THE NOBLE SAVAGE. 23 



laughter, cast stones irpon the corpse until it was 

 concealed from view. Here were the root-eaters, the 

 twig-eaters, and the seed-eaters, who lived entirely on 

 such wretched kinds of food. Here were the elephant- 

 eaters, who, sitting on the tops of trees like birds, 

 watched the roads, and when they had sighted a herd, 

 crept after it, and hovered round it till the sleepy 

 hour of noon arrived. Then they selected a victim, 

 stole up to it snake-like from behind, hamstrung the 

 enormous creature with a dexterous cut from a sharp 

 sword, and, as it lay helpless on the ground, feasted 

 upon morsels of its live and palpitating flesh. Here 

 were the locust-eaters, whose harvest was a passing 

 swarm ; for they lit a smoky fire underneath, which 

 made the insects fall like withered leaves : they 

 roasted them, pounded them, and made them into 

 cakes with salt. The fish-eaters dwelt by the coral- 

 line borders of the Red Sea ; they lived in wigwams 

 thatched with sea-weed, with ribs of whales for the 

 rafters and the walls. The richest men were those 

 who possessed the largest bones. There was no fresh 

 water near the shore where they hunted for their food. 

 At stated times they went in herds like cattle to the 

 distant river-side, and singing to one another discord- 

 ant songs, lay flat on their bellies, and drank till they 

 were gorged. 



Such was the land to which the Pharaohs were 

 exiled. In the meantime the Bedouins established 

 a dynasty which ruled a considerable time, and is 

 known in hieroglyphic history as that of the Hyskos 

 or Shepherd Kings. 



But those barbarians were not domiciled in Egypt. 

 They could not breathe inside houses, and could not 

 understand how the walls remained upright. The camp 



