"Smith, Wilbur - Egyptian 01 - River God" - читать интересную книгу автора (Smith Wilbur)

She had set aside her formal wig, and wore her natural hair in a
side-lock that fell in a thick dark rope over one breast. The slant of
her eyes was enhanced by the silvergreen of powdered malachite
cunningly touched to the upper lids. The colour of her eyes was green
also, but the darker, clearer green of the Nile when its waters have
shrunk and deposited their burden of precious silts. Between her
breasts, suspended on a gold chain, she wore a figurine of Hopi, the
goddess of the Nile, fashioned in gold and precious lapis lazuli. Of
course it was a superb piece, for I had made it with my own hands for
her.

Suddenly tonus lifted his right hand with the fist clenched. As a
single man the rowers checked their stroke and held the blades of their
paddles aloft, glinting in the sunlight and dripping water. Then tonus
thrust the steering oar hard over, and the men on the port bank stabbed
their backstroke deeply, creating a series of tiny whirlpools in the
surface of the green water. The starboard side pulled strongly
ahead.

The boat spun so sharply that the deck canted over at an alarming
angle. Then both banks pulled together and she shot forward. The
sharp prow, with the blue eyes of Horus emblazoned upon it, brushed
aside the dense stands of papyrus, and she lanced her way out of the
flow of the river and into the still waters of the lagoon beyond.

Lostris broke off the song and shaded her eyes to gaze ahead.

"There they are! "she cried, and pointed with a graceful little
hand.

The other boats of tonus" squadron were cast like a net across the
southern reaches of the lagoon, blocking the main entrance to the great
river, cutting off any escape in that direction.

Naturally, tonus had chosen for himself the northern station, for he
knew that this was where the sport would be most furious. I wished it
was not so. Not that I am a coward, but I have always the safety of my
mistress to consider. She had inveigled herself aboard the Breath of
Horus only after much intrigue in which, as always, she had deeply
involved me. When her father learned, as he surely would, of her
presence in the thick of the hunt, it would go badly enough for me, but
if he learned also that I was responsible for allowing her to be in the
company of tonus for a full day, not even my privileged position would
protect me from his wrath. His instructions to me regarding this young
man were unequivocal.

However, I seemed to be the only soul aboard the Breath of Horus who
was perturbed. The others were simmering with excitement. tonus
checked the rowers with a peremptory hand-signal, and the boat glided