Or again—
| "The god of taste is in thy mouth, |
| The god of knowledge is in thy heart; |
| Thy tongue is enthroned in the temple of truth; |
| God is seated upon thy lips."[2] |
[1] Anastasi Papyri, 4, 5, 6 ff.
[2] Kubban stela.
To meet face to face this all-knowing, all-seeing, celestial creature, from whom there could be no secrets hid nor any guilt concealed, was an ordeal to which a man might well look forward with utter horror. It was this terrible dread that, in the tale with which we are now concerned, held the captain of this Nubian vessel in agony upon his couch.
As he lay there, biting his finger-nails, one of the ship's officers, himself a former leader of expeditions, entered the cabin to announce their arrival at the Shallal docks.
"Good news, prince," said he cheerfully to his writhing master. "Look, we have reached home. They have taken the mallet and driven in the mooring-post; the ship's cable has been put on land. There is merrymaking and thanksgiving, and every man is embracing his fellow. Our crew has returned unscathed, without loss to our soldiers. We have reached the end of Wawat, we have passed Bigeh. Yes, indeed, we have returned safely; we have reached our own land."
At this the prince seems to have groaned anew, much to the distress of his friend, who could but urge him to pull himself together and to play the man.
"Listen to me, prince," he begged, "for I am one void of exaggeration. Wash yourself, pour water on your fingers."
The wretched, man replied, it would seem, with a repetition of his fears; whereupon the old sailor seems to have sat down by his side and to have given him a word of advice as to how he should behave in the king's presence. "Make answer when you are addressed," he said; "speak to the king with a heart in you; answer without restraint. For it is a man's mouth that saves him.... But do as you will: to talk to you is wearisome (to you)."