Αλεξανδρου αναβασις 4.30.1

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.