biri are on his side; the
princes will hear no remonstrances, but are in alliance with him;
thereby is he become mighty.' But thou hast answered me, 'Send thy
messenger with me to Court, and then will I, if nothing be said
against it (_i.e._, by the king), send him again and again with
royal troops to thee till the Pidati march forth to secure thy
life.' Then I answered thee, 'I will not delay to send the man,
but nothing of this must come to the ears of Abd-Ashera, for
[Yanhamu has] taken [silver] from his hand.' (As much as to say
that if Abd-Ashera gives Yanhamu a hint, the messenger will never
get beyond Lower Egypt.) But thou hast said, 'Fear not, but send a
ship to the Yarimuta, and money and garments will come to thee
thence.' Now, behold, the troops which thou hast given me have
fled, because thou hast neglected me, while I have obeyed thee. He
hath spoken with the official (Yanhamu?) nine times [in vain].
Behold, thou art delaying with regard to this offence as with the
others. What then can save me? If I receive no troops I shall
forsake my city, and flee, doing that which seems good to me to
preserve my life."

Yanhamu's bias against Rib-Addi is made evident in many other letters
which the poor wretch addressed to the Court:

"If I should make a treaty with Abd-Ashera as did Yap-Addi and
Zimrida, then I should be safe. Furthermore, since Simyra is
indeed lost to me, and Yanhamu hath received Bit-Arti, he ought to
send me provision of grain that I may defend the king's city for
him. Thou, oh king, speak to Yanhamu; 'Behold, Rib-Addi is in thy
hand, and all injury done to him falls on thee.' "

This desire was not complied with, for the Phoenician vassal was at length
robbed of all his cities and possessions, so that even the callous
Egyptian Government felt obliged at last to send a threatening embassy to
Aziru, the son of Abd-Ashera, and the real author of the difficulties in
Gebal. At the same time the surrender was demanded of certain "enemies of
the king," who were in all probability principal adherents of Aziru. When
the messenger Hani arrived with this note, Aziru, evidently warned in good
time, had promptly vanished over the hills, and none of the royal commands
could be carried out. He pretends to have settled down in Tunip, which he
must previously have seized, but at once returned home on hearing o