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Therefore he released him and gave him rule, being named satrap, not only 1.299 of those he formerly ruled, but also of many others. In this battle Bucephalus also, having been wounded, died after a time, having already become very old. But Alexander was grieved as having lost a friend. The Macedonians, however, having toiled in the battle against Porus, would not obey Alexander when he compelled them to cross the river Ganges, which has a width of thirty-two stades, and a depth of one hundred fathoms. And he, being disheartened, remained in his tent, not going out, considering the failure to cross the Ganges an admission of defeat. But with his friends encouraging him and the soldiers entreating him with weeping, he both gave in and broke camp. And having built many ferries and rafts, he was conveyed down the rivers, wishing to see the outer sea; and sailing along he would disembark and subdue cities. And when he was among the Malli, who are the most warlike of the Indians, he was nearly in mortal danger. For having climbed the wall first by a ladder, when the ladder was shattered and the enemy were attacking and striking him, he gathered himself up and threw himself from above into the midst of the enemy; and by chance he stood upright. And at first the barbarians were scattered, but seeing him and only two shield-bearers, they turned back and defended themselves and wounded him with close-combat weapons. But one, stepping back, shooting him with an arrow from a bow, pierced the bones around his breast with the arrow, and the wound so affected him that he both gave way and bent over; whereupon the one who had shot him ran at him with a sword. But Peucestas and Limnaeus, defending him, were both wounded; and the one died, but Peucestas still defended himself, and Alexander killed the barbarian who had wounded him. And having been wounded in many 1.300 places, then also struck on the sinew with a club, leaning against the wall he looked towards the barbarians. And in the meantime, the Macedonians having gathered, he was snatched up and carried senseless to his tent. And with the point of the arrow having been lodged in one of the bones, as it was being pulled out, sharp pains and fainting spells occurred, so that he was even expected to die. Nevertheless, however, having escaped the danger and being treated for a longer time, he threw the Macedonians into an uproar as they longed to see him; and he came forth. And having recovered again, he was conveyed along, subduing both much country and cities. And having captured some of the gymnosophists and having proposed to them difficult questions, he gave them gifts and released them. And Taxiles persuaded one of those held in esteem among them, named Calanus, to come to Alexander. This man, having thrown a dry hide down before the king, went around treading on its edges. And it, being pressed down on one part of its edges by the treading, was raised up in the other parts. Then, when he trod on its middle and held it down, the whole hide was still and was motionless. And through this example he advised Alexander not to occupy himself with the edges of his empire, but to hold the middle, so that in this way the surrounding parts might also be quiet. And in seven months, having been led down the rivers to the sea, it is said that with his ships he entered the ocean. Then, turning back, he ordered the ships to sail along, keeping India on their right, but he himself, proceeding on foot, came into extreme want and 1.301 lost so great a number that not even a fourth of the army was brought back from India because of diseases and bad provisions and burning heat and famine. For he was passing through a barren land, which had few sheep, and these fed on sea fish and had wretched and foul-smelling flesh. And having crossed that country in sixty days and reached Gedrosia, he came to be in abundance, and he both recovered his force and he himself held revels. And going down to the sea he punished the wicked among the generals. For the campaign in the interior and the wound among the Malli and the destruction of the multitude had caused them to disbelieve in his survival, and it incited the generals and satraps to insolence and injustice; and they moved their tributaries to revolt. And when Abulites, one of the satraps, had not prepared any of the provisions, but of coin
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ἀφῆκεν ουν αὐτὸν καὶ αρχειν δέδωκε, σατράπην ὀνομαζόμενον, οὐ μόνον 1.299 ων ηρχε πρῴην, ἀλλὰ καὶ αλλων πολλῶν. ἐν ταύτῃ τῇ μάχῃ καὶ ὁ Βουκεφάλας τρωθεὶς μετὰ καιρὸν ἐτελεύτησεν, ηδη ὑπέργηρως γεγονώς. ὁ δὲ ̓Αλέξανδρος ηλγησεν ως τινα φίλον ἀποβαλών. Οἱ μέντοι Μακεδόνες ἐν τῇ πρὸς Πῶρον μάχῃ πεπονηκότες οὐκ ἐπείθοντο ̓Αλεξάνδρῳ καὶ τὸν Γάγγην ποταμὸν περᾶσαι βιαζομένῳ, ευρος μὲν εχοντα σταδίους τριάκοντα πρὸς δυσί, βάθος δὲ ὀργυιὰς ἑκατόν. ὁ δὲ δυσθυμήσας ἀπρόϊτος ἐν τῇ σκηνῇ εμενεν, ηττης λογιζόμενος συγκατάθεσιν τὸ τὸν Γάγγην μὴ παρελθεῖν. τῶν δὲ φίλων παρακαλούντων καὶ τῶν στρατιωτῶν ἀντιβολούντων μετὰ κλαυθμοῦ, ἐνδέδωκέ τε καὶ ἀνεζεύγνυε. πολλὰ δὲ πορθμεῖα καὶ σχεδίας πηξάμενος ἐκομίζετο διὰ τῶν ποταμῶν, θέλων τὴν εξω θάλασσαν ἐπιδεῖν· καὶ παραπλέων ἀπέβαινε καὶ πόλεις ἐχειροῦτο. ἐν δὲ Μαλλοῖς γεγονώς, μαχιμωτάτοις ουσιν ̓Ινδῶν, μικροῦ ἐκινδύνευσε. πρῶτος γὰρ διὰ κλίμακος ἐπὶ τὸ τεῖχος ἀναβάς, τῆς κλίμακος συντριβείσης καὶ τῶν πολεμίων ἐπιτιθεμένων καὶ βαλλόντων αὐτόν, συστρέψας ἑαυτὸν εἰς μέσους ανωθεν ἀφῆκε τοὺς ἐναντίους· καὶ κατὰ τύχην ὀρθὸς εστη. καὶ τὸ μὲν πρῶτον οἱ βάρβαροι ἐσκεδάσθησαν, ἰδόντες δὲ αὐτὸν καὶ δύο μόνους ὑπασπιστάς, ἐπαναστραφέντες ἠμύνοντο καὶ ἀγχεμάχοις οπλοις ἐτίτρωσκον. εις δ' ἀποστὰς βέλει ἐκ τόξου βαλὼν αὐτὸν τοῖς περὶ τὸν μαζὸν ὀστέοις τὸ βέλος ἐνέπειρε, καὶ ουτως αὐτοῦ καθίκετο ἡ πληγὴ ὡς ἐνδοῦναί τε καὶ καμφθῆναι· οθεν ὁ βαλὼν αὐτὸν μετὰ ξίφους ἐπέδραμε. Πευκέστας δὲ καὶ Λιμναῖος ὑπερασπίσαντες καὶ αμφω ἐτρώθησαν· καὶ ὁ μὲν τέθνηκε, Πευκέστας δὲ ετι ἠμύνετο, τὸν δὲ τρώσαντα αὐτὸν βάρβαρον ἀνεῖλεν ̓Αλέξανδρος. πολλα1.300 χοῦ δὲ τρωθείς, ειτα καὶ κατὰ τοῦ τένοντος ὑπέρῳ βληθείς, τῷ τείχει προσερεισθεὶς πρὸς τοὺς βαρβάρους ἀπέβλεπεν. ἐν τοσούτῳ δ' ἀθροισθέντων τῶν Μακεδόνων ἁρπασθεὶς εἰς τὴν σκηνὴν ἀναισθητῶν ἐκομίζετο. ἑνὶ δὲ τῶν ὀστέων τῆς ἀκίδος ἐμπαγείσης τοῦ οἰστοῦ ἑλκομένου ὀδύναι δριμεῖαι καὶ λιποθυμίαι ἐγίνοντο, ὡς καὶ θανεῖν ἐκεῖνον ἐλπίζεσθαι. ομως μέντοι τὸν κίνδυνον διαδρὰς καὶ χρόνον πλείω θεραπευόμενος εἰς θόρυβον τοὺς Μακεδόνας ἐνέβαλε ποθοῦντας ἰδεῖν αὐτόν· καὶ προῆλθεν. ̓Αναρρωσθεὶς δὲ αυθις παρεκομίζετο χώραν τε πολλὴν καὶ πόλεις χειρούμενος. τῶν δὲ γυμνοσοφιστῶν τινας συλλαβὼν καὶ ἐρωτήσεις αὐτοῖς ἀπόρους προθέμενος ἐδωρήσατο καὶ ἀφῆκεν. ενα δὲ τῶν ἐν δόξῃ παρ' αὐτοῖς οντων Κάλανον κεκλημένον επεισεν ὁ Ταξίλης πρὸς ̓Αλέξανδρον ἀφικέσθαι. ουτος βύρσαν ξηρὰν ἐνώπιον τοῦ βασιλέως καταβαλὼν περιῄει τὰ ακρα ταύτης πατῶν. ἡ δὲ ἐν μέρει τῶν ακρων πιεζομένη τῇ συμπατήσει τοῖς αλλοις ῃρετο μέρεσιν. ειτα μέσον αὐτὴν πατήσαντος καὶ συσχόντος ἡ ολη βύρσα ἠτρέμει καὶ ἀκίνητος ην. παρῄνει δὲ διὰ τοῦ ὑποδείγματος τὸν ̓Αλέξανδρον μὴ τοῖς ακροις τῆς ἀρχῆς ἐμφιλοχωρεῖν, τὰ μέσα δὲ κατέχειν, ιν' ουτω καὶ τὰ πέριξ ἠρέμα ῃ. ̔Επτὰ δὲ μησὶ διὰ τῶν ποταμῶν εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν ὑπαχθεὶς λέγεται ταῖς ναυσὶν εἰς τὸν ὠκεανὸν ἐμβαλεῖν. ειτα ἀναστρέφων τὰς μὲν ναῦς παραπλεῖν ἐν δεξιᾷ τὴν ̓Ινδικὴν ἐχούσας ἐκέλευσεν, αὐτὸς δὲ πεζῇ πορευόμενος εἰς ἐσχάτην ἀπορίαν κατήντησε καὶ 1.301 πλῆθος τοσοῦτον ἀπώλεσεν ωστε τῆς στρατιᾶς μηδὲ τὸ τέταρτον ἐκ τῆς ̓Ινδικῆς ἀνακομισθῆναι διὰ νόσους καὶ πονηρὰς διαίτας καὶ καύματα καὶ λιμόν. απορον γὰρ διῄει χώραν, ὀλίγα πρόβατα εχουσαν, καὶ ταῦτα θαλαττίοις ἰχθύσι τρεφόμενα καὶ σάρκα μοχθηρὰν εχοντα καὶ δυσώδη. ἐν ἑξήκοντα δ' ἡμέραις διελθὼν τὴν χώραν ἐκείνην καὶ τῆς Γεδρωσίας ἁψάμενος ἐν ἀφθόνοις ἐγένετο, καὶ τήν τε δύναμιν ἀνεκτᾶτο καὶ αὐτὸς ἐκώμαζε. καταβαίνων δ' ἐπὶ θάλασσαν ἐκόλαζε τοὺς πονηροὺς τῶν στρατηγῶν. ἡ γὰρ ανω στρατεία καὶ τὸ περὶ Μαλλοὺς τραῦμα καὶ ἡ τοῦ πλήθους φθορὰ ἀπιστεῖν τῇ σωτηρίᾳ αὐτοῦ παρεσκεύασε, καὶ τοὺς στρατηγοὺς καὶ σατράπας εἰς υβριν καὶ ἀδικίαν ἠρέθισεν· οἱ δὲ πρὸς ἀποστασίαν τοὺς ὑποφόρους ἐκίνησαν. ̓Αβουλήτου δὲ τῶν σατραπευόντων ἑνὸς μή τι τῶν ζωαρκῶν ἑτοιμάσαντος, νομίσματος δὲ