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and morning of rest, the Egyptian troops would join forces
before encircling Kadesh and launching their initial attack
upon the fort.
The engineers set up Pharaoh s camp with lightning
swiftness. Forming a rectangle with tall shields, they raised
Ramses: The battle of kadesh 325
the sovereign s spacious tent, which featured a bedroom, a
study, and an audience chamber. A number of smaller
tents were reserved for the officers. The ordinary soldiers
would sleep under the stars or, in case of rain, under cloth
shelters. At the entry to the camp, a wooden gate flanked
with two statues of lions led into a central walkway. It
ended at a chapel where the king would say prayers to
Amon.
As soon as the division general gave the order to lay
down arms, the soldiers went about a variety of tasks
assigned to them by unit. The horses, donkeys, and oxen
had to be tended to. Laundry was done, wheels were
repaired, daggers and lances were sharpened, rations dis-
tributed, meals prepared. The aroma of cooking made the
men forget Kadesh, the Hittites, and the war. They began to
joke, tell stories, gamble their wages. A group of hotheads
organized a wrestling tournament.
Ramses groomed his horses himself, then fed his lion;
Fighter was as voracious as ever. The camp settled down, the
stars took possession of the sky, the king s eyes were riveted
on the hulking fortress that his father had judged wiser not
to annex. If he could take it, he would deal a serious blow
to the Hittite empire. Ramses would install an elite gar-
rison, thwarting any future invasion of Egyptian territory.
He stretched out on his claw-footed bed and laid his
head on a pillowcase in a papyrus and lotus print. The del-
icacy of the pattern brought a smile to his face. How far
away the Two Lands seemed, with their good life!
When the king closed his eyes, he saw the sublime face
of Nefertari.
326 Christian Jacq
On your feet, Shaanar.
Do you know who you re talking to, guard?
A traitor who should get the death penalty.
I m the king s older brother!
You re nobody now. Your name will vanish forever. Get
up, or you ll feel the sting of my whip.
You have no right to mistreat a prisoner.
Sensing the threat was serious, Shaanar now rose.
In the main jail in Memphis, he had suffered no special
hardships. Unlike the other inmates, who did forced labor
in the fields or repairing dikes, the prince was kept in a cell
and fed twice a day.
The jailer muscled him into the hall. Shaanar thought he
might be put in a chariot heading for a desert outpost, but
instead the burly guards marched him into an office.
Waiting for him was the man he hated most after Ramses
and Ahsha: Ahmeni, the faithful scribe, the incorruptible.
You ve chosen to side with the losers, Ahmeni. Your tri-
umph will be short-lived, believe me.
You never did know when to give up, Shaanar.
I ll have the last laugh when the Hittites crush Ramses
and get me out of here.
Your incarceration has evidently made you lose your
mind, but perhaps your memory still serves you.
Shaanar scowled. What do you want from me,
Ahmeni?
The names of your accomplices.
Accomplices? Why, the whole court, the whole country,
my dear little man! When I take the throne, they ll worship
at my feet, and I ll punish my enemies.
I want names, Shaanar.
You re much too curious, Ahmeni. And don t you
believe I was strong enough to have acted alone?
Ramses: The battle of kadesh 327
You were manipulated, Shaanar, and your friends have
abandoned you.
You re wrong. Ramses is a doomed man.
If you talk, Shaanar, the conditions of your imprison-
ment might be less harsh.
I won t be a prisoner for long. If I were you, little scribe,
I d start running! I plan to settle every score, and you ll be
at the top of my list.
One last time, Shaanar: will you give me the names of
your accomplices?
When demons slash your face and rip out your
entrails!
Life in a penal colony will loose your tongue.
You ll grovel at my feet, Ahmeni.
Take him away, the secretary told the guards.
The prince was pushed into a chariot drawn by two oxen.
A policeman was at the reins. Four mounted policemen
would ride along to the desert penal colony.
Shaanar sat on a rough plank and felt every bump in the
road. But the pain and rough treatment made no difference to
him. Feeling the ultimate prize within his grasp, then seeing it
slip away, had inspired an insatiable desire for revenge.
As the day wore on, Shaanar dozed, dreaming of tri-
umphs to come.
Suddenly, grains of sand whipped his face. He fell to his
knees in astonishment and looked around.
A huge tan-colored cloud hid the sky and filled the
desert. The storm came from nowhere and hit with incred-
ible speed.
In a panic, two of the horses threw their riders. As their
comrades rushed to help them, Shaanar punched the driver,
shoved him out of the chariot, grabbed the reins, and
headed for the eye of the storm.
Fifty-three
he morning was overcast and the fortress of Kadesh
Twas slow to emerge from the fog. Its imposing mass
continued to challenge the Egyptian army. Tucked between
the river and the wooded hills, it seemed unassailable. From
the height at which the king and the Amon division had
positioned themselves, Ramses could see the Ra division on
the flatland in front of the fort and the Ptah division
between the forest of Labwi and the first ford. Soon they
would cross the river, with the Set division following close
behind. Then the four divisions would come together in a
victorious attack on the fortress.
The soldiers checked their weapons. They were itching
to use their daggers, spears, swords, short sabers, clubs,
hatchets, and bows. As the battle approached, the horses
grew skittish. On orders from the Supply Corps scribe, the
campsite was cleaned and the kitchen gear washed and
rinsed. The officers reviewed the troops and sent the ill-
shaven to see the barber. They were just as picky about neat
uniforms. Any infraction was worth several days hard labor.
Ramses: The battle of kadesh 329
Shortly before noon, when the sun s heat finally made
itself felt, Ramses had the signal corps give the go-ahead to
the Ptah division. They advanced, beginning to ford the
river. A messenger was dispatched to send the Set division
on its way through the forest of Labwi.
Then came the sound of thunder. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
