CHAPTER X
CHARES BARTERS HIS SWORD
What was to be the fate of Thebes? The minds of the wretchedinhabitants of the city were diverted from their sorrows as they askedeach other this question on the morning after the battle. The dead hadbeen removed from the streets. The wounded had been cared for. Theenemy had withdrawn outside the walls, after posting guards insufficient numbers to suppress any rising that the Thebans might bedesperate enough to attempt.
All eyes were directed toward the Cadmea, within whose gray walls thepunishment that was to be visited upon the city was being discussed.One citizen suggested that a heavy fine would be exacted. Anotherdeclared he had heard that the Thebans would be forbidden to bear arms.A dozen similar conjectures were made and canvassed before news camefrom the Cadmea that Alexander had left the Phocians, the Plataeans, andthe B[oe]otians, his allies, to impose the sentence. This announcementwas received in gloomy silence; for more than one Theban recalled howhis city in her day of pride had blotted out Orchomenus and Plataea andsold their people into bondage.
The anxious watchers in the streets at last saw a stir in the crowdthat waited outside the gates of the citadel. The portals opened, andthe victorious generals, surrounded by waving standards, came out andbegan to descend from the rock. The spectators below saw the Thebansscatter before them, tossing their arms above their heads and rendingtheir garments. A hush full of dread fell upon the city.
"Thebes must perish! Her walls must go down!" cried one from abovewith a despairing gesture.
"We are to be sold for slaves!" shouted another, halting upon a parapetand making a trumpet of his hands.
The tidings were received with incredulity, followed by stupefaction.The blow had fallen, and it was worse than even the least sanguineprophet had predicted. The generals, as they rode toward the gates ofthe city, were followed by men who fell on their knees and begged forquarter. No heed was paid to their prayers, and the escort of soldiersthrust them back with jeers.
Alexander remained in the Cadmea, where Chares and a handful of themost prominent Thebans, who had been able to establish guest-friendshipwith the royal house of Macedon, sought him to intercede for the city.They found him alone, sitting with his chin in his hand. They recalledto him the glorious deeds of Thebes, dwelt upon the misery that thesentence would inflict upon the innocent, and warned him that allHellas would reproach him if he permitted it to be carried into effect.They admitted the fault of the city and asked forgiveness.
The young king heard them through without stirring.
"All that you have said to me," he replied when they had finished, "Ihave already said to myself. Thebes has been false to her oath. Ipardoned her as did Philip, my father. The sentence is not mine, butthat of my allies, and what cause they have, you know. Can I ask themto forget?"
Terror ran with the news through all Greece. The Athenians, theAEtolians, and the Elaeans, who had encouraged the rebellion with moneyand promises of further aid, hastily recalled their troops and sentambassadors to sue for mercy. Demosthenes was chosen to plead forAthens, but when he had advanced on his journey as far as MountCithaeron, his courage failed him and he turned back. The young kingsent a messenger to Athens calling upon the Athenians to deliver eightof their orators who had been foremost in stirring up the peopleagainst Macedon, and the name of Demosthenes stood at the head of thelist.
In the Assembly that was called to consider this demand Demosthenes wonthe day by repeating the fable of how once the wolves asked the sheepto deliver to them their watch-dogs and how, when the demand had beengranted, they fell upon the defenceless flock. But so great was thefear of Alexander among the people that they might, after all, havesent the orators to Thebes had not the men who were threatened hiredDemades with a fee of five talents to offer himself as an intermediary.The offer was accepted and Alexander yielded.
The escape of Demosthenes through the intercession of his inveterateenemy and the mysterious disappearance of Thais were the talk of thecity when Chares arrived with his two friends, bringing his family withhim. Clearchus received them into his house, where they were to remainduring his absence from Athens in search of Artemisia, following thedirections of the oracle. Ariston was much disappointed when hisnephew refused to exact any rental from his friend. He had takencharge of Clearchus' fortune again, and it grieved him that anypossible source of income should be neglected. But Clearchus knew thatChares had need of all his resources; for his mother had drawn up alist of the friends of the family who had been forced to remain inThebes, telling him that he must purchase them and thus save them fromslavery, even if it should take all they possessed in the world. Asthe list was long, Clearchus deemed it wise not only to place his houseat the disposal of Jason's widow, but to make provision for itsmaintenance out of his own income while he should be away.
He paid no attention to the grumbling of his uncle, who affected tolook upon this generosity as little short of madness. He said so muchto dissuade the young man from his plan, that Clearchus at last wasforced to remonstrate with him.
"One would think that you were on the brink of ruin," he said, "insteadof being one of the richest men in Athens, if reports that I have begunto hear lately are true."
"Who says that?" Ariston demanded sharply. "He lies, whoever repeatssuch things. Whenever you hear it, if you love me, say that it is nottrue. If such stories should get to be believed, that accursedDemosthenes will be forcing me to fit out a trireme for some of hiswild schemes. The times are so troubled that what little I have beenable to save by my frugality for the support of my age I am likely tolose."
He was not unwilling to have his nephew believe that he was at leastmoderately rich, for had Clearchus known the straits his uncle was in,his suspicions might have been aroused. With his mind full of the lossof Artemisia, there was small chance that he would discover anything.
Like vultures upon a deserted field of battle the slave-dealersgathered at the great market of flesh and blood at Thebes. The sale ofthe population of the city had been delayed so as to insure a goodattendance; for Alexander had need of the money that it was expected toyield with which to defray the cost of his expedition against the GreatKing. Speculators, traffickers by wholesale, and agents from everyconsiderable mart in the world, to say nothing of amateurs, flocked tothe city. It was not so much the fact that thirty thousand men andwomen were to be offered and the consequent probability of low pricesthat drew them as the quality of the victims. It was easy enough topurchase slaves in almost any number, but there was a vast differencebetween ignorant barbarians, captured in distant raids, and thepopulation of one of the oldest and most cultured of the Greciancities. And no comparison was to be made between girls who had beendestined to slavery from their cradles and the Theban maidens reared inthe shelter of luxury and ease.
It had been expected that it would take several days to dispose of theprisoners, but so numerous were the buyers that the Macedonians decidedto attempt it in one day. For greater convenience, the captives wereseparated into companies of about five hundred and brought out upon theplain before the city, where most of the dealers had pitched theirtents. Each division was guarded by a squad of soldiers commanded byan officer, whose duty it was to conduct the auction of the group underhis care.
No outcry was permitted among the hapless population. Mothers claspedtheir children in their arms, weeping softly over them. Some awaitedtheir fate with sullen resignation. Others looked for a prodigy torestore them to freedom and their city. A report had gone abroad thatDionysus would appear in person and forbid the sale. On all sides rosethe murmur of his name in tones of entreaty or reproach. With anxiouseyes, the believers scanned the sky and the barren hillsides for somesign, they knew not what. None was vouchsafed. Their God had desertedthem.
In order that the friends whom he was to ransom might not be lost inthe confusion, Chares had obtained consent that they be assembled inone group. They came last out of the city, clad i
n garments ofmourning and moving in heavy-footed procession. Lest he should raisefalse hopes, Chares had made a secret of his plans. The prisonersfully expected to pass into the possession of strangers. Old men ofgrave face and dignified bearing, who had spent their lives in theservice of the city and whose names were known throughout Greece, ledthe way. Behind them walked their women, proud of bearing andaccustomed to the privileges of rank and wealth. Some of the matronsled daughters who looked with terror upon the strange scenes that mettheir eyes. Orphaned children clung to each other in fear, while hereand there new-made widows, whose husbands had been slain when thestrength and vigor of the city were cut off in a day, walked sadly andalone.
When all had been herded within the ring formed by the guard, theMacedonian captain who was to conduct the sale of the group thatcontained Chares' friends mounted briskly upon a block of stone andannounced the terms prescribed for buyers. Payment was to be made inall cases in cash, and the purchaser was to have immediate possession.Chares took a position facing the auctioneer in a knot of dealers whowere searching for some fortunate speculation. These men looked uponthe unhappy Thebans with professional keenness, exchanging commentsamong themselves.
"That's a fine old fellow with the white beard," said one. "He looksas though he might have money out at interest somewhere."
"Probably he's only a philosopher," another said scornfully. "For mypart, I shall buy that thin one. He has been living on bread and waterall his life and he must have a snug sum buried. Trust me to make himdig it up!"
"There seem to be some marketable girls here," observed a third. "Ifind the Medes will pay a better price for them if they have a pedigreeas well as good looks."
Mena, the Egyptian, prying about through the crowd, examined thecaptives with speculative eyes. Suddenly he caught sight of a figurethat caused him to stop and stare. It was that of a young woman,veiled, who seemed to be seeking to conceal herself behind the otherprisoners.
"Who is she?" he asked of one of the guard when he had recovered fromhis astonishment.
"She is down on our list as Maia, daughter of Thales," the man replied.
Mena seemed puzzled. "I must find out more about this," he said tohimself, taking his stand at a point of vantage. "Besides, there maybe a chance here to turn a profitable investment."
The chatter ceased as the captain opened a roll of papyrus containingthe names of the prisoners and announced that the sale was about tobegin. The old man with the white beard was the first to be broughtforward. He proved to have been one of the B[oe]otarchs.
"How much am I offered for him?" the captain cried. "He is old, buthis wisdom is all the greater for that."
"Five drachmae!" shouted a countryman in a patched and faded cloak. "Hegave a decision against me once in a lawsuit."
Everybody laughed at this reason for making a bid, but the farmerseemed in deadly earnest.
"Five minae!" Chares said quietly. There was no other bid and the salewas made.
Then came a slender girl with yellow hair and blue eyes that wereswollen with weeping. Her chiton of fine linen clung in graceful foldsto her slim figure, and she trembled so violently that she couldscarcely stand.
"She ought to fill out well if she lives," said one of the merchants,stroking his beard, while he examined her carefully. "But it's alwaysa risk to buy them so young."
"She might be trained to dance," said Mena, who had elbowed his wayinto the crowd. "It's worth trying if she goes cheap. Fifty drachmae!"
"Five minae!" Chares said again.
"That's ten times what she is worth!" Mena exclaimed, turning angrilyupon the Theban. "Are you trying to prevent honest men from making aliving?"
"Let honest men speak for themselves," Chares retorted.
The laugh that followed filled the Egyptian with rage. He was cunningenough to wait until Chares had made several more purchases, and atprices far above the market value of the captives. Mena guessed thatthe Theban intended to outbid all who opposed him. He resolved to berevenged by making him pay dearly for his purchases. It happened thatthe next offering was a man whose name was not on Chares' list. Out ofmere good nature he bid two hundred and fifty drachmae for him.
"Five minae!" the Egyptian shouted, doubling the bid with the intentionof forcing Chares to go higher.
But Chares was silent, and no other bidder appeared. Mena, who did nothave the money that he had offered, shifted uneasily, looking at Chares.
"I see you have some sense," he cried at last. "You are afraid to bidagainst me!"
Chares made no reply.
"He is yours," the auctioneer said, addressing Mena. "Step this waywith your money!"
"Wait!" screamed the Egyptian. "I withdraw the bid! The man is lame!"
"Do you mean to accuse me of trying to cheat you?" roared theMacedonian captain.
"Perhaps you didn't notice it," the Egyptian faltered.
"Away with him!" cried the soldier.
While the prisoner was being awarded to Chares, two men led Mena out ofthe circle, amid the jeers of the spectators. At a safe distance,under pretence of seeing whether he really had the money he hadoffered, they took from him all that he possessed and divided itbetween themselves before they let him go.
"I'll make him sorry for this!" Mena said, shaking his fist at Chares."I know what I know; but why do they call her Maia?"
Burning with rage, the Egyptian slunk away in search of his master,Phradates, whom he found wandering idly among the scattered groups ofcaptives.
"Oh, Phradates, thou hast been insulted!" Mena cried, breathlessly.
"How so, dog?" Phradates demanded, his face darkening as he spoke.
The Ph[oe]nician's figure was tall and well knit, although theprofusion of jewels and golden chains that he wore, and his garments ofrich silk, woven with gold thread, gave him an effeminate look. Hisface might have been handsome had it not been marred by an expressionof haughty insolence which betrayed the weakness upon which Menaintended to play.
He had been sent into Greece by Azemilcus and the Tyrian Council in theguise of a rich young man on his travels, but with the real object ofdiscovering the plans and strength of Alexander. Tyre was nominallytributary to the Great King, but the only sign of her dependence wasthe payment of a small annual tribute. In all matters of moment shemanaged her own affairs. It was important, therefore, for her rulersto have exact knowledge of what was going forward in Greece, so thatthey might shape their course as seemed best for their own advantage.
Mena noted the flush on his master's cheek and foresaw the success ofhis scheme of revenge.
"It occurred to my poor mind," he explained volubly, "that yourHighness would be pleased with a slave from this city of rats, which,nevertheless, contains some charming maidens. I learned that they hadassembled all the prisoners of gentle birth in one place together. Iwent there and examined them for you. Among them I found a girl ofrare beauty and when I asked concerning her, they told me she was Maia,daughter of Thales, one of the chief men in the city. Such a form asshe has!--with hair like copper and a glance that would--"
"Will you never finish?" Phradates asked angrily.
"I chose her for your Highness and gave command that she be reserveduntil I could find you to claim her," Mena continued. "But it seems aTheban, whom they call Chares, had resolved to buy her for himself. Itold him that I had spoken for the girl in your name. 'Let the Tyrianhound go back to his dye-vats,' he said. 'The girl is mine and heshall not have her while I have an obol left!' He said much moreagainst the people of Tyre and yourself in particular that I will notoffend your Highness by repeating. I am sorry that I lost the girl,for there is no other like her among the captives."
"Where is she?" Phradates demanded abruptly.
"If your Highness will deign to follow, I will conduct you to her,"Mena replied with alacrity.
"Lead on!" Phradates commanded. "And then fetch quickly the gold weborrowed from the old Athenian."
> Chares had purchased all the prisoners on his list excepting the girlcalled Maia, and the soldiers were leading her forward when Mena andPhradates arrived. The young woman's face and head were muffled in asilken scarf, and her figure was concealed beneath a cloak.
"Give place!" cried Mena, bustling officiously into the crowd. "Makeway for the noble Phradates!"
One of the soldiers raised the scarf long enough for the Ph[oe]nicianto see the young woman's face. Her beauty evidently made a deepimpression upon him, for his expression changed and he seemed hardlyable to take his eyes from her.
"Where is this Chares?" he inquired, at last, staring about him.
Mena indicated the Theban with a nod, and then, noticing that all eyeswere turned upon his master, he bawled out: "Make room for Phradates ofthe royal blood of Tyre!"
"Do you want to sell him?" asked the auctioneer.
The Ph[oe]nician's face became purple and he turned angrily upon Mena,but the alert Egyptian had slipped away to fetch the gold.
"Three talents for the girl!" Phradates cried.
"Five talents!" Chares answered.
The spectators, who had long ago ceased to think of bidding against theTheban, drew a deep breath and looked from one contestant to the other.Maia alone seemed indifferent. A tress of her hair had fallen upon hershoulder. She twisted it back into place. Chares had not seen herface when the soldier lifted her veil and his attention was now centredupon his opponent.
"Seven talents!" Phradates shouted, fixing his eyes defiantly uponChares.
"Eight!" the Theban answered, without hesitation.
This was more than all the other captives in the group had brought.The crowd began to hum with excitement. Phradates looked over hisshoulder and saw Mena leading four slaves who carried bags of gold.
"Ten talents!" he cried.
"All bids must be paid in cash," the auctioneer said warningly.
Every face was turned toward Chares, who had called his steward and wasconsulting with him. "How much have we left?" the Theban asked. Theman made a rapid calculation on his tablets.
"You have ten talents and thirty minae," he replied. "That is the end."
"I bid ten talents and thirty minae," Chares said promptly, addressingthe auctioneer.
It was evident to all that he could go no further. Would Phradates beable to outbid him? The Ph[oe]nician hesitated and turned to Mena.
"He has won," the slave whispered. "You have only ten talents. If youhad beaten him, we should have starved to death."
"Then we will starve!" Phradates replied. "I demand that the gold beweighed!"
"You have that right," the auctioneer admitted. "Bring out the scales."
The scales were brought and the gold was poured into the broad panswhich hung suspended from their framework of wood. The glitteringheaps increased until each pan overflowed with the precious coins andingots. When all was in readiness for the test, they held a fortunesuch as few men in all Greece possessed. The spectators devoured itwith their eyes, pressing against the soldiers in the hope of getting abetter view. The maiden, Maia, who was the object of the rivalry, wasforgotten.
The scales oscillated slowly and at last settled deliberately on theside toward Chares. The tale was correct and his last thirty minae hadgiven him the victory. The crowd broke into a cheer.
"Are you satisfied?" asked the Macedonian captain.
"No!" Phradates shouted. A red spot glowed on his cheeks and hisfingers trembled as he stripped off his rings and his chains of gold.He placed the ornaments on his side of the scales. "I bid thirteentalents," he declared.
"Payments are to be made in money," Chares remonstrated. "Who can tellwhat these trinkets are worth?"
"We may accept them at a true valuation," the captain decided.
He summoned a jeweller of Corinth, who examined the rings with care,and announced his readiness to take them at a sum sufficient to make upthe total of the Ph[oe]nician's offer.
"Phradates wins!" shouted the spectators, cheering the Tyrian with allthe enthusiasm that they had shown to his rival a moment before.
The Theban stood silent. He had nothing more to offer. He ragedinwardly at his defeat, for he felt that his honor was involved. Whilehe stood hesitating, nobody seemed to notice a young Macedonian soldierof athletic figure and fresh complexion who had stopped on theoutskirts of the crowd and stood listening, with his head slightlyinclined to one side.
Suddenly Chares strode forward and threw his sword upon the scales.The weight of the steel caused the balance to sway decisively towardhim.
"I bid fifteen talents!" he cried. "Let my sword make up the weight ofgold that is lacking."
Phradates laughed mockingly. "Let me have the girl," he said. "It istime to end this child's play. There is no place in the world where asword is worth three talents."
"Except here," a voice behind him said quietly.
Phradates turned, and his eyes met those of the soldier who had beenlingering on the edge of the ring of spectators.
"Here!" the Ph[oe]nician exclaimed angrily. "And who is there here togive such a price for it?"
"I will," the soldier replied with a smile.
"You will, indeed!" Phradates echoed. "And who are you?"
"My name is Alexander," the soldier said.
Phradates turned to the crowd, which had fallen back a little and nowstood strangely silent.
"Who is this insolent fellow?" he cried. "Why do you allow him tointerfere here?" he demanded of the captain.
The captain made no reply, and nobody in the throng ventured to answer.Phradates felt deserted. He stood with Chares and the soldier besidethe gold-laden scales, beyond which waited Maia, with her eyes fixedupon the face of the newcomer.
"Is there no fair dealing in this land of thieves?" Phradates cried,losing his temper absolutely. "The girl is mine! Deliver her to me inaccordance with your agreement and let me go. You have your price andit is enough!"
He made a step forward as though to seize Maia, but the soldier blockedhis path.
"I am Alexander, as I told you," he said, slightly raising his voice."I will tell you more. You are Phradates of Tyre, sent here by yourking and your Council to spy out my strength and learn my plans. Youhave used the eyes and ears of your slaves. Take what you have learnedto King Azemilcus, and with it take also this message: Alexander, Kingof Macedon, sends word that he is coming with his companions to offersacrifice to Heracles in his temple, known in the city of Tyre as thetemple of Melkarth. Let him prepare the altar."
Phradates read in the faces of the crowd that the youth who spoke soconfidently to him was indeed the king. Nevertheless, he could notwholly stifle his rage.
"Has your army wings, Macedonian?" he asked insolently. "The walls ofTyre are both high and strong."
"What is the fate of spies in your country?" Alexander replied. "Youare spared to bear my message. Must I choose another?"
There was something in the tone of these words that brought Phradatesto his senses like a plunge into cold water.
"We shall meet elsewhere," he said, casting a look of hatred at Chares,who stood smiling at his discomfiture.
"If we do not, I shall never cease to regret it," the Theban replied.
Mena had been hurriedly putting his master's gold into the sacks inwhich he had brought it. The waiting slaves took it up and followedPhradates back to his tent.
"What was it all about?" Alexander asked, glancing from Chares to Maia.
"I wished to buy her as a present to my mother, as I have bought nearlyfive hundred of our friends to-day," Chares replied.
Alexander took up the sword from the scales and drew it from its sheath.
"It is a good blade," he said, "and I would not deem its price too highif your arm was to wield it in my cause."
"Was not that included in the purchase?" Chares asked, surprised. "Ihave made my bargain and I will live up to it."
"No," said Alexander, gently, "I
will not have such an arm at a price.I am no Cyrus to attack the power of Persia with hired weapons. Thespirit and the hope that goes with us are not to be bought with gold.Come to me at Pella, if you will, with Clearchus and the Spartan, assoon as your affairs will permit. But if you come, let it be of yourfree will and not in payment of a debt."
"I will come," Chares said simply.
Day was drawing to a close over the plain where the people of Thebeshad paid the final penalty for their rebellion. The multitude that hadassembled to witness the last scene was melting away. Some of theunfortunates had found friends like Chares to rescue them; but thegreater part of the thousands who were sold that day had become theproperty of strangers. On every side rose the sound of wailing andlamentation. Wives clung sobbing to their husbands until torn fromthem by their masters. Children wept for mothers they would see nomore.
In the gathering twilight camp-fires began to glow. Slave-dealersbargained and chaffered over their purchases. Melancholy processionsmoved away into the darkness. Men fettered together gazed backsilently but with bursting hearts upon the dark mass of the Cadmea,where it rose, black and huge, against the crimson sky. The airreverberated with the crash of falling houses and walls as the soldierslabored by the light of torches to level the city to the earth. A pallof dust and smoke hung suspended above them. Thebes had become amemory.
The captives purchased by Chares had been led away by his attendants asfast as each sale was made. When Alexander and the Macedonian soldiersmoved off he was left alone with Maia. He had scarcely glanced at herduring his duel with Phradates. She stood before him now with benthead, submissively, and he fancied that she was drooping from weariness.
"Come," he said kindly, extending his hand toward her.
The girl did not move, but as he approached she raised the scarf thathid her face and her eyes met his.
"Thais!" he exclaimed. "How did you get here? Where is Maia?"
There was a tone of displeasure in his voice, and the smile faded fromthe young woman's lips.
"Maia is safe enough," she returned, raising her head proudly.
"But where is she?" he persisted.
She hesitated and her eyes fell. A warm flush mounted to her cheeks.
"I bought her place," she murmured, "and you have bought me."
The Theban stared a moment in bewilderment, but as her meaning dawnedupon him he threw back his head and laughed, a little recklessly.Thais bit her lip and then suddenly burst into tears.