The Story of Alexander

by Robert Steele

CHAPTER VI. TELLS OF THE FORAY OF KADESH, AND OF ITS ENDING, AND OF THE TAKING OF THE CITY OF TYRE.

Now the chief of the band he sent was Meleager, one of Alexander’s most valiant knights, and he had with him five hundred lances and their men-at-arms. His orders were to ride through the valley to the city of Kadesh, which belonged to Tyre, to drive together all the cattle and flocks in the plains, and to bring them to the army of Alexander. So he set out, and with him was Sir Sampson, a bold knight of the land, who knew all the country round about. They were so successful that they gathered together a host of beasts beyond number, and soon they turned towards Tyre with delight in their hearts. But before they had travelled a mile all the country was alarmed, and rose in arms against them, and a very valiant knight, Theosell, came riding out to meet them, and to prevent their getting away before the host appeared. Now Theosell and his men were armed in plate, and they made such a sudden rush on the Greeks that they struck many down and overrode them, so that those who fell to the ground never rose after, and their blows were mighty. Then Meleager was moved with wrath when he saw the Greeks turn and flee, and mounted as he was on a young horse he seized his spear and spurred against the enemy, striking great blows. Sampson, on the other hand, broke his lance at the first encounter, and struck out right and left with the broken end, hewing down his foes; also Aristes, a noble knight, was one of those who were chief in their resistance to the foe, and Caulus had no less an enemy than Theosell himself. The first stroke of Caulus’ sword fell on the helmet of Theosell, and struck down through the wooden crest—the great wild boar’s head—down into the helmet, and before Theosell had recovered from the blow a great swing of the sword struck off his head. Now when this noble knight was fallen to the ground all the folk that followed him, and were able, fled away, and Meleager and his men rejoiced that they had slain the leader of their foes and had won the field.

Suddenly they were interrupted by the sound of a horn, and they saw an army marching out of Kadesh against them under the command of Beritinus, a great lord of the country. The tale tells that there were with him thirty thousand lances clad in plate armour and mounted, with others following on foot, so that clouds of dust covered them, and the earth seemed to shake at their tread. Then the Macedonians were sore dismayed to see such a great host come out against them, and Meleager was in great mind to send a message to Alexander, asking him for aid before they joined battle. But there was no man who would go on such an errand, or leave his comrades in danger of death, and all men set their faces to live and die together.

The first onset of the foe was a fierce one, and not few of them, with their chief Beritinus, met their death, but the Macedonians lost Sampson and many another noble. Then began a long struggle between the few Macedonians and their foes, till at last they were beaten down to a little group of tired, wounded, and bleeding soldiers, breathless and faint, hardly able to strike a blow, yet resolved not to flee. Then the brave knight Aristes, although sore wounded himself, slew one of the enemy, and, leaping on his horse, spurred off to Alexander for help before all the little band was destroyed. Little need to tell that the king was sore grieved, and gathering together in haste as many of his knights as he could, he rode off to the rescue of Meleager through the valley, leaving Tyre and the camp. And ever as he went his eyes dropped tears as he thought of his good knights slain, and most of all he grieved for Sampson, whom he loved well.

But while Alexander was riding through the valley away from Tyre the men of the town were busy. He had finished a great tower in the water over against the city wall, and had left a guard within it to keep it till his return. But Sir Balaan of Tyre, one of the chief men of the town, prepared great machines and engines for casting stones into the tower, and when he had driven the guard from its walls, he sallied out of the town with a host of armed men and attacked it. Then the men of the tower defended it sharply, and sent out showers of darts and great stones. But Balaan fought so bitterly, and sent such a cloud of stones, that none of the Greeks could show themselves on the tower, and his slaves brought engines and threw down the top of the tower and tilted it into the sea, and all the men in it were slain. Then he got boats and barges and attacked the bottom of the castle, and broke down all its lower part, and threw the heaps into the sea, and the winds and the sea helped him, and a storm arose and beat the pieces small, so that not one beam remained fastened to another. Thus this great work was destroyed in a day, and Balaan returned to the city and barred the gate as before.

By this time Alexander had come out of the valley and reached the plain of Kadesh. Before him he saw here and there a few of his men fighting in scattered groups, while others of the enemy were collecting the cattle and sheep to drive them home again. All over the plain he saw his men struck down surrounded by heaps of the enemy. Then his eyes flamed out with wrath at the sight of their danger, and he struck spurs into Bucephalus his horse, and springing out with a spear rode straight at the thickest of his foes; and ever as he rode he struck them to earth, so that through the thickest of the throng his way was marked by a clear wide path and his nobles rode after him. And when his lance broke he drew out his long sword and struck down all before him till no man of the enemy was on the plain who was not stricken down and a prisoner. Then he turned to those of his men who were still alive and comforted them with fair words, and much he praised their valour, and then bound up their wounds, and the king left order that the dead should be buried under stone or marble monuments, and gathering together the prey, great and small, flocks and herds, he returned with his men to Tyre.

The tale tells that as he rode out of the valley and came into view of Tyre his first look was towards the great tower he had built, and sore was he grieved when he found that it had been destroyed, and that his soldiers that were in it had perished; and all the Macedonians mourned, and they trusted no longer that Tyre would be taken. But that same night Alexander was sleeping by himself in his tent, and he thought that he saw a great vine before him, and that he put out his hand and plucked one grape out of a ripe cluster. Then he flung it on the floor and put his foot on it, and when he had broken it, lo! wine flowed out, so much that it was a wonder to see. In the morning, when the king rose, he called to him a wise man, and bade him tell what the dream should mean; and the wise man said: “O king, fear not; Tyre is thine own; for this berry that thou didst break is the town of Tyre, and thou shalt tread under thy feet its towers within few days.” Then the king rejoiced, and set about to make many plans, if by any means he might come within the walls of Tyre.

Soon another tower was in building, right in the same place as the first had been, half as large again and higher than the town-walls, firmly anchored and fastened so that it could not move, close against the sea-wall of the town. And when the tower was built Alexander clad himself in armour of steel, its plates shining in the sun, and went to the top of it and looked over the town and saw its walls, and then he looked to his camp and saw the Greeks, and he resolved to make no more delay but to take it by storm at once. So he ordered the Macedonians to make ready for the battle, and when they saw him on the walls of Tyre to lose no time, but each man to follow him. Then began the beating of drums and the loud blare of the trumpets till the town and camp rang with their brazen strokes, and all men rushed to the assault of the walls. The archers came within bowshot of the walls, covered with great shields which they held before them, each shield covering two men, and shot keenly at every mark that showed itself, and their arrows were deadly as adders; nor were they of the town less eager to return their bowshot, and from the walls they cast great stones among the Greeks. Suddenly the gates of the town opened, and the Tyrians made a sally out, wounding and killing many of the archers, for they were good spearmen, and could cast the dart.

But Alexander and his princes had passed up into the tower, and some of the lords were armed with lances, and some bore huge two-handed swords, and many carried the battle-axe, and a few had cross-bows which shot great bolts of steel. Then from the tower they passed on to the sea-wall of Tyre and fought their way among a crowd of foes, Alexander ever the first. Long were it to tell of the fight and of his valour, for they of the town worthily withstood him, and ere they made sure their footing on the town-wall, many knights had been stricken down backward into the deep water. But when they saw that, the Greeks became maddened with rage, and no wound could make them pause, and as they obtained a footing they fell to shooting with cross-bows, and with their great catapults, each stone like a man’s head, and the yeomen got out great crowbars and began to tear down the turrets and battlements; while the knights hurried forward beating down their opponents. At last a breach in the walls was made, and then the host of Alexander rushed into the town, eager to revenge the death of so many of their comrades, and the men of Tyre thronged thick to the wall to guard the entrance. But Alexander forced his way through them all and over the broken wall into the city, and the first man he met was Balaan. Short was the fight, for one stroke of his mighty sword laid Balaan low, and he was thrown into the sea beneath the walls. Then when the Tyrians were driven from the walls the Greeks clambered up them with all manner of ladders, on each step a cluster, and those who had no ladders climbed up the stones without them, and in short time Tyre was in their hands, for after the death of Sir Balaan no man could lead the men of the town or give them heart to fight.