Egypt (17 page)

I thought for a moment he was going to cry, and indeed tears had begun to spring once more to his eyes.

‘This wine tastes of home. I salute you, comrades. You have brought me joy. Yes. Joy abounding…'

And he nodded, drank deeply to confirm the deep truth of his statement, and then attended hungrily to his food.

‘How long have you been in charge of this garrison?' I asked him.

‘Six years,' he replied, his face falling deeper into depression. ‘Six long, hard, lonely years. It feels like an eternity. But this is the fate of soldiers like myself. A long tour of duty in a miserable dump like this is the only way up the ladder of promotion. When I get back to Memphis, I'll be set up for life. In return for this hopeless existence, I've been promised a quiet post in one of the division headquarters. Weaponry, I hope. Yes, I like weaponry… And then I'll find a wife. And have a family. Before it's too late…'

‘Tell us how it has been for you here,' I asked.

He looked at me, as if surprised I should even care. His eyes were crazed, glassy like the glaze on a cheap dish.

‘I have been dwelling in Damnationville!' he cried. ‘I've had no support, no company, no supplies, no letters; and although I've received promises of these things, nothing has arrived. Nothing. Not even messages. The supplies I brought with me are long gone; and there aren't even any mules, they've all been stolen or eaten. So I spend the day observing the birds, and fishing, and watching the way, and all the while suffering such terrible homesickness…'

Simut and I glanced at each other.

Quietly, Simut asked: ‘I find it hard to believe the army of General Horemheb would simply abandon you to this situation. Where are the other men? Where are your fellow soldiers?'

‘Gone!' cried the captain. ‘Probably dead,' he added, nodding his head. ‘After they deserted, they most likely didn't make it. They'll be nothing but bones by now.'

‘And what of their replacements? Surely this post has strategic value?' asked Simut.

‘Strategic value? Of course it has strategic value! But I've been abandoned! No one comes here, other than the one platoon, once in a while, and they share nothing of their own, even though they are plentifully supplied with excellent food and wine, and then they leave, without saying a word. They never invite me to drink or eat with them. No, they don't even spare me a kind word.'

‘Which platoon are you talking about?' I asked.

Suddenly the captain looked as if he regretted his words. He pushed his mug forward for more wine, which I refused to give him until he answered my question.

‘I cannot say,' he said warily. ‘I cannot remember.'

‘You will remember if you wish to drink more of the taste of home,' I replied.

He scowled, caught out.

‘They are a platoon from the Seth division.'

Simut and I glanced at each other. The Seth division was from the delta. They were known to be fiercely loyal to General Horemheb. The captain nodded expectantly. I poured him wine.

‘I shouldn't be talking so much. They made me swear never to speak of them, but I've no one else to talk to, except that mad old bitch in the kitchen, and neither of us has a clue what the other's saying.'

Simut was suddenly angry.

‘You are a soldier of the Egyptian army, and a representative of the powers of the King of Egypt. Why have you allowed this place to fall into such a mess? Where is your sense of duty? You are a disgrace to your uniform!'

The captain rose to his feet, reluctantly, and with the last of his pride he smoothed out his creased, food-stained kilt and tunic.

‘You are right, sir. But I am alone here. I live in fear. I have nothing to depend on. Every night I pray to the Gods to guard me, so that I may live to see Ra rise upon another day.'

‘Why are you afraid?' I asked quickly. ‘Why were all those herders afraid?'

‘They are everywhere,' he answered. ‘They attack by night. They destroy everything. They spare no one.'

‘Who do?' I said.

‘
The Apiru!
' he whispered furtively.

I confess a shiver ran down my spine at the mention of this notorious name. And yet I might have laughed at the absurdity of his manner.

‘The Apiru were wiped out years ago,' said Simut contemptuously.

‘Perhaps,' replied the captain. ‘But I can assure you they are very much alive again.'

He turned to go, but I still had one question.

‘Why did this platoon from the Seth division swear you to secrecy?'

‘I don't know,' he said. ‘They promised I would be killed if I spoke of them. But you won't say anything, will you?'

‘No,' I replied. ‘I won't say anything.'

Simut and I retired to our pallets for the afternoon's rest.

‘Do you think he was talking nonsense?' I said.

‘He's a drunk, he's failed in his duty, he's no idea what's going on. Why would I take such a man's absurd claims seriously?' Simut said. But he looked distinctly anxious.

‘But what if he's right? That would explain why the herders were afraid to leave. And a merchant's caravan like ours is a prime target for the Apiru,' I said.

‘Even if he's right, they'd be no match for my guards. The Apiru were only ever a bunch of disaffected bandits. And their hunting grounds were known to be far away to the north-east.'

And he went outside to check on his men.

I lay back, my hands behind my head, thinking. The Apiru's reputation as a wild band of notorious killers had once spread far and wide. It was said they roved across the Levant, plundering, massacring and destroying villages and small towns. Marginal, lawless people, without ethnic or religious affiliation, they were mostly escaped convicts, slaves and horse-thieves who had formed into bands of mercenaries, often for hire by small-scale despots and chieftains in petty local wars. They were known to have caused chaos and bloodshed in Canaan, especially in Byblos and Megiddo, and the other cities of the Levant coast during the time of Akhenaten. But Simut was right: that was years ago, and they were said to have destroyed themselves through internal power struggles. And so no one took them seriously any more.

I pulled the remaining papyrus from my leather bag, and stared at it. The black star; the star of chaos, of nothingness, of disorder and disaster. It was not an Egyptian sign. And it made no sense to connect it to the Apiru, if they still existed, for they were known only to range in the badlands of the north-east. The killers of the new Thebes cartel were, from what I could tell, highly trained. I wondered about the platoon from the Seth division, and their cargo. Were they perhaps Horemheb's private division? Were they part of his intelligence network? But if so, why would they habitually travel along a route if they knew it to be vulnerable to attack from a band of mercenaries? Something was not making sense. And it would not let me sleep.

We continued northwards for eight more days. The way became emptier and more haunted than ever. The captain's words about the Apiru had had a strange effect. We did not believe in them, and yet now we imagined bandits tracking us, even though they were nowhere to be seen. We had relayed the captain's information to Nakht, and he had noted it, but said the idea that the Apiru had re-formed was not credible. Nevertheless, Simut and I found ourselves glancing over our shoulders, and paying greater attention to the rocks on the scrubby hillsides, the remote shacks, and the turns in the way where danger might lurk; we avoided villages, sleeping under the sky, in whatever shade we could find by day, while the guards took turns to watch, poised in the heat.

During these days we crossed the border into the Kingdom of Amurru. We were halted by young Amurru guards, desperately bored, lounging in the shade of their reed hut. When they saw us, they leapt up, shouting and brandishing their poor weapons in aggressive excitement, thinking they could have some fun tormenting a lone caravan of Egyptian merchants. But Nakht spoke to them forcefully in their own language, ordering them to show respect to Egyptian merchants. Then he sweetened the exchange with a small bribe, and they suddenly grinned amiably and fell back like obedient dogs, and we passed on.

We approached the huge walls and gatehouses of the great port of Ugarit with considerable relief at completing this strange part of our journey successfully, as well as astonishment at the spectacle of this famous city, where, as they say, all roads meet. After so many days in the isolation of the wild lands, the sights and sounds of crowded streets and crammed markets came as a delight, and I absorbed everything: from the different faces and dresses, to the strange statues of their God, Baal, and the incomprehensible sounds of their language. I saw people from many different empires and kingdoms, all in their native costumes, all there on business, for Ugarit is the greatest emporium of the world because of its prosperous position between the great sea and the trade routes that run alongside the two great rivers of this world–the Tigris and the Euphrates–as well as south towards Egypt.

The ambassador had arranged accommodation for himself at the palace of the Hittite embassy in the city, and he took his leave of us, agreeing to meet again at the docks in two days' time. We were lodged in the city home of Nakht's ‘contact'–Paser, an Egyptian merchant. Bright and alert, with bold features, a neat physique, and the excellent, casual manners of a successful businessman whose charm was underwritten by determination, he greeted us with hospitable warmth, and treated Nakht with flattering, respectful attention. He spoke Egyptian with a curious accent, as if, despite his fluency, he was not truly a native speaker. On the other hand, he seemed delighted to be talking in a language he clearly loved. He had lived outside Egypt for most of his life, having been raised in Ugarit, and he had inherited a substantial trading company from his father. I imagined he was a man who knew how to get what he wanted, in the nicest possible way–and if not, by some other method.

He welcomed us inside the courtyard of his substantial house. The wooden gates were swiftly closed and barred behind us, and the noise of the city on the far side of the high walls suddenly died, to be replaced by the luxury of quietness. ‘Safe and sound,' he said, with a slightly enigmatic smile.

Servants showed us to our quarters. Nakht had his own large sleeping room, Simut and I would share another, adjacent, and the guards would sleep on pallets in the passageways and under the roof that ran along one side of the courtyard. We enjoyed the luxury of a bathroom after a long and arduous journey. I washed in clean, cool water, and after Paser's barber had attended to both Simut and myself, we looked like new men in the polished bronze of his mirror.

Dressed in fresh linens, I came down the stairs to wait upon Nakht and Paser. As I made my way along the passageway to the reception room, I noticed a chamber, with many wine jars stacked in rows in the cool shadows–for wine was Paser's business, as he had explained, and I intended to interrogate him about the famous Ugarit vintages. Quietly, I entered and examined the jar stoppers for marks–normally one would find an indication of the regnal year, the name of the estate, the type of the wine, the name of the vintner, and the quality of the contents. But some of these were unmarked. Perhaps they had not yet all been inspected. I could hear Nakht and Paser murmuring in low conversation in the chamber next door. Curious, feeling like a spy, I listened.

‘I will need your report immediately,' said Nakht.

‘Alas, you will not be pleased,' said Paser. ‘Our former friend has been up to his old tricks.'

‘As I feared,' Nakht replied. ‘I think we should now share this information with my men.'

‘I assume they are entirely trustworthy,' said Paser.

‘Absolutely,' said Nakht.

But then I heard Simut descending the stairs behind me; he would surely catch me listening. So I left the wine cellar, and joined him as he arrived at the foot of the stairs. We entered the chamber together, and stood to attention. The two men were sitting on low benches opposite each other.

‘Gentlemen, please join us,' said Nakht.

‘I think it is time for a glass of something,' said Paser.

‘Rahotep is a connoisseur of wine,' said Nakht.

‘Indeed?' said Paser. ‘Then perhaps you would be interested in our Ugarit wine. It can be rather good.'

‘So I hear,' I replied. ‘In fact, I took the liberty of looking through your cellar,' I said.

Paser glanced at Nakht. He walked over to a tray set out with jugs and goblets.

‘You are welcome to look at anything that interests you,' he said casually, and offered me a beautifully wrought silver goblet. I sniffed the wine carefully, swirling it around to release more of the bouquet. Paser was watching me. I took a small sip.

‘It is drinkable. But may I be honest?'

Paser nodded.