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

836 A NAVAL BATTLE.daughter ;for Carthage volunteered no assistance whatsoever.To be sure she was at war herself, but, as she did later in thedays of Hannibal, Carthage pursued a thoroughly selfishpolicy.The Tyrian fleet was divided into two sections, one ineachharbor. The Macedonian fleet rode near the mouth of theharbors, and prevented all egress, so that they could not joinforces for attack. Together they were too weak to expect todo much ; singly they were impotent. But the harassedTyrians felt called on to undertake some sharji offense, anddetermined to attack the Cyprian ships moored on thenorthside of Alexander's mole.Under cover ofsails spread as for drying across the mouthof the harbor, and thusunknown to Alexander, they placedexpert rowers and their bravest soldiers on board thirteenships of war, — three quinquiremes, three quadriremes andseven triremes ; and, towards the middle of the day, whenAlexander's sailors were scattered in qviest of victuals, andAlexander was in his tent on the farther or Egyptian sideofthe mole, where headquarters had been located, theTyriansrowed out of the harbor. At first they moved with as littlecommotion as possible ; but when well under way, they raisedtheir battle-cry, and sharply made for the Cyprian fleet. Sosudden was the attack that at first they had things theirownway, and drove on shore, sank or damaged a number of theseallied vessels. Some of Alexander's outposts had, however,conveyed to him speeedy information of the attack, or, asothers relate, he had happened to leave his tent earlier thanusual this day. He at once manned as many of the vesselson the south side of the mole as he could get together, postedsome of the half-manned ones at the mouth of the southernharbor, to prevent the exit of more Tyrian ships while he wasabsent, and with the rest— all the quinquiremes and fivetri-