Indians, leaving Amyntas in the land of the Baktrians with 3500 horse
and 10,000 foot. In ten days he crossed the Kaukasos[27] and arrived
at the city of Alexandreia[28] which he had founded in the land of the
Parapamisadai[29] when he first marched to Baktra. The ruler whom he had
then set over the city he dismissed from his office because he thought
he had not discharged its duties well. He recruited the population of
Alexandreia with fresh settlers from the surrounding district, and also
with such of his soldiers as were unfit for further service.[30] He then
ordered Nikanor, one of the Companions, to take charge of the city itself
and regulate its affairs, but he appointed Tyriaspes satrap of the land
of the Parapamisadai and the rest of the country as far as the river
Kôphên.[31] Having reached the city of Nikaia[32] and sacrificed to the
goddess Athêna, he despatched a herald to Taxilês[33] and the chiefs
on this side of the river Indus, directing them to meet him where it
was most convenient for each. Taxilês accordingly and the other chiefs
did meet him and brought him such presents as are most esteemed by the
Indians. They offered also to give him the elephants which they had with
them amounting in number to five-and-twenty.
Having here divided his army, he despatched Hêphaistiôn and Perdikkas
with the brigades of Gorgias, Kleitos,[34] and Meleager, half of the
companion cavalry, and the whole of the mercenary cavalry, to the land
of Peukelaôtis[35] and the river Indus.[36] He ordered them either to
seize by force whatever places lay on their route or to accept their
submission if they capitulated, and when they came to the Indus to make
whatever preparations were necessary for the transport of the army
across that river. They were accompanied on their march by Taxilês and
the other chiefs. On reaching the river Indus they began to carry out
the instructions which they had received from Alexander. One of the
chiefs, however, Astês, a prince of the land of Peukelaôtis, revolted,
but perished in the attempt, besides involving in ruin the city to which
he had fled for refuge, which the troops under Hêphaistiôn captured in
thirty days. Astês himself fell, and Sanggaios,[37] who had some time
before fled from Astês and deserted to Taxilês, a circumstance which
guaranteed his fidelity to Alexander, was appointed governor of the city.
_Chapter XXIII.—Alexander wars against the Aspasians_
Alexander took command in person of the other division of the army,
consisting of the hypaspists,[38] all the companion cavalry except
what was with Hêphaistiôn, the brigades of infantry called the
foot-companions, the archers, the Agrianians, and the horse lancers,
and advanced into the country of the Aspasians and Gouraians and
Assakênians.[39] The route which he followed[40] was hilly and rugged,
and lay along the course of the river called the Khôês,[41] which he had
difficulty in crossing. This done he ordered the mass of the infantry
to follow leisurely, while he rode rapidly forward, taking with him
the whole of his cavalry, besides 800 Macedonian foot soldiers, whom
he mounted on horseback with their infantry shields; for he had been
informed that the barbarians inhabiting those parts had fled for refuge
to their native mountains, and to such of their cities as were strongly
fortified. When he proceeded to attack the first city of this kind that
came in his way, he found men drawn up before it in battle order, and on
these he fell at once, just as he was, put them to rout, and shut them
up within the gates. He was wounded, however, in the shoulder by a dart
which penetrated through his breast-plate, but not severely, for the
breast-plate prevented the weapon from going right through his shoulder.
Ptolemy, the son of Lagos, and Leonnatos were also wounded.
He then encamped near the city on the side where he thought the wall was
weakest. Next day, as soon as there was light, the Macedonians attacked
the outer of the two walls by which the city was encompassed, and as it
was but rudely constructed they captured it without difficulty. At the
inner wall, however, the barbarians made some resistance; but when the
ladders were applied, and the defenders were galled with darts wherever
they turned, they no longer stood their ground, but issued from the city
through the gates and made for the hills. Some of them perished in the
flight, while such as were taken alive were to a man put to death by the
Macedonians, who were enraged against them for having wounded Alexander.
Most of them, however, made good their escape to the mountains, which lay
at no great distance from the city. Alexander razed it to the ground, and
then marched forward to another city called Andaka, which surrendered
on capitulation. When the place had thus fallen into his hands he left
Krateros in these parts, with the other infantry officers, to take
by force whatever other cities refused voluntary submission, and to
settle the affairs of the surrounding district in the best way existing
circumstances would permit, while he himself advanced to the river
Euaspla,[42] where the chief of the Aspasians was.
_Chapter XXIV.—Operations against the Aspasians_
In this expedition Alexander took with him the hypaspists, the archers,
the Agrianians, the brigade of Koinos and Attalos, the cavalry guard,
about four squadrons of the other companion cavalry, and one half of the
mounted archers. After a long march he reached, on the second day, the
city of the Aspasian chief.[43] The barbarians on hearing of his approach
set fire to their city and fled to the mountains. But Alexander’s men
followed close at the heels of the fugitives, as far as the mountains,
and made a great slaughter of the barbarians before they could escape to
rough and difficult ground.
During the pursuit Ptolemy, the son of Lagos, descried the chief of the
Indians of that country standing at the time on a small eminence, with
some of his shield-bearing guards around him, and, although his own
following was much smaller, he nevertheless continued the chase, being
still on horseback. When the ascent, however, became so difficult that
his charger could no longer mount it at a good pace, he left him there,
and handing him over to one of the hypaspists to lead, he proceeded on
foot, just as he was, to come up with the Indian. The latter on seeing
that Ptolemy was now near at hand, turned round to face him, as did also
his shield-bearing guards. The Indian, closing with his adversary, struck
him on the breast with a long spear which pierced his cuirass, but the
cuirass broke all the force of the blow. Ptolemy, on the other hand,
smote the Indian right through the thigh, laid him prone at his feet,
and stripped him of his arms. When his men saw their leader lying dead
they left the place, but the other Indians, when they saw on looking
from the mountains that the dead body of their chief was being carried
off by the enemy, were filled with grief and rage, and rushing down to
the small eminence fought for the recovery of the corpse with the utmost
determination; for by this time Alexander also was on the eminence, and
had brought with him the infantry soldiers, who had now alighted from
their horses. This reinforcement falling upon the Indians succeeded after
a hard struggle in driving them off to the mountains and securing the
possession of the dead body.
Alexander then crossed the mountains, and came to a city at their base,
named Arigaion.[44] He found that the inhabitants had burned the place
and taken to flight. Here Krateros, with his staff and the troops under
his command, rejoined him, after having fully carried out all the orders
given by the king. As the city seemed to occupy a very advantageous
site, he commanded Krateros to fortify it strongly, and people it with
as many natives of the neighbourhood as should consent to make it their
home, together with any soldiers found unfit for further service. He then
marched to a place where, as he had ascertained, most of the barbarians
of that part of the country had taken refuge, and on reaching a certain
mountain encamped at its base.
Meanwhile Ptolemy, the son of Lagos, who had been sent out by Alexander
to procure forage, and had gone with a few followers a considerable
distance in advance to reconnoitre the enemy, came back to Alexander
to report that he had seen more fires where the barbarians were posted
than in Alexander’s camp. Alexander, without believing that the fires
were so numerous, was still convinced that a host of barbarians had
mustered together from the surrounding country, and therefore leaving
a part of his army where it was encamped in proximity to the mountain,
he took with him such a force as the reports led him to think would be
adequate, and when the fires were near in view, he divided it into three
parts. The command of one part he gave to Leonnatos, an officer of the
bodyguard, placing under him the brigade of Attalos, along with that of
Balakros. The command of the second division he gave to Ptolemy, the son
of Lagos. It consisted of a third of the royal hypaspists, together with
the brigade of Philippos and Philôtas, two companies of archers, each
a thousand strong, the Agrianians, and half of the horsemen. The third
division Alexander led in person against the position occupied by the
main body of the barbarians.
_Chapter XXV.—Defeat of the Aspasians—The Assakenians and Gouraians
attacked_
When they saw the Macedonians advancing against them they came down from
the high ground which they had occupied into the plain below, confident
in their numbers, and despising the Macedonians for the smallness of
theirs. A sharp conflict followed, but Alexander without much trouble
gained the victory. Ptolemy did not draw up his men in line upon the
plain, but since the barbarians were posted on a small hill, he formed
his battalions into column, and led them up the hill on the side where
it was most assailable. He did not surround the entire circuit of the
hill, but left an opening for the barbarians by which to escape if they
meant flight. With these men also the conflict was sharp, not only from
the difficult nature of the ground, but also because the Indians were of
a different mettle from the other barbarians there, and were by far the
stoutest warriors in that neighbourhood; but brave as they were they were
driven from the hill by the Macedonians. The men of the third division
under Leonnatos were equally successful, as they also routed those with
whom they engaged. Ptolemy states that the men taken prisoners were in
all above 40,000, and that there were also captured more than 230,000
oxen, from which Alexander chose out the best—those which he thought
superior to the others both for beauty and size—with a view to send them
to Macedonia to be employed in agriculture.
He marched thence to invade the country of the Assakenians, for they
were reported to have under arms and ready for battle an army of 20,000
cavalry and more than 30,000 infantry, besides 30 elephants. Krateros
had now completed the work of fortifying the city which he had been left
to plant with colonists, and rejoined Alexander with the heavy armed
troops and the engines which it might be necessary to employ in besieging
towns. Alexander himself then proceeded to attack the Assakenians,
taking with him the companion cavalry, the horse archers, the brigade of
Koinos and Polysperchon, and the thousand Agrianians and the archers.
He passed through the country of the Gouraians, where he had to cross
the Gouraios,[45] the river named after that country. The passage was
difficult on account of the depth and swiftness of the stream, and also
because the stones at the bottom were so smooth and round that the men on
stepping on them were apt to stumble. When the barbarians saw Alexander
approaching they had not the courage to encounter him in the open field
with their collective forces, but dispersed to their several cities,
which they resolved to defend to the last extremity.
_Chapter XXVI.—Siege of Massaga_
Alexander marched first to attack Massaga,[46] which was the greatest
city in those parts. When he was now approaching the walls, the
barbarians, supported by a body of Indian mercenaries brought from a
distance, and no less than 7000 strong, sallied out with a run against
the Macedonians when they observed them preparing to encamp. Alexander
thus saw that the battle would be fought close to the city, whereas he
wished the enemy to be drawn away to a distance from the walls, so that,
if they were defeated, as he was certain they would be, they might have
less chance of escaping with their lives by a short flight into the city.
Alexander therefore ordered the Macedonians to fall back to a little hill
which was about seven stadia distant from the place where he had meant to
encamp. This gave the enemy fresh courage as they thought the Macedonians
had already given way before them, and so they charged them at a running
pace and without any observance of order. But when once their arrows
began to reach his men, Alexander immediately wheeled round at a signal
agreed on and led the phalanx at a running pace to fall upon them. But
his horse-lancers and the Agrianians and the archers darted forward,
and were the first to come into conflict with the barbarians, while he
was leading the phalanx in regular order into action. The Indians were
confounded by this unexpected attack, and no sooner found themselves
involved in a hand-to-hand encounter than they gave way and fled back to
the city. About 200 of them were killed, and the rest were shut up within
the walls. Alexander brought up the phalanx against the fortifications,
but was wounded in the ankle, though not severely, by an arrow shot from
the battlements. The next day he brought up the military engines, and
without much difficulty battered down a part of the wall. But when the
Macedonians attempted to force their way through the breach which had
been made, the Indians repelled all their attacks with so much spirit
that Alexander was obliged for that day to draw off his forces. On the
morrow the Macedonians renewed their assault with even greater vigour,
and a wooden tower was brought up against the wall from which the archers
shot at the Indians, while missiles were discharged against them from
engines. They were thus driven back to a good distance, but still their
assailants were after all unable to force their way within the walls.
On the third day Alexander led the phalanx once more to the assault, and
causing a bridge to be thrown from an engine over to that part of the
wall which had been battered down, by that gangway he led the hypaspists
over to the breach—the same men who by a similar expedient had enabled
him to capture Tyre. The bridge, however, broke down under the great
throng which was pushing forward with eager haste, and the Macedonians
fell with it. The barbarians on the walls, seeing what had happened,
began amid loud cheering to ply the Macedonians with stones and arrows
and whatever missiles they had ready at hand or could at the moment
snatch up, while others sallying out from posterns in the wall between
the towers, struck them at close quarters before they could extricate
themselves from the confusion caused by the accident.
_Chapter XXVII.—Massaga taken by storm—Ora and Bazira besieged_
Alexander then sent Alketas with his brigade to take up the wounded and
recall to the camp the active combatants. On the fourth day another
gangway on a different engine was despatched by him against the wall.
Now the Indians, as long as the chief of that place was still living,
continued with great vigour to maintain the defence, but when he was
struck by a missile from an engine and was killed by the blow, while
some of themselves had fallen in the uninterrupted siege, and most of
them were wounded and disabled for fighting, they sent a herald to treat
with Alexander. To him it was always a pleasure to save the lives of
brave men, and he came to an agreement with the Indian mercenaries to the
effect that they should change their side and take service in his ranks.
Upon this they left the city, arms in hand, and encamped by themselves on
a small hill which faced the camp of the Macedonians. But as they had no
wish to take up arms against their own countrymen, they resolved to arise
by night and make off with all speed to their homes. When Alexander was
informed of this he surrounded the hill that same night with all his
troops, and having thus intercepted the Indians in the midst of their
flight, cut them to pieces. The city now stripped of its defenders he
took by storm, and captured the mother and daughter of Assakênos.[47]
Alexander lost in the siege from first to last five-and-twenty of his men
in all.
He then despatched Koinos to Bazira,[48] convinced that the inhabitants
would capitulate on learning that Massaga had been captured. He,
moreover, sent Attalos, Alketas, and Dêmêtrios, the captain of cavalry,
to another city, Ora, instructing them to draw a rampart round it, and to
invest it until his own arrival. The inhabitants of this place sallied
out against the troops under Alketas, but the Macedonians had no great
difficulty in routing them, and driving them back within the walls of the
city. As regards Koinos, matters did not go well with him at Bazira, for
as it stood on a very lofty eminence, and was strongly fortified in every
quarter, the people trusted to the strength of their position and made no
proposals about surrendering.
Alexander, on learning this, set out for Bazira, but as he knew that
some of the barbarians of the neighbouring country were going to steal
unobserved into the city of Ora, having been sent by Abisares[49] for
this very purpose, he directed his march first to that city. He then sent
orders to Koinos to fortify some strong position as a basis of operations
against the city of the Bazirians, and to leave in it a sufficient
garrison to prevent the inhabitants from going into the country around
for provisions without fear of danger. He was then to join Alexander with
the remainder of his troops. When the men of Bazira saw Koinos departing
with the bulk of his troops they regarded the Macedonians who remained,
as contemptible antagonists, and sallied out into the plain to attack
them. A sharp conflict ensued in which 500 of the barbarians were slain,
and upwards of 70 taken prisoners. The rest fled together into the city
and were more rigorously than ever debarred all access to the country
by the garrison of the fort. The siege of Ora did not cost Alexander
much labour, for he captured the place at the first assault, and got
possession of all the elephants which had been left therein.
_Chapter XXVIII.—Bazira captured—Alexander marches to the rock Aornos_
When the inhabitants of Bazira heard that Ora had fallen, they regarded
their case as desperate, and at the dead of night fled from their city to
the Rock, as all the other barbarians were doing, for, having left their
cities, they were fleeing to the rock in that land called Aornos;[50]
for this is a mighty mass of rock in that part of the country, and a
report is current concerning it that even Heraklês, the son of Zeus,
had found it to be impregnable. Now whether the Theban, or the Tyrian,
or the Egyptian Heraklês penetrated so far as to the Indians[51] I can
neither positively affirm nor deny, but I incline to think that he did
not penetrate so far; for we know how common it is for men when speaking
of things that are difficult to magnify the difficulty by declaring that
it would baffle even Heraklês himself. And in the case of this rock my
own conviction is that Heraklês was mentioned to make the story of its
capture all the more wonderful. The rock is said to have had a circuit
of about 200 stadia, and at its lowest elevation a height of eleven
stadia.[52] It was ascended by a single path cut by the hand of man, yet
difficult. On the summit of the rock there was, it is also said, plenty
of pure water which gushed out from a copious spring. There was timber
besides, and as much good arable land as required for its cultivation the
labour of a thousand men.
[Illustration: FIG. 8.—THE TYRIAN HERAKLÊS.]
Alexander on learning these particulars was seized with an ardent desire
to capture this mountain also, the story current about Heraklês not being
the least of the incentives. With this in view he made Ora and Massaga
strongholds for bridling the districts around them, and at the same time
strengthened the defences of Bazira. The division under Hêphaistiôn and
Perdikkas fortified for him another city called Orobatis[53] in which
they left a garrison and then marched on to the river Indus. On reaching
it they began preparing a bridge to span the Indus in accordance with
Alexander’s orders.
Alexander now appointed Nikanor, one of the companions, satrap of
the country on this side of the Indus,[54] and then first marched
himself towards that river and received the submission of the city of
Peukelaôtis which lay not far from the Indus. He placed in it a garrison
of Macedonian soldiers under the command of Philippos, and then occupied
himself in reducing other towns—some small ones—situated near the
river Indus.[55] He was accompanied on this occasion by Kôphaios and
Assagetês the local chiefs.[56] On reaching Embolima,[57] a city close
adjoining the rock of Aornos,[58] he there left Krateros with a part of
the army to gather into the city as much corn as possible and all other
requisites for a long stay, that the Macedonians having this place as
the basis of their operations might, during a protracted siege, wear
out the defenders of the rock by famine, should it fail to be captured
at the first assault. He himself then advanced to the rock, taking with
him the archers, the Agrianians, the brigade of Koinos, the lightest and
best-armed men selected from the remainder of the phalanx, 200 of the
companion cavalry, and 100 horse-archers. At the end of the day’s march
he encamped on what he took to be a convenient site. The next day he
advanced a little nearer to the Rock, and again encamped.
_Chapter XXIX.—Siege of Aornos_
Some men thereupon who belonged to the neighbourhood came to him, and
after proffering their submission undertook to guide him to the most
assailable part of the rock, that from which it would not be difficult to
capture the place. With these men he sent Ptolemy, the son of Lagos, a
member of the bodyguard, leading the Agrianians and the other light-armed
troops and the selected hypaspists, and directed him, on securing the
position, to hold it with a strong guard and to signal to him when he
had occupied it. Ptolemy, who followed a route which proved rough and
otherwise difficult to traverse, succeeded in occupying the position
without being perceived by the barbarians.[59] The whole circuit of this
he fortified with a palisade and a trench, and then raised a beacon on
the mountain from which the flame was likely to be seen by Alexander.
Alexander did see it, and next day moved forward with his army, but
as the barbarians obstructed his progress he could do nothing more on
account of the difficult nature of the ground. When the barbarians
perceived that Alexander had found an attack to be impracticable, they
turned round, and in full force fell upon Ptolemy’s men. Between these
and the Macedonians hard fighting ensued, the Indians making strenuous
efforts to destroy the palisade by tearing up the stakes, and Ptolemy
to guard and maintain his position. The barbarians were worsted in the
skirmish and when night began to fall withdrew.
From the Indian deserters Alexander selected one who knew the country
and could otherwise be trusted, and sent him by night to Ptolemy with a
letter importing that when he himself assailed the rock, Ptolemy should
no longer content himself with defending his position but should fall
upon the barbarians on the mountain, so that the Indians, being attacked
in front and rear, might be perplexed how to act. Alexander, starting at
daybreak from his camp, led his army by the route followed by Ptolemy
when he went up unobserved, being convinced that if he forced a passage
that way, and effected a junction with Ptolemy’s men, the work still
before him would not then be difficult; and so it turned out; for up
to mid-day there continued to be hard fighting between the Indians and
the Macedonians—the latter forcing their way up the ascent, while the
former plied them with missiles as they ascended. But as the Macedonians
did not slacken their efforts, ascending the one after the other, while
those in advance paused to rest, they gained with much pain and toil the
summit of the pass early in the afternoon, and joined Ptolemy’s men. His
troops being now all united, Alexander put them again in motion and led
them against the rock itself; but to get close up to it was not yet
practicable. So came this day to its end.