Egypt was threatened not only, as in the previous century, by the nations of the Tigris and Euphrates, but all Asia, from the Indus to the Hellespont, was about to fall on her to crush her.  She was destitute of all human help and allies, and the gods themselves appeared to have forsaken her.  The fellahin, inspired with vague alarm, recognised evil omens in all around them.  Rain is rare in the Thebaid, and storms occur there only twice or three times in a century:  but a few days after the accession of Psammetichus, a shower of fine rain fell at Thebes, an event, so it was stated with the exaggeration characteristic of the bearers of ill news, which had never before occurred.*

* The inhabitants of the Said have, up to our own time, always considered rain in the valley as an ill-omened event.  They used to say in the beginning of the nineteenth century, when speaking of Napoleon’s expedition, “We knew that misfortune threatened us, because it rained at Luxor shortly before the French came.”  Wilkinson assures us that rain is not so rare at Thebes as Herodotus thought:  he speaks of five or six showers a year, and of a great storm on an average every ten years.  But even he admits that it is confined to the mountain district, and does not reach the plain:  I never heard of rain at Luxor during the six winters that I spent in Upper Egypt.

Pharaoh hastened to meet the invader with all the men, chariots, and native bowmen at his disposal, together with his Libyan and Cyrenoan auxiliaries, and the Ionians, Carians, and Greeks of the isles and mainland.  The battle took place before Pelusium, and was fought on both sides with brave desperation, since defeat meant servitude for the Egyptians, and for the Persians, cut off by the desert from possible retreat, captivity or annihilation.  Phanes had been obliged to leave his children behind him, and Pharaoh included them in his suite, to serve, if needful, as hostages.  The Carians and Ionians, who felt themselves disgraced by the defection of their captain, called loudly for them just before the commencement of the action.  They were killed immediately in front of the lines, their father being a powerless onlooker; their blood was thrown into a cask half full of wine, and the horrible mixture was drunk by the soldiers, who then furiously charged the enemy’s battalions.  The issue of the struggle was for a long time doubtful, but the Egyptians were inferior in numbers; towards evening their lines gave way and the flight began.* All was not, however, lost, if Psammetichus had but followed the example of Taharqa, and defended the passage of the various canals and arms of the river, disputing the ground inch by inch with the Persians, and gaining time meanwhile to collect a fresh army.  The king lost his presence of mind, and without attempting to rally what remained of his regiments, he hastened to take refuge within the White Wall.  Cambyses halted a few days to reduce Pelusium,** and in the mean time sent a vessel of Mitylene to summon Memphis to capitulate:  the infuriated populace, as soon as they got wind of the message, massacred the herald and the crew, and dragged their bleeding limbs through the streets.