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vanished past Amun’s shrine towards the temple of Hathor, and ended at the drainage canal far behind the western edge of Mennofer. A large body of water opened out between the river and the shrine, and here many of the King’s ships were docked. The verges of the lake were choked with sailors, heralds in royal livery, and naval soldiers hurrying to and fro or loitering in raucous groups or fingering the merchandise offered on the stalls of the tradesmen loudly calling their wares.
    Leaving the skiff, Huy waited impatiently for his litter to be unloaded. The din around him, though cheerful, was trying. With a vision of the often-deserted and quiet river path between his estate and the town of Hut-herib itself, he climbed into the litter. His bearers moved cautiously through the throng, none confident enough to demand a passage for him, but once past Peru-nefer itself the crowd thinned. The guarded arsenal loomed on Huy’s right, and once past it the bearers swung that way, pacing by its wall until suddenly the huge parade ground opened out in a dazzling expanse. Across it Huy could see a row of cells and behind them, he knew, there would be many more where the King’s military and naval officers lived while on duty. He heard the whinny of a horse coming faintly from his left and presumed that the stables lay beyond yet another line of similar structures.
    Once across the hard-packed earth of the parade ground, Huy ordered a halt. “Go into any cell and find out where the Scribe of Recruits works,” he said to his nearest guard. In spite of the gentle season the sun was reflecting harshly off the dusty area around him, making him sweat. He felt exposed and vulnerable without Anhur’s solid figure standing beside him to block out not only the sunlight but also any threat. He and the other bearers waited.
    Presently the man came back and pointed. “The scribe’s cell is the one right on the nearest end.”
    Huy got off the cushions. “You two, come with me,” he ordered the guards. “The rest of you, find some shade until I need you.”
    It was a matter of a few steps to arrive at the open door. As Huy and his men approached it, a servant rose and bowed. “Is the Scribe of Recruits within?” Huy asked.
    The man bowed again. “He is. I will announce you, Great Seer. Yes, I know who you are.” He smiled. Vanishing for a moment, he quickly reappeared and ushered Huy inside.
    The cell was bigger than it had seemed from outside, the ceiling higher, the rear farther away from the entrance than Huy had supposed. One square archway led off to what must be his nephew’s sleeping room. The floor was beaten dirt. One brown reed mat covered most of it. The interior was pleasantly cool. Three spears were propped in one corner with a gazelle’s hide shield at their foot. Niches pocked the walls. In the centre stood a desk half buried in scrolls, and Amunhotep-Huy himself was rising from behind it, a startled expression on his face.
    “Uncle!” he exclaimed. “I’m surprised to see you here! I knew that you’d been summoned but didn’t expect a visit from you. Get the Seer a stool,” he barked at the servant. “Pour beer!” The man scurried to obey. Huy sank onto the stool, waved Amunhotep-Huy back into his chair, and gratefully took a mouthful of beer. “This is not an idle call, is it, Uncle?” the young man continued. “You and I never did enjoy one another’s company, but I suppose I have you to thank for my elevation from one of the anonymous scribes waiting on His Majesty to the Scribe of Recruits. His Majesty gave me the appointment in his own person.”
    “Actually, you owe your promotion to the Regent,” Huy remarked. He pushed a few of the scrolls aside and set his cup on the table. “Our whole family is enjoying her favour. We are blessed indeed. Are you happy here?”
    “Yes.” Amunhotep-Huy folded his arms. “I already knew almost every officer of every division before I took this position, and