The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1882-09-07
IN THE PHARAOH,S TIME.
How War Correspondents Wrote
Up the Old Battles.
London News.1

London News.l
The ancient Egyptians were most
industrious with the pen. In MANY
of the hIeroglyphics the scribe is
represented at work making notes
of the proceedings. In wars he is
seen taking down the number of pri-
soners and other details. ThrOth,
the god of letters, is the celestial
scribe, and is often figured as writ
ing the names and actions of those
in the next world. Among the
many documents which have been
preserved of this literary race is one
containing a history of war car
ried on by Ramesis H., and which is
supposed by psychologists to have
been written at the time. AS the
author is described as q "Royal
Scribe" he is in all probability ac-
companied the army, and describes
what he saw on the spot. There is
no hint as to the existence of "Rules,"
still less of Revised Rules" in rela-
ton to correspondents at that date.
Royal scribes no doubt did their
work on certain conditions, and the
result, if we may judge by this par
ticular papyrus, is certainly such
that it is not likely to prejudice any
one in favor of dictation being used
toward those who make records of
history. From this point of view
the ancient document possesses an
interest at the moment, and the
horse guards and the public will be
none the worse for hearing what re-
suits when those who make the
battles are the only ones to write"
The royal scribe III this case was
named "Pentaur," and the war was
was one against the "Khita," or
Cheta-the Hittites, whose alphabet
and language have been a subject OF
so much interest among arch8olo-
gists lately. The field of action was
at Kedesh, ON the Orontes. Ramesis
had led his army from Egypt, and
the "vile chief of Cheta, with many
allies accompanying him, lay am
pushed to northwest" The Hittites
must have formed large army, for
they had drawn troops from the
whole country, as far east as Naha-
rina, or Mesopotamia. The Egyp-
tan army was in brigades, and the
names of them are stated. There
ives the brigade of Ammon, the
brigades OF Ptah and Set
all names of gods in the Egyp-
CHS was III the center, "and feared
not to fight" SO they marched right
into the ambush on the northwest,
which the Chetas had planned.
The brigade was beaten back by the
enemy@"foot and horse of King
Rameses gave way before them"
Rameses was equal to the occasion.
Mounted on his "great horse" called
"Victory in Thebes," he rushed to
the front. she pierced the line of the
foe, the vile Cheta he was all alone,
no other with him. When he adj
yanced to survey behind him he
found there encircled him $500 char
lots. Stopping his way out, every
champion of the vile Cheta."
There were three men in
each chariot, and Rameses
had no chief, no marshal, no captain
of the archers; fled were his troops
and horse; he was lett alone to fight
the foe. He had no fear; he put
,
whom he reminds of all the temples
and obeli, ks he had erected to him
of all the sacrifices he had offered
and, fixing his trust in this deity,
with his "strong sword of Ra," he
went in for the vile Khita, and there
follows a splendid description of his
deeds, which leaves the most fertile
of our coiners of words among
specials of the day far behind. Pen
taur writes with an unhesitating
pen, or else the staff officer
appointed by Rameses to super
wise the kilograms must have
seen to it. King Rameses pre-
vailed, of course, over the vast
host opposed to him. Not one es-
capped. The absence of any one ex-
cept his squire Menna, to assist Ram
eses, is repeatedly insisted on. He
{ did it all himself; he faced the $500
with his sword of might, and the
I number of killed is stated as 100,-
600 by this veracious correspondent.
| The Khita were subdued and their
chief made his homage, and the
| story winds up with some big words
about the greatness and glory of
Rameses.
This campaign took place, accord
ing to Lepsius, some time between
1888 and 1922 B. c., and the whole
account, as written by Pentaur, will
be found in the Records of the
Past" Vol. III, p. rs.
1t need scarcely be pointed out
that story like this throws a doubt
about all events which are related in
ancient documents connected with
the history of Egypt, to which it
may be limited that it also leads to
skepticism in regard to most history.
1t may be said that such stuff could
not have been written in our time.
| Well, perhaps not; yet Arab has
had his doings recorded in the
present war, and according to his
scribes, he sunk our ironclads, killed
great numbers of our soldiers and
sailors, and has our admiral at this
moment a safe prisoner in Cairo. In
writing history, the modern Egyp-
tian here bears very strong resem-
blance to the ancient one. Ii is a
very simple case so far as the
moral is concerned. 1t is human ma
ture, IKE Rameses and Arab, to de-
sire greatness and glory, and that
desire will have tendency to mani
fest itself wherever it can manage
to do so. Although we are not
likely to have such exaggerations as
above quoted sent home to us, still
there is always the power of tel
ling a story in more ways than
one, and as we at home only wish
for the truth, the less our cores
pondents are tempered with the bet
ter. The new rules and revised
rules will undoubtedly have the ten
dency to make "Pentaurs" OF them,
and more or less to render doubtful
the important parts OF our own his