Alexander : a history of the origin and growth of the art of war from ...

ALEXANDER'S LUCK. 275itants would not expect him from this direction, and the moraleffect of such a march would not be inconsiderable.It happened with Alexander's usual good fortune that aboutthe time when to make this march would be desirable, the elementsconspired in his favor, and the periodical north windblew with exceptional fury. That luck attended him cannotbe gainsaid, but Alexander desei'ves none the less credit forseizing the proper moment to enable him to secure a prosperouspassage of this treacherous route. In places the troopswaded to the middle, but the transit was safely accomplished.His success gave still further voice to the superstitious notionthat Alexander was under the direct favor of the gods. Thewhole expedition was no doubt well calculated by Alexanderin all its details, and what generally was a most hazardousfeat may have been at that time a safe one. Not a man waslost, but his soldiers, gazing back on their perilous passagefor miles through the waves of the sea at the foot of a perpendicularrock, shuddered indeed, but all the more gainedconfidence in their king, and gloried in his skill and courage,as they did in his youth and beauty. While the wonderfulgood luck which always followed thisgreat conqueror was amarked factor in his success, it must not be forgotten that athis headquarters the king always had the very bestscientificand professional talent ; that he was indefatigable in studyingup the questions which bore upon every step he took ; andthat what often appears to be crass luck was the result ofclose calculation. Moreover, Alexander never gave Fortunea chance to desert him ; whenever she stood ready to helphim, he always helped himself. The Peripatetic, Kallisthenes,who accompanied the king's headquarters, and first wrote ahistory of his campaigns, related the march with his usualunction, and claimed that the sea was fain to bow to the powerof this godlike youth. But Alexander simply wrote home