The prince Author:Marshall Monroe Kirkman Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III MEDIUS Dismounting after the departure of Amyntas, Clearchus again knelt beside the body of Medius, and raising the youth's head, murmured, a s... more »ob choking him: "Ye gods, what could have called forth the cowardly blow! Not what Amyntas claims, I'd stake my life. More likely 'twas he who threatened the King, for he bears him a deadly grudge, though Philip will not believe it. Child, child," he went on distracted, his arms about the youth, "you were too young to die and thus dishonoured." At this Medius, as if brought back to life by Clearchus' sorrowful speech, opened his eyes, and staring about him, gasped: "O Clearchus—Am I dying?—Is this death?" he whispered with laboured breath. "No, no, 'tis not so bad as that, Medius," the other cried out hopefully, overcome. "Yes, yes—'tis true—and you but seek to comfort me," the youth murmured. "The gods forbid so cruel a fate befall you," Clearchus protested as the other struggled for breath. "You weep—then it must be so," Medius gasped, his face gray with the shadow of death: "And Amyntas?" he shuddered, looking about him, affrighted. "Fear him not, child, the coward shall do you no further harm," Clearchus soothed. "Oh, 'tis hard to die," Medius sobbed, pressing his hand to his breast where the head of the javelin lay buried, the shaft having broken in the fall— "Everything is so beautiful—and I am so young— and the wars, Clearchus, the glorious wars!" "And you but just beginning to hold a sword and hurl a javelin—and Persia's war almost upon us," Clearchus sorrowed, thinking of the youth's misfortune and the country's loss. "I thought to have died fighting for the King— not this way, Clearchus—for he was very kind to me when I was stricken at the Winter battle." "Yes, yes; and so he w...« less