was rather that of an explorer than of a
conqueror. How he overthrew the Persians and subdued an area as large
as Europe in the space of twelve years reads like a romance rather
than fact, and it is not for us to tell the story in detail. Rather
let us take up the story, after Alexander has fought and conquered
the Persians twice, besieged Tyre, taken the Phoenician fleet,
occupied Egypt, marched across the desert and crossed the Euphrates,
passed over the plain and followed the Tigris to near Nineveh, where
he crossed that river too, fought another famous battle over the
Persians, which decided the fate of King and Monarchy and opened to
him the capitals of Babylon and Susa, wherein the immense treasures
of the Persian Empire were stored. King of all Asia, he sat on the
throne of the Persian kings under a golden canopy in the palace of
Persepolis.

So far the whole expedition was over country known, if imperfectly,
to the Greeks. Now we have to follow the conquering hero more closely
as he leads us into an unknown land away to the east, known as "the
farthest region of the inhabited world towards the east, beyond which
lies the endless sandy desert void of inhabitants." And all the while
the great land of India lay beyond, and beyond again was China, and
away far over the ocean sea lay America--and they knew it not.

Alexander was a young man yet, only twenty-six. It was four years since
he had left Europe, and in that short time he had done wonders. He
had conquered the whole western half of the Persian Empire. Now he
resolutely turned his face to the unknown east and started forth on
an expedition of exploration.

Following the main highway from Media, which to-day leads from Teheran,
capital of modern Persia, into the land of the Turkomans and the borders
of Russia, he found himself between the great salt desert and the
mountains, which to-day mark the frontier of Persia. Suddenly, to his
great surprise, the Caspian Sea came into sight. It seemed about the
same size as the Black Sea, and he concluded it was connected with
the Sea of Azof, though the men of his day were certain enough that
it was the most northern of four great gulfs connected with the outer
ocean which flowed round the world.

Onwards towards the east he marched with his great army. To conciliate
the tribes through which he passed, he adopted Persian dress. This
annoyed his Greek countrymen, but, "as they admired his other virtues,
they thought