Now we entered Egypt near the Salt Lakes that are not far from the head of the Gulf, crossing the canal that the old Pharaohs had dug, which proved easy for it was silted up.  Before we reached it we found some peasant folk labouring in their gardens and I heard one of them call to another,

“Here come more of the Easterns.  What is toward, think you, neighbour?”

“I do not know,” answered the other, “but when I passed down the canal this morning, I saw a body of the Great King’s guards gathering from the fort.  Doubtless it is to meet these men of whose coming the other two who went by fifty hours ago, have warned the officers.”

“Now what does that mean?” I asked of Bes.

“Neither more nor less than we have heard, Master.  The two King’s messengers who have gone ahead of us all the way from the city, have told the officer of the frontier fort that we are coming, so he has advanced to the ford to meet us, for what purpose I do not know.”

“Nor do I,” I said, “but I wish we could take another road, if there were one.”

“There is none, Master, for above and below the canal is full of water and the banks are too steep for horses to climb.  Also we must show no doubt or fear.”

He thought a while, then added,

“Take the royal seal, Master.  It may be useful.”

He gave it to me, and I examined it more closely than I had done before.  It was a cylinder of plain white shell hung on a gold chain, that which Bes had bitten through, but now mended again by taking out the broken link.  On this cylinder were cut figures; as I think of a priest presenting a noble to a god, over whom was the crescent of the moon, while behind the god stood a man or demon with a tall spear.  Also between the figures were mystic signs, meaning I know not what.  The workmanship of the carving was grown shallow with time and use for the cylinder seemed to be very ancient, a sacred thing that had descended from generation to generation and was threaded through with a bar of silver on which it turned.

I put the seal which was like no other that I had seen, being the work of an early and simpler age, round my neck beneath my mail and we went on.

Descending the steep bank of the canal we came to the ford where the sand that had silted in was covered by not more than a foot of water.  As we entered it, on the top of the further bank appeared a body of about thirty armed and mounted men, one of whom carried the Great King’s banner, on which I noted was blazoned the very figures that were cut upon the cylinder.  Now it was too late to retreat, so we rode through the water and met the soldiers.  Their officer advanced, crying,

“In the name of the Great King, greeting, my lord Shabaka!

“In the name of the Great King, greeting!” I answered.  “What would you with Shabaka, Officer of the King?”

“Only to do him honour.  The word of the King has reached us and we come to escort you to the Court of Idernes, the Satrap of the King and Governor of Egypt who sits at Sais.”