I had searched my heart for a counter to this move when Salitis and Intef made it, but there was none that I could think of. I had realized that this must happen, but I had refrained from warning either Tanus or my mistress of the likelihood, for I did not wish to add to the feeling of gloom, and heighten the despondency of our people. "What do you have to tell us?"īut what truly filled me with joy was that he had forgiven me at last, and we were friends once more. Their horses are in the traces and they are coming on a cloud of dust, swiftly as the flight of the swallow. They swam the horses over as they did before, but this time there were none of our galleys ready to turn back their boats.
The messenger stuttered in fear of his life, "Divine Majesty, while our fleet was busy at Asyut, the barbarian made another crossing at Esna. I will not ride with you again until you do something about them." However, those new-fangled wheels of yours " are more dangerous than a regiment of Hyksos. "If I am to have five hundred of those contraptions of yours for my new chariot division, I will need a thousand of those cursed brutes to pull them. I have already sent Hui to gather them up," he assured me. "Don't worry that battered head of yours". "The gods cannot desert this very Egypt now. "No" my mistress's voice shook with the force of her denial. "Tanus, the enemy horses that swam across last night?I must have them." "What, in the name of Horus, were you laughing about?" "You crazy old fool." He forced a grin at me. However, Salitis had brought his transports up behind the screen of fighting galleys, and while the river battle still raged, he was able to embark almost two full regiments of horse and chariot, and ferry them intact to our side of the river, without our galleys being able to reach them. He would even ride with me again, if only I could fix my wheels. My orphan chariot squadron was at last to be part of the standing army, and he would give me the men and gold to build five hundred more. Tanus had quashed his pride, and given in to me. All our galleys could do was to ny to keep pace with the dust-cloud he threw up, as he raced for the funerary temple of Mamose and all its treasures.įor a moment it did not penetrate my aching skull, then I realized that it had happened. There was nothing to stop him now, as his chariots came bowling southwards along our side of the river. These regiments comprised nearly three hundred of Salitis" fast war chariots, his elite divisions which he led himself.
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