CHAPTER XX
MENA MAKES A DISCOVERY
Mena, the Egyptian, had found a good excuse for remaining in Athensduring the fighting, but after the battle of the Granicus Phradates hadsummoned him to Halicarnassus. He was sitting in a wine-shop,discussing topics of moment with his host. His restless mind, ever onthe alert for intelligence that he might turn to account, was gatheringinformation concerning the city.
"Memnon is an able general," he said. "If they had let him lead, thewar would have been over by this time."
"I wish they had, then," the host replied, drawing his cup. "Thatbattle on the Granicus came near to ruining me, there were so many ofmy debtors who did not return."
"You can make up your loss by raising your prices when the siege beginshere," the Egyptian observed.
"Do you think there will be a siege?" the other asked anxiously.
"Of course," Mena replied. "Do you expect Alexander to turn back nowthat the northern provinces are his? But with Memnon here, he willhave his trouble for his pains."
"I don't know," the shopkeeper said, shaking his head. "They say theseMacedonians are wonderful fighters, and I am not sure, after all, thatI want to see them beaten. Blood is thicker than water, and this is aGreek city, when all is said, even though it pays tribute to Darius. Ican't see how we should be worse off under Alexander than we are now.The Persians are robbers, and my grandfather was a B[oe]otian."
"Would you have the city surrender?" Mena demanded, in affectedsurprise.
"No, of course not," the shopkeeper said hastily, taking his cue fromhis customer, after the manner of his kind. "No, I would neversurrender, for our walls are so strong and high that the Macedonianswill never get through them; but we might make terms," he addedcautiously.
His embarrassment was relieved by a boy who came to tell him that twostrangers who had just entered the shop desired to speak with him. Heexcused himself to the Egyptian, whose sharp eyes followed him as hewent to obey the summons. He could not suppress a start of surprisewhen he saw who had sent it. The two men had taken their places at aremote table, evidently not wishing to be remarked. They wore the garbof light-armed foot-soldiers and their accoutrement seemed much theworse for rough usage. One of them was of great size and strength,with blue eyes and yellow hair which curled about his temples. Theother was smaller and more delicate in appearance. The cunningEgyptian recognized them in an instant. They were Clearchus and Chares.
Mena knew the two young men had set out with the army of Alexander, andthat they must have had some purpose in coming to Halicarnassus.Either they had found some clew, he thought, to Artemisia's hidingplace, or they had been sent forward from the army as spies. Hegradually shifted his position so that he might watch theirconversation with the host without danger of being recognized. Theirtalk lasted long enough for Chares to drain a huge measure of wine,after which the keeper of the shop bowed them out and returned to Mena.
"They were two Athenians," he said. "They wanted to know whereIphicrates lives."
"Who is Iphicrates?" Mena asked innocently.
"He is an old rascal who makes his living out of the necessities ofothers," the shopkeeper replied. "I dare say they want to borrow moneyfrom him. They will have to pay well for it!"
"Did they say they wanted money?" queried Mena.
"No, they did not say why they wished to see him," was the reply.
The wily Mena drew from his companion all that he knew aboutIphicrates. He found the house without difficulty and easily learnedthe details of the accident that had befallen Thais. With thisinformation and with what he already knew of Artemisia's disappearance,he soon found out all the rest.
"Chares and Clearchus will attempt to rescue the two women," hereflected. "If they succeed, Clearchus will return to Athens andAriston will be stripped of all he has. He will undoubtedly be throwninto prison besides. That must not happen, now, at any rate. Chareswill probably go with Clearchus, and my worthy master will lose, notonly his revenge, but the girl that he makes himself such a fool over.Of course he would blame me for that. This Iphicrates is amoney-lender, therefore he must have money. Let me see."
Mena's further cogitations led him to Phradates, whom he found playingat the dice with a party of mercenary captains, who were robbing himwithout shame. The Egyptian drew him aside.
"I will deliver Chares into thy hands to-night," he said, "and givethee Thais to-morrow."
"Are you drunk?" Phradates asked bluntly.
"I mean exactly what I say," Mena replied with dignity, and he relatedall that he had discovered.
"My turn has come sooner than I expected," Phradates cried exultingly.He lost no time in seeking Memnon, with whom he held a longconsultation.
Save for the military patrols, the streets of Halicarnassus weredeserted that night when Chares and Clearchus approached the dwellingof Iphicrates. They kept the darker side of the way and advanced withcaution, halting at every sound. They had laid aside their weapons,which they knew would be useless in case of attack and which mightexcite suspicion should they be noticed. In front of the house theystopped to listen. Not a sound broke the stillness and nobody was insight. In one of the upper windows a light was burning.
"She is there!" Clearchus said, pointing to the gleam.
"How shall we make her understand who we are?" Chares asked.
Clearchus picked up a pebble from the street and tossed it at thewindow. The first trial failed, but at the second the stone enteredthe opening.
"Back now until we see her!" the Theban said, drawing Clearchus into anangle of the opposite wall.
In a moment a woman's head, with hair unbound, appeared at the windowagainst the light.
"It is Artemisia!" Clearchus cried, unable to control himself in therush of his joy. He started forward and stood in the full moonlightwith his arms outstretched.
"Artemisia!" he called softly.
"Clearchus, my love, is it thou?" she replied, in the same tone.
"Yes, we have come to save thee," he answered. "Canst thou come to us?"
"I will try," she said. "Thais is here with me."
She vanished from the window, and Clearchus advanced eagerly toward thedoor. Before he had taken three steps a score of men seemed to riseout of the ground around him. The trap set by Phradates had beensprung.
"Seize them!" the Tyrian cried in a shrill voice.
In an instant, Clearchus had been overcome. Chares, who had remainedin the angle of shadow, sprang forward with a cry of rage. He reachedPhradates before the soldiers could stop him, and dealt the Tyrian ablow that sent him down in an inanimate heap ten yards away; but, as hedid so, a dozen men leaped upon him and bore him to the earth.
Clearchus was struggling like a madman with his captors, but to nopurpose.
"They have us," the Theban said coolly. "Let us show ourselves men."
With a groan Clearchus submitted; and the guard, having bound theirarms behind them, dragged them to their feet.
"At least, that Ph[oe]nician coward has his deserts," Chares exclaimedwith a laugh, glancing at the senseless form of his enemy. "I hope Ihave killed him!"
Part of the guard marched them quickly away, while the rest remainedbehind to care for Phradates. As long as the house could be seen,Clearchus kept his eyes upon the window, hoping for another glimpse ofArtemisia, but he saw her not.
It was necessary for the soldiers who had stayed behind with Phradatesto summon a physician before he could be brought back to consciousness.His life had been saved by the fact that he threw up his right hand toprotect himself from Chares' terrible blow. The bones of his wrist hadbeen broken and splintered so badly that the physician doubted whetherhe would ever be able to use his hand again.
In the morning Iphicrates received orders to join the citizen levy thathad been raised to defend the walls of the city; and Phradates, with aretinue of slaves and attendants, took possession of the house. Themoney-lender protested bitterly against
the service demanded of him,but his entreaties were in vain. He had not even time to makeprovision for the security of his valuables before he was hurried away,and he was forced to accept the assistance which the sympathetic Menapressed upon him. He revealed to the Egyptian, with many lamentations,the hiding-places of his hoard, promising to reward him liberally if hewould bring it to him. Mena found not only the gold of whichIphicrates had spoken, but much more that had been so cunninglyconcealed in the walls of the house that Iphicrates had deemed itunnecessary to allude to it. So expeditious was Mena's search that hewas able to report to Iphicrates, before nightfall, that the soldiershad anticipated him and had carried everything away.
"I am ruined!" cried the wretched man, turning pale and wiping thedrops from his brow. "The savings of a lifetime of toil have beentaken from me! Ah, the robbers! Would that I had them here before me!"
"Take hope," Mena replied soothingly. "The fortunes of war may bringthee more than thou hast lost, and it is better, at any rate, that thygold should have fallen into the hands of thy friends rather than intothose of the Macedonians."
"I have no friends," Iphicrates wailed. "I will appeal to Memnonhimself!"
"Give yourself no concern about that," the Egyptian replied hastily."I have already complained to my master, and he has promised to seethat the soldiers are punished. He is generous, and he feels that itwas partly his fault that this misfortune has come upon thee."
Iphicrates clasped his hand and thanked him with tears. Mena left himto his drill and hastened to make provision for the secret conveyanceof the gold to Tyre. Phradates remained in ignorance of the wholetransaction, having matters of more importance to occupy his thoughtsthan the ruin of an old miser.
Artemisia passed the night in an agony of suspense and weeping. Thaisdid her utmost to comfort her, though her own heart was scarcely lesstroubled than that of her younger companion. It was by representingthat, weak as they were, they might be the only persons in the city whocould aid Clearchus and Chares, and that they must not abandonthemselves to despair that she finally persuaded Artemisia to sleep.While she talked, her swift mind was busy with plans. She had heardthat the Persian officials were venal, and that anything in the empiremight be had for a price. She knew that the purchase of a general or aviceroy was beyond her means, but she hoped that the jailers who hadthe two young men in charge, whoever they were, might be bribed by herjewels to let them escape. It was with a kind of exaltation that shemade a mental account of the gems, thinking that the price she had paidfor them might not have been in vain. The question that most occupiedher mind was what temper Phradates would be in, for she doubted notthat he would seek to take advantage of her situation. FindingArtemisia quiet at last, she lay down and resolutely closed her eyes.
As soon as the Tyrian had occupied the house, his slaves brought foodand wine in his name to the young women. Thais accepted it.
"Tell thy master that we have no women to dress us," she said.
"How can you receive anything from that man?" Artemisia exclaimedindignantly, when the slaves had gone.
"If I had my wish, I would drive this through his heart," Thaisreplied, catching up a small dagger that she sometimes carried in herbosom. "My desire to aid Chares and Clearchus is no less strong thanthine; but we are women and we must fight as we can, not as we would.So hide thy grief if thou canst, for it will win pity neither for themnor for thee."
Artemisia looked at her splendid beauty, heightened by the smoulderingfire in her eyes. "I feel that I am a child," she said, embracing her."I know nothing of the world and I am afraid. I will trust thee in allthings."
Thais returned her caress. "Our lovers are in the net," she said, "butyou remember in the story that it was the mouse that freed the lion.If Phradates sends us the women, he is still my slave, though we are inhis power, and we may hope. Now, let us eat."
They had scarcely finished when Mena knocked at the door and ushered intwo women of Cyprus, with gleaming black eyes and slender, agile forms."My master, the noble Phradates, sends you these," he said, bowing lowbefore Thais.
"Phradates hath our thanks," she replied gravely. "Tell him that wehope to express our gratitude to him in person."
Mena withdrew, and Thais immediately commanded the women to dress herand Artemisia. To this task she gave her whole attention, directingevery step with the minutest care, to the least fold of the saffronchiton. She chose for her adornment a topaz necklace that seemed tosparkle with inward fire. Artemisia she robed simply in white, with awhite rose in her soft, brown hair.
There was an unwonted stir in the house. Slaves came and went withmessages. The sound of men's voices rose from below. Thais wasrestless and uneasy. She paced backward and forward, stopping now andthen before the polished mirror to examine once more the lustrous coilsof her hair, or the arrangement of her silken chiton. She seemedexpectant, and at every footfall turned her face toward the door; butthe morning wore on, and Phradates did not come. Finally she sent oneof the Cyprian women down, on pretence of fetching water, to learn whatwas going on. The woman returned with the news that the Tyrian wasthere, but of Chares and Clearchus she could learn nothing.
Thais hesitated for a moment. "Go down again," she said at last, "andtell Phradates that we are ready to receive him."
The woman took the message, but she came back almost immediately,saying that Phradates had left the house.
Thais stamped her foot. "Then we must wait," she said regretfully. "Othat I were a man this day!"