"As you like, master, but what will the king say?"
"Oh yes, the king. You want to please the king? Very well, do what you like, only don't talk to me about it.... What day is it?"
"The twenty-fourth of Paonzu."
"And when did King Akhnaton die?"
"On the twenty-fifth."
"What a coincidence!"
"How do you mean?" Horus asked him, with sudden alarm.
Merira made no answer and stopped to look round.
"Where have you brought me, my friend? A cheerful sort of place!"
The burning sky was a deep red, the breath of the wind was hot and feverish, the yellow palm leaves made a dry rustle as the sand dropped from them on the ground, the crickets chirped and the pipe wailed.