Page 118 - The Prophet-statesman a Drama of Daniel

on the West, bisected the city in the center, and out under the walls on the East, there
was no problem of water supply. Though not a soul went out or came in for two years,
the city was no nearer being taken by the besiegers at the end of this time than at the

beginning. For though food was carefully rationed within the city, there was no
starvation and no considerable privation or suffering, due to the crops from the fields
and reserve supplies of grain.

Gobryas was inwardly discouraged and his besieging armies were growing restless
and homesick with the long inaction. He called a council of his generals and asked if
any had a suggestion as to how they might proceed.

Then spoke Aspatha, the most brilliant young officer of the army, to the
commander-in-chief, Gobryas: “Sir General, it becomes clear that neither by storm
nor by starvation can we possibly hope to take Babylon. As I see it, there remains but
one possible way, and that is by trickery plus a rather difficult engineering scheme.

For many days I have been thinking over the plan, and believe that though fraught
with some difficulty, it is workable.”
“You interest me greatly, Colonel Aspatha. Pray tell us of the plan that you have
conceived,” replied General Gobryas.

“I have long observed that the passage of the River Euphrates under the walls and
through the city is both an advantage and a disadvantage. I have thought that we might
poison the water of the river from the outside and cause the death of many of the
inhabitants, but I have abandoned that idea in favor of what I believe to be a much

better one. Having walked over the terrain and examined it carefully, I have observed
that the dry river bed which is of considerable depth and extends northward and
eastward around the city, forms a huge arc, each end of which meets the banks of the
river. I conceive that once before, this dry river bed was the original channel of the

Euphrates, and that by some whim of nature or by the genius of King
Nebuchadnezzar, the river was caused to flow in its present course.
“Now I believe it would be a comparatively simple task by a concentrated effort
on the part of our men, to cut through the bank of the Euphrates and drain the water

out of its present course and into the old bed, particularly as the old bed is on a
slightly lower level.”

The eyes of Gobryas were blazing with interest and enthusiasm.

“I am beginning to see,” he shouted. “We turn the water into the old channel and
divert the whole course of the river and that will deprive them of their water-supply!”
“Even better than that, Sir General,” continued Aspatha. “We capture the city at

the same time if we work it wisely. When the water is diverted, there will be an open
space under the walls where it has previously flowed, and we will enter through the