ry at St. Petersburg. It is probable that a layer of facts
underlies the story, but the form in which we have it justifies us in
assigning to it a place among the fairy stories of Ancient Egypt.
Prefixed to the narrative of the shipwrecked traveller is the following:

"A certain servant of wise understanding hath said, Let thy heart be of
good cheer, O prince. Verily we have arrived at [our] homes. The mallet
hath been grasped, and the anchor-post hath been driven into the ground,
and the bow of the boat hath grounded on the bank. Thanksgivings have
been offered up to God, and every man hath embraced his neighbour. Our
sailors have returned in peace and safety, and our fighting men have
lost none of their comrades, even though we travelled to the uttermost
parts of Uauat (Nubia), and through the country of Senmut (Northern
Nubia). Verily we have arrived in peace, and we have reached our own
land [again]. Hearken, O prince, unto me, even though I be a poor man.
Wash thyself, and let water run over thy fingers. I would that thou
shouldst be ready to return an answer to the man who addresseth thee,
and to speak to the King [from] thy heart, and assuredly thou must give
thine answer promptly and without hesitation. The mouth of a man
delivereth him, and his words provide a covering for [his] face. Act
thou according to the promptings of thine heart, and when thou hast
spoken [thou wilt have made him] to be at rest." The shipwrecked
traveller then narrates his experiences in the following words: I will
now speak and give thee a description of the things that [once] happened
to me myself [when] I was journeying to the copper mines of the king. I
went down into the sea[1] in a ship that was one hundred and fifty
cubits (225 feet) in length, and forty cubits (60 feet) in breadth, and
it was manned by one hundred and fifty sailors who were chosen from
among the best sailors of Egypt. They had looked upon the sky, they had
looked upon the land, and their hearts were more understanding than the
hearts of lions. Now although they were able to say beforehand when a
tempest was coming, and could tell when a squall was going to rise
before it broke upon them, a storm actually overtook us when we were
still on the sea. Before we could make the land the wind blew with
redoubled violence, and it drove before it upon us a wave that was eight
cubits (12 feet) [high]. A plank was driven towards me by it, and I
seized it; and as for the ship,