this quarter, the Egyptians made
their way towards the south, and came into conflict with the enemy at
the village of Taqimit.* Here, again, the battle remained undecided,
but Ahmosi-si-Abina had an adventure. He had taken a prisoner, and in
bringing him back lost himself, fell into a muddy ditch, and, when he
had freed himself from the dirt as well as he could, pursued his way
by mistake for some time in the direction of Avaris. He found out his
error, however, before it was too late, came back to the camp safe
and sound, and received once more some gold as a reward of his brave
conduct. A second attack upon the town was crowned with complete
success; it was taken by storm, given over to pillage, and
Ahmosi-si-Abina succeeded in capturing one man and three women, who were
afterwards, at the distribution of the spoil, given to him as slaves.**
The enemy evacuated in haste the last strongholds which they held in
the east of the Delta, and took refuge in the Syrian provinces on the
Egyptian frontier. Whether it was that they assumed here a menacing
attitude, or whether Ahmosis hoped to deal them a crushing blow before
they could find time to breathe, or to rally around them sufficient
forces to renew the offensive, he made up his mind to cross the
frontier, which he did in the 5th year of his reign.

* The site of Taqimit is unknown.

** The prisoner who was given to Ahmosis after the victory,
is probably Paamu, the Asiatic, mentioned in the list of his
slaves which he had engraved on one of the walls of his
tomb.

It was the first time for centuries that a Pharaoh had trusted himself
in Asia, and the same dread of the unknown which had restrained his
ancestors of the XIIth dynasty, doubtless arrested Ahmosis also on the
threshold of the continent. He did not penetrate further than the border
provinces of Zahi, situated on the edge of the desert, and contented
himself with pillaging the little town of Sharuhana.* Ahmosi-si-Abina
was again his companion, together with his cousin, Ahmosi-Pannekhabit,
then at the beginning of his career, who brought away on this occasion
two young girls for his household.**

* Sharuhana, which is mentioned again under Thutmosis III.
is not the plain of Sharon, as Birch imagined, but the
Sharuhen of the Biblical texts, in the tribe of Simeon
(_Josh._ xix. 6), as Brugsch recognised it to be. It is
probably identical with the modern Tell-e