Page:History of Greece Vol XII.djvu/147

 AIF.XANDER AT MYRIAXDRUS. 115 wounded under a moderate guard — then through the Gates of Kilikia and Syria. At the second day's march from those Gates, lie reached the seaport of Myriandrus, the first town of Syria or Phenicia.^ Here, having been detained in his camp one day by a dreadful storm, he received intelligence which altogether changed his plans. The Persian army had been marched away from Sochi, and was now in Kilikia, following in his rear. It had already got posses- sion of Issus. Darius had marched out of the interior his vast and miscella- neous host, stated at G00,000 men. His mother, his wife, his ha- rem, his children, his personal attendants of every description, accompanied him, to witness what was anticipated as a certain triumph. All the apparatus of ostentation and luxury was pro- vided in abundance, for the king and for his Persian grandees. The baggage was enormous : of gold and silver alone, we are told, that there was enough to furnish load for GOO mules and 300 camels.2 A temporary bridge being thrown over the Eu- phrates, five days were required to enable the whole army to cross.* Much of the treasure and baggage, however, was not al- lowed to follow the army to the vicinity of Mount Amanus, but was sent under a guard to Damascus in Syria. At the head of such an overwhelming host, Darius was eager to bring on at once a general battle. It was not sufficient for him simply to keep back an enemy, whom, when once in presence, he calculated on crushing altogether. Accordingly, he had given no orders (as we have just seen) to defend the line of the Taurus ; he had admitted Alexander unopposed into Kilikia, and he in- tended to let him enter in like manner through the remaining strong passes — first, the Gates of Kilikia and Syria, between Mount Amanus and the sea — next, the pass, now called Beylan, across Amanus itself. He both expected and wished that his enemy should come into the plain to fight, there to be trodden down by the countless horsemen of Persia. But such anticipation was not at once realized. The move- ments of Alexander, hitherto so rapid and unremitting, seemed ' Arrian, ii. 6. 2 Curtiug^ iii. 3^ 24.
 * Curtius, iii. 7, 1.