The Cat of Bubastes

An accidental act of sacrilege turns a young Egyptian's life into a flight for survival in The Cat of Bubastes. G. A. Henty sets the adventure around 1250 BCE, when Chebron, the son of a high priest, is condemned after the sacred cat of Bubastes is killed. Escape becomes his only alternative to the prescribed punishment. He leaves with his sister Mysa, the enslaved Amuba, and several companions, moving beyond guarded Egyptian routes into lands whose customs and dangers are unfamiliar to them. The group must rely on loyalty, practical courage, and quick judgment as their social standing loses its protective force. Their meeting with a Hebrew girl introduces beliefs centered on one God, placing religious difference alongside the physical risks of exile. Henty uses the journey to contrast households, laws, and forms of worship, embedding historical detail within a young-reader adventure. Chebron's crisis gives the narrative a clear momentum, but the encounters on the road also test assumptions about rank, obligation, and faith. Ancient Egypt actively shapes the story: its sacred institutions and social order create the danger that drives every stage of the escape. The novel joins pursuit with cultural contact and moral change.