Then gripping one head in each hand he held them up for the Easterns
to see.

"Men of the Great King," I said, "bear us witness that we have fought
fairly, man to man, when we need not have done so."

The ten of the Satrap's guard stood silent, but my own shouted,

"Back, Shabaka! The Easterns charge!"

I looked and saw them coming like waves of steel, then supported by my
men and preceded by Bes who danced in front shaking the severed heads,
I ran back to my own ranks where one gave me wine to drink and threw
water over my hurts which were but slight. Scarcely was it done when
the battle closed in and soon in it I forgot the deaths of Idernes and
the Eastern liar.



CHAPTER XIII

AMADA RETURNS TO ISIS

We fought a very terrible fight that evening there by the banks of
Nile. Our position was good, but we were outnumbered by four or five
to one, and the Easterns and their mercenaries were mad at the death
of the Satrap by my hand. Time upon time they came on furiously,
charging up the slope like wild bulls. For the most part we relied
upon our archers to drive them back, since our half-trained troops
could scarcely hope to stand against the onset of veterans disciplined