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

DANGER. 639at home. Their parents are held in honor, and are relievedfrom taxes. And now I have proposed to send each one ofyou home loaded with spoil which will make him the envy ofhis native town. Ingrates! I will no more of you. Gohome and tellyour neighbors that you have deserted yourking, Alexander, who has overcome the earth to make youpowerful, to give you repute and wealth.Tell them that him,Alexander, whom no nation has yet been able to resist, yedeserted to the services of conquered foreigners. This shallbe your glory and your piety to the gods. Ye are no longer"my soldiers ! Get you gone !Upon this, Alexander left the rostrum, allowing none tofollow him, retired to his palace in the city, and secludedhimself for three days. His orders he gave only to hisAsiatic soldiers, his personal companions and the bodyguard,entirely overlooking the Macedonians. The old soldiersthus discharged were utterly humbled and cast down.They were without head or counsel. Though perhaps therewas some just cause of complaint, yet the magnificence ofthetheirking's anger overwhelmed them, and buried them underown wrong.There was for all that an element of grave danger insituation, unless the Macedonians should decide to throwthemselves on the king's mercy. For in such a body of oldheroes a leader would be sure to be found, and who can saywhat might occur ? Indeed, the body without a leader containedperhaps elements of yet greater danger. The menstill had their arms, and were twenty thousand strong. ButAlexander determined, as he always did, to play out the gameto the end. He was ready to rely on his Orientals, and madepreparations accordingly. On the third day he again calledin all his Persian and Asiatic officers, and to them gave hisorders, entirely ignoring the Macedonians, and making ap-the