is to be met with on the line of march. The Egyptians did not even try
to hide their joy at his approach; they were bending very unwillingly
under the heavy and hated yoke of Persia. The Persians had long been
looked upon as their natural enemies, and in the pride of their success
had added insults to the other evils of being governed by the satrap of
a conqueror. They had not even gained the respect of the conquered by
their warlike courage, for Egypt had in a great part been conquered and
held by Greek mercenaries.

The Persian forces had been mostly withdrawn from the country by
Sabaces, the satrap of Egypt, to be led against Alexander in Asia Minor,
and had formed part of the army of Darius when he was beaten near the
town of Issus on the coast of Cilicia. The garrisons were not strong
enough to guard the towns left in their charge; the Greek fleet easily
overpowered the Egyptian fleet in the harbour of Pelusium, and the town
opened its gates to Alexander. Here he left a garrison, and, ordering
his fleet to meet him at Memphis, he marched along the river's bank to
Heliopolis. All the towns, on his approach, opened their gates to him.
Mazakes, who had been left without an army, as satrap of Egypt, when
Sabaces led the troops into Asia Minor, and who had heard of the death
of Sabaces, and that Alexander was master of Phoenicia, Syria, and the
north of Arabia, had no choice but to yield. The Macedonian army crossed
the Nile near Heliopolis, and then entered Memphis.

[Illustration: 019.jpg TRANSPORTING GRAIN ON THE NILE]

Memphis had long been the chief city of all Egypt, even when not the
seat of government. In earlier ages, when the warlike virtues of the
Thebans had made Egypt the greatest kingdom in the world, Memphis and
the lowland corn-fields of the Delta paid tribute to Thebes; but,