Βιβλιοθήκη ἱστορική 17.92

17.92.1

τῷ δʼ Ἀλεξάνδρῳ πολλὰ καὶ μεγάλα δῶρα παραστήσας κύνας ἔδωκεν ἑκατὸν καὶ πεντήκοντα τοῖς μεγέθεσι καὶ ταῖς ἀλκαῖς καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις προτερήμασι θαυμαζομένους, οὓς ἔφασαν ταῖς τίγρεσιν ἐπιμεμῖχθαι.

Among the many valuable presents which he bestowed on Alexander were 150 dogs remarkable for their size and strength, and superior also in other points, and said to have been bred from tigresses. Being desirous that Alexander should have proof of their mettle by seeing them at work, he placed a full-grown lion within an enclosure, and selecting two of the least valuable of the dogs included in the present, cast them to the lion. When these were likely to be vanquished by the wild beast he let loose other two dogs. Then when the four dogs together proved more than a match for the lion, a man who was sent into the ring with a knife cut away the right leg of one of the dogs. When the king loudly remonstrated, and his body-guards rushed forward and arrested the hand of the Indian, Sopeithes announced that he would give three dogs instead of the one which was mutilated. Then the huntsman, taking hold of the leg, cut it away quietly bit by bit. The dog, without uttering so much as a yell or a moan of pain, kept his fangs fixed in the bite, until all his blood being drained he drew his last breath on the body of the lion.

17.92.2

βουλόμενος δὲ τὸν Ἀλέξανδρον διὰ τῶν ἔργων λαβεῖν πεῖραν τῆς τῶν κυνῶν ἀρετῆς εἰσήγαγεν εἴς τι περίφραγμα λέοντα τέλειον καὶ τῶν δοθέντων κυνῶν δύο τοὺς εὐτελεστάτους προέβαλε τῷ λέοντι· τούτων δὲ κατισχυομένων ὑπὸ τοῦ θηρίου δύο ἑτέρους εἰς2αφῆκεν.

17.92.3

τῶν δὲ τεττάρων περιγινομένων τοῦ λέοντος πεμφθείς τις ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ μετὰ μαχαίρας ἀφῄρει τὸ δεξιὸν σκέλος ἑνὸς τῶν κυνῶν. τοῦ δὲ βασιλέως ἀναβοήσαντος καὶ τῶν σωματοφυλάκων προσδραμόντων καὶ τῆς τοῦ Ἰνδοῦ χειρὸς ἐπιλαβομένων ὁ μὲν Σωπείθης τρεῖς ἀντὶ τούτου δώσειν ἐπηγγείλατο, ὁ δὲ κυνηγὸς ἐπιλαβόμενος τοῦ σκέλους ἔτεμνεν ἡσυχῇ κατʼ ὀλίγον. ὁ δὲ κύων οὔτε κλαγγὴν οὔτε μυγμὸν προέμενος, ἀλλὰ τοὺς ὀδόντας ἐμπεπρικὼς ἔμενεν ἕως ὅτου γενόμενος ἔξαιμος ἐναπέθανε τῷ θηρίῳ.