CHAPTER XX.
As Nemu, on his way back from his visit to Ani, approached hismistress's house, he was detained by a boy, who desired him to followhim to the stranger's quarter. Seeing him hesitate, the messenger showedhim the ring of his mother Hekt, who had come into the town on business,and wanted to speak with him.
Nemu was tired, for he was not accustomed to walking; his ass was dead,and Katuti could not afford to give him another. Half of Mena's beastshad been sold, and the remainder barely sufficed for the field-labor.
At the corners of the busiest streets, and on the market-places, stoodboys with asses which they hired out for a small sum;
[In the streets of modern Egyptian towns asses stand saddled for hire. On the monuments only foreigners are represented as riding on asses, but these beasts are mentioned in almost every list of the possessions of the nobles, even in very early times, and the number is often considerable. There is a picture extant of a rich old man who rides on a seat supported on the backs of two donkeys. Lepsius, Denkmaler, part ii. 126.]
but Nemu had parted with his last money for a garment and a new wig, sothat he might appear worthily attired before the Regent. In former timeshis pocket had never been empty, for Mena had thrown him many a ring ofsilver, or even of gold, but his restless and ambitious spirit wasted noregrets on lost luxuries. He remembered those years of superfluity withcontempt, and as he puffed and panted on his way through the dust, hefelt himself swell with satisfaction.
The Regent had admitted him to a private interview, and the little manhad soon succeeded in riveting his attention; Ani had laughed till thetears rolled down his cheeks at Nemu's description of Paaker's wildpassion, and he had proved himself in earnest over the dwarf's furthercommunications, and had met his demands half-way. Nemu felt like a duckhatched on dry land, and put for the first time into water; like a birdhatched in a cage, and that for the first time is allowed to spread itswings and fly. He would have swum or have flown willingly to death ifcircumstances had not set a limit to his zeal and energy.
Bathed in sweat and coated with dust, he at last reached the gay tentin the stranger's quarter, where the sorceress Hekt was accustomed toalight when she came over to Thebes.
He was considering far-reaching projects, dreaming of possibilities,devising subtle plans--rejecting them as too subtle, and supplyingtheir place with others more feasible and less dangerous; altogetherthe little diplomatist had no mind for the motley tribes which heresurrounded him. He had passed the temple in which the people of Kaftadored their goddess Astarte, and the sanctuary of Seth, where theysacrificed to Baal, without letting himself be disturbed by the dancingdevotees or the noise of cymbals and music which issued from theirenclosures. The tents and slightly-built wooden houses of the dancinggirls did not tempt him. Besides their inhabitants, who in the eveningtricked themselves out in tinsel finery to lure the youth of Thebes intoextravagance and folly, and spent their days in sleeping till sun-down,only the gambling booths drove a brisk business; and the guard of policehad much trouble to restrain the soldier, who had staked and lost allhis prize money, or the sailor, who thought himself cheated, from suchoutbreaks of rage and despair as must end in bloodshed. Drunken menlay in front of the taverns, and others were doing their utmost, byrepeatedly draining their beakers, to follow their example.
Nothing was yet to be seen of the various musicians, jugglers,fire-eaters, serpent-charmers, and conjurers, who in the eveningdisplayed their skill in this part of the town, which at all times hadthe aspect of a never ceasing fair. But these delights, which Nemu hadpassed a thousand times, had never had any temptation for him. Women andgambling were not to his taste; that which could be had simply for thetaking, without trouble or exertion, offered no charms to his fancy,he had no fear of the ridicule of the dancing-women, and theirassociates--indeed, he occasionally sought them, for he enjoyed a warof words, and he was of opinion that no one in Thebes could beat him athaving the last word. Other people, indeed, shared this opinion, and notlong before Paaker's steward had said of Nemu:
"Our tongues are cudgels, but the little one's is a dagger."
The destination of the dwarf was a very large and gaudy tent, not in anyway distinguished from a dozen others in its neighborhood. The openingwhich led into it was wide, but at present closed by a hanging of coarsestuff.
Nemu squeezed himself in between the edge of the tent and the yieldingdoor, and found himself in an almost circular tent with many angles, andwith its cone-shaped roof supported on a pole by way of a pillar.
Pieces of shabby carpet lay on the dusty soil that was the floor of thetent, and on these squatted some gaily-clad girls, whom an old woman wasbusily engaged in dressing. She painted the finger and toenails ofthe fair ones with orange-colored Hennah, blackened their brows andeye-lashes with Mestem--[Antimony.]--to give brilliancy to their glance,painted their cheeks with white and red, and anointed their hair withscented oil.
It was very hot in the tent, and not one of the girls spoke a word; theysat perfectly still before the old woman, and did not stir a finger,excepting now and then to take up one of the porous clay pitchers, whichstood on the ground, for a draught of water, or to put a pill of Kyphibetween their painted lips.
Various musical instruments leaned against the walls of the tent,hand-drums, pipes and lutes and four tambourines lay on the ground; onthe vellum of one slept a cat, whose graceful kittens played with thebells in the hoop of another.
An old negro-woman went in and out of the little back-door of the tent,pursued by flies and gnats, while she cleared away a variety of earthendishes with the remains of food--pomegranate-peelings, breadcrumbs, andgarlic-tops--which had been lying on one of the carpets for some hourssince the girls had finished their dinner.
Old Hekt sat apart from the girls on a painted trunk, and she wassaying, as she took a parcel from her wallet:
"Here, take this incense, and burn six seeds of it, and the vermin willall disappear--" she pointed to the flies that swarmed round the platterin her hand. "If you like I will drive away the mice too and draw thesnakes out of their holes better than the priests."
[Recipes for exterminating noxious creatures are found in the papyrus in my possession.]
"Keep your magic to yourself," said a girl in a husky voice. "Sinceyou muttered your words over me, and gave me that drink to make me growslight and lissom again, I have been shaken to pieces with a cough atnight, and turn faint when I am dancing."
"But look how slender you have grown," answered Hekt, "and your coughwill soon be well."
"When I am dead," whispered the girl to the old woman. "I know that mostof us end so."
The witch shrugged her shoulders, and perceiving the dwarf she rose fromher seat.
The girls too noticed the little man, and set up the indescribable cry,something like the cackle of hens, which is peculiar to Eastern womenwhen something tickles their fancy. Nemu was well known to them, for hismother always stayed in their tent whenever she came to Thebes, and thegayest of them cried out:
"You are grown, little man, since the last time you were here."
"So are you," said the dwarf sharply; "but only as far as big words areconcerned."
"And you are as wicked as you are small," retorted the girl.
"Then my wickedness is small too," said the dwarf laughing, "for I amlittle enough! Good morning, girls--may Besa help your beauty. Good day,mother--you sent for me?"
The old woman nodded; the dwarf perched himself on the chest beside her,and they began to whisper together.
"How dusty and tired you are," said Hekt. I do believe you have come onfoot in the burning sun."
"My ass is dead," replied Nemu, "and I have no money to hire a steed."
"A foretaste of future splendor," said the old woman with a sneer. "Whathave you succeeded in doing?"
"Paaker has saved us," replied Nemu, "and I have just come from a longinterview with the Regent."
"Well?"
"He w
ill renew your letter of freedom, if you will put Paaker into hispower."
"Good-good. I wish he would make up his mind to come and seek me--indisguise, of course--I would--"
"He is very timid, and it would not suggest to him anything sounpracticable."
"Hm--" said Hekt, "perhaps you are right, for when we have to demand agood deal it is best only to ask for what is feasible. One rash requestoften altogether spoils the patron's inclination for granting favors."
"What else has occurred?"
"The Regent's army has conquered the Ethiopians, and is coming home withrich spoils."
"People may be bought with treasure," muttered the old woman, "Igood--good!"
"Paaker's sword is sharpened; I would give no more for my master's life,than I have in my pocket--and you know why I came on foot through thedust."
"Well, you can ride home again," replied his mother, giving the littleman a small silver ring. "Has the pioneer seen Nefert again?"
"Strange things have happened," said the dwarf, and he told hismother what had taken place between Katuti and Nefert. Nemu was a goodlistener, and had not forgotten a word of what he had heard.
The old woman listened to his story with the most eager attention.
"Well, well," she muttered, "here is another extraordinary thing. Whatis common to all men is generally disgustingly similar in the palaceand in the hovel. Mothers are everywhere she-apes, who with pleasure letthemselves be tormented to death by their children, who repay them badlyenough, and the wives generally open their ears wide if any one can tellthem of some misbehavior of their husbands! But that is not the way withyour mistress."
The old woman looked thoughtful, and then she continued:
"In point of fact this can be easily explained, and is not at all moreextraordinary than it is that those tired girls should sit yawning. Youtold me once that it was a pretty sight to see the mother and daughterside by side in their chariot when they go to a festival or thePanegyrai; Katuti, you said, took care that the colors of their dressesand the flowers in their hair should harmonize. For which of them is thedress first chosen on such occasions?"
"Always for the lady Katuti, who never wears any but certain colors,"replied Nemu quickly.
"You see," said the witch laughing, "Indeed it must be so. That motheralways thinks of herself first, and of the objects she wishes to gain;but they hang high, and she treads down everything that is in herway--even her own child--to reach them. She will contrive that Paakershall be the ruin of Mena, as sure as I have ears to hear with, forthat woman is capable of playing any tricks with her daughter, and wouldmarry her to that lame dog yonder if it would advance her ambitiousschemes."
"But Nefert!" said Nemu. "You should have seen her. The dove became alioness."
"Because she loves Mena as much as her mother loves herself," answeredHekt. "As the poets say, 'she is full of him.' It is really true of her,there is no room for any thing else. She cares for one only, and woe tothose who come between him and her!"
"I have seen other women in love," said Nemu, "but--"
"But," exclaimed the old witch with such a sharp laugh that the girlsall looked up, "they behaved differently to Nefert--I believe you, forthere is not one in a thousand that loves as she does. It is a sicknessthat gives raging pain--like a poisoned arrow in an open wound, anddevours all that is near it like a fire-brand, and is harder to curethan the disease which is killing that coughing wench. To be possessedby that demon of anguish is to suffer the torture of the damned--orelse," and her voice sank to softness, "to be more blest than the Gods,happy as they are. I know--I know it all; for I was once one of thepossessed, one of a thousand, and even now--"
"Well?" asked the dwarf.
"Folly!" muttered the witch, stretching herself as if awaking fromsleep. "Madness! He--is long since dead, and if he were not it would beall the same to me. All men are alike, and Mena will be like the rest."
"But Paaker surely is governed by the demon you describe?" asked thedwarf.
"May be," replied his mother; "but he is self-willed to madness. Hewould simply give his life for the thing because it is denied him. Ifyour mistress Nefert were his, perhaps he might be easier; but what isthe use of chattering? I must go over to the gold tent, where everyonegoes now who has any money in their purse, to speak to the mistress--"
"What do you want with her?" interrupted Nemu. "Little Uarda overthere," said the old woman, "will soon be quite well again. You haveseen her lately; is she not grown beautiful, wonderfully beautiful? NowI shall see what the good woman will offer me if I take Uarda to her?the girl is as light-footed as a gazelle, and with good training wouldlearn to dance in a very few weeks."
Nemu turned perfectly white.
"That you shall not do," said he positively.
"And why not?" asked the old woman, "if it pays well."
"Because I forbid it," said the dwarf in a choked voice.
"Bless me," laughed the woman; "you want to play my lady Nefert, andexpect me to take the part of her mother Katuti. But, seriously, havingseen the child again, have you any fancy for her?"
"Yes," replied Nemu. "If we gain our end, Katuti will make me free, andmake me rich. Then I will buy Pinem's grandchild, and take her formy wife. I will build a house near the hall of justice, and give thecomplainants and defendants private advice, like the hunch-back Sent,who now drives through the streets in his own chariot."
"Hm--" said his mother, "that might have done very well, but perhaps itis too late. When the child had fever she talked about the young priestwho was sent from the House of Seti by Ameni. He is a fine tallfellow, and took a great interest in her; he is a gardener's son, namedPentaur."
"Pentaur?" said the dwarf. "Pentaur? He has the haughty air and theexpression of the old Mohar, and would be sure to rise; but they aregoing to break his proud neck for him."
"So much the better," said the old woman. "Uarda would be just the wifefor you, she is good and steady, and no one knows--"
"What?" said Nemu.
"Who her mother was--for she was not one of us. She came here fromforeign parts, and when she died she left a trinket with strange letterson it. We must show it to one of the prisoners of war, after you havegot her safe; perhaps they could make out the queer inscription. Shecomes of a good stock, that I am certain; for Uarda is the very livingimage of her mother, and as soon as she was born, she looked like thechild of a great man. You smile, you idiot! Why thousands of infantshave been in my hands, and if one was brought to me wrapped in rags Icould tell if its parents were noble or base-born. The shape of the footshows it--and other marks. Uarda may stay where she is, and I will helpyou. If anything new occurs let me know."