of his house.”  At this grave moment I held my peace.  And he answered and said unto me, “On what matter of business hast thou come hither?” And I said unto him, “The matter concerning which I have come is wood for the great and holy Boat of Amen-Ra, the King of the Gods.  What thy father did [for the god], and what thy father’s father did for him, do thou also.”  That was what I said unto him.  And he said unto me, “They certainly did do work for it (i.e. the boat).  Give me a gift for my work for the boat, and then I also will work for it.  Assuredly my father and my grandfather did do the work that was demanded of them, and Pharaoh, life, strength, and health be to him! caused six ships laden with the products of Egypt to come hither, and the contents thereof were unloaded into their storehouses.  Now, thou must most certainly cause some goods to be brought and given to me for myself.”

Then he caused to be brought the books which his father had kept day by day, and he had them read out before me, and it was found that one thousand teben of silver of all kinds were [entered] in his books.  And he said unto me, “If the Ruler of Egypt had been the lord of my possessions, and if I had indeed been his servant, he would never have had silver and gold brought [to pay my father and my father’s father] when he told them to carry out the commands of Amen.  The instructions which they (i.e. Pharaoh) gave to my father were by no means the command of one who was their king.  As for me, I am assuredly not thy servant, and indeed I am not the servant of him that made thee to set out on thy way.  If I were to cry out now, and to shout to the cedars of Lebanon, the heavens would open, and the trees would be lying spread out on the sea-shore.  I ask thee now to show me the sails which thou hast brought to carry thy ships which shall be loaded with thy timber to Egypt.  And show me also the tackle with which thou wilt transfer to thy ships the trees which I shall cut down for thee for.... [Unless I make for thee the tackle] and the sails of thy ships, the tops will be too heavy, and they will snap off, and thou wilt perish in the midst of the sea, [especially if] Amen uttereth his voice in the sky,[1] and he unfettereth Sutekh[2] at the moment when he rageth.  Now Amen hath assumed the overlordship of all lands, and he hath made himself their master, but first and foremost he is the overlord of Egypt, whence thou hast come.  Excellent things have come forth from Egypt, and have reached even unto this place wherein I am; and moreover, knowledge (or learning) hath come forth therefrom, and hath reached even unto this place wherein I am.  But of what use is this beggarly journey of thine which thou hast been made to take?”

[Footnote 1:  i.e. if there is thunder.]

[Footnote 2:  Here the Storm-god.]