Drawn by Faucher-Gudin, from a photograph by Emil Brugsch-Bey.

The assault having been repulsed in this quarter, the Egyptians made their way towards the south, and came into conflict with the enemy at the village of Taqimit.* Here, again, the battle remained undecided, but Ahmosi-si-Abina had an adventure.  He had taken a prisoner, and in bringing him back lost himself, fell into a muddy ditch, and, when he had freed himself from the dirt as well as he could, pursued his way by mistake for some time in the direction of Avaris.  He found out his error, however, before it was too late, came back to the camp safe and sound, and received once more some gold as a reward of his brave conduct.  A second attack upon the town was crowned with complete success; it was taken by storm, given over to pillage, and Ahmosi-si-Abina succeeded in capturing one man and three women, who were afterwards, at the distribution of the spoil, given to him as slaves.** The enemy evacuated in haste the last strongholds which they held in the east of the Delta, and took refuge in the Syrian provinces on the Egyptian frontier.  Whether it was that they assumed here a menacing attitude, or whether Ahmosis hoped to deal them a crushing blow before they could find time to breathe, or to rally around them sufficient forces to renew the offensive, he made up his mind to cross the frontier, which he did in the 5th year of his reign.

     * The site of Taqimit is unknown.

** The prisoner who was given to Ahmosis after the victory, is probably Paamu, the Asiatic, mentioned in the list of his slaves which he had engraved on one of the walls of his tomb.

It was the first time for centuries that a Pharaoh had trusted himself in Asia, and the same dread of the unknown which had restrained his ancestors of the XIIth dynasty, doubtless arrested Ahmosis also on the threshold of the continent.  He did not penetrate further than the border provinces of Zahi, situated on the edge of the desert, and contented himself with pillaging the little town of Sharuhana.* Ahmosi-si-Abina was again his companion, together with his cousin, Ahmosi-Pannekhabit, then at the beginning of his career, who brought away on this occasion two young girls for his household.**

* Sharuhana, which is mentioned again under Thutmosis III. is not the plain of Sharon, as Birch imagined, but the Sharuhen of the Biblical texts, in the tribe of Simeon (Josh. xix. 6), as Brugsch recognised it to be.  It is probably identical with the modern Tell-esh-Sheriah, which lies north-west of Beersheba.

** Ahmosi Pannekhabit lay in tomb No. 2, at El-Kab.  His history is briefly told on one of the walls, and on two sides of the pedestal of his statues.  We have one of these, or rather two plates from the pedestal of one of them, in the Louvre; the other is in a good state of preservation, and belongs to Mr. Finlay.