Page:History of Greece Vol XII.djvu/169

 DIFFICULTIES OF THE SIEGE. 137 task to con.^tl•uct a solid mole two hundred feet bruad, reaching across the half mile channel between the mainland and the islet. He pressed into his service laboring hands by thousands trom the neighborhood ; he had stones in abundance from Patetyrus, anc wood from the forests in Lebanon. But the work, though prose- cuted with ardor and perseverance, under pressing instigations from Alexander, was tedious and toilsome, even near the main- land, where the Tyrians could do little to impede it ; and became far more tedious as it advanced into the sea, so as to be exposed to their obstruction, as well as to damage from winds and waves. The Tyrian triremes and small boats perpetually annoyed the workmen, and destroyed parts of the work, in spite of all the pro- tection devised by the Macedonians, who planted two towers in front of their advancing mole, and discharged projectiles from en- gines provided for the purpose. At length, by unremitting ef- forts, the mole was pushed forward until it came nearly across the channel to the city wall ; when suddenly, on a day of strong wind, the Tyrians sent forth a fireship loaded with combustibles, which they drove against the front of the mole and set fire to the two towers. At the same time, the full naval force of the city, ships and little boats, was sent forth to land men at once on all parts of the mole. So successful was this attack, that all the Macedonian engines were burnt, — the outer wood-work which kept the mole together was torn up in many places, — and a large part of the structure came to pieces.^ Alexander had thus not only to construct fresh engines, but also to begin the mole nearly anew. He resolved to give it greater breadth and strength, for the purpose of carrying more towers abreast in front, and for better defence against lateral at- tacks. But it had now become plain to him, that while the Tyr- ians were masters of the sea, no efforts by land alone would enable him to take the town. Leaving Perdikkas and Kraterus to recon- struct the mole and build new engines, he himself repaired to Si- don, for the purpose of assembling as large a fleet as he could. He got together triremes from various quarters — two from Rhodes, ten from the seaports in Lykia, three from Soli and Mal- lus. But his principal force was obtained by putting in requisi- 1 Anian, ii. 18, 19; Diodor. xvii. 42; Curtius. iv. 3, G. 7 12*