The Anabasis of Alexander or, The history of the wars and conquests of Alexander the Great
infantry, all the horse-bowmen, the Agrianians, and the archers. All
the inhabitants came over to him on terms of capitulation; and he thus
took thirty-seven cities, the inhabitants of which, where they were
fewest, amounted to no less than 5,000, and those of many numbered
above 10,000. He also took many villages, which were no less populous
than the cities. This land also he granted to Porus to rule; and sent
Taxiles back to his own abode after affecting a reconciliation between
him and Porus. At this time arrived envoys from Abisares,[698] who told
him that their king was ready to surrender himself and the land which
he ruled. And yet before the battle which was fought between Alexander
and Porus, Abisares intended to join his forces with those of the
latter. On this occasion he sent his brother with the other envoys to
Alexander, taking with them money and forty elephants as a gift. Envoys
also arrived from the independent Indians, and from a certain other
Indian ruler named Porus.[699] Alexander ordered Abisares to come to
him as soon as possible, threatening that unless he came he would see
him arrive with his army at a place where he would not rejoice to see
him. At this time Phrataphernes, viceroy of Parthia and Hyrcania, came
to Alexander at the head of the Thracians who had been left with him.
Messengers also came from Sisicottus, viceroy of the Assacenians, to
inform him that those people had slain their governor and revolted from
Alexander. Against these he despatched Philip and Tyriaspes with an
army, to arrange and set in order the affairs of their land.
He himself advanced towards the river Acesines.[700] Ptolemy, son of
Lagus, has described the size of this river alone of those in India,
stating that where Alexander crossed it with his army upon boats and
skins, the stream was rapid and the channel was full of large and sharp
rocks, over which the water being violently carried seethed and dashed.
He says also that its breadth amounted to fifteen stades; that those
who went over upon skins had an easy passage; but that not a few of
those who crossed in the boats perished there in the water, many of
the boats being wrecked upon the rocks and dashed to pieces. From this
description then it would be possible for one to come to a conclusion
by comparison, that the size of the river Indus has been stated not
far from the fact by those who think that its mean breadth is forty
stades, but that it contracts to fifteen stades where it is narrowest
and therefore deepest; and that this is the width of the Indus in many
places. I come then to the conclusion that Alexander chose a part of
the Acesines where the passage was widest, so that he might find the
stream slower than elsewhere.
CHAPTER XXI.
ADVANCE BEYOND THE HYDRAOTES.
After crossing the river,[701] he left Coenus with his own brigade
there upon the bank, with instructions to superintend the passage of
the part of the army which had been left behind for the purpose of
collecting[702] corn and other supplies from the country of the Indians
which was already subject to him. He now sent Porus away to his own
abode, commanding him to select the most warlike of the Indians and
take all the elephants he had and come to him. He resolved to pursue
the other Porus, the bad one, with the lightest troops in his army,
because he was informed that he had left the land which he ruled and
had fled. For this Porus, while hostilities subsisted between Alexander
and the other Porus, sent envoys to Alexander offering to surrender
both himself and the land subject to him, rather out of enmity to Porus
than from friendship to Alexander. But when he ascertained that the
former had been released, and that he was ruling over another large
country in addition to his own, then, fearing not so much Alexander as
the other Porus, his namesake, he fled from his own land, taking with
him as many of his warriors as he could persuade to share his flight.
Against this man Alexander marched, and arrived at the Hydraotes,[703]
which is another Indian river, not less than the Acesines in breadth,
but less in swiftness of current. He traversed the whole country as far
as the Hydraotes, leaving garrisons in the most suitable places, in
order that Craterus and Coenus might advance with safety, scouring most
of the land for forage. Then he despatched Hephaestion into the land of
the Porus who had revolted, giving him a part of the army, comprising
two brigades of infantry, his own regiment of cavalry with that of
Demetrius and half of the archers, with instructions to hand the
country over to the other Porus, to subdue any independent tribes of
Indians which dwelt near the banks of the river Hydraotes, and to give
them also into the hands of Porus to rule. He himself then crossed the
river Hydraotes, not with difficulty, as he had crossed the Acesines.
As he was advancing into the country beyond the Hydraotes, it happened
that most of the people yielded themselves up on terms of capitulation;
but some came to meet him with arms, while others who tried to escape
he captured and forcibly reduced to obedience.
CHAPTER XXII.
INVASION OF THE LAND OF THE CATHAEANS.
Meantime he received information that the tribe called Cathaeans
and some other tribes of the independent Indians were preparing for
battle, if he approached their land; and that they were summoning to
the enterprise all the tribes conterminous with them who were in like
manner independent. He was also informed that the city, Sangala by
name,[704] near which they were thinking of having the struggle, was
a strong one. The Cathaeans themselves were considered very daring
and skilful in war; and two other tribes of Indians, the Oxydracians
and Mallians, were in the same temper as the Cathaeans. For a short
time before it happened that Porus and Abisares had marched against
them with their own forces and had roused many other tribes of the
independent Indians to arms, but were forced to retreat without
effecting anything worthy of the preparations they had made. When
Alexander was informed of this, he made a forced march against the
Cathaeans, and on the second day after starting from the river
Hydraotes he arrived at a city called Pimprama, inhabited by a
tribe of Indians named Adraistaeans, who yielded to him on terms of
capitulation. Giving his army a rest the next day, he advanced on the
third day to Sangala, where the Cathaeans and the other neighbouring
tribes had assembled and marshalled themselves in front of the city
upon a hill which was not precipitous on all sides. They had posted
their waggons all round this hill and were encamping within them in
such a way that they were surrounded by a triple palisade of waggons.
When Alexander perceived the great number of the barbarians and the
nature of their position, he drew up his forces in the order which
seemed to him especially adapted to his present circumstances, and sent
his horse-archers at once without any delay against them, ordering
them to ride along and shoot at them from a distance; so that the
Indians might not be able to make any sortie, before his army was in
proper array, and that even before the battle commenced they might be
wounded within their stronghold. Upon the right wing he posted the
guard of cavalry and the cavalry regiment of Clitus; next to these
the shield-bearing guards, and then the Agrianians. Towards the left
he had stationed Perdiccas with his own regiment of cavalry, and the
battalions of foot Companions. The archers he divided into two parts
and placed them on each wing. While he was marshalling his army, the
infantry and cavalry of the rear-guard came up. Of these, he divided
the cavalry into two parts and led them to the wings, and with the
infantry which came up he made the ranks of the phalanx more dense and
compact. He then took the cavalry which had been drawn up on the right,
and led it towards the waggons on the left wing of the Indians; for
here their position seemed to him more easy to assail, and the waggons
had not been placed together so densely.
CHAPTER XXIII.
ASSAULT UPON SANGALA.
As the Indians did not run out from behind the waggons against the
advancing cavalry, but mounted upon them and began to shoot from
the top of them, Alexander, perceiving that it was not the work for
cavalry, leaped down from his horse, and on foot led the phalanx of
infantry against them. The Macedonians without difficulty forced the
Indians from the first row of waggons; but then the Indians, taking
their stand in front of the second row, more easily repulsed the
attack, because they were posted in denser array in a smaller circle.
Moreover the Macedonians were attacking them likewise in a confined
space, while the Indians were secretly creeping under the front row
of waggons, and without regard to discipline were assaulting their
enemy through the gaps left between the waggons as each man found a
chance.[705] But nevertheless even from these the Indians were forcibly
driven by the phalanx of infantry. They no longer made a stand at
the third row, but fled as fast as possible into the city and shut
themselves up in it. During that day Alexander with his infantry
encamped round the city, as much of it, at least, as his phalanx
could surround; for he could not with his camp completely encircle
the wall, so extensive was it. Opposite the part unenclosed by his
camp, near which also was a lake, he posted the cavalry, placing them
all round the lake, which he discovered to be shallow. Moreover, he
conjectured that the Indians, being terrified at their previous defeat,
would abandon the city in the night; and it turned out just as he had
conjectured; for about the second watch of the night most of them
dropped down from the wall, but fell in with[706] the sentinels of
cavalry. The foremost of them were cut to pieces by these; but the men
behind them perceiving that the lake was guarded all round, withdrew
into the city again. Alexander now surrounded the city with a double
stockade, except in the part where the lake shut it in, and round the
lake he posted more perfect guards. He also resolved to bring military
engines up to the wall, to batter it down. But some of the men in the
city deserted to him, and told him that the Indians intended that very
night to steal out of the city and escape by the lake, where the gap in
the stockade existed. He accordingly stationed Ptolemy, son of Lagus,
there, giving him three regiments of the shield-bearing guards, all
the Agrianians, and one line of archers, pointing out to him the place
where he especially conjectured the barbarians would try to force their
way. “When thou perceivest the barbarians forcing their way here,”
said he, “do thou, with the army obstruct their advance, and order
the bugler to give the signal. And do you, O officers, as soon as the
signal has been given, each being arrayed in battle order with your own
men, advance towards the noise, wherever the bugle summons you. Nor
will I myself withdraw from the action.”
CHAPTER XXIV.
CAPTURE OF SANGALA.
Such were the orders he gave; and Ptolemy collected there as many
waggons as he could from those which had been left behind in the first
flight, and placed them athwart, so that there might seem to the
fugitives in the night to be many difficulties in their way; and as
the stockade had been knocked down, or had not been firmly fixed in
the ground, he ordered his men to heap up a mound of earth in various
places between the lake and the wall. This his soldiers effected in
the night. When it was about the fourth watch,[707] the barbarians,
just as Alexander had been informed, opened the gates towards the
lake, and made a run in that direction. However they did not escape