When the three dignitaries were seated, Ramses XII said,
"Tell me, Nitager, dost Thou think that my son will be a leader? But tell pure truth."
"By Amon of Thebes, by the glory of my ancestors in whom was blood royal, I swear that thy heir, Prince Ramses, will be a great leader, if the gods permit," replied Nitager. "He is a young man, a lad yet; still he concentrated his regiments, eased their march, and provided for them. He pleased me most of all by this, that he did not lose his head when I cut off the road before him, but led his men to the attack. He will be a leader, and will conquer the Assyrians, whom we must vanquish today if they are not to be seen on the Nile by our grandchildren."
"What dost Thou say to that?" inquired the pharaoh of Herhor.
"As to the Assyrians, I think that the worthy Nitager is concerned about them too early. We must strengthen ourselves well before we begin a new war. As to the heir, Nitager says justly that the young man has the qualities of a leader: he is as keen as a fox, and has the energy of a lion. Still he made many blunders yesterday.
"Who among us has not made them?" put in Patrokles, silent thus far.
"The heir," continued the minister, "led the main corps wisely, but he neglected his staff; through this neglect we marched so slowly and in such disorder that Nitager was able to cut off the road before us."
"Perhaps Ramses counted on your dignity," said Nitager.
"In government and war we must count on no man: one unreckoned little stone may overturn everything," said the minister.
"If thou, worthiness," answered Patrokles, "had not pushed the columns from the road because of those scarabs."