ber of the bodyguard of his
lord, the servant of the King, and of the house of Neferit, the feudal
chieftainess, the Erpat princess, the highly favoured lady, the royal
wife of Usertsen, whose word is truth in Khnemetast, the royal daughter
of Amenemhat, whose word is truth in Qanefer. On the seventh day of the
third month of the season Akhet, in the thirtieth year [of his reign],
the god drew nigh to his horizon, and the King of the South, the King of
the North, Sehetepabra,[1] ascended into heaven, and was invited to the
Disk, and his divine members mingled with those of him that made him.
The King's House was in silence, hearts were bowed down in sorrow, the
two Great Gates were shut fast, the officials sat motionless, and the
people mourned.

[Footnote 1: _i.e._ Amenemhat II.]

Now behold [before his death] His Majesty had despatched an army to the
Land of the Themehu, under the command of his eldest son, the beautiful
god Usertsen. And he went and raided the desert lands in the south, and
captured slaves from the Thehenu (Libyans), and he was at that moment
returning and bringing back Libyan slaves and innumerable beasts of
every kind. And the high officers of the Palace sent messengers into the
western country to inform the King's son concerning what had taken place
in the royal abode. And the messengers found him on the road, and they
came to him by night and asked him if it was not the proper time for him
to hasten his return, and to set out with his bodyguard without letting
his army in general know of his departure. They also told him that a
message had been sent to the princes who were in command of the soldiers
in his train not to proclaim [the matter of the King's death] to any one
else.

Sanehat continues: When I heard his voice speaking I rose up and fled.
My heart was cleft in twain, my arms dropped by my side, and trembling
seized all my limbs. I ran about distractedly, hither and thither,
seeking a hiding-place. I went into the thickets in order to find a
place wherein I could travel without being seen. I made my way upstream,
and I decided not to appear in the Palace, for I did not know but that
deeds of violence were taking place there. And I did not say, "Let life
follow it," but I went on my way to the district of the Sycamore. Then I
came to the Lake (or Island) of Seneferu, and I passed the whole day
there on the edge of the plain. On the following morning I continued my
journey, and a man ros