The Egyptian by Mika Waltari

Posted by admin_akashic on Mar 4th, 2022 in Stories

Horemheb chanced to see there a Hittite envoy, who sought an audience with Beketamun, and started wondering why Beketamun should receive Hittite envoys and why the envoy spent so much time with her. Therefore, of his own accord and without taking counsel of any, he let the Hittite be arrested, and the Hittite was haughty, threatening him and speaking to him as only those who are sure of their power can speak.

Horemheb then reported everything to Ay, and at night they forced an entry into Beketamun’s rooms, where they slew the slaves who defended her, and they discovered the correspondence Beketamun had hidden in the ashes of a brazier. Having read the clay tablets, they were greatly frightened, imprisoning Beketamun in her rooms and setting a guard to both her and also to Nefertiti. That same night they came to me at the old copper founder’s house, which Muti had had rebuilt after the fire with the silver Kaptah had sent, and they came in the darkness of the night and in a simple carrying chair, concealing their faces. Without recognising them at first, Muti admitted them and reproached them angrily when they ordered her to wake me from my sleep. But I was not asleep, for since I had returned from Syria, I slept badly due to everything that I had witnessed in Syria. While Muti was nagging, I rose from the bed and lit lamps to receive the guests, thinking they required medical attention. I was very surprised to see who they were and let Muti bring wine for us and then sent her back to sleep, though Horemheb was so alarmed that he wanted to kill Muti since Muti had seen their faces and might hear our talk. Never had I seen Horemheb so frightened, and it gave me great satisfaction. So I said:

“I certainly won’t permit you to slay Muti, but I think your head must be sick to talk so foolishly. Muti is an old hag and hears badly and sleeps her nights snoring like a hippopotamus. If you bother listening, you will soon hear her snoring. Drink wine and be assured that you need not fear an old woman.”

But Horemheb said impatiently, “I have not come here to talk of snoring with you, Sinuhe. One life makes no difference for Egypt is in mortal danger, and you must save Egypt.”

Ay confirmed his words, saying, “Truly, Egypt is in mortal danger, Sinuhe, and I am in danger also, and never before has so great a peril threatened Egypt. Therefore in our distress we turn to you, Sinuhe.”

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But I laughed bitterly at them and threw out my empty hands for them to see. Then Horemheb brought out King Suppiluliuma’s clay tablets and gave them to me to read, and he also gave to me copies of the letters princess Beketamun had sent to the King of the Hittites in Hattusa before the war had ended. I read the letters and had no further desire to laugh, and the wine lost its savour in my mouth, for Beketamun wrote to the King of the Hittites as follows:

“I am Pharaoh’s daughter, and in my veins flows the sacred blood, and there is no man worthy of me in all of Egypt. I have heard that you have many sons. Send a son to me that I may break the jar with him, and may your son rule over the land of Kem at my side.”

This letter was so incredible that the cautious Suppiluliuma would not have believed it at first but had sent a suspicious clay tablet with a secret envoy, inquiring as to her terms. But Beketamun had repeated her offer in a further letter, with the assurance that both the Egyptian nobles and the priests of Amun were on her side. At this, Suppiluliuma was persuaded of the sincerity of Beketamun’s intentions. Therefore he had hastened to make peace with Horemheb and was presently preparing to send his son Zannanza to Egypt. On an auspicious day, Zannanza would set forth from Kadesh, with a great quantity of presents for Beketamun, and according to the last clay tablet which had been received, he was already on his way to Egypt with his entourage.

While I was reading the letters, Ay and Horemheb started arguing, with Horemheb saying to Ay, “So this is the gratitude for everything I have done for you, and this is the gratitude for the war where I have defeated the Hittites and suffered so many hardships. Truly, I would have won more had I left a blind dog look after my interests in Egypt while I was away, and you are no more use to me than a pimp who must be paid once and again without seeing even a glimpse of the girl’s behind. Truly, Ay, you are the dirtiest man that I have ever met, and I deeply regret the day when I took your black hand to make a deal with you. Now I have no other option than to occupy Thebes with my dung snouts and put both crowns onto my own head.”

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