“Which you could do with one eye blinded, Master, and a sore finger.  Kings think that they can shoot because all the worms that crawl about them and are named men, dare not show themselves their betters.  Oh!  I have heard tales in yonder city.  There have been days when this Lord of the world has missed six lions with as many arrows, and they seated smiling in his face, being but tamed brutes brought from far in cages of wood, yes, smiling like cats in the sun.  Look you, Master, he drinks too much wine and sits up too late in his Women’s house—­there are three hundred of them there, Master—­to shoot as you and I can.  If you doubt it, look at his eyes and hands.  Oh! the pearls and the gold and the men are yours, and that painted prince who mocked us is where he ought to be—­dead in the mud.

“Did I tell you how I managed that, Master?  As you know better than I do, lions hate those that have on them the smell of their own blood.  Therefore, while I pointed out the way to him, I touched the painted prince with the bleeding tail of that which we killed, pretending that it was by chance, for which he cursed me, as well he might.  So when we came to the dead lion and, as I had expected, met there the lioness you had wounded, she charged through the hunters at him who smelt of her husband, and bit his head off.”

“But, Bes, you smelt of him also, and worse.”

“Yes, Master, but that painted cousin of the King came first.  I kept well behind him, pretending to be afraid,” and he chuckled quietly, adding, “I expect that he is now telling an angry tale about me to Osiris, or to the Grasshopper that takes him there, as it may happen.”

“These Easterns worship neither Osiris, nor your Grasshopper, Bes, but a flame of fire.”

“Then he is telling the tale to the fire, and I hope that it will get tired and burn him.”

So we talked merrily enough because we had done great deeds and thought that we had outwitted the Easterns and the King, not knowing all their craft.  For none had told us that that man who hunted with the King and yet dared to draw arrow upon the quarry before the King should be put to death as one who had done insult to his Majesty.  This that royal fox remembered and therefore was sure that he would win the wager.

Now the chariots turned and passing down a path came to an open space that was cleared of reeds.  Here they halted, that of the King and my own side by side with ten paces between them, and those of the court behind.  Meanwhile huntsmen with dogs entered the great brake far away to the right and left of us, also in front, so that the lions might be driven backwards and forwards across the open space.

Soon we heard the hounds baying on all sides.  Then Bes made a sucking noise with his great lips and pointed to the edge of the reeds in front of us some sixty paces away.  Looking, I saw a yellow shape creeping along between their dark stems, and although the shot was far, forgetting all things save I was a hunter and there was my game, I drew the arrow to my ear, aimed and loosed, making allowance for its fall and for the wind.