Book 6, The Day of the False King Summary

Kaptah rejoices when Sinuhe returns alive to Smyrna, credits the scarab, and does not relish the coming travels but feels obligated to go. Joining a caravan, they marvel at the cedars of Lebanon, visit Kadesh, and are greeted in Naharani by people worried about the Pharaoh's pacifism. Sinuhe is sad that these people, stuck between Babylonia and Hatti, are doomed without realizing it. Their physicians are skillful and teach Sinuhe much. When he opens a man's skull and removes a tumor, Sinuhe's reputation goes before him to Babylon.

In this land of commerce, drawing people from all nations, Sinuhe is summoned to the palace. On Kaptah's advice, Sinuhe rides a luxurious chair a day after the summons. Kaptah's fearful reaction to the royal pet lion amuses the spoiled boy-king, Burnaburiash, who...