CHAPTER XXVI
THE GREAT KING IS ANGRY
At the approach of Bessus the great bronze gates in the palace wallswung wide, and he rode through them, followed by his Bactrians.Nathan halted at the entrance, which he found in charge of a guard ofhis own race. The gray-haired captain in command rushed forward with acry of joy.
"Where hast thou been?" he cried, embracing Nathan as he dismounted."Art thou sound and whole?"
"Nearly so," Nathan replied, showing the cut on his thigh, whichfortunately was not deep and had ceased to bleed. "How is it withIsrael?"
They walked apart, talking in low tones. The Arabs and the twoprisoners threw themselves on the turf inside the gate and waited.Through the swaying branches of the trees they could catch glimpses ofthe massive walls of many buildings standing in stately magnificenceamid the verdure. At a distance, above roof and tree-top, rose thefamous Hanging Gardens of the Great King, built in terraces, gay withwonderful flowers and strange plants brought from the ends of theworld. Crystal streams flashed in waterfalls from the summit,following winding artificial channels, beside which stood statues ofmarble.
The two Greeks noticed that Nathan and the captain glanced at them fromtime to time as they talked, and they felt that they were the subjectsof the conference. Finally Nathan came toward them, bringing thecaptain with him.
"This is Ezra," he said. "He knows what I know. Obey him in allthings. When the time comes, I shall be near; but now I must leaveyou."
He offered his hand and the two Greeks shook it warmly. Then with aword to his Arabs, who followed him with their horses, he led the waydown a side path and vanished in the thickets.
"Where is he going?" Clearchus asked.
"To the barracks," Ezra replied. "Darius keeps a guard here of tenthousand men, who are known as the Immortals, because their ranks arealways full."
"The palace is almost a city," Clearchus said, looking about him withcuriosity. "We have many cities at home that are smaller."
"It has need to be," Ezra replied. "The Great King usually has fifteenthousand guests at his table, and the number now is greater because heis preparing for war."
"Will he really take the field, then?" Chares asked.
"He is mustering his army," the captain answered, "and he will lead itto battle. The result is in the hands of God."
"I could tell thee, Jew, what the result will be," Chares said dryly."By Dionysus, what a place to plunder! Where are you going to take us?"
"I shall deliver you to Boupares, governor of the palace, who hascharge of the prisoners and of the hostages," Ezra said. "So long asyou make no attempt to escape, you will have a considerable amount offreedom. There are some of our people among the guards, and oneespecially named Joel, who will tell you of what is being done. Ofyourselves you can accomplish nothing; but we can do much. You are toleave everything to us. Joel you may trust, but it will be your partto wait in patience."
"When shall we be summoned before the king?" Clearchus asked.
"Perhaps to-morrow, perhaps a month from now, and possibly not at all,"Ezra replied. "It is never known in advance what he will do."
So the two friends passed into their captivity in the palace of Darius.As Ezra had said, their confinement did not prove a hardship to them.They were placed with hundreds of others in a remote wing near theriver wall. They had baths, a large court for games and exercise, andabundance of slaves to provide for their wants. The Israelites amongtheir guards supplied them privately with the news of the court. Thewinter months passed pleasantly enough, considering their situation.Clearchus, whose mind was filled with doubt concerning the fate ofArtemisia, had his days of gloom and despair; but there was nothing tobe done, and the light-hearted resignation of Chares saved him fromutter despondency.
Of the numerous company held by Boupares to await the pleasure of theGreat King, many knew not why they had been brought thither. Some ofthem had been there for years. Others received the royal summons onthe morrow of their arrival and did not return. There were princesfrom the distant East, who had been suspected of a desire to throw offthe Persian yoke; there were adventurers from Athens, merchants fromSicily, dusky chieftains from the sources of the Nile--a strangemixture of tongues and races, in, which every part of the huge,unwieldy empire was represented.
"I feel as though we were in the cave of Polyphemus," Clearchus said."Who can tell whose turn will come next?"
"At any rate, the king is not a Cyclops--he cannot eat us," Charesreplied. "Here comes Joel; now we shall get the latest news."
The young man approached them with the affectation of carelessness thatit was necessary to assume to disarm suspicion. The palace swarmedwith the Eyes and Ears of the king, spies and informers whose identitywas unknown even to the most trusted of the courtiers. He must becunning indeed who could frame and bring to fruition a plot that couldescape their observation. A word from one of them, even though foundedupon suspicion, often brought death.
"Well?" Chares said, when Joel reached at last the spot where they werestanding, out of hearing of the others. "Repeat for us the murmurs ofthis whispering gallery."
"It is in fact a gallery in which every whisper is heard," the Hebrewsaid, smiling. "But there is great news to-day; Pharnaces has beencondemned to death, and all his family must die with him."
"What has he done?" Clearchus asked. "Is he not one of the mostpowerful of the nobles and a favorite with the king?"
"Yes," Joel replied, "and why the sentence was passed no one knowsexcepting the king himself."
"But will he have no trial?" Clearchus persisted. "Will they not tellhim what charge is laid against him?"
Joel shrugged his shoulders. "The sentence has been passed," he said,"and not even the Great King, who made it, can change it now. We havebeen trying to discover what the accusation was. Pharnaces wanted tobe viceroy of Bactria, and he had been gathering evidence with which todestroy Bessus. It must be that Bessus managed to reach the kingfirst; but what means he had of accomplishing this, we do not know.Perhaps he bribed one of the king's Eyes. It must have cost himsomething, but Bessus could do it if any one. If he did not workthrough the spies, he may have persuaded the Magi to discover sometreason in the stars and then to accuse Pharnaces. Bessus is on goodterms with the Medean priests, for he lets them do what they like inhis province."
"This Bessus must be a dangerous man," Clearchus said.
"Only because he has force and daring," Joel replied. "He does whatevery other man would like to do. There is not a satrap or viceroy inthe empire who does not desire his neighbor's ruin. It has been worsesince these fire-worshipping priests began to get back into favoragain. Our wise men say that it was an evil day for the kings of thisland when they allowed these men to wean their minds from Ormazd andset up their idols in Babylon. But now there is no God too false toobtain worship here. Even Baal and Astarte have their temples, andthey are beginning to bring in the Egyptian brood of deities. The cupis filling fast, and they must drink it when Jehovah wills."
The young man's voice sank to a tone of awe as he pronounced thedreadful name, and he glanced about him as though he half expected athunderbolt to fall. It did not escape the Athenian perception ofClearchus that the Jew seemed to regard the terrible presence as realand actual. His earnestness formed a striking contrast with his usualaffectation of the easy and cynical manner of the court.
"We laugh and jest here in the palace," he went on, "but each man'shand is against his neighbor. Faith and honor are lost. Servantsbetray their masters and sons lead their parents to death. What knowsthe Great King of all this? He lives behind a screen, where thievesand rascals make him their tool. These plotters play upon him as theydo upon Sisygambis, the queen mother, who has almost as much power asher son; or upon Statira, his queen, the most beautiful of women. Thegynaeceum is a nest of intrigues. His stewards and keepers andcup-bearers have each their price, and they do not scruple to take it.A whisper or
a look may send a man to his death. Give me a chance witha sword in my hand and let me see the man who strikes me! I hate thistreacherous game in the dark!"
"Well spoken, my lad!" Chares said. "But what about this queen,Statira--is she so very beautiful?"
"They say she is the fairest woman in the world," Joel answered, "andthat the Great King is the handsomest of men. I have never seen her,or I would not be here now. It is death to look upon the face of oneof the king's women, even by accident."
"They seem to be very particular!" Chares grumbled.
"I dare say they have their reasons," Joel said. "But I have not toldyou all the news. The king has had a dream, and he believes that theGods have promised him the victory over Alexander. The Chaldeans havetold him so."
"What was the dream?" Clearchus asked uneasily.
"It was proclaimed this morning," Joel said. "Darius dreamed that whenhe had come within sight of the Macedonians, their army suddenly burstinto flame and all the troops were consumed, so that nothing but theirashes remained where they had been. And then he thought he sawAlexander, dressed like one of the lords of the household, standingready to serve him. But when he went into the Temple of Baal,Alexander vanished utterly and was seen no more. From this the learnedmen of the Chaldeans say that Baal will give the battle to Darius andwill remove Alexander from his way. So the king has ordered sacrificesto Baal and has promised him a great temple of stone after the victory."
Clearchus looked troubled, and even Chares shook his head.
"Wait," Joel went on eagerly, noticing their concern. "I have told youthe interpretation of the Chaldeans. Our wise men have also consideredthe dream, and they read it differently. They say that the army onfire means that the Macedonians shall win great glory, and that theappearance of Alexander as a lord of the household, in the same dressthat Darius wore before he became king, signifies that he will gainvictories, as Darius did. This is the interpretation of the priests ofour race, to whom are revealed the things that are to be."
"I know not which is right," Clearchus said, "but I wish Aristander washere."
"Nathan bade me tell you to have no fear," Joel said confidently. "Healso wished me to tell you that Phradates the Tyrian has come to court."
"Phradates here!" Chares exclaimed. "Why did you not say so before?There will be trouble for us."
"Nathan talked with the Ph[oe]nician and learned much," Joel continued."Halicarnassus has fallen and Memnon is dead. Phradates is seekingcommand of the fleet for Azemilcus, the Tyrian king."
"Did Nathan say nothing of Artemisia and Thais?" Clearchus inquired, ina trembling voice.
"Oh, yes," said Joel, "I had forgotten. He told me to say thatPhradates had carried them by force to Tyre in his galley after thefall of Halicarnassus and that he is in love with Thais. This helearned from one of our people who was with the Tyrian; and he learnedfurther that as yet no harm has befallen the young women."
"We must go!" Clearchus exclaimed. "Tell Nathan so at once. Tell himthat if he cannot release us, we will release ourselves. We must be onour way to Tyre to-morrow."
"Quietly," Chares said, placing his hand on his friend's shoulder."Not so loud. You forget!"
"Did you not hear what he said?" Clearchus demanded impatiently."Artemisia is in Tyre and in the power of Phradates!"
"So is Thais, and she is in the greater danger," Chares said, "if whatJoel tells us is true; but we shall never see either of them againunless we are discreet."
There was a stir in the great hall of the building as the inmatesgathered from the various smaller apartments. "The king has sent asummons!" Joel said, hastening away.
"Do not forget my message," Clearchus insisted.
"I will deliver it," Joel responded over his shoulder.
Chares and Clearchus joined the main body of prisoners, who wereassembled in the hall. They found there Boupares himself, with scribesbearing the register of the inmates of the place. The governorscrutinized the lists with care, selecting from among them the names ofprisoners, who were called by a crier. Each man, as he heard his name,stepped forward to await the directions of Boupares.
"Amyntas of Macedon!" shouted the crier, and a small, thin man with asallow face stood out from the rest.
"Charidemus of Corinth!" the crier called.
"They are asking only for the Greeks," remarked a tall Assyrian.
"Maybe our turn has come," Clearchus said.
"Clearchus of Athens!" the crier shouted. "Chares of Thebes!"
The two young men advanced and joined the waiting group.
"That is all," Boupares said, handing the lists to the scribes."Follow me to the audience chamber."
Through the long, pillared courts and vast halls of the palace heconducted the prisoners. On every side were evidences of theexpenditure of limitless wealth and measureless labor. Row after rowof polished columns sprang a hundred feet to the echoing roof. Greatsculptures adorned the walls. The floors were inlaid with mosaics ofvariegated pattern. Thousands of attendants came and went among thecrowds of courtiers.
At last they arrived at the audience chamber and were admitted. Herethe talk and laughter ceased and voices sank to a whisper. They werein the presence of the Great King, the most powerful and absolute ofall monarchs. The walls of the lofty apartment were covered withplates of gold for half their height, and above these were paintings inwhich the king was depicted slaying lions in hand-to-hand combat, ordriving his enemies before him in his war chariot. Between the pillarshung rich curtains of crimson, green, and violet, and the floor washidden beneath silken carpets.
At the end of the room, under a purple canopy, stood a throne of goldand ivory, inlaid with precious stones. The perfume of myrrh andfrankincense filled the air.
Standing before the throne, from which he had just arisen, the Greeksbeheld Darius, the last of the Archaemenian kings. His tall, well-builtfigure was clad in a long Medean robe of rich silk, purple, embroideredwith gold, and confined at the waist by a broad girdle of gold, fromwhich hung his dagger in its sheath of lapis lazuli. His feet wereshod in yellow shoes with long points. On his head he wore thecitaris, which he alone might wear, with the royal diadem of blue andwhite. Jewels flashed in his ears, and about his neck hung a heavycollar of great rubies and pearls.
Never, Clearchus thought, had he seen a face more handsome and haughtythan that of Darius, as he stood before his throne, with his blue eyesand light brown beard, carefully trimmed. He looked like what hewas--the master of the world. His expression, although full ofdignity, was slightly weary as he listened to the petition of a man whoknelt before him, with bowed head, in the attitude of a suppliant.
With a scarcely perceptible movement of his hand, the king dismissedthe petitioner, who rose to his feet and walked backward, with his headstill bowed, to a group of officials who stood at one side of theapartment. Chares gripped Clearchus by the arm.
"It is Phradates!" he said.
It was indeed the Ph[oe]nician, who had doubtless been pressing thesuit of Azemilcus for command of the AEgean fleet. His proud face washumbled, and drops of perspiration stood on his forehead. The kingturned his eyes slowly to the Greeks and made a sign to Boupares toadvance. The nobles who were ranged on either side of the throne, theking's fan and cup bearers, his generals and the master of hishousehold, remained with stolid faces.
Boupares prostrated himself before the throne, kissing the floor.
"Are these the Greeks for whom I sent thee?" the king askedindifferently.
"They are, my lord," Boupares replied.
"Let them come near," Darius said.
Some of the prisoners prostrated themselves before the king as they hadseen Boupares do. Others remained standing, and among these wereClearchus and Chares. Darius looked at them, and a slight frownappeared upon his brow.
"Who are they?" he asked, turning to Boupares.
The governor designated each of the captives by name, adding a fewparticulars
by way of identification.
"Clearchus, an Athenian, and Chares, a Theban," he said. "They haveserved in the army of the Macedonian, and they were sent to the kingfrom Halicarnassus by Memnon."
"Why have they been permitted to live?" Darius demanded, his facedarkening at the name of the lost city.
"Because Memnon believed they could give the king information,"Boupares answered humbly, "and when captured they had left the army ofAlexander."
"What manner of man is this Alexander?" Darius asked, turning his faceto the Greeks.
"He is a king," Chares answered quietly.
"How can he hope to meet me, with his handful of men?" Darius askedagain.
"He remembers Cyrus, thy ancestor," Chares replied boldly.
These answers made an evident impression on Darius, whose face lost itslistless expression. Many questions he put to the Greeks, who made noattempt to conceal anything from him, knowing that others could givehim the information that he desired if they refused, and that refusalwould mean immediate death. Finally the king could think of nothingmore to ask.
"I am about to march against thy Alexander," he said. "Who will winthe victory?"
"Victory is the gift of the Gods, O king," Clearchus said quickly."Dost thou wish flattery, or a frank reply, without concealment?"
"Speak freely," Darius said, raising his head in pride.
"Then, unless thou canst make thy army equal to his in discipline andspirit, thy numbers will not avail," the Athenian said.
Darius' face flushed, and a murmur of protest rose from the watchfulcourtiers.
"Is that thy opinion, too?" the king asked, turning to Chares.
"The ocean himself must break upon the rock," the Theban said.
"And thine?" the king continued, addressing Charidemus, the Corinthian.
"It is, O king," Charidemus replied.
Phradates had been watching the face of Darius. He had recognized hisenemies as soon as they entered the audience chamber and had resolvedto deal them a blow if the chance presented itself. When he saw thefrown on the brow of the king and caught the gleam of anger in his eye,he believed he might safely act. He stepped forward and againprostrated himself at the steps of the throne.
"Speak!" said Darius, looking down upon him.
"My lord, I know these men for spies," he said. "I was inHalicarnassus when they were captured just before I received the woundthat so nearly cost me my life. Memnon, for reasons that I do notpresume to guess, wished to save them. They mock at thee and seek tocreate doubt of the promise that the Gods have given thee by spreadingfear of the result among thy men. Every Greek well knows thatAlexander cannot stand against thee and that he will never dare to meetthee in battle."
Phradates had cunningly formed his speech so as to assign a motive tothe adverse predictions of the Greeks which would save the pride of theking, and yet, if he accepted it, would leave only one course open tohim. Darius did not hesitate.
"They are spies!" he said angrily to Boupares. "Why did you bring themto me? Take them away and let them be questioned under the torture.Perhaps then they will tell the truth."
Darius turned, and Phradates shot a look of triumph at the two friends.Chares shook off the hand of the guard and was about to speak whenClearchus checked him.
"Silence," he whispered earnestly, "or we shall both be killed at once!"
Chares controlled himself with an effort, and the guards, under thedirection of the crestfallen Boupares, led them away. Instead ofconducting them to their former quarters, Boupares ordered that they beconfined in the dungeons that lay beyond. These were built in astructure of massive masonry and consisted of cells with heavily barreddoors at which sentries were stationed. Into one of the darkest of thecells they were thrust, and the grating was bolted behind them.