Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-10-10

this Nebu. King of Babylenia. hath
broken his bones" which is more or
less what is happening to the Turk in
those regions at the moment.
Wondrous war it was in the days of
Nebuchadnezzar. Darius, Cyrus, AS
shur. Bani-Pal and the rest. They
fought to kill. and kill they did, with
bow and arrow. mace. sword and bat
shrapnel bursting from an invisible
gun. but with everything close up, with
the finish hand-to-hand.
When Asshur-Bani-Pal went to war
he rode in chariot clad in magnifi-
cent robes and surrounded by a great
group of fan-bearers, parasol-bearers
and men with bows, quivers and maces.
With these there was his personal
bodyguard, consisting of foot spear
men, each with long spear. great
and pointed helmet.
Thus the great king set forth for
battle. Following his personal retinue
came horse archers, dressed in coats
of mail. leather breeches and jack
boots. All around stretched the army
a forest of spears and weapons Of de.
Observation-Disclosures. shields and battle
axes. shining in the hot sun.
There were as many different types
of soldiers then as there are now. The
warriors were on foot. mounted ana in
chariots; there were heavy archers
with helmet and armor carrying their
quivers of arrows slung on their backs.
There were light archers. with en-
broidered head bands and short tunics,
bare of arms, limbs and feet. There
were spearmen. who carried wicker
shields of great size for defense, but
which could be. IL necessary, in this
amphibious country, Joined together
and made into boats. There were troops
of singers. mace and ak bearers. Then
followed battering rams, scaling lad
carefully kept out of sight. the kings
wives, who followed him wherever he
went.
X
The king Travelled in luxury. His
soldiers bore with them a massive
throne upon which he would sit when
receiving prisoners of war. and when
the loot of the campaign would be
brought before him. The problem of
army transport knew no gasoline in
those days, but still armies managed
to get about and to make long marches.
The cavaIcade also bore the regal
drinking cups and washing bowls.
dressing tables, a low wheeled pleasure
car and other Injuries. The army was
played out of the capital by the must
clans on double pipes. harps and
drums.
It was not always brute strength that
won for the ancients: strategy was
known. When Cyrus. Emperor of the
Modes and Persians, beseiged Belshaz-
Ear in Babylon ne won by strategy.
The Euphrates ran under the walls OF
Babylon and through the center OF the
city, to which Cyrus had in vain tried
to penetrate. He finally damned the
ha
the waters elsewhere. The river bed
became dry, and the Persian forces
swept in. captured and opened the city
gates, and thus conquered the city, to
the Amusement of Belshazzar and his
followers. who. the sculptors OF the
day say, were on that night engaged
in revelry.
Cambyses. son of Cyrus, was obvious
~ a chip from the same block. He con-
ouered Egypt in a single battle by
driving before his army troop OF
cats, dogs and other animals. which
the Egyptians held sacred. His Egyp-
tian opponents were afraid to fire on
these holy beasts.
War in those days was accompanied