Chapter 14 Chapter Twelve

"Let's go, Ramses." The prince couldn't believe his ears, but he couldn't ask his father to repeat what he had just said, and he closed his eyes happily. Seti was already approaching his horse, which was so peaceful that the Pharaoh let it go, and it followed him at once and obediently had it harnessed to a light chariot.At the gate of the barracks, the king's personal guard stood guard. The prince got into the car and sat on his father's left. "Hold the reins." With the pride of a conqueror, Ramses drove the royal carriage all the way to the pier, where a fleet was docked and was about to set sail for the south.

Ramses didn't have time to inform Yameni, and he didn't care about his love date with Yser at the miscanthus hut. What would Yser think when he couldn't see him?But what mattered, besides, he had the unexpected chance to go on board the Royal Navy and go on a trip with them.With the help of the strong north wind, this warship sailed forward quickly! As royal scribe, Ramses was in charge of the voyage's diary, a job he did with enthusiasm, fascinated by the beauty of his surroundings.Memphis is 800 kilometers away from the destination of the trip, the Silesian Mountains. During the 17-day trip, the prince kept praising the beautiful scenery on both sides of the Nile, as well as the quiet small villages on the hills beside the river and the twinkling of the Nile. of the water.

During the trip, Ramses did not see his father again.The days are fleeting, and the diary on board is full. In the sixth year of Seti's reign, thousands of soldiers, masons, and sailors entered the mountains of Silesia, where the main sandstone mines of the country were being mined.Here, the ravines on the hills, flanked by raised steep slopes, squeeze out a very narrow path, and the river forms a terrible eddy, which is the chief cause of capsizing and drowning. Seti stood at the bow, monitoring the comings and goings of the crew; led by the captain, they carried boxes containing tools and provisions.They sang and joked with each other, but they worked at a constant pace.

Before leaving work on this day, a royal herald announced that the king would reward each worker with five pounds of bread a day, a bunch of vegetables, a roast meat, sesame oil, honey, figs, grapes, dried fish, wine and two bags per month. seed.The increase in rations has buoyed the spirits of the workers, and everyone is hard at work. Stonemasons continue to excavate the sandstone piles, first cutting narrow cuts to transport the stones out of the parent rock.This kind of arduous work does not allow any random mining. The team leader must first point out the veins and mark them for the quarrymen.Sometimes, in order to extract large stone blocks, the workers will deeply chisel the four corners of the wooden wedge in the transverse cut, and then wet the wedge, and when it dries, its four corners will swell, forming a very strong stream. If there is a lot of pressure, the stone will fall out at once.

Some stones were made by masons on the spot, and others were placed on inclined mud troughs, and then sent to the river bank, and then transported by cargo ships to the temple site, which is the terminal. Ramses didn't know how to describe the never-ending work of these technicians and how to take inventory of their products, so he decided to learn from scratch.He became familiar with the customs of the construction site, courted the laborers, and in order to avoid annoying them, he also learned the special words and gestures used among them.When they put him to the test, and gave him a hammer and chisel, he chipped a stone at hand with an accuracy that won the hearts of even the least kind to him.The prince had long since given up his rich linen robes for a shabby leather apron, not minding the heat and sweating at all.He liked the world of the quarry more than the life in the palace, and he understood that it was best to let go of the airs and get rid of the vanity of rich students when getting along with these people with labor experience.

He made up his mind that he would stay here, with the quarrymen, learn their secrets and share their lives.Far from the city and its oppressive luxuries, he chose to recharge his batteries in the sandstone blocks of the gods. This is the message his father wants to warn him: to forget the golden childhood and artificial education, and to find his own true essence in the quarry under the ruthless sun.He had mistakenly believed that fighting the buffalo would lead him to the throne, but Seti dispelled his illusions and placed him before his true power. Ramses doesn't want to live an aristocratic life at all, and is confined to comfort and habit. Schena is obviously more qualified than him for this kind of role.He lay peacefully on the deck, staring at the sky and stars with blank eyes.

The quarry was unusually quiet, and many stones had been dug out the night before.It was just dawn, and usually, when the morning was still cool, the quarry workers started working. Why haven't the mining captains come today? Why haven't they called the workers? Attracted by the charm of the area, the prince made his way to the paths beside the sandstone cliffs, which are now a part of his life.He no longer knows the other world outside, and he enjoys a moment of peace before the noise of tools disturbs his mind. Ramesses was anxious to shed his image as royal scribe so that he could live with those laborers, share their pain and joy, and forget forever his lazy aristocratic behaviour.

There is a small temple on a large rock at the end of the quarry.On the left side of the entrance of the small temple, there is a stone tablet recording the worship of the sunrise.Facing the sacred monument, Pharaoh Seti raised his hands, palms open, and blessed the rising sun, whose light began to shine on the quarry. Ramses knelt and listened to his father's blessing. When the prayer was over, Seti turned to face his son. "What are you looking for in these places?" "The way of my life." "The Creator has performed four perfect deeds," said Pharaoh, "he has placed four winds in the world, that every man may breathe while he lives; Formed each human being in the likeness of its offspring; at last it carved in every heart the memory of the Western world and Hades, that it might offer these sacrifices to the invisible gods. But human beings disobeyed the bidder of their Creator, bent on distorting its accomplishments; are you an accomplice to them?"

"I... I killed someone." "Is destruction the meaning of your existence?" "I have a force driving me in self-defense!" "In this case, take what you did, and don't grieve for what you did." "I want to find the real murderer." "Don't waste time on trivial things, are you ready to sacrifice for the gods?" The prince nodded. Seti entered the temple and came out again, holding a golden dog in his arms.Ramses had a happy smile on his face. "Night watch." "Is this really your dog?" "Yes, but..."

"Go pick up a stone, crush its head, and offer it to the gods of this quarry, and you will be cleansed of your crimes of violence." Pharaoh put the dog down, and it rushed to its master, celebrating their reunion with joy. "dad……" "Do it." There was affection and tenderness in the night policeman's eyes. "I reject." "Are you sure about your answer?" "I'd rather join the ranks of the quarrymen than ever go back to the palace." "You gave up your identity for a dog?" "It trusts me and I should protect it."

"follow me." They walked up a narrow path beside the hill, and Seti, Ramses, and the night police climbed a rocky hill that overlooked the quarry. "If you kill your dog, you are the most vile and shameless destroyer. You have matured and you have taken a new step forward." Ramses was overjoyed. "Here, I can prove my worth." "you are wrong." "I can do heavy work!" "Such work secures our traditions forever. The king should visit often to see if the quarrymen and stonemasons are continuing to do what is prescribed. Then the dwellings of the gods will be better and they will stay. In our land. It makes sense for the government to have access to those who are in this profession. Stone and wood do not lie. Egypt made pharaohs, pharaohs built Egypt, and he kept building and building, because building temples and doing good The people are the greatest action." Every word Seti said was like the bright sunshine broadening Ramses' heart, like a thirsty traveler being nourished by clear water. "My place is here." "No, son. Silesian Mountain is nothing more than a sandstone quarry. Granite, marble, lime, other stones and ores need you. You can't be satisfied with any refuge, not even the organization that protects you. .It's time to go north."