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

to a halt and lay rocking gently upon the green waters that were so
still that when I glanced overboard and saw my own reflection look back
at me, I was struck, as always, by how well my beauty had carried over
the years. To me it seemed that my face was more lovely than the
cerulean blue lotus blooms that framed it. I had little time to admire
it, however, for the crew were all abustle.

One of tonus" staff officers ran up his personal standard to the
masthead. It was the image of a blue crocodile, with its great cox
combed tail held erect and its jaws open. Only an officer of the rank
of Best of Ten Thousand was entitled to his own standard. tonus had
achieved such rank, together with the command of the Blue Crocodile
division of Pharaoh's own elite guard, before his twentieth birthday.

Now the standard at the masthead was the signal for the hunt to begin.
On the horizon of the lagoon the rest of the squadron were tiny with
distance, but their paddles began to beat rhythmically, rising and
falling like the wings of wild geese in flight, glistening in the
sunlight. From their sterns the multiple wavelets of their wakes were
drawn out across the placid waters and lay for a long while on the
surface, as though moulded from solid clay. tonus lowered the gong
over the stem. It was a long bronze tube.

He allowed the end of it to sink below the surface. When struck with a
hammer of the same metal the shrill, reverberating tones would be
transmitted through the water, filling our quarry with consternation.

Unhappily for my equanimity, I knew that this could readily turn to a
murderous rage. tonus laughed at me. Even in his own excitation he
had sensed my qualms. For a rude soldier he had unusual perception.
"Come up here in the stern-tower, Taita!" he ordered. "You can beat
the gong for us.

It will take your mind off the safety of your own beautiful hide for a
while. " I was hurt by his levity, but relieved by the invitation, for
the stern-tower is high above the water. I moved to do his bidding
without undignified haste, and, as I passed him, I paused to exhort him
sternly, "Have a care for the safety of my mistress. Do you hear me,
boy? Do not encourage her to recklessness, for she is every bit as
wild as you are. " I could speak thus to an illustrious commander of
ten thousand, for he was once my pupil and I had wielded the cane on
more than one occasion across those martial buttocks. He . grinned at
me now as he had in those days, as cocky and impudent as ever..

"Leave that lady in my hands, I implore you, old friend.

There is nothing I would relish more, believe me!" I did not admonish
him for such a disrespectful tone, for I was in some small haste to
take my place in the tower. From there I watched him take up his
bow.