"There he is."
"Gnouros!" I yelled.
"Master!" The little Scythian rushed forward to seize my hand and kiss it. Meanwhile, the man in the hat pulled out a roll of papyrus and handed it to the overseer. While the latter was reading, slowly and with much lip-moving effort, I asked Gnouros:
"How in the afterworld did you get here? And what's up? Have they condemned you to the mines, too?"
"No, sir. They held me with your other property. Was going to be auction to sell us, but then this man—this m-m-" A fit of stuttering overcame him until finally he said: "You see now."
The young man stepped in front of me, staring. At last he said:
"What is your name, my man?"
"Eudoxos of Kyzikos," I said, resting my sledge on the ground. "And you, sir?"
"Don't you know me?"
"Wait," I said. There was something familiar about that guttural Judaean accent. "By Bakchos' balls, aren't you Colonel Ananias?"
The man smiled. "The same. You I didn't know, either. The last time I saw you, you were decently dressed and clean shaven; now you're down to a wisp of rag and wear a great, gray beard. You're covered with dirt and burnt as black as an Ethiop."
"And the last time I saw you, you wore a suit of gilded parade armor. To what do I owe the honor of this visit?"
"Keep your voice down, Master Eudoxos. It was thought that my uniform would be too conspicuous. Besides, in this heat, inside a helmet your brains fry. My royal mistress has sent me to get you out of the country."
I whistled. "But what—"
"Details later. First we must make you look like a human being again."
They took me to the camp smith, who chiseled the fetter off my leg. This was a painful business, which left my ankle bruised and bleeding. They took me to the bathhouse used by the guards and officials. The camp barber trimmed my hair and whiskers. Ananias' men unloaded a couple of bags from a camel. The bags contained the personal possessions I had brought back from India. My Scythian bow and arrows were there; my scabbard was present but not the sword.
"I'm sorry about the sword," said Ananias. "Somebody must have stolen it. But then, you're lucky that I rescued your gear when I did; a couple of days later it would have been auctioned, and never again would you have seen it."
The bags also contained my spare clothes and the little Indian statuette. When I was again decently clad, Ananias said:
"Almost again I can recognize you."
After a hasty meal, we set out on fast camels along road to Koptos. I said to Ananias:
"Now let's have the news."
"What do you know about Hippalos' arrest?"
"Only what I heard in court. The judge read an alleged confession, in which Hippalos admitted trying to smuggle pearls and put the blame on me. I thought I should meet the temple thief at the mines, but I didn't see him—"
"The scoundrel never got to the mines. He arrived in Alexandria about a ten-day before you did. But then he had to give a wild party for some of his cronies in a public tavern. He got drunk and hinted that he had worked some clever trick on the king. Then the perfume was in the soup. One of his so-called friends thought this a good chance to curry favor with the king, so back to the palace he bore the tale. His Majesty instantly sent police agents to pick up Hippalos. As soon as they searched him, they found that his belt was sewn full of pearls.
"He was convicted the next day and sentenced to the mines; and then, of course, he had to be tortured to reveal the names of his accomplices. The coward did not wait to suffer any actual pain. As soon as the executioner swished his scourge, Hippalos dictated that confession.
"He was put back into his cell to await the next draft of convicts for Upper Egypt. The following night, Her Majesty, Kleopatra the Sister, sent men to the prison with orders to smuggle the rascal out of the country. He was after all one of her faction, and doubtless she hoped to make further use of him. In strict confidence, the king has been unwell of late, and I think the Sister hopes to survive him and send Hippalos on another Indian voyage."
"I'm sorry for the poor jailer," I said, "getting contradictory orders from his different sovrans. Won't Physkon have his head when he finds out?"
Ananias shrugged. "Being confined to his bed, he will probably not find out. Besides, that jailer has survived these things before."
"Then how about me?"
"The judge who sentenced Hippalos passed a copy of his confession on to the customs department, and for you they were lying in wait. Agatharchides the tutor got wind of your fate. He rushed to my royal mistress, Kleopatra the Wife, pleading that it would be a crime against scholarship to bury you alive in the mines when you had just returned with all that first-hand knowledge of unknown lands. At least, that was the reason he gave for his intercession."
The Judaean shook his head, as if incredulous that any man connected with a royal court could act from such a disinterested motive. He continued: "It was Agatharchides' talk of the jewels of India that really interested Her Majesty. She hopes to put you to the same use as the Sister hoped to put Hippalos, after—ahem—a certain person is no longer with us."
The talk then turned to other matters, such as court gossip and my experiences in India. Ananias seemed to have a simple and fairly typical soldier's mind. He thought mainly of the brawls, carousals, and battles in his past and of promotion and pay in his future, and he cared not a whit for culture or intellect.
A few days later, however, as we were sailing down the Nile, he showed that he was not so simple after all. Like most courtiers, he had a sharp eye for the main chance. He said:
"O Eudoxos, if things change in Alexandria so that you can return hither safely, would you like to make another Indian voyage?"
"You mean under the patronage of your divine mistress?"
He made a face. "We Judaeans dislike to use the word 'divine' for anything but our God; but no matter. Have you such a plan in mind? I had rather it were you instead of that knave Hippalos, with whom I have a long score to settle."
"I might, if things fell out that way."
"You know that, but for me, you would still be sweating in the mines. I could have said I could not find you, or some such excuse made."
"What are you getting at?"
"That, as your go-between with the Wife, I expect a share of your profits on such a voyage."
"Go on," I said.
"You will naturally approach the queen through me. You also understand that, if you tried to cut me out of my share, I could easily spoil your deal through my brother, General Chelkias."
"I understand all that," said I, a bit nettled. "As I see it, considering the monopolies your sovrans claim, there won't be any profit to share. And India, while very interesting, is no place to visit for pleasure. If I ever went there again, it would only be to make a killing by trading on my own."
"The queens understand that, Eudoxos. When the time comes, you'll find them willing to make a reasonable agreement. I can help to bring them around, and I want to make sure I am not forgotten when the loot is divided."
"What had you in mind? Ten per cent?"
"Ha! Are you mad? I expect half, at least."
Knowing how courtiers made their living, I was not surprised. Nor was I affronted, since one Hellene should be worth two Syrians or three Judaeans in a bargaining session any day. We settled down to a real oriental haggle. For the next three days, while we drifted down the Pelusiac Branch of the Nile, we argued and threatened and chaffered. By the time we reached Pelousion, at the mouth of the river, we had agreed on twenty-five per cent of my net profits for Ananias and had roughed out the methods by which this should be calculated.
At Pelousion, I was surprised to find Agatharchides awaiting me. The old fellow had ridden one of the big, white Egyptian asses all the way from Alexandria to quiz me about India, while I waited for a coastal vessel to take me north. He also showed keen interest in my account of the gold mines of Upper Egypt and took voluminous notes.