Chemistry A Molecular Approach Tro 3rd Edition Test Bank Download PDF
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Chemistry A Molecular Approach Tro 3rd
Edition Test Bank
1
Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
5) Which of the following represents a valid hypothesis?
A) Neon does not react with oxygen.
B) Sodium metal reacts violently with water.
C) Lead is soft and malleable.
D) Oxygen is a gas at room temperature.
E) Metals tend to lose electrons.
Answer: E
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 1.2
2
Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
6) The statement, "In a chemical reaction, matter is neither created nor destroyed" is called
A) the Law of Conservation of Mass.
B) Dalton's Atomic Theory.
C) the Scientific Method.
D) the Law of Multiple Proportions.
E) the Law of Definite Proportions.
Answer: A
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 1.2
3
Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
11) Identify a solid.
A) definite volume and definite shape
B) definite volume and no definite shape
C) no definite shape and definite volume
D) no definite shape and no definite volume
Answer: A
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 1.3
13) Which of the following statements about crystalline and amorphous solids is TRUE?
A) A crystalline solid is composed of atoms or molecules arranged with long-range repeating order.
B) An example of a crystalline solid is glass.
C) An example of an amorphous solid is table salt (NaCl).
D) An amorphous solid is composed of atoms or molecules with a majority of its volume empty.
E) All of the above statements are TRUE.
Answer: A
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 1.3
14) Which of the following statements about the phases of matter is TRUE?
A) In both solids and liquids, the atoms or molecules pack closely to one another.
B) Solids are highly compressible.
C) Gaseous substances have long-range repeating order.
D) There is only one type of geometric arrangement that the atoms or molecules in any solid can adopt.
E) Liquids have a large portion of empty volume between molecules.
Answer: A
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 1.3
15) A substance that can't be chemically broken down into simpler substances is
A) a homogeneous mixture.
B) an element.
C) a heterogeneous mixture.
D) a compound.
E) an electron.
Answer: B
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 1.3
4
Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
16) A substance composed of two or more elements in a fixed, definite proportion is
A) a homogeneous mixture.
B) a heterogeneous mixture.
C) a compound.
D) a solution.
E) an alloy.
Answer: C
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 1.3
17) Decanting is
A) a process in which the more volatile liquid is boiled off.
B) dissolving a solid into a liquid.
C) separating a solid from a liquid by pouring off the liquid.
D) pouring a mixture through a filter paper to separate the solid from the liquid.
E) heating a mixture of two solids to fuse them together.
Answer: C
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 1.3
18) Distillation is
A) a process in which the more volatile liquid is boiled off.
B) dissolving a solid into a liquid.
C) separating a solid from a liquid by pouring off the liquid.
D) pouring a mixture through a filter paper to separate the solid from the liquid.
E) heating a mixture of two solids to fuse them together.
Answer: A
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 1.3
19) Filtration is
A) a process in which the more volatile liquid is boiled off.
B) dissolving a solid into a liquid.
C) separating a solid from a liquid by pouring off the liquid.
D) pouring a mixture through a filter paper to separate the solid from the liquid.
E) heating a mixture of two solids to fuse them together.
Answer: D
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 1.3
20) Two or more substances in variable proportions, where the composition is constant throughout are
A) a compound.
B) an element.
C) a heterogeneous mixture.
D) a homogeneous mixture.
E) a crystalline solid.
Answer: D
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 1.3
5
Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
21) Two or more substances in variable proportions, where the composition is variable throughout are
A) a solution.
B) a homogeneous mixture.
C) a compound.
D) an amorphous solid..
E) a heterogeneous mixture.
Answer: E
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 1.3
6
Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
26) Which of the following statements about energy is FALSE?
A) Energy can be converted from one type to another.
B) The total energy of a system remains constant.
C) Kinetic energy is the energy associated with its position or composition.
D) Energy is the capacity to do work.
E) Systems tend to change in order to lower their potential energy.
Answer: C
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 1.5
7
Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
31) The outside temperature is 35°C, what is the temperature in K?
A) -238 K
B) 308 K
C) 95 K
D) 31 K
E) 63 K
Answer: B
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 1.6
32) Determine the density of an object that has a mass of 149.8 g and displaces 12.1 mL of water when
placed in a graduated cylinder.
A) 8.08 g/mL
B) 1.38 g/mL
C) 12.4 g/mL
D) 18.1 g/mL
E) 11.4 g/mL
Answer: C
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 1.6
33) Determine the volume of an object that has a mass of 455.6 g and a density of 19.3 g/cm3.
A) 87.9 mL
B) 42.4 mL
C) 18.5 mL
D) 23.6 mL
E) 31.2 mL
Answer: D
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 1.6
34) A student performs an experiment to determine the density of a sugar solution. She obtains the
following results: 1.11 g/mL, 1.81 g/mL, 1.95 g/mL, 1.75 g/mL. If the actual value for the density of
the sugar solution is 1.75 g/mL, which statement below best describes her results?
A) Her results are precise, but not accurate.
B) Her results are accurate, but not precise.
C) Her results are both precise and accurate
D) Her results are neither precise nor accurate.
E) It isn't possible to determine with the information given.
Answer: D
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 1.7
35) A student performs an experiment to determine the density of a sugar solution. She obtains the
following results: 1.71 g/mL, 1.73 g/mL, 1.67 g/mL, 1.69 g/mL. If the actual value for the density of
the sugar solution is 1.40 g/mL, which statement below best describes her results?
A) Her results are precise, but not accurate.
B) Her results are accurate, but not precise.
C) Her results are both precise and accurate
D) Her results are neither precise nor accurate.
E) It isn't possible to determine with the information given.
Answer: A
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 1.7
8
Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
36) A student performs an experiment to determine the density of a sugar solution. She obtains the
following results: 1.79 g/mL, 1.81 g/mL, 1.80 g/mL, 1.81 g/mL. If the actual value for the density of
the sugar solution is 1.80 g/mL, which statement below best describes her results?
A) Her results are precise, but not accurate.
B) Her results are accurate, but not precise.
C) Her results are both precise and accurate
D) Her results are neither precise nor accurate.
E) It isn't possible to determine with the information given.
Answer: C
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 1.7
38) Read the water level with the correct number of significant figures.
A) 5 mL
B) 5.3 mL
C) 5.32 mL
D) 5.320 mL
E) 5.3200 mL
Answer: B
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 1.7
9
Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
39) Read the temperature with the correct number of significant figures.
A) 87°C
B) 87.2°C
C) 87.20°C
D) 87.200°C
E) 87.2000°C
Answer: C
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 1.7
40) Read the length of the metal bar with the correct number of significant figures.
A) 20 cm
B) 15 cm
C) 15.0 cm
D) 15.00 cm
E) 15.000 cm
Answer: C
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 1.7
10
Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
41) Read the length of the metal bar with the correct number of significant figures.
A) 20 cm
B) 15 cm
C) 15.0 cm
D) 15.00 cm
E) 15.000 cm
Answer: D
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 1.7
11
Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
44) What answer should be reported, with the correct number of significant figures, for the following
calculation? (433.621 - 333.9) × 11.900
A) 1.19 × 103
B) 1.187 × 103
C) 1.1868 × 103
D) 1.18680 × 103
E) 1.186799 × 103
Answer: A
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 1.7
45) What answer should be reported, with the correct number of significant figures, for the following
calculation? (249.362 + 41) / 63.498
A) 4.6
B) 4.57
C) 4.573
D) 4.5728
E) 4.57277
Answer: B
Diff: 3 Page Ref: 1.7
46) What answer should be reported, with the correct number of significant figures, for the following
calculation? (965.43 × 3.911) + 9413.4136
A) 13189
B) 13189.2
C) 1.32 × 104
D) 1.3 × 104
E) 1.319 × 104
Answer: A
Diff: 3 Page Ref: 1.7
48) If an object has a density of 8.65 g/cm3, what is its density in units of kg/m3?
A) 8.65 × 10-3 kg/m3
B) 8.65 × 10-7 kg/m3
C) 8.65 × 103 kg/m3
D) 8.65 × 101 kg/m3
E) 8.65 × 10-1 kg/m3
Answer: C
Diff: 3 Page Ref: 1.8
12
Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
49) If the walls in a room are 955 square feet in area, and a gallon of paint covers 15 square yards, how
many gallons of paint are needed for the room? (3 ft = 1 yd)
A) 47 gallons
B) 21 gallons
C) 7.1 gallons
D) 24 gallons
E) 2.3 gallons
Answer: C
Diff: 4 Page Ref: 1.8
50) Gas is sold for $1.399 per liter in Toronto, Canada. Your car needs 12.00 gallons. How much will
your credit card be charged in Canadian dollars?
A) $16.79
B) $67.15
C) $4.44
D) $63.54
Answer: D
Diff: 5 Page Ref: 1.8
Algorithmic Questions
13
Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
4) A blueberry scone is an example of
A) a compound.
B) an element.
C) a heterogeneous mixture.
D) a homogeneous mixture.
Answer: C
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 1.3
6) Gold is an example of
A) a compound.
B) an element.
C) a heterogeneous mixture.
D) a homogeneous mixture.
Answer: B
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 1.3
7) Ammonia is an example of
A) a compound.
B) an element.
C) a heterogeneous mixture.
D) a homogeneous mixture.
Answer: A
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 1.3
8) Identify a solid.
A) copper
B) oxygen
C) water
D) helium
E) air
Answer: A
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 1.3
9) Identify a liquid.
A) oxygen
B) copper
C) salt
D) mercury
E) sugar
Answer: D
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 1.3
14
Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
10) Choose the pure substance from the list below.
A) sea water
B) diamond
C) air
D) tea
E) milk
Answer: B
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 1.3
15
Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
15) Choose the homogeneous mixture from the list below.
A) carbonated soda
B) air
C) chocolate chip cookies
D) trail mix
E) blood
Answer: B
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 1.3
16
Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
20) Identify the unit of measurement which is a SI base unit of measurement.
A) second
B) Celsius
C) quart
D) ton
E) kilometer
Answer: A
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 1.6
18
Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
31) Identify the common substance that has the highest density.
A) sugar
B) ice
C) glass
D) mercury
E) aluminum
Answer: D
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 1.6
32) Identify the common substance that has the lowest density.
A) ethanol
B) aluminum
C) titanium
D) table salt
E) sugar
Answer: A
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 1.6
33) What is the volume (in cm3) of a 43.6 g piece of metal with a density of 2.71 g/cm3?
A) 16.1
B) 19.5
C) .425
D) 6.65
E) none of the above
Answer: A
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 1.6
34) A piece of metal ore weighs 8.25 g. When a student places it into a graduated cylinder containing
water, the liquid level rises from 21.25 mL to 26.47 mL. What is the density of the ore?
A) 0.312 g/mL
B) 0.633 g/mL
C) 1.58 g/mL
D) 3.21 g/mL
Answer: C
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 1.6
35) A mass of mercury occupies 0.950 L. What volume would an equal mass of ethanol occupy? The
density of mercury is 13.546 g/mL and the density of ethanol is 0.789 g/mL.
A) 0.0553 L
B) 0.0613 L
C) 16.3 L
D) 18.1 L
Answer: C
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 1.6
19
Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
36) If the melting point of vanadium metal is 1910°C, what is its melting point in Kelvin?
A) 1029 K
B) 1637 K
C) 2183 K
D) 3470 K
Answer: C
Diff: 3 Page Ref: 1.6
38) If a solution has a temperature of 255 K, what is its temperature in degrees celsius?
A) 491°C
B) 528°C
C) 123.9°C
D) 355°C
E) -18°C
Answer: E
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 1.6
39) Determine the mass of an object that has a volume of 88.6 mL and a density of 9.77 g/mL.
A) 98.37 g
B) 0.110 g
C) 9.07 g
D) 78.8 g
E) 866 g
Answer: E
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 1.6
40) The outside air temperature is 40°F, what is the temperature in Kelvin?
A) 313 K
B) 377 K
C) 281 K
D) 277 K
Answer: D
Diff: 3 Page Ref: 1.6
20
Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
41) The outside temperature is 55°C, what is the temperature in °F?
A) 131°F
B) 12.8°F
C) 23°F
D) 77°F
E) 99°F
Answer: A
Diff: 3 Page Ref: 1.6
21
Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
46) How many significant figures are in the measurement, 463.090 m?
A) 2
B) 3
C) 4
D) 5
E) 6
Answer: E
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 1.7
48) The correct answer (reported to the proper number of significant figures) to the following is
________.
Answer: 101
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 1.7
49) Round the following number to four significant figures and express the result in standard
exponential notation: 0.00222755
A) 0.2228 × 10-2
B) 0.002228
C) 2.228 × 103
D) 2.228 × 10-3
E) 22.28 × 102
Answer: D
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 1.7
50) Which of the following numbers has the greatest number of significant figures?
A) 0.5070
B) 0.201
C) 418000
D) 6.02 × 1024
Answer: A
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 1.7
22
Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
51) How many of the following numbers contain 3 significant figures?
0.408 9.040 0.0400 9.05 × 1024
A) one
B) two
C) three
D) four
Answer: C
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 1.7
52) How many significant figures are there in the answer to the following problem?
(9.992 × 3.200) + 0.610 = ?
A) one
B) two
C) three
D) four
Answer: C
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 1.7
53) How many significant figures are there in the answer for the following problem?
56.4 + 0.8822 + 21 = ?
A) one
B) two
C) three
D) four
Answer: B
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 1.7
54) How many significant figures are there in the answer for the following problem?
=?
A) one
B) two
C) three
D) four
Answer: B
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 1.7
55) An acetylene molecule contains 2 atoms of carbon. The number 2 represents how many significant
figures?
A) one
B) two
C) three
D) infinite
Answer: D
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 1.7
23
Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
56) Round off 00907506 to four significant figures.
A) 0091
B) 9076
C) 9100
D) 9.075 × 105
Answer: D
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 1.7
57) The width, length, and height of a large, custom-made shipping crate are 1.22 m, 3.22 m, and 0.83
m, respectively. The volume of the box using the correct number of significant figures is ________ m3.
A) 3.26057
B) 3.3
C) 3.26
D) 3.261
E) 3.2606
Answer: B
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 1.7
58) The correct answer (reported to the proper number of significant figures) to the following is
________.
Answer: 600
Diff: 4 Page Ref: 1.7
A) 1 × 10-4
B) 1 × 105
C) 1 × 1023
D) 1 × 1032
Answer: C
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 1.8
24
Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
60) Without using a calculator, solve the following problem:
A) 1 × 106
B) 1 × 100
C) 1 × 10-12
D) 1 × 10-18
Answer: C
Diff: 1 Page Ref: 1.8
62) The mass of a proton is 1.67 × 10-27 kg. What is the mass of a proton in picograms?
A) 1.67 × 10-18 pg
B) 1.67 × 10-15 pg
C) 1.67 × 10-12 pg
D) 1.67 × 10-9 pg
Answer: C
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 1.8
63) The mass of a single zinc atom is 1.086 × 10-22 g. This is the same mass as
A) 1.086 × 10-16 mg.
B) 1.086 × 10-25 kg.
C) 1.086 × 10-28 μg.
D) 1.086 × 10-31 ng.
Answer: B
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 1.8
64) A student weighed 30.00 μg of sulfur in the lab. This is the same mass as
A) 3.000 × 10-8 g.
B) 3.000 × 10-5 kg.
C) 3.000 × 10-5 mg.
D) 3.000 × 104 ng.
Answer: D
Diff: 2 Page Ref: 1.8
25
Copyright © 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.
Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
him. His face went white with emotion and then became dark with
wrath as he heard the thunderous shout:
“Hail, King of Kings! All hail!”
He raised his hand, beckoning for silence, and, addressing a group
of officers, he said, speaking sternly and in a loud voice,
“What means this?”
One of the officers advanced a pace, and, bowing low, said:
“Son of Achæmenes, Cyrus, the Great King, is dead! Your Father,
the illustrious King of Iran, has refused to take his place. But you
have not refused. Now we know that Cambyses hates you and will
do you evil. He is no Aryan, moreover, and is said to be a madman.
Heed this, our prayer! Let us recognize you as the King of Kings and
our good right arms will make it so!”
As he ceased speaking, a roar of assent went up from ten thousand
throats. The soldiers extended their hands to him in entreaty. Again
he beckoned for silence. When the clamor ceased, he answered:
“What you ask is impossible to grant! As my father swore to Cyrus,
so did I! I am bound by a sacred oath to the Great King, whose body
lies there on its car, but whose spirit even now, perhaps, hovers near
us; and I must support Cambyses and Bardya on their thrones
forever. My word is given; it shall not return! This throne is the throne
of Cyrus; he set it up and his children are entitled to it. It is true, the
King of Iran by right of descent might have contested with Cyrus the
throne of Persia; but he had no right to contest with him that which
his mighty arm brought in subjection to him. As King of Iran, my
father is your ruler. I, his son, am most happy to be your Prince. But
Cambyses is overlord and such must remain! I have no fear.
Cambyses, the Great King, will not be empowered to do me harm
unless I rebel. You have rebelled. You know the punishment of
treason is death; but I will pardon you now if you will swear before
Ahura-Mazda to remain faithful to Cambyses, the Great King, so
long as he respects the laws of Iran. Up with your hands and swear!”
There was a pause. The troopers looked to their officers and upon
each other. A murmur ran through the great host. Would the Prince
yield? They knew his firmness and his love of truth and that he had
never broken oath or promise. Looking upon his countenance, sad
but set with determination, they decided to obey. But some wept
aloud, and tears flowed down the cheeks of others. The captains
raised their hands, saying: “We swear, O Prince of Iran! You alone
may release this oath!” And the soldiers repeated solemnly but
without enthusiasm: “We swear, O Prince, and you alone may
release this oath!”
Thus did the Prince of Iran for the sake of an oath put aside the
highest position earth could give. Dismissing the assembly with a
wave of his hand, he turned in great agitation to enter his tent, that
he might regain that calmness for which in all difficult situations he
was ever noted. As he turned, his eyes met those of Prexaspes, who
occupied a tent near his, and, who, standing in his tent-door, had
been a witness of the whole incident. He noted on the face of the
Mede great astonishment. He gravely acknowledged the profound
bow with which the latter greeted him and passed into his tent. Later,
on the march that day, the Prince called Prexaspes to his side, and
said to him:
“Lord Prexaspes, you were witness when the Imperial Guard sought
my consent to rebel. You are going in before Cambyses, the King of
Kings; and I place it upon your honor to deal justly with me in this
matter. These men are like children, loving me as I love them, and
thought they were doing me a service. If you see fit to speak to the
King of it, assure him of my loyalty. Also say that I myself will stand
or fall with these men. No harm must come to them. The King of
Kings shall have loyal service of me and of these as long as they
remain with me.”
“What need to report?” rejoined Prexaspes, warmly. “Truly it was no
light thing your oath required of you! I marvel that you refused,
knowing as you do how the King of Kings hates you, hates your
friends, hates his brother, who is dear to you, and even his sister, the
lovely Athura! Rest assured that, should this come to his ears, I will
truthfully describe your actions. How can I forget that day at the
crossing of the Araxes, when my Babylonian archers and I were
surrounded by howling Scythians and we were hard-pressed? Was it
not the Prince of Iran who came with the Guard to our rescue? I may
not be a follower of Zoroaster, Great Prince, but I am not ungrateful!”
The Prince looked into the eyes of Prexaspes and saw that he was
sincere. “I trust you,” he said. “Let us hope that Cambyses as King
may forget his dislikes as a man.”
CHAPTER IV
ATHURA
ANCIENT Bactra, the mother city of the Aryan race, was situate in
the midst of a beautiful valley surrounded on all sides by mountain
ranges. It was a fertile valley. Through it rushed the limpid river,
Adirsiah, coming down from the distant snow-capped mountains in
the east and finding an outlet northward to the Oxus. Though it was
summer, the hills were green and the valley was luxuriant with full-
leafed trees and blooming gardens. It seemed a paradise indeed to
the Prince of Iran and his wayworn guard, marching in from the arid
northern plain. Bactra was a great city. Many square miles dotted
with ruins at this day mutely tell of its extent. Here the mythical
Kaiomur, possibly a son of Japhet, settled, and planted a race from
which many nations have sprung. It was not a walled city. The men
of Iran relied on their good right arms for defense. Indeed, they were
not accustomed to await invasion; they invaded others. In the open,
with galloping steed and spear at rest they swept the enemy from
their path, or on foot, with bow and arrow they smote him or closed
with him in close mortal combat with sword and battle-ax. Their valor
made a wall more potent than stones.
Like a hive did the ancient city nourish myriad lives and send forth
swarms of sturdy men, who, under the leadership of able men, took
with them wives, children, and goods and forcibly possessed new
homes in distant climes. One stream passed westward to the lower
Caspian and, branching there, flowed northward, westward, and
southward. Hellas, Asia Minor, the Saxon woods, Scandinavia, and
Western Europe received them, not perhaps in one year or one
century, but in successive years, as successive waves with a rising
tide ever encroach on the shore. Medea and Persia received them.
Ancient records seem to indicate that they dominated the great
valley of the Euphrates and Tigris and even planted families in Syria
on the shores of the Great Sea; and it is sometimes argued that the
ancestors of Abraham, father of the Hebrews, came from Iran
bringing their knowledge of one God with them. It is at least true that
the monarchs of the Medes and Persians ever favored the Hebrews
and acknowledged their Jehovah as the same God they themselves
worshiped under the name Ahura-Mazda, or the Life-Giving Spirit.
Another swarm crossed the southern mountains and occupied India.
But eastward and northeastward, in obedience to some primal
instinct that seems to have driven them in all other directions, the
Aryans never penetrated. The slant-eyed, yellow races, protected by
the vast mountain ranges and desert plains of Tibet, multiplied in
peace on the shores of the Pacific Ocean and threw out their
swarms northward and eastward into the Americas and the islands
of the south seas. Occasionally their hordes, under the general
designation of Tourans, pressed upon their western neighbors by
way of the plains of Siberia, and later, as Huns, Turks, and Tartars,
succeeded in overpowering, by weight of vast numbers, the
provinces so long protected by Aryan valor; but not until that valor
had been forgotten in the luxuries of an enervating civilization.
Bactra was at the intersection of main highways of commerce. Here
the great caravan road from Rhages, to which flowed by different
routes the trade of Persia and Medea, of Egypt, Babylonia, Syria,
and Europe, intersected the roads from India and Tourania. Here the
beautiful wares of Babylon and Nineveh, of Samos and Damascus,
of Egypt and the Ionian cities and of Greece were exchanged for the
fabrics of India and the products of the northern plains. Here
caravans outfitted for trade in distant lands. The great market-place,
an open square on the shore of the Adirsiah, near the center of the
city, was ever lively with the movement of men of different colors and
wearing as many different dresses; of camels ever complaining and
groaning; of donkeys, braying; of beautiful horses, exhibiting their
points; and of a thousand vehicles for transporting goods. Around
three sides were dome-roofed stores, where the wealth of all nations
was displayed;, where gold, silver, precious stones, beautiful
earthenwares, ivory, rugs, weapons, fruits, grains, and wearing
apparel were exhibited for exchange or for sale, and the noisy
shouts of traders were heard the whole day. Groups of soldiers
swaggered along, keeping the peace. Teachers and priests in long
robes walked with solemn pace contemplative; magistrates and
nobles rode through with lofty aspect; the countryman, then as ever,
wandered about in open-eyed curiosity, loved and respected by all
Aryans, but nevertheless simple-minded and apt to be cheated; and
the humble laborer of the city, rough-spoken but shrewd, boldly
jostled any foreigner who might cross his path.
The royal palace occupied an eminence sloping down to the river,
near the eastern limits of the city, its stately walls, and porticos dimly
seen through the leafy trees of the park surrounding it. Other
mansions of the rich and noble, each surrounded by garden or park,
clustered near. The narrow, irregular streets were bordered by the
houses and shops of the commercial class. On the outskirts, the
humbler cottages of the poor were built. On all sides lay the gardens
and fields in which were raised the vegetables consumed by the vast
population.
Couriers had brought to Prince Bardya at Bactra news of his father’s
death. A period of mourning had been proclaimed. When the funeral
car with its guard drew near the city, a decree was issued and
proclaimed on all the street corners, commanding all to leave their
tasks and to observe a day of special mourning. A great procession
marched out of the city to meet the dead king. A thousand
horsemen, four abreast, led the way. Prince Bardya, riding a great
white horse, rode alone, with bowed head and sorrowful demeanor.
Following him were two litters, carried on the shoulders of stout black
slaves; these bore the royal daughters of Cyrus, Athura and
Artistone. A thousand or more nobles, magistrates, travelers of note,
and rich men rode next. Countless multitudes of all classes closed
the procession or traveled along the way through the fields, eager to
see and to hear.
The Prince of Iran, leaving his camp equipage at a ford of the river a
league below the city, advanced slowly with the funeral car and his
ten thousand weary, wayworn guards, to meet the procession.
Coming to an open field, wherein stood several great oaks, he
caused the funeral car to stop beneath the branches of one of the
trees and massed his guard in an open square around it, leaving a
way open for the royal Prince and his sisters to approach the bier.
Then, accompanied by Gobryas, he rode on to meet the procession.
The advance guards of Prince Bardya opened to let him pass
through, forming in lines on either side of the way.
The Prince of Iran and Gobryas dismounted as they were about to
meet the son of Cyrus; and the latter likewise dismounted, and,
hastening to them, embraced them affectionately, while tears
dimmed all eyes.
“Hail, dear friends!” was his greeting. “It is pleasant to meet you even
though sadness comes with you.” He kissed the Prince of Iran and
embraced him. “My sisters are here. Let us go to them,” he then
said.
The litters drew near and were placed on the ground by their brawny
carriers. The curtains of the foremost were parted and from it
emerged a young woman, heavily veiled and dressed in rich but
somber clothing. As her brother and his two friends approached, she
drew aside the veil from her face, and, smiling through tears upon
the Prince of Iran, extended to him her hand. He bent knee before
her and reverently kissed the extended hand.
“Greeting, Prince of Iran!” she said in a low, sweet voice, wherein
gladness struggled with sadness. “Arise! Should a Prince of Iran
kneel to any person?”
“To one only in the whole world!” was his reply, arising and looking
down into her glorious eyes. “If I were not here on so sad an errand,
this would be my happiest day. I bring to you the last message of
love and farewell from the King of Kings. His last thoughts and words
were of you and of the little sister here.”
He turned to greet Artistone, who now came forward from her litter,
and gravely bent to kiss the little hand she gave him.
“Come!” said Bardya, “let us go and greet the dead. When we return
to the palace we shall renew our acquaintance and you shall tell us
all that our beloved father said.”
Without further conversation they walked between the lines of
massed soldiery, who saluted as they passed, to the funeral car,
around which stood a score of officers with drawn swords as a guard
of honor. They ascended the great car, drew aside the heavy
curtains, with which it was surrounded, and stood in the presence of
the dead. The casket had been partially opened and some of the
wrappings over the face of the remains had been removed, that they
might look again upon the beloved features. Royalty for the moment
was forgotten and the bereaved children wept; and, in an instant, a
great wave of emotion swept over the vast multitude. Men of all
stations, women of all classes and their children, lifted up their
voices in loud lamentation. The hero, under whose mighty shadow
they had so long rested and been safe, was no more! Cyrus, the
well-beloved, was gone! Alas and alas! wailed the people. The
glowing sun smiled upon the snowy peaks in the east, the green hills
in the west, and the lovely valley with its rippling stream, and all
nature seemed happy. Only this myriad of human beings voiced their
woe. No greater tribute could have been given to the mighty dead.
But weeping must have an end. The Prince and his sisters
descended from the car and returned to the palace. The casket,
escorted by the multitudes, was conveyed to a temple, which stood
in the park surrounding the palace, and was there kept while
arrangements were made for its further transportation to Persia.
Prexaspes, having been given audience by Prince Bardya, was
furnished with an escort and sent on his way to Cambyses at
Hamadan. He was directed to inform the King of Kings that his
brother and sisters would accompany the body of their father to
Pasargadæ. The determination of Bardya to attend his father’s
corpse to its tomb gave the Prince of Iran much concern. It would
place Bardya within the power of King Cambyses, whose uncertain
temper might lead him to fratricide. Knowing the disposition of
Cambyses and his long-standing hatred towards Bardya, and fearing
that a conflict would inevitably arise over the divided authority left
them by the will of Cyrus, the Prince sought to persuade Bardya to
remain in Bactra, whose people would protect him. But Bardya would
not be persuaded. He was a bold youth and thought that he would
be as safe among the Persians as among the Bactrians.
The palace of Bactra was the property of its ancient line of kings.
Here the Kings of Iran were crowned, and from it went forth all royal
decrees. Here King Hystaspis in early youth had resided with his
queen, and here Darius, their son, had been born. But when Cyrus
of Persia became conqueror of Medea and assumed the title of King
of Kings, he admitted that Persia was a part of Iran and placed it
likewise under the rule of Hystaspis, but on condition that the latter
should acknowledge him as overlord of all. King Hystaspis
entertained for his great cousin the most lively admiration and
affection. He cared not to dispute with him world authority. He was a
mystic, a lover of learning and of his fellow-men. He would much
rather have sat at the feet of Zoroaster and delved into the mystery
of life and the greater mystery of death than rule as King. But he
accepted the duties of kingship as a trust for his people and stoutly
protected them from their enemies as well as in the enjoyment of
their ancient rights. He had accepted the proposition of Cyrus and
under him had ruled all Iran, including Persia. His authority even
extended over Medea in the absence of Cyrus, although, the capital
of Cyrus’ empire being at Hamadan, the Great King generally
regulated the internal affairs of Medea himself.
King Hystaspis had then built for himself a palace on the banks of
the royal river Pulwar in Persia near where it flowed into the Araxes
and about thirty miles below or west of Pasargadæ, around which
arose a great city known to history as Persepolis, where in winter he
might enjoy a less rigorous climate than at Bactra. There he and his
queen loved to reside in the midst of a great park, surrounded by
men and women of congenial spirit, embowered in the flowers and
foliage of a semi-tropic vegetation with the great plain of Merv, a very
paradise under irrigation, lying before them. His provinces were
under the rule of governors. The load of executive duties fell upon
his officers. Only in times of war did he leave his retreat, except that
once each year he returned to Bactra for some weeks of
administrative work.
During the absence of King Hystaspis and his son with Cyrus on the
expedition against the Tourans, Bardya and his sisters had been
guests in the palace at Bactra. This was a rambling structure, one
story in height, adorned with a portico whose tall stone pillars
supported a heavy wooden roof and gave to its front the appearance
of a temple. The walls of the palace were of roughly hewn stone,
thick and massive. There were many wings, all gable-roofed and
rudely ornate with buttresses and overhanging eaves. Narrow
windows and doors gave light and air to the interior. It being summer,
the windows were protected by heavy wooden bars only, the winter-
time shutters having been removed. Gauze curtains on the inside
were hung over them, more to exclude insects than for beauty. The
doors were of heavy wood, bound with brazen bands cut in ornate
figures. Inside, the many rooms were fitted luxuriously, with bright,
soft rugs on the stone floors and with figured draperies on the walls,
where, also, hung armor and weapons. Divans, couches, chairs, and
tables richly upholstered and set with precious metals and ivory
constituted the furniture. In the midst of the palace was an open
court, where a fountain gushed up from a rocky islet in the middle of
a pool and where flowering shrubs perfumed the air. The servants’
quarters were at the rear, and, not far away, was another building
where a company of soldiers had quarters.
The white stone walls of a small temple could be seen three hundred
paces to the west of the palace, in the midst of great oaks and elms.
There had Zoroaster taught and had exercised the offices of chief
priest of Iran, and there beneath its altar lay buried his saintly bones.
There a corps of priests kept the sacred fire ever burning and daily
uttered prayers for the King and his people. There, before entering
upon any long journey or going to war, the King of Iran offered his
sacrifices and raised his hands to the Great Life-giving Spirit of
Heaven. There, now, within its sacred portals, reposed for a time the
body of the Great King.
The ground sloped gently northward from the palace down to the
shore of the Adirsiah and was graced with many large trees. A low
stone wall surrounded the palace park, except where the river
bounded its front. There were benches beneath the elms on the river
shore, where one could sit and look upon the distant northern
mountains or at the rapid stream, rushing in light green splendor
through its narrow, rock-bound channel and with sighing murmur
giving an undertone to the songs of birds. Here at even came
Athura, after having listened to the chant of the priests, celebrating
the close of the day as she knelt by her father’s bier. She had come
hither to be alone with her sorrow.
The air was warm and balmy. A cooler breeze was beginning to blow
down from the mountains; it played with the dark hair above her
brow. The scarflike veil, which commonly served as a head-dress,
was thrown aside and rested on her shoulders, exposing the wavy
mass of hair upon her head and the gem-studded band that
encircled it like a crown. Her tall, well-developed body was robed in a
long mantle of dark, soft fabric, somewhat like the Grecian robe,
caught up in the folds at the left side so as to expose the tip of a
sandaled foot, and secured by a girdle of golden links at the waist.
The short sleeves of an under jacket covered her arms to the elbow.
Bracelets of gold set with gems graced her wrists. No pen has ever
described her beauty or the royal grace of her demeanor. Through
the dim vista of the ages comes a picture of dark brown eyes, in the
depths of which shone all the tenderness of womanhood with its all-
embracing sympathy and boundless capacity for love, and all the
fearlessness of a pure, proud spirit, accustomed to power and
authority. Comes also a vision of a fair complexion, pure Caucasian,
or rather Aryan; a lofty brow, inherited from her father; a profile, now
known as Grecian, but not modern Grecian; an expressive mouth,
where sweetness dwelt, but which could show firmness and even
sternness when necessary; a smile that would raise a worshiper to
heaven; a frown before which the boldest would falter.
In those days and among that people, woman held high and
honorable place. The servility of the Semitic races, aped by later
Persian rulers, had not yet degraded her. As in Greece and Rome,
where men of kindred blood dwelt, so among the Iranians, woman
held a most honorable place. Man ruled the world; but his heart was
ruled by a noble woman. Coming of such a race, where equality
made her sex noble, this royal princess exhibited in her carriage a
spirit before which men bowed, not because she was high-born and
of royal lineage, but because she was a woman.
Of her tradition has spoken much and history little. All agree that she
was the most famous woman of her age. Some would have her the
wife of three kings: of Cambyses, her brother, of the false Bardya, or
Smerdis, and of Darius, son of Hystaspis. Others declare that her
sister, Artistone, was the wife of the latter. Others, that Artistone was
the ill-fated wife of Cambyses. This is certain, that she was the high-
spirited daughter of Cyrus, that she was indeed the wife of the
greatest of the Kings of Iran and the mother of a line of kings; and
history indicates that she was the real ruler of the empire while her
son wore the crown. But such history had not yet been written, when,
on this summer evening, she stood on the shore of the river Adirsiah
and sadly meditated on the pleasant days of her girlhood spent in
the company of her father. Her mother had died when she was a
child of ten years; and, thereafter, her father had made her his
companion, delighting in her wisdom as much as in her affection.
She had traveled with him as he moved through his great empire,
had played in the ancestral park at Pasargadæ, had ruled his palace
at Susa, had viewed with wonder the mighty walls and hanging
gardens of Babylon, and had dwelt much in Hamadan, the chief
capital of the empire. There rose in her memory the proud, beautiful
face of her mother, the cruel, sneering countenance of Cambyses,
the smiling, mischievous face of Bardya, the little sister Artistone,
and the grave, kindly father, whose stately manner never departed
even in the privacy of home-life. Into this picture of her childhood life
there came another face and form, one that of late years had filled
much of her life with the sweetness of love. She remembered her
first meeting with the Prince of Iran, at Pasargadæ, and how
afterwards as a tall youth of fourteen years he came to her father’s
court to enter his service, and that he talked much of his mother, of
his father, and of his studies. He had at once assumed a sort of
protectorate over Bardya and herself, interposing often between
them and the cruel elder brother, Cambyses, and even coming to
blows with him in their behalf. With him she had studied, had learned
the art of writing and reading, had sat at the feet of the great seer of
Babylon, Belteshazzer, also known as Daniel, the Hebrew, and had
learned to ride, to hunt, and to handle arms. She had not neglected
the arts practiced by the women of her race. To cook, to sew, to spin,
to weave wonderful tapestries,—all these she had learned. Many
times, disguised, she and Bardya and the young Prince of Iran had
traveled from place to place, enjoying adventures among the
common people and sometimes incurring great risks. Then wars had
come, and her brothers and the young Hystaspis had followed the
Great King on his campaigns, that they too might learn the war-
game.
She sat down on a rustic seat beneath a great elm and with hands
folded in her lap gazed dreamily at the swirling stream, into which
the shades of evening were darkly falling. Bitter-sweet thoughts, the
sense of personal loss, the uncertainty of the future, the near
presence of him she loved,—a hundred passing impressions stirred
her soul. What would Cambyses do, now that he was to be the King
of Kings? She and Bardya had often discussed the subject. She
knew that the proud spirit of the latter would suffer no oppression
from the King. Would there be civil war? Would brother fight brother?
She feared so, knowing the hatred Cambyses felt towards Bardya, a
feeling that the latter reciprocated.
A footfall startled her. Turning, she beheld the Prince of Iran coming
towards her. She rose with a smile of welcome and extended her
hands to him. How noble he seemed to her! He had put off his
armor, and over his close-fitting tunic of soft, velvety cloth had
thrown the elegant Medean cloak in common use among the noble-
born. Sandals protected his feet, and the interlaced thongs with
which they were held partially covered his ankles and legs to the
knee, to which the skirt of his tunic descended. The open folds of the
long cloak gave freedom to his limbs and displayed the broad purple
sash which served as a belt and the golden chain from which his
short sword swung. His head was bare, displaying a mass of dark
hair, slightly curled, and combed back from his broad brow. He had
washed away the stains of travel. His sun-tanned skin glowed with
health. His eyes were alight with love.
A bulbul broke forth into song in the branches of the tree above
them. The breeze rustled gently amidst the leaves. The gurgle and
rush of the stream rose softly. A thousand whispering voices seemed
to waken all about, as if the spirits of the woods talked of these two
standing there in close embrace. Love, without which no human soul
desires to live, which raises men to God, which makes of earth a
heaven, which in its all-abounding strength makes men and women
strong, the chief attribute of God and the chief element in His
children, which links congenial spirits together for eternity and drives
out evil, here sat enthroned.
After the first warm greetings were over, they sat down side by side
on the rustic seat.
“I may tell you now,” he said, “that your father gave consent to our
marriage. How I wish you could have been present so that he could
have placed your hand in mine! Now, if we observe the ancient
customs of our race, your eldest brother must give his consent.”
“But even then we must wait until the days of mourning for my father
are finished!”
“I know, but what if Cambyses does not consent?”
She was silent for a moment. This possibility had occurred to both.
The word of Cambyses the Great King would be law. He might if he
willed give his sister to another.
“That Cambyses is not fit to reign!” she exclaimed presently. “My
father should have decreed Bardya his successor! Am I, the
daughter of Cyrus, to have no part in this empire? To have no will of
my own? Let the people of Iran answer! What say you?”
The Prince was silent now. The oath sworn to the dead Cyrus
recurred to his mind. It would indeed have been better had Cyrus
willed that Bardya should be his successor, for then the Aryans
would have cheerfully followed his will. As he replied not, she
continued:
“Who, in truth, is entitled to reign in Iran? If birth gives right, is not the
gracious King, your father, this day entitled to succeed my father?
For he is of an older branch of the Achæmenian family. Let him
assert this right! The men of Iran will uphold him. As for me, I shall
be satisfied to become queen of the world, when you succeed to
your father’s place.”
“Of all these matters have I thought much,” he replied slowly. “It is
true my father is entitled to reign in Iran; but the empire of Cyrus
reaches on every side beyond the utmost limits of Iran; and it was
his by right of conquest. It is a new empire based on the provinces of
Persia and Medea over which he was always entitled to reign.
Perhaps our ancient customs and laws would give my father the best
right to succeed. But he has refused to assert that right. He has
sworn to Cyrus to support Cambyses and Bardya on their thrones
forever. I, too, in obedience to my father’s will, when the Great King
lay dying, made solemn oath that I would likewise support them on
their thrones, according to the terms of his will. Our oaths cannot
return. But such oaths do not take away our ancient right to rule as
Kings of Iran. That we will ever maintain; but not to the overthrow of
Cambyses or of Bardya. I am troubled to know how to act in the
future. Cambyses surely will not permit Bardya to reign even over
part of this empire; and all the provinces of the East have been given
to Bardya with the sole condition that he acknowledge the
overlordship of Cambyses. If the King of Kings should lead an army
hither to overthrow his brother, we must fight him; if Bardya seeks to
overthrow his brother, we must prevent him. Alas! the mind of Cyrus
must have been affected so that he could not see clearly! I can see
before us long years of civil war, wherein Aryan will fight Aryan. Of
one thing I am convinced, Bardya should not accompany the body of
his father to Pasargadæ. Here, in the faithful city of Bactra, with the
army of King Hystaspis at hand, he may be secure. Would it not be
better that you also remain here, while I go to stand before the King
and demand his consent to our marriage?”
“Shall I not honor my father by attending when he goes to his tomb?
I have no fear of Cambyses. Surely he will attempt no harm to me or
to my brother when on this sacred mission! Besides, will you not also
be present?”
“Yes, I shall be near. Let us hope that the King of Kings will be
gracious. My life shall be between you and harm. It would be
valueless to me without you!”
“And mine would end without you! Have no fear that Cambyses may
give me to another! I, the daughter of Cyrus, will submit to no such
disposition! He dares not violate the ancient custom which gives a
woman the right to reject one who may be proposed. Not yet do the
slavish laws of the Assyrians have force in Iran. Cambyses may
rage; he may slay me! Yet will he not have his way with me! Truly if
he attempts to oppress Bardya and me, the people of Iran shall be
appealed to; and I know they will rise!”
He drew his encircling arm closer and sighed deeply. “Oaths, lives,
and crown shall not stand between us!” he said.
CHAPTER V
CAMBYSES
SOME days were given to rest before the Prince of Iran and his
guard, escorting the royal dead and accompanied by the royal family,
marched out of Bactra on the long journey, over verdant plain and
hill, over rugged mountains and sandy wastes, to Pasargadæ. Their
route lay westward to Rhages, with the Elburz chain of mountains on
the right and the vast deserts of Iran on the left, thence southward by
way of Hamadan. A caravan accompanied them, bearing provisions
and luxuries for the journey. In spite of the sad errand, it was a
pleasant experience for the Prince and his beloved.
Meanwhile Prexaspes, riding at courier speed, rushed on in advance
to carry tidings to Cambyses. As he rode, he formulated plans. He
knew Cambyses well,—in fact, it had been reported to Cyrus that
Prexaspes had abetted his wayward son in his excesses. As much
to remove him from his son as to please the Medes, the King had
taken the powerful noble with him on his expedition against the
Touranians. Prexaspes had not dared demur. Much as he loved ease
and luxury, he was personally brave and capable. He had performed
his duties and had won the approbation of the just old King. Knowing
the weaknesses of Cambyses, his vanity, his selfishness, his gross
passions, and his superstitious nature, he now planned how he
should gain advantage by them; and in his mind he saw himself
raised to the second place in the empire, covered with riches,
honors, and power.
He soon arrived at Rhages, an ancient city situated near that famous
pass through the Elburz mountain-chain known as the Caspian
Gates, and not far from Mount Demavend, around which cluster
many legends of ancient Iran. Here the stream of Aryans had halted
many years before separating into the three branches, one of which
passed northward through the Gates into the Caucasus and thence
into Europe, another westward into the mountains of Azerbijan, and
another southward to Medea and Persia. But Hamadan, the
Ecbatana of the Greeks, situated farther south, had grown greater
and had become the capital of Medea. Rhages had ceased to be the
capital. It was, however, a great and important city, a base for the
army guarding the Caspian provinces beyond the great mountain-
chain and a market through which flowed commerce from the sea of
the north, the caravans of the east and south and from the herdsmen
of the mountains in the west. Mount Demavend, magnificent in its
snow-capped grandeur, on whose peak, it was said, God sometimes
rested to view His created world, is one of the great mountains of
earth.
Prexaspes halted here but a day. He sacrificed a horse at the
temple, where the ancient Aryan rites were performed, and he drank
soma and was sprinkled with holy water afterwards at a Magian
shrine, where he left a gift of money. Having thus satisfied his
conscience and invoked good-luck from all sources, he galloped
southward towards Hamadan, where he expected to find King
Cambyses.
The queen city of the empire, celebrated in song and story, strong in
the martial spirit of its people, called Hamadan by the Persians,
Agmetha by the Hebrews, Ecbatana by the Greeks, sat upon a
rolling plain, close to the foot of Mount Elwend, sometimes called
Mount Orontes. In the center was an eminence on which was the
citadel and around which were seven walls rising in gradations, each
painted a different color from the others. On the top of the eminence
was the far-famed royal palace, covering acres of ground. Its
glittering metal roof reflected afar the rays of the sun. Its porch
columns, its doors and walls, were plated with precious metal. Its
deep, cool interior was luxuriously furnished with carved and
curiously wrought tables, divans, settees, and chairs, and with costly
tapestries from Srinigar and rugs and carpets from the looms of
Medea. Its throne room was vast and magnificent. A stone-built
treasury vault occupied one corner, where was stored untold wealth,
gathered during the years of conquest, when Crœsus and other
unlucky kings fell before the conqueror. A park lay at the rear,
inclosed within the walls.
To this city from east and south caravans, with their spirited horses,
their complaining camels, and their slow-moving elephants, came,
and from the west long trains of pack mules and slaves, to exchange
commodities and to outfit for new expeditions. Here came armies,
returning from chastisement of some rebel or from conquest of some
nation, to recruit for further forays. Half a million people, dwelling in
wooden, stone, or tent houses, here made their homes and proudly
claimed to be rulers of the world by virtue of the palace on the hill
and the power of its royal occupant.
It was midsummer. Royalty and nobility, leaving the lowlands and the
heat of the capital city, sought cool retreats in the mountains. Mount
Elwend, whose peak is capped with eternal snow, thrusts downward
vast spurs into the plains eastward and southward; and, between
their wooded sides, babbling streams of cool water flow down from
the snows. In the vales and canyons of the foothills were many tents
and rustic cabins, where the rich and powerful dwelt and enjoyed the
cool, sweet air. Pack-trains fetched provisions and supplies from the
city. In luxury and dissipation, with sport and game, the elect of earth
here passed the time pleasantly. Here Cambyses was residing, all
unconscious that he was now King of Kings.
Riding down from the north, with a score of soldiers at his back,
Prexaspes saw the dome and towers of the great palace flash in the
afternoon sun and knew that his mission was almost accomplished.
His heart beat high. He would be the first to greet Cambyses by his
new title, King of Kings, the Great King, and it would depend upon
the mood of Cambyses whether he would be given honors as the
bearer of good tidings, or be disgraced as the bearer of evil. The
guard at his back, picked up at Rhages, did not know his errand or
that Cyrus was dead. The dark, eagle-like countenance of
Prexaspes was impassive and never betrayed his thoughts. Worn by
weather and hardened by exposure, he now looked more the soldier
than the courier. But he looked forward to many days of ease and
pleasure, when he could discard his dusty uniform for clean linen,
perfumed vestments, and the elegant Medean cloak.
At a point about two miles north of the city, he met a train of donkeys
led by slaves and under guard of half a dozen mounted troopers.
They were moving slowly and they insolently neglected to give way
to Prexaspes and his followers when the latter came galloping down
towards them.
“On the King’s business!” shouted Prexaspes, wrathfully, reining in
his foaming steed. “Out of the way, swine! Offscouring of the earth
and filthy jackals! must we ride over you?”
“We also are on the King’s business!” retorted the leader of the
troopers, a dour, whiskered Mede, bringing his short spear into
position. “By the whiskers of Merodach! keep a civil tongue and do
not try riding over the train of Cambyses!”
Prexaspes glowered at the speaker a moment. He recognized the
sullen face.
“Ha, Merobates, is it you?” he cried. “I might have known the captain
of the King’s houseguard! Know you not Prexaspes?”
Anger left the swarthy countenance of Merobates. He grinned as he
answered:
“Truly I remember the Lord Prexaspes! But I did not suppose you
were within a thousand parasangs! Whence and whither?”
“From the King to the King,” answered Prexaspes, enigmatically.
“But where is he,—Cambyses? I bear a message to him and must
not delay.”
“Wise it is not to delay on his business, indeed!” rejoined Merobates.
“The Prince is now at his summer camp some parasangs over
there,” indicating the slopes of Elwend. “I am just returning from the
city with the daily provisions for his use.”
“Guide me to him, good Merobates, and great will be your reward!”
said Prexaspes. “In the King’s name, I command! Leave your men to
bring the train and lead on.”
Merobates hesitated, considering whether it were wiser to stay with
his men and thus assure the performance of his daily duty or to obey
the order of the noble Prexaspes. But the compelling gaze of the