CHAPTER VIII
THE THUNDERBOLT FALLS
Leonidas and Eresthenes stood in the portico of the temple awaiting thereturn of Clearchus.
"All is well!" the young man cried, throwing his arms around Leonidasin the excess of his joy.
"Shall we find her?" the Spartan asked anxiously.
"Yes; the God has promised it," Clearchus replied.
"Where is she?" Leonidas asked quickly.
Clearchus hesitated and his face fell. The oracle had not told himwhere she was.
"What did the God mean when he spoke of the Whirlwind's track?" heasked, turning to the priests.
"We know no more than thou," Agias replied. "The answer given to theeis more definite than any we have had in these later times. That is agood omen. Be content and doubtless the God will choose his own way tomake all clear to thee."
Clearchus was troubled, but he thanked the priests and arranged for thebestowal of an offering of ten talents of gold. He was about to takehis leave when a man with mud-stained garments came running up thesteep incline to the temple. He was one of the agents or messengersthat the priests maintained in every large city of Greece to keep theminformed of events. The knowledge which they brought, added to thatwhich came with visitors to the oracle from all parts of the world,made Delphi the centre of intelligence and enabled the servants of theGod, if need there was, to supplement his answers from their ownunderstanding.
The man halted breathless before the white-clad group that stood in thesunlight between the columns awaiting him.
"It is Cimon," Agias said. "What news dost thou bring--speak!"
"Alexander is before the walls of Thebes with his army!" the messengerpanted.
"Whence came he?" Agias demanded.
"Out of the mountains of Thessaly--like a whirlwind!" Cimon replied."Before men had time to learn of his approach, he was there."
"Like a whirlwind, you say?" Agias repeated, glancing at Clearchus.
"Like a whirlwind, indeed," the messenger replied, "and panic holds thecity!"
"Thy question is answered, my son," said Agias, quietly.
Clearchus was amazed. He had believed that the words of the Pythiawere to be taken in their literal sense, and he had resolved to consultAristotle in the matter on his return to Athens. But when Agias calledhis attention to the reply of the messenger, who could have had noknowledge of the prophecy, he could not doubt that a metaphor had beenintended. The plans of the young Macedonian monarch at once acquired anew and intense interest in his mind and he listened eagerly to Cimon'sstory.
"The Thebans are divided," said the messenger. "They know not whetherto surrender their city and earn their pardon, or to give defiance tothe young king. The last they had heard of him was that he had beenslain in battle at Pelium by the blow of a club. You know already thatthe citizens rose when Ph[oe]nix and Prothytes came back from Athensand that they besieged the Macedonian garrison in the Cadmea. Athenssent money and promised an army. The B[oe]otarchs ordered the walls tobe made strong and a barricade to be built inside so that even if thewalls should fall, they would still be able to defend themselves.Fugitives from Onchestris brought the first news that Alexander and hisarmy were there. Even then the city would not believe it was theHegemon himself, but maintained that it must be Antipater or theLyncestian namesake of the king. For how, they asked, could the deadcome to life?"
"Nothing is beyond the power of the Gods," Agias said sententiously.
"We expected a swift attack," Cimon continued, "but it was not untilthe next day that the army came within sight of the city and encampednorth of the walls. The Thebans sent their cavalry and light troops tomeet them. This was only a skirmish, but the soldiers brought wordthat Alexander, indeed, was there. Some of them who knew him had seenhim directing the Macedonian troops.
"We found this to be true when the Macedonians moved their camp aroundto the main gate. The soldiers of the garrison in the Cadmearecognized their king and cried out to us that Alexander had come toavenge them. Still he did not attack, but sent a herald to say that hewould forgive all that had been done if the city would yield itself andsend him Ph[oe]nix and Prothytes to be punished."
"And what was the answer?" Agias asked.
"There were many who favored accepting the terms," Cimon replied,"especially since aid from Athens had been cut off; but the exiles whohad returned to raise the revolt declared that the king was afraid.Should he have the boldness to attack the walls, they promised that hewould be beaten and that Thebes would send a garrison to Pella insteadof having one in the Cadmea."
"They are desperate men," the old priest said.
"But they won the people," Cimon replied, "and it was resolved tofight. So matters stood when I slipped out of the northern gate lastnight to bring you word."
"You have done well, Cimon," Agias said. "Dost thou think the citywill escape?"
"That I cannot tell," the messenger answered. "It has corn enough fora siege; but Alexander's army contains thirty thousand footmen and atroop of horse, besides ballistae and battering-rams which they weresetting up when I left."
"The walls are strong," Agias said, reflecting. "Well, go to thy rest.Thou hast need of it."
Clearchus and his friends had enough to talk about as they walked downfrom the temple.
"One thing is certain," said the young Athenian. "We must go at onceto Thebes."
"That we must do if only to see the fighting," Leonidas replied.
"What if the Dragon's Teeth should win?" Eresthenes suggested.
"They cannot," Leonidas said. "The man who could make the march thatAlexander made is a general as well as a king. There is no Epaminondasin Thebes now."
"What will become of Chares' mother and his family if the city falls?"Clearchus exclaimed, stopping short.
"Have I not heard him say that his father formed a guest-friendshipwith Philip when the Macedonian was left in Thebes as a hostage?"Leonidas replied.
"Yes," Clearchus admitted, "but that may be forgotten by his son if allthey say concerning Philip's death be true."
"Then we must remind him," Leonidas said, "and that is another reasonwhy we must go to Thebes."
Eresthenes gave the young men a cordial good-speed when they left himin the morning to set out for the beleaguered city. They descendedfrom the mountains and entered the fertile plains of B[oe]otia, throughwhich they rode all day without finding a sign of war. The farmerswent about their work and the shepherds were pasturing their flocks aspeacefully as though there were no such things as armies and slaughter.More than once they stopped to ask news of the siege, but the people ofthe plain could tell them nothing. Many of them had not heard thatAlexander was before the city; others had indeed heard the rumor, butconvinced that they themselves were safe, they took no interest in it.
Evening was drawing on and they had approached to within a few miles ofthe city when they met a rider whose horse was dripping with sweat.
"Ho, there; what news of Thebes?" Leonidas shouted as he passed.
The man looked at them, but made no answer. He bent low on the neck ofhis horse and his cloak flew out behind him like the wings of a hugebird.
"There has been a battle," Leonidas said. "Was he Theban orMacedonian?"
Burning with impatience, they urged their horses to the crest of a lowhill, where they came suddenly upon half a dozen cavalrymen, who hadhalted in a small grove to bind up a wound which one of their numberhad received in the shoulder.
"What has happened?" Leonidas asked, drawing rein beside them.
"Know you not that the city has fallen?" one of the soldiers replied."The accursed Macedonians forced us in through the gates and came inwith us. Not a soul is left alive in Thebes, and my wife and childrenwere there!"
"And that is where you should be," the Spartan replied contemptuously.
The poor fellow burst into tears at this reproach as he thought of thefate of his little family. Clearchus, touched by his grief
, drew outhis purse and gave it to him.
"If they are still living, this may aid you to ransom them," he said.
As the two friends proceeded they now began to meet other bands offugitives straggling along the road. Most of them fled silently, oftenlooking back over their shoulders as if in dread of pursuit.
"Cowards!" said Leonidas, scornfully.
"Life is sweet to all of us," Clearchus remonstrated, thinking ofArtemisia.
"To such as these it should be bitter!" the Spartan replied.
They were rounding a turn in the road as he spoke, and before the wordswere well out of his mouth they found themselves entangled in a rabbleof horsemen, who were retreating before a fierce attack.
"In here, quickly!" Leonidas cried, urging his horse back among thetrees beside the road.
They had barely time to gain this shelter before the rush of plunginghorses and shouting men went past them. The Thebans were evidentlymaking a desperate attempt to rally, and just beyond the spot where thetwo were concealed they halted, wheeled, and stood at bay.
But before they had accomplished this man[oe]uvre the foremost of thepursuers, headed by a young man riding a powerful chestnut horse, sweptinto sight. The leader, in his excitement, had distanced his troop.Clearchus and Leonidas, who, from their position in the elbow of theroad, were able to see in both directions, realized that he wasgalloping straight into an ambush. Leonidas started forward to warnhim, but it was too late. The Thebans had regained their order, andwith a wild shout they charged back around the curve.
Either the unexpectedness of the onset caused the chestnut to swerve,or his rider tried to pull him up too suddenly, for he stumbled andwent to his knees. The young man was pitched headforemost into theunderbrush and fell almost at the feet of Leonidas.
Some of the Theban troopers saw the accident and rushed upon him withcries of triumph. They were confronted by Leonidas and Clearchus, whostood over the prostrate figure with drawn swords. Surprise caused theThebans to hesitate, and this saved the lives of all three; for theMacedonian riders, thundering down upon the Thebans at full speed,struck them and tore them to pieces. Horse and man went down beforethat fierce charge, which left nothing behind excepting the dead and ahandful of wounded, whose cries for mercy were cut short by asword-thrust. The survivors fled without looking behind them.
"Where is Ptolemy?" shouted one of the Macedonians, a bearded man whoseemed to be second in command. "Who has seen the captain?"
"He rode in advance," one of the troopers replied.
"If we do not bring him back, we shall have to answer for it to theking, and you know what that means," the first man said.
"He is here!" Clearchus called from the thicket.
The bearded lieutenant and several others hastily dismounted andcarried their captain out into the road. He was still unconscious.
"Who are you?" the lieutenant demanded gruffly, looking at the twoyoung men with suspicion.
"I am Clearchus of Athens, and this is Leonidas of Sparta," Clearchusreplied.
"Of Athens!" the man said sneeringly. "Go back to your city and tellthe cowards who live there that we are coming!"
"As you came once before--with Xerxes!" the young Athenian answeredquickly.
The lieutenant's face grew livid and he whipped out his sword.
"Cut their throats! Kill them!" the troopers cried angrily, pressingcloser.
Like a flash, Leonidas bestrode the form of the captain, sword in hand.
"I am of Sparta!" he cried boastfully. "My country never saw the faceof Philip, nor shall it look upon that of his son, who calls himselfthe Hegemon of all Hellas. Put away your swords, or here is one whosefuneral you will celebrate to-morrow!"
He placed the point of his blade at the captain's throat as he spoke.The men of Macedon dared not move.
"Listen to reason!" Clearchus said hastily. "We are without armor, asyou see. We saved the life of your captain, and we are on our way toThebes to see Alexander on matters of importance. Take us with you andlet your king deal with us. This is no time nor place for brawling."
"You are right," the lieutenant said sullenly. "Let it be as you say."
He sheathed his sword, and the others followed his example, though withan ill grace. The captain had begun to recover his senses. His skullmust have been tough to have resisted the shock of his fall withoutcracking.
"Why are you letting me lie here?" he demanded. "Where is the enemy?"
"Scattered and gone, excepting these that you see," the lieutenantreplied, pointing to the bodies.
"Then get me on a horse and back to camp," the captain ordered.
As they rode the lieutenant explained the presence of Clearchus andLeonidas. The captain frankly gave them thanks when he learned thatthey had protected him while he lay helpless.
"I am Ptolemy," he said, "and since you desire to see Alexander, I willtake you to him. I owe you much and the day may come when I shall beable to repay you."