came into contact with the army of the enemy, which was under the command of a single general—­perhaps the King of Mitanni himself, or one of the lieutenants of the “Cossaean King of Babylon”—­who had collected together most of the petty princes of the northern country to resist the advance of the intruder.  The contest was hotly fought out on both sides, but victory at length remained with the invaders, and innumerable prisoners fell into their hands.  The veteran Ahmosi, son of Abina, who was serving in his last campaign, and his cousin, Ahmosi Pannekhabit, distinguished themselves according to their wont.  The former, having seized upon a chariot, brought it, with the three soldiers who occupied it, to the Pharaoh, and received once more “the collar of gold;” the latter killed twenty-one of the enemy, carrying off their hands as trophies, captured a chariot, took one prisoner, and obtained as reward a valuable collection of jewellery, consisting of collars, bracelets, sculptured lions, choice vases, and costly weapons.  A stele, erected on the banks of the Euphrates not far from the scene of the battle, marked the spot which the conqueror wished to be recognised henceforth as the frontier of his empire.  He re-entered Thebes with immense booty, by which gods as well as men profited, for he consecrated a part of it to the embellishment of the temple of Amon, and the sight of the spoil undoubtedly removed the lingering prejudices which the people had cherished against expeditions beyond the isthmus.  Thutmosis was held up by his subjects to the praise of posterity as having come into actual contact with that country and its people, which had hitherto been known to the Egyptians merely through the more or less veracious tales of exiles and travellers.  The aspect of the great river of the Naharaim, which could be compared with the Nile for the volume of its waters, excited their admiration.  They were, however, puzzled by the fact that it flowed from north to south, and even were accustomed to joke at the necessity of reversing the terms employed in Egypt to express going up or down the river.  This first Syrian campaign became the model for most of those subsequently undertaken by the Pharaohs.  It took the form of a bold advance of troops, directed from Zalu towards the north-east, in a diagonal line through the country, who routed on the way any armies which might be opposed to them, carrying by assault such towns as were easy of capture, while passing by others which seemed strongly defended—­pillaging, burning, and slaying on every side.  There was no suspension of hostilities, no going into winter quarters, but a triumphant return of the expedition at the end of four or five months, with the probability of having to begin fresh operations in the following year should the vanquished break out into revolt.*