Chapter 10, Part D
Chebron, upon going to the temple the day of Neco's death, found all sorts of rumors wandering about. It seemed that in the night, a group of men came and were going to steal the special instruments used in the priests' rituals when they were discovered and came over the wall by the way of the ladders.
Amuba and Chebron talked over the situation and decided to tell Ameres about it. After dinner that day, Ameres called Chebron into his study.
"Have you heard, Chebron, that some scurrilous people came into the temple and escaped over the wall last night?" Ameres asked.
"I haven't heard anything, Father," said Chebron. "But I have done things. May I tell you about it?"
Then Chebron told him the story of how he and Amuba went into the temple and then escaped.
"That was a very hard scrape, Chebron," said Ameres. "They could have slain you without mercy if you had been caught. Today, I received a letter from Ptylus that he had suddenly been called to go off and see a sick relative of his. No doubt that he was in guilt because he has gone off so quickly. No doubt that it had something with your brother's death - they probably caught a glimpse of you on the wall and saw your priestly attire and suspected that you were Neco."
Monday, April 11, 2011
George Washington's World - Leave Our Land
"Englishmen! Although you have conquered the French, you have not yet conquered us! These rivers and woods and meadows are ours and we will part with none of them!" Such were the words of an Ottawa chief at the end of the war. Pontiac, now a great strong chief of the Ottawa tribe, looked out to the forts near his home and no longer saw the white and lily flag of the friendly French, but the hated red, white and blue flag of the English. He believed the French would come and help him sometime soon and drive the English across back across the mountains.
Drive the English back across the mountains! That was what Pontiac believed the Indians should do. He went from tribe to tribe, calling on them to assist him. It went well, and soon 11 English forts fell to the Indians. Only Fort Pitt and Fort Detroit were not taken. Pontiac has planned to take Fort Detroit by surprise. He planned to go in on a 'peaceful mission' and once inside, signal for his warriors to draw their weapons and to surprise the unsuspecting English. But the commander of Fort Detroit had heard tale of this news, and once entering, Pontiac saw that something was wrong and withdrew without giving the signal. The Indians had to settle with laying siege to the fort. This was not successful.
One of the commanders of the English was very angry. He wrote to the commander of Fort Pitt to find a way to get rid of the Indians by spreading small pox among them. So the commander gave blankets infected with smallpox to the Delaware and Shawnee tribes. The disease quickly spread, killing whole villages at once.
Drive the English back across the mountains! That was what Pontiac believed the Indians should do. He went from tribe to tribe, calling on them to assist him. It went well, and soon 11 English forts fell to the Indians. Only Fort Pitt and Fort Detroit were not taken. Pontiac has planned to take Fort Detroit by surprise. He planned to go in on a 'peaceful mission' and once inside, signal for his warriors to draw their weapons and to surprise the unsuspecting English. But the commander of Fort Detroit had heard tale of this news, and once entering, Pontiac saw that something was wrong and withdrew without giving the signal. The Indians had to settle with laying siege to the fort. This was not successful.
Fort Detroit, circa 1750
One of the commanders of the English was very angry. He wrote to the commander of Fort Pitt to find a way to get rid of the Indians by spreading small pox among them. So the commander gave blankets infected with smallpox to the Delaware and Shawnee tribes. The disease quickly spread, killing whole villages at once.
Friday, April 8, 2011
Cat of Bubastes #11
Chapter 9, Part D
After the magistrates had left, Ameres ordered the corpse to be brought to his own house. A parade started out with the body. When the parade came to the house where Ameres and Amense lived, Amense and Mysa came out with their hair unbound and wailing and crying, they joined the parade. The parade went into their house. They had a party; the guests were especially perfumed and had a lot of flowers, which was unusual for parties. Then they went and carried the body to Chegeron, the embalmer.
When the 40 days of embalming was going on, the strictest mourning was in the house. No meat or wheaten bread was eaten and even the luxury of the bath was abandoned. The men shaved their eyebrows off and the women, for their part, their cries of lamentation echoed through the house. After the 40 days, the body was brought back all mummified, and in the special room that is in all large Egyptian houses, for the dead, they went in and brought the body. Special sacrifices, similar to those in the temple, were made. Mysa and Amense came into the room; when they did, their hair was unbound as before and they bathed the mummy's feet with their tears and they exclaimed with loud tears of grief and praises for the dead.
Then they went outside and they all went down together in a procession. The ranks were assembled from highest to lowest (I think - I'm not sure). There was a sledge pulled by four oxen and seven men. In the sledge was a boat and in the boat was the mummy with a coffin around it. Amense and Mysa were seated in the boat. (Poor men and oxen who had to pull all of that!) They reached the sacred lake near the temple and the boat was unloaded from the sledge. There were other boats there. Chebron, Amense and Mysa were sat in the boat with the coffin. There were more boats, so everyone sailed across the lake together.
After the magistrates had left, Ameres ordered the corpse to be brought to his own house. A parade started out with the body. When the parade came to the house where Ameres and Amense lived, Amense and Mysa came out with their hair unbound and wailing and crying, they joined the parade. The parade went into their house. They had a party; the guests were especially perfumed and had a lot of flowers, which was unusual for parties. Then they went and carried the body to Chegeron, the embalmer.
When the 40 days of embalming was going on, the strictest mourning was in the house. No meat or wheaten bread was eaten and even the luxury of the bath was abandoned. The men shaved their eyebrows off and the women, for their part, their cries of lamentation echoed through the house. After the 40 days, the body was brought back all mummified, and in the special room that is in all large Egyptian houses, for the dead, they went in and brought the body. Special sacrifices, similar to those in the temple, were made. Mysa and Amense came into the room; when they did, their hair was unbound as before and they bathed the mummy's feet with their tears and they exclaimed with loud tears of grief and praises for the dead.
Then they went outside and they all went down together in a procession. The ranks were assembled from highest to lowest (I think - I'm not sure). There was a sledge pulled by four oxen and seven men. In the sledge was a boat and in the boat was the mummy with a coffin around it. Amense and Mysa were seated in the boat. (Poor men and oxen who had to pull all of that!) They reached the sacred lake near the temple and the boat was unloaded from the sledge. There were other boats there. Chebron, Amense and Mysa were sat in the boat with the coffin. There were more boats, so everyone sailed across the lake together.
George Washington's World - The Surrender of Quebec
This really about the surrender of Quebec, but there is some other things that happened to.
England had been wanting Fort Pitt and Quebec to be in their hands. Fort Pitt was not named for William Pitt originally -it had been made by the French and so had a French name that I can't remember.
The English took over the Ohio land that they had been arguing about with the French. The English set siege to a prominent French fort; the French finally gave in, but set fire to the fort as they fled. The English rebuilt a new fort, and named in Fort Pitt after the Great Commoner, William Pitt.
The English were getting ready for the taking of Quebec. The general which Pitt had selected to lead was James Wolfe, a daring, brave young man. He waited for a night where there wasn't any moon, then silently muffling their oars, they rowed to a place where they could quietly climb up the cliffs. (Quebec was on top of some steep cliffs with the river down below.)
Those in the General's boat could hear him quoting a poem,
"The curfew tolls the knell of parting day. The lowing herd winds slowly over the lea. The poughman homewards wends his weary way and leaves the world to darkness and to me."
"Gentleman," he said simply when he was finished, "I would rather have written that poem than have taken Quebec tomorrow."
They reached the top of the cliff before dawn broke. The French, caught completely by surprise, did their best to fight, but they lost. The fighting was so fierce but so short that the plains of Abraham, where the battle was fought, were stained with blood. The two generals, Montcalm who was the general appointed for Quebec, and Wolfe both lay dying.
As Montcalm lay dying, he said, "Thank God I shall not live to see the surrender of Quebec."
That was the end of the French and Indian war and Montcalm knew it! The French had lost!
England had been wanting Fort Pitt and Quebec to be in their hands. Fort Pitt was not named for William Pitt originally -it had been made by the French and so had a French name that I can't remember.
The English took over the Ohio land that they had been arguing about with the French. The English set siege to a prominent French fort; the French finally gave in, but set fire to the fort as they fled. The English rebuilt a new fort, and named in Fort Pitt after the Great Commoner, William Pitt.
The English were getting ready for the taking of Quebec. The general which Pitt had selected to lead was James Wolfe, a daring, brave young man. He waited for a night where there wasn't any moon, then silently muffling their oars, they rowed to a place where they could quietly climb up the cliffs. (Quebec was on top of some steep cliffs with the river down below.)
Those in the General's boat could hear him quoting a poem,
"The curfew tolls the knell of parting day. The lowing herd winds slowly over the lea. The poughman homewards wends his weary way and leaves the world to darkness and to me."
"Gentleman," he said simply when he was finished, "I would rather have written that poem than have taken Quebec tomorrow."
They reached the top of the cliff before dawn broke. The French, caught completely by surprise, did their best to fight, but they lost. The fighting was so fierce but so short that the plains of Abraham, where the battle was fought, were stained with blood. The two generals, Montcalm who was the general appointed for Quebec, and Wolfe both lay dying.
As Montcalm lay dying, he said, "Thank God I shall not live to see the surrender of Quebec."
That was the end of the French and Indian war and Montcalm knew it! The French had lost!
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Cat of Bubastes #10
Chapter 9, Part C
Chebron and Mysa bore the news pretty easily because they had barely ever seen Neco. They were more awed and stunned by the suddenness of his death than grieved at his dying. Ameres went to Neco's house to find out some 'clews' but he found none. Apparently, someone had been waiting right outside the door for Neco. He would have been probably reporting on someone who wanted to get him back for their punishment so he was murdered. The temple said the same thing as Neco's house did, so Ameres went home.
Four magistrates came to their house and picked up all the clues. Then they questioned anyone who might have a grudge against Neco. Everyone just said that they were asleep and the four magistrates did not find out anything at all.
Chebron and Mysa bore the news pretty easily because they had barely ever seen Neco. They were more awed and stunned by the suddenness of his death than grieved at his dying. Ameres went to Neco's house to find out some 'clews' but he found none. Apparently, someone had been waiting right outside the door for Neco. He would have been probably reporting on someone who wanted to get him back for their punishment so he was murdered. The temple said the same thing as Neco's house did, so Ameres went home.
Four magistrates came to their house and picked up all the clues. Then they questioned anyone who might have a grudge against Neco. Everyone just said that they were asleep and the four magistrates did not find out anything at all.
George Washington's World - The Empire Builder
William Pitt would disagree with the king, except this time he sided with the king. He said it would be a good idea for them to go to war against the rest of England.
William Pitt was a good empire-builder. He had a vision for England that last for over a hundred years. He was pretty serious and he was great with writing and talking. Again, when he talked, everybody listened... and people rarely argued with him (except the king). He was a great member of the House of Commons.
In India, a Rajah attacked and took over a British fort, with French help. The Black Hole of Calcutta was a small room with only two small windows in it. During this attack, 64 British prisoners were shoved into this room. That night, the heat was so stifling that by morning, all but 21 of the prisoners had died. 43 had died!
Clive avenged the Black Hole of Calcutta and taking the French trading post in Bengal. That was all Clive had been ordered to do, but he thought, "Why stop there?" Now there was an opportunity to take Prince Sujari from the throne - he was the one who had ordered the Black Hole of Calcutta prison.
Clive had this expedition put not only more money in his pocket but it made him even more famous.
William Pitt was a good empire-builder. He had a vision for England that last for over a hundred years. He was pretty serious and he was great with writing and talking. Again, when he talked, everybody listened... and people rarely argued with him (except the king). He was a great member of the House of Commons.
In India, a Rajah attacked and took over a British fort, with French help. The Black Hole of Calcutta was a small room with only two small windows in it. During this attack, 64 British prisoners were shoved into this room. That night, the heat was so stifling that by morning, all but 21 of the prisoners had died. 43 had died!
Clive avenged the Black Hole of Calcutta and taking the French trading post in Bengal. That was all Clive had been ordered to do, but he thought, "Why stop there?" Now there was an opportunity to take Prince Sujari from the throne - he was the one who had ordered the Black Hole of Calcutta prison.
Clive had this expedition put not only more money in his pocket but it made him even more famous.
George Washington's World - Seven Years War Begins
Marie Therese declared war on King Frederick of Prussia, hoping against hope that she would recover her Silesia that had been stolen from her. Elizabeth, Empress of Russia, planned with her and Madame de Pompadour also plotted with them, as she did most of the thinking of the Louis XV. She herself might as well have been the ruler. Louis XV was really bored with the whole thing, but as he did not have any particular objection, he signed the contract to go to war with King Frederick.
King Frederick, scornful as ever, called it the "Petticoat Plot" because the three most powerful women - or as Frederick called them, the Petticoat Wearers, had plotted against him. All the empires of the world joined in to fight against Europe: Spain, Austria, France, Russia, Sweden... all except England.
England thought it would be a good idea if she helped King Frederick, mostly because they had a German King and he didn't want his province of Hanover to be captured by the French.
Frederick was a little in despair; he and Prussia were in danger. Luckily for England, William Pitt did agree with the king - they did need to go to war on Frederick's side.
King Frederick, scornful as ever, called it the "Petticoat Plot" because the three most powerful women - or as Frederick called them, the Petticoat Wearers, had plotted against him. All the empires of the world joined in to fight against Europe: Spain, Austria, France, Russia, Sweden... all except England.
England thought it would be a good idea if she helped King Frederick, mostly because they had a German King and he didn't want his province of Hanover to be captured by the French.
Frederick was a little in despair; he and Prussia were in danger. Luckily for England, William Pitt did agree with the king - they did need to go to war on Frederick's side.
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