itching for excitement and novelty. There are many people
around, of all races and colours, Romans, Greeks, trading Phoenicians,
even Persians from the East and handsome, blue-black Nubians from the
South, and Antinous does not stand out as someone alien as he wanders
through the crowded stalls.
Suddenly though he feels himself observed.
He turns to see a youth, perhaps of around his own age, but with an
olive complexion and huge dark eyes made to appear even larger by their
border of kohl, staring at him. Antinous is not alarmed - he thinks he
bears a charmed life - rather he is excited by the attention and he
returns the look with a smile.
The strange boy beckons him, turns and disappears through the
doorway of a small mud-brick building and with only a moment's hesitation
Antinous follows. After theglare of outside, the interior is almost
pitch dark but after a little while during which his eyes become
accustomed to the gloom, he sees, by the light of some oil lamps that the
single room is decorated by luxurious swathes of silks which sweep from
floor to ceiling and provide a rich rainbow of colour surrounding a large
bed. That and a table on which are a plate with some fresh dates and a
flask of wine are all the furnishings that the room contains.
Antinous pauses. At first he cannot find the boy but then he sees he
is lying on the bed, an exotic figure in an exotic setting. His eyes are
bold and alluring and his sprawled limbs are inviting.
"I am Senusret, named after a King," he says. He speaks in Greek but
with