Soldier of Sidon Read Free Page B

price in the great cities to the south. The merchants here in Sais will offer only the lowest prices, thinking that he will wish to sell what he has and get another cargo quickly.
    Some time after we ate, a soldier of Parsa arrived with a letter for Muslak. I studied this soldier, for it seems I have been a soldier of Great King's just as he is. He was of medium height, bearded, and appeared strong. He had a bowcase, a light ax with a long haft, and a dagger. He wore more clothing than most people do here.
    Muslak scowled at first when he read the letter, then smiled. When he had finished, he read it again before he rolled it up and put it into his chest.
    The three of us found a scribe, and from what Muslak said I learned that the letter had been from the satrap of Kemet. Muslak told him that his ship was large and sound and his crew strong, and declared that he would obey at once. The soldier left with Muslak's letter, although I would have liked to speak more with him.
    "You'll see thousands like that, Lewqys. We're going to the White Wall, the biggest fortress in the whole country."
    "To see the satrap?"
    Muslak nodded. "To see Prince Achaemenes himself. He has a job for us."
    I asked whether this Achaemenes would pay us, for I wish to earn money.
    "He says he'll reward us handsomely." Muslak fingeredhis beard. "He must be one of the richest men in the world."
    There were more merchants, but the heat made me sleepy. I found a shady spot under a tree in the courtyard of our inn and slept.

2

IN THE EVENING

    MUSLAK WOKE ME to go to the temple. He asked what I remembered, and I told him everything.
    "That's good. You'll have forgotten most of it tomorrow, I'm afraid, but you may remember telling me now. Here, carry this."
    It was a ram skin dyed red, very fine. "We'll have to give the goddess a nice present," Muslak explained, "and that can be sold for a good bit more than I'm willing to give."
    The priest smiled when I held it up, and accepted it graciously; he is a tranquil man of middle height and middle years, with a shaven head. I took advantage of the moment to ask about Hathor, explaining that I was a stranger to his country and knew only that she was a great goddess here.
    He nodded solemnly. "I would rather try to teach you, young man, than those who feel that they already know more than enough, as I must so often do in the House of Life. First let me assure you that no mortal ever knows enough, much less more than enough. You have seen her image?"
    I shook my head.
    "Then come with me. We will go into the forecourt."
    It is a vast building, and the columns that support the lintel are larger than the houses of the poor and as tall as trees. Lamps flickered within, lonely dots of yellow light in the gloom. Beyond them, the broad doors of the inner temple were half closed. Through the opening I glimpsed the image of the goddess.
    That, too, is huge, taller than any of the tall private houses we had seen. Its dress is rich, and it gleams with many gems. In form, it is a woman with the head of a cow.
    "Hathor was wet nurse to Osiris," the priest explained. "We give animal heads to many of our gods to illustrate their honor and authority. You foreigners are frequently puzzled by it, wishing your gods to be like yourselves. Hathor is not like us, but a mighty divinity. It is Hathor who feeds the dead and governs love and the family. ..."
    I heard no more. A horned woman taller than any man had stepped from behind the image of the goddess. As she strode toward us, it seemed that some other held a lamp behind her, so that her whole form was outlined with light, although her smiling face was shadowed. "You go into danger, foreign man," she told me. "Do you wish my help? You may have it at a price."
    I wanted to kneel but found I could not. My body was still standing next to Muslak. "I need your help very much, Great Goddess, but I have nothing to give but my sword."
    "You will have other uses for that. You are strong and a