Three Novels of Ancient Egypt

The king's ears did not fail to note the words “respected governor” or their significance, but no sign of his inner perturbation showed on his face. At the same moment, Khayan shot a quick scrutinizing glance from his bulging eyes and found the Egyptian governor to be a truly impressive man, tall of stature, with an oval, beautiful face, extremely dark, his features distinguished by the protrusion of his upper teeth. He judged him to be in his fourth decade. The king imagined that the envoy of Apophis had come for the same reason that had brought earlier missions from the North, namely, to ask for stone and grain, which the kings of the Herdsmen considered tribute, while the kings of Thebes saw them as a bribe with which they protected themselves against the evil of the invaders.

The king said quietly and with dignity, “It is my pleasure to listen to you, envoy of mighty Apophis.”

The envoy moved in his seat as though about to jump up and fight. In his rough voice he said, “For two hundred years, the envoys of the North have never ceased to visit the South, each time returning satisfied.”

The king said, “I hope that this beautiful custom may continue.”

Khayan said, “Governor, I bring you three requests from Pharaoh. The first concerns the person of my lord Pharaoh; the second, his god, Seth; and the third, the ties of affection between North and South.”

The king now gave him his full attention and concern showed on his face. The man went on to say, “In recent days, my lord the king has complained of terrible pains that have wracked his nerves by night and of abominable noises that have assaulted his noble ears, rendering him prey to sleeplessness and ill health. He summoned his physicians and described to them his nocturnal sufferings and they examined him with care, but all went away again puzzled and none the wiser. In the opinion of them all, the king was in good health and well. When my lord despaired, he finally consulted the prophet of the temple of Seth and this wise man grasped the nature of his sickness and said, ‘The source of all his pains is the roaring of the hippopotami penned up in the South, which has infiltrated his heart.’ And he assured him that there could be no cure for him unless they were killed.”

The envoy knew that the hippopotami kept in the lake of Thebes were sacred, so he stole a glance at the governor's face to gauge the effect of his words, but found it stony and hard, though it had reddened. He waited for him to make some comment but the man uttered not a word and appeared to be listening and waiting. So, the envoy said, “While my lord was sick, he dreamed he saw our god Seth in all his dazzling majesty visit him and rebuke him, saying, ‘Is it right that there should not be a single temple in the whole of the South in which my name is mentioned?’ So my lord swore that he would ask of his friend, the governor of the South, that he build a temple to Seth in Thebes, next to the temple of Amun.”

The envoy fell silent, but Seqenenra continued to say nothing, though he now appeared as one taken aback and surprised by something that had never before occurred to him. Khayan, however, was unconcerned by the king's darkening mood and may even have been driven by a desire to provoke him. Chamberlain Hur, grasping the danger of the demands, bent over his lord's ear, whispering, “It would be better if my lord did not engage the envoy in discussion now.”

The king nodded in agreement, — well aware what the chamberlain — was driving at. Khayan imagined that the chamberlain was notifying his lord of what he had said, so he waited a little. However, the king merely said, “Have you any other message to convey?”

Khayan replied, “Respected governor, it has reached my lord's notice that you crown yourself with the White Crown of Egypt. This surprises him and he finds it out of keeping with the ties of affection and traditional friendship that bind the family of Pharaoh to your own time-honored family.”

Seqenenra exclaimed in astonishment, “But the White Crown is the headdress of the governors of the South!”

The envoy replied with assurance and insistence, “On the contrary, it was the crown of those of them who were kings, and for that reason, your glorious father never thought of wearing it, for he knew that there is only one king in this valley who has the right to wear a crown. I hope, respected governor, that my lord's reference to his sincere desire to strengthen the good relations between the dynasties of Thebes and Memphis will not be lost on you.”