Ἀλεξάνδρου ἀνάβασις 6.8

6.8.1

μείνας δὲ αὐτοῦ μίαν ἡμέραν καὶ ἀναπαύσας τὴν στρατιὰν τῇ ὑστεραίᾳ προὐχώρει ὡς ἐπὶ τοὺς ἄλλους Μαλλούς. καὶ τὰς μὲν πόλεις ἐκλελοιπότας καταλαμβάνει, αὐτοὺς δὲ ἔμαθεν ὅτι πεφευγότες εἶεν ἐς τὴν ἔρημον.

He remained there one day to give his army rest, and next day he moved forward to attack the rest of the Malloi. He found their cities abandoned, and ascertained that the inhabitants had fled into the desert. There he again allowed the army a day's rest and next day sent Peithon and Demetrios, the cavalry commander back to the river with their own troops, and as many battalions of light-armed infantry as the nature of the work required. He directed them to march along the edge of the river, and if they came upon any of those who had fled for refuge to the jungle, of which there were numerous patches along the river-bank, to put them all to death unless they voluntarily surrendered. The troops under these two officers captured many of the fugitives in these jungles and killed them. He marched himself against the largest city of the Malloi, to which he was informed many men from their other cities had fled for safety. The Indians, however abandoned this place also when they heard that Alexander was approaching. They then crossed the Hydraotes and with a view to obstruct Alexander's passage, remained drawn up in order of battle upon the banks, because they were very steep. On learning this, he took all the cavalry which he had with him, and marched to that part of the Hydraotes where he had been told the Malloi were posted ; and the infantry were directed to follow after him.

6.8.2

καὶ ἐνταῦθα αὖθις μίαν ἡμέραν ἀναπαύσας τὴν στρατιὰν ἐς τὴν ἐπιοῦσαν Πείθωνα μὲν καὶ Δημήτριον τὸν ἱππάρχην πρὸς τὸν ποταμὸν ὀπίσω ἀπέπεμψεν, ὧν τε αὐτοὶ ἡγοῦντο ἄγοντας καὶ πρὸς τούτοις ψιλῶν τάξεις δοὺς αὐτοῖς ὅσαι ἱκαναὶ πρὸς τὸ ἔργον.

6.8.3

προσέταξε δὲ παρὰ τῇ ὄχθῃ τοῦ ποταμοῦ ἰόντας, εἴ τισι περιτυγχάνοιεν τῶν ἐς τὰς ὕλας ξυμπεφευγότων, αἳ δὴ πολλαὶ πρὸς τῇ ὄχθῃ τοῦ ποταμοῦ ἦσαν, τούτους κτείνειν, ὅσοι μὴ ἐθελονταὶ σφᾶς ἐνδιδοῖεν. καὶ πολλοὺς καταλαβόντες ἐν ταῖς ὕλαις οἱ ἀμφὶ Πείθωνά τε καὶ Δημήτριον ἀπέκτειναν.

6.8.4

αὐτὸς δὲ ἦγεν ἐπὶ τὴν μεγίστην τῶν Μαλλῶν πόλιν, ἵνα καὶ ἐκ τῶν ἄλλων πόλεων πολλοὺς ξυμπεφευγέναι αὐτῷ ἐξηγγέλλετο. ἀλλὰ καὶ ταύτην ἐξέλιπον οἱ Ἰνδοὶ ὡς προσάγοντα Ἀλέξανδρον ἔμαθον. διαβάντες δὲ τὸν Ὑδραώτην ποταμὸν ἐπὶ τοῖς ὄχθαις αὐτοῦ, ὅτι ὑψηλαὶ αἱ ὄχθαι ἦσαν, παρατεταγμένοι ἔμενον, ὡς εἴρξοντες τοῦ πόρου Ἀλέξανδρον.

6.8.5

καὶ ταῦτα ὡς ἤκουσεν, ἀναλαβὼν τὴν ἵππον τὴν ἅμα αὐτῷ πᾶσαν ᾔει ὡς ἐπὶ τὸν Ὑδραώτην, ἵναπερ παρατετάχθαι τοὺς Μαλλοὺς ἐξηγγέλλετο. οἱ δὲ πεζοὶ ἕπεσθαι αὐτῷ ἐτάχθησαν. ὡς δὲ ἀφίκετό τε ἐπʼ αὐτὸν καὶ ἐν τῷ πέραν τοὺς πολεμίους τεταγμένους κατεῖδεν, ὡς εἶχεν ἐκ τῆς ὁδοῦ ἐμβάλλει ἐς τὸν πόρον ξὺν τῇ ἵππῳ μόνῃ.

6.8.6

οἱ δὲ ἰδόντες ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ ποταμοῦ ὄντα ἤδη Ἀλέξανδρον κατὰ σπουδὴν μέν, ξυντεταγμένοι δὲ ὅμως ἀπεχώρουν ἀπὸ τῆς ὄχθης· καὶ Ἀλέξανδρος ξὺν μόνῃ τῇ ἵππῳ εἵπετο. ὡς δὲ κατεῖδον ἱππέας μόνους, ἐπιστρέψαντες οἱ Ἰνδοὶ καρτερῶς ἐμάχοντο πλῆθος ὄντες ἐς πέντε μυριάδας. καὶ Ἀλέξανδρος ὡς τήν τε φάλαγγα αὐτῶν πυκνὴν κατεῖδε καὶ αὐτῷ οἱ πεζοὶ ἀπῆσαν, προσβολὰς μὲν ἐποιεῖτο ἐς κύκλους παριππεύων, ἐς χεῖρας δὲ οὐκ ᾔει τοῖς Ἰνδοῖς.

When he came to the river and descried the enemy drawn up on the opposite bank, he plunged at once, just as he was after the march, into the ford, with the cavalry only. When the enemy saw Alexander now in the middle of the stream they withdrew in haste, but yet in good order, from the bank, and Alexander pursued them with the cavalry only. But when the Indians perceived he had nothing but a party of horse with him, they faced round and fought stoutly, being about 50,000 in number. Alexander perceiving that their phalanx was very compact, and his own infantry not on the ground, rode along all round them, and sometimes charged their ranks, but not close at quarters. Meanwhile the Agrianians and other battalions of light-armed infantry, which consisted of picked men, were running on to join along with the archers, while the phalanx of infantry was showing in sight at no great distance off. As they were threatened at once with so many dangers, the Indians wheeled round, and with headlong speed fled to the strongest of all the cities that lay near. Alexander killed many of them in the pursuit while those who escaped to the city were shut up within its walls. At first, therefore, he surrounded the place with his horsemen as soon as they came up from the march.

6.8.7

καὶ ἐν τούτῳ παραγίγνονται αὐτῷ οἵ τε Ἀγριᾶνες καὶ ἄλλαι τάξεις τῶν ψιλῶν, ἃς δὴ ἐπιλέκτους ἅμα οἷ ἦγε, καὶ οἱ τοξόται· οὐ πόρρω δὲ οὐδὲ ἡ φάλαγξ ἐφαίνετο τῶν πεζῶν. καὶ οἱ Ἰνδοὶ ὁμοῦ σφισι πάντων τῶν δεινῶν προσκειμένων ἀποστρέψαντες ἤδη προτροπάδην ἔφευγον ἐς πόλιν ὀχυρωτάτην τῶν πλησίον.

6.8.8

καὶ Ἀλέξανδρος ἑπόμενός τε αὐτοῖς πολλοὺς ἔκτεινε καὶ ὡς ἐς τὴν πόλιν οἱ διαφυμγόντες κατειλήθησαν, πρῶτα μὲν τοῖς ἱππεῦσιν ἐξ ἐφόδου ἐκυκλώσατο τὴν πόλιν· ὡς δὲ οἱ πεζοὶ αὐτῷ παρῆσαν, ταύτῃ μὲν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ περιστρατοπεδεύει ἐν κύκλῳ τοῦ τείχους, ὅτι οὐ πολύ τε τῆς ἡμέρας ὑπελείπετο ἐς τὴν προσβολὴν καὶ ἡ στρατιὰ αὐτῷ ὑπό τε πορείας μακρᾶς οἱ πεζοὶ καὶ ὑπὸ διώξεως συνεχοῦς οἱ ἵπποι καὶ οὐχ ἥκιστα κατὰ τὸν πόρον τοῦ ποταμοῦ τεταλαιπωρήκεσαν.

But when the infantry arrived he encamped around the wall on every side for the remainder of this day— a time too short for making an assault, to say nothing of the great fatigue his army had undergone, the infantry from their long march, and the cavalry by the continuous pursuit, and especially by the passage of the river.