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been all too aware that the break neatly cut in half her spray-splashed footmarks. It had been that close.
If she hadn t listened to Uncle Neville, if she d paused to do more than to grab her rifle, she d be in the
hippo s belly along with a huge salad.
When they broke free, Jenny insisted on moving to the prow again.
I can t stand up high, she said, but we still need someone to watch.
Though she almost wished someone would, no one protested.
That s the price you pay for acting like you re tough, Jenny Benet, she said to herself. People feel
free to take you at your word.
The Nile flowed quietly around them, but Jenny became aware that outside the sphere of Ra s immediate
surroundings the area was becoming dark.
We are entering Apophis s strength, Ra said. Here he will do his worst.
So ready was she for hordes of crocodiles or gigantic monster hippopotami, Jenny nearly missed trouble
when it came.
The edge of the waters began to be dotted with rounded interruptions, but as these protruding rocks did
not extend into the channel where the Boat of Millions of Years sailed steadily on, she said nothing.
Then Jenny noticed that the rocks were moving. The light was poor, but she watched until she felt almost
certain.
To the rear and sides, she called. Those rocks. Is it me, or are they moving?
Stephen said hesitantly, I think so, but what . . .
Turtles! Eddie interrupted. Lots of them. Their beaks can take a finger off, even a hand. Keep your
hands in the boat!
Ra was giving orders. The boat picked up speed, but already the turtles were pacing them, in some cases
passing them.
They re so fast! Jenny said. Whoever said turtles were slow?
On land, they re slow, Lady Cheshire said. Mr. Holmboe, do you recall the tale of the magician and
the courtesan s trinket?
Stephen laughed aloud.
I do. Shall we try?
I ll feel rather like we will be in imitation of Moses, Lady Cheshire said. But I don t think it s impiety
when for a just cause.
None of this made any sense to Jenny. She readied her rifle, wondering if turtles, like sharks, could be
turned away by the scent of blood in the water. She wondered what turtles could do to them anyhow.
They couldn t climb, surely, not even as well as a snake, and they couldn t break the boat into pieces.
Then she remembered their resemblance to rocks.
They could run us aground, she thought, pile one on another and then get aboard. Remember that
boy who lost two toes to a snapper?
Lady Cheshire had begun chanting, her voice giving cadence to rather ragged impromptu verse:
Roll back waters/ roll away/ Roll back waters/ as you did in Snofru s day./ Roll back waters/ reveal the
muddy ground/ roll back waters/ in mud is treasure found.
Stephen echoed her, line for line. Each held their makeshift ankh stiffly to one side. With their free hand,
they made a pushing gesture, as if shoving the water back.
Winds dying down, then rising again are natural.
Plants growing with incredible swiftness are natural, too. The mind might excuse this in many ways.
Perhaps the hippo had stirred up a mat of vegetation that had then floated to the surface. Perhaps Ra s
light had caused some natural growth spurt, for both lilies and lotus respond to the sun.
However, there is no way to justify river water peeling back from itself, like an ocean retreating under the
pull of a strong tide. There is no way to justify the abrupt appearance of a broad muddy strip, crammed
with graceless and floundering turtles, many now revealed to be of extraordinary size. Even more difficult
is justifying having one s boat continue to move forward, unaffected by events behind, thudding over the
occasional turtle who had not been caught like its brethren. Indeed, the Boat of Millions of Years sailed
rather gaily over these few.
Ra laughed with delight. Usually Thoth and Isis summon the abdju -fish and the dejeseru -fish, and
these make short work of the turtles. Your approach was quite different.
Why didn t you tell us what to do? Neville said, rather angrily, Jenny thought, and she didn t blame
him. Both Stephen and Lady Cheshire looked exhausted, like they d been doing something a whole lot
harder than singing a few lines of doggerel.
I feared the fish would not answer, Ra admitted. What if they have gone wherever the rest of my
companions are? I would have mentioned it if the lady had not been so clever. He bowed from the waist,
and Lady Cheshire flushed with genuine pleasure.
Jenny thought Lady Cheshire deserved the praise. She herself admired people who thought well on their
feet. Perhaps the desire to live up to Lady Cheshire s example was what sustained Jenny when she again
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