The Story of Alexander

by Robert Steele

CHAPTER XIII. HOW ALEXANDER AND HIS MEN PASSED THE NIGHT OF FEAR, AND HOW HE SAW THE GREATEST AND THE LEAST THING ON EARTH.

Within a month came tidings that Porus had gathered together another army, and would wage war with Alexander, for the hosts that had been on the march to him were there, and those of the Indians who had fled from the first battle, and all were anxious to overcome the Greeks. Alexander set out with his men, though it was in August, in the hottest of the year, for it was his habit to attack the enemy and never let them attack him. But his men suffered greatly from the heat, and some died of it alone, since their way led them into a desert place where they had to wear all their armour, for the land was full of snakes and adders shining in gold and bright colours, and if a man put off his armour and one of these bit him, his death was certain.

And when they passed the place of the snakes they came into a dry land where were no rivers or wells of water, and the army suffered greatly, for the water in their vessels dried up, and no man had to drink. For two days they toiled on, searching for water and finding none, and in the evening a certain knight, Severus by name, came on a little water in a hollow beneath some stones, and put it in his helmet and brought it with joy to Alexander and offered it to him. Then Alexander thanked him greatly, and before all his knights he took it up in his hands, as if he were going to drink it, and then he put it down and said, “If I drink this, will it sustain all the army, or shall I only be refreshed, and they thirsty still?” And the knight said, “Lord, our will is that you be first refreshed.” “What, and all ye perish?” said the Prince, and he held out the helmet before his lords, and poured out the water on the dry ground. “I will thirst first and feast last of all my men.” And the hearts of all his army were rejoiced, as if they had drunk abundantly.

And that night the wind began to blow, and the camels smelt water on the breeze, and they lifted themselves up and went towards it, and none could stop them, all the hosts followed them, and they led them after four hours’ journey to a little stream full of reeds. The soldiers of the host drank therein, but when it came to watering the beasts they found that there were too many of them, for all the goods of the camp were loaded on elephants, and on camels, and on mules. Then they searched about, but they found no other water near, so they made up their minds to follow this brook till they came to its end in some great river or lake, and in a day’s time they came to a great castle in a lake all full of reeds. So the beasts and the men drank, and when they had rested they began to enquire whose was this castle, and what was inside it. Now they rode round the lake, but nowhere did they see any road by which the castle could be entered, nor any gate to it, but there seemed to be men on the walls who were looking at them and their array. At the last, however, they saw two rows of great trees running across the lake towards the castle, and some of the knights spurred their horses into the water between them, and found a passage where the water came up to their horses’ necks. Then they sounded the trumpets from the shore, but there was no answer from the castle, nor any banner displayed. So the knights rode into the water along the causeway, and on and on till they came near the castle, and saw a great gate closed, and over it a notice carved in great letters filled with bright gold.

And when they had read it they tried to pass on to the castle, but they found that the road sank, so that their horses had to swim, and great beasts like sea lions rose through the water, and threw them off their steeds, so that they turned their horses’ heads and came to land again, and shewed all these things to Alexander.

Now these were the words on the stone:

“NO MAN MAY ENTER TO THE GREATEST AND LEAST TREASURE OF THE WORLD, TILL HE HAS PASSED THE NIGHT OF FEAR.”

And as the day began to fall, the whole camp heard a roar as of many wild beasts, and they looked and saw an army of tigers and dragons coming against them, and Alexander and his men drew their swords, but the beasts of the army were so terrified by the roaring of the wild beasts that they fled away and no man could stop them, and needs most the knights and soldiers follow them. But not far from there was a small lake of sweet water, and the horses and mules, the camels and the elephants, crowded into this pool, and gathered together in a ring in the middle of it, and stood there trembling and shivering. Then Alexander ordered his men to pitch their tents round this pool and to remain on guard, and they began to cut down wood for fires, and to prepare to lie there at their ease for some days. When night fell the moon rose over the mountains, and men ceased work and rested to enjoy the sweet coolness of the evening air, and the quiet rest of all things in the moonlight.

On a sudden, the plain seemed covered with crawling monsters making for the pool round which the Greeks were encamped; giant crayfish, of many colours, scorpions, and scaled adders. At first their coming was silent, and they could only be seen in the bright moonlight coming nearer and nearer, and then the hiss of the adders and the dash of the shells was heard, and then the sound grew louder till it seemed that all the hills resounded with it, and men heard the keen cry of great dragons coming down among them. Under the moon the knights could see the dragons’ crested heads and their golden breasts, and their eyes flashing out flames of fire, as they came on and on, nearer and nearer the line, and they said one to another, “Verily, this is a night of fear, beyond all other.”

And Alexander looked to the safety of all men, for he went round the camp, and saw that all men were in their place, and he called to him his knights and strengthened their hearts, and bade them take example by him and do as he did. Then he armed himself and took a shield and a sword, and with his knights went out before the line and began to slay the loathsome beasts that had come against them, while his archers and bowmen were shooting them down. But ever as they slew and slew, the reptiles swarmed up, and now and then the shrill cry of a man in agony would show that one of his knights or archers was overborne by the flood of writhing beasts, and carried away or slain. For hours the fight lasted, but when the moon was high in the heaven the flood of reptiles seemed to cease, and in a few minutes there were no more living round the camp, and Alexander gathered his knights and found that twenty knights and thirty archers had been slain in this attack.

After the fight was over, men began to light fires around the camp, and there was soon a ring of flames round the host, but before an hour had passed and men called the fourth hour of the night, the watchmen raised a cry, and all the army saw a host of great crabs drawing near the camp. So the knights in armour of plate came out against them with their lances, for no swords could smite through their shells. And again the fighting was fierce, for the lances were shivered against the crabs, and when men hewed off their claws they clung still to the armour and bit through it, till at the last the knights snatched up brands from the fires and thrust them into the open jaws of the crabs, and they turned and fled, and left the camp at peace.

And when the watchmen called the fifth hour of the night, there came up from the desert a band of fierce great lions, white and large as bulls. These the knights went out to meet, and a fierce battle took place, but the Greeks feared them not, and soon these also were put to flight. And there followed them a rush of wild boars, with great teeth and stout bristles, and these too were slain or driven away.

Now the sixth hour of the night drew nigh, and the moon was low down in the heavens, and the burden beasts of the army began to come to shore and lie down, and the men of the host were a-weary, when the watchmen cried out with a loud voice and there came up a host of wild men of the woods, having six hands, and these came up, and they feared not to rush on the knights, for they knew not the use of iron, but with bowshots and handblows they were driven off, and they escaped to the hills and the woods.

And in the seventh hour there came up a great fierce beast against them, with a black head, and on it were three huge horns, and he was larger than an elephant, and so sore was his attack on the host that he slew eight and twenty men, but Alexander ran up to him, and with his sword he slew him, and men rejoiced, for their hearts began to fail them for the long watch of the Night of Fear.

Now the day began to break, and the earth was lightened, though as yet there was no dawn, and the watchmen called the eighth hour, and there came up mice as large as foxes, and they came near and fed on the bodies of those things that were slain, and when men or beasts came near them, they bit them, and whatever was bitten fell down dead, and the archers shot at them and drove them away. Then came a crowd of foul bats as large as doves, and they flew about and flapped their wings in the face of the soldiers and bit them where they could on cheeks, or nose, or chin, or ears, and none could deliver themselves from them, but suddenly the dawn came, and the sun leaped up over the hills, and the black bats fled away, and men saw birds of a red colour come flying in among them, yet without harming them, as if to wish them joy of the day; and the Night of Fear was over.

Then the trumpeters of the Greeks sounded out their morning blast, and when it was over men heard another blast of the trumpets from the castle that they had seen the day before, and a great drawbridge was let down, and a boat was brought to it and set on the lake, and into it entered an old man dressed in long flowing robes, bearing a precious casket in his hands, and with him were heralds and trumpeters. And when they came to the shore they were met by the guards whom Alexander had sent to meet them, and they came on to the camp, and at the gate of the camp the aged man halted, and Alexander came out to him. Then they greeted each other, and the elder told Alexander who he was, and that the castle was set there to guard a precious thing, the greatest and the lightest thing in the world, and to show those who came there what they should do in times to come. Then Alexander was glad of heart, and he besought him to show him some of his wisdom. So the elder took a gold crown out of the casket he bore, and put it on Alexander’s head, and bade him come with him to the castle, for that there he should see all these things.

In going to the castle, Alexander went by boat with the elder, and his chief knights rode after him on horseback along the path through the water, and when they came to the deep place the drawbridge was let down to them and they mounted it and rode through the gateway into the courtyard of the castle, and Alexander and the elder were with them. So they were led into the great hall of the castle, and when they entered it they saw, at the place where the seat of the lord should be, a niche cut in the wall, and on the arch over it were written the words, “THE GREATEST TREASURE,” and below it were the words, “AND THE LEAST.” Now when they went up to it, they saw a rich cushion, and on it was lying an egg-shaped stone, and as they looked on it they saw a circle of brown on it and inside a clear black ring; and the stone was clear as crystal, and when one looked into it one saw men, and houses, and riches, and wealth, and all that man could desire or think of. So they brought out this treasure and laid it in the hand of Alexander, and lo! it became so heavy that he could not hold it, and they laid it on a beam of a balance, and in the other pan they placed gold and silver, a great quantity, and it weighed more than all. Then they cast on the beam all the treasures they had, and the stone outweighed them all. Then Alexander sent for the gold that he had with him, but the stone was heavier than all the treasure of the Persians and the Greeks. And Alexander said. “Truly, this is the greatest of treasures.”

Then the elder bade them take away all those treasures to their owners, and he took up a pinch of dust from the ground and laid it on the stone, and lo! from being so great, there was no mean thing that did not outweigh it; a blade of straw, a scrap of wood was heavier than this, and all its beauty and goodness were gone from it, so that no man would desire it or look upon it. Then Alexander asked of him what was this wonder, and why it did thus, and the elder told him the meaning of all this, and the name of the stone, and he said that the castle was put there to guard the way to the Wells of Life, and he told Alexander things that should come to pass. Then Alexander asked him how long he should live, and how should he die, and the elder told him not, but he said that he should learn from the trees of the sun and of the moon when he came to the shores of the great sea. And he told him that first must he go north into the desert and meet and conquer King Porus, and that then he should pass into the east through the Valley of Terror till he saw the Three Wells of Life, and that then he should find the Temple of the Sun and the trees which should tell him of what was to befall him. And Alexander gave him great gifts and left him and returned to his camp.

Thus Alexander turned northward, and in few days he was in the land of Bactria, and all the men of the land came to him with presents and gifts, and he received them, and abode there thirty days, that his men might recover their strength. And there came to him messengers and told him that Porus was encamped with his host a four days’ journey off; and Alexander disguised himself as one of those that supplied the camp with wine and flesh, and driving some cattle before him he came into the camp of Porus, that he might see how many men he had and what was their mind towards him. The guards of the camp laid hold on Alexander, for that he was a stranger, and brought him before Porus, and the king asked him who he was and whence he came. Then Alexander answered that he was a poor man of that land, and the Macedonians had taken away his cattle and his goods, but he had escaped with some which he was trying to sell. And Porus asked him had he seen Alexander, and what was he doing, and Alexander answered that he was sitting in his tent warming himself at a fire. Then Porus laughed out, and he was glad to hear that his enemy was so feeble that he had to sit in his tent, and he asked how old he was. And Alexander answered that he was a poor herdsman and knew not the king’s matters; so Porus gave him a letter to Alexander and a great reward, and promised him more if he should bring an answer again, and Alexander returned to his camp.

Now the letter of Porus was a challenge to Alexander, offering to meet him in single combat, for he said that no king or emperor should be such a coward as to send men to battle unless he joined in it himself, and that it would be better if only the kings on each side fought, for it would spare the blood of the people; and he offered to let the whole matter rest on this combat, so that if Alexander won he should be king of India, and if he won then all the lands should obey him. Now Porus was a tall man, a head and shoulders taller than any man of his army, while Alexander was short even among little men, and Porus counted on an easy victory.

When the armies drew near in line of battle, Alexander sent out a herald to Porus accepting his offer, and in short time all was ready for the fight, and the two kings, armed in full armour, were opposite one another. When the fight began, Porus advanced, proud of his strength and size, and ignorant of the great strength of Alexander, and both spurred at each other full tilt, and their lances broke to shivers, but neither was unhorsed. So they turned their horses and drew their swords, and Porus struck Alexander with his sword, and cut into the helmet, but the blow of Alexander was so fierce that it struck Porus out of his saddle and threw him to the ground senseless. Then all the knights of India cast up a keen cry, but Alexander dismounted, and caused the heralds to take off the helmet of Porus and to give him aid; and when Porus came to life again he owned him vanquished, and Alexander gave him back his kingdom, and from an enemy he became a friend and a subject to the lord of the Greeks.

On a night after Alexander lay in his tent musing alone, and he fell to thinking of his short life, and of the way he had come, and of the wonders of the land, and of the deeds he should do, when it seemed that there was with him in the tent his fosterer, the whilom King of Egypt, and he said to him, “O my son Alexander, many deeds shalt thou do, and many wonders shalt thou see, yet trust thou not to thy sight. Remember the stone in the Castle of the Lake, which was but the eye of man, for while he lives it may not be satisfied. Trust men who seem thy friends, but trust them not overmuch: fear the gods and them alone, for I am with thee to help thee.” Then the god departed, and Alexander lay alone asleep.