For The East
Front Has A Battlemented Wall, And The Battlements Are Shield-Shaped.
This Fortress, Or Migdol, A Name Which The Ancient Egyptians Borrowed
From The Nomadic Tribes Of Syria, Is Called The "Pavilion Of Rameses
III.," And His Principal Battles Are Represented Upon Its Walls.
The
monarch does not hesitate to speak of himself in terms of praise,
suggesting that he was like the
God Mentu, who was the Egyptian war
god, and whose cult at Thebes was at one period more important even
than was the cult of Amun, and also plainly hinting that he was a
brave fellow. "I, Rameses the King," he murmurs, "behaved as a hero
who knows his worth." If hieroglyphs are to be trusted, various
Egyptian kings of ancient times seem to have had some vague suspicion
of their own value, and the walls of Medinet-Abu are, to speak
sincerely, one mighty boast. In his later years the king lived in
peace and luxury, surrounded by a vicious and intriguing Court,
haunted by magicians, hags, and mystery-mongers. Dealers in magic may
still be found on the other side of the river, in happy Luxor. I made
the acquaintance of two when I was there, one of whom offered for a
couple of pounds to provide me with a preservative against all such
dangers as beset the traveller in wild places. In order to prove its
efficacy he asked me to come to his house by night, bringing a dog and
my revolver with me.
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