I forgave Vardanas, though, when he praised my generalship. "In truth," he said, "it was the plan that Arsites used at the Granikos. He was an able general, too."
I said: "You puzzle me, Vardanas. Did not Arsites lose the battle of the Granikos? I missed it, because I joined Alexander later, at Gordion. But I've heard many tales of this fight."
"I was in the thick of it," said Vardanas. "True, Arsites lost, but only because he fought against the genius of Alexander and the will of Auramasdas."
"How so?"
"Like this," said Vardanas, taking a handful of coins from his wallet and setting them on the rug to denote the units at the Granikos. "Let this dareikos be Arsites; let this golden stater Alexander be. Arsites' plan was to stand on this high bank, as you did, and ply the foe with darts as they came. One charge we turned back with heavy loss. Then Alexander led the next charge." He moved his coins.
"Foreseeing this, Arsites had told his officers that, if all else failed, they must stop the Macedonian invasion by killing Alexander. Therefore, when our remaining javelins failed to halt the attack, Arsites led his officers straight at the Macedonian, to slay him or die trying.
"Well, you know what happened. All the Persian generals but Arsites himself perished in the hacking and stabbing around Alexander. And this is why I say the gods took a hand. For Alexander sustained blows that would have slain any mortal. They were dealt by mighty warriors who had fought from the sands of Egypt to the snows of Sogdia. Yet Alexander came through with nought but a few scratches. Not that Alexander is not a doughty fighter, small though he be. But no man could have withstood the onset of so many brave and well-armed foemen at once without divine help."
"The way I heard it," said Laomedon, "the Persian horse deserted their Greek mercenary foot and fled before the battle was decided."
"You heard wrong," said Vardanas. "We withdrew when all our leaders were slain or wounded, and the Macedonian foot assailed our flanks with their long pikes, and Memnon's Hellenes failed to aid us. If there was any deserting, it was the other way round."
Laomedon asked: "Why did Arsites put his Hellenes behind the horse, where they could do little?"
"He trusted Memnon not," said Vardanas. "And later I suppose he was too busy fighting to send an order to Memnon. But Memnon should have advanced on his own."
"I ken the answer to that," I said. "Alexander ordered his raiding parties not to touch Memnon's estates. Naturally, the Persians thought there must be an understanding between them."
Vardanas sighed. "Against such subtlety, what could we simple, straightforward Persians do?"
"Anyway it was a good fight," said Laomedon. "Let us drink to the shades of all who fell in it, Greek or Persian."
Kavis' household set wooden platters in front of us. Thereon they placed big slabs of Gandarian bread. These look like round pieces of leather but are better by far than the bread our cook made, which was either soggy or iron-hard. On the bread they put cuts of mutton, with side dishes of cucumbers and dates. We finished with melons and a kind of cake the Paktyans make of mashed mulberries.
When the twilight faded, Kavis' other guests reeled off into the dark, singing and shouting. All, that is, but Kanadas. Having drunk little and eaten nought, the Indian remained as dour and grave as always. Kavis showed me to my chamber, where a bird in a cage squawked once at me and then went back to sleep.
I was falling asleep when a racket brought me up again. I donned my shirt and went out. In the courtyard stood Kanadas, Vardanas, and Pyrron, Vardanas holding his head and Pyrron nursing an arm wound. Kanadas held, by its long black hair, a Gandarian head. Kavis bent to examine the face of the head by torchlight.
"It is Viden, one of Toragas' horse boys," said Kavis.
"Men attacked us in a dark street," said Pyrron. "Kanadas routed them. Help me with this bandage."
"I see," I said, and told of Toragas' visit to our camp.
"Why did you not tell me before?" cried Kavis. "I should have known the drouz would try something."
"I meant to, but other things came up and I forgot. I suppose he hoped, by killing my men, to make me give in to his demands."
"Partly. But he is also wroth because I got the task of guiding this noble party and have guested a friend of the great king. This gives me honor and will help to re-elect Outamer, my family's candidate for mayor. Therefore, Toragas tries to shame me by harming you whilst you are under my protection. If you will fetch your soldiers whilst I arm my household, we will storm Toragas' house and put all in it to the sword."
"No, thank you," I said. "Much as I should like to kill Toragas, duty comes before pleasure. I shall go back to camp with my men this time, to make sure they meet no more ambuscades. But it would oblige me if you sent some men with torches."
Kavis not only sent two of his men, but also came himself with another torch. This time there were no alarums. Pyrron told me the story:
"We left Outamer and Laomedon at their homes and set out for the gate. But, ah—'inflaming wine, pernicious to mankind,' had rendered us unsteady. Without a moon, we got lost in these irregular streets, and six or eight men assaulted us with knives and clubs. Vardanas received a knock from a cudgel. My sword got tangled in my cloak, and an attacker dealt me this flesh wound—"
"You dealt it to yourself, you left-hander!" said Vardanas.
"Be that as it may, the sober Kanadas, like 'mighty Aias, a host all by himself,' brought out his great sword and rushed roaring upon the foe. He sheared through their clubs like straws. He severed the head from one and an arm from another. When a third was cut half through at the waist, the rest made off."
Vardanas said: "Let us take up Kavis' offer, to storm Toragas' house. Our honor demands it."
"Nay," I said. "With two or three of them dead, against but a couple of trivial hurts on our side—"
"Trivial hurts, phy!" said Vardanas, fingering the lump on his skull.
Zethos lingered, neither mending nor dying, until I left him at the house that Laomedon had turned into a barrack. I asked the others to withdraw whilst I bade him farewell.
"Do you hear and understand, laddie?" I said softly.
Zethos opened his eyes and wagged his head in affirmation.
"Then hearken. I have your bonus, but I shall take it with me. An I leave it here the now, Laomedon might slit your weasand to possess it. D'you ken what I mean?"
Again he gave a faint shake of his head.
"When you get back to Hellas, seek me out and I'll pay you. An I be not in Atrax, my kin will know whither I've gone."
Zethos smiled faintly. I kissed him and said: "Pheu, lad, it gars me greit to leave you, but 'tis your best chance. Fare you well!"
I kept his talent separate from my own funds for years, but Zethos never came to claim it. I know not what befell him: whether he died in Kasipapoura, or perished in the treacherous massacre of the homeward-bound Hellenes by Peithon's Macedonians after Alexander's death, or suffered some other doom.
The valley of the Kophen remained narrow for our first day's march from Kasipapoura. Then the valley opened out again. A new moon appeared, marking the onset of the month of Metageitnion.
At Thyestes' suggestion, I raised a Thessalian to double-pay trooper so that he could act as Thyestes' deputy. This was Klonios of Skotoussa, a mature old war horse who had fought well at the Chavaspes.
On the third of the new month we reached Kaboura, the Orthospana of the Persians. This town stands in a corner of a plain, above the fork of the Kophen, where spurs come down from neighboring mountains on either hand.