At eventide, Anpu returned home earlier than his brother because Bata had much work to do in the fields. Anpu was met by his wife who was crying bitterly. She showed him her arms and legs which she had painted black and blue, and accused Bata of having beaten her. She pretended to be in great pain. She didn't give him water to wash his hands with, she didn't light the fire for him, and she pretended that she was very sick. and Anpu became very angry; he sharpened his knife and waited for Bata in the stable.
When the sun went down, Bata came home as usual loaded with herbs, milk, and wood. And as he entered the door, he saw the feet of his brother and the sharp knife hanging by his side. The brother sprang at him and Bata fled praying to Ra, "My good lord! Save me from death, thou who divines the evil from the good." And Ra heard his cry; he made a river flow between one brother and the other and filled it with crocodiles. And Bata said to his elder brother, "Why do you seek to kill me? Am I not your brother and have you not always treated me as if you were my father?
What challenges did the two characters encounter in the story?
