16

We continued northwards for eight more days. The way became emptier and more haunted than ever. The captain’s words about the Apiru had had a strange effect. We did not believe in them, and yet now we imagined bandits tracking us, even though they were nowhere to be seen. We had relayed the captain’s information to Nakht, and he had noted it, but said the idea that the Apiru had re-formed was not credible. Nevertheless, Simut and I found ourselves glancing over our shoulders, and paying greater attention to the rocks on the scrubby hillsides, the remote shacks, and the turns in the way where danger might lurk; we avoided villages, sleeping under the sky, in whatever shade we could find by day, while the guards took turns to watch, poised in the heat.

During these days we crossed the border into the Kingdom of Amurru. We were halted by young Amurru guards, desperately bored, lounging in the shade of their reed hut. When they saw us, they leapt up, shouting and brandishing their poor weapons in aggressive excitement, thinking they could have some fun tormenting a lone caravan of Egyptian merchants. But Nakht spoke to them forcefully in their own language, ordering them to show respect to Egyptian merchants. Then he sweetened the exchange with a small bribe, and they suddenly grinned amiably and fell back like obedient dogs, and we passed on.

We approached the huge walls and gatehouses of the great port of Ugarit with considerable relief at completing this strange part of our journey successfully, as well as astonishment at the spectacle of this famous city, where, as they say, all roads meet. After so many days in the isolation of the wild lands, the sights and sounds of crowded streets and crammed markets came as a delight, and I absorbed everything: from the different faces and dresses, to the strange statues of their God, Baal, and the incomprehensible sounds of their language. I saw people from many different empires and kingdoms, all in their native costumes, all there on business, for Ugarit is the greatest emporium of the world because of its prosperous position between the great sea and the trade routes that run alongside the two great rivers of this world-the Tigris and the Euphrates-as well as south towards Egypt.

The ambassador had arranged accommodation for himself at the palace of the Hittite embassy in the city, and he took his leave of us, agreeing to meet again at the docks in two days’ time. We were lodged in the city home of Nakht’s ‘contact’-Paser, an Egyptian merchant. Bright and alert, with bold features, a neat physique, and the excellent, casual manners of a successful businessman whose charm was underwritten by determination, he greeted us with hospitable warmth, and treated Nakht with flattering, respectful attention. He spoke Egyptian with a curious accent, as if, despite his fluency, he was not truly a native speaker. On the other hand, he seemed delighted to be talking in a language he clearly loved. He had lived outside Egypt for most of his life, having been raised in Ugarit, and he had inherited a substantial trading company from his father. I imagined he was a man who knew how to get what he wanted, in the nicest possible way-and if not, by some other method.

He welcomed us inside the courtyard of his substantial house. The wooden gates were swiftly closed and barred behind us, and the noise of the city on the far side of the high walls suddenly died, to be replaced by the luxury of quietness. ‘Safe and sound,’ he said, with a slightly enigmatic smile.

Servants showed us to our quarters. Nakht had his own large sleeping room, Simut and I would share another, adjacent, and the guards would sleep on pallets in the passageways and under the roof that ran along one side of the courtyard. We enjoyed the luxury of a bathroom after a long and arduous journey. I washed in clean, cool water, and after Paser’s barber had attended to both Simut and myself, we looked like new men in the polished bronze of his mirror.

Dressed in fresh linens, I came down the stairs to wait upon Nakht and Paser. As I made my way along the passageway to the reception room, I noticed a chamber, with many wine jars stacked in rows in the cool shadows- for wine was Paser’s business, as he had explained, and I intended to interrogate him about the famous Ugarit vintages. Quietly, I entered and examined the jar stoppers for marks-normally one would find an indication of the regnal year, the name of the estate, the type of the wine, the name of the vintner, and the quality of the contents. But some of these were unmarked. Perhaps they had not yet all been inspected. I could hear Nakht and Paser murmuring in low conversation in the chamber next door. Curious, feeling like a spy, I listened.

‘I will need your report immediately,’ said Nakht.

‘Alas, you will not be pleased,’ said Paser. ‘Our former friend has been up to his old tricks.’

‘As I feared,’ Nakht replied. ‘I think we should now share this information with my men.’

‘I assume they are entirely trustworthy,’ said Paser.

‘Absolutely,’ said Nakht.

But then I heard Simut descending the stairs behind me; he would surely catch me listening. So I left the wine cellar, and joined him as he arrived at the foot of the stairs. We entered the chamber together, and stood to attention. The two men were sitting on low benches opposite each other.

‘Gentlemen, please join us,’ said Nakht.

‘I think it is time for a glass of something,’ said Paser.

‘Rahotep is a connoisseur of wine,’ said Nakht.

‘Indeed?’ said Paser. ‘Then perhaps you would be interested in our Ugarit wine. It can be rather good.’

‘So I hear,’ I replied. ‘In fact, I took the liberty of looking through your cellar,’ I said.

Paser glanced at Nakht. He walked over to a tray set out with jugs and goblets.

‘You are welcome to look at anything that interests you,’ he said casually, and offered me a beautifully wrought silver goblet. I sniffed the wine carefully, swirling it around to release more of the bouquet. Paser was watching me. I took a small sip.

‘It is drinkable. But may I be honest?’

Paser nodded.

‘There is a lack of depth, there is little subtlety. I suspect it is blended,’ I said.

Nakht looked alarmed by my candour, but Paser was very pleased.

‘You are right. It is a secondary wine. A merrymaking wine, at best. You have passed the first test. Now, try this.’

He poured from a different jug. This time I was astonished-this wine had remarkable melancholy depth and complexity-it married sorrow and beauty in its dark richness.

‘That is absolutely sublime,’ I said, amazed. ‘Where is it from?’

Paser smiled.

‘It is also a native wine. But a rather special one! Come, you must be famished,’ he said, ordering the servants to bring food on trays. Paser sat next to me as we ate.

‘Egyptian wines are of course excellent, especially those from the oases of Kharga and Dakhla. But those from Ugarit are the finest in the world, and of course the vines are also the oldest. And despite the constant state of conflict in this area, there is a large clientele in Memphis and Thebes who are willing to pay the highest prices for the wines’ rarity, and delicate sophistication.’

‘Hence your thriving business,’ I replied. ‘I suppose your cellar here is for your private use…’

‘It is really my library of wine, if I can put it like that. The main warehouse is by the docks,’ he replied. ‘I must attend to my worldly business there tomorrow. I hope you will be comfortable, meanwhile, in the house.’

I decided to take my chance.

‘I would be most interested to visit your warehouses, before we depart. Would that be possible?’

Paser turned to Nakht, who considered, and then nodded.

‘I will work in my chamber tomorrow. So I can spare Rahotep for a short while in the morning,’ Nakht said. ‘But now, we must attend to business. Please dismiss the servants, and make sure we are alone and not to be disturbed.’

When this was accomplished, Paser began to speak.

‘The royal envoy has asked me to deliver my report on the current state of affairs in this city, and in the kingdom. But in order to do this, I must digress. History is important, gentlemen…’

‘I am woefully ignorant of history-’ I replied.

‘Please be brief,’ interrupted Nakht, and Paser nodded.

‘We must step back a little to the reign of King Akhenaten. Back then, the King of Amurru was named Abdi- Ashirta. He was a notorious troublemaker, intent only upon creating calamity and friction with his neighbours. In particular, he coveted the territory of Byblos, to the south, and so he repeatedly attacked and antagonized the king

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