SPITAMENES DESTROYS A MACEDONIAN DETACHMENT.
Soon after this, arrived envoys from the king of the Scythians, who
were sent to apologize for what had been done, and to state that it was
not the act of the Scythian State, but of certain men who set out for
plunder after the manner of freebooters. They also assured him that
their king was willing to obey the commands laid upon him. Alexander
sent to him a courteous reply, because it did not seem honourable
for him to abstain from marching against him if he distrusted him,
and at that time there was not an convenient opportunity to do so.
The Macedonians who were garrisoning the citadel at Maracanda, when
an assault was made upon it by Spitamenes and his adherents, sallied
forth, and killing some of the enemy and repulsing all the rest,
retreated into the citadel without any loss. But when Spitamenes was
informed that the men despatched by Alexander to Maracanda were now
drawing near, he raised the siege of the citadel, and retired to the
capital of Sogdiana.[521] Pharnuches and the generals with him, being
eager to drive him out altogether, followed him up as he was retreating
towards the frontiers of Sogdiana, and without due consideration made a
joint attack upon the Nomad Scythians. Then Spitamenes, having received
a reinforcement of 600 Scythian horsemen, was further emboldened by
the Scythian alliance to wait and receive the Macedonians who were
advancing upon him. Posting his men in a level place near the Scythian
desert, he was not willing either to wait for the enemy or to attack
them himself; but rode round and discharged arrows at the phalanx
of infantry. When the forces of Pharnuches made a charge upon them,
they easily escaped, since at that time their horses were swifter
and more vigorous, while the horse of Andromachus had been damaged
by the incessant marching, as well as by lack of fodder; and the
Scythians pressed upon them with all their might whether they halted
or retreated. Many of them then were wounded by the arrows, and some
were killed. They therefore arranged the soldiers into the form of a
square and proceeded to the river Polytimetus,[522] because there was
a woody glen near it, and it would consequently no longer be easy for
the barbarians to shoot arrows at them, and their infantry would be
more useful to them. But Caranus, the commander of the cavalry, without
communicating with Andromachus, attempted to cross the river in order
to put the cavalry in a place of safety on the other side. The infantry
followed him without any word of command; their descent into the river
being made in a panic and without any discipline down the precipitous
banks. When the barbarians perceived the error of the Macedonians,
they sprang into the ford here and there, horses and all. Some of them
seized and held tight those who had already crossed and were departing;
others being posted right in front of those who were crossing, rolled
them over into the river; others shot arrows at them from the flanks;
while others pressed upon the men who were just entering the water. The
Macedonians being thus encompassed with difficulty on all sides, fled
for refuge into one of the small islands in the river, where they were
entirely surrounded by the Scythians and the cavalry of Spitamenes,
and all killed with arrows, except a few of them, whom they reduced to
slavery. All of these were afterwards killed.