mind, which in some measure justifies his
foolhardiness, Caesar hastily collected his scattered men; seized the
persons of the king and his ministers; entrenched himself in the royal
residence and adjoining theatre; and gave orders, as there was no time
to place in safety the war-fleet stationed in the principal harbour
immediately in front of the theatre, that it should be set on fire and
that Pharos, the island with the light-tower commanding the harbour,
should be occupied by means of boats. Thus at least a restricted
position for defence was secured, and the way was kept open to procure
supplies and reinforcements. At the same time orders were issued to the
commandant of Asia Minor as well as to the nearest subject countries,
the Syrians and the Nabataeans, the Cretans and the Rhodians, to send
men and ships in all haste to Egypt. The insurrection, at the head of
which the Princess Arsinoe and her confidant, the eunuch Ganymedes, had
placed themselves, meanwhile had free course in all Egypt and in the
greater part of the capital. In the streets of the latter there was
daily fighting, but without success either on the part of Caesar in
gaining freer scope and breaking through to the fresh water lake of
Mariut which lay behind the town, where he could have provided himself
with water and forage; or on the part of the Alexandrians in acquiring
superiority in besieging and depriving them of all drinking water; for,
when the Nile canals in Caesar's part of the town had been spoiled by the
introduction of salt water, drinkable water was unexpectedly found in
wells dug on the beach.

As Caesar was not to be overcome from the landward side, the exertions
of the besiegers were directed to destroy his fleet and cut him off from
the sea, by which supplies reached him. The island with the lighthouse
and the mole by which this was connected with the mainland divided the
harbour into a western and an eastern half, which were in communication
with each other through two arch-openings in the mole. Caesar commanded
the island and the east harbour, while the mole and the west harbour
were in possession of the citizens; and, as the Alexandrian fleet
was burnt, his vessels sailed in and out without hindrance. The
Alexandrians, after having vainly attempted to introduce fire-ships from
the western into the eastern harbour, equipped with the remnant of their
arsenal a small squadron, and with this blocked up the way of Caesar's
vessels,