Free Shadows of the Nile by Jo Franklin Page B

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    â€œShe must be here,” she heard Ptah shout hoarsely. So it was definitely him!
    She slid silently round the nearest boat, hanging to the side. She knew that soon she’d be spotted. The men wouldn’t come into the river unless they had to. There had been talk of alligators in the area. She shivered, and then scolded herself. If she wanted to live she had to remain calm.
    Suddenly she saw someone coming her way. She took a deep breath and went under. It was a totally new experience for her, but somehow she coped, keeping her eyes completely open and looking upwards. She saw the light come towards her, and wave about searching for her, for what seemed like an eternity. At long last it disappeared, and finally it was dark above her again. Slowly she took her head out of the water. She gasped, drawing in air, as silently as she could manage.
    They were retreating.
    â€œTwo of you keep looking,” she heard Ptah say. His voice sounded very weak. “I have to go back. I’m not well. Bring her back – I don’t care how you do it. If necessary kill her, but bring her back to me.”
    Now she knew. There was no choice. He really was prepared to sacrifice her in order to take her with him to the afterlife.
    She had to get out of the water. She was very, very cold. She pulled herself onto the bank and ran along the path away from the lights.
    She needed to get out of her wet clothes. After what seemed like forever she came to an outhouse of a farm. The night sky was turning into dawn, and she could see some clothes the workmen wore in the fields. She stripped off everything she had on and slung on a couple of long garments. They were warm and dry, although they smelt of soil and animals. She wound a cloth round her head and blacked her face with some mud from the ditch. She took her damp clothes and hid them as best she could under some stones. Now she was indistinguishable from one of the labourers.
    She journeyed on at a frantic pace. She felt very hungry and thirsty but she had no time for the niceties of life. Someone would find her clothes. They’d track her on fast horses, and then if they caught her they’d slit her throat.
    She reached the river once more. She could hide in one of the bigger boats which would take her up the river. She clambered in the nearest one and carefully covered herself with sacks, and waited.
    Soon she heard voices, and men talking loudly to each other. She kept very still as the boat started to move away from the bank and up the Nile. In spite of everything, lulled by the quiet rocking of the boat and the sound of the water flowing round her, she fell asleep.
    *
    She awoke suddenly, feeling stiff and unable to breathe. The boat had stopped. There was shouting from the bank. She heard someone call, “We’re from Ptah. We want to know what you’re carrying.”
    One of the men mumbled and swore quietly. “Thinks he owns us all,” he said. “Fish!” he shouted back. “Only fish.”
    â€œSearch your boat! We’re looking for someone!”
    Fortunately the search was only half-hearted, although a pole only just missed Tadinanefer’s head as they prodded the sacks.
    â€œNothing here. Who are you looking for?”
    â€œOne of Ptah’s daughters. There’s a good reward for anyone who finds her.”
    â€œOkay. We’ll watch out for her.”
    That was it. The boat sailed on, and although Tadinanefer felt unable to breathe properly, she knew that every mile carried her further away towards safety.
    The men fished and laughed, and threw their catch onto the deck, not stopping to deal with it but carrying on. Finally they were satisfied with their spoils, and she could hear them eating and drinking and sorting their catch.
    *
    At last they came to their destination, and the noise made her guess it was a large town where the fishermen would get a good price. She felt them dock. She knew it was time