herself under Peroa her own Pharaoh."

In the end I, and those who thought like me, prevailed, so that before
the dawn I was sailing down the Nile with the fleet, having two
thousand men under my command. Also I took with me the six hunters
whom I had won from the Great King, since I knew them to be faithful,
and thought that their knowledge of the Easterns and their ways might
be of service. Our orders were to hold a certain neck of land between
the river and the hills where the army of Idernes must pass, until
Peroa and all his strength could attack him from behind.

Four hours later, the wind being very favourable to us, we reached
that place and there took up our station and having made all as ready
as we could, rested.

In the early afternoon Bes awakened me from the heavy sleep into which
I had fallen, and pointed to the south. I looked and through the
desert haze saw the chariots of Idernes advancing in ordered ranks,
and after them the masses of his footmen.

Now we had no chariots, only archers, and two regiments armed with
long spears and swords. Also the sailors on the boats had their slings
and throwing javelins. Lastly the ground was in our favour since it
sloped upwards and the space between the river and the hills was
narrow, somewhat boggy too after the inundation of the Nile, which
meant that the chariots must advance in a column and could not gather
sufficient speed to sweep over us.

Idernes and his captains noted all this also, and halted. Then they
sent a herald forward to ask who we were and to command us in the name