by H A CULLEY
He suggested that the cavalry should be housed separately in two forts, one for each epihipparchia of Companions, one near the fort housing the king on the Resetnikia River opposite the West Gate and the other further downstream near the South Gate. The necessary grazing lay beside the river between the two. It made sense to Iphitos, even though it meant building six forts, not four. Siting the camps took until the early afternoon and then he left Endemion and his officers to start planning the details.
Finding a site for the ten thousand men in Attalus’ army was more complex. Once again Iphitos agreed that one large fortress didn’t make sense. Furthermore there were two likely approaches – through the valley of the Resetnikia through the mountains to the north and along the coast from the north-west. However, the coastal route was protected to some extent by a long ridge through which there was a road down to the river. The obvious solution was to build the cavalry camp near the ford where the road crossed the river, especially as there was good pasture along the river for the thousands of horses.
After some discussion it was agreed that a small fort should be built where the road crossed the ridge of hills to guard this approach. The main camp should logically be sited north of that housing the cavalry. When they paced it out the camp would need to be a quarter of a square mile in size. Even with the manpower available, the timber, time and effort involved would be considerable.
‘I think we need to remember that Attalus’ army is meant to be a mobile force, ready to move against any relief army in the field. We only need to defend it from a night raid and that sort of thing,’ Kleandros pointed out.
‘I agree,’ Iphitos said, noting the relieved look on Dardanos’ face with displeasure.
He was tempted to insist on building a large fortified camp just to annoy the man. However, that would be petty and unprofessional. It made sense to house the cavalry inside a palisade as they were unused to fighting on foot. However, the main camp could be protected by a fence across a narrow part of the valley with a gate. As a consequence, two of the other sides of the camp would be protected by the hillsides. Of course, raiders could charge into the camp down the slopes but overnight piquets could be stationed on the hill tops. Then Iphitos came up with another idea.
‘I think we can improve the defence against a raid by digging out a steep sided ditch around the other three sides of the camp and piling the earth up into a high rampart, which can then be patrolled.’
Kleandros and Dardanos thought about it and nodded their agreement.
‘I’ll build a gatehouse beside the river to provide access to the south and a suspended palisade across it to prevent anyone steeling into the camp via the river. We’ll also need a length of palisade with a gate in it for the piquets to use.’
‘Good idea, Dardanos. Are you happy to get on with it?’
‘Well, there is a lot to supervise, I wondered whether I should concentrate on this main camp. Someone else would have to look after the guard post at the top of the pass and the camp for the cavalry, of course.’
‘Yes, that makes sense. I want to leave myself free to go where I’m needed but perhaps Kleandros would…’
He stopped as his fellow Illyrian was nodding in agreement with a broad smile on his face. After months of staff work he would be glad to have a project of his own to get on with. However, he did have a query.
‘I’m sure that this arrangement makes sense for Attalus’ camps but I worry that the efforts of Endemion and his twenty officers, some of whom are still being trained, will be spread thinly over the six palisaded camps he is responsible for erecting in a very short time frame.’
‘I agree. I’ll be spending most of my time helping him where necessary with a visit up here perhaps once a day. I also intend to make use of Chronos. I know that he’s only sixteen but he knows a great deal about basic engineering now, in addition to his knowledge of artillery. He can help by supervising one of the smaller cavalry forts.’
Iphitos returned to the main camp to be confronted with two more problems. He needed to go and persuade Demetrius to let him have most of his supply wagons to cart timber to where it was needed, once it had been cut ready in the forests along the coastal strip. More importantly he needed to talk to Uzava about the apparent disappearance of Callimarcos and his pedagogue. He had been expecting to meet them when he got to Amphipolis but there was no sign of them.
-o0o-
Much to his surprise, Callimarcos had enjoyed the two months he had spent in the philosophy school in Olynthus. Most of the teaching had been in the form of debates, led by their teacher. This was the method introduced by Plato. One of Plato’s students in Athens had been a Chalkidikean, now in his early thirties, called Aristotle. He had returned home for the funeral of his father and had agreed to stay on for a few months to tutor the students of his boyhood friend, who now ran the school in Olynthus.
Callimarcos found Aristotle’s teaching inspiring and he became one of his most enthusiastic students. The boys explored the world of science, mathematics, history, geography and theology as well as the form of philosophy known as realism. Callimarcos got so engrossed in his studies that he almost forgot the purpose of his sojourn in Olynthos , despite reminders from his pedagogue.
He really only started to examine the defences of the city after Aristotle returned to Athens. By then it was too late. He was only halfway through his mission when he heard that Philip was advancing into Chalkidike. He panicked. He should have been at Amphipolis a week ago and now he was likely to be trapped in the city if he didn’t leave immediately. However, he could hardly return to Iphitos with the incomplete information he had managed to gather so far; so he stayed. He’d worry about getting out of the city when his task was completed.
A week later he was ready to leave but neither he nor his pedagogue could think of a way out. Not only was the besieging army preventing anyone entering or leaving, the Olynthians had nailed the gates shut and braced them.
The bombardment had commenced against two of the gates, but occasionally rocks were aimed over the wall to crush the houses just inside. On the third night, at about midnight, flaming oil soaked bales of straw were lobbed over the walls and started several fires. One of these had landed upwind of the school of philosophy and the flames were moving slowly towards it. The alarm had been raised and Callimarcos had managed to escape in time but his pedagogue was overcome by smoke; he was still inside the adults’ communal dormitory when it went up. Now the boy was on his own.
He ran to the west, a part of the city he hadn’t visited before, to get away from the fire but he was knocked down and trampled by men running with leather buckets of water from a nearby trough to try and quench the flames.
He got up, dirty, bruised and shaken, but relieved that no bones were broken. He continued to the west and, because he had walked all around the walls to study them, suddenly realised where he was. The West Gate was about a hundred yards to his left.
When he got there he found that, because it wasn’t being bombarded, the gate was only shut and locked, not nailed and braced. He heard the sound of excited horses off to his left and the odd occasional whisper, always followed by an admonitory order to shut up, also whispered. Evidently a group of horsemen were about to make a foray.
The flames were still visible in the direction from which he had run but they were dying down now. Presumably the fire was now under control. He was tempted to return to the school and relative safety but he knew it was time he got out and found Iphitos.
He had just fallen asleep sitting in the dirt with his back against the wall of the house across from the gates, but he awoke quickly when the order to open them was given. However, he was disorientated and at first he didn’t know where he was or what he was doing there. The last of the horsemen were riding towards the gates before he had collected his wits. He desperately ran after them and tried to slip through the gates before they were closed again when he was spotted. The hoary hand of an elderly member of the ci
ty watch grabbed his right shoulder just before he entered the archway which led to the outside. Another man grabbed his left arm and he sobbed with frustration.
-o0o-
Dardanos was getting increasingly worried about his missing son. When he hadn’t been waiting for the army at Amphipolis he had gone to see Iphitos but all the man did was reassure him that he would turn up. He said he must have been delayed. When they reached Olynthus and there was still no sign of him he came to the reluctant conclusion that he must be dead. He blamed himself; he should never have let Iphitos send the boy on such a dangerous mission.
Once he had reconciled himself to Callimarcos’ death he started to plan his revenge. To all outward appearances he was normal and got on with his job but he had trouble hiding his hatred of Iphitos. It didn’t help that the man obviously loathed him. Once or twice he nearly let his mask slip, and when Iphitos had congratulated him on his ideas for the defence of Attalus’ camp he thought he was going to be sick.
The problem was that the king’s chief engineer was rarely alone. He was always with his aide and several of his officers and scribes during the day. As there was a guard outside his tent and his skeuphorus and Chronos slept inside. His only way of getting Iphitos alone was to ask for a private audience with him.
‘What is it, Dardanos? I’m busy, as ever, but I can spare you five minutes. Take a seat. Chronos said it was a personal matter. If it’s about your son, I have no more idea where he is than you do. I’m really sorry that he didn’t make it to Amphipolis as planned, naturally; he’s a nice lad and I pray that nothing has happened to him, but I’m not sure what else I can do.’
Dardanos ignored the invitation to sit and shuffled nervously. He’d expected the sentries outside to remove his sword before he entered but he hadn’t counted on them taking his dagger as well. His plan was to leap across the desk and cut Iphitos’ throat. Now he would have to strangle him and he wasn’t sure that he was either strong enough or that he could choke him to death, even if he could overcome him, before the sentries rushed in and killed him. He came to the reluctant conclusion that he would have to bide his time and try again later.
‘Yes, it is about Callimarcos. I blame you for his death. I never wanted him to embark on this crazy mission, but you insisted that he’d be safe. Well, he wasn’t, was he?’ he spat at his commander.
‘I can understand your bitterness, Dardanos. I know it’s of no consolation to you or your wife, but I blame myself for what has happened, just as much as you do,’ he replied gently. ‘But I’m not certain that he is dead. If the Olynthians had caught him I don’t think that they could have resisted the temptation of sending his body back to us as a way of crowing over finding him out. Personally I think that he’s trapped inside the city. I’ve no idea why he didn’t leave when he was meant to - perhaps he was ill - but I haven’t given up hope. I suggest you don’t either.’
‘Damn you, Iphitos, for your calmness and your reasonableness. I came in here wanting to kill you and you try to give me fresh hope. Well, I hope you’re right; but if you’re not and my boy is dead, then I will come for you when you are least expecting it and I will find a way to take your life.’
‘I see. Any normal senior officer would have you killed for that, either by executing you for insubordination and the stated intent to kill, or have you quietly disposed of to avoid the matter becoming public. But I’m not like that. I only kill when I have to. I still think that Callimarcos is alive and then all your bluster will just make you look foolish. But you can’t continue to serve under me. I’m demoting you to tetrarch and sending you to Antigonus as an engineering officer. The official version will be that I didn’t think you were up to the job. Contradict that and I will send Philip’s assassins after you,’ he paused, ‘and your wife.’
Dardanos left the next day and that night Iphitos ordered Lysis to launch the flaming bales of straw into the city.
-o0o-
Callimarcos reacted instinctively to being seized by the two men. Although one had hold of his shoulder, it didn’t stop him from drawing his dagger with his right hand. He jabbed the blade into the side of the man gripping his left arm, twisted it and pulled it out. The man screamed and let go, clutching at his side. Before the other man could draw his sword, the boy twisted out of the tight grip he had on his shoulder and dropped to one knee.
The man whirled around looking for him, not realised what he’d done. Then he felt a sharp pain in his groin as Callimarcos thrust his dagger up between the man’s thighs, feeling it meet resistance. The man howled in agony as thick, hot blood spurted out, covering the boy’s hand and lower arm. The man doubled over and, as he fell to the ground, the boy pulled the fatally injured man’s sword from its scabbard and swiftly cut the throat of the first soldier man, who was still making attempts to grab Callimarcos, despite his wounded side.
By this time the other four men guarding the gate had started to shut them after the last horseman had cantered past them but, when they heard the screams of the wounded men, they came running back through the archway to where Callimarcos knelt, leaving the gates partly open. There was no way that a boy could hope to take on four armed and alert men, however quick and agile he was. He had only managed to deal with the two who had tried to apprehend him because he had surprise on his side.
His one hope was the partially gates. However the men on the walls on either side of the gate were now aware of what was happening and several were rushing for the steps which led down off the parapet. Callimarcos had to act swiftly or he was dead. He knelt down again and quickly grabbed a handful of dry dust. Rising again he threw it in the face of the first man who reached him, just as he was bringing his sword down on the boy’s head. The man was blinded and tried to rub the dust from his eyes, making matters worse.
The boy darted to the man’s left so that his bulk blocked the other three from reaching him and sprinted for the open gates. One of the sentries was quicker that the others and was just about to catch Callimarcos when one of the men on the parapet threw a javelin at the boy just as he disappeared under the archway. It missed him but it landed between the legs of his pursuer, got tangled between them and brought him crashing down face first into the earth. He wasn’t hurt, merely stunned but the man immediately behind him crashed into him as he tried to get up. By this time the boy had disappeared into the darkness.
The young Macedonian kept running until he was sure that he had got away, they he sat down and sobbed with relief. It was some time before he stopped shaking. He had been badly upset by having to kill the two men and the adrenalin that had coursed through his veins brought on a reaction that had drained him of energy. He couldn’t have moved from the spot where he had collapsed if his life had depended on it.
He dimly heard fighting as the Olynthian cavalry attacked the lithoboloi which had been pounding the South Gate, but he didn’t react. He had collapsed and was unconscious when the remnants of the raiding party rode past a few metres from where he lay. He was still out when one of the Macedonian hoplites, who had been sent to sweep the area to make sure that all the enemy had gone, tripped over his prone form.
The man went to retrieve his sarissa and it was only because the length of the weapon had forced him to walk a few paces away before he could use it that Callimarcos had a chance to recover his senses.
‘Take me to Iphitos now.’
The urgency of what he said and the Macedonian accent caused the man to stop before the point entered the boy’s body.
‘Who are you, boy? What are you doing here?’
‘I’m Callimarcos, son of the iliarch Dardanos, chief engineer of Attalus’ army. I’ve just escaped from Olynthus and Iphitos will want to see me immediately.’
The man nodded and lowered his sarissa.
‘Very well. I believe you but, just so as you know, your father is no longer here. He had some sort of bust up with Iphitos and he was demoted and sent back to Pella to join Antigonus ’ army.’
; Somehow Callimarcos knew that the argument was probably about him and his failure to appear at Amphipolis on time. He was worried about his father, but in a way he was relieved. Dardanos was overprotective and he had thoroughly enjoyed the independence that his secret mission inside Olynthus had given him. Besides, it was a lot more exciting than being a page. They only ran errands, served at meals and were taught by boring, pedestrian thinkers, not exciting philosophers like Aristotle. He just hoped that Iphitos would be pleased with the information he had brought back and overlook his tardiness. What he wanted most was to continue to serve Iphitos.
The hoplite took him to his phylearch, who took him to his lochagos, who took him to his pentakosiarch. By this time he had explained who he was, what he was doing there and why he wanted to see Iphitos four times and he was getting angry and frustrated. Luckily the pentakosiarch didn’t decide to take him to his chiliarch. They skipped him and the taxiarch commanding the infantry and went straight to King Philip’s headquarters where the pentakosiarch asked to see the chief engineer on a matter of urgency. After a short delay the two were escorted to Iphitos’ tent.
By this time the pentakosiarch was wondering if he had made a mistake. If the boy turned out to be some urchin spinning him a yarn because he hero-worshipped Iphitos and wanted to meet him he knew that he would look a fool. He was therefore greatly relieved when Iphitos came rushing out of his tent and embraced the boy. He thanked the pentakosiarch for bringing the boy to him and told the officer that he would mention his name to the king in the morning.
Iphitos wanted to rouse Uzava and start to question him there and then but he realised that the boy was so exhausted he was shaking. Chronos gave him his bed for the night. He went off to spend the rest of the night elsewhere, no doubt with Lysis. Iphitos didn’t go straight to bed but roused a scribe so that he could dictate a message to Dardanos to let him know that his son was safe.