(SA) Phoebe At The Bridge

Tonight's story by Ron Evans is entitled Phoebe at the Bridge. In the year 480 BC, Xerxes, the great king of Persia, had advanced across the Dardanelles, the narrow strait which separates Europe from Asia.

Already he was the mighty conqueror and ruler of lands that stretched from northern India in the east to Egypt in the west. Now his eyes were on the fertile regions of the northern Mediterranean. He won civilized communities stood in the way of his highly trained and splendidly equipped army, the small city-states of Greece.

His advance into Macedonia and Thrace, parts of northern Greece, met little resistance from the disorganized and terrified villages who fled before the awe-inspiring horde of disciplined cavalry and infantry. It seemed that nothing on earth could stop this terrifying juggernaut from the east.

It was panic in the small village of Mefony on the west bank of a wide river. At their present rate of advance, it was realized the Persians would reach the river by dawn the next morning.

Only by cutting down a wide rope bridge could they be delayed long enough to allow the villagers to escape into the mountains. Can we cut down the bridge now? If we do this, many of our people on the east bank who are trying to escape will be trapped.

I agree it is a hard decision on Xis, but can we risk all our lives for the city? It is only a work of two men for a few minutes with axes to cut down the bridge.

As soon as the Persian advance guard is sighted, the work will be done. And what if Xerxes has sent mounted men to the north, then crossed at our texts? They will come down and outside of the river, secure the bridge and cut off our escape route to the mountains.