The city of Hensu shall pay tribute to thee.  Thou art the image of Ra, and art the master of the imperishable stars.  He was a king, and thou art a king; he perished not, and thou shalt not perish.”  From Hensu Piankhi went down to the canal leading to the Fayyum and to Illahun and found the town gates shut in his face.  The inhabitants, however, speedily changed their minds, and opened the gates to Piankhi, who entered with his troops, and received tribute, and slew no one.  Town after town submitted as Piankhi advanced northwards, and none barred his progress until he reached Memphis, the gates of which were shut fast.  When Piankhi saw this he sent a message to the Memphites, saying:  “Shut not your gates, and fight not in the city that hath belonged to Shu[1] for ever.  He who wisheth to enter may do so, he who wisheth to come out may do so, and he who wisheth to travel about may do so.  I will make an offering to Ptah and the gods of White Wall (Memphis).  I will perform the ceremonies of Seker in the Hidden Shrine.  I will look upon the god of his South Wall (i.e. Ptah), and I will sail down the river in peace.  No man of Memphis shall be harmed, not a child shall cry out in distress.  Look at the homes of the South!  None hath been slain except those who blasphemed the face of the god, and only the rebels have suffered at the block.”  These pacific words of Piankhi were not believed, and the people of Memphis not only kept their gates shut, but manned the city walls with soldiers, and they were foolish enough to slay a small company of Nubian artisans and boatmen whom they found on the quay of Memphis.  Tafnekht, the rebel prince of Sais, entered Memphis by night, and addressed eight thousand of his troops who were there, and encouraged them to resist Piankhi.  He said to them:  “Memphis is filled with the bravest men of war in all the Northland, and its granaries are filled with wheat, barley, and grain of all kinds.  The arsenal is full of weapons.  A wall goeth round the city, and the great fort is as strong as the mason could make it.  The river floweth along the east side, and no attack can be made there.  The byres are full of cattle, and the treasury is well filled with gold, silver, copper, apparel, incense, honey, and unguents....  Defend ye the city till I return.”  Tafnekht mounted a horse and rode away to the north.

[Footnote 1:  The son of Khepera, or Tem, or Nebertcher.]

At daybreak Piankhi went forth to reconnoitre, and he found that the waters of the Nile were lapping the city walls on the north side of the city, where the sailing craft were tied up.  He also saw that the city was extremely well fortified, and that there was no means whereby he could effect an entrance into the city through the walls.  Some of his officers advised him to throw up a mound of earth about the city, but this counsel was rejected angrily by Piankhi, for he had thought out a simpler plan.  He ordered all his boats and barges to be taken to the quay of