The red rim of Ra appeared glorious in the East, and I, from behind the rocks that I had chosen, sat down and watched.  Oh! truly Tanofir or the gods of Egypt were ordering things aright for us.  The huge camp was awake now and aware of what was happening on the Nile.  They could not see well because of the tall reeds upon the river’s rim and therefore, without order or discipline, by the thousand and the ten thousand, for their numbers were countless, some with arms and some without, they ran to the slope of sand beneath our station and began to climb it to have a better view of the burning ships.

The sun leapt up swiftly as it does in Egypt.  His glowing edge appeared over the crest of the hill though the hollows beneath were still filled with shadow.  The moment was at hand.  I waited till I had counted ten, glancing to the right and left of me to see that all were ready and to suffer the crowd to thicken on the slope, but not to reach the lowest rocks, whither they were climbing.  Then I gave the double signal that had been agreed.

Behind me the banner of the golden Grasshopper was raised upon a tall pole and broke upon the breeze.  That was the first signal whereat every man rose to his knees and set shaft on string.  Next I lifted my bow, the black bow, the ancient bow that few save I could bend, and drew it to my ear.

Far away, out of arrow-reach as most would have said, floated the Great King’s standard over his pavilion.  At this I aimed, making allowance for the wind, and shot.  The shaft leapt forward, seen in the sunlight, lost in the shadow, seen in the sunlight again and lastly seen once more, pinning that golden standard against its pole!

At the sight of the omen a roar went up that rolled to right and left of us, a roar from thirty thousand throats.  Now it was lost in a sound like to the hissing of thunder rain in Ethiopia, the sound of thirty thousand arrows rushing through the wind.  Oh! they were well aimed, those arrows for I had not taught the Ethiopians archery in vain.

How many went down before them?  The gods of Egypt know alone.  I do not.  All I know is that the long slope of sand which had been crowded with standing men, was now thick with fallen men, many of whom lay as though they were asleep.  For what mail could resist the iron-pointed shafts driven by the strong bows of the Ethiopians?

And this was but a beginning, for, flight after flight, those arrows sped till the air grew dark with them.  Soon there were no more to shoot at on the slope, for these were down, and the order went to lift the bows and draw upon the camp, and especially upon the parks of baggage beasts.  Presently these were down also, or rushing maddened to and fro.

At last the Eastern generals saw and understood.  Orders were shouted and in a mad confusion the scores of thousands who were unharmed, rushed back towards the banks of Nile where our shafts could not reach them.  Here they formed up in their companies and took counsel.  It was soon ended, for all the vast mass of them, preceded by a cloud of archers, began to advance upon the hill.