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+The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Princess Athura, by Samuel W.
+Odell
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and
+most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions
+whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms
+of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at
+www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you
+will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before
+using this eBook.
+
+Title: The Princess Athura
+       A romance of Iran
+
+Author: Samuel W. Odell
+
+Illustrator: Jay Hambidge
+
+Release Date: May 25, 2022 [eBook #68174]
+
+Language: English
+
+Produced by: MFR, David E. Brown, and the Online Distributed
+             Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was
+             produced from images generously made available by The
+             Internet Archive)
+
+*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE PRINCESS ATHURA ***
+
+
+[Illustration]
+
+
+
+
+  THE
+  PRINCESS ATHURA
+
+  _A ROMANCE OF IRAN_
+
+  BY
+  SAMUEL W. ODELL
+
+  [Illustration]
+
+  NEW YORK
+  THOMAS Y. CROWELL COMPANY
+  PUBLISHERS
+
+
+
+
+  Copyright, 1913, by
+  THOMAS Y. CROWELL COMPANY
+
+  _Published April, 1913_
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+
+  CHAPTER                                              PAGE
+
+      I THE GREAT KING’S LAST BATTLE                      1
+
+     II AN OATH                                          15
+
+    III PREXASPES                                        29
+
+     IV ATHURA                                           42
+
+      V CAMBYSES                                         58
+
+     VI PERSEPOLIS                                       76
+
+    VII “I AM CYRUS, THE KING, THE ACHÆMENIAN!”          92
+
+   VIII A ROYAL COUNCIL AND A ROYAL HUNT                101
+
+     IX THE DEEPER THINGS                               121
+
+      X A FAREWELL FEAST                                133
+
+     XI THE GREAT KING INTRODUCES A STRANGE CUSTOM      151
+
+    XII THE FORCE OF AN OATH                            165
+
+   XIII A CLASH OF WILLS                                179
+
+    XIV THE WAR AGAINST EGYPT                           198
+
+     XV THE MADNESS OF CAMBYSES                         219
+
+    XVI THE END OF OATH-KEEPING                         235
+
+   XVII THE EARLESS KING                                254
+
+  XVIII THE SPIDER’S WEB                                266
+
+    XIX A GALLOPING TO AND FRO                          280
+
+     XX THE OVERTHROW OF THE MAGI                       297
+
+    XXI KING OF KINGS                                   305
+
+
+
+
+
+THE PRINCESS ATHURA
+
+A Romance of Iran
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I
+
+THE GREAT KING’S LAST BATTLE
+
+
+It was morning on the plains of Asia. Long-legged herons stood in the
+shallows of the yellow Jaxartes, bathing their feet in its sluggish
+flood and warming their bodies in the first rays of the sun. They were
+silently and uneasily watching a host of armed men drawn out in long
+battle-lines across the lowlands bordering the southern margin of the
+stream.
+
+Where the armed host stood was a sandy plain, about two miles wide.
+Beyond this was a low range of sand-hills, which trended away to the
+southeast, enlarging the plain as they receded from the river. Cutting
+through hills and plain to join the river-bed was a dry water-course,
+where, in winters only, a torrent flowed. In it were some stunted trees
+and scattered thickets of shrubs. To the north of the river was a
+vast plain on which the dry, yellow grass had been withered by summer
+sun and wind. Far in the east appeared dimly through a blue haze the
+summits of high mountains. Westward the river had yet to flow half its
+length to the Oxian swamps. Here it was wide and shallow and its banks
+were low and marshy.
+
+The rays of the sun sparkled on the brazen breastplates and shining
+blades of battle-axes, on the spear-points and gilded helmets, of
+two hundred thousand men, who here awaited the approach of a far more
+numerous host coming down from the east along the river towards them.
+The light rested softly upon the stern, bearded faces of veterans of
+many wars and the softer cheeks of young men on this, their first
+campaign. They were men of Iran for the most part, though some were
+Assyrians, Babylonians, Arabs, Hebrews, or Greeks from the Ionian
+cities. They were followers of Cyrus, the King of Kings, the Great
+King, ever victorious Lord of the World.
+
+Those about to attack them were Touranian horsemen, known to ancient
+history as Scythians, Massagetæ, Sacæ, and to modern history as
+Tartars, Turks, or Kalmuks. The hearts of the soldiers of Cyrus were
+glad. For the long, dusty marches in pursuit of an ever retreating
+enemy would now end in a riot of blood and slaughter, and perhaps they
+might then set their faces homeward. No doubt of victory entered their
+minds. They were led by Cyrus, the invincible. It mattered not if the
+enemy outnumbered them three to one, as their scouts had reported.
+There would be more killing and a greater victory.
+
+Racial hatred, reaching back beyond history and tradition to the
+distant age when the first family of man threw off branches to
+different parts of the earth and the branches immediately claimed the
+pleasant places and fought each other for them, animated both parties
+to the coming conflict. The folklore of the early Aryans is largely
+composed of tales concerning heroes who had saved their people from the
+ravages of those fierce men of the North, the Touranians. Century after
+century the wandering hordes of the great northern plains hovered, like
+threatening clouds, along the boundaries of Iran, looking across the
+mountains from their own arid and wind-swept abodes to the rich and
+pleasant hills and valleys of the South. The children of those tribes,
+in the days of Tamerlane and Mohammed, broke over all barriers, crushed
+Eastern civilization, and put back the clock of progress a thousand
+years.
+
+Once even before the time of Cyrus, the wild Touranians had passed over
+the mountains and pushed through into Mesopotamia, bearing woe to the
+nations. Then, one day, their captains sat down to a banquet prepared
+by the conquered ones and instead of meats were fed with sword-blows
+and dagger-thrusts. Having thus been deprived of leaders, the Touranian
+conquerors had suffered disaster; and all had been either killed,
+enslaved, or driven back across the mountains. Stories of that invasion
+were thereafter told at every fireside of the Bactrians, Medes,
+Persians, and their kindred tribes; and the mothers in Iran frightened
+their children into obedience by threatening to hand them over to the
+dreaded monsters of Touran.
+
+Having conquered all civilized Asia, Cyrus had thought to rest in
+his palaces at Hamadan, or Susa, Babylon, or Pasargadæ; but there
+had come word from ancient Balk, or Bactra, the mother city of all
+Aryans, warning him that the Touranians were gathering for war in
+numbers so immense that help must be sent. The great war-king had at
+once responded. With half a million men he had marched into Bactra, to
+the aid of King Hystaspis, who, under him, ruled there, and, passing
+through the mountains on its northern border, he had driven back the
+leading troops of the enemy. The Touranians had retreated, seeking to
+draw him into the great plains, where they hoped that they might crush
+him with overwhelming numbers. He had followed carefully, building
+forts as he advanced, that his supply-line might be safe, and leaving
+strong detachments to guard them. With less than half his army, though
+its best part, he had arrived at the great river, Jaxartes, and had
+waited there for the enemy to assemble and attack him. Now they were
+coming and he was ready.
+
+Cyrus had chosen the battle-ground. He had marched out of his camp,
+situated a mile or so down the river, and had taken position where the
+narrow plain enabled him to mass his forces, with the sand-hills to
+protect his right, the river his left, and the dry water-course his
+front. The enemy, coming down towards him, would be compressed into an
+ever narrowing field where their immense superiority in numbers would
+not give them undue advantage. Knowing that the Touranians were all
+mounted and were accustomed to charge in mass at headlong speed, he
+hoped to draw them into the great ditch at his front in such confusion
+that the impetus of their assault would be broken. For this purpose
+he threw out to the east of the ditch about one thousand paces a
+curtain of light cavalry, which had orders to draw an assault, retreat
+rapidly before it, and take refuge behind the infantry. The position
+of the infantry was a line about halfway down the western slope of the
+water-course, and it would not be perceived by the pursuers until they
+should arrive at the upper margin of the eastern slope. Keeping five
+thousand of his heavy cavalry, known as the Imperial Guard, in reserve
+on the high ground at his extreme left near the river, he had stationed
+the remainder, about fifteen thousand strong, behind the crests of the
+sand-hills at his extreme right; and it would be their duty as soon
+as the Touranians should join battle, to make a détour to the right,
+descend from the hills upon their rear, and there attack. Thus, by the
+grace of Ahura-Mazda, Cyrus hoped, the enemy would be placed between
+his veteran infantry and his invincible cavalry, and so be ground to
+pieces.
+
+Near the margin of the river in front of the army was a group of men
+whose dress and demeanor denoted them leaders. One of these, to whom
+the others gave worshipful attention, was mounted on a noble Nisæan
+stallion. He was watching the distant mass of enemies with searching
+attention. He seemed indeed a king and worthy to be a King of Kings.
+Historians and storytellers have surrounded him with heroic luster. His
+countenance was eagle-like. His forehead was high, his nose sharp and
+slightly bridged, and his chin firm. The piercing glance of his black
+eyes never failed to read men nor to impress them with the necessity of
+instant obedience to orders. His demeanor was humorous and kind toward
+friends but fierce and terrible to evil-doers or to an enemy. Despite
+his sixty years, forty of which had been spent in war, his body was
+erect and soldierly. A helmet, glittering with gold, was on his head,
+and from beneath it his straight gray hair fell to the collar of his
+cloak. A white, silky beard covered the lower portion of his face and
+lay upon the silver breast-scales of the flexible coat-of-mail which
+covered his body and hips. Brazen greaves, fastened to soft leathern
+breeches, protected his limbs. His only weapon was a short sword,
+pendent from a belt around his waist. The trappings of his horse were
+rich. Its chest and neck were also protected by link mail.
+
+In the group of officers surrounding the Great King, there were two
+of no less royal birth than he. One was Hystaspis, King of Iran, his
+cousin, one of the Achæmenides, the family that had ruled in Iran
+for ages. Cyrus had been King of Fars, or Persia, before he became
+King of Kings. Hystaspis had ruled in Bactra, the ancient seat of the
+Aryan race. Astyages was king of Medea and grandfather of Cyrus, whose
+mother was a Medean princess. He claimed suzerainty over all Iran.
+Cyrus had conquered his grandfather in war and, having dethroned him,
+had stepped up into the exalted position of King of Kings. He had then
+placed Persia under control of Hystaspis, who loyally supported him
+and acknowledged him as the overlord of all Iran. Cyrus was a warrior.
+Hystaspis was a student, a lover of peace and a mystic, though he ruled
+his people well as a statesman and showed qualities of a great warrior
+when necessity demanded. In his youthful days he had known the famous
+Zoroaster, the seer of Iran, who had reduced to writing the ancient
+songs and the ritual of religious worship of his race and had preached
+new life into its creed. Hystaspis was milder, more benevolent, and
+less alight with energy than Cyrus.
+
+Prince Darius Hystaspis, son of the King of Iran, was the other royal
+person in the group. He had dismounted from his war-horse and, with
+folded arms, was standing at its head, also watching the enemy. Six
+feet in height and well-proportioned, youthful and gallant, he was an
+ideal soldier. A helmet of gold and silver leaves covered his black,
+short-cropped hair save at the temples. A coat of leaf-mail protected
+his chest and his limbs halfway to the knee and was confined at his
+waist by a broad leather belt studded with gems set in golden buttons.
+A bronze plate further protected his breast, and greaves of the same
+metal were fastened to his leather riding-breeches as a protection to
+his legs. High-laced leather shoes encased his feet. A short sword hung
+at his belt, and a short-handled battle-ax swung from the saddle on his
+horse. A soldier from boyhood and already a veteran, having served
+in Cyrus’ last campaign against Babylon, yet he was, like his father,
+a student, and had learned wisdom of the greatest seer of that age,
+Belteshazzer, the Hebrew. His shaven cheeks were fair and glowing with
+the health of right living. His eyes were blue and clear and were set
+deeply beneath dark eyebrows and a lofty forehead. He was the idol of
+all Aryans, and, next to Cyrus, the hero of the army. He was commander
+of the Imperial Guard, and to him had been entrusted the duty of
+leading the Guard in the flank movement by which Cyrus hoped to crush
+the enemy.
+
+Otanes, a giant in size, the noblest of Iran’s seven great nobles, was
+another of the group. He was shield-bearer to Cyrus and commander of
+his chosen body-guard. There was also Hydarnes, another of the seven
+nobles, a short, heavy man whose long, upturned mustache and beetling
+eyebrows were his most prominent features. He was commander of the
+Persian infantry. Vomisces, one of the seven nobles and commander of
+the allied infantry, the Babylonian, Assyrian, and Hebrew levies, and
+Gobryas, another one of the seven, a young man, blood-brother and
+closest friend of Prince Darius, were in the group. There was also
+Prexaspes, a Medean noble, commander of the light-armed cavalry, a
+brave, ambitious man, richly dressed in jeweled armor and having his
+hair and whiskers curled and perfumed. He was a cynical, unscrupulous,
+and pleasure-loving man, but energetic, resourceful, and brave. Of him
+we shall hear much in this story. A number of orderlies waited near by
+to receive and transmit the Great King’s commands.
+
+The herons in the Jaxartes have become restless but have not yet flown.
+While they wait and while Cyrus is watching the enemy, we may study
+the private soldiers to whose blows he will owe his victory, if he
+wins. They were not of the same quality as those effeminate men who,
+in later years, were unable to withstand the Greeks under the great
+Alexander. This was true at least of the Aryans who constituted the
+bulk of the army.
+
+Passing along the front of the light-armed cavalry, we observe the
+dusky Arab, with his curved scimiter and long javelin, his bow and
+arrows. He is clothed in turban, short tunic, loose cloak, brazen
+breastplate, and leathern breeches. He is mounted on the beautiful,
+swift horse of the desert which he loves as his own brother. Here
+also we see famous bowmen from Edom and Canaan, slingers from the
+Mediterranean isles, and Syrians from Mesopotamia, severally arrayed in
+their national costumes. When we pass along the lines of infantry, we
+note a distinctive army dress. Each soldier wears on his head a high,
+round felt cap; on his body, a stout, leathern, tight-fitting jacket,
+or tunic, with skirt extending halfway to the knee, and on his legs
+linen trousers, confined at the ankles by the tops of the soft leathern
+shoes with which his feet are shod. A bronze breastplate covers his
+chest, and bars of the same metal are on his arms and shoulders. The
+front rank, as it stands in position, is protected by wicker shields,
+covered with heavy leather, braced with metal bands. These shields are
+about seven feet long and are placed upright with the pointed lower
+ends thrust into the earth. Behind them, as a wall, the spearmen are
+comparatively safe from the enemy’s javelins and arrows. If the fight
+comes to close quarters, the shields may be easily thrown down; then
+for his further protection, the soldier must rely on a small, round
+targe held in place by straps on his left forearm.
+
+Each heavy-armed infantryman in the six front ranks carries a heavy
+spear about seven feet long and a short sword somewhat like a long
+dagger. A short-handled battle-ax with sharp, shearing blade and
+pointed beak is hung by a strap over his shoulder. The soldiers in the
+rear ranks, instead of the heavy spear and battle-ax, carry bundles of
+light javelins, for casting at short range, and long bows with sheaths
+of arrows, for fighting at long range. Protected by the wicker wall
+and the hedge of spears in the fore, they will meet the assault with
+showers of darts cast over the front ranks or, advancing behind the
+charging spearmen, will gall the enemy thus before the shock of the
+hand-to-hand fight comes.
+
+At intervals along the lines stand the captains of hundreds and
+commanders of thousands, distinguished from private soldiers only by
+richer armor and plumes of horse-hair on their caps.
+
+We next note the soldiers of the Imperial Guard. They are all large
+men, none of them over forty years of age, every one of noble birth,
+and all belong to the military class of Iran. They know but one
+calling, that of arms. All had entered military service at the age of
+sixteen, had been enrolled in the Guards at the age of twenty, and
+will remain there until they shall reach their fortieth year, at which
+time they will either be made civil officers or promoted and placed
+in command of companies and divisions of the imperial armies. Their
+armor consists of brazen helmets for their heads, chain-mail for their
+bodies, and brazen greaves for their legs and arms. A round shield,
+held on the left forearm in battle, will give further protection. A
+long, sharp javelin, a sword, and a battle-ax are their weapons. Their
+horses are protected by chain-mail on neck, forehead, and breast.
+
+Cyrus, having satisfied himself that the Touranians were really coming
+to battle, turned to his generals and said: “At last the Touranians
+have decided to fight! We must not only repel this attack but must
+utterly destroy them, so that hereafter the terror of our name shall
+command peace! Take no prisoners! This day we shall avenge the wrongs
+of Iran in the death of its ancient enemies! Should it happen that I
+be slain in this battle, my cousin, the King of Iran, will command. In
+case he also should fall, his son, our beloved Prince, will command.”
+
+His piercing black eyes rested a moment upon the Prince’s countenance.
+The latter flushed with pleasure at the honor done him, and bowed in
+acknowledgment. The King continued: “The King of Iran will remain at
+my side. I shall need his advice. There will be no change in the plans
+announced last evening. With the help of Ahura-Mazda, this day we will
+fill that torrent-bed with Touranian dead! You, Prince of Iran, have
+the most important duty. Ride down upon their rear as soon as you see
+their front ranks engaged with our infantry. Officers, go to your
+places! Let the skirmishers advance farther into the plain!”
+
+The group scattered, each officer riding to his place. Cyrus and the
+King of Iran retired across the torrent-bed to the eminence at the rear
+of the left wing of the army. The Prince of Iran mounted and hurried to
+his command. Trumpets sounded. The light cavalry of the skirmish line
+moved briskly out upon the plain. The Touranians came on, a vast throng
+with but little semblance of order. Their leaders rode in advance at
+intervals, and the front ranks only preserved an irregular alignment.
+The two opposing forces slowly drew near each other. The shaggy coats
+made of hairy skins, the tall, peaked caps, and the fierce, dark faces
+of the Touranians soon became plainly visible to their opponents. The
+former were surprised at the apparent weakness of the latter and began
+to utter shouts of derision and defiance. These shouts presently
+blended into a great roar as the soldiers demanded of their leaders the
+right to charge.
+
+But the Touranian leaders were wary. They thought that but a fraction
+of the Persian army was here, possibly an advance guard sent out to
+delay their progress. They were puzzled and hesitated. But when the
+enemy halted at long bowshot distance and sent a flight of arrows into
+their crowded battalions, they lost control of their men. Screams of
+agony arose, and a roar of angry shouts. Another flight of arrows and
+a third smote the Touranians. Their own bowmen sought to reply, but
+their bows were weak and their arrows fell short. Then came a vast
+forward movement of the mass. Leaders were swallowed up in the midst of
+galloping squadrons. The skirmishers of Iran retreated, but turned in
+their saddles and shot backwards with fatal effect. Eager to overtake
+the flying archers, the Touranians threw caution to the winds and urged
+their horses to full speed. The earth shook with the beat of a million
+hoofs, and the air was rent by the terrific volume of savage war-cries.
+No line of infantry ever formed could have withstood the impetus of
+that charge if unprotected by ditch or wall.
+
+The herons, affrighted, spread their broad wings, sprang out of the
+yellow waters of the Jaxartes, and hastily flapped away. The conflict
+had begun.
+
+After pausing at the margin of the torrent-bed to send one last flight
+of arrows into their pursuers, the skirmishers of Cyrus quickly
+descended into and crossed it, passed through the ranks of the
+infantry, which opened to permit their passage, and formed in line
+on the ridge beyond. The Touranian leaders were surprised when the
+fugitives disappeared from their view in the chasm as if the earth
+had swallowed them up, and, guessing the reason, frantically screamed
+orders for their men to halt. But the noise was so great that the
+orders were unheard. The shaggy horses of the leading ranks came at
+full speed to the margin of the torrent-bed and, unable to halt,
+plunged headlong down into it. Many horses and riders went down and
+were ridden over, crushed and mangled. Some retained their footing and
+struggled across the bottom of the ditch and up the opposite slope
+to assault the Aryan infantry. But the momentum of their rush was
+lost. The gleaming hedge of spears, protruding from behind the wicker
+shields, was terrible to horse and rider. The Touranians struck at
+the spear-points with their curved scimiters and endeavored to force
+ways between them. Masses of horsemen poured into the great ditch and
+struggled forward. Pushed on from behind, those in front could not
+avoid contact with the darting spears, which, in the hands of sinewy
+and practiced veterans, gashed horse and rider and threw them down in
+dying, struggling heaps.
+
+The rear ranks of Cyrus’ army came into action. They hurled clouds
+of javelins and arrows over the heads of the men in front upon the
+confused mass of assailants. The slaughter was horrible. But the
+Touranians in the front could not retreat had they desired. Those in
+front were crowded on, over dead and dying, upon the darting spears and
+against the wicker shields, overthrowing the shields and pushing back
+the Aryan infantry by sheer weight. Especially at the extreme left,
+where Cyrus was watching the struggle, did this backward movement of
+his lines take place. Here the water-course was wider and shallower
+than elsewhere and the advance was not so difficult. Here and there
+the Touranians succeeded in getting between the Aryan spears and
+with fierce strokes opened ways into the midst of the infantry. The
+latter, dropping their spears, fought with battle-ax and sword. The
+contest became a mad swirl of screaming, plunging horses, shouting
+men, gleaming swords, and slashing axes. Heads were crushed, limbs
+lopped off, bodies hurled to earth, horses brained and hamstrung. Ever
+the stout veterans of Cyrus faced their enemy, unterrified, sweating,
+grunting, and cursing, as they stabbed and hewed; but they were forced
+back step by step.
+
+Cyrus watched the struggle with anxiety. There seemed no end to the
+on-pressing masses of the enemy. More and yet more poured down into the
+vale of death and pushed across to the assault. Javelins and arrows
+were becoming exhausted. The infantrymen were fighting furiously, but
+were beginning to show weariness. Casting his eyes often to the distant
+hills, he presently noted with satisfaction that the Prince of Iran
+and his guards were passing down into the plain at the rear of the
+enemy’s left. He then ordered the light-armed cavalry to the assistance
+of the infantry at the center and right, and placing himself at the
+head of that division of the Imperial Guard held in reserve, he led
+it into the affray just as the infantry, pressed back by sheer weight
+of numbers, seemed about to be overwhelmed. The heavy horsemen of the
+Guard rode forward smartly and plunged into the battle. Prodigies of
+valor were performed. The infantrymen, seeing their King in their midst
+swinging his battle-ax with deadly effect, renewed their efforts. Huge
+Otanes with mighty strokes and protecting shield endeavored to ward off
+from Cyrus all blows aimed at him. King Hystaspis of Iran rode along
+the battle-lines towards the right. Everywhere the battle was close,
+fierce, and deadly.
+
+Meanwhile the Prince of Iran with the Guard rode down into the plain,
+and with javelins at rest charged the Touranians in flank and rear.
+This soon relieved the pressure in front. Confusion and terror seized
+the Touranians. Those who sought to resist went down before the shock
+of the huge Persian horses and the thrust of the long javelins.
+
+The contest became a slaughter. Thousands of the luckless Touranians
+rode into the river, seeking to ford it and thus escape; but quicksands
+and treacherous water-holes swallowed them up or mired them down,
+so that they became easy prey to the pursuing archers. The Aryan
+infantry assumed the offensive, crossed the torrent-bed, and drove the
+Touranians back upon the lances of the Guard, who in turn hurled them
+back upon the infantry. The larger part died. Some broke through and
+fled. The noon sun looked down upon heaps of slain and wounded, upon
+despairing squads flying over hill and plain, and upon a river whose
+waters were red with blood and choked with bodies. The Aryan victory
+was complete, overwhelming, and decisive.
+
+But the victors also suffered. Their loss was heavy in men, but worst
+of all they had lost their Great King. Cyrus at the head of the Guard
+had ridden into the press and restored the battle. When the assault
+on their rear caused the Touranians to give back, he had followed
+furiously. Then an arrow struck him in the neck just above the collar
+of his coat-of-mail, inflicting a deep wound. He reeled from the shock,
+plucked out the weapon with his own hands, and then fell fainting from
+his horse into the arms of Otanes, who carried him back out of the
+battle.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II
+
+AN OATH
+
+
+The wounded King was tenderly borne to his pavilion in the camp, and
+his injury was dressed by the most skillful surgeons in the army. He
+was weakened by loss of blood, however, and suffered much pain. He
+became feverish. The surgeons had but little skill in those days; and
+the wound was deep and infected. He suffered the pain with heroic
+resignation and, after a while, fell into a restless sleep, in which he
+tossed about and muttered continually.
+
+Meanwhile the King of Iran, having taken chief command, pushed the
+victory to completion and recalled the troops to their camp from the
+bloody plain only when the last enemy had disappeared or died.
+
+Prince Darius and the Imperial Guard pursued the fugitives as long as
+they held together in a body, but when they scattered, some crossing
+the Jaxartes and others taking refuge in the southern hills where it
+was difficult to follow them with heavy horse, he left further pursuit
+to the light-armed cavalry and returned to camp with his shouting,
+singing troopers. He did not learn of the King’s condition until within
+bowshot of camp, where an orderly from his father met him bearing the
+sad news. At once the shouts and songs of his troopers were turned to
+sighs and tears. They entered the camp in silence. They were dusty,
+blood-stained, and weary, and their joy of victory had given place to
+dejection. The Great King’s headquarters were in the midst of the
+camp. The Prince caused his battalions to form around the pavilion in a
+square, with their faces toward it. Then, leaving them still mounted,
+he went in to inquire concerning the King’s condition.
+
+It was almost sundown. The herons, which had fled away in the morning,
+were now returning with heavy wings to the marshes along the river.
+They did not alight, however, but hurriedly flapped away when they
+found the marshes filled with the dead bodies of men and horses.
+
+The Prince found the chief captains of the army assembled in the outer
+room of the pavilion. His father was wearily reclining on a couch,
+while the others stood near in whispering groups; but he rose as the
+Prince entered, and embraced him and kissed his cheeks, exclaiming:
+
+“My son, to the Guard belongs much of the glory of our great victory.
+Never have I seen a movement so well made or a blow struck at more
+opportune time. But alas for the Great King! He is sorely wounded and
+has a fever. He is now sleeping, but he mutters and tosses in his
+sleep.”
+
+“May we go in and see him? The Guard waits anxiously to hear his
+condition,” inquired the Prince.
+
+The King of Iran called the chief surgeon out of the inner room where
+the wounded monarch lay and, after a whispered consultation with him,
+bade his son follow and went into the inner room with him. The stricken
+man lay on a silk-covered couch, apparently asleep, while an attendant
+waved a fan above his head. Aroused by their entrance, the Great King
+opened his eyes, half-raised himself upon his elbow, and stared wildly
+at them. The surgeon gently sought to repress his movements. He
+quickly recognized the King of Iran and the Prince and smiled as he
+sank back upon the couch.
+
+The surgeon bowed low before him and exclaimed: “Let not my lord move!
+It may open the wound and cause it to bleed afresh!”
+
+But Cyrus impatiently waved him aside, and said weakly: “Let be! If I
+am to die, I die; if I am to live, I will live! I have had a vision!
+Draw near, my good cousin and my beloved Prince! Is the victory
+complete? Did many escape?”
+
+The King of Iran answered: “It is your most glorious victory, O King of
+Kings! Hundreds of thousands of dead Touranians testify to the valor of
+your arms and the effectiveness of your battle-plans.”
+
+“It is well!” he sighed. “To you, my beloved Prince, is due the thanks
+of your King, of the army, of all Iran! Oh, my heart leaped when I saw
+the Guard with spears at rest ride down upon the enemy! It was then
+that I rushed into the battle. Now I lie here! So be it! I know that I
+am about to die. I have had a vision. Now I would see the sun set, lest
+I never see it again. Cause the curtains to be rolled up. This close
+air stifles me!”
+
+Servants quickly rolled up the heavy side-curtains of the pavilion. At
+a motion of the sufferer the Prince knelt by his side, placed an arm
+beneath his shoulders, and gently raised him. Instantly the Guards,
+standing at attention about the tent, uncovered their heads, bowed to
+their horses’ necks, and roared out a salute, while tears streamed
+down their grimy cheeks and many wept aloud. The men of Iran were
+emotional, weeping or laughing like children as the mood seized them.
+The Great King smiled upon them and feebly waved his hand in greeting.
+He whispered to the Prince:
+
+“How they love me! It is sweet to die surrounded by those who love
+you. Ah, if I might now have my children here! I would give them a
+parting blessing and die in peace. My sweet daughters, Athura, the
+wise, and Artistone, my babe! Bardya, my strong Prince, and Cambyses,--
+But, lay me down! The sun is setting! So sets my life!”
+
+“Say not so, my lord!” exclaimed the Prince, his eyes swimming in
+tears. “It has been a glorious day!”
+
+“True, my son! And the wrongs of Iran have been avenged. A nation of
+warriors has been wiped out. No more will the Tourans threaten my
+people. We shall make this river the boundary of our empire. Fortresses
+and cities must be built along it so that never again may the yellow
+men of the plains carry desolation south of it. Advise my sons to this
+policy. Nay, tell them I have ordered it so!”
+
+The Great King closed his eyes. The tent-sides were then dropped. The
+troopers dismounted and went into camp, satisfied to have seen the
+King alive, and praying to Ahura-Mazda, Giver of Life, that he might
+recover. The King of Iran, with uncovered head, stood for a while
+looking down upon the sufferer, while his son still knelt at the side
+of the couch. Presently Cyrus opened his eyes and looked intently upon
+the sad countenance of the Prince.
+
+“Would that you were my own son, Darius Hystaspis!” he exclaimed. “I
+love you well and I know that you have deserved well of me. Ask of me
+what you will. It shall be decreed ere I die!”
+
+The Prince bowed his head till his forehead touched the King’s hands,
+which nervously clasped his own strong right hand between their palms.
+Then he looked up into the grave eyes of his father inquiringly. The
+latter indicated by a nod that he should speak what was in his mind.
+
+“O King of Kings,” he said, “you have been as a father to me! If I have
+found favor with you, let my reward be very great! I ask no less than
+that you will give me for my wife your daughter, Athura!”
+
+Cyrus was greatly pleased. He smiled approvingly as he answered: “Truly
+you ask much! But not too much; and you shall have her, if she so
+wills. I doubt not that she will gladly consent. She must marry whom
+she will. Her mother married me even against her father’s will and she
+was ever the light and joy of life to me. In her love I rejoiced all
+the days of her life. I have given her no successor. I go to meet her
+soon. I rejoice to call you son. Would that Athura were here to wed you
+now! I pledge her to you. Now I have a request to make of you, and your
+royal father. I constituted my son, Cambyses, regent in my absence,
+that he might learn to rule. My soul is exceedingly anxious concerning
+him. His passions are great; he is violent and he endures no opposition
+to his will. He will need advisers and supporters. My son, Bardya, is
+of better nature; he is brave but impulsive. Much have I thought of
+them. It will depend upon you two, King and Prince of Iran, whether the
+family of Cyrus shall continue to reign. This I have seen. I ask of you
+that you will pledge me your royal oaths that, as long as Cambyses or
+Bardya live, you will support them on my throne--Cambyses first, and
+Bardya second.”
+
+He ceased. The Prince again looked up to his father, who had listened
+attentively and who now spoke without hesitation: “My son, we are Kings
+of Iran only. Cyrus, our cousin, is King of Kings. By his own genius he
+has made this great empire. It is his. He conquered it. He extended his
+scepter over other peoples. We forfeit none of our hereditary rights by
+swearing as he requests. As for me, I am ready to swear!”
+
+“And I also!” added the Prince.
+
+The Great King extended his two hands and took the right hands of
+father and son between his palms, saying, “Is it an oath in the hearing
+of Ahura-Mazda and His recording angel?”
+
+“It is an oath!” they solemnly answered.
+
+“It is well,” said the King, releasing them. “May Shraosha, the swift
+messenger of God, take those oaths and register them in heaven! Now
+I will tell of my vision. I saw Mount Demavend, and, upon its snowy
+summit, I beheld a great eagle. He spread his wings and, behold! they
+reached across all the heavens and their shadow covered the earth. The
+countenance of the eagle, Prince Darius, when I closely observed it,
+was your countenance. Shall it come to pass that you will overshadow
+the world? Or will you spread your protecting wings in days to come
+over this empire and by your help shall my sons reign well? Ahura-Mazda
+knows! Let his will be done!”
+
+The King’s weak voice ceased. He closed his eyes. The Prince and his
+father remained silent. A rising wind touched the tent and made it
+quiver. In the adjacent room was a low murmur of conversation. After a
+moment’s silence the Great King again opened his eyes and continued:
+
+“Since this empire of mine is new and my will has been its law, there
+are no laws by which succession to my throne may be regulated. By
+right of birth, Cambyses should succeed to the supreme power. Yet I
+am not happy in him. He is inclined to evil ways and regards not the
+customs of our race. He runs after the folly of the Medes. He seeks the
+pleasures of Babylon. I have thought much on this. Perhaps it would be
+just that he should be given Medea, Susiana, Babylonia, and all the
+western provinces to rule, since their customs he follows. Bardya is
+not so. He loves our ancient customs. To him I will give supreme rule
+over Iran and the provinces of Hind, of Hyrcania, and the Scyths and
+of all our eastern conquests; but he shall acknowledge Cambyses as
+overlord of the world, aiding him with an army in war, but undisturbed
+by him in peace. Thus will I do justly and satisfy all Iran, whose
+people love not Cambyses. I will make a testament and a decree ere I
+die. Call hither my scribe. I would relieve my mind of care by making
+such decree. Call in the nobles of Iran to hear my will!”
+
+The scribe came. The nobles of Iran entered the room. They saw the
+King’s will written down on Egyptian papyrus. Two copies were made.
+The King signed them and impressed thereon his seal. Then, greatly
+exhausted, he indicated that he would be alone; and all left his
+presence to seek refreshment after the day of toil, and to discuss the
+Great King’s last decree.
+
+It was the duty of the Prince, as commander of the Imperial Guard,
+to appoint the watches at the King’s pavilion. Otanes, the King’s
+shield-bearer and personal guard, slept in the outer room and stood at
+the door on state occasions. There were usually with Otanes several
+noble youths who acted as pages or orderlies to the Great King. But on
+this night the King of Iran and several others of the nobility kept
+silent watch in the outer room, anxiously consulting the surgeons
+as they went in and out upon their ministrations. The Prince, after
+setting a double guard around the pavilion, went alone down to the
+river and for an hour slowly paced back and forth on the low bank along
+the shore. He wished to be alone with his thoughts.
+
+A violent wind was blowing from the north. The lap and wash of waves,
+thrown up by its power, and the rustle of reeds and grass, were
+the only sounds coming to his ears. The subdued noise of the vast
+encampment drifted away behind him as he looked out across the stream.
+The moon had not yet appeared. The stars were dim and hazy behind
+dust-clouds raised by the great wind. Alone thus, though thousands
+of men were near, while the whispers of the moving air suggested the
+voices of those wailing spirits released from their mortal bodies in
+this day’s slaughter, the young man reviewed the past and contemplated
+uneasily the future.
+
+First in his thoughts, as indeed she had been for years, was Athura,
+eldest daughter of Cyrus, known to the Greek historians as Atossa,
+the most famous, most beautiful, and most queenlike woman of her age.
+He had loved her from the day when he, a youth of fourteen, and she,
+a child of ten years, had first met and played together in the great
+park surrounding his father’s palace at Persepolis, where she had come
+to visit with her mother, the queen. She had often been his companion
+in sports since the time he had entered the service of the Great King,
+as a page. Lately he had not seen her often, as his service in the
+Imperial Guard had called him away to the wars. But, when he had last
+met her in the ancient city, Bactra, to which place she had accompanied
+her father when he started on this expedition, they had made mutual
+avowals of love and pledges of faith, subject to her father’s consent.
+Now the expedition was ended. He had the consent of Cyrus to their
+marriage. Happiness seemed to be in store for him.
+
+But the future was not without clouds. Cyrus was dying. What then?
+The hate-filled countenance of Cambyses arose before his mind. The
+large, square body of that Prince, the bullet head, the black, dull
+eye, the fat face, usually expressive of scorn, he well remembered.
+He seemed to hear again the brutal laugh, the bitter gibe or threat,
+the coarse words, and the raucous tones of the Prince, as he had heard
+them often when as boys they played together. Cambyses had hated him,
+apparently for no other reason than that he could not bully him as he
+was accustomed to bully other boys. More than once they had engaged
+in personal encounters; and the officers, who ever guarded the King’s
+children, had to interfere and separate them. Some of these combats had
+arisen when he had gone to rescue Athura or Bardya from their brother’s
+abuse. Cambyses also hated Bardya, whom Cyrus loved. More than once
+Cyrus himself had inflicted corporal punishment upon the elder Prince
+for abusing his playmates, and in later years he had often caused him
+to be confined in his room as a punishment. If Cyrus should die, the
+violent, degraded, drunken Cambyses would be King, with power absolute
+of life and death, and able to wreak vengeance upon the royal brother
+and sisters, as he had often sworn he would do, when he should come
+into power.
+
+Prince Darius did not fear Cambyses. But if Cambyses should disregard
+his father’s will and forbid the marriage of Darius and Athura, what
+would be the result? The Prince involuntarily laid his hand on the hilt
+of his sword. Cambyses could be overthrown, since the people and the
+army of Iran loved him not; and the younger Prince Bardya would then
+reign. Bardya was a friend of Darius and would approve the marriage.
+But to the Prince came the remembrance of his oath to Cyrus. He had
+sworn to uphold Cambyses. No matter what the Prince should do or what
+wrong he should inflict upon him or his friends, he must henceforth
+support him on his throne! As the possibilities involved in that oath
+occurred to his mind, the young man smote his hands together and
+groaned. But he said to himself that perhaps Cambyses, the King, would
+be different from Cambyses, the man. In any event, the nobles of Iran
+and the King, his father, would compel Cambyses to give Athura to him.
+Cambyses would not dare refuse to regard his own father’s pledge.
+
+The moon appeared, a dim, pale disk behind a veil of flying dust. The
+wind increased in violence. Thin, broken clouds floated across the sky.
+The river, vaguely seen, was filled with choppy waves. The howl of a
+wolf came faintly from beyond the stream. A great sadness, a sense of
+impending danger, filled the soul of the Prince.
+
+A voice aroused him, saying, “Gracious Prince, the King has awakened
+and is calling for you!” It was one of the King’s pages who thus
+summoned him. Throwing off his depression, he followed the youth
+into the tent, pausing only at the door to direct the guards to take
+additional precautions to prevent the wind from throwing down the
+swaying shelter. The King turned a wan, pain-drawn countenance towards
+him as he entered and beckoned him to a low stool at the side of his
+couch.
+
+“My son,” he said, speaking slowly and with difficulty, “I am unable
+to sleep. This wound pains me greatly and the wind roars about the
+tent. I am very lonely. I seem to stand naked and alone before God! I
+am about to step out into the dark. I would have you near me. You have
+been with me so many years that you are to me as a son. Now that I have
+promised my daughter to you, I have a double claim upon you. Sit here,
+unless you are weary and must sleep. It has been a long, hard day, but
+a glorious one for Iran!”
+
+“Father, I am not weary,” replied the Prince. “My heart is heavy for
+you! I pray God you may recover! Is the wound so bad, then? Once before
+you were hurt in battle and recovered.”
+
+“This wound is fatal. It is poisoned. The weapon that pierced me was
+unclean. Even now I feel it throb and burn. I know the symptoms. I
+have watched many a dying officer, wounded by unclean darts. But I am
+at peace. I have been a man of war all my life; but I have ever had
+right with me. I have lived uprightly and wronged none. Justice has
+never been sold by me. Oppression has been rebuked. I have crushed the
+rulers of nations to free their people from tyranny and misrule. I do
+not fear to die. I am an Aryan. Ahura-Mazda is God and there is none
+other! My mind dwells much on the future, my son. Discourse to me of
+that. You sat at the feet of Belteshazzer, the wise, he that was chief
+of the college of wisdom in Babylon. He talked to me often of God and
+of his own people. I made a decree that his people should be returned
+to their home at Jerusalem and rebuild their temple to God. Call this
+to my son’s remembrance, when you go to him, and say to him that I lay
+it upon him to obey. What said Belteshazzer of that which lies beyond
+death?”
+
+“He taught that the spirit continues to live after the body dies.”
+
+“Yes, truly, so said he to me! But in that he agrees with our
+Zoroaster.”
+
+“He taught much as did the great Master. Indeed, he agrees that
+Ahura-Mazda, the Holy One, the Father of Truth, the Life-Giving Spirit,
+is but another name for the same God he worships as Jah, who is the
+Father of all spirits and the Giver of Life. He teaches that there is
+one God, a loving Father, the Eternal One; and that in the far-distant
+past there were but one man and one woman, from whom sprang all the
+races of men; and that all worshiped one God, the Father of all; but
+that many of their children have forgotten Him and have wandered away,
+making Gods of their own imaginings. He is a mighty prophet and holds
+communion with messengers from God and with spirits.”
+
+“I have heard wonderful things of him, how that fire will not burn him
+nor wild beasts harm him. What says Zoroaster of the dying?”
+
+“He taught that Shraosha, the swift messenger, stands ready to receive
+the soul and to conduct it over the bridge that is straight and
+narrow into paradise, where the great angel, Bohman, will greet it
+and say, ‘How happy art thou who hast come hither from mortality to
+immortality!’ Then will the soul enter upon eternal blessedness.”
+
+“You said that Belteshazzer talks with unseen spirits and is a mighty
+prophet. Do not the Magi also call up the dead and prophesy?”
+
+“They say so, Sire. But Belteshazzer says that they are liars and that
+their art is black. He admits that they may talk with spirits, but
+accuses them of dealing with demons and evil spirits. They worship the
+spirits who inhabit the dark places of earth and work ill to men.”
+
+The Great King lay silent a moment with closed eyes. At length, heaving
+a deep sigh, he said:
+
+“It is all a mystery! But I shall soon know. I am troubled concerning
+Cambyses. I have heard that he has dealings with the Magi and has
+attended their worship. God forbid that he should fall into their
+hands! They are a vile sect, regarding neither oath nor promise. They
+prey upon the weak and superstitious. They would throw down our ancient
+laws. I have not been intolerant of others’ creeds or ever interfered
+with their religion. Each nation has continued to worship God in its
+own manner, giving obedience to me only in matters of government. Can
+it be said that one God is better than the other? How was I to judge
+the unknown things of God? But I know that God rules, whether named
+Ahura-Mazda, Jah, Merodach, Jove, or Ra. Men know him not!”
+
+Again he fell silent, with closed eyes and pallid face turned to the
+dim light of the lamps which hung from the ridge-pole by chains,
+flaring in the currents of air and swinging to and fro as the tent
+rocked under the shocks of the mighty wind.
+
+Rousing himself again, he continued: “I feel that my spirit will soon
+depart. When it does, I lay upon you the task of conveying my body to
+Pasargadæ, where you shall deposit it in a suitable tomb. Take half
+of the Guard with you. Leave the remainder here with the King, your
+father, who must finish the work I have begun and establish fortresses
+along this river so that never again may the Touranians recover the
+land we have conquered, or further molest Iran. Let my body be entombed
+after the fashion of our fathers. Take a message to Bardya and say
+that I have blessed him. Restrain him with your advice, that he do not
+rebel and bring on war with his brother. Take my love and blessing to
+Athura and Artistone. Into your care I give Athura. May long years of
+happiness be yours! But I am very weary and I would sleep. Sit here by
+me. It is pleasant to know that you are near!”
+
+The King closed his eyes and sank into a stupor. The Prince bent his
+head upon his hands and silently wept. Presently becoming calmer, he
+sat still in meditation, listening to the irregular breathing of the
+sufferer. After a while he also slept, with his head resting on his
+arms, which were folded across his knees. The hours went by, while the
+great wind continued to bellow around and to whip the awnings of the
+pavilion and while the life of the Great King slowly flickered out.
+Darius was awakened by the surgeons, who, alarmed at the long silence
+in the sick-room, had come in to look at the King.
+
+“Great Cyrus is dead!” he heard one of them say.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III
+
+PREXASPES
+
+
+Cyrus, the Great King, had been conquered by a greater King. The
+generals and nobles of his army gathered in solemn council on the day
+following his death. The King of Iran presided. On him, as upon an
+anchor in a storm, the others depended; and it was in the hearts of
+many to declare him successor to the mighty dead. There was no love in
+their hearts towards Cambyses, the heir. His open contempt for their
+ancient customs and religion and his erratic and brutal disposition had
+not attracted them. The army had given the throne and his distinctive
+eminence as King of Kings to Cyrus; it could give them to another, now
+that he was gone, in spite of his expressed will.
+
+At the right hand of the King stood the Prince, his son, his eyes
+heavy with sorrow. Otanes, Gobryas, Hydarnes, Vomisces, and a score of
+Persians of lesser note were there; and also Prexaspes, the Mede.
+
+As usual Prexaspes was carefully dressed; he was ornate in golden,
+jewel-set armor and half enveloped in a silken cloak, the famous
+Medean robe. His hair and beard were curled and perfumed. He moved
+with exaggerated grace and carried his fine head haughtily. His
+brothers-in-arms could ill conceal their contempt for his foppish
+manners. They were rough, ready men, straight of look and direct of
+speech. They loved not an Aryan who copied the manners of Babylon and
+Nineveh and, as they suspected, the vices of those ultra-civilized
+peoples. But they knew that Prexaspes was a brave and able commander of
+horse and on that account ignored his manners. He was a fair sample of
+the higher classes of Medes, who, residing on the borders of the more
+effeminate peoples of the great Mesopotamian valley, had been infected
+by their manners and customs.
+
+The Medes, in the former days, when they had conquered the lands
+now occupied by them, had been sturdy, simple people. Centuries of
+intercourse with the Assyrians and Babylonians had materially changed
+their qualities and had not only affected their dress and manner of
+living, but had injected into their ancient religion, which was a
+monotheistic creed, new ideas that were polytheistic, much to the
+indignation of their brethren of Persia and Bactra who still clung to
+the ancient faith. The Medes had permitted the fire-worshipers of the
+northern provinces to practice their occult arts and had to some extent
+adopted those practices. There had, as a consequence, grown up a priest
+class of Magi, or seers, wise men, prophets, who claimed to communicate
+with the gods of hill, mountain, and plain, and who did undeniably
+work wonders that could not be duplicated by the priests in the Aryan
+temples, and thereby not only discomfited the latter in the eyes of the
+people, but impressed the rulers of Medea in their favor.
+
+It was said that Prexaspes was a follower of the Magi, but on that
+subject he adroitly avoided conversation. Cyrus, whose policy had ever
+been to conciliate those he conquered, had recognized the military
+ability of Prexaspes and had forborne to examine closely into his creed
+or his manner of life. In return the latter had given him faithful
+service and had been extremely useful in dealing with the Medean
+nobility and in recruiting for the army.
+
+As soon as all who had been bidden were assembled, the King of Iran
+addressed them briefly: “I have called you together to consider the
+great calamity that has befallen this army and the empire. Great Cyrus
+sleeps with his fathers. The decisive victory of yesterday resulted
+thus in greater loss to us than to the enemy. The command of this army
+has fallen upon me until a messenger can be sent to bring orders from
+Cambyses, who, by the will of his august father, succeeds to the throne
+of the King of Kings. It was the will of Cyrus that we hold all this
+country and make the Jaxartes the future boundary of Iran. It shall be
+done. We shall remain here until the enemy shall fully submit, and we
+shall build fortresses along this river. On this spot where great Cyrus
+departed this life, let us found a city named in honor of the Great
+King. It shall be a monument to his glorious victory and a bulwark of
+the empire. What say you?”
+
+He paused. Otanes, upon whom the King’s eyes rested, answered: “Let it
+be so! Let the King’s will be law!” Nods and exclamations of assent
+came from the company.
+
+The King continued: “The Great King ordered that his body be taken to
+Pasargadæ, there to rest in the tomb prepared by him and in which rests
+the body of his wife. He directed that my son take the Imperial Guard
+for an escort and convey his body, when embalmed, to its resting-place.
+This shall be done. As for me, I shall remain here until the frontier
+be made safe. My son shall select such of you as he desires to
+accompany him on his honorable mission. It will be necessary to send
+a special messenger to Cambyses with the Great King’s last decree.
+He shall travel with the Guard and my son until he reach Bactra; but
+then he must go more swiftly, in order that Cambyses may make fitting
+preparation for the funeral of his father. Who will volunteer for this
+service?”
+
+Silence fell upon the company. There was no desire in any of them to
+greet Cambyses. They would rather have deposed him. But Prexaspes stood
+forth and said: “O King, if it please you, I will bear the message to
+Cambyses, the King of Kings.”
+
+The King regarded Prexaspes a moment thoughtfully. He liked not this
+man, but he could think of no reason to deny him. He said:
+
+“You shall go. But swear before us here that you will faithfully carry
+to Cambyses this decree and assure him of our support!”
+
+“I swear!” responded Prexaspes, solemnly, lifting both hands towards
+the sun and turning his face to it. A frown passed over the calm
+features of the King. He liked not this exhibition of Mithra worship.
+But he made no comment, only saying:
+
+“Say to the Great King, Cambyses, that I, Hystaspis, King of Iran,
+have sworn to support him and his brother on their thrones according
+to the will of Cyrus; and my word shall be kept! Advise him also that
+the ancient laws and customs in Iran must not be disregarded. His great
+father gave heed to them; and on them the Aryan peoples lay great
+weight. In their observance will he gain strength; and the men of Iran
+will in return dash to pieces his enemies. Do I not speak truth?”
+
+The speaker’s eyes glanced inquiringly over the company. The black,
+sparkling eyes of Prexaspes likewise swept over it and noted the
+expression on every countenance. Nods of approval and unanimous spoken
+assent indicated the sentiment of all. Prexaspes, bowing low before
+the King, answered:
+
+“I will exactly report your words, O King! I shall take great pleasure
+in assuring the Great King that all here are his loyal supporters.”
+
+The King was about to dismiss the council, when a messenger rode up
+from the east in great haste. He was from the pickets stationed near
+the battlefield. The King waited till he had dismounted and drawn near.
+
+“A message, gracious King, from Captain Mardux of the scouts!” cried
+the messenger, bowing low till his hands touched the earth.
+
+“Speak!” commanded the King.
+
+“The captain is approaching with a company of Touran princes, who come
+to the Great King to tender submission. He has halted at the outer
+limits of the camp to await your orders. Shall he slay them or bring
+them hither?”
+
+“Bring them hither!”
+
+The messenger again bowed low, backed from the circle, and sprang on
+his horse. As soon as he was gone, the King said:
+
+“It will be best not to inform these men of the death of Cyrus. No lie
+need be spoken. But I am the King. Cyrus is not dead but sleepeth. Send
+hither an interpreter.”
+
+Gobryas, to whom the last command was spoken, departed to summon an
+interpreter. Meanwhile the King caused a purple-covered chair to be
+brought out and placed on a platform made of camp-chests covered with
+a costly rug. In this he seated himself, and with his son at his right
+hand, Otanes at his left, and the other nobles near, all dressed in
+glittering mail and fully armed, he was ready to receive and impress
+the coming delegation. A glittering crown of gold studded with gems,
+high and pointed, like the miter of a priest, was placed on his
+head. In his hand was a scepter, a silver rod tipped with a golden
+pomegranate. Right royal was his aspect; and the stern countenances of
+his captains added to the impressiveness of the scene.
+
+Captain Mardux, a stout, bluff soldier, who had won his promotion from
+the ranks by prowess and shrewdness, presently rode up with a company
+of cavalry, escorting five men of swarthy countenance, long-haired,
+almond-eyed, mounted on powerful ponies, sitting on goatskins instead
+of saddles, and clothed in silken garments and pointed fur caps. The
+captain caused them to dismount and led them before the King, where,
+in obedience to an expressive gesture of the captain’s hands, they
+threw themselves flat upon the earth in salutation. Here they lay
+face-downward while the captain reported as follows:
+
+“These dogs, O King, came to us with hands in air, showing themselves
+unarmed and asked to be taken to the Great King. I know some words of
+their language and so understood that they come as messengers from the
+Tourans.”
+
+“It is well, Mardux. Bid them rise to their knees.”
+
+Captain Mardux roused the prostrate men with his toe and made them
+assume a kneeling posture. From this position, they glanced with ferret
+eyes at the King and his supporters. They were evidently greatly
+impressed, but their sullen countenances exhibited no fear. Gobryas now
+appeared with an interpreter, a man of Bactra who had conducted trading
+expeditions over the great plains in more peaceable days. Thereupon the
+following colloquy occurred between the King and one of them:
+
+“Who are you and whence come you?”
+
+“We are messengers of the Queen of the Massagetæ. We come from her
+encampment, a day’s journey eastward.”
+
+“What seek you?”
+
+“We come to greet the Great King, Cyrus, whose power even the gods
+cannot withstand. Behold! our King is dead on yonder field, and the
+King’s son is dead. Our people are broken. The bodies of our slain
+choke the great river. Only old men and children are left. Who can
+withstand Cyrus? Like the lightning and the whirlwind he sweeps up
+from the south! He smites and men are not! We come to tender unto him
+a handful of earth, a broken twig, and a cup of water, and to ask his
+pardon, that we may henceforth be his men and live under the shadow of
+his arms.”
+
+“Cyrus, the Great King, sleeps and we cannot awaken him. Behold me, the
+King of Iran, Hystaspis! I will receive your tokens of submission.”
+
+“It is well! We know of you, O King of Iran, surnamed the Just. Have we
+not heard of your strong arm and most just and merciful heart? If it be
+permitted, we will arise and present to you our tokens of submission,
+asking mercy for our remnant of people.”
+
+“It is permitted!”
+
+The men arose. One produced a small casket of carved wood inlaid with
+ivory, and opening it so that it revealed the brown earth of the desert
+therein, he solemnly placed it in the outstretched hand of the King.
+Another produced a twig of wood plucked from a stunted oak, and another
+a small jar of water, which were solemnly received and passed on to
+Otanes by the King, who then said:
+
+“Hear now the King’s sentence! You are pardoned. Enough blood has been
+shed to atone for past injury. You are brave men whom the Great King
+will delight to own as his children. Your lands and all your property
+are forfeit to him, but these he will let you use so long as you serve
+him in good faith. But in order that you may enjoy his protection,
+it will be necessary for you to render to him each summer season ten
+thousand good horses, as many cattle, and a like number of sheep. That
+he may have evidence of your good faith and in order that your people
+may be instructed in his laws, you must send to our city of Bactra
+each year one hundred of your most noble youths, to enter the King’s
+service, whose lives shall be forfeit should you rebel. Furthermore,
+you shall maintain for the King’s service ten thousand horsemen, fully
+equipped, who shall march whither he wills. You shall guard these lands
+against all foes. In return for these light services, the power of the
+Great King shall be over you, your foes shall be his foes, and his
+mighty arm will give you peace. You shall go out and come in according
+to your customs, but you shall molest no man who acknowledges the Great
+King as his master. I have spoken!”
+
+The ambassadors bowed themselves to the earth, and their spokesman
+replied:
+
+“Let all these conditions be written on tablets, O Gracious King! Most
+merciful and gracious is your heart! Our people will most gladly submit
+and will faithfully observe these conditions. And now we beg that as an
+earnest of our good intent, we may bring to you our first offering of
+ten thousand horses, ten thousand sheep, and as many cattle, for the
+use of our Lord and his army. So may the Great King see that we deal
+not with crooked tongues or lying lips.”
+
+“It is so ordered!” assented the King, graciously. “While we have a
+sufficiency of victuals, fresh meat will be welcome to the army. The
+treaty shall be written on tablets. Go now with Captain Mardux and
+partake of refreshments ere you return to your people. Say to them that
+we shall build here a great city to be named the City of Cyrus, and it
+shall be a place for trade where they may exchange the product of their
+herds for the fruits of the south countries. Let them send laborers to
+assist, and the King’s bounty shall be sufficient for them. But of this
+we will give you further information at a future day.”
+
+The ambassadors withdrew, greatly pleased that the sentence of the King
+was not more burdensome. A week later, the required horses, cattle, and
+sheep were brought to the camp, and the one hundred youths as hostages
+were surrendered. Within a year, the walls of a city were begun and
+a colony of loyal Aryans located within them as the nucleus of an
+emporium which flourished there a thousand years, rejoicing in the name
+of the Great King who there died for his race.
+
+Meanwhile expert embalmers, who had learned their art in Egypt,
+prepared the body of Cyrus for its long journey to the city of his
+fathers. When well prepared, it was enclosed in a heavy casket, placed
+on a four-wheeled chariot drawn by ten royal white stallions, and,
+encompassed by the Imperial Guard, was conveyed to its tomb. The great
+army, drawn up in two long parallel lines, gave sad farewell to its
+hero-king as the funeral car passed along between, escorted by the
+Guard; and tears streamed down every Aryan cheek. To Prince Hystaspis,
+who led the van, with Gobryas at his side, a roar of acclamation, a
+royal salute, and shouted wishes for a safe journey and quick return,
+came from the successive companies he passed. Prexaspes, riding some
+paces to the rear, noted the great demonstration and pondered deeply
+thereon.
+
+All day the funeral car and its splendid escort moved slowly southward.
+The Prince of Iran was silent, absorbed in meditation. Gobryas vainly
+endeavored to engage him in conversation. The troopers noted his
+downcast mien and whispered together concerning it. It was well known
+that Cambyses hated the Prince. Every soldier in the army had discussed
+it with his fellow since the Great King died. All had hoped that King
+Hystaspis would claim Cyrus’ throne, his by right of birth and age,
+if being descended from an older branch of the Achæmenian family
+counted; but they had been disappointed when the King had announced his
+support of Cambyses. What if the Prince could be persuaded to seize the
+throne? It was a new throne anyway, this throne of the King of Kings,
+the Emperor of many nations. If he would take it, they would give
+it to him! So reasoned the army. King Hystaspis would accede if the
+Prince should declare his acceptance. It would be better to go against
+Cambyses sword in hand and to contest for the prize of sovereignty
+with him, than to be seized and slain by the madman after submitting
+to his sway. All day on the march and much of that night around their
+camp-fires, the troopers discussed the matter. The result of their
+consultation appeared next morning. The Prince, after a restless night
+in which evil dreams disturbed his slumber when he did succeed in his
+efforts to sleep, rose and went forth just as the sun was rising. He
+was greatly surprised to see his ten thousand men drawn up in solid
+masses, forming a hollow square around his tent. He was nonplussed when
+every cap was hurled into the air, every sword struck buckler and every
+head bowed low in salute to him. His face went white with emotion and
+then became dark with wrath as he heard the thunderous shout:
+
+“Hail, King of Kings! All hail!”
+
+He raised his hand, beckoning for silence, and, addressing a group of
+officers, he said, speaking sternly and in a loud voice,
+
+“What means this?”
+
+One of the officers advanced a pace, and, bowing low, said:
+
+“Son of Achæmenes, Cyrus, the Great King, is dead! Your Father, the
+illustrious King of Iran, has refused to take his place. But you have
+not refused. Now we know that Cambyses hates you and will do you evil.
+He is no Aryan, moreover, and is said to be a madman. Heed this, our
+prayer! Let us recognize you as the King of Kings and our good right
+arms will make it so!”
+
+As he ceased speaking, a roar of assent went up from ten thousand
+throats. The soldiers extended their hands to him in entreaty. Again he
+beckoned for silence. When the clamor ceased, he answered:
+
+“What you ask is impossible to grant! As my father swore to Cyrus,
+so did I! I am bound by a sacred oath to the Great King, whose body
+lies there on its car, but whose spirit even now, perhaps, hovers near
+us; and I must support Cambyses and Bardya on their thrones forever.
+My word is given; it shall not return! This throne is the throne of
+Cyrus; he set it up and his children are entitled to it. It is true,
+the King of Iran by right of descent might have contested with Cyrus
+the throne of Persia; but he had no right to contest with him that
+which his mighty arm brought in subjection to him. As King of Iran, my
+father is your ruler. I, his son, am most happy to be your Prince. But
+Cambyses is overlord and such must remain! I have no fear. Cambyses,
+the Great King, will not be empowered to do me harm unless I rebel. You
+have rebelled. You know the punishment of treason is death; but I will
+pardon you now if you will swear before Ahura-Mazda to remain faithful
+to Cambyses, the Great King, so long as he respects the laws of Iran.
+Up with your hands and swear!”
+
+There was a pause. The troopers looked to their officers and upon each
+other. A murmur ran through the great host. Would the Prince yield?
+They knew his firmness and his love of truth and that he had never
+broken oath or promise. Looking upon his countenance, sad but set with
+determination, they decided to obey. But some wept aloud, and tears
+flowed down the cheeks of others. The captains raised their hands,
+saying: “We swear, O Prince of Iran! You alone may release this oath!”
+And the soldiers repeated solemnly but without enthusiasm: “We swear, O
+Prince, and you alone may release this oath!”
+
+Thus did the Prince of Iran for the sake of an oath put aside the
+highest position earth could give. Dismissing the assembly with a wave
+of his hand, he turned in great agitation to enter his tent, that he
+might regain that calmness for which in all difficult situations he
+was ever noted. As he turned, his eyes met those of Prexaspes, who
+occupied a tent near his, and, who, standing in his tent-door, had been
+a witness of the whole incident. He noted on the face of the Mede great
+astonishment. He gravely acknowledged the profound bow with which the
+latter greeted him and passed into his tent. Later, on the march that
+day, the Prince called Prexaspes to his side, and said to him:
+
+“Lord Prexaspes, you were witness when the Imperial Guard sought my
+consent to rebel. You are going in before Cambyses, the King of Kings;
+and I place it upon your honor to deal justly with me in this matter.
+These men are like children, loving me as I love them, and thought they
+were doing me a service. If you see fit to speak to the King of it,
+assure him of my loyalty. Also say that I myself will stand or fall
+with these men. No harm must come to them. The King of Kings shall have
+loyal service of me and of these as long as they remain with me.”
+
+“What need to report?” rejoined Prexaspes, warmly. “Truly it was no
+light thing your oath required of you! I marvel that you refused,
+knowing as you do how the King of Kings hates you, hates your friends,
+hates his brother, who is dear to you, and even his sister, the
+lovely Athura! Rest assured that, should this come to his ears, I
+will truthfully describe your actions. How can I forget that day at
+the crossing of the Araxes, when my Babylonian archers and I were
+surrounded by howling Scythians and we were hard-pressed? Was it not
+the Prince of Iran who came with the Guard to our rescue? I may not be
+a follower of Zoroaster, Great Prince, but I am not ungrateful!”
+
+The Prince looked into the eyes of Prexaspes and saw that he was
+sincere. “I trust you,” he said. “Let us hope that Cambyses as King may
+forget his dislikes as a man.”
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV
+
+ATHURA
+
+
+Ancient Bactra, the mother city of the Aryan race, was situate in the
+midst of a beautiful valley surrounded on all sides by mountain ranges.
+It was a fertile valley. Through it rushed the limpid river, Adirsiah,
+coming down from the distant snow-capped mountains in the east and
+finding an outlet northward to the Oxus. Though it was summer, the
+hills were green and the valley was luxuriant with full-leafed trees
+and blooming gardens. It seemed a paradise indeed to the Prince of
+Iran and his wayworn guard, marching in from the arid northern plain.
+Bactra was a great city. Many square miles dotted with ruins at this
+day mutely tell of its extent. Here the mythical Kaiomur, possibly a
+son of Japhet, settled, and planted a race from which many nations
+have sprung. It was not a walled city. The men of Iran relied on their
+good right arms for defense. Indeed, they were not accustomed to await
+invasion; they invaded others. In the open, with galloping steed and
+spear at rest they swept the enemy from their path, or on foot, with
+bow and arrow they smote him or closed with him in close mortal combat
+with sword and battle-ax. Their valor made a wall more potent than
+stones.
+
+Like a hive did the ancient city nourish myriad lives and send forth
+swarms of sturdy men, who, under the leadership of able men, took with
+them wives, children, and goods and forcibly possessed new homes in
+distant climes. One stream passed westward to the lower Caspian and,
+branching there, flowed northward, westward, and southward. Hellas,
+Asia Minor, the Saxon woods, Scandinavia, and Western Europe received
+them, not perhaps in one year or one century, but in successive years,
+as successive waves with a rising tide ever encroach on the shore.
+Medea and Persia received them. Ancient records seem to indicate that
+they dominated the great valley of the Euphrates and Tigris and even
+planted families in Syria on the shores of the Great Sea; and it is
+sometimes argued that the ancestors of Abraham, father of the Hebrews,
+came from Iran bringing their knowledge of one God with them. It is at
+least true that the monarchs of the Medes and Persians ever favored the
+Hebrews and acknowledged their Jehovah as the same God they themselves
+worshiped under the name Ahura-Mazda, or the Life-Giving Spirit.
+Another swarm crossed the southern mountains and occupied India. But
+eastward and northeastward, in obedience to some primal instinct
+that seems to have driven them in all other directions, the Aryans
+never penetrated. The slant-eyed, yellow races, protected by the vast
+mountain ranges and desert plains of Tibet, multiplied in peace on
+the shores of the Pacific Ocean and threw out their swarms northward
+and eastward into the Americas and the islands of the south seas.
+Occasionally their hordes, under the general designation of Tourans,
+pressed upon their western neighbors by way of the plains of Siberia,
+and later, as Huns, Turks, and Tartars, succeeded in overpowering, by
+weight of vast numbers, the provinces so long protected by Aryan valor;
+but not until that valor had been forgotten in the luxuries of an
+enervating civilization.
+
+Bactra was at the intersection of main highways of commerce. Here the
+great caravan road from Rhages, to which flowed by different routes
+the trade of Persia and Medea, of Egypt, Babylonia, Syria, and Europe,
+intersected the roads from India and Tourania. Here the beautiful wares
+of Babylon and Nineveh, of Samos and Damascus, of Egypt and the Ionian
+cities and of Greece were exchanged for the fabrics of India and the
+products of the northern plains. Here caravans outfitted for trade in
+distant lands. The great market-place, an open square on the shore
+of the Adirsiah, near the center of the city, was ever lively with
+the movement of men of different colors and wearing as many different
+dresses; of camels ever complaining and groaning; of donkeys, braying;
+of beautiful horses, exhibiting their points; and of a thousand
+vehicles for transporting goods. Around three sides were dome-roofed
+stores, where the wealth of all nations was displayed;, where gold,
+silver, precious stones, beautiful earthenwares, ivory, rugs, weapons,
+fruits, grains, and wearing apparel were exhibited for exchange or for
+sale, and the noisy shouts of traders were heard the whole day. Groups
+of soldiers swaggered along, keeping the peace. Teachers and priests
+in long robes walked with solemn pace contemplative; magistrates and
+nobles rode through with lofty aspect; the countryman, then as ever,
+wandered about in open-eyed curiosity, loved and respected by all
+Aryans, but nevertheless simple-minded and apt to be cheated; and the
+humble laborer of the city, rough-spoken but shrewd, boldly jostled any
+foreigner who might cross his path.
+
+The royal palace occupied an eminence sloping down to the river,
+near the eastern limits of the city, its stately walls, and porticos
+dimly seen through the leafy trees of the park surrounding it.
+Other mansions of the rich and noble, each surrounded by garden or
+park, clustered near. The narrow, irregular streets were bordered by
+the houses and shops of the commercial class. On the outskirts, the
+humbler cottages of the poor were built. On all sides lay the gardens
+and fields in which were raised the vegetables consumed by the vast
+population.
+
+Couriers had brought to Prince Bardya at Bactra news of his father’s
+death. A period of mourning had been proclaimed. When the funeral car
+with its guard drew near the city, a decree was issued and proclaimed
+on all the street corners, commanding all to leave their tasks and to
+observe a day of special mourning. A great procession marched out of
+the city to meet the dead king. A thousand horsemen, four abreast, led
+the way. Prince Bardya, riding a great white horse, rode alone, with
+bowed head and sorrowful demeanor. Following him were two litters,
+carried on the shoulders of stout black slaves; these bore the royal
+daughters of Cyrus, Athura and Artistone. A thousand or more nobles,
+magistrates, travelers of note, and rich men rode next. Countless
+multitudes of all classes closed the procession or traveled along the
+way through the fields, eager to see and to hear.
+
+The Prince of Iran, leaving his camp equipage at a ford of the river a
+league below the city, advanced slowly with the funeral car and his ten
+thousand weary, wayworn guards, to meet the procession. Coming to an
+open field, wherein stood several great oaks, he caused the funeral car
+to stop beneath the branches of one of the trees and massed his guard
+in an open square around it, leaving a way open for the royal Prince
+and his sisters to approach the bier. Then, accompanied by Gobryas, he
+rode on to meet the procession. The advance guards of Prince Bardya
+opened to let him pass through, forming in lines on either side of the
+way.
+
+The Prince of Iran and Gobryas dismounted as they were about to meet
+the son of Cyrus; and the latter likewise dismounted, and, hastening to
+them, embraced them affectionately, while tears dimmed all eyes.
+
+“Hail, dear friends!” was his greeting. “It is pleasant to meet you
+even though sadness comes with you.” He kissed the Prince of Iran and
+embraced him. “My sisters are here. Let us go to them,” he then said.
+
+The litters drew near and were placed on the ground by their brawny
+carriers. The curtains of the foremost were parted and from it emerged
+a young woman, heavily veiled and dressed in rich but somber clothing.
+As her brother and his two friends approached, she drew aside the veil
+from her face, and, smiling through tears upon the Prince of Iran,
+extended to him her hand. He bent knee before her and reverently kissed
+the extended hand.
+
+“Greeting, Prince of Iran!” she said in a low, sweet voice, wherein
+gladness struggled with sadness. “Arise! Should a Prince of Iran kneel
+to any person?”
+
+“To one only in the whole world!” was his reply, arising and looking
+down into her glorious eyes. “If I were not here on so sad an errand,
+this would be my happiest day. I bring to you the last message of love
+and farewell from the King of Kings. His last thoughts and words were
+of you and of the little sister here.”
+
+He turned to greet Artistone, who now came forward from her litter, and
+gravely bent to kiss the little hand she gave him.
+
+“Come!” said Bardya, “let us go and greet the dead. When we return to
+the palace we shall renew our acquaintance and you shall tell us all
+that our beloved father said.”
+
+Without further conversation they walked between the lines of massed
+soldiery, who saluted as they passed, to the funeral car, around which
+stood a score of officers with drawn swords as a guard of honor. They
+ascended the great car, drew aside the heavy curtains, with which it
+was surrounded, and stood in the presence of the dead. The casket had
+been partially opened and some of the wrappings over the face of the
+remains had been removed, that they might look again upon the beloved
+features. Royalty for the moment was forgotten and the bereaved
+children wept; and, in an instant, a great wave of emotion swept over
+the vast multitude. Men of all stations, women of all classes and their
+children, lifted up their voices in loud lamentation. The hero, under
+whose mighty shadow they had so long rested and been safe, was no more!
+Cyrus, the well-beloved, was gone! Alas and alas! wailed the people.
+The glowing sun smiled upon the snowy peaks in the east, the green
+hills in the west, and the lovely valley with its rippling stream, and
+all nature seemed happy. Only this myriad of human beings voiced their
+woe. No greater tribute could have been given to the mighty dead.
+
+But weeping must have an end. The Prince and his sisters descended
+from the car and returned to the palace. The casket, escorted by
+the multitudes, was conveyed to a temple, which stood in the park
+surrounding the palace, and was there kept while arrangements were made
+for its further transportation to Persia.
+
+Prexaspes, having been given audience by Prince Bardya, was furnished
+with an escort and sent on his way to Cambyses at Hamadan. He was
+directed to inform the King of Kings that his brother and sisters would
+accompany the body of their father to Pasargadæ. The determination
+of Bardya to attend his father’s corpse to its tomb gave the Prince
+of Iran much concern. It would place Bardya within the power of King
+Cambyses, whose uncertain temper might lead him to fratricide. Knowing
+the disposition of Cambyses and his long-standing hatred towards
+Bardya, and fearing that a conflict would inevitably arise over the
+divided authority left them by the will of Cyrus, the Prince sought to
+persuade Bardya to remain in Bactra, whose people would protect him.
+But Bardya would not be persuaded. He was a bold youth and thought that
+he would be as safe among the Persians as among the Bactrians.
+
+The palace of Bactra was the property of its ancient line of kings.
+Here the Kings of Iran were crowned, and from it went forth all royal
+decrees. Here King Hystaspis in early youth had resided with his queen,
+and here Darius, their son, had been born. But when Cyrus of Persia
+became conqueror of Medea and assumed the title of King of Kings,
+he admitted that Persia was a part of Iran and placed it likewise
+under the rule of Hystaspis, but on condition that the latter should
+acknowledge him as overlord of all. King Hystaspis entertained for his
+great cousin the most lively admiration and affection. He cared not to
+dispute with him world authority. He was a mystic, a lover of learning
+and of his fellow-men. He would much rather have sat at the feet of
+Zoroaster and delved into the mystery of life and the greater mystery
+of death than rule as King. But he accepted the duties of kingship as
+a trust for his people and stoutly protected them from their enemies
+as well as in the enjoyment of their ancient rights. He had accepted
+the proposition of Cyrus and under him had ruled all Iran, including
+Persia. His authority even extended over Medea in the absence of Cyrus,
+although, the capital of Cyrus’ empire being at Hamadan, the Great
+King generally regulated the internal affairs of Medea himself.
+
+King Hystaspis had then built for himself a palace on the banks of the
+royal river Pulwar in Persia near where it flowed into the Araxes and
+about thirty miles below or west of Pasargadæ, around which arose a
+great city known to history as Persepolis, where in winter he might
+enjoy a less rigorous climate than at Bactra. There he and his queen
+loved to reside in the midst of a great park, surrounded by men and
+women of congenial spirit, embowered in the flowers and foliage of a
+semi-tropic vegetation with the great plain of Merv, a very paradise
+under irrigation, lying before them. His provinces were under the rule
+of governors. The load of executive duties fell upon his officers. Only
+in times of war did he leave his retreat, except that once each year he
+returned to Bactra for some weeks of administrative work.
+
+During the absence of King Hystaspis and his son with Cyrus on the
+expedition against the Tourans, Bardya and his sisters had been guests
+in the palace at Bactra. This was a rambling structure, one story in
+height, adorned with a portico whose tall stone pillars supported a
+heavy wooden roof and gave to its front the appearance of a temple.
+The walls of the palace were of roughly hewn stone, thick and massive.
+There were many wings, all gable-roofed and rudely ornate with
+buttresses and overhanging eaves. Narrow windows and doors gave light
+and air to the interior. It being summer, the windows were protected
+by heavy wooden bars only, the winter-time shutters having been
+removed. Gauze curtains on the inside were hung over them, more to
+exclude insects than for beauty. The doors were of heavy wood, bound
+with brazen bands cut in ornate figures. Inside, the many rooms were
+fitted luxuriously, with bright, soft rugs on the stone floors and with
+figured draperies on the walls, where, also, hung armor and weapons.
+Divans, couches, chairs, and tables richly upholstered and set with
+precious metals and ivory constituted the furniture. In the midst of
+the palace was an open court, where a fountain gushed up from a rocky
+islet in the middle of a pool and where flowering shrubs perfumed the
+air. The servants’ quarters were at the rear, and, not far away, was
+another building where a company of soldiers had quarters.
+
+The white stone walls of a small temple could be seen three hundred
+paces to the west of the palace, in the midst of great oaks and elms.
+There had Zoroaster taught and had exercised the offices of chief
+priest of Iran, and there beneath its altar lay buried his saintly
+bones. There a corps of priests kept the sacred fire ever burning
+and daily uttered prayers for the King and his people. There, before
+entering upon any long journey or going to war, the King of Iran
+offered his sacrifices and raised his hands to the Great Life-giving
+Spirit of Heaven. There, now, within its sacred portals, reposed for a
+time the body of the Great King.
+
+The ground sloped gently northward from the palace down to the shore
+of the Adirsiah and was graced with many large trees. A low stone wall
+surrounded the palace park, except where the river bounded its front.
+There were benches beneath the elms on the river shore, where one
+could sit and look upon the distant northern mountains or at the rapid
+stream, rushing in light green splendor through its narrow, rock-bound
+channel and with sighing murmur giving an undertone to the songs of
+birds. Here at even came Athura, after having listened to the chant
+of the priests, celebrating the close of the day as she knelt by her
+father’s bier. She had come hither to be alone with her sorrow.
+
+The air was warm and balmy. A cooler breeze was beginning to blow down
+from the mountains; it played with the dark hair above her brow. The
+scarflike veil, which commonly served as a head-dress, was thrown aside
+and rested on her shoulders, exposing the wavy mass of hair upon her
+head and the gem-studded band that encircled it like a crown. Her tall,
+well-developed body was robed in a long mantle of dark, soft fabric,
+somewhat like the Grecian robe, caught up in the folds at the left side
+so as to expose the tip of a sandaled foot, and secured by a girdle
+of golden links at the waist. The short sleeves of an under jacket
+covered her arms to the elbow. Bracelets of gold set with gems graced
+her wrists. No pen has ever described her beauty or the royal grace
+of her demeanor. Through the dim vista of the ages comes a picture of
+dark brown eyes, in the depths of which shone all the tenderness of
+womanhood with its all-embracing sympathy and boundless capacity for
+love, and all the fearlessness of a pure, proud spirit, accustomed to
+power and authority. Comes also a vision of a fair complexion, pure
+Caucasian, or rather Aryan; a lofty brow, inherited from her father; a
+profile, now known as Grecian, but not modern Grecian; an expressive
+mouth, where sweetness dwelt, but which could show firmness and even
+sternness when necessary; a smile that would raise a worshiper to
+heaven; a frown before which the boldest would falter.
+
+In those days and among that people, woman held high and honorable
+place. The servility of the Semitic races, aped by later Persian
+rulers, had not yet degraded her. As in Greece and Rome, where men
+of kindred blood dwelt, so among the Iranians, woman held a most
+honorable place. Man ruled the world; but his heart was ruled by a
+noble woman. Coming of such a race, where equality made her sex noble,
+this royal princess exhibited in her carriage a spirit before which men
+bowed, not because she was high-born and of royal lineage, but because
+she was a woman.
+
+Of her tradition has spoken much and history little. All agree that
+she was the most famous woman of her age. Some would have her the
+wife of three kings: of Cambyses, her brother, of the false Bardya,
+or Smerdis, and of Darius, son of Hystaspis. Others declare that her
+sister, Artistone, was the wife of the latter. Others, that Artistone
+was the ill-fated wife of Cambyses. This is certain, that she was the
+high-spirited daughter of Cyrus, that she was indeed the wife of the
+greatest of the Kings of Iran and the mother of a line of kings; and
+history indicates that she was the real ruler of the empire while her
+son wore the crown. But such history had not yet been written, when,
+on this summer evening, she stood on the shore of the river Adirsiah
+and sadly meditated on the pleasant days of her girlhood spent in the
+company of her father. Her mother had died when she was a child of
+ten years; and, thereafter, her father had made her his companion,
+delighting in her wisdom as much as in her affection. She had traveled
+with him as he moved through his great empire, had played in the
+ancestral park at Pasargadæ, had ruled his palace at Susa, had viewed
+with wonder the mighty walls and hanging gardens of Babylon, and had
+dwelt much in Hamadan, the chief capital of the empire. There rose in
+her memory the proud, beautiful face of her mother, the cruel, sneering
+countenance of Cambyses, the smiling, mischievous face of Bardya, the
+little sister Artistone, and the grave, kindly father, whose stately
+manner never departed even in the privacy of home-life. Into this
+picture of her childhood life there came another face and form, one
+that of late years had filled much of her life with the sweetness of
+love. She remembered her first meeting with the Prince of Iran, at
+Pasargadæ, and how afterwards as a tall youth of fourteen years he came
+to her father’s court to enter his service, and that he talked much of
+his mother, of his father, and of his studies. He had at once assumed
+a sort of protectorate over Bardya and herself, interposing often
+between them and the cruel elder brother, Cambyses, and even coming to
+blows with him in their behalf. With him she had studied, had learned
+the art of writing and reading, had sat at the feet of the great seer
+of Babylon, Belteshazzer, also known as Daniel, the Hebrew, and had
+learned to ride, to hunt, and to handle arms. She had not neglected
+the arts practiced by the women of her race. To cook, to sew, to spin,
+to weave wonderful tapestries,--all these she had learned. Many times,
+disguised, she and Bardya and the young Prince of Iran had traveled
+from place to place, enjoying adventures among the common people and
+sometimes incurring great risks. Then wars had come, and her brothers
+and the young Hystaspis had followed the Great King on his campaigns,
+that they too might learn the war-game.
+
+She sat down on a rustic seat beneath a great elm and with hands folded
+in her lap gazed dreamily at the swirling stream, into which the shades
+of evening were darkly falling. Bitter-sweet thoughts, the sense of
+personal loss, the uncertainty of the future, the near presence of him
+she loved,--a hundred passing impressions stirred her soul. What would
+Cambyses do, now that he was to be the King of Kings? She and Bardya
+had often discussed the subject. She knew that the proud spirit of the
+latter would suffer no oppression from the King. Would there be civil
+war? Would brother fight brother? She feared so, knowing the hatred
+Cambyses felt towards Bardya, a feeling that the latter reciprocated.
+
+A footfall startled her. Turning, she beheld the Prince of Iran coming
+towards her. She rose with a smile of welcome and extended her hands
+to him. How noble he seemed to her! He had put off his armor, and over
+his close-fitting tunic of soft, velvety cloth had thrown the elegant
+Medean cloak in common use among the noble-born. Sandals protected his
+feet, and the interlaced thongs with which they were held partially
+covered his ankles and legs to the knee, to which the skirt of his
+tunic descended. The open folds of the long cloak gave freedom to his
+limbs and displayed the broad purple sash which served as a belt and
+the golden chain from which his short sword swung. His head was bare,
+displaying a mass of dark hair, slightly curled, and combed back from
+his broad brow. He had washed away the stains of travel. His sun-tanned
+skin glowed with health. His eyes were alight with love.
+
+A bulbul broke forth into song in the branches of the tree above them.
+The breeze rustled gently amidst the leaves. The gurgle and rush of
+the stream rose softly. A thousand whispering voices seemed to waken
+all about, as if the spirits of the woods talked of these two standing
+there in close embrace. Love, without which no human soul desires to
+live, which raises men to God, which makes of earth a heaven, which
+in its all-abounding strength makes men and women strong, the chief
+attribute of God and the chief element in His children, which links
+congenial spirits together for eternity and drives out evil, here sat
+enthroned.
+
+After the first warm greetings were over, they sat down side by side on
+the rustic seat.
+
+“I may tell you now,” he said, “that your father gave consent to our
+marriage. How I wish you could have been present so that he could have
+placed your hand in mine! Now, if we observe the ancient customs of our
+race, your eldest brother must give his consent.”
+
+“But even then we must wait until the days of mourning for my father
+are finished!”
+
+“I know, but what if Cambyses does not consent?”
+
+She was silent for a moment. This possibility had occurred to both. The
+word of Cambyses the Great King would be law. He might if he willed
+give his sister to another.
+
+“That Cambyses is not fit to reign!” she exclaimed presently. “My
+father should have decreed Bardya his successor! Am I, the daughter of
+Cyrus, to have no part in this empire? To have no will of my own? Let
+the people of Iran answer! What say you?”
+
+The Prince was silent now. The oath sworn to the dead Cyrus recurred to
+his mind. It would indeed have been better had Cyrus willed that Bardya
+should be his successor, for then the Aryans would have cheerfully
+followed his will. As he replied not, she continued:
+
+“Who, in truth, is entitled to reign in Iran? If birth gives right, is
+not the gracious King, your father, this day entitled to succeed my
+father? For he is of an older branch of the Achæmenian family. Let him
+assert this right! The men of Iran will uphold him. As for me, I shall
+be satisfied to become queen of the world, when you succeed to your
+father’s place.”
+
+“Of all these matters have I thought much,” he replied slowly. “It is
+true my father is entitled to reign in Iran; but the empire of Cyrus
+reaches on every side beyond the utmost limits of Iran; and it was his
+by right of conquest. It is a new empire based on the provinces of
+Persia and Medea over which he was always entitled to reign. Perhaps
+our ancient customs and laws would give my father the best right to
+succeed. But he has refused to assert that right. He has sworn to
+Cyrus to support Cambyses and Bardya on their thrones forever. I,
+too, in obedience to my father’s will, when the Great King lay dying,
+made solemn oath that I would likewise support them on their thrones,
+according to the terms of his will. Our oaths cannot return. But such
+oaths do not take away our ancient right to rule as Kings of Iran.
+That we will ever maintain; but not to the overthrow of Cambyses or of
+Bardya. I am troubled to know how to act in the future. Cambyses surely
+will not permit Bardya to reign even over part of this empire; and
+all the provinces of the East have been given to Bardya with the sole
+condition that he acknowledge the overlordship of Cambyses. If the King
+of Kings should lead an army hither to overthrow his brother, we must
+fight him; if Bardya seeks to overthrow his brother, we must prevent
+him. Alas! the mind of Cyrus must have been affected so that he could
+not see clearly! I can see before us long years of civil war, wherein
+Aryan will fight Aryan. Of one thing I am convinced, Bardya should not
+accompany the body of his father to Pasargadæ. Here, in the faithful
+city of Bactra, with the army of King Hystaspis at hand, he may be
+secure. Would it not be better that you also remain here, while I go to
+stand before the King and demand his consent to our marriage?”
+
+“Shall I not honor my father by attending when he goes to his tomb? I
+have no fear of Cambyses. Surely he will attempt no harm to me or to
+my brother when on this sacred mission! Besides, will you not also be
+present?”
+
+“Yes, I shall be near. Let us hope that the King of Kings will be
+gracious. My life shall be between you and harm. It would be valueless
+to me without you!”
+
+“And mine would end without you! Have no fear that Cambyses may give
+me to another! I, the daughter of Cyrus, will submit to no such
+disposition! He dares not violate the ancient custom which gives a
+woman the right to reject one who may be proposed. Not yet do the
+slavish laws of the Assyrians have force in Iran. Cambyses may rage; he
+may slay me! Yet will he not have his way with me! Truly if he attempts
+to oppress Bardya and me, the people of Iran shall be appealed to; and
+I know they will rise!”
+
+He drew his encircling arm closer and sighed deeply. “Oaths, lives, and
+crown shall not stand between us!” he said.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V
+
+CAMBYSES
+
+
+Some days were given to rest before the Prince of Iran and his guard,
+escorting the royal dead and accompanied by the royal family, marched
+out of Bactra on the long journey, over verdant plain and hill, over
+rugged mountains and sandy wastes, to Pasargadæ. Their route lay
+westward to Rhages, with the Elburz chain of mountains on the right
+and the vast deserts of Iran on the left, thence southward by way of
+Hamadan. A caravan accompanied them, bearing provisions and luxuries
+for the journey. In spite of the sad errand, it was a pleasant
+experience for the Prince and his beloved.
+
+Meanwhile Prexaspes, riding at courier speed, rushed on in advance to
+carry tidings to Cambyses. As he rode, he formulated plans. He knew
+Cambyses well,--in fact, it had been reported to Cyrus that Prexaspes
+had abetted his wayward son in his excesses. As much to remove him from
+his son as to please the Medes, the King had taken the powerful noble
+with him on his expedition against the Touranians. Prexaspes had not
+dared demur. Much as he loved ease and luxury, he was personally brave
+and capable. He had performed his duties and had won the approbation of
+the just old King. Knowing the weaknesses of Cambyses, his vanity, his
+selfishness, his gross passions, and his superstitious nature, he now
+planned how he should gain advantage by them; and in his mind he saw
+himself raised to the second place in the empire, covered with riches,
+honors, and power.
+
+He soon arrived at Rhages, an ancient city situated near that famous
+pass through the Elburz mountain-chain known as the Caspian Gates,
+and not far from Mount Demavend, around which cluster many legends of
+ancient Iran. Here the stream of Aryans had halted many years before
+separating into the three branches, one of which passed northward
+through the Gates into the Caucasus and thence into Europe, another
+westward into the mountains of Azerbijan, and another southward to
+Medea and Persia. But Hamadan, the Ecbatana of the Greeks, situated
+farther south, had grown greater and had become the capital of Medea.
+Rhages had ceased to be the capital. It was, however, a great and
+important city, a base for the army guarding the Caspian provinces
+beyond the great mountain-chain and a market through which flowed
+commerce from the sea of the north, the caravans of the east and south
+and from the herdsmen of the mountains in the west. Mount Demavend,
+magnificent in its snow-capped grandeur, on whose peak, it was said,
+God sometimes rested to view His created world, is one of the great
+mountains of earth.
+
+Prexaspes halted here but a day. He sacrificed a horse at the temple,
+where the ancient Aryan rites were performed, and he drank soma and
+was sprinkled with holy water afterwards at a Magian shrine, where he
+left a gift of money. Having thus satisfied his conscience and invoked
+good-luck from all sources, he galloped southward towards Hamadan,
+where he expected to find King Cambyses.
+
+The queen city of the empire, celebrated in song and story, strong
+in the martial spirit of its people, called Hamadan by the Persians,
+Agmetha by the Hebrews, Ecbatana by the Greeks, sat upon a rolling
+plain, close to the foot of Mount Elwend, sometimes called Mount
+Orontes. In the center was an eminence on which was the citadel and
+around which were seven walls rising in gradations, each painted a
+different color from the others. On the top of the eminence was the
+far-famed royal palace, covering acres of ground. Its glittering metal
+roof reflected afar the rays of the sun. Its porch columns, its doors
+and walls, were plated with precious metal. Its deep, cool interior was
+luxuriously furnished with carved and curiously wrought tables, divans,
+settees, and chairs, and with costly tapestries from Srinigar and rugs
+and carpets from the looms of Medea. Its throne room was vast and
+magnificent. A stone-built treasury vault occupied one corner, where
+was stored untold wealth, gathered during the years of conquest, when
+Crœsus and other unlucky kings fell before the conqueror. A park lay at
+the rear, inclosed within the walls.
+
+To this city from east and south caravans, with their spirited horses,
+their complaining camels, and their slow-moving elephants, came,
+and from the west long trains of pack mules and slaves, to exchange
+commodities and to outfit for new expeditions. Here came armies,
+returning from chastisement of some rebel or from conquest of some
+nation, to recruit for further forays. Half a million people, dwelling
+in wooden, stone, or tent houses, here made their homes and proudly
+claimed to be rulers of the world by virtue of the palace on the hill
+and the power of its royal occupant.
+
+It was midsummer. Royalty and nobility, leaving the lowlands and the
+heat of the capital city, sought cool retreats in the mountains. Mount
+Elwend, whose peak is capped with eternal snow, thrusts downward vast
+spurs into the plains eastward and southward; and, between their
+wooded sides, babbling streams of cool water flow down from the snows.
+In the vales and canyons of the foothills were many tents and rustic
+cabins, where the rich and powerful dwelt and enjoyed the cool, sweet
+air. Pack-trains fetched provisions and supplies from the city. In
+luxury and dissipation, with sport and game, the elect of earth here
+passed the time pleasantly. Here Cambyses was residing, all unconscious
+that he was now King of Kings.
+
+Riding down from the north, with a score of soldiers at his back,
+Prexaspes saw the dome and towers of the great palace flash in the
+afternoon sun and knew that his mission was almost accomplished. His
+heart beat high. He would be the first to greet Cambyses by his new
+title, King of Kings, the Great King, and it would depend upon the mood
+of Cambyses whether he would be given honors as the bearer of good
+tidings, or be disgraced as the bearer of evil. The guard at his back,
+picked up at Rhages, did not know his errand or that Cyrus was dead.
+The dark, eagle-like countenance of Prexaspes was impassive and never
+betrayed his thoughts. Worn by weather and hardened by exposure, he now
+looked more the soldier than the courier. But he looked forward to many
+days of ease and pleasure, when he could discard his dusty uniform for
+clean linen, perfumed vestments, and the elegant Medean cloak.
+
+At a point about two miles north of the city, he met a train of donkeys
+led by slaves and under guard of half a dozen mounted troopers. They
+were moving slowly and they insolently neglected to give way to
+Prexaspes and his followers when the latter came galloping down towards
+them.
+
+“On the King’s business!” shouted Prexaspes, wrathfully, reining in
+his foaming steed. “Out of the way, swine! Offscouring of the earth and
+filthy jackals! must we ride over you?”
+
+“We also are on the King’s business!” retorted the leader of the
+troopers, a dour, whiskered Mede, bringing his short spear into
+position. “By the whiskers of Merodach! keep a civil tongue and do not
+try riding over the train of Cambyses!”
+
+Prexaspes glowered at the speaker a moment. He recognized the sullen
+face.
+
+“Ha, Merobates, is it you?” he cried. “I might have known the captain
+of the King’s houseguard! Know you not Prexaspes?”
+
+Anger left the swarthy countenance of Merobates. He grinned as he
+answered:
+
+“Truly I remember the Lord Prexaspes! But I did not suppose you were
+within a thousand parasangs! Whence and whither?”
+
+“From the King to the King,” answered Prexaspes, enigmatically. “But
+where is he,--Cambyses? I bear a message to him and must not delay.”
+
+“Wise it is not to delay on his business, indeed!” rejoined Merobates.
+“The Prince is now at his summer camp some parasangs over there,”
+indicating the slopes of Elwend. “I am just returning from the city
+with the daily provisions for his use.”
+
+“Guide me to him, good Merobates, and great will be your reward!” said
+Prexaspes. “In the King’s name, I command! Leave your men to bring the
+train and lead on.”
+
+Merobates hesitated, considering whether it were wiser to stay with
+his men and thus assure the performance of his daily duty or to obey
+the order of the noble Prexaspes. But the compelling gaze of the
+nobleman was upon him, and, having issued several gruff orders to his
+subordinates, he led the way along a beaten trail into the hills. As
+they went, Prexaspes sought information.
+
+“How long has the Prince been at his summer house?”
+
+“Seven days only. He has just married a new wife, the daughter of
+Nebuchadezer, Prince of Nineveh, and he has taken her there, as he
+says, to be at peace, leaving his other wives at the palace.”
+
+“Has he many people with him?”
+
+“Oh, yes! Thirty notables of Nineveh came as an escort with the new
+wife. Thirty Medean nobles are with them for company. Besides, King
+Crœsus is there and also the son of Hillel of Damascus. There be the
+Babylonian hostages and Gaumata, the chief Magian, and a hundred others
+from far and near. A thousand cavalry guard the camp. Great games have
+there been! The Prince has proven himself to be a mighty archer and
+spear-thrower. He outshoots them all. Well it is for them! For the
+liquor--you know?”
+
+Merobates waved his hand suggestively towards his mouth as though
+quaffing from a goblet. Prexaspes nodded assent.
+
+“How is the Prince’s temper?” he asked.
+
+“Excellent! Never better! His new wife pleases him and his servants
+have learned how to avoid crossing him. But what is this news, which
+you have galloped from afar to bring?”
+
+“It is for the Prince’s ears first; but know, O Merobates, that great
+fortune either of good or evil hangs over your head and mine to-day.
+How does the Prince regard himself now?”
+
+Merobates laughed.
+
+“He has adopted the customs of the lowlander dogs who salaam to the
+earth before royalty. Cambyses has forgotten that he is mortal and
+swears that he will do even greater deeds than the Great King, his
+father. If you would please him, prostrate yourself and bow very low
+to the earth. Were he God himself, he could not be pleased more with
+adulation and homage! Praise his deeds--he swells with pride. Fail to
+praise--you may as well leap from the tower in the city market! Please
+him--a gold chain and a chief place at feasts is your reward! Displease
+him,--a bowstring at your throat, or hanging by your heels to a beam,
+or some other evil! Me has he ever commanded to treat him as ever I
+have,--with respect and obedience, but not with lying adulation. I tell
+him his faults. He laughs.”
+
+“I remember, he used to say that Merobates was his conscience and was
+the only man who dared to cross him or to speak plainly to him.”
+
+“It has always been so. He is violent. He fears not to smite in wrath;
+but he is subject to persuasion and art. He has no patience with those
+whom he dislikes and he dislikes all who neglect to praise him. Even
+the great Belteshazzer, appointed Governor of this province by Cyrus,
+has not escaped his anger. The Prince has revoked his authority.”
+
+Presently they entered a canyon, in which a clear brook tumbled over
+rocks. Following this they soon entered a small valley. Great trees
+bordered the margin of the stream and were scattered over the valley,
+forming a natural park. In the midst was the Prince’s palace, a low
+structure built of hewn timbers. A score of lesser houses and many
+tents stood at the sides of an open field several acres in extent,
+which lay in front of the palace. On this field the sports and contests
+of which Cambyses was fond were held.
+
+Prexaspes now perceived a group of men gathered beneath the spreading
+branches of a great live-oak near the palace. One, who was seated on a
+thronelike chair higher than the others, was engaged in conversation
+with another who stood uncovered before him and whose dress indicated
+that he was a priest. Others standing near appeared to be giving close
+attention. He who was seated was a large, heavy-limbed man, well-padded
+with fat and short-necked and gross. His big, round head was covered
+with a mass of curly black hair and was encircled by a gem-studded
+coronet. His face was dark, heavy, and flaccid, but his black eyes
+looked forth shrewdly from beneath overhanging brows. Bushy eyebrows
+met above his beaklike nose. A heavy black beard cut to a length of
+about six inches covered the lower part of his face. He was a powerful
+man physically and was said to be agile and quick in spite of his fat.
+
+Such was Cambyses, elder son of Cyrus. There were marks of dissipation
+on his face. From early youth he had indulged his passions, until now,
+at the age of thirty years, he was a slave to them.
+
+The sound of approaching hoofs called the Prince’s attention to
+Prexaspes and his followers. He paused in his discourse and exclaimed
+angrily: “Who comes? It must be very important service to cause men to
+ride thus into my presence!”
+
+Prexaspes halted at twenty paces’ distance, gave the reins of his steed
+to Merobates, sprang to the earth and drew near, uncovering his head as
+he advanced. Cambyses then recognized him and uttered an exclamation of
+surprise and pleasure. Prexaspes, throwing himself on his face at the
+Prince’s feet, cried: “All hail, King of Kings! May the Great King of
+all the World live forever!”
+
+For a moment, Cambyses was silent. He knew the meaning of those words.
+His face paled and he sank back upon his seat. But recovering he said,
+in a voice quivering with excitement: “Rise up, Prexaspes! What mean
+you? Why are you here? What of my father?”
+
+“I will speak only if you bid me, mighty King!”
+
+“Speak on!”
+
+“King Cyrus, the Great King, the immortal hero, greater than Jemshid,
+greater than Kaiomur, is no more alive! But there lives a greater, even
+Cambyses, King of Kings, King of the Whole Earth; and, to him bring I
+this message at the command of the noble Hystaspis, King of Iran, thy
+subject. May I find forgiveness as a bearer of this evil news of the
+death of thy father, and favor as a bearer of the good news of thy
+accession to the throne!”
+
+Cambyses was again silent, unable fully to realize his elevation to
+supreme authority. His eyes turned upon his courtiers, who forthwith
+fell on their faces before him, and cried out: “All hail, King of
+Kings! Live forever!”
+
+He drew a deep inspiration. Graciously extending his hand he motioned
+to Prexaspes to rise and draw near; and, taking from his own neck a
+heavy gold chain, he placed it around the messenger’s neck, saying:
+
+“I give you my favor, noble Prexaspes! A long and weary journey have
+you come to bear me this news; and you shall be rewarded. That has come
+to pass which had to come. Henceforth Cambyses, the Achæmenian, son of
+Cyrus, heaven-born, reigns and shall reign! I thank you, Prexaspes! You
+shall have room in my palace here and shall feast this night. On the
+morrow we will return to our capital and proclaim my accession to the
+throne. Sit down here on my right hand and tell me of the death of my
+father. There shall be proclaimed throughout the empire forty days of
+mourning for my father and, after that, forty days of rejoicing for me.”
+
+“I am indeed weary and travel-stained,” rejoined Prexaspes, looking
+down upon his dusty clothes. “I have ridden day and night, that I
+might hasten to you. I pray you command that I may retire and dress as
+becomes one who stands in the presence of the King.”
+
+“Mind not the clothes! It pleases me to note such eagerness in my
+service. Ho, there, cup-bearer!” cried the King, turning to a youth who
+stood waiting near the palace door. “Bring cups and wine!”
+
+Instantly the cup-bearer clapped his hands. Two servants came running
+from the palace, one bearing a jar of wine, the other a tray of
+golden goblets. The goblets were quickly filled with ruby wine and
+the cup-bearer presented them to the King, after duly tasting them.
+Cambyses took one and handed it to Prexaspes.
+
+“Drink!” he said. “You must be thirsty. But, perhaps, my father has
+trained you to soberness?”
+
+“While King Cyrus lived I obeyed him. Now that Cambyses is King of
+Kings, I obey him,” answered Prexaspes, taking the cup.
+
+“Well said!” exclaimed Cambyses, taking a huge goblet. “Come, let us
+first pour a libation to the earth and its gods.”
+
+He poured a little of the wine out upon the earth and drank the
+remainder. Prexaspes followed suit. The King laughed as he looked
+around upon his courtiers and saw that their countenances were
+expressive of curiosity and mild astonishment. Pouring libations to the
+gods of earth was sin with the orthodox Aryans and a new practice to
+the majority of those present. But they expected that Cambyses would
+disregard custom and law, even more now as King than he did while only
+a prince.
+
+“Now sit here by me and briefly tell how my father died and all that
+happened thereafter,” said the King to Prexaspes. “Afterwards you shall
+rest.”
+
+Prexaspes sat down at the King’s right hand on a low bench. The
+courtiers and attendants, obeying a motion of the King’s hand, retired
+beyond hearing.
+
+“I thank you, O King, for this favor!” answered Prexaspes. “My last
+message was written just before your father encamped with his army
+on the left bank of the Jaxartes and two days before the last great
+battle. It had been in the King’s mind to cross the river and pursue
+the enemy farther when he learned from his scouts and some prisoners
+that the Touranians were gathering at a point ten parasangs above us
+with the intention of giving battle. Then the King set his army in
+battle-array, in a very strong position, with the left wing resting on
+the river and the right far out in shifting sand-dunes. In front was a
+deep, narrow water-course beyond which lay an open plain over which the
+enemy must come. He commanded the Prince of Iran to lead the Imperial
+Guard to a position behind the sand-dunes, ready to come out upon the
+enemy’s flank and rear when the battle should be joined.”
+
+The King interrupted, exclaiming: “A young man is Prince Darius to hold
+so important a command! By my beard! Infants shall not command under
+me!”
+
+“Your will is law, O King,” rejoined Prexaspes bowing. “But I must
+say that Prince Darius is a most loyal subject of Cambyses and a very
+brave and able general. King Cyrus took position at the left of our
+army and the weight of the enemy’s charge fell upon that part. It was a
+fearful struggle. My light-armed troopers went out to draw the enemy to
+charge and, as commanded, fell back before the thousands on thousands
+of shrieking, howling foemen. They followed us into the great ditch
+in our front and pressed across. They bore back the Persian and Medean
+heavy-armed infantry. They broke through and would have ruined the
+army, had not King Cyrus at the head of five thousand men of the
+Imperial Guard thrown himself into the breach and held them back by
+most mighty exertions! Then came the Prince of Iran and the remainder
+of the Guard down from the right upon the rear of the enemy, crushing
+and rolling them back into the Jaxartes. His charge saved the day. It
+was magnificent. The light horses of the Touranians went down like
+leaves before a gust of wind. But just as the victory declared for us,
+the King received a poisoned dart in his throat and was borne from the
+field by the noble Otanes. In spite of all that the surgeons could do,
+he died that night.”
+
+“What message did he leave?”
+
+“King Hystaspis was in command of the army. He called a council of
+officers and designated me as a messenger to bring to you the last
+decree of the Great King. Here it is.”
+
+Prexaspes drew a packet from a pouch at his belt and presented it to
+the King. Cambyses eagerly unbound it and began to read. A dark frown
+slowly gathered on his face. He suddenly cast the paper upon the earth
+and set his foot upon it, while his gleaming eyes showed bitter wrath.
+
+“What!” he exclaimed. “Does he think to divide his empire and confirm
+that hair-brained, beardless Bardya as ruler of Iran and Persia?
+I say, it shall not be! I am King of Kings now, and I shall reign
+alone! I will cut that young sprout off if he dare claim a shadow of
+sovereignty! My father always hated me and loved Bardya. He always
+did shield that boy from my wrath. Now he gives him the best part of
+the kingdom! What if he does acknowledge me as overlord? Is he not
+ambitious? He will ingratiate himself with the people and then will
+attempt to overthrow me! King Hystaspis and his son,--they doubtless
+will aid him!”
+
+He rose and paced back and forth, swinging his arms and smiting his
+hands together. Prexaspes also rose and, though standing in a humble
+attitude, covertly watched the King.
+
+“What say you?” demanded Cambyses, halting before Prexaspes.
+
+Prexaspes, after some hesitation, answered: “Doubtless it was not just
+in the Great King to make such provisions; but he was old and very fond
+of Prince Bardya. Why allow the decree to be published? There is no
+need until you are firmly established. Afterwards there will be time to
+deal with the matter.”
+
+The King silently stroked his whiskers a moment considering the advice.
+It seemed shrewd and good. His wrath cooled somewhat. A cunning look
+came upon his flushed countenance.
+
+“That is good advice, Prexaspes!” he assented. “You shall be my chief
+counselor. This decree shall be burned. None know its contents but you
+and I. I count on your silence and will greatly reward you. If you
+deceive me, no death shall be too severe for you!”
+
+“Have no doubt of me, Great King! I am your servant and will do as you
+bid. There is no decree. I have forgotten it. Let it not be seen of
+men. But Bardya has a copy of it and the Persian nobles witnessed it.”
+
+He recovered the paper from the earth and restored it to Cambyses. The
+latter laughed as he tore it in small pieces. Calling a servant to
+bring a brazier of coals, he placed the fragments upon the embers and
+watched them burn.
+
+“Hark you, Prexaspes!” he then said. “This Bardya must not be allowed
+to divide this kingdom. See to it! Great will be your reward. The
+second place in the kingdom shall be yours. Do you understand?”
+
+Prexaspes considered a moment. He well understood the meaning Cambyses
+sought to convey.
+
+“I understand,” he then said. “Perhaps misfortune will overtake the
+young man. Who knows?”
+
+The King laughed harshly. “An accident perhaps! Rather than that the
+empire be divided, one of us should die. The world is not large enough
+to hold two kings when Cambyses is one of them! What do you advise?”
+
+Prexaspes thoughtfully contemplated the earth. The King impatiently
+waited, glowering at him with the restless, cruel eyes of a tiger.
+
+“Speak!” commanded the King at length. “Shall we send a force and take
+him?”
+
+“If it please you, O King, that I should offer advice, no. Bardya is
+strong in the love of the Aryan race. He now dwells in the midst of
+hosts of stout men who are his friends and who would overthrow your
+throne if they could for his sake. Persian and Medean soldiers cannot
+be compelled to make war upon Bactrians when led by a son of Cyrus.
+Babylon, Assyria, Damascus, Sardis, and the Ionian cities will not
+uphold your hands; they but wait for an opportunity to rebel. You must
+court the favor of the Aryan race. Above all I advise that you show
+favor to the King of Iran and to his able son. They are the idols of
+the veteran army of Cyrus.”
+
+“But Darius is Bardya’s friend!”
+
+“True, but he is also your loyal supporter.”
+
+“How know you? Is it not said openly among the nobles of Persia that
+Hystaspis by right of birth should have ruled instead of Cyrus? Darius
+is ambitious. I know that youth! I have hated him since my father
+showed more favor to him and to Bardya than to me! He knows this. How
+then say you he will be my supporter?”
+
+“Do you not remember his love of truth and his hatred of lies and
+deception from his boyhood up?”
+
+“I remember! No doubt it was a disease in him!”
+
+“Just so! Nevertheless it is said throughout Persia and Iran and by
+every man of the great army, that, when once the word of the Prince
+of Iran is given, it will stand forever. No one ever requires of him
+a witness or a written tablet. Now at the request of Cyrus and with
+consent of his father, he placed his hands in those of the Great King
+and swore to support you and Bardya on the throne of this empire.
+Therefore you need not fear him; but, rather, you may depend upon him
+for aid if you need it.”
+
+The cloud on the King’s face lifted somewhat. He had watched with
+jealous eye the growing power of the young Hystaspis and had feared him
+even more than Bardya.
+
+“Nevertheless, wait till his ambition meets opportunity,” he suggested.
+
+“No, it is as I say. I have proof. On the march to Bactra, the Prince
+with the Imperial Guard was in charge of the transport of the King’s
+body. The Guard, on the morning of the second day’s march, saluted
+Darius as King of Kings; and all had taken oath to support him if he
+would consent. But he rebuked them, told them of his oath to support
+you, and then and there made them also swear with uplifted hands to
+support you. I myself witnessed it.”
+
+“Is it so? Treason must be flourishing indeed!” exclaimed Cambyses,
+bitterly. “This Guard shall no longer be the Imperial Guard! It shall
+be decimated!”
+
+Rage again possessed the King’s soul. He knew himself to be unpopular
+save with a few boon companions. His jealous heart was filled with
+hatred towards the popular Prince. Prexaspes ventured to remonstrate.
+
+“Let not the Great King be offended with his servant! I am acquainted
+with the army and all its soldiers. The Aryans are a proud race and the
+nobles will not bow the knee even to their kings, as you know. Do not
+anger them. Without them your subject nations will revolt and you will
+have no one to support your empire. Rather, dissemble your feelings.
+You are very wise, O King, if you but stop to think. First, be well
+established on your throne. After the body of your heroic father shall
+have been placed in its tomb, send the Prince and his Guard to conquer
+new provinces. Be advised by me in this. Should evil befall his son,
+old Hystaspis would lead the veterans of Cyrus five hundred thousand
+strong against you. Who could stand before them?”
+
+Cambyses ceased pacing back and forth and sat down, saying: “Your words
+are wise, Prexaspes. I will be advised. Proceed!”
+
+Prexaspes smiled slightly behind his hand. He had properly gauged the
+King’s impulses. He continued: “I advise that you issue your formal
+decree as King of Kings to-morrow and send copies thereof to be
+proclaimed in every province of the empire; that you issue a decree
+confirming the Prince of Iran in command of the Guard and in his
+mission to transport the body of the Great King to Pasargadæ; that you
+send a messenger to Bardya and to your sisters greeting them kindly;
+that you, also, as soon as they shall have arrived at Hamadan, show
+them all honor, go with them to do honor to Cyrus at Pasargadæ, and
+dissemble your real feelings. Thus will you begin wisely and thus will
+you please the Aryan people. Afterwards we may take counsel; and,
+should Bardya meet with an accident or disappear, who can blame the
+Great King? Be assured, O King, that I advise well! I know that upon
+you only may I depend for advancement and power. Bardya does not, nor
+do any of the great Persian nobles, love Prexaspes. Their semi-barbaric
+manners suited not my taste, and my refined manners were not approved
+by them!”
+
+“I will heed your advice,” said the King. “My favor shall be with you.
+First, I will make you Satrap of Medea. I will let that old Hebrew,
+Belteshazzer, rest from his labors in his tower. Afterwards, if you
+serve me well, I shall increase your power. See to it, Prexaspes, that
+my will be not thwarted! There shall be one King, who shall be King of
+Kings, and he must be Cambyses!”
+
+“It shall be as you wish. But let us proceed with all care.” Thus
+Prexaspes entered upon a road to great gain in wealth and power, but
+also to ultimate woe.
+
+The King presently dismissed Prexaspes, and the latter was conducted
+to pleasant rooms in the palace, where he refreshed himself with
+a bath, arrayed himself in clean linen and rich garments and had
+himself barbered and perfumed by the King’s own barbers. Cambyses was
+lavish with his favorites, and just now Prexaspes was chief of them.
+The latter sat at the King’s right hand at dinner that evening. All
+festivities were abandoned in honor of the dead King, but the many
+courtiers who ate at his tables found opportunity to assure the new
+King of their joy over his accession to the throne. He drank deeply
+both of adulation and wine until he became half-drunk and maudlin,
+whereupon Merobates took him almost forcibly to his bedchamber.
+
+Next day, the King and all his retinue returned to Hamadan. A royal
+decree was immediately issued, reciting the death of the Great
+Cyrus and the accession of Cambyses to the throne of the world, and
+commanding all officers, soldiers, and peoples to acknowledge him King
+of Kings. The royal treasury was opened. From it the golden crown
+studded with precious gems, which Cyrus had worn on state occasions,
+and the royal scepter were brought forth. Clad in purple, and having
+the high, pointed crown on his head, his royal feet encased in yellow
+shoes, and his hair and whiskers curled, powdered, and perfumed,
+Cambyses held his first court in the great audience room of the palace.
+He sat on a golden throne placed high up on a dais, with fan-bearers
+waving ostrich plumes over him, with Prexaspes standing at his right
+hand and Merobates at his left, bearing the King’s sword and shield. He
+placed the crown on his head with his own hands, while a loud-voiced
+herald recited his titles. Then the thousand nobles and officers who
+were in attendance fell on their faces to the floor before him and
+hailed him King of Kings, the Great King! Cambyses, swelling with
+pride, deemed himself divine, and as a god he looked down upon his
+subjects with haughty demeanor.
+
+The world thus acquired a new ruler.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI
+
+PERSEPOLIS
+
+
+The modern world knows little of the beauty and grandeur of ancient
+Anshan, the home of Cyrus, or of the province of Fars and its cities.
+Mountains shut off from them the hot winds of the Persian Gulf and
+of the northern deserts. The high valleys lying between the mountain
+ranges that extend across it like huge dikes are of surpassing
+loveliness. Romantic woodlands, dells, lakes, canyons, murmuring
+brooks, rushing rivers, far vistas, plains, mountains, and hills
+delight the soul. In the valleys, flowers perfume the air all the year,
+and vegetation, where irrigation is practiced, is luxuriant. On the
+high hills and mountain tops winter holds sway during three or more
+months and the seasons are well-marked as in the temperate zones. It is
+the land of Omar, of Firdusi, and of many lesser poets; the land of an
+ancient white race, whose rugged virtues made them lords of much of the
+earth, but whose descendants have degenerated by admixture with lower
+grades of humanity and have suffered much to maintain even their own
+independence.
+
+The celebrated plain of Mervdasht is between two parallel ranges of
+mountains, one of which lies to the west between it and the low hot
+lands of the gulf-coast and the other to the east between it and
+the vale of Murghab, or ancient Anshan. A river comes down from the
+northern mountains through the midst of this plain and empties into a
+lake. It is a perennial stream, but fordable save in the winter when
+the rains fall. It has been variously named, anciently the Araxes,
+later the Kur or river of Cyrus, and again the Bendamir. Another river
+of less volume but more celebrated, the Pulwar, comes down to join
+it through the mountains from northeast table-lands. This passes by
+the vale of Murghab, where a little stream of that name, coming from
+the east, flows into it. In this vale was ancient Anshan, the capital
+of the Achæmenian line of kings, a city also known as Pasargadæ. The
+tortuous bed of the Pulwar connects the vale of Murghab with the valley
+of Mervdasht, having cut for itself a deep gorge through the mountains.
+A royal road, passing through this gorge or canyon, connected the
+ancient capital with a more modern city, Persepolis.
+
+Persepolis, or the city of the Persians, ancient Parsa, lay close to
+the mouth of the mighty canyon of the Pulwar, where it opened into
+the vale of Mervdasht. The city lay principally on the northern banks
+of the river. On the southern bank was a great park; and in this on
+a plateau extending from the base of low mountains that border the
+eastern side of the plain, were the palaces of the Kings of Iran.
+King Hystaspis and his great son, Darius, and his grandson, Xerxes,
+each erected magnificent palaces of dark-gray marble on this natural
+platform. The great size and magnificent architecture of these
+buildings were among the wonders of the ancient world. Their majestic
+ruins yet testify to the power, the love of art, and the learning of
+those masters of men.
+
+King Hystaspis, content to rule Iran as a nominal vassal of Cyrus and
+under the shadow of his mighty arm, laid out for himself in the valley
+of Merv a new city and there placed his loved friends and retainers.
+He brought artisans from Egypt, Canaan, Syria, Phœnicia, and distant
+Greece, and built for himself a great palace. It is said that he or his
+son formulated a new alphabet for his language and caused the books of
+Zoroaster to be translated therein.
+
+Orchards of apple, peach, and apricot, vineyards where grape and berry
+grew, fields of vegetables and grain, covered the fertile valley and
+its surrounding hills. On the day when the Imperial Guard, escorting
+the body of the Great Cyrus, halted on the summit of the western ridge
+bounding the valley and looked down upon the peaceful scene, autumn
+was touching all with the signs of harvest and the coming winter-rest.
+On that day, while the funeral car halted, Prince Bardya, his sisters,
+and the Prince of Iran rode forward to a bluff jutting out from the
+ridge; and from this position they looked down into a paradise,--so it
+seemed to them, weary with dusty roads and desert lands. There, where
+the Pulwar entered the plain from the narrow gorge in the western
+mountains, Cyrus had drawn up his Persian patriots to fight a last
+battle for liberty from the Medean yoke, having been driven to bay by
+the vast army of stern old Astyages, his grandfather. That decisive
+battle not only gave liberty to his own province but gave Astyages to
+him as a prisoner and the crown of Medea for his own head. From that
+victory Cyrus had gone forth to conquer the world. But now, conquered
+by the last enemy, Death, he was returning there to his final rest.
+The heart of the Prince of Iran was stirred by strong emotions, as he
+looked across the beautiful vale. He could see afar the great portico
+of his father’s palace where, he knew, his mother stood watching for
+the coming of her son. Uncovering his head, he extended his hands
+towards heaven, saying:
+
+“To thee, O Ahura-Mazda, Ruler of Heaven, Giver of Life, Lover of
+Truth, and Protector, we give thanks! For thou hast brought us home!”
+
+“Amen and amen!” exclaimed Bardya, uncovering his head.
+
+The Prince of Iran then addressed his companions: “I welcome you to the
+home of King Hystaspis. This valley and yonder city are his property,
+ceded to him as a home for the Achæmenian family, when he consented to
+remove hither from Bactra. I bid you rest at our palace yonder this
+night. The road from Parsa to Anshan is rough and ought to be traveled
+only by day. My mother is at the door to welcome you.”
+
+“We gladly accept!” assented Bardya, heartily. “Do I not love that
+mother almost as much as you? Do you remember the happy days when
+we hunted on yonder hills and swam in the Pulwar and the Araxes? Do
+you remember the day we were almost drowned? We will go to that deep
+water-hole again to-morrow and swim there as boys again. Our troopers
+should rest a day while we send a message to Cambyses at Anshan to
+inform him of our coming.”
+
+Athura added: “It will be delightful to accept the hospitality of your
+mother. I shall return after going to Anshan and shall stay long with
+her and rest. My sister is much in need of rest. The long journey has
+made her ill.”
+
+“After we shall have accomplished our mission,” said the Prince of
+Iran, “we shall enjoy many pleasant days there. The hunting is good. We
+shall enjoy the royal sport!”
+
+“Unless Ahriman interfere!” added Bardya, waving his hand towards
+Anshan, where his brother now awaited their coming. “I propose to stay
+a month at least. I suppose he awaits us impatiently at Anshan.”
+
+Athura said reprovingly to her brother: “Speak not of the King of Kings
+thus! He has sent us courteous messages, even if he would not await us
+at Hamadan or march with us here. Perhaps it was best that he should
+go on ahead to prepare the tomb and to arrange for the ceremonies.
+Be advised, brother! Remember to show him the deference due to his
+station. His anger was ever terrible! Now he has no one to restrain
+him.”
+
+Bardya laughed and tossed his head, as he answered: “Fear not for me! I
+shall treat him with all due respect. Am I not on the ground my father
+gave me in his will? The Persian lords will not permit him to oppress
+us. When I see that King of Kings, I will demand of him that he publish
+the full terms of my father’s will. If he refuse to observe that--Well,
+it may be that he will cease to reign!”
+
+The Prince of Iran said nothing, but his countenance was somber. He
+feared that the impetuous Bardya would precipitate trouble. He foresaw
+civil war.
+
+Descending into the valley, they approached Persepolis. A vast throng
+of people came out to meet them and stood on either side of the road
+weeping and wailing aloud as the funeral car passed. A company of
+guards led by an aged veteran met them at the entrance of the city.
+
+Prince Darius greeted the leader warmly: “Ho, Orobates, our beloved
+High Chamberlain! How fares my royal mother?”
+
+“All hail, Prince of Iran!” cried the stately old man, kissing the
+Prince’s cheeks as the latter bent down to greet him. “God’s blessing
+of long life and happiness be upon you! How good it is to behold you
+once more! Your mother, our most gracious Queen, is well and awaits
+you at the palace. She begs that you will prevail upon the royal Bardya
+and his sisters to honor her house with their presence. All things are
+prepared. The best of the herds, the finest game from the mountains,
+the daintiest fruits and flowers,--all are ready!”
+
+“They have consented to honor us, Orobates. Has my mother good health
+and is she happy?”
+
+“Excellent health, gracious Prince; but she sighs much for you and the
+King.”
+
+“Did Cambyses, the Great King, honor our house with his presence?”
+
+“He refused our bidding on the plea that he was in haste to reach
+Anshan on state business. But he sent a gracious greeting to your
+mother.”
+
+The Prince led the caravan into the city, nodding and waving greeting
+to many whom he had known when a child. Crossing the Araxes over a
+magnificent stone bridge, the cortège marched into Persepolis and
+encamped in a great open field on the shore of the Pulwar. The funeral
+car was driven into the sacred enclosing wall of a temple and there
+rested till a messenger went to Cambyses and returned.
+
+Leaving the cares of the encampment to subordinates, the Prince of
+Iran, accompanied by Gobryas and some of his chief officers, conducted
+Bardya and his sisters across the Pulwar over a beautiful stone
+bridge of one great arch and through the park to his father’s palace.
+The limpid stream, the great oaks, elms, walnuts, and plane trees,
+whose foliage was tinged with gold and red, the flowering shrubs, the
+fountains, and the greensward, smiled a joyful welcome to the weary
+travelers. Broad steps, leading up to the great plateau or bench on
+which the palace stood, gleamed white through the tree-limbs. Slender
+gray columns adorned the portico. On the stairs stood a group of
+women, and among them a stately dame, who waved her hand in welcome.
+Prince Darius galloped on ahead to the foot of the steps and, leaving
+his horse in charge of an attendant, ran up into the embrace of his
+mother.
+
+Age had not greatly affected the beauty of the Queen of Iran nor dimmed
+her blue eyes. Her gray hair was gathered in a net at the back of her
+head and was encircled by a golden band set with sparkling gems. Her
+dress was an ample purple robe reaching to her feet and encircled at
+the waist with a silken sash. Its loose sleeves revealed arms still
+shapely and adorned with bracelets of gold. The gracious majesty of her
+countenance, the sweetness of her smile, and the soft accents of her
+voice were celebrated in Iran.
+
+That was an age when wife and mother were not slaves or prisoners.
+Recognized as the equal of men, their virtues and loveliness made homes
+where men were grown. Not yet had Cambyses, aping the manners and
+customs of the dwellers in Mesopotamia, Syria, and Arabia, degraded
+women to the seclusion of harems; nor had custom forbidden women to
+appear before friends unveiled, though veils were commonly worn in
+public places. Polygamy was almost unknown in Iran, though its practice
+had crept into Medea. The wife was queen of the home and ruled in the
+heart of her husband.
+
+The Prince knelt at his mother’s feet, and her arms encircled his
+neck while her lips kissed his brow. “Welcome home, beloved son!” she
+exclaimed. “Long days have intervened since you waved farewell to me
+from yonder bridge; but no day has passed that I did not think of you!”
+
+She raised him up and stood proudly at his side, leaning on his arm,
+while she welcomed Prince Bardya and his sisters. To Bardya she said
+as he bent his knee before her: “The blessing of Ahura-Mazda be upon
+you, O Prince of the World! Arise! It is not meet that you kneel to me!
+Welcome to the palace of my lord, the King of Iran!”
+
+“Gracious Queen,” replied Bardya as he arose, “I kneel to you as to
+my mother! Next to her, who lives only in my memory, do I love and
+reverence the mother of my friend, the Prince of Iran. Have we not, in
+years past, stood together at your knee and received your instruction?
+Now that we are indeed orphans we come to you for consolation.”
+
+Tears filled the great lady’s eyes. She embraced Athura and Artistone
+tenderly; and, leaving the men to the care of her son, she took the
+girls with her to her own apartments and personally saw that they were
+made comfortable. While they are removing the dust of the road and
+enrobing themselves for dinner, we may wander in spirit through this
+typical palace of the Achæmenian kings and observe its grandeur.
+
+From the portico which extended the full breadth of the palace front,
+an entrancing view of valley and mountain, of river and park, could
+be had. Sixteen slender, fluted, marble pillars supported the massive
+wooden roof of the portico. Their capitals were winged bulls; their
+bases were bell-shaped and carved to imitate lotus buds. A high, narrow
+door gave entrance from the front through the thick stone walls into
+a hall, on either side of which were rooms where the palace-guards
+had their abode. The hall led into a reception room fully fifty feet
+square, whose walls were pierced by a dozen narrow windows and whose
+ceiling of heavy carved timbers was upheld by slender wooden pillars
+covered with silver plates. The stone walls were hidden by beaten
+silver plates and the windows and doors were hung with tapestries of
+fine crimson and purple fabrics. Wooden shutters were fitted to the
+windows, but were now open to admit air and light. Later, when winter
+should come with its rains and frost, the windows would be closed by
+semi-transparent oiled silk. Red and purple rugs lay on the tiled
+floor, partially covering the various patterns worked out in colored
+tiles. A throne, shining with gold plate, occupied a raised platform at
+the end of the room opposite the entrance. Cushioned chairs, divans,
+and couches, tables of polished wood, mirrors of polished silver and
+bronze, lamps of many patterns fastened to the pillars and walls, and a
+cabinet of dark inlaid wood comprised the furniture. The cabinet held
+a collection of books, rolls, and tablets, the library and the special
+treasure of the King of Iran.
+
+Doors at the right of the throne led into the apartments of the men;
+at the left, into the apartments of the women; and, immediately at
+the rear, into a small open court, beyond which were the servants’
+quarters. Banquets of state were held in the throne room, but
+ordinarily the tables were laid in the small open court. The various
+apartments were furnished with couches, and with blankets and rugs of
+skillful weaving and of that fineness and texture for which the woven
+products of Iran have ever been famous. All the conveniences of an
+advanced civilization, which power and wealth could provide or gather
+from the many nations over which the Persians held sway, were here.
+Baths and toilets fed by water piped from the hills, and drained into
+the Pulwar below, ornamental cabinets, containing scents and cosmetics
+for adorning the person, wardrobes full of costly dresses made of silk
+and fine linen, mirrors, combs, and brushes--even the modern homes of
+many so-called civilized people could boast no better.
+
+A narrow stair led up from the inner court to the flat roof, where the
+occupants of the palace, reclining on soft divans, under canopies or
+sunshades, could pass the warmer hours of the day, breathe the cool
+mountain air, and enjoy the lovely scenes. Looking down from it, one
+could see the royal stables five hundred paces to the south in the
+park, where scores of graceful horses were kept; and farther on was the
+inclosure where cattle and sheep, driven in from the mountain pastures,
+were ready to furnish the royal table with meat or milk. A canal led
+from the Pulwar above the palace through the park to the stables below
+and thence into luxuriant gardens where servants toiled to supply
+their master’s table with vegetables. Fowls, dogs, horses, and cattle
+enlivened the barnyard scene. Servants in gay tunics, loose, fringed
+trousers, and with sandaled feet went hither and thither on their
+duties. Guards in shining armor walked their beats through the park or
+lazily stood leaning on their spears at the palace steps.
+
+While the guests were removing the dust and stains of travel, servants
+busily prepared the banquet. Tables of walnut, plated with silver and
+bound together by golden bands fastened with copper nails, were set in
+the great audience hall. Platters of beautiful porcelain or of beaten
+silver, piled high with fruits and bread, were placed on them, and
+plates of silver and cups of gold were also brought forth. Low seats
+whereon the guests could either sit or recline were set in order. A
+major-domo in gorgeous livery saw that all things were made ready. Then
+the guests were called. The men were seated at one table; the women,
+at another. Prince Darius sat at the head of the former; his mother
+at the head of the latter. Servants brought on, in regular courses,
+fish, steaming loads of venison and fowl, and bountiful supplies of
+vegetables and pastry. Water, milk, and wine of Helbon were the drinks,
+the latter being used sparingly. With appetites sharpened by a long
+day’s journey in the bracing air of the mountains, the guests did full
+justice to the viands. While they ate, the soft music of harps, played
+with considerable skill by musicians in the court, floated in through
+the open doors.
+
+The banquet hour having passed, the officers and nobles returned to the
+camp, while Prince Bardya and his sisters accompanied Prince Darius and
+his mother to a room adjacent to the dining-hall, used by the King of
+Iran when at home as an office. A large fireplace in one corner of the
+room was filled with a cheerful blaze. Gathered about the fire, guests
+and hosts felt much at home and spent a pleasant hour in conversation.
+
+“Now that Cambyses passed through your city with scant courtesy,”
+Bardya said, somewhat warmed by the wine he had imbibed and by his
+genial surroundings, so that he felt called upon to express his
+indignation towards his brother, “what think you of such a king?” He
+addressed Queen Hystaspis.
+
+“I marvel not at his action,” she replied quietly. “He was never kindly
+disposed towards us. But it is not for us to find fault. I should have
+met him in person and given the invitation to stop with us. I would
+have so done, had I not heard that he believes, with the Medes, that
+women have no place in the affairs of men. He passed through our city
+in a closed litter, not even deigning to see our messengers. He made
+reply through his chamberlain that the King of Kings was indisposed and
+pressed for time and would not rest till he should arrive at his palace
+in Anshan.”
+
+“He has ever been ill-natured!” continued Bardya, bitterly. “He
+believes himself heaven-born! He will end by declaring himself a god
+and appointing set times to worship him! What think you the nobles of
+Persia will say of his manners? It is said he has determined to decree
+a law of polygamy, and, like the Arabs, fill a harem with many wives.
+He is a follower of the Magi; but I doubt if he believes in the gods.
+I know he will never abide by our father’s will. As I have ridden from
+Bactra hither, I have thought much; and I have concluded that the
+kingdom will be his who can strike first!”
+
+The Prince had never before spoken his inmost thoughts. The Prince of
+Iran and his mother, though much disturbed, remained silent. Athura
+said reprovingly: “Brother, is it right to have such thoughts before
+our father’s body is entombed? Wisdom demands silence on your part
+until you see the King! As King he may act justly. If you stir up
+trouble, civil war may be the result. Let us be wise and discreet until
+we return to Bactra, from which you ought never to have departed! Then,
+if he act unjustly, the people of Iran will stand justly with you.”
+
+“What say you, my brother?” demanded Bardya, turning to the Prince.
+
+The latter answered at once and without hesitation: “The words of your
+sister are wise. Cambyses is King of Kings by right of birth and by
+the will of Cyrus. I am bound by an oath to support him in that right.
+It is not wise to plan against the will of Cyrus, nor is it even wise
+to discuss the matter. While we are safe here, an unwise word uttered
+at another place, and overheard, may cause great trouble. As for me, I
+shall ask of Cambyses, the King, two favors,--first that I may receive
+the reward that Cyrus, the Great King, promised; second, that I may
+accompany you to Bactra after my father returns here.”
+
+Athura smiled and blushed, as the Prince mentioned his promised reward
+and turned his ardent gaze upon her. Bardya arose and paced back and
+forth.
+
+“Alas! that my father should bind you and the powerful King, your
+father, with an oath!” he cried. “My way would otherwise be clear!
+Yes! let us be wise and patient! You shall come with me to Bactra, and
+together we shall extend the empire even as far as the great river of
+India and beyond the roof of the world where the slant-eyed Tourans
+dwell! King Hystaspis shall rule Iran in peace, while you and I lead
+victorious armies to the ends of the earth! Then we shall see who ought
+to be overlord of the world!”
+
+The Prince of Iran now sought to change the subject by suggesting that
+before leaving for Bactra they must hunt a lion in the jungles of Lake
+Baktigan. Plans for a hunting-trip to that wild region superseded more
+treasonable subjects. After a while, the guests admitted weariness
+and retired to rest. But the Prince of Iran threw a cloak about his
+shoulders and went out to walk in the park now flooded with moonlight.
+The watchmen respectfully saluted as he passed down the broad steps and
+went slowly towards the river. How pleasant it seemed after a year of
+war in desert lands to be at home! He could not retire to rest without
+standing awhile on the bridge over the Pulwar and looking down at the
+familiar hurrying waters.
+
+Before he reached the bridge, he was startled by the sound of pursuing
+footsteps. Turning, he beheld Athura approaching, followed by one of
+the guards.
+
+“Pardon, Lord Hystaspis!” she exclaimed, as he went back to meet her
+in wondering haste. “So glorious is the moonlight and so restless am
+I, that when I saw you come forth, I could not resist an impulse to
+follow! Let me walk with you.”
+
+“Most happy am I to have you with me, Athura, star of the evening! The
+light of your eyes surpasses the light of the stars! Your countenance,
+like the sun, brings warmth to my soul! Glad will that day be, when you
+shall become my wife; and we shall walk together thereafter forever!”
+
+He dismissed the guard. Then with his strong right arm around the
+princess and his ample cloak shielding both, they went on together. She
+laughed happily.
+
+“Indeed, my lord, you have the tongue of a poet!” she said. “What says
+the great Zoroaster of this land?
+
+  “Ahura-Mazda looked upon the desert lands
+  And with his mighty breath gave life to them;
+  Where none could dwell before he poured out life,
+  And Aryans lived and multiplied in peace,
+  Until their numbers were as desert sands.
+
+Was not his thought inspired by such nights as this?”
+
+“It may have been,” he answered. “But does he not continue:
+
+  “Then Angro-mainyus, death’s dark spirit made
+  That mighty serpent, Winter, with its snow,
+  To swallow up within its months of cold
+  The teeming earth, the flowing water-streams,
+  While storm-clouds cast upon the earth their pestilent shade.”
+
+“You are melancholy, Prince of Iran! Let us not think of Angro-mainyus.
+Are the days not passing swiftly? When the forty days of mourning shall
+have passed, shall we not be happy?”
+
+He drew her closely to him. “Most happy, beloved! But I am filled with
+forebodings of evil. Like some threatening Angro-mainyus, jealously
+watching the Spirit of Life at his creation and the children of men
+in their happiness, does the form of the new King of Kings loom up in
+the sky. I seem to feel even now the malignant hate with which he ever
+seemed to regard Bardya, and me because I was Bardya’s friend. When I
+think of the absolute power of life and death vested in him and his
+opportunity to wreak vengeance upon those he hates, I am troubled. What
+if he refuse to give you to me? What if he choose to bestow you upon
+another?”
+
+He felt the small hand now resting in his clench and harden. She looked
+up into his face as she answered slowly and solemnly:
+
+“As for me, though he inflict death, yet shall he not bend my will! I
+have chosen you alone of all the world. Your wife I shall be or I shall
+die. Listen, Prince of Iran! I am moved to say--some spirit prompts my
+soul to salute you, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. At your side shall
+I be Queen of the world! Is it not to be so?”
+
+He drew her closer to him and kissed her forehead. “Hush, life of
+mine!” he replied. “Start no such thoughts in my soul! Am I not
+oath-bound? If I were not so, should I plunge Iran into bloody civil
+war that I may wear a crown? Let Ahura-Mazda’s will be done! If
+Cambyses and Bardya cease to exist, in spite of my loyal support, then
+shall I deem myself most fortunate to sit on the throne of Cyrus at the
+side of his daughter. Ah, if only Cambyses had a soul like Athura, what
+a happy year would this be for the nations!”
+
+Twenty-five centuries have come and gone since they stood on the old
+stone bridge over the Pulwar and renewed their pledges of undying love
+and faith. Myriads since then have gazed into each other’s eyes and
+pledged the same faith, moved by the same love; but the story is ever
+fresh and the love is ever sacred, sweet, and entrancing. Only traces
+of the old stone bridge over the Pulwar remain. The tall, slender
+shafts of marble with which the neighboring palace was adorned are
+tumbled and broken; and over the ruins of the neighboring city the wild
+dog wanders and bays at the moon. Perhaps the spirits of those heroic
+two who stood on the old bridge, listening to the murmur of the waters
+below, while they murmured to each other, may return there again and
+again, to live once more in the ecstasy of love. Who knows?
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII
+
+“I AM CYRUS, THE KING, THE ACHÆMENIAN!”
+
+
+Where the Pulwar turns westward from its southerly course to break
+through the mountains on its way to the Araxes, the little mountain
+stream Mur joins it from the east. In a vale, at the junction of the
+rivers and extending far up along the Mur, was the city of Anshan,
+better known as Pasargadæ, “the Castle of the Persians.” In the midst
+of the city, Cyrus had erected a great palace of marble, surrounded by
+a magnificent colonnade, and, near this, a tomb. The base of the tomb
+was pyramidal and on its truncated top was a small marble building,
+much like a Grecian temple, which was to receive the royal coffin.
+On the lintel of the palace-gate and above the door of the tomb was
+engraved the legend, “I am Cyrus, the King, the Achæmenian!” No other
+record of his acts did he make. That was all, as if no other Cyrus ever
+had lived or could live, who would take from him the attention of men.
+
+Another great palace stood on an artificial platform of massive stones
+at the north side of the valley and a quarter-mile or so from the tomb.
+This building was ancient even at the time of which we write. It had
+been for centuries the dwelling of that branch of the Achæmenian family
+of which Cyrus was the greatest. Below and west of the palaces, at the
+junction of the streams, were the barracks of the Imperial Guards and
+their parade-ground. Above and on the south side of the valley lay
+the city with its narrow streets, its great market-place, its stores
+and dwellings. Many roads radiated from the city to all parts of the
+province, some following the beds of the streams and others crossing
+over ridges and spurs of the mountains, or excavated in the sides of
+the hills and by bridges passing over deep chasms.
+
+Cambyses, with one of his wives and his servants, upon their arrival
+at Anshan, took possession of the new palace of Cyrus and remained in
+seclusion. He gave little thought to the preparations for the funeral,
+leaving the management to Prexaspes, now his Lord High Chamberlain, and
+to the nobles and priests in charge of public services and worship.
+It was perhaps well for him that he did, since Prexaspes was gracious
+and tactful. He explained to all who were disposed to complain because
+Cambyses was inaccessible, that his royal master chose to remain in
+seclusion on account of his great grief. He flattered one and asked
+advice of another. He impressed the burly nobles of Persia so well that
+when the day for the funeral arrived, they were inclined to think well
+of Cambyses.
+
+The time approached when the body of Cyrus should be placed in its
+tomb. All roads leading to the capital city had been for a week
+enlivened by people coming from all parts of Iran and even from many
+foreign provinces, to witness the solemn ceremony and incidentally
+to gaze upon the new King. On horseback, in carts drawn by oxen or
+donkeys, on camels or in litters borne on the shoulders of slaves, the
+nobles and the wealthier came; while the lowly plodded along on foot
+carrying their food on their backs. The city became a vast camp, and
+the hills surrounding it were dotted with tents and booths.
+
+Great multitudes of people massed themselves along the road leading
+down to the Pulwar, on the morning of that day, to await the coming of
+the funeral cortège approaching from Persepolis. It was noon before the
+Prince of Iran with a company of the Imperial Guard and the funeral
+car appeared on the bridge which spanned the Pulwar, and, followed by
+a vast train, slowly defiled across to the parade-ground. The great
+car, drawn by eight white horses and followed by chariots in which
+rode Prince Bardya and his sisters, moved slowly to the center of the
+parade-ground and there halted. The remainder of the Imperial Guard
+then crossed and formed in open square around the car. The people
+massed themselves on every side, leaving only a narrow road open to the
+city, through which the King would come to greet his sire’s body.
+
+An officer was despatched to the palace to notify the King. A sentinel
+in the gaudy uniform of a palace-guard met and conducted the messenger
+into the outer hall of the palace, where he was received by Prexaspes.
+
+“I bear a message from the Prince of Iran to the King of Kings,” he
+said, bowing low before the Lord High Chamberlain.
+
+“I am Prexaspes, the Lord High Chamberlain,” responded Prexaspes. “Give
+me the message. I will bear it to him. He is at dinner.”
+
+“I am directed by the royal Prince of Iran to report that the Imperial
+Guard has arrived with the body of the Great King, Cyrus, King of Kings
+and Lord of Lords. We are ready to deliver our charge over to the
+King’s hands. We await his orders.”
+
+“It is well. Remain here. I will go in to the King.”
+
+Prexaspes disappeared through a door, the heavy curtains over which at
+a motion of his hand were drawn aside by a page. He proceeded slowly
+and solemnly to the door of the banquet-room, where a guard in armor
+stood aside while he knocked. A harsh voice commanded him to enter. He
+opened the door and went in, falling gracefully on one knee as he saw
+the King. The latter was reclining at a table, with only his Assyrian
+wife for company. The woman hastily drew a veil over her face as
+Prexaspes appeared.
+
+“What now?” demanded the King, frowning. “Am I not to eat in peace?
+Presume not too far, Lord Prexaspes! Speak!”
+
+Prexaspes rose and, clasping his hands before him in humble attitude,
+with his eyes directed to the floor lest they might look upon the
+Queen, answered, “Let not my gracious Lord be offended! A messenger has
+come from the Prince of Iran announcing his arrival with your lamented
+father’s body at the parade-ground by the Pulwar. I recall that you
+directed he should await you there, in order that you might ride forth
+and do honor to the great dead and thus gain favor with the people who
+loved him.”
+
+“Please the people! Bah! Pigs and dogs are they!” snorted the King.
+“Nevertheless your words contain wisdom. I will follow your advice
+until such time as there can be no choice of kings in this realm. Have
+my horse ready. Call out my new Imperial Guard. One can never say what
+that Bardya may attempt or what assassins lurk about. Send my armor to
+the dressing-room. Begone!”
+
+The King turned away and raised to his lips a huge cup, wherein
+sparkled the royal wine of Helbon. Prexaspes backed out of the room.
+He told the messenger to return to the Prince of Iran and command him
+to await the coming of the King. Arraying himself in brilliant armor,
+he mounted a horse and marshaled the guards, the nobles, the captive
+potentates who ate at the Great King’s table, and all the notables of
+the city, in due order.
+
+The King, clad in flexible golden mail and wearing a plain black cap
+on his head, after some delay came forth and mounted his horse. The
+illustrious company then moved solemnly down towards the parade-ground.
+A score of uniformed officers rode in front with spears held
+perpendicularly, the hafts resting on their stirrups. After them rode
+the King, followed by Prexaspes and a company of guards. The nobles and
+notables followed. The King’s expression was gloomy and abstracted.
+He looked over the heads of the people, and his glance was high and
+haughty.
+
+Moved by habit, the people bowed low as he went by and remained thus
+until he had quite passed. There was no sound. Had Cyrus been passing,
+roars of worshipful shouts would have greeted him from all sides.
+Cambyses knew this and in his heart raged because of the silence.
+His square, heavy body, his bull neck, and his round, bloated face
+suggested to the people no majesty. A murmur ran through the masses in
+which were mingled fear and derision.
+
+At one point the crowd pressed too heavily and forced back the guards
+drawn up at the sides of the way. Cambyses, whose horse shied somewhat
+at the commotion as the guards endeavored to drive the crowd back,
+shouted angrily: “Beat the dogs back! Use the points of your spears!”
+The guards, thus urged, smote lustily with the hafts of their spears,
+bringing cries of agony and imprecations from the hapless ones who
+received their blows. The crowd surged back and the King passed on
+without further comment.
+
+Meanwhile Bardya and his sisters and the Prince of Iran patiently
+waited the coming of the King. The Prince occupied himself in passing
+slowly along the massed ranks of the Guard, greeting his veteran
+comrades with a word of praise or inquiry and granting them leave to
+return home for a twenty days’ furlough. A guard of twenty officers
+stood around the funeral car and grooms stood at the heads of the
+white horses hitched to it. Two other grooms held by the bits the
+war-horse on which Cyrus had been mounted when stricken by the fatal
+dart. The noble animal pricked up his sharp ears and looked about with
+interested, intelligent eyes, not understanding that he was about to be
+sacrificed to Ahura-Mazda in honor of his master.
+
+Bardya and several Persians of high degree, among whom were three of
+the seven lords of Persia, Gobryas, Metaphernes, and Aspathines, were
+standing in a group near the car. Upon them the Prince of Iran cast
+many uneasy glances. He feared plots and treason. Some paces from them
+were two litters with drawn curtains, wherein rested the Princesses
+Athura and Artistone.
+
+A subdued murmur rose from the multitudes as they waited. The veteran
+troopers commented on all things and all men, some of their remarks
+being decidedly treasonable.
+
+“By rights,” growled one, whose whiskers covered the larger part of his
+face and chest, “our Prince here ought to be King of Kings! May Ahriman
+fly away with oaths! Now this Cambyses is no soldier. As for Bardya, he
+compares not with our Prince.”
+
+“Right!” admitted his neighbor. “Cyrus lives in the Prince of Iran. The
+King is a drunken savage. Prince Bardya is a gentle giant of no great
+wit. It is said the Princess Athura is most like her father. She and
+our Prince will marry. Cyrus promised it. God send the day when our
+Prince shall wear the double crown and she shall stand at his side as
+Queen!”
+
+“Treason, brother!” chided a third. “Hush! Let your jaws cease to wag
+of royalty.”
+
+Finally the King appeared. He drew near to the funeral car alone. His
+gloomy, black eyes rested coldly for a moment upon his brother, to
+whom he bent his head slightly. Bardya returned his salutation with a
+low, somewhat ironical bow. At that instant the Prince of Iran, who
+had drawn near, raised his hand as a signal, and instantly a crash of
+spear-hafts dashed against bucklers, a roar of voices from the Guard
+and fanfare of trumpets, sounded in royal salute. The old Imperial
+Guard thus recognized the new King of Kings. Cambyses, at first
+startled, flushed with pleasure and acknowledged the salute with bow
+and wave of hand. The great lords of Persia now advanced, one to hold
+his horse, another to hold his stirrup, and a third to receive the
+imperial scepter from his hand as he dismounted.
+
+Having safely dismounted, Cambyses turned to his brother and said,
+“Well, Prince, we meet under altered circumstances! If I recollect
+rightly, our last meeting was somewhat unpleasant, resulting in
+guard-house treatment for me on account of you. But on this day we
+forget old animosities and bury our sire’s body. Afterwards I shall
+have somewhat to say to you.”
+
+“I have forgotten the incident referred to,” answered Bardya, coldly.
+“We are here now to honor the dead. Afterwards I shall be pleased to
+converse with you about the welfare of our empire.”
+
+Cambyses said no more. Uncovering his head, he approached the funeral
+car and bowed his head towards it, remaining thus a moment as if in
+prayer. Silence fell upon the people as they watched the King. Then
+the sound of weeping began. A wave of grief and sympathy swept over the
+assembled multitude. The King was mourning. The people mourned also.
+
+Having thus greeted the spirit of his sire, Cambyses turned away and
+went to the litters where his sisters reclined. They came forth and
+bowed to him in greeting. He kissed their foreheads, saying: “It is a
+great pleasure to have you near me. You shall have the old palace for
+your residence,--you and Prince Bardya,--while you remain here. At a
+more fitting time we shall renew our acquaintance.”
+
+Then he remounted his horse and ordered the final march to begin.
+Prexaspes with the King’s body-guard led the way back to the city.
+The funeral car followed. The King rode behind it and, following him,
+were Prince Bardya, the Prince of Iran, the Princesses, and the great
+nobles. The lesser notables and the Imperial Guard marched next,
+followed by the people. Thus with royal pomp, amidst the mourning
+of his people, Cyrus, the Great King, the Achæmenian, completed his
+worldly march. A band of white-robed priests slaughtered the noble
+war-horse and presented his blood and burned portions of his flesh
+as a sacrifice to Ahura-Mazda, with many prayers. The solemn chants
+being ended, the golden casket in which the body of the great dead was
+encased was carried up the steps of the pyramid and deposited in the
+temple-like vault on its top. The brazen door of the tomb was closed,
+bolted, and sealed and a guard set over it. The people then dispersed.
+
+The King made a decree by which a special order of military rank was
+instituted, whose sole duty it was to watch the tomb, that no man
+should disturb the sacred body of the hero.
+
+So was laid to rest the body of the most knightly king and heroic
+figure of ancient Iran. The great Darius probably equaled him in
+generalship and excelled him in statesmanship; but the brilliant
+career, the gentle and knightly qualities, and the heroic spirit of
+Cyrus, are without parallel in ancient story. Not until the great
+Alexander flashed across the western sky did any meteor excel in
+brightness him whose simple epitaph was, “I am Cyrus, the King, the
+Achæmenian!”
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII
+
+A ROYAL COUNCIL AND A ROYAL HUNT
+
+
+It was the day after the funeral of Cyrus. Cambyses, the Great King,
+was in a black humor. The fatigue incident to the funeral services
+and the reaction from intoxication caused by too much drink, indulged
+in afterward, had darkened his vision and sharpened his acerbity.
+When he awoke and sat up on his silk-covered couch, he felt the need
+of immediate refreshment. He jerked a cord hanging conveniently at
+hand, and a bell jangled in an adjoining hall. Instantly two servants
+appeared, slipping in between the heavy folds of a curtain at the
+doorway, and prostrated themselves before him.
+
+“Rise up, dogs! Bring me soma!” he roared.
+
+Swiftly and noiselessly as fleeting shadows they arose and disappeared.
+In a moment the King’s cup-bearer appeared with a golden goblet in
+hand, followed by the servants bearing a vessel of milky, fiery liquid.
+The cup-bearer bowed low, the servants set down the jar and were about
+to prostrate themselves again, when Cambyses cried impatiently, “Omit
+salutations and pour!”
+
+The potent fluid sparkled as it flowed into the goblet from the vessel.
+Twice was the goblet filled and twice did he drain it. “Begone!” he
+then commanded. “Send the bath hither!”
+
+Cup-bearer and servants withdrew, walking backward. A moment later
+the servants came in again, bearing a large tub of water. With their
+assistance the King proceeded to bathe. Unfortunately for one, he
+dropped a towel and received a buffet from the King’s fist that caused
+him to reel.
+
+“Have care!” roared Cambyses. “To the guard-house you go to-day and
+thence to the kitchen as scullion!”
+
+The man prostrated himself and prayed for pardon. Royalty made no sign
+and he withdrew. Another came to take his place. After the bath, the
+King’s hair was combed, curled, and perfumed. The royal barber trimmed
+his whiskers deftly and carefully waxed them. Then he was arrayed in
+fine linen and purple. His breakfast was brought into the room, and he
+sat down to eat. He then sent a page to summon Prexaspes. The latter,
+elegantly dressed and well groomed as usual, soon appeared and, bending
+till his hands touched the floor, saluted.
+
+“May the King live forever!”
+
+In obedience to a wave of the King’s hand, the servants disappeared.
+
+“See that none stand near the door! Let the guard move away to the
+outer room!” commanded the King.
+
+Prexaspes saw that the orders were obeyed. Then, resuming his
+deferential attitude before his royal master, with bowed head, eyes to
+the floor, and hands crossed before him, he awaited the royal pleasure.
+The King, having eaten in silence some minutes, pushed away the
+remainder of the food.
+
+“Prexaspes,” he said truculently, “I know you! I know you are faithful
+to me because you hope to win power and not because you love me. So be
+it! Royal place you cannot have owing to the accident of birth, but
+royal power you may win if you will. Are you ready to carry out all my
+wishes or must I seek another?”
+
+He paused. Prexaspes raised his eyes and noted his master’s expression.
+
+“Royal master,” he said quietly, “you read men with the eye of God! It
+is true I love power and riches and I know that both may be given me by
+you and none other. I am your slave to command.”
+
+“Well said! I, who am descended from Jemshid and Kaiomurs, from
+Achæmenius and Cyrus, am able to make you great. Just as there may
+be one God in heaven, so I am the one God on earth. There is but one
+family fitted to rule the earth and that is mine. Is it not so?”
+
+“It is so.”
+
+“Since it is so, is not the will of the Great King of the Persians and
+Medes and of the whole world above the laws of this empire?”
+
+“The King’s word is law.”
+
+“If, then, the Great King command you to do an act, that act, even if
+it be the taking of life contrary to Persian law, becomes lawful. Is it
+not so?”
+
+For an instant Prexaspes clasped his fingers together nervously.
+
+“It might be lawful, O King,” he answered slowly. “But though your
+power is great, there are in this land of Persia great nobles who claim
+great rights and powers, and who would maintain that Persian law must
+not be broken even by the Great King. I know the great wisdom and the
+courage of the King; but if I may be permitted to speak, I would give
+the advice of one who has studied these matters deeply.”
+
+“I know!” exclaimed the King, impatiently. “I saw the dour faces of
+the nobles and the hostility of the people. My father unreasonably
+inflicted punishments upon me and my friends, and knowledge thereof has
+soured the minds of all toward me. That cursed Bardya, who supplanted
+me in my father’s love, yet lives! I would sooner trust Darius
+Hystaspis than those nobles; and he loves me not!”
+
+“It is true the Prince of Iran loves you not. But he is loyal. My only
+fear is that if Bardya should--should be slain by your order, the
+nobles would attack even you, and by their vast power among the Persian
+people they might overthrow you and place the King of Iran on the
+throne.”
+
+The King arose from the table and paced back and forth, grinding his
+teeth in wrath. He realized the truth of Prexaspes’ words.
+
+“There can be but one King on earth!” he exclaimed. “That King must be
+Cambyses. Bardya must die! As for Darius Hystaspis, I would order him
+to death, did I not believe his father would head a revolt in Iran such
+as I care not to meet. But I hate him! What then do you advise?”
+
+“As to Bardya, I advise that he be put away secretly, if he must die.
+Let it be reported that he has returned to Bactra or that the King has
+given him a secluded residence in Medea, where he chose to retire for
+meditation. A stout person might--”
+
+“No!” roared the King. “I have said he shall die! But let it be
+secretly done. Do it yourself and I will make you chief counselor of
+state forever, second only to myself!”
+
+Prexaspes drew in his breath sharply.
+
+“The King hath spoken!” he answered slowly. “I myself will slay the
+young man. Let the King’s word stand and not be withdrawn.”
+
+“It shall stand!” the King assured him, taking a seal ring from his
+finger. “Take this in token of the King’s word.”
+
+Prexaspes bowed low and took the glittering band.
+
+“Now as to this Prince of Iran and his seditious Guard, what of them?”
+demanded the King.
+
+Prexaspes hesitated a moment before he answered. “The Prince may be
+dealt with in two ways. Possibly the King may not have heard that
+he has dared to raise his eyes to Athura, the King’s most beautiful
+sister; and it is reported that she regards him with great favor. And
+your father promised her to him. Now it might be that if she be given
+him in marriage at once, it would bind him more firmly to support your
+rule, and--”
+
+“Never!” cried the King, smiting his hands together. “Let them marry?
+Why, that would indeed be showing him favor! That would be placing him
+on the throne! For I have no children; and if Bardya die, who remains?
+Athura would be queen, and he would be King. Never! I hate him as
+bitterly as I do Bardya. I hate Athura, the haughty favorite of my
+father, ever preaching good deeds and well-doing to me!”
+
+“Then I advise that he be given a command in a distant province. It
+is rumored that the Lydians are restless and that the tribes on the
+northern borders thereof are making forays. Send him and the old Guard
+thither. Mayhap a dart shall find him. At least he will be far from
+these Persians. His oath will keep him faithful. Let a decree be made
+praising him for faithful service and elevating him to the honor of a
+satrapy where war will keep him busy.”
+
+The King laughed, a cruel, mirthless laugh, as he assented. “The advice
+is good! So be it. Bardya shall disappear to meditate--beyond the
+stars! Darius and Athura shall love each other, verily, but separated
+by two hundred parasangs! See to it! Prepare proper decrees. And
+Prexaspes--it is in my mind to occupy these warlike peoples in a war
+of conquest, even as did my father. We will prove that we too know
+how to conquer! There is Egypt still independent and very rich and
+powerful. We must have tribute to live in state as becomes the ruler
+of the world. Amasis claims to be equal to Cambyses--he shall bite the
+dust! After him, the Hellenes shall feel my power beyond the sea. Go,
+Prexaspes! It shall be yours to estimate the necessary revenues and to
+prepare the means to feed an army of five hundred thousand men who will
+march with me to Egypt. But, first, see to it that no brother remains
+behind to rouse up rebellion!”
+
+“It shall be as you order. The King is very wise. War with Egypt will
+occupy the minds of the Persian nobles and will enable us to levy taxes
+on all the nations for the King’s treasury.”
+
+“Be not in too great haste with this war,” continued Cambyses. “There
+is much to do; and life is very enjoyable in fall at Susa, in winter at
+Babylon, and in spring at Hamadan.”
+
+Prexaspes bowed low and withdrew.
+
+Later that day, the King sat in state on the throne in the great
+central hall of the palace and received the nobles of Persia and
+Medea and the officers of his court. Prexaspes stood at his right
+hand. Embassies from distant realms, visitors from foreign lands, and
+deputations from divers cities came to wait upon the Great King before
+returning to their various places. All petitioners, in accordance
+with the new etiquette, prostrated themselves before the King and so
+remained until bidden to arise. But the nobles of Iran, though they
+bowed low before him with hands on their breasts, did not bend the knee
+or prostrate themselves. The King greeted them coldly, resolving within
+himself that he would some day humble them till they also should
+prostrate themselves at his feet and feel his foot on their necks.
+
+The Prince of Iran, tall, stately, richly but plainly appareled,
+came also. He was cordial in his greeting of the King, as became a
+blood-relative, but beneath the folds of his Medean cloak a light chain
+armor guarded his body from dagger-thrusts, even as his cordial manner
+concealed the distrust he felt towards Cambyses. To him Prexaspes made
+low obeisance. The nobles of Persia also bowed low before him with
+profound respect. The King became very gracious and smiled upon him as
+he approached. He arose from his throne and gave the Prince his royal
+hand.
+
+“Cousin Darius,” he said, “it pleases me very greatly to have you here!
+I have disturbing news from the satrapy of our old friend Crœsus.
+It is said that discontent and revolt arise there and that bands of
+Scythians trouble its northern borders. I have been considering deeply
+what reward would be sufficient for one who brought the body of the
+Great King, my father, to its tomb. I have determined to appoint you
+satrap of all our empire beyond the Euphrates. In order that you may
+be well supported, I have prepared a decree that you may take with you
+the old Imperial Guard of my father to become the nucleus of the army
+which shall, under your command, uphold our empire there. I contemplate
+no less a conquest than that of Egypt at some convenient time; and it
+shall be your duty to levy additional soldiers among the people of your
+provinces for that war. When I march by Damascus and Tyre, you shall
+join me there with a well-disciplined army and you shall have chief
+command under me.”
+
+The Prince listened in amazement. Except Babylon, the western provinces
+were the richest and most important of the conquered provinces in
+the empire. Knowing the King’s ancient hatred towards him, he was at
+a loss to understand why this great honor was given him. From the
+keen, beadlike stare of the King’s dark eyes he turned inquiringly to
+Prexaspes, who averted his face. He was silent a moment, seeking to
+penetrate the King’s design. It must be that, as King, Cambyses was not
+following the footsteps of Cambyses, the Prince.
+
+“The Great King’s commands will be obeyed,” he answered presently. “I
+thank you for the honor so little deserved. But I had somewhat in my
+heart to ask the King, should I be permitted to speak.”
+
+“Say on!” said the King, the expression of his face denoting
+apprehension.
+
+“When your sire, the ever victorious Cyrus, was about to die, he gave
+me his consent and promise that I should marry the Princess Athura if
+she were willing. This was a special mark of his favor. I now ask of
+you, Great King, that which he promised and which you, as the head
+of your father’s family, may grant--the hand of the King’s sister in
+marriage.”
+
+Cambyses was astonished at the boldness of the Prince. His face
+instantly flushed with wrath. He was about to exclaim violently,
+when he observed the gaze of Prexaspes turned upon him warningly and
+remembered that it was his part to dissemble. He resumed his seat on
+the throne. Constraining his anger, he said, speaking rapidly and in
+some confusion:
+
+“This is a matter to which thought must be given. The time is not
+right. The matters demanding attention in your satrapy are urgent.
+I wish you to make ready and depart within ten days. I must have a
+Prince of the Empire in that part of my dominions. Your subjects are a
+warlike people who need a firm hand. As to my sister, I will talk with
+her. It would not be meet that the marriage take place before you go or
+until the days of mourning for her father elapse. The urgency of the
+case will not admit at this time of any delay, lest those Lydians and
+Scythians rise in open rebellion. I see no obstacle in the way of such
+marriage; but later I will consider it. Some months’ active campaigning
+may be your lot when no thoughts could be given to marriage. Prepare to
+march without delay and to put down the King’s enemies with a strong
+hand. If the hand of my sister in marriage be a prize to be sought
+after by you, faithful service to my interests may be thus rewarded.
+Here is my decree appointing you to your office. Rest assured that if
+my sister wills to be your wife, she shall be given by me to no other
+man.”
+
+Prexaspes drew from his belt a roll of papyrus and presented it to
+the King, who handed it to the Prince. The latter took it, bowed low,
+and, turning on his heel, departed without further word. After he had
+disappeared the King turned to Prexaspes.
+
+“What think you?” he asked. “Does it please him? And what will he do?”
+
+“It pleases him not, but he will obey.”
+
+The Prince of Iran passed out of the King’s presence deeply troubled.
+Was the King seeking to honor him and beginning to reign in a truly
+kinglike manner? Or was he seeking to be rid of him and his favorite
+troops? Mounting a horse at the gate of the palace park, where his
+faithful groom, Orobates, awaited him, he rode directly to the old
+palace where Bardya and his sisters were residing. There he dismounted
+and was quickly ushered into the presence of Princess Athura. He found
+her sitting upon a divan in the inner court, playing on a harp and
+softly singing to its accompaniment. Several young women companions had
+left the room when the servants announced the coming of the Prince.
+
+“Greeting and welcome!” she said smilingly, as the young man bowed low
+before her. She put aside the harp and arose. “Be seated, illustrious
+Prince, at my right hand!” He kissed the hands extended to him, and
+both sat down on the divan.
+
+At once noting the serious expression of his countenance, the Princess
+asked, “What so serious as to cause frowns and wrinkles?”
+
+“I have stood before the King as I said I would and asked that he
+consent to our marriage,” he answered. “Instead of consenting, he does
+me the honor to appoint me governor of Lydia and command me to depart
+forthwith, saying there is urgent need and that I must take with me the
+Guard.”
+
+“What? Another war? And must you go?”
+
+“It is the King’s command! It is not an honor that he is giving me. It
+is his desire to place me among those who know me not! Foolish King! He
+will find none less likely to rebel than I. It is not in his mind to
+consent to our marriage. He made no promise. He said he would think of
+it and speak with you.”
+
+“But he shall consent!” exclaimed Athura, warmly. “If not, then will I
+go with you and marry you without his consent. He shall never control
+me or send me where I do not choose to go!”
+
+“My soul rejoices to hear you say this!” said the Prince, drawing
+her close to him with encircling arm. “But we must have patience. He
+is King. He is the head of your family. Should we marry without his
+consent, he might deem it such insult to his majesty as to lead him to
+immediate violence. I fear that I may some day be compelled to forget
+my sacred oath to his father. Let us exercise patience, light of mine
+eyes, hope of my soul!”
+
+Her regal head rested on his strong shoulder. She touched lightly with
+her fingers the dark locks of hair that graced his brow. Presently, as
+she remained silent, he continued:
+
+“He may consent that you come to me. What happiness would be mine! But
+you--it would mean a foreign land, and possibly dwelling in the midst
+of war.”
+
+“Am I not my father’s daughter? Am I afraid of war? It would be joy to
+go with you, to see new lands, new peoples, to be a queen where you
+would be virtually king, to ride a horse in battle! I will wait for you
+to come or to send for me. No other man, be he King or noble, shall I
+ever marry. If not you, none other!”
+
+“Nor shall I have any other queen than you, beloved of my soul! Let
+us not despair. I will speak to the Persian nobles if he does not
+presently consent. Their influence and my father’s may force his
+consent. If danger threaten you, fly to my mother. She will protect you
+even against Cambyses.”
+
+Further converse was interrupted by the sound of footsteps approaching
+from the outer hallway and the immediate appearance of Prince Bardya
+at the door. He had evidently just come from a ride, as his clothes
+and whip indicated. His handsome, flushed countenance indicated rapid
+riding through the wind. He smiled, as his sister and the Prince arose
+in embarrassed silence.
+
+“Pardon my intrusion, beloved sister and brother!” he begged. “I have
+had a wonderful gallop over the hills towards Lake Baktigan, and some
+rough climbing. Have you seen the other King this day?”
+
+The Prince of Iran briefly related his visit to the King and its
+result. Bardya nervously slapped the riding whip against his boots and
+a frown gathered on his brow as he listened.
+
+“His object is plain!” he exclaimed, as the Prince ceased speaking.
+“He sends you to a distant place that you may not be near me, a very
+shrewd trick! He will never allow you to marry Athura because he hates
+you both. But let us defy him! My sister shall go with me. Then you may
+come, Prince, and marry her! We shall defy him. We shall acknowledge
+him as overlord, according to my father’s will; but not a foot shall he
+set on our lands--neither he nor any servants of his!”
+
+The Prince of Iran was disturbed at Bardya’s words. It was evident that
+the latter intended to declare his independence as soon as possible and
+that war would ensue. What would be his own duty then? His oath would
+align him with Cambyses; his heart would drive him to Bardya.
+
+“Great Prince,” he answered, “I know you love me as a friend and so
+I make bold to speak a warning. Do not utter such thoughts aloud any
+more. Ears may hear and tongues may carry to the King’s ears. Then
+he would surely have you arrested and slain. I counsel prudence and
+extreme watchfulness. Return as soon as possible to Bactra. I long to
+go with you. But I must obey his decree or be placed in the position
+of rebelling. I go as ordered. After the war is finished (if I find it
+necessary to make war), I will demand Athura. If he refuse consent, I
+will leave his service and enter yours, but never as against him. But I
+do not think he will dare deny my suit. Am I not an Achæmenian, and is
+there any of higher birth?”
+
+“I will heed your advice,” replied Bardya. “You were ever wise and
+far-seeing. I will be silent and watchful. The guards you gave me ride
+with me always. One sleeps at my bedroom door, and the others guard
+the palace doors and grounds. But if you march hence in ten days, it
+behooves me to seek others.”
+
+“I will furnish them from the faithful retainers on my father’s estate.
+But I advise immediate return to Bactra, even if it must be by flight
+in the night. I am greatly troubled for your safety.”
+
+Bardya laughed. “You are needlessly alarmed,” he asserted. “But on the
+morrow I will announce to the King my purpose of returning forthwith.”
+
+At this moment there came a knock at the door and a servant appeared.
+“A messenger stands at the door,” he announced.
+
+“Admit him!” commanded Bardya.
+
+A man in the King’s livery entered, and bowing almost to the floor
+before royalty, presented a folded bit of papyrus to Bardya. The latter
+took it, unfolded it, and read. He then ordered the messenger to
+retire, and after he had disappeared he read aloud:
+
+  “‘Cambyses, the King of Kings, King of the World, to his Brother,
+  Bardya, and to his Sisters, Athura and Artistone, greeting:
+
+  “‘Know that I propose to remain here two weeks longer and will then
+  return to Hamadan. It is my will that you make ready to accompany me
+  to that city in order that my court may be graced by your presence
+  and that the people may know that we are of good-will towards you.
+  Later my brother may depart thence to his provinces. Farewell.
+
+                                                          “‘CAMBYSES.’”
+
+
+“My brother is beginning to rule us very soon!” exclaimed Athura,
+indignantly.
+
+“He shall not order me!” exclaimed Bardya, fiercely.
+
+“He is King!” warned the Prince of Iran. “Hamadan is many parasangs
+nearer Bactra than this city. It is also nearer Lydia. I counsel
+obedience. It will be easier to escape from Hamadan than from
+Pasargadæ, if escape you must; and a week’s journey will then bring you
+into your own realm. Besides, it may be, the King is earnestly desirous
+of showing good-will.”
+
+“Good-will!” rejoined Bardya. “The King speaks of my ‘provinces,’ as if
+I were a mere satrap! It seems to me that I should be first consulted
+in such matters. It is in my mind to return to him a message that I
+choose to remain here for a time and then to return direct to Bactra.”
+
+Bardya strode back and forth across the room wrathfully. He threw the
+King’s message on the floor and trampled upon it. The Prince of Iran
+watched him in gloomy silence. Athura went to her brother and placing
+her hand on his shoulders made him halt and look down into her clear,
+steady eyes. More than once she had calmed the anger of her impetuous
+younger brother thus.
+
+“Brother, listen to me!” she said imploringly. “Listen to the Prince of
+Iran, if not to me! We are older than you, and you have never found us
+unfaithful to your interests. Cambyses is King of Kings, King of the
+World, by right of birth and by your father’s last decree. He speaks
+fairly to you. It is right that we visit him at his court in Hamadan
+and render him the honor due to him. You are here in his power. You
+should never have come hither at all. Wisdom dictates that you go
+to Hamadan, in all brotherly kindness. Then should he show an evil
+disposition, it will be much easier to escape to Bactra. At all events,
+brother, be not first to bring on war. Only in a just cause will the
+Aryans follow you.”
+
+Bardya was impressed. He kissed her forehead. “I will do as you
+advise,” he replied. “I am crippled by that oath our father exacted of
+the King of Iran and of our Prince here. Without their aid, it would be
+wild, foolish, and impossible to begin war. I feel that should I begin
+the war, even they would oppose me with the armies of Iran. I am no
+better than a caged tiger.”
+
+The Prince of Iran looked upon his young friend sorrowfully. “My father
+and I have sworn!” he said. “How can our words return to us? We are
+bound to support Cambyses as King of Kings. No less are we bound to aid
+you if oppressed by him. We will not fail you. Should he seek to detain
+you, we shall demand your release, even at the head of an army. What
+can you ask more? That we be oath-breakers?”
+
+“No, I ask it not! I will be guided by your advice.”
+
+Having thus decided, the three composed a message from Bardya to the
+King, notifying him that it would please Bardya to visit Hamadan on
+his way to Bactra and be his guest for some days. The Prince of Iran
+then took his departure and went to the camp of the Imperial Guard.
+After detailing a strong company to guard the palace wherein slept his
+beloved, he called a council of all his chief captains and read to them
+the King’s decree directing him and the Guard to march into Western
+Asia. The captains were delighted. The common soldiers, when they
+heard the news next day, broke forth in a pandemonium of jubilation.
+To march into the rich country of rich old Crœsus with their beloved
+Prince, to gain renown and wealth, though by hard knocks, under such a
+leader--what more could a stout warrior ask? So they all rejoiced and
+one and all agreed that King Cambyses was a wise King. But their Prince
+and Commander was silent and sorrowful.
+
+Cambyses announced, two days later, that it pleased him to accept the
+invitation of the Prince of Iran to hunt royal game on his estates in
+the jungles surrounding Lake Baktigan. This lake is a brackish body
+of water lying in the bottom of a long, narrow valley between low
+mountains, a day’s journey south of Persepolis. It is shallow in summer
+and fall, but in spring, after the winter rains, fed by the floods
+of the Araxes and several mountain torrents, it rises to respectable
+dimensions, and is then about sixty miles long by five wide. Reeds,
+grass, shrubs, and stunted trees cover its shores. On the hills near
+is some heavy timber. Little known to the modern traveler, yet, in the
+ancient days, it was a resort of royal hunters who dared to seek the
+lion and the tiger in their lairs. It was a part of the estates of
+the King of Iran. The Prince, as was the custom, had invited the King
+of Kings to make free use of all his father’s property. But he was
+surprised when Cambyses indicated that he would hunt. Prexaspes had
+advised his royal master to accept because it would please the Persian
+nobility. Cambyses also desired to show himself a mighty hunter, as had
+all his ancestry, and this influenced him to dissemble his true feeling
+towards the Prince and to accept his invitation. Prince Bardya and the
+great lords of Persia were invited to attend. It fell upon the Prince
+of Iran as host to provide transportation, victuals, equipage, and
+beaters; and right royally did he provide.
+
+It was an imposing expedition that marched down the swift Araxes to the
+jungles of Lake Baktigan. First, on a big horse, rode a magnificently
+attired master of the hunt, glittering in gold and silver and gorgeous
+in crimson uniform. Then followed several hundred skilled hunters,
+wardens of the estate whose duty it was to furnish the table of King
+Hystaspis with game and to guard his preserves against common robbers
+and poachers. They were arrayed in distinctive uniform and were
+mounted on wiry animals used to hill-climbing and hunting. With them
+was a pack of hounds. Then rode King Cambyses, on a beautiful white
+stallion, and looking right royal in his close-fitting tunic, his
+leather riding-breeches, red shoes, and round felt cap in which were
+stuck several black eagle feathers. A stout armor-bearer rode next
+with the King’s short sword, a buckler, a stout bow, and a quiver full
+of arrows. Another servant carried javelins and a heavy spear. At the
+King’s left and half a horse behind rode Prexaspes similarly arrayed.
+Behind them rode the Prince of Iran, Prince Bardya, and a hundred
+or more notables. Many pack-animals and servants followed with the
+impedimenta.
+
+They camped in a dense forest at the northern end of the lake, where
+the Araxes poured in its flood of fresh water. Next day the hunt began.
+The chief huntsman built a low platform in the branches of a live-oak
+which stood at the crossing of several jungle paths about a mile below
+the camp. The King and his armor-bearers took station on this, while
+the nobles and retainers formed in line at some distance to the rear
+in order to turn the game should it pass him. Cambyses was a great
+archer. It was his daily custom to practice shooting with the heavy
+Persian bow. He boasted that no man in Iran could excel him. None ever
+did excel in his presence, it being convenient to miss and stand lower
+in the scores than his Royal Highness. It is related that the King
+was accustomed to shoot apples from the heads or hands of boys, an
+example possibly followed by William Tell of later fame. The King later
+attempted this feat with the son of Prexaspes and slew the son.
+
+The huntsmen went to a point several miles down the lake, and, having
+formed a long line with one end resting on the shore and the other far
+out on the hills, marched with shouts, horn-blowing, and drum-beating
+northward and drove the savage denizens of the wilderness towards the
+King. The latter acquitted himself very well. Deer and antelope fell
+before his arrows. Jackals, snapping at the shafts which pierced their
+vitals, tumbled about and died. The King roared with savage laughter as
+the stricken animals leaped to their death. A wild boar was smitten,
+but, gnashing his teeth in rage and pain, he turned upon the beaters
+desperately and gashed one severely with his tusks. Animals which
+escaped the King ran the gantlet of weapons in the hands of the nobles.
+The slaughter was great. Two lions were aroused, but they broke through
+the line of beaters and escaped. That night all feasted on the King’s
+meat and praised his skill.
+
+On the next day Cambyses decided to hunt on foot, following the hunters
+with hounds through the jungle paths. His nobles followed to witness
+his feats of arms. Hunters and beaters formed a long semicircular line
+with the wings thrust forward, one along the margin of the lake, and
+the other along a ridge running parallel thereto. The King was at the
+middle of the line with the chief hunter. The Prince of Iran, Prince
+Bardya, and several of the nobles followed closely after him.
+
+Several smaller animals soon fell before the King’s archery, but
+he fretted because no lion or tiger appeared. He ordered the hounds
+unloosed. They sprang away into the jungle, and almost immediately
+terrific roars announced the presence of lions. A female and a young
+lion appeared, dashing towards the hills, the mother turning now and
+again to leap at the snarling pack baying at her heels. The King loosed
+an arrow at her, but it fell short. He was about to pursue, when a
+more thunderous roar close by warned him of the proximity of another
+royal beast. An instant later, a black-maned male lion appeared in an
+open space twenty paces distant, lashing his tail and emitting breathy
+coughs of rage. The animal paused but an instant, crouching low, then
+leaped towards the King with gigantic bounds. The King drew an arrow
+to its head and launched it. It smote the lion in the shoulder, but
+missed a vital point. Cries of terror arose from the attendants, and
+the armor-bearer of the King sought to interpose his buckler between
+the beast and his master. But master and man went down in a heap under
+the impact of the lion’s heavy body. Then the Persian nobles gallantly
+hastened to the rescue. The Prince of Iran dashed forward with a heavy
+spear and thrust the sharp blade into the red mouth of the lion as it
+sprang to meet him. It reared up on hind legs, battling with the heavy
+spear. Prince Bardya then shot an arrow into the beast’s side with such
+force that the barb passed through its body. Its heart was transfixed;
+the great beast gasped, fell over, and died.
+
+Cambyses was not severely injured, but was much chagrined. He had
+missed a fair shot, been ignobly thrown down, and saved by those he
+hated. He gave short thanks to his saviors and berated his armor-bearer
+for not interposing more effectually. He hunted no more after that
+on foot in the jungle, but he succeeded in slaying two lions from the
+safety of a platform erected in a tree.
+
+The hunt thus having proved a success, the King returned to Pasargadæ.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX
+
+THE DEEPER THINGS
+
+
+The Prince of Iran, about to depart on the King’s business, knelt
+before his mother to receive her final blessing. The stately dame
+allowed no tear to dim her eye and no tremor to weaken her voice during
+this ceremony.
+
+“Go, my son, with my love and faith in you,” she said. “But remember
+your royal birth. Should your sire die, you will be head of the royal
+family in Iran; and by reason of your descent from an elder brother,
+you will be entitled to overlord even Cambyses. Your father has been
+content to be second to Cyrus, but I shall yet behold you crowned King
+of Kings!”
+
+“Not while Bardya and his brother, the Great King, live, mother!”
+replied the Prince, arising from his knee. “But I shall remember your
+words.”
+
+She bowed low before him, as to a superior. “Son, I salute you, King
+that is to be!” she said, smiling.
+
+Troubled in spirit, he kissed her cheek and turned away.
+
+The mother watched her son until he disappeared among the trees of the
+park. Then, throwing a veil over her head and face, she went to the
+seclusion of her bedchamber, there to weep the bitter tears of grief
+she would not let the world see. The Prince hastened to the stone
+bridge where Bardya and Athura, who had preceded him, were waiting to
+utter their farewells.
+
+Bardya kissed his friend’s cheeks, embraced him tenderly, then mounted
+a horse and rode away to the city. Athura and the Prince lingered on
+the bridge awhile, loath to part. The perfume of flowers filled the
+air, as the sun kissed away the dewdrops from their petals. The voices
+of birds and the ripple of water formed an orchestra attuned to the
+songs of love.
+
+“When I am permitted to return to this paradise, I will build there,
+by the side of my father’s palace, another twice as large and adorned
+with greater splendor,” he said, as they were about to separate. “There
+shall you dwell as becomes the Queen of the Aryans and the ruler of my
+soul.”
+
+“May your mother’s prophecy come true, beloved!” she replied. “I shall
+count the days till your return, or until I go to you. Send for me
+quickly and I will come. That brother of mine, who calls himself King
+of Kings, shall not prevent me. Listen! Should I send to you, asking
+aid, will you come, even though in disobedience to his orders?”
+
+“Yes! Did not Cyrus at the same time he exacted my oath also promise
+you to me? But Cambyses will not dare refuse you or insult me by long
+refusing his consent to our marriage.”
+
+“His hatred toward us may overrule his reason.”
+
+“Then he shall listen to force! I will send a letter to him as soon as
+my government is placed in order, demanding that he send you to me. He
+will then have no excuse.”
+
+“Send quickly then, for I fear trouble!” Tears filled her dark eyes as
+she spoke.
+
+“Should he trouble you, go to my father!” he said reassuringly. “He
+will call in the seven great nobles of Persia to your aid. Even
+Cambyses will fear them.”
+
+What else was said need not be recorded. Love, in these great ones of
+earth, produced the same sighs, the same halting words, the repetition
+of promises, assurances, and pledges, the same beaming eyes and
+fluttering hearts, as it ever has in all who have loved, be they high
+or low, known or unknown, sung or unsung. They parted, he to join the
+waiting Imperial Guard, now to be known as the Prince of Iran’s Guard,
+and she to return to his mother.
+
+Having marched rapidly to Susa, the Prince and his army encamped in
+a plain near that city. The satrap of Susa was ordered to procure
+supplies and a caravan for his long westward march. The camp lay on
+the south bank of the swift Choaspes, in a park set apart for the
+King’s use. Here were many palms and plane trees. The Prince’s tent
+was erected beneath the spreading branches of trees on the margin of
+the river, where in soldierly simplicity he received the visit of the
+satrap.
+
+On the evening of the second day after his arrival at this camp, the
+Prince, as was his custom, went out for a walk. The dark peaks of the
+Zagros range in the east lay bathed in the last soft rays of the sun.
+Shadows were falling in the glades and upon the river. With bent head
+and hands clasped behind him, he took little note of his surroundings,
+until at the end of half an hour he was met by a man, who seemed also
+absorbed in meditation. This man was tall and graceful. His body was
+clad in a long cloak, a plain but fine Babylonish garment, and on
+his head he wore a round, black Persian cap. His feet were shod with
+sandals. A full, dark beard, streaked with gray, adorned his face. His
+eagle-like countenance was strong and placid. Large dark eyes glowed
+with intelligence from beneath his heavy brows.
+
+The Prince whose eyes were bent on the earth, was startled from his
+reverie by a deep, musical voice:
+
+“Hail, Prince of Iran!”
+
+Involuntarily he grasped the hilt of a dagger in his belt and gazed
+doubtfully a moment upon the speaker. Then with a glad cry, he hastened
+forward and bending low, exclaimed: “Hail, Belteshazzer, prophet of
+God! I did not expect to meet you here! I rejoice exceedingly! I pray
+your blessing!”
+
+“May the Lord of all the earth bless you, my son!” said Belteshazzer,
+solemnly, laying his hand upon the Prince’s bowed head. “It is a great
+pleasure to behold you again after so many months. Tell me how you come
+here. Is that your army yonder? I have been away several days in the
+mountains whither I go to study, and I am now returning to the city.”
+
+The Prince stood before the prophet reverently, as one stands before a
+loved teacher.
+
+“My guard is encamped yonder,” he answered, indicating his camp. “We
+march upon the Great King’s business to the lands beyond the Euphrates,
+where, it is said, I shall find the people in rebellion. The King has
+seen fit to honor me with the government of the western provinces.”
+
+Belteshazzer smiled. Knowing well the political affairs of the empire
+from his long experience as adviser to the late King and as governor
+of several provinces, also knowing Cambyses and his dislike for the
+Prince, he perceived the pretext which the King had used to send the
+Prince far away from Iran.
+
+“I had not heard of any serious disturbances in those provinces,” he
+said. “It is true that some wild, turbulent bands infest the outlying
+mountains on the northeast; but the provinces have been happy under
+the rule of Cyrus and have not suffered at the hands of Cambyses.
+Perhaps the Great King deems it wise to scatter the veterans of Cyrus
+to distant provinces!”
+
+“That may be,” assented the Prince. “But you, Teacher, why here? The
+governor of Medea should not be in Elam.”
+
+“I am no longer governor of Medea. The Great King has deprived me
+of that office. I am no longer an adviser to the King. I am going
+to Babylon to resume my duties in the college of wise men, to spend
+my time in the study of ancient records and to observe the changing
+heavens, until such time as the God of heaven and earth shall order
+otherwise.”
+
+“Come with me!” exclaimed the Prince, impulsively. “I shall profit by
+your knowledge and experience. You shall have the chief place in my
+satrapy.”
+
+Belteshazzer shook his head.
+
+“No, it would not be best. The Great King is very jealous. He is
+scattering the men who surrounded Cyrus and is building up a circle of
+his own. His command was laid on me to proceed to Babylon, there to
+reside with the college of priests. But fear not, Prince! We shall come
+again in due time.”
+
+“Is this a prophecy?” inquired the Prince, his countenance alight with
+eagerness. “Ah, Belteshazzer! how I have longed to obtain that power
+you have,--the power to look into the future, to listen to the voice of
+Shraosha and to tell that which will be! Come with me to my tent and
+take refreshments. You shall stay with me at least until I march on to
+my provinces. I will consult God through you. My heart is very heavy.
+Upon my soul is an oath that galls me; and I fear for my friends and
+for the Aryan people under this King. After you are refreshed, it may
+be you will consult the messengers of God and tell me the right course
+of action.”
+
+Belteshazzer looked upon the young man with sympathy. Gifted beyond
+all living men with the power to read souls in their nakedness, he saw
+here a strong, upright spirit of good intent, in whom truth held sway,
+whose mind was large enough to grapple with and solve the problems of
+earth, a leader among men; and he loved the youth. He did not answer
+immediately, but looked into the eyes of the Prince earnestly as if
+reading his thoughts. The Prince could not drop his gaze. Belteshazzer
+presently looked away to the west, where the last glow of the sunset
+still reddened the sky, and he sighed deeply. Then his eyes swept
+slowly around the horizon, resting an instant on the towers of the
+distant city and then upon the tents of the army. The river’s low
+murmur came up from the darkening vale mingled with whisper of leaves
+moved by the breeze.
+
+“I know, my son,” he said after a moment’s silence, “that you have
+given an oath which may not be broken. I read the thoughts that recur,
+tempting you to break it. I read your heart and the love in it for the
+sister of the King, and the brotherly love you hold towards the brother
+of the King. I know that in the King’s mind is a fierce hatred towards
+you and a foul intent to make away with his brother; and that he is
+even now plotting against him. I know that dark and bloody days are
+impending; but the God of Spirits has guards around you, and as long as
+you walk after the good intent in your heart, you will triumph over all
+dangers and you will come at length to a higher estate. More than this
+I do not know.”
+
+The Prince bowed his head reverently before the speaker. In the
+presence of this man he was humble,--this man about whom wondrous
+stories had been told: of his great wisdom; of his power over the
+spirits of men; of the prophecies he had uttered; of the handwriting
+on the wall at the close of Belshazzar’s feast, when the great Cyrus
+was entering the inner city of Babylon by the river-bed and seizing it
+while the people feasted; of his immunity from fire and from the wrath
+of wild beasts, which, it was said, were his friends, no matter how
+savage; and of his steadfastness in the worship of his God.
+
+“O Prince of God!” he exclaimed as the prophet ceased speaking, “I
+would give all that I have to hold communion with the unseen powers as
+you do! I have read the teachings of the great master, Zoroaster, and I
+have listened to the wise men who have studied all that is to be known;
+but, when I stand before you and listen to your words, my soul sinks,
+and I wonder if I worship the true God, or whether there are two gods,
+yours and mine, or more; or whether Ahura-Mazda is but an idea. I wish
+that I might sit again at your feet and learn the whole truth!”
+
+Belteshazzer looked upon the young man, with love and admiration
+expressed in his large, deep eyes. His voice when he again spoke,
+was full of sympathy and fatherly kindness. “Son, there is not much
+to learn, save this: that God, the Supreme Ruler of all, is one God;
+that He manifests His power by His Spirit and by His messengers; that
+He is known to all peoples, but under different names and different
+aspects, and that He is the Father of all. Men have forgotten Him and
+have attributed to Him qualities that He has never possessed. Some
+have made Him a monster, have carved Him in wood and stone, made idols
+to represent Him and fallen down before them, forgetting that God is
+a Spirit, who never looks upon idolatry with allowance--forgetting,
+because not seeing! But of old, when there was but one family of men
+on this earth, God was known to all men. His spirits and messengers
+walked and talked with men, until men by gross and sensual lives made
+it impossible. The Ancient of Days gave man a life of immortality;
+breathed His own life into the first man, and he became a living soul;
+made him free to live as he would, to choose good and evil. Men, from
+the first days, ages ago, lived happily, until selfishness drove
+them to quarrels, to murder, and to other sins. Then they separated,
+families moving hither and thither over the world, forgetting each
+other; some descending into ignorance and barbarism; others ascending
+to a higher state of knowledge; all looking upon nature and clothing
+nature’s God in their own vain imaginings. Some kept the knowledge of
+God more perfectly than others. The Spirit of God talks with every man,
+bringing up to his spirit suggestions of better life. From time to time
+great teachers are sent. So came Moses to us, the sons of Abraham and
+Heber. So came Zoroaster to the Aryans. And a day will come--I have
+seen it in a vision!--” here the Prophet’s voice thrilled with awe
+and his eyes were cast upward to the heavens,--“I saw in a vision one
+night, years ago, before the great Cyrus overthrew Babylon, One, like
+the Ancient of Days, sitting on the clouds of heaven; and there came
+before him One like unto a son of man; and to Him did the Ancient of
+Days give dominion and glory over all peoples of all the earth and all
+people should in all their divers languages serve Him. His dominion is
+an everlasting dominion and His kingdom shall never be destroyed. All
+the nations of the earth shall serve Him gladly!”
+
+He ceased a moment and stood enraptured, contemplating the heavens
+and recalling again the glories of his vision. The young man looked
+upon the seer’s countenance with awe. He endeavored to gather the full
+meaning of the spoken words. Whether he spoke, he knew not, but his
+mind did form the question, “When shall this be?”
+
+The question came to Belteshazzer and he answered: “I know not when,
+but He will come in the fullness of time. He will not reign as kings
+reign, but only in the souls of men. He will waken men to everlasting
+life, men who have endeavored to do well. He will waken others to shame
+of their evil lives and to everlasting contempt. Then all men shall
+have full knowledge of God. None shall fail to know their Redeemer. He
+will come when God wills.”
+
+Belteshazzer ceased and again sighed deeply, and for a time gazed at
+the sunset glow in silence, but his eyes saw not the glories of the
+sun. With his inward eyes he was looking again at that mighty vision of
+which he had spoken. The Prince broke the silence.
+
+“You said that a Spirit stands guard over me and that I shall triumph
+over dangers. How stands such spirit? What is he? Why may I not see
+him? If I could commune with the unseen presence, perhaps he would
+guide my steps that I make no error.”
+
+Belteshazzer shook his head and replied: “To some it is given to
+commune with spirits, but it is only to those whose lives are
+spiritual. To me it has been given to speak with Gabriel, the messenger
+of God, and with Michael, the soldier of God and leader of his hosts
+against the powers of evil. It may be that God will permit you to
+see. Come, let us sit down! I feel even now the nearness of spiritual
+influences.”
+
+They sat down side by side on a flat rock at the margin of the river
+bank. Below them the bank fell away with gentle slope to the stream.
+The valley was now full of shadows. Trees and shrubs were seen as dark
+spots on the dull gray of sun-scorched grass. Twilight was rapidly
+deepening into darkness. Belteshazzer took the Prince’s right hand into
+his left. Raising his right hand to the heavens, he prayed inaudibly,
+the movement of his lips alone indicating his action. The Prince sat
+motionless, with wide eyes and bated breath. Awe entered into his soul
+and a chill ran over his body, not from fear but as if a cold current
+of air from the mountains had touched him. Suddenly a light cloud
+of mist seemed to come up out of the valley and from it emerged the
+semblance of a stately warrior, whose countenance, seen as in a white
+light, bore a striking resemblance to the Prince’s father. His stature
+was above that of ordinary man. He was clad, it seemed, in brilliant
+chain-mail. A sword hung at his belt, a spear was in his hand, a
+bow at his back. He stood erect with one foot advanced and one hand
+outstretched as if in benediction over the Prince’s head. Luminous,
+translucent, quivering with light, yet very real, was the presence. The
+Prince involuntarily raised his hand and bowed his head in salutation.
+Belteshazzer sat still, calmly regarding the vision.
+
+“You may speak to him freely,” he said.
+
+“Who are you that comes so gloriously?” demanded the Prince.
+
+A strong voice seemed to answer: “I am Achæmenius, your ancestor,
+Prince of Iran. I am permitted by the Supreme Power to march at your
+side. In you I see the hope of the Aryans, the most worthy son of my
+family. Be of good cheer! A host encamps about you. Only seek ever
+after the truth and avoid the lie. Behold! error is creeping into
+the minds and hearts of the Aryan people. Idolatry and false magic,
+fostered by the evil ones, gain headway among them. It is for you ever
+to strive for truth and for the knowledge of God, the one supreme God,
+known to our race from the ancient times, known to this Belteshazzer
+and by him worshiped. It is your duty to restore our people to right
+worship!”
+
+“But what is to come? What course shall I pursue, O glorious Spirit?”
+
+“It is not given me to prophesy. Only the Supreme One may give the
+spirit of prophecy. But I know that you are chosen to be a leader and
+that many peoples shall bow down before you as lord. Keep ever your
+purpose to be true and truthful, to live uprightly and justly, and
+to banish from among our people idolatry and lying. More am I not
+permitted to say. Farewell!”
+
+As suddenly as the presence had appeared, it passed away, seeming to
+dissolve in thin air; and only the two men remained, sitting side by
+side on the rock, with the dark vale before them, the breeze whispering
+about them and the brilliant stars above. The young man was the first
+to speak. He rose and shook himself as one might who rises from a
+troubled dream.
+
+“Was it a vision, O Prince of God?” he demanded, “or was it a man? Was
+it a spirit, or did I dream?”
+
+Belteshazzer answered somewhat reproachfully: “My son, this was no
+dream! You have seen a veritable spirit, one who lived in the flesh
+and reigned in Iran centuries ago. Under him marched a great army from
+Bactra to Rhages and thence south into Fars, driving out the ancient
+peoples and there establishing his kingdom. I have seen this great
+Spirit before, when Cyrus was King.”
+
+The Prince exclaimed fervently: “Then it is no fable that men who die
+shall live again! That which I have heard and doubted, now I know!”
+
+“Truly you have spoken! Death is but a change, the taking off of a
+worn-out garment, this body of earth. It is the release of the soul,
+that glorious body within, from the trammels of mortality.”
+
+“To be so glorious, it were better to die!”
+
+“Nay, not till your work is done! The life now given you is but a
+training for the future and should be lived by you in such manner that
+men will rise up and call you blessed.”
+
+They turned towards the camp, and, walking slowly, continued to
+converse upon the mysteries of life. They passed the sentinels and soon
+came to the Prince’s pavilion, where the cooks anxiously awaited their
+master’s coming to his supper, long since ready. While they supped,
+they continued the discussion and, long after their meal, they sat
+together as teacher and pupil, the one pouring forth wisdom from his
+vast store of knowledge, the other receiving and storing it in his
+mind.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X
+
+A FAREWELL FEAST
+
+
+Cambyses, the King of Kings, King of the World, made a feast at his
+palace in Hamadan in honor of his brother Bardya, who, as the order
+announcing the feast declared, was about to return to his future
+capital and home in Bactra. All the rulers and notables of Persia
+and Medea were commanded to be present on a certain day to meet the
+departing Prince and to say farewell.
+
+Forty days and more had passed since the funeral of Cyrus. The King
+accompanied by his brother and sisters, had departed with all his
+retinue from Pasargadæ and returned to Hamadan. Cambyses had no love
+for the Persian capital, but he did love Hamadan. At the latter city
+resided his boon companions, and there the moral laws were less
+observed and the people cared little what their rulers did so long as
+they themselves were allowed some license.
+
+Bardya had twice demanded of the King audience without result, and
+finally had written to him a note stating that he would presently
+return to Bactra with or without his permission. It was then that the
+King had called Prexaspes to him.
+
+“Prexaspes,” he said, glowering upon him truculently, “I expressed a
+wish to you concerning that sprig, Bardya, when we talked at Pasargadæ.
+It seems that my wish is forgotten!”
+
+The King’s countenance was clouded. He held in his hand a tablet on
+which was written the last message from Bardya. He read this aloud
+to Prexaspes, then dashed it to the floor with such force that the
+delicate plate was shattered in bits.
+
+Prexaspes was not alarmed. He had seen such ebullitions of wrath
+before. “I have not forgotten the King’s words,” he replied smoothly.
+“His commands shall be obeyed. But the Prince is so closely watched
+by the men of his body-guard and he so invariably refuses to accept
+my invitations to visit places where the--the--accident could happen
+without the people knowing the true cause, that it has been impossible
+to accomplish it.”
+
+“Nothing should be impossible when the King commands!” bellowed
+Cambyses. “Look to it sharp! Here is he demanding leave to return to
+his kingdom. His kingdom, indeed! His presence here is a displeasure to
+me. Away with you and immediately accomplish this task, or I will give
+your body to the vultures!”
+
+Prexaspes bowed low in affected terror. “If the King will permit his
+servant to speak, I have thought of a plan,” he said.
+
+Cambyses glared at him a moment, his bloated countenance flushed with
+passion and his right hand clutching nervously at the dagger on his
+thigh. It was an inner room of the great palace and they were alone.
+Prexaspes watched the madman closely, ready to flee or to engage him
+in mortal combat should he attack. Beneath his own Medean robe lurked
+a long, keen dagger which he well knew how to use. But the King was
+not so angry as he pretended. Seeing that his servant was properly
+impressed, he said more calmly: “A plan? Well it is that you have a
+plan! Speak!”
+
+“Permit me to see that no one listens or lurks near,” suggested
+Prexaspes, backing towards the door. He drew the heavy curtains and
+looked into the hall. He looked out of the narrow windows into the
+garden. Satisfied that no one could hear, he went close to the King.
+
+“O King, your gracious leave being given,” he said, “I suggest that
+you give a great feast in honor of your brother and that you publicly
+consent that he may return to Bactra. Permit me to arrange for his
+departure. I will suggest to him that he is in danger and that he flee
+from this city at night. I will pretend to be his friend. He shall
+arrive at no other destination than death. There will ride out towards
+Rhages next day one who looks like him so much that they cannot be
+distinguished save by friends. In the desert beyond Rhages, this man
+will disappear, and it will be announced that your brother has been
+carried away by robbers. His friends must be kept here by your order.
+Let me have your signet ring, that I may have my orders obeyed.”
+
+“Who is the man that resembles Bardya so much?”
+
+“It is Gaumata, the man whose ears the great Cyrus caused to be cut off
+because of his insolence.”
+
+“Nay, not for any fault of his, Prexaspes, but because my father hated
+and despised him. Now I think of him, I do remember a great likeness
+between them. Proceed! Here is my signet. Only see to it that I be rid
+of this pestilent fellow!”
+
+The King turned away, dismissing his chamberlain with a gesture.
+Prexaspes at once left the room and proceeded to his quarters in the
+palace, where he shut himself in and occupied himself for some time
+in writing three documents--one, an order from the King commanding
+Prexaspes to slay Bardya, the King’s brother; one, a message to Bardya
+permitting him to return to Bactra on a certain day; and, the third, a
+decree directing a great feast to be held in honor of his departure.
+Having sealed these with the King’s signet, Prexaspes went to the west
+wing of the palace, where Bardya and his sisters had their residence
+and where the King never went. He requested the servants to inform the
+Prince that he bore a message from the King.
+
+Bardya was moodily pacing back and forth in the park adjacent to the
+palace when the servant found him. He was going over in his mind the
+details of a plan he had formed for escape. By the King’s orders he
+had not been allowed to go and come as freely in the city as he chose.
+He knew that spies were constantly watching his movements and that any
+attempt to escape on his part would lead to instant arrest. He directed
+the servant to bring Prexaspes to him, and presently that worthy
+appeared and bowed low before him.
+
+“Live forever, O Prince!” said Prexaspes. “If I am permitted to speak,
+I have a message from the King.”
+
+Bardya looked upon Prexaspes loftily and disdainfully. This carefully
+dressed, combed and curled courtier of the King pleased him not. This
+man was the embodiment of the Mede, the luxury-loving, mixed breed of
+Aryan and Semite, whom the Prince despised.
+
+“Speak!” he said shortly.
+
+“I have here an order of the Great King directing that you may return
+to your dominions one week from to-day, and a second order that a
+great feast be made in your honor and that you be sent forth properly
+escorted by one hundred men under my charge.”
+
+He paused. The Prince’s face lighted with joy and he struck his hands
+together as he exclaimed: “Truly this is good news, Prexaspes! How
+about my sisters and companions?”
+
+“It is not ordered that they accompany you.”
+
+The Prince’s face grew dark. “What?” he demanded harshly. “Does this
+King deny my sisters their right to go where they choose and does he
+insult me by withholding the company of my friends?”
+
+Prexaspes glanced about uneasily and placed a finger on his lips,
+shaking his head warningly. He drew nearer to the Prince, saying in a
+low voice: “Have a care, Prince Bardya! The King waits only for some
+excuse and for a convenient day, to slay you. I will reveal to you what
+I know. Swear to keep silent should you escape! Give me the royal word
+of an Achæmenian that you will not betray me and that when you come to
+your kingdom you will remember me as a King should. Then will I reveal
+what is planned to compass your death.”
+
+Bardya hesitated. He searched the dark countenance of Prexaspes,
+striving to penetrate the mask of earnestness there assumed.
+
+“You have my word. Speak!” he said after some hesitation.
+
+“I am indeed commanded to lead you with the escort of one hundred men
+toward Rhages, but it is also ordered that you be slain before you
+reach that city. I am not willing to stain my hands in the royal blood
+of Iran. Neither am I willing that my head pay the forfeit of failing
+to have the King’s orders obeyed. Therefore, believe me, I have planned
+in good faith for your escape. On the night before the day set for
+your departure, the feast will be held. You must attend the feast.
+At midnight there will be a great exhibition of magic by the priests
+of the Magi. The King will be drunk by that time and engrossed with
+watching the performances. You will then have opportunity to leave the
+assembly room unnoticed by him and to return to your apartments. I
+will see that the guards are removed. You will take what jewels you
+have and leave your apartments to meet me at the western gate of the
+park, where horses will await us. Wear a rough soldier’s cloak over
+your armor. It will be easy for us to pass the guards and leave the
+city, as I shall have the pass-words. I will accompany you beyond the
+city limits on the northern road. I will put money in your saddle-bags
+and you may travel as a merchant. As soon as you are beyond the city
+I will return. Next day, there will ride forth one who much resembles
+you and who will dress as you dress,--Gaumata, the Magian. He will ride
+beyond Rhages. He will there disappear, and those who allow him to
+escape will feel the wrath of the Great King. Meanwhile you may travel
+unnoticed to Bactra. Is it not a good plan?”
+
+Bardya listened with distrust. He did not answer immediately. He
+pondered, not the plan, but the man who proposed it. As if reading
+his thoughts, Prexaspes added: “Why need you distrust me? If I chose
+to slay you, could I not come with the King’s order, take you to the
+dungeons, and there have you slain? Why should I make this plan? Surely
+you do not fear that I am able, single-handed, to overcome you on the
+northern road,--you, than whom no stronger swordsman rides a Nicæan
+steed! You will be armed and have a coat of mail. You may take all
+precautions. I seek only to do you a service.”
+
+His words touched the Prince’s vanity. Of course he feared no single
+man, he the celebrated strong-arm Prince of the world! The desire for
+liberty was strong in him and the romance of a night escape appealed to
+him.
+
+“Prexaspes, I agree,” he said. “It matters little whether you speak
+truly or falsely. It will be better to try an escape than to remain
+here; and, should the King overtake me with his guards, I can no more
+than die. Should I escape by this plan, come to me at Bactra and I will
+reward you royally. Or better still, times and seasons may change and
+Kings may change; and if Ahura-Mazda be willing, I may be here again
+some day able to give great honors and rewards!”
+
+Prexaspes smiled beneath his curly beard. His snake-like eyes flashed.
+“Let it be settled, then,” he rejoined. “At the midnight hour, return
+to your apartments, not letting any of your friends know your purpose.
+Meet me at the western park gate alone, and we will ride forth alone.
+Leave word with your servants that you are tired and are not to be
+called until the noon hour on the morrow. Farewell for the present!”
+
+Prexaspes turned away and disappeared through the shrubbery. The Prince
+paced onward till he came to the western limits of the park and noted
+the gate of which Prexaspes had spoken. He also saw that a company of
+soldiers had their tents pitched among the trees beyond the gate and
+that certain of them as guards paced back and forth along the wall
+bounding the park. He turned on his heel and returned to the palace.
+The guards watched him as long as he was in sight and murmured to each
+other concerning him, their attitude being sympathetic. The Prince was
+a man of soldierly figure and gracious demeanor. These men would go far
+to execute the orders of the King of Kings, but they admired the Prince
+and would not willingly have harmed him.
+
+The Prince walked slowly, his mind revolving the plan suggested for
+his escape, his head bent and his eyes cast down. He did not see his
+sister, Athura, coming towards him until he heard her soft voice.
+
+“Brother, why so downcast? Why so thoughtful and preoccupied?”
+
+His countenance lighted with pleasure. There existed between these two
+a sincere affection. He leaned much upon this sister, whose mind, like
+that of her great father, was acute and whose judgment was sound.
+
+“How beautiful is my sister!” he said, quoting one of the
+poets--“Fairer than all the women of earth, more to be beloved than
+wealth! Her breath is as fragrant as the breath of the rose; her eyes
+are deeper than the dark vault of heavens at night; her heart is as
+pure as the white snow on Demavend!”
+
+“Wait till you behold some maiden who will find favor in your sight!
+Then your sister will be remembered only as your very good friend and
+your songs of praise will be another’s,” she said. “Did I not see that
+man, Prexaspes, with you a moment ago?”
+
+“Yes, Princess. I have something to tell you. Let us go yonder to that
+seat beneath the oak tree. It is apart from all others, so that no one
+may overhear.”
+
+They went to a rustic seat beneath the spreading branches of a great
+oak and sat down side by side, and he related all that Prexaspes had
+said.
+
+“What do you advise?” he asked.
+
+Athura listened closely, her countenance expressing distrust, surprise,
+and incredulity. She took from the wide belt, that gathered her
+beautiful robe loosely about her waist, a small roll of papyrus.
+
+“Here is a letter from my Prince which has somewhat to say of this
+danger you are in,” she said. “I advise that you distrust Prexaspes.”
+
+Bardya looked over her shoulder as she unfolded the paper. “‘_Fairest
+and best of all maidens, Princess of my soul_,’” he read aloud
+laughingly.
+
+Athura quickly turned the first portion of the letter under, saying,
+“You would joke if death were about to seize you! You shall not read
+the sweet things he has written. You know not the meaning of them, even
+if you did believe yourself in love with the daughter of Orobates.”
+
+Bardya in pretended anger placed his hand over her mouth. “Let not that
+be mentioned!” he exclaimed, with simulated sternness. “I was sixteen
+and she was very fair. Though she was the daughter of a groom, even yet
+I sigh for her.”
+
+Having found that part of the letter which she desired to read, Athura
+said: “Listen to what my Prince says. This was written thirty days
+ago and was sent to his mother’s house, where he supposed I would be
+and where I should have been but for a bear of a brother who is King.
+Listen!
+
+“‘I have been much troubled concerning the words of that great teacher,
+your father’s former counselor, Belteshazzer, the Hebrew. He is a
+prophet, acquainted with all wisdom, speaking face to face with the
+messengers of God. He showed me a vision on the day we halted near
+Susa. He had been in the wilderness near by and was returning to the
+city, when I met him on the bank of the Choaspes. He showed me a vision
+of Achæmenius, the common ancestor of our royal family, yours and mine.
+A glorious vision! Belteshazzer can read all minds and knows what is in
+the hearts of men; and he said that the King meditated harm to Prince
+Bardya. Therefore, I beseech you, my soul, that you advise Bardya to
+escape as soon as he may and return to Bactra, where he will be safe.
+
+“‘I am now at Damascus, the chief city of Syria, resting before
+we continue to Sardis. I hear nothing of wars in the realms I go
+to govern, save the depredations of certain wild tribes on the
+northeastern border. I look forward to lonely days without you. I
+may find opportunity to subdue the Ionian cities, which are far too
+independent and do not properly recognize the majesty of Iran. Till I
+hear from you I--’”
+
+Athura paused and replaced the letter in her belt, saying, “The rest is
+for me alone.”
+
+Bardya sat dreamily listening to the rustle of the breeze in the oak
+leaves and gazing at the dark ridges of Mount Elwend in the west. “I
+have never thought much of visions, prophecies, or wonder-working
+performers who deceive the eye by quick movements,” he said after
+a moment of silence. “Darius says there is a future life; that the
+soul, leaving this body as one leaves a worn-out cloak, passes into
+the unseen world and continues to live; that Ahura-Mazda is a God in
+very truth and that He sends messengers to earth. Darius is wise and
+learned. If there is a future life and if congenial spirits hover round
+us, then indeed must those spirits who surround the King be all devils!
+His savage mind is blinded by love of power and moved to murder by
+jealousy and fear of me, his brother. I remember Belteshazzer, when
+he was a great and trusted counselor of Cyrus, our father. I feared
+him, too; and no man who ever looked into his reproving eye could do
+otherwise than fear him. I wish I could know the mind of Prexaspes.
+He seemed sincere. I will go with him and trust to my own arm for
+protection. But, sweet sister, I fear to leave you here in the power of
+my brother. Can you not flee with me?”
+
+“Fear not for me, brother. Cambyses will not harm me. He has no excuse.
+I am not in line for the throne. The right to rule goes to the male
+descendants of the Achæmenian family. I must not leave Artistone. How
+can I go now? I should hinder you. Besides, I must wait here for my
+Prince.”
+
+Bardya did not argue with her further, and she did not oppose his plan
+of escape further.
+
+The feast day came. There gathered into the great assembly hall of
+the palace a thousand of the notables of earth to honor the departure
+of Prince Bardya to his realms. Prexaspes had spared no expense in
+adorning the palace and in preparing the feast and the entertainments
+that should accompany it. The many pillars shining with burnished
+gold plate, which supported the gilded beams of the palace roof,
+were festooned with garlands of flowers, interwoven with streamers
+and bunting of many colors. The heavy tapestries of the doors in the
+assembly room were drawn back with silver chains. Across one end of
+this room a table was set, from the ends of which extended two longer
+tables in such manner that the King, when sitting at the center of the
+first, could see all his guests before him. Those he delighted to honor
+would sit at his table; others of less consequence would occupy the
+others. Snowy linen covers were laid. Heavy dishes of gold and silver,
+jars of beautiful Samos pottery, and vases from Egypt and Greece were
+put in place on them. Apples, peaches, plums, grapes, pomegranates,
+figs, and other rare and luscious fruits were heaped on shining
+platters. Confections, sweet cakes, nuts, salads, and relishes were in
+profusion. Flowers filled the air with delicious odors. Magnificent
+couches, on which the feasters might sit or recline as they chose, were
+placed along the tables. At one side of the room facing the King’s
+place was a low platform with seats for musicians, who with divers
+musical instruments would furnish sounds more or less harmonious while
+the great ones feasted. In adjacent rooms, graceful dancers, supple
+tricksters, and athletes were waiting to go in before the King and
+perform. A thousand servants, cooks, tasters, waiters, and attendants
+made ready the feast.
+
+As the sun disappeared behind the western mountains, a fanfare of
+trumpets announced that the feast was ready, and thousands of candles
+were lighted in the great banquet-room. None of those invited had
+failed to come. The King’s invitation was regarded as a command. In the
+cloak-room adjacent to the banquet-room, each guest received a purple
+robe to be worn during the feast and to be carried away by him at its
+close.
+
+At the appointed moment Prexaspes, as ruler of the feast, appeared,
+gorgeously dressed and having in his hand a wand. As the guests entered
+he indicated the seats to be occupied by them, placing them according
+to their rank. At the King’s table sat Crœsus, late king of Lydia, a
+prisoner, but an honored guest. There sat also Nebuchadezzer, Prince of
+Nineveh, and a score of other princes whose dominions were no longer
+theirs to rule, but who, though prisoners of the King of Kings, sat at
+his table and showed to the world that they lived on his bounty. When
+all had been duly placed, they remained standing with faces turned
+towards the throne at one end of the room and awaited the coming of
+the King. At the left of the throne was a door covered by heavy purple
+curtains hanging from ceiling to floor.
+
+Having placed all the guests, Prexaspes touched a cord and the tinkle
+of a bell announced the coming of royalty. The curtains of the door
+near the throne were parted and disclosed the King advancing, followed
+by his brother, his wife, and his two sisters, the women being closely
+veiled. The King strode heavily forward, his swarthy countenance
+lowering and his black eyes sweeping over the guests. All the guests
+bowed low towards him. He sat down heavily at his table. The guests
+remained standing until Prince Bardya, his sisters, and the King’s
+wife had taken their places at the King’s table. Then, at a wave of
+Prexaspes’ wand, the guests sank upon their seats. Immediately, nimble
+servants with pitchers and goblets appeared from side doors and poured
+wine for each guest. The King’s cup-bearer stood with a great cup of
+Helbon wine at the side of his master. The King seized the cup and,
+after waving it slightly toward his guests, drank from it long and
+deeply. The guests also drank. The musicians took their places and
+began playing a weird melody, monotonous and long-drawn-out, with many
+repetitions and variations. A murmur of conversation arose.
+
+Servants brought on trays of smoking meat, of delicious vegetables
+and pastries, and for each guest the food to which he was accustomed,
+prepared to suit his taste. The King ate and drank in silence, not even
+addressing a word to his wife, who sat at his right hand. Bardya and
+the royal sisters ate little. Their hearts were full of anxiety over
+the proposed escape of the Prince. But the King drank much wine. He
+also called for soma and drank of that liquor deeply. And as he drank,
+he watched Prexaspes, who ever moved nervously about the room directing
+the feast. Would the elegant Mede fail? The King began to devise a
+sufficient punishment to inflict on him should he fail. Dancers were
+brought in after the feast had well begun and gave an exhibition of
+sinuous movement, like the curving of a snake’s folds, or the graceful
+undulations of the sea waves. After the dancers there were performances
+by jugglers, mountebanks, and tricksters, and athletes displayed their
+strength and agility in wrestling-bouts. At the close of the feast,
+Prexaspes stood in the midst and called for silence. Then he said,
+“O King, by your gracious permission, I will now bring in the Magians
+who hold communion with the spirits of the departed, who have control
+of the powers of the gods, and who will divine and prophesy for you,
+besides doing many other wonderful things.”
+
+The faces of all were turned upon the King; and only on the
+countenances of the Persian nobles and the faces of Bardya and his
+sisters was disapproval written.
+
+“Let them come in with their tricks,” said the King, sneeringly. “They
+may delude us, but they will not convince us. Let them come!”
+
+“Let the lights be partially extinguished!” commanded Prexaspes.
+
+Immediately servants extinguished the candles, except a few at the
+King’s table, and semi-darkness enveloped them all. Then a band of six
+Magians entered. Servants brought in a heavy square table and set it
+in the open space between the dining tables. Others brought in some
+small tablets and balls, which were placed on the table. The magicians
+prostrated themselves before the King in salutation and afterwards
+gathered around the square table in silence and joined hands. They were
+clad in black robes, which covered their bodies in loose folds from
+their necks down. Their hands were visible below the wide sleeves of
+the robes, and their pallid faces shone dead white in the semi-gloom
+below the dark turbans wound loosely around their heads.
+
+As soon as the lights were extinguished, the King turned his back
+upon Bardya as if weary of his presence. Then a hand touched Bardya
+on the shoulder, and, turning, he saw Prexaspes who beckoned with a
+nod and disappeared into the gloom of a side chamber. Bardya waited
+a moment until the attention of all was concentrated upon the group
+of magicians; then, after pressing Athura’s hand lightly, he rose
+and quietly followed Prexaspes. The King seemed not to notice his
+movements, but was really watching.
+
+Five minutes later, the Prince, wrapped in a soldier’s cloak, stole
+out through the park, met Prexaspes there alone, mounted a horse held
+by him in readiness, passed through the park, and rode away with him
+through the city towards the northern road. When clear of the city
+environs, they spurred away at a gallop side by side towards the city
+of Rhages lying at the foot of distant Mount Demavend.
+
+Meanwhile, in the King’s presence, many wonderful things were
+happening. After several minutes of silence on the part of the Magians,
+the heavy table around which they stood rose to the ceiling without
+apparent supporting hands and there remained several minutes. Balls of
+light floated about the room near the ceiling. A tree sprang up out of
+the floor and visibly grew till its top touched the suspended table.
+Then the table slowly circled about the room, returned, and settled
+down to the floor. The tree disappeared as it settled. Upon the table,
+immediately, a mass of writhing snakes appeared, hissing and shooting
+forth angry red tongues, so that the guests were about to rise and flee
+in terror. They disappeared. The voice of the chief magician said in
+sepulchral tones:
+
+“None of these mighty wonders will bring harm to any of you, unless you
+make a noise and attempt to flee. Remain quietly in your places and
+behold the wonders of the gods! Know that the spirits of the mountains
+and of the valleys and of the plains are here, the rulers of earth,
+whom we serve. Know that there is no other religion worthy of practice
+than ours. Let the Great King behold and act accordingly!”
+
+The voice ceased and a hush fell over the assembly. The King moved
+uneasily in his seat, and answered in loud, sarcastic tones:
+“Tricksters have existed in all nations and in all ages! Your
+spirits are lying spirits conjured up in your own minds to frighten
+superstitious men. Bah! There are gods and gods! Show me a spirit!”
+
+“It is well!” answered the magician. “We obey the King of Kings. Only
+say nothing and move not!”
+
+A deep hush fell upon the assembly. The group of magicians drew
+together again and formed a circle about the table, placing their
+joined hands upon it and bowing their heads. Only the chief stood as
+if in a trance, looking upward. Then, above the heads of the group a
+pallid, misty light suddenly appeared, growing in density and assuming
+shape, until it became the shape of a man, wavering, translucent,
+with a sneering, evil countenance and sinister eyes, such as are ever
+ascribed to evil spirits. The King drew in his breath sharply and bent
+forward startled and alarmed. A voice seemed to come from the spirit:
+
+“What would you ask, O King of the Earth?”
+
+For a moment the King could not reply. He was agitated beyond measure.
+He summoned all his bravado, and with a great effort stammered, “Who
+and what are you?”
+
+A derisive smile curled the features of the apparition, as the voice
+replied: “I am your soul’s companion, the spirit that goes with you
+wherever you go! I am your evil genius! I am--you!”
+
+Rage filled the heart of the King.
+
+“This trick shall not benefit you, O Magians!” he shouted. “Prove to me
+that this is no delusion or death shall be your portion!”
+
+“Demand of me any proof, O King!” responded the voice.
+
+“Make your own proof!” retorted the King.
+
+Again the derisive smile curled the devilish features of the
+apparition, while a shivering silence possessed the wondering guests,
+who looked from it to the King and from the King to it, astonished at
+the resemblance between them.
+
+“At midnight, O King, last night,” said the apparition in a sepulchral
+tone, “I walked with you on the portico at the door of your bedroom and
+your thoughts were of your father and of your brother. Did you hear the
+whispering in the plane-tree? The thought then in your mind has been
+accomplished; and there comes hither the spirit of him that troubled
+you!”
+
+The apparition seemed to turn about and look in fear to the north;
+then, suddenly, it faded away. A groan arose from the chief Magian.
+He stirred uneasily and turned his pallid face towards the north. His
+hands were clenched and he stared into space with terror-stricken gaze.
+Deathlike hush pervaded the great hall. Then slowly and waveringly
+there appeared in the place where the former apparition had stood a
+ghastly face; and it was the image of Bardya, the King’s brother. With
+fierce eyes it glared down upon the King; and it seemed that blood
+poured down over the forehead in a trickling stream from a deep cleft
+in the crown of its head.
+
+A shriek of terrified anguish arose from the Princesses. A chorus
+of exclamations broke from the guests. The apparition suddenly
+disappeared. The King sat as if stunned for a moment, looking fixedly
+at the point where the apparition had been, while his face was
+contorted with fear and horror. The Magians silently dissolved their
+circle and quickly disappeared. The lights flared up as servants ran
+hither and thither relighting the candles. The King arose unsteadily.
+The guests arose and stood in their places while he wearily moved,
+or rather tottered, to the door by which he had entered, and
+disappeared. The sisters, supporting each other and weeping, left
+the room. The guests then broke into noisy comment and wonder and
+proceeded to fortify their shaken nerves with wine. Orthodox Persians
+muttered curses on all Magians. The unorthodox shook their heads and
+superstitiously resolved to make sacrifices on the morrow to the
+spirits of the hills and to the gods of the Magians. Arguments arose
+for and against Magism; but the advocates of that cult had the better
+of it, since as all had seen, it was capable of ocular demonstration.
+But the orthodox said it was the religion of devils; as for them,
+they would continue to worship the Good Spirit! Besides, the latter
+said, it was evident a fraud had been perpetrated, because Bardya, the
+King’s brother, had been at the feast well and alive. How could this
+apparition have been his ghost? In this argument they had the best of
+it. But they marveled at the King’s agitation.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI
+
+THE GREAT KING INTRODUCES A STRANGE CUSTOM
+
+
+The Great King was much shaken by the strange apparitions which the
+Magi had conjured up; but he assured himself that the whole performance
+had been trickery and he fiercely planned vengeance upon the
+performers. He had always boasted of his disbelief in gods and spirits,
+though puzzled sometimes at the magic of the fire-worshipers. This
+time, however, his gross nature had received a severe shock and while
+he awaited the return of Prexaspes that he might learn how his brother
+had been dealt with, he drank deep potations of soma and half-wished
+that his brother were indeed alive so that the horrid vision might be
+proven false. He paced back and forth impatiently in his apartments,
+while his servants stood without, breathlessly watching for every
+command lest in his present mood delay on their part would entail upon
+them grave consequences.
+
+A horseman galloped through the silent city from the north shortly
+before daylight and, with a hasty word to a sleepy guard, passed
+through the walls into the park and thence to the stables at the
+rear of the palace. Leaving his horse in the care of servants, he
+entered the palace. It was Prexaspes. After a few minutes in his own
+apartments, he emerged clad in his elegant court dress and went to the
+King’s apartments, where he knew the King waited. A servant announced
+his presence and he was at once admitted to the King’s presence. He
+entered, closed the door behind him, and stood before the King with
+bowed head.
+
+“Well?” demanded the King, hoarsely.
+
+“The King’s orders have been obeyed.”
+
+“How?”
+
+“A sword-stroke from behind as we rode northward. The body has been
+safely disposed. Let the King be at peace. Bardya is no more!”
+
+“Swear to me by all that you deem holy! Did the sword cut penetrate the
+brow?”
+
+“It did. I swear by all the gods of the hills and valleys, by Ahriman
+and by the spirits of my fathers!”
+
+The King shuddered. Mingled relief and fear shone in his countenance.
+
+“I have had strange proof of the truth of your words, Prexaspes,” he
+said. “Surely you are in league with devils! I knew you belonged to
+the Magian sect, but I did not know their power. How did they know the
+manner of Bardya’s death? How could they show it?”
+
+Prexaspes smiled. He had learned what had transpired before the King.
+
+“Without their aid it would have been impossible to have accomplished
+the destruction of the Prince,” he answered. “It would be well if the
+Great King should show favor to the Magi. They can help him much. With
+the assistance of the diviners and those who have familiar spirits, who
+can speak with the spirits of the dead and with the gods of the hills,
+the King will be able to detect those who might plot against his life.
+Nothing can be done but what they may find it out if they desire. They
+help and protect their friends.”
+
+“But they worship the Lie, which from all ages has been proscribed by
+the laws of Iran,” said the King, doubtfully. “I know they have power
+to perform wonders; but I deem them tricks. What care I? If their
+tricks aid me, they shall be rewarded.”
+
+“It is right for the Great King thus to speak for the ears of the
+people!” returned Prexaspes, insinuatingly. “But if the Great King does
+practice all the good precepts of Ahura-Mazda, what avails it or how
+does it benefit him? I dare to speak plainly, so that you may receive
+the aid of the powerful Magi whose followers are more numerous than all
+others in Medea, Assyria, and Babylonia. The deed done at your command
+this night has been accomplished by their aid. The men of orthodox
+faith, the worshipers of Ahura-Mazda, hate you. Only by allying
+yourself with the Magi can you hope to retain your throne. With their
+aid you may defy your enemies if they should learn of Bardya’s end.
+Ally yourself with the Magi and their gods and they will gratify all
+your wishes. Know, O King, that these men have wonderful powers, even
+greater than the priests of Egypt or of Babylon who know some of their
+arts.”
+
+Cambyses was shaken. In him there was some good. Unconsciously his
+physical passions had been overcoming the good; but, occasionally,
+there broke through the density of his grosser nature an inward voice
+urging him to a better life. But he had no doubt of his absolute right
+to do as he might will, and he had come to believe that ordinary rules
+of right and wrong did not apply to him. Prexaspes, seeing the King’s
+hesitation, continued:
+
+“Let not my words arouse resentment, O King! I seek but to do you good.
+My own welfare depends upon your will. I can call to your aid the Magi
+and the unseen powers. In their circle I stand next to Patatheites,
+the High Priest. Have I not obeyed your will and removed from your
+path the greatest danger to your rule? Trust me still further and you
+shall continue to have true service. Give to the Magi the chief right
+to exercise religious power throughout the world, and their vast power
+will keep you safely. Make now an alliance with them and it shall be
+well with you.”
+
+The King paced back and forth across the room, debating the matter.
+Hating all religions, because he wished to disbelieve them, his
+long-standing prejudices were not easily moved.
+
+“If I do not make this compact, then what?” he asked presently.
+
+“If you are abandoned by them, how shall you receive any aid?” rejoined
+Prexaspes. “Certainly you can expect nothing of the followers of
+Zoroaster! They have the power and the will to do you hurt. But,
+through me, the Magi offer you their powerful aid. Believe me, O King,
+it will be your only wise course to accept their support.”
+
+Cambyses nervously stroked his beard. He was not a coward. No one
+had ever accused him of a lack of courage. He despised the orthodox
+faith because of its moral laws, and he hated its followers. But he
+recognized the strength of the argument advanced by Prexaspes. The
+Magian sect was a powerful one. Medea, Assyria, Babylon, Syria, and
+Phrygia were full of them. They claimed to be in league and communion
+with the gods of the earth, and indeed practiced the occult arts,
+known more or less to all peoples, and in modern days followed by some
+so-called spiritualists. All of them were not evil. Many of them were
+reputed to be the prophets and seers and warned the people against
+the evil men who made use of their arts for their own advancement.
+Stringent laws had been made and enforced throughout Iran against that
+branch which attacked the doctrines of Zoroaster. But this cult had
+flourished especially in the mountains of Medea. Fire-worshipers fed
+their sacred flames on every hilltop. The evil and depraved gathered
+to them and harassed those who opposed them. They were known to the
+orthodox as worshipers of the “Lie,” to distinguish them from those
+who worshiped the “Truth,” as embodied in Ahura-Mazda. Cambyses had
+sometimes consulted the Magians and required oracles of them. His
+father had severely reprimanded him for such practices and had caused
+the ears of Gaumata, one of the leaders of the Magi at Hamadan, to be
+cut off as a warning to him and to his sect that Cambyses should not be
+influenced by them.
+
+Cambyses reviewed these matters as he paced nervously back and forth,
+while Prexaspes awaited his decision with bowed head and downcast eyes.
+He decided to comply.
+
+“So be it! Only let everything be done in a politic way!” he exclaimed
+harshly. “I will make a league with the Magi. They shall have freedom
+to worship as long as I rule. They must nevertheless obey me. I will be
+King alone and will not permit interference. But the laws against them
+shall be annulled and I will favor them with offices.”
+
+“It is well!” said Prexaspes, bending low and touching the floor with
+his hands. “Now, if the Great King will permit, I will withdraw and
+will carry out our plan to deceive the populace into the belief that
+Bardya still lives in the flesh.”
+
+The King nodded and turned away. Prexaspes, with a smirk of triumph on
+his face, left the room. Passing out into the hall, he was about to go
+to his room, when a servant approached and, after a low salutation,
+said, “Noble Prexaspes, my royal mistress, the Princess Athura,
+commands that you come to her waiting-room. She would speak with you.”
+
+Prexaspes hesitated a moment. Then, drawing his breath sharply, as if
+bracing himself to a severe task, and assuming a cheerful demeanor,
+he followed the servant. Athura and her sister had not retired to
+their beds after the banquet. The departure of Bardya, followed by
+the fearful scene produced by the Magi, had rendered them sleepless.
+They had ordered their servants to watch for and report the return of
+Prexaspes to them. Prexaspes entered the room where they awaited him
+and bowed very low before them, touching the floor with his hands. Then
+he stood in respectful attitude with downcast eyes, awaiting their
+pleasure. The eyes of the maidens were red with weeping.
+
+“Speak, false traitor! Was it you that struck Bardya and slew him?”
+exclaimed Athura, approaching him with clenched hands and blazing eyes.
+
+Prexaspes raised his brows in well-simulated surprise.
+
+“You wrong me greatly, most noble Princess! What mean you? No one has
+slain Bardya,” he answered.
+
+“But I saw his spirit! He appeared at the close of the feast, and his
+head was cleft in twain as with a sword-stroke!”
+
+Prexaspes smiled reassuringly, and drawing nearer to the Princess he
+whispered: “Believe it not, O most royal! That was but a delusion to
+convince the Great King that his will had been done. How could a spirit
+appear with cleft head? Spirits have no bodies that may be seen. But
+Patatheites was able to influence all there so that they believed they
+saw the spirit of Bardya, while the great Prince was riding swift as
+the wind to Rhages. Dry your tears! Bardya is beyond the reach of the
+King now, and in due time you will hear that he has arrived in his
+dominions. You saw no spirit. It was but a picture from the mind of the
+Magian chief.”
+
+So sincere were his words and manner that Athura was reassured. She
+never had been superstitious or believed that the Magi were other than
+tricksters. The sternness left her countenance. She smiled graciously
+and extended her hand, which Prexaspes on bended knee respectfully
+kissed while his brilliant eyes glowed with admiration. Never, he
+thought at that moment, had he seen so beautiful a face or so perfect a
+form, never such a gracious and winning smile. For a moment his heart,
+used to the ways of the world, satiated with the pleasures of life,
+leaped within him; and he felt that to deserve that gracious smile he
+would have undone all that he had done and given up all that he had
+won. The music of her voice and the sweetness of her smile dwelt with
+him many a day thereafter, bringing to him the only regret and shame
+that he had ever known since childhood.
+
+“Noble Prexaspes,” she said, “I recall my harsh words! But that was a
+horrible thing the great magician showed us; and it was well thought of
+to deceive the King! Surely my brother and I will reward you in days to
+come when all danger shall have been removed. As you have this night
+served Bardya, I promise on the word of an Achæmenian, which has never
+been broken, you will have a fitting and suitable reward. Farewell!”
+
+Bowing many times, Prexaspes backed from the room and passed hastily to
+his own quarters. The sisters, relieved of their apprehension, retired
+to rest.
+
+Next day there was much excitement in the city of Hamadan. A great
+crowd gathered along the northern road to shout a farewell to Bardya,
+the beloved. Their greetings to him who impersonated Bardya, when he
+appeared riding in the midst of a group of nobles, bowing right and
+left, were hearty and prolonged. Prexaspes rode at his side, smiling
+cynically beneath his beard and glancing occasionally up at the great
+palace on the hill where the King stood at a window gazing down upon
+the demonstration. The false Bardya passed out of the city; and so
+perfect was his resemblance to the departed in feature and dress that
+none suspected the imposture. At Rhages, a new escort was provided;
+but at a point a day’s journey beyond Rhages it was attacked by a band
+of men, supposed to be robbers, and scattered. Bardya, whether true or
+false, there disappeared and the Great King sent a punitive expedition
+into the mountains to lay waste the robbers’ homes. Certain innocent
+mountaineers suffered the Great King’s vengeance, but the King’s
+brother could not be found.
+
+Thus did Cambyses make himself sure of his throne, and for many months
+thereafter he gave himself up to riotous living, seeking in strong
+drink forgetfulness of his crime. Meanwhile he prepared for war against
+Egypt. He levied heavy taxes and called for troops from every province.
+His pride grew. He deemed himself divine. The Magi encouraged him in
+this faith and brought messages from the gods of the hills to him as
+the god of earth.
+
+Cambyses had one great sorrow. He was childless. He took many women as
+wives. His seraglio was filled with the most beautiful of the earth.
+But no child gladdened his heart. As the months passed, his mind became
+darker and more imbued with hatred of good and the love of evil. The
+Magi served him well. As his spies they listened among the common
+people and invaded the palaces of the great. He knew that the people
+feared him and did not love him. His vanity was easily wounded. Some
+who spoke offensively of him to putative friends suddenly disappeared
+and were never heard of more. Throughout the vast regions governed by
+him, his spies watched for plots and conspiracies. Incipient rebellions
+were ferociously repressed and those who plotted were tortured to death
+as examples to others.
+
+Reviewing these things in his mind one day, while walking on the
+balcony of the palace, the King looked down upon the park surrounding
+the palace and noticed a group of women sitting on benches beneath a
+tree, and saw that among them were his two sisters. Their gay chatter
+and laughter came up to his ears. He watched them a moment in scowling
+silence, and was about to resume his walk, when, as he turned, he was
+startled at seeing before him the tall form of Patatheites, chief
+priest of the Magians. The King uttered an oath, and placed his hand on
+the haft of his dagger.
+
+“How come you here?” he growled. “I like not this sudden appearing! I
+turn here or there and I behold you and know not how you come or go!
+Speak, slave!”
+
+The large, dark eyes of the Magian looked calmly into the fierce,
+sparkling orbs of the King; and before his direct gaze the latter
+quailed. Possessed of wonderful hypnotic power, Patatheites easily
+ruled those with whom he came in contact. He dared even to exercise his
+power upon the King.
+
+“Let not the King’s anger strike me!” he said soothingly. “I am his
+most obedient and willing slave. I have a message from the gods, who
+have seen fit to whisper it to me for you.”
+
+“What is it?” demanded the King, cringing somewhat and experiencing a
+chill along his spinal column.
+
+“Your expedition against Egypt will be successful, say the gods of the
+hills. Concerning that which you had in your mind as to an heir for
+your throne, I have a message also.”
+
+Cambyses looked upon the man with growing awe. To no one had he ever
+expressed the thoughts concerning his lack of an heir. How could this
+priest know that he had just been considering that subject?
+
+“How knew you my thoughts?” he demanded. “What is this message?”
+
+“How do the gods know?” returned the Magian. “This message is, that one
+of your race shall fill your throne after you, but it will be a son of
+your sister.”
+
+“What?” almost shouted the King. “Her son? and who shall be his father?”
+
+“That I know not. But I do know that it lies in your power to say who
+shall be husband to your sisters. Look about over the world and choose
+one equal to yourself.”
+
+Cambyses was silent a moment and his thought ran to one only who might
+claim to be of equal birth, the Prince of Iran. Jealous wrath arose and
+almost choked his utterance.
+
+“There is none,” he stuttered, “unless it might be that accursed
+Hystaspis!”
+
+The Magian nodded meaningly.
+
+“Even now,” said he, “she has in her bosom a letter from him which she
+is instructed to deliver to you, demanding that you give her leave to
+go to him and marry him. She will present this request. What then?”
+
+“She shall not go to him! Instead I will send him a bowstring in the
+hands of our trusty servants.”
+
+Patatheites shook his head.
+
+“No, it would mean your overthrow. The Persians and Bactrians are
+restless because you have seen fit to give freedom to the Magi; and
+they only await a leader to rise against you. They yet look for Bardya
+to return and raise the standard of rebellion. They think you have him
+imprisoned. If he could return they would that instant join him. If
+harm befall the Prince of Iran, remember that his old lion of a father
+reigns at Bactra, and that he has three hundred thousand of Cyrus’s
+veterans under his immediate command. The son is the apple of the old
+man’s eye, the center of his soul; and, in spite of his oath to Cyrus,
+which pledged him to your support, he would tear even you from your
+throne should you harm the Prince. You have nothing to fear from that
+young man. His oath binds him to you. He is such a stickler for faith
+and truth that he will not break it, even though you should refuse him
+the hand of your sister. But there is a plan whereby you may move in
+accordance with the advice of the gods, yet inflict on that Prince most
+grievous suffering if you will.”
+
+“What is this plan? I would go far to harass him. What mean you?”
+
+“The King has two sisters, both fair to look upon. There is none in
+all the world to equal them in birth save the King. Why not do as the
+ancient Egyptian kings used to do--marry these two sisters yourself?”
+
+Cambyses stared at his interlocutor with open mouth. Such an idea had
+never entered his brain. It was contrary to Aryan law that one should
+marry any one closer than a cousin in blood relationship. He swore a
+great oath of astonishment. He looked down at his sisters, the one in
+all the glory of well-developed womanhood, the other just emerging from
+childhood to womanhood, both beautiful and of royal carriage.
+
+“Which of these sisters shall mother a king?” he demanded of the
+Magian, presently.
+
+“It was not said. But why should the King choose? Is not the King of
+Kings above the laws of the Medes and Persians and may he not do as he
+will? Is not the King’s word and his decree law? If the King decree
+that he marry both his sisters, is it not law? Bah! The customs of the
+Aryans must give way to your divine will. I have spoken. Let the King
+act on my advice!”
+
+The King was silent. He contemplated his sisters. He turned again to
+the Magian, but the latter had disappeared. He looked about. He had
+not heard him go. This uncanny habit of Patatheites in appearing and
+disappearing at will made the King shiver. This new idea of taking his
+sisters in marriage, however, was a novel one and worthy of thought.
+He slowly descended by steps from the balcony to the earth and walked
+towards the group of women. As soon as the latter noticed his approach,
+there was a hasty movement among the women, some of whom departed. The
+sisters of the King arose as he approached, and stood in respectful
+attitude.
+
+“Hail, sisters!” he said, attempting to speak graciously. “I trust you
+are enjoying this pleasant weather. Winter approaches and we shall soon
+go down to Susa.”
+
+They bowed in reply. He looked them over critically. Yes, they were
+very beautiful. The younger he did not dislike so much as the elder.
+He had hated the elder with the same jealous hatred that he had felt
+towards his brother; but the younger had been a child and had not
+incurred his displeasure, nor had she ever said bitter words to him. He
+was surprised when Athura sank to her knee, saying, “I have a petition,
+O King!”
+
+He frowned down upon her, suspecting what she was about to ask.
+
+“Speak!” he said.
+
+“O brother, the Prince of Iran has begged me to remind you that our
+father, Cyrus, promised me to him in marriage. He requests that you now
+send me to him as his wife.”
+
+A smile of disdain curved the heavy lips of the King. This was the
+first time his proud sister had ever bent her knee or presented a
+petition to him. He gloated a moment over her in silence, seeking words
+that might assure her once for all of the hopelessness of her request.
+
+“Impossible!” he ejaculated. “I come to you with a message from the
+gods. His request cannot be granted now or ever. There is no one fit to
+mate with one of our family. Therefore it remains that we, you and I,
+you two and I--that we intermarry, so that the throne of our fathers
+may continue to be filled with the race of Cyrus!”
+
+Artistone gasped in astonishment. Athura rose to her feet, shocked and
+amazed. Her eyes searched the evil, leering face of her brother, to
+ascertain whether he were crazed or drunk.
+
+“Are you demented?” she gasped. “Marry your sisters? Never since Aryans
+lived has it been permitted! Death will be preferable! Are you in
+earnest? Or is it a horrible joke?”
+
+“Never have I been more in earnest, my beautiful sister!” answered
+Cambyses, mockingly. “Am I not King? Is not my decree above all law
+and custom? I tell you that presently I will issue my decree making
+it lawful for the King of the World to marry even his sister! I shall
+marry you, Athura! I will bend your proud spirit to my will. You,
+Artistone, shall be my wife. You shall be my chief wife, my queen. If
+either of you refuse, a bowstring will be your portion. My other wives
+shall be subject to you, except as I command. I have spoken. It shall
+be so!”
+
+He turned on his heel and stalked back towards the palace, while his
+sisters stood as if rooted to the earth staring at his receding form.
+He turned after going a dozen paces.
+
+“Write no more messages to that Darius,” he said to Athura. “I shall
+send a bowstring to him if you do so. The world is not large enough to
+contain him and me at the same time. I have spoken!”
+
+He continued to the palace, while his sisters, dumb with amazement and
+hot with anger, watched his receding form in silence.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII
+
+THE FORCE OF AN OATH
+
+
+The Prince of Iran paced slowly back and forth on the roof of his
+palace in the citadel of Sardis, in company with his friend Gobryas.
+From it, grand views of famous seas and lands could be had. At one
+side, the rugged crests of Mount Tmolus stretched away in verdant
+splendor; at the other, and far below, lay the beautiful plain of
+Hermus through which flowed the river Pactolus on its bed of golden
+sand. Just below, lay the great city of Sardis, capital of his
+province, rich and splendid in its Grecian beauty and Persian strength.
+Far away to the west lay the blue waters of the great sea, with its
+hundred isles where Grecian genius had made fairylands of nature’s
+own gracious handiwork. Overhead, the softly tinted azure was a well
+of golden sunshine. The air was smooth as water to the face and like
+nectar to the lungs. But the eyes of the Prince gazed not on these
+splendors. They were moody and introspective.
+
+“Brother of mine,” he was saying, “is not this a land of infinite
+pleasure? No wonder these Hellenes cling to it! No wonder they talk in
+poems and work out poems in stone. One could live here very happily,
+provided other conditions were assured.”
+
+Gobryas smiled.
+
+“By ‘other conditions,’” he suggested, “you mean that if a certain
+Princess who excels all others in the world in beauty were here, you
+would be content.”
+
+The Prince nodded a smiling assent.
+
+“Truly you are deep in your reasoning!” he replied. “Now, while these
+hills and valleys, this sea and this plain, may be beautiful, it is
+not such a paradise for me as would be the rugged hills of Persia or
+the hot sands of Iran, were I permitted to dwell there with that same
+Princess. I have often wondered whether, if I were a simple farmer or
+a sheep-herder and permitted to have her with me, I would not be far
+happier than as a ruler of this great province without her. Power is
+sweet to a man. The right to rule, to speak a word and give life or
+death, to sit as a judge righting wrongs and endeavoring to make the
+people prosperous and happy, accords with my disposition. But truly,
+Gobryas, I would give all these in exchange for a shepherd’s life with
+her, the incomparable queen, the sweetest spirit and most intelligent
+mind ever given to inhabit a perfect body. Ah, God grant that when my
+letter reached the King through her, his heart was inclined to justice
+and to redeem his father’s pledge to me! But I fear it was not. Else
+why this delay? No letter has come from her for weeks, nor has the King
+sent me word of his decision. I have been planning how I would march
+with ten thousand men to meet her, even at Damascus.”
+
+“May Ahura-Mazda favor you!” said Gobryas, heartily. “It may be the
+King will demand delay on account of his approaching war with Egypt. It
+may be that, instead of a gracious assent to marry, an order will come
+for you to lead your fifty thousand veterans to meet his army at Tyre.
+Is not your army well appointed in all its equipment, able to march
+even to Hamadan to meet this Princess--perhaps to rescue her? It may
+become necessary. The oath that you and your father took to Cyrus has
+bound you to serve an insane master, who may refuse your just petition.”
+
+“A letter from my father is overdue also,” said the Prince, ignoring
+the suggestion of his friend. “How I would like to see my royal father!
+Truly he knows the secret of youth. His years sit lightly upon his
+shoulders.”
+
+“That is because he has observed the ancient customs of his people--to
+live temperately, uprightly, and energetically.”
+
+“You have said only a part of it. Much is due to his calmness. He never
+allows passion or prejudice to upset his equanimity. He smiles at all
+terrors, hardships, or dangers. He accepts that which comes as a duty.
+His calm is infinite!”
+
+Their attention was now given to a horseman who was toiling slowly up
+the steep side of the mountain to the citadel. He was dust-covered, and
+his horse was wet with sweat.
+
+“A messenger!” exclaimed the Prince. “Now perhaps we shall hear the
+decrees of fate! Ah, Gobryas, you have never known what it is to have
+the love of such a woman, and be so in danger of losing her! God grant
+that you may some day know the sweetness of love!”
+
+Gobryas laughed. He twirled the ends of his long mustache and smoothed
+down the folds of his cloak. “While I have never been as deeply in
+love as you,” he responded, “yet I know somewhat of it. Has not your
+Princess a sister? Perhaps she has smiled on me.”
+
+“What! Artistone? She is a sweet child! Has she looked upon you with
+favor?”
+
+“I have thought so,” admitted Gobryas. “I may be mistaken. She
+condescended to talk with me sometimes when we were journeying from
+Bactra with the body of her father. Her smiles and her eyes have led me
+to believe that she regards me with approval. When I return from the
+Egyptian campaign, I shall demand leave of the King to speak to her of
+marriage, if you consent. My family is ancient. I am one of the seven
+nobles of Persia from whose daughters the kings have often chosen their
+brides.”
+
+“I will leave no influence untried in your favor,” said the Prince,
+warmly. “That will be a happy event, if we who have mingled our blood
+as brothers, should marry sisters! How slow that messenger is! His
+horse seems to have come far.”
+
+The messenger soon arrived at the citadel wall. Presently he
+appeared before the Prince, accompanied by a servant who carried
+his dispatch-bag. The Prince recognized him as one of his father’s
+messengers, a man who had followed the King of Iran on many campaigns.
+
+“Hail, royal Prince!” exclaimed the messenger, bending his knee. “I
+bring you greetings from your royal father and letters from him and
+from Cambyses, the King of Kings, who was kind enough to entrust me
+with a packet for you.”
+
+“I am glad to see you, son of Darya,” said the Prince. “Go and rest
+while I read the letters. My servants will see that you have food and
+drink. You shall have new clothing and a bag of gold. After you have
+been refreshed, come hither again, as I would question you.”
+
+The servant took the messenger away and gave him of the best. The
+Prince hastily broke the seals of the dispatch-bag and poured out its
+contents upon a table. He examined the several packets hastily and was
+disappointed at not finding any letter from Athura.
+
+“This is evil luck!” he exclaimed. “Surely she could have sent me a
+letter by the hand of this messenger! Here is an official dispatch
+bearing the King’s seal. Here is one from the noble Otanes. Ah, here is
+one from my father! We will read it first.”
+
+He broke the seal and unwrapped the vellum which covered the inner roll
+of papyrus. Unrolling this, he read aloud:
+
+  “_Beloved Son_:
+
+  “It gave me very great pleasure to receive your letter and to hear
+  that you are well and at peace in your provinces. A letter from your
+  mother has also arrived this day. She is well and speaks of her great
+  loneliness in that both you and I are absent. I have determined to
+  send for her that she may be with me here, since it now seems that
+  I shall have to remain here several months. I have just received a
+  letter from the King of Kings, by the hand of the Grand Chamberlain,
+  Prexaspes, advising me that the Prince Bardya has departed for Bactra
+  from Hamadan. But the Prince has not yet arrived. This letter also
+  calls for a levy of one hundred thousand men for the proposed war in
+  Egypt. What Prince Bardya will say to this request, I fear will not
+  please the King. Reports have come which cause me much uneasiness. It
+  is said the King of Kings is consulting the sorcerers and consorting
+  with those who worship the Lie. His delay for months to permit Bardya
+  to come hither has caused much uneasiness.
+
+  “This realm is peaceful now, although the Sogdians are turbulent and
+  the Getæ are ever plotting raids upon their neighbors. The fear of my
+  veterans is upon them, however, and the mountain chiefs are making
+  daily professions of fealty and devotion. But I think it is fear
+  rather than love which causes them to be at peace and to turn traders
+  instead of looters.
+
+  “But I will write no more, except to say that the son of Darya will
+  make due inquiries and observations of affairs at Hamadan so that he
+  may report fully to you concerning them.”
+
+The Prince re-read that portion of the letter referring to Bardya.
+
+“I look for trouble as soon as Bardya arrives in Bactra,” said he. “It
+is well that my father has remained there. He will restrain the Prince.
+Now I will read the King’s letter.”
+
+He took up the largest packet, broke the seal, and untied the cord
+around it. The vellum wrappings having been removed, two clay tablets,
+written closely in the cuneiform script of official decrees, were
+revealed. He read aloud:
+
+  “I, Cambyses the Achæmenian, son of Cyrus, King of Kings, King of all
+  the Earth, Ruler of All Nations, the Great King, have decreed:
+
+  “First: That it is lawful for the King of Kings to take to wife any
+  woman whether it be his sister or another.
+
+  “Second: That the Princesses Athura and Artistone shall be his wives.”
+
+The Prince stopped reading. He was speechless with amazement. He
+trembled and seemed about to fall; but Gobryas seized his arm and
+supported him.
+
+“Am I dreaming? Read it, brother, and say if what I read is there!” he
+exclaimed, handing the tablets to Gobryas.
+
+The latter seized the tablets and looked at them.
+
+“There is no mistake!” he said. “So runs the writing! But God forbid
+that such act of a maniac could be accomplished! Will he dare do this
+thing and the Persian nobles not tear him from the throne?”
+
+The Prince, with a mighty effort, recovered his strength and drew up
+his tall form to its full height, as he might if facing death. He
+looked as in a dream at the distant mountains, at the sparkling sea and
+the deep blue of the heavens filled with the soft golden light of the
+afternoon sun. His words, when he spoke, were low and tense:
+
+“This I know, that the Princess Athura will not become his wife! She
+may be at this moment dead or in prison! She would never submit to such
+infamy! This is a deadly insult to me, the son of the King of Iran,
+the son of kings better in the right to rule than he; and it shall not
+be borne! I will march to Hamadan! I will throw down that cursed beast
+from the throne! By the living God, I recall my oath to Cyrus! I am not
+bound because he has broken faith. He may have slain her. He shall die!
+Come, Gobryas! Not a moment is to be lost. Gather together my officers.
+Call into the ranks every man. We will march before the sun goes down!”
+
+He smote his palms together. His chest heaved with mighty emotions. The
+world seemed rocking to its dissolution and he about to fall with it.
+
+Gobryas placed one arm around his friend and compelled him to walk
+slowly back and forth. He feared for a moment that the Prince’s reason
+was tottering. Never had he seen him so moved. He sought for words to
+comfort him.
+
+“Beloved Prince,” he said, “listen to me! Athura is not one who will
+tamely submit to such wrong. She has not submitted. She has escaped or
+she has slain herself. But let us hear further from the messenger. Let
+us read these other letters. Then let us take counsel so that we may
+not fail. We who have not taken an oath to Cyrus will pull Cambyses
+down from his throne and slay him like a dog! Have good courage,
+brother! Let me depart this night for Persia. There I will gather the
+lords of Persia and with an army march up to your aid when you cross
+the Tigris. Athura and Artistone may have perished, but vengeance
+remains. Let us make Bardya King. Forbid it not! I will depart this
+night. Three months from now a hundred thousand Persians will be camped
+around the royal palace at Hamadan.”
+
+The Prince sat down on a bench beneath the awning and buried his face
+in his hands. He was silent for some moments, while Gobryas nervously
+paced back and forth. After a while, the Prince again arose, pallid
+but calm. He said, speaking argumentatively: “He is King. My loyalty
+is to the King, though my hatred is towards the man. Must we not put
+aside personal wrongs, Gobryas, and trust that God will avenge us? No
+Achæmenian has ever broken an oath, but has kept it in spirit as well
+as in letter. It is hard to serve such a King, but let us consider
+well before we start civil war. If what he has decreed has been
+accomplished, then am I absolved from my oath. But I must wait until I
+know what has occurred. We will send a dispatch to my father, seeking
+his counsel. Shall I plunge the world into war because of my personal
+wrong?”
+
+“I had not considered that,” answered Gobryas. “I am not oath-bound. I
+dreamed of Artistone; and lo, this cursed maniac has spoiled my dream!
+But I shall be guided by you.”
+
+The Prince went to the table on which the other letters lay, and took
+up the one sealed with the seal of Otanes. He read it aloud:
+
+  “_To the royal Prince of Iran, son of Hystaspis, the King, greeting_:
+
+  “I have intrusted this letter to your servant, knowing his fidelity,
+  and have instructed him to deliver it to you alone and not to let it
+  pass from his hands to any other while he lives. Know that the King
+  has broken all the ancient laws and customs of Persia; and we, as one
+  of the seven families of Persia, are calling to the other six for
+  counsel. We have sent letters to your beloved father, begging him to
+  consent to reign.
+
+  “This Cambyses has proven that he is no longer sane. He is possessed
+  of devils. His debaucheries have weakened his mind, while sharpening
+  his appetite for doing evil. He has advanced the Magi to the choicest
+  places in the realm. He has failed to remember that the seven noble
+  families of Persia are entitled to the chief places under him, as in
+  the time of Cyrus. He is a worshiper of the Lie and not of the Truth.
+  He has forgotten the religion of the Aryans and has fallen into the
+  hands of the fire-worshiping Magi, devil-worshipers of the hills. He
+  has slain without cause many who have displeased him, even Persians
+  of high rank. He has disregarded all laws and customs. The last and
+  most infamous thing is this marriage with his two sisters which he
+  purposes to accomplish. He has declared that he as King is above all
+  laws and customs, that Aryan laws are not binding on him. Knowing by
+  common report that you and the royal Princess Athura are promised to
+  each other, all Persia is in a ferment of discontent over the gross
+  insult shown you in thus taking your promised wife by force to his
+  own vile harem.
+
+  “Prince Bardya left Hamadan ten months ago for Bactra. But it is
+  reported that robbers set upon and captured him just after he left
+  Rhages. He has disappeared. I think the robbers were the men of
+  Cambyses and that Bardya has been slain.
+
+  “Send us, therefore, but one word, telling us that you march hither
+  with your army; and we will meet you at Susa with two hundred
+  thousand men, to throw down this beast from his throne. In you alone
+  do the Persian people hope. Your father’s age and inclination may not
+  permit him to accept the great burden of ruling this empire, in case
+  Bardya cannot be found; and we shall call you to the throne. Send us
+  orders.”
+
+The Prince was greatly moved. Gobryas watched him curiously. Would not
+this letter overcome his scruples? The Prince sat down heavily by the
+table and supported his head on his hands. After a moment of silence,
+he said:
+
+“Call the son of Darya.”
+
+Gobryas pulled a silken cord, and immediately a servant appeared.
+
+“Bring the messenger here,” he commanded.
+
+The son of Darya appeared quickly. He bowed low before the Prince,
+who pointed to a bench, indicating that he might sit. But he remained
+standing.
+
+“Son of Darya,” said the Prince, “you have come far and served
+faithfully. How is the old man, my father? Has he changed much? Is his
+body bending with age and toil?”
+
+The man’s dark eyes glowed with affection as he answered: “No, royal
+Master. Your father stoops not, nor does his face show care. It is not
+wrinkled save when he smiles on his sons, as he calls the soldiers.
+Bactra is happy, because the people dwell in safety and have justice
+dealt out to them. Your royal father remains youthful and is ready to
+march on smooth or rough roads at any moment. There is no man in all
+Iran like unto him.”
+
+“You saw and heard much as you came hither. You stopped at Hamadan and
+you gathered news there for me. Is it not so?”
+
+“I was commanded to see and hear and to report all to you.”
+
+“It is well. From what you saw and heard, know you anything concerning
+the marriage of the King to his sisters?”
+
+“It was all the talk in the rest-houses and in the streets of Hamadan
+when I came to that city. I was not permitted to see the royal
+Princesses, as the marriage feast had occurred but two weeks prior to
+my arrival. But I caught a glimpse of the royal lady, Artistone, at a
+window in the palace. I thought it was she. It was said that the King
+has ten other wives and keeps them in one part of his palace separate
+from all others, like the Assyrians. There had been much murmuring
+among the Persians and some rioting between them and the Magi. I saw
+the noble Otanes, who was very wroth and who has since left the city,
+going southward to his castle in Persia. He bade me say to you that you
+should make quick answer and that he hopes to hear that your army will
+march at once to Damascus.”
+
+“Did you hear whether the Princesses consented?”
+
+“They both refused to consent to the marriage; but the King decreed
+the marriage instead of observing the Persian custom of marrying. It
+was reported that he gave them their choice of marriage or death, and
+that Princess Athura chose death. It was also reported that one of
+the Princesses had escaped from the palace and had disappeared. I know
+that squads of cavalry were searching the country all around the city.
+It was said to be Athura who fled. I have also a verbal message from
+Prexaspes, who bade me say to you these words, ‘The bird has escaped
+the fowler’s net.’”
+
+“What else said he?” demanded the Prince, greatly agitated.
+
+“Nothing. But he gave me a purse of gold.”
+
+“Have you heard whether Athura was found?”
+
+“No. The palace servants are quaking with terror and dare not talk. It
+is said that the King slew three of them with his own hands on the day
+when the Princess fled. She had not been discovered, I think, when I
+left.”
+
+“What heard you of the Prince Bardya?”
+
+“Nothing, except that he had departed from the city some months before
+I arrived, going towards Rhages. At Rhages, it was said that the Prince
+had passed through and had then been set upon by robbers and taken into
+the mountains. It is a great mystery. Some say that he is dead, slain
+by the Magi, or that the Magi have him imprisoned in their mountain
+strongholds.”
+
+“What rumors of the war with Egypt did you hear?”
+
+“The King is gathering a great army from all parts of his empire. It is
+said he will gather it at Arbela in the spring and march thence by way
+of Damascus and Tyre.”
+
+“You heard nothing more of the Princesses?”
+
+“Nothing. I spoke with the guards of the palace. But they are
+black-faced villains from Azerbijan, under the control of the Magi; and
+they would tell me nothing.”
+
+“You may go now,” said the Prince. “You have done well. Go and rest. I
+will call you again. Make ready to return in three days.”
+
+The man departed.
+
+“What mean the words of Prexaspes, think you?” asked the Prince,
+turning to Gobryas. “Does he refer to Bardya or to Athura?”
+
+“I should say, to Athura. Prexaspes loved not Bardya, but he admired
+you. Undoubtedly he referred to Athura. Perhaps the packet containing
+the King’s decrees contained a letter from him.”
+
+Gobryas took the wrappers up from the floor where they had fallen and
+found a closely written sheet of vellum.
+
+“It is a letter from Prexaspes,” he said.
+
+  “_To the Prince of Iran, greeting_:
+
+  “Cambyses, King of Kings, the King of All the Earth, the Great
+  King, commands that you gather fifty thousand soldiers and, leaving
+  only force sufficient to garrison the chief cities under command of
+  Metaphernes, that you march to Tyre, there to await the gathering
+  of the other armies of the King. He has determined to punish the
+  King of Egypt for injuries and insults heretofore sustained. You are
+  ordered to hire all the Phœnician ships and as many of the Hellenes
+  as you can. Let them also gather at Tyre. Also to engage all the
+  Cretan slingers and Greek hoplites from Ionia and the islands. Pay
+  them liberally from the King’s money. Bring with you the treasures of
+  your provinces and gather provisions at Tyre to subsist five hundred
+  thousand men for a year’s campaign in Egypt. Be ready to lead the
+  King’s armies. For the King orders that you have chief command under
+  him. In four months be at the place appointed.
+
+                                               “(For the King) PREXASPES.”
+
+“The King does me honor indeed!” exclaimed the Prince, angrily. “One
+day he insults and wrongs me; the next he appoints me leader of his
+army. I will march to Tyre, indeed! If I march no further towards
+Hamadan, it will be because I find that Athura has indeed escaped.
+But, alas! Gobryas, I fear much that she escaped only by the aid of a
+dagger.”
+
+“Better the dagger than the fate of Artistone! Did the messenger not
+say he saw her at a palace window two weeks after the marriage? She is
+but a child, and could not escape! O, my Prince and brother! Give me
+leave this night to start for Persia! I do not ask you to raise your
+hand against the King! But I will stir up all Persia against him. May
+Ahriman seize him!”
+
+Gobryas paced back and forth, greatly agitated. But the Prince shook
+his head.
+
+“Let us not be hasty, dear brother!” he said. “In my own grief I had
+forgotten that you love Artistone. Whatever has been done cannot now
+be undone. Vengeance will wait and be more sure to those who make
+sufficient preparation. Let us hasten our departure. Perhaps Athura is
+flying hither, and we must prepare to receive and protect her. If it
+means war, let it come! I cannot throw Cambyses down from his throne;
+but my oath does not prohibit me from resisting his tyranny by force. I
+cannot agree with Otanes to make war on him. Nor can I permit you, my
+brother, to go into Persia to aid in a conspiracy against him. He has
+wronged you unwittingly and has put no insult upon you, as he has upon
+me. Nevertheless, if Athura has escaped and claims my protection, she
+shall have it even if war be the result.”
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII
+
+A CLASH OF WILLS
+
+
+Athura and Artistone, sisters of the Great King, were alone in their
+magnificent sitting-room in the palace, having dismissed all their
+attendants. They sat on a velvet-covered couch with heads close
+together, discussing the latest action of the King. Between them lay a
+tablet on which was engraved a copy of the King’s decree, declaring the
+new law, that the King of Kings might marry his sisters. Some days had
+elapsed since the King of Kings had told them of his intention, but as
+he had not again spoken on the subject, they had concluded that he was
+jesting. This decree indicated his set purpose.
+
+“Is the decree law?” asked Artistone.
+
+“No, it is not law! The King cannot set aside the customs of his people
+by decrees,” answered Athura. “I am sure that the Kings of Iran in all
+ages have been bound by law and custom. But in this new empire, it may
+be that the King’s decree is law, since there is none to gainsay it.
+This decree shall never bind me! Death will be welcome rather than
+submission to this brutal decree!”
+
+“What shall we do?”
+
+“I have my dagger! I shall slay Cambyses, or myself, should he seek to
+force us into marriage with him.”
+
+Artistone sighed. Her wan countenance indicated fear. She was only
+a child of fifteen years. But Athura lacked neither courage nor
+decision. The spirit of her father blazed within her.
+
+“Let us plan escape,” she said. “This night we will leave the palace.
+We will disguise ourselves in men’s clothing and we will fly to Persia
+for safety. The lords of Persia will protect us. We cannot escape to
+Bactra. There is but one road and that will be watched.”
+
+“How can I travel so?” her sister rejoined, tears flowing down her
+cheeks. “I am not strong like you. But I will follow you.”
+
+Further conversation was interrupted by the noise of heavy footsteps in
+the hall without. The heavy curtains at the door were pushed aside and
+the King himself appeared. He stopped just within the threshold and,
+folding his arms, struck a majestic attitude and looked down at his
+sisters.
+
+He writhed his brutal countenance into the semblance of a smile and
+said: “All hail, great Queens, wives of the King of Kings, the Great
+King! Are you not rejoicing that I have condescended to do you so great
+honor as to make you both the first ladies in all the world?”
+
+The sisters were speechless. They gazed up at the harsh features of
+their brother, as if upon a serpent.
+
+As they did not answer, he continued: “I never did like the formalities
+of a state marriage. My decree was the shortest and best way, since it
+did not require your assent. I come now to ask you to set a near date
+for the marriage feast. At the end of the week, you shall be crowned
+Queens of the Earth. What say you?”
+
+He ceased and waited for an answer, leering at them drunkenly.
+
+“Surely you mean not to make us actually wives, contrary to all the
+laws of the Medes and Persians?” said Athura.
+
+“But it is not contrary to their laws,” he retorted. “Have I not
+decreed a new law? Am I not supreme? Is there any other that can make a
+law? Ah, you are a proud woman, Athura, and your heart is set on that
+Prince of Iran whom I hate above all men and would slay, were it not
+greater satisfaction to make him serve me without his hoped-for reward
+of marrying you! I have thought well on this noble revenge! I hate you
+also; but I will bend you to my will, and you shall be my concubine if
+not my wife, whether you desire or not! As for Artistone, I hate her
+not. I prefer to make her my chief wife. She shall be Queen. I have
+spoken! Artistone, go to the Queen’s room and there abide. Athura,
+follow me now to the room set apart for my women!”
+
+Athura rose, her eyes blazing, and moved swiftly towards the King, with
+her right hand drawing from her bodice a short, keen dagger.
+
+“Truly, brute without sense or reason,” she hissed, “I come to you, but
+with death in my hand!”
+
+She leaped towards him and the dagger gleamed in her raised hand. With
+an exclamation of alarm the King sprang backward through the door.
+He stumbled and almost fell as he ran down the hall. As she did not
+pursue, he halted and shouted at her, while shaking his fist: “Death
+is it? So shall it be to you, after I bend your proud spirit!” Then he
+roared for his guards.
+
+Athura paused at the door. She heard the King’s threat and his wrathful
+call for his body-guard. She saw the hall filling with armed men. She
+turned back and fled across the room, crying to her sister: “Come!
+Follow me into the bedroom! They come to seize us!”
+
+But Artistone, as if dazed, sat still, and, weeping aloud, wrung her
+hands. Athura paused at the door of her bedroom and cried: “Come!
+Hurry!”
+
+A dozen men poured into the room and rushed towards her. Artistone
+did not move. Athura entered her room, threw shut the heavy door,
+and bolted it just as the men hurled themselves against it. The King
+shouted in a loud voice so that Athura might hear: “Let her stay there
+and starve awhile! She will come to her senses! Establish guards here
+and watch! Let her not escape on forfeit of your lives! She will kiss
+my hand presently. As for you, Artistone, come with me. You shall be
+my Queen!” He went to Artistone, took her by the hand, and led her,
+weeping bitterly, away. The sisters never saw each other again.
+
+Athura waited like a tigress at bay, dagger in hand, at her bedroom
+door, until satisfied that no attempt would be made to force an
+entrance. Then she examined the brazen lattice-work with which a
+window looking out upon the inner court was guarded and saw that it
+was securely fastened. She drew a heavy curtain over the window. Thus
+securely shut in she began to prepare for escape. She realized that
+she was powerless to aid her sister. It was equally clear to her that
+only in immediate escape could she avoid disgrace or death. It would
+be useless to ask mercy of the King. Her plan of escape was already
+formed. She was acquainted with every room and passage in the palace,
+and knew the secrets of it. Her only fear was that Cambyses also knew
+those secrets and would set guards to watch every avenue of escape.
+
+After assuring herself that no immediate attempt would be made to break
+into her retreat, she entered a large closet, which was connected
+with her room by a door and in which were stored her clothing and
+jewels. It was a long, narrow room. At one end was a window guarded
+by brazen lattice-work and by shutters of the same metal. The shutter
+was hinged to the sills and commonly stood open to admit air into the
+closet. The lattice-work was also hung on hinges but was secured by a
+massive lock on the inside. Athura took a key from a convenient hook,
+cautiously inserted it into the lock in the lattice, and found that it
+would readily turn. She looked out across the roof of a lower portion
+of the palace into the park at the western side and saw no guards.
+Satisfied that the way was yet clear, she quickly opened a chest at one
+corner of the closet and took from it a short ladder of rope, a suit
+of clothes of a sort commonly worn by young men, and a jeweled belt
+from which hung a short sword. It had been years since she had used
+these. She sighed as she remembered how she and her brother Bardya,
+without the knowledge of the Great King, her father, had sometimes
+disguised themselves and wandered forth at night to observe the common
+people, to take part in their sports and entertainments, and to mingle
+with those who came and went on the streets of the city. How long ago
+that seemed! As she knelt by the chest and laid out the clothes, she
+recalled how the Prince of Iran, having been admitted to the secrets of
+her escapades, had gravely rebuked her, but had nevertheless disguised
+himself and accompanied her and Bardya, as he said, to protect them.
+The danger of her situation allowed her to think but a moment of
+those happy days. From another chest, bound with silver bands, she
+took a long necklace of precious stones, and a belt of beautifully
+embossed leather to which were fastened purselike compartments full
+of gold coins. She undressed and fastened the money-belt around her
+waist. Then she put on the suit of men’s clothing and stowed away
+the jewels in its pockets. She then cut her hair to a length just
+sufficient to touch the collar of her tunic. Upon her head she set a
+round felt cap. Critically surveying her appearance in a mirror, she
+saw that she resembled a well-dressed youth of the nobler class of
+Medes, but one whose face was far too beautiful and feminine to pass
+for that of a man. Taking from a cabinet a box of unguents and powders,
+she skillfully deepened the color of her eyebrows and darkened her
+complexion, until she resembled a young Mede of mixed Semitic and Aryan
+blood.
+
+These preparations consumed much time. Darkness fell upon the earth.
+Then a heavy knocking sounded upon the door of the bedroom and a rough
+voice said: “May you live forever, O Great Princess! I have a message
+from my royal Master, the King of Kings!”
+
+She made no answer and, after a moment, the voice continued: “Once more
+does the King of Kings offer you peace and a place of honor as his
+wife. Otherwise his sentence is that you have neither food nor water
+until you submit to his royal will.”
+
+Then Athura answered, “Tell your Lord and Master that I will take until
+the morning to consider.”
+
+“I am your slave!” responded the voice.
+
+“Well, well!” exclaimed the King, when he received Athura’s message.
+“Our proud-spirited sister may submit, since she sends me back so mild
+an answer. It is well! The word of the King must prevail. A day or two
+of solitude will not harm her. We shall yet be a happy family!”
+
+He laughed loud and long and drank deeply of soma. Artistone, who sat
+with him at dinner, made no answer, but her eyes, red with weeping,
+gave evidence of her woe.
+
+As soon as darkness came fully over the palace, Athura went forth
+cautiously upon the roof of the portico, descended to the ground by
+means of her rope ladder, and stole away through the gloom among the
+trees and shrubbery in the park. Knowing every path, every bush and
+tree, it was not difficult for her to find a way and to avoid the
+points where the guards sauntered listlessly to and fro, keeping
+careless ward. The King had not remembered her avenue of escape, or the
+guards were careless. She climbed over the stone walls surrounding the
+park, with the aid of her rope ladder, and, making a détour to avoid
+the guards, walked rapidly and boldly into the city. She went straight
+to a horse-market and roused a sleepy servant, who, though at first
+disposed to grumble at so late a visitor, speedily turned obsequious
+when a coin was pressed into his hand. He forthwith brought out one of
+the dealers in horses.
+
+“A pretty time to come buying horses!” grumbled the latter, yawning and
+stretching his limbs. “Think you, my young sprig, that I work day and
+night?”
+
+“Peace, grumbler!” retorted Athura, speaking hoarsely. “If I come to
+buy a Nicæan steed by lamplight, what is that to you, seeing that
+I have the coin? I must go on a journey to-night many miles to the
+northward and need to hire a horse. But lest you deem me a robber,
+I will deposit the full price of the animal, to be returned when I
+return the horse. One condition only I exact--he must have speed and go
+comfortably without fright or stumble. Fool me in this and I will bring
+down the wrath of a mighty man upon you! Have you a good horse?”
+
+“Have I a good horse? I keep nothing else, young sir! Come to the
+stalls!”
+
+He led the way with alacrity. He pointed to a large animal, saying,
+“This one is good in bottom and long in legs. He will carry your
+insignificant weight all night. Here is a Nicæan steed; but he is a
+fierce animal and will not brook punishment of whip or spur. Speak
+gently to him and he will carry you a week without rest. But he surely
+is beyond your price!”
+
+“What is his price? I doubt that he has such mettle as you think.”
+
+“Fifty Lydian staters is his price. For riding him this night the price
+will be one Lydian stater, if you return him to me to-morrow without
+injury. Assuredly you may have a cheaper horse than this!”
+
+“Extortioner! Twenty staters is more than a good price for that animal.
+I will surely report you to the governor of the market. Think you I
+know nothing of horses?”
+
+The dealer spread out his hands and bowed as if in deep humility,
+saying: “I perceive your worship is well acquainted with horseflesh.
+Come, I will not haggle with you. Deposit your twenty staters in my
+hand and take him. But you will surely pay an additional stater for a
+fine saddle!”
+
+“Verily you are an extortioner! But I will not haggle. One half-stater
+and no more! Make haste, since my lady-love will not wait for my coming
+too long!”
+
+Athura took a handful of coins from a purse at her belt and counted it
+into the outstretched palm of the greedy dealer, whose eyes sparkled
+in triumph. The amount was a third more than the animal was worth.
+The horse was brought out, saddled and bridled, champing his bits and
+pawing the earth, impatient to be gone. Athura loved a good horse.
+She was an accomplished rider. She sprang lightly into the saddle and
+trotted away, shouting back at the dealer: “Farewell, son of Ahriman!
+Keep the gold should I not return. I may go on to Rhages before I come
+back.”
+
+The dealer waved his hand in reply and said to his servant: “Young
+sprig! Thought he knew the prices of animals! Bah! But then, he has a
+good horse, even if he paid a stiff price. Who can he be? May the dogs
+bite him if he try to return that animal! See that you be ready to
+testify that this was a sale and not a letting. We shall not repurchase
+the horse.”
+
+“Yea, verily, Master, it was a sale,” answered the servant. Then they
+retired to their couches well satisfied.
+
+Athura cantered rapidly along the principal street of the city going
+north. Night watchmen threw upon her the rays of their lanterns. She
+passed a squad of soldiers in front of a public house, where, under
+the influence of wine, they were singing and making merry. To their
+gibes, she waved her hand, but declined their invitation to alight and
+join them. She came to the outer boundaries of the city on the road to
+Rhages. There the guards sat carelessly playing dice in their shelter
+at the roadside. They heard the rapid hoof-beats of a horse approaching
+from the city, but before they could come forth to challenge, the
+horse with its rider flashed by at full speed. In a second, the twain
+disappeared in a cloud of dust and darkness. Grumbling that their
+ease should be thus broken, the guards returned to their game. Had
+they known who had passed and that on the morrow they would be flayed
+alive and quartered by an infuriated King, they would not have been so
+careless. This was not their first omission of duty, but it was the
+first in which the King was directly concerned; and it was their last.
+They met their fate at sundown on the morrow in the market-place after
+a short interrogation by the King himself, as an exhibition to all men
+of the King’s justice upon those who neglected duty.
+
+It must be said of Cambyses that although to his own passions and
+desires he gave loose rein and was brutal to those who interfered
+therewith, yet to his subjects he was just, and was strict in the
+enforcement of law. Because he regarded himself as the lawgiver, he
+regarded a breach of the law as an insult to himself. He caused one
+corrupt judge to be flayed alive in the market-place. Other evil-doers
+were maimed or strangled. Not only did the guards of the road whose
+orders compelled them to exact a pass of any one passing in or out of
+the city after nightfall suffer, but several palace-guards whose duty
+it was to watch the palace walls, were strangled with the bowstring.
+His fury even threatened Prexaspes, but that astute official was able
+to prove that he had gone on a mission to a neighboring city and could
+not be involved in Athura’s sudden disappearance. Spies soon learned
+of the flight of the steed and its rider on the northern road. They
+found the horse-dealer, whose description of the rider indicated that
+it was Athura in disguise who had hired the horse. Bands of troopers
+were sent out on every road and into the fields and mountains around
+the city. None knew except the captains in charge of the bands for whom
+the search was being made. It was reported generally that a robber had
+broken into the palace and carried away some of the King’s jewels.
+
+Athura rode northward for half an hour, then turning sharply to the
+right and following a road which was little better than a path,
+but which led to one of the King’s desert gardens, she came to a
+well-beaten caravan-route leading southward towards what is now the
+city of Isfahan. Taking this road, she followed it southward until
+she entered a road branching southwestward to Adrapan, the winter
+palace of Cyrus. By this circuitous way she hoped to deceive those who
+might pursue into the belief that she was fleeing to Bactra by way of
+Rhages. She did not dare take the road to Persia direct, but planned
+to ride by way of Susa, or, perhaps, if her intention should change
+upon reflection, she would flee to Damascus and thence to her Prince at
+Sardis. As she rode, her active brain elaborated her plans.
+
+The night was cool and clear. The brilliant stars scintillated in the
+autumn sky. A quarter-moon gave down a subdued light. A breeze swept
+down from Mount Elwend, whose rugged heights lay darkly against the
+western sky. The road to Adrapan followed the base of a promontory of
+the Zagros range, which here jutted out into the plain. Here and there
+near the highway were the cottages of gardeners, who by irrigating
+their crops with the precious waters of Elwend, caused the fertile soil
+to yield the vegetable supply for the capital city. The odor of flowers
+and fruits permeated the air. The strong, spirited horse, glorying
+in his strength and scarce feeling the weight of his rider, galloped
+onward with long, even strides. No one interrupted their progress. The
+cottagers, if partially aroused by the rapid beat of hoofs and the
+barking of dogs, sleepily muttered, “A King’s messenger!” turned over
+on their pallets, and again slumbered.
+
+Adrapan lay on the southern slopes of Mount Elwend. Here the snows,
+which annually fell over Hamadan, seldom came; and, if they did, the
+southern exposure to the sun caused them quickly to melt away. To the
+right of the highway which passed westward through the village was
+the palace, in a great park of noble trees. On the left were several
+houses occupied by those who made their livelihood trading with the
+thousands of nobles and retainers who honored the King as his guests
+or served him as retainers. Here caravans from Damascus and the west
+coming by way of Nineveh, or from the south, coming by way of Babylon
+and Susa, stopped to enjoy the salubrious climate and recuperate after
+enduring the hot districts along the Tigris and the difficult roads
+across the Zagros Mountains. At this time the palace and its park were
+in the care of keepers and Adrapan was deserted, save by inn-keepers
+and traders.
+
+Athura sighed as she came in sight of the village. She remembered the
+pleasant days when, a child, she had wandered in the park with her
+father, or played there with Bardya and the young Prince of Iran. How
+long ago those days seemed! Her noble, erect, keen-eyed, kind-hearted,
+and loving father; her joyous, laughter-loving, and boisterous brother;
+and the tall youth, whose calm demeanor, royal bearing, and worshipful
+eyes were ever in her mind--all appeared in her memory. Tears came into
+her eyes, and her lips trembled with emotion. She brought her panting
+steed to a stop within the deep shadows of the trees and halted a
+moment to consider her course. If she should pass through the village,
+she might be seen and accosted. If she should enter the park, she
+would incur danger from wild beasts which sometimes came down from the
+mountains. Bears, wolves, a leopard, a tiger, and even a lion had been
+seen in the park. She knew all the paths through the woodland and that,
+by going a roundabout way, she might avoid the palace and the village,
+but it would lead through wild, dark places. Though she had fear of
+wild beasts, she feared more to be overtaken by the pursuers that her
+brother might send after her. She decided to follow the dark paths of
+the forest and defy the dangers from wild beasts. Turning her horse,
+she plunged boldly into the woodland.
+
+The turf deadened the hoof-beats of the horse. No sound was heard save
+the cry of an owl, the song of a bulbul, and the chirp of insects.
+Gathering the bridle reins in one hand, she drew the short sword from
+its sheath at her belt with the other and carried it ready to meet any
+danger that might assail her. Once she raised the sword high towards
+heaven and prayed in a whisper, “Thou, Ahura-Mazda, Good Spirit and
+Protector, send Sraosha, victorious leader of the hosts of heaven, to
+guard me from Angro-mainyus and the Devas!”
+
+She went slowly and warily. A dim light from the declining moon and the
+stars enabled her to recognize the pathways. Her horse, tossing his
+noble head and pricking forward his slender ears, followed the paths
+with certain step, unafraid of the sounds of the night. If a bear or
+wolf, sniffing the breeze on the heights above, became aware of their
+presence, it did not descend to investigate, nor did any leopard,
+tiger, or lion molest her. For an hour she slowly followed the devious
+ways, but at length returned to the highway a parasang west of the
+village. That she had acted wisely appeared on the following day, when
+a squad of the King’s horsemen rode into Adrapan and made inquiry. The
+villagers and the palace watchmen swore that no one had passed through
+during the preceding night, although careful vigil had been maintained
+on account of a report that a band of robbers had been seen in the
+neighboring mountains.
+
+On the highway again, horse and rider, somewhat rested by the leisurely
+progress through the woodland, sped away westward at a gallop. The
+highway was smooth for several miles, until it plunged into the
+defiles of the Zagros Mountains, through which flowed the headwater
+streams of the river Choaspes. Then it became more difficult, with
+steep grades, crossing on stone bridges over deep gorges, the beds of
+roaring streams, and winding about steep bluffs and over sharp ridges.
+Morning found the fugitive many miles from Hamadan in the midst of
+mountains; and her weariness and that of her steed warned her that she
+must find a resting-place. Twice she fruitlessly turned from the road
+to follow paths leading up narrow canyons, hoping to find a suitable
+hiding-place. The third time she followed a narrow pass leading into a
+small valley and there found a sheepfold and a shepherd’s cabin. The
+shepherd and his flock were in the hills, where the warm rays of the
+sun and the waters of many springs kept the grass sweet and tender.
+
+Finding the hut empty and no one near, Athura descended stiffly from
+her horse and searched for food. She found a large jar of barley in
+the hut and gave her horse a generous feed from it. Then, having tied
+him to a tree, she searched the cabin for food that she might eat. The
+long ride had made her tired and faint. Hunger reminded her that she
+had eaten nothing since the previous noon. She opened cupboards and
+chests and presently found a box in which the shepherd had left a piece
+of roasted mutton and some round flat cakes of bread, made of coarse
+barley flour. The fare satisfied her hunger. Then she shut and barred
+the stout cabin-door and threw herself upon a bundle of sheep-skins
+which lay on the floor, and slept several hours. When the day was half
+gone, after another hasty meal she went on her way.
+
+The shepherd did not return till the shades of night were falling.
+His surprise and indignation were great when he found that some one
+had entered his cabin, eaten his bread and meat, and taken some of his
+grain; but he was delighted when he found lying in the bread-box a gold
+piece. He tried the coin with his teeth and excitedly turned it over
+and over in his palm. Then he hid it safely in the earth at one corner
+of his hut.
+
+“Truly,” he muttered, “some god must have rested here, or a spirit of
+the hills! But no, they would not eat my food. May luck go with this
+patron of mine forever!”
+
+It was after noon when Athura left the shepherd’s hut and rode out
+of the canyon to the highway. She turned her face westward and rode
+as rapidly as the steep grades and dangerous passes would permit,
+anxiously scanning every reach ahead lest she meet a caravan, an
+inquisitive traveler, or a band of robbers. Outlaws frequently attacked
+caravans in those days and places, as they do yet. Travel except with
+guards or in large companies was dangerous. Once as she rode past the
+mouth of a canyon she observed several men sitting around a camp-fire
+a hundred paces from the road. When they observed her, they shouted
+and ran to their horses, which were grazing near by them. She spoke to
+her horse and urged him to greater speed. He responded nobly. The hiss
+of an arrow passed over her head. Her horse, as if realizing the need
+of haste, fled with frightful speed. Once she looked back and saw the
+pursuers; but, as they were mounted on small mountain ponies, they were
+soon left far behind and gave over the pursuit.
+
+With an occasional halt at the crest of ridges over which the road
+passed, the fugitive pressed onward till night fell. After stopping a
+short time to allow the horse to graze and rest, she continued the
+flight during the night hours. The brawling river along whose course
+the way led filled the canyons with its murmur. The cry of night birds
+and the howl of wolves sounded dismally from the heights. Once her
+horse snorted and sprang away at a rapid pace from the shadow of a
+clump of bushes. At another time he shook his head and dashed madly at
+several dark, slinking forms in the road; these leaped aside from his
+charge, snarling and chattering. It required all her will to restrain
+the fear of unknown and unseen dangers of the darkness and hills which
+gripped at her heart. She allowed her intelligent horse to pick his own
+way, and he did not fail her.
+
+At midnight she emerged from the mountain gorges and entered the little
+plain of Bagistan, where she halted at the base of the celebrated rock
+of Behistun. She recognized this great rock, on which was engraved in
+huge letters the legend of Semiramis. As she looked up at its bold,
+jagged skyline, she wondered whether the time would ever come when
+she, like Semiramis, might stand there the queen of the world. Years
+afterwards she did stand there as queen of the world and watched the
+workmen of her husband erase the story of Semiramis and carve thereon
+a short history of his own exploits. She dismounted and, standing by
+the side of her horse, leaned wearily against him and meditated what
+road to take. For here was a parting of the ways. To her right, the
+road led to Nineveh, Damascus, and Sardis, where she might find her
+Prince; to the left lay the road to Susa and Persepolis. Should she
+go to the Prince of Iran and thus plunge him into war with Cambyses,
+or should she seek the protection of the lords of Persia? It was a
+grave question, hard to solve, and she almost wept because of her own
+indecision.
+
+“All hail and live forever, Princess Athura! Be not afraid!” A voice
+came to her out of the darkness near the great rock.
+
+Gasping with dismay, she sprang into the saddle and was about to flee.
+
+“Be not afraid!” said the voice again, and the tone was strangely
+familiar and reassuring.
+
+“Who speaks?” she demanded.
+
+“Your servant, Belteshazzer, the Hebrew, gracious lady!”
+
+The voice recalled the days when she sat at the feet of the great
+teacher and listened to his wisdom.
+
+“It must indeed be Belteshazzer!” she exclaimed, with a sigh of relief.
+“None else could know me! Now Ahura-Mazda be praised! How come you
+here?”
+
+A tall form emerged from the darker shadows and drew near. “I came up
+from Susa in obedience to the command of a spirit,” he said. “I knew
+not why I was urged to come until I reached the shadow of this great
+rock. Then I knew that I was sent to meet you here. In the spirit I saw
+you coming. Do you remember the lessons in the west tower of the palace
+at Hamadan, and how the Hebrew was not easy for you to learn?”
+
+She remembered well this wonderful man, whose wisdom was that of a god,
+whose eyes read the very thoughts of men, and whose heart was pure and
+kind. With a happy note in her voice she answered: “Truly, Master, I am
+that unapt scholar in Hebrew! What joy to meet you here! Truly God has
+guided you hither! Now I may call upon your great wisdom to advise me
+what to do. Approach nearer, I pray you!”
+
+Belteshazzer advanced to the side of the horse and, bending over
+the fair hand she extended to him, touched it with his forehead in
+reverence and affection.
+
+“I hold it great happiness to be of service to you,” he said. “In
+the village near by is my caravan. I have there a new tent with new
+furniture never used by any other. It is at your service. There await
+your service also two handmaidens of my own race, daughters of a prince
+of my family, discreet and worthy of trust. I have also many servants,
+all well-armed. My caravan is large. Come and dwell with us until the
+years of Cambyses shall be fulfilled. I know from what you have fled.
+You shall be a princess of my people until these troublous days are
+over. O Most Beloved of the Nations, you may abide in my care until
+the time when your Prince shall come to the throne! If you tire of
+the tent-life with the caravan, my palace in Shushan, or my house in
+Babylon, shall be yours.”
+
+“Is it best that I do not go to the Prince now?”
+
+“It is best that you do not. It would mean instant war between him and
+Cambyses. The times are not right for that. Neither should you go to
+the lords of Persia. For Cambyses has already sent armed men out on all
+the roads leading to Persepolis. Even now couriers are not far behind
+you going to Susa with orders to watch for and intercept you.”
+
+“I will be guided by you, O Prophet of God! Lead the way and I will
+follow.”
+
+He led the way towards the village of Bagistan in the valley below,
+and soon came to his caravan. He conducted her to a beautiful tent
+furnished with all the luxuries of tent-life. Two beautiful maidens
+were brought to her.
+
+“My children,” said Belteshazzer to them, “behold your mistress. She
+is one of the great ones of earth and is worthy of all service. She
+shall be known to you as the Princess Esther. It is enough for you to
+know that she is one most highly favored of our God. You must obey her
+slightest wish. Your training in the house of Belteshazzer has fitted
+you to serve the greatest of earth. Let your tongues never speak unto
+others what you may see or hear concerning her. To all questions say
+that she is a relative of Belteshazzer. For are we not all descended
+from one common Father?”
+
+They fell on their knees before Athura, the strange, beautiful one,
+whose face was that of a woman though her garb was that of a man. Each,
+taking one of Athura’s hands, placed it upon her head, saying in the
+soft accents of the Syrian tongue: “We shall heed your words, great
+Master. We are her servants.”
+
+Athura smiled upon the maidens and raising them up impulsively kissed
+them, saying in the same language, with which she was familiar: “Your
+service will be light. You shall be my sisters and companions rather
+than servants. The princesses of the house of Belteshazzer are worthy
+to be friends of the highest born.”
+
+Belteshazzer then retired. From chests full of rich garments, the
+maids quickly produced feminine apparel and at once proceeded to
+bathe, dress, and perfume their new mistress. Presently, under their
+ministrations, Athura in all her matchless beauty and royal demeanor
+stood before them like Deborah of old, a veritable Hebrew princess.
+
+Belteshazzer traveled into Arabia, and the Princess Esther went with
+him. No one imagined that the beautiful young woman, to whom all
+naturally gave deference, was the first Princess of the Empire.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV
+
+THE WAR AGAINST EGYPT
+
+
+The Great King continued to prepare for war with the Egyptians. There
+came to him a Greek named Phanes, who at one time had been high in the
+service of King Amasis of Egypt, but who, having conspired against
+him, was compelled to flee. By flattery and art he raised himself high
+in the estimation of Cambyses and inflamed his mind with tales of the
+wealth that would be found in the great temples of the Nile Valley.
+The King then hastened his preparations and sent him to raise levies
+amongst the Ionian Greeks. The Greeks who remained in the service of
+the Egyptian King so hated him because of his treachery that they had
+made a blood covenant to kill him. But he succeeded in recruiting a
+large body of his countrymen, who marched with him and the Prince of
+Iran towards Tyre.
+
+When spring opened, the vast array of men whom the King had gathered
+from Iran, Assyria, and Babylonia, marched by way of Damascus towards
+Tyre. Many nations contributed troops. Wild mountaineers of the
+Caucasus marched shoulder to shoulder with the polished, slighter-built
+Babylonians. The light-armed Getæ and Derbicæ rode with the heavy
+cavalry of the Medes and Persians. From Bactra and Sogdiana came a
+portion of the veteran army of King Hystaspis. From the Zagros and
+Elburz mountains poured out the fierce infantry of Aryan blood.
+Chariots, hundreds in number, rumbled over the rough desert roads.
+Bowmen, spearmen, slingers, and swordsmen, a half million or more in
+all, rolled like a tide across the wastes. The army under the Prince of
+Iran was composed for the most part of veterans of many wars, inured to
+army life and eager to follow their Prince to battle. Its nucleus was
+the old Imperial Guard of Cyrus, recruited to its full number of thirty
+thousand horsemen. The remainder were fighters from the warlike peoples
+of his satrapy--Lydians, Greeks, Scythians of the Black Sea regions,
+Paphlagonians, Hebrews, and Syrians.
+
+It was springtime when the Great King, leaving Patatheites, the
+Magian, as regent of the empire, departed from his capital of Hamadan,
+accompanied by his sister-wife, Artistone, and a portion of his harem.
+A thousand servants marched with him to administer to his comfort. He
+journeyed by easy stages to Damascus and thence to Tyre.
+
+The city of Tyre, though nominally independent, had been coerced into
+lending her fleets to the King of Kings. Though it occupied a strong
+position on an island and though its people carried on a great trade
+with Egypt, yet when the veteran army of the Prince of Iran encamped
+on the mainland opposite, and his demand came in the name of the Great
+King that it should furnish a fleet of vessels for his use, it hastened
+to comply.
+
+During the weeks that had passed since he had received a copy of the
+decree of the King concerning the marriage of Cambyses to his sisters,
+the Prince had visibly aged. He had become taciturn and stern. A smile
+seldom appeared upon his countenance. His officers, who had known him
+for years, sympathized with him but grumbled at his obstinacy in not
+declaring war against Cambyses. They were ready for revolt. Gobryas
+especially was discontented. He was bitter towards the King because of
+the wreck of his hopes of winning Artistone. He reported to the Prince
+the spirit of revolt that pervaded the army and urged him repeatedly to
+act; but the latter requested him to wait.
+
+When the Persian and Bactrian troops arrived, having outmarched the
+King, who lingered at Damascus, their leaders came to the Prince
+and offered their services, if he would but consent to seize the
+government. Letters arrived from Otanes, urging him to seize Cambyses.
+To all he said, “Wait!” Couriers came from his father counseling
+prudence and loyalty, at least until it should certainly appear that
+the King held Athura against her will. A mighty struggle went on within
+him. Oath-bound loyalty to the King could scarce restrain the wrath
+that fired his soul to action against the hated tyrant.
+
+When the couriers arrived from Damascus saying that the King was about
+to leave that city, the Prince called them aside and inquired of them
+if they knew whether the King was bringing his sisters with him. They
+reported that he had with him Artistone, whom he presented to all as
+his Queen; but as for Athura no one knew where she was, though it
+was currently reported that he had imprisoned her in his harem at
+Hamadan. His own couriers and spies returned from Hamadan without
+other information than rumors, some of which indicated that Athura was
+dead, others that she had escaped to Persia, and others that she was
+imprisoned in the King’s harem.
+
+While he was in this state of indecision, resolved one day to raise the
+standard of revolt and march against Cambyses, and the next to remain
+loyal, at least till he should know the truth concerning Athura’s
+fate, Prexaspes, attended by a company of Medean cavalry, rode into
+camp and requested an interview. The Prince received him without delay,
+and alone in his tent. The wily Mede, after due salutation, went
+straight to the subject of his mission.
+
+“Great and illustrious Prince,” he said, as he stood before the Prince
+of Iran, who looked upon him coldly and suspiciously, “I have come on
+in advance of the King with his permission. I have heard of the efforts
+of the powerful ones to persuade you to revolt and I know also that you
+believe you have just cause in the act of the King with relation to
+his sisters. I have made the Great King realize that he has committed
+the worst blunder of his life and that upon your acts will not only
+depend the result of this war but the continuance of his empire. I call
+to your remembrance that the subject nations are but waiting for the
+outbreak of civil war amongst the Aryans to throw off the Aryan rule.
+Should you revolt, every conquered nation would revolt; and if you
+should succeed, you would have the world to conquer over again. This
+you know as well as I. Is it not so?”
+
+He paused. The Prince of Iran inclined his head in assent.
+
+“Proceed with your message,” he said coldly.
+
+“This being so,” continued Prexaspes, “I deemed it best to come hither
+and tell you the facts with relation to the King’s brother and sister.
+I am reliably informed that Prince Bardya is dead. He died at the
+hands of mountain robbers. Of course I do not know this for certain.
+As to the Princess Athura, she escaped the same day that the King
+issued his decree, a copy of which I sent to you. He never consummated
+his marriage with her. I know that she escaped, because the King
+suspected that I had aided her. As to whether I did aid her or not, I
+say nothing, except that I rejoiced when I heard it--not openly, for I
+apparently made every exertion to find her. Now the King was advised to
+marry his sisters by a certain Magian prophet who predicted that a son
+of his sister should sit on the throne after him. The King is impulsive
+and acted without advising with me. But having married Artistone, he
+is satisfied that he has complied with the prophet’s prediction; and
+in order that you may know his good-will towards you he has made a
+second decree, declaring that Athura is free from wedlock with him and
+granting her leave to marry whom she will. This am I directed to place
+in your hand upon being satisfied that you are firm in adherence to
+your oath taken to Cyrus and will state that you will remain loyal to
+the King. The King also confirms you in the office of chief commander
+of this army under him. I assure you, Great Prince, that the King is
+sincere, though, I frankly state, it is because he knows that one word
+from you or any injury to you would be the signal for the rebellion of
+all Iran save perhaps Medea.”
+
+He paused. The Prince stood in silence a moment gazing at the floor,
+considering the King’s message.
+
+“Will the King give me his statement as King that he has not done
+injury to Athura?” he then demanded.
+
+“Not only that, but he has stated in this his decree that the marriage
+never has been consummated. Furthermore I know all that happened from
+a private examination of the servants who saw the King when he went to
+the Princesses to announce his will to them,--how he fled from Athura’s
+dagger; how he set watches at her bedroom door; how there stood open
+the lattice of a closet-window connected with the bedroom by which she
+escaped; and how, afterwards, the rope ladder by which she passed over
+the walls was found; and it is even known how she purchased a horse
+which later was found near Bagistan. She rode away on it disguised as a
+youth. There she disappeared.”
+
+The Prince started and smiled slightly when Prexaspes mentioned the
+hinged lattice in the closet-window. He had heard from Athura of this
+means of egress before. He asked eagerly, “No further trace of her has
+been found?”
+
+“No. But the King thinks she has fled to you or to Persia.”
+
+The Prince did not answer this suggestion but held his hand out for the
+decrees, saying: “Assure the King that I accept his decree and will
+loyally support him. But let him not again, I implore, place me in so
+grave a position, lest I forget my vow to the great Cyrus!” He took the
+decrees from the hand of Prexaspes, who bowed low and backed from the
+tent with a second low salaam.
+
+So it came about that Cambyses feared not to come on to Tyre and
+that the army, duly marshaled in massive lines, received the Great
+King with honor. The Prince of Iran, accompanied by Hydarnes of the
+foot soldiers, Vomisces of the cavalry, and a hundred other Persian
+officers, greeted the King at the limits of the camp and followed
+him as he rode slowly between the lines of soldiers to his pavilion.
+The soldiers knelt as he passed, shuddering or wondering as they saw
+the bloated red face and cold, glittering eyes of their ruler. When
+they saw the Prince of Iran riding near his right hand in the place
+of honor, they were pleased and broke forth in acclamations, which
+the Great King thought were given to him. But his countenance gave
+no indication of his emotions, and his greetings to his officers were
+slight and cold.
+
+No sooner had the King entered his pavilion and called for wine than
+Prexaspes, who had personal charge of the King’s household, entered,
+and, having bent his knee, requested leave to speak. The King said
+impatiently:
+
+“Well, speak! Undoubtedly you come to preach policy again! I liked not
+the dark looks of those cursed Persians! I have a mind to send some of
+those officers a bowstring!”
+
+“Having your gracious leave, O King, I will speak plainly,” said
+Prexaspes, boldly. “Does not my welfare depend solely upon your favor?
+Believe that I speak, therefore, for your best interests. There was
+grave trouble brewing amongst those Persians. The favor you have shown
+to the Magi and your marriage with your sister, against which, you
+know, I most strongly advised, and the grave insult thereby inflicted
+upon the Prince of Iran, have stirred in them the spirit of revolt.
+I have trembled, O King! My spies have kept me well informed. There
+stands between you and destruction at this moment the word of one man,
+and that one is the Prince of Iran! Order me stricken dead, if you
+will, O King, for speaking so boldly; but I tell you the truth! I swear
+by all the gods, I speak the truth!”
+
+The King’s face was dark with wrath, but he realized the force of his
+adviser’s words. He gulped down a great cup of wine, threw the cup upon
+the floor, and passed a trembling hand over his face.
+
+“You may speak truth, Prexaspes,” he admitted. “But how about the
+Medes and the other levies, are they not faithful? They outnumber the
+Persians and Bactrians. Besides, have I not stultified myself already
+by your advice and placated that same Prince of Iran?”
+
+“The Medes may be depended upon, but none others. It is true we have
+placated the Prince of Iran. But with your permission I will offer
+further advice.”
+
+“Say on!”
+
+“I advise that you send for the Prince of Iran and personally greet him
+with your royal hand and assure him of your favor as King. Thus will
+you fasten him to your cause and satisfy the Aryans, by whose power
+alone you may hope to prosecute this war successfully.”
+
+The King broke forth in a torrent of curses and imprecations. It was a
+bitter tonic that Prexaspes had prescribed. He hated the Prince of Iran
+with the hatred of jealousy and fear. He ended his explosion by saying:
+
+“But the day will come when I shall surely slay that man! Now, indeed,
+I see that I must dissemble. Press me not too far on this path,
+Prexaspes, lest I slay you! Go then and command him to come here. I
+will dissemble. I will be as wise as a serpent--for a time!”
+
+Prexaspes bowed low and backed from the royal presence. He sent a
+messenger to the Prince of Iran, who came at once.
+
+The Prince was pale but composed. He bowed low over the King’s extended
+hand, saying: “I am here at the King’s command. Let it please the King
+to command.”
+
+The King glowered sullenly upon the Prince, but endeavored to infuse
+into his tones a note of cordiality, as he said: “Prince Hystaspis, I
+have trusted you greatly, though, as you well know, no love has ever
+been between us. I hear that there has been much treasonable talk in
+this army.”
+
+“I know there is much dissatisfaction, O King!” answered the Prince.
+“But it cannot be said to be treasonable. The people of Iran like not
+the power and place given to the fire-worshipers of the hills. The
+Persians, who occupied the chief places under King Cyrus, are grieved
+that they have not found favor with his son.”
+
+“We will show these proud slaves who grumble, that the King of Kings
+brooks no interference!” exclaimed the King, his anger blazing forth
+for an instant. “Prexaspes has given you my decree concerning Athura.
+You may rest assured that she and you may marry safely. Where is she?
+Of all men, you should know.”
+
+The Prince was surprised at this question, and the manner of the King.
+Evidently Cambyses was endeavoring to restrain his passions and speak
+pleasantly to him.
+
+“I have not seen the royal lady since I bade her farewell at Persepolis
+and took with me her pledge to marry me,” he answered. “Neither have I
+had a letter from her since the day when it pleased you to make a new
+law that the King might marry his sisters. Nor have I heard what has
+become of her, save that I did hear rumors that she had escaped or had
+been slain by your orders.”
+
+“The report that Athura is dead is not true!” said Cambyses. “She fled
+from the palace the day my decree was made and keeps well hidden,
+though my slaves have searched the world for her. Find her and marry
+her, if you will! You have my consent. Let that subject be forgotten
+between us. Is this army ready to march?”
+
+“It is ready.”
+
+“Then let the march begin on the morrow. The insults we have received
+from Egypt’s King must be avenged and that country added to our empire.
+It is said to be very rich. I am weary with the day’s journey and will
+rest. Give such orders as you deem necessary. Cambyses, the King of
+Kings, remembers not the former days. My trust and favor I give to you;
+and my consent to your marriage with Athura shall not be withdrawn.”
+
+He turned away, and the Prince with a salute left the pavilion. It
+seemed to the latter that the sky had taken on a new glory and that
+the golden rays of the setting sun were indicative of joy. A load had
+been lifted from his heart. Athura had escaped a miserable fate and
+must be still alive. One so resourceful as she would know how to save
+herself. It mattered little that Cambyses hated him. His duty demanded
+faithful service to the King and his oath to the Great King would
+remain unbroken. He called together his friends among the officers and
+briefly informed them that all present cause for dissatisfaction had
+been removed and that he expected of them loyal service to the King.
+
+On the next day the great army slowly uncoiled its vast length and
+moved down the narrow coast-line of Canaan, bearing woe to ancient
+Egypt.
+
+Egypt was ill-prepared for war. From the time that Cyrus had reduced
+all Syria, including Canaan, to subjection, the Egyptian King, Amasis,
+had known that a conflict with the new world-power would come. He had
+heard of the preparations for war made by Cambyses and had endeavored
+to make ready. But Egypt had long since lost its ancient vigor. Its
+people had become rich and indolent. They loved not war. They depended
+mainly upon foreign auxiliaries hired by their money for their defense.
+Thirty thousand Greeks and many thousand adventurers from other lands
+formed the main strength of the Egyptian army. Levies drawn from an
+agricultural and trading people among the Egyptians themselves were
+neither practiced in war nor enthusiastic in the service and made
+poor soldiers. They were brave and many in number, but they knew
+little discipline. They could not stand before the fearful rush of the
+Persian cavalry or the tiger-like ferocity of the Aryan infantry. They
+outnumbered the army of Cambyses, but their very numbers were a source
+of weakness because of their lack of discipline.
+
+Just as the war was beginning, old King Amasis had died, leaving his
+throne to a youth named Psammenitus, who had not the skill himself nor
+good generals to lead his army. But he marched forth and took position
+in the desert near Pelusium, with the left of his line of battle
+resting on the Great Sea and its right protecting the water-wells
+and barring the main caravan road to Egypt, determined to strike one
+blow in defense of his kingdom. His Greeks were placed on the left,
+supported by Cretan slingers. The center was held by stout Ethiopian
+infantry, black men of ferocious courage, armed with javelins and
+swords, terrible in close contest. Behind them was a mass of Egyptians.
+On the right, where the plain was more level, there were two hundred
+chariots supported by a mass of irregular cavalry, principally Arabs,
+armed with scimiters and long, slender spears.
+
+The Prince of Iran led the Aryan host with his thirty thousand horsemen
+of the Guard, driving back the Arab cavalry which came out to harass
+his advance, until the position and extent of the Egyptian army were
+disclosed. From the crest of a sand-dune near the sea, he carefully
+surveyed the position occupied by Psammenitus. It was the afternoon
+of a cloudless day. At his right glistened the sea, its oily waves
+scarce rippling on the shores. At his left and rear, the mountains
+of Palestine were a dim cloud on the horizon. Before him was a vast
+plain, gray and brown with dust and sand, where the opposing army was
+making ready for battle. He noted the orderly Greeks, the dark array
+of Ethiopians, and the wheeling, clattering chariots, taking their
+appointed places. The Prince was accompanied by Gobryas and several of
+his chief captains, who stood near with the light of battle in their
+eyes and joy in their hearts. For the long, hot marches would end here
+in victory. They did not dream of defeat.
+
+The Prince soon formed his plan of battle. He directed the Guard
+to take a position in a long line, with its right resting at the
+sand-dune and its left thrown back in a wide curve so as to protect the
+approaching infantry from attacks of the Arabs.
+
+“Let all our forces be brought up to-night and placed in position. Let
+them sleep on their arms and be ready to attack at daylight. The wells
+of water are in possession of the enemy and we must have them to-morrow
+or die of thirst. Here must we conquer or die. If we lose the battle,
+every tribe in Syria and Armenia will revolt and attempt to cut us off
+from retreat to our homes,” said the Prince, turning to his officers
+after a long survey of the field.
+
+He then gave orders for placing the troops. As the sun went down, his
+dusty battalions were taking their appointed positions behind the long
+line of cavalry. He placed the Persian and Medean infantry opposite
+the Greeks, with its right resting on the sea. In the center were the
+allied races, principally footmen. On the left were the war-chariots,
+opposing the chariots of the enemy. Then the cavalry was withdrawn to
+the rear and massed behind the extreme left. Imitating the tactics of
+the Great Cyrus in his last battle, he intended to make a détour to the
+left with the cavalry, assail the extreme end of the enemy’s right, and
+roll it back to the sea. The pack-train, camp equipage, and the King’s
+pavilion were placed in the rear near the sea and enclosed within a
+palisade of stakes driven into the earth. But the King, as became a
+Persian warrior, bivouacked with the soldiers, having taken his station
+on the sand-dunes at the right, where he could see the field of battle.
+
+Night fell upon the opposing hosts, and midnight arrived before
+the final dispositions were made. Videttes and sentinels were duly
+stationed, and the tired soldiers lay down on their arms to snatch a
+few hours of rest. The Prince of Iran was about to lie down on the sand
+in the midst of his guard when a slave, clad in the livery of the King,
+came and prayed leave to speak with him. Bidden to speak, he said: “My
+gracious mistress, the Queen, requests you to come to her if it be
+possible. I am directed to guide you.”
+
+The Prince hesitated. He knew that Artistone, the younger of the King’s
+sisters, was referred to as the Queen. It was the privilege of the
+noble Persians and their wives to visit each other; but the King had
+introduced the customs of the seraglio, the separate harem, the veiled
+faces, and the seclusion of wives. The slave, noticing his hesitation,
+continued: “The King is not in his pavilion and the Queen will meet you
+in the tent of her slaves. She greatly desires you to come. She would
+speak of the Princess Athura.”
+
+The Prince no longer hesitated. He drew Gobryas to one side and
+informed him of his design. Then, throwing a rough cloak about his
+shoulders, as a disguise, he motioned the servant to proceed, and
+followed him. They entered the palisadoed camp and went to a tent near
+the King’s pavilion. The slave watched outside while the Prince went in
+and met the child-wife of the King.
+
+The interior of the tent was dimly lighted by a lamp burning perfumed
+oil. At one side was a low couch, and, reclining thereon, was
+Artistone. He bent his knee before her and kissed the slender white
+hand she held out to him.
+
+“Greeting, Prince and brother!” said she. “How I have longed to see
+some one I do not fear! This camp is full of spies, placed by the King
+to watch me and the other women he has brought with him. Only in this
+one slave who brought you hither and in two maidens who dress me, have
+I any confidence. How good it is to see your face!”
+
+“It gives me great delight, little sister, to come at your bidding. How
+may I serve you?” he returned.
+
+“I hear that a great battle is about to take place. Is it true?”
+
+“It is. But have no fear of the result. We shall scatter the enemy like
+sand before a desert wind.”
+
+“I have no fear. I would go out and watch the battle if I were
+permitted. Know you aught of Athura?”
+
+“Nothing, except that the King said she had escaped. Can you tell me of
+her?”
+
+Tears filled the Queen’s eyes and wet her cheeks. “Alas!” she said,
+“I fear she is dead. She locked herself in her room after attempting
+to stab the King with her dagger when he came and announced to us his
+decree of marriage. The palace-guards were set to watch at the door.
+I was taken away and never saw her more. Sometimes, when the King is
+savage and drunken or is displeased and desires to cause me grief, he
+says that he had her tortured to death. But at other times he says that
+she escaped. I hoped that she had communicated with you. Surely she
+must be dead or she would have done so!”
+
+“She attempted to slay him?”
+
+“Yes. Her fury was terrible. The King would have been killed had he not
+fled. He came to our sitting-room, the room in the palace where we so
+often played when we were children, and announced that he would make us
+his wives. After some words, Athura drew a dagger and sprang upon him.
+He leaped back out of the room and ran. He shouted to the guards. They
+came. She retreated to her bedroom and barred the door. Then the King
+dragged me away and--I am the most unhappy woman living! Ah! how often
+I think of those pleasant days of our childhood when our mother loved
+and played with us and our father smiled upon us so graciously! Do you
+not remember them? Will happiness never return to me again? Should I
+die by my own hand as I am tempted?”
+
+The Prince was deeply affected. His voice shook with emotion, as he
+answered: “Child, it may be the day of deliverance will come, perhaps
+to-morrow. Who knows? I know not what to advise. Death is but a step
+into a better existence. Did not Zoroaster, the divine, so teach?
+What said Belteshazzer, the Hebrew? He, the wisest of men, who talks
+with spirits, who reads all dreams and riddles, who prophesies of the
+future--he says that death is a blessed relief, in that we drop a body
+which suffers and is weak, while the spirit life is one of great glory
+and peace. I do not advise death. I do not think Athura is dead. It may
+be she has gone to Prince Bardya or to my father in Bactra. It is a
+long way to Bactra, and it has been difficult to send messengers. There
+are many reasons why she should not communicate.”
+
+Artistone shuddered and leaned nearer to him as she whispered in a
+frightened manner: “But she could not go to Bardya! I am sure that
+the King has murdered him. Oh, I saw him as one slain! On the night
+of the farewell feast, long after he had left the room, the Magi were
+performing wonders and producing specters and awful forms. At the last
+there came the pale face of Bardya, floating in the air above them,
+fierce, blood-stained, with a horrible wound in the forehead as if
+made by a sword! I have heard the King mutter in his sleep, as he lay
+half-drunken in the night, about the murder of Bardya. He talks in his
+sleep and sees fearful visions! He wakes trembling and shrieking with
+fear. Ah, my brother, I know that Bardya is dead!”
+
+The Prince believed her and smote his knee with his clenched fist,
+as he exclaimed: “The day will come when the devil-worshipers, with
+their black lies and conjuring, will be put down with a mighty hand!
+And thou,” he cried, raising his face and one hand to heaven, “O
+Ahura-Mazda, the only God, grant to me the opportunity to avenge the
+death of Bardya, to avenge the insults to your altars, upon that whole
+evil caste; and I will declare your glory upon all the hills!”
+
+“May your prayer be granted!” said the Queen, fervently. “How the world
+would be blessed if some day you should lead the hosts of truth against
+these evil and idolatrous men! The nations would rejoice if you were
+monarch of the world instead of this monster!”
+
+“Hush!” warned the Prince. “My oath will permit no such thoughts, and
+it is not wise that you should thus speak. But I must now leave you. Is
+there anything I can do for you?”
+
+“No, my brother. I desire you not to think evil of me. I am not gifted
+with the will of Athura. I have elected to suffer awhile in patience my
+strange and unnatural position as wife of the King. Sister and wife!
+Such I have heard is the evil custom of the Egyptians, who, it is said
+by Phanes, the Greek, even married their own mothers as well as their
+sisters, in order that their royal race might not mingle with a less
+royal! Have great care, my brother! The King would slay you if he
+dared. He is jealous of you.”
+
+The Prince arose and stood looking down in great pity at the childish,
+careworn face of Artistone.
+
+“I do not fear the King,” he said. “I am guarded by a powerful spirit
+who will not permit harm to come to me. I do not serve Cambyses, but,
+rather, the King of Kings and the Aryan race. I shall go into battle,
+rejoicing to fight for my people. I hope the day may soon come when I
+may aid in crushing those liars who are destroying true religion and
+leading Cambyses astray. But now I must go. Should need come, send for
+me.”
+
+He turned to leave; but she asked, while a faint color suffused her
+pale cheeks: “What of the noble Gobryas? Is he well and--happy?”
+
+“He is well, but he is not happy. Gobryas has been much pained by the
+action of the King in forcing you into this unnatural marriage. May I
+say to him that you remember him kindly?”
+
+“Yes. Tell him that it will please me more than all else, if he shall
+acquit himself well in the battle, and that he must not too greatly
+endanger his life. We know not what the future has in store. Farewell,
+brother! May Sraosha place his buckler before you on the morrow!”
+
+The Prince departed quietly. The child-queen buried her face in her
+arms and wept bitterly.
+
+At the first gray light of morn the Prince and several officers rode
+swiftly along the front of the army. As they passed, the soldiers
+sprang up and shouted, clashing their arms upon their shields and
+demanding to be led to battle. He paused here and there to utter words
+of direction and advice to the officers. To the center he said: “You
+must move slowly forward and hold all the ground you gain until you
+see the cavalry charging the right of the enemy. Then go forward with
+a rush.” To the general of the right wing he said: “Stand fast here on
+the sand-dunes and attack not those Greeks until you see the cavalry
+charging the Egyptian right. Then go forward and quit you like men. For
+those Greeks are brave warriors.”
+
+He paused before the King, who sat on a rude throne placed upon the
+summit of a hillock of sand from which he could view the battle. “Live
+forever, O King!” he said, saluting. “When it pleases you to order the
+battle joined, we are ready.”
+
+The King glowered at him sullenly. He was sore and ill-natured after
+his night on the ground. “See to it that you win this battle for me,
+or death shall be your portion!” he said. “Let no quarter be given to
+those dogs yonder, who by their impudence have brought on them my wrath
+and have caused me weariness in sleeping out here beneath the stars!”
+
+“I hear your words,” replied the Prince, coldly. “Rest assured that we
+shall win this battle or we shall welcome death.”
+
+“Enough!” exclaimed the King. “Join battle when you please! I have
+no appetite for talk. I have sent for wine and will drink while you
+slay yonder reptile-worshipers. I do not see their godlike calf at the
+front. Have a care of his horns!” The King laughed at his own wit.
+
+Again saluting, the Prince turned his horse and galloped off, followed
+by his staff. He saw that the enemy was also making ready for battle,
+and he forgot the King in the fierce joy of conflict. Placing himself
+at the head of his cavalry, he gave the signal for advance.
+
+Two hundred chariots sprang forward, and the long lines of infantry
+moved. From the other side opposing chariots dashed out and, in a
+moment, the crash of colliding wheels and the shouts and screams of
+combatants arose. The Persian cavalry rode at a brisk trot out to the
+left and by a wide circuit came in upon the right flank and rear of the
+Egyptians, scattering the Arabs who vainly sought to oppose. Along the
+whole front, two miles or more in extent, the battle was joined. The
+sky was filled with darts. The sun, springing up from the east, flashed
+upon sword and spear and upon struggling men who stabbed and slashed
+and reviled and cursed each other. The Aryan right as ordered stood
+still. But the Greeks of the opposing line came forward to the assault,
+like a moving wall prickly with spears, their fair, eager faces ablaze
+with the light of battle; and as they came on they shouted to Phanes
+daring him to come and meet them whom he had betrayed. Slingers and
+archers pelted them as they advanced; but, partially covered by their
+big, round shields, they did not halt. The Persian and Medean infantry
+was not terrified, but prayed the captains for leave to charge. The
+presence of the King, in whose sight they must do or die, nerved the
+Aryan soldier for the contest. When the Greeks arrived at the base
+of the sand-dunes, the King, disregarding the orders of the Prince of
+Iran, directed his infantry to charge, and the men sprang forward and
+down upon the Greeks with spears at rest. Then was shown the splendid
+discipline of these mercenaries of Psammenitus. They met the living
+wall of men rolling down upon them with firm, up-thrusting spears.
+The shock was terrific. The lines swayed back and forth. The longer
+spears of the Greeks gave them the advantage. Unable to reach their
+enemies, the Persians impotently struggled against the iron hedge and
+were thrust back. Cambyses observed the contest with alarm. He sent in
+his own body-guard to aid the hard-pressed infantry. But the Greeks
+moved steadily onward. Their phalanx could not be pierced. They seemed
+invincible. They surmounted the hills. But here the uneven ground broke
+their formation somewhat and enabled the Persians to press in and come
+to close quarters.
+
+Cambyses was no coward. He stayed with his guard, but he began to cast
+about for aid. He saw the long, swaying lines of men to his left, where
+the allies fought with the fierce Ethiopians. He observed the mixed and
+tangled wreckage of struggling horses and men where the chariots had
+met. Looking beyond, he saw the dense mass of Persian cavalry, led by
+the Prince of Iran in person, on a magnificent white horse, wheeling
+about upon the rear and right flank of the Egyptians, driving back a
+cloud of Arabs. He watched the cavalry come thundering down upon the
+rear of the enemy, bringing terror and confusion. Psammenitus, who was
+mounted on a fleet dromedary, also saw the coming destruction and,
+terrified, fled from the field at full speed. The Ethiopians, trodden
+down and overthrown by the heavy Persian horse, lost courage and
+quickly became a mob. The savage allies of the Persian line hewed them
+down without mercy. In a very short space of time none but the Greeks
+were left to present any resistance. Their captains, seeing that the
+battle was lost, ceased the forward movement and sought to form their
+ranks in a square. Surrender was not considered, for the hated Phanes
+was with the enemy. But because of the inequalities of the ground, they
+were not able to form before the Prince’s cavalry rode in upon them,
+broke through their wavering lines, smote them with maces, hewed them
+with swords, and stabbed them with javelins, until few were left. They
+stood their ground to the last and, in death, nobly redeemed their
+oaths to Psammenitus. So, in vast slaughter, the army of the Egyptian
+King disappeared, and with it fell Egypt.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV
+
+THE MADNESS OF CAMBYSES
+
+
+The King of Egypt fled on his swift dromedary, while the men who had
+marched with him to battle gave up their lives in his behalf and a
+red riot of slaughter stained the desert sands. The Persian cavalry,
+now unhindered by any organized resistance, carried death to the
+despairing, panting fugitives who fled from the contest. The Egyptian
+army was annihilated. Barely did the King himself enter his city of
+Memphis and close its gates ere the Prince of Iran, at the head of a
+picked body of men on horses almost spent with rapid going, appeared
+and demanded his surrender. The vast array of invaders soon spread
+over the fertile valley of Egypt and shut the king so closely within
+his city-walls that no succor could enter and only hope could flee.
+Psammenitus, unable to face a hero’s death, bowed to the power of the
+King of Kings, surrendered into his hands his crown, and acknowledged
+him as lord. He took his place with other captive kings at the table of
+his master and ate in bitterness of spirit the bread of peace.
+
+Victory having come to him easily, Cambyses became puffed up and
+arrogated to himself divine attributes. Secretly his heart was eaten
+with envy of the Prince of Iran, the idol of the army, to whom all men
+attributed the great victory. As a result, the king openly slighted the
+Prince, relieved him of the general command, placed other officers
+near his own person and through them issued his orders. Leaving barely
+enough troops to garrison lower Egypt, Cambyses himself led a great
+army southward into Ethiopia; but, as he had failed to take into
+account the vast deserts through which he had to pass to reach that
+region, his army soon came to want and starvation, and half of the
+soldiers composing it died of disease and privation. Had not the Prince
+of Iran asserted his prerogatives, assumed command of the garrisons of
+Egypt, and gathered a great caravan which he sent to the King’s relief,
+the remainder of the ill-fated army would have perished. Undeterred by
+this experience, the King sent a second expedition against the people
+of the oasis of Ammon and the priests of its great temple; but the
+whole army perished in a mighty sand-storm. He contemplated a third
+expedition for the reduction of Carthage and the northern littoral of
+Africa; but it failed because the Phœnicians refused to give the aid of
+their fleets against their kindred.
+
+All of these events consumed much time. Meanwhile in Egypt the King of
+Kings ruled with an iron hand. He looked with suspicion upon everybody.
+Knowing that he was loved by none, he filled his court with spies that
+he might detect any who would dare even to whisper against him. He
+blotted out in the blood of Psammenitus and his relatives an incipient
+revolt of the Egyptians, who, encouraged by the vast misfortunes that
+had befallen the army of their conqueror, dared to dream of liberty.
+He derided the Egyptian gods, closed their temples and made granaries
+of them, and slew the sacred bull, Apis, with his own sword. His
+jealousy led him to murder many of his own officers. Some of the most
+valiant men of the army upon slight pretext were arrested and executed
+summarily; others were found dead from the stabs of hired assassins.
+
+The Prince of Iran now habitually wore a coat of mail beneath his
+tunic, and to it he owed safety twice from the weapons of assassins.
+Once in the night, as he walked alone in the garden of the palace
+occupied by him as headquarters, a man leaped upon him and drove a
+javelin into his back, almost hurling him to the earth, but, owing to
+the mail, only bruising him. The assassin escaped. An arrow, shot from
+the shadow of a deserted temple as he rode by, slightly wounded his
+left arm and rebounded from the mail on his body. Again the assassin
+escaped. Thereafter Gobryas and other officers insisted that the Prince
+keep a powerful body-guard around him; and the King, having been
+informed of the attempts on his life, could not reasonably object.
+
+One day shortly after King Cambyses had departed on his expedition
+against Ethiopia, the Prince walked alone in the garden surrounding
+his dwelling in Memphis, examining with much interest the flowers and
+shrubs growing there. He had no duties to perform. Others administered
+the civil offices. Five thousand only of his own troopers were in the
+city under his command; and except to watch them drill and see that
+they were fed, he had nothing to do. His thoughts were of Athura and
+of the many messengers he had dispatched to the east in search of her.
+Presently as he drew near to the street-gate, he noticed a beggar
+sitting by the gate apparently resting and asleep. He glanced at the
+man, whose countenance was that of a Hebrew, and was about to turn
+away, when the beggar opened his eyes and at once prostrated himself
+with his face in the dust.
+
+“Live forever, O friend of God!” said the beggar. “Do I indeed behold
+the mighty Prince of Iran?” He spoke in the Medean dialect.
+
+The Prince answered: “You have said who I am. What do you wish?”
+
+“I bear a message.”
+
+“Arise and deliver it.”
+
+The man arose and, taking from his tunic a small packet, delivered it
+to the Prince, at the same time ejaculating with a deep sigh of relief:
+“Praise be to the God of Abraham! I have kept my word to the Prophet!”
+
+The Prince tore off the wrappings and unfolded a sheet of papyrus, on
+which was written in a hand he well knew:
+
+  “_To my beloved, the Prince of my Soul, greeting_:
+
+  “The bearer of this letter is to be trusted even as his master, the
+  one who met you on the banks of the Choaspes and showed you the
+  spirit of your ancestor, is to be trusted. He will tell you many
+  things of me. He cannot tell how much I long to be with you or how my
+  heart is sick with anxiety for your safety. How long are the days!
+  How lonely the nights! But lest the one whose shadow darkens the
+  world should pursue me or injure you, I have long kept silence. Now
+  I must hear from you. I have promised the messenger great rewards
+  and I know that you will make good my promises. Send him back to me
+  quickly, for my soul is exceedingly weary and sick with waiting for
+  word from you. Farewell, beloved!”
+
+The missive was unsigned, but the Prince knew from whom it came. His
+heart leaped with such joy that he became dizzy and he staggered like a
+drunken man. Recovering his usual calm demeanor with a mighty effort,
+he said: “Though in the guise of a beggar you come, son of Abraham,
+yet do you appear to me as an angel of light, bringing joy to my soul
+such as I have not felt for many sad days! Know you the writer of this?
+Have you seen her lately? How is she? Speak, man! Great shall be your
+reward!”
+
+The man’s face shone with joy. The gladness he had brought to this
+great one of earth was infectious. He arose and stood in humble
+attitude.
+
+“Great Lord,” he said. “I have not seen this star of the morning for
+three months, having come hither by a long journey; but, when mine
+eyes looked upon her as I started to come hither, they were blinded
+by the light of her eyes and I shaded them before the majesty of her
+countenance. Like a rose of Sharon is she! Like a cedar on Lebanon
+stands she, strong and beautiful! The music of her voice is as the song
+of many waters and loveliness enshrouds her as the darkness enshrouds
+the moon! Behold, are not all men her slaves? They upon whom she deigns
+to smile would cast themselves to the lions if she commanded, or would
+fall upon their own swords if she wished. She is well, but she is not
+happy; for she speaks much of my lord, the Prince of Iran, and sighs
+because she sees him not.”
+
+“Where is she?”
+
+“She is with the prophet of God, the great Daniel, known to you as
+Belteshazzer, in an oasis of the desert of Arabia. The sons of the
+desert are kindred to the prophet and they dwell happily and safely
+together. None except I and her two maids know who the royal maiden is.
+Most happy am I to enjoy the trust of the great master!”
+
+“Then she escaped, indeed! O thou glorious life-giving Spirit,
+Ahura-Mazda, I thank thee!”
+
+The Prince raised his eyes to the blue vault of heaven and removed
+the helmet from his head. The Hebrew watched him sympathetically;
+then, as the Prince turned to him again, he said, “Yes, Great Lord,
+she escaped from the palace at night and rode on a horse to the rock
+known as Behistun on the road to Susa. There my master, moved by the
+spirit, met her and took her with him into the desert ten days’ journey
+west of Babylon, where in all honor and safety they have kept her. I
+am requested to bear to her again a message from you, if it please you
+to give me one. Her message was unsigned and bore no words by which
+its meaning would be known, had I fallen into the hands of the King.
+But I can discourse to you of her. The prophet sends to you greeting,
+with words of good cheer. He bids me say that the times and seasons are
+changing rapidly and that great events will happen presently, in which
+you will have large part.”
+
+“Come, then, into my house, servant of Belteshazzer!” said the Prince.
+“You shall have great rewards. You shall be fed and clothed and be
+given riches beyond your dreams. We will spend the remainder of this
+day in converse of her and of her great protector.”
+
+The Prince led the way into his dwelling, and there his servants
+hurried to bathe and dress the messenger and to set before him victual
+and drink. And while he ate, his royal host sat near, plying him with
+questions. It was a great day in the life of Eleazer, the scribe,
+servant and confidential friend of Belteshazzer, the prophet of God. In
+the years to follow, when his host had become the mighty King of Kings,
+he never tired of relating this interview to his sons and to his son’s
+sons, and how the gracious Prince had talked familiarly with him as
+with a friend.
+
+Three days later, escorted by a strong body of Persian cavalry, he
+returned by way of Damascus to Babylon, loaded with riches. At Babylon
+he left his escort, resumed his disguise, and went into the desert,
+bearing with him a message from the Prince of Iran to Athura. This
+related the giving of the King’s consent to their marriage and advised
+her that it would be safe for her to go to Persepolis and there dwell
+in seclusion with his mother, under the guardianship of King Hystaspis,
+who had returned there, until the close of the present campaign. Then
+he would come and marry her, and thereafter defy Cambyses.
+
+Weary of the tent-life of the desert, she prevailed upon Belteshazzer
+to go with her to Persepolis. Here he and the philosophical King of
+Iran spent many happy days in study and learned dispute, while she,
+protected from danger by a strong guard of the King’s own men, resided
+in comfort and safety, waiting with patience the coming of her chosen
+one.
+
+Meanwhile the King of Kings, having suffered the severe reverses
+of fortune before mentioned, had abandoned himself to drunkenness
+and debauchery. His evil temper, aggravated by his reverses, was
+ungoverned. On the slightest provocation, he slew servants with his
+own hands or caused them to be cruelly tortured. If his spies or
+favorites mentioned unfavorably an officer or soldier, death, often
+accompanied by tortures, such as flaying alive, impaling on stakes,
+or dismemberment, was inflicted upon the unfortunate accused. He even
+dared seize and execute several noble Persians, thus carrying into
+effect his jealous resolve to reduce their haughty spirits. Finally a
+day came, when a dreadful murder forced to action a conspiracy among
+prominent Persians to dethrone him.
+
+Cambyses and his sister-wife were at dinner, when the King, after
+alluding to her sad countenance, derisively said to her: “You are like
+these other proud, upstart Persians, moping about with disapproving
+countenance! They shall all learn to bow the knee and to fall on their
+faces in the dust before me, or they shall die! Who am I that I should
+bear with them? I swear by Ahriman, that I will arrest every Persian
+officer; and on the morrow twelve shall die, on the day after twelve
+more shall die, and on each succeeding day a like number, until they
+are finished!”
+
+He banged his great fist down upon the table before him. His sister was
+greatly moved. Her state of health was such that she was extremely weak
+and nervous. Her face was white and her eyes were full of horror. The
+half-drunken King, noticing her look of repulsion, was infuriated, and,
+calling her a vile name, shouted: “What? Do you also defy me? Speak,
+craven, ere I tear out your tongue!”
+
+The spirit in the child-woman suddenly blazed up and, arising from the
+couch where she had been reclining, she stood before the brute with
+clenched hands and flashing eyes.
+
+“Murderer!” she cried. “You have abandoned all good! You are all evil!
+You foully murdered Bardya! You have driven Athura to her death! You
+have dishonored me! Would you murder all the Aryan race? Are you a
+Persian? Or are you a devil?”
+
+For a moment Cambyses was too dazed to speak. Never had any one
+addressed him thus. Lashed to insane fury by her words, he sprang
+up with stuttering curses, knocked the frail woman down, and jumped
+upon her prostrate body with his feet, stamping and crushing her into
+insensibility. The servants screamed, and some of them endeavored to
+prevent him; but he drew a dagger and stabbed one to death, wounded
+another, and drove all out of his presence. Then, recovering his
+senses somewhat and stricken with remorse, he knelt at the side of his
+sister and wept aloud. He then called for his surgeons and bade them
+save her or die. They tried faithfully to restore her to consciousness,
+but without avail. She died within the hour.
+
+This horrible crime soon became known among the Persians. There were
+then encamped near Memphis about fifty thousand men, the remnant of
+the Aryans who had followed the King into Egypt. Conferences were at
+once held among the Persian officers and it was decided that Cambyses,
+being insane, should be deposed. The Prince of Iran had no part in
+these deliberations. With Gobryas and a body-guard, he had gone to
+visit the nearest pyramids and had been absent several days. Spies duly
+reported to the King the discontent of the army. On the next day after
+the murder of his sister, the King caused the arrest of fifty of the
+chief officers of the army, many of them sons of the highest nobility
+of Iran. True to his oath, taken before his sister, he slew twelve of
+them and caused their heads to be hung on the gates of the city with an
+inscription warning all traitors of a like fate. At once there was a
+vast uproar. The Aryan troops arose in a mass and marched into Memphis
+to seize the King. A bloody battle took place in the gardens of the
+King’s palace, in which the King’s body-guard was cut in pieces and its
+remnants driven into the palace, where behind heavy gates and doors
+they pantingly awaited death. Prexaspes commanded the body-guard and
+made a brave defense. But the veteran Persians and Bactrians were not
+to be repulsed. They were about to batter down the palace gates, when
+the Prince of Iran arrived. Immediately the infuriated men raised a
+roar of welcome and thrust upon him at once the chief command, begging
+him to lead them and to allow them to set him up as King.
+
+The King was not deficient in physical courage. Sobered at last
+by the awful results of his fury in the murder of his sister, and
+caring little what the end of this revolt might be, desperate and
+savage, ready to fight to the end, he paced back and forth behind
+the battlements surrounding the roof of the great palace wherein he
+was besieged, and glowered sullenly down upon the raging mob below.
+Prexaspes came to him, ostensibly for orders but really to advise that
+overtures of peace be made. To him the King said rabidly: “What! Will
+you turn against me also? Why not go down and join those? Perhaps they
+will honor you! Saw you not that Prince of Iran out yonder? I thought
+I saw him ride up. Even now, if I mistake not, he stands yonder in the
+midst of his officers planning how best to take me. Bring up a dozen of
+the best archers. Him at least shall they slay!”
+
+Prexaspes shook his head impatiently, and, while keeping his eye on the
+King lest the latter might attack him, he said harshly: “Have I not
+said that the Prince of Iran is oath-bound to you? He alone can save
+you this day! Would you slay the only man who can call off those wolves
+yonder? It is madness to slay him. We shall be torn limb for limb if he
+save us not!”
+
+The King did not answer immediately. He watched the movements of the
+mob with tiger-like eyes. He saw Prince Hystaspis pass slowly through
+the mob and observed that the officers were also passing back and forth
+shouting orders. He saw the men falling in with orderly precision
+and, in a few minutes, that the mob had become an army. Company after
+company formed in the open garden and the adjacent streets, until on
+all sides of the palace a solid cordon of men stood at rest with
+officers duly advanced before them. Prexaspes waited impatiently for
+orders, but the King only ordered wine to be brought.
+
+The Prince of Iran had said to the officers who were directing the
+mob: “Captains of Iran, I am grieved to the heart! Never before have
+the Aryans turned on their King in this manner and assaulted his high
+Majesty! But the provocation has been great! Nevertheless, if the
+Aryans rule the world, they must obey their kings! By your act you
+have forfeited your lives and under the law are as dead men! I will
+go to the King and seek his pardon for you and for those he now holds
+in prison. Speak to the men and say that I, the Prince of Iran, their
+commander, order them to desist until I go to the King and return!”
+
+Up spoke a grizzled veteran, who had campaigned with Cyrus: “O most
+beloved Prince, go not to the King! Does he not hate you? Has he not
+without cause murdered his brother and his two sisters? Why do the
+heads of our comrades hang on yonder walls? By the great God, we have
+sworn that he shall release the others or die! He is a madman, and it
+is no treason to dethrone him. Go not to him! He will slay you also!”
+
+The Prince looked upon the rugged face of the speaker with love, but he
+said reprovingly: “I know your heart, Arbax; but you forget that he is
+the son of Cyrus, the Great King. What of me? Have I not suffered at
+his hands? Yet do I counsel obedience. Will you not be guided by me?”
+
+“Always and forever!” answered Arbax. “But is it not just to demand
+that he release our officers as well as pardon the men?”
+
+“It is just. If he refuse, then indeed is he mad and you do well to
+take him from the throne. I will go to him demanding this. Will you
+abide the result?”
+
+A common assent was given by all. Only Gobryas, whose soul was bitter
+because of the death of Artistone, exclaimed: “Prince and brother, let
+me carry this demand to the King, and you remain here! If he refuse our
+request, or slay me, it will matter little. There may be no need of
+further rioting! Let me go in your stead.”
+
+But the Prince shook his head. To send Gobryas meant to send death to
+the King, as the latter, he knew, was in a mood to slay the monster who
+had crushed the life out of the woman he loved.
+
+“Have patience, my brother,” said the Prince. “The state is above all
+else. Shall we slay our King and plunge the whole world into anarchy?
+Every subject nation would revolt. We are in the midst of our enemies
+and far from home with a weakened army. Terror of the King of Kings
+lies heavy upon the subject-peoples. It must not be removed now. No,
+the time is not ripe! Iran must be prepared to set up another King
+before throwing down this one. The King will see the justice of our
+demands.”
+
+Another captain spoke up, voicing the decision of all: “We will obey
+you, as our commander. But our brothers must be released and pardon
+extended to all. If you return not in one half-hour with their pardon,
+we storm the palace and slay every man therein. We swear it!”
+
+“We swear it!” echoed all.
+
+“Do as you say!” answered the Prince. “But I will return. Fear not for
+me! One higher than I goes with me. Remain here and let the men not
+move from their places.”
+
+He departed at once to the palace-gate, and, to the guards peering
+forth from loopholes at its sides he commanded: “Open! I go to the
+King, bearing peace!”
+
+The door was swung back to admit him. The guards had expected only
+death at the hands of the savage men who stood around the palace in
+silent, menacing attitude, and peace they greatly desired. The Prince
+was conducted to the roof, where he found Prexaspes and the King. The
+latter had seated himself at a small table and was drinking wine. He
+turned to the Prince, who was startled at the sight of his haggard
+face, his bloodshot eyes, and trembling hands--trembling, not in fear,
+but from nervousness and debauchery. The King’s voice was full of
+bitterness and hate, as he said: “Prince of Iran, I bid you welcome!
+Your eyes are doubtless glad to behold your King at the mercy of yonder
+rabble! What come you for? My crown?”
+
+The Prince saluted the King gravely and looked down upon him with
+ill-concealed disgust and pity. He said in cold, measured tones: “King
+of the World, the day has come when even I am unable to restrain the
+soldiers of Iran. Those men and their fathers made your father King of
+Kings, King of the World, the Great King. They have added Egypt to your
+empire. How have you rewarded them? Think you that without these Aryans
+and their officers whom you have imprisoned, you could sit here in
+safety one day? Not so! These Egyptians, these Syrians and Babylonians,
+serve you not because they love you, but because they fear our
+soldiers. Are you mad? Why have you given yourself over to murder and
+debauchery? Why have you forsaken your God and allied yourself with the
+vile Magi? I speak plainly but loyally. I am oath-bound to support you,
+but I swear that unless you now be advised by me, I will do nothing to
+save you from these men, who thirst to avenge the blood of Bardya, of
+Artistone, and of these others you have slain without just cause!”
+
+The King’s face grew purple with rage. He sprang to his feet and
+half-drew his sword. But his eyes, looking into the eyes of the Prince,
+saw in them a fierce, savage light and a compelling gaze that drove him
+back to his seat. He dared not lift his hand against this man. A chill
+of abject fear ran through his body; and he saw, as if by revelation,
+a hideous chasm opening before him. Into that chasm of present and
+eternal destruction he had been about to leap. He drew back and
+shudderingly covered his face with his hands. His nerves were unstrung
+by debauchery and by his fearful crimes. He had come to a place where,
+in the face of death, he realized how evil his life had been. It was
+true, as he now acknowledged to himself, that the position he held was
+due to the men he had slighted, insulted, imprisoned, or murdered.
+He was silent a moment, and as he sank back upon his chair he weakly
+passed a hand across his eyes and said: “What do you advise? Your words
+are true! I have been mad, but now I am restored to reason and I see
+clearly.”
+
+The Prince was surprised. He had not expected such sudden change. He
+thought rapidly, not only for the present safety of the King, but for
+the good of the Aryan race. A friendly, cordial note sounded in his
+voice, as he answered: “Be advised by me, O King! Put away from you
+the Magi. Put aside these Medean favorites. Surround yourself with
+men of your own race and fill the high offices of the empire with its
+nobility. Renounce the witchcraft of the fire-worshipers and proclaim
+to the world the rule of Ahura-Mazda. Pardon the men in rebellion
+and release all prisoners. Bestow compensation upon the widows and
+relatives of those you have slain. Then will the people of Iran
+support you and yours on the throne forever. Then will your reign
+become truly great and glorious!”
+
+The King remained silent a long time after the Prince ceased speaking.
+A good impulse stirred within his heart. Life had been without
+happiness to him since that fatal night when he had ordered Bardya
+slain. Hate, envy, and malice towards the best men of his own race
+had filled his heart. Remorse over his brother’s fate had been with
+him, but it was as nothing to the remorse and grief gnawing his soul
+over the death of Artistone, the gentle sister and wife whom he really
+loved. Could he ever atone? He would try.
+
+“Let it be done as you say,” he commanded, rising unsteadily and
+shaking himself as if he would shake off a horrible dream. “Prexaspes,
+you shall write decrees to fulfill all that our beloved Prince advises.
+So be it! I turn back into the old ways of my fathers. I will dismiss
+the Magi. I will fill all chief offices with Persians. I will dismiss
+my new body-guard of Medes, and you, Prince, shall furnish the new
+Imperial Guard and command it. Write a decree, Prexaspes, making this
+Prince the chief man in my empire after the King. Evermore will I be
+guided by his advice. The Magi must go down and back to their haunts in
+the hills. The temples of Ahura-Mazda shall open; and I will offer a
+thousand sacrifices to atone for my sins. Order the prisoners released.
+Write an address to be read to the army, telling of my new resolve. I
+will go down to the soldiers and tell them this myself!”
+
+“Not so, O King!” said the Prince. “Let me deal with these men. Let
+your decrees be prepared and signed at once. I will go down, release
+the imprisoned officers and return to the army with them. This, O King,
+may be a great day for good to the Aryan race!”
+
+“Let every order given by the Prince of Iran be obeyed,” said the King
+to Prexaspes.
+
+The latter bowed low, and, followed by the Prince, departed immediately
+to release the imprisoned officers, and in a few moments these went
+forth to join the rejoicing troops. The palace gates were thrown
+open, its defenders marched out and departed to a distant garrison,
+and a new guard of Persians was placed in charge. The Prince of Iran,
+having secured the decrees and published them, assumed charge of the
+King’s affairs. Thirty days of mourning for Artistone were observed.
+Compensation for the death of those slain by the King’s orders and
+banishment of the Magi from affairs of state followed.
+
+King Cambyses determined to return to Medea in order to complete the
+work of restoring to power the Persian faction. Aryandes, a noble
+Persian, was appointed satrap of Egypt and the bulk of the army was
+left with him. The King, with a guard of ten thousand Persians and an
+army of fifty thousand mixed troops, escorting a vast train loaded with
+the wealth of Egypt, marched by easy stages out of the latter country,
+through Canaan, along the shore of the Great Sea, to a point near Mount
+Carmel, where he turned towards Damascus. The curses of Egypt went with
+him. Her priests, under the milder rule of the sane Aryandes, then
+returned to her deserted temples. But so broken were the Egyptians and
+so strong was the Persian hold that no rebellion occurred. The Egyptian
+people, having learned that while the Persian King might be harsh yet
+his rule in the main was just, did no more than dream of revolution;
+and for a century Egypt slept peacefully beneath the paw of the Persian
+lion.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI
+
+THE END OF OATH-KEEPING
+
+
+After resting some days by the sea near Mount Carmel, the King’s army
+moved eastward towards Damascus, passing north of Lake Chinneroth and
+south of Mount Hermon, through the ancient land of Bashan, and so came
+to the small city of Hamath near the head-waters of the Jordan.
+
+Since leaving Egypt the King had kept himself secluded, either riding
+in a closed litter carried on the shoulders of stout slaves, or staying
+within his tent. He was gloomy and morose. He brooded much alone, and
+when in his darkest moods was a savage and unreasonable maniac. The
+Persian cavalry, of which his body-guard was composed, regarded him
+with ill-suppressed hatred. The remainder of the army was disaffected
+and mutinous. A factional spirit had sprung up among the soldiers. The
+different nationalities and religions clashed. Especially did the Aryan
+monotheists despise the worshipers of many gods and the devil-worship
+of the Magi. Only the strong hand of the Prince of Iran, for whom all
+had respect, could repress disorder and enforce discipline.
+
+The King halted a day at Hamath and allowed the army to rest before
+entering the desert road for Damascus. The Prince of Iran mounted his
+favorite horse and, accompanied by Gobryas and a score of men, rode out
+towards Mount Hermon. As they were about to ascend the lower hills,
+they met a runner or message-bearer, coming down from the mountain,
+who, when he saw the Prince, stopped running and bowed himself to the
+earth. The Prince halted. He saw that the man was a Hebrew.
+
+“Do not mine eyes behold the great lord, the mighty Prince of Iran?”
+asked the runner.
+
+“I am he,” answered the Prince.
+
+The man produced a roll from his close-fitting tunic and handed it to
+the Prince, who, greatly surprised, opened and read:
+
+  “Greeting to the royal Prince, Darius of Iran, son of King Hystaspis!
+  May God have you in favor! Hearing that you are with the great army
+  near Hamath, and having much to say of those you love well, I pray
+  that you will appoint a time and place where I may meet you. I do not
+  think it best to come into the King’s camp, unless you may assure me
+  of a safe escort. My trusty servant, Joseph, will bear safely to me
+  any message you may send. If you would visit me, he will guide you to
+  my tent.
+
+                                                   “Farewell,
+                                                        “BELTESHAZZER.”
+
+The Prince’s heart leaped with joy. Once only had he heard from the
+Princess Athura, and he knew not whether she had taken his advice and
+gone to Persepolis. Perhaps she had chosen to stay with Belteshazzer
+and was now with him. He handed the letter to Gobryas to read and said
+to the messenger: “I will go to your master. Lead the way!”
+
+The messenger again saluted and, turning his face to the mountain,
+led the way with a long swinging stride, going so swiftly that the
+horses of the Persians occasionally galloped to keep near him. The
+road wound upward around the spurs of the mountain. Having surmounted
+a high ridge, they came at length upon a small plateau several acres
+in extent, from which the rugged heights went up still farther and
+upon which were several cedar and fir trees. At one side a dashing
+torrent poured out from a gulch, spread out in a swirling pool, leaped
+over a rocky barrier, and disappeared into a canyon. Near the pool on
+a grassy plot was a pavilion of dark cloth and, clustered near it, a
+score of lesser tents. Several horses grazed on the green before the
+tents, and a group of men armed with bows and spears stood near the
+pavilion. As the Persians drew near, a man of stately and benign aspect
+emerged from it and spoke reassuringly to the men, who were uneasily
+regarding the newcomers as possible enemies. Then he remained standing
+at the tent-door and waved a hand in greeting to the Prince. It was
+Belteshazzer. The Prince spurred his steed forward and, dismounting,
+hastened to Belteshazzer, embraced him affectionately, and kissed both
+his cheeks.
+
+“Hail, Master,” he exclaimed. “How long it has been since I last saw
+you! Are you well?”
+
+“My health is excellent, my son,” answered the Hebrew, cordially. “Glad
+indeed am I to behold you! Bid your men dismount. My servants shall set
+food before them and attend to their horses.”
+
+He called a servant to him and gave the Prince’s retinue in his charge.
+Then he led the Prince into the pavilion and caused him to sit down and
+partake of refreshments. The Prince looked about him expectantly, but
+was disappointed in finding no indications that Athura was in the camp.
+Belteshazzer knew his thoughts and smilingly said: “She is not here,
+my son. When we received your letter bidding her go to your father,
+we considered your advice good and traveled thither by easy journeys.
+We were guests of your father many months. I left her there under his
+protection and in the love and care of your mother, when I journeyed
+hither. She was well. More beautiful than the morn, sweeter than the
+roses that bloom in Persian gardens, as pure as the snows of Demavend,
+she waits for you! Your father has established such a strong guard
+around his palace that it resembles a camp; and none go in or come out
+who are not known.”
+
+“My gratitude is unspeakable, O Prophet of God!” said the Prince,
+fervently. “If there shall ever be any favor I may render you, it shall
+be rendered. Have you ever loved a woman? And know you the pain of
+separation from her?”
+
+Belteshazzer sighed as he answered: “Yea, I have known the love of a
+wife. But she has gone before and awaits me on the shore of the river
+of life. Like a spring of water and a green tree in a desert, is the
+love of a good woman. I have much to tell you, my son; but I know you
+desire me to speak of her most.”
+
+He then related the manner of Athura’s escape from the palace of
+Cambyses at Hamadan, and the manner of her life since. Then he gave to
+the Prince a large packet, containing letters from the Princess, from
+King Hystaspis, and from the Queen-mother.
+
+“Now,” he continued, “having told you that which you wished most to
+know as a man, I must speak with you of matters of state in which you
+are concerned as a Prince and as the King to be. Even as you drew near,
+it was given me of the spirit to perceive that this day is full of
+mighty portent. Even now there enter men into the King’s camp bearing
+news that will shake the King’s soul. I have also received from trusty
+agents within the week great news that has traveled to others less
+swiftly. Evil men have seized the government of the world at Hamadan.
+Patatheites, the regent, has brought forth one whom he calls Bardya,
+the King’s brother, and has proclaimed him King of Kings. He has caused
+a decree to be published remitting all taxes for three years, declaring
+that Cambyses is a maniac and possessed of evil spirits, and ordering
+that he be apprehended and imprisoned. You are surprised. Well may you
+be. But fear not. It is not Bardya that reigns, but an impostor. He is
+that Gaumata whom the Great King maimed by cutting off his ears. Evil
+has been the life of Cambyses, but not so evil as are the lives of
+those men who have usurped power.”
+
+The Prince uttered an exclamation of wonder and incredulity.
+
+“But is Bardya dead? How knew you this? How can that Gaumata hope to
+impersonate him long?”
+
+Belteshazzer smiled and remained silent for a moment. His eyes were
+fixed as if looking within, and he assumed a listening attitude, as one
+might in revery. Presently he spoke softly and dreamily:
+
+“Yea, I see them even now sitting in a room of the great palace!
+Patatheites paces up and down, his pale, sharp countenance wreathed
+in a triumphant smile. Gaumata, the earless one, sits on the throne,
+uneasy and afraid. He wears a turban low down on his head after the
+fashion of the Arabs, but it is to conceal his lack of ears. He
+resembles Bardya, but he is Gaumata. He has shown himself to the
+people, who have acclaimed him. He awaits uneasily the return of
+messengers sent to all parts of the earth. In him the Magi triumph and
+Ahriman, that old serpent, the devil, rules. God is forgotten. As I
+said, even now there run into the King’s camp at Hamath the emissaries
+of the false Bardya. They are proclaiming the decree aloud to the
+wondering soldiers. They are distributing copies to all who can read. A
+mighty spirit of unrest broods over the army!”
+
+He paused and Prince Hystaspis sprang to his feet, exclaiming: “Then
+there is need that I return to the army at once! It loves not the King.
+But is Bardya truly dead, O Prophet of God? Out of all your divine
+wisdom assure me of this. Direct my course. Tell me of the future. Not
+while I live shall the usurper throw down the seed of Cyrus from his
+throne!”
+
+He paused. A tremor passed over the face of Belteshazzer, and with
+half-closed eyes he continued the low, even-toned words of the seer:
+
+“My son, Bardya is dead! He was slain by Prexaspes in pursuance of the
+King’s command. A sword-stroke from behind, as they rode northward out
+of Hamadan, was given by the Mede, with such power that it cleft the
+Prince’s head to the eyes. Have no doubt of this. I have seen it in
+visions and heard it of the spirit. What of the future? I see Cambyses
+dead! I see raised on high one with the countenance of Darius, son
+of Hystaspis, like an eagle; and he looks at the sun and spreads his
+wings over the whole world. More I cannot see. God does not decree all
+things; but He brings to pass that which He does decree. He controls
+not the wills of men, nor forces them to do good or evil. But in accord
+with His mighty purpose, He ordains that you, O son of Hystaspis,
+shall rule the world; and it shall come to pass! Fear not! Go forward!
+Cast down the liars of earth and those that delude the people to their
+hurt, idolaters and worshipers of earthly things! Restore again the
+altars of God. With great power shall you rule and give peace and
+justice to the peoples of the earth.”
+
+“But it is not required that I raise my hand against Cambyses?”
+
+“No. It is not required. The King is his own avenger.”
+
+“Come with me, beloved Master. I need your advice and guidance.”
+
+“I will come to you at Hamadan in due time, my son. Now I go down to
+Jerusalem to encourage my people. When you come to your high estate,
+remember my people, who languish in foreign lands. The Great Cyrus
+decreed their return, but died before it could be accomplished. Let
+them return and rebuild the temple of God and live happily beneath the
+shadow of the King of Kings.”
+
+“I swear to you, O Belteshazzer, it shall be done! Your God is my God.
+Is is not so? Your people shall be even as the Aryans, favored of me,
+when I sit on the throne.”
+
+“Yea, it is so. God is a spirit. Ahura-Mazda, the good spirit, is the
+same as Elohim. Have we not so decided, your father and I, in discourse
+by the Pulwar? Truly your father is a man of knowledge!”
+
+“He sat at the feet of Zoroaster in his youth. Has age touched him and
+my mother harshly?”
+
+“No. Their eyes are undimmed. Their hearts are young. Age but puts
+wisdom into them.”
+
+Many other questions, of his home, of his parents, and of Athura, asked
+the Prince. Servants having spread a lunch beneath an awning before
+the pavilion, he and Gobryas sat down with Belteshazzer and refreshed
+themselves. It was an inspiring scene. To the west and north were the
+rugged spurs and ridges of Mount Hermon. Below and to the east was the
+great plain spreading out towards Damascus and Edom. The sparkling
+cascade with its soft rush of waters, the song of birds, the brilliant
+sunlight over all, were elements of an impression on the mind of the
+Prince that he never forgot. From this point he set out to seize the
+throne of the world. Convinced that the great prophet spoke truly, he
+now set his gaze on the greatest place of power in all the earth and
+went steadily towards it. But he did not linger here. With the blessing
+of Belteshazzer ringing in his ears, he hastened back to the army.
+
+As he rode into camp, he saw evidence of excitement and turmoil.
+His ten thousand Persians composing the body-guard were standing in
+battle-array, in a hollow square around the King’s pavilion, with
+officers pacing back and forth at the several fronts in gloomy silence.
+A vast concourse of men was gathered near around a speaker, who,
+mounted on a chariot, was haranguing them. A roar of voices arose as
+the speaker paused and pointed towards the Prince and his party.
+
+“Long live Bardya! Down with Cambyses! Hail to King Bardya! Slay the
+murderer of his sister! Death to the tyrant!” were some of the shouts
+that came to the Prince’s ears. He paused but an instant to listen.
+Then, riding up to one of the officers of the guard, he demanded, “What
+means this?”
+
+“Praise God you have come!” answered the officer, joyfully. “Now we
+shall know what to do. Messengers have come from Damascus bearing
+copies of a decree from Bardya, the King’s brother, announcing that
+he has assumed the throne of the King of Kings and has been crowned
+at Hamadan. He decrees that Cambyses be seized and brought to him so
+that he may be punished for the murder of the King’s sister; and he
+also promises peace and remission of taxes. Here is a copy. We of the
+guard knew not your pleasure, whether we should defend King Cambyses
+or deliver him as a prisoner to your hand. So we have surrounded the
+King’s pavilion and are ready to do your will.”
+
+The officer presented a roll of papyrus to the Prince, who quickly read
+it. Then the Prince directed all the officers to come before him and
+said:
+
+“Men, as to this report that Bardya has set himself up for King, I know
+that Bardya is dead and he who is set up on high is an impostor. The
+liars of the hills have done this thing, having heard of the King’s
+decree that they shall be cast down from their places. Order the
+soldiers to remain steadfast and resist those men who have stirred up
+mutiny. Say to them that I, their Prince, have spoken, and my word they
+must obey. No impious hand shall be laid upon Cambyses, the King!”
+
+The officers were amazed. But they doubted not the words of their
+commander, and went along the lines, repeating to the excited soldiery
+his words. He, dismounting, went alone into the King’s pavilion. A
+trembling slave announced him to the King and admitted him to the
+presence. He found Cambyses pacing back and forth in great agitation.
+
+“Ha!” exclaimed the King, “you have returned! I thought you too had
+turned from me. How is it that rebellion has broken loose in this camp?
+Are you not commander? You shall answer for it with your head! But
+perhaps you come to tell me that I am a prisoner! And you will put me
+in chains and take me to Bardya!”
+
+The Prince saluted gravely and stood with uncovered head. “I come to
+assure you that the Guard and I intend to defend you against any
+attack,” he said. “Is it your order that we arrest the mutineers and
+punish them?”
+
+The King paused in amazement. He was incredulous and shaken. He could
+not believe that this man, who had suffered such wrongs at his hands,
+would not seize him and carry him to Bardya. He believed that Prexaspes
+had been faithless in executing his order to slay Bardya and that the
+latter had seized an opportune time to appear and claim the throne. His
+army in mutiny, what chance had he to regain his lost throne? He passed
+a trembling hand uncertainly over his haggard face.
+
+“I am mightily shaken,” he said nervously. “The words of a sorcerer
+ring in my ears. He said that I should die at Hamadan. I thought you
+had come to seize me and carry me thither to death. I thought Bardya
+dead! Prexaspes so reported. Where is this Prexaspes? Let him be
+brought hither!”
+
+He jerked a cord connecting with a bell in the servants’ quarters. A
+servant instantly appeared.
+
+“Send Prexaspes hither!” commanded the King.
+
+They waited in gloomy silence until Prexaspes came. There was a mocking
+light in the Mede’s dark eyes and a perceptible sneer on his face as
+he met the King’s savage gaze. He bowed low to both the King and the
+Prince.
+
+“Hark you!” exclaimed Cambyses. “Hear those cries! They acclaim Bardya
+King! Did you not swear to me that my brother was dead?”
+
+“I did swear, O King!” answered Prexaspes, coolly. “Here was my
+authority to slay him.”
+
+He drew a paper from his tunic and deliberately handed it unrolled to
+the Prince, who glanced at it. It was the order of King Cambyses to
+slay Bardya. The King’s face grew livid with wrath.
+
+“Thus commanded,” continued Prexaspes, “I rode with Bardya along the
+Rhages road after leaving the hall where the King gave a feast in
+his honor. I returned and reported that I had slain Bardya with a
+sword-stroke from behind. But he died not, it seems. Why should I have
+the blood of kings on my hands?”
+
+The Prince studied the Mede’s face with growing rage. The latter’s
+bold gaze fell before the accusing fury of the Prince’s eyes. The King
+seemed speechless. The Prince smote his hands together, and burst
+forth: “By the living God, you both deserve the death of murderers! Why
+should I interfere with the wrath of God? You lie, Prexaspes! I know
+the truth!”
+
+He cast the order at the King’s feet and without ceremony turned and
+left the tent. The King turned upon Prexaspes with maniacal fury.
+
+“Villain! Dog!” he screamed. “Why show that order? You know that my
+only hope depends on the Prince! Now you have turned him from me! You
+shall be skinned alive! Your heart shall be cut out and given to swine!
+You shall hang on a stake!”
+
+Prexaspes laughed and snapped his fingers in the King’s face.
+
+“I fear you not, foul beast!” he shouted. “Your day has come, as comes
+the day of every villain, whether crowned or not! Am I to die? I know
+it. I read death in the eyes of the Prince. I also read your death
+there, son of Ahriman! Listen! You slew my son, in cruel sport, one
+day. The arrow that cleft his brain killed my loyalty to you. I know a
+lingering death awaits you at Hamadan or I would myself slay you now!”
+
+For a moment the King was so astonished as to be speechless. Then,
+roaring inarticulate curses, he sought for his sword. But it was not
+at his side. He rushed about the tent searching for it. Prexaspes,
+laughing derisively, disappeared through the rear door. The King
+presently found a long dagger in a pile of armor and with it rushed out
+after Prexaspes. But though he searched through the servants’ quarters,
+he did not find him. He returned to his pavilion and after pacing back
+and forth a moment went out in front of his quarters, uncertain what
+course to pursue.
+
+A vast mob of soldiers, waving arms and shouting maledictions upon
+Cambyses, was moving down upon the Persian square. The Prince of Iran
+was mounting his horse, while several orderlies were galloping along
+the tense lines of the Guard delivering orders to the captains. A squad
+of cavalry under Gobryas was marching towards the King’s tent.
+
+“They come to arrest me!” muttered the King. “But I shall not be taken
+alive! Prexaspes lied. My brother lives and the world turns to him. He
+will surely slay me, knowing that I ordered him slain. If I die, I will
+die as a King!”
+
+A sudden high resolve entered his soul. He went back into the tent,
+placed the crown and tiara, which he wore on state occasions, on his
+head, threw over his shoulders a long purple cloak, composed his
+countenance to a calm dignity, and, with the long, keen dagger in his
+hand, again went forth. Gobryas and his troopers, who were under orders
+to place the King in their midst and to cut their way out and escape
+with him should the Guard be unable to repulse the expected attack,
+opened up to let the King pass through. The Prince was riding towards
+the mob intent on a parley before the necessity of bloodshed should
+come. The King passed through the ranks of the Guard and halted at ten
+paces in front. The leaders of the mob, seeing him, suddenly halted at
+a hundred paces’ distance and fell silent, astonished at the appearance
+of the terrible Cambyses. The Prince, turning to investigate the cause
+of the mob’s action, saw Cambyses look a moment at the low, western
+sun and around at the sky and distant mountains, and at last turn his
+burning eyes upon the hostile faces of his subjects. Then, with a swift
+motion, the King elevated the gleaming dagger and plunged it into his
+own chest. A cry of horror involuntarily rose from the throng. The King
+swayed, his knees bent, and he fell prone upon the earth. The Prince,
+realizing what the King had done, turned upon the mob and shouted:
+“Back to your tents, scoundrels! You have slain your King! Back, I say,
+before I let loose the Guards upon you!”
+
+An immediate backward movement of the mob took place, and it melted
+away in awed silence. The Prince rode quickly back to the King, and,
+assisted by his officers, carried the injured man into the tent.
+Surgeons were called, the dagger removed, and the wound bandaged. The
+blade had failed to reach the heart, but had passed through a lung and
+inflicted a fatal wound. The shock had rendered the King insensible.
+Blood poured from his mouth, but he did not die immediately.
+
+Night had fallen before the King regained consciousness. He opened his
+eyes and looked at the flaring lamps, as if wondering whether they were
+torches in the underworld, and at the soft-footed attendants as if
+wondering whether they were lost souls. His eyes presently rested upon
+the Prince of Iran, who stood at the foot of his couch with folded arms
+looking sadly down upon him. Recognition arrested his wandering mind.
+He strove to rise, muttering feebly, “Then I am not dead!”
+
+An attendant sought to restrain him. Blood gushed from his mouth, and
+he fell back with a bubbling groan. After resting a moment and clearing
+his throat, he said with difficulty: “Let all retire save the Prince. I
+am about to die. Let me die in peace.”
+
+At a nod from the Prince, the attendants left the room. The Prince drew
+near to the head of the couch. The King looked up at him and spoke in
+weak, halting words:
+
+“Strange it is, Prince of Iran, that you alone stand by me in death!
+A thousand times I have planned your death, but my hand has ever been
+held. I have done you wrong. But in you alone have I trusted. How is it
+that I have hated yet trusted you?”
+
+The Prince shook his head. “I know not,” he said.
+
+“But it is fate!” continued the King. “What of the future? Where now
+are the wise men? Where those prophets of the hills who predicted good
+fortune, who said that my seed should sit on the throne, who said I
+would conquer all my enemies and die at Hamadan? Would God that I had
+heeded the words of the prophet Belteshazzer, when he sought to teach
+me how to live rightly! Where is that Belteshazzer? I wish that he were
+here!”
+
+He paused. There was a rustle of the curtain at the tent-door. It drew
+aside and the tall, majestic presence of Belteshazzer came into the
+tent. The musical, quiet voice of the prophet said, “I am here, O King
+Cambyses!”
+
+Cambyses stared in amazement.
+
+“What wonder is this?” he exclaimed. “Am I dreaming? Is this a vision?
+Are you that prophet, Belteshazzer?”
+
+“I am Belteshazzer, the Hebrew,” answered the prophet. “Your life is
+almost ended, Cambyses. What do you demand of me?”
+
+“I demand to know what awaits me in the future. About to die, I would
+atone for many grievous sins. What of the future? What of God? What of
+forgetfulness through eternity to come?”
+
+Belteshazzer’s countenance exhibited both pity and sternness, as he
+answered, “Your time is short to atone for the grievous sins of your
+life, O King. The blood of many cries against you from the ground.
+Through long years to come, wherever your soul may wander, the evil you
+have done will be with you and bitterness will be your portion. But
+God, the great and only God, is a loving Father; and, perhaps, if you
+humble yourself and repent, you may at length win His forgiveness and
+favor. There will be no forgetfulness without forgiveness. Greatly have
+you sinned. Deeply must you repent.”
+
+“Yes, I have sinned greatly,” murmured the King. “In frantic wrath I
+slew my sister-wife! In willful oppression I drove my sister Athura to
+her death--”
+
+“She is not dead,” interrupted Belteshazzer. “She lives!”
+
+“Praise be to Ahura-Mazda!” said the King. “Now I know what that Magian
+meant, when he said that a son of my sister shall sit on the throne of
+the King of Kings. For she shall marry the Prince of Iran. I feel upon
+me the spirit of prophecy! Prince of Iran, you shall be King of Kings!
+In the presence of Belteshazzer, I declare you my successor. Marry
+Athura. I give her to you. She is your wife. Thus do I atone for one
+sin. But that other prophet lied when he said I should die at Hamadan.
+For I die here in the Syrian desert.”
+
+“Did he say Hamadan of Medea?” inquired Belteshazzer. “If not, he spake
+truly. For this village where you are encamped is named Hamath, which
+is Syrian for Hamadan.”
+
+The King gasped. “Then he spake truly!” he said. “He was not of the
+Magi. He was a hermit, alone in the mountains. He reproved me one
+day--and he was slain. Truly have I sinned! I have slain the prophets
+with the sword!”
+
+He was silent a moment. Blood choked him and he coughed. The Prince
+gently aided him. The King’s strength was rapidly failing. His voice
+was gone and he whispered hoarsely, “O that I might see those I have
+wronged and of them seek pardon!”
+
+He fell silent and his eyes were partially closed. Presently he
+shuddered and opened his eyes wide. He half rose, stared in amazement
+and terror towards the foot of his couch, and raised his hand as if
+to ward off a blow. The Prince, following the direction of the King’s
+gaze, saw (or did he dream?) at the foot of the King’s couch a company
+of apparitions, one of which seemed to have the pallid, serious,
+reproving countenance of Cyrus, the Great King, another the sorrowful
+face of Artistone, another the fierce countenance of Bardya, while a
+score of others, unknown to him, seemed to come and go. Their faces
+were turned towards Cambyses; but, as the Prince gazed spellbound,
+the face of Cyrus turned towards him, his lips seemed to move, and
+he seemed to say: “You have kept your oath. You are free. Ascend the
+throne of the King of Kings!”
+
+A gurgling shriek from the King aroused the Prince. The apparitions
+disappeared. Cambyses was dead.
+
+Belteshazzer said, as the surgeons and attendants, alarmed by the
+King’s outcry, rushed into the room: “The King is dead. Let the body be
+embalmed for transportation to Pasargadæ, that he may sleep with his
+fathers.”
+
+“Let this order be obeyed,” added the Prince, addressing the
+attendants. Then he said to Belteshazzer: “Come, prophet of God, to my
+tent. I need your counsel and aid.”
+
+They left the pavilion and walked slowly to the Prince’s headquarters.
+To Gobryas whom they met still on guard the Prince said: “The King
+is dead. Let the men be fed and tell them to rest. Let the news be
+proclaimed throughout the camp. Send a company of men to arrest
+Prexaspes and bring him before me.”
+
+He passed on with Belteshazzer. Gobryas hastened to execute his orders.
+He sent a squad to arrest Prexaspes, but found that the latter had
+escaped. The wily Mede had hastened from the camp during the confusion
+incident to the King’s death, and was journeying northward as fast as
+his horse could carry him.
+
+Meanwhile the Prince and Belteshazzer sat at meat in the Prince’s tent
+and talked of many things. When the prophet arose to depart, he said:
+“Have great care, my son! Those men who brought the news of this false
+Bardya’s usurpation are likewise commissioned by the Magi to slay you.
+They do not dare openly harm you, but they will secretly assassinate
+you if opportunity offer. But fear not! Within the year you will reign
+as King of Kings!”
+
+“Give me your blessing, O Prophet of God!” besought the Prince. “When I
+reign, you shall come to me and be my chief counselor. You shall be at
+the head of the college of wise men. Ease and plenty shall be yours and
+peace shall come to your people!”
+
+“May the blessing of God, the Almighty, the Eternal, the Ancient of
+Days, rest upon you!” said Belteshazzer, solemnly, laying his hands
+upon the Prince’s bowed head. “Remember when you come to the throne
+that Cyrus promised that my people should return to Jerusalem and
+recover their homes and property.”
+
+“I remember, and it shall be done. Let me send guards with you beyond
+the camp.”
+
+“It is needless. I shall go as I came, without the need of guards.
+Farewell!”
+
+With a smile he disappeared, and the Prince was left alone, to stand
+awhile in deep thought and then to pace back and forth many minutes.
+Presently he called his orderlies and directed them to call the
+chief captains into council. They soon arrived, and he greeted each
+affectionately. When a score of them had assembled, he said:
+
+“I have called you together to hear the orders made necessary by the
+death of Cambyses, King of Kings. It has become necessary for me to
+depart at once to Hamadan. I take with me the Imperial Guard. I leave
+Alyates in command of the army. He shall see to it that the King’s
+body is properly embalmed. It must be buried at Pasargadæ with the
+other Kings. Let the army march leisurely to Damascus and there halt
+until the orders of the new King shall have been received. Let it be
+known that this army stands ready to enforce obedience to the house of
+Achæmenius.”
+
+Alyates, a tall, soldierly Mede, saluted and said, “Your orders shall
+be obeyed, my Lord Prince.”
+
+After other suggestions concerning the movements of the army, the
+Prince dismissed the council and sat down to write letters to his
+father and to the Princess Athura. He related what he had heard from
+Belteshazzer concerning the false Bardya, gave an account of the death
+of the King, and stated his own purpose, to march at once to Hamadan
+and seize the impostor. He prayed that his father would declare himself
+King of Kings and lead an army of Persians to Hamadan at once. These
+letters he entrusted to Gobryas, who, with a dozen trusty men, at once
+set out for Persia, riding at courier speed.
+
+At daybreak, the Prince and his ten thousand men, in light marching
+order, moved quietly out of the camp and proceeded to Damascus. Thence,
+by forced marches, they moved across the desert towards Babylon, taking
+for guides trusty Arab sheiks to whom Belteshazzer had commended him.
+Nor could the uneasy Gaumata and the scheming Patatheites, at Hamadan,
+discern his movements and so lay plans to intercept him. When they
+heard that he had started for Hamadan at the head of ten thousand
+Persians, they made haste to gather together an army with which to
+resist him, and a portion of the army was moved out towards the fords
+of the upper Tigris. But the Prince and his guards came not that way.
+It was his plan to seize Babylon and Susa and form a junction with the
+Persian army which he knew would march up from Persepolis.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII
+
+THE EARLESS KING
+
+
+King Hystaspis, ruler of Iran under the shadow of the King of Kings,
+walked leisurely through the park surrounding his palace at Persepolis
+and meditated upon the doctrines of Zoroaster. Student and mystic,
+loving rather the peace and quiet of his home than the martial camp or
+the ruler’s throne, he found his greatest enjoyment in his beautiful
+park where he might be alone. Quiet walks, dreamy hours by running
+streams beneath shady trees, communion with the learned and wise, and
+meditation on the mysteries of life and of nature occupied his leisure
+moments. Delightful indeed were the October days. Brown and golden were
+the leaves where deciduous trees made ready to cast their burdens. The
+evergreen of pine and fir interspersed the more brilliant colors. The
+sky was hazy and the sunbeams, softened by shimmering mists, had lost
+their great heat and vivid glare.
+
+The King was at ease. No armor burdened him. A round felt cap with a
+purple band sat lightly on his massive head. His long gray hair fell
+in masses to the collar of his Medean cloak. His white beard touched
+the belt at his waist. The purple cloak, reaching from shoulder to
+knee, partially covered in its graceful folds the dark tunic of his
+under-dress. His feet were shod in boots of soft leather. In his hand
+was a heavy cane, with which as he walked he flicked pebbles from his
+path. A large shepherd dog walked at his side. Master and dog had
+enjoyed the park alone for a long time. But there came an interruption.
+The dog suddenly bounded away through the trees towards the palace,
+whose massive portico was partially visible through the foliage. The
+King stopped to observe the cause of his follower’s movements and saw
+a woman coming rapidly towards him, at sight of whom his countenance
+shone with pleasure. It was the Princess Athura. She held in her hand a
+roll of papyrus. Following her at respectful distance was a man in the
+uniform of a King’s messenger, whose dusty habit and halting steps told
+of a long ride and weariness.
+
+“My brother has written me!” cried the Princess, as she drew near.
+“See! I have here a letter from him, sealed with his own private
+signet!”
+
+“Which brother mean you?” inquired the King, with surprise.
+
+“Bardya!”
+
+“Is it so? What says he?”
+
+The old man’s brow was clouded as he spoke. Not yet had he declared for
+the new King Bardya, though he did not suspect as yet the imposture
+by which the Magi hoped to retain power. He had called the nobles of
+Persia to a council on this matter, and the meeting would be held
+shortly. He had loved Bardya almost as a son and knew that the people
+hated Cambyses. But Bardya had not begun his reign by calling back the
+Persian nobles to the chief offices, nor had he banished the Magi--much
+to the chagrin and sorrow of the King of Iran. He listened attentively
+as Athura read:
+
+  “_My beloved sister, Athura, Light of the World and Queen of the
+  Aryans_:
+
+  “Now that I have come forth from my place of safety in the royal
+  mountain, Demavend, and taken upon me the crown of King of Kings,
+  my heart goes out to you. Do you not remember how we used to talk of
+  ruling this great empire of Cyrus together? My brother, Cambyses,
+  would have killed me and you, could he have done so. The good priests
+  of Mithra saved me and hid me away until the time was ripe to come
+  forth. Of this I will tell you more when I see you.
+
+  “I have heard that you are with the royal Hystaspis at his palace in
+  Persepolis. May peace be with him! I have sent him greetings by a
+  suitable embassy, confirming him in all his titles and requesting him
+  to acknowledge my rule. For Cambyses is dead. The army near Damascus
+  has revolted from him and slain him. I know how the royal Hystaspis
+  loves you. Persuade him, therefore, to assist me in my great task and
+  he shall be the second man in the empire.
+
+  “As for yourself, come to me. I need you here at Hamadan to advise
+  me. You were ever the wiser and you shall be joint ruler with me in
+  fact if not in name. I am sending an escort to meet you at Susa. To
+  that point, royal Hystapsis will give you suitable escort.
+
+  “Come to me. It is a command.
+
+                                                “BARDYA, King of Kings.”
+
+She paused and looked inquiringly into the King’s eyes. The latter took
+from her hand the scroll and read it himself in silence. Then he said:
+“If it be true that Cambyses is dead, my course is clear. Yet am I not
+satisfied. It seems almost inconceivable that Bardya has come back from
+the dead. Yet it must be so.”
+
+He beckoned to the messenger, who had discreetly halted a score of
+paces distant, and asked, “Are you in the regular messenger service?”
+
+The man bowed low till his hands touched the earth, and then, standing
+in humble attitude, answered, “Yes, Master.”
+
+“How many years?”
+
+“Ten years, Master.”
+
+“Then you have often seen Cyrus, the Great King? Also Cambyses and
+Bardya?”
+
+“Truly have I seen them, my lord, many times. I know them well.”
+
+“Have you seen King Bardya since he returned to Hamadan?”
+
+“Twice, but only at the public audiences. He rides not forth as
+formerly, because, it is said, he fears assassins.”
+
+“How looks he?”
+
+“The lights were dim when I saw him, but I recognized him. He has lost
+flesh, as if he had been ill. He used to take part in the martial
+sports, but does not do so now.”
+
+“What say the people of him?”
+
+“They praise him for the most part. He has remitted the taxes, pardoned
+all political offenders, and proclaimed a year of peace and jubilee.
+Only the old priests grumble, who are displeased because he favors the
+Magi.”
+
+“You may return to the palace, where you will be entertained.”
+
+Saluting again, the messenger gladly hastened away to the ample
+refreshments he knew awaited him at the palace. The King returned
+the scroll to Athura and sighed. After a moment’s thought, he said:
+“Daughter, I like not the situation. If Cambyses be dead, as here
+reported, then Bardya is rightfully King. But he has abandoned the
+ancient religion of his fathers very suddenly for the accursed
+superstition of those Scythian interlopers, the Magi. But his decree
+concerning the Magi shall not run in Iran! I have heard that some of
+the temples of our religion in Medea have been closed and that the
+altars of the fire-worshipers on the hilltops have multiplied. So
+changed is he in all this that I am astounded. He commands you to come
+to him. It is for you to decide. It may be that you can turn him back
+from his evil way. But I fear to let you go.”
+
+“I am greatly troubled,” said Athura. “Bardya never was inclined to
+give much thought to religion. He loves sports, the army, and the hunt.
+His heart is easily touched. In gratitude to those who saved his life,
+he has granted them great privileges. All the more should I, on whom
+he ever leaned for advice, be near him, to lead him back if possible
+to the old paths. I have nothing to fear from him. It is my duty to
+go. But I desire your advice. You have been a father to me, and the
+gracious Queen, a mother!”
+
+The King smiled. “If my son returns from Egypt,” he said, “I shall
+deem myself happy to acknowledge you my daughter in fact. If Cambyses
+is dead, there need be no more concealment or fear. I will send trusty
+messengers to Hamadan, Babylon, and Susa and even to Egypt to learn the
+truth. My son would certainly have sent messengers to me with news of
+the King’s death if he were dead.”
+
+“May Ahura-Mazda hasten the day of his return! How long it has been
+since I last saw him!”
+
+“If you go to Hamadan, what will be the result? Will Bardya act as did
+Cambyses?”
+
+“No, a thousand times! Bardya will consent to my marriage with your son
+at once.”
+
+“It may be. And yet, knowing how my son loves the truth and our ancient
+faith, I fear that Bardya’s new faith will cause a rupture of their
+friendship. Darius is an enemy of liars. Unlike me, this son of mine
+loves war rather than peace and has little patience with those who
+differ from him in opinion. Perhaps his love for you will cause him to
+overlook the errors of your brother. As to this letter, if you go, my
+blessing shall go with you; and, should you call to me for aid from
+the ends of the earth, I will march to you at the head of a hundred
+thousand Persians. If you stay here, all Iran will be a bulwark around
+you and my home shall be yours.”
+
+Tears filled the eyes of Athura. Kneeling, she placed the right hand of
+the King on her head, saying: “I will take your blessing, my father,
+and go. Well do I know the love of our people. Sometimes in the
+bitterness of my condition I have thought of calling them to arms and
+throwing down from his throne the dread Cambyses. Had it not been for
+that oath you and your son swore to the Great King, I would have done
+so!”
+
+Hystaspis bent over and kissed her forehead.
+
+“May Ahura-Mazda, giver of all life, bless you!” he said solemnly. “May
+Sraosha, his powerful messenger, ever be at your right hand to convey
+to Him your slightest petition! May happiness in the love of a husband
+be yours and peace in your own home! Come, let us go to the palace and
+break the sad news of your going to the mother there.”
+
+They went to the palace side by side and were met on the portico by
+the stately lady who ruled the King’s heart even as he kept sway over
+millions of proud subjects.
+
+She sought to persuade Athura not to go to Hamadan, until more certain
+information of the conditions there could be had; but Athura was firm
+in her determination to obey the call of her brother. Therefore next
+day a company of cavalry escorting the Princess marched towards Susa.
+King Hystaspis rode with her a day’s journey.
+
+On the fifth day after the departure of the Princess, three of the
+great Persian nobles, Otanes, Hydarnes, and Vomisces, resplendent in
+military dress and in armor adorned with bright metal and precious
+stones, each attended by a score of stout guards, rode over the
+stone bridge across the Pulwar and demanded audience of the King. A
+chamberlain conducted them into the audience hall, where the benevolent
+King sat on his throne in state. They saluted him, and Otanes said: “O
+King, live forever! We, your counselors, come to advise with you on
+grave affairs of state.”
+
+“I am glad to behold you,” responded the King. “You are welcome. Speak
+on!”
+
+Otanes drew a letter from the folds of his cloak.
+
+“Here have I a letter from my daughter, Phædima,” he said. “She was the
+wife of the Great King, Cambyses, and she was taken as wife by that
+one who calls himself Bardya, who, having deposed Cambyses, assumed to
+marry all his wives. But listen! Was ever such fraud practiced upon a
+people? This came secretly by a messenger, a slave who owed his life to
+my daughter. Let me read.
+
+  “‘_To Otanes, my beloved father_:
+
+  “‘In much shame and agitation do I write this and will endeavor to
+  dispatch it to you by Hyrax, my faithful slave.
+
+  “‘This Bardya is an impostor. He is not Bardya the King’s brother.
+  When Patatheites, the regent, announced that Bardya, son of Cyrus,
+  had returned from Mount Demavend where he had been hiding, and had
+  declared himself King of Kings, there was great rejoicing in Hamadan,
+  and all the people and the army gladly declared for him. The new King
+  made a decree divorcing us from Cambyses and making all of us his
+  wives. What could we do? It was the King’s word.
+
+  “‘But, when this man came to visit me, I saw that he could not be the
+  true Bardya, though he resembles him much. He wore a turban after
+  the manner of the Arabs but in such way that it covered his hair and
+  ears. This day did I discover that he has no ears. While he slept,
+  overcome by wine, his turban was disarranged. Then I remembered that
+  I saw this man led away from the presence of Cyrus, who had sentenced
+  him to have his ears cut off for some offense. His name was Gaumata
+  and he was a wizard, a priest of the Magi. This is the man! I had
+  no dagger or I would have slain him. We are prisoners in the palace
+  and are not permitted to go even to the park walls. Haste, then, my
+  father, to rescue your daughter from this foul creature! I have heard
+  it proclaimed that Cambyses is dead, slain by his own hand in Syria.
+  Of the truth of this I know not. My hands reach out to you!
+
+                                                    “‘Farewell!
+                                                           “‘PHÆDIMA.’”
+
+The King was amazed. He arose from his throne as the reading proceeded
+and nervously pulled at his beard. When it was done, he smote together
+his hands in great agitation.
+
+“Alas!” he cried. “How unfortunate that your message did not come five
+days ago! Then I would have kept the royal Athura here or marched with
+her to Hamadan at the head of an army. Only five days ago in obedience
+to a letter sent her by this false slave, calling himself Bardya, she
+departed, and even now she may be at Susa in his power! May curses rest
+on him! I perceive his scheme! With the last of the children of Cyrus
+in his power, he thinks to be safe. But not so! No time is to be lost!
+Let us take immediate action!”
+
+He pulled a cord near at hand, and a gong sounded in an adjacent room.
+Instantly a door at the right of the throne swung open, admitting an
+officer of the Guard. To him the King said: “Captain Arios, take five
+hundred men, the best of the army in Persepolis, with the strongest
+horses, and ride to Susa! Ride day and night! Seize horses and supplies
+as you go! Overtake Captain Mardux and bring back the Princess Athura,
+if you can. Ride even to Hamadan if you do not find her at Susa. Send
+messengers in advance to overtake and turn her back. Spare not horses
+or men! Delay not!”
+
+The captain, though filled with wonder at this sudden order, did not
+pause to ask reasons for it, but bowed low before his lord and left the
+room. A moment later the clatter of horses’ hoofs on the paved court
+indicated that he had departed.
+
+The King turned to his counselors and said: “It is my will that the
+reserves be called to arms and that all the regular troops be gathered
+at Persepolis. We shall march without delay upon the usurper. Secrecy
+and swiftness must be observed. Let us seize the wretch before he may
+gather an army to oppose us. What say you?”
+
+“That is my word!” answered Otanes.
+
+“And mine!” added Hydarnes.
+
+“And mine!” said Vomisces.
+
+“Then let it be done! Let every able-bodied man in your several
+districts be called. I will send orders to the Governor of Bactra to
+call out the reserves and to march to Rhages with the Bactrian troops.
+He will bring two hundred thousand men. We should march from Persepolis
+with no less. I wish that my son were here! We shall need him.”
+
+After further consultation as to details, the nobles departed. Scores
+of messengers, riding at breakneck speed, penetrated to distant hamlets
+and summoned every man of the military class to Persepolis. Stores of
+weapons and provisions were quickly gathered. The great plain near
+Persepolis quickly became populous with men and impedimenta. All Iran
+was stirred with the excitement of coming war; but none knew why they
+were called, save that it was on the King’s business.
+
+On the tenth day two hundred thousand men stood in line on the plain
+near the Araxes for review, and their gray-bearded King rode along
+their serried ranks and saw that they were ready and eager to march.
+They saw that the face of the monarch was serious and filled with
+anxiety, and they guessed that they were about to engage in a civil
+war. The King did not enlighten them. A messenger had come from Captain
+Arios at Susa, stating that he had found Captain Mardux and his men who
+had escorted Athura to Susa, but that the Princess had gone forward
+towards Hamadan the day before his arrival. The King was disappointed
+and anxious. Having ordered that the march begin next day, he returned
+to his palace.
+
+At sundown of that same day, Gobryas and half a dozen weary troopers
+arrived in the camp and after hasty greetings to the generals in
+command went direct to the King. The King was on his portico, reclining
+on a couch so placed that he could watch the glories of the setting
+sun, while near him sat the Queen engaged upon some needlework.
+Recognizing Gobryas in spite of his unshaven and dusty condition,
+Hystaspis rose with an exclamation of surprise and went down the steps
+to meet and embrace him.
+
+“It rejoices my soul to see you, noble Gobryas!” he said. “Whence come
+you? What of my son?”
+
+“Gracious King, I have come from Syria by way of Babylon and the lower
+roads,” answered Gobryas. “Your son was well when I, obedient to his
+commands, left him to come hither.”
+
+“Praise be to Ahura-Mazda! What of the King?”
+
+“Cambyses is dead. There is no king other than you, O King Hystaspis! I
+greet you King of Kings and Lord of Lords!”
+
+He bent his knee and kissed the King’s hand. But Hystaspis raised him
+up, saying: “Not yet, my son! The nobles of all Iran must be consulted.
+We had heard rumors of the death of Cambyses, but were not sure.”
+
+“Cambyses is dead. I saw him stab himself before all the army when
+messengers came into camp proclaiming Bardya King. Yea, truly he is
+dead and the world is better for it! As for this traitor at Hamadan, I
+have come direct from your son to announce that he is not Bardya but a
+false usurper. I perceive you have already learned his true character
+and are ready to march against him. I have letters from the Prince.
+Even now he is drawing near to Babylon with his ten thousand men of the
+Guard.”
+
+He produced a packet from his belt and gave it to the King.
+
+“Come,” said the King, leading him up on the portico where the Queen
+waited. “You shall be refreshed at my own table and shall stay in our
+palace this night. I have much to ask concerning our son and of the
+war in Egypt and of the death of the King.”
+
+Gobyras bent low before the Queen, kissed her hands extended to him in
+cordial welcome, and said: “Queen of the World, I give you love and
+greetings from the Prince. Daily has he spoken of you. I bear a letter
+for you. I have another for the Princess Athura. But, alas! Otanes has
+explained to me how she has gone into the power of that Gaumata!”
+
+The Queen took from Gobyras the packet he handed to her, and then,
+placing her hands on his shoulders, drew him down and kissed both
+his cheeks, saying: “My son’s blood-brother is my son! Welcome home!
+How weary you are! You shall rest in the Prince’s own apartment this
+night.”
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII
+
+THE SPIDER’S WEB
+
+
+Captain Mardux and his troopers felt themselves highly honored as
+escorts of the highest born and most beautiful woman in the world,
+when they departed from Persepolis with the Princess Athura. When she
+chose to ride a horse, the captain knelt that she might place one small
+foot on his knee and thence leap into the saddle. When she chose to
+ride in a litter, the captain had difficulty in choosing from the many
+volunteers those who should be carriers. He had to be severe in denying
+some the right to stand guard around her tent as she slept, since all
+could not do so. These hard-fisted, hard-riding sons of Persia deemed
+themselves guardians of a goddess; and all of them were her devotees.
+Her journey was a pleasant pastime.
+
+They arrived at Susa on the sixth day and were met by the governor of
+the city with all his chief officials. They conducted the Princess to
+the royal palace, where she rested a day. The city was gayly decorated
+in her honor. Then a company of Medean cavalry, under command of a
+noble Mede, relieved Captain Mardux and his men of their charge, and
+with them the Princess continued her journey towards Hamadan. From Susa
+to Behistun the road was better and the pace more rapid. On the tenth
+day they stood beneath the shadow of the great rock and were about to
+turn eastward across the mountains, when a courier met them, bearing
+a letter, informing Athura that King Bardya had gone to a castle in
+Nicæa on a hunting-trip and asking her to come to him there. Athura and
+her escort therefore took a road leading northerly into Western Medea.
+Thus it came about that Captains Arios and Mardux, pushing forward in
+desperate haste to rescue the Princess from the usurper, and supposing
+that she had gone direct to Hamadan, missed her by turning to the right
+at Behistun two hours after she and her train had disappeared in the
+northern hills. Thus it came about also that the Prince of Iran and his
+weary ten thousand, having avoided Babylon on the right and Susa on the
+left, lest they should meet with opposition and be delayed, when they
+reached the great highway between Persepolis and Susa and learned that
+the Princess had gone northward to Hamadan, delayed not to await the
+coming of the Persian army but also turned northward.
+
+Athura’s heart beat high with anticipated pleasure. A decree had been
+published in Susa announcing the death of Cambyses in Syria and the
+peaceful adherence of the King’s army to Bardya. Civil war would thus
+be averted. Her beloved brother would doubtless call the Prince of
+Iran to be his chief counselor, the second man in the empire. Nothing
+would hinder her marriage to him. The future seemed indeed bright with
+promise. The Medean escort was attentive and obedient to her slightest
+wish. At Nicæa a second message awaited Athura, informing her that the
+King was at the castle of Sictachotes, a score of miles farther north,
+and bidding her come there. Here a new escort took charge, composed
+of soldiers and priests whose appearance did not at all please the
+Princess. She did not hesitate to go forward, however, but she resolved
+that she would persuade her brother to discharge from his service men
+who resembled robbers rather than soldiers.
+
+It was late afternoon when they arrived in sight of the castle or
+stronghold of the false Bardya. The castle was an irregular pile of
+stone buildings on the summit of a hill, the crater of a long-extinct
+volcano. A small lake filled the mouth of the crater and on its rim the
+buildings had been constructed. At the foot of the cone and completely
+surrounding it was a high stone wall through which a huge brazen
+gate gave entrance and egress. The buildings were low and of rude
+architecture, except one tower which rose to a height of fifty feet and
+was about thirty feet square.
+
+The Princess wondered that her brother should bring her to such an
+uninviting place; but, remembering his passion for hunting, she had no
+misgivings. The great gate swung open to admit her and her escort, and
+then it closed with a clang. Having ascended the hill to a level space
+in front of the high tower, the escort dismounted and its leader came
+to assist Athura to alight. But she said haughtily to him: “Go, call
+the King. Why is he not here to meet me?”
+
+The officer bowed low and went into the castle, whence he presently
+returned with a richly dressed official who forthwith prostrated
+himself before royalty. “May you live forever, O gracious lady!” he
+said loudly. “The King is out hunting, not expecting you until the
+morrow. But all things are ready for you. Be pleased to alight and
+enter!”
+
+The Princess then dismounted and followed the official into the castle.
+The room they first entered was in the base of the high tower and
+occupied its whole space. It was richly furnished with tables, couches,
+and rugs. Draperies concealed the rough walls. Athura had brought with
+her three maids. Several others presently appeared from side-rooms and
+humbly awaited her pleasure. The official, who proved to be the King’s
+chamberlain, having called the servants, now said: “My Lord the King
+will return shortly. Meanwhile, if it please you, dinner will be served
+here. Let the maids be disposed of in the adjoining room. Should you
+desire to take the air, there is a pleasant walk around the lake. If
+anything be needed, pull the cord at the side here and a gong will call
+servants. Permit me to retire and order your dinner served.”
+
+The Princess assented and the chamberlain, with a low salaam, departed.
+Having bathed, and changed her riding habit to one more comfortable,
+she ate dinner alone. She was grieved and impatient. But she was to
+suffer further disappointment. For at sundown a messenger appeared who
+reported that a revolt had broken out in the army at Hamadan, thus
+compelling the King’s instant return to that city. He had departed at
+once, but promised to return quickly and escort her in person to the
+capital. He bade her rest meanwhile at the castle.
+
+Athura was furious. It seemed strange that her brother should treat her
+thus. He must be indeed changed from that former bold youth who would
+have let state matters go to ruin rather than fail to come to her at
+once when so near! She rang for the chamberlain, and when that worthy
+appeared she inquired, “Was the King here this morning?”
+
+“Yes, gracious lady,” he replied humbly.
+
+“How did he seem? Was he well?”
+
+“He seemed very well but somewhat nervous.”
+
+“I do not understand his strange behavior! Order immediate preparations
+for my departure in the morning to Hamadan! I shall go to him and
+ascertain the cause of this neglect.”
+
+The chamberlain raised his hands in protest. He shook his head and
+salaamed humbly.
+
+“I have an order from the King, gracious lady,” he said. “It is that I
+safely keep you here until he return.”
+
+“What! Am I a prisoner?”
+
+“Ah, no! Say not so! But this is a very unsafe country,--wolves, bears,
+robbers, and brigands! It is not safe for you without a strong escort
+to go beyond the castle-walls. The escort which brought you hither has
+departed for Nicæa again, and only the necessary garrison is here. Very
+sorrowful am I, most gracious lady, but I dare not disobey orders. The
+King, I assure you, will come soon.”
+
+“Listen!” exclaimed Athura, furiously. “I care nothing for the safety
+of this castle! I order you to prepare this garrison to march with me
+to Hamadan on the morrow. I will answer to the King for you and no harm
+shall come to you. Let the castle take care of itself!”
+
+But the chamberlain again shook his head and wrung his hands together
+in simulated agitation. “Impossible, utterly impossible! The King’s
+orders must be obeyed. You know not this King, gracious lady! He is a
+magician who can destroy one, soul and body. No, no!”
+
+“A magician! What mean you? My brother Bardya a magician? Since when
+gained he that power?”
+
+But the chamberlain, seeing that he had almost revealed his master’s
+real identity, shook his head and continued to wring his hands,
+protesting: “I meant only that the King’s eyes were upon all and over
+all! But I cannot disobey him, and--I will not!”
+
+He abruptly turned and left the room. Athura went to one of the narrow
+windows and looked tearfully out upon the yellow landscape of hill
+and mountain, on which the setting sun was casting its last mellow
+beams. Her eyes ran over the courtyard, the steep descent of hill,
+the high wall below with its brazen gate and its sentries, posted at
+intervals on the top. A great loneliness seized upon her, a cold dread
+of impending evil gripped her heart, and a terror of unknown forces
+that seemed to surround her. Turning from the window, she met the eyes
+of one of the maids compassionately watching her. The expression of her
+face caught Athura’s attention. Repressing her tears lest the servants
+should deem her weak, she addressed the maid:
+
+“What is your name?”
+
+“Lauretha, gracious mistress,” was the answer.
+
+“Who are you and whence come you?”
+
+“I am a daughter of the captain of the guard, and I came from Nicæa
+hither.”
+
+“Tell me, whose is this castle and how came my brother here? He has
+been acting most unbrotherly to me. Have you a brother whom you love
+most dearly? And would he call you to a place like this and then not
+meet you, or run away to the city without visiting you?”
+
+The girl’s eyes filled with tears. The beauty and engaging personality
+of Athura had already made a deep impression upon her. She had heard in
+the old days of this beautiful daughter of Cyrus as a very goddess of
+wisdom and beauty. Now that she beheld her, she was her devotee. She
+drew nearer and, kneeling, caught hold of the hem of Athura’s dress and
+kissed it.
+
+“Gracious Queen of the World, I am but a humble girl,” she said,
+sobbing: “My parentage is not even noble. But I place my soul and body
+at your service! Let me make confession to you and I will trust in your
+forgiveness for my enforced service here. If you will follow me to the
+chamber above, where you are to sleep and where we may be alone, I will
+tell you the secret of your situation.”
+
+“Arise and be assured of my good-will. I will follow you,” answered the
+Princess, touched by the girl’s devotion and wondering what she meant.
+
+The girl rose and, going to a curtained door at one side of the room,
+pulled aside the curtain and guided the Princess up a narrow stairway,
+in the thick stone wall, to a chamber above and of the same size and as
+richly furnished as that below. Here the Princess seated herself on a
+divan and the girl again knelt at her feet on the floor.
+
+“Tell me what you mean,” said Athura, kindly.
+
+“I know the man who calls himself Bardya. He owns this castle,” said
+the girl, speaking rapidly. “I also have seen your brothers, both the
+great Cambyses, the King, and the strong, happy Prince Bardya. That
+was years ago when I lived in Hamadan and my father was a soldier
+of the palace-guard under the noble Otanes. I also know the regent,
+Patatheites, whom Cambyses, the Great King, left to rule in Medea. O
+gracious lady, it breaks my heart to tell you! But I know that Bardya,
+your brother, is dead and this one who calls himself Bardya is none
+other than Gaumata, priest of the Magi, whose ears Cyrus, the Great
+King, cut off! I have seen Gaumata and Patatheites together. I know
+that Gaumata pretends to be Bardya. The chamberlain is one of his
+tribe. This great tower is a fire-worshiper’s shrine and on its top is
+an altar on which fire is kept burning. I know not why I tell you this,
+except that when I look upon your face I love and worship you. O that I
+might save you! I fear this prison is intended to be your tomb!”
+
+Athura sat very still during this revelation. Her head seemed to reel.
+The earth and all her golden castles seemed whirling and falling. Of
+course Bardya would have come to meet her! She knew the girl was
+telling the truth. Fool, to be so easily beguiled! Bardya really dead!
+The old sorrow resurged in her soul. Death or worse her fate! She sat
+still and silent a long time in wide-eyed despair while the maid at her
+feet with bowed head wept bitterly. Presently she sighed deeply and
+asked, “Why do you weep, little sister?”
+
+“Because of your cruel fate, gracious lady,” replied the maid. “You
+know not the magic power of these priests! Even now they may know that
+I have told this to you and even now they may be preparing the torture
+chamber for me. They are terrible men! They deal with the demons of the
+hills and mountains. They sacrifice to them, even offering up human
+lives sometimes. They are able to read one’s thoughts. They bring up
+the dead and make them talk. Only Ahura-Mazda can protect you, and I
+know not if He will!”
+
+“Be comforted, child,” said Athura, calmly. “Let us escape in some
+manner. Once before I fled from a prison when Cambyses would have slain
+me. Is there no way of escape?”
+
+“I know of none. These walls have secret doors. I have seen Gaumata
+appear in these rooms even without opening a door. But he is a
+magician. I do not know the secret doors. If we could escape from this
+castle, the great wall and its watch is there.”
+
+“You said that your father is captain of the guard. Might he not assist
+us?”
+
+“I know not. He fears the Magi. His father was a tenant of this Gaumata
+who, for his faithfulness, has promised him great fortune and a high
+command. But he is a brave man and a good father.”
+
+“Such a man must have a good heart. We shall talk with him presently.”
+
+“But these magicians,--is it not useless to strive against them?
+They look one in the eye and point their fingers and say, ‘You are a
+dog! Bark!’ And that one gets down on his hands and acts like a dog
+and barks. Or they will say to you that at a certain hour you must
+do something they order; and, at that hour, you must do it! They
+put spells on men, and such men thereafter have no power. Oh, it is
+dreadful, how at night they call up and talk with the dead. The evil
+spirits help them.”
+
+“I have seen their spell-working, child. But this I know, as the great
+teacher, Belteshazzer, said, they can do no harm to those who love
+truth and serve the true and only God. For He sends mighty spirits of
+good intent who encamp about the good and who drive away the evil ones.
+Fear not, child, I dread not this Gaumata and all his evil powers. He
+shall not harm us. When does your father have liberty so that he might
+come to us?”
+
+“At sundown he changes the guard. Thereafter he may come.”
+
+The girl went to a window and looked down into the court below. She
+then clapped her hands softly and motioned to some one below.
+
+“Ah, there he stands now!” she said. “He has looked up and will come
+here. I will meet him.”
+
+She ran down the narrow stair, and presently her voice and the heavier
+tones of a man’s voice were heard in conversation. Athura seated
+herself on a divan in such position that the rays of the setting sun,
+passing through the open window, rested upon her face and hair, giving
+to her regal beauty a halo like that of a goddess. A moment later the
+maid reappeared, followed by a powerfully built man whose helmet and
+breastplate were resplendent in gold and jewels. His face was strong
+and bold, the countenance of one accustomed to command, but now it was
+clouded and sullen.
+
+“This is my father, Gustasp, gracious mistress,” said the maid,
+presenting him.
+
+The man looked an instant into the eyes of the Princess. Then his hand
+quickly removed his helmet. Wonder, admiration, recognition, and awe
+expressed themselves in his countenance. He prostrated himself at her
+feet. He had known the kingly Cyrus and the high glance of his eye,
+before which the most rebellious of men had quailed; and here was the
+image of Cyrus, softened and beautified in the feminine, but, none the
+less, with his lofty, commanding spirit, gazing upon him from eyes
+whose glance he could not return.
+
+“Hail, gracious daughter of Cyrus!” he mumbled, striking the
+rug-covered floor with his forehead. “I await your commands!”
+
+“I have seen you before, Captain Gustasp, when my father lived and
+Bardya, my brother, and I played in the park at Hamadan. Is it not so?
+Arise and answer!”
+
+The soldier rose and stood in deferential attitude before his fair
+interlocutor.
+
+“I remember, most royal lady,” he stammered.
+
+“If I mistake not I rode on that broad back of yours, and you made for
+me a right-spirited horse.”
+
+The strong features of the soldier quivered as memory brought back
+those days, when he, as one of the guards on duty at the King’s palace,
+not only watched over the safety of the children of the King but played
+with them. Halcyon days! The tears started to his eyes.
+
+“I remember,” he answered.
+
+“And now I am your prisoner!”
+
+Again the man fell with his face to the floor. “Say not so, Queen of
+the World!” he exclaimed. “Rather am I your humble slave. If you will
+let me speak, I will explain.”
+
+“Say on!”
+
+He raised his head from the floor but continued to kneel, while he
+spoke rapidly: “After I returned from the funeral of the royal Cyrus,
+I was not in favor with the Great King, Cambyses. His dislike for me
+arose when he and your royal brother, Bardya, and you, played together
+as children and, by the express order of good King Cyrus, I watched
+that Cambyses did not use violence upon you and the younger brother.
+He swore, then, that when he came to man’s estate I should die. When,
+therefore, the guards were called to Hamadan and dismissed by him, I
+fled; and, luckily, I escaped before his order for my execution could
+be fulfilled. I came to these mountains and was concealed by the Magian
+priests who had been friends of my father. Then I heard, gracious
+lady, that both you and Prince Bardya had been foully murdered by
+King Cambyses; and I wept much. For I loved you and Bardya when you
+were children. For me the light of the world grew dim. Wonder not,
+therefore, that I willingly served Gaumata when he overthrew Cambyses.
+Had not Cambyses slain those I loved and also sought to slay me? I
+did not know you when you entered here yesterday. You were veiled. My
+information was that the King’s wife was coming hither; and I dreamed
+not that you were she. May Ahriman wither my soul if I speak not the
+truth!”
+
+His daughter sank upon the floor by her father’s side, exclaiming,
+“Truly he speaks truth, gracious mistress!”
+
+A wave of sympathy swept over the beautiful countenance of the
+Princess. Impulsively she arose, bent over, and touched the man’s
+forehead with her hand, saying: “I believe you, my good Gustasp. Ah,
+those were pleasant days, the days of my childhood. But they have gone
+to return no more. The bloody hand of death has taken my father and
+brothers. Only I, of all the royal house of Cyrus, remain; and I am a
+prisoner to this man, Gaumata. But what now? To whom, O Gustasp, do you
+owe allegiance?”
+
+The man did not hesitate. “There is only one sovereign on earth for me,
+the divine daughter of Cyrus!” he answered passionately. “Had I not
+believed you dead, I would never have entered the service of Gaumata.”
+
+“I am in your hands. What do you advise?”
+
+“You are safe in my hands, gracious Queen! I will guard you with my
+life. But I am slow of wit and not good at making plans. I can execute
+orders but not make them.”
+
+Athura smiled upon the kneeling giant.
+
+“You may arise and be seated there near the door,” she said. “Let us
+think of some plan. How many men have you in this castle?”
+
+Gustasp rose and sat on a stool near the door.
+
+“Four hundred and twenty,” he answered.
+
+“Are they trustworthy?”
+
+“Not against Gaumata. They are his personal followers. But they are
+a brave and reckless lot. Some of them have been brigands all their
+lives, until called hither by the new King’s order.”
+
+“It is apparent to you, Captain Gustasp, that I am no friend of this
+Gaumata. I have been brought here by lying letters purporting to be
+from my brother, Bardya, and I knew not the truth until your daughter
+revealed it to me. Doubtless I have been brought here to suffer death.
+For, as long as one of the house of Cyrus remain, so long will the
+usurper be insecure on his throne. I remember Gaumata. I saw him
+during the last year of Cyrus and I heard of his punishment. Now has
+come his revenge! But I shall escape. There is one who comes from the
+west as swiftly as horses may bring him. Do you remember the youth
+who played with us in those days? That grave youth who was a man even
+before he was old enough to enlist in the King’s guards--Darius, son of
+Hystaspis, King of Iran?”
+
+“I remember him. Has not his fame filled the whole earth? All young
+Aryans swear by him!”
+
+“True! Had not Cambyses cruelly interfered, I would this day be his
+wife. He took an oath to Cyrus, my father, to support Cambyses and
+Bardya on their thrones, as long as they should live. Death has
+released him from the oath. It may not be that I shall reign alone as
+Queen, since it is contrary to the customs of the Aryans. The King of
+Iran is now the head of the Achæmenian royal family and entitled to
+reign as King of the Aryans. When he shall pass the bridge to heaven,
+the Prince of Iran will be King. The world will then know a just and
+mighty master. And I shall reign with him. Then, Gustasp, I may be able
+to reward faithful service. Is it not possible for me to escape? I
+escaped from Cambyses alone, disguised as a youth. Have you not a horse
+that I might ride away upon this night?”
+
+Gustasp was troubled. He gazed thoughtfully out of the window a moment
+in silence. The red rim of the sun was disappearing behind a distant
+ridge.
+
+“This is a wild portion of Medea,” he said presently. “Brigands roam
+about. Traveling without a large escort is dangerous. It is now almost
+night. For a week there can be no danger to you here. I am in command
+of the Guard. It will not be so much a prison for you as a place of
+safety. To-morrow I will send to the hills for one who owes his life
+to me. I saved him from the wrath of Gaumata, who had ordered me to
+execute him. This man will I send with a message to your friends.
+He may bring help. The chamberlain of the castle is a priest of the
+Magi. He was in the room below as we came through. He is here as your
+guard, I suppose. But this night I shall sleep at the foot of this
+stairway and keep watch over you. You are weary and must have sleep. My
+daughter, if you will, shall watch with me. Perhaps to-morrow we may
+think of a better plan.”
+
+Athura rose and went to the window, where she stood some moments in
+silence, contemplating the forbidding aspect of the darkening hills
+and considering the words of the captain. She was, indeed, weary. She
+therefore signified her assent to the suggestion, and the captain
+retired. His daughter remained with the Princess. The captain that
+night slept on the floor of the room below, with his body across the
+doorway leading to the chamber above and his sword at his side.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIX
+
+A GALLOPING TO AND FRO
+
+
+The dull, plodding peasants of Persia, Medea, Susiana, and Babylonia
+wondered why so many messengers rode at breakneck speed, on foaming,
+dusty horses, and so many squads of cavalry galloped, along the roads,
+during those last days of the false Smerdis, or Bardya, King of the
+World. They loved not these military men, with their over-bearing ways,
+their oaths and blows, their lawlessness and oppression. But they only
+sighed and remained silent, hoping but not believing that some day the
+Great King would lift them up and put the soldiers down. The shepherds
+on the hills drove their flocks high up into the mountain fastnesses
+and concealed them in gulches and ravines. For, it was whispered, an
+immense army of Persians was marching up from the south. No one knew
+why it was coming, but it was safer to keep the flocks out of sight,
+lest the hungry hordes should have fresh meat at their expense. Rumors
+of war flew about. Some said Babylonia was about to revolt; others that
+the Scythians were threatening an invasion.
+
+Meanwhile at the capital city, Hamadan, confusion reigned. Reports came
+from Persia indicating that the King of Iran was gathering a great
+army. Then came messengers from the army at Damascus relating the
+departure of the Prince and the Guard. Patatheites and Gaumata at once
+became uneasy and directed the governor of Nineveh to march out and
+intercept the Prince. Then came Prexaspes, who, knowing that he could
+expect no mercy from the King of Iran and his son, offered his services
+to the usurper, and was made commander of the army and satrap of Medea.
+He advised immediate preparation for war. Decrees were issued to all
+the governors of provinces commanding them to assemble their soldiers
+and bring them to Hamadan. Heralds were dispatched to the King of Iran
+demanding the reason for gathering an army at Persepolis. Prexaspes
+personally went into western Medea, where he had large estates, and
+directed that all Medean levies from that section should gather at
+Nicæa. Then Gaumata and Patatheites, learning that their ruse whereby
+Athura had been beguiled into the castle of the former, had succeeded,
+departed from the capital city to visit her and make some treaty with,
+or disposal of, her. They had barely departed when Captains Arios and
+Mardux at the head of their combined companies rode into the capital
+on horses almost dead with fatigue, and at the palace gates demanded
+the person of the Princess Athura. The commander of the palace-guard
+was insolent and insulting. He even threatened to arrest the blustering
+captains, who thereupon suddenly assaulted the palace with their bold
+troopers, before the guards could be warned, and gained possession of
+it. The guards fled into the city and called upon the citizens for aid.
+Captains Arios and Mardux searched the palace in vain for the Princess
+Athura, but found and released the usurper’s harem, in which was
+Phædima, the daughter of Otanes. What next to do the captains knew not.
+But the citizens of Hamadan, indignant that a company of freebooters
+should dare to take the King’s palace, soon gave them something to do
+and laid close siege to them in it. They were not to be dislodged,
+however, and held the citizens at bay, trusting that they would
+presently be rescued by the King of Iran.
+
+The Prince of Iran, having marched by a short route across northern
+Arabia, avoided Babylon on the right and Susa on the left and arrived
+upon the great highway between Persepolis and the latter city, where,
+as narrated, he received information that led him to march at once
+to Susa, intent upon aiding in the rescue of the Princess Athura. He
+seized Susa and deposed its governor, who was a Mede in the service
+of Gaumata. He paused here two days to rest and refit his command,
+meanwhile sending scouts northward to gain information concerning the
+movements of the usurper. Then a body of Persians, constituting the
+advance corps of the Persian army, having arrived, the Prince left
+a garrison in the city and with about twenty thousand men hurried
+northward on the road to Hamadan, intent upon capturing that city
+before Gaumata could prepare for resistance. On the first day out he
+was met by the messenger from Athura, which caused him to change his
+intention and march into western Medea upon Nicæa.
+
+Meanwhile the Princess Athura remained in the castle. The messenger had
+been duly dispatched by Captain Gustasp, who advised his fair captive
+to wait patiently several days for his return or until he himself could
+communicate with certain relatives who might consent to conceal her in
+the mountains should it become necessary to leave the castle. Then one
+day a company of cavalry rode into the castle-yard and its commander,
+Captain Galutha, displayed an order giving him chief command. The next
+day a large body of cavalry appeared on the plain below the castle and
+encamped, while several of their leaders came up to the castle. Two
+of these, before whom all others bowed to the earth, were Gaumata,
+the usurper, and his chief counselor, Patatheites. The Princess Athura
+observed these men with dread. She recognized them and knew that a
+crisis in her affairs had come. Later came Captain Gustasp in much
+agitation.
+
+“Gracious lady,” he said, “Gaumata has come! He desires audience with
+you. If he attempt any harm to you, I will slay him! So fear not. I am
+at your service. Shall I slay him at once?”
+
+“No. Let him enter,” she answered, seating herself on a divan at the
+side of the chamber opposite the window, where the light was good and
+where every expression of her countenance might be seen. She was calm
+and self-possessed.
+
+The captain’s daughter stood at her side, trembling and apprehensive.
+
+A moment later the door opened and the chamberlain appeared,
+announcing: “Our Lord, the King, the Great King, King of the World, and
+his illustrious Counselor!”
+
+Entered then Patatheites, with somewhat shuffling gait and embarrassed
+demeanor, a tall man whose rich habiliments and mitered head-dress
+indicated his priestly rank. He bowed very low and touched the floor
+with his hands, saying: “All hail, most beautiful Princess, Daughter of
+Cyrus, the Great King, Light of the World! Live forever!”
+
+Following him came Gaumata, a tall man, with uncertain, shifting eyes,
+a pallid face, somewhat resembling the dead Bardya, a puppet evidently
+in the hands of the real ruler, Patatheites. He was about to prostrate
+himself before royalty, as was his habit, when, remembering his high
+position, he checked himself and stood erect, folding his arms in much
+embarrassment and agitation. On his head was a vari-colored turban,
+around which was a golden coronet.
+
+“I give you greeting. What would you?” responded Athura, coldly.
+
+Patatheites coughed slightly and glanced at the King; then, assuming a
+very ingratiating tone and manner, he said:
+
+“The fates--I should say, the gods--have ordered that this man shall
+be King. It matters not whether he be truly Bardya or not,--the spirit
+of Bardya is in him. It has come to pass that King Cambyses by his own
+hand is dead. You alone, royal lady, remain of his family. By right of
+birth you should be Queen of the World. Unless you so rule, the kingdom
+will pass to the King of Iran. It has been announced to all the world
+that this Bardya has taken to himself all the wives of Cambyses. That
+is true, and you yourself are included. We come, therefore, to make a
+treaty. Consent to a marriage with this King, Bardya, and rule equally
+with him. Your presence with him will reconcile all Iran and the world
+will remain at peace. You cannot rule alone. He offers to share the
+throne with you. Let him speak for himself. I, his Chief Counselor,
+have spoken!”
+
+Gaumata, thus prompted, bowed low before her and said in high, squeaky
+tones: “Years ago my eyes beheld the most lovely vision of all the
+earth. It was Athura, star of the morning, lovelier than the moon,
+shining on a darkened world. My soul went out to her. I said that I
+would one day sit on the throne of the world with her and her slightest
+wish should be my law, her will my will, and that together we would
+rule the universe wisely. Let it be so!”
+
+Athura restrained her indignation with great difficulty. Should she
+temporize, or at once declare herself? She remained silent a moment.
+When she spoke, her steady voice betrayed not her deep agitation.
+
+“For this, then, I have been deceived and brought hither,” she said.
+“It is a very grave matter. I require time to consider it. I know there
+is but one other choice. That is--death! I must choose between you and
+death, unless something intervenes. Such presumption as yours in the
+days of Cyrus would have merited death. But truly has the situation
+changed through the wisdom of God. How many days may I have to consider
+this?”
+
+The men glanced at each other doubtfully. Then the Counselor spoke.
+
+“Grave events call for quick action. However, if to-morrow at this time
+will suit you to answer, let it be so.”
+
+“I shall require at least a week.”
+
+“No, no! You must decide by to-morrow.”
+
+“Must?”
+
+Her tone startled the men. In it were unutterable scorn and menace.
+Gaumata shrank back. As she looked now, so had he seen Cyrus and
+Cambyses, the terrible. But Patatheites was unafraid and, knowing the
+necessity of quick action, he was determined that her choice should be
+made at once.
+
+“Forgive the expression,” he said. “We are desperate men. So stirred
+up are the people that we must act quickly. You said truly that you
+must choose either to consent or to meet death. Rule the world or die!
+Do you hear? But you shall consent!” He gazed into her eyes with his
+flashing black eyes fixedly and extended his long, slender fingers
+towards her slowly. He trusted to his great hypnotic power to overcome
+the powerful will that showed in her eyes. “On the morrow at this hour
+you shall say yes!” he added after a pause.
+
+Athura smiled derisively. Her eyes showed no less will-power than his,
+and, extending her hand in a repellent gesture, she said: “I say that I
+will speak freely without being coerced by your devil’s power! Dog that
+you are! I shall live to see your carcass thrown to the vultures!”
+
+The battle of wills continued in silence for a tense moment. Then the
+eyes of Patatheites wavered and dropped. His hand fell at his side. His
+dusky face paled to a sickly yellow.
+
+“Princess, again I ask forgiveness,” he said humbly. “Well I know
+that the spirit of the great Cyrus, living again in you, cannot be
+commanded! Let us reason together. Being a woman, you can never reign
+alone on the throne of Iran, or of the world. All the males of your
+family are dead. The kingdom will pass to the King of Iran. If his son
+were living he would make you his wife, and thus, when his father dies,
+you might become his Queen but not a joint ruler with him. But the
+Prince of Iran is dead. He was slain in a battle near Susa yesterday.
+It remains only for you to accept our proposition and you will become
+joint ruler with this Bardya and reign over the whole world.”
+
+The Princess made no immediate answer, but gazed in silence on the face
+of the speaker, striving to read whether he lied or not in speaking of
+the Prince. The cold hand of fear clutched at her heart. Dread seized
+her throat and almost stifled her. But there seemed to whisper in her
+ear a voice like that of the loved Bardya of old, saying: “Believe him
+not, little sister. The Prince yet lives and will surely come to your
+aid.” She was startled and looked around involuntarily searching for
+the speaker; but no one, save her maid, was near. Arousing herself
+with a great effort, the Princess again controlled her agitation and
+said: “You are stating a falsehood, magician! But, even if the Prince
+were dead, it would not alter my determination. What? I, a daughter of
+Cyrus, mate with that slave? Begone from my sight!”
+
+The pallid face of Gaumata flushed in anger. Thrusting aside
+Patatheites, he laid one hand on a short sword at his side. “Woman!”
+he cried excitedly, “birth makes not a man, but achievement! I am a
+noble of Medea, of ancient lineage and royal stock. Centuries ago my
+forefathers ruled the Scythians, who were once lords of Medea. I have
+dared to seize the throne of the world from your tyrant brother, and I
+mean to hold it! I have offered you the right to share it. Choose! On
+the morrow you accept or die! The world is not large enough to permit
+you and me to live therein unless we join fortunes!”
+
+The Princess was surprised. She had deemed this man a mere puppet. He
+seemed to have some qualities of a strong man. She spoke less bitterly
+as she answered: “You speak somewhat kingly, Gaumata! But you are a
+living lie, ruling not by your own might! You rule only by reason of
+Bardya’s name. Do not deceive yourself into the belief that the Aryans
+would permit you to rule an hour, did they know the truth! No! Rather
+it would be better for you to release me and place in my hands the
+scepter and crown. I might so far pardon you as to permit you life and
+property. Think of this, my offer until to-morrow, and I will consider
+yours.”
+
+“Until to-morrow then, farewell!” said Patatheites, bowing low and
+backing quickly from the room. Gaumata followed without the formality
+of a bow. Athura sat a long time in silence after they had gone,
+wrapped in thought, while the daughter of Gustasp stood in silence with
+folded hands and bowed head at her side.
+
+The Princess turned to her maid at length and asked: “What think you,
+child? The magicians were not able to bend my will, though strong was
+the power of the priest’s evil eyes. I felt my brain reel and I became
+dizzy for a moment.”
+
+“I have never seen one able to resist him before,” answered the maid.
+“Truly Ahura-Mazda has sent to your aid some powerful angel!”
+
+The hours of that day passed very slowly for the Princess. She spent
+the greater part of her time in the upper chamber looking from the
+window upon the valley below. She had little hope that any aid would
+arrive. She was determined to escape from the castle at all hazards as
+soon as night should come, and she sent word to Gustasp that he must
+arrange for her escape.
+
+About noon two horsemen were seen riding at headlong speed from the
+direction of Nicæa. They came direct to the castle. They evidently
+bore exciting news. For the King and his Chief Counselor were observed
+in excited conference with them, and, shortly afterwards, the King
+mounted a horse and rode down into the valley, where his cavalry
+immediately marched away across the plain towards Nicæa, and several
+horsemen rode away in divers directions. Later the King returned to
+the castle accompanied by an officer, whose elegantly attired form and
+easy carriage, as he passed across the castle-yard, seemed familiar to
+Athura. She sent the maid to call Gustasp, whose duties now consisted
+in standing guard at the castle-door. The captain soon appeared.
+
+“What means this excitement?” she inquired. “Who is the officer that
+came up with the King?”
+
+Gustasp shrugged his giant shoulders. “The officer is Prexaspes,” he
+answered. “He was chief man of the empire under King Cambyses. He is
+in command of the Medean army which is assembling down there in the
+valley. I do not know just what news the messengers brought; but it is
+rumored that they reported a strong force of Persian cavalry moving up
+towards Nicæa over the hill-roads from Susa. If that be true, a battle
+may occur if the Medes dare to stand against them. There are but a few
+veterans here and they may not risk a battle. The Persian cavalry is
+terrible, especially if led by the Prince.”
+
+Athura started up with joy, exclaiming, “By the Prince, did you say?”
+
+“The Prince of Iran, yes,” he assented. “No one knows, but I will bet
+my shield that he leads the Persians!”
+
+“Ahura-Mazda grant that it be true! What of you if there be a battle,
+Gustasp? Ought I to wait till the morrow? Or should I escape this night
+and trust myself to the mountains?”
+
+“I have requested the honor of personally guarding you so that you may
+not escape,” he responded. “The King has granted my request. I do not
+know how to advise. The new men who came in with Captain Galutha are on
+guard. There is to be an enchantment, a sacrifice, and soma-drinking
+to-night. Ahura-Mazda grant that no spell be cast on us! Let me advise
+that you stay in this upper chamber with all your maids. I shall stand
+here at the foot of the stairs. We may need a barricade. That divan and
+the benches may do. When darkness comes, I will bring up javelins and
+spears. I do not know how to get out of the castle with you unseen.”
+
+“What do you fear?”
+
+“Madmen, drunken with soma! You and the maids are the only women in the
+castle. Even the King himself will be drunken and furious.”
+
+“Bring up the arms, Gustasp! You will find in me no weeping, fainting
+child. We will fight this battle together!”
+
+“Then on the morrow we may need to defend this place until the battle
+be decided down there in the valley.” And he added fervently, “It will
+be a joy to fight for you, O Queen of the Earth, and even to die for
+you!”
+
+Gustasp began immediate preparations for defense and secretly brought
+up a bundle of keen javelins, several heavy spears, and a huge bronze
+battle-ax, which they concealed behind curtains and furniture. He also
+brought a supply of bread and fruit.
+
+From her window Athura saw that preparations were being made in the
+courtyard for the sacrifice spoken of by Gustasp. First, a square altar
+of stones was erected. Around this, at a distance of twenty feet, a
+circle of flat stones was placed. A priest clothed in long robes then
+drew geometrical figures with a sword-point on the ground within the
+circle. Other priests brought out twenty tall jars of soma and placed
+them at intervals touching the circle. Still others brought wood and
+piled it in four heaps at the corners of a square inclosing the circle.
+Many soldiers of the garrison gathered around, uneasily and fearfully
+watching the preparations, but they were not allowed to come within
+twenty paces of the circle.
+
+The preparations were completed when the sun was yet half an hour high.
+Then the rumble and boom of drums and the shrill scream of trumpets
+announced the beginning of the services. A procession of priests,
+twenty in number, headed by Patatheites and followed by Gaumata, who
+led a beautiful white stallion, appeared from the northern portion of
+the castle-yard. Seven times they silently marched around on the outer
+side of the circle of stones. Then they halted and a priest took
+station at each of the jars of soma. Every one held a large, keen knife
+in one hand and a goblet in the other. The chief priest, Patatheites,
+took station at the right of the altar and raised his hand toward
+the setting sun in prayer. All the others imitated his action. Their
+invocation was silent and lasted a full minute. Then Patatheites placed
+a bundle of fagots on the altar and again raised his hands to the sun,
+and his lips moved in recital of an invocation. Instantly a spiral of
+smoke ascended from the fagots and a flame burst forth. The soldiers,
+stricken with awe, fell on their knees at sight of this miracle. The
+sun-god had answered, unless the dexterous priest, having a knowledge
+of phosphorus and sulphur, had ignited the wood as he placed it on the
+altar.
+
+Gaumata now led the white stallion into the charmed circle near to the
+high priest. The beautiful animal trembled and sniffed at the altar
+and the blazing wood, then raised his noble head and whinnied. As he
+did so, the chief priest, with a powerful slash of his sharp knife,
+cut the animal’s throat so deeply across as almost to sever the head.
+At the same moment, Gaumata drove his knife deep into the horse’s
+chest through his proud heart. With a convulsive backward movement,
+the noble beast sought to break away, but Gaumata clung to it and its
+knees gave away suddenly and it fell. The chief priest took a stone
+vessel and caught the blood spouting from the severed throat. When the
+vessel was filled, he presented it to Gaumata, who lifted it on high
+before the fire and towards the setting sun, then poured some of the
+blood on the altar and some on the earth while he muttered a prayer.
+The chief priest then took a bundle of rods, known as the baresma, and,
+dipping it in the blood, sprinkled the King and the twenty priests,
+chanting a hymn as he slowly performed his labor. Then four of the
+priests attacked the carcass of the horse with their knives and rapidly
+dismembered it. A portion of flesh from the chest was taken by the King
+and placed on the burning wood of the altar. The savor of it went up
+to heaven just as the rim of the sun disappeared behind the western
+hills, while the priests broke forth into a barbaric chant in praise
+of Mithra. The limbs and body of the animal were then cut in bits and
+distributed by the priests to the soldiers. The piles of wood were set
+on fire by coals from the altar, and the men roasted the horseflesh at
+these and ate of it. Thus far the ceremony had been conducted with some
+decorum.
+
+Then the bloody-handed priests dipped goblets into the jars and brought
+them forth filled to the brim with a white, acid liquor, the sacred
+juice of the soma plant. First, the chief priest drank a huge goblet
+of the liquor. The King followed suit. Then the priests drank, and
+as they drank they began a serpentine march, following the lines of
+the geometrical figures drawn in the circle, weaving in and out and
+crossing back and forth, chanting in time to their movements. The
+chief priest led the weird dance. The King followed at the rear. Ever
+and anon, as their movements brought them near the jars, the priests
+replenished their goblets. Gradually their chant became louder and
+wilder, and was addressed to the gods of the sun, of the moon, of the
+stars, of the earth, and of the seas, entreating them to be present and
+to give counsel and wisdom to the King.
+
+Darkness fell upon the earth, but the fires partially dispelled the
+gloom in the courtyard. The crowd of soldiers drew well back from the
+enchanted circle, dreading they knew not what, and fearing the unknown
+powers of earth and sky. Suddenly one of the priests ceased marching
+and, with a scream, rent the clothes from his body. Stark naked he
+began to dance furiously, leaping in the air, frothing at the mouth,
+and uttering wild words of prophecy. Another imitated him and still
+another, until a score of naked, leaping, shouting madmen, brandishing
+knives and soma-pots, encircled the chief priest, who, having drunk but
+little of the powerful liquor, had remained comparatively sober, and
+who now took his station with folded arms and bowed head before the
+altar, listening intently to the ravings of his helpers. The King took
+his place on the opposite side of the altar and sought to preserve a
+semblance of dignity, but he swayed to and fro under the influence of
+the liquor or of excitement while he also listened to the ravings of
+the prophets.
+
+The Princess and her maids were curious observers of the ceremonies,
+but their curiosity turned to horror as the last act of the drunken
+priests began. Nevertheless, they watched and listened.
+
+One of the priests, bellowing for silence, stood before the chief
+priest and shouted: “I am Melchior of the Hills! Say to this King, he
+lacks courage! Say to him that instead of entreating the proud woman in
+yonder castle, he should take her by force, lest there come an eagle
+out of the south and carry her away! Let him now act! Now! Now! Now!”
+
+Another shouted: “I am sent from Mithra to say, The day comes when the
+Kings of the earth shall meet in death struggle! To him of stout heart
+and quick mind will the victory be! Up and act!”
+
+Others took up the burden of prophecy and warning. The chief priest
+listened attentively; then, calling the King aside, he spoke rapidly
+and earnestly to him, pointing up to the window from which the
+Princess was looking down upon them. For a time the King hesitated,
+then walked uncertainly towards the castle, followed by the howling mob
+of priests, who stumbled, rolled, or hopped after him. A moment later
+they were hammering at the castle-door and the King was commanding
+Gustasp to open.
+
+Gustasp, however, had not been idle. He had locked and barred the stout
+doors and had reinforced them with furniture piled against them. Now,
+as the King’s voice was heard commanding him to open, he shouted back a
+refusal.
+
+“Open, I command it!” shouted the King.
+
+“I will never open it!” answered Gustasp. “No longer do I serve you,
+Gaumata, the false! I serve the gracious Princess of the house of
+Cyrus!”
+
+“You will be torn in pieces! Open, I say! I will have you roasted to
+death! I will afflict you with spells! Open! I command!”
+
+“Never! I warn you that I will slay any man who attempts to harm my
+sovereign lady!”
+
+The King and Patatheites took counsel and sought to beguile the giant
+guard.
+
+“Listen!” said the priest. “We mean no harm to the Princess. But she
+must marry the King now and must march with us at daybreak to Hamadan
+and proclaim their union. Open, and I swear she will not be harmed, and
+you shall be the first officer of the army!”
+
+But Gustasp growled a refusal. He was not to be deluded. Then began
+Patatheites to curse him and to call down the anger of all the gods
+upon him. He cursed him by the sun whose beams would strike him down;
+by the moon whose rays would drive him insane; by the rivers which
+would drown him; by the hills which would fall on him; and by the
+devils who would ever pursue him. So bitter and dreadful were his
+words that stout Gustasp paled and trembled. With uncertain steps he
+paced back and forth across the lower chamber floor, fearing that from
+the shadows of the chamber half-lighted by an oil lamp some specter
+might leap forth upon him. A soft step came down the stairs and Gustasp
+drew his sword. But it was the Princess. She came to the trembling
+giant and placed her hand on his arm.
+
+“Fear not, Gustasp!” she said reassuringly. “Good spirits are here
+around us! Those curses shall not harm you. Ahura-Mazda has sent me a
+messenger saying: ‘Fear not! We will help you!’ Be strong and brave,
+Gustasp. See, I tremble not.”
+
+The giant guard heaved up his broad shoulders, and a cheerful smile
+passed across his rugged features.
+
+“Have no fear that I will falter, most gracious lady,” he said. “Let
+them curse. If they come within reach of my spear, their curses will
+stop short!”
+
+At length the cursing ceased. The King and the chief priest withdrew a
+space to consult. Presently they ordered a company of soldiers with a
+beam for a battering-ram to break down the door. The stout planks and
+bars soon quivered beneath heavy blows. Gustasp, seeing that it would
+presently fall, retreated up the narrow stairway to the upper chamber
+and proceeded to barricade it with furniture. A heavy divan was pressed
+into the narrow stair, leaving barely space at one side through which
+a spear might be thrust. Tables and benches were piled upon this.
+Then Gustasp, spear in hand, stood ready. The door below presently
+gave way and a squad of soldiers rushed into the room below. Finding
+it empty, they immediately began to ascend the stair; but, the moment
+one appeared in the narrow passage, the long blade of Gustasp’s spear
+flashed down upon him and he tumbled back gasping, with a terrible
+wound in his chest. A second tried the ascent and had his face slashed
+open. This cooled the ardor of the assailants. They drew back to take
+counsel. No one dared further attempt the deadly stair.
+
+Then Athura heard a voice, cold, calm, and ironical, saying: “It seems
+to me far beneath the dignity of a King of the World to be leading a
+drunken mob in attack upon a woman! I say to you now that I for one do
+not approve!”
+
+“Have a care, Prexaspes!” replied the voice of Patatheites. “Such words
+to the King are not to be spoken lightly!”
+
+“Bah!” was the rejoinder in a loud voice that was heard by every man in
+the fortress. “Who are you to threaten me? Do you desire to break with
+me? If so, I will lead my Medes over to the Prince. I say to you, stop
+this rioting and give your thoughts to the enemy! If I be not greatly
+mistaken, we shall have the Persians upon us before noon to-morrow. I
+will venture all I have that the Prince is commander of that company
+approaching Nicæa! If so, his coming will be like a whirlwind. I am
+going down to the camp, and I demand that the King go with me. I demand
+that no further violence be attempted against the Princess Athura. I
+warn you that if we injure her and lose this battle, the Prince of Iran
+will flay and quarter every man in this fortress!”
+
+His words greatly impressed all hearers and, after further angry
+altercation, Prexaspes triumphed and the drunken priests were ordered
+to return to their cells while Gaumata sulkily mounted a horse and rode
+with him down to the camp.
+
+Athura praised Gustasp and presented to him a gold ring, which in
+after years the guard and his descendants treasured above all other
+possessions.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XX
+
+THE OVERTHROW OF THE MAGI
+
+
+Athura slept little during the remainder of the night. She insisted on
+watching a part of the time, while Gustasp slept stretched out on the
+floor and the maids tried to rest. She watched while the stars paled
+and the gray light of the dawn grew into rosy sunrise and cloudless
+day. Her eyes eagerly scanned the horizon towards Nicæa. As soon as the
+light was sufficient, she saw moving bodies of horsemen concentrating
+in the plain near the base of the hill on which the castle stood. She
+had often seen large bodies of troops, and she estimated that not less
+than thirty thousand were there. Officers were busily riding hither and
+thither placing them in line with their faces towards Nicæa.
+
+When Gustasp awoke and observed the movements of the troopers, he gave
+it as his opinion that an attack was expected. Nor was he mistaken. For
+about mid-forenoon they observed two bodies of cavalry approaching from
+the direction of Nicæa, one in advance moving rapidly and the other
+more deliberately. The advance body was evidently a scouting party
+sent out by Prexaspes, and it soon joined his array. The pursuers came
+on in wide, extended order, their masses glittering with armor and
+spear-points. At their head rode two men, conspicuous on white steeds.
+
+“Look, Gustasp!” exclaimed Athura, while the pursuers were yet far
+away. “Is it not the Prince--the one at the right? Is that not Gobryas
+at his left?”
+
+Gustasp shaded his eyes and looked closely at the distant figures. He
+smiled and shook his head.
+
+“My eyes are counted good, gracious lady, but I cannot see any
+difference in those men,” he answered. “If I had eyes as young as
+yours, I might distinguish them. But I know those are the Persians of
+the Imperial Guard. The Prince must be with them. They are not half as
+numerous as the false King’s men, but they are veterans and the best
+soldiers in the world. It will be a short battle.”
+
+The Persians came on until they were within a thousand paces of their
+antagonists, when they halted. The two leaders rode forward to a slight
+eminence two hundred paces in advance, from which they attentively
+surveyed the field. It was well suited for battle between bodies of
+cavalry. While somewhat rolling and uneven, there were no ditches or
+swamps. The Medean line was more extended than the Persian and no less
+massive and deep. The Persian leaders soon returned to their lines and
+the watchers on the hills perceived a movement of the rear ranks to the
+left, where presently a body of troops was massed three times as great
+in depth as the general line.
+
+“The Prince has made a hammer of his left,” said Gustasp. “Now look at
+his right! It bends back so that the Medes may not overlap and attack
+the Persian rear!”
+
+It was even so. For when the Persians moved forward again there was a
+perceptible bending back of their right wing until it moved forward _en
+echelon_ to the remainder of the line.
+
+Then came two men from the Persians who rode rapidly up to the Medes
+and demanded a parley. Prexaspes and the King met them and received
+a message from the Prince of Iran demanding the surrender of the
+Princess Athura and of the false King, and promising pardon to all the
+other Medes save Prexaspes. These demands were refused. The heralds
+rode back to the Prince and reported, who then ordered his army to
+advance.
+
+The Persians came on at a smart trot until within five hundred yards.
+Then the front ranks leveled their spears, bent their bodies forward,
+and pressed their horses into a gallop. Prexaspes ordered his troops
+forward to meet the onset. The earth shook with the thunder of hoofs.
+A deep-toned roar went up from the Persians, their battle shout which
+had terrified many a nation. The Medes answered with a medley of yells.
+The lines came together with a terrific shock. Men were unhorsed.
+Horses reared, plunged, and went down. Screams of agony mingled with
+battle-shouts. The lines wavered and stood still, it seemed, for the
+space of five minutes. Then was seen the power of discipline. The
+Medes, while brave, were not inured to battle. After the first shock,
+they became confused. They were overthrown, ridden down, and pushed
+back. Struggling fruitlessly against the terrible spears of their
+enemies, they receded. The Persians raised shouts of victory and
+pressed their advantage. The Prince of Iran, leading the center, rode
+over Prexaspes, broke through the Medean lines, and made directly for
+the King. The latter turned his horse and fled towards his castle, with
+the Prince and Gobryas close at his heels. So close was the pursuit
+that Gaumata and his men had no time to close the brazen gates of
+the castle, which were opened to receive them, before the Prince and
+Gobryas with a company of Persians pressed through and attacked the
+garrison fiercely. Demoralized by the fall of Prexaspes and the flight
+of Gaumata, the Medean army scattered and fled from the field.
+
+The Prince and Gobryas, swords in hand, pressed through the confused
+rabble after Gaumata. They saw him leap from his horse and enter the
+castle. Dismounting they pursued him into the chamber below that where
+the Princess Athura had her retreat. Here the false King turned at bay,
+unable to escape. The Prince himself attacked Gaumata, though Gobryas
+begged the privilege of slaying him. The struggle was short. The Prince
+was an athlete and swordsman; his opponent was neither. Gaumata’s
+weapon was whirled from his hand at the first blow, and the Prince’s
+blade passed through his heart, cutting short his cry for mercy.
+
+Athura, trembling with excitement, had seen the battle and the flight
+and pursuit of Gaumata, and, from behind Gustasp’s broad shoulders on
+the stairs, had watched the short, sharp combat between the Prince and
+the usurper. The Prince, flushed with victory as he stood above the
+writhing form of Gaumata, heard her exclaim, “Ahura-Mazda be praised!”
+He turned and their eyes met. He sprang towards Gustasp with dripping
+sword, thinking the giant guard an enemy in charge of the royal
+captive. But Athura pressed forward in front of Gustasp, exclaiming,
+“He is a friend!”
+
+The Prince dropped his sword and extended his arms, with the light of
+great love in his eyes. Athura threw her arms about his mail-covered
+shoulders. Gustasp and Gobryas drove back the crowd of Persian troopers
+who were pressing in to aid their Prince.
+
+But a chief commander must make an end of greetings, no matter how
+entrancing. The Prince and Athura passed out into the courtyard, now
+filled with shouting Persians, some of whom were pursuing the luckless
+garrison and cutting them down. When the Persians saw the radiant
+Athura standing by the side of their Prince, their shouts rent the
+heavens. For every man who had taken part in the battle knew that their
+leader was seeking to rescue his promised wife, the daughter of the
+great Cyrus.
+
+Prexaspes was among the prisoners. His horse had been killed and had
+fallen upon him. The Persian cavalry had passed over him. But save
+for a broken arm, he was not seriously injured. He was brought before
+the Prince. His countenance showed signs of suffering, but the usual
+calm, cynical smile rested upon it and he exhibited no fear. The Prince
+looked upon him sternly.
+
+“At last, Prexaspes,” he said, “you have come to a day of judgment!
+What have you to say?”
+
+“Nothing, great Prince,” he answered. “Fate has turned against me. I am
+in your hands, a prisoner of war.”
+
+“But how could you, a noble of Medea, conspire with that carrion,
+Gaumata? And you even obeyed him as King!”
+
+“I did not conspire. I was faithful to Cambyses till he died--even
+though he did slay my son, as you know, in cruel jest. I did not
+conspire against him. What could I do after his death? By the command
+of Cambyses, I had slain Prince Bardya. For that crime I knew that I
+would be slain by you. So I came and offered my sword to the false
+King. He obeyed me, not I him!”
+
+The Prince contemplated his prisoner gloomily. No man ever more admired
+courage than he. Prexaspes smiled in the face of death. What punishment
+should be meted out to such a man?
+
+“For taking Bardya’s life, you have merited death,” said the Prince,
+finally. “But you are a brave man. You shall die as such. Tell me,
+Prexaspes, how did Bardya die?”
+
+“I expect to die,” answered Prexaspes, and the pain and despair of
+his soul snatched away the smile from his face, leaving his handsome
+features haggard and drawn. “Remorse has been with me, since by this
+hand the stout young Prince departed! I will tell you. Cambyses was
+jealous of Bardya. His advisers, the Magian priests, who by their
+wonder works had made much impression on the King’s mind, also hated
+Bardya because he clung to the ancient religion of Iran and was an
+enemy to their religion. They knew that with Bardya as King they would
+never gain power in the state. They hinted to the King that Bardya
+contemplated rebellion. They artfully brought stories of the young
+man’s popularity. They advised his death. It was then that the King
+laid his command upon me to slay his brother. The Magian priests sent
+a body of their armed followers to lie in wait on the road to Rhages
+that night when the feast in honor of the Prince’s departure was held;
+and I rode with Bardya that night until, as prearranged, they attacked
+us. Then, in the mêlée, I struck the Prince with my sword and he died.
+Was not the Great King’s word law? I executed his word, without malice
+towards the Prince. But I am weary of life! My wife is dead. Cambyses
+slew my son. I have run the full course of power and wealth. I am your
+prisoner, ready to die. But know this, great Prince, I have never
+advised Cambyses against your interests!”
+
+The Prince listened attentively and believed that Prexaspes spoke
+truthfully. He turned to Athura, who had listened to the recital, and
+asked, “What do you advise?”
+
+Athura shook her head sadly.
+
+“I cannot advise,” she said. “Last night when the drunken priests and
+the false King attempted to break into the castle and do me harm, this
+man interfered and compelled them to cease.”
+
+“For that, Prexaspes, I would pardon you, had I the power,” said the
+Prince, turning to the prisoner. “I could order you slain now, but I
+cannot slay you. Prexaspes, you have deserved my gratitude. I grant you
+life for the present. I am not the King. My father is King of Iran.
+There is no King of Kings; until the nobles of Bactra, Persia, and
+Medea shall select one of the Achæmenian line. You shall go to Hamadan
+to be judged.”
+
+“Rather would I be slain by you now,” responded Prexaspes, earnestly.
+“Let me die a soldier’s death, not the death of a dog condemned for
+murder!”
+
+The Prince was troubled. He hesitated. Sympathy for a brave man moved
+him.
+
+“I promise you this, Prexaspes,” he said after a moment of
+consideration. “If you will testify before the council of nobles and to
+the people, that this Gaumata was a false traitor and not Bardya and
+that Bardya was slain by your hand, I promise that you may choose the
+manner of your death. The King and the nobles will heed my promise.
+They will not deny me. If you make this confession and implicate the
+Magian priest, they will pursue you with bitter vengeance. It is said
+that their death penalties are tortures such as even fiends would not
+inflict. We could not save you from them. It is the ancient law that
+one who lifts his hand against one of the Achæmenian race must die. Is
+it not so? And this law, not even the King may set aside.”
+
+“It is so!” answered Prexaspes. “I will testify before the people
+and the council, in order that your reign as King of Kings may not
+be disturbed by other false Bardyas. I advise that you carry this
+Gaumata’s head to Hamadan and exhibit it in the market that all may
+see. I myself will ascend the criers’ tower and confess the death of
+Bardya to the people. So be it. I will choose my own death.”
+
+“Meanwhile,” said the Prince, “Gobryas shall be your keeper. He will
+treat you as a brave soldier should treat a brave soldier unlucky
+enough to be a captive. We shall rest here this night. On the morrow we
+march to Hamadan.”
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXI
+
+KING OF KINGS
+
+
+That evening the Prince, accompanied by Athura, ascended the narrow
+stairs leading to the flat top of the castle-tower and, seated on the
+low parapet that surrounded it, watched the sun set in golden splendor.
+They found an altar of heavy stones, rudely squared, in the center of
+the roof. It bore marks of long usage. But the fire which had blazed on
+it for years was dead. Only ashes remained.
+
+The evening was pleasant. The sky was a deep, blue dome. The wide plain
+to the south, surrounded on all sides by hills, the high mountains to
+the north and east, with their sharp crags and peaks, with Elwend and
+her snow in the east and Demavend far to the northeast, a diamond point
+of eternal white, were of entrancing beauty. The Prince for a time
+forgot battles and marches. Athura forgot the long years of waiting and
+watching. They were lovers now, rank and royalty forgotten, man and
+maid, each glorified by the other’s love. The sun stood still in the
+heavens and the hills rolled up and concealed him. Darkness enveloped
+them, and they were oblivious of all else than themselves. The stars
+appeared, brilliant points in the depths of space. The moon rose and
+drove the shadows from the hilltops into the depths of canyon and
+gulch. A great owl winged his way slowly about the tower and, alighting
+on the altar, peered at them suspiciously. When they moved he flapped
+away into the shadows of the hills. Bats flitted hither and thither
+like restless spirits. A wolf howled in the distant mountains. The low
+hum of conversation came up from the soldiers gathered about camp-fires
+in the courtyard. In such surroundings, the royal lovers again took
+up and tied the broken threads of life and renewed their vows to each
+other.
+
+Morning brought with it activity. The castle was abandoned. The army
+marched to Hamadan. A special guard of gayly-caparisoned officers rode
+near the litter in which the Princess was borne, or followed the horse
+on which, at times, she chose to ride by the side of the Prince. There
+was no organized opposition to the march. Bands of soldiers, which were
+riding to the aid of the false King, returned to their homes, stunned
+by the sudden overthrow of their leader. Gaumata’s head was borne aloft
+on a pike-staff; and, in every hamlet and village, a crier called the
+people together and told them of the false King’s deception and death.
+
+So it came about that the cavalry under the Prince and the infantry
+under the King of Iran came together near Hamadan, entered the city
+without encountering resistance, and relieved Captains Arios and
+Mardux, not only of their danger but also of their soft living in the
+palace of the Great King. But in appreciation of their valiant service,
+they were promoted to higher grades in the Imperial Guard and later
+they became chief officers of the Guard.
+
+On the day that they entered Hamadan, Athura became the wife of the
+Prince of Iran. The marriage feast was held in the palace. After the
+feast, the great nobles of Iran were called into the throne room by
+King Hystaspis, who, sitting on the throne in state, addressed them
+thus:
+
+“Nobles of the Aryan race, I have called you hither to ask what is
+your will concerning the throne left by Cyrus and Cambyses. By right of
+birth, I, the head of the Achæmenian family, am entitled to reign in
+Iran. I am King of Iran. But while Iran rules the world, the victories
+of Cyrus established such rule and his authority was paramount to mine.
+I am old and desire to live the few years that may be mine in ease.
+I desire not to assume the burden that must be borne by the King of
+Kings. For I foresee that some of the conquered provinces will rebel
+and that wars will come. The line of Cyrus is dead, all save the
+Princess who this day has become the wife of my son. It is my command
+that all here speak freely.”
+
+Otanes stepped forth and looked about him a moment in silence. Then his
+eyes rested upon the Prince of Iran and his beautiful bride, who sat at
+the right hand of King Hystaspis. He bowed low before them.
+
+“There can be but one choice, O King,” he said gravely. “The royal
+power has ever been in the Achæmenian family. As long as there are men
+of that royal line, none others may dare to aspire to the throne. If
+you, Sire, refuse to reign, there stands the well-beloved Prince, your
+son, whose wisdom and valor are far beyond his years, whose name is on
+every soldier’s tongue, as the hero of his race! By him stands Athura,
+most beautiful, most royal in birth. Has not your family and the family
+of Cyrus united? Let Darius Hystaspis be King of Kings and Athura, the
+daughter of Cyrus, be his Queen! Thus will all the peoples be contented
+and the world be blest. What say you, nobles of Iran?”
+
+A roar of assent was the response.
+
+“Let the crown of Cyrus be brought hither!” commanded the King.
+
+A double crown, one part of which was silver and the other of gold,
+studded with gems, was brought forth. The King gravely rose from his
+throne and, addressing his son, said:
+
+“You have heard the choice of the nobles of Iran, my beloved son! In
+the presence of these men, I now renounce in your behalf the supreme
+rule of the world. Here and now I crown you King of Kings and Lord of
+Lords. Rule wisely and well. As King of Iran, I acknowledge you supreme
+Lord and will support your throne forever!”
+
+The Prince, much affected, knelt at his father’s feet and received upon
+his head the double crown, which the great Cyrus had made as a symbol
+of his everlasting dominion over the kings of the world. Then he rose
+and sat down upon the throne, with Athura at his right hand and his
+father at his left. The great lords of Persia came and did obeisance to
+him and bent their right knees before him. Thus Darius Hystaspis became
+the Great King, and proved to be the wisest and greatest of them all.
+For, to the military ability of the heroic Cyrus, he added the wisdom
+of a statesman, the greatest of his age; and, in addition, he was a
+lover of art and science.
+
+On the following day, at noon, in response to the call of public
+criers, a vast concourse of people gathered in and around the public
+square or market-place in Hamadan. Soldiers of the Persian army were
+massed at one side. The nobility, men of note and strangers, were
+massed on the other. In the midst, the public criers’ tower arose forty
+feet in air, and from it, the people understood, announcement would be
+made concerning the accession of Darius Hystaspis to the throne as King
+of Kings.
+
+The people were restive. A bitter factional feeling had arisen during
+the reign of the false Bardya. The followers of the Magi, being in
+favor, had lorded it over the more orthodox Medes and Persians, had
+even prohibited their worship, and had taken away from their priests
+the revenues on which they lived. When Gaumata fell and the Persian
+army entered the capital, the persecuted ones in turn had come forth
+and assumed a haughty spirit towards the Magians. In all parts of
+Medea, as well as in the capital city, was the same unrest. Men hated
+their neighbors on account of religion, the most deadly hatred that
+men may entertain, and were ready to slay each other. It needed only
+the excitement of a great gathering to set afire the smoldering embers
+of hate. The eyes of all turned often to the gruesome spectacle of
+an earless head on the top of a pole planted near the tower in such
+position that the populace could see it. A squad of soldiers guarded
+it from being overthrown by the pressure of the crowd. It was the
+distorted and blackened face of Gaumata.
+
+At noon there issued from the palace a company consisting of the Great
+King, his Queen, his father, and the nobles of Iran, and they rode
+between massed lines of soldiers to a position near the tower. They
+were received with loud acclaim and clashing of weapons. A trumpet
+pealed forth from the tower, and a deep silence fell upon the people.
+Then Prexaspes appeared, accompanied by Gobryas and two armed guards.
+
+Prexaspes was carefully dressed. His hair and whiskers were curled and
+perfumed. His rich Medean cloak was gracefully parted so as to display
+to advantage his jeweled vestments. He was at once recognized, and a
+subdued murmur of wonder passed through the crowd. He raised his hand
+in graceful gesture, and said in a loud voice:
+
+“Behold me, Prexaspes, most unhappy of men! I am about to die and let
+my death, suffered righteously, attest the truth of my words!”
+
+He paused a moment, to let his hearers grasp his meaning. Then he told
+the story of the plots by which the Magi had influenced Cambyses to
+order the death of Bardya and how he himself had slain the Prince with
+their aid; how they had then conspired against Cambyses and caused his
+overthrow and death; how they had set up Gaumata, the earless one, to
+be King, falsely representing him to be Bardya, and had placed the
+Magian on the throne of the world; and, finally, how the false King had
+been overthrown.
+
+For the first time the populace knew that the Magi had slain Bardya and
+that a pretender had through their plots usurped the royal power. Every
+man looked at his fellow and laid his hand on the dagger at his belt.
+Hatred, fanned by the speaker’s revelations, blazed up; and a growl of
+anger passed throughout the vast crowd. Prexaspes ceased at last and
+for a moment stood in silence. Then he added:
+
+“I have told you all! There, on yonder pole, is the head of false
+Gaumata! My hand is red with the blood of an Achæmenian Prince, and by
+the law I must die! By the grace of the mighty King of Kings, Darius,
+son of Hystaspis, who is this day your King, I die as I choose. I
+salute you, O King! May you live forever!”
+
+He bowed towards the King, who sat still on his horse, sorrowfully
+contemplating the speaker. Then Prexaspes calmly opened his cloak and
+drew a long, keen dagger from his belt. He poised the dagger in air
+an instant, then drove it to the hilt in his breast. For a moment he
+stood smiling down upon the King, then his knees gave away and he fell,
+headlong, from the tower to the foot of the pole on which the hideous
+head of Gaumata leered. A murmur of horror ran through the vast throng.
+It increased in volume as the people spoke to each other. It rose to a
+vast roar in a moment and its burden was: “The Magi! They slew Bardya!
+Down with the Magi! Slay the Magi!”
+
+There was a movement in the great throng. Here and there daggers and
+swords flashed. Screams of agony arose. The crowd swayed hither and
+thither. Then it scattered, and broke into groups under self-elected
+leaders who chased the frightened Magi and slew them wherever found.
+A riot of bloodshed and slaughter ran throughout the country such as
+Medea had not seen since that day, hundreds of years ago, when the
+Scythians had been massacred. Every man who had a Magian neighbor
+assaulted him. The house of every Magian priest was broken open and
+pillaged and its occupants slain or chased into the hills. It is said
+that a hundred thousand Magians died, before the King, with the aid of
+unwilling Persian soldiers, succeeded in stopping the slaughter. So
+deep-seated was the hatred of the orthodox Aryans towards the Magians
+that on the anniversary of this day hereafter it was the practice to
+slay every one of that sect that was found on the highway. The King
+made a decree that on such anniversary no Magian should leave his house
+and that if he did so and was killed, his slayer would not be punished.
+
+But the remainder of our story is history. The kingdom of the Medes
+and Persians, or rather, the Kingdom of Iran, the rule of the Aryans,
+reached its zenith of power and glory under Darius Hystaspis, called
+Darius the Great. Well did he deserve the title “Great.” For he made
+laws for all the world save Greece and Rome. His coinage became the
+world standard. The provinces of his empire were ruled by kings. His
+public roads and rapid messenger service enabled him personally to
+supervise the general welfare of all his provinces. He invited men
+of letters to his court. He engraved his history on tablets and on
+the great rocks at Behistun and Persepolis. He brought architects and
+builders from Egypt, Palestine, and Phœnicia, and made for himself
+and his Queen a palace at Persepolis, whose stately ruins are yet
+mute witnesses of his power and magnificence. He had to reconquer
+many of the nations of Asia, which, because he was a young man and
+because religious feuds had torn Iran into factions, thought to free
+themselves. He redeemed his promise to Belteshazzer, the great Daniel
+of the Hebrew scriptures, and caused Jerusalem to be rebuilt, and he
+restored the Jews to their country. He restored the ancient religion
+of the Aryans and banished the false religion of the Magi, the Lie,
+from his empire. He worshiped God, whether named Jehovah by the Jew or
+Ahura-Mazda by his own people. His religion was pure and lofty.
+
+But most of all did he love and honor his Queen, Athura, whose praises
+the world sang in those days, and whose fame has been preserved in
+various narratives, none of which agree except that all ascribe to her
+great wisdom and beauty. Together they ruled their empire many years,
+and their reign was the golden age of the Aryan race.
+
+
+
+
+TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES:
+
+
+  Italicized text is surrounded by underscores: _italics_.
+
+  Obvious typographical errors have been corrected.
+
+  Inconsistencies in hyphenation have been standardized.
+
+  Archaic or variant spelling has been retained.
+
+*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE PRINCESS ATHURA ***
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+<p style='text-align:center; font-size:1.2em; font-weight:bold'>The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Princess Athura, by Samuel W. Odell</p>
+<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'>
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and
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+
+<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Title: The Princess Athura</p>
+<p style='display:block; margin-left:2em; text-indent:0; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:1em;'>A romance of Iran</p>
+<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Author: Samuel W. Odell</p>
+<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Illustrator: Jay Hambidge</p>
+<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: May 25, 2022 [eBook #68174]</p>
+<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Language: English</p>
+  <p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em; text-align:left'>Produced by: MFR, David E. Brown, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive)</p>
+<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE PRINCESS ATHURA ***</div>
+
+<div class="figcenter hide"><img src="images/coversmall.jpg" width="450" alt="" /></div>
+
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
+
+<div class="chapter">
+<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/i_frontis.jpg" alt="" /></div>
+</div>
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
+
+<div class="chapter">
+<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/i_title.jpg" alt="" /></div>
+</div>
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
+
+<div class="titlepage">
+
+<h1>THE<br />
+PRINCESS ATHURA</h1>
+
+<p><span class="large"><i>A ROMANCE OF IRAN</i></span></p>
+
+<p>BY<br />
+<span class="large">SAMUEL W. ODELL</span></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter"><img src="images/i_titlelogo.jpg" alt="" /></div>
+
+<p>NEW YORK<br />
+<span class="large">THOMAS Y. CROWELL COMPANY</span><br />
+PUBLISHERS</p>
+</div>
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
+
+<div class="chapter">
+<p class="center">Copyright, 1913, by<br />
+<span class="smcap">Thomas Y. Crowell Company</span><br />
+<br />
+<i>Published April, 1913</i></p>
+</div>
+
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
+
+<div class="chapter">
+<h2 class="nobreak">CONTENTS</h2>
+</div>
+
+
+<table>
+
+
+
+<tr><td class="tdr"><small>CHAPTER</small></td><td class="tdr" colspan="2"><small>PAGE</small></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tdr">I</td><td> <span class="smcap">The Great King’s Last Battle</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_1">      1</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tdr">II</td><td> <span class="smcap">An Oath</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_15">      15</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tdr">III</td><td> <span class="smcap">Prexaspes</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_29">      29</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tdr">IV</td><td> <span class="smcap">Athura</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_42">      42</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tdr">V</td><td> <span class="smcap">Cambyses</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_58">      58</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tdr">VI</td><td> <span class="smcap">Persepolis</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_76">      76</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tdr">VII</td><td> “<span class="smcap">I am Cyrus, the King, the Achæmenian!</span>”</td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_92">      92</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tdr">VIII</td><td> <span class="smcap">A Royal Council and a Royal Hunt</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_101">      101</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tdr">IX</td><td> <span class="smcap">The Deeper Things</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_121">      121</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tdr">X</td><td> <span class="smcap">A Farewell Feast</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_133">      133</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tdr">XI</td><td> <span class="smcap">The Great King Introduces a Strange Custom</span> &#160; &#160; </td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_151">      151</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tdr">XII</td><td> <span class="smcap">The Force of an Oath</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_165">      165</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tdr">XIII</td><td> <span class="smcap">A Clash of Wills</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_179">      179</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tdr">XIV</td><td> <span class="smcap">The War Against Egypt</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_198">      198</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tdr">XV</td><td> <span class="smcap">The Madness of Cambyses</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_219">      219</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tdr">XVI</td><td> <span class="smcap">The End of Oath-Keeping</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_235">      235</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tdr">XVII</td><td> <span class="smcap">The Earless King</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_254">      254</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tdr">XVIII</td><td> <span class="smcap">The Spider’s Web</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_266">      266</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tdr">XIX</td><td> <span class="smcap">A Galloping To and Fro</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_280">      280</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tdr">XX</td><td> <span class="smcap">The Overthrow of the Magi</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_297">      297</a></td></tr>
+
+<tr><td class="tdr">XXI</td><td> <span class="smcap">King of Kings</span></td><td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_305">      305</a></td></tr>
+</table>
+
+
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
+
+<div class="chapter">
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_1">[1]</span>
+
+<p class="ph2">THE PRINCESS ATHURA<br />
+
+
+<small>A Romance of Iran</small></p>
+
+
+<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER I<br />
+
+
+<small>THE GREAT KING’S LAST BATTLE</small></h2>
+</div>
+
+<p class="drop-cap">IT was morning on the plains of Asia. Long-legged
+herons stood in the shallows of the yellow Jaxartes,
+bathing their feet in its sluggish flood and warming
+their bodies in the first rays of the sun. They were
+silently and uneasily watching a host of armed men
+drawn out in long battle-lines across the lowlands bordering
+the southern margin of the stream.</p>
+
+<p>Where the armed host stood was a sandy plain, about
+two miles wide. Beyond this was a low range of sand-hills,
+which trended away to the southeast, enlarging
+the plain as they receded from the river. Cutting
+through hills and plain to join the river-bed was a dry
+water-course, where, in winters only, a torrent flowed.
+In it were some stunted trees and scattered thickets of
+shrubs. To the north of the river was a vast plain on
+which the dry, yellow grass had been withered by summer
+sun and wind. Far in the east appeared dimly
+through a blue haze the summits of high mountains.
+Westward the river had yet to flow half its length to
+the Oxian swamps. Here it was wide and shallow and
+its banks were low and marshy.</p>
+
+<p>The rays of the sun sparkled on the brazen breastplates
+and shining blades of battle-axes, on the spear-points<span class="pagenum" id="Page_2">[2]</span>
+and gilded helmets, of two hundred thousand men,
+who here awaited the approach of a far more numerous
+host coming down from the east along the river towards
+them. The light rested softly upon the stern, bearded
+faces of veterans of many wars and the softer cheeks of
+young men on this, their first campaign. They were men
+of Iran for the most part, though some were Assyrians,
+Babylonians, Arabs, Hebrews, or Greeks from the
+Ionian cities. They were followers of Cyrus, the King
+of Kings, the Great King, ever victorious Lord of the
+World.</p>
+
+<p>Those about to attack them were Touranian horsemen,
+known to ancient history as Scythians, Massagetæ, Sacæ,
+and to modern history as Tartars, Turks, or Kalmuks.
+The hearts of the soldiers of Cyrus were glad. For
+the long, dusty marches in pursuit of an ever retreating
+enemy would now end in a riot of blood and slaughter,
+and perhaps they might then set their faces homeward.
+No doubt of victory entered their minds. They were
+led by Cyrus, the invincible. It mattered not if the
+enemy outnumbered them three to one, as their scouts
+had reported. There would be more killing and a
+greater victory.</p>
+
+<p>Racial hatred, reaching back beyond history and tradition
+to the distant age when the first family of man
+threw off branches to different parts of the earth and
+the branches immediately claimed the pleasant places
+and fought each other for them, animated both parties
+to the coming conflict. The folklore of the early Aryans
+is largely composed of tales concerning heroes who had
+saved their people from the ravages of those fierce men
+of the North, the Touranians. Century after century the
+wandering hordes of the great northern plains hovered,
+like threatening clouds, along the boundaries of Iran,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_3">[3]</span>
+looking across the mountains from their own arid and
+wind-swept abodes to the rich and pleasant hills and valleys
+of the South. The children of those tribes, in the
+days of Tamerlane and Mohammed, broke over all barriers,
+crushed Eastern civilization, and put back the clock
+of progress a thousand years.</p>
+
+<p>Once even before the time of Cyrus, the wild Touranians
+had passed over the mountains and pushed
+through into Mesopotamia, bearing woe to the nations.
+Then, one day, their captains sat down to a banquet prepared
+by the conquered ones and instead of meats were
+fed with sword-blows and dagger-thrusts. Having thus
+been deprived of leaders, the Touranian conquerors had
+suffered disaster; and all had been either killed, enslaved,
+or driven back across the mountains. Stories of that
+invasion were thereafter told at every fireside of the
+Bactrians, Medes, Persians, and their kindred tribes; and
+the mothers in Iran frightened their children into obedience
+by threatening to hand them over to the dreaded
+monsters of Touran.</p>
+
+<p>Having conquered all civilized Asia, Cyrus had
+thought to rest in his palaces at Hamadan, or Susa,
+Babylon, or Pasargadæ; but there had come word from
+ancient Balk, or Bactra, the mother city of all Aryans,
+warning him that the Touranians were gathering for war
+in numbers so immense that help must be sent. The
+great war-king had at once responded. With half a
+million men he had marched into Bactra, to the aid of
+King Hystaspis, who, under him, ruled there, and, passing
+through the mountains on its northern border, he
+had driven back the leading troops of the enemy. The
+Touranians had retreated, seeking to draw him into the
+great plains, where they hoped that they might crush
+him with overwhelming numbers. He had followed<span class="pagenum" id="Page_4">[4]</span>
+carefully, building forts as he advanced, that his supply-line
+might be safe, and leaving strong detachments to
+guard them. With less than half his army, though its
+best part, he had arrived at the great river, Jaxartes,
+and had waited there for the enemy to assemble and
+attack him. Now they were coming and he was ready.</p>
+
+<p>Cyrus had chosen the battle-ground. He had marched
+out of his camp, situated a mile or so down the river,
+and had taken position where the narrow plain enabled
+him to mass his forces, with the sand-hills to protect his
+right, the river his left, and the dry water-course his
+front. The enemy, coming down towards him, would
+be compressed into an ever narrowing field where their
+immense superiority in numbers would not give them
+undue advantage. Knowing that the Touranians were
+all mounted and were accustomed to charge in mass at
+headlong speed, he hoped to draw them into the great
+ditch at his front in such confusion that the impetus of
+their assault would be broken. For this purpose he
+threw out to the east of the ditch about one thousand
+paces a curtain of light cavalry, which had orders to draw
+an assault, retreat rapidly before it, and take refuge
+behind the infantry. The position of the infantry was
+a line about halfway down the western slope of the
+water-course, and it would not be perceived by the pursuers
+until they should arrive at the upper margin of
+the eastern slope. Keeping five thousand of his heavy
+cavalry, known as the Imperial Guard, in reserve on the
+high ground at his extreme left near the river, he had
+stationed the remainder, about fifteen thousand strong,
+behind the crests of the sand-hills at his extreme right;
+and it would be their duty as soon as the Touranians
+should join battle, to make a détour to the right, descend
+from the hills upon their rear, and there attack. Thus,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_5">[5]</span>
+by the grace of Ahura-Mazda, Cyrus hoped, the enemy
+would be placed between his veteran infantry and his
+invincible cavalry, and so be ground to pieces.</p>
+
+<p>Near the margin of the river in front of the army
+was a group of men whose dress and demeanor denoted
+them leaders. One of these, to whom the others gave
+worshipful attention, was mounted on a noble Nisæan
+stallion. He was watching the distant mass of enemies
+with searching attention. He seemed indeed a king and
+worthy to be a King of Kings. Historians and storytellers
+have surrounded him with heroic luster. His
+countenance was eagle-like. His forehead was high, his
+nose sharp and slightly bridged, and his chin firm. The
+piercing glance of his black eyes never failed to read
+men nor to impress them with the necessity of instant
+obedience to orders. His demeanor was humorous and
+kind toward friends but fierce and terrible to evil-doers or
+to an enemy. Despite his sixty years, forty of which had
+been spent in war, his body was erect and soldierly. A
+helmet, glittering with gold, was on his head, and from
+beneath it his straight gray hair fell to the collar of his
+cloak. A white, silky beard covered the lower portion
+of his face and lay upon the silver breast-scales of the
+flexible coat-of-mail which covered his body and hips.
+Brazen greaves, fastened to soft leathern breeches, protected
+his limbs. His only weapon was a short sword,
+pendent from a belt around his waist. The trappings of
+his horse were rich. Its chest and neck were also protected
+by link mail.</p>
+
+<p>In the group of officers surrounding the Great King,
+there were two of no less royal birth than he. One was
+Hystaspis, King of Iran, his cousin, one of the Achæmenides,
+the family that had ruled in Iran for ages.
+Cyrus had been King of Fars, or Persia, before he became<span class="pagenum" id="Page_6">[6]</span>
+King of Kings. Hystaspis had ruled in Bactra,
+the ancient seat of the Aryan race. Astyages was king
+of Medea and grandfather of Cyrus, whose mother was
+a Medean princess. He claimed suzerainty over all
+Iran. Cyrus had conquered his grandfather in war and,
+having dethroned him, had stepped up into the exalted
+position of King of Kings. He had then placed Persia
+under control of Hystaspis, who loyally supported him
+and acknowledged him as the overlord of all Iran. Cyrus
+was a warrior. Hystaspis was a student, a lover of
+peace and a mystic, though he ruled his people well as a
+statesman and showed qualities of a great warrior when
+necessity demanded. In his youthful days he had known
+the famous Zoroaster, the seer of Iran, who had reduced
+to writing the ancient songs and the ritual of religious
+worship of his race and had preached new life into its
+creed. Hystaspis was milder, more benevolent, and less
+alight with energy than Cyrus.</p>
+
+<p>Prince Darius Hystaspis, son of the King of Iran,
+was the other royal person in the group. He had dismounted
+from his war-horse and, with folded arms, was
+standing at its head, also watching the enemy. Six feet
+in height and well-proportioned, youthful and gallant, he
+was an ideal soldier. A helmet of gold and silver leaves
+covered his black, short-cropped hair save at the temples.
+A coat of leaf-mail protected his chest and his
+limbs halfway to the knee and was confined at his waist
+by a broad leather belt studded with gems set in golden
+buttons. A bronze plate further protected his breast,
+and greaves of the same metal were fastened to his
+leather riding-breeches as a protection to his legs. High-laced
+leather shoes encased his feet. A short sword hung
+at his belt, and a short-handled battle-ax swung from the
+saddle on his horse. A soldier from boyhood and already<span class="pagenum" id="Page_7">[7]</span>
+a veteran, having served in Cyrus’ last campaign
+against Babylon, yet he was, like his father, a student,
+and had learned wisdom of the greatest seer of that age,
+Belteshazzer, the Hebrew. His shaven cheeks were fair
+and glowing with the health of right living. His eyes
+were blue and clear and were set deeply beneath dark
+eyebrows and a lofty forehead. He was the idol of all
+Aryans, and, next to Cyrus, the hero of the army. He
+was commander of the Imperial Guard, and to him had
+been entrusted the duty of leading the Guard in the flank
+movement by which Cyrus hoped to crush the enemy.</p>
+
+<p>Otanes, a giant in size, the noblest of Iran’s seven
+great nobles, was another of the group. He was shield-bearer
+to Cyrus and commander of his chosen body-guard.
+There was also Hydarnes, another of the seven
+nobles, a short, heavy man whose long, upturned mustache
+and beetling eyebrows were his most prominent
+features. He was commander of the Persian infantry.
+Vomisces, one of the seven nobles and commander of the
+allied infantry, the Babylonian, Assyrian, and Hebrew
+levies, and Gobryas, another one of the seven, a young
+man, blood-brother and closest friend of Prince Darius,
+were in the group. There was also Prexaspes, a Medean
+noble, commander of the light-armed cavalry, a brave,
+ambitious man, richly dressed in jeweled armor and having
+his hair and whiskers curled and perfumed. He
+was a cynical, unscrupulous, and pleasure-loving man, but
+energetic, resourceful, and brave. Of him we shall hear
+much in this story. A number of orderlies waited near
+by to receive and transmit the Great King’s commands.</p>
+
+<p>The herons in the Jaxartes have become restless but
+have not yet flown. While they wait and while Cyrus
+is watching the enemy, we may study the private soldiers
+to whose blows he will owe his victory, if he wins. They<span class="pagenum" id="Page_8">[8]</span>
+were not of the same quality as those effeminate men
+who, in later years, were unable to withstand the Greeks
+under the great Alexander. This was true at least of
+the Aryans who constituted the bulk of the army.</p>
+
+<p>Passing along the front of the light-armed cavalry, we
+observe the dusky Arab, with his curved scimiter and long
+javelin, his bow and arrows. He is clothed in turban,
+short tunic, loose cloak, brazen breastplate, and leathern
+breeches. He is mounted on the beautiful, swift horse
+of the desert which he loves as his own brother. Here
+also we see famous bowmen from Edom and Canaan,
+slingers from the Mediterranean isles, and Syrians from
+Mesopotamia, severally arrayed in their national costumes.
+When we pass along the lines of infantry, we
+note a distinctive army dress. Each soldier wears on his
+head a high, round felt cap; on his body, a stout, leathern,
+tight-fitting jacket, or tunic, with skirt extending halfway
+to the knee, and on his legs linen trousers, confined at the
+ankles by the tops of the soft leathern shoes with which
+his feet are shod. A bronze breastplate covers his chest,
+and bars of the same metal are on his arms and shoulders.
+The front rank, as it stands in position, is protected by
+wicker shields, covered with heavy leather, braced with
+metal bands. These shields are about seven feet long and
+are placed upright with the pointed lower ends thrust
+into the earth. Behind them, as a wall, the spearmen are
+comparatively safe from the enemy’s javelins and arrows.
+If the fight comes to close quarters, the shields
+may be easily thrown down; then for his further protection,
+the soldier must rely on a small, round targe held
+in place by straps on his left forearm.</p>
+
+<p>Each heavy-armed infantryman in the six front ranks
+carries a heavy spear about seven feet long and a short
+sword somewhat like a long dagger. A short-handled<span class="pagenum" id="Page_9">[9]</span>
+battle-ax with sharp, shearing blade and pointed beak is
+hung by a strap over his shoulder. The soldiers in the
+rear ranks, instead of the heavy spear and battle-ax,
+carry bundles of light javelins, for casting at short range,
+and long bows with sheaths of arrows, for fighting at
+long range. Protected by the wicker wall and the
+hedge of spears in the fore, they will meet the assault
+with showers of darts cast over the front ranks or, advancing
+behind the charging spearmen, will gall the
+enemy thus before the shock of the hand-to-hand fight
+comes.</p>
+
+<p>At intervals along the lines stand the captains of hundreds
+and commanders of thousands, distinguished from
+private soldiers only by richer armor and plumes of horse-hair
+on their caps.</p>
+
+<p>We next note the soldiers of the Imperial Guard. They
+are all large men, none of them over forty years of age,
+every one of noble birth, and all belong to the military
+class of Iran. They know but one calling, that of arms.
+All had entered military service at the age of sixteen, had
+been enrolled in the Guards at the age of twenty, and will
+remain there until they shall reach their fortieth year, at
+which time they will either be made civil officers or promoted
+and placed in command of companies and divisions
+of the imperial armies. Their armor consists of brazen
+helmets for their heads, chain-mail for their bodies, and
+brazen greaves for their legs and arms. A round shield,
+held on the left forearm in battle, will give further protection.
+A long, sharp javelin, a sword, and a battle-ax
+are their weapons. Their horses are protected by chain-mail
+on neck, forehead, and breast.</p>
+
+<p>Cyrus, having satisfied himself that the Touranians
+were really coming to battle, turned to his generals and
+said: “At last the Touranians have decided to fight!<span class="pagenum" id="Page_10">[10]</span>
+We must not only repel this attack but must utterly destroy
+them, so that hereafter the terror of our name shall
+command peace! Take no prisoners! This day we shall
+avenge the wrongs of Iran in the death of its ancient enemies!
+Should it happen that I be slain in this battle, my
+cousin, the King of Iran, will command. In case he also
+should fall, his son, our beloved Prince, will command.”</p>
+
+<p>His piercing black eyes rested a moment upon the
+Prince’s countenance. The latter flushed with pleasure at
+the honor done him, and bowed in acknowledgment. The
+King continued: “The King of Iran will remain at my
+side. I shall need his advice. There will be no change
+in the plans announced last evening. With the help of
+Ahura-Mazda, this day we will fill that torrent-bed with
+Touranian dead! You, Prince of Iran, have the most
+important duty. Ride down upon their rear as soon as
+you see their front ranks engaged with our infantry. Officers,
+go to your places! Let the skirmishers advance
+farther into the plain!”</p>
+
+<p>The group scattered, each officer riding to his place.
+Cyrus and the King of Iran retired across the torrent-bed
+to the eminence at the rear of the left wing of the
+army. The Prince of Iran mounted and hurried to his
+command. Trumpets sounded. The light cavalry of the
+skirmish line moved briskly out upon the plain. The Touranians
+came on, a vast throng with but little semblance
+of order. Their leaders rode in advance at intervals, and
+the front ranks only preserved an irregular alignment.
+The two opposing forces slowly drew near each other.
+The shaggy coats made of hairy skins, the tall, peaked
+caps, and the fierce, dark faces of the Touranians soon
+became plainly visible to their opponents. The former
+were surprised at the apparent weakness of the latter and
+began to utter shouts of derision and defiance. These<span class="pagenum" id="Page_11">[11]</span>
+shouts presently blended into a great roar as the soldiers
+demanded of their leaders the right to charge.</p>
+
+<p>But the Touranian leaders were wary. They thought
+that but a fraction of the Persian army was here, possibly
+an advance guard sent out to delay their progress.
+They were puzzled and hesitated. But when the enemy
+halted at long bowshot distance and sent a flight of arrows
+into their crowded battalions, they lost control of
+their men. Screams of agony arose, and a roar of angry
+shouts. Another flight of arrows and a third smote the
+Touranians. Their own bowmen sought to reply, but
+their bows were weak and their arrows fell short. Then
+came a vast forward movement of the mass. Leaders
+were swallowed up in the midst of galloping squadrons.
+The skirmishers of Iran retreated, but turned in their
+saddles and shot backwards with fatal effect. Eager to
+overtake the flying archers, the Touranians threw caution
+to the winds and urged their horses to full speed. The
+earth shook with the beat of a million hoofs, and the air
+was rent by the terrific volume of savage war-cries. No
+line of infantry ever formed could have withstood the
+impetus of that charge if unprotected by ditch or wall.</p>
+
+<p>The herons, affrighted, spread their broad wings,
+sprang out of the yellow waters of the Jaxartes, and
+hastily flapped away. The conflict had begun.</p>
+
+<p>After pausing at the margin of the torrent-bed to send
+one last flight of arrows into their pursuers, the skirmishers
+of Cyrus quickly descended into and crossed it,
+passed through the ranks of the infantry, which opened
+to permit their passage, and formed in line on the ridge
+beyond. The Touranian leaders were surprised when the
+fugitives disappeared from their view in the chasm as if
+the earth had swallowed them up, and, guessing the reason,
+frantically screamed orders for their men to halt.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_12">[12]</span>
+But the noise was so great that the orders were unheard.
+The shaggy horses of the leading ranks came at full
+speed to the margin of the torrent-bed and, unable to halt,
+plunged headlong down into it. Many horses and riders
+went down and were ridden over, crushed and mangled.
+Some retained their footing and struggled across the bottom
+of the ditch and up the opposite slope to assault the
+Aryan infantry. But the momentum of their rush was
+lost. The gleaming hedge of spears, protruding from
+behind the wicker shields, was terrible to horse and rider.
+The Touranians struck at the spear-points with their
+curved scimiters and endeavored to force ways between
+them. Masses of horsemen poured into the great ditch
+and struggled forward. Pushed on from behind, those in
+front could not avoid contact with the darting spears,
+which, in the hands of sinewy and practiced veterans,
+gashed horse and rider and threw them down in dying,
+struggling heaps.</p>
+
+<p>The rear ranks of Cyrus’ army came into action. They
+hurled clouds of javelins and arrows over the heads of
+the men in front upon the confused mass of assailants.
+The slaughter was horrible. But the Touranians in the
+front could not retreat had they desired. Those in front
+were crowded on, over dead and dying, upon the darting
+spears and against the wicker shields, overthrowing the
+shields and pushing back the Aryan infantry by sheer
+weight. Especially at the extreme left, where Cyrus was
+watching the struggle, did this backward movement of
+his lines take place. Here the water-course was wider
+and shallower than elsewhere and the advance was not so
+difficult. Here and there the Touranians succeeded in
+getting between the Aryan spears and with fierce strokes
+opened ways into the midst of the infantry. The latter,
+dropping their spears, fought with battle-ax and sword.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_13">[13]</span>
+The contest became a mad swirl of screaming, plunging
+horses, shouting men, gleaming swords, and slashing axes.
+Heads were crushed, limbs lopped off, bodies hurled
+to earth, horses brained and hamstrung. Ever the stout
+veterans of Cyrus faced their enemy, unterrified, sweating,
+grunting, and cursing, as they stabbed and hewed;
+but they were forced back step by step.</p>
+
+<p>Cyrus watched the struggle with anxiety. There
+seemed no end to the on-pressing masses of the enemy.
+More and yet more poured down into the vale of death
+and pushed across to the assault. Javelins and arrows
+were becoming exhausted. The infantrymen were fighting
+furiously, but were beginning to show weariness.
+Casting his eyes often to the distant hills, he presently
+noted with satisfaction that the Prince of Iran and his
+guards were passing down into the plain at the rear of
+the enemy’s left. He then ordered the light-armed cavalry
+to the assistance of the infantry at the center and
+right, and placing himself at the head of that division of
+the Imperial Guard held in reserve, he led it into the affray
+just as the infantry, pressed back by sheer weight
+of numbers, seemed about to be overwhelmed. The
+heavy horsemen of the Guard rode forward smartly and
+plunged into the battle. Prodigies of valor were performed.
+The infantrymen, seeing their King in their
+midst swinging his battle-ax with deadly effect, renewed
+their efforts. Huge Otanes with mighty strokes and protecting
+shield endeavored to ward off from Cyrus all
+blows aimed at him. King Hystaspis of Iran rode along
+the battle-lines towards the right. Everywhere the battle
+was close, fierce, and deadly.</p>
+
+<p>Meanwhile the Prince of Iran with the Guard rode
+down into the plain, and with javelins at rest charged the
+Touranians in flank and rear. This soon relieved the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_14">[14]</span>
+pressure in front. Confusion and terror seized the Touranians.
+Those who sought to resist went down before
+the shock of the huge Persian horses and the thrust of the
+long javelins.</p>
+
+<p>The contest became a slaughter. Thousands of the
+luckless Touranians rode into the river, seeking to ford
+it and thus escape; but quicksands and treacherous water-holes
+swallowed them up or mired them down, so that
+they became easy prey to the pursuing archers. The
+Aryan infantry assumed the offensive, crossed the torrent-bed,
+and drove the Touranians back upon the lances
+of the Guard, who in turn hurled them back upon the infantry.
+The larger part died. Some broke through and
+fled. The noon sun looked down upon heaps of slain
+and wounded, upon despairing squads flying over hill and
+plain, and upon a river whose waters were red with blood
+and choked with bodies. The Aryan victory was complete,
+overwhelming, and decisive.</p>
+
+<p>But the victors also suffered. Their loss was heavy in
+men, but worst of all they had lost their Great King.
+Cyrus at the head of the Guard had ridden into the press
+and restored the battle. When the assault on their rear
+caused the Touranians to give back, he had followed furiously.
+Then an arrow struck him in the neck just above
+the collar of his coat-of-mail, inflicting a deep wound.
+He reeled from the shock, plucked out the weapon with
+his own hands, and then fell fainting from his horse into
+the arms of Otanes, who carried him back out of the
+battle.</p>
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
+
+<div class="chapter">
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_15">[15]</span>
+
+<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER II<br />
+
+
+<small>AN OATH</small></h2>
+</div>
+
+<p class="drop-cap">THE wounded King was tenderly borne to his pavilion
+in the camp, and his injury was dressed by
+the most skillful surgeons in the army. He was weakened
+by loss of blood, however, and suffered much pain.
+He became feverish. The surgeons had but little skill in
+those days; and the wound was deep and infected. He
+suffered the pain with heroic resignation and, after a
+while, fell into a restless sleep, in which he tossed about
+and muttered continually.</p>
+
+<p>Meanwhile the King of Iran, having taken chief command,
+pushed the victory to completion and recalled the
+troops to their camp from the bloody plain only when the
+last enemy had disappeared or died.</p>
+
+<p>Prince Darius and the Imperial Guard pursued the
+fugitives as long as they held together in a body, but when
+they scattered, some crossing the Jaxartes and others taking
+refuge in the southern hills where it was difficult to
+follow them with heavy horse, he left further pursuit to
+the light-armed cavalry and returned to camp with his
+shouting, singing troopers. He did not learn of the
+King’s condition until within bowshot of camp, where an
+orderly from his father met him bearing the sad news.
+At once the shouts and songs of his troopers were turned
+to sighs and tears. They entered the camp in silence.
+They were dusty, blood-stained, and weary, and their joy
+of victory had given place to dejection. The Great King’s<span class="pagenum" id="Page_16">[16]</span>
+headquarters were in the midst of the camp. The Prince
+caused his battalions to form around the pavilion in a
+square, with their faces toward it. Then, leaving them
+still mounted, he went in to inquire concerning the King’s
+condition.</p>
+
+<p>It was almost sundown. The herons, which had fled
+away in the morning, were now returning with heavy
+wings to the marshes along the river. They did not
+alight, however, but hurriedly flapped away when they
+found the marshes filled with the dead bodies of men and
+horses.</p>
+
+<p>The Prince found the chief captains of the army assembled
+in the outer room of the pavilion. His father
+was wearily reclining on a couch, while the others stood
+near in whispering groups; but he rose as the Prince entered,
+and embraced him and kissed his cheeks, exclaiming:</p>
+
+<p>“My son, to the Guard belongs much of the glory of
+our great victory. Never have I seen a movement so
+well made or a blow struck at more opportune time.
+But alas for the Great King! He is sorely wounded and
+has a fever. He is now sleeping, but he mutters and
+tosses in his sleep.”</p>
+
+<p>“May we go in and see him? The Guard waits anxiously
+to hear his condition,” inquired the Prince.</p>
+
+<p>The King of Iran called the chief surgeon out of the
+inner room where the wounded monarch lay and, after a
+whispered consultation with him, bade his son follow and
+went into the inner room with him. The stricken man
+lay on a silk-covered couch, apparently asleep, while an
+attendant waved a fan above his head. Aroused by their
+entrance, the Great King opened his eyes, half-raised himself
+upon his elbow, and stared wildly at them. The surgeon
+gently sought to repress his movements. He<span class="pagenum" id="Page_17">[17]</span>
+quickly recognized the King of Iran and the Prince and
+smiled as he sank back upon the couch.</p>
+
+<p>The surgeon bowed low before him and exclaimed:
+“Let not my lord move! It may open the wound and
+cause it to bleed afresh!”</p>
+
+<p>But Cyrus impatiently waved him aside, and said
+weakly: “Let be! If I am to die, I die; if I am to live,
+I will live! I have had a vision! Draw near, my good
+cousin and my beloved Prince! Is the victory complete?
+Did many escape?”</p>
+
+<p>The King of Iran answered: “It is your most glorious
+victory, O King of Kings! Hundreds of thousands
+of dead Touranians testify to the valor of your arms and
+the effectiveness of your battle-plans.”</p>
+
+<p>“It is well!” he sighed. “To you, my beloved Prince,
+is due the thanks of your King, of the army, of all Iran!
+Oh, my heart leaped when I saw the Guard with spears
+at rest ride down upon the enemy! It was then that I
+rushed into the battle. Now I lie here! So be it! I
+know that I am about to die. I have had a vision. Now
+I would see the sun set, lest I never see it again. Cause
+the curtains to be rolled up. This close air stifles me!”</p>
+
+<p>Servants quickly rolled up the heavy side-curtains of
+the pavilion. At a motion of the sufferer the Prince
+knelt by his side, placed an arm beneath his shoulders,
+and gently raised him. Instantly the Guards, standing at
+attention about the tent, uncovered their heads, bowed to
+their horses’ necks, and roared out a salute, while tears
+streamed down their grimy cheeks and many wept aloud.
+The men of Iran were emotional, weeping or laughing
+like children as the mood seized them. The Great King
+smiled upon them and feebly waved his hand in greeting.
+He whispered to the Prince:</p>
+
+<p>“How they love me! It is sweet to die surrounded by<span class="pagenum" id="Page_18">[18]</span>
+those who love you. Ah, if I might now have my children
+here! I would give them a parting blessing and die
+in peace. My sweet daughters, Athura, the wise, and
+Artistone, my babe! Bardya, my strong Prince, and
+Cambyses,— But, lay me down! The sun is setting!
+So sets my life!”</p>
+
+<p>“Say not so, my lord!” exclaimed the Prince, his eyes
+swimming in tears. “It has been a glorious day!”</p>
+
+<p>“True, my son! And the wrongs of Iran have been
+avenged. A nation of warriors has been wiped out. No
+more will the Tourans threaten my people. We shall
+make this river the boundary of our empire. Fortresses
+and cities must be built along it so that never again may
+the yellow men of the plains carry desolation south of it.
+Advise my sons to this policy. Nay, tell them I have ordered
+it so!”</p>
+
+<p>The Great King closed his eyes. The tent-sides were
+then dropped. The troopers dismounted and went into
+camp, satisfied to have seen the King alive, and praying
+to Ahura-Mazda, Giver of Life, that he might recover.
+The King of Iran, with uncovered head, stood for a
+while looking down upon the sufferer, while his son still
+knelt at the side of the couch. Presently Cyrus opened
+his eyes and looked intently upon the sad countenance of
+the Prince.</p>
+
+<p>“Would that you were my own son, Darius Hystaspis!”
+he exclaimed. “I love you well and I know that
+you have deserved well of me. Ask of me what you will.
+It shall be decreed ere I die!”</p>
+
+<p>The Prince bowed his head till his forehead touched
+the King’s hands, which nervously clasped his own strong
+right hand between their palms. Then he looked up into
+the grave eyes of his father inquiringly. The latter indicated
+by a nod that he should speak what was in his
+mind.</p>
+
+
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_19">[19]</span>“O King of Kings,” he said, “you have been as a
+father to me! If I have found favor with you, let my
+reward be very great! I ask no less than that you will
+give me for my wife your daughter, Athura!”</p>
+
+<p>Cyrus was greatly pleased. He smiled approvingly as
+he answered: “Truly you ask much! But not too
+much; and you shall have her, if she so wills. I doubt
+not that she will gladly consent. She must marry whom
+she will. Her mother married me even against her
+father’s will and she was ever the light and joy of life to
+me. In her love I rejoiced all the days of her life. I
+have given her no successor. I go to meet her soon. I
+rejoice to call you son. Would that Athura were here
+to wed you now! I pledge her to you. Now I have a
+request to make of you, and your royal father. I constituted
+my son, Cambyses, regent in my absence, that he
+might learn to rule. My soul is exceedingly anxious
+concerning him. His passions are great; he is violent
+and he endures no opposition to his will. He will need
+advisers and supporters. My son, Bardya, is of better
+nature; he is brave but impulsive. Much have I thought
+of them. It will depend upon you two, King and Prince
+of Iran, whether the family of Cyrus shall continue to
+reign. This I have seen. I ask of you that you will
+pledge me your royal oaths that, as long as Cambyses or
+Bardya live, you will support them on my throne—Cambyses
+first, and Bardya second.”</p>
+
+<p>He ceased. The Prince again looked up to his father,
+who had listened attentively and who now spoke without
+hesitation: “My son, we are Kings of Iran only. Cyrus,
+our cousin, is King of Kings. By his own genius he
+has made this great empire. It is his. He conquered it.
+He extended his scepter over other peoples. We forfeit
+none of our hereditary rights by swearing as he requests.
+As for me, I am ready to swear!”</p>
+
+
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_20">[20]</span>“And I also!” added the Prince.</p>
+
+<p>The Great King extended his two hands and took the
+right hands of father and son between his palms, saying,
+“Is it an oath in the hearing of Ahura-Mazda and His
+recording angel?”</p>
+
+<p>“It is an oath!” they solemnly answered.</p>
+
+<p>“It is well,” said the King, releasing them. “May
+Shraosha, the swift messenger of God, take those oaths
+and register them in heaven! Now I will tell of my
+vision. I saw Mount Demavend, and, upon its snowy
+summit, I beheld a great eagle. He spread his wings
+and, behold! they reached across all the heavens and their
+shadow covered the earth. The countenance of the eagle,
+Prince Darius, when I closely observed it, was your countenance.
+Shall it come to pass that you will overshadow
+the world? Or will you spread your protecting wings in
+days to come over this empire and by your help shall my
+sons reign well? Ahura-Mazda knows! Let his will be
+done!”</p>
+
+<p>The King’s weak voice ceased. He closed his eyes.
+The Prince and his father remained silent. A rising wind
+touched the tent and made it quiver. In the adjacent
+room was a low murmur of conversation. After a moment’s
+silence the Great King again opened his eyes and
+continued:</p>
+
+<p>“Since this empire of mine is new and my will has
+been its law, there are no laws by which succession to my
+throne may be regulated. By right of birth, Cambyses
+should succeed to the supreme power. Yet I am not
+happy in him. He is inclined to evil ways and regards
+not the customs of our race. He runs after the folly of
+the Medes. He seeks the pleasures of Babylon. I have
+thought much on this. Perhaps it would be just that he
+should be given Medea, Susiana, Babylonia, and all the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_21">[21]</span>
+western provinces to rule, since their customs he follows.
+Bardya is not so. He loves our ancient customs. To him
+I will give supreme rule over Iran and the provinces of
+Hind, of Hyrcania, and the Scyths and of all our eastern
+conquests; but he shall acknowledge Cambyses as overlord
+of the world, aiding him with an army in war, but
+undisturbed by him in peace. Thus will I do justly and
+satisfy all Iran, whose people love not Cambyses. I will
+make a testament and a decree ere I die. Call hither my
+scribe. I would relieve my mind of care by making such
+decree. Call in the nobles of Iran to hear my will!”</p>
+
+<p>The scribe came. The nobles of Iran entered the
+room. They saw the King’s will written down on Egyptian
+papyrus. Two copies were made. The King signed
+them and impressed thereon his seal. Then, greatly exhausted,
+he indicated that he would be alone; and all left
+his presence to seek refreshment after the day of toil, and
+to discuss the Great King’s last decree.</p>
+
+<p>It was the duty of the Prince, as commander of the Imperial
+Guard, to appoint the watches at the King’s pavilion.
+Otanes, the King’s shield-bearer and personal
+guard, slept in the outer room and stood at the door on
+state occasions. There were usually with Otanes several
+noble youths who acted as pages or orderlies to the Great
+King. But on this night the King of Iran and several others
+of the nobility kept silent watch in the outer room,
+anxiously consulting the surgeons as they went in and out
+upon their ministrations. The Prince, after setting a
+double guard around the pavilion, went alone down to the
+river and for an hour slowly paced back and forth on the
+low bank along the shore. He wished to be alone with his
+thoughts.</p>
+
+<p>A violent wind was blowing from the north. The lap
+and wash of waves, thrown up by its power, and the rustle<span class="pagenum" id="Page_22">[22]</span>
+of reeds and grass, were the only sounds coming to
+his ears. The subdued noise of the vast encampment
+drifted away behind him as he looked out across the
+stream. The moon had not yet appeared. The stars
+were dim and hazy behind dust-clouds raised by the great
+wind. Alone thus, though thousands of men were near,
+while the whispers of the moving air suggested the voices
+of those wailing spirits released from their mortal bodies
+in this day’s slaughter, the young man reviewed the past
+and contemplated uneasily the future.</p>
+
+<p>First in his thoughts, as indeed she had been for years,
+was Athura, eldest daughter of Cyrus, known to the
+Greek historians as Atossa, the most famous, most beautiful,
+and most queenlike woman of her age. He had
+loved her from the day when he, a youth of fourteen, and
+she, a child of ten years, had first met and played together
+in the great park surrounding his father’s palace at Persepolis,
+where she had come to visit with her mother, the
+queen. She had often been his companion in sports since
+the time he had entered the service of the Great King,
+as a page. Lately he had not seen her often, as his service
+in the Imperial Guard had called him away to the wars.
+But, when he had last met her in the ancient city, Bactra,
+to which place she had accompanied her father when he
+started on this expedition, they had made mutual avowals
+of love and pledges of faith, subject to her father’s
+consent. Now the expedition was ended. He had the
+consent of Cyrus to their marriage. Happiness seemed to
+be in store for him.</p>
+
+<p>But the future was not without clouds. Cyrus was
+dying. What then? The hate-filled countenance of
+Cambyses arose before his mind. The large, square body
+of that Prince, the bullet head, the black, dull eye, the fat
+face, usually expressive of scorn, he well remembered.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_23">[23]</span>
+He seemed to hear again the brutal laugh, the bitter gibe
+or threat, the coarse words, and the raucous tones of the
+Prince, as he had heard them often when as boys they
+played together. Cambyses had hated him, apparently
+for no other reason than that he could not bully him as
+he was accustomed to bully other boys. More than once
+they had engaged in personal encounters; and the officers,
+who ever guarded the King’s children, had to interfere
+and separate them. Some of these combats had arisen
+when he had gone to rescue Athura or Bardya from their
+brother’s abuse. Cambyses also hated Bardya, whom Cyrus
+loved. More than once Cyrus himself had inflicted
+corporal punishment upon the elder Prince for abusing his
+playmates, and in later years he had often caused him
+to be confined in his room as a punishment. If Cyrus
+should die, the violent, degraded, drunken Cambyses
+would be King, with power absolute of life and death, and
+able to wreak vengeance upon the royal brother and sisters,
+as he had often sworn he would do, when he should
+come into power.</p>
+
+<p>Prince Darius did not fear Cambyses. But if Cambyses
+should disregard his father’s will and forbid the
+marriage of Darius and Athura, what would be the result?
+The Prince involuntarily laid his hand on the hilt
+of his sword. Cambyses could be overthrown, since the
+people and the army of Iran loved him not; and the
+younger Prince Bardya would then reign. Bardya was
+a friend of Darius and would approve the marriage. But
+to the Prince came the remembrance of his oath to Cyrus.
+He had sworn to uphold Cambyses. No matter
+what the Prince should do or what wrong he should inflict
+upon him or his friends, he must henceforth support
+him on his throne! As the possibilities involved in that
+oath occurred to his mind, the young man smote his<span class="pagenum" id="Page_24">[24]</span>
+hands together and groaned. But he said to himself that
+perhaps Cambyses, the King, would be different from
+Cambyses, the man. In any event, the nobles of Iran and
+the King, his father, would compel Cambyses to give
+Athura to him. Cambyses would not dare refuse to regard
+his own father’s pledge.</p>
+
+<p>The moon appeared, a dim, pale disk behind a veil of
+flying dust. The wind increased in violence. Thin,
+broken clouds floated across the sky. The river, vaguely
+seen, was filled with choppy waves. The howl of a wolf
+came faintly from beyond the stream. A great sadness,
+a sense of impending danger, filled the soul of the Prince.</p>
+
+<p>A voice aroused him, saying, “Gracious Prince, the
+King has awakened and is calling for you!” It was one
+of the King’s pages who thus summoned him. Throwing
+off his depression, he followed the youth into the tent,
+pausing only at the door to direct the guards to take additional
+precautions to prevent the wind from throwing
+down the swaying shelter. The King turned a wan, pain-drawn
+countenance towards him as he entered and beckoned
+him to a low stool at the side of his couch.</p>
+
+<p>“My son,” he said, speaking slowly and with difficulty,
+“I am unable to sleep. This wound pains me greatly and
+the wind roars about the tent. I am very lonely. I seem
+to stand naked and alone before God! I am about to
+step out into the dark. I would have you near me. You
+have been with me so many years that you are to me as
+a son. Now that I have promised my daughter to you,
+I have a double claim upon you. Sit here, unless you are
+weary and must sleep. It has been a long, hard day, but
+a glorious one for Iran!”</p>
+
+<p>“Father, I am not weary,” replied the Prince. “My
+heart is heavy for you! I pray God you may recover!
+Is the wound so bad, then? Once before you were hurt
+in battle and recovered.”</p>
+
+
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_25">[25]</span>“This wound is fatal. It is poisoned. The weapon
+that pierced me was unclean. Even now I feel it throb
+and burn. I know the symptoms. I have watched many
+a dying officer, wounded by unclean darts. But I am at
+peace. I have been a man of war all my life; but I have
+ever had right with me. I have lived uprightly and
+wronged none. Justice has never been sold by me. Oppression
+has been rebuked. I have crushed the rulers of
+nations to free their people from tyranny and misrule.
+I do not fear to die. I am an Aryan. Ahura-Mazda is
+God and there is none other! My mind dwells much on
+the future, my son. Discourse to me of that. You sat
+at the feet of Belteshazzer, the wise, he that was chief
+of the college of wisdom in Babylon. He talked to me
+often of God and of his own people. I made a decree that
+his people should be returned to their home at Jerusalem
+and rebuild their temple to God. Call this to my son’s
+remembrance, when you go to him, and say to him that
+I lay it upon him to obey. What said Belteshazzer of
+that which lies beyond death?”</p>
+
+<p>“He taught that the spirit continues to live after the
+body dies.”</p>
+
+<p>“Yes, truly, so said he to me! But in that he agrees
+with our Zoroaster.”</p>
+
+<p>“He taught much as did the great Master. Indeed, he
+agrees that Ahura-Mazda, the Holy One, the Father of
+Truth, the Life-Giving Spirit, is but another name for
+the same God he worships as Jah, who is the Father
+of all spirits and the Giver of Life. He teaches that
+there is one God, a loving Father, the Eternal One; and
+that in the far-distant past there were but one man and
+one woman, from whom sprang all the races of men; and
+that all worshiped one God, the Father of all; but that
+many of their children have forgotten Him and have wandered<span class="pagenum" id="Page_26">[26]</span>
+away, making Gods of their own imaginings. He
+is a mighty prophet and holds communion with messengers
+from God and with spirits.”</p>
+
+<p>“I have heard wonderful things of him, how that fire
+will not burn him nor wild beasts harm him. What says
+Zoroaster of the dying?”</p>
+
+<p>“He taught that Shraosha, the swift messenger,
+stands ready to receive the soul and to conduct it over the
+bridge that is straight and narrow into paradise, where
+the great angel, Bohman, will greet it and say, ‘How
+happy art thou who hast come hither from mortality to
+immortality!’ Then will the soul enter upon eternal
+blessedness.”</p>
+
+<p>“You said that Belteshazzer talks with unseen spirits
+and is a mighty prophet. Do not the Magi also call up
+the dead and prophesy?”</p>
+
+<p>“They say so, Sire. But Belteshazzer says that they
+are liars and that their art is black. He admits that they
+may talk with spirits, but accuses them of dealing with
+demons and evil spirits. They worship the spirits who
+inhabit the dark places of earth and work ill to men.”</p>
+
+<p>The Great King lay silent a moment with closed eyes.
+At length, heaving a deep sigh, he said:</p>
+
+<p>“It is all a mystery! But I shall soon know. I am
+troubled concerning Cambyses. I have heard that he has
+dealings with the Magi and has attended their worship.
+God forbid that he should fall into their hands! They
+are a vile sect, regarding neither oath nor promise. They
+prey upon the weak and superstitious. They would
+throw down our ancient laws. I have not been intolerant
+of others’ creeds or ever interfered with their religion.
+Each nation has continued to worship God in its
+own manner, giving obedience to me only in matters of
+government. Can it be said that one God is better than<span class="pagenum" id="Page_27">[27]</span>
+the other? How was I to judge the unknown things of
+God? But I know that God rules, whether named
+Ahura-Mazda, Jah, Merodach, Jove, or Ra. Men know
+him not!”</p>
+
+<p>Again he fell silent, with closed eyes and pallid face
+turned to the dim light of the lamps which hung from the
+ridge-pole by chains, flaring in the currents of air and
+swinging to and fro as the tent rocked under the shocks
+of the mighty wind.</p>
+
+<p>Rousing himself again, he continued: “I feel that my
+spirit will soon depart. When it does, I lay upon you
+the task of conveying my body to Pasargadæ, where you
+shall deposit it in a suitable tomb. Take half of the
+Guard with you. Leave the remainder here with the
+King, your father, who must finish the work I have begun
+and establish fortresses along this river so that never
+again may the Touranians recover the land we have conquered,
+or further molest Iran. Let my body be entombed
+after the fashion of our fathers. Take a
+message to Bardya and say that I have blessed him.
+Restrain him with your advice, that he do not rebel and
+bring on war with his brother. Take my love and blessing
+to Athura and Artistone. Into your care I give
+Athura. May long years of happiness be yours! But
+I am very weary and I would sleep. Sit here by me.
+It is pleasant to know that you are near!”</p>
+
+<p>The King closed his eyes and sank into a stupor. The
+Prince bent his head upon his hands and silently wept.
+Presently becoming calmer, he sat still in meditation,
+listening to the irregular breathing of the sufferer.
+After a while he also slept, with his head resting on his
+arms, which were folded across his knees. The hours
+went by, while the great wind continued to bellow around
+and to whip the awnings of the pavilion and while the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_28">[28]</span>
+life of the Great King slowly flickered out. Darius was
+awakened by the surgeons, who, alarmed at the long
+silence in the sick-room, had come in to look at the
+King.</p>
+
+<p>“Great Cyrus is dead!” he heard one of them say.</p>
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
+
+<div class="chapter">
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_29">[29]</span>
+
+<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER III<br />
+
+
+<small>PREXASPES</small></h2>
+</div>
+
+<p class="drop-cap">CYRUS, the Great King, had been conquered by a
+greater King. The generals and nobles of his army
+gathered in solemn council on the day following his
+death. The King of Iran presided. On him, as upon
+an anchor in a storm, the others depended; and it was in
+the hearts of many to declare him successor to the mighty
+dead. There was no love in their hearts towards
+Cambyses, the heir. His open contempt for their ancient
+customs and religion and his erratic and brutal disposition
+had not attracted them. The army had given
+the throne and his distinctive eminence as King of Kings
+to Cyrus; it could give them to another, now that he was
+gone, in spite of his expressed will.</p>
+
+<p>At the right hand of the King stood the Prince, his
+son, his eyes heavy with sorrow. Otanes, Gobryas,
+Hydarnes, Vomisces, and a score of Persians of lesser
+note were there; and also Prexaspes, the Mede.</p>
+
+<p>As usual Prexaspes was carefully dressed; he was
+ornate in golden, jewel-set armor and half enveloped in
+a silken cloak, the famous Medean robe. His hair and
+beard were curled and perfumed. He moved with exaggerated
+grace and carried his fine head haughtily.
+His brothers-in-arms could ill conceal their contempt for
+his foppish manners. They were rough, ready men,
+straight of look and direct of speech. They loved not an
+Aryan who copied the manners of Babylon and Nineveh<span class="pagenum" id="Page_30">[30]</span>
+and, as they suspected, the vices of those ultra-civilized
+peoples. But they knew that Prexaspes was
+a brave and able commander of horse and on that account
+ignored his manners. He was a fair sample of
+the higher classes of Medes, who, residing on the borders
+of the more effeminate peoples of the great Mesopotamian
+valley, had been infected by their manners and
+customs.</p>
+
+<p>The Medes, in the former days, when they had conquered
+the lands now occupied by them, had been sturdy,
+simple people. Centuries of intercourse with the Assyrians
+and Babylonians had materially changed their
+qualities and had not only affected their dress and
+manner of living, but had injected into their ancient religion,
+which was a monotheistic creed, new ideas that
+were polytheistic, much to the indignation of their
+brethren of Persia and Bactra who still clung to the ancient
+faith. The Medes had permitted the fire-worshipers
+of the northern provinces to practice their occult arts
+and had to some extent adopted those practices. There
+had, as a consequence, grown up a priest class of Magi,
+or seers, wise men, prophets, who claimed to communicate
+with the gods of hill, mountain, and plain, and who
+did undeniably work wonders that could not be duplicated
+by the priests in the Aryan temples, and thereby
+not only discomfited the latter in the eyes of the people,
+but impressed the rulers of Medea in their favor.</p>
+
+<p>It was said that Prexaspes was a follower of the Magi,
+but on that subject he adroitly avoided conversation.
+Cyrus, whose policy had ever been to conciliate those he
+conquered, had recognized the military ability of Prexaspes
+and had forborne to examine closely into his creed
+or his manner of life. In return the latter had given him
+faithful service and had been extremely useful in dealing<span class="pagenum" id="Page_31">[31]</span>
+with the Medean nobility and in recruiting for the
+army.</p>
+
+<p>As soon as all who had been bidden were assembled,
+the King of Iran addressed them briefly: “I have
+called you together to consider the great calamity that
+has befallen this army and the empire. Great Cyrus
+sleeps with his fathers. The decisive victory of yesterday
+resulted thus in greater loss to us than to the enemy.
+The command of this army has fallen upon me until a
+messenger can be sent to bring orders from Cambyses,
+who, by the will of his august father, succeeds to the
+throne of the King of Kings. It was the will of Cyrus
+that we hold all this country and make the Jaxartes the
+future boundary of Iran. It shall be done. We shall
+remain here until the enemy shall fully submit, and we
+shall build fortresses along this river. On this spot
+where great Cyrus departed this life, let us found a city
+named in honor of the Great King. It shall be a monument
+to his glorious victory and a bulwark of the empire.
+What say you?”</p>
+
+<p>He paused. Otanes, upon whom the King’s eyes
+rested, answered: “Let it be so! Let the King’s will
+be law!” Nods and exclamations of assent came from
+the company.</p>
+
+<p>The King continued: “The Great King ordered that
+his body be taken to Pasargadæ, there to rest in the
+tomb prepared by him and in which rests the body of his
+wife. He directed that my son take the Imperial Guard
+for an escort and convey his body, when embalmed, to
+its resting-place. This shall be done. As for me, I
+shall remain here until the frontier be made safe. My
+son shall select such of you as he desires to accompany
+him on his honorable mission. It will be necessary to
+send a special messenger to Cambyses with the Great<span class="pagenum" id="Page_32">[32]</span>
+King’s last decree. He shall travel with the Guard and
+my son until he reach Bactra; but then he must go more
+swiftly, in order that Cambyses may make fitting preparation
+for the funeral of his father. Who will volunteer
+for this service?”</p>
+
+<p>Silence fell upon the company. There was no desire
+in any of them to greet Cambyses. They would rather
+have deposed him. But Prexaspes stood forth and said:
+“O King, if it please you, I will bear the message to
+Cambyses, the King of Kings.”</p>
+
+<p>The King regarded Prexaspes a moment thoughtfully.
+He liked not this man, but he could think of no reason to
+deny him. He said:</p>
+
+<p>“You shall go. But swear before us here that you
+will faithfully carry to Cambyses this decree and assure
+him of our support!”</p>
+
+<p>“I swear!” responded Prexaspes, solemnly, lifting
+both hands towards the sun and turning his face to it.
+A frown passed over the calm features of the King.
+He liked not this exhibition of Mithra worship. But he
+made no comment, only saying:</p>
+
+<p>“Say to the Great King, Cambyses, that I, Hystaspis,
+King of Iran, have sworn to support him and his brother
+on their thrones according to the will of Cyrus; and my
+word shall be kept! Advise him also that the ancient
+laws and customs in Iran must not be disregarded. His
+great father gave heed to them; and on them the Aryan
+peoples lay great weight. In their observance will he
+gain strength; and the men of Iran will in return dash
+to pieces his enemies. Do I not speak truth?”</p>
+
+<p>The speaker’s eyes glanced inquiringly over the company.
+The black, sparkling eyes of Prexaspes likewise
+swept over it and noted the expression on every countenance.
+Nods of approval and unanimous spoken assent<span class="pagenum" id="Page_33">[33]</span>
+indicated the sentiment of all. Prexaspes, bowing low
+before the King, answered:</p>
+
+<p>“I will exactly report your words, O King! I shall
+take great pleasure in assuring the Great King that all
+here are his loyal supporters.”</p>
+
+<p>The King was about to dismiss the council, when a
+messenger rode up from the east in great haste. He was
+from the pickets stationed near the battlefield. The
+King waited till he had dismounted and drawn near.</p>
+
+<p>“A message, gracious King, from Captain Mardux
+of the scouts!” cried the messenger, bowing low till his
+hands touched the earth.</p>
+
+<p>“Speak!” commanded the King.</p>
+
+<p>“The captain is approaching with a company of Touran
+princes, who come to the Great King to tender submission.
+He has halted at the outer limits of the camp
+to await your orders. Shall he slay them or bring them
+hither?”</p>
+
+<p>“Bring them hither!”</p>
+
+<p>The messenger again bowed low, backed from the
+circle, and sprang on his horse. As soon as he was
+gone, the King said:</p>
+
+<p>“It will be best not to inform these men of the death
+of Cyrus. No lie need be spoken. But I am the King.
+Cyrus is not dead but sleepeth. Send hither an interpreter.”</p>
+
+<p>Gobryas, to whom the last command was spoken, departed
+to summon an interpreter. Meanwhile the King
+caused a purple-covered chair to be brought out and
+placed on a platform made of camp-chests covered with
+a costly rug. In this he seated himself, and with his son
+at his right hand, Otanes at his left, and the other nobles
+near, all dressed in glittering mail and fully armed, he
+was ready to receive and impress the coming delegation.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_34">[34]</span>
+A glittering crown of gold studded with gems, high and
+pointed, like the miter of a priest, was placed on his
+head. In his hand was a scepter, a silver rod tipped with
+a golden pomegranate. Right royal was his aspect; and
+the stern countenances of his captains added to the impressiveness
+of the scene.</p>
+
+<p>Captain Mardux, a stout, bluff soldier, who had won
+his promotion from the ranks by prowess and shrewdness,
+presently rode up with a company of cavalry,
+escorting five men of swarthy countenance, long-haired,
+almond-eyed, mounted on powerful ponies, sitting on
+goatskins instead of saddles, and clothed in silken garments
+and pointed fur caps. The captain caused them
+to dismount and led them before the King, where, in
+obedience to an expressive gesture of the captain’s hands,
+they threw themselves flat upon the earth in salutation.
+Here they lay face-downward while the captain reported
+as follows:</p>
+
+<p>“These dogs, O King, came to us with hands in air,
+showing themselves unarmed and asked to be taken to
+the Great King. I know some words of their language
+and so understood that they come as messengers from
+the Tourans.”</p>
+
+<p>“It is well, Mardux. Bid them rise to their knees.”</p>
+
+<p>Captain Mardux roused the prostrate men with his toe
+and made them assume a kneeling posture. From this
+position, they glanced with ferret eyes at the King and
+his supporters. They were evidently greatly impressed,
+but their sullen countenances exhibited no fear. Gobryas
+now appeared with an interpreter, a man of Bactra
+who had conducted trading expeditions over the great
+plains in more peaceable days. Thereupon the following
+colloquy occurred between the King and one of
+them:</p>
+
+
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_35">[35]</span>“Who are you and whence come you?”</p>
+
+<p>“We are messengers of the Queen of the Massagetæ.
+We come from her encampment, a day’s journey eastward.”</p>
+
+<p>“What seek you?”</p>
+
+<p>“We come to greet the Great King, Cyrus, whose
+power even the gods cannot withstand. Behold! our
+King is dead on yonder field, and the King’s son is dead.
+Our people are broken. The bodies of our slain choke
+the great river. Only old men and children are left.
+Who can withstand Cyrus? Like the lightning and the
+whirlwind he sweeps up from the south! He smites
+and men are not! We come to tender unto him a handful
+of earth, a broken twig, and a cup of water, and to
+ask his pardon, that we may henceforth be his men and
+live under the shadow of his arms.”</p>
+
+<p>“Cyrus, the Great King, sleeps and we cannot
+awaken him. Behold me, the King of Iran, Hystaspis!
+I will receive your tokens of submission.”</p>
+
+<p>“It is well! We know of you, O King of Iran, surnamed
+the Just. Have we not heard of your strong arm
+and most just and merciful heart? If it be permitted,
+we will arise and present to you our tokens of submission,
+asking mercy for our remnant of people.”</p>
+
+<p>“It is permitted!”</p>
+
+<p>The men arose. One produced a small casket of
+carved wood inlaid with ivory, and opening it so that it
+revealed the brown earth of the desert therein, he
+solemnly placed it in the outstretched hand of the King.
+Another produced a twig of wood plucked from a
+stunted oak, and another a small jar of water, which
+were solemnly received and passed on to Otanes by the
+King, who then said:</p>
+
+<p>“Hear now the King’s sentence! You are pardoned.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_36">[36]</span>
+Enough blood has been shed to atone for past injury.
+You are brave men whom the Great King will delight to
+own as his children. Your lands and all your property
+are forfeit to him, but these he will let you use so long
+as you serve him in good faith. But in order that you
+may enjoy his protection, it will be necessary for you to
+render to him each summer season ten thousand good
+horses, as many cattle, and a like number of sheep.
+That he may have evidence of your good faith and in
+order that your people may be instructed in his laws,
+you must send to our city of Bactra each year one hundred
+of your most noble youths, to enter the King’s
+service, whose lives shall be forfeit should you rebel.
+Furthermore, you shall maintain for the King’s service
+ten thousand horsemen, fully equipped, who shall march
+whither he wills. You shall guard these lands against
+all foes. In return for these light services, the power
+of the Great King shall be over you, your foes shall be
+his foes, and his mighty arm will give you peace. You
+shall go out and come in according to your customs, but
+you shall molest no man who acknowledges the Great
+King as his master. I have spoken!”</p>
+
+<p>The ambassadors bowed themselves to the earth, and
+their spokesman replied:</p>
+
+<p>“Let all these conditions be written on tablets, O
+Gracious King! Most merciful and gracious is your
+heart! Our people will most gladly submit and will
+faithfully observe these conditions. And now we beg
+that as an earnest of our good intent, we may bring to
+you our first offering of ten thousand horses, ten thousand
+sheep, and as many cattle, for the use of our Lord
+and his army. So may the Great King see that we deal
+not with crooked tongues or lying lips.”</p>
+
+<p>“It is so ordered!” assented the King, graciously.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_37">[37]</span>
+“While we have a sufficiency of victuals, fresh meat will
+be welcome to the army. The treaty shall be written on
+tablets. Go now with Captain Mardux and partake of
+refreshments ere you return to your people. Say to
+them that we shall build here a great city to be named
+the City of Cyrus, and it shall be a place for trade where
+they may exchange the product of their herds for the
+fruits of the south countries. Let them send laborers
+to assist, and the King’s bounty shall be sufficient for
+them. But of this we will give you further information
+at a future day.”</p>
+
+<p>The ambassadors withdrew, greatly pleased that the
+sentence of the King was not more burdensome. A
+week later, the required horses, cattle, and sheep were
+brought to the camp, and the one hundred youths as
+hostages were surrendered. Within a year, the walls of
+a city were begun and a colony of loyal Aryans located
+within them as the nucleus of an emporium which flourished
+there a thousand years, rejoicing in the name of
+the Great King who there died for his race.</p>
+
+<p>Meanwhile expert embalmers, who had learned their
+art in Egypt, prepared the body of Cyrus for its long
+journey to the city of his fathers. When well prepared,
+it was enclosed in a heavy casket, placed on a
+four-wheeled chariot drawn by ten royal white stallions,
+and, encompassed by the Imperial Guard, was
+conveyed to its tomb. The great army, drawn up in
+two long parallel lines, gave sad farewell to its hero-king
+as the funeral car passed along between, escorted
+by the Guard; and tears streamed down every Aryan
+cheek. To Prince Hystaspis, who led the van, with
+Gobryas at his side, a roar of acclamation, a royal
+salute, and shouted wishes for a safe journey and quick
+return, came from the successive companies he passed.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_38">[38]</span>
+Prexaspes, riding some paces to the rear, noted the
+great demonstration and pondered deeply thereon.</p>
+
+<p>All day the funeral car and its splendid escort moved
+slowly southward. The Prince of Iran was silent, absorbed
+in meditation. Gobryas vainly endeavored to
+engage him in conversation. The troopers noted his
+downcast mien and whispered together concerning it. It
+was well known that Cambyses hated the Prince. Every
+soldier in the army had discussed it with his fellow
+since the Great King died. All had hoped that King
+Hystaspis would claim Cyrus’ throne, his by right of
+birth and age, if being descended from an older branch
+of the Achæmenian family counted; but they had been
+disappointed when the King had announced his support
+of Cambyses. What if the Prince could be persuaded
+to seize the throne? It was a new throne anyway, this
+throne of the King of Kings, the Emperor of many nations.
+If he would take it, they would give it to him!
+So reasoned the army. King Hystaspis would accede if
+the Prince should declare his acceptance. It would be
+better to go against Cambyses sword in hand and to contest
+for the prize of sovereignty with him, than to be
+seized and slain by the madman after submitting to his
+sway. All day on the march and much of that night
+around their camp-fires, the troopers discussed the
+matter. The result of their consultation appeared next
+morning. The Prince, after a restless night in which
+evil dreams disturbed his slumber when he did succeed
+in his efforts to sleep, rose and went forth just as the sun
+was rising. He was greatly surprised to see his ten
+thousand men drawn up in solid masses, forming a hollow
+square around his tent. He was nonplussed when
+every cap was hurled into the air, every sword struck
+buckler and every head bowed low in salute to him.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_39">[39]</span>
+His face went white with emotion and then became dark
+with wrath as he heard the thunderous shout:</p>
+
+<p>“Hail, King of Kings! All hail!”</p>
+
+<p>He raised his hand, beckoning for silence, and, addressing
+a group of officers, he said, speaking sternly
+and in a loud voice,</p>
+
+<p>“What means this?”</p>
+
+<p>One of the officers advanced a pace, and, bowing low,
+said:</p>
+
+<p>“Son of Achæmenes, Cyrus, the Great King, is dead!
+Your Father, the illustrious King of Iran, has refused
+to take his place. But you have not refused. Now we
+know that Cambyses hates you and will do you evil.
+He is no Aryan, moreover, and is said to be a madman.
+Heed this, our prayer! Let us recognize you as the
+King of Kings and our good right arms will make it
+so!”</p>
+
+<p>As he ceased speaking, a roar of assent went up from
+ten thousand throats. The soldiers extended their hands
+to him in entreaty. Again he beckoned for silence.
+When the clamor ceased, he answered:</p>
+
+<p>“What you ask is impossible to grant! As my father
+swore to Cyrus, so did I! I am bound by a sacred oath
+to the Great King, whose body lies there on its car, but
+whose spirit even now, perhaps, hovers near us; and I
+must support Cambyses and Bardya on their thrones forever.
+My word is given; it shall not return! This
+throne is the throne of Cyrus; he set it up and his children
+are entitled to it. It is true, the King of Iran by
+right of descent might have contested with Cyrus the
+throne of Persia; but he had no right to contest with
+him that which his mighty arm brought in subjection to
+him. As King of Iran, my father is your ruler. I, his
+son, am most happy to be your Prince. But Cambyses<span class="pagenum" id="Page_40">[40]</span>
+is overlord and such must remain! I have no fear.
+Cambyses, the Great King, will not be empowered to do
+me harm unless I rebel. You have rebelled. You
+know the punishment of treason is death; but I will
+pardon you now if you will swear before Ahura-Mazda
+to remain faithful to Cambyses, the Great King, so long
+as he respects the laws of Iran. Up with your hands
+and swear!”</p>
+
+<p>There was a pause. The troopers looked to their
+officers and upon each other. A murmur ran through
+the great host. Would the Prince yield? They knew
+his firmness and his love of truth and that he had never
+broken oath or promise. Looking upon his countenance,
+sad but set with determination, they decided to obey.
+But some wept aloud, and tears flowed down the cheeks
+of others. The captains raised their hands, saying:
+“We swear, O Prince of Iran! You alone may release
+this oath!” And the soldiers repeated solemnly but
+without enthusiasm: “We swear, O Prince, and you
+alone may release this oath!”</p>
+
+<p>Thus did the Prince of Iran for the sake of an oath
+put aside the highest position earth could give. Dismissing
+the assembly with a wave of his hand, he turned
+in great agitation to enter his tent, that he might regain
+that calmness for which in all difficult situations he was
+ever noted. As he turned, his eyes met those of Prexaspes,
+who occupied a tent near his, and, who, standing
+in his tent-door, had been a witness of the whole incident.
+He noted on the face of the Mede great astonishment.
+He gravely acknowledged the profound bow
+with which the latter greeted him and passed into his
+tent. Later, on the march that day, the Prince called
+Prexaspes to his side, and said to him:</p>
+
+<p>“Lord Prexaspes, you were witness when the Imperial<span class="pagenum" id="Page_41">[41]</span>
+Guard sought my consent to rebel. You are
+going in before Cambyses, the King of Kings; and I
+place it upon your honor to deal justly with me in this
+matter. These men are like children, loving me as I
+love them, and thought they were doing me a service.
+If you see fit to speak to the King of it, assure him of my
+loyalty. Also say that I myself will stand or fall with
+these men. No harm must come to them. The King of
+Kings shall have loyal service of me and of these as long
+as they remain with me.”</p>
+
+<p>“What need to report?” rejoined Prexaspes,
+warmly. “Truly it was no light thing your oath required
+of you! I marvel that you refused, knowing as
+you do how the King of Kings hates you, hates your
+friends, hates his brother, who is dear to you, and even
+his sister, the lovely Athura! Rest assured that, should
+this come to his ears, I will truthfully describe your
+actions. How can I forget that day at the crossing of
+the Araxes, when my Babylonian archers and I were
+surrounded by howling Scythians and we were hard-pressed?
+Was it not the Prince of Iran who came with
+the Guard to our rescue? I may not be a follower of
+Zoroaster, Great Prince, but I am not ungrateful!”</p>
+
+<p>The Prince looked into the eyes of Prexaspes and saw
+that he was sincere. “I trust you,” he said. “Let us
+hope that Cambyses as King may forget his dislikes as a
+man.”</p>
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
+
+<div class="chapter">
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_42">[42]</span>
+
+<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER IV<br />
+
+
+<small>ATHURA</small></h2>
+</div>
+
+<p class="drop-cap2">ANCIENT Bactra, the mother city of the Aryan
+race, was situate in the midst of a beautiful valley
+surrounded on all sides by mountain ranges. It was a
+fertile valley. Through it rushed the limpid river,
+Adirsiah, coming down from the distant snow-capped
+mountains in the east and finding an outlet northward
+to the Oxus. Though it was summer, the hills were
+green and the valley was luxuriant with full-leafed trees
+and blooming gardens. It seemed a paradise indeed to
+the Prince of Iran and his wayworn guard, marching in
+from the arid northern plain. Bactra was a great city.
+Many square miles dotted with ruins at this day mutely
+tell of its extent. Here the mythical Kaiomur, possibly
+a son of Japhet, settled, and planted a race from which
+many nations have sprung. It was not a walled city.
+The men of Iran relied on their good right arms for defense.
+Indeed, they were not accustomed to await invasion;
+they invaded others. In the open, with galloping
+steed and spear at rest they swept the enemy from
+their path, or on foot, with bow and arrow they smote
+him or closed with him in close mortal combat with
+sword and battle-ax. Their valor made a wall more
+potent than stones.</p>
+
+<p>Like a hive did the ancient city nourish myriad lives
+and send forth swarms of sturdy men, who, under the
+leadership of able men, took with them wives, children,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_43">[43]</span>
+and goods and forcibly possessed new homes in distant
+climes. One stream passed westward to the lower
+Caspian and, branching there, flowed northward, westward,
+and southward. Hellas, Asia Minor, the Saxon
+woods, Scandinavia, and Western Europe received them,
+not perhaps in one year or one century, but in successive
+years, as successive waves with a rising tide ever encroach
+on the shore. Medea and Persia received them.
+Ancient records seem to indicate that they dominated
+the great valley of the Euphrates and Tigris and even
+planted families in Syria on the shores of the Great
+Sea; and it is sometimes argued that the ancestors of
+Abraham, father of the Hebrews, came from Iran bringing
+their knowledge of one God with them. It is at
+least true that the monarchs of the Medes and Persians
+ever favored the Hebrews and acknowledged their
+Jehovah as the same God they themselves worshiped
+under the name Ahura-Mazda, or the Life-Giving
+Spirit. Another swarm crossed the southern mountains
+and occupied India. But eastward and northeastward,
+in obedience to some primal instinct that seems to
+have driven them in all other directions, the Aryans
+never penetrated. The slant-eyed, yellow races, protected
+by the vast mountain ranges and desert plains of
+Tibet, multiplied in peace on the shores of the Pacific
+Ocean and threw out their swarms northward and eastward
+into the Americas and the islands of the south
+seas. Occasionally their hordes, under the general
+designation of Tourans, pressed upon their western
+neighbors by way of the plains of Siberia, and later, as
+Huns, Turks, and Tartars, succeeded in overpowering,
+by weight of vast numbers, the provinces so long protected
+by Aryan valor; but not until that valor had been
+forgotten in the luxuries of an enervating civilization.</p>
+
+
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_44">[44]</span>Bactra was at the intersection of main highways of
+commerce. Here the great caravan road from Rhages,
+to which flowed by different routes the trade of Persia
+and Medea, of Egypt, Babylonia, Syria, and Europe,
+intersected the roads from India and Tourania. Here
+the beautiful wares of Babylon and Nineveh, of Samos
+and Damascus, of Egypt and the Ionian cities and of
+Greece were exchanged for the fabrics of India and the
+products of the northern plains. Here caravans outfitted
+for trade in distant lands. The great market-place,
+an open square on the shore of the Adirsiah, near
+the center of the city, was ever lively with the movement
+of men of different colors and wearing as many
+different dresses; of camels ever complaining and groaning;
+of donkeys, braying; of beautiful horses, exhibiting
+their points; and of a thousand vehicles for transporting
+goods. Around three sides were dome-roofed
+stores, where the wealth of all nations was displayed;,
+where gold, silver, precious stones, beautiful earthenwares,
+ivory, rugs, weapons, fruits, grains, and wearing
+apparel were exhibited for exchange or for sale, and the
+noisy shouts of traders were heard the whole day.
+Groups of soldiers swaggered along, keeping the peace.
+Teachers and priests in long robes walked with solemn
+pace contemplative; magistrates and nobles rode through
+with lofty aspect; the countryman, then as ever, wandered
+about in open-eyed curiosity, loved and respected
+by all Aryans, but nevertheless simple-minded and apt
+to be cheated; and the humble laborer of the city, rough-spoken
+but shrewd, boldly jostled any foreigner who
+might cross his path.</p>
+
+<p>The royal palace occupied an eminence sloping down
+to the river, near the eastern limits of the city, its stately
+walls, and porticos dimly seen through the leafy trees of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_45">[45]</span>
+the park surrounding it. Other mansions of the rich
+and noble, each surrounded by garden or park, clustered
+near. The narrow, irregular streets were bordered by
+the houses and shops of the commercial class. On the
+outskirts, the humbler cottages of the poor were built.
+On all sides lay the gardens and fields in which were
+raised the vegetables consumed by the vast population.</p>
+
+<p>Couriers had brought to Prince Bardya at Bactra
+news of his father’s death. A period of mourning had
+been proclaimed. When the funeral car with its guard
+drew near the city, a decree was issued and proclaimed
+on all the street corners, commanding all to leave their
+tasks and to observe a day of special mourning. A
+great procession marched out of the city to meet the
+dead king. A thousand horsemen, four abreast, led the
+way. Prince Bardya, riding a great white horse, rode
+alone, with bowed head and sorrowful demeanor. Following
+him were two litters, carried on the shoulders of
+stout black slaves; these bore the royal daughters of
+Cyrus, Athura and Artistone. A thousand or more
+nobles, magistrates, travelers of note, and rich men rode
+next. Countless multitudes of all classes closed the procession
+or traveled along the way through the fields,
+eager to see and to hear.</p>
+
+<p>The Prince of Iran, leaving his camp equipage at a
+ford of the river a league below the city, advanced
+slowly with the funeral car and his ten thousand weary,
+wayworn guards, to meet the procession. Coming to an
+open field, wherein stood several great oaks, he caused
+the funeral car to stop beneath the branches of one of the
+trees and massed his guard in an open square around it,
+leaving a way open for the royal Prince and his sisters
+to approach the bier. Then, accompanied by Gobryas,
+he rode on to meet the procession. The advance<span class="pagenum" id="Page_46">[46]</span>
+guards of Prince Bardya opened to let him pass through,
+forming in lines on either side of the way.</p>
+
+<p>The Prince of Iran and Gobryas dismounted as they
+were about to meet the son of Cyrus; and the latter likewise
+dismounted, and, hastening to them, embraced them
+affectionately, while tears dimmed all eyes.</p>
+
+<p>“Hail, dear friends!” was his greeting. “It is pleasant
+to meet you even though sadness comes with you.”
+He kissed the Prince of Iran and embraced him. “My
+sisters are here. Let us go to them,” he then said.</p>
+
+<p>The litters drew near and were placed on the ground
+by their brawny carriers. The curtains of the foremost
+were parted and from it emerged a young woman,
+heavily veiled and dressed in rich but somber clothing.
+As her brother and his two friends approached, she drew
+aside the veil from her face, and, smiling through tears
+upon the Prince of Iran, extended to him her hand. He
+bent knee before her and reverently kissed the extended
+hand.</p>
+
+<p>“Greeting, Prince of Iran!” she said in a low, sweet
+voice, wherein gladness struggled with sadness. “Arise!
+Should a Prince of Iran kneel to any person?”</p>
+
+<p>“To one only in the whole world!” was his reply,
+arising and looking down into her glorious eyes. “If
+I were not here on so sad an errand, this would be my
+happiest day. I bring to you the last message of love
+and farewell from the King of Kings. His last thoughts
+and words were of you and of the little sister here.”</p>
+
+<p>He turned to greet Artistone, who now came forward
+from her litter, and gravely bent to kiss the little hand
+she gave him.</p>
+
+<p>“Come!” said Bardya, “let us go and greet the dead.
+When we return to the palace we shall renew our
+acquaintance and you shall tell us all that our beloved
+father said.”</p>
+
+
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_47">[47]</span>Without further conversation they walked between
+the lines of massed soldiery, who saluted as they passed,
+to the funeral car, around which stood a score of officers
+with drawn swords as a guard of honor. They ascended
+the great car, drew aside the heavy curtains, with which
+it was surrounded, and stood in the presence of the dead.
+The casket had been partially opened and some of the
+wrappings over the face of the remains had been removed,
+that they might look again upon the beloved features.
+Royalty for the moment was forgotten and the
+bereaved children wept; and, in an instant, a great wave
+of emotion swept over the vast multitude. Men of all
+stations, women of all classes and their children, lifted
+up their voices in loud lamentation. The hero, under
+whose mighty shadow they had so long rested and been
+safe, was no more! Cyrus, the well-beloved, was gone!
+Alas and alas! wailed the people. The glowing sun
+smiled upon the snowy peaks in the east, the green hills
+in the west, and the lovely valley with its rippling stream,
+and all nature seemed happy. Only this myriad of
+human beings voiced their woe. No greater tribute
+could have been given to the mighty dead.</p>
+
+<p>But weeping must have an end. The Prince and his
+sisters descended from the car and returned to the palace.
+The casket, escorted by the multitudes, was conveyed to
+a temple, which stood in the park surrounding the palace,
+and was there kept while arrangements were made for
+its further transportation to Persia.</p>
+
+<p>Prexaspes, having been given audience by Prince
+Bardya, was furnished with an escort and sent on his
+way to Cambyses at Hamadan. He was directed to inform
+the King of Kings that his brother and sisters
+would accompany the body of their father to Pasargadæ.
+The determination of Bardya to attend his father’s<span class="pagenum" id="Page_48">[48]</span>
+corpse to its tomb gave the Prince of Iran much concern.
+It would place Bardya within the power of King
+Cambyses, whose uncertain temper might lead him to
+fratricide. Knowing the disposition of Cambyses and
+his long-standing hatred towards Bardya, and fearing
+that a conflict would inevitably arise over the divided
+authority left them by the will of Cyrus, the Prince
+sought to persuade Bardya to remain in Bactra, whose
+people would protect him. But Bardya would not be
+persuaded. He was a bold youth and thought that he
+would be as safe among the Persians as among the
+Bactrians.</p>
+
+<p>The palace of Bactra was the property of its ancient
+line of kings. Here the Kings of Iran were crowned,
+and from it went forth all royal decrees. Here King
+Hystaspis in early youth had resided with his queen, and
+here Darius, their son, had been born. But when Cyrus
+of Persia became conqueror of Medea and assumed the
+title of King of Kings, he admitted that Persia was a
+part of Iran and placed it likewise under the rule of
+Hystaspis, but on condition that the latter should acknowledge
+him as overlord of all. King Hystaspis
+entertained for his great cousin the most lively admiration
+and affection. He cared not to dispute with him
+world authority. He was a mystic, a lover of learning
+and of his fellow-men. He would much rather have sat
+at the feet of Zoroaster and delved into the mystery of
+life and the greater mystery of death than rule as King.
+But he accepted the duties of kingship as a trust for his
+people and stoutly protected them from their enemies as
+well as in the enjoyment of their ancient rights. He had
+accepted the proposition of Cyrus and under him had
+ruled all Iran, including Persia. His authority even extended
+over Medea in the absence of Cyrus, although,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_49">[49]</span>
+the capital of Cyrus’ empire being at Hamadan, the
+Great King generally regulated the internal affairs of
+Medea himself.</p>
+
+<p>King Hystaspis had then built for himself a palace on
+the banks of the royal river Pulwar in Persia near where
+it flowed into the Araxes and about thirty miles below or
+west of Pasargadæ, around which arose a great city
+known to history as Persepolis, where in winter he might
+enjoy a less rigorous climate than at Bactra. There he
+and his queen loved to reside in the midst of a great park,
+surrounded by men and women of congenial spirit, embowered
+in the flowers and foliage of a semi-tropic vegetation
+with the great plain of Merv, a very paradise under
+irrigation, lying before them. His provinces were
+under the rule of governors. The load of executive duties
+fell upon his officers. Only in times of war did he
+leave his retreat, except that once each year he returned
+to Bactra for some weeks of administrative work.</p>
+
+<p>During the absence of King Hystaspis and his son with
+Cyrus on the expedition against the Tourans, Bardya and
+his sisters had been guests in the palace at Bactra. This
+was a rambling structure, one story in height, adorned
+with a portico whose tall stone pillars supported a heavy
+wooden roof and gave to its front the appearance of a
+temple. The walls of the palace were of roughly hewn
+stone, thick and massive. There were many wings, all
+gable-roofed and rudely ornate with buttresses and overhanging
+eaves. Narrow windows and doors gave light
+and air to the interior. It being summer, the windows
+were protected by heavy wooden bars only, the winter-time
+shutters having been removed. Gauze curtains on
+the inside were hung over them, more to exclude insects
+than for beauty. The doors were of heavy wood, bound
+with brazen bands cut in ornate figures. Inside, the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_50">[50]</span>
+many rooms were fitted luxuriously, with bright, soft
+rugs on the stone floors and with figured draperies on the
+walls, where, also, hung armor and weapons. Divans,
+couches, chairs, and tables richly upholstered and set
+with precious metals and ivory constituted the furniture.
+In the midst of the palace was an open court, where a
+fountain gushed up from a rocky islet in the middle of a
+pool and where flowering shrubs perfumed the air. The
+servants’ quarters were at the rear, and, not far away,
+was another building where a company of soldiers had
+quarters.</p>
+
+<p>The white stone walls of a small temple could be seen
+three hundred paces to the west of the palace, in the
+midst of great oaks and elms. There had Zoroaster
+taught and had exercised the offices of chief priest of
+Iran, and there beneath its altar lay buried his saintly
+bones. There a corps of priests kept the sacred fire ever
+burning and daily uttered prayers for the King and his
+people. There, before entering upon any long journey
+or going to war, the King of Iran offered his sacrifices and
+raised his hands to the Great Life-giving Spirit of
+Heaven. There, now, within its sacred portals, reposed
+for a time the body of the Great King.</p>
+
+<p>The ground sloped gently northward from the palace
+down to the shore of the Adirsiah and was graced with
+many large trees. A low stone wall surrounded the palace
+park, except where the river bounded its front.
+There were benches beneath the elms on the river shore,
+where one could sit and look upon the distant northern
+mountains or at the rapid stream, rushing in light green
+splendor through its narrow, rock-bound channel and
+with sighing murmur giving an undertone to the songs
+of birds. Here at even came Athura, after having
+listened to the chant of the priests, celebrating the close<span class="pagenum" id="Page_51">[51]</span>
+of the day as she knelt by her father’s bier. She had
+come hither to be alone with her sorrow.</p>
+
+<p>The air was warm and balmy. A cooler breeze was
+beginning to blow down from the mountains; it played
+with the dark hair above her brow. The scarflike veil,
+which commonly served as a head-dress, was thrown
+aside and rested on her shoulders, exposing the wavy
+mass of hair upon her head and the gem-studded band
+that encircled it like a crown. Her tall, well-developed
+body was robed in a long mantle of dark, soft fabric,
+somewhat like the Grecian robe, caught up in the folds
+at the left side so as to expose the tip of a sandaled foot,
+and secured by a girdle of golden links at the waist. The
+short sleeves of an under jacket covered her arms to the
+elbow. Bracelets of gold set with gems graced her
+wrists. No pen has ever described her beauty or the
+royal grace of her demeanor. Through the dim vista of
+the ages comes a picture of dark brown eyes, in the depths
+of which shone all the tenderness of womanhood with
+its all-embracing sympathy and boundless capacity for
+love, and all the fearlessness of a pure, proud spirit, accustomed
+to power and authority. Comes also a vision
+of a fair complexion, pure Caucasian, or rather Aryan;
+a lofty brow, inherited from her father; a profile, now
+known as Grecian, but not modern Grecian; an expressive
+mouth, where sweetness dwelt, but which could show
+firmness and even sternness when necessary; a smile
+that would raise a worshiper to heaven; a frown before
+which the boldest would falter.</p>
+
+<p>In those days and among that people, woman held high
+and honorable place. The servility of the Semitic races,
+aped by later Persian rulers, had not yet degraded her.
+As in Greece and Rome, where men of kindred blood
+dwelt, so among the Iranians, woman held a most honorable<span class="pagenum" id="Page_52">[52]</span>
+place. Man ruled the world; but his heart was
+ruled by a noble woman. Coming of such a race, where
+equality made her sex noble, this royal princess exhibited
+in her carriage a spirit before which men bowed, not because
+she was high-born and of royal lineage, but because
+she was a woman.</p>
+
+<p>Of her tradition has spoken much and history little.
+All agree that she was the most famous woman of her
+age. Some would have her the wife of three kings: of
+Cambyses, her brother, of the false Bardya, or Smerdis,
+and of Darius, son of Hystaspis. Others declare that
+her sister, Artistone, was the wife of the latter. Others,
+that Artistone was the ill-fated wife of Cambyses. This
+is certain, that she was the high-spirited daughter of
+Cyrus, that she was indeed the wife of the greatest of
+the Kings of Iran and the mother of a line of kings;
+and history indicates that she was the real ruler of the
+empire while her son wore the crown. But such history
+had not yet been written, when, on this summer
+evening, she stood on the shore of the river Adirsiah and
+sadly meditated on the pleasant days of her girlhood
+spent in the company of her father. Her mother had
+died when she was a child of ten years; and, thereafter,
+her father had made her his companion, delighting in her
+wisdom as much as in her affection. She had traveled
+with him as he moved through his great empire, had
+played in the ancestral park at Pasargadæ, had ruled his
+palace at Susa, had viewed with wonder the mighty walls
+and hanging gardens of Babylon, and had dwelt much in
+Hamadan, the chief capital of the empire. There rose
+in her memory the proud, beautiful face of her mother,
+the cruel, sneering countenance of Cambyses, the smiling,
+mischievous face of Bardya, the little sister Artistone,
+and the grave, kindly father, whose stately manner never<span class="pagenum" id="Page_53">[53]</span>
+departed even in the privacy of home-life. Into this
+picture of her childhood life there came another face and
+form, one that of late years had filled much of her life
+with the sweetness of love. She remembered her first
+meeting with the Prince of Iran, at Pasargadæ, and how
+afterwards as a tall youth of fourteen years he came to
+her father’s court to enter his service, and that he talked
+much of his mother, of his father, and of his studies.
+He had at once assumed a sort of protectorate over Bardya
+and herself, interposing often between them and the
+cruel elder brother, Cambyses, and even coming to blows
+with him in their behalf. With him she had studied, had
+learned the art of writing and reading, had sat at the
+feet of the great seer of Babylon, Belteshazzer, also
+known as Daniel, the Hebrew, and had learned to ride,
+to hunt, and to handle arms. She had not neglected the
+arts practiced by the women of her race. To cook, to
+sew, to spin, to weave wonderful tapestries,—all these she
+had learned. Many times, disguised, she and Bardya and
+the young Prince of Iran had traveled from place to
+place, enjoying adventures among the common people
+and sometimes incurring great risks. Then wars had
+come, and her brothers and the young Hystaspis had followed
+the Great King on his campaigns, that they too
+might learn the war-game.</p>
+
+<p>She sat down on a rustic seat beneath a great elm and
+with hands folded in her lap gazed dreamily at the swirling
+stream, into which the shades of evening were darkly
+falling. Bitter-sweet thoughts, the sense of personal loss,
+the uncertainty of the future, the near presence of him
+she loved,—a hundred passing impressions stirred her
+soul. What would Cambyses do, now that he was to be
+the King of Kings? She and Bardya had often discussed
+the subject. She knew that the proud spirit of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_54">[54]</span>
+the latter would suffer no oppression from the King.
+Would there be civil war? Would brother fight brother?
+She feared so, knowing the hatred Cambyses felt towards
+Bardya, a feeling that the latter reciprocated.</p>
+
+<p>A footfall startled her. Turning, she beheld the
+Prince of Iran coming towards her. She rose with a
+smile of welcome and extended her hands to him. How
+noble he seemed to her! He had put off his armor, and
+over his close-fitting tunic of soft, velvety cloth had
+thrown the elegant Medean cloak in common use among
+the noble-born. Sandals protected his feet, and the interlaced
+thongs with which they were held partially covered
+his ankles and legs to the knee, to which the skirt of his
+tunic descended. The open folds of the long cloak gave
+freedom to his limbs and displayed the broad purple sash
+which served as a belt and the golden chain from which
+his short sword swung. His head was bare, displaying a
+mass of dark hair, slightly curled, and combed back from
+his broad brow. He had washed away the stains of
+travel. His sun-tanned skin glowed with health. His
+eyes were alight with love.</p>
+
+<p>A bulbul broke forth into song in the branches of the
+tree above them. The breeze rustled gently amidst the
+leaves. The gurgle and rush of the stream rose softly.
+A thousand whispering voices seemed to waken all
+about, as if the spirits of the woods talked of these two
+standing there in close embrace. Love, without which no
+human soul desires to live, which raises men to God,
+which makes of earth a heaven, which in its all-abounding
+strength makes men and women strong, the chief attribute
+of God and the chief element in His children,
+which links congenial spirits together for eternity and
+drives out evil, here sat enthroned.</p>
+
+<p>After the first warm greetings were over, they sat down
+side by side on the rustic seat.</p>
+
+
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_55">[55]</span>“I may tell you now,” he said, “that your father gave
+consent to our marriage. How I wish you could have
+been present so that he could have placed your hand in
+mine! Now, if we observe the ancient customs of our
+race, your eldest brother must give his consent.”</p>
+
+<p>“But even then we must wait until the days of mourning
+for my father are finished!”</p>
+
+<p>“I know, but what if Cambyses does not consent?”</p>
+
+<p>She was silent for a moment. This possibility had occurred
+to both. The word of Cambyses the Great King
+would be law. He might if he willed give his sister to
+another.</p>
+
+<p>“That Cambyses is not fit to reign!” she exclaimed
+presently. “My father should have decreed Bardya his
+successor! Am I, the daughter of Cyrus, to have no
+part in this empire? To have no will of my own? Let
+the people of Iran answer! What say you?”</p>
+
+<p>The Prince was silent now. The oath sworn to the
+dead Cyrus recurred to his mind. It would indeed have
+been better had Cyrus willed that Bardya should be his
+successor, for then the Aryans would have cheerfully
+followed his will. As he replied not, she continued:</p>
+
+<p>“Who, in truth, is entitled to reign in Iran? If birth
+gives right, is not the gracious King, your father, this
+day entitled to succeed my father? For he is of an older
+branch of the Achæmenian family. Let him assert this
+right! The men of Iran will uphold him. As for me, I
+shall be satisfied to become queen of the world, when you
+succeed to your father’s place.”</p>
+
+<p>“Of all these matters have I thought much,” he replied
+slowly. “It is true my father is entitled to reign
+in Iran; but the empire of Cyrus reaches on every side
+beyond the utmost limits of Iran; and it was his by right
+of conquest. It is a new empire based on the provinces<span class="pagenum" id="Page_56">[56]</span>
+of Persia and Medea over which he was always entitled
+to reign. Perhaps our ancient customs and laws would
+give my father the best right to succeed. But he has
+refused to assert that right. He has sworn to Cyrus to
+support Cambyses and Bardya on their thrones forever.
+I, too, in obedience to my father’s will, when the Great
+King lay dying, made solemn oath that I would likewise
+support them on their thrones, according to the terms of
+his will. Our oaths cannot return. But such oaths do
+not take away our ancient right to rule as Kings of Iran.
+That we will ever maintain; but not to the overthrow of
+Cambyses or of Bardya. I am troubled to know how to
+act in the future. Cambyses surely will not permit
+Bardya to reign even over part of this empire; and all
+the provinces of the East have been given to Bardya
+with the sole condition that he acknowledge the overlordship
+of Cambyses. If the King of Kings should lead an
+army hither to overthrow his brother, we must fight him;
+if Bardya seeks to overthrow his brother, we must prevent
+him. Alas! the mind of Cyrus must have been affected
+so that he could not see clearly! I can see before
+us long years of civil war, wherein Aryan will fight
+Aryan. Of one thing I am convinced, Bardya should not
+accompany the body of his father to Pasargadæ. Here,
+in the faithful city of Bactra, with the army of King
+Hystaspis at hand, he may be secure. Would it not be
+better that you also remain here, while I go to stand before
+the King and demand his consent to our marriage?”</p>
+
+<p>“Shall I not honor my father by attending when he
+goes to his tomb? I have no fear of Cambyses. Surely
+he will attempt no harm to me or to my brother when on
+this sacred mission! Besides, will you not also be present?”</p>
+
+<p>“Yes, I shall be near. Let us hope that the King of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_57">[57]</span>
+Kings will be gracious. My life shall be between you
+and harm. It would be valueless to me without you!”</p>
+
+<p>“And mine would end without you! Have no fear
+that Cambyses may give me to another! I, the daughter
+of Cyrus, will submit to no such disposition! He dares
+not violate the ancient custom which gives a woman the
+right to reject one who may be proposed. Not yet do the
+slavish laws of the Assyrians have force in Iran. Cambyses
+may rage; he may slay me! Yet will he not have
+his way with me! Truly if he attempts to oppress
+Bardya and me, the people of Iran shall be appealed to;
+and I know they will rise!”</p>
+
+<p>He drew his encircling arm closer and sighed deeply.
+“Oaths, lives, and crown shall not stand between us!” he
+said.</p>
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
+
+<div class="chapter">
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_58">[58]</span>
+
+<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER V<br />
+
+
+<small>CAMBYSES</small></h2>
+</div>
+
+<p class="drop-cap">SOME days were given to rest before the Prince of
+Iran and his guard, escorting the royal dead and accompanied
+by the royal family, marched out of Bactra
+on the long journey, over verdant plain and hill, over
+rugged mountains and sandy wastes, to Pasargadæ.
+Their route lay westward to Rhages, with the Elburz
+chain of mountains on the right and the vast deserts of
+Iran on the left, thence southward by way of Hamadan.
+A caravan accompanied them, bearing provisions and
+luxuries for the journey. In spite of the sad errand, it
+was a pleasant experience for the Prince and his beloved.</p>
+
+<p>Meanwhile Prexaspes, riding at courier speed, rushed
+on in advance to carry tidings to Cambyses. As he rode,
+he formulated plans. He knew Cambyses well,—in fact,
+it had been reported to Cyrus that Prexaspes had abetted
+his wayward son in his excesses. As much to remove
+him from his son as to please the Medes, the King had
+taken the powerful noble with him on his expedition
+against the Touranians. Prexaspes had not dared demur.
+Much as he loved ease and luxury, he was personally
+brave and capable. He had performed his duties
+and had won the approbation of the just old King.
+Knowing the weaknesses of Cambyses, his vanity, his
+selfishness, his gross passions, and his superstitious nature,
+he now planned how he should gain advantage by
+them; and in his mind he saw himself raised to the second<span class="pagenum" id="Page_59">[59]</span>
+place in the empire, covered with riches, honors, and
+power.</p>
+
+<p>He soon arrived at Rhages, an ancient city situated
+near that famous pass through the Elburz mountain-chain
+known as the Caspian Gates, and not far from Mount
+Demavend, around which cluster many legends of ancient
+Iran. Here the stream of Aryans had halted many
+years before separating into the three branches, one of
+which passed northward through the Gates into the Caucasus
+and thence into Europe, another westward into the
+mountains of Azerbijan, and another southward to Medea
+and Persia. But Hamadan, the Ecbatana of the Greeks,
+situated farther south, had grown greater and had become
+the capital of Medea. Rhages had ceased to be the capital.
+It was, however, a great and important city, a base
+for the army guarding the Caspian provinces beyond the
+great mountain-chain and a market through which flowed
+commerce from the sea of the north, the caravans of the
+east and south and from the herdsmen of the mountains
+in the west. Mount Demavend, magnificent in its snow-capped
+grandeur, on whose peak, it was said, God sometimes
+rested to view His created world, is one of the
+great mountains of earth.</p>
+
+<p>Prexaspes halted here but a day. He sacrificed a horse
+at the temple, where the ancient Aryan rites were performed,
+and he drank soma and was sprinkled with holy
+water afterwards at a Magian shrine, where he left a gift
+of money. Having thus satisfied his conscience and invoked
+good-luck from all sources, he galloped southward
+towards Hamadan, where he expected to find King Cambyses.</p>
+
+<p>The queen city of the empire, celebrated in song and
+story, strong in the martial spirit of its people, called
+Hamadan by the Persians, Agmetha by the Hebrews,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_60">[60]</span>
+Ecbatana by the Greeks, sat upon a rolling plain, close to
+the foot of Mount Elwend, sometimes called Mount
+Orontes. In the center was an eminence on which was
+the citadel and around which were seven walls rising in
+gradations, each painted a different color from the others.
+On the top of the eminence was the far-famed royal
+palace, covering acres of ground. Its glittering metal
+roof reflected afar the rays of the sun. Its porch columns,
+its doors and walls, were plated with precious
+metal. Its deep, cool interior was luxuriously furnished
+with carved and curiously wrought tables, divans, settees,
+and chairs, and with costly tapestries from Srinigar
+and rugs and carpets from the looms of Medea. Its
+throne room was vast and magnificent. A stone-built
+treasury vault occupied one corner, where was stored
+untold wealth, gathered during the years of conquest,
+when Crœsus and other unlucky kings fell before the
+conqueror. A park lay at the rear, inclosed within the
+walls.</p>
+
+<p>To this city from east and south caravans, with their
+spirited horses, their complaining camels, and their slow-moving
+elephants, came, and from the west long trains of
+pack mules and slaves, to exchange commodities and to
+outfit for new expeditions. Here came armies, returning
+from chastisement of some rebel or from conquest of
+some nation, to recruit for further forays. Half a million
+people, dwelling in wooden, stone, or tent houses,
+here made their homes and proudly claimed to be rulers
+of the world by virtue of the palace on the hill and the
+power of its royal occupant.</p>
+
+<p>It was midsummer. Royalty and nobility, leaving the
+lowlands and the heat of the capital city, sought cool retreats
+in the mountains. Mount Elwend, whose peak is
+capped with eternal snow, thrusts downward vast spurs<span class="pagenum" id="Page_61">[61]</span>
+into the plains eastward and southward; and, between
+their wooded sides, babbling streams of cool water flow
+down from the snows. In the vales and canyons of the
+foothills were many tents and rustic cabins, where the
+rich and powerful dwelt and enjoyed the cool, sweet air.
+Pack-trains fetched provisions and supplies from the
+city. In luxury and dissipation, with sport and game, the
+elect of earth here passed the time pleasantly. Here
+Cambyses was residing, all unconscious that he was now
+King of Kings.</p>
+
+<p>Riding down from the north, with a score of soldiers
+at his back, Prexaspes saw the dome and towers of the
+great palace flash in the afternoon sun and knew that his
+mission was almost accomplished. His heart beat high.
+He would be the first to greet Cambyses by his new title,
+King of Kings, the Great King, and it would depend upon
+the mood of Cambyses whether he would be given honors
+as the bearer of good tidings, or be disgraced as the
+bearer of evil. The guard at his back, picked up at
+Rhages, did not know his errand or that Cyrus was dead.
+The dark, eagle-like countenance of Prexaspes was impassive
+and never betrayed his thoughts. Worn by
+weather and hardened by exposure, he now looked more
+the soldier than the courier. But he looked forward to
+many days of ease and pleasure, when he could discard
+his dusty uniform for clean linen, perfumed vestments,
+and the elegant Medean cloak.</p>
+
+<p>At a point about two miles north of the city, he met a
+train of donkeys led by slaves and under guard of half
+a dozen mounted troopers. They were moving slowly
+and they insolently neglected to give way to Prexaspes
+and his followers when the latter came galloping down
+towards them.</p>
+
+<p>“On the King’s business!” shouted Prexaspes, wrathfully,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_62">[62]</span>
+reining in his foaming steed. “Out of the way,
+swine! Offscouring of the earth and filthy jackals! must
+we ride over you?”</p>
+
+<p>“We also are on the King’s business!” retorted the
+leader of the troopers, a dour, whiskered Mede, bringing
+his short spear into position. “By the whiskers of
+Merodach! keep a civil tongue and do not try riding over
+the train of Cambyses!”</p>
+
+<p>Prexaspes glowered at the speaker a moment. He
+recognized the sullen face.</p>
+
+<p>“Ha, Merobates, is it you?” he cried. “I might have
+known the captain of the King’s houseguard! Know you
+not Prexaspes?”</p>
+
+<p>Anger left the swarthy countenance of Merobates.
+He grinned as he answered:</p>
+
+<p>“Truly I remember the Lord Prexaspes! But I did
+not suppose you were within a thousand parasangs!
+Whence and whither?”</p>
+
+<p>“From the King to the King,” answered Prexaspes,
+enigmatically. “But where is he,—Cambyses? I bear
+a message to him and must not delay.”</p>
+
+<p>“Wise it is not to delay on his business, indeed!” rejoined
+Merobates. “The Prince is now at his summer
+camp some parasangs over there,” indicating the slopes
+of Elwend. “I am just returning from the city with the
+daily provisions for his use.”</p>
+
+<p>“Guide me to him, good Merobates, and great will be
+your reward!” said Prexaspes. “In the King’s name, I
+command! Leave your men to bring the train and lead
+on.”</p>
+
+<p>Merobates hesitated, considering whether it were wiser
+to stay with his men and thus assure the performance of
+his daily duty or to obey the order of the noble Prexaspes.
+But the compelling gaze of the nobleman was<span class="pagenum" id="Page_63">[63]</span>
+upon him, and, having issued several gruff orders to his
+subordinates, he led the way along a beaten trail into the
+hills. As they went, Prexaspes sought information.</p>
+
+<p>“How long has the Prince been at his summer house?”</p>
+
+<p>“Seven days only. He has just married a new wife,
+the daughter of Nebuchadezer, Prince of Nineveh, and
+he has taken her there, as he says, to be at peace, leaving
+his other wives at the palace.”</p>
+
+<p>“Has he many people with him?”</p>
+
+<p>“Oh, yes! Thirty notables of Nineveh came as an escort
+with the new wife. Thirty Medean nobles are with
+them for company. Besides, King Crœsus is there and
+also the son of Hillel of Damascus. There be the Babylonian
+hostages and Gaumata, the chief Magian, and a
+hundred others from far and near. A thousand cavalry
+guard the camp. Great games have there been! The
+Prince has proven himself to be a mighty archer and
+spear-thrower. He outshoots them all. Well it is for
+them! For the liquor—you know?”</p>
+
+<p>Merobates waved his hand suggestively towards his
+mouth as though quaffing from a goblet. Prexaspes
+nodded assent.</p>
+
+<p>“How is the Prince’s temper?” he asked.</p>
+
+<p>“Excellent! Never better! His new wife pleases him
+and his servants have learned how to avoid crossing him.
+But what is this news, which you have galloped from
+afar to bring?”</p>
+
+<p>“It is for the Prince’s ears first; but know, O Merobates,
+that great fortune either of good or evil hangs over
+your head and mine to-day. How does the Prince regard
+himself now?”</p>
+
+<p>Merobates laughed.</p>
+
+<p>“He has adopted the customs of the lowlander dogs
+who salaam to the earth before royalty. Cambyses has<span class="pagenum" id="Page_64">[64]</span>
+forgotten that he is mortal and swears that he will do
+even greater deeds than the Great King, his father. If
+you would please him, prostrate yourself and bow very
+low to the earth. Were he God himself, he could not be
+pleased more with adulation and homage! Praise his
+deeds—he swells with pride. Fail to praise—you
+may as well leap from the tower in the city market!
+Please him—a gold chain and a chief place at feasts is
+your reward! Displease him,—a bowstring at your
+throat, or hanging by your heels to a beam, or some other
+evil! Me has he ever commanded to treat him as ever
+I have,—with respect and obedience, but not with lying
+adulation. I tell him his faults. He laughs.”</p>
+
+<p>“I remember, he used to say that Merobates was his
+conscience and was the only man who dared to cross him
+or to speak plainly to him.”</p>
+
+<p>“It has always been so. He is violent. He fears not
+to smite in wrath; but he is subject to persuasion and
+art. He has no patience with those whom he dislikes and
+he dislikes all who neglect to praise him. Even the
+great Belteshazzer, appointed Governor of this province
+by Cyrus, has not escaped his anger. The Prince has revoked
+his authority.”</p>
+
+<p>Presently they entered a canyon, in which a clear brook
+tumbled over rocks. Following this they soon entered
+a small valley. Great trees bordered the margin of the
+stream and were scattered over the valley, forming a
+natural park. In the midst was the Prince’s palace, a low
+structure built of hewn timbers. A score of lesser houses
+and many tents stood at the sides of an open field several
+acres in extent, which lay in front of the palace. On this
+field the sports and contests of which Cambyses was fond
+were held.</p>
+
+<p>Prexaspes now perceived a group of men gathered<span class="pagenum" id="Page_65">[65]</span>
+beneath the spreading branches of a great live-oak near
+the palace. One, who was seated on a thronelike chair
+higher than the others, was engaged in conversation with
+another who stood uncovered before him and whose
+dress indicated that he was a priest. Others standing
+near appeared to be giving close attention. He who was
+seated was a large, heavy-limbed man, well-padded with
+fat and short-necked and gross. His big, round head
+was covered with a mass of curly black hair and was encircled
+by a gem-studded coronet. His face was dark,
+heavy, and flaccid, but his black eyes looked forth
+shrewdly from beneath overhanging brows. Bushy eyebrows
+met above his beaklike nose. A heavy black beard
+cut to a length of about six inches covered the lower part
+of his face. He was a powerful man physically and was
+said to be agile and quick in spite of his fat.</p>
+
+<p>Such was Cambyses, elder son of Cyrus. There were
+marks of dissipation on his face. From early youth he
+had indulged his passions, until now, at the age of thirty
+years, he was a slave to them.</p>
+
+<p>The sound of approaching hoofs called the Prince’s attention
+to Prexaspes and his followers. He paused in
+his discourse and exclaimed angrily: “Who comes? It
+must be very important service to cause men to ride thus
+into my presence!”</p>
+
+<p>Prexaspes halted at twenty paces’ distance, gave the
+reins of his steed to Merobates, sprang to the earth and
+drew near, uncovering his head as he advanced. Cambyses
+then recognized him and uttered an exclamation of
+surprise and pleasure. Prexaspes, throwing himself on
+his face at the Prince’s feet, cried: “All hail, King of
+Kings! May the Great King of all the World live forever!”</p>
+
+<p>For a moment, Cambyses was silent. He knew the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_66">[66]</span>
+meaning of those words. His face paled and he sank
+back upon his seat. But recovering he said, in a voice
+quivering with excitement: “Rise up, Prexaspes!
+What mean you? Why are you here? What of my
+father?”</p>
+
+<p>“I will speak only if you bid me, mighty King!”</p>
+
+<p>“Speak on!”</p>
+
+<p>“King Cyrus, the Great King, the immortal hero,
+greater than Jemshid, greater than Kaiomur, is no more
+alive! But there lives a greater, even Cambyses, King
+of Kings, King of the Whole Earth; and, to him bring I
+this message at the command of the noble Hystaspis, King
+of Iran, thy subject. May I find forgiveness as a bearer
+of this evil news of the death of thy father, and favor as
+a bearer of the good news of thy accession to the throne!”</p>
+
+<p>Cambyses was again silent, unable fully to realize his
+elevation to supreme authority. His eyes turned upon
+his courtiers, who forthwith fell on their faces before
+him, and cried out: “All hail, King of Kings! Live
+forever!”</p>
+
+<p>He drew a deep inspiration. Graciously extending his
+hand he motioned to Prexaspes to rise and draw near;
+and, taking from his own neck a heavy gold chain, he
+placed it around the messenger’s neck, saying:</p>
+
+<p>“I give you my favor, noble Prexaspes! A long and
+weary journey have you come to bear me this news; and
+you shall be rewarded. That has come to pass which had
+to come. Henceforth Cambyses, the Achæmenian, son
+of Cyrus, heaven-born, reigns and shall reign! I thank
+you, Prexaspes! You shall have room in my palace here
+and shall feast this night. On the morrow we will return
+to our capital and proclaim my accession to the
+throne. Sit down here on my right hand and tell me of
+the death of my father. There shall be proclaimed<span class="pagenum" id="Page_67">[67]</span>
+throughout the empire forty days of mourning for my
+father and, after that, forty days of rejoicing for me.”</p>
+
+<p>“I am indeed weary and travel-stained,” rejoined
+Prexaspes, looking down upon his dusty clothes. “I
+have ridden day and night, that I might hasten to you. I
+pray you command that I may retire and dress as becomes
+one who stands in the presence of the King.”</p>
+
+<p>“Mind not the clothes! It pleases me to note such
+eagerness in my service. Ho, there, cup-bearer!” cried
+the King, turning to a youth who stood waiting near the
+palace door. “Bring cups and wine!”</p>
+
+<p>Instantly the cup-bearer clapped his hands. Two
+servants came running from the palace, one bearing a jar
+of wine, the other a tray of golden goblets. The goblets
+were quickly filled with ruby wine and the cup-bearer
+presented them to the King, after duly tasting them.
+Cambyses took one and handed it to Prexaspes.</p>
+
+<p>“Drink!” he said. “You must be thirsty. But, perhaps,
+my father has trained you to soberness?”</p>
+
+<p>“While King Cyrus lived I obeyed him. Now that
+Cambyses is King of Kings, I obey him,” answered Prexaspes,
+taking the cup.</p>
+
+<p>“Well said!” exclaimed Cambyses, taking a huge goblet.
+“Come, let us first pour a libation to the earth and
+its gods.”</p>
+
+<p>He poured a little of the wine out upon the earth and
+drank the remainder. Prexaspes followed suit. The
+King laughed as he looked around upon his courtiers and
+saw that their countenances were expressive of curiosity
+and mild astonishment. Pouring libations to the gods of
+earth was sin with the orthodox Aryans and a new practice
+to the majority of those present. But they expected
+that Cambyses would disregard custom and law, even
+more now as King than he did while only a prince.</p>
+
+
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_68">[68]</span>“Now sit here by me and briefly tell how my father
+died and all that happened thereafter,” said the King to
+Prexaspes. “Afterwards you shall rest.”</p>
+
+<p>Prexaspes sat down at the King’s right hand on a low
+bench. The courtiers and attendants, obeying a motion
+of the King’s hand, retired beyond hearing.</p>
+
+<p>“I thank you, O King, for this favor!” answered
+Prexaspes. “My last message was written just before
+your father encamped with his army on the left bank of
+the Jaxartes and two days before the last great battle. It
+had been in the King’s mind to cross the river and pursue
+the enemy farther when he learned from his scouts and
+some prisoners that the Touranians were gathering at a
+point ten parasangs above us with the intention of giving
+battle. Then the King set his army in battle-array, in a
+very strong position, with the left wing resting on the
+river and the right far out in shifting sand-dunes. In
+front was a deep, narrow water-course beyond which lay
+an open plain over which the enemy must come. He
+commanded the Prince of Iran to lead the Imperial
+Guard to a position behind the sand-dunes, ready to come
+out upon the enemy’s flank and rear when the battle
+should be joined.”</p>
+
+<p>The King interrupted, exclaiming: “A young man is
+Prince Darius to hold so important a command! By my
+beard! Infants shall not command under me!”</p>
+
+<p>“Your will is law, O King,” rejoined Prexaspes bowing.
+“But I must say that Prince Darius is a most loyal
+subject of Cambyses and a very brave and able general.
+King Cyrus took position at the left of our army and the
+weight of the enemy’s charge fell upon that part. It was
+a fearful struggle. My light-armed troopers went out to
+draw the enemy to charge and, as commanded, fell back
+before the thousands on thousands of shrieking, howling<span class="pagenum" id="Page_69">[69]</span>
+foemen. They followed us into the great ditch in our
+front and pressed across. They bore back the Persian
+and Medean heavy-armed infantry. They broke through
+and would have ruined the army, had not King Cyrus at
+the head of five thousand men of the Imperial Guard
+thrown himself into the breach and held them back by
+most mighty exertions! Then came the Prince of Iran
+and the remainder of the Guard down from the right
+upon the rear of the enemy, crushing and rolling them
+back into the Jaxartes. His charge saved the day. It
+was magnificent. The light horses of the Touranians
+went down like leaves before a gust of wind. But just
+as the victory declared for us, the King received a poisoned
+dart in his throat and was borne from the field by
+the noble Otanes. In spite of all that the surgeons could
+do, he died that night.”</p>
+
+<p>“What message did he leave?”</p>
+
+<p>“King Hystaspis was in command of the army. He
+called a council of officers and designated me as a messenger
+to bring to you the last decree of the Great King.
+Here it is.”</p>
+
+<p>Prexaspes drew a packet from a pouch at his belt and
+presented it to the King. Cambyses eagerly unbound it
+and began to read. A dark frown slowly gathered on his
+face. He suddenly cast the paper upon the earth and set
+his foot upon it, while his gleaming eyes showed bitter
+wrath.</p>
+
+<p>“What!” he exclaimed. “Does he think to divide his
+empire and confirm that hair-brained, beardless Bardya
+as ruler of Iran and Persia? I say, it shall not be! I am
+King of Kings now, and I shall reign alone! I will cut
+that young sprout off if he dare claim a shadow of sovereignty!
+My father always hated me and loved Bardya.
+He always did shield that boy from my wrath. Now he<span class="pagenum" id="Page_70">[70]</span>
+gives him the best part of the kingdom! What if he does
+acknowledge me as overlord? Is he not ambitious? He
+will ingratiate himself with the people and then will attempt
+to overthrow me! King Hystaspis and his son,—they
+doubtless will aid him!”</p>
+
+<p>He rose and paced back and forth, swinging his arms
+and smiting his hands together. Prexaspes also rose and,
+though standing in a humble attitude, covertly watched the
+King.</p>
+
+<p>“What say you?” demanded Cambyses, halting before
+Prexaspes.</p>
+
+<p>Prexaspes, after some hesitation, answered: “Doubtless
+it was not just in the Great King to make such provisions;
+but he was old and very fond of Prince Bardya.
+Why allow the decree to be published? There is no need
+until you are firmly established. Afterwards there will
+be time to deal with the matter.”</p>
+
+<p>The King silently stroked his whiskers a moment considering
+the advice. It seemed shrewd and good. His
+wrath cooled somewhat. A cunning look came upon his
+flushed countenance.</p>
+
+<p>“That is good advice, Prexaspes!” he assented.
+“You shall be my chief counselor. This decree shall be
+burned. None know its contents but you and I. I
+count on your silence and will greatly reward you. If
+you deceive me, no death shall be too severe for you!”</p>
+
+<p>“Have no doubt of me, Great King! I am your servant
+and will do as you bid. There is no decree. I have
+forgotten it. Let it not be seen of men. But Bardya
+has a copy of it and the Persian nobles witnessed it.”</p>
+
+<p>He recovered the paper from the earth and restored it
+to Cambyses. The latter laughed as he tore it in small
+pieces. Calling a servant to bring a brazier of coals, he
+placed the fragments upon the embers and watched them
+burn.</p>
+
+
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_71">[71]</span>“Hark you, Prexaspes!” he then said. “This Bardya
+must not be allowed to divide this kingdom. See to it!
+Great will be your reward. The second place in the kingdom
+shall be yours. Do you understand?”</p>
+
+<p>Prexaspes considered a moment. He well understood
+the meaning Cambyses sought to convey.</p>
+
+<p>“I understand,” he then said. “Perhaps misfortune
+will overtake the young man. Who knows?”</p>
+
+<p>The King laughed harshly. “An accident perhaps!
+Rather than that the empire be divided, one of us should
+die. The world is not large enough to hold two kings
+when Cambyses is one of them! What do you advise?”</p>
+
+<p>Prexaspes thoughtfully contemplated the earth. The
+King impatiently waited, glowering at him with the restless,
+cruel eyes of a tiger.</p>
+
+<p>“Speak!” commanded the King at length. “Shall we
+send a force and take him?”</p>
+
+<p>“If it please you, O King, that I should offer advice,
+no. Bardya is strong in the love of the Aryan race. He
+now dwells in the midst of hosts of stout men who are
+his friends and who would overthrow your throne if they
+could for his sake. Persian and Medean soldiers cannot
+be compelled to make war upon Bactrians when led by a
+son of Cyrus. Babylon, Assyria, Damascus, Sardis, and
+the Ionian cities will not uphold your hands; they but
+wait for an opportunity to rebel. You must court the
+favor of the Aryan race. Above all I advise that you
+show favor to the King of Iran and to his able son. They
+are the idols of the veteran army of Cyrus.”</p>
+
+<p>“But Darius is Bardya’s friend!”</p>
+
+<p>“True, but he is also your loyal supporter.”</p>
+
+<p>“How know you? Is it not said openly among the
+nobles of Persia that Hystaspis by right of birth should
+have ruled instead of Cyrus? Darius is ambitious. I<span class="pagenum" id="Page_72">[72]</span>
+know that youth! I have hated him since my father
+showed more favor to him and to Bardya than to me!
+He knows this. How then say you he will be my supporter?”</p>
+
+<p>“Do you not remember his love of truth and his hatred
+of lies and deception from his boyhood up?”</p>
+
+<p>“I remember! No doubt it was a disease in him!”</p>
+
+<p>“Just so! Nevertheless it is said throughout Persia
+and Iran and by every man of the great army, that, when
+once the word of the Prince of Iran is given, it will stand
+forever. No one ever requires of him a witness or a
+written tablet. Now at the request of Cyrus and with
+consent of his father, he placed his hands in those of the
+Great King and swore to support you and Bardya on the
+throne of this empire. Therefore you need not fear him;
+but, rather, you may depend upon him for aid if you need
+it.”</p>
+
+<p>The cloud on the King’s face lifted somewhat. He had
+watched with jealous eye the growing power of the young
+Hystaspis and had feared him even more than Bardya.</p>
+
+<p>“Nevertheless, wait till his ambition meets opportunity,”
+he suggested.</p>
+
+<p>“No, it is as I say. I have proof. On the march to
+Bactra, the Prince with the Imperial Guard was in charge
+of the transport of the King’s body. The Guard, on the
+morning of the second day’s march, saluted Darius as
+King of Kings; and all had taken oath to support him if
+he would consent. But he rebuked them, told them of his
+oath to support you, and then and there made them also
+swear with uplifted hands to support you. I myself witnessed
+it.”</p>
+
+<p>“Is it so? Treason must be flourishing indeed!” exclaimed
+Cambyses, bitterly. “This Guard shall no longer
+be the Imperial Guard! It shall be decimated!”</p>
+
+
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_73">[73]</span>Rage again possessed the King’s soul. He knew himself
+to be unpopular save with a few boon companions.
+His jealous heart was filled with hatred towards the popular
+Prince. Prexaspes ventured to remonstrate.</p>
+
+<p>“Let not the Great King be offended with his servant!
+I am acquainted with the army and all its soldiers. The
+Aryans are a proud race and the nobles will not bow the
+knee even to their kings, as you know. Do not anger
+them. Without them your subject nations will revolt and
+you will have no one to support your empire. Rather,
+dissemble your feelings. You are very wise, O King, if
+you but stop to think. First, be well established on your
+throne. After the body of your heroic father shall have
+been placed in its tomb, send the Prince and his Guard to
+conquer new provinces. Be advised by me in this.
+Should evil befall his son, old Hystaspis would lead the
+veterans of Cyrus five hundred thousand strong against
+you. Who could stand before them?”</p>
+
+<p>Cambyses ceased pacing back and forth and sat down,
+saying: “Your words are wise, Prexaspes. I will be
+advised. Proceed!”</p>
+
+<p>Prexaspes smiled slightly behind his hand. He had
+properly gauged the King’s impulses. He continued:
+“I advise that you issue your formal decree as King of
+Kings to-morrow and send copies thereof to be proclaimed
+in every province of the empire; that you issue a
+decree confirming the Prince of Iran in command of the
+Guard and in his mission to transport the body of the
+Great King to Pasargadæ; that you send a messenger to
+Bardya and to your sisters greeting them kindly; that
+you, also, as soon as they shall have arrived at Hamadan,
+show them all honor, go with them to do honor to Cyrus
+at Pasargadæ, and dissemble your real feelings. Thus
+will you begin wisely and thus will you please the Aryan<span class="pagenum" id="Page_74">[74]</span>
+people. Afterwards we may take counsel; and, should
+Bardya meet with an accident or disappear, who can
+blame the Great King? Be assured, O King, that I advise
+well! I know that upon you only may I depend for
+advancement and power. Bardya does not, nor do any
+of the great Persian nobles, love Prexaspes. Their semi-barbaric
+manners suited not my taste, and my refined
+manners were not approved by them!”</p>
+
+<p>“I will heed your advice,” said the King. “My favor
+shall be with you. First, I will make you Satrap of
+Medea. I will let that old Hebrew, Belteshazzer, rest
+from his labors in his tower. Afterwards, if you serve
+me well, I shall increase your power. See to it, Prexaspes,
+that my will be not thwarted! There shall be one
+King, who shall be King of Kings, and he must be Cambyses!”</p>
+
+<p>“It shall be as you wish. But let us proceed with all
+care.” Thus Prexaspes entered upon a road to great
+gain in wealth and power, but also to ultimate woe.</p>
+
+<p>The King presently dismissed Prexaspes, and the latter
+was conducted to pleasant rooms in the palace, where he
+refreshed himself with a bath, arrayed himself in clean
+linen and rich garments and had himself barbered and
+perfumed by the King’s own barbers. Cambyses was
+lavish with his favorites, and just now Prexaspes was
+chief of them. The latter sat at the King’s right hand at
+dinner that evening. All festivities were abandoned in
+honor of the dead King, but the many courtiers who ate
+at his tables found opportunity to assure the new King
+of their joy over his accession to the throne. He drank
+deeply both of adulation and wine until he became half-drunk
+and maudlin, whereupon Merobates took him almost
+forcibly to his bedchamber.</p>
+
+<p>Next day, the King and all his retinue returned to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_75">[75]</span>
+Hamadan. A royal decree was immediately issued, reciting
+the death of the Great Cyrus and the accession of
+Cambyses to the throne of the world, and commanding all
+officers, soldiers, and peoples to acknowledge him King of
+Kings. The royal treasury was opened. From it the
+golden crown studded with precious gems, which Cyrus
+had worn on state occasions, and the royal scepter were
+brought forth. Clad in purple, and having the high,
+pointed crown on his head, his royal feet encased in yellow
+shoes, and his hair and whiskers curled, powdered,
+and perfumed, Cambyses held his first court in the great
+audience room of the palace. He sat on a golden throne
+placed high up on a dais, with fan-bearers waving ostrich
+plumes over him, with Prexaspes standing at his right
+hand and Merobates at his left, bearing the King’s sword
+and shield. He placed the crown on his head with his
+own hands, while a loud-voiced herald recited his titles.
+Then the thousand nobles and officers who were in attendance
+fell on their faces to the floor before him and
+hailed him King of Kings, the Great King! Cambyses,
+swelling with pride, deemed himself divine, and as a god
+he looked down upon his subjects with haughty demeanor.</p>
+
+<p>The world thus acquired a new ruler.</p>
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
+
+<div class="chapter">
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_76">[76]</span>
+
+<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER VI<br />
+
+
+<small>PERSEPOLIS</small></h2>
+</div>
+
+<p class="drop-cap">THE modern world knows little of the beauty and
+grandeur of ancient Anshan, the home of Cyrus, or
+of the province of Fars and its cities. Mountains shut
+off from them the hot winds of the Persian Gulf and of
+the northern deserts. The high valleys lying between
+the mountain ranges that extend across it like huge dikes
+are of surpassing loveliness. Romantic woodlands, dells,
+lakes, canyons, murmuring brooks, rushing rivers, far
+vistas, plains, mountains, and hills delight the soul. In
+the valleys, flowers perfume the air all the year, and vegetation,
+where irrigation is practiced, is luxuriant. On
+the high hills and mountain tops winter holds sway during
+three or more months and the seasons are well-marked
+as in the temperate zones. It is the land of
+Omar, of Firdusi, and of many lesser poets; the land of
+an ancient white race, whose rugged virtues made them
+lords of much of the earth, but whose descendants have
+degenerated by admixture with lower grades of humanity
+and have suffered much to maintain even their own independence.</p>
+
+<p>The celebrated plain of Mervdasht is between two
+parallel ranges of mountains, one of which lies to the
+west between it and the low hot lands of the gulf-coast
+and the other to the east between it and the vale of
+Murghab, or ancient Anshan. A river comes down from
+the northern mountains through the midst of this plain<span class="pagenum" id="Page_77">[77]</span>
+and empties into a lake. It is a perennial stream, but
+fordable save in the winter when the rains fall. It has
+been variously named, anciently the Araxes, later the
+Kur or river of Cyrus, and again the Bendamir. Another
+river of less volume but more celebrated, the
+Pulwar, comes down to join it through the mountains
+from northeast table-lands. This passes by the vale of
+Murghab, where a little stream of that name, coming from
+the east, flows into it. In this vale was ancient Anshan,
+the capital of the Achæmenian line of kings, a city also
+known as Pasargadæ. The tortuous bed of the Pulwar
+connects the vale of Murghab with the valley of Mervdasht,
+having cut for itself a deep gorge through the
+mountains. A royal road, passing through this gorge or
+canyon, connected the ancient capital with a more modern
+city, Persepolis.</p>
+
+<p>Persepolis, or the city of the Persians, ancient Parsa,
+lay close to the mouth of the mighty canyon of the Pulwar,
+where it opened into the vale of Mervdasht. The
+city lay principally on the northern banks of the river.
+On the southern bank was a great park; and in this on a
+plateau extending from the base of low mountains that
+border the eastern side of the plain, were the palaces of
+the Kings of Iran. King Hystaspis and his great son,
+Darius, and his grandson, Xerxes, each erected magnificent
+palaces of dark-gray marble on this natural platform.
+The great size and magnificent architecture of
+these buildings were among the wonders of the ancient
+world. Their majestic ruins yet testify to the power, the
+love of art, and the learning of those masters of men.</p>
+
+<p>King Hystaspis, content to rule Iran as a nominal
+vassal of Cyrus and under the shadow of his mighty arm,
+laid out for himself in the valley of Merv a new city and
+there placed his loved friends and retainers. He<span class="pagenum" id="Page_78">[78]</span>
+brought artisans from Egypt, Canaan, Syria, Phœnicia,
+and distant Greece, and built for himself a great palace.
+It is said that he or his son formulated a new alphabet
+for his language and caused the books of Zoroaster to be
+translated therein.</p>
+
+<p>Orchards of apple, peach, and apricot, vineyards
+where grape and berry grew, fields of vegetables and
+grain, covered the fertile valley and its surrounding hills.
+On the day when the Imperial Guard, escorting the body
+of the Great Cyrus, halted on the summit of the western
+ridge bounding the valley and looked down upon the
+peaceful scene, autumn was touching all with the signs
+of harvest and the coming winter-rest. On that day,
+while the funeral car halted, Prince Bardya, his sisters,
+and the Prince of Iran rode forward to a bluff jutting
+out from the ridge; and from this position they looked
+down into a paradise,—so it seemed to them, weary with
+dusty roads and desert lands. There, where the Pulwar
+entered the plain from the narrow gorge in the western
+mountains, Cyrus had drawn up his Persian patriots to
+fight a last battle for liberty from the Medean yoke, having
+been driven to bay by the vast army of stern old
+Astyages, his grandfather. That decisive battle not only
+gave liberty to his own province but gave Astyages to
+him as a prisoner and the crown of Medea for his own
+head. From that victory Cyrus had gone forth to conquer
+the world. But now, conquered by the last enemy,
+Death, he was returning there to his final rest. The
+heart of the Prince of Iran was stirred by strong emotions,
+as he looked across the beautiful vale. He could
+see afar the great portico of his father’s palace where, he
+knew, his mother stood watching for the coming of her
+son. Uncovering his head, he extended his hands towards
+heaven, saying:</p>
+
+
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_79">[79]</span>“To thee, O Ahura-Mazda, Ruler of Heaven, Giver of
+Life, Lover of Truth, and Protector, we give thanks!
+For thou hast brought us home!”</p>
+
+<p>“Amen and amen!” exclaimed Bardya, uncovering his
+head.</p>
+
+<p>The Prince of Iran then addressed his companions:
+“I welcome you to the home of King Hystaspis. This
+valley and yonder city are his property, ceded to him as a
+home for the Achæmenian family, when he consented to
+remove hither from Bactra. I bid you rest at our palace
+yonder this night. The road from Parsa to Anshan is
+rough and ought to be traveled only by day. My mother
+is at the door to welcome you.”</p>
+
+<p>“We gladly accept!” assented Bardya, heartily. “Do
+I not love that mother almost as much as you? Do you
+remember the happy days when we hunted on yonder
+hills and swam in the Pulwar and the Araxes? Do you
+remember the day we were almost drowned? We will
+go to that deep water-hole again to-morrow and swim
+there as boys again. Our troopers should rest a day
+while we send a message to Cambyses at Anshan to
+inform him of our coming.”</p>
+
+<p>Athura added: “It will be delightful to accept the
+hospitality of your mother. I shall return after going
+to Anshan and shall stay long with her and rest. My
+sister is much in need of rest. The long journey has
+made her ill.”</p>
+
+<p>“After we shall have accomplished our mission,” said
+the Prince of Iran, “we shall enjoy many pleasant days
+there. The hunting is good. We shall enjoy the royal
+sport!”</p>
+
+<p>“Unless Ahriman interfere!” added Bardya, waving
+his hand towards Anshan, where his brother now
+awaited their coming. “I propose to stay a month at
+least. I suppose he awaits us impatiently at Anshan.”</p>
+
+
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_80">[80]</span>Athura said reprovingly to her brother: “Speak not
+of the King of Kings thus! He has sent us courteous
+messages, even if he would not await us at Hamadan
+or march with us here. Perhaps it was best that he
+should go on ahead to prepare the tomb and to arrange
+for the ceremonies. Be advised, brother! Remember
+to show him the deference due to his station. His
+anger was ever terrible! Now he has no one to restrain
+him.”</p>
+
+<p>Bardya laughed and tossed his head, as he answered:
+“Fear not for me! I shall treat him with all due respect.
+Am I not on the ground my father gave me in
+his will? The Persian lords will not permit him to
+oppress us. When I see that King of Kings, I will demand
+of him that he publish the full terms of my
+father’s will. If he refuse to observe that—Well, it
+may be that he will cease to reign!”</p>
+
+<p>The Prince of Iran said nothing, but his countenance
+was somber. He feared that the impetuous Bardya
+would precipitate trouble. He foresaw civil war.</p>
+
+<p>Descending into the valley, they approached Persepolis.
+A vast throng of people came out to meet them
+and stood on either side of the road weeping and wailing
+aloud as the funeral car passed. A company of guards
+led by an aged veteran met them at the entrance of the
+city.</p>
+
+<p>Prince Darius greeted the leader warmly: “Ho,
+Orobates, our beloved High Chamberlain! How fares
+my royal mother?”</p>
+
+<p>“All hail, Prince of Iran!” cried the stately old man,
+kissing the Prince’s cheeks as the latter bent down to
+greet him. “God’s blessing of long life and happiness
+be upon you! How good it is to behold you once more!
+Your mother, our most gracious Queen, is well and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_81">[81]</span>
+awaits you at the palace. She begs that you will prevail
+upon the royal Bardya and his sisters to honor her house
+with their presence. All things are prepared. The best
+of the herds, the finest game from the mountains, the
+daintiest fruits and flowers,—all are ready!”</p>
+
+<p>“They have consented to honor us, Orobates. Has
+my mother good health and is she happy?”</p>
+
+<p>“Excellent health, gracious Prince; but she sighs much
+for you and the King.”</p>
+
+<p>“Did Cambyses, the Great King, honor our house with
+his presence?”</p>
+
+<p>“He refused our bidding on the plea that he was in
+haste to reach Anshan on state business. But he sent
+a gracious greeting to your mother.”</p>
+
+<p>The Prince led the caravan into the city, nodding and
+waving greeting to many whom he had known when a
+child. Crossing the Araxes over a magnificent stone
+bridge, the cortège marched into Persepolis and encamped
+in a great open field on the shore of the Pulwar.
+The funeral car was driven into the sacred enclosing wall
+of a temple and there rested till a messenger went to
+Cambyses and returned.</p>
+
+<p>Leaving the cares of the encampment to subordinates,
+the Prince of Iran, accompanied by Gobryas and some of
+his chief officers, conducted Bardya and his sisters across
+the Pulwar over a beautiful stone bridge of one great
+arch and through the park to his father’s palace. The
+limpid stream, the great oaks, elms, walnuts, and plane
+trees, whose foliage was tinged with gold and red, the
+flowering shrubs, the fountains, and the greensward,
+smiled a joyful welcome to the weary travelers. Broad
+steps, leading up to the great plateau or bench on which
+the palace stood, gleamed white through the tree-limbs.
+Slender gray columns adorned the portico. On the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_82">[82]</span>
+stairs stood a group of women, and among them a stately
+dame, who waved her hand in welcome. Prince Darius
+galloped on ahead to the foot of the steps and, leaving
+his horse in charge of an attendant, ran up into the embrace
+of his mother.</p>
+
+<p>Age had not greatly affected the beauty of the Queen
+of Iran nor dimmed her blue eyes. Her gray hair was
+gathered in a net at the back of her head and was encircled
+by a golden band set with sparkling gems. Her
+dress was an ample purple robe reaching to her feet and
+encircled at the waist with a silken sash. Its loose sleeves
+revealed arms still shapely and adorned with bracelets
+of gold. The gracious majesty of her countenance, the
+sweetness of her smile, and the soft accents of her voice
+were celebrated in Iran.</p>
+
+<p>That was an age when wife and mother were not
+slaves or prisoners. Recognized as the equal of men,
+their virtues and loveliness made homes where men were
+grown. Not yet had Cambyses, aping the manners and
+customs of the dwellers in Mesopotamia, Syria, and
+Arabia, degraded women to the seclusion of harems; nor
+had custom forbidden women to appear before friends
+unveiled, though veils were commonly worn in public
+places. Polygamy was almost unknown in Iran, though
+its practice had crept into Medea. The wife was queen
+of the home and ruled in the heart of her husband.</p>
+
+<p>The Prince knelt at his mother’s feet, and her arms
+encircled his neck while her lips kissed his brow. “Welcome
+home, beloved son!” she exclaimed. “Long days
+have intervened since you waved farewell to me from
+yonder bridge; but no day has passed that I did not
+think of you!”</p>
+
+<p>She raised him up and stood proudly at his side, leaning
+on his arm, while she welcomed Prince Bardya and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_83">[83]</span>
+his sisters. To Bardya she said as he bent his knee
+before her: “The blessing of Ahura-Mazda be upon
+you, O Prince of the World! Arise! It is not meet
+that you kneel to me! Welcome to the palace of my
+lord, the King of Iran!”</p>
+
+<p>“Gracious Queen,” replied Bardya as he arose, “I
+kneel to you as to my mother! Next to her, who lives
+only in my memory, do I love and reverence the mother
+of my friend, the Prince of Iran. Have we not, in
+years past, stood together at your knee and received
+your instruction? Now that we are indeed orphans we
+come to you for consolation.”</p>
+
+<p>Tears filled the great lady’s eyes. She embraced
+Athura and Artistone tenderly; and, leaving the men to
+the care of her son, she took the girls with her to her
+own apartments and personally saw that they were made
+comfortable. While they are removing the dust of the
+road and enrobing themselves for dinner, we may wander
+in spirit through this typical palace of the Achæmenian
+kings and observe its grandeur.</p>
+
+<p>From the portico which extended the full breadth of
+the palace front, an entrancing view of valley and mountain,
+of river and park, could be had. Sixteen slender,
+fluted, marble pillars supported the massive wooden roof
+of the portico. Their capitals were winged bulls; their
+bases were bell-shaped and carved to imitate lotus buds.
+A high, narrow door gave entrance from the front
+through the thick stone walls into a hall, on either side
+of which were rooms where the palace-guards had their
+abode. The hall led into a reception room fully fifty
+feet square, whose walls were pierced by a dozen narrow
+windows and whose ceiling of heavy carved timbers was
+upheld by slender wooden pillars covered with silver
+plates. The stone walls were hidden by beaten silver<span class="pagenum" id="Page_84">[84]</span>
+plates and the windows and doors were hung with
+tapestries of fine crimson and purple fabrics. Wooden
+shutters were fitted to the windows, but were now open
+to admit air and light. Later, when winter should come
+with its rains and frost, the windows would be closed
+by semi-transparent oiled silk. Red and purple rugs lay
+on the tiled floor, partially covering the various patterns
+worked out in colored tiles. A throne, shining with
+gold plate, occupied a raised platform at the end of the
+room opposite the entrance. Cushioned chairs, divans,
+and couches, tables of polished wood, mirrors of polished
+silver and bronze, lamps of many patterns fastened to
+the pillars and walls, and a cabinet of dark inlaid wood
+comprised the furniture. The cabinet held a collection
+of books, rolls, and tablets, the library and the special
+treasure of the King of Iran.</p>
+
+<p>Doors at the right of the throne led into the apartments
+of the men; at the left, into the apartments of the women;
+and, immediately at the rear, into a small open court,
+beyond which were the servants’ quarters. Banquets of
+state were held in the throne room, but ordinarily the
+tables were laid in the small open court. The various
+apartments were furnished with couches, and with blankets
+and rugs of skillful weaving and of that fineness
+and texture for which the woven products of Iran have
+ever been famous. All the conveniences of an advanced
+civilization, which power and wealth could provide or
+gather from the many nations over which the Persians
+held sway, were here. Baths and toilets fed by water
+piped from the hills, and drained into the Pulwar below,
+ornamental cabinets, containing scents and cosmetics for
+adorning the person, wardrobes full of costly dresses
+made of silk and fine linen, mirrors, combs, and brushes—even
+the modern homes of many so-called civilized
+people could boast no better.</p>
+
+
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_85">[85]</span>A narrow stair led up from the inner court to the
+flat roof, where the occupants of the palace, reclining
+on soft divans, under canopies or sunshades, could pass
+the warmer hours of the day, breathe the cool mountain
+air, and enjoy the lovely scenes. Looking down from
+it, one could see the royal stables five hundred paces to
+the south in the park, where scores of graceful horses
+were kept; and farther on was the inclosure where cattle
+and sheep, driven in from the mountain pastures, were
+ready to furnish the royal table with meat or milk. A
+canal led from the Pulwar above the palace through the
+park to the stables below and thence into luxuriant
+gardens where servants toiled to supply their master’s
+table with vegetables. Fowls, dogs, horses, and cattle
+enlivened the barnyard scene. Servants in gay tunics,
+loose, fringed trousers, and with sandaled feet went
+hither and thither on their duties. Guards in shining
+armor walked their beats through the park or lazily
+stood leaning on their spears at the palace steps.</p>
+
+<p>While the guests were removing the dust and stains
+of travel, servants busily prepared the banquet. Tables
+of walnut, plated with silver and bound together by
+golden bands fastened with copper nails, were set in the
+great audience hall. Platters of beautiful porcelain or
+of beaten silver, piled high with fruits and bread, were
+placed on them, and plates of silver and cups of gold
+were also brought forth. Low seats whereon the guests
+could either sit or recline were set in order. A major-domo
+in gorgeous livery saw that all things were made
+ready. Then the guests were called. The men were
+seated at one table; the women, at another. Prince
+Darius sat at the head of the former; his mother at the
+head of the latter. Servants brought on, in regular
+courses, fish, steaming loads of venison and fowl, and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_86">[86]</span>
+bountiful supplies of vegetables and pastry. Water,
+milk, and wine of Helbon were the drinks, the latter
+being used sparingly. With appetites sharpened by a
+long day’s journey in the bracing air of the mountains,
+the guests did full justice to the viands. While they
+ate, the soft music of harps, played with considerable
+skill by musicians in the court, floated in through the
+open doors.</p>
+
+<p>The banquet hour having passed, the officers and
+nobles returned to the camp, while Prince Bardya and
+his sisters accompanied Prince Darius and his mother
+to a room adjacent to the dining-hall, used by the King
+of Iran when at home as an office. A large fireplace
+in one corner of the room was filled with a cheerful
+blaze. Gathered about the fire, guests and hosts felt
+much at home and spent a pleasant hour in conversation.</p>
+
+<p>“Now that Cambyses passed through your city with
+scant courtesy,” Bardya said, somewhat warmed by the
+wine he had imbibed and by his genial surroundings, so
+that he felt called upon to express his indignation towards
+his brother, “what think you of such a king?”
+He addressed Queen Hystaspis.</p>
+
+<p>“I marvel not at his action,” she replied quietly. “He
+was never kindly disposed towards us. But it is not
+for us to find fault. I should have met him in person
+and given the invitation to stop with us. I would have
+so done, had I not heard that he believes, with the Medes,
+that women have no place in the affairs of men. He
+passed through our city in a closed litter, not even deigning
+to see our messengers. He made reply through
+his chamberlain that the King of Kings was indisposed
+and pressed for time and would not rest till he should
+arrive at his palace in Anshan.”</p>
+
+<p>“He has ever been ill-natured!” continued Bardya,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_87">[87]</span>
+bitterly. “He believes himself heaven-born! He will
+end by declaring himself a god and appointing set times
+to worship him! What think you the nobles of Persia
+will say of his manners? It is said he has determined
+to decree a law of polygamy, and, like the Arabs,
+fill a harem with many wives. He is a follower of the
+Magi; but I doubt if he believes in the gods. I know
+he will never abide by our father’s will. As I have
+ridden from Bactra hither, I have thought much; and
+I have concluded that the kingdom will be his who can
+strike first!”</p>
+
+<p>The Prince had never before spoken his inmost
+thoughts. The Prince of Iran and his mother, though
+much disturbed, remained silent. Athura said reprovingly:
+“Brother, is it right to have such thoughts before
+our father’s body is entombed? Wisdom demands
+silence on your part until you see the King! As King
+he may act justly. If you stir up trouble, civil war may
+be the result. Let us be wise and discreet until we
+return to Bactra, from which you ought never to have
+departed! Then, if he act unjustly, the people of Iran
+will stand justly with you.”</p>
+
+<p>“What say you, my brother?” demanded Bardya,
+turning to the Prince.</p>
+
+<p>The latter answered at once and without hesitation:
+“The words of your sister are wise. Cambyses is King
+of Kings by right of birth and by the will of Cyrus. I
+am bound by an oath to support him in that right. It
+is not wise to plan against the will of Cyrus, nor is it
+even wise to discuss the matter. While we are safe
+here, an unwise word uttered at another place, and overheard,
+may cause great trouble. As for me, I shall ask
+of Cambyses, the King, two favors,—first that I may
+receive the reward that Cyrus, the Great King, promised;<span class="pagenum" id="Page_88">[88]</span>
+second, that I may accompany you to Bactra after my
+father returns here.”</p>
+
+<p>Athura smiled and blushed, as the Prince mentioned
+his promised reward and turned his ardent gaze upon her.
+Bardya arose and paced back and forth.</p>
+
+<p>“Alas! that my father should bind you and the powerful
+King, your father, with an oath!” he cried. “My
+way would otherwise be clear! Yes! let us be wise and
+patient! You shall come with me to Bactra, and together
+we shall extend the empire even as far as the
+great river of India and beyond the roof of the world
+where the slant-eyed Tourans dwell! King Hystaspis
+shall rule Iran in peace, while you and I lead victorious
+armies to the ends of the earth! Then we shall see
+who ought to be overlord of the world!”</p>
+
+<p>The Prince of Iran now sought to change the subject
+by suggesting that before leaving for Bactra they must
+hunt a lion in the jungles of Lake Baktigan. Plans for
+a hunting-trip to that wild region superseded more
+treasonable subjects. After a while, the guests admitted
+weariness and retired to rest. But the Prince of Iran
+threw a cloak about his shoulders and went out to walk
+in the park now flooded with moonlight. The watchmen
+respectfully saluted as he passed down the broad steps
+and went slowly towards the river. How pleasant it
+seemed after a year of war in desert lands to be at home!
+He could not retire to rest without standing awhile on
+the bridge over the Pulwar and looking down at the
+familiar hurrying waters.</p>
+
+<p>Before he reached the bridge, he was startled by the
+sound of pursuing footsteps. Turning, he beheld Athura
+approaching, followed by one of the guards.</p>
+
+<p>“Pardon, Lord Hystaspis!” she exclaimed, as he went
+back to meet her in wondering haste. “So glorious is<span class="pagenum" id="Page_89">[89]</span>
+the moonlight and so restless am I, that when I saw you
+come forth, I could not resist an impulse to follow! Let
+me walk with you.”</p>
+
+<p>“Most happy am I to have you with me, Athura, star
+of the evening! The light of your eyes surpasses the
+light of the stars! Your countenance, like the sun,
+brings warmth to my soul! Glad will that day be, when
+you shall become my wife; and we shall walk together
+thereafter forever!”</p>
+
+<p>He dismissed the guard. Then with his strong right
+arm around the princess and his ample cloak shielding
+both, they went on together. She laughed happily.</p>
+
+<p>“Indeed, my lord, you have the tongue of a poet!”
+she said. “What says the great Zoroaster of this
+land?</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="first">“Ahura-Mazda looked upon the desert lands</div>
+<div class="verse">And with his mighty breath gave life to them;</div>
+<div class="verse">Where none could dwell before he poured out life,</div>
+<div class="verse">And Aryans lived and multiplied in peace,</div>
+<div class="verse">Until their numbers were as desert sands.</div>
+</div></div>
+
+<p>Was not his thought inspired by such nights as this?”</p>
+
+<p>“It may have been,” he answered. “But does he not
+continue:</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+<div class="poetry">
+<div class="first">“Then Angro-mainyus, death’s dark spirit made</div>
+<div class="verse">That mighty serpent, Winter, with its snow,</div>
+<div class="verse">To swallow up within its months of cold</div>
+<div class="verse">The teeming earth, the flowing water-streams,</div>
+<div class="verse">While storm-clouds cast upon the earth their pestilent shade.”</div>
+</div></div>
+
+<p>“You are melancholy, Prince of Iran! Let us not
+think of Angro-mainyus. Are the days not passing
+swiftly? When the forty days of mourning shall have
+passed, shall we not be happy?”</p>
+
+<p>He drew her closely to him. “Most happy, beloved!<span class="pagenum" id="Page_90">[90]</span>
+But I am filled with forebodings of evil. Like some
+threatening Angro-mainyus, jealously watching the Spirit
+of Life at his creation and the children of men in their
+happiness, does the form of the new King of Kings loom
+up in the sky. I seem to feel even now the malignant
+hate with which he ever seemed to regard Bardya, and
+me because I was Bardya’s friend. When I think of the
+absolute power of life and death vested in him and his
+opportunity to wreak vengeance upon those he hates, I
+am troubled. What if he refuse to give you to me?
+What if he choose to bestow you upon another?”</p>
+
+<p>He felt the small hand now resting in his clench and
+harden. She looked up into his face as she answered
+slowly and solemnly:</p>
+
+<p>“As for me, though he inflict death, yet shall he not
+bend my will! I have chosen you alone of all the world.
+Your wife I shall be or I shall die. Listen, Prince of
+Iran! I am moved to say—some spirit prompts my
+soul to salute you, King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
+At your side shall I be Queen of the world! Is it not
+to be so?”</p>
+
+<p>He drew her closer to him and kissed her forehead.
+“Hush, life of mine!” he replied. “Start no such
+thoughts in my soul! Am I not oath-bound? If I were
+not so, should I plunge Iran into bloody civil war that I
+may wear a crown? Let Ahura-Mazda’s will be done!
+If Cambyses and Bardya cease to exist, in spite of my
+loyal support, then shall I deem myself most fortunate
+to sit on the throne of Cyrus at the side of his daughter.
+Ah, if only Cambyses had a soul like Athura, what a
+happy year would this be for the nations!”</p>
+
+<p>Twenty-five centuries have come and gone since they
+stood on the old stone bridge over the Pulwar and renewed
+their pledges of undying love and faith. Myriads<span class="pagenum" id="Page_91">[91]</span>
+since then have gazed into each other’s eyes and pledged
+the same faith, moved by the same love; but the story is
+ever fresh and the love is ever sacred, sweet, and entrancing.
+Only traces of the old stone bridge over the
+Pulwar remain. The tall, slender shafts of marble with
+which the neighboring palace was adorned are tumbled
+and broken; and over the ruins of the neighboring city
+the wild dog wanders and bays at the moon. Perhaps
+the spirits of those heroic two who stood on the old
+bridge, listening to the murmur of the waters below,
+while they murmured to each other, may return there
+again and again, to live once more in the ecstasy of love.
+Who knows?</p>
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
+
+<div class="chapter">
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_92">[92]</span>
+
+<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER VII<br />
+
+
+<small>“I AM CYRUS, THE KING, THE ACHÆMENIAN!”</small></h2>
+</div>
+
+<p class="drop-cap">WHERE the Pulwar turns westward from its southerly
+course to break through the mountains on its
+way to the Araxes, the little mountain stream Mur
+joins it from the east. In a vale, at the junction of the
+rivers and extending far up along the Mur, was the
+city of Anshan, better known as Pasargadæ, “the Castle
+of the Persians.” In the midst of the city, Cyrus
+had erected a great palace of marble, surrounded by a
+magnificent colonnade, and, near this, a tomb. The base
+of the tomb was pyramidal and on its truncated top was
+a small marble building, much like a Grecian temple,
+which was to receive the royal coffin. On the lintel of
+the palace-gate and above the door of the tomb was engraved
+the legend, “I am Cyrus, the King, the Achæmenian!”
+No other record of his acts did he make.
+That was all, as if no other Cyrus ever had lived or
+could live, who would take from him the attention of
+men.</p>
+
+<p>Another great palace stood on an artificial platform
+of massive stones at the north side of the valley and a
+quarter-mile or so from the tomb. This building was
+ancient even at the time of which we write. It had
+been for centuries the dwelling of that branch of the
+Achæmenian family of which Cyrus was the greatest.
+Below and west of the palaces, at the junction of the
+streams, were the barracks of the Imperial Guards and
+their parade-ground. Above and on the south side of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_93">[93]</span>
+the valley lay the city with its narrow streets, its great
+market-place, its stores and dwellings. Many roads
+radiated from the city to all parts of the province, some
+following the beds of the streams and others crossing
+over ridges and spurs of the mountains, or excavated in
+the sides of the hills and by bridges passing over deep
+chasms.</p>
+
+<p>Cambyses, with one of his wives and his servants, upon
+their arrival at Anshan, took possession of the new palace
+of Cyrus and remained in seclusion. He gave little
+thought to the preparations for the funeral, leaving the
+management to Prexaspes, now his Lord High Chamberlain,
+and to the nobles and priests in charge of public
+services and worship. It was perhaps well for him that
+he did, since Prexaspes was gracious and tactful. He
+explained to all who were disposed to complain because
+Cambyses was inaccessible, that his royal master chose
+to remain in seclusion on account of his great grief. He
+flattered one and asked advice of another. He impressed
+the burly nobles of Persia so well that when the day for
+the funeral arrived, they were inclined to think well of
+Cambyses.</p>
+
+<p>The time approached when the body of Cyrus should
+be placed in its tomb. All roads leading to the capital
+city had been for a week enlivened by people coming
+from all parts of Iran and even from many foreign
+provinces, to witness the solemn ceremony and incidentally
+to gaze upon the new King. On horseback, in
+carts drawn by oxen or donkeys, on camels or in litters
+borne on the shoulders of slaves, the nobles and the
+wealthier came; while the lowly plodded along on foot
+carrying their food on their backs. The city became a
+vast camp, and the hills surrounding it were dotted with
+tents and booths.</p>
+
+
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_94">[94]</span>Great multitudes of people massed themselves along
+the road leading down to the Pulwar, on the morning of
+that day, to await the coming of the funeral cortège approaching
+from Persepolis. It was noon before the
+Prince of Iran with a company of the Imperial Guard
+and the funeral car appeared on the bridge which spanned
+the Pulwar, and, followed by a vast train, slowly defiled
+across to the parade-ground. The great car, drawn by
+eight white horses and followed by chariots in which
+rode Prince Bardya and his sisters, moved slowly to the
+center of the parade-ground and there halted. The remainder
+of the Imperial Guard then crossed and formed
+in open square around the car. The people massed themselves
+on every side, leaving only a narrow road open to
+the city, through which the King would come to greet
+his sire’s body.</p>
+
+<p>An officer was despatched to the palace to notify the
+King. A sentinel in the gaudy uniform of a palace-guard
+met and conducted the messenger into the outer hall of
+the palace, where he was received by Prexaspes.</p>
+
+<p>“I bear a message from the Prince of Iran to the King
+of Kings,” he said, bowing low before the Lord High
+Chamberlain.</p>
+
+<p>“I am Prexaspes, the Lord High Chamberlain,” responded
+Prexaspes. “Give me the message. I will bear
+it to him. He is at dinner.”</p>
+
+<p>“I am directed by the royal Prince of Iran to report
+that the Imperial Guard has arrived with the body of the
+Great King, Cyrus, King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
+We are ready to deliver our charge over to the King’s
+hands. We await his orders.”</p>
+
+<p>“It is well. Remain here. I will go in to the King.”</p>
+
+<p>Prexaspes disappeared through a door, the heavy
+curtains over which at a motion of his hand were drawn<span class="pagenum" id="Page_95">[95]</span>
+aside by a page. He proceeded slowly and solemnly to
+the door of the banquet-room, where a guard in armor
+stood aside while he knocked. A harsh voice commanded
+him to enter. He opened the door and went in,
+falling gracefully on one knee as he saw the King. The
+latter was reclining at a table, with only his Assyrian wife
+for company. The woman hastily drew a veil over her
+face as Prexaspes appeared.</p>
+
+<p>“What now?” demanded the King, frowning. “Am
+I not to eat in peace? Presume not too far, Lord
+Prexaspes! Speak!”</p>
+
+<p>Prexaspes rose and, clasping his hands before him in
+humble attitude, with his eyes directed to the floor lest
+they might look upon the Queen, answered, “Let not my
+gracious Lord be offended! A messenger has come from
+the Prince of Iran announcing his arrival with your
+lamented father’s body at the parade-ground by the Pulwar.
+I recall that you directed he should await you
+there, in order that you might ride forth and do honor
+to the great dead and thus gain favor with the people
+who loved him.”</p>
+
+<p>“Please the people! Bah! Pigs and dogs are they!”
+snorted the King. “Nevertheless your words contain
+wisdom. I will follow your advice until such time as
+there can be no choice of kings in this realm. Have my
+horse ready. Call out my new Imperial Guard. One
+can never say what that Bardya may attempt or what
+assassins lurk about. Send my armor to the dressing-room.
+Begone!”</p>
+
+<p>The King turned away and raised to his lips a huge
+cup, wherein sparkled the royal wine of Helbon. Prexaspes
+backed out of the room. He told the messenger
+to return to the Prince of Iran and command him to
+await the coming of the King. Arraying himself in<span class="pagenum" id="Page_96">[96]</span>
+brilliant armor, he mounted a horse and marshaled the
+guards, the nobles, the captive potentates who ate at the
+Great King’s table, and all the notables of the city, in
+due order.</p>
+
+<p>The King, clad in flexible golden mail and wearing a
+plain black cap on his head, after some delay came forth
+and mounted his horse. The illustrious company then
+moved solemnly down towards the parade-ground. A
+score of uniformed officers rode in front with spears
+held perpendicularly, the hafts resting on their stirrups.
+After them rode the King, followed by Prexaspes and a
+company of guards. The nobles and notables followed.
+The King’s expression was gloomy and abstracted. He
+looked over the heads of the people, and his glance was
+high and haughty.</p>
+
+<p>Moved by habit, the people bowed low as he went by
+and remained thus until he had quite passed. There was
+no sound. Had Cyrus been passing, roars of worshipful
+shouts would have greeted him from all sides. Cambyses
+knew this and in his heart raged because of the silence.
+His square, heavy body, his bull neck, and his round,
+bloated face suggested to the people no majesty. A
+murmur ran through the masses in which were mingled
+fear and derision.</p>
+
+<p>At one point the crowd pressed too heavily and forced
+back the guards drawn up at the sides of the way.
+Cambyses, whose horse shied somewhat at the commotion
+as the guards endeavored to drive the crowd back, shouted
+angrily: “Beat the dogs back! Use the points of your
+spears!” The guards, thus urged, smote lustily with the
+hafts of their spears, bringing cries of agony and imprecations
+from the hapless ones who received their
+blows. The crowd surged back and the King passed on
+without further comment.</p>
+
+
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_97">[97]</span>Meanwhile Bardya and his sisters and the Prince of
+Iran patiently waited the coming of the King. The
+Prince occupied himself in passing slowly along the
+massed ranks of the Guard, greeting his veteran comrades
+with a word of praise or inquiry and granting them leave
+to return home for a twenty days’ furlough. A guard
+of twenty officers stood around the funeral car and
+grooms stood at the heads of the white horses hitched
+to it. Two other grooms held by the bits the war-horse
+on which Cyrus had been mounted when stricken by the
+fatal dart. The noble animal pricked up his sharp ears
+and looked about with interested, intelligent eyes, not
+understanding that he was about to be sacrificed to
+Ahura-Mazda in honor of his master.</p>
+
+<p>Bardya and several Persians of high degree, among
+whom were three of the seven lords of Persia, Gobryas,
+Metaphernes, and Aspathines, were standing in a group
+near the car. Upon them the Prince of Iran cast many
+uneasy glances. He feared plots and treason. Some
+paces from them were two litters with drawn curtains,
+wherein rested the Princesses Athura and Artistone.</p>
+
+<p>A subdued murmur rose from the multitudes as they
+waited. The veteran troopers commented on all things
+and all men, some of their remarks being decidedly
+treasonable.</p>
+
+<p>“By rights,” growled one, whose whiskers covered the
+larger part of his face and chest, “our Prince here ought
+to be King of Kings! May Ahriman fly away with
+oaths! Now this Cambyses is no soldier. As for
+Bardya, he compares not with our Prince.”</p>
+
+<p>“Right!” admitted his neighbor. “Cyrus lives in the
+Prince of Iran. The King is a drunken savage. Prince
+Bardya is a gentle giant of no great wit. It is said the
+Princess Athura is most like her father. She and our<span class="pagenum" id="Page_98">[98]</span>
+Prince will marry. Cyrus promised it. God send the
+day when our Prince shall wear the double crown and
+she shall stand at his side as Queen!”</p>
+
+<p>“Treason, brother!” chided a third. “Hush! Let
+your jaws cease to wag of royalty.”</p>
+
+<p>Finally the King appeared. He drew near to the
+funeral car alone. His gloomy, black eyes rested coldly
+for a moment upon his brother, to whom he bent his
+head slightly. Bardya returned his salutation with a low,
+somewhat ironical bow. At that instant the Prince of
+Iran, who had drawn near, raised his hand as a signal,
+and instantly a crash of spear-hafts dashed against bucklers,
+a roar of voices from the Guard and fanfare of
+trumpets, sounded in royal salute. The old Imperial
+Guard thus recognized the new King of Kings. Cambyses,
+at first startled, flushed with pleasure and acknowledged
+the salute with bow and wave of hand. The
+great lords of Persia now advanced, one to hold his
+horse, another to hold his stirrup, and a third to receive
+the imperial scepter from his hand as he dismounted.</p>
+
+<p>Having safely dismounted, Cambyses turned to his
+brother and said, “Well, Prince, we meet under altered
+circumstances! If I recollect rightly, our last meeting
+was somewhat unpleasant, resulting in guard-house treatment
+for me on account of you. But on this day we
+forget old animosities and bury our sire’s body. Afterwards
+I shall have somewhat to say to you.”</p>
+
+<p>“I have forgotten the incident referred to,” answered
+Bardya, coldly. “We are here now to honor the dead.
+Afterwards I shall be pleased to converse with you about
+the welfare of our empire.”</p>
+
+<p>Cambyses said no more. Uncovering his head, he approached
+the funeral car and bowed his head towards it,
+remaining thus a moment as if in prayer. Silence fell<span class="pagenum" id="Page_99">[99]</span>
+upon the people as they watched the King. Then the
+sound of weeping began. A wave of grief and sympathy
+swept over the assembled multitude. The King was
+mourning. The people mourned also.</p>
+
+<p>Having thus greeted the spirit of his sire, Cambyses
+turned away and went to the litters where his sisters
+reclined. They came forth and bowed to him in greeting.
+He kissed their foreheads, saying: “It is a great
+pleasure to have you near me. You shall have the old
+palace for your residence,—you and Prince Bardya,—while
+you remain here. At a more fitting time we shall
+renew our acquaintance.”</p>
+
+<p>Then he remounted his horse and ordered the final
+march to begin. Prexaspes with the King’s body-guard
+led the way back to the city. The funeral car followed.
+The King rode behind it and, following him, were
+Prince Bardya, the Prince of Iran, the Princesses, and
+the great nobles. The lesser notables and the Imperial
+Guard marched next, followed by the people. Thus with
+royal pomp, amidst the mourning of his people, Cyrus,
+the Great King, the Achæmenian, completed his worldly
+march. A band of white-robed priests slaughtered the
+noble war-horse and presented his blood and burned
+portions of his flesh as a sacrifice to Ahura-Mazda, with
+many prayers. The solemn chants being ended, the
+golden casket in which the body of the great dead was
+encased was carried up the steps of the pyramid and
+deposited in the temple-like vault on its top. The brazen
+door of the tomb was closed, bolted, and sealed and a
+guard set over it. The people then dispersed.</p>
+
+<p>The King made a decree by which a special order of
+military rank was instituted, whose sole duty it was
+to watch the tomb, that no man should disturb the sacred
+body of the hero.</p>
+
+
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_100">[100]</span>So was laid to rest the body of the most knightly
+king and heroic figure of ancient Iran. The great Darius
+probably equaled him in generalship and excelled him
+in statesmanship; but the brilliant career, the gentle and
+knightly qualities, and the heroic spirit of Cyrus, are
+without parallel in ancient story. Not until the great
+Alexander flashed across the western sky did any meteor
+excel in brightness him whose simple epitaph was, “I am
+Cyrus, the King, the Achæmenian!”</p>
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
+
+<div class="chapter">
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_101">[101]</span>
+
+<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER VIII<br />
+
+
+<small>A ROYAL COUNCIL AND A ROYAL HUNT</small></h2>
+</div>
+
+<p class="drop-cap">IT was the day after the funeral of Cyrus. Cambyses,
+the Great King, was in a black humor. The fatigue
+incident to the funeral services and the reaction from
+intoxication caused by too much drink, indulged in afterward,
+had darkened his vision and sharpened his
+acerbity. When he awoke and sat up on his silk-covered
+couch, he felt the need of immediate refreshment. He
+jerked a cord hanging conveniently at hand, and a bell
+jangled in an adjoining hall. Instantly two servants
+appeared, slipping in between the heavy folds of a curtain
+at the doorway, and prostrated themselves before
+him.</p>
+
+<p>“Rise up, dogs! Bring me soma!” he roared.</p>
+
+<p>Swiftly and noiselessly as fleeting shadows they arose
+and disappeared. In a moment the King’s cup-bearer
+appeared with a golden goblet in hand, followed by the
+servants bearing a vessel of milky, fiery liquid. The
+cup-bearer bowed low, the servants set down the jar and
+were about to prostrate themselves again, when Cambyses
+cried impatiently, “Omit salutations and pour!”</p>
+
+<p>The potent fluid sparkled as it flowed into the goblet
+from the vessel. Twice was the goblet filled and twice
+did he drain it. “Begone!” he then commanded.
+“Send the bath hither!”</p>
+
+<p>Cup-bearer and servants withdrew, walking backward.
+A moment later the servants came in again, bearing a<span class="pagenum" id="Page_102">[102]</span>
+large tub of water. With their assistance the King proceeded
+to bathe. Unfortunately for one, he dropped a
+towel and received a buffet from the King’s fist that
+caused him to reel.</p>
+
+<p>“Have care!” roared Cambyses. “To the guard-house
+you go to-day and thence to the kitchen as scullion!”</p>
+
+<p>The man prostrated himself and prayed for pardon.
+Royalty made no sign and he withdrew. Another came
+to take his place. After the bath, the King’s hair was
+combed, curled, and perfumed. The royal barber
+trimmed his whiskers deftly and carefully waxed them.
+Then he was arrayed in fine linen and purple. His
+breakfast was brought into the room, and he sat down
+to eat. He then sent a page to summon Prexaspes. The
+latter, elegantly dressed and well groomed as usual, soon
+appeared and, bending till his hands touched the floor,
+saluted.</p>
+
+<p>“May the King live forever!”</p>
+
+<p>In obedience to a wave of the King’s hand, the servants
+disappeared.</p>
+
+<p>“See that none stand near the door! Let the guard
+move away to the outer room!” commanded the King.</p>
+
+<p>Prexaspes saw that the orders were obeyed. Then,
+resuming his deferential attitude before his royal master,
+with bowed head, eyes to the floor, and hands crossed
+before him, he awaited the royal pleasure. The King,
+having eaten in silence some minutes, pushed away the
+remainder of the food.</p>
+
+<p>“Prexaspes,” he said truculently, “I know you! I
+know you are faithful to me because you hope to win
+power and not because you love me. So be it! Royal
+place you cannot have owing to the accident of birth, but
+royal power you may win if you will. Are you ready
+to carry out all my wishes or must I seek another?”</p>
+
+
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_103">[103]</span>He paused. Prexaspes raised his eyes and noted his
+master’s expression.</p>
+
+<p>“Royal master,” he said quietly, “you read men with
+the eye of God! It is true I love power and riches and I
+know that both may be given me by you and none other.
+I am your slave to command.”</p>
+
+<p>“Well said! I, who am descended from Jemshid
+and Kaiomurs, from Achæmenius and Cyrus, am able
+to make you great. Just as there may be one God in
+heaven, so I am the one God on earth. There is but one
+family fitted to rule the earth and that is mine. Is it not
+so?”</p>
+
+<p>“It is so.”</p>
+
+<p>“Since it is so, is not the will of the Great King of the
+Persians and Medes and of the whole world above the
+laws of this empire?”</p>
+
+<p>“The King’s word is law.”</p>
+
+<p>“If, then, the Great King command you to do an act,
+that act, even if it be the taking of life contrary to Persian
+law, becomes lawful. Is it not so?”</p>
+
+<p>For an instant Prexaspes clasped his fingers together
+nervously.</p>
+
+<p>“It might be lawful, O King,” he answered slowly.
+“But though your power is great, there are in this land
+of Persia great nobles who claim great rights and
+powers, and who would maintain that Persian law must
+not be broken even by the Great King. I know the
+great wisdom and the courage of the King; but if I may
+be permitted to speak, I would give the advice of one
+who has studied these matters deeply.”</p>
+
+<p>“I know!” exclaimed the King, impatiently. “I saw
+the dour faces of the nobles and the hostility of the people.
+My father unreasonably inflicted punishments upon
+me and my friends, and knowledge thereof has soured<span class="pagenum" id="Page_104">[104]</span>
+the minds of all toward me. That cursed Bardya, who
+supplanted me in my father’s love, yet lives! I would
+sooner trust Darius Hystaspis than those nobles; and he
+loves me not!”</p>
+
+<p>“It is true the Prince of Iran loves you not. But he
+is loyal. My only fear is that if Bardya should—should
+be slain by your order, the nobles would attack even you,
+and by their vast power among the Persian people they
+might overthrow you and place the King of Iran on the
+throne.”</p>
+
+<p>The King arose from the table and paced back and
+forth, grinding his teeth in wrath. He realized the
+truth of Prexaspes’ words.</p>
+
+<p>“There can be but one King on earth!” he exclaimed.
+“That King must be Cambyses. Bardya must die! As
+for Darius Hystaspis, I would order him to death, did I
+not believe his father would head a revolt in Iran such
+as I care not to meet. But I hate him! What then do
+you advise?”</p>
+
+<p>“As to Bardya, I advise that he be put away secretly,
+if he must die. Let it be reported that he has returned
+to Bactra or that the King has given him a secluded residence
+in Medea, where he chose to retire for meditation.
+A stout person might—”</p>
+
+<p>“No!” roared the King. “I have said he shall die!
+But let it be secretly done. Do it yourself and I will
+make you chief counselor of state forever, second only
+to myself!”</p>
+
+<p>Prexaspes drew in his breath sharply.</p>
+
+<p>“The King hath spoken!” he answered slowly. “I
+myself will slay the young man. Let the King’s word
+stand and not be withdrawn.”</p>
+
+<p>“It shall stand!” the King assured him, taking a seal
+ring from his finger. “Take this in token of the King’s
+word.”</p>
+
+
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_105">[105]</span>Prexaspes bowed low and took the glittering band.</p>
+
+<p>“Now as to this Prince of Iran and his seditious
+Guard, what of them?” demanded the King.</p>
+
+<p>Prexaspes hesitated a moment before he answered.
+“The Prince may be dealt with in two ways. Possibly
+the King may not have heard that he has dared to raise
+his eyes to Athura, the King’s most beautiful sister; and
+it is reported that she regards him with great favor.
+And your father promised her to him. Now it might be
+that if she be given him in marriage at once, it would
+bind him more firmly to support your rule, and—”</p>
+
+<p>“Never!” cried the King, smiting his hands together.
+“Let them marry? Why, that would indeed be showing
+him favor! That would be placing him on the
+throne! For I have no children; and if Bardya die, who
+remains? Athura would be queen, and he would be
+King. Never! I hate him as bitterly as I do Bardya.
+I hate Athura, the haughty favorite of my father, ever
+preaching good deeds and well-doing to me!”</p>
+
+<p>“Then I advise that he be given a command in a distant
+province. It is rumored that the Lydians are restless
+and that the tribes on the northern borders thereof
+are making forays. Send him and the old Guard
+thither. Mayhap a dart shall find him. At least he will
+be far from these Persians. His oath will keep him
+faithful. Let a decree be made praising him for faithful
+service and elevating him to the honor of a satrapy where
+war will keep him busy.”</p>
+
+<p>The King laughed, a cruel, mirthless laugh, as he
+assented. “The advice is good! So be it. Bardya
+shall disappear to meditate—beyond the stars! Darius
+and Athura shall love each other, verily, but separated
+by two hundred parasangs! See to it! Prepare
+proper decrees. And Prexaspes—it is in my mind to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_106">[106]</span>
+occupy these warlike peoples in a war of conquest, even
+as did my father. We will prove that we too know how
+to conquer! There is Egypt still independent and very
+rich and powerful. We must have tribute to live in
+state as becomes the ruler of the world. Amasis claims
+to be equal to Cambyses—he shall bite the dust!
+After him, the Hellenes shall feel my power beyond the
+sea. Go, Prexaspes! It shall be yours to estimate the
+necessary revenues and to prepare the means to feed an
+army of five hundred thousand men who will march with
+me to Egypt. But, first, see to it that no brother remains
+behind to rouse up rebellion!”</p>
+
+<p>“It shall be as you order. The King is very wise.
+War with Egypt will occupy the minds of the Persian
+nobles and will enable us to levy taxes on all the nations
+for the King’s treasury.”</p>
+
+<p>“Be not in too great haste with this war,” continued
+Cambyses. “There is much to do; and life is very enjoyable
+in fall at Susa, in winter at Babylon, and in
+spring at Hamadan.”</p>
+
+<p>Prexaspes bowed low and withdrew.</p>
+
+<p>Later that day, the King sat in state on the throne in
+the great central hall of the palace and received the
+nobles of Persia and Medea and the officers of his court.
+Prexaspes stood at his right hand. Embassies from distant
+realms, visitors from foreign lands, and deputations
+from divers cities came to wait upon the Great
+King before returning to their various places. All petitioners,
+in accordance with the new etiquette, prostrated
+themselves before the King and so remained until bidden
+to arise. But the nobles of Iran, though they bowed
+low before him with hands on their breasts, did not bend
+the knee or prostrate themselves. The King greeted
+them coldly, resolving within himself that he would some<span class="pagenum" id="Page_107">[107]</span>
+day humble them till they also should prostrate themselves
+at his feet and feel his foot on their necks.</p>
+
+<p>The Prince of Iran, tall, stately, richly but plainly
+appareled, came also. He was cordial in his greeting of
+the King, as became a blood-relative, but beneath the
+folds of his Medean cloak a light chain armor guarded
+his body from dagger-thrusts, even as his cordial manner
+concealed the distrust he felt towards Cambyses.
+To him Prexaspes made low obeisance. The nobles of
+Persia also bowed low before him with profound respect.
+The King became very gracious and smiled upon
+him as he approached. He arose from his throne and
+gave the Prince his royal hand.</p>
+
+<p>“Cousin Darius,” he said, “it pleases me very greatly
+to have you here! I have disturbing news from the
+satrapy of our old friend Crœsus. It is said that discontent
+and revolt arise there and that bands of Scythians
+trouble its northern borders. I have been considering
+deeply what reward would be sufficient for one who
+brought the body of the Great King, my father, to its
+tomb. I have determined to appoint you satrap of all
+our empire beyond the Euphrates. In order that you
+may be well supported, I have prepared a decree that
+you may take with you the old Imperial Guard of my
+father to become the nucleus of the army which shall,
+under your command, uphold our empire there. I contemplate
+no less a conquest than that of Egypt at some
+convenient time; and it shall be your duty to levy additional
+soldiers among the people of your provinces for
+that war. When I march by Damascus and Tyre, you
+shall join me there with a well-disciplined army and you
+shall have chief command under me.”</p>
+
+<p>The Prince listened in amazement. Except Babylon,
+the western provinces were the richest and most important<span class="pagenum" id="Page_108">[108]</span>
+of the conquered provinces in the empire.
+Knowing the King’s ancient hatred towards him, he was
+at a loss to understand why this great honor was given
+him. From the keen, beadlike stare of the King’s dark
+eyes he turned inquiringly to Prexaspes, who averted
+his face. He was silent a moment, seeking to penetrate
+the King’s design. It must be that, as King, Cambyses
+was not following the footsteps of Cambyses, the
+Prince.</p>
+
+<p>“The Great King’s commands will be obeyed,” he answered
+presently. “I thank you for the honor so little
+deserved. But I had somewhat in my heart to ask the
+King, should I be permitted to speak.”</p>
+
+<p>“Say on!” said the King, the expression of his face
+denoting apprehension.</p>
+
+<p>“When your sire, the ever victorious Cyrus, was about
+to die, he gave me his consent and promise that I should
+marry the Princess Athura if she were willing. This
+was a special mark of his favor. I now ask of you,
+Great King, that which he promised and which you, as
+the head of your father’s family, may grant—the hand
+of the King’s sister in marriage.”</p>
+
+<p>Cambyses was astonished at the boldness of the
+Prince. His face instantly flushed with wrath. He was
+about to exclaim violently, when he observed the gaze
+of Prexaspes turned upon him warningly and remembered
+that it was his part to dissemble. He resumed
+his seat on the throne. Constraining his anger, he said,
+speaking rapidly and in some confusion:</p>
+
+<p>“This is a matter to which thought must be given.
+The time is not right. The matters demanding attention
+in your satrapy are urgent. I wish you to make ready
+and depart within ten days. I must have a Prince of
+the Empire in that part of my dominions. Your subjects<span class="pagenum" id="Page_109">[109]</span>
+are a warlike people who need a firm hand. As to
+my sister, I will talk with her. It would not be meet
+that the marriage take place before you go or until the
+days of mourning for her father elapse. The urgency
+of the case will not admit at this time of any delay, lest
+those Lydians and Scythians rise in open rebellion. I
+see no obstacle in the way of such marriage; but later
+I will consider it. Some months’ active campaigning
+may be your lot when no thoughts could be given to marriage.
+Prepare to march without delay and to put down
+the King’s enemies with a strong hand. If the hand of
+my sister in marriage be a prize to be sought after by
+you, faithful service to my interests may be thus rewarded.
+Here is my decree appointing you to your
+office. Rest assured that if my sister wills to be your
+wife, she shall be given by me to no other man.”</p>
+
+<p>Prexaspes drew from his belt a roll of papyrus and
+presented it to the King, who handed it to the Prince.
+The latter took it, bowed low, and, turning on his heel,
+departed without further word. After he had disappeared
+the King turned to Prexaspes.</p>
+
+<p>“What think you?” he asked. “Does it please him?
+And what will he do?”</p>
+
+<p>“It pleases him not, but he will obey.”</p>
+
+<p>The Prince of Iran passed out of the King’s presence
+deeply troubled. Was the King seeking to honor him
+and beginning to reign in a truly kinglike manner? Or
+was he seeking to be rid of him and his favorite troops?
+Mounting a horse at the gate of the palace park, where
+his faithful groom, Orobates, awaited him, he rode
+directly to the old palace where Bardya and his sisters
+were residing. There he dismounted and was quickly
+ushered into the presence of Princess Athura. He
+found her sitting upon a divan in the inner court, playing<span class="pagenum" id="Page_110">[110]</span>
+on a harp and softly singing to its accompaniment.
+Several young women companions had left the room
+when the servants announced the coming of the Prince.</p>
+
+<p>“Greeting and welcome!” she said smilingly, as the
+young man bowed low before her. She put aside the
+harp and arose. “Be seated, illustrious Prince, at my
+right hand!” He kissed the hands extended to him,
+and both sat down on the divan.</p>
+
+<p>At once noting the serious expression of his countenance,
+the Princess asked, “What so serious as to cause
+frowns and wrinkles?”</p>
+
+<p>“I have stood before the King as I said I would and
+asked that he consent to our marriage,” he answered.
+“Instead of consenting, he does me the honor to appoint
+me governor of Lydia and command me to depart forthwith,
+saying there is urgent need and that I must take
+with me the Guard.”</p>
+
+<p>“What? Another war? And must you go?”</p>
+
+<p>“It is the King’s command! It is not an honor that
+he is giving me. It is his desire to place me among those
+who know me not! Foolish King! He will find none
+less likely to rebel than I. It is not in his mind to consent
+to our marriage. He made no promise. He said
+he would think of it and speak with you.”</p>
+
+<p>“But he shall consent!” exclaimed Athura, warmly.
+“If not, then will I go with you and marry you without
+his consent. He shall never control me or send me
+where I do not choose to go!”</p>
+
+<p>“My soul rejoices to hear you say this!” said the
+Prince, drawing her close to him with encircling arm.
+“But we must have patience. He is King. He is the
+head of your family. Should we marry without his consent,
+he might deem it such insult to his majesty as to
+lead him to immediate violence. I fear that I may some<span class="pagenum" id="Page_111">[111]</span>
+day be compelled to forget my sacred oath to his father.
+Let us exercise patience, light of mine eyes, hope of my
+soul!”</p>
+
+<p>Her regal head rested on his strong shoulder. She
+touched lightly with her fingers the dark locks of hair
+that graced his brow. Presently, as she remained silent,
+he continued:</p>
+
+<p>“He may consent that you come to me. What happiness
+would be mine! But you—it would mean a
+foreign land, and possibly dwelling in the midst of
+war.”</p>
+
+<p>“Am I not my father’s daughter? Am I afraid of
+war? It would be joy to go with you, to see new lands,
+new peoples, to be a queen where you would be virtually
+king, to ride a horse in battle! I will wait for you
+to come or to send for me. No other man, be he King
+or noble, shall I ever marry. If not you, none other!”</p>
+
+<p>“Nor shall I have any other queen than you, beloved
+of my soul! Let us not despair. I will speak to the
+Persian nobles if he does not presently consent. Their
+influence and my father’s may force his consent. If danger
+threaten you, fly to my mother. She will protect you
+even against Cambyses.”</p>
+
+<p>Further converse was interrupted by the sound of footsteps
+approaching from the outer hallway and the immediate
+appearance of Prince Bardya at the door. He
+had evidently just come from a ride, as his clothes and
+whip indicated. His handsome, flushed countenance indicated
+rapid riding through the wind. He smiled, as his
+sister and the Prince arose in embarrassed silence.</p>
+
+<p>“Pardon my intrusion, beloved sister and brother!”
+he begged. “I have had a wonderful gallop over the
+hills towards Lake Baktigan, and some rough climbing.
+Have you seen the other King this day?”</p>
+
+
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_112">[112]</span>The Prince of Iran briefly related his visit to the King
+and its result. Bardya nervously slapped the riding whip
+against his boots and a frown gathered on his brow as he
+listened.</p>
+
+<p>“His object is plain!” he exclaimed, as the Prince
+ceased speaking. “He sends you to a distant place that
+you may not be near me, a very shrewd trick! He will
+never allow you to marry Athura because he hates you
+both. But let us defy him! My sister shall go with me.
+Then you may come, Prince, and marry her! We shall
+defy him. We shall acknowledge him as overlord, according
+to my father’s will; but not a foot shall he set
+on our lands—neither he nor any servants of his!”</p>
+
+<p>The Prince of Iran was disturbed at Bardya’s words.
+It was evident that the latter intended to declare his independence
+as soon as possible and that war would ensue.
+What would be his own duty then? His oath would align
+him with Cambyses; his heart would drive him to Bardya.</p>
+
+<p>“Great Prince,” he answered, “I know you love me as
+a friend and so I make bold to speak a warning. Do not
+utter such thoughts aloud any more. Ears may hear and
+tongues may carry to the King’s ears. Then he would
+surely have you arrested and slain. I counsel prudence
+and extreme watchfulness. Return as soon as possible
+to Bactra. I long to go with you. But I must obey his
+decree or be placed in the position of rebelling. I go as
+ordered. After the war is finished (if I find it necessary
+to make war), I will demand Athura. If he refuse consent,
+I will leave his service and enter yours, but never as
+against him. But I do not think he will dare deny my
+suit. Am I not an Achæmenian, and is there any of
+higher birth?”</p>
+
+<p>“I will heed your advice,” replied Bardya. “You<span class="pagenum" id="Page_113">[113]</span>
+were ever wise and far-seeing. I will be silent and
+watchful. The guards you gave me ride with me always.
+One sleeps at my bedroom door, and the others guard
+the palace doors and grounds. But if you march hence
+in ten days, it behooves me to seek others.”</p>
+
+<p>“I will furnish them from the faithful retainers on
+my father’s estate. But I advise immediate return to
+Bactra, even if it must be by flight in the night. I am
+greatly troubled for your safety.”</p>
+
+<p>Bardya laughed. “You are needlessly alarmed,” he
+asserted. “But on the morrow I will announce to the
+King my purpose of returning forthwith.”</p>
+
+<p>At this moment there came a knock at the door and a
+servant appeared. “A messenger stands at the door,” he
+announced.</p>
+
+<p>“Admit him!” commanded Bardya.</p>
+
+<p>A man in the King’s livery entered, and bowing almost
+to the floor before royalty, presented a folded bit of papyrus
+to Bardya. The latter took it, unfolded it, and
+read. He then ordered the messenger to retire, and after
+he had disappeared he read aloud:</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot">
+
+<p>“‘Cambyses, the King of Kings, King of the World, to
+his Brother, Bardya, and to his Sisters, Athura and Artistone,
+greeting:</p>
+
+<p>“‘Know that I propose to remain here two weeks
+longer and will then return to Hamadan. It is my will
+that you make ready to accompany me to that city in
+order that my court may be graced by your presence and
+that the people may know that we are of good-will towards
+you. Later my brother may depart thence to
+his provinces. Farewell.</p>
+
+<p class="right">“‘<span class="smcap">Cambyses.</span>’”</p>
+</div>
+
+
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_114">[114]</span>“My brother is beginning to rule us very soon!” exclaimed
+Athura, indignantly.</p>
+
+<p>“He shall not order me!” exclaimed Bardya, fiercely.</p>
+
+<p>“He is King!” warned the Prince of Iran. “Hamadan
+is many parasangs nearer Bactra than this city. It is
+also nearer Lydia. I counsel obedience. It will be
+easier to escape from Hamadan than from Pasargadæ,
+if escape you must; and a week’s journey will then bring
+you into your own realm. Besides, it may be, the King
+is earnestly desirous of showing good-will.”</p>
+
+<p>“Good-will!” rejoined Bardya. “The King speaks
+of my ‘provinces,’ as if I were a mere satrap! It seems
+to me that I should be first consulted in such matters.
+It is in my mind to return to him a message that I choose
+to remain here for a time and then to return direct to
+Bactra.”</p>
+
+<p>Bardya strode back and forth across the room wrathfully.
+He threw the King’s message on the floor and
+trampled upon it. The Prince of Iran watched him in
+gloomy silence. Athura went to her brother and placing
+her hand on his shoulders made him halt and look down
+into her clear, steady eyes. More than once she had
+calmed the anger of her impetuous younger brother
+thus.</p>
+
+<p>“Brother, listen to me!” she said imploringly.
+“Listen to the Prince of Iran, if not to me! We are
+older than you, and you have never found us unfaithful
+to your interests. Cambyses is King of Kings, King of
+the World, by right of birth and by your father’s last
+decree. He speaks fairly to you. It is right that we
+visit him at his court in Hamadan and render him the
+honor due to him. You are here in his power. You
+should never have come hither at all. Wisdom dictates
+that you go to Hamadan, in all brotherly kindness. Then<span class="pagenum" id="Page_115">[115]</span>
+should he show an evil disposition, it will be much easier
+to escape to Bactra. At all events, brother, be not first
+to bring on war. Only in a just cause will the Aryans
+follow you.”</p>
+
+<p>Bardya was impressed. He kissed her forehead. “I
+will do as you advise,” he replied. “I am crippled by
+that oath our father exacted of the King of Iran and of
+our Prince here. Without their aid, it would be wild,
+foolish, and impossible to begin war. I feel that should
+I begin the war, even they would oppose me with the
+armies of Iran. I am no better than a caged tiger.”</p>
+
+<p>The Prince of Iran looked upon his young friend
+sorrowfully. “My father and I have sworn!” he said.
+“How can our words return to us? We are bound to
+support Cambyses as King of Kings. No less are we
+bound to aid you if oppressed by him. We will not
+fail you. Should he seek to detain you, we shall demand
+your release, even at the head of an army. What can
+you ask more? That we be oath-breakers?”</p>
+
+<p>“No, I ask it not! I will be guided by your advice.”</p>
+
+<p>Having thus decided, the three composed a message
+from Bardya to the King, notifying him that it would
+please Bardya to visit Hamadan on his way to Bactra and
+be his guest for some days. The Prince of Iran then
+took his departure and went to the camp of the Imperial
+Guard. After detailing a strong company to guard the
+palace wherein slept his beloved, he called a council of
+all his chief captains and read to them the King’s decree
+directing him and the Guard to march into Western
+Asia. The captains were delighted. The common soldiers,
+when they heard the news next day, broke forth
+in a pandemonium of jubilation. To march into the
+rich country of rich old Crœsus with their beloved Prince,
+to gain renown and wealth, though by hard knocks,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_116">[116]</span>
+under such a leader—what more could a stout warrior
+ask? So they all rejoiced and one and all agreed that
+King Cambyses was a wise King. But their Prince and
+Commander was silent and sorrowful.</p>
+
+<p>Cambyses announced, two days later, that it pleased
+him to accept the invitation of the Prince of Iran to
+hunt royal game on his estates in the jungles surrounding
+Lake Baktigan. This lake is a brackish body of
+water lying in the bottom of a long, narrow valley between
+low mountains, a day’s journey south of Persepolis.
+It is shallow in summer and fall, but in spring, after the
+winter rains, fed by the floods of the Araxes and several
+mountain torrents, it rises to respectable dimensions,
+and is then about sixty miles long by five wide. Reeds,
+grass, shrubs, and stunted trees cover its shores. On
+the hills near is some heavy timber. Little known to the
+modern traveler, yet, in the ancient days, it was a resort
+of royal hunters who dared to seek the lion and the tiger
+in their lairs. It was a part of the estates of the King
+of Iran. The Prince, as was the custom, had invited
+the King of Kings to make free use of all his father’s
+property. But he was surprised when Cambyses indicated
+that he would hunt. Prexaspes had advised his
+royal master to accept because it would please the Persian
+nobility. Cambyses also desired to show himself
+a mighty hunter, as had all his ancestry, and this influenced
+him to dissemble his true feeling towards the
+Prince and to accept his invitation. Prince Bardya and
+the great lords of Persia were invited to attend. It
+fell upon the Prince of Iran as host to provide transportation,
+victuals, equipage, and beaters; and right
+royally did he provide.</p>
+
+<p>It was an imposing expedition that marched down the
+swift Araxes to the jungles of Lake Baktigan. First,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_117">[117]</span>
+on a big horse, rode a magnificently attired master of
+the hunt, glittering in gold and silver and gorgeous
+in crimson uniform. Then followed several hundred
+skilled hunters, wardens of the estate whose duty it
+was to furnish the table of King Hystaspis with game
+and to guard his preserves against common robbers and
+poachers. They were arrayed in distinctive uniform
+and were mounted on wiry animals used to hill-climbing
+and hunting. With them was a pack of hounds. Then
+rode King Cambyses, on a beautiful white stallion, and
+looking right royal in his close-fitting tunic, his leather
+riding-breeches, red shoes, and round felt cap in which
+were stuck several black eagle feathers. A stout armor-bearer
+rode next with the King’s short sword, a buckler,
+a stout bow, and a quiver full of arrows. Another
+servant carried javelins and a heavy spear. At the
+King’s left and half a horse behind rode Prexaspes
+similarly arrayed. Behind them rode the Prince of
+Iran, Prince Bardya, and a hundred or more notables.
+Many pack-animals and servants followed with the impedimenta.</p>
+
+<p>They camped in a dense forest at the northern end
+of the lake, where the Araxes poured in its flood of fresh
+water. Next day the hunt began. The chief huntsman
+built a low platform in the branches of a live-oak
+which stood at the crossing of several jungle paths
+about a mile below the camp. The King and his armor-bearers
+took station on this, while the nobles and retainers
+formed in line at some distance to the rear in
+order to turn the game should it pass him. Cambyses
+was a great archer. It was his daily custom to practice
+shooting with the heavy Persian bow. He boasted that
+no man in Iran could excel him. None ever did excel
+in his presence, it being convenient to miss and stand<span class="pagenum" id="Page_118">[118]</span>
+lower in the scores than his Royal Highness. It is
+related that the King was accustomed to shoot apples
+from the heads or hands of boys, an example possibly
+followed by William Tell of later fame. The King
+later attempted this feat with the son of Prexaspes and
+slew the son.</p>
+
+<p>The huntsmen went to a point several miles down the
+lake, and, having formed a long line with one end resting
+on the shore and the other far out on the hills, marched
+with shouts, horn-blowing, and drum-beating northward
+and drove the savage denizens of the wilderness towards
+the King. The latter acquitted himself very well. Deer
+and antelope fell before his arrows. Jackals, snapping
+at the shafts which pierced their vitals, tumbled about and
+died. The King roared with savage laughter as the
+stricken animals leaped to their death. A wild boar was
+smitten, but, gnashing his teeth in rage and pain, he
+turned upon the beaters desperately and gashed one
+severely with his tusks. Animals which escaped the
+King ran the gantlet of weapons in the hands of the
+nobles. The slaughter was great. Two lions were
+aroused, but they broke through the line of beaters and
+escaped. That night all feasted on the King’s meat and
+praised his skill.</p>
+
+<p>On the next day Cambyses decided to hunt on foot,
+following the hunters with hounds through the jungle
+paths. His nobles followed to witness his feats of arms.
+Hunters and beaters formed a long semicircular line
+with the wings thrust forward, one along the margin of
+the lake, and the other along a ridge running parallel
+thereto. The King was at the middle of the line with
+the chief hunter. The Prince of Iran, Prince Bardya,
+and several of the nobles followed closely after him.</p>
+
+<p>Several smaller animals soon fell before the King’s<span class="pagenum" id="Page_119">[119]</span>
+archery, but he fretted because no lion or tiger appeared.
+He ordered the hounds unloosed. They sprang away
+into the jungle, and almost immediately terrific roars announced
+the presence of lions. A female and a young
+lion appeared, dashing towards the hills, the mother
+turning now and again to leap at the snarling pack baying
+at her heels. The King loosed an arrow at her, but
+it fell short. He was about to pursue, when a more
+thunderous roar close by warned him of the proximity
+of another royal beast. An instant later, a black-maned
+male lion appeared in an open space twenty paces distant,
+lashing his tail and emitting breathy coughs of rage.
+The animal paused but an instant, crouching low, then
+leaped towards the King with gigantic bounds. The
+King drew an arrow to its head and launched it. It
+smote the lion in the shoulder, but missed a vital point.
+Cries of terror arose from the attendants, and the armor-bearer
+of the King sought to interpose his buckler between
+the beast and his master. But master and man
+went down in a heap under the impact of the lion’s
+heavy body. Then the Persian nobles gallantly hastened
+to the rescue. The Prince of Iran dashed forward with
+a heavy spear and thrust the sharp blade into the red
+mouth of the lion as it sprang to meet him. It reared
+up on hind legs, battling with the heavy spear. Prince
+Bardya then shot an arrow into the beast’s side with
+such force that the barb passed through its body. Its
+heart was transfixed; the great beast gasped, fell over,
+and died.</p>
+
+<p>Cambyses was not severely injured, but was much
+chagrined. He had missed a fair shot, been ignobly
+thrown down, and saved by those he hated. He gave
+short thanks to his saviors and berated his armor-bearer
+for not interposing more effectually. He hunted no<span class="pagenum" id="Page_120">[120]</span>
+more after that on foot in the jungle, but he succeeded
+in slaying two lions from the safety of a platform
+erected in a tree.</p>
+
+<p>The hunt thus having proved a success, the King returned
+to Pasargadæ.</p>
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
+
+<div class="chapter">
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_121">[121]</span>
+
+<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER IX<br />
+
+
+<small>THE DEEPER THINGS</small></h2>
+</div>
+
+<p class="drop-cap">THE Prince of Iran, about to depart on the King’s
+business, knelt before his mother to receive her
+final blessing. The stately dame allowed no tear to dim
+her eye and no tremor to weaken her voice during this
+ceremony.</p>
+
+<p>“Go, my son, with my love and faith in you,” she
+said. “But remember your royal birth. Should your
+sire die, you will be head of the royal family in Iran;
+and by reason of your descent from an elder brother,
+you will be entitled to overlord even Cambyses. Your
+father has been content to be second to Cyrus, but I
+shall yet behold you crowned King of Kings!”</p>
+
+<p>“Not while Bardya and his brother, the Great King,
+live, mother!” replied the Prince, arising from his knee.
+“But I shall remember your words.”</p>
+
+<p>She bowed low before him, as to a superior. “Son,
+I salute you, King that is to be!” she said, smiling.</p>
+
+<p>Troubled in spirit, he kissed her cheek and turned
+away.</p>
+
+<p>The mother watched her son until he disappeared
+among the trees of the park. Then, throwing a veil
+over her head and face, she went to the seclusion of her
+bedchamber, there to weep the bitter tears of grief she
+would not let the world see. The Prince hastened to
+the stone bridge where Bardya and Athura, who had
+preceded him, were waiting to utter their farewells.</p>
+
+
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_122">[122]</span>Bardya kissed his friend’s cheeks, embraced him tenderly,
+then mounted a horse and rode away to the city.
+Athura and the Prince lingered on the bridge awhile,
+loath to part. The perfume of flowers filled the air,
+as the sun kissed away the dewdrops from their petals.
+The voices of birds and the ripple of water formed an
+orchestra attuned to the songs of love.</p>
+
+<p>“When I am permitted to return to this paradise, I
+will build there, by the side of my father’s palace, another
+twice as large and adorned with greater splendor,” he
+said, as they were about to separate. “There shall you
+dwell as becomes the Queen of the Aryans and the
+ruler of my soul.”</p>
+
+<p>“May your mother’s prophecy come true, beloved!”
+she replied. “I shall count the days till your return,
+or until I go to you. Send for me quickly and I will
+come. That brother of mine, who calls himself King of
+Kings, shall not prevent me. Listen! Should I send to
+you, asking aid, will you come, even though in disobedience
+to his orders?”</p>
+
+<p>“Yes! Did not Cyrus at the same time he exacted
+my oath also promise you to me? But Cambyses will
+not dare refuse you or insult me by long refusing his
+consent to our marriage.”</p>
+
+<p>“His hatred toward us may overrule his reason.”</p>
+
+<p>“Then he shall listen to force! I will send a letter
+to him as soon as my government is placed in order, demanding
+that he send you to me. He will then have no
+excuse.”</p>
+
+<p>“Send quickly then, for I fear trouble!” Tears filled
+her dark eyes as she spoke.</p>
+
+<p>“Should he trouble you, go to my father!” he said
+reassuringly. “He will call in the seven great nobles
+of Persia to your aid. Even Cambyses will fear them.”</p>
+
+
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_123">[123]</span>What else was said need not be recorded. Love, in
+these great ones of earth, produced the same sighs, the
+same halting words, the repetition of promises, assurances,
+and pledges, the same beaming eyes and fluttering
+hearts, as it ever has in all who have loved, be they
+high or low, known or unknown, sung or unsung. They
+parted, he to join the waiting Imperial Guard, now to
+be known as the Prince of Iran’s Guard, and she to
+return to his mother.</p>
+
+<p>Having marched rapidly to Susa, the Prince and his
+army encamped in a plain near that city. The satrap
+of Susa was ordered to procure supplies and a caravan
+for his long westward march. The camp lay on the south
+bank of the swift Choaspes, in a park set apart for the
+King’s use. Here were many palms and plane trees.
+The Prince’s tent was erected beneath the spreading
+branches of trees on the margin of the river, where in
+soldierly simplicity he received the visit of the satrap.</p>
+
+<p>On the evening of the second day after his arrival at
+this camp, the Prince, as was his custom, went out for
+a walk. The dark peaks of the Zagros range in the
+east lay bathed in the last soft rays of the sun. Shadows
+were falling in the glades and upon the river. With
+bent head and hands clasped behind him, he took little
+note of his surroundings, until at the end of half an
+hour he was met by a man, who seemed also absorbed
+in meditation. This man was tall and graceful. His
+body was clad in a long cloak, a plain but fine Babylonish
+garment, and on his head he wore a round, black
+Persian cap. His feet were shod with sandals. A full,
+dark beard, streaked with gray, adorned his face. His
+eagle-like countenance was strong and placid. Large
+dark eyes glowed with intelligence from beneath his
+heavy brows.</p>
+
+
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_124">[124]</span>The Prince whose eyes were bent on the earth, was
+startled from his reverie by a deep, musical voice:</p>
+
+<p>“Hail, Prince of Iran!”</p>
+
+<p>Involuntarily he grasped the hilt of a dagger in his
+belt and gazed doubtfully a moment upon the speaker.
+Then with a glad cry, he hastened forward and bending
+low, exclaimed: “Hail, Belteshazzer, prophet of God!
+I did not expect to meet you here! I rejoice exceedingly!
+I pray your blessing!”</p>
+
+<p>“May the Lord of all the earth bless you, my son!”
+said Belteshazzer, solemnly, laying his hand upon the
+Prince’s bowed head. “It is a great pleasure to behold
+you again after so many months. Tell me how you
+come here. Is that your army yonder? I have been
+away several days in the mountains whither I go to
+study, and I am now returning to the city.”</p>
+
+<p>The Prince stood before the prophet reverently, as
+one stands before a loved teacher.</p>
+
+<p>“My guard is encamped yonder,” he answered, indicating
+his camp. “We march upon the Great King’s
+business to the lands beyond the Euphrates, where, it
+is said, I shall find the people in rebellion. The King
+has seen fit to honor me with the government of the
+western provinces.”</p>
+
+<p>Belteshazzer smiled. Knowing well the political
+affairs of the empire from his long experience as adviser
+to the late King and as governor of several provinces,
+also knowing Cambyses and his dislike for the Prince,
+he perceived the pretext which the King had used to
+send the Prince far away from Iran.</p>
+
+<p>“I had not heard of any serious disturbances in those
+provinces,” he said. “It is true that some wild, turbulent
+bands infest the outlying mountains on the northeast;
+but the provinces have been happy under the rule of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_125">[125]</span>
+Cyrus and have not suffered at the hands of Cambyses.
+Perhaps the Great King deems it wise to scatter the
+veterans of Cyrus to distant provinces!”</p>
+
+<p>“That may be,” assented the Prince. “But you,
+Teacher, why here? The governor of Medea should
+not be in Elam.”</p>
+
+<p>“I am no longer governor of Medea. The Great
+King has deprived me of that office. I am no longer
+an adviser to the King. I am going to Babylon to
+resume my duties in the college of wise men, to spend
+my time in the study of ancient records and to observe
+the changing heavens, until such time as the God of
+heaven and earth shall order otherwise.”</p>
+
+<p>“Come with me!” exclaimed the Prince, impulsively.
+“I shall profit by your knowledge and experience. You
+shall have the chief place in my satrapy.”</p>
+
+<p>Belteshazzer shook his head.</p>
+
+<p>“No, it would not be best. The Great King is very
+jealous. He is scattering the men who surrounded
+Cyrus and is building up a circle of his own. His
+command was laid on me to proceed to Babylon, there
+to reside with the college of priests. But fear not,
+Prince! We shall come again in due time.”</p>
+
+<p>“Is this a prophecy?” inquired the Prince, his countenance
+alight with eagerness. “Ah, Belteshazzer! how
+I have longed to obtain that power you have,—the
+power to look into the future, to listen to the voice of
+Shraosha and to tell that which will be! Come with me
+to my tent and take refreshments. You shall stay with
+me at least until I march on to my provinces. I will
+consult God through you. My heart is very heavy.
+Upon my soul is an oath that galls me; and I fear for
+my friends and for the Aryan people under this King.
+After you are refreshed, it may be you will consult the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_126">[126]</span>
+messengers of God and tell me the right course of
+action.”</p>
+
+<p>Belteshazzer looked upon the young man with sympathy.
+Gifted beyond all living men with the power
+to read souls in their nakedness, he saw here a strong,
+upright spirit of good intent, in whom truth held sway,
+whose mind was large enough to grapple with and solve
+the problems of earth, a leader among men; and he
+loved the youth. He did not answer immediately, but
+looked into the eyes of the Prince earnestly as if reading
+his thoughts. The Prince could not drop his gaze. Belteshazzer
+presently looked away to the west, where the
+last glow of the sunset still reddened the sky, and he
+sighed deeply. Then his eyes swept slowly around the
+horizon, resting an instant on the towers of the distant
+city and then upon the tents of the army. The river’s
+low murmur came up from the darkening vale mingled
+with whisper of leaves moved by the breeze.</p>
+
+<p>“I know, my son,” he said after a moment’s silence,
+“that you have given an oath which may not be broken.
+I read the thoughts that recur, tempting you to break it.
+I read your heart and the love in it for the sister of the
+King, and the brotherly love you hold towards the
+brother of the King. I know that in the King’s mind
+is a fierce hatred towards you and a foul intent to make
+away with his brother; and that he is even now plotting
+against him. I know that dark and bloody days are
+impending; but the God of Spirits has guards around
+you, and as long as you walk after the good intent in
+your heart, you will triumph over all dangers and you
+will come at length to a higher estate. More than this
+I do not know.”</p>
+
+<p>The Prince bowed his head reverently before the
+speaker. In the presence of this man he was humble,—this<span class="pagenum" id="Page_127">[127]</span>
+man about whom wondrous stories had been told:
+of his great wisdom; of his power over the spirits of
+men; of the prophecies he had uttered; of the handwriting
+on the wall at the close of Belshazzar’s feast, when
+the great Cyrus was entering the inner city of Babylon
+by the river-bed and seizing it while the people feasted;
+of his immunity from fire and from the wrath of wild
+beasts, which, it was said, were his friends, no matter
+how savage; and of his steadfastness in the worship of
+his God.</p>
+
+<p>“O Prince of God!” he exclaimed as the prophet
+ceased speaking, “I would give all that I have to hold
+communion with the unseen powers as you do! I have
+read the teachings of the great master, Zoroaster, and
+I have listened to the wise men who have studied all that
+is to be known; but, when I stand before you and listen
+to your words, my soul sinks, and I wonder if I worship
+the true God, or whether there are two gods, yours and
+mine, or more; or whether Ahura-Mazda is but an idea.
+I wish that I might sit again at your feet and learn the
+whole truth!”</p>
+
+<p>Belteshazzer looked upon the young man, with love
+and admiration expressed in his large, deep eyes. His
+voice when he again spoke, was full of sympathy and
+fatherly kindness. “Son, there is not much to learn,
+save this: that God, the Supreme Ruler of all, is one
+God; that He manifests His power by His Spirit and by
+His messengers; that He is known to all peoples, but
+under different names and different aspects, and that He
+is the Father of all. Men have forgotten Him and have
+attributed to Him qualities that He has never possessed.
+Some have made Him a monster, have carved Him in
+wood and stone, made idols to represent Him and fallen
+down before them, forgetting that God is a Spirit, who<span class="pagenum" id="Page_128">[128]</span>
+never looks upon idolatry with allowance—forgetting,
+because not seeing! But of old, when there was but one
+family of men on this earth, God was known to all men.
+His spirits and messengers walked and talked with men,
+until men by gross and sensual lives made it impossible.
+The Ancient of Days gave man a life of immortality;
+breathed His own life into the first man, and he became
+a living soul; made him free to live as he would, to
+choose good and evil. Men, from the first days, ages
+ago, lived happily, until selfishness drove them to quarrels,
+to murder, and to other sins. Then they separated,
+families moving hither and thither over the world, forgetting
+each other; some descending into ignorance and
+barbarism; others ascending to a higher state of knowledge;
+all looking upon nature and clothing nature’s God
+in their own vain imaginings. Some kept the knowledge
+of God more perfectly than others. The Spirit of God
+talks with every man, bringing up to his spirit suggestions
+of better life. From time to time great teachers
+are sent. So came Moses to us, the sons of Abraham
+and Heber. So came Zoroaster to the Aryans. And
+a day will come—I have seen it in a vision!—” here
+the Prophet’s voice thrilled with awe and his eyes were
+cast upward to the heavens,—“I saw in a vision one
+night, years ago, before the great Cyrus overthrew Babylon,
+One, like the Ancient of Days, sitting on the clouds
+of heaven; and there came before him One like unto a
+son of man; and to Him did the Ancient of Days give
+dominion and glory over all peoples of all the earth and
+all people should in all their divers languages serve Him.
+His dominion is an everlasting dominion and His kingdom
+shall never be destroyed. All the nations of the
+earth shall serve Him gladly!”</p>
+
+<p>He ceased a moment and stood enraptured, contemplating<span class="pagenum" id="Page_129">[129]</span>
+the heavens and recalling again the glories of his
+vision. The young man looked upon the seer’s countenance
+with awe. He endeavored to gather the full meaning
+of the spoken words. Whether he spoke, he knew
+not, but his mind did form the question, “When shall
+this be?”</p>
+
+<p>The question came to Belteshazzer and he answered:
+“I know not when, but He will come in the fullness of
+time. He will not reign as kings reign, but only in the
+souls of men. He will waken men to everlasting life,
+men who have endeavored to do well. He will waken
+others to shame of their evil lives and to everlasting contempt.
+Then all men shall have full knowledge of God.
+None shall fail to know their Redeemer. He will come
+when God wills.”</p>
+
+<p>Belteshazzer ceased and again sighed deeply, and for
+a time gazed at the sunset glow in silence, but his eyes
+saw not the glories of the sun. With his inward eyes
+he was looking again at that mighty vision of which he
+had spoken. The Prince broke the silence.</p>
+
+<p>“You said that a Spirit stands guard over me and that
+I shall triumph over dangers. How stands such spirit?
+What is he? Why may I not see him? If I could commune
+with the unseen presence, perhaps he would guide
+my steps that I make no error.”</p>
+
+<p>Belteshazzer shook his head and replied: “To some
+it is given to commune with spirits, but it is only to those
+whose lives are spiritual. To me it has been given to
+speak with Gabriel, the messenger of God, and with
+Michael, the soldier of God and leader of his hosts
+against the powers of evil. It may be that God will permit
+you to see. Come, let us sit down! I feel even
+now the nearness of spiritual influences.”</p>
+
+<p>They sat down side by side on a flat rock at the margin<span class="pagenum" id="Page_130">[130]</span>
+of the river bank. Below them the bank fell away with
+gentle slope to the stream. The valley was now full of
+shadows. Trees and shrubs were seen as dark spots on
+the dull gray of sun-scorched grass. Twilight was
+rapidly deepening into darkness. Belteshazzer took the
+Prince’s right hand into his left. Raising his right hand
+to the heavens, he prayed inaudibly, the movement of his
+lips alone indicating his action. The Prince sat motionless,
+with wide eyes and bated breath. Awe entered
+into his soul and a chill ran over his body, not from
+fear but as if a cold current of air from the mountains
+had touched him. Suddenly a light cloud of mist seemed
+to come up out of the valley and from it emerged the
+semblance of a stately warrior, whose countenance, seen
+as in a white light, bore a striking resemblance to the
+Prince’s father. His stature was above that of ordinary
+man. He was clad, it seemed, in brilliant chain-mail.
+A sword hung at his belt, a spear was in his hand, a bow
+at his back. He stood erect with one foot advanced
+and one hand outstretched as if in benediction over the
+Prince’s head. Luminous, translucent, quivering with
+light, yet very real, was the presence. The Prince involuntarily
+raised his hand and bowed his head in salutation.
+Belteshazzer sat still, calmly regarding the
+vision.</p>
+
+<p>“You may speak to him freely,” he said.</p>
+
+<p>“Who are you that comes so gloriously?” demanded
+the Prince.</p>
+
+<p>A strong voice seemed to answer: “I am Achæmenius,
+your ancestor, Prince of Iran. I am permitted by
+the Supreme Power to march at your side. In you I
+see the hope of the Aryans, the most worthy son of my
+family. Be of good cheer! A host encamps about you.
+Only seek ever after the truth and avoid the lie. Behold!<span class="pagenum" id="Page_131">[131]</span>
+error is creeping into the minds and hearts of the
+Aryan people. Idolatry and false magic, fostered by
+the evil ones, gain headway among them. It is for you
+ever to strive for truth and for the knowledge of God,
+the one supreme God, known to our race from the
+ancient times, known to this Belteshazzer and by him
+worshiped. It is your duty to restore our people to
+right worship!”</p>
+
+<p>“But what is to come? What course shall I pursue,
+O glorious Spirit?”</p>
+
+<p>“It is not given me to prophesy. Only the Supreme
+One may give the spirit of prophecy. But I know that
+you are chosen to be a leader and that many peoples
+shall bow down before you as lord. Keep ever your
+purpose to be true and truthful, to live uprightly and
+justly, and to banish from among our people idolatry
+and lying. More am I not permitted to say. Farewell!”</p>
+
+<p>As suddenly as the presence had appeared, it passed
+away, seeming to dissolve in thin air; and only the two
+men remained, sitting side by side on the rock, with the
+dark vale before them, the breeze whispering about them
+and the brilliant stars above. The young man was the
+first to speak. He rose and shook himself as one might
+who rises from a troubled dream.</p>
+
+<p>“Was it a vision, O Prince of God?” he demanded,
+“or was it a man? Was it a spirit, or did I dream?”</p>
+
+<p>Belteshazzer answered somewhat reproachfully:
+“My son, this was no dream! You have seen a veritable
+spirit, one who lived in the flesh and reigned in
+Iran centuries ago. Under him marched a great army
+from Bactra to Rhages and thence south into Fars,
+driving out the ancient peoples and there establishing his
+kingdom. I have seen this great Spirit before, when
+Cyrus was King.”</p>
+
+
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_132">[132]</span>The Prince exclaimed fervently: “Then it is no
+fable that men who die shall live again! That which I
+have heard and doubted, now I know!”</p>
+
+<p>“Truly you have spoken! Death is but a change,
+the taking off of a worn-out garment, this body of
+earth. It is the release of the soul, that glorious body
+within, from the trammels of mortality.”</p>
+
+<p>“To be so glorious, it were better to die!”</p>
+
+<p>“Nay, not till your work is done! The life now
+given you is but a training for the future and should
+be lived by you in such manner that men will rise up
+and call you blessed.”</p>
+
+<p>They turned towards the camp, and, walking slowly,
+continued to converse upon the mysteries of life. They
+passed the sentinels and soon came to the Prince’s
+pavilion, where the cooks anxiously awaited their
+master’s coming to his supper, long since ready. While
+they supped, they continued the discussion and, long
+after their meal, they sat together as teacher and pupil,
+the one pouring forth wisdom from his vast store of
+knowledge, the other receiving and storing it in his mind.</p>
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
+
+<div class="chapter">
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_133">[133]</span>
+
+<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER X<br />
+
+
+<small>A FAREWELL FEAST</small></h2>
+</div>
+
+<p class="drop-cap">CAMBYSES, the King of Kings, King of the World,
+made a feast at his palace in Hamadan in honor of
+his brother Bardya, who, as the order announcing the
+feast declared, was about to return to his future capital
+and home in Bactra. All the rulers and notables of
+Persia and Medea were commanded to be present on a
+certain day to meet the departing Prince and to say
+farewell.</p>
+
+<p>Forty days and more had passed since the funeral of
+Cyrus. The King accompanied by his brother and
+sisters, had departed with all his retinue from Pasargadæ
+and returned to Hamadan. Cambyses had no
+love for the Persian capital, but he did love Hamadan.
+At the latter city resided his boon companions, and there
+the moral laws were less observed and the people cared
+little what their rulers did so long as they themselves
+were allowed some license.</p>
+
+<p>Bardya had twice demanded of the King audience
+without result, and finally had written to him a note stating
+that he would presently return to Bactra with or
+without his permission. It was then that the King had
+called Prexaspes to him.</p>
+
+<p>“Prexaspes,” he said, glowering upon him truculently,
+“I expressed a wish to you concerning that sprig, Bardya,
+when we talked at Pasargadæ. It seems that my wish
+is forgotten!”</p>
+
+
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_134">[134]</span>The King’s countenance was clouded. He held in
+his hand a tablet on which was written the last message
+from Bardya. He read this aloud to Prexaspes, then
+dashed it to the floor with such force that the delicate
+plate was shattered in bits.</p>
+
+<p>Prexaspes was not alarmed. He had seen such
+ebullitions of wrath before. “I have not forgotten the
+King’s words,” he replied smoothly. “His commands
+shall be obeyed. But the Prince is so closely watched
+by the men of his body-guard and he so invariably refuses
+to accept my invitations to visit places where the—the—accident
+could happen without the people knowing
+the true cause, that it has been impossible to accomplish
+it.”</p>
+
+<p>“Nothing should be impossible when the King commands!”
+bellowed Cambyses. “Look to it sharp!
+Here is he demanding leave to return to his kingdom.
+His kingdom, indeed! His presence here is a displeasure
+to me. Away with you and immediately accomplish this
+task, or I will give your body to the vultures!”</p>
+
+<p>Prexaspes bowed low in affected terror. “If the King
+will permit his servant to speak, I have thought of a
+plan,” he said.</p>
+
+<p>Cambyses glared at him a moment, his bloated countenance
+flushed with passion and his right hand clutching
+nervously at the dagger on his thigh. It was an inner
+room of the great palace and they were alone. Prexaspes
+watched the madman closely, ready to flee or to
+engage him in mortal combat should he attack. Beneath
+his own Medean robe lurked a long, keen dagger which
+he well knew how to use. But the King was not so
+angry as he pretended. Seeing that his servant was
+properly impressed, he said more calmly: “A plan?
+Well it is that you have a plan! Speak!”</p>
+
+
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_135">[135]</span>“Permit me to see that no one listens or lurks near,”
+suggested Prexaspes, backing towards the door. He
+drew the heavy curtains and looked into the hall. He
+looked out of the narrow windows into the garden.
+Satisfied that no one could hear, he went close to the
+King.</p>
+
+<p>“O King, your gracious leave being given,” he said,
+“I suggest that you give a great feast in honor of your
+brother and that you publicly consent that he may return
+to Bactra. Permit me to arrange for his departure. I
+will suggest to him that he is in danger and that he flee
+from this city at night. I will pretend to be his friend.
+He shall arrive at no other destination than death.
+There will ride out towards Rhages next day one who
+looks like him so much that they cannot be distinguished
+save by friends. In the desert beyond Rhages, this man
+will disappear, and it will be announced that your brother
+has been carried away by robbers. His friends must be
+kept here by your order. Let me have your signet ring,
+that I may have my orders obeyed.”</p>
+
+<p>“Who is the man that resembles Bardya so much?”</p>
+
+<p>“It is Gaumata, the man whose ears the great Cyrus
+caused to be cut off because of his insolence.”</p>
+
+<p>“Nay, not for any fault of his, Prexaspes, but because
+my father hated and despised him. Now I think of him,
+I do remember a great likeness between them. Proceed!
+Here is my signet. Only see to it that I be rid of this
+pestilent fellow!”</p>
+
+<p>The King turned away, dismissing his chamberlain
+with a gesture. Prexaspes at once left the room and
+proceeded to his quarters in the palace, where he shut
+himself in and occupied himself for some time in writing
+three documents—one, an order from the King commanding
+Prexaspes to slay Bardya, the King’s brother;<span class="pagenum" id="Page_136">[136]</span>
+one, a message to Bardya permitting him to return to
+Bactra on a certain day; and, the third, a decree directing
+a great feast to be held in honor of his departure. Having
+sealed these with the King’s signet, Prexaspes went to
+the west wing of the palace, where Bardya and his sisters
+had their residence and where the King never went. He
+requested the servants to inform the Prince that he bore
+a message from the King.</p>
+
+<p>Bardya was moodily pacing back and forth in the park
+adjacent to the palace when the servant found him. He
+was going over in his mind the details of a plan he had
+formed for escape. By the King’s orders he had not
+been allowed to go and come as freely in the city as he
+chose. He knew that spies were constantly watching his
+movements and that any attempt to escape on his part
+would lead to instant arrest. He directed the servant to
+bring Prexaspes to him, and presently that worthy appeared
+and bowed low before him.</p>
+
+<p>“Live forever, O Prince!” said Prexaspes. “If I
+am permitted to speak, I have a message from the King.”</p>
+
+<p>Bardya looked upon Prexaspes loftily and disdainfully.
+This carefully dressed, combed and curled courtier
+of the King pleased him not. This man was the
+embodiment of the Mede, the luxury-loving, mixed breed
+of Aryan and Semite, whom the Prince despised.</p>
+
+<p>“Speak!” he said shortly.</p>
+
+<p>“I have here an order of the Great King directing
+that you may return to your dominions one week from
+to-day, and a second order that a great feast be made in
+your honor and that you be sent forth properly escorted
+by one hundred men under my charge.”</p>
+
+<p>He paused. The Prince’s face lighted with joy and he
+struck his hands together as he exclaimed: “Truly this
+is good news, Prexaspes! How about my sisters and
+companions?”</p>
+
+
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_137">[137]</span>“It is not ordered that they accompany you.”</p>
+
+<p>The Prince’s face grew dark. “What?” he demanded
+harshly. “Does this King deny my sisters their right to
+go where they choose and does he insult me by withholding
+the company of my friends?”</p>
+
+<p>Prexaspes glanced about uneasily and placed a finger
+on his lips, shaking his head warningly. He drew nearer
+to the Prince, saying in a low voice: “Have a care,
+Prince Bardya! The King waits only for some excuse
+and for a convenient day, to slay you. I will reveal to
+you what I know. Swear to keep silent should you
+escape! Give me the royal word of an Achæmenian
+that you will not betray me and that when you come to
+your kingdom you will remember me as a King should.
+Then will I reveal what is planned to compass your
+death.”</p>
+
+<p>Bardya hesitated. He searched the dark countenance
+of Prexaspes, striving to penetrate the mask of earnestness
+there assumed.</p>
+
+<p>“You have my word. Speak!” he said after some
+hesitation.</p>
+
+<p>“I am indeed commanded to lead you with the escort
+of one hundred men toward Rhages, but it is also ordered
+that you be slain before you reach that city. I am not
+willing to stain my hands in the royal blood of Iran.
+Neither am I willing that my head pay the forfeit of
+failing to have the King’s orders obeyed. Therefore,
+believe me, I have planned in good faith for your escape.
+On the night before the day set for your departure, the
+feast will be held. You must attend the feast. At midnight
+there will be a great exhibition of magic by the
+priests of the Magi. The King will be drunk by that
+time and engrossed with watching the performances.
+You will then have opportunity to leave the assembly<span class="pagenum" id="Page_138">[138]</span>
+room unnoticed by him and to return to your apartments.
+I will see that the guards are removed. You will take
+what jewels you have and leave your apartments to meet
+me at the western gate of the park, where horses will
+await us. Wear a rough soldier’s cloak over your armor.
+It will be easy for us to pass the guards and leave the
+city, as I shall have the pass-words. I will accompany
+you beyond the city limits on the northern road. I will
+put money in your saddle-bags and you may travel as a
+merchant. As soon as you are beyond the city I will
+return. Next day, there will ride forth one who much
+resembles you and who will dress as you dress,—Gaumata,
+the Magian. He will ride beyond Rhages. He
+will there disappear, and those who allow him to escape
+will feel the wrath of the Great King. Meanwhile you
+may travel unnoticed to Bactra. Is it not a good plan?”</p>
+
+<p>Bardya listened with distrust. He did not answer immediately.
+He pondered, not the plan, but the man who
+proposed it. As if reading his thoughts, Prexaspes
+added: “Why need you distrust me? If I chose to
+slay you, could I not come with the King’s order, take
+you to the dungeons, and there have you slain? Why
+should I make this plan? Surely you do not fear that
+I am able, single-handed, to overcome you on the northern
+road,—you, than whom no stronger swordsman rides
+a Nicæan steed! You will be armed and have a coat of
+mail. You may take all precautions. I seek only to do
+you a service.”</p>
+
+<p>His words touched the Prince’s vanity. Of course he
+feared no single man, he the celebrated strong-arm Prince
+of the world! The desire for liberty was strong in him
+and the romance of a night escape appealed to him.</p>
+
+<p>“Prexaspes, I agree,” he said. “It matters little
+whether you speak truly or falsely. It will be better to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_139">[139]</span>
+try an escape than to remain here; and, should the King
+overtake me with his guards, I can no more than die.
+Should I escape by this plan, come to me at Bactra and
+I will reward you royally. Or better still, times and
+seasons may change and Kings may change; and if
+Ahura-Mazda be willing, I may be here again some day
+able to give great honors and rewards!”</p>
+
+<p>Prexaspes smiled beneath his curly beard. His snake-like
+eyes flashed. “Let it be settled, then,” he rejoined.
+“At the midnight hour, return to your apartments, not
+letting any of your friends know your purpose. Meet
+me at the western park gate alone, and we will ride forth
+alone. Leave word with your servants that you are
+tired and are not to be called until the noon hour on the
+morrow. Farewell for the present!”</p>
+
+<p>Prexaspes turned away and disappeared through the
+shrubbery. The Prince paced onward till he came to the
+western limits of the park and noted the gate of which
+Prexaspes had spoken. He also saw that a company of
+soldiers had their tents pitched among the trees beyond
+the gate and that certain of them as guards paced back
+and forth along the wall bounding the park. He turned
+on his heel and returned to the palace. The guards
+watched him as long as he was in sight and murmured
+to each other concerning him, their attitude being sympathetic.
+The Prince was a man of soldierly figure and
+gracious demeanor. These men would go far to execute
+the orders of the King of Kings, but they admired the
+Prince and would not willingly have harmed him.</p>
+
+<p>The Prince walked slowly, his mind revolving the plan
+suggested for his escape, his head bent and his eyes cast
+down. He did not see his sister, Athura, coming towards
+him until he heard her soft voice.</p>
+
+<p>“Brother, why so downcast? Why so thoughtful and
+preoccupied?”</p>
+
+
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_140">[140]</span>His countenance lighted with pleasure. There existed
+between these two a sincere affection. He leaned much
+upon this sister, whose mind, like that of her great
+father, was acute and whose judgment was sound.</p>
+
+<p>“How beautiful is my sister!” he said, quoting one of
+the poets—“Fairer than all the women of earth, more
+to be beloved than wealth! Her breath is as fragrant
+as the breath of the rose; her eyes are deeper than the
+dark vault of heavens at night; her heart is as pure as
+the white snow on Demavend!”</p>
+
+<p>“Wait till you behold some maiden who will find
+favor in your sight! Then your sister will be remembered
+only as your very good friend and your songs of
+praise will be another’s,” she said. “Did I not see that
+man, Prexaspes, with you a moment ago?”</p>
+
+<p>“Yes, Princess. I have something to tell you. Let
+us go yonder to that seat beneath the oak tree. It is
+apart from all others, so that no one may overhear.”</p>
+
+<p>They went to a rustic seat beneath the spreading
+branches of a great oak and sat down side by side, and
+he related all that Prexaspes had said.</p>
+
+<p>“What do you advise?” he asked.</p>
+
+<p>Athura listened closely, her countenance expressing
+distrust, surprise, and incredulity. She took from the
+wide belt, that gathered her beautiful robe loosely about
+her waist, a small roll of papyrus.</p>
+
+<p>“Here is a letter from my Prince which has somewhat
+to say of this danger you are in,” she said. “I advise
+that you distrust Prexaspes.”</p>
+
+<p>Bardya looked over her shoulder as she unfolded the
+paper. “‘<i>Fairest and best of all maidens, Princess of
+my soul</i>,’” he read aloud laughingly.</p>
+
+<p>Athura quickly turned the first portion of the letter
+under, saying, “You would joke if death were about to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_141">[141]</span>
+seize you! You shall not read the sweet things he has
+written. You know not the meaning of them, even if
+you did believe yourself in love with the daughter of
+Orobates.”</p>
+
+<p>Bardya in pretended anger placed his hand over her
+mouth. “Let not that be mentioned!” he exclaimed,
+with simulated sternness. “I was sixteen and she was
+very fair. Though she was the daughter of a groom,
+even yet I sigh for her.”</p>
+
+<p>Having found that part of the letter which she desired
+to read, Athura said: “Listen to what my Prince
+says. This was written thirty days ago and was sent to
+his mother’s house, where he supposed I would be and
+where I should have been but for a bear of a brother
+who is King. Listen!</p>
+
+<p>“‘I have been much troubled concerning the words
+of that great teacher, your father’s former counselor,
+Belteshazzer, the Hebrew. He is a prophet, acquainted
+with all wisdom, speaking face to face with the messengers
+of God. He showed me a vision on the day we
+halted near Susa. He had been in the wilderness near
+by and was returning to the city, when I met him on the
+bank of the Choaspes. He showed me a vision of
+Achæmenius, the common ancestor of our royal family,
+yours and mine. A glorious vision! Belteshazzer can
+read all minds and knows what is in the hearts of men;
+and he said that the King meditated harm to Prince
+Bardya. Therefore, I beseech you, my soul, that you
+advise Bardya to escape as soon as he may and return
+to Bactra, where he will be safe.</p>
+
+<p>“‘I am now at Damascus, the chief city of Syria, resting
+before we continue to Sardis. I hear nothing of
+wars in the realms I go to govern, save the depredations
+of certain wild tribes on the northeastern border. I<span class="pagenum" id="Page_142">[142]</span>
+look forward to lonely days without you. I may find
+opportunity to subdue the Ionian cities, which are far
+too independent and do not properly recognize the
+majesty of Iran. Till I hear from you I—’”</p>
+
+<p>Athura paused and replaced the letter in her belt, saying,
+“The rest is for me alone.”</p>
+
+<p>Bardya sat dreamily listening to the rustle of the
+breeze in the oak leaves and gazing at the dark ridges
+of Mount Elwend in the west. “I have never thought
+much of visions, prophecies, or wonder-working performers
+who deceive the eye by quick movements,” he
+said after a moment of silence. “Darius says there is
+a future life; that the soul, leaving this body as one
+leaves a worn-out cloak, passes into the unseen world
+and continues to live; that Ahura-Mazda is a God in
+very truth and that He sends messengers to earth.
+Darius is wise and learned. If there is a future life and
+if congenial spirits hover round us, then indeed must
+those spirits who surround the King be all devils! His
+savage mind is blinded by love of power and moved to
+murder by jealousy and fear of me, his brother. I remember
+Belteshazzer, when he was a great and trusted
+counselor of Cyrus, our father. I feared him, too; and
+no man who ever looked into his reproving eye could do
+otherwise than fear him. I wish I could know the mind
+of Prexaspes. He seemed sincere. I will go with him
+and trust to my own arm for protection. But, sweet
+sister, I fear to leave you here in the power of my
+brother. Can you not flee with me?”</p>
+
+<p>“Fear not for me, brother. Cambyses will not harm
+me. He has no excuse. I am not in line for the throne.
+The right to rule goes to the male descendants of the
+Achæmenian family. I must not leave Artistone.
+How can I go now? I should hinder you. Besides, I
+must wait here for my Prince.”</p>
+
+
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_143">[143]</span>Bardya did not argue with her further, and she did not
+oppose his plan of escape further.</p>
+
+<p>The feast day came. There gathered into the great
+assembly hall of the palace a thousand of the notables
+of earth to honor the departure of Prince Bardya to his
+realms. Prexaspes had spared no expense in adorning
+the palace and in preparing the feast and the entertainments
+that should accompany it. The many pillars
+shining with burnished gold plate, which supported the
+gilded beams of the palace roof, were festooned with
+garlands of flowers, interwoven with streamers and
+bunting of many colors. The heavy tapestries of the
+doors in the assembly room were drawn back with silver
+chains. Across one end of this room a table was set,
+from the ends of which extended two longer tables in
+such manner that the King, when sitting at the center
+of the first, could see all his guests before him. Those
+he delighted to honor would sit at his table; others of
+less consequence would occupy the others. Snowy linen
+covers were laid. Heavy dishes of gold and silver, jars
+of beautiful Samos pottery, and vases from Egypt and
+Greece were put in place on them. Apples, peaches,
+plums, grapes, pomegranates, figs, and other rare and
+luscious fruits were heaped on shining platters. Confections,
+sweet cakes, nuts, salads, and relishes were in
+profusion. Flowers filled the air with delicious odors.
+Magnificent couches, on which the feasters might sit or
+recline as they chose, were placed along the tables. At
+one side of the room facing the King’s place was a low
+platform with seats for musicians, who with divers musical
+instruments would furnish sounds more or less harmonious
+while the great ones feasted. In adjacent
+rooms, graceful dancers, supple tricksters, and athletes
+were waiting to go in before the King and perform. A<span class="pagenum" id="Page_144">[144]</span>
+thousand servants, cooks, tasters, waiters, and attendants
+made ready the feast.</p>
+
+<p>As the sun disappeared behind the western mountains,
+a fanfare of trumpets announced that the feast was
+ready, and thousands of candles were lighted in the great
+banquet-room. None of those invited had failed to
+come. The King’s invitation was regarded as a command.
+In the cloak-room adjacent to the banquet-room,
+each guest received a purple robe to be worn
+during the feast and to be carried away by him at its
+close.</p>
+
+<p>At the appointed moment Prexaspes, as ruler of the
+feast, appeared, gorgeously dressed and having in his
+hand a wand. As the guests entered he indicated the
+seats to be occupied by them, placing them according to
+their rank. At the King’s table sat Crœsus, late king of
+Lydia, a prisoner, but an honored guest. There sat also
+Nebuchadezzer, Prince of Nineveh, and a score of
+other princes whose dominions were no longer theirs to
+rule, but who, though prisoners of the King of Kings,
+sat at his table and showed to the world that they lived
+on his bounty. When all had been duly placed, they
+remained standing with faces turned towards the throne
+at one end of the room and awaited the coming of the
+King. At the left of the throne was a door covered by
+heavy purple curtains hanging from ceiling to floor.</p>
+
+<p>Having placed all the guests, Prexaspes touched a
+cord and the tinkle of a bell announced the coming of
+royalty. The curtains of the door near the throne were
+parted and disclosed the King advancing, followed by
+his brother, his wife, and his two sisters, the women
+being closely veiled. The King strode heavily forward,
+his swarthy countenance lowering and his black eyes
+sweeping over the guests. All the guests bowed low towards<span class="pagenum" id="Page_145">[145]</span>
+him. He sat down heavily at his table. The
+guests remained standing until Prince Bardya, his sisters,
+and the King’s wife had taken their places at the
+King’s table. Then, at a wave of Prexaspes’ wand,
+the guests sank upon their seats. Immediately, nimble
+servants with pitchers and goblets appeared from side
+doors and poured wine for each guest. The King’s cup-bearer
+stood with a great cup of Helbon wine at the
+side of his master. The King seized the cup and, after
+waving it slightly toward his guests, drank from it long
+and deeply. The guests also drank. The musicians
+took their places and began playing a weird melody,
+monotonous and long-drawn-out, with many repetitions
+and variations. A murmur of conversation arose.</p>
+
+<p>Servants brought on trays of smoking meat, of delicious
+vegetables and pastries, and for each guest the
+food to which he was accustomed, prepared to suit his
+taste. The King ate and drank in silence, not even
+addressing a word to his wife, who sat at his right hand.
+Bardya and the royal sisters ate little. Their hearts
+were full of anxiety over the proposed escape of the
+Prince. But the King drank much wine. He also
+called for soma and drank of that liquor deeply. And
+as he drank, he watched Prexaspes, who ever moved
+nervously about the room directing the feast. Would
+the elegant Mede fail? The King began to devise a
+sufficient punishment to inflict on him should he fail.
+Dancers were brought in after the feast had well begun
+and gave an exhibition of sinuous movement, like the
+curving of a snake’s folds, or the graceful undulations
+of the sea waves. After the dancers there were
+performances by jugglers, mountebanks, and tricksters,
+and athletes displayed their strength and agility in wrestling-bouts.
+At the close of the feast, Prexaspes stood in<span class="pagenum" id="Page_146">[146]</span>
+the midst and called for silence. Then he said, “O
+King, by your gracious permission, I will now bring in
+the Magians who hold communion with the spirits of
+the departed, who have control of the powers of the
+gods, and who will divine and prophesy for you, besides
+doing many other wonderful things.”</p>
+
+<p>The faces of all were turned upon the King; and only
+on the countenances of the Persian nobles and the faces
+of Bardya and his sisters was disapproval written.</p>
+
+<p>“Let them come in with their tricks,” said the King,
+sneeringly. “They may delude us, but they will not
+convince us. Let them come!”</p>
+
+<p>“Let the lights be partially extinguished!” commanded
+Prexaspes.</p>
+
+<p>Immediately servants extinguished the candles, except
+a few at the King’s table, and semi-darkness enveloped
+them all. Then a band of six Magians entered. Servants
+brought in a heavy square table and set it in the
+open space between the dining tables. Others brought
+in some small tablets and balls, which were placed
+on the table. The magicians prostrated themselves before
+the King in salutation and afterwards gathered around
+the square table in silence and joined hands. They were
+clad in black robes, which covered their bodies in loose
+folds from their necks down. Their hands were visible
+below the wide sleeves of the robes, and their pallid
+faces shone dead white in the semi-gloom below the dark
+turbans wound loosely around their heads.</p>
+
+<p>As soon as the lights were extinguished, the King
+turned his back upon Bardya as if weary of his presence.
+Then a hand touched Bardya on the shoulder, and, turning,
+he saw Prexaspes who beckoned with a nod
+and disappeared into the gloom of a side chamber.
+Bardya waited a moment until the attention of all was<span class="pagenum" id="Page_147">[147]</span>
+concentrated upon the group of magicians; then, after
+pressing Athura’s hand lightly, he rose and quietly followed
+Prexaspes. The King seemed not to notice his
+movements, but was really watching.</p>
+
+<p>Five minutes later, the Prince, wrapped in a soldier’s
+cloak, stole out through the park, met Prexaspes there
+alone, mounted a horse held by him in readiness, passed
+through the park, and rode away with him through the
+city towards the northern road. When clear of the city
+environs, they spurred away at a gallop side by side
+towards the city of Rhages lying at the foot of distant
+Mount Demavend.</p>
+
+<p>Meanwhile, in the King’s presence, many wonderful
+things were happening. After several minutes of
+silence on the part of the Magians, the heavy table
+around which they stood rose to the ceiling without apparent
+supporting hands and there remained several
+minutes. Balls of light floated about the room near the
+ceiling. A tree sprang up out of the floor and visibly
+grew till its top touched the suspended table. Then the
+table slowly circled about the room, returned, and settled
+down to the floor. The tree disappeared as it settled.
+Upon the table, immediately, a mass of writhing snakes
+appeared, hissing and shooting forth angry red tongues,
+so that the guests were about to rise and flee in terror.
+They disappeared. The voice of the chief magician said
+in sepulchral tones:</p>
+
+<p>“None of these mighty wonders will bring harm to
+any of you, unless you make a noise and attempt to flee.
+Remain quietly in your places and behold the wonders of
+the gods! Know that the spirits of the mountains and
+of the valleys and of the plains are here, the rulers of
+earth, whom we serve. Know that there is no other religion
+worthy of practice than ours. Let the Great King
+behold and act accordingly!”</p>
+
+
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_148">[148]</span>The voice ceased and a hush fell over the assembly.
+The King moved uneasily in his seat, and answered in
+loud, sarcastic tones: “Tricksters have existed in all
+nations and in all ages! Your spirits are lying spirits
+conjured up in your own minds to frighten superstitious
+men. Bah! There are gods and gods! Show me a
+spirit!”</p>
+
+<p>“It is well!” answered the magician. “We obey the
+King of Kings. Only say nothing and move not!”</p>
+
+<p>A deep hush fell upon the assembly. The group of
+magicians drew together again and formed a circle
+about the table, placing their joined hands upon it and
+bowing their heads. Only the chief stood as if in a
+trance, looking upward. Then, above the heads of the
+group a pallid, misty light suddenly appeared, growing
+in density and assuming shape, until it became the shape
+of a man, wavering, translucent, with a sneering, evil
+countenance and sinister eyes, such as are ever ascribed
+to evil spirits. The King drew in his breath sharply
+and bent forward startled and alarmed. A voice seemed
+to come from the spirit:</p>
+
+<p>“What would you ask, O King of the Earth?”</p>
+
+<p>For a moment the King could not reply. He was
+agitated beyond measure. He summoned all his
+bravado, and with a great effort stammered, “Who and
+what are you?”</p>
+
+<p>A derisive smile curled the features of the apparition,
+as the voice replied: “I am your soul’s companion,
+the spirit that goes with you wherever you go! I
+am your evil genius! I am—you!”</p>
+
+<p>Rage filled the heart of the King.</p>
+
+<p>“This trick shall not benefit you, O Magians!” he
+shouted. “Prove to me that this is no delusion or death
+shall be your portion!”</p>
+
+
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_149">[149]</span>“Demand of me any proof, O King!” responded the
+voice.</p>
+
+<p>“Make your own proof!” retorted the King.</p>
+
+<p>Again the derisive smile curled the devilish features
+of the apparition, while a shivering silence possessed
+the wondering guests, who looked from it to the King
+and from the King to it, astonished at the resemblance
+between them.</p>
+
+<p>“At midnight, O King, last night,” said the apparition
+in a sepulchral tone, “I walked with you on the
+portico at the door of your bedroom and your thoughts
+were of your father and of your brother. Did you hear
+the whispering in the plane-tree? The thought then in
+your mind has been accomplished; and there comes
+hither the spirit of him that troubled you!”</p>
+
+<p>The apparition seemed to turn about and look in fear
+to the north; then, suddenly, it faded away. A groan
+arose from the chief Magian. He stirred uneasily and
+turned his pallid face towards the north. His hands
+were clenched and he stared into space with terror-stricken
+gaze. Deathlike hush pervaded the great hall.
+Then slowly and waveringly there appeared in the place
+where the former apparition had stood a ghastly face;
+and it was the image of Bardya, the King’s brother.
+With fierce eyes it glared down upon the King; and it
+seemed that blood poured down over the forehead in a
+trickling stream from a deep cleft in the crown of its
+head.</p>
+
+<p>A shriek of terrified anguish arose from the Princesses.
+A chorus of exclamations broke from the guests.
+The apparition suddenly disappeared. The King sat as
+if stunned for a moment, looking fixedly at the point
+where the apparition had been, while his face was contorted
+with fear and horror. The Magians silently dissolved<span class="pagenum" id="Page_150">[150]</span>
+their circle and quickly disappeared. The lights
+flared up as servants ran hither and thither relighting
+the candles. The King arose unsteadily. The guests
+arose and stood in their places while he wearily moved,
+or rather tottered, to the door by which he had entered,
+and disappeared. The sisters, supporting each other and
+weeping, left the room. The guests then broke into
+noisy comment and wonder and proceeded to fortify
+their shaken nerves with wine. Orthodox Persians
+muttered curses on all Magians. The unorthodox
+shook their heads and superstitiously resolved to make
+sacrifices on the morrow to the spirits of the hills and to
+the gods of the Magians. Arguments arose for and
+against Magism; but the advocates of that cult had the
+better of it, since as all had seen, it was capable of ocular
+demonstration. But the orthodox said it was the religion
+of devils; as for them, they would continue to
+worship the Good Spirit! Besides, the latter said, it
+was evident a fraud had been perpetrated, because Bardya,
+the King’s brother, had been at the feast well and
+alive. How could this apparition have been his ghost?
+In this argument they had the best of it. But they marveled
+at the King’s agitation.</p>
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
+
+<div class="chapter">
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_151">[151]</span>
+
+<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XI<br />
+
+
+<small>THE GREAT KING INTRODUCES A STRANGE CUSTOM</small></h2>
+</div>
+
+<p class="drop-cap">THE Great King was much shaken by the strange
+apparitions which the Magi had conjured up; but
+he assured himself that the whole performance had been
+trickery and he fiercely planned vengeance upon the
+performers. He had always boasted of his disbelief in
+gods and spirits, though puzzled sometimes at the magic
+of the fire-worshipers. This time, however, his gross
+nature had received a severe shock and while he awaited
+the return of Prexaspes that he might learn how his
+brother had been dealt with, he drank deep potations of
+soma and half-wished that his brother were indeed alive
+so that the horrid vision might be proven false. He
+paced back and forth impatiently in his apartments,
+while his servants stood without, breathlessly watching
+for every command lest in his present mood delay on
+their part would entail upon them grave consequences.</p>
+
+<p>A horseman galloped through the silent city from the
+north shortly before daylight and, with a hasty word to
+a sleepy guard, passed through the walls into the park
+and thence to the stables at the rear of the palace.
+Leaving his horse in the care of servants, he entered the
+palace. It was Prexaspes. After a few minutes in his
+own apartments, he emerged clad in his elegant court
+dress and went to the King’s apartments, where he knew
+the King waited. A servant announced his presence and
+he was at once admitted to the King’s presence. He<span class="pagenum" id="Page_152">[152]</span>
+entered, closed the door behind him, and stood before
+the King with bowed head.</p>
+
+<p>“Well?” demanded the King, hoarsely.</p>
+
+<p>“The King’s orders have been obeyed.”</p>
+
+<p>“How?”</p>
+
+<p>“A sword-stroke from behind as we rode northward.
+The body has been safely disposed. Let the King be at
+peace. Bardya is no more!”</p>
+
+<p>“Swear to me by all that you deem holy! Did the
+sword cut penetrate the brow?”</p>
+
+<p>“It did. I swear by all the gods of the hills and valleys,
+by Ahriman and by the spirits of my fathers!”</p>
+
+<p>The King shuddered. Mingled relief and fear shone
+in his countenance.</p>
+
+<p>“I have had strange proof of the truth of your words,
+Prexaspes,” he said. “Surely you are in league with
+devils! I knew you belonged to the Magian sect, but I
+did not know their power. How did they know the
+manner of Bardya’s death? How could they show it?”</p>
+
+<p>Prexaspes smiled. He had learned what had transpired
+before the King.</p>
+
+<p>“Without their aid it would have been impossible to
+have accomplished the destruction of the Prince,” he
+answered. “It would be well if the Great King should
+show favor to the Magi. They can help him much.
+With the assistance of the diviners and those who have
+familiar spirits, who can speak with the spirits of the
+dead and with the gods of the hills, the King will be
+able to detect those who might plot against his life.
+Nothing can be done but what they may find it out if
+they desire. They help and protect their friends.”</p>
+
+<p>“But they worship the Lie, which from all ages has
+been proscribed by the laws of Iran,” said the King,
+doubtfully. “I know they have power to perform<span class="pagenum" id="Page_153">[153]</span>
+wonders; but I deem them tricks. What care I? If
+their tricks aid me, they shall be rewarded.”</p>
+
+<p>“It is right for the Great King thus to speak for the
+ears of the people!” returned Prexaspes, insinuatingly.
+“But if the Great King does practice all the good precepts
+of Ahura-Mazda, what avails it or how does it
+benefit him? I dare to speak plainly, so that you may
+receive the aid of the powerful Magi whose followers
+are more numerous than all others in Medea, Assyria,
+and Babylonia. The deed done at your command this
+night has been accomplished by their aid. The men of
+orthodox faith, the worshipers of Ahura-Mazda, hate
+you. Only by allying yourself with the Magi can you
+hope to retain your throne. With their aid you may
+defy your enemies if they should learn of Bardya’s end.
+Ally yourself with the Magi and their gods and they will
+gratify all your wishes. Know, O King, that these men
+have wonderful powers, even greater than the priests of
+Egypt or of Babylon who know some of their arts.”</p>
+
+<p>Cambyses was shaken. In him there was some good.
+Unconsciously his physical passions had been overcoming
+the good; but, occasionally, there broke through the
+density of his grosser nature an inward voice urging
+him to a better life. But he had no doubt of his absolute
+right to do as he might will, and he had come to
+believe that ordinary rules of right and wrong did not
+apply to him. Prexaspes, seeing the King’s hesitation,
+continued:</p>
+
+<p>“Let not my words arouse resentment, O King! I
+seek but to do you good. My own welfare depends
+upon your will. I can call to your aid the Magi and the
+unseen powers. In their circle I stand next to Patatheites,
+the High Priest. Have I not obeyed your will
+and removed from your path the greatest danger to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_154">[154]</span>
+your rule? Trust me still further and you shall continue
+to have true service. Give to the Magi the chief
+right to exercise religious power throughout the world,
+and their vast power will keep you safely. Make now
+an alliance with them and it shall be well with you.”</p>
+
+<p>The King paced back and forth across the room, debating
+the matter. Hating all religions, because he
+wished to disbelieve them, his long-standing prejudices
+were not easily moved.</p>
+
+<p>“If I do not make this compact, then what?” he
+asked presently.</p>
+
+<p>“If you are abandoned by them, how shall you receive
+any aid?” rejoined Prexaspes. “Certainly you
+can expect nothing of the followers of Zoroaster!
+They have the power and the will to do you hurt. But,
+through me, the Magi offer you their powerful aid. Believe
+me, O King, it will be your only wise course to
+accept their support.”</p>
+
+<p>Cambyses nervously stroked his beard. He was not
+a coward. No one had ever accused him of a lack of
+courage. He despised the orthodox faith because of
+its moral laws, and he hated its followers. But he recognized
+the strength of the argument advanced by
+Prexaspes. The Magian sect was a powerful one.
+Medea, Assyria, Babylon, Syria, and Phrygia were full
+of them. They claimed to be in league and communion
+with the gods of the earth, and indeed practiced the
+occult arts, known more or less to all peoples, and in
+modern days followed by some so-called spiritualists.
+All of them were not evil. Many of them were reputed to
+be the prophets and seers and warned the people against
+the evil men who made use of their arts for their own advancement.
+Stringent laws had been made and enforced
+throughout Iran against that branch which attacked the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_155">[155]</span>
+doctrines of Zoroaster. But this cult had flourished
+especially in the mountains of Medea. Fire-worshipers
+fed their sacred flames on every hilltop. The evil
+and depraved gathered to them and harassed those who
+opposed them. They were known to the orthodox as
+worshipers of the “Lie,” to distinguish them from those
+who worshiped the “Truth,” as embodied in Ahura-Mazda.
+Cambyses had sometimes consulted the Magians
+and required oracles of them. His father had
+severely reprimanded him for such practices and had
+caused the ears of Gaumata, one of the leaders of the
+Magi at Hamadan, to be cut off as a warning to him
+and to his sect that Cambyses should not be influenced
+by them.</p>
+
+<p>Cambyses reviewed these matters as he paced nervously
+back and forth, while Prexaspes awaited his decision
+with bowed head and downcast eyes. He decided
+to comply.</p>
+
+<p>“So be it! Only let everything be done in a politic
+way!” he exclaimed harshly. “I will make a league
+with the Magi. They shall have freedom to worship as
+long as I rule. They must nevertheless obey me. I will
+be King alone and will not permit interference. But the
+laws against them shall be annulled and I will favor
+them with offices.”</p>
+
+<p>“It is well!” said Prexaspes, bending low and touching
+the floor with his hands. “Now, if the Great King
+will permit, I will withdraw and will carry out our plan
+to deceive the populace into the belief that Bardya still
+lives in the flesh.”</p>
+
+<p>The King nodded and turned away. Prexaspes, with
+a smirk of triumph on his face, left the room. Passing
+out into the hall, he was about to go to his room, when
+a servant approached and, after a low salutation, said,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_156">[156]</span>
+“Noble Prexaspes, my royal mistress, the Princess
+Athura, commands that you come to her waiting-room.
+She would speak with you.”</p>
+
+<p>Prexaspes hesitated a moment. Then, drawing his
+breath sharply, as if bracing himself to a severe task,
+and assuming a cheerful demeanor, he followed the servant.
+Athura and her sister had not retired to
+their beds after the banquet. The departure of Bardya,
+followed by the fearful scene produced by the Magi,
+had rendered them sleepless. They had ordered their
+servants to watch for and report the return of Prexaspes
+to them. Prexaspes entered the room where they
+awaited him and bowed very low before them, touching
+the floor with his hands. Then he stood in respectful
+attitude with downcast eyes, awaiting their pleasure.
+The eyes of the maidens were red with weeping.</p>
+
+<p>“Speak, false traitor! Was it you that struck
+Bardya and slew him?” exclaimed Athura, approaching
+him with clenched hands and blazing eyes.</p>
+
+<p>Prexaspes raised his brows in well-simulated surprise.</p>
+
+<p>“You wrong me greatly, most noble Princess! What
+mean you? No one has slain Bardya,” he answered.</p>
+
+<p>“But I saw his spirit! He appeared at the close of
+the feast, and his head was cleft in twain as with a
+sword-stroke!”</p>
+
+<p>Prexaspes smiled reassuringly, and drawing nearer to
+the Princess he whispered: “Believe it not, O most
+royal! That was but a delusion to convince the Great
+King that his will had been done. How could a spirit
+appear with cleft head? Spirits have no bodies that
+may be seen. But Patatheites was able to influence all
+there so that they believed they saw the spirit of Bardya,
+while the great Prince was riding swift as the wind to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_157">[157]</span>
+Rhages. Dry your tears! Bardya is beyond the reach
+of the King now, and in due time you will hear that he
+has arrived in his dominions. You saw no spirit. It
+was but a picture from the mind of the Magian chief.”</p>
+
+<p>So sincere were his words and manner that Athura
+was reassured. She never had been superstitious or believed
+that the Magi were other than tricksters. The
+sternness left her countenance. She smiled graciously
+and extended her hand, which Prexaspes on bended
+knee respectfully kissed while his brilliant eyes glowed
+with admiration. Never, he thought at that moment,
+had he seen so beautiful a face or so perfect a form,
+never such a gracious and winning smile. For a moment
+his heart, used to the ways of the world, satiated
+with the pleasures of life, leaped within him; and he felt
+that to deserve that gracious smile he would have undone
+all that he had done and given up all that he had
+won. The music of her voice and the sweetness of her
+smile dwelt with him many a day thereafter, bringing to
+him the only regret and shame that he had ever known
+since childhood.</p>
+
+<p>“Noble Prexaspes,” she said, “I recall my harsh
+words! But that was a horrible thing the great magician
+showed us; and it was well thought of to deceive
+the King! Surely my brother and I will reward you in
+days to come when all danger shall have been removed.
+As you have this night served Bardya, I promise on the
+word of an Achæmenian, which has never been broken,
+you will have a fitting and suitable reward. Farewell!”</p>
+
+<p>Bowing many times, Prexaspes backed from the room
+and passed hastily to his own quarters. The sisters, relieved
+of their apprehension, retired to rest.</p>
+
+<p>Next day there was much excitement in the city of
+Hamadan. A great crowd gathered along the northern<span class="pagenum" id="Page_158">[158]</span>
+road to shout a farewell to Bardya, the beloved. Their
+greetings to him who impersonated Bardya, when he
+appeared riding in the midst of a group of nobles, bowing
+right and left, were hearty and prolonged. Prexaspes
+rode at his side, smiling cynically beneath his
+beard and glancing occasionally up at the great palace
+on the hill where the King stood at a window gazing
+down upon the demonstration. The false Bardya
+passed out of the city; and so perfect was his resemblance
+to the departed in feature and dress that none
+suspected the imposture. At Rhages, a new escort was
+provided; but at a point a day’s journey beyond Rhages
+it was attacked by a band of men, supposed to be robbers,
+and scattered. Bardya, whether true or false,
+there disappeared and the Great King sent a punitive
+expedition into the mountains to lay waste the robbers’
+homes. Certain innocent mountaineers suffered the
+Great King’s vengeance, but the King’s brother could
+not be found.</p>
+
+<p>Thus did Cambyses make himself sure of his throne,
+and for many months thereafter he gave himself up to
+riotous living, seeking in strong drink forgetfulness of
+his crime. Meanwhile he prepared for war against
+Egypt. He levied heavy taxes and called for troops
+from every province. His pride grew. He deemed
+himself divine. The Magi encouraged him in this faith
+and brought messages from the gods of the hills to him
+as the god of earth.</p>
+
+<p>Cambyses had one great sorrow. He was childless.
+He took many women as wives. His seraglio was filled
+with the most beautiful of the earth. But no child
+gladdened his heart. As the months passed, his mind
+became darker and more imbued with hatred of good
+and the love of evil. The Magi served him well. As<span class="pagenum" id="Page_159">[159]</span>
+his spies they listened among the common people and
+invaded the palaces of the great. He knew that the
+people feared him and did not love him. His vanity
+was easily wounded. Some who spoke offensively of
+him to putative friends suddenly disappeared and were
+never heard of more. Throughout the vast regions governed
+by him, his spies watched for plots and conspiracies.
+Incipient rebellions were ferociously repressed
+and those who plotted were tortured to death as examples
+to others.</p>
+
+<p>Reviewing these things in his mind one day, while
+walking on the balcony of the palace, the King looked
+down upon the park surrounding the palace and noticed
+a group of women sitting on benches beneath a tree, and
+saw that among them were his two sisters. Their gay
+chatter and laughter came up to his ears. He watched
+them a moment in scowling silence, and was about to
+resume his walk, when, as he turned, he was startled at
+seeing before him the tall form of Patatheites, chief
+priest of the Magians. The King uttered an oath, and
+placed his hand on the haft of his dagger.</p>
+
+<p>“How come you here?” he growled. “I like not this
+sudden appearing! I turn here or there and I behold
+you and know not how you come or go! Speak,
+slave!”</p>
+
+<p>The large, dark eyes of the Magian looked calmly
+into the fierce, sparkling orbs of the King; and before
+his direct gaze the latter quailed. Possessed of wonderful
+hypnotic power, Patatheites easily ruled those
+with whom he came in contact. He dared even to exercise
+his power upon the King.</p>
+
+<p>“Let not the King’s anger strike me!” he said soothingly.
+“I am his most obedient and willing slave. I
+have a message from the gods, who have seen fit to
+whisper it to me for you.”</p>
+
+
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_160">[160]</span>“What is it?” demanded the King, cringing somewhat
+and experiencing a chill along his spinal column.</p>
+
+<p>“Your expedition against Egypt will be successful,
+say the gods of the hills. Concerning that which you
+had in your mind as to an heir for your throne, I have
+a message also.”</p>
+
+<p>Cambyses looked upon the man with growing awe.
+To no one had he ever expressed the thoughts concerning
+his lack of an heir. How could this priest know that
+he had just been considering that subject?</p>
+
+<p>“How knew you my thoughts?” he demanded.
+“What is this message?”</p>
+
+<p>“How do the gods know?” returned the Magian.
+“This message is, that one of your race shall fill your
+throne after you, but it will be a son of your sister.”</p>
+
+<p>“What?” almost shouted the King. “Her son? and
+who shall be his father?”</p>
+
+<p>“That I know not. But I do know that it lies in your
+power to say who shall be husband to your sisters. Look
+about over the world and choose one equal to yourself.”</p>
+
+<p>Cambyses was silent a moment and his thought ran
+to one only who might claim to be of equal birth, the
+Prince of Iran. Jealous wrath arose and almost choked
+his utterance.</p>
+
+<p>“There is none,” he stuttered, “unless it might be
+that accursed Hystaspis!”</p>
+
+<p>The Magian nodded meaningly.</p>
+
+<p>“Even now,” said he, “she has in her bosom a letter
+from him which she is instructed to deliver to you, demanding
+that you give her leave to go to him and marry
+him. She will present this request. What then?”</p>
+
+<p>“She shall not go to him! Instead I will send him
+a bowstring in the hands of our trusty servants.”</p>
+
+<p>Patatheites shook his head.</p>
+
+
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_161">[161]</span>“No, it would mean your overthrow. The Persians
+and Bactrians are restless because you have seen fit to
+give freedom to the Magi; and they only await a leader
+to rise against you. They yet look for Bardya to return
+and raise the standard of rebellion. They think
+you have him imprisoned. If he could return they
+would that instant join him. If harm befall the Prince
+of Iran, remember that his old lion of a father reigns
+at Bactra, and that he has three hundred thousand of
+Cyrus’s veterans under his immediate command. The
+son is the apple of the old man’s eye, the center of his
+soul; and, in spite of his oath to Cyrus, which pledged
+him to your support, he would tear even you from
+your throne should you harm the Prince. You have
+nothing to fear from that young man. His oath binds
+him to you. He is such a stickler for faith and truth
+that he will not break it, even though you should refuse
+him the hand of your sister. But there is a plan
+whereby you may move in accordance with the advice
+of the gods, yet inflict on that Prince most grievous suffering
+if you will.”</p>
+
+<p>“What is this plan? I would go far to harass him.
+What mean you?”</p>
+
+<p>“The King has two sisters, both fair to look upon.
+There is none in all the world to equal them in birth
+save the King. Why not do as the ancient Egyptian
+kings used to do—marry these two sisters yourself?”</p>
+
+<p>Cambyses stared at his interlocutor with open mouth.
+Such an idea had never entered his brain. It was contrary
+to Aryan law that one should marry any one closer
+than a cousin in blood relationship. He swore a great
+oath of astonishment. He looked down at his sisters,
+the one in all the glory of well-developed womanhood,
+the other just emerging from childhood to womanhood,
+both beautiful and of royal carriage.</p>
+
+
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_162">[162]</span>“Which of these sisters shall mother a king?” he
+demanded of the Magian, presently.</p>
+
+<p>“It was not said. But why should the King choose?
+Is not the King of Kings above the laws of the Medes
+and Persians and may he not do as he will? Is not the
+King’s word and his decree law? If the King decree
+that he marry both his sisters, is it not law? Bah!
+The customs of the Aryans must give way to your divine
+will. I have spoken. Let the King act on my
+advice!”</p>
+
+<p>The King was silent. He contemplated his sisters.
+He turned again to the Magian, but the latter had disappeared.
+He looked about. He had not heard him go.
+This uncanny habit of Patatheites in appearing and disappearing
+at will made the King shiver. This new idea
+of taking his sisters in marriage, however, was a
+novel one and worthy of thought. He slowly descended
+by steps from the balcony to the earth and walked towards
+the group of women. As soon as the latter noticed
+his approach, there was a hasty movement among
+the women, some of whom departed. The sisters of
+the King arose as he approached, and stood in respectful
+attitude.</p>
+
+<p>“Hail, sisters!” he said, attempting to speak graciously.
+“I trust you are enjoying this pleasant
+weather. Winter approaches and we shall soon go
+down to Susa.”</p>
+
+<p>They bowed in reply. He looked them over critically.
+Yes, they were very beautiful. The younger he
+did not dislike so much as the elder. He had hated the
+elder with the same jealous hatred that he had felt towards
+his brother; but the younger had been a child and
+had not incurred his displeasure, nor had she ever said
+bitter words to him. He was surprised when Athura
+sank to her knee, saying, “I have a petition, O King!”</p>
+
+
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_163">[163]</span>He frowned down upon her, suspecting what she was
+about to ask.</p>
+
+<p>“Speak!” he said.</p>
+
+<p>“O brother, the Prince of Iran has begged me to remind
+you that our father, Cyrus, promised me to him
+in marriage. He requests that you now send me to him
+as his wife.”</p>
+
+<p>A smile of disdain curved the heavy lips of the King.
+This was the first time his proud sister had ever bent her
+knee or presented a petition to him. He gloated a moment
+over her in silence, seeking words that might assure
+her once for all of the hopelessness of her request.</p>
+
+<p>“Impossible!” he ejaculated. “I come to you with
+a message from the gods. His request cannot be
+granted now or ever. There is no one fit to mate with
+one of our family. Therefore it remains that we, you
+and I, you two and I—that we intermarry, so that the
+throne of our fathers may continue to be filled with the
+race of Cyrus!”</p>
+
+<p>Artistone gasped in astonishment. Athura rose to
+her feet, shocked and amazed. Her eyes searched the
+evil, leering face of her brother, to ascertain whether he
+were crazed or drunk.</p>
+
+<p>“Are you demented?” she gasped. “Marry your
+sisters? Never since Aryans lived has it been permitted!
+Death will be preferable! Are you in earnest?
+Or is it a horrible joke?”</p>
+
+<p>“Never have I been more in earnest, my beautiful
+sister!” answered Cambyses, mockingly. “Am I not
+King? Is not my decree above all law and custom? I
+tell you that presently I will issue my decree making it
+lawful for the King of the World to marry even his sister!
+I shall marry you, Athura! I will bend your
+proud spirit to my will. You, Artistone, shall be my<span class="pagenum" id="Page_164">[164]</span>
+wife. You shall be my chief wife, my queen. If either
+of you refuse, a bowstring will be your portion. My
+other wives shall be subject to you, except as I command.
+I have spoken. It shall be so!”</p>
+
+<p>He turned on his heel and stalked back towards the
+palace, while his sisters stood as if rooted to the earth
+staring at his receding form. He turned after going a
+dozen paces.</p>
+
+<p>“Write no more messages to that Darius,” he said to
+Athura. “I shall send a bowstring to him if you do so.
+The world is not large enough to contain him and me at
+the same time. I have spoken!”</p>
+
+<p>He continued to the palace, while his sisters, dumb
+with amazement and hot with anger, watched his receding
+form in silence.</p>
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
+
+<div class="chapter">
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_165">[165]</span>
+
+<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XII<br />
+
+
+<small>THE FORCE OF AN OATH</small></h2>
+</div>
+
+<p class="drop-cap">THE Prince of Iran paced slowly back and forth on
+the roof of his palace in the citadel of Sardis, in
+company with his friend Gobryas. From it, grand
+views of famous seas and lands could be had. At one
+side, the rugged crests of Mount Tmolus stretched
+away in verdant splendor; at the other, and far below,
+lay the beautiful plain of Hermus through which flowed
+the river Pactolus on its bed of golden sand. Just below,
+lay the great city of Sardis, capital of his province,
+rich and splendid in its Grecian beauty and Persian
+strength. Far away to the west lay the blue waters of
+the great sea, with its hundred isles where Grecian
+genius had made fairylands of nature’s own gracious
+handiwork. Overhead, the softly tinted azure was a
+well of golden sunshine. The air was smooth as water
+to the face and like nectar to the lungs. But the eyes
+of the Prince gazed not on these splendors. They were
+moody and introspective.</p>
+
+<p>“Brother of mine,” he was saying, “is not this a land
+of infinite pleasure? No wonder these Hellenes cling to
+it! No wonder they talk in poems and work out poems
+in stone. One could live here very happily, provided
+other conditions were assured.”</p>
+
+<p>Gobryas smiled.</p>
+
+<p>“By ‘other conditions,’” he suggested, “you mean<span class="pagenum" id="Page_166">[166]</span>
+that if a certain Princess who excels all others in the
+world in beauty were here, you would be content.”</p>
+
+<p>The Prince nodded a smiling assent.</p>
+
+<p>“Truly you are deep in your reasoning!” he replied.
+“Now, while these hills and valleys, this sea and this
+plain, may be beautiful, it is not such a paradise for me
+as would be the rugged hills of Persia or the hot sands
+of Iran, were I permitted to dwell there with that same
+Princess. I have often wondered whether, if I were a
+simple farmer or a sheep-herder and permitted to have
+her with me, I would not be far happier than as a ruler
+of this great province without her. Power is sweet to
+a man. The right to rule, to speak a word and give life
+or death, to sit as a judge righting wrongs and endeavoring
+to make the people prosperous and happy, accords
+with my disposition. But truly, Gobryas, I would give
+all these in exchange for a shepherd’s life with her, the
+incomparable queen, the sweetest spirit and most intelligent
+mind ever given to inhabit a perfect body. Ah,
+God grant that when my letter reached the King through
+her, his heart was inclined to justice and to redeem his
+father’s pledge to me! But I fear it was not. Else why
+this delay? No letter has come from her for weeks,
+nor has the King sent me word of his decision. I have
+been planning how I would march with ten thousand
+men to meet her, even at Damascus.”</p>
+
+<p>“May Ahura-Mazda favor you!” said Gobryas,
+heartily. “It may be the King will demand delay on
+account of his approaching war with Egypt. It may be
+that, instead of a gracious assent to marry, an order
+will come for you to lead your fifty thousand veterans
+to meet his army at Tyre. Is not your army well appointed
+in all its equipment, able to march even to Hamadan
+to meet this Princess—perhaps to rescue her? It<span class="pagenum" id="Page_167">[167]</span>
+may become necessary. The oath that you and your
+father took to Cyrus has bound you to serve an insane
+master, who may refuse your just petition.”</p>
+
+<p>“A letter from my father is overdue also,” said the
+Prince, ignoring the suggestion of his friend. “How I
+would like to see my royal father! Truly he knows the
+secret of youth. His years sit lightly upon his shoulders.”</p>
+
+<p>“That is because he has observed the ancient customs
+of his people—to live temperately, uprightly, and
+energetically.”</p>
+
+<p>“You have said only a part of it. Much is due to
+his calmness. He never allows passion or prejudice to
+upset his equanimity. He smiles at all terrors, hardships,
+or dangers. He accepts that which comes as a
+duty. His calm is infinite!”</p>
+
+<p>Their attention was now given to a horseman who
+was toiling slowly up the steep side of the mountain to
+the citadel. He was dust-covered, and his horse was
+wet with sweat.</p>
+
+<p>“A messenger!” exclaimed the Prince. “Now perhaps
+we shall hear the decrees of fate! Ah, Gobryas,
+you have never known what it is to have the love of
+such a woman, and be so in danger of losing her! God
+grant that you may some day know the sweetness of
+love!”</p>
+
+<p>Gobryas laughed. He twirled the ends of his long
+mustache and smoothed down the folds of his cloak.
+“While I have never been as deeply in love as you,” he
+responded, “yet I know somewhat of it. Has not your
+Princess a sister? Perhaps she has smiled on me.”</p>
+
+<p>“What! Artistone? She is a sweet child! Has she
+looked upon you with favor?”</p>
+
+<p>“I have thought so,” admitted Gobryas. “I may be<span class="pagenum" id="Page_168">[168]</span>
+mistaken. She condescended to talk with me sometimes
+when we were journeying from Bactra with the
+body of her father. Her smiles and her eyes have led
+me to believe that she regards me with approval. When
+I return from the Egyptian campaign, I shall demand
+leave of the King to speak to her of marriage, if you
+consent. My family is ancient. I am one of the seven
+nobles of Persia from whose daughters the kings have
+often chosen their brides.”</p>
+
+<p>“I will leave no influence untried in your favor,” said
+the Prince, warmly. “That will be a happy event, if
+we who have mingled our blood as brothers, should
+marry sisters! How slow that messenger is! His horse
+seems to have come far.”</p>
+
+<p>The messenger soon arrived at the citadel wall.
+Presently he appeared before the Prince, accompanied by
+a servant who carried his dispatch-bag. The Prince
+recognized him as one of his father’s messengers, a man
+who had followed the King of Iran on many campaigns.</p>
+
+<p>“Hail, royal Prince!” exclaimed the messenger, bending
+his knee. “I bring you greetings from your royal
+father and letters from him and from Cambyses, the
+King of Kings, who was kind enough to entrust me with
+a packet for you.”</p>
+
+<p>“I am glad to see you, son of Darya,” said the Prince.
+“Go and rest while I read the letters. My servants will
+see that you have food and drink. You shall have new
+clothing and a bag of gold. After you have been refreshed,
+come hither again, as I would question you.”</p>
+
+<p>The servant took the messenger away and gave him of
+the best. The Prince hastily broke the seals of the dispatch-bag
+and poured out its contents upon a table. He
+examined the several packets hastily and was disappointed
+at not finding any letter from Athura.</p>
+
+
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_169">[169]</span>“This is evil luck!” he exclaimed. “Surely she
+could have sent me a letter by the hand of this messenger!
+Here is an official dispatch bearing the King’s
+seal. Here is one from the noble Otanes. Ah, here is
+one from my father! We will read it first.”</p>
+
+<p>He broke the seal and unwrapped the vellum which
+covered the inner roll of papyrus. Unrolling this, he
+read aloud:</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot">
+<p>“<i>Beloved Son</i>:</p>
+
+<p>“It gave me very great pleasure to receive your letter
+and to hear that you are well and at peace in your
+provinces. A letter from your mother has also arrived
+this day. She is well and speaks of her great loneliness
+in that both you and I are absent. I have determined to
+send for her that she may be with me here, since it now
+seems that I shall have to remain here several months.
+I have just received a letter from the King of Kings,
+by the hand of the Grand Chamberlain, Prexaspes, advising
+me that the Prince Bardya has departed for Bactra
+from Hamadan. But the Prince has not yet arrived.
+This letter also calls for a levy of one hundred thousand
+men for the proposed war in Egypt. What Prince
+Bardya will say to this request, I fear will not please the
+King. Reports have come which cause me much uneasiness.
+It is said the King of Kings is consulting the
+sorcerers and consorting with those who worship the
+Lie. His delay for months to permit Bardya to come
+hither has caused much uneasiness.</p>
+
+<p>“This realm is peaceful now, although the Sogdians
+are turbulent and the Getæ are ever plotting raids upon
+their neighbors. The fear of my veterans is upon them,
+however, and the mountain chiefs are making daily professions
+of fealty and devotion. But I think it is fear<span class="pagenum" id="Page_170">[170]</span>
+rather than love which causes them to be at peace and
+to turn traders instead of looters.</p>
+
+<p>“But I will write no more, except to say that the son
+of Darya will make due inquiries and observations of
+affairs at Hamadan so that he may report fully to you
+concerning them.”</p>
+</div>
+
+<p>The Prince re-read that portion of the letter referring
+to Bardya.</p>
+
+<p>“I look for trouble as soon as Bardya arrives in
+Bactra,” said he. “It is well that my father has remained
+there. He will restrain the Prince. Now I will
+read the King’s letter.”</p>
+
+<p>He took up the largest packet, broke the seal, and
+untied the cord around it. The vellum wrappings having
+been removed, two clay tablets, written closely in
+the cuneiform script of official decrees, were revealed.
+He read aloud:</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot">
+
+<p>“I, Cambyses the Achæmenian, son of Cyrus, King
+of Kings, King of all the Earth, Ruler of All Nations,
+the Great King, have decreed:</p>
+
+<p>“First: That it is lawful for the King of Kings to
+take to wife any woman whether it be his sister or another.</p>
+
+<p>“Second: That the Princesses Athura and Artistone
+shall be his wives.”</p>
+</div>
+
+<p>The Prince stopped reading. He was speechless with
+amazement. He trembled and seemed about to fall; but
+Gobryas seized his arm and supported him.</p>
+
+<p>“Am I dreaming? Read it, brother, and say if what
+I read is there!” he exclaimed, handing the tablets to
+Gobryas.</p>
+
+<p>The latter seized the tablets and looked at them.</p>
+
+
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_171">[171]</span>“There is no mistake!” he said. “So runs the writing!
+But God forbid that such act of a maniac could be
+accomplished! Will he dare do this thing and the Persian
+nobles not tear him from the throne?”</p>
+
+<p>The Prince, with a mighty effort, recovered his
+strength and drew up his tall form to its full height, as
+he might if facing death. He looked as in a dream at
+the distant mountains, at the sparkling sea and the deep
+blue of the heavens filled with the soft golden light of
+the afternoon sun. His words, when he spoke, were
+low and tense:</p>
+
+<p>“This I know, that the Princess Athura will not become
+his wife! She may be at this moment dead or in
+prison! She would never submit to such infamy! This
+is a deadly insult to me, the son of the King of Iran, the
+son of kings better in the right to rule than he; and it
+shall not be borne! I will march to Hamadan! I will
+throw down that cursed beast from the throne! By the
+living God, I recall my oath to Cyrus! I am not bound
+because he has broken faith. He may have slain her.
+He shall die! Come, Gobryas! Not a moment is to be
+lost. Gather together my officers. Call into the ranks
+every man. We will march before the sun goes down!”</p>
+
+<p>He smote his palms together. His chest heaved
+with mighty emotions. The world seemed rocking to its
+dissolution and he about to fall with it.</p>
+
+<p>Gobryas placed one arm around his friend and compelled
+him to walk slowly back and forth. He feared
+for a moment that the Prince’s reason was tottering.
+Never had he seen him so moved. He sought for words
+to comfort him.</p>
+
+<p>“Beloved Prince,” he said, “listen to me! Athura is
+not one who will tamely submit to such wrong. She has
+not submitted. She has escaped or she has slain herself.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_172">[172]</span>
+But let us hear further from the messenger. Let
+us read these other letters. Then let us take counsel
+so that we may not fail. We who have not taken an
+oath to Cyrus will pull Cambyses down from his throne
+and slay him like a dog! Have good courage, brother!
+Let me depart this night for Persia. There I will
+gather the lords of Persia and with an army march up
+to your aid when you cross the Tigris. Athura and
+Artistone may have perished, but vengeance remains.
+Let us make Bardya King. Forbid it not! I will depart
+this night. Three months from now a hundred
+thousand Persians will be camped around the royal palace
+at Hamadan.”</p>
+
+<p>The Prince sat down on a bench beneath the awning
+and buried his face in his hands. He was silent for
+some moments, while Gobryas nervously paced back and
+forth. After a while, the Prince again arose, pallid
+but calm. He said, speaking argumentatively: “He is
+King. My loyalty is to the King, though my hatred is
+towards the man. Must we not put aside personal
+wrongs, Gobryas, and trust that God will avenge us?
+No Achæmenian has ever broken an oath, but has kept
+it in spirit as well as in letter. It is hard to serve such a
+King, but let us consider well before we start civil war.
+If what he has decreed has been accomplished, then am
+I absolved from my oath. But I must wait until I know
+what has occurred. We will send a dispatch to my
+father, seeking his counsel. Shall I plunge the world
+into war because of my personal wrong?”</p>
+
+<p>“I had not considered that,” answered Gobryas. “I
+am not oath-bound. I dreamed of Artistone; and lo,
+this cursed maniac has spoiled my dream! But I shall
+be guided by you.”</p>
+
+<p>The Prince went to the table on which the other letters<span class="pagenum" id="Page_173">[173]</span>
+lay, and took up the one sealed with the seal of
+Otanes. He read it aloud:</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot">
+
+<p>“<i>To the royal Prince of Iran, son of Hystaspis, the
+King, greeting</i>:</p>
+
+<p>“I have intrusted this letter to your servant, knowing
+his fidelity, and have instructed him to deliver it to
+you alone and not to let it pass from his hands to any
+other while he lives. Know that the King has broken
+all the ancient laws and customs of Persia; and we, as
+one of the seven families of Persia, are calling to the
+other six for counsel. We have sent letters to your beloved
+father, begging him to consent to reign.</p>
+
+<p>“This Cambyses has proven that he is no longer sane.
+He is possessed of devils. His debaucheries have
+weakened his mind, while sharpening his appetite for
+doing evil. He has advanced the Magi to the choicest
+places in the realm. He has failed to remember that
+the seven noble families of Persia are entitled to the
+chief places under him, as in the time of Cyrus. He is a
+worshiper of the Lie and not of the Truth. He has
+forgotten the religion of the Aryans and has fallen into
+the hands of the fire-worshiping Magi, devil-worshipers
+of the hills. He has slain without cause many who
+have displeased him, even Persians of high rank. He has
+disregarded all laws and customs. The last and most
+infamous thing is this marriage with his two sisters
+which he purposes to accomplish. He has declared that
+he as King is above all laws and customs, that
+Aryan laws are not binding on him. Knowing by common
+report that you and the royal Princess Athura
+are promised to each other, all Persia is in a ferment
+of discontent over the gross insult shown you in thus
+taking your promised wife by force to his own vile
+harem.</p>
+
+
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_174">[174]</span>“Prince Bardya left Hamadan ten months ago for
+Bactra. But it is reported that robbers set upon and
+captured him just after he left Rhages. He has disappeared.
+I think the robbers were the men of Cambyses
+and that Bardya has been slain.</p>
+
+<p>“Send us, therefore, but one word, telling us that you
+march hither with your army; and we will meet you at
+Susa with two hundred thousand men, to throw down
+this beast from his throne. In you alone do the Persian
+people hope. Your father’s age and inclination may not
+permit him to accept the great burden of ruling this empire,
+in case Bardya cannot be found; and we shall call
+you to the throne. Send us orders.”</p>
+</div>
+
+<p>The Prince was greatly moved. Gobryas watched
+him curiously. Would not this letter overcome his
+scruples? The Prince sat down heavily by the table and
+supported his head on his hands. After a moment of
+silence, he said:</p>
+
+<p>“Call the son of Darya.”</p>
+
+<p>Gobryas pulled a silken cord, and immediately a servant
+appeared.</p>
+
+<p>“Bring the messenger here,” he commanded.</p>
+
+<p>The son of Darya appeared quickly. He bowed low
+before the Prince, who pointed to a bench, indicating
+that he might sit. But he remained standing.</p>
+
+<p>“Son of Darya,” said the Prince, “you have come
+far and served faithfully. How is the old man, my
+father? Has he changed much? Is his body bending
+with age and toil?”</p>
+
+<p>The man’s dark eyes glowed with affection as he answered:
+“No, royal Master. Your father stoops not,
+nor does his face show care. It is not wrinkled save
+when he smiles on his sons, as he calls the soldiers.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_175">[175]</span>
+Bactra is happy, because the people dwell in safety and
+have justice dealt out to them. Your royal father remains
+youthful and is ready to march on smooth or
+rough roads at any moment. There is no man in all
+Iran like unto him.”</p>
+
+<p>“You saw and heard much as you came hither. You
+stopped at Hamadan and you gathered news there for
+me. Is it not so?”</p>
+
+<p>“I was commanded to see and hear and to report all
+to you.”</p>
+
+<p>“It is well. From what you saw and heard, know
+you anything concerning the marriage of the King to his
+sisters?”</p>
+
+<p>“It was all the talk in the rest-houses and in the
+streets of Hamadan when I came to that city. I was
+not permitted to see the royal Princesses, as the marriage
+feast had occurred but two weeks prior to my
+arrival. But I caught a glimpse of the royal lady,
+Artistone, at a window in the palace. I thought it was
+she. It was said that the King has ten other wives and
+keeps them in one part of his palace separate from all
+others, like the Assyrians. There had been much murmuring
+among the Persians and some rioting between
+them and the Magi. I saw the noble Otanes, who was
+very wroth and who has since left the city, going southward
+to his castle in Persia. He bade me say to you
+that you should make quick answer and that he hopes
+to hear that your army will march at once to Damascus.”</p>
+
+<p>“Did you hear whether the Princesses consented?”</p>
+
+<p>“They both refused to consent to the marriage; but
+the King decreed the marriage instead of observing the
+Persian custom of marrying. It was reported that he
+gave them their choice of marriage or death, and that
+Princess Athura chose death. It was also reported that<span class="pagenum" id="Page_176">[176]</span>
+one of the Princesses had escaped from the palace and
+had disappeared. I know that squads of cavalry were
+searching the country all around the city. It was said
+to be Athura who fled. I have also a verbal message
+from Prexaspes, who bade me say to you these words,
+‘The bird has escaped the fowler’s net.’”</p>
+
+<p>“What else said he?” demanded the Prince, greatly
+agitated.</p>
+
+<p>“Nothing. But he gave me a purse of gold.”</p>
+
+<p>“Have you heard whether Athura was found?”</p>
+
+<p>“No. The palace servants are quaking with terror
+and dare not talk. It is said that the King slew three of
+them with his own hands on the day when the Princess
+fled. She had not been discovered, I think, when I
+left.”</p>
+
+<p>“What heard you of the Prince Bardya?”</p>
+
+<p>“Nothing, except that he had departed from the city
+some months before I arrived, going towards Rhages.
+At Rhages, it was said that the Prince had passed
+through and had then been set upon by robbers and
+taken into the mountains. It is a great mystery. Some
+say that he is dead, slain by the Magi, or that the Magi
+have him imprisoned in their mountain strongholds.”</p>
+
+<p>“What rumors of the war with Egypt did you hear?”</p>
+
+<p>“The King is gathering a great army from all parts
+of his empire. It is said he will gather it at Arbela in
+the spring and march thence by way of Damascus and
+Tyre.”</p>
+
+<p>“You heard nothing more of the Princesses?”</p>
+
+<p>“Nothing. I spoke with the guards of the palace.
+But they are black-faced villains from Azerbijan, under
+the control of the Magi; and they would tell me nothing.”</p>
+
+<p>“You may go now,” said the Prince. “You have<span class="pagenum" id="Page_177">[177]</span>
+done well. Go and rest. I will call you again. Make
+ready to return in three days.”</p>
+
+<p>The man departed.</p>
+
+<p>“What mean the words of Prexaspes, think you?”
+asked the Prince, turning to Gobryas. “Does he refer
+to Bardya or to Athura?”</p>
+
+<p>“I should say, to Athura. Prexaspes loved not
+Bardya, but he admired you. Undoubtedly he referred
+to Athura. Perhaps the packet containing the King’s
+decrees contained a letter from him.”</p>
+
+<p>Gobryas took the wrappers up from the floor where
+they had fallen and found a closely written sheet of
+vellum.</p>
+
+<p>“It is a letter from Prexaspes,” he said.</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot">
+<p>“<i>To the Prince of Iran, greeting</i>:</p>
+
+<p>“Cambyses, King of Kings, the King of All the
+Earth, the Great King, commands that you gather fifty
+thousand soldiers and, leaving only force sufficient to
+garrison the chief cities under command of Metaphernes,
+that you march to Tyre, there to await the gathering of
+the other armies of the King. He has determined to
+punish the King of Egypt for injuries and insults heretofore
+sustained. You are ordered to hire all the Phœnician
+ships and as many of the Hellenes as you can.
+Let them also gather at Tyre. Also to engage all the
+Cretan slingers and Greek hoplites from Ionia and the
+islands. Pay them liberally from the King’s money.
+Bring with you the treasures of your provinces and
+gather provisions at Tyre to subsist five hundred thousand
+men for a year’s campaign in Egypt. Be ready to
+lead the King’s armies. For the King orders that you
+have chief command under him. In four months be at
+the place appointed.</p>
+
+<p class="right">“(For the King) <span class="smcap">Prexaspes</span>.”</p>
+</div>
+
+
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_178">[178]</span>“The King does me honor indeed!” exclaimed the
+Prince, angrily. “One day he insults and wrongs me;
+the next he appoints me leader of his army. I will
+march to Tyre, indeed! If I march no further towards
+Hamadan, it will be because I find that Athura has indeed
+escaped. But, alas! Gobryas, I fear much that
+she escaped only by the aid of a dagger.”</p>
+
+<p>“Better the dagger than the fate of Artistone! Did
+the messenger not say he saw her at a palace window
+two weeks after the marriage? She is but a child, and
+could not escape! O, my Prince and brother! Give
+me leave this night to start for Persia! I do not ask
+you to raise your hand against the King! But I will
+stir up all Persia against him. May Ahriman seize
+him!”</p>
+
+<p>Gobryas paced back and forth, greatly agitated. But
+the Prince shook his head.</p>
+
+<p>“Let us not be hasty, dear brother!” he said. “In
+my own grief I had forgotten that you love Artistone.
+Whatever has been done cannot now be undone. Vengeance
+will wait and be more sure to those who make
+sufficient preparation. Let us hasten our departure.
+Perhaps Athura is flying hither, and we must prepare to
+receive and protect her. If it means war, let it come!
+I cannot throw Cambyses down from his throne; but my
+oath does not prohibit me from resisting his tyranny by
+force. I cannot agree with Otanes to make war on him.
+Nor can I permit you, my brother, to go into Persia to
+aid in a conspiracy against him. He has wronged you
+unwittingly and has put no insult upon you, as he has
+upon me. Nevertheless, if Athura has escaped and
+claims my protection, she shall have it even if war be
+the result.”</p>
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
+
+<div class="chapter">
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_179">[179]</span>
+
+<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XIII<br />
+
+
+<small>A CLASH OF WILLS</small></h2>
+</div>
+
+<p class="drop-cap2">ATHURA and Artistone, sisters of the Great King,
+were alone in their magnificent sitting-room in the
+palace, having dismissed all their attendants. They sat
+on a velvet-covered couch with heads close together,
+discussing the latest action of the King. Between
+them lay a tablet on which was engraved a copy
+of the King’s decree, declaring the new law, that the
+King of Kings might marry his sisters. Some days had
+elapsed since the King of Kings had told them of his
+intention, but as he had not again spoken on the subject,
+they had concluded that he was jesting. This decree
+indicated his set purpose.</p>
+
+<p>“Is the decree law?” asked Artistone.</p>
+
+<p>“No, it is not law! The King cannot set aside the
+customs of his people by decrees,” answered Athura.
+“I am sure that the Kings of Iran in all ages have been
+bound by law and custom. But in this new empire,
+it may be that the King’s decree is law, since there is
+none to gainsay it. This decree shall never bind me!
+Death will be welcome rather than submission to this
+brutal decree!”</p>
+
+<p>“What shall we do?”</p>
+
+<p>“I have my dagger! I shall slay Cambyses, or myself,
+should he seek to force us into marriage with him.”</p>
+
+<p>Artistone sighed. Her wan countenance indicated
+fear. She was only a child of fifteen years. But<span class="pagenum" id="Page_180">[180]</span>
+Athura lacked neither courage nor decision. The spirit
+of her father blazed within her.</p>
+
+<p>“Let us plan escape,” she said. “This night we will
+leave the palace. We will disguise ourselves in men’s
+clothing and we will fly to Persia for safety. The lords
+of Persia will protect us. We cannot escape to Bactra.
+There is but one road and that will be watched.”</p>
+
+<p>“How can I travel so?” her sister rejoined, tears
+flowing down her cheeks. “I am not strong like you.
+But I will follow you.”</p>
+
+<p>Further conversation was interrupted by the noise of
+heavy footsteps in the hall without. The heavy curtains
+at the door were pushed aside and the King himself
+appeared. He stopped just within the threshold and,
+folding his arms, struck a majestic attitude and looked
+down at his sisters.</p>
+
+<p>He writhed his brutal countenance into the semblance
+of a smile and said: “All hail, great Queens, wives of
+the King of Kings, the Great King! Are you not rejoicing
+that I have condescended to do you so great
+honor as to make you both the first ladies in all the
+world?”</p>
+
+<p>The sisters were speechless. They gazed up at the
+harsh features of their brother, as if upon a serpent.</p>
+
+<p>As they did not answer, he continued: “I never did
+like the formalities of a state marriage. My decree was
+the shortest and best way, since it did not require
+your assent. I come now to ask you to set a near date
+for the marriage feast. At the end of the week, you
+shall be crowned Queens of the Earth. What say you?”</p>
+
+<p>He ceased and waited for an answer, leering at them
+drunkenly.</p>
+
+<p>“Surely you mean not to make us actually wives,
+contrary to all the laws of the Medes and Persians?”
+said Athura.</p>
+
+
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_181">[181]</span>“But it is not contrary to their laws,” he retorted.
+“Have I not decreed a new law? Am I not supreme?
+Is there any other that can make a law? Ah, you are
+a proud woman, Athura, and your heart is set on that
+Prince of Iran whom I hate above all men and would
+slay, were it not greater satisfaction to make him serve
+me without his hoped-for reward of marrying you! I
+have thought well on this noble revenge! I hate you
+also; but I will bend you to my will, and you shall be my
+concubine if not my wife, whether you desire or not!
+As for Artistone, I hate her not. I prefer to make her
+my chief wife. She shall be Queen. I have spoken!
+Artistone, go to the Queen’s room and there abide.
+Athura, follow me now to the room set apart for my
+women!”</p>
+
+<p>Athura rose, her eyes blazing, and moved swiftly towards
+the King, with her right hand drawing from her
+bodice a short, keen dagger.</p>
+
+<p>“Truly, brute without sense or reason,” she hissed,
+“I come to you, but with death in my hand!”</p>
+
+<p>She leaped towards him and the dagger gleamed in
+her raised hand. With an exclamation of alarm the
+King sprang backward through the door. He stumbled
+and almost fell as he ran down the hall. As she did
+not pursue, he halted and shouted at her, while shaking
+his fist: “Death is it? So shall it be to you, after I
+bend your proud spirit!” Then he roared for his
+guards.</p>
+
+<p>Athura paused at the door. She heard the King’s
+threat and his wrathful call for his body-guard. She
+saw the hall filling with armed men. She turned back
+and fled across the room, crying to her sister: “Come!
+Follow me into the bedroom! They come to seize us!”</p>
+
+<p>But Artistone, as if dazed, sat still, and, weeping<span class="pagenum" id="Page_182">[182]</span>
+aloud, wrung her hands. Athura paused at the door of
+her bedroom and cried: “Come! Hurry!”</p>
+
+<p>A dozen men poured into the room and rushed towards
+her. Artistone did not move. Athura entered
+her room, threw shut the heavy door, and bolted it just
+as the men hurled themselves against it. The King
+shouted in a loud voice so that Athura might hear:
+“Let her stay there and starve awhile! She will come
+to her senses! Establish guards here and watch! Let
+her not escape on forfeit of your lives! She will kiss
+my hand presently. As for you, Artistone, come with
+me. You shall be my Queen!” He went to Artistone,
+took her by the hand, and led her, weeping bitterly,
+away. The sisters never saw each other again.</p>
+
+<p>Athura waited like a tigress at bay, dagger in hand,
+at her bedroom door, until satisfied that no attempt
+would be made to force an entrance. Then she examined
+the brazen lattice-work with which a window
+looking out upon the inner court was guarded and saw
+that it was securely fastened. She drew a heavy curtain
+over the window. Thus securely shut in she began to
+prepare for escape. She realized that she was powerless
+to aid her sister. It was equally clear to her that only in
+immediate escape could she avoid disgrace or death.
+It would be useless to ask mercy of the King. Her plan
+of escape was already formed. She was acquainted
+with every room and passage in the palace, and knew
+the secrets of it. Her only fear was that Cambyses
+also knew those secrets and would set guards to watch
+every avenue of escape.</p>
+
+<p>After assuring herself that no immediate attempt
+would be made to break into her retreat, she entered a
+large closet, which was connected with her room by a
+door and in which were stored her clothing and jewels.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_183">[183]</span>
+It was a long, narrow room. At one end was a window
+guarded by brazen lattice-work and by shutters of the
+same metal. The shutter was hinged to the sills and
+commonly stood open to admit air into the closet. The
+lattice-work was also hung on hinges but was secured
+by a massive lock on the inside. Athura took a key
+from a convenient hook, cautiously inserted it into the
+lock in the lattice, and found that it would readily turn.
+She looked out across the roof of a lower portion of the
+palace into the park at the western side and saw no
+guards. Satisfied that the way was yet clear, she
+quickly opened a chest at one corner of the closet and
+took from it a short ladder of rope, a suit of clothes of
+a sort commonly worn by young men, and a jeweled
+belt from which hung a short sword. It had been years
+since she had used these. She sighed as she remembered
+how she and her brother Bardya, without the knowledge
+of the Great King, her father, had sometimes disguised
+themselves and wandered forth at night to observe the
+common people, to take part in their sports and entertainments,
+and to mingle with those who came and went
+on the streets of the city. How long ago that seemed!
+As she knelt by the chest and laid out the clothes, she
+recalled how the Prince of Iran, having been admitted
+to the secrets of her escapades, had gravely rebuked her,
+but had nevertheless disguised himself and accompanied
+her and Bardya, as he said, to protect them. The danger
+of her situation allowed her to think but a moment of
+those happy days. From another chest, bound with
+silver bands, she took a long necklace of precious stones,
+and a belt of beautifully embossed leather to which were
+fastened purselike compartments full of gold coins.
+She undressed and fastened the money-belt around her
+waist. Then she put on the suit of men’s clothing and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_184">[184]</span>
+stowed away the jewels in its pockets. She then cut her
+hair to a length just sufficient to touch the collar of her
+tunic. Upon her head she set a round felt cap. Critically
+surveying her appearance in a mirror, she saw that
+she resembled a well-dressed youth of the nobler class
+of Medes, but one whose face was far too beautiful and
+feminine to pass for that of a man. Taking from a
+cabinet a box of unguents and powders, she skillfully
+deepened the color of her eyebrows and darkened her
+complexion, until she resembled a young Mede of mixed
+Semitic and Aryan blood.</p>
+
+<p>These preparations consumed much time. Darkness
+fell upon the earth. Then a heavy knocking sounded
+upon the door of the bedroom and a rough voice said:
+“May you live forever, O Great Princess! I have a
+message from my royal Master, the King of Kings!”</p>
+
+<p>She made no answer and, after a moment, the voice
+continued: “Once more does the King of Kings offer
+you peace and a place of honor as his wife. Otherwise
+his sentence is that you have neither food nor water
+until you submit to his royal will.”</p>
+
+<p>Then Athura answered, “Tell your Lord and Master
+that I will take until the morning to consider.”</p>
+
+<p>“I am your slave!” responded the voice.</p>
+
+<p>“Well, well!” exclaimed the King, when he received
+Athura’s message. “Our proud-spirited sister may submit,
+since she sends me back so mild an answer. It is
+well! The word of the King must prevail. A day or
+two of solitude will not harm her. We shall yet be a
+happy family!”</p>
+
+<p>He laughed loud and long and drank deeply of soma.
+Artistone, who sat with him at dinner, made no answer,
+but her eyes, red with weeping, gave evidence of her
+woe.</p>
+
+
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_185">[185]</span>As soon as darkness came fully over the palace,
+Athura went forth cautiously upon the roof of the
+portico, descended to the ground by means of her rope
+ladder, and stole away through the gloom among the
+trees and shrubbery in the park. Knowing every path,
+every bush and tree, it was not difficult for her to find
+a way and to avoid the points where the guards sauntered
+listlessly to and fro, keeping careless ward. The
+King had not remembered her avenue of escape, or the
+guards were careless. She climbed over the stone walls
+surrounding the park, with the aid of her rope ladder,
+and, making a détour to avoid the guards, walked rapidly
+and boldly into the city. She went straight to a horse-market
+and roused a sleepy servant, who, though at first
+disposed to grumble at so late a visitor, speedily turned
+obsequious when a coin was pressed into his hand. He
+forthwith brought out one of the dealers in horses.</p>
+
+<p>“A pretty time to come buying horses!” grumbled
+the latter, yawning and stretching his limbs. “Think
+you, my young sprig, that I work day and night?”</p>
+
+<p>“Peace, grumbler!” retorted Athura, speaking
+hoarsely. “If I come to buy a Nicæan steed by lamplight,
+what is that to you, seeing that I have the coin?
+I must go on a journey to-night many miles to the
+northward and need to hire a horse. But lest you deem
+me a robber, I will deposit the full price of the animal,
+to be returned when I return the horse. One condition
+only I exact—he must have speed and go comfortably
+without fright or stumble. Fool me in this and I will
+bring down the wrath of a mighty man upon you! Have
+you a good horse?”</p>
+
+<p>“Have I a good horse? I keep nothing else, young
+sir! Come to the stalls!”</p>
+
+<p>He led the way with alacrity. He pointed to a large<span class="pagenum" id="Page_186">[186]</span>
+animal, saying, “This one is good in bottom and long
+in legs. He will carry your insignificant weight all night.
+Here is a Nicæan steed; but he is a fierce animal and
+will not brook punishment of whip or spur. Speak
+gently to him and he will carry you a week without
+rest. But he surely is beyond your price!”</p>
+
+<p>“What is his price? I doubt that he has such mettle
+as you think.”</p>
+
+<p>“Fifty Lydian staters is his price. For riding him
+this night the price will be one Lydian stater, if you
+return him to me to-morrow without injury. Assuredly
+you may have a cheaper horse than this!”</p>
+
+<p>“Extortioner! Twenty staters is more than a good
+price for that animal. I will surely report you to the
+governor of the market. Think you I know nothing of
+horses?”</p>
+
+<p>The dealer spread out his hands and bowed as if in
+deep humility, saying: “I perceive your worship is well
+acquainted with horseflesh. Come, I will not haggle
+with you. Deposit your twenty staters in my hand and
+take him. But you will surely pay an additional stater
+for a fine saddle!”</p>
+
+<p>“Verily you are an extortioner! But I will not haggle.
+One half-stater and no more! Make haste, since
+my lady-love will not wait for my coming too long!”</p>
+
+<p>Athura took a handful of coins from a purse at her
+belt and counted it into the outstretched palm of the
+greedy dealer, whose eyes sparkled in triumph. The
+amount was a third more than the animal was worth.
+The horse was brought out, saddled and bridled, champing
+his bits and pawing the earth, impatient to be gone.
+Athura loved a good horse. She was an accomplished
+rider. She sprang lightly into the saddle and trotted
+away, shouting back at the dealer: “Farewell, son of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_187">[187]</span>
+Ahriman! Keep the gold should I not return. I may
+go on to Rhages before I come back.”</p>
+
+<p>The dealer waved his hand in reply and said to his
+servant: “Young sprig! Thought he knew the prices
+of animals! Bah! But then, he has a good horse, even
+if he paid a stiff price. Who can he be? May the dogs
+bite him if he try to return that animal! See that you
+be ready to testify that this was a sale and not a letting.
+We shall not repurchase the horse.”</p>
+
+<p>“Yea, verily, Master, it was a sale,” answered the
+servant. Then they retired to their couches well satisfied.</p>
+
+<p>Athura cantered rapidly along the principal street of
+the city going north. Night watchmen threw upon her
+the rays of their lanterns. She passed a squad of soldiers
+in front of a public house, where, under the influence
+of wine, they were singing and making merry.
+To their gibes, she waved her hand, but declined their
+invitation to alight and join them. She came to the
+outer boundaries of the city on the road to Rhages.
+There the guards sat carelessly playing dice in their
+shelter at the roadside. They heard the rapid hoof-beats
+of a horse approaching from the city, but before
+they could come forth to challenge, the horse with its
+rider flashed by at full speed. In a second, the twain disappeared
+in a cloud of dust and darkness. Grumbling
+that their ease should be thus broken, the guards returned
+to their game. Had they known who had passed
+and that on the morrow they would be flayed alive and
+quartered by an infuriated King, they would not have
+been so careless. This was not their first omission of
+duty, but it was the first in which the King was directly
+concerned; and it was their last. They met their fate
+at sundown on the morrow in the market-place after<span class="pagenum" id="Page_188">[188]</span>
+a short interrogation by the King himself, as an exhibition
+to all men of the King’s justice upon those who
+neglected duty.</p>
+
+<p>It must be said of Cambyses that although to his own
+passions and desires he gave loose rein and was brutal
+to those who interfered therewith, yet to his subjects he
+was just, and was strict in the enforcement of law. Because
+he regarded himself as the lawgiver, he regarded
+a breach of the law as an insult to himself. He caused
+one corrupt judge to be flayed alive in the market-place.
+Other evil-doers were maimed or strangled. Not only
+did the guards of the road whose orders compelled them
+to exact a pass of any one passing in or out of the city
+after nightfall suffer, but several palace-guards whose
+duty it was to watch the palace walls, were strangled
+with the bowstring. His fury even threatened Prexaspes,
+but that astute official was able to prove that he had
+gone on a mission to a neighboring city and could not be
+involved in Athura’s sudden disappearance. Spies soon
+learned of the flight of the steed and its rider on the
+northern road. They found the horse-dealer, whose
+description of the rider indicated that it was Athura in
+disguise who had hired the horse. Bands of troopers
+were sent out on every road and into the fields and
+mountains around the city. None knew except the captains
+in charge of the bands for whom the search was
+being made. It was reported generally that a robber
+had broken into the palace and carried away some of
+the King’s jewels.</p>
+
+<p>Athura rode northward for half an hour, then turning
+sharply to the right and following a road which was
+little better than a path, but which led to one of the
+King’s desert gardens, she came to a well-beaten caravan-route
+leading southward towards what is now the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_189">[189]</span>
+city of Isfahan. Taking this road, she followed it southward
+until she entered a road branching southwestward to
+Adrapan, the winter palace of Cyrus. By this circuitous
+way she hoped to deceive those who might pursue into
+the belief that she was fleeing to Bactra by way of
+Rhages. She did not dare take the road to Persia direct,
+but planned to ride by way of Susa, or, perhaps, if her
+intention should change upon reflection, she would flee
+to Damascus and thence to her Prince at Sardis. As
+she rode, her active brain elaborated her plans.</p>
+
+<p>The night was cool and clear. The brilliant stars
+scintillated in the autumn sky. A quarter-moon gave
+down a subdued light. A breeze swept down from
+Mount Elwend, whose rugged heights lay darkly against
+the western sky. The road to Adrapan followed the
+base of a promontory of the Zagros range, which here
+jutted out into the plain. Here and there near the
+highway were the cottages of gardeners, who by irrigating
+their crops with the precious waters of Elwend,
+caused the fertile soil to yield the vegetable supply for
+the capital city. The odor of flowers and fruits permeated
+the air. The strong, spirited horse, glorying in
+his strength and scarce feeling the weight of his rider,
+galloped onward with long, even strides. No one interrupted
+their progress. The cottagers, if partially
+aroused by the rapid beat of hoofs and the barking of
+dogs, sleepily muttered, “A King’s messenger!” turned
+over on their pallets, and again slumbered.</p>
+
+<p>Adrapan lay on the southern slopes of Mount Elwend.
+Here the snows, which annually fell over Hamadan, seldom
+came; and, if they did, the southern exposure to
+the sun caused them quickly to melt away. To the right
+of the highway which passed westward through the
+village was the palace, in a great park of noble trees.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_190">[190]</span>
+On the left were several houses occupied by those who
+made their livelihood trading with the thousands of
+nobles and retainers who honored the King as his guests
+or served him as retainers. Here caravans from Damascus
+and the west coming by way of Nineveh, or from the
+south, coming by way of Babylon and Susa, stopped to
+enjoy the salubrious climate and recuperate after enduring
+the hot districts along the Tigris and the difficult
+roads across the Zagros Mountains. At this time the
+palace and its park were in the care of keepers and
+Adrapan was deserted, save by inn-keepers and traders.</p>
+
+<p>Athura sighed as she came in sight of the village.
+She remembered the pleasant days when, a child, she
+had wandered in the park with her father, or played
+there with Bardya and the young Prince of Iran. How
+long ago those days seemed! Her noble, erect, keen-eyed,
+kind-hearted, and loving father; her joyous, laughter-loving,
+and boisterous brother; and the tall youth,
+whose calm demeanor, royal bearing, and worshipful
+eyes were ever in her mind—all appeared in her memory.
+Tears came into her eyes, and her lips trembled
+with emotion. She brought her panting steed to a stop
+within the deep shadows of the trees and halted a moment
+to consider her course. If she should pass through
+the village, she might be seen and accosted. If she
+should enter the park, she would incur danger from wild
+beasts which sometimes came down from the mountains.
+Bears, wolves, a leopard, a tiger, and even a lion had
+been seen in the park. She knew all the paths through
+the woodland and that, by going a roundabout way, she
+might avoid the palace and the village, but it would lead
+through wild, dark places. Though she had fear of wild
+beasts, she feared more to be overtaken by the pursuers
+that her brother might send after her. She decided to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_191">[191]</span>
+follow the dark paths of the forest and defy the dangers
+from wild beasts. Turning her horse, she plunged
+boldly into the woodland.</p>
+
+<p>The turf deadened the hoof-beats of the horse. No
+sound was heard save the cry of an owl, the song of a
+bulbul, and the chirp of insects. Gathering the bridle
+reins in one hand, she drew the short sword from its
+sheath at her belt with the other and carried it ready to
+meet any danger that might assail her. Once she raised
+the sword high towards heaven and prayed in a whisper,
+“Thou, Ahura-Mazda, Good Spirit and Protector, send
+Sraosha, victorious leader of the hosts of heaven, to
+guard me from Angro-mainyus and the Devas!”</p>
+
+<p>She went slowly and warily. A dim light from the
+declining moon and the stars enabled her to recognize the
+pathways. Her horse, tossing his noble head and pricking
+forward his slender ears, followed the paths with
+certain step, unafraid of the sounds of the night. If a
+bear or wolf, sniffing the breeze on the heights above,
+became aware of their presence, it did not descend to
+investigate, nor did any leopard, tiger, or lion molest
+her. For an hour she slowly followed the devious ways,
+but at length returned to the highway a parasang west of
+the village. That she had acted wisely appeared on the
+following day, when a squad of the King’s horsemen
+rode into Adrapan and made inquiry. The villagers and
+the palace watchmen swore that no one had passed
+through during the preceding night, although careful
+vigil had been maintained on account of a report that
+a band of robbers had been seen in the neighboring
+mountains.</p>
+
+<p>On the highway again, horse and rider, somewhat
+rested by the leisurely progress through the woodland,
+sped away westward at a gallop. The highway was<span class="pagenum" id="Page_192">[192]</span>
+smooth for several miles, until it plunged into the defiles
+of the Zagros Mountains, through which flowed the
+headwater streams of the river Choaspes. Then it became
+more difficult, with steep grades, crossing on stone
+bridges over deep gorges, the beds of roaring streams,
+and winding about steep bluffs and over sharp ridges.
+Morning found the fugitive many miles from Hamadan
+in the midst of mountains; and her weariness and that of
+her steed warned her that she must find a resting-place.
+Twice she fruitlessly turned from the road to follow
+paths leading up narrow canyons, hoping to find a suitable
+hiding-place. The third time she followed a narrow
+pass leading into a small valley and there found a
+sheepfold and a shepherd’s cabin. The shepherd and his
+flock were in the hills, where the warm rays of the sun
+and the waters of many springs kept the grass sweet and
+tender.</p>
+
+<p>Finding the hut empty and no one near, Athura descended
+stiffly from her horse and searched for food.
+She found a large jar of barley in the hut and gave her
+horse a generous feed from it. Then, having tied him
+to a tree, she searched the cabin for food that she might
+eat. The long ride had made her tired and faint.
+Hunger reminded her that she had eaten nothing since
+the previous noon. She opened cupboards and chests
+and presently found a box in which the shepherd had
+left a piece of roasted mutton and some round flat cakes
+of bread, made of coarse barley flour. The fare satisfied
+her hunger. Then she shut and barred the stout
+cabin-door and threw herself upon a bundle of sheep-skins
+which lay on the floor, and slept several hours.
+When the day was half gone, after another hasty meal
+she went on her way.</p>
+
+<p>The shepherd did not return till the shades of night<span class="pagenum" id="Page_193">[193]</span>
+were falling. His surprise and indignation were great
+when he found that some one had entered his cabin,
+eaten his bread and meat, and taken some of his grain;
+but he was delighted when he found lying in the bread-box
+a gold piece. He tried the coin with his teeth and
+excitedly turned it over and over in his palm. Then
+he hid it safely in the earth at one corner of his hut.</p>
+
+<p>“Truly,” he muttered, “some god must have rested
+here, or a spirit of the hills! But no, they would not
+eat my food. May luck go with this patron of mine
+forever!”</p>
+
+<p>It was after noon when Athura left the shepherd’s
+hut and rode out of the canyon to the highway. She
+turned her face westward and rode as rapidly as the
+steep grades and dangerous passes would permit, anxiously
+scanning every reach ahead lest she meet a caravan,
+an inquisitive traveler, or a band of robbers. Outlaws
+frequently attacked caravans in those days and places,
+as they do yet. Travel except with guards or in large
+companies was dangerous. Once as she rode past the
+mouth of a canyon she observed several men sitting
+around a camp-fire a hundred paces from the road.
+When they observed her, they shouted and ran to their
+horses, which were grazing near by them. She spoke
+to her horse and urged him to greater speed. He responded
+nobly. The hiss of an arrow passed over her
+head. Her horse, as if realizing the need of haste, fled
+with frightful speed. Once she looked back and saw
+the pursuers; but, as they were mounted on small mountain
+ponies, they were soon left far behind and gave
+over the pursuit.</p>
+
+<p>With an occasional halt at the crest of ridges over
+which the road passed, the fugitive pressed onward till
+night fell. After stopping a short time to allow the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_194">[194]</span>
+horse to graze and rest, she continued the flight during
+the night hours. The brawling river along whose course
+the way led filled the canyons with its murmur. The
+cry of night birds and the howl of wolves sounded dismally
+from the heights. Once her horse snorted and
+sprang away at a rapid pace from the shadow of a
+clump of bushes. At another time he shook his head
+and dashed madly at several dark, slinking forms in the
+road; these leaped aside from his charge, snarling and
+chattering. It required all her will to restrain the fear
+of unknown and unseen dangers of the darkness and
+hills which gripped at her heart. She allowed her intelligent
+horse to pick his own way, and he did not fail her.</p>
+
+<p>At midnight she emerged from the mountain gorges
+and entered the little plain of Bagistan, where she halted
+at the base of the celebrated rock of Behistun. She
+recognized this great rock, on which was engraved in
+huge letters the legend of Semiramis. As she looked up
+at its bold, jagged skyline, she wondered whether the
+time would ever come when she, like Semiramis, might
+stand there the queen of the world. Years afterwards
+she did stand there as queen of the world and watched
+the workmen of her husband erase the story of Semiramis
+and carve thereon a short history of his own exploits.
+She dismounted and, standing by the side of her
+horse, leaned wearily against him and meditated what
+road to take. For here was a parting of the ways. To
+her right, the road led to Nineveh, Damascus, and Sardis,
+where she might find her Prince; to the left lay the
+road to Susa and Persepolis. Should she go to the
+Prince of Iran and thus plunge him into war with Cambyses,
+or should she seek the protection of the lords of
+Persia? It was a grave question, hard to solve, and she
+almost wept because of her own indecision.</p>
+
+
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_195">[195]</span>“All hail and live forever, Princess Athura! Be not
+afraid!” A voice came to her out of the darkness near
+the great rock.</p>
+
+<p>Gasping with dismay, she sprang into the saddle and
+was about to flee.</p>
+
+<p>“Be not afraid!” said the voice again, and the tone
+was strangely familiar and reassuring.</p>
+
+<p>“Who speaks?” she demanded.</p>
+
+<p>“Your servant, Belteshazzer, the Hebrew, gracious
+lady!”</p>
+
+<p>The voice recalled the days when she sat at the feet
+of the great teacher and listened to his wisdom.</p>
+
+<p>“It must indeed be Belteshazzer!” she exclaimed,
+with a sigh of relief. “None else could know me!
+Now Ahura-Mazda be praised! How come you here?”</p>
+
+<p>A tall form emerged from the darker shadows and
+drew near. “I came up from Susa in obedience to the
+command of a spirit,” he said. “I knew not why I was
+urged to come until I reached the shadow of this great
+rock. Then I knew that I was sent to meet you here.
+In the spirit I saw you coming. Do you remember the
+lessons in the west tower of the palace at Hamadan, and
+how the Hebrew was not easy for you to learn?”</p>
+
+<p>She remembered well this wonderful man, whose wisdom
+was that of a god, whose eyes read the very
+thoughts of men, and whose heart was pure and kind.
+With a happy note in her voice she answered: “Truly,
+Master, I am that unapt scholar in Hebrew! What joy
+to meet you here! Truly God has guided you hither!
+Now I may call upon your great wisdom to advise me
+what to do. Approach nearer, I pray you!”</p>
+
+<p>Belteshazzer advanced to the side of the horse and,
+bending over the fair hand she extended to him, touched
+it with his forehead in reverence and affection.</p>
+
+
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_196">[196]</span>“I hold it great happiness to be of service to you,”
+he said. “In the village near by is my caravan. I have
+there a new tent with new furniture never used by any
+other. It is at your service. There await your service
+also two handmaidens of my own race, daughters of a
+prince of my family, discreet and worthy of trust. I
+have also many servants, all well-armed. My caravan
+is large. Come and dwell with us until the years of
+Cambyses shall be fulfilled. I know from what you have
+fled. You shall be a princess of my people until these
+troublous days are over. O Most Beloved of the Nations,
+you may abide in my care until the time when your
+Prince shall come to the throne! If you tire of the tent-life
+with the caravan, my palace in Shushan, or my house
+in Babylon, shall be yours.”</p>
+
+<p>“Is it best that I do not go to the Prince now?”</p>
+
+<p>“It is best that you do not. It would mean instant
+war between him and Cambyses. The times are not
+right for that. Neither should you go to the lords of
+Persia. For Cambyses has already sent armed men out
+on all the roads leading to Persepolis. Even now couriers
+are not far behind you going to Susa with orders
+to watch for and intercept you.”</p>
+
+<p>“I will be guided by you, O Prophet of God! Lead
+the way and I will follow.”</p>
+
+<p>He led the way towards the village of Bagistan in the
+valley below, and soon came to his caravan. He conducted
+her to a beautiful tent furnished with all the
+luxuries of tent-life. Two beautiful maidens were
+brought to her.</p>
+
+<p>“My children,” said Belteshazzer to them, “behold
+your mistress. She is one of the great ones of earth
+and is worthy of all service. She shall be known to you
+as the Princess Esther. It is enough for you to know<span class="pagenum" id="Page_197">[197]</span>
+that she is one most highly favored of our God. You
+must obey her slightest wish. Your training in the house
+of Belteshazzer has fitted you to serve the greatest of
+earth. Let your tongues never speak unto others what
+you may see or hear concerning her. To all questions
+say that she is a relative of Belteshazzer. For are we
+not all descended from one common Father?”</p>
+
+<p>They fell on their knees before Athura, the strange,
+beautiful one, whose face was that of a woman though
+her garb was that of a man. Each, taking one of
+Athura’s hands, placed it upon her head, saying in the
+soft accents of the Syrian tongue: “We shall heed
+your words, great Master. We are her servants.”</p>
+
+<p>Athura smiled upon the maidens and raising them up
+impulsively kissed them, saying in the same language,
+with which she was familiar: “Your service will be
+light. You shall be my sisters and companions rather
+than servants. The princesses of the house of Belteshazzer
+are worthy to be friends of the highest born.”</p>
+
+<p>Belteshazzer then retired. From chests full of rich
+garments, the maids quickly produced feminine apparel
+and at once proceeded to bathe, dress, and perfume their
+new mistress. Presently, under their ministrations,
+Athura in all her matchless beauty and royal demeanor
+stood before them like Deborah of old, a veritable
+Hebrew princess.</p>
+
+<p>Belteshazzer traveled into Arabia, and the Princess
+Esther went with him. No one imagined that the beautiful
+young woman, to whom all naturally gave deference,
+was the first Princess of the Empire.</p>
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
+
+<div class="chapter">
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_198">[198]</span>
+
+<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XIV<br />
+
+
+<small>THE WAR AGAINST EGYPT</small></h2>
+</div>
+
+<p class="drop-cap">THE Great King continued to prepare for war with
+the Egyptians. There came to him a Greek
+named Phanes, who at one time had been high in the
+service of King Amasis of Egypt, but who, having conspired
+against him, was compelled to flee. By flattery
+and art he raised himself high in the estimation of
+Cambyses and inflamed his mind with tales of the wealth
+that would be found in the great temples of the Nile
+Valley. The King then hastened his preparations and
+sent him to raise levies amongst the Ionian Greeks.
+The Greeks who remained in the service of the Egyptian
+King so hated him because of his treachery that
+they had made a blood covenant to kill him. But he
+succeeded in recruiting a large body of his countrymen,
+who marched with him and the Prince of Iran towards
+Tyre.</p>
+
+<p>When spring opened, the vast array of men whom the
+King had gathered from Iran, Assyria, and Babylonia,
+marched by way of Damascus towards Tyre. Many
+nations contributed troops. Wild mountaineers of the
+Caucasus marched shoulder to shoulder with the
+polished, slighter-built Babylonians. The light-armed
+Getæ and Derbicæ rode with the heavy cavalry of the
+Medes and Persians. From Bactra and Sogdiana came
+a portion of the veteran army of King Hystaspis.
+From the Zagros and Elburz mountains poured out the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_199">[199]</span>
+fierce infantry of Aryan blood. Chariots, hundreds in
+number, rumbled over the rough desert roads. Bowmen,
+spearmen, slingers, and swordsmen, a half million
+or more in all, rolled like a tide across the wastes.
+The army under the Prince of Iran was composed for
+the most part of veterans of many wars, inured to army
+life and eager to follow their Prince to battle. Its
+nucleus was the old Imperial Guard of Cyrus, recruited
+to its full number of thirty thousand horsemen. The
+remainder were fighters from the warlike peoples of his
+satrapy—Lydians, Greeks, Scythians of the Black Sea
+regions, Paphlagonians, Hebrews, and Syrians.</p>
+
+<p>It was springtime when the Great King, leaving
+Patatheites, the Magian, as regent of the empire, departed
+from his capital of Hamadan, accompanied by his
+sister-wife, Artistone, and a portion of his harem. A
+thousand servants marched with him to administer to
+his comfort. He journeyed by easy stages to Damascus
+and thence to Tyre.</p>
+
+<p>The city of Tyre, though nominally independent, had
+been coerced into lending her fleets to the King of Kings.
+Though it occupied a strong position on an island and
+though its people carried on a great trade with Egypt,
+yet when the veteran army of the Prince of Iran encamped
+on the mainland opposite, and his demand came
+in the name of the Great King that it should furnish a
+fleet of vessels for his use, it hastened to comply.</p>
+
+<p>During the weeks that had passed since he had received
+a copy of the decree of the King concerning the
+marriage of Cambyses to his sisters, the Prince had
+visibly aged. He had become taciturn and stern. A
+smile seldom appeared upon his countenance. His
+officers, who had known him for years, sympathized
+with him but grumbled at his obstinacy in not declaring<span class="pagenum" id="Page_200">[200]</span>
+war against Cambyses. They were ready for revolt.
+Gobryas especially was discontented. He was bitter
+towards the King because of the wreck of his hopes of
+winning Artistone. He reported to the Prince the spirit
+of revolt that pervaded the army and urged him repeatedly
+to act; but the latter requested him to wait.</p>
+
+<p>When the Persian and Bactrian troops arrived,
+having outmarched the King, who lingered at Damascus,
+their leaders came to the Prince and offered their
+services, if he would but consent to seize the government.
+Letters arrived from Otanes, urging him to
+seize Cambyses. To all he said, “Wait!” Couriers
+came from his father counseling prudence and loyalty,
+at least until it should certainly appear that the King
+held Athura against her will. A mighty struggle went
+on within him. Oath-bound loyalty to the King could
+scarce restrain the wrath that fired his soul to action
+against the hated tyrant.</p>
+
+<p>When the couriers arrived from Damascus saying
+that the King was about to leave that city, the Prince
+called them aside and inquired of them if they knew
+whether the King was bringing his sisters with him.
+They reported that he had with him Artistone, whom
+he presented to all as his Queen; but as for Athura no
+one knew where she was, though it was currently reported
+that he had imprisoned her in his harem at
+Hamadan. His own couriers and spies returned from
+Hamadan without other information than rumors, some
+of which indicated that Athura was dead, others that
+she had escaped to Persia, and others that she was imprisoned
+in the King’s harem.</p>
+
+<p>While he was in this state of indecision, resolved one
+day to raise the standard of revolt and march against
+Cambyses, and the next to remain loyal, at least till<span class="pagenum" id="Page_201">[201]</span>
+he should know the truth concerning Athura’s fate,
+Prexaspes, attended by a company of Medean cavalry,
+rode into camp and requested an interview. The Prince
+received him without delay, and alone in his tent. The
+wily Mede, after due salutation, went straight to the
+subject of his mission.</p>
+
+<p>“Great and illustrious Prince,” he said, as he stood
+before the Prince of Iran, who looked upon him coldly
+and suspiciously, “I have come on in advance of the
+King with his permission. I have heard of the efforts
+of the powerful ones to persuade you to revolt and I
+know also that you believe you have just cause in the
+act of the King with relation to his sisters. I have made
+the Great King realize that he has committed the worst
+blunder of his life and that upon your acts will not only
+depend the result of this war but the continuance of his
+empire. I call to your remembrance that the subject nations
+are but waiting for the outbreak of civil war
+amongst the Aryans to throw off the Aryan rule.
+Should you revolt, every conquered nation would revolt;
+and if you should succeed, you would have the world to
+conquer over again. This you know as well as I. Is
+it not so?”</p>
+
+<p>He paused. The Prince of Iran inclined his head in
+assent.</p>
+
+<p>“Proceed with your message,” he said coldly.</p>
+
+<p>“This being so,” continued Prexaspes, “I deemed it
+best to come hither and tell you the facts with relation
+to the King’s brother and sister. I am reliably informed
+that Prince Bardya is dead. He died at the hands of
+mountain robbers. Of course I do not know this for certain.
+As to the Princess Athura, she escaped the same
+day that the King issued his decree, a copy of which I
+sent to you. He never consummated his marriage with<span class="pagenum" id="Page_202">[202]</span>
+her. I know that she escaped, because the King suspected
+that I had aided her. As to whether I did aid
+her or not, I say nothing, except that I rejoiced when
+I heard it—not openly, for I apparently made every
+exertion to find her. Now the King was advised to
+marry his sisters by a certain Magian prophet who predicted
+that a son of his sister should sit on the throne
+after him. The King is impulsive and acted without
+advising with me. But having married Artistone, he is
+satisfied that he has complied with the prophet’s prediction;
+and in order that you may know his good-will
+towards you he has made a second decree, declaring that
+Athura is free from wedlock with him and granting
+her leave to marry whom she will. This am I directed
+to place in your hand upon being satisfied that you are
+firm in adherence to your oath taken to Cyrus and will
+state that you will remain loyal to the King. The King
+also confirms you in the office of chief commander of
+this army under him. I assure you, Great Prince, that
+the King is sincere, though, I frankly state, it is because
+he knows that one word from you or any injury to you
+would be the signal for the rebellion of all Iran save perhaps
+Medea.”</p>
+
+<p>He paused. The Prince stood in silence a moment
+gazing at the floor, considering the King’s message.</p>
+
+<p>“Will the King give me his statement as King that he
+has not done injury to Athura?” he then demanded.</p>
+
+<p>“Not only that, but he has stated in this his decree
+that the marriage never has been consummated.
+Furthermore I know all that happened from a private
+examination of the servants who saw the King when he
+went to the Princesses to announce his will to them,—how
+he fled from Athura’s dagger; how he set watches
+at her bedroom door; how there stood open the lattice<span class="pagenum" id="Page_203">[203]</span>
+of a closet-window connected with the bedroom by
+which she escaped; and how, afterwards, the rope ladder
+by which she passed over the walls was found;
+and it is even known how she purchased a horse which
+later was found near Bagistan. She rode away on it
+disguised as a youth. There she disappeared.”</p>
+
+<p>The Prince started and smiled slightly when Prexaspes
+mentioned the hinged lattice in the closet-window.
+He had heard from Athura of this means of
+egress before. He asked eagerly, “No further trace of
+her has been found?”</p>
+
+<p>“No. But the King thinks she has fled to you or to
+Persia.”</p>
+
+<p>The Prince did not answer this suggestion but held
+his hand out for the decrees, saying: “Assure the King
+that I accept his decree and will loyally support him.
+But let him not again, I implore, place me in so grave
+a position, lest I forget my vow to the great Cyrus!”
+He took the decrees from the hand of Prexaspes, who
+bowed low and backed from the tent with a second low
+salaam.</p>
+
+<p>So it came about that Cambyses feared not to come
+on to Tyre and that the army, duly marshaled in massive
+lines, received the Great King with honor. The
+Prince of Iran, accompanied by Hydarnes of the foot
+soldiers, Vomisces of the cavalry, and a hundred other
+Persian officers, greeted the King at the limits of the
+camp and followed him as he rode slowly between the
+lines of soldiers to his pavilion. The soldiers knelt as
+he passed, shuddering or wondering as they saw the
+bloated red face and cold, glittering eyes of their ruler.
+When they saw the Prince of Iran riding near his right
+hand in the place of honor, they were pleased and broke
+forth in acclamations, which the Great King thought<span class="pagenum" id="Page_204">[204]</span>
+were given to him. But his countenance gave no indication
+of his emotions, and his greetings to his officers
+were slight and cold.</p>
+
+<p>No sooner had the King entered his pavilion and called
+for wine than Prexaspes, who had personal charge of
+the King’s household, entered, and, having bent his knee,
+requested leave to speak. The King said impatiently:</p>
+
+<p>“Well, speak! Undoubtedly you come to preach policy
+again! I liked not the dark looks of those cursed
+Persians! I have a mind to send some of those officers
+a bowstring!”</p>
+
+<p>“Having your gracious leave, O King, I will speak
+plainly,” said Prexaspes, boldly. “Does not my welfare
+depend solely upon your favor? Believe that I
+speak, therefore, for your best interests. There was
+grave trouble brewing amongst those Persians. The
+favor you have shown to the Magi and your marriage
+with your sister, against which, you know, I most
+strongly advised, and the grave insult thereby inflicted
+upon the Prince of Iran, have stirred in them the spirit
+of revolt. I have trembled, O King! My spies have
+kept me well informed. There stands between you and
+destruction at this moment the word of one man, and
+that one is the Prince of Iran! Order me stricken
+dead, if you will, O King, for speaking so boldly; but
+I tell you the truth! I swear by all the gods, I speak
+the truth!”</p>
+
+<p>The King’s face was dark with wrath, but he realized
+the force of his adviser’s words. He gulped down
+a great cup of wine, threw the cup upon the floor, and
+passed a trembling hand over his face.</p>
+
+<p>“You may speak truth, Prexaspes,” he admitted.
+“But how about the Medes and the other levies, are
+they not faithful? They outnumber the Persians and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_205">[205]</span>
+Bactrians. Besides, have I not stultified myself already
+by your advice and placated that same Prince of Iran?”</p>
+
+<p>“The Medes may be depended upon, but none others.
+It is true we have placated the Prince of Iran. But
+with your permission I will offer further advice.”</p>
+
+<p>“Say on!”</p>
+
+<p>“I advise that you send for the Prince of Iran and
+personally greet him with your royal hand and assure
+him of your favor as King. Thus will you fasten him
+to your cause and satisfy the Aryans, by whose power
+alone you may hope to prosecute this war successfully.”</p>
+
+<p>The King broke forth in a torrent of curses and imprecations.
+It was a bitter tonic that Prexaspes had
+prescribed. He hated the Prince of Iran with the hatred
+of jealousy and fear. He ended his explosion by saying:</p>
+
+<p>“But the day will come when I shall surely slay
+that man! Now, indeed, I see that I must dissemble.
+Press me not too far on this path, Prexaspes, lest I slay
+you! Go then and command him to come here. I will
+dissemble. I will be as wise as a serpent—for a
+time!”</p>
+
+<p>Prexaspes bowed low and backed from the royal presence.
+He sent a messenger to the Prince of Iran, who
+came at once.</p>
+
+<p>The Prince was pale but composed. He bowed low
+over the King’s extended hand, saying: “I am here
+at the King’s command. Let it please the King to command.”</p>
+
+<p>The King glowered sullenly upon the Prince, but endeavored
+to infuse into his tones a note of cordiality,
+as he said: “Prince Hystaspis, I have trusted you
+greatly, though, as you well know, no love has ever
+been between us. I hear that there has been much treasonable
+talk in this army.”</p>
+
+
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_206">[206]</span>“I know there is much dissatisfaction, O King!” answered
+the Prince. “But it cannot be said to be treasonable.
+The people of Iran like not the power and
+place given to the fire-worshipers of the hills. The
+Persians, who occupied the chief places under King Cyrus,
+are grieved that they have not found favor with his
+son.”</p>
+
+<p>“We will show these proud slaves who grumble, that
+the King of Kings brooks no interference!” exclaimed
+the King, his anger blazing forth for an instant. “Prexaspes
+has given you my decree concerning Athura. You
+may rest assured that she and you may marry safely.
+Where is she? Of all men, you should know.”</p>
+
+<p>The Prince was surprised at this question, and the
+manner of the King. Evidently Cambyses was endeavoring
+to restrain his passions and speak pleasantly to
+him.</p>
+
+<p>“I have not seen the royal lady since I bade her
+farewell at Persepolis and took with me her pledge to
+marry me,” he answered. “Neither have I had a letter
+from her since the day when it pleased you to make
+a new law that the King might marry his sisters. Nor
+have I heard what has become of her, save that I did
+hear rumors that she had escaped or had been slain by
+your orders.”</p>
+
+<p>“The report that Athura is dead is not true!” said
+Cambyses. “She fled from the palace the day my decree
+was made and keeps well hidden, though my slaves
+have searched the world for her. Find her and marry
+her, if you will! You have my consent. Let that subject
+be forgotten between us. Is this army ready to
+march?”</p>
+
+<p>“It is ready.”</p>
+
+<p>“Then let the march begin on the morrow. The insults<span class="pagenum" id="Page_207">[207]</span>
+we have received from Egypt’s King must be
+avenged and that country added to our empire. It is
+said to be very rich. I am weary with the day’s journey
+and will rest. Give such orders as you deem necessary.
+Cambyses, the King of Kings, remembers not the
+former days. My trust and favor I give to you; and
+my consent to your marriage with Athura shall not be
+withdrawn.”</p>
+
+<p>He turned away, and the Prince with a salute left
+the pavilion. It seemed to the latter that the sky had
+taken on a new glory and that the golden rays of the
+setting sun were indicative of joy. A load had been
+lifted from his heart. Athura had escaped a miserable
+fate and must be still alive. One so resourceful as she
+would know how to save herself. It mattered little
+that Cambyses hated him. His duty demanded faithful
+service to the King and his oath to the Great King
+would remain unbroken. He called together his
+friends among the officers and briefly informed them that
+all present cause for dissatisfaction had been removed
+and that he expected of them loyal service to the King.</p>
+
+<p>On the next day the great army slowly uncoiled its
+vast length and moved down the narrow coast-line of
+Canaan, bearing woe to ancient Egypt.</p>
+
+<p>Egypt was ill-prepared for war. From the time that
+Cyrus had reduced all Syria, including Canaan, to subjection,
+the Egyptian King, Amasis, had known that a
+conflict with the new world-power would come. He
+had heard of the preparations for war made by Cambyses
+and had endeavored to make ready. But Egypt had long
+since lost its ancient vigor. Its people had become rich
+and indolent. They loved not war. They depended
+mainly upon foreign auxiliaries hired by their money
+for their defense. Thirty thousand Greeks and many<span class="pagenum" id="Page_208">[208]</span>
+thousand adventurers from other lands formed the main
+strength of the Egyptian army. Levies drawn from an
+agricultural and trading people among the Egyptians
+themselves were neither practiced in war nor enthusiastic
+in the service and made poor soldiers. They
+were brave and many in number, but they knew little
+discipline. They could not stand before the fearful rush
+of the Persian cavalry or the tiger-like ferocity of the
+Aryan infantry. They outnumbered the army of Cambyses,
+but their very numbers were a source of weakness
+because of their lack of discipline.</p>
+
+<p>Just as the war was beginning, old King Amasis had
+died, leaving his throne to a youth named Psammenitus,
+who had not the skill himself nor good generals to lead
+his army. But he marched forth and took position in
+the desert near Pelusium, with the left of his line of
+battle resting on the Great Sea and its right protecting
+the water-wells and barring the main caravan road to
+Egypt, determined to strike one blow in defense of his
+kingdom. His Greeks were placed on the left, supported
+by Cretan slingers. The center was held by
+stout Ethiopian infantry, black men of ferocious courage,
+armed with javelins and swords, terrible in close
+contest. Behind them was a mass of Egyptians. On
+the right, where the plain was more level, there were
+two hundred chariots supported by a mass of irregular
+cavalry, principally Arabs, armed with scimiters and
+long, slender spears.</p>
+
+<p>The Prince of Iran led the Aryan host with his thirty
+thousand horsemen of the Guard, driving back the Arab
+cavalry which came out to harass his advance, until the
+position and extent of the Egyptian army were disclosed.
+From the crest of a sand-dune near the sea,
+he carefully surveyed the position occupied by Psammenitus.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_209">[209]</span>
+It was the afternoon of a cloudless day. At
+his right glistened the sea, its oily waves scarce rippling
+on the shores. At his left and rear, the mountains of
+Palestine were a dim cloud on the horizon. Before him
+was a vast plain, gray and brown with dust and sand,
+where the opposing army was making ready for battle.
+He noted the orderly Greeks, the dark array of Ethiopians,
+and the wheeling, clattering chariots, taking their
+appointed places. The Prince was accompanied by
+Gobryas and several of his chief captains, who stood
+near with the light of battle in their eyes and joy in their
+hearts. For the long, hot marches would end here in
+victory. They did not dream of defeat.</p>
+
+<p>The Prince soon formed his plan of battle. He directed
+the Guard to take a position in a long line, with
+its right resting at the sand-dune and its left thrown
+back in a wide curve so as to protect the approaching
+infantry from attacks of the Arabs.</p>
+
+<p>“Let all our forces be brought up to-night and placed
+in position. Let them sleep on their arms and be ready
+to attack at daylight. The wells of water are in possession
+of the enemy and we must have them to-morrow
+or die of thirst. Here must we conquer or die. If we
+lose the battle, every tribe in Syria and Armenia will
+revolt and attempt to cut us off from retreat to our
+homes,” said the Prince, turning to his officers after a
+long survey of the field.</p>
+
+<p>He then gave orders for placing the troops. As the
+sun went down, his dusty battalions were taking their
+appointed positions behind the long line of cavalry. He
+placed the Persian and Medean infantry opposite the
+Greeks, with its right resting on the sea. In the center
+were the allied races, principally footmen. On the left
+were the war-chariots, opposing the chariots of the enemy.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_210">[210]</span>
+Then the cavalry was withdrawn to the rear and
+massed behind the extreme left. Imitating the tactics
+of the Great Cyrus in his last battle, he intended to
+make a détour to the left with the cavalry, assail the extreme
+end of the enemy’s right, and roll it back to the
+sea. The pack-train, camp equipage, and the King’s
+pavilion were placed in the rear near the sea and enclosed
+within a palisade of stakes driven into the earth.
+But the King, as became a Persian warrior, bivouacked
+with the soldiers, having taken his station on the sand-dunes
+at the right, where he could see the field of battle.</p>
+
+<p>Night fell upon the opposing hosts, and midnight arrived
+before the final dispositions were made. Videttes
+and sentinels were duly stationed, and the tired soldiers
+lay down on their arms to snatch a few hours of rest.
+The Prince of Iran was about to lie down on the sand
+in the midst of his guard when a slave, clad in the livery
+of the King, came and prayed leave to speak with him.
+Bidden to speak, he said: “My gracious mistress, the
+Queen, requests you to come to her if it be possible.
+I am directed to guide you.”</p>
+
+<p>The Prince hesitated. He knew that Artistone, the
+younger of the King’s sisters, was referred to as the
+Queen. It was the privilege of the noble Persians and
+their wives to visit each other; but the King had introduced
+the customs of the seraglio, the separate harem,
+the veiled faces, and the seclusion of wives. The slave,
+noticing his hesitation, continued: “The King is not in
+his pavilion and the Queen will meet you in the tent
+of her slaves. She greatly desires you to come. She
+would speak of the Princess Athura.”</p>
+
+<p>The Prince no longer hesitated. He drew Gobryas
+to one side and informed him of his design. Then,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_211">[211]</span>
+throwing a rough cloak about his shoulders, as a disguise,
+he motioned the servant to proceed, and followed
+him. They entered the palisadoed camp and went to
+a tent near the King’s pavilion. The slave watched
+outside while the Prince went in and met the child-wife
+of the King.</p>
+
+<p>The interior of the tent was dimly lighted by a lamp
+burning perfumed oil. At one side was a low couch,
+and, reclining thereon, was Artistone. He bent his knee
+before her and kissed the slender white hand she held
+out to him.</p>
+
+<p>“Greeting, Prince and brother!” said she. “How
+I have longed to see some one I do not fear! This
+camp is full of spies, placed by the King to watch me and
+the other women he has brought with him. Only in
+this one slave who brought you hither and in two maidens
+who dress me, have I any confidence. How good it
+is to see your face!”</p>
+
+<p>“It gives me great delight, little sister, to come at
+your bidding. How may I serve you?” he returned.</p>
+
+<p>“I hear that a great battle is about to take place. Is
+it true?”</p>
+
+<p>“It is. But have no fear of the result. We shall
+scatter the enemy like sand before a desert wind.”</p>
+
+<p>“I have no fear. I would go out and watch the battle
+if I were permitted. Know you aught of Athura?”</p>
+
+<p>“Nothing, except that the King said she had escaped.
+Can you tell me of her?”</p>
+
+<p>Tears filled the Queen’s eyes and wet her cheeks.
+“Alas!” she said, “I fear she is dead. She locked
+herself in her room after attempting to stab the King
+with her dagger when he came and announced to us
+his decree of marriage. The palace-guards were set
+to watch at the door. I was taken away and never saw<span class="pagenum" id="Page_212">[212]</span>
+her more. Sometimes, when the King is savage and
+drunken or is displeased and desires to cause me grief,
+he says that he had her tortured to death. But at other
+times he says that she escaped. I hoped that she had
+communicated with you. Surely she must be dead or she
+would have done so!”</p>
+
+<p>“She attempted to slay him?”</p>
+
+<p>“Yes. Her fury was terrible. The King would
+have been killed had he not fled. He came to our sitting-room,
+the room in the palace where we so often
+played when we were children, and announced that he
+would make us his wives. After some words, Athura
+drew a dagger and sprang upon him. He leaped back
+out of the room and ran. He shouted to the guards.
+They came. She retreated to her bedroom and barred
+the door. Then the King dragged me away and—I
+am the most unhappy woman living! Ah! how often
+I think of those pleasant days of our childhood when
+our mother loved and played with us and our father
+smiled upon us so graciously! Do you not remember
+them? Will happiness never return to me again?
+Should I die by my own hand as I am tempted?”</p>
+
+<p>The Prince was deeply affected. His voice shook
+with emotion, as he answered: “Child, it may be the
+day of deliverance will come, perhaps to-morrow. Who
+knows? I know not what to advise. Death is but a
+step into a better existence. Did not Zoroaster, the divine,
+so teach? What said Belteshazzer, the Hebrew?
+He, the wisest of men, who talks with spirits, who reads
+all dreams and riddles, who prophesies of the future—he
+says that death is a blessed relief, in that we drop
+a body which suffers and is weak, while the spirit life
+is one of great glory and peace. I do not advise death.
+I do not think Athura is dead. It may be she has gone<span class="pagenum" id="Page_213">[213]</span>
+to Prince Bardya or to my father in Bactra. It is a
+long way to Bactra, and it has been difficult to send
+messengers. There are many reasons why she should
+not communicate.”</p>
+
+<p>Artistone shuddered and leaned nearer to him as she
+whispered in a frightened manner: “But she could
+not go to Bardya! I am sure that the King has murdered
+him. Oh, I saw him as one slain! On the night
+of the farewell feast, long after he had left the room,
+the Magi were performing wonders and producing specters
+and awful forms. At the last there came the pale
+face of Bardya, floating in the air above them, fierce,
+blood-stained, with a horrible wound in the forehead
+as if made by a sword! I have heard the King mutter
+in his sleep, as he lay half-drunken in the night, about
+the murder of Bardya. He talks in his sleep and sees
+fearful visions! He wakes trembling and shrieking
+with fear. Ah, my brother, I know that Bardya is
+dead!”</p>
+
+<p>The Prince believed her and smote his knee with his
+clenched fist, as he exclaimed: “The day will come
+when the devil-worshipers, with their black lies and
+conjuring, will be put down with a mighty hand! And
+thou,” he cried, raising his face and one hand to heaven,
+“O Ahura-Mazda, the only God, grant to me the opportunity
+to avenge the death of Bardya, to avenge the
+insults to your altars, upon that whole evil caste; and
+I will declare your glory upon all the hills!”</p>
+
+<p>“May your prayer be granted!” said the Queen, fervently.
+“How the world would be blessed if some day
+you should lead the hosts of truth against these evil
+and idolatrous men! The nations would rejoice if you
+were monarch of the world instead of this monster!”</p>
+
+<p>“Hush!” warned the Prince. “My oath will permit<span class="pagenum" id="Page_214">[214]</span>
+no such thoughts, and it is not wise that you should
+thus speak. But I must now leave you. Is there anything
+I can do for you?”</p>
+
+<p>“No, my brother. I desire you not to think evil of
+me. I am not gifted with the will of Athura. I have
+elected to suffer awhile in patience my strange and unnatural
+position as wife of the King. Sister and wife!
+Such I have heard is the evil custom of the Egyptians,
+who, it is said by Phanes, the Greek, even married their
+own mothers as well as their sisters, in order that their
+royal race might not mingle with a less royal! Have
+great care, my brother! The King would slay you if he
+dared. He is jealous of you.”</p>
+
+<p>The Prince arose and stood looking down in great
+pity at the childish, careworn face of Artistone.</p>
+
+<p>“I do not fear the King,” he said. “I am guarded
+by a powerful spirit who will not permit harm to come
+to me. I do not serve Cambyses, but, rather, the King
+of Kings and the Aryan race. I shall go into battle,
+rejoicing to fight for my people. I hope the day may
+soon come when I may aid in crushing those liars who
+are destroying true religion and leading Cambyses astray.
+But now I must go. Should need come, send for me.”</p>
+
+<p>He turned to leave; but she asked, while a faint color
+suffused her pale cheeks: “What of the noble Gobryas?
+Is he well and—happy?”</p>
+
+<p>“He is well, but he is not happy. Gobryas has been
+much pained by the action of the King in forcing you
+into this unnatural marriage. May I say to him that
+you remember him kindly?”</p>
+
+<p>“Yes. Tell him that it will please me more than all
+else, if he shall acquit himself well in the battle, and
+that he must not too greatly endanger his life. We
+know not what the future has in store. Farewell,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_215">[215]</span>
+brother! May Sraosha place his buckler before you on
+the morrow!”</p>
+
+<p>The Prince departed quietly. The child-queen buried
+her face in her arms and wept bitterly.</p>
+
+<p>At the first gray light of morn the Prince and several
+officers rode swiftly along the front of the army. As
+they passed, the soldiers sprang up and shouted, clashing
+their arms upon their shields and demanding to be
+led to battle. He paused here and there to utter words
+of direction and advice to the officers. To the center
+he said: “You must move slowly forward and hold
+all the ground you gain until you see the cavalry charging
+the right of the enemy. Then go forward with a
+rush.” To the general of the right wing he said:
+“Stand fast here on the sand-dunes and attack not those
+Greeks until you see the cavalry charging the Egyptian
+right. Then go forward and quit you like men. For
+those Greeks are brave warriors.”</p>
+
+<p>He paused before the King, who sat on a rude throne
+placed upon the summit of a hillock of sand from which
+he could view the battle. “Live forever, O King!” he
+said, saluting. “When it pleases you to order the battle
+joined, we are ready.”</p>
+
+<p>The King glowered at him sullenly. He was sore and
+ill-natured after his night on the ground. “See to it
+that you win this battle for me, or death shall be your
+portion!” he said. “Let no quarter be given to those
+dogs yonder, who by their impudence have brought on
+them my wrath and have caused me weariness in sleeping
+out here beneath the stars!”</p>
+
+<p>“I hear your words,” replied the Prince, coldly.
+“Rest assured that we shall win this battle or we shall
+welcome death.”</p>
+
+<p>“Enough!” exclaimed the King. “Join battle when<span class="pagenum" id="Page_216">[216]</span>
+you please! I have no appetite for talk. I have sent
+for wine and will drink while you slay yonder reptile-worshipers.
+I do not see their godlike calf at the front.
+Have a care of his horns!” The King laughed at his
+own wit.</p>
+
+<p>Again saluting, the Prince turned his horse and galloped
+off, followed by his staff. He saw that the enemy
+was also making ready for battle, and he forgot the
+King in the fierce joy of conflict. Placing himself at
+the head of his cavalry, he gave the signal for advance.</p>
+
+<p>Two hundred chariots sprang forward, and the long
+lines of infantry moved. From the other side opposing
+chariots dashed out and, in a moment, the crash of
+colliding wheels and the shouts and screams of combatants
+arose. The Persian cavalry rode at a brisk trot out
+to the left and by a wide circuit came in upon the right
+flank and rear of the Egyptians, scattering the Arabs
+who vainly sought to oppose. Along the whole front,
+two miles or more in extent, the battle was joined. The
+sky was filled with darts. The sun, springing up from
+the east, flashed upon sword and spear and upon struggling
+men who stabbed and slashed and reviled and
+cursed each other. The Aryan right as ordered stood
+still. But the Greeks of the opposing line came forward
+to the assault, like a moving wall prickly with spears,
+their fair, eager faces ablaze with the light of battle;
+and as they came on they shouted to Phanes daring him
+to come and meet them whom he had betrayed. Slingers
+and archers pelted them as they advanced; but,
+partially covered by their big, round shields, they did
+not halt. The Persian and Medean infantry was not
+terrified, but prayed the captains for leave to charge.
+The presence of the King, in whose sight they must do
+or die, nerved the Aryan soldier for the contest. When<span class="pagenum" id="Page_217">[217]</span>
+the Greeks arrived at the base of the sand-dunes, the
+King, disregarding the orders of the Prince of Iran,
+directed his infantry to charge, and the men sprang
+forward and down upon the Greeks with spears at rest.
+Then was shown the splendid discipline of these mercenaries
+of Psammenitus. They met the living wall of
+men rolling down upon them with firm, up-thrusting
+spears. The shock was terrific. The lines swayed
+back and forth. The longer spears of the Greeks gave
+them the advantage. Unable to reach their enemies, the
+Persians impotently struggled against the iron hedge
+and were thrust back. Cambyses observed the contest
+with alarm. He sent in his own body-guard to aid the
+hard-pressed infantry. But the Greeks moved steadily
+onward. Their phalanx could not be pierced. They
+seemed invincible. They surmounted the hills. But
+here the uneven ground broke their formation somewhat
+and enabled the Persians to press in and come to
+close quarters.</p>
+
+<p>Cambyses was no coward. He stayed with his guard,
+but he began to cast about for aid. He saw the long,
+swaying lines of men to his left, where the allies fought
+with the fierce Ethiopians. He observed the mixed and
+tangled wreckage of struggling horses and men where
+the chariots had met. Looking beyond, he saw the
+dense mass of Persian cavalry, led by the Prince of
+Iran in person, on a magnificent white horse, wheeling
+about upon the rear and right flank of the Egyptians,
+driving back a cloud of Arabs. He watched the cavalry
+come thundering down upon the rear of the enemy,
+bringing terror and confusion. Psammenitus, who was
+mounted on a fleet dromedary, also saw the coming
+destruction and, terrified, fled from the field at full
+speed. The Ethiopians, trodden down and overthrown<span class="pagenum" id="Page_218">[218]</span>
+by the heavy Persian horse, lost courage and quickly
+became a mob. The savage allies of the Persian line
+hewed them down without mercy. In a very short space
+of time none but the Greeks were left to present any
+resistance. Their captains, seeing that the battle was
+lost, ceased the forward movement and sought to form
+their ranks in a square. Surrender was not considered,
+for the hated Phanes was with the enemy. But because
+of the inequalities of the ground, they were not able to
+form before the Prince’s cavalry rode in upon them,
+broke through their wavering lines, smote them with
+maces, hewed them with swords, and stabbed them with
+javelins, until few were left. They stood their ground
+to the last and, in death, nobly redeemed their oaths to
+Psammenitus. So, in vast slaughter, the army of the
+Egyptian King disappeared, and with it fell Egypt.</p>
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
+
+<div class="chapter">
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_219">[219]</span>
+
+<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XV<br />
+
+
+<small>THE MADNESS OF CAMBYSES</small></h2>
+</div>
+
+<p class="drop-cap">THE King of Egypt fled on his swift dromedary,
+while the men who had marched with him to battle
+gave up their lives in his behalf and a red riot of slaughter
+stained the desert sands. The Persian cavalry, now
+unhindered by any organized resistance, carried death
+to the despairing, panting fugitives who fled from the
+contest. The Egyptian army was annihilated. Barely
+did the King himself enter his city of Memphis and
+close its gates ere the Prince of Iran, at the head of a
+picked body of men on horses almost spent with rapid
+going, appeared and demanded his surrender. The vast
+array of invaders soon spread over the fertile valley
+of Egypt and shut the king so closely within his city-walls
+that no succor could enter and only hope could
+flee. Psammenitus, unable to face a hero’s death,
+bowed to the power of the King of Kings, surrendered
+into his hands his crown, and acknowledged him as lord.
+He took his place with other captive kings at the table
+of his master and ate in bitterness of spirit the bread of
+peace.</p>
+
+<p>Victory having come to him easily, Cambyses became
+puffed up and arrogated to himself divine attributes.
+Secretly his heart was eaten with envy of the Prince
+of Iran, the idol of the army, to whom all men attributed
+the great victory. As a result, the king openly slighted
+the Prince, relieved him of the general command, placed<span class="pagenum" id="Page_220">[220]</span>
+other officers near his own person and through them
+issued his orders. Leaving barely enough troops to garrison
+lower Egypt, Cambyses himself led a great army
+southward into Ethiopia; but, as he had failed to take
+into account the vast deserts through which he had to
+pass to reach that region, his army soon came to want
+and starvation, and half of the soldiers composing it
+died of disease and privation. Had not the Prince of
+Iran asserted his prerogatives, assumed command of
+the garrisons of Egypt, and gathered a great caravan
+which he sent to the King’s relief, the remainder of the
+ill-fated army would have perished. Undeterred by this
+experience, the King sent a second expedition against
+the people of the oasis of Ammon and the priests of its
+great temple; but the whole army perished in a mighty
+sand-storm. He contemplated a third expedition for
+the reduction of Carthage and the northern littoral of
+Africa; but it failed because the Phœnicians refused to
+give the aid of their fleets against their kindred.</p>
+
+<p>All of these events consumed much time. Meanwhile
+in Egypt the King of Kings ruled with an iron hand.
+He looked with suspicion upon everybody. Knowing
+that he was loved by none, he filled his court with spies
+that he might detect any who would dare even to whisper
+against him. He blotted out in the blood of Psammenitus
+and his relatives an incipient revolt of the
+Egyptians, who, encouraged by the vast misfortunes that
+had befallen the army of their conqueror, dared to dream
+of liberty. He derided the Egyptian gods, closed their
+temples and made granaries of them, and slew the sacred
+bull, Apis, with his own sword. His jealousy led
+him to murder many of his own officers. Some of the
+most valiant men of the army upon slight pretext were
+arrested and executed summarily; others were found
+dead from the stabs of hired assassins.</p>
+
+
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_221">[221]</span>The Prince of Iran now habitually wore a coat of
+mail beneath his tunic, and to it he owed safety twice
+from the weapons of assassins. Once in the night, as
+he walked alone in the garden of the palace occupied
+by him as headquarters, a man leaped upon him and
+drove a javelin into his back, almost hurling him to the
+earth, but, owing to the mail, only bruising him. The
+assassin escaped. An arrow, shot from the shadow of
+a deserted temple as he rode by, slightly wounded his
+left arm and rebounded from the mail on his body.
+Again the assassin escaped. Thereafter Gobryas and
+other officers insisted that the Prince keep a powerful
+body-guard around him; and the King, having been informed
+of the attempts on his life, could not reasonably
+object.</p>
+
+<p>One day shortly after King Cambyses had departed
+on his expedition against Ethiopia, the Prince walked
+alone in the garden surrounding his dwelling in Memphis,
+examining with much interest the flowers and
+shrubs growing there. He had no duties to perform.
+Others administered the civil offices. Five thousand only
+of his own troopers were in the city under his command;
+and except to watch them drill and see that they were
+fed, he had nothing to do. His thoughts were of Athura
+and of the many messengers he had dispatched to the
+east in search of her. Presently as he drew near to the
+street-gate, he noticed a beggar sitting by the gate apparently
+resting and asleep. He glanced at the man,
+whose countenance was that of a Hebrew, and was about
+to turn away, when the beggar opened his eyes and at
+once prostrated himself with his face in the dust.</p>
+
+<p>“Live forever, O friend of God!” said the beggar.
+“Do I indeed behold the mighty Prince of Iran?” He
+spoke in the Medean dialect.</p>
+
+
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_222">[222]</span>The Prince answered: “You have said who I am.
+What do you wish?”</p>
+
+<p>“I bear a message.”</p>
+
+<p>“Arise and deliver it.”</p>
+
+<p>The man arose and, taking from his tunic a small
+packet, delivered it to the Prince, at the same time ejaculating
+with a deep sigh of relief: “Praise be to the God
+of Abraham! I have kept my word to the Prophet!”</p>
+
+<p>The Prince tore off the wrappings and unfolded a
+sheet of papyrus, on which was written in a hand he well
+knew:</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot">
+<p>“<i>To my beloved, the Prince of my Soul, greeting</i>:</p>
+
+<p>“The bearer of this letter is to be trusted even as his
+master, the one who met you on the banks of the Choaspes
+and showed you the spirit of your ancestor, is to be
+trusted. He will tell you many things of me. He cannot
+tell how much I long to be with you or how my
+heart is sick with anxiety for your safety. How long
+are the days! How lonely the nights! But lest the one
+whose shadow darkens the world should pursue me or
+injure you, I have long kept silence. Now I must hear
+from you. I have promised the messenger great rewards
+and I know that you will make good my promises. Send
+him back to me quickly, for my soul is exceedingly weary
+and sick with waiting for word from you. Farewell, beloved!”</p>
+</div>
+
+
+<p>The missive was unsigned, but the Prince knew from
+whom it came. His heart leaped with such joy that he
+became dizzy and he staggered like a drunken man. Recovering
+his usual calm demeanor with a mighty effort, he
+said: “Though in the guise of a beggar you come, son
+of Abraham, yet do you appear to me as an angel of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_223">[223]</span>
+light, bringing joy to my soul such as I have not felt for
+many sad days! Know you the writer of this? Have
+you seen her lately? How is she? Speak, man! Great
+shall be your reward!”</p>
+
+<p>The man’s face shone with joy. The gladness he had
+brought to this great one of earth was infectious. He
+arose and stood in humble attitude.</p>
+
+<p>“Great Lord,” he said. “I have not seen this star
+of the morning for three months, having come hither
+by a long journey; but, when mine eyes looked upon her
+as I started to come hither, they were blinded by the
+light of her eyes and I shaded them before the majesty
+of her countenance. Like a rose of Sharon is she! Like
+a cedar on Lebanon stands she, strong and beautiful!
+The music of her voice is as the song of many waters
+and loveliness enshrouds her as the darkness enshrouds
+the moon! Behold, are not all men her slaves? They
+upon whom she deigns to smile would cast themselves to
+the lions if she commanded, or would fall upon their own
+swords if she wished. She is well, but she is not happy;
+for she speaks much of my lord, the Prince of Iran, and
+sighs because she sees him not.”</p>
+
+<p>“Where is she?”</p>
+
+<p>“She is with the prophet of God, the great Daniel,
+known to you as Belteshazzer, in an oasis of the desert
+of Arabia. The sons of the desert are kindred to the
+prophet and they dwell happily and safely together.
+None except I and her two maids know who the royal
+maiden is. Most happy am I to enjoy the trust of the
+great master!”</p>
+
+<p>“Then she escaped, indeed! O thou glorious life-giving
+Spirit, Ahura-Mazda, I thank thee!”</p>
+
+<p>The Prince raised his eyes to the blue vault of heaven
+and removed the helmet from his head. The Hebrew<span class="pagenum" id="Page_224">[224]</span>
+watched him sympathetically; then, as the Prince turned
+to him again, he said, “Yes, Great Lord, she escaped
+from the palace at night and rode on a horse to the rock
+known as Behistun on the road to Susa. There my master,
+moved by the spirit, met her and took her with him
+into the desert ten days’ journey west of Babylon, where
+in all honor and safety they have kept her. I am requested
+to bear to her again a message from you, if it
+please you to give me one. Her message was unsigned
+and bore no words by which its meaning would be known,
+had I fallen into the hands of the King. But I can discourse
+to you of her. The prophet sends to you greeting,
+with words of good cheer. He bids me say that the
+times and seasons are changing rapidly and that great
+events will happen presently, in which you will have
+large part.”</p>
+
+<p>“Come, then, into my house, servant of Belteshazzer!”
+said the Prince. “You shall have great rewards. You
+shall be fed and clothed and be given riches beyond your
+dreams. We will spend the remainder of this day in converse
+of her and of her great protector.”</p>
+
+<p>The Prince led the way into his dwelling, and there
+his servants hurried to bathe and dress the messenger
+and to set before him victual and drink. And while he
+ate, his royal host sat near, plying him with questions.
+It was a great day in the life of Eleazer, the scribe, servant
+and confidential friend of Belteshazzer, the prophet
+of God. In the years to follow, when his host had become
+the mighty King of Kings, he never tired of relating
+this interview to his sons and to his son’s sons,
+and how the gracious Prince had talked familiarly with
+him as with a friend.</p>
+
+<p>Three days later, escorted by a strong body of Persian
+cavalry, he returned by way of Damascus to Babylon,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_225">[225]</span>
+loaded with riches. At Babylon he left his escort, resumed
+his disguise, and went into the desert, bearing
+with him a message from the Prince of Iran to Athura.
+This related the giving of the King’s consent to their
+marriage and advised her that it would be safe for her
+to go to Persepolis and there dwell in seclusion with his
+mother, under the guardianship of King Hystaspis, who
+had returned there, until the close of the present campaign.
+Then he would come and marry her, and thereafter
+defy Cambyses.</p>
+
+<p>Weary of the tent-life of the desert, she prevailed upon
+Belteshazzer to go with her to Persepolis. Here he and
+the philosophical King of Iran spent many happy days in
+study and learned dispute, while she, protected from
+danger by a strong guard of the King’s own men, resided
+in comfort and safety, waiting with patience the
+coming of her chosen one.</p>
+
+<p>Meanwhile the King of Kings, having suffered the severe
+reverses of fortune before mentioned, had abandoned
+himself to drunkenness and debauchery. His evil
+temper, aggravated by his reverses, was ungoverned.
+On the slightest provocation, he slew servants with his
+own hands or caused them to be cruelly tortured. If
+his spies or favorites mentioned unfavorably an officer
+or soldier, death, often accompanied by tortures, such as
+flaying alive, impaling on stakes, or dismemberment, was
+inflicted upon the unfortunate accused. He even dared
+seize and execute several noble Persians, thus carrying
+into effect his jealous resolve to reduce their haughty
+spirits. Finally a day came, when a dreadful murder
+forced to action a conspiracy among prominent Persians
+to dethrone him.</p>
+
+<p>Cambyses and his sister-wife were at dinner, when the
+King, after alluding to her sad countenance, derisively<span class="pagenum" id="Page_226">[226]</span>
+said to her: “You are like these other proud, upstart
+Persians, moping about with disapproving countenance!
+They shall all learn to bow the knee and to fall on their
+faces in the dust before me, or they shall die! Who
+am I that I should bear with them? I swear by Ahriman,
+that I will arrest every Persian officer; and on the
+morrow twelve shall die, on the day after twelve more
+shall die, and on each succeeding day a like number, until
+they are finished!”</p>
+
+<p>He banged his great fist down upon the table before
+him. His sister was greatly moved. Her state of health
+was such that she was extremely weak and nervous.
+Her face was white and her eyes were full of horror.
+The half-drunken King, noticing her look of repulsion,
+was infuriated, and, calling her a vile name, shouted:
+“What? Do you also defy me? Speak, craven, ere I
+tear out your tongue!”</p>
+
+<p>The spirit in the child-woman suddenly blazed up and,
+arising from the couch where she had been reclining,
+she stood before the brute with clenched hands and flashing
+eyes.</p>
+
+<p>“Murderer!” she cried. “You have abandoned all
+good! You are all evil! You foully murdered Bardya!
+You have driven Athura to her death! You have dishonored
+me! Would you murder all the Aryan race?
+Are you a Persian? Or are you a devil?”</p>
+
+<p>For a moment Cambyses was too dazed to speak.
+Never had any one addressed him thus. Lashed to insane
+fury by her words, he sprang up with stuttering
+curses, knocked the frail woman down, and jumped upon
+her prostrate body with his feet, stamping and crushing
+her into insensibility. The servants screamed, and some
+of them endeavored to prevent him; but he drew a dagger
+and stabbed one to death, wounded another, and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_227">[227]</span>
+drove all out of his presence. Then, recovering his
+senses somewhat and stricken with remorse, he knelt at
+the side of his sister and wept aloud. He then called
+for his surgeons and bade them save her or die. They
+tried faithfully to restore her to consciousness, but without
+avail. She died within the hour.</p>
+
+<p>This horrible crime soon became known among the
+Persians. There were then encamped near Memphis
+about fifty thousand men, the remnant of the Aryans who
+had followed the King into Egypt. Conferences were
+at once held among the Persian officers and it was decided
+that Cambyses, being insane, should be deposed.
+The Prince of Iran had no part in these deliberations.
+With Gobryas and a body-guard, he had gone to visit
+the nearest pyramids and had been absent several days.
+Spies duly reported to the King the discontent of the
+army. On the next day after the murder of his sister,
+the King caused the arrest of fifty of the chief officers
+of the army, many of them sons of the highest nobility
+of Iran. True to his oath, taken before his sister, he
+slew twelve of them and caused their heads to be hung
+on the gates of the city with an inscription warning all
+traitors of a like fate. At once there was a vast uproar.
+The Aryan troops arose in a mass and marched into
+Memphis to seize the King. A bloody battle took place
+in the gardens of the King’s palace, in which the King’s
+body-guard was cut in pieces and its remnants driven
+into the palace, where behind heavy gates and doors
+they pantingly awaited death. Prexaspes commanded the
+body-guard and made a brave defense. But the veteran
+Persians and Bactrians were not to be repulsed. They
+were about to batter down the palace gates, when the
+Prince of Iran arrived. Immediately the infuriated men
+raised a roar of welcome and thrust upon him at once the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_228">[228]</span>
+chief command, begging him to lead them and to allow
+them to set him up as King.</p>
+
+<p>The King was not deficient in physical courage. Sobered
+at last by the awful results of his fury in the murder
+of his sister, and caring little what the end of this
+revolt might be, desperate and savage, ready to fight to
+the end, he paced back and forth behind the battlements
+surrounding the roof of the great palace wherein he was
+besieged, and glowered sullenly down upon the raging
+mob below. Prexaspes came to him, ostensibly for orders
+but really to advise that overtures of peace be made.
+To him the King said rabidly: “What! Will you turn
+against me also? Why not go down and join those?
+Perhaps they will honor you! Saw you not that Prince
+of Iran out yonder? I thought I saw him ride up. Even
+now, if I mistake not, he stands yonder in the midst of
+his officers planning how best to take me. Bring up a
+dozen of the best archers. Him at least shall they
+slay!”</p>
+
+<p>Prexaspes shook his head impatiently, and, while keeping
+his eye on the King lest the latter might attack him,
+he said harshly: “Have I not said that the Prince of
+Iran is oath-bound to you? He alone can save you this
+day! Would you slay the only man who can call off those
+wolves yonder? It is madness to slay him. We shall be
+torn limb for limb if he save us not!”</p>
+
+<p>The King did not answer immediately. He watched
+the movements of the mob with tiger-like eyes. He saw
+Prince Hystaspis pass slowly through the mob and observed
+that the officers were also passing back and forth
+shouting orders. He saw the men falling in with orderly
+precision and, in a few minutes, that the mob had become
+an army. Company after company formed in the open
+garden and the adjacent streets, until on all sides of the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_229">[229]</span>
+palace a solid cordon of men stood at rest with officers
+duly advanced before them. Prexaspes waited impatiently
+for orders, but the King only ordered wine to be
+brought.</p>
+
+<p>The Prince of Iran had said to the officers who were
+directing the mob: “Captains of Iran, I am grieved
+to the heart! Never before have the Aryans turned on
+their King in this manner and assaulted his high Majesty!
+But the provocation has been great! Nevertheless,
+if the Aryans rule the world, they must obey their
+kings! By your act you have forfeited your lives and
+under the law are as dead men! I will go to the King
+and seek his pardon for you and for those he now holds
+in prison. Speak to the men and say that I, the Prince
+of Iran, their commander, order them to desist until I go
+to the King and return!”</p>
+
+<p>Up spoke a grizzled veteran, who had campaigned with
+Cyrus: “O most beloved Prince, go not to the King!
+Does he not hate you? Has he not without cause murdered
+his brother and his two sisters? Why do the heads
+of our comrades hang on yonder walls? By the great
+God, we have sworn that he shall release the others or
+die! He is a madman, and it is no treason to dethrone
+him. Go not to him! He will slay you also!”</p>
+
+<p>The Prince looked upon the rugged face of the speaker
+with love, but he said reprovingly: “I know your heart,
+Arbax; but you forget that he is the son of Cyrus, the
+Great King. What of me? Have I not suffered at his
+hands? Yet do I counsel obedience. Will you not be
+guided by me?”</p>
+
+<p>“Always and forever!” answered Arbax. “But is it
+not just to demand that he release our officers as well as
+pardon the men?”</p>
+
+<p>“It is just. If he refuse, then indeed is he mad and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_230">[230]</span>
+you do well to take him from the throne. I will go to
+him demanding this. Will you abide the result?”</p>
+
+<p>A common assent was given by all. Only Gobryas,
+whose soul was bitter because of the death of Artistone,
+exclaimed: “Prince and brother, let me carry this demand
+to the King, and you remain here! If he refuse
+our request, or slay me, it will matter little. There may
+be no need of further rioting! Let me go in your stead.”</p>
+
+<p>But the Prince shook his head. To send Gobryas
+meant to send death to the King, as the latter, he knew,
+was in a mood to slay the monster who had crushed the
+life out of the woman he loved.</p>
+
+<p>“Have patience, my brother,” said the Prince. “The
+state is above all else. Shall we slay our King and
+plunge the whole world into anarchy? Every subject
+nation would revolt. We are in the midst of our enemies
+and far from home with a weakened army. Terror
+of the King of Kings lies heavy upon the subject-peoples.
+It must not be removed now. No, the time is
+not ripe! Iran must be prepared to set up another King
+before throwing down this one. The King will see the
+justice of our demands.”</p>
+
+<p>Another captain spoke up, voicing the decision of all:
+“We will obey you, as our commander. But our brothers
+must be released and pardon extended to all. If
+you return not in one half-hour with their pardon, we
+storm the palace and slay every man therein. We swear
+it!”</p>
+
+<p>“We swear it!” echoed all.</p>
+
+<p>“Do as you say!” answered the Prince. “But I will
+return. Fear not for me! One higher than I goes with
+me. Remain here and let the men not move from their
+places.”</p>
+
+<p>He departed at once to the palace-gate, and, to the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_231">[231]</span>
+guards peering forth from loopholes at its sides he commanded:
+“Open! I go to the King, bearing peace!”</p>
+
+<p>The door was swung back to admit him. The guards
+had expected only death at the hands of the savage men
+who stood around the palace in silent, menacing attitude,
+and peace they greatly desired. The Prince was
+conducted to the roof, where he found Prexaspes and
+the King. The latter had seated himself at a small table
+and was drinking wine. He turned to the Prince, who
+was startled at the sight of his haggard face, his bloodshot
+eyes, and trembling hands—trembling, not in fear,
+but from nervousness and debauchery. The King’s voice
+was full of bitterness and hate, as he said: “Prince of
+Iran, I bid you welcome! Your eyes are doubtless glad
+to behold your King at the mercy of yonder rabble!
+What come you for? My crown?”</p>
+
+<p>The Prince saluted the King gravely and looked down
+upon him with ill-concealed disgust and pity. He said
+in cold, measured tones: “King of the World, the day
+has come when even I am unable to restrain the soldiers
+of Iran. Those men and their fathers made your father
+King of Kings, King of the World, the Great King.
+They have added Egypt to your empire. How have you
+rewarded them? Think you that without these Aryans
+and their officers whom you have imprisoned, you could
+sit here in safety one day? Not so! These Egyptians,
+these Syrians and Babylonians, serve you not because
+they love you, but because they fear our soldiers. Are
+you mad? Why have you given yourself over to murder
+and debauchery? Why have you forsaken your God
+and allied yourself with the vile Magi? I speak plainly
+but loyally. I am oath-bound to support you, but I
+swear that unless you now be advised by me, I will do
+nothing to save you from these men, who thirst to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_232">[232]</span>
+avenge the blood of Bardya, of Artistone, and of these
+others you have slain without just cause!”</p>
+
+<p>The King’s face grew purple with rage. He sprang
+to his feet and half-drew his sword. But his eyes, looking
+into the eyes of the Prince, saw in them a fierce, savage
+light and a compelling gaze that drove him back to
+his seat. He dared not lift his hand against this man.
+A chill of abject fear ran through his body; and he saw,
+as if by revelation, a hideous chasm opening before
+him. Into that chasm of present and eternal destruction
+he had been about to leap. He drew back and shudderingly
+covered his face with his hands. His nerves were
+unstrung by debauchery and by his fearful crimes. He
+had come to a place where, in the face of death, he realized
+how evil his life had been. It was true, as he now acknowledged
+to himself, that the position he held was due
+to the men he had slighted, insulted, imprisoned, or murdered.
+He was silent a moment, and as he sank back
+upon his chair he weakly passed a hand across his eyes
+and said: “What do you advise? Your words are true!
+I have been mad, but now I am restored to reason and
+I see clearly.”</p>
+
+<p>The Prince was surprised. He had not expected such
+sudden change. He thought rapidly, not only for the
+present safety of the King, but for the good of the Aryan
+race. A friendly, cordial note sounded in his voice, as
+he answered: “Be advised by me, O King! Put away
+from you the Magi. Put aside these Medean favorites.
+Surround yourself with men of your own race and fill
+the high offices of the empire with its nobility. Renounce
+the witchcraft of the fire-worshipers and proclaim to the
+world the rule of Ahura-Mazda. Pardon the men in rebellion
+and release all prisoners. Bestow compensation
+upon the widows and relatives of those you have slain.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_233">[233]</span>
+Then will the people of Iran support you and yours on
+the throne forever. Then will your reign become truly
+great and glorious!”</p>
+
+<p>The King remained silent a long time after the Prince
+ceased speaking. A good impulse stirred within his
+heart. Life had been without happiness to him since
+that fatal night when he had ordered Bardya slain.
+Hate, envy, and malice towards the best men of his own
+race had filled his heart. Remorse over his brother’s
+fate had been with him, but it was as nothing to the remorse
+and grief gnawing his soul over the death of Artistone,
+the gentle sister and wife whom he really loved.
+Could he ever atone? He would try.</p>
+
+<p>“Let it be done as you say,” he commanded, rising
+unsteadily and shaking himself as if he would shake
+off a horrible dream. “Prexaspes, you shall write decrees
+to fulfill all that our beloved Prince advises. So
+be it! I turn back into the old ways of my fathers.
+I will dismiss the Magi. I will fill all chief offices with
+Persians. I will dismiss my new body-guard of Medes,
+and you, Prince, shall furnish the new Imperial Guard
+and command it. Write a decree, Prexaspes, making
+this Prince the chief man in my empire after the King.
+Evermore will I be guided by his advice. The Magi
+must go down and back to their haunts in the hills. The
+temples of Ahura-Mazda shall open; and I will offer a
+thousand sacrifices to atone for my sins. Order the prisoners
+released. Write an address to be read to the army,
+telling of my new resolve. I will go down to the soldiers
+and tell them this myself!”</p>
+
+<p>“Not so, O King!” said the Prince. “Let me deal with
+these men. Let your decrees be prepared and signed at
+once. I will go down, release the imprisoned officers and
+return to the army with them. This, O King, may be a
+great day for good to the Aryan race!”</p>
+
+
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_234">[234]</span>“Let every order given by the Prince of Iran be
+obeyed,” said the King to Prexaspes.</p>
+
+<p>The latter bowed low, and, followed by the Prince,
+departed immediately to release the imprisoned officers,
+and in a few moments these went forth to join the rejoicing
+troops. The palace gates were thrown open, its
+defenders marched out and departed to a distant garrison,
+and a new guard of Persians was placed in charge.
+The Prince of Iran, having secured the decrees and published
+them, assumed charge of the King’s affairs. Thirty
+days of mourning for Artistone were observed. Compensation
+for the death of those slain by the King’s orders
+and banishment of the Magi from affairs of state followed.</p>
+
+<p>King Cambyses determined to return to Medea in
+order to complete the work of restoring to power the
+Persian faction. Aryandes, a noble Persian, was appointed
+satrap of Egypt and the bulk of the army was
+left with him. The King, with a guard of ten thousand
+Persians and an army of fifty thousand mixed troops,
+escorting a vast train loaded with the wealth of Egypt,
+marched by easy stages out of the latter country, through
+Canaan, along the shore of the Great Sea, to a point near
+Mount Carmel, where he turned towards Damascus.
+The curses of Egypt went with him. Her priests, under
+the milder rule of the sane Aryandes, then returned to
+her deserted temples. But so broken were the Egyptians
+and so strong was the Persian hold that no rebellion occurred.
+The Egyptian people, having learned that while
+the Persian King might be harsh yet his rule in the main
+was just, did no more than dream of revolution; and for
+a century Egypt slept peacefully beneath the paw of the
+Persian lion.</p>
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
+
+<div class="chapter">
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_235">[235]</span>
+
+<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XVI<br />
+
+
+<small>THE END OF OATH-KEEPING</small></h2>
+</div>
+
+<p class="drop-cap2">AFTER resting some days by the sea near Mount
+Carmel, the King’s army moved eastward towards
+Damascus, passing north of Lake Chinneroth and south
+of Mount Hermon, through the ancient land of Bashan,
+and so came to the small city of Hamath near the head-waters
+of the Jordan.</p>
+
+<p>Since leaving Egypt the King had kept himself secluded,
+either riding in a closed litter carried on the
+shoulders of stout slaves, or staying within his tent. He
+was gloomy and morose. He brooded much alone, and
+when in his darkest moods was a savage and unreasonable
+maniac. The Persian cavalry, of which his body-guard
+was composed, regarded him with ill-suppressed
+hatred. The remainder of the army was disaffected and
+mutinous. A factional spirit had sprung up among the
+soldiers. The different nationalities and religions
+clashed. Especially did the Aryan monotheists despise
+the worshipers of many gods and the devil-worship of
+the Magi. Only the strong hand of the Prince of Iran,
+for whom all had respect, could repress disorder and enforce
+discipline.</p>
+
+<p>The King halted a day at Hamath and allowed the
+army to rest before entering the desert road for Damascus.
+The Prince of Iran mounted his favorite horse
+and, accompanied by Gobryas and a score of men, rode
+out towards Mount Hermon. As they were about to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_236">[236]</span>
+ascend the lower hills, they met a runner or message-bearer,
+coming down from the mountain, who, when he
+saw the Prince, stopped running and bowed himself to
+the earth. The Prince halted. He saw that the man
+was a Hebrew.</p>
+
+<p>“Do not mine eyes behold the great lord, the mighty
+Prince of Iran?” asked the runner.</p>
+
+<p>“I am he,” answered the Prince.</p>
+
+<p>The man produced a roll from his close-fitting tunic
+and handed it to the Prince, who, greatly surprised,
+opened and read:</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot">
+
+<p>“Greeting to the royal Prince, Darius of Iran, son of
+King Hystaspis! May God have you in favor! Hearing
+that you are with the great army near Hamath, and
+having much to say of those you love well, I pray that you
+will appoint a time and place where I may meet you. I
+do not think it best to come into the King’s camp, unless
+you may assure me of a safe escort. My trusty servant,
+Joseph, will bear safely to me any message you may
+send. If you would visit me, he will guide you to my
+tent.</p>
+
+<p class="right"><span class="indentright">“Farewell,</span><br />
+“<span class="smcap">Belteshazzer</span>.”</p>
+</div>
+
+<p>The Prince’s heart leaped with joy. Once only had
+he heard from the Princess Athura, and he knew not
+whether she had taken his advice and gone to Persepolis.
+Perhaps she had chosen to stay with Belteshazzer and
+was now with him. He handed the letter to Gobryas to
+read and said to the messenger: “I will go to your
+master. Lead the way!”</p>
+
+<p>The messenger again saluted and, turning his face to
+the mountain, led the way with a long swinging stride,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_237">[237]</span>
+going so swiftly that the horses of the Persians occasionally
+galloped to keep near him. The road wound upward
+around the spurs of the mountain. Having surmounted
+a high ridge, they came at length upon a small
+plateau several acres in extent, from which the rugged
+heights went up still farther and upon which were several
+cedar and fir trees. At one side a dashing torrent
+poured out from a gulch, spread out in a swirling pool,
+leaped over a rocky barrier, and disappeared into a canyon.
+Near the pool on a grassy plot was a pavilion
+of dark cloth and, clustered near it, a score of lesser
+tents. Several horses grazed on the green before the
+tents, and a group of men armed with bows and spears
+stood near the pavilion. As the Persians drew near,
+a man of stately and benign aspect emerged from it and
+spoke reassuringly to the men, who were uneasily regarding
+the newcomers as possible enemies. Then he
+remained standing at the tent-door and waved a hand
+in greeting to the Prince. It was Belteshazzer. The
+Prince spurred his steed forward and, dismounting, hastened
+to Belteshazzer, embraced him affectionately, and
+kissed both his cheeks.</p>
+
+<p>“Hail, Master,” he exclaimed. “How long it has been
+since I last saw you! Are you well?”</p>
+
+<p>“My health is excellent, my son,” answered the Hebrew,
+cordially. “Glad indeed am I to behold you!
+Bid your men dismount. My servants shall set food before
+them and attend to their horses.”</p>
+
+<p>He called a servant to him and gave the Prince’s retinue
+in his charge. Then he led the Prince into the
+pavilion and caused him to sit down and partake of refreshments.
+The Prince looked about him expectantly,
+but was disappointed in finding no indications that
+Athura was in the camp. Belteshazzer knew his thoughts<span class="pagenum" id="Page_238">[238]</span>
+and smilingly said: “She is not here, my son. When
+we received your letter bidding her go to your father,
+we considered your advice good and traveled thither
+by easy journeys. We were guests of your father many
+months. I left her there under his protection and in the
+love and care of your mother, when I journeyed hither.
+She was well. More beautiful than the morn, sweeter
+than the roses that bloom in Persian gardens, as pure
+as the snows of Demavend, she waits for you! Your
+father has established such a strong guard around his
+palace that it resembles a camp; and none go in or come
+out who are not known.”</p>
+
+<p>“My gratitude is unspeakable, O Prophet of God!”
+said the Prince, fervently. “If there shall ever be any
+favor I may render you, it shall be rendered. Have
+you ever loved a woman? And know you the pain of
+separation from her?”</p>
+
+<p>Belteshazzer sighed as he answered: “Yea, I have
+known the love of a wife. But she has gone before
+and awaits me on the shore of the river of life. Like
+a spring of water and a green tree in a desert, is the
+love of a good woman. I have much to tell you, my son;
+but I know you desire me to speak of her most.”</p>
+
+<p>He then related the manner of Athura’s escape from the
+palace of Cambyses at Hamadan, and the manner of her
+life since. Then he gave to the Prince a large packet,
+containing letters from the Princess, from King Hystaspis,
+and from the Queen-mother.</p>
+
+<p>“Now,” he continued, “having told you that which
+you wished most to know as a man, I must speak with
+you of matters of state in which you are concerned as a
+Prince and as the King to be. Even as you drew near,
+it was given me of the spirit to perceive that this day
+is full of mighty portent. Even now there enter men<span class="pagenum" id="Page_239">[239]</span>
+into the King’s camp bearing news that will shake the
+King’s soul. I have also received from trusty agents
+within the week great news that has traveled to others
+less swiftly. Evil men have seized the government of
+the world at Hamadan. Patatheites, the regent, has
+brought forth one whom he calls Bardya, the King’s
+brother, and has proclaimed him King of Kings. He
+has caused a decree to be published remitting all taxes
+for three years, declaring that Cambyses is a maniac and
+possessed of evil spirits, and ordering that he be apprehended
+and imprisoned. You are surprised. Well may
+you be. But fear not. It is not Bardya that reigns, but
+an impostor. He is that Gaumata whom the Great King
+maimed by cutting off his ears. Evil has been the life
+of Cambyses, but not so evil as are the lives of those men
+who have usurped power.”</p>
+
+<p>The Prince uttered an exclamation of wonder and incredulity.</p>
+
+<p>“But is Bardya dead? How knew you this? How
+can that Gaumata hope to impersonate him long?”</p>
+
+<p>Belteshazzer smiled and remained silent for a moment.
+His eyes were fixed as if looking within, and
+he assumed a listening attitude, as one might in revery.
+Presently he spoke softly and dreamily:</p>
+
+<p>“Yea, I see them even now sitting in a room of the
+great palace! Patatheites paces up and down, his pale,
+sharp countenance wreathed in a triumphant smile. Gaumata,
+the earless one, sits on the throne, uneasy and
+afraid. He wears a turban low down on his head after
+the fashion of the Arabs, but it is to conceal his lack of
+ears. He resembles Bardya, but he is Gaumata. He
+has shown himself to the people, who have acclaimed
+him. He awaits uneasily the return of messengers sent
+to all parts of the earth. In him the Magi triumph and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_240">[240]</span>
+Ahriman, that old serpent, the devil, rules. God is forgotten.
+As I said, even now there run into the King’s
+camp at Hamath the emissaries of the false Bardya.
+They are proclaiming the decree aloud to the wondering
+soldiers. They are distributing copies to all who
+can read. A mighty spirit of unrest broods over the
+army!”</p>
+
+<p>He paused and Prince Hystaspis sprang to his feet,
+exclaiming: “Then there is need that I return to the
+army at once! It loves not the King. But is Bardya
+truly dead, O Prophet of God? Out of all your divine
+wisdom assure me of this. Direct my course. Tell me of
+the future. Not while I live shall the usurper throw
+down the seed of Cyrus from his throne!”</p>
+
+<p>He paused. A tremor passed over the face of Belteshazzer,
+and with half-closed eyes he continued the low,
+even-toned words of the seer:</p>
+
+<p>“My son, Bardya is dead! He was slain by Prexaspes
+in pursuance of the King’s command. A sword-stroke
+from behind, as they rode northward out of Hamadan,
+was given by the Mede, with such power that it
+cleft the Prince’s head to the eyes. Have no doubt of
+this. I have seen it in visions and heard it of the spirit.
+What of the future? I see Cambyses dead! I see raised
+on high one with the countenance of Darius, son of Hystaspis,
+like an eagle; and he looks at the sun and spreads
+his wings over the whole world. More I cannot see.
+God does not decree all things; but He brings to pass
+that which He does decree. He controls not the wills
+of men, nor forces them to do good or evil. But in accord
+with His mighty purpose, He ordains that you, O
+son of Hystaspis, shall rule the world; and it shall come
+to pass! Fear not! Go forward! Cast down the liars
+of earth and those that delude the people to their hurt,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_241">[241]</span>
+idolaters and worshipers of earthly things! Restore
+again the altars of God. With great power shall you
+rule and give peace and justice to the peoples of the
+earth.”</p>
+
+<p>“But it is not required that I raise my hand against
+Cambyses?”</p>
+
+<p>“No. It is not required. The King is his own avenger.”</p>
+
+<p>“Come with me, beloved Master. I need your advice
+and guidance.”</p>
+
+<p>“I will come to you at Hamadan in due time, my son.
+Now I go down to Jerusalem to encourage my people.
+When you come to your high estate, remember my people,
+who languish in foreign lands. The Great Cyrus
+decreed their return, but died before it could be accomplished.
+Let them return and rebuild the temple of God
+and live happily beneath the shadow of the King of
+Kings.”</p>
+
+<p>“I swear to you, O Belteshazzer, it shall be done!
+Your God is my God. Is is not so? Your people shall
+be even as the Aryans, favored of me, when I sit on the
+throne.”</p>
+
+<p>“Yea, it is so. God is a spirit. Ahura-Mazda, the
+good spirit, is the same as Elohim. Have we not so decided,
+your father and I, in discourse by the Pulwar?
+Truly your father is a man of knowledge!”</p>
+
+<p>“He sat at the feet of Zoroaster in his youth. Has
+age touched him and my mother harshly?”</p>
+
+<p>“No. Their eyes are undimmed. Their hearts are
+young. Age but puts wisdom into them.”</p>
+
+<p>Many other questions, of his home, of his parents, and
+of Athura, asked the Prince. Servants having spread a
+lunch beneath an awning before the pavilion, he and
+Gobryas sat down with Belteshazzer and refreshed themselves.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_242">[242]</span>
+It was an inspiring scene. To the west and
+north were the rugged spurs and ridges of Mount Hermon.
+Below and to the east was the great plain spreading
+out towards Damascus and Edom. The sparkling
+cascade with its soft rush of waters, the song of birds,
+the brilliant sunlight over all, were elements of an impression
+on the mind of the Prince that he never forgot.
+From this point he set out to seize the throne of the
+world. Convinced that the great prophet spoke truly, he
+now set his gaze on the greatest place of power in all the
+earth and went steadily towards it. But he did not linger
+here. With the blessing of Belteshazzer ringing in his
+ears, he hastened back to the army.</p>
+
+<p>As he rode into camp, he saw evidence of excitement
+and turmoil. His ten thousand Persians composing the
+body-guard were standing in battle-array, in a hollow
+square around the King’s pavilion, with officers pacing
+back and forth at the several fronts in gloomy silence.
+A vast concourse of men was gathered near around a
+speaker, who, mounted on a chariot, was haranguing
+them. A roar of voices arose as the speaker paused and
+pointed towards the Prince and his party.</p>
+
+<p>“Long live Bardya! Down with Cambyses! Hail to
+King Bardya! Slay the murderer of his sister!
+Death to the tyrant!” were some of the shouts that
+came to the Prince’s ears. He paused but an instant to
+listen. Then, riding up to one of the officers of the
+guard, he demanded, “What means this?”</p>
+
+<p>“Praise God you have come!” answered the officer,
+joyfully. “Now we shall know what to do. Messengers
+have come from Damascus bearing copies of a decree
+from Bardya, the King’s brother, announcing that
+he has assumed the throne of the King of Kings and
+has been crowned at Hamadan. He decrees that<span class="pagenum" id="Page_243">[243]</span>
+Cambyses be seized and brought to him so that he may
+be punished for the murder of the King’s sister; and he
+also promises peace and remission of taxes. Here is a
+copy. We of the guard knew not your pleasure,
+whether we should defend King Cambyses or deliver
+him as a prisoner to your hand. So we have surrounded
+the King’s pavilion and are ready to do your will.”</p>
+
+<p>The officer presented a roll of papyrus to the Prince,
+who quickly read it. Then the Prince directed all the
+officers to come before him and said:</p>
+
+<p>“Men, as to this report that Bardya has set himself
+up for King, I know that Bardya is dead and he who is
+set up on high is an impostor. The liars of the hills
+have done this thing, having heard of the King’s decree
+that they shall be cast down from their places. Order
+the soldiers to remain steadfast and resist those men
+who have stirred up mutiny. Say to them that I, their
+Prince, have spoken, and my word they must obey. No
+impious hand shall be laid upon Cambyses, the King!”</p>
+
+<p>The officers were amazed. But they doubted not the
+words of their commander, and went along the lines,
+repeating to the excited soldiery his words. He, dismounting,
+went alone into the King’s pavilion. A
+trembling slave announced him to the King and admitted
+him to the presence. He found Cambyses pacing
+back and forth in great agitation.</p>
+
+<p>“Ha!” exclaimed the King, “you have returned!
+I thought you too had turned from me. How is it that
+rebellion has broken loose in this camp? Are you not
+commander? You shall answer for it with your head!
+But perhaps you come to tell me that I am a prisoner!
+And you will put me in chains and take me to Bardya!”</p>
+
+<p>The Prince saluted gravely and stood with uncovered
+head. “I come to assure you that the Guard and I intend<span class="pagenum" id="Page_244">[244]</span>
+to defend you against any attack,” he said. “Is it
+your order that we arrest the mutineers and punish
+them?”</p>
+
+<p>The King paused in amazement. He was incredulous
+and shaken. He could not believe that this man, who
+had suffered such wrongs at his hands, would not seize
+him and carry him to Bardya. He believed that
+Prexaspes had been faithless in executing his order to
+slay Bardya and that the latter had seized an opportune
+time to appear and claim the throne. His army in
+mutiny, what chance had he to regain his lost throne?
+He passed a trembling hand uncertainly over his haggard
+face.</p>
+
+<p>“I am mightily shaken,” he said nervously. “The
+words of a sorcerer ring in my ears. He said that I
+should die at Hamadan. I thought you had come to
+seize me and carry me thither to death. I thought
+Bardya dead! Prexaspes so reported. Where is this
+Prexaspes? Let him be brought hither!”</p>
+
+<p>He jerked a cord connecting with a bell in the servants’
+quarters. A servant instantly appeared.</p>
+
+<p>“Send Prexaspes hither!” commanded the King.</p>
+
+<p>They waited in gloomy silence until Prexaspes came.
+There was a mocking light in the Mede’s dark eyes and
+a perceptible sneer on his face as he met the King’s
+savage gaze. He bowed low to both the King and the
+Prince.</p>
+
+<p>“Hark you!” exclaimed Cambyses. “Hear those
+cries! They acclaim Bardya King! Did you not swear
+to me that my brother was dead?”</p>
+
+<p>“I did swear, O King!” answered Prexaspes, coolly.
+“Here was my authority to slay him.”</p>
+
+<p>He drew a paper from his tunic and deliberately
+handed it unrolled to the Prince, who glanced at it. It<span class="pagenum" id="Page_245">[245]</span>
+was the order of King Cambyses to slay Bardya. The
+King’s face grew livid with wrath.</p>
+
+<p>“Thus commanded,” continued Prexaspes, “I rode
+with Bardya along the Rhages road after leaving the
+hall where the King gave a feast in his honor. I returned
+and reported that I had slain Bardya with a
+sword-stroke from behind. But he died not, it seems.
+Why should I have the blood of kings on my hands?”</p>
+
+<p>The Prince studied the Mede’s face with growing
+rage. The latter’s bold gaze fell before the accusing
+fury of the Prince’s eyes. The King seemed speechless.
+The Prince smote his hands together, and burst
+forth: “By the living God, you both deserve the death
+of murderers! Why should I interfere with the wrath
+of God? You lie, Prexaspes! I know the truth!”</p>
+
+<p>He cast the order at the King’s feet and without ceremony
+turned and left the tent. The King turned upon
+Prexaspes with maniacal fury.</p>
+
+<p>“Villain! Dog!” he screamed. “Why show that
+order? You know that my only hope depends on the
+Prince! Now you have turned him from me! You
+shall be skinned alive! Your heart shall be cut out and
+given to swine! You shall hang on a stake!”</p>
+
+<p>Prexaspes laughed and snapped his fingers in the
+King’s face.</p>
+
+<p>“I fear you not, foul beast!” he shouted. “Your
+day has come, as comes the day of every villain,
+whether crowned or not! Am I to die? I know it. I
+read death in the eyes of the Prince. I also read your
+death there, son of Ahriman! Listen! You slew my
+son, in cruel sport, one day. The arrow that cleft his
+brain killed my loyalty to you. I know a lingering death
+awaits you at Hamadan or I would myself slay you
+now!”</p>
+
+
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_246">[246]</span>For a moment the King was so astonished as to be
+speechless. Then, roaring inarticulate curses, he sought
+for his sword. But it was not at his side. He rushed
+about the tent searching for it. Prexaspes, laughing derisively,
+disappeared through the rear door. The King
+presently found a long dagger in a pile of armor and
+with it rushed out after Prexaspes. But though he
+searched through the servants’ quarters, he did not find
+him. He returned to his pavilion and after pacing back
+and forth a moment went out in front of his quarters,
+uncertain what course to pursue.</p>
+
+<p>A vast mob of soldiers, waving arms and shouting
+maledictions upon Cambyses, was moving down upon
+the Persian square. The Prince of Iran was mounting
+his horse, while several orderlies were galloping along
+the tense lines of the Guard delivering orders to the
+captains. A squad of cavalry under Gobryas was
+marching towards the King’s tent.</p>
+
+<p>“They come to arrest me!” muttered the King.
+“But I shall not be taken alive! Prexaspes lied. My
+brother lives and the world turns to him. He will
+surely slay me, knowing that I ordered him slain. If I
+die, I will die as a King!”</p>
+
+<p>A sudden high resolve entered his soul. He went
+back into the tent, placed the crown and tiara, which he
+wore on state occasions, on his head, threw over his
+shoulders a long purple cloak, composed his countenance
+to a calm dignity, and, with the long, keen dagger
+in his hand, again went forth. Gobryas and his troopers,
+who were under orders to place the King in their
+midst and to cut their way out and escape with him
+should the Guard be unable to repulse the expected attack,
+opened up to let the King pass through. The
+Prince was riding towards the mob intent on a parley<span class="pagenum" id="Page_247">[247]</span>
+before the necessity of bloodshed should come. The
+King passed through the ranks of the Guard and halted
+at ten paces in front. The leaders of the mob, seeing
+him, suddenly halted at a hundred paces’ distance and
+fell silent, astonished at the appearance of the terrible
+Cambyses. The Prince, turning to investigate the cause
+of the mob’s action, saw Cambyses look a moment at
+the low, western sun and around at the sky and distant
+mountains, and at last turn his burning eyes upon
+the hostile faces of his subjects. Then, with a swift
+motion, the King elevated the gleaming dagger and
+plunged it into his own chest. A cry of horror involuntarily
+rose from the throng. The King swayed, his
+knees bent, and he fell prone upon the earth. The
+Prince, realizing what the King had done, turned upon
+the mob and shouted: “Back to your tents, scoundrels!
+You have slain your King! Back, I say, before I let
+loose the Guards upon you!”</p>
+
+<p>An immediate backward movement of the mob took
+place, and it melted away in awed silence. The Prince
+rode quickly back to the King, and, assisted by his
+officers, carried the injured man into the tent. Surgeons
+were called, the dagger removed, and the wound
+bandaged. The blade had failed to reach the heart, but
+had passed through a lung and inflicted a fatal wound.
+The shock had rendered the King insensible. Blood
+poured from his mouth, but he did not die immediately.</p>
+
+<p>Night had fallen before the King regained consciousness.
+He opened his eyes and looked at the flaring
+lamps, as if wondering whether they were torches in
+the underworld, and at the soft-footed attendants as if
+wondering whether they were lost souls. His eyes presently
+rested upon the Prince of Iran, who stood at the
+foot of his couch with folded arms looking sadly down<span class="pagenum" id="Page_248">[248]</span>
+upon him. Recognition arrested his wandering mind.
+He strove to rise, muttering feebly, “Then I am not
+dead!”</p>
+
+<p>An attendant sought to restrain him. Blood gushed
+from his mouth, and he fell back with a bubbling groan.
+After resting a moment and clearing his throat, he said
+with difficulty: “Let all retire save the Prince. I am
+about to die. Let me die in peace.”</p>
+
+<p>At a nod from the Prince, the attendants left the
+room. The Prince drew near to the head of the couch.
+The King looked up at him and spoke in weak, halting
+words:</p>
+
+<p>“Strange it is, Prince of Iran, that you alone stand by
+me in death! A thousand times I have planned your
+death, but my hand has ever been held. I have done
+you wrong. But in you alone have I trusted. How is
+it that I have hated yet trusted you?”</p>
+
+<p>The Prince shook his head. “I know not,” he said.</p>
+
+<p>“But it is fate!” continued the King. “What of the
+future? Where now are the wise men? Where those
+prophets of the hills who predicted good fortune, who
+said that my seed should sit on the throne, who said I
+would conquer all my enemies and die at Hamadan?
+Would God that I had heeded the words of the prophet
+Belteshazzer, when he sought to teach me how to live
+rightly! Where is that Belteshazzer? I wish that he
+were here!”</p>
+
+<p>He paused. There was a rustle of the curtain at the
+tent-door. It drew aside and the tall, majestic presence
+of Belteshazzer came into the tent. The musical, quiet
+voice of the prophet said, “I am here, O King Cambyses!”</p>
+
+<p>Cambyses stared in amazement.</p>
+
+<p>“What wonder is this?” he exclaimed. “Am I<span class="pagenum" id="Page_249">[249]</span>
+dreaming? Is this a vision? Are you that prophet,
+Belteshazzer?”</p>
+
+<p>“I am Belteshazzer, the Hebrew,” answered the
+prophet. “Your life is almost ended, Cambyses. What
+do you demand of me?”</p>
+
+<p>“I demand to know what awaits me in the future.
+About to die, I would atone for many grievous sins.
+What of the future? What of God? What of forgetfulness
+through eternity to come?”</p>
+
+<p>Belteshazzer’s countenance exhibited both pity and
+sternness, as he answered, “Your time is short to atone
+for the grievous sins of your life, O King. The blood
+of many cries against you from the ground. Through
+long years to come, wherever your soul may wander,
+the evil you have done will be with you and bitterness
+will be your portion. But God, the great and only God,
+is a loving Father; and, perhaps, if you humble yourself
+and repent, you may at length win His forgiveness and
+favor. There will be no forgetfulness without forgiveness.
+Greatly have you sinned. Deeply must you repent.”</p>
+
+<p>“Yes, I have sinned greatly,” murmured the King.
+“In frantic wrath I slew my sister-wife! In willful
+oppression I drove my sister Athura to her death—”</p>
+
+<p>“She is not dead,” interrupted Belteshazzer. “She
+lives!”</p>
+
+<p>“Praise be to Ahura-Mazda!” said the King. “Now
+I know what that Magian meant, when he said that a
+son of my sister shall sit on the throne of the King of
+Kings. For she shall marry the Prince of Iran. I feel
+upon me the spirit of prophecy! Prince of Iran, you
+shall be King of Kings! In the presence of Belteshazzer,
+I declare you my successor. Marry Athura. I give
+her to you. She is your wife. Thus do I atone for one<span class="pagenum" id="Page_250">[250]</span>
+sin. But that other prophet lied when he said I should
+die at Hamadan. For I die here in the Syrian desert.”</p>
+
+<p>“Did he say Hamadan of Medea?” inquired Belteshazzer.
+“If not, he spake truly. For this village
+where you are encamped is named Hamath, which is
+Syrian for Hamadan.”</p>
+
+<p>The King gasped. “Then he spake truly!” he said.
+“He was not of the Magi. He was a hermit, alone in
+the mountains. He reproved me one day—and he was
+slain. Truly have I sinned! I have slain the prophets
+with the sword!”</p>
+
+<p>He was silent a moment. Blood choked him and he
+coughed. The Prince gently aided him. The King’s
+strength was rapidly failing. His voice was gone and
+he whispered hoarsely, “O that I might see those I have
+wronged and of them seek pardon!”</p>
+
+<p>He fell silent and his eyes were partially closed.
+Presently he shuddered and opened his eyes wide. He
+half rose, stared in amazement and terror towards the
+foot of his couch, and raised his hand as if to ward off
+a blow. The Prince, following the direction of the
+King’s gaze, saw (or did he dream?) at the foot of the
+King’s couch a company of apparitions, one of which
+seemed to have the pallid, serious, reproving countenance
+of Cyrus, the Great King, another the sorrowful face of
+Artistone, another the fierce countenance of Bardya,
+while a score of others, unknown to him, seemed to come
+and go. Their faces were turned towards Cambyses;
+but, as the Prince gazed spellbound, the face of Cyrus
+turned towards him, his lips seemed to move, and he
+seemed to say: “You have kept your oath. You are
+free. Ascend the throne of the King of Kings!”</p>
+
+<p>A gurgling shriek from the King aroused the Prince.
+The apparitions disappeared. Cambyses was dead.</p>
+
+
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_251">[251]</span>Belteshazzer said, as the surgeons and attendants,
+alarmed by the King’s outcry, rushed into the room:
+“The King is dead. Let the body be embalmed for
+transportation to Pasargadæ, that he may sleep with
+his fathers.”</p>
+
+<p>“Let this order be obeyed,” added the Prince, addressing
+the attendants. Then he said to Belteshazzer:
+“Come, prophet of God, to my tent. I need your counsel
+and aid.”</p>
+
+<p>They left the pavilion and walked slowly to the
+Prince’s headquarters. To Gobryas whom they met still
+on guard the Prince said: “The King is dead. Let the
+men be fed and tell them to rest. Let the news be proclaimed
+throughout the camp. Send a company of men
+to arrest Prexaspes and bring him before me.”</p>
+
+<p>He passed on with Belteshazzer. Gobryas hastened
+to execute his orders. He sent a squad to arrest
+Prexaspes, but found that the latter had escaped. The
+wily Mede had hastened from the camp during the confusion
+incident to the King’s death, and was journeying
+northward as fast as his horse could carry him.</p>
+
+<p>Meanwhile the Prince and Belteshazzer sat at meat
+in the Prince’s tent and talked of many things. When
+the prophet arose to depart, he said: “Have great
+care, my son! Those men who brought the news of this
+false Bardya’s usurpation are likewise commissioned by
+the Magi to slay you. They do not dare openly harm
+you, but they will secretly assassinate you if opportunity
+offer. But fear not! Within the year you will reign
+as King of Kings!”</p>
+
+<p>“Give me your blessing, O Prophet of God!” besought
+the Prince. “When I reign, you shall come to
+me and be my chief counselor. You shall be at the head
+of the college of wise men. Ease and plenty shall be
+yours and peace shall come to your people!”</p>
+
+
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_252">[252]</span>“May the blessing of God, the Almighty, the Eternal,
+the Ancient of Days, rest upon you!” said Belteshazzer,
+solemnly, laying his hands upon the Prince’s bowed head.
+“Remember when you come to the throne that Cyrus
+promised that my people should return to Jerusalem and
+recover their homes and property.”</p>
+
+<p>“I remember, and it shall be done. Let me send
+guards with you beyond the camp.”</p>
+
+<p>“It is needless. I shall go as I came, without the
+need of guards. Farewell!”</p>
+
+<p>With a smile he disappeared, and the Prince was left
+alone, to stand awhile in deep thought and then to pace
+back and forth many minutes. Presently he called his
+orderlies and directed them to call the chief captains
+into council. They soon arrived, and he greeted each
+affectionately. When a score of them had assembled,
+he said:</p>
+
+<p>“I have called you together to hear the orders made
+necessary by the death of Cambyses, King of Kings.
+It has become necessary for me to depart at once to
+Hamadan. I take with me the Imperial Guard. I
+leave Alyates in command of the army. He shall see to
+it that the King’s body is properly embalmed. It must
+be buried at Pasargadæ with the other Kings. Let the
+army march leisurely to Damascus and there halt until
+the orders of the new King shall have been received.
+Let it be known that this army stands ready to enforce
+obedience to the house of Achæmenius.”</p>
+
+<p>Alyates, a tall, soldierly Mede, saluted and said,
+“Your orders shall be obeyed, my Lord Prince.”</p>
+
+<p>After other suggestions concerning the movements of
+the army, the Prince dismissed the council and sat down
+to write letters to his father and to the Princess Athura.
+He related what he had heard from Belteshazzer concerning<span class="pagenum" id="Page_253">[253]</span>
+the false Bardya, gave an account of the death
+of the King, and stated his own purpose, to march at
+once to Hamadan and seize the impostor. He prayed
+that his father would declare himself King of Kings and
+lead an army of Persians to Hamadan at once. These
+letters he entrusted to Gobryas, who, with a dozen trusty
+men, at once set out for Persia, riding at courier speed.</p>
+
+<p>At daybreak, the Prince and his ten thousand men,
+in light marching order, moved quietly out of the camp
+and proceeded to Damascus. Thence, by forced
+marches, they moved across the desert towards Babylon,
+taking for guides trusty Arab sheiks to whom Belteshazzer
+had commended him. Nor could the uneasy
+Gaumata and the scheming Patatheites, at Hamadan,
+discern his movements and so lay plans to intercept him.
+When they heard that he had started for Hamadan at
+the head of ten thousand Persians, they made haste to
+gather together an army with which to resist him, and
+a portion of the army was moved out towards the fords
+of the upper Tigris. But the Prince and his guards
+came not that way. It was his plan to seize Babylon
+and Susa and form a junction with the Persian army
+which he knew would march up from Persepolis.</p>
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
+
+<div class="chapter">
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_254">[254]</span>
+
+<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XVII<br />
+
+
+<small>THE EARLESS KING</small></h2>
+</div>
+
+<p class="drop-cap">KING HYSTASPIS, ruler of Iran under the shadow
+of the King of Kings, walked leisurely through the
+park surrounding his palace at Persepolis and meditated
+upon the doctrines of Zoroaster. Student and mystic,
+loving rather the peace and quiet of his home than the
+martial camp or the ruler’s throne, he found his greatest
+enjoyment in his beautiful park where he might be
+alone. Quiet walks, dreamy hours by running streams
+beneath shady trees, communion with the learned and
+wise, and meditation on the mysteries of life and of
+nature occupied his leisure moments. Delightful indeed
+were the October days. Brown and golden were
+the leaves where deciduous trees made ready to cast
+their burdens. The evergreen of pine and fir interspersed
+the more brilliant colors. The sky was hazy
+and the sunbeams, softened by shimmering mists, had
+lost their great heat and vivid glare.</p>
+
+<p>The King was at ease. No armor burdened him.
+A round felt cap with a purple band sat lightly on his
+massive head. His long gray hair fell in masses to the
+collar of his Medean cloak. His white beard touched
+the belt at his waist. The purple cloak, reaching from
+shoulder to knee, partially covered in its graceful folds
+the dark tunic of his under-dress. His feet were shod
+in boots of soft leather. In his hand was a heavy cane,
+with which as he walked he flicked pebbles from his
+path. A large shepherd dog walked at his side. Master<span class="pagenum" id="Page_255">[255]</span>
+and dog had enjoyed the park alone for a long time.
+But there came an interruption. The dog suddenly
+bounded away through the trees towards the palace,
+whose massive portico was partially visible through the
+foliage. The King stopped to observe the cause of his
+follower’s movements and saw a woman coming rapidly
+towards him, at sight of whom his countenance shone
+with pleasure. It was the Princess Athura. She held
+in her hand a roll of papyrus. Following her at respectful
+distance was a man in the uniform of a King’s
+messenger, whose dusty habit and halting steps told of
+a long ride and weariness.</p>
+
+<p>“My brother has written me!” cried the Princess, as
+she drew near. “See! I have here a letter from him,
+sealed with his own private signet!”</p>
+
+<p>“Which brother mean you?” inquired the King, with
+surprise.</p>
+
+<p>“Bardya!”</p>
+
+<p>“Is it so? What says he?”</p>
+
+<p>The old man’s brow was clouded as he spoke. Not
+yet had he declared for the new King Bardya, though
+he did not suspect as yet the imposture by which the
+Magi hoped to retain power. He had called the nobles
+of Persia to a council on this matter, and the meeting
+would be held shortly. He had loved Bardya almost as
+a son and knew that the people hated Cambyses. But
+Bardya had not begun his reign by calling back the
+Persian nobles to the chief offices, nor had he banished
+the Magi—much to the chagrin and sorrow of the King
+of Iran. He listened attentively as Athura read:</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot">
+
+<p>“<i>My beloved sister, Athura, Light of the World and
+Queen of the Aryans</i>:</p>
+
+<p>“Now that I have come forth from my place of safety
+in the royal mountain, Demavend, and taken upon me<span class="pagenum" id="Page_256">[256]</span>
+the crown of King of Kings, my heart goes out to you.
+Do you not remember how we used to talk of ruling this
+great empire of Cyrus together? My brother, Cambyses,
+would have killed me and you, could he have done
+so. The good priests of Mithra saved me and hid me
+away until the time was ripe to come forth. Of this I
+will tell you more when I see you.</p>
+
+<p>“I have heard that you are with the royal Hystaspis
+at his palace in Persepolis. May peace be with him!
+I have sent him greetings by a suitable embassy, confirming
+him in all his titles and requesting him to acknowledge
+my rule. For Cambyses is dead. The army
+near Damascus has revolted from him and slain him.
+I know how the royal Hystaspis loves you. Persuade
+him, therefore, to assist me in my great task and he shall
+be the second man in the empire.</p>
+
+<p>“As for yourself, come to me. I need you here at
+Hamadan to advise me. You were ever the wiser and
+you shall be joint ruler with me in fact if not in name.
+I am sending an escort to meet you at Susa. To that
+point, royal Hystapsis will give you suitable escort.</p>
+
+<p>“Come to me. It is a command.</p>
+
+<p class="right">“<span class="smcap">Bardya</span>, King of Kings.”</p>
+</div>
+
+<p>She paused and looked inquiringly into the King’s
+eyes. The latter took from her hand the scroll and read
+it himself in silence. Then he said: “If it be true that
+Cambyses is dead, my course is clear. Yet am I not
+satisfied. It seems almost inconceivable that Bardya
+has come back from the dead. Yet it must be so.”</p>
+
+<p>He beckoned to the messenger, who had discreetly
+halted a score of paces distant, and asked, “Are you in
+the regular messenger service?”</p>
+
+<p>The man bowed low till his hands touched the earth,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_257">[257]</span>
+and then, standing in humble attitude, answered, “Yes,
+Master.”</p>
+
+<p>“How many years?”</p>
+
+<p>“Ten years, Master.”</p>
+
+<p>“Then you have often seen Cyrus, the Great King?
+Also Cambyses and Bardya?”</p>
+
+<p>“Truly have I seen them, my lord, many times. I
+know them well.”</p>
+
+<p>“Have you seen King Bardya since he returned to
+Hamadan?”</p>
+
+<p>“Twice, but only at the public audiences. He rides
+not forth as formerly, because, it is said, he fears assassins.”</p>
+
+<p>“How looks he?”</p>
+
+<p>“The lights were dim when I saw him, but I recognized
+him. He has lost flesh, as if he had been ill. He
+used to take part in the martial sports, but does not do
+so now.”</p>
+
+<p>“What say the people of him?”</p>
+
+<p>“They praise him for the most part. He has remitted
+the taxes, pardoned all political offenders, and
+proclaimed a year of peace and jubilee. Only the old
+priests grumble, who are displeased because he favors
+the Magi.”</p>
+
+<p>“You may return to the palace, where you will be
+entertained.”</p>
+
+<p>Saluting again, the messenger gladly hastened away
+to the ample refreshments he knew awaited him at the
+palace. The King returned the scroll to Athura and
+sighed. After a moment’s thought, he said: “Daughter,
+I like not the situation. If Cambyses be dead, as here
+reported, then Bardya is rightfully King. But he has
+abandoned the ancient religion of his fathers very suddenly
+for the accursed superstition of those Scythian<span class="pagenum" id="Page_258">[258]</span>
+interlopers, the Magi. But his decree concerning the
+Magi shall not run in Iran! I have heard that some of
+the temples of our religion in Medea have been closed
+and that the altars of the fire-worshipers on the hilltops
+have multiplied. So changed is he in all this that I am
+astounded. He commands you to come to him. It is
+for you to decide. It may be that you can turn him back
+from his evil way. But I fear to let you go.”</p>
+
+<p>“I am greatly troubled,” said Athura. “Bardya
+never was inclined to give much thought to religion.
+He loves sports, the army, and the hunt. His heart is
+easily touched. In gratitude to those who saved his life,
+he has granted them great privileges. All the more
+should I, on whom he ever leaned for advice, be near him,
+to lead him back if possible to the old paths. I have
+nothing to fear from him. It is my duty to go. But I
+desire your advice. You have been a father to me, and
+the gracious Queen, a mother!”</p>
+
+<p>The King smiled. “If my son returns from Egypt,”
+he said, “I shall deem myself happy to acknowledge you
+my daughter in fact. If Cambyses is dead, there need
+be no more concealment or fear. I will send trusty messengers
+to Hamadan, Babylon, and Susa and even to
+Egypt to learn the truth. My son would certainly have
+sent messengers to me with news of the King’s death if
+he were dead.”</p>
+
+<p>“May Ahura-Mazda hasten the day of his return!
+How long it has been since I last saw him!”</p>
+
+<p>“If you go to Hamadan, what will be the result?
+Will Bardya act as did Cambyses?”</p>
+
+<p>“No, a thousand times! Bardya will consent to my
+marriage with your son at once.”</p>
+
+<p>“It may be. And yet, knowing how my son loves
+the truth and our ancient faith, I fear that Bardya’s<span class="pagenum" id="Page_259">[259]</span>
+new faith will cause a rupture of their friendship.
+Darius is an enemy of liars. Unlike me, this son of
+mine loves war rather than peace and has little patience
+with those who differ from him in opinion. Perhaps
+his love for you will cause him to overlook the errors of
+your brother. As to this letter, if you go, my blessing
+shall go with you; and, should you call to me for aid
+from the ends of the earth, I will march to you at the
+head of a hundred thousand Persians. If you stay here,
+all Iran will be a bulwark around you and my home shall
+be yours.”</p>
+
+<p>Tears filled the eyes of Athura. Kneeling, she placed
+the right hand of the King on her head, saying: “I will
+take your blessing, my father, and go. Well do I know
+the love of our people. Sometimes in the bitterness of
+my condition I have thought of calling them to arms and
+throwing down from his throne the dread Cambyses.
+Had it not been for that oath you and your son swore
+to the Great King, I would have done so!”</p>
+
+<p>Hystaspis bent over and kissed her forehead.</p>
+
+<p>“May Ahura-Mazda, giver of all life, bless you!” he
+said solemnly. “May Sraosha, his powerful messenger,
+ever be at your right hand to convey to Him your
+slightest petition! May happiness in the love of a husband
+be yours and peace in your own home! Come, let
+us go to the palace and break the sad news of your going
+to the mother there.”</p>
+
+<p>They went to the palace side by side and were met on
+the portico by the stately lady who ruled the King’s
+heart even as he kept sway over millions of proud subjects.</p>
+
+<p>She sought to persuade Athura not to go to Hamadan,
+until more certain information of the conditions there
+could be had; but Athura was firm in her determination<span class="pagenum" id="Page_260">[260]</span>
+to obey the call of her brother. Therefore next day a
+company of cavalry escorting the Princess marched towards
+Susa. King Hystaspis rode with her a day’s
+journey.</p>
+
+<p>On the fifth day after the departure of the Princess,
+three of the great Persian nobles, Otanes, Hydarnes, and
+Vomisces, resplendent in military dress and in armor
+adorned with bright metal and precious stones, each
+attended by a score of stout guards, rode over the stone
+bridge across the Pulwar and demanded audience of the
+King. A chamberlain conducted them into the audience
+hall, where the benevolent King sat on his throne
+in state. They saluted him, and Otanes said: “O
+King, live forever! We, your counselors, come to advise
+with you on grave affairs of state.”</p>
+
+<p>“I am glad to behold you,” responded the King.
+“You are welcome. Speak on!”</p>
+
+<p>Otanes drew a letter from the folds of his cloak.</p>
+
+<p>“Here have I a letter from my daughter, Phædima,”
+he said. “She was the wife of the Great King, Cambyses,
+and she was taken as wife by that one who calls
+himself Bardya, who, having deposed Cambyses, assumed
+to marry all his wives. But listen! Was ever
+such fraud practiced upon a people? This came secretly
+by a messenger, a slave who owed his life to my
+daughter. Let me read.</p>
+
+<div class="blockquot">
+<p>“‘<i>To Otanes, my beloved father</i>:</p>
+
+<p>“‘In much shame and agitation do I write this and
+will endeavor to dispatch it to you by Hyrax, my faithful
+slave.</p>
+
+<p>“‘This Bardya is an impostor. He is not Bardya
+the King’s brother. When Patatheites, the regent, announced
+that Bardya, son of Cyrus, had returned from<span class="pagenum" id="Page_261">[261]</span>
+Mount Demavend where he had been hiding, and had
+declared himself King of Kings, there was great rejoicing
+in Hamadan, and all the people and the army gladly
+declared for him. The new King made a decree divorcing
+us from Cambyses and making all of us his wives.
+What could we do? It was the King’s word.</p>
+
+<p>“‘But, when this man came to visit me, I saw that he
+could not be the true Bardya, though he resembles him
+much. He wore a turban after the manner of the
+Arabs but in such way that it covered his hair and ears.
+This day did I discover that he has no ears. While he
+slept, overcome by wine, his turban was disarranged.
+Then I remembered that I saw this man led away from
+the presence of Cyrus, who had sentenced him to have
+his ears cut off for some offense. His name was Gaumata
+and he was a wizard, a priest of the Magi. This
+is the man! I had no dagger or I would have slain him.
+We are prisoners in the palace and are not permitted
+to go even to the park walls. Haste, then, my father, to
+rescue your daughter from this foul creature! I have
+heard it proclaimed that Cambyses is dead, slain by his
+own hand in Syria. Of the truth of this I know not.
+My hands reach out to you!</p>
+
+<p class="right"><span class="indentright">“‘Farewell!</span><br />
+“‘<span class="smcap">Phædima.</span>’”</p>
+</div>
+
+<p>The King was amazed. He arose from his throne as
+the reading proceeded and nervously pulled at his beard.
+When it was done, he smote together his hands in great
+agitation.</p>
+
+<p>“Alas!” he cried. “How unfortunate that your message
+did not come five days ago! Then I would have
+kept the royal Athura here or marched with her to Hamadan
+at the head of an army. Only five days ago in<span class="pagenum" id="Page_262">[262]</span>
+obedience to a letter sent her by this false slave, calling
+himself Bardya, she departed, and even now she may be
+at Susa in his power! May curses rest on him! I perceive
+his scheme! With the last of the children of
+Cyrus in his power, he thinks to be safe. But not so!
+No time is to be lost! Let us take immediate action!”</p>
+
+<p>He pulled a cord near at hand, and a gong sounded
+in an adjacent room. Instantly a door at the right of
+the throne swung open, admitting an officer of the Guard.
+To him the King said: “Captain Arios, take five hundred
+men, the best of the army in Persepolis, with the
+strongest horses, and ride to Susa! Ride day and night!
+Seize horses and supplies as you go! Overtake Captain
+Mardux and bring back the Princess Athura, if you
+can. Ride even to Hamadan if you do not find her at
+Susa. Send messengers in advance to overtake and
+turn her back. Spare not horses or men! Delay not!”</p>
+
+<p>The captain, though filled with wonder at this sudden
+order, did not pause to ask reasons for it, but bowed
+low before his lord and left the room. A moment later
+the clatter of horses’ hoofs on the paved court indicated
+that he had departed.</p>
+
+<p>The King turned to his counselors and said: “It is
+my will that the reserves be called to arms and that all
+the regular troops be gathered at Persepolis. We shall
+march without delay upon the usurper. Secrecy and
+swiftness must be observed. Let us seize the wretch
+before he may gather an army to oppose us. What say
+you?”</p>
+
+<p>“That is my word!” answered Otanes.</p>
+
+<p>“And mine!” added Hydarnes.</p>
+
+<p>“And mine!” said Vomisces.</p>
+
+<p>“Then let it be done! Let every able-bodied man in
+your several districts be called. I will send orders to<span class="pagenum" id="Page_263">[263]</span>
+the Governor of Bactra to call out the reserves and to
+march to Rhages with the Bactrian troops. He will
+bring two hundred thousand men. We should march
+from Persepolis with no less. I wish that my son were
+here! We shall need him.”</p>
+
+<p>After further consultation as to details, the nobles
+departed. Scores of messengers, riding at breakneck
+speed, penetrated to distant hamlets and summoned
+every man of the military class to Persepolis. Stores of
+weapons and provisions were quickly gathered. The
+great plain near Persepolis quickly became populous
+with men and impedimenta. All Iran was stirred with
+the excitement of coming war; but none knew why they
+were called, save that it was on the King’s business.</p>
+
+<p>On the tenth day two hundred thousand men stood in
+line on the plain near the Araxes for review, and their
+gray-bearded King rode along their serried ranks and
+saw that they were ready and eager to march. They
+saw that the face of the monarch was serious and filled
+with anxiety, and they guessed that they were about to
+engage in a civil war. The King did not enlighten them.
+A messenger had come from Captain Arios at Susa,
+stating that he had found Captain Mardux and his
+men who had escorted Athura to Susa, but that the
+Princess had gone forward towards Hamadan the day
+before his arrival. The King was disappointed and
+anxious. Having ordered that the march begin next
+day, he returned to his palace.</p>
+
+<p>At sundown of that same day, Gobryas and half a
+dozen weary troopers arrived in the camp and after
+hasty greetings to the generals in command went direct
+to the King. The King was on his portico, reclining on
+a couch so placed that he could watch the glories of the
+setting sun, while near him sat the Queen engaged upon<span class="pagenum" id="Page_264">[264]</span>
+some needlework. Recognizing Gobryas in spite of his
+unshaven and dusty condition, Hystaspis rose with an
+exclamation of surprise and went down the steps to meet
+and embrace him.</p>
+
+<p>“It rejoices my soul to see you, noble Gobryas!” he
+said. “Whence come you? What of my son?”</p>
+
+<p>“Gracious King, I have come from Syria by way of
+Babylon and the lower roads,” answered Gobryas.
+“Your son was well when I, obedient to his commands,
+left him to come hither.”</p>
+
+<p>“Praise be to Ahura-Mazda! What of the King?”</p>
+
+<p>“Cambyses is dead. There is no king other than you,
+O King Hystaspis! I greet you King of Kings and
+Lord of Lords!”</p>
+
+<p>He bent his knee and kissed the King’s hand. But
+Hystaspis raised him up, saying: “Not yet, my son!
+The nobles of all Iran must be consulted. We had
+heard rumors of the death of Cambyses, but were not
+sure.”</p>
+
+<p>“Cambyses is dead. I saw him stab himself before
+all the army when messengers came into camp proclaiming
+Bardya King. Yea, truly he is dead and the world
+is better for it! As for this traitor at Hamadan, I have
+come direct from your son to announce that he is not
+Bardya but a false usurper. I perceive you have already
+learned his true character and are ready to march
+against him. I have letters from the Prince. Even
+now he is drawing near to Babylon with his ten thousand
+men of the Guard.”</p>
+
+<p>He produced a packet from his belt and gave it to the
+King.</p>
+
+<p>“Come,” said the King, leading him up on the portico
+where the Queen waited. “You shall be refreshed at
+my own table and shall stay in our palace this night. I<span class="pagenum" id="Page_265">[265]</span>
+have much to ask concerning our son and of the war in
+Egypt and of the death of the King.”</p>
+
+<p>Gobyras bent low before the Queen, kissed her hands
+extended to him in cordial welcome, and said: “Queen
+of the World, I give you love and greetings from the
+Prince. Daily has he spoken of you. I bear a letter
+for you. I have another for the Princess Athura. But,
+alas! Otanes has explained to me how she has gone into
+the power of that Gaumata!”</p>
+
+<p>The Queen took from Gobyras the packet he handed
+to her, and then, placing her hands on his shoulders,
+drew him down and kissed both his cheeks, saying:
+“My son’s blood-brother is my son! Welcome home!
+How weary you are! You shall rest in the Prince’s
+own apartment this night.”</p>
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
+
+<div class="chapter">
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_266">[266]</span>
+
+<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XVIII<br />
+
+
+<small>THE SPIDER’S WEB</small></h2>
+</div>
+
+<p class="drop-cap">CAPTAIN MARDUX and his troopers felt themselves
+highly honored as escorts of the highest born
+and most beautiful woman in the world, when they departed
+from Persepolis with the Princess Athura.
+When she chose to ride a horse, the captain knelt that
+she might place one small foot on his knee and thence
+leap into the saddle. When she chose to ride in a litter,
+the captain had difficulty in choosing from the many
+volunteers those who should be carriers. He had to be
+severe in denying some the right to stand guard around
+her tent as she slept, since all could not do so. These
+hard-fisted, hard-riding sons of Persia deemed themselves
+guardians of a goddess; and all of them were her
+devotees. Her journey was a pleasant pastime.</p>
+
+<p>They arrived at Susa on the sixth day and were met
+by the governor of the city with all his chief officials.
+They conducted the Princess to the royal palace, where
+she rested a day. The city was gayly decorated in her
+honor. Then a company of Medean cavalry, under command
+of a noble Mede, relieved Captain Mardux and
+his men of their charge, and with them the Princess continued
+her journey towards Hamadan. From Susa to
+Behistun the road was better and the pace more rapid.
+On the tenth day they stood beneath the shadow of the
+great rock and were about to turn eastward across the
+mountains, when a courier met them, bearing a letter,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_267">[267]</span>
+informing Athura that King Bardya had gone to a castle
+in Nicæa on a hunting-trip and asking her to come to
+him there. Athura and her escort therefore took a road
+leading northerly into Western Medea. Thus it came
+about that Captains Arios and Mardux, pushing forward
+in desperate haste to rescue the Princess from the
+usurper, and supposing that she had gone direct to
+Hamadan, missed her by turning to the right at Behistun
+two hours after she and her train had disappeared in the
+northern hills. Thus it came about also that the Prince
+of Iran and his weary ten thousand, having avoided
+Babylon on the right and Susa on the left, lest they
+should meet with opposition and be delayed, when they
+reached the great highway between Persepolis and Susa
+and learned that the Princess had gone northward to
+Hamadan, delayed not to await the coming of the Persian
+army but also turned northward.</p>
+
+<p>Athura’s heart beat high with anticipated pleasure.
+A decree had been published in Susa announcing the
+death of Cambyses in Syria and the peaceful adherence
+of the King’s army to Bardya. Civil war would thus
+be averted. Her beloved brother would doubtless call
+the Prince of Iran to be his chief counselor, the second
+man in the empire. Nothing would hinder her marriage
+to him. The future seemed indeed bright with promise.
+The Medean escort was attentive and obedient to her
+slightest wish. At Nicæa a second message awaited
+Athura, informing her that the King was at the castle
+of Sictachotes, a score of miles farther north, and bidding
+her come there. Here a new escort took charge,
+composed of soldiers and priests whose appearance did
+not at all please the Princess. She did not hesitate to
+go forward, however, but she resolved that she would
+persuade her brother to discharge from his service men
+who resembled robbers rather than soldiers.</p>
+
+
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_268">[268]</span>It was late afternoon when they arrived in sight of
+the castle or stronghold of the false Bardya. The
+castle was an irregular pile of stone buildings on the
+summit of a hill, the crater of a long-extinct volcano.
+A small lake filled the mouth of the crater and on its
+rim the buildings had been constructed. At the foot of
+the cone and completely surrounding it was a high stone
+wall through which a huge brazen gate gave entrance
+and egress. The buildings were low and of rude architecture,
+except one tower which rose to a height of fifty
+feet and was about thirty feet square.</p>
+
+<p>The Princess wondered that her brother should bring
+her to such an uninviting place; but, remembering his
+passion for hunting, she had no misgivings. The great
+gate swung open to admit her and her escort, and then
+it closed with a clang. Having ascended the hill to a
+level space in front of the high tower, the escort dismounted
+and its leader came to assist Athura to alight.
+But she said haughtily to him: “Go, call the King.
+Why is he not here to meet me?”</p>
+
+<p>The officer bowed low and went into the castle, whence
+he presently returned with a richly dressed official who
+forthwith prostrated himself before royalty. “May you
+live forever, O gracious lady!” he said loudly. “The
+King is out hunting, not expecting you until the morrow.
+But all things are ready for you. Be pleased to alight
+and enter!”</p>
+
+<p>The Princess then dismounted and followed the official
+into the castle. The room they first entered was
+in the base of the high tower and occupied its whole
+space. It was richly furnished with tables, couches, and
+rugs. Draperies concealed the rough walls. Athura
+had brought with her three maids. Several others presently
+appeared from side-rooms and humbly awaited her<span class="pagenum" id="Page_269">[269]</span>
+pleasure. The official, who proved to be the King’s
+chamberlain, having called the servants, now said:
+“My Lord the King will return shortly. Meanwhile, if
+it please you, dinner will be served here. Let the maids
+be disposed of in the adjoining room. Should you desire
+to take the air, there is a pleasant walk around the
+lake. If anything be needed, pull the cord at the side
+here and a gong will call servants. Permit me to retire
+and order your dinner served.”</p>
+
+<p>The Princess assented and the chamberlain, with a
+low salaam, departed. Having bathed, and changed her
+riding habit to one more comfortable, she ate dinner
+alone. She was grieved and impatient. But she was to
+suffer further disappointment. For at sundown a messenger
+appeared who reported that a revolt had broken
+out in the army at Hamadan, thus compelling the King’s
+instant return to that city. He had departed at once,
+but promised to return quickly and escort her in person
+to the capital. He bade her rest meanwhile at the castle.</p>
+
+<p>Athura was furious. It seemed strange that her
+brother should treat her thus. He must be indeed
+changed from that former bold youth who would have
+let state matters go to ruin rather than fail to come
+to her at once when so near! She rang for the chamberlain,
+and when that worthy appeared she inquired,
+“Was the King here this morning?”</p>
+
+<p>“Yes, gracious lady,” he replied humbly.</p>
+
+<p>“How did he seem? Was he well?”</p>
+
+<p>“He seemed very well but somewhat nervous.”</p>
+
+<p>“I do not understand his strange behavior! Order
+immediate preparations for my departure in the morning
+to Hamadan! I shall go to him and ascertain the
+cause of this neglect.”</p>
+
+<p>The chamberlain raised his hands in protest. He
+shook his head and salaamed humbly.</p>
+
+
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_270">[270]</span>“I have an order from the King, gracious lady,” he
+said. “It is that I safely keep you here until he return.”</p>
+
+<p>“What! Am I a prisoner?”</p>
+
+<p>“Ah, no! Say not so! But this is a very unsafe
+country,—wolves, bears, robbers, and brigands! It is
+not safe for you without a strong escort to go beyond the
+castle-walls. The escort which brought you hither has
+departed for Nicæa again, and only the necessary garrison
+is here. Very sorrowful am I, most gracious lady,
+but I dare not disobey orders. The King, I assure you,
+will come soon.”</p>
+
+<p>“Listen!” exclaimed Athura, furiously. “I care
+nothing for the safety of this castle! I order you to
+prepare this garrison to march with me to Hamadan on
+the morrow. I will answer to the King for you and
+no harm shall come to you. Let the castle take care of
+itself!”</p>
+
+<p>But the chamberlain again shook his head and wrung
+his hands together in simulated agitation. “Impossible,
+utterly impossible! The King’s orders must be obeyed.
+You know not this King, gracious lady! He is a magician
+who can destroy one, soul and body. No, no!”</p>
+
+<p>“A magician! What mean you? My brother Bardya
+a magician? Since when gained he that power?”</p>
+
+<p>But the chamberlain, seeing that he had almost revealed
+his master’s real identity, shook his head and continued
+to wring his hands, protesting: “I meant only
+that the King’s eyes were upon all and over all! But I
+cannot disobey him, and—I will not!”</p>
+
+<p>He abruptly turned and left the room. Athura went
+to one of the narrow windows and looked tearfully out
+upon the yellow landscape of hill and mountain, on
+which the setting sun was casting its last mellow beams.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_271">[271]</span>
+Her eyes ran over the courtyard, the steep descent of
+hill, the high wall below with its brazen gate and its
+sentries, posted at intervals on the top. A great loneliness
+seized upon her, a cold dread of impending evil
+gripped her heart, and a terror of unknown forces that
+seemed to surround her. Turning from the window, she
+met the eyes of one of the maids compassionately watching
+her. The expression of her face caught Athura’s
+attention. Repressing her tears lest the servants should
+deem her weak, she addressed the maid:</p>
+
+<p>“What is your name?”</p>
+
+<p>“Lauretha, gracious mistress,” was the answer.</p>
+
+<p>“Who are you and whence come you?”</p>
+
+<p>“I am a daughter of the captain of the guard, and I
+came from Nicæa hither.”</p>
+
+<p>“Tell me, whose is this castle and how came my
+brother here? He has been acting most unbrotherly to
+me. Have you a brother whom you love most dearly?
+And would he call you to a place like this and then not
+meet you, or run away to the city without visiting you?”</p>
+
+<p>The girl’s eyes filled with tears. The beauty and engaging
+personality of Athura had already made a deep
+impression upon her. She had heard in the old days of
+this beautiful daughter of Cyrus as a very goddess of
+wisdom and beauty. Now that she beheld her, she was
+her devotee. She drew nearer and, kneeling, caught
+hold of the hem of Athura’s dress and kissed it.</p>
+
+<p>“Gracious Queen of the World, I am but a humble
+girl,” she said, sobbing: “My parentage is not even
+noble. But I place my soul and body at your service!
+Let me make confession to you and I will trust in your
+forgiveness for my enforced service here. If you will
+follow me to the chamber above, where you are to sleep
+and where we may be alone, I will tell you the secret of
+your situation.”</p>
+
+
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_272">[272]</span>“Arise and be assured of my good-will. I will follow
+you,” answered the Princess, touched by the girl’s
+devotion and wondering what she meant.</p>
+
+<p>The girl rose and, going to a curtained door at one
+side of the room, pulled aside the curtain and guided
+the Princess up a narrow stairway, in the thick stone
+wall, to a chamber above and of the same size and as
+richly furnished as that below. Here the Princess seated
+herself on a divan and the girl again knelt at her feet on
+the floor.</p>
+
+<p>“Tell me what you mean,” said Athura, kindly.</p>
+
+<p>“I know the man who calls himself Bardya. He
+owns this castle,” said the girl, speaking rapidly. “I
+also have seen your brothers, both the great Cambyses,
+the King, and the strong, happy Prince Bardya. That
+was years ago when I lived in Hamadan and my father
+was a soldier of the palace-guard under the noble Otanes.
+I also know the regent, Patatheites, whom Cambyses,
+the Great King, left to rule in Medea. O gracious lady,
+it breaks my heart to tell you! But I know that Bardya,
+your brother, is dead and this one who calls himself
+Bardya is none other than Gaumata, priest of the Magi,
+whose ears Cyrus, the Great King, cut off! I have seen
+Gaumata and Patatheites together. I know that Gaumata
+pretends to be Bardya. The chamberlain is one
+of his tribe. This great tower is a fire-worshiper’s
+shrine and on its top is an altar on which fire is kept
+burning. I know not why I tell you this, except that
+when I look upon your face I love and worship you.
+O that I might save you! I fear this prison is intended
+to be your tomb!”</p>
+
+<p>Athura sat very still during this revelation. Her
+head seemed to reel. The earth and all her golden castles
+seemed whirling and falling. Of course Bardya<span class="pagenum" id="Page_273">[273]</span>
+would have come to meet her! She knew the girl was
+telling the truth. Fool, to be so easily beguiled!
+Bardya really dead! The old sorrow resurged in her
+soul. Death or worse her fate! She sat still and silent
+a long time in wide-eyed despair while the maid at her
+feet with bowed head wept bitterly. Presently she
+sighed deeply and asked, “Why do you weep, little sister?”</p>
+
+<p>“Because of your cruel fate, gracious lady,” replied
+the maid. “You know not the magic power of these
+priests! Even now they may know that I have told
+this to you and even now they may be preparing the torture
+chamber for me. They are terrible men! They
+deal with the demons of the hills and mountains.
+They sacrifice to them, even offering up human lives
+sometimes. They are able to read one’s thoughts.
+They bring up the dead and make them talk. Only
+Ahura-Mazda can protect you, and I know not if He
+will!”</p>
+
+<p>“Be comforted, child,” said Athura, calmly. “Let us
+escape in some manner. Once before I fled from a
+prison when Cambyses would have slain me. Is there
+no way of escape?”</p>
+
+<p>“I know of none. These walls have secret doors. I
+have seen Gaumata appear in these rooms even without
+opening a door. But he is a magician. I do not know
+the secret doors. If we could escape from this castle,
+the great wall and its watch is there.”</p>
+
+<p>“You said that your father is captain of the guard.
+Might he not assist us?”</p>
+
+<p>“I know not. He fears the Magi. His father was a
+tenant of this Gaumata who, for his faithfulness, has
+promised him great fortune and a high command. But
+he is a brave man and a good father.”</p>
+
+
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_274">[274]</span>“Such a man must have a good heart. We shall talk
+with him presently.”</p>
+
+<p>“But these magicians,—is it not useless to strive
+against them? They look one in the eye and point
+their fingers and say, ‘You are a dog! Bark!’ And
+that one gets down on his hands and acts like a dog and
+barks. Or they will say to you that at a certain hour
+you must do something they order; and, at that hour,
+you must do it! They put spells on men, and such men
+thereafter have no power. Oh, it is dreadful, how at
+night they call up and talk with the dead. The evil
+spirits help them.”</p>
+
+<p>“I have seen their spell-working, child. But this I
+know, as the great teacher, Belteshazzer, said, they can
+do no harm to those who love truth and serve the true
+and only God. For He sends mighty spirits of good intent
+who encamp about the good and who drive away the
+evil ones. Fear not, child, I dread not this Gaumata
+and all his evil powers. He shall not harm us. When
+does your father have liberty so that he might come
+to us?”</p>
+
+<p>“At sundown he changes the guard. Thereafter he
+may come.”</p>
+
+<p>The girl went to a window and looked down into the
+court below. She then clapped her hands softly and motioned
+to some one below.</p>
+
+<p>“Ah, there he stands now!” she said. “He has
+looked up and will come here. I will meet him.”</p>
+
+<p>She ran down the narrow stair, and presently her voice
+and the heavier tones of a man’s voice were heard in
+conversation. Athura seated herself on a divan in such
+position that the rays of the setting sun, passing through
+the open window, rested upon her face and hair, giving
+to her regal beauty a halo like that of a goddess. A<span class="pagenum" id="Page_275">[275]</span>
+moment later the maid reappeared, followed by a powerfully
+built man whose helmet and breastplate were resplendent
+in gold and jewels. His face was strong and
+bold, the countenance of one accustomed to command,
+but now it was clouded and sullen.</p>
+
+<p>“This is my father, Gustasp, gracious mistress,” said
+the maid, presenting him.</p>
+
+<p>The man looked an instant into the eyes of the Princess.
+Then his hand quickly removed his helmet.
+Wonder, admiration, recognition, and awe expressed
+themselves in his countenance. He prostrated himself
+at her feet. He had known the kingly Cyrus and the
+high glance of his eye, before which the most rebellious
+of men had quailed; and here was the image of Cyrus,
+softened and beautified in the feminine, but, none the
+less, with his lofty, commanding spirit, gazing upon him
+from eyes whose glance he could not return.</p>
+
+<p>“Hail, gracious daughter of Cyrus!” he mumbled,
+striking the rug-covered floor with his forehead. “I
+await your commands!”</p>
+
+<p>“I have seen you before, Captain Gustasp, when my
+father lived and Bardya, my brother, and I played in
+the park at Hamadan. Is it not so? Arise and answer!”</p>
+
+<p>The soldier rose and stood in deferential attitude before
+his fair interlocutor.</p>
+
+<p>“I remember, most royal lady,” he stammered.</p>
+
+<p>“If I mistake not I rode on that broad back of yours,
+and you made for me a right-spirited horse.”</p>
+
+<p>The strong features of the soldier quivered as memory
+brought back those days, when he, as one of the guards
+on duty at the King’s palace, not only watched over the
+safety of the children of the King but played with them.
+Halcyon days! The tears started to his eyes.</p>
+
+
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_276">[276]</span>“I remember,” he answered.</p>
+
+<p>“And now I am your prisoner!”</p>
+
+<p>Again the man fell with his face to the floor. “Say
+not so, Queen of the World!” he exclaimed. “Rather
+am I your humble slave. If you will let me speak, I
+will explain.”</p>
+
+<p>“Say on!”</p>
+
+<p>He raised his head from the floor but continued to
+kneel, while he spoke rapidly: “After I returned from
+the funeral of the royal Cyrus, I was not in favor with
+the Great King, Cambyses. His dislike for me arose
+when he and your royal brother, Bardya, and you,
+played together as children and, by the express order
+of good King Cyrus, I watched that Cambyses did not
+use violence upon you and the younger brother. He
+swore, then, that when he came to man’s estate I should
+die. When, therefore, the guards were called to Hamadan
+and dismissed by him, I fled; and, luckily, I escaped
+before his order for my execution could be fulfilled.
+I came to these mountains and was concealed by the
+Magian priests who had been friends of my father.
+Then I heard, gracious lady, that both you and Prince
+Bardya had been foully murdered by King Cambyses;
+and I wept much. For I loved you and Bardya when
+you were children. For me the light of the world grew
+dim. Wonder not, therefore, that I willingly served
+Gaumata when he overthrew Cambyses. Had not Cambyses
+slain those I loved and also sought to slay me? I
+did not know you when you entered here yesterday.
+You were veiled. My information was that the King’s
+wife was coming hither; and I dreamed not that you
+were she. May Ahriman wither my soul if I speak not
+the truth!”</p>
+
+<p>His daughter sank upon the floor by her father’s side,
+exclaiming, “Truly he speaks truth, gracious mistress!”</p>
+
+
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_277">[277]</span>A wave of sympathy swept over the beautiful countenance
+of the Princess. Impulsively she arose, bent
+over, and touched the man’s forehead with her hand,
+saying: “I believe you, my good Gustasp. Ah, those
+were pleasant days, the days of my childhood. But
+they have gone to return no more. The bloody hand of
+death has taken my father and brothers. Only I, of all
+the royal house of Cyrus, remain; and I am a prisoner to
+this man, Gaumata. But what now? To whom, O
+Gustasp, do you owe allegiance?”</p>
+
+<p>The man did not hesitate. “There is only one sovereign
+on earth for me, the divine daughter of Cyrus!”
+he answered passionately. “Had I not believed you
+dead, I would never have entered the service of Gaumata.”</p>
+
+<p>“I am in your hands. What do you advise?”</p>
+
+<p>“You are safe in my hands, gracious Queen! I will
+guard you with my life. But I am slow of wit and not
+good at making plans. I can execute orders but not
+make them.”</p>
+
+<p>Athura smiled upon the kneeling giant.</p>
+
+<p>“You may arise and be seated there near the door,”
+she said. “Let us think of some plan. How many men
+have you in this castle?”</p>
+
+<p>Gustasp rose and sat on a stool near the door.</p>
+
+<p>“Four hundred and twenty,” he answered.</p>
+
+<p>“Are they trustworthy?”</p>
+
+<p>“Not against Gaumata. They are his personal followers.
+But they are a brave and reckless lot. Some
+of them have been brigands all their lives, until called
+hither by the new King’s order.”</p>
+
+<p>“It is apparent to you, Captain Gustasp, that I am
+no friend of this Gaumata. I have been brought here
+by lying letters purporting to be from my brother,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_278">[278]</span>
+Bardya, and I knew not the truth until your daughter
+revealed it to me. Doubtless I have been brought here
+to suffer death. For, as long as one of the house of
+Cyrus remain, so long will the usurper be insecure on
+his throne. I remember Gaumata. I saw him during
+the last year of Cyrus and I heard of his punishment.
+Now has come his revenge! But I shall escape. There
+is one who comes from the west as swiftly as horses
+may bring him. Do you remember the youth who
+played with us in those days? That grave youth who
+was a man even before he was old enough to enlist in
+the King’s guards—Darius, son of Hystaspis, King of
+Iran?”</p>
+
+<p>“I remember him. Has not his fame filled the whole
+earth? All young Aryans swear by him!”</p>
+
+<p>“True! Had not Cambyses cruelly interfered, I
+would this day be his wife. He took an oath to Cyrus,
+my father, to support Cambyses and Bardya on their
+thrones, as long as they should live. Death has released
+him from the oath. It may not be that I shall reign
+alone as Queen, since it is contrary to the customs of
+the Aryans. The King of Iran is now the head of the
+Achæmenian royal family and entitled to reign as King
+of the Aryans. When he shall pass the bridge to heaven,
+the Prince of Iran will be King. The world will then
+know a just and mighty master. And I shall reign with
+him. Then, Gustasp, I may be able to reward faithful
+service. Is it not possible for me to escape? I escaped
+from Cambyses alone, disguised as a youth. Have you
+not a horse that I might ride away upon this night?”</p>
+
+<p>Gustasp was troubled. He gazed thoughtfully out of
+the window a moment in silence. The red rim of the
+sun was disappearing behind a distant ridge.</p>
+
+<p>“This is a wild portion of Medea,” he said presently.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_279">[279]</span>
+“Brigands roam about. Traveling without a large escort
+is dangerous. It is now almost night. For a week
+there can be no danger to you here. I am in command
+of the Guard. It will not be so much a prison for you
+as a place of safety. To-morrow I will send to the
+hills for one who owes his life to me. I saved him
+from the wrath of Gaumata, who had ordered me to
+execute him. This man will I send with a message to
+your friends. He may bring help. The chamberlain
+of the castle is a priest of the Magi. He was in the
+room below as we came through. He is here as your
+guard, I suppose. But this night I shall sleep at the
+foot of this stairway and keep watch over you. You
+are weary and must have sleep. My daughter, if you
+will, shall watch with me. Perhaps to-morrow we may
+think of a better plan.”</p>
+
+<p>Athura rose and went to the window, where she stood
+some moments in silence, contemplating the forbidding
+aspect of the darkening hills and considering the words
+of the captain. She was, indeed, weary. She therefore
+signified her assent to the suggestion, and the captain
+retired. His daughter remained with the Princess.
+The captain that night slept on the floor of the room
+below, with his body across the doorway leading to the
+chamber above and his sword at his side.</p>
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
+
+<div class="chapter">
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_280">[280]</span>
+
+<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XIX<br />
+
+
+<small>A GALLOPING TO AND FRO</small></h2>
+</div>
+
+<p class="drop-cap">THE dull, plodding peasants of Persia, Medea, Susiana,
+and Babylonia wondered why so many messengers
+rode at breakneck speed, on foaming, dusty
+horses, and so many squads of cavalry galloped, along
+the roads, during those last days of the false Smerdis,
+or Bardya, King of the World. They loved not these
+military men, with their over-bearing ways, their oaths
+and blows, their lawlessness and oppression. But they
+only sighed and remained silent, hoping but not believing
+that some day the Great King would lift them up
+and put the soldiers down. The shepherds on the hills
+drove their flocks high up into the mountain fastnesses
+and concealed them in gulches and ravines. For, it was
+whispered, an immense army of Persians was marching
+up from the south. No one knew why it was coming,
+but it was safer to keep the flocks out of sight, lest
+the hungry hordes should have fresh meat at their expense.
+Rumors of war flew about. Some said Babylonia
+was about to revolt; others that the Scythians were
+threatening an invasion.</p>
+
+<p>Meanwhile at the capital city, Hamadan, confusion
+reigned. Reports came from Persia indicating that the
+King of Iran was gathering a great army. Then came
+messengers from the army at Damascus relating the departure
+of the Prince and the Guard. Patatheites and
+Gaumata at once became uneasy and directed the governor<span class="pagenum" id="Page_281">[281]</span>
+of Nineveh to march out and intercept the Prince.
+Then came Prexaspes, who, knowing that he could expect
+no mercy from the King of Iran and his son,
+offered his services to the usurper, and was made commander
+of the army and satrap of Medea. He advised
+immediate preparation for war. Decrees were issued
+to all the governors of provinces commanding them to
+assemble their soldiers and bring them to Hamadan.
+Heralds were dispatched to the King of Iran demanding
+the reason for gathering an army at Persepolis.
+Prexaspes personally went into western Medea, where
+he had large estates, and directed that all Medean levies
+from that section should gather at Nicæa. Then Gaumata
+and Patatheites, learning that their ruse whereby
+Athura had been beguiled into the castle of the former,
+had succeeded, departed from the capital city to visit
+her and make some treaty with, or disposal of, her.
+They had barely departed when Captains Arios and
+Mardux at the head of their combined companies rode
+into the capital on horses almost dead with fatigue,
+and at the palace gates demanded the person of the
+Princess Athura. The commander of the palace-guard
+was insolent and insulting. He even threatened to arrest
+the blustering captains, who thereupon suddenly assaulted
+the palace with their bold troopers, before the
+guards could be warned, and gained possession of it.
+The guards fled into the city and called upon the citizens
+for aid. Captains Arios and Mardux searched the
+palace in vain for the Princess Athura, but found and
+released the usurper’s harem, in which was Phædima,
+the daughter of Otanes. What next to do the captains
+knew not. But the citizens of Hamadan, indignant that
+a company of freebooters should dare to take the King’s
+palace, soon gave them something to do and laid close<span class="pagenum" id="Page_282">[282]</span>
+siege to them in it. They were not to be dislodged, however,
+and held the citizens at bay, trusting that they
+would presently be rescued by the King of Iran.</p>
+
+<p>The Prince of Iran, having marched by a short route
+across northern Arabia, avoided Babylon on the right
+and Susa on the left and arrived upon the great highway
+between Persepolis and the latter city, where, as
+narrated, he received information that led him to march
+at once to Susa, intent upon aiding in the rescue of
+the Princess Athura. He seized Susa and deposed its
+governor, who was a Mede in the service of Gaumata.
+He paused here two days to rest and refit his command,
+meanwhile sending scouts northward to gain information
+concerning the movements of the usurper. Then a body
+of Persians, constituting the advance corps of the Persian
+army, having arrived, the Prince left a garrison in
+the city and with about twenty thousand men hurried
+northward on the road to Hamadan, intent upon capturing
+that city before Gaumata could prepare for resistance.
+On the first day out he was met by the messenger from
+Athura, which caused him to change his intention and
+march into western Medea upon Nicæa.</p>
+
+<p>Meanwhile the Princess Athura remained in the castle.
+The messenger had been duly dispatched by Captain
+Gustasp, who advised his fair captive to wait patiently
+several days for his return or until he himself could communicate
+with certain relatives who might consent to
+conceal her in the mountains should it become necessary
+to leave the castle. Then one day a company of cavalry
+rode into the castle-yard and its commander, Captain
+Galutha, displayed an order giving him chief command.
+The next day a large body of cavalry appeared on the
+plain below the castle and encamped, while several of
+their leaders came up to the castle. Two of these, before<span class="pagenum" id="Page_283">[283]</span>
+whom all others bowed to the earth, were Gaumata, the
+usurper, and his chief counselor, Patatheites. The
+Princess Athura observed these men with dread. She
+recognized them and knew that a crisis in her affairs had
+come. Later came Captain Gustasp in much agitation.</p>
+
+<p>“Gracious lady,” he said, “Gaumata has come! He
+desires audience with you. If he attempt any harm
+to you, I will slay him! So fear not. I am at your service.
+Shall I slay him at once?”</p>
+
+<p>“No. Let him enter,” she answered, seating herself
+on a divan at the side of the chamber opposite the window,
+where the light was good and where every expression
+of her countenance might be seen. She was calm
+and self-possessed.</p>
+
+<p>The captain’s daughter stood at her side, trembling
+and apprehensive.</p>
+
+<p>A moment later the door opened and the chamberlain
+appeared, announcing: “Our Lord, the King, the Great
+King, King of the World, and his illustrious Counselor!”</p>
+
+<p>Entered then Patatheites, with somewhat shuffling gait
+and embarrassed demeanor, a tall man whose rich habiliments
+and mitered head-dress indicated his priestly rank.
+He bowed very low and touched the floor with his hands,
+saying: “All hail, most beautiful Princess, Daughter of
+Cyrus, the Great King, Light of the World! Live forever!”</p>
+
+<p>Following him came Gaumata, a tall man, with uncertain,
+shifting eyes, a pallid face, somewhat resembling
+the dead Bardya, a puppet evidently in the hands of the
+real ruler, Patatheites. He was about to prostrate himself
+before royalty, as was his habit, when, remembering
+his high position, he checked himself and stood erect,
+folding his arms in much embarrassment and agitation.
+On his head was a vari-colored turban, around which
+was a golden coronet.</p>
+
+
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_284">[284]</span>“I give you greeting. What would you?” responded
+Athura, coldly.</p>
+
+<p>Patatheites coughed slightly and glanced at the King;
+then, assuming a very ingratiating tone and manner, he
+said:</p>
+
+<p>“The fates—I should say, the gods—have ordered
+that this man shall be King. It matters not whether he
+be truly Bardya or not,—the spirit of Bardya is in him.
+It has come to pass that King Cambyses by his own
+hand is dead. You alone, royal lady, remain of his
+family. By right of birth you should be Queen of the
+World. Unless you so rule, the kingdom will pass to the
+King of Iran. It has been announced to all the world
+that this Bardya has taken to himself all the wives of
+Cambyses. That is true, and you yourself are included.
+We come, therefore, to make a treaty. Consent to a
+marriage with this King, Bardya, and rule equally with
+him. Your presence with him will reconcile all Iran
+and the world will remain at peace. You cannot rule
+alone. He offers to share the throne with you. Let
+him speak for himself. I, his Chief Counselor, have
+spoken!”</p>
+
+<p>Gaumata, thus prompted, bowed low before her and
+said in high, squeaky tones: “Years ago my eyes beheld
+the most lovely vision of all the earth. It was
+Athura, star of the morning, lovelier than the moon,
+shining on a darkened world. My soul went out to her.
+I said that I would one day sit on the throne of the world
+with her and her slightest wish should be my law, her
+will my will, and that together we would rule the universe
+wisely. Let it be so!”</p>
+
+<p>Athura restrained her indignation with great difficulty.
+Should she temporize, or at once declare herself? She
+remained silent a moment. When she spoke, her steady
+voice betrayed not her deep agitation.</p>
+
+
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_285">[285]</span>“For this, then, I have been deceived and brought
+hither,” she said. “It is a very grave matter. I require
+time to consider it. I know there is but one other choice.
+That is—death! I must choose between you and
+death, unless something intervenes. Such presumption
+as yours in the days of Cyrus would have merited death.
+But truly has the situation changed through the wisdom
+of God. How many days may I have to consider this?”</p>
+
+<p>The men glanced at each other doubtfully. Then the
+Counselor spoke.</p>
+
+<p>“Grave events call for quick action. However, if
+to-morrow at this time will suit you to answer, let it be
+so.”</p>
+
+<p>“I shall require at least a week.”</p>
+
+<p>“No, no! You must decide by to-morrow.”</p>
+
+<p>“Must?”</p>
+
+<p>Her tone startled the men. In it were unutterable
+scorn and menace. Gaumata shrank back. As she
+looked now, so had he seen Cyrus and Cambyses, the
+terrible. But Patatheites was unafraid and, knowing
+the necessity of quick action, he was determined that
+her choice should be made at once.</p>
+
+<p>“Forgive the expression,” he said. “We are desperate
+men. So stirred up are the people that we must
+act quickly. You said truly that you must choose either
+to consent or to meet death. Rule the world or die!
+Do you hear? But you shall consent!” He gazed
+into her eyes with his flashing black eyes fixedly and
+extended his long, slender fingers towards her slowly.
+He trusted to his great hypnotic power to overcome
+the powerful will that showed in her eyes. “On the
+morrow at this hour you shall say yes!” he added after
+a pause.</p>
+
+<p>Athura smiled derisively. Her eyes showed no less<span class="pagenum" id="Page_286">[286]</span>
+will-power than his, and, extending her hand in a repellent
+gesture, she said: “I say that I will speak freely
+without being coerced by your devil’s power! Dog that
+you are! I shall live to see your carcass thrown to the
+vultures!”</p>
+
+<p>The battle of wills continued in silence for a tense
+moment. Then the eyes of Patatheites wavered and
+dropped. His hand fell at his side. His dusky face
+paled to a sickly yellow.</p>
+
+<p>“Princess, again I ask forgiveness,” he said humbly.
+“Well I know that the spirit of the great Cyrus, living
+again in you, cannot be commanded! Let us reason together.
+Being a woman, you can never reign alone on
+the throne of Iran, or of the world. All the males of
+your family are dead. The kingdom will pass to the
+King of Iran. If his son were living he would make you
+his wife, and thus, when his father dies, you might become
+his Queen but not a joint ruler with him. But the
+Prince of Iran is dead. He was slain in a battle near
+Susa yesterday. It remains only for you to accept
+our proposition and you will become joint ruler with
+this Bardya and reign over the whole world.”</p>
+
+<p>The Princess made no immediate answer, but gazed in
+silence on the face of the speaker, striving to read
+whether he lied or not in speaking of the Prince. The
+cold hand of fear clutched at her heart. Dread seized
+her throat and almost stifled her. But there seemed to
+whisper in her ear a voice like that of the loved Bardya
+of old, saying: “Believe him not, little sister. The
+Prince yet lives and will surely come to your aid.” She
+was startled and looked around involuntarily searching
+for the speaker; but no one, save her maid, was near.
+Arousing herself with a great effort, the Princess again
+controlled her agitation and said: “You are stating a<span class="pagenum" id="Page_287">[287]</span>
+falsehood, magician! But, even if the Prince were dead,
+it would not alter my determination. What? I, a
+daughter of Cyrus, mate with that slave? Begone from
+my sight!”</p>
+
+<p>The pallid face of Gaumata flushed in anger. Thrusting
+aside Patatheites, he laid one hand on a short sword
+at his side. “Woman!” he cried excitedly, “birth
+makes not a man, but achievement! I am a noble of
+Medea, of ancient lineage and royal stock. Centuries
+ago my forefathers ruled the Scythians, who were once
+lords of Medea. I have dared to seize the throne of the
+world from your tyrant brother, and I mean to hold it!
+I have offered you the right to share it. Choose! On
+the morrow you accept or die! The world is not large
+enough to permit you and me to live therein unless we
+join fortunes!”</p>
+
+<p>The Princess was surprised. She had deemed this
+man a mere puppet. He seemed to have some qualities
+of a strong man. She spoke less bitterly as she
+answered: “You speak somewhat kingly, Gaumata!
+But you are a living lie, ruling not by your own might!
+You rule only by reason of Bardya’s name. Do not
+deceive yourself into the belief that the Aryans would
+permit you to rule an hour, did they know the truth!
+No! Rather it would be better for you to release me
+and place in my hands the scepter and crown. I might
+so far pardon you as to permit you life and property.
+Think of this, my offer until to-morrow, and I will consider
+yours.”</p>
+
+<p>“Until to-morrow then, farewell!” said Patatheites,
+bowing low and backing quickly from the room. Gaumata
+followed without the formality of a bow. Athura
+sat a long time in silence after they had gone, wrapped
+in thought, while the daughter of Gustasp stood in
+silence with folded hands and bowed head at her side.</p>
+
+
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_288">[288]</span>The Princess turned to her maid at length and asked:
+“What think you, child? The magicians were not able
+to bend my will, though strong was the power of the
+priest’s evil eyes. I felt my brain reel and I became
+dizzy for a moment.”</p>
+
+<p>“I have never seen one able to resist him before,”
+answered the maid. “Truly Ahura-Mazda has sent to
+your aid some powerful angel!”</p>
+
+<p>The hours of that day passed very slowly for the Princess.
+She spent the greater part of her time in the
+upper chamber looking from the window upon the valley
+below. She had little hope that any aid would arrive.
+She was determined to escape from the castle at all
+hazards as soon as night should come, and she sent word
+to Gustasp that he must arrange for her escape.</p>
+
+<p>About noon two horsemen were seen riding at headlong
+speed from the direction of Nicæa. They came
+direct to the castle. They evidently bore exciting news.
+For the King and his Chief Counselor were observed in
+excited conference with them, and, shortly afterwards,
+the King mounted a horse and rode down into the valley,
+where his cavalry immediately marched away across the
+plain towards Nicæa, and several horsemen rode away
+in divers directions. Later the King returned to the
+castle accompanied by an officer, whose elegantly attired
+form and easy carriage, as he passed across the castle-yard,
+seemed familiar to Athura. She sent the maid to
+call Gustasp, whose duties now consisted in standing
+guard at the castle-door. The captain soon appeared.</p>
+
+<p>“What means this excitement?” she inquired.
+“Who is the officer that came up with the King?”</p>
+
+<p>Gustasp shrugged his giant shoulders. “The officer
+is Prexaspes,” he answered. “He was chief man of the
+empire under King Cambyses. He is in command of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_289">[289]</span>
+the Medean army which is assembling down there in the
+valley. I do not know just what news the messengers
+brought; but it is rumored that they reported a strong
+force of Persian cavalry moving up towards Nicæa over
+the hill-roads from Susa. If that be true, a battle may
+occur if the Medes dare to stand against them. There
+are but a few veterans here and they may not risk a
+battle. The Persian cavalry is terrible, especially if led
+by the Prince.”</p>
+
+<p>Athura started up with joy, exclaiming, “By the
+Prince, did you say?”</p>
+
+<p>“The Prince of Iran, yes,” he assented. “No one
+knows, but I will bet my shield that he leads the Persians!”</p>
+
+<p>“Ahura-Mazda grant that it be true! What of you
+if there be a battle, Gustasp? Ought I to wait till the
+morrow? Or should I escape this night and trust myself
+to the mountains?”</p>
+
+<p>“I have requested the honor of personally guarding
+you so that you may not escape,” he responded. “The
+King has granted my request. I do not know how to
+advise. The new men who came in with Captain Galutha
+are on guard. There is to be an enchantment, a
+sacrifice, and soma-drinking to-night. Ahura-Mazda
+grant that no spell be cast on us! Let me advise that
+you stay in this upper chamber with all your maids. I
+shall stand here at the foot of the stairs. We may need
+a barricade. That divan and the benches may do.
+When darkness comes, I will bring up javelins and
+spears. I do not know how to get out of the castle with
+you unseen.”</p>
+
+<p>“What do you fear?”</p>
+
+<p>“Madmen, drunken with soma! You and the maids
+are the only women in the castle. Even the King himself
+will be drunken and furious.”</p>
+
+
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_290">[290]</span>“Bring up the arms, Gustasp! You will find in me
+no weeping, fainting child. We will fight this battle together!”</p>
+
+<p>“Then on the morrow we may need to defend this
+place until the battle be decided down there in the valley.”
+And he added fervently, “It will be a joy to fight for
+you, O Queen of the Earth, and even to die for you!”</p>
+
+<p>Gustasp began immediate preparations for defense and
+secretly brought up a bundle of keen javelins, several
+heavy spears, and a huge bronze battle-ax, which they
+concealed behind curtains and furniture. He also
+brought a supply of bread and fruit.</p>
+
+<p>From her window Athura saw that preparations were
+being made in the courtyard for the sacrifice spoken of
+by Gustasp. First, a square altar of stones was erected.
+Around this, at a distance of twenty feet, a circle of flat
+stones was placed. A priest clothed in long robes then
+drew geometrical figures with a sword-point on the
+ground within the circle. Other priests brought out
+twenty tall jars of soma and placed them at intervals
+touching the circle. Still others brought wood and piled
+it in four heaps at the corners of a square inclosing
+the circle. Many soldiers of the garrison gathered
+around, uneasily and fearfully watching the preparations,
+but they were not allowed to come within twenty paces
+of the circle.</p>
+
+<p>The preparations were completed when the sun was
+yet half an hour high. Then the rumble and boom of
+drums and the shrill scream of trumpets announced the
+beginning of the services. A procession of priests,
+twenty in number, headed by Patatheites and followed
+by Gaumata, who led a beautiful white stallion, appeared
+from the northern portion of the castle-yard. Seven
+times they silently marched around on the outer side of<span class="pagenum" id="Page_291">[291]</span>
+the circle of stones. Then they halted and a priest took
+station at each of the jars of soma. Every one held a
+large, keen knife in one hand and a goblet in the other.
+The chief priest, Patatheites, took station at the right
+of the altar and raised his hand toward the setting sun in
+prayer. All the others imitated his action. Their invocation
+was silent and lasted a full minute. Then
+Patatheites placed a bundle of fagots on the altar and
+again raised his hands to the sun, and his lips moved
+in recital of an invocation. Instantly a spiral of smoke
+ascended from the fagots and a flame burst forth. The
+soldiers, stricken with awe, fell on their knees at sight
+of this miracle. The sun-god had answered, unless the
+dexterous priest, having a knowledge of phosphorus and
+sulphur, had ignited the wood as he placed it on the altar.</p>
+
+<p>Gaumata now led the white stallion into the charmed
+circle near to the high priest. The beautiful animal
+trembled and sniffed at the altar and the blazing wood,
+then raised his noble head and whinnied. As he did so,
+the chief priest, with a powerful slash of his sharp knife,
+cut the animal’s throat so deeply across as almost to
+sever the head. At the same moment, Gaumata drove
+his knife deep into the horse’s chest through his proud
+heart. With a convulsive backward movement, the
+noble beast sought to break away, but Gaumata clung to
+it and its knees gave away suddenly and it fell. The
+chief priest took a stone vessel and caught the blood
+spouting from the severed throat. When the vessel was
+filled, he presented it to Gaumata, who lifted it on high
+before the fire and towards the setting sun, then poured
+some of the blood on the altar and some on the earth
+while he muttered a prayer. The chief priest then took
+a bundle of rods, known as the baresma, and, dipping it
+in the blood, sprinkled the King and the twenty priests,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_292">[292]</span>
+chanting a hymn as he slowly performed his labor.
+Then four of the priests attacked the carcass of the horse
+with their knives and rapidly dismembered it. A portion
+of flesh from the chest was taken by the King and
+placed on the burning wood of the altar. The savor of
+it went up to heaven just as the rim of the sun disappeared
+behind the western hills, while the priests broke
+forth into a barbaric chant in praise of Mithra. The
+limbs and body of the animal were then cut in bits and
+distributed by the priests to the soldiers. The piles of
+wood were set on fire by coals from the altar, and the
+men roasted the horseflesh at these and ate of it. Thus
+far the ceremony had been conducted with some decorum.</p>
+
+<p>Then the bloody-handed priests dipped goblets into the
+jars and brought them forth filled to the brim with a
+white, acid liquor, the sacred juice of the soma plant.
+First, the chief priest drank a huge goblet of the liquor.
+The King followed suit. Then the priests drank, and
+as they drank they began a serpentine march, following
+the lines of the geometrical figures drawn in the circle,
+weaving in and out and crossing back and forth, chanting
+in time to their movements. The chief priest led
+the weird dance. The King followed at the rear. Ever
+and anon, as their movements brought them near the
+jars, the priests replenished their goblets. Gradually
+their chant became louder and wilder, and was addressed
+to the gods of the sun, of the moon, of the stars, of the
+earth, and of the seas, entreating them to be present and
+to give counsel and wisdom to the King.</p>
+
+<p>Darkness fell upon the earth, but the fires partially
+dispelled the gloom in the courtyard. The crowd of
+soldiers drew well back from the enchanted circle, dreading
+they knew not what, and fearing the unknown powers<span class="pagenum" id="Page_293">[293]</span>
+of earth and sky. Suddenly one of the priests ceased
+marching and, with a scream, rent the clothes from his
+body. Stark naked he began to dance furiously, leaping
+in the air, frothing at the mouth, and uttering wild words
+of prophecy. Another imitated him and still another,
+until a score of naked, leaping, shouting madmen, brandishing
+knives and soma-pots, encircled the chief priest,
+who, having drunk but little of the powerful liquor, had
+remained comparatively sober, and who now took his
+station with folded arms and bowed head before the
+altar, listening intently to the ravings of his helpers.
+The King took his place on the opposite side of the
+altar and sought to preserve a semblance of dignity, but
+he swayed to and fro under the influence of the liquor
+or of excitement while he also listened to the ravings of
+the prophets.</p>
+
+<p>The Princess and her maids were curious observers
+of the ceremonies, but their curiosity turned to horror as
+the last act of the drunken priests began. Nevertheless,
+they watched and listened.</p>
+
+<p>One of the priests, bellowing for silence, stood before
+the chief priest and shouted: “I am Melchior of the
+Hills! Say to this King, he lacks courage! Say to him
+that instead of entreating the proud woman in yonder
+castle, he should take her by force, lest there come an
+eagle out of the south and carry her away! Let him
+now act! Now! Now! Now!”</p>
+
+<p>Another shouted: “I am sent from Mithra to say,
+The day comes when the Kings of the earth shall meet
+in death struggle! To him of stout heart and quick
+mind will the victory be! Up and act!”</p>
+
+<p>Others took up the burden of prophecy and warning.
+The chief priest listened attentively; then, calling the
+King aside, he spoke rapidly and earnestly to him, pointing<span class="pagenum" id="Page_294">[294]</span>
+up to the window from which the Princess was looking
+down upon them. For a time the King hesitated,
+then walked uncertainly towards the castle, followed by
+the howling mob of priests, who stumbled, rolled, or
+hopped after him. A moment later they were hammering
+at the castle-door and the King was commanding
+Gustasp to open.</p>
+
+<p>Gustasp, however, had not been idle. He had locked
+and barred the stout doors and had reinforced them with
+furniture piled against them. Now, as the King’s voice
+was heard commanding him to open, he shouted back a
+refusal.</p>
+
+<p>“Open, I command it!” shouted the King.</p>
+
+<p>“I will never open it!” answered Gustasp. “No
+longer do I serve you, Gaumata, the false! I serve the
+gracious Princess of the house of Cyrus!”</p>
+
+<p>“You will be torn in pieces! Open, I say! I will
+have you roasted to death! I will afflict you with spells!
+Open! I command!”</p>
+
+<p>“Never! I warn you that I will slay any man who
+attempts to harm my sovereign lady!”</p>
+
+<p>The King and Patatheites took counsel and sought to
+beguile the giant guard.</p>
+
+<p>“Listen!” said the priest. “We mean no harm to
+the Princess. But she must marry the King now and
+must march with us at daybreak to Hamadan and proclaim
+their union. Open, and I swear she will not be
+harmed, and you shall be the first officer of the army!”</p>
+
+<p>But Gustasp growled a refusal. He was not to be deluded.
+Then began Patatheites to curse him and to call
+down the anger of all the gods upon him. He cursed
+him by the sun whose beams would strike him down; by
+the moon whose rays would drive him insane; by the
+rivers which would drown him; by the hills which would
+fall on him; and by the devils who would ever pursue<span class="pagenum" id="Page_295">[295]</span>
+him. So bitter and dreadful were his words that stout
+Gustasp paled and trembled. With uncertain steps he
+paced back and forth across the lower chamber floor,
+fearing that from the shadows of the chamber half-lighted
+by an oil lamp some specter might leap forth upon
+him. A soft step came down the stairs and Gustasp
+drew his sword. But it was the Princess. She came to
+the trembling giant and placed her hand on his arm.</p>
+
+<p>“Fear not, Gustasp!” she said reassuringly. “Good
+spirits are here around us! Those curses shall not harm
+you. Ahura-Mazda has sent me a messenger saying:
+‘Fear not! We will help you!’ Be strong and brave,
+Gustasp. See, I tremble not.”</p>
+
+<p>The giant guard heaved up his broad shoulders, and a
+cheerful smile passed across his rugged features.</p>
+
+<p>“Have no fear that I will falter, most gracious lady,”
+he said. “Let them curse. If they come within reach
+of my spear, their curses will stop short!”</p>
+
+<p>At length the cursing ceased. The King and the chief
+priest withdrew a space to consult. Presently they
+ordered a company of soldiers with a beam for a battering-ram
+to break down the door. The stout planks
+and bars soon quivered beneath heavy blows. Gustasp,
+seeing that it would presently fall, retreated up the
+narrow stairway to the upper chamber and proceeded to
+barricade it with furniture. A heavy divan was pressed
+into the narrow stair, leaving barely space at one side
+through which a spear might be thrust. Tables and
+benches were piled upon this. Then Gustasp, spear in
+hand, stood ready. The door below presently gave way
+and a squad of soldiers rushed into the room below.
+Finding it empty, they immediately began to ascend the
+stair; but, the moment one appeared in the narrow passage,
+the long blade of Gustasp’s spear flashed down
+upon him and he tumbled back gasping, with a terrible<span class="pagenum" id="Page_296">[296]</span>
+wound in his chest. A second tried the ascent and had
+his face slashed open. This cooled the ardor of the
+assailants. They drew back to take counsel. No one
+dared further attempt the deadly stair.</p>
+
+<p>Then Athura heard a voice, cold, calm, and ironical,
+saying: “It seems to me far beneath the dignity of a
+King of the World to be leading a drunken mob in
+attack upon a woman! I say to you now that I for one
+do not approve!”</p>
+
+<p>“Have a care, Prexaspes!” replied the voice of
+Patatheites. “Such words to the King are not to be
+spoken lightly!”</p>
+
+<p>“Bah!” was the rejoinder in a loud voice that was
+heard by every man in the fortress. “Who are you to
+threaten me? Do you desire to break with me? If so,
+I will lead my Medes over to the Prince. I say to you,
+stop this rioting and give your thoughts to the enemy!
+If I be not greatly mistaken, we shall have the Persians
+upon us before noon to-morrow. I will venture all I
+have that the Prince is commander of that company
+approaching Nicæa! If so, his coming will be like a
+whirlwind. I am going down to the camp, and I demand
+that the King go with me. I demand that no further
+violence be attempted against the Princess Athura. I
+warn you that if we injure her and lose this battle, the
+Prince of Iran will flay and quarter every man in this
+fortress!”</p>
+
+<p>His words greatly impressed all hearers and, after
+further angry altercation, Prexaspes triumphed and the
+drunken priests were ordered to return to their cells
+while Gaumata sulkily mounted a horse and rode with
+him down to the camp.</p>
+
+<p>Athura praised Gustasp and presented to him a gold
+ring, which in after years the guard and his descendants
+treasured above all other possessions.</p>
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
+
+<div class="chapter">
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_297">[297]</span>
+
+<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XX<br />
+
+
+<small>THE OVERTHROW OF THE MAGI</small></h2>
+</div>
+
+<p class="drop-cap2">ATHURA slept little during the remainder of the
+night. She insisted on watching a part of the time,
+while Gustasp slept stretched out on the floor and the
+maids tried to rest. She watched while the stars paled
+and the gray light of the dawn grew into rosy sunrise
+and cloudless day. Her eyes eagerly scanned the horizon
+towards Nicæa. As soon as the light was sufficient,
+she saw moving bodies of horsemen concentrating in
+the plain near the base of the hill on which the castle
+stood. She had often seen large bodies of troops, and
+she estimated that not less than thirty thousand were
+there. Officers were busily riding hither and thither
+placing them in line with their faces towards Nicæa.</p>
+
+<p>When Gustasp awoke and observed the movements of
+the troopers, he gave it as his opinion that an attack was
+expected. Nor was he mistaken. For about mid-forenoon
+they observed two bodies of cavalry approaching
+from the direction of Nicæa, one in advance moving
+rapidly and the other more deliberately. The advance
+body was evidently a scouting party sent out by Prexaspes,
+and it soon joined his array. The pursuers came
+on in wide, extended order, their masses glittering with
+armor and spear-points. At their head rode two men,
+conspicuous on white steeds.</p>
+
+<p>“Look, Gustasp!” exclaimed Athura, while the pursuers
+were yet far away. “Is it not the Prince—the
+one at the right? Is that not Gobryas at his left?”</p>
+
+
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_298">[298]</span>Gustasp shaded his eyes and looked closely at the
+distant figures. He smiled and shook his head.</p>
+
+<p>“My eyes are counted good, gracious lady, but I
+cannot see any difference in those men,” he answered.
+“If I had eyes as young as yours, I might distinguish
+them. But I know those are the Persians of the Imperial
+Guard. The Prince must be with them. They
+are not half as numerous as the false King’s men, but
+they are veterans and the best soldiers in the world. It
+will be a short battle.”</p>
+
+<p>The Persians came on until they were within a thousand
+paces of their antagonists, when they halted. The two
+leaders rode forward to a slight eminence two hundred
+paces in advance, from which they attentively surveyed
+the field. It was well suited for battle between bodies
+of cavalry. While somewhat rolling and uneven, there
+were no ditches or swamps. The Medean line was more
+extended than the Persian and no less massive and deep.
+The Persian leaders soon returned to their lines and the
+watchers on the hills perceived a movement of the rear
+ranks to the left, where presently a body of troops was
+massed three times as great in depth as the general line.</p>
+
+<p>“The Prince has made a hammer of his left,” said
+Gustasp. “Now look at his right! It bends back so
+that the Medes may not overlap and attack the Persian
+rear!”</p>
+
+<p>It was even so. For when the Persians moved forward
+again there was a perceptible bending back of their
+right wing until it moved forward <i>en echelon</i> to the
+remainder of the line.</p>
+
+<p>Then came two men from the Persians who rode
+rapidly up to the Medes and demanded a parley.
+Prexaspes and the King met them and received a message
+from the Prince of Iran demanding the surrender<span class="pagenum" id="Page_299">[299]</span>
+of the Princess Athura and of the false King, and
+promising pardon to all the other Medes save Prexaspes.
+These demands were refused. The heralds rode back to
+the Prince and reported, who then ordered his army to
+advance.</p>
+
+<p>The Persians came on at a smart trot until within five
+hundred yards. Then the front ranks leveled their
+spears, bent their bodies forward, and pressed their
+horses into a gallop. Prexaspes ordered his troops forward
+to meet the onset. The earth shook with the
+thunder of hoofs. A deep-toned roar went up from the
+Persians, their battle shout which had terrified many a
+nation. The Medes answered with a medley of yells.
+The lines came together with a terrific shock. Men were
+unhorsed. Horses reared, plunged, and went down.
+Screams of agony mingled with battle-shouts. The lines
+wavered and stood still, it seemed, for the space of five
+minutes. Then was seen the power of discipline. The
+Medes, while brave, were not inured to battle. After
+the first shock, they became confused. They were overthrown,
+ridden down, and pushed back. Struggling
+fruitlessly against the terrible spears of their enemies,
+they receded. The Persians raised shouts of victory and
+pressed their advantage. The Prince of Iran, leading
+the center, rode over Prexaspes, broke through the
+Medean lines, and made directly for the King. The
+latter turned his horse and fled towards his castle, with
+the Prince and Gobryas close at his heels. So close was
+the pursuit that Gaumata and his men had no time to
+close the brazen gates of the castle, which were opened
+to receive them, before the Prince and Gobryas with a
+company of Persians pressed through and attacked the
+garrison fiercely. Demoralized by the fall of Prexaspes
+and the flight of Gaumata, the Medean army scattered
+and fled from the field.</p>
+
+
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_300">[300]</span>The Prince and Gobryas, swords in hand, pressed
+through the confused rabble after Gaumata. They saw
+him leap from his horse and enter the castle. Dismounting
+they pursued him into the chamber below that where
+the Princess Athura had her retreat. Here the false
+King turned at bay, unable to escape. The Prince himself
+attacked Gaumata, though Gobryas begged the
+privilege of slaying him. The struggle was short.
+The Prince was an athlete and swordsman; his opponent
+was neither. Gaumata’s weapon was whirled from his
+hand at the first blow, and the Prince’s blade passed
+through his heart, cutting short his cry for mercy.</p>
+
+<p>Athura, trembling with excitement, had seen the battle
+and the flight and pursuit of Gaumata, and, from
+behind Gustasp’s broad shoulders on the stairs, had
+watched the short, sharp combat between the Prince and
+the usurper. The Prince, flushed with victory as he
+stood above the writhing form of Gaumata, heard her
+exclaim, “Ahura-Mazda be praised!” He turned and
+their eyes met. He sprang towards Gustasp with
+dripping sword, thinking the giant guard an enemy in
+charge of the royal captive. But Athura pressed forward
+in front of Gustasp, exclaiming, “He is a friend!”</p>
+
+<p>The Prince dropped his sword and extended his arms,
+with the light of great love in his eyes. Athura threw
+her arms about his mail-covered shoulders. Gustasp
+and Gobryas drove back the crowd of Persian troopers
+who were pressing in to aid their Prince.</p>
+
+<p>But a chief commander must make an end of greetings,
+no matter how entrancing. The Prince and Athura
+passed out into the courtyard, now filled with shouting
+Persians, some of whom were pursuing the luckless garrison
+and cutting them down. When the Persians saw
+the radiant Athura standing by the side of their Prince,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_301">[301]</span>
+their shouts rent the heavens. For every man who had
+taken part in the battle knew that their leader was seeking
+to rescue his promised wife, the daughter of the
+great Cyrus.</p>
+
+<p>Prexaspes was among the prisoners. His horse had
+been killed and had fallen upon him. The Persian
+cavalry had passed over him. But save for a broken
+arm, he was not seriously injured. He was brought before
+the Prince. His countenance showed signs of suffering,
+but the usual calm, cynical smile rested upon it
+and he exhibited no fear. The Prince looked upon him
+sternly.</p>
+
+<p>“At last, Prexaspes,” he said, “you have come to a
+day of judgment! What have you to say?”</p>
+
+<p>“Nothing, great Prince,” he answered. “Fate has
+turned against me. I am in your hands, a prisoner of
+war.”</p>
+
+<p>“But how could you, a noble of Medea, conspire with
+that carrion, Gaumata? And you even obeyed him as
+King!”</p>
+
+<p>“I did not conspire. I was faithful to Cambyses till
+he died—even though he did slay my son, as you know,
+in cruel jest. I did not conspire against him. What
+could I do after his death? By the command of Cambyses,
+I had slain Prince Bardya. For that crime I knew
+that I would be slain by you. So I came and offered my
+sword to the false King. He obeyed me, not I him!”</p>
+
+<p>The Prince contemplated his prisoner gloomily. No
+man ever more admired courage than he. Prexaspes
+smiled in the face of death. What punishment should
+be meted out to such a man?</p>
+
+<p>“For taking Bardya’s life, you have merited death,”
+said the Prince, finally. “But you are a brave man.
+You shall die as such. Tell me, Prexaspes, how did
+Bardya die?”</p>
+
+
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_302">[302]</span>“I expect to die,” answered Prexaspes, and the pain
+and despair of his soul snatched away the smile from his
+face, leaving his handsome features haggard and drawn.
+“Remorse has been with me, since by this hand the stout
+young Prince departed! I will tell you. Cambyses was
+jealous of Bardya. His advisers, the Magian priests, who
+by their wonder works had made much impression on the
+King’s mind, also hated Bardya because he clung to the
+ancient religion of Iran and was an enemy to their religion.
+They knew that with Bardya as King they would
+never gain power in the state. They hinted to the
+King that Bardya contemplated rebellion. They artfully
+brought stories of the young man’s popularity.
+They advised his death. It was then that the King laid
+his command upon me to slay his brother. The Magian
+priests sent a body of their armed followers to lie in wait
+on the road to Rhages that night when the feast in honor
+of the Prince’s departure was held; and I rode with
+Bardya that night until, as prearranged, they attacked us.
+Then, in the mêlée, I struck the Prince with my sword
+and he died. Was not the Great King’s word law? I
+executed his word, without malice towards the Prince.
+But I am weary of life! My wife is dead. Cambyses
+slew my son. I have run the full course of power and
+wealth. I am your prisoner, ready to die. But know
+this, great Prince, I have never advised Cambyses against
+your interests!”</p>
+
+<p>The Prince listened attentively and believed that
+Prexaspes spoke truthfully. He turned to Athura, who
+had listened to the recital, and asked, “What do you
+advise?”</p>
+
+<p>Athura shook her head sadly.</p>
+
+<p>“I cannot advise,” she said. “Last night when the
+drunken priests and the false King attempted to break<span class="pagenum" id="Page_303">[303]</span>
+into the castle and do me harm, this man interfered and
+compelled them to cease.”</p>
+
+<p>“For that, Prexaspes, I would pardon you, had I the
+power,” said the Prince, turning to the prisoner. “I
+could order you slain now, but I cannot slay you.
+Prexaspes, you have deserved my gratitude. I grant
+you life for the present. I am not the King. My father
+is King of Iran. There is no King of Kings; until the
+nobles of Bactra, Persia, and Medea shall select one of
+the Achæmenian line. You shall go to Hamadan to be
+judged.”</p>
+
+<p>“Rather would I be slain by you now,” responded
+Prexaspes, earnestly. “Let me die a soldier’s death,
+not the death of a dog condemned for murder!”</p>
+
+<p>The Prince was troubled. He hesitated. Sympathy
+for a brave man moved him.</p>
+
+<p>“I promise you this, Prexaspes,” he said after a moment
+of consideration. “If you will testify before the
+council of nobles and to the people, that this Gaumata
+was a false traitor and not Bardya and that Bardya was
+slain by your hand, I promise that you may choose the
+manner of your death. The King and the nobles will
+heed my promise. They will not deny me. If you make
+this confession and implicate the Magian priest, they will
+pursue you with bitter vengeance. It is said that their
+death penalties are tortures such as even fiends would
+not inflict. We could not save you from them. It is
+the ancient law that one who lifts his hand against one
+of the Achæmenian race must die. Is it not so? And
+this law, not even the King may set aside.”</p>
+
+<p>“It is so!” answered Prexaspes. “I will testify before
+the people and the council, in order that your reign
+as King of Kings may not be disturbed by other false
+Bardyas. I advise that you carry this Gaumata’s head<span class="pagenum" id="Page_304">[304]</span>
+to Hamadan and exhibit it in the market that all may
+see. I myself will ascend the criers’ tower and confess
+the death of Bardya to the people. So be it. I will
+choose my own death.”</p>
+
+<p>“Meanwhile,” said the Prince, “Gobryas shall be your
+keeper. He will treat you as a brave soldier should
+treat a brave soldier unlucky enough to be a captive.
+We shall rest here this night. On the morrow we march
+to Hamadan.”</p>
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
+
+<div class="chapter">
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_305">[305]</span>
+
+<h2 class="nobreak">CHAPTER XXI<br />
+
+
+<small>KING OF KINGS</small></h2>
+</div>
+
+<p class="drop-cap">THAT evening the Prince, accompanied by Athura,
+ascended the narrow stairs leading to the flat top
+of the castle-tower and, seated on the low parapet that
+surrounded it, watched the sun set in golden splendor.
+They found an altar of heavy stones, rudely squared, in
+the center of the roof. It bore marks of long usage.
+But the fire which had blazed on it for years was dead.
+Only ashes remained.</p>
+
+<p>The evening was pleasant. The sky was a deep, blue
+dome. The wide plain to the south, surrounded on all
+sides by hills, the high mountains to the north and east,
+with their sharp crags and peaks, with Elwend and her
+snow in the east and Demavend far to the northeast, a
+diamond point of eternal white, were of entrancing
+beauty. The Prince for a time forgot battles and
+marches. Athura forgot the long years of waiting and
+watching. They were lovers now, rank and royalty forgotten,
+man and maid, each glorified by the other’s love.
+The sun stood still in the heavens and the hills rolled
+up and concealed him. Darkness enveloped them, and
+they were oblivious of all else than themselves. The
+stars appeared, brilliant points in the depths of space.
+The moon rose and drove the shadows from the hilltops
+into the depths of canyon and gulch. A great owl
+winged his way slowly about the tower and, alighting on
+the altar, peered at them suspiciously. When they
+moved he flapped away into the shadows of the hills.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_306">[306]</span>
+Bats flitted hither and thither like restless spirits. A
+wolf howled in the distant mountains. The low hum of
+conversation came up from the soldiers gathered about
+camp-fires in the courtyard. In such surroundings, the
+royal lovers again took up and tied the broken threads
+of life and renewed their vows to each other.</p>
+
+<p>Morning brought with it activity. The castle was
+abandoned. The army marched to Hamadan. A special
+guard of gayly-caparisoned officers rode near the
+litter in which the Princess was borne, or followed the
+horse on which, at times, she chose to ride by the side
+of the Prince. There was no organized opposition to
+the march. Bands of soldiers, which were riding to the
+aid of the false King, returned to their homes, stunned by
+the sudden overthrow of their leader. Gaumata’s head
+was borne aloft on a pike-staff; and, in every hamlet
+and village, a crier called the people together and told
+them of the false King’s deception and death.</p>
+
+<p>So it came about that the cavalry under the Prince
+and the infantry under the King of Iran came together
+near Hamadan, entered the city without encountering
+resistance, and relieved Captains Arios and Mardux, not
+only of their danger but also of their soft living in the
+palace of the Great King. But in appreciation of their
+valiant service, they were promoted to higher grades in
+the Imperial Guard and later they became chief officers
+of the Guard.</p>
+
+<p>On the day that they entered Hamadan, Athura became
+the wife of the Prince of Iran. The marriage
+feast was held in the palace. After the feast, the great
+nobles of Iran were called into the throne room by King
+Hystaspis, who, sitting on the throne in state, addressed
+them thus:</p>
+
+<p>“Nobles of the Aryan race, I have called you hither<span class="pagenum" id="Page_307">[307]</span>
+to ask what is your will concerning the throne left by
+Cyrus and Cambyses. By right of birth, I, the head
+of the Achæmenian family, am entitled to reign in Iran.
+I am King of Iran. But while Iran rules the world,
+the victories of Cyrus established such rule and his authority
+was paramount to mine. I am old and desire
+to live the few years that may be mine in ease. I desire
+not to assume the burden that must be borne by the
+King of Kings. For I foresee that some of the conquered
+provinces will rebel and that wars will come.
+The line of Cyrus is dead, all save the Princess who this
+day has become the wife of my son. It is my command
+that all here speak freely.”</p>
+
+<p>Otanes stepped forth and looked about him a moment
+in silence. Then his eyes rested upon the Prince of
+Iran and his beautiful bride, who sat at the right hand
+of King Hystaspis. He bowed low before them.</p>
+
+<p>“There can be but one choice, O King,” he said
+gravely. “The royal power has ever been in the Achæmenian
+family. As long as there are men of that royal
+line, none others may dare to aspire to the throne. If
+you, Sire, refuse to reign, there stands the well-beloved
+Prince, your son, whose wisdom and valor are far beyond
+his years, whose name is on every soldier’s tongue,
+as the hero of his race! By him stands Athura, most
+beautiful, most royal in birth. Has not your family and
+the family of Cyrus united? Let Darius Hystaspis be
+King of Kings and Athura, the daughter of Cyrus, be
+his Queen! Thus will all the peoples be contented and
+the world be blest. What say you, nobles of Iran?”</p>
+
+<p>A roar of assent was the response.</p>
+
+<p>“Let the crown of Cyrus be brought hither!” commanded
+the King.</p>
+
+<p>A double crown, one part of which was silver and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_308">[308]</span>
+the other of gold, studded with gems, was brought forth.
+The King gravely rose from his throne and, addressing
+his son, said:</p>
+
+<p>“You have heard the choice of the nobles of Iran,
+my beloved son! In the presence of these men, I now
+renounce in your behalf the supreme rule of the world.
+Here and now I crown you King of Kings and Lord of
+Lords. Rule wisely and well. As King of Iran, I
+acknowledge you supreme Lord and will support your
+throne forever!”</p>
+
+<p>The Prince, much affected, knelt at his father’s feet
+and received upon his head the double crown, which the
+great Cyrus had made as a symbol of his everlasting
+dominion over the kings of the world. Then he rose
+and sat down upon the throne, with Athura at his right
+hand and his father at his left. The great lords of
+Persia came and did obeisance to him and bent their
+right knees before him. Thus Darius Hystaspis became
+the Great King, and proved to be the wisest and greatest
+of them all. For, to the military ability of the heroic
+Cyrus, he added the wisdom of a statesman, the greatest
+of his age; and, in addition, he was a lover of art and
+science.</p>
+
+<p>On the following day, at noon, in response to the call
+of public criers, a vast concourse of people gathered in
+and around the public square or market-place in Hamadan.
+Soldiers of the Persian army were massed at one
+side. The nobility, men of note and strangers, were
+massed on the other. In the midst, the public criers’
+tower arose forty feet in air, and from it, the people
+understood, announcement would be made concerning
+the accession of Darius Hystaspis to the throne as King
+of Kings.</p>
+
+<p>The people were restive. A bitter factional feeling<span class="pagenum" id="Page_309">[309]</span>
+had arisen during the reign of the false Bardya. The
+followers of the Magi, being in favor, had lorded it over
+the more orthodox Medes and Persians, had even prohibited
+their worship, and had taken away from their
+priests the revenues on which they lived. When Gaumata
+fell and the Persian army entered the capital, the
+persecuted ones in turn had come forth and assumed a
+haughty spirit towards the Magians. In all parts of
+Medea, as well as in the capital city, was the same unrest.
+Men hated their neighbors on account of religion,
+the most deadly hatred that men may entertain, and were
+ready to slay each other. It needed only the excitement
+of a great gathering to set afire the smoldering embers
+of hate. The eyes of all turned often to the gruesome
+spectacle of an earless head on the top of a pole planted
+near the tower in such position that the populace could
+see it. A squad of soldiers guarded it from being overthrown
+by the pressure of the crowd. It was the distorted
+and blackened face of Gaumata.</p>
+
+<p>At noon there issued from the palace a company consisting
+of the Great King, his Queen, his father, and the
+nobles of Iran, and they rode between massed lines of
+soldiers to a position near the tower. They were received
+with loud acclaim and clashing of weapons. A
+trumpet pealed forth from the tower, and a deep silence
+fell upon the people. Then Prexaspes appeared, accompanied
+by Gobryas and two armed guards.</p>
+
+<p>Prexaspes was carefully dressed. His hair and whiskers
+were curled and perfumed. His rich Medean cloak
+was gracefully parted so as to display to advantage his
+jeweled vestments. He was at once recognized, and a
+subdued murmur of wonder passed through the crowd.
+He raised his hand in graceful gesture, and said in a
+loud voice:</p>
+
+
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_310">[310]</span>“Behold me, Prexaspes, most unhappy of men! I am
+about to die and let my death, suffered righteously,
+attest the truth of my words!”</p>
+
+<p>He paused a moment, to let his hearers grasp his meaning.
+Then he told the story of the plots by which the
+Magi had influenced Cambyses to order the death of
+Bardya and how he himself had slain the Prince with
+their aid; how they had then conspired against Cambyses
+and caused his overthrow and death; how they had
+set up Gaumata, the earless one, to be King, falsely
+representing him to be Bardya, and had placed the
+Magian on the throne of the world; and, finally, how
+the false King had been overthrown.</p>
+
+<p>For the first time the populace knew that the Magi
+had slain Bardya and that a pretender had through their
+plots usurped the royal power. Every man looked at
+his fellow and laid his hand on the dagger at his belt.
+Hatred, fanned by the speaker’s revelations, blazed up;
+and a growl of anger passed throughout the vast crowd.
+Prexaspes ceased at last and for a moment stood in
+silence. Then he added:</p>
+
+<p>“I have told you all! There, on yonder pole, is the
+head of false Gaumata! My hand is red with the blood
+of an Achæmenian Prince, and by the law I must die!
+By the grace of the mighty King of Kings, Darius, son
+of Hystaspis, who is this day your King, I die as I
+choose. I salute you, O King! May you live forever!”</p>
+
+<p>He bowed towards the King, who sat still on his
+horse, sorrowfully contemplating the speaker. Then
+Prexaspes calmly opened his cloak and drew a long, keen
+dagger from his belt. He poised the dagger in air an
+instant, then drove it to the hilt in his breast. For a
+moment he stood smiling down upon the King, then his
+knees gave away and he fell, headlong, from the tower<span class="pagenum" id="Page_311">[311]</span>
+to the foot of the pole on which the hideous head of
+Gaumata leered. A murmur of horror ran through the
+vast throng. It increased in volume as the people spoke
+to each other. It rose to a vast roar in a moment and
+its burden was: “The Magi! They slew Bardya!
+Down with the Magi! Slay the Magi!”</p>
+
+<p>There was a movement in the great throng. Here and
+there daggers and swords flashed. Screams of agony
+arose. The crowd swayed hither and thither. Then it
+scattered, and broke into groups under self-elected leaders
+who chased the frightened Magi and slew them
+wherever found. A riot of bloodshed and slaughter ran
+throughout the country such as Medea had not seen since
+that day, hundreds of years ago, when the Scythians had
+been massacred. Every man who had a Magian neighbor
+assaulted him. The house of every Magian priest
+was broken open and pillaged and its occupants slain or
+chased into the hills. It is said that a hundred thousand
+Magians died, before the King, with the aid of unwilling
+Persian soldiers, succeeded in stopping the slaughter.
+So deep-seated was the hatred of the orthodox Aryans
+towards the Magians that on the anniversary of this day
+hereafter it was the practice to slay every one of that
+sect that was found on the highway. The King made a
+decree that on such anniversary no Magian should leave
+his house and that if he did so and was killed, his slayer
+would not be punished.</p>
+
+<p>But the remainder of our story is history. The kingdom
+of the Medes and Persians, or rather, the Kingdom
+of Iran, the rule of the Aryans, reached its zenith of
+power and glory under Darius Hystaspis, called Darius
+the Great. Well did he deserve the title “Great.” For
+he made laws for all the world save Greece and Rome.
+His coinage became the world standard. The provinces<span class="pagenum" id="Page_312">[312]</span>
+of his empire were ruled by kings. His public roads
+and rapid messenger service enabled him personally to
+supervise the general welfare of all his provinces. He
+invited men of letters to his court. He engraved his history
+on tablets and on the great rocks at Behistun and
+Persepolis. He brought architects and builders from
+Egypt, Palestine, and Phœnicia, and made for himself
+and his Queen a palace at Persepolis, whose stately ruins
+are yet mute witnesses of his power and magnificence.
+He had to reconquer many of the nations of Asia,
+which, because he was a young man and because religious
+feuds had torn Iran into factions, thought to free
+themselves. He redeemed his promise to Belteshazzer,
+the great Daniel of the Hebrew scriptures, and caused
+Jerusalem to be rebuilt, and he restored the Jews to
+their country. He restored the ancient religion of the
+Aryans and banished the false religion of the Magi,
+the Lie, from his empire. He worshiped God, whether
+named Jehovah by the Jew or Ahura-Mazda by his own
+people. His religion was pure and lofty.</p>
+
+<p>But most of all did he love and honor his Queen,
+Athura, whose praises the world sang in those days, and
+whose fame has been preserved in various narratives,
+none of which agree except that all ascribe to her great
+wisdom and beauty. Together they ruled their empire
+many years, and their reign was the golden age of the
+Aryan race.</p>
+
+
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop" />
+
+<div class="chapter">
+<div class="transnote">
+<p class="ph1">TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES:</p>
+
+<p>Obvious typographical errors have been corrected.</p>
+
+<p>Inconsistencies in hyphenation have been standardized.</p>
+
+<p>Archaic or variant spelling has been retained.</p>
+</div></div>
+<div style='display:block; margin-top:4em'>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE PRINCESS ATHURA ***</div>
+<div style='text-align:left'>
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author	nfenwick <nfenwick@pglaf.org>	2025-01-21 20:57:17 -0800
committer	nfenwick <nfenwick@pglaf.org>	2025-01-21 20:57:17 -0800
commit	454c67f2f40ba15c29c96eeb6d6764be152bef28 (patch)
tree	3afff3ad65a4bd19aacd929379f5d41f41faf224