The Egyptian by Mika Waltari

Posted by admin_akashic on Mar 4th, 2022 in Stories

matter stands thus that we dealers first profited from the settlers by lending grain to them, for they were compelled by poverty to pay back two measures for every one borrowed and even more, and if they were unable to pay, we made them slaughter their cattle and took the hides in payment for debt. But when grain increased further in price, also this arrangement became unprofitable, and it is now to our advantage to let as much land as possible remain unsown this spring so that the price of grain may rise still higher. Let us therefore not be such madmen as to lend the settlers corn for sowing, for that would be to damage our own interests. Did I such thing, I should make enemies of all the corn merchants.”

But in this I was resolute, and I said strictly, “Do as I order, Kaptah, for the grain is mine, and I am not thinking now of profits but of men whose ribs show through their skins like the ribs of mine slaves and of women whose breasts hang like dry leather bags and of children walking bowlegged on the river bank, their eyes crawling with flies. It is my will that you should divide this grain amongst them for sowing and that you should help them by every means to get it sown. I desire you to do this for Aten’s sake and for the sake of Pharaoh Akhenaten because I love him. Do not give it to them free, because I have seen how gifts breed laziness and ill will and sloth and greed, for didn’t they get all the land as gift, and even the cattle was a gift to them, and still they did not prosper. Use your stick on them, Kaptah, if it be needful, and see to it that the corn is sown and reaped. But when you come to claim your own again, I will permit you to rake no profit but take from them one measure for every one lent.”

When Kaptah heard this, he lamented and tore his clothes, which did not bring any loss to him since the clothes were already stained by wine, and said, “Measure for measure, my lord? This is mad talk for where am I to steal then, since I do not steal your grains but only from the profits that I make you. In other respects also your talk is foolish and godless for, besides the corn merchants, I shall have the priests of Amun against me — and I may safely cry his name aloud now that we are sitting in a closed room with none to hear or inform against me. I cry his name aloud, my lord, for he lives still, and his power is more formidable than ever before so that he curses our houses and our ships and our

455

warehouses and our shops, and even this wine tavern he curses also so that it may be wise to transfer it at once to Merit’s name if she agrees, and I am indeed thankful so much of your property is entered under other names so the priests cannot learn of it and put a curse on it and not even tax gatherers could learn of it even if their trail is cleaner than a bald man’s scalp — and by saying bald I do not mean to insult you, my lord, since it is only now that I notice you have become slightly bald after wine made you take your wig off, and if you want, I can get you skilfully enchanted hair balm that grows the hair back stronger than ever and gives you curls at the same time, and this balm is a gift from me and I do not write it on any books since I can get it from our own store — and I have multiple testimonies of its amazing effect, though a witness claimed it grew him hair as woollen and curly as a black man’s hair so that he had to shave his head again — but he was drunk before the judge and I did not pay to him for his testimony as much I did to the others.”

Kaptah babbled on to gain time in the hope that I should repent of my purpose, but when he saw that I was resolved, he swore bitterly and called upon several gods whose names he had learned during our journeys and said, “Have you been bitten by a mad dog or stung by a scorpion, my lord, for I thought at first that talking about this kind of thing was some feeble jest of yours. The plan will make us poor, but perhaps the scarab can help us, against all odds, and to be honest, I do not like to look on thin people myself but turn my eyes the other way and wish that you would do the same, my lord, for what a man doesn’t see he need never know — and I have soothed my conscience by the distribution of grain amongst the poor since this was also profitable due to Pharaoh’s mad taxation. But what I most dislike about your plan is that you require me to venture on uncomfortable journeys and tramp my feet about in the mud, where doubtless I shall stumble and fall into irrigation ditches and you will have my life upon your conscience, my lord, for I am a tired old man, and my limbs are stiff and I miss my soft bed as well as Muti’s soups and steaks and I have become breathless when I walk for I am already old and tired.”

But I was pitiless to him and said, “You are a bigger liar than ever, Kaptah, for you have grown younger during these years instead of older, and your hands do not tremble as they did, nor was your eye red when

456