Γεωγραφικά 15.1.32

15.1.32

̔η μὲν οὖν μέχρι τοῦ Ὑδάσπου ὁδὸς τὸ πλέον ἦν ἐπὶ μεσημβρίαν, ἡ δʼ ἐνθένδε πρὸς ἕω μᾶλλον μέχρι τοῦ Ὑπάνιος, ἅπασα δὲ τῆς ὑπωρείας μᾶλλον ἢ τῶν πεδίων ἐχομένη. ὁ δʼ οὖν Ἀλέξανδρος ἀπὸ τοῦ Ὑπάνιος ἀναστρέψας ἐπὶ τὸν Ὑδάσπην καὶ τὸν ναύσταθμον ἠρτικρότει τὸν στόλον, εἶτʼ ἔπλει τῷ Ὑδάσπῃ. πάντες δʼ οἱ λεχθέντες ποταμοὶ συμβάλλουσιν εἰς ἕνα τὸν Ἰνδόν, ὕστατος δʼ ὁ Ὕπανις· πεντεκαίδεκα δὲ τοὺς σύμπαντας συρρεῖν φασι τούς γε ἀξιολόγους· πληρωθεὶς δʼ ἐκ πάντων ὥστε καὶ ἐφʼ ἑκατὸν σταδίους, ὡς οἱ μὴ μετριάζοντές φασιν, εὐρύνεσθαι κατά τινας τόπους, ὡς δʼ οἱ μετριώτεροι, πεντήκοντα τὸ πλεῖστον ἐλάχιστον δὲ ἑπτά, ἔπειτα δυσὶ στόμασιν εἰς τὴν νοτίαν ἐκδίδωσι θάλατταν καὶ τὴν Παταληνὴν προσαγορευομένην ποιεῖ νῆσον. ταύτην δʼ ἔσχε τὴν διάνοιαν Ἀλέξανδρος, ἀφεὶς τὰ πρὸς ἕω μέρη πρῶτον μὲν διὰ τὸ κωλυθῆναι διαβῆναι τὸν Ὕπανιν, ἔπειτα καὶ ψευδῆ καταμαθὼν τῇ πείρᾳ τὸν προκατέχοντα λόγον ὡς ἔκπυρα εἴη καὶ θηρίοις μᾶλλον οἰκήσιμα τὰ ἐν τοῖς πεδίοις ἢ ἀνθρωπείῳ γένει· διόπερ ὥρμησεν ἐπὶ ταῦτα ἀφεὶς ἐκεῖνα, ὥστε καὶ ἐγνώσθη ταῦτα ἀντʼ ἐκείνων ἐπὶ πλέον.

The direction of the march, as far as the Hydaspes, was for the most part towards the south. After that, to the Hypanis, it was more towards the east. The whole of it, however, was much nearer to the country lying at the foot of the mountains than to the plains. Alexander therefore, when he returned from the Hypanis to the Hydaspes and the station of his vessels, prepared his fleet, and set sail on the Hydaspes.
All the rivers which have been mentioned (the last of which is the Hypanis) unite in one, the Indus. It is said that there are altogether fifteen considerable rivers which flow into the Indus. After the Indus has been filled by all these rivers, so as to be enlarged in some places to the extent of a hundred stadia, according to writers who exaggerate, or, according to a more moderate estimate, to fifty stadia at the utmost, and at the least to seven, [and who speak of many nations and cities about this river,] it discharges itself by two mouths into the southern sea, and forms the island called Patalene.
Alexander’s intention was to relinquish the march towards the parts situated to the east, first, because he was prevented from crossing the Hypanis; next, because he learnt by experience the falsehood of the reports previously received, to the effect that the plains were burnt up with fire, and more fit for the haunts of wild beasts than for the habitation of man. He therefore set out in this direction, relinquishing the other track; so that these parts became better known than the other.