Uarda : a Romance of Ancient Egypt — Complete

by Georg Ebers

  CHAPTER XXXVIII.

  During the night which had proved so eventful to our friends, muchhad occurred in the king's camp, for the troops were to advance to thelong-anticipated battle before sunrise.

  Paaker had given his false report of the enemy's movements to thePharaoh with his own hand; a council of war had been held, and eachdivision had received instructions as to where it was to take up itsposition. The corps, which bore the name of the Sungod Ra, advanced fromthe south towards Schabatun,

  [Kadesh was the chief city of the Cheta, i. e. Aramaans, round which the united forces of all the peoples of western Asia had collected. There were several cities called Kadesh. That which frequently checked the forces of Thotmes III. may have been situated farther to the south; but the Cheta city of Kadesh, where Rameses II. fought so hard a battle, was undoubtedly on the Orontes, for the river which is depicted on the pylon of the Ramesseum as parting into two streams which wash the walls of the fortress, is called Aruntha, and in the Epos of Pentaur it is stated that this battle took place at Kadesh by the Orontes. The name of the city survives, at a spot just three miles north of the lake of Riblah. The battle itself I have described from the Epos of Pentaur, the national epic of Egypt. It ends with these words: "This was written and made by the scribe Pentaur." It was so highly esteemed that it is engraved in stone twice at Luqsor, and once at Karnak. Copies of it on papyrus are frequent; for instance, papyrus Sallier III. and papyrus Raifet--unfortunately much injured--in the Louvre. The principal incident, the rescue of the king from the enemy, is repeated at the Ramessetun at Thebes, and at Abu Simbel. It was translated into French by Vicomte E. de Rouge. The camp of Rameses is depicted on the pylons of Luqsor and the Ramesseum.]

  so as to surround the lake on the east, and fall on the enemy's flank;the corps of Seth, composed of men from lower Egypt, was sent on toArnam to form the centre; the king himself, with the flower of thechariot-guard, proposed to follow the road through the valley, whichPaaker's report represented as a safe and open passage to the plainof the Orontes. Thus, while the other divisions occupied the enemy, hecould cross the Orontes by a ford, and fall on the rear of the fortressof Kadesh from the north-west. The corps of Amon, with the Ethiopianmercenaries, were to support him, joining him by another route, whichthe pioneer's false indications represented as connecting the line ofoperations. The corps of Ptah remained as a reserve behind the leftwing.

  The soldiers had not gone to rest as usual; heavily, armed troops, whobore in one hand a shield of half a man's height, and in the other ascimitar, or a short, pointed sword, guarded the camp,

  [Representations of Rameses' camp are preserved on the pylons of the temple of Luxor and the Ramesseum.]

  where numerous fires burned, round which crowded the resting warriors.Here a wine-skin was passed from hand to hand, there a joint wasroasting on a wooden spit; farther on a party were throwing dice for thebooty they had won, or playing at morra. All was in eager activity,and many a scuffle occurred amoung the excited soldiers, and had to besettled by the camp-watch.

  Near the enclosed plots, where the horses were tethered, the smiths werebusily engaged in shoeing the beasts which needed it, and in sharpeningthe points of the lances; the servants of the chariot-guard were alsofully occupied, as the chariots had for the most part been brought overthe mountains in detached pieces on the backs of pack-horses and asses,and now had to be put together again, and to have their wheels greased.On the eastern side of the camp stood a canopy, under which thestandards were kept, and there numbers of priests were occupied in theiroffice of blessing the warriors, offering sacrifices, and singing hymnsand litanies. But these pious sounds were frequently overpowered by theloud voices of the gamblers and revellers, by the blows of the hammers,the hoarse braying of the asses, and the neighing of the horses. Fromtime to time also the deep roar of the king's war-lions

  [See Diodorus, 1. 47. Also the pictures of the king rushing to the fight.]

  might be heard; these beasts followed him into the fight, and were nowhowling for food, as they had been kept fasting to excite their fury.

  In the midst of the camp stood the king's tent, surrounded by footand chariot-guards. The auxiliary troops were encamped in divisionsaccording to their nationality, and between them the Egyptian legions ofheavy-armed soldiers and archers. Here might be seen the black Ethiopianwith wooly matted hair, in which a few feathers were stuck--thehandsome, well proportioned "Son of the desert" from the sandy Arabianshore of the Red Sea, who performed his wild war-dance flourishing hislance, with a peculiar wriggle of his--hips pale Sardinians, with metalhelmets and heavy swords--light colored Libyans, with tattooed arms andostrich-feathers on their heads-brown, bearded Arabs, worshippers of thestars, inseparable from their horses, and armed, some with lances, andsome with bows and arrows. And not less various than their aspect werethe tongues of the allied troops--but all obedient to the king's word ofcommand.

  In the midst of the royal tents was a lightly constructed temple withthe statues of the Gods of Thebes, and of the king's forefathers; cloudsof incense rose in front of it, for the priests were engaged from theeve of the battle until it was over, in prayers, and offerings to Amon,the king of the Gods, to Necheb, the Goddess of victory, and to Menth,the God of war.

  The keeper of the lions stood by the Pharaoh's sleeping-tent, andthe tent, which served as a council chamber, was distinguished by thestandards in front of it; but the council-tent was empty and still,while in the kitchen-tent, as well as in the wine-store close by, allwas in a bustle. The large pavilion, in which Rameses and his suite weretaking their evening meal, was more brilliantly lighted than all theothers; it was a covered tent, a long square in shape, and all roundit were colored lamps, which made it as light as day; a body-guard ofSardinians, Libyans, and Egyptians guarded it with drawn swords, andseemed too wholly absorbed with the importance of their office even tonotice the dishes and wine-jars, which the king's pages--the sons ofthe highest families in Egypt--took at the tent-door from the cooks andbutlers.

  The walls and slanting roof of this quickly-built and movablebanqueting-hall, consisted of a strong, impenetrable carpet-stuff,woven at Thebes, and afterwards dyed purple at Tanis by the Phoenicians.Saitic artists had embroidered the vulture, one of the forms in whichNecheb appears, a hundred times on the costly material with threads ofsilver. The cedar-wood pillars of the tent were covered with gold,and the ropes, which secured the light erection to the tent-pegs, weretwisted of silk, and thin threads of silver. Seated round four tables,more than a hundred men were taking their evening meal; at three of themthe generals of the army, the chief priests, and councillors, sat onlight stools; at the fourth, and at some distance from the others,were the princes of the blood; and the king himself sat apart at a hightable, on a throne supported by gilt figures of Asiatic prisonersin chains. His table and throne stood on a low dais covered withpanther-skin; but even without that Rameses would have towered above hiscompanions. His form was powerful, and there was a commanding aspectin his bearded face, and in the high brow, crowned with a golden diademadorned with the heads of two Uraeus-snakes, wearing the crowns of Upperand Lower Egypt. A broad collar of precious stones covered half hisbreast, the lower half was concealed by a scarf or belt, and his barearms were adorned with bracelets. His finely-proportioned limbs lookedas if moulded in bronze, so smoothly were the powerful muscles coveredwith the shining copper-colored skin. Sitting here among those who weredevoted to him, he looked with kind and fatherly pride at his bloomingsons.

  The lion was at rest--but nevertheless he was a lion, and terriblethings might be looked for when he should rouse himself, and when themighty hand, which now dispensed bread, should be clenched for thefight. There was nothing mean in this man, and yet nothing alarming;for, if his eye had a commanding sparkle, the expression of his mouthwas particularly gentle; and the deep voice which could make itselfheard above the clash of fighting men, could also assume the sweetestand
most winning tones. His education had not only made him well awareof his greatness and power, but had left him also a genuine man, astranger to none of the emotions of the human soul.

  Behind Pharaoh stood a man, younger than himself, who gave him hiswine-cup after first touching it with his own lips; this was Mena, theking's charioteer and favorite companion. His figure was slight and yetvigorous, supple and yet dignified, and his finely-formed features andfrank bright eyes were full at once of self-respect and of benevolence.Such a man might fail in reflection and counsel, but would be admirableas an honorable, staunch, and faithful friend.

  Among the princes, Chamus sat nearest to the king;

  [He is named Cha-em-Us on the monuments, i. e., 'splendor in Thebes.' He became the Sam, or high-priest of Memphis. His mummy was discovered by Mariette in the tomb of Apis at Saqqarah during ha excavations of the Serapeum at Memphis.]

  he was the eldest of his sons, and while still young had been investedwith the dignity of high-priest of Memphis. The curly-haired Rameri,who had been rescued from imprisonment--into which he had fallen on hisjourney from Egypt--had been assigned a place with the younger princesat the lowest end of the table.

  "It all sounds very threatening!" said the king. "But though each of youcroakers speaks the truth, your love for me dims your sight. Infact, all that Rameri has told me, that Bent-Anat writes, that Mena'sstud-keeper says of Ani, and that comes through other channels--amountsto nothing that need disturb us. I know your uncle--I know that he willmake his borrowed throne as wide as he possibly can; but when we returnhome he will be quite content to sit on a narrow seat again. Greatenterprises and daring deeds are not what he excels in; but he is veryapt at carrying out a ready-made system, and therefore I choose him tobe my Regent."

  "But Ameni," said Chamus, bowing respectfully to his father, "seems tohave stirred up his ambition, and to support him with his advice. Thechief of the House of Seti is a man of great ability, and at least halfof the priesthood are his adherents."

  "I know it," replied the king. "Their lordships owe me a grudge becauseI have called their serfs to arms, and they want them to till theiracres. A pretty sort of people they have sent me! their courage flieswith the first arrow. They shall guard the camp tomorrow; they will beequal to that when it is made clear to their understanding that, if theylet the tents be taken, the bread, meat and wines-skins will also fallinto the hands of the enemy. If Kadesh is taken by storm, the temples ofthe Nile shall have the greater part of the spoil, and you yourself, myyoung high-priest of Memphis, shall show your colleagues that Ramesesrepays in bushels that which he has taken in handfuls from the ministersof the Gods."

  "Ameni's disaffection," replied Chamus, "has a deeper root; thy mightyspirit seeks and finds its own way--"

  "But their lordships," interrupted Rameses, "are accustomed to governthe king too, and I--I do not do them credit. I rule as vicar of theLord of the Gods, but--I myself am no God, though they attribute to methe honors of a divinity; and in all humility of heart I willinglyleave it to them to be the mediators between the Immortals and me or mypeople. Human affairs certainly I choose to manage in my own way. Andnow no more of them. I cannot bear to doubt my friends, and trustfulnessis so dear, so essential to me, that I must indulge in it even if myconfidence results in my being deceived."

  The king glanced at Mena, who handed him a golden cup--which he emptied.He looked at the glittering beaker, and then, with a flash of his grave,bright eyes, he added:

  "And if I am betrayed--if ten such as Ameni and Ani entice my peopleinto a snare--I shall return home, and will tread the reptiles intodust."

  His deep voice rang out the words, as if he were a herald proclaiming avictorious deed of arms. Not a word was spoken, not a hand moved, whenhe ceased speaking. Then he raised his cup, and said:

  "It is well before the battle to uplift our hearts! We have done greatdeeds; distant nations have felt our hand; we have planted our pillarsof conquest by their rivers, and graven the record of our deeds on theirrocks.

  [Herodotus speaks of the pictures graven on the rocks in the provinces conquered by Rameses II., in memory of his achievements. He saw two, one of which remains on a rock near Beyrut.]

  Your king is great above all kings, and it is through the might of theGods, and your valor my brave comrades. May to-morrow's fight bring usnew glory! May the Immortals soon bring this war to a close! Empty yourwine cups with me--To victory and a speedy return home in peace!"

  "Victory! Victory! Long life to the Pharaoh! Strength and health!" criedthe guests of the king, who, as he descended from his throne, cried tothe drinkers:

  "Now, rest till the star of Isis sets. Then follow me to prayer at thealtar of Amon, and then-to battle."

  Fresh cries of triumph sounded through the room, while Rameses gave hishand with a few words of encouragement to each of his sons in turn.He desired the two youngest, Mernephtah and Rameri to follow him, andquitting the banquet with them and Mena, he proceeded, under the escortof his officers and guards, who bore staves before him with goldenlilies and ostrich-feathers, to his sleeping-tent, which was surroundedby a corps d'elite under the command of his sons. Before entering thetent he asked for some pieces of meat, and gave them with his own handto his lions, who let him stroke them like tame cats.

  Then he glanced round the stable, patted the sleek necks and shouldersof his favorite horses, and decided that 'Nura' and 'Victory to Thebes'should bear him into the battle on the morrow.

  [The horses driven by Rameses at the battle of Kadesh were in fact thus named.]

  When he had gone into the sleeping-tent, he desired his attendants toleave him; he signed Mena to divest him of his ornaments and his arms,and called to him his youngest sons, who were waiting respectfully atthe door of the tent.

  "Why did I desire you to accompany me?" he asked them gravely. Both weresilent, and he repeated his question.

  "Because," said Rameri at length, "you observed that all was not quiteright between us two."

  "And because," continued the king, "I desire that unity should existbetween my children. You will have enemies enough to fight withto-morrow, but friends are not often to be found, and are too oftentaken from us by the fortune of war. We ought to feel no anger towardsthe friend we may lose, but expect to meet him lovingly in the otherworld. Speak, Rameri, what has caused a division between you?"

  "I bear him no ill-will," answered Rameri. "You lately gave me the swordwhich Mernephtah has there stuck in his belt, because I did my duty wellin the last skirmish with the enemy. You know we both sleep in the sametent, and yesterday, when I drew my sword out of its sheath to admirethe fine work of the blade, I found that another, not so sharp, had beenput in its place."

  "I had only exchanged my sword for his in fun," interrupted Mernephtah."But he can never take a joke, and declared I want to wear a prize thatI had not earned; he would try, he said, to win another and then--"

  "I have heard enough; you have both done wrong," said the King. "Even infun, Mernephtah, you should never cheat or deceive. I did so once, and Iwill tell you what happened, as a warning.

  "My noble mother, Tuaa, desired me, the first time I went intoFenchu--[Phoenicia: on monuments of the 18th dynasty.]--to bring her apebble from the shore near Byblos, where the body of Osiris was washed.As we returned to Thebes, my mother's request returned to my mind; I wasyoung and thoughtless--I picked up a stone by the way-side, took it withme, and when she asked me for the remembrance from Byblos I silentlygave her the pebble from Thebes. She was delighted, she showed it to herbrothers and sisters, and laid it by the statues of her ancestors; but Iwas miserable with shame and penitence, and at last I secretly took awaythe stone, and threw it into the water. All the servants were calledtogether, and strict enquiry was made as to the theft of the stone; thenI could hold out no longer, and confessed everything. No one punishedme, and yet I never suffered more severely; from that time I have neverdeviated from the exact truth even in jest. Take the le
sson to heart,Mernephtah--you, Rameri, take back your sword, and, believe me, lifebrings us so many real causes of vexation, that it is well to learnearly to pass lightly over little things if you do not wish to becomea surly fellow like the pioneer Paaker; and that seems far from likelywith a gay, reckless temper like yours. Now shake hands with eachother."

  The young princes went up to each other, and Rameri fell on hisbrother's neck and kissed him. The king stroked their heads. "Now goin peace," he said, "and to-morrow you shall both strive to win a freshmark of honor."

  When his sons had left the tent, Rameses turned to his charioteer andsaid: "I have to speak to you too before the battle. I can read yoursoul through your eyes, and it seems to me that things have gone wrongwith you since the keeper of your stud arrived here. What has happenedin Thebes?" Mena looked frankly, but sadly at the king:

  "My mother-in-law Katuti," he said, "is managing my estate very badly,pledging the land, and selling the cattle."

  "That can be remedied," said Rameses kindly. "You know I promised togrant you the fulfilment of a wish, if Nefert trusted you as perfectlyas you believe. But it appears to me as if something more nearlyconcerning you than this were wrong, for I never knew you anxious aboutmoney and lands. Speak openly! you know I am your father, and the heartand the eye of the man who guides my horses in battle, must be openwithout reserve to my gaze."

  Mena kissed the king's robe; then he said:

  "Nefert has left Katuti's house, and as thou knowest has followed thydaughter, Bent-Anat, to the sacred mountain, and to Megiddo."

  "I thought the change was a good one," replied Rameses. "I leaveBent-Anat in the care of Bent-Anat, for she needs no other guardianship,and your wife can have no better protector than Bent-Anat."

  "Certainly not!" exclaimed Mena with sincere emphasis. "But before theystarted, miserable things occurred. Thou knowest that before she marriedme she was betrothed to her cousin, the pioneer Paaker, and he, duringhis stay in Thebes, has gone in and out of my house, has helped Katutiwith an enormous sum to pay the debts of my wild brother-in-law, and-asmy stud-keeper saw with his own eyes-has made presents of flowers toNefert."

  The king smiled, laid his hand on Mena's shoulder, and said, as helooked in his face: "Your wife will trust you, although you take astrange woman into your tent, and you allow yourself to doubt herbecause her cousin gives her some flowers! Is that wise or just? Ibelieve you are jealous of the broad-shouldered ruffian that somespiteful Wight laid in the nest of the noble Mohar, his father."

  "No, that I am not," replied Mena, "nor does any doubt of Nefert disturbmy soul; but it torments me, it nettles me, it disgusts me, that Paakerof all men, whom I loathe as a venomous spider, should look at her andmake her presents under my very roof."

  "He who looks for faith must give faith," said the king. "And must notI myself submit to accept songs of praise from the most contemptiblewretches? Come--smooth your brow; think of the approaching victory, ofour return home, and remember that you have less to forgive Paaker thanhe to forgive you. Now, pray go and see to the horses, and to-morrowmorning let me see you on my chariot full of cheerful courage--as I loveto see you."

  Mena left the tent, and went to the stables; there he met Rameri, whowas waiting to speak to him. The eager boy said that he had alwayslooked up to him and loved him as a brilliant example, but that latelyhe had been perplexed as to his virtuous fidelity, for he had beeninformed that Mena had taken a strange woman into his tent--he who wasmarried to the fairest and sweetest woman in Thebes.

  "I have known her," he concluded, "as well as if I were her brother;and I know that she would die if she heard that you had insulted anddisgraced her. Yes, insulted her; for such a public breach of faith isan insult to the wife of an Egyptian. Forgive my freedom of speech, butwho knows what to-morrow may bring forth--and I would not for worlds goout to battle, thinking evil of you."

  Mena let Rameri speak without interruption, and then answered:

  "You are as frank as your father, and have learned from him to hear thedefendant before you condemn him. A strange maiden, the daughter of theking of the Danaids,

  [A people of the Greeks at the time of the Trojan war. They are mentioned among the nations of the Mediterranean allied against Rameses III. The Dardaneans were inhabitants of the Trojan provinces of Dardanin, and whose name was used for the Trojans generally.]

  lives in my tent, but I for months have slept at the door of yourfather's, and I have not once entered my own since she has been there.Now sit down by me, and let me tell you how it all happened. We hadpitched the camp before Kadesh, and there was very little for me to do,as Rameses was still laid up with his wound, so I often passed my timein hunting on the shores of the lake. One day I went as usual, armedonly with my bow and arrow, and, accompanied by my grey-hounds,heedlessly followed a hare; a troop of Danaids fell upon me, bound mewith cords, and led me into their camp.

  [Grey-hounds, trained to hunt hares, are represented in the most ancient tombs, for instance, the Mastaba at Meydum, belonging to the time of Snefru (four centuries B. C.).]

  There I was led before the judges as a spy, and they had actuallycondemned me, and the rope was round my neck, when their king came up,saw me, and subjected me to a fresh examination. I told him the factsat full length--how I had fallen into the hands of his people whilefollowing up my game, and not as an enemy, and he heard me favorably,and granted me not only life but freedom. He knew me for a noble, andtreated me as one, inviting me to feed at his own table, and I swore inmy heart, when he let me go, that I would make him some return for hisgenerous conduct.

  "About a month after, we succeeded in surprising the Cheta position, andthe Libyan soldiers, among other spoil, brought away the Danaid king'sonly daughter. I had behaved valiantly, and when we came to the divisionof the spoils Rameses allowed me to choose first. I laid my hand on themaid, the daughter of my deliverer and host, I led her to my tent, andleft her there with her waiting-women till peace is concluded, and I canrestore her to her father."

  "Forgive my doubts!" cried Rameri holding out his hand. "Now Iunderstand why the king so particularly enquired whether Nefert believedin your constancy to her."

  "And what was your answer?" asked Mena.

  "That she thinks of you day and night, and never for an instant doubtedyou. My father seemed delighted too, and he said to Chamus: 'He has wonthere!"

  "He will grant me some great favor," said Mena in explanation, "if, whenshe hears I have taken a strange maiden to my tent her confidence in meis not shaken, Rameses considers it simply impossible, but I know that Ishall win. Why! she must trust me."