-beds, and sometimes even a caparisoned chariot with its quivers.  Then came a groom conducting two of his late master’s favourite horses, who, having accompanied the funeral to the tomb, were brought back to their stable.  Another detachment, more numerous than the others combined, now filed past, bearing the effects of the mummy; first the vessels for the libations, then the cases for the Canopic jars, then the Canopic jars themselves, the mask of the deceased, coloured half in gold and half in blue, arms, sceptres, military batons, necklaces, scarabs, vultures with encircling wings worn on the breast at festival-times, chains, “Respondents,” and the human-headed sparrow-hawk, the emblem of the soul.  Many of these objects were of wood plated with gold, others of the same material simply gilt, and others of solid gold, and thus calculated to excite the cupidity of the crowd.  Offerings came next, then a noisy company of female weepers; then a slave, who sprinkled at every instant some milk upon the ground as if to lay the dust; then a master of the ceremonies, who, the panther skin upon his shoulder, asperged the crowd with perfumed water; and behind him comes the hearse.

[Illustration:  012.jpg the funeral of Harmhabi]

     Drawn by Faucher-Gudin, after a coloured print in Wilkinson. 
     The cut on the following page joins this on the right.

The latter, according to custom, was made in the form of a boat—­representing the bark of Osiris, with his ark, and two guardians, Isis and Nephthys—­and was placed upon a sledge, which was drawn by a team of oxen and a relay of fellahin.  The sides of the ark were, as a rule, formed of movable wooden panels, decorated with pictures and inscriptions; sometimes, however, but more rarely, the panels were replaced by a covering of embroidered stuff or of soft leather.  In the latter case the decoration was singularly rich, the figures and hieroglyphs being cut out with a knife, and the spaces thus left filled in with pieces of coloured leather, which gave the whole an appearance of brilliant mosaic-work.*

     * One of these coverings was found in the hiding-place at
     Deir el-Bahari; it had belonged to the Princess Isimkhobiu,
     whose mummy is now at Gizeh.