| The Wager A Story of Ancient Sumeria by James W. Bell © 2001 |
| Ninshubur appeared at the entrance to Inanna’s throne room. “Enlil, supreme Skylord of the Earth, to see you,” she announced. The goddess sighed. “Show him in,” she told her sukkal. Enlil came bursting through the doorway. “That’s all right,” he said pushing past Ninshubur, “I know my way around.” “To what may I credit this intrusion?” Inanna asked. “Intrusion?” The Skylord roared. “I understand you’ve visited Enki again!” “Enlil, you know damned well Enki is my grandfather.” “So be it. But he’s filling your mind with rubbish, Inanna. The Earth is in delicate balance and, Enki’s creatures, those damned human mortals, are about to upset it.” “Humans are the servants Enki made for you. He made them clever—at your wish.” “Well, they’re not half so clever as they think.” “Oh?” “They believe … especially those who call themselves traders … they can outwit the gods. Well, I’d like the chance to show them a thing or two.” “Would you? It so happens there is a trader visiting here at this very moment. ” The Skylord narrowed his eyes at Inanna. “Who?” “Tukit-An. He’s better known as Trader Tuk.” “Never heard of him! Barbarous name. But I’d like to put him to the test.” “Why not?” Inanna rang the gong for her androgynous sukkal. When Ninshubur appeared, the goddess asked her to send in the trader. * * * Trader Tuk arrived, dressed in a tunic of bleached wool and leather sandals, his tunic held closed by a leather belt. “At your service, my Lady.” “Tukit-An,” Inanna introduced him, “I want you to meet Enlil, supreme Skylord of the Earth. Enlil, this is Tukit-An, better known to his peers as Trader Tuk.” “Ah, a flesh and blood trader,” the Skylord said. “I understand, Tukit-An, that you traders are merchants—good at making deals.” “My Lord,” Tuk responded, “it’s how we make our living.” “Of course. I have six tons of wool at Nippur that I need at the temple’s mill here in Uruk. The problem is they need it within six days, by call of the noon watch on the fourteenth of the month. Could you deliver it to them that quickly?” “Has your wool been graded?” Enlil’s face reddened. “My Lord, I merely asked if your wool had been graded.” “I warn you, trader,” Enlil said, “you border on blasphemy. Wool is wool. It is its intrinsic nature that counts. But you mortals continue to classify … to what end?” “My Lord, you are an immortal with unlimited power and time. We mortals have only limited amounts of either and cannot afford waste.” “I assure you, trader, my wool is ready for shipment. Let me put the question to you again, can you deliver it to the temple mill here at Uruk within six days?” “I can, my Lord—for a price.” “Ah, for a price! And what price are you asking, my good trader?” “Two shekels of silver per ton, my Lord. That totals twelve shekels of silver.” “Done!” the Skylord said. He turned to the goddess. “Call your scribe, Inanna, and have him draw up a contract between this trader and me.” Inanna summoned her scribe who arrived carrying a reed basket with three damp tablets and a stylus. As the Skylord recited, he inscribed the first tablet. “BETWEEN ENLIL, SUPREME SKYLORD, AND TUKIT-AN, TRADER. TUKIT-AN IS TO PICK UP SIX TONS OF WOOL AT THE NIPPUR QUAY, AND DELIVER ALL SIX TONS TO THE EANNA TEXTILE MILL IN URUK BY CALL OF THE NOON WATCH ON THE 14TH OF THE THIRD MONTH. FOR TIMELY DELIVERY, TUKIT-AN IS TO RECEIVE TWELVE SHEKELS OF SILVER. IF DELIVERY IS LATE, HE FORFEITS ALL REMUNERATION.” As soon as the scribe finished, he read the contract aloud. When everybody nodded agreement to its wording, the scribe made copies on the other two tablets. Then he passed all three tablets around to have them stamped. Enlil and Tukit-An impressed their seals at the bottom of each tablet as principals while Inanna impressed hers on the side as witness. When finished, Enlil took one of the tablets and handed it to Trader Tuk. “Trader,” he said, “it’s done. I expect you to fulfill your contact.” “My Lord,” Tuk replied, “it shall be as you wish. Now, I must ask your leave. I need to get the shipment underway.” As soon as Tuk left, Enlil broke out in laughter and Inanna turned to him. “What do you find so funny?” “That trader. There’s no way he can get six tons of wool here in six days.” “Oh? You think not? Then, Enlil, I’ll wager with you. I’ll bet ten talents of silver that Tukit-An delivers all six tons to the mill on time.” “You’d be throwing your money away.” “That’s my offer,” Inanna said. “Do you wish a record of it? Shall I call my scribe?” The Skylord scoffed. “Do I look like some weak-minded mortal who can hardly recall from one day to the next? As you know, Inanna, I need no written record.” “Am I to understand my wager is accepted?” “By the gods, yes.” * * * As soon as the Skylord left the Eanna Temple, he summoned his zu-birds. “Go find the mortal called Trader Tuk,” he told them. “Follow him, and report to me what he does.” The zu-birds flew off and soon spotted Tukit-An on the city quay. They noticed him halloo a moored ship, a freighter built of bundled reeds. After a short discussion with the captain, they saw him go aboard and the freighter pushed off. From high in the sky, the birds watched the freighter nose out into the Iturungal. They noted the towline tossed to a waiting towman on a donkey and then watched as the ship started up the canal. “Trader Tuk is on a freighter,” they reported to the Skylord. “It’s being towed upwater, towards Nippur.” “Good,” the Skylord responded. * * * Four days later, Enlil returned to the Eanna Temple to see Inanna. “My zu-birds have been following your Trader Tuk,” he told the goddess. “After he left us four days ago, he boarded a freighter being towed up the Iturungal. They must have towed day and night because I am informed he reached Nippur today and has purchased my wool. But he has only two days left. It doesn’t seem likely he’ll deliver on time, does it?” The goddess smiled at the Skylord. “Would you care to double our wager?” Enlil flinched. But he said, “Twenty talents then?” “Twenty talents of silver,” Inanna confirmed. * * * Trader Tuk was at the bow with Captain Shalum when the Imeru left Nippur with six tons of wool. “We’ll have to hurry to reach Uruk by the fourteenth, captain. That’s only two days from now.” “Two days,” the captain grunted. “I’ll order all hands to pole.” * * * At night, while the zu-birds nested, sailors poled The Imeru down the Iturungal, heading south towards Uruk. When dawn came, and the zu-birds made the first flight of the day, they found the freighter south of Umma and hurried to Uruk to inform the Skylord. Enlil called his son, Ninurta, god of thunder. “Go to the Edge of the Earth,” he commanded his son, “and fetch South Wind. A Sumerian freighter, The Imeru, is coming down the Iturungal. She’s south of Umma. When she passes Bad-tibira and turns west on the leg to Uruk, bring a storm to the Iturungal and blow the ship into the marshes of Chaldea. Let the storm break her lashings and tear apart her bundled reeds. Let it destroy her.” The powerful god of thunder bowed before his father. “It shall be as you wish.” * * * Tukit-An stood at the bow of the freighter with Captain Shalum. “I feel the wind rising,” the trader said. “I smell cold air.” “A storm is blowing up,” the captain responded. “Look at the black clouds on the southern horizon. They’re headed our way. If they come, it’ll be a bad storm. I’ve never seen such a threatening sky.” “I think it may the gods, captain. I have a contract with Enlil for speedy delivery of the wool we are carrying. But something’s going on, something I don’t understand.” Captain Shalum stared at Tuk. “Did you lose your good sense, trader? Don’t you know better than to try to deal with a god?” “I chose to take it upon my own head. But, now, I see I’ve put you and your ship in danger. I will not have that. Come, captain, come with me to the cabin. We need to talk.” * * * The storm roared across the lower Iturungal. So fierce did South Wind blow that waves from the Lower Sea washed up the Euphrates into the canal, swamping boats and covering the land. Date palms came crashing down, leaving their crowns floating in pools of flood water left behind. When the storm abated, a patrol of zu-birds flew overhead. “No sign of the freighter,” the lead bird said. “I see nothing of The Imeru.” “She must have been destroyed,” the wing bird said. “Her bundled reeds must have been broken apart and been scattered across the Land. Let’s report to the Skylord.” “Yes,” the lead bird agreed, “it’s good news we’ll bring to him.” * * * Ninhursag ushered Enlil into the throne room. “The Skylord, my Lady.” Inanna looked up. “You’ve come back to jabber at me?” “Hold your tongue,” The Skylord said. “This is the fourteenth and it’s almost time for the call of the noon watch. Where is that trader of yours? The one called Trader Tuk.” “He will be here in good time.” “Are you still so sure?” “Tukit-An’s never failed, Enlil. Really, you don’t understand these traders. Their system is marvelous. And they have a flair for the dramatic. Sit down and be patient.” Enlil found a window seat. “Well, Inanna, I see that you’re still anticipating some kind of a miracle. I’ll stay and wait it out with you.” * * * Within minutes, Ninshubur was back at the doorway. “My Lady, the trader Tukit-An has arrived.” Inanna glanced at Enlil who had jumped up. She smiled. “Show him in.” Trader Tuk entered with a clay tablet in his hand. “My Lady, my Lord. I’ve come to inform you that six tons of wool were delivered to the temple mill this morning as contracted. I have brought the mill receipt with me.” He held out the clay tablet. The goddess took it and read it. Then she offered it to Enlil. The Skylord snatched it out of her hands. Scanning it, he looked at the trader and growled, “This can’t be.” “My Lord, why not?” “Because – because the ship the wool was on, The Imeru, was wrecked in a storm and sunk in the southern leg of the Iturungal Canal.” “My Lord,” the trader asked, “how is it you know that?” Enlil drew himself up. “You seem not to realize, trader, that I am a god. I am Skylord, the supreme god of the Earth. I have knowledge of everything.” “Good, my Lord,” the trader responded. “Then you know that six tons of wool has been delivered to the temple mill and receipted.” Just then, the sound of “Twelve noon and all’s well,” was heard from outside. “That’s the call of the noon watch,” Inanna said. “I believe, Enlil, that you owe twelve shekels of silver to our trader here.” Enlil looked at her and then back at the clay receipt tablet in his hand. “I’ve been tricked,” he declared. He turned back to the trader. “Somehow, you tricked me!” “My Lord,” Tukit-An asked, “I did no more than deliver the wool as contracted.” “You … the ship you were on was destroyed. You should be dead! Drowned!” “My Lord, you sound distraught.” “I am damned well distraught! I will not be made a fool of!” “My Lord, I have fulfilled the contract. I ask to be paid. Six tons of wool at two shekels each, that’s twelve shekels of silver you owe me.” “I – I – ” Enlil started to bluster. “Tukit-An,” Inanna interrupted, “I think you’d better explain how you did it.” “When I left the temple six days ago, my Lady, I returned to my shop and sent a pigeon to Warad at Larsa, telling him to deliver six tons of common white wool to the temple mill on the morning of the fourteenth. I guaranteed to replace it with the wool from Nippur. After that, I boarded a ship for Nippur to get the replacement wool. Warad had the wool for the mill waiting at the quay before the storm broke. That’s how the contract got filled.” Enlil exploded. “I told you, Inanna!” he shouted. “Trickery.” “Was it, my Lord? Tell me, was the wool from your flock of sheep kept separated from the wool of other sheep?” “Well, no – ” Enlil admitted. “My Lord, you contracted for me to pick up six tons of common white wool at Nippur. I did so. You also contracted for me to deliver six tons of common white to the temple mill in Uruk by the fourteenth. I did. As you said, wool is wool. I believe, my Lord, I have satisfied all the conditions in our contract.” “But that wasn’t what I meant for you to do,” the Skylord protested. “Then, my Lord, you should have been more careful in your wording of the contract. You should have had the scribe put down exactly what you meant.” Enlil’s face turned red and his body tensed. Inanna spoke. “If you question his interpretation of the contract, Enlil, you could always take it to city court for their judgment.” He exploded. “And admit to suing a human mortal? Or, worse—getting sued by him?” “Then,” Inanna advised, “I would suggest you accept the contract as filled and pay Tukit-An the twelve shekels due him.” She paused. “Also, the twenty talents you owe me.” With ill grace, Enlil paid both before he stormed out of the temple. When he had gone, the goddess turned to Tukit-An. “What did happen to the freighter?” she asked. “It was a terrible storm. We could see it from here. Everyone was talking about it. How did you manage to escape?” “My Lady, the freighter is safe. It returned to Bad-tibira and escaped the wrath of the storm. As for me, I am a poor trader with few skills barely sufficient enough to make a living. Surely you, as Queen of Heaven and owner of the Eanna Temple, would not ask a poor trader like me to divulge what few secrets I have.” Inanna smiled. “Tukit-An, you outdo the most proficient beggar in the streets.” “The beggar hides his secrets under his cloak. Would you, glorious Inanna, ask the wretch to open wide his ragged cloak and expose his pitiful pittance?” “By Nin, Tuk! It’s no wonder you mortals drive gods to drink. Take your money and go. Leave before my curiosity or my temper gets the best of me. Go!” “My Lady,” Tuk said, “it shall be as you wish.” He bowed respectfully and departed. The End |