the hills, since now
we were outnumbered and very weary. But behold! when all seemed lost a
great shouting rose from Amada and through her opened gates poured forth
all that remained of the army of Pharaoh, perhaps eighteen or twenty
thousand men. I saw, and my heart rose again.

"Stand firm!" I cried. "Stand firm!" and lo! we stood.

The Egyptians were on them now and in their midst I saw Pharaoh's
banner. By degrees the battle swayed towards the banks of Nile, we to
the north, the Egyptians to the south and the Easterns between us. They
were trying to turn our flank; yes, and would have done it, had there
not suddenly appeared upon the Nile a fleet of ships. At first I thought
that we were lost, for these ships were from Greece and Cyprus, till I
saw the banner of the Grasshopper wave from a prow, and knew that they
were manned by our five thousand who had gone out to burn the fleet,
and had saved these vessels. They beached and from their crowded holds
poured the five thousand, or those that were left of them, and ranging
themselves upon the bank, raised their war-shout and attacked the ends
of the Easterns' lines.

Now we charged for the last time and the Egyptians charged from the
south. Ha-ha! the ranks of the Immortals were broken at length. We
were among them. I saw Pharaoh, his _uraeus_ circlet on his helm. He was
wounded and sore beset. A tall Immortal rushed at him with a spear and
drove it home.

Pharaoh fell.

I leapt over him and killed that Eastern with a blow upon the neck, but
my sword shattered on his armour. The tide of battle rolled up and swept
us apart and I saw Pharaoh being carried away. Look! yonder was the
Great King himself standing in a golden chariot, the Great King in all
his glory whom last I had seen far away in the East. He knew me and shot
at me with a bow, the bow he thought my own, shouting, "Die, dog of an
Egyptian!"

His arrow pierced my helm but missed my head. I strove to come at him
but could not.

The real rout began. The Immortals were broken like an earthen jar. They
retreated in groups fighting desperately and of these the thickest was
around the Great King. He whom I hated was about to escape me. He still
had horses; he would fly down Nile, gain his reserves and so away back
to the East, where he would gather new and yet larger armies, since men
in millions were at his command. Then he would return and destroy Egypt
when perchance there were no Ethiopians to help he