Ancient World 02 - Raiders of the Nile Read Free Page A

beautiful, but her hair held a special fascination for me. Sated as I was, I felt a fresh stirring of desire.
    I stepped away from her, put down the comb, and took a deep breath. I willed my excitement to subside—something my father had told me a man could and should be able to do. It was time to venture out to the world beyond my little room.
    *   *   *
    The Rhakotis district is said to be the oldest part of Alexandria, built over the little fishing settlement that existed even before Alexander founded his city. Most of Alexandria is laid out in an elegant grid of broad avenues and grand porticoes, but the Rhakotis retains its maze of winding alleys, as if the chaotic spirit of the old village could not be tamed and made to submit to the modern metropolis that grew around it. Rhakotis reminds me of the Subura in Rome, with its tall tenements, taverns, and gaming houses. Lines for drying laundry crisscross the space above one’s head, while ragged children run zigzags up and down the street. Around a corner, half-naked women solicit customers from upper-story windows; keep walking while you look up and you’re likely to trip over a cat napping in the middle of the street. Cats do whatever they wish in Alexandria. Despite the merging of Greek and Egyptian gods that began with Alexander’s conquest, the locals still worship animals and insects and strange divinities that are part man, part beast.
    As was fitting for master and slave, I walked ahead and Bethesda followed a little distance behind. Had we walked side by side, what would people have thought? My first stop was a small tavern where the owner’s wife prepared my favorite breakfast—hot farina cooked with a little goat’s milk and mashed dates, served in a clay bowl. I ate a bit more than half the contents, scooping out mouthfuls with a bit of bread, then handed what remained of the bread to Bethesda and let her finish the bowl. She devoured it so quickly that I asked if she wanted more.
    She smiled and shook her head. “Now that you’ve eaten, what else do you desire to do on your special day, Master?”
    “Oh, I don’t know. I suppose I could find a good book in the great Library, and read it aloud to you. Or perhaps we could examine the collection of fabulous jewels in the Museum. Or climb to the top of the Pharos Lighthouse to take in the view.” I was joking, of course. The Library and Museum were open only to royal scholars and visitors with suitable credentials, not to a lowly Roman who made a living by his wits, and the island of Pharos was off-limits to all but lighthouse workers and the soldiers who guarded it.
    I shrugged. “On such a fine day, before it gets too hot, I propose that we take a long walk and see where it leads us. Surely some grand adventure awaits me on my birthday.” I smiled, having no idea what lay in store for us.
    To be sure, there was always the chance of encountering some sort of violence when one was out and about in Alexandria. It had not always been so. When I first arrived in the city, I was able to go anywhere, at any time of the day or night, without concern for my safety. But in the two years and eight months since my arrival, Alexandria had become increasingly dangerous and disorderly. The people were unhappy, and they blamed their discontent on King Ptolemy. Every so often, there would be a riot. The riot would lead to a bit of looting and perhaps a fire or two, then the appearance of royal soldiers, and then, inevitably, bloodshed. You might think the Alexandrians would dread these outbreaks of chaos, and flee from them. Instead they seemed to relish them. Whenever a riot broke out, hundreds or even thousands would converge on the scene, like moths to a flame.
    Why did the people hate their king so bitterly? Some years ago he had risen to power by driving his older brother from the throne; as far as I could tell, he had done so with the support of the Alexandrian mob. Then, as if to patch things up, he