ACROSS THE HELLESPONT
Upon Bucephalus, whose proud spirit he alone had known how to tame,
Alexander led his army out of Pella. The great charger tossed his head
and uttered a shrill neigh, which sounded like a trumpet-call of
defiance to the whole world, as he issued forth from the gate of the
city. Many a Macedonian wife and mother, standing upon the walls,
dashed the tears from her eyes that day as her gaze followed the lines
of the troops, striving until the last to distinguish the form that
perhaps she would see no more.
The young king drew aside, with his captains about him, upon a low hill
a short distance from the city. The sunlight flashed upon his gilded
armor and upon the double white plume that swept his shoulders. With
swelling hearts, the men saluted him as they marched by, horse and
foot, squadron and company, thirty thousand in all. The bronzed faces
of the veterans of Philip's wars lighted up as they heard his son call
one or another of them by name, and the countenances of the younger
soldiers flushed with pride and pleasure at his smile of approval.
Last came the baggage and provision trains and the great siege engines,
lumbering after the army on creaking wheels.
Alexander turned to Antipater and gave him his hand. "I would that
thou, too, wert coming with us to share in our victories," he said.
"Remember, all our trust is in thee. Be just and firm."
"I will remember," the old general replied, his stern face softening.
"Return when and how thou wilt; thou shalt find all as thou hast left
it to-day."
Alexander turned to go, but a cry of "The queen!" caused him to halt.
A chariot drawn by foaming horses drew up before him. He sprang from
his horse and ran forward to receive Olympias in his arms.
"My son! My son!" she cried, looking into his face with streaming eyes.
"Hush!" he said gently. "Do not forget that you are the queen!"
"But I am still a woman and thy mother," she replied. "How can I
suffer thee to leave me?"
"I will send for thee from Babylon," he said consolingly.
"Thou goest to victory and to glory," she said. "Of that I have no
fear; but thy mother's heart is filled with sorrow! Kiss me yet again!"
Alexander embraced her and led her back to the chariot. He stood
looking after her with bared head, until, escorted by Antipater, she
disappeared in the city gate. His heart went out to the jealous, fiery
woman's spirit, whose great love for him made her ever faultless in his
eyes. Something told him, as it had told her, although neither had
confessed it, that they would never look upon each other again.
In another moment he was astride of Bucephalus and off after the army.
Clearchus, riding with Chares and Leonidas in their company of the
Companions, saw him dash past with a smile on his eager face.
Along the northern shore of the Ægean, and always within sight of its
blue waters, they marched for twenty days until they crossed the Melas
and came to the Hellespont, beyond which they could see the mountains
of Phrygia, with the snow-capped summit of Mount Ida towering above the
rest. Before them, across the strait, lay the promised land. Wheeling
south to Sestos, they met the fleet that had kept them company along
the coast. There Alexander left Parmenio to take the army over to
Abydos, while he pushed on with the Companions to Elæus.
He himself steered the foremost of the ships that carried them across
the strait to Ilium. In mid-channel they offered sacrifice to Poseidon
and the Nereids, and as they neared Cape Segeium the king hurled his
javelin upon the sand, and leaping into the water in full armor, dashed
forward to the Persian beach. From every ship rose cries of emulation
as the Companions plunged in after him and strove with each other to
see which of them should first follow him to the shore.
Upon the battle-field where the terrible Achilles had raged among the
Trojans when the Greeks of olden time sought revenge for Helen's
immortal shame, the Companions celebrated with feasting and with games
the fame of the Homeric heroes. These exercises, filling their minds
with thoughts of wondrous deeds, were a fitting prelude for the mighty
task that lay before them.
Through their camp the rumor ran from sources none could trace that
beyond the mountains lay the Persian host in countless numbers.
Arsites, Phrygia's satrap, and the cruel Spithridates, ruler of Lydia
and Ionia, were said to be in command. Memnon of Rhodes, the story
went, was at the head of an Hellenic mercenary force more numerous than
Alexander's entire army.
No attempt was made to check the spread of these tidings. If the
thought of possible defeat crossed the mind of any of the Companions,
he was careful not to give it utterance. In their talk around their
camp-fires they assumed that the first battle was already won and their
plans ran forward into the heart of Persia. What mattered it whether
the enemy was many or few? Had not the Ten Thousand, whose exploits
Xenophon related, shown to the world that one Greek soldier was better
than a hundred barbarians?
But in the intervals of the celebration Alexander talked long with
Ptolemy. The truth was, they knew not what preparations had been made
to receive them nor what force had been sent against them. The scouts
who had gone out weeks in advance had either failed to return or could
not tell them what they wished to know.
Clearchus was sitting with Leonidas discussing Xenophon's account of
the death of Cyrus when a messenger brought them word that the king
desired to see them. They followed at once to Alexander's tent, where
they found Chares awaiting them.
"You have heard the rumors of the enemy's advance," Alexander began.
"I wish to know how strong he is in both horse and foot, how many
Greeks he has with him, where they will fight in the line, and who are
the commanders. To win this information will be the first service of
danger and difficulty in the campaign. Which of you is willing to
undertake it?"
"I am!" cried the three young men with one voice.
"Why not send us all?" Clearchus said. "Then if one of us falls, two
will remain, and if two are lost, the third may still be able to reach
you."
"Be it so," Alexander replied, smiling. "We shall join the army at
once and march along the coast, as you see upon this map, to the
Granicus. There I think you should be able to rejoin me and there I
shall look for you."
He rolled up the map and handed it to Leonidas. "This may serve for
your guidance," he said. "I shall place you under no instructions, for
I do not think you need them."
He rose and shook each of them by the hand. "Farewell," he said, "and
be not rash, for I shall have need of you hereafter."
Some of the Macedonians cast envious eyes at them as they came out of
the pavilion. Young Glycippus, who was in the same company with them,
joined them as they passed.
"What is going on?" he asked.
"The king wanted to ask me whether I thought Ajax or Achilles was the
better fighter," Chares answered gravely.
"What did you tell him?" Glycippus inquired.
"I told him that Ajax, in my opinion, was the better with the sword,"
the Theban said. "He did not like it because, you know, he claims
descent from the son of Thetis."
"Yes," the young man said eagerly. "And he has taken Achilles' armor
from the temple here, leaving his own in its place."
"He had it on while he was talking with us," Chares said. "It fits him
well enough. You know he has ordered Ilium to be rebuilt."
"Has he?" cried Glycippus. "That is news," and he hurried off to tell
it.
"That, at least, has the merit of being true," Chares said. "Ptolemy
told me while I was waiting for you."
"First of all we must choose a leader," Clearchus said when they were
alone in their tent. "I vote for Leonidas."
"And so do I," Chares added heartily, clapping the Spartan on the back.
Leonidas protested, but his friends refused to give way, pointing out
that to him Alexander had given the map. They persuaded him at last to
yield.
"My idea is that we shall go as peltasts and as though we were seeking
the Persian camp to take service under Memnon," he said. "Get rid of
that gaudy armor of yours, Chares."
"What, must I part with my mail?" the Theban exclaimed, glancing down
at the glittering links that covered his broad breast. He was
inordinately proud of this display. "What shall I do with it?" he
asked dolefully.
"Throw it into the sea," Leonidas suggested in an uncompromising tone.
"Some rascal is sure to steal it if I leave it here," Chares grumbled,
as he divested himself of the armor.
At nightfall the three slipped out of the camp in the guise of
light-armed footmen, each with a round shield at his back, two javelins
in his hand, and a short sword at his side. As soon as they were safe
from observation Leonidas struck out briskly for the northern slopes of
Mount Ida, and they quickly vanished into the darkness.