the solid rock there, and in many places the
roadway was built up on piers from distant crags below so as to make all
uniform and easy. It came to my mind now, that if I could destroy this
path, we might gain a breathing space for further effort.

The idea seemed good, or at least no other occurred to me which would
in any way relieve our desperate situation, and I looked around me for
means to put it into execution. Up and down, from the mountain to the
plains below, I had traversed that narrow stair of a pass some thousands
of times, and so in a manner of speaking knew every stone, and every
turn, and every cut of it by heart. But I had never looked upon it with
an eye to shaving off all roadway to the Sacred Mountain, and so now,
even in this moment of dreadful stress, I had to traverse it no less
than three times afresh before I could decide upon the best site for
demolition.

But once the point was fixed, there was little delay in getting the
scheme in movement. Already I had sent men to the storehouses amongst
the Priests' dwellings to fetch me rams, and crows, and acids, and
hammers, and such other material as was needed, and these stood handy
behind one of the upper gates. I put on every pair of hands that could
be spared to the work, no matter what was their age and feebleness;
yes, if Nais could have walked so far I would have pressed her for the
labour; and presently carved balustrade, and wayside statue, together
with the lettered wall-stones and the foot-worn cobbles, roared down
into the gulf below, and added their din to the shrieks and yells and
crashes of the fighting. Gods! But it was a hateful task, smashing down
that splendid handiwork of the men of the past. But it was better that
it should crash down to ruin in the abyss below, than that Phorenice
should profane it with her impious sandals.

At first I had feared that it would be needful to sacrifice the knot of
brave men who were so valiantly defending the gate then being attacked.
It is disgusting to be forced into a measure of this kind, but in hard
warfare it is often needful to the carrying out of his schemes for a
general to leave a part of his troops to fight to a finish, and without
hope of rescue, as valiantly as they may; and all he can do for their
reward is to recommend them earnestly to the care of the Gods. But when
the work of destroying the pathway was nearly completed, I saw a chance
of retrieving them.

We had not been content