I talked over our plan of battle with Thyestes. "An we stand in line on the crest of this bank," I said, "we can shower those wights with javelins as they come up. They'll be slowed by the water and then by the slope. Later we can charge down and possibly turn them while they mill around."
Thyestes said: "What for no using our old lozenge formation? We could split the knaves into fragments."
"Na, there's no enough of us. The lozenge would have only four or five men on a side and be swallowed up."
"Well then," he said, "it would help gin the servants ran down ahint us with spears."
"What good can they do?"
"They can push in atween us and stab the foreigners' horses and pull the men from the saddle. We shall have a gey thin line."
I said: "The grooms shall form a second mounted line. I doubt the servants will do much serious fighting, but we have nought to lose by trying it. You!" I said to Pyrron, who sat with his traveling hat shading his face as if none of this concerned him. "How will you fight?"
"Who, me?" he said.
"Aye, you! Or did you no think they'd cut your throat as soon as the next man's?"
"Dear me," he said, "it never occurred to me. But I suppose I ought to do something."
"What weapons can you handle?"
"It were better if I fought on foot. I've had heavy-infantry training, since I was neither wealthy enough nor proficient enough a horseman to apply for the Eleian cavalry."
"Lead the servants, then," I said. "Take a javelin and one of those bucklers."
I armed Pyrron with misgivings, because, though a tall well-built man, he was so awkward and unhandy that he was likely to trip over his own feet and skewer himself. I turned to Kanadas. "You and Siladites don your quilts and get up on the elephant with plenty of javelins."
I told him our plan and added: "When we advance, Aias shall charge out from the right end of our line and circle round to take the Assakenians in flank."
I had to repeat everything, until at last he said: "Yes, I understand. I do that."
I kept looking up the Kophen for Vardanas and his horse archers.
Probably, I thought with bitterness, if they did see us attacked they would run for home. But what could one expect of foreigners?
The men got their gear sorted out at last, and I drew them up. I gave each horseman three javelins instead of the usual two.
Now the Assakenians were close enough for me to make out what they were like. There were about eighty or ninety big men, most of them bareheaded and clad mainly in goatskins, and riding small horses. Their long black hair floated behind them. The man in the lead wore a plain bronzen helmet, but otherwise there was no sign of armor in the lot. The usual weapon was a wooden lance with the tip sharpened and fire-hardened, though they also had a few proper metal axes and spears.
As the clatter grew louder, I walked Golden up and down in front of my troop. A wise commander does this less to watch the enemy than to watch his own men, lest they steal quietly away and leave him to fight his battle alone. Not that my brave Thessalians would have done such a thing, but the camp servants and grooms might well have stolen off without my eye upon them. Pyrron stood among them, leaning on his dart with his usual look of vague good nature. I saw that Elisas, the sutler, had disappeared, but the rebels were too close to go hunting for him. I led the Thessalians in a short prayer to Ares.
When the Assakenians neared the ford, I took my place in the center of the line and poised a javelin. The enemy neither turned down the Kophen after Sasigouptas nor tried to parley. They galloped straight through the ford, yelling and screaming. Evidently the sight of our cockscomb crests was enough. The Assakenians, I heard later, had sworn undying enmity to all Hellenes because of Alexander's massacre of the men of Massaga.
I called: "Ready! Cast!" I was a little too quick, so that some of our first volley fell short.
"Ready! Cast!" This time we could not miss. There was disorder amongst the Assakenians as men and horses fell into the stream. Our horses fidgeted with excitement.
I shifted my remaining javelin to my right hand and cried: "Charge!" I spurred, swearing to kill Vardanas someday for his desertion.
The men shouted: "Eleleleu!" Down we rushed, one thin line of twenty horsemen, followed by the eight grooms and then by the servants afoot.
Kanadas sent the elephant shuffling down the bank towards the flank of the foe, as planned. However, the nearest Assakenian, seeing the monster looming over him, threw his lance. He aimed for the eye but missed. The point pierced the elephant's cheek and wounded his tongue. The elephant screamed, wheeled, and ran off down the river, despite the efforts of Siladites to turn him by beating him over the head with the elephant goad.
Now that we were bereft of our flanking force, there was nought to do but try to turn the attackers by sheer mettle. I aimed for the leader in the helmet and he for me. We met. I knocked the point of his spear aside with my buckler, whilst he avoided the thrust of my javelin by a sudden movement. As his spear went to my left and mine to his, we found ourselves in close embrace. The horses plunged on past each other, with the result that the twain of us, still clutching each other, slid off over their tails.
The next thing I knew, the hostile leader and I were grappling knee-deep in water. Each of us dropped his spear and tried to draw his sword, whilst the other strove to prevent him.
By a quick catch of his heel, the Assakenian tripped me. I fell backwards, lost my grip on his sword arm, and went under. When I got my face above water again, the Assakenian was already swinging his sword in its fatal arc. All around us, horses' legs were stamping and men were struggling and screaming. The Assakenians shouted "Gis! Gis!"
I tried to scramble away and draw my own sword, but I was hours too slow. I caught the chief's first blow on my shield, but the impact, helped by the clutch of the stream on my legs, knocked me off my feet again.
The Assakenian lunged, reaching for my beard with his left hand. Then he twisted, showed his teeth in a grimace of pain, and fell on me.
When I found my footing again, I saw Pyrron thrusting a javelin into the submerged body of the Assakenian leader. As he jerked the weapon out he drove the butt into my midriff. Although my corselet saved me from serious hurt, the blow took my breath away.
The forest of horses' legs had gone from around us. The mass of fighters moved back across the ford, and soon the Assakenians fled back up the road by which they had come. The servants, who had run forward under Pyrron's leadership, were left behind and now went about spearing wounded rebels. The water was rust-colored with mud and blood.
"What—what befell?" I asked when I stopped coughing.
Pyrron pointed to a half-submerged body with a Sakan arrow sticking in its back. "Our friends opportunely returned," he said.
I looked towards the pursuers and saw the pointed caps of our Dahas. Thyestes blew the recall, and our men collected by twos and threes. There was Vardanas with a broad smile and brains dripping from his spiked club. From down the river came the elephant. Aias had pulled the spear out of his face with his trunk and returned at a slow walk, moaning and drooling blood.
Pyrron told me: "The Persian and the Dahas returned while you were hoofing around in the stream. They halted a few paces from the Assakenians and began shooting. The foreigners flinched away from the tempest of arrows, and that started the whole lot retreating. That, and the demise of their leader."
As he spoke, he waved his javelin with enthusiasm. I had to duck to avoid getting the point in my face. I said:
"O Pyrron, you have saved my life, and I'm grateful. Now please put that thing back in the cart ere you slay me with it." As Vardanas rode up I said: "That was a timely arrival, laddie. I feared you had left us."