The Hippopotamus Pool - Elizabeth Peters [95]
I introduced Gertrude, and the cats proceeded to underline the insult by sauntering up to greet Walter and Evelyn.
‘They seem to be getting on better,’ Evelyn said, stroking Bastet as the cat rubbed against her ankles and Anubis favoured Walter by clawing at his shoes.
‘She allows Anubis to come within five feet of her without spitting,’ I replied. ‘That is progress of a sort, I suppose.’
Hard workers though they were, our men were not averse to a little break in their labour. They gathered round; I introduced each by name and Evelyn smiled on them with her usual graciousness. Some of the older men were known to Walter, though he had not seen them for years. He was particularly friendly to Abdullah, wringing his hand and addressing him in stumbling Arabic.
‘It will take me a while to regain my former fluency,’ he added with a laugh. ‘I have been studying dead languages too long, Abdullah.’
‘It is good to have you back,’ Abdullah said gravely. ‘And the Sitt your wife.’
He withdrew when Ramses approached, tugging at a reluctant David. It could not be said that David and his grandfather were on friendly terms; the boy got on much better with the others, especially his amiable, easygoing cousin Daoud. But I knew he would come to no harm with Abdullah’s eagle eye upon him.
His appearance had improved since he came to us. Most of the sores and cuts had healed; I had trimmed his hair and prevailed upon him to wash rather more often than he considered necessary. The change was comparative, however, and I suppose he still looked rather pathetic, for Evelyn’s face softened with maternal pity. She was wise enough to refrain from expressing that pity, however. Instead she said, ‘I am very pleased to meet you, David. If you are a friend of Ramses’, you must be a friend of mine.’
‘We are blood brothers,’ Ramses explained.
‘Are you indeed?’ I exclaimed. ‘Curse it, Ramses –’
‘A small amount only of the vital fluid was required,’ Ramses said. He jogged David with his elbow, reminding him, I supposed, that he was expected to respond.
The boy jumped. He had been staring at Evelyn.
‘How do you do?’ He pronounced each word slowly and carefully. Ramses nodded approvingly, and David went on, ‘You have the face of Sitt Miriam in the book. She is beautiful. She hold . . . holds?’ He glanced at Ramses, who was too thunderstruck to respond. ‘Hold,’ David repeated, ‘the Child. She look so to him. How do you do?’
Sitt Miriam is the name given by Egyptian Christians to the Virgin. The little speech astonished me as much as it had Ramses. I could not be sure how much of it Evelyn understood, but she was visibly moved. Impulsively she held out her hand. David took it and, after a moment of hesitation, shook it gravely. ‘How do you do? I am very pleased to meet you.’
Ramses drew him away.
‘Good Gad,’ said Emerson, staring after them. ‘We appear to have a courtier in our midst. I wonder how much of that pretty speech was drilled into him by Ramses.’
‘Very little, I should think,’ I replied. ‘Ramses does not excel at pretty speeches.’
‘Hmph,’ said Emerson. ‘Well, Amelia, if you have finished with the civilities, I would like to resume work.’
The rest of us followed him to the bottom of the slope in time to see a basket being lowered into the hands of Selim, who carried it off a little distance and dumped it onto the growing pile of rock chips.
‘Part of the fill?’ Walter asked. ‘It appears to be devoid of artefacts; why don’t you just shove it over the edge?’
‘You seem to have forgotten my rules,’ Emerson replied with some acerbity. ‘We have found little as yet, but that is no excuse for slovenly excavation technique. If you will all excuse me, I am going up.’
Walter was accustomed to his brother’s manners. ‘I will go with you. I am anxious to see the tomb.’
‘I believe the stairs are not yet finished, Walter,’ Evelyn said.
It was obvious that they were not, for Mohammed was squatting on the ground nearby working on them – simple structures of wooden steps and supports, with stakes for a rope