Rahab the Harlot--Wattys Awards

Chapter Eight

Thoth marched with Salmon and the rest of his One Hundred Soldiers from their garrison of Migdol, which is on the coast of the Sea. To the East were the five major cities of the Philistines, a sea-faring people who attempted to invade Egypt from their boats centuries before. Thoth's garrison was the first fort guarding Egypt from easy attack from along the coast.

Pharaoh had sent warnings to lay waste Philistia if they should attack Egypt while at war with Kush. Ramses II had years before punished the Philistines for such an attack in the past. His army had destroyed the fortified city of Gath as example. Their major cities and princes took note and remained peaceful toward Egypt since then. Meanwhile Gath was rebuilt to protect them from the Canaanites.

At length Thoth and his soldiers drew small carts with baggage and extra war materiel they would need later. Soon they were able to load onto five sail boats. While they could not sail against the wind, sailors were fortunate that the wind always blew South and was usually strong enough to fill the sails and carry boats against the current.

The Great Nile River, the longest in the world, always flowed North. So sailors could fold up their sails and let the river carry them North.

The farmland in the Nile Delta, near Thoth's garrison at Migdol, was some of the richest in the world. However, because of seasonal flooding, farmers needed to live and work in buildings behind massive walls or raise them above the flood plane.

Once Thoth's flotilla had sailed South below the Delta, the land was green only a few hundred meters on either side of the river. For centuries farmers would dig huge drainage ditches or cisterns to collect both the rare rain water or water from the yearly floods. With that they developed a series of water wheels to irrigate the drier land on both sides of the Nile for more farming.

Thoth said to Salmon as they sailed past a small fishing village, "The great desert is a blessing to our Land. Enemies must either bring water with them or occupy a string of oases if attacking from East or West."

Soon Thoth's boats were joined by his Captain of Two Hundred and then by Horemheb, his Captain of a Thousand soldiers.

One by one each smaller flotilla would stop at a village for rest during the night so as not to overburden one village.

There the villagers brought meat, fruits, vegetables, bread, and wine. Some soldiers slept on the boats while others visited brothels if they were to be found. Usually larger villages had women who were selling their bodies because they had lost husbands over the years. By first light they were off again sailing South.

More sailing ships joined them, making their army's ranks even larger.

Soon Thoth's flotilla came within site of three massive stone pyramid structures on the Western side of the river. Their magnificence dominated the the countryside for half a day.

Although there was much bare desert landscape on either side, Salmon could make out a separate form with a lion's body and head of a bearded King with headdress. It seemed an eerie guard against anyone who came close.

"Thoth, Moses spoke of huge stone burial chambers of the long-dead Kings."

"The largest is by Pharaoh Kufu," Thoth said. "They once believed that only a king could enjoy the Afterlife."

"We have no huge tombs yet while we live in the desert of Sinai near the mountain of Moses' God," Salmon said.

Do you believe in an Afterlife, Salmon?"

"As long as I obey my Ten Commandments, God will keep me from the Pit, where our dead live a shadow like existence."

A few hours after the pyramids were a fading memory, another city lay in ruins with massive stones and columns everywhere. There was a massive wall with an image of the Sun and its Rays giving light. A small village of poor people was but a shadow of its former glory.

"This God is different from anything I have yet to see in Egypt," Salmon said.

"It's the God of Akhenaton. That king believed in but one God for Egypt," Thoth said.

Thoth's Hundred went ashore there. Some men were curious about this king, god, and ruined city, which was unlike nothing they had ever seen.

The villages were so poor that the men took pity, providing them with food. They slept on the shore or in the boats.

Although they were no expecting trouble during the night, Thoth posted guards to the West of their broken city gate. Soon his guards heard the approach of raiders, who must have assumed that the poor villagers would not be able to fight back.

After he received warning from his guards, Thoth guided his soldiers to form a semi-circle on the inside of the old city gate.

Once the soldiers hiding in the dark outside the gate were satisfied that the entire band of raiders had passed inside the old city, they shouted and then rushed to form ranks behind them. The rest of the soldiers then unleashed a hail of huge sling stones on the unsuspecting attackers.

Next they impaled still more with their spears.

They rushed the remaining unscathed raiders with their shields and spears. The noise Thoth's men made in the dark was so deafening that the hapless theves thought there were hundreds of soldiers more.

Within an hour, Thoth's soldiers had turned over weapons, unwounded animals, and captives to the poor towns people.

Then Thoth handed a sickle sword to the leader of the people. "Do with these thieves as pleases you."

"Last year many of these same men killed half my people and stole nearly all of our food."

He then beheaded the captives, and the next day placed their heads on spikes as a warning to all who would harm their people.

That night none of Thoth's soldiers went into their women in order to lie with them.