Three Novels of Ancient Egypt

The king was silent and did not reply, and the sun made its way toward the middle of the sky as the army with its battalions and equipment continued its progress. Ahmose surrendered himself to meditation and thought. A vision of his family came to him as they received the news of the killing of Kamose: how shocked his mother Setkimus would be, how his grandmother Ahotep would grieve, how the long-suffering Sacred Mother Tetisheri would moan, and how his wife Nefertari, now Queen of Egypt, would weep. Dear God! Kamose had fallen to treachery, the army thus losing his bravery and experience, while he had been bequeathed an inheritance weighed down with the most onerous responsibilities. Then his imagination traveled ahead, to Thebes, where Apophis ruled and the people suffered every kind of torment and humiliation. He thought of Khanzar, the brave, terrible governor, against whom his soul would never rest until he had taken revenge for his father who had been made a martyr at his hands and had felled him with a fatal blow. Then the thought of Princess Amenridis came to him and he remembered the cabin where passion had consumed them both with sacred fire, and he asked himself, “Does she still cling to the memory of the handsome trader Isfmis and hope that he will be faithful to his promise?”

At this point Hur coughed, which reminded him that he should not yearn for Amenridis while at the head of the army that was marching to cleanse Egypt of her people. He tried to expel the thought and his sight fell on his huge army — whose rearguard stretched away beyond the horizon behind him; then he turned away and his thoughts returned to the battle that was taking place on the Nile. At midday, dispatch riders arrived and said that the two fleets were engaged in a violent battle, that the dead were falling in great numbers on either side, and that the two forces were still so evenly matched that it was impossible to predict the outcome. A frown appeared on the king's face and he could not hide his anxiety. Hur said, “There is no call for anxiety, my lord. The Herdsmen's fleet is no mean force that it should be easily overcome and our fleet is now plunged into the decisive battle on the Nile.”

Ahmose said, “If we lose it, we shall have lost half the war.”

Hur replied with certitude, “And if we win it, my lord, as I expect us to do, we shall have won the whole war.”

Evening found the army several hours away from Hierakonpolis and it became necessary to halt to rest and make ready. However, it had not been halted for more than a short time before news came that the vanguard was battling scattered forces of the enemy's army. Ahmose said, “The Herdsmen are rested. No doubt they welcome an engagement with us now.”

The king ordered a force of chariots to be sent to the aid of the scouts, should they be attacked by forces that outnumbered them. He also summoned his commanders and ordered them to be ready to enter the battle at any time.

Ahmose felt the grave burden that he bore in leading the army for the first time in his life, conscious that he was both the protector of this mighty army and the one responsible for the eternal destiny of Egypt. He said to Hur, “We must send our forces to destroy the Herdsmen's chariots.”

The chamberlain replied, “That is what both armies will try to do; and if we succeed in destroying the enemy's chariots and gain the upper hand in the field, then its army will be at the mercy of our bowmen.”