Or there will be more suffering, more pain, more disorder!Throughout the next day and into the evening I found myself looking over my shoulder in anticipation of the next disaster. I drove the men hard to make up yesterday’s slack, but we were forced to quit early, as it was the Day of Accession and the king’s yearly festival would begin in late afternoon with a procession from palace to temple.I stood at attention outside the palace entrance, with thousands of others who thronged the road to the temple. Khufu emerged on his gilded sedan chair, carried on poles by four brawny slaves. He wore the double crown, red and white, and inclined his head gently toward his people, while a fan bearer on either side kept him cool in spite of this tremendous effort. I occupied my mind with calculations and a frustrated reassessment of schedules based on the recent shortened workdays, the tension of the numbers creeping up my back and shoulders.When Khufu had made his obeisance to the gods and been deposited back at the Great House, I departed to my own more modest home to get ready for the feast which would begin at sunset.My preparations were simple.
