vertook them, and he and his blacksmiths had in their hands
spears and chains, and they slew large numbers of them to the south-east
of the town of Thebes in Upper Egypt. Many succeeded in escaping towards
the north once more, but after pursuing them for a whole day Horus
overtook them, and made a great slaughter among them. Meanwhile the
other foes of the god, who had heard of the defeats of their allies,
fled into Lower Egypt, and took refuge among the swamps of the Delta.
Horus set out after them, and came up with them, and spent four days in
the water slaying his foes, who tried to escape in the forms of
crocodiles and hippopotami. He captured one hundred and forty-two of the
enemy and a male hippopotamus, and took them to the fore part of the
Boat of Ra. There he hacked them in pieces, and gave their inward parts
to his followers, and their mutilated bodies to the gods and goddesses
who were in the Boat of Ra and on the river banks in the town of Heben.

Then the remnant of the enemy turned their faces towards the Lake of the
North, and they attempted to sail to the Mediterranean in boats; but the
terror of Horus filled their hearts, and they left their boats and fled
to the district of Mertet-Ament, where they joined themselves to the
worshippers of Set, the god of evil, who dwelt in the Western Delta.
Horus pursued them in his boat for one day and one night without seeing
them, and he arrived at the town of Per-Rehui. At length he discovered
the position of the enemy, and he and his followers fell upon them, and
slew a large number of them; he captured three hundred and eighty-one of
them alive, and these he took to the Boat of Ra, then, having slain
them, he gave their carcases to his followers or bodyguard, who
presumably devoured them. The custom of eating the bodies of enemies is
very old in Egypt, and survives in some parts of Africa to this day.

Then Set, the great antagonist of Horus, came out and cursed him for the
slaughter of his people, using most shameful words of abuse. Horus stood
up and fought a duel with Set, the "Stinking Face," as the text calls
him, and Horus succeeded in throwing him to the ground and spearing him.
Horus smashed his mouth with a blow of his mace, and having fettered him
with his chain, he brought him into the presence of Ra, who ordered that
he was to be handed over to Isis and her son Horus, that they might work
their will on him. Here we must note that the ancient editor of