The Egyptian

7

But that same night the priests were laboring with great zeal in the temple of Sekhmet, clearing away the grass that had grown up between the flagstones, re-erecting the lionheaded image in its place, robing it in red linen, and adorning it with the emblems of war and devastation.

As soon as Eie had crowned Tutankhamon with the crowns of both kingdoms-the red crown and the white, papyrus and lily-he said to Horemheb, “Now is the hour, you Son of the Falcon! Let the horns sound and declare war! Let blood flow like a purifying wave over the land of Kem, that all may be as before and the people forget the memory of the false Pharaoh.”

On the following day, when Tutankhamon in his golden house was playing at funerals with his dolls, in company with his royal consort-when the priests of Ammon, drunk with power, burned incense in the great temple and cursed the name of Pharaoh Akhnaton to all eternity-then Horemheb ordered the horns to be sounded at the corners of the streets. The copper gates of Sekhmet’s temple were flung open, and at the head of picked troops Horemheb led the triumphal march along the Avenue of Rams, to make sacrifice to the goddess. Eie had his desire, for from the right hand of Pharaoh he ruled over the land of Kem. Now came Horemheb’s turn, whose demand also was fulfilled, and I followed him to the temple of Sekhmet because he wished me to behold the greatness of his power.

Yet to his honor be it said that in the hour of his triumph he disdained all outward show and sought to impress the people by the simplicity of his demeanor. For this reason he drove to the temple in a heavy, workday chariot. No plumes waved above the heads of his horses; no gold gleamed on the wheel spokes. Instead, keen copper scythes slashed the air upon either side of the car. Behind him followed the ranks of the javelin throwers and bowmen. The thud of their bare feet on the stones of the Avenue of Rams was as deep and steady as the roar of the sea. The Negroes beat on drums fashioned of human skin.

Silent and awestruck the people beheld the stately figure erect in the chariot, above the heads of all-beheld his troops who gleamed with health at a time when the whole country suffered want. They watched this progress in silence, as if suspecting that their sufferings were only now beginning. Horemheb halted before the temple of Sekhmet, stepped down from his chariot and entered, followed by his officers. The priests came to meet him with hands and robes splashed with fresh blood and led him before the image of Sekhmet. The goddess was arrayed in a red robe, moistened with the blood of the sacrifice so that it clung to her body, and the stone breasts rose proudly from the garment. In the twilight of the temple her savage lion’s head seemed to move, and her jeweled eyes stared down as if alive on Horemheb as he crushed the warm hearts of the offerings in his hand and prayed for victory.

The priests leaped round about him, rejoicing, and gashing themselves with their knives, and they cried out with one voice, “Return as conqueror, Horemheb, Son of the Falcon! Return as conqueror, and the goddess will descend to you, living, and embrace you with her nakedness!”

But Horemheb did not allow the leaping and outcry of the priests to ruffle his composure; he performed the appointed rites with cool dignity and left the temple. Outside he raised his bloodstained hands and spoke to the waiting multitude.

“Harken to me, all people in the land of Kem! Harken to me, for I am Horemheb, the Son of the Falcon; in my hands I bear victory and deathless glory for all those who will follow me into the holy war. At this hour the chariots of the Hittites thunder over the Sinai desert; their vanguard lays waste the Lower Kingdom, and the land of Kem has never yet been threatened by so great a peril. The Hittites are coming, whose numbers are beyond reckoning and whose cruelty is an abomination to all men. They will lay waste your homes, put out your eyes, violate your wives, and carry off your children into slavery. Therefore the war I declare on them is a holy war; it is a War for your lives and for the gods of Kem. If all goes well, we will Win back Syria when we have defeated the Hittites. Prosperity will return to us, and every man will receive full measure of corn and his full share in the spoils. Strangers have desecrated our country long enough; they have mocked at our weakness long enough and derided the impotence of our arms! The hour is now come for me to restore to Kem its military glory. Only by summoning our full strength can the day be won. Therefore, women of Egypt, twist your hair into bowstrings, and send out your husbands and your sons with rejoicing to the holy war! Egyptian men, forge your ornaments into arrowheads and follow me, and I will give you a war the like of which the whole circle of the world has never seen! The spirits of the great Pharaohs, and all the gods of Egypt-foremost among these Ammon, the exalted-fight at our side. Harken to me, all people! Horemheb, the Son of the Falcon, has spoken!”

He ceased, dropping his bloodstained hands to his sides and panting, for he had shouted with a tremendous voice. Then the horns sounded; the soldiers smote their shields with their spear shafts and stamped their feet. Here and there a shout rose from the multitude, the shout swelled to a storm of voices, and all the people cried exultantly together. Horemheb smiled and stepped up into his chariot, while warriors cleared a way for him through the roaring crowds.

He drove to the harbor and boarded his ship, for he was to sail directly to Memphis, having already tarried too long in Thebes. According to the latest reports the horses of the Hittites were even now grazing in Tanis. I too went on board, and none sought to hinder me when I went up to him and said, “Horemheb, Pharaoh Akhnaton is dead; therefore I am released from my post as his skull surgeon and am free to come and go as I please. I mean to go with you into battle, for to me all things are indifferent and I am nowhere happy. I would see what manner of blessing is to come of this war of which you have spoken throughout your life. I would learn whether your rule is better than that of Akhnaton, or whether the earth is governed by the spirits of the underworld.”

Horemheb was overjoyed and said, “May this be a good omen-although I never should have supposed that you, Sinuhe, would be the first to volunteer for this war! No, this I could not have believed, knowing that you prefer comfort and soft couches to the strenuous exertions of the field. I fancied you might watch over my interests in the golden house-but perhaps it is better for you to come with me since you are a simple sort of man whom anyone may lead by the nose. In this way I have at least a clever doctor and may well find need for such. Truly, Sinuhe, my men were right to name you Son of the Wild Ass when we fought the Khabiri together, for you must certainly have the heart of that beast to feel no dread of the Hittites.

As he spoke, the oarsmen dipped their oars, and the vessel moved out into the current with floating pennants. The quays were white with throngs, whose shouting was like a gale of wind in our ears. Horemheb drew a deep breath and said smiling, “My oration made a deep impression on the people, as you see.”

I followed him to his cabin, from which he drove his scribes. Then he washed his hands, smelled them, and said coolly, “By Set and all devils! I did not think that the priests of Sekhmet still performed human sacrifice. But the old fellows were no doubt excited, for the gates of Sekhmet’s temple have not been opened for at least forty years. I wondered why they required Hittite and Syrian prisoners for the ceremonies, but I let them have their way.”

So aghast was I at his words that my knees gave beneath me, but Horemheb went on indifferently, “Had I known, I would scarcely have permitted it. Believe me, Sinuhe, I was much startled to find a warm, bleeding human heart in my hand before the altar. But let us render to the priests what is theirs, and they will give us no trouble.”

“Horemheb,” said I, “is anything sacred to you?”

He pondered a little, and replied, “When I was young, I believed in friendship, and I believed also that I loved a certain woman, whose scorn drove me to madness. Now I know that no human being is an aim, but only a means. I am the center of all things; all things proceed from me and return to me. I am Egypt; I am the people. In making Egypt great and powerful I myself am made great and powerful. This is no more than fitting, as you may understand, Sinuhe.”

His words made little impression on me, for I had known him as a boastful boy, and I had seen his parents, who smelled of cheese, and cattle, although he had raised them to distinction. Therefore, I could not take him very seriously although it was plain that he sought to make himself divine in my sight. I concealed my thoughts from him and began to speak of Princess Baketamon, who was mortally offended because she had not been given a place of fitting dignity in Tutankhamon’s procession. Horemheb listened to me greedily and offered me wine, that I might tell him more of Baketamon. So the time passed as we sailed down the river to Memphis, while the chariots of the Hittites laid waste the Lower Kingdom.