The Egyptian by Mika Waltari

Posted by admin_akashic on Mar 4th, 2022 in Stories

I could only reply to him, “No one knows tomorrow.” He thought I was weak, but he didn’t know that royal blood might flow in my veins. This could explain many things that I did which I do not understand nor can explain. But this might just as well be nothing but a lie and fantasy, the same as all other fantasies, and perhaps no one really knows his heart, and heart makes a man do things that he cannot understand, both evil and good.

Having said all this, Herihor left me in the dark, and we did not part as enemies but we did not part as friends either. I had stayed in Thebes all spring, and then arrived the summer with its heat and flies to the poor quarter, but I continued to stay in Thebes and did not want to leave. Then a day came when Pharaoh Akhenaten summoned me because his headaches had become worse, and I could no longer postpone my departure. Therefore I bade farewell to Kaptah in The Crocodile’s Tail, and Kaptah said:

“My lord, I have bought you all the grain that was available, and the grain is stored in various cities, and I have also hidden some grain for a wise man looks forward and not behind, since all kind of senseless orders and laws keep coming endlessly to disturb merchants’ lawful profession — and it might happen that your grain would be confiscated in case of famine and sold to people, and the tax gatherers would pocket the profits though anything like that has never happened, and it is not according to good customs to lay hands on someone else’s property and grain. But I believe already that anything can happen since there has been an order that empty jars may not be sent to Syria any more so that empty jars need to be shipped there in secrecy with great expenses, and this diminishes my profits. And I truly don’t know if I stand on my head or heels since this order is as mad as Syrians’ willingness to buy empty jars. Also it is forbidden to deliver grain to Syria, but this is a natural and understandable order and comes too late, since there is not a single grain in Egypt to buy and ship to Syria. These kinds of orders and laws I do not oppose since they pacify the people, and the issuing of them is delayed so that merchants can get their profits and do not lose anything for their sake, as is the good custom. But the law about empty jars is resentful and mad, although it can be circumvented by filling the jars with water before shipping them so that they are not empty jars any more and no export tax is payable for plain water, though Pharaoh’s tax gatherers have already invented all other ways of taxation.”

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Yet Kaptah said, “I am content, my lord, for after next winter the grain will make you the wealthiest man in Egypt so that only Pharaoh is wealthier than you, unless something unexpected happens. Nevertheless, I have to admit that I am uneasy because of the restless times with horns and crosses. Although I admit that Pharaoh Akhenaten is a competent ruler since I have greatly enriched myself during his rule, I would not mind if his rule already came to an end and everything returned back to normal so that I could peacefully and safely enjoy my wealth under the protection of good laws and order. I do not understand my slaves any more for they become bolder every passing day and refuse to eat rotten grains and rancid oil but throw their plates at their supervisors, and I do not even dare to beat them with my stick since it has happened that a slave attacked his lord, broke his stick, then hit his lord and escaped — and nothing like this has ever happened before. It is about time to hang some slaves on the wall heads downward as a warning to others, and I would not mind the loss if these slaves were taken from amongst my slaves.”

I reminded him that he was once a slave and lived the life of a slave, but this greatly irritated Kaptah, and he said, “A slave is a slave indeed, and a lord is a lord, and this order is the best possible, and so it has ever been and ever will be. And there is nothing wrong with this order, and I am the best proof of that, since I who was a slave am now a rich man and became fat because of my own abilities and skills, and the same could happen to any slave if he has wits and skills and he knows how to lie and steal as well as I. Isn’t this order then the best possible order since it gives an equal chance to everyone. Moreover, rotten grains and rancid oil and bitter beer have always been a slave’s meal, and there is no need for any changes. A slave must be beaten with a stick often and hard so that he would believe and respect his lord and would praise the strength of his lord’s arm to others, since a slave who is not beaten quickly becomes impudent and thinks his lord is weak. I know this better than anyone — I who once was a slave — because my behind and legs have many times swelled from sweet stick bites, and this brought me no harm at all, only taught me to steal and lie ever more cleverly so that I am happy to give the same teaching to my own slaves.”

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