'That has me puzzled,' I admitted. 'It could be because Achillas was approaching other kings with his designs. That could have violated some agreement the two had. I have learned that he accepted a large sum of money from Phraates of Parthia for certain designs.'

'And yet,' Asklepiodes said, 'these activities of Achillas; are they illegal or understood to be some sort of provocation?'

'They could be so construed. Our foreign policy can be a complex matter. Once an allied king has accepted our help and protection, we assume leadership in military matters. That is our right as the greatest race of soldiers in the world. When we see such a king strengthening his defenses, we must assume that he is strengthening them against us since, with our aid, he has no one else to fear.'

Asklepiodes made one of those throat-clearing sounds that denote skepticism. 'It may be that, flying in the face of all reason, some kings are less confident in the security of Roman protection than are you.'

'Oh, I'll admit that they sometimes suffer the odd mas-sacre or city sacking before the legions can come to their aid, but overall, the system is reliable. Sometimes, as a gesture of confidence, we have them demolish a part of the capital city's walls. That way, when they begin to rebuild them without informing us first, we know they are up to something. The agreement with Egypt is not that formal, but this sudden interest in improved armaments is most suspicious.'

'Are there no other enemies who might justify such preparations?'

'Now that old Mithridates is dead and Tigranes has had his teeth pulled, there is no one. Parthia is too far away.'

'An uprising by disaffected nobles, perhaps? I have heard rumors that some of the nomes are in arms and defying Alexandria.'

'That's a job for infantry and cavalry,' I said. 'I've toured much of the land down to the first cataract. There are no fortifications to speak of. That part of Egypt is protected by the desert from foreign invasion. The only walled towns are up here in the delta area, and all of them are under Ptolemy's control.'

'It seems, then, that you have good reasons for your suspicions. Now, what do you propose to do about them? Your superiors are not the sort of men to take hasty action.'

'No, I have to gather more evidence. I have an utterly unjustified reputation as a troublemaker, and they'll look with skepticism on anything I bring them that isn't more concrete than what I already have.'

'And how do you propose to assemble this information?'

'I think a bit of travel is called for.'

I took my leave of Asklepiodes and went to the Library. The immense place was full of the dusty smell of books and the droning sound of scholars reading. Despite the size and massiveness of the building, the interior was not dim, abundant light being admitted by its extraordinarily large clerestory and numerous skylights of clearest glass. All the interior marble was white, to make best use of the admitted light. There were many statues of the various gods of learning: Apollo, Athena, ibis-headed Thoth and others, as well as busts of the great philosophers. The walls were lined up to the clerestory with lozenge-shaped cells holding scrolls like so many wine jars, each cell labeled with its contents.

By asking attendants, I was guided to the Wing of the Pergamese Books and found Eumenes of Eleusis overseeing the copying of some of his precious scrolls.

'May I help you, Senator?' he inquired politely.

'I hope that you may. The book that disappeared from the study of the late Iphicrates; you said it was by Biton, and entitled On Engines of War?'

'That is so.'

'Might you have a copy?'

He nodded gravely. 'Yes. We have copies made of every book that comes to the Library. This spares excessive handling of the more valuable originals.'

'Yet Iphicrates insisted upon the original?'

'He was most insistent. He said that he did not wish to cope with the inevitable copier's errors.'

'I see. Might I have a look at a copy?'

'Certainly, Senator.' I followed him to a nook where scores of scrolls rested in their racks, labels dangling from their handles. He scanned the rack expertly and plucked a scroll from its resting place. It was a good deal smaller than the massive original I had seen in Iphicrates's study.

'Is it in a single volume?' I asked.

'Yes, it isn't a lengthy work. If you wish to peruse it, please unroll it carefully. It probably hasn't been looked into since it was made here nearly a century ago.'

'How does the Museum happen to have the original, since it was dedicated to Attalus I of Pergamum? I would think it would be among the Pergamese collection.' The rulers of Pergamum had founded a library in imitation of the Alexandrian, and in those days it still had a reputation second only to the original.

'An earlier Ptolemy: ah: borrowed it in order to have a copy made. Through an oversight, an excellent copy was returned, rather than the original.'

'Has this been a common oversight?' I asked.

'Well, we do have several thousand original manuscripts from that library.'

It figured. King or foot soldier, all Macedonians are thieves.

'There are a number of vacant tables, Senator, if you wish to read the book now.'

'Actually, I would rather take it to the embassy and read it at my leisure, if that is permitted.'

'We really prefer not to lend volumes outside the Library, Senator. Now that the original has disappeared, this is the only copy we have.'

'If my investigation is successful,' I said, 'I think it very likely that I will be able to return the original to you.' I kept the scroll in a tight grip.

'Well, that being the case, and in view of our sovereign's eagerness to please Rome in any way he may, I think we can make an exception in this case.'

'You have my heartiest thanks, and those of the Senate and People of Rome,' I assured him.

Back at the embassy, I called on Creticus. I found him going over correspondence from Rome and elsewhere in the Empire.

'If you don't mind, sir, I think I'd like to take a few days to do some hunting.'

He looked up suspiciously. 'Since when did you like to do anything more strenuous than watch other people race chariots? What are you up to?'

'I just need a bit of exercise. Too much of the good life, as it were.'

'It's not as if you do much necessary work around here. Will you take Julia with you?'

'I don't think that would be proper, sir. We're not married yet.'

'You're concerned about respectability? Now I know you're hiding something. What happened to this murder investigation of yours?'

'It will hold for a few days.'

'Go, then. Stay out of trouble.'

Hermes was no less amazed when I told him.

'Hunting?' he said. 'You mean, hunting animals?'

'What else is there to hunt? Except for runaway slaves?'

'You've never done this before.'

'All the more reason to start now. Go find us some hunting gear. This place has clothing and equipment for every sort of activity. We leave tomorrow as soon as it's light enough to see.' Muttering and shaking his head, he went to do my bidding.

I found a comfortable corner and a pitcher of wine and settled down to delve into Biton's book. I slipped off its stiff leather cover and carefully began to unroll the crackling scroll. Unlike the original, this copy was made on Egyptian papyrus, another reason for its reduced bulk.

Biton began with a disquisition upon the history of war machines. These had been relatively rare and simple among the Babylonians and Egyptians and even rarer among the early Greeks. The Greek army that besieged Troy had not used them except for the wooden horse, which was not the same thing. But as men increasingly fought over fortified cities, these engines became necessary. At first they were mere towers for storming walls, covered galleries on wheels to protect rammers, and the various forms of missile-hurling device. Alexander's battles had

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