counsel with me about the challenge, and I
said, "I am not an acquaintance of his, and I am by no means a friend of
his. Have I ever visited him in his domain or entered his door, or
passed through his compound? [Never!] He is a man whose heart becometh
full of evil thoughts, whensoever he seeth me, and he wisheth to carry
out his fell design and plunder me. He is like a wild bull seeking to
slay the bull of a herd of tame cattle so that he may make the cows his
own. Or rather he is a mere braggart who wisheth to seize the property
which I have collected by my prudence, and not an experienced warrior.
Or rather he is a bull that loveth to fight, and that loveth to make
attacks repeatedly, fearing that otherwise some other animal will prove
to be his equal. If, however, his heart be set upon fighting, let him
declare [to me] his intention. Is God, Who knoweth everything, ignorant
of what he hath decided to do?"

And I passed the night in stringing my bow, I made ready my arrows of
war, I unsheathed my dagger, and I put all my weapons in order. At
daybreak the tribes of the land of Thennu came, and the people who lived
on both sides of it gathered themselves together, for they were greatly
concerned about the combat, and they came and stood up round about me
where I stood. Every heart burned for my success, and both men and women
uttered cries (or exclamations), and every heart suffered anxiety on my
behalf, saying, "Can there exist possibly any man who is a mightier
fighter and more doughty as a man of war than he?" Then mine adversary
grasped his shield, and his battle-axe, and his spears, and after he had
hurled his weapons at me, and I had succeeded in avoiding his short
spears, which arrived harmlessly one after the other, he became filled
with fury, and making up his mind to attack me at close quarters he
threw himself upon me. And I hurled my javelin at him, which remained
fast in his neck, and he uttered a long cry and fell on his face, and I
slew him with his own weapons. And as I stood upon his back I shouted
the cry of victory, and every Aamu man (_i.e._ Asiatic) applauded me,
and I gave thanks to Menthu;[1] and the slaves of my opponent mourned
for their lord. And the Shekh Ammuiansha took me in his arms and
embraced me. I carried off his (_i.e._ the opponent's) property. I
seized his cattle as spoil, and what he meditated doing to me I did unto
him. I took possession of the contents of his tent, I stripped his