“May the King live for ever!” I exclaimed, feeling that I must say something.

“I hope so,” he answered cruelly, “but, Egyptian, you shall not, who have broken the laws of the land.”

“In what way, O King?” I asked.

“By shooting at the lions before the King had time to draw his bow, and by telling the King that he lied to his face, for both of which things the punishment is death.”

Now my heart swelled till I thought it would burst with rage.  Then of a sudden, a certain spirit entered into me and I rose to my feet and said,

“O King, you have declared that I must die and as this is so, I will kneel to you no more who soon shall sup at the table of Osiris, and there be far greater than any king, going before him with clean hands.  Is it not your law that he who is condemned to die has first the right to set out his case for the honour of his name?”

“It is,” said the King, I think because he was curious to hear what I had to say.  “Speak on.”

“O King, although my blood is as high as your own, of that I say nothing, for at the wish of your satrap I came to the East from Egypt as a hunter, to show you how we of Egypt kill lions and other beasts.  For three months I have waited in the royal city seeking admission to the presence of the King, and in vain.  At length I was bidden to this hunt when I was about to depart to my own land, and being taunted by your servants, entered the reeds with my slave, and there slew a lion.  Then it pleased you to thrust a wager upon me which I did not wish to take, as to which of us would shoot the most lions; a wager as I now understand you did not mean that I should win, whatever might be my skill, since you thought I knew that I must shoot at nothing till you had first shot and killed the beasts or scared them away.

“So I matched myself against you, as hunter against hunter, for in the field, as before the gods, all are equal, not as a slave against a king who is determined to avenge defeat by death.  We were posted and the lions came.  I shot at those which appeared opposite to me, or upon my side, leaving those that appeared opposite to you, or on your side unshot at, as is the custom of hunters.  My skill, or my fortune, was better than yours and I killed, whereas you missed or only wounded.  In the end a lioness sprang at you and I shot it lest it should kill you; as could easily be proved by the arrow in its body.  Now you say that I must die because I have broken some laws of yours which men should be ashamed to make, and to save your honour, pay me what I have won, knowing that pearls and gold and slaves are of no value to a dying man and can be taken back again.  That is all the story.

“Yet I would add one word.  You Easterns have two sayings which you teach to your children; that they should learn to shoot with the bow, and to tell the truth.  O King, they are my last lessons to you.  Learn to shoot with the bow—­which you cannot do, and to tell the truth which you have not done.  Now I have spoken and am ready to die and I thank you for the patience with which you have heard my words, that, as the King does not live for ever, I hope one day to repeat to you more fully beyond the grave.”