Eine aegyptische königstochter. English

  CHAPTER X.

  The sun of a hot midsummer-day had risen on Naukratis. The Nile hadalready begun to overflow its banks, and the fields and gardens of theEgyptians were covered with water.

  The harbor was crowded with craft of all kinds. Egyptian vessels werethere, manned by Phoenician colonists from the coasts of the Delta, andbringing fine woven goods from Malta, metals and precious stones fromSardinia, wine and copper from Cyprus. Greek triremes laden withoil, wine and mastic-wood; metal-work and woollen wares from Chalcis,Phoenician and Syrian craft with gaily-colored sails, and freightedwith cargoes of purple stuffs, gems, spices, glass-work, carpets andcedar-trees,--used in Egypt, where wood was very scarce, for buildingpurposes, and taking back gold, ivory, ebony, brightly-plumaged tropicalbirds, precious stones and black slaves,--the treasures of Ethiopia;but more especially the far-famed Egyptian corn, Memphian chariots, lacefrom Sais, and the finer sorts of papyrus. The time when commercewas carried on merely by barter was now, however, long past, and themerchants of Naukratis not seldom paid for their goods in gold coin andcarefully-weighed silver.

  Large warehouses stood round the harbor of this Greek colony, andslightly-built dwelling-houses, into which the idle mariners were luredby the sounds of music and laughter, and the glances and voices ofpainted and rouged damsels. Slaves, both white and colored, rowers andsteersmen, in various costumes, were hurrying hither and thither,while the ships' captains, either dressed in the Greek fashion or inPhoenician garments of the most glaring colors, were shouting orders totheir crews and delivering up their cargoes to the merchants. Whenever adispute arose, the Egyptian police with their long staves, and the Greekwarders of the harbor were quickly at hand. The latter were appointed bythe elders of the merchant-body in this Milesian colony.

  The port was getting empty now, for the hour at which the market openedwas near, and none of the free Greeks cared to be absent from themarket-place then. This time, however, not a few remained behind,curiously watching a beautifully-built Samian ship, the Okeia, with along prow like a swan's neck, on the front of which a likeness of thegoddess Hera was conspicuous. It was discharging its cargo, but thepublic attention was more particularly attracted by three handsomeyouths, in the dress of Lydian officers, who left the ship, followed bya number of slaves carrying chests and packages.

  The handsomest of the three travellers, in whom of course our readersrecognize their three young friends, Darius, Bartja and Zopyrus, spoketo one of the harbor police and asked for the house of Theopompus theMilesian, to whom they were bound on a visit.

  Polite and ready to do a service, like all the Greeks, the policefunctionary at once led the way across the market-place,--where theopening of business had just been announced by the sound of a bell,--toa handsome house, the property of the Milesian, Theopompus, one of themost important and respected men in Naukratis.

  The party, however, did not succeed in crossing the market-place withouthindrance. They found it easy enough to evade the importunities ofimpudent fishsellers, and the friendly invitations of butchers, bakers,sausage and vegetable-sellers, and potters. But when they reached thepart allotted to the flower-girls, Zopyrus was so enchanted with thescene, that he clapped his hands for joy.

  [Separate portions of the market were set apart for the sale of different goods. The part appointed for the flower-sellers, who passed in general for no better than they should be, was called the "myrtle-market." Aristoph. Thesmoph. 448.]

  Three wonderfully-lovely girls, in white dresses of somehalf-transparent material, with colored borders, were seated togetheron low stools, binding roses, violets and orange-blossoms into one longwreath. Their charming heads were wreathed with flowers too, and lookedvery like the lovely rosebuds which one of them, on seeing the young mencome up, held out to their notice.

  "Buy my roses, my handsome gentlemen," she said in a clear, melodiousvoice, "to put in your sweethearts' hair."

  Zopyrus took the flowers, and holding the girl's hand fast in his own,answered, "I come from a far country, my lovely child, and have nosweetheart in Naukratis yet; so let me put the roses in your own goldenhair, and this piece of gold in your white little hand."

  The girl burst into a merry laugh, showed her sister the handsomepresent, and answered: "By Eros, such gentlemen as you cannot want forsweethearts. Are you brothers?"

  "No."

  "That's a pity, for we are sisters."

  "And you thought we should make three pretty couples?"

  "I may have thought it, but I did not say so."

  "And your sisters?"

  [This passage was suggested by the following epigram of Dionysius "Roses are blooming on thy cheek, with roses thy basket is laden, Which dost thou sell? The flowers? Thyself? Or both, my pretty maiden?"]

  The girls laughed, as if they were but little averse to such aconnection, and offered Bartja and Darius rosebuds too.

  The young men accepted them, gave each a gold piece in return, and werenot allowed to leave these beauties until their helmets had been crownedwith laurel.

  Meanwhile the news of the strangers' remarkable liberality had spreadamong the many girls, who were selling ribbons, wreaths and flowersclose by. They all brought roses too and invited the strangers withlooks and words to stay with them and buy their flowers.

  Zopyrus, like many a young gentleman in Naukratis, would gladly haveaccepted their invitations, for most of these girls were beautiful, andtheir hearts were not difficult to win; but Darius urged him to comeaway, and begged Bartja to forbid the thoughtless fellow's staying anylonger. After passing the tables of the money-changers, and thestone seats on which the citizens sat in the open air and held theirconsultations, they arrived at the house of Theopompus.

  The stroke given by their Greek guide with the metal knocker on thehouse-door was answered at once by a slave. As the master was at themarket, the strangers were led by the steward, an old servant grown greyin the service of Theopompus, into the Andronitis, and begged to waitthere until he returned.

  They were still engaged in admiring the paintings on the walls, and theartistic carving of the stone floor, when Theopompus, the merchant whomwe first learnt to know at the house of Rhodopis, came back from themarket, followed by a great number of slaves bearing his purchases.

  [Men of high rank among the Greeks did not disdain to make purchases at market, accompanied by their slaves, but respectable women could not appear there. Female slaves were generally sent to buy what was needed.]

  He received the strangers with charming politeness and asked in whatway he could be of use to them, on which Bartja, having first convincedhimself that no unwished--for listeners were present, gave him the rollhe had received from Phanes at parting.

  Theopompus had scarcely read its contents, when he made a low bow tothe prince, exclaiming: "By Zeus, the father of hospitality, this isthe greatest honor that could have been conferred upon my house! All Ipossess is yours, and I beg you to ask your companions to accept withkindness what I can offer. Pardon my not having recognized you at oncein your Lydian dress. It seems to me that your hair is shorter and yourbeard thicker, than when you left Egypt. Am I right in imagining thatyou do not wish to be recognized? It shall be exactly as you wish. Heis the best host, who allows his guests the most freedom. All, now Irecognize your friends; but they have disguised themselves and cuttheir curls also. Indeed, I could almost say that you, my friend, whosename--"

  "My name is Darius."

  "That you, Darius, have dyed your hair black. Yes? Then you see mymemory does not deceive me. But that is nothing to boast of, for I sawyou several times at Sais, and here too, on your arrival and departure.You ask, my prince, whether you would be generally recognized? Certainlynot. The foreign dress, the change in your hair and the coloring of youreyebrows have altered you wonderfully. But excuse me a moment, my oldsteward seems to have some important message to give."

  In a few minutes Theopompus came back, exclaiming: "No, no, my honoredfriends,
you have certainly not taken the wisest way of enteringNaukratis incognito. You have been joking with the flower-girls andpaying them for a few roses, not like runaway Lydian Hekatontarchs, butlike the great lords you are. All Naukratis knows the pretty, frivoloussisters, Stephanion, Chloris and Irene, whose garlands have caught manya heart, and whose sweet glances have lured many a bright obolus outof the pockets of our gay young men. They're very fond of visiting theflower-girls at market-time, and agreements are entered into then forwhich more than one gold piece must be paid later; but for a few rosesand good words they are not accustomed to be so liberal as you havebeen. The girls have been boasting about you and your gifts, and showingyour good red gold to their stingier suitors. As rumor is a goddess whois very apt to exaggerate and to make a crocodile out of a lizard, ithappened that news reached the Egyptian captain on guard at the market,that some newly-arrived Lydian warriors had been scattering goldbroadcast among the flower-girls. This excited suspicion, and inducedthe Toparch to send an officer here to enquire from whence you come, andwhat is the object of your journey hither. I was obliged to use a littlestratagem to impose upon him, and told him, as I believe you wish, thatyou were rich young men from Sardis, who had fled on account of havingincurred the satrap's ill-will. But I see the government officer coming,and with him the secretary who is to make out passports which willenable you to remain on the Nile unmolested. I have promised him ahandsome reward, if he can help you in getting admitted into the king'smercenaries. He was caught and believed my story. You are so young, thatnobody would imagine you were entrusted with a secret mission."

  The talkative Greek had scarcely finished speaking when the clerk,a lean, dry-looking man, dressed in white, came in, placed himselfopposite the strangers and asked them from whence they came and what wasthe object of their journey.

  The youths held to their first assertion, that they were LydianHekatontarchs, and begged the functionary to provide them with passesand tell them in what way they might most easily obtain admittance intothe king's troop of auxiliaries.

  The man did not hesitate long, after Theopompus had undertaken to betheir surety, and the desired documents were made out.

  Bartja's pass ran thus:

  "Smerdis, the son of Sandon of Sardis, about 22 years of age--figure,tall and slender-face, well-formed:--nose, straight:--forehead, highwith a small scar in the middle:--is hereby permitted to remain in thoseparts of Egypt in which the law allows foreigners to reside, as suretyhas been given for him.

  "In the King's name. "Sachons, Clerk."

  Darius and Zopyrus received passports similarly worded.

  When the government official had left the houses, Theopompus rubbed hishands and said: "Now if you will follow my advice on all points you canstay in Egypt safely enough. Keep these little rolls as if they were theapple of your eye, and never part from them. Now, however, I must begyou to follow me to breakfast and to tell me, if agreeable to you,whether a report which has just been making the round of the marketis not, as usual, entirely false. A trireme from Kolophon, namely, hasbrought the news that your powerful brother, noble Bartja, is preparingto make war with Amasis."

  .........................

  On the evening of the same day, Bartja and Sappho saw each other again.In that first hour surprise and joy together made Sappho's happiness toogreat for words. When they were once more seated in the acanthus-grovewhose blossoming branches had so often seen and sheltered their younglove, she embraced him tenderly, but for a long time they did not speakone word. They saw neither moon nor stars moving silently above them, inthe warm summer night; they did not even hear the nightingales who werestill repeating their favorite, flute-like, Itys-call to one another;nor did they feel the dew which fell as heavily on their fair heads ason the flowers in the grass around them.

  At last Bartja, taking both Sappho's hands in his own, looked long andsilently into her face, as if to stamp her likeness for ever on hismemory. When he spoke at last, she cast down her eyes, for he said: "Inmy dreams, Sappho, you have always been the most lovely creature thatAuramazda ever created, but now I see you again, you are more lovelyeven than my dreams."

  And when a bright, happy glance from her had thanked him for thesewords, he drew her closer to him, asking: "Did you often think of me?"

  "I thought only of you."

  "And did you hope to see me soon?"

  "Yes; hour after hour I thought, 'now he must be coming.' Sometimes Iwent into the garden in the morning and looked towards your home in theEast, and a bird flew towards me from thence and I felt a twitching inmy right eyelid; or when I was putting my box to rights and found thelaurel crown which I put by as a remembrance, because you looked so wellin it,--Melitta says such wreaths are good for keeping true love--thenI used to clap my hands with joy and think, 'to-day he must come;' andI would run down to the Nile and wave my handkerchief to every passingboat, for every boat I thought must be bringing you to me."

  [A bird flying from the right side, and a twitching of the right eye were considered fortunate omens. Theokrirus, III. 37]

  "But you did not come, and then I went sadly home, and would sit down bythe fire on the hearth in the women's room, and sing, and gaze into thefire till grandmother would wake me out of my dream by saying: 'Listento me, girl; whoever dreams by daylight is in danger of lying awake atnight, and getting up in the morning with a sad heart, a tired brain andweary limbs. The day was not given us for sleep, and we must live init with open eyes, that not a single hour may be idly spent. The pastbelongs to the dead; only fools count upon the future; but wise menhold fast by the ever young present; by work they foster all the variousgifts which Zeus, Apollo, Pallas, Cypris lend; by work they raise,and perfect and ennoble them, until their feelings, actions, words andthoughts become harmonious like a well-tuned lute. You cannot serve theman to whom you have given your whole heart,--to whom in your greatlove you look up as so much higher than yourself--you cannot prove thesteadfastness and faithfulness of that love better, than by raisingand improving your mind to the utmost of your power. Every good andbeautiful truth that you learn is an offering to him you love best, forin giving your whole self, you give your virtues too. But no one gainsthis victory in dreams. The dew by which such blossoms are nourished iscalled the sweat of man's brow.' So she would speak to me, and then Istarted up ashamed and left the hearth, and either took my lyre to learnnew songs, or listened to my loving teacher's words--she is wiser thanmost men--attentively and still. And so the time passed on; a rapidstream, just like our river Nile, which flows unceasingly, and bringssuch changing scenes upon its waves, sometimes a golden boat withstreamers gay,--sometimes a fearful, ravenous crocodile."

  "But now we are sitting in the golden boat. Oh, if time's waves wouldonly cease to flow! If this one moment could but last for aye. Youlovely girl, how perfectly you speak, how well you understand andremember all this beautiful teaching and make it even more beautiful byyour way of repeating it. Yes, Sappho, I am very proud of you. In you Ihave a treasure which makes me richer than my brother, though half theworld belongs to him."

  "You proud of me? you, a king's son, the best and handsomest of yourfamily?"

  "The greatest worth that I can find in myself is, that you think meworthy of your love."

  "Tell me, ye gods, how can this little heart hold so much joy withoutbreaking? 'Tis like a vase that's overfilled with purest, heaviestgold?"

  "Another heart will help you to bear it; and that is my own, for mine isagain supported by yours, and with that help I can laugh at every evilthat the world or night may bring."

  "Oh, don't excite the envy of the gods; human happiness often vexesthem. Since you left us we have passed some very, very sad days. Thetwo poor children of our kind Phanes--a boy as beautiful as Eros, and alittle girl as fair and rosy as a summer morning's cloud just lit upby the sun,--came for some happy days to stay with us. Grandmother grewquite glad and young again while looking on these little ones,
and asfor me I gave them all my heart, though really it is your's and your'salone. But hearts, you know, are wonderfully made; they're like the sunwho sends his rays everywhere, and loses neither warmth nor light bygiving much, but gives to all their due. I loved those little ones sovery much. One evening we were sitting quite alone with Theopompus inthe women's room, when suddenly we heard aloud, wild noise. The good oldKnakias, our faithful slave, just reached the door as all the boltsgave way, and, rushing through the entrance-hall into the peristyle, theandronitis, and so on to us, crashing the door between, came a troop ofsoldiers. Grandmother showed them the letter by which Amasis secured ourhouse from all attack and made it a sure refuge, but they laughedthe writing to scorn and showed us on their side a document with thecrown-prince's seal, in which we were sternly commanded to deliver upPhanes' children at once to this rough troop of men. Theopompus reprovedthe soldiers for their roughness, telling them that the children camefrom Corinth and had no connection with Phanes; but the captain of thetroop defied and sneered at him, pushed my grandmother rudely away,forced his way into her own apartment, where among her most precioustreasures, at the head of her own bed, the two children lay sleepingpeacefully, dragged them out of their little beds and took them in anopen boat through the cold night-air to the royal city. In a few days weheard the boy was dead. They say he has been killed by Psamtik's orders;and the little girl, so sweet and dear, is lying in a dismal dungeon,and pining for her father and for us. Oh, dearest, isn't it a painfulthing that sorrows such as these should come to mar our perfecthappiness? My eyes weep joy and sorrow in the same moment, and my lips,which have just been laughing with you, have now to tell you this sadstory."

  "I feel your pain with you, my child, but it makes my hand clench withrage instead of filling my eyes with tears. That gentle boy whom youloved, that little girl who now sits weeping in the dark dungeon, shallboth be revenged. Trust me; before the Nile has risen again, a powerfularmy will have entered Egypt, to demand satisfaction for this murder."

  "Oh, dearest, how your eyes are glowing! I never saw you look sobeautiful before. Yes, yes, the boy must be avenged, and none but youmust be his avenger."

  "My gentle Sappho is becoming warlike too."

  "Yes, women must feel warlike when wickedness is so triumphant; womenrejoice too when such crimes are punished. Tell me has war been declaredalready?"

  "Not yet; but hosts on hosts are marching to the valley of the Euphratesto join our main army."

  "My courage sinks as quickly as it rose. I tremble at the word, the mereword, war. How many childless mothers Ares makes, how many young fairheads must wear the widow's veil, how many pillows are wet through withtears when Pallas takes her shield."

  "But a man developes in war; his heart expands, his arm grows strong.And none rejoice more than you when he returns a conqueror from thefield. The wife of a Persian, especially, ought to rejoice in thethought of battle, for her husband's honor and fame are dearer to herthan his life."

  "Go to the war. I shall pray for you there."

  "And victory will be with the right. First we will conquer Pharaoh'shost, then release Phanes' little daughter..."

  "And then Aristomachus, the brave old man who succeeded Phanes when hefled. He has vanished, no one knows whither, but people say that thecrown-prince has either imprisoned him in a dismal dungeon on account ofhis having uttered threats of retaliating the cruelty shown to Phanes'children, or--what would be worse--has had him dragged off to somedistant quarry. The poor old man was exiled from his home, not for hisown fault, but by the malice of his enemies, and the very day on whichwe lost sight of him an embassy arrived here from the Spartan peoplerecalling Aristomachus to the Eurotas with all the honors Greece couldbestow, because his sons had brought great glory to their country. Aship wreathed with flowers was sent to fetch the honored old man, andat the head of the deputation was his own brave, strong son, now crownedwith glory and fame."

  "I know him. He's a man of iron. Once he mutilated himself cruelly toavoid disgrace. By the Anahita star, which is setting so beautifully inthe east, he shall be revenged!"

  "Oh, can it be so late? To me the time has gone by like a sweet breeze,which kissed my forehead and passed away. Did not you hear some onecall? They will be waiting for us, and you must be at your friend'shouse in the town before dawn. Good-bye, my brave hero."

  "Good-bye, my dearest one. In five days we shall hear our marriage-hymn.But you tremble as if we were going to battle instead of to ourwedding."

  "I'm trembling at the greatness of our joy; one always trembles inexpectation of anything unusually great."

  "Hark, Rhodopis is calling again; let us go. I have asked Theopompusto arrange everything about our wedding with her according to the usualcustom; and I shall remain in his house incognito until I can carry youoff as my own dear wife."

  "And I will go with you."

  The next morning, as the three friends were walking with their host inhis garden, Zopyrus exclaimed: "Wily, Bartja, I've been dreaming allnight of your Sappho. What a lucky fellow you are! Why I fancied my newwife in Sardis was no end of a beauty until I saw Sappho, and now when Ithink of her she seems like an owl. If Araspes could see Sappho he wouldbe obliged to confess that even Panthea had been outdone at last. Sucha creature was never made before. Auramazda is an awful spendthrift;he might have made three beauties out of Sappho. And how charmingly itsounded when she said 'good-night' to us in Persian."

  "While I was away," said Bartja, "she has been taking a great deal oftrouble to learn Persian from the wife of a Babylonian carpet-merchant,a native of Susa, who is living at Naukratis, in order to surprise me.

  "Yes, she is a glorious girl," said Theopompus. "My late wife loved thelittle one as if she had been her own child. She would have liked tohave had her as a wife for our son who manages the affairs of my houseat Miletus, but the gods have ordained otherwise! Ah, how glad she wouldhave been to see the wedding garland at Rhodopis' door!"

  "Is it the custom here to ornament a bride's house with flowers?" saidZopyrus.

  "Certainly," answered Theopompus. "When you see a door hung with flowersyou may always know that house contains a bride; an olive-branch is asign that a boy has just come into the world, and a strip of woollencloth hanging over the gate that a girl has been born; but a vessel ofwater before the door is the token of death. But business-hour at themarket is very near, my friends, and I must leave you, as I have affairsof great importance to transact."

  "I will accompany you," said Zopyrus, "I want to order some garlands forRhodopis' house."

  "Aha," laughed the Milesian. "I see, you want to talk to theflower-girls again. Come, it's of no use to deny. Well, if you like youcan come with me, but don't be so generous as you were yesterday, anddon't forget that if certain news of war should arrive, your disguisemay prove dangerous."

  The Greek then had his sandals fastened on by his slaves and started forthe market, accompanied by Zopyrus. In a few hours he returned with sucha serious expression on his usually cheerful face, that it was easy tosee something very important had happened.

  "I found the whole town in great agitation," he said to the two friendswho had remained at home; "there is a report that Amasis is at the pointof death. We had all met on the place of exchange in order to settle ourbusiness, and I was on the point of selling all my stored goods at suchhigh prices as to secure me a first-rate profit, with which, when theprospect of an important war had lowered prices again, I could havebought in fresh goods--you see it stands me in good stead to know yourroyal brother's intentions so early--when suddenly the Toparch appearedamong us, and announced that Amasis was not only seriously ill, but thatthe physicians had given up all hope, and he himself felt he was verynear death. We must hold ourselves in readiness for this at any moment,and for a very serious change in the face of affairs. The death ofAmasis is the severest loss that could happen to us Greeks; he wasalways our friend, and favored us whenever he could, while his son isour avowed enemy and will do his
utmost to expel us from the country.If his father had allowed, and he himself had not felt so strongly theimportance and value of our mercenary troops, he would have turned ushateful foreigners out long ago. Naukratis and its temples are odious tohim. When Amasis is dead our town will hail Cambyses' army with delight,for I have had experience already, in my native town Miletus, that youare accustomed to show respect to those who are not Persians and toprotect their rights."

  "Yes," said Bartja, "I will take care that all your ancient libertiesshall be confirmed by my brother and new ones granted you."

  "Well, I only hope he will soon be here," exclaimed the Greek, "for weknow that Psamtik, as soon as he possibly can, will order our temples,which are an abomination to him, to be demolished. The building of aplace of sacrifice for the Greeks at Memphis has long been put a stopto."

  "But here," said Darius, "we saw a number of splendid temples as we cameup from the harbor."

  "Oh, yes, we have several.--Ah, there comes Zopyrus; the slaves arecarrying a perfect grove of garlands behind him. He's laughing soheartily, he must have amused himself famously with the flower-girls.Good-morning, my friend. The sad news which fills all Naukratis does notseem to disturb you much."

  "Oh, for anything I care, Amasis may go on living a hundred years yet.But if he dies now, people will have something else to do beside lookingafter us. When do you set off for Rhodopis' house, friends?"

  "At dusk."

  "Then please, ask her to accept these flowers from me. I never thoughtI could have been so taken by an old woman before. Every word she sayssounds like music, and though she speaks so gravely and wisely it's aspleasant to the ear as a merry joke. But I shan't go with you this time,Bartja; I should only be in the way. Darius, what have you made up yourmind to do?"

  "I don't want to lose one chance of a conversation with Rhodopis."

  "Well, I don't blame you. You're all for learning and knowingeverything, and I'm for enjoying. Friends, what do you say to letting meoff this evening? You see...."

  "I know all about it," interrupted Bartja laughing: "You've only seenthe flower-girls by daylight as yet, and you would like to know how theylook by lamplight."

  "Yes, that's it," said Zopyrus, putting on a grave face. "On that pointI am quite as eager after knowledge as Darius."

  "Well, we wish you much pleasure with your three sisters."

  "No, no, not all three, if you please; Stephanion, the youngest, is myfavorite."

  Morning had already dawned when Bartja, Darius and Theopompus leftRhodopis' house. Syloson, a Greek noble who had been banished from hisnative land by his own brother, Polykrates the tyrant, had been spendingthe evening with them, and was now returning in their company toNaukratis, where he had been living many years.

  This man, though an exile, was liberally supplied with money by hisbrother, kept the most brilliant establishment in Naukratis, and wasas famous for his extravagant hospitality as for his strength andcleverness. Syloson was a very handsome man too, and so remarkable forthe good taste and splendor of his dress, that the youth of Naukratisprided themselves on imitating the cut and hang of his robes. Beingunmarried, he spent many of his evenings at Rhodopis' house, and hadbeen told the secret of her granddaughter's betrothal.

  On that evening it had been settled, that in four days the marriageshould be celebrated with the greatest privacy. Bartja had formallybetrothed himself to Sappho by eating a quince with her, on the same dayon which she had offered sacrifices to Zeus, Hera, and the other deitieswho protected marriage. The wedding-banquet was to be given at the houseof Theopompus, which was looked upon as the bridegroom's. The prince'scostly bridal presents had been entrusted to Rhodopis' care, and Bartjahad insisted on renouncing the paternal inheritance which belongedto his bride and on transferring it to Rhodopis, notwithstanding herdetermined resistance.

  Syloson accompanied the friends to Rhodopis' house, and was justabout to leave them, when a loud noise in the streets broke the quietstillness of the night, and soon after, a troop of the watch passed by,taking a man to prison. The prisoner seemed highly indignant, and theless his broken Greek oaths and his utterances in some other totallyunintelligible language were understood by the Egyptian guards, the moreviolent he became.

  Directly Bartja and Darius heard the voice they ran up, and recognizedZopyrus at once.

  Syloson and Theopompus stopped the guards, and asked what their captivehad done. The officer on duty recognized them directly; indeed everychild in Naukratis knew the Milesian merchant and the brother of thetyrant Polykrates by sight; and he answered at once, with a respectfulsalutation, that the foreign youth they were leading away had beenguilty of murder.

  Theopompus then took him on one side and endeavored, by liberalpromises, to obtain the freedom of the prisoner. The man, however, wouldconcede nothing but a permission to speak with his captive. Meanwhilehis friends begged Zopyrus to tell them at once what had happened,and heard the following story: The thoughtless fellow had visited theflower-girls at dusk and remained till dawn. He had scarcely closedtheir housedoor on his way home, when he found himself surrounded by anumber of young men, who had probably been lying in wait for him, ashe had already had a quarrel with one of them, who called himself thebetrothed lover of Stephanion, on that very morning. The girl had toldher troublesome admirer to leave her flowers alone, and had thankedZopyrus for threatening to use personal violence to the intruder. Whenthe young Achaemenidae found himself surrounded, he drew his sword andeasily dispersed his adversaries, as they were only armed with sticks,but chanced to wound the jealous lover, who was more violent than therest, so seriously, that he fell to the ground. Meanwhile the watchhad come up, and as Zopyrus' victim howled "thieves" and "murder"incessantly, they proceeded to arrest the offender. This was not soeasy. His blood was up, and rushing on them with his drawn sword, he hadalready cut his way through the first troop when a second came up.He was not to be daunted, attacked them too, split the skull of one,wounded another in the arm and was taking aim for a third blow, whenhe felt a cord round his neck. It was drawn tighter and tighter till atlast he could not breathe and fell down insensible. By the time he cameto his senses he was bound, and notwithstanding all his appeals to hispass and the name of Theopompus, was forced to follow his captors.

  When the tale was finished the Milesian did not attempt to conceal hisstrong disapprobation, and told Zopyrus that his most unseasonable loveof fighting might be followed by the saddest consequences. After sayingthis, he turned to the officer and begged him to accept his own personalsecurity for the prisoner. The other, however, refused gravely, sayinghe might forfeit his own life by doing so, as a law existed in Egyptby which the concealer of a murder was condemned to death. He must,he assured them, take the culprit to Sais and deliver him over to theNomarch for punishment. "He has murdered an Egyptian," were his lastwords, "and must therefore be tried by an Egyptian supreme court. In anyother case I should be delighted to render you any service in my power."

  During this conversation Zopyrus had been begging his friends not totake any trouble about him. "By Mithras," he cried, when Bartja offeredto declare himself to the Egyptians as a means of procuring his freedom,"I vow I'll stab myself without a second thought, if you give yourselvesup to those dogs of Egyptians. Why the whole town is talking aboutthe war already, and do you think that if Psamtik knew he'd got suchsplendid game in his net, he would let you loose? He would keep you ashostages, of course. No, no, my friends. Good-bye; may Auramazda sendyou his best blessings! and don't quite forget the jovial Zopyrus, wholived and died for love and war."

  The captain of the band placed himself at the head of his men, gave theorder to march, and in a few minutes Zopyrus was out of sight.