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Authors: Gill Harvey
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catch it again before anyone needs to go down there.’
The doctor’s face filled with anger. ‘How could you be so stupid?’ he hissed.
Hopi scrambled towards the hatch. ‘I’ll catch it again right away,’ he said hurriedly. ‘I was going to anyway. I’m sorry, Tutmose.’
But at that moment there were shouts further along the deck. The crew were on their feet, calling and pointing. Hopi and Tutmose looked out across the Nile to see what the fuss was about. There, just a few paddles’ length away, was the hunting expedition that had set off only a few hours before.
.
Isis started calling. ‘Hopi! Sheri! Kia!’ she cried, waving her arms as the little fishing boats reached the shore.
The fishing boats’ owners appeared, looking very surprised to see their property back so soon. Hat-Neb stepped out, swaying, and cursing under his breath. Nebo steadied him, and he tottered up the bank.
‘I must complain to my wine merchant,’ he muttered. With great determination, he struggled across the little harbour to clamber up the ladder of his own boat, then stood leaning on the rail to catch his breath.
Isis followed him up. The first person she saw was Hopi, who was staring at them as though they had come back from the Next World, not just the west bank marshes.
Hat-Neb gulped a few deep breaths, then turned to Kerem. ‘Tell your men to bring up all the flagons of wine from the hold,’ he ordered. ‘I want to inspect them. Then set sail for Djeba.’ Still staggering, he walked along the deck and disappeared into the cabin.
Isis saw the alarm on Hopi’s face as the crew gathered around Kerem. The captain began to give orders and her brother suddenly interrupted.
‘Kerem, let me fetch the flagons,’ he said. ‘It will help your men. I have nothing else to do.’
Fetch the flagons? Isis stared at her brother. Whatever was he thinking of, taking on the work of the crew? He’d never manage it, not with his injured leg.
‘You can’t!’ she exclaimed. ‘They’re heavy, Hopi. It’s not your job.’
‘Shut up, Isis.’ Hopi looked furious. ‘Just keep out of it. I’ve told you before.’
‘But you can’t !’ Isis felt tears of indignation surfacing. It had been such an awful morning, and now this! Hopi was being really stupid. ‘They are heavy. Why can’t the crew do it?’
Hopi stared at her. A flicker of despair crossed his face, and all of a sudden she realised that this had nothing to do with the flagons of wine. He wanted to go into the hold for some other reason. An important reason. But now it was too late.
‘Isis asks a very good question.’ It was Nebo who spoke. He must have been watching ever since they’d come back on board. ‘Why you want to do this, Hopi?’
Hopi’s shoulders sagged. ‘I just wanted to help,’ he said weakly. Then, with a spark of anger, he glared at Nebo. ‘Some of the crew are injured, if you hadn’t noticed.’
Nebo nodded. ‘Ah, the crew, the crew,’ he said, in a mocking tone. He stepped towards the hatch, and gestured down at it with an open hand. ‘Come then, Hopi. Now you care for the crew so much, we go into the hold. You and me, we go together. This is very good idea, yes?’
And Isis knew, with a sinking heart, that she had somehow dumped her brother right in it.
.
Hopi descended the steps slowly, thinking fast. There would be no hope of catching the viper now. He would have to make a show of moving the flagons, and hope for the best. Nebo was much too tall for the little hold and stayed at the bottom of the ladder as Hopi put down his bag. There was no sign of the snake. Hopi reached for the first of the wine flagons and picked it up. Isis was right. It was very heavy. There was no way he could carry it up the narrow steps on his own.
But he would have to try. With a grunt, he picked up the flagon and staggered over the wobbly boards towards Nebo. He deposited it at the fan-bearer’s feet, then went and picked up another.
‘Stop
The doctor’s face filled with anger. ‘How could you be so stupid?’ he hissed.
Hopi scrambled towards the hatch. ‘I’ll catch it again right away,’ he said hurriedly. ‘I was going to anyway. I’m sorry, Tutmose.’
But at that moment there were shouts further along the deck. The crew were on their feet, calling and pointing. Hopi and Tutmose looked out across the Nile to see what the fuss was about. There, just a few paddles’ length away, was the hunting expedition that had set off only a few hours before.
.
Isis started calling. ‘Hopi! Sheri! Kia!’ she cried, waving her arms as the little fishing boats reached the shore.
The fishing boats’ owners appeared, looking very surprised to see their property back so soon. Hat-Neb stepped out, swaying, and cursing under his breath. Nebo steadied him, and he tottered up the bank.
‘I must complain to my wine merchant,’ he muttered. With great determination, he struggled across the little harbour to clamber up the ladder of his own boat, then stood leaning on the rail to catch his breath.
Isis followed him up. The first person she saw was Hopi, who was staring at them as though they had come back from the Next World, not just the west bank marshes.
Hat-Neb gulped a few deep breaths, then turned to Kerem. ‘Tell your men to bring up all the flagons of wine from the hold,’ he ordered. ‘I want to inspect them. Then set sail for Djeba.’ Still staggering, he walked along the deck and disappeared into the cabin.
Isis saw the alarm on Hopi’s face as the crew gathered around Kerem. The captain began to give orders and her brother suddenly interrupted.
‘Kerem, let me fetch the flagons,’ he said. ‘It will help your men. I have nothing else to do.’
Fetch the flagons? Isis stared at her brother. Whatever was he thinking of, taking on the work of the crew? He’d never manage it, not with his injured leg.
‘You can’t!’ she exclaimed. ‘They’re heavy, Hopi. It’s not your job.’
‘Shut up, Isis.’ Hopi looked furious. ‘Just keep out of it. I’ve told you before.’
‘But you can’t !’ Isis felt tears of indignation surfacing. It had been such an awful morning, and now this! Hopi was being really stupid. ‘They are heavy. Why can’t the crew do it?’
Hopi stared at her. A flicker of despair crossed his face, and all of a sudden she realised that this had nothing to do with the flagons of wine. He wanted to go into the hold for some other reason. An important reason. But now it was too late.
‘Isis asks a very good question.’ It was Nebo who spoke. He must have been watching ever since they’d come back on board. ‘Why you want to do this, Hopi?’
Hopi’s shoulders sagged. ‘I just wanted to help,’ he said weakly. Then, with a spark of anger, he glared at Nebo. ‘Some of the crew are injured, if you hadn’t noticed.’
Nebo nodded. ‘Ah, the crew, the crew,’ he said, in a mocking tone. He stepped towards the hatch, and gestured down at it with an open hand. ‘Come then, Hopi. Now you care for the crew so much, we go into the hold. You and me, we go together. This is very good idea, yes?’
And Isis knew, with a sinking heart, that she had somehow dumped her brother right in it.
.
Hopi descended the steps slowly, thinking fast. There would be no hope of catching the viper now. He would have to make a show of moving the flagons, and hope for the best. Nebo was much too tall for the little hold and stayed at the bottom of the ladder as Hopi put down his bag. There was no sign of the snake. Hopi reached for the first of the wine flagons and picked it up. Isis was right. It was very heavy. There was no way he could carry it up the narrow steps on his own.
But he would have to try. With a grunt, he picked up the flagon and staggered over the wobbly boards towards Nebo. He deposited it at the fan-bearer’s feet, then went and picked up another.
‘Stop
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