, the
urasus on his forehead, and the nodding plumes of his horses made him
a mark for the blows of the enemy, and he would often find himself in
positions of serious danger. In a few hours, as a rule, the conflict
would come to an end.

[Illustration: 328.jpg Ramses II.]

[Illustration: 328-text.jpg]

Once the enemy showed signs of giving way, the Egyptian chariots dashed
upon them precipitously, and turned the retreat into a rout: the pursuit
was, however, never a long One; some fortress was always to be found
close at hand where the remnant of the defeated host could take refuge.*
The victors, moreover, would be too eager to secure the booty, and to
strip the bodies of the dead, to allow time for following up the foe.

* After the battle of Megiddo, the remnants of the Syrian
army took refuge in the city, where Thutmosis III. besieged
them; similarly under Ramses II. the Hittite princes took
refuge in Qodshu after their defeat.

The prisoners were driven along in platoons, their arms bound in strange
and contorted attitudes, each under the charge of his captor; then came
the chariots, arms, slaves, and provisions collected on the battle-field
or in the camp, then other trophies of a kind unknown in modern warfare.
When an Egyptian killed or mortally wounded any one, he cut off, not
the head, but the right hand or the phallus, and brought it to the
royal scribes. These made an accurate inventory of everything, and even
Pharaoh did not disdain to be present at the registration. The booty did
not belong to the persons who obtained it, but was thrown into a common
stock which was placed at the disposal of the sovereign: one part he
reserved for the gods, especially for his father Amon of Thebes, who
had given him the victory; another part he kept for himself, and the
remainder was distributed among his army. Each man received a reward
in proportion to his rank and services, such as male or female slaves,
bracelets, necklaces, arms, vases, or a certain measured weight of gold,
known as the "gold of bravery." A similar sharing of the spoil took
place after every successful engagement: from Pharaoh to the meanest
camp-follower, every man who had contributed to the success of a
campaign returned home richer than he had set out, and the profits which
he derived from a war were a liberal compensation for the expenses in
which it had involved him.

[Illustration: 330.jpg COUNTING OF THE HANDS]

The