eti. "This is no woman's work, and see here
comes Laban to seek you," and he pointed with his sword at the leader of
the murderers.

She obeyed, staggering a few paces to a stone at the roadside, behind
which she crouched. Afterwards she told me that she had no strength to
go further, and indeed no will, since if we were killed, it were better
that she who had warned us should be killed also.

Now they had reached us, the whole flood of them, thirty or forty men.
The first who came stabbed the frightened horses, and down they went
against the bank, struggling. On the chariot leapt the Hebrews, seeking
to come at us, and we met them as best we might, tearing off our cloaks
and throwing them over our left arms to serve as shields.

Oh! what a fight was that. In the open, or had we not been prepared, we
must have been slain at once, but, as it was, the place and the barrier
of the chariot gave us some advantage. So narrow was the roadway, the
walls of which were here too steep to climb, that not more than four of
the Hebrews could strike at us at once, which four must first surmount
the chariot or the still living horses.

But we also were four, and thanks to Userti, two of us were clad in mail
beneath our robes--four strong men fighting for their lives. Against us
came four of the Hebrews. One leapt from the chariot straight at Seti,
who received him upon the point of his iron sword, whereof I heard the
hilt ring against his breast-bone, that same famous iron sword which
to-day lies buried with him in his grave.

Down he came dead, throwing the Prince to the ground by the weight of
his body. The Hebrew who attacked me caught his foot on the chariot
pole and fell forward, so I killed him easily with a blow upon the head,
which gave me time to drag the Prince to his feet again before another
followed. The two guards also, sturdy fighters both of them, killed or
mortally wounded their men. But others were pressing behind so thick and
fast that I could keep no count of all that happened afterwards.

Presently I saw one of the guards fall, slain by Laban. A stab on the
breast sent me reeling backwards; had it not been for that mail I was
sped. The other guard killed him who would have killed me, and then
himself was killed by two who came on him at once.

Now only the Prince and I were left, fighting back to back. He closed
with one man, a very great fellow, and wounded him on the hand, so that
he dropped his sword. Thi