Soldier of Sidon

"We'll have to kill him," the one who had spoken to me said. "It'll be a mess."

Already, street vendors were crying their wares outside the temple. I told him he knew nothing of dogs, cautioned him to wait, and for one copper got ground meat of who knows what kind rolled in a broad green leaf. By offering it to the dog and speaking kindly to him, I had him in less time than it has taken me to write of it.

My difficulty is that this dog followed me when I left Set's temple, swam after the boat I hired, and followed me again when I left the temple of the sun.

He is with me still. He obeys at times, but will not obey when I order him to leave. Am I to stone a dog who loves me? This afternoon I was able to spear fish enough to feed us both, but what am I to do with a dog? CAUTUS'S BARKING WOKE me. The women wish me to read this when day returns; but I will write now as the baboon directs, though I know the beautiful one waits for my embrace. There is but a small strip of papyrus left to fill.

"They said you were on the ship, all of them, even Neht-nefret. But you weren't! You weren't! Qanju didn't want us to go, but Mtoto and I stole away the next night and went back to Naqa to find you. I'm your wife, Latro. You're my husband. I've been asking about your sword wherever it was safe to talk to people. I didn't find it, but I'll help you look for it for as long as you want to search. Only… Only you must never leave me again."

Tomorrow we two (we four) will go in search of Falcata-the scarred child, Cautus, the beautiful woman, and I.

I think her dishonest, but she is young and willing, and who is not? [THESE ARE THE final words on the scroll from Lake Nasser.]

GLOSSARY

THE PRINCIPAL PROPER names in the third scroll are identified here. A few whose identity should be obvious have been omitted. I have ventured to translate a few names that the reader is unlikely to translate for himself; all such translations are merely tentative. A few other terms that may pose difficulties are defined.

Aahmes. The leader of the Egyptian soldiers aboard the Gades.

Abu. At the time of this scroll, the southernmost city in Egypt.

Achaemenes. The satrap of Egypt. His Persian name was Hakhdmanish "Friend."

Agathocles. "Of Good Fame." A trader from Athens.

Ahura Mazda. In ancient Persia, the god of good.

Alala. Thotmaktef's wife.

Amamu. One of the Egyptian soldiers on the Gades.

Ammut. The Eater of the Dead.

Angra Manyu. In ancient Persia, the god of evil. ankh. A cross with a loop top, the hieroglyph for life. Gods are often shown holding an ankh, their fingers through the loop. The crux ansata.

Anubis. The jackal-headed god of death.

Apedemak. The lion-headed war god of Nubia.

Ap-uat. The wolf-headed war god of Egypt, often difficult to distinguish from Anubis in art. (When "Anubis" holds a weapon, Ap-uat is intended.) Also called Wepwawet "Opener of the Way."

Arensnuphis. Called Onuris in Egypt. He was the god of hunting and a protector of travelers.

Asyut. A city roughly midway between the sea and the first cataract.

Ater. The stallion given the narrator by the Medjay.

Azibaal. The first mate of the Gades.

Baginu. Probably "Fortunate." The leader of the Persian soldiers aboard the Gades.

Beteshu. A demon.

Binti. "Daughter." The girl the narrator inherits when his carelessness results in her father's death. Cheche's daughter.

Bittusilma. "House of Perfection." Seven Lions' queen, a Babylonian.

Black Land. The fertile land of the Nile Valley, Egypt.

Byblos. A Phoenician city, the home port of the Gades.

Cautus. "Watchful." A stray dog. This name may be a pun on canis, "dog."

Charthi. A wealthy and aristocratic Egyptian, the father of Kames.

Cheche. "Small One." A woman of Nysa who becomes a new wife of the narrator's.

Crimson Men. Phoenicians, from the color of their clothing. daric. A gold coin of ancient Persia, on which King Darius appeared bow in hand. This coin was vulgarly called an archer.

Dis. The Roman King of the Dead. As lord of the underground realm he was immensely rich, since all unmined metals and gems were his. He symbolized the benevolent aspect of death, as opposed to Orcus, the demon-god of violent death.

Egypt. At the time of the scroll, a province of the Persian Empire. Visualize a flower with one leaf (the Faiyum) and a long, straggling stem. The blossom is the delta, and the stem is the Nile Valley. The stem ends at the first cataract.

Falcata. The narrator's sword. Much used in the ancient world, falcatas varied in size between hunting knives and full-fledged swords. Blades were wide and slightly curved, sharp on the concave side. They may have originated in Iberia.

Field of Reeds. The dwelling-place of the blessed dead. Paradise. firman. A letter or document entitling the bearer to protection or stated privileges.

Gades. The Phoenician trading vessel that brought the narrator to Egypt.

Great King. We know him as Xerxes. His name was actually Khshayarsha, "King."

Great River. The Nile; it stretches more than four thousand miles from Central Africa to the Mediterranean Sea, is the longest river on earth, and is the only major river to flow north.

Hathor. The goddess of joy, perfumes, cows, and much else, she was one of the kindest and most important Egyptian deities.

Hemuset. The goddess of fate. She was one of several invisible presences who attended the birth of an Egyptian child.

Horus. The hawk-headed pilot of the Sun Boat. He was the son of Osiris and Isis, the god of the day sky and of light, and a brave and chivalrous fighter for good.

House of Life. There is no modern equivalent for this term. Houses of Life were attached to temples. (A Pharaonic palace was a temple as well as a residence.) A House of Life might be a school, a college, a library, a hospital, or a combination of these.

Isis. The most important Egyptian goddess, whose cult soon spread to Nubia. When she was held captive following the murder of her husband, Osiris, Thoth helped her escape. She was the mother of Horus and commanded seven magical scorpions. She was also called Ast and Eset.

Kakia. One of the narrator's Persian soldiers.

Kames. A young Egyptian of good family.

Kashta. A Nubian priest of Set.

Kemet. Literally, "Black"-the Egyptians' name for their country.

Kush. The Nile Valley south of the third cataract and north of the confluence of the White and Blue Niles. The Nubian kings had originally been kings of Kush.

Latro. It seems clear that the narrator bore one name among the Egyptians and another among the Phoenician crew of the Gades, while his Persian soldiers and Median commander employed a third. For the most part, he represents all three by "L"; I have used Latro, Lewqys, and Lucius respectively.

Luhitu. This appears to be the Phoenician name for the narrator's nation or area.

Magi. One of the six Median tribes. Our word magic is derived from the name of this tribe.

Medjay. Nomads who roved the eastern and western edges of Kush and Wawat. The Lion People.

Mehit. One of several lion-headed goddesses, she seems to have been the actual lion goddess, as opposed to the better-known Sekhmet, who was fundamentally a war goddess. Note that Mehit was the wife of a hunting god, and that tame lions were used in the hunt.

Me

Meroe. A principal city of southern Nubia (Kush).

Mfalme. That is, "king." Seven Lions.

Miam. A city of Wawat founded by Egyptians.

Mtoto. Probably "Child." The demon-scarred girl who becomes Myt-ser'eu's maidservant.