The Anabasis of Alexander or, The history of the wars and conquests of Alexander the Great
fight him, having 20,000 cavalry, more than 30,000 infantry, and 30
elephants. When Craterus had thoroughly fortified the city, for the
founding of which he had been left behind, he brought the heavier armed
men of his army for Alexander as well as the military engines, in case
it might be necessary to lay siege to any place. Alexander then marched
against the Assacenians at the head of the Companion cavalry, the
horse-archers, the brigades of Coenus and Polysperchon, the Agrianians,
the light-armed troops,[604] and the archers. Passing through the land
of the Guraeans, he crossed the river Guraeus,[605] which gives its
name to the land, with difficulty, both on account of its depth, and
because its current is swift, and the stones in the river being round
caused those who stepped upon them to stumble.[606] When the barbarians
perceived Alexander approaching, they durst not take their stand for a
battle in close array, but dispersed one by one to their various cities
with the determination of preserving these by resolute fighting.
CHAPTER XXVI.
SIEGE OF MASSAGA.
In the first place Alexander led his forces against Massaga,[607] the
largest of the cities in that district; and when he was approaching the
walls, the barbarians being emboldened by the mercenaries whom they had
obtained from the more distant Indians to the number of 7,000, when
they saw the Macedonians pitching their camp, advanced against them
with a run. Alexander, seeing that the battle was about to be fought
near the city, was anxious to draw them further away from their walls,
so that if they were put to rout, as he knew they would be, they might
not be able easily to preserve themselves by fleeing for refuge into
the city close at hand. When therefore he saw the barbarians running
out, he ordered the Macedonians to turn round and retreat to a certain
hill distant something about seven stades from the place where he had
resolved to encamp. The enemy being emboldened, as if the Macedonians
had already given way, rushed upon them with a run and with no kind
of order. But when the arrows began to reach them, Alexander at once
wheeled round at the appointed signal, and led his phalanx against
them with a run. His horse-lancers, Agrianians, and archers first ran
forward and engaged with the barbarians, while he himself led the
phalanx in regular order. The Indians were alarmed at this unexpected
manœuvre, and as soon as the battle became a hand-to-hand conflict,
they gave way and fled into the city. About 200 of them were killed,
and the rest were shut up within the walls. Alexander then led his
phalanx up to the wall, from which he was soon after slightly wounded
in the ankle with an arrow. On the next day he brought up his military
engines and easily battered down a piece of the wall; but the Indians
so gallantly kept back the Macedonians who were trying to force an
entrance where the breach had been made, that he recalled the army for
this day. But on the morrow the Macedonians themselves made a more
vigorous assault, and a wooden tower was drawn up to the walls, from
which the archers shot at the Indians, and missiles were hurled from
the military engines which repulsed them to a great distance. But not
even thus were they able to force their way within the wall. On the
third day he led the phalanx near again, and throwing a bridge from a
military engine over to the part of the wall where the breach had been
made, by this he led up the shield-bearing guards, who had captured
Tyre for him in a similar way.[608] But as many were urged on by
their ardour, the bridge received too great a weight, and was snapped
asunder, so that the Macedonians fell with it. The barbarians, seeing
what was taking place, raised a great shout, and shot at them from the
wall with stones, arrows, and whatever else any one happened to have at
hand, or whatever any one could lay hold of at the time. Others issued
forth by the small gates which they had between the towers in the wall,
and at close quarters struck the men who had been thrown into confusion
by the fall.
CHAPTER XXVII.
SIEGES OF MASSAGA AND ORA.
Alexander now sent Alcetas with his own brigade to recover the men
who had been severely wounded, and to recall to the camp those who
were assailing the enemy. On the fourth day he brought up another
bridge against the wall in like manner upon another military engine.
The Indians, as long as the ruler of the place survived, defended
themselves gallantly; but when he was struck and killed with a missile
hurled from an engine, and as some of their number had fallen in the
siege, which had gone on without any cessation, while most of them
were wounded and unfit for service, they sent a herald to Alexander.
He was glad to preserve the lives of brave men; so he came to terms
with the Indian mercenaries on this condition, that they should be
admitted into the ranks with the rest of his army and serve as his
soldiers. They therefore came out of the city with their arms, and
encamped by themselves upon a hill which was facing the camp of the
Macedonians; but they resolved to arise by night and run away to
their own abodes, because they were unwilling to take up arms against
the other Indians. When Alexander received intelligence of this,
he placed the whole of his army round the hill in the night, and
intercepting them in the midst of their flight, cut them to pieces.
He then took the city by storm, denuded as it was of defenders; and
captured the mother and daughter of Assacenus.[609] In the whole siege
five-and-twenty of Alexander’s men were killed. Thence he despatched
Coenus to Bazira,[610] entertaining an opinion that the inhabitants
would surrender, when they heard of the capture of Massaga. He also
despatched Attalus, Alcetas, and Demetrius the cavalry officer to
another city, named Ora, with instructions to blockade it until he
himself arrived. The men of this city made a sortie against the forces
of Alcetas; but the Macedonians easily routed them, and drove them into
the city within the wall. But affairs at Bazira were not favourable to
Coenus, for the inhabitants showed no sign of capitulating, trusting
to the strength of the place, because not only was it situated on a
lofty eminence, but it was also thoroughly fortified all round. When
Alexander learnt this, he started off to Bazira; but ascertaining that
some of the neighbouring barbarians were about to get into the city
of Ora by stealth, being despatched thither by Abisares[611] for that
very purpose, he first marched to Ora. He ordered Coenus to fortify a
certain strong position to serve as a basis of operations against the
city of Bazira, and then to come to him with the rest of his army,
after leaving in that place a sufficient garrison to restrain the men
in the city from enjoying the free use of their land. But when the
men of Bazira saw Coenus departing with the larger part of his army,
they despised the Macedonians, as not being able to contend with them,
and sallied forth into the plain. A sharply contested battle ensued,
in which 500 of the barbarians fell, and over seventy were taken
prisoners. But the rest, fleeing for refuge into the city,[612] were
now more securely shut off from the country by the men in the fort.
The siege of Ora proved an easy matter to Alexander, for he no sooner
attacked the walls than at the first assault he got possession of the
city, and captured the elephants which had been left there.
CHAPTER XXVIII.
CAPTURE OF BAZIRA.—ADVANCE TO THE ROCK OF AORNUS.
When the men in Bazira heard this news, despairing of their own
affairs, they abandoned the city about the middle of the night, and
fled to the rock as the other barbarians were doing. For all the
inhabitants deserted the cities and began to flee to the rock which
is in their land, and is called Aornus.[613] For stupendous is this
rock in this land, about which the current report is, that it was
found impregnable even by Heracles, the son of Zeus. I cannot affirm
with confidence either way, whether the Theban, Tyrian, or Egyptian
Heracles[614] penetrated into India or not; but I am rather inclined to
think that he did not penetrate so far; for men are wont to magnify the
difficulty of difficult enterprises to such a degree as to assert that
they would have been impracticable even to Heracles. Therefore, I am
inclined to think, that in regard to this rock the name of Heracles was
mentioned simply to add to the marvellousness of the tale. The circuit
of the rock is said to be about 200 stades (_i.e._ about twenty-three
miles), and its height where it is lowest, eleven stades (_i.e._, about
a mile and a quarter). There was only one ascent, which was artificial
and difficult; on the summit of the rock there was abundance of pure
water, a spring issuing from the ground, from which the water flowed;
and there was also timber, and sufficient good arable land for 1,000
men to till.[615] When Alexander heard this, he was seized with a
vehement desire to capture this mountain also, especially on account
of the legend which was current about Heracles. He then made Ora
and Massaga fortresses to keep the land in subjection, and fortified
the city of Bazira. Hephaestion and Perdiccas also fortified for him
another city, named Orobatis, and leaving a garrison in it marched
towards the river Indus. When they reached that river they at once
began to carry out Alexander’s instructions in regard to bridging it.
Alexander then appointed Nicanor, one of the Companions, viceroy of the
land on this side the river Indus; and in the first place leading his
army towards that river, he brought over on terms of capitulation the
city of Peucelaotis, which was situated not far from it. In this city
he placed a garrison of Macedonians, under the command of Philip, and
then reduced to subjection some other small towns situated near the
same river, being accompanied by Cophaeus and Assagetes, the chieftains
of the land. Arriving at the city of Embolima,[616] which was situated
near the rock Aornus, he left Craterus there with a part of the army,
to gather as much corn as possible into the city, as well as all the
other things requisite for a long stay, so that making this their base
of operations, the Macedonians might be able by a long siege to wear
out the men who were holding the rock, supposing it were not captured
at the first assault. He then took the bowmen, the Agrianians, and the
brigade of Coenus, and selecting the lightest as well as the best-armed
men from the rest of the phalanx, with 200 of the Companion cavalry and
100 horse-bowmen, he advanced to the rock. This day he encamped where
it appeared to him convenient; but on the morrow he approached a little
nearer to the rock, and encamped again.
CHAPTER XXIX.
SIEGE OF AORNUS.
At this juncture some of the natives came to him, and surrendering
themselves, offered to lead him to the part of the rock where it could
be most easily assailed, and from which it would be easy for him to
capture the place. With these he sent Ptolemy, son of Lagus, the
confidential body-guard, in command of the Agrianians and the other
light-armed troops, together with picked men from the shield-bearing
guards. He gave this officer instructions, as soon as he had got
possession of the place, to occupy it with a strong guard, and signal
to him that it was held. Ptolemy proceeded along a road which was rough
and difficult to pass, and occupied the position without the knowledge
of the barbarians. After strengthening his position with a stockade
and a ditch all round, he raised a beacon from the mountain, whence it
was likely to be seen by Alexander. The flame was at once seen, and on
the following day the king led his army forward; but as the barbarians