The sick despair in his heart made him afraid to ask after young Antigonus, his heir.
‘He must have been captured,’ Pyrrhus said regretfully. ‘If that litter had got away I would have seen it. He stayed with the phalanx all through the battle. But he’ll come to no harm. Any soldier will recognise him, and Lysimachus will be gentle with an old comrade from Alexander’s time.
He saw the blank misery of Demetrius’s face, and added with surprising understanding: ‘I’m pretty sure your son escaped. He was mounted, remember. I don’t mean that he rode off and left his men still fighting. He wouldn’t do that. But when the pikemen surrendered it would be his duty to get away. Some mounted officers got away, I saw them, but they were too far off to be recognised. Young Antigonus will make for Ephesus, I suppose. Probably we shall meet him on the road.’
They plodded on slowly, sparing their horses.
11. PICKING UP THE PIECES
King Lysimachus was unable to pursue. After their great victory his men scattered in search of plunder, or sat down to drink with old comrades among the prisoners. Demetrius and Pyrrhus picked up several bands of fugitives, spearmen or light infantry. All the pikemen of the phalanx were dead or captured; the horsemen who had fled would pillage the countryside until Lysimachus restored order, and then enlist in his cavalry.
A few miles from Ephesus, Demetrius halted to see how much he had saved from the wreck. He still led 2,000 horse, the best of his cavalry, men who had stuck to their leader when others fled. He had also about 5,000 foot, but there were poor material; men who had fled early, before the battle was lost. Still they could hold the walls of Ephesus for so long as he could pay them.
He organised a proper column of march, so that the Ephesians would not be dismayed by the entry of a rabble. He was about to move off when a group of horsemen rode over the hill, led by his son Antigonus.
The young man would not speak of his own adventures; he had a more important story to tell. ‘Grandfather is dead,’ he said at once. ‘I saw him fall. We can be proud of him. Now it’s our duty to fight on, to show that his life was not thrown away in vain.’
Perched on a stone by the roadside with a lump of cheese in his hand, he told his story carefully.
‘Their phalanx was posted opposite ours, but before we could charge they sent elephants against us. Grandfather ordered up our elephants. But our Indians were frightened, or perhaps it was our elephants. Anyway, they never got properly into action, and some of them ran back and disordered our phalanx. But the elephants of Seleucus charged right home, until we killed some of them after a nasty struggle. So when the enemy phalanx charged we were not in good order.
‘All the same, we held them, until after a long fight they began to work round our flanks. It seemed to me that we ought to retire while our men were still in hand. If we waited longer we would be too closely engaged to move. I rode up to Grandfather, but he refused to give the order. “Wait,” he said. “Soon Demetrius will rescue us.” So I rode back to our right flank, where the pressure was heaviest. Presently I returned to Grandfather, to ask him if he would retire, even if he would not let us break off the action. His litter might have got away, though the enemy were then on three sides of us. Again he refused, saying truly that the men would lose heart if they saw him flee. “Demetrius will save us,” he repeated. “We planned it all yesterday. His cavalry will take their phalanx in the rear.” Then our ranks began to waver, and the enemy pikes were very close. I offered him my horse, but he said his riding days were over. “Wait for Demetrius,” he insisted. “He will be here any minute.” Then the phalanx began to surge about, until the litter bearers could hardly keep their feet. Grandfather ordered them to escape if they could. He got out of the litter and drew his sword. “I’ll stay,” he said. “The commander in chief ought to stay here his subordinates can find him. Just to fill in time I’ll lend a hand with rallying the phalanx.” As he pushed forward, on foot, a pike caught him in the throat. When they saw him fall his men surrendered, and I rode out through a gap in the line. I could do nothing more. If I had waited I would have been captured.’
‘You did right,’ said Demetrius. ‘My father was killed because I failed him, and I’m glad my son escaped. One day you and I will avenge him.’
‘An easy death,’ said Pyrrhus coolly. ‘When a pike tears your throat you don’t linger in pain. I’ve seen it often enough.’ Then his eye kindled and he spoke with more emotion. ‘It was the right end for the old man, the end he would have wished for himself. He has given us something to remember. It must be more than seventy years since first he wore armour. He fought for old King Philip, and then for Alexander. He made himself into a mighty ruler, so mighty that while he lived his subjects hailed him as a god. When he died he was the oldest man on the field - and he fell in the front rank, with his sword out. I hope I go the same way, when my time comes.’
‘You will,’ said Demetrius absently; and then regretted his words, which might be remembered as an evil omen. But anyone could see that Pyrrhus would die in battle.
In Ephesus they held a council of war. Pyrrhus wanted to call up the able-bodied citizens and march immediately against Lysimachus; he pointed out that the enemy would be disorganised by victory, with many mercenaries absent to store their plunder and half the remainder drunk. Phila quenched his enthusiasm. She explained that the Ephesians wanted only a peaceful surrender.
‘They will defend their wall against plunderers, but when Lysimachus arrives they will open the gates; unless our garrison is large enough to hold the place whether the Ephesians like it or not. Have we the men for that, Demetrius? How many exactly have we left?’
‘More than you might suppose, my dear. I shall carry on the war, until one day I get even with the men who killed my father. Honour compels, doesn’t it? But for the next year or so we must stand on the defensive, while we gather more strength,’
‘Then we still have a chance of winning, Father?’ asked young Antigonus.
‘Indeed yes. We have been marching for so long that we have forgotten the sea. I have the greatest fleet in the world, and harbours on every coast from Tyre to the Euxine. The Thalassocracy of Demetrius, poor Telesphorus used to call it before the elephant trod on him. I am president of the League of Islands, and Captain General of Hellas. In fact I still hold everything that was mine when Lysimachus crossed into Asia. It’s only my father’s dominions that have fallen to the enemy.’
‘You have lost prestige,’ said Phila. ‘Oh, I know that you didn’t lose the battle. Your father drew up the plan, and you had to do what you were told. But do you suppose the Hellenes will still want you as Captain General?’
‘While I keep my fleet the islands must obey me, or starve,’ Demetrius answered with a shrug. ‘Perhaps the mainland will fall away. Hellenes are fickle, and I am not strong enough to stop them.’
Dear Phila! Already he felt better. He had been reproaching himself for the death of his father, but of course that was not his fault. He had been ordered to do the impossible. That was the truth, though at first he had not seen it. Phila’s insight had restored his self-respect.
‘Well, what shall we do?’ asked Pyrrhus. ‘Wait here to defend Ephesus?’
‘No,’ said Demetrius firmly. It was ail clear in his head, now that he saw himself as a Sea-King. He was not really an ineffectual captain of horse who could not save his own father. ‘Ephesus must be held, of course. It’s a valuable entry into Asia. But the foot we brought back from Ipsus are enough to hold it, and leave something over to garrison other ports. I must be nearer the centre of my dominions, where I can keep in touch with Hellas. I shall sail for the Cyclades, and perhaps later to Piraeus. The navy will begin a strict blockade of the whole enemy coast, from the Propontis right down to Egypt. No overseas trade for any city in Asia. That will make King Lysimachus unpopular,’
‘I wonder how they will divide the spoil?’ asked Pyrrhus. ‘By next year they may be fighting among themselves.’
/> ‘I shall feel happier on an island. I’m getting too old to enjoy being besieged.’ Phila spake calmly.
‘Yes, tell your maids to start packing. Will five ships be enough for your baggage? Pyrrhus, tell your bodyguard to sell their horses. They come with us, of course, and my bodyguard also. But I’m inclined to pay off the rest of the horse. Then they can enlist with Lysimachus, which is what they want to do. They will be no use in a naval war, and from now on we must be careful with money. In three days we sail for Naxos, leaving a strong garrison here. Warn the troops. There’s no need to keep it secret.’
At Naxos envoys from King Seleucus called on Demetrius. Officially they came to inform him that the body of old King Antigonus had been properly buried; the victors honoured the veteran companion of King Philip, who had been their colleague in the conquest of the world. But after this message had been delivered their leader had more to say in private.
He explained how the dominions of King Antigonus had been divided. King Cassander had proclaimed with self-conscious virtue that he desired nothing beyond the frontier of Macedonia. But he demanded a realm for his oafish brother Pleistarchus, presumably to get rid of him. So Pleistarchus now ruled Cilicia, though it was not yet known whether he would take the title of King. Lysimachus claimed all Asia; though the Ionian cities still obeyed Demetrius and in Pontus young Mithradates had founded an independent realm. Syria had been allotted to King Seleucus, but he held only the northern half; for while everyone else was busy at Ipsus King Ptolemy had quietly taken over the south.
‘So King Ptolemy, who took no part in the war, gets as great a reward as your master, whose elephants gained the victory,’ Demetrius remarked with interest.
‘That is of no consequence whatever,’ the envoy answered. ‘Many years ago King Seleucus sought refuge with King Ptolemy, when your late father had defeated him. King Ptolemy and my glorious master are sworn friends, who will never quarrel.’
‘But Lysimachus gains most. I note you don’t call him King. Well, his phalanx did most of the fighting, and they fought very gallantly. But King Seleucus has been poorly rewarded for his five hundred costly elephants,’
‘I thought you might notice that,’ said the envoy with a thin smile. ‘At this moment you hold nothing that my noble master covets. That is not true in the same degree of the other kings. So if you carry on the war there might one day be a reversal of alliances. But if you dwindle into a petty tyrant of the islands no king will seek your friendship,’
‘You are most kind. You have informed me of the burial of my father, which eases my grief. Your other news is of the most profound interest. I wish you a pleasant voyage.’ Without another word he handed over a gold cup filled with gold pieces. The man seemed to expect it.
The next embassy to arrive was less welcome. Demetrius recognised the ship as it entered harbour. It was the Athenian Demetrias, the sacred ship built in honour of his own divinity. In Athens they had a sense of the appropriate.
As a matter of fact the sovereign people of Athens had not behaved so very badly. Instead of going over to Cassander they had decided to stand neutral. The envoys announced that the gates of Athens were closed against all armies. But they were not at war with King Demetrius, their surviving Saviour God In proof of it they would return to him all he had left in their city: his treasure, his ships, his garrison and his Queen. These they would escort to his city of Megara.
Stratocles had got safely away into exile, and the new government was surprisingly honest. The treasure arrived in full, with the seals on the sacks unbroken. It was the war-reserve, earmarked to pay mercenaries, and Demetrius would have been in a fix without it. Most of his soldiers came back also, though some preferred to seek employment with the new rulers of Asia. It was all much better than it might have been.
Queen Deidameia never rejoined her husband. In Megara the poor girl sickened, and on the voyage she died. A nurse brought on his infant son, Deidameia had named Alexander. Perhaps it was all for the best. If his luck continued to hold Phila would never meet any of his other wives. On the other hand, nothing now bound King Pyrrhus to his losing cause.
Most of mainland Hellas followed the example of Athens. But the great flat-topped rock of Acrocorinth was impregnable, and its garrison faithful. That gave Demetrius a secure entry into the centre of the country. One day, when he was stronger, he might once again challenge Cassander.
For the moment the exhausted world was at peace. Cassander made no move against Corinth, Seleucus made no move against Tyre. Only Lysimachus seemed eager to continue the struggle; his soldiers laid siege to some of Demetrius’s loyal cities on the shores of the Propontis.
‘If it wasn’t for Lysimachus I could lay up my ships and save money,’ Demetrius grumbled to Phila. ‘There’s another big war coming. King Seleucus isn’t satisfied. He has persuaded himself that he won the battle of Ipsus single-handed, and in a year or two he will attack either your brother or your brother-in-law. One would expect Lysimachus to be saving his strength for the next war. He is just being spiteful. It’s as though he hates me personally, though I have never done worse than fight him openly on the battlefield. Does he suspect I have tried to get him poisoned? You know very well that I never hire assassins.’
‘Oh, but he does hate you personally. Didn’t you know? I got it from poor Nicaea, whom he treats shamefully. It isn’t anything you did, it’s something you said. When you were feasting at Corinth, to celebrate your appointment as Captain General of Hellas, you and Pyrrhus proposed a lot of extravagant toasts. You were deciding what the other kings would do after you had beaten them. Ptolemy would be your admiral, Seleucus would manage your elephants, Agathocles would govern Sicily and the islands. Then Pyrrhus asked about Lysimachus, and you answered that he could be treasurer. I suppose you were joking about his meanness with money, but when he heard of it he thought you were accusing him of being a eunuch, like most treasures. That stung him, because others have hinted that he is impotent; though Nicaea has a son and I’m sure she is a faithful wife. So he took up with Penelope the hetaira, to disprove the accusation; and he will never forgive you.’
‘If he can’t take a joke I shall never forgive him,’ Demetrius retorted. ‘He’s unkind to Nicaea, is he? That opens up possibilities. Cassander will resent it. We know already that Seleucus is jealous of him. If I attack Lysimachus the other kings won’t support him. Darling Phila, like a true Macedonian Queen you have started the war again. Let me see. Pyrrhus can take over in Hellas. He’s no sailor, and in the islands he’s bored. I shall lead the fleet up to the Euxine, and come down on Lysimachus from the north. Oh, this war will be better than the last. By the end of it you and I will be reigning in Babylon I'
Though he as in his thirty-seventh year, Demetrius pranced about the room like a boy.
Two years after Ipsus Demetrius was still a king; but his kingdom was his fleet. In the great thirteener which the Athenians had built for the Captain General of Hellas he lived as in a palace on land; the main cabin was his audience chamber and under the foredeck lay the apartments of his Queen. There was room on the ship for the rest of the royal family, Phila’s Stratonice and Deidameia’s little Alexander. Antigonus Knocknees, now a veteran commander, was helping Pyrrhus to hold the remaining fortresses in Hellas.
On a hot June evening the thirteener lay moored by the bows to a quay in the harbour of Thera. The crew were in billets in the town, so that the royal family and their servants had the ship to themselves. Yet all about them were the noise, the lights, and the smells of a great city; for the landlocked bay was crowded with 200 warships, the main strength of the floating kingdom.
For coolness the royal family dined on the poop. They were a small party, but they kept high state; for it was important to remind the seamen that they served a king, not a pirate. Demetrius reclined on a bronze-mounted couch; Queen Philia and her daughter sat on gilded chairs.
Phila was complaining, once again, that they were in truth pirates.
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br /> ‘Last summer you conquered the Thracian Chersonese, and left garrisons in the captured cities. That was honourable war. But this year you compel the cities of Ionia to pay ransom; and when the ransom has been paid you sail away again, without attempting to hold the city. Isn’t that how a pirate behaves? To me it doesn’t look like open war,’
‘It is war, all the same, my dear. Pirates attack anyone who has money, I attack only cities which obey Lysimachus. It’s true that I don’t hold my gains. You know the reason - I’m not strong enough to hold them. We live by conjuring tricks, like those Egyptian wizards who pluck eggs from the empty air. My only dominions are the islands, which are too poor to be worth taxing. I lead the greatest navy the world has even seen, manned entirely by volunteers who expect regular pay. I can pay them only by plundering my enemies. So far I have managed. Do we live like pirates, or like a great king and his household? I don’t know how long I can keep it up. I may have to declare war on Ptolemy, or Agathocles, or some other wealthy ruler. Perhaps before then something will turn up. The other kings may start fighting among themselves. That they should live at peace is unnatural. Then, if I am still a king, another king will seek my alliance. But if I am only a pirate he will offer me wages.’
‘I suppose you are right,’ said Phila with a sigh. ‘As a child I was taught that war is always honourable, war against anyone, war for any cause or none. Now that I have grown old I am not sure my teachers were right. Surely you wouldn’t burn a city of the Hellenes just because the citizens refuse to pay ransom? Alexander never did it, nor old King Philip his father.’
‘Probably I wouldn’t, when it came to the point. But keep that a secret, my dear, or we shall never collect another ransom.’
Stratonice was sitting silent on her chair, as a young girl should in the presence of her parents. Now she coughed and spoke up: ‘A guard ship is under way, rowing battle-stroke. I can hear the flute.’
Elephants and Castles Page 19
