. The officer, however, in farther
interviews, gave him such an account of the kind and respectful
treatment which the ladies had received from Alexander, during all the
time of their captivity, as greatly to relieve his mind, and to afford
him a high degree of comfort and consolation. He expressed a very
strong sense of gratitude to Alexander for his generosity and
kindness, and said that if his kingdom of Persia _must_ be conquered,
he sincerely wished that it might fall into the hands of such a
conqueror as Alexander.

[Footnote D: A eunuch, a sort of officer employed in Eastern nations
in attendance upon ladies of high rank.]

By looking at the map at the commencement of the volume, it will be
seen that the Tigris and the Euphrates are parallel streams, flowing
through the heart of the western part of Asia toward the southeast,
and emptying into the Persian Gulf. The country between these two
rivers, which was extremely populous and fertile, was called
Mesopotamia. Darius had collected an immense army here. The various
detachments filled all the plains of Mesopotamia. Alexander turned his
course a little northward, intending to pass the River Euphrates at a
famous ancient crossing at Thapsacus, which may be seen upon the map.
When he arrived at this place he found a small Persian army there.
They, however, retired as he approached. Alexander built two bridges
across the river, and passed his army safely over.

In the mean time, Darius, with his enormous host, passed across the
Tigris, and moved toward the northward, along the eastern side of the
river. He had to cross the various branches of the Tigris as he
advanced. At one of them, called the Lycus, which may also be seen
upon the map, there was a bridge. It took the vast host which Darius
had collected _five days_ to pass this bridge.

While Darius had been thus advancing to the northward into the
latitude where he knew that Alexander must cross the rivers,
Alexander himself, and his small but compact and fearless body of
Grecian troops, were moving eastward, toward the same region to which
Darius's line of march was tending. Alexander at length reached the
Tigris. He was obliged to ford this stream. The banks were steep and
the current was rapid, and the men were in great danger of being swept
away. To prevent this danger, the ranks, as they advanced, linked
their arms together, so that each man might be sustained by his
comrades. They held their shields ab