war, and had aroused so much merriment by well-told jests, such as the Persians had never heard before, that there were very few who did not welcome his appearance gladly, and when—­in company with the king—­he separated from the rest in chase of a wild ass, they openly confessed to one another, that they had never before seen so perfect a man.  The clever way in which he had brought the innocence of the accused to light, the finesse which he had shown in securing the king’s favor, and the ease with which he had learnt the Persian language in so short a time, were all subjects of admiration.  Neither was there one even of the Achaemenidae themselves, who exceeded him in beauty of face or symmetry of figure.  In the chase he proved himself a perfect horseman, and in a conflict with a bear an exceptionally courageous and skilful sportsman.  On the way home, as the courtiers were extolling all the wonderful qualities possessed by the king’s favorite, old Araspes exclaimed, “I quite agree with you that this Greek, who by the way has proved himself a better soldier than anything else, is no common man, but I am sure you would not praise him half as much, if he were not a foreigner and a novelty.”

Phanes happened to be only separated from the speaker by some thick bushes, and heard these words.  When the other had finished, he went up and said, smiling:  “I understood what you said and feel obliged to you for your kind opinion.  The last sentence, however, gave me even more pleasure than the first, because it confirmed my own idea that the Persians are the most generous people in the world—­they praise the virtues of other nations as much, or even more, than their own.”

His hearers smiled, well pleased at this flattering remark, and Phanes went on:  “How different the Jews are now, for instance!  They fancy themselves the exclusive favorites of the gods, and by so doing incur the contempt of all wise men, and the hatred of the whole world.  And then the Egyptians!  You have no idea of the perversity of that people.  Why, if the priests could have their way entirely, (and they have a great deal of power in their hands) not a foreigner would be left alive in Egypt, nor a single stranger allowed to enter the country.  A true Egyptian would rather starve, than eat out of the same dish with one of us.  There are more strange, astonishing and wonderful things to be seen in that country than anywhere else in the world.  And yet, to do it justice, I must say that Egypt has been well spoken of as the richest and most highly cultivated land under the sun.  The man who possesses that kingdom need not envy the very gods themselves.  It would be mere child’s play to conquer that beautiful country.  Ten years there gave me a perfect insight into the condition of things, and I know that their entire military caste would not be sufficient to resist one such troop as your Immortals.  Well, who knows what the future may bring!  Perhaps we may all make a little trip together to the Nile some day.  In my opinion, your good swords have been rather long idle.”  These well-calculated words were received with such shouts of applause, that the king turned his horse to enquire the cause.  Phanes answered quickly that the Achaemenidae were rejoicing in the thought that a war might possibly be near at hand.