ere the fierce Ethiopians fresh from their rest and food,
and stringing their bows, every one of them, or loosening the arrows in
their quivers. As I came they lifted their hands in salute, for speak
they dared not and I sent a whisper down their ranks, that this day
they must fight and conquer, or fall for the glory of Ethiopia and their
king. Then I gave my orders and before the sun rose and revealed them
they crept forward in a fourfold line and took shelter behind the
stones, lying there invisible on their bellies until the moment came.

The red rim of Ra appeared glorious in the East, and I, from behind the
rocks that I had chosen, sat down and watched. Oh! truly Tanofir or
the gods of Egypt were ordering things aright for us. The huge camp was
awake now and aware of what was happening on the Nile. They could not
see well because of the tall reeds upon the river's rim and therefore,
without order or discipline, by the thousand and the ten thousand, for
their numbers were countless, some with arms and some without, they ran
to the slope of sand beneath our station and began to climb it to have a
better view of the burning ships.

The sun leapt up swiftly as it does in Egypt. His glowing edge appeared
over the crest of the hill though the hollows beneath were still filled
with shadow. The moment was at hand. I waited till I had counted ten,
glancing to the right and left of me to see that all were ready and to
suffer the crowd to thicken on the slope, but not to reach the lowest
rocks, whither they were climbing. Then I gave the double signal that
had been agreed.

Behind me the banner of the golden Grasshopper was raised upon a tall
pole and broke upon the breeze. That was the first signal whereat every
man rose to his knees and set shaft on string. Next I lifted my bow, the
black bow, the ancient bow that few save I could bend, and drew it to my
ear.

Far away, out of arrow-reach as most would have said, floated the Great
King's standard over his pavilion. At this I aimed, making allowance for
the wind, and shot. The shaft leapt forward, seen in the sunlight, lost
in the shadow, seen in the sunlight again and lastly seen once more,
pinning that golden standard against its pole!

At the sight of the omen a roar went up that rolled to right and left of
us, a roar from thirty thousand throats. Now it was lost in a sound like
to the hissing of thunder rain in Ethiopia, the sound of thirty thousand
arrows rushing t