Ramose and the Tomb Robbers Read Online Free PDF

hardwood from the southern lands. After they had been travelling for two days, Karoya let Mery out of her basket. The cat sniffed around the boat suspiciously, but soon got used to the idea of living on a boat. Karoya was still uncomfortable with so much water around her. She sat in the middle of the boat with her eyes fixed firmly on the shore.
    Ramose and Hapu fished and played senet. They watched the land slip by them on either side. They saw brief scenes from people’s lives as they passed: women pounding dirty clothes with rocks, a man trying to move a stubborn ox, a child crying over a lost ball that was floating out of reach.
    Each evening the boat was moored and Karoya went off in search of dry reeds and animal dung to make a cooking fire. They ate a simple meal of bread and fish, and then slept on the boat on their reed mats. When they stopped at a town they bought more food. Ramose had exchanged two of his gold rings for copper. It attracted too much attention when they offered gold in exchange for flour and vegetables.
    The journey was taking longer than Ramose had expected. After a week on board the boat, they had only reached Akhmim, which by Ramose’s reckoning was only a third of the way to Memphis. At this rate it was going to take a lot of gold to keep the three of them fed on the journey. Actually there were four mouths to feed as Mery had to have a daily supply of fish and milk.
    “Look,” whispered Hapu as if he had read Ramose’s thoughts. “Over there.”
    Ramose looked over to where Hapu was pointing. A rat was walking calmly along the edge of the boat. It hopped from there onto one of the logs strapped to the deck. Mery was curled up asleep in her open basket totally unaware of the rat.
    “Did you see that?” said Hapu to Karoya. “There was a rat. That cat of yours didn’t even notice it! It’s useless. All it does is eat our food, drink our milk and make that awful wailing noise when we’re trying to sleep.”
    “Sounds a bit like you,” said Karoya scratching Mery behind the ear.
    “I don’t wail,” said Hapu.
    Ramose ignored his friends’ bickering and returned to his thoughts. He knew he’d need gold to bribe people once he got to the palace if he was going to get anywhere near his father. He wondered if his supply of gold was enough.
    “I’m bored,” said Hapu. “How much further is it?”
    Ramose was beginning to wish that he’d managed to sneak away on his own. Hapu and Karoya were either complaining about being on a boat for so long or arguing with each other.
    “Nobody asked you to come,” said Ramose irritably. “But just remember that if you weren’t on this boat, Hapu, you’d be on another one heading for alien lands beyond the reaches of Egypt. And you, Karoya, would be Ianna’s slave.”
    His friends didn’t say anything. Ramose had to admit he was sick of the boat as well. It wasn’t like the royal barge that had taken him up and down the river when he was still a prince. Then he’d had a comfortable bed, servants to attend to his slightest need, and as much food as he wished to eat.
    Later that evening they were sitting on board the boat eating their evening meal.
    “Can’t we get some meat?” Hapu grumbled. “I’m sick of fish.” He was just about to put a piece of fish in his mouth when Mery strode up importantly and dropped something in his lap. Hapu looked down. It was a dead rat. He leapt to his feet with a yell.
    “You said you wanted meat!” said Karoya.
    It was the first time Ramose had laughed in quite a while.

    Another six days brought them to a town called Hardai. The royal barge had never stopped there. Ramose didn’t like the look of it. It was just a collection of mud brick houses and dusty streets.
    The people didn’t smile, they were not friendly. Karoya got into an argument with a woman who was trying to sell her some rotten grapes when she wanted figs. The three friends walked back towards the boat and for once they were