Continuing his northward trek, now speeded by his possession of a horse, Conan at last reaches the semi-civilized kingdom of Kush. This is the land to which the name 'Kush' properly applies, although Conan, like other northerners, tends to use the term loosely to mean any of the Negro countries south of the deserts of Stygia. Here an opportunity to display his prowess at arms soon presents itself.