Fight as we would we were driven back.  The fray turned against us and we fell by hundreds.  I bethought me of flight to the hills, since now we were outnumbered and very weary.  But behold! when all seemed lost a great shouting rose from Amada and through her opened gates poured forth all that remained of the army of Pharaoh, perhaps eighteen or twenty thousand men.  I saw, and my heart rose again.

“Stand firm!” I cried.  “Stand firm!” and lo! we stood.

The Egyptians were on them now and in their midst I saw Pharaoh’s banner.  By degrees the battle swayed towards the banks of Nile, we to the north, the Egyptians to the south and the Easterns between us.  They were trying to turn our flank; yes, and would have done it, had there not suddenly appeared upon the Nile a fleet of ships.  At first I thought that we were lost, for these ships were from Greece and Cyprus, till I saw the banner of the Grasshopper wave from a prow, and knew that they were manned by our five thousand who had gone out to burn the fleet, and had saved these vessels.  They beached and from their crowded holds poured the five thousand, or those that were left of them, and ranging themselves upon the bank, raised their war-shout and attacked the ends of the Easterns’ lines.

Now we charged for the last time and the Egyptians charged from the south.  Ha-ha! the ranks of the Immortals were broken at length.  We were among them.  I saw Pharaoh, his uraeus circlet on his helm.  He was wounded and sore beset.  A tall Immortal rushed at him with a spear and drove it home.

Pharaoh fell.

I leapt over him and killed that Eastern with a blow upon the neck, but my sword shattered on his armour.  The tide of battle rolled up and swept us apart and I saw Pharaoh being carried away.  Look! yonder was the Great King himself standing in a golden chariot, the Great King in all his glory whom last I had seen far away in the East.  He knew me and shot at me with a bow, the bow he thought my own, shouting, “Die, dog of an Egyptian!”

His arrow pierced my helm but missed my head.  I strove to come at him but could not.

The real rout began.  The Immortals were broken like an earthen jar.  They retreated in groups fighting desperately and of these the thickest was around the Great King.  He whom I hated was about to escape me.  He still had horses; he would fly down Nile, gain his reserves and so away back to the East, where he would gather new and yet larger armies, since men in millions were at his command.  Then he would return and destroy Egypt when perchance there were no Ethiopians to help her, and perhaps after all drag Amada to his House of Women.  See, they were breaking through and already I was far away with a wound in my breast, a hurt leg and a shattered sword.

What could I do?  My arrows were spent and the bearers had none left to give me.  No, there was one still in the quiver.  I drew it out.  On its shaft were two black feathers and one white.  Who had spoken of that arrow?  I remembered, Tanofir.  I was to think of certain things that he had said when I noted what it pierced.  I unslung my bow, strung it and set that arrow on the string.