On the next day Achillas moved up his thousands and attacked the palace fortifications.  There was a desperate struggle in the streets outside the royal residence; the assailants were five to the defenders’ one, and the mob was arming to aid in the assault; but the Egyptians soon realized that it was no light thing to carry barricades held by men who had fought in Gaul, Britain, Germany, Spain, Italy, and Greece, and never tasted overthrow.  Fiercest of all was the fight at the harbour, where the navy of the king lay, and which, if seized, would have put Caesar at his enemies’ mercy.  But here, also, Roman valour prevailed over Oriental temerity.  All the ships that Caesar could not use were burned.  With the rest he sailed over to the Pharos island, and landed men to make good the tower on that point of vantage.  So ended the first round of battle; and the initial danger of being overwhelmed by sheer force was over.

But day after day of conflict followed.  Princess Arsinoe and Achillas quarrelled in the camp of the besiegers, and this occasioned some respite to the Romans.  Still there was no end to the fighting.  Caesar sent off to Asia Minor, Syria, and Crete for reenforcements; but these, all knew, could not come at once.  A sharp struggle cleared the houses nearest to the palace, and the general caused them to be razed and the positions thoroughly fortified.  He seized the low-lying ground which ran as an insignificant valley down between the halves of the city and tried to cut his enemies’ position in twain.  So the struggle dragged on.  Achillas had been murdered by Arsinoe, and she had placed in command her governor, the eunuch Ganymed, who was more dangerous by his sly craft than fifty common generals.  One day a frightened centurion reported to Caesar that all the cisterns used by the troops were becoming flooded with sea-water.  It was a contrivance of Ganymed.  The soldiers were in a panic, and it was all that their leader could do to pacify them.  And then one of those strokes of fortune which will always come to a favoured few was vouchsafed; as the terrified Romans delved in the earth where rain had seldom fallen, lo! on the very first night of their toil fresh water bubbled up, and all the danger was at an end.

But it is needless to tell how the contest was waged; how the thirty-seventh legion arrived as help, how the wind kept them off port exposed to the enemy, and how Caesar sailed out and succoured them, and worsted the Alexandrian ships.  Then, again, Ganymed stirred the disheartened citizens to build another fleet, and, by tremendous exertions, a new flotilla arose to threaten to cut Caesar off; and there was a second battle for dear life—­this time on sea close by the city; while Roman and Alexandrian stood staring on the housetops, with their hearts beating quickly, for defeat meant ruin to the Romans.  And, again, the gods of the waters fought for Caesar, and the beaten Alexandrian fleet drifted back to the shelter of its mole in the harbour of Eunostus.