Chapter 2

Ms. Frizzle led her students along a trail headed north by the river Nile. There were several villages and towns nearby and even a few cities, but Ms. Frizzle informed the class that Pi-Rameses was on the Nile Delta, where the river emptied into the Mediterranean Sea. Nevertheless, it was a good walk, and the class saw animals like scorpions, lizards, and even cobras slithering around in the sand. Dorothy Ann was writing down what she saw in her notebook and was especially amazed to see a few birds like vultures and hawks.

Carlos noticed her busy with her notebook and said, "D.A, do you ever get tired of research? We've got to look around, enjoy the awesome old Egyptian scenery around us."

"Carlos, I've got to take notes about what I see and hear," replied Dorothy Ann. "And what I'm doing isn't getting down more notes for research. It's more of a travel diary."

The class followed Ms. Frizzle on, and they weren't feeling so happy about this field trip just yet on account of the desert heat, which was much for them even with the light Egyptian costumes. Even Ralphie was getting red in the face despite fanning his face with his baseball cap.

"It is too darn hot!" he moaned.

"You said it, Ralphie," agreed Arnold. "Even my glasses are gonna start sweating."

Even Wanda had something to say about it, and she wasn't too tickled either. "I like the heat, but this is ridiculous. Isn't there somewhere cooler we can go, Ms. Frizzle?"

"Not to worry, Wanda. We're almost to the capital," Ms. Frizzle said happily. "And there it is now."

The class looked ahead of them and their eyes widened with amazement, for standing before them near the Nile stood the city of Pi-Rameses, shining white in the sun, with its encircling walls and numerous houses and its columned entrance adorned with gold. On the other side of the river stood the great monuments that all lovers of ancient Egypt have wanted to see: the pyramids, standing tall against the sky like symmetrical mountains forged from purest marble.

The students all said "Wow!" and stood blinking at the sight for a moment. Then Wanda said, "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's check it out!"

"Single file, please," Ms. Frizzle chimed in.

And with that, she led them on a newly invigorated walk toward the entrance of the ancient city, which was guarded by a row of sphinxes and had a pair of monuments that resembled the Washington Monument standing on either side of the gates. Phoebe looked at the objects and said, "Do these monuments look familiar, guys?"

"I'll say," admitted Ralphie. "It seriously reminds me of the one in Washington."

Dorothy Ann pulled a book on ancient Egypt from her bookbag and explained, "According to my research, these monuments are called obelisks. The Egyptians used them to symbolize their sun god Ra, the ruler of the sky and Egypt's constant provider."

"With a job like that, he must have had a sunny disposition," chuckled Carlos.

"Carlos!" the class groaned, despite that Ms. Frizzle was wearing a humored expression. Then they walked through the avenue of sphinxes and then through the gates into the city. The kids were once again amazed by the fact that they were in ancient Egypt and began exploring. As the Friz led them through the streets, some of the Egyptians they passed noticed them and expressed curiosity about them.

"Who are these strange visitors?"

"What land are they from?"

"Perhaps they come to learn of Egypt's wonders."

The kids shared nervous looks, but then Ralphie said, "Well, at least they're interested in us."

The others agreed, and then resumed keeping their eyes on Ms. Frizzle as they made their way through the ancient city. Then Ms. Frizzle announced, "Care to mosey around the marketplace, class?"

So they did, and here's where the class began enjoying their field trip. They saw men bringing cattle and hunting birds to market, farmers selling their produce, and workers they didn't get to see at home such as sandal makers and weavers of baskets. Wanda and Carlos noticed the bakers and were interested to see that in ancient Egypt, bread was baked in jars shaped like bells. Tim and Keesha noticed that brewers were also a common sight in the ancient marketplaces at the time and Dorothy Ann was quick to write down the quality of Egyptian food.

"So, what do you think, class?" said Ms. Frizzle.

"I think this field trip is the best we've been on yet!" cheered Wanda. "Ancient Egypt is amazing!"

"I'll say," said Carlos. "The marketplace has everything their society needs."

"And the people here really get things done," added Keesha.

"And the buildings here are all made of bricks," Phoebe observed. "That must be how they can stand in the desert because the wind can't knock them down."

"Dynamic deduction, Phoebe," Ms. Frizzle chortled. "And mud bricks are the building material throughout many civilizations at the time."

The class continued their walk through the market, and they soon passed several homes. The people here noticed them too and became curious.

Arnold gulped nervously and said, "You know, it's hard to enjoy a field trip with several more people looking at you."

"You're being ridiculous, Arnold," replied Dorothy Ann. "Haven't you heard of ancient hospitality? People in the ancient times love to welcome guests into their homes."

To prove her point, Dorothy Ann flipped through her book and then showed Arnold and the others the information on hospitality in ancient Egypt. Her friends were all impressed, and Carlos asked, "You think we could enjoy some hospitality on this field trip, Ms. Frizzle?"

"It's a practically probable possibility, Carlos," the Friz replied cheerfully. "But right now, it's time to see how the Egyptians lived at home. This way, please."

With that, the kids followed Ms. Frizzle through the city until they reached a large house that was ornately decorated with images of men and hieroglyphics. It was at least two stories high and surrounded by a gated wall.

"Now who do you suppose lives here?" inquired Ms. Frizzle.

"From the looks of this place, I'd say someone with a position in the pharaoh's court," implied Wanda.

While the class was observing the house, Ralphie looked to the right and saw a large shadow that seemed to belong to some kind of bird. But when he saw what was making that shadow, he found it had the head of a long-necked bird and a man's body.

Ralphie jumped in shock and yelped, "What is that?"

The class turned to see what scared Ralphie, and Keesha said, "Relax, Ralphie. It's only a statue."

The group looked at the strange statue and then Tim snapped his fingers with recognition. "Hey, I know who that is! That's a statue of Thoth!"

"Never heard of him," said Ralphie.

As always, Dorothy Ann was the first to answer with the aid of her trusty book. "According to my research, Thoth was the ancient Egyptian god of knowledge and writing. The Egyptians believed he was responsible for teaching them their knowledge of medicine."

"Well done, D.A," commended Ms. Frizzle. "And the statue marks this house as that of a scribe, whose job it is to write the texts of Egypt depending on what sort of scribe he is. And it looks like the owner of this house is on his way here now."

It was true, for as the class turned their gaze from the statue of Thoth, a horse-drawn chariot whose riders were a wealthy man and his son came rumbling their way. The chariot pulled to a stop and the two were escorted to the door by armed guards. The scribe and his son only spared Ms. Frizzle and the kids a glance before entering their home, but Ms. Frizzle smiled and said, "We'll meet some local people soon, class. In the meantime, who's up for a dip in the river?"

"Sounds good to me, Ms. Frizzle," said Carlos.

"I'd love to go," Phoebe insisted.

The rest of the class thought it was a good idea, so they headed to the westside of Pi-Rameses toward the Nile River.