r, and perhaps after
all drag Amada to his House of Women. See, they were breaking through
and already I was far away with a wound in my breast, a hurt leg and a
shattered sword.

What could I do? My arrows were spent and the bearers had none left to
give me. No, there was one still in the quiver. I drew it out. On its
shaft were two black feathers and one white. Who had spoken of that
arrow? I remembered, Tanofir. I was to think of certain things that he
had said when I noted what it pierced. I unslung my bow, strung it and
set that arrow on the string.

By now the Great King was far away, out of reach for most archers. His
chariot forging ahead amidst the remnant of his guards and the nobles
who attended on his sacred person, travelled over a little rise where
doubtless once there had been a village, long since rotted down to its
parent clay. The sunlight glinted on his shining armour and silken robe,
whereof the back was toward me.

I aimed, I drew, I loosed! Swift and far the shaft sped forward. By
Osiris! it struck him full between the shoulders, and lo! the King of
kings, the Monarch of the World, lurched forward, fell on to the rail of
his chariot, and rolled to the ground. Next instant there arose a roar
of, "The King is dead! The Great King is dead! _Fly, fly, fly!_"

So they fled and after them thundered the pursuers slaying and slaying
till they could lift their arms no more. Oh! yes, some escaped though
the men of Thebes and country folk murdered many of them and but a few
ever won back to the East to tell the tale of the blotting out of the
mighty army of the King of kings and of the doom dealt to him by the
great black bow of Shabaka the Egyptian.

I stood there gasping, when suddenly I heard a voice at my side. It
said,

"You seem to have done very well, Brother, even better than we did
yonder on the other side of the town, though some might think that fray
a thing whereof to make a song. Also that last shot of yours was worthy
of a good archer, for I marked it, I marked it. A great lord was laid
low thereby. Let us go and see who it was."

I threw my arm round the bull neck of Bes and leaning on him, advanced
to where the King lay alone save for the fallen about him.

"This man is not yet sped," said Bes. "Let us look upon his face," and
he turned him over, and stretched him there upon the sand with the arrow
standing two spans beyond his corselet.

"Why," said Bes, "this is a certain High one