Soldier of Sidon

"It will not be unprotected," Qanju explained. "Thotmaktef will take your place until you return. He is young, strong, and honest. I would trust him with my life."

I offered to lend him my sword, but he declined with thanks.

That is all, and now I will return to the ship and Myt-ser'eu.

No, one thing more. When Qanju and I had traveled some distance up the path from the river, I looked behind me to see whether Thotmaktef had uncovered Myt-ser'eu. He had not, but he was untying the rope with which I had fastened the cover over the hatch.

8

A BREEZE AND a lovely woman must be pleasant at all times-or so it seems to me. Sahuset, the wise man of Kemet, has been speaking with Myt-ser'eu and me beneath these fragrant trees. There is nothing my eyes can see here that is not beautiful, save my own feet. Sometimes Myt-ser'eu speaks. Sometimes she is silent. That is the best way for a woman.

For anyone.

At times we kiss and laugh. Work is good, I think. No doubt hard fighting is good sometimes as well. But there are times when the best thing is to sit as we do, in a place of beauty, watching the sails upon the blue waters of the Great River. Before Sahuset came, we washed in the canal.

Myt-ser'eu says I speak her tongue well. I do not think so, yet she insists. I want to learn it, but know (because she tells me) that I forget each morning. Yet she insists that I speak much better than I did when we met.

She chose me, she says, in the temple of Hathor in her city. She says also that it is already written in this scroll; thus I need not write it again. That temple is very far from here.

The temple behind us is that of Sesostris, a different god. He was a king long ago, but has become a god of a thousand years. (The priest told us this.) He built a mountain of white stone here, very beautiful, and his priests have built the other things, the wall, the temple, and many other buildings-a little city, Myt-ser'eu says, and I agree. I would call them of no use; the people of this land do not, and the labor was theirs, not mine. MYT-SER'EU TELLS ME I must write of the counsel we gave Qanju this morning. She says it because she wishes to know what we said, I know, and will tease me until I have read all that I write to her. Very well.

The sailors had complained to Muslak, and Muslak to Qanju, who summoned Azibaal, Sahuset, Thotmaktef, and me. He made me read from this, all that I had written when I remembered the woman herself. Now I recall only the things I read to the others.

Azibaal told us what the sailors had seen this morning, then what they had seen earlier, because I had mentioned it in my account. The sailors wish to turn back, Azibaal said, and to leave Qanju, Thotmaktef, and Sahuset here. I think they would like to leave my men, the women, and me behind as well; but they know Muslak would not consent to it. Soon they will want to leave Muslak, too-no one said that, but I think it.

"Let us do the other thing," I told Qanju. "There must be many good sailors among the men of Kemet. My men and I will drive these ashore, and you can hire others."

Muslak said, "You'll have to put me ashore too."

"Then I will not do it," I promised him.

"Nor will I," Qanju murmured. "These men have a legitimate complaint. It is our duty to resolve it. You have searched the ship for the woman?"

I nodded.

Muslak said, "So have I-I went with him."

"Without finding her. What of the cat?"

"It's larger than other cats," I said. "I've seen it. I believe I'm the only one here who has."

Thotmaktef said, "We breed cats much larger than any of you foreigners have, and use them to hunt small game." He looked to Sahuset for agreement, but Sahuset did not speak.

Muslak added, "Besides, you've forgotten it, Lewqys. You're just telling us what you wrote down."

"No," I said. "I remember the cat." I held my hands apart to show its size.

"Do you?" Qanju whispered.

Muslak gri

Sahuset smiled too.

"What of my question, Lucius? What traces of the cat did you find?"

"None," I said.

"The urine of cats has a strong odor…"

"I know," I said. "I did not smell it."

"Neither did I," Muslak declared, "and I would have."

"In that case, the cat is not on the ship, though I feel sure the woman must be."

Thotmaktef looked puzzled. "How can you know that, Most Holy Qanju?"

Qanju spoke to me. "You remember the cat, you said. A large cat with green eyes."

I nodded. "Very large."

"Do you also remember the woman, Lucius?"

I held up my scroll. "Only what I have here. But I remember also that it was you who insisted I write, for which I thank you."

"In which case we may assume that the woman is here."

Qanju turned to speak to Thotmaktef. "The cat vanished while Lucius was looking at it. He says it could not have jumped into the water, and I agree. Cats walk very quietly, but they ca

Slowly, Thotmaktef nodded.

"In which case…" Qanju sighed. "Let us call it a ghost. That will make things simpler. The woman is not a ghost, however. Lucius touched her shoulder. Wishing to go to the village-or to our tents, which were near it-she walked up the path, even as we."

"I am blessed," Thotmaktef said, "to hear such wisdom."

"I will bless you further. Lucius forgets the places he has visited and the people he has seen in them. He even forgets Myt-ser'eu. In short, he forgets all the occurrences of common life. He does not forget the cat. Therefore, it does not belong to common life."

Thotmaktef murmured, "Myt-ser'eu," and wrote something on the deck with his finger.

"Interesting," Qanju murmured.

Sahuset nodded, I noticed, although his head scarcely moved. Thotmaktef was seated at Qanju's right, Sahuset at Thotmaktef's right. Sahuset, at least, had read what Thotmaktef wrote.

Muslak turned to Azibaal. "Which one scares them most?"

Azibaal spat. "They both do."

"You're saying that the woman's still in the village," Muslak told Qanju, "but the men say they saw her come back to my ship."

"I am saying nothing of the kind, Captain. I am saying that she is here on your ship and might be found."

"I searched it. So did Lewqys."

Qanju sighed. "You did not know where to look. I do, and may tell you later. If the woman were not accompanied by the cat, your men would not fear her."

Muslak and Azibaal nodded.

"They would offer her money, and if she would not take it, they would take her by force. Thus we need not rid ourselves of her, only of the cat."

I said, "I would protect her."

Azibaal frowned at me. "If she were gone, her cat would be gone too. That's what I think."

"Perhaps, but I doubt it." Qanju turned his head. "You seem eager to speak, Thotmaktef."

"As the Most Noble One wishes. We will soon be in sight of a great temple, the Mortuary Temple of Sesostris."

"A suitable venue?"

"I believe so, Most Noble Qanju."

Qanju smiled. "And what does Sahuset say?"

The wise man of Kemet shrugged.

"The cat must cease manifesting itself on this ship-or so the matter appears to me. Who among you disagrees?"

No one spoke.

"My scribe has suggested a means that may prove effectual. Has anyone some other means to suggest? Learned Sahuset?"

Sahuset shook his head.

"Then let us follow my scribe's suggestion."