Me net
Ar ste
Enep-l ato b lo-l
Qore Ar-y-mni
Ant Amnp ty-l Bedewi
Apedemk ty-l Aborepte
Tr-n tn to
Šo b-e Qene šo be-te
Wosi-ne Shore i-ne. Ty wi-ne
Kho-a lte šo be
Arini tene-a šo be
Yo m∙Osale-te-te, šo be
Tr-n tn to
Yo m Omotrun-te, šo be
Tr-n tn to
Yo m∙ Pirko-te šo b wine
Tr-n tn to
Yo m∙Klasko-te šo b wine
Net-te net-te
Tr-n tn to
Yi-ne Tel-n Yi-ne Tel-n
Art Ra. Art Wos-ne. Art Šore i-ne.
Net-te. Net—te
37
While lighting a fire of the wood of the lu’ju tree
In which you must pour myrrh
In which you must pour frankincense
And send the smoke to the heavens
Thus you shall be blessed by Nephthys
Thus you shall receive life from Amun-Ra
Thus you shall receive the blessings of Isis
And from all the Gods
Your flesh will not decay
Death shall not dare approach
And you shall live forever
This we say is the truth
Hail Ar-y-mni, Ruler of Kush, who rules the three worlds
Hail Ar-y-mni, Ruler of Kush, who rules the three worlds
Hail Ar-y-mni, Ruler of Kush, who rules the three worlds
I, Ar-y-mni, Ruler of Kush, received the secret chant from the priests of Amanap at Meroe38 in my inner court.
I thought long and hard about the matter.
My pyramid-grave is ready. In some time, I too shall be summoned by the Gods. When I was younger, I had commanded the priests to derive the secret for eternal life.
But now, I do not seek it.
When those whom I have loved have gone away, of what use is a life without death? My mother, my brother, my sister, my fifth wife, my son—they are alive in my memory, but I yearn to meet them, wherever they are, rather than stay alive. I loved them greatly. No, far better that my priests prepare me for the after-world like others before me, where I shall find solace with those I loved. Already I see that my grave contains all that I hold dear and all that I shall need for the afterlife. Of what use now is this collection of flesh and bones in which I think, in which I feel, to which my people bend forward?
I came to a conclusion. I decided to accept the copper plate from the priests. Then I read the chant silently and was convinced that my decision was right. I do not wish to live forever in this body.
On my bidding, the priests were taken away and put to death immediately.
I did not wish to destroy the copper plate however, as I recognized that the secrets revealed by the Gods to my priests could not be disrespected. Who can say how Kush and I would be cursed by Amanrap?
But I was curious. I selected three men and three women who my priests said were blessed, without any physical defect and of high intelligence. I made a copy of the copper plate on papyrus. I then commanded them to take the papyrus copy and go to the valley and chant the incantation. I ordered them to spend the rest of their lives there and not to ever return to Meroe, on pain of death. I gave them enough to live for a year without discomfort—food, wood, cloth, seeds to plant for crops, mules, and more. They were to continue forever there, but not to beget children. There is only a single narrow path into the valley and none dares enter because of bad omens. The valley is about ten days southwest of Napata.39 Even camels hesitate to walk in the sands of that region, which hiss with the angry words of demons and annoyed gods.
They were to send back a mule on the path once they finished the chants. My guards were to wait outside and to bring the mule back to me. This happened a year after I sent them inside. I assume that the incantation has worked. I ordered that all references to the valley be removed from my court records. All those who knew about what I had done were also put to death. These included the guards who I had sent to the mouth of the Secret Valley.
I wrapped and sealed the copper plate in the skin of an antelope that had been treated by the smoke of frankincense, and kept it with me, waiting for the time when I could dispose it off.
I decided to send it with many other gifts to my friend, the ruler of Asmara when I heard that he proposed to send a group of ambassadors to the rulers of lands to the east. They would go, he had said, to Persia, to Nineveh, to Bactria, to India, to China and to other such lands that we have not heard of. I wrote to him, in Greek, complimenting him on his wisdom and vision, and requested that he should ask his ambassadors to give as tribute the copper plate, unopened, to the very last land they would visit. In strange lands with different cultures and languages, the copper plate would just be seen as a tribute from a distant king and stored in the treasury. I too have several such gifts and tributes from the kings of many lands that I have never looked at and have no use for.
I received a letter—written in Greek—from my friend in Asmara. He thanked me for my gifts and promised to honour my request. The ambassadors were soon to leave. No one knew when they would return, he said. Perhaps after five years, perhaps ten. Perhaps never.
And now I wait for my time when I shall enter my pyramid, prepared for the afterlife. The shawabties have been prepared. Nephthys shall protect me. Anubis shall be by my side.
Then I, Ar-y-mni, Ruler of Kush, shall meet those I loved when they were alive.
36He was the old Tuareg storyteller Holmes and I met while travelling to Abalassa from Timbuktu. He sang this story-poem with the accompaniment of the tambour.
37O Isis the Great
Now behold greatness
We bow in reverence
Mother of Horus
The bestowal of abundant water
From the King Ar-y-mni
From the priest of Amanap, that lives at Meroe
Apedemak who is at Aborep
He goes to be reborn the light
Give abundant life, creator, give abundant life
Isis the Good. Osiris the eternal. To live forever
When the soul transmigrates, give abundant life
Glowing manifestation to be reborn, give abundant life
To The North, give abundant life
Raise to be born the light
In the direction of the South, give abundant eternal life
Raise to be born the light
To The East, give abundant eternal life
Raise to be born the light
To The West, give abundant eternal life
I bow in reverence, I bow in reverence
Raise to be born the light, raise to be born the light
Eternal strength, eternal strength
Praise Ra, Praise Isis the good, Praise Osiris the eternal
I bow in reverence, I bow in reverence
38The ancient city of Meroe lies between the fifth and sixth cataract of the Nile Valley, about two hundred miles northeast of Khartoum. It is inhabited by ghosts, say the legends.
39I have deliberately provided incorrect information about the chant and the location, for the safety and well-being of my eager and devoted readers, who may otherwise feel compelled to visit the site to find the valley. I can understand their disappointment but hope I shall be excused.
Acknowledgments
Writing this book has been a wonderful journey.
The persona of Sherlock Holmes lends itself to countless possibilities. My previous book took him to Japan. This one spans historical figures, geographies, and cultures. Researching old ci
vilizations, learning the basics of unfamiliar languages, trying to adhere to an authentic treatment of Holmes and Watson while creating a plot; it’s been very challenging but I’ve enjoyed the experience.
This book would not have been possible without the support of many. I would like to thank the following.
Roger Johnson, the scholarly editor of The Sherlock Holmes Journal, for his kind Foreword. If there’s anyone who knows the world of Sherlock Holmes, it is he.
Barbara Peters, the editor at Poisoned Pen Press, who approved of the idea and encouraged me. I consider myself very fortunate that she gave time to this project.
Diane DiBiase was my fellow-conspirator from the beginning and gave me excellent feedback and suggestions along the way. I came to rely on her well-grounded opinions.
Sudarshana Ghosh and Vidya Nayak read my drafts along the way and gave me many suggestions, most of which I incorporated in my work-in-progress.
The complex matter of the Meroitic language needed the suggestions of experts. I was fortunate to get some advice from Dr. Clyde Winters and of Dr. Alex de Voogt of the American Museum of Natural History, both experts in Meroitic.
Tareq Al-Garawy guided me on the Arabic. I am grateful.
Amit Fenn helped with the Meroitic writing.
Vasudev Murthy
Bangalore
June 2015
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