RGL e-Book Cover 2018©
RGL e-Book Cover 2018©
Blue Book, June 1946, with "The Sphinx Emerald"
A strange jewel that wrought mischief and magic as it passed from hand to hand down the ages starts its strange eventful dramatic history here in Ancient Egypt...
SOME people would have said—and did say—that Nefer was a graceless scoundrel, and their say has gone unchallenged for some thirty-five hundred years. Our reply is that he was nothing of the sort. We find him in his thirties, a thorough cynic and skeptic, polished, sophisticated, extremely charming, a very able and engaging fellow indeed, not unlike many a Wall Street operator of our own day. He was notable for his warm, kindly impulses and for his defiance of accepted conventions—two highly perilous traits of character in any age, chiefly so in his own.
Nefer was the first historical person known to have been connected with that inexplicable jewel known as the Sphinx emerald. The enormous advance in the science of Egyptology made in our own time allows the origin of this famous stone to be traced and its connection with Nefer made clear, also its impact. Curious as it may seem, this emerald did have a real or fancied impact upon those in contact with it—and not always for good, either. Historic jewels are said to have a personality; perhaps they have.
One day during the festivities of the Nile flood, Nefer was exchanging jokes with the officials at the Board of Public Works in Thebes, while his scribe Ho-quac was copying certain records. Nefer spent much time here. He was a delver into the archaeology of Egypt, whose known records at this time—1510 B.C.—went back three thousand years, and more vaguely far beyond that.
Handsome, bronzed, a twinkle in his eye, Nefer capped stories with the officials over a cup of wine and kept them in a roar of laughter. Rich and great though he was, a relative of the old King Thothmes IV, and a court noble, it was not wise to be known as a friend of Nefer. Still, his charm was great. Ordinary men liked him; he had a frank, eager way with him that went to the heart. A great pity that the priests meant to destroy him.
Nefer was of the same opinion. He knew that his fate was resolved upon, and had been desperately seeking for some way of saving himself. His rank and influence had thus far kept him alive, but that rope was chafing thin; he had gone too far. Only recently his suit for the hand of Asena, daughter of the chief high priest of Amon-Ra, had been sloughed off by her father with some very hard words.
"You fellows will have a different laugh when my book is finished," he said to the chuckling officials. "Oh, it won't do you any harm, but it will certainly turn all the old bureaucrats upside down!"
"What's it about?" queried one. "A story of magic or adventure?"
"No, a tale of thieves in high places, and a true one. That's all I'll say now. You boys wait and see."
"Then you'd better get it approved by the priests of Horus as truthful," said someone.
Nefer caught at the word. "Horus? What do you chuckleheads know about that god of truth? Mighty little! In the ancient days Thoth was the god of truth, and Horus got mixed up with him and superseded him. Why, look at the Great Sphinx, up north across the Nile! The temple of Horus of the rising sun, it's called now; but when it was built, Thoth was worshiped there, and I can cite your own records in proof!"
No one could contradict him. Nothing much was known about the Sphinx, which was now nearly buried by blowing sand. This was the 18th Dynasty of kings in Egypt, and the Sphinx had been standing there before the first dynasty began. No one cared much about the relics of antiquity. They had served their day.
The gathering was interrupted by the arrival of a messenger for Nefer—a dusty, gaunt, brown desert runner who came to him, saluted him, and gave him a packet and a folded letter. "From your cousin Senefer, my lord, in the eastern hills."
"Very well." Nefer gave him some coins. "Rest, refresh yourself, and this evening come to my house for a reply."
The packet, wrapped in linen cloth, was sealed. Something important, then. He made his farewells, sent for his scribe Ho- quac, and set out for home, the letter tucked out of sight in his girdle. His cousin Senefer was in charge of the mines in the eastern mountains near the Red Sea, where gold and stones were found—a man entirely in sympathy with him.
"SOMETHING'S up," thought Nefer, as the scribe came
running and caught up with him. "Did you get those records
copied?" he asked.
"All but the last, my lord," said the brown, clever man.
Nefer looked at him with shrewd eyes. "You're a rascal," he said. "I hear that you've taken bribes."
"True, my lord," said the scribe imperturbably. "Why not?"
Nefer laughed and clapped him on the shoulder.
"Take their money and tell them lies—good man!" he said. "I'm having the papers made out to give you freedom; the stones under my feet are getting slippery, and I don't want you to be lost with me."
"I'd sooner serve you as a slave than any other man freely," said Ho-quac.
"Don't be a fool. You know well enough that these damned priests intend my ruin."
"I know you'll go down fighting," said the faithful fellow. "And I'll go with you."
"Fighting? Who can fight the priests in this land of ours?"
"You, if you would. I don't know how, but you could."
Nefer laughed, yet the words struck a spark in his brain. Fight them—these haughty priests of Ra and the other gods, these interlinked despots who ruled Egypt with iron superstition? They were not fools; they were intellectual aristocrats. Fight them? He was willing enough to do that—but how? With what weapons?
"By Horus—perhaps with their own weapons!" came the sharp prick of thought. "By yielding instead of contending, by craft instead of valor! Why not? Open your eyes, fool! Use your wits, use your head before they smack it off!"'
All very well to say; but to fight them—how? The King himself had to take his orders from them. Thothmes liked Nefer, favored him—but dared not make him viceroy and governor of a city—Nefer, whom the priests termed a dangerous man. As for marriage with Asena, daughter of the great Ra-priest Seker, that was nonsense. Yet upon these two things Nefer had set his mind and will.
TRAINED as a soldier, he was indolent during the peaceful
reign of Thothmes, whose father and grandfather had carried
Egyptian arms from Nubia to the Euphrates and the Red Sea
countries. Egypt was richer than ever before, greater; there was
no use for soldiers now. The sly men of peace ruled the land.
Everyone had money; the treasury was overflowing; temples and
monuments were being erected on all sides.
The powerful priesthood profited vastly. In the nearly four thousand years since the dawn of written history, the gods had changed enormously, many being confused and run together under one name; a number of the ruling dynasties had been barbarians with their own gods, and now the hierarchy of priests was headed by Seker, high priest of Amon-Ra, with whom were incorporated other deities. To Nefer, who knew how most of these gods had begun, the system was rather amusing; but now it had become threatening.
Upon reaching his own house at the river's edge, a small former palace of King Aahmes, he hurried to the seclusion of his study, dropped into a chair, and opened the letter from his cousin. For safety's sake it had been written in neat Babylonian characters, which he could read perfectly. It was brief but significant:
To Lord Nefer, beloved of Amon, greetings!
I send you a gift from the gods, hoping you can put it to use. No one else knows of it. I have myself polished it in secret. Health and long life.
Nefer held the papyrus over a lamp and burned it. He took
up the little packet. To open it took a knife, for the linen had
been dipped in gum. Curious, he cut away the outer wrapping,
pulled the rest apart, and into his palm fell a bit of green
beryl, uneven in shape, and which by later standards would weigh
some twelve carats.
He smiled; at first, he thought his cousin had merely found a huge emerald, for such stones did come from the mines. It was not a good one; the color was uneven and pale. Then, as he held up the partially polished stone, he caught his breath. His gaze focused. Excitement grew within him.
Emeralds, even large ones such as this, were no novelty in court circles; but this one was little short of a miracle. Like all emeralds it was somewhat flawed. These flaws came together in one place, and there formed a distinct image, a shape, so sharply clear-cut as to be incredible. It was the shape of the Great Sphinx that stood near the pyramid of Chephren. It was a perfect and exact figure of the Sphinx in profile.
Time ceased to exist as Nefer sat examining the emerald. Being an initiate of the Mysteries, he had access to all records, and he had made a special study of the Sphinx, which now stood forgotten in the desert, covered almost to its head with sand. He had dug out mentions of it in the ancient writings: He knew who had built it, and why; he knew also that there was a second one like it, of the same size, built from the same plans. These things were not secret—they were just forgotten matters anyone could get out of the books.
There was something more than this to the emerald, however. Beyond the open and visible wonder lay something else, hidden and intangible. Nefer was a long time comprehending it. He even got out his greatest treasure, the secret of the Chaldean priests, which the Egyptian priests had borrowed from them—the round, curved crystal used for studying the stars—and inspected the emerald through it.
This glass magnified the stone and showed the Sphinx more clearly, but gave no clue to the intangible power of it. So at last Nefer knew that it was an effect produced upon the mind of the observer. Those shining green expanses in which the little Sphinx was set, those crags and fields of green, exerted an almost hypnotic effect. He felt it as a keen and tremendous urge to treasure this green beryl above all things.
"The emerald of desire!" he muttered. "An effect produced by the diffused lights in the stone—ha! A dangerous thing. One must be master or be mastered; very well. Away you go into darkness, emerald of desire! I could sit looking into your heart for hours; but I choose to remain your master."
He wrapped the stone in a cloth and hid it away, then summoned the scribe Ho-quac and dictated a letter to his cousin, carefully phrased. That evening he gave the letter and great rewards to the faithful messenger to bear back to the mines.
During the next three days he sat often with the Sphinx emerald, studying it, gazing into its depths, letting himself be lost in the waking trance it induced; but at no time did he lose his head over it. A superstitious or credulous person might well do this, he readily perceived. The uncanny influence of the stone was strong—whether for good or for evil, he was by no means sure.
On the third evening he went to his meeting with Asena.
Divesting himself of rings and seals and fine garments, he left his fine house garbed in the dirty white robe of a workman, on his head a long-haired wig, smears of dirt blurring his features. He strode into the city, to the great temple of Amon- Ra; this was the final night of the Nile-overflow ceremonies, and Asena herself had fixed the rendezvous at their last meeting. For them to attain privacy was impossible, but at least they could meet and speak together. Safety could be found only in a crowd.
Tonight the crowd was tremendous, for after a long series of prayers and hymns, the largesse of the god would be distributed, in money and cakes, to all. A good thing, thought Nefer as he merged with the throngs, that Amon-Ra represented half a dozen deities merged into one; all his powers would be needed to give largesse to such a crowd. He made his way slowly through the temple courts until he reached that of Horus, then sought out the pillar she had identified—a very poor place from which to hear and see, but so much the less crowded for them.
AH! There Asena was, with a single slave-girl attendant,
and no throng about. Nefer gained her very side, unhurried, and
prostrated himself in unison with those around.
"Greetings, beloved of Mut!" he murmured, under cover of the ritual jabber that was going on. Her voice came clear enough in reply.
"Mut the mother-goddess has served us ill, my prince. I have sad news."
"On your lips all news is blessed," he said. "Say it quickly."
"My father has learned that you are writing a book of blasphemy against the kings, proving them to be thieves and rascals," she rejoined. "Is that true?"
"I fear it may be so construed," he admitted. The blow hit him hard.
"Dear man, have you lost your wits?" Her words came with a dismayed groan. "He is taking the matter to the King next month. He says it will destroy you at once."
"He's not far wrong, at that," muttered Nefer to himself; but she heard him.
"Why must you do such things, beloved? He says you are his bitter enemy, that you must suffer lest you cause us all sharp harm—"
The ritual ended. The silence cut her short. They rose with the others, and Nefer stood close beside her. But while one of the priests was chanting, he listened not.
In this instant, something clicked in his brain, perhaps provoked by her words. He touched her hand, as it hung, with his own fingers, slipping into it the love-letter he had written her; then, as the crowd lifted multitudinous voice in the long stanzas of the Hymn to Amon-Ra, he spoke swiftly:
"My dear, all's not lost! Tell me where I can obtain private speech with your father—I must see him."
"You can't. He'll have nothing to do with you."
"Tell me."
Presently she made answer.
"The fifth day from this, he sits on the throne of Amon and may be reached by any supplicant for justice. You might go to him then—"
"Good! The wit of a woman surpasses all the brains of man!" he exclaimed eagerly. "I'll do it. All I need is half an hour to talk—ha! It comes clear at last. By the gods, I have him! Now smile, and make a sacrifice to Queen Mut, mother of the gods! Within the week, you'll have news to make your heart rejoice!"
This was all they could say; the danger necessitated an early parting. Nefer went home hurriedly, changed his clothes, and sent for the slave Ho-quac, the ugly scribe. The latter came to the study, just as Nefer was applying his seal to a papyrus sheet.
"These are your papers of freedom, scribe," said Nefer. "Before you get them, talk! Did you tell the high priest of Amon- Ra that I was writing a book regarding the thefts of the kings?"
"Certainly," the scribe coolly admitted. "He knew it already, so I verified it to earn his bribes. I said that it also dealt with blasphemy, which it does not."
"You're a man after my own heart," said Nefer with his cynic smile. "Now earn your freedom and more bribes. Four days from today—not five and not three, but four—go to him with this story: The god Horus came to me by night and gave me an immense emerald, in which was set the image of the Sphinx—you know, that antique relic near the Pyramids, mostly covered with sand. He gave, with this, certain instructions also for our King Thothmes. This is all you know. Wait—look at the emerald, so you can say you yourself saw it."
He got out the hidden jewel and displayed it to the scribe.
"Now get me the book of the Thefts of the Kings of Egypt, as far as it's completed, and then leave me. Here, take your freedom."
He gave Ho-quac the papyrus; the scribe thanked him, then got the scroll of papyrus on which the unfinished book was written, and departed.
Nefer sat for a long while looking over the writing, which dealt with half the great temples and monuments of Egypt. Here was the fruit of long research; now it must go by the board if he was to save his own life and win Asena. The section dealing with the Sphinx and its fellow in the eastern hills was typical. Built in the dim dawn of history by a king named Raferses, the attached shrine to each was dedicated to the god Thoth, with whom Horus, a later divinity, was now associated; the eastern-facing Sphinx was the temple of Horus of the sunrise, that facing westward was in honor of Horus of the sunset, the gods of morning and evening.
These great stone figures, half carved from natural rock, half built, were over a thousand years old in the day when Chephren ruled Egypt. This king cleared away the sand nearly covering them, repaired the temples, destroyed all inscriptions of the actual builder, and replaced them with others, taking credit for the building. It was now about two thousand years since his reign.
"And high time that our good Thothmes yielded to similar temptation," Nefer observed to himself. "They all did it—they chipped off the names of the real builders and replaced them with their own names. Stealers of credit! And now—what? Do I risk the play?"
He fell into reflection. If brought to trial before the King on the charge of writing this book, it meant death. Thothmes had done a bit of the same thieving, and thieves protect one another. The high priest Seker now had his hand on a sure weapon. He would use it mercilessly; there was no possible escape.
"But no matter how high a man is, he seeks always to be a trifle higher," thought Nefer cynically. "And if he thinks it worth while, he can finish me. But if I can outwit the big windbag—well, try it, try it! Play the game. I can no more than lose. I've made a fool of myself, and there's only a slim chance that I can retrieve it—but I may. True, the book would make me famous, but I'd sooner eat three good meals a day and remain obscure. Not to mention marriage to the finest girl in Egypt!"
It was a long chance. Not only did the high priest have power, but he deserved it. He had won his place by dint of great mental ability, shrewd diplomacy, and administrative skill. If the scheme that had popped into Nefer's head failed, nothing could save him. However, he was done for anyhow—why not try to win everything at one stroke? With a shrug, he dismissed the chances. He was resolved. That queer emerald might pull him out of his dilemma.
During the intervening days, he schooled himself rigidly in what he would say to Seker. Everything depended on how he handled that gentleman; one word wrong, and he was lost. Seker knew him for what he was, and feared him, and disliked him heartily. Well, he must trust to arrogance and blasphemy against the gods—and to the emerald! To be honest about it, Nefer was a bit afraid of his own scheme. That emerald must have been created by the gods themselves.
ON the fourth evening Nefer was glancing over a new book
he had purchased, a beautifully written copy of the Book of the
Dead, according to the rite of Hieropolis, when the scribe Ho-
quac—the name meant "Adept"—appeared. Nefer laid
aside the book.
"Well? You've seen him?"
Grinning, the scribe jingled a fat purse. "Aye, lord. At first he said nothing. When I said I had seen the emerald myself, he snorted that it was all a put-up hoax, that nobody in Egypt was less liable to be visited by a god than you. I made no effort to convince him; and when I left, he was troubled. He paid well."
"Well done. Now go your ways, a free man. By this time tomorrow night I may be dead. I gave you freedom so you'd be safe."
"I gave you service, lord, for love of you," stoutly said the scribe. "I stay."
Nefer smiled at him. "Stay, then, fool! Now listen carefully, for I'm putting my very life into your hands."
He spoke low-voiced, slowly; the scribe listened with shining eyes and bated breath, an ugly fellow but of great intelligence.
"You understand?" Nefer finished.
"Yes, lord. You take a great and needless risk—"
"I must win all or lose all. Go find the man tonight. Instruct him. If he wills to serve me, bring him here and I'll talk with him."
For a long while, that night, Nefer sat with the Sphinx emerald unveiled before him, gazing into its flawed depths with unblinking eyes. He had bitter need of all he might gain from the jewel—inspiration, mental stimulus, call it what you will; for on the morrow he was about to pit his own supple trickery against the greatest master of trickery in all Egypt, and without the help of the emerald he had no chance whatever...
Next morning the chief priest of Amon-Ra took his seat on the dais in the court of Horus. He was a man of fifty, gifted with blessings or curses; a hard, indomitable and flinty-eyed man, grudgingly fulfilling an ancient ritual that no longer had meaning. His head was shaven. A false beard, part of the antique custom, graced his firm chin; he held the ankh, the cross-shaped emblem of Thoth, god of truth, in his hand.
Heralds proclaimed that the god Amon sat upon his throne to hear and redress the grievances of any mortal who might seek his aid. Those who came were few. Ordinary folk were slow to drag their troubles into public gaze; those of the better class knew this ritual was only a relic of ancient days. Half a dozen persons, no more, were gathered in the outer court to apply, and four of these had been planted by the priests. One was a woman, injured by some noble. The last was Nefer, in his bedraggled wig and artisan's robe. He carried a scroll, and in his girdle cuddled the great emerald. He gave a false name, and only his scroll drew any attention. Ordinary people seldom carried books.
One by one the prearranged cases were heard and judged, the council of lesser priests and scribes applauding. Then the woman was admitted, told her story, and Seker the high priest issued a summons for the noble to appear later. Then at last Nefer was brought in.
He crossed the court, prostrated himself humbly before Seker, and was told to speak freely and without fear. Still kneeling, he placed before him the scroll, slipped the emerald from his girdle, and placed it on top of the papyrus.
"Lord Amon, I seek only simple justice," he said, knowing that the hard eyes were prying at him and had probably pierced his disguise. "The god Horus appeared to me in a dream and ordered me to give certain instructions to Seker, high priest of Amon-Ra, lord of the city of Thebes. These instructions were to be given privately and alone. How could I, an humble artisan, seek private audience with so great a person? Give him, said the god, the two things I leave with you, and he will grant you audience, for the ways of the gods are known to the priests of Amon-Ra. So, Lord Amon, I have dared to ask your help."
THERE was an eager stir among the watchers, a wave of
cynical mutters. But Seker was looking at the green stone, and
knew it to be the wondrous emerald of which the scribe had
reported. He motioned an attendant, who came forth, picked up the
emerald and the scroll, and gave them to him. For a little he sat
in silence, looking at the green lump of beryl; then his voice
was lifted upon the court.
"My help is given you," he said. "Come tonight, at the second hour, to the Karnak temple. At the obelisks erected by Queen Hatshepset in honor of Father Amon, a priest will be waiting; he will guide you to the presence of Seker the chief priest. Do you know what these two objects are?"
Nefer prostrated himself anew.
"Lord Amon, what should a poor artisan know of such things? The one, I believe, is some kind of book. The other I took to the shop of the great jewel-merchant, the Phoenician Kra, and was there told it was a lump of glass formed about some object."
Seker nodded and dismissed him, and there was craning of necks to look after him as he departed. That last question, as Nefer well knew, showed he had won his point—the interest and keen curiosity of Seker were now aroused.
This was quite true. Even before the siesta hour began, the high priest was sitting in his dwelling, on the Karnak temple grounds near the sacred lake, when two of the temple guards ushered into his presence a much-frightened man. Kra, the Phoenician jeweler of Thebes, had little to expect and much to apprehend from any summons to attend the high priest of Amon-Ra. He was a swarthy, hook-nosed man, but sharp and shrewd enough.
"I sent for you," said Seker, "to ask your opinion regarding a pretended jewel. Have you ever seen this before?"
So saying, he displayed the lumpish emerald.
Kra, reassured, inspected it. "No, my lord, I never saw it before," he stated.
"Was it not taken to your shop and there declared to be a bit of glass?"
"That might be, without my knowledge," said Kra; "but any fool apprentice would know that it is not glass. It is an emerald, poor in color, but genuine."
"So you say," Seker said with open suspicion. "How to prove it?"
From his pouch the jeweler took a flat bit of wood, painted a brilliant white.
"If your excellency will come to the window yonder where the sun enters, and will get me a piece of glass, a lump or any such piece, I'll quickly show you."
Seker was not long in finding the object; he handed over, in fact, the double convex lens through which he had been examining the emerald. Kra smiled slightly, for he too knew this priestly secret of Chaldea. He put the emerald and the glass in the ray of sunlight at the window, and to sunward of them the small bit of wood, upon which fell the backward-thrown reflection of each.
"Here is an infallible test used by merchants of jewels," he said. "Look at these reflections. That of the glass is a single sheen of light. That of the other shows a faint double refraction, greenish and yellowish. Were each subject cut and faceted, the difference would stand out clearly, emerald always throwing two colors and glass but one. This is true emerald, my lord, polished, but little used or handled."
He had not discerned, or recognized, the Sphinx within the stone. Seker, satisfied, paid him and sent him away, and sat absorbed in watching the play of light in the emerald's heart. He, at least, knew this Sphinx for what it was, and marveled.
AT the second hour that night Nefer, in his disguise, met
his guide at the obelisks of Queen Hatshepset and was conducted
to the presence of the high priest. Two guards stood at the door,
beyond earshot.
"Well, my lord, what means this mummery?" said Seker in harsh greeting. Nefer smiled and laid aside the wig, and took the chair indicated.
"I had to see you in private. You would have refused any other approach."
"Very likely," admitted the high priest. "You are no friend of mine."
"You mistake, Seker. I've been a scoffer, yes, but not an enemy. And it's rather silly for us not to be friends and allies, as has been brought to my attention by the god Horus himself—in dream, of course, but with certain evidential circumstances that have greatly impressed me."
"One can never be sure of you, Lord Nefer."
"True. Be sure of me now, at least. Seker, we've both passed the veil of Isis and know the secrets of the Mysteries; let me speak to you as a brother initiate," said Nefer quietly and easily. "You know those bleak hills about five hundred miles north of here, east of the Nile and nearly opposite the Great Pyramid and Sphinx? They used to be called the hills of Semes by the ancient people, according to the legends I've unearthed—Semes being one of their gods. Well, you probably know that the King Raferses, who built the well-known Sphinx, also built a second Sphinx in those hills. It and its temple are both nearly covered with sand these days, as is the first."
Seker nodded warily. "They were sacred to Thoth in the ancient time," he said.
"And Thoth is now Horus. Odd, wasn't it, how our deities developed?" Nefer smiled as he spoke, musingly. "Look at Isis—a woman in far-off Karia who was kind to our men when a fleet touched there. They bore her fame home to Egypt; later she herself came, and in time was worshiped as a goddess of kindly actions. Or Horus, the hawk-headed. He was a beloved man in Nubia, greatly mourned after his death—and gradually the story of Horus as we know it was built around his memory. Or take Set, a rascally fellow in Bubastis who discovered iron and the use of forges... Well, well, you see I've unfortunately learned too much of ancient times, my lord. Horus said as much in my dream."
Seker smiled—a thin, sinister smile.
"He was a trifle late saying it, Lord Nefer."
"Perhaps; that depends on you," said Nefer, and did not miss the swift glint these words brought into the probing flint-eyes. "You behold me a greatly changed person, my lord. As a token of my change, I have put into your hands the only existing copy of a book on which I have spent much time and study."
"That book!" exclaimed Seker. "I looked it over; I never read so insulting and blasphemous a writ in all my life! The very thesis is an insult to Egypt. The statements that our greatest kings have been so petty and vain as to steal from their fathers the credit for building monuments and temples—why, it's absurd!"
"But it's true," said Nefer. "The evidence is there, in each case. The records of the Board of Public Works also state plainly when and how the work was done."
"None the less, it's an impious and abominable book. You, my lord, are no less than criminal in writing such a work and casting shame upon our great rulers!"
Nefer nodded, dejectedly, and gave surprising assent.
"Almost precisely the words spoken by the god Horus," he said. "I call, he added that I was a dangerous person, a heretic, who deserved to be killed. That's why I placed the book in your hands, Lord Seker. That's why I've become a changed man. You see, he laid upon me a certain penance for my crimes. I've come to consult you about it. No one else can help me—and also gain for himself immense credit."
"Do you realize your life would be forfeit were the evidence of your own writing laid before the King?"
"Lord, my life is in your hands: I gave you the book in evidence of my sincerity, as I am about to give you everything. In my dream I asked the god Horus to give me some proof, upon wakening, that his visit to me was real. He said to look under my pillow when I wakened. Well, I did so—and there was the emerald with the image of the Sphinx in its heart. You and I, Seker, have seen many wondrous jewels, but never one so wondrous or beautiful as this. In the King's treasury is none to match it."
THE high priest composed himself. His keen nose had
already sniffed something important in the air. Anything
connected with this emerald, distinctly a jewel of kings, must be
important.
"So," he observed shrewdly. "And the penance Lord Horus laid upon you?"
"That I tell my story to King Thothmes, and give him the god's request that these two Sphinxes and their temples be cleared of sand, restored and repaired, and put to service as his sanctuaries."
Nefer paused briefly. "Naturally," he went on, "I am in poor position to undertake the task. I have never scoffed at the gods—merely at the antics of their servants. Yet I am known as the scoffer, the heretic—you just called me this—the enemy of religion. King Thothmes would laugh heartily did I prefer the request of Horus to him. That is why I now seek your assistance, noble Seker."
The high priest regarded him arrogantly, coldly.
"What have I to do with you and your dreams, my lord?"
"Give the emerald to the king, and the message of Horus. Say that it came to you, that the god appeared to you; the emerald is proof of this. Leave me out of it entirely. I have put my book in your hands; destroy it if you like. I have changed my ways. I am going to seek the rule of some far city from the King, where I may end my days doing good, as a conservative official. If it please you to further my request, do so. That is why I have sought you, Lord Seker, offering my friendship and seeking your blessing."
UPON hearing this the high priest sat in tense thought.
Regardless of the doubtful sincerity of Nefer, here was a chance
to seize enormous prestige. As the bearer of such a message from
the gods, his fame would go down in history. He would be given
new honors and added abundance. He could see instantly that the
emerald itself was proof in all eyes of his story; this marvelous
stone, inset by divine hands with the Sphinx image, was obviously
a supernatural thing.
"It is hard to imagine you as a conservative official, my lord," he said dryly. "And yet the gods, in their wisdom, rule the hearts of men. Take my blessing and the assurance of my friendly interest. Regarding your plea, I shall take it under advisement and pray that Lord Amon will enlighten me as to my course."
Nefer saluted him and departed.
Upon reaching home, he summoned the scribe to his study. Ho- quac came, and at a gesture seated himself at the table bearing papyrus, reed pens and other writing-materials. Nefer did not speak at once; he sat in thought, then broke the silence, musingly.
"You know the city of On, my friend? Far north of here."
"One of the great cities of the realm? Naturally."
"Draw up a memorial to the King, and sign it with my private seal, tomorrow. I wish to apply for the post of governor of On, which at the moment is vacant. My desire is to retire from all public affairs and from the court and to devote myself to the good of others. See that this petition is forwarded to the King; then leave my house forever."
The scribe gave him a sharp glance of inquiry. Nefer smiled.
"What you have to do, cannot be done under my roof. I've had a talk with the high priest Seker. I believe that within the next few days he'll attempt to put me in security where I can't talk. Once he has me safe it'll be too late to talk. So, take this letter now, as I dictate it, and keep it in your care. When you find that I'm arrested or have disappeared, send it to him—and keep out of his sight."
Nefer dictated the letter slowly, carefully framing each phrase; here was the very hub of his whole scheme, and his life hung on its effect—more than his life, in fact. He laid the papyrus aside, read it over next morning, approved and sealed it, and then wiped the affair from his mind. His own part was done.
That afternoon he went to the large jewelry shop of Kra the Phoenician, talked for some time with the swarthy merchant, gave him a fat wallet, and departed. Later, he set free certain of his personal slaves.
That same night, toward midnight, an officer and half a dozen men of the Royal Guards came to the house, arrested him, and bore him away in a closed litter. This was done by order of King Thothmes. His trip ended at the royal prisons on the western bank of the Nile, where he was chained and made free of a solitary cell. And in Thebes no more was heard of Nefer, prince of the royal house and cousin of the king...
Now the story goes to Seker, high priest of Amon-Ra. Strange news spread from court circles to the city. The god Horus, it was said, had appeared to King Thothmes and ordered certain ancient temples cleared of sand and repaired, in return assuring him of favor and prosperity.
Far from being denied, this story was affirmed and detailed by court scribes. Forces of slaves were being gathered and sent downriver, and officials of the Board of Public Works were placed in charge of the task. The Great Sphinx, almost forgotten by people in general, leaped into life and legend on all sides; so did his mate in the desolate eastern hills.
The work itself was given to the direction of the high priest Seker, beloved of Ra. Great blessings to the country were to come of it. The King's son and heir, Amenhotep, was at present hunting lions on the Mesopotamian frontier, and would return to inaugurate the restored temples of the Sphinxes to the worship of Horus, when the work was completed. Some said the King himself would go downriver for the ceremonies.
All this welter of news caused a great stir in Thebes, whose peaceful and even slothful existence was seldom so greatly disturbed. The Board of Public Works was already drawing up finely sculptured tablets to be placed within the restored temples, giving the story exactly as it had occurred. (One was dug up 3500 years afterward.) Upon Seker, and other priests, were loaded honors and royal favors without number. In the temple of Amon-Ra and his associate deities there was publicly displayed a token given the King by Horus himself, a marvelous huge emerald in which was miraculously set an image of the Sphinx. It was placed on the altar of Horus and guarded day and night.
The hubbub created was simply fantastic. Amulets in the shape of sphinxes became all the rage. A number of stone sphinxes were on order for royal presentation to various temples. Sphinxes appeared everywhere as good-luck emblems.
And just as all this popular furor came to its height, Seker the high priest returned one afternoon from a conference with the King to be informed that in the temple had been found a letter addressed to him. No one had dared to open the sealed missive; at his order it was brought to him. He looked at the seal which closed it, and saw it to be that of Nefer. His lips tight- clenched, he opened the missive and read:
To Seker. High Priest of Amon-Ra.
Greetings and friendship!
The god Horus promises to send you this word for me. I await your friendly offices with my royal cousin, whom may Amon preserve! Advise him to create me governor of the city of On, and give me the hand of your daughter Asena in marriage; we love each other.
It is important that these things be done immediately. If they are not done by next week, letters now held by several prominent court officials will then be opened. The actual provenance of the Sphinx emerald—which you do not know—will then be made public, together with its history. The god Horus, who is the god of truth, sends you his greetings with those of
Nefer.
With a mutter of words, which luckily no one overheard,
the high priest of Amon-Ra crushed the papyrus in his hand and
sat motionless, silent, his agile brain swiftly at work.
NEFER could of course be executed for the book he had
written; but this would not stop the laughter that would sweep
Egypt from end to end when it was learned how the priests and the
king had concocted a fine supernatural yarn about that emerald.
The very fact that Seker actually did not know its origin,
increased the value of the threat.
More—people were already too disposed to scoff at the deities and to belittle the hierarchy of priests; there were rumors of actual revolt against the old gods, in some quarters. Although he did not guess it, a few short years would see the grandson of King Thothmes sweep away all the old divinities and replace them with the one god of cosmic energy. Seker could sense that something of this sort was imminent, and devoutly hoped it would not come in his own day.
And here he was trapped, neatly caught in a snare from which there was only one way of escape! Trust that damned clever Nefer—he would have some actual proof where the emerald had come from, some verified facts that would knock in the head the story about the god Horus giving it to the King—and would send Egypt into a roar of laughter. Under no circumstances must that be permitted to happen.
On the other hand, this cynical rascal offered friendship—as a son-in-law he might be valuable—and besides, that manuscript book about the royal thefts had not been destroyed, but lay carefully locked away. This thought was very pleasant. Seker the high priest smoothed his ruffled front and even smiled over it, wolfishly.
NEXT morning his priestly litter threaded the streets to
the royal palace. He was instantly conducted to the apartments of
King Thothmes. This divine ruler, who had a cold in the head and
a badly running nose, received him in private.
"Divine son of Amon," said Seker in his impressive way, "last night the god Horus appeared to me and issued certain orders. I have come to transmit them to you, since they deal with your relative, the noble Nefer."
Thothmes scowled, wiped his nose, and shook his head regretfully.
"Ah! I've been afraid of this. I always liked Nefer, myself. I don't see why the gods are so eager to take his life—"
"But they are not, royal child of heaven!" Seker exclaimed. His shrewd nostrils now scented favor; since the King was so fond of Nefer, this errand of his was going to result very happily for himself. Decidedly, he had chosen well.
"Our gracious Lord Horus," he went on smoothly, "expressed his desire that the evidence against Lord Nefer be destroyed; therefore I have done it. Further, he ordered me to beg of you not only to free him and restore him to rank, but also to honor him with your favor and make him viceroy of the city of On, if it so pleased you."
"Ha!" exclaimed Thothmes, brightening. "Praise be to Horus! I'll do it at once!"
"Further, Lord Horus ordered me to give him my own daughter in marriage," went on Seker blandly, "and said that you would do well to honor him with the title 'Friend of the King,' if this is pleasing in your sight."
"Indeed it is—and I can do no less to his father-in-law, holy Seker!" Thothmes said warmly. "Yours be the same cherished title, and my eternal gratitude, which shall be expressed in practical terms within a few days, I assure you. Here—take my personal scarab—go to the prison yourself and free Nefer. Take him royal robes and perfumes—take my own royal litter for his transport—embrace him for me!"
So, with much state, the high priest betook himself to the prison, and sight of the royal token opened all doors. When Nefer was led forth, Seker embraced him despite his dirt, and in the royal litter took him to the baths, and later to his own house. On the way, they paused to hear the heralds proclaiming that Nefer, Friend of the King, had been appointed viceroy of the great trading city of On, in the north, and would go to his charge as soon as his marriage with the daughter of Amon's high priest was solemnized. And if Nefer smiled at this, Seker also smiled thinly.
In this manner was concluded the story of Nefer and the Sphinx emerald. Yet there was a further chapter and one deeply significant.
At his first private interview with his bride, Nefer found Asena brimming with eager warning. She was a devout little creature, and he was careful never to offend her with any cynic words.
"Careful, Nefer—you must be careful!" she said at his ear, as she clung to him. "My father does not trust you. He said to tell you that the book still exists, and it will be put to use if you commit any offense against the gods!"
"Meaning their priests, eh?" Nefer smiled. "Fear not, my love. I am going to be a very careful government official, and nothing else. I shall offend no one."
"Good!" she cried. "Perhaps that's what the god Horus meant all along!"
"Eh? What's this?" Smiling, he pinched her ear. "You've been talking with the gods, have you?"
"No, silly," she retorted. "I mean, about leaving that emerald with my father for the King, his strange appearances and so on. Oh, I know the divine Horus wanted his temples restored, true; still, a god from the other world would probably have greater things in his head than sweeping out sand. And what greater than to effect a change in you, and turn you from a cynical scoffer into a true servitor of the gods?"
Nefer was struck by this view of the affair. It brought into sudden focus that first line of instruction from the Greater Mysteries: The hierophant who seeks to serve the gods, must first learn to serve man.
"Upon my word, little princess," he said thoughtfully, "you may be right about it! You may, indeed. Our first task upon reaching On will be to sacrifice to Horus, asking his aid in our work there."
Now, little is known further of Nefer, whose tomb was discovered and opened in 1927, except that as governor of On, City of the Sun, he made a record for conservative and wise rule. In his tomb was found that fragmentary papyrus which he himself must have dictated, since it was written by the scribe Ho-quac. One of its few decipherable portions is translated:
"...formulas and tenets of the gods are merely chains for young or untrained minds. The wise man wears such chains lightly, knowing that in suffering them he performs a worthy action for the good of others. The highest wisdom is tolerance and freedom for others as well as for self."
No scoundrel could have written those words.
Hail and farewell, Nefer!