Part 82 (1/2)
He nodded ”Thank you I hope Antony was pleased Now, as to my proposal--I would be honored if you would allow roves from you, for their true worth That way you would receive the incoe theht of this--”I will undertake to collect your fees from the Arabs across the Dead Sea who extract the bituht that it ents out of his country--an understandable desire Jericho was too close to Jerusalehborhood
”I think it has merit,” I said No need to acquiesce just yet; let him wonder
”Think on it,” he said ”Now letDavid looked out and saw Bathsheba on her rooftop--”
Even in midsummer, daas cool in Jerusaleht, and when I akened to dress, I needed a rap But as soon as the sun struck the desert just beyond the city gates, the air heated rapidly
Never have I seen a quicker change of climate and terrain than that which lies between Jerusaleh on its mountaintop, then abruptly it descends into a reddish wilderness of rock and sand The road is notorious for bandits, and it is easy to see why: there is nothing on either side but cliffs and gulleys, good hiding places for thieves but offering no mercy for travelers
The sun beat down on us, and I was glad to pull a covering overway, I saw the plain open up before us, shi+reen spot marked where Jericho stood, and the flat blue surface of the Dead Sea stretched far away on the right I was surprised at how piercingly, pleasingly blue the waters looked I could even make out ripples on the surface, puffed by the winds Somehow I had expected it to be dull, flat, and metallic--to look unlike water
Jericho was a city of pal welcome Flat-topped houses clustered in their shade, and the entire city exhaled an air of pleasure and leisure Despite his disclai there He ushered our party inside, where ere oblets of the palm wine, and platters of the fay
”And here, the balm” A servant proffered a flask of balm of Gilead, one of the costliest ointroves in Jericho; the bush that yielded it was reputed to grohere else in the world I held out my hands while the servant poured a few drops into ed the no greasy stain behind, but only a delightful aroht, we shall inspect the groves,” Herod said ”I know you ish to see the , frorove of balsaation ditches between theuards stationed at the fence
”The resin is collected from the stems,” said Herod ”It oozes out by itself, but if it is slow in co, the keepers wound the tree and collect it”
”I see it uarded,” I said
”Yes,” he said ”It is as precious as gold After all, it is used in holy oil, to heal wounds, and to make costly perfume Now, as to my offer--”
”I appreciate it,” I said ”And I think I will agree” He ss for row theypt” His smile faded
The cliffs on the western side of the Dead Sea were pockes, and radiated heat We passed thelanced off the sea and the landscape The sea stretched far away, and it did not look dead There aves on its surface, and birds flew over it But a strange haze lay upon it, a cloud and yet not a cloud; and Herod pointed out that not a single plant grew by its shore
”It is a lake with no life at all--no seaweed, no fish, no crabs, no sli but brine, and a corpse placed in it would not be eaten or rot, but float, preserved, on its surface”
On closer inspection, it did look different, and soon crusts and eruptions of white salt reared up in its shallows We were nearing the area where the bitumen also arose I could smell sulfur and other foul odors
”Put your hand in it,” said Herod, e had dismounted near the station where the bitumen was extracted I walked over the rocky shore and dippeda few drops to my mouth They were horribly bitter and sour In an instant the water dried oninto a pillar of salt, like Lot's wife,” he said He motioned for a jar of sater to be poured overit
I would not wish my officials to be stationed here, unless they deserved punishment Let natives deal with this hellish place
I looked at Herod I was sorry we e He was a likable man, and clearly a resourceful one But we had our separate wants, desires, and a personal
We could be polite, and observe all the pleasantries That was the civilized way, and ere children of ancient civilizations
Leaving Herod, Iin Ashkelon, still a free city, and Gaza, then traversing the waterless desert strip until we reached the Pelusic branch of the Nile We transferred to a shi+p and sailed toward Mes to be planted at Heliopolis, a site sacred to the Pharaohs that seeood conditions for the bushes to thrive If they did, I would have done the next best thing to finding new gold mines in my land I was determined to increase my country's wealth any way I could
We sailed into Alexandria from the lake side, and I saw the white city reflected in the waters and frao, so it seeht in uard as we landed; I did not knohat to expect froe and partnershi+p with a Roathered, and I could not read their faces They had not been asked or consulted about my decision; it was the fate of subjects, but now I faced them uneasily They watched silently as the shi+p docked and the royal tru reat burst of shouts erupted--welco cries Relief flooded enuinely happy to be surrounded by ain
”The bride! The bride!” they cried ”Isis! Where is Dionysus?”
”In his grape arbor!” they answered themselves
”We wish you joy, happiness, love--”
”And fertility!” yelled one group
”Prosperity for Egypt!” cried another ”Peace with Rome!”
”All this you shall have,” I promised them, and then, on impulse, tore off my silver-threaded veil and tossed it out to them They scra to whisk h the streets and back to the palace
The children ca across the , Caesarion--who had grown so nity as fast as he could Mardian beamed, and Olympos affected his unexcited look The rest of the staff were delighted to see Iras and Charmian, whom they hadhed at his own joke ”I know you did it only to copy me”
”Indeed, that is the only reason,” I assured hi necklace, and I let everyone feast their eyes on it, ”Antony has departed for Parthia?” asked Mardian I could tell that so worried him
”Yes, I saw him off from the Araxes River,” I said ”The army was splendid, and terrible in its weapons And the war machines ” I shook my head ”But plenty of ti clothes, wash our feet, and take refreshed--the furniture all stood in the exact same places, the curtains ballooned and billowed fro the same patterns as before, and shoes I had left behind aiting, silent and polished, for me inoutside; I felt as though a walled garden had been breached It was a retreat no longer, nor was it self-contained, as Egypt had always been Now Rome was here, in the person of Antony and his fortunes, in this very room
”Your face is sad,” said Char amiss in your chambers?”
”No No, of course not It is just that, for a moment, it seehts! The alliance with Antony would protect Egypt, would preserve it, not co in ”Where's our father? Where is he? Where's he hiding?”
Their squeals told me how excited they were to have discovered that they had had a father, let alone one who liked to play a father, let alone one who liked to play
”He's gone to do his job,” I told theo with their arhtly ”I have some toy soldiers Want to see theed into their roo Antony's old spear and helrown-up soldier wears, and your father left the Antony would would have done have done
Selene was hanging on me, and I quickly pulled off a silver bracelet with ram's heads that had been presented to me by Artavasdes, and featured the fine workmanshi+p of his country ”This is for you,” I assured her, putting it on
”And nothing forin the doorway, feeling left out I had to think of soent to be fobbed off with afor you One thing for you to play with, and another for you to keep I have brought back a jar of the ht you ht like to taste it and test it to see how heavy it is And when you are finished with it, you can evaporate it and compare it with seawater It must have three times as h I don't think you could And the other present--it's a beautiful Arab horse, small and as fast as the wind” The bitumen extractors had presented it to me, in relief that they could continue their business unmolested It was time Caesarion perfected his horsemanshi+p, and I knew he needed a special horse, one that he loved, to do it
”Oh!” His eyes grew large ”What color is it?”
”He is white, with a gray mane and tail” I had been quite taken with him