The Egyptian by Mika Waltari

Posted by admin_akashic on Mar 4th, 2022 in Stories

In consequence of these things, I was now ill at ease in Zemar and began to gather in all that was mine in preparation for departure for according to my promise, I had to meet Horemheb and tell him of all I had seen in each country. Therefore I had to travel to Egypt. But I made no great haste to travel to Egypt, for my spirit quailed strangely at the thought of once again drinking the Nile water. So the time slipped by, and the mood in the city calmed down since one morning an Egyptian soldier was found in the harbour waters with his throat cut, and this frightened the people greatly, and they closed their doors, and peace returned to the city. But the garrison authorities could not find the murderer, and nothing happened so that the people opened their doors again and spoke ever more boldly and did not make way to Egyptians on the streets so that Egyptians had to make way for them and walk about armed.

One evening when I was returning in the dark from Ishtar’s temple, which I visited upon occasion since a thirsty man will drink without regard to the source of his refreshment, some men came along the wall toward me, saying to one another, “Is not this man an Egyptian? Shall we suffer a circumcised man to lie with our virgins and defile our temple?”

I said to them, “Your virgins, for whom I could suggest an altogether different name, care neither for man’s shape nor nationality but weigh their pleasure by the gold the man has in his purse, and I do not quarrel with them for this since it is my custom to take pleasure with them, and I intend to continue when it so pleases me.”

At this, they drew their cloaks before their faces, threw themselves on me and bore me to the ground and beat my head against the wall until I thought I was about to die. But as they set about robbing me and were dragging the clothes off me before throwing me into the harbour, one of them saw my face and said, “Is it not Sinuhe, the Egyptian doctor and King Aziru’s friend?” I acknowledged I was Sinuhe and swore that I would slay them and throw their carcasses to the dogs for my head ached exceedingly, and I was much too angry to be frightened. Then they released me, restored my clothes and fled, holding their cloaks before their faces. I could not think why they did so, for with me in their power they had no reason to heed my threats.

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A few days later a messenger rode up to my door on a horse, which was a rare sight, for an Egyptian never travels on horseback and a Syrian very seldom — only the uncivilised bandits of the desert ride a horse. A horse is a tall, unruly creature that kicks and bites when a man tries to mount it and throws him off unlike a donkey which is used to everything. A horse is a terrifying animal even when harnessed before a chariot, and only trained soldiers can handle it by pushing their fingers into its nostrils. Anyway, this man rode up to my door on a horse, and the horse was lathery and bleeding from its mouth, and it gasped frighteningly. The man’s garments told me that he came from the hills of the sheep country, and in his face I read intense agitation.

He rushed up to me and barely gave himself time to bow and touch his forehead to greet me before crying out to me in his excitement, “Order out your carrying chair, Sinuhe, and follow me speedily for I come from the land of Amurru, whose King, Aziru, has sent me to fetch you. His son is sick, and no one knows what ails the boy, and the King rages like a lion in the wilderness and breaks the limbs of everyone who comes near. Therefore take your medicine chest and follow me in haste, or I will cut your throat with my knife and kick your head along the street with my feet.”

“My head alone would be of little use to the King,” I said to him. “Yet I pardon you your impetuousness and will follow you — not on account of your threats but because King Aziru is my friend and I want to help him.”

I ordered Kaptah to fetch a chair, and I followed the messenger, rejoicing in my heart for I was so lonely that I looked forward to meeting even Aziru, whose teeth I had once coated with gold. But I rejoiced no more when we came to the mouth of a pass, for then I and my medicine chest were hoisted into a chariot drawn by wild horses and careened over stones and rocks until I feared that every one of my limbs would be crushed, and I cried out shrilly in terror, and my companion on his weary horse was left far in the rear, and I hoped that he’d break his neck.

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