the mere sight of the god all the other fiends and devils were smitten
with fear and reduced to helplessness. Tiamat saw Marduk and began to
revile him, and when he challenged her to battle she flew into a rage
and attempted to overthrow him by reciting an incantation, thinking that
her words of power would destroy his strength. Her spell had no effect
on the god, who at once cast his net over her. At the same moment he
made a gale of foul wind to blow on her face, and entering through her
mouth it filled her body; whilst her body was distended he drove his
spear into her, and Tiamat split asunder, and her womb fell out from it.
Marduk leaped upon her body and looked on her followers as they
attempted to escape. But the Four Winds which he had stationed round
about Tiamat made all their efforts to flee of no effect. Marduk caught
all the Eleven allies of Tiamat in his net, and he trampled upon them as
they lay in it helpless. Marduk then took the TABLET OF DESTINIES from
Kingu's breast, and sealed it with his seal and placed it on his
own breast.

[Footnote 1: Or perhaps the "belly of Tiamat." The Egyptians
distinguished a portion of the heavens by the name of "Khat Nut," "the
belly of Nut," [Heiroglyphics] and two drawings of it are extant. The
first shows an oval object rimmed with stars and the other a
pear-shaped object, with a god inside it. (See Brugsch, _Inschriften
(Astronomische)_ Leipzig, 1883, p, 146.) [Illustration]]

Then returning to the dead body of Tiamat he smashed her skull with
his club and scattered her blood to the north wind, and as a reward
for his destruction of their terrible foe, he received gifts and
presents from the gods his fathers.

The text then goes on to say that Marduk "devised a cunning plan,"