y began to wind down
the long valley of the Orontes towards the town of Kadesh, the scouts
were kept out in every direction, and the whole host was anxiously on
the lookout for the Hittite troops.

Kadesh came in sight at last. Far on the horizon its towers could be
seen, and the sun's rays sparkled on the river and on the broad moat
which surrounded the walls; but still no enemy was to be seen. The
scouts came in with the report that the Hittites had retreated
northwards in terror, and King Ramses imagined that Kadesh was going to
fall into his hands without a battle. His army was divided into four
brigades, and he himself hurried on rather rashly with the first
brigade, leaving the other three to straggle on behind him, widely
separated from one another (Plate 4).

The first brigade reached its camping-ground to the north-west of
Kadesh; the tired troops pitched camp; the baggage was unloaded; and the
donkeys, released from their burdens, rolled on the ground in delight.
Just at that moment some of the Egyptian scouts came in, bringing with
them two Arabs whom they had caught, and suspected to belong to the
enemy. King Ramses ordered the Arabs to be soundly beaten with sticks,
and the poor creatures confessed that the Hittite King, with a great
army, was concealed on the other side of Kadesh, watching for an
opportunity to attack the Egyptian army. In great haste Ramses, scolding
his scouts the while for not keeping a better lookout, began to get his
soldiers under arms again, while Menna ran and yoked to the royal
chariot the two noble horses which had been kept fresh for the day of
battle.

But before Pharaoh could leap into his chariot a wild uproar broke out
at the gate of the camp, and the scattered fragments of the second
brigade came pouring in headlong flight into the enclosure. Behind them
the whole Hittite chariot force, 2,500 chariots strong, each chariot
with three men in it, came clattering and leaping upon the heels of the
fugitives. The Hittite King had waited till he saw the first brigade
busy pitching camp, and then, as the second came straggling up, he had
launched his chariots upon the flank of the weary soldiers, who were
swept away in a moment as if by a flood.

The rush of terrified men carried off the first brigade along with it in
hopeless rout. Ramses and Menna were left with only a few picked
chariots of the household troops, and the whole Hittite army was coming
on. But though King Rams