rf more than all the treasures which are being imported from
the land of Puanit." Hirkhuf, on his return to Elephantine, engraved the
royal letter and the detailed account of his journeys to the lands of
the south, on the facade of his tomb.

These repeated expeditions produced in course of time more important
and permanent results than the capture of an accomplished dwarf, or the
acquisition of a fortune by an adventurous nobleman. The nations which
these merchants visited were accustomed to hear so much of Egypt, its
industries, and its military force, that they came at last to entertain
an admiration and respect for her, not unmingled with fear: they learned
to look upon her as a power superior to all others, and upon her king as
a god whom none might resist. They adopted Egyptian worship, yielded to
Egypt their homage, and sent the Egyptians presents: they were won over
by civilization before being subdued by arms. We are not acquainted
with the manner in which Nofirkiri-Papi II. turned these friendly
dispositions to good account in extending his empire to the south. The
expeditions did not all prove so successful as that of Hirkhuf, and one
at least of the princes of Elephantine, Papinakhiti, met with his death
in the course of one of them. Papi II. had sent him on a mission, after
several others, "to make profit out of the Uauaiu and the Iritit." He
killed considerable numbers in this raid, and brought back great spoil,
which he shared with Pharaoh; "for he was at the head of many warriors,
chosen from among the bravest," which was the cause of his success in
the enterprise with which his Holiness had deigned to entrust him. Once,
however, the king employed him in regions which were not so familiar to
him as those of Nubia, and fate was against him. He had received orders
to visit the Amu, the Asiatic tribes inhabiting the Sinaitic Peninsula,
and to repeat on a smaller scale in the south the expedition which Uni
had led against them in the north; he proceeded thither, and his sojourn
having come to an end, he chose to return by sea. To sail towards
Puanit, to coast up as far as the "Head of Nekhabit," to land there
and make straight for Elephantine by the shortest route, presented no
unusual difficulties, and doubtless more than one traveller or general
of those times had safely accomplished it; Papinakhiti failed miserably.
As he was engaged in constructing his vessel, the Hiru-Shaitu fell
upon him and massacred h