ALEXANDER THE GREAT AND DARIUS. 301

ture, gave Alexander the hardest fighting he ever
had. He marched from Gaza to Egypt, which fell
without resistance into his hands, and where he built
the great city of Alexandria, the only existing me-
mento of his name and deeds. Thence he marched
to the Euphrates, wondering where Darius was and
what he meant to do. Nearly two years had passed
since the battle of Issus, and the kingly poltroon had
apparently contented himself with writing letters
begging Alexander to restore his family. But Alex-
ander knew too well what a treasure he held to
consent. If Darius would acknowledge him as his
lord and master he could have back his wife and
children, but not otherwise.

Finding that all this was useless, Darius began to
collect another army. He now got together a vaster
host than before. It was said to contain one million
infantry, forty thousand cavalry, and two hundred
chariots, each of which had a projecting pole with a
sharp point, while three sword-blades stood out from
the yoke on either side, and scythes projected from
the naves of the wheels. Darius probably expected
to mow down the Macedonians in swaths with these
formidable implements of war.

The army which Alexander marched against this
mighty host consisted of forty thousand foot and
seven thousand horse. It looked like the extreme
of foolhardiness, like a pigmy advancing against a
giant; yet Darius commanded one army, Alexander
the other, and Issus had not been forgotten.

The affair, in fact, proved but a repetition of that
at Issus. The chariots, on which Darius had counted

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