Αλεξανδρου αναβασις 4.30

4.30.1

τῇ μὲν δὴ πρώτῃ ἡμέρᾳ ὡς ἐπὶ στάδιον ἔχωσεν αὐτῷ ὁ στρατός. ἐς δὲ τὴν ὑστεραίαν οἵ τε σφενδονῆται σφενδονῶντες ἐς τοὺς Ἰνδοὺς ἐκ τοῦ ἤδη κεχωσμένου καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν μηχανῶν βέλη ἀφιέμενα ἀνέστελλε τῶν Ἰνδῶν τὰς ἐκδρομὰς τὰς ἐπὶ τοὺς χωννύοντας. καὶ ἐχώννυτο αὐτῷ ἐς τρεῖς ἡμέρας ξυνεχῶς τὸ χωρίον. τῇ τετάρτῃ δὲ βιασάμενοι τῶν Μακεδόνων οὐ πολλοὶ κατέσχον ὀλίγον γήλοφον ἰσόπεδον τῇ πέτρᾳ. καὶ Ἀλέξανδρος οὐδέν τι ἐλινύων ἐπῆγε τὸ χῶμα ξυνάψαι ἐθέλων τὸ χωννύμενον τῷ γηλόφῳ, ὅντινα οἱ ὀλίγοι αὐτῷ ἤδη κατεῖχον.

The army by the first day's work extended the mound the length of a stadium, and on the following day the slingers by slinging stones at the Indians from the mound just constructed, and the bolts shot at them from the engines, drove them back whenever they sallied out to attack the men engaged upon the mound. The work of piling it up thus went on for three days, without intermission, when on the fourth day a few Macedonians forced their way to a small hill which was on a level with the rock, and occupied its crest. Alexander without ever resting drove the mound towards the hill which the handful of men had occupied, his object being to join the two together. But the Indians terror-struck both by the unheard-of audacity of the Macedonians in forcing their way to the hill, and also by seeing that this position was now connected with the mound, abstained from further resistance, and, sending their herald to Alexander, professed they were willing to surrender the rock if he granted them terms of capitulation. But the purpose they had in view was to consume the day in spinning out negotiations, and to disperse by night to their several homes. When Alexander saw this he allowed them to start off as well as to withdraw the sentinels from the whole circle of outposts. He did not himself stir until they began their retreat, but, when they did so, he took with him 700 of the bodyguards and the hypaspists and scaled the rock at the point abandoned by the enemy.

4.30.2

οἱ δὲ Ἰνδοὶ πρός τε τὴν ἀδιήγητον τόλμαν τῶν ἐς τὸν γήλοφον βιασαμένων Μακεδόνων ἐκπλαγέντες καὶ τὸ χῶμα ξυνάπτον ἤδη ὁρῶντες, τοῦ μὲν ἀπομάχεσθαι ἔτι ἀπείχοντο, πέμψαντες δὲ κήρυκας σφῶν παρὰ Ἀλέξανδρον ἐθέλειν ἔφασκον ἐνδοῦναι τὴν πέτραν, εἴ σφισι σπένδοιτο. γνώμην δὲ ἐπεποίηντο ἐν τῷ ἔτι διαμέλλοντι τῶν σπονδῶν διαγαγόντες τὴν ἡμέραν νυκτὸς ὡς ἕκαστοι διασκεδάννυσθαι ἐπὶ τὰ σφέτερα ἤθη.

4.30.3

καὶ τοῦτο ὡς ἐπύθετο Ἀλέξανδρος, ἐνδίδωσιν αὐτοῖς χρόνον τε ἐς τὴν ἀποχώρησιν καὶ τῆς φυλακῆς τὴν κύκλωσιν τὴν πάντῃ ἀφελεῖν. καὶ αὐτὸς ἔμενεν ἔστε ἤρξαντο τῆς ἀποχωρήσεως· καὶ ἐν τούτῳ ἀναλαβὼν τῶν σωματοφυλάκων καὶ τῶν ὑπασπιστῶν ἐς ἑπτακοσίους κατὰ τὸ ἐκλελειμμένον τῆς πέτρας ἀνέρχεται ἐς αὐτὴν πρῶτος, καὶ οἱ Μακεδόνες ἄλλος ἄλλῃ ἀνιμῶντες ἀλλήλους ἀνῄεσαν.

He was himself the first to reach the top, the Macedonians ascending after him pulling one another up, some at one place and some at another. Then at a preconcerted signal they turned upon the retreating barbarians and slew many of them in the flight, besides so terrifying some others that in retreating they flung themselves down the precipices, and were in consequence dashed to death. Alexander thus became master of the rock which had baffled Herakles himself. He sacrificed upon it and built a fort, giving the command of its garrison to Sisikottos, who long before had in Baktra deserted from the Indians to Bessos, but after Alexander had conquered the Baktrian land served in his army, and showed himself a man worthy of all confidence.

4.30.4

καὶ οὗτοι ἐπὶ τοὺς ἀποχωροῦντας τῶν βαρβάρων τραπόμενοι ἀπὸ ξυνθήματος, πολλοὺς μὲν αὐτῶν ἐν τῇ φυγῇ ἀπέκτειναν, οἱ δὲ καὶ πεφοβημένως ἀποχωροῦντες κατὰ τῶν κρημνῶν ῥίψαντες σφᾶς ἀπέθανον. εἴχετό τε Ἀλεξάνδρῳ ἡ πέτρα ἡ τῷ Ἡρακλεῖ ἄπορος γενομένη καὶ ἔθυεν ἐπʼ αὐτῇ Ἀλέξανδρος καὶ κατεσκεύασε φρούριον, παραδοὺς Σισικόττῳ ἐπιμελεῖσθαι τῆς φρουρᾶς, ὃς ἐξ Ἰνδῶν μὲν πάλαι ηὐτομολήκει ἐς Βάκτρα παρὰ Βῆσσον, Ἀλεξάνδρου δὲ κατασχόντος τὴν χώραν τὴν Βακτρίαν ξυνεστράτευέ τε αὐτῷ καὶ πιστὸς ἐς τὰ μάλιστα ἐφαίνετο.

4.30.5

ἄρας δʼ ἐκ τῆς πέτρας ἐς τὴν Ἀσσακηνῶν χώραν ἐμβάλλει. τὸν γὰρ ἀδελφὸν τὸν Ἀσσακάνου ἐξηγγέλλετο τούς τε ἐλέφαντας ἔχοντα καὶ τῶν προσχώρων βαρβάρων πολλοὺς ξυμπεφευγέναι ἐς τὰ ταύτῃ ὄρη. καὶ ἀφικόμενος ἐς Δύρτα πόλιν τῶν μὲν ἐνοικούντων οὐδένα καταλαμβάνει οὐδὲ ἐν τῇ χώρᾳ τῇ πρὸς τῇ πόλει· ἐς δὲ τὴν ὑστεραίαν Νέαρχόν τε καὶ Ἀντίοχον τοὺς χιλιάρχους τῶν ὑπασπιστῶν ἐκπέμπει·

He then set out from the rock and invaded the land of the Assakenians, for he had been apprised that the brother of Assakenos, with the elephants and a host of the barbarians from the adjoining country, had fled for refuge to the mountains of that land. On reaching Dyrta he found there were no inhabitants either in the city itself or the surrounding district. So next day he sent out Nearchos and Antiochos, commanders of the hypaspists, the former with the light-armed Agrianians, and the latter with his own regiment and other two regiments besides. They were despatched to examine the nature of the localities, and to capture, if possible, some of the barbarians who might give information about the state of matters in the country, and particularly about the elephants, as he was very anxious to know where they were.

4.30.6

καὶ Νεάρχῳ μὲν τοὺς Ἀγριᾶνας τοὺς ψιλοὺς ἄγειν ἔδωκεν, Ἀντιόχῳ δὲ τήν τε αὑτοῦ χιλιαρχίαν καὶ δύο ἐπὶ ταύτῃ ἄλλας. ἐστέλλοντο δὲ τά τε χωρία κατοψόμενοι καὶ εἴ πού τινας τῶν βαρβάρων ξυλλαβεῖν ἐς ἔλεγχον τῶν κατὰ τὴν χώραν, τῶν τε ἄλλων καὶ μάλιστα δὴ τὰ ἀμφὶ τοὺς ἐλέφαντας ἔμελεν αὐτῷ μαθεῖν.

4.30.7

αὐτὸς δὲ ὡς ἐπὶ τὸν Ἰνδὸν ποταμὸν ἤδη ἦγε, καὶ ἡ στρατιὰ αὐτῷ ὡδοποίει τὸ πρόσω ἰοῦσα ἄπορα ἄλλως ὄντα τὰ ταύτῃ χωρία. ἐνταῦθα ξυλλαμβάνει ὀλίγους τῶν βαρβάρων, καὶ παρὰ τούτων ἔμαθεν, ὅτι οἱ μὲν ἐν τῇ χώρᾳ Ἰνδοὶ παρὰ Ἀβισάρῃ ἀποπεφευγότες εἶεν, τοὺς δὲ ἐλέφαντας ὅτι αὐτοῦ κατέλιπον νέμεσθαι πρὸς τῷ ποταμῷ τῷ Ἰνδῷ· καὶ τούτους ἡγήσασθαί οἱ τὴν ὁδὸν ἐκέλευσεν ὡς ἐπὶ τοὺς ἐλέφαντας.

He himself now marched towards the river Indus, and the army going on before made a road for him, without which there would have been no means of passing through that part of the country. He there captured a few of the barbarians, from whom he learned that the Indians of the country had fled away for refuge to Abisares, but had left their elephants there at pasture near the river Indus. He ordered these men to show him the way to the elephants. Now many of the Indians are elephant hunters, and men of this class found favour with him and were kept in his retinue, and on this occasion he went with them in pursuit of the elephants. Two of these animals were killed in the chase by throwing themselves down a steep place, but the others on being caught suffered drivers to mount them, and were added to the army. He was further fortunate in finding serviceable timber along the river, and this was cut for him by the army and employed in building boats. These were taken down the river Indus to the bridge which a good while before this Hephaistion and Perdikkas had constructed.

4.30.8

εἰσὶ δὲ Ἰνδῶν πολλοὶ κυνηγέται τῶν ἐλεφάντων, καὶ τούτους σπουδῇ ἀμφʼ αὑτὸν εἶχεν Ἀλέξανδρος, καὶ τότε ἐθήρα ξὺν τούτοις τοὺς ἐλέφαντας· καὶ δύο μὲν αὐτῶν ἀπόλλυνται κατὰ κρημνοῦ σφᾶς ῥίψαντες ἐν τῇ διώξει, οἱ δὲ ἄλλοι ξυλληφθέντες ἔφερόν τε τοὺς ἀμβάτας καὶ τῇ στρατιᾷ ξυνετάσσοντο.

4.30.9

ἐπεὶ δὲ καὶ ὕλῃ ἐργασίμῳ ἐνέτυχε παρὰ τὸν ποταμὸν, καὶ αὕτη ἐκόπη αὐτῷ ὑπὸ τῆς στρατιᾶς καὶ ναῦς ἐποιήθησαν. καὶ αὗται κατὰ τὸν Ἰνδὸν ποταμὸν ἤγοντο ὡς ἐπὶ τὴν γέφυραν, ἥντινα Ἡφαιστίων καὶ Περδίκκας αὐτῷ ἐξῳκοδομηκότες πάλαι ἦσαν.