led by the moral laws that were binding upon ordinary mortals.
He boldly rushed into war at the first possible moment, crossed the
frontier, and having chastised the Shasu, who had recently made an
invasion of his territory, fell upon the Kharu, or Southern Syrians, and
gave them a severe defeat near Jamnia in the Philistine country. He then
pressed forward into the country of the Rutennu, overcame them in
several pitched battles, and, assisted by a son who fought constantly at
his side, slaughtered them almost to extermination. His victorious
progress brought him, after a time, to the vicinity of Kadesh, the
important city on the Orontes which, a century earlier, had been
besieged and taken by the Great Thothmes. Kadesh was at this time in
possession of the Amorites, who were tributary to the Khita (Hittites)
and held the great city as their subject allies. Seti, having carefully
concealed his advance, came upon the stronghold suddenly, and took its
defenders by surprise. Outside the city peaceful herdsmen were pasturing
their cattle under the shade of the trees, when they were startled by
the appearance of the Egyptian monarch, mounted on his war-chariot drawn
by two prancing steeds. At once all was confusion: every one sought to
save himself; the herds with their keepers fled in wild panic, while the
Egyptians plied them with their arrows. But the garrison of the town
resisted bravely: a portion sallied from the gates and met Seti in the
open field, but were defeated with great slaughter; the others defended
themselves behind the walls. But all was in vain. The disciplined troops
of Egypt stormed the key of Northern Syria, and the whole Orontes valley
lay open to the conqueror.

Hitherto the Hittites had not been engaged in the struggle. Attacked at
a disadvantage, unprepared, they had left their subject allies to make
such resistance as they might find possible, and had reserved themselves
for the defence of their own country. Mautenar had, no doubt, made the
best preparations of which circumstances admitted--he had organized his
forces in three bodies, "on foot, on horseback, and in chariots." At the
head of them, he gave battle to the invaders so soon as they attacked
him in his own proper country, and a desperate fight followed, in which
the Egyptians, however, prevailed at last. The Hittites received a
"great overthrow." The song of triumph composed for Seti on the occasion
declared: "Pharaoh is a jackal which ru