Chapter 3

In a short while, Ms. Frizzle and her students stood on the banks of the great river of Egypt. They noticed that the Egyptians were fishing from the banks and from their boats, which were made of reeds bound together with thin ropes. Of course, Dorothy Ann was quick to write down what she could see on the river as well as the animals living in it.

"Man, even the Nile is a busy place in ancient Egypt," mused Ralphie.

"Yeah. There's fishing and swimming and boating," observed Wanda. "I'm liking Egypt more and more."

"Just watch out for the crocodiles, guys," D.A. warned. "They are very common in the Nile in this time period."

"C-c-crocodiles?" moaned Arnold. "I knew I should've stayed home today."

"Correct, Arnold," Ms. Frizzle said. "But don't worry. Crocodiles seldom attack humans. Now then, class, shall we get our feet wet on this field trip?"

Uplifted by their jovial teacher's assurance, the class slipped out of their sandals and walked into the Nile up to their ankles. They felt relaxed as the current flowed around their legs and Dorothy Ann had to jot down how remarkably clean the Nile was in ancient times. Then Phoebe looked down at her feet and got goosebumps, and not because of the water's temperature.

"Uh, guys? Is the river supposed to be rising like this?" she said nervously.

The others all murmured, "Huh?"

They all looked down and saw what Phoebe did: the Nile was rising, and quickly at that. The class nearly ran on to the banks, but Ms. Frizzle just stood there and said, "Oh, it's nothing to worry about. It's just the natural flooding cycle of the Nile River."

"Flooding cycle?" the kids all yelped.

"Of course, class. In the words of my old history teacher, 'If the river's too low, crops aren't gonna grow.'"

"I get it!" Carlos said excitedly. "Since it hardly rains in Egypt, the people here depend on the river so their crops grow!"

Now knowing that the Nile flooding was necessary in ancient Egypt, the kids resumed wading in the river and enjoying themselves. They waded in it, watched the fish play at their feet, and even tossed the water so it fell on their heads and trickled down their faces. Needless to say, the Egyptians noticed the class at their play and were intrigued.

The kids soon saw the fishermen passing them and looked nervous, but the Egyptians bore them no ill will. They merely passed by with curious expressions and the class continued having fun. Eventually, the class lay on the banks and let the sun dry their feet. Phoebe wished they could spend the whole day just relaxing by the Nile and so did Ralphie and Arnold. But the Friz said it was time to get a good look at the pyramids. So the class returned to the Nile banks and headed toward the pyramids, arriving at their destination in only an hour.

The pyramids were astonishing to behold: symmetrical to a fault, tall as mountains, and they were a far cry from the dull appearance they bore in the present day. Instead of being the bland color of sand, the pyramids were shining with white stones and capped with gold. It was so impressive that Ralphie wished he had a camera so he could capture the pyramids in their original splendor.

"Now those are tombs fit for the pharaohs!" Keesha quipped.

"You'd think that being made of stone, the desert wind would've blown them away after thousands of years," said Arnold. "How did the pyramids last so long?"

"You've answered your own question, Arnold," grinned Ms. Frizzle. "The Egyptians wanted the pyramids to last forever, so they built them from blocks of stone pulled over rollers of wood and up earthen ramps. Once that was done, all they needed was white stones to form the shape and a little gold at the peak and… voila! The pyramid is complete."

"And every stone they used could weigh as much as a full-grown elephant!" surmised Tim.

"You said it, Tim," Carlos said with a chuckle. "No wonder building the pyramids was such a heavy-duty job!"

"Carlos!" the others groaned.

"But why do the pyramids look so dull in our time?" asked Phoebe.

"Unfortunately, as time went by, the gold was stolen and most of the white stones on the outside of the pyramids were used to make other buildings," D.A. explained.

Then Ms. Frizzle pointed across the Nile and said, "Now does anyone know what else is on the other side of the Nile as well as the pyramids?"

The class looked around and then Arnold called out, "I see it, guys! It's the Sphinx!"

"That's the Sphinx?" Ralphie wondered. "It looks so… colorful."

And indeed it was. Instead of its drab color and rough form typically seen in modern times, the Sphinx was smooth and its face and crown were painted to reflect the image of the pharaoh who had it built. Moreover, the statue had its nose as well as a false beard, which was remarkable even for Dorothy Ann to look at.

"Now that's a sphinx for ya!" Ralphie quipped. "Makes me wish I had a statue with my face on it."

"In your dreams, Ralphie," teased Keesha.

Dorothy Ann marked down the intricate beauty of the Sphinx and even drew the face as it looked at the time. She smiled and said, "Now if only I had a camera to take a photo of this ancient marvel come to life before my eyes."

"Never mind that, D.A. I'm hoping we get to see a pharaoh in real life while we're here," insisted Carlos.

That's when the Friz got that funny look in her eye. She winked at Liz, who responded in kind, and then said, "And you'll get your wish right away, Carlos."

"He will?" the others all exclaimed.

"Naturally, class," laughed Ms. Frizzle. "I've saved the best for the next half of the trip. We're heading for the pharaoh's palace."

With that, the group headed through the city and turned slightly towards the north. After another half-hour of walking, the kids felt their eyes widen as a towering building towered before them. It had two great outbuildings at the front and the back of the surrounding walls, columned halls and rooms, and several main buildings behind the outer structures. The walls bore carved images of pharaohs, warriors, and gods as well as many hieroglyphics and the columns were painted with lily designs on the supports and more hieroglyphics on the pillars.

"Is this the palace of the pharaoh?" wondered Arnold.

"It sure is," affirmed Ms. Frizzle. "And if we tell the guards who we are and why we're here without giving too much away, the pharaoh will grant us an audience. As I always say, 'With a king or a queen, always come clean.'"

With that, the Friz led her students to the palace gates. Arnold was ready to start biting his fingernails, but Wanda nearly dragged him along.

"Come on, Arnold! This is our chance to see history in action!" she said enthusiastically.

Arnold still looked nervous, but he chanced to look over at Phoebe, who smiled at him. He blushed and turned his attention back to the palace that seemed to grow larger before the class as they drew nearer to it. Sure enough, there were guards at the entrance clad in scale armor, and they clearly weren't expecting visitors as they angled their spears at the class. The kids were almost scared at this point, but the spears didn't faze the Friz.

The first guard said roughly, "Halt, strangers, and tell us who you are!"

Ms. Frizzle simply smoothed her dress and replied, "We are a band of travelers who have come to behold the splendor of your kingdom of Egypt. We have come to present ourselves before His Majesty, the Pharaoh."

The guards glanced at each other and then the first guard said, "We shall inform His Majesty of your coming. Stand and wait, and we will soon return."

So they did, and for three minutes, the class stood on the threshold growing very nervous. Ms. Frizzle gathered her class into a group hug, and Phoebe said to her, "Ms. Frizzle, if we don't make it through this field trip, I just want you to know you're the best teacher I've ever had."

Much to Phoebe's surprise, the guards returned in a few moments and they showed the class no aggression. The first guard said to the group, "His Majesty will see you. Follow us."

With that, Ms. Frizzle led her class through the gates and they followed the guards through the large courtyard to the great house where the pharaoh and his family and servants lived. When they entered the throne room of the palace, Dorothy Ann was taking down notes like crazy. Carlos and Ralphie were looking at the various statues and Phoebe and Keesha were enthralled by the marvelously decorated columns that let the sunlight fill the enormous chamber. Arnold was a bit nervous because he noticed that there were more guards here, but Wanda was more interested in the Egyptian ministers at the edge of the room. As for Tim, he was busy drawing an outline of the throne room as the group approached the throne.

Once again, the Egyptians gathered in the throne room exchanged surprised glances and curious murmurs as Ms. Frizzle and her class drew nearer to the end of the room. That's when they saw the man they had come to see: the pharaoh himself. Clad in a linen kilt that reached his knees, adorned with jewelry of gold and precious stones, and wearing the striped crown that was often associated with pharaohs, he was an imposing figure. On the throne beside him was a beauteous woman in an ornate golden dress with a crown of gold shaped like a vulture's wings that covered her head down to her neck. The class was already quite amazed, but their surprise became even greater when they saw that around the two thrones were a number of children who were clearly the pharaoh's sons and daughters.

Dorothy Ann gasped when she saw the pharaoh's face and whispered to the others, "I've read about this pharaoh! He's Rameses the Second, the mightiest of the pharaohs, who ruled from 1279 to 1213 B.C.!"

"Dynamic deduction, D.A.," grinned the Friz. "And we're so lucky to have this opportunity to meet the pharaoh face-to-face."

At last, the group stopped before the pharaoh's throne and Ms. Frizzle said, "All right, class. On your knees."

The kids immediately followed their teacher's example and bowed low to the floor with their arms outstretched.

The pharaoh Rameses said to them, "Rise, young ones."

The class did so, and then Rameses asked them, "What brings you to me?"

Ralphie decided to speak for Ms. Frizzle and his friends, and he said to Rameses, "Mighty Pharaoh, we are humble travelers from a far-off land. We have heard much of the wonders of Egypt and have sought to see them for ourselves. Coming before you was what we desired most."

Rameses' queen, Nefertari, told her husband, "My lord, might I suggest that our unexpected visitors attend our banquet celebrating your victory at Kadesh? Perhaps they need the opportunity to feel welcome among us."

The pharaoh nodded in agreement and said to Ms. Frizzle's class, "The queen and I have agreed, my friends, and I now declare you our honored guests. You are welcome to stay as long as you like."

The kids were all very excited at this prospect, for they hadn't had a chance to be guests in someone else's home since their field trip on sound. Ms. Frizzle smiled at them and said, "So, class. Are you up for a pharaoh's banquet?"

"You bet, Ms. Frizzle," said Tim.

"Me too!" quipped Keesha.

"Me three!" cheered Phoebe.

"In that case, let's prepare for some fun!"

And with that, Ms. Frizzle supplied her class with party costumes so they would fit in with the Egyptians, and they spent the time before the party talking about how they were enjoying the field trip so far while anticipating the pharaoh's banquet that afternoon.